I believe we are all hard on ourselves as parents. Constantly questioning whether our decisions are the best for our children. Sometimes we need a little reminder that we should forgive ourselves for all of the "wrong" decisions we make.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
"The Mom Stays in the Picture"
I just wanted to pass along this wonderfully written article from another Mom who wrote some words that resonated with me. Anyone who has had a baby knows that your body goes through some crazy changes during pregnancy. It has been difficult at times for me to look in the mirror to discover my body changed so much in order to bring our daughter in to this world. I am not ashamed of how I look, but I am hard on myself when my postpartum pictures are concerned. No longer will I be because I know how much I treasure the few pictures I have of my family growing up. I want that for my daughter as well. Thank you, Allison Tate, for writing such a beautiful article!
Read Allison's article here:
P.S. Grab some tissues before you read this one!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Baby Food Basics
It could have been our lack of enthusiasm for the rice cereal, or it could have been that it tastes awful to out daughter, either way the rice cereal was a complete whammy at our house. We did, however, find some things that she simply adores!
I never though I would be so very excited to make baby food for our daughter. We knew from the beginning that we were going to, I just never though I'd find so much joy in it. Though watching Little Bean eat the things she likes is adorable and makes my heart flutter. Even better is watching her tell us she dislikes something.
At 7 months she is very adamant on the flavors she is not so fond of. For instance she could not get enough of the avocado and banana Hubby made for her the other day. She slurped it off of the spoon and kept practically begging for more. It was not the same experience with peas and carrots. She tried one bite (which she was so very excited to get in her mouth) and instantly spit it back out! Then she tucked her chin to her chest, wouldn't look at either of us and refused to open her mouth for more. I caved after trying to coax her for 5 more minutes and gave her some butternut squash with pears - which she loves!
The next concoction will be something with apples in it. We've got a few that are in need of using before they are no longer good to eat. I'm thinking of putting them with some pumpkin because we know she really likes that already. Plus it is fall and those two are made for each other!
Prior to our baby-food-making experience we searched the internet for tips and hints on the basics. What to put together. How to prepare the food so it is safe. How long to store the food. How to properly store the food. Then we realized if we're feeding her what we are eating we do it all the same! It was like some sort of epiphany!
Here's what we do to make our baby food:
1.) Cook anything to the normal specifications. Examples: I boiled 2 cups of fresh carrots until they were soft. I boiled peas until they were the temperature we would normally eat them at. Fruits I left raw because that's how we eat them. We have not yet introduced meats. When we do I'll post about it.
2.) Put the cooked or raw food in to the food processor or blender. *I feel a disclaimer is needed here. There are a few very cute baby food machines on the market. They are expensive and come with many, many pieces. We use our food processor (which we already owned) or a blender (which we already owned). Either has work perfectly and I know you can get regular blenders for less than those fancy pants baby blenders.*
3.) Push that button until your baby food is mashed sufficiently! That's right. Make it good and mushy. We discovered our daughter does not currently like the chunks so we just make sure that there aren't any. Once we reach that point it is blended well enough for us.
4.) Scoop the baby food in to ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen remove from the ice cube tray, put in to a storage container of your choice and label when you made it so there are no questions. For us plastic freezer bags work perfect. I can write on them what is inside and the date.
5.) When it is time for baby to eat thaw a cube or two. Stir and serve. Baby will thank you for putting in so much effort and for making such good food for them! We take out some cubes in the morning which allows them to thaw in time for lunch and dinner. I warm her food to just above room temperature that way it isn't cold. We've saved money, time and effort since we're just making extras when we cook for us!
Have you got any other tips or tricks you'd like to add? Please share!
Here are the combinations that we have tried. I'll make a separate post about all of them later so it will be a quick resource for anyone interested. If you add any combinations I'll put them on, too (just leave your name and/or link so I can give you credit!!)
1/2 of an Avocado + 1 Banana (made about 6 ounces, not an ice cube tray full)
1.5 cups Peas + 2 cups Carrots (made more than an ice cube tray full)
1 Avocado + 1 Pear
2 cups Butternut Squash + 1 Pear
Have you got any great combinations to share? Please do! Don't forget to leave your name so I can give you credit!
Happy baby-food-making!
I never though I would be so very excited to make baby food for our daughter. We knew from the beginning that we were going to, I just never though I'd find so much joy in it. Though watching Little Bean eat the things she likes is adorable and makes my heart flutter. Even better is watching her tell us she dislikes something.
At 7 months she is very adamant on the flavors she is not so fond of. For instance she could not get enough of the avocado and banana Hubby made for her the other day. She slurped it off of the spoon and kept practically begging for more. It was not the same experience with peas and carrots. She tried one bite (which she was so very excited to get in her mouth) and instantly spit it back out! Then she tucked her chin to her chest, wouldn't look at either of us and refused to open her mouth for more. I caved after trying to coax her for 5 more minutes and gave her some butternut squash with pears - which she loves!
The next concoction will be something with apples in it. We've got a few that are in need of using before they are no longer good to eat. I'm thinking of putting them with some pumpkin because we know she really likes that already. Plus it is fall and those two are made for each other!
Prior to our baby-food-making experience we searched the internet for tips and hints on the basics. What to put together. How to prepare the food so it is safe. How long to store the food. How to properly store the food. Then we realized if we're feeding her what we are eating we do it all the same! It was like some sort of epiphany!
Here's what we do to make our baby food:
1.) Cook anything to the normal specifications. Examples: I boiled 2 cups of fresh carrots until they were soft. I boiled peas until they were the temperature we would normally eat them at. Fruits I left raw because that's how we eat them. We have not yet introduced meats. When we do I'll post about it.
2.) Put the cooked or raw food in to the food processor or blender. *I feel a disclaimer is needed here. There are a few very cute baby food machines on the market. They are expensive and come with many, many pieces. We use our food processor (which we already owned) or a blender (which we already owned). Either has work perfectly and I know you can get regular blenders for less than those fancy pants baby blenders.*
3.) Push that button until your baby food is mashed sufficiently! That's right. Make it good and mushy. We discovered our daughter does not currently like the chunks so we just make sure that there aren't any. Once we reach that point it is blended well enough for us.
4.) Scoop the baby food in to ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen remove from the ice cube tray, put in to a storage container of your choice and label when you made it so there are no questions. For us plastic freezer bags work perfect. I can write on them what is inside and the date.
5.) When it is time for baby to eat thaw a cube or two. Stir and serve. Baby will thank you for putting in so much effort and for making such good food for them! We take out some cubes in the morning which allows them to thaw in time for lunch and dinner. I warm her food to just above room temperature that way it isn't cold. We've saved money, time and effort since we're just making extras when we cook for us!
Have you got any other tips or tricks you'd like to add? Please share!
Here are the combinations that we have tried. I'll make a separate post about all of them later so it will be a quick resource for anyone interested. If you add any combinations I'll put them on, too (just leave your name and/or link so I can give you credit!!)
1/2 of an Avocado + 1 Banana (made about 6 ounces, not an ice cube tray full)
1.5 cups Peas + 2 cups Carrots (made more than an ice cube tray full)
1 Avocado + 1 Pear
2 cups Butternut Squash + 1 Pear
Have you got any great combinations to share? Please do! Don't forget to leave your name so I can give you credit!
Happy baby-food-making!
Tidbits
After a very different few weeks here at the house I think we may just be able to fall back in to our routine again. Which means more time to get to the things I have been wanting to do - like catch up blogging : ) I've got some pretty stellar Pinterest posts. I'll get them up as fast as possible because I'm sure your mouth will be watering when you see what I've cooked up. There is also a couple baby related topics I'd like to get out there for some advice and to possibly help other parents out in the process. So after too long of a break let's get to business!
Saturday, September 22, 2012
As a Mom I'm Quite Crappy!!
After this photo sparked a gigantic debate for being posted on Life with Levi's Facebook page an astounding number of Moms (and a few Dads) have spoken up about the awful, ignorant and downright rude comments that came from other parents. The comments were directed towards any parent who had chosen/would choose to circumcise their son. The comments were hurtful. The comments were disgraceful. The comments were unnecessary. I completely understand that there are parents out there who choose not to circumcise for their own personal reasons, but there are also parents out there who choose to circumcise for their own personal reasons. Who is anyone to judge whether or not a parent is a good parent based solely on this practice? I agree that everyone is 100% entitled to their own opinion, but those opinions DO NOT need to be so blatantly hurtful to other individuals. I feel that as adults we should be able to support each other, especially in the parenting community, through our differences in child rearing. The purpose of this photo was to highlight the different choices these four particular women made in raising their children and how each is still loving their child unconditionally. I feel like this is an easy task for any parent - loving their child unconditionally. "Let's celebrate that."
Joining the other inspiring "Moms who are Crappy" here is my list of why I just don't cut it as a perfect Mom:
- I had a mostly all natural birth.
- Labor and delivery for me was 4 hours and 45 minutes from first contraction to holding my daughter. I'm happy about that because I don't know if I could have gone all natural if I had had a long labor.
- I yelled at my husband (which made the doctor laugh) during delivery.
- I needed stitches (because my daughter came out in 4 pushes) and while I was getting them I cried (it hurt so much worse than actually having the baby) and had to hand off my daughter to my Husband.
- My daughter was away from me after birth for over an hour (Hubby was with her) and the nurses took her both mornings for inspection by the doctor for about an hour.
- I stayed in the hospital as long as they would let me.
- I asked for and received help from lactation consultants.
- My daughter had been exclusively breast fed up until last week when we tried solids.
- I plan on continuing to nurse my daughter until we both feel it is time to stop. At which point she will most likely have pumped breast milk in her diet.
- My daughter dislikes rice cereal so we are not going to make her eat it anymore.
- I try very hard to eat healthy because whatever I eat, she gets through my milk.
- My daughter had to be in the hospital for jaundice at 3 days old. After the worst night of my life - watching her scream and cry herself hoarse and not being able to hold her or console her (yeah, try nursing a baby you aren't supposed to hold) - I yelled at the head doctor of the hospital and two residents. They were a little more understanding after that and finally made her a little more comfortable.
- My daughter had to be in the hospital for jaundice at 3 days old. After the worst night of my life - watching her scream and cry herself hoarse and not being able to hold her or console her (yeah, try nursing a baby you aren't supposed to hold) - I yelled at the head doctor of the hospital and two residents. They were a little more understanding after that and finally made her a little more comfortable.
- The first food our daughter had was pumpkin (because I had some left from the can I used to bake with). Which she loves.
- My daughter wakes me up every morning. Sometimes, after I nurse her in the morning, we sleep a little longer snuggled up in bed together.
- My daughter's first night in her own room was 3 nights ago. I cried like crazy!
- I shower (or take a bath) with my daughter every single night. (YAY for conserving water & time!)
- My daughter is sleeping by 8:00 every night.
- My daughter sleeps about 11 hours a night....
- My daughter wakes up 2 - 5 times to nurse during the night. I do not make her cry herself back to sleep hungry and alone. I nurse her and she happily goes back to sleep with a full belly.
- My daughter is dressed in a little girl outfit, with matching bow and socks, every single day.
- I wear my daughter as often as possible when we are out.
- My daughter wears an Amber Necklace around her neck and has worn it on some body part since she was two months old.
- My daughter loves her binkies (pacifiers).
- My daughter is, and will continue to be, vaccinated.
- I plan most of my outings around her nap time (though we sometimes run late getting home). I do this because she sleeps better at home than in the car seat (plus she is a social butterfly so she won't sleep if people are around!).
- I do every silly thing I can think of just to make my daughter smile.
- I sing every song, read every book and recite every poem I can to my daughter because she responds to it and it makes her smile.
- I give my daughter hundreds of kisses a day.
- I say "Please" and "Thank You" to my daughter as often as possible so she learns her manners.
- When I need a minute (or 15) from my daughter, and Hubby is not around, I put her in a baby toy (exersaucer, bouncy chair, swing etc.) and go about my business while she is contained.
- I cry when I pack up my daughter's clothes that she has grown out of.
- I buy only clearance or used toys and clothes for my daughter.
- I don't have a calendar dating every milestone my daughter has reached.
- I don't have a baby book filled with pictures.
- I don't plan on hovering over her when she gets bigger.
My daughter is only 6.5 months old so I know this list will get much, much longer as time goes on. For now it really appears that I am one "CRAPPY" Momma!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
A Little Bit of Rice, Please.
Our daughter has finally reached the point where she needs more than breast milk. We had visions of being part of the Baby Led Weaning movement, but our daughter has had plans otherwise. We do still intend to feed her whatever we are eating, we may just have to mush it up a little more than we had originally planned. We also had not planned on using rice cereal - at all. Studies have been done that prove it disintegrates much faster in breast milk than in formula. Thus, baby is hungry again sooner even with the rice cereal. We just wanted to skip over it like so many people we've read have done. Even our doctor was behind us on the decision. Well, as all parents should be aware, plans changed.
Our little lady decided about a month ago that she wanted to eat more during the night. No more nights of almost 6 hours straight before she woke up the first time. She was getting up around 5 times and it was becoming more and more the longer time has gone on. Last night she woke 7 times in 11 hours. This is not a good sleep pattern for anyone and it makes for a very cranky Momma, Baby and Daddy. I need more than 1 - 2 hours at a time, otherwise I just feel ill when I do have to get up and function. I don't need much, 4 - 5 hours of solid sleep would be a blessing.
When the doctor asked us today at our well baby visit if we had any questions I posed this one to him. He gave us the same remedy we had heard from so many others - rice cereal. Just for a few nights before bed mixed with some breast milk then add in veggies and switch it over to just the veggies once she has the hang of it. So, tonight, we're giving it a go. Hopefully we all get some much needed rest tonight.
We do both realize there is nothing bad or wrong with rice cereal. We just did not see a point of giving her something to help her stay full if it would disintegrate so quickly and she'd be hungry again within the same amount of time as if she had only breast milk. (You should check out the videos on You Tube documenting the tests. It really is impressive to see the difference!) We would rather it be something with a little flavor and those wonderful healthy vitamins to help her stay full longer.
Here's to using that old Scientific Method way of determining if it will work for us ; )
What plans change for you and your little ones regarding the starting of solids? Did any of your visions change or were your plans carried out exactly as you had foreseen?
Our little lady decided about a month ago that she wanted to eat more during the night. No more nights of almost 6 hours straight before she woke up the first time. She was getting up around 5 times and it was becoming more and more the longer time has gone on. Last night she woke 7 times in 11 hours. This is not a good sleep pattern for anyone and it makes for a very cranky Momma, Baby and Daddy. I need more than 1 - 2 hours at a time, otherwise I just feel ill when I do have to get up and function. I don't need much, 4 - 5 hours of solid sleep would be a blessing.
When the doctor asked us today at our well baby visit if we had any questions I posed this one to him. He gave us the same remedy we had heard from so many others - rice cereal. Just for a few nights before bed mixed with some breast milk then add in veggies and switch it over to just the veggies once she has the hang of it. So, tonight, we're giving it a go. Hopefully we all get some much needed rest tonight.
We do both realize there is nothing bad or wrong with rice cereal. We just did not see a point of giving her something to help her stay full if it would disintegrate so quickly and she'd be hungry again within the same amount of time as if she had only breast milk. (You should check out the videos on You Tube documenting the tests. It really is impressive to see the difference!) We would rather it be something with a little flavor and those wonderful healthy vitamins to help her stay full longer.
Here's to using that old Scientific Method way of determining if it will work for us ; )
What plans change for you and your little ones regarding the starting of solids? Did any of your visions change or were your plans carried out exactly as you had foreseen?
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Mom Art
Sometimes we just need a reminder. I may not have as many years or children under my belt as so many other ladies out there, but I do need the words that it takes time. Before our daughter it was so easy to be selfish with my time. Now to give it all up, in the quest to find what works best for us here, in our home, is a rather humbling experience. Even at 6.5 months old our little girl has taught us the importance of taking our time, moving slowly and above all patience - like we had never needed before now.
What are the virtues your little one has helped you to find again and again?
Monday, September 10, 2012
Summer Strawberry Coconut Cake
In order to use up the remaining strawberries (from the icebox cake on my last Pinterest post) I searched for a cake that had them specifically. I love fruity things and I am cuckoo for coconut! Fruity candle scents. Fruity salads. Fruity and coconutty cake? Yes, Please!
Here is the original post if you'd like to check it out:
Summer Strawberry Coconut Cake
Here is the link to the actual recipe (it is not on the original post):
Summer Strawberry Coconut Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 (18.5 ounce) box white cake mix
4 T. strawberry gelatin powder
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
2 T. granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. pureed strawberries
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. coconut extract
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, finely diced
1 c. coconut, finely shredded in food processor
several strawberries to fill cake and garnish
Icing:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
2 16-oz. boxes powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl and stir together. Beat in oil, eggs, water, strawberry puree, vanilla, and coconut extract. Mix well. Stir in diced strawberries and coconut. Pour into two 8- or 9-inch round pans, greased and floured. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean and the cakes are pulling away from the sides of the pans.
Put pans on wire racks and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and leave on racks to cool completely. While cooling, make icing.
Icing: Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until desired consistency. Add a tablespoon or so of milk if icing is too thick.
Spread some icing on first layer, then top with sliced strawberries. Place second layer on top and ice the rest of the cake. Cover entire cake in shredded coconut and garnish with fresh strawberries.
Cost for ingredients we did not have on hand:
Box of white cake mix: $1.98
Strawberry J-ello: $.68
Coconut Extract: $3.56
Shredded Coconut: $1.28
Total: $7.50
Total prep, mixing, and baking, cooling and decorating time: 1 hour 45 minutes
As you will see in the pictures I cut the recipe in half. I didn't see the need for Hubby and I to eat another entire double layer cake ourselves! It worked out perfectly (though for some recipes this is not possible). Our cake was sort of short, but super cute!
I diced the strawberries in the food processor, so they were a little more wet than they would have been if done by hand. However, they worked out perfect.
Since I cut the recipe in half I had some leftover J-ello. I added in the rest of the leftover strawberries, a little water and refrigerated. We had some good fruity J-ello to enjoy as well! (Now, if I could just figure out what to do with that extra cake mix...)
Here are photos documenting the process:
Taste and evaluation:
This is one of the most refreshing cakes I have ever tasted! It is so light and full of flavor. We kept the cake in the refrigerator so it was quite chilled when we ate it. I think it added to the enjoyment to have our cake cold. It is a perfect summer cake - very refreshing! I was pleasantly surprised that the strawberries did not overpower the coconut. I was worried since there were so many berries. The coconut added a soft tone to the strawberries and really complimented them well.
Overall:
This is going to be in my permanent collection of cakes to make! This recipe was very simple to follow and the ingredients were easy to find. I am very pleased at how beautiful the cake turned out! The pink is so vibrant! This would be a perfect 4th of July cake as well as a little girl's birthday party. I would be willing to guess that you could change the strawberries for raspberries, but don't hold me to it (I'll try later and let you know). I give this recipe and it's creator kudos for a job well done!
Here is the original post if you'd like to check it out:
Summer Strawberry Coconut Cake
Here is the link to the actual recipe (it is not on the original post):
Summer Strawberry Coconut Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 (18.5 ounce) box white cake mix
4 T. strawberry gelatin powder
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
2 T. granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. pureed strawberries
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. coconut extract
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, finely diced
1 c. coconut, finely shredded in food processor
several strawberries to fill cake and garnish
Icing:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
2 16-oz. boxes powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl and stir together. Beat in oil, eggs, water, strawberry puree, vanilla, and coconut extract. Mix well. Stir in diced strawberries and coconut. Pour into two 8- or 9-inch round pans, greased and floured. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean and the cakes are pulling away from the sides of the pans.
Put pans on wire racks and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and leave on racks to cool completely. While cooling, make icing.
Icing: Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until desired consistency. Add a tablespoon or so of milk if icing is too thick.
Spread some icing on first layer, then top with sliced strawberries. Place second layer on top and ice the rest of the cake. Cover entire cake in shredded coconut and garnish with fresh strawberries.
Cost for ingredients we did not have on hand:
Box of white cake mix: $1.98
Strawberry J-ello: $.68
Coconut Extract: $3.56
Shredded Coconut: $1.28
Total: $7.50
Total prep, mixing, and baking, cooling and decorating time: 1 hour 45 minutes
As you will see in the pictures I cut the recipe in half. I didn't see the need for Hubby and I to eat another entire double layer cake ourselves! It worked out perfectly (though for some recipes this is not possible). Our cake was sort of short, but super cute!
I diced the strawberries in the food processor, so they were a little more wet than they would have been if done by hand. However, they worked out perfect.
Since I cut the recipe in half I had some leftover J-ello. I added in the rest of the leftover strawberries, a little water and refrigerated. We had some good fruity J-ello to enjoy as well! (Now, if I could just figure out what to do with that extra cake mix...)
Here are photos documenting the process:
Taste and evaluation:
This is one of the most refreshing cakes I have ever tasted! It is so light and full of flavor. We kept the cake in the refrigerator so it was quite chilled when we ate it. I think it added to the enjoyment to have our cake cold. It is a perfect summer cake - very refreshing! I was pleasantly surprised that the strawberries did not overpower the coconut. I was worried since there were so many berries. The coconut added a soft tone to the strawberries and really complimented them well.
Overall:
This is going to be in my permanent collection of cakes to make! This recipe was very simple to follow and the ingredients were easy to find. I am very pleased at how beautiful the cake turned out! The pink is so vibrant! This would be a perfect 4th of July cake as well as a little girl's birthday party. I would be willing to guess that you could change the strawberries for raspberries, but don't hold me to it (I'll try later and let you know). I give this recipe and it's creator kudos for a job well done!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
All's Well that Ends Well
I feel that it has been way over do to write my next post. The past week and a half has been quite tiring on this end and I would like to explain. I'd also like to say that I hope to never have such a long time away again for such a reason.
My Husband is in the Navy. His current job is quite exciting - he's a Hovercraft Craftmaster! He flies hovercrafts. He spends his days at his command either flying, providing maintenance to his craft or doing boring paperwork. He is a very physically fit person and thoroughly enjoys his mornings PTing (physically training). Last Wednesday while running the obstacle course on base he fell, landing on his rear end. Normally this type of fall would warrant a little rub on the area and not much else. However, he fell over 8 feet off of a platform.
It had been raining (like it does so often in our area) and the course was slippery. He usually just jumps down from the platform and continues on, but for some reason on this day he decided to be careful. He tried climbing down and dangling so he'd only drop 2 feet or so. In the process his hand slipped before he was in position resulting in him falling and landing on his bum. He stayed put for a minute, got up, checked for tingling/pain/numbness, felt nothing out of the ordinary so continued on the course.
Later in the day he was sore. Sore enough that he actually went to see someone about it. In typical Navy remedy fashion they gave him some Ibuprofen for the discomfort. But the doctor felt it was a serious enough incident to take some x-rays. Thank goodness! It turns out he really did do some damage to his back (not his booty). The next step was to head over to the hospital for a CT scan. After lots of waiting in the emergency room (because that's how the military healthcare works) he finally got to see a doctor who...ordered more x-rays. Again, the doctor was concerned enough that he said my Hubby needed a CT scan (Duh! That is why he was there in the first place!!). Well, those results came back and it turns out that he had a compression fracture in his T12 vertebrae. It was serious enough that the doctor admitted him immediately, put him in back brace and told him he'd be there at least overnight.
As you can imagine Hubby was less than thrilled at this whole occurrence. Fast forward to the following morning. I pack up the baby and head over to see our wounded man. After a few more doctor visits, a consultation with a prosthetic technician, and some not-so-good hospital lunch food my Husband was released on the terms that:
1.) he was getting a custom brace made and should be in it on Monday (Labor Day).
2.) he had to be back Tuesday for more x-rays to see if the brace was helping.
3.) he had to leave the brace on whenever up and moving or lay down without it all weekend. No out and about. No lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk (which our daughter is). No bending, twisting, working out, etc. No driving.
4.) he was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday if the brace was not doing what it needed to be. The surgery would fuse together 5 of his vertebrae (T10-L2) permanently. He would lose about 10-15% of his mobility due to this surgery and most likely have pain in the area later in life.
After a very long, tiring, and boring weekend we all headed back in for the follow-up. We got the most amazing news! He didn't need surgery! The doctor was very happy with how the brace has been supporting him and feels that if he heals how his back is currently holding he would be able to live a very active life. Then came the bad news. No working for 30 days (minimum). No driving. No lifting.
It has been hard on my Hubby because he is usually so active. The brace is uncomfortable, keeping him in a strange position and itchy. And he wants to be doing much, much more with our daughter.
It has been frustrating for my daughter and I because we have become accustomed to him interacting with us both more often than he is capable of right now. Plus, I'm whooped from 100% baby time!
We are looking at the positives of the situation and focusing on his improving status. We are very thankful that the outcome wasn't more serious (because it could have been so much worse). I am impressed with the level of care he received at the naval hospital. It was unexpected and is apparent that they had concern for my Husband's welfare. There have been a few emotions surrounding this incident, and I'm sure more will come as he heals (he could be in the brace for 3 months or longer which means the same limitations apply). I am just so very thankful that he is o.k..
Have you had scary medical moments in your or your loved one's life?
My Husband is in the Navy. His current job is quite exciting - he's a Hovercraft Craftmaster! He flies hovercrafts. He spends his days at his command either flying, providing maintenance to his craft or doing boring paperwork. He is a very physically fit person and thoroughly enjoys his mornings PTing (physically training). Last Wednesday while running the obstacle course on base he fell, landing on his rear end. Normally this type of fall would warrant a little rub on the area and not much else. However, he fell over 8 feet off of a platform.
It had been raining (like it does so often in our area) and the course was slippery. He usually just jumps down from the platform and continues on, but for some reason on this day he decided to be careful. He tried climbing down and dangling so he'd only drop 2 feet or so. In the process his hand slipped before he was in position resulting in him falling and landing on his bum. He stayed put for a minute, got up, checked for tingling/pain/numbness, felt nothing out of the ordinary so continued on the course.
Later in the day he was sore. Sore enough that he actually went to see someone about it. In typical Navy remedy fashion they gave him some Ibuprofen for the discomfort. But the doctor felt it was a serious enough incident to take some x-rays. Thank goodness! It turns out he really did do some damage to his back (not his booty). The next step was to head over to the hospital for a CT scan. After lots of waiting in the emergency room (because that's how the military healthcare works) he finally got to see a doctor who...ordered more x-rays. Again, the doctor was concerned enough that he said my Hubby needed a CT scan (Duh! That is why he was there in the first place!!). Well, those results came back and it turns out that he had a compression fracture in his T12 vertebrae. It was serious enough that the doctor admitted him immediately, put him in back brace and told him he'd be there at least overnight.
As you can imagine Hubby was less than thrilled at this whole occurrence. Fast forward to the following morning. I pack up the baby and head over to see our wounded man. After a few more doctor visits, a consultation with a prosthetic technician, and some not-so-good hospital lunch food my Husband was released on the terms that:
1.) he was getting a custom brace made and should be in it on Monday (Labor Day).
2.) he had to be back Tuesday for more x-rays to see if the brace was helping.
3.) he had to leave the brace on whenever up and moving or lay down without it all weekend. No out and about. No lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk (which our daughter is). No bending, twisting, working out, etc. No driving.
4.) he was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday if the brace was not doing what it needed to be. The surgery would fuse together 5 of his vertebrae (T10-L2) permanently. He would lose about 10-15% of his mobility due to this surgery and most likely have pain in the area later in life.
After a very long, tiring, and boring weekend we all headed back in for the follow-up. We got the most amazing news! He didn't need surgery! The doctor was very happy with how the brace has been supporting him and feels that if he heals how his back is currently holding he would be able to live a very active life. Then came the bad news. No working for 30 days (minimum). No driving. No lifting.
It has been hard on my Hubby because he is usually so active. The brace is uncomfortable, keeping him in a strange position and itchy. And he wants to be doing much, much more with our daughter.
It has been frustrating for my daughter and I because we have become accustomed to him interacting with us both more often than he is capable of right now. Plus, I'm whooped from 100% baby time!
We are looking at the positives of the situation and focusing on his improving status. We are very thankful that the outcome wasn't more serious (because it could have been so much worse). I am impressed with the level of care he received at the naval hospital. It was unexpected and is apparent that they had concern for my Husband's welfare. There have been a few emotions surrounding this incident, and I'm sure more will come as he heals (he could be in the brace for 3 months or longer which means the same limitations apply). I am just so very thankful that he is o.k..
Have you had scary medical moments in your or your loved one's life?
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Feed Me Friday
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Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Strawberry Crunch Icebox Cake
I have been seeing these pop up all over Pinterest, so I thought I'd give it a try.
Here is the original post if you'd like to check it out:
Strawberry Crunch Icebox Cake
Here is the link to the recipe (it is not on the original post):
Strawberry Icebox Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
1 box Nature Valley Granola Bars
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 lemon
4 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups freshly chopped strawberries
Directions:
Put the Nature Valley granola bars in a food processor and process until you achieve a course crumb. In a large bowl, add the crumbs, brown sugar, flour and melted butter and mix together. Then spread into an 8x8" pan that has been covered with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool. Then divide in half and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs whites and sugar and mix on high. Add the heavy cream and continue mixing for another five minutes. Continue to add the fresh squeezed lemon juice and softened cream cheese. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Fold the fresh strawberries into the cream mixture. In a buttered glass cake pan, press half of the crumb crust mixture on the bottom. Top with strawberry mix and then add the remaining crumbs to the top. Cover and freeze for three hours or more and enjoy!
Cost for ingredients we did not have on hand:
Nature Valley Granola Bars: $2.98
Heavy Whipping Cream: $1.98
Total: $4.96
Total prep, mixing, and freezing time: 35 minutes + 5 hours to freeze
I did not chop the strawberries, instead I put them in the food processor so they were a little more squishy for me. I think it worked awesome and took less time than hand chopping them.
I also did not use parchment paper. We have wax paper on hand and it does the same thing for this process as the parchment paper would have. But, considering the crumbs stayed super crumbly I don't know that you'd need a liner at all. Use one though - just in case!
Here are photos documenting the process:
Taste and evaluation:
This is a very light and summery flavored cake. So refreshing that it is cold! We ate it out of the freezer the first time, but after that we cut small pieces and put them in the fridge for about an hour to soften them up. I liked the very subtle flavor the lemon added to the cake. The amount of available crumb for the crust was almost a perfect fit.
Overall:
Though this cake was quite tasty I do have to point out that the crumbs did not solidify at all for me. I'm not sure if more butter should be added to half of the mixture and the bottom layer be baked separate so that it hardens in to a crust or if there is another alternative. The bottom for me stayed crumbly, which made a mess getting it out of the pan and usually meant that they weren't any left on the filling by the time it got to my mouth. I would have preferred it to have been solid so when you take a bite with your fork it doesn't fall apart. The crumbs on the top of the cake were great and seemed to be just the right consistency. This is the only thing I would change when making it in the future.
I could see adding any kind of berry or fruit to this recipe. I will try it later on (with a different bottom layer) and let you know how it turns out!
This recipe is so super easy I would let kids help. It would be fun for them to break up the granola bars, stir in the strawberries and put it all together.
Here is the original post if you'd like to check it out:
Strawberry Crunch Icebox Cake
Here is the link to the recipe (it is not on the original post):
Strawberry Icebox Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
1 box Nature Valley Granola Bars
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 lemon
4 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups freshly chopped strawberries
Directions:
Put the Nature Valley granola bars in a food processor and process until you achieve a course crumb. In a large bowl, add the crumbs, brown sugar, flour and melted butter and mix together. Then spread into an 8x8" pan that has been covered with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool. Then divide in half and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs whites and sugar and mix on high. Add the heavy cream and continue mixing for another five minutes. Continue to add the fresh squeezed lemon juice and softened cream cheese. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Fold the fresh strawberries into the cream mixture. In a buttered glass cake pan, press half of the crumb crust mixture on the bottom. Top with strawberry mix and then add the remaining crumbs to the top. Cover and freeze for three hours or more and enjoy!
Cost for ingredients we did not have on hand:
Nature Valley Granola Bars: $2.98
Heavy Whipping Cream: $1.98
Total: $4.96
Total prep, mixing, and freezing time: 35 minutes + 5 hours to freeze
I did not chop the strawberries, instead I put them in the food processor so they were a little more squishy for me. I think it worked awesome and took less time than hand chopping them.
I also did not use parchment paper. We have wax paper on hand and it does the same thing for this process as the parchment paper would have. But, considering the crumbs stayed super crumbly I don't know that you'd need a liner at all. Use one though - just in case!
Here are photos documenting the process:
Taste and evaluation:
This is a very light and summery flavored cake. So refreshing that it is cold! We ate it out of the freezer the first time, but after that we cut small pieces and put them in the fridge for about an hour to soften them up. I liked the very subtle flavor the lemon added to the cake. The amount of available crumb for the crust was almost a perfect fit.
Overall:
Though this cake was quite tasty I do have to point out that the crumbs did not solidify at all for me. I'm not sure if more butter should be added to half of the mixture and the bottom layer be baked separate so that it hardens in to a crust or if there is another alternative. The bottom for me stayed crumbly, which made a mess getting it out of the pan and usually meant that they weren't any left on the filling by the time it got to my mouth. I would have preferred it to have been solid so when you take a bite with your fork it doesn't fall apart. The crumbs on the top of the cake were great and seemed to be just the right consistency. This is the only thing I would change when making it in the future.
I could see adding any kind of berry or fruit to this recipe. I will try it later on (with a different bottom layer) and let you know how it turns out!
This recipe is so super easy I would let kids help. It would be fun for them to break up the granola bars, stir in the strawberries and put it all together.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Good Morning!
Is thoroughly impressed by all of the wonderful people that said "Good Morning" on our walk this morning, which was every single person we passed!!! What a difference a friendly hello makes :)
Do you say "Hello" or greet people on a regular basis? Why or why not?
Do you say "Hello" or greet people on a regular basis? Why or why not?
Mom Blog Monday
As a new blogger I'm very excited to be linked up with other fabulous Mommy Blogging sites! Check them out and add yours to the linky!!
The 3 Co-hosts are:
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Check them out, then follow the links in the hop :)
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Half a year already!
My oh my how time does fly!!
Six months ago today we went out looking for a clock. My husband and I realized how much we really just needed to have one in the living room. One of those fancy looking, hang on the wall as art types of clock. We drove around to a few places and cruised the typical big stores in hopes of finding something either of us liked. By the end of the trip we were tired, hungry and empty handed. We had lunch at a great place called Red Robin (anyone else a fan??). Then it was back home to relax and put my swollen feet up!
I was sitting on the couch (playing Bejeweled, which is so not normal for us) when I had some tightening across my belly - the time was 4:45 pm. I didn't think anything of it because I had Braxton Hicks contractions in the past. Well, the longer I sat there the more I had. I still didn't think much of it, but told the Hubby just so he knew what was going on. My good friend Jen called to have a friendly chat during which I realized I couldn't talk through the contractions. I knew this was an indicator that things were progressing so I did what any smart woman would do. I called my Mom. She, of course, told me to call the doctor, but I was hesitant because the contractions were not regular (6-12 minutes apart) and lasted less than a minute. I didn't want to end up in the hospital just to be sent home, so I figured we'd wait. Not too long after I was really feeling some pressure during the contractions. I called the doctor. The nurse I spoke with was concerned because I had gone in to early labor at 24 weeks and insisted I get to the hospital as soon as possible.
Well, we had other ideas. The bag was not packed (I was only 36 weeks). The swing was not put together. We had no clothes ready for the baby when she came home. My husband set to work putting the swing together while I packed the bag and did some laundry between contractions. We had literally only been busy about 30 minutes when we put our shoes on to walk out of the door. I had to stop twice walking to the truck. The Bradley Birthing classes we attended had taught us that about the time you NEED to be going to the vehicle is when you least want to be going to the vehicle. This was very true in my case. The thought of sitting in that confined space was not at all appealing to me. We realized that the contractions had sped up to every 3 minutes and were lasting about a minute each. They were intense, but nothing I couldn't handle. My Husband started making the necessary phone calls to our parents letting them know we were headed in to the hospital. The ride was 20 minutes though it felt like an hour and a half. I kept yelling at him to drive faster because I did not want to have the baby in the truck!
We got to the hospital, signed in and were shown to our room. The nurse was great and asked questions about our preferences. We were easy:
-No drugs.
-No pacifier.
-No formula.
-I didn't want to know numbers (like centimeters dilated or length of time between contractions) because I tend to focus on numbers and did not want to do that here since those numbers can slow down or speed up without notice or reason.
-Dad would be with baby if she needed to leave Mom
-We wanted to wait to cut the cord.
Other than that, nothing major. We just basically wanted to know what was going on. The nurse checked, said that the baby was coming and went to call the doctor. We had only been there about 15 minutes! I couldn't believe they were already calling. The nurse came back to check on us and ended up staying in our room. We joked that it was so she could catch the baby if need be. She didn't see it as a joke, more like a possibility. Soon our doctor walked in the room. Checked things out herself then told the second nurse to go ahead and set things up. She put on the awesome Doctor Cape, a smile and asked if we were ready to do this :)
Four sets of pushes later we were holding our daughter! The time was 10:38 pm. We were fortunate our birth plan was able to be carried out according to our wishes. I can say first hand that it wasn't too bad going through labor and delivery without any medications. I had the amazing support of my Husband, a wonderful staff of nurses and our awesome doctor!! Plus, I have a lot of faith in the idea that our bodies are made to have babies no medications necessary. ***TMI ALERT***There was some serious pain for me afterwards though while the doctor was stitching my woman parts back together.
Holding that little 5 pound 7 ounce baby girl I was in awe! I couldn't believe after 9 months I was finally able to see her, touch her and snuggle her. I couldn't believe our daughter was in our arms and lives from that moment forward.
It has now been six months since that amazing experience. I am sitting her now, with my feet up, remembering all of the sweet - and tiring - moments we have had up to this point. We have both learned so much about our baby as well as what it takes to take care of a little one. It is life changing and not for the faint of heart! You learn very quickly what priorities actually are and how to properly go about getting them done. You also learn that the love you feel for that teeny bundle of joy is more different than any love you've ever felt before.
Please, share your story with me! What were your thoughts and feelings during labor and delivery?
Six months ago today we went out looking for a clock. My husband and I realized how much we really just needed to have one in the living room. One of those fancy looking, hang on the wall as art types of clock. We drove around to a few places and cruised the typical big stores in hopes of finding something either of us liked. By the end of the trip we were tired, hungry and empty handed. We had lunch at a great place called Red Robin (anyone else a fan??). Then it was back home to relax and put my swollen feet up!
I was sitting on the couch (playing Bejeweled, which is so not normal for us) when I had some tightening across my belly - the time was 4:45 pm. I didn't think anything of it because I had Braxton Hicks contractions in the past. Well, the longer I sat there the more I had. I still didn't think much of it, but told the Hubby just so he knew what was going on. My good friend Jen called to have a friendly chat during which I realized I couldn't talk through the contractions. I knew this was an indicator that things were progressing so I did what any smart woman would do. I called my Mom. She, of course, told me to call the doctor, but I was hesitant because the contractions were not regular (6-12 minutes apart) and lasted less than a minute. I didn't want to end up in the hospital just to be sent home, so I figured we'd wait. Not too long after I was really feeling some pressure during the contractions. I called the doctor. The nurse I spoke with was concerned because I had gone in to early labor at 24 weeks and insisted I get to the hospital as soon as possible.
Well, we had other ideas. The bag was not packed (I was only 36 weeks). The swing was not put together. We had no clothes ready for the baby when she came home. My husband set to work putting the swing together while I packed the bag and did some laundry between contractions. We had literally only been busy about 30 minutes when we put our shoes on to walk out of the door. I had to stop twice walking to the truck. The Bradley Birthing classes we attended had taught us that about the time you NEED to be going to the vehicle is when you least want to be going to the vehicle. This was very true in my case. The thought of sitting in that confined space was not at all appealing to me. We realized that the contractions had sped up to every 3 minutes and were lasting about a minute each. They were intense, but nothing I couldn't handle. My Husband started making the necessary phone calls to our parents letting them know we were headed in to the hospital. The ride was 20 minutes though it felt like an hour and a half. I kept yelling at him to drive faster because I did not want to have the baby in the truck!
We got to the hospital, signed in and were shown to our room. The nurse was great and asked questions about our preferences. We were easy:
-No drugs.
-No pacifier.
-No formula.
-I didn't want to know numbers (like centimeters dilated or length of time between contractions) because I tend to focus on numbers and did not want to do that here since those numbers can slow down or speed up without notice or reason.
-Dad would be with baby if she needed to leave Mom
-We wanted to wait to cut the cord.
Other than that, nothing major. We just basically wanted to know what was going on. The nurse checked, said that the baby was coming and went to call the doctor. We had only been there about 15 minutes! I couldn't believe they were already calling. The nurse came back to check on us and ended up staying in our room. We joked that it was so she could catch the baby if need be. She didn't see it as a joke, more like a possibility. Soon our doctor walked in the room. Checked things out herself then told the second nurse to go ahead and set things up. She put on the awesome Doctor Cape, a smile and asked if we were ready to do this :)
Four sets of pushes later we were holding our daughter! The time was 10:38 pm. We were fortunate our birth plan was able to be carried out according to our wishes. I can say first hand that it wasn't too bad going through labor and delivery without any medications. I had the amazing support of my Husband, a wonderful staff of nurses and our awesome doctor!! Plus, I have a lot of faith in the idea that our bodies are made to have babies no medications necessary. ***TMI ALERT***There was some serious pain for me afterwards though while the doctor was stitching my woman parts back together.
Holding that little 5 pound 7 ounce baby girl I was in awe! I couldn't believe after 9 months I was finally able to see her, touch her and snuggle her. I couldn't believe our daughter was in our arms and lives from that moment forward.
It has now been six months since that amazing experience. I am sitting her now, with my feet up, remembering all of the sweet - and tiring - moments we have had up to this point. We have both learned so much about our baby as well as what it takes to take care of a little one. It is life changing and not for the faint of heart! You learn very quickly what priorities actually are and how to properly go about getting them done. You also learn that the love you feel for that teeny bundle of joy is more different than any love you've ever felt before.
Please, share your story with me! What were your thoughts and feelings during labor and delivery?
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Peanut Butter Eclair Cake
Since our kitchen was dismantled while my Husband laid down our amazing tile floor I had to opt for a non-cooked dessert this week. We both love anything involving chocolate and peanut butter so the Peanut Butter Eclair Cake from Plain Chicken fit our desires perfectly!
Here's the original post if you'd like to check it out:
Plain Chicken: Peanut Butter Eclair Cake
The recipe is so simple and very low cost!
Ingredients:
1 box chocolate graham crackers (there will be a few graham crackers left over)
2 (3 1/4-ounce) boxes vanilla instant pudding
1 cup peanut butter
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 can chocolate frosting
Directions:
Spray the bottom of a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with whole graham crackers. In bowl of an electric mixer, mix pudding with milk and peanut butter; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers.
Heat the container of prepared frosting, uncovered in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour over the top of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours before serving.
Cost for ingredients we did not have on hand:
Chocolate Graham Crackers: $2.58
Creamy Peanut Butter: $2.98
Vanilla Pudding: $1.18
Chocolate Frosting: $1.28
Whipped Topping: $1.98
Total: $10.00
Total prep, mixing, and time: 25 minutes
Our daughter did not take as long of a nap as usual so I had an assistant making this cake. I bundled her up in the Moby and let her help me make a mess in the kitchen. This recipe was super easy. I love that only two things need to be measured.
I did two things the differently on this recipe. We do not use cooking spray so I substituted by coating the bottom with a very thin layer of Crisco. We also do not have a microwave so I melted the icing in a pan in the toaster oven (the regular stove was unplugged and in the dining room during our renovation). It worked out perfect!
Here are photos documenting the process:
Taste and evaluation:
Again, my Husband will be helping to evaluate.
My Husband: This particular dessert was delightfully scrumptious!! Initial impression was that it would be likened to the ordinary "Graham cracker crust, Jello pudding filled" pie. That certainly is not the case. The multiple layers give the cake a solidarity that is missing from a lot of pudding filled desserts. The combination of flavors is exquisite. The peanut butter is present, but not overpowering, and the cool whip lends it's fluffy texture well to the entire dessert. This dessert must be served to a group of people though to avoid devouring the entire dish by one's self.
Me: I adore how simple this recipe is and how tasty is was! The cake was fluffy, but sweet enough that I couldn't eat too much at once. The peanut butter was so subtle in this dish. It was amazing how the ingredients complimented each other. This would be the perfect picnic treat!
Overall:
This recipe is a keeper! I could easily whip this dish up in a very short period of time for any type of event. I love how inexpensive it is and how many it would actually serve for the cost. I definitely recommend the Plain Chicken's Peanut Butter Eclair Cake!
Here's the original post if you'd like to check it out:
Plain Chicken: Peanut Butter Eclair Cake
The recipe is so simple and very low cost!
Ingredients:
1 box chocolate graham crackers (there will be a few graham crackers left over)
2 (3 1/4-ounce) boxes vanilla instant pudding
1 cup peanut butter
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 can chocolate frosting
Directions:
Spray the bottom of a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with whole graham crackers. In bowl of an electric mixer, mix pudding with milk and peanut butter; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers.
Heat the container of prepared frosting, uncovered in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour over the top of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours before serving.
Cost for ingredients we did not have on hand:
Chocolate Graham Crackers: $2.58
Creamy Peanut Butter: $2.98
Vanilla Pudding: $1.18
Chocolate Frosting: $1.28
Whipped Topping: $1.98
Total: $10.00
Total prep, mixing, and time: 25 minutes
Our daughter did not take as long of a nap as usual so I had an assistant making this cake. I bundled her up in the Moby and let her help me make a mess in the kitchen. This recipe was super easy. I love that only two things need to be measured.
I did two things the differently on this recipe. We do not use cooking spray so I substituted by coating the bottom with a very thin layer of Crisco. We also do not have a microwave so I melted the icing in a pan in the toaster oven (the regular stove was unplugged and in the dining room during our renovation). It worked out perfect!
Here are photos documenting the process:
Taste and evaluation:
Again, my Husband will be helping to evaluate.
My Husband: This particular dessert was delightfully scrumptious!! Initial impression was that it would be likened to the ordinary "Graham cracker crust, Jello pudding filled" pie. That certainly is not the case. The multiple layers give the cake a solidarity that is missing from a lot of pudding filled desserts. The combination of flavors is exquisite. The peanut butter is present, but not overpowering, and the cool whip lends it's fluffy texture well to the entire dessert. This dessert must be served to a group of people though to avoid devouring the entire dish by one's self.
Me: I adore how simple this recipe is and how tasty is was! The cake was fluffy, but sweet enough that I couldn't eat too much at once. The peanut butter was so subtle in this dish. It was amazing how the ingredients complimented each other. This would be the perfect picnic treat!
Overall:
This recipe is a keeper! I could easily whip this dish up in a very short period of time for any type of event. I love how inexpensive it is and how many it would actually serve for the cost. I definitely recommend the Plain Chicken's Peanut Butter Eclair Cake!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wrapped up Tight
Our daughter has loved to be swaddled from the time she was born. I'm sure she loves the feeling of being hugged and secure. She has slept soundly this way for almost six months now. We tried for a little while about two months ago to break the swaddle and allow her arms to be free (her legs have been since she was about a month old). Her little arms just kept waking her up by hitting her head or knocking our her binky.
Up until this point we have kept her by our bedside in an inclined sleeper but are hoping to move her in to her own room, and her crib, soon (since she now has one!!). Our little lady sleeps very well whether we are in the room with her or not, so I am not at all worried that she will feel lonely or abandoned in her crib.
I have been vigilant recently that during two of her naps throughout the day she is not swaddled. During those two naps she sleeps for about 20 minutes to an hour. She is usually woken up because she spit out the binky or knocked it out with one of her arms. I have tried to not swaddle her while she is in her sleeper for her long nap in the middle of the day, but she does not sleep well. She wakes up repeatedly and is generally very cranky after that nap.
Previously we tried to take her less active arm (which is her right) out of the swaddle. It seemed ok for a short while, but eventually she started moving it around and waking herself up. I attempted, at one point, to try the "cold turkey" method and leave both arms out but wrap up her torso. This attempt was an awful failure. Now we are at a point where we would like to try again but are at a loss on where to start.
Should we just repeat what we've already done? Do you have any advice on how to break a swaddle or transition to a crib?
Up until this point we have kept her by our bedside in an inclined sleeper but are hoping to move her in to her own room, and her crib, soon (since she now has one!!). Our little lady sleeps very well whether we are in the room with her or not, so I am not at all worried that she will feel lonely or abandoned in her crib.
I have been vigilant recently that during two of her naps throughout the day she is not swaddled. During those two naps she sleeps for about 20 minutes to an hour. She is usually woken up because she spit out the binky or knocked it out with one of her arms. I have tried to not swaddle her while she is in her sleeper for her long nap in the middle of the day, but she does not sleep well. She wakes up repeatedly and is generally very cranky after that nap.
Previously we tried to take her less active arm (which is her right) out of the swaddle. It seemed ok for a short while, but eventually she started moving it around and waking herself up. I attempted, at one point, to try the "cold turkey" method and leave both arms out but wrap up her torso. This attempt was an awful failure. Now we are at a point where we would like to try again but are at a loss on where to start.
Should we just repeat what we've already done? Do you have any advice on how to break a swaddle or transition to a crib?
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Birthday Gifts for Meegs
Meegs from A New Day is celebrating her 30th Birthday this week! And she's decided to give you the presents.
How generous and exciting!
Check out her blog for all sorts of interesting information and great reviews.
Here's the link for her Birthday Giveaway:
Good Luck!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Too Big Too Fast
Our daughter was born at 36 weeks according to the doctor's calculated due date. When the nurse assessed her she determined she was actually 38 weeks gestational age. Either way you look at it, she was a little bit early. Considering she tried to join the world at 24 weeks, I was not a bit surprised she didn't make it to full term. She was a tiny baby weighing in at 5 pounds 7 ounces. Her little arms and legs looked so small and frail. Her fingers weren't long enough to wrap all the way around my thumb. Her toes were the size of grains of rice.
Our little lady did lose some weight, like most babies, in the first few days. Once the weight started to come back her little parts began to grow and the newborn clothes she was swimming in begin to fit. She donned to newborn sizes until she was just over a month old. Then we moved up to 0-3 month sizes. She outgrew them so fast she didn't even get to wear all of the adorable outfits she had been given. The 3-6 month clothes lasted about the same amount of time. Now she is in 6-9 month clothes. However, if she keeps growing the way she has been she'll be out of them in no time!
It makes me pretty sad to know she won't be little for much longer, but it also makes me look forward to a future with a growing and healthy baby girl!
How much did your baby/babies weigh at birth? Did they ever wear newborn clothes?
Our little lady did lose some weight, like most babies, in the first few days. Once the weight started to come back her little parts began to grow and the newborn clothes she was swimming in begin to fit. She donned to newborn sizes until she was just over a month old. Then we moved up to 0-3 month sizes. She outgrew them so fast she didn't even get to wear all of the adorable outfits she had been given. The 3-6 month clothes lasted about the same amount of time. Now she is in 6-9 month clothes. However, if she keeps growing the way she has been she'll be out of them in no time!
It makes me pretty sad to know she won't be little for much longer, but it also makes me look forward to a future with a growing and healthy baby girl!
How much did your baby/babies weigh at birth? Did they ever wear newborn clothes?
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