Five on Friday

{one}

I'm a slacker. I really hate that I haven't been blogging much but it's been so hard to find the time. I'm not going to make any goals for myself as to how often I want to blog. I just want to make sure I keep up with posting about our life--since that is why I blog.


{two}

Hadley turned five months on the 26th! Where has the time gone?! I blogged about it last night. She has quite the personality!

{three}

Last week I updated you with some things going on in our crazy lives. I had a little visit to the surgeon and found out that I will indeed need surgery. Oh joy. Thankfully I can wait until summer, unless the problem gets worse. I pray every day it doesn't because I really cannot take anymore time off from school.


{four}

Like everyone else in the country, we've had some crazy weather. This week we were off two days from school due to the windchill being -20 and below. BRRR!!! I am ready for spring!

{five}

A few months ago I won a copy of the new Pioneer Woman Cookbook. I was beyond ecstatic because she is my cooking idol. I recently received it in the mail and it was autographed. I might have jumped up and down...
                                 

Hadley: 5 months

Happy 5 months Hadder Bear!

Height/Weight

You have not been to the doctor for a well checkup since December 27th. At that time you were 18 pounds and 27 inches long. I really don't think you've grown too much. I look at your pictures weekly and haven't seen a big difference. Hopefully you're evening out a little.

Diapers

You are still in size 2 diapers and doing great!

Clothes

You are in 6 month clothes and they're fitting great. You have so many clothes it's crazy! I was worried you wouldn't have a lot to wear during your 6 month phase but Christmas proved me wrong! I bought you the cutest little outfit (as a Christmas gift) to wear in February for Valentines Day. I bought a 9 month thinking you might be in it by then but I'm going to have to exchange it for 6 months! I'm glad you're still in 6 month clothing--I need some time to enjoy all of your cute clothes and I like you little. :)

Feeding

You are doing awesome! Nursing like a pro, although very easily distracted now, which can be difficult at times. Taking a bottle like a pro. We even started a little food and you're doing great! We really want to make you baby food but have been so overwhelmed lately. Plus you're really not eating enough for us to make it (even though we could freeze it). Right now you are eating Nature's Made Organic, which we love! This will hopefully hold us over until I'm on spring break, where we will stock up!

Your first taste of food was peas on January 10th, 2013. You didn't really like them but we wanted to give you some time. By the end of the week (you had a few bites a day) you still didn't like them. So we ditched the peas and went on to carrots.

You love carrots! You just gobble them down and move your head towards the spoon. It's too cute. You ate an entire small jar in a week! 

Last week you tried squash for the first time. You are fond of it but it's no carrots.

Next up is avocado!

Later we will do sweet potatoes and fruit last.

We are not pushing the food thing. We want you to taste things and get used to eating with a spoon. Then when you turn six months, we will start regularly incorporating it into your schedule.

Sleep

Sleep is sleep. You sometimes sleep through the night, you sometimes wake up once. Rarely you wake up twice. You've been sick the last two weeks so sleep hasn't been as great but then last night you slept from 7:30pm-6:00am! It was awesome!!

You are super clingy to me and want me to rock you at every nap and every night. I love it so much but know that not everyone will be able to rock you at every nap. I don't want you to get into the habit of being rocked. However if I just lay you down, you scream!

Sick babies get lots of snuggles!

Other Events

You had your first cold/bronchitis over the past two weeks. It slowly came on and is slowly gone away. It's been a long two weeks. I feel so bad for you because you get in these coughing fits and just can't stop. We saw Dr. B and he said it will just take time and that we're doing everything we should be doing (prop head a little, vaporizer, etc). Now we wait.

You have quite the personality. You are hysterical at times. You like getting your own way and get really upset when you want something and can't have it. I think you have a difficult time not being able to communicate.

Speaking of communicating...you "talk" all the time! I think being around Olive and Eli gets your little mind thinking a lot. You babble all the time and sometimes really sound like you're in deep conversation. I love listening to you and can't wait to hear exactly what you have to say.

You're still obsessed with Sesame Street. Anytime we turn on That's Cooperation or the Sesame Street Alphabet song you stop what you're doing and listen to where it is coming from. Then you get a huge smile on your face! 

You just heard Sesame come on

We love that you're actually playing with toys. You play with the toy on your car seat, with toys on your bouncy seat, and with your favorite green ball. You throw that thing across the room!!

You definitely know who me and daddy are and when we are not around. You are attached to me and if I'm in the house and you're not with me, you get upset. I read that separation anxiety starts around 5 months and it's totally kicked in with you! I love that you know me and want to be with me. But sometimes when I need a little break, even to go to the bathroom, it's rough!

You went through a few week phase where you were sucking your thumb a lot. Then you started taking a binky more and would do both. Now you dropped the thumb sucking and are sticking to the binky only. I prefer the bink because I can get rid of that--not your thumb. 

You're quite the model. Any time I put you on your chair to take your picture, you put your arm on the arm of the chair and just relax and smile.

You've been obsessed with your feet lately. You hold your pants to look at your feet. You grab your feet and stare at them. Anything that involves your feet, you love!

You're almost sitting up on your own. Sometimes I think your tummy helps you, other times I think it gets in the way.

We love you so much and are our pretty princess!

Update on life

Busy is an understatement of what our life has been lately. Now that life has begun in full swing, it is crazy! I can't even describe it. My mind is constantly going a mile a minute and over all I'm just tired!

I wanted to do an update to what is going on in our lives since this blog is to document our life.

• Josh has to turn his thesis in in three weeks! I am so excited and so proud of him. We are both ready for this journey to be over. After he turns it in, he will have to defend it, and then he will graduate in May! This all means that he doesn't get home until 7:30-8:00 pm every night. He also works on it every Sunday. We eat dinner then collapse and do it all over the next day. We pray that a new degree will lead to a new job. Then he will start on his doctorate this fall! And so it begins again...
  
  
• Hadley is growing daily! I will post her 5 month update next week right after she turns 5 months! I cannot believe how fast time is flying. While I want her to stay this age, I'm so excited to be with her this summer and really watch her take everything in!
  
  
• I'm back at work and learning how to balance being a working mom. It's crazy! I'm so glad we prep as much as we can on the weekends but honestly it's still hard. I bring work home every night and try to go in on Saturday mornings. But I still don't feel caught up. I'm sure by the time summer rolls around I'll feel like I've got my act together again. Until then, I have a lot of work to do and just not enough time in the day to do it all.
  
  
• Our home is back on the market. We will not be taking it off until we sell it. We have no idea where we are going to move but we are ready.
  
  
• Oliver and Wembley are doing great! Wembley is still such a little sh*t and was locked in Hadley's room for three hours earlier this week...while she was sleeping. Of course I panic because I don't want him to hurt her, but luckily he is scared to death of her so would never jump in the crib. I finally went in her room to adjust her heating vent and he comes out meowing like crazy; almost yelling at me. Oh that cat! Oliver is still having a hard time adjusting to not being the main baby. We still give him so much attention and he's snuggled in our bed each night. But he gets upset when I hold Hadley and can't have him on my lap as well. But do worries, he totally tries to join us.
  
  
• Meal planning is still going very well! I need to get back on the ball and share on my Tasty Tuesdays. We were thrown a curve ball a few weeks ago. Josh has had a lot of stomach problems for over a year and I've been telling him that he needs to see the doctor because my instinct has always been a gluten problem. While he has not been tested yet, he has taken gluten out of his diet almost completely. Already he has done so much better. He hasn't been sick and feels better overall. This has changed how we eat. We've talked about how gluten free is a lifestyle change and, whether or not he has a gluten allergy or not, we know that it is a healthier choice.
  
  
• I haven't shared on here yet, and don't want to say a lot about it, but I'm still not recovered from my delivery with Hadley. I have an appointment with a surgeon on Friday so any prayers you could send my way would be very much appreciated. I'm hoping everything will heal on its own and surgery is not needed but whatever happens is for a reason.

Hadley's Favorites: 0-3 Months

Before Hadley was born I thought I knew a good amount about babies. Well, I was right..and wrong. I knew the basics. I wasn't worried about diapers, baths, clothing, spit up, and crying. I thought I knew how to put a baby on a schedule but that was short lived. And the words "cluster feeding" were not in my vocabulary.

Over the past four months to say we have learned a lot is an understatement. Most of all we have taken the advice of others to find what works for us. I love asking people what they do to solve a problem or what products they like to use in their homes. Josh and I research a lot when buying anything. Trust me. So the more opinions I hear, the more confident I feel when purchasing the product we finally decide on.

Baby products were just as important to us as buying a dishwasher. Sounds silly, right? We read customer reviews on Target, BuyBuyBaby, and Amazon. We even looked at consumer reports. So we felt confident in the products that we purchased or were given as gifts. Then the baby came along and we could finally see our products in action.

Fisher-Price Cradle 'N Swing, My Little Snugabunny

We all loved this swing! From the easy assembly to the softness of the fabrics. It was so wonderful to have for Hadley. We put her in it from day one and there were so many times where this thing was a life saver for us! I remember being so happy I could set up the camera and run and shower. Unfortunately she has decided that she is done with the swing. At four months she will scream every time we put her in it. She wants out and is ready to see the word.

Fisher-Price Deluxe Bouncer

Believe it or not, girlfriend will still hang out in this thing sometimes! I think she enjoys the vibration. We she was a a few weeks old she wanted nothing to do with it. Around two months she really started to like it. Then she figured out how to make the birds moved and I think it was her favorite thing. She would nap it in or just hang out in it. She still enjoys it at times but definitely not as much as she use to. Wembley, the cat, sure thinks it's great for napping!

Fisher-Price  Newborn Rock n' Play Sleeper

The Rock 'n Play Sleeper is by far my favorite item! She slept in it for the first month in our bedroom. After that we used it occasionally at home but if we went anywhere we took it with us. We still take it when visiting Josh's family and if I need to get ready in the morning. She will soon be too big for it and I will be sad. It is worth every penny!


Motorola Wireless Video Baby Monitors



I'm really not sure how people survived without video monitors. I feel so spoiled and so thankful to have these. Yes, I watch them way too often, even in the middle of the night. But there is something about them that makes me feel more at ease--the fact that I can see her! To us, they're totally worth the extra money. They have been a great investment that we can use for a long time.


Dr. Brown's BPA Free Bottles



We love these bottles and have had such a great experience with them. Hadley took them almost right away for Josh. Now I can even feed her! She goes back and forth between these and nursing very well. As you can see these bottles are tall and thin. Dr. Brown does make a different shaped bottle which we don't really like. They have a shorter, fatter bottle that has a different nip.ple. We are not crazy about these because they tend to leak and I don't she she likes the shape and size of the nip.ple. However the ones pictured above are awesome and we would recommend them anyone!

Graco SnugRide Click Connect 35 Car Seat


When Josh and I went to register, there was a young man (early 20s, if that) who was helping us with the car seats. This guy was awesome! He knew so much about the car seats. He didn't have any children, but he knew his stuff. When we walked over to this car seat, he took out the seat and tossed it into the base showing us how it just clicked right in. Josh was amazed. He didn't need any other information. He scanned the seat right there. Of course, the guy working explained to us about all of the features and safety of the seat. We definitely picked a great brand and are very happy with our choice. We also love that it clicks right in to our Bob Stroller (which I will review at 3-6 months).


All reviews above are my own opinions. 

Five on Friday!

{one}

Today I'm celebrating five years of marriage with this guy. It's been a crazy five years full of amazing times and crazy times, but I have to say that this year has been the best. I've loved watching Josh become such a loving daddy to Miss Hadley. Best way to spend five years together.

{two}

The first week back to school is an exhausting one! I might know every day we have off from now until May. I also may know that there are 86 school days left per the countdown in the cafeteria. So excited to spend the summer with my girl!

{three}

This year I decided to order a May Designs Planner. I've used Erin Condren in the past, which I love, but they're so big and bulky, not to mention pricey. I can't do that right now with everything that comes with a baby. So, I decided to give May Books a whirl. I love it so far! They're very affordable (no more than you would pay for a nice one at Target), super light weight, smaller, thinner, and still give you plenty of room to write in it. My favorite part? You can pick out your own design and monogram it!

{four}

My parents got Hadley this book for Christmas. It's the cutest thing ever! We read it every night. I cannot wait until she actually understands it!

{five}

Who says science isn't fun? This is a picture from a laser light show the kids had at school today. It was pretty neat! There were just in awe at what lasers could do. I even learned a lot too (I don't teach science)!

Breakfast Prepping for the Week

When I first started meal planning, my goal was to lay out the menu on Sunday for the entire week. Once I got the hang of it, I started prepping as much as I could ahead of time. This saved me so much time during the week. Being pregnant from December 2012 to August 2013 and working full time would exhaust me. So when I had more energy on the weekends I would get everything ready for the week so when I would come home from teaching, I could just grab dinner from the fridge, put it together, cook, and go.

Now being a working mom I am much more exhausted and have much to prepare for the next day, so prepping for the week is a must! Not only do I prep dinners but we also do breakfasts and lunches on the weekend.

Here is what our weekend schedule looks like:

• Friday night: Meal plan and make grocery list
• Saturday day: Josh grocery shops
• Saturday night: Breakfasts made for the week
• Sunday: Lunches packed--prep for dinners for the week

I'm not going to lie--this is not easy with a 4 month old. Josh also works most Friday and Saturday nights until 11 pm or 12 am, so I am prepping after Hadley is in bed. On Sundays we prep while she is napping or we take turns watching her. We try to do as much as possible together but sometimes it's not possible.

Breakfasts

We have been trying really hard to eat breakfast during the week. Since I am still nursing H, it is a must for me. I'm usually starving by lunch when I do eat breakfast. I'm perfectly satisfied with eating the same thing every day for breakfast, but I'm trying to change it up a bit to get in more nutrients, especially protein.

My breakfasts 

{one of the three}

• Yogurt with granola and flax seed:
• Ingredients: Yogurt, favorite granola, ground flax seed (optional)
• Directions:
     Easy to make! I scoop out all of the yogurt (from a big container) into plastic tupperware containers on Sunday. Then in the morning, I scoop in 1/3 cup of granola with a tablespoon of flax. I've used the single serving yogurts before and prepped the granola in separate containers on Sunday, but the larger container is cheaper. I never put the two together on Sunday because it makes for soggy granola. Yuck!

• Breakfast sandwich (homemade)
• Ingredients: English Muffin, bacon or microwave sausage patties, eggs, cheese (optional), aluminum foil
• Directions: 
1. Lay out 5 sheets of aluminum foil that will cover the English Muffin.
2. Set out an opened EM of each piece of foil
3. Place a piece of cheese on one side of the muffin (optional)
4. If using a microwave sausage patty (like Bob Evans or Jimmy Dean) place the frozen or refrigerated patty on top of the cheese. DO NOT microwave this!!
   If using bacon or any other type of meet, cook while setting up foil and muffins, then place on top of cheese.
5. Cook the egg any way you like {I do a flat scramble meaning I scramble it in the bowl but cook it like an omelet. It's much easier to put on the sandwich}. I also add a little salt and pepper. You can add any kind of seasoning to the egg.
6. Once the egg is cooked, allow it to cool before you place it on the EM. I will let one cool and cook another. 
7. After eggs are cool, place them on the EM. Wrap sandwiches up tightly and store in freezer until you are ready to take them out!
   
   TO EAT: The best way is to separate the sandwich and cook the egg and meat in the microwave first for 30 seconds to a minute. Then put the entire thing together and cook for 30 more seconds. If you can't get the sandwich apart (that happens to me usually) put it in for a minute and try to separate it after so much time. You can also microwave the entire thing for 1:30 minutes, but it will be very hot!!
   
   
• Breakfast Wraps {homemade}-I like these better     
• Ingredients: Wheat wraps, eggs, mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, breakfast meat, cheese, and any other veggies.       
• Directions:
1. These are going to be similar to the breakfast sandwich. Start out with five pieces of aluminum foil and place your wraps on top ready to go.
2. I use bacon in my wraps so I placed the bacon in the oven while I was cooking my eggs.
3. Next I made the scrambled eggs--not flat eggs. I'm still trying to find the "perfect" number of eggs to use. This week I tried seven and it was a lot! My wraps were really full and kept me full for a long time! I'm thinking six would be a good number.
4. Once the eggs are scrambled, turn the burner down to low and saute the veggies in a separate skillet (you can use same, but take eggs out). I put all veggies in except for the spinach. When everything is done, toss the spinach in and put the lid on top for about a minute.
5. Combine the veggies with the eggs and stir together.
6. Finally I placed the cooked bacon on to each wrap. Then, like an assembly line, I added the egg mixture on top of the bacon. Then I finished with a sprinkle of cheese on each.
7. Wrap each breakfast wrap up tightly and place in freezer. They freeze perfectly!
   
   TO EAT:  These took a lot longer to microwave than the sandwiches, probably because there is so much inside of them. I started out with 1:30 minutes, flipped it over and turned it back on for another 1:30.

                   

Next week: Lunch prepping for the work week

January 1, 2014

2013 was a wonderful year! 

2014 has a lot to live up to.

I'm not big on making resolutions. I don't want to say I'm going to do something then fail. I wanted 2013 to be the year of family and I want to continue that into 2014. But I also want to add more balance. Being a new mom, and a working mom at that one, requires a lot of balance.

In 2014 I want to be the best mom, wife, daughter, friend, and teacher that I can be.

I need to prioritize and use my time wisely.

I hope most days will be filled with smiles while few days may have tears.

But it's a process. And in 2014 I just want to do the best I can.

As long as I have these two...