The blog of Baby Justin

Muffins!

2010-08-01T07:27:00.003-04:00

Once again, I have a zucchini the size of my arm to use up. It finally cooled down so I decided to do a little baking. I LOVED these muffins. They aren't overly sweet but stay super moist. I found the recipe in the Taste of Home Archives. I made a few changes and substituted strawberry applesauce for regular.

*Justin would not touch these muffins. I took a wooden cake dowel and pushed a hole through the middle (see where I'm going with this?) and told him it was a donut. Well all of the sudden it was a yummy treat and he ate 2 :)

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup applesauce (I used strawberry)
2 eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon (I used pumpkin pie spice)
1 cup shredded zucchini, water squeezed out (just dump into a big paper towel and squeeeeeze)
2 ripe medium bananas, mashed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Place paper cupcake wrappers in cupcake pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, applesauce, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Stir until just blended. Then stir in the grated zucchini and mashed banana.

4. Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Let cool about 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan and eat!

Taco Pizza

2010-07-24T07:44:00.003-04:00

If I cut anything into uniform pieces and hand Justin a fork, he'll usually at least try it. Still, I was shocked that he seemed to really like Taco pizza! It's SO simple, really yummy and pretty darn healthy!

1/2 of 1 package of Wegmans Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
1 diced red pepper
1 diced vidalia onion
1 20oz package "Jennie-O" seasoned lean ground turkey (Taco flavor)
8oz shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/2-1 cup taco sauce (your preference)
sour cream optional

*Preheat oven to 375.
*In a large skillet, saute turkey with the peppers and onions. Sometimes I'll stir in additional taco seasoning mix, just to make it more flavorful.
*Spread dough out. I didn't have a pizza pan so I shaped my pizza into a small enough circle to still fit on a cookie sheet.
*Spread taco sauce on dough
*Top with meat/pepper&onion mix.
*Top with shredded cheese
*Bake 15-17 minutes

*After it cools a few minutes, cut into slices. I put some sour cream in a baggie. Snip off one corner and gently squeeze out sour cream.

Zucchini Casserole!

2010-07-24T07:32:00.003-04:00

I LOVE zucchini. I know I've said it before but it's just so good and so versatile. We have several zucchini the size of my arm in the garden so I knew it was time to get cracking with one of my favorites. Yes, it has a stick of butter & condensed soup but served as a side dish it does have lots of yummy nutrients. Growing up- my mom would make this with homemade croutons but it was really hot out and I was in a hurry. The dish is 90% zucchini. Jody & Justin both gave me the thumbs up.

Zucchini Casserole (adapted from allrecipes.com)

1 large cubed zucchini (mine came to about 4 cups of diced sized pieces) To prep the zucchini, make sure you peel it. Then I cut it in half length wise and scrape out any large seeds with a spoon.
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated carrots
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 (6 ounce) package chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Boil the zucchini and onion in water for 5 minutes; drain well. In a medium bowl, combine the soup, sour cream and carrots. Stir in the zucchini and onion and mix well.
In a separate medium bowl, combine the butter and stuffing mix. Spread half of this mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spoon the zucchini mixture over the stuffing, then top off with the other half of the stuffing.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until stuffing is golden brown.

Stuffed Peppers

2010-07-24T07:19:00.003-04:00

On the night we have stuffed peppers I made Justin the "stand-by", Grilled Cheese. I was super surprised when he looked at my plate and said, "meat please?"Then gobbled up half my dinner. Now that I think back of it; stuffed peppers are a great meal. I picked the green peppers just minutes before I stuffed them from our garden so they were nice & sweet. The other ingredients; lean turkey, brown rice, mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce... totally kid friendly! You'll noticed in my picture I cook them in individual ramekin mugs. That way I can give them a little "bed" of extra filling. *Tastes better than it looks, I promise*

Stuffed Peppers
2 or 3 large green bell peppers (depending on how full you stuff them)
1lb lean ground turkey (browned)
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 vidalia onion-diced.
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1tbsp Worcestershire sauce

*Preheat Oven to 350
*Cut the tops off of the peppers to make a little "bowl".( I used any discarded pepper around the stem to cook with the onions)
*Place peppers in a pot of boiling water for 5 mins to soften- set to dry.
*In a skillet saute diced onion and any diced pepper until slightly soft.
*Add browned turkey and brown rice.
*Stir in 1/2 cup tomato sauce and Worch. sauce. salt & pepper to taste
*Add filling to peppers and top with the rest of the tomato sauce

*Bake for 1 hour at 350. With 15 minutes left, top peppers with shredded mozzarella!

Homemade tater tots

2010-07-12T14:11:00.002-04:00

YUM! These were so good. I'm not going to lie, they were kind of a lot of work. Tater tots are a favorite of Justin & Jody right now so I think it was well worth it. Also, I added some cheese to the original recipe, as part of my "add-calcium-because-my-kid-hates-milk" cooking.

Recipe adapted from http://momsensenj.wordpress.com/

1 Large Potato, cut into approx 2 inch cubes
Salt

1/4 C shredded cheddar
1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 Egg, whisked
1 Cup homemade wheat breadcrumbs
Olive Oil Spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Boil the potatoes in salted water in a pot for 12-15 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Drain off all the water and cool the potatoes.
4. Using the side of a box grater, grate all of the potatoes into a bowl. (mine made about 1.5 cups shredded potatoes) Mix in shredded cheese
5. Place the flour, whisked egg and breadcrumbs in THREE separate bowls.
6. Take about 1 tbsp of the potato mixture and shape into “tater tots”.
7. Roll the tots into the flour, followed by the egg, then the panko bread crumbs, coating lightly.
8. Place onto a lined/greased cookie sheet and coat evenly with cooking spray.
9. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden.
10. Cool and serve.

10 minute Chicken Noodle Soup

2010-06-25T13:17:00.003-04:00

We have a very busy weekend ahead of us so I wanted to prep some food for Justin in advance. Lately he's been searching through the cupboards and when I ask what he's looking for he says, "hmmmm soup?". I think he's had soup maybe 3x in his life and I haven't bought canned soup in years. He's such a goof!

I make this recipe in my small crockpot. If you have a large crockpot I'd double the recipe. I started the soup while Justin was eating breakfast and it was done by lunch. There was virtually no dishes and no time spent cooking. The crockpot does all the work. I maybe did 10 minutes of work... that's why I called the recipe 10 minute Chicken Noodle Soup...

*Place into your crockpot...
16oz low sodium chicken broth
10 baby carrots (sliced into disks)
1 large stalk of celery (sliced into disks)
1/4 small onion (optional)
3 boneless/skinless chicken breast tenders (you could use 1 lg breast, just cook it longer)
salt & pepper to taste (I also threw in a bay leaf, I like that flavor)

*Turn the crockpot to high and let it sit 2 hours.
*After 2 hours "fish" out your cooked chicken and shred it. Place it back into the broth.
*Add 1/2 C of small uncooked pasta to the soup. (I used Orzo)
*Stir & Cook on high for 1 more hour.

I got about 5-6 big cups of soup. It will depend on the size of the pasta and size of chicken tenderloins you use :)

BBQ nuggets

2010-06-24T14:05:00.004-04:00

Every kid loves mashed potatoes! Every kid loves Mac & Cheese! Every kid loves milk!
Nope. Not mine. Justin doesn't really have "every kid" taste. That's why I decided to spice up his chicken nuggets! Also- it's so mom & dad could enjoy too. 3 ingredients... that's all! Plus these freeze, so well! I let them cool and threw the rest into a ziploc bag. The next day, 8 mins at 400*- perfect!

BBQ Chicken Nuggets
2 large chicken breast cut into chunks (or strips- you pick)
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup bread crumbs (once again used the ole' wheat roll into the food processor)

Preheat oven to 375. Dip chicken chunks in bread crumbs and then into bread crumbs. Place onto greased cooking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
*If you want a golden color to the nuggets, I suggest using an Olive Oil spray to mist the nuggets before they do into the oven.

Zucchini Bites

2010-06-23T12:27:00.003-04:00

Zucchini is probably my favorite vegetable. I think you can do a million things with it. It's got a light, almost sweet flavor. We always plant it in our garden. For 1 99cent pack of seeds I'll probably get 20 zucchini, the size of Justin's leg! They're the best when they're picked small though. Then there are really no seeds to deal with. Once a small zucchini is peeled, the slices look just like apples, so Justin was more likely to try it. Yesterday was one of those weird day where you have a bunch of odd leftovers to use up. This was SOOO easy to make and it was a huge hit!

1/2 small zucchini, sliced about 1/2" thick
1 cup Bread Crumbs (1 toasted Wheat Hamburger bun thrown in Magic Bullet)
Garlic Salt (optional)
1 egg (beaten)
Olive Oil spray

I set up a little assembly line leading to the pan on the stove. A plate of the zucchini, then a bowl with beaten egg, a bowl of the bread crumbs (I added Garlic salt- seems to be Justin's fave)and finally a HEATED pan sprayed generously with Olive oil spray.

Dip the zucchini in the egg, then breading and then into the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes each side or until golden.

I cut the zucchini in half and let Justin go at them. He was a little tentative at 1st so I offered him 1 with "dip"/ketchup and it sealed the deal. Then he was so into eating them he didn't even dip another at all.

Popsicles

2010-06-22T07:41:00.003-04:00

I know I've said it before but if you have kids you should definitely invest in a magic bullet food processor! They're less than $50 and I've used it at least a hundred times in the last 19 months, including making all fresh baby food.

Justin & I were in the dollar store and noticed those "make your own Popsicle" molds. When we got home I threw...

*1 small ripe banana
*6 big strawberries (chopped)
*1/4 cup Vanilla yogurt

...into the magic bullet. It made 6 Popsicles. Think about the numbers. It's about 15 cents for 1 banana, 50 cents for the strawberries and 30 cents for the yogurt. 95 cents! You couldn't get a box of popsicles for that, especially popsicles made with fresh fruit. They took a few hours to freeze but after his nap he had a delicious (tasted like the Edy's "creamy" fruit bars) and boy did he love them :)

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

2010-06-14T12:55:00.004-04:00

To be honest, I'd never even heard of Shepherd's Pie until I met Jody. I make a pretty darn good shortcut version! If you served this with applesauce on the side it makes a great complete meal. As far as veggies go, I like to use the carrot,bean,pea, corn mix. It took a couple of tries to convince Justin that it would be yummy but once he got one bite in he started scarfing it down. I like to make a whole 9x13 pan so we can have lunch the next day too!

Ingredients
Ground Turkey (comes in 20oz package at Tops)
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables, defrosted & drained
1 cup brown gravy (I use the McCormick low sodium packets- they're SO easy)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 cups Mashed Potatoes
I made mine out of russet potatoes, skim milk, lowfat sour cream and margarine
you can use your own recipe or instant if you'd like.
1/2 C Shredded Cheddar

Preheat oven to 400*
In a large skillet, cook onion on medium until it's soft. (This would be a good time to make your mashed potatoes)Add Garlic, cook 1 minute. Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink. Stir in mixed vegetables. Season with salt & pepper. Turn off heat and stir in gravy until your meat/veg mix is well coated. Pour mix into 9x13 pyrex/glass dish. Spread mashed potatoes evenly on top. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and bake 5 more minutes. Let stand for at least 15 minutes.

Orzo with feta

2010-06-10T19:57:00.003-04:00

I am really trying hard to get Justin to like pasta. It is such a cheap, easy, versatile food and one of Jody's favorites. I've baked Orzo (those little football shaped pasta) before and watched him eat it so I decided to invent a new little recipe. I LOVE feta cheese, a tiny bit gives a ton of flavor and I usually have it in my fridge for salads. Plus broc-ca (broccoli) is always a winner when I'm cooking for Justin. Next time I'm going to toss in some shredded chicken and see if he notices!

Note the funny shape of the pasta "patty"? I baked his lunch in these Wilton Halloween baking pans (Jack O Latern shaped) because they make perfect patties! Larger and more shallow than a cupcake tin :)

In a bowl mix;
1/2 C cooked orzo (you can boil it in broth for extra flavor, if you want)
1/3 C cooked broccoli, diced tiny.
1/2 an egg (save the other half for breakfast I guess)
1 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
a few shakes of salt & pepper

Pour into sprayed muffin tins and bake for 12-14 mins at 375

Spinach "meat"balls

2010-06-08T21:37:00.003-04:00

Today's Lunch
Spinach "meat"balls
Large pear
banana yogurt

I feel like lunch should be easy but it's not. Justin hates pasta- so no spaghettios, no mac & cheese, no noodles/ravioli. Justin also doesn't really eat meat. Lunch is my biggest challenge.

I had some baby spinach in the fridge that I needed to use up so I started to search for recipes. People are doing some wacky stuff to spinach to make kids eat it. When I try a new recipe it has to be pretty simple, budget friendly or work with what I already have. These "meat"balls are a mish-mash of like 4 recipes I read. They turned out pretty cute- looking like little meatballs. When I put them in front of Justin he said, "oooh brocc-ca?" Sure! Sure honey, it's broccoli, eat up :) I kid you not- he cried for more when these were gone... I was in total shock! They were SO good. Filling and savory but super light.

Preheat your oven to 375.
*In a bowl mix together
1 C. cooked (and DRAINED)spinach (I steamed baby spinach- but frozen would work)
1 tbsp melted butter or marg.
1/4 C. Parmesean cheese
1/2 C. bread crumbs (wheat toast in food processor)
1 tsp Garlic salt
1 egg
*Drop onto cookie sheet (sprayed with Pam) by the tablespoon- or shape into balls with hands.
*Bake for 5 mins & flip. Bake 3-5 mins or until golden brown.

Carrot Cracker/Snacks

2010-06-07T21:09:00.002-04:00

*Recipe Adapted from Weelicious.com

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Carrot, finely shredded
2 Tbsp Oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine the first four ingredients and stir to combine.
3. Using your hands, add the carrots to the flour mixture coating the carrot pieces with flour.
4. Add the oil and work with your hands to bring the dough together.
5. Form the carrot parmesan dough into a flat rectangular disk and roll out 1/2 inch thick.
6. Using a knife, cut the dough into sticks, 2 inches long by 1/4 inch wide.
7. Bake on a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet for 15-17 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.

This recipe was alright. I mean, I made a half batch and to get the amount of shredded carrots barely took like 5 baby carrots- that's not much veggie in the snack. I am very lucky because Justin loves baby carrots plain, so these seemed like a lot of work. They tasted kind of like a cracker. I added garlic salt and also substituted 1/2 of the oil for water. They would make a great finger food :)

Broccoli Nuggets

2010-06-07T21:01:00.004-04:00

(Recipe adapted from wholesomebabyfood.com)
16 oz package of frozen broccoli (florets if possible.)
1 cup of breadcrumbs (or 1/2 cup bread crumbs and 1/2 cup baby cereal)
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
5-6 tablespoons of water or milk
5 tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
shakes of spices as you desire

Preheat oven to 375F
Thaw and drain broccoli (if using fresh, cleanse, cook then drain and chop)
Mix together remaining ingredients
Shape the mixture into nuggets, rolls or whatever takes your fancy.

Bake for 20-25 minutes on a lightly greased/oiled baking sheet.
Turn your broccoli-cheesies after 10 minutes of cooking time - these are done when golden and firm.

These are yummy. Justin totally loves them. I do however, make a few changes. I use fresh broccoli, steamed, instead of frozen. I add a hand full of shredded spinach. I also make the bread crumbs. (Throw a piece of wheat toast into the food processor- SO easy!)

*Clearly, I'm not photographer and these nuggets were already cut in half so they could be a lot cuter*

Budget Shopping

2010-06-03T14:12:00.003-04:00

The post below got me thinking about how to cut costs from grocery bills. It's something I put A LOT of thought into. I know lots of women who say they don't have the time or they forget the coupons... it's so much easier than you'd think, I swear! I make breakfast, lunch & dinner for the 3 of us 99% of the time. We RARELY go out and if we order food, it's usually for a snack if we have company at night. My budget is $50 a week. That does not include paper products or diapers which I stock up on when they're on sale. Paper products/cleaning stuff is the easiest to get coupons for- they're always in the paper. (I haven't paid more than pennies for toothpaste or Magic Erasers in like a year.) I have like 250 diapers & 9 packages of (good brand)wipes in the closet- total cost... MAYBE $20, at maximum.
Here are 5 helpful tips
1.) Websites. It can be frustrating to check the paper and not see any "good" coupons. You have to dig a little. If there's a product you like, check their website, lots of them have coupons or will email them to you
2. email. If the website doesn't have coupons, go to the "contact us". Send them a short email saying how much you love the product and that your family could really use a few coupons. Write the email once- copy and paste it for several websites. This would take seriously 5 minutes. You will be amazed when you get literally dozens of coupons in the mail!
3. Coupons double!. I shop pretty much at Tops and Wegmans only. I'm always shocked to see how many people don't know that both store DOUBLE coupons under $1 automatically. AKA a .$75 coupon is really $1.50 off! Last week I got a few boxes of ronzoni pasta FREE because they were 2 for $3 and I have a few .75off coupons.
4. Clearance I LOVE clearance racks. Many times food manufacturers switch packaging or labeling and the item will go clearance. ALWAYS CHECK DATES but if it's something like a dry good- scoop it up. The absolute best is when you can find clearance items you have a coupon for!
5. Know a good price & buy, buy buy. Chicken Breasts were $4.29/lb at Wegmans for the "regular packs", club packs were $1.99/lb. I always buy the club packs and freeze them 2 breasts each in little freezer bags. When Tops put the Boneless/Skinless breast for $1.49 each summer I buy literally 10lbs at a time. On the flip side I'll see them on "sale" for $2.49 but know to just wait it out.

Ok, after I went back and read this it seems pretty dorky but if it helps just 1 person, ti's worth it :)

Fruity Pancake Bites

2010-06-03T09:54:00.004-04:00

Aww crap, it's been a week! I promise to start updating this more often. We had an awesome memorial day, actually it was like a 4 day long picnic so I was barely in by my computer. I did however come up with a good use for some leftover fruit salad.

Here's a little fruit salad I made with peaches, bananas & strawberries.
Next to it is a batch of pancake batter I made. You could do it from a mix, if you like. I've tested about 10 from scratch recipes and Jody just LOVES this recipe --> http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fluffy-Pancakes-2/Detail.aspx
*Note- you may notice the 1st step (mixing milk w. vinegar) seems strange. It's how you make homemade buttermilk. It is SO much cheaper than buying it and you have no buttermilk leftovers expiring in the fridge.

Ok, so you heat a pan like you normally would for pancakes. Dip each piece of fruit into the batter and lay it in the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes and flip, cook other side.
Voila! They're cute, they're fruit and they make an awesome finger food!

Monkey Bread

2010-05-27T19:43:00.002-04:00

Okay so I made this snack for a group of adults but it would be a cool snack for toddlers...

Think of how monkeys "pick" the bugs off of each other. How they pick at food. What toddler wouldn't want to eat like a monkey? I could just see a group of little ones going at these bite sized gooey pieces. It's a semi-homemade kinda recipe which is not usually my style but sometimes you gotta cut corners. *Recipe from Pillsbury Website* (I added homemade icing too)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!®refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large -storage plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.
2. Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan.
3. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.
4. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.

Grilled Peanut Butter & Banana

2010-05-25T14:30:00.003-04:00

It's hard to pick out lunches for a toddler. Justin does not really care for meat and he won't eat pasta. He does however, LOVE toast. I can make any kind of grilled sandwich and he squeels "toast, toast!" and gobbles it up. Here's my current fave...
Slice a small banana. Spread peanut butter on wheat bread and lay sliced bananas on top. Melt 1 tbsp margarine in a small skillet. Top with another slice of wheat bread. Add sandwich to hot skillet- flipping after about 2 minutes or until golden. I gotta admit- this one is hard to keep my own hands off of!

Strawberry-Banana French Toast

2010-05-23T08:00:00.002-04:00

There are a lot of nights that Justin has "breakfast for dinner". It's a great way to save on my grocery budget, he LOVES breakfast foods and they tend to be nice and light for the summer. On nights that Jody babysits- Justin usually has frozen waffles, we call it the da-da special.

The only problem with breakfast for dinner (especially with things like waffles) is syrup. I can't see loading a toddler up with insane amounts of sugar and expecting him to fall asleep an hour later. That's why I started using "banana syrup". It's super easy! I just take a ripe banana and toss it in the food processor (or blender if you have one) with a little milk and some cinnamon. You could drizzle this syrup on anything- pancakes, waffles or french toast like we did.

For Justin's french toast I mixed 1 egg with a splash of vanilla extract and a splash of milk. I dipped 2 pieces of wheat bread into the mix and placed them into a hot pan- flipping when golden brown. I sprinkled some diced strawberries on top and added 1 serving "banana syrup".

Veggie Omelette Cups

2010-05-21T08:11:00.006-04:00

We gardened all day yesterday, then I was up until about midnight painting new "markers" for the vegetables. I was totally exhausted. Usually, Justin is up around 7:30, so this morning when I heard, "Mama? Mama? Hellllo?" at 6:25, I could barely scrape myself out of bed. These are the mornings when I love having Veggie Omelette Cups handy. It's super important to me that Justin & Jody have a "real" breakfast every morning but sometimes it's just not an option for me to stand there and dice veggies before the sun comes up.
I made a batch 2 days ago (they tend to "fall" quickly so excuse the ugly picture)

After these bake & cool, they can go right into a ziploc in the fridge. You can microwave them all week! I used to make them in mini-muffin cups when Justin used his fingers. My sister-in-law told me she made them in little heart shaped pans- Cute!!! This is a also a way to use up any small amount of random vegetable you have in the fridge.
My mix was; 6 eggs, 1/4c milk, couple pinches of cheddar cheese and lots of FINELY chopped veggies. This batch had; onion, red pepper, green pepper, broccoli, spinach, carrot and even some hashbrown potatoes I had leftover from a previous breakfast. I sprayed muffin tins w. olive oil spray and poured the mix in. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Today's Breakfast
3 Veggie Omelette Cups w. 7 veggies
1 small banana
Peach Danonino Yogurt
.

Kale Chips

2010-05-19T12:04:00.001-04:00

I was reading a list of "Top 10 foods you should be eating but aren't" on msn the other day. The 1 food that on the list we really don't eat was Kale. Turns out that Kale is a Super-Veggie! It has loads of calcium, iron, Vit A, Vit B, Vit K and nutrients that help fight cancer. Here the low down; Kale looks like a large bouquet of spinach, they sell it at Wegmans (2.99- a little pricey I thought) and it's the "green stuff" in that Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden!

I found an easy recipe online, Kale Chips! You wash & dry the kale and cut into potato chip sized pieces. Spray it with a little Olive Oil spray- sprinkle with coarse salt and bake for 8 mins at 375. Easy! It was a total fail. I should say that all the adults in my house loved it! I made Kale chips with my lunch 3x last week. They bake into this crisp/flaky texture and it totally freaked Justin out. As soon as he tried to bite down it kind of "shattered" and he was over it. Oh well...

Yogurt Meals

2010-05-18T11:11:00.000-04:00

When I saw that YoBaby was making "meals", I thought- jackpot! Justin loves, loves yogurt. He stands by the fridge begging for it every morning. The only problem was that they're $1 a piece. It may not seem like a lot but for a kid that eats yogurt every.single.day, that's $30 a month! I usually buy Justin whatever yogurt is on sale, without a crazy amount of sugar. This week I steamed some green beans and pureed them in the magic bullet w. a few slices of raw apples. (This would be great to do w. left over baby food you may have!) When he begs for his vanilla yogurt- I just add a big scoop of the puree (which stays good in the fridge for days) & stir to make our own "yogurt meal". He doesn't even notice! Gotta love extra veggies at breakfast!

Today's breakfast:
Wheat toast w. peanut butter
Homemade "yogurt meal" (vanilla w. green bean & apple)
Sliced fresh pears and strawberries

Good Eater

2010-05-17T20:58:00.000-04:00

As an infant, I could puree ANYTHING and Justin would eat it. anything. Everyone told me how lucky I was to have a good eater... it didn't last. By his 1st birthday all he wanted was yogurt and toast. 2 healthy choices but not enough to live on, haha. It is a lot of work to feed a toddler a healthy, balanced diet. It's all about little steps.

Today's lunch- Grilled Cheese & Spinach Sandwich w. Garlic Green Beans
Justin hates milk. HATES it. I think he may have inherited from me, I can't drink it . I've tried everything for him; skim, 1%, 2%, whole, chocolate, strawberry, warming it up- he drools it right back out. (He hates juice too right now, too) My main concern is to make sure he's getting enough vitamin D and calcium. Dark green vegetables are a great source of calcium. Justin LOVES grilled cheese sandwiches. I always use whole wheat bread and kraft 2% American cheese. It's a lunch staple. He barely seemed to notice when today he had grilled spinach and cheese :) I just added a handful of fresh baby spinach inside of his sandwich. He got a good serving of Vitamin A, iron & calcium. Plus- everyone who watched Popeye knows that spinach gives you huge muscles!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Little Justin

2009-11-21T10:37:00.000-05:00

Little boy

2009-09-24T14:27:00.000-04:00

Yes, before you continue, just know that this is another one of those sappy "they grow up so fast" entries =)

I've been feeling extra sentimental as I start the plans for Justin's 1st birthday. This has been THE fastest year of my life- ever. I always peek in on Justin before I go to bed. Just to give him an extra kiss and make sure he has a blanket still on. While last night I welled up with tears. He was wearning this little Buzz lightyear pajama set. He was sleeping on his belly with 1 arm above his head, gripping his teddy bear with the other arm, mouth wide open. He looked so sweet, so handsome and so much like a little boy. Yep. Like a little boy- not like a little baby. As much as I have that "itch" to have a little baby again. I don't think I would like one for awhile now. I am LOVING this time with Justin and I "alone" as he grows up. I think every baby deserves that time before the next comes. I wouldn't trade my time with him for anything in the world.

double digits!!!

2009-09-13T14:04:00.000-04:00

10 months old. WOW. I just can't believe it. Once again I find myself saying that this is the age I would keep him at forever. He has SUCH a personality and keeps me laughing all day long.

Maybe I'm biased because I'm his mom but I think he is super intelligent. He is developing more skills everyday and it's sooo awesome to watch the "gears turn" when he looks at something. We have this reading lamp on our bed and he knows how to turn the little dial to make it go on. He actually plays with his toys, like he'll push his trucks around making a motor noise. He will throw you the ball if you ask him. He "talks" pretty much every waking moment. He says Dada, BaBa, Mama and Book (if you're lucky). He's cruising the furniture like an old pro. He also "walks" on his knees, it's adorable. He walks around the house pushing his highchair and babbling away. It's a little scary that everything in our house within 3 feet of the floor is fair game. He's been doing his "no-no" trick for about 2 or 3 weeks now. If you ask him a question he shakes his head back and forth- for "no". He's working on waving and has perfected "gimme five" this week. I'm putting my foot down and limiting his TV so he is allowed about 15 mins a day- just enough time for me to make my coffee! It's funny because he doesn't even seem to like TV. He only likes the theme songs, then he crawls away to play, I'm relieved. Here is Mr Gorgeous this morning.

9 month appt

2009-08-24T21:13:00.000-04:00

Today Justin had his 9 month appt. He is meeting/exceeding all his milestones so I, of course, was beaming with pride. He had to get 3 more vaccines. The good news is that many vaccines come in series of 3 so this was the end of those. He also got his blood tested for iron and lead. He is in the 95th percentile for height at 30inches and the 75th percentile for weight at 22.1 lbs. Once we got home his Godmother was waiting with presents for him b/c he has so many shots. Lots of super cute fall clothes. Speaking of Jess, I was just telling her today that I would keep Justin this age forever if I could. He cracks me up all day long. Justin is just motoring all over the house, "talking" away- he has the sweetest little personality. Yeah, he's still a little needy but I see a light at the end of that tunnel. He'll get there.

There have been some other big changes. We're officially weaning. Right now he only nurses before bed and when he first wakes up.Justin is doing great taking to the formula. I, am not taking it as well. It's been very depressing but I'm just time for the both of us to give it up, I know in my gut. Also, we decided to let Justin cry it out before bed. This was something I was very, very, very against. I still don't think it's a good idea for babies under 6 mths but he was ready. He was a fantastic sleeper...til he learned to stand in the crib. We were doing a Ferber approach where you go in every few minutes, soothe the baby and then let him cry but it was a huge fail. Every time I walked away he was standing up screaming, shaking the crib before I could get out the door. One night this went on for 1 hour and 45 mins on the muggiest night of the year. We were both so sweaty and frustrated. Thanks to good advice from a friend we decided to skip the soothing. Before you judge me as a meanie- know that I did peak in on him every few mins to make sure he was alright. I just couldn't let him see me. The 1st day he cried about 30 mins and then slumped over asleep sitting up. The next nap, about 20 mins. The time kept decreasing and decreasing. Now, I swear it's changed my life as a mom. At night I read him a story, give him a kiss and lay him down. He grabs his teddy bear, rolls over and falls asleep. It's like a miracle. He has also outgrown his ninny (that's a paci to you non-White family ppl). He hasn't used it in 2 weeks.

I say it all the time, my little boy is growing up...and I love every second.

3/4

2009-08-13T22:39:00.000-04:00

9 months... that's 3/4 of a year. Holy crap. Our sweet little guy turned 9 months old today. I did attempt this usual photo shoot but it's almost impossible these days. Not only does he want to destroy the paper but he can crawl after it if I move it. Yes, he's exhausting but he is so, so, so much fun. He eats everything in sight and always wants what we're eating; lasagna, burgers, ribs, steamed broccoli... seriously, everything. His bi-coastal trip went okay. I'm not gonna lie. Infants adjusting to a time change is quite a challenge. He has 6 teeth now. 2 on bottom, 4 on top. He calls everyone and everything "da da". He also "says" mama, baba, gaga, ah da (sounds like all done) and tika tika. He knows how to pull himself to standing and he crawls SO fast now. His current hobbies include; chasing the cat around the house, climbing the furniture/cabinets, swimming in Grandma Linda's pool, biting mom, watching Handy Manny, laughing at dad and reading upside down books.

This one's for auntie...

2009-07-29T07:44:00.000-04:00

Here's a special request from Justin's auntie. She asked me to post this video. He thinks she's hilarious =)

Crawler!

2009-07-28T22:09:00.000-04:00

Well, Justin's been crawling for about a week or so. Now he's gotten a good solid speed down so I wanted to post the video. We've been calling him Justin "danger" White b/c now that he can crawl- he wants to explore everything. I've caught him trying to climb furniture, the walls and the kitchen cupboards. He also loves to get into things. If I turn my head for even a minute, he's taking everything off of any shelf he can reach and this morning he found his diaper bag and "unpacked" it. It's been really exhausting but so, so fun and adorable. His front teeth are almost all the way through now too! My little baby is growing up too fast!

8 months old!

2009-07-14T10:11:00.000-04:00

Look at that big boy! Honestly, he is the cutest most lovable thing I've ever seen! His 2 "fangs" have broken the skin and now he's starting on a front tooth. That bring him to a total of 5 (well, 4 1/2 right now- haha). He has snapped out of teething nightmare mode back into my sweet little baby again...thank God. Yesterday he had his first Fisher Price photo shoot. What a fun experience! Everyone there was incredibly nice and good with him. He was so handsome and smiley but he wasn't too "into" the toy- he just wanted to chew on it. I'd say our chances of getting chosen are pretty slim to none. I'm still proud of him =)

We're still here...

2009-07-08T09:05:00.000-04:00

I slapped myself on the wrist- bad blogger, I know...

Like I've mentioned before it just seems so much easier to update on facebook and 99% of my "readers" have it. I'm not going to lie- it's been a tough couple of weeks in the world of Baby Justin. His 1st 2 teeth came in April with a little touch of fussiness. These 2 teeth... whoa mama. Ever since I noticed the inflamed bumps- I have had a baby attached to my hip. Don't get me wrong, we still have some great days and I love being with him. I just feel so terrible for him. I've read that teething is a pain that adults would never be able to handle. 1 tooth just popped through. 3 down a whole bunch more to go...

He's started to snuggle himself down for most naps. I'll lay him down and I'll hear him "talking" to his teddy bear or grunting a little, then all the sudden he's dozed off. He's turned into a side sleeper which is cute b.c. he always wakes up with crazy hair and bed lines on his face. Oh, yeah- big news, no more swaddle! It's been about a week and a half. I just decided to go cold turkey and it went pretty well.

He eats everything in sight. The second he catches sight of my dinner, he wants to share. Jody and I tend to eat pretty healthy dinner so it's okay. Last night for dinner he had veggie lasagna and roasted cauliflower. I'm still in shock myself that I'm still breastfeeding. His new teeth have caused him to become quite a biter so I think we may be nearing the end of that era.

Still no crawling. He is still up on all 4s and now he does this little squat thrust thing where he kinda jumps both feet forward. He is very good about crawling backwards and in circles.

He is a little fishie, he LOVES water. Jess and I got him this little Target pool and when it's nice (you know for 5 mins) he "swims" like twice a day. My friend Amy had this great suggestion in her blog about letting the baby take a bath in a laundry basket. I know it sounds silly but he was just huge for the infant tub and the "real" bathtub is just too big and too slippery for my liking right now. I'll end this blog with an embarrassing picture to illustrate =)

7 months old!

2009-06-13T09:44:00.000-04:00

Our gorgeous little sweetheart is 7 months old already! I always say that time is flying but on the other hand he is getting more and more fun everyday. It's so entertaining to watch his explore/learn. He has mastered putting food into his own mouth, it's just the cutest thing! He loves being outside. I sit his little bebe pod chair on the lawn while I work on the garden and he just reaches over, petting the grass, happy as could be. He is really showing a preference toward toys that make sounds/music. We made 2 big switches in the last few weeks. He's in his "big boy" carseat and he went down to 2 naps, instead of 3.

Like I mentioned the other day, he can really motor (scooting) backwards. I have tried putting EVERYTHING in front of him to try to get crawl/move forward; me, the kitty, food, his favorite toys... the only thing that has really motivated him- the "7 months old" sign.

Success! (not with crawling- just with stealing the sign. Once he got it he flopped right onto his back and started "eating" it.)

The dreaded "car nap"...

2009-06-12T09:11:00.001-04:00

You'd think that with a baby- anytime you can get them to nap is great, right? Oooh you are mistaken. A "car nap" is a little refresher for an exhausted baby who needs either bed or a "real" nap. It's like an exhausted adult having a shot of expresso. Sure, you feel better but you're bound to crash.

Last night the baby and I went out to dinner with the girls(yay, fun!) until about 7:30pm. I tried my hardest to keep him awake in the car- but even with the radio blaring and my awful singing he slept almost the entire 30 minutes home. Now that he's in his "big boy" carseat, it's tough to get him out without waking him. As soon as we got into the house he was wide awake ready to play at his normal 8:00pm bedtime. I guess I can't blame him. In his mind he had napped and was all set with sleep for awhile. He finally fell asleep around 10:00. The weird thing about Justin is that the later he goes to sleep, the earlier he gets up. I know, I know- it makes no sense but it's proven right every time. Usually he sleeps about 8pm- 6:45am. This morning he was up squealing and playing at 4:40am. I tried feeding him, rocking him...nope- wide awake. Being the excellent mom that I am (lol) I brought him into our room in his highchair. I put on a Disney movie and put some "nummy" puffs on his tray so I could get just a few minutes more sleep. I HATE naps, I think they're such a waste of time. However, I've learned that when it's still dark out, even just 15 more minutes of sleep makes a huge difference.

Quick Updates...

2009-06-06T10:46:00.000-04:00

Oh sheesh- I've really fallen behind. The problem is that 99% of family/friends have facebook now so most of his pics go on there. Plus, we have been so lucky to spend lots of time with family lately so they get the updates in person =)It's been almost 3 weeks, my worst "blogging gap" yet. I got in trouble last night so I'll do a little update.

Justin will be 7 months old next week- I can't believe it! He's still rocking just 2 teeth...

He's trying his hardest to crawl. He's scooting backward, which is cute. His Godmother is trying to find new ways to teach him

He took his first official vacation- to Disney. He was such a good boy. He reeeally loved the pools.

He was baptized 5/31 and had a wonderful lunch/party after with all of your family.

His 2 new favorite things to eat are Gerber "puffs" and his big toe

Why do we buy baby toys?

2009-05-21T11:33:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to post this video- it's about 2 weeks old. Jody discovered that the baby just loves this old measuring tape I had in my sewing stuff...

6 month checkup

2009-05-19T07:20:00.000-04:00

Justin's 6 month checkup went well. I mean, besides the fact that we had to spend 45 minutes in the waiting room- that was pretty annoying. He weighed in at 20.0 lbs which puts him at the 92nd percentile. His height was 28.5 inches which puts him above the 99th percentile. Developmentally, everything is going well. The stethoscope, the tape measure, the flashlight- he tried to pull them all the Dr tools into in his mouth. He's added, "mmmm ma ma, mmmm ma, ma, ma and bababababa" to his little gurglings. He was up at 4:30 yesterday- I was so mad & exhausted. Then all the sudden I hear "ma, ma, ma..." down the hall and it just melted my heart. We go to a group practice so it was a new Dr we met with. She tried to tell me that all infants should have their own airplane seats so they don't get "jostled around" if there's turbulence. I'm sorry, but I'm not paying $200 for a 2 and a half hour direct flight when he can sit on my lap just fine. Maybe I should have asked if she'd loan me the money =)

Holy.crap.

2009-05-13T21:40:00.000-04:00

I have a 6 month old! I know I've said it before but this time is flying by. I remember when I would just put the "I'm ___ months" sign in front of him and snap a pic. Haha- yeah. Now it's a struggle to not get him to eat the sign. He is getting so big, so handsome, so smart, so strong and just better every day.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:54:00.000-04:00

I had a really great Mother's Day. We hosted breakfast for our moms/grandmas (with Dave & Amy) at our house. Then Jody, Justin and I just relaxed all day, then we ordered Chinese. It was fantastic! I dressed Justin in a "Mom's #1 fan shirt", from Old Navy. Now that's he "moves" and is so squirmy he never really likes to cuddle, unless it's first thing in the morning. Well, today I laid down in the back bedroom when everyone left. He cuddled right into me and fell asleep. He hasn't done that in months- it was so awesome.

da da da da da da daaa

2009-05-01T07:38:00.000-04:00

Ever since Justin got his new teeth a few weeks ago, he's really taken his baby babbling/"talking" to a new level. Right now everything is da da. It is so adorable. When he's excited his eyes get really big and he whispers "da da da". When I lay him down for a nap and he gets mad he yells "da daaaaaa". Well you get the point. It was pretty funny trying to convince the 17 year old boy at Old Navy that the baby doesn't know what he's saying yet, after he looked and him and started his "da da da".

Oh and he's obsessed with his tongue. My sister kind took some great pics of him last weekend. Well every.single.one has him with his tongue out- what a little goof.

My other "baby"...

2009-04-24T08:50:00.000-04:00

I try to keep this blog light and silly most of the time but today I'm feeling really sentimental. My little brother turns 16 this weekend...holy sh!t. (Jake- I'm sorry if you read this and I embarrass you, lol.) I remember the day that he was born. I called him (jokingly) my baby when he was growing up because we were so far apart in age. I feel like he was still a little baby just a few years ago. I can NOT believe how fast he's growing up. People laughed when he got as tall as me but I still tried to pick him up to hug him. Now he's like 8 feet tall, an uncle and going to learn to drive. I just couldn't stop thinking about it today when I looked at Justin and I got a little choked up. What if my "real" baby grows up just as fast? =(

In Justin update news- feeding time is going well still. This kid LOVES food. I'm really loving making his baby food. It's fun now that he eats a few things and I can make little mixes (like for breakfast he had pear-banana oatmeal...yuuuum!)
So far the "Mmmm yummy list"= Sweet potatoes, Oatmeal, avacado, banana, pear & apple. So far on the "gag/spit it out list"= peas.

Swaddle

2009-04-16T09:10:00.000-04:00

Justin started sleeping through the night really early on and I couldn't be more thankful. I honestly owe it all to the miracle blanket. Ever since he started sleeping through I was sooo nervous that if we stopped swaddling him (or mummifying as Alex calls it, lol) he wouldn't sleep well. Well at about 18/19 lbs he's starting to look a little silly. Like the "fat guy in a little coat" scene from Tommy Boy. He doesn't fit in it at all and breaks out by morning every day. I decided it was time to take it away. Tuesday night I did the method where you only swaddle 1 arm. It worked great- normal night. Last night I decided to try no swaddle. Guess who was up at 5am? Ugh, it's still dark at that time! He was happy as could be shrieking/talking and when I went in he was all smiles. I tried rocking him, pulling him in bed with me- he just didn't seem sleepy. Finally after like 20 minutes, I fed him and laid him back in his crib where he slept til 7:45 (his normal wake up time). I'm beat! How did I used to get up so many times during the night those 1st 5 weeks?

5 Months old!

2009-04-13T11:41:00.000-04:00

Justin's 1st Easter was fantastic! I actually managed to get a pic of his first teethies after 2 days of trying! Poor little guy got 2 at once! I can't believe he's 5 months old today...

Justin's Top 5...

2009-04-09T08:35:00.000-04:00

...new favorite things/obsessions.
#1 our cat
#2 his tongue
#3 Anything he can fit in his mouth to rub on his gums (I can see 2 actual teeth now, they're like dead even with the surface of his gums)
#4 Being Tickled- especially on his feet and sides. You have to tickle him by kissing but he laughs like crazy.
#5 The song "Heartless" by Kayne West. This has been his favorite for a few weeks now. Anytime it comes on he practically bounces out of his jumper.

He will watch the cat walk anywhere and he starts like breathing super fast/heavy and flailing his arms around.

His tongue is just his favorite new toy. He tries his hardest to blow raspberries but most of the time he just sticks it out and "talks". It's so cute- especially when he tries it with food in his mouth. I'd like to thank him for the "oatmeal shower" yesterday.

Hippity hoppity

2009-04-04T19:58:00.000-04:00

Today Justin met the Easter Bunny- he wasn't afraid or anything, I was so proud!

This morning when I went woke up I went to check in on him. Imagine my surprise when I discovered him taking off his own diaper! I was cracking up! What a goof...

Yummy part 2...

2009-03-30T16:54:00.000-04:00

Sweet potatoes were a success. I mean he ate a few spoonfuls and we had no bad reaction, so I was happy. Today we started avocados. I know, I would never think of avocado for a baby. A few of my friends had mentioned it so I did some research and it is highly recommended as a "first food" for infants! I used the magic bullet (food processor) again and pureed a large slice with some breast milk. Wow! He is just nuts for them. He kept lunging at the spoon with his mouth wide open. He never did that for cereal or sweet potatoes! Sweet! Finally I have an excuse to buy avocados! It was nice to "split" lunch aka I got to have avocado on my salad =)

Yum yum...

2009-03-27T09:24:00.000-04:00

He LOVED his first time in his high chair!(He nearly threw himself out of his bebe pod yesterday while eating cereal) Justin's 1st veggie and mommy's first attempt at homemade baby food. Sweet potatoes! (if you click the collage it will get full sized)

Sitting up

2009-03-26T10:01:00.001-04:00

Justin started being able to hold himself up last week. I'm not gonna lie, about 50% of the time he starts to leeeeeean then plop he loses it. It helps if he has something to do (like his toy) because as soon as he gets distracted, it's over =)

Future Heartbreakers

2009-03-25T18:27:00.000-04:00

Here are Justin and his older (7 months old) cousin Rory. They are total opposites when it comes to looks but they are gonna be a great team someday!

The Band in my Living Room...

2009-03-21T22:37:00.000-04:00

This video is about a week old but we were having some technical difficulties with our camera. Justin and Jody crack me up. They are such an adorable pair. Jody is such a fun, sweet, loving daddy and Justin just gets the biggest smiles playing with him. Here are the 2 of them playing Rock Band. Watch Justin's little feet go... he is so excited to be doing what daddy is doing.

Down on the farm

2009-03-19T09:16:00.000-04:00

Justin had his 4mth check up yesterday. Sadly that meant 4 vaccines into those sweet chubby thighs. He is 17bs 6 oz now. The Dr says he's extremely strong and alert. The shots really must have pooped him out because as I type this at 9am, he's still asleep- usually he's up by 7:30.

We spent the baby's 1st St Patrick's day at his Papa's farm. Of course he's been there before but never out to the barns. In lieu of the nice weather we let him meet some of the animals. Boy was he fascinated.

4 months

2009-03-13T12:34:00.000-04:00

What a difference a year can make! We had an ultrasound this week last year and he just looked like a teeny,tiny shrimp- literally. Now just look at this gorgeous little boy...

A couple of "big boy" updates...

2009-03-12T16:47:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow my little sweetpea turns 4 months old- I can't believe it. He is starting to get so smart and alert.

Now he holds his own bottle...(ok just for a few seconds, lol)

He got his first "big boy" sneakers today... (Deal alert for moms; Stride Rites for $10 at Marshalls!)

Also, I've been using Jody's old shirts (seriously- old like from Rue21 old, he never throws anything out) to make PJ pants for the baby. Here is my (sleepy) little model below in his favorite pair...

In case I haven't said it 7 million times, being a mommy is the BEST!

Mommy & Me

2009-03-09T15:09:00.000-04:00

Today was our 1st Mommy & Me group at Baby's Sweet Beginnings. It was a great time and the owners are super nice =)

Upstate Nesties!

Justin & Zoey
href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4XN0W9ppcGU/SbVp3U_ABsI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/VXBay5D1Lsc/s1600-h/100_1644.jpg">

Mmmm yummy

2009-03-06T08:50:00.000-05:00

Before the big news- a little update. My baby has his first crush. He is head over heels for the baby on the wipe box. Whenever I change him I put the wipes right next to his head and he just stares/talks to that baby. It's quite adorable.

Now, the toughest thing about raising a baby is that they all develop differently. There is no "set-in-stone" time to accomplish things. So when I tried to research starting cereal I found about 300 different opinions. There are moms who start babies at 6 weeks. There are moms who swear- only breast milk til 6 months. I think I knew, in my mommy gut that he was ready. I tested just a plain baby spoon in his mouth and he didn't push it out with his tongue. He has been an "assisted sitter" for weeks now, he shows interest in our food when he eats, and he has been nursing every 2 hours- it's getting exhausting. He's a big boy and a big eater. I wanted to give it a go. On the cereal box it has "1st feeding" instructions which basically tell you to (super)water it down with breast milk. It basically looked like very barely thickened milk. I only had him try a few baby spoonfuls but it went pretty well.

Not sure he liked the taste at first...

Then I just let him play with the spoon for a little bit...

New babies

2009-02-27T09:38:00.001-05:00

2 of my nestie friends had babies in the past few weeks. Looking at their (totally adorable) pictures of their little babies, I just cannot believe how fast the time is going with Justin. Don't get me wrong he is getting more and more fun/adorable everyday but I can't believe how fast he's "growing up". Last weekend we watched home movies from when he was like 2 or 3 weeks old- he was such a peanut, he doesn't even look like the same baby. He is such a joy to be with now that he "talks" and laugh and squirms all around. Am I totally insane to have baby fever already? Don't get any ideas- we won't be "trying" again for at LEAST a year, I promise. Being a mom is THE greatest, most wonderful thing in the world. Why can't we become independently wealthy so we can have like 10 more? ;)

1 year...

2009-02-24T09:14:00.000-05:00

Well today is my sister Kim's birthday- Happy Birthday if you're reading this =) It will always be special to me because it was the day I found out I was pregnant. I can't believe that it was a year ago. I thought about it last night. On 2/23 of last year I broke down and cried because I "just knew" that I didn't get pregnant because I felt "too normal", lol. Then the next morning there was 2 lines staring me in the face. I can't even imagine living life right now without my little sweet pea... time flies.

Where does the time go?

2009-02-20T10:52:00.000-05:00

Movin' Out...

2009-02-16T09:15:00.001-05:00

Okay, so it's only 1 door away from our bedroom but Justin is officially in his own bedroom now."They" were right again. I've read and heard everywhere how much better you'll sleep with the baby in the crib (in his own room). I've tried (twice) to put him in his crib for the night but I always end up wussing out and pulling him back into the bassinet next to our bed. I just love looking over at him when he sleeps- it's the sweetest most comforting feeling. However, he is getting to be quite a noisy sleeper. For the past few nights he had been getting up and "fussing"/moving around at like 3am and 6am. I am a super light sleeper so it's not a good combo. As soon as I pop his ninny back in (sometimes more than a few times) he would fall back asleep. I've been just exhausted- my heart goes out to mom's with babies that don't sleep through the night right away. Last night he fell asleep at around 8:45 so I put him in his crib and promised I wouldn't take him out. Well to my utter amazement I woke up at 8:20am (he usually only sleeps until like 7:30) and there he was happy as could be- playing with his little hands in his crib. He slept almost 12 hours in his crib and I had a great, full night's sleep. I'm sure I'll get a little teary eyed packing up the bassinet but I think we're ready to official move on.

Seperation anxiety

2009-02-12T13:18:00.000-05:00

Well, mommy starts her new job in an hour. I got exactly what I wanted. Something easy & "mindless" (receptionist), close to home (about 5 minutes) and very part time. I unpacked all my work clothes from the basement that I haven't seen since last winter- so that was kind of fun. This week sucks because I work 4 days in a row for training. After that it will only be 3, 4-6 hr shifts per week. I know it seems like not a lot of time but it doesn't make it much easier. Mostly because it feels like the end of an "era". I've been so lucky to stay at home with Justin the last 13 weeks. Yeah, some days have been REALLY hard and left us both crying- lol, but I've loved every second of every minute. I felt okay about it all week but now that it's "go-time" I'm a little choked up. Wish me luck!

Little cupid

2009-02-10T08:21:00.000-05:00

Due to my obsession with Valentine's Day I just knew that we had to make some signature Justin Valentine's. I made him do a little photoshoot and then edited them online. I think they turned out pretty cute =)

Rolling with the homies...

2009-01-25T09:42:00.000-05:00

He did it. He rolled! I knew it was coming- the Dr said that we should start watching for it around 3 months but Justin is SO strong, I just knew it would be any day. Jody and I were in the living room talking and Justin was on his tummy on his ocean mat. All of the sudden...over he went. It was too adorable, he went in like slow motion and then he looked so surprised when he "landed" on his back.

Also, we set up his bouncer- which he seems to like quite a bit.

In other big news- he has started napping in his "big boy" crib. I want to move him out of his bassinet and into the crib for the nights around 3 months- so I'm trying to ease him into it. He looks like such a tiny peanut in there.

In other (non Justin) big news, my proposal to go back to Girl Scouts part time was denied. They decided that the position can not be done effectively part time- it's their new policy. I have to agree that it is definitely a full time type of job. I'm happy because this means I truly am a stay at home mom, not that I haven't been for 10 weeks already, lol. I'm just nervous because of the stupid economy and the fact that my "baby savings" will run out faster than I'd like. Anyone know of a good part time job?

Off the charts...

2009-01-15T17:38:00.000-05:00

Today was Justin's 2 month appt. His growth was off the charts (above the 97th percentile)for his weight and height. He is 25 inches tall and 14lbs. My big man! I am so happy and proud b/c I always get nervous I'm not making enough milk to feed him. Looks like he's eating just fine =) He had to get 4 shots/vaccines today and 1 oral vaccine. Thank God Jody took the day off. He stayed in the room for the shots while I stepped outside (and quietly cried a little). I HATE HATE shots. Justin only cried for a minute then he was all smiles, sucking on his hand. He's such a good boy.

Laughing at mommy...

2009-01-13T10:44:00.000-05:00

We've been trying to catch the little guy's "laugh" on video for a few days now...until last night, yay! He's been quite talkative lately so he fits in great in this house =) His laugh is around :51 in case you don't want to watch all 2 and a half minutes.

Baby got back

2009-01-06T15:19:00.000-05:00

I had to move the little guy up to size 2 diapers today. I always joke that he has a big bum, but in all seriousness he's getting big sooo fast =(

Happy 2009!

2009-01-03T11:21:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm a little late. Things have been going really great with baby Justin. He has the sweetest little personality. He's been sleeping through the night for about 3 weeks now. He usually sleeps 6 1/2-8 hours. That's perfect for me, I couldn't be happier. He's really found his little voice the past 2 weeks- making lots of little coos and ahhs. He also has started reaching for/hitting toys that dangle above him. I know it's early for him to laugh but he does this thing when he's smiling super big sometimes that's like a wheezy/gaspy inhale that sounds like a laugh to me. Jake and his gf Sara set up his Ocean Wonders gym- wow. I TOTALLY recommend this to anyone, it's by Baby Einstein. Justin has pretty much lost interest in his swing and bouncer but he totally loses his mind for this mat. We lay him on it with the lights/music on and he goes nuts. He smiles with wide eyes and coos (kinda yells, lol). He kicks his little feet up in the air to the music. It's so nice for me to have something to entertain him. Thank you Baby Einstein for non-soggy cereal for the first time in weeks!

1st Xmas

2008-12-29T15:37:00.000-05:00

Justin's 1st Xmas went great! It was great to have someone help me with all the festivities. First he helped me bake cookies...

then he helped me wrap all of the Christmas gifts for our family...

He got enough gifts (tons of toys and loads of cute outfits)for 10 babies- everyone was so generous! At first (Christmas Eve) he wasn't that into opening gifts...

Then he thought that presents were food so he got a little happier...

Eventually (by Christmas day) he got the hang of it and decided that he loves Christmas just as much as mommy does! (he's with his Grammie Linda in this picture)

Tagged

2008-12-20T16:52:00.000-05:00

I got tagged by Melissa so I figured I should uphold my end of this bargain =)

Here's the game..
1) Choose the 4th picture folder on your computer
2) Choose the 4th picture
3) Explain the picture
4)Tag 4 other people

I'm sure Jody would be so embarrassed if he knew I posted this. We haven't had the new computer very long so we don't have a lot of picture folders. This was the 4th in the 4th folder. It's from about 3 weeks ago- It's Justin and Jody getting ready to go to sleep one night. I think it's cute! I love my guys.

Unfortunately, I can't do the last part because I don't know anyone else with a blog besides the people that were tagged with me, lol.

Silent Night, Holy night...

2008-12-20T10:09:00.000-05:00

Justin slept through the night not once, not twice but THREE nights in a row. It's funny because when my alarm would go off at 6:30 for work I would think, "ugh oh God, already 6:30?". Now I wake up and I'm like, "Yes! 6:30- good job baby!". Every night at like 10:30 I feed him in my bed and we watch a little of a movie (we're in the middle of Pretty Woman- he loves it). He's usually asleep a little after 11, I put him in his bassinet and then- not a peep until around 6/6:30am. I feed him, change him and then we nap/snuggle til 8:30 when Jody gets up. He really is a fantastic baby!

We're still alive...

2008-12-17T17:06:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a looong time since I posted. The only computer time I really get is when I'm feeding Justin and it's one handed. It takes forever to blog with one hand, lol. Life as a mommy is wonderful.

Justin will be 5 weeks tomorrow! At his one month appt he was up to 10lbs 15oz. That's my big guy! He is definitely a sweet, sweet baby...but with a temper like his mom's. He randomly sleeps through the night 1 or 2 times a week. Other than that he's up 1 or 2 times. I think my body is just used to waking up now. I'm getting used to substituting 8 hours of sleep for 3 two'ish hour naps through the night. He started to smile a few days ago- it's the most amazing feeling in the world. From about 3 weeks on we could rub his lower lip and he would "smile" but now it's real. If I come over and talk to him or sing in a silly voice his eyes crinkle up and here comes that little smile. He is so adorable. I can't believe how exhausting and hard it is to care for an infant 24/7. Yes, I knew about lack of sleep or crying etc... but it is sooo different when it's you, trust me. He went through a "fussy" period in the middle of last week. He would having screaming fits for like 20 minutes at a time (and now his crying comes with tears so it makes me feel way worse). You just feel so helpless and flustered. I went through a lot of aspirin. We learned that this kid needs lots and lots of burping and now life is MUCH better. I don't know how people have babies with colic. Jody said he would jump off a bridge.

I just had a "wow, being a mom is incredible" moment. Today we went Xmas shopping and visited Jody for lunch. It was freezing so when we got home I nursed him and then I laid down in bed. He snuggled right in against me with his head on my armpit laying sideways. I covered us up (only to the waist- I know my baby sleeping rules, lol) and we both fell asleep. I woke up first and he was still asleep. He was so warm and smelled so good and I could hear his soft little breathing. Maybe I still have postpartum hormones but I started to cry. He looked like the sweetest thing ever cuddled up against me and he has the most adorable sleeping face- honestly, like a little angel.<> I love being a mom =)

I thought the clock was broken.

2008-12-05T08:51:00.000-05:00

I put Justin down to sleep last night at about 11:30 and I could tell he was gassy. He fussed (he kind grunts/whines) for about 10 minutes and I figured I was settling in for a rough night. I kissed him good night and fell asleep. I woke up to him fussing so I rolled over and much to my surprise the sun was up. I looked at the clock and it was 7:15. Whaaaat? I couldn't believe it. My little man slept through the night!!! I wanted to give him 5 million kisses. I'm sure it was a fluke or a stroke of good luck but I feel fantastic today. I fed him his bottle and he actually fell right back asleep. We knew he was overtired yesterday- he was being such a little grump. Even when he is a grump I cannot get over what a gorgeous, amazing baby he is. I keep peeking over at him now- I could stare at him forever.

On the mommy side of things I decided to brave the scale today. I've lost 26 out of the 41 baby pounds, 15 pounds to go. Oh, not to mention the additional 10 I had holding on from Xmas and our cruise riiight before I got pregnant. My goal is to lose that 25 (baby + holiday eating machine) pounds by Disney. I don't think it's unreasonable. I have about 5 1/2 months and lots of determination =)

Baby Jekyll and Baby Hyde

2008-12-04T09:43:00.000-05:00

Baby Justin is 3 weeks old today! I can't believe it. Last night was a great night. We went to sleep around 10, he woke up at 3 to eat and then was back asleep by 4 until 8:30. It was MUCH better in comparison to being up every 15 minutes from 12 until 7am like Tuesday night. He is back on "required mittens" again. He loves his fingers so much that I feel guilty but it just has to be done. Yesterday I went to wash my hands after I changed him and I heard him screech/start crying. I ran into the bedroom and he had clawed his little nose so hard that he had a drop of blood coming down it. His nails grow so fast- sorry little guy, it's back to the mittens.

Goodbye Daddy =(

2008-12-02T08:02:00.000-05:00

Today will be Jody's first day back to work. I can't believe it's already been a month. I guess it's time to find out if I really can do this alone. It's not like he's leaving and never coming back but he is just such an incredible help to me. It's funny to think that 3 weeks ago he had never even held a newborn. Now he is like an old pro. If there was a trophy for baby burping he would win it...trust me. We have just been such a great team. I'm going to miss his help and his company.

Last night we gave Justin his first "Tub" bath. (We had to wait until all of his cord was out and his circumcision healed.) He slept through the first half of it. Then the air must have hit his little weenie because he started peeing. I had to drain the tub b/c I didn't want him in his own pee. I was nervous about the water temp being too warm so I kept it on the cool side. I must have used too much cold because he screamed. We used that Johnson & Johnson bedtime lavender bath wash. It says "clinically proven to help baby sleep better". Justin slept from 12 until 6 straight through. I'm going to try it again tonight and if he sleeps like that again I will buy CASES of that baby wash.

Way to go!

2008-11-30T10:15:00.000-05:00

After days of searching and a some time sucking on his index finger, my little peanut finally found his thumb this morning! Good job son!

Exhausted

2008-11-28T10:49:00.000-05:00

Well, yesterday didn't start off so well. Justin was up at 6:30 and didn't want to go back to bed. I guess it was okay because I had so much cleaning to do. Our 2nd annual Thanksgiving Feast was a success. We ended up having 29 adults, 4 kids and 3 babies. We went through almost 50 pounds of turkey! Everything was delicious. Justin slept through most of the day but then work up around 4:30 and then charmed everyone for about 3 hours. After everyone left he was fighting to stay awake- I think he was all wound up from getting passed around so much. He ended up getting waaay overtired and was pretty crabby during the night- poor little guy...and poor mommy. I took him for all the night feedings b/c I'm trying to get used to it before Jody goes back to work Tuesday. I can't believe that it's already been a month since we started our leaves. I can't imagine how strange Tuesday will be. Even though we've been together all day, everyday for the last 30 days- I wish it could be more =(

I know I haven't been posting many blog pics but here's one from yesterday. 2 weeks old- Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Day!

2008-11-27T07:52:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to blog real quick before I start a whirlwind of Thanksgiving cleaning. It's our 2nd annual Thanksgiving Feast (for 28 people) at our house. I'm about to put a 36 pound turkey in the oven... yep- my dad's turkeys turned out HUGE!

I am so thankful this year. How could I not be? I have a perfect, gorgeous, amazing son that I love more than life and a perfect, gorgeous, amazing husband to share him with. I'm thankful that Jody took 2 night feedings so that I could sleep 11-6:30 and feel well rested today, haha. Most of all I'm thankful that all of my family is healthy and will be together today.

Growing up

2008-11-25T10:31:00.000-05:00

Last night Justin's cord "stump" fell off. My little man is growing up already!

A little a head of myself

2008-11-23T10:56:00.000-05:00

I stare at Justin... a lot. I can't help it, he's the most perfect, gorgeous baby on Earth. This morning after he just finished eating, he was just staring at me with those wide baby eyes and all I could think was, "Please don't grow up. Stay this way forever!" I know he's only 10 days old but he's just so precious I wish he could stay exactly like this- always.

The 1st Week

2008-11-22T10:13:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that he's over a week old! Well- 9 days today. With the exception of our little jaundice scare, life with baby Justin has been quite wonderful. At his 1 week check up he was up to 9lbs 14oz, my little chunker. His jaundice is clearing up just fine. He sleeps like a champ. Every night I have to set my alarm to wake him up to eat. The Dr said it's important to make sure he eats every 3 hours to finish flushing the jaundice out. Jody and I have always been on kind of opposite sleep schedules so it's worked out well. I started pumping so that I can have bottles ready and daddy can help with the feedings. I can feed Justin and be in bed by 10 or 11. Then Jody takes the 1 or 2am feeding (he's up anyways), then puts him in his bassinet and I can sleep until 4 or 5. Honestly, 5/6 hours of sleep was all I ever really needed anyways. Justin got to meet all of his cousins this week- it was really cute. Avery, Reese and Rory are all pale blondes so he sticks out like a little sore thumb.

He makes the cutest faces. I know, I know- newborns don't smile but he makes a "smile-like" face. He gets so alert during the day. I just can't put him down when he's all wide eyed and awake. He just looks so adorable. I know it's gross but I have to mention it. I have never hear a baby toot the way Justin does. He's not a good burper but when he does pass his gas- it's from the basement and I can hear it like 3 rooms away. It cracks Jody up. The kitty is doing well adjusting. He smells Justin alot but seems to care less.

My recovery has been pretty good. The swelling in my feet and face has gone down almost all the way. My skin has started to clear up again- thank god! I braved the scale on his 1 week "birthday" and was shocked to see that I had lost 18 lbs- yay! I mean I still have like 23 to go but that's okay. I'll get there. I got to wear pants that buttoned this week- granted they were my "fat pants" but it felt great.

ER

2008-11-19T09:11:00.000-05:00

What a few days these have been. On Sunday we had a home care nurse stop by (just to check in and for a lactation visit). Well she said he looked a "little jaundiced" so we should make a pedi appt. No big deal. Monday at 1 we took baby Justin to the Dr who sent us to the MAC center for bloodwork. All the nurses loved his hair- he's a little lady killer already. Well we finally got home and settled in when his Dr called me. His jaundice levels were above the safe level and she wanted us to take him to the Children's Hospital ER as soon as we could. He would need to be admitted overnight. I went hysterical. I kept kissing him and saying "he's so little, he's only 4 days old" I just felt soooo horrible for him. My understanding of jaundice was "oh, ha ha the baby is a little orange put him in the sun" now all of the sudden we hear about blood transfusions, super high levels doing brain damage or signs of liver failure.

We got to the ER and my eyes already burned from crying so much. We had to get his little stats checked and then we went to one of the "ER rooms". They told us we were waiting to be admitted to the 7th floor and they needed to run more bloodwork- that it would be about an hour. They started him on light therapy right away. I had to leave the room b/c they gave him and IV and it made me want to die- I'm not exaggerating. I could hear him scream down the hall and I almost puked. He was crying so hard and he had already been tested a bunch of times that day. Well we waited... and waited in that little room. The ER at children's is an absolute shithole. I promised I would never sugar coat my blog so there it is. The people are rude- it was filthy disgusting and our "1 hour" turned into 6 hours. I was beyond exhausted. Not exactly the "4 days postpartum" rest I was supposed to be getting. Finally after Jody started really laying into people, things got done. We were transferred to the 7th floor at 1am. What a world of difference! The upstairs nurses/rooms/facilities everything were just amazing. I cannot say enough about how fantastic everyone was. We were so well taken care of. They had beds set up in the room for us since he needed to be in one of those "tanning bed" light therapy tank/cribs and monitored. Here is the medical back story- I guess that his bili- reuben levels measured 22 at the MAC center. 25 is serious danger and 30 is organ failure. Anything above 18 needs light therapy. They said he could need up to 2 days of treatment. He was eating/pooping fine and there were no other problems with his blood tests. I guess it's just a normal, random "body getting used to processing" occurrence in some babies. When he was retested at Children's he was an 18.8- WAY lower than we had originally thought/been told. By 5am he was down to 17.6 then by noon he was at 14.6. We were released in 24 hours, last night at 7.

He was SUCH a little tough guy. I cannot believe how much he had to go through. I'm so proud of him already. It was without a doubt the WORST day of my entire life. I thought I felt my heart break before... HAH! Seeing my 4 day old son hooked up to tubes, covered in bandaids from bloodtests. It was torture. Now I'm just so glad he's better and we can go back to life as normal with our sweet little peanut =)

Worth the wait...

2008-11-16T09:54:00.000-05:00

Our gorgeous son was FINALLY born Thursday night. His story is long (and I mean LOOOONG) and a little boring but here it is...

Wednesday morning I woke up with a little bit of a tummy ache. I attributed it to the 3 brownies I ate for breakfast. I decided to head to Target to look for a computer desk- Jody "gave me"/set up his old computer since we're both on so much. I had some starbucks, shopped at Target, stopped at Walmart and came home- still a little crampy. While Jody put together the computer desk around I made him a big breakfast. I was putting the dishes away and I felt a warm squirt of water. I though- no way... so I went in and peed and went back to the dishes. 10 minutes later another squirt. I thought that maybe at 41 weeks I was becoming one of those preggos who pees themselves. Well, this went on for like 45 minutes. Around 1:30 I went to the bathroom to check on it and whoosh- water came spilling down my legs. We both were SUPER excited. I called the Dr who said get right to the Hospital. We both showered, packed and were on our way.

We checked in and I was given a test (like litmus paper) to see if it was indeed my water. Of course, it was and the monitors showed I was having contractions 7 minutes apart. Since I was only 1.5 cms we decided to go on with the induction procedure as scheduled. The fact that my water had "ruptured" was going to help speed things up. I had cervidil inserted at 6pm and my contractions moved to 4 mins apart. Well all it took was another good woosh of water and the cervidil actually fell out after only 2 hours (instead of 12). My Dr said it was fine since my contractions were already getting stronger on their own. Justin was posterior aka facing the wrong way- so I was having all back labor. L&D was dead that night. We were moved to a jacuzzi suite and I got to lay in the tub for awhile. I found out that pitocin would start at 6am. I slept for 20 minutes that night. I was so anxious and excited, plus I was strapped to like 3 monitors- not exactly comfort.

In the morning. I had my "last meal" of cereal. I was given an IV of fluids, an IV of antibiotics (since my water broke the afternoon before we wanted to avoid infection) and pitocin later at 7am. The pitocin dose starts at 0 and can increase to 30. They turn it up by "2" every 15 minutes...boy does it get intense fast. I was fine until the dose got to about 12/14. My contractions were all in my back/hip bones and they were every 2-3 minutes. I tried the ball, I tried standing/swaying, massage, watching TV...everything. When you're on pitocin you have to be constantly monitored so you can't walk very far. I'm not going to sugar coat it- I felt like my hips were going to explode like dynamite. I could tell Jody felt terrible. I was sweating a ridiculous amount and on the verge of tears. The pain only got worse from there. The nurse checked me and said I was about 3 cms. I was begging for the epi. I think of myself as tough.. I'll tell you right now. On 20 minutes of sleep after 20 hours of contractions, if there was no epi I would have said right there that Justin would be an only child forever. I got my epi at 11:00- it didn't hurt too bad, just a little sting. It was almost impossible to sit still through the contractions though.

Life after the epi was amazing. I had visitors and I took 2 naps.The Dr said to expect 1 cm of progress an hour. So we figured around 6'ish I would be ready to push. Well, with the pitocin at 26 now I was fully dilated by 3:30. My dr wanted to let him "naturally descend" as much as possible so we waited until 4 to start pushing. Pushing is THE hardest, physical and mental thing I have ever done. We had expected about an hour, maybe 2 of pushing. They turn off the epi so that you can "feel" when to push. Well- 3 and a half loooong hours later, there he was. I wanted to give up so many times. I was so tired, nauseous, I had blurred vision and could barely lift my head. I kept snapping- I can't do this anymore, I can't. THANK GOD for Jody. I always pictured him just kind of hanging out near my head waiting for the baby. No way... he was holding my legs, lifting my head, counting contractions, getting ice- getting towels. Honestly, they should have paid him. He was AMAZING. He stood right with me forehead to my sweaty forehead encouraging me. I just am in total awe. He is the best most amazing man alive.

To wrap this up our peanut came out at 9lbs 11oz. Pushing out his shoulders was the worse 20 seconds of my life, lol. I went hysterical when I saw him. I couldn't believe that we finally did it. I never saw a baby that looks so much like his dad. I ended up needing about 15 stitches which were not pleasant- but eh. Due to his size he had to be tested for low blood sugar and he spent his first night under the warmer getting formula supplements.

Recovery is not horrible, honestly. Breastfeeding is challenging but we'll get it. I'll be on iron supplements for awhile due to blood loss during the long labor.

He is the most gorgeous, most special, incredible baby alive. Jody has adapted SO well into being a doting father. I'm beyond impressed. Just the thought of how much I love our little family brings me to tears. I'll keep posting updates and pics =)

I win by default

2008-11-12T10:14:00.000-05:00

Never in my life have I heard of a baby "lasting" longer than his entire baby pool. That means that I win by default, haha! It's just so funny that everyone, including my doctors had me convinced I would be early. Like I mentioned before, I'm excited for this whole full moon thing because I'm so superstitious. However, it made me think- L&D is probably going to be packed if the myth really is true. That's the only part that kind of sucks. I have to call ahead before my induction Friday to make sure that there is a room available. Jody and I have been dying for a private room b/c he really wants to stay with me. I think my chances are gonna be slim to none =(

1 week late

2008-11-11T10:17:00.000-05:00

Today officially makes this baby one week late. It also means T-minus 3 days until we start my induction. I can NOT imagine how I am going to sleep Thursday night. My Dr told me that there is no prep for an overnight cervidil induction, just have a big "last" meal and gets lots of rest. Yeah right! I just read online that Thursday night is a full moon! All of my superstitions have been wrong this entire pregnancy but I'll give this one last "sign" a go. Plus, the 13th is the anniversary of Jody's grandpa's death. They were extremely close. The twins were born on his (Grandpa Wilson's) Bday- so hey, you never know!

It's official!

2008-11-10T17:16:00.000-05:00

That was my last Drs appt. We are officially scheduled for an induction this weekend. I will be admitted at 6:30 Friday night so that they can give me a dose of cervidil and monitor the baby overnight. Saturday morning if I'm not progressing, I will rise and shine to an IV of pitocin. I didn't even want an IV at all so it does make me a little nervous. Plus, from my understanding- the drug forces your body to contract, making the pain reeeally intense.

I was sort of hoping that they would move my induction up a little bit but it was a no go. This stubborn little baby passed his NST with flying colors. It IS really great news, it means that even after almost 41 weeks he's still "thriving" in the womb. He cooperates great for Drs but not for mommy. I was on the monitors for almost 1/2 an hour and they did show I had 2 "good contractions". They aren't regular or painful yet so it's not really any news. I did dilate a little more from my last appt to about 1.5 so that was good. I had the "stretching/sweep" done for a 2nd time so maybe that will do something.

Anyways, to wrap it up- I'll have this little peanut in my arms this weekend. At this point I don't care; natural, pitocin, c-section... I just want him to be healthy and snuggled up with his parents.

Just for fun...

2008-11-10T10:53:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about all the Old Wive's Tales I have tried to get this baby out...
*Drinking Raspberry leaf tea (up to 3 cups a day)
*Taking Evening Primrose Oil supplements
*Eating Eggplant Parm
*Eating fresh pineapple
*Eating Several Spicy Foods
*Walking, walking, walking
*Going up and down stairs
*Cleaning (vacuuming, sweeping,moping) my floors
*Bouncing on an exercise ball for hours
*Jumping Jacks and squats
*"Bumpy" rides in the car
*Massaging pressure points above ankle and on hand
*warm bath
*s-e-x (shhh)

...nothing . Well, there is my personal favorite where Jody give me a really tight wrapped hug and slides his arms down my back slowly- he claims he is squeezing me like a tube of toothpaste.

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

2008-11-10T09:53:00.000-05:00

Alright, so not anymore but we did get snow last night. Don't get me wrong I am not a big snow fan. I like this very first dusting and then snow on Xmas. I think it's so peaceful and pretty with just a light snow on everything. Every year I make a big deal out of the 1st snow. I just stare out the window and make Jody snuggle because it's romantic to me. I have to admit I felt optimistic last night. I was thinking, this is it- this would be the perfect moment, the "magic" of the 1st snow! Cue the water breaking! Yup- nothing. I have my "non stress test"/fetal monitoring at 1:30 today and then an exam. I'll post an update when I get back.

I just wanted to C&P an email I got and plug a good website. I am on thebump and babycenter everyday. Both of those websites are set up for me to "have a newborn" and I get all kinds of reminders/emails about my new baby. It's depressing that they assume everyone gets their baby on time. However, I get a daily "what to expect while you're expecting" email and there has not been 1 mention of a newborn. It's comforting. I don't know...being overdue makes you even weirder =)
The big due date came, but your baby didn't. Don't feel bad; you (and your baby) are in good company. Fifty percent of expectant moms don't deliver before their due dates, and ten percent have pregnancies that last 42 weeks (or longer). By now, your practitioner has probably discussed labor induction with you, but that doesn't mean that you won't still go into labor on your own; some babies just need to take their time.

Weather

2008-11-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

Oh this weather is just horrible! 2 days ago we were walking Hamburg beach and now it's freezing cold hail?!? EW. No baby updates. Last night before bed Jody had a "heart to heart" with him. I know my husband- he is very charming and persuasive so let's hope it works =)

Still here.

2008-11-08T10:04:00.000-05:00

40 weeks and 4 days pregnant...wow. At 37 weeks when the baby's head was "soo low and already engaged in the pelvis" I spent every night thinking- oooh this could be it. Installed the car seats, packed the hospital bag and faxed in pre-registration to Mercy. Now I have kind of settled into the fact that the baby is comfy and stubborn so I'll be meeting him next Friday at his induction. It's impossible to describe until you actually are overdue. You are so pumped up and excited but then so disappointed every day. Last night we went out to dinner and all of the "babies" were there (Our nieces/nephew). I rubbed baby Reese and baby Rory on my bump for good "mojo" as Linda calls it. I'm not stupid- it's not that I literally think that baby will never come, it just feels that way some days.

Like watching grass grow...

2008-11-06T11:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, so the minutes are ticking by veeeery slowly as I wait for this baby. Today there is a "Thankful Thursday" post on our nestie board and I thought it was such a great idea! I could have posted 800 things to be thankful for but I try to keep it short. I do feel very thankful (well, probably just hormonal and emotional) today. I really have had a fantastic pregnancy. Even at 2 days overdue I'm honestly not in any discomfort. I'm still up taking care of the housework, cooking and shopping like before, just a little slower. I still sleep great and I even painted my own toenails the other night. It's a gorgeous day, like 65 degrees and tomorrow is supposed to be 70! It's nice to have the time off to relax with Jody in our last few before-we-become-parents days. Usually we only have a few hours together after work. At first I regretted starting maternity leave at 39.5 weeks since the baby would be late. Now I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm so glad we planned (and saved, lol) to have this time together.

Optimistic!

2008-11-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

"My original guess was 10/31 but for some reason the date 11/6 has been sticking out in my head. I think he's going to be fashionably late." <-- I blogged this on October 3rd. I think maybe I jinxed myself.

Honestly though, for some reason I feel very optimistic about tomorrow. I promised myself no crying today. I guess I should confess that I had a tad bit hysterical crying after the Dr's appt. I just felt so disappointed. Tomorrow is the most popular day of all in our baby pool. Tomorrow, we have an appt for the whirlpool guy to finish installing my new wall oven- FINALLY.(We have been waiting 5 weeks for parts but that's another story-ugh.) My "stretching procedure" yesterday gave me some pretty bad cramps but overall I feel okay. I bounced on that darn exercise ball until my thighs were on fire. C'mon kid, let's go!

Due

2008-11-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

Well, today is my due date. I just got back from my 40 week appointment. Well, actually I got back about 1/2 an hour ago but I had to relax a little before I decided to blog. I can admit it, I was pretty upset. I thought for sure that I would get an induction appointment for this week. Nope. November 14th. You have got to be freaking kidding me! 10 days!?! I guess it's a good thing. I know that inductions can be high risk and they are typically more painful. My Dr said that she just does not see any medical reason to induce. The baby and I are perfectly healthy. I know that they baby could still come at any minute but 10 days seems forever away. I have an NST Monday afternoon. Basically, I will be hooked up to a monitor for about 45 mins to an hour to make sure the baby isn't it any stress by being past his due date. They will track his movement and heartbeat. If anything seems wrong they would move up the induction. Warning- gross info... My Dr did "stretch my cervix" aka "swept my membranes" today. Not to get too graphic but basically once you start to dilate the Dr can reach in and kind of swoop/stretch with their finger to loosen things up. It definitely was not the best feeling in the world but if it gets things going- it will be well worth it. Now I just sit and wait...and wait...and wait.

Considerate

2008-11-03T10:02:00.000-05:00

What a considerate baby I have inside of me. He's obviously just waiting until his due date because he knows how much his mommy appreciates punctuality!
Tomorrow morning I have a Dr's appt at 9:45 where hopefully we will talk "The big I"...induction. It's not that I even really want to go through that process but it would just be nice to have an end date. My doctors claim that 80% of the time when they schedule an induction the baby ends up coming before the date. I am a very superstitious person so I hope they schedule away. I just have this horrible feeling that tomorrow I will go in and they will say, "well- why don't you come back at 41 weeks and we'll talk induction then". That's the problem with being the happy easy-going pregnant woman...seriously! Tomorrow I will be standing up for myself and what I want, darn it! The Drs keep calling me their "textbook" pregnancy and since I never have complaints my appts are like 2 minutes long. Well tomorrow I am going to put on a whiny face to make sure I get what I want- a threatening induction date for the baby. I know that they are already concerned about his size so I think that will work to my advantage. In the meantime, I think I will stay off of TheNest baby boards and just stick with my upstate board. These baby board girls are like 34 or 36 weeks pregnant making all caps posts like "I want my baby out NOW" and "I can't take this anymore". Oh please ladies- suck it up. The wait only gets worse. Well, I'm off for my daily morning walk. Ok, so it's only been like 3 days but that totally makes it qualify as daily now =)

T-minus 2 days

2008-11-02T08:59:00.000-05:00

...until baby Justin's due date. I just wanted to point out that Saturday is over and I still don't have my baby. How will I spend that dollar my Dr. owes me from our bet? ha ha! Decisions, decisions...

Last night we went to a family Halloween party. I never bought a costume because I was so convinced I would be in the hospital for the party, lol. So I threw on some wings, a halo and some glitter with a white shirt and went as an angel. One of the little boys at the party asked, "Are you really pregnant or is that just a costume?" I thought that was just too cute =)

Roller Coaster

2008-11-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

I felt so optimistic yesterday. Today as much as I hate to admit it, I feel really sad. I think it's just hormonal. I'm sure after this vent I'll feel much better. I see all these girls on TheNest baby boards or on BabyCenter with my due date (or earlier) who have already had their babies. I think I'm ready to admit it...I'm so insanely jealous. I couldn't even watch Baby Story on my sick days because I wished it was me so bad. Every night, with every cramp/twinge I secretly think, "oooh this could be it but I don't want to jinx it"- then nothing. The baby has been so big and so low that I would have bet a million bucks he was going to be early. My 1st day of maternity leave is Monday. Jody was going to start his leave Monday. Every day that the baby isn't here is one less day that we will have off- the 3 of us. I can already tell it's going to be so hard to see Jody go back to work after his paternity leave. Every one I see is asks "oh, no baby yet?" or "can't you just have the baby?". I know that they're excited and I LOVE LOVE that the baby is coming into a family already so excited/in love with him. I'm just frustrated because I'm excited too but I have to put on my "patient mom-to-be" face and I just don't feel patient any more. I want to hold my baby more than anyone, why won't he just come out? =(

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T14:52:00.000-04:00

Well today is my day in our online baby pool. I would have loved to win but I'm afraid nothing's doin' down there. I'm still having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions. Also, he does this thing where (I'm assuming it's stretching) he pushes out his little bum super hard- it feels like a contraction but it's only in one spot. I had a lovely lunch with my sister- eggplant parm of course- now is no time to stop trying all these old wives tales. If you really think about it, he's not even due yet. He still has 4 more days. When I think about how scary preemies look in the hospital or the kind of complications they can have, I'm actually grateful. I just have to stay in the mindset that I am so lucky to have a healthy body that will nurture a baby for so long. Plus, Jody told me that he doesn't want the baby to have a Halloween birthday. I guess he's right- I have an uncle with a Halloween Bday and he always seemed a little weird...and smelled like pickles. Today is a wonderful, glorious day. It was my last day of work! Yep- I'm officially on Maternity leave. I walked out those doors today, in the 60 degree weather and I was so happy I almost cried. The 1st of the month is kind of a big day in our house. Our "dating anniversary" was April 1st and our kitty's birthday is March 1st. Maybe baby Justin is just waiting for 11/1 so that he can keep the consistency.

39 wk appt

2008-10-29T12:55:00.000-04:00

I'm off "sick" again so I'll blog =) I had my Dr's appt this morning. Everything is still going well. I had a little scare because of the nurse. She told me that my blood pressure (which averages like 120 over 75'ish) had jumped to 140 over 92. I'm no nurse but I know that blood pressure is one of the "things to watch" at the end of pregnancy. When my Dr came in for the internal exam he took my BP 4 times throughout our checkup and each time it came up around my normal rate- he averaged it at 120/74. He said the original reading may have just been a fluke. phew! As predicted, my weight gain has finally slowed down. I've only gained 1 lb in 3 weeks. I'm not dilating yet but I'm "more than half way thinned". I really thought I would be at least 1 b/c of all the contractions I've been having. I guess they are still those Braxton Hicks. It's not like they hurt- it's just that my tummy gets rock hard like it's flexing and then I feel a little pressure down below. He reassured me (like everyone else) that dilation means nothing. He said that with the baby's head being engaged so low he has a feeling that he will come this weekend. He said he'd bet me a buck that he comes Saturday. I wonder if he was just telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. Oh well- I'll take it.

39 weeks!

2008-10-28T15:11:00.001-04:00

Wow- could this be my last "belly pic Tuesday" post? I sure hope so. I'm just so, so, so excited to meet our son- he can't come soon enough. I have become that crazy pregnant woman that will try anything to get the baby out. I've eaten spicy food and eggplant parm. several times. I've been drinking 2 cups a day of raspberry leaf tea and taking Evening Primrose supplements. My sister loaned me her exercise ball so I bounce lightly on that while I watch TV. I make every excuse to use the walk and use stairs at work (taking them in wide lunge kind of steps.) I researched some accupressure points and massaged my hands/ankles. The truth of the matter is that this little guy will come when he wants... I know. I have a Dr's appt tomorrow morning so hopefully I get a good update. I was feeling pretty grumpy today so I booked 1 last maternity massage- maybe it will relax all my muscles and start labor! I really thought it would be today. It was my dad's guess and Gram's guess- aka the feast of St Jude. Jody has this visor clip/pendant of St Jude and I looked the guy right in the eyes this morning and said, "ok, do your stuff"...nothing. I have good hope for tomorrow because it's Linda's guess (notoriously psychic when it comes to baby info) and Jessica's guess. We'll see! Well- here's the pic, I think the bump looks small and low today.

ew

2008-10-26T23:27:00.000-04:00

It's 11:30pm on Sunday...already. Where do weekends go? I don't want to go to work tomorrow! Oh well, at least it's the start of my last week before my leave. Thank God!!! There are no guesses on the baby pool for tomorrow- guess it doesn't sound like a good birthday =)

Single digits

2008-10-26T09:14:00.000-04:00

9 days until baby Justin's due date. I can't believe it's single digits already. I've had a lot of tightening in my stomach the last 3 days or so. Nothing that's "time-able" or painful thought. Poor Jody, yesterday was his baby pool guess that he was so confident about. It was funny because I woke up with the stomach tightening and a pretty bad backache yesterday. Immediately I thought, "Holy crap, he was right this whole time!" Well despite cleaning the house and then walking for about an hour(in stores b/c it was so gross out)nothing happened. Jessica even brought over an exercise ball that I bounced a little on while I watched TV b/c I read that can help "guide" the baby down to where he needs to be. I just hate the "not knowing" feeling. The baby has been hiccup crazy for the last few days- getting them 3 or 4 times a day. I hope this means he's excited to come out and he's well on his way.

Let the game begin!

2008-10-24T16:07:00.000-04:00

It's not too late to get in on our baby pool! I can't believe it but our first "guess" is for tomorrow! Okay, so it's Jody's guess and I think he just got a little too excited for the baby but hey, you never know. My weird pregnancy symptom of the day is numb thumb. Last night we carved pumpkins and I realized I lost feeling in my right thumb. Well, 20 hours later it's still not back... it feels SO weird. From what I've read I think it means that the baby is just sitting on a nerve.