This is the stuff...

"This Is The Stuff"

I lost my keys in the great unknown
And call me please 'cause I can't find my phone

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
Might not be what I would choose
But this the stuff You use

45 in a 35 sirens and fines
While I'm running behind
Whoa ho ho

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess,
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
Might not be what I would choose
But this the stuff You use

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world
Whoa ho ho ho

Oooooh This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff
Someone save me
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
Might not be what I would choose
But this the stuff You use

Whoa whoa ho ho
This is the stuff You use. 

 

 

     What a week it has been.. Adam hasn't gotten home before 9 p.m. all week, He has only seen Connor once pretty much all week, and I am completely exhausted. We knew recruiting duty would be like this, and I'm trying not to complain, so I am just trying to take some deep breaths and remember that he is HOME. He might not get home until 10 o'clock at night, but he still comes home and he gets to peak in the nursery and watch his baby sleep and then I get to cuddle up to my husband in our bed. There are so many men and women who go to bed alone b/c their loved one is overseas. So, I know I am blessed beyond measure, but sometimes I just get stressed. Francesca Battistelli is amazing.. she always brings me back to reality. Listen to this song, especially if you are stressed or about to lose it. God doesn't give us what we can't handle, ya'll. Even if it seems like he trusts us too much :) Phew! Breathe, just breathe...

5 Months Old! :)

         5 Months old on September 26. I waited until today to post because we spent our morning/afternoon at The Teddy Bear Clinic at the hospital. Since Connor was technically premature, born at 35 weeks 4 days, we were scheduled for a 5 month follow up. The doctors that were there when he was born sat around and discussed his development after checking on his skills. Connor weighs 17 lbs 9 oz, and he is 26.5 inches long. He is also "more than caught up" in their words. It was such a relief to hear. I also got the Dr's opinion on the "fat deposit" on Connor's belly and the lymph node on his cheek. The Dr confirmed that's what it was and said Connor is fineee, and I need to stop worrying, lol. I know that he is doing awesome, but there is still this thought in the back of my mind when I go to Dr checkups. It was cool to watch the things they did with him and to watch him do so much! It is incredible what babies learn. Like today, I put Connor in his car seat, and I put his paci in the cup holder that is attached to his car seat. Well, when I was about 5 minutes down the road, I look in the rear view mirror and he has the paci in his mouth. I know it's silly, but it's funny to think that he grabbed it out of the cup holder and put it in his mouth when he couldn't do that a few weeks ago. (I've never actually seen him do THAT). He has been reaching and grabbing for things for a while now, but he has gotten much more pronounced with it. He LOVES to play. I bought him a exersaucer yesterday! The bouncy thing in the picture... He has a blast in that thing. He still loves attention though, and he will get mad if I ignore him lol... he yells at me. It is amazing how busy a 5 month old will keep you. I feel like I never get anything done. I have baby stuff everywhere. The other day I laid Connor down, sat down and this is what I saw....

The only things that are really mine are the ibuprofen and coffee! haha... I wouldn't have it any other way, and all I can really do is laugh. I pick up all day long and this is still what my house looks like?! Now you know why I have ibuprofen and coffee on the table ;)Well, I should probably go clean...

Oh, who am I kidding??

And a bang bang..

There we are... I got my haircut on Saturday and instead of doing the whole, "i'm bored of my hair let's chop it off" thing, I decided to get bangs... Well, the people who cut my hair are always afraid of the 'bang' and so am I, but today I chopped more off than she did. She took enough off that I had bangs, but they could only be swept to the side, and oh my gosh, they were in my face. Big No No with a 5 month old. So, today I just cut them shorter. I purposely made them a little jagged. I think straight across looks lame (no offense to anyone who has them that way)... they just look lame on me. I'm getting used to them, but I feel much better now that I got approval from my sister, lol. It is time for something different. I've also decided that I'm going to start getting ready every morning. Well, it's a project i am working on... starting today. I know that I will feel better if I'm ready for the day in the morning and not 3 in the afternoon. =)

Here's a better one.

Per request... Fall favorites (recipes, that is)

           Like I said in my previous post, I have been busy in the kitchen these past few days cookin' up some yummy fall recipes! Most of them I can't take credit for, but I'm totally taking credit for the butternut squash soup ;)

Butternut Squash soup

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash prepared

2 tbsp butter

8 tbsp light sour cream (or half of the small container)

fresh basil leaves to taste

2 tsp minced garlic or to taste

2 tsp ground ginger

1 small onion

salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the butternut squash, peel, and cut it into about 8 pieces.

2. melt butter in a pot, and sautee onions in the pot.

3. Place the squash in the pot.

4. When squash starts to soften add 4 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes.

5. Add sour cream, basil leaves, garlic,and ginger, then allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes or until squash easily breaks apart.

6. Blend the ingredients in a blender or food processor and add salt and pepper to taste.

Simple as that and delicious!

Caramel-Apple Muffins (weight watchers recipe)
Ingredients:
2 large apples (i used granny smith)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 large egg
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 pieces caramel candies (I used Kraft caramel candies)
2 tsp vanilla extract
 
1.Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. 
2.Cut each apple into 8 slices and cut each slice in half; place in a bowl and toss with lemon juice.  
3.Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, beat egg and sugar until fluffy and sugar is completely dissolved. Add sour cream and blend thoroughly. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; combine well but do not over beat.  Fold in apples.   
4.Fill each muffin liner about two-thirds full with batter.* Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean and the top turns lightly golden, about 29 to 33 minutes. Flip muffins out of pan onto a wire rack to cool. (I only needed to bake mine for 15 minutes!! so keep an eye on them)
5.Meanwhile, to prepare icing, in a small saucepan, combine caramel and vanilla extract; place over low heat and stir to melt and combine. While icing is warm, drizzle over tops of cooled muffins. Yields 1 muffin per serving.

Chocolate Marshmallow bark 
Ingredients:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate 
2 tsp regular butter
3 cups mini marshmallows


1. line a 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan with aluminum foil.
2.  melt chocolate and butter in a bowl. (I did it in the microwave just be careful not to burn the chocolate!)
3. mix the marshmallows into the melted chocolate.
4. Scrape the mix into the pan and spread into an even layer.
5. Refrigerate about an hour or until the chocolate hardens.
6. Cut into about 12 pieces and serve.

 

I've been busy...

        Before I had Connor, it never crossed my mind to use cloth diapers or make homemade baby food. I figured I would use disposables, buy baby food, and keep on keepin' on. I wouldn't turn into "that" mother who is all about what is "best" for baby and the environment. Well Hi, I am now "that" mother and damn proud of it. But, I will say that I am "that" mother who is a stay at home mother, so I do have the time to make Connor's food and scrape poop off of his diapers. I love every minute of it all! As you know, Connor's pediatrician wanted me to start him on solids, as in vegetables and fruits, a month ago. I wasn't comfortable with it, I thought it was too early, so I just started oatmeal and threw in some apples a couple weeks ago. Connor will be 5 months this week, so I have slowly, slowly been introducing more fruits with his oatmeal.  Yesterday I had this itch to cook fall recipes, so I packed up Connor and we drove off to the new Kroger Marketplace down the road (which is now my favorite grocery store, EVER). While I was there, I thought I might pick up some pears, bananas, and avocados and try to make Connor some food. I also got butternut squash and other goodies, but moving on. I have 2 food processors, so the baby bullet just doesn't seem to be a necessity. I cut, pitted, and peeled the pears and stuck them in the food processor, and wahlah... baby pears. I did the same with avocados. So easy... so much cheaper. Last night Connor had avocados, and he LOVED them. It is amazing what research can do too. I really didn't know that avocados are GREAT first foods for baby until I did some research. A lot of doctors prefer mothers try to feed babies avocados even before rice cereal because it is soft, easy to digest and easy on the tummy, and so healthy for baby. I froze the pears and avocados, and I am introducing avocados this week. Each week I introduce a new food. So far Connor has tried apples, bananas, and avocados. Next week I will try pears. This morning I made Connor fresh bananas too! Again, he loved them. There's a great website,  www.wholesmomebabyfood.momtastic.com. It tells you what foods your baby can eat at his/her age, and it also tells you whether or not buying organic is advised for that certain food. So far, I haven't needed to buy organic. The foods that Connor is on now at his age don't really need to be steamed. Atleast not what I have been introducing. Yesterday, I also developed my own recipe for butternut squash soup, and it is SO good. I had turkey pasta in the crock pot, and I also made some chocolate marshmallow bark. YUM. I love fall!

I love my child :)

Out of touch!

   We finally got back into our routine after traveling, but I feel so out of touch.. with everyone and everything. I am still dragging, and I haven't talked to my bestfriends in what feels like forever. I'm hoping that cycle ends soon! Everyone is so busy, and I completely understand because I'm busy too. The wonderful thing about my friends is that no matter how long we may go without talking, we always pick back up right where we left off. Thank God for friends like mine! Kelly and Brady are coming to hang out tomorrow :) Yay!! I cannot wait to see them. I haven't seen them since August, and that is just not gonna work ;) Guess who got sick over vacation? Well, Connor and I were both feeling pretty crappy towards the end of last week and this weekend. Connor has a runny nose, a cough, and he is hoarse! Poor baby. Yesterday he had a low grade fever, but he is feeling much better today, and his temperature is back down. I had a sore throat the past couple of days but feeling better today too. I swear, traveling really took it out of us. It always takes me a few days to get back on my feet and feel "normal." This is the first time he has been sick, and I think I did really well with it! I could have freaked, but I know that there is nothing the doctor could do for a cold, and I've been checking his temp. and yesterday was the first day it was a little bit higher than average. Despite feeling so terribly sad for him, I handled myself well :) I cuddled him all weekend, which is just so hard to do ;) and he's doing much better. Thank goodness. Oh, Connor is starting to sit up on his own! Not for too long, but for about 30 seconds at a time, at least. I don't think it will be long at all until he is sitting up on his own for good, though. Last Tuesday I mentioned to Adam that we should talk about selling his truck. He drives his motorcycle in to work everyday, and his truck has been sitting in our driveway for 3 weeks. He has a Government vehicle he drives during the day, anyway, and I'm not working right  now, so if it rains he can take my vehicle or I can take him in the morning. Well, Adam thought it was a good idea, so we took it to Carmax on Saturday, they made a great offer, and we drove off with a nice check! It was easy and probably one of the best decisions we have made in a while. =) His bike is worth way more than his truck was, and in TX it just doesn't get THAT cold. And I didn't mention that his truck was completely impractical. Single cab doesn't work for a baby! Here's to saving MORE money :)... And on that note, I am considering purchasing the bumGenius specific laundry detergent. I'm bleaching my diapers right now to see if it helps with the "smell," because I haven't done it since I bought them. Don't get me wrong, they don't smell BAD, but they don't smell like the "nothing" they are supposed to smell like. Ever since Connor started on solids, I have noticed that since his poop smells SOO much worse, so do his diapers. Before he started solids I couldn't smell anything, and for a while when he was on solids I still couldn't. Well, I think it is just really starting to "sink in." Eh, that sounds appetizing, but I'm determined to figure this out. I know you are supposed to bleach the diapers once a month, and I've had them for over a month and haven't done it, so I'm working on it now, and then I will update. But, if it doesn't work, then I am going to buy the bumGenius detergent and strip the diapers because I know it will be from detergent. We shall see! 

Virginia visit :)

  Last Thursday Adam and I boarded our plane to Virginia! We didn't take off until about 7 p.m. which, by the way, was a terrible idea. Connor doesn't go to bed until 9:00-9:30, so he was awake the ENTIRE flight. He didn't do too bad, but he was so bored. I had to stand with him a lot, but luckily the man beside us had a iPad that Connor thought was hilarious?? haha. We got in to my parent's around 1:30 a.m. We were so exhausted but Connor slept the whole way home and didn't wake up when we got there either. He did great. Friday we just chilled, and my sisters and their hubbies and Pam and Brad came over :) It was so  much fun. I'm so glad I got to see them all!! Saturday, Mom, Kristen, and I met up with Lauren, Delaney, and her mom for brunch. Love them so much! We stayed for a couple hours, and Connor was so fussy! I couldn't figure it out until I went to change his diaper in the car. He had been sitting in his poop for about an hour. I felt so bad, but he sure did feel better after I changed his butt! Saturday night, we all went to my cousin's wedding. My entire dad's side of the family was there. It has been YEARS since we were all together. All of the grandchildren and great-grand children were together. Of course we got lots of pictures. It was great! My dad is so in love with Connor as you can see in that picture. I am glad that my Nanny and Pop got to meet him! Sunday we threw Bonnie, my sister, her baby shower! It was so much fun :) She is way pregnant! Almost 32 weeks, and so ready for her little GIRL :) Next time I am home, I will get to cuddle my little niece. I can't wait! I'm gonna have to post some pics from the shower once I get some. I didn't take any pictures with my camera. Connor was exhausted and overwhelmed by Sunday, but he still managed to put on a little show for everyone. He has QUITE the personality. LOL He is hilarious, and he sure does know it! I am in trouble. Adam and I flew home Monday, and it was a MUCH better flight. Connor played, laughed, slept, ate, played, slept. It was glorious. He squeals when he plays though. I think it's funny, but the other passengers may not have felt that way. haha Oh well!! He was trying to crawl from me to Adam too. He is still trying to sit up on his own, and I don't think it will be long before he does! I think he will crawl soon after that too. He is constantly moving. I took him off of his Zantac for acid reflux, and he is doing great. I think he is growing out of it, if he hasn't already. He is still eating his oatmeal with apples (applesauce) and he loves it! The apples help him poop more regularly too. Thank goodness! I traveled with the cloth diapers, and did not use a single disposable :) I am proud of that! It really is NOT hard at all. In fact, Connor pooped right before we boarded the plane yesterday, and I changed him in about 2 minutes. Not any harder than a disposable, folks! I also managed to NOT gain any weight in VA. In fact, I lost a little bit. Not much, but I was surprised :) It was sad leaving as always, but I just keep thinking that the time will fly by until Thanksgiving! And by that time, Connor will probably be crawling. He has learned how to make lots of new noises. He also gives kisses now! He gave Delaney a big ol' kiss! Oh, and in other news, Adam and I are discussing him selling the truck. It literally sits there because he always rides the Harley, and his truck is really impractical. It is a single cab, so he can never put Connor in it, and it doesn't get too cold here. If we sell it, we are going to invest in some warm gear for Adam, and I will just drive him to work if it rains. It makes perfect sense to us for now. :) But it is still a discussion we are having... Well, until next time :) Here are some pics!

Nana's visit

    My momma, (Connor's Nana), came to visit last Thursday through today, and it was such a great visit! I absolutely adore my mom, and I just pray to God that I'm half the mother to Connor that she was to me and my two sisters. She got in at around 2 a.m. on Thursday, but Friday morning at 7 she was ready to hold her grandson! Connor loves his Nana and mom just ate it up. Friday we went shopping, and she bought Connor all sorts of goodies. She also brought him an ADORABLE little Leap Frog toy. His name is Scout and he talks to Connor, and he actually says "Connor." It's awesome. I'm kind of obsessed with it, haha. Friday night we went out to dinner at Salt Grass Steak House with our new neighbors, Morgan and Blane. It was so yum! Saturday, Adam and I went out to lunch at Red Lobster while mom watched Connor for a couple of house. It was my first time leaving Connor. I have been preparing myself to leave my now 4 month old, but it was SO hard. We left right after he fell asleep for his nap and got home before he woke up =) I know it sounds crazy that he is 4 months and I just left Connor for the first time, but we don't have family here, so I didn't really trust anyone else with him... and I've been taking care of him 24/7 since I had him. I prefer it that way, but I know that Adam and I also need time for US. So, we went and we had a great time. I finally got my crab legs that I have been wanting, and I even had 2 sangrias! We talked about Connor a lot, but we didn't ONLY talk about Connor. It's good to know that we still "got it." I enjoyed my time with my husband, and then came home and enjoyed the rest of my day with my son. (& mom & hubby too). Morgan and Blane had us over that night for a cookout and I managed to not eat very much :) Sunday, Mom and I went to visit the nurses in the ICU that saved my life. Well, we were only able to see one, her name is Carly, and she is adorable! She just loves Connor, and it was so great to see her. I am incredibly thankful for her and all of the nurses who helped me get through such a tough time. Then we went to the grocery store and got a few things, including baby applesauce (stage1). Mom wanted to see Connor try it, and I wanted to mix it with his oatmeal to see if it would help him poop (It did).I've noticed since I switched him to solids, he is a little constipated, and I read that a little applesauce/juice might help. It definitely did, and he feels much better! I am only feeding him oatmeal twice a day with applesauce once a day until he's about 6 months. It was so cute watching him eat it! Monday we just ran a couple of errands and then we went to eat at the County Line. (Adam and my favorite restaurant for pulled pork! It's right on Lake Conroe). Then we just hung out. Connor has started splashing in the bathtub! He loves bath time, and now he has learned to splash around... yay! LOL I get soaked :) I had to drop mom off at the airport today, and I hate it, but she is flying me and Adam home for my cousin's wedding Thursday, so no tears yet!! =) I'm so thankful that they are flying us home. Connor is growing like a weed, and I am excited for all of my family to see him. I'm also hoping to fly to New York to visit my in laws with Connor this fall! I can't wait to see everyone this weekend. I'm also happy to say that even though we ate out about 4 times this week, I still lost a pound! Well, I will leave ya'll with some pics!