Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Naked Baby

Because nothing is cuter than some butt cheeks!



I had to insert some cute pictures here because baby is not always being cute now. I think we have reached the 4 month wakeful. Meaning he is tired and knows he is tired but will fight going to sleep as hard as he can. This past weekend in order to get him to nap I had to Moby him every time. It was a little much, not that I mind baby wearing. I enjoy it. But I also like the option of laying him down once he falls asleep for a nap. I know this is just a phase and it will pass, but it can get a bit stressful when you are spending half of your day fighting a baby to go to sleep so you can do homework. Hopefully next weekend is better.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Monday, August 29, 2011

It will soon begin

Soon enough college football will start. Only 5 more days! Which means the NFL season will start in 12 days! 12 days!!!!

But back to college football, Grandma Patty bought Leo some necessary K-State gear. And I though to prepare for the coming weekend he need to wear one of his shirts. This certain shirt says 'Obviously I am a WILDCAT, They don't make Jayhawks this cute!'

It really is a great shirt. And here are the photos.



Maybe next fall we could go back to Manhattan for a football game with Leo, that would be wonderful!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Weekly Menu

This week we are going to be munching on:
Mushroom Tetrazzini, we adapted this recipe for mushrooms only!
Pad See Ew, may favorite Thai dish. And as Jeff said 'Why are people so into Chinese food when there is Thai food?' I don't know, I just don't know. We use just regular old broccoli and tofu.
For dinner tonight we had some Jambalaya with buttermilk biscuits. Shrimp was also added, and this dish was very spicy, maybe a tad bit too spicy. Yogurt is going to get bought, in order to fix this problem.
And we also have a Quesadilla Casserole to eat. We added some blanched chard to this, we need some greens every now and then.
We also made salsa, which I am not for sure if it turned out good or not. I am using the 'let it sit' method and will try it again tomorrow.
And I pureed a ton of peaches. Some of these will be for Leo once he starts solids. Some of it will be for my oatmeal in the morning. And some is going to get turned into Peach Sorbet tomorrow night.

While this was happening, we also bought Leo some supplies for when he starts to eat solids, like spoons, to-go tupperware, and sippy cups.
I decided we should start getting him use to the idea of a spoon. I think he enjoys it only because he enjoys anything he can chew on.

Friday, August 26, 2011

First week of school

It has been a little hectic around here with school starting. But I think I am getting use to the new schedule. I really have to use my time wisely now, meaning fewer posts. I am taking 9 credit hours plus being the TA of a two hour lab.

And that lab was the source of most of my stress in the beginning of the week. I kept thinking the instructor of the lecture portion of the labs would email me some more information about the lab. So I kept waiting, and waiting and waiting. He didn't respond to any of my emails until yesterday! and I am teaching the lab today. But thankfully other lab TA's have been very helpful.

Another source of worry/stress is Leo not sleeping when he needs to/wants to. He has been a terrible napper this week. I just hope it gets better once he gets use to being on campus more often. But he has done well with Daddy and taking his first bottle.

It is really interesting to be back on campus. The first day of school is always so exciting and nerve racking. I use to not be able to sleep before the first day of school from being so anxious. That didn't happen this year, mainly because I refused to think about what was going to happen. People watching was interesting on Monday, to see all these young kids going to school. Some where obviously trying to dress up and look cool for their first day. And here I am in my cotton shorts pushing a stroller and trying to get my baby to nap. It was amusing. Very different from undergrad, but not in a bad way.

So hopefully this semester goes as smooth as possible. I have been having a hard time focusing in class. It is hard adjusting to learning/paying attention for an hour and fifteen minutes, versus taking care of baby all day long. But I am getting better. I think the hardest part is going to be, being productive in the few hours between when baby goes to bed and I go to bed. I am doing my best by not reading my current book and not reading blogs at that time. But there is so much to do in that time period. Good thing there are weekends.

Happy Friday.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

4 months

Someone turned 4 months old yesterday.



Look Ma no hands!

We had his check-up on Tuesday and everything looks good. He had a couple of shots and cried of course. But it was not as bad as when he was 2 months.

He weighed 14 lbs 3 oz
His length is 25.5 inches
And his head was 16.5 inches

He really enjoys when I sing, any song. He also likes to read books, he now likes to touch his books when I am reading them. He likes to pull my hair now. And he likes to chew on anything.

Friday, August 19, 2011

What is for dinner next week

With school approaching fast, meaning it starts Monday! Time is going to be a luxury around here. In order to help with this issue, we are going to start making all of our dinner over the weekend. Because with classes and work and a baby there will be no time to make dinner every night. So now I have to search for recipes that will be okay sitting in a fridge for a week after being made.

And since I never get around to taking pictures of food we make anymore, I will just post the links to items we are going to make.

This weekend we are going to make:
- Hummus
- French Bread
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars ( I have been craving peanut butter and chocolate combinations lately. And I made these last night, they are so good!)
- Oatmeal Pancakes and Bacon, breakfast for dinner is always a good choice.
- Curried Red Lentils
- Tomato and Basil Pasta Bake, casseroles are always a good fridge dinner.
- Quinoa Salad with Tahini Dressing and Corn Pudding, I am planning on adding some fresh veggies and olives to the salad. I am usually weary of cold quinoa salads, they always seem so dry, but the other night I thought a tahini dressing would do the trick so I searched for a recipe to my liking. And the corn pudding, I am really excited for this dish, Colorado corn has been so good this summer. I am making sure I eat some every week because soon enough it will be gone, just like the amazing Colorado peaches that are back in season! I think I could eat at least three peaches a day. We are going to by a case of them next week and I am really going to have to strain myself not to eat them all because I would like to make some puree and freeze it for when Leo starts to eat.

So here are our dinners for the week, I am hoping they are all as good as they sound. Nothing is worse that when it sounds good and looks good and then the flavors are off.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Instinct

Do I actually have a mother's instinct? I feel like I am always second guessing myself.

Last night baby had a meltdown. And he was doing his pain cry, and it wasn't stopping for anything. I kept wondering if something was actually wrong, but I wasn't getting that gut feeling that something was. I took his temperature, I tried feeding him, Jeff tried walking him, we tried rubbing his belly, everything. And nothing was seeming to work. Finally Jeff took off his diaper, rubbed his belly while I rubbed his head and he passed out.

I don't know if he was just too tired or had some stomach pains or both (he had refused to sleep between 4 and 7). But I am still doubting myself on when I will actually know there is a problem. When would we actually need to go to the doctor, because he is sick? But he didn't have a fever right? Except that I never had fevers when I was sick as a kid or baby. I had several ear infections that were not always known about because I didn't have a fever and I didn't always scream. This worries me.

What if he is the same and doesn't get fevers but is crying because he is sick and I don't know that. And then my mommy instinct that is suppose to kick in doesn't, will he just get more sick until it is a major issue?

I really hope that it was just a fluke and there wasn't anything wrong besides being tired because otherwise I am going to feel guilty, like always. At least I have mommy guilt!

But here he is being cute, like he is 95% of the time:

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

InkHeart


Some books are intriguing, some are just okay, some make you want to live in their story and some make you want to read every single book in the world.

I think Inkheart did the latter for me. Every so often I come across a book that makes me worry I will never be able to read everything I want to read. Just like Fahrenheit 451 did, and just like and Tom Robbins book. These books inspire me to read more and I don't really know how to describe why, they just do.

I will read just about anything and anymore when I am reading a book, it is really easy to guess what is going to happen next. But I didn't experience that with this book. Maybe because I had never heard of it until a friend let me borrow it saying, 'you will like this one'. But I really had no idea where the book was going to go, and it was wonderful. I read a couple of book series over the summer. The Ranger's Apprentice and Artemis Fowl. I enjoyed both series really well, they were adventurous and fun, but they were also very predictable. So it is a nice change of pace to read a fiction book where I didn't know how the ending was going to be, until the end! I just finished InkHeart and now working on InkSpell, I am hoping the rest of the series is as good as the first book.

One bad thing about school starting next Monday! is that I won't have as much leisure time to read what I want to read. I am sure glad I took the chance this summer and read a ton, now it is back to textbooks and research.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Food News

There are two online articles that I would like to share that I found today.

One is about what is wrong with the food industry.
Why is it okay to have meat that is killing people but not the option to drink raw milk? It really does not make since to me. If you want your milk pasteurized then you can, no one is forcing you to drink un-pasteurized milk. But it is okay for you to eat turkey that may or may not kill you. Seems a little off to me, but the food industry is a little off. There are issues with regulation dealing with these big companies. Which is why the recall was only voluntary on the killing turkey meat, yep voluntary.
If this interest you at all you really should read Food Politics by Marion Nestle. It is a great book and really makes you wonder why hasn't the government changed food policy and regulations.

Also you should check out this link about how we all should eat a little less meat. For a while I was a vegetarian, then I started to eat meat again occasionally. Then I got pregnant and Leo only wanted meat and meat and more meat. If I didn't eat meat for a day, I felt like I was going to die of hunger. It was bad. But now that baby is no longer making me a pure carnivore, I am back down to eating meat once a week. I would really like to make this once every two weeks for a couple of reasons. 1. Because producing meat in the mass quantities that we do, is really bad for the environment and the animals. 2. When I buy meat I like to buy quality meat, that is good for me and for the animals, meaning not factory farmed animals and animals that are raised in a pasture; by buying meat with these specification it is more expensive. And I am okay with that! I think it is worth buying animal flesh that was not abusive and kept it awful conditions. But this also means that I can't afford to eat meat everyday or at every meal. But it helps me stay healthy as well, because fruits, vegetables and grains are awesome!

Anyway, I was getting a little ranty there, sorry. If you care at all about what you eat and how you eat, you should check out those links.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Camping

So on Wednesday night we randomly decided to go camping with some friends, so on Friday we all packed up and drove to Guanella Pass, which is near Georgetown. We found a perfect place to camp near the river and set up camp. The men folk (including Macaroni) proceeded to find some fire word, while the women and baby kept the fire going. There were mushrooms that were found and just lots of absorbing the surroundings. It is so nice to escape the city every so often and hide in the mountains, even if it is just for a night. And the coolness of the mountain air was so refreshing. There was even still snow on the mountains once we got to the pass. It has been so hot in Denver this summer, so a night when a sleeping bag is a must, was wonderful. Leo snuggled with me all night in my sleeping bag, and he really seemed to enjoy the trip. I think we wore him out though, he has been rather tired that past couple of days since our return. Here are some pics of the trip, more can be found on Shutterfly.













Sunday, August 14, 2011

Laughing

Here is a video of Leo laughing. There is also another video on YouTube of him smiling at himself in the mirror. It is pretty darn cute.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Friends

Two boys the same age, soon to be the best of friends I am sure... this is also the baby that now has a new Sophie!


Aren't they cute together?

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Mommy confessions- Sophie

Today I realized I am one of those moms, the ones that can't stand other children. Well maybe I should rephrase that, I think all other children are gross. I have been drooled on, spit up on, peed on, pooped on by my child and I am not grossed out AT ALL. I find it funny most of the time, the few times I freak out, is because I am getting pooped on at 3 am and not with it and don't know how to function (or know where to start in the cleaning process). But other kids, I find their drool gross and anything it gets on I want to clean, clean, clean. It is not even the idea of germs that grosses me out, but for some reason their slobber and poop and dried snot and pee and spit up make me want to vomit.

So today, Leo and I had a play date with a baby that is the same age, Leo is one week younger to be exact. And it is a boy, I am already looking forward to the craziness those two will be once they are older. I am hoping they are terrors to a degree, because aren't little boys the best! Anyway, this baby looked like he wanted to chew on something, so being the nice mommy I am, I gave him Leo's Sophie to chew on. (Sophie is an amazing giraffe that babies tend to idol, in fact when Leo is chewing on her, if she leaves his mouth he start shrieking until she hops back in there). And I don't know what I was thinking giving this baby Sophie! As soon as he slobbered her up, in less than two seconds, I was regretting it. I was thinking she was tainted forever.

So you know what I did? I GAVE SOPHIE AWAY! I couldn't handle the thought of Leo chewing on it after another baby had given her a slobber bath. Crazy right? But it is okay, Leo won't be traumatized, he won't even know it happened because we have another Sophie! Good thing for duplicates, otherwise I would be either feeling guilty or having to scrub her down until I felt she was slobber free.

I know I need to get over this because as he gets older it will only happen more, I mean kids share toys all the time right? But right now the thought makes me shiver. I promise I am not a germ-a-phobe but for some reason other kids and their slobber and snot and stick hands just is too much to handle right now. I am sure I will eventually get over it. But until then, here is to not sharing toys.

This kid loves Sophie:

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Friday Night Lights


Yes, another football post, but I can't help myself. I am slightly obsessed and really happy that the season is starting soon. Pre-season games start this weekend!

I just finished this book Friday Night Lights and it is really good. It makes me want to move to west Texas and be apart of this type of community, but I won't because that means living in Texas. It is really intriguing how this entire community is centered around football, high school football to be precise. Part of me likes it because of the sense of community, Denver is so big that I feel it would be hard to ever find that. Which is why we are planning on eventually moving elsewhere in Colorado, but that is another topic.

This book also goes into issues of the community, which include, race, economy, politics, etc. Even if you are not a crazy football fan like I am, I think you would enjoy this book. But that is my opinion.

I had not heard about this book honestly, but I was searching for something to fill the void since one of my favorite TV shows just ended, Friday Night Lights. I still cannot believe it is over, but it is slightly based off the book. The show has part of the book that it has adapted but it is not the exact same thing.

So if you are looking for a good non-fiction read, I would suggest this, especially if you do like football.

Toodle Along Tuesday/ Public Baby



L loves to be outside and out and about. This past weekend, we were barely home and I think he really enjoyed it. Much more than I did, but I am a home body and enjoy being at home most of the time. The only problem with being out and about all the time is it messing up his nap times. Meaning, he refuses to nap, because there is too much going on for him to want to sleep. But he usually makes it up once we get home or at night.

Many people tell me what a good baby he is, and really I think he is just working for babies in general and trying to get people to have more babies. Because he really is a good baby when he are not at home. He isn't fussy and doesn't cry, he is okay with everything. It is once we get in the car or back home that he likes to have his fits. I guess this means I have to force myself to go out a little more. But soon enough school will be starting and we will be out and about everyday.

There has been some teething going on lately:

He still does not care for the bumbo:

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

So I actually made this about a week ago, but time got in the way, so here they are. And I never took a picture because every time I thought about it, I ate one instead. And I only made the brownie part, Jeff made the cookie dough part, because baby doesn't like to cooperate. I never am able to finish something in the kitchen anymore. He also decides to be hungry or only want me when I am in the middle of making dinner or this delicious thing!

Taken from Brown Eyed Baker

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Yield: 32 brownies

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Bake Time: 25 minutes

For the Brownie:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract ( this was by total accident but not a bad addition to the recipe)
1 cup all-purpose flour

For the Cookie Dough:
¾ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups mini chocolate chips (used dark chocolate chips)

1. Prepare the Brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with foil, with enough to hang over all four sides. Butter the foil. In a medium glass bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in the melted chocolate until combined. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and mix just until combined (don’t over-mix). Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

2. Prepare the Cookie Dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to combine the butter and both sugars. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Spread the cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about an hour. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter (my favorite way to slice brownies!) to cut the brownies. Store the brownies in an airtight container at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

10 Years

Jeff and I started dating 10 years ago today, isn't that crazy!

And I pretty sure it was official after this conversation:
Me: So, are we boyfriend and girlfriend?
Jeff: Yeah, I guess so.

Always the romantic.

Here is the oldest picture of us I could find on the computer, it is from 2003.

And of course it is a band picture, because we were band nerds, and that is how we met.

I just can't believe that it was really that long ago, and everything that has happened since. It is really crazy to think about but I really don't see how I could have made it here today without Jeffy Poo.


So Jeff, I love you and I am looking forward to the many years we have ahead of us. I know you wanted to have a party to celebrate, but did you see yesterday's post? NO TIME! But I still love you and I am glad we have this wonderful family.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Blah...

So I haven't been blogging much lately. That is because I feel that I have nothing new to say, everyday has been about the same lately. Meaning I wake up to a smiling baby and have a list in my head of all the things I would like to get done for the day and I am lucky if one of those things gets done, and that is usually dinner. I am also lucky if it takes me less than an hour to eat breakfast or lunch. And somehow my workout routine has gone down the drain.

Because this baby wants attention all the time! If I step away, I feel like half the time he starts squawking for attention, in a way that if you don't come back to him he will start to get upset and fussy. He just wants to look at someone's face and have them talk to him, all the time! The other half I end up feeling guilty for not paying attention to him all the time. It is a lose-lose situation.

And then there are nap times, I get excited for nap time because then I can do what I want/need to do. But that usually means me catching up on email and blogs I read or maybe sneaking in a meal. And then out of no where 45 minutes is up and he is squirming and wants to start the cycle all over again. Hello mom, I need to eat now!

I am really starting to wonder when am I going to get school work done or write a thesis. So blogging may become on the back burner. I am going to try to get in some post now, and just schedule them to come out at a later date, so it looks like I am on top of it.

I can see that soon my weekends will be packed full, with updating posts, homework, football ( the season is happening!), and making meals. Since soon enough school is going to be starting! AHHH! Again where did summer go? I feel like I really need to be productive during nap times, and that also means baby wearing for every nap. And baby wearing may need to become a night thing as well, since this baby is having issues with Daddy touching him at night and me not laying in bed with him all night. Hello my lovely first born, mommy has things to do, get over it! But babies don't get over it, so I think baby wearing may become necessary at night to keep him asleep until I go to bed. We will see.

So there is my update mom, hope you like it.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Embrace the Camera

Today is embrace the camera, so stop by the anderson crew to check it out!

This baby loves to read. He loves looking at books and has for awhile. Here we are reading a story before bed. A Sandra Boynton book, she is my favorite, especially The Bellybutton Book.


Sorry for the poor quality pic, but it was nighttime, meaning there was no natural light. And that is when my camera is at its best. I am thinking about getting a professional flash for moments like this, but we will see. If I use the flash that is on the camera, the photo really turns out bad.