Screaching

We have a Dinosaur, Oh No!

Turns out I didn't give birth to a cute, charming, sweet little baby boy.  Nope, I have birthed a wanna be Velociraptor.  The noises this child can make are amazing in volume and variety.  He also likes to bite a certain area that should never be bitten, and my fellow nursing moms will know exactly what I mean.  When I flick his cheek and say "no" he just looks at me, like "what?"

We had a lovely day on Monday and went for a walk in the sunshine.  Daniel likes to doze in his stroller.

Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs, with garlic cheese bread and peas.  While we were eating, Daniel was in his high chair staring at daddy's plate, so I told Dan to give baby a mashed pea without the skin.  He ate several of them!  Baby's first food is peas!

Noisy Friday

Ok, I am officially tired of being thrown up on.  For some reason, baby Daniel is still throwing up, but not every day.  Today, he got me right after I had showered and put on clean jeans.

He has also been practicing his voice this week, as anyone who has spoken to me on the phone can attest to.  Shrieking and long drawn out grunts have been his favorite method of communication.  Lets just say that going to work tomorrow sounds like a nice quiet vacation.

I was able to get some cooking and baking done in the afternoon, and Daniel kept me company in his high chair.

I made a new dish for dinner, Ham, Potato and Broccoli Casserole.  It turned out pretty good, except I think the sauce was a little thin.  Here are the pictures from preparation and completion.

About Town Thursday

Baby and I got out for some fresh air today.  We can't hang out with anyone since Daniel still has a stomach bug, but we needed to get out.  The sun is shining and most of the snow is gone.  It was still too cold for walking, but we drove around town instead.

I brought some nicer items to Once Upon A Child, and received a little credit towards some larger outfits for Daniel.  Our little chunk is already over 17 pounds!

Other items were dropped off at the thrift store, and then we just drove around town while Daniel took his nap.  We went over to the Minnesota side to get some good film of the Red River flood waters, and I put the video below.

We finished the afternoon with a trip to the grocery store and the pet store for some needed supplies and then back home.

Mornings this week have been on a better schedule.  Daniel is going to bed between 8 and 9, and waking up around 8am, which gives me time to feed him and do my morning routine before starting work with my grandma.  Yay for a sleeping baby!

Mashed Potatoes

Well, so far this week, I have survived my teeth cleaning (first time in waaayyyy to long) and baby vomit.  Here's hoping we have seen the last of it, but I am not holding my breath.

Some stomach bug is making the rounds of babies we know, and Daniel got hit last week.  Right now, its only once a day, but when that's in my lap, its too often.  Little Daniel and I are also sharing a slight cold, so he is a poor sad baby. 

The nice part of this week has been starting off with Corned Beef and Cabbage, purchased on sale last week.  I make mine in the slow cooker and add the cabbage in the last couple of hours.  Thanks to a friend who works at Ryan Potato in town, she got us a 50lb bag of red potatoes for $5!  So I also made mashed potatoes, skin on, with sour cream and cream cheese.  What a feast!  We have been eating the left-overs all day Tuesday.

Hopefully you will get a smile like I did with this picture:

see more

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day

Those that know me know that I read a lot of "mommy" blogs. I have always enjoyed learning about other families and the personal triumphs and tragedies of other women.

I find that my horizons have really been expanded, and that I have gained new compassion for situations that others face. Even if I have never been personally impacted by an issue, I may be someday in the future, and I will need the compassion and support of others.

A new blog I follow, Lipz Unzipped, had a recent post talking about Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day. As a new mother, this has struck home. This mom is just as in love with her daughter as I am with my son.

Baby Daniel has his first stomach bug, and he spent Friday throwing up most of the milk we gave him. Our hearts are broken just watching him feel so bad, so I can't even imaging what moms go through when their child will face an uphill battle for their whole life.

Please remember these strong women that fight for their children every day.

(Thank you to Flagguys for their picture)

Sunny Thursday

Baby Daniel and I went for a really nice walk in our neighborhood on Thursday. The sidewalks are still pretty wet and muddy, but the sun was shining. Daniel took a nap in the stroller and I enjoyed stretching my legs.

This couponing has been a little tough this week, and I still haven't finished my shopping list yet. I might need to check my priorities to avoid getting overwhelmed.

I find that when I get tired and stressed about money, I end up spending more. Baby was just loud all day, and I was so tired, that after I picked Dan up from school, we went out to Qdoba for dinner instead of eating at home. Saving money on groceries doesn't help much when those groceries don't get eaten.

Friday I have my first dentist appointment in over 11 years, so wish me luck!

Bababa Tuesday

We have spent the last couple of days with our friend Kate, and her 3 year old Evie and 4 month old Logan. It was challenging with some many naps, feedings and diaper changes going on.

Logan is really good at some things that Daniel isn't so good at, and vise versa. It really made me realize that I have gotten used to Daniel as he is now, and I am not ready for his next stages of mobility. Part of me wants to hold him back, and cuddle more, and keep him as the fat baby he is now. But I need to get him sitting in his high chair, practicing floor time and making plans for solid food in 1 to 2 months.

As every parent has already learned, its hard to watch your babies grow up.

Dinner on Tuesday was Mexican Pizzas, a really easy recipe that tastes great. I toast some flour tacos in the oven until bubbly, then top with a mixture of back beans, corn, mild green chilies, chunky salsa, cumin and cilantro. Then smother with cheese and stick back in the oven until melted.

Waking Baby

Well, they always say "Don't wake a sleeping baby", but when your baby likes to sleep in late, sometimes that rule has to be broken. We wake Daniel up on Saturdays and Sundays so that I can feed him before going to work. Needless to say, he doesn't like it very much.

Under $50 at Target!

On Thursday night, I was able to go grocery shopping with Emily, while Dan stayed home with baby.  We had to got to several stores in order to get the best deals I had planned out.

I find Target to be an evil store, because they have such good looking food, and I always buy more than I should.  But my budget was only $100 total, so I had to stay focused.  At the checkout, my heart sank because the total came to over $65.  Then I realized that the cashier hadn't scanned the coupons yet!  We got to watch as the amount got lower and lower, and it ended at $49.  Whew!!!!  Yay coupons.

Then on to Hugo's for the rest and we had the same experience which was awesome.  I like using coupons because I can still buy food and items in the brands we like, and even try new items without going over budget.  Now if I can just get a handle on my spending for hobbies, we might get somewhere.

Chocolate Tuesday

Baby and I gave Emily the grand tour of Grand Forks on Tuesday. We went to my favorite lunch spot, Dakota Harvest. There were three of us, so we had four desserts. Ok, a little hard to justify, but we had a serious sweet tooth.

After sharing chocolate raspberry almond cake, strawberry shortcake, Irish potatoes, white chocolate caramel cheesecake, and turkey and swiss and roast beef with horseradish sandwiches, we were a little full.

Then on to the local chocolate shop, Widman's Candy Shop for chocolate covered cherries, jalapenos, almond turtles and olives.

We finished the day by going to dinner at our friends Yury and Lyuda. We were served a feast and we all had a really good time. Daniel Jr was charming and Emily loves to make new friends.

Progress!

I received the nicest compliment yesterday, and it was really encouraging!

My sister Emily is visiting this week, and last night I was showing her around our house. She said how impressed she was by how clean it is, and then added "of course you cleaned extra because I was coming". I was able to proudly say Nope! I didn't have time to do extra cleaning for her (although she is worth it) and this was how my house is looking every day.

Thank you Emily! I really needed that boost and it was awsome because it was unprompted. (I didn't even have to pay her!)

We had a good time on Saturday night, and I made deluxe tacos. Tacos are the best because they are really inexpensive, even with all the bells and whistles. We had hamburger cooked with lots of garlic and sweet yellow onion, refried beans, ripe avocado, fresh tomatoes, fresh cilantro and plenty of cheese and sour cream. What a feast!

Baby Daniel has gotten pretty needy this week. I am not sure if it was his recent immunizations, teething, or just going through a phase, but he doesn't want anyone but me. While that is somewhat nice, its tough to hear him cry when Daddy is holding him. He has gotten easily startled as well and even loud laughter has made him cry. I am toughing it out, and remaining calm with him, but inside his tears break my heart.

Productive Wednesday

Well, it took a couple of days, but I finally feel that I have gotten a hold of this week. I was able to get my morning routine in before noon, and a 15 minute de-cluttering of our entry way was really productive.

Dinner was new, and didn't work so well. Its a great idea using Crescent Rolls as the top crust, but it didn't cook all the way through. I don't know if it was a design flaw or an error I made. Flavor was all right though and we just finished cooking in the microwave.














I don't know how he does it, but our baby is the bestests, most wonderfulests and cutestest baby ever!!!!! He finally laughed for me today, and it was as if the world had just been remade. God sure knew what He was doing when he designed babies.

Nap Time Tuesday

What an exhausting day! I am working with my Dad and Grandma, and cramming my head with new information is always hard. Its extra hard these days because I am torn between baby/home life, and my online/phone life. Trying to nurse and write a professional email at the same time is very discombobulating. By Tuesday afternoon, I was ready for a nap, so when Daniel looked tired, I put him in his crib and went to bed.

I am also struggling with a messed up neck and shoulder. I think I need to see a chiropractor soon. Having a baby has really wrecked my body, but I know that is normal. Its a good thing babies are cute!

Thankfully, I had dinner planned out, so when Dan came home, it just took a few minutes to put it together using chicken I had pre-cooked and frozen. Quick Chicken Divan came out really nice, and we ate it with buttered bread on the side. Unfortunatly, Dan gets the leftovers for lunch since there wasn't enough left for both.

I realized that most of my baby pictures are great face shots, but today, I want to share Daniel's yummy toes. Enjoy!

Brussels Sprouts Monday

Pippin: What about breakfast?
Aragorn: You've already had it.
Pippin: We've had one, yes. What about second breakfast?
[Aragorn turns and walks off in disgust]
Merry: I don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.
Pippin: What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?
Merry: I wouldn't count on it.

That, my friends, is what my baby thinks every day.

I missed the weekly home blessing for Monday, due to a late start, so that will be done on Tuesday. This week, we are in Zone 1, which is the Entry, Porch and Dining room. Since I only have the entry way, this is where I will be focused. Lots of stairs and too many shoes.

Dinner was so amazing, and of course I forgot to take a picture. Due to a sale, I had extra Kielbasa, which can be a tough meat to pair with other flavors. I found Kielbasa with Brussels Sprouts in Mustard Cream Sauce and it was soooo good!!! Definitely a keeper. Turns out that brussels sprouts are just like little tiny cabbages, and that's what they taste like, who knew?

To increase our snack options for the week, I decided to make cookies for the first time in a long time. I made chocolate chip cookies and added Craisins for some punch. They turned out pretty good, even though my oven runs too hot. I finally used my new stacking cooling racks which helped me save space.