4/19/11 – Adventures in Baby Food – Chicken & Apples (our first meat!)

Alright people…its official. Today a facebook page was launched to keep everybody updated on our 10 YEAR CLASS REUNION. WHAT?!? It’s not possible that I graduated 10 years ago, it’s just not. It’s so hard to believe that it’s been 10 years, and even harder to believe how much has changed in those 10 years. I’m actually quite excited about it, and since I only really talk to her from high school, I really hope my BFF knows that she will be escorting me to the event!

Anyway, other than that jaw dropping news, it was a pretty boring day. We cooked some chicken tacos for dinner. SOMEBODY wasn’t paying attention, and burnt the rice beyond recognition, and I was very disappointed in that. In the meantime, I cooked up Amelia’s first meat dish…Chicken and Apples!!! It was super easy too.

I started off by cutting up a chicken breast, and cooking it in some Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper and Thyme for a little flavor. Meanwhile, I peeled and cut up an apple and boiled that to soften it up. Combined the two, added some water from the apples for some more flavor, mixed it up, and TA-DA, Chicken and Apples! It comes out kind of pasty, but she loved it! YAY

Here are some pics of the chicken and apples. My new trend of using my phone to take pictures continues because I’m lazy like that (I’m not sure what the heck happened in the first one though)!

4/18/11 - Randomness

Well, another Monday has come and gone! We all know the next is not too far around the corner though!

Today was a pretty low key day. Work was work as usual. I feel like I’m slowly starting to catch up finally. But, as soon as I start thinking that, more stuff creeps up on me, so it won’t last long.

After work I headed home for the usual chores…let the dog out, feed the dog, make Amelia’s bottles for tomorrow, wash my pump parts, dishes, etc. I did make some carrots tonight for Amelia…made a BIG bag of them this time…it’s one of her fave’s, so we’ll have it in stock for a while now. Olivia has been an eating machine lately, and kept asking to eat when Christian went to pick them up from his parents’ house, so they all just ended up eating over there. Gave me some time to get things done, and eat myself.

I did all my chores while listening to the N’Sync Station on Pandora Radio. Best station ever. It brings back so many high school memories. It was definitely a trip down memory lane.

Once the rest of the house arrived home, we just hung out for a while. Olivia was obsessed with “Pat-A-Cake” tonight for some reason. Amelia just wanted me to hold her…clingy night!

One of the women that used to work in my office made Olivia a blanket when I had my work baby shower. It has her name and birth details on it…its really cute. I asked her to make one for Amelia after she was born, and today I finally got it! Amelia finally has her very own blanket, and I’m so excited. Of course, we had to pull out Olivia’s once she saw Amelia’s (she usually another blanket one of my friends made her). Here is a picture of them with their blankets.

Also, I received our photo disk from our Easter Mini-Shoot today! So exciting, I had to share some of my favorites!

4/17/11: Easter, Part 2

Today was another day of Easter celebrations for us!

We were all up early...and I MEAN EARLY. The girls were up at 6:30AM, jumping in their cribs and laughing away. While I was tired and SO not ready to get up yet, that was one of the best scenes to walk in on. Just warmed my heart right up.

I fed Amelia and we all watched a little TV together for while. Then I whipped up some eggs, sausage and pancakes for breakfast...YUM. Christian jumped in the shower, and proceeded to give the girls a bath, while I did dishes, and dishes and more dishes, and picked up the kitchen and the living room. Finally, I hopped in the shower and got ready. Then, we were off to the mall.

Amelia fell asleep on the way to the way, so we did a little shopping before we visited the Easter Bunny. The girls were VERY excited to see the bunny...Olivia loves when she sees the bunny, similar to Santa, but gets really shy as soon as it comes time to take a picture with him. Amelia was all about the bunny though; she thought he was absolutely hilarious. After we took a few pictures, we grabbed some lunch, and were on our way home.

Amelia again fell asleep, and continued to nap for a couple of hours! YAY for long naps (that hopefully don't mean long nights...). Olivia went down for a nap a short time later, so we got a little time to ourselves. Christian unpacked the outdoor furniture and toys, while I boiled some eggs for dying and caught up on some computer time.

After nap time, the girls had a bite to eat, and then it was time to dye Easter eggs. YAY. Olivia was much more into it this year, she was very excited to see the finished products. Amelia just watched and watched, like usual, jealous that she couldn't really join in. Poor Amelia. While we girls did our crafts, Christian was busy with “man stuff”…grilling. He grilled some chicken and potatoes. We all just spent the rest of the night hanging out together, taking in a nice, relaxing Sunday together before it's time to head back to work for the week. I will say; the weather today was AMAZING though. But, there is yet again snow in the forecast. No fun.

Here are some pictures of our Easter fun!

4/16/11: Moving Day...

No, not us. Thank goodness! Moving has got to be one of the most annoying things to do in life. All that packing, going through stuff, throwing stuff out, moving, heavy lifting, rearranging, etc., etc., etc. Definitely not for me! I have moved twice...once from my mom's to my apartment (which Christian later moved in to), and then into our house. Our house is meant to be our forever home...in a great area, good schools, big enough for a growing family, etc. We weren't interested in a "fixer-upper", and we weren't looking to move a few years down the road when we had kids, or cramming too many people into a too small house. So, we really should never have to move again (knock on wood). My BFF on the other hand moves a lot...and I mean A LOT! She is moving in with her boyfriend (well, she really already has), and had to get the rest of her stuff out of her apartment, so we had to help her move it all to her mom's house. Luckily for me I really just kind of hung out because we had the girls, not so lucky for Christian there was a lot of very heavy lifting to do! Ha. After we got everything loaded up, she treated us to McDonald's...YAY.

After we dropped everything off at her mom's house, we headed home for the night. Amelia fell asleep on the way to her mom's, slept the whole time we were there, and the whole way home, so that was the extent of her napping. It was pretty late by the time we got home, so Olivia didn't even end up taking a nap. We made some dinner and just hung out around the house.

We've been taking a more laid back approach lately with Amelia's food introduction lately. They recommend waiting 3-4 day between new foods to watch for any reactions. She's been eating foods for almost 3 months, and hasn't shown any reactions, so we're getting a little more relaxed between foods. And, we're starting to move onto table foods now. We had spaghetti for dinner tonight, so I chopped some up for her in the Baby Bullet, and she LOVED it. Of course...she'll eat anything. I was not as happy when Christian decided to give her a spoon of ice cream later in the evening, but whatever. I suppose I have to let him make some "decisions" to once in a while. LOL. So, we'll see how things go. The spaghetti had some ground Italian sausage in it, and she seemed to do well with it. I'm planning on making her some Chicken and Apples one night coming up, so we'll see what she things about that too!

After dinner (and ice cream), it was time for bed! Hopefully we'll get a better night of sleep tonight. But, all in all, things have been going really well so I can't complain about a bad night here and there it's bound to happen, especially with two teething children. Amelia just did not want to go to bed last night, then was up 3 times...the third time I ended up just keeping her in bed with me. I know, I know, big no-no at this point. But, we all HAVE to get some sleep at some point. She'll be back in her bed tonight, and I'm sure it will be just fine.

Here are a few pictures from today. Olivia and Chuy, "enjoying" sometime in the snow; and Amelia's spaghetti galore :)

4/15/11: And, It's Friday

Yes, it's Friday. Sweet, sweet Friday. We have a nice weekend coming up, a good mix of plans and nothing on the agenda. And, with how crazy things have been at work, the weekend is more of a blessing than ever! That place is just a mad house these days, and I don't think I've had my head above water there for months. No end in sight either. Job Security = YAY, but that doesn't make it ideal.

As usual with Friday’s, Christian had some OT tonight. So, it was just me and the girls. My mom had a pretty good day with the girls. Olivia is definitely still turning that corner with the way she acts towards Amelia, and my mom noticed the same thing. For the most part, Olivia is doing great...sharing, showing Amelia how to do things, encouraging Amelia to stand and play and do things. Olivia was still napping when I got home, and continued to nap for while, so Amelia and I got some one on one time together (as if we don't get enough of that, LOL). As Amelia and I played, I looked out the window and notice it…SNOW. It was coming down, and coming down good! Grrrrrr. We were hoping that, like usual, the weather guys would have it wrong this weekend, but alas, there was the snow. And through the course of the night it just got heavier and heavier, windier and windier. Who knows what it’s going to look like in the morning!

Once Christian got home, we ate some dinner and just hung out...our usual Friday routine. We have an early Saturday morning planned, so I was pretty much off to bed once the girls were down. Christian and I were chatting about it, and I said hopefully one day we'll actually be able to stay up on the weekends again. To me, it's just not worth it right now...knowing I'll be up at least once, but who really knows how many times, a night with Amelia, and that the girls are always up for the day around 7:00/7:30, staying up late just doesn't really feel like an option these days. Maybe one day....

Anyway, here are a few pictures from today...I borrowed a food scale from a coworker to do what the doctor suggested...weight her before she eats, feed her, then weigh her again to see how much she's eating when she nurses. Well, the scale didn't really work (too small), but it provided a cute photo op anyway! And, I received a few headbands I’d ordered from etsy.com, and love, love, love them! So, I had to have Amelia model them right away.

4/14/11: BABIES

Today was a good day. I started it off by finding out one of my friends had her baby this morning...YAY, Congrats to Melissa & Jake on the birth of little Colton! Of course, every time somebody has a baby I'm filled with envy and jealousy over their new little bundle of joy. Then I come to my senses...mainly by remembering Amelia is only 8 months old, but also by remembering how crazy my two little devils in disguise drive me! LOL

So, after a long busy day, complete with a meeting from hell, I stopped at the hospital to visit Melissa and snuggle the baby. He just slept the whole time, and I think I more than stayed my welcome because I just couldn't let him go. But, I finally did, and was on my way home. Christian and the girls ended up having dinner with his mom since I wasn't going to be home, so I picked up something to eat and got in some alone time before the rest of the how arrived home.

Today, Olivia received a fun piece of mail… a "Get Well Soon" card from one of her online friends, Lily. When I was pregnant with Olivia, I joined babycenter.com, and eventually joined the community group for January 2009. The board was also broken into weekly groups, and I was part of the "Snowbabies" group. There are several of us that to this day continue "talking" and chatting with each other...only we're friends on facebook now and keep in touch that way. It's so great being part of these groups, and making these lifelong friendships over such an amazing part of our lives (I'm also in a group for Amelia...the "Little Rubies"). So, one of her fellow snowbabies, from Arizona, sent her a little card. She loves it, and she put it right up on the fridge!

Here is a picture of Olivia showing off her card.

4/13/11 - Adventures in Baby Food - Blueberries

Today was another pretty good day. One of the sites I follow on facebook was having a referral contest to win a Ring Sling, and today I found out that I won!!!! YAY, I’m so excited. So, right now I’m working with the owner to order my sling. I’m going to be getting a hemp ring sling, and I can’t wait to try it out!! That was my exciting news for the day. The weather has taken a turn for the worse. They are calling for snow this weekend...SNOW! We just got rid of our snow. This truly is the winter that won’t end. So, that’s our not so exiting news for the day.

I went online and used one of those “due date calendars” and found out that today was the last day I would need to get pregnant in order to have a 2011 baby, and have 3 under 3 (though it would just be for a couple of days). Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t interested in doing so, or trying to in the least bit, I just thought it was interesting. So, it looks like 2011 will be the first year in a long time we have no life changing events (I mean, there are other things that could happen, but we’ll assume not). In 2006 we got engaged, in 2007 we got married, in 2008 we moved into our first home and I got pregnant with Olivia. In 2009 Olivia was born and I got pregnant with Amelia In 2010 Amelia was born. I think we’re due for a more low key year!

After work I took to more baby food making. Today was fruit night, I tackled the frozen fruits tonight...Peaches, Mangos and a new one, Blueberries. Blueberries have a whole host of amazing nutrients in them and they are often referred to as a "Super Food" for this reason. Blueberries are high in antioxidants and they also contain fiber, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Blueberries are also thought be cholesterol reducers. Blueberries are a wonderful healthy food and make a great snack food for babies and adults alike. One of the greatest things about blueberries for snacking is their portability. There is no need to prepare blueberries, just wash 'em and toss 'em in a small bag or snack bowl and off you go.

You can introduce blueberries to baby around 8 months of age. There is much confusion about when you may feed your infant blueberries. Many believe that blueberries fall under the "no berries until after age 12 months old" rule. However, blueberries are not a common allergen and they are not in the allergenic "berry" family? Blueberries are actually related to cranberries and are in the Heath family. The blueberry shares no "family" relationship with the strawberry, blackberry or raspberry. Those "true" berries may be mild to highly allergenic. By "true berries" I am referring to those berries that pose allergy problems for infants and are in the same family. There are horticultural differences in blueberries/cranberries and in strawberries, raspberries and blackberries as well.

As I mentioned above, I used frozen blueberries. Fresh are just too expensive right now, and you get more for your money with frozen. Be warned, those bad boys are MESSY!!!

Cost Savings:
- 1 Bag of Frozen Blueberries = $3.19 – Makes 7 Jars
- 7 Jars of Gerber Stage 2 Blueberries = $4.17
- Cost Savings of $.98

Here are some bad quality pictures of the blueberries! Again, didn’t have the camera handy, and far too lazy to search it out!

4/12/11: Off to the Park

Today was pretty much just another day. Work, Work, Work. You know, the exciting stuff!!!

The weather was AMAZING today though, that's for sure! I rushed home after work to get some more food cooked up for Amelia. Today was kind of a hodgepodge of foods. I made some apples, pears, sweet potatoes and squash. Again, sounds like a lot, but wasn’t bad. I started pre-heating the oven as soon as I got home, cooked up the sweet potatoes and squash, and then pureed each. Meanwhile, two pots of boiling water going on the stove, boiled the apples and pears, and pureed those. Not much to it!

Amidst the cooking frenzy, Christian and the girls arrived home, we loaded up the stroller, and we took a stroll down to the park. The weather is supposed to take an evil turn after today, so we knew we needed to take advantage of the nice day. Olivia had a blast, like usual. Amelia was quite intrigued with her first visit to the park. She played in the sand a little, took her first ride on the swing. All the good stuff. And of course, she just laughed away.

After some park fun, we ran home to eat some dinner and clean up a little before bed. The girls were pretty wiped out after the fresh air, so hopefully we'll get a nice, quite night of sleep. Amelia's second tooth is officially popping out now; you can feel it and everything! Hopefully it'll be all the way out soon, and we'll get a little break before she starts up again.

Here are some pictures from our trip to the park.

4/11/11 - Adventures in Baby Food - Cauliflower

Today was basically a long day, all around. Work was, of course, very crazy, just as I expected after being "off" Thursday and Friday. I swear, you can't be away from that place for one day without falling eons behind. So, after a very long day, I was off to Target to do our weekly shopping. We didn't really need many "necessities" this week, so it was mainly grocery shopping...specifically lots of fruits and veggies since it's time to restock the baby food again. I did pick up a new pair of shoes for Olivia...some open tennis shoes. Now, we just need some regular old tennis shoes, and we'll be set for summer!

Christian stopped to get his hair cut after work, and because he was already going to be late, he and the girls just ate dinner with his mom. So, he still wasn't home when I got home. I quickly put away the groceries, started on some baby food, and ate some dinner myself. Tonight was veggie cooking night. I whipped up some Broccoli, Green Beans, Peas, and a newbie, Cauliflower. Sounds like a lot, but super easy. I used frozen veggies for all four "recipes", so I grabbed four pots, filled each with a veggie and some water, boiled/steamed them up, and pureed them. Easy peasy, and she's stocked up on some yummy veggies.

The rest of the house arrived home as I was finishing up...it was basically time for baths and bed, so not much family time tonight!

Now, for today’s food. cauliflower (like other cruciferous veggies such as broccoli and brussel sprouts) is packed full of phytochemicals, which are said to help prevent cancer. Just one cup of cauliflower is packed with Vitamin A, Vitamin C and even calcium. Cauliflower is a great addition to a healthy diet but it causes many people to be a bit gassy. As with broccoli, cauliflower is not a good choice for one of Baby's first vegetables. It may cause gas and may also be a bit difficult for a young infant to digest. Cauliflower is best given to babies between 8-10 months old but you could try to introduce it earlier. If your baby has had any digestive issues, it would be best to introduce cauliflower into the diet later rather than sooner.

As I mentioned above, I chose to use frozen cauliflower, and just steamed it on the stovetop. Note, since we don't add water or liquefy her food anymore, so you’ll notice most of the foods don't make as many jars as they used to. But, homemade is still healthier and worth it though!

Cost Savings:
- 1 Bag of Frozen Cauliflower = $.89 - Makes 7 Jars
- 7 Jars of Gerber Stage 2 Cauliflower (which I've never seen) would be: $4.16
- Savings of $3.27

Our camera was downstairs, and I was too lazy to go down and get it, so I used my camera phone to take today's pictures. Excuse the poor quality!

4/10/11 - Mish-Mosh Sunday

Today was a pretty busy day around our house. The girls didn’t sleep well last night. It seems like Olivia has been having bad dreams or something, because she wakes up yelling or crying a lot. Sometimes she’s not even really awake. It’s weird, and kind of scary. She is teething…one of her 2nd molars is FINALLY out (hopefully the rest aren’t far behind), so that could be bothering her too. Amelia had a pretty rough day. I got a good peek into her mouth today and there is a nice big hole next to her current tooth, so tooth #2 should be popping out any time now. Hopefully she’ll be a happier camper then!

In the end, we were all up pretty early today. That wasn’t so fun. But, the sun was shining and it was actually HOT today, not just warm, HOT. Christian took the plastic off all the windows and we opened some up and finally started airing out our sick-germ-filled house. YAY. To be honest, it got so warm in the house the thought of turning the air on did cross my mind. Only in Minnesota are you wearing winter coats complaining about the winter that won’t end one day, and considering air conditioning the next. Ha. We did end up surviving without the air, and once the sun started setting, it cooled off and it was just perfect!

I finished laundry…all the clothes, all the bedding, so that should help with some of the germs too. I managed to get the girls’ clothes packed up for daycare and get everything else put away. I took down Amelia’s bassinet…away to storage it goes! We were actually able to get them to take a nap, at the same time, in the room together today, so we’re making progress people! I also managed to get all of the dishes washed and the kitchen cleaned up. I was on fire!

Christian took Olivia and Chuy outside to play for a while, and then later took Olivia over to his parents’ house for dinner. I was supposed to go too, but there was just too much to do…I wasn’t expecting to lose 3 days this week to illness, so the chores sure stacked up! Amelia was attached to my hip today, which was exhausting enough, let alone all the chores!

Speaking of Amelia…she can officially stand herself up from sitting, unassisted! Seriously, you have to see it. It’s so funny to see her tiny little self standing up like a big girl. The best part is she’ll look at you; waiting in anticipation for cheers and clapping, then laughs her butt off when you do praise her. Even better, Olivia runs over and says “soooooo big” and praises her too, which is too cute for words. Amelia is getting better and better at cruising the furniture, and just getting more mobile each day. I’m really wondering if we’ll have steps before she turns 9 months!

So, that was pretty much our days. Lots of cleaning and chores and not so fun stuff. Today’s picture is of our little beggar, sneaking a bite or two of Olivia’s lunch.