One year difference

Look at the difference of a year. Last year he was the size of a pomegranate and now he is the cutest little 7 month old ever! 

First Easter

Yesterday was George First Easter! He was just adorable in his little Easter outfit! 

Nonna bought him this adorable little hat. 

One Year Later

One year ago we found out we were having a boy. This year we are enjoying our little man! He is just the cutest little thing ever. He has brought us so much joy. 

Wordless Wednesday

Disney on Ice

If you need a fun Valentine gift for your kids don't forget to purchase Disney on Ice tickets up to 40% off!!!  A fun evening out with your kids instead of giving them a bunch of Valentine candy to get them all hyper. =)

Purchase Disney on Ice tickets for 40% off Monday thru Friday and 20% off Saturday & Sunday with the offer code MOM with the link below! 

http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/m3gvbh

Disney on Ice

I Purchase Disney on Ice tickets for 40% off Monday thru Friday and 20% off Saturday & Sunday with the offer code MOM with the link below! 

http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/m3gvbh

Changed

In July 2011 I decided it was time to lose some weight. I did 3-4 rounds of the HCG diet. People are very critical of that diet. For me it worked. I shed a lot of weight. It kept me motivated to see the daily results. Through it I learned how I needed to eat. I learned about calories, processed foods, exercise, and that sugar is the devil. 

It is crazy to me to look back on pictures. The picture in purple was taken Super Bowl Sunday 2010. I still feel like that same person. Unless I see pictures I don't think anything has changed in 5 years. I should have saved a pair of jeans from those days. On days I feel huge I should put those on to make me realize I'm no longer that person. 

Happy Monday! 

5 months old

5 months ago my life completely changed! It has been the best 5 months of my life!  

Chemicals

I had someone tell me recently I shouldn't vaccinate G because of the chemicals. This person doesn't vaccinate their kids. My response - do you watch everything your family eats too?  I knew they didn't. We are concerned about chemicals in vaccines, but no one thinks about chemicals in the food they consume daily. I'm going to take my chances with vaccines while I try to feed my child the cleanest foods possible.

Miracles

He put on a little show today while running errands with his screaming. A guy at Target commented he had strong lungs lol

When we came home he sat in his high chair laughing hysterical while I talked to him.  

I had a good life before G. Life after G is priceless! 

People couldn't understand why we kept trying to have a baby and why we would suffer through miscarriage after miscarriage without giving up. See that sleeping baby...I knew one day he would find us. In my heart I always believe we would get our miracle! 

DIY Buffalo Plaid Pants

I found some cute buffalo plaid pants for G online. They wanted $20 for a pair. I started searching online during one of my middle of the night nursing sessions and found 2 yards of fabric for $8 at Joann Fabrics! B-I-N-G-O

I used a pair of his Gap pants as a pattern. 

I had leftover black knit fabric I've been holding onto since I cut off a dress. Perfect! It took me about an hour & fourty-five minutes to make 1 simple pair of pants. Life with a baby triples every project =)

here is his little outfit all completed! How cute is he going to look in this outfit?!?!?! He is taking a MUCH needed nap, so pictures of him later wearing his new outfit!! 

Happy 3 Months George!

The little man turned 3 months old last Saturday!!!  He wanted to pull the tie sticker off his shirt the entire time. 

Here are some of the things he is doing now:

Giggles

Follows people with his eyes

Watches tv

Laughs & talks to the dog 

Sleeps in his crib

Slept 6 hours straight 

Blows bubbles

Sits and looks at pictures of himself 

Loves when I read to him 

Loves to sit in his bumbo

- sits in it at dinner laughing & talking to us

- sits while Nonna does her hair & make up. The Bumbo is on the toilet lol

He won't watch all tv shows. He likes Ellen and Dude You're Screwed. He will be 3 years old & know how to survive if he is lost in the woods lol When he watches tv he is glued to it. I try not to let him watch it for more than a few minutes. Then I try to play with him or talk to him. We do not want a tv addicted at 3 months! 

We started putting him in his crib 2 days before he turned 3 months. He slept 5 hours straight, ate and then 3 hours. The next 2 nights he slept 6 hours, ate and 2 hours. Sunday night he slept 7 hours, ate and 2 hours. Last night he was up every 2 hours. Ugh. I thought we had a great thing going. He sleeps much better in his crib than anywhere else. I was worried it would take up months to get him to sleep in there. 

I returned to work last week part time for the month of December. I'm sooooo glad I asked about part time to ease back in. I hate leaving him, but it wasn't as hard as I thought. It also helps I know he is in great hands. 

He knows who momma is!  Once I get home he screams if Art or my mom want to hold him. On the weekends when we are all here all day he lets everyone hold him. In the evenings he pretty much just wants me. I'm not complaining at all =)

We are just loving life with this little guy!!!! 

Sammy

One night when I feeding the baby Sammt got out of his bed, laid on my spot, looked at me & went to sleep lol. Crazy dog!  

Waiting for someone to throw his toy! 

Sammy learned early on when we take pictures there could be a flash, so he started closing his eyes when he saw a camera. The first time I put George in him he jumped away. This time he sat there for awhile with George on his back. He is getting use to George. 

He comes up to George daily and smells him. Sammy doesn't like it when George cries. If we aren't by the baby he will come get one of us. If we have George Sammy stands by us until he stops crying. 

Baby OOTD

The majority of George clothes have been bought for him by others or hand me downs. I have maybe bought him 10 outfits for newborn through 18 months. He is one lucky well dressed baby. 

Shirt: Carters

Jacket: Target

Pants: Carters

Shoes: Zulily

Shirt: Carters

Overalls: Gymboree

Blue Button Up: Babies R Us

Sweatshirt & Pants: Carters

Shoes: Old Navy

Outfit: Carters
Bib: Gymboree

Shoes: Jane.Com

Outfit: Babies R Us

Saturday of First

On Saturday we took little George to the farmers market for the first time. He was so impressed he slept through the entire trip. He then proceeded to sleep for 2 hours while we went to Lowes and Target. We were able to go quickly and get lots done. I couldn't believe he slept getting moved in and out of the car numerous times. 

I love going to the farmers market to buy lots of yummy veggies. We bought some salmon too. We had it on Sunday. Boy was it yummy!!!  I put a mixture of mayo and oyster sauce along with mushrooms over the top of the salmon. Super delish! 

Creamy Potato Soup

I found this recipe here, but I made changes for it to work for me and the ingredients we had in the house. This has become our new favorite potato soup recipe! 

Creamy Potato Soup
Roux ingredients: 4 T flour, 2 T buter, 2 T olive oil (made separately then added to soup)
Soup ingredients:2 T butter
2 T olive oil
3 stalks celery (chopped)
3 carrots (chopped) or 1 cup of baby carrots
1 small yellow onion (diced)
4 C chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups half & half
2 T chicken bouillon
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
1 T parsley flakes
3 bay leaves
1/4 t turmeric
1/4 t garlic
5-6 medium size potatoes

Directions:

1. Make the Roux first in a separate pan. Melt olive oil and butter in a saucepan. Sprinkle flour over top and whisk together until smooth and bubbly. It should only take a few minutes. Set aside. If you wanted to make gluten free you can use a corn starch or gluten free type of flour. 

2. In a dutch oven, or large soup pot, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat.

3. Add vegetables and sauté until softened. 

4. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the roux, and bring to a boil. I don't add the potatoes until this point otherwise they get mushy. Make sure to stir every few minutes to keep the milk from scalding.

5. Once boiling, turn down to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Taste test and add more salt or seasonings. Remember flavors develop over time, so don’t over do it!

Adventures in Nursing

My goal was to breast feed for the first year. When I was pregnant I told my mom if it didn't work out I wouldn't be horribly upset. Well fast forward to a hormonal woman who just had a baby and struggling to breast feed.....it became a big deal. The first 5 weeks of breast feeding was horribly hard. First there was the jaundice struggle for about 3 weeks. In & out of the hospital, trying to feed him as much & often as we could to get that jaundice out of his system, latch issues, porn size boobs, a baby who refused to nurse, sore nipples and the list continues. 

In the hospital I breast fed as much as I could the first couple days. We had to supplement at first because his sugar was too low. Then we had to supplement because he had jaundice really bad. I tried to keep him under the lights as much as possible when he was in the NICU, so we could go home. I would pump and feed him under the lights. My goal was to get my little man better as soon as possible. 

When my milk came in the poor little guy couldn't latch on at all. My boobs were just enormous. We had a doctors appointment a day after my milk came in. I showed the lactation consultant what I was dealing with. Immediately she said there is no way you can breast feed without a nipple shield. Well that was a game changer right there. It really helped us for a few days.  Then I got a lazy baby. He had been bottle fed so much he only wanted a bottle. The milk came much faster and he didn't have to work to eat. He had been through so much already at this point I just gave him a bottle. When it came time to nursing he would scream bloody murder. My mom thought I was being dramatic when I told her how he would act. Well she saw it first hand and couldn't believe it. 

The first 5 weeks of his life I tried to nurse. I would fight him as much as I could to get him to latch. Some days I just didn't feel like fighting. I was going through a lot with my health, numerous tests and a lot of stress for me. Nursing was just one battle I didn't want to keep fighting, so I pumped. He received pumped breast milk for his feedings. 

Pumping takes A LOT of time. I would pump 20 minutes, feed the baby, change diapers and an entire hour would pass. I was spending 3-4 hours a night just feeding. I was EXHAUSTED. 

At 5 weeks a light bulb went off and the little guy started nursing. He latched right now and nursed for an entire day until 6pm. At 6pm he screamed his head off for a bottle. I fought him a little bit then gave him a bottle. I figured if I only had to give one bottle that was a big improvement. I noticed if he had more than one bottle a day he really fought me on nursing. 

We are now going on week 9 and I have been nursing exclusively for 4 weeks. I pump 1-2 times a day just to keep my supply up. I save 1 bottle for outings just in case I can't find a place to nurse. It really is a shame how there is no where to nurse your child. If you nurse in public you get looks. I also give him a bottle when we go to church. I find it much easier to just bottle feed him a bottle once on Sunday. Sometimes I can feed him during the service and I don't have to miss anything. Other times I go to the cry room to finish feeding him. 

Public places need to have mothers rooms with a changing table and a place to nurse. A lot of places don't even have a changing table. The things you find out when you become a mother. 

I made a list the other day of places I have now nursed. I just whip it out if the little guy needs to eat. I try to stay covered the best I can, but if something peeks out oh well. This is nature people!

Movies
Chiropractor office
Old Navy fitting room
Babies R Us mothers room
Target parking lot
Nordstrom mothers room

My goal is still the same to nurse until he is a year old. I was ready to give up during the first 5 weeks and give him formula. I have tried about 5 different types of formula. Each one he gets sick from it. Either he gets really gassy, pukes, or fussy. Luckily I have enough breast milk in the freezer to help when I go back to work. 

Halloween

Little George was a policeman for Halloween. The poor little guy had a terrible first Halloween. He had a really bad tummy ache and cried all day long. Finally around 7pm it went away and he was able to go trick or treating. I wanted to get some pictures of him with the pumpkin, but that didn't happen. I barely got the couple pictures of him in his costume. 

Handing out candy with daddy

Wordless Wednesday

Menu Monday - Eating Clean

Last week we started having eating more clean foods. No processed foods. In one week Art lost 6 pounds. It wasn't even a diet. I do get jealous how easy it is for men to lose weight. Art didn't even restrict as much stuff as me and he lost twice as much weight as me. I counted calories and restricted more foods. The nice thing about eating clean is that if you are hungry you just eat something. I tried to limit my calories between 1500-1800. I wasn't super strict on the calories since I am nursing. Some days I ate 1500 and others 1750.  I really noticed a difference in how I felt as far as feeling less bloated, more energy, cravings went away some and less fatigue. I still want some type of sugar each day. I am going to work on cutting that out completely this week. No M&M's or cookies etc. 

Last week I cooked ahead to put food in the fridge for us to heat up. I cooked up some chicken, ground beef, couscous, farro, roasted veggies, cup up fresh veggies. This really helped me make better choices during the day. I have to grab food when I can with a little baby. 

For breakfast I made an egg and a piece of toast. I would have a smoothie as a mid morning snack. Lunch I would have a carb, veggies and protein. Usually I made a bowl of some sort - farro, chicken, and roasted veggies. I would mix it all together, heat it in the microwave and eat it while I fed the baby. It worked out really well. 

I pack breakfast & lunch for Art to take with him each morning. Neither of us eat breakfast at home. We eat once we are at work. It is just much easier for us. We rush around in the morning to get to work and then eat while we check email. Art likes to eat cottage cheese with fruit for breakfast. His lunch I would make him a burrito bowl - couscous, ground beef, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and avocado. I sent cut up fresh veggies and ranch for him to snack on. He came home eat night feeling full instead of starving. One day I made him eggs for breakfast, changed up the lunches with a salad or farro with a protein. 

This week we are going to keep going with the clean eating. I will continue to make the same breakfast for us. Lunches I am planning to make tuna to put on a salad, taco salad (meatless) using beans, brown rice, farro, chicken, roasted - zucchini, onion, brussel sprouts, turnips, yams. I really love farro! 

Dinner:
Burrito Bowls
Chicken & roasted veggies
Steak & sweet potatoes
Cuban Pork Chops, brown rice and a veggie
A lot of places are offering a free meal for Veterans Day, so we will go out for dinner. I told Art we could go to 3 places for each meal on Tuesday to take advantage of all the free stuff. lol 
Breakfast - Starbucks is giving away a free coffee, Krispy Kreme a free donut and small coffee, iHop red, white and blue pancakes. 
Lunch & Dinner - Texas Road House, Hooters, Applebees, Red Robin are all offering free meals or a discount. 

I am going to keep trying to plan ahead with our meals, so we continue to eat healthy and lose weight. Most importantly I want us to eat healthy. I want little George to eat healthy from a young age. My goal is to keep as much processed food away from him as possible. Right now he is getting what I eat, so I need to avoid processed foods.