Monsters aren't Scary

It’s not often that I wake up craving something green. Usually, the cravings are more of a golden brownish color – as in a smooth, freshly roasted cup of coffee.  This weekend was different.  I woke up with a big, green, googly eyed monster in mind! 

I needed some fast fruits and veggies in my life. It's been awhile since I made one, but I can’t think of a better way to get a lot in at once other than with a Green Monster.

I did a little research on the history of these nutrient dense, appetite satisfying smoothies, and I believe the original Green Monster and the name came from Angela who blogs at Oh She Glows! Since then there have been hundreds of variations and recipes created.

When I first started making these, I didn’t follow one recipe exactly, I just threw in what I liked, pressed blend, and hoped for the best.

I don’t always make it exactly the same, and honestly, any fruit or veggie you prefer would probably be just fine thrown into the mix. Trust me. These drinks have power and will make you feel oh so good! Tony and Kristen are hooked. My parents are at least thinking green thoughts and about trying a monster. William, on the other hand, is a lost cause I’m afraid. He won’t even kiss me while I’m drinking one. Ha! A little dramatic, don’t you think? :)

Wills watched me while I made this one at Sissy and Tony's house.

Usually, I fill the blender up with two handfuls of spinach, freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice (juice in a carton is fine too), a banana, 5 or so frozen strawberries, 1/2 to 3/4 a cup of fat free plain yogurt, and a handful of ice cubes.

I’ve been known to add half of an Amazing Grass Packet every now and then.  Not always.  Only when I'm feeling extra brave around the monsters.  This is legal, Tony.  They sell them at Earth Fare.  Inside.  Not out back, behind the building.  Uncle Tone likes to joke about my Amazing Grass.  We’re friends, so it’s okay.  It’s just to add an extra punch of weird, granola girl, superfoods (think Organic Alfalfa, Spirulini, Barley Grass, Acai, Beets, Raspberries, and Oat Fiber) that Yogi’s, health nuts, or wanna-bes, like me, eat. 

I wouldn't add a chocolate Amazing Grass to a Green Monster.  I would go with berry or regular flavor, but I'm all out.  I save chocolate for a banana, milk and peanut butter smoothie.  I just wanted to post a picture of what the packets look like.

Delicious.  Refreshing.  Energizing.  Clean. 

Not Scary.

Sneaking in a Nap

You know how we love Fridays!

I’m living in a catch 22.  I want Fridays to hurry so I can be home with my boys, yet I want the days and weeks to go by slowly, so Wills doesn’t grow up too fast.  It’s a dilemma. 

It was all about family last night.  And oysters!  Yeah, baby!

Unfortunately, William had to miss out on the fun.  He’s with his friend Jay seeing Widespread at the Tabernacle.  He’s holding on to this piece of his youth by a thread, but he’s holding tight.  I told you he loves live music.

I ran to the grocery store after work and picked up a few ingredients to make Blue Cheese Bacon Dip.  I wanted to contribute to the night's festivities, so I searched my cookbooks for the perfect dish to impress.  I found this one courtesy of Southern Living. 

Groceries in hand, I walked in the door and started cooking  fell asleep.  Oops.  My mom had Wills, and I took advantage of the time by taking a nap.  I had all intentions of carrying a warm, flavorful dip inside of Sissy's house.  Instead, I carried in the bag of groceries.  

I immediately fed my little boy that I hadn't seen all day, and my mom and sister had to put together the dip that I was planning to cook and was excited to share.  Oh well.  The cost of a nap is pretty high these days.

I did get them to take a few pictures while they worked.  Thanks, Mom and Sissy.

They cooked the bacon, drained it, and sauteed the garlic in the skillet.

After the cream cheese (2 packages) was soft, they put it in a bowl, added a 1/3 cup of half and half and stirred it until it was smooth.

Then stirred in the bacon, blue cheese, garlic, and chives.

They put it in a baking dish and baked it on 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

We topped it with toasted walnuts and served it with crackers.  It was rich, savory and went perfectly with my glass of Cabernet. 

After our appetizers, we feasted on steamed and fried oysters.  They were perfect!

My sweet parents brought the oysters home fresh from Land's End. 

 

Surprise!

Finding a crab in your oyster is supposedly good luck if you eat it.  I tried.  Really, I did.  Who wouldn't want a little luck on their side? 

But I couldn't do it.  The slimy oysters (which I happen to love) are enough of a food adventure for me.

This was Tony's plate by the end of the night.  He loves oysters!

Definitely fist pump worthy.

This was the perfect way to celebrate the end of a work week.  I love my family!



Oops

Wait!  I've made a mistake.  And I'm so glad I did because it makes me feel much better about the normalcy, or lack there of, that I wrote about yesterday.  Forgive me, the first month after Wills was born was a bit of a blur, but I did manage to get my haircut.  Remember, I saw Santa!  How could I have forgotten?  And sweet Tony gave me a gift certificate for a pedicure which I promptly used the very next week.  Shoow.  That was close.  I feel much more put together this morning, my toes and hair have been pampered. :)  But, it is still time to make another appointment. 

4 Months

I can hardly believe my baby boy is 4 months old. He is growing and changing so much. I love being his mom and feel beyond lucky that God picked me for this job.

I took Wills to his 4 month well visit yesterday. William was working, and thanks to Gammy, I didn’t have to brave the 4 month shots alone. However, Wills was brave enough for all of us. He did so well!

This big boy weighs 15 lbs and 14 ounces. He is in the 75th percentile for his weight. He is 26 ¾ inches long and in the 90th percentile for height. Big surprise, right? His head circumference is 17 ½ inches and is the 75th percentile.

Here are a few more updates I want to remember.  I know these details may not be of interest to many, but this is a good place for me to record Wills' milestones. 

At four months, Wills is rolling over every night. We put him in his sleep sack, place him on his back and he immediately squirms to the side of the crib and ends up on his stomach. It makes me a little nervous, but I check on him frequently, and make sure his head is to the side. The doctor assured me that if he can’t breathe, he is strong enough to lift his head and reposition until he can. He goes to sleep around 8:30 without any crying or fussing. But he still wakes up once or twice a night. It’s hard to tell if he is always hungry at these times. As of now, we aren’t making him cry himself back to sleep. I am going upstairs and feeding him for a few minutes. That may change soon, as we really try to monitor his hunger and nursing during these times.

He is taking four, six ounce bottles a day and one full nursing plus his few minutes of nursing during the night. I am giving him 4-6 ounces of Similac Sensitive formula a day. Because of his weight, the doctor said we can go ahead with rice cereal, once a day, if we would like. She wants us to give him only rice cereal for about a month before introducing any vegetables.

He still loves to stand up, swing, talk, and play on his gym and exersaucer.

He is becoming more and more interested in his books.

His facial expressions are priceless. I wish I could capture all of them on camera.

He grabs on necklaces, hair, shirts, our lips, anything he can get his little fingers around. If he can get it to his mouth, that’s where it goes. He’s starting to notice Finn more and just stares at him. He loves the guitar and all music. We bought a new mobile that plays 20 minutes of classical music, in hopes that it would help with our middle of the night feedings. The first mobile I bought was from Pottery Barn and was more for looks because it plays about 60 seconds of music. Plus you have to wind it up making more noise than necessary for the middle of the night. The new one has a remote control, so we can try not to disturb the little boy and hope he will go back to sleep on his own. We will see.

I’ve said it before, but we are thoroughly enjoying being parents and life is pretty great at our house.  Great?  Yes.  Normal? Not quite. I hate to admit, but if I’m being honest, since Wills was born we’ve only been together at church on Christmas Eve, I haven’t gotten my hair cut, eyebrows waxed, or a pedicure once (the horror!), grocery shopping is an event that requires a scheduled time when Wills is at home with a family member, a full night’s sleep hasn’t happened in seven months or so (I didn’t sleep much in my third trimester and definitely not through the night in the last four months), I haven’t had much more than a single glass of wine at one time, I have strong arms (which I haven’t had since my softball days – this boy is heavy and his car seat in on another level), I haven’t bought a single article of clothing for myself which I’m sure William appreciates but is definitely not normal, and our weekly Mexican visits are pretty non-existent. Life isn’t quite back to normal, and I don’t think it ever will be, but we are continuing to learn to be flexible and, simply put, go places with our baby and all the gear that goes with him. :)  I believe his stint in the hospital scared us, set us back a little, and made us extra careful parents. 

But we do need some more normalcy, not only for us, but so our little boy will learn to adapt and be flexible with new places and experiences.  So, here’s to beginning the journey towards eating more chips and salsa, shopping the grocery aisles, visiting dressing rooms (don’t tell William), and hearing Greg, our pastor, preach, all with Wills in tow.

It could be worse.  At least we realize this at 4 months and not 4 years.  :)

                                              

                                      Wills at 4 days old and 4 months old.

Perspective

My worries are nothing.  Petty, really.  My stress is trivial.  I feel guilty for even thinking I've had a "bad" day.  In the blink of an eye life is put into perspective.  I'm counting my blessings extra loud and long today.  Actually, at this moment, I am dwelling on the gifts God has given me.  My heart is heavy for sweet friends and their unexpected losses.  I can't even imagine.  Tonight, I will pray a little longer for those friends, squeeze my boys a little harder, savor my time with my family, and toss my worries into the night sky.  I'm done wasting my thoughts on things that don't matter, frustrations that are insignificant, and gripes that are silly.  It's time to savor the goodness of each day, stop sweating the small stuff, and enjoy the fullness of this fragile life.

Quick and Easy

You should make this soon.  Like tonight.  It was the perfect quick and easy recipe, thanks to Real Simple Magazine.  I added the sausage because William doesn't like dinners that don't have any meat. 

Seriously, try it.

The refrigerated ravioli is the secret. 

I layered the sauce, ravioli, sausage and cheese. 

I had all intentions of adding the spinach, until I checked the date.  It was a little old.  I may have gone ahead with it and risked it all, but it was minutes after William asked, "how much spinach are you going to use?"  Clearly he meant, I don't like the idea of spinach being in there.  Please don't use too much.  He got lucky that the "best used by" date was a few months ago.

I baked it, covered with tinfoil, on 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Then baked it uncovered for 10 minutes until the cheese was bubbly.

It was delicious.  Not as good as the Pioneer Woman's lasagna, but it uses half the ingredients, and most of them were already in my fridge and pantry. 

Three cheers for easy dinners!  And the Patriots!

Hot Date

William and I had a great time last night!  It was nice to be together, just the two of us. 

His and her drinks.

We vote Mellow Mushroom as having the BEST pizza.  This was delicious!

We loved the bluegrass band!  These musicians were so incredibly talented.  William always has an appreciation for this musicianship, and tonight I experienced what he always talks about.

We came home to a little boy who still doesn't want to sleep during the night, so we are having a lazy, rainy Saturday.  Perfect for snuggling.  :)  

Bluegrass Fun

We’re off, we’re off, we’re off to see the wizard. The wonderful wizard of oz…

Not really. But I sing silly songs to Wills all the time, and this one fit!  Or close enough.

It's Friday, and William and I are off…not to see the wizard. But to see an acoustic show at the Imperial Theatre (after I take a power nap with my baby that recently likes to eat all night). We have tickets to see the bluegrass band Mountain Heart with Tony Rice. I have no idea who they are. Ha! Or what they really do. But, William LOVES live music and especially at charming, historic little venues like the Imperial Theatre. So, we’re off. 

Our sweet little boy is home with Dede. And this mom and dad are looking spiffy without any traces of spit-up, headed to Mellow Mushroom for a cocktail, and going to enjoy some finger picking. I think that’s what you call it?

Pictures tomorrow.  Happy Friday!

Sleep? What's that?

It’s been one of those days…and nights.

You know the ones where you need your coffee in hand all. day. long.

Wills has been a little fussy lately, which is abnormal because he rarely cries. His cheeks are flushed, and he is spitting up more frequently. He doesn’t have any fever. Trust me. I’ve taken his temperature. A lot. I took him to the doctor, yesterday, and of course, that little rascal smiled and cooed at the doctor the whole time. I’m sure she thinks I’m crazy. It was a pretty unproductive trip, other than the fact that she checked his ears – they are fine. And his mouth – not teething, yet. She changed his formula, again, which I don’t think is too much of the problem since he is only taking 2-4 ounces of formula a day. Needless to say, my cranky little angel was awake most of the night. Maybe he’s going through a growth spurt and is extra hungry? Or, maybe he misses his swaddle? Or maybe, like his mom, he misses the beach? Who knows.

So, it’s one of those coffee drinking, chocolate eating, omelet for dinner, deep breath, need a nap, praying for the weekend kind of days.

Working off of about five hours of sleep I think I still managed to pull together the five major food groups for a quick and simple dinner: a cheese and mushroom omelet, orange juice, and an english muffin. 

TGIF.  Almost.

22 Ways to Know You’re a New Mom…

***I kept this running list until about week 8 of Wills’ life. I planned on posting it, but somehow it was lost in the shuffle. With each new day we’ve learned so much and continuously adjusted to life with a baby and as new parents. A lot has changed since then (I’m out of my pajamas, at least thinking about exercising, and we've taken quite a few cute family pictures), but I want to remember what life was like at that point.

Warning: Skip this post if you’re not interested in all things baby.
1. You do more laundry than you ever have before, and none of it is yours.

2. Your camera is your new prized possession. You can’t live without it.

3. You’ve heard and said the word nipple more times than you care to think of. Now you’re quite comfortable with it. We’re talking about the kind that go on the bottles.

4. Regardless of the time of day, if you’re at home, you’re in your pajamas.

5. You would rather eat all day and not lose a pound to make sure you make enough milk to feed your little one.

6. You would really like to take pictures as a family but you don’t have time to get dressed or look cute.

7. Waiting on the baby’s sweet noises and coos is better anticipation than sitting on the edge of your seat in a great movie or watching the plot thicken in a bestselling novel.

8. You worry. A lot.

9. You would rather hold and stare at your baby all day long than do anything else.

10. You watch TV all night long…on the baby video monitor.

11. Your husband, who didn’t care for coffee before, now drinks it every morning. And sometimes all day long.

12. Your Foodie Blog resembles more of a Baby Blog.

13. Instead of reading Shape, Self and People Magazine, you squeal in excitement when Parenting Magazine and Pottery Barn Kids arrives in the mail.

14. You have a box of hospital wrist bands, dried flowers, and every card you received the day he was born. You can’t seem to throw anything away.

15. You get up an hour earlier to get ready for work, and you still can’t get out of the door on time.

16. You stare in complete wonder of the fact that you and your husband made a person, and he grew inside of you. You try, daily, to wrap your mind around the miracle of it all.

17. You check your phone constantly to see if there are any updates from whoever’s keeping the baby.

18. You haven’t exercised since your third trimester.

19. You’re already saving for college.

20. You thank God for this blessing, and pray for his safety and health, no less than five times a day.

21. You used to spend money on cute clothes for yourself. Now you shop for cute baby clothes.

22. You’re in love. A new kind of love.  Like never before. And it feels really great.

***Even though a lot has changed, have no fear, we are still doing a lot of laundry, talking about nipples, drinking coffee, trying not to worry as much, reading Parenting magazines, thanking God, and much more from this list! Some things change, but some things stay exactly the same!

Quiet Moments

Exactly what a weekend should be.



I had a great time relaxing with my mom and Wills while William, Mr. Kenny, and my dad worked on the bunk house aka “the man cave” at the beach. They made a lot of progress towards finishing the room, and we are looking forward to having the extra space.

I’ve waited what feels like an eternity for sweet potato biscuits, and I had some this weekend! Thanks, Mom! They were delicious.

Wills is such a good little traveler, making our weekend runs to Land’s End a breeze. He slept the entire time there and back. We are so lucky.

Although William worked most of the weekend, we snuck away for a little time together on the dock. Words cannot explain the serenity of the moment. The sun was setting in the distance, creating the most beautiful purples and reds in the sky. A lone pelican was searching and diving for his dinner. Other than his plunges into the water, there wasn’t a ripple to be seen. The air was completely silent. It’s not every day, with 100 twelve year olds and a 3 month old baby, that I witness quiet like that. It was nice. Spending a few simple moments with my husband, overlooking the vastness of the ocean, soaking in the last minutes of the day’s sunlight, was exactly the way I wanted my weekend to end.

Today, when the rush of the day is underway, the demands seem overwhelming, and the to-do list grows, or my husband’s job site is robbed (yes, that happened last night) I will take a deep breath, close my eyes and escape for a minute, right back to the rail of the dock, where perspective exists and life is beautiful.

Or, I will just look in these sweet eyes and count my blessings.

3 Months plus some

Just a few updates I want to remember…

We are halfway between three and four months. Sorry I am just getting around to posting this picture. Wills turned 3 months old on Christmas Day!

This is probably too much information, but we go through A LOT of outfits these days, especially in the mornings. Wills has MAJOR blowouts, and by blowouts, I mean everywhere. Through the pj's, swaddle, crib sheet, and on the mattress pad or your pants if you happen to be the lucky one holding him at the time. Maybe we need a lesson on how to put a diaper on correctly? Needless to say, we do a lot of laundry and a lot of changing clothes. On Christmas Eve, William and I were upstairs wrapping presents with Wills right after he ate. Before 8 am, we were on outfit number three and had already given the little stinker (ha!) a bath. What a morning!

I’ve known the swaddle was going to need to be put away very soon, and I’ve been dreading it. From the very beginning Wills has loved being swaddled and is immediately comforted when we wrap him tightly. We’ve tried leaving one arm out during nap time and not had much success. His arms wake him up within 30 minutes or so. I haven’t witnessed him roll from back to front, yet, so I thought we had a few more weeks. I was wrong. I woke up Thursday morning to find my sweet boy on his stomach in the crib with both arms still swaddled. His face was to the side, but I still panicked for a minute and immediately rolled him to his back. He, of course, was fine, until I did this. But, as of last night we are swaddle free and doing okay. Now if he turns over, he at least has him arms free to help him get comfortable and not face down. It took him a little longer to put himself to sleep kicking and squirming with arms going everywhere, but I am hopeful that he will get the hang of it quickly.

Wills is taking about 2-3 ounces of Gerber Gentle formula at night. We started with Similac Advanced and that didn’t seem to sit too well on his stomach. He is doing fine with the new formula. I, on the other hand, am doing better than I was with it. I was disappointed that I had to supplement this early, but my baby is BIG, and he eats a lot, and going back to work doesn’t allow me to keep up with him completely. More than anything, I am thankful that I can still breastfeed and that he only needs 2 to 3 ounces of formula a day. I mix it in with his night time bottle.

Like I said, Wills is a big boy. He is wearing 6-9 month clothes and in size 2 diapers. We go to the doctor later this month for his 4 month checkup, and I will post his weight and height stats then.

All this boy wants to do is stand up! Although I’ve mastered doing a lot of things with one hand, the laundry, loading the dishwasher, eating, I haven’t figured out how to hold him steady with one hand, while he is standing (putting weight on his legs), and take a picture with the other hand. I don’t think I will try, but I will get William to take a picture of this soon.

Ashleigh Dees Photography did Wills’ three month pictures, and I love them!

As far as toys go, he is not as thrilled with his gym as before, and his legs get stuck in his bumbo seat because he is so big. He is getting much better interacting with the toys on his Frog ExerSaucer that Aunt Sissy and Uncle Tone gave him. He still LOVES music and is starting to like books more and more. He also loves bath time and mornings. And eating, of course.

We’ve noticed, from the beginning, that he favors turning his head to the left. We are working on neck exercises and stretching to the right. He seems to be doing better.

At first Wills started with a few coos and grunts, but now…he talks all the time! If he’s awake, there’s a good chance he is making noises. When he starts to get sleepy, he will get pretty quiet, but other than that he likes to talk. He moves his tongue in and out of his mouth like he is learning to make different sounds. We try to have a conversation with him. I talk, then he talks, when he stops I will talk again, and so on. As soon as I stop or have inflection in my voice at the end of a question, he seems to answer. It is really neat and cute watching him learn to communicate.

I am reading a lot about sign language these days. I’ve learned that babies have an instinctive need to communicate but aren’t developmentally ready with the skills they need until around their first birthday. However, studies show that they do understand language and can use sign language well before they are able to speak. It helps them to be happier babies and experience less frustration. It is also shown that over time babies who are taught sign language are better readers and have a better vocabulary. I know I am starting too early, as most babies don’t pick up on signing until 6 months or so, but I am just working on getting in the habit of using my hands while I talk to him. It can’t hurt. So far we sign eat, milk, mom, dad, diaper, bedtime, kisses, hugs, more, want, and thank you. I hope he picks up on it and it helps him with vocabulary and communicating in the future. If nothing else, I am enjoying learning about it.

A lot has changed, on the outside, over the past 3 ½ months. I now have a handsome, squirming, hungry three month old attached to me. My schedule is different all day and night long.  Our house is different with passies on every table, bottles filling the dishwasher, and burp pads hanging out over the couch.  My body is different.  Packing to go on a trip is definitely different.  Simply put, life is different. But, something inside is different, too. I feel so incredibly blessed, happy, and more complete in my purpose than ever before. Is being a mom a challenge? Yes! Every single day. Would I have it any other way? Not in a million years! After years of searching, I finally have my dream job.