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7.29.2011

7 Months

Happy 7 months to my sleeping baby! Well... technically I'm a day late since I'm posting this at almost 2am the day AFTER her 7 month birthday! So, yesterday was a trying day in Boogie Land... she was cranky and tired for a good portion of the day, but luckily she napped and was a little bit chipper in the afternoon! I can't believe she's getting so big, it's insane how quickly these past 7 months have flown by. I haven't weighed her yet but I'm sure she's almost, if not already, 18 lbs. She's pulling up (on whatever she can grab... meaning my pants, my HAIR, my legs, my hands... whatever is within reach), trying to figure out how to sit herself up and pull herself BACK into a sitting position when she falls over onto her hands (like sitting, but leaning on her hands to the side). She's saying "ma ma ma ma ma" and "na na na na na" and occasionally she'll say "da da" and "ne ne ne ne ne", but those are few and far between compared to the "ma ma's" and "na na's". She gets more beautiful every day, and just think... it a short 5 months we'll be celebrating Christmas and my princess's first birthday!

(We took 7 month pics today but I can't get them to upload... but these are from the day before yesterday... so technically she's 6 months, but it's close enough!)

See... she gets stuck like this and gets ticked!


This is her growly face...


Pulling up on me.


Grabbing the camera.


LOVE her!

7.25.2011

Life Flies By!

It's ridiculous really how quickly time flies... Boogie will be 7 months old on Thursday. Yikes! I've been trying to think of some good ideas for her 7 month pictures but I'm not having any luck. Any ideas from my readers?

Sleeping hasn't gotten any better, she didn't nap at all today, so from 10:30am when she woke up until 8:00pm when she finally went to sleep she went back and forth between happy and cranky. I have a feeling she'll be crawling VERY soon, I've heard that when our little one's struggle with sleep like this it means they're getting ready for a BIG milestone... so we'll see! I'm in trouble when she's mobile though!

Didn't have much to post tonight... just wanted to post a little something :)


7.24.2011

MIA for a few days...

Or a tleast until this lack of sleep thing stops :(

Boogie is struggling with nighttime sleep now... it wasn't even this bad when she was a newborn! I've heard that around 7 months a lot of babies go through this, so hopefully it's just something developmental or her teeth bothering her. We did our normal bedtime routine... bath, pj's, books, nurse, bed... but she would NOT go to sleep. It took me well over an hour to just get her to sleep initially... then she was up EVERY 30 minutes wanting to nurse and wanting to play. Finally, around 4 or so she got tired enough and went to sleep, woke around 8 to nurse again and then slept until 11. Sounds great, but I didn't sleep very heavily because I was expecting her to jault me out of my sleep ready to nurse again. Ay-yi-yi! I was super productive yesterday and got SO much done around the house... but I'm thinking today is a eat, sleep, watching Netflix day... yea, sounds good.


7.21.2011

Growing Too Fast

I know, I know... I say it all the time. Boogie's growing too fast, feels like yesterday I brought her home, she's so big... blah blah blah. Well... SHE IS. My almost 7 month old has moved up to 9-12 month sleepers. The only reason I even put one of that size on her was because we were WAY behind on laundry and she didn't have ANY sleepers or long sleeve onsies or tights clean. So I grabbed a larger one and told J that it would be too big, but it would work for now. I was wrong, it fit her perfect. My tiny little girl isn't so tiny anymore, and after seeing how she's gone through clothes the last 7 months... in about a month we'll be packing up all her 6-9 month clothing. I'm pretty sure I JUST pulled those out and hung them up. Oh Boogie!

We also are trying something new for bedtime. We had an arm's reach co-sleeper attached to our bed... which I LOVE, however, Boogie has gotten so used to sleeping in bed with us that she refused to sleep in it. I'd nurse her to sleep, make sure she was sleeping well and then transfer her to the co-sleeper and she'd be awake within in an hour or so. I don't regret having her sleep in bed with me, but I don't want transitions to her own bed later on to be super traumatic so I knew something had to be done now. So, we side-carred her crib to our bed (we turned it into the toddler day bed with the mattress raised as high as it would go so that it was basically the same height as our bed). There isn't any seperation like there was in the co-sleeper (slight ledge on it that prevented her from being able to see us) so she sleeps much better. She does wake up a few times, reach out for me and wake because I'm not as close as she's used too... but I think she's slowly realizing that we're still right here and I can definately see a difference just from last night to tonight. Once she starts REALLY sleeping through the night (meaning no dream feeds or waking at all) we will detach her crib from our bed and put the side back on. She'll still be in our room for a while... and then once she's used to that and sleeps that way for a while we'll transition her to her room. Hopefully things will go smoothly and we'll have her in her own room before we get pregnant with Baby Massey #2. We have plenty of time though, so I'm not worried!

Anyways, just thought I'd post a little update on my growing Boogie... and here's a picture of Boogie in her new pj's...



7.20.2011

Bruised but Thankful

Yesterday was going so well... despite having a restless night of sleep, Boogie fighting her naps, and just being exhausted... it was a good day. Went on a walk (through redneck valley) with my momma friend Blake and her daughter Taylor, got a good SWEATY workout in the humid hot weather, and took Boogie to see my dad before going to pick up J. So, it was a good day. Until I was leaving my parent's house, slipped on the steps outside with Boogie in my arms, diaper bag and wrap on my shoulder... somehow (actually as impossible as it seems, I KNOW how... God was there) I managed to swing Boogie in front of me without hurting her and landed on my back/side. She didn't even cry, she just looked at me like "mom... what are we doing?" I was terrified I had hurt her, terrified that I almost fell ON her, terrified that it had even happened. I didn't even realize how much pain I was in until I had packed us all up and headed to Montreat to pick up J. My foot was bleeding, my ankle was throbbing, my knee was hurting, my thigh felt like it had been to battle, my elbow was throbbing and my backside killed. I cried. And cried. When I fell, in those few seconds before touching the ground, I managed to sling Boogie's diaper bag, my wrap, my water bottle and my phone to the side and then get Boogie to safety. I landed on the diaper bag, and the only part of Boogie that touched the ground were her hands after I fell, trying to grab some rocks. Only God could have protected her, I didn't do that alone.

So, this morning I am bruised and sore, but incredibly thankful that my Father is always watching over Boogie... I am forever grateful.

7.19.2011

What a Mess, What a Glorious Mess!

At this moment there are dishes piled high in our kitchen, crumbs and stains all over the stove, all our towels and rags are dirty (hence the dirty stove), piles of dirty laundry and sorted in the living room ready to be washed, bags of outgrown clothing is scattered around Boogie's room, toys are EVERYWHERE, clothes hangers in every nook and cranny imaginable, furniture in odd places in our bedroom, and a bathroom in desperate need of some lysol. That's my house right now... it's driving me insane BUT Boogie took a nap by herself today. For 45 glorious minutes I was able to finish a load of diaper laundry, check my facebook without little hands trying to help me type, and have a snack. For 45 astonishing minutes I wasn't be yelled at in baby talk for not paying attention, listening to "where's my mommy" cries because I left the room, or lying in bed praying that she'd stay asleep long enough for me to go pee if I get up. I know it might sound trivial to you non parental figures.... but it was the best part of my day having a few minutes to take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the peace. Even better than that? For the last 15 minutes of her nap I just sat and looked at her... so peaceful, so content... and she didn't need me. Sad and exciting all at the same time! I've been praying for a breakthrough like this for her, I've been praying that she could take a small step away from me and just do something independently, and she did! It may not happen again for days, weeks, or possibly months.... but she did it today. And those 15 minutes of gazing at this beautiful little girl God knit in my womb was the best 15 minutes I spent today.

7.17.2011

Why We Do the Things We Do...

I firmly believe that once you have children everyone else forgets the filter for their brain/mouth... seriously. You'd be amazed at the questions and comments you receive when someone doesn't understand or believe in a decision or life choice you have made for your child. Not only in your day to day face to face life but even in your virtual online communities! It's insane! We are a breastfeeding, babywearing, cloth diapering, co-sleeping, baby-led weaning family... and for a lot of people some of those life choices are hard to understand. I've had comments about all of these so I'm going to explain these and some other choices as well.

Breastfeeding: I remember my mother breastfeeding my baby brother, I remember mom's nursing their babies in the nursery at church, I remember mom's breastfeeding their children at camp when I worked there... it's always been a part of my life. A small part, but it was always there... it never felt weird, it never made me feel uncomfortable, it never made me think twice about nursing my own children. I don't think formula is a bad choice, I DO think it should be the last resort, I DO think it stinks (especially when it is projectile vomited onto you... thanks Jonathan! lol), I also think some mothers use it as the easy way out. Just TRY breastfeeding, there's no harm in trying! If it makes you uncomfortable, then OK... switch to formula. If after trying everything and you don't produce enough... then OK, switch to formula. But you'll never know what it could be like if you never try! I cannot describe the joy I feel when I nurse my daughter, it's comfort, nourishment, and love to her. She drifts off to sleep nursing, she smiles when nursing, she finds comfort in nursing... why would I not want to do that for her as her mother? Another thing with breastfeeding is extended breastfeeding. A lot of people think it's gross, they find it unnatural to nurse your child for more than 6 months or a year. It's a shame that people in our society feel this way when in other parts of this world and "way back when" it was completely natural for a child to nurse til 3, 4, or even 5 years of age. I don't plan on weaning Boogie, I do plan on encouraging her to find comfort elsewhere when she hits 18 months. I have no problem nursing her until she is 2 or maybe 3... I would prefer not to because most likely I will be pregnant at some point in that time frame and I just can't fathom being as sick as I was before and nursing at the same time. I don't plan on letting her nurse whenever she wants if we reach that age, maybe before bed, maybe when she's sick, maybe when she falls down... it will be comfort above all else. And I have no shame or fear in sharing this picture of Boogie nursing. I just wish more people would stop looking at is as something sexual or gross and as a way of nourishing my child.



Babywearing:  I get almost as many comments about babywearing as I do about nursing... just in different ways. I've heard everything from "she's gonna fall out!" "she's not safe!" "are you crazy?!?!" and more! I wear my daughter because it's easy, because it's comfortable, because she likes it, because it's safe, because it keeps her close to my heart at all times. I don't have to worry about keeping the stroller in my car or lugging it around. All I need is my wrap and Boogie and I'm good to go. I can wear her on my back, against my chest, or even on my hip. She never fusses unless she's fighting sleep, and usually that only lasts for a few minutes until she's napping on me. If she becomes overstimulated in a store or at an event, all she has to do is put her face against me and rest. When she grows tired she can lean against me and close her eyes and sleep. If she wants to see the world she can hold herself up and look around and people watch... all of these things she can do while being worn. I know she is secure. I know she is safe. I know she is happy and content and that as long as she is near me and I'm near her... all is right with the world. There are bad and wrong ways to babywear though... never forward face your child, never buy a crotch dangler, never wear your child on your back in a stretchy wrap... do your research, read carefully, and educate yourself on proper babywearing!

Cloth diapering: You even mention the words cloth diaper and people give you the "ew, gross" look. ::sigh:: It's really not ANY grosser than a disposable diaper. Sometimes I think sposies are more gross! So why do we cloth diaper? Main reason? They're so stinking cute. Yea, seriously. Second reason, and the reason that swayed my hubby? Money. I have spent a total of about $600 on diapers... how much do you think 2 years of disposables would have cost us? A heck of a lot more than that! I wash diapers every other day or every 3 days depending on our schedule, poopy diapers are rinsed with the pull down shower head and sometimes with my hands (yea... and that's why we have soap and water and antibacterial gel to wash our hands.. it's really OK), and Boogie's booty stays super cute in her cloth. We have used sposies a few times, in the beginning because she was so tiny she didn't fit in any of her dipes... she started out in preemie disposables! She got a rash her first week of life in disposables! We used disposables again just before our vacation so that I could get all her diapers washed and so we wouldn't have any dirty diapers when we got there.... she got a rash then too. Well guess what... no rashes in cloth with the exception of one tiny little red spot on her bum when she pooped. And with a little bit of CJ's Butter it was gone over night. We love cloth diapers. Period. It's just a way of life now.


Co-sleeping: This one is pretty controversial... and to be honest, before I got pregnant and WHILE I was pregnant I was dead set against co-sleeping. It terrified me... I heard horror stories about it. There are safe ways to co-sleep, you just have to be smart about it and be aware of your child. The only way Boogie sleeps through the night is beside me (with the exception of the past few nights unfortunately... we are either dealing with teething or a mega growth spurt at the moment). She cuddles up next to me, periodically nurses or reaches out to me, and she is content. She wakes up every morning around 8 am, reaches out to me, plays with my lips until I wake up, smiles, and then nurses herself back to sleep. It's blissful... and then we both sleep until 10 or 11am. She never wakes up upset, she never wakes up crying for me... because I'm there. There are always smiles, coos, and laughter... and the occasional yucky diaper. That part isn't so fun I'll admit, LOL! I don't want to co-sleep forever, I do want my bed back someday... but for now I'm happy with it, J's happy with it... and Boogie is all for it as well. And believe me when I say that co-sleeping does NOT affect your intimate moments with your hubby... being parents is to blame for that ;-)

Baby-Led Weaning: The concept of BLW is that your baby learns to chew, maneuver his/her tongue, use their hands and fingers to grab, and all the wonderful tastes and textures of food. Boogie gets large sticks and chunks of food instead of pureeds, she LOVES it. So far we have tried sweet potato sticks, zucchini sticks, squash sticks, sliced apples, banana, avocado, yogurt pops, toast, carrots, green beans, peas, broccoli, wagon wheels, mango, nectarine, and plums. She has "choked" once, however I wouldn't really consider it choking because she was technically just gagging everything... however I helped her vomit to get it out. That's how they learn though... she's learning what to do with those big bites, she's learning how to chew her foods, she's learning how to hold her food.... it's a little scary for my hubby, but he's learning too. It's incredibly messy and incredibly fun... and I'm hoping that my little girl will turn into a non-picky eater as she grows!

Amber Teething Necklaces: Ugh... this is one that gets bashed a LOT on my birth board, so annoying. A lot of people consider this pseudoscience... and while they are kind of right, it doesn't mean that these don't work. If you had seen my child this past week without her necklace you would believe me when I say that these necklaces do in fact work. Now, I will say that while amber teething necklaces do work, I want to also say that they are NOT a cure all. There is still some pain when your child is teething, they will still have drool... BUT it takes a great deal of that pain and drooling away. Last week Boogie was a drooling, screaming, crying mess. This week, with her necklace, she is back to her normal self. I have every confidence in supporting these necklaces... they work.

So... there you have it. Don't like it? Oh well... Boogie's not your daughter! Want more info? Email me :)




7.16.2011

A Growth Spurt?

This time yesterday we were doing this...



Yea. Playing. And mommy was super tired. Normally, the three of us cozy up on the couch, I put on my handy dandy twin brest friend (Janelle gave it to me... hence the twin part... it's rather large but I can switch Brookie from one side to the other without adjusting lol) and nurse her to sleep while J and I watch a movie or something. She wasn't having that last night. So 9pm J goes to bed after I bounced Boogie to sleep and got comfortable in the armchair. I think things are great... I can relax, blog, maybe watch a movie before going to bed. But no... 9:15 she starts stirring, so I pop out the boob to comfort her back to sleep. She drifts off and then BAM WHAM KABOOM... she's awake again, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Doesn't want to lay down, doesn't want mommy to sit down, wants to play play play mommy! This goes on from about 9:30 to MIDNIGHT last night. So she starts rubbing her eyes, and I decide to take her to bed and turn on Buffy (my latest Netflix kick) until she falls asleep. She's out within minutes and I'm super excited! I fall asleep and it feels like minutes later she's up AGAIN. Then we repeat that process... over and over and over ALL night. It was miserable, I felt like I had a newborn again. I prayed all day that this was a fluke, that my good sleeper was still in there somewhere. She fought me a little tonight, but she went down around 9:30 in bed, so here's hoping she sleeps ALL night like her usual self!


7.15.2011

Five Question Friday

 

1. If you knew your best friend's spouse was cheating on her or him, would you tell her (him)?
Yes... in a heartbeat. I would be more hurt if someone didn't tell me that my hubby was cheating on me.

2. Soda in a can or a bottle?
Neither... I prefer fountain drinks.

3. What do you wash first, hair or body?
Face, lol!

4. What advice would you give to any new mama?
Be confident in the choices and decisions you make, don't let other's opinions falter yours.

5. What is your best hangover remedy?
To not drink... it works really well!




7.12.2011

Late Night Photo Bomb
















Freezer Cooking - Aztec Quiche

Thought I'd share one of the recipes tonight, I didn't take pictures of the food as we were cooking because... well... I was cooking (and Justin of course) a LOT! BUT, here's the recipe for Aztec Quiche...

Aztec Quiche (for reference: Once a Month Cooking p120, 8 servings)


o Ingredients:

 1 ¼ cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese

 ¾ cup grated mild cheddar cheese

 One 9-inch deep-dish frozen pie shell

 One 4-oz can diced green chilies.

 1 cup half-and-half

 3 eggs, slightly beaten

 ½ tsp salt

 1/8 tsp ground cumin

o To prepare:

 Spread Monterey Jack cheese and half of cheddar cheese over bottom of pie shell.

 Sprinkle diced chilies over cheeses.

 Stir together in a bowl the half-and-half, eggs, and seasonings.

 Pour carefully into pie shell.

 Sprinkle with remaining cheddar.

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

 Baked, uncovered, for 40-50 minutes.

 Allow to cool.

 Slice into 8 servings, individually wrap in foil, freeze.

o To serve:

 Thaw, and heat until hot.

 
I can't wait to try it, it looks SO yummy! I will be having a slice of this quiche and a small cup of smoky corn chowder for lunch tomorrow!

And a picture of the freezer after finishing our meals:

Tuesday Blog Hop!

7.11.2011

Day One of Cooking

Today didn't start how we planned... I woke up with an awful headache, sore throat, dripping nose (ew) and my entire body ached. It's always a challenge to find ways to get over illnesses when your breastfeeding (or pregnant for that matter)... so I made sure to take my prenatal (it's good to take while breastfeeding and during all your 'childbearing' years), a single ibuprofen, lots of water, and a TON of orange juice. After a couple hours I felt a little more like myself and we were able to start our day of cooking!

Things went pretty well, we got the majority of our meals prepared, bagged, and thrown into the freezer, but because we started later than planned we didn't get about 5 or 6 meals finished, mainly breakfast items. Boogie was a good girl though, she only fussed a little today surprisingly. Sadly her necklace was NOT in the mail today, and it was evident that she was still having some pain from her teething, but not nearly as bad as yesterday.

Not really much to post tonight, but I will be taking pictures of our freezer food stash when we finish and possibly post one of the recipes tomorrow evening! Until then... here's a picture of my Boogie and her newly discovered feet!





7.10.2011

Boogie and the No Good, Horrible Day

Yea, you read that correctly... it was a no good, pretty horrible day. Boogie is a teething mess and I can definitely assure you that baltic amber teething necklaces WORK, because Boogie's broke last week... and we had to send it off to be restrung. Ugh. Thankfully the woman who made her necklace lives locally and was willing to restring it for free, I actually mailed it off to her though because she lives on the other side of town, but either way it's convenient! BUT, until we get it back Boogie is obviously miserable. She woke up at 9am and was happy as a clam for about 30 minutes. She was content long enough for me to get dressed, change her diaper and dress her, eat breakfast and that's about it. From them until about 4pm she was a crying, screaming, teething, pitiful little girl. Luckily J was able to bring me the car on his break so in an effort to get her to sleep, I drove around for about 20 minutes... didn't work. So then we went to my parent's house where I nursed her, swaddled her, rocked her, bounced with her, and sang to her for an hour and a half before she finally fell asleep... until my brother walked in slamming doors. Yea, real nice.

The evening was a little better however, Boogie enjoyed some time with her Papaw and Nene, I took her into the kiddy pool, she swang on her new swing... and then her bedtime started getting closer and she started melting down again. Took me a good while to calm her down and get her to sleep once we got home, but she did get to sleep! I even put her pj's and nighttime dipe on WHILE she was sleeping and she is still asleep between her daddy and me! So... let's all say a little prayer tonight that her teething necklace will be in the mailbox tomorrow and that my little one is once again the happy, smiling, giggling, pain-free Boogie I remember!



7.09.2011

Once a Month Menu Plan

A few weeks ago I found a website called Once a Month Mom, I was intrigued so I looked a little further into their website. Basically, they create menu plans (traditional, gluten-free, diet, etc) that consist of homemade meals to be frozen until your ready to defrost, reheat, and eat. You do all the cooking in one day and supposably it's affordable... however after looking over some of their plans I knew it would be entirely over budget for us. It just so happens that my mom had a couple of cookbooks that consisted of freezer meals and tips on how to plan your day of cooking. So I created my own menu plan with a grocery list, instructions, etc. My goal was to keep our grocery bill under $150 and to pick out a variety of meals, including lunches and breakfasts.

Our menu plan meals include (one meal is for 2 people):
Chinese Chicken Morsels (2 meals)
Teryaki Chicken (2  meals)
Lemon Chicken (2 meals)
Taco Meat (for salad or tacos... depending on our moods) (1 meal)
Mix and Match Chicken Soup (5 meals)
Chicken Broccoli (4 meals)
Black Beans & Rice (4 meals)
Wild Rice Chicken (3 meals)
Stromboli (2 meals)
Breakfast Burritos (6 meals)
Farmer's Casserole (6 meals)
Aztec Quiche (4 meals)
Muffins (Strawberry and Apples & Cinnamon) (12 meals)
Smoky Corn Chowder (3 meals)
Pancakes (8 meals... or so)


It's a variety of recipes and the majority of them are new to us... which is good because we are very bad about trying new things! We are planning on starting our day of cooking on Monday as soon as Justin gets home, around 10am... it's going to be a LONG day, but I think it will be nice to just have to pick out a meal, thaw it out, and just reheat it... that means a lot more family time! I'm hoping to share all of these recipes at some point in the month, probably on the days that we eat them. We'll see!

My parents took us (Boogie and myself) to Aldi and Walmart today while J was at work to do all of our grocery shopping.... the end result? $100 for all the main groceries... and then this evening J and I ran to Ingles and got random stuff for sides (pasta, veggies, etc.). We also picked up some quick meals for me tomorrow and stuff to grill on Monday (it's hard to cook by myself with Boogie... she's a needy baby, but I love her anyways... and Monday we don't want to have to make meals to eat that day while creating a disaster in the kitchen with our freezer meals lol).... that came to about $20 (not counting tomorrow and Monday's meals)... So I stayed way under budget! Go me! I'd be happy to share my meal plan with anyone, just shoot me an email! I did not save the grocery list because I wrote it for the ingredients that we needed.... you  may need more or less depending on what is already in your pantry! But I can send the instructions which includes all the recipes you'll need!

Wish me luck!




7.08.2011

Five Question Friday



1. Do you think cursive writing is overrated? (Schools in Indiana have now voted to take teaching cursive writing out of their curriculum)
No, I think it's important... what's so bad about learning cursive?

2. Do you still use a pocket calendar or notepad or do you keep your info in your smartphone?
I use a 3 ring binder for meal planning, appointments, bills, etc. I use my phone for everything else!

3. What 3 things would you save if your house was burning down? (Your family and friends are safe)
A wrap to carry my daughter, my bible, and Boogie's lovey.

4. Country mouse or city mouse, err person?
Country

5. If you could pick ANY reality show to go on, which would you pick?
A Baby Story or Bringing Home Baby

7.07.2011

Photo BOMB! And other things...
















We had a wonderful holiday this past weekend, Boogie enjoyed the fireworks, we spent time with both sides of the family, and Boogie accomplished yet another milestone! Over night she went from sitting assisted and a little unwobbly unassisted for a few seconds to sitting completely unassisted! She's growing so much, she's turned into a "big" girl right infront of my eyes... I can't believe it! I adore this little girl, she is such a wonderful baby!

In other news, J is very close to finishing his classes and he's doing pretty well. Still has a lot to do, but he'll get there! He'll be taking the exam in September and hopefully after that we'll be on the search for a new job and a new home! I'll be back in school in August (ugh) and haven't decided if I'll be finishing my Associates or taking a break after the Fall semester. We shall see!

Not sure if I posted this or not but at Boogie's 6 month well visit last week she weighed in at 16lbs 6.5oz and she was 25.5 inches tall! She's definately bigger than her 5lb 13oz, 18.5 inch tall newborn self!

We got to spend a little time with Hannah and her boyfriend on Sunday, she hadn't seen Boogie since she was itty bitty so that was nice! And hopefully tomorrow I'll get to spend some time with Janelle and her Flint Monsters!

Until next time.....