Baby Update–Month 1

Baby boy is 1 month old! As stressful as it has been, the first month has flown by! He is becoming more and more alert and is getting bigger and bigger! He weighs 10 lbs. 6 oz. and has been gaining an average of 2 oz. a day! That’s about double the “average” weight newborns gain. He’s very high maintenance and very fussy. However, he is a joy nonetheless. They only stay this little for a very short time and I’m determined to enjoy it.

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Mastered Skills (most children can do)

• Lifts head (yes! he has had a strong neck from the beginning.)
• Responds to sound (especially big sister’s loud shrieks)
• Stares at faces (yup, loves to stare at mommy, daddy & big sister)

Emerging Skills (half of children can do)

• Follows objects (I think so; He follows faces.)
• Ooohs and ahhs (a little bit. He does coo some when he’s not crying or screaming )
• Can see black-and-white patterns (not sure)

Advanced Skills (a few children can do)

• Smiles (he smiled for the first time to his daddy when he was 4 weeks old. 2 days later he smiled at me!)
• Laughs (not yet, but definitely something I’m looking forward too!)
• Holds head at 45-degree angle (i believe so. if not, he’s getting very close.)

{from babycenter.ca}

Life With Our Newborn

Hi everyone!

It's been an incredible, exhausting, hormonal last 4 weeks. (Truth? I edited that because it said 2 weeks. That's how long ago i started this post - LOL) The first week was a huge high. I couldn't stop smiling, I had a ton of energy (thanks to an awesome recovery), and the baby slept a lot. These last few weeks have been harder. Baby eats A LOT, almost every 2 hours which exhausts me at night. He also has a huge amount of gas so I'm currently in the process of figuring out what to eliminate from my diet.

That being said, I've been way less stressed with him than with my daughter. It's amazing what a little experience will do. I haven't had any panicky moments like I had with my first. I don't freak out when he starts crying and don't clamor to him the moment he squeals. He's excersised his lungs a lot lately ;).

He really is a joy. I catch myself just gazing at him and loving on him. Baby boy gets a ton of kisses! Big sister is a wonderful helper and asks to hold him at least 5 times a day. She's big enough to understand when mommy can't get to her needs right away because the baby needs to fed, rocked or changed. I'm amazed at her maturity. She seems like such a big girl now. She seriously feels like a teenager when she sits on my lap!

Daddy loves his baby boy. I'm so thankful at how much he's bonded with him already. He's been a tremendous help. He always offers to bring food home, to rock the baby, or play with our daughter. I couldn't ask for a more supportive or loving father and husband. We are loving our new family of 4!

Thank you for being patient with me and this long awaited update. I'm amazed that people can blog consistently AND have a newborn. Whenever I do find myself with a little window of time to blog, I usually choose to nap or catch up on laundry/dishes/food making/cleaning/etc. it's a definite balance that I haven't quite figured out yet.

I hope to have baby boy's 1 month update up yet sometime. He was four weeks yesterday! Seriously where does the time go?! We are loving our baby boy and how he's completed our family :)!

It's A Boy!

He came 2 weeks early & I couldn't be more thrilled! We praise God for his safe arrival. He arrived yesterday, weighing 7lbs. 11 oz. We are so in love!

My 3 Year Old

She is feisty.
She is sassy.
She is energetic.
She is bossy.
She is loud.
She is exuberant.
She is emotional.

She is me. All over again.
I never pretend to have it all together. But I do know that I don't talk a whole lot about her here on the blog. Mostly it's been because life was just cruising by as usual and everything stayed the same.

Lately I've noticed things shifting. I don't know if its teething, the "terrible threes", or an impending life change but these last few weeks have been hard. She's been defiant and back-talking and this momma is exhausted. I'm tired because I'm pregnant and I begin to realize how I let some things slide with her. And I'm not always consistent.

I don't have the answers. I'm just being a mommy who's trying to be honest. Yes, even one child can be a handful. Even one child can demand a lot of attention from a parent. I find a lot of days hard and exhausting.

I do know that this phase too shall pass. I know that I often need a time out as much as she does. I get lost in the heat of the moment. Many times I need to just let myself step back and just assess the situation before getting too involved. I'm not perfect. But I will not stay down. Thank God for the many good days sprinkled between the tiring, bad days. I just need to see the good too. And know that I can't do this parenting thing alone. I need Him. Desperately.

Easy, Cheesy Breadsticks

 

These are incredibly easy to whip up. I often make an entire recipe and then divide the bread into two, and freeze the second part. That way I have an easy side dish whenever I need it. I like to make this as a lunch for me and my daughter. We love it so much, I have to be careful we don’t eat it all in an entire sitting!

 

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Topping:

• olive oil
• italian seasoning
• cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400*F.

2. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Mixture should be frothy.

3. Add olive oil and salt to the yeast mixture. Add flour a cup at a time until your dough is smooth and the flour is combined.

4. Let your dough rise in a warm spot for half an hour.

5. Pat the dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle your italian seasoning on top.

6. Bake for 10 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.

7. Slice into strips. Enjoy!