Friday Fill-ins!

1. Wouldn't it be easy to forget all responsibility and just relax.
2. I am feeling better than ever!
3. I love the taste of warm soup on COLD days like today.
4. I am sitting on the computer in the living room.
5. The first thing we're going to do is take a vacation somewhere warm, as soon as we can find the time.
6. I hear a drip, drip, drip; then I realized I didn't shut off the shower all the way.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner Friday with my boys and our friend Chris, tomorrow my plans include hanging out at home with Jack while Matt works and Sunday, I want to spend all day with my boys!

Halfway Through the [Work] Week!

I'm so glad we're halfway through the work week! The first couple of days have seemed VERY long for some unknown reason.

Update on baby food... Jack hated it. And we're not talking about him not liking but swallowing it anyway, it was full fledged disgust, spitting it out & practically saying "eww"! I am pretty sure it was the texture, which of the food I made was pretty thick and not a smooth puree like store bought baby food. I will definitely be trying again, but probably using the blender to get the food to a finer texture.

Today was our 2nd NFP class. We went over the charting we had been doing and the symptom side of the sympto-thermal method. Its very interesting to see the way different things affect what you may be seeing in charting but still being able to interpret them correctly. I feel that we are learning a lot, but that a lot of what is explained is pretty intuitive. I think its also very interesting learning about it from this end after going through pregnancy & having Jack.

Well, this is a short post but I hope to post more tomorrow or Friday for sure!

Uddercovers.com Discount!

I just got an email with the coupon/promo code "Expecting" to be used at www.uddercovers.com. You get a gift pack (nursing cover/wrap, 2 washable breast pads, and milk band for helping track nursing) for $5 plus shipping/handling! The gift packages usually sell for over $45... I've heard great things about this brand so I ordered one! The whole thing cost me less than $15!

Enjoy and pass along to any other mommies or mommies-to-be that choose to nurse!

Homemade Baby Food

WARNING: If baby food grosses you out, this contains pictures of baby food!

To start off, I must say this could not have been much easier. Here's what I did to make some homemade green beans for Jack:

1. Used "all natural" (read: no added salt, etc. the ingredients only said "green beans") frozen green beans in a microwave steam bag. I used the grocery store brand and it cost only $1.39. Cooked according to the directions (5 minutes on high) and let stand for a minute.

I also used a mini food processor (we don't have a full sized one). I would say that if Jack had not been getting to "2nd foods" (the more textured foods) this might not have done the job because it didn't get them very thin, but we do have a blender so maybe I'll try that next time to see how fine it gets the food.

2. I added cooked green beans until about 3/4 full and drained some of the water from the package in to help thin the food out. I only had the option of chop v. grind for levels of demolishing the food, so I went with grind. It took maybe 5-10 minutes and addition of a little more water (I used water from our Brita pitcher) before it seemed thin enough.


3. I scooped into these freezer trays, but you can use regular ice trays. I purchased these because they have really tight fitting lids.


4. I put the lid on and labeled with these really neat washable write-on labels I stumbled upon at the store (they wash off with water). By this point the food was pretty cool already, so I popped them into the freezer.Total time it took: maybe 20 minutes.
Cost: $1.39 + one time cost of food processor & food freezer trays if we didn't already have one
Servings it produced: Approximately 14 ounces.

Compare that to a 2-pack of Gerber 2nd foods that were on sale last week at my grocery store, total of 7 ounces, for $0.99. My price/ounce: just under $0.10 versus Gerber [on sale]: ~$0.14. I'm going to keep doing some price comparisons to see how much it might save over the course of a week... so to be continued on that topic.

Can't wait to do some more tomorrow evening! I will stick with veggies starting off because they are easy to cook in the microwave-steam bags, but will head to fruits next. I expect fruits to be easier because they have a higher water content to begin with so they'll probably puree better.

Friday Fill-ins!

1. You have a chance to show your appreciation and give someone you love a hug.
2. Seize the day right now!
3. There is a baby being born somewhere right now.
4. Wear now and pay later.
5. It's time to relax with my family.
6. You may think your plans are up in the air but sometimes I think its all in His plan.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing at home, tomorrow my plans include grocery shopping & visiting friends and Sunday, I want to relax with my baby boy!

Prayer Request

Please say some prayers for my mother-in-law who will be going through another procedure to have another stent put in.

Thank you!

Peek-a-Boo!

If only I could bottle up this laugh and sell it... I'd make millions... he'd have college paid for! Ha ha!

Friday Fill-ins!

1. The lesson I learned yesterday was on statistics at a work computer training, and yes my head hurts.

2. Around the dinner table is my favorite place where friends and family meet.

3. All these years I never thought I'd be so in love with my little boy.

4. The party started when I arrived.

5. The truth is I am missing my husband right now.

6. Holding him in my arms is what I remember most from that day.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing and hearing from my hubby, tomorrow my plans include going to Indy to visit family and Sunday, I want to wait around for Matt to get home!

Dance! Dance!

Here is a video of Jack dancing... he seems to enjoy reggae and rap! (Good beat?)

(I have no idea what he's staring at, the tv (turned to a music channel) is on his left... so goofy!)

NFP Class #1

The content of this post is my opinions, observations, etc. As you are reading, regardless of personal belief, please keep an open mind and do not comment anything disrespectful. Also, "learnings" I may mention should be taken considering I have not been trained in NFP and am only a pupil in the current session.

Matt and I are finally taking the diocesan Natural Family Planning class(es). I am extremely excited because I have always wanted to better understand the ideas & science behind it. While I've always personally believed in the theology behind it after hearing many different sides to the issue of family planning. Here are a few things that we have learned thus far from our instructors:

1. The very different charting "results" you can have (i.e. what your graph looks like).
2. That if you are charting your temperature even after you have found you are pregnant you can detect issues that may be caused by a drop in progesterone. If you suspect a drop you can notify your doctor to possibly take supplemental hormones to minimize risk of a miscarriage.
3. Towards the end of your pregnancy you can chart your temperature to help give you another sign that labor is soon to come. A drop in your temperature can signal that labor is going to happen [often within 24 hrs as observed from women in the classes they've taught].

We've learned many other things already, but most of them are more on the biology & basics of the temperature side of the sympto-thermal method.

One observation of NFP that I found extremely useful that I read from Michelle at Musings of a Catholic Lady is about family size. I will try to sum up the point without stealing it:

Families that practice NFP are typically bigger, not because NFP doesn't work but because those who practice NFP tend to be more open to children.

Of course, this is not to say people that use other methods to plan their families aren't just as open, but the tendency of openness is there.

Seemed to be a Full Weekend

While we didn't have a lot going on, this past weekend seemed very busy! Friday night we just stayed in, Matt & I watched a movie we Netflix-ed over 3 months ago. Definitely a good reason why we use Netflix, with being so busy moving into our house, Texas for Thanksgiving, then Christmas & New Years we finally got around to watching it. It was Swing Vote and I thought it was very good. I do enjoy Kevin Costner in the things I've seen him in and he didn't disappoint. The movie had a good "moral to the story" of being involved in our civic duty and taking full advantage of our right to vote. I try to vote every chance I get and to be educated on the issues, but it is definitely hard. Something I'll always try to do better at... especially because I have a friend who is very into politics and is always a good resource for a perspective and breaking things down. Although we don't always agree on which side of the issue we're on, I always enjoy hearing other perspectives... it either reaffirms my point of view or gives me a way to think about an issue that I never had before.

Saturday morning we did Jack's 6 month pictures (yes, I realize he's getting close to the 7 month mark) but it was a lot of fun. Although, Jack (normally a very smiley baby) was not in the best mood our friend & photographer Brooke (with Cherished Moments Photography) always gets great pictures! I know the pictures will be beautiful even with his straight face. Much to my disappointment, Matt had to go to Toledo on Saturday to take care of a customer. I understand him having to go, but it was a bummer because he only had Saturday scheduled off this weekend. Saturday evening, Matt and I went to dinner to celebrate our 2nd anniversary at the 94th Aerosquadron. That is the restaurant where Matt proposed to me over 3 years ago and also where we had our rehearsal dinner (2 years ago today). It is DELICIOUS and I do my best to try something new every time we go. It is a more expensive restaurant so we usually only go for our anniversary to treat ourselves! Here is a picture of us from our dinner. (The fireplace behind us was right next to our table where he proposed.)(I'm not exactly thrilled with how I look... makes me realize I need to try and get in better post-baby shape! Oh well, I'll either get back or get pregnant before then... haha)

Sunday, Matt had to work so Jack and I took him lunch to help make it easier that he had to be working all weekend. Not to mention, he has to go out of town this weekend for a lacrosse convention. He is very excited for the Friday night speaker though, he gets to see Lou Holtz!

Well, here are some cute pictures of Jack from recently to finish out the post:Jack playing with tupperware bowls & his Gerber spoons. Daddy thought the bowl on the head was a great hat.

Daddy giving him another hat using one of his stacking cups... his eyes make him look a little out of it, but he was having fun!

Friday Fill-ins!

1. There are places closed due to snow.
2. A strong wind will blow those clouds away.
3. Standing in the snow, opening my mouth to catch snowflakes.
4. My poor baby is coughing, oh boy.
5. He went out tiger hunting and only found leopards.
6. I love playing on Facebook to keep my mind from wandering .
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to being "snowed in" with my boys, tomorrow my plans include getting Jack's 6 month pictures taken and Sunday, I want to take it easy and do some housework when Jack naps!

A Crazy Few Days!

Wednesday morning we were woken by my father-in-law calling at 4 am... I immediately knew this wasn't going to be good. My mind raced to the elderly grandparents, but we didn't know what was coming. My mother-in-law was admitted to the hospital early Wednesday in the middle of a heart attack. We are very blessed by the doctors and nurses at Mt. Carmel East hospital for the speedy work and gifted hands they used to save her life. We are also very lucky that after a minor surgery she is home, recovering & resting comfortably.

For those who heard through the grapevine, our prayer request... "Thank you". Please continue to pray for her speedy recovery!

We spend much of the past two days on the east side of town in the hospital. My parents watched Jack because children under 13 are not allowed as "visitors" due to H1N1. I knew that I wanted to be there for not only my in-laws but mainly to support my husband. I feel like this was one of the first situations where I had to choose between my husband and child in a way. I never thought twice to support my husband (as we discussed with Fr. Lonzo before getting married) in a time when I feel like he needed me a lot, my son was in the capable, loving hands of his grandparents. It only reaffirms my feelings that the best way to raise my son to be a loving husband and father is to be able to show him what a healthy strong, marriage looks like.

While I am still nursing, the past few days were rough. There wasn't every a good time or place to pump or to get back to my parents' house to nurse Jack. I am sure my supply is not doing so well, but I have nursed Jack all day (except one bottle this morning) and I plan on pumping this weekend to help boost my supply. This will be the 2nd major bout of supplementation we've had to do for Jack and I hope that my supply is able to bounce back as it did before. We shall see!

Also, to all the women out there... it is scary moments like the one in my family this past week that help us to realize how much we need to take care of ourselves. This goes for all guys too, but with heart disease as the number 1 killer of women I feel like it is especially important to offer a reminder. I hope everyone has made a New Years resolution to take good care of themselves.

Thanks again for all of the prayers! Happy New Years!

Friday Fill-ins!

1. Last night was rough trying to stay up until midnight.
2. I can't wait for the rest of this year.
3. The funniest thing is realizing Jack has his daddy's laugh.
4. Its a fresh start in 2010...so where do we go from here?
5. He said "How about breakfast at Tiffany's"; she said "I think I remember that film."
6. God's work is all around us and it's up to us to find it.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing and watching some bowl games, tomorrow my plans include hopefully seeing the girls & their kids and maybe some family and Sunday, I want to lay low and get ready for the work week!