All up in the kool-aid, dont even know the flava

Not a winner/Question time

I staged a birth announcement photo shoot in the living room yesterday.

This photo was not the winner.

I did end up with one decent picture, and I ordered a slew of birth announcement cards from Walmart. They'll be ready next week. Once I've mailed them out, I'll post the photo I used here.


*******************************************************

I feel a disconnect from the blog world. Some of my closest friends are blog friends, and I just haven't been able to connect with them like I could before two kids. I know I know, its an adjustment period. Anyway, since I feel so out of touch, I thought I'd follow the lead of several of you, and open up the door for Question Time.

Anyway have any questions you've always wanted to ask me?

Working it.

The other morning, I decided to try and make my own danish.

One can of crescent rolls (8ct), one bar of cream cheese, a handful of powdered sugar (that you hand mix into the cheese) and an apricot preserve.  Place each crescent roll triangle together with another, to form squares, and then place them all together as a giant rectangle, then seal the seams with a roller.

Spread the cheese/sugar mixture, spread the preserves, then fold the crescent roll sides over. Gaps are ok.

It was sooo sooo good.

( My suggestion, I think I could have used just half a bar of cream cheese, and less powdered sugar. Add the sugar slowly and just taste as you go, I'm not much for measurements.)

I might burning lots of calories by breast feeding, but I still cant fit into any pants that don't start with the words "leisure" or "sweat". So, Jason and I have started walking.

We loaded up the kids in their strollers (dug out the jogging stroller I bought at a yard sale last year) and headed down to the Lake that is near our house.

Jackson and Emma enjoyed the fresh air.

I gained 42 lbs with Jackson, topping out at 182 lbs... yikes. That's a lot for my small frame.

Now, 2.5 weeks out, I'm down to 155 lbs.  Thru moderately light excercise (walking, running after two kids) I'd like to be down to 145 by July 1st (very reasonable I think...guess we'll see) and 140 lbs by August 1st. From there? We'll see. My "ideal" weight for my body type would probably be about 125 lbs, but I'll be happy to be within 10 lbs of that.

Out and About

Last week was a week long spring festival in our town. The local Womans Club always hosts a open house/craft fair/luncheon during the week.

Jason and I had his sister watch Emma for a bit, while we took Jackson and went to walk thru the historic house that the Womans Club owns.

This house is about 1/2 a mile from our house AND, it was where our wedding reception was held!

We went on the last day, at the end of the day, so the luncheon part was over and some of the craft sellers had already packed up.

It was great to see the house again, and the crafts that were for sale, but next year I definetly plan to stick Jason with the kids, and take my MIL and SIL to the cafe luncheon they host earlier in the day.

My helpers

"Emma! Help Mommy entertain the baby!"

"Bella! Keep Emma comfortable!"

"Jason! Keep the baby awake so he sleeps at night!"

Well....two out of three ain't bad.

Expanding my range

There are a good many things I don't do with Emma because I am afraid of a mess. I'm embarrassed- ashamed actually- about this because she's missing out on the fun of art projects (or other messy projects) and the learning potential of them.

All because I freak out about the possibility of marker somewhere it shouldnt be, or a mess that would involve a chunk of time for cleaning up.

It's very silly, and I've vowed to myself recently that I need to GET OVER IT.

So, I bought some non-toxic washable paints at Michael's, and after a few weeks of gearing up mentally, I let Emma paint.

I covered the table in paper, taped it down, and stripped her down to her diaper.

Emma enjoyed herself (not immensly, but this is when she was sick), and in the end,  I just had to wipe her down with a wet wipe  and spray the table with a multi-purpose cleaner where the paint ran over.

No biggie.

I'd like to let Emma do one fun (and potentially messy) art project a day.

Here's to the beginning of something great- for Emma and for me becoming a better mom.

Firsts

A little behind, but- no matter...

Jackson's been to the doctor twice since being born. Once the Wed after we came home, and once this past Wednesday. All routine, just checking weight etc.

Below is a picture from his 1st doctor's appt. I know yall think he's big, but really- in person, he seems so small. I think this picture shows how small he is. He is quite long though.

He's back up to his birth weight now, and we'll see the doctor again for his routine 1 month appt in mid May.

We've also given him his first bath. He still has his umbilical cord, so we have to be super careful.

Unlike Emma's first bath, where I took gobs of pictures, this was the only picture I took because Jackson HATED his bath. Maybe it was too close to feeding time, or maybe he just won't love baths. Who knows.

Jackson is definetly a different baby than Emma. Emma liked to stay up  and awake ALL NIGHT LONG the first month, and finally doze off around 8:30am. It was really really rough on me. Nothing would appease her in the middle of the night. She just cried. 

Jackson on the other hand, does sleep at night. Now, I cant bank on any certain length of time, but I know I'll at least get some sleep. Two night ago he slept a 4 hour stretch, a 2 hour stretch, stayed awake for 1.5 hours and then slept for 2 more hours. Not bad. That 1.5 hour awake stretch (4:30am-6am) was lots of nursing, attempting to put him back to bed, then repeat repeat)

Of course last night, he opted for sleeping in one hour increments. Not great, but at least there IS some sleep involved. And for that I am so so thankful.

Much like Emma, Jackson likes to nurse ALL the time. Just ate 30 minutes ago? No matter, lets eat again! The doctor has given me orders to start making Jackson wait a bit (like 15 minutes) when he cries for feedings because the very often plan he's on isn't good for either of us really. Of course, that's easier said than done when you have a very angry tomato faced infant screaming at you.

Tomorrow (Friday) is my first full day with both the kids- alone. And to be honest? I am terrified. My main goal, is just to have both of the kids alive at the end of the day.

Weekend Recap- April 20

Oh sure, we're closer to this weekend than we are to last weekend, but no matter! I still want to recap my weekend darn it.

First, Emma woke up Saturday morning with a fever of 103 degrees. I didnt blog about it before, because, well I dont know really, but we immediately called the doctor (Thank the Good Lord our doctor is open Saturdays!), and Jason took her in to get checked out. We figured it was a return of The Croup ( basically a bad cold with a barking cough, some wheeziness etc) and it was. Poor little thing didn't have much voice on Saturday and we could tell her throat must be hurting her as she didnt want to eat or drink anything and just sounded horrible.  So, we've been doing twice a day nebulizer treatments and she is on the mend. But today is the first day she woke up in a good mood.

I don't mean to complain, but Saturday- Tuesday was...not fun. Emma was very very crabby. Temper tantrums for NO REASON. Seriously, no reason at all. Didn't want to eat ANYTHING. Just tough times. But, today she slept in until 9am (glory glory hallelujah!) and has been an angel to be around.

Anyway, I was suppose to be recapping the weekend....

Sunday we went to an event for an annual Spring festival our town holds every April for a week. It was called Gourmet Gardens. Basically, various area restaurants and businesses set up booths at a local park and sold their best dishes. It's usually a bit pricey, but always fun to go and walk around. Plus, there is live music and entertainment and crafts etc around.

I wore Jackson in my new baby wrap:

Oh my goodness is that thing comfortable! Sure, I get some odd looks because, especially the way I was wearing him that day, you cant even see him. But whatever. It works for me.

Emma hung out in her stroller.

YOu can see how "happy" she was...

Here are some food pictures from the local vendors:

                  

I tried out some fried dill pickle spears with ranch dressing.

They were very tasty.

Jason got this lamb gyro wrap:

He LOVED it.

Then we  enjoyed two shave ices.

I got Fuzzy Navel flavored, Jason got blue raspberry.

( Sidenote, as I said before, Emma has not wanted to eat ANYTHING the past few days. Sunday, at this event, I got her to eat some potato chips- yes, I am Mother of The Year- and when she started to fuss after a few, I found myself saying, " If you don't finish your potato chips, you cant have a snow cone!" Yes, I found that hilarious as soon as I said it. But at least she was eating SOMETHING )

We met a friend from college, Jarred, at the event and got to see how much his son has grown.

This is the same little one that we met in January, and were asked to be his God Parents. My how they grow, huh?

Then he headed  to the playground so Emma could use up some of her frustrated energy.

It was great to get out of the house for the afternoon and although Emma continued to be cranky, I think she enjoyed the distraction as well.

Gone Wrong

I attempted making cinnamon rolls the other morning. Jason's aunt makes her own dough, but I totally don't have time for that right now, so I thought a can of Pillsbury pizza dough would work just fine. It's not pizza seasoned or anything, its just dough.

So, I rolled it out, brushed it with lots of butter, added on loads of brown sugar and cinnamon and rolled it up, sliced it and baked it.

Well, something went wrong.

I knew something wasnt right when I was slicing them. They just didnt feel like they were sticking together. And then when I placed them on the baking sheet, again, they just didnt feel like they were going to stay rolled up.

I checked on them half way thru baking, and they were spreading and all the inside goodness was oozing out over the pan.

I dont waste, so we still ate them.

Any ideas? Was it the dough? Did I forget some step in the process?

Baby Gifts galore

Last week was a BIG week for baby gifts! I think I received a package nearly every day!

My good friend Myllissa (whose blog is out of commission at the moment), who is a real life friend from Jason's army days, sent this awesome wooden picture frame with a little silver plaque at the bottom that has Jackson's name and birthday. This will look awesome in his nursery! Just got to figure out what pictures to put in it!

And these shirts! Arent they so cute! Must put the kids in them soon and take adorable pictures...

Thanks Myllissa!

Then, Page sent us a package! It had this amazing summery dress for Emma. Isnt this just adorable? Very southern belle like.

And this very handsome outfit for Jackson! It matches Emma's dress really well so this summer you can expect an adorable photo shoot with them in these outfits!

And I forgot to take a picture of these, so I snagged one of their website, but Page also sent this squeaky alphabet toys for the dogs! So far, Emma has enjoyed them the most, but don't worry Page, I am sure at some point she'll share them...

Thanks Page!

Oh, the fun doesnt stop there!!!!

Tammy and Ozzie and Rocky sent us a package too! As you can see, Jackson is SO EXCITED about his new handmade blanket. Tammy's mother made this blanket! It is very nice.

She also included a book for me, and two stuffed animals for Emma!

Thanks so much Tammy!

Oh wait!!! THere's more!!!

Sandy sent this beautiful card she made! She's so crafty!

And inside was a gift certificate to help with diapers. Much needed! Thanks Sandy!

And then a card came from Punchy!

She included a Target gift card, which will certainly come in handy. It seems like we end up at either Target or Walmart several times a week!

Thanks Punchy!

And last Thursday, my boss brought us dinner! And while I would have been fine with a casserole, she went ABOVE AND BEYOND and stopped by my favorite Mexican restaurant and bought- I swear- everything off their menu....

Can you believe all that food?

a burrito, a quesidilla, a tostada, a chicken taco, fajitas, and lots of beans and rice. It was AWESOME.

And I didnt take a picture if it, but she also brought two toys for Emma. A Dora book that makes noises and Lula the talking spider (I think its a Leap Frog toy). She sings the alphabet song and Emma LOVES it.

That was so thoughtful of her to think of Emma. SO so thoughtful.

We have been so so blessed with so many wonderful friends. I appreciate all of you so much and I know Emma and Jackson are truly blessed to have such a fantastic blog family!

Slacker

To all you moms of multiple youngins- I apologize for every thinking to myself, "gosh, they havent blogged in awhile, how tough can it be to find a few minutes to post a blog?"

HAHAHAHAHA.

I totally get it now. Totally.

If blogging took 5 minutes, I'd have a much better shot of being able to post. But, usually you have to download photos to your computer, write a decently organized post and add in pictures. So, I'd say a 30 minute venture.

I dont have 30 minutes. Will I again one day? Gah, I sure hope so.

But have no fear, I'm not quitting the blog world. Just know that my posts might be a little less frequent and likely shorter. I'll get it together eventually, probably  when EMma starts her summer camp after Memorial Day (just two mornings a week)

Anyway, here's a few pictures for now.

C-section recovery has gone really well this time. I'm still sore, and probably do too much, but I can get around just fine. I still look about 6 months pregnant, with is just devastating to my self-esteem at the moment, but I'm trying to remind myself, that just a week and a half ago I was bigger than most cruise liners, so I have a long way to go. It will happen.

Jason goes back to work on Friday. It's difficult enough parents two little ones with his help, I cant even imagine how I will manage two all alone.

Pray for us all. And if you have two little ones, bring on the advice.