It was so beautifully cool! We got ready and went to a new playground, which Grant just had a blast at! It was a little "big" for Grant, but he still had a great time - he *loved* the big, twisty slide - he probably climbed the stairs and went down the totally-enclosed slide 30 times! He went down fast and would always come out all staticy-headed and laughing. I played with him, wearing Grace in the sling, all while sipping my non-fat latte. Just a beautiful morning!
Beautiful Morning!
Grant, Grace and I just had a wonderful morning together. 
It was so beautifully cool! We got ready and went to a new playground, which Grant just had a blast at! It was a little "big" for Grant, but he still had a great time - he *loved* the big, twisty slide - he probably climbed the stairs and went down the totally-enclosed slide 30 times! He went down fast and would always come out all staticy-headed and laughing. I played with him, wearing Grace in the sling, all while sipping my non-fat latte. Just a beautiful morning!
It was so beautifully cool! We got ready and went to a new playground, which Grant just had a blast at! It was a little "big" for Grant, but he still had a great time - he *loved* the big, twisty slide - he probably climbed the stairs and went down the totally-enclosed slide 30 times! He went down fast and would always come out all staticy-headed and laughing. I played with him, wearing Grace in the sling, all while sipping my non-fat latte. Just a beautiful morning!
Crazy Short Night!
What a crazy short night it was! Grant always seems to know when Matt's gone and decides to freak out over night. He was awake at least 3 times, just crying. I had to just rub his back and stay with him for a few minutes to get him to calm down. And then he woke up at 6 o'clock, saying "out! out!" I was thinking that there was NO way I was starting the day that early. So, I gave him his stuffed duck to get him to lie back down and hug his bumper, which he did, and slept for another hour and a half, thankfully.
And, the baby woke up 2x over night to eat, which is unusual - she's been down to just one feeding around 5am for awhile. So, between the 2, I slept in about hour increments! *yawn*
Off to get more coffee!
And, the baby woke up 2x over night to eat, which is unusual - she's been down to just one feeding around 5am for awhile. So, between the 2, I slept in about hour increments! *yawn*
Off to get more coffee!
Sunday Evening
I'm all hot and sweaty after a good run - I'm still ridiculously slow, but, hey, I'm faster than if I were sitting on the couch, right? 
I did 3.3 miles in 35 minutes. whew! I can definitely tell I'm getting my groove back, though, post-Gracie - doing 30 minutes of running is fairly easy, instead of having to kill myself step-after-step to reach 30 minutes!
Off to get in the shower before Grace wakes up to start her night time feeding jig!
I did 3.3 miles in 35 minutes. whew! I can definitely tell I'm getting my groove back, though, post-Gracie - doing 30 minutes of running is fairly easy, instead of having to kill myself step-after-step to reach 30 minutes! Off to get in the shower before Grace wakes up to start her night time feeding jig!
Tuesday Evening
I'm showered and clean after a good, easy run of 2.5 miles - and, I cannot believe that I think 2.5 miles is "easy". But, it truly was tonight - I felt like I just went out, cranked out 30 minutes of running (yes, if you do the math, you'll see that I'm ridiculously slow...but, it's okay, I'm running!), and came back in!
So, now I'm showered and getting settled in for my evening nursing marathon session with Miss Grace. She goes about 4 hours during the day, but starting at about 7 she eats on and off for a couple of hours. Cluster feeding to the T! I don't mind, though-it gives me lots and lots of snuggles with her and gives me an excuse to sit on the couch all evening and watch reality TV.
America's Got Talent, here i come! ;-)
So, now I'm showered and getting settled in for my evening nursing marathon session with Miss Grace. She goes about 4 hours during the day, but starting at about 7 she eats on and off for a couple of hours. Cluster feeding to the T! I don't mind, though-it gives me lots and lots of snuggles with her and gives me an excuse to sit on the couch all evening and watch reality TV.
America's Got Talent, here i come! ;-)
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Cookie Update
Someone commented on my previous cookie post about how to make fluffy cookies - and she's totally right - I discovered that you need a recipe that uses shortening instead of butter. The butter spreads too much, apparently. (Thanks to Alton Brown's article about the science of cookies!) However, the new trans-fat free shortening can leave an "off" after-taste, so I used butter-flavor Crisco sticks. I found a recipe that used 1/2 shortening, 1/2 butter, and some sour cream, and the cookies were just fabulous - nice and sweet and fluffy! (And, believe me, I am NOT a good cookie baker, so I was thrilled that they turned out! :D)
It's weird, too, because I usually don't care for shortening in stuff, but this recipe was SO GOOD. Not healthy *at all*, but good.
I have one more recipe that I'm going to try, but I the one I made the other day was definitely a keeper. I'll upload some pictures of my next batch.
It's weird, too, because I usually don't care for shortening in stuff, but this recipe was SO GOOD. Not healthy *at all*, but good.
I have one more recipe that I'm going to try, but I the one I made the other day was definitely a keeper. I'll upload some pictures of my next batch.
Old Friends
Today I got together with some of the "girls" from my pledge class - which, crazy enough, was 10 years ago this fall that we pledged together! There were 17 of us in the pledge class, and about half of us got together today. Some of them I hadn't seen in the 7 years since I graduated, so it was just so fun to catch up! The majority of us are SAHM - there were toddlers running around everywhere!
It was fun, though - we laughed as we revisted college memories - talking about the guys we were dating, the classes we shared, and the pledgeship we survived together. It was a fun, fun afternoon, and hopefully will spark some more get-togethers, especially as several of us are SAHM's in the Indy area.
Here's a picture of some of us - I'm wearing Grace in my Peanut Shell sling, which I just love.
It was fun, though - we laughed as we revisted college memories - talking about the guys we were dating, the classes we shared, and the pledgeship we survived together. It was a fun, fun afternoon, and hopefully will spark some more get-togethers, especially as several of us are SAHM's in the Indy area.
Here's a picture of some of us - I'm wearing Grace in my Peanut Shell sling, which I just love.
3 Months...
I'm determined to write more about the day-to-day happenings with Grace, as after having Grant I know how quickly I forget stuff I thought I'd always remember!
So, at 3 months old Grace I'm still just so in love with my Baby Girl.
Quite honestly, it's hard for me to "get" that actually have a baby girl, I'm not pregnant any more, I don't have to worry about clotting any more (hopefully!)...just seems so surreal, still, after so long of worrying about her health and my health.
From month 2-3 she pushed her bedtime back a little bit...she used to go to sleep around 8-9, then awake 1-2x over night to eat. Well, she now sleeps from about 11-5 am or 6 am, eats, then goes back to sleep until 9 or 9:30 in the morning! She sleeps in her crib in her miracle blanket, which we used with Grant and fell in love with. After she wakes up at 6 or so to eat she sleeps in her swing until 9 or so.
She's definitely becoming more awake and aleart - more intently looking at you and focusing. She loves her big brother, and gives the smiles the most readily for him. She had her first "real" smile around 5 1/2 weeks - to Grant. She's now smiling a little easier, if you work with her. :)
She also flipped herself from her stomach to her back for the first time this month! wow!
She's just a happy, easy-going baby, and I'm so in love. We're beyond blessed.
So, at 3 months old Grace I'm still just so in love with my Baby Girl.
Quite honestly, it's hard for me to "get" that actually have a baby girl, I'm not pregnant any more, I don't have to worry about clotting any more (hopefully!)...just seems so surreal, still, after so long of worrying about her health and my health.From month 2-3 she pushed her bedtime back a little bit...she used to go to sleep around 8-9, then awake 1-2x over night to eat. Well, she now sleeps from about 11-5 am or 6 am, eats, then goes back to sleep until 9 or 9:30 in the morning! She sleeps in her crib in her miracle blanket, which we used with Grant and fell in love with. After she wakes up at 6 or so to eat she sleeps in her swing until 9 or so.
She's definitely becoming more awake and aleart - more intently looking at you and focusing. She loves her big brother, and gives the smiles the most readily for him. She had her first "real" smile around 5 1/2 weeks - to Grant. She's now smiling a little easier, if you work with her. :)
She also flipped herself from her stomach to her back for the first time this month! wow!
She's just a happy, easy-going baby, and I'm so in love. We're beyond blessed.
Recipe #1...
I'm on a mission to try to re-create those thick, fluffy sugar cookies you can buy in the bakery section at the grocery store. We LOVE them, but all the recipes for sugar cookies I've tried are thin and flat, or cripsy...none of which we like in sugar cookies! So, I'm on Recipe #1 to try to make thick, soft, fluffy ones!
New Recipes
I really like to cook and missed doing it regularly when I was pregnant. So, here are a couple of my recent new favorites:
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
We just had them as the main course, with some roasted asparagus on the side! A great vegetarian dinner, though they'd be a great complement to a meal, too.
Ingredients:
* 3 sweet potatoes, even in size and scrubbed
* 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
* Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
*Place sweet potatoes on sheet tray and bake for 1 hour or until soft. Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.*
* Split potatoes and remove the flesh to a medium sized bowl, reserving skins. In another bowl add butter and cream cheese and the all of the spices and mash with a fork or rubber spatula.
* Add the butter and cream cheese mixture to the sweet potato flesh and fold in completely. Add the filling back to the potato skins and place on a half sheet tray. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
* During the last 5 minutes of baking, sprinkle the brown sugar on the top.
*I totally baked the sweet potatoes in the microwave! sooo much faster and didn't have to have the oven on as long in the summertime!
Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
* 1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size florets (about 8 cups)
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper on a baking sheet; sprinkle with the salt and thyme and toss again. Roast until golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
*I used dried thyme and also generously sprinkled Parmesan cheese on the cauliflower before roasting!
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
We just had them as the main course, with some roasted asparagus on the side! A great vegetarian dinner, though they'd be a great complement to a meal, too.
Ingredients:
* 3 sweet potatoes, even in size and scrubbed
* 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
* Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
*Place sweet potatoes on sheet tray and bake for 1 hour or until soft. Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.*
* Split potatoes and remove the flesh to a medium sized bowl, reserving skins. In another bowl add butter and cream cheese and the all of the spices and mash with a fork or rubber spatula.
* Add the butter and cream cheese mixture to the sweet potato flesh and fold in completely. Add the filling back to the potato skins and place on a half sheet tray. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
* During the last 5 minutes of baking, sprinkle the brown sugar on the top.
*I totally baked the sweet potatoes in the microwave! sooo much faster and didn't have to have the oven on as long in the summertime!
Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
* 1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size florets (about 8 cups)
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper on a baking sheet; sprinkle with the salt and thyme and toss again. Roast until golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
*I used dried thyme and also generously sprinkled Parmesan cheese on the cauliflower before roasting!
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