It's a Girl!

Jen & Jr had their baby girl last night around 6 PM 02/24/2011, Adelynne Mae (AKA: Ady Mae). 8# 14 oz. Welcome baby girl! We can't wait to meet you! I like this picture the best. It looks like she's thinking "hmmm, I think I'm gonna like it here."

Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord

What a week. Do you ever feel sometimes that someone swapped your bed so that you're always waking up on the wrong side every day? My van got a flat at my daycare and I had to walk to work. My dog tore up a section of our carpet & peed on another section. Baby was going through a crabby phase where she would scream bloody murder from nothing. Sliced my hand open on a soup can. Some people turn to the Lord when things are good. Some, when times are bad. I try to all the time.

Flat tire: I thanked the Lord for the ability to walk. Thanked Him that it is only a mile from the daycare to work. I thanked him that it was an incredibly warm morning and that I had worn comfortable shoes that day. I thanked him that even though my hairspray didn't hold in the light drizzle, that I had grabbed a headband and stuck it in my pocket before work. For my talented hubby to fix my tire. I thanked Him for the donut shop along the way. :)

Dog: I was thankful for the perfect sized rug to use until we replace the chewed-up carpet. And for the new carpet shampooer we purchased. And that no matter what, I love my Mutt...some days more than others.

Soup can: I may have sliced my hand open washing a soup can, but luckily it didn't hurt as bad as expected when doing dishes or giving Baby a bath.

Crying Baby: Thinking it was teething pain, we tried everything. Turns out she just needed a little time on back to do the bicycle and to poop (and poop).
So, we can mope about what happened to us, or be grateful about the positive side of things. So, like I read in Guideposts "Is faith your first response or your last resort" (Greg McDonald).

February 20th, 2011

AFter celebrating their 6th anniversary, Mom and Earl got married on Sunday, Feb 20th @ 3:00. We were able to attend via Skype. Here's a few pictures of the attendees :) Congrats Mom & Earl. We're so happy for you! Loves!

Elizabeth Tells Me About Her Day

Our daycare provider says Elizabeth is "such a talker". I have no clue where she gets it.

Pro-Life

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” I don't know how anyone can be pro-choice. This is ELizabeth's 8 week ultrasound where we saw her heartbeat for the first time. Life begins at conception...no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Happy Birthday, Lexie

We adopted Lexie a year ago today. We celebrated by giving her a bath, clipping her nails and eating a pigs ear (her not us). Actually she's 7 years old today. We loves you Lexie and are glad to have you in our family! Here's her latest trick. She can now sit, lay down, shake, dance, and roll.

Sittin' Pretty

Thanks Auntie Heather for picking up a Bumbo for us. We love being upright and being able to look around!

Awww....Probably My Favorite Disney Film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxm6avJHTWc
(from the film "Dumbo")

Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine.

Little one when you play
Don't you mind what you say
Let those eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine.

From your head to your toes
You're not much, goodness knows
You are so precious to me
Cute as can be, baby of mine.

Recommendations for Mommies & Babies

Here's what I've found that I like:
Here's our favorite lotion-Gentle Naturals. Elizabeth is very sensitive to fragrances. This is better than Aveeno Eczema Cream for babies or even Johnson's Scent Free.

We also like the Baby Oil Gel. It doesn't spill like baby oil and "locks in 10x's the moisture", per the label. We use the aloe/Vit E one b/c the other scents irritate her skin.

The best diaper rash cream in the world-Butt Paste. Worth its weight in gold. Smells good too:

Here's our favorite baby carrier. I wear Baby when I cook, clean, or just need to give my arms a rest from carrying her, but still want to keep her close.

A perfect solution to milk let down - Avent. However, they only hold around 1oz, so you will have spillage w/ >1oz:

1st Wk of Work/Daycare

Baby and Mama are back to the grindstone this week, just not together :(. Baby did better than Mama. Unfortunately Baby caught her first cold and it made sleeping at night pretty miserable for a few nights for all three of us. Little fever, spits ups, congested sinuses, and many, many diapers. But she pulled through. After a vapor bath last night, her congestion is significantly better today.
Another first: Elizabeth is now grasping toys, scrutinizing them, and putting them in her mouth. She likes to squish the noisy ones in her hands. She is interacting with her environment more and more and it is so fun watching these little milestones.

Cranberry Chicken

Mom had asked me what this recipe was again so I figured I would post it:
Cranberry Chicken
8 oz Western Dressing
1 pkt Onion Soup Mix
1 can Cranberry sauce (whole or jelly)

Mix together. Pour over chicken (2-4#). Throw in 350-degree oven for an hour, covered (remember to baste). Remove covering for last 10 min or so to thicken sauce.
Voila - Stupid simple, but yummy.
(Can also do in crockpot, but it ends up a little runny, but the flavor is good.)

First Day of Daycare & 3 Mo. Old Today!

"You're sending me where?" Momma went back to work today and Little Bits had her first day of daycare. She did so good. Our Miss P. said that she ate all 12 ounces, had 2 little naps and was "so talkative". When we got home, Elizabeth had to tell Daddy all about her day. She was so tuckered out she even went to bed a 1/2 hr early.

Movies: The Gunslingers & The Ramen Girl

We Just finished watching The Gunslingers & The Ramen Girl. HORRIBLE! (They were rent one, get one free...I have horrible taste.) The Gunslingers is a new movie, a western I thought looked good, but it had no storyline. We ended up fast forwarding the last 45minutes just to see what (predictably) would happen. Not at all original and the camera work was nauseating, almost like the Blair Witch Project.
The Ramen Girl is Brittany Murphy, who followed her boyfriend to Tokyo and gets dumped there. Instead of going home, she wants to stay and learn to cook Ramen (which you can easily buy 10/$1.00 at Super One, but who am I?). The movie didn't show her learning the language or how to make ramen, but all of a sudden at the end, she knows both. It did have some comical parts, but that was the extent of it.
I wouldn't recommend either one of these movies. Don't waste the $3.

Lemon Chicken

Mom gave me a new recipe the other day and while I had my doubts, it really turned out yummy. Dave even ate the left-overs. A tangy, zesty change to drab chicken.

Lemon Chicken
2-4 chicken breasts
Juice from 1 lemon
flour
1 can chicken broth
butter

pound the breasts with meat hammer til thin (put thick layers of paper towel down to avoid splatters)
roll in flour
pan fry in butter 3 minutes on each side (I had on medium heat w/ cast iron)
remove from pan
pour in broth & lemon juice
stir and scrape pan to get all the residue from the chicken
thicken with flour/ make a gravy
put chicken back in the pan (flip a few times to get chicken covered in gravy)
cook in simmering gravy for 6 more minutes

I served with stuffing, but next time I'd try rice & veggies.

Little Bits Can Talk

Miss Little Bits has started cooing and talking these past couple of weeks. Today in Adoration, she noticed her hands and is starting to watch them as they play and reach. She finally caught sight of her feet, but I don't think she knows they are hers yet.

2 Weeks Left

Two weeks left of maternity leave. David asked me what I wanted to do before going back to work; anyone I wanted to visit or places to see. Oooo, I thought, shampoo my carpets! (Hey, you get your kicks where you want...I'll get my kicks where I want.) So I strapped on Baby, vacuumed & shampooed all the carpets. They look great and I feel so much better having them done. If you want a good workout, strap on a 12# kid and clean your house. Elizabeth only made it half way through the family room before she fell asleep, but she had fun while it lasted, cooing at the vacuum.

All In a Days Work

A New Do for Baby Brooks

Pulling a "Princess" Moment

And Finally ... Our Smiley Girl

Lexie Visits the Vet...Again

My poor puppy, for some reason 1/2 of her face & neck were severely swollen last week. The dr put her on antibiotics in case it was an infection r/t to a possible cut in her mouth, but he was pretty sure it was an allergy to something. $70 of meds later, she back to normal, but NO more people food for this little girl.

Baby's First Steps...Well Sort Of

In Mother's Arms

In Mother's Arms
In the wee hours of the morn
with baby in my arms
I pray her guardian angel
protect her from all harm

And my mind starts to wonder
to a time long ago
When my very own mother
held me in moonlit glow

Did her heart swoon like mine
when eyes grazed flawless cheeks
Or a smile tickle her lips
with every baby squeak

Was she curious who I would be
did she wonder at my potential
And would she lay back and listen
to every baby babble

In my mother's arms
from the world I was safe
Some days I'd like to crawl back in
to mother's warm embrace

I pray for you, my babe
that blessed you will be
And that we share a friendship
like your Grandma and Mommy