Bath Time

It has been brought to my attention that I'm not putting enough picutes/posts up here for family members to see. I mean, I'm only staying at home with a 3 year old and a 3 month old. I should have oodles of time to do this :)

So, I'm going to try to do a few short blogs full of pictures and snippets, to catch up. Then hopefully I'll be able to get back on the blogging wagon and put up more full-length blogs. Til then, Enjoy!

Spring is Springing!

Today was so nice, and I hear tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer. We took the kids outside for a little fresh air this afternoon. We spread out a big quilt under the shade tree in the front yard. Andrew played with his rice box, and Emily lounged. I took turns taking pictures, staring at my beautiful children, and snoozing. Here are a few photos of the afternoon.

These Days

She's the image of me at this age!

Sleeping in Andrew's bed during story time. So sweet! I'll bet when they grow up they won't ever get this close to each other, on purpose, again...

Favorite time, bath time! Andrew is properly censored, if you'll notice, with his Toy Story bucket.

She's happiest in the bath tub. Check out that huuuuuuge belly. She doesn't look like a 6 week old infant, does she?!

My family...not sure how you get a baby to look at the camera, but hey. "two out of three ain't bad."

Happy One Month, Little One!

I. Can. Not. Believe. It.

Emily is a month old today. Y'all, this hurts me! And yet, I'm also thrilled that we, well, mainly I, survived it, with minimal scarring. I'm sad that the first month has come and gone, but at the same time, we're one month closer to: sleeping through the night, sitting up, rice cereal, the first smile, and real human interaction. The babies don't do a whole lot of 'give' for the first few weeks, they're all about 'take.'

I've made it my goal this time around to not 'wish' her little life away. By that I mean, I don't want to put all my energy into the 'can't wait til she can do ___.' I want to enjoy the now, without being distracted by what's to come in the future. I feel like I did so much of that with Andrew, that I wanted to make an honest, conscious effort this time.


So, in honor of the Little Miss' Birthday, here are some photos of her on her 'throne', i.e. the recliner. Hey, wherever she sleeps, is where she sleeps....

**A disclaimer for those of you (Mom...) who are thinking, "You left a baby in the recliner?!" She was in the back corner, wedeged in with pillows (nowhere near her face, mind you), AND I put the footrest up, so the seat was tilted so far back that the only way she could fall out is if she suddenly gained control of her head, gained control of her back, gained enough muscle in her arms and stomach to lift herself, and suddenly learned to crawl. So please don't call DFACS on me.

Nursing Out of House and Home

***Warning for all the fathers, fathers in law, and any other male that might read this blog: the words breast, boob, nipple, latch, pump, and milk will be used repeatedly. If this makes you squirm, don't read any further, just skim to the pictures :)****

So, we have a champion eater on our hands. For everything Andrew was when he was 3 weeks old, Emily is the opposite. Exact opposite. For instance, she sleeps. Soundly, and alot. Second, she's easy to PUT to sleep. Third, she nurses. Very very well. A lot. She latched on from the beginning and hasn't let go.

In fact, this baby girl, at 3 weeks old, eats 4 OUNCES. I know this because I pump twice during the day and give it to her in a bottle. I think it's important that she know how to drink from a bottle and the boob, in case there's ever an instance that I'm not there to feed her. So, this is how I know that she eats 4 ounces. At 3 weeks old. I do recall Andrew eating 4 ounces (of formula, I might say) at 3 MONTHS old. I am just simply astounded that she eats this much. I'm pumping 4 ounces out of each breast. And I think to myself, "If the boobs are this heavy and full at 3 weeks of age, what's it going to be like when she's eating 6 or 8 ounces down the road?!"

The nursing did not start off well on my end, so I never even thought I would make it this far nursing. She did fine, it was my poor little nipples that were taking a beating. Apparently redheads in general have a more difficult time nursing. It has something to do with our very sensitive skin. So, one week into nursing I had (TMI warning) scabs on my little nipples and would just about scream everytime she nursed. Which is why I brought out the breast pump so early in the game, to give the girls a break. While the nipples are better now, it's still painful to nurse her, but I just go to my 'happy place' and we get through it. Somehow I don't think this is normal, this pain & discomfort, but I'm determined to meet my goal of nursing for 6 weeks. After that, I can either make a new goal, or I can strictly pump. Formula is my last option. Andrew had formula from the second week he was alive, and he's fine...growing, learning, healthy. But I wanted to stick with the breastfeeding this time.

She's been drinking out of a 3.5 ounce bottle up until today. We went out to eat with friends Friday night and I went in to Target to get some bigger bottles (the ones we have are only 3.5 ounces). It was time for her to eat, so I just pumped in the car and let Brian feed her while I went in. I bought a set of 4 ounce bottles. I got back out the car, and Brian said, "She just drank 4 ounces." So I turned on my heels and went right back into Target to swap the bottles for 8 ounce size. Geesh, kid. We're definitely going to be ready right at 4 months to start rice & some foods. Because I can't imagine making enough milk for her to eat!!

The upside of her eating so much is that she goes a little longer between feedings. Just last night she went for a 4.5 hour stretch. And during the day, she goes about 3 hours, sometimes longer. And I do believe she has reached the 10 pound mark. Andrew was 10 pounds at his two month well visit!!

Anyways, here's a picture of my big girl and her daddy, eating from her 8 ounce bottle. And some pictures of the big brother. Lately, he will find my camera, then bring it to wherever I am, and give it to me and say "Cheese!" He loves having his picture taken. So here are a few of those, too.

Warming Up & 2 Week Checkup

Andrew is certainly warming up to the idea of being a brother. In fact, I think he rather likes it. He always wants to know where the baby is, what she's doing, and when can we "make baby higher" (on the swing). Poor little gal, as soon as she can sit up, she's going to be pummeled. But, she'll hold her own. We had our 2 week checkup today, and boy, she's a growin. She weighs in at 9 pounds even, and has grown 1/2". She's in the 75th percentile, something Andrew never knew. Not only has she gotten back up to her birthweight, but she blew past it and added another 7 ounces! All my breastfeeding worries have gone out the window- she's certainly getting all she needs. I can't believe how big she is. Andrew wasn't 9 pounds until he was about 6 weeks old. We can't button the top button on her sleepers because her neck is so big!

Anyways, here are some pictures of the kids. My personal favorite is the one of Emily latching on to Brian's cheek. When we're not sure if she's hungry, we give her the cheek test. If she latches on to Brian's face, we know she's ready to eat!

Introducing....

Miss Emily Mae Manley

Born February 4, 2010, at 9:15 a.m. Weighing in at 8 pounds, 9 ounces, and measuring 20 inches long. She's got lots of long, dark hair and deep blue eyes. Perfect in every sense of the word!

We went in for our c-section early, early Thursday morning. Everything went just fine, except for a couple of minutes there where I thought we were going to lose Brian to the hard concrete floor. Poor guy had to go outside for a moment! I was able to see the little miss very soon, probably within an hour of surgery. She was so round, and pink, with the chubbiest cheeks I've ever seen on a baby. And she was mine, all mine!

The hospital stay flew by, and before we knew it we were discharged and heading home. Which is a weird feeling. Exciting, to get this new life started at home with family, but at the same time, scary as hell, without the help of a nurse a button's touch away. We had my mom stay with us for the first three days, and then Brian's mom came for a day. She went home today, and took Andrew with her for the weekend. It'll give Brian, Emily, and me some time to bond. As nice and quiet as it is, I miss Andrew terribly and it's only been a few hours. I feel like I haven't seen him in a week. But I'm sure he's having a ball, and is not even thinking about me right now!

Speaking of Andrew, he's starting to acknowledge the baby now, instead of refusing to look at, touch, or talk about her! Today he even gave her a kiss on the head. He's most concerned when the baby is crying, and he's the first to say, "Baby crying!!" Which I'm sure is not so much out of concern for the baby as it is annoyance at this little thing making noise.

So we're at home, watching the opening ceremonies on tv, with snow falling outside. I'm content for the moment, but as most mothers are after having given birth, I'm liable to cry at any moment, for any reason. Things are going better than I'd hoped, Emily is a sleeper. A good, good sleeper. So good that we have to wake her to feed her, which seems wrong, but a girl's gotta eat. Nursing could be better, but it's working, she's pooping, and I have to remind myself that she's only a week old, and with each day that passes she'll get better at it, and so will I. I also remind myself that every day is the last day she will be that size, that with each day she's bigger, and older, and that I'd better love each moment, even at 3 a.m.

A Hodgepodge of Many Things...

Well, we're dropping like flies. The pregnant ladies, that is. In my last post, I mentioned how many of my friends were due on the same day I am. Out of all these ladies, it's just Laura Beth and I hanging in to the end. Christie went in yesterday and had a baby girl, and Forrest's wife (I forgot her name!) went in today. I know it's a sin, but I can't help but be insanely jealous. But at the same time, I know that these babies are three weeks (give or take) early, and that with each day that passes with my little peanut safely in the womb, the healthier she will be. But still. Y'all. These women aren't pregnant anymore. Do you know how appealing that is?
Last week I had my 37 week appointment (I'm going once a week now) to check to see if I'm progressing. I was very, very surprised to learn that (as of last Thursday) I was already 60% effaced. At 37 weeks? Am I really going to make it to the 4th? I never got this far with Andrew, even AFTER I was induced! So, Brian thinks it's in my best interest to have a bag packed. I'm going back tomorrow for my 38 week checkup, I'm curious to see what's up. I'm very ready to not be pregnant anymore. I don't know what it's like to sleep more than 3 hours at a time, or go that long without peeing, either. I know that it's God's way of prepping me for life with a newborn. But I was really hoping to go into life with a newborn (and a 3 year old!) rested. But as they say, every time someone makes a plan, God laughs.

So, that's the pregnancy update. I wanted also to share with you a funny Andrew story. If you remember, we got him the Read Aloud Bible Stories book for Christmas. He loves it. We read it every. single. night. And sometimes at naptime, too. His favorite story by far is The Baby in the Basket, which is a 3 year old's way of saying The Story of Moses. To make a long story short, the "bad king" doesn't want any more baby boys, so he tells everyone to "throw away" all baby boys. One family makes a basket for their baby boy and hides the basket in the river...etc.

Well, last Thursday night we went to Chili's for dinner. There was an abundance of young toddlers and babies there, for some reason, and they really and truly all happened to be boys. Brian was talking to Andrew about how many little boys there were in the restaurant, and he jokingly asked Andrew, "What in the world are we going to do with all these baby boys?"

To which Andrew replied, with his hand thrust mightily in the air, "THROW THEM AWAY!"

Y'all, I laughed so hard. I guess you really never know how much actually sinks in and sticks in these little minds. But it secretly pleased me that he was learning these Bible stories. Just maybe we should vary the stories a bit, so that he doesn't go walking around telling people that he wants to throw their baby away!

Lastly, I wanted to do my part for the Haiti people and children by letting you all know about an orphanage that needs help. Our church is one of several churches that has missions in Haiti. We are partnered with Truth Evangelistic Ministry. Over the past few years we've built four Christian churches in remote areas of Haiti, and also have helped support an orphanage called Love A Child. If you all haven't made a donation to a specific relief organization, I strongly encourage you to check out these two web sites. TEM is working to distribute supplies to the people in remote areas that haven't received aid yet, and Love A Child has been set up as a very large field hospital near the border of Dominican Republic. They're getting up to 1,000 patients a day. It saddens my heart to see these poor people, who had nothing to begin with, lose what little they had. In most cases it was their loved ones they lost. But the Haitian people that our church and our ministry is reaching are still faithful that God will provide for them and heal them. So please, if God leads you to do so, make a donation!

Freezing For Baby

Some of my friends have been asking for tips on how and what to freeze in order to stock up for baby. It astounds me how many of us are due within 6 weeks of each other! Laura Beth and I are pretty much due the same day (and so is Christie at church), and Amber and Audrie are due 4 weeks after me! Then comes Liz and Sara in April and May. Gonna be a good year for babies!

Anyways, this post is for you, Amber!

I mentioned in my last post about making up meals that I (or Brian) could pop in the oven for dinner when I'm not feeling up to cooking...which I assume will be for a week, or two... I took pictures while I was making up some hashbrown casseroles so I wouldn't have to fumble around for ways to describe what I was doing, and plus, it's just easier to look at pictures!

First, the recipe:

One bag of frozen hasbrowns, can be shredded or chunks, depending on preference

One stick of butter, melted

One 16 oz tub of sour cream

One can cream of chicken soup

One bag (2 cups) of shredded cheddar cheese

1/4c diced onions, if desired

Mix all of the ingredients, except for a handful of shredded cheese, to be added later. You'll need a fairly large bowl to do this. The typical recipe calls to make it in a 9x13 pan, but I divided mine up into two 8x8 pans. And one 8x8 is enough for two people to eat two servings, plus have a serving or two leftover.

Two 8x8 pans, with frozen casserole

After you mix up your casserole, line the 8x8 pans with aluminum foil, making sure to cover at least halfway up the sides all around. You may have to use two pieces of foil laid opposite each other. Then, split your casserole mix in half, and press into each of the pans. Sprinkle some of the leftover cheddar chesse on the top. Place the pans in the freezer, uncovered, until frozen solid.

Lift up the casserole from the pan

Once it's frozen, all you do is simply lift out the casserole by the foil, and wrap it up. I add an extra piece of foil just for good coverage; you don't want any food exposed because of freezer burn. Then I put it in a gallon sized ziploc bag, label it, and there you go!

Cover with more aluminum foil

When it comes time to cook it, just pull the foil off the casserole, put it back in the 8x8 pan, and bake! Unfrozen bake time is 45 minutes at 350 degrees, so I'm not sure about cooking from frozen. I may let it thaw a bit before cooking, maybe take it out of the freezer at lunchtime for that night's meal.

Bag & label it!

The meatloaf preparation is pretty much the exact same thing, except I didn't pre-freeze...meaning I mixed up the loaf, formed it in a loaf pan (also lined with aluminum foil), then wrapped it up raw, put it in a ziploc bag, then the freezer! I would definately thaw the meatloaf before cooking, otherwise the crust will get hard.

Most of the 'stash'...also bought 10 pounds of ground beef,

and split up into one pound bags for spaghetti

I've put a picture of my freezer stash so you all can see. It looks like it took me weeks to do, but I did it in a day. I will definately pay off when the baby is here! I still want to add some chicken pot pies, and some enchilada casseroles, too. But, hey, if it doesn't get done, oh well. Like my mom said, I'm not dying, I'm just having a baby. (Though I think at times I might feel as if I am dying...) I'm also hoping it will cut down on the "let's just get some takeout," which can get expensive, and is not exactly healthy.

Anyways, hope this helps, Amber!

The Belly, It's a Growin'

Well here I am, at week 36-ish, trudging along. Hauling around this belly is quite exhausting. I feel like an old woman sometimes, creaking and popping, limping around, wincing at sudden movements. As y'all could see on my Christmas Eve post, I am rather large. But I would also like to add that while I look ginormous, as of my last appointment (last Tues) I have only gained 24 pounds. And I swear, it is ALL right out in front. Which is a good thing, I guess, but it makes for a very uncomfortable stomach.

Heartburn has settled in for the duration. I'm eating my Zantac for breakfast and dinner, whether I think I need it or not. Anything spicy is off the menu- pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, etc., along with cinnamon (weird?), and some fruits like pineapple, and chocolate. I'm really only disappointed about the pizza and chocolate, but I've found if I take my Zantac at the right time, I can sneak a piece of chocolate in here and there.

We're all set for the baby. We've got everything we need for this baby: diapers, wipes, clothing, you name it. We shouldn't have to buy diapers or wipes for at least 6 weeks, but you never know. She could be a champion pooper. We're prepared enough that this little gal could come home today and we'd be fine. Which was my goal- to be ready enough with a few weeks to spare so I could spend the last weeks just relaxing and conserving energy. But then this little nesting bug came along, and lately I've been doing probably more than I should. I spend most evenings begging Brian to rub my cankles. My feet get so swollen these days that most of my shoes are too small!

This weekend I decided that I needed to stock up my freezer with meals that we could just pop in the oven to reheat. And so far it hasn't been too bad, but there's more I'd like to do. I just have to realize that I'm not Wonder Woman, and that it probably won't kill Brian to have to throw together a meal or two :) I've already got a batch of potato soup, a batch of chicken stew, and a batch of Santa Fe Soup in the freezer.

Today I managed to make 5 hashbrown casseroles, 36 blueberry muffins, 3 meatloaves, and put up 7 pounds of ground beef for spaghetti. Before it's all said and done, I'd also like to have a few chicken pot pies, maybe a couple of lasagnas, and a whole mess of pancakes and waffles. Anybody got any other suggestions for meals or entree's I could freeze up?

I'm very pleased with the fullness of the freezer. We could survive a meteor crash between what we have stocked up in the pantry and frozen in the freezer. And if the power goes out, no matter, because anything frozen would remain safely frozen outside...

Now hopefully I'll have a few days of rest. Which is wishful thinking, because lately I have been averaging about 5 really good hours of sleep at night. And that's if I take a Tylenol. I just can't get comfortable. That, and the little monkey just won't sit still, either. I think I'm going to move into the recliner for the duration of the pregnancy so that I can sleep on my back.

Only 23 more days!