my favorite squash recipe (written while holding a babe)

ingredes:
1 butternut squash
~4T butter (NOT margarine!)
~1T fresh, chopped rosemary
salt & pep to taste
pan with lid
whisk

step uno: brown your butter. how? put butter in pan. let melt. whisking a lot. keep cooking. keep whisking. eventually will turn yellow, then shortly after - brown. it will start to smell nutty. take off heat. don't burn. this can happen quickly.

step next: throw in rosemary and whisk. butter will froth.

step last: throw in squash (oops, forgot to tell you you were supposed to peel, deseed and cube that earlier). let brown on one side until brownish/charrish. stir it around and try to brown other side. salt and pepper it. put on lid and set your timer for 15 minutos.


 

Adapted from Simply Recipes (it's supposed to look more like their picture, but I overcooked it this one time).

our ergo

I decided to post this blog because I got two comments on our carrier today, and because my daughter is actually taking a nap on her own for once. I'm not one of those moms that tries out every carrier and ends up with a million of them until I find the right one. I'm not like that with most things, in fact. I like to take my time and look up a million and one reviews until I think I've found out the good and the bad about everything and I can make an informed decision on what I want.

We started out with the Moby wrap. Now, I loved the idea of the Moby and I wanted to love it, but as Aven kept getting bigger, the Moby kept getting harder and harder to use. It hurt my back and was just too stretchy. Plus, every time I tried to put it on when I was about to do something while I was out, it would drag all over the ground and get really dirty and I don't need another thing to wash. It was really great when Aven was a tiny baby and would just sleep in it, but as soon as she was big enough to hold her head up and thrash around, it just didn't work out. At this point, I started looking for something more structured. I believe I was trying to decide between all three (or is it four?) Ergo carriers and then the Beco carrier. They're pretty similar but I believe the Beco has a piece of fabric that goes in between you and baby for extra support and for easy access to the back carry position. Anyway, I ended up deciding on the Ergo, and even more specific, the Ergo Organic because I read that the original is pretty rough and scratchy. Oh, I also want to add that one of the main reasons for my choosing between these two carriers, besides the ergonomics and the fact that they put most of baby's weight on your hips as opposed to your back, is the fact that baby is in a sitting position when being carried. "Crotch danglers" are not the way to go when baby wearing. The baby bjorn, although popular, carries your baby is a horrible position, supported on only their crotch with their legs straight down. Baby's hips are still supposed to be pretty spread apart at this point and aren't meant to be straight like adults. This is known to cause hip dysplasia as well as other problems with the hips and legs.

Anyway, enough of that. Now I'll tell you what we like about it.

1.) We love the fact that it puts baby's weight on mom's hips.
2.) We love the fact that mom can be hands free!
3.) Aven loves being able to interact with people's faces instead of their knees.
4.) We love that Aven can sleep in the carrier when she's being a fuss bucket. Sometimes the Ergo is my last resort and it usually works every time!
5.) We love that it's cute!
6.) I love that there's a pocket that perfectly fits my wallet, keys and cell phone.

Here are some things that take getting used to.

1.) It's pretty hard to figure out at first. The instructions are your friend; read them.
2.) The back strap is hard for me to reach, but I've finally figured out a method to buckle it and I think my arm has gotten stretchier.
3.) The bottom of it is bent now because I sit in it so often, but that's really not a problem.

I think that's it. We love our Ergo! If you're considering one and have any questions that aren't answered here, feel free to ask away! :)

things no one tells you

Sometimes I wonder how mothers get through the first year. When people are warning you about having kids and how things "will be different", they should really give you specifics so you'll be prepared. Here are some things people don't tell you about babies that everyone should know:


Breastfed babies have yellow, sweet smelling poop
After all that meconium (the first few tar-like poops your baby will have) is gone, your baby's first poops will be yellow and seedy and look really strange. It's totally normal, I promise.


Growth Spurts
Babies go through growth spurts where they get extrememly irratable and fussy, don't sleep and then sleep for hours and hours the next few days. There are specific ages for these, but you can basically expect that as soon as one growth spurt is over, it seems like the next one rolls around. You can basically blame anything on a growth spurt. Is baby hungry and then screaming when you try to feed them? Growth spurt. Not sleeping well anymore? Growth Spurt. Looking at you funny? Probably a growth spurt.


Babies DO NOT and are not supposed to sleep through the night. 
When you imagined having your baby, did you imagine them sleeping soundly in their crib most of the time while you and hubby stared lovingly at her and then did your own thing? Nope. Nuh uh. At the beginning, babies will nap, nap, nap like crazy. However, babies aren't meant to sleep through the night. So don't expect that you will be either. 


Teething
We haven't experienced this one yet, but I didn't realize that it's such a bad time. Fevers, crying, fussiness. Not looking forward to it.


Puke
From about 2 weeks on, Aven puked everyday. No, not spit up. Projectile vomit. It's tapered off, but as soon as I type that she'll probably do it again.

Four month sleep regression
I just found out about this one. Aven is four months. I'm not excited.
Last night I was in tears because every time I would lie her down (right beside me, mind you) she would cry and cry.. in her sleep. Supposedly this is the time when babies start sleeping like adults and not babies. That phrase "sleeping like a baby"? Pshaaa!

What would you add to the list of things people don't warn you about?
Leave a comment below and I'll add to the list in another blog post.

an oklahoma storm

Last night I had my first storm shelter experience. I've been in numerous storm shelters in my life, but never actually during a storm. We didn't have a shelter when I was little and storms are pretty scary without a shelter, especially in Oklahoma - in the middle of tornado alley. Anyway, we were planning to just stay in our house during the storm since it was only supposed to hail; however, the weather channel decided to mention that just earlier, there wasn't supposed to be a tornado and one was produced before a tornado watch was even given. Then we noticed on our weather app that the precautions for this particular storm said to get into a shelter. So, we abided. Aven was pretty interested in all the fuss and didn't make a peep the entire time we were down there, except when we started getting all hot and sweaty. My phone happened to go dead just like it always does when I need it most. Rob had to brave the storm once it died down to go run and get his phone so we could check to make sure the storm was actually over before we went back home.

Our electricity was off when we got back home, but came back on after an hour or so. It ended up that we didn't even get any hail where we were, although a few very small tree branches fell down in our yard. We're supposed to get more, maybe worse storms tonight. I hate Oklahoma summers for this very reason. Storm watching is especially stressful with a new little baby. Plus, I always want to pack up all my important gadgets like my camera and computer, just in case.

I guess this post isn't really that great; I usually only write when I have something important or insightful to say. Meh. It was an interesting night. Hopefully tonight will miss us and not be as bad as they think.

Also, I think it's funny that while we were watching the weather to see whether we needed to go to the shelter or not, the lady reporting says "Now, this is really important..what you need to do RIGHT NOW is...

go outside, check your roof, and call your insurance agent."

What?! I don't wanna go outside and check my roof! It's about to storm and that seems really unsafe, lady!

Not the best of advice if you ask me. ;)

some realizations

You don't realize how naive and how much of a know-it-all you were before you were a parent until you become a parent. :|

That said, here are some things that, before I had a baby, I said I would never do or things I thought would be different.

I'll never let my baby be pacified by something other than myself.

No pacifiers, no t.v., no swings! Parents are so lazy sometimes, I said. If my baby needs to be pacified then I'll just pick her up and hold her, because I'm going to be the best mom and I don't need all of those other things! Well, in my mind, that was all great, but sometimes my shoulder get sore and sometimes my arms hurt and sometimes I need to do the laundry, cook or clean my house. Sometimes, I just need a break! Sometimes when Aven cries, the only thing that makes her stop crying is looking at that stupid television. Plus, if that t.v. is on, she will turn her head like an owl to see it. We still don't use a pacifier, because I feel like my boobies suffice for that, but I have stuck one in her mouth a few times just to see what she'd do. She definitely just spit it out. "This is NOT a boobie!"

Breastfeeding will be so easy! (formula feeding mommas are just lazy!)

That's what our boobs are for: breastfeeding! I carry them around on my chest and I don't have to fill up a bottle and we're born to do it, right?! What could be hard about it? Turns out, it's not that it's hard to do, it's the commitment that's required on your part. Those first few weeks, you're nursing almost every hour! Prepare to leave to get somewhere an hour before you need to be there, because odds are, the baby will need to eat before you leave and if you don't calculate that time in, you're going to be late for where ever you're going.
The beginning of breastfeeding was one of the biggest commitments I've ever made. I now totally understand why some babies are formula fed. Especially if you're not a stay at home mom. I don't understand how working mommies even do it. Kudos to you if you're a working momma and you also breastfeed your baby. I don't know how I'd have the energy!

Being a stay at home mom will be great! 

(First off, I love being able to stay home with my baby. Not a lot of moms have that luxury and I don't want to seem like I'm complaining about it by any means.) BUT:
See above - "Sometimes I just need a break!" Sometimes, I get really lonely. Sometimes, I get so tired of being in this house, I just want to scream. Aven does scream when she gets tired of it. Going to the grocery store or just out for a drive can seem like a vacation now.

I'll never be one of those moms that looks frumpy and doesn't have time to clean her house.

HA! My baby doesn't sleep during the day most of the time. She's a great nighttime sleeper and will go to sleep at 9 or 10 and sleep until 7:30, waking up a few times to eat. So, when she does happen to take a nap during the day, the last thing on my mind is putting on makeup or cleaning my house. Most of the time I want to sit down, chill out, write a blog, get online, or watch a t.v. show. Plus, cleaning the house usually results in something noisy just waking her up.



So, with all that said, if you're not a mommy or daddy, you can give parenting advice all you want. Just know that on the inside I'm laughing, because until you've been there..you have no idea.

The Video

Here is the (sort of incomplete) video of my birth. :) Thanks Franny!

If the video lags or acts "jerky", click on the top where the title is and it should take you to the youtube page and it should work fine there!
   

Read my story HERE

behind the scenes

waiting on you..
 



 your first full day home, nothing sweeter than this. <3





 full belly and a nap. :)