Thursday, June 9, 2011
What's YOUR song? Link Up!
We call our little girl our "Toot Toot"! It started out because from the time she was born, she could let out some good "toots". I know babies are awesome like this, but seriously her's beat her Daddy's and his are killer! Once the name continued we started signing this to her all the time! It makes me smile when I hear it! Of course, being from Louisiana this is so us!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Two Month
Baby A had her two month appointment yesterday. Everything went well for the most part. There were a couple of concerns that I had, which the doctor noticed immediately. One was her weight and the second was her belly button.
She is a small baby. She was born very petite and has been ever since. But that doesn't change the fact that she is very small. She loves to eat, and breastfeeding is going perfectly. But the doctor of course wanted to see her weight a little higher, which Mr. Man and I did too. I was hoping that the Wii was wrong when I weighed her two weeks ago, but it was not. She weighs only 8lbs and a few ounces, just under 8.5 pounds. There really is no reason at this point for her weight loss. Nothing that stands out. So we are trying a new system of feeding. Basically putting her on a strict routine and waking her even if she is napping for meals, including through the night. From the day we brought her home, she slept like a champ and still does. In the beginning, it was not a big issue since she was gaining weight like she needed to. However, now it is a different story. And we also have to add in the fact that she is an active little monster. She has been very squirmy, more than most, since she was born. Everyone commented on how alert she was and how she was feisty. With all that in mind, the doctor thinks it may be a combination of her activeness and love to sleep that has contributed to this. So now, I just have to make sure I am feeding her every 2 hours and through the night. Of course, we discussed my milk and there was no signs on anything going on with it. We discussed my diet, and no signs that anything was wrong with it. But the doctor suggested that I up my calorie intake by another 600 because I have a high metabolism. If I am burning calories just as fast as she is, then that is that much less she is taking in. So I have decided to stop working out to stop from burning so many calories. I have also increased my intake. We are going to try this for a week and see what happens.
Next is her belly button. When her umbilical cord got ready to fall off, only some of it did. When we went in for her 2 week appointment, we brought this up to the doctor. The doctor said that it was ready to completely fall off so he put this chemical on it that would help it. It took only a day for the rest to fall off, but when it did, the inside was still a little wet and did not look like it was completely healed. It held moisture and looked wet. We called the doctor's office and they told us it was normal and over time it would heal. Well it never did. When I brought her in yesterday, the doctor looked at it and said that it was too moist. I asked if baths could be contributing to it, and he said no he did not think so. He really did not have an answer for it other than that some babies will get cysts under the belly button. So we scheduled an appointment for an ultrasound for tomorrow. Hopefully that goes well. Most importantly I hope we find out what is causing this. I questioned the doctor over and over about what he thought it could be if not a cyst. He didn't seem to think it was a cyst. But he did not have an answer. He just said that the next step would be blood work, but that was it.
Other than that things went well. She smiled and laughed at him. She played on the table. Her brain development and head growth seemed right on, as well as her length. The only issue was the weight. She still wears most of her newborn stuff except for her sleepers. She is currently over 9 weeks old. Hopefully all this other stuff will work itself out and not be much of a worry. I hope tomorrow goes smoothly!
Please say a little prayer for Baby A regarding the belly button... well and the weight :)
She is a small baby. She was born very petite and has been ever since. But that doesn't change the fact that she is very small. She loves to eat, and breastfeeding is going perfectly. But the doctor of course wanted to see her weight a little higher, which Mr. Man and I did too. I was hoping that the Wii was wrong when I weighed her two weeks ago, but it was not. She weighs only 8lbs and a few ounces, just under 8.5 pounds. There really is no reason at this point for her weight loss. Nothing that stands out. So we are trying a new system of feeding. Basically putting her on a strict routine and waking her even if she is napping for meals, including through the night. From the day we brought her home, she slept like a champ and still does. In the beginning, it was not a big issue since she was gaining weight like she needed to. However, now it is a different story. And we also have to add in the fact that she is an active little monster. She has been very squirmy, more than most, since she was born. Everyone commented on how alert she was and how she was feisty. With all that in mind, the doctor thinks it may be a combination of her activeness and love to sleep that has contributed to this. So now, I just have to make sure I am feeding her every 2 hours and through the night. Of course, we discussed my milk and there was no signs on anything going on with it. We discussed my diet, and no signs that anything was wrong with it. But the doctor suggested that I up my calorie intake by another 600 because I have a high metabolism. If I am burning calories just as fast as she is, then that is that much less she is taking in. So I have decided to stop working out to stop from burning so many calories. I have also increased my intake. We are going to try this for a week and see what happens.
Next is her belly button. When her umbilical cord got ready to fall off, only some of it did. When we went in for her 2 week appointment, we brought this up to the doctor. The doctor said that it was ready to completely fall off so he put this chemical on it that would help it. It took only a day for the rest to fall off, but when it did, the inside was still a little wet and did not look like it was completely healed. It held moisture and looked wet. We called the doctor's office and they told us it was normal and over time it would heal. Well it never did. When I brought her in yesterday, the doctor looked at it and said that it was too moist. I asked if baths could be contributing to it, and he said no he did not think so. He really did not have an answer for it other than that some babies will get cysts under the belly button. So we scheduled an appointment for an ultrasound for tomorrow. Hopefully that goes well. Most importantly I hope we find out what is causing this. I questioned the doctor over and over about what he thought it could be if not a cyst. He didn't seem to think it was a cyst. But he did not have an answer. He just said that the next step would be blood work, but that was it.
Other than that things went well. She smiled and laughed at him. She played on the table. Her brain development and head growth seemed right on, as well as her length. The only issue was the weight. She still wears most of her newborn stuff except for her sleepers. She is currently over 9 weeks old. Hopefully all this other stuff will work itself out and not be much of a worry. I hope tomorrow goes smoothly!
Please say a little prayer for Baby A regarding the belly button... well and the weight :)
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Pictures for Daddy - 015
I am taking pictures and small video clips of Baby A everyday while Mr. Man is away. I am actually posting them on Facebook for him to view; however, I thought I would also add a few here for those of you that interested in seeing her grow.
Blossoming Baby.
The most recent picture of our kiddos!
Smiles for Daddy because 'I'll always be Daddy's Little Girl!'
"Would you like a kiss?... That will cost you 25 cents please!"
"I'm such a 'groovy' baby!"
Friday, June 3, 2011
Recipe: Lemon Cake
Recently, I took a week to bake some goods for a couple of girls that work with Mr. Man. We became friends through Mr. Man during my pregnancy, and they did so much for us while I was pregnant. I thought I should repay them, and I really did not know how. One day they came over to meet Baby A when Mr. Man was still here and raved over some of my baked goods. So I thought to repay them I would bake them goodies everyday for Mr. Man to bring to them during his last week of work here. It was a success, and they were all giddy every single morning that they were delivered goodies. And yes, I made extra for Mr. Man to send to his new shop, too.
Here is an awesome Lemon Cake recipe that does take some time, but time that is worth taking! Hope you enjoy!
Here is an awesome Lemon Cake recipe that does take some time, but time that is worth taking! Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the glaze:
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired.
Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.
I made these into loaf pans so I could divide them among the people. This cake is absolutely delicious, and my favorite cake is Lemon Cake!!!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Dear Daddy - 012
Dear Daddy,
The last couple of days have been absolutely beautiful! Baby A and I went shopping yesterday. We bought her some adorable summer clothes. Now that she is actually growing into larger sized clothes, I can put new things on her! I'm so excited about this. She is so petite that it drives me insane. She is still wearing newborn pants and most newborn onesies, but she is up to 0-3 month sleepers. I would say she is in between sizes because she is still too small for the 0-3 sleepers, but most of the newborn sleepers are just a tad bit too small. I have just been interchanging them, trying to find which ones need to be packed away and which ones are still wearable. I have to say that I did actually cry the first time I put her in a 0-3 month outfit. I really love her being so small, and I really do not want her to grow too fast. I definitely want her to grow, but I just want these new moments to last a bit longer. I know you are ready for her to grow up, to be a bit bigger. I know you just want to talk to her and know what she is thinking, but I really love this newborn stage. Back to our shopping, I bought her a few outfits and me a couple of things. During this trip, I forgot a pacifier. I realized after I was halfway to wear we were going, and I refused to turn around. Good news is that she never once needed a pacifier. I am so proud of how good she is. She is just like me. She loves to be outside, loves to shop, loves to spend Daddy's money, and loves to take warm baths. She is just plain adorable! It was a successful day.
Today was another pretty day, still is actually. Now that the sun does not go down until around 10pm, we are going every bit of nice weather that we can. I took her for a walk this morning, like I always do. We took a pit stop at the baseball on our way back. We watched two spiders fight over a web. The really big one killed the little one. It was so sad. We just watched the jets fly over us and we relaxed. It was nice to be able to soak up some sun without it being too bright for Baby A and too windy. We enjoyed ourselves. When we got home, I packed me a small snack to take outside with Mr. Buttons to play. I laid Baby A on a blanket in the grass and played fetch with Mr. Buttons. He was so happy to be outside playing. Poor thing does not always get to walk with us because sometimes the construction people are out and in the middle of the roads, and I do not want to make the walk complicated by worrying about him and tangling him up. I feel so bad, but the stupid construction has gotten insane here. But at least I did take him out to play. He is due for a haircut soon, so I will be scheduling that the next chance I get.
School is still going really good. I am learning how to juggle doing everything around the house. It really is not as hard as I thought it would. Yes, we have our moments, but I do not see how so many people complain and overwhelm themselves by stressing over the small stuff. I just feel if I do not get to fold the clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer, life will not end. I pick back up the next day and they get done. Baby A makes it so much easier for me. Even though she loves to look around and see everything, she is so good. I can lay her down in certain areas and she loves what she sees. She likes to look outside just like Buttons does. I have learned how to prop her up on the couch with the Boppy pillow, so she can see. She hates to lay down. I have been cooking, too. I am very proud of myself for that. I also have lost 4 pounds since you have been gone. I'm pretty impressed with myself. I feel there is more I could do, like go to the gym more often. But sometimes I just get busy. As long as I am walking and jogging, I am happy for now. In reality, I should be focusing on losing the weight instead of lifting. And you know me.. I can't lift unless I am going as heavy as possible, so yea.
I just wanted to stop by and give you a more detailed note of what we have been up to. I keep myself busy all the time. Time is flying by for me, and this is just how I want it to be. Thank you for being such a great husband and Daddy, and I look forward to hearing from you again.
We love you and miss you!
The last couple of days have been absolutely beautiful! Baby A and I went shopping yesterday. We bought her some adorable summer clothes. Now that she is actually growing into larger sized clothes, I can put new things on her! I'm so excited about this. She is so petite that it drives me insane. She is still wearing newborn pants and most newborn onesies, but she is up to 0-3 month sleepers. I would say she is in between sizes because she is still too small for the 0-3 sleepers, but most of the newborn sleepers are just a tad bit too small. I have just been interchanging them, trying to find which ones need to be packed away and which ones are still wearable. I have to say that I did actually cry the first time I put her in a 0-3 month outfit. I really love her being so small, and I really do not want her to grow too fast. I definitely want her to grow, but I just want these new moments to last a bit longer. I know you are ready for her to grow up, to be a bit bigger. I know you just want to talk to her and know what she is thinking, but I really love this newborn stage. Back to our shopping, I bought her a few outfits and me a couple of things. During this trip, I forgot a pacifier. I realized after I was halfway to wear we were going, and I refused to turn around. Good news is that she never once needed a pacifier. I am so proud of how good she is. She is just like me. She loves to be outside, loves to shop, loves to spend Daddy's money, and loves to take warm baths. She is just plain adorable! It was a successful day.
Today was another pretty day, still is actually. Now that the sun does not go down until around 10pm, we are going every bit of nice weather that we can. I took her for a walk this morning, like I always do. We took a pit stop at the baseball on our way back. We watched two spiders fight over a web. The really big one killed the little one. It was so sad. We just watched the jets fly over us and we relaxed. It was nice to be able to soak up some sun without it being too bright for Baby A and too windy. We enjoyed ourselves. When we got home, I packed me a small snack to take outside with Mr. Buttons to play. I laid Baby A on a blanket in the grass and played fetch with Mr. Buttons. He was so happy to be outside playing. Poor thing does not always get to walk with us because sometimes the construction people are out and in the middle of the roads, and I do not want to make the walk complicated by worrying about him and tangling him up. I feel so bad, but the stupid construction has gotten insane here. But at least I did take him out to play. He is due for a haircut soon, so I will be scheduling that the next chance I get.
School is still going really good. I am learning how to juggle doing everything around the house. It really is not as hard as I thought it would. Yes, we have our moments, but I do not see how so many people complain and overwhelm themselves by stressing over the small stuff. I just feel if I do not get to fold the clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer, life will not end. I pick back up the next day and they get done. Baby A makes it so much easier for me. Even though she loves to look around and see everything, she is so good. I can lay her down in certain areas and she loves what she sees. She likes to look outside just like Buttons does. I have learned how to prop her up on the couch with the Boppy pillow, so she can see. She hates to lay down. I have been cooking, too. I am very proud of myself for that. I also have lost 4 pounds since you have been gone. I'm pretty impressed with myself. I feel there is more I could do, like go to the gym more often. But sometimes I just get busy. As long as I am walking and jogging, I am happy for now. In reality, I should be focusing on losing the weight instead of lifting. And you know me.. I can't lift unless I am going as heavy as possible, so yea.
I just wanted to stop by and give you a more detailed note of what we have been up to. I keep myself busy all the time. Time is flying by for me, and this is just how I want it to be. Thank you for being such a great husband and Daddy, and I look forward to hearing from you again.
We love you and miss you!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Dear Daddy - 009
Dear Daddy,
Today is Memorial Day! Happy Memorial Day! I know you still had to work, but everything around here was so laid back. Mommy did some online shopping while I took lots of naps. I guess the BBQ on Saturday wore me out. Speaking of, Mommy brought me to a BBQ at one of your friends. Everyone loved me. They never put me down. I would say that they slightly spoiled me because Sunday I wanted Mommy to hold me all day. The BBQ was fun. There were some big dogs there that were very interested in me. Two cats also. When Mommy would feed me, the cats would try and get underneath the nursing cover to get to me, but Mommy wouldn't let them. They had a lot of hair, too. Big puff balls if you ask me. Mommy at some yummy food, and Frankie wanted me to watch Wall-E and Ratatouille with him. I did. I tried anyway. Sunday we did not go to church because we got home so late from the BBQ. Bad us, we know. But the sun going down at 10pm here is throwing our time cycle off. We forget it's late because the sun is still out. Today Mommy brought me for our morning walk. It was nice out finally. We were going to go on another walk and hit the gym, but it started raining. Go figure. Mommy said that she is going to try and go put gas in your car tomorrow. Hopefully she will make it and the weather will not be too bad. We have been taking a lot of pictures for you. Every single day we have new pictures for you. Mom is trying to stay on top of sending them to you, but I keep her busy. I now mock Mommy's facial expressions. I try anyway. I scrunch up my nose when she does and I make the snake face with her. I like to swing at my dangling toys too. I still can't grab them, but I definitely like to hit them and make them make noise. I can now lay on my tummy and hold my head up. Daddy, I really am getting so big. I can't wait for you to see how big I am now. But until then, I will just keep growing and Mommy will continue to video tape me and take lots of pictures. We love you and miss you and can't wait to talk to you again. Be sure to dream about us!
And to everyone else, I hope ya'll had a great long weekend!
Today is Memorial Day! Happy Memorial Day! I know you still had to work, but everything around here was so laid back. Mommy did some online shopping while I took lots of naps. I guess the BBQ on Saturday wore me out. Speaking of, Mommy brought me to a BBQ at one of your friends. Everyone loved me. They never put me down. I would say that they slightly spoiled me because Sunday I wanted Mommy to hold me all day. The BBQ was fun. There were some big dogs there that were very interested in me. Two cats also. When Mommy would feed me, the cats would try and get underneath the nursing cover to get to me, but Mommy wouldn't let them. They had a lot of hair, too. Big puff balls if you ask me. Mommy at some yummy food, and Frankie wanted me to watch Wall-E and Ratatouille with him. I did. I tried anyway. Sunday we did not go to church because we got home so late from the BBQ. Bad us, we know. But the sun going down at 10pm here is throwing our time cycle off. We forget it's late because the sun is still out. Today Mommy brought me for our morning walk. It was nice out finally. We were going to go on another walk and hit the gym, but it started raining. Go figure. Mommy said that she is going to try and go put gas in your car tomorrow. Hopefully she will make it and the weather will not be too bad. We have been taking a lot of pictures for you. Every single day we have new pictures for you. Mom is trying to stay on top of sending them to you, but I keep her busy. I now mock Mommy's facial expressions. I try anyway. I scrunch up my nose when she does and I make the snake face with her. I like to swing at my dangling toys too. I still can't grab them, but I definitely like to hit them and make them make noise. I can now lay on my tummy and hold my head up. Daddy, I really am getting so big. I can't wait for you to see how big I am now. But until then, I will just keep growing and Mommy will continue to video tape me and take lots of pictures. We love you and miss you and can't wait to talk to you again. Be sure to dream about us!
And to everyone else, I hope ya'll had a great long weekend!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Dear Daddy - 003
Dear Daddy,
Today was another boring day in this neck of the woods. We went for a walk this morning, and Mr. Buttons wanted to come with us so bad. He even tried to pull his leash down from the hook, and I had to tell him no. It upset me, but I am going to take him with us tomorrow morning. Hopefully he cooperates with us. Our walk was good this morning. Definitely was not as windy as yesterday morning, but still windy.
Baby A slept in until 9am. I couldn't believe it when I woke up. Totally caught me off guard, but it was nice to sleep in.
Baby A had a tummy ache today. It was sad. She couldn't sleep because of it, and she was spitting up more than normal but not enough to be concerned about. She finally got it out of her system and was fine from then on.
I took her to the gym with me, and she was wide awake the whole time. She never once fussed and she let me work out. She fell asleep on the walk home and slept for a bit while I cooked me some dinner.
Now we are getting ready for bed. We are going to go get our showers and hit the hay. We've been going to bed by 9pm. It's nice to get to sleep at that time. I hope you had a good first day at work and was able to meet up with old friends. Don't have too much fun without us. We love and miss you a whole lot! I know it will be a while before we get to talk to you again, but I can't wait to tell you all the new things she is doing. She's getting so big!
Oh, and Happy 7 weeks, Daddy!!
We love you more and more and more and more times a million!
Today was another boring day in this neck of the woods. We went for a walk this morning, and Mr. Buttons wanted to come with us so bad. He even tried to pull his leash down from the hook, and I had to tell him no. It upset me, but I am going to take him with us tomorrow morning. Hopefully he cooperates with us. Our walk was good this morning. Definitely was not as windy as yesterday morning, but still windy.
Baby A slept in until 9am. I couldn't believe it when I woke up. Totally caught me off guard, but it was nice to sleep in.
Baby A had a tummy ache today. It was sad. She couldn't sleep because of it, and she was spitting up more than normal but not enough to be concerned about. She finally got it out of her system and was fine from then on.
I took her to the gym with me, and she was wide awake the whole time. She never once fussed and she let me work out. She fell asleep on the walk home and slept for a bit while I cooked me some dinner.
Now we are getting ready for bed. We are going to go get our showers and hit the hay. We've been going to bed by 9pm. It's nice to get to sleep at that time. I hope you had a good first day at work and was able to meet up with old friends. Don't have too much fun without us. We love and miss you a whole lot! I know it will be a while before we get to talk to you again, but I can't wait to tell you all the new things she is doing. She's getting so big!
Oh, and Happy 7 weeks, Daddy!!
We love you more and more and more and more times a million!
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