Dear Daddy - 035

Dear Daddy,

Today was a boring day. Mommy was going to take me and Mr. Buttons shopping, but it rained all day long. Instead of getting us all soaking wet and making all of us "fussy pants-es", we stayed home and watched Saturday morning cartoons. We watched a lot of Popeye and the old school Tom and Jerry. Mommy is going to take me for a walk here in a little bit to go rent a movie and buy some Pizza. You made Mommy hungry for pizza.... which means I get pizza, too! Poor Mr. Buttons has to wait another day to get some running around out of his system. The rain needs to stop because Mommy definitely needs to mow the grass.

Well, that's about all that is going on. Mommy says she will write you an update about her things when she has more time. Things have been hectic, like always.

We love you and miss you. We can't wait to talk to you again. Until then..... know that we love you very, very much!

Jerkface

Jerkface - (n.) a person or thing that annoys me.

For example:

Facebook is a 'jerkface'. Simply because it never works for me. Maybe because Mr. Man is using it will in Korea, or maybe because it is just retarded, but whatever the case... it's a 'jerkface'.

People who complain about something someone else does, then that someone tries to fix it, and then the person doesn't acknowledge it. (Did you get all of that?) They are a 'jerkface'.

People who vent about other people on Facebook where they can see it. But the poster never flat out puts the person's name.... 'Jerkface'.

When my computer decides to lock up while I am typing up a paper... 'Jerkface'.

When it starts pouring down raining while I am walking to a friend's house for a baby shower with the baby.... 'Jerkface'.

Get the picture?

'Jerkface' has become a recent new word of mine, and it's quite hilarious when I say it out loud. Which I did for the first time today. Normally, I just think it in my head or text it to a friend. Nope, this time I said it out loud!

Follow Up - Weight Check

Baby A had her follow up from her 2 month appointment last Thursday. The appointment went well, but the doctor said it could have been better. She weighed in at 8lbs 10oz. The doctor was hoping to see her closer to 9lbs, but that wasn't the case. However, we know she is growing so that's all that matters.

The more time goes by, the more I believe that she is just meant to be a tiny baby. I always knew she would be a small baby. The thing that holds me tight and keeps me content is 1.) her beautiful smile. I really do not think she would be such a happy baby if she was starving all the time. I believe that she would let me know some way, some how. and 2.) her hair. She has a lot of hair. Most babies hair falls out after they are born. However, Baby A's hair is perfectly healthy and still hanging in there. I think if she was not getting the nutrients her body needs, she would start to lose her hair. Maybe I am wrong since many babies lose their hair anyway, but that is something that just recently crossed my mind.

Baby A started sleeping 10 hour nights, so I have decided to wake her in between to get in an extra feeding and also roll her out of bed earlier. This girl is just like her Mommy. She will take sleep over food any day of the week. With this new schedule, it will give her 2 extra feedings a day.

Needless to say, she is still on a great schedule and doing perfectly fine. She is developing very well, and has now found her feet. Of course, she is not grabbing them yet but when she sees them, she thinks they are the funniest thing ever! She moves her head upward to look at things now instead of looking at them from the side. She follows my voice and body with her head more often, and she loves to stand! She has some amazingly strong legs. She is still very active and enjoys kicking and squirming all the time. Most 0-3 month clothes are still too big for her, but newborns are barely hanging on. She juggle between the sizes for now, but at the rate she is growing now, she will be in and out of 3 month clothing in no time.

I have recently got a lot of questions regarding cloth diapering. We are still cloth diapering, and I thought I would do a post to answer everyone's questions. I thought I would let everyone know in case there are others that may be curious, have questions, or considering cloth diapering their own baby. If that is the case, please send me your questions and I will answer them for each of you  in one blog post. Also, I will list the diapers I have and have tried. I have received a lot of questions regarding the type of cloth diaper to use, brand, etc due to the overwhelming options on the market. I thought if anyone was interested, while Baby A is still little and fitting into her newborn diapers, I could do a video style "overview" of whichever ones ya'll are interested in. Please just send your requests, and I will do my best to get to all of them.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the most wonderful and sweetest Father to the most precious baby girl. You may not be the first person she sees in the morning or the last person she sees before bed, but she when she does see you, you light up her life. Just look at her beautiful smiles that she saves just for you! From the time she entered this world, you had a way of always making her happy. You were the first to make her smile at just four weeks. Every single time you got home from work and walked through that door, our Toot knew right away that her Daddy was home. Her little face always lit up and she would carry the biggest smile. You were also the first to bring out her little giggle just a couple of weeks after that. I am thankful for the bond that the both of you have, and I just hope that it continues to grow stronger. It's obvious that the two of you beat as one. You are the light to her day every single day. Your presence brings her happiness, and it shows each time she is able to look at you through the computer. She does not even have to hear your voice anymore to know her Daddy is around. Thank you for being the greatest Father I know!! 

We love and miss you and can't wait to have you home!

And Happy Father's Day to all of the other wonderful Father's out there! 

Ultrasound Results:

Baby A had her ultrasound last Thursday, and we got the results the following Friday. It all came back clear and healthy. The doctor has no idea what it could be, so I am basically stuck. I have tried to do some research online, but have gotten nowhere. It seems that this is common, but every case is different. Most of the time the belly button just takes a bit longer to dry up and heal completely. I hear it's a good sign if there is a bit of blood because it means that it is forming a scab. Sure enough, last night when I was cleaning it out, I saw some little blood specks on the q-tip. Hopefully that is what it is. We see the doctor tomorrow about her weight, and I feel like she has grown a bit. But who knows what the scale will tell us once we are there.

She is changing so much so fast. She is 10 weeks old and finally starting to fill out her 0-3 month sleepers, but she still wears newborn outfits, onesies and pants. She is such a cutie!!

Deployment Tips: Food

I thought I would document a bit of how I eat and prepare my food for quick lunches and dinners while Mr. Man is deployed. It seems that this question gets asked a lot whenever others' husbands are about to deploy. The want to know meal ideas and how to prepare in advance. Whenever I get asked this question and Mr. Man is here, I completely draw a blank. But whenever he is gone, I have my own rhythm that works out great. And now that I have a baby to take care of as well, I have found more and more ideas to help me out. Not only do these tips help me out during the day when I'm so busy, but they also are inexpensive routes to home-cooked meals.


One tip I run to often:


Marinating chicken in advance. 


Most people have the common sense to buy in bulk. I also divide the larger portions into smaller portions for family meals, but when I am here alone, I prepare them in even smaller portions. 


I buy lots of chicken tenders when Mr. Man is away. I can buy them in bulk. They are inexpensive, and they cook fast. One of my favorite things to do with this is to also marinate them in advance and stick them in the refrigerator (if I will be eating them within the next couple of days) or freeze them and take them out the morning I plan to eat them.


I am big on eating just chicken tenders, but these ideas allow you to put them in other dishes. Like tacos, salads, macaroni and cheese, and anything else you can think of. Just be creative.


I combined a list of my top 5 favorite marinades to help me make different meals. Don't laugh at the names of them because I am making up names as I go :) 


1. Yummy Chicken Marinade:
1/4 cup of cider vinegar
3tbsp of whole grain mustard
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 juice of a lime
1/2 juice of a lemon
1/2 cup of brown sugar

6tbsp of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Tips: This will take care of about 6 chicken breasts. 

2. Amazing Chicken Marinade: (very creative, I know)

1 cup of oil

1/2 cup of vinegar

2tbsp of mayo

3tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

2tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

2tbsp of thyme

1tbsp of garlic powder

Tip: This makes about 2 cups of marinade, so just cut it in half for a portion for one person. I normally can easily get 6 or so chicken tenders with 1 cup. 

3. Terriyaki Marinade:

1/2 cup of oil

1/2 cup of soy sauce

1/2 cup of tomato juice

1/2 cup of brown sugar

3 cloves of garlic, minced

pepper to taste

Tip: This could easily cover about a pound of chicken. Plan accordingly. 

4. Italian Marinade:

1 (16ounce) bottle of Italian salad dressing

1/3 cup of lemon juice

1/3 cup of honey

1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce

2tsp of Paprika

5. Lemon Marinade:

2tbsp of olive oil

2tbsp of lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2tsp of thyme

salt and pepper to taste

These are the recipes I use when Mr. Man is here. However, I take it and make simple changes for a fast marinade for me when he is away. I use bottled lemon and lime juice. I cut the ingredients to half if I am doing it for one person. I also will occasionally just use garlic powder instead of actual minced garlic. There is a variety of ways to play with this.

Another great idea is to cut up vegetables to freeze with the chicken or place in the fridge. For example, you could slice some mushrooms, bell peppers, etc.. and place them in the marinade in the bag with the chicken. When you are ready to cook, just toss it all in the pan and cook away. 

These are amazingly simple, so I thought I would share. I know many people shy away from having to cook for one person because it seems unnecessary. But this way allows you to have a nice healthy diet without spending too much time in the kitchen and not always having to use the Crockpot. (I hate to clean the Crockpot afterward.)

I hope you find these helpful! 

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!