2 Months old tomorrow

I can't believe it. My lil man is going to be 2 months old tomorrow. Isn't he sweet and HUGE!

Check out the cheeks.

Baking cookie cake

My youngest daughter loves to help and wanted to make some cookies but since I never know how much time I have before the baby wakes and starts crying we opted to cookie cake instead... just as good and alot less time consuming.



She did most everything herself except for the oven of course.



And loved icing it. I heard it was yummy but I didn't have any- trying to loose some baby weight!

Oh my gosh, colic stinks!!!!

Well, I'm having a hard time blogging or doing anything for that matter because my poor little boy has colic! I cant stand it- seeing him in so much pain and I cant do anything really useful to help him. I feel so powerless. I took him to the chiropractor for the first time Tuesday since a few days after he was born and he did great for 2 days and now he's back to crying, lip quivering and jerking in pain again. I feel so bad. Please keep him in your prayers. I'm going to try and take him to Divine Liturgy tomorrow and have father bless him.

Walking him around in the Moby wrap seems to help some and also my 7 year old daughter has the magic touch and always seems to calm him. It makes her so proud.
Hard part is she is only 7 and he's heavy for her to carry around for too long at darn near 15 lbs.

One Month old in his Woolies

Wow has the month flown by. I cant believe my new little guy is a month old already.
He is such a joy, a really sweet baby with just a touch of colic in the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping which is good because the other children would probably be afraid because the cries in so much pain its heart wrenching but I;ve been through it so many times now I just remind myself to try and make him as comfortable as possible but I cant really help him or stop his pain. Although that is hard it was much worse for me with my first little girl, I felt so helpless and lost as a new mom when she would cry in pain for hours and I couldn't take that pain away or even ease it. What a horrible feeling, I don't even like thinking about it. Anyway, let not talk about that look at my adorable new baby in his warm woolies. The new blankie is from Engel and is soooo super soft and warm. I just love the smell and feel of wool. This blanket is an early Christmas gift from his daddy and me. He is laying on what was his sisters and brothers lambskin so he is just surrounded in soft warm wool, I'm kinda jealous, wish I could be.

Whats Cookin? Kettle Corn

We love Kettle Corn but it is hard to find and very expensive so I found a recipe to make it at home which I doctored up a bit and we are loving it. Actually so is my extended family and they have requested it for Christmas this year so here are the directions-

First you need one of these for it to come out like Kettle Corn rather than Carmel Corn. Its called a Whirley Pop and I luckily found mine at my friends moms resale shop for a couple bucks






In to the Whirley Pop you put-
3 tablespoons of oil--I found the best is the Smartbalance- it just makes the taste the best
and 1/4 cup of organic popcorn- again I have tried cheaper but the organic kept in the fridge just seems to pop the lightest.





Turn heat on high, close lid and start cranken
when you hear the first pop hurry and dump in 1/4 cup white sugar- I have tried it with organic and it just doesn't work, I think its because there is still some molasses and it tends to brown.
Now it will stop popping for a min. when you dump the sugar in but just keep cranken- not too fast, not too slow- and it will start poppin again real fast for about 30 sec. to a min. and when it stops hurry and remove from heat.





Take off lid and dump on parchment lined cookie sheets (2).
Hurry and sprinkle with salt while still hot. It will cool very fast and the salt wont stick if you dont get it on fast.





With the parchment it doesn't stick, clean up is easy and you can pick it up with the popcorn on it and funnel it into a jar.

Still Beautiful

Oh, even when he's screaming he's just still so darn cute!

Beautiful.....

Is this not the most beautiful sight in the world? A newborn baby sleeping peacefully. Why does it have to go by so quickly?

Time for Bed Spidey.

Well after a long day my big boy passed out. We didn't get everything done I wanted to but the list was just too long with a nb that nurses 23 out of a 24 hour day!
I did scrub the floor, wash and hang out my bed clothes, wash Manny's diapers, some clothes, run the sweeper, play in the leaves and food wise I made the breakfast, lunch, the braid for dinner and the pie crust..the pie will have to wait till tomorrow. I did make Antipasta bread and Monkey bread. The kids LOVE the Monkey bread. This is the 1st time I made it for them and I don't think it will be the last.
Oh, tomorrows another day.
I'll try to work on the list alittle more.

Manny's 1st Bath

At nearly 2 weeks old my little man got his 1st bath lastnight. Isn't he a cutiepie!
He didn't do too bad but I'm hoping to get him a Tummy Tub soon. He loves being bundled up and worn in the Moby Wrap so I think he will really like the Tummy Tub.




Anyway, here's my "to do" list for today, we'll see how much I actually get around to doing-

Prune raspberry bushes
Put Halloween decor away
Put clothes away
Wash and put away Manny's diapers
Wash and hang out bed clothes
Scrub kitchen floor
Take kids up Moms to play in leaves
Do some homeschool work

Okay, list is getting a little too long with a newborn to be realistic.

Menu-

Breakfast- Eggs, ham and biscuts

Lunch- Pizza buns

Dinner- Pampered Chef Chicken and Broc. Braid

Sweet- Pumpkin pie

Pampered Chef Chicken Broc. Braid-

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Pantry All-Purpose Dill Mix
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 packages (8 oz each) reduced fat refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Optional: 2 tablespoons slivered almonds



Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place Chicken, broccoli, bell pepper in mixing bowl. Add pressed garlic. Add shredded cheese and mix. Add mayonnaise, dill mix, salt then mix. Unroll crescent rolls but do not seperate. Place both packages of rolls on a baking stone or cookie sheet end to end. Press ends together to form one long sheet of dough. Press all seams together so filling will not leak out. Along outer side of dough, along each of two opposite sides, cut 2 inch strips from end toward center. This will look like fringe along the two longer sides of the dough. Add filling down the center of between the strips. To braid, lift strips of dough, one at a time, across mixture tomeet in center, twisting each strip one turn. Continue alternating strips to form a braid. Tuck ends up to seal at end of braid. Brash with egg white. Sprinkle with almonds. bake 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown. Makes 10 servings.

I have dug out all my Pampered Chef cookbooks and look forward to making some of my old favorites. For the kids I will leave out the almonds, dill and bell pepper for this one and do broc. in all except one quarter for daughter #1.

Lets Go Steelers!

My baby is ready for the big Monday night football game. Last week the Steelers had a by week so this is his 1st game. I hope they make him proud because mommies favorite- the Pittsburgh Penguins- have stunk it up so far in November but they had the best start ever in October. It doesn't help the Pens that they are missing very key players because of injury. Gonchar, Malkin, Kennedy and Letang are all out right now. Oh wow, I forgot about Max Talbot, he's been out since the begining of the year!

He's Here!!!

Actually he's been here since 1:43 am last Wednesday morning- 10-28-09 - I just have been too busy to post. Everything happened very fast. Last Tuesday, after being told the day before I was pretty much getting no where fast, I decided to take my other children to the movies for the afternoon. I maybe had one or two condtractions while we were gone. Then later on that eventing at home I did start to get stronger ones but they were still far apart. At about 9:00 pm I told my hubby I was going to call the midwives just to see if they were at the hospital with anyone else just incase I would need to come in but they weren't and since I had no physical- visual- signs- my water never breaks but I do get the show- and the contractions were still so far apart I was just probably just being hopeful and I'd probably see her in a few days.
So we got the other children to bed at 10:00 pm and they were gaining strenght but staying about 9-13 mins apart and even skipping to 20. So I lay there for an hour trying to fall asleep but getting really annoyed by the strenght of them so I thought I would go down stairs to watch alittle tv and get something to eat and all it took was walking down the steps and I called my mom, called the midwife and walked right back upstair to wake up my hubby because they were now 4-5 mins apart and soooooo strong.
Luckly, my mom just lives a few streets away and was here in no time and my hubby had already laid his clothes out just incase. We were at the car with in 10 mins and I couldn't get in till a strong contraction passed. Now we have an hour drive in the dark, rainy night on the Turnpike that is full of construction- no fun. I didn't think we were going to make it there because they were so strong and close together. I had such a hard time just sitting there. With every contraction I just prayed for the Virgin Mary's help to get me through and I know this may sound silly but I just pictured my new little one home in all the cute, soft little cloth diapers I've been collecting over the past month. That really helped!
When we finally made it there at 12:30 am I told the guard in the ER I need to go up now. They wanted to do paperwork but I said this is my 5th and I know what I'm talking about! Up stairs they took me right to a room and let me go pee- there was finally a little blood but just some spotting. The midwife checked me right away and said I was between 8 and 9 and needed to start the antibiotic right way because it took an hour to get in and we weren't sure if I could hold off that long. After a long hour in bed with an IV and fighting any urge to push they said it was in and she was going to check me again. I was ready- which I knew- and she broke my water to make sure it was clear. Now I was finally allowed to push. Two pushes and his head was out but I was told to stop. What! How can I stop, he's half way out. But I had too because the cord was tight around his neck and she couldn't slip it over so she had to cut it which was also hard because it was so tight she was afraid to cut his neck but with in a few mins. it was done and I was allowed to finish pushing him out. One more push and our sweet little boy was here safe and healthy. 20 1/2 inches, 8lbs 9 oz, our heaviest baby yet. Also our longest to stay in.
He's nursing great, growing everyday. And is very sweet. He went to see our chiropractor on Friday and is all straighted out. He did very well and barely cried. He is a pleasure and a blessing and I am reminding myself ever night when he has me up with nursing and a dirty diaper to just enjoy it because I'm getting older- 36- and he may be my last little blessing. That makes me sad to think about but what ever is God's will will be. I'm just so happy he's here and safe and beautiful.
Here he is in the little hat my 9 year old daughter made him.

New arrivals while I'm waiting for my new arrival

Well, still waiting on my newest little blessing but I thought I'd share some goodies that came in the mail-

These velour lined, one sized, pinable or snappy-able beauties are from Bouche Bumz at Hyenacart.com-




Next up- another diaper that is organic velour lined from Princess Julianne's Closet called Lil Poo Catchers also found on Hyenacart.com. These are a small with snaps and a cute little robot jersey print.




Last up- a Loveybums cover and diaper I bought super cheap used- barely- from a mama on Diaper Pin forums-
The cover is super soft orange fleece- I love orange for diapers- and a velour inner with a owl print jersey outer.
These are newborn size.



Now if my baby could just come I'd be sooo happy. Yesterday I went to the midwives and they said come back on Thursday. Oh well, I guess he's just not ready!

I Love Glass Jars

I love Glass Jars and I love to store things in them so I thought I would share a few picts of what and how I use them.

We use them for drinks for our children instead of sippy cups but I wouldn't recommend this on ceramic tiled floors.




I also use them for storage in the fridge for yeast, oatmeal, flax seed, ect.




Dog food



Flour, sugar and cookies




and storage of metal measuring cups and tea balls




I also have old cheese boxes on my wall for storage of oatmeal packets and they also fit other items like boxes of flavored teas for easy access



Another thing I do in my small kitchen to save space is I hang things on little hooks everywhere I can find space. Here are my measuring spoons-



And child size brooms and dustpan on hooks above our large crock we use as a trash can




So there are a few examples of how I try and make more room and things more easily accessible in my home. And yes if you are wondering we are still waiting for our new little blessing to arrive!

Still Waiting.....

Well, its been a week since I last posted about waiting for this baby and I'm still pregnant. I went to the midwives on Thursday and I haven't really gotten anywhere. Now I have to say that when things do start happening with me they do seem to progress fast but I'm starting to get a little frustrated because I am having so much lower back pain. My right leg is causing me alot of pain and I am basically crawling up my stairs to get to our only bathroom and the bedroom. This worries me because I dont do pain meds and I walk, walk, walk to get through the pain of my labors and if this back and leg pain keeps up I dont know if I will be able to do that because sometimes it just feels like my leg is going to give out.
So, today I go to the midwives again and I'm hoping that I have progressed far enough that they can just strip my membranes or break my water and we'll be on our way. I have been having contractions and they were pretty regular the other night but now they are just sporadic- that can be normal for me too.
Okay, I'm gonna go now and pray for a quick, safe delivery and a healthy baby before anyone else wakes up and the busy day starts again.

She Shoots and Scores!

After playing all last year with out one basket my girl has scored in the last three games in a row. I am sooooo proud of her for not giving up. Her team has won a few games this year too which didn't happen lastyear. Today her game went into double overtime and although they didn't win- she was so sad- she was happy to keep her point streak going. She has another game tomorrow night and I am praying she scores again. She's a beautiful, shy girl and its so good for her confindence. I'm just so proud of her for being out there playing infront of all those people who come to the games, its something I could have never done at 11 years old.

Bedtime Stories

This is such a sweet series. My husband reads a chapter from a story book each night for the children before they fall asleep as part of our bedtime routine which consists of talking for about 1/2 hour then a bedtime prayer then next the story. Some of the series we have read have been-
The Milly, Molly, Mandy books- so sweet and funny
Betsy, Tacy, Tib
The Penderwicks
and now we are reading The Mary Frances books by Jane Eayre Fryer
We are very picky about what we read to them at night because the smallest things tend to scare at least one of them so we keep our reading to simple, sweet stories with a touch of humor.
The Mary Frances stories are simple and sweet as well as educational. The one we are reading right- Mary Frances and her adventures among the garden people teaches us all about gardening and how plants are classified without you really realizing it. We just finished her adventures among the kitchen people complete with recipes that start as simple as boiling water and making toast and progress to a dinner. All along the way her little friends help her along to learn and they are very comical.
She also has a sewing book, a knitting book, a first aid book- one which we wont read at bedtime-,and a housekeeping book. Those are the ones I can think of off hand. Since I'm typing this at 5:00 am I cant turn on the light to look at my stash.
If your looking for something sweet as well as educational to read to your children you should give these a try.

Here's a quick link to the books to read more about them-

http://www.joyfulhomeresources.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=168

Kit's Waffles

The kids really like these waffles. The recipe is from the American Girls Kits Cooking Studio-

Sift-
1 1/2 cups frour
1/3 cup cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
add in 1/2 cup rolled oats
set aside

in another bowl-
2 cups milk- I use buttermilk if I have it
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
set aside

separate 3 eggs and add the yolks to the milk mixture then add 1/3 cup oil. Add to flour mix- dont over mix

beat egg whites till stiff and then fold in to batter- dont over mix.

cook in waffle iron.

Makes about 12-14.

I stack the extras between parchment or wax paper and freeze them. I actually like them better reheated it the toaster oven because they get a bit crispy.

I have sprinkled in mini chocolate or cinnamon chips before and thats really good too!

Pumpkin hats

Isn't this cute? I made it for my new baby. Hopefully he'll be here in time to wear it. I cant actually knit. I wish I could. I have tried to learn from youtube but I'm left handed and the best I can do is cast on. Cant get any further than that. I made this hat using the knitting circles they sell at craft stores. Super easy to use. My 11 and 9 year old daughters have made hats too. I found my 4 ring set at the Goodwill for only $6.00, beats the $20.00 they cost at the craft store. I have been looking for the set to make blankets and scarves but haven't had any luck. I might have to breakdown and pay the price at the craft store but I'm waiting till they have a 40% off coupon.
I needlefelted on the leaf and stem. I really enjoy needlefelting. The whole hat only took about 2-3 hours in this newborn size. The girls have enjoyed making them for there American girl dolls because this small size doesn't take forever but one their size does take over double the time.

Things I wont miss about being pregnant...

Well, its nearly 3:00 a.m. and I was just woken up by yet another stupid dream. I cant stand dreaming but my dreams are so much more frequent and vivid when I'm pregnant and I wake up several times a night angry, scared, tired and frustrated. Often my head hurts also, so I end up with a stress headache.
Leg cramps are another thing I wont miss. I never get them except when I'm pregnant. I had such a bad one 2 nights ago my calf is still sore. I try and remember not to stretch but I sometimes forget and they hurt so bad you just want to scream.
Next would be those stabbing pains in you sides that make you not be able to move. Its always worse for me at night when I go to roll over and out of no where the pain is so bad your afraid to move. Its always worse in the middle of my pregnancy when I'm growing quickly.
Okay,1 more thing and then I'll stop complaining...acid reflux and heartburn. Just awful. If there were one thing I could do with out it would be this one. Luckily it will-hopefully- go away as soon as the baby is born and I have more room in there. Atleast thats what happened with #4. I cant and couldn't eat anything tomato based with out regretting it, even the smallest amount of ketsup, but the day after he was born a good friend brought me pizza to the hospital to eat and I was fine. I cant wait to have sauce again.
Now somethings I'll miss...
Of course #1 is feeling the baby move. Even though it can be sometimes annoying to have those little toes digging into your ribs I have to admit that I treasure every movement now since having 2 miscarriage's. And with this baby my placenta as mostly in front so I didn't feel him move nearly as much or as early as my other babies.
I am also going to really miss by big round tummy. It has stayed so nice and smooth without stretch marks- those are other places- I just love rubbing it!
I'm also going to miss the feeling of never being alone.
Well, now its nearly 3:30 so I better try to fall back asleep, for a few hours anyway till another stupid dream wakes me and I have to then get up to pee and have a snack. Pretty soon the reason I wake in the middle of the night will be to nurse a sweet baby back to sleep. It seems like that time will never come but it will probably be within a week. I go to the midwives in a few hours so we'll see.
Sweet dreams.

Look what came in the mail!

Oh, I'm so excited, my newborn diapers came in the mail and I love them. They are so soft and wonderful. They are cotton velour from Clover. I got an awesome wool soaker too from Disana and I just love the feel and smell of it. I cant wait to try them on the baby if he ever shows up.
I'm not actually due till the 23 but I'm so used to going early that I'm having a hard time waiting. I'm also nervous about the baby getting bigger, my other children were all around 7-8 lbs with quite a bit of healing afterwards so the bigger he gets the more worried I get about him coming out.

Waiting......

Still waiting for blessing #5. I'm starting to get very impatient. But I feel like this every time. I told my hubby its funny to be so anxious for something to start thats going to cause you so much pain. I dont use any pain meds with my births and instead try to just walk, walk, walk through the pain. My labors are pretty quick though compared to some and usually just when I start to question my decision to not use any pain meds is when I'm sooo close its too late anyway.

This baby is suppost to be another boy -which my son is happy about and so is my hubby, after 3 girls it will be nice to have 2 boys. The ages of our children are- #1 is 11 , #2 is 9, #3 is 7- all girls and # 4 is 4, our son. He just turned 4 a few weeks ago and has tons of 4 year old energy!