7 month update

It's hard to believe 7 months has already gone by and in 5 short months, my little baby will be 1!

Here's what Jacob is up to:

1.  Sleeping is getting "better".  We can now put him down on his own at night, and he falls asleep by himself.  we occasionally need to go back in to settle him once, but he will typically sleep now until somewhere b/w 10:30 and 12 before waking up!  Which is amazing for us.  He wakes up in that time, but is able to finally get back to sleep on his own.  He ends up in bed with us anywhere from midnight to 2.  It's just easier with nursing and not going up and down stairs.

2.  Taking longer naps, and in the crib!  This is both at home and daycare.  He's never been a good napper, but starting to nap for 45-hour.  The other day he actually napped 2 hours in the crib. 

3.  Still only 2 meals a day.  Rice/Oatmeal only in the morning (2 tblsp) and rice/oatmeal at night w/ about 1/2 package of a fruit or a veggie.  Some nights he eats the entire container, if he really likes the food.  Which tends to be bananas (yuck) or peas.  He isn't eating all of his bottles at daycare, so until he does that, we are not doing a third meal.

4.  Tried puffs last night, they were a fail.  Will try again in a week.

5.  He can pull himself up to standing!  Yea Jacob!

6.  Working on crawling.  He can get on all fours and rocks away, but no moving yet.  I don't think it will be much longer. 

7.  Also tried a sippy cup with water.  Jacob didn't quite get it.  But had fun playing with it.

8.  SOme of his favorites:
      Time of day:  Bathtime or laying in bed talking in morning.
       Food:  LOVES Plum Organics, esp the kinds that have banana in it
       Toys:  Colored rings that stack, Mr. Snail, and the JD tractor i got at a garage sale
       Words:  SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH and Crazy baby
      Songs:  Chilly Willy, Arms Across, and You are my Sunshine

9.  Some random facts:
       Wears size 3 diapers
       Is in 6-12 mo clothing, depending on brand
       Loves being held, talked to, "petting" the cat, watching Selby (she wont get close enough to be pet),
        making raspberries, pulling hair
      Hates:  puffs, not being able to get anywhere when on hands and knees, when we sit him down to get something done around the house

10.  My favorite thing?  he is such a funny little baby.  His expressions, how excited he gets when he sees Mike or I, when he snuggles in and just lays on me.  Mike and I are always showing each other photos we took and videos.  The new fun thing is watching him on the video monitor, and laughing about the sleep positions he's in.  This little baby has definetly captured our hearts.  :)

Part Time Everything, Full Time Nothing

People have pretty strong opinions when it comes to all things having to do with parenting and kids:
Breast vs. bottle
CIO vs no cry
Attachment parenting vs. independence
Co sleeping vs crib sleeping
Stay at home mom (SAHM) vs. Working Mom vs Work at Home mom (WAHM) vs Part time

I'm sure i could keep the list going, but the last one is the one I want to discuss.  Pre baby, I would have said I'm not giving up my career, post baby, I couldn't imagine going back to work during busy season and working 50-65 hours a week with a 3 monthl old baby at home.  So, I went part time.  Mind you, part time during busy season is still 40 hours a wk, done in 4 days.  from 4/16 to 12/31 is true part time, 24 hours a week, but busy season is basically working a "normal" job.

But, it was hard to do 40 hours in 4 days, so I did work from home also.   And it sucked.  Jacob doesnt nap for extended periods of time.  A typical nap is 30-40 minutes.  And at that time, even when he went to bed at 6ish, he would wake up every 60-90 minutes.  I was stressed trying to get work done.

First Mothers Day

In theory, it sounds great.  You get the pros of both a SAHM and a WM:

• Home with baby
• adult interaction
• you are raising child
• additional income
• Get to lounge around house in pjs
• get to leave house baby free
• identity is a momma
• identity also is career

But there is one HUGE drawback to this:

you never feel like you are full time at anything.

When I'm at home, I think about work.  When I'm doing work from home, and if I'm playing with Jacob, all i think is, I REALLY need to do x, y, and z for work.  I'm distracted and not paying full attention to him.  So, I start up my computer to complete x, y, and z, and the whole time, I'm distracted with wanting to play with Jacob.  I feel guilty working when my baby boy is sitting on the floor next to me, playing away. 

I can't seperate the two and it's tiring.  I don't know which is worse, mommy guilt, or workers guilt.  It's hard because I love my job and I dont want to slack off on my career. 

It seemed like the perfect idea, but it is way harder than I thought it would be.  It's easier now that busy season is over.  I'm leaving my computer at work rather than bringing it home with me.  I'm excited for all the fun things I can do with Jacob over the summer. Zoo, parks, playdates, swimming, etc. 

Plus, I LOVE his daycare!!  I got to have breakfast with Jacob last Friday, for Mothers Day.

Instead of looking for the perfect solution, or always feeling guilty, I'm going to try to maximize and enjoy the time i have in each case.  It will only be for a short time.  Besides, I doubt I would be getting much work done at home once Jacob starts crawling.  Boy can that baby wiggle.  And if flapping your arms and kicking chubby little legs while sitting moved you places, he could zoom across a room in no time. 




See those blurry arms and leg?  Thats a baby in motion...



 

Freezer Meals

The past few weeks we have not been eating the best.  I used to cook all the time, but now there's a little poop machine who takes up all my time!  but he is cute...

After our dinner menu consisted of rotating Schwans, eating out, and chicken strips, I decided I needed to take the time to prep some freezer meals.  I did this before Jacob was born, and it was great.  I had made up 15 meals on my own, and did Let's Dish with some other girls to get another 8 meals.  Those meals lasted us thru me returning to work.  Its quick, efficient and way more healthy.

So, I have posted the freezer meals I made below.  Each of these make 2 meals for us.  I did 6 meals in one hour, and did another 2 tonight in about a half hour.  Not only do I love freezer meals, but I LOVE my crockpot, and as you can see, most of these can be made in the crockpot, so it's even better!

Savory Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
2 cans stewed tomatoes
4 Tbs white wine
2 bay leafs
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion (I put one small in each bag)
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp salt
4 cups broccoli

Follow directions above, and put everything (except broccoli) into two gallon freezer bags. shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. Instructions for Bag: Cook on low 8 hours, add broccoli during the last 30 minutes.

Newlywed Beeftips

2 lb beef stew meet (diced from deli)

23 oz french onion soup 4 cups water

brozen broccoli

rice or noodles

Split everything (except broccoli and rice) into two containers. shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. Instructions for Container: Cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours. Mix in frozen broccoli 30 minutes before it's done, or add steamed broccoli after it's done. Serve over hot rice or noodles

Cilantro Lime Chicken with black beans and corn

6 chicken breasts

3 Tbs olive oil

2 limes, juiced

2 cups cilantro

1 large bag of frozen corn (or two smaller bags)

4 minced garlic cloves

1 finely chopped red onion

2 cans of black beans, rinsed

2 tsp cumin or chipotle powder

salt/pepper to taste

 

Split everything  into two containers. shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. Instructions for Container: cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours, serve with hot tortillas or tostitos. Dress with sour cream, guacamole, and/or cheese

 

Chicken Supreme

Lisa @ Onceamonthmom.com

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken, ground
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3.33 cups packaged dressing/stuffing
• 16 oz frozen french style green beans
• 10 oz cream of mushroom soup
• 10 oz cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup french fried onions
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup almonds, slivered
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

If you haven’t already done so, brown the ground chicken in butter, seasoning it with salt and pepper if desired.  Place 2/3 of the dry dressing in the bottom of ungreased  9×13 baking pan.  On stovetop, cook green beans in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain.  Pour beans in a bowl and combine with both soups, french fried onions,milk, and cheese.  Pour over dressing in pan and spread evenly.  Layer chicken on top.  Spread remaining dressing and slivered almonds over pan.  Drizzle with melted butter.  .  
Freezing Directions:
Cover baking pan with aluminum foil and freeze.  To Serve: Thaw and bake 375 for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.
(When freezing this, I put foil in a pan, add everything, wrap pan in foil, put in freezer til solid, then pull out the food wrapped in foil, bag in freezer bag, and then put back in freezer.  This way you dont have a pan in the freezer, and when you do cook it, your pan isn't messy!)

I found these recipes at:
Onceamonthmom.com  (blog all about freezer meals)
ringaroundtherosies.net
jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com

I have more I plan on making soon, and will post those ones as well!  Note, I label the freezer bags with the meal and the cooking instructions w/ a black sharpie.  THis makes it much easier than diggin out the recipe.

There are also some other new recipes I am excited to try, that are not freezer ones, and will post about those in the next week or two!

Wordless Wednesday

Pinterest Recipe

I DID IT!!!

I have finally made something that i have "pinned" from pinterest.  I have been addicted for a few months, and have several boards with recipes, crafts, and other time consuming things to do.  I typically look at the site when I am nursing Jacob at bedtime.  Sometimes though, i don't get a chance to, since his arms are flailing about, and whoops, there goes my phone skidding across the floor. 

As i have been pinning away, I've started wondering, when will I actually do any of this?  Pinterest may be more of a time suck then facebook, and there are days I barely have time to shower, so when would I find time to whip up some amazing dessert, stage Jacob for pics, or make that adorable crafty item that looks SOOO easy.  Because in order to do some of the things, it's not only the time suck of making the item, but also going to the store to get the stuff I need.

Some days, it's a magical feat if I can make it out of the house with Jacob to run errands.  But to do any shopping that requires full attention and time?? That is Mission Impossible.

I decided to start with something small.  I have been in a cooking rut, and figured i would make one of the recipes i pinned. 

Man Pleasing Chicken

To make this chicken, which you should absolutely do immediately, preheat your oven to 450ºF. Then, mix together 1/2 cup of dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar.   (I used white wine vinegar)

Put a 1.5 lb package of chicken thighs into a foil-lined, oven-proof baking dish.  Then, salt and pepper the thighs. Pour your maple mustard mixture over them, turning the thighs in the mixture so they are fully coated.   (I used a package of chicken breasts)

Put the chicken thighs into the oven, and let them bake for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF. Baste the tops of the chicken with more sauce half way through.. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Plate the chicken, making sure to spoon some extra sauce over the top. Sprinkle over some fresh rosemary.

The chicken was good, Mike laughed when I asked him if it was man pleasing.  Since the recipe was so simple, i was able to prep and bake before Jacob went down for the night (or at least for 90 minutes).  Maybe when I get around to doing a craft will be before Jacob's 3.