Little Buds (Friends & Teeth!)

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. It truly is a privilege to live in the United States... and I am so grateful to those men and women who have given their lives (and those who currently are serving) for what freedoms we have left!

Our weekend was eventful... but uneventful!

Saturday, we went over to our neighbors house. Their son and daughter in law have a little girl who is 12 days younger than Eloise. They wanted us to bring El over so the girls could see each other. Of course, at this stage, neither of them really care about the visits. I think they may've looked at each other 2 times! But it was sweet to see them together!


Josephine didn't gain any weight for the first 2 months of her life... so she is quite a bit smaller than Eloise. I was hoping El wouldn't crush her as we were taking the pic above!


Sunday was Eloise's Dedication at church. A number of family members drove the hour (or more) to our little town to come to celebrate with us. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of my own because we used our camera to video. My father in law's white blood cell count was low at his check up this past week and there was concern about him being in a big crowd of people. He wasn't able to attend because we didn't want to compromise his immune system. I know that we were all disappointed, but hopefully he will enjoy watching the video... and hopefully I can snag some photos from my sister and mother in law! We had a little lunch in the church basement after the service... but other than that, our weekend wasn't full of picnics and celebrations. We mostly just sat at home, entertaining a baby... in front of the fan! (Man, it's been HOT!!)

You can go HERE to see pics from the dedication--(agh! I look like a dweeb!)

In other news... Eloise is getting her first tooth!!! So far we are dealing with mostly drool... she isn't too cranky... yet!!

Eloise Eats Cereal... Sort of.

When we took Eloise to the pediatrician on Tuesday, he told us to go ahead and see if she wanted to eat some cereal. Well... I think she was more interested in the spoon...

This is her very first time eating cereal (or anything) from a spoon.

(Please don't mind my dorky laugh! HA!)



Maybe we'll try again in a few days!

Oh, and she was 15 lb, 7 oz!! :)

Recipe: Yogurt Dough Pizza

As I've mentioned in some of my previous posts, I'm trying new whole, healthy recipes. This recipe for yogurt dough can be used as an all-purpose dough for whatever you'd like. I just happened to use it to make pizza. It was a little bit of a trial and error... and depending on your oven... you may have to adjust bake times!

This pizza got rave reviews from my niece and 2 nephews (all under 10 yrs of age)... and there isn't even any white flour in it! *gasp!!*

Be forewarned... to make this dough, you have to prepare it a day ahead of time... but it's totally worth it! I'd eat this pizza over regular pizza any day!!

Here ya go!

(I know what you're thinking... WHOLE YOGURT and 2 STICKS OF BUTTER!?
But trust me... it's not these whole foods that make you fat...
it's the processed crap and white flour!!)

Cover and leave in a warm place for 12-24 hours
(this gives you the benefit of the good bacteria that
interacts with the ingredients... it's nothing funky--
TRUST ME! It's healthy!)

I obviously didn't let my dough cook long enough before I put the cheese on.. which is why the cheese is on the verge of well-done... but like I said... the first couple of times--just kind of watch what times work best for your oven... and it'll work out just fine!

Let me know if you try this! It really is very tasty!!

Eloise is 4 Months...

Eloise,

Today you are 4 months old.
Time has gone more quickly than we ever could have imagined.
You are such a joy to watch develop and grow.
You've found your voice and spend quite a lot of time singing to Mommy...
and sometimes to Daddy when he is trying to unwind from work in front of the TV!



You love to kick and stand up in our arms.
You're so strong!
You only roll over when you really feel like it...
but we know you can do it all by yourself!


You love to hold a blanky in your hands...
and have a hard time falling asleep without one!
You sleep through most nights... which Mommy thanks you for!
You LOVE getting a bath and have YET to go potty in the tub
(yea!--oh.. and knock on wood... tonight is bath night!).



You suck your thumb sometimes,
but prefer the Nuk when it's offered to you!


You get more beautiful by the day...
You're the joy in our lives...
in so many lives.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU...
Forever!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

A Special Day

Two years ago today...

I married my best friend.

One year ago today...
We found out we were expecting!

Four months ago today...
We welcomed our beautiful daughter into the world.

To put it simply...
God Is Good.

Happy Anniversary Cory!
Happy 4 months Eloise!
I love you both with all of my heart!

Little Miss Muffett....

I have posted briefly here and there about how I am trying to eat healthier. This doesn't mean "diet food". It primarily consists of more whole foods... Veggies, Fruits and Whole Grains... instead of White Flour (which is pretty much lacking in all nutrients--which is why it's called "enriched". The government MAKES flour companies add in the nutrients. You should look it up... white flour is not good.)... and sugar (natural sugars are OK in moderation). It actually hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be to cut out the crap. Although I must say... sometimes I could really go for some cheesecake or something sweet like that!

We also have been trying to eat more organic - but it's hard to find around here - so we do the best we can with our budget.

Anyway--I have been referring to a book by Sally Fallon called Nourishing Traditions for my recipes. I attended a seminar once where Sally was the main speaker. She really put things into perspective when it comes to natural, whole, organic foods. BUT, I won't bore you with that. If you're interested in it... I encourage you to check out her website and books.

(Whey)

Some of the recipes call for homemade whey. I didn't make my own yogurt... but I did get whole plain organic yogurt at the store to make the whey with. It was really simple to make... and not only do you end up with Whey... you get your own Cream Cheese too! YUM! I don't know about you.. but for a $3 tub of yogurt... it's worth it to make my own cream cheese (The organic stuff is expensive!) and also have whey to use in some of the recipes I've been working on!

(Cream Cheese... I got 2 containers of it!)

If you are interested in making your own whey and cream cheese... send me an email or something and I can give you the step-by-step. It's totally easy!

If you are interested in Sally Fallon's book--you can find it on my sidebar!

I really encourage people who want to have a healthier body and lifestyle to look into more whole foods and organics. I have been losing weight, albeit slowly, and I eat butter on EVERYTHING!

Beauty

We encountered this little beauty on our walk yesterday.

Typical Nap Time

It never fails...

when I get Eloise to sleep for her nap
(we're still working on the whole "put her in the crib and
let her cry it out" thing--is she too young for that yet??)...
Weezer makes her appearance and snuggles in as well!


It makes me feel loved!
Hee Hee!

I'm excited to share a few recipes with you that I've been
working on... but I'm not quite ready to post yet!

P.S. I weigh 149 as of this AM. This is
the least I remember weighing since high school!
Only 14 more lbs to get to my goal!
WOOT!

Sleepy Time!!

We just couldn't pass up the opportunity to video this... hee hee!!



She was definitely OUT!

Our Little Doll Baby

(source)

I've always thought Kewpie Dolls were kind of cute... and kind of creepy. I remember that my grandma had one that had a spinning head (not like the exorcist or anything--haha!). It had 3 or 4 different expressions... and you could spin whichever expression you wanted it to have... say.. crying... to the front. Then spin it to smiling... and... well, you get the idea. It was a weird doll. I can't even say it was exactly a Kewpie... but it resembled one anyway.

Sunday, we were getting ready to put Eloise in the car seat to head to church... and the thought that crossed my mind as I put her sweater on (which she is pretty much almost too big for now)... Here is our very own little Kewpie Doll! If only you could see her long eye lashes! They are really so sweet... but the camera just doesn't capture them!

(That sweater was my nieces, by the way. She will be TEN this summer!! *tear*)

I love my little doll baby!!

Whatta Face!!

I took this picture over the weekend...
and honestly...
I wasn't trying to do anything to scare her.

This was just the expression that I captured!
I think it is HILARIOUS!!


Happy Monday!

Oh No...

We were hoping this wouldn't happen...
but I guess we really have no control!!


Hopefully it won't last too long!
At least with a Nuk you can take it away...
I don't think that she wants to lose her thumbs! ;)

(That is the tag from her teddy bear by her face, if you were wondering!)

Little Duckies!

My in-laws are awesome. They come over and mow our lawn all of the time.

Of course, they have time on their hands, and the exercise is good for my father-in-law. (Who has had little to no side effects with his chemo so far!! Praise God!)

Anyway... the other day, my MIL said that she saw a duck up in the ditch across from our driveway. Eloise and I went up to inspect... and sure enough... there he was!!


I went back to the house to get Cory (he loves duckies!)... and that's when I realized that there were two! God sure did a good job camouflaging the females! (I didn't realize she was in the first picture when I took it!)


Ok.. and yes... I had to take a little video. It's just short... the ducks were upset that I was getting so close... but then a car comes and I have to run away! HAHA



I am hoping that Cory will let us put in a little pond this summer... and maybe those duckies will come visit more often! (Instead of in the dirty ditch!)

The Little Thief

Before we had Eloise, Cory and I had talked on and off about how we were worried that Boo may not know the difference between Baby Toys and Dog Toys. Boo has her own basket of toys and she knows where it is and will get things out of it as she pleases (if only she could learn to pick up after herself!). She doesn't bother the cat toys at all. It's like she knows they aren't hers.

But with squeaky, rattley baby toys--we just weren't sure what to expect.

Much to our pleasure, though Boo isn't exactly thrilled that she's not the center of our world anymore, she hasn't touched one of Eloise's toys ONCE. Even when we leave the play mat out and toys scattered on it.

Our dog is so smart! hee hee

However... we have another little thief in the house.

One night when I was up feeding the baby... all of a sudden Weezer comes flying out from behind the couch. It was dark, and though my eyes were pretty well adjusted, I didn't know what she was playing with. I figured it was just the ratty orange mouse that she's had forever.

The next morning, I realized I was wrong.


That little blue ball was actually Eloise's! It was easy for her to grip, with all of those holes!

Well, not anymore.

We figured there was no use trying to keep it away from the cat. She'll hunt for it. Even if I try to put it in the little bucket of baby toys, Weezer will find it and pull it out with her teeth.

So, I guess Weezer has a new toy. El will survive without it. And I must admit, it's pretty hilarious watching the cat fly around the living room chasing that thing! Maybe one day I'll catch it on video!

A Small Victory... Make That 2!

Today, I have dealt with a very fussy baby. Between her fits for attention (even when I'm RIGHT next to her)... and her heavy eyes fighting to go to sleep... I still get glimpses of her sweet smile and shining eyes. But boy, was I so glad when they finally closed and mama hauled butt upstairs to the crib... (Victory!)

Not sure how long it will last... but I'm crossing my fingers!! :)


On a positive note (although I really am not complaining about having a cranky baby... it's totally worth it!)...

I put on my size 8 jeans today.

Yep... that's right... size EIGHT!

Ok, you might be wondering if that's a good or bad thing--since, you know... to some people that's a big size... and to some it's small.

Let's just put it this way.... these are the ONLY size 8 jeans I've owned since probably... 6th grade! And they are the smallest in my closest! (Victory, again!)

So today, in spite of a fussy baby... I am enjoying my new found glory!

Now, if only I could fit into my closet full of shirts. Unfortunately, they don't make minimizing nursing bras! Oh well!

My First Mother's Day...

I have been waiting for this day for years. Mother's Day. A day that I can look at my beautiful baby... and say... "I am going to be the best mama I can for you!".



For years I silently grieved on this day. Even before I was married, I longed for a child. I felt like my day would never come... and though I would celebrate my own mother... I still always felt like something was missing. I would sit in the pew at church, swallowing the lump in my throat, as I listened to the messages about the blessings of our Mothers and looking around at the young people with babies and toddlers. I even grieved in my heart for those women I knew that had not been able to conceive for years, knowing that I was there and still had a chance, while they had tried and tried unsuccessfully.


Today is a day not only for the mothers who have snuggled and cared for their children over the years... but it's also a day for those mommies who have known a child in the womb, but did not have the opportunity to hold those sweet babies in their arms. (Luckily, those babes are in the arms of Jesus!)

I have been so blessed!

Happy Mother's Day!

I Just Love Her!

Certified Even!

I want RAW MILK!!

Where can I get Organic Raw Milk in Central PA???

Internet searches are not helping!

The Birthday Girl

I hope you like my new blog header and design! I worked on it last night... and then my sister helped me get the header in place today (it was totally off center for some reason!). I was ready for a change... and I think it turned out well!!

Today was my father in law's first chemo treatment. Cory took the day off work so that he could travel 3 hours to the hospital with his parents. He was keeping me updated with texts and calls... and the hospital almost canceled the treatment because they (the hospital) were running so behind! That would've been a major bummer! But luckily, they made it work and so Cory and his parents are running about 4 hours behind schedule. They should be home in the next hour or two.

Since they were gone, I made a trip out to my hometown to help my mom with some household chores (laundry, dishes, etc) since she has been under the weather for the past week or so--then I drove out to my dad's business to clean there. I had the baby... and the ole pup. I didn't want to leave poor Boo at home for hours (without anyone to let her out)... AND today is her birthday!! She is FIVE! I remember when she was just a little baby puppy... so sweet. Although, I must admit... she is still very sweet!



I feel kind of guilty that I wasn't with her much today. I know she is just a dog... but she is an awesome dog! (Totally spoiled!) My in-laws and Cory also felt bad. I mean, Boo is just as much a part of the family as any of us! Maybe we will celebrate another day.

Here she was on the drive home. She laid in the passenger seat with her head on my lap.


She and Eloise were snoring away while I was jamming out to some Carole King (on a tape, no less! HA!).

And yes, I took this picture while I was driving! But it was on a straight stretch on the interstate and I didn't even have to look to see what I was doing... I just kept snapping pics until I got one that wasn't blurry! hehe

So... I would like to take this moment to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the best dog in the world! Despite having a baby... Boo will always be our first baby!

All Smiles

This girl loves going on walks!
Which is good.. cuz Mommy needs to take plenty!!
Hoping I can lose 15 lbs by the end of summer...
think I can do it??

I am formulating a plan...
perhaps I'll post about it one of these days!


On another note--my father in law starts chemo on Wednesday.
He is going to be taking a chemo pill for 9 weeks... and
every 21 days go for actual chemo treatment.
We are praying that this will do the trick... well, this
and surgery sometime in late summer!!
Thanks for your prayers!!