How does one take care of a baby?
I mean, really.
I know I have worked at the nursery for 3 years now... I've changed diapers, prepared and given bottles, been thrown up on, burped, rocked, swung, comforted, consoled, been pinched, worked on tummy time, dealt with tantrums, been told "no" and asked "why?", worked on potty training, washed their hands, and so on. But what will I do with my own son... 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is that what mothering is all about -- the above? How do I know if I'm doing it right? What if I forget something? At the nursery, I have 2-3 hours to help the kids, but they always go home afterwards to mom and dad and it's a relief because I know that it's up to them to provide, train, and correct. But now? That's going to be me! What in the world do I know?
Is there some sort of manual I should be reading? Like, month 6, day 5, today your baby should be sitting on his own for at least 5 minutes a day. Good, I have a goal, this is what I work towards. Or is it simply a wild adventure for the rest of my life doing what I think is best in each situation and praying, praying, praying for God to fill in the gaps of the rest of my mistakes and inadequacies? What do I do when my baby won't stop crying and I don't know what to do? What do I do when I find my 1 year old standing on the kitchen table preparing to jump off? What about when my child talks back for the first time? I guess, my pre-parenting advice to myself is, take a deep breath and embrace it. If I've learned one thing from the nursery it's that there is no, ONE way something needs or has to be done. But I always have that fear -- what if I'm doing it wrong? I guess I can see why many people used to have nannies. Or is this why there are grandparents & friends?
To life... and the beginning of a crazy adventure!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Caramel Apple Party
The 2nd Annual Caramel Apple Party is coming up this Friday, October 28th! I love hosting this Fall party and think it will be something I do no matter where we are in the future. Actually it all began the Fall of 2008 with these girls
and these apples...
We enjoyed making the caramel apples and hanging out. I'm not exactly sure what happened in 2009, but we made it an "official" party last October and now here we are another year later ready to celebrate again! I will tell you, each year Tara and I have done more research in an attempt to make the caramel-dipping process a little better. So far we have been frustrated with the caramel running down the apples and pooling at the bottom. Why does it seem so difficult to make good-looking caramel apples? They are delicious, regardless, but we're ready to perfect our skills! We've tried putting the apples in the fridge to make them very cold and make sure the caramel is hot. We've tried making sure the apples are perfectly dry. But, so far, with little success. This year, I will be trying the following:
1. Making my own caramel
2. Washing and then rubbing the apples vigorously with a dish towel. I've read repeatedly about a type of waxy coating that is put on apples and I do believe this has been our downfall the past several years.
I went to Target over the weekend and perused the $1 section and found a couple of fun items to use for the party. A big chip bowl that is black and has orange polka dots and says 'Happy Halloween' and a glittery candy corn platter! I also found some cute napkins. I'm excited to get to use them soon! Our apartment has been decorated for Fall for awhile, so it really won't take too much extra decorating on our part, mainly just cleaning and rearranging the apartment to fit 14-16 people :o)
This year our menu consists of:
Taco Soup -- with, of course, tortilla chips and shredded cheese (Must. Haves!)
Easy Mexican Dip
Red Velvet Cake Balls
Ghoulish Punch -- I'm excited to try this new recipe!
Caramel & Apples -- with mini reese's pb cups, maybe some mini reese's pieces, and possibly some crushed pretzels (I just saw this idea today.)
The guests are helping me out by bringing their own apples for dipping and then a few side items. I love spending time with my friends! I'm planning on trying to have a fun, non-scary Halloween movie going in the background -- mainly for the boys while the girls are making the apples -- and then we'll play some fun games. I hope to be able to report back with lots of great pictures next week!
To life... full of fun, fall parties!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday Musings: Installment Eleven
Today I checked out my pregnancy ticker and I officially have 100 days left until my due date! Unbelievable! A snippet of what went through my head when I saw that...
It can't be... only 100 days, but that's not very long. - How exciting, I can't wait to meet him! - I'm totally not ready. Where will we put him? Where will all his things go? - What if he comes early? - Ooooh, I hope he comes early. - But wait, we don't have everything we need...
and that was just in the first 60 seconds after staring at the '100' number!
*Segue*
On Saturday night, I had just eaten a s'mores pop-tart and was laying on the couch watching the Rangers game, when out of the corner of my eye I saw my shirt "jump!" It was kind of crazy! I mean, I've been feeling him move around, but had never actually seen any movement. I called over Lovebug -- he was carving a pumpkin masterpiece... pictures to come -- because he had never felt him kick before. He finally came over, after working a few more minutes, and checked out what all the ruckus was about. He laid his hand on my stomach and waited. I had to "encourage" the little guy a bit by poking around my stomach some and then he gave us some good kicks/punches! It was so fun! Right now, it's still at the point where it doesn't hurt, so I'm thankful for that. But it was quite exciting for Lovebug to finally get to experience a teeny part of what's going on inside of me :o) Guess I'll be keeping a steady supply of s'mores pop-tarts on hand!
To life... full of little kicks and jabs!
It can't be... only 100 days, but that's not very long. - How exciting, I can't wait to meet him! - I'm totally not ready. Where will we put him? Where will all his things go? - What if he comes early? - Ooooh, I hope he comes early. - But wait, we don't have everything we need...
and that was just in the first 60 seconds after staring at the '100' number!
*Segue*
On Saturday night, I had just eaten a s'mores pop-tart and was laying on the couch watching the Rangers game, when out of the corner of my eye I saw my shirt "jump!" It was kind of crazy! I mean, I've been feeling him move around, but had never actually seen any movement. I called over Lovebug -- he was carving a pumpkin masterpiece... pictures to come -- because he had never felt him kick before. He finally came over, after working a few more minutes, and checked out what all the ruckus was about. He laid his hand on my stomach and waited. I had to "encourage" the little guy a bit by poking around my stomach some and then he gave us some good kicks/punches! It was so fun! Right now, it's still at the point where it doesn't hurt, so I'm thankful for that. But it was quite exciting for Lovebug to finally get to experience a teeny part of what's going on inside of me :o) Guess I'll be keeping a steady supply of s'mores pop-tarts on hand!
To life... full of little kicks and jabs!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Pumpkin Pancakes
I've created my first pumpkin recipe for October -- pumpkin pancakes! I'd seen a few blogs where people had made them and I thought it would be fun to try. I referred to my Fannie Farmer cookbook for a basic pancake recipe, then I added about a cup of pumpkin and a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice.
I mixed up the batter and let it rest for a few minutes while the griddle got warm. The batter was a little thicker than regular pancakes and didn't spread out on the griddle as well. But some people prefer a thicker pancake anyway. Mine are usually on the thin side, so these were a nice change. I thought they were a great thickness, especially while I was eating them! 
Mmmm, now there's a stack of pancakes I'm ready to eat! Toss on some butter, but don't forget...
the syrup! That's more like it! Try these pancakes sometime this Autumn, you will not regret it!
To life... full of cool Autumn mornings and warm pumpkin panckes!
I mixed up the batter and let it rest for a few minutes while the griddle got warm. The batter was a little thicker than regular pancakes and didn't spread out on the griddle as well. But some people prefer a thicker pancake anyway. Mine are usually on the thin side, so these were a nice change. I thought they were a great thickness, especially while I was eating them! 
Mmmm, now there's a stack of pancakes I'm ready to eat! Toss on some butter, but don't forget...
the syrup! That's more like it! Try these pancakes sometime this Autumn, you will not regret it!
To life... full of cool Autumn mornings and warm pumpkin panckes!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Quote of the Day
I saw this quote on the spine of my Real Simple magazine and wanted to share. I think it's great, especially with the upcoming holidays!
"There's no such thing as excess eating, only inadequate activity." -- Dorothy V. Harris.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
From the Meowth of Dora
Meowlo! My name is Dora, the cute one you always hear my mom talking about. She puts my pictures up and talks about me, but never lets me say anything. Today's my chance, I guess she's feeling generous towards me and maybe a little silly.
Anyway, if you'll notice, some animals seem to talk funny on their blogs and even misspell words. That's just silly and makes the rest of us intelligent creatures look dumb. Mom and Pop have always talked to me like they do to other humans, so my vocabulary is quite extensive. I'll admit, every meow and then my cat lingo may dot the blog, but you have to give me a break, I am a CAT!
A couple weeks ago mom and pop left me. Yeah, you heard me, left ME!!! I was shocked too. I had heard them talk about some silly thing called a 'Babymoon' but I had no idea what that meant. I'd been seeing a ton of new, weird looking things show up around the apartment and, trust me, I had been checking them out. I mean, they were acting like it was no big deal, but I was quite suspicious. Tiny clothes that clearly don't fit them, a weird cage-like contraption, a couple of soft, small animals that still refuse to talk to me, and so on. (I will get to the bottom of this, I guarantee it!) Then I saw them packing their bright green bag and I jumped in a couple times, but they quickly shoo-ed me out. How rude! I just want to be with them! So one morning, I woke up - early as usual - and they were up shortly after me. Then they suddenly said good bye and shut the door. It didn't seem too different from any other day. But later that day, my friend, Miss Stephanie, came over. Sometimes she comes to feed me and take care of me, but this time she put me in my kennel and shut the door! Then she grabbed a few things in my house and took me to her car! At first I was SO scared...
and a little angry,
but Miss Stephanie talked to me and said everything was going to be ok. She took me to her house and let me out. After I had smelled everything and scouted out the place, it wasn't half bad. I ended up doing my favorite thing
quite a bit
I even told her to write things to mom, like I was being a really good kitty, so mom would feel bad for leaving me. But I did have fun at Miss Stephanie's house. She let me sit on her counter so that I could see everything in the room!
I liked that a lot!
A few days later, she packed me and my things up and took me back to my house. I was glad to be home with all of my things, but mom and pop still weren't back. I kept waiting for them and finally one night I heard the key in the door. I jumped up to the back of the couch and waited...and there was my mom, coming in the door. I was so happy to see her! I wanted to jump in her arms and make sure she wouldn't leave again. Her and pop held me for awhile that night and I soaked it all in. I really missed them! But I had fun on my trip to Miss Stephanie's house. Thanks for taking care of me! And I'm sorry if I made you have an allergic reaction. You're the best baby-sitter ever!
Meow I'm off to discover what's making mom's stomach so big... after my nap, of course!
Anyway, if you'll notice, some animals seem to talk funny on their blogs and even misspell words. That's just silly and makes the rest of us intelligent creatures look dumb. Mom and Pop have always talked to me like they do to other humans, so my vocabulary is quite extensive. I'll admit, every meow and then my cat lingo may dot the blog, but you have to give me a break, I am a CAT!
A couple weeks ago mom and pop left me. Yeah, you heard me, left ME!!! I was shocked too. I had heard them talk about some silly thing called a 'Babymoon' but I had no idea what that meant. I'd been seeing a ton of new, weird looking things show up around the apartment and, trust me, I had been checking them out. I mean, they were acting like it was no big deal, but I was quite suspicious. Tiny clothes that clearly don't fit them, a weird cage-like contraption, a couple of soft, small animals that still refuse to talk to me, and so on. (I will get to the bottom of this, I guarantee it!) Then I saw them packing their bright green bag and I jumped in a couple times, but they quickly shoo-ed me out. How rude! I just want to be with them! So one morning, I woke up - early as usual - and they were up shortly after me. Then they suddenly said good bye and shut the door. It didn't seem too different from any other day. But later that day, my friend, Miss Stephanie, came over. Sometimes she comes to feed me and take care of me, but this time she put me in my kennel and shut the door! Then she grabbed a few things in my house and took me to her car! At first I was SO scared...
and a little angry,
but Miss Stephanie talked to me and said everything was going to be ok. She took me to her house and let me out. After I had smelled everything and scouted out the place, it wasn't half bad. I ended up doing my favorite thing
quite a bit
I even told her to write things to mom, like I was being a really good kitty, so mom would feel bad for leaving me. But I did have fun at Miss Stephanie's house. She let me sit on her counter so that I could see everything in the room!
I liked that a lot!
A few days later, she packed me and my things up and took me back to my house. I was glad to be home with all of my things, but mom and pop still weren't back. I kept waiting for them and finally one night I heard the key in the door. I jumped up to the back of the couch and waited...and there was my mom, coming in the door. I was so happy to see her! I wanted to jump in her arms and make sure she wouldn't leave again. Her and pop held me for awhile that night and I soaked it all in. I really missed them! But I had fun on my trip to Miss Stephanie's house. Thanks for taking care of me! And I'm sorry if I made you have an allergic reaction. You're the best baby-sitter ever!
Meow I'm off to discover what's making mom's stomach so big... after my nap, of course!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday Musings: Part 10
Over the weekend, we went to our first birthing class. It was ... informative. I cringed, closed my eyes, and realized I'm not quite as tough as I thought. Lovebug has begun to pray for the delivery... nightly...
Ha ha ha! Ok, it wasn't terrible, although all the things I said above are entirely true. It's just more real now. Before the diagrams and videos, I had read articles and chapters of books and had even talked to some people about their experiences. But once you're in the class you realize, that could be *my* baby that's breech, that could be *me* biting the pillow in pain, and so on. How do you prepare yourself for something like that? I daresay it's impossible. Everyone's experience is different. Some people barely make it to the hospital in time. Others never get the chance to experience spontaneous labor. Some seem to be in excruiciating pain. Others seem to have a "fairly easy" time (I say that relatively, it does not seem common or likely). What it will it be like for me? I will have no idea until the time comes! When will that be? I have no idea because everything is a guessing game! How will I react? I won't know until I experience it! You can make all the plans in the world and be prepared (which is still smart and what I plan to do!), but more than anything, I think at the top of my list of reminders to myself is: Be Flexible! In the meantime, I will practice my ice-cold-hand-contraction-focused-breathing and pray!
To life... full of the unknown!
Ha ha ha! Ok, it wasn't terrible, although all the things I said above are entirely true. It's just more real now. Before the diagrams and videos, I had read articles and chapters of books and had even talked to some people about their experiences. But once you're in the class you realize, that could be *my* baby that's breech, that could be *me* biting the pillow in pain, and so on. How do you prepare yourself for something like that? I daresay it's impossible. Everyone's experience is different. Some people barely make it to the hospital in time. Others never get the chance to experience spontaneous labor. Some seem to be in excruiciating pain. Others seem to have a "fairly easy" time (I say that relatively, it does not seem common or likely). What it will it be like for me? I will have no idea until the time comes! When will that be? I have no idea because everything is a guessing game! How will I react? I won't know until I experience it! You can make all the plans in the world and be prepared (which is still smart and what I plan to do!), but more than anything, I think at the top of my list of reminders to myself is: Be Flexible! In the meantime, I will practice my ice-cold-hand-contraction-focused-breathing and pray!
To life... full of the unknown!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
October's Theme
It's already the 13th of October and I haven't even announced the theme! So sorry for the delay. For October *PUMPKIN* will be our baking theme. I know at least one person who has already completed her challenge for the month, and I even got to try them out - thanks for the pumpkin cinnamon rolls, Mom!
I don't know about you, but I think finding a recipe for this month will be quite easy. It seems that everyone is currently baking with pumpkin and I'm more than excited to try out a new recipe. Just earlier today I spotted a Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze that looks like a worthy recipe. My sister just recently tried a recipe for Pumpkin Milkshakes that I believe were quite a hit, so she may type up a review on those! I will look forward to everyone's creativity and recipes this month. Enjoy!
To life... full of pumpkins, honeycrisp apples, cool breezes, and cinnamon candles!
I don't know about you, but I think finding a recipe for this month will be quite easy. It seems that everyone is currently baking with pumpkin and I'm more than excited to try out a new recipe. Just earlier today I spotted a Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze that looks like a worthy recipe. My sister just recently tried a recipe for Pumpkin Milkshakes that I believe were quite a hit, so she may type up a review on those! I will look forward to everyone's creativity and recipes this month. Enjoy!
To life... full of pumpkins, honeycrisp apples, cool breezes, and cinnamon candles!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Monday Musings: Part Nine
We are traveling home from vacation today, so I wrote up a poem to share. For whatever reason, this is one of the parts of pregnancy the really gets to me!
Veins, veins everywhere, far as the eye can see
They're on my tummy, feet, and arms, and, there!, behind my knee.
They're pumping blood and working hard and doing well their job,
but they're gross and icky, blue and green, and make me want to sob.
My body's making blood, more blood to help the baby grow
They make him strong and healthy, all this I surely know.
But when I see a web of veins - a forest of blue trees,
I cringe, I wince, I close my eyes, I moan, "No more, No, please!"
I'm doing all I can to keep varicose veins at bay
I'm walking, drinking water - lots!- so far things are ok.
Why does it gross me out, so much? I really do not know,
one things for sure, they're everywhere, I've got to let it go!
To life... full of *icky* veins!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
My First Ever Guest Post!
Hey Friends! I know my blog isn't big or fancy nor does it have hundreds of followers as some, but in the event that you look forward to seeing posts here more often than once a week, today I have a special feature. One of my friends has written a guest post! Cool huh?!? Without any further ado, I'll let her take it away...
Another Side of Pregnancy
Hey! My name is Stephanie. I am Tricia’s co-worker and good buddy! I also do some cat-sitting for her! And I must say Dora is a very good kitty kitty. We also bake together (September’s theme – whoopie pies did not work out so great for me. I chose to do Oatmeal Cream Pies. I did a combination of two recipes but I really didn’t like the cream nor the cookie part… and I think I mostly did not like them because I was really hoping for something as close to the real Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie as I could get.) Tricia is a very good friend to me and I only hope I am a good friend to her. She spends a lot of our time together listening to me ramble on and on about something, but we all know Tricia is not one to spill her guts when it comes to chatting about feelings or issues. But we totally switch in a larger group setting… she talks some and I do not really talk at all! Anyways, this is not what I am here to talk about.
I am here to talk about Tricia’s pregnancy from a friend point of view. I do not have children nor am I expecting, so I totally see her pregnancy without having any of the experiences she is going through. I remember when Tricia told me! I was one of the first few and boy (no pun intended) did I feel special!!! I think she was probably around 6 weeks or so and she was just starting to feel changes happening. Days would go by and I could just see the sickness and tiredness on her face. Tricia is a naturally peppy person, but the yucky feeling she was experiencing really stunk for me because she just needed to sit in her office and be still and quiet, but I wanted to go over and chat or take a walk somewhere. I hated it for her but I also knew the blessing that was going to come from this.
The sick and tired days for Tricia are mostly over, I say mostly over because she is still really tired at the end of the day ...but who isn’t? I am definitely enjoying Tricia’s second trimester…haha not that she or the baby are there for me to enjoy but it is always good for someone who hopes to have children someday see this time of the pregnancy and not just the icky - feeling weeks or the restless weeks that you hear about at the end of pregnancy. Tricia has had a positive attitude from the beginning. It has been fun to see her excitement grow as she and the baby grow! And I know the Lord will continue to grow both of them.
Let me just say a few words about her “reveal” here at work! All of us girls knew when she was going in for the appointment to find out the sex of the baby. It was a late morning appointment which fell into lunch. So we all, including Tricia, waited and waited for the morning to pass by as well as our lunch breaks! Once she got back from lunch we all huddled up in her office for her to tell us the big news… BOY or GIRL?!?!?!? I had made my prediction which went against most but not all other predictions, but I was right...it was a BOY! She whipped out this tiny little black tuxedo onesie!! And of course all of the girls screamed and ooooooohhhhhh-eeeedddd and aaaaawwwww-eeeeedddd.
My husband and I continue to pray for Tricia, her Lovebug and their baby boy! We pray the Lord would continue to keep Tricia and the baby safe throughout the remainder of the pregnancy as well as through the labor and delivery. We pray for Tricia and her Lovebug that God will guide them through their many years of parenting to come. We are extremely excited for the three of them!
Another Side of Pregnancy
Hey! My name is Stephanie. I am Tricia’s co-worker and good buddy! I also do some cat-sitting for her! And I must say Dora is a very good kitty kitty. We also bake together (September’s theme – whoopie pies did not work out so great for me. I chose to do Oatmeal Cream Pies. I did a combination of two recipes but I really didn’t like the cream nor the cookie part… and I think I mostly did not like them because I was really hoping for something as close to the real Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie as I could get.) Tricia is a very good friend to me and I only hope I am a good friend to her. She spends a lot of our time together listening to me ramble on and on about something, but we all know Tricia is not one to spill her guts when it comes to chatting about feelings or issues. But we totally switch in a larger group setting… she talks some and I do not really talk at all! Anyways, this is not what I am here to talk about.
I am here to talk about Tricia’s pregnancy from a friend point of view. I do not have children nor am I expecting, so I totally see her pregnancy without having any of the experiences she is going through. I remember when Tricia told me! I was one of the first few and boy (no pun intended) did I feel special!!! I think she was probably around 6 weeks or so and she was just starting to feel changes happening. Days would go by and I could just see the sickness and tiredness on her face. Tricia is a naturally peppy person, but the yucky feeling she was experiencing really stunk for me because she just needed to sit in her office and be still and quiet, but I wanted to go over and chat or take a walk somewhere. I hated it for her but I also knew the blessing that was going to come from this.
The sick and tired days for Tricia are mostly over, I say mostly over because she is still really tired at the end of the day ...but who isn’t? I am definitely enjoying Tricia’s second trimester…haha not that she or the baby are there for me to enjoy but it is always good for someone who hopes to have children someday see this time of the pregnancy and not just the icky - feeling weeks or the restless weeks that you hear about at the end of pregnancy. Tricia has had a positive attitude from the beginning. It has been fun to see her excitement grow as she and the baby grow! And I know the Lord will continue to grow both of them.
Let me just say a few words about her “reveal” here at work! All of us girls knew when she was going in for the appointment to find out the sex of the baby. It was a late morning appointment which fell into lunch. So we all, including Tricia, waited and waited for the morning to pass by as well as our lunch breaks! Once she got back from lunch we all huddled up in her office for her to tell us the big news… BOY or GIRL?!?!?!? I had made my prediction which went against most but not all other predictions, but I was right...it was a BOY! She whipped out this tiny little black tuxedo onesie!! And of course all of the girls screamed and ooooooohhhhhh-eeeedddd and aaaaawwwww-eeeeedddd.
My husband and I continue to pray for Tricia, her Lovebug and their baby boy! We pray the Lord would continue to keep Tricia and the baby safe throughout the remainder of the pregnancy as well as through the labor and delivery. We pray for Tricia and her Lovebug that God will guide them through their many years of parenting to come. We are extremely excited for the three of them!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday Musings: Part 8
Today... this week... we are on our BABYMOON! This vacation has been greatly, greatly anticipated! I'm pretty sure we have not had this length of a vacation since we've been married. Partly because it's hard to leave this one
Alone, for too long.
But we have a wonderful friend who is willing to keep her and take care of her. So hopefully Dora won't even miss us! Besides that, we've been in school, working, etc. etc. So now we can celebrate graduation, my favorite month -- OCTOBER! --, and the fact that in just 4 months we'll be holding our little baby boy! We plan to relax a lot, just enjoy spending time together as a couple, and soak in the lovely cool Colorado weather. It should be a beautiful time of year to be there and see all the colors and maybe we'll even see a few elk :o) Have a great Monday!
To life... full of relaxing and seeing new sights!
Alone, for too long.
But we have a wonderful friend who is willing to keep her and take care of her. So hopefully Dora won't even miss us! Besides that, we've been in school, working, etc. etc. So now we can celebrate graduation, my favorite month -- OCTOBER! --, and the fact that in just 4 months we'll be holding our little baby boy! We plan to relax a lot, just enjoy spending time together as a couple, and soak in the lovely cool Colorado weather. It should be a beautiful time of year to be there and see all the colors and maybe we'll even see a few elk :o) Have a great Monday!
To life... full of relaxing and seeing new sights!
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