Teething and Applesauce Sampling

So, it has been almost a full week since I have last blogged, sorry for such a delay! It so hard for me to commit even a fraction of time to the computer when my baby is awake and I have chores to do around the house! Being on a retail schedule is very difficult to have a normal life- I cannot wait to go back to school so I can have a normal schedule.

The past week has just been made up of new accomplishments by the one and only, Ethan! He tried applesauce the other day for the first time and made such a sour face. I captured it on film, his very first bite and the facial expressions to come with it! I cant really tell if he likes it or not; it was difficult feeding it to him because so much fell out of his mouth--the whole tongue reflux thing will get better with age. We will be needing to purchase a hi-chair very soon, I just put his bumbo on the table, which worked, but with a hi-chair, there will be less of a mess for mommy to clean! Ethan has also been teething A LOT! He LOVES sucking on FINGERS! He prefers fingers over his teething toys.

Today Ethan woke up and was very congested and wheezing like crazy, so I called the doctor, and they worked me in this morning...thank goodness (I have the BEST doctor)! Ethan weighed in at a whopping 17 pounds today---such a big boy! Dr.Doyle listened to his lungs and chest and decided to have a chest x-ray done on him. Fluid was found in his chest so I have to put a humidifier in his room and bulb his nose before every feeding. And of course, the poor baby has allergies, so the next visit, he will probably be prescribed infant Zyrtec, which I hope works. Ethan seems to sniffle around everything, dogs, dust, carpet, etc....his little eyes turn RED :( My husband has horrible allergies and I have bad spring allergies, so its pretty much inevitable that Ethan will have them as well; I hate passing on negative things to my perfect baby. Other than that, the visit went well...he smiled the entire time, at patients in the waiting room and he lit up for Dr.Doyle and she called him a 'hoot'! She absolutely loves Ethan and we love her too...she has been my doctor for years! His personality really shined through today, even with all of the wheezing. Here is a Dyson vaccum for baby allergies that I hope to get one of these days...maybe with some of my tax money, I wonder if it would help any?
As for Jason and I, he still remains un-employed, which is really putting a damper on us financially, however, I know God has a master plan for our family, and I pray we see an opening soon. For me, I got a promotion at Motherhood, as a supervisor, which allows me to make more money! So God has really worked in that situation for me and has really motivated me to work very hard, and I'm so happy that my manager has taken note of that. Also, I have decided against Spencerian because of the cost of tuition, but have looked into going back to JCC. I cannot wait to get back in school; I'm so ready to make a better living for my family; we have done things a little backward, which means, we have to work ten times harder at things we want. But that is okay, because I'm so blessed with my life as a mother and a wife! Also, we have to find a place to live--our lease is up in a month! We aren't where we need to be financially, so we will unfortunately be renting again; so i think we will be looking in Mt.Washington, I cannot stand Hillview!

Grasping Objects and College GaL

I am going to have to get better at doing this on a daily basis! Yesterday, I was off of work again so Ethan and I had a play day! He is really starting to reach for things, mostly on his floor mat. He cracks me up, he concentrates so hard on what it is that he is wanting to grab and does the cutest little thing with his lips; He puts them together and they go in his mouth a little bit...I tried my best to capture it on film! Also Brittney came over; she has not visited in like 2 months, she was usually over every week when we first came home, so it was wonderful visiting with her. She couldn't believe how much Ethan had changed since December; it amazes me as well, he is such a big boy now!

Yesterday, I visited with an Admissions person at Spencerian. Lately I have been craving school, I know its odd, but I really have! I slacked off big time when I went to school before so I really haven't accumulated many credit hours to do anything with. I have decided to do something in the health care field, not sure what exactly! I have narrowed it down to Nursing (LPN first) or Medical Assisting. Each program is a year long if I go during the day, full time. The only problem is tuition, which is crazy expensive at Spencerian, so the only way I will be able to go to school right now is with the help of financial aid. I pray I will qualify for this because of our family circumstances; I want to have a rewarding career and be able to support my family and give my little Ethan the BEST life! Anyone have any suggestions?!

SNOW DAY!

So, I wasn't able to blog on Valentines Day, so here goes! My mother in law wanted to watch Ethan on Sunday so Jason and I could celebrate Valentines day. So Jason and I just decided to do a dinner and a movie kind of deal; so we went to Tumbleweed and then went to the movies only to find out that 'Valentines Day' was SOLD OUT until 10:30, so obviously we left! I was disappointed bc we rushed dinner and actually set at the bar in order to make the 7:20 movie...oh well, at least we got to spend time together...alone, which I think every now and then if very important for a marriage. After we discovered there were no other movies worth viewing we made our way back to my in laws home. Terrie (mother in law) explained that Ethan was a little unhappy while mommy and daddy were gone, obviously bc he is used to us. I felt so bad that they couldn't enjoy one anothers company, so hopefully he will get over this soon. Its a good feeling that he likes to be around mommy and daddy, but I want family to be able to enjoy him while we are away! Better luck next time!

Today, I was off work so Ethan and I played all day...I'm getting to the point where I'm running out of things to entertain him with! I think I will have to invest in one of those excercausers very soon since he is holding his head up like a big boy! He is the cutest thing ever, it amazes me at how much he grows on a daily basis. We decided to 'style' his hair today with daddy's pomade...boy, did that give me a few giggles; he looked like a Jason Jr. He is going to have so much hair just like Jason, which I'm so excited about because Jason has the best hair that I have ever seen., he puts much work and effort into styling it as well, lol! So that's about all we did all day, just play around and talk to one another along with the daily cleaning duties and cooking! I'm signing off now, its 'BACHELOR' time!

BUMBO and Lifestyle Changes!

Yesterday, my sister, her friend, and my nephew came over for a short visit. Kaitlyn is from Tennessee and she is staying with Jenn until she has Gabriella! She helped me do my taxes online and visited with Ethan. My nephew, Bryan, was so excited to hold Ethan...that is all he kept asking about! He would hold him and wouldn't want anyone to take Ethan from him, it was adorable. He was so good with him, which is wonderful news, considering he is about to have a baby sister in a couple weeks! Here are a few photos from that visit:

Today was kind of a laid back day for family life. Ethan and I played all day and then decided to go to the grocery around 3:00, which was a HUGE mistake (I have never seen so many people at Walmart at one time). He was so patient with his mommy and so good the entire time, and we were there for probably an hour! So we finished shopping and when we got home I decided to do some research on car seats. Ethan is getting so big, so I think I may go ahead and put him in a convertible car seat! He looks so uncomfortable in his infant car seat, I feel so bad for him; he needs more space. So, when I get my taxes back, I will be investing in a good car seat! He sat in his BUMBO for the first time and I think he really liked it, he looked like such a big boy. We also did a bouncy thing on my legs, kind of like the airplane thing, and he loved it! Later in the evening I made Taco Salad, which brings me to my next point, in the following paragraph....
I NEED TO MAKE A LIFESTYLE CHANGE!!!! I get on the scale every single day and wonder why I don't see a decrease in numbers. Well DUH...its because I'm clearly eating whatever and not on a exercise routine daily. This must change ASAP...so I'm letting this weekend be the last that I eat bad stuff for my body for a while! I cleaned out my closet on Friday evening and I have STACKS of pants and clothing that don't fit my 'post pregnancy' body :( After I saw that, it put me in a bad mood, so I'm going to direct that bad mood in a positive direction and put my body to WORK! I WILL WORK OUT EVERY SINGLE DAY. I will never be in a bikini again (due to stretch marks) but I WILL have a bikini body!

Introduction to Mom2Mom

Today was a super fun day for sure! This afternoon Ethan and I went to our friend Cristal's home as she hosted a Mom2Mom day. Cristal does this weekly, however it was the first week we were able to make it. This day is filled with wonderful mothers and cute babies; what could be more fun right! The day was filled with laughter, advice, play time, a fun lunch, the gospel, and mommy interaction; it was an absolute BLAST! I think it is so wonderful that Cristal is so willing to host this weekly; it feels so great to be a part of a group with everyone similar to you. It is so hard to be married and hang out with your 'single' friends, and its even more difficult to hang out with friends without kiddos; so it was wonderful to experience this- everyone had so much in common and it was a great group of ladies. Here are a few photos from Mom2Mom!

Also, my husband put some of our 'pre-marriage' photos on the computer....I don't mean to brag ladies, but I think I have a smoking hot hubby :) I wanted to share these as well!

Cold Veggie Pizza and All Night Sleeper

Really, today there isn't much to speak too; that's the kind of boring day we had! Ethan slept for 10 hours last night; I cannot believe he is actually sleeping now, he wouldn't sleep more than two hours for the first couple of months. I would feel even better if he would sleep on his back ALL the time, I cannot get him to sleep on his back for anything. We have such a great baby, I'm so proud to be his mommy! We played this morning for a few hours before I headed off to work (it wasn't so bad, only had a 4 hour work day). Tomorrow is mom2mom day at Cristal's; I'm so excited to finally get to go be a part of a 'group' of mom's! I LOVE going to baby center and my pediatrician for advice, but sometimes its just nice for mom's to be able to hang out and chit chat along with our precious babies. So....I'm off to make my dish for our little get together....Veggie Pizza, which is super easy to make! These are the ingredients you will need: Crescent rolls, cream cheese, ranch seasoning mix, broccoli and cauliflower! Roll out the crescent rolls with a rolling pin and bake. Mix together cream cheese and ranch seasoning pouch. Wait for rolls to cool and put on cream cheese mixture and top with veggies. Cut in squares and serve! YUMMY! Great and easy snack for a busy person with a cute little baby, lol!

Busy Life

I have been very busy the last couple of weeks, therefore I have neglected my new hobby of 'blogging'. As many of you know, I went back to work a few weeks ago to fill in for my manager, so I was working almost a 40 hour work week. So when I wasn't at work, I was at home cooking, cleaning, and spending time with my precious baby, which was more important than me keeping up with my blog! But now, I'm back to part time, which is wonderful; I actually have time to do everything that I want to do. I don't know how these moms do it, working 40 hour work weeks, more power to them; I don't handle it to well!

Much has happened since my last post! Jason had his 27Th birthday last Thursday which was wonderful, I made him his birthday dinner which consisted of hamburgers, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and bread....and of course a cake! Of all things to pick, he picked that meal, it made me giggle! I got him a pull up bar to use for his P90X workouts and also got him a charger to go along with a Wii, which we will get eventually! Our in laws came over the Saturday before his birthday so we could have some mommy/daddy alone time, so we went to Cheddars to celebrate, and his cousin and his wife joined us, which is always nice! We also had another celebration this past Saturday at my mother in laws home. We always enjoy family time and Ethan was such a happy camper toward the end of the evening; he was just talking and smiling! So that was a great week for us!

Another fun thing that happened last week was a much needed Girls Night! I have not gone out alone with a group of girls in a LONG time! My friends Shelli, Tara, and I went to Chili's to eat on Friday and had some fun 'Girl Talk' and gossip (lol)...followed by a wonderful movie, 'Dear John'. I actually cried during this movie, it was that great. Shelli even brought tissues for us girls bc her and Tara had actually read the book, so they were prepared! I highly recommend seeing this film. Tara also got Ethan the cutest little outfits and sunglasses and socks to match (I hadn't seen Tara in a LONG time, so it was a great night)!
Now onto a new week; hopefully I can keep up! Also, if anyone has any good recipes for dinner, please forward them my way, it seems as though I rotate like 10 meals...and I like new recipes, but pulling them out of a book isn't good enough for me...I like to know from a friends point of view that something is worth trying.

TANTRUM TUESDAY

Thank goodness today is over! I have no idea why my little perfect baby was in such a horrible mood today...I could do no right in his eyes, poor little guy. He is really good at fighting his sleep and that is just what he did this evening. When he is grouchy like this, I check his diaper, take his temperature, give a baby massage, bottle check, rock and sing, and maybe take for a drive....and none of these methods were successful tonight! We went back and forth for a total of 3 hours and he finally fell asleep, after 'crying it out' for 10 minutes! Sheesh, he has worn mommy out!

As a family, we had a pretty big day in order to prepare for our much larger day tomorrow! Jason had to get a haircut today (i have never seen it as long as it was), we had to go to Kohl's to get him something nice to wear for his interview tomorrow, and then of course the daily cleaning and bottle washing! We have to wake up around 7am in the morning and leave around 9am to get to Hebron, KY for the interview that is at 11am. Ethan and I are going so we can look at the community and have a glance at some rental properties in the area... Ethan has to come along bc I didn't have a babysitter, and I really didn't want to take him to a daycare...it just makes me too nervous at this age, plus I havent had time to research a good daycare! So after all of that I go back to Motherhood part time....yikes, I'm super nervous bc I hate being away from Ethan for an hour at the grocery, much less 5 hours at work :( Please pray for me...I know I will be a mess and I already know that I will cry.

Please keep us in prayers!

Pampered Chef Party with Shelli!

Today was a wonderful day with a best friend! Shelli invited Ethan and I to her moms pampered chef party, so I was excited about being able to get out of the house and be in good company! The dish was some kind of mexican lasagna and then a lemon dessert. I enjoyed watching everything being made (hard to help when I have a baby to keep content)---Shelli insisted on Ethan coming! All of the women stayed entertained by little Ethan and he was scooped up by many of them--he was on cloud 9 (he LOVES being held)! Shell is parents have recently built a HUGE home and I got the grand tour after the party; it was beautiful! They designed the home themselves and everything was perfect, I had never even seen a home theater or a warmer in the kitchen until now! I cannot wait to have an established career in order to build a lovely home that could just be a fraction of that.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that our plan was for Shelli to pick us up before the party, but we ran into a slight deli ma! We could not figure out how to strap the car seat base into her car; I'm sure we would have given everyone a good laugh, if they were to watch us! She is going to borrow his car seat some day and take it to the fire department to see if it is compatible with her car, lol!

In other news, Jason got a call from a recruit or today and he has an interview on Wednesday in Hebron, KY! Thank you for everyone who has been praying for our family, because this is big news. If he does get an offer, sadly we will be moving, but if its Gods will, then that will be what we shall do!

Dinner with the In-Laws

Today was dinner at my mother-in-laws home which we typically arrange every Sunday or every other! We had agreed to be there at 4pm, so when it was time for me to wake Jason up to go, he was too sleepy, so Ethan and I made the trip out there so daddy could rest (he is still on a third shift sleep schedule)! My handsome little boy and I arrived (in Taylorsville) a little after four, it is so difficult to be on time when you have a baby controlling the schedule--lol! Terrie (my mother in law) was so excited to see Ethan, she loves him so much, Ethan calls her Mimi, well not yet he doesn't, but he will soon! She is such a wonderful grandmother, and I'm so happy Ethan was blessed with such a wonderful family! My father in law (Pops to Ethan) just had out patient surgery on his knee and was doing great, he was actually walking around and even set the table! Every time we make a visit Terrie always makes a dessert, really great desserts! She was telling me that Dale (father in law), asked her yesterday what kind of dessert she would be making since we are all doing a 'healthy' routine with eating and working out! So, she made blackberry cobbler, which was as close to healthy as she could get, it was wonderful! She used whole wheat flour, (typically anything she makes with flour is whole wheat)...and of course blackberries is a wonderful fruit...and then we all laughed because of all the sugar that goes into a cobbler! I guess it made us feel a little better because of the blackberries and whole wheat flour! Anyhow, we had a wonderful visit; they exchanged smiles and had little baby conversations! Ethan has really been trying to 'talk' lately and its the cutest thing ever, like music to my ears! Just when I thought my day was coming to an end, I still have some cleaning to do, and then going to try to make it to the grocery (I'm a late night grocery shopper, I don't like crowded places bc I'm a little on the claustrophobic side)! I hope I have a wonderful week ahead of me and please keep Jason in your prayers, that we get positive news about his job search! Everyone have a wonderful week!

New Blogger

I'm ecstatic about my new blogging journey! A couple of my friends (Shelli and Cristal) have introduced me to the blogging world and so far, I'm very interested with what they include. I think this is a wonderful way for people to stay in touch with how your family is and things that you are doing in life. You can for sure learn many things from one another, as everyone has a different lifestyle you can learn from and be open-minded about. I also think that blogging is a wonderful way to kind of create your own little timeline of LIFE--and with a little one, this is a great tool to track those great moments of growing up! Earlier I sat at the computer desk contemplating all kinds of things I could write about and share with everyone. Well, those of you with kids, know how difficult this can be because of the constant interruptions! My little Ethan is not on a very stable sleep schedule yet so I put him in his crib and thought I could just let him 'cry it out', so he would eventually fall asleep. Well, needless to say, this method didn't work so well with mommy because I went into the bedroom and picked him up; he automatically was silent! I then put him in his swing (it is very soothing for him), facing the direction of our fan, which he LOVES! He decided he didn't like that idea so much because he couldn't see mommy (I was on the computer 'blogging'). Then I had to turn his swing to face me, which solved the problem for a little while until he noticed I wasn't paying 100% attention to him (because I was looking at the computer screen)! Ethan would cry every time I took my attention from him to the computer, but when I was looking at him and smiling and talking, he was SO happy! Point of the story: I think he knows who is mommy is and loves to be in my company....so, he may become jealous of my future blogging sessions with google!