14 lbs 11 oz!! Finally a gain to be proud of! My Layla Pie is now starting to fill out, and outgrow 3 month clothing :) She is also up to the 25th percentile for height, too, at 27 inches. Thanks to the dietitians recommendations, we are, at last, getting a referral to an endocrinologist and to a geneticist. Blood was also drawn to check her thyroid, so hopefully we'll get answers soon.
Her gorgeous smile is up to 3 teeth now. She's one wrong bite away from 4, too.
Today is a typical Texas fall day-almost 80 degrees outside and not a hint of brown other than the victims of the drought. So instead of firing up the oven for dinner, I'm trying something new in the crock pot-Tamale pie, courtesy Crockpot365.
I doubled the recipe and added 1 lb ground turkey, browned, but here is the original recipe:
Crock Pot Tamale Pie
Cornbread topping:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 t baking powder
The Filling:
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can drained corn
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1/2 t paprika
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
The Directions:
Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. Dump in the filling ingredients--cheese, too!-- and stir well to distribute the spices. You will not be able to stir this again, so please check to see that the spices aren't in a clump anywhere.
In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. When finished, pour evenly over the filling, spreading with a spatula if needed.
Cover and cook on low for 4-7 hours or on high for 2-4 hours.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Party time!
I must be insane. I had dental surgery done the day before the birthday party, so I was miserable the whole day. I'm still having issues due to a complication, but it's getting better. The birthday party went well. Mr. Birthday boy freaked out when we tried to put his shirt and party hat on, but aside from that, it was a really nice day! The DIY decorations turned out awesome, way better than I had planned. The plate stands are just shy of being "finished" but we used some handy dandy spray paint and used them anyway. They don't need no froofy trim for a boy party, right? (yeah...just imagine that I said that in a silly voice, because that's *totally* how I said it in my head.)
(Oh the difference a cake stand makes...It looks so pitiful without one, lol)
(See the plate stands? Do you see them? They make me happy :D)
The cake was such a royal pain that there almost wasn't one at all. I was >thisclose< to just throwing it in the trash. It took me forevah to find a dairy free icing recipe that Connor liked enough to eat. Certain little boys kept sneaking VERY large chunks of the finished layers, so I had to bake much more than I should have. That was double the pain of making a normal cake, since this one was zebra striped on the inside (I'm still kicking myself for not getting a photo!) When it came time to put on the fondant it seemed to be going well. But out of nowhere, it freaking fell off of the cake. Fell. Off. No big deal in the grand scheme of things, but in that moment I just wanted to scream!
That aside, there was a plethora of food & sweets starting with the letter "C" in honor of the birthday boy, including an all "C" veggie tray and his favorite drink-cherry limeade. My favorite part is a tie between the mini cherry pies, and the little chalkboard card food labels.
chocolate covered oreos
People seemed terrified to eat the ones in the wrappers! It was so funny!
Chocolate s'more's pops
cake pops
he wore this for a whopping 15 seconds!
I am sooooo in love with how my cookies turned out! I could just eat them up! Oh, wait, I couldn't :(
Aren't they so ca-yuuute! I could baby babble the heck out of describing my love for these cutiewuties-even though this batch looks slightly deformed.
He had such a fun time, and it totally made all of the hours making tissue pompoms worth it to see the look on his face. Though...I was a bit jealous watching everybody eat the food I worked so hard on, and not being able to taste for myself ::pout::
There was one more craft that we did for Mr. 3 Year Old Birthday Boy. In a mommy-daddy joint effort, we made him a reading nook/tent. He's one of those little boys that loves hidey holes, forts, and secret corners, so what could be better, right? Well, a Cars bike, and a plastic gladiator helmet that he refused to take off for days, but he does love the nook :D
We had a bit of a surprise, too. As soon as everyone came inside for cake a huge limb came crashing down outside, right where the kids had been playing! Mr. Woodpecker decided he wanted in on the party, too, I guess!
The original idea for the plate stands came from Bee In Our Bonnet. I've adapted it a bit, and will probably post my version after they are complete.
the cupcake, cake pop, oreo, and s'more's liners, as well as the lollipop sticks all came from Confectionery House
All printables, including the shirt, are my own design.
(Oh the difference a cake stand makes...It looks so pitiful without one, lol)
(See the plate stands? Do you see them? They make me happy :D)
The cake was such a royal pain that there almost wasn't one at all. I was >thisclose< to just throwing it in the trash. It took me forevah to find a dairy free icing recipe that Connor liked enough to eat. Certain little boys kept sneaking VERY large chunks of the finished layers, so I had to bake much more than I should have. That was double the pain of making a normal cake, since this one was zebra striped on the inside (I'm still kicking myself for not getting a photo!) When it came time to put on the fondant it seemed to be going well. But out of nowhere, it freaking fell off of the cake. Fell. Off. No big deal in the grand scheme of things, but in that moment I just wanted to scream!
That aside, there was a plethora of food & sweets starting with the letter "C" in honor of the birthday boy, including an all "C" veggie tray and his favorite drink-cherry limeade. My favorite part is a tie between the mini cherry pies, and the little chalkboard card food labels.
chocolate covered oreos
People seemed terrified to eat the ones in the wrappers! It was so funny!
Chocolate s'more's pops
cake pops
he wore this for a whopping 15 seconds!
I am sooooo in love with how my cookies turned out! I could just eat them up! Oh, wait, I couldn't :(
Aren't they so ca-yuuute! I could baby babble the heck out of describing my love for these cutiewuties-even though this batch looks slightly deformed.
He had such a fun time, and it totally made all of the hours making tissue pompoms worth it to see the look on his face. Though...I was a bit jealous watching everybody eat the food I worked so hard on, and not being able to taste for myself ::pout::
There was one more craft that we did for Mr. 3 Year Old Birthday Boy. In a mommy-daddy joint effort, we made him a reading nook/tent. He's one of those little boys that loves hidey holes, forts, and secret corners, so what could be better, right? Well, a Cars bike, and a plastic gladiator helmet that he refused to take off for days, but he does love the nook :D
We had a bit of a surprise, too. As soon as everyone came inside for cake a huge limb came crashing down outside, right where the kids had been playing! Mr. Woodpecker decided he wanted in on the party, too, I guess!
The original idea for the plate stands came from Bee In Our Bonnet. I've adapted it a bit, and will probably post my version after they are complete.
the cupcake, cake pop, oreo, and s'more's liners, as well as the lollipop sticks all came from Confectionery House
All printables, including the shirt, are my own design.
Monday, October 3, 2011
8 months...Wow.
Only 4 months left until my final first birthday party. I've even ordered the perfect Hello Kitty and cupcake shirt to go with her tutu. So bittersweet. I can't believe how far my tiny butt has come. She is crawling everywhere now, and trying her best to stay standing every chance she gets-we spent the entire day baby-proofing and we aren't even HALF done yet! Wow.
Her top teeth are coming in as well. It seems she's going to get them all in pairs-the bottom two popped out together, and the top ones look to be neck and neck, lol.
I'm not ready for all of this excitement yet. I mean, she's still wearing 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes!!! There's no way this pixie of a baby is doing all of this stuff, right? Right? She can say dada, love, Layla, and something that sounds remarkably like "hungee" each time she's wanting food. It.is.unreal. And I'm in complete denial. Most of the time. The rest of the time, I do the huge proud mom smile, and kind of puff with pride a bit. Hey, you know you've done it too.
I am in such a flurry of party planning, what with Connor's 3rd birthday in only two weeks, Daddy's right after, then Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the day. Dun dun dun...the big O.N.E....I have so many crafts that I'm making for Nunu's party-tissue paper pom poms, plate stands, and, well, everything. Cause DIY is just how I roll. The plate stands are my favorite project right now. If I like how they turn out, I will totally link to the blog I found them at, and post a bajillion (shush, its a word.) photos. Aaaand they will make an appearance at probably every single gathering I have. Ever. Including painted rainbow colors to match Layla's party. If they turn out to be a disaster, I'll probably still share. Unless they are terrible. Then we will forget they ever existed. The tissue pom poms will probably disappear, too. I am seriously using tulle from now on. Sticking to mah comfort zone. Wait...tulle does NOT work for boy parties. Crud.
As you can probably tell, there is just too much on my mind at almost 2 am sometimes. I need to get to sleep, otherwise a certain 4 year old may be late to preschool. It's just hard to get my brain to shut down when I have until Thursday to finish all of the craft-type details of this party, and every single day from Thursday until the following Saturday packed with cooking...If I hadn't wrote down a schedule, I'd be going insane!
Her top teeth are coming in as well. It seems she's going to get them all in pairs-the bottom two popped out together, and the top ones look to be neck and neck, lol.
I'm not ready for all of this excitement yet. I mean, she's still wearing 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes!!! There's no way this pixie of a baby is doing all of this stuff, right? Right? She can say dada, love, Layla, and something that sounds remarkably like "hungee" each time she's wanting food. It.is.unreal. And I'm in complete denial. Most of the time. The rest of the time, I do the huge proud mom smile, and kind of puff with pride a bit. Hey, you know you've done it too.
I am in such a flurry of party planning, what with Connor's 3rd birthday in only two weeks, Daddy's right after, then Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the day. Dun dun dun...the big O.N.E....I have so many crafts that I'm making for Nunu's party-tissue paper pom poms, plate stands, and, well, everything. Cause DIY is just how I roll. The plate stands are my favorite project right now. If I like how they turn out, I will totally link to the blog I found them at, and post a bajillion (shush, its a word.) photos. Aaaand they will make an appearance at probably every single gathering I have. Ever. Including painted rainbow colors to match Layla's party. If they turn out to be a disaster, I'll probably still share. Unless they are terrible. Then we will forget they ever existed. The tissue pom poms will probably disappear, too. I am seriously using tulle from now on. Sticking to mah comfort zone. Wait...tulle does NOT work for boy parties. Crud.
As you can probably tell, there is just too much on my mind at almost 2 am sometimes. I need to get to sleep, otherwise a certain 4 year old may be late to preschool. It's just hard to get my brain to shut down when I have until Thursday to finish all of the craft-type details of this party, and every single day from Thursday until the following Saturday packed with cooking...If I hadn't wrote down a schedule, I'd be going insane!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sort-of good news
Little miss teeny-butt hit 12.5 pounds at this last weigh in. She's not to the 14 lb mark yet, but she's gaining well enough that we are no longer doing 2 week weigh-ins. Her next visit is her 9 month checkup in 6-ish weeks. We are still keeping the occupational therapist/nutritionist appointment, to see what they have to say.
There is very good news to be shared as well-she has teeth! That's right, plural, as in two bottom teeth came through at the same time! I was in the middle of telling her how beautiful her gummy grin was when she smiled and flashed two pearly whites just about to break the surface! I just about cried in the parking lot :( Just a few days prior, they were so far down that you had to put a fair amount of pressure to feel them!!!! My last little baby is growing way too fast. It only took about a day and a half for them to finally break through her gums, and amusingly, she was chewing on a hair bow when it happened! I guess all my hard work does double duty.
There is very good news to be shared as well-she has teeth! That's right, plural, as in two bottom teeth came through at the same time! I was in the middle of telling her how beautiful her gummy grin was when she smiled and flashed two pearly whites just about to break the surface! I just about cried in the parking lot :( Just a few days prior, they were so far down that you had to put a fair amount of pressure to feel them!!!! My last little baby is growing way too fast. It only took about a day and a half for them to finally break through her gums, and amusingly, she was chewing on a hair bow when it happened! I guess all my hard work does double duty.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Ups and downs...
On the 17th, we got great news-she gained 1 lb 2 oz, putting her up to 11 1/2 pounds total!!! We left the dr's office very hopeful. We were told if she has a similar gain come her September 2nd appointment 2 weeks later we will be in the clear. No specialists, no testing.
The 2nd came around, and I was worried, because an earlier weigh-in, at home, showed she dropped to 11 pounds even. Turns out she gained. Only 6 ounces, but it's better than dropping back down. But still, 6 ounces...11 lbs 14 oz total...certainly not what we were hoping for. Sooo, there has been another feeding change. Instead of the high calorie preemie formula, she is back to breastmilk and regular formula, with 1 extra scoop of the high calorie formula added to every 6 ounce bottle. Getting nursing back on track is going better than expected so far.
Someone from our local ECI program is on her way to start paperwork on getting our teeny tiny into their program. She's going to be seeing a dietician/nutritionist. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.
The 2nd came around, and I was worried, because an earlier weigh-in, at home, showed she dropped to 11 pounds even. Turns out she gained. Only 6 ounces, but it's better than dropping back down. But still, 6 ounces...11 lbs 14 oz total...certainly not what we were hoping for. Sooo, there has been another feeding change. Instead of the high calorie preemie formula, she is back to breastmilk and regular formula, with 1 extra scoop of the high calorie formula added to every 6 ounce bottle. Getting nursing back on track is going better than expected so far.
Someone from our local ECI program is on her way to start paperwork on getting our teeny tiny into their program. She's going to be seeing a dietician/nutritionist. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
New puppy!!
I forgot to add a big update-we got a puppy!! We've had her for a couple of months now and she fits in with the family just perfectly. She's a little tri-colored Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Penelope-Pippa for short. The first couple of weeks were perfect; she wasn't used to the Texas heat (especially not this freak heatwave crud we're dealing with!), so she spent all of her time sleeping on the air vents! She was sooo boring!! All of a sudden, one night, she started getting spastic, and it has just grown from there. Aside from aggravating moments-like chewing up our storage ottoman, the carpet, my shoes.....and loving to pee on my rug and do the rest of her business in the baby's room.....umm, lost my train of thought! O_o Hehe, no really, she's had some challenging moments but otherwise fits in just perfect with our little family. Tiny butt just loves her to death, too!
Just over 2 months
4 months
Only 2 ounces :(
That's all she gained. All of the diet changes did nothing this month...::sigh::
They sent us home with some high-calorie preemie formula, and orders to pump and freeze for 2 weeks, but all the formula did was make her appetite drop, so I don't think it is going to help much either. My little 10 lb 6oz teeny butt is not phased by a bit of this, though.
She's happy as can be, and such a girly-girl! She knows when people are talking about her, and gives the cutest faces and reactions to show it. She loves all things "pretty" already, and squeals when she gets a new dress on, or when I let her play with my pearl bracelet. Oh man, the bracelet, lol...I'm going to have to get this girl a set of pearls once she's a little bigger, because she is completely in love with them!! I made her a teeeeeny little pearl bracelet to come home from the hospital in, but so far, it only fits her ankle-a "normal" baby would have outgrown it by now!!
She can fully stand while holding on to something now, and I can't believe we're already over halfway to her first birthday :( Mommy, Daddy, and middle brother all have October birthdays (Daddy's is on Halloween!), then there's thanksgiving, Christmas, and First Birthday...such a busy fall/winter for us, no?
Anyhoo, back to the blah doctor stuff...She's getting an appointment with a GI specialist, and an endocrinology specialist, and has yet another weigh-in on the 17th. She's going to think the doctors office is a regular stop soon!
Oh, by the way-Happy Anniversary, Daddy!! Married 4 years today, together for 5...I'm looking forward to celebrating well into our 50-years <3
They sent us home with some high-calorie preemie formula, and orders to pump and freeze for 2 weeks, but all the formula did was make her appetite drop, so I don't think it is going to help much either. My little 10 lb 6oz teeny butt is not phased by a bit of this, though.
27 Weeks
She's happy as can be, and such a girly-girl! She knows when people are talking about her, and gives the cutest faces and reactions to show it. She loves all things "pretty" already, and squeals when she gets a new dress on, or when I let her play with my pearl bracelet. Oh man, the bracelet, lol...I'm going to have to get this girl a set of pearls once she's a little bigger, because she is completely in love with them!! I made her a teeeeeny little pearl bracelet to come home from the hospital in, but so far, it only fits her ankle-a "normal" baby would have outgrown it by now!!
She can fully stand while holding on to something now, and I can't believe we're already over halfway to her first birthday :( Mommy, Daddy, and middle brother all have October birthdays (Daddy's is on Halloween!), then there's thanksgiving, Christmas, and First Birthday...such a busy fall/winter for us, no?
Anyhoo, back to the blah doctor stuff...She's getting an appointment with a GI specialist, and an endocrinology specialist, and has yet another weigh-in on the 17th. She's going to think the doctors office is a regular stop soon!
28 Weeks
Oh, by the way-Happy Anniversary, Daddy!! Married 4 years today, together for 5...I'm looking forward to celebrating well into our 50-years <3
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Progress
Almost time for her 6 month check! The five month weigh-in only showed a 4 ounce growth, but since then we've had to loosen her cloth diapers up a bit, so I'm pretty sure her next appointment will show more improvement. It's not for lack of trying, either. This girl is such a pig!! A full jar of baby food at each feeding, usually accompanied by rice or oatmeal cereal, at least 7 nursings, and we've even added the occasional formula feeding. Maybe she's just going to be crazy thin like me (...until I started having kids, that is, lol!!).
She is doing so well, too. Our little "Cupcake Princess" is still such a happy and lovey baby :) She is always smiling, laughing, and begging for kisses. My favorite time of day is first thing in the morning-as soon as she's done eating I roll her onto my stomach, so that we are tummy-to-tummy, and she just goes crazy with a smile and giggle fest! I can't think of a more perfect way to start a day off.
Little Butt may be tiny, but she's already sitting for short periods of time, and she tries her best to stand up too!!! If her torso was a bit stronger, my itty bitty baby would be pulling up already! I want to pout each time she tries :(
She is doing so well, too. Our little "Cupcake Princess" is still such a happy and lovey baby :) She is always smiling, laughing, and begging for kisses. My favorite time of day is first thing in the morning-as soon as she's done eating I roll her onto my stomach, so that we are tummy-to-tummy, and she just goes crazy with a smile and giggle fest! I can't think of a more perfect way to start a day off.
Little Butt may be tiny, but she's already sitting for short periods of time, and she tries her best to stand up too!!! If her torso was a bit stronger, my itty bitty baby would be pulling up already! I want to pout each time she tries :(
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