4 Months!

MY ET BABY!

I couldn’t pick just one…..

STRETCH!

SO this is a little late, by like half a month haha…but her doctor appointment wasn’t until today so I didn’t want to put in the incorrect stats (heaven forbid…)

Stats: Weight: 15lbs 6oz (75%) Length: 25inches (64%) Head: 16.5 inches (66%)  so little girl is starting to become more proportionate with her melon 🙂 Doctor is VERY happy with her.

Milestones: Chey rolled over from her belly to her back on 8/5! I was so excited.  She also rolled from her back to her belly on 8/23 at the Topel residence (OK so 4 months and 10 days old, but I’m late writing this anyways) She is a PRO at the back to belly roll, doesn’t hardly try to roll from her belly to her back, just would rather stay on her belly.

Sleeping: Usually sleeps right through the night.  When I work 3rd shift, I put her to be around 9, I go to work 10:30-6:30A and she is still sleeping when I get home! Sometimes she’ll wake up for a little snack and a diaper change, but being up for 15 minutes is much better than when she’d get up a couple times a night, that is for sure. Sleeping in her crib like a big girl! Usually only need to put a nu-nu back in her mouth if she starts waking up. She has been taking less and less naps during the day. I’d say she is up about 12 hours a day. She sleeps maybe 10 hours a night and then takes 1-2 naps a day about an hour each. All depends on the day, but WATCH OUT if she doesn’t have her nap. CRABBY PANTS and there is NOTHING you can do about it.

Eating: THIS GIRL EATS! Only on breastmilk still (woot woot!). About 30-35 oz a day.  She eats 6oz in a sitting every 3 hours or so when she is awake. SO about 5-6 times she will eat a day.  Even though she eats a lot during the day She sleeps alllll night though so it is keeping her full. So no big girl food yet! Doctor said no need to rush her into it, especially since she sleeps through the night.  He said breastfed babies can usually wait until 6 months.

Fun Stuff: We went to Chetek for out annual family get together.  It was so relaxing! We did a lot of pontooning and campfiring and walking catching up with family we hadn’t seen in a long long time.  She was an angel baby ❤

She is officially big enough for her bouncer and she LOVES it.  Try to lay her down in her play gym? That works for 10 minutes until she wiggles her way across the whole living room. 😛 She also hates when you lay her down like a baby in your arms if she isn’t eating or sleeping, does a baby situp every time.

Other Stuff: There may be some action going on under those gums.  Nothing breaking through yet but she sure likes to chomp on everything! On that note, EVERYTHING goes into her mouth now.  If she can grab a hold of it, it goes towards the mouth.  She grabs at EVERYTHING.

This baby is vocal! We go out to dinner and she has to be louder than everyone else.  Everyone MUST know she is there. At least she doesn’t cry I guess haha.

Ive been busy busy making baby food! I’ve steamed and pureed green & wax beans and peas from our garden, beets, apples, peaches and stewed blueberries.  Cheyanne’s grandma & grandpa Theresa and Chris made pear sauce from pears at the farm for her too and that took up 5 whole trays of freezer cubes. I think that will be a hit, it tasted good to me!

3 Months and Loving Life!

Wow time flies and so much changes so fast!

Stats: Weighing in at approximately 14.8 pounds, measuring 23 inches long and a melon 17 inches around

Milestones: She is SO good at tummy time! Here is a picture of her on June 20th, just a little over 2 months old. She loves it for a couple minutes, but then usually starts getting pissed. I push her a bit, but then I just feel bad.  There are moments where I think for sure she is about to roll over (accidentally of course) and my heart races.

That same day she was holding her nu-nu in her hand and she got in back in her mouth all by herself! She kind of surprised herself, eyes got all huge it was hilarious.

A couple days later, I got so excited! She was laying on her back in her playroom under her play gym thing and I was doing the dishes. I peaked in to check on her and she was all the was on her side! SO exciting!

She has started to figure out her hands and feet, she stares at them a lot and I think she is starting to put it together that she moves those things 🙂

She has definitely found her voice…all of a sudden one day we were riding in the car and she just started YELLING. I thought at first she was upset, so I checked on her and she was smiling and just yelling and screaming and making the funniest faces. She was trying so hard. Matt and I had a good laugh. Sometimes we can’t even hear each other talk she is talking so loud. She’s got the sweetest little voice (I am sure I won’t be saying that when she is a sassy 2 year old!)

at 2.5 months she got mistaken for a 4 month old!

Started recognizing strangers and gets a little scared sometimes and starts crying or just sticks the lip out and looks at me. She has mastered the lower lip hehe its kinda cute.

Sleeping Patterns: She is on a regular 10 hours or so a night.  Nice break from even the one 3 AM feeding. She usually is down by 9 and is up between 6 and 7.  She then takes a couple 1-2 hour naps a day. We started taking all our naps during the day in our crib! She usually puts herself to sleep…when I can tell she is getting tired (getting crabby, eyes getting red) I put her in her crib and she usually falls asleep on her own. This means I can get stuff done, like dishes, without waking her up. But I need to invest in a monitor with a camera so I don’t have to creep upstairs and check on her lol…..

Appetite: That is something this girl has a lot of! They say babies should usually not eat more than 4 ounces at a feeding….well if I take the bottle away, she gets P-O’d.  She usually downs 5 ounces every 3 hours or so (except at night) and sometimes only every 2 hours.  Making up for that long night of sleeping I guess! She usually has 35-ish ounces a day. I am thinking she will be ready for some baby food in a month or so, the little porkchop! Which reminds me, I made a CRAP ton of baby food thanks to Aunt Sam 🙂 I had a 35 pound box of peaches and a 5 pound box of blueberries, and needless to say there’s no way just Matt & I can eat all that so I went crazy with the baby bullet one morning and stocked a bunch in the freezer.

Breastfeeding: With her reflux-y issues, I have been exclusively pumping for the last month.  I was nervous to start but breastfeeding was just becoming frustrating for us both and  still wanted her to have the good stuff.  I was nervous because I didn’t want my supply to drop, but I am still making more than she eats in a day, plus I freeze 10 oz a day.  There are people that say EP-ing cannot be done, but there are women saying it CAN be done, and I am saying it too, it is time consuming and kind of annoying to be hooked up to the pump all the time, but you get in a routine and it is just something you do!  I want to make it to a year SO SO bad, that is the goal 🙂  I did start trying to reintroduce breastfeeding here and there and it is going well 🙂 Sometimes she gets pissed off, but not always.

New Favorites: She loves talking and smiling to anyone, but you can tell when she sees me or daddy she just lights up 🙂

We got her a bumbo which she is a HUGE fan of!

We also got her a new play gym, the one with the piano that can flip up for when she can sit on her own 🙂 Every morning right when she wakes up she plays in there and just goes NUTS! It is so funny.

Fun stuff: Celebrated the 4th of July! Went out on Gma and Gpas boat and loved it.  Had her little pink tankini on and was a happy, happy baby! It was also our 2 year dating anniversary, so my parents took little Chey for the night and we went to Stoughton fair for the truck pulls and had a great time.

We also got to meet my friend Kayla’s baby Charlotte  (Charlee) who was a similar size as Chey when she was born, now Chey looks like a monster baby! You forget how small they were when you see them everyday *sniff* It is going to be so fun watching them grow up together 🙂

We also went to the Jefferson County Fair & looked at ALLLLL the ponies & watched daddy win the truck pull! It was his first time pulling with the new truck and his first time ever winning the fair! Proud momma & baby 🙂

And of course on her 3 month birthday we went to her grandma Theresa & Chris’s wedding!  Kenzie did a good job with her, put her right to sleep!

Other Stuff: We started cloth diapering! We went with the Best Bottoms complete package from Nicki’s Diapers.  The link is HERE

So far so good! We have just been using them at home so far, which is where I am most of the time anyways.  Using disposables when we are going out and about or if someone is watching her.  It is just easier that way. Still saving money and they are adorable!

Tata for now!!

2 Months

Highlights of our 2nd month:

We went LOTS of places! We went to Pine Cone, Red Robin, ate outside at Frosty Freeze (while mom made a mess with Twinkle Kote), Cold Spring Inn, went to Grandma & Grandpa Renz’s for an evening while mom and dad went to see Hangover 3 (which is hilarious), went along with JUST dad to get mom a b-day present (a top of the line standing mixer that I’ve been talking about for quite some time now), went on our first runs together and wouldn’t you know it but she slept the whole time. We went to lots of other restaurants, too many to name! We also went on our first road trip to Richland Center.

We had our first bath with smiles and NO tears! It is part of our now nightly ritual since we LIKE baths now.  We take a bath at 9 (even if just a rinse off in warm water), get all cozied in our bedtime lotion and jammies, nurse/bottle and read a long book until we are SUPER drowsy, then she gets put down in her sleeper and usually falls asleep on her own now.  Sometimes we have to rock her (her sleeper rocks, it is amazing I’ll write more about it down below).

We started doing less nursing and more pumping/bottle feeding.  It is just easier for me and her (with her reflux, she would rip off of me and scream and let me just say I cannot begin to describe that pain!) and I know she is still getting the best.  This way she can eat literally sitting all the way up.  She still has reflux-y episodes, but it is not that bad and she is still getting more than enough to eat.  She’ll be hungry, take a couple sips and start to cry…usually if I calm her down and wait 30 minutes to an hour she can finish her bottle without a problem.  The Doc said to make sure she gets 24 oz a day, and if I feed her only bottles all day she is usually around 30-34 oz 🙂  And I am pretty proud because I usually freeze 15-20 oz a day in addition to this amount 🙂 🙂

She is making LOTS of baby noises nowadays, I love it so so so much.  Combine them with smiles and I am all mush 🙂  She also tends to open her mouth really big when you give her kisses on her lips, it is cute!

At her 2 month appointment she weighed 12 pounds, 7 ounces (88th%)… was 22.5 inches long (55%)…. head is 16.25 inches around (95%)! So we still have a melon head, which I think is the absolute cutest thing in the world!

We are getting the hang of this parenting thing and we are in more of a routine.  I get more sleep, so does she, she is getting lots to eat and her personality makes me want to cry sometimes, she is such a happy little munchkin! We take her EVERYWHERE we go and she gets SO excited to see Matt when he gets home from work, the arms start swinging, the legs get kicking and she is all smiles and yells 🙂 Melts my heart!

We got the garden planted, most of it is for Cheyanne (really hoping she will like all this baby food Im going to make! haha) and we planted carrots, squash, beans, peas, beets and we have so many strawberries in our patch we started last year!

We are going to be ordering her cloth diaper trial soon, to make sure they fit her right and they work for us since she now only poops 1 time per day, sometimes every other day.

Products I Love:

• Mustela – the diaper cream works so good, better than Desitin! They also make a no-rinse wash for face and butt which I use on non-soapy-bath days and it really helps keep her butt clean and non-irritated.  It also keeps her face (and neck creases) from getting greasy, especially with the summer heat.
• Fisher Price Rock N Play Sleeper – Best investment we have made yet!  Cheyanne has a little issue with reflux and will sleep just fine in your arms or bouncer or swing (even when not ‘swinging’) but the moment you lie her on her back, she will only sleep for 15-20 minutes and then cries.  It is uncomfortable for her to sleep on her back, so I researched safe options for sleeping on an incline. You can put pillows under the mattress of a crib, but that made me nervous. Then our LC mentioned this amazing product.  She can sleep at an incline all night without me worrying about her rolling over.  It also rocks, so if she is fighting sleep, I can lay down and just rock it for a while and she will usually doze off.  Sometimes we do take snuggle naps together, but I’d be nervous to pull an all nighter like that.  HERE is the link to it at Babies R Us.  There is a pink edition that we bought at the store.

The First Month

I cannot believe my baby is already a month old.  This month has been quite the blur…omg….feed her, change her, sleep her, repeat! She is starting to be more efficient as her tummy grows though and is going a little longer between feedings.  It made it hard to go anywhere when she wanted to eat every 30 minutes and would scream if I didn’t get it to her fast enough.  That is the only time this baby cries, she is very food driven! Here are some of the highlights!

1. The first time she lifted her head and turned it to the other side she was 5 days old
2. She passed her birth weight at 5 days old
3. We went on our first trip – Wal-mart, it was bad, the second trip was much better (we brought  a nu-nu with)
4. We went on our first walk at the farm with daddy and LOVED it
5. Discovered that real baths are much better and warmer than sponge baths
6. She tries SO hard to roll over when on her tummy, she really gets her hips going and twisting!
7. She smiled back at me for the first time at 3.5 weeks old, she smiled before that, but this was like a real “I am copying you” smile
8. Grew out of newborn clothes at 3 weeks
9. Totally recognized our voices, she tries to find us
10. She can follow things that move with her eyes
11. I froze a crap ton of breastmilk, I usually can pump about 10-15 oz a day besides what she eats
12. We got newborn photos taken
13. Had our 1 month doctor appointment and she weighed 10 pounds and was 21 inches long, her doctor says everything looks and sounds great!
14. Went to Babies R Us for the first time
15. Went to Cracker Barrel for the first time (first restaurant trip)
16. Went to Carp’s for the first time and got complimented on how good she was and how happy she seemed. Got some good advice – “If I did it all over again, I would worry less” Great advice
17. Went to the Sand Bar for mothers day brunch
18. Celebrated mothers day…last year we lost our first baby on Mothers Day (which was actually May 16) so this year, we talked about Baby Hasel and then celebrated with our little miracle by relaxing and playing with her and telling her stories most of the day and then cooking out on the grill at night
19. Started making baby noises rather than just grunts and cries, I love it!
20. Learned how to grab a big hold of mommy’s hair and not let it go

So here is a picture of her TODAY, on her 1 month birthday wearing an adorable John Deere hoodie that is size 12 months.  Figured it’d be cute to take a picture of her every month her first year until she grows into it 🙂 She was NOT happy, so I am surprised I got a picture of her not looking pissed!

What I Learned The Last 2 Weeks

1. First of all, we have a princess, this is obvious 🙂
2. Breastfeeding HURTS! But only for a week or so, but is so worth it to stick it out through the bleeding and the cracking and the engorgement and the milk EVERYWHERE. Sounds great huh? Well it is, eventually haha…. Have cool packs and nipple cream and nursing pads within reach at all times.
3. Don’t hold a grudge when hubby doesn’t get up with the baby, he doesn’t have a boob with milk ducts to feed the baby with, what is he supposed to do?
4. On the same note, taking a shower sucks.  When you get out there is milk everywhere again, spraying and dripping in all directions, it is actually pretty funny.
5. On the same note again, having a good support group is necessary to get through those tough first days or weeks of getting breastfeeding down.  The nurses at the hospital were incredible and Matt was always there with an extra hand when needed.  We are super close nowadays 🙂
6. Sleep when the baby sleeps, NOT KIDDING. I don’t care what time it is or how many dirty dishes there are.  If you don’t you will regret it later when baby is wide awake until midnight and then up again at 2AM. Sleep deprivation = emotions.
7. Newborns poop (more like shart) every time you feed them, at least Cheyanne does.  She sounds like she is going to blast off! Like Matt says “she’s definitely our baby”
8. Newborn photoshoots take alot of patience and time, especially when your baby feels the need to nurse every hour. Nu-Nu discovered at this time, lifesaver. SO worth it, she’s only this small for so long.
9. On the same note, at 2 weeks she’s almost outgrown newborn clothes. Do you know how sad this makes me? So sad. 😦
10. You CAN eat whatever you want when breastfeeding.  This was so exciting when we went to Chey’s first doctor appointment with the lactation specialist.  I can even have a cup of coffee in the morning if I feel so inclined! She said if Chey were to get colicky, my diet is not the first thing they go after. Awesome news, now give me some pizza! 🙂
11. Baby’s lose alot of weight right after they are born, Cheyanne lost 8 oz initially, but then gained 2 oz before we left the hospital.  2 days later she gained another 6 oz and passed her birth weight at 7lb 8oz.  4 days later (9 days old), she weighed 7 lbs 12 oz, another 4 oz gained. Babies usually get BACK to their birth weight at 10 days old…..well I guess we will have a chubby baby and I guess I don’t have to worry about my milk supply…hehe.
12. Nu-Nu’s are lifesavers.  Sometimes babies just want to suck, it is comforting. Cheyanne does, and I found this out myself.  She would act hungry like 45 minutes after I fed her, so I would go ahead and feed her and low and behold she would spit up all my hard work.  She was acting like I was a pacifier.  So we gave her the nu-nu and she couldn’t be happier about it.  We have boobfeeding down, she can have a nu-nu darnit!
13. Cheyannes umbillical cord fell out at 13 days old!
14. Things that vibrate have an amazing ability to soothe babies when nothing else is working, it is incredible!
15. Baby girls will pee on you too! They can get a pretty good vertical stream going.
16. Being pee’d on or poo’d on or having crusty spit up hair really isn’t all that bad. I mean after all, I did make her. 🙂
17. Doing homework is super hard, every time I start, Cheyanne decides she wants to be held or eat.  Having understanding teachers who say “if you need a 2 week extension on the course just let me know” is a necessity. I don’t know what I would do otherwise.
18. When breastfeeding, drink a SH*T load of water, 3 whole quarts a day! And eat, even if you aren’t super hungry.  Gotta keep up with the baby and not waste away. Now is not the time to worry about being skinny. (But if skinny happened, it would be fine with me)
19. Songs about babies will make you cry, at least they make me cry.  Its a happy cry though, not a sad one, so that is ok.
20. Pet your dog.  Sierra has been so good, and I feel guilty when I don’t spend as much time with her as I used to.  So rememebr to feed and water and love the canine 🙂  It is supposed to be nice weather and now I have the OK to start walking, so Matt and I will be taking our girls out for a couple walks this week.  This should amke me feel less guilty 🙂
21. Having a C-section is crippling! I couldn’t do dishes, laundry, clean, go up stairs NOTHING for 2 weeks and I can’t drive for 4 weeks! It was driving me nuts, SO glad I am past the 2 week point.
22. Cheyanne could lift up her head and turn it during tummy time at 5 days old! She is now holding it up, not bobble-headedly, for long periods of time. She also tries VERY HARD to roll over. We are going to have a mover! Her doctor said to cherish holding her now, because she is going to want down… 😦 so sad
23. When your baby stares at you into your eyes you feel something you’ve never ever felt before.
24. Ford F-350 King Ranches are definitely big enough to haul babies in.
25. Lastly, cherish the newborn period. I am excited for her to start laughing and giggling and all the other amazing things but I am going to miss this dependent, I need you for everything phase.

Pictures by Lisa Stone Photography

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Wives Tales – True or False?

SO now that I know I was pregnant with a girl I thought it’d be kind of interesting to see if these wives tales were accurate at all. So here is a little quiz:

1. Carrying High = Girl, Carrying Low = Boy:

High – Girl

2. 140+ BPM = Girl, Less Than 140 BPM = Boy

BPM were always under 140 – Boy

3.Craving Sweets = Girl, Sours/Salty = Boy

I craved sour fruits, what does that mean? We will just go with Girl 😛

4. Morning sickness = Girl

I never got sick, not even nauseous – Boy

5. Breaking out in zits = Girl

My face cleared up! – Boy

6. Dad gains weight = Girl

Matt lost weight – Boy

7. Colder feet = Boy

Well my feet are always cold, and it was winter, but they weren’t colder than usual – Girl

8. Dramatic chest development = Girl

Um yes, going from a C to a DD (some days seems I could be whatever comes after that lol) – Girl

9. According to the Chinese Gender Predictor I was having a girl (they say this is 99% accurate, everything on the internet is true right?)

Girl

So girl narrowly wins, obviously these are not based on fact at all, but I had fun doing them while I was pregnant which convinced me that I was having a boy until 3 days before Chey was born when I had some sort of revelation that we were having a girl.  Now I can’t even think about the song “Butterfly Kisses” without tearing up… *sigh* I love this little girl 🙂

It’s a GIRL! 1 Week Old and Cheyanne Autumn’s Birth Story

Surprise! 1st of all we have a beautiful, precious, gorgeous, breathtaking little girl. 2nd, she decided to arrive 10 days early!! I am totally cool with that, I was DONE with being pregnant and I am SO excited to have her here. She was a healthy 7lbs 7 oz (which, 5 days later, after dropping to 7lbs the day we left the hospital, she passed at a 7lbs 8oz) and 18 inches long. PERFECT. Birth story not so perfect, but everything worked out, no emergency situation, and we have a healthy baby!

SO Friday 4/12/13 at 9 am my water broke, but I didn’t even know it.  There’s lots of wierd things that go on ‘down there’ and I just thought it was the normal pregnancy …um….juice? Haha… Since I had a Dr appointment that morning, I didn’t worry.  Let me go back a little, my water didn’t BREAK, it trickled a tiny bit, so I had a right to be confused.  I got to the Dr and after describing what I felt, she thought it was my mucus plug, but when she went to check my cervix she made a face and said “You’re leaking fluid! I’ll tell the hospital you’re coming” …. you can just imagine my face, and then imagine Matt’s reaction when I call him and tell him we have to go to the hospital becaue within 24 hours we were having a baby.

The Dr said we could take our time a BIT, so we stopped at the bank and at Culvers so we could eat and not pass out through this process.  We got to the hospital about an hour after my appointment and they did a test to make sure it was fluid and it was of course.  I was less than 1 cm dilated which explains the trickle of fluid rather than a gush.  I was contracting every 6 minutes but I had no idea, I couldn’t feel them.  So the nurse put in this TINY pill into my cervix to help soften it.  I dilated to about 3 cm and was having contractions every 3 minutes. I was excited because I thought things were going, but the Dr ordered I be put on pitocin. Pitocin is the devil, it is some wicked shit. 2 hours later OUT went my idea of not having an epidural.  I was contracting like crazy but still at 3 cm. As soon as I got the wonderful epidural, I dilated to 6 cm in 2 hours and 2 hours later I was at 8.

We all thought I would be pushing soon.  When I say we, it was Matt, my parents and Sammy (who was a trooper and slept on the floor most of the night).  Then the Dr started coming in and checking me.  She said the baby’s heartrate was going way down between contractions and then skyrocketing to 180’s between contractions.  Up until this point her HR was steady 130’s.  My temp was rising, they were worried about infections because of how long my water was broken.  My cervix swelled up and I was only 6 cm dilated now.  So at about 5 am we made the decision to have a c-section before it turned into an emergency.  I was totally OK with this, I just wanted a healthy baby. At 5:29 our beautiful baby girl was born.  Talk about an emotional roller coaster, neither of us could stop crying we were SO happy.

Now 1 week later I still cannot believe she is here.  We are starting to settle in, I’m starting to de-swell from the surgery, she’s gaining weight, breastfeeding is working (after a tough first 2 days), and she is pooping like crazy.  Our lives now revolve around this little girl and we could not be happier. 🙂

What do you NEED?

After reading many blog posts about what to pack in your hospial bag, I was overwhelmed….I felt like I had to take my whole house along including the whole baby’s room that I just worked so hard setting up. SO I asked my wonderful OB Navigator what I really NEED to bring.  She said I don’t need to bring anything besides something to wear home, everything else is up to me.  They provide baby’s clothes, socks, mitts, hats, sleepers, diapers, nipple cream & pads, etc… SO here is my list.  Nothing fancy, but it might help others out who feel the same way…less is more!  I will also post about it afterwards if I found I forgot anything 🙂 All the toiletries are just for my comfort of course and are all travel sized so save room.  Very awesome! Any suggestions welcome!

For Me:

• ID’s (both of ours)
• Insurance Card
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Chapstick
• Deoderant
• Some makeup if I feel so inclined
• Hair Bands & Hair Ties
• Lotion
• Body wipes
• Shampoo & Conditioner
• Mousse
• Body wash & Face Wash (I bought the morning burst in hopes to feel ‘refreshed’ … haha …good luck facewash, you have a big job!)
• Slippers & Socks
• Flip Flops for the shower
• Yoga pants – suggested so I don’t have to worry every time I get up if my robe is tied or not 😛
• Nursing tanks – 2
• Nursing bras – 2 (I bought 1 medium and 1 large for now…you never know!)
• Snacks for Matt
• Camera
• List of people to contact so noone is forgotten!
• Cell phones & cell phone chargers
• Ipod

For Baby:

• Going home outfit (even though not necessary I packed two, one newborn size & one 0-3 m)
• Heavy blanket & a light blanket (in case it is cold going home)

SO really, I packed alot of things so I won’t smell and will hopefully feel comfortable while I can take advantage of extra hands before we go home.  I thought about grabbing a box of chocolates from James J. Chocolate Factory for the nurses.  They’re going to spend alot of time with me and who knows the kind of mood I will be in at any given time (haha) so I want them to know they are appreciated.  I know I would like chocolate if I were a labor nurse 🙂

Side Note! I also made these YUMMY breakfast muffins.  A healthy, quick breakfast with oatmeal, blueberries and greek yogurt in them.  The recipe made 12, so I stuck 6 in the fridge and 6 in the freezer so I can thaw one out overnight & stick it in the microwave for a couple seconds in the AM.  Microwaving them is something I would highly recommend, makes them so yummy. A little butter never hurts either 😉 Here is the link to the recipe, and I posted it below as well 🙂

http://domesticatedacademic.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/power-muffins-blueberryoatmealyogurtpower/

makes 12 regular muffins (depending how full you pack your muffin tin)

• no-stick cooking spray
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup oatmeal–quick or regular oats, plain
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces honey nonfat greek yogurt or 1 1/2 cups (Chobani)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. Coat muffin tin with cooking spray or liners.
3. Combine flour, sugar, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
4. Combine yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla in a second bowl.
5. Fold yogurt mixture into dry mixture; stir to combine completely.
6. Gently fold in blueberries.
7. Spoon into muffin tins.
8. Bake until top is golden and springs back when you gently touch it, 20-25 minutes.

38 and I Have a New Last Name!

That is right! We got married on 4/5/13! Ever since we got engaged last October we’ve talked about just going to the courthouse and getting married, I mean why not? Especially with a baby and a house, we don’t exactly have an extra $10k laying around to have a nice big wedding.  It was SUCH a fun day. The judge had a sense of humor which is good, because anyone that knows us know that we have a humor problem and can never seem to stop laughing.  We went to Rock Bottom afterwards where everyone got a couple drinks & I had a mountain dew (special treat).  Then we stopped at Aztalan for one before we had a DELICIOUS dinner at HiWay Harry’s.  There were lots of nice words said and lots of laughter throughout the whole day.  It was just me, Matt, my parents, his parents, Sammy & Craig.  Very low key and I’d do it again in a heartbeat! Don’t get me wrong I LOVE weddings and I think they are beautiful, but for us, our priorities have changed.  We’ve gotten older and more responsibilites have built up and we just want to be married, no headaches, just married…and now we are! 🙂  We will probably renew our vows and have a reception in a year on our anniversary.  SO that means I still get to wear a white dress, but just like always with us it will be very nontraditional. We are officially the Hasel Family!

How far along? 38 Weeeeeks!

Stretch marks?  No, I am hoping I am lucky, my mom didn’t get any stretch marks so hopefully I won’t get any! I am thinking they might show up once the baby is outta here and my skin tries to go back to normal.  There are worse things in life than stretch marks 🙂

Exercise? Walking, even though it feels like there is a large bowling ball between my legs, but it makes me feel better and it is finally spring! Loving the fresh air. I probably shouldnt speak too soon :X

Maternity Clothes? I still fit into my jeans for our marriage! And I am proud of that!

Best moment this week:  Getting married to my bestie, couldn’t imagine my life without him ❤

Worst Moment: Catching up and working ahead on homework, that is just no fun.

Labor Signs: Well I’ve been getting the cramps, so hopefully baby is starting to move down! And I started leaking from my upper body (trying not to be TMI)! Freaked me out one day…but I will take it as a good sign that things WILL happen.

Annoyances: My esophogus and my flapper that can’t seem to keep stomach acid down under any circumstance.  I can’t eat ANYTHING, even my love, peanut butter which is real sad 😦

Miss anything: Comfort 🙂 I am ready to sit up straight again.

Movement: All the time, sometimes I get paranoid that the baby is going to stop moving or that I won’t realize that the baby’s activity level is down and then something bad will happen. I need to stop that haha.

Food cravings:  Anything with peanut butter on it…just ask Matt. I ate a spoonfull of peanut butter the other day, I have never done that in my life. I really hope it is not true, my doc says it is not actually proven by studies, that if you eat alot of peanut butter when preggo your baby is at a higher risk to be allergic to peanuts.  Well I hope not, our child is already going to have a huge noggin I am sure of it (just look at the size of both of our heads once…they are HUGE!) and then to think they could never enjoy peanut butter besides their time spent in the womb? Horrible!

Sleep: Sleeping sucks.

Happy or Moody most of the time: I have been pretty happy, but getting anxious and DONE with being pregnant, partly due to discomfort and still getting heartburn no matter what I eat or when I eat it and mostly because I need to meet our baby.

Looking forward to:  2 weeks left. 2 weeks left.

37 … Full Term & Sleepy

How far along? 37 weeks! Full term!

Stretch marks?  Nothing new.

Exercise? Trying to keep walking, I always feel better after I walk for a while, just uncomfortable in the beginning.

Maternity Clothes? I hate clothes. If I could be naked all the time I would, but I guess I’ll keep my sweatpants & tanks & hoodies on 🙂

Best moment this week:  Easter was fun! My family got to tour the farm and feed the calves, which they loved doing.  Definitely got a kick out of it 🙂 Also got to see our baby for a growth ultrasound and didn’t see any private parts.  Baby is growing wonderfully and is head down which is a relief.  Like the tech said, I would rather have a tid bit smaller baby than a 12 pounder, especially for baby #1.

Worst Moment: Every night when I sleep.  I dread going to sleep nowadays…

Annoyances: My online classes.  I love not having to go to class, but it is so not fun sitting at a computer doing endless discussions. Blah blah blah

Miss anything: Being able to shave my legs 😛 Though I DID manage to do so last night, just not a pretty sight lol….

Movement: SOOOO much, makes me jump sometimes! haha

Food cravings:  I am not usually a ‘sweets’ or ice cream person but when at Pick N Save the other day, Matt really wanted ice cream (he has a big sweet tooth) so we walked down the ice cream aisle.  I see these Magnum Gold ice cream bars with Sea Salt & Caramel swirl…….OMG. I got the mini’s trying to be all concious, but I ate 2 that night (turns out on the box, 2 bars is a serving size…which makes no sense…oh America and your epidemic) …. and they were.so.good. I think about them throughout the day, but I tell myself I have to eat healthy the rest of the day and then I can have 1 (or 2….) bars 🙂 Also, chips & salsa are kind of my jam.

Sleep: I have been waking up to pee 4-6 times a night, and I wake up at least every hour to move around. I then try to nap during the day and same problem, just not comfotable, ever.  Its frustrating how everyone is like “get your sleep while you can!” and I CANNOT SLEEP.  So I am sleep deprived and headache-y.  I have been reading the Jenny McCarthy books Belly Laughs, which has been keeping me sane in my sleeplessness.  It is hilarious and SO relatable!  I feel like it is not ok to complain when you’re pregnant, because you’re so lucky to be able to have a baby which of course I know, but sometimes I just want to cry and complain a little and not feel guilty about it.  This book makes me feel normal, because she complains and it makes me happy.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty happy, besides when I want to cry randomly. Matt has been very patient with me 🙂

Looking forward to:  Meeting the baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!