Dirty Dirty Dozen

Ben is off of his nursing strike, Thank God. Now onto more appetizing forms of food for my child.

Next weekend he will be starting on rice cereal then a few weeks after that VEGGIES!!! I have one mission in life as a Mom and that is to make my child love vegetables as much as I do. He can have a million tattoos and be a UFC fighter for all I care, as long as he downs his eggplant, zucchini, and red bell peppers (just kidding about the first two things).

Because of this quest, I have been doing mucho research on the best way to introduce solids to babies and the best ways to raise veggie eaters. I came across this article and thought it was worth sharing.

In the past I've never been a big organic produce consumer... because 1. I shop at Walmart and their organic produce selection is non-existent. 2. I never really "believed" in all the hype. 3. Organic produce is more expensive.

However, when it comes to down to feeding the little one, I really don't want him to be ingesting all those chemicals. I love this list because now I not only know which generic veggies to avoid at Walmart (and make a separate trip to Whole food to get), but I also know which ones are totally safe so I don't waste money buying organic where I don't need. I printed this list and am keeping it in my purse so I can easily reference it while shopping.

Hope everyone is having a great Monday.

Ben is On Strike

Apparently there is a thing called a "nursing strike". It is when your baby flat out refuses to nurse. Every time I try to get Ben to nurse (in the afternoon evenings after he has had bottles during the day) he arches his back and screams bloody murder. The little battle of wills is seriously testing my patience.

The causes of a nursing strike can be, but are not limited to, teething, over-use of the bottle (eff you working Moms), sickness, or overall being a bad Mom (just kidding, sorta). Right now Ben nurses with me in the mornings and in the evenings. While he is at daycare he eats bottles of breastmik and formula. So about 50% of his food is administered through the bottle. Before I started working, I tested a BUNCH of bottles to see which one would release milk the slowest in hopes of lessening his preference for the bottle and impatience while nursing. I guess I did a crappy job of bottle searching... because he loooves the ease and efficiency.

So what is the solution? All the hippie breastfeeding websites recommend laying around all day with your shirt open while in bed with your baby. #1 I don't have time for that. #2 A little creepy? As a SIDE NOTE: Almost all breastfeeding resources out there seems to be geared towards SAHMs. There is ONE single solitary website I've found that helps out the working Mom and even it's solutions aren't all that helpful.

He will nurse first thing in the morning. I think his little brain resets over night and he forgets that he hates me. Tomorrow I am working from home so I am only going to offer him the ability to nurse and try not to give him a bottle. Hopefully this will completely reset him and he will stop rejecting his mother.Then if that works, I am going to try a different bottle. I have been reading about the First Years Breastflow Bottle and think it might make the contrast between bottle and boobie quite as distinct for the little man.

I am going to leave you with a video of him. Please excuse my crappy camera skills, and his boogery nose.

The Slippery Slope

Today I went into Strasburg Children on my lunchbreak to see if they had a baptism outfit for Ben. Before I had kids I always passed this store in the mall and swore my children would never wear their clothes. I pictured my kids in adorable little adult-type clothes. The boys in cargo pants and vintage tees with little chuck taylors... and the girls in tiny skinny jeans, tuinic tops, and flats (a la Suri Cruise). However, while in the store, found myself wandering outside of the baptismal section and totally wanting every single thing in there. Like I want Ben to get a bit older so he can wear a Jon Jon.

Crazy. I know, right? Is it it the change in the hormones that cause you to love the smocking, peter pan collars, pleating, and pastels? Or is it because I already know this time he is baby will be gone before I know it? He can wear grown up clothes his whole life, and only for a few short years will I be able to dress him in something semi-emasculating like above.

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I posted a comment on OMGMom about how I don't put enough pics of the wee one up on my blog... and how I have Mom guilt about it. So I am going to start posting more pics of him and taking more (need to fix the damn problem with my memory card).

Today, I'll display my very favorite. Greg had this one blown up and framed for our anniversary. I took it at my friend Katie's wedding.

Attention

Taking Fenugreek* makes you smell** like waffles.

I'm a simple man. I like pretty dark-haired women and breakfast food.

I guess since my husband's alter-ego is Ron Swanson***, this could be a good thing.

*Fenugreek is a magical herb that makes you produce more milk than Daisy the cow.
** OK, it makes your sweat smell like waffles. Don't judge me for being a little sweaty. It's July in Texas.
***I vote that we stop with the Chuck Norris jokes and start with the Ron Swanson jokes.

Bragging

I know it is not nice to brag. But I am back in my pre-pregnancy jeans and I just wanted to share it with you, dear interwebs. About 10 days after the birth I got into my pre-pregnancy "fat jeans" (you know the pair you slip on when you've had a few too many margs and not enough spin classes). But today I put on my real jeans. They are zipped and buttoned, and I didn't even have to suck in. Score!







What no one needs to know about...


1. The small smushy muffin top. (Easily hidden by flowy shirts, rather than my typical tissue t-s. Them abs ain't what they used to be.)
2. The fact that these jeans are hiding an obscene amount of cellulite. Time to get down to business in the toning-up department...

Now I just need to get back into some of my pre-pregnancy tops. Unfortunately that won't happen until I stop nursing.

Blog Fooding

Each weekday night our meals consist of protein (usually grilled) and veggies and salad. On the weekends I like to get "fun" with my food without going completely overboard. I think the best thing to do is to try to add as many vegetables as you can to something naughty.

For example, this weekend Greg's brother and his family came over to watch the World Cup. I made PW's Eggpland and Tomato Pizza. Because the dough in the recipe makes enough for two pizzas I also made one with italian sausage for the boys. I have a "thing" for eggplant to say the least so that version is my favorite. Plus, since I have been nursing I cannot get enough tomatoes. This pizza is basically my dream food. No matter how you like your pizza, you should definitely use this crust recipe. It is incredibly easy to make and crisps up nicely in the oven.

I also mad Deb's blue cheese coleslaw on Saturday night. I healthified it by reducing the amount of blue cheese and using low fat mayo. We put this slaw atop buffalo turkey burgers on whole wheat buns and had carrots dipped in guacamole on the side. (Make buffalo turkey burgers by mixing some wing sauce in with your ground turkey and usual burger seasonings. Then drizzle them with the a little more sauce when they come off the grill).

Sadly, there are no pictures of any of these delicious foods, but I wanted to put this out into the blogosphere. My memory card for the camera is not working, so I need to get a new one. I will post pics next time.

Vom

I feel like I have morning sickness all over again. Next Monday Greg is starting to teach summer school and it will be Ben's first day in daycare. I am so sick about this that I can barely eat (notice I said barely). Really, I am not worried for his safety or happiness. I found a wonderful lady who will keep Ben at her house. Aside from being very nice and cute, she is super clean and organized and scheduled. You know I sparkleheart schedules. She also speaks Spanish mostly to the kids, which I really think that is good for his brain to learn the two languages at once.

But I am going to miss him so much!!! Right now I go home at lunch every day to feed him and cuddle him. I know.... I can drop in on my lunch break and check on him, and I will, I'm sure. But it is not really practical for everyday. Plus they are watching a buncha kids so I don't really want to be a pest and get in the way.

Aside from missing him, I think I am majorly disgruntled about not being his primary caretaker. The control freak in me wants to be in charge of when he eats, naps, plays alldayeveryday. I know it is not sane, but I feel like I am letting someone else raise my kid.

Greg and I crunched the numbers to see if it was even possible for me to quit my job. We determined that if we subsisted entirely on his salary, paid all our bills, and cut out all luxury expenditures (gym, spending money, etc.) we would be able to put a whopping $11 into savings every month (sorry Ben, college is not an option... neither is Disney World). Then we realized that we didn't account for my health insurance and Ben's. It is just not financially prudent right now. Plus my career track is not one of those that I can really leave for awhile and return to easily. Change happens so fast in tech comm, that I would lose alot of ground and have to start allover again. As a last ditch effort, I might decide to stay home and make my millions by selling Scentsy candles.... jk!

So for now, I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it. Who knows, I may even enjoy the extra freedom this gives me. Work out on my lunchbreak! What?! And maybe I'll get the skinnies from my lack of appetite from worrying...

I cook blog food.

Today was wonderful. It was the first weekend day in a while that we haven't been out and about visting family. We started off the day with a trip to the farmers market.

Ben got to make friends with my red potatoes...

Then I let my ADD run wild and ping-ponged around my house working on random to-dos. I FINALLY got my sense of accomplishment back. The reason I think this happened is because, (1) Ben is getting a bit more predictable. Therefore, I can really utilize his naptimes. (2) I realized I the amount that I can accomplish in a day is less than 1/4th of what I used to. I started setting realistic goals and ticking them off my list.

Todays goals were:

1. Sweep and mop the dining room

2. Sweep and mop the kitchen

3. Weed the garden

4. Cut out two sets of pieces for Katie's wedding garland (more on this to come!)

5. Fold and put away 2 loads of laundry

6. Write a blog post.

I actually crossed everything off!

The real meat of my post is about the two dishes I made tonight. I think I might make this a feature on the blog. I will cook a meal entirely of recipes from one blogger. This week Pioneer Woman posted two recipes that I could not get out of my head.

The first was Summer Stir-Fry. I think I couldn't get it out of my head because I had everything for it already in my fridge, aside from the corn... which I purchased this morning at the farrmer's market. Squee!

This was a light and refreshing summer meal that went great with my sauvignon blanc (pump and dump, baby). I used basil from my garden which added a great flavor. I don't think the hubs loved it, but I would definitely make it again. Especially if I was having the girls over.

The second PW recipe was Mystery Mocha. All I have to say about this is...

HOLY. HELL. MAKE . THIS. IMMEDIATELY.

It is a chocolate lava-type cake and it was super easy. If you have company coming over they will be super impressed! Greg forgave me for the 'light' dinner after he dug into this one.

Hope everyone is having a great summer weekend!!

Finding the time...

Right now I am really struggling to find the time to work out. Currently, I am 10lbs heavier than I was pre-bug. Losing those last stubborn pounds is certainly a goal of mine, but also I need the endorphines like no other. Sometimes I think working out is the only thing that keeps me from needing some serious anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication.


However, when I leave work, I want to drive straight home for a snuggle session, so getting to the gym is super hard. Monday I made myself go for a quickie 30 min workout. But the rest of the week I have had to get home for some reason or another. And not to be a whiney ass... but it is just too freakin' hot to workout outside in the evenings right now. For now, my goal is to workout 3 times a week. That feels so lame for a former 6 X week worker outter, but I have to start somewhere. Most likely, two of those workouts will be on the weekend days.


I think I will make a deal with myself (and with my husband). If I can stick to my workout and daily calorie goals for four weeks, then I will buy myself a pair of spin shoes. I love me some indoor cycling, and have had shoes on my wishlist for about 2 years. (p.s. It ticks me off that my road bike shoes won't fit on the spin bikes).


I already have them picked out.



Oh yeah. To counteract the fact that we aren't working out nearly as often as we used to, Greg and I BOTH started diligently counting calories. We can't indulge in all the little cheats we used to when we were burning them off with so much working out (though since I am breastfeeding, I have little more wiggle room). Having his support in this area is amazing. It is so cute when my buff husband who can eat his weight in burritos marvels about the amount of calories in 24 almonds!

If at first you don't succeed...

I am trying again here on the blogging. Unfortunately, I missed out on what would have been the most entertaining blog topics in the past few months. But honestly, Motherhood hit me like a ton of bricks. I think I was a little overconfident going into the whole ordeal. I thought I could do it all. Turns out... I can't. That realization sent me into somewhat of a tail spin.

I am getting back on the blogging bandwagon and it will help me resurface and realize that there is still a little bit of "me" left. Hopefully, I can fill in the gaps and do some retrospective blog topics on the birth day, postpartum bipolar disorder, and all the wonderful things that come along with being a Mommy.

For now... here is a recent pic of the boy, Benjamin Douglas Axelson. We call him Ben...or Bug, or Angel Pie, or Monkeyboy, or Pickle Toes.

I am promising to post twice a week from now on.

Happy Friday

I should be thinking about diapers, and breastfeeding, and freezing meals... but instead I am thinking about fabulous outfits, cocktails with my besties, and John Corbett (le sigh).

Click here if you can't see the whole width of the trialer. This looks over-the-top and insane. But a girl's gotta get away right?

Cookies

Not sure if this is a nesting thing, or a Melissa thing, but I have felt absolutely compelled to make cookies lately. So I decided on two Smitten Kitchen Recipes (what can I say, I am obsessed).

The first, I made are World Peace Cookies. I think I am going to name them "Health Care Reform Cookies" so they will be a little more specific and relevant. World Peace is just asking too much of these cookies. They definitely fulfilll the pregnancy chocolate craving, aren't too sweet, and taste awesome and crumbly with a glass of milk. Here's some pictures! Finally, I am getting better.

My potty humor got the best of me here...


The final product. Mine don't look quite as "shiny" as Deb's. I think my over cooks a bit hot, so they might've gotten overdone.


While the poop chocolate cookie logs chilled in the freezer, I washed out my mixing bowl and started on the dough for these amazing Key Lime Meltaways. In my opinion, these cookies have a bit more of a "wow" factor than the world peace cookes. They actually do what their moniker implies, which is meltaway in your mouth, and the lime taste is strong but tempered by the creaminess of the butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. My opinion may be biased right now though, because anything citrusy and tart makes me positively giddy in my elastic-waist jeans!

The texture of these cookies would also lend themselves to a pecan-sandy type of thing. Just sayin...

Love. Love. Love. How easy my Kitchen Aid + Chilled Dough Logs makes baking cookies.


After they're baked.


Final product.


So that's it for my baking. I also have plans to take PW's Lemon Crumb Squares over to my grandma's on Easter. I told you I can't get enough citrusy goodness!

Note: Before you start think I am a complete porker, please know these cookies were wrapped in gift bags and doled out to my doctor and nurses at my appointment yesterday. I only ate about 15. :)

The Bucket List

With the hospital bags packed and the nursery taken care of, I have found myself at loose ends.

A sane person would let themself rest before all the 2 am feedings and millions of diaper changes, but I don't really rest. Resting is stressful and for some reason stirs up alot of guilt within me. And as much as my husband likes to pretend that he likes to, he doesn't really rest either.

So last Thursday we went to the DMA to see the exhibit Through the Lens of Impressionism. It was really interesting to look at some early photography and compare it to the art going on at the time. We also stopped in on an an exhibit by Jacob Lawrence which documented the life of Toussaint L'Ouverture, who was basically the Haitian George Washington.

Note: An awesome wedding guest gave us a year-long membership to the DMA, and this is the third time we've used it so far. If you know a couple that would use the membership, this is definitely an awesome outside-the-box wedding gift idea!

Then on Saturday we fulfilled one of Greg's bucket list items and went to an FC Dallas game. Though it was windy, the sky was clear and the game was exciting. Dallas played Houston, which is a big rival and they tied which Greg was happy about (I think they were picked to lose).

And Sunday was spent outdoors as well. We planted a garden! Our backyard came equipped with a garden patch already, all it needed was a little TLC. We raked it out, re-lined the outside with new stones, tilled the soil, added new soil, and planted some tomato plants, cucumbers, bell peppers, and zucchini as well as every herb you can think of. I love working with my husband, making decisions and looking at our finished product. I can't wait to start cooking with some fresh veggies from my very own garden.


Also, when I went to the Dr. last, I had lost close to 3 lbs. Apparently this is common for the last few weeks of pregnancy b/c the baby is using up so much fuel. That puts me at an overall gain for the pregnancy of 26 pounds so far (how much of that was muscle turned to fat, I really don't like to think about). I decided to let myself truly enjoy these last few weeks without abandon because I know that after the little one arrives I will be back to my more typical fare in hopes of having some semblance of abs. So amongst all the adventures, we also threw in Twisted Root burgers and shakes, lemon-raspberry cheesecake, french toast from a greasy spoon diner we stumbled upon, and to top off the weekend a rootbeer float!!

This weekend will be filled with family activities and more eating. Maybe, I'll actually take some pictures.

This Song Makes Me Happy

This fun song, by one of my favorite singer/songwriters, has always made me smile, but it has appealled to me even more as I've been preparing for teaching my little ones about religion.

http://popup.lala.com/popup/432627052148886810

Can't wait to teach it to my son. Though he will be brought up Catholic, I hope I can instill in him the beauty and central theme of peace and self-sacrifice in all the world's religions.

Hope you're having a hippie-dippie Hump Day, too!

Recipe Review: Bulgur and Beef Stuffed Peppers

Eventually, I am going to get better at taking pictures of the food I make. But for now, I am just working on getting it "blogged."

In an effort to put away food for when the boy arrives, I am trying to make big recipes for dinner and freeze half to thaw and heat. Yesterday I stumbled across a list from Good Housekeeping of some interesting freezable foods that seem to have tiny bit more panache and fresh ingredients than the usual suggestions for freezing (King Ranch Chicken??). I decided on Bulgur and Beef Stuffed Peppers, because 1. I already had some beef and 2. it includes feta and dill, which I love and 3. I had been wanting to buy some bulgur anyways to make tabouli.

So last night I made 8 large stuffed peppers, and stowed away four of them. Overall, I was pleased with the results.

TWEAKS:

• Anyone who knows Coach A would know that one pound of ground beef divided between two separate dinners is not nearly enough. I had about 3/4 of a pound of ground pork and veal leftover from the best meatball sliders ever. I threw this into the mix to make the meat to bulgur ratio a little larger. This of course resulted in a surplus of filling, which I saved this to thaw out and throw into some pitas paired with a greek salad.
• Because I had my first cankle-sighting yesterday, I opted not to add any salt to the recipe. I figured the sodium in the low-sodium chicken broth and the feta cheese would be enough. It was enough... for me. Not a dish I would serve to company without adding the 1/4 teaspoon of salt the recipe calls for.

I would give this recipe a 7 out of 10, likely due to my lack of seasoning. The flavor of the filling was really good and the bulgur added a great texture. Though these peppers didn't blow my mind, it will be lovely to pull them out of the frrezer in a few weeks and have a hot filling meal ready with hardly any work.

Next week, I am going to try the Curried Sweet Potato Shephards Pie and freeze it as well.

Soooo ready.

In addition to seeing my baby, I am so ready to:

• Run 3 miles.


• See my toes.


• Do chaturanga.


• Sit in the sauna.


• Have a shot of tequila.


• Go more than 15 min without using the restroom.


• Eat a spicy salmon roll.

Pregnancy Memories: Part 1

35 weeks prego today. So soon he will be here. Once he gets here, he will be an integral part of our family. Soon life without him will seem like another time and place. This is OK with me. I had very fulfilling, adventurous life up until Mommy-hood. I know my crazy memories will remain vivid. I am ready for this new chapter. And I know my adventures aren’t over. There isn’t anywhere I can’t go with a Baby Bjorn or a stroller in tow. I tell him all the time that I am going to take him EVERYWHERE.

One thing that may fade with time is this relatively short interlude I’ve had with my son inside me. So I feel the need to put down for posterity my memory of this special time with him.... this time that he is living and growing inside me alone. I can’t wait to see his face and kiss his cheek. And pretty soon, I will get to share him with the rest of the world.

So here is my first installment of memories I have of this most amazing adventure I’ve had with my boy

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The beginning:

Greg told me when we got engaged that he was ready to start a family as soon as possible, but that he wanted to wait until I was completely ready. A month or so before the wedding, I told him that with all the stress of planning the wedding I wanted to wait a few months before trying for a baby. I couldn’t imagine jumping into planning something all over again. He was completely supportive of this.

All of this flew out the window once we got done with the wedding and spent some blissful time alone together on our honeymoon in Spain. I knew I wanted this wonderful man to be the father of my children as soon as possible. I told him I didn’t want to twiddle my thumbs like I thought and that I was ready for another whirlwind. He was elated, and we, well.... you know, honeymooned it up!

Our last day in Barcelona we stumbled across an outdoor market while cruising the Barri Gotic. In one of the stalls some women were selling some beautiful hand-woven organic cotton baby clothes. As we had a new niece, Ava, in the family, I stopped to admire and coo at the clothes (isn’t it weird how tiny dresses and ties can make women do that). Greg picked up a tiny pair of booties and said, “We should get these.” I said “Those are too small for Ava, I think.”And he smiled and said, “No, for our baby.” It was then that I realized we were really committing to starting a family.

The booties are sitting on a shelf in the nursery right now, ready to be worn home from the hospital. I plan to have all of my babies wear them (God willing).

The news:

Due to some cramping and other PMS-like issues, I thought Aunt Flow was well on her way, but I decided to take a test anyways since I was ½ a day late. I felt sure that it couldn’t have happened so quickly since we had only just started trying. However, I had plans to drink a big fat glass of red wine to drown my grumpies that evening, so I decided to take a test just so I could have the wine without a side of uneasiness and doubt. I bought the test on my lunch break, and since I am reeeeeeealllly impatient, I took it in the bathroom at work. BAD idea. It came back positive and I didn’t even know what to do with myself, I was so happy. I think I paced back and forth in the handicapped stall for 15 minutes before exiting the restroom. I put my hand on my stomach and I promised the life inside me, the little piece of heaven, that I would do everything in my power to take care of it. Part of taking care of my baby, means taking care of me... so I headed off to my bootcamp. Outdoors. In August.

After bootcamp, I went to Barnes and Noble and picked myself up a copy of “What to Expect When you are Expecting” and a book for Greg called “The Expectant Father.” When I got home, I told Greg I had gone to the bookstore to pick up a book for school and had grabbed a book for him too. I pulled it out of the bag, and had stashed the test (in a plastic bag) inside the front cover. He looked at the title of the book... then opened the cover and looked at the test... then looked at me... and said “Are you pregnant?” I never want to forget the look on his face when I said yes. The strongest man I know almost fell down because he got week in the knees. I could see so much pride in his eyes.

We went to our favorite place, Grimaldi’s for pizza and root beer to celebrate and then plotted how to tell family and friends. This was also the last time we ate Grimaldi’s... as the thought of it, even now, makes me nauseous.

We told Greg’s parents the following week on the day they helped up make an offer on our first house. Greg’s mom was ecstatic and Greg’s Dad seemed happy but a little confused.

We told my parents on my Mom’s 50th birthday. I gave her a book called “Read to Me, Grandma” with a card from the baby. My mom, of course, was elated. And I looked over at my Dad and he, of course, had his famous “twinkle” glistening in his eyes. I get the waterworks from Dad. Mom is a bit more stoic.

The universal response to the news of our pregnancy was "That was quick!" I know we will forever have people doing the math when we tell them the date of our wedding and the date of our eldest's birth.

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I’ll be back soon with everything I can remember about the first trimester...

Why my husband is the best...

'Accept' or 'Decline' is the new "Check Yes or No."

Two Recipes

Obviously, I am already doing craptastic at my 1st Resolution of keeping this blog alive. But all I can do is sit here with my cup of half caff and right this wrong.

Now on to the subject matter of this post...

I tried out two new recipes lately that I'd like to share. The first being Ina Garten's Eggplant Gratin.

All I can say is WOW. If you need some serious comfort food, do this. The only thing I did different was cook the entire recipe in a small casserole dish, instead of two gratin dishes. If I use this method again, I will lower the baking temp a tad and bake it a little longer. By the time the center was brown and bubbly, the edges where a little blackened. But still delicious!

The second recipe I tried was Deb's Black Bean Soup. This easy, healthy, comforting, and cheap! Can't get much better than that. I made the toasted cumin "crema" with 1/2 light sour cream and 1/2 greek yogurt, which was all I had in my fridge. It was very tasty.

Next time I post a recipe I've tried, I will try to post some play-by-play pictures as I cook. But is won't be this weekend. We are painting our living room, and I promised my husband we could get pizza. That man will work for food.