How Katie and Chloe like to enjoy a good Packer win.
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Friday, February 04, 2011
Katie's 1st Google Search
Our child is a genius or just plain lucky. Katie was sitting at my computer watching videos while I went upstairs to change Chloe. I came down and saw this on my computer screen. Now mind you, when I left only the RSS reader was up.
So there you go. Katie's first google search was for the word have. How she opened up Safari and managed to spell "have" correctly is beyond me.
So there you go. Katie's first google search was for the word have. How she opened up Safari and managed to spell "have" correctly is beyond me.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Boxes of Fun
People are starting to ask about Chloe's first birthday party, and I'm having a hard time coming up with a wish list of gifts. After all, who needs gifts when the simplest things give the most fun?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Go Pack Go
The girls were sporting colors on Sunday in anticipation for the big game. Chloe was especially excited about the game or duckie.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
List of Must-Have Baby Items!
I know so many people who are having a baby this spring and summer! To help you as you create a registry and shop, I'm listing 28 must-have baby items, and a few must-have household items. This list comes out of my experience of trying to live as simple as possible.
These must-have items are listed with the most important and useful items first.
1. Crib
2. Firm mattress
3. Water-proof pad for the mattress
4. 2 crib sheets
5. Changing pad
6. Car seat/base
7. Porter crib (no need to buy a special sheet; a regular crib sheet will fit just fine). The porter crib can double as a bassinet if you get one with the bassinet attachment.
8. Diapers/wipes (I love my bum genius diapers, which were purchased new with Katie. Chloe is now getting a good use out of them! However, it was nice to have disposibles with both girls. Katie used disposibles for about 5 months until her thighs were big enough to fill out the fuzzi bunz. Chloe used disposibles for 4 weeks or so--mostly for giving me a "break" from all the laundry. And yes, her thighs grew more quickly than Katie's.)
9. Stroller
10. Bottles
11. Bottle nipples (all stages). When I was pregnant with Katie, I just registered for stage 1 nipples. And then I learned about stage 2 (after 3 months) and stage 3 (after 6 months of age).
12. Bibs with snaps (they will last a lot longer than bibs with velcro). Make sure the bibs have a plastic backing).
13. Rubber bibs. We bought Tommee Tippee bibs about 6 months ago. They cost a bit more, but they are much more durable that the JJ Cole or other brand.
14. Bottle warmer - espeicially impt if you're breastfeeding and pumping.
15. Spoons (keep an extra spoon in the car for those outings)
16. Washable breast pads
17. Thick cloth changing pads (These can be a portable place to change a diaper and are good to cover the mattress sheet when potty training or if vomiting).
18. Covertible booster chair with tray
19. 2 Sleep Sacks, age 12 month.
20. Footed sleepers and onsies. I would recommend having at least 6 of each. In fact, I think we only had 6 sleepers from age newborn-5 months, and this worked out just fine!
21. Breastmilk storage bags (I have found Gerber to be the best. It's the most cost-effective, and the bags hold 6 ounces. Landisol and Medela bags only measure 5 ounces.
22. Diaper bag/large purse
23. A stash of motrin and orajel...you never know when you're going to need it at 3am!
24. Ear therometer
25. Winter hat with strap that goes under the chin
26. Fleece winter suit (Suits with down in them tend to be too bulky and makes it difficult to manage the carseat straps).
27. Breast pump and accessories (if you have a friend who is not using her accessories, I would recommend to borrow her horns and bottles. This way, there's less dish-washing for you!).
28. Baby clothes hangers. I started with 20, and that was enough. Of course, we got more as Katie grew, but most new outfits came with hangers.
Other Useful Household Items*Single disinfectant wipes for your diaper bag
*Coupon caddy
*A good blender for puree-ing baby food
*Baby food jars/pastic containers (buy once and keep to store your pureed baby food).
*Hanging rack to dry outer layer of cloth diapers
*Room heater (While it may be comfortable for me to sleep in 60 degrees, I think Chloe would wake up 2 or three times a night! I keep her room at 70 degrees).
*Fan/white noise. I think the fan is especially important when you have a baby and a toddler. There's no need for the baby's 3am screams to wake the toddler, now is there??
*Darkening shades for baby's room. Who doesn't sleep better in the dark?
Things I would forget if I had to do it over:* Socks - size 6 month and younger. Our kids would never keep them on! Besides, I'm a huge fan of the footed sleepers.
* Rubber pad that sticks on restaurant tables. I just ask our waitress to wipe the table in front of me, OR I use one of my portable wet-wipes.
* Shopping cart cover. Actually, I've never bought one of these. I use the wipes from the store OR one of my disposble wet wipes.
* Knitted hats. Really, these don't stay on well.
* Boppy and slip cover. I thought I would LOVE my boppy, but I've found that stackable pillows work much better because you can increase or decrease the number of pillows you use. I think a boppy would work best if you want to nurse while sitting Indian-style or if you have really big boobs.
* Matching bedding packages (moblie, valences, crib bumper, diaper stash-thing). While these are REALLY cute in the store, and while we did purchase one, I chalk it up to a waste of money. We never used the diaper-stash thing because we could only hang it in the closet. That was too far from the changing table! The valences did nothing to keep the room dark for sleeping. The moblie broke once baby could stand up and grab; the crib bumper was useful. However, I would just buy seperately from the package.
These must-have items are listed with the most important and useful items first.
1. Crib
2. Firm mattress
3. Water-proof pad for the mattress
4. 2 crib sheets
5. Changing pad
6. Car seat/base
7. Porter crib (no need to buy a special sheet; a regular crib sheet will fit just fine). The porter crib can double as a bassinet if you get one with the bassinet attachment.
8. Diapers/wipes (I love my bum genius diapers, which were purchased new with Katie. Chloe is now getting a good use out of them! However, it was nice to have disposibles with both girls. Katie used disposibles for about 5 months until her thighs were big enough to fill out the fuzzi bunz. Chloe used disposibles for 4 weeks or so--mostly for giving me a "break" from all the laundry. And yes, her thighs grew more quickly than Katie's.)
9. Stroller
10. Bottles
11. Bottle nipples (all stages). When I was pregnant with Katie, I just registered for stage 1 nipples. And then I learned about stage 2 (after 3 months) and stage 3 (after 6 months of age).
12. Bibs with snaps (they will last a lot longer than bibs with velcro). Make sure the bibs have a plastic backing).
13. Rubber bibs. We bought Tommee Tippee bibs about 6 months ago. They cost a bit more, but they are much more durable that the JJ Cole or other brand.
14. Bottle warmer - espeicially impt if you're breastfeeding and pumping.
15. Spoons (keep an extra spoon in the car for those outings)
16. Washable breast pads
17. Thick cloth changing pads (These can be a portable place to change a diaper and are good to cover the mattress sheet when potty training or if vomiting).
18. Covertible booster chair with tray
19. 2 Sleep Sacks, age 12 month.
20. Footed sleepers and onsies. I would recommend having at least 6 of each. In fact, I think we only had 6 sleepers from age newborn-5 months, and this worked out just fine!
21. Breastmilk storage bags (I have found Gerber to be the best. It's the most cost-effective, and the bags hold 6 ounces. Landisol and Medela bags only measure 5 ounces.
22. Diaper bag/large purse
23. A stash of motrin and orajel...you never know when you're going to need it at 3am!
24. Ear therometer
25. Winter hat with strap that goes under the chin
26. Fleece winter suit (Suits with down in them tend to be too bulky and makes it difficult to manage the carseat straps).
27. Breast pump and accessories (if you have a friend who is not using her accessories, I would recommend to borrow her horns and bottles. This way, there's less dish-washing for you!).
28. Baby clothes hangers. I started with 20, and that was enough. Of course, we got more as Katie grew, but most new outfits came with hangers.
Other Useful Household Items*Single disinfectant wipes for your diaper bag
*Coupon caddy
*A good blender for puree-ing baby food
*Baby food jars/pastic containers (buy once and keep to store your pureed baby food).
*Hanging rack to dry outer layer of cloth diapers
*Room heater (While it may be comfortable for me to sleep in 60 degrees, I think Chloe would wake up 2 or three times a night! I keep her room at 70 degrees).
*Fan/white noise. I think the fan is especially important when you have a baby and a toddler. There's no need for the baby's 3am screams to wake the toddler, now is there??
*Darkening shades for baby's room. Who doesn't sleep better in the dark?
Things I would forget if I had to do it over:* Socks - size 6 month and younger. Our kids would never keep them on! Besides, I'm a huge fan of the footed sleepers.
* Rubber pad that sticks on restaurant tables. I just ask our waitress to wipe the table in front of me, OR I use one of my portable wet-wipes.
* Shopping cart cover. Actually, I've never bought one of these. I use the wipes from the store OR one of my disposble wet wipes.
* Knitted hats. Really, these don't stay on well.
* Boppy and slip cover. I thought I would LOVE my boppy, but I've found that stackable pillows work much better because you can increase or decrease the number of pillows you use. I think a boppy would work best if you want to nurse while sitting Indian-style or if you have really big boobs.
* Matching bedding packages (moblie, valences, crib bumper, diaper stash-thing). While these are REALLY cute in the store, and while we did purchase one, I chalk it up to a waste of money. We never used the diaper-stash thing because we could only hang it in the closet. That was too far from the changing table! The valences did nothing to keep the room dark for sleeping. The moblie broke once baby could stand up and grab; the crib bumper was useful. However, I would just buy seperately from the package.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Merry Christmas from the Girls!
Chloe (10 months) is a super crawler and pulls up on furniture. She recently started eating chunks of "big girl" food as well as her purees. Her favorite part of Christmas was playing with the gift bags.
Katie (2 and 1/2) has started being a very involved big sister. When Chloe cries, Katie will bring her a toy. This Christmas, Katie enjoyed decorating cookies and eating frosting. She also had fun at the indoor waterpark with Omi and Granddaddy.
Katie (2 and 1/2) has started being a very involved big sister. When Chloe cries, Katie will bring her a toy. This Christmas, Katie enjoyed decorating cookies and eating frosting. She also had fun at the indoor waterpark with Omi and Granddaddy.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Chloe's Birth Story (I'm published!)
I've been meaning to write a birth account of Chloe, but that kept getting put off. When Amy from The Finer Things in Life requested guest posts on VBACs, I offered to write one since I wanted to put our experience with Chloe into words. So without further ado...Chloe's Birth Story!
A VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) was our delivery desire for Child #2. In a world where medical malpractice suits are prevalent, my OB was hesitant but on board with our VBAC preference.
Read More Here
Published on The Finer Things in Life
Written by Ashley
A VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) was our delivery desire for Child #2. In a world where medical malpractice suits are prevalent, my OB was hesitant but on board with our VBAC preference.
Read More Here
Published on The Finer Things in Life
Written by Ashley
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Welcome to my world
Want to know what my work day was like this week?
HT: John-Michael from his FB post
HT: John-Michael from his FB post
A few things that have kept us busy over the last month
1. The girls and Bryan had hand-foot-and mouth disease. Within one month, we visited Dr. Sawall 3 times.
2. Chloe turned 6 months old. Since we went to the doctor so often, I elected not to schedule a $200 well-baby checkup. We know she's healthy-now she weighs 18 pounds and has been in size 3 diapers since she was 3 months old.
3. Our garden was superfulous! I canned 3 boxes of tomatoes and made some into sauce.
4. We worked on the garden; we're expanding it next year with raspberry and blueberry bushes.
5. Katie continues to be a joy, and her vocabulary has expanded. She's fully day-time potty trained, and usually goes 1 or 2 weeks without having an accident at night.
2. Chloe turned 6 months old. Since we went to the doctor so often, I elected not to schedule a $200 well-baby checkup. We know she's healthy-now she weighs 18 pounds and has been in size 3 diapers since she was 3 months old.
3. Our garden was superfulous! I canned 3 boxes of tomatoes and made some into sauce.
4. We worked on the garden; we're expanding it next year with raspberry and blueberry bushes.
5. Katie continues to be a joy, and her vocabulary has expanded. She's fully day-time potty trained, and usually goes 1 or 2 weeks without having an accident at night.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Baby Goat and Waffles
A couple of days ago we had a guest for breakfast. Katie put the bib on and even pushed in the chair that baby goat was sitting before we ate our homemade waffles.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Daddy's little helper
This past weekend we (Bryan) planted three raspberry bushes along the side of our house. Katie loves helping out her dad. Check out the new pink gloves she mostly wears while helping.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
One year ago...
One year ago today we were on the beach in Hawaii watching my friend Aron get married. Today Aron and his wife Myra are expecting their first child in November.
The view from our hotel room.
The view from our hotel room.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Chicken Baja Soup
I came across this excellent recipe from a co-worker. It's a south-of-the border soup that is sweet, though it has a little kick to it! Katie enjoyed the soup so much that I refilled her (toddler sized) serving 3 times! When she finished her 2nd bowl, she said "yum, yum, more please" on her own.
She licked the bowl.
And Chloe would probably eat her portion, too, if she weren't watching her girl-ish figure.
Chicken Baja Soup
2 cups chopped chicken
1-2 T Tabasco sauce (I used 5 shakes)
1-2 T Cumin (I used 1 T)
1 can tomato bisque
1 can milk
2 cans tomato soup
2 cans water
1 can chopped chili peppers (though I deleted this)
2 cans rinsed black beans
2 cups sweet corn (frozen, fresh or canned - I used canned)
1 can diced tomatoes (though fresh tomatoes would be delicious, too!)
1 sauteed onion
Sautee chopped onion.
Add all above ingredient except milk. Bring to boil. Take down to simmer. Add milk and bring back to simmer.
YUMMY!
She licked the bowl.
And Chloe would probably eat her portion, too, if she weren't watching her girl-ish figure.
Chicken Baja Soup
2 cups chopped chicken
1-2 T Tabasco sauce (I used 5 shakes)
1-2 T Cumin (I used 1 T)
1 can tomato bisque
1 can milk
2 cans tomato soup
2 cans water
1 can chopped chili peppers (though I deleted this)
2 cans rinsed black beans
2 cups sweet corn (frozen, fresh or canned - I used canned)
1 can diced tomatoes (though fresh tomatoes would be delicious, too!)
1 sauteed onion
Sautee chopped onion.
Add all above ingredient except milk. Bring to boil. Take down to simmer. Add milk and bring back to simmer.
YUMMY!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Reading to Bear
The other day after breakfast I noticed Katie her books. Nothing new here I thought, except that she was reading her books to Bear. Warning cutie photos below.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Happy Anniversary
This past Saturday was our sixth anniversary. Ashley and I got a sitter (thanks Grandma) and then headed over to Trader Joe's at the Bayshore Town Center. We walked around Trader Joe's, looked at the new iphone (which annoyed Ashley, but I thought was really cool). Got a fruit smoothie, browsed Barns and Nobles and topped off the trip with dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.
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