Merry Christmas!

From the Low's to you,

May your day be merry and bright.

I hope you all are having a wonderful day filled with family and fun as you celebrate the birth of our Savior.

photo credit: Simple Journey's Photography

7 Months Old!

Still phone pictures. :(

Let's note a few things shall we? 

1. Those eyes!

They are the first thing everyone who sees him mentions.
So big and so blue. We just love them.

2. Those legs! Do you see those legs??
How could you miss 'em!?

This month Logan discovered the letters. Haha. Oh boy. 

He also started sitting unsupported while we were in Texas for Thanksgiving! Just in time for his photo shoot for our Christmas cards!

Note to self(and anyone else): This is a little closer to 7 1/2 mo. Oops.

6 Months Old!

Disclaimer: My camera charger is seriously MIA. So these pictures are from my phone. :(

Halfway to a year already??? I can't believe it! This little guy's first year is flying by way too fast!

We didn't get very many great shots, but I had so much fun taking these pictures. He was giggling a lot and being such a little flirt.

Happy Half Birthday, Logan!

Giggles

44 in 404 - update

It's been over two months since I made my 44 in 404 goal list! Time to do a quick update on my progress, and refresh myself on what else is on the list! Several of my goals are ongoing over the entire 404 days. I'm not going to address most of those.

2. Master the art of layered cakes. - Still working on this one. I made a pretty pathetic layered cake for my birthday.

3. Make good homemade frosting. (preferably an ideal type for layered cakes!) - and an even worse frosting! It was clearly not meant for layering anything!

6. Read the entire Bible. - I zoomed right through John. Then just stopped. Starting back TODAY on Joshua!

8. Stay off of Facebook for a whole week. 5 times. - 2x

10. Finish the afghan I started in Aug of 2011. - I am working so hard on this! I believe, I believe!

11. Give all handmade Christmas gifts. - a few gifts are made, and we just bought supplies for a few more!

17. Learn more about nutrition and healthy eating. - I bought a book on baby nutrition, that is one step forward for this one.

18. Make freezer meals, 5 times. -2x

22. Clean out my dresser. - Check! 

23. Go through the closet and get rid of clothes I will never wear again. - Check!

37. Use mostly homemade baby food. - so far I have made pears and sweet potato.

43. Read more fiction. - I read a book! Yep, A, as in one. Haha. But I am meeting the author this Friday! Cool, right?!

Looks like I have a lot more work to do! Glad I went over my list to remind myself!

Five Months Old!

Little man is growing and loving life. He has started eating solid foods! He loves to eat. Applesauce is probably his favorite. The only thing he has turned down is peas. He rolls all over the place, but still has trouble getting from tummy to back. He loves to be loud and will yell, squeal, and scream.

I just can't get enough of him, most of the time. ;)

This is what 5 months looks like:

Hehe.

Four Months Old!

(..and five days)

 Our little man is getting more fun all of the time. I have a feeling each month is going to be more fun than the last. We just love spending time with him every day.

 This month he discovered "standing," and love it! He wants to stand up all of the time now. He also discovered that he can squeal and scream happy screams. For about a week or two he did it all the time. That novelty didn't last very long. 

He always keeps us guessing and smiling. We wouldn't have it any other way. 

Belly Progression!

I made most of this before I had Logan. I finally sat down and finished it today!

Three Months Old!

Another month has passed, and our little man is still busy growing and changing.

Logan is much more interactive with toys now. He holds them and chews on them. He absolutely loves sitting  straight up, which has made his high chair a really handy place to put him while we are eating. He may not be eating solid foods yet, but we are already all enjoying meal time as a family at the table, a tradition I plan to continue as long as we have kids living at home. 

Logan enjoys being read to now. He will stare intently at the pictures. He also introduces more sounds to his "vocabulary" very often. Sometimes they surprise him more than us!

His sleeping pattern is usually pretty consistent. Bedtime is around 8:30 or 9 and he generally wakes up between 5:30 and 7. However, last night he woke up at 1:30 and ate for quite a while! I think we are hitting that three month growth spurt. He still has three to four naps a day, ranging from 30 minutes to an hour and a half. 

He is so close to rolling over (back to front), but that dang shoulder keeps getting in the way. He has very strong legs and uses them to push his booty off of the ground and hold it in the air.

I feel like my rambling is very boring, so I will let you just enjoy some pictures of the baby now!

I call this "Skepticism." 

44 in 404

I recently came across a blog post about something called "101 in 1001." Basically, you have 1001 days to accomplish 101 goals. I really liked the idea, and immediately started a list of my own.

However, I began to realize that 101 is a big number! And 1001 days is a long time! (roughly 2.75 years.)

Since I make the rules here, I decided to change my version to 44 in 404. My 404 days begin today and will end on my birthday next year! Sept 16, 2013.

Without further ado, my 44:

1. Cloth diaper Logan all the way through potty training. (I realize that he will probably not be using the potty at 16 months, so this will be an ongoing goal.)

2. Master the art of layered cakes.

3. Make good homemade frosting. (preferably an ideal type for layered cakes!)

4. Breastfeed for (at least) a year.

5. Pray for Matt and Logan every day.

6. Read the entire Bible. (John, Joshua, )

7. Get involved in a Sunday school class.

8. Stay off of Facebook for a whole week. 5 times. - (2x)

9. Do not color my hair.

10. Finish the afghan I started in Aug of 2011.

11. Give all handmade Christmas gifts. 

12. Send out Christmas cards.

13. Go to bed with the kitchen completely clean every night for a month.

14. Buy only second hand clothing.

15. Make a wet bag for the diaper bag.

16. Post on the blog 100 times.

17. Learn more about nutrition and healthy eating.

18. Make freezer meals, 5 times. (2x)

19. Move out of our apartment. - signed a new lease. :(

20. After we move, unpack everything within the first month. - not moving ^^^

21. Take Logan's monthly pictures every month until he is one.

22. Clean out my dresser.

23. Go through the closet and get rid of clothes I will never wear again.

24. Organize my craft box.

25. Sew more & blog about it.

26. Slow down and enjoy every day with my son, & don't let stress get the best of me.

27. Do lots of sensory activities with Logan & blog about them.

28. Learn more about gardening.

29. Plant something, even if it is just in a pot.

30. Write down Logan's birth story.

32. Keep up with Logan's baby book.

33. Embroider something.

34. Use my gym membership.

35. Make at least two wreaths for our front door.

36. Use more homemade cleaning products.

37. Use mostly homemade baby food. 

38. Learn more about quinoa & make something with it.

39. Finish this list.

40. Call family members more.

41. Decrease the negativity that I let come out of my mouth.

42. Go to a farmer's market.

43. Read more fiction. (Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate)

44. Make a homemade version of something. (apple butter, granola, fruit roll ups, etc.)


So there you have it.

I already have something marked off the list. What a great start!

Doesn't marking something off of a list just make you feel accomplished?

The plan is to keep this list updated as I go through the next year and change. 

Trippin'

Trying to pack light with a baby is like trying to eat healthy at McDonald's!

We are on the road again! Headed to see Matt's brother and his family. Their daughter is just five weeks older than Logan!

If all of our family members could move to one central location we could save a lot on gas money! ;-)

posted from Bloggeroid

Do you want a paci?

Day In The Life (with a 2 1/2 month old)

I decided to share a typical day for us. My husband works in retail management. He either works 7:30-4 or 3-10:30. This is a day for us on one of his closing days. We really like when he opens better, because our whole schedule is just weird when he doesn't leave the house until 3. 

6:08 I hear my little one beginning to rouse. (he went to bed at 9:00) I make a quick run to the potty (I have learned!), then go rescue him from his crib. I change my first diaper of the day and then we settle into my big red chair for him to eat. He eats for 14 minutes, and then we both head back to bed.

9:00 I have been laying in bed for a little while waiting to hear Logan, and have yet to hear anything! I sneak into his room and take a peek. He is still passed out, both arms above his head, mouth slightly parted. I take advantage of his sleeping in and make some coffee (1/3 caffeine, 2/3 decaff! woohoo! living on the wild side!) and have a bowl of cereal. 

I can hear Logan in his room slowly waking up on his own time while I eat my breakfast.

9:20 Daddy Low and I go to check on him together. He is laying peacefully in his crib and smiles when he sees us. Daddy is the lucky one to get diaper #2. Now we know what he was doing in there! ;)

9:35 Logan has breakfast again.

10:15 Diaper #3, dress Logan, and head out the door. The three of us are going to Hobby Lobby, the Dollar Tree, and the bank. 

11:15 Back at home. Diaper #4, and time to eat again!

Logan and I exchange smiles and sing songs in my lap. 

Then we all get in the floor and play and read books. 

He sits in his bouncy seat as Daddy and I eat leftovers and talk to him. 

Can you say, "deer in the headlights?"

12:10 Diaper #5. Logan changes from his going out clothes into a comfy at home outfit. 

Then it is time to eat again!

12:30 Logan is down for his first nap of the day. He slept much later than usual today. His first nap is usually around 9:30 or 10.

While Logan naps, Matt and I hang out for a little while. Then we may or may not have drifted off for a nap of our own...

2:40 Matt is out the door for work. I am astonished that Logan is still napping! We are lucky to get one hour naps, and now we are past two hours!

Before Logan wakes up I manage to empty and refill the dishwasher and start a craft project. Although most of my free time is spent searching for some paintbrushes that I was certain I knew exactly where they were. Aha! On top of the fridge... that makes perfect sense... not.

3:05 Logan is awake now. Once again, he wakes up as a happy baby. I love when that happens. Trust me, it doesn't always. Time for diaper #6 and another snack.

3:25 I spread out a quilt on Logan's floor and set up a fun play area for him, while I reorganize his dresser and closet. He has so many clothes. I am not sure he will have time to wear them all! During the time we spend hanging out in his room, I change diapers #7 & 8.

4:20 Time to eat again! Then Logan goes down for his second nap.

While Logan is sleeping, I start a load of laundry, work on my craft project a little more, and have some tuna made with jalapeno relish! Yum!

5:30 Logan is awake again. I change diaper #9, and then we sit down to read a book together. Logan has really taken an interest in books lately. I love to watch his face when he sees a new page. 

5:40 Time to eat again! Someone has some spit-ups, time for a new outfit! Don't worry, we have plenty. ;)

We settle in on his play area from earlier in the day and play with a few toys, and enjoy looking at Molly. 

Logan has never seen his colorful xylophone before. He stares in amazement as I play a few tunes for him.

6:15 Little man is starting to get fussy. Diaper #10

6:30 Diaper #11

6:45 I put Logan into the Moby, and he, Molly, and I head out for a nice evening walk. I take our usual circular route, but instead of coming back inside I go around two more times. The comfortable ride settles him down for a while.

After we come in Logan sits in his bouncy seat while I quickly make a cake that I have been wanting to make for a few days. 

7:15 I strip Logan down to his diaper and swaddle him tightly. My little glow worm and I go into the kitchen, and I wash his head and neck. He absolutely hates taking a bath. (sad face, right?) So we stretch baths out a little more by giving his head a good wash in between. He isn't a fan of that either, but it isn't nearly traumatic as an actual bath.

After his head is dry and he has regained his composure, I change diaper #12 and put Logan into his jammies for the night.

There is that cute little deer again!

7:35 Logan and I settle in for his night time feeding. After only ten minutes he is completely zonked! He doesn't rouse at all as I carefully put him in his crib and cover him up. Goodnight little man!

10 minutes later... he is back awake!

I change his diaper, and nurse again. 30 minutes this time, that's more like it!

Goodnight little man!

8:33 Logan is sleeping soundly again. Now is as good of a time as any to start my load of diaper laundry. I will do the final rinse and hang them on the line in the morning. Oh, hello load of laundry I started at 4:30! Into the dryer you go!

8:55 Guess who is awake again!? I change yet another diaper (#14 for those of you keeping track) while Little Man smirks at me sleepily. He seriously makes the cutest faces.

A little snack to top off and ease him back to sleep. 

Goodnight little man!

After I add the finishing touches to this post I will take a quick shower and read until Matt gets home. 

I won't lie, I will probably eat with him then too. I know it isn't good, but neither is letting someone eat alone!

Today was a pretty good day for us! We had a little fussiness, but being a baby is hard!

As you can see he eats just about every hour, but it is an easy trade off for him sleeping 9-10 hour stretches at night!

I have enjoyed chronicling our simple day. I can see myself doing this again in the future!

Two Months Old!

Logan has changed so much in the last month. He is becoming more of a little person every day. 

He was very interested in the tiger. Even knocked it over a few times!

Now he smiles and enjoys being talked and sung to. 

His favorite song right now is "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." He starts smiling as soon as I start singing it. I think he likes it mostly because of the cheek pokes and nose boops that go with it.

He is almost always moving. He flails and kicks a lot. He gets very excited on his play mat, and now he has even started trying to hit the toys himself!

Just this week he has started noticing his feet. I have caught him several times watching them move. 

It is already clear that he is a very oral baby. He "talks" a lot and keeps his hands in his mouth. He has also started working his tongue and even clicking it sometimes.

"Hello Mr. Tiger, I have a secret for you."

I can't wait to see what the months ahead will bring!

I'm Back!

We spent a wonderful long weekend in Texas with my family. Just like every other time, long wasn't long enough.

Our time was spent well.

The guys (Matt, my dad, my bro-in-law, and their two oldest, Dale and Alan.) went bowling.

My mom did a photo shoot for three out of five grandkids.

Ate, ate, and ate some more. 

Lots of baby holding.

The girls (me, my mom, and sister) got fancy with our nails.

We played baseball in the backyard.

Watched the Rangers play.

Some of us even played Monopoly!

Matt and I were fortunate enough to be there for a wonderful event.

The whole gang gathered at the local Mexican restaurant.

And I didn't even get my camera out of my bag until Sunday!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

THE END!!!

Bulk Freezer Cooking

I did it!

I found the recipes, made the shopping list, bought the groceries, and made the meals!

I must say, I am proud of myself!

It took me four hours (including nursing and diaper changes), and it was SO worth it!

Want a popsicle? ;-)

 I assembled one meal at a time, and cleaned as I went.  I used the same big bowl to mix each meal. When I was done I basically had a bowl, cutting board and knife to wash! (except I didn't have to wash anything, because my husband cleaned the kitchen for me. :-)  )

My meals are stored in gallon freezer bags, and are all crock pot meals.

Each bag is labelled with basic cooking instructions.

What's for supper?

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Easy Jambalaya

Taco Soup

Sweet Potato Chili

Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken

Sausage and Peppers

Calabacitas 

Eight recipes total, but three of them made two meals worth!

12 meals ready to go!

Neither one of us had heard of Calabacita before. It was the first dish we had, and it was delicious! We will definitely be making it again! We even had some leftover pinto beans, and put them on the stove to keep cooking and made our own healthy refried beans (minus the lard!).

As I was prepping these meals I kept saying to Matt, "and the best part is...!"

A few of the "best parts":

only one clean up

none of our produce will go bad

plenty of time for the flavors to combine and marinate

no meal planning for a while

the ease of just dropping one thing in the crock pot

You can bet that we will do this again! I can't wait to find out which meals we like the best. They are all new to us!

Saturday Slim-down - Week One

I made a goal to lose 15 lbs in 15 weeks.

A new mom blogging about her weight loss goals, real original, right?

Honestly, week 1 could have gone better. As I was doing some exercises this week, I realized just how out of shape I am. I mean, I got a stitch on my side doing jumping jacks! And really? A breastfeeding mama shouldn't be doing any jumping jacks in the first place!

I did much better in the food department  though. I am not cutting out calories, since I am breastfeeding. Instead, I am simply cutting out junk and trying to eat "healthier." It's pretty vague, but it works for me. 

A huge thing for me is, water, water, water. Once again, especially because I am breastfeeding.

This week I took a few "before" pictures in my bikini from last summer. But for now those are for my eyes only!

According to my extremely-unreliable-at-home scales, I am down a few pounds!

It is probably water weight, but it had to come off sometime too!

Play Time!

Logan had fun on his play mat today!

I missed some of his best excitement, but luckily I was able to capture this.

He even tried to hit the toys himself a few times!

Enjoy!

Good Morning to Me!

I love iced coffee! But I don't want to pay $4 for it, or really have to leave the house either.

There are so many recipes on Pinterest for iced coffee and frappuccinos. I wasn't 100% satisfied with any of the ones I came across.

I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands! This is what I came up with:

I brewed an extra strong pot of coffee, and added sugar and caramel while it was still hot.

After it cooled a bit I poured the sweetened coffee into two ice trays, and popped those bad boys in the freezer.

Come the next morning I had two trays full of frap starters. 

I put 7 coffee cubes and 3 ice cubes into the blender.

Then poured in a little milk and a splash of water, (these measurements are very scientific, don't mess around!) and blended away!

The end result was icy and delicious! 

However, after having almost zero caffeine while I was pregnant and now that I am breastfeeding, I have quite the caffeine buzz going on today. I think tomorrow I will only use 4 coffee cubes! So far it doesn't seem to be affecting Logan. *fingers crossed*

The best part? I have enough left in my freezer to make five more frappuccinos! 

Confessions of a New Mom

Big Hands

• In the middle of the night when Logan wakes up, I stumble into his room, change his diaper, then sit down to feed him. It is at this point that I realize just how bad I need to tinkle, but then I am stuck! Every night I have to use my mental powers to control myself until he is done eating and back in bed. Maybe one night I will remember to go first!

• I have not been doing the best job of eating like a breastfeeding Mama should. Last night I got in the kitchen and threw together a nice little supper for myself! Sauteed bell pepper and onions, then added in some tomato chunks. Over that I poured whisked egg, then added some cheese. I put it all onto a whole wheat tortilla, and had myself a breakfast burrito for supper!

•  Back before Logan was born and I was building my diaper stash, I bought a package of micro-fiber towel in the auto section at Wal-Mart to use as nighttime doublers. They were MUCH cheaper than buying something that was made for that purpose, and they will do the same thing. However, so far the only one using them for nighttime doubling is ME! They work great in my bra! He eats ever 1-2 hours during the day, then at night he sleeps about six hours, leaving my body very confused!

• I think my husband believes the paci has magical powers. If Logan is crying and he is full and dry, Matt immediately starts asking, "Where is the paci!?" Sometimes Logan will take it, but more often than not he will gag like you just put the most terrible thing in the world in his mouth. 

• A few days ago I was reading through old posts on my sister's blog, and it made me excited about the future. I am looking forward to being able to share cute things Logan says and does. At the same time, I am cherishing these sweet baby days.

• I started this post yesterday morning... and I just now finished...

*all pictures are from my phone. wahmp-wahmp.