Life by Cassie

Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 05:05:00 +0000

As of late, this is my favorite picture of Mister Mans...

#latergram from yesterday morning.... Someone didn't want to get up just yet. #cantblamehim #mistermans #toddlerlife #workingmom

A photo posted by Cassie Leavitt (@itsmecassieb) on Mar 21, 2015 at 9:27am PDT

I mean who doesn't love a good butt up in the air shot! Somebody just wasn't feeling up to being up that morning.

Life just moves quickly, we just had St. Patrick's day and even the First day of Spring (thankfully). Easter will be here before you know it. All the while, we still have over a foot of snow on the ground. Seesh, I am so ready for the snow to melt away. The river opens up more and more everyday. One thing I am thankful for is the slow melt that is happening, so that we don't flood the water tables with all of this snow melt off.

This past weekend we headed up to Lebanon, Maine to the Belgian Meadow Farms for their Maine Maple Syrup weekend. I would have taken more pictures, but it was so gosh darn windy and cold, we didn't spend much time outside. It was a fun time and I would certainly go back, just a bummer that it was so cold and windy. It sounds like many of the maple syrup farms are struggling this year with production. The conditions haven't been ideal for the sap to flow.

Certainly have a busy April on tap. I will be attending two conferences for work. One in South Portland, Maine and then another right afterwards in North Conway, NH. I am looking forward to the latter one. It's put on by an organization that is near and dear to my heart, so getting to spend 3 days with friends and like-minded people in my job field is always a fun time. On top of that Mister Mans and hopefully Ben will be with me so we can make it a little bit of a family trip as well.

Hopefully I can be better about taking more pictures.

Review: Crest Pro-Health: HD toothpaste

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 03:37:00 +0000

I recently received the opportunity from Crest and as a BzzAgent to try out Crest Pro Health: HD toothpaste.

At first I was a little hesitant about it. I am not a fan of brushing my teeth in general. Now here was a two step process. However I was committed to at least trying it for the week to see if there would be a difference in my smile.

I am not a fan of the taste of the 2nd step. It's obviously the whitening part of the process, so there's probably a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide, but the taste was funky. It was all I could to try and keep my tongue out of the way.

I guess it's also in my nature to rinse my mouth and spit, Even though the directions say not to rinse your mouth out between steps, I kept catching myself trying to rinse.

However, after a week, I certainly noticied a difference. What do you think?

I am also seeing my dentist next week. I wonder if he will notice anything different. I would certainly consider using this product, especially to achieve short term results. You can read more about Crest Pro-Health: HD toothpaste, here! And thanks to BzzAgent for letting me review this great product!

Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 11:15:00 +0000

Most of my readers know that I live in New England. And unless you've been living under a rock, you know that over the last 3 weeks New England has been hammered with several significant snow storms. Much to the point that we now have several feet of snow on the ground and we are running out of places to put it. We are on track to have one of our snowiest winters.

Got to keep the birds fed

At this point I am just sick of snow. It's so deep I can't have Mister Mans play in it, it's up over his head. We have this hill on the back side of our house that is perfect for some beginner sledding. But it's just too much snow to even get over to it. With the snow comes cold weather. I heard on the news last night that for the entire month of February we have only been at or above freezing one day. That day the high was 32*. With the cold weather I haven't been able to go outside with Mister Mans much. He is never patient enough to get bundled up to go outside and for the first 2 weeks of February he was battling with a cold/cough. He even had croup for a few days.

At least it's pretty to look at

I am getting at least my upper body workout in. We have literally been stuck in a cycle of snow and clean up. The clean up takes days. First is the initial clean up, snow blowing the paths around the house and the driveway, which is what my husband does. I shovel out all the doorways and access to our fuel fills (oil and propane). I also shovel off the back deck, mainly to keep the snow load off of it, but also to have access to the bird feeders so I can fill them. The next day, we usually take care of the roof, which typically includes roof raking, but since we've had so much snow my husband has had to actually get on the roof a couple of times to get some of the snow that we cannot reach with the roof rake. Then he has to snow blow that snow away, because it usually fills in the paths he's made the previous day.

Mister Mans makes a good supervisor

Then I head over to my parents place and help them clean up their place.

Mister Mans and I helping out at my parents

So it takes roughly 2-3 days to clean up after the storm. With storms coming every 3-4 days it makes it quite tough to get anything else done.

Hubby taking a break

Definition of insanity... This Winter!

Super Bowl 49

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 14:25:00 +0000

I'm from New England, so by birth right, I'm a Patriots fan.

Wow, what a great game. I really enjoy the close games. I truly believe that this match up was the two best teams in the sport.

On the home front, we had a quiet night at home. I didn't even realize that I had the night off from work until last week. So we invited some friends over, and it didn't quite pan out. So it ended up just being the three of us last night. Which ended up being just right.

We had to pause the game, as we were trying to get Mister Mans to bed and he wanted to watch his show. Then after we got him into bed, we were able to watch the game, in our pjs of course! It was a nice relaxing evening.

We made some healthy snacks, we had a veggie tray and Ben made some buffalo cauliflower. I also made some pigs in a blanket.

So spoiler alert.... The patriots won! I woke up this morning to check the Internet, and the memes aren't disappointing at all. Here are a few of my favorites....

Don't taunt us Seahawks... The Internet will make a meme out of you....

The other thing I noted was Jeremy Long's interception, and then injury.... The commentators didn't really go any further into it. Thankfully the Internet delivers again!

Oh man, that is a nasty break. I hope he is recovering. Sad that he made one big play and it ultimately took him out of the game.

Obviously I'm happy with the outcome. New England has a great method to success, and it absolutely shows.

Congrats to the Patriots! Time to dust off the duck boats for another rolling rally! That is as soon as the snow lets up.

Re-adjusting routines

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 03:11:00 +0000

Finally! I completed my 10 day course of antibiotics (well it ended up being 11 days since I forgot a dose or two over the 10 days). I am starting to feel more human and resuming my normal activity level. I was even able to get a session in with my personal trainer. I felt every movement she made me do. It also reminded me how much not being active or getting to the gym does to my body.

With all the overtime I have been working, I haven't been making it to the gym as much as I once was. Coupled that with being sick for 2.5-3 weeks. My body just went back into fat ass mode.

My trainer is awesome, she worked with me to modify my session so that I didn't overdue it, but also gave me a time line for easing back into a routine as I start to feel better.

Personal trainers are expensive, but the right ones are worth their weight in gold. I feel really comfortable with Sue and she does an excellent job explaining the movement we are doing and where I should be feeling it. She also isn't afraid to call me on my bullshit if I am slacking. It's exactly what I need for the kick in the rear to get me going.

We also talked about whether to continue with the aquacise in the water. Originally when I joined the Y, it was at the advice of PT (when I was rehabbing my knee). Now that I am working out with a trainer I am able to do more higher impact routines. So I feel like aquacise isn't giving me the biggest "bang for my buck" for my gym routine. Sue felt very similarily, but she felt that there was still some benefit to being in the water. So we decided to do more of a gym routine with the occasional aquacise class.

So before I was doing all aquacise (3 times a week), now I am going to aim for 1 aquasise class per week and 2-3 gym sessions (mini-Sue workouts). Granted this is on top of still working a ton of overtime (which is looking like it will continue for the next 3-4 months); so hopefully I can keep in line with this goal.

One obstacle to overcome is the distance, the Y is 30-40 minutes away (depending on traffic); however its affordable and it has access to a pool, which is what drew me to it at first, however they also have swim classes and swim time for Brenden which is also a huge benefit. The second obstacle is Brenden... trying to juggle around a toddler is not picnic. Thankfully the Y also has a day care, which is included in the cost of my membership. So I can go to the Y during the day and Brenden can be in day care. Which I do admit, there are times that I put him in day care, just so I can get a proper shower! Oh man, there is nothing that feels like a nice warm shower when it's been days since your last one.

The Y is building a new location which is significantly closer for me, however it won't be completed for several years. I think once it does open, we will most likely move to the new location.

Blerg

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 02:14:00 +0000

Does anyone really like being sick? Ugh. I have been battling a cold for the last 2 weeks, so I thought I was finally over the hump. Then this weekend, bam! Sinus infection. Well at least that is what I thought it was. I had to wait until today to get seen by a doctor to confirm it.

This infection hurts pretty bad, like someone is shoving knives up into my sinus cavities. I can breathe through my nose perfectly fine, but there is just so much pain through the sinus area both on my face and also down the sides of my neck and the top of my mouth.

Thankfully I was able to go to my doctor's "Express care" option and walk in without an appointment, I went early and was seen quickly. I was able to get properly diagnosed and sent on my way with a script for an antibiotic.

What the doctor told me was that Sudafed isn't the best option, since its a great decongestant. However she informed me that it also thickens your mucus. So when you have a sinus infection, it actually hinders your bodies ability to get rid of the excess mucus. So instead of taking that, I was told to take Tylenol for the pain, and hot steamy showers to help drain off the excess mucus. It was very enlightening for me.

But honestly, I just wanted the pain to go away, I was willing to do whatever. I'm just glad I am not breastfeeding anymore, I wouldn't have been able to take anything!

The amoxicillin pills are horse pills, ugh. Twice a day for 10 days. Yippee. Hopefully I'll be able to return to a normal blogging schedule soon.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 19:09:00 +0000

And then it was a new year!

Happy New Year! I hope you have some grand plans for 2015.

I spent New Year's Eve at work on forced overtime. Would have much rather spent my time with my friends and family. But such is the life when you work in emergency services.

On top of being ordered into work, I also was sick as a dog. Just a nasty head cold, but man, it zaps all of my energy. I spent most of New Year's Day taking a nap and resting up. I am feeling better today. But I am trying not to overdue it so I can get better sooner, rather than later.

How did you spend your New Years?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Fri, 26 Dec 2014 21:36:00 +0000

I posted on Instagram about my overnight French Toast casserole. A couple of people asked about a recipe. So I decided to dedicate a post to it to share with everyone.

I really love making this dish for Christmas morning, for the guys at work, or on a rare occasion at home. It's such a rich dish, that I don't like to make it all the time. However it is always a hit when I do make it.

It does require a bit of planning in advance. As you make it the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. I also find that getting the bread a day or so on advance that it helps as well. My favorite is an Italian loaf, which I get from my local store's bakery.

So what you need:

1 loaf of bread (cut or torn into cubes)
1/2 cup of melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon (or apple pie spice)

5 eggs
1 1/2 cup of milk (I use buttermilk, but you can use regular)
1 tsp vanilla

Cut or tear bread into cubes. Mix your dry ingredients (sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon) in one bowl. Whisk your wet ingredients (milk, eggs and vanilla) into another bowl. Take your melted butter and coat a 13 x 9 baking pan.

Take half of your bread cubes, layer the bottom of your pan. Then take half of your dry mixture and sprinkle over the bread cubes. Take the other half of your bread cubes and layer on top of the first layer. Sprinkle the remaining dry mixture on top. Pour the wet mixture on top.

Then cover the casserole with tin foil. Set in the fridge overnight.

Next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lift up the corners on the tin foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then remove the tin foil, and bake for another 15 minutes uncovered.

Lastly (and this is optional) sprinkle the top with powered sugar. The dish is sweet, but is also very delicious with maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Fri, 26 Dec 2014 06:17:00 +0000

Just stopping by to wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas! Our little family had such a wonderful day. We were able to see lots of our extended family. It was also nice just to be home and enjoy some of the smaller moments of the day.

Although my house is a mess, I think it will take me a solid week to find all the little bits of wrapping paper. Mister Mans had an awesome time opening up gifts, even helping others open their gifts! What a helpful boy.

We were also able to go to Christmas Eve mass. The sister church to my home church does a family service, and they have a wonderful space in the church for families with little ones, with quiet toys for them to play with / keep them distracted. It was nice to get back into a church. It was great getting to sing carols.

Mister Mans was most obsessed with ringing his bell and blowing out Dada's candle during Silent Night.

I'll post some more pictures later on, these are the ones from my cell phone! I hope you and your family had a lovely Christmas! I have been on facebook for the last few hours just looking at pictures of all my friends with their families, it brings such warmth and joy to my heart.

If you have been a follower of my blog for awhile, you know that I live in New Hampshire. We are used to cold, snowy winters. Christmas Day today we hit a high of 51 degrees while we were in the car! Holy Toledo! That's nearly shorts weather. And no snow to be seen.

Paint Nite!

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 03:58:00 +0000

Recently a girl friend and I had a chance to get away for a GNO (girls night out)! Shaun is a friend who is also a fellow blogger (Go give her some blog love, here!). We signed up for Paint Nite, where you can meet up at a local restaurant, drink and paint. Now I am by no means an artist, but I really enjoy this type of outing.

So Shaun and I met up at the Riverworks Tavern in Newmarket, NH. We met up a little early so we could grab a quick bite to eat. Then we grabbed our drinks and headed to the other side of the restaurant, so we could start our painting.

We met Patrick who would be our instructor for the night. And he showed us the final product, what we would be creating.


Hi Patrick!

Before we began, we had to take an oath, and pledge on our canvas! Poor Shaun could barely make it through the pledge, without breaking out into a giggle fit.

And then we started! The instructor was very good at explaining the steps and was very chill. I enjoy the casual aspect of the night. That we can just go and have a good time. There were people painting their own picture, or their interpretation of the picture of the night, or the painting itself.

The first few paint strokes...

Of course you have to take a selfie

Then we added some mountains in the middle ground.

While we waited for the paint to dry we took a break for a picture.

Shaun and I shared some laughs over randomness and nothing. Truly one of the better nights I have had in a long time. I am so glad we are friends. I was able to talk shop with her and get some blog tips, which kind of reinvigorated me about getting back into the blog world.

So are you ready to see the final product?

Viola!

It was such a great time! This is the third Paint Nite that I have done, and I really do enjoy this type of outing. It's not your typical outing; it's something different. I like that you can still talk with the other people in your party, that you can drink and you get to go home with something. If you don't want to paint what is being instructed, you don't have to, you can make it your own thing.

Photo credit: Paint Nite Portsmouth - Facebook

If you are looking for something to do, I would certainly recommend checking out Paint Nite!

Christmas Season!

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 04:42:00 +0000

Oh how I love the holiday season! I love the weather, I love getting to spend time with family. We've had the opportunity to see Santa and boy, did it not go over well. However we were able to get at least one good shot.

Photo credit: Bushor Photography

Mister mans was being quite the ham that day. And he was so wiggly. All he wanted to do was run around and have fun. Boy did he take a great nap that day.

The following weekend we watched the Christmas Parade in my hometown. Although it rained and was forecasted to rain throughout the whole event; the rain stopped just as the parade stepped off! I couldn't believe our luck! It was nice getting to enjoy the parade and see all the people out and about enjoying the holiday season.

My brother, Brenden and my husband

Oh what a fun time of year this is!

Leaves

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 03:39:00 +0000

With Fall quickly coming to an end, and Winter just around the corner. Which by the way, did I hear the weather people right? Are they calling for a significant snow storm Thursday evening into Friday morning? And it was 54 degrees today.... my goodness, it's New England weather for sure!

Anyways, we took the opportunity to introduce Brenden to leaves and the joy that is playing with them. He went right in, and ever since, whenever we see a pile of leaves, he must run through it.

Obviously it made for some pretty fantastic pictures...

We also took part in a community event, the Touch a Truck event to benefit the Richie McFarland Children's Center. There were so many people there! We ran into many of our friends from the Seacoast. There were a lot of things to do and see. I honestly think that Brenden was a little overwhelmed by the crowds and by the number of trucks/things to do. I think in another year or two this will be a great event for him. However we still enjoyed the family outing.

I can't believe that this week is Thanksgiving. Today we had our Christmas card photo shoot done. So I am excited to see what those pictures will look like. Brenden wasn't super cooperative today, so hopefully the photographer managed to get a few good shots!

Review: Old Factory Candles

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 12:00:00 +0000

I was recently given the opportunity to try out some amazing candles from Old Factory Candles. I opted for the fall harvest collection, which included Pumpkin Spice, Cranberry and Autumn Leaves. To say that these candles smelled heavenly, would be an understatement. I had them burning in my kitchen and they left the room smelling amazing for several hours, never loosing the potency.

What I really like about these candles is that they are soy based, so they burn a lot cleaner as well as they are made in the United States. Whenever I can I try and support businesses in America.

I purchased these candles through Amazon and used their gift wrapping service. When the package arrived, it was so neatly wrapped and presented.

And that's just what amazon did. I really liked the packaging for the candles themselves

These candles burned very efficiently and cleanly, there was hardly and residue left after I was done. There was a good even burn on them. As I have said before, the smell is amazing, and it lingers.

These candles are billed to burn for approximately 20 hours I had them going for 10 hours, and there was about a third of wax left in the jar. I don't know if it would last a full 20 hours, but I do believe it would be close.

Head over to Amazon and check out my review of the candles!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Fall!

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Sat, 18 Oct 2014 21:58:00 +0000

Fall is my favorite season. With October being my favorite month. I enjoy the crispness of the air and obviously the changing of the leaves.

The changing of the season is also a great time to reflect back on a great summer we had. Mister Mans really enjoys being outside, so we took full advantage of that and we were outside as much as we could be.

For the first time in my life, I had a legit tan. You see, being blond and fair skinned my whole life, everytime I would be out in the sun, I would burn. However with Mister Mans, I was diligent about putting on sunscreen for him, as well as myself. And since we were outside almost daily, I would get bursts of exposure. The result was a great base tan. Of course, I was still white, but it took a lot more for me to burn.

One of my many joys is getting to experience this world through Mister Mans eyes. He was becoming more aware of his surroundings this summer and through the fall. Yesterday's big moment was watching the leaves fall from the tree. Which then he proceed to run through the leaves on the ground. Picking up individual leaves to inspect them. Pure amazement.

Despite the weather not being perfect (we have had a dry September) the colors have hit their peak in the last week or so. Soon the colors will fade and that only means that winter is looming.

I don't think I could ever live in a place without seasons. Despite snow being troublesome at times, it's also enjoyable, especially now having a kid. We have a small hill in our yard and I envision many days will be spent sledding down the hill.

This is where I live....

And that is with no filter what so ever!

Happy Fall!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

End of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 02:55:00 +0000

Holy Moly! How did it get to be the end of summer already? At the beginning of summer, I had all these plans to do day trips with Mister Mans and have fun and enjoy every moment of summer that we could. Fast forward to today, the beginning of Labor Day weekend and I still feel like there is so much left I wanted to do.

Hubby has been on vacation this week so we've taken the opportunity to get some day trips in. We went down to Boston for the Boston Duck Tours. It was great getting to be a tourist for the day. I learned things on the tour that I never knew about Boston. It was a lot of fun.

Tomorrow we are heading to Liquid Planet, which is in Candia. I am hoping that we have some fun, but I am excited to check out a new attraction.

I continue to struggle with the weight. There is a woman who my chiropractor recommends who deals with obese women. She is a nutritionist and a personal trainer, so I am hoping that I can work with her to come up with a game plan that will work for me. I am excited about the potential. I know it's going to be a lot of work, but it's work that is necessary.

Focus / Struggle

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 09:08:00 +0000

Right now my life is focused on raising my son and my home. I feel like I am constantly moving, doing something.

However the scale just seems to never budge, or when it does it goes up.

I need to rework my daily grind and make myself a priority. We have a membership to the YMCA however I haven't been since May.

I prefer to work out in the morning. As of late we've been working on painting the house after Mister Mans goes to bed, and staying up late to do it (midnight). After a long night of painting I just haven't been able to get out of bed early in the morning to get to the Y. I am hoping that soon the painting will be done and I can get to bed at a more reasonable hour so that I can get back into a groove with my workout.

Food is the other struggle. At work I am constantly eating just out of boredom. I need to focus more on cooking and preparing meals at home. At work, I need to only eat when I am hungry. I used to have lifesavers that I would suck on while I was at work and was just mindlessly eating... I need go buy some more lifesavers.

Oh hello there...

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 02:48:00 +0000

Seriously, how do bloggers keep up with blog posts on a frequent basis? My last post was in January! How quickly life flies by.

September is quickly approaching and Mister Mans is going to be 2.

This summer has been fantastic! Brenden is at a great age where we can go and explore and he has so much fun. Last weekend we went up to North Conway, NH to the Conway Scenic Railway for a Day with Thomas (Brenden's current obsession). We also hit up StoryLand where Brenden got to run around the park and see everything.

We've also been making good use of our pool this summer. Over the Winter and Spring we signed Brenden up for swim lessons through our local Y. He hated it at first.... but we felt since we had a pool and we both love the water, that we would keep at it. We decided to take the summer off since we have our own pool and we would take the lessons we learned in swim and use them in the pool. Well Brenden has taken off in the pool this summer. I cannot wait to go back to the Y and show off my son who now has a love of the pool and water...

He still hates bath time, well when he gets water poured over his head, but hey, I pick my battles right now.

At the beginning of June, hubby and I attempted to paint the interior of our house. We planned on having Brenden stay with the grandparents, so we could focus on painting. Like I said, our original intentions was to paint all 9 rooms. After the second day, we realized that we wouldn't be able to get to all of them. So we made the decision to not work on our bedroom and our bathroom. By the time the week was over, we only had one room 100% done, Brenden's bedroom. Over the 6 weeks, we've gotten more finishing work done. But we still have more work to do. I feel like it's never ending.

We thought a week to do the whole house would be appropriate, we were being optimistic. However it looks like we bit off more than we could chew. Thankfully the end is in sight. And as far as working on the house, that is the major project for us this year.

It's crazy to have your life revolve around a little one, but he gives my life so much joy. He also tests me like none other, but even on the "bad days" I still love him and couldn't imagine my life without him.

We have also gotten to know our neighbors a little more. We moved into a great neighborhood. Our plans revolve more around "play dates" but it's a fun little life.

Hopefully I'll be able to update on a more frequent basis, and heck even post some pictures!

On the weight front, I am the heaviest I have ever been... So there is that... always a work in progress.

Happy new year!

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 12:10:00 +0000

Hello all! I am going to see if this helps me blog more. I purchased an app called "blog press" for my iPad (Christmas gift). Maybe I will blog more since right now, it seems fairly easy to post from this app.

I hope you all had a lovely holiday season, it went by so quickly for me. Brenden is getting so big and had a wonderful Christmas. We are so spoiled and I have no idea where we are going to put all the new toys he got.

My brother and his wife came up from NC. It was great getting to see them and spend some time with them. I do miss them a lot. Especially since we probably will not make it down there to see them this year. Aside from out usual trips this summer, most of our "extra money" will be going to getting some things done around the house, like painting the interior.

New Years came and went. I had to work New Years Day, so I didn't even make it to midnight. I was way too tired. But as usual we got out Chinese food. It was just us, so we didn't play any games. But we still had a great time. I love spending time with my husband.

As far as my weight, well I stepped on the scale and I am 341. Ugh, still way too darn heavy. I got a fitbit for Christmas, and I am getting familiar with it, but I can already see I want to challenge myself to get my steps in. Speaking of fitbit, I need friends! So if you have one, let's be friends!!

I hope you all had a lovely holiday season, let's make 2014 a good and healthy one!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

LIfe...Happens

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 03:30:00 +0000

Yeah sorry about that, I can't believe it's been since the end of July since I've done a blog post. Having a kid really cuts into my blogging time!

Summer was super busy at work, I have to say it's been one of the busier summers we've had in awhile. Now that its our off season, we are getting ready to move into our new facilities. It will be so nice to have a brand new facility to work in. I am looking forward for that upgrade. It is long overdue.

August was quite busy, most notable, we were able to take a family vacation to Bar Harbor! Now Ben and I have been visiting Bar Harbor ever since we've been dating, but we had to take the last 2 years off (wedding one year and baby last year!) so we were more than thrilled to be resuming our usual trip. The last time we were there, Ben proposed to me at sunrise on top of Cadillac Mountain. This year we took our son to the top! My how quickly life changes.

September seemed to fly by, we celebrated Brenden's first birthday! I can't believe that it's been a year! Having a baby really does change your life, in more ways than I can describe, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. He brings such joy to my life, that I didn't even know was possible.

First born

First fair (1 year old)

September we also restarted another tradition, going to the fair! We didn't make it to any fairs last year due to having a newborn and adjusting to that new life. So it was nice to get to go this year, we hit up Deerfield Fair and Fryeburg Fair this year. Mister Mans loved them both.

Now here we are mid way through October and fall is in full swing. When I am not at work, I spend my days with Mister Mans and getting to enjoy watching him explore and discover this new world. We have some baby play groups that we go to, which is great. A) it gets us out of the house and B) allows Brenden to get socialized with other babies. He knows how to wave (hello and goodbye) he claps and he dances... we are currently working on being gentle, since Brenden loves to slap other babies and gouge their eyeballs out. He's a strong crawler, but he is cruising along furniture/walking toy, so I have no doubt that he'll be walking any day now. Then the fun really begins for mommy...

He is such a great baby, I don't know if I want any more! We have been so blessed with him and he has been easy to us. But then again, I think a brother or sister will be good for him (and us), eventually... not rushing down that train just yet.

We have now been in our house over 6 months. We had a housewarming party in July, it was so good to see so many of our friends and family and to share our house with them. I can certainly see many more parties there. It's a great house and although we are still unpacking boxes, I very much feel at home there.

As far as my healthy living goes... well I went to a zumba class on August 1st and dislocated my knee cap. Man did that suck. I was on crutches for a hot minute, since crutches with a crawling baby do NOT work. And I was in a knee brace for 6 weeks. Even today, I am still in physical therapy trying to work on getting my knee back.

I know that my weight is largely to blame for my knee problems. And I am trying desperately to avoid surgery. I have cancelled my membership at planet fitness, it just isn't the right fit for me anymore. I am shopping around for a new gym. Right now the top contender is the YMCA, its a 30 minute drive each way, but it has child care and a pool. I can do water aerobics to help rehab my knee. They also do swim lessons for baby. which would be nice since that is something we really wanted to do for Brenden. Right now, the biggest hang up is the travel time. But I need to make it a priority for me.

Brenden's first birthday also marked a goal for me, 1 year of pumping. I made my ultimate goal! Now that I am weaning off the pump, I can start restricting my calories a little and not worry so much about eating enough to make milk.

So where am I at? Well I am in the ball park of where I was before, 334. The knee injury really set me back. But now that I am going down a good path I need to get back into a routine, especially before winter/snow hits and I really want to hibernate!

So that's about it for now. hopefully it won't be another 3 months before I get to update again, but who knows, life is never dull with a baby.

Back in the saddle again

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:00:00 +0000

In order to achieve my goal, I obviously need to do something.

I have been trying to figure out what would work for me. Do I try CrossFit? Do I try a gym that has a daycare facility, I've done classes before (zumba) that I've enjoyed, but then again I've been a member at Planet Fitness and enjoy that as well. I've run/walked a 5K, and in doing so I've determined that I am not a runner.

So when trying to get refocused, is it a good time to change and add something new? Or should I stick with what I know?

EPing journey / lip tied

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 03:43:00 +0000

Brenden is 10 months old now (holy cow) and I am nearing the end of my EPing journey. When Ben and I made the decision to EP, my long term goal was one year. One year of EPing with a freezer stash to get us thru cold and flu season. But when you are a stressed out and over tired new mom, one year seems like forever, so I went with mini-goals, and focused on 3 months at a time, When I made it 3 months, we tried for 6 and then for 9 and so on.

When Brenden was born, we had troubles breastfeeding. He had a difficult latch and also was very impatient with things, he would get frustrated when the milk wouldn't come quick enough. We had several meetings with the lactation people at the hospital, who said that he may have a tongue tie, so we went to our primary care doctor who referred us to an ENT doctor. He examined Brenden and said there was nothing structurally wrong with his mouth. I even had my chiropractor examine him since he shared his wife's struggles with breastfeeding. But after nothing, we went back to our primary care and she did a neuro evaluation, but again, he passed. Every test and doctor said there was nothing wrong with him.

In talking with the lactation people, they wanted us to go to Boston to get a second opinion, she really felt that he was tongue tied, and that it was presenting weird. But with the new mom over tiredness, and having already spent the first 2 weeks of his life in doctor's offices, I just couldn't anymore. So after talking over with Ben, we decided to EP.

Fast forward 10 months, we went back to the same ENT doctor for a chronic ear infection and while at the appointment, I had him check Brenden's lip for possibly being lip tied. And sure enough he agreed with me that he had one. Due to his age and how thick the tie was, in order for the doctor to correct it, Brenden would have to be put under. He suggested seeing a pediatric dentist in Massachusetts, who uses a laser to correct lip ties.

That is where Dr. Kaplan and Kid Care Dental comes in. I called an got an appointment that week. His office is nearly a 2 hour ride one way for me, but it was worth it. Dr. Kaplan has a great office, the staff are super friendly, and made this momma feel at ease. Dr. Kaplan took one look at Brenden's mouth and said, yes, he's got a significant lip tie, oh and he's got a posterior tongue tie as well. Separate, both can inhibit successful breastfeeding, but together can make it very difficult.

Dr. Kaplan said there wasn't a need to correct the tongue tie, but the lip tie was worth correcting, and best yet, he could do it right in the office, right now. Which is great, as it would save us from another trip down there. So after a quick chat with Ben about things, we opted to go ahead with the procedure.

I will say that the site looks nasty, I can't wait for it to heal over, and Brenden is not a fan of the post op care. We have to stretch out top lip as to prevent the site from adhering and having to go through this all over again. But I can already see improvement in his top lip, it doesn't seem as tight as it once was and when he takes his bottles, he's got a perfect seal.

I don't have any grand visions of getting Brenden to nurse, although it would be nice, he's 10 months old, he knows where to get his milk from, and it's not from my boob.

Dr. Kaplan did say that it was a shame that we didn't see him sooner, that if it had been caught sooner, that Brenden may have been able to be breastfed.

I was mad at first, here we tried to do everything right, and we saw plenty of doctors and we were told that everything looked normal. It was only after I thought I found something and asked did it get noticed. But then I reflected that no matter what we accomplished what we wanted, to give Brenden breastmilk - it may not have been the method we wanted, but the end result was achieved. In addition to deciding to EP, I've learned a lot more about pumping/breastfeeding/etc, which has enabled me to help others. But most of all, I've been able to donate my oversupply to several other babies. I've made friendships over EPing. We've fought thru clogs and MOTN pump sessions while everyone else is sleeping and more.

I will just chalk this up to knowledge and learning. Because when baby #2 comes in a few years, if there are any problems, I am going to keep after them.

I will post the before and after picture here for those who want to see it. It's a little graphic, but I think it serves a purpose. Brenden's lip tie was pretty "meaty" The doctor likened it to a sort of cleft palate, just with normal skin appearance on the outside. He also pointed out that it was mostly baby fat that he removed. His tie went from the roof of the lip and almost connected to the roof of his mouth. The gap in his teeth should close, but will most certainly be closed when his permanent teeth come in.

Goals... I got them

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 20:48:00 +0000

Before snow flies I would like to be below 300 so I can go for a beach ride with my favorite people and horses!

When I weighed myself this morning, I am 331.....

Let's make this happen

Boom!

We have a crawler!

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 16:38:00 +0000

While we were away on vacation (down to North Carolina) Mister Man finally got coordinated and started crawling! He'd been "assuming the position" for a solid 6 weeks before, and would do a step or two, but finally got everything coordinated and took off.

And he hasn't stopped since.

With his new found freedom he likes to wander around the house, if we leave the room, he tries to follow us.

On top of that we've discovered that he likes strings, tags, hair, shoelaces, anything that he can pull. Shoelaces being the big thing. Whenever he can, he makes a bee line for our shoes.

I love getting to watch him discover new things and pick them up to analyze them. He's such a great baby.

Yesterday we had a hearing test for him. Mister Man has been having chronic ear infections and we finally got an appointment to see an ear, nose and throat doctor. Actually it's the same doctor who evaluated him for the possibility of being tongue tied. The audiologist who performed the test said everything looked good that his hearing was great. So now we wait till next week to see the doctor about what he thinks. But I am already preparing myself for tubes.

Mister Man is also cutting his top 2 teeth. They are huge! Especially when compared to his 2 bottom teeth, no wonder the have been bothering him.

He also got to meet some more of his extended family, as my family was up for their annual trip to Bow Lake. His third cousins loved getting to play with him and show him around. I am hoping to continue to make that a tradition. Of course I didn't take any pictures... lame. What kind of mom and blogger am I?

But I did manage to take a video of him crawling. For all your viewing pleasure.

This video was taken at Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC. We had a great time there.

Ben's First Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:00:00 +0000

June also means that Ben got to celebrate his first father's day. I had to work the previous day, so I got home that morning.

I left the day to Ben to decide what he wanted to do. And what did he opt to spend his special day? He wanted to go to the movies alone.

To be honest, I was a little shocked, a day meant to celebrate being a father and he wanted to be alone (at least a few hours alone). To go see the new Fast and Furious.

But it's what he wanted, so I agreed (I was going to say, I let him do it... but I didn't let him do anything.)

But I did ask him to bring me back a movie popcorn, I haven't had one of those in forever!

So off he went for the early matinee. Then on his way home he stopped at the grocery store, picked up some steaks for dinner and then watched the NASCAR race and kept Little man entertained while I took a nap (again remember I worked the previous day).

It actually turned out to be quite the nice day, although we were caught up in the Little man, I never got a chance to actually call MY dad and wish him a happy Father's Day. I feel like a total piece of crap :-(

Oh and what did Brenden get him for Father's day? Well we decided back in May, that we would do a joint gift (Mother's and Father's day) and we bought a patio set for our deck. So excited about getting to use that hopefully this summer!

But now I really want to go to the movies alone... or maybe a movie date.

So over another month goes by...

noreply@blogger.com (Cassie) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:23:00 +0000

Man, if I had any readership left, I am sure they've left me by now! I can't believe I've been so horrible about updating my blog!

We are solidly in June now, the start of summer! Little man turns 9 months on Friday! We are also leaving for North Carolina that night. We are heading down to visit Uncle Nick and Aunt Lindsay for a week. This will be little man's longest journey (car ride), to say I am a little nervous would be an understatement. Little man doesn't do car rides well, certainly not long car rides. We are hopefully leaving in the early evening. We are hoping that if we can trade off driving and sleeping, that little man will sleep thru the night like he usually does, and we can get a fair amount of miles in. Hopefully we'll be in North Carolina either mid afternoon or early evening Saturday. But we also know that anything can happen, and that he sets our schedule.

June is also my birth month. I'll be 31... wow... that's crazy. So much of my life has changed in the last 10 years. I wouldn't change anything. I love my life.

We also set the date for our housewarming party. We bought the house in March, we figured that July would be good for a party ;-) hopefully the weather is good so we can BBQ and entertain outside!

And also coming up is Little Man's first birthday. Ben and I have been talking about some themes and what we want to do for his birthday.

Setting the date for the housewarming will hopefully light the fire under our butts to get some more stuff squared away and some more unpacking done. I'd really like to try and see if we can get the pool opened up and see if it's usable. I really hope it does, I think it'll be great to have.

We have a lot of my extended family we'll be seeing this summer. And at the end of the summer, we'll be returning to Bar Harbor (better known as Bah Habah, to the locals) to visit with Ben's extended family. We haven't been the Bar Harbor in 2 years (between wedding and baby) so I am super excited about going back there!

So with the last post I reported that Little man had his first ear infection (and a double one at that!) Well he got the all clear from the doc that the infection had passed and was good for about a week before the next ear infection came on. We are just about done with the antibiotic and the doc today said the ears look good. But it looks like if this continues, little man is going to be getting some tubes. bummer... I never really had issues with ear infections, but Ben did as well as my brother. And I guess there is a heredity factor. Sigh, Little man is still a trooper and just rolls with the punches. He really is a great baby and I am so lucky he's been good. He still has his fussy moments, but all in all, I am super blessed.

On the weight front, I'm stagnate. I haven't done anything. I am 5 pounds above my pre-preggo weight. Not really using it as an excuse, but with the pumping schedule I am keeping, I just can't find the time to get to the gym. I am hoping that after I am done pumping I can utilize that time that I spent pumping, to get to the gym (and still manage to get a solid amount of sleep/rest). I am by no means slacking off, I still stay quite active with Little man and we do get out for the occasional walk, but I know that I can be doing more.

So that's about it, I hope to be updating more frequently!