My Shadow In Time

He is here...

2012-05-25T15:43:00.001-04:00

Yup he but I'm sure anyone who follows my blog already knew that ;) I'm only a month behind in writing this blog post but hey, I just had a baby and everyone knows newborns don't give you much time for anything else.

Welcome Hayden Alan Day

4/21/2012

4:21am

19.5 inches

8.6 Ibs

born @ 39 weeks gestation

So where to start, How about with my last belly pics. Even though at that point I thought for sure I still had another week or two left.

I honestly had NO CLUE I was going to go into labor that day. It really was a normal Friday. I did laundry and then we went outside to play. Aaron, Ava, and I went and got mexican carryout from our fav mexican restaurant and Aaron and I even talked about how I would be fine with another week or so. Aaron was on call so it would just be simpler if baby waited. Guess that should have been our sign.

I had been sleeping on the couch since Easter because I was having a tough time with my hips and iliosacral dysfunction :( So that night I had gone to sleep at about 11/11:30 and at 12:30am was woke up by the dogs. I got up and went to the bathroom and came back to lay back down and just could not get comfortable. My hips and sides we sort of sore and tender and laying on my back was just not an option so I got up frustrated and turned the tv on.

I was sitting on the yoga ball and it didn't take long for me to realize that I would get comfortable only to be uncomfortable again a few minutes later. With Ava my water broke so I had no idea what to expect contraction wise this time. Honestly for the first hour or so I doubted I was really in labor. I had been having a lot of false labor and in fact Easter had felt more "real". Being a second time Mom I was not about to drive 45 mins to the hospital only to be told it was false labor and to go home.

So I pulled up my contraction master iphone app and after another 10-15 mins it was telling me to go to the hospital lol. I thought no way so I went and got my Mom because I thought I was losing it. She sat with me for another 30 mins and we both decided it was worth a call in since I had a 45 mins drive in. They said I could come or I could wait another hour or so...it was up to me. I said I would come in because I had a bit of a commute. Below is my chart from the app

Start / End	Duration	Frequency	Intensity / Notes
1:53 AM 04/21/121:54 AM 04/21/12	00:01:06	00:04:19	Medium
1:49 AM 04/21/121:50 AM 04/21/12	00:01:10	00:04:54	Medium
1:44 AM 04/21/121:45 AM 04/21/12	00:01:03	00:05:01	Medium
1:39 AM 04/21/121:40 AM 04/21/12	00:01:00	00:02:33	Medium
1:36 AM 04/21/121:37 AM 04/21/12	00:00:51	00:03:45	Medium
1:33 AM 04/21/121:34 AM 04/21/12	00:01:20	00:04:43	Medium
1:28 AM 04/21/121:29 AM 04/21/12	00:01:03	00:04:15	Medium
1:24 AM 04/21/121:25 AM 04/21/12	00:00:59	00:06:32	Medium
1:17 AM 04/21/121:18 AM 04/21/12	00:01:10	00:06:08	Medium
1:11 AM 04/21/121:12 AM 04/21/12	00:01:24	00:07:13	Medium
1:04 AM 04/21/121:05 AM 04/21/12	00:01:24	--:--:--	Medium
This chart was generated on May 5, 2012 at 6:57 PM EDT

So I went and got Aaron and gathered the rest of what had not already been packed. I told my Mom not to wake Ava yet but to wait until we got there and got settled and then she could take her to Nan's and head to the hospital. After all I labored for 22 hours and pushed for 3 hours with Ava so why rush right??? When I got in the car Aaron was standing at the bottom of the garage steps talking to my Mom and I said let's get going because I knew no matter what sitting in the car was not going to be comfortable. About 20 minutes into the drive Aaron started to sound a bit panicked. I was having to groan and yell a bit thru contractions that were coming every 2-3 minutes. He kept saying we should have left earlier but I woke up and starting timing them pretty quickly and was instructed not to call until they were 5 minutes apart lasting 1 minute for an hour.

We finally got to the hospital some time after 3am and had to wait for the triage nurse to be paged because she was on break. She was paged a second time because they said I sounded very uncomfortable. Which I was and had already yelled at Aaron because he asked me what my social was mid contraction (they were coming so fast I was no longer getting more than a 30 second break). I remember thinking both times I was in labor, why did I pre-register if you people are going to make me fill out this stupid card anyways. Anyways, the triage nurse came in smelling of smoke which you know is the exact smell I was wanting to smell at that point. Guess she had to finish her cigarette first. I guess everyone is entitled to a break but shouldn't there be back up??

She checked me and I was at 5cm so they said they would have me walk to a room. Um seriously that little walk seemed to take forever. I got into the room and another nurse starting asking me more questions about my previous labor and other information she needed to enter into the computer. A tech started doing God knows what with my arm. I had said I wanted an epi because at that point I was thinking no way am I going to be able to be in this kind of pain all day (bad case of denial that this baby was coming fast). She kept saying she would wait until I wasn't having a contraction to stick me but I finally said just do it because I wasn't getting breaks anymore. They drew 3 tubes of blood and then informed me that I had to wait for some sort of results from the lab before I could have the epi. She said it shouldn't take long because they should not be too busy. I do not remember having to wait long with Ava but maybe I did. I was in labor for so long with her it just seemed those morning hours flew by. I finally told the nurse I was feeling a lot of pressure with the pain so she checked me and I was at 7cm. At this point it was about 4am and I was tired. I just kept thinking of Ava's 22 hour labor and 3 hours of pushing and thought I need to get an epi or I'll never make it........I need sleep to do this all day. I think I was in denial about how fast I was progressing because my water hadn't broke like it had with her.

The nurse started warming up the baby check up area thing and called the midwife and said she should come check me. The midwife came in and I was at 9cm and they said the pressure I was feeling was the bag of water which was bulging. She asked if she could break it and I said no because I thought I can't push for hours like this......I need pain meds. I was panicked because I left the house not really believing I was in full labor and this was all going too fast. It didn't matter though.........the next contraction my water broke and literally shot like a canon across the room. They had to use blankets to clean it..........Aaron referred to it as horrifying. Like something out of a movie haha. At that moment I felt a few seconds of really great relief followed by that instant need to push. The midwife said not to push just yet because I wasn't quite there yet but I didn't care and pushed anyways. It was the only thing that felt good and brought me relieve. I don't even remember where anyone was in the room or if anyone was even ready to catch a baby. I said I need to push and I did.........within 3 pushes he was placed on my chest. Aaron said the nurse and midwife barely had time to get into position. Hayden had some bruising on his face because of how quickly I delivered him but no conehead baby this time. I couldn't believe it was over. I started instantly shaking from the hormones but was unbelievably hot. Aaron had his jacket on the room was so cold and I was sweating lol. When the nurses left we both just sat there in disbelief that he was here and that he was a he in general. When they said it's a boy it didn't quite sink in.

Aaron had been texting with my Mom and told her she wouldn't make it in time. He even had to send a proof pic that he was here.

We got a hold of both of my parents but were unable to reach Aaron's Mom for a few hours. My Mom, Dad, and Ava were at the hospital by 6am and Ava was so excited to meet baby grass. She even told my Mom on the way that now Mommy's belly won't hurt anymore because baby grass was here. Aaron's Mom got there shortly after I was moved to my postpartum room around 7:30 or so.

Here are some of the pictures from Hayden's first day.

At 6am in the delivery room.......I think we were all exhausted and stunned.

Later that night everyone came back up.

Nan with her second Great-Grandson and fourth Great-Grandchild

It was a very bittersweet day for Nan. Last year on 4/21 we lost Pop and this year we gained Hayden. Nan said she felt like he was a gift from Pop.

We had Hayden's first name picked within a few hours of his birth but we slept on his middle name. On Sunday we decided he should have his Daddy's middle name and so he became Hayden Alan Day.

To see his newborn pictures go to the link below. I have them all up on my photography site.

http://www.amandadayphotography.com/2012/05/welcome-baby-hayden-southern-maryland.html

Here are his countdown pictures so far and a few others.

At his one month visit yesterday he weighed 9.6Ibs and was 22.5inches long. We are very blessed parents :)

**please excuse any and all typos. Hayden is up so no time to proof read.

Easter and a bit more....

2012-04-13T16:49:00.000-04:00

Well I made it past Easter which was my goal. I really wanted to be able to be there with Ava and not in a hospital. Oh course little did I know that I was going to be miserable all day Easter but at least I was here.

Saturday Aaron sat for a certification exam for work and PASSED!!!!!!! So proud of him. I think he is proud of himself as well which is really awesome to see. That evening Ava dyed her easter eggs. She was so excited about all the Easter activities. She did all the dying herself and then added stickers. I set it up and we watched her have a ball. It was great!!!

That night I didn't get much sleep and Sunday I felt no better. It was tough not being able to really interact with Ava but I was able to at least sit back and watch. Thanks to Aaron for handling camera duties so we have evidence of her Easter egg hunt.

If you haven't already seen via facebook I have been keeping myself busy starting the ground work for a photography business. I got my start with it back in 2000 in high school but never ventured past a hobby. After some encouraging by a few of my good friends who are also photographers I decided why not. I won't dive in fully until after this baby is born but I am doing prep work now. I have my site, my facebook, a ton of new supplies, and most of my business paperwork complete (ie contracts, pricing sheets, etc) Take a look at what I have so far.

http://www.amandadayphotography.com/

and if you are on FB you should like my page.........there will be tons of photos of this baby on there very soon.

https://www.facebook.com/AmandaDayPhotography

Now I have to run because Ava fell asleep in the car and has been napping. She doesn't nap often (as in once every few months) so if I don't wake her soon then she will be hell on wheels to get to go to bed tonight. Wish me luck!!!!

It's almost Easter...

2012-04-01T15:41:00.000-04:00

That means it's almost time for me to have this baby. Actually my midwives said that at 35 weeks they would no longer actively try to stop labor if I were to start so it's kind of been game on since then. We have most everything ready but I still need to get a few things. I threw away my parts to my pump so I need to replace those. The pump isn't much use without all the parts ;) I also need to get the extenders for our cosleeper because it's not quite the right height to attach to the bed. Actually we also need to get some baby things (like um the carseat lol) down from Nan's attic and I need to get my swing back as well but THEN, we will be ready. Hmmmmm, maybe I need to get a move on.

I'm preparing myself for the nights away from Ava. I figure there will be two although I'd be fine with just one. I have never been away from her so it's going to be tough for both of us. However I will admit it will be nice to have a few meals prepared and brought to me without me having to do anything.

I go back to the midwives this week and they will do a quick ultrasound to make sure baby is in a good position. I only had one ultrasound with Ava so it will be neat to see this one at this stage in the pregnancy. As long as they are careful not to reveal too much. Aaron told me to make sure they know before hand that we don't know so they are careful. I'm hoping to convince Ava to go with us this time so she can see the baby again since she really enjoyed that last time. I have been meeting Aaron at Nana's before the appointment so he can go with me and last time she opted to stay. I don't blame her because the standard appointments aren't much fun. I go in and weigh myself and then wait to be called back, then like all doctors we wait again once we get to the room. They ask if I have any questions, how it's going, take my bp, measure my belly, listen to the heart, and then we are off. I do love how laid back the midwives are compared to the Ob's office I went to last time. It's a pregnancy, it's normal, it's a natural process, and it doesn't always turn out textbook.

I am hoping for a more laid back hospital experience this time as well. This time during my labor it will pretty much be Aaron and I so we can both focus and rest. I also plan to take my golden hour after I give birth which I did not get last time. For the first hour of this babies life it will be just Aaron and I. I will nurse, we will breath, clean up, relax, and get to know our new baby. Then once we have had some time to take everything in we will introduce the baby to any visitors we may have, post a picture for the eager Facebook friends and family, and most likely make our way to our postpartum room. This time I will be more than ok with the fact that hospitals make waiting rooms for a reason. I am kind of excited to get to experience labor with Aaron to assist me without the commotion. Some people may not agree with it all but after a 22 hour labor with Ava that ended with 3 hours of pushing I have learned. Focus on me and baby.....there will be plenty of time for visitors once we are settled into our room on the postpartum floor.

I have been having lots of braxton hicks this time around and sleep is almost non-existent. I would say I nap at night. There is always a point where I am awake for a few hours somewhere in the middle. I am excited for Easter to come. Ava's basket has been done for about two weeks or so now and is up in the closet covered up by a plastic bag so that if need be, no matter what, she will have her Easter basket waiting for her Easter morning.

So this is making me realize I need to make a list and start getting things together. Well, I'm off to get a pen and some paper and write some of this down. Till next time. . . . . . . . . . .

Springtime Scavenger Hunt

2012-03-15T17:54:00.000-04:00

Today was one of those days that Ava just wanted to be lazy. No matter how many times I asked she said she didn't want to go outside. In fact she didn't want to get dressed either. Blame it on the time change which led to sleep issues and her busy day yesterday leaving her exhausted. Finally I turned the TV off and said lets go on a scavenger hunt. She asked what that was (we haven't done one since last summer) so I explained that we would make a list of things that can be found outside and then go try to find them. She got excited at this point and was willing to get dressed and have her hair done.

After getting her ready to go outside we sat down and made our list. Then I grabbed my camera and we headed out. We took a picture of her with each item we found or at least tried as some of the winged creatures didn't stay still long enough.

Our list....I forgot to take a picture of it until after we found the first item.

Ava with the white flowers

Hello Spring!!!

With a pink rock

With a purple flower

With a yellow flower

With a stick

With a clover

With a pinecone

With a piece of corn

With her big brown leaf.

After finding all of her items she then sat and drew them with sidewalk chalk. It was pretty hot out for what we are use to so we came in and had popsicles after we were done. She enjoyed this little activity and it was easy without needing any planning. We will have to do it again in a few weeks when we have more colorful flowers and the leaves have all come back.

I have taken some other random photos of our outdoor adventures over the last few days so I'll come back and post them later. I still have some left to pull from the camera.

Mini Volcanos on a Rainy Day

2012-03-04T17:12:00.000-05:00

Here is the other activity we did this past Monday. They are little mini volcanoes which I originally saw on pinterest using a big pile of baking soda on a single baking sheet. Then a cousin of mine did them before Christmas and she was the genius behind using the muffin pans. We have done these a few times in the past and Ava loves them every time. This is one that doesn't get old.

Supplies Needed:

Baking Soda
Vinegar
Food Coloring
Muffin Tins
Medicine Dropper

On the left side of every tin I added about two tablespoons of baking soda to each. I just eyed it so some may have more than others. Then on the right I added about the same amount of vinegar.

I then dyed the vinegar. I used wilton gels hence the toothpicks :)

Once it's all mixed I just give her a tray and let her have at it. When she is ready for another she normally just asks.

This is super easy to set up and recreate over and over again. Bubbles, color, fizzing, fun!!!

Rainy & Sick Day = Raining Rainbow's

2012-02-29T17:04:00.004-05:00

We skipped gymnastics today and due to the obnoxious amount of rain we were also stuck inside. No outdoor playtime today :( I headed on over to pinterest and looked at my rainy day activities board and picked something to do. The first thing I found was raining rainbows which just seemed perfect for today. It's pinned from the Crafty Crow blog and she had a nice rectangular glass vase but we had to make due with a standard vase. Still Ava really enjoyed it and it brought some laughter and smiles to an otherwise dreary day.

The supplies: glass container filled with water, shaving cream, and food coloring with water.

Mix some food coloring with water. I used this small muffin pan.

Once they are all mixed it looked like this. The back is actually blue and purple but for some reason they look the same here.

We didn't have shave foam so I put some gel in this little bowl.

Then I let Ava mix it with her finger to make it more foamy. She liked this part.

Then we scooped it onto the top of the water. I spread it around to make sure there were no spaces.

Then I gave Ava the medicine dropper (you can use a spoon if you don't have one) and let her get to work.

and it's raining a rainbow!!!!

Eventually the water gets a bit murky and the colors aren't so vivid. This was after about five minutes of adding colors.

Ava liked the way the top of the shaving cream looked.

After this we moved onto mini volcanoes. I have about half of those photos uploaded so I'll be back later with a post on that.

Speaking of rainbows though. Ava was having a rough afternoon. She is at that stage of her cold when everything is draining and she is pretty much over the whole cold thing in general. She keeps asking to just feel better which makes me feel awful. I have tried to explain that in a few days she will feel better but let's face it to a three year old that is a lifetime. She is doing better but it's a slow progress. So she was having a fussy moment of exhaustion where she was just miserable. I offered to use her face crayons that we have leftover from halloween to draw her a cat face, hearts, something to brighten her mood. Sometimes I draw a rainbow on her belly and tell her she has carebear powers :) Well wouldn't you know today she asked if she could draw on my belly too. So I appeased her.......I mean you can't tell a pitiful sick child no. You just can't.

So here she is making rainbows on my belly :)

I also now have a cat face, an octopus on my forehead, and a portrait of myself on my forehead. It's somewhat itchy and kind of annoying but I'm afraid to attempt to wipe it off. I'm afraid I will break my little Picasso's heart.

Ok now I have to run and get dinner out of the oven. I hope you enjoy this little bit of our day and if you have a little one at home I encourage you to give the raining rainbow a try on the next rainy day.

Sick days

2012-02-28T16:38:00.001-05:00

A cold has been circling thru the house and hit Ava a few days ago. Poor thing has had so many things going on lately to make her not feel well. She hasn't gotten much sleep and showers have become a twice daily routine to try to help her find some comfort. Tomorrow I'm thinking we will be skipping gymnastics which sucks because she loves it so much but it's for the best.

I know we have been lucky with Ava as far as colds go. She had one stomach virus and has had two colds...this being her second. I've learned how to handle the eczema, allergies, and sleep issues but colds are a new ballgame. Sunday was Ava's worse day by far because she just slept and slept and just wanted to lay in bed. Yesterday and today were pretty nice weather wise so I did get her outside to get some fresh air. I knew getting her outside would help her feel better as long as she didn't overdue it.

After messing with my camera settings a bit. Something has been off on the coloring of my SOOC images even though I know my settings were right. I figured it out and took my camera out with us so I could take some pictures of her.

I took these after I got my camera working right. She is in a phase where she likes me to take random photos of her and she has to look at each one before I can take another. I was taking pictures of my Dad today and she was instructing him to smile and then making me show her each one. Ahhh my little photag in the making.

Then we went outside so she could ride her bike, gather rocks for a later activity, slide, and spread some more corn for the deer.

We got her a big girl bike last week because she majorly outgrew her tricycle over the last few months and with warmer days approaching she was in need of an upgrade. We are trying to get her to master the idea of a break and once it's a bit warmer we will have to take those training wheels off and see how she does.

Matching bell

Ahhh those darn runny noses.

Gathering her rocks

Playing on the slide

The trees are starting to bud.

Our rock collection

Cleaning them

This is what the rocks are for. Aaron got this for Ava and I for Valentines Day. I love how well he knows us. We get to do it together and it will be around for longer than just a week. Love it!!!!

Our clean-ish rocks

This stuff was so cool. We added water to it and it just kept expanding.

Growing

She got to mix it with her hands which was messy so of course it was fun.

Then she scooped the dirt into the pot

We added the bulbs. Don't they look like weird onions?!?!

Added more dirt

Then our rocks

and found it a home

We had extra so we added some much needed soil to our neglected aloe plant.

much better

Then in true Ava style she put on a show for me.

blurry Ava.

I need to get out to the craft store for supplies to finish my DIY BB blocks but it will have to wait until Ava is a bit better. Then I promise to have a blog post about them.

For now that's about all that's going on with us. Now I have to run because my little sicky wants to play.

Valentines Day Prep

2012-02-14T17:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we kept busy doing prep work for Valentines Day (today). That and some laundry thrown in. We made our sugar cookie dough Sunday and put it in the fridge. I always like to let it refrigerate over night because in my experience the cookies always bake better. Yesterday before lunch we got busy rolling, cutting, and baking the cookies so they would have plenty of time to cool.

Once they were all baked we set them aside and had lunch. Then it was time to get busy on those Valentines!!!

I cut out all of the paper before hand and then gave her the glue, the paper, and the decorations to make her creations.

That's not Ava's Dr. Pepper in case anyone is wondering. She is not allowed to have soda.

Little hands at work

Ready for the paint

Can you tell she liked having her hands painted.

They turned out so good...........love them!!!

After dinner I got the royal icing whipped up and dyed so we could get down to decorating business.

Ava put some cookies in baggies and gave them with her Valentines :)

I'll post a separate post later for the red velvet cupcakes. We still haven't actually frosted them and I have to run and get my steaks on the grill. Hope everyone else is having as good of a Valentines Day as we are.

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T09:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day from our home to yours....show all your loved ones just how special they are to you today. I can't wait until Aaron gets home and we can give Ava her little gift. She opened Grandma's card and gift and her card from her best friend Missy (she stole Katelynn's best friend :) ) and she said is this for me. I said yes it is and she smiled and said whoa, that's nice. She was legitimately shocked and happy to get them...so sweet.

Last week I took some valentines photos of Ava. If you're a friend of mine on FB then I'm sure you have already seen them. For those who aren't I hope you enjoy them. She picked her outfit and her props going by my rules of it being pink, red, or having hearts.

We have more Valentines stuff to post...Ava being caught red handed making her Valentines, baking and decorating sugar cookies, and making our red velvet cupcakes for tonight's dinner. I have the steak in the marinade and we are about to whip up our cupcake batter and get them in the oven so they can cool while we are at Nan's for lunch. It's going to be a busy day so the rest of the posts may or may not actually be posted today. For now Happy Valentines Day to you!!!!!

Our week in review

2012-02-12T18:11:00.002-05:00

I just realized I never actually completed and posted anything this week.............oops. I have been working on a bunch of things but haven't actually finished the projects so the posts are only half complete as well. It's just been that kind of week I guess. I have a post about my Creamy Cheesy Chicken that is awesome and so good that there is never leftovers, I am also making my own DIY BB blocks to use for photos of the new baby, a valentines day post, and some more. So hopefully I can get those all finished and updated this week.

Today we went thru all of the plastic bins full of Ava's baby stuff. We were able to pull out some blankets, towels, and some clothes that were neutral. I plan to make a trip to babies r us soon for a few newborn neutral items, soaps/lotions, new parts for my pump, and other nursing necessities. Ava pulled out some bitty baby toys and rattles and wanted to give them to baby grass now. She instructed me to open my belly so she could give baby grass "his" toys. She mostly says him/he/his and occasionally says hers so who knows.

Here is my latest picture for week 29...

Not much else happened just a few trips to Nans, gymnastics, and attempts at getting organized for baby #2. Oh I was sad to find out that Ava's gymnastics place is most likely closing at the end of April. I really don't want to have to take her somewhere else and what a time to be switching...............the end of April..................really?!?!?

Well dinner is about done and this Momma is hungry so I'm going to run. Keep a look out this week for our valentines day fun....................homemade valentines cards, sugar cookie hearts, and red velvet cupcakes :) Plus whatever else we come up with to do. I'm thinking maybe mini volcanos since Ava loves it and I've never posted it. Oh and I just bought a big box of baking soda. Ok really I'm going to go eat now...................till next time.

Ok one more crappy cell phone photo of Ava making the sugar cookie dough a little bit ago. Seems these days I'm becoming the helper and watch while she creates.

Ok now really that's it............................battery is dying on the computer and dinner is calling me.

Painting with Homemade Puffy Paints

2012-01-31T19:28:00.004-05:00

I found this recipe in a toddler art book I got a while back. It's full of fun recipes for things like playdough, clay, and all sorts of paints. I really want to try the face paints soon since Ava LOVES having her face painted. Here is what you need for the puffy paints.

1 Tablespoon flour (self rising)
1 Tablespoon salt
Water
Food coloring

We did four colors (red, yellow, green, and blue) so I got out four small bowls and put a tablespoon of flour in each and then a tablespoon of salt in each and mixed together. Then I added about 5 drops of each color into it's respective bowl. Slowly I added water a little at a time mixing until it formed a nice paste. I'm thinking it seems to work best when it's about the consistency of toothpaste. We used paintbrushes because that's what the book called for but next time we will use something easier to scoop and smear with. This worked better in the areas that were thickly painted so maybe Popsicle sticks or baby spoons. Here is the process...

Flour, salt, food coloring (water not pictured)

After your child has painted their masterpiece pop it in the microwave for 30-40 seconds (maybe more if the paint is very thick) and it puffs right up.

This would be really cool for a mountain or volcano scene for a school project.

Also we used cardboard but I think poster board would work well too. Just something weighted to support the thick paint.

Preschool Fun: DIY Lava Lamp

2012-01-30T19:49:00.000-05:00

Ok so this looks like a lava lamp but it doesn't exactly last. It's something that you will toss when your done but it's a lot of fun to watch. Ava really liked getting the make it make bubbles. Plus you most likely already have everything you need to do this right in your house. No special trip for supplies. I love when these little projects call for regular household items.

Here is what you will need:

Water bottle or plastic bottle
oil (olive, vegetable, canola, etc.)
water
food coloring
alka-seltzer

The supplies

Fill the bottle a little more than half full of oil.

Pour in water leaving about an inch or so of space at the top

Add in some food coloring...we did about 8 drops of red

Break up the alka seltzer tabs into 3 or 4 pieces a tab. We started with one pack but Ava asked for more so I got out another pack. So four tabs total.

I would have her wait until each tab stopped making bubbles before she added more. Sometimes she waited but sometimes she'd sneak another one in :) Towards the end she just would add and add and add.

Keeping a close eye on things.

More alka seltzer

Then she wanted to add blue which kind of made black but she didn't care.

She also wanted to touch the bubbles

She keeps asking to do this again so I'm sure we will be repeating again soon. Maybe I'll get some fun shaped plastic bottles and even try some glitter next time. Not sure if the glitter will work but it would be fun to try.

Why hello gorgeous

2012-01-30T14:49:00.002-05:00

Getting Some Fresh Air

2012-01-29T16:06:00.001-05:00

Today is one of those days where it appears to look warm and inviting out but really there is a sharp brisk wind that can't be seen from inside. Man does it catch you off guard when you walk out the door though.

We decided that all in all for January it was still nice so we took Ava to the park. It was good for all of us to get some fresh air and Ava really enjoyed getting to climb, slide, and be a kid. I wish we could have stayed longer than the half hour or so that we were there but we were all getting pretty cold.

and I owe a photo for this week. 27 weeks and I swear my belly doubled. I should have worn a maternity shirt today though. Non-maternity shirts always make my belly look weird.

Well I guess I need to run and figure something out for dinner tonight. Plus being the third trimester now this sitting around does nothing but make me want to nap. I'll leave the day time sleeping to the teens because now that I'm a parent it just feels like I'm wasting my day. Plus Ava says you aren't allowed to sleep unless it's dark out. Hope everyone has had a good weekend. I'll be back this week with some activities and maybe some baking or cooking posts too.

Big Changes

2012-01-28T22:01:00.002-05:00

I wasn't so sure how 2012 was going to go because at first it seemed things were going to have to get a lot tougher before they started to get better. However after a little hope and a lot of patience it looks like things are turning around. Aaron starts a new job Monday and not only it is the type of job he has been looking for but it also seems to have a lot of promise. The company has been so welcoming and the opportunity for growth is very strong. It has to be a great feeling to have a company as excited for you to start as you are. I couldn't be happier for him. He has stuck out some pretty tough situations and dealt with more than I thought he was capable of.

The timing of course is perfect because in just a few short months our little family of three is going to become a family of four. Yup, for those who didn't already know we are expecting a new bundle of joy this April. Ava has named the baby grass but she keeps going back and forth on whether baby grass is a boy or a girl. Guess we will all just have to wait until April to find out. We decided to go team green this time around. We already have all the basic baby necessities and besides the obvious of boy clothes if baby is a boy we really don't need too much. I need some new parts for my pump and other baby things we no longer stock in this house like diapers, wipes, soap, lotion, etc. We will be purchasing a new bassinet this time around because the cradle didn't fair too well when we moved. All in all though we are lucky to not need too much.

Here is baby day #2 (pictures of pictures...I haven't gotten the chance to scan them in yet)

A large foot aka baby big foot

Another profile with a little baby fist in view

and here are a few baby bump pictures.................nothing fancy just phone pics :)

24 weeks

25 weeks

26 weeks

I'm due for another picture and I've definitely or should I say baby definitely has hit a growth spurt because holy belly. Our date was changed by the ultrasound but my midwives said they will just stick with the original date of the 27th and not the new date of the 20th because they said they only change if it's 10 days or greater difference. So I'll just go with once April 20th rolls around it's game on. Oh and I guess speaking of midwives...........I'll update on that a bit. With Ava I used a pretty well known local OB practice and while I didn't dislike them I decided this time I wanted less medical intervention. I don't want to hear the words induction or pitocin and I feel like OB's tend to through those out there a bit too much. I was not induced with Ava. My water broke before I even left the house but I would rather be encouraged to hold off on such things and not persuaded to use them. I'm not going to rule out the work epidural lol but I'd like to be giving more information and consulted more in the decisions which I feel my midwifery team will do. Already they seem so much more laid back and less text book. This is supposed to be a natural process and not a surgical procedure so please don't view me as a textbook and/or non-textbook case. Anyways off my rant about that and back to the baby. Much like last time Aaron nixes every name I come up with and so far only one boy name has managed to remain "tentatively" on the list. I imagine as soon as he can come up with a reason to dislike it he will. Names cannot remind him of anyone or anything so it's a bit tough. (Fun fact: Ava was initially ruled out last time but he came back around to it)

So there you have it...not much else has changed. We are excited and nervous about all the new changes that will be taking place but I think 2012 will be a good year. Oh and in a few months when I'm posting at 3am while nursing a newborn for the 1000th time, running on zero sleep, and making no sense whatsoever just ignore me. If I remember correctly a newborn brings on a brief period of insanity and confusion. At least this time I have a pretty smart little three year old to set me straight :-)

Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping

2012-01-24T12:34:00.000-05:00

I had three more ripe bananas waiting in the freezer to be made into something. Banana bread takes a bit longer to cook and I was looking for something we could eat this morning. I found this recipe in a cookbook and just made a few changes to it to suit my style :)

The ingredients....

Lined muffin pans

Mix together the dry ingredients in the first bowl

Mash up the bananas in a smaller bowl

Add the sugar, egg, and melted butter and mix.

Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture.

Combine together.

Spoon into muffin pan (I always make a mess with that part.)

In a small bowl mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, oats, and butter.

Cut in the butter until it resembles course meal.

Top muffins with mixture.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes. I started eying them after 10 minutes because my oven tends to cook faster than most cook times.

Don't they look yummy

Remove from muffin pans and let cool on wire rack for a few minutes. Enjoy warm!!!!

Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping

Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted

Crumb Topping

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oats (next time I may add a bit more...chopped walnuts would also be good)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Line muffin pans with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, mash together bananas then mix together sugar, egg and melted butter.
Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Don't over mix. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and oats. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (mine did shortly after ten minutes).
Enjoy warm!!!

Homemade Goldfish Crackers

2012-01-23T19:11:00.000-05:00

This week we are planning a trip to the aquarium so all of our activities, lessons, etc are based around fish :) This was actually a really fun week to plan because I had a real theme which includes a field trip. So to kick off the week we baked which is one of our favorite things to do together.

So what better thing to bake then one of Ava's favorite snacks............GOLDFISH!!!!

I found this recipe on pinterest and it looked easy enough plus how can you go wrong with cheese.

To start we had to make our own cookie cutter using a soda can. Ours wasn't perfect but Ava wasn't in a patient perfectionist mood. In fact I'm slowly learning that stopping to take nice pretty pictures of our baking endeavors isn't so easy. Ava will just move right on whether we are ready or not so I only really have time for quick snapshots and I have to hope they turn out.

Cut a thin strip of aluminum

Fold into a fish shape and tape together

The cast of characters

Of course the always needed handy helper

Pulse all ingredients in the food processor. Ava liked getting to push the button.

My food processor is small so I had to split the batch and then combine in a mixing bowl.

Then we wrapped the dough in saran wrap and put it in the fridge to chill.

Then I remembered we had some goldfish so I thought I'd get it out and look at the ingredients.

Baked with real cheese?!?!?! I'd hope so.

The ingredients aren't bad (I've seen worse things) but the list does seem long.

Ready to roll. We use this pampered chef pizza dough roller instead of a traditional roller because it's easier for Ava to handle.

Cut out the fishy shapes

Place them on a cookie sheet. We have a blue silicone mat so when Ava was placing the fish on the mat she pretended she was putting them in the water. At one point they were even being chased by sharks.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

A closer look

They are yummy and from all the reviews I read they get even better the next day.

The recipe................I simplified it a bit from the original for a basic cheese flavor but next time I may experiment a bit with seasonings and cheese.

Goldfish Crackers

1 cup flour
4 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into cubes
8 ounce package grated sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoons salt
2T-4T cold water (add one T at a time in case you don't need it all)

Directions

Pulse the flour, salt, butter, and cheese using a food processor until it is combined.
Pulse in 2 to 4 tablespoons of water one tablespoon at a time. You may not need it all. You need just enough to be able to form the dough into a ball.
Roll out and cut into shapes. The thinner you roll it the crispier they will be.
Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until they look crispy.

**Hint--they get better the longer they rest.

A Quick Museum Trip

2012-01-22T09:27:00.001-05:00

We decided to go to a local Marine Museum on Friday just for a quick outing. With the weather there isn't much you can really do to get out especially with small children so this was perfect. We took Ava there last March but this time she was much more interested in asking questions and seeing all the different displays. She really liked the play room where each kid gets to dig for a fossil, shark tooth, or shell to take home. There is also a little boat and a small lighthouse to play on as well as turtles to pet and low tanks with various marine animals to watch. In the back of the museum are some more tanks of local marine wildlife and displays of locally found fossils and artifacts. She really wasn't as interested in the boat displays and other historical marine displays but maybe next time she will be.

When we are looking for things to do together we typically try to find something more educational for a few reasons. One, kids this young are like sponges and love to learn, it's typically a good family environment, and it's normally pretty affordable. Ava at this point has no clue what a chuckie cheese is and hopefully that remains true for some time to come. Eventually she will probably get invited to a birthday party at one but for now while she is impressionable I'd rather just stay away from them. She goes to gymnastics once a week so I feel that even during the winter she is getting some physical outlet.

Anyways back to the topic at hand....the musuem...

Excuse some of the blurry grainy photos...I was playing around and experimenting with some camera settings.

Digging for her shark tooth

Showing Daddy her treasure

Playing in the boat...she kept telling us to climb aboard.

My favorite picture of the day

As a mermaid

She was more interested in being a pirate though

Next week we are planning an aquarium trip because she hasn't gone there since before she could walk. We aren't fans of Baltimore so we don't go there often but it was that or the DC zoo and well it's winter so the aquarium it is. Since we will be going to another place to explore and learn about marine life I am going to look today for a few educational activities to do at home with her next week. In fact as soon as I post this I will need to spend some time planning next weeks lessons/activities.

Before I go I'll share two videos of Ava showing off her scooter skills.

Racing

Her new trick

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekends. See you again soon with some more activities and fun to share.

A Quick Capture

2012-01-19T12:58:00.001-05:00

I need to get more photos of Ava. I think it's time to check out the weather reports and pick a day for a trip outside with my camera and Ava. Here are just two quick "snapshots" I got while she was playing today. Both were sharpened a bit in photoshop but that is it.

Counting and Sorting Beads

2012-01-19T12:52:00.001-05:00

I've been looking at a lot of Montessori preschool activities and one of the things I really like about them is the fact that they really don't require any expensive equipment, kits, etc. While I would like to pick up some supplies to help which mostly can be reused I am for now just using what I can find around the house.

Today's activity was to count beads and then we also used pretty much the same materials to then sort the beads by color. These are the supplies I used for today:

Multicolor Beads (Bigger ones might be easier for smaller hands but Ava did ok with what we had)
Cupcake tins (I didn't have any egg cartons on hand)
Felt scraps (cut into little squares)
Foam numbers (I left the adhesive on so they didn't stick to the tins)

This morning while Ava watched her morning cartoons I gathered all of the supplies for today's activities.

For our first counting activity

Some art fun with fingerpaints

and her workbook

and then I grabbed my munchkin. I had her identify the numbers in each cup.

Then I explained that she would add the correct number of beads to the cup according to what number was in it. I'll probably pick up some marbles or beads that are all the same color to use next time just to simplify a bit.

Next, I removed the numbers and replaced them with little colored scraps of felt.

She really liked this one and made it into a game. After she would sort them she would remove the felt scraps and mix them up into new cups and try again.

After she finished her "games" she had a snack and then was ready for some art time. Today was nothing fancy............just some construction paper and finger paints.

She followed this up with some coloring while I fixed her lunch. Since then it's been a bit of random playing while I get a chance to sit and do this post :)

In a bit we will probably break out the workbook for a while. In fact she is getting bored so I should probably go now so I can see what she wants to do next.

Rainy Day Fun: Making "Clean" Mud

2012-01-17T18:19:00.001-05:00

This activity is something I've seen over and over for use with sensory tables and have been wanting to try for a while. We woke up this morning to an extra dark, gloomy, rainy day and I decided we would give the "clean" mud a shot. Now don't let the name fool you as this is not a clean activity by any means. It's a good ole messy, hands on, dig in, squish, squash, make a mess fun activity. It's simply a clean version of mud play because it's nothing more than soap, paper, and water. In fact while there is a mess to clean up at least everything is already soapy. Ava was confused as to why she didn't need soap on her hands when she was ready to wash them :)

I didn't quite plan this out 100% so we made due with what we could find around the house. Most of the versions I have found call for either dove or ivory soap. I have seen a few with more natural organic soaps but we had none of that. In fact, we really aren't a bar soap type of family but in the back of the linen closet I was able to locate a few bars of lever 2000. I cannot tell you how old it was and I'm almost afraid to guess but hey, it did the trick. The difference being that our "clean" mud was blue tinted. Ava was cool with that, in fact, she corrected me and told me it was snow and not mud at all.

Breaking my flow to say that as soon as Ava said it was snow I was immediately struck with an awesome elf on the shelf idea for next year. Have the elf t/p the tree (which I know many did this year) but also have him leave instructions for how to make indoor play snow with the toilet paper so that it isn't wasted.

While researching how to make this I found that there were a lot of varying opinions on amounts and many reviews saying it didn't come out just right. So I'll tell you what we used but keep in mind you may just want to add a little at a time until it "feels" right. We used:

Half a roll of toilet paper (the cheap scotts kind...I was not about to waste the good kind lol)
3/4 bar of lever 2000 (or any bar soap) grated. Again the original says ivory or dove which I would recommend if you want it to be white.
Approx. 2 cups of warm water. We heated 2 cups but added it a little at a time and I don't think we used it all.
Hint: The more you play with it the more it becomes the desired shaving cream/whipped cream consistency.

So here we go. First grate your soap and while you are grating the soap you can have your toddler help with the shredding of the paper into the bin of your choosing. Since it was just Ava playing we used a smaller Ikea bin but anything would work. I'm happy to say I finally found something to do with the roll of scott toilet paper that has been in the linen closet for forever because no one likes it.

Once the paper has been shredded we sprinkled the grated soap on top.

Then we poured the first cup of water and mixed a bit then added just a little more. I gave her some measuring cups and things to play with.

The more you play the more like shaving cream it becomes.

Ava played for about 30-40 minutes in the goop before she decided she wanted her hands cleaned. It actually at this point called for a whole outfit change but it did the trick for those winter blues. We will definitely be doing this again.

Yummy Banana Bread

2012-01-17T16:15:00.001-05:00

The last two times we bought bananas they turned quicker than normal and after throwing away the first group I couldn't bring myself to waste the second. I popped the bananas in the freezer so I could try my hand at banana bread.

Today when we woke up it was gloomy, dark, and raining. In other words, the perfect day to bake a loaf of banana bread. A friend of mine gave me a recipe to try and it so happened we had all of the ingredients (well minus the vanilla extract...............I really need to go get more).

Getting all of the ingredients set out

We measured and combined the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. I've found that letting Ava measure is helping her to learn more math skills in a fun hands on way. Not to mention she is learning to bake.

Next we added in the oats and stirred then we had to cut in the butter. Ava helped slice and drop the butter in and then I used the two butter knifes to finish up. I swear one day I will remember to get myself a pastry cutter. Today wasn't bad but when I make my pie crust I'll always regret not having one.

We didn't have any pre-shelled and chopped nuts but we did have whole walnuts. It takes a bit more work but they did actually smell and taste fresher.

I chopped them up a bit because while I do like nuts in banana bread I don't like them to stand out too much.

We added the nuts and gave it a quick stir and set it aside.

Then we combined the egg and milk. This is also where we would have added the vanilla had we had any. Vanilla tends to balance out a lot of baked goods but I figured with the banana flavor we would be fine without.

I put the bananas in a bowl and gave Ava a crab knocker (the kind without the mallet) and let her smash the bananas.

Then we combined the bananas with the egg and milk mixture.

We poured it on top of the dry ingredients and mixed until moistened.

Poured it into our greased loaf pan and popped it in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.

Then the ~~best~~, excuse me, worst part of baking....................we cleaned up.

With the dishes done and the kitchen beginning to smell of yumminess we sat down to some leftover potato soup for lunch.

Now to cool

Later, after we did a rainy day activity, we helped ourselves to some banana bread to reward ourselves for all of our hard work.

Seems now I have no excuse to waste bananas. This was really simple and tastes delicious.

A Sunday Snowman Art Project

2012-01-15T15:30:00.000-05:00

Since we haven't had enough snow to even attempt a small snowman I thought we would make one today as an art activity. Inspired by a pinterest pin I saw I gathered the following supplies:

light blue construction paper
Elmer's glue
mini marshmallows
Felt scraps that I cut into a hat, scarf, mouth, carrot nose, and twig arms
Black beads
Googly eyes
white paint
Glitter glue pen
crayons (we ended up not using these)

I really liked this because it was so easy for Ava to do. She helped me do the glue but then was able to do the rest independently.

Supplies

More supplies

and some glue............I forgot to take a group picture of the supplies so I got some quick ones before we started. I forgot the little jar of beads, felt, etc.

...

Putting the marshmallows on

His body has been formed (he is Frosty the Snowman according to Ava)

Putting on beads

Now that Frosty is done it's time for some snow.

Happy girl (who is still is her pjs)

She added some glitter glue and ta-da he is done.

He is now drying so we can put him on the fridge. I have a feeling he will need to go up a bit higher so a certain fat beagle doesn't have him for a snack.

Organizing Ava's Art and Learning Supplies

2012-01-14T16:17:00.000-05:00

Like all things, Ava's learning and art supplies have become disorganized and spread out in too many places. I'm still not 100% happy with how I have reorganized them but until I can get back out to IKEA this will have to do. Eventually I also plan to also recreate this pinterest pin for her art supplies but I'm thinking for now I'd rather not have everything always within her reach.

This was this mornings big project...

Ava has a cube organizer from Target that looks like this

It has been set up for a long while now and I've used target dollar section bins to further organize it a bit. This morning I separated the toys to the left and the art/learning materials to the right. The toys need another sort and dump/donate cycle but that's another task all together. Below is what the right section now looks like.

The top shelf holds her puzzles and wooden blocks. Easy learning activities that she can do independently to occupy herself or we can do them together.

The middle shelf hold her felt board, clip board, workbooks, flash cards, magnadoodles, coloring books, and the orange thing in the middle is a little learning game. We have two magnadoodles and that really comes in handy when we "practice" our letters together. She will watch me draw them on one and she will try on the other.

The bottom shelf holds the art supplies and other random things.

A closer look at the pink basket.

In the back is drawing paper, construction paper, and poster paper.

Then there are stickers, stencils, and foam letters.

Clay, index cards, and an index card holder.

One of my next projects is to make the index card holder into a sight word book. I am going to take pictures of items around our house and environment to place on the left side and then the sight words on the right.

Letters, numbers, and dress up people for the felt board.

Magnetic letters and numbers

Crayons

Markers and Pencils

A closer look

On the very top of the cubes is a closed plastic container (an old ice cream container to be exact) with some other items I want handy but not something she can get without help.

It holds the glitter glue, stamp pad, pencil sharpener, post its.

Glues and scissors. They are safety scissors but I'd still prefer to supervise what she cuts.

Paints and play dough are kept in the kitchen since that is where we use them. Not to mention I'd rather her not have them in her room.

She recently completed two of her workbooks. She does them at her own pace. We try to do a little every day but how much is up to her. One day she may want to spend hours doing her workbooks but the next she may be done after 20 minutes. She did half of the let's draw and color book in one day. She really enjoyed that one!

We went yesterday and got two new workbooks. It took her a while to narrow down which ones she wanted. I limited her to two otherwise she probably would have asked for the whole shelf.

One last thing before I end this post. I thought I would share the spot where we sit to do her books. It's just a regular kids table in the kitchen but it has good natural lighting for most of the day. Eventually I may move it to a spot where I can include a bulletin board but for now it works.

I need to post another learning activity so I'll scope out pinterest for something fun to try next week. I already have our art project to share all picked out :)

More Blog Organizing and Updates

2012-01-14T13:05:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to get this blog organized a bit because even I am having a tough time finding some older posts and I posted them. There are over 400 posts to go through and label so I can sort them into various tabs. I have the posts separated in groups of 25 and there are 25 pages of about 25 posts....I'm only on page 4 of the 25 sets of 25 soooooo it's going to be a while. It's a bit tough because I started the blog as a project 325 so a lot of my posts are very random and don't just fit into one category hence my biggest tab of posts to be named Random DAY's. Off to finish organizing the old before I move on with the new. Exciting posts to come so stay tuned.