Confessions of a Newlywed

Dinner Is Served!

2013-03-27T23:16:00.001-05:00

I’ve been channeling my inner Pioneer Woman and cooking a lot lately. And by a lot I mean two to three times a week. I’ve found some really easy recipes on Pinterest and other websites so I thought I’d share. I’m always looking for something easy.

Crock Pot White Chicken Chili:

1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken
2 (15 ounce) cans navy beans
1 (15 ounce) can hominy or 1 (15 ounce) can white corn
1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope taco seasoning
1 (4 1/2 ounce) can of chopped green chilies
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream 4oz cream cheese
chopped green onion (optional)
monterey jack cheese (optional)

Directions:

Place chicken in crockpot – frozen is fine
Top with beans and corn.

In a medium bowl, combine taco seasoning, chiles, condensed soup, and chicken broth. Pour over top of ingredients in the crock pot.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Before serving, stir gently to break up chicken, then stir in the sour cream and cream cheese (if you’re not a cream cheese fan you can leave this out – it’s still really good).

Serve topped with green onions and jack cheese, if desired.

Crock Pot Pineapple Chicken:

2 pounds chicken breast /enders – throw ‘em in frozen! 1 cup pineapple juice 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup light soy sauce

Grease the bottom of your crock pot – I throw a couple chunks of butter in the bottom of mine – throw in your chicken. Mix the sauce up and poor on top. Cook on low 6-8 hrs or high 3-4 hrs and they should just fall apart.

I served this over brown rice and it was divine! Add a side of fried cabbage and it’s as if you slaved all day!

Fried Cabbage:

This recipe came from here.

2 tlbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
1 med. Onion, chopped course
1 stick of butter
1/2 LB raw bacon, chopped
1 head cabbage, med-lg, course chopped
Salt/Pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add onion & bacon. Cook until onion is tender & bacon starts browning & getting crisp. Add butter, cabbage and s/p. Stir to coat. Cover. Cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Cover. Check for tenderness of cabbage. Repeat until done and then remove from heat. Taste best warm!

This was amazing! Bert even ate some and he doesn’t eat cabbage. Please note I had to google how to chop cabbage because I’ve never cooked it before…

Cake Batter Rice Krispies:

3 Tbsp. butter 1 (10 oz.) bag of mini-marshmallows 1/3 cup yellow cake mix (the dry cake mix, not prepared into a batter!) 5 cups crispy rice cereal 1 (1.75 oz.) container of sprinkles

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until they begin to melt, adding in (dry) cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish (any size will do) and top with remaining sprinkles. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting.

You’ll never eat regular rice krispie treats again!

Happy cooking! Feel free to leave me any fabulous recipes you love!

Blog Sale

2013-03-13T22:16:00.001-05:00

I feel like a baby clothes hoarder, so I figured now would be a good time to get rid of some of Turner Mc’s clothes.

I will number each item and list the price and condition of each item. Shipping will be $2 for the 1st item & $1 for each additional item.

If you’d like to purchase anything e-mail me at:

brittanydenton@gmail.com

I will send an invoice through PayPal and will ship within 2 days of payment.

1 – Royal Child Smocked Dress 12m - good condition $10

2 – Mud Pie Chickst Longall 18-24M - worn twice – $13

~~3 – Crab Romper 12M good condition – $10~~ SOLD

~~4 – Mud Pie Circus Dress 12-18M – never worn – $15~~ SOLD

5 – Ralph Lauren dress w/bloomers 6M never worn – $12

6 – Mud Pie Shirt and ruffle capris 12-18M – good condition – $12

7 – Old Navy Dress w/Bloomers 6-12M good condition – $8

8 – Old Navy Overall Dress w/Bloomers 6-12M excellent condition – $10

9 – Ralph Lauren Dress w/Bloomers 9M excellent condition – $12

10 – Gap Romper 12-18M good condition – $8

~~11 – White Sun San sandals Toddler size 5 – good condition – $12~~ SOLD

~~12- Lime Green Sun San Sandals Toddler Size 5 – EUC – $15~~ SOLD

~~13 – White Sun San Sandals Toddler Size 3 – good condition – $10~~ SOLD

~~14 – Crocs Mary Janes Toddler 5 – good condition – $8~~ SOLD

15 – Crocs Mary Janes Toddler 5 – great condition – $8

16 – Joe Boxer Swimsuit 12M – EUC – $5

~~19 – Circo Swimsuit 12M – EUC – $6~~ SOLD

20 – Fish Swimsuit 12M – good condition – $5

~~21 – Boutique Swimsuit 12M – EUC – $10~~ SOLD

If you have any questions please email me! Thanks for stopping by!!

Turner Mc’s Birth Story Flashback!

2013-03-10T09:42:00.001-05:00

I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since I gave birth to my little princess! In honor of her big day, I decided to repost her birth story so I can remember how the day went down, and all you fabulous people can reminisce with me!

Part 1:

Thursday March 10, 2011:

This is my last pregnant picture. 39 weeks and 5 days!

Let me start by saying I had an amazing birth experience with very few complications. Being induced worked amazingly well for us but that’s not always the case. We were beyond blessed to have such an awesome experience with everything going better than planned – for the most part.

I woke up Thursday morning around 3:30. I couldn’t sleep. This is the day I will finally meet my baby! The day I will no longer be pregnant – thank God! We had to be at the hospital at 6:30 and there was so much I felt I needed to do. I showered and dried my hair and put on makeup – a luxury of being induced! I had plenty of time to make myself feel pretty. (I wish you could see me now! I do good to bathe every day!) We got everything ready, got the car packed and in true Denton fashion we pulled out of the driveway at 6:30. Let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be our birth story if we weren’t late.

Berty made it to the hospital in record time and we were checked in and ready to go by 6:45. Once in the room I got to pee in a cup because when you’re pregnant people are obsessed with your pee. You can’t go anywhere without giving someone a specimen! The cups at the hospital are larger than the shot glasses you pee in at the doc so I’m pretty sure I didn’t pee on myself. The nurse started my iv – which hurt like hell, strapped on the fetal and contraction monitors, and we waited for the doc to come break my water.

Dr. Smith came in at 7:30 to break my water and get the party started! I was 3cm at this point. Now, it took 40 forevers for him to break my water. Apparently I had a “tough” bag. This part wasn’t that bad just a lot of pressure and lots of things shoved all up in my business. The instrument used to break your water is a standard crochet hook – seriously. It took about 5 minutes for my bag to finally break and once it did the doc left and homegirl’s heart rate dropped from the 130’s to the 70’s and then – nothing. While JP and my nurse made nurse faces at each other and tried to pretend like everything was hunky dory, I freaked. They finally located her heart rate and I had to lay super still to make sure she was going to be okay.

Moving on from the dramatics….

This is after he broke my water and right when the Pitocin was started – obviously before the contractions became intense.

Last photo as a family of 2 – minus the fur children of course!

The early morning was pretty uneventful. Contractions started getting stronger soon after the Pitocin was started but they really weren’t that bad – at first. I knew I wanted an epidural and because I was 3cm when I got there, they told me I could have my epidural as soon as I wanted it. I was ~~a little~~ scared sh*tless of the epidural so I wanted to hold off as long as I could.

The doc came in and checked me again around 11 and I was 4 cm. They offered my some iv pain meds and I was afraid it would effect the baby so I declined – until I had an awesome contraction and I decided that TM probably wouldn’t mind being doped up to help her momma out!

Before Stadol:

After Stadol:

The pain meds took the edge off and I enjoyed socializing with all my visitors and trying to rest for the last time – ever. No really.

Aunt Courter, my mom, and Aunt Nini – my SIL

We had lots of friends and family come by throughout the day and I felt pretty good for the hour or so following the pain meds! I could feel the contractions getting stronger and I ~~grew some balls~~ finally asked for my epidural. The last 2 contractions that I felt were ridiculous. The worst pain I have ever felt. We need to take a moment to recognize those who labor without any meds, like none. You rock! There’s no way in hell I would have survived. I was in tears by the time the doc came in with the goods!

I was at 5cm when I got my epidural at around 1. Half-way there! And the epidural was not bad at all. The shot you get before they put the epidural in is really not that bad. The worst part is trying to be still through the contractions. It took maybe 5 minutes total for him to put it in. 15 minutes later I was feeling nothing and it was amazing!

This amazing feeling lasted about an hour and we partied it up in our room with lots of our favorite peeps!

Me and my daddy!

Check back for part 2 of the story – I need to try and sleep while TM is actually sleeping!

Part 2:

It is super important to mention that I got a spray tan the day before I gave birth. I cannot believe I forgot to share this info with y’all! Feel free to make fun but I was in desperate need of a tan and I didn’t want to scare TM with my pasty-ness.

Moving along….I got the epidural and all was unicorns and rainbows blah blah blah.

We need to revisit contractions. I had people tell me that contractions feel like period cramps. Ummm not sure what kind of hellacious period you have but my period cramps usually don’t feel like death. Get an epidural people. It will change your life!

So after the epi all my lovely friends and fam rejoined us. There were at least 79 people in the room and I felt great for a little while. All of a sudden I felt the worst pressure you can imagine. Shall we have graphic detail? Yes?! Of course. I felt like my butt was going to explode. Surely this is not normal…..I tried whispering to my nurse to let her know I needed to push or my butt was exploding. Since this was my first rodeo I wasn’t really sure which was correct.

She went in search of the doc while everyone socialized around me and I died a slow and painful death of anal pressure. A little before 2 the doc came in and checked me and it was go time! 10cm. Woo Hoo!!! (He then oh so conveniently left and I had to rely on my husband to keep me alive! – okay there was a nurse there too – and my mommas!)

I started pushing right around 2. Dude pushing out a kid is hard! Extremely hard. And you have to hold your breath and push for 30 seconds and it seems like 30 hours. Seriously. Apparently TM wasn’t in a hurry to make her appearance because it took 40 forevers or a little over an hour for her head to “crown.” Y’all it felt like I pushed for days before they could see her head. And I know this will be hard to believe but I didn’t say not ONE ugly word while I was pushing! Yay me!!!

The doc came down around 3 because they thought I was oh so close to delivering. Sike! I could not get homegirl’s head out. It was horrible. I think they told me “ONE MORE PUSH” at least 37 times. I thought I was going to die. For real. Finally at 3:38 Turner McCartney arrived! With the cord around her neck, and a knot in her cord. WTH? I couldn’t see what they saw so I was freaking when I heard the nurse say she has a knot. The doc suctioned her and she started screaming! Apparently the knot had just happened that morning and didn’t cause any problems.

I LOVE this picture!!!

Now once TM was out I felt great. Until I realized I had experienced complete vag destruction – three cuts with the kitchen scissors - and I had to be sewn up. And for some crazy reason I started to feel the doc stitching me up. It was horrible! And the needle was, I swear, a fish hook. No lie. Looked just like one. I survived having my taint sewn back together and I got to finally hold my beautiful baby girl! Best moment ever!

I need to give props to LG who had to push out a nearly 10 lb baby Fenn! I cannot imagine!

Our first family photo!

So that concludes the birth story. I’m finally feeling like I can function normally again and I will try to blog more often! I would love to answer any questions or humor you in any way so please feel free to ask me anything you want to know!

Thanks for hanging in there with us! I can’t believe we survived!

What CRNA school has taught me…

2013-02-11T05:30:00.000-06:00

There’s been a lot of learnin’ going on at the Denton household these past few months. While Bert’s been learning nerdy smarty-pants stuff, I’ve been learning hardcore life lessons. And let me tell y’all, it’s been rough.

Let’s start with a cute little stereotype. Nerdy CRNA schools girls. While I see my husband approximately 10-12 hours a week, he spends a good 40 with his fellow classmates. Some of these classmates happen to be girls. This is what I expected the girls to look like…

And unfortunately for me, this is what they actually look like…

So yeah. There’s that.

Then there’s the unfortunate case of the poors. Since Berty spends all his time with hot nerdy girls there’s barely any time for him to work. That just leaves me, and, well we all know how that goes. I’m probably the least motivated gal around so we’re stuck being poor. Yay for making sacrifices for the fam! And just FYI, it’s hard to be poor and live on a budget when you’re always hungry and you ~~love to eat out~~ hate to cook.

All this studying the hubs is doing gives me a lot of alone time with TM. And in case you were wondering, I’d never survive as a single mom. I’m way too dramatic! I have a pity party at least 4 times a week. I just can’t deal with the overly dramatic, unable to obey, toddler stage. It’s going to put me in an early grave.

This is what I have to deal with folks…

And this is what we like to call hardcore discipline. Feel free to contact me for all you’re parenting advice. I’m what you would call a “pro.”

In other news, I’m having my tubes tied this week. Okay, not really but let’s face the facts – I’ve considered it.

So grad school is really testing my marriage. And my patience. And my nerves. And we have 21 months left. Will we survive? Or more selfishly – will I survive?! I’m sure I will. I just need to put my big girl panties on and head to the kitchen. And drag my toddler, kicking and screaming, with me.

That One Time…

2013-02-08T05:30:00.000-06:00

…my hubs and his BFF cut down a tree. In my front yard. In a neighborhood. In the city. Not out in the country, away from civilization and neighbors.

It took 6 hours. It was a small cedar tree. I had to postpone my date with MK to Sam’s and we missed out on all the free food vendors so I actually had to cook dinner. I was pissed.

I should have known it was going to be rough when they had to leave to go find a bigger chainsaw. Here’s the crew.

My hubs on the left. MK’s hubs on the right. With the chainsaw. Please take note of the “rope” they tied to the tree to keep control once it was cut down. As one facebooker commented, “It’s okay. That kite string should be able to control that tree.”

Y’all this was probably the most stressful thing I’ve dealt with since pushing a baby out of my hoo-hah. True story. By the time they had the right chainsaw it was dark and raining. I tried to video but unfortunately you can’t see anything. You can only hear my ridiculously southern voice pleading for them not to destroy the neighbors house.

Clay cut the tree and John Paul was the official tree puller downer. Yeah so you can imagine how that went down. Not at all actually. The tree slid right off the trunk and stood straight up in the driveway. Beats all I’ve ever seen. My concern was no longer destroying the neighbors house but our tree crashing through the power lines and knocking out the power of the entire street. I mean we’re already pushing it with our neighbors. How would I explain this one??

Never fear! The guys came up with a brilliant plan. As I stand at the door trying to explain to MK, over the phone, the exact happenings, I see our lovely spouses getting in their respective vehicles and driving off. Where are they going??! Wait! They’re back. What’s going on now you ask? Oh they’re just tying the rope (that’s attached to the tree) to the trailer hitch on Clay’s truck. Yes, that’s right. They’ll just pull the tree down with a vehicle. This seems like a fabulous idea.

I’m happy to say that the tree fell over in the driveway, clear of all houses and power lines. Clay’s truck survived and so did my marriage.

Do not try this at home. Trust me! Next time I need a tree cut down I’ll consult the yellow pages.

Alabama Snow

2013-02-01T05:45:00.000-06:00

Y’all it snowed in Tuscaloosa! Like legit snow. Not just flurries! It was amazeballs!

It never snows here so when it happens the whole town shuts down. Thanks to this beautiful snow I got to leave work early and go home and play, and hubs got to head home in the blizzard!

TM loved the snow! Her primary focus was eating as much as she could. She has this slight addiction to eating ice and I think she thought this was just one big ice maker.

We thoroughly enjoyed playing in the snow for the hour that it lasted. I haven’t seen this much snow in years and Turner Mc was super sad when it all melted.

I’m glad we got to see snow and now I’m over winter. I’m ready for beach trips and fun in the ridiculously hot, humid sun! Bring it on!

What’s been going down

2013-01-31T05:00:00.000-06:00

So what’s been going on with the Denton’s during my ridiculously long blog hiatus? Let’s see if I can remember everything that’s gone down…

1st and foremost, my Baby Daddy finished his 1st semester of CRNA school (with a 4.0!) and is currently rocking out his 2nd semester. – I really wish I had a first day of school picture to insert here. How awesome would that be??

Turner Mc started gymnastics and it’s absolutely the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!

I’ve come to greatly respect single moms because seriously, TM pushes me to my limits daily and some nights I’m afraid I won’t survive.

I convinced John Paul to let me foster 2 puppies.

I’m still working 4 days a week and hanging out with TM on Wednesdays. All day.

I dyed my hair black. Because I was bored.

I mailed out my Christmas cards before Christmas!

Ornaments Of Joy Christmas Card

Customize your Christmas cards this year at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

It snowed in Alabama. Like legit for real make a snowman kind of snow.

That’s all I can remember for now. We’re a pretty boring family. I’m working on reading blogs and getting caught up on y’alls lives!

Blog Withdrawals

2013-01-27T11:05:00.001-06:00

I miss this! I totally miss blogging and all my bloggy friends. It’s time to seriously get back into it! Also, I really can’t keep up with what’s going on with everyone and honestly, without blogging I really can’t remember all the genius things Turner Mc has been doing.

I think it’s time for a blog makeover. I need a new title and let’s face it, some updated pictures. While I would love to pretend that I look just as fabulous today (and everyday for that matter) as I did on my wedding day, I just don’t. In fact that looks nothing like me. John Paul has lost about 20 pounds and I’ve lost all my boobs. So updated less attractive pictures are coming your way! Get excited! Oh! And considering my child is quickly approaching her 2nd birthday, I think it’s time to include some pics of her on the ole blog header, you know since I’m such a fabulous mom! So hang in there with me while I figure out what kind of makeover I’m going to do, and while I decide on a new name for this here blog. I’m thinking I’m no longer a newlywed. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

In case you’ve forgotten what we look like, here’s the Denton fam in all our ~~fabulousness!~~ fine! We’re a hot mess.

I miss y’all and I need blogging in my life! Hold me accountable and let’s make this happen! Love!

The Color Run!

2012-10-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Y’all I survived! Barely. I felt ~~amazing~~ alive during the run – let’s be honest, I walked most of the way – however, the days following were a little touch and go. It became slightly difficult to walk but that’s not important. We had so much fun and it was nice to actually spend time with John Paul for a change.

Pre run sexiness…

Don’t be jealous of our hotness.

Let’s talk about the hubs for a moment. I think he was under the false impression that we were actually going to run. It was cute really. When it was our turn to start I did indeed run, you know so I would look legit. Every few minutes the hubs would ask every so politely, “You wanna run now?” And I would reply, “No thanks!”

I was so excited each time we reached a new color because I knew I was 1 kilometer closer to getting some food. I was all kinds of hungry by the time it was over.

My running partner post run…

We survived. We finished and we weren’t last. I call that a success! So if you never exercise, your favorite activity is eating, and you’re thinking of doing the Color Run, go for it! You can (and totally should) do it! Thanks friends for the support and encouragement! I feel accomplished!

So What Wednesday

2012-10-24T15:29:00.001-05:00

So what if….

I suck at blogging! I love it and I’m really seriously trying to get back into it. For real this time. Seriously.
I’m such a wuss and I skipped church Sunday because I didn’t want to leave Turner McCartney screaming in the nursery. I’ll grow a pair one day…maybe.
My hubs isn’t working much and I’m still holding a part time status. We’re poor but we’re making it work!
It’s 100 degrees in the house and I’m reluctant to turn the air on. Power is expensive yo!
Turner Mc has nutella for breakfast more that I’d like to admit. Hey at least she’s eating. And it’s good for you, right?!.
I’m playing a single mom these days and I kinda suck at it.

That’s all I’ve got this week!

Run Forrest Run!!!

2012-10-01T00:39:00.001-05:00

Y’all I have lost my mind! I signed the hubs and myself up for a 5k. Yes, you read that right! A 5k. As in 3.1 miles of “running” as if in some sort of race. I mean let’s be honest. We all know I don’t run. The last time I actually ran and didn’t die was cheerleading practice my junior year of high school….10 years ago.

What the hell was I thinking??!! I mean the most exercise I get is sprinting from the couch to the microwave to get my pizza rolls before they get cold. So how am I going to pull this off without completely embarrassing myself? Luckily the run seems to be pretty laid back and walkers are totally accepted. But honestly I’m not so sure I can walk 3.1 miles and not hyperventilate. It’s going to be interesting to say the least. I think we will have a blast but let’s just hope we all survive. John Paul thinks he’s a super star athlete but he hasn’t exercised in a looong time. I mean he can’t be all buff while I veg out constantly, therefore I try my best to pull him down with me! We’ll see how it goes and I’ll definitely keep y’all posted on the outcome. If you never hear from me again then you can assume I didn’t survive.

The run is in 5 days. FIVE days! Any tips on how to prepare for a 5k in 1 week? Let me know!

Turner Mc’s 1st Birthday

2012-09-04T05:30:00.000-05:00

Almost 6 months ago my baby girl turned 1. And 6 months later I’m posting her party pics. Because I’m an awesome mom! Yay me!!

All good parties need a theme. And when it came time to decide on one, I was struck with brilliance. I had a fabulous idea. I called Bert to inform him of my fantabulous party idea and he shot it down. Why you ask? Because he thought I was taking it too far. The theme?? The Beatles. You know they have that cute little album with the “1” and I was all, “she’s turning one and the cd cover has a one on it and it’s destiny.” And he was all, “people are going to think we’re crazy and over the top and taking it too far.” And I was all, “ her name is Turner MCCARTNEY.” And so it was decided. :)

Now we had the theme (and a cd cover) and I needed to make it happen. I googled Beatles birthday party and low and behold!! It had been done. So I did what any good party planner would do and I copied most everything this awesome mom did.

Now I’ll overload you with pics!

SIL constructed the cute “yellow submarines” out of twinkies and mini m&ms. I loved the way her cake turned out!

I made the fabulous banner all on my own! There was also another piece that said Turner McCartney but apparently I didn’t find it necessary to photograph that part. *This only took approximately 73.8 hours to finish – I’m slightly challenged in the craft department.*

I totally ripped off most of the menu items but a couple are Denton originals.

I was a total hot mess at the party because I was literally hanging decorations as people were walking in the door. *Can I please take this moment to say, as someone who is chronically late, I’m really peeved by people who are early. Especially to any event I am hosting. Please note that I realize this is ridiculous but it is what it is.*

TM enjoyed opening presents for all of 3.2 minutes.

Overall her first birthday was a success. And if crafting is going to be involved I need to get started on her next party now. So if you have any fabulous ideas I can rip off please let me know! I included the link for the “inspiration” for this awesome party. Please don’t look at it as it will make my party look pathetic!

Love y’all!

Party Inspiration

Baby Got Back

2012-08-27T05:30:00.000-05:00

Okay so not a lot of back but I don’t have a lot to work with these days. The post baby body was something that I never really thought about until I was super pregnant. I’ve always been small so I wasn’t too concerned about what my body would look like after being pregnant for basically 10 months. So let’s get to it.

*I’m almost 18 months post partum and I’m just now sharing this. Oh well, it is what it is!*

I’m pretty sure that I thought immediately after birthing Turner Mc that my tummy would be flat. I was not so much prepared to still look 6 months pregnant. Once my epidural wore off I had to go see what I looked like, and take pictures of course! Consider yourselves warned.

Check out my linea nigra on the second picture. Sexy!! I will say that my crooked dark line is almost completely gone - ummmmm a year and a half later. I share these terrifying photos with you so that if you’re knocked up and have no clue what to expect post baby you can now have nightmares, and maybe be better prepared. No need to thank me!

Let’s move on….I will say that I dropped my baby weight fairly quickly. *Please note that I am way too lazy to exercise and any weight I lost was a direct result of exclusively breastfeeding and my inability to find the time to eat.* I was looking a little malnourished towards the end of my almost 14 months of nursing – I lost all my baby weight plus an additional 10 pounds. It was a little unfortunate.

After Turner Mc completely drained me and finally decided she was over nursing I got a good idea of what my new body was going to look like. Picture with me if you will….me with deflated boobs. Awesome huh?! So I really didn’t want this to turn in to a boob post but alas! It has. I gained a cup size and lost 3. How does that happen you ask?! Well it’s simple. You nurse for 13.8 months. I see a little plastic surgery in my future. So if you see a picture of me and think “Wow! I wonder if Brittany got her boobs done?” then I probably did. But if it’s in the next 3 years I’ve just discovered an awesome push up bra.

So other than the unfortunate boob situation I will have to say that for the most part I am “back to normal.” If there is such a thing. I have a few stretch marks on my thighs (and boobs of course), and my belly is a little wrinkly – it’s weird. Not flabby but not tight, just wrinkly.

So there you have it. The post baby body of Brittany. How did you survive 18 months without this information? No need to thank me. I enjoy sharing all this ridiculously embarrassing information with y’all!

Catching Up

2012-07-30T05:00:00.000-05:00

So what’s been going on with us since the last time I sat down to write a blog post??? Let me give you a brief update.

Turner McCartney turned 11 Months…

Then we celebrated her 1st birthday! (full birthday post to follow)

Easter came next…

We did a little landscaping and laid some sod and planted a garden. These 2 points deserve a post all their own. Trust me!

John Paul interviewed and was accepted into the Nurse Anesthesia program at UAB. Woo Hoo!!! I’m so proud of my hubs. He has worked so hard to get into this program and we couldn’t be more excited. (unfortunately I don’t have a picture of John Paul with an excited face – womp womp)

That about sums up the major points that I need to catch y’all up on. I’ll be blogging about some stuff in more detail. Thanks for sticking with me! Y’all are the best!

Back to Blogging

2012-07-09T23:42:00.001-05:00

Wow! I don’t even want to look back and see the last time I blogged. It’s been forever. I put blogging on the back burner because honestly, I couldn’t find the time. By the time TM decides to go to sleep I‘m so drained that I just didn’t make the time to sit down and blog.

I miss it so much! I really want to document what’s been going on in our lives and I seriously need a place to vent. I’m pretty sure Bert is tired of listening to all my issues and pretending to be interested in what I have to say. So this is my official re-entry into Blog Land, where I post all my problems for all the world to see – okay maybe just the few followers I have left! I love you guys and I miss keeping up with everyone!

So consider yourself warned. Expect random blog posts to show up in your feed about things that no longer pertain to my life. I’ll be editing and posting some drafts that have been patiently waiting to be shared with y’all and I’ll be catching up on everything that’s been going on in the Denton home.

In case you’ve forgotten us here’s a recent pic of the fam jam!

Flashback.....

2012-03-12T19:08:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe my baby girl is a year old! I am super sad. She is growing up so fast. I'm working on catching up on blogging but Turner Mc broke our laptop and now the screen randomly falls off and it's hard to keep it on. So I'm trying to blog at my parents house.

Since she's a year old I thought I would re-post the birth story so we can all relive the day she was born. Yay us!!! :)

Part 1 and Part 2

Thanks for sticking with me! I love you guys!!

Turner Mc–10 Months

2012-02-29T23:30:00.001-06:00

January 10th – 10 months old……

It’s crazy how fast time goes by. And how uninterested TM was with having her picture made.

She’s more interested in standing up and cruising around holding on to things and walking all over the house.

Weight: 16.5 lbs

Height: 27 inches

Clothing Size: Mostly 9 months clothes. She has a teeny butt and a lot of the pants are too big in the waist.

Diapers: size 2

Feeding: Her appetite has gotten so much better. She’s starting to eat a lot more and she’s not nearly as picky as she was. She still loves her some mac & cheese. Cheerios, fruit loops, bananas are also favs.

She’s nursing 3 or 4 times a day and taking formula on occasion.

Hair/Eyes: Blue eyes. Dark strawberry blonde hair.

Sleep: She’s sleeping mostly through the night. Other than when she’s been teething, she sleeps great. It hasn’t been hard to get her to sleep so that’s been great.

Naps are getting better too. She naps in the morning for about 2 hours and another hour or so nap in the late afternoon.

Favorites: She loves looking at herself in the mirror. She’s still loving books and bath time; her paci, the dogs, her activity table, and she’s starting to notice her baby dolls.

Fun stuff: Turner Mc is starting to take a couple steps. She’ll walk maybe 2 steps and then fall into your arms or sit down and crawl. And lets talk about her teeth. She got the top 2 and maybe a week later she got 2 more on top. It was crazy fast!

She’s starting to talk a lot more. She says Dayne, no-no, mama, da da, nan nan and kitty. She’s all about giving love. I can tell her to give her baby love and she opens her mouth wide and slobbers all over it!

She’s so much fun and she’s hilarious!

Turner Mc–9 Months

2012-02-07T21:49:00.001-06:00

December 10th – 9 months…..

Weight: 15.15 pounds – she’s in the 5th percentile for her weight

Height: 27 inches – 50th percentile for height

Clothing Size: still wearing some 6 months clothes and starting to fit in some 9 month stuff

Diapers: size 2

Feeding: Let’s see….what does my child eat? Puffs and prunes. The end. Oh and of course milkies! Our pediatrician encouraged us to start feeding TM whatever we are eating as long as it’s soft. Since she’s so picky and she hasn’t gained much weight we are trying everything. She lives on prunes, puffs, and mac & cheese.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are bright blue and her hair is a little thicker and darker to me.

Sleep: Sleep is the best it’s been. I’m finally starting to feel normal again!

Naps are a struggle but she’s starting to get on a schedule and it seems to be helping.

Favorites: The child LOVES books. She’s still loving bath time, her daddy, the dogs and cats. She’s really in to giving love and screaming loudly any chance she gets! She also loves brushing her teeth and doing anything I tell her not to do.

Fun stuff: She’s crawling all over the place! It’s so much fun to watch! She’s pulling up on everything and now that she’s mobile I never get any rest. I say “no-no” at least 737 times a day.

She’s working on some new teeth – the top two – so that’s fun.

That completes our 9 months…..I’m almost caught up y’all!! Thanks for being awesome readers and hanging around. You rock!!

Turner McCartney–8 Months

2012-02-01T23:45:00.001-06:00

Whoops! You guessed it! I’m still waaay behind on posting these updates. I take the pictures and jot down the things I need to remember and then, nothing. I’m going to post her 8th and 9th month updates and then do her 10 month post before she turns 11 months on the 10th. Pinky promise!!!

Picture taking has become interesting. At this point she no longer cares to smile or cooperate.

Weight: 15.5 pounds

Height: 26 inches

Clothing Size: 6 month clothes and some 9 month pjs

Diapers: Still in a size 2

Feeding: Eating lots of baby food and puffs and nursing 3-4 times a day.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are bright blue and her hair is a little thicker and darker to me.

Sleep: She’s sleeping through the night for the most part. Aside from a few teething issues sleep has been great!

Her naps are getting better and I’m learning the hard way that we need a schedule. And I am not the schedule kinda mom.

Favorites: Turner Mc is loving her daddy. A major daddy phase is going on. She also loves her paci, the dogs (especially Dayne), and the cats. She’s addicted to baby crack, I mean puffs.

Fun stuff: She crawls!! My kid can totally crawl! And she has TWO teeth! It seems like she just woke up with them one day. She was fussy for maybe a week. It wasn’t bad at all.

She’s extremely vocal and loves to scream and shriek as loud as she can. She says mama and da da and she’s been perfecting her Vietnamese. She’s the most fun and her personality is awesome!

Oh yeah….remember Thanksgiving?!? She was 8 months back then.

And seriously, I love y’all!

Baby Food Makin’–Part Dos

2012-01-10T12:01:00.001-06:00

Part 1

I wanted to go in to a little more detail with the baby food making process. (per Meagan’s request) It has worked great for us and I want to make it an easy process for y’all if you’re interested in making your babe’s food. And seriously this is so against my personality. But with the baby came this intense desire to be semi crunchy and I’m rolling with it!

When we can afford it I try to buy organic. Anything with a thick peel or skin I don’t worry about. If you’re going to peel it, then I don’t see the need to be neurotic about buying organic. I try to get organic carrots and peas and things that aren’t peeled. Please note that the hubs quite possibly finds this obnoxious. Whatever.

I thought I would list some popular baby foods and tell you how I prepared them.

Sweet Potato: I find it easiest to boil the sweet potato. I’ve boiled it whole with the skin on – it’s easier to peel once it’s boiled. If you’re trying to save time you can peel the potato and cube it then boil. I would say boil for 30 minutes or until tender. You can also bake the potato for 1 – 1.5 hours.

Apple: I have steamed apples and boiled them. Either way works fine. Peeling the apple first seems to be easier. You can go ahead and cut up the apple to make things faster.

Carrot: Carrots take FOREVER to cook. I like to boil them until they’re tender. When you’re pureeing it takes a lot of added water to make a smooth puree.

Peas: I buy frozen organic sweet peas. The best way to prepare these is to steam them. I use a steamer insert in a boiler on the stove. You can buy the microwave steamer bags but we are a little anti-microwave at our house. Peas don’t take long to steam. You’ll need to add some water to get your puree smooth.

Squash & Zucchini: Boiled is the easiest way to prepare veggies like this. Just boil until tender. These veggies hold a lot of water so the puree can be watery. You can also cut it up and steam it.

Pear: Steam your pear until tender.

Blueberries: Frozen or fresh blueberries can be covered with water and boiled for about 5 minutes. TM loves her some blueberries.

Butternut Squash: This cooks best in the oven. Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Put the squash cut side down in a Pyrex dish. Fill the pan with a half inch of water and bake at 350* for 45 minutes to an hour. This makes a great puree.

Peaches: I steamed both fresh peaches and frozen peaches and both worked great.

Prunes: I bought dried prunes and pureed them with some water. TM loves prunes. The puree is pretty thick so I would wait until your babe is ready for stage 2 foods.

The secret to making baby food is finding what works best for you. It can be time consuming but it saves money and you can control what your baby eats. Just make sure whatever you’re cooking is tender and you’ll be fine. If you have any questions just leave me a comment or send me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to help you out.

Turner Mc–7 Months

2011-12-26T23:31:00.001-06:00

So waaaay back in October my little chick pea turned 7 months! Yeah I know.

Weight: 14.5 pounds

Height: 25.5 inches

Clothing Size: 6 months

Diapers: Still in a size 2

Feeding: We are full on baby food now and nursing or bottle 3-4 times a day.

Hair/Eyes: Bright blue eyes and her hair doesn’t look as red to me anymore. It’s still blonde but a little darker in my opinion.

Sleep: Who knows. At this point I don’t know how often we get up or what goes on in the middle of the night.

Naps are touch and go and I swear if the kid didn’t look just like her daddy I’d think she were someone else’s child. He can sleep like no other, but the baby??? She doesn’t need sleep.

Favorites: She loves her walker and will go all over the place in that thing. She loves the dogs and has a new infatuation with the cats. She’s very vocal and loves to scream and shriek as loud as she can. Bath time is still so much fun and she loves playing with the cell phone.

Fun stuff: No crawling and no teeth. It’s crazy! She gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth and she can drag herself around now but no “crawling.” She’s finally figured out how to balance herself and she does awesome sitting up on her own without falling over.

She’s eating all kinds of pureed baby food and working on getting a couple teeth….I hope. She says mama and dada and a couple other foreign words. She does everything on her own time and will not repeat anything. It has to be her idea. I’m pretty sure she knows who we are but she isn’t calling us by name, just mumbling. Humor me and tell me that she says mama and dada and knows what she’s saying!

If you still actually read my blog then you are an awesome bloggy friend! I swear I’m trying to find some balance between mommyhood and normalcy. Work throws me off and I try to spend all my down time with Turner McCartney and John Paul. By the time she’s in bed for the night I’m a goner. I love you guys and if you’re still around let me know!

Baby Food Making

2011-11-28T05:59:00.000-06:00

I decided when I was preggo that I was going to make all of Turner McCartney’s food much to John Paul’s amusement. Let’s be honest…I’m super lazy and I rarely make my own food. But to everyone’s surprise I’ve been making baby food since TM started solids and it’s super fun! Yay!!!

I try to pick one day a week – usually Saturday or Sunday – to make all the food for the week. When we started at 6 months I was only feeding her solids once a day and waiting 3 or 4 days between new foods. Now at 8 months she’s eating 2-3 times a day so we go through a lot more baby food.

I use the baby bullet to make our food but you could use any food processor or blender or the baby cook if you have that.

The cute little batch cups with the smiley faces sold it for me! They have a little dial that you can turn to the date you made the food so you’ll know how long it’s good for. I keep prepared food in the fridge for 3 or 4 days and in the freezer for 1 month based on info in the cookbook that came with my baby bullet. Ice cube trays are great for freezing baby food and then transferring to a freezer bag for storage.

On the menu: peaches, apples, sweet peas, brown rice, carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes. I like to buy organic on things that aren’t peeled. And frozen versus canned peas because frozen peas contain no sodium. The fresh veggies are from our local farmers market. I LOVE shopping local and supporting our farmers!

I cook everything except avocado and bananas before turning it into baby food. I have a small steam basket that I use all the time. It fits in a medium pot and works perfectly for steaming food for the babe. I steam or boil just until the fruit or veggie is soft and I always leave the peel on while I cook it. I boiled the squash and sweet potato and steamed the carrots, peas, peaches, and apple. The brown rice you just mill to a fine powder and then cook with water later.

I’m still pureeing TM’s food to a smooth consistency because I’m terrified she will choke. This is what the finished product will look like. The peas are a little textured and the sweet potato makes the best puree. You can even bake it and then puree it.

The first foods we introduced were avocado followed by sweet potato and then bananas. She was not a fan of the avocado. So far she’s had apples, carrots, peas, peaches, squash, zucchini, blueberries, green beans, butternut squash, pears, prunes, and plums.

Most everything freezes well and keeps in the fridge. The only thing I make right before she eats is the banana. It turns brown pretty fast but I haven’t tried freezing it. Avocado also turns brown pretty fast but both these fruits can be mashed right before serving. I thaw the frozen food in the fridge the night before she needs it and I heat the food in a cup of hot water just like her milk.

So that’s how I make TM’s baby food. If you have any questions please let me know. I think making baby food is super fun and I love knowing exactly what she’s eating.

There are some things that I would love to know. Like when should I introduce meat?? And how can I get TM to eat like a champ?? She’s been refusing some of her fav veggies lately and really only eating fruit. Womp womp womp…..

6 Months in Pictures

2011-11-15T15:29:00.001-06:00

So Turner McCartney turned six months back in SEPTEMBER! Holy blog slacker. I really keep thinking that I’m starting to get a hang of this mommy deal and then we resort to waking up in the middle of the night or throwing tantrums and it’s like I have to start over.

So this is the part where I promise to blog and I attempt to hold myself to it and then I fail miserably….so blah blah blah…..

I’m just going to give a quick recap and post some ridiculously cute pictures of my kid!

At six months we are still not crawling, have no teeth, and basically the cutest baby ever. She’s eating some solids and still nursing all the time. Wearing 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. Sleep is really a topic I try to avoid.

Working Mom Woes

2011-09-29T05:50:00.000-05:00

I’m sure it’s no surprise. I would love to be a stay at home mom, but I can’t. I’m not gonna lie….I’m super jealous of all my bloggy and twitter friends who get to stay at home with their babes. I hope that in the next few years we will be in a position for me to work from home or even better, not have to work.

We could have waited a few years before having a baby but ya know we didn’t wanna. Luckily the hubs knew how important it was to me to spend as much time with Turner Mc as I could and we decided I would return to work part time. With the new job my schedule is super random and a little excessive at times but I’m very thankful for the extra time I have with TM.

Even though I’m only working part time I miss TM like crazy when I’m away. I’m constantly wondering what she’s doing – if she misses me, is she eating enough, is she fussy, what about her poop – seriously, is she spending time on her tummy – you know typical mom worries. I know she is in great hands either with her daddy or with our super awesome baby sitter who treats her like a princess but obviously I think I’m the most awesome baby taker carer or whatever.

Am I the only psychotic mom out there?? You know the one who freaks about everything…the soft spot. Choking. Smothering. I worry about her while she’s napping. Will they check on her often? Make sure she’s still breathing. Not let her cry because I hate crying. Just typical neurotic crazy mom.

The hardest part of being a working mom is the fear that I will miss something. A first word, the first time she crawls, the first time she walks. I had a serious talk with TM about not doing anything unless mommy is there to witness it. And if she does something with her daddy that I’ve never seen before, he totally gets her to do it when I get home and pretends it’s the first time she’s ever done it. :)

I love that I have friends – in real life and in the twitter world – who are also working moms. It makes it easier to deal with when you have someone who understands what it’s like. I feel guilty at times because I don’t know how TM feels when I leave her with someone else. Does she even care? Is she old enough to understand that I’m not there anymore? I dread the day that she cries when I leave her but I secretly long for it too. Sad but true. I want her to be happy when I leave her but not happier than when she’s with me. I know I’m crazy – it’s okay to let me know. I just feel like we have one chance to do this right and I’m so controlling that I have this need to be in control at all times.

I’m sure if I was a SAHM I would complain about needing a break – that’s just how it goes. But I do know that I wouldn’t trade the time I have with TM for anything in the world. Being a working mom is hard and it’s not even about trying to function after a sleepless night. It’s about trying to function when you’d rather be snuggling your baby.

Things I Miss About Pregnancy

2011-09-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe I just typed that! And I know y’all are shocked. There are a few things that I do miss about being preggers!

*My last preggo pic and you can see how awesome my housekeeping skills are you know based on the cleanliness of the mirror……

If you are currently pregnant or are thinking of becoming pregnant these are the things you should totally take advantage of:

pie – I ate an entire pie a day. And now that I’m not pregnant I can no longer consume an entire pie daily….without people thinking I’m crazy. At least when you’re pregnant no one will say anything to you!
bitching – when you’re pregnant you can get away with being totally rude. Just blame it on the hormones. People are more forgiving when you are pregnant. Not so much once the baby arrives.
sleep – there’s no sleeping once you birth the kid. For the love of all things holy - sleep people! Seriously, quit your job and stay in bed the entire 9+ months. Leave only to get more pie and to pee!
making the hubs do things for you – I could get my husband to do lots more for me while I was pregnant – not much but more than now. :) You are totally helpless while pregnant (at least I was) and I still don’t know how y’all care for a child while pregnant…..
presents – yes I’m a horrible person and I miss getting presents. I could use a baby shower right about now….diapers are expensive!
sanity – you think pregnancy brain is bad. Just wait till you meet 3-hours-of-sleep-brain.

I honestly have a hard time remembering what it feels like to be pregnant. I miss feeling the first flutters and those lovely kicks in the ribs. And the dancing on the bladder. However, I do not miss peeing on myself even though I must admit that doesn’t completely go away post pregnancy….just a warning.