9 Month Check Up

19lbs 5 oz (67th percentile)

27 1/2 inches long (40th percentile, probably gonna be short like her mama..)

 

2 shots (Flu & Pneumococcal)

 

We saw a new pediatrician and loved her!  Dr. G. said everything looks and is going great!



Baby Steps

Guess who is taking steps? 

 

 

That's right... my big girl!

 

(I keep trying to get a picture of  her standing, but she always lunges at me so they are really blurry)

 

Each day she is adding more and more... with a total of four steps yesterday!

 

I wouldn't officially say "walking" because it is more like "stumbling."

 

Take a step...flail her arms... wobble... catch her balance... take another step.

 

She is persistent, and it is amazing to watch.

 

I am so proud!

 

Also... she is saying "mama." Finally! After months and months of me trying to get her to say it she finally is saying it around me.  She would say it in front of everyone else but me.

Freezer Meals

A couple of weeks ago I put up several meals.  I have been meaning for a while now to blog about my experience, but haven't been able to get around to it.  Let me be a little honest too... it was kinda a chaotic (and expensive!) experience, so I have been hesitant to post about it.  Haha!

I have a friend who did her freezer meals and she did all of her hamburger recipes one day and then her chicken ones on another.  I would highly recommend doing that!  I tried to do it all at one time and ended up spending a day and a half in the kitchen !  One good thing though, I am finished with freezer meals for several months!  Our freezer is stocked up!

I didn't want to use freezer meals for every night.  Mostly on the days I couldn't make it to the grocery store that week or on the days I am working.  After all that hard work, I am kinda stingy with them!  I don't use them unless I absolutely have to!  (I don't know why I think like that, food is food and I can make more??)

I put up a stock pot of taco soup, 3 lasagnas, 3 teriyaki chicken, 3 baked spaghetti, chicken stock, shredded chicken, 3 roast beef (with carrots and potatoes), and 3 chicken pot pies.  Whew!

The recipe for the teriyaki chicken and chicken stock I got off of Pinterest (I LOVELOVELOVE me some Pinterest!).  You can find the recipe here.  The chicken stock has very good flavor and has come in handy for many things: chicken & dumplings, chicken & rice, soups, etc.

I will share my recipes for my baked spaghetti, lasagna, and taco soup on this blog post along with a grocery list.

Grocery List

5-6 lbs of hamburger meat
1 pack of spaghetti noodles

1 pack of Oven Ready lasagna noodles by Barilla

Ricotta Cheese

Shredded Parmesan, Mozarella and Cheddar Cheese

1 extra large jar of spaghetti sauce of your choice
2 cans of mushrooms (optional)

Italian spices (I like McCormick)
1 can Black beans

2 cans Red Kidney Beans

2 cans Kernel Corn

2 packets Taco Seasoning

2 packets Ranch Powder

3 cans of Rotel

3 cans Tomatoe sauce/paste
 

6 8x8 tin foil containers (these are perfect for me and Matt, usually allowing large portions for both with enough left over for lunch the next day!)
 

Soup containers (size of your choice, at least 3 of the bigger ones, or you can use small containers for one person meals)

 

 

Recipes

First, brown your ground hamburger in a large skillet, then divide it into three equal parts for each recipe.

-I went ahead and simmered my portions of hamburger meat (approx 3-4 pounds) with the large jar of spaghetti sauce and 2 cans of mushrooms(optional)

 

Lasagna

*I use the recipe on the back of the noodle box except I don't make quite as many layers (I can never seem to fit as many layers as the recipe calls for in my pans).
-Grease bottom of pan
-Spread approximately 3/4 cup of meat sauce on bottom of pan
-Spread out uncooked lasagna noodles
-Spread ricotta cheese/egg/spice mixture over the noodles (Mix the container of ricotta cheese with one egg and a tsp or so of Italian spices)
-Cover with thin layer of meat sauce
-Sprinkle with cheese blend (mozzarella and parmesan)
-Spread out another layer of noodles, ricotta chese, meat sauce
-Top with final layer of noodles, sprinkle with cheese (If you wish you can drizzle with about 1/2 a can of tomatoe sauce for extra-sauciness)

** To Cook: Thaw overnight or during the day.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly

 

 

Baked Spaghetti
-Cook your noodles according to box.
-When noodles are done, mix together approx 1/2 of prepared meat sauce used for lasagna & noodles
-Spread in greased pan
-Cover with cheese (mozarella, cheddar, parmesan

**To Cook: Thaw overnight or during the day.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
 

 

Taco Soup

-Mix together approximately 2 pounds of hamburger meat, canned corn (drained), canned Rotel tomatoes, beans (kidney & black), tomatoe sauce, and a cup or two of water (depending on how "soupy" you want your soup). Bring to simmer.  Add taco and ranch seasoning.  (A dash or two of Tobasco sauce will give you an extra kick if you like spicy!) Simmer for approx. 15 minutes.  Allow soup to cool then transfer to freezer containers.

**To reheat:  Thaw overnight in fridge or under dripping water in sink.  You may also defrost in microwave.  Warm in microwave or over stove top until simmering.  Enjoy!

- You may add sour cream and cheese if you wish.  It is super yummy with some Tostito chips!
- I love using the smaller containers to freeze it in for my lunches and such!

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*9 Months Old*

Sometimes when I am doing these blog posts, I have to count the months in my head... because it just never seems right.  My sweet darlin' is 9 months old.  I know I say this every time but I swear it feels like I just brought her home from the hospital!  I feel ridiculous because I have been taking monthly pictures with those onesie stickers... well I completely missed a month because it went by too quick!

 

Four days or so after she was born

 

 

Nine months old!

She is constantly surprising me... everyday.  She is crawling, standing, pulling, and cruising along furniture.  She will step while holding on, but she hasn't taken a step yet independently.  She is saying da, pa, sss, va, ba, hey, ha, and many other consonant sounds.  She will wave and say "bye-bye."  She will say "Ssss" for "Hoss." She loves the sound of her voice, and when I pick her up from the babysitters she talks the whole drive home.  I love every minute, she is truly the best part of my day!

She rolls and tumbles all over the floor,the bed, the furniture, us, Hoss...  She can be pretty rough sometimes.  She hardly cries when she falls down.

Norah Kate is still a chunky baby.  She loves to eat.  She eats breakfast (rice cereal, oatmeal, Cheerios or yogurt), lunch (fruit and veggie), and supper (fruit and veggie, or if I have something cooked she will eat tablefood).    I am feeding her more and more finger foods and she does great with them.  I will give her pieces of meat, small pieces of cheese, a chopped banana, peas, spaghetti, lasagna, rice etc.  She is drinking out of her juice cup pretty good, but still takes breastmilk from a bottle while I am working.  She nurses 3-4 times a day: morning, mid-day and bedtime.  This week she wouldn't take a bottle during the day while at the sitters... so I am wondering if she is starting to wean herself some.

She is wearing 9 month and some 12 month size clothes.  She can hardly fit into anything 6 month or 6-9 month anymore.  I haven't had to buy any clothes (not for necessity anyways) up until now.  I was so blessed to have received so many outfits as shower gifts that she was set for outfits through 6 months!  Let me just say that is has been challenging finding appropriate Fall and Winter outfits for her.  In South GA we don't have much a Fall and barely have a Winter, so the typical Winter clothes in stores are way too "cold weather."  Plus, I try to steer away from dresses because she gets all tripped up on them while she is crawling around.

Norah Kate's Quirks:

-She hums when she is sleepy in the car.
-She has started patting my back when I am holding her and patting her back while laying her down at night.
-She gets the giggles.  Mostly due to Hoss.
-She is the perfect grocery shopping partner.  She is on her best behavior 99% of the time.  She also likes to try to help me pull stuff off the shelves into the buggy and reach back to inspect what I have already put in the buggy.
-Two teeth on bottom, two breaking through up top, and two more on top about to break through!
-She is biting.. related to teething (above statement) I think (I hope!).
- She does not like shoes... She looks at her feet like "What in the heck are these?"  I am starting to put them on her just around the house that way she will be used to them by the time winter comes.
-She hates when I change her diaper... still... this is just getting worse every time.  I don't really know how to discipline this behavior?
-She has learned how to grunt/growl when she is angry or impatient.  Oh, boy...
-She LOVES my K-cups for my Keurig, my lotion bottle, and my hair brush.  She will open up whatever cabinet/drawer I keep them in and it's the first thing she drags out.
-She don't use her walker/jumper like she should.  She plays from her jumper from the outside and pushes her walker across the floor.  She don't like being put "in" them.
-We still use her swing...occasionally.  I don't know what we will do when she outgrows it.  It can be a lifesaver when she is fighting sleep or grumpy.  I was thinking today about packing it up, but she got fussy so I had to put her in it for a nap.
-She has found her temper and can be tenderhearted at times... then other times she just laughs and scrunches up that cute little nose when I tell her "No."  She hasn't quite figured out when I mean business.

Those are some big 'ole britches...

I got her ears pieced at the jewelry store on September 29th

I think it's time to start childproofing our drawers and cabinets!

 

She is such a good baby, and I love her so much!  I can't believe I will be celebrating her first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Birthday allwithin a few months!  It is most definitely bittersweet.



Homemade Laundry Detergent

This summer I have been on a major "I wanna be a housewife" kick.  I have put up vegetables, made homemade baby food, made jams and jellies, attempted to pick up sewing, put up some freezer meals... so why not follow the trend and make some homemade laundry detergent?

I know people have been making their own detergent for a while now... especially with the new Pinterest fad, but my mama and I finally jumped on the bandwagon.

 

We got our "recipe" from a lady she works with. 

It SHOULD work with all this in it!!

 

Ingredients

Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

Oxiclean

Borax

2 bars of Fels Naptha Laundry Soap

Purex Crystals (for scent, may use any crystal/scent of your choice if you want scented detergent)

 

Directions

1.) Grind your soap in a food processor until it forms fine crumbles.  Mom & I cut our soap up first so that it would process easier.

2.) We used a 5 gallon buck to mix ours with and a big metal spoon

3.) Layer a little of each powder at a time and stir as you go (makes mixing it all a WHOLE lot easier!)

4.)  That's it folks!  If I had known it was this easy I would have done it lots sooner!

 

How to use

Use 2 tablespoons (1oz) per load.

This detergent is HE compatible.

 

 

This made 274 ounces of laundry detergent for $24. 

 

That means 274 loads of laundry, it averages to only 8 cents a load! 

 

 I like to buy the industrial size Gain from Sam's Club which is about $20 for 225 ounces.  The Gain only makes 146 loads.  If you are a Tide user, it is about $26 for 146 loads.  So, if everything goes according to plan... I should save a little money.

 

I also figured up if you average about 1 load of laundry per day (which is the case for my little family of 3), this batch of detergent would last you for about 9 months!  That's crazy!

 

 Mama & I halved this batch to make sure we liked it.  I can't wait to see how it works! I was so excited I almost washed a load of clean clothes just to try it out!

 

Stay tuned... I plan on sharing my freezer meal making experience!



 





First Cold

While I don't consider it a good milestone, I guess it is one I may want to remember one day... Norah Kate has her first cold.  No fever, just runny nose, congestion, coughing and sneezing.

She had clear drainage two days ago, but this morning...let's just say it's yuck.

I have called the pediatrician's office to see if I should come in or not.  I don't want it to turn into something worse.

Even though I am a nurse, babies are not my speciality... especially my own!  Plus, because she has never even been sick... I have no clue what I can give her besides Tylenol and Motrin (which won't apply in this situation because she doesn't have a fever).

I still consider myself sooo lucky because she is 8 months old and we are just now getting "sick."  No ear infection, fever, cough, runny nose, virus... nothing until now!  Praise the Lord because it just breaks my heart!

Luckily, she still acts like she feels okay :)

*8 Months Old*

I can't believe it!  I can't believe I have been a parent for 8 months.  I can't believe I am already starting to roughly plan her first birthday.  I can not believe I am having to already "baby proof" the house.  I can not BELIEVE we are almost walking!  It is amazing :)

 

Mama's stinker

 



Here's what's happening now:

Norah Kate is crawling, standing, pulling up, letting go, squatting, walking while pushing stuff (i.e. laundry basket) across the floor, cruising along the side of the recliner, couch, cabinets, etc.  She is on the move!

She is pulling out electrical cords and putting everything in her mouth.  She is opening cabinets, drawers, and is on a mission to see how much stuff she can get into.  She has discovered Hoss's food and water bowl.

She loves all things electronic.  Computer, TV remote, camera, cell phones.  I even gave her my old Blackberry to play with in hopes that she would leave my iPhone alone.

I bought her a walker to play in, but she hasn't quiet figured it out yet.  She feels confined in it, but I have a feeling when she learns she can MOVE she will love it.  She can only go backwards right now.

We also are using her pack and play more now.  I just throw all of her toys in it, and she will play in if for about 30 minutes at a time.  Long enough for me to cook supper or get ready.

She will follow me all through the house crawling.  If Matt is watching her in the living room and she hears me in the kitchen, here she comes around the corner.  So precious!

She still just has the bottom two teeth....

See my two pearly whites?

 

Norah Kate will eat just about anything!  She LOVES the Gerber rice puffs and the baby cheetos things.  They are great finger foods to occupy her while I am warming up her supper.  Unfortunately, the same goes for what she finds on the floor.  Fuzz, hair, pennies, you name it, she has probably tried to put it in her mouth.  I have become OCD about sweeping and mopping our floors!

She is still a breastmilk baby!  She nurses about 3-4 times a day.  She isn't taking a bottle very well at the babysitters, but she makes up for it on my days off.

She is getting good at drinking out of her sippee cup.  I give it to her in her carseat and when she is in her high chair.  She likes to drink it and spit it back out.  She also likes to throw it on the floor just to see me pick it up.

She loves to talk, sing, make any kind of noise.  She sings along with the radio, and she tells me all about her day on the way home from the baby sitter (in baby talk of course).  Instead of crying when she wakes up in the morning, we hear her in her crib in the mornings just talking up a storm.  It is the sweetest noise.  Baba, dada, mmm, gaga, dedede, haha, heeee, heyyyy... are some of the sounds she is making.  She said "ma-ma" the other day clear as a bell... but she will not say it for me.  I still don't thinks he was referring to me as "Mama" but just babbling.  It still made my heart leap though...  Matt is the lucky one... everything is dadadadada....
 
She will squeal for no reason.

She is also getting to be very expressive.  She can make a suprise face, she will smile and scrunch her nose up, and when she gets mad or excited she will grunt and ball her fists up.

She loves smiling and scrunching that little nose up!

 

We play peek a boo and patti cake.  She loves patti cake.  She just learned to clap her hands too!

She is starting to test her boundaries a little bit, so "no" is becoming a frequent word in my vocabulary.  "No, no Norah Kate don't touch."  "No, no Norah Kate don't put that in your mouth." "No, no, no, no, no...."

Size 3 diapers, 9 month size clothes (some 6 months still fit... snugly...)

Our Schedule:

Usually goes something like this:

Wake up 8-9am
Nurse
Breakfast around 10am
Morning nap Nap around 10:30-11am
Lunch around 12-1pm
Nurse
Afternoon nap around 3-4pm
Sometimes she likes to nurse again around 6, but here lately we have been skipping it some.
Supper around 7 (when I am working, it is more like 7:30)
Bath 8-8:30
Bedtime 9-9:30

She is sleeping through the night for the most part.  We have random  wake ups some.... usually because she is hot or teething.  It's amazing to me because she will sleep through the night when I am off, but on the days I have to work she will wake up once or twice in the night!

I am so super blessed to have such a good baby.  She is my sweetheart!