Gigantic Cookies

Okay, so cooking and baking hasn't been my 'thing'. I get it honestly, I guess, just ask Mom. But anyway, I try because I enjoy doing it. I've told Joe many times that I wish I could cook. I can't just start baking or cooking without a recipe. I'm not one of those types, although I would love to be. I'm not very organized in the kitchen either. If I had to prepare a whole meal like my Aunt Darcy does at Thankgsiving, I'd go nuts. I wouldn't know what to make in advance, yada yada yada.

Well this year I offered to help out again with the candy cane cookies. Joe's mom always makes them. I made them last year and they were pretty awful. Anyway, Sue said it would be great if I could make a batch. I knew I could make cookies in advance. So, this morning I started making the candy cane cookies. They're not the easiest things in the whole world to make, but they're pretty interesting.

So I was rolling them out and twisting them up. They baked and came out looking like walking canes instead of candy canes! They're huge!! I called Sue and told her I was going to make peppermint sticks instead of candy canes becuase they keep falling apart. You can't tell in the picture but most all of them are broken! Well, the one you can tell it was broken, so I had to taste test.

So, we'll each get one cookie for Christmas... LOL oh well... at least I tried!!!

Who Is The Happiest Baby In All Of The USA?

Is he not the very cutest baby you've ever seen? Okay, okay... I'm a little biased... Anyway, the top picture of him in his hat and coat was from our shopping trip yesterday. It was bitter cold out and I had him bundled up like Randy on the movie "A Christmas Story". He looked so adorable in his little hat. He had a good time shopping with me. He stayed awake the whole trip (2 hours). When we got toward the house, I realized I needed to run to the bank. As soon as I passed our road, he started crying. I had to pull over in the Home Depot parking lot and feed him his bottle. He was fine after that. The top picture was taken while we were in Home Depot's parking lot.

The next three pictures were from Joe's birthday. In the top picture, check out the new microwave. It was a birthday present to Joe from his parents. Also, the shirt Joe is wearring is another birthday present.

Pod's clothes he had on were purchased for Christmas, but he needs them now. LOL The jeans, which are too long, are 12 months, the socks are 12-24 months, and the two T-shirts are 6-9 months. I also bought the jacket he is wearring in the first picture = 18 months. The boy is growing like a weed!

While we were out yesterday, I bought him some more of the formula. I didn't know what to do when I saw that it was only $14.49 before tax... WOW!! Anyway, I have been feeding him the straight milk-based formula without any of the old formula mixed in. He's doing great on it. He has had a few bowel movements and no blood in the diaper! Praise God!

Today I have start cooking for the Chistmas Eve & Christmas dinners. On Christmas Eve I'm taking meatballs, veggie tray, fruit tray, cheese balls with crackers, and yule logs. For Christmas brunch I'm fixing a ham, bacon, pancakes, candy cane cookies, 24 hour salad, and a cresent wreath. I've got a lot to get done and the baby is asleep, so I should go get started. I thought I would share the adorable pictures, though.

Love to you all!

This Weekend

Friday night Joe worked late. On his way home, he had a wreck. No need to worry, he's doing fine. He was sore in neck and back for most of the weekend, but he's feeling better today. Some woman hit him from behind and then while he was getting his insurance information out of the glove box, she took off. Hit & run.... Luckily he didn't have any severe injuries and the car only sustained a few scratches. I didn't see them, but I didn't look either.

Saturday Joe was on call for work. He went in on Saturday morning and then came home and took a nap. I cleaned the house because I knew his family was coming over on Sunday for his birthday. Anyway, when he woke up, his pager went off and he had to go back to work. He worked for a few hours and then finished his Christmas shopping. He didn't get home until later.

Sunday Joe woke up. Pod and I gave him the rest of his birthday presents. Yes, he got two of the three early. One from Pod (foot massager), one from me (boots), and one from both of us (gun book). He opened his gun book yesterday. After church (we didn't make it), Jerome & Sue came over. We all went for brunch for Joe's birthday at Lakeside Tavern. We all had the brunch buffet, which I thought was delicious. Then it was back to our house. Joe's sister, Machael, her husband, John, and their two girls came over, too. We had cake & ice cream, played with Pod, and visted for several hours. We all played Catch Phrase. Once it got dark, Machael and John left. Jerome and Sue stayed and the four of us played Phase 10 while Pod slept in his swing. He was so tired from visiting all day without a nap! He napped at the restaurant, but that was it.

I didn't get to bed until 1:11 a.m., because by the time I was ready to go to bed, Pod was waking up from his nap wanting his bottle. So I fed him and then off to sleep we went. He woke up again at 7:00 & wanted another bottle. So now, he's sitting here on my lap watching me catch up on this blog!

Today, Pod and I are going to make a run for forumla and bottle parts. A few of the bottle parts fell during the dishwashing cycle and then heating element burned them. So I have to get replacement parts, which they sell at Babies R Us. We also need more formula. He's now taking straight formula that I can buy at any old place. It's a milk based formula & he seems to be doing great with it. He's has a few bowl movements since we started him on the new formula & there haven't been any signs of blood in the diaper. Thank goodness!

So, other than that I've got to finish wrapping a few last minute presents today. I've got one more Christmas project I'm working on and I've got a lot of cooking to do. We have a Christmas Eve dinner at Joe's sister's house every year and then Christmas day food. This year I'm making miniature Yule Logs for Christmas Eve only because I couldn't find chocolate jelly roll. So I'm going to use Swiss Cakes..... hmmm I hope it works out well. LOL Then I'm also going to take a veggie tray and a fruit tray. For Christmas day, I'm fixing a ham (the very first one I've ever made), 24 hour salad, and candy cane cookies.

This year is the first year that I'm off for Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas. I'm ahead of the game in comparison to where I normally am at this time of the year! Joe, too, has the day after Christmas off, so we're going to be able to have a nice time together for Pod's first Christmas. Speaking of which, we're going to see Santa tonight.

Okay, Pod's tired of sitting here. We need to get ready to go do our running so I can get home and finish up the wrapping and my projects.

Love to you all!
Jaime

Christmas Tree Shopping

Our Christmas Tree - Pod's First Christmas Tree - 2008 Another view of Pod's first Christmas Tree - December 14, 2008
Pod's Presents - December 14, 2008

Another picture of our Christmas tree 2008 - December 14, 2008

Our Living Room - December 14, 2008

Pod is watching us decorate the tree - December 14, 2008

Pod is watching Daddy untangle Christmas lights - December 14, 2008

Daddy untangles Christmas lights - December 14, 2008

Pod on December 13, 2008 = 3 months old

Our Christmas Tree - December 13, 2008

Joe puts the Christmas Tree on the porch - December 13, 2008

Check out the rope going along the roof of the car! - December 13, 2008

Daddy & Pod waiting while the Christmas tree is being put on the Cruiser

December 13, 2008

Daddy waits while the tree is being put on the Cruiser

December 13, 2008

The Christmas Tree on top of the Cruiser!

December 13, 2008

Mommy & Pod standing next to a Christmas Tree - We didn't pick this one

December 13, 2008

Mommy & Pod standing next to our Christmas tree

December 13, 2008

Pod is out Christmas Tree Shopping on his 3 month birthday!

December 13, 2008

Well, it's that time of the year! Finally, as of today, I am done shopping with exception to Joe's neices, which his sister was supposed to call me tonight and didn't do. She must not have gotten any time alone.

Anyway, we went Christmas Tree shopping on Pod's 3 month birthday (December 13th). We found the tree we wanted, which was $35, the two guys selling the Frazier Fir trees strapped it to the top of the PT Cruiser, and off we came back home. Joe unloaded the tree. Then we took Pod to Grandma Sue and Papa's house so Joe & I could go shopping. We found a few things. Joe bought me one of my Christmas presents... A 2008 Swarovski Christmas ornament. I decided that when we got married, I wanted a dated Swarovski Christmas ornament for every year.

By the time we were done shopping and had gotten back to Sue & Jerome's house, Machael & John had already left. We ate pizza & then brought the baby home.

The next day, December 14th, Pod, Daddy, & I went to church. It was Pod's first day at church. Everyone was happy to see us. When we got home, we put up our Christmas tree. Jerome and Sue came over. We finished decorating the house. Jerome & Sue played with Pod. Joe went to Home Depot and got a wreath for the front door and put white lights in it. He also got three flood lights (two red & one green). Our ouside of our house looks nice. I'll have to take picture and post it on here. We watched Christmas Vacation and part of Elf, ate hotdogs, macaroni & cheese, and green beans.

On Monday (December 15th) Pod, Sue, and I went to Pigeon Forge to do some Christmas shopping at the outlet stores. I got some Tommy Hilfiger clearance items for Pod and some sleepers from Carter's. Everything I bought was either 9 months or 12 months in size. The boy is growing like a weed!

This weekend is Joe's birthday, so we'll be busy this weekend. Oh yeah, and by the way, we got a notification on our cell phone tonight that Drew and Carol had their baby! Victor was born today. He weighed 6 lbs 3oz and was 53cm long! I told Pod that his buddy was born today. He looked at me like I was crazy!

Pod had his 3 month check-up today... NO shots! Yeah!! Anyway, he is 14 lbs. 10 oz. and is

24 1/2 inches long. He is doing great. The doctor told me to try Good Start formula, which is milk based. If I see blood in the diaper, I need to stop it immediately. Well, while I was shopping for the formula, I saw that they had a soy based formula, too, which was milk-free... All this time I've been paying out the hind end for formula, when I could have had him on a $13.00 can of formula.... Oh well, live and learn. At least I know that if the milk formula doesn't work, I can get the soy formula and not have to pay the crazy costs for what he has been taking.

Oh yeah, before I forget... I've got 10 more lbs to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight... I won't ever wear the same clothes again, but I'll weigh what I did. This jelly-belly is driving me crazy!

okay, enough for tonight...

I Can't Believe It's December

As most of you know, the family and I went to Ohio to see my family. Most of my family met Pod for the first time. This post is being added so that I can print it off and add it to Pod's book. So for those of you that we visited with in Ohio, this will be redunant to you since you were there!



Anyway, our trip to Ohio last Wednesday started as we left our driveway at 8:35 A.M. Pod slept most of the trip. We stopped in Kentucky at a Bob Evans for breakfast. When I ordered my breakfast (omlete), I asked them not to put cheese or dairy in it. So when the breakfast was served, they had put a cheese sauce on the top of it. I had to send it back. About an hour later I got my omlete the way it should have been cooked in the first place. The waitress blamed it on the kitchen staff. Of course neither Joe nor I were happy. But as we sat waiting for the breakfast, Pod sat contently in his car seat. I had put some rings (plastic chain links) on the carseat handle that would dangle and spark his interest. On one of them, I put a toy that hung low. Pod kept hitting it. I asked Joe if he thought it was accidental. But after watching Pod, we could see that he was reaching for it and intentionally hitting it!



We got back on the road. In Cincinnati, we ran into some traffic. By the time we made it to Daddy's house, it was about 7:00 - 7:30. Pod did excellent. He only woke up to eat his bottle and get his diaper changed. I was afraid he wouldn't sleep all night since he had slept all day. But, he ended up sleeping through the entire night! He didn't wake up one time!

Daddy met Pod for the first time. Pod had his funny Billy Bob pacifier in. Daddy laughed and thought it was funny. Daddy told me on the phone the day before we left that every baby he's ever held has cried. Pod didn't do it! Pod loves his Pap, that's for sure!!!

Thanksgiving Day we had dinner at 2:00 with Daddy & Amy and the family. Then we went to Aunt Darcy's house to have dinner there at 4:00. Pod met G. Gma Cay-Cay, Aunt Darcy, Uncle Rex, cousins Brian and Clayton and Tiffany. He got to see Aunt Kelly and Jessica again. Grandma D was there and was amazed at how much Pod had grown. We had a four generation picture taken of G. Gma Cay Cay, Grandma D, Mommy, and Pod. I love how it turned out. After dinner, we looked at pictures my mom made using her computer program where you can put faces into a "Year Book". It was the funnies thing. We had a great time watching that. We also did a Springer family tree on Aunt Darcy's floor. She decided she wanted to do that because whenever a new owner moves into the house and pulls up the wood floor, they'll find the family tree on the floor.... It's sort of a "If-These-Walls-Could-Talk" thing. I thought it was a neat idea.

We went back to Daddy and Amy's and again, Pod slept through the night!

Friday we got ready & went to Jodi's house. Mom planned on going to Cabella's since Joe didn't get to go in July when we were last up there. So we went to Jodi's to pick up Mom. I realized that I forgot my camera charger and the camera was dead. So we decided to run by Dad's house. On the way there, Sheena called and said she and her mom were on the way over to see Pod. I told them we were going to Cabella's, but they couldn't stand it another minute knowing he was there. We all met at Dad's house. They loved Pod. They told us not to tell Kelsey that they met Pod without her (She was at work) because she would kill them. So Joe took blackmail pictures!

Joe, Mom, Pod, and I left and went the Highlands. We stopped at Wendy's and ate. I fet the baby and then we went to Cabellas. Mom, Pod, and I walked around and showed Pod the deer display and shopped around. Then Pod and Daddy spent a few minutes together.

Mom and I were at the opposite end of an aisle of Joe and Pod when I looked and Joe holding Pod. I said, "Oh Mom, isn't he the cutest little thing you've ever seen?" As I said that, a dwarf was walking by. I didn't see him. Mom told me that I said that as the little person walked by. I got so embarrassed that my face turned bright red! Mom had to take my picture. I couldn't control my laughter. I had tears rolling down my face. I was so embarrassed!

After Cabellas we went to Kroger's to get some lotion for Pod's face and then went to pick up Home Pizza and was off to Jodi's house. There we all had pizza with Jodi and Eric. I took Mom up to Grandma's to pickup her truck and then I left to go back to Daddy's house. Mom was going to go back to Cleveland on Saturday.

Saturday Dad & Amy went TV shopping. When they got home, Daddy, Joe, Pod, and I went to G.ma Jean's house to visit. Aunt Nancy came over. They both held the baby and looked through pictures. After we left there, we went to Daddy's house again. Aunt Tami, Uncle Sam, Kelsey, Sheena, Chris, The Coleman's, Derek, & Heather came over. Jodi came over, too. Eric was at a wedding. We ordered pizza & I went on the pizza run. After eatting, Jodi & Kelsey left to go to the wedding. They came back a few hours later. Eric sat in the car until Joe & Dad found out he was told by Jodi to stay in there. They got him to come into the basement and he was telling the story of how he "kicked the old lady". Joe came upstairs laughing telling me I had to go talk to Eric. So downstairs I went to hear the story of how Eric kicked the old lady. It was so funny I had tears rolling down my face. After they all left, Joe, Pod, Daddy, Amy, and I went to sleep.

Sunday morning Joe & I got up and started packing things up. Daddy and Amy got up, too, to visit with the baby and help Joe, too. Daddy and Amy got to say their good-bye and we were off on the road heading back home.

On the way home, we ran into three small fender-bender wrecks. They delayed us, so the trip home was much longer. We were all tired. By the time we made it to the outside of Knoxville, Pod decided he had had enough of traveling and screamed the entire way back home. We stopped for dinner take-out at Shane's Rib Shack and went on to the house. The baby didn't stop screaming. It was pretty miserable.

It's Been A While

Wow! It's been a while since I've been on here... Let's see what I need to update... Oh yeah... The dairy free pumpkin pie was terrible. It turned out green. It tasted good until the after taste of the tofu got to you. The dairy free whipped cream was a joke. I should have just poured soy milk over my not-so-good pumpkin pie! Oh well, you never know what a recipe will taste like until you try it. As for the oriental noodle salad... MMMMM I loved it. Joe didn't care for it, but I thought it was great. The mashed potatoes turned out great... FINALLY I got to eat some mashed potatoes, which I LOVE.... The cranberry sauce was way too tart and didn't have nearly enough sugar in them.

The visit with everyone was great.

I'm getting so excited to go to Ohio I can't stand it. Every day I tell Pod, "We're one day closer to going to Ohio." Then I rattle off all the names of the people he's going to meet. I know he doesn't know what I'm saying, but when he smiles it makes me excited that he could be happy that he's going to Ohio.... One day he will be old enough to know what I'm talking about and then I'll know if he's truly happy.... Of course he will be.

I sat yesterday and spent all day putting together a list of items we have for the baby. My cousin, Sheena, is expecting a baby in April. She said she didn't know what to register for. I told her that when you go to Babies R Us or Target or Walmart, they will give you a list of items you'll need. The problem is that "I" think they have too many items on there. Of course, they're in it to sell you things, too. The wedding (uh hum....) and the baby industries are both "rope you in" kind of "Got You, Sucker" businesses. So, I thought I would put toghether what we have and so she could get an idea of what it is that she will need. I didn't figure it would take nearly as long, but it literally took me pretty much all day. I had Pod on my lap and talked to him and played with him while typing one handed! LOL

Joe is hard at work tonight. He's putting in overtime so that he can take the day off on Wednesday in order for us to travel during the day rather than at night. His job is one where the work has to be done not only right, but on time, otherwise the company will get a huge fine. So he's trying to work several days in advance so that when he takes the day off, he won't put the company behind. He's a loyal employee..

As for me, well, I was playing with Pod and I must have been boring because he fell asleep. So I'm catching up on everyone's blogs and cooking dinner.

Tomorrow Joe is having his friends over to play paint ball. Then they're going to one of the other guy's house for his birthday and the on to another friend's house for a housewarming party. It'll be a busy day tomorrow for Joe!

Well, I better get off of here and go get started on the sides. The pork chops are done and are just staying warm in the oven. I need to fix whatever it is that we're going to have with them. I'll talk to you all later!

Thanksgiving & The Special Diet

Okay, so this year, eating Thanksgiving dinner is going to be quite interesting. This weekend the in-laws are having their Thanksgiving dinner. They wanted to know what they could fix that I could eat as most casseroles and dessert recipes have dairy or eggs in them. I asked them what I could fix to bring. I was told to fix food I could eat. So I'm on the hunt this morning for dairy-free / egg-free recipes. While searching, I've come across some information that I wasn't aware of & just thought I would pass it along....(thanks to dairyfreeliving.com and godairyfree.org)

Lactose free does not mean dairy free.... Lactose is a sugar in the dairy. Most people with dairy allergies are allergic to the protein not the lactose.... Many people have asked me if I could substitute goats milk for cow's milk.... problem is that goats still have casein in their milk, which is the protein that causes most of the allergy problems

If a product sold on the market is marked "Pareve" or "Parve" that means it is dairy/meat free.

I have been asked if I could substitute margarine for butter. Well, margarine is not only high in trans fat & hydrogenated oils, many brands contain buttermilk, whey, and casein, which prompt the allergies. Margarine is okay to use as a butter substitute only if the package is marked "Parve" or "Pareve". The website (godairyfree.org) has some helpful information on baking and using butter substitutes.

For some time now I've been avoiding mashed potatoes because of the milk & butter in them. I started doing some research and found a recipe for mashed potatoes that called for soy milk. Why didn't I think of that??? I love mashed potatoes and I think I'll make enough for me using soy milk.

Also, guess what?? I found a recipe for dairy free pumpkin pie! YUM!! I'm excited... now for the whipped cream... Any suggestions??? LOL Well, fret not... I have found a recipe. What in the world did we do before the Internet???? I know, I know.... Library.... I can't imagine how much time I would have to spend in the library trying to find recipes for this diet. ha ha ha

Pod Goes For A Drive - Low Rider Style

I really don't need to say too much about this....LOL He's so funny! Anyway, tomorrow is his 2 month birthday. Last night we started talking about his 1 year birthday party. I asked him what kind of cake he wanted Mommy to make him. He wouldn't answer me.... So, I'll have to wait a little while longer to figure out who he likes. We know he likes Veggie Tales and Elmo.

Pod has started to actually smile now. He's not smiling just because he has gas. So his whole face is involved in the smile. He's just a cute boy. He's pretty much healed from his surgery he had a week ago.

Other things he's doing are holding his head up, getting up on his knees when he's on his belly, holding his head up (for a few seconds) while on his belly, making different intentional noises that doesn't involve crying, and smiles and talks to himself in the mirror on his swing. He's noticed his own voice.

Tomorrow I go for my final doctor appointment (follow-up check-up) and Friday Pod goes for his 2 month check up. Poor little guy will have his first set of immunization shots this doctor visit. He's not going to be too happy with me for taking him there.

Everyone in our household is doing great. There's really not anything else new going on. Talk to you all soon. Enjoy the video! It's a hoot!

Another Cute Video

Okay, okay, okay...... so I'm a proud Momma! I don't go anywhere without the camera and have a million pictures and videos to put on here. Fortunately for you all, though, I don't post every time I really want to. So much happens as Pod discovers new things or makes a funny face or learns something new. I just want to capture every moment on film to cherish forever.... I wish I could, but I know I can't.

Anyway, here's another funny little video clip. This is a pacifier that was given to me by the staff at Children's Hospital. Jace didn't use it while in the hospital. Anyway, it is vanilla scented & is supposed to be soothing to babies. The other night after Jace's little surgery I couldn't pacify him & remembered having this. So I offered it to him. He seems to love it, but it just makes me laugh to watch him with it in his mouth.

1 new video inserts & 1 adorable picture

Isn't this a cute picture? I just love it. My mom is doing some project for Thanksgiving and needs a picture of Jace looking straight-on into the camera. I have tried and tried to get a picture like that. During the process this picture showed up and I fell in love with it and decided to post it. Doesn't he just look so happy? He truly is a very happy baby.

One thing Pod loves to do is swing in his swing. There is a mobile & a mirror at the top that he looks at. I think he's recently noticed his voice because he'll look up in the mirror and just "talk" and smile ( I think he's laughing, but it's not a normal laugh like ours).

Every morning after he eats (& burps), I put him in the swing while I have my coffee and breakfast. Today he was just cooing and laughing, so I thought I would get the camera out to show you all. He is laughing and talking to me in this video.

Last night I introduced wheat back into my diet. It was one week and one day yesterday that I introduced the soy. He doesn't seem to have any problems/reactions whatsoever. I hope that he'll do just as well with the wheat. The allergens I have left to introduce back after the wheat are eggs, peanuts, and milk. The doctor didn't tell me what order to introduce items back, but did say to do the milk last. So I saved the three most common allergens for last.

I just got done giving Pod his bath. He loves to take baths! Lucky for me! Anyway, today I think we'll go to Target. The only diapers we have left are Huggies brand. They don't work good for Pod; they leak. We used the newborn diapers when he first came home from the hospital. They leaked all over the place, so we switched to Pampers. I've run out of Pampers and only have Stage 1 Huggies left. These are for 8-14 lbs. Well I started using them yesterday and the Huggies kept leaking. In fact, I was up at 3:00 this morning changing the crib sheets because his diaper leaked all over his bed. Poor thing was soaked on his back. I wiped him down and decided we're going to go get some Pampers and leave the Huggies for emergency use only. Target is having a special this week only that if you buy two cases of Swaddlers Pampers, then they'll give you a $10.00 Target gift card. So that basically makes each diaper about $0.18 (tax included) when you consider that Target is giving you $10.00 back in a gift card. That's not too bad considering they usually average around $0.29 each (tax included).

I've got to order a couple of cases of formula today, too, before I forget so I better get off of here. The baby is sleeping so it's a prime time to go get my shower & get my internet order to Neocate.

Talk to you all soon... enjoy the video!!

SOY...It Does A Pod Good!

It will be a week ago tomorrow that I re-introduced soy into my diet. Pod has been nursing every day. He doesn't seem to be having any reaction to it at all. Yay!!! So far so good. I'm not quite sure allergen I'll introduce next.

Tomorrow he goes for his surgery. I feel so bad for him, but I think we'll both get over it. I hope it is harder on me than it is on him!

Pod's 1st Halloween

We called Pap & told him & Grandma Amy to get on their computer to check out the Halloween costume. They laughed & thought it was funny. Then we went to dinner at Chili'. All the employees & even one customer stopped to say how cute & funny Pod looked! We talked to Aunt Jodi & told her to get online to look at Pod's outfit. She thought h e looked funny & said the picture of Pod on the motorcycle looks just like Pap. We left there & went to Wal-mart so I could get some Tylenol. Then we went to the Papa & Grandma Carr's house. They thought Pod looked cute. Sue only put the baby down to change his diaper. The remainder of the 4 hours we were there she held Pod. We watched the movie White Noise & then left to come home.

Mommy & Pod Play Peek-A-Boo In Pictures

Okay, so we really weren't playing peek-a-boo in pictures. I'm just horrible at self-portraits...
But doesn't it look like we jumped in each other's picture???? ha ha ha

By the way.....Happy Halloween!!

New Pics & A Day of "Firsts"

Wow! It's been a while since I've posted anything on here.... things have been busy.

As the title says, yesterday was a day of "firsts" for Pod. It was the first time he wore the outfit above.... isn't it so cute on him? He's wearring 3-6 months shirt and pants & 6-18 month socks... He's not even two months old yet! YIKES!!!

Then yesterday afternoon Pod has his first trip to the mall. He slept through the whole mall walking. OH well, I got my exercise. I walked every corner of that place with the baby on the front of me in his sling.

Last night, Pod had his first voting experience. Joe and I went to do the early voting. Pod went in with Daddy into the voting booth. He was there to make history.... it's either going to be the first bi-racial president (let's pray not) or the first female vice president. Either way Pod was involved.

The diet thing is still going good. I started introducing the allergens back into my diet. I have to do them one at a time for a week. Then if nothing happens I introduce another one for the next week & so on... So I started with soy. I've eatten soy sauce on sushi and on rice this week. I think I'll go get some soy milk to drink or a soy protein bar today. So far, so good with the soy in the diet and the nursing. I don't know which allergen I'll introduce next. I'm saving dairy for last.

Okay, well, enough for now. I've got to get the baby fed and then we're off to run errands before Daddy gets home from work.

Bye!

Video Monitor & Crib... Great Combo! Sophie is a Hit!

Last night was the first night that Pod slept all night by himself. I put him in the crib at 10:00 and by midnight he was sound asleep. (Don't worry, we had a feeding in between those times, too!) I put him in the crib and he screamed and cried. I would watch him on the monitor to make sure he was okay, but I would go in every 5 mins after he would start to scream. If he calmed himself down, I wouldn't go in. When I did go in, I never picked him up. I just put the binki in his mouth and patted his tummy. He would calm down. I would come back in the room and then he would scream again! This went on for two hours! Joe was a big help, too. He would go in and check on the baby, too. I had a horrible headache, so I don't know if it was more torture on me or on Pod! ha ha ha

He slept until 4:00 this morning. He woke to get his bottle. Then, he went right back to sleep in the crib again! I didn't have to fuss with him to get him back to sleep or anything. It was wonderful. FINALLY!!! We had a good night and I got to sleep in my bed... not on the couch or loveseat. It was so nice and I got some good rest. It's about time. I feel more comfortable now that I have the monitor so I can watch him without having to stand over the crib & hurt my back.

Today Joe is off to Townsend to spend time at a men's church retreat. He will be home later tonight. It's rather cold out and the weather is damp and rainy. I hope he doesn't end up getting sick. He's in charge of the shooting competition. Today they plan on shooting and then playing paint ball. It's just a time for fellowship for the men of the church.

I need to give Pod a bath today. We don't have any water, though. I got up this morning and went to do the dishes, but there wasn't any pressure or water. I walked to the end of the driveway to check our meter to make sure we didn't have another break. It wasn't running. The neighbor saw me out there and hollered to tell me that everyone is out of water. There must have been a line break and they're working on it.

I think we may run to the store later today, but who knows. You never know what we're going to get into!

This morning I thought I would see what Pod thought of Sophie the giraffe that Grandma Dana bought for him. For those of you who don't know, Sophie is an all natural teether. She has food safe paint on her and is made of a soft rubber. She's so cute. Anyway, here's the video of Pod and Sophie.

Baby Monitor - Video

My mom bought Joe & me a baby monitor. It is so nice! It is the video type of monitor. I hooked it up, with the help of Jerome, and when Joe got home, we put Jace in the crib. We sat and watched him on that monitor and he just cracked us up! He kept turning off and on "Little Fishy". It's a crib toy that has a swimming fish and bubbles up the water. Jace loves to watch it at night. Anyway, I was laughing so hard I had tears coming out of my eyes. Joe said he wished there was a way we could record it. I couldn't think of anything except for the digital camera. By that time he was about over playing with it. This video, though, is what I could catch of Jace on the monitor.

Holy Ice Cream, Bat Man!

Tomorrow my in-laws are coming over for dinner. I called to invite them over so they could see and spend time with Pod. The problem I faced was trying to come up with a menu that is dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free that they may enjoy. Yesterday I stopped at Sam's Club and picked up some meat & Idaho potatoes. I think Joe will cook the meat on the grill & I can bake the potatoes. I didn't know what kind of a dessert to make. I made an apple crisp the other night that turned out... well... okay. It wasn't delicious by any means and we had half of it left over. I threw it all out and Joe never asked me where I put the left over. So I figure he didn't care for it either!

Well, good news!! Tonight while surfing the net for recipes, I came across a new ice cream product made of coconut milk rather than cow's milk. It's called Turtle Mountain Purley Decadent. It's dairy/lactose free, gluten free, soy free, cholesterol free, all certified organic, certified vegan, and sweetened with agave. Who could ask for more? I did a search and found that it's available in Knoxville. The good news is that there's grocery store on my side of town carrying this! YAY!!! So tomorrow morning, Pod and I are going grocery shopping!! The flavors come in vanilla bean, mint chip, chocolate, coconut, and cookie dough. MMMM I can't wait to try some! Also, their website has a 'Rewards' area where you can print coupons for their products! If you're interested, check out http://www.turtlemountain.com/

Watching The New Mobile - Video

Pod's Great Aunt Kelly & family bought him a mobile that he loves to watch.

A Visit from Great Aunt Kelly & 2nd Cousin Jessica

Daddy dressed me in camo... I should fit right in a the Wal-Mart!

This weekend we had a visit from Pod's Great-Aunt Kelly & 2nd cousin, Jessica. Pod, Daddy & I had a great time visiting with them on Sunday. They came over and saw the baby. Then G. Aunt Kelly, Jessica, Pod, and I went to the grocery to get some food for dinner. We made a pit stop by McDonald's for their lunch. We got home, unpacked the groceries, and Jessica helped me peel potatoes for mashed potatoes, while G. Aunt Kelly helped look after the baby. Silly me... I forgot to get the charcoal, which was a requirement for the grill. Joe had to go get the charcoal. I don't think he minded because it gave him an excuse to stop and pick up some shrimp to throw on the grill. While he was gone, we called Grandma Dana and Great-Grandma Cay-Cay. We had a nice dinner of grilled chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, and shrimp. Joe was the only one to have shrimp and I was the only one not to eat mashed potatoes. I had a spinach salad instead. After dinner, Joe cleaned up the kitchen and I took care of Pod while visiting with Aunt Kelly and Jessica. Then Joe and Jessica played video games until it was time for bed. Joe left for work this morning. Aunt Kelly got up and we talked for a while then Jessica got up. We all visited for a while and played with the baby while watching TV. Then Aunt Kelly and Jessica left around 1:22 this afternoon. I'm sitting here checking out my Aunt Darcy's blog, listening to George Winston and sipping pumpkin spice tea. I'm about to go take a nap with Pod. He looks like he's about to drift off to sleep.

1 Month Check-Up

Well today was Pod's one month check-up. The doctor said he looks great! He weighs
10 lbs. 13 oz & is 21 3/4 inches long. Next month he goes for the two month check-up and has to start immunizations.... Poor Pod!

The doctor looked at the nodules on his little arm and said that he was impressed that they were going away. There are two gone and one is still pretty predominate. So he's going to call the pediatric dermatologist for suggestion and see if she wants to follow-up. She wanted to make a 3mm biopsy of the nodules when Pod was three days old, but Joe & I decided to wait and follow-up. Our pediatrian said he would keep an eye on them & follow-up with the dermatologist as he felt necessary as he feels they are subcutaneous fat necrosis. He put in a call to the dermatologist, but he hasn't heard back from her and neither have we.

The doctor listened to his heart and lungs. Checked his throat, ears, and eyes. Took off his little diaper and checked his groin area. Everything looked great. I asked about the stools. Pod screams when he passes gas or has a bowel movement. The doctor said that is normal and as long as the stool isn't hard, it should be fine. He's not concerned about it. The formula that Pod is taking absorbs into his system. Therefore, he won't have a bowel movement every single day. Some babies go up to 5 days without a bowel movement. So when there is a movement, it can be challenging for him. The doctor advised if I felt I needed to give him water, it was okay to do that, but nothing more that 4 oz in a 24 hour period. Also, after one more month of there not being any blood in the stool and my nursing, then we can also offer diluted apple juice, but no more than 1 oz. He really doesn't want him to have the apple juice right now because of the proteins in the apples and the fact that Pod was having explosive bowel movements prrior to us going to the ICU. He thinks that apple juice at this age is too early, especially with Pod's history.

I started nursing again, but expressed my concern with my low supply. The pediatrician recommended Fenugreek, which is an herbal supplement. I need to take it three times a day. I went to the local healthfood grocery store and found it for $25 a bottle! YIKES!!! So when I got home, I called my mom and she told me of a website to try. Thank goodness for mothers! I was able to order 2 bottles of capsules and 2 boxes of the herbal tea plus the shipping costs for less than one bottle at the healthfood grocery store!

Speaking of healthfood grocery store... Joe calls it the hippy hang-out.... anyway, I found a great blog with recipes for food I can eat. As I mentioned before I'm on a strict diet resulting from Pod's trip to the ICU... So I found some great recipes that are gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free. Tonight I made Rosemary Apple Chicken, Acorn Squash stuffed with apples and cranberries, pomegranate spinach salad with home-made advacado dressing, and apple crisp for dessert. Yes, I know, call me Betty Crocker. It only took me 3 hours to finish cooking the meal, cost way more than eatting out, but it was delicious. Lesson learned out of the experience???? I'm going to buy only the hard-to-find items at the healthfood grocery store and buy the rest of the stuff at the regular grocery. Why can't I buy the apples at Ingles or Kroger instead of at the healthfood grocery? I paid double for them I guess. Oh well, saved in gas for the trips to multiple grocery stores....

Speaking of gas... I paid $2.89 today per gallon!!! WOO WEE!!! I didn't think I'd see it below $3.00 again. That's awesome!

Well, I've got a headache so I need to go lay down. Hope all is well with everyone out there reading this.

I'll update more soon, until then....

Updates

It has been a while since I've posted anything other than pictures on here. I figured I better get everyone up-to-date. Things are going well now. Jace is happy and as far as I can tell, extremely healthy. He's been doing very well on the special formula he has to take. Unfortunately though, because the formula can only be purchased through the pharmacy, but doesn't require a prescription, our insurance refuses to pay for it. So, we've shelled out a ton of money for this formula already. Thankfully my mom suggested I look on-line to see if I could find it any cheaper since Pod is going through 2 & 1/2 cans a week. I found that I can order direct from the manufacture for 1/2 the cost of what the local pharmacies are charging. We've started back nursing, but since he's been on this formula, I've not been producing as much milk as before. I'm still supplementing with formula until my supply builds back up.

On another note, we were successful in finding a daycare for Pod when I have to go back to work. The daycare is right down the street from my office. It's literally 3 mins away from the office. The down side is that they do not do part-time. We have to pay for all five days regardless if he is there or not. I don't know how some families do it, especially single parents or families with more than one child in day care.

My mom came back down to visit and stayed with us for a week. We had a great time & she was a huge help. Joe and I were able to go on a date! We haven't been on a date since the baby was born. It was nice to get out and have a nice dinner & not have to worry about the baby. I knew he was well taken care of. Of course I did keep my phone beside me the whole time, but restrained from calling and checking in. Joe and I went to PF Changs and then went to see Eagle Eye in the Imax theater. That's a great movie, by the way.... Maybe Joe and I can keep up with date night once or twice a month. That would be nice.

Pod made his first trip to the Smoky Mountains this past weekend. We went to have some pictures made. Mom took some pictures and Joe took some pictures. I'm a horrible photographer so I didn't volunteer to take any. I've posted some pics above. (Yes, his eyes really are that blue!)

Well, other than that, everyone should be up to date now. Hopefully the weather holds out and we'll be able to make it home for Thanksgiving. I can't wait to bring the baby home to meet everyone. I may not be able to eat Thanksgiving dinner & will more than likely have to buy my own food, but that's okay, too.

I'll talk to everyone later!

Jace is one month old!

The New Bed

Here's Pod's new bed that he loves. Of course Mommy has a hard time doing laundry, but he is my favorite piece of dirty laundry!