Wednesday, December 29, 2010

9 weeks



Here's what is going on with Noah this week according to babycenter.com;

Your baby's salivary glands have been working since she was in utero, but you may notice that she's started to drool. She's also putting everything in her mouth and producing more saliva than she can swallow. This doesn't mean that your baby's teething just yet, though — that probably won't happen for another two weeks, at least. The vast majority of babies sprout their first tooth between 4 and 7 months of age. If your baby's an early developer, you may see her first white cap, usually one of the bottom two middle teeth, as early as 3 months. (And in rare cases, a baby's first tooth is visible at birth!) Many parents permanently affix a bib to their baby about now to catch the drool. Just remember to take it off when your baby sleeps to prevent strangulation. The good news is that your baby's drool coats toys and other objects with disease-preventing proteins. That's fortunate — since she'll continue to explore anything she can get her hands on.

If your baby's sleeping through the night (five or six hours at a stretch), you're one of the lucky few. Most 10-week-old babies still wake up in the middle of the night. But even babies who aren't sleeping through the night at this stage should be sleeping and staying awake for longer intervals instead of cycling back and forth so much. Your baby will most likely have two to four long sleep periods and as many as ten hours of awake time in 24 hours. An interesting note: Whether your baby is a night owl or a morning lark, a long sleeper or short sleeper, she'll probably stay that way throughout childhood.

Your baby is learning how to rock and roll — well, maybe just roll. At this age, she'll probably be able to move from her side to her back and her back to her side. The complete roll over won't come for another month or so, though, because she needs stronger neck and arm muscles for that maneuver. Your baby's increasing mobility means that you must keep a hand on her during diaper changes. Never leave your baby unattended on a bed or any other elevated surface now that she can move around.

This week we had our two month doctor's appointment.  Noah is up to 11 lbs, and 22 inches long (he was 7 lbs 8 oz at birth, and 20.75 inches long).  Our doctor said that Noah is a little smaller than the average baby, but that the rate at which he is growing since his last visit is right on track with where he is supposed to be.  He is still sleeping through the night consistently, and usually goes down around 9 or 10 pm and gets up at 4 or 5 for his first feeding and diaper change.  Then, if we don't have anything to do early that morning, we sometimes go back to bed until around 8 or 9 am.  After that he continues to eat every 2.5-3.5 hours all day long, and takes a few naps throughout the day.  He is definitely awake more and more as each week goes on, and he is getting increasingly more alert.  Now I can see him watching me from several feet away.  He is starting to be more and more fun also.  He goes through longer and more frequent periods of happiness where he will smile and make noises at us for up to a half an hour straight.  We recently borrowed a swing from Jeremy's cousin (that we get to keep until she has her baby in March) and Noah is loving sitting in the swing while listening to the compilation of classical music it plays.  Although  Noah loves to sleep on his belly (during the day while I am awake and watching him), he doesn't seem to be too fond of mat time.  We can squeeze in a few minutes before he turns into a complete fussy baby.  For the most part when Noah fusses it can be easily cured by walking him through the house and constantly moving while he stares around at his surroundings in awe.  He also doesn't like to lay down much anymore (unless he is sleeping) and would much rather be sitting up where he can see what is going on around him.  I am in awe at how much he changes each day, and how he keeps getting more fun and more cute each day, although I don't think that either of those are possible cause he is so great just the way he is.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Sweet and Spicy Baked Brie


Sweet and Spicy Baked Brie

Since brie is a little more expensive then "every day cheese" I tend to save it for special occasions.  This is a nice elegant appetizer that can be thrown together with very minimal effort.  I like to serve this with a more gourmet cracker, like a rice cracker which has a nice lightness and crispness.  Apple slices would also be delicious for dipping in the cheese.  Any other jam/ jelly (or even honey) could be substituted for the pepper jelly, and dried cranberries/ cherries could be added for a tart kick.

- 5 oz wheel of brie
-few tablespoons pepper jelly (I like jalapeno pepper jelly for a bit of a kick, but red pepper jelly would be fine for a more mild dish)
-few tablespoons chopped pecans

Place brie in baking dish.  Top with pepper jelly.  Top with pecans.  Bake at 350 for 10-20 minutes, until center oozes out upon cutting.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas pics

Here are a few pics from our Christmas and Christmas Eve. We got to spend time with Jeremy's parents and sister, my mom, and some extended cousins and friends of the family.

Jeremy's sister lisa, diving into the loot

me in what seems like my usual position these days... nursing our son






silly face

my mom and Noah

Jeremy's parents

Handmade Christmas

For the first time ever we didn't buy a single gift for Christmas. I've always enjoyed doing some homemade items, but our budget this year required that we only do homemade items. With a newborn around I kept it simple and just did a few small items. It was quite refreshing this year to not have the pressure of shopping or worrying about how much to spend on items. Here's a glimpse at a few of the goodies that I came up with;

a soft ball for my niece... I made this out of 3 different fabrics that I got for $0.50 each (for about a yard of each) from a yard sale about 5 months ago, and I had gotten a big bag of stuffing from a different yard sale for $1
rose earrings for some family and friends
a car cozy for my nephew, with a road to drive on and pockets to hold his cars... this is made entirely out of our old clothes... the tan on the front was from a pair of maternity capris, the black was from an old t shirt, the blue from an old pain of work pants, and the denim from an old pair of Jeremy's jeans
some homemade granola

In addition to these items, we also gave some family cookbooks (like this one from last year), and of course plenty of pictures of our little one.

Merry Christmas!  May your day be filled with love, laughter, and the presence of our Savior!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

8 weeks



Here's what is going on with Noah this week according to babycenter.com;

Your baby can tell the difference between familiar voices and other sounds, and he's becoming a better listener. He can also show you that he's in tune with his environment. Notice how he looks to see where certain noises are coming from.  An ongoing conversation (although seemingly one-sided) can help your baby develop his sense of place. He may even watch your mouth as you talk, fascinated by how it all works. You'll be amazed by his ability to communicate with a growing repertory of coos (musical, vowel-like sounds), smiles, and unique cries to express his different needs.

Noah is getting bigger by the day.  I'm now putting him in 3 month and 3-6 month clothes, even though he's only two months old.  He's not outgrowing them in width, he's still a fairly thin little guy, but he's growing like a weed in length while he bulks up slowly.  Neither Jeremy nor I are tall, so I'm not sure where his height is coming from.  Each week he starts being awake more and more... in general he sleeps most of the morning (in between feedings), and then is awake most of the afternoon and evening.  Right now his fussy time is mostly between 5 and 8 pm.  He just wants to be held and moved around during this time, rather than sitting alone (unfortunately this just happens to fall around the time that I make dinner and that we try to sit down and eat).  We can see his eyes focusing on things a lot, especially us, or the mobiles in his bedroom.  He loves to go for walks, either in the stroller or the Baby Bjorn carrier.  For the most part he's sleeping straight through from 9 pm to 5 am now, with a middle of the night feeding every few days.  He's especially happy right when he's done eating and will sit and grin and "talk" to me for about 30 minutes. He loves to look around the room and in general prefers sitting up and facing out to laying down, or being held facing me. 

Shannon

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

be the change...

Often in Christian culture we use the saying "be the change that you want to see".  Meaning, rather than sitting around complaining about the way things are, do something about it.  This can be difficult, because it's easy to feel that I'm so small that I can't make a difference, or sometimes I feel that I just don't know where to start.  It's easy to be overwhelmed by issues like poverty and violence, and the lack of unity among the Church.  I could go deeper into this (and probably will in another post soon), but today I'm pondering this "be the change..." phrase in relation to my home/ family life.

I'm taking inventory of my life, my values, and the messages that I'm sending with my actions.  I'm looking to see where my actions don't line up with my values... if my time, energy, and resources are being used wisely, or if they are being squandered.  I'm pondering the values that I want to be instilled in Noah, and evaluating on if that is what is being modeled by my example.  I want him to learn from watching me, I want to model the values that are important, I want him to learn through doing things with me, and not just by me telling him what is important and "good" to do.

As a result I feel a call to action, to "being the change".  I want to pray more, laugh more, read more, stop to cherish each moment, play more, connect more, create more, and have more deep conversations.  I want to limit my time in front of the TV, or on the internet and really engage in life...in living, serving, loving, and connecting with others.  I want Noah to grow up knowing that the Lord is the center of my life, and not just hearing me say those cliche words.  I want us to take lots of time to create, play, explore nature, and snuggle.  I want us to take time to be still and reflective.  I want all of our days to be led by the Holy Spirit... to have constant communion and communication with Him... to be aware of how He is working in, through, and around us, and to experience Him.

So today, I'm moving towards being the change that I want to see in my family, in my son, in the next generation...

What changes do you want to see?  How can you take the first step?

Shannon

Monday, December 20, 2010

Roasted Mushrooms

Roasted Mushrooms

These were delicious!  They could be a great quick and easy side dish alongside any meat.  The parmesan cheese isn't necessary, but I had some on hand that I wanted to use up.  A splash of lemon juice or wine would also add a great dimmension of flavor to this dish.  Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

- 16 oz button/ white mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed (any that were large I cut in half)
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-2 tsp dried rosemary
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

In medium bowl, stir together olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and garlic.  Toss with mushrooms.  Place mushrooms in greased baking dish.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.  (Optional) Top with parmesan and continue to bake until cheese melts.

Shannon