PEACE OUT!

We're heading to the Bahama's today! YES! Oh and we're taking Kinsley! HA! I KNOW! Our flight is at 7:05 AM! Yeah so that means we have to leave our house by 4! Meaning we have to be up by 3/ 315! YIKES! Are we crazy? Most likely... but it's SOOO going to be worth it when we get there with enough time to go down to the beach or pool! ahhhh!

So there won't be many updates these next few days (because what fun are updates without pictures) but don't worry, I've scheduled a few for you!

have a GREAT Easter! Love you guys!

Egg Hunting

Kinsley attended her first Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday! And it was PACKED! It was put on by our church and here's the tots section scrambling to get all of the yummy candy filled eggs!
Don't worry Kinsley threw a few elbows out there and was able to come away with one precious egg!

Can't you tell how thrilled she is about it? I could hardly hold her back her excitement was tremendous! (Please excuse the random placement of the bow on K's head, even though i do think she is as pretty as a flower it was not my intention to make her look like one).
Aww just look at that happy face! Sadly the egg hunt fell while Kinsley was trying to take a nap... she was less then thrilled with all of the "photo opportunities" since each one meant that the mean ole wind would get her. This is her "I'm SOOO not amused face"~

We hope you all have a WONDERFUL Easter and remember that Christ died and rose from the grave for you! To forgive you of your sins and to make eternal life possible! We love you all and stay safe from the Easter Bunny! He's tricky dropping off all that candy right before swimsuit season!

Boobies!

Lets talk about boobies again, it's been a while... and in less then a week and a half I will have been exclusively breast feeding Kinsley for FOUR months! As many of you know it wasn't always the easiest journey! Between cracked nipples, over supply, need breast shields, etc. Luckily we never had issues with Kinsley latching on or nipple confusion (mommy always had nipples of gold!)!

So i thought an update would be good because last night Chris asked me (while i was hooked up like a jersy cow)if breastfeeding was harder or easier then i thought it would be. I told him it was all worth it. Meaning, I don't think I was expecting the level of pain a cracked nipple can cause BUT getting to know that I am solely responsible for those cute chunky thighs is simply bliss!

Is it frustating that I have to get up in the middle of the night, sometimes. Is it frustating when she's hungry adn i'm in public and she's flipping out and knocking the udder cover off? Yes, yes it i . BUT it's worth it to me!

I think my love for breastfeeding also has to do with the fact that I am not easily embarressed. Meaning, I don't flinch at whipping a boob out in front of women, Chris, my Dad, and brother (i know you're thinking gross skevy... but i warn them it's coming and to look away if they don't want to see boob, which they don't so they do). If i know someone is uncomfortable with it or if they are a male (other then the ones previously mentioned) OR if i'm in public I always wear my udder cover!

So I will cover two topics, state of the boobs and state of the supply.

State of boobs, well they have started to seem like deflated balloons. I've been told this is normal around this time, since my body is "regulating" itself finally. And my nipples are still the size of Kinsley's head (well the size it was when she was born). Oh and another really GREAT perk besides super hero sized nipples, you will have nipples that look like you could be that spy in Austin Powers that could shoot bullets out of them... oh yea i could do that! but at least they don't hurt anymore!

State of Supply WAS fanfreakintastic.... lately though, i'm worried! I use to have an over supply... i have a stach people would worship (promise photo to come), but lately i'm lucky if i can pump enough for Kinsley the next day (that's a morning, during the day x3, and before bed pump!)So i'm making sure I drink at least 100oz of water a day, eating oatmeal for breakfast, drinking Mothers Milk tea, AND i've ordered fenugrek (sp?) and i'm trying to add in another pumping session AND trying to have Kinsley on the boob as much as possible (since that's the best remedy for supply issues). We'll see....

Now just one fun tidbit for ya...

Chris and I are ALWAYS entertained by seeing how far i can squirt my boob milk... I think this should be an olympic sport! Curling is!

Chicken and Dumplings

I loved this dish... Chris thought it was a little oniony, mainly the amount of leeks, but i LOVED it and LOVED it left over! UMMMMM!
1 1/4 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 medium leek(s), white and light green parts only), thinly sliced
4 medium shallot(s), thinly sliced
2 medium carrot(s), sliced into thin rounds
2 medium celery, stalks, sliced
1 piece(s) bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
2 1/2 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp uncooked cornmeal
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1 1/2 tsp parsley, minced
1/4 cup(s) 1% low-fat milk
1/2 cup(s) apple juice
1/2 cup(s) frozen green peas, thawed

Instructions
Season chicken with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Mix flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle chicken with 1 tablespoon of seasoned flour. In a large skillet, heat oil and lightly brown chicken. Remove from pan.


In the same skillet, sauté leeks and shallots until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Add carrots, celery, bay leaf and thyme and cook another 3 minutes. Stir in remaining tablespoon of seasoned flour and it cook until it begins to color, about 1 minute. Pour in chicken broth and apple juice. Return chicken to pot. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.


Meanwhile to make dumplings, sift 2 tablespoons flour, cornmeal, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt together into a bowl. Stir in parsley. With a fork, stir in milk until dough just comes together. Drop dumpling mixture with a teaspoon into chicken mixture. Simmer, covered, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add peas, and cook until dumplings are done, another 2 to 4 minutes. Serve in six 1-cup portions.

6 servings, 4pts

She's So Smart!

So we're trying to stretch out Kinsley's feedings to every 3 hours and so near the end of it you have to try REALLY hard to entertain her... well do you know what her favorite form of entertainment is? Singing the ABCs! Now i know what you're thinking "Erin she just likes getting sung to!"... well yes normally she does BUT even her teachers say nothing entertains her like the ABCs, they try twinkle twinkle little star... NOPE she wants the ABCs!

Another interesting fact from the "school" front... Kinsley i think has a boyfriend. There's a very cute almost two year old that is OBSESSED with giving Kinsley hugs when she's upset! It's SO cute! This morning when i was dropping her off his Mom was trying to get a goodbye hug but all he wanted to do was hug Kinsley! He can even say her name! It's priceless! We better get Chris over there to make his presence known!

Cheesey Chicken Encaladas

OMG who doesn't love cheese??? These really are AWESOME! except it's hard to ONLY eat your serving! AMAZING!
1 spray(s) cooking spray
8 oz Kraft Velveeta Light Reduced-Fat Pasteurized Processed Cheese Product
1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk
1/4 cup(s) scallion(s), green part only, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 cup(s) cooked chicken breast, chopped*
6 medium whole wheat tortilla(s), 7-inches each
1/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp variety
6 medium olive(s), green, pitted, sliced
1/4 cup(s) salsa

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.


In a microwave-safe bowl, combine cheese product and sour cream; cover and microwave on high power until cheese melts, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove half of melted cheese to a small bowl and stir in evaporated milk; set aside. Add scallions, red pepper flakes and chicken to remaining cheese mixture; stir to coat.


Spoon about 2/3 cup of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; fold in sides of tortilla to cover filling and place tortillas in a single layer in prepared dish; spoon remaining cheese sauce over top and then sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and olives.


Bake until cheese topping is bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with salsa. Yields 1 enchilada per serving.
Notes
*Use leftover cooked chicken or two (6-ounce) packages of cooked chicken breast strips in this recipe.

6 servings, 6pts

Photo Shoot Friday (WITH a new bow!)

So Kinsley got some new bows in the mail yesterday and we LOVE them. We got them from little lesiw and they are so beautiful. Even better, our order took her a while to ship out, so you know what she did??? Gave us TWO bows for free! AMAZING! Everyone BUY from her! i love her stuff! And here's some pictures of Kinsley LOVING her bows!

beef baked Ziti

12 oz uncooked ziti
2 tsp olive oil
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1/3 pound(s) raw lean ground beef
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.


Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.


Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, about 3 to 5 minutes; drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat.


Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; stir to coat beef. Cook until herbs become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.


Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of cooked ziti. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining ziti and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.
8 servings 5pts

Fish Chowder Pie in a Bacon Bisquet Crust

okay so this is awesome! Chris absolutly LOVED it! It's also still GREAT as a leftover! The crust doesn't get too soggy and parts don't at all...soooo good!

1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion(s), white, chopped
1 medium uncooked red potato(es), peeled and chopped
2 medium carrot(s), chopped
2 medium stalk(s) celery, chopped
2 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced
1 cup(s) canned clam juice
1 3/4 cup(s) water
1 tsp rosemary, chopped
1/2 cup(s) fat-free half-and-half
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 pound(s) uncooked cod, fillets, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/4 cup(s) bell pepper(s), chopped, seeded, red
1/2 Tbsp thyme, chopped
2/3 cup(s) frozen corn kernels, (fresh or thawed)
1 1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
2 cup(s) white all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp butter, cold
3/4 cup(s) buttermilk, low-fat
4 slice(s) cooked crisp turkey bacon, crumbled

Instructions
To make the filling, heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion, potato, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the clam juice, water, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.


In a small bowl mix together the half-and-half, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the saucepan, then add the cod, bell pepper, thyme, corn, salt, and ground pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until the fish is opaque, about 5 minutes.


Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pour the fish mixture into a round 2-quart baking dish and set dish on a baking sheet.


To make the crust, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into pieces, then cut into mixture with a fork or a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in the buttermilk and bacon. Gather the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured counter, roll out the dough into a 10-inch circle, about 1/4 -inch thick. Fit the dough over the baking dish and crimp the excess around the rim to seal. Poke all over with the tines of a fork. Bake until the crust is puffed and browned and the filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes.
Notes
Haddock, halibut, or sea bass make good replacements for the cod.

9pts per serving, serves 6

Weight Watchers

Now i wish i had taken pictures of these wonderful meals, but i've been so tired and hungry that by the time they are done, so am i and i just want to eat. But i have to tell you about them!
Lately i've taken to making weight watcher recipes for dinner. This is GREAT for me for MANY reasons
1. i KNOW how many points i'm eating
2. I can make a shopping list and not over spend at the g-store
3. They are pretty fast for the most part AND tasty!

Oh and did i mention that Chris LOVES them?? Yeah, espeically this fish chowered pot bacon pie thing. Oh he's sooo hooked, the words Weight Watchers don't freak him out, no no he, instead, practically jumps for joy!

So soon i'll start posting some of my favorite recipes, reviews, and hopefully one day photos!

Dress help!

Okay so I have 6, yes SIX! weddings to attend this year. And three of them will have all the same people attending as well. SO i needed dresses, and the practical side of me also wanted dresses that were work friendly and possibly church friendly so i could get more wear out of them. Now i ALSO had to get boob friendly ones... these milk jugs are just NOT cute in a strapless because they will push anything without straps down to my ankles, and well that is just not cute!
SO Here are the dresses that i've bought... now i need your opinions on jewelry and shoes!

I'm thinking about wearing this first one to my friend's wedding in the Bahama's. If i do i have black flip flops i'll most likely wear since we're going to be on the beach AND i'll be carrying around a little 4-month old (don't worry, there's bling on the flip flops to dress them up). But what about jewelry? What would you wear???

Now I LOVE this dress, it's so 1950s hotness! Now i was thinking black peep toe pumps and i found this little yellow half ball earrings and a yellow bangle bracelet. Do you agree or should i just let the belt be the only yellow?

This one is just nice and simple and pretty. I'll wear brown sandals i'm thinking... what kind of jewelry???

Now i just bought this little number and it's also a contender for the Bahama's... which one would you wear??? And what jewelry would you wear? And what shoes???? HELP!

So as you can see i have A LOT to think about so PLEASE help me decide!
thanks ladies, and as always, Spanx is your friend!

Good Morning!

Kinsley ALWAYS wears a bow to "school" each day... normally though it's off her head the second she enters the place because they are scared of loosing it and the hassel of taking it off and on for her naps. SOOO since i knew it was coming off anyway, we went BIG.
Go big or go home right? Kinsley is happy about it!

i'm loosing the battle!

The thumb sucking battle that is. I've have been trying SOOO hard to make sure Kinsley is NOT a thumb sucker. I've bought all her favorite passy's, I've even thrown the Baby Whisperer to the winds and let her keep my "prop" and help her to keep it! But what does she do? She ignores it and uses her thumb. Now I know what you're thinking "Erin, this is GREAT! Now you won't have to wake up to give her the passy!" Umm yea but the problem comes in when you can't understand my three year old because she has her thumb in her mouth! You can take away a passy people, short of cutting it off, you can't take away a thumb!
She is darn cute though!


I wish i had video taped this one, her little lip was moving like her thumb was still in! So sweet!

Breaking down the Baby Whisperer

Ok... so i started this when i was still at home with K... since then i've deterred. IF you're just starting out and your baby is under 3 months then it works like this E. (eat) A. (activity) S. (sleep) Y. (you). That's the EASY approach. It's GREAT! Takes some doing b/c you have to lay child down and get them to sleep without a prop (you, passy, rocking, music, etc).
Well the prop is where our mistake came in and stayed and was only made worse when i went back to work.

We used to lay K down with a passy (my beloved Wubbanub)... it wasn't so bad. If it fell out (which it only did once at night) and she woke up then i would lean over and pop it back in and back to dream land we would all go. Well that was great when she was sleeping in the same room as us all confined in her little bassinet. Now she's in the big world of her crib IN her OWN room! CRAZY! Started off the same... but then something happened. And the Baby Whisperer refers to it as accidental parenting.

Kinsley gets hungry (or i assume she is) in the middle of the night and i feed her b/c i'm back at work and miss that time with her and i want to keep my supply up. Her passy pops out and she starts to fuss a little so i RUN in and pop it back in since i need her to sleep since i have to get up at 430 now!

It keeps popping out while i sleep, while i get ready in the mornings, while i drive to daycare, and i keep popping it back in!

Little did i know by encouraging the passy and these night time feedings i wasn't helping anyone out. Kinsley is learning to rely on either me or the passy to go to sleep. This will not help out either one of us long term. ESPECIALLY NOW, now that i've reached my breaking point! I haven't had a full night of sleep (meaning sleeping for more then a 2-3 hour stretch at a time) in at least a week or so... and add on top of that having to get up at 430, working, etc... it's all too much. I'm SO tired.

So back to the book i went to learn about my pitfalls. Oh did i fall!

So now we have to jump back on the horse, climb the ladder, and try again. It's going to be harder this time and take longer but in the end it WILL be better.

I have to fix 3 things
1. No more passy to help sleep... if SHE wants it and puts it in fine... I will NOT be putting it in anymore.

2. Help her to get more sleep since she gets so stimulated at school, so she must go to bed earlier, despite the fact that Chris and i work and want to spend time with her... we just can't for her sake.

3. Help her to get on a solid 3 hour schedule and then soon after a 4 hour schedule (since she's still often on a 2-2 1/2 hour schedule).

So that's what i'm working with.

here's the schedule that she suggest you do in the book for 3 hours
E: 7am
A: 7:30
S: 8:30 (1 1/2 hours)
E: 10
A: 10:30
S: 11:30 (1 1/2 hours)
E: 1
A: 1:30
S: 2:30 (1 1/2 hours)
E: 4
A: 4:30
S: Catnap (30-45mins)
E&A: 7 Feed and bath
S: 7:30
E: Dream feed at 11.

Now i have to get Kinsley up at 5:30 for us to be ready to go to daycare and me to work so that means i have to start the process an hour and a half earlier and putting her to bed that much earlier. So basically i will pick her up from daycare. Bring her home... feed her, bathe her and put her to bed... Chris will only get to see her IF he's home then... which he never is b/c his job sucks like that.

Now this is a guideline... you don't HAVE to sick to these exact times but you need to be close... and then she gives you tips on how to move this and that 15mins here and there to get them on a 4 hour schedule in around 2 weeks.

Great so we're going to follow something along these lines... but we have to get her to sleep... that's the big problem right?!?! k, this is where she introduces the Pick up/Put Down method.

Kinsley is crying, i go in and pat her and shhhh shhhh shhh her. She's now Whaling like a banshee so i pick her up and sooth her. She stops crying so i immediately put her down into the crib (even if she starts to cry on the way down) and repeat until she goes to sleep... oh here's the BEST part, even if you think she's asleep, WAIT, yes wait about 15-20 more minutes patting and soothing so that you can make sure she's in her deep sleep. Here's the best part... if they go to sleep within 20-30mins of this we might get 3 hours of sleep before we rinse and repeat... if it takes longer... we'll only get our 2 hours of sleep. Oh Joy!

So i'm going to try my darnest to try this tonight and from now on... i'll let you know how it goes... my post may not be great wonderful long post but i will post.

Here's to taking a nap on our date night to get ready for my all night date with my daughter!

Damn YOU Wubby!

First I'm sorry for my language now and in the future of this email... i'm a VERY tired, sleep deprived mother who is ready to kill the world.

Second, all you mothers who read my other post about how amazing my daughter sleeps and so you created voodoo dolls of me as your revenge b/c you were/are sleep deprived and hated me for my cheery mood... I.WILL.CUT.YOU! If you don't take those damn pins out now! I'M SORRY! I get it! Now let up already!

So where to start??? Should we start with the "I'm going to let her cry" and i did but then i caved... the fact that she woke up like 5 times last night... or at the VERY beginning where i chopped off part of her finger???

Lets start at the finger before you call child services on me...
I was cutting her nails (since she's taken to scratching and drawing blood out of her EARS!)and right as i was pressing down she moves her hand (like it was still before) WHAM i chop off part of her FINGER! It bled and bled and bled... she cried (not as long as you would think for having lost a small chunk of the tip of her finger)and i almost did but i was too dazed and tired (probably shouldn't cut nails when i'm tired) to. Stuck a band aid on it and moved on.

Fast forward through head bopping, bath, and dinner... It's time to sleep... we do our normal routine and lay her down (WITH the damn wubby) and she CRIES! WTH! She NEVER cries when we lay her down (might fuss if the passy falls out but no crying! Especially if she has the passy!)! Oh dear lord, someone please come and take this child, i KNOW this is going to be a BAD BAD night.

She goes to sleep FINALLY.... I go to sleep (she at 730, me at 8). 1030 rolls around and she's up... okay lets eat... she eats (a full meal) and off to sleep again.

1230 rolls around... i try to the pat her back and let her cry crap... yeah not helping... pick her up put her down... not helping... FINE TAKE THE DAMN PASSY!

200 comes wacking me in the face like a cold shower, forget everything i said i was going to do and just gave her the passy

400 Dammit do i even need to explain?

430 FINE I GET IT! LETS EAT!

she's back asleep by 450, i get up to get ready for the day and have to get her "up" at 545 to get her dressed, etc. Drop her off at daycare where she starts smiling and cooing at the teacher... SERIOUSLY!?!!?

So right now i'm about to wrap her up in a FedEx box and ship her to Grandmas so i can get some sleep...

OMG! It's the Wubbanub on CRACK!

OMG! IT's the wubbanub but BETTER! Can you STAND IT!?!?!? This could solve everything??? This could make it SOOO much easier for Kinsley to find her passy at night!?!?!? Dare i beg Chris to order one??!

This 5 hour energy is safe for breastfeeding?

Yes??? No??? Because i NEED something... I.Am.SO.TIRED! Last night i told hubby that he HAD to step it up and help me more at night... yea well me waking up to wake him up to give him directions on what to do DEFEATS THE PURPOSE! I mean IF i'm waking him up to go and check on her (b/c she's fussing) most likely it's not to feed her! You know since i BREASTFEED! Just get up and shove the passy back in!
So last night i put her down at about 730 for bed... NICE and early (b/c i read kids sleep better if they get enough sleep to begin with). She lays down and goes right to sleep, no problems really. Fast forward to 9pm when i go in to "dream feed" her... this is her at 9

(any comments about the 1652 things that are "wrong" with this crib sleeping situation can all go to.... well you get the drift... keep them to yourselves unless you think they will help her sleep!)
Goes GREAT! She eats and goes right back to sleep!

Fast forward to midnight... she wants to eat!

Fast forward to 230ish... she needs a passy or something

Fast forward to 330 or maybe it was 3 or maybe it was 4... needs something again

Fast forward to 430, hungry AND has an incredibly stuffy nose! Feed her... turn on the light to suck her nose out... she had also had a mini bloody nose (apparently her room is too dry despite the fact we have a humidifier... guess we'll be turning it up to full blast!)!

UH! I'm tired! My kid is beyond pitiful and i don't know what to do! I don't want to smile because it makes the luggage, that is now taking up permanent residence under my eyes, larger! So i'm stuck between drinking a little rum (you know so it's "mixed" in her bottle) or the 5 hour energy (which she DOESN'T need)... which to choose? Why can't there be over night daycare!

Photo Shoot Thursday

(My mother is going to kill me for this b/c she HATED how much TV i watched as a kid) But here's my kid... refusing to look at me b/c the TV is on... and it's not even on one of her shows one being: Yo Gabba Gabba? What is this show you might ask? Here's a picture... discussion to follow at a later date... i don't have the energy to breech this one yet!

"Hee hee i don't want to look at you... the TV is on!"

Not a bad picture if you ignore the luggage under my eyes and the lack of luster in my very tired skin.... oh and it's hair wash day.... moving on

Ignore the boobs to the left... concentrate on those cheeks!

"she's Crazy I tell you! CRAZY!"

Oh Dear Lord....

See this amazing little sweet firecracker?

Yeah her... i'm convinced she's teething. Teething at 15 weeks. That's 3 and 1/2 months! It's possible, i've read ALL about it! She has all the signs, up more at night (WAY more, you doubt me? look at the luggage under my eyes), she's gnawing on EVERYTHING... seriously... last night she grabbed my finger and it was like a demon possessed her as she grabbed it and acted like it was the last ear of corn on the planet! She has a cold (runny nose, etc), drools and so on and so on... Oh dear lord! I was hoping this was all something the baby whisperer could fix... but no... NOTHING will fix this... I'm so tired!
BUT i did find a few things that will help make this a little more bearable! Gifts for baby AND me!!
Well first is for her: The Sophie Teether

This thing gets the best raves ever! So i'm SOOO in!
Next up... mom bling!

And one of my favorite people uses it too!

Next up... are you ever holding your child and she get all Edward on your Bella arm? Great, buy this Oh Plah bracelet!

Worn like so:


So there you have it, my order... i hope they help! I know it won't help her sleep but MAYBE it will help those little teeth!

You have any tips for me??

She can Swim!!!

Well sort of... it's a start at least!

Kinsley attended her first swim lesson this past weekend and did GREAT! She only fussed a little bit at the beginning and that was it! She's such a star! Here's some pictures to recap:









She had so much fun, i can't wait to go back on Saturday! She was a little star and we were told that the teacher was impressed with her because normally kids scream through the entire first class! Not our K... instead the kid who was in our group and had been in the class for 8months (!!) screamed! Guess that's why he's still on the beginner level~ (oh i hope his parents don't read this!).

Mom (me!!) also got the approval of the teacher saying i caught on SOO quickly and followed directions well! (B/c you know it's all about the parents at this age!) WOOT!

She's SICK!!

My darlin little girl is sick! We woke up at 4am Monday morning to a very unhappy little girl who had a fever! Poor thing! So we went to the pediatrician and found out she has an ear infection! AWWW!

So i stayed home yesterday and took care of the little one. She's on antibiotics and lots of sleep! Poor things nose is so stuffy and draining constantly... luckily i have a new booger sucker!

Winner is....

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 1 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

NICHOLE!!! Congrats! You won! We'll be in touch! Congrats!!!

Swim baby!

So have you seen these videos ?? They break my heart because that little baby is just floating there waiting for the parents... BUT he's FLOATING! He's NOT drowning! It's amazing! Once I saw them i KNEW i had to get Kinsley in the water doing just that or else i was going to FREAK OUT and not sleep for fear that she would some how (despite the fact that she doesn't walk, crawl, or even roll) fall into a pool or pond (regardless that we don't own one and she can't get near one without us DRIVING her to one). I KNEW i would be loosing sleep over it! Call me irrational, you wouldn't be the first, but i want her to be comfortable in the water and learn survival swimming!

SO she IS!!! Starting tomorrow (saturday) she and I will go every Saturday and spend some Mommy/K time together and she'll learn to float and eventually swim! I'm sooo excited!

Totswap

So last night i attended my first ever totswap!It was awesome! I'm SOOO glad i was able to go early before the general public... if i would have had to wait I wouldn't have gotten ANYTHING! So ladies do whatever you need to do to go early! Bring stuff to sell, volunteer, be a first time mom! ANYTHING!

So I made my list and enlisted the help of one of my best friends and off we went! Just standing in the line to go in was TRILLING!

In we went, it was like a mad dash! First on my list? Jogging Stroller! Here's what i got!

It's Eddie Bauer! This easily retailed for around 150-200! What did I pay??? $60!!! YES!! So I lift it over my head and carry it to safety!

Next on the list??? A stationary Jumper!

SCORE! It sells for $90 in stores... what did I pay??? $40! SWEET!

Okay now i REALLY needed a new bath tub... not sure if i've shared my distain for my previous one but it just doesn't work well for us... never was great, that "head pillow??? please! so i got this!

LOVE IT!, well i think, haven't ACTUALLY used it so i'll let you know! It retails for $25+ and I paid $10!
Next on the list was getting Kinsley some toys... she's good at beginning to stand and so i wanted a play table. When i saw this i thought "sweet" b/c you can take the legs off and let her play with it on the floor until she wants to stand and play!

This leapfrog table retails for $45 and I paid $14! How awesome is all of that???

We also got Kinsley a few little outfits (for like $3 each) and some toys! IT was GREAT! Everyone should attend at least one and make sure it's a BIG one!

Starbucks

Why do i even bother with inferior products???

So i'm happily addicted to my Venti Skim Lattes of all flavors! I can't help myself! BUT i do like little family owned special places too, love to support my local places! Well i decided to forgo my much needed cup with a cup from the locals... Shouldn't have done it!

I should have known by the cup, it wasn't even anything special... then i go for a sip and practically burn my lips (Starbucks ALWAYS has it at a nice sipping temperature) and the after taste TASTED burned... UH! Add in some splenda and well, it was tolerable...

Starbucks why do i stray?

New Blog

So don't get too use to the way this looks, i'm working on a new layout! Coming in April... this will always be the site though so bookmark it or replace it in your google reader!
thanks!

She takes a bath

So Every night Kinsley gets a bath before bed... she doesn't NEED one so to say, but it's apart of our routine! It helps her know that NOW it is time for bed, you will be going to sleep so get ready... and she LOVES it! IT's so much fun to give her a bath because even if she's screaming bloody murder, as soon as you turn that bath water on, the smiles come on....

in this bath instance she isn't FULL of smiles mainly b/c i woke her up from a nap to eat and then to get ready for bed... she just wanted to keep sleeping... lol



This is her "Chris" face... she always looks like him when she's serious or mad! lol

Diapers.com

So i lurve this site! I go OFTEN to it... i order diapers, oneies, EVERYTHING from them.... it's the best and the stuff gets delivered NEXT DAY and it's free shipping if you spend $49!!!! AWESOME!

So if you want to go there put in this code: BREE0918 and you'll get $10 off and I'll get a $10 credit! WIN WIN!

You may bow down and worship me! and giveaway!

Because I am awesome! I am here to save all of you mothers who either didn't take home the nasal aspirator (aka booger grabber) from the hospital, you lost it, the dog ate it, etc!

After MUCH searching i have FINALLY found it!! The ones in the stores suck! OR rather they DON'T suck, they get NOTHING out! But i have found this amazing item on the web for all of you!



Go HERE and order!

Now for the REALLY exciting news! This will be my first GIVEAWAY! I know what you're thinking "gezz Erin you just HAD to pick a booger grabber as your first giveway" and YES i did! It's awesome, needed by EVERYONE and SOOO hard to find a good one!

SO This is how it will work... if you would like to "win" one of these amazing little suckers leave me a comment! You can enter once for just a comment, once if you tell me why you love my blog, and once if you tell me what you would like me to talk about or more of! So that's THREE entries (please leave separate comments)!!! Then i will go to random.com and have them pick a winner! Drawing closes at noon on Friday March 12 and i will announce a winner shortly there after! Good Luck!!!

Make Love to the Washer!

So our dryer died... very sad, especially since i had 2 weeks of laundry for 3 people to do! SO off to mother-in-laws house we go. Got it ALL done, only too ALL weekend... but how did i get rewarded??? Chris bought me new front loaders! I Can't WAIT to get this puppy downstairs and hooked up (the dryer is already there, but this things is VERY heavy so we need to wait for help)!

Kinsley is just as excited as i am!

If you're wondering "UM Erin you COULD have had these delivered, etc" no, no that wasn't an option b/c we bought the floor models for $250 less (EACH!) as a cash and carry deal! SO it's worth the added hassle when you save $500!