tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35389818102439287712024-03-14T01:50:21.970-04:00It's Just Me...Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-10149298015156150972014-07-26T22:38:00.000-04:002014-07-26T22:38:14.163-04:00Ben's birth story<br />
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I feel like a terrible person, I started off my documenting my pregnancy and then, kind of stopped. In all honesty, my pregnancy was pretty non eventful though, which is a good thing. So, I guess that is part of the reason why I never got around to weekly updates. However, I would never forgive myself if I didn't document his birth story though -- he at least deserves that!<br />
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I finally have a free moment (and a both hands free!) to get it written down :)<br />
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As I stated, my pregnancy was pretty text book. This time around, it was a little more exhausting as I was dealing with a rambunctious toddler every step of the way. As you know, we waited to find out the gender this time. I thought it would be tough, but it really wasn't (and yes, it WAS worth the wait in the end!) I was also hoping to have a VBAC this time around, but knew that a second C-section was always possible. I specifically chose a VBAC friendly practice this time, and had positive support from my doctor's my entire pregnancy. The only stipulation was that I was not allowed to be induced and that I had to go into labor on my own. Inducing with a VBAC increases your chance at a uterine rupture -- its not a huge increase, but its enough that the practice does not want the liability, and I respect that. In talking with a doula friend, I later found out that its pretty standard across the board.<br />
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So, as part of the routine, I still had to schedule a backup C-section date in case I never went into labor and had no other choice. My practice left it up to me as to when I wanted to schedule, and were willing to let me go a week "past due" if I so choose. In basing off my previous pregnancy, I decided to schedule it for a week past my due date, to give myself a chance to go in to labor. I just had a feeling that I would still be pregnant at 40 weeks -- and I was! At my 40 week appointment, I had made absolutely no progress and baby was very high up and posterior (just like big sister). My normally optimistic doctor did not seem confident I would be going into labor on my own at that point, and I didn't think I would either, so I was being pessimistic and planning for my scheduled date the following week -- but baby ended up proving us wrong!<br />
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On the evening of June 22nd, I was getting ready for work (by getting ready, I mean I was showering and putting on my pajamas...the perks of working from home!) I used the bathroom before jumping in the shower and noticed I had lost a teeny tiny bit of my plug. I didn't think much of it, but thought it was interesting since I never had that with my previous pregnancy. I continued on with my night and logged in to work. A few hours later, I went to the bathroom again and a bigger chunk of my plug had come out -- still didn't think much of it, but texted my mom and sister to let them know. I also told my mom friends and they were all excited...at least SOMETHING was starting to happen!<br />
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Not even an hour after that, I started having mild cramping, but nothing consistent or time able. I refused to believe I was actually in labor! My mom kept insisting that I more than likely was, and that it was going to start out feeling different than it did during an induced labor. Over the course of the next two hours, I finished my shift at work as my contractions started getting stronger. After I got off work at midnight and realized this was the real deal, I started rushing around the house doing things I had planned to do that week leading up to my scheduled date -- laundry, dishes, vacuuming, and packing the rest of my hospital bag! I even tried painting my toe nails, but at that point, my contractions were strong enough that I had to keep stopping to breathe through them. Around 2a, I called my OB to tell him what was going on and gave my parents the green light to make the two hour trip down to Pittsburgh. By 3, my contractions were coming close together and getting stronger. My parents were still an hour and a half away and we were nervous about waiting at home until they could get there. Luckily, my friend Shanyn saved the day and came to stay with Audrey until my parents could get there!<br />
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We arrived at the hospital around 3:30a and they took me back to triage and hooked me up to all the monitors. After a short while, the triage Dr came in to check me. At that point I was 4cm and 90% effaced. However, the baby was still very high up, floating, and in a totally non-favorable position. His head was against my hip bone, facing the wrong direction. Deja vu. The chances of baby moving into the correct position at that point weren't great and we spoke with two separate doctors about it. They were both willing to let me continue laboring and try for my VBAC, but agreed that usually by 5-6cm, baby is typically starting to move into position. This kiddo was basically sideways. It was a difficult decision, but I knew what I didn't want -- laboring for hours and hours, only to end up with a C-section anyway. So, I chose to have a repeat C-section. Once that decision was made, things moved quickly! They had anesthesia come in to speak to me about getting my spinal, signing consent forms, etc.<br />
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They wheeled me to the OR to prep me for surgery. I remember this time much more vividly, probably because I wasn't exhausted physically and mentally! The environment was a lot more laid back and the surgical team was awesome, walking me through the spinal and other prep steps. Once I was prepped and on the table, the curtain was up and they brought Ryan in to sit by my head. I had requested my hands not be strapped down, and they allowed it, which I was thankful for! I had also requested that Ryan be able to announce the gender, and if all was ok with the baby, that they lift baby over the curtain so we could see him (we did not get that the first time, and I felt robbed of that experience!) I also spoke with the nurse and asked that she take as many photos as she could (and she did...and for that, we are SO thankful).<br />
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The surgery itself took FOREVER (no, seriously.) When all was said and done, it was about a 2-hour process. Not normal, but there were some special circumstances surrounding mine. Once the doctor accessed the uterus, my uterine window was so thin from my previous C-section, he could see the baby and amniotic fluid through it. Not good. In hindsight, having another C-section ended up being a blessing in disguise. Had I attempted a VBAC, I likely would have experienced uterine rupture -- very scary. Because of this issue, it literally took forever for them to get the baby out as he had to work around scar tissue and unfuse my bladder from my uterus, inject dye into my bladder to ensure it wasn't leaking after all of that -- hot mess! My OB was wonderful though, and was explaining to me what was going on and why it was taking so long. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the baby was out! The nurse Anesthetist (who was also great and chatted with us during everything) apparently missed the memo that Ryan was supposed to be the announcer, because as soon as the baby was out and before they held him up he peeked over the corner and said "it's a boy.."...Ryan didn't even care at that point because he was THRILLED to have a son! Finding out at the moment of delivery was an awesome moment and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!<br />
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After we got a sneak peak, they had to take him back to clean him off, weigh him, etc. We hear his first cries -- and it was wonderful! And he kept crying..lol. Little boy had some lungs on him! They weighed him and announced it to us -- 9 pounds and 22" long! Considering I only gained 6 lbs this pregnancy, I'm not really sure where that big boy was hiding :) He scored 9/9 on his apgar scores and everything looked great. Shortly after that, they brought him over for Ryan to hold. He was beautiful and because my hands weren't strapped down, I was able to stroke his cheek until I could physically hold him. I am still in awe that I have a son!<br />
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They let us hold him for awhile before they had to take him back for some more checks. At that point Ryan left to go tell my poor mom what was going on because she was in the waiting room and probably wondering what was taking so long! I obviously stayed back (haha) and had to wait for again what seemed like forever for them to put everything back and stitch me back up. Apparently my uterus was so thin he had a hard time stitching it back together :/ When everything was finished, they wheeled me back to recovery where I finally got to hold my baby boy. It was love at first site -- again!<br />
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We stayed in the hospital for 2 days instead of 3 -- because everything was going well with both of us, they let us break free a day early! We had lots of visitors during our hospital stay and are so thankful for that. We truly are blessed with all of the wonderful people in our lives! Recovery is going well and baby is doing very well! I had some pain, which was to be expected and I probably didn't take it as easy as I should have, but hey, I also have a toddler and life doesn't stop! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitj-dkjFsUhQ8nNiF5Sr0lyhwWY9e9uh_TjZiHkofkhDQq4Ub3wAjJwhqg1H9XLwpe3cfYQsbEhhTtjLK4n6A2yFTMLW66pmQFkjTrZXY_oit1APWleW4g5173f6HHYkIJ1RKa43QeX-s/s1600/IMG_8619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitj-dkjFsUhQ8nNiF5Sr0lyhwWY9e9uh_TjZiHkofkhDQq4Ub3wAjJwhqg1H9XLwpe3cfYQsbEhhTtjLK4n6A2yFTMLW66pmQFkjTrZXY_oit1APWleW4g5173f6HHYkIJ1RKa43QeX-s/s400/IMG_8619.JPG" /></a></div>Meet Benjamin Ryan :)<br />
born at 6:37a on June 23, 2014<br />
9lbs and 22"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuU6tfsU6OpjSgGoQnAMnzCBU_m_mjf1hSFkoOq2KKNRHiQHLdCd3ebw1PR85gd0oHNJIOnUkI99d0thMd-JgpJd4-T3eyeg-DSUQKpdpUS5C9MTcBWVpZa8x098Fb9FepXmopt4hPb-c/s1600/IMG_8559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuU6tfsU6OpjSgGoQnAMnzCBU_m_mjf1hSFkoOq2KKNRHiQHLdCd3ebw1PR85gd0oHNJIOnUkI99d0thMd-JgpJd4-T3eyeg-DSUQKpdpUS5C9MTcBWVpZa8x098Fb9FepXmopt4hPb-c/s400/IMG_8559.JPG" /></a></div>We are over the moon in love with our little boy...his big sister is pretty fond of him too (usually) ;) We are so blessed and thankful to have two (!!) healthy, happy and beautiful babies <3Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-39072810750853481722013-12-18T14:02:00.001-05:002013-12-18T14:02:22.195-05:003 + 1 = 4 :)I suppose its time for another update around here, considering we have some exciting news to share...<br />
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Yep, Audrey will be a big sister on or around June 20th 2014! We are super excited and thrilled to be adding to our family. Nervous, of course, because the prospect of TWO kids is just a little nerve wracking...but in a good way. Audrey will be 28 months old when her brother or sister is born, so I think its a good age difference.<br />
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I found out we were expecting on October 13th. I decided to keep it a secret from Ryan right away, because I wanted to surprise him in a cuter way than just telling him, like last time. Somehow, I was able to keep my mouth shut for 2 days while I waited for Audrey's big sister shirt to be made! I shared the news with him by having Audrey run out with her shirt on..and he was definitely surprised! I mean, he knew it would likely happen soon, but was not expecting it...in fact, his initial response was "Are you serious?"..HA!<br />
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This time, we are doing a few things differently. We are going to be surprised on the gender until birth, which I am super excited about!! Also, I am going to try to have a VBAC this time if at all possible. Recovering from a C-section is rough. Recovering from a C-section WITH a toddler (plus a newborn) this time, is not my idea of a good time. So, here is to hoping! My OB's are on board with me (I specifically found a VBAC friendly practice this time around). A few things will prevent me from having a natural birth, such as if I had to be induced for any reason, but if that ends up being the case, I am okay with it. And finally, I am hoping to make nursing work, full time this time around. I had to supplement with Audrey, almost from the get go, so I am really hoping my body cooperates with me this time around!! To not have to buy formula ($$!) would be fantastic :)<br />
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As far as pregnancy goes, I feel like this time around hasn't been nearly as bad. I definitely had my moments of nausea, but it was bearable. I had no food aversions, which was great. I feel like my appetite was increased! I definitely experienced fatigue for the first several weeks, and found it hard to keep my eyes open in the early afternoons. I avoided naps if I could though, because when I woke up I would feel worse than before! I've had some heartburn too, which is fairly new to me, because I didn't get that until much later last time.<br />
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On December 7th we had our first ultrasound and first peek of the baby. So far, everything looks great and we have a healthy, strong heartbeat of 170 bpm :) Also, the baby is measuring right on track! After our ultrasound, we made the "big announcement" to the rest of the world.<br />
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I thought for this pregnancy, I would use this fun little survey every few weeks or so :)<br />
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<b>How far along</b>: 13w5d (2nd trimester, we're coming to get you!!)<br />
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<b>Gender</b>: team green! we could find out at our anatomy scan January 25th, but we're going to hold strong.<br />
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<b>Weight gain</b>: I somehow LOST 5 lbs..I'm not complaining.<br />
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<b>Maternity clothes</b>: not shirts, but I will wear maternity pants sometimes. I usually wear yoga pants around the house anyway.<br />
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<b>Stretch marks</b>: not new ones, lol.<br />
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<b>Belly button in or out</b>: innie. it never popped last time..I hope it stays that way!<br />
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<b>Sleep</b>: sleeping fine, but still getting up a few times to pee. <br />
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<b>Miss anything</b>: diet coke :( it makes me sick.<br />
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<b>Movement</b>: I've felt little flops off and on.<br />
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<b>Cravings</b>: nothing major yet.<br />
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<b>Queasy</b>: still happens off and on, but its getting better.<br />
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<b>Looking forward to</b>: Christmas :)Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-84320787712196014382013-10-10T14:44:00.000-04:002013-10-10T14:44:45.503-04:00the most wonderful time of the year!Fall, that is. Not everyone will agree, of course, but I absolutely love it. What is there not to love? The colors outside are absolutely <b>gorgeous</b>, the weather is beautiful...then you have pumpkin farms, Halloween, apple cider, falling leaves, boots & sweaters...I could go on forever.<br />
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It just recently started feeling like fall around here, believe it or not. Thank goodness, because I was itching to put on my fall gear AND Audrey's new fall wardrobe!! On Tuesday, the husband and I celebrated 3 years of marriage. He took the day off of work and we spent the morning hanging out as a family. We decided to go to the pumpkin patch because a.) we hadn't gone yet and b.) we hoped that with it being in the middle of the week, it would be less busy. Thankfully, it was.<br />
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Last year, I couldn't wait to take Audrey to the pumpkin farm for the first time. She was 8 months old and crawling (and pulling up), but I was able to get a few good shots of her sitting near the pumpkins. THIS year, photos weren't nearly as easy with a busy toddler <strike>that never stops moving</strike>. BUT, she absolutely loved it. Her reactions to everything this year was so much more fun to watch (makes me anxious for Christmas!) She had so much fun climbing in and out of all of the wooden play areas, and "driving" the tractors.<br />
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When we reached the patch (after climbing was felt like Mt Everest) she was in heaven. She kept saying "Ooh! Nice!" while running from pumpkin to pumpkin, trying to pick them all up. It was so cute.<br />
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Since we were the only few people in the patch, we let her run around for awhile, just taking it all in and enjoying herself. Whoever said "<i>to see the world through a child's eyes is truly living</i>" (or something like that) is totally right. I absolutely love experiencing these things with my daughter and look forward to each and every new experience we get to have together.<br />
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After we chose our pumpkins, we made our way back down to the main area to pay for them, and to pick up some fresh apple cider. We grabbed a small pumpkin just for Audrey, and she was THRILLED she finally had a pumpkin she could hold on her own :) In fact, she was so attached to that pumpkin she insisted on bathing with it that night. LOL!<br />
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I'm sure this is not the last time this season we'll find ourselves at the pumpkin farm, but the first time sure is the best!<br />
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What sorts of fun fall activities do you do with your family?<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-48278963850675799812013-08-27T11:58:00.000-04:002013-08-28T01:01:18.933-04:00life is short, get messy!Last week, we were invited to a different kind of play date -- one filled with finger paints, shaving cream and kool-aid powder!<br />
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My friend <a href="http://mytaleswithtwo.com">Heather</a> graciously (and bravely) agreed to host it at her house once previous plans fell through. She certainly is courageous allowing several toddlers the opportunity to run around with paint brushes and paint filled hands! But, the kids had a great time. When we first arrived, Audrey was a bit skeptical about the whole thing, but after a few minutes, she was elbows deep in paints and shaving cream! At the end, I had to scrub her off in the baby pool to wash off all that mess!<br />
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Heather had several cute activities for the kids, allowing for lots of fun art projects to be made. My favorite was the shaving cream paint art..we haven't seen the finished projects yet because we left them to dry, but even wet they were pretty!<br />
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I'll leave you with some photos of our fun day!<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-64502686369384689272013-08-25T10:22:00.000-04:002013-08-25T10:22:58.982-04:00adventures in homemade laundry soap!A friend of mine recently talked about making all of her own laundry detergent and cleaning products. <b>What?</b> I mean, sure, I've seen pins on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com">Pinterest</a> about it, but I didn't know anyone personally who actually did it...until now. I was intrigued. <i>Was it easy? Did it work as well as the store bought stuff? And most of all, was it actually cheaper?</i><br />
<br />
I decided to find out. My friend gave me her recipe, which I based it off of, but I wanted to make the powder version. We just prefer powder over liquid...no other reason, really. I did a little more searching and located a recipe that appeared simple enough, and most importantly, was HE compatible. My husband was already skeptical about the whole idea, and the last thing I needed was something that would ruin our newish washing machine!<br />
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The recipe I found was simple, only requiring three ingredients. Also, when all is said and done, it ends up costing around 3 cents per load. Um, sold? Three people in my house <strike>more like husband and a little of daughter</strike> and there is SO much laundry. I am scared to see how much it increases when we add a 4th <strike>and maybe a 5th..</strike>!!<br />
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Here is what you'll need:<br />
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- 2 cups borax<br />
- 1 bar of soap (any kind - just <b>NOT</b> a beauty bar like Dove or Olay)<br />
- 2 cups washing soda<br />
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Get a cute container to store it in. I went with a classy gallon sized ziploc bag, myself. The first part is easy. Measure out 2 cups of each of the borax and the washing soda.<br />
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The next part is a little trickier. The recipe I found said you could cut the soap up into smaller chunks, and put them in a food processor or blender, as is. Um, no. My food processor isn't the best one our there or anything, but it definitely has good chopping power. It most definitely wasn't cutting through those soap cubes! So, it turned into a three part process. After chopping, I grated each cube into shreds..THEN, I finished off by putting the shreds into the food processor and bada bing, bada boom! <br />
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Next, mix everything together and store it in your airtight container. Use about 1 tbsp per load. You can also add some purex crystals since the load comes out clean, but doesn't really smell like anything.<br />
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I am told it will last for months, but I will have to get back to you on that ;)<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-10249388738225630832013-08-14T23:53:00.001-04:002013-08-14T23:53:43.879-04:00midweek randoms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ey6PWh3krs4wZkxzM1UI5XTpewEdUU2L2Ht_IfSaHSwPQ5cphgTkOgyyExmoIbsa0uTgNtPF41Ehh93IsgcJdko5ErnN2gPdCpR3sJFUsxfj0-drzVQA83RBl-rfQUz7sXW2QofV-tI/s1600/Recently+Updated130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ey6PWh3krs4wZkxzM1UI5XTpewEdUU2L2Ht_IfSaHSwPQ5cphgTkOgyyExmoIbsa0uTgNtPF41Ehh93IsgcJdko5ErnN2gPdCpR3sJFUsxfj0-drzVQA83RBl-rfQUz7sXW2QofV-tI/s320/Recently+Updated130.jpg" /></a></div><br />
- Audrey had her 18 month check up today. Luckily, she only had to get one vaccine, and she hardly cried. It's getting harder and harder to take her to the doctor's, because she knows and understands what is going on :( As soon as we enter the exam room and the door closes, she starts to cry. Heartbreaking!! She's still in the upper percentile for height/weight as she has been her whole life, but its starting to slow down a bit. She's not a chunky kid at all, so I think its funny she's in the 80th percentile for weight! She's just a very solid kid. People pick her up and are surprised. lol.<br />
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- This is the week for doctor's appointments. We have a follow up visit with the pediatric dermatologist for her <a href="http://b00kends.blogspot.com/2012/05/strawberry-hemangioma.html">hemangioma</a> tomorrow. I contemplated not even going, because really, I already know how its going to go. They are going to look at it, say its looking great and we'll be on our way. We <a href="http://b00kends.blogspot.com/2013/01/strawberry-hemangiomaupdate.html">stopped treatment</a> 6 months ago, and its only gotten better.<br />
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- Earlier this week, I went and got a pedicure with Katie. I try to get them done once a month or so, but sometimes it ends up being longer than that, when life gets in the way. I get really dry skin, so my heels need more than just a pumice stone! It's definitely best when left to the professionals. Plus, 45 minutes in a massage chair? Yes, please. I normally go for a simple french pedi, but this time I switched it up and got some color. Add an iced latte and we have mommy bliss hour!<br />
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- This past weekend, Audrey and I went up to Erie for the night. My dad and I took her to the beach for a bit since she had never really been there. I can tell she's going to be a little beach/water baby -- she loved it! She was having a blast running in and out of the water and around the sand :) I was unprepared and didn't pack a bathing suit, but she didn't care. She was just as happy running around in her diaper.<br />
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- Is anyone watching <b>Breaking Amish: LA<i></i></b> this season? We started watching it last year when it was a different group and in New York City. This is only the 3rd or 4th episode, but I am hooked! So much drama. I am a sucker for reality TV, what can I say? I am also watching <b>Dexter</b>, of course, and some others. Can't wait for <b>Grey's Anatomy</b> and <b>Teen Mom 3</b>! What shows do you watch or are excited for? I am always looking for new suggestions!<br />
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- Wednesdays are typically my days to catch up on laundry and housework since the beginning of the week is always busy. It took every ounce of motivation to get me to fold a basket of clothes today during nap time! I also cleaned the litter boxes, but that was in between cooking dinner. Sanitary, right? :p<br />
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- The weather was much cooler today, as in, low 70's. I absolutely love it! The cooler days remind me of fall, and since its my absolute favorite season -- you know I'm smiling! When any sort of inkling of fall appears, I am all over it and have a tendency to do things like light a fall scented candle. But, I love wax warmers so much more than candles, so I usually use those! While I do love <a href="http://www.scentsy.com">Scentsy</a> products, I have no problem using knock-offs. While at Walmart today, I couldn't resist and picked up a couple fall scented wax cubes. My house smells amazing right now!!<br />
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- Tonight was spaghetti night for dinner. I love that its so easy, but yet, delicious. Pasta is the ultimate comfort food, and I could probably eat it every day if I could.<br />
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- After dinner we took Audrey to the park next door. She is always so full of energy <strike>at night</strike> constantly, so we let her run off some steam. She had a blast, of course. The girl is relatively easy to please, as long as she has space to run and things to get into!<br />
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Hope your midweek's were just as random! ;)<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-75286010580957082522013-08-13T22:31:00.000-04:002013-08-13T22:31:22.121-04:00GUEST POST: Tips for the Perfect Staycation I recently did a guest post exchange with <a href="http://www.mommybloggerdirectory.com/blog/1">Michele</a> over at Mommy Blogger Directory :)<br />
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<b>Tips for the Perfect Staycation</b><br />
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Vacations are a great way to spend time with your family, but they can be <a href="http://travel.usnews.com/Rankings/Best_Cheap_Summer_Vacations/">expensive</a>. Staycations have become an increasingly popular alternative for families on tight budgets who want to spend some quality time together. Ready to start planning your staycation? Keep these tips in mind.<br />
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1. Turn off your real life. During a staycation at home, it's incredibly easy to let "real" life get in the way of spending time with your family. During your staycation, turn off your laptop, and don't make work-related calls.<br />
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2. Be a tourist in your own town. A staycation is the perfect time to view your very own city in a different way. Take the kids to a museum they've never been to. Explore a cute new boutique that recently opened. Just because you haven't left home doesn't mean you can't enjoy something new.<br />
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3. Use your space in a different way. Even if you're not prepared to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlYHRovjBBo">pitch a ten</a>t in the back yard, you can still turn your house on its head. Allow the whole family to "camp out" in the living room to watch old movies until the wee hours of the morning. Let the kids turn your dining room into a giant pillow fort. If you have a fireplace, use it to make s'mores. Be creative.<br />
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4. Take pictures. Just like on a traditional travel vacation, you'll make memories during your staycation that you'll want to cherish for years to come - so don't forget to snap a few picturesKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-43932536428790582722013-08-08T18:31:00.000-04:002013-08-08T18:31:33.913-04:00(healthy) homemade fruit popsicles!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TtiaLiWoAoW651HO84NCMAKR1UL7Etqk1KTCmvfT16NjkOSuVnBUZssiwUHB8kYZfVh_tYWyuAWmDvIlz2KHSljvDrSKgpJKUOrYICpQz6X0tYNHhZticstMlIaUo1BnvdCWSX_6cJs/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TtiaLiWoAoW651HO84NCMAKR1UL7Etqk1KTCmvfT16NjkOSuVnBUZssiwUHB8kYZfVh_tYWyuAWmDvIlz2KHSljvDrSKgpJKUOrYICpQz6X0tYNHhZticstMlIaUo1BnvdCWSX_6cJs/s400/027.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Ever since the warmer weather has hit us, cool treats have been abundant at our home, usually after dinner as a sweet treat. The hot weather combined with teething has really been a winning combination for my daughter. She absolutely loves popsicles and freeze pops, and looks forward to them after she eats her dinner. I don't mind giving them to her, but in the back of my mind I knew there had to be a less sugary, healthier (and cheaper!) option out there. They do have real fruit bars, which I could have easily purchased, but I decided to try and make my own. That way, I knew exactly what was going into her sweet treats :)<br />
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A couple of weeks ago while at <a href="http://www.ikea.com">Ikea</a>, I spotted these and decided to pick them up. They cost $1.99 which is extremely pocket friendly, and I like that they are the perfect size for my 18 month old. Also, they come with a little tray which makes it easy to pop them in the freezer while your homemade pops are freezing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XE0191PlQDi_St8D_rVGEwPNeCEEdoF30Qm6I6NUvdhoefgQHBU69g4QBuCJR1v0-fwtt77CftT7fJnNV61GJt0f-Kd-bBdUwdGxhY-9hD3AW5QLKtkE2UNih7S0fP59d90qmvB27B0/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XE0191PlQDi_St8D_rVGEwPNeCEEdoF30Qm6I6NUvdhoefgQHBU69g4QBuCJR1v0-fwtt77CftT7fJnNV61GJt0f-Kd-bBdUwdGxhY-9hD3AW5QLKtkE2UNih7S0fP59d90qmvB27B0/s640/007.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I googled a few recipes, but ultimately decided to come up with my own. We buy strawberries a lot, but they don't always get eaten before they start to ripen, so I will cut them up and store them in our freezer to use later for things like smoothies, or in this case, popsicles. I also had some bananas that needed to be used, so I quickly decided on some strawberry banana fruit pops. I also added in a layer of nonfat plain yogurt for an added boost of calcium :)<br />
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If you're interested in making your own homemade popsicles for your little ones, or even yourself..read on!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWQY6w1lzsLXfizIRbP36JmLRz4864x-LOBUbAmI4u32xeFFjJiIBexvu1JRthu66eR1Dr4M_0Y6NM4z-41kPZincmxsyelfXP05wwVJvPRtEyyabfEgm_zOK2uCGo7Pset5NBHThOks/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWQY6w1lzsLXfizIRbP36JmLRz4864x-LOBUbAmI4u32xeFFjJiIBexvu1JRthu66eR1Dr4M_0Y6NM4z-41kPZincmxsyelfXP05wwVJvPRtEyyabfEgm_zOK2uCGo7Pset5NBHThOks/s400/005.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The obligatory "ingredient" photo. I used:<br />
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- 1 cup ripe strawberries<br />
- 2 bananas<br />
- 2 tbsp honey<br />
- 6 tsp yogurt (you can use any kind, I happened to have some plain in my fridge)<br />
- 1/2 cup juice (I used orange strawberry banana from TJ's)<br />
- blender or food processor<br />
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First you'll start making the purees. While I was doing this step, it totally took me back to my days of making <a href="http://b00kends.blogspot.com/2012/07/adventures-in-homemade-baby-food.html">homemade baby food</a>. Oh how I miss those days. I was one of those weird ones that took joy and excitement in making my own baby food!<br />
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Anyway, I digress. So you'll start by putting your strawberries in your blender. Add 1 tbsp and about 1/4 cup of juice (I kinda eye balled the juice portion) blend until a nice puree consistency. Set the strawberry puree aside in a separate bowl, and rinse your blender out.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8e97QYFOBoC4pB48kkHvo_65jcrXbhwG31QjDJnxqRjHwhdflYah2-dWDm78MbFEUSoa1enPRHMbwU0XC2XCIPyFJOSsNNC5tG8aanknx8dZQEbUEnBWd_O4_JocOIz2EW-YeGn3j90/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8e97QYFOBoC4pB48kkHvo_65jcrXbhwG31QjDJnxqRjHwhdflYah2-dWDm78MbFEUSoa1enPRHMbwU0XC2XCIPyFJOSsNNC5tG8aanknx8dZQEbUEnBWd_O4_JocOIz2EW-YeGn3j90/s400/010.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2TWMrcHb3ShrhBH7_KMBPzc8KOxnqkGnXH8SpWB5kSjEmkvOf-gqim0ehc5Qi_m8vRzcc1bkyYAa74JSQt0WvcMErxNdLNki-h8GqJpv6mEV4FN3QZ7iMw1rDbOEwv-65kpwm2Iu57M/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2TWMrcHb3ShrhBH7_KMBPzc8KOxnqkGnXH8SpWB5kSjEmkvOf-gqim0ehc5Qi_m8vRzcc1bkyYAa74JSQt0WvcMErxNdLNki-h8GqJpv6mEV4FN3QZ7iMw1rDbOEwv-65kpwm2Iu57M/s400/011.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4D-mTGETvXXAGB8wKQD_hb5i1B5FxYpWPfzRXUMPT5xDVzr3EKQdK6cF8_77jZ2VEoTUSPEXilBgonoTQFnmVU21KJBLaDHwaezHNYLd5juS7iQ_s-U8Vsfj60jdOs6C4P8vOSdKrcBM/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4D-mTGETvXXAGB8wKQD_hb5i1B5FxYpWPfzRXUMPT5xDVzr3EKQdK6cF8_77jZ2VEoTUSPEXilBgonoTQFnmVU21KJBLaDHwaezHNYLd5juS7iQ_s-U8Vsfj60jdOs6C4P8vOSdKrcBM/s400/014.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Next, you'll do the same with your bananas. Slice your bananas into coin sized circles, add 1 tbsp of honey and about 1/4 cup of juice. Blend until smooth.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWVdKa3J1sQpEWw05ElCm_WSmKW8eTikYRELzvUBoacE3uD0DgL3pjvGs7XxQGLpoGOBN7VUnKj2Q5wOG07Cbbc_LJMKldAE3Cy1GEc0wAycBigmQ5xMFhKlmtCx_wo2BMAp7WgdnnTo/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWVdKa3J1sQpEWw05ElCm_WSmKW8eTikYRELzvUBoacE3uD0DgL3pjvGs7XxQGLpoGOBN7VUnKj2Q5wOG07Cbbc_LJMKldAE3Cy1GEc0wAycBigmQ5xMFhKlmtCx_wo2BMAp7WgdnnTo/s400/016.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBQRvNrAnzrG90XqfL-I-ny-CkPT1ZXdEUbdE9cY87p8Is8cV8QDQOXiJh2lxgRgnopcbqXBc8D2iGRqvTQSLv3Sh8WKmO5IcpibDQIqJUcSOn6VsFCVqL4yh-87zyolJe4W0sQH4L6U/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBQRvNrAnzrG90XqfL-I-ny-CkPT1ZXdEUbdE9cY87p8Is8cV8QDQOXiJh2lxgRgnopcbqXBc8D2iGRqvTQSLv3Sh8WKmO5IcpibDQIqJUcSOn6VsFCVqL4yh-87zyolJe4W0sQH4L6U/s400/017.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Now comes the fun part...layering it all up! I started by adding 1 tsp of each and went in layers. So, 1 tsp strawberries, 1 tsp yogurt and 1 tsp bananas..rinse and repeat until you reach (almost) the top of the container. Don't layer to the very top because when you put the stick in, the puree's WILL squeeze out and make a mess. I know from experience ;) Once you've completed this step, put all the sticks in as far as they can go and pop the tray right in the freezer to get nice and...frozen.<br />
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I let them freeze about 3-ish hours and they were done! Just run the plastic part under hot water for a few seconds and it should slide right off.<br />
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Toddler tested, and mother approved ;)<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-15714940395494830272013-07-24T22:59:00.001-04:002013-07-24T22:59:35.658-04:00midweek randoms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKhkwUtkK9slGbgJctmRdZBuTV51mBdO0U7XFFHHVyn3wiXzaQDTCfGMiKmnhYQAdQBCM_P8mc9pBcfpXpu8iI081pXNcB9t7ABxrNLyaeFZobl2UpaiBg7A2y2hHbB8pl07-UepnSqY/s1600/Recently+Updated130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKhkwUtkK9slGbgJctmRdZBuTV51mBdO0U7XFFHHVyn3wiXzaQDTCfGMiKmnhYQAdQBCM_P8mc9pBcfpXpu8iI081pXNcB9t7ABxrNLyaeFZobl2UpaiBg7A2y2hHbB8pl07-UepnSqY/s320/Recently+Updated130.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Linking up with <a href="http://www.inthiswonderfullife.com/">Megan</a> today for the "Midweek Randoms" post.<br />
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- Yesterday morning we found ourselves at the pediatricians office after waking up with a swollen, crusty eye. Diagnosis: pink eye :( Luckily, it doesn't seem to be bothering her at all, though by the end of the day it had spread to both eyes and she just <i>looked</i> sick. She is on an antibiotic eye drop for 7 days. Already this morning it looks much better!<br />
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- Today I went to <a href="http://www.oldnavy.com">Old Navy</a> to return a couple jersey knit dresses I had bought over the weekend. I got home and tried them on, and didn't like the fit. I planned to just put the money back in our account, but of course I checked out the clearance rack and found another shirt for Audrey. I have a problem! I did pass up on an adorable stars & stripes bikini though. It was $6 and so, so cute..but what 17 month old needs 4 bathing suits? And its nearly August. Self control, I has it ;)<br />
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- This morning was a lazy morning. Little girl wanted to just cuddle on the couch for a long time. I am okay with that :) We watched some cartoons, and even had a lazy breakfast of cheerios and leftover fruit & spinach smoothies.<br />
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- I was a complete sloth this afternoon during nap time. I had planned to use it to fold some laundry, but instead I spent it on my butt, browsing the internet. Good times. Now, I have a big basket of laundry to fold, and it sure ain't gonna fold itself!<br />
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- We got barbecue for takeout tonight from <a href="http://www.pghbbq.com/">Pittsburgh Barbecue Company</a>. Ryan got a good deal on some vouchers through work, so we decided to use one. I'm not a huge BBQ fan, but Ryan is, and their food IS delicious. PLUS, it means I don't have to cook..win-win! Audrey loved it! We gave her a little rib and she was chowing down like a champ. Daddy was proud :)<br />
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- I think I am contracting a cold myself. I am getting stuffy and my throat is a little itchy. Lovely! I really, really hope I do not catch pink eye. That would not be fun.<br />
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- Has anyone ever tried the ready made salad's from <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com">Trader Joe's</a>? I bought a couple over the weekend to try, and just cracked one open today -- delicious!! Pretty healthy too, and all you need is a fork since the dressing is included. We used to never shop at TJ's because we were under the assumption that it was pricey and out of our budget. We were so wrong! The meat is a little more than we like to spend (though we get Audrey's turkey/chicken hot dogs from there) because we like to buy in bulk. But everything else is very comparable to other grocery stores! We try and get a lot of Audrey's "snack" foods there like cereal bars, corn puffs and yogurt. If you've never been and you have one nearby, I urge you to check it out!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcL2bHa3gV6BnhSEWbnNNXloe6l6cfZUZZ7Anwb_uuxmdl2eVnyxcKuBCyrVXT9gzXwTYkZVy1-8FGh8GaE0Vmulyy4hvWYrpCiPKwRRKwmfUSwEAsWB17f8zQQSBO8HZLXsjKBqdgpY/s1600/624201322212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcL2bHa3gV6BnhSEWbnNNXloe6l6cfZUZZ7Anwb_uuxmdl2eVnyxcKuBCyrVXT9gzXwTYkZVy1-8FGh8GaE0Vmulyy4hvWYrpCiPKwRRKwmfUSwEAsWB17f8zQQSBO8HZLXsjKBqdgpY/s400/624201322212.jpg" /></a></div><br />
- Wednesdays might be a favorite for some, considering its "middle of the week" or "hump day"..but not for me! Wednesdays are actually my Mondays, and in fact, I don't really like them at all!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s1600/sig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s200/sig.jpg" /></a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-39867526686188950182013-07-23T21:37:00.000-04:002013-07-29T01:12:02.701-04:00toddler smoothie!For quite a while, my little one would never turn down her fruits or her vegetables. I could serve her almost any type of veggie with her meal, and she'd eat it with no problems. As of lately though, she's been much pickier. She <i>may</i> eat a few pieces, if I'm lucky. The ones that were always a home run? No go. Obviously, this is not ideal considering she needs to eat her veggies!<br />
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So, I decided to be sneaky and make her a smoothie -- with spinach blended in!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrXpiv8XBLrDzweq1Mv-2dtRIo3iyitpbT8E5fb3pVIGoXqiVD_VuSxuqIEKpZoTwstAkqynHEg_XW3JXRj6z8XHeLnDFMIMYuScUilRl4V8S6dWsfjvsXnj60zU3HNo61Dfb71nuqmk/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrXpiv8XBLrDzweq1Mv-2dtRIo3iyitpbT8E5fb3pVIGoXqiVD_VuSxuqIEKpZoTwstAkqynHEg_XW3JXRj6z8XHeLnDFMIMYuScUilRl4V8S6dWsfjvsXnj60zU3HNo61Dfb71nuqmk/s400/003.JPG" /></a></div><br />
She has been feeling under the weather the past few days and was diagnosed with pink eye today, so I wanted her to have an extra boost of nutrition. I didn't follow any sort of recipe, just kinda threw together what I had on hand. I used the basics -- spinach leaves (stem removed), plain nonfat yogurt, frozen fruit I had in the freezer (mango, strawberries and peach), half a banana and carrot juice (not pictured).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVAcMJkBt7Ls5ghaQhTq1H5VubRWMRJIfK1xCVmO7_UCgNTgDM2uy9VIJ-ZJn6SKna1x4_aiquWwW3knfSAzZdZsf-1IJJCDZMt_ZXR8GwgAjJATXF_kpbPKNjnEe-eyBqkL9qIRvqXQ/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVAcMJkBt7Ls5ghaQhTq1H5VubRWMRJIfK1xCVmO7_UCgNTgDM2uy9VIJ-ZJn6SKna1x4_aiquWwW3knfSAzZdZsf-1IJJCDZMt_ZXR8GwgAjJATXF_kpbPKNjnEe-eyBqkL9qIRvqXQ/s400/004.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfBKcz1pkEVeqIgqW6QUr8uQtZ2D7dgssYU4svXscGuCeHMDYg6Q7Q17P4RDm2DbBJi5hDt_UA1QoftwRJUtbU6r20QNK_2Ag0UkU6Gv8YFSEDOJNT7es7ulAOGJTU1SYbN8H1Qx8tCw/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfBKcz1pkEVeqIgqW6QUr8uQtZ2D7dgssYU4svXscGuCeHMDYg6Q7Q17P4RDm2DbBJi5hDt_UA1QoftwRJUtbU6r20QNK_2Ag0UkU6Gv8YFSEDOJNT7es7ulAOGJTU1SYbN8H1Qx8tCw/s400/005.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTw8pAMY0jGaC0fGPA_smIc-A3gn8tDaJEmEsH1PYpI_1x4znbQ3S0FMnWyKZvF6-nYAlwuIvaxGxgWpjKEAH3wBINSOWZHBP3hWuDXMAsSRNzYkiwCX42q-PL11cyCZHuxh8MUjHXCTQ/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTw8pAMY0jGaC0fGPA_smIc-A3gn8tDaJEmEsH1PYpI_1x4znbQ3S0FMnWyKZvF6-nYAlwuIvaxGxgWpjKEAH3wBINSOWZHBP3hWuDXMAsSRNzYkiwCX42q-PL11cyCZHuxh8MUjHXCTQ/s400/009.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I blended to a thinner consistency because I put it in her straw sippy and if it were too thick, she wouldn't have been able to drink it. The beauty of smoothies is that you can literally make tons and tons of combinations! I would suggest "sweeter" fruits if you are blending with spinach though to help mask it, as the spinach can give it a bitter taste. The possibilities are truly endless!<br />
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And yes, it was toddler approved :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s1600/sig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s200/sig.jpg" /></a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-33210488856053370092013-07-22T00:10:00.000-04:002013-07-29T01:08:55.143-04:00my dearest little girl..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ak2.pinimg.com/736x/50/fa/d4/50fad4057b595dbcfc9aa858a2959079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ak2.pinimg.com/736x/50/fa/d4/50fad4057b595dbcfc9aa858a2959079.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_NlfNVUBfPMvXGExj-NaitGQiJM6i2sLVj-vNcm0Ryx1g9VHF3nmQt5nne3DmnsDCa8oMqrktGE7bvFZmf6GmPaA91XWi68su7h2xhKwa6D6LqtH5mxzKEJrxCftwSwK1Jg7XZcAUr0/s1600/182346_941542379945_153723113_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_NlfNVUBfPMvXGExj-NaitGQiJM6i2sLVj-vNcm0Ryx1g9VHF3nmQt5nne3DmnsDCa8oMqrktGE7bvFZmf6GmPaA91XWi68su7h2xhKwa6D6LqtH5mxzKEJrxCftwSwK1Jg7XZcAUr0/s400/182346_941542379945_153723113_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Sometimes, the words to a song speak directly to your heart and can say perfectly, exactly what you are feeling. This is one of those times.<br />
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<a href="http://www.metrolyrics.com/my-wish-lyrics-rascal-flatts.html">Rascal Flatts "My Wish"</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s1600/sig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s200/sig.jpg" /></a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-77689004317106217272013-07-21T00:24:00.000-04:002013-08-04T20:47:40.799-04:00beating the heat!Linking up with Heather @ My <a href="http://www.mytaleswithtwo.com/">Tales with Two</a> today!<br />
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These past few days here have been awful, weather wise. Complete scorchers between the 95 degree temperatures and humidity...plain awful! As if you couldn't tell already, I am <b>not</b> a fan of the heat. I never have been. Fall is where its at <strike>just a couple short months away</strike>! Meanwhile, my husband seems to think he's going to get me to move to Florida, with similar weather, but basically year round...but that's a story for another time.<br />
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To beat the heat, we've been trying to do activities to keep cool. We have central air in our home, and in all honesty, I'd be completely okay with hunkering down and hibernating in our cool house all week...but, with an antsy toddler, that's just not possible!<br />
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Early on in the week we ventured out to the local Cinemark to catch a $1 movie with my friend <a href="http://www.mytaleswithtwo.com/">Heather</a> and her munchkins. <i>Happy Feet</i> was playing, and it was perfect because Audrey totally prefers 3D animation movies over 2D (who doesn't?). It was also her first movie experience, so I wasn't even sure what to expect. Surprisingly, she did pretty well! She sat on my lap for about 20 minutes and actually watched the movie. It probably helped that she had popcorn to munch on and distract her, but hey. She started getting wiggly, so I put her in the seat next to me, and she really seemed to enjoy that and being a "big girl" She did start to get antsy and started walking up and down the row (which, luckily, was empty) but she was quiet. Eventually, we decided to pack up and let the kids run off some energy at the mall play area (also air conditioned!)<br />
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We hit up the <a href="http://troyhillpittsburgh.com/2009/08/18/stay-cool-at-the-troy-hill-spray-park/">Troy Hill Spray Park</a> this week too. I wore a sun dress in anticipation of the hot weather, and I was STILL dying. I didn't wear my swimsuit, which I wish I had. But, Audrey had fun. She wasn't all too interested in playing IN the water, but she had fun running around and trying to be one of the big kids :p<br />
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And finally on Friday, we decided to check out a different pool in the area. I packed a bag with pool supplies, lunch, snacks & drinks and off we went! This time, we went to the <a href="http://www.townshipofrobinson.com/pool.html">Robinson pool</a>. It was heated, which is nice, but the kiddie pool was not what I was looking for. The steps were shallow, but beyond that, the rest was 2.5 feet, which is obviously too deep for Audrey. She likes to be independent and walk around/splash around by herself. They do have a cute little water table area, which she seemed to enjoy. We'll continue checking out other pools in the area, but so far the winner is still the <a href="http://www.twp.cranberry.pa.us/index.aspx?NID=146">Cranberry pool & Waterpark</a>!<br />
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I'm not sure what the weather forecast holds for next week <strike>hopefully much cooler</strike>, but if its anything like this past week, you'll be finding us in the water or air conditioning somewhere!<br />
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What fun things do you do to beat the heat??<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.mytaleswithtwo.com/2013/08/pittsburgh-free-for-kids-link-up.html" title="My Tales with Two"><img src="http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s408/MyTalesWithTwo/smlPicPittsburghFreeActivitiesforKids.jpg" alt="My Tales with Two" style="border:none;" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s1600/sig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s200/sig.jpg" /></a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-27787992978809818622013-07-20T00:56:00.000-04:002013-07-29T01:13:34.847-04:00balancing chaos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtwtJ8YJsQ_Ed5a8p3gh-sMhvOMH7myXPQdfPoBeoeLFlMRGSR_GW72L55D5JlcEv3fmFHtz_vn0xqMOHwUnlP74MFbTpTHqCej_NNLPxG7pQJF6Nc4csjT5s8OcOP-eHTDvjMFMUgV8/s1600/laundry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtwtJ8YJsQ_Ed5a8p3gh-sMhvOMH7myXPQdfPoBeoeLFlMRGSR_GW72L55D5JlcEv3fmFHtz_vn0xqMOHwUnlP74MFbTpTHqCej_NNLPxG7pQJF6Nc4csjT5s8OcOP-eHTDvjMFMUgV8/s320/laundry.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I would never consider myself a fully organized person, but I am by no means messy or <i>disorganized</i>. I like things in order and clutter free (<strike>just don't look in my closets</strike>). But, with a toddler and a husband running around, that is next to impossible.<br />
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I thought that by being a "stay at home mom" (technically, I am also a working mom by night) my house would always be clean and organized, dinner would be on the table every night, and life would be chaos free. Wrong. In fact, I think its almost worse at times. Probably because we are home way more often than we would be if I were working full time during the week. I sweep up crumbs all over the floor, 5 minutes later, crumbs magically appear on the floor again. I clean and disinfect the counters, shortly after, husband comes downstairs to make a snack and somehow misses a whole patch of crumbs or dribble of some type of liquid. I put away and straighten up all of my daughter's toys, when she wakes up from her nap, they are all over the living room again. It's a vicious cycle, I tell you!<br />
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I try to keep things in order, but somehow, chaos always ensues. My house is not dirty by any means, but cluttered at times? Absolutely. There are so many..<i>things</i> just all over the house, that I wish I could just throw away. I won't say I am a packrat, but I definitely have a hard time parting with certain things. A lot of times, its just things from my child hood, little memories, etc. Most recently, its baby things. Can anyone else relate with me on this? My child has SO MANY clothes. I haven't given away a single piece of her clothing since birth, and I have about 6 giant diaper boxes packed with clothes. I know I could sell half of them, and still have a decent collection "just in case"...but, I just can't do it. I've even put clothes aside, taken photos of them to list on a local flea market page..and I can't bring myself to put them up for sale. I keep asking myself "but what if you have another girl within the same season??" just to reason with my insanity. But who am I kidding? Even if I do have another daughter, Lord knows I'll continue to buy HER clothes. Girl clothes are hard to resist, you can't blame me for that one.<br />
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This week, I was finally able to get Audrey's room in semi order. Laundry is the one thing that does get done in a <strike>semi</strike> timely fashion around here. It may not get folded right away (guilty.) but, it gets washed. There was A LOT of laundry when it was just Ryan and I (mostly his, not mine). Add a little person to the mix and laundry multiplies...by five. The worst part about doing laundry is putting it away. I hate it. And, I can't even attempt to try and do it while the little one is awake because she finds it absolutely hilarious to wreck my piles of folded clothes, dragging them across the floor. So, clothes get folded in piles by person (except Ryan's work clothes, I do hang those up...Begrudgingly). Audrey's clothes get put in her clothes basket in her room because I just don't feel like putting them all away in drawers and closets. But, THIS WEEK, I did. I hung everything up that needed hung and put everything away in drawers where they are supposed to go. What a great feeling! I know I'll have that feeling again next month, when I do that whole putting away process again ;)<br />
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Many things make me happy, but one of them is the look of freshly vacuumed carpets. You know what I'm talking about! We bit the bullet on Black Friday last year and finally purchased a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dyson-DC33-Multi-Floor-Upright-Bagless/dp/B0043EW354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374381261&sr=8-1&keywords=dyson+dc33+multifloor+upright+cyclonic+vacuum">Dyson</a>...and we love it. That thing has amazing suction power, and can get the smallest cheerio crumbs from the depths of the Berber fibers (and trust, there are A LOT of those these days!) The carpets probably get vacuumed at least once a week, usually more. And of course, Audrey likes to "help" by pushing the vacuum. I can't wait until she's strong enough to push it on her own -- put her to work! ;)<br />
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I try and keep the bathrooms cleaned and the beds made. The floor swept and the counters wiped down.<br />
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But there are days where I feel like I can't keep up. Even the days I DO clean, and by the end of the day, my home looks like I hadn't lifted a finger all day. Dinner is less than impressive, and the dishwasher is still loaded with the dishes from the last clean cycle.<br />
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At the end of the day though, I have to remind myself that these things are trivial. I might not be getting the house straightened up in a timely fashion, because I am too busy. I am too busy doing the most important job in the world, which is raising my daughter. I get to be with her all day, every day. I get to be there for her when she's happy and when she's sad, when she's excited and even mad. I get to teach her new things, watch her grow and learn. I get to spend my time cuddling and hugging her, reading her stories and letting her explore new things. I get to experience the world, for the first time through <i>her</i> eyes. The past year and a half has been the quickest 18 months of my life, and they are only little once.<br />
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As long as she is happy, I am happy...and the laundry can wait.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s1600/sig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s200/sig.jpg" /></a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-86423183496739780532013-07-12T16:53:00.000-04:002013-07-12T16:53:00.167-04:0017 months old & a trip to round hill farmFirst off, my baby girl is <b>17 months old</b> today. Um, where has the time gone? No, I mean really. Seems like just a few months ago I was still writing monthly updates leading up to her 1st birthday, and here we are, a mere month away from her being a year and a half. She's most certainly not a baby anymore, but a full blown toddler. And every day she does something else to remind me of this, whether its something she does or says, or even a face she makes. Time really ought to slow down, its just not fair! Here she is from this morning, looking all big girl like.<br />
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Some of my friends and I had been talking about how we wanted to check out <a href="http://www.alleghenycounty.us/parks/rhfac.aspx">Round Hill Park</a> at some point this summer. We had decided to go Wednesday morning, but of course, it rained the majority of this week, so those plans were postponed. Today, the weather looked pretty clear (cloudy, but clear) and so today was the day!<br />
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I had never been there before, but heard great things and best of all, everything was FREE. It was very cute! When you first enter the park there is a big pond full of ducks you can feed bread. Of course, Audrey wanted nothing to do with that and just wanted to explore. They also have a little farm area where you can walk around and see the animals. A lot of the animals were missing (horses? sheep?) but there were still pigs and chickens!<br />
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The pathways with the trees, fences and barns make it such a pretty place! I smell a good photography location in the future ;) I imagine its very pretty in the fall and I know we'll be making more trips in the future!<br />
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Once the kids were done looking at the animals, we headed over to the spray park area. There was a summer camp group (or two..maybe even 3) there, because it was PACKED. We still had fun though. The day was slightly cooler and the water was cold, so Audrey was a little more hesitant to full submerge herself in the streams. She had just as much fun observing everyone else! She did get a little brave though and got a little wet :)<br />
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I can always tell at the end of a play date if it was fun and Audrey-approved by whether or not she falls asleep almost immediately..and today? She was out within 5 minutes ;) I'd call that a success!<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-20315603280457551032013-07-11T15:34:00.000-04:002013-07-12T15:34:37.343-04:00busy toddler, busy summer!Life with a busy toddler can be challenging at times. Audrey is, and has <b>always</b> been, a child that is always on the move. She is much like me, and gets stir crazy <i>very</i> easily. On days when I have nothing planned and we spend the whole day at home, she gets restless, which often ends in her constantly trying to get into things she shouldn't and me getting frustrated.<br />
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I am thankful that I have met a great group of Mama's here that have kids all around the same age. Play dates are a saving grace -- for both mommy AND kiddo! However, as with anything, we all have busy lives and schedules and regular meet ups do not always happen. So for this reason, I am often left trying to figure out how to entertain my busy girl.<br />
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A couple months ago we purchased a zoo pass to the <a href="http://www.pittsburghzoo.org/">Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium</a>. We figured that it was the most cost effective option as otherwise it would cost me (or us, if Ryan comes along on a weekend) anywhere from $14-28 each visit. Having the zoo pass has been great because we can get out of the house for a few hours, Audrey enjoys looking at the animals, and it doesn't cost us anything!<br />
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I recently discovered the <a href="http://www.pghtoys.org/">Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library</a> which is a fantastic place to go on a rainy day, or even a hot day when you don't feel like being outside. They have SO many things for little ones to do, from climbing toys, a play kitchen, puppet area, books, arts & crafts and more! Audrey always has a good time, and it allows her to run around and play with different kinds of toys she doesn't have at home. It's also child proofed, so I don't have to worry about being inches behind her every second, making sure she's not getting into things she is not supposed to. For $5 a visit, you can't beat it!<br />
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We've also been to many parks & playgrounds around the area. Audrey loves it, but its definitely harder on me because you need to be on her at all times, making sure she doesn't fall down or off of anything! But it does help her run off some pent up energy she always seems to have! And its a quick decision if there is nothing else planned and we just need to get out of the house for a bit before nap time (mommy's favorite time of day).<br />
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The city and surrounding areas also offers lots of public pools and spray parks. Last summer she was a bit too young to really enjoy any of these things, so this summer has been great for these types of activities. She's at an age where she is pretty independent, even in a baby pool. I have to be right there with her, but I don't have to hold her the whole time and she can splash around and play and just have fun. We've tried two different pools, and so far, we've preferred the heated option! :p She really is a water baby though, which makes me happy!<br />
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A few local movie theater's offer free or very discounted (as in, like $1 a ticket) movie tickets for older kid movies a few mornings a week. I know for a fact that Audrey is not old enough for a movie theater yet, but for free or a dollar, I may try and take her one day soon! She does love watching movies at home, so who knows? She may end up surprising me ;)<br />
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I also took her to the library right up the street for the first time a couple weeks ago. Luckily it has a whole basement designated for children books, because my child does not quite get that you are supposed to be quiet in the library. She was running around laughing and yelling "hi!" to the other kids! I let her choose a few books herself, and did not really look at what she picked until later that day when we were home. The title of one of her selections would explain why the librarian asked me if I wanted to add "my spouse...or...someone else" to my library card. HAHA! We got a good laugh out of that!<br />
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So far, our summer has been a busy, but fun one! I feel like we are always on the go with something to do.<br />
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What types of things do you do to keep your little one's busy during the hot months of summer? I'm always looking for new ideas!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s1600/sig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s200/sig.jpg" /></a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-32866872020646203282013-07-11T14:44:00.000-04:002013-07-11T14:44:03.620-04:00a day at Idlewild A couple months ago my Dad had the opportunity to buy some discounted tickets to go to <a href="http://www.idlewild.com/">Idlewild and SoakZone</a>. My mom called and asked if we'd be interested in meeting up some day in the future and going. The last time I was there, I was childless and back then, I did not really enjoy myself as its mostly geared towards children. However, now having a child, and one that is old enough to ride pretty much all of the kiddie rides, I jumped at the chance!<br />
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Fast forward to last Friday. We decided it would be the perfect day to go, so little miss Audrey and I piled in the car and made the hour drive to Ligonier to meet up with my parents, sister and nephew.<br />
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The weather reports were sketchy, but we ended up with a nice (albeit hot, humid, muggy, whatever) day! We started the park in Storybook Village where Audrey had a blast going in and out of the little houses, climbing on fences and whatever else she could get to. Wild woman! She also got her first sucker from the pirate ship treasure chest, and she loved it! Normally, I would not give her candy, but it was a treat and it helped keep her occupied and not trying to climb out of the stroller!<br />
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Our next stop was Raccoon Lagoon, which houses all of the kiddie rides. The first ride they went on was a ride similar to what Audrey had ridden before at <a href="http://www.waldameer.com/">Waldameer</a> (and loved it) but not this time! She was already mad about being strapped in, and once the ride started she was not having it and screamed the entire time. Ha!<br />
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At that point, Audrey decided a meltdown in the line for the mini ferris wheel was appropriate. Life with a toddler! In her defense, it WAS close to lunch and she hadn't eaten much breakfast, so I knew she was getting hungry and gave her some snacks to tide her over. Luckily, this tact work because we were able to get a couple more rides in before we ate!<br />
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After lunch, she was like a whole new child! ha! She was back to her usual happy go lucky self and was able to enjoy more rides. We went on the Mister Rogers Neighborhood train ride and she was in trance of amazement. She also rode another car ride and said "weeeee!" as she was going around and around. She's hilarious :) After some more rides, we decided to head into the water park area where we had a great time cooling off in the spray park area.<br />
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Before we had to leave for the day, we stopped at the ball pit on the way out of the park, where again, Audrey had a fun time crawling around (and sinking) into all of the balls.<br />
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All in all we had a wonderful time and we can't wait to go back!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s1600/sig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Qgl0W2ue3sODakv61igtlm74dKLfulIoJxtRRUjW3edGSQ4XsjRaUFt4H3_bp8YjRk-o8BV2ypuTbyRtOFF4Gg7uxE-jt41JseJJU5FE0yDidKTk6l9Das38zBwenFOGi3sbaX8tuc/s320/sig.jpg" /></a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-6852951021663088692013-07-10T13:52:00.000-04:002013-07-10T13:54:18.364-04:00happy 4th of july!Our 4th of July was pretty low key this year. With it falling in the middle of the week and Ryan having to work the following day (and me that evening) we couldn't really leave town. So, we made the most of it right here in Pittsburgh!<br />
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We decided to check out the <a href="http://www.threeriversregatta.net/">Three Rivers Regatta</a>, which is an annual event here in town. We got down there early (before some of the vendors were even set up!), which was probably a good idea. It was already 80+ degrees with serious humidity, so we didn't spend a ton of time down there. None of us are a fan of the heat..we are A/C people ;) We went down the the Point Park fountain, and Audrey loved it. She even threw a public fit (see photo below) because we wouldn't let her play in the dirty fountain water! She enjoyed running around the grassy area, saying "hi!" to everyone and even stealing goldfish crackers from strangers.<br />
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Holidays are always a good opportunity to sneak in some family photos. We are usually dressed somewhat appropriately (ha!) and we don't get photos together very often (read: <i>I</i> rarely get photos with my daughter because I am always the one behind the camera). Of course we didn't get any of the three of us, you know, together, but what can you do? Handing your camera to a stranger often ends in an unfocused, blurry disaster. And, I may or may not be a serious critic when it comes to photo composition :p<br />
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After we got tired of the Regatta, we decided to go to the PPG Place fountain to let her run around and cool off. I wasn't sure if she'd even like it since we've taken her to the spray park once this year and she was less than impressed. Wrong. She LOVED it! She was running in and out of the streams and got braver by the minute. Every time the streams would disappear she would say "Oh no!" There is nothing better in this world than watching the world through a child's eyes, experiencing things as they do, for the first time. No words.<br />
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After the fountain adventure, it was nearing lunch time and we were all getting hungry. We decided to walk through Market Square and grab some lunch. We had a few open choices, and decided to get <a href="http://www.moes.com/">Moe's</a>. Because really, whats more American on the 4th of July than Mexican food? Audrey was hungry and devoured almost her entire quesadilla! Guess it was all that energy she burned off in the fountain ;) We finished eating and went home for nap time.<br />
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Later than evening, I had to work so Ryan took Audrey up to Mt. Washington to see the fireworks. Despite it being past her bedtime, she loved them! I wasn't there to see it (sadly) but he took video. She was clapping during the booms and generally enjoying them :)<br />
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We hope everyone else had a safe, happy and enjoyable holiday!!<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-24406398788080766622013-04-08T22:30:00.001-04:002013-04-08T22:32:38.887-04:00creamy cajun chicken pastaI'm bringing you another delicious recipe! This time, I found it on another blog and it looked so good, I had to try it. Remember, I'm a sucker for pasta?<br />
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This meal was a hit with the whole family (minus the wee one, as I was afraid it may be just a little too spicy for her) and was requested again by my husband. When that happens, I know its good!<br />
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I also managed to take a photo of the ingredients (go me!) So without further ado, here is what you will need:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3RrxPMKuIn-HH9GqMg_3rNfmFYUI9jGaJp_eIYQPCVcyldS_7aswZ372QcsHzXlLHi6sZTTgbaslYIiHHsClYMjApFhWPVP_zD14t0vRfHFNjNVfQD-ml9ysMpyYm2W31oWA8NxHofo/s1600/046.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3RrxPMKuIn-HH9GqMg_3rNfmFYUI9jGaJp_eIYQPCVcyldS_7aswZ372QcsHzXlLHi6sZTTgbaslYIiHHsClYMjApFhWPVP_zD14t0vRfHFNjNVfQD-ml9ysMpyYm2W31oWA8NxHofo/s320/046.JPG" /></a><br />
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- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts<br />
- jar of julienne sun dried tomatoes<br />
- pasta (I went with linguine, you can use any kind, really)<br />
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream<br />
- 3 tbsp cajun seasoning<br />
- 2 tbsp butter<br />
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (I'm lazy, I used the kind in a jar)<br />
- 4 green onions<br />
- 1/2 tsp salt<br />
- 1 tsp pepper<br />
- 1/2 tsp basil<br />
- shredded parmesan cheese for topping<br />
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Take your chicken breasts and cut them up into bite sized cubes. I think next time though, I will cut them into strips instead. Next, you'll toss the chicken in a ziploc bag with the cajun seasoning, shaking well to coat.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-3tTPP8R-O2lOxKVkjbGj-XEYpD-t2aQgVOIuLtLUXLPoqfT-dplt4rTiVVdNZjj10nZgRoVXfv7jzsn7Vbm5EXOrCCcV6mcwkphuGmZ2d1L4YIl4vqm5PLxsb7mOPKBJGAgbLJjbB4/s1600/047.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-3tTPP8R-O2lOxKVkjbGj-XEYpD-t2aQgVOIuLtLUXLPoqfT-dplt4rTiVVdNZjj10nZgRoVXfv7jzsn7Vbm5EXOrCCcV6mcwkphuGmZ2d1L4YIl4vqm5PLxsb7mOPKBJGAgbLJjbB4/s320/047.JPG" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNp30TYhjIgCRDncfMsBFUdVDbjB5lvE9rGUQG0uUCTjPh9sl-W7txVfA6Q9o04wvhHw060e2GAOi2huX3XYx1jnsZ5ylwDbqM1JCixGiYJUqYp8-P3u-dm5BGd0vWkbFihatGEhyphenhypheng6U/s1600/050.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNp30TYhjIgCRDncfMsBFUdVDbjB5lvE9rGUQG0uUCTjPh9sl-W7txVfA6Q9o04wvhHw060e2GAOi2huX3XYx1jnsZ5ylwDbqM1JCixGiYJUqYp8-P3u-dm5BGd0vWkbFihatGEhyphenhypheng6U/s320/050.JPG" /></a><br />
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Meanwhile, melt your butter and garlic in a pan before adding the chicken. Once the chicken is added, allow it to saute until chicken is no longer pink.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6J2Qc7ZzVwKFFfcl-_pIQLYZtTOb0FfZWe62_fFbpHRFBrdEb9p6K9_onR7WwKTCU68pUodtwogv-RIkiaZvWmnxQKO5HQkLT5bao5jli5sX3khsS4AyFTtCSEcAlza6tsIz0xzU1ko/s1600/053.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6J2Qc7ZzVwKFFfcl-_pIQLYZtTOb0FfZWe62_fFbpHRFBrdEb9p6K9_onR7WwKTCU68pUodtwogv-RIkiaZvWmnxQKO5HQkLT5bao5jli5sX3khsS4AyFTtCSEcAlza6tsIz0xzU1ko/s320/053.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7e1xPapvbndtLPGYiJuIp9p7mDd7bQisnY9XvUBjG6PRkczIR9_E6FX68vAOytX_oKaT0IYEHA5onaYKVcUrY4TMCVmiNMMA_wHfoKNV0d3iUO5qAM7GJ_2b2J9JxT25GUkFiaE2pDc/s1600/055.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7e1xPapvbndtLPGYiJuIp9p7mDd7bQisnY9XvUBjG6PRkczIR9_E6FX68vAOytX_oKaT0IYEHA5onaYKVcUrY4TMCVmiNMMA_wHfoKNV0d3iUO5qAM7GJ_2b2J9JxT25GUkFiaE2pDc/s320/055.JPG" /></a><br />
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While the chicken is cooking, you can chop up your green onions. I love slicing green onions. They cut so easily and do not leave that onion smell on your hands for days!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnLEJK3qW6c8pPay9WnT74l8Y7lZed0Z7KVEqfEUFXWjDn7nS7fRlxKJIhOL9mmYoYXw6oFU9ezHBy3rqiedprgx4mMuDYXBjmTRKx9Nsd5u8eRP9aKDss8IMy5J-Kxk-7_wUqbjEZbM/s1600/058.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnLEJK3qW6c8pPay9WnT74l8Y7lZed0Z7KVEqfEUFXWjDn7nS7fRlxKJIhOL9mmYoYXw6oFU9ezHBy3rqiedprgx4mMuDYXBjmTRKx9Nsd5u8eRP9aKDss8IMy5J-Kxk-7_wUqbjEZbM/s320/058.JPG" /></a><br />
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Once the chicken is cooked, add in your green onions, basil, pepper, salt and sun dried tomatoes. With the tomatoes, I drained most of the oil out of the jar. Not sure if you're supposed to, but I didn't want a really oily sauce. Oh! And do NOT do what I did and accidentally add a full teaspoon of salt instead of half. It made the dish <b>really</b> salty :/ After everything is added, stir it all together!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwumBJ01zSaULo75PjPYERELftnM_NCZB1dXLxbGCKtUhib80fnZ8Zb_NUDdFreNTbfCYzbcJ46n8spXj_N1uD9oHJpeqUzdtjXilkt4mMp9aA_BEZG6-u4aN61lZ9aqJm2H_5XgJjFg/s1600/059.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwumBJ01zSaULo75PjPYERELftnM_NCZB1dXLxbGCKtUhib80fnZ8Zb_NUDdFreNTbfCYzbcJ46n8spXj_N1uD9oHJpeqUzdtjXilkt4mMp9aA_BEZG6-u4aN61lZ9aqJm2H_5XgJjFg/s320/059.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IjQN8JaVeB5W7AOLG5vBpdsQW4iS6AIBCEKApJrYaSiy5aeSvp0ycGaiG8_vLYXtqgmN-FaZQHAdvJw1Qn1lC6bwkdlxuCOPfNebsAUPUgUwzW0NpymGj75gN6F2cmD5UoF-CUFK5bE/s1600/061.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IjQN8JaVeB5W7AOLG5vBpdsQW4iS6AIBCEKApJrYaSiy5aeSvp0ycGaiG8_vLYXtqgmN-FaZQHAdvJw1Qn1lC6bwkdlxuCOPfNebsAUPUgUwzW0NpymGj75gN6F2cmD5UoF-CUFK5bE/s320/061.JPG" /></a><br />
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Next, you'll add in the whipping cream, stir it all up and allow it to simmer on the stove while your pasta finishes boiling.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNXKiyLvpy6ltlYtQov3PSmQDhvPunR2lieGBwRal3BM6dsNkUOKmZ5z8tZ6Ve74glS-Uzz_TDcoCdhLHGJpkAMqEy-Q6KXT345ZL-lsapd-SnMBL8-7zCWREF1K0nRyPqth-LfA95Gw/s1600/063.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNXKiyLvpy6ltlYtQov3PSmQDhvPunR2lieGBwRal3BM6dsNkUOKmZ5z8tZ6Ve74glS-Uzz_TDcoCdhLHGJpkAMqEy-Q6KXT345ZL-lsapd-SnMBL8-7zCWREF1K0nRyPqth-LfA95Gw/s320/063.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcAeHSCQt7RJY9d4v81B3rZllsBhAAIsx7_j7y7IGr1pUbNFEMQwkikcB5EaftJyi6mATe0xUz64LFnvZEr0_1rP5W5joeCLrUR4aI6AaQZGXAkDxXouYQxrA2SpOZDuRK72vrz7A3NA/s1600/066.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcAeHSCQt7RJY9d4v81B3rZllsBhAAIsx7_j7y7IGr1pUbNFEMQwkikcB5EaftJyi6mATe0xUz64LFnvZEr0_1rP5W5joeCLrUR4aI6AaQZGXAkDxXouYQxrA2SpOZDuRK72vrz7A3NA/s320/066.JPG" /></a><br />
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When the sauce is warmed up and the noodles are done, its time to eat, so sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top! I served this round with garlic toast and steamed asparagus. Normally, I'd prefer a fresh salad with this type of meal, but I had a bunch of asparagus that needed used.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vvnTfNYMgdx1Utlk2Kfr0BQe9XSZo3WNdiyaQrz9mJEB9eXJYszn-PWq3JOTb-pO3LMhiexjvy_GjLaRrtNHZ9UK3AcRdXXtwzxYy2YLQ9R7XO0zboXVgLuIRXgzgWfGmJ3DRPjnQK0/s1600/068.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vvnTfNYMgdx1Utlk2Kfr0BQe9XSZo3WNdiyaQrz9mJEB9eXJYszn-PWq3JOTb-pO3LMhiexjvy_GjLaRrtNHZ9UK3AcRdXXtwzxYy2YLQ9R7XO0zboXVgLuIRXgzgWfGmJ3DRPjnQK0/s320/068.JPG" /></a><br />
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Bon appetit!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-58186322863161248662013-03-21T00:12:00.000-04:002013-03-21T00:12:37.669-04:00Scooter SpaghettiA lot of times when I'm cooking a dinner that I just know is going to be good, I think to myself that "darn, I should have taken photos of this to blog"..especially since I am so bad with posting in here, and <i>something</i>..<b>anything</b> would make a good post!<br />
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I like to think I am pretty good with mixing it up and making new things for my family for dinner. Sure, there are the staple meals that are in rotation (you know, the no fail, easy meals that you know everyone likes?) but its always nice to make a new meal we haven't tried before. <strike>Thanks to Pinterest</strike>, I'm always finding delicious new recipes!<br />
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Since <strike>I</strike> we love spaghetti around here, I recently found a new recipe that looked yummy, and I had to try it! You can never go wrong with Italian, and I am always down for a comfort meal consisting of pasta and sauce :)<br />
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Of course, I was midway through chopping my vegetables when it hit me again that I should blog this. Since I wasn't very far into the preparation, I ran to grab my camera (go me!) so I apologize, but you won't be getting the obligatory "ingredient" photo (but I would hope, my dear few readers, that you can manage to gather your own ingredients without needing to <i>see</i> them ;)<br />
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What you'll need:<br />
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- 1 lb ground beef (I used that plus about 1/4 lb ground turkey I needed to use up)<br />
- 8 oz. uncooked spaghetti noodles<br />
- 1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I used a 32 oz. jar..anything smaller and the meat soaks it all up)<br />
- 8 oz. softened cream cheese<br />
- 1/2 c. chopped green peppers<br />
- 1/2 c. chopped onions<br />
- 1 tbl. butter<br />
- 2 tbl. milk<br />
- french fried onions<br />
- parmesan cheese (there is no amount, you decide)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjass7lrFkt2kmL_ZIraaKqkGdelQq7EFgTVHu0A09cH3Mx8PLEh-ZX5ujs8SM-s4_FeuOdBgAb-jQ8aOajVoz0M1knL0XpMTWDtsJDUH4Hpa-juU9WWvbwZEgKiCrBkvLqH8eFQEpLOqI/s1600/045.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjass7lrFkt2kmL_ZIraaKqkGdelQq7EFgTVHu0A09cH3Mx8PLEh-ZX5ujs8SM-s4_FeuOdBgAb-jQ8aOajVoz0M1knL0XpMTWDtsJDUH4Hpa-juU9WWvbwZEgKiCrBkvLqH8eFQEpLOqI/s320/045.JPG" /></a><br />
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Start off by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees. Then, start boiling your water for your noodles, and browning your ground beef. I always add a little seasoning to the meat while its cooking (usually salt, pepper and garlic powder) Once the meat is browned, drain all the grease and set aside for now.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomgzdalXORaBQ4sG3VJTnMcpZxfmM1Yt9UXqC0J0yk9MUcnJMe7lRQ2CqCBjxHhAWiL27Sz-uZHzs_wEPOtPiWfDTUCUrKAfbnwKJS4FkAjzDP5LRXylZsEJ5GqqBenAyhiPOiGBoPHM/s1600/044.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomgzdalXORaBQ4sG3VJTnMcpZxfmM1Yt9UXqC0J0yk9MUcnJMe7lRQ2CqCBjxHhAWiL27Sz-uZHzs_wEPOtPiWfDTUCUrKAfbnwKJS4FkAjzDP5LRXylZsEJ5GqqBenAyhiPOiGBoPHM/s320/044.JPG" /></a><br />
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Your water should be boiled by now, so drop those noodles in and let 'em cook! But not too much, only till al dente. Drain those when done, also set aside.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1n4HmqRRTP9LGOiuwjMY5seMKHg7ek6BFFej_nDi1BXlPT4gqpMKPo_TNBMJK85i6g4phWi4jbBDi0HoPR-oKnJovgrgCfCJHlThQ82OzmOjVhoZXPOcixMcxrq3HLYSLXvdmEnR3Hc/s1600/049.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1n4HmqRRTP9LGOiuwjMY5seMKHg7ek6BFFej_nDi1BXlPT4gqpMKPo_TNBMJK85i6g4phWi4jbBDi0HoPR-oKnJovgrgCfCJHlThQ82OzmOjVhoZXPOcixMcxrq3HLYSLXvdmEnR3Hc/s320/049.JPG" /></a><br />
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Meanwhile, start chopping your vegetables. Next, put them in a bowl & add 1 tbl of butter. Microwave for a couple minutes or so (until they are soft)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJ88z0_E6mOEv5ac3aYMPXBlh5IybgX6tmguPLP7BYc7C-Wxtd95FV2px3F3DzHr7WQ8gcqwPYRoQCSDllZbD3jJt2PJ-dXUsnUwrsPHJwIahoHzgdJHv8f3AXi5P_yO1JHR3WyUe-2w/s1600/040.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJ88z0_E6mOEv5ac3aYMPXBlh5IybgX6tmguPLP7BYc7C-Wxtd95FV2px3F3DzHr7WQ8gcqwPYRoQCSDllZbD3jJt2PJ-dXUsnUwrsPHJwIahoHzgdJHv8f3AXi5P_yO1JHR3WyUe-2w/s320/040.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcVJdH5ACi3PHIBSnTQL81IW7gRB-VqVehyphenhyphenwWAZTWf3Ffq97JF9Xt9rLFKDv2iwoikItsBMnfjLoza73sC1vxRTfEbiAiv5UIRvrdezzw-ajqRSuVuaFQYaluRUspvKWDpgZY_XxUng4/s1600/041.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcVJdH5ACi3PHIBSnTQL81IW7gRB-VqVehyphenhyphenwWAZTWf3Ffq97JF9Xt9rLFKDv2iwoikItsBMnfjLoza73sC1vxRTfEbiAiv5UIRvrdezzw-ajqRSuVuaFQYaluRUspvKWDpgZY_XxUng4/s320/041.JPG" /></a><br />
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You'll want to put the sauce in with the browned meat at this point (leave about 1/4 c. in the jar). Let it simmer on the stove while you finish up the rest of the preps. I also like to add a little "flair" to my sauce in the form of some <a href="http://www.tastefullysimple.com/shopourproducts/allproducts/mamamiamarinarasaucemix748702.aspx">Tastefully Simple</a> seasoning. It's yummy..get some!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMm6HVNdjx_v2CdrV1cZFaNNrvnivsTbepuismMw-XwIgoc0knNZWnttuHkwJrEaSfDPpc34vAsdiPN3QyMEaYe0NG1RAdk4AqcIENgpuzn7uwH3gwSfdgnJ0nXMqPJeLYAQzr_vWOsM/s1600/052.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMm6HVNdjx_v2CdrV1cZFaNNrvnivsTbepuismMw-XwIgoc0knNZWnttuHkwJrEaSfDPpc34vAsdiPN3QyMEaYe0NG1RAdk4AqcIENgpuzn7uwH3gwSfdgnJ0nXMqPJeLYAQzr_vWOsM/s320/052.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBYGd-0CERSD7H_ZhSWwd6yMj-g-sSctEQWBsoDfduTNoq2MwRJYsbGb4WCi0Ytsyy2u4dw0B-qKij8XRkmjA8nidB-Kq7r4bNHpsBNLV6Ul87nXlgkKuvDVS7eVyh7iD0OIAVKGiOpc/s1600/053.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBYGd-0CERSD7H_ZhSWwd6yMj-g-sSctEQWBsoDfduTNoq2MwRJYsbGb4WCi0Ytsyy2u4dw0B-qKij8XRkmjA8nidB-Kq7r4bNHpsBNLV6Ul87nXlgkKuvDVS7eVyh7iD0OIAVKGiOpc/s320/053.JPG" /></a><br />
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Next, you will add in your cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of milk to your bowl of peppers & onions. Mix 'em all up until its a nice, creamy mixture.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMCef8CTtV5d_DSkoN8widLbcyVW087MBtoPTUE1gE5dcY5LU576dTZcVav-CSwaY_pzeUc3QwtVAqM2GuY2TEZbeY05EnEV5__lzc2hcmd_xmU84Eyw20hiO6wjLbzMK7f25sTU6zmw/s1600/055.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMCef8CTtV5d_DSkoN8widLbcyVW087MBtoPTUE1gE5dcY5LU576dTZcVav-CSwaY_pzeUc3QwtVAqM2GuY2TEZbeY05EnEV5__lzc2hcmd_xmU84Eyw20hiO6wjLbzMK7f25sTU6zmw/s320/055.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-AkK4w-fUWW6l3lvpRoT7CeXaxuZnvuM3iyn8TG0oEnWzHDsewuxel0x_bVypRFVv_iY3ixLZkCVYruUoT0qWWGw0dlI6VSB8KqwA7sHUUeZNeW0IpWtiaYbVtb9MCBNT8meI5IxrI4/s1600/056.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-AkK4w-fUWW6l3lvpRoT7CeXaxuZnvuM3iyn8TG0oEnWzHDsewuxel0x_bVypRFVv_iY3ixLZkCVYruUoT0qWWGw0dlI6VSB8KqwA7sHUUeZNeW0IpWtiaYbVtb9MCBNT8meI5IxrI4/s320/056.JPG" /></a><br />
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Lastly, you will begin the layering process. Start by spreading a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. And, because I am paranoid of food sticking and burning the crap out of my pans, I always spray a little Pam on the bottom first! After the sauce, you will layer the spaghetti noodles, the cream cheese mixture, followed by the meat/sauce. Next, you will sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top (this is where you can put as much or as little as you want!) Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove pan from oven, sprinkle a (generous) layer of the french fried onions (the best part!!) and bake for about 5 more minutes, being careful not to burn them. Sadly, I did not take any photos of the cheese or onion layers :(<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdLbuZad6IzvNZt_qPvUgGP_udo4-khyphenhyphenV7BK8alwlEqO3-4tT8_uUROJzFwh7R2bA_wLJzjrwhWBpin4ueqkMs3dRLRmw3YWXKmN2StRP-Ek6iY-ifagorlpxj5IVGPMV5KKqoyAaNA0/s1600/050.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdLbuZad6IzvNZt_qPvUgGP_udo4-khyphenhyphenV7BK8alwlEqO3-4tT8_uUROJzFwh7R2bA_wLJzjrwhWBpin4ueqkMs3dRLRmw3YWXKmN2StRP-Ek6iY-ifagorlpxj5IVGPMV5KKqoyAaNA0/s320/050.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ru9UFbq-FIdgPa0FOv3I84hr2xcLY81Gd1ihpC3Bh94hec7OvMH_0DCLOhgGKMSi6hjx28YtWeCekSuQ-qohTzFppvMV-My1m8oBfFheym-0S3d9aLFVvcbpdj6AjMrq2ZsBL4Tnb30/s1600/058.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ru9UFbq-FIdgPa0FOv3I84hr2xcLY81Gd1ihpC3Bh94hec7OvMH_0DCLOhgGKMSi6hjx28YtWeCekSuQ-qohTzFppvMV-My1m8oBfFheym-0S3d9aLFVvcbpdj6AjMrq2ZsBL4Tnb30/s320/058.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7vcCSKP1SFDrZDWD4qLICNTlBf0BWbXTrmUGSJDgzbxKdEReisAbOSQETJB0Ag6ztW-rUYO2TvVXRYhFTH_vP7Vst7yPSQ_qhzOJeRuLjgmPsSc8-6U2GhTt2j6-qkU-GADdnT-5o60/s1600/061.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7vcCSKP1SFDrZDWD4qLICNTlBf0BWbXTrmUGSJDgzbxKdEReisAbOSQETJB0Ag6ztW-rUYO2TvVXRYhFTH_vP7Vst7yPSQ_qhzOJeRuLjgmPsSc8-6U2GhTt2j6-qkU-GADdnT-5o60/s320/061.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxd4T8Wy5StbRg4xUsaW9nRwdypwo3rGGh7GnSDI1tRXNLRGlBtRKqdl8gpvut2L5kf47qs9jLrV0Y3UBVnU1TKR1mNrLImsdPDPNyvf3jq7W7vgRdGXOsmrd5zLYe67vBX7KbJ7ExVoI/s1600/063.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxd4T8Wy5StbRg4xUsaW9nRwdypwo3rGGh7GnSDI1tRXNLRGlBtRKqdl8gpvut2L5kf47qs9jLrV0Y3UBVnU1TKR1mNrLImsdPDPNyvf3jq7W7vgRdGXOsmrd5zLYe67vBX7KbJ7ExVoI/s320/063.JPG" /></a><br />
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Next -- enjoy! I served ours with a crisp salad and some garlic bread. It was a hit! My brother in law had three helpings! Even the little one (who can be quite picky!) seemed to like it. I will definitely be making this again as its a nice twist from your regular spaghetti, and something about the creamy, cheesy center is mmm mmm good :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pZhjq9FeQHrWv970nTQJ-6OzhAVlPJ0V501OcwCq8SsqQSa7N_2POcSwnCD9TL6srQv8OYBgngG8YPEN74eWcqKiJRaYFb72DTFOBAp2IlZyWgpB_ge0bKaG85gxbZCfYefZHGgHkLE/s1600/064.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pZhjq9FeQHrWv970nTQJ-6OzhAVlPJ0V501OcwCq8SsqQSa7N_2POcSwnCD9TL6srQv8OYBgngG8YPEN74eWcqKiJRaYFb72DTFOBAp2IlZyWgpB_ge0bKaG85gxbZCfYefZHGgHkLE/s320/064.JPG" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-11339178705691421302013-02-28T01:13:00.000-05:002013-02-28T01:13:09.033-05:00a sesame street inspired 1st birthday partyOnce fall time hit, I realized I should probably start thinking of ideas for themes for Audrey's first birthday party. Of course I still had a handful of months left until she turned 1, but thanks to Pinterest, I felt the pressure to plan a cute party that I would be proud of. Pinterest is both a blessing AND a curse in my book. It has SO MANY awesome ideas, that you can use..but then, you also want to make everything in your life as cute as it is on Pinterest!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NbJJigxP_9iJstwLlkgPRkZz6GT73-XXl46mtHO0NmWGamGURSrJjCweUJbrkAbS2YDvCH4TZi11y_B3ykVl60FhdP5tiQoYocC_uvJ3_bjZluhvgJkqq71gGfrhj9aLu5f8Te8G9dY/s1600/audrey's+1+year+photos+133.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NbJJigxP_9iJstwLlkgPRkZz6GT73-XXl46mtHO0NmWGamGURSrJjCweUJbrkAbS2YDvCH4TZi11y_B3ykVl60FhdP5tiQoYocC_uvJ3_bjZluhvgJkqq71gGfrhj9aLu5f8Te8G9dY/s320/audrey's+1+year+photos+133.JPG" /></a><br />
Initially, I was going to go with a Ladybug theme. Ryan was pushing for something involving Valentine's Day (and he calls ME cliche), but I was against that. I also thought that I should probably make it girly, but I just wasn't impressed with any of the princess or Minnie Mouse type themes. One day while perusing Pinterest, I came across some ideas with Sesame Street that were adorable! I also really like the bright color scheme, and just went with it! Audrey does like Sesame Street and really seems to enjoy Elmo, so the theme was born!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJufW-wBmjljTa1puieYDHNDsUg7euD5JaybpZoHOM_jMw3TReaLq5xTjRJdfDKob0DC0oWNysdNRuiEJP0x3Tw6xEXRLIoGPNNCTnA-qjS3exlg-AQPCSBY_YeJ6bC-_XLJNzB-uqZG0/s1600/audrey%2527s+1+year+photos+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJufW-wBmjljTa1puieYDHNDsUg7euD5JaybpZoHOM_jMw3TReaLq5xTjRJdfDKob0DC0oWNysdNRuiEJP0x3Tw6xEXRLIoGPNNCTnA-qjS3exlg-AQPCSBY_YeJ6bC-_XLJNzB-uqZG0/s320/audrey%2527s+1+year+photos+063.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrOB9FfJzROaXZHv6QkeSl79p3wTepSbc_73FVG5GebwIcIyToch_SppyJansXv97GTU9FHOJh-FRvrPJhrV7fWB7jtcXuLLMXsk1UtOP2iJeibIfq5FMZ3sz59HZq1_-PJRyaQuLBNU/s1600/audrey%2527s+1+year+photos+143.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrOB9FfJzROaXZHv6QkeSl79p3wTepSbc_73FVG5GebwIcIyToch_SppyJansXv97GTU9FHOJh-FRvrPJhrV7fWB7jtcXuLLMXsk1UtOP2iJeibIfq5FMZ3sz59HZq1_-PJRyaQuLBNU/s320/audrey%2527s+1+year+photos+143.JPG" /></a><br />
After the holidays, I began my quest to start party prepping. I had explored some Etsy shops for decorations and as cute as they were, I was not about to spend $30+ on one birthday banner I would be using once..not happening. So, I decided to make my own. I also wanted Audrey to have a tutu to go along with her outfit (which I had a friend make) and after checking out prices of those, decided again, I'd make my own. With this party, I certainly tested my creativity limits! And I must say, I am pretty proud of how everything turned out!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GwNlgjeWd6uU7SAzemhEFTGN47_jmtb4MrKSF5bHWQQqra-Kx9ON8oPWmqqyB-xfDmfL9DNRa0TZsnXiTXlvpt47wSpwOE7IZvq9qNnfcKpxrk74cJEbwS2LcSx6NK8yNMMqj0nY7p4/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GwNlgjeWd6uU7SAzemhEFTGN47_jmtb4MrKSF5bHWQQqra-Kx9ON8oPWmqqyB-xfDmfL9DNRa0TZsnXiTXlvpt47wSpwOE7IZvq9qNnfcKpxrk74cJEbwS2LcSx6NK8yNMMqj0nY7p4/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+002.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYBF48gX3dmrgPt9Eu4U8ZJIZdXPFuMIVDr7VthsC88J3JD2Wpnhbob8URWuQo8UE0lE432nnjmcf67G6zh6n77T-cMy0BQ8aPzrXP63sc8pa0pvjyLyXQezmK9l0brPNEg_CQ5Usd_s/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYBF48gX3dmrgPt9Eu4U8ZJIZdXPFuMIVDr7VthsC88J3JD2Wpnhbob8URWuQo8UE0lE432nnjmcf67G6zh6n77T-cMy0BQ8aPzrXP63sc8pa0pvjyLyXQezmK9l0brPNEg_CQ5Usd_s/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+003.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcO2hSCIJZ6Rnavk4NR5wYWSbXAGWpH0BBk53b9pSdczHp-PaPDQ0bAA_FhNOk2wK8oxPyZm7Axl24Evf3Uyd_C1VQqLSGV11gxNYY2VHRTTapUUwxQv1wpDjTANJtibVURpJK7eJ2v6Q/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcO2hSCIJZ6Rnavk4NR5wYWSbXAGWpH0BBk53b9pSdczHp-PaPDQ0bAA_FhNOk2wK8oxPyZm7Axl24Evf3Uyd_C1VQqLSGV11gxNYY2VHRTTapUUwxQv1wpDjTANJtibVURpJK7eJ2v6Q/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+004.JPG" /></a><br />
I started crafting back in January because I knew it would take awhile to get everything done (with a very active baby running around its near impossible during the day!!) and I did not want to be rushed. I decided to make a birthday banner, a high chair banner and a monthly banner. I went to Joann Fabrics and purchased all of my supplies. A lot of things were on sale, so I was able to get all the supplies I needed for all of these for less than $30. This also included my supplies for the tutu. As for the invitation, I made that as well through Photoshop. It took a little time to get it just right as I'm quite rusty in PS. I use it to edit photos, but hadn't done any design work in it for quite some time. I based the design off of some ideas I found, and I think it turned out pretty cute. My only complaint was the priting quality. I probably shouldn't have taken it to a 1-hour place, but oh well. Next time, I'll go more "professional" quality. But, I paid $5 for 55 invites + envelopes. Can't beat that!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrspnITmq3LscMoBPt2yw2jJe8LoO27wXrCciNzF-xwBuhfXfg5DUnTY9MUFRIzfjTXjfbhDq083M5ZRUx79Q8pDJRz_3uylDvnVhB1WRG2xnuPqQ0RkGsSScZivHJSy-xNZbgNoflINg/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrspnITmq3LscMoBPt2yw2jJe8LoO27wXrCciNzF-xwBuhfXfg5DUnTY9MUFRIzfjTXjfbhDq083M5ZRUx79Q8pDJRz_3uylDvnVhB1WRG2xnuPqQ0RkGsSScZivHJSy-xNZbgNoflINg/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+012.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebzESYQMx3r4xuro_qzsdDOIv_6LpZlMWtfwqAWZN28j_dj17Y2ElUxR6_8mW-2adp0CYvqLSMk9UTDFJG4NWCI0pYyGqvub8b4ARWUIzxr5bH0xFcrewfRPPMPpAphmyVBw1M4E6a94/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebzESYQMx3r4xuro_qzsdDOIv_6LpZlMWtfwqAWZN28j_dj17Y2ElUxR6_8mW-2adp0CYvqLSMk9UTDFJG4NWCI0pYyGqvub8b4ARWUIzxr5bH0xFcrewfRPPMPpAphmyVBw1M4E6a94/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+025.JPG" /></a><br />
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When it came to menu planning, I had all kinds of ideas in my head, but ultimately, decided to go the simple route -- pizza & salad. I figured that hey, Elmo's favorite food is pizza, so its sticking to the theme..right?! Of course I had all these grand plans to incorporate the characters names into all the food (Murray's meatballs, Bert's banana wands, etc etc) but lets face it, I simply did not have enough time. I am a stay at home mom, yes, but I also work part time five nights a week. Time is money! Plus, people like pizza and salad. I know I do! And, the birthday girl loves pizza..so, problem solved ;)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nt-yTAsHo5zZVRNuQBYQp8csVZKkX1mrRPv7xmIf3FVE-4ib1bJbPN6kvYYYpdqn1czfPZOmEAc4Cnc2Om1rFWbCRR_11Ixfjue7vB1YVPWqGhsvc6MOUn_LBQ3nUDLyfx_5NfppoIU/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+036.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nt-yTAsHo5zZVRNuQBYQp8csVZKkX1mrRPv7xmIf3FVE-4ib1bJbPN6kvYYYpdqn1czfPZOmEAc4Cnc2Om1rFWbCRR_11Ixfjue7vB1YVPWqGhsvc6MOUn_LBQ3nUDLyfx_5NfppoIU/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+036.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Hd8F_oj5rp249rF6S4aydo-_fkYnwKKXDVY0I8-wdEU2E9MKyC1NeG3DJvz_jpx_wooFf6dKmmm9XXQNpvLowAs3ebWqeH4bXpWxjDGNNg00QqU6oSKF7qdRkC3GWMC3ki1F-CRgylQ/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Hd8F_oj5rp249rF6S4aydo-_fkYnwKKXDVY0I8-wdEU2E9MKyC1NeG3DJvz_jpx_wooFf6dKmmm9XXQNpvLowAs3ebWqeH4bXpWxjDGNNg00QqU6oSKF7qdRkC3GWMC3ki1F-CRgylQ/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+037.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnAGpYzRNYqOlHHEp1pAtIEMxD9tN6Qe4hw5jSrLs2mfQYfYFT2l__SGCPpezKVDdK96JYBHts0MY_mDj78OGZyjtMK_mpJ0i0LJu-D9hrIkGVpyFth7mNZbg0kWW4Oq2raEI9m2PCOA/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+039.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnAGpYzRNYqOlHHEp1pAtIEMxD9tN6Qe4hw5jSrLs2mfQYfYFT2l__SGCPpezKVDdK96JYBHts0MY_mDj78OGZyjtMK_mpJ0i0LJu-D9hrIkGVpyFth7mNZbg0kWW4Oq2raEI9m2PCOA/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+039.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhui5fZ40El4AtH5hAICIJQp0Wq6Cd2zfi0uwYQA8TjvlmKXO8B0x72DywssZTkBnL3pFQvqbOzIkgAHTV425zI1OVM3ZZOXfxcCxR-nTg5DULe-BOqSGT-Jx-9n_71Ypnagj2Uajpp_U0/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+042.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhui5fZ40El4AtH5hAICIJQp0Wq6Cd2zfi0uwYQA8TjvlmKXO8B0x72DywssZTkBnL3pFQvqbOzIkgAHTV425zI1OVM3ZZOXfxcCxR-nTg5DULe-BOqSGT-Jx-9n_71Ypnagj2Uajpp_U0/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+042.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9cOf3XFV5C6_MvtCvqQhl6XHn7H9mul_TjCWyRImoESu8yn12_5ZvRdM_P53JvC9Rd3KWlJ2m3yjup5qkUmWHF6hefjlXmst3DGbOx_aMPKsEHtrgRdGMTIkPr6WSS51noG2NbOUMQA/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+101.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9cOf3XFV5C6_MvtCvqQhl6XHn7H9mul_TjCWyRImoESu8yn12_5ZvRdM_P53JvC9Rd3KWlJ2m3yjup5qkUmWHF6hefjlXmst3DGbOx_aMPKsEHtrgRdGMTIkPr6WSS51noG2NbOUMQA/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+101.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVECMloFFtjlinINbWv34imrQl0D37gNaenFD5S3zkGtbZdYyTLO1iMYj_WbLjX_OGjnV-zTB7hyphenhyphenQNiGxGDeVqxoTmbj-r82_s0iRlseffPewMMOZsGJ2NgkwC93ich2qNVlOGI6eNCg/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+107.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVECMloFFtjlinINbWv34imrQl0D37gNaenFD5S3zkGtbZdYyTLO1iMYj_WbLjX_OGjnV-zTB7hyphenhyphenQNiGxGDeVqxoTmbj-r82_s0iRlseffPewMMOZsGJ2NgkwC93ich2qNVlOGI6eNCg/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+107.JPG" /></a><br />
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I also was going to make the cupcakes myself and order a smash cake. Of course, I found adorable character faced cupcakes that I so badly wanted to try my hand at. But then I ran into the problem with time. You obviously can't make cupcakes more than a day or two in advance and there was no way I was going to be able to bake & decorate cupcakes the day before the party because of course, I had to work that night. So, I ended up ordering them and was pleased with how they turned out. I went with Sam's Club. 30 cupcakes for $14 plus they threw in a free smash cake! Sold.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JhBB_R0XXTXfCagJFu9sM5b-4sHD75FTTUZzABTk47okRehxgDDRYu5PlKCahMB3mnNk-YA4mNy9bS2N3DQe21zMP4pPCepOUUHGrqmG8X1mhCCcGkA2su8yOMmvAuad0fhFknygy1k/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JhBB_R0XXTXfCagJFu9sM5b-4sHD75FTTUZzABTk47okRehxgDDRYu5PlKCahMB3mnNk-YA4mNy9bS2N3DQe21zMP4pPCepOUUHGrqmG8X1mhCCcGkA2su8yOMmvAuad0fhFknygy1k/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+008.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRAYj7IpdAOXhT6g2FcnLCPNSMPE6J7FMNpvu1hyphenhyphen1gVbxmRH1vy5lG_-YDxxfA3yg070mGmKu-nJytEd06vI81pKVjeXBXfRvvORkgaiOathPPeMOsyZLARdYen30B56_dDYy_Eui2Wg/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+282.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRAYj7IpdAOXhT6g2FcnLCPNSMPE6J7FMNpvu1hyphenhyphen1gVbxmRH1vy5lG_-YDxxfA3yg070mGmKu-nJytEd06vI81pKVjeXBXfRvvORkgaiOathPPeMOsyZLARdYen30B56_dDYy_Eui2Wg/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+282.JPG" /></a><br />
I also came across a DIY cupcake tower on Pinterest and wanted to make one. I have those little metal cupcake stands, but they just weren't as cute to me, and so I decided to make my own, which was actually quite easy. All it took was some ribbon, poster board, soup cans and some hot glue. Easy enough!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJEFkxl1OsM_gjANw9A1-DAHqWESf3pcXY7REBLUt4N7VIDsd90AtGIoDco_gzGd9hSBm7c1Y7dqSZbyAgToOWgMyVOTshIhPPVD_qrpOEJ-g1f8M4yI-kk6JDkZ9kJszsLpTk2uysLw/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJEFkxl1OsM_gjANw9A1-DAHqWESf3pcXY7REBLUt4N7VIDsd90AtGIoDco_gzGd9hSBm7c1Y7dqSZbyAgToOWgMyVOTshIhPPVD_qrpOEJ-g1f8M4yI-kk6JDkZ9kJszsLpTk2uysLw/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+020.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp9NKat5VEH6OuxtQf1txW32hj-1n43kLTm6NCsoPOnDtvyO7vKZz1tr1LXiZ2W2BPP8HVFGXDLb5X8f6lny9kSnJ78AXlKZTjfWgkd7JrDvLkm_hF7z79kf8FEndYG5SucCOVBFJxfc/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp9NKat5VEH6OuxtQf1txW32hj-1n43kLTm6NCsoPOnDtvyO7vKZz1tr1LXiZ2W2BPP8HVFGXDLb5X8f6lny9kSnJ78AXlKZTjfWgkd7JrDvLkm_hF7z79kf8FEndYG5SucCOVBFJxfc/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+010.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_b_0smkc8uVK3S9GZIzZre8_CZEoUwcYKqRIDi_5iCzUzuvu9zhV_7-b61fckSCvqzY04WYDazkopsD7EI1XQugYRqutmKxSXuOkctt8RfbLpdoNPYRYUqX5pIjdt1S04GYHVXyv-qeQ/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+155.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_b_0smkc8uVK3S9GZIzZre8_CZEoUwcYKqRIDi_5iCzUzuvu9zhV_7-b61fckSCvqzY04WYDazkopsD7EI1XQugYRqutmKxSXuOkctt8RfbLpdoNPYRYUqX5pIjdt1S04GYHVXyv-qeQ/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+155.JPG" /></a><br />
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The rest of the decorations were simple. I bought some crepe paper & balloons in primary colors and added some strands here and there. I also bought the plates, napkins and utensils in primary/rainbow colors too. Loved all of the colors!! I was very happy with how everything came together.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEdM_qdi-U11JJR94RmPdGQOP-VyqH8f1pQLdSAju6G_SEMWRFD-rG1oDULb4Ieg-75yEDik5EPmR0UwihI4bUFfmMzQVCWMepeHw1kBpg18dd_DoFL3p3cS5ycL8QV5ZMv3QOVX9ELI/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEdM_qdi-U11JJR94RmPdGQOP-VyqH8f1pQLdSAju6G_SEMWRFD-rG1oDULb4Ieg-75yEDik5EPmR0UwihI4bUFfmMzQVCWMepeHw1kBpg18dd_DoFL3p3cS5ycL8QV5ZMv3QOVX9ELI/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+045.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2Ghxof3DpyavHtUlfNDDIeJzlkypXyej9qh5pSreFt8shc6jEh7nWz36t2BGaWpIv2I6E3wjZiCHuUWrqUldOO3NSadAi7EccA0KBoGzVYadjrb0rluioDrm85eC1AmI7hpSPL0m0OY/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+158.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2Ghxof3DpyavHtUlfNDDIeJzlkypXyej9qh5pSreFt8shc6jEh7nWz36t2BGaWpIv2I6E3wjZiCHuUWrqUldOO3NSadAi7EccA0KBoGzVYadjrb0rluioDrm85eC1AmI7hpSPL0m0OY/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+158.JPG" /></a><br />
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The party was a hit. We had a great turn out and were so happy to see so many people come to celebrate our little girl's milestone day. I got a lot of compliments on my decorations and the party in general, so that made ME feel good. My Aunt even mentioned I should do party planning (HA!) but that made me smile.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i9_6S_Hgu2dblVEe_uQJhAWV1C3okAY2vjiUS31bCy5iDlysk389BdZR2NYQ9lON2uCexjLDfeRzGwkzeYca9TC8LM6qmWLcIwQaK15T-5MtKangsXs1NU4g8MCmWlztL-HsLa3IfJM/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+053.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i9_6S_Hgu2dblVEe_uQJhAWV1C3okAY2vjiUS31bCy5iDlysk389BdZR2NYQ9lON2uCexjLDfeRzGwkzeYca9TC8LM6qmWLcIwQaK15T-5MtKangsXs1NU4g8MCmWlztL-HsLa3IfJM/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+053.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggY3CdU9aNHvCO-3uaQ5IAIH6CgPU4zxvhVtlf9jhnGgtgOqh6WBAtZOPr5NZPia2qWqITYdQdA10biTRNOwy7ca7vtKSfUBLErd-0T7uG4if14yMpoOFtWB9COb1pfcJt7dH6RBUCigA/s1600/audrey's+1st+birthday+party+200.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggY3CdU9aNHvCO-3uaQ5IAIH6CgPU4zxvhVtlf9jhnGgtgOqh6WBAtZOPr5NZPia2qWqITYdQdA10biTRNOwy7ca7vtKSfUBLErd-0T7uG4if14yMpoOFtWB9COb1pfcJt7dH6RBUCigA/s320/audrey's+1st+birthday+party+200.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44gjvKmbxzNckPWvDUUzYsxKQK0M-3VU4rO4d-jlefbzk1sF3BWr5QH7hpf_BemPD_p3qEfRdvxXVhjlbIbKj-fu0njWqaDrGUmeKZU-Blj3LsnzDIB6nhkCkXRPjfKjqz2mSOR63oIs/s1600/audrey's+1st+birthday+party+210.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44gjvKmbxzNckPWvDUUzYsxKQK0M-3VU4rO4d-jlefbzk1sF3BWr5QH7hpf_BemPD_p3qEfRdvxXVhjlbIbKj-fu0njWqaDrGUmeKZU-Blj3LsnzDIB6nhkCkXRPjfKjqz2mSOR63oIs/s320/audrey's+1st+birthday+party+210.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphUaRfHFbnM_tIt-6NGfp-Or3hxRkDy9wsKybC9pU8AG7uwsExwmi6i7TTEHm7eajIv_5W7iBY-krmkehl10MDJnVzFk6JiKrT0Hk6umeDEQGN4A9cC7Y0lNrLXZNgZzCeesmD72AaPI/s1600/audrey's+1st+birthday+party+232.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphUaRfHFbnM_tIt-6NGfp-Or3hxRkDy9wsKybC9pU8AG7uwsExwmi6i7TTEHm7eajIv_5W7iBY-krmkehl10MDJnVzFk6JiKrT0Hk6umeDEQGN4A9cC7Y0lNrLXZNgZzCeesmD72AaPI/s320/audrey's+1st+birthday+party+232.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VHd499BjYsY_EOl1srd3UkTZB-E_PVpghPvYmSz6RmUjaygHOL5vJMutkCOa8iyMkjN1YcbzFwuoB_K4RoakEddWSUqFIh3rkxt_RJs1j9HH2tSYuV49QhtL_yxLjqMY6enNE1o5czY/s1600/audrey's+1st+birthday+party+244.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VHd499BjYsY_EOl1srd3UkTZB-E_PVpghPvYmSz6RmUjaygHOL5vJMutkCOa8iyMkjN1YcbzFwuoB_K4RoakEddWSUqFIh3rkxt_RJs1j9HH2tSYuV49QhtL_yxLjqMY6enNE1o5czY/s320/audrey's+1st+birthday+party+244.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
And this little sugar faced sweetie had a blast, loved all the attention she got and really, thats all that mattered to me in the end :)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YxPBz8WyK3UIcOkKamw4Km7O_Uorx-8JK72qAH2BdTwGqt_SCX9oryVxjkwCggLbUv_tJ6tYDkm-p0RxBEhfSIJRtdRRxj7M3K5IUfZLcUmH_nzI0PLYSD066Bu5LXJoVvjks57L0-Y/s1600/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+340.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YxPBz8WyK3UIcOkKamw4Km7O_Uorx-8JK72qAH2BdTwGqt_SCX9oryVxjkwCggLbUv_tJ6tYDkm-p0RxBEhfSIJRtdRRxj7M3K5IUfZLcUmH_nzI0PLYSD066Bu5LXJoVvjks57L0-Y/s320/audrey%2527s+1st+birthday+party+340.JPG" /></a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-85316184760705748612013-02-25T01:25:00.000-05:002013-02-25T01:25:16.149-05:00ONE year old!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDmJtjhoJ5INMBVW40RzjU2Oh_CF4rmaueHtVlL2vBXnJXQ3vK3WY-8kQ4lN357qu9_Se7PUvzq_QRG1X3rYVrI__jl_qlifTD6ZpVtP6ZypooxXjD3F2cAfErZT3rPY-kSMBBpu3Bzk/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDmJtjhoJ5INMBVW40RzjU2Oh_CF4rmaueHtVlL2vBXnJXQ3vK3WY-8kQ4lN357qu9_Se7PUvzq_QRG1X3rYVrI__jl_qlifTD6ZpVtP6ZypooxXjD3F2cAfErZT3rPY-kSMBBpu3Bzk/s320/12.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Our Dearest Audrey Elizabeth,<br />
<br />
You are officially 1 year old now, baby girl! Mommy does not want to get all cliche on you, but she and daddy truly cannot believe how fast this past year has gone by. You have filled our hearts with pure joy and made them burst with love for you. Every day, you learn something new and these past 365 days have been nothing short of amazing and a true blessing, being able to watch you grow and shape into the person you will become.<br />
<br />
Your little mind is a sponge and you love to soak up <i>everything</i>. You've been picking up on a lot of things lately, and it makes us laugh. It also reminds us that we need to watch what we say around you! One of the cutest things you've done lately is pretend to talk on the phone. Typically, you'll grab one of our cellphones, but anything usually works for you! You'll hold it up to your ear, cock your head and smile, while babbling! You've also learned to shake your head yes and no..we think its funny now, of course, but one day I imagine we won't find it so "cute" ;) You love to walk around WHILE shaking your head no. You are too much sometimes!!<br />
<br />
Now that you are walking, you are all over the place! You do not like to sit still for very long as you are quite the little busy body! Mommy has found one way to keep you still for awhile -- she'll pull you up to sit on the couch and you LOVE it, of course. You get the biggest smile on your face, and you are certainly proud to be sitting up there like a big girl. You are also quite the climber, always trying to climb on things you aren't supposed to, and get into things you know you shouldn't be in.<br />
<br />
You are so very curious and yes, very nosey! You like to know whats going on at all times. If Mommy walks away for a second and you hear the bathroom door open, you coming running down the hall to see what she's doing! If we are out shopping or out to eat, you will sit and stare at everyone. Many times, you will wave to strangers and smile, maybe even yell a little to get their attention!<br />
<br />
You have a large corner of our living room filled with all sorts of fun, new toys but of course, you prefer anything else, usually something you are not supposed to have! You really love any kind of toy with a little ball that you can carry around. You really seem to enjoy your dolls too, and like to carry them around. You also like any toys that make noise, or things you can take in and pull out, such as a shape sorter. You are such a smart cookie, you always figure out how things work!<br />
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You are such a loving and sweet little girl. You can be running around the room playing, and the next minute you are running into our arms for a quick cuddle. Those are Mommy's favorite times, because she knows they are not forever. You will not always be this little, so we are soaking up every moment with you, sweet angel. You also give kisses, which is nothing short of precious. Some days, you are a little stingier with your kisses, which makes us laugh. Other days, you are giving them out like candy! Those are the best days :)<br />
<br />
At your 12-month check up you weighed 23 lbs 1 oz and were 29.5". Right on track and growing beautifully, baby! You are still in 12m clothing, but can wear some 18m (with plenty of room to grow). You can still wear a size 3 diaper, but we have transitioned to you size 4's. You got your very first pair of "real" shoes when you became an official walker, and at 1 year your shoe size is 4 wide (that wide part? you inherited that from your old man, so you can thank him!)<br />
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Your sleeping patterns have been the same for several months now, which is amazing. You still sleep anywhere from 10-12 hours at night and since January, you've been taking 2 hour naps -- IN YOUR CRIB!! You probably would have done this even sooner had Mommy tried..but she didn't, so thats her fault not yours ;) At night, you even "ask" to go to bed. We can tell you are ready when you start coming to us and laying or leaning against us. We take that as your cue that you are tired. We lay you down in your crib, and off you go! You make our lives so easy, sweet pea! Just a few days ago you decided you don't want any milk before bed either, and you'll go to sleep without having to be rocked. Its sad for Mommy, because she knows you are not a baby anymore, and every day bring you closer to being a little girl :(<br />
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You are a funny eater. Some days, you have a great appetite and others, you eat like a bird. You LOVE fruit, and have not tried a fruit yet that you do not like! Your favorites are definitely mandarin oranges, pears and most recently, grapes! You also love yogurt and sometimes, can't get enough. You are learning how to eat with a spoon and you are doing pretty well with it! Most of the food ends up in your mouth ;) Some days you decide to be picky with your food. You have to taste everything first. If you decide you don't like it, you spit it right back out, silly girl. You also really enjoy snacks like graham crackers, cheese puffs and cheerios. You know what "eat" means and when we ask you if you want to eat, you walk over with your arms stretched up so we can bring you downstairs. Other times if your empty cup is nearby, you'll hand it to us when you are hungry. Its so cute!<br />
<br />
This past year has been nothing but wonderful. You fill our lives with so much of everything that is good! We have loved every single minute we've been blessed with you, and look forward to continue watching you grow and learn and become the person you are mean't to be. Mommy and Daddy love you SO MUCH more than you'll ever know, our sweet little princess.<br />
<br />
Happy 1st Birthday, Audrey Elizabeth!!<br />
<br />
Love Always,<br />
<br />
MommyKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-60195725173291825112013-02-24T13:30:00.000-05:002013-02-24T13:50:30.855-05:00a recap of months 8-11I feel like such a bad mom :( I haven't updated this since month 7! And its unfortunate because SO MANY things have happened with our girl!<br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkG8AX6k5GN7RlYP0DMeNXncFuD3XrXluF8p4zYXdFA0BFXVSFRBzJq7EtnrDKJ1eHIufdkqCB7vmdx_eT1DDl_5sm0FZh4da1vjw_ZYqFxKVyfxzcM9CsCodSttcnj0b73ivXAuMwJ6I/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkG8AX6k5GN7RlYP0DMeNXncFuD3XrXluF8p4zYXdFA0BFXVSFRBzJq7EtnrDKJ1eHIufdkqCB7vmdx_eT1DDl_5sm0FZh4da1vjw_ZYqFxKVyfxzcM9CsCodSttcnj0b73ivXAuMwJ6I/s320/8.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUs7n8-a3In9ciXsacIoXXIcZtW9tgPZ1Ep_c-VGdjzUd9B6184Np_CiR16wqoHrr_Db4vvZd26EUyfkcM5VlGrkHXcfsehos3PNVdhLgl18ika8Vuum8W25FgsK72p8yp7Utg2-c4GIE/s1600/542784_857988891805_1343291309_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUs7n8-a3In9ciXsacIoXXIcZtW9tgPZ1Ep_c-VGdjzUd9B6184Np_CiR16wqoHrr_Db4vvZd26EUyfkcM5VlGrkHXcfsehos3PNVdhLgl18ika8Vuum8W25FgsK72p8yp7Utg2-c4GIE/s320/542784_857988891805_1343291309_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprmKKE8Fk_SJIhvqUcEtVBFw8223uZXVZX5QxF8a-sqAjQj-ZKs7OzToo9vQVwR9Lvwc79TW-ukJ7oxjmO6PFhX1_lLDepb2duOKAw0k6Yw1Hms1KmquGVEjdA7zXIxrE5npt3cBWblc/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprmKKE8Fk_SJIhvqUcEtVBFw8223uZXVZX5QxF8a-sqAjQj-ZKs7OzToo9vQVwR9Lvwc79TW-ukJ7oxjmO6PFhX1_lLDepb2duOKAw0k6Yw1Hms1KmquGVEjdA7zXIxrE5npt3cBWblc/s320/10.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8hwpXKEFB6Ij__orbMB6iIa5Kcmax5JDo-2JFDd_HQ68WrBF3q7OiT8q-sWu8j4zqQQ0ArsVxv-7oPM-SHE66JGCpO2SFvyPBlMFBZ0SRCNdWs3EtrhpXJBA8qy5UbKhvUmHE0Gk8Cw/s1600/68620_882988637115_1553233916_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8hwpXKEFB6Ij__orbMB6iIa5Kcmax5JDo-2JFDd_HQ68WrBF3q7OiT8q-sWu8j4zqQQ0ArsVxv-7oPM-SHE66JGCpO2SFvyPBlMFBZ0SRCNdWs3EtrhpXJBA8qy5UbKhvUmHE0Gk8Cw/s320/68620_882988637115_1553233916_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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I don't even know where to start. Since my last update, she has done SO MUCH!! She had her first Halloween, where she got to go to a Halloween party (as a ladybug!) with all of her little friends :) She went to a pumpkin patch THREE times (cause mom is a little obsessed with Fall and taking pumpkin patch photos!) And on Halloween night, Mommy had to work so Daddy took her around to a couple of houses in the neighborhood where she got some candy (and unknowingly shared it all with us :P Around the beginning of October she was already pulling herself up and standing. Shortly after this, she started cruising furniture (oh boy!) <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuwXBJnjiGycRY3WnzBdJd0lGke7N8lctoKvP4hyrXqaiQS0bd8wNIopHvo-43L7srRCk0CDt5l0xQUGUsUQxjlgtUeeNH8gpm6n31sXQsGekj6CRyl2tmnlXXQuxz2Vo7UYAk-XNuk8/s1600/541289_848197543745_195920895_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuwXBJnjiGycRY3WnzBdJd0lGke7N8lctoKvP4hyrXqaiQS0bd8wNIopHvo-43L7srRCk0CDt5l0xQUGUsUQxjlgtUeeNH8gpm6n31sXQsGekj6CRyl2tmnlXXQuxz2Vo7UYAk-XNuk8/s320/541289_848197543745_195920895_n.jpg" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdKRo5CxX2R94A09Vqnu_T_Utx0RVu98vVo_AYR8WOFCOBLb_MfgrAItN4klrCA-Rt0uCoGL1Uw4HkYn-EQlWVnhqQdSUjqb59mh32Tt9poo2uR8d236UgOfPI9ER3ZKo3qq10NTjPL0/s1600/487125_848197119595_1801798773_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdKRo5CxX2R94A09Vqnu_T_Utx0RVu98vVo_AYR8WOFCOBLb_MfgrAItN4klrCA-Rt0uCoGL1Uw4HkYn-EQlWVnhqQdSUjqb59mh32Tt9poo2uR8d236UgOfPI9ER3ZKo3qq10NTjPL0/s320/487125_848197119595_1801798773_n.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkEM7HPDexrcxB5xk8Gs_q38P2Gbbvr2FJB2NfBOKW7WtFuiYZxKLD_v6aEQRa60fezOw7oo6U2e5RB6-PSMoUF-iAia2S06VgTCwe3gDLjGKcO8QM5HtFU8ENYzHk35mHTjV9L1avY0/s1600/550331_850024377755_1344655603_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkEM7HPDexrcxB5xk8Gs_q38P2Gbbvr2FJB2NfBOKW7WtFuiYZxKLD_v6aEQRa60fezOw7oo6U2e5RB6-PSMoUF-iAia2S06VgTCwe3gDLjGKcO8QM5HtFU8ENYzHk35mHTjV9L1avY0/s320/550331_850024377755_1344655603_n.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8pWZTOIZTU9RjAYnLV0kbtSx47714lNdsCFE2XyDH72s4MO4rY5Dzz4O7macvDGtyVEuYRuJi4VPiyB8r2DRcc5lUaHtSaV7DlHp6RYJ9V8ZXT8RZOekx2LtUP3h9HE0QSp4u_-WsmQ/s1600/559003_859317095075_1205098592_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8pWZTOIZTU9RjAYnLV0kbtSx47714lNdsCFE2XyDH72s4MO4rY5Dzz4O7macvDGtyVEuYRuJi4VPiyB8r2DRcc5lUaHtSaV7DlHp6RYJ9V8ZXT8RZOekx2LtUP3h9HE0QSp4u_-WsmQ/s320/559003_859317095075_1205098592_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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In November, she took her very first plane ride when we flew to Orlando, Florida for a mini family vacation/convention. She did awesome! On the way there, we had to hold her on the flight down which was a little rough since she is a very active little girl. She did great though for the most part, only getting cranky the last half hour or so because she was tired. She had a blast in Florida! She was loving our big hotel room, and loved having free reign to explore the room. We did not go to any Disney parks this trip, but we did go to Seaworld which she really seemed to enjoy (although she fell asleep during the best show -- Shamu!) She also did amazingly well with our busy schedule while we were there. She's very much a "creature of habit" baby when it comes to her night time schedule, but she did so good for how far we pushed her with keeping her up later every night. We were very proud of our little monkey!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7t3C1UsceDzAWKRTH0K3JJ5okAFbyDzSkOlrkQK_-EYkF_TYfKaGptCOocQo-GDPZcM9tRSQXNTTSjpgkd4uPksiCP5yIUxMKMdXmU0D0GMoZjFonFVdaI2o2R-qsiGGGEaecykINdxc/s1600/16116_863843608905_1046428125_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7t3C1UsceDzAWKRTH0K3JJ5okAFbyDzSkOlrkQK_-EYkF_TYfKaGptCOocQo-GDPZcM9tRSQXNTTSjpgkd4uPksiCP5yIUxMKMdXmU0D0GMoZjFonFVdaI2o2R-qsiGGGEaecykINdxc/s320/16116_863843608905_1046428125_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-lhr9tNVoOHW5-EknYByW03hiUSv8S6haHgVdqQ7fMPzh6IpxWF6utRV16jhEQIazKzC7dvEcRVpK7rP8ltL8ruP7m3nb9ADXeMEy78pPuGtma9FRVNrRzeKCFUpcnzbHPU0l3QY97U/s1600/197842_867976855845_652749837_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-lhr9tNVoOHW5-EknYByW03hiUSv8S6haHgVdqQ7fMPzh6IpxWF6utRV16jhEQIazKzC7dvEcRVpK7rP8ltL8ruP7m3nb9ADXeMEy78pPuGtma9FRVNrRzeKCFUpcnzbHPU0l3QY97U/s320/197842_867976855845_652749837_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTP7Dm-zbTAPD_Gf3tR9-Vt9-zMdnamLyOvQRaX3oXsz9nMrHUGz-AJEncVTwuRI6YN-QXpy5ErLGRGDyhjs1FwDozNqFND8yHCo1hvTT4ZCqGqR__2ju3cF7v_wcvKZeMoPDuEa8eu80/s1600/534503_858162758375_1488211798_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTP7Dm-zbTAPD_Gf3tR9-Vt9-zMdnamLyOvQRaX3oXsz9nMrHUGz-AJEncVTwuRI6YN-QXpy5ErLGRGDyhjs1FwDozNqFND8yHCo1hvTT4ZCqGqR__2ju3cF7v_wcvKZeMoPDuEa8eu80/s320/534503_858162758375_1488211798_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvC4IVcr8F5PC6NOwhe2CapoYfI-hCadi1hK4PMmlH-VHZSJc9ez3-pTgu1z18X2SpdpL_8EM3MVIq2dcxC920mrNiNKXKSlDRohRF0Zsp33OAXVnKHz_LwJgJNUyCkxtmDR0jm2R2vII/s1600/602358_858162104685_972403836_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvC4IVcr8F5PC6NOwhe2CapoYfI-hCadi1hK4PMmlH-VHZSJc9ez3-pTgu1z18X2SpdpL_8EM3MVIq2dcxC920mrNiNKXKSlDRohRF0Zsp33OAXVnKHz_LwJgJNUyCkxtmDR0jm2R2vII/s320/602358_858162104685_972403836_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeiJM7Ok8Zv_Ys6Itv3crJxWcUlOUqmhUrdvZ1B1L-uUPLbN2AiO5ce_SsAbCaSkJJao7Zg6HNymdh27s8d04XgQhOM0AQEZaUz9D_-GNmdWkxgW9puSp541YFyOGqPcYfcsHuFIw2wws/s1600/65388_858162928035_833575111_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeiJM7Ok8Zv_Ys6Itv3crJxWcUlOUqmhUrdvZ1B1L-uUPLbN2AiO5ce_SsAbCaSkJJao7Zg6HNymdh27s8d04XgQhOM0AQEZaUz9D_-GNmdWkxgW9puSp541YFyOGqPcYfcsHuFIw2wws/s320/65388_858162928035_833575111_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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In December was her first Christmas! She was so spoiled from everyone, and our house contents seemed to double in size over night with just toys! She had a lovely holiday though, and made Christmas even better for US! Holidays truly are that much more special when you have a child :) Right before the holidays, she also suffered her first "real" sickness. While at the doctor for her flu shot, we discovered she had an ear infection and was put on antibiotics for 10 days. Luckily it cleared up quickly and we were good as new by Christmas. Other than that, she's only had a couple of colds her firt year. We've been blessed with one healthy little lady!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkyztM_-XEzFwqzqWllpnChaDqaTlaBzKpOgJ9WOAqeCBVu1Uk6l019jxQOOMFJMPFaIMvxxM6v493p5802oCVIRL88B39xMdkHFh73uTeWGbnN8_BsGrMnHckNsz6WWS3r6xWibMRlw/s1600/12629_874614758435_669967858_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkyztM_-XEzFwqzqWllpnChaDqaTlaBzKpOgJ9WOAqeCBVu1Uk6l019jxQOOMFJMPFaIMvxxM6v493p5802oCVIRL88B39xMdkHFh73uTeWGbnN8_BsGrMnHckNsz6WWS3r6xWibMRlw/s320/12629_874614758435_669967858_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADyF45bVvAtuqajuwUAsK0pnhIrmu9qG-jlTqlJS7p5mVdtBB4ZT4GDuQT3uFuRz3XTGJCSVlX5SyKfjw-Bswh4jaM5yFuuhgcY2g5aAsd32xik12FoefcaoV9HK85bI4MD7ResAsOx4/s1600/376687_874615791365_1453240652_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADyF45bVvAtuqajuwUAsK0pnhIrmu9qG-jlTqlJS7p5mVdtBB4ZT4GDuQT3uFuRz3XTGJCSVlX5SyKfjw-Bswh4jaM5yFuuhgcY2g5aAsd32xik12FoefcaoV9HK85bI4MD7ResAsOx4/s320/376687_874615791365_1453240652_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuIRpYSKCL_XjBDxNzuT0zF04tzsZlFnpwSXIDYgtogFkmjg0i6RreiLuVF46aAcFqWySGYZ0TYdC-ffLLD7ke118qihA3uHQYvda9tB3RKZlzNz3iBAI0bPmltn5hcO2dCx5Nwuta50/s1600/15605_871400739355_435899075_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuIRpYSKCL_XjBDxNzuT0zF04tzsZlFnpwSXIDYgtogFkmjg0i6RreiLuVF46aAcFqWySGYZ0TYdC-ffLLD7ke118qihA3uHQYvda9tB3RKZlzNz3iBAI0bPmltn5hcO2dCx5Nwuta50/s320/15605_871400739355_435899075_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmzN4Q_9V1dep8sWNEfqnprc9ztVJOyej29soUkYugSr_Y6YCWKqFRqYlY6-MgQ2Xs4T0LafFaaIir9yEBJmn7UBv0bUEzo-gLlRcYXgrFP96rAxTfzGq4hmX4L8g9nD93eSUHmSGQMs/s1600/380704_870441890895_980845480_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmzN4Q_9V1dep8sWNEfqnprc9ztVJOyej29soUkYugSr_Y6YCWKqFRqYlY6-MgQ2Xs4T0LafFaaIir9yEBJmn7UBv0bUEzo-gLlRcYXgrFP96rAxTfzGq4hmX4L8g9nD93eSUHmSGQMs/s320/380704_870441890895_980845480_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I-n6GxX-gYzrEai28g9gyyZOEl9HhPo80j1aNXZs9jwc_IITmafFkn2JlMXj6NCJxI7uG_NakqIqsw_O8Uu15CbV-mc3DZkLNPef0-oHIquDdvtGt-wFrK-sc4WDHlGAhSa86hEh2qg/s1600/397693_874617088765_2142254820_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I-n6GxX-gYzrEai28g9gyyZOEl9HhPo80j1aNXZs9jwc_IITmafFkn2JlMXj6NCJxI7uG_NakqIqsw_O8Uu15CbV-mc3DZkLNPef0-oHIquDdvtGt-wFrK-sc4WDHlGAhSa86hEh2qg/s320/397693_874617088765_2142254820_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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January was an exciting month for little Miss A -- her biggest milestone? Walking! Yep. She started walking shortly before she turned 11 months old. We knew she would walk before her 1st birthday as she's <i>always</i> been a determined little girl, so it was no surprise to us that after just a few short days of taking small steps, suddenly she was walking straight across the room and then all over the place! Mommy took her to the mall to celebrate by purchasing her very first pair of "real" shoes :) Daddy wasn't too thrilled at the price tag, but hey -- she deserved them! She was very unsure about walking in them at first, but picked it up very quickly.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K3hHrvchfsNJcQrsFWbbfh8hMfmtrDqHgeC0sZKpSYoefVRRpalVNhDMQeEgcxFt0Gd2PhxzBFVT_JlXdkrCnFsjoR_6ZyXi4mRAxHXpcmcDE18DVHTVDV4Qehy2FoQMkWBPB7f0hHI/s1600/391327_890255579105_1159397721_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K3hHrvchfsNJcQrsFWbbfh8hMfmtrDqHgeC0sZKpSYoefVRRpalVNhDMQeEgcxFt0Gd2PhxzBFVT_JlXdkrCnFsjoR_6ZyXi4mRAxHXpcmcDE18DVHTVDV4Qehy2FoQMkWBPB7f0hHI/s320/391327_890255579105_1159397721_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeABDhsCEqLSDKgQd4EnfcQ7PHaaElub3tDRcQPKXiN2YZysdqkNbG8hravTryd0C9LH-eTmSpFwuz-ZDwPJ76EmYjQ_YjoiKBLsT_M66_ArPcsZ6QuV2SckQxybBUkIQtrfg5eUUNjQ/s1600/531897_877113820295_1013687406_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeABDhsCEqLSDKgQd4EnfcQ7PHaaElub3tDRcQPKXiN2YZysdqkNbG8hravTryd0C9LH-eTmSpFwuz-ZDwPJ76EmYjQ_YjoiKBLsT_M66_ArPcsZ6QuV2SckQxybBUkIQtrfg5eUUNjQ/s320/531897_877113820295_1013687406_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgObPY7NsGYL-icqqT9Ehfle18xCWX2onMAYmtvNzqYFSKm7W0cs6u3qZGjfFJ2r9_zz8AIXrk-E1V4tPY40n57VPNRhDhRjTbhE72214zVnjD2NmaKRlHc43-XCcJQi1HOxOR9ZpbGGdo/s1600/409374_877113031875_294218029_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgObPY7NsGYL-icqqT9Ehfle18xCWX2onMAYmtvNzqYFSKm7W0cs6u3qZGjfFJ2r9_zz8AIXrk-E1V4tPY40n57VPNRhDhRjTbhE72214zVnjD2NmaKRlHc43-XCcJQi1HOxOR9ZpbGGdo/s320/409374_877113031875_294218029_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJnw_ljLbgfBOJw10G-DSrSyJSusfnz3heSUvjVN_tJX9-R2YIH8acyoFnUbuEEL74HKpUGhxxNXBHkuhK53EtBQNl1K_q7gWwjwIoOq2usWrT9frSD0FYETv3DzHHYpVPLDZPjhxE3Q/s1600/58271_877113770395_1348689002_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJnw_ljLbgfBOJw10G-DSrSyJSusfnz3heSUvjVN_tJX9-R2YIH8acyoFnUbuEEL74HKpUGhxxNXBHkuhK53EtBQNl1K_q7gWwjwIoOq2usWrT9frSD0FYETv3DzHHYpVPLDZPjhxE3Q/s320/58271_877113770395_1348689002_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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Also in January, she took her second plane right. This time, we flew out west to Colorado to visit Audrey's great grandparents and her great GREAT grandma. What a neat thing! Not too many people can say they've met their great great grandparents. Audrey's grandma also flew in from Arizona for a few days, so she got to spend a lot of time with family. She really seemed to enjoy being around everyone, and really loved being able to walk all over the house and play with the dogs. She did pretty well on both flights considering they were longer. She only got antsy towards the end when she wanted to get down and play. She was such a ham though, and was having fun standing on our laps and staring and waving at all the people behind us..what a goof!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Sj6MxUUSB-kjTjDboW9X9ANdBwtLzVb_j2jBrdRBgraOdbG1RNuj6hXqN7jrFCwQP8iiWy3H30U30ERrAXx9raa_UQrb_YLnEJVIeoyw5CDrWnjEANl3miD5xPkKldUvxERQN1i4eq8/s1600/424064_888612826195_394977840_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Sj6MxUUSB-kjTjDboW9X9ANdBwtLzVb_j2jBrdRBgraOdbG1RNuj6hXqN7jrFCwQP8iiWy3H30U30ERrAXx9raa_UQrb_YLnEJVIeoyw5CDrWnjEANl3miD5xPkKldUvxERQN1i4eq8/s320/424064_888612826195_394977840_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkQfXgzqrmv6FeYonn-A8jYS8HhHDMgHDh0xYVielqr3nBzCAdRiaWhxp5DExIYD0xu1oR4SEGEs0mogrfW5tqgONmRkcYD-aR39hvtux2ROTFcbVhv4wkX_h6HK6QCGpkdVjnE-AbSg/s1600/602737_888613449945_1532635459_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkQfXgzqrmv6FeYonn-A8jYS8HhHDMgHDh0xYVielqr3nBzCAdRiaWhxp5DExIYD0xu1oR4SEGEs0mogrfW5tqgONmRkcYD-aR39hvtux2ROTFcbVhv4wkX_h6HK6QCGpkdVjnE-AbSg/s320/602737_888613449945_1532635459_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2gRzP2Woqn7i8iPPq0be7PB9xZxTmUI1z_Y2wC_aPQMtsYvB9wctBYpVqS1sU_SAMGOGDsHuFZoBcXrgIP1hE8-dk0-VTKxTZGewu6OYiEmnnOpzVJYby-nmmSQI45lo_8Il0V9ns74/s1600/552677_888609727405_26883874_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2gRzP2Woqn7i8iPPq0be7PB9xZxTmUI1z_Y2wC_aPQMtsYvB9wctBYpVqS1sU_SAMGOGDsHuFZoBcXrgIP1hE8-dk0-VTKxTZGewu6OYiEmnnOpzVJYby-nmmSQI45lo_8Il0V9ns74/s320/552677_888609727405_26883874_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2dpHqNSTJaQvuMaocOo9LwHrLxi48T3vKY0M3VZyJwu9E8PbjzmqLrv_8ncWSkJtlPIHA2P1gEmoFGoYmvq3754-up8-xX7eQb7g62zvviNuWHCQx_q0Cgevu4Lj3iePYRYkCIBpBqRA/s1600/74955_888613499845_1900505205_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2dpHqNSTJaQvuMaocOo9LwHrLxi48T3vKY0M3VZyJwu9E8PbjzmqLrv_8ncWSkJtlPIHA2P1gEmoFGoYmvq3754-up8-xX7eQb7g62zvviNuWHCQx_q0Cgevu4Lj3iePYRYkCIBpBqRA/s320/74955_888613499845_1900505205_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-85836464197361204692013-01-10T01:33:00.002-05:002013-01-10T01:33:42.021-05:00strawberry hemangioma...update!On my blog, I have a little stat tracker. Mostly just to see if anyone actually reads this thing. Not that it matters, I do it for myself (mostly). I've come to terms with the fact that I will never be a "popular" blogger with thousands of followers who don't even know me -- but, they find my life interesting enough to keep coming back. I guess I should probably update more than once a month <strike>if that</strike>, but hey...a girl can dream, right? ;)<br />
<br />
Anyway, I digress. So, I did notice, however, that a lot of people visiting my blog on a pretty regular basis are strangers (hi, avid googlers!)..and they found me via my original post on Audrey's strawberry hemangioma. I'm assuming they are looking for information themselves (cause really, why else would someone google "strawberry hemangioma"?). So, because of this, I thought I'd do an update about it, incase anyone going through a similar situation might be looking for some sort of help, if you will.<br />
<br />
If you recall my blog post from several months ago, we hadn't done anything about Audrey's hemangioma. Her pediatrician said it was nothing to worry about, and that we would just watch it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWq5PYocUV_x-cPc_yNtnjrKVJZhzQFwF1n2zS5UoIhj0QFlBSLV6RzG1Mm8QVJvzOkxNFxvP9B27Z9SffbNsFDOWICdpinKmYRmx1_qM_2qvACbgup2VByg3Mn-SgrI6kyTkIi-hX3TU/s1600/402030_3760345601125_1673637899_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="213" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWq5PYocUV_x-cPc_yNtnjrKVJZhzQFwF1n2zS5UoIhj0QFlBSLV6RzG1Mm8QVJvzOkxNFxvP9B27Z9SffbNsFDOWICdpinKmYRmx1_qM_2qvACbgup2VByg3Mn-SgrI6kyTkIi-hX3TU/s320/402030_3760345601125_1673637899_n.jpg" /></a></div>Fast forward to end of July, beginning of August. Our little wild child started crawling, and thus, bumping her head on things. Because of this, we became slightly terrified that if she were to bump her head hard enough, and in the right spot, her hemangioma could burst open. And well, as you all know, a hemangioma is nothing but dialated blood vessels..and dialated blood vessels equals blood. Lots of it. That, and she had bumped it just enough to bruise it, thus causing a couple little ulcers on it. At that point, we knew it was time to get a second opinion.<br />
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I made an appointment for the (only) pediatric dermatologist in Pittsburgh. The initial appointment went very well. The doctor decided to start her on a topical beta blocker medication called Timolol. It's a painless medication we put on her 2x a day, with zero side effects (our main priority/concern). At that point, our main goal was just to stop it from growing anymore. It was a little "late in the game" to hope for it to get smaller, but if it did, it would be a nice bonus. While the appointment went great and we were happy to have a plan in action, we were slightly disappointed by her regular pediatrician. The things she told us about the heman going away on its own were true, but she failed to mention that there were some treatment options that did not cause pain, and could have essentially stopped it from growing hardly at all. But, not all pediatricians are completely educated on them, and thats okay. My hope, through this post, is for anyone else that might be told to "just watch it" -- feel free to not take no for an answer. Get that second opinion if you think you need it!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DC_zvM-S7MimNJxASZiF863zE5UErk3GWeMCDD7vd78_UEPhLXycW159eUyMqf20qhUeTdXGHnZJ0t7JUUnUaYisfx-sbn-nrmzj60N7iWN-C2ArtBvNh0YIOnQyDPRVHReU32HqMfQ/s1600/61902_4173045918375_752022781_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="213" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DC_zvM-S7MimNJxASZiF863zE5UErk3GWeMCDD7vd78_UEPhLXycW159eUyMqf20qhUeTdXGHnZJ0t7JUUnUaYisfx-sbn-nrmzj60N7iWN-C2ArtBvNh0YIOnQyDPRVHReU32HqMfQ/s320/61902_4173045918375_752022781_n.jpg" /></a></div>Audrey was on the Timolol for not even a month and we began noticing a difference. It did not get smaller (maybe slightly) but the redness of it decreased drastically. We noticed it, but people who did not see her on a daily basis noticed it even more. When we returned for a follow up appointment, the doctor was very impressed with the results, and decided to stick with the topical treatment. She will not return to the dermatologist until next month, but I am certain our current treatment will remain in place.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNcwOpsSgJCEvpT0VqOO9qUs5sIsHnjkd5TQAoMQQ55Un1wDvyQ3cU6tGT8_pP23pKJHqQzAA2YVjKGKI9QAr68ntH-3_zWnX4Wf6p8aT6pvKTs4B3TdFEtgl3sjc80jr5rfbI7Unb3E/s1600/301728_877112832275_1357563805_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNcwOpsSgJCEvpT0VqOO9qUs5sIsHnjkd5TQAoMQQ55Un1wDvyQ3cU6tGT8_pP23pKJHqQzAA2YVjKGKI9QAr68ntH-3_zWnX4Wf6p8aT6pvKTs4B3TdFEtgl3sjc80jr5rfbI7Unb3E/s320/301728_877112832275_1357563805_n.jpg" /></a></div>Since August, we've seen a huge improvement. It had shrunk (not, not drastically, but its definitely smaller in diameter and puffiness) and as for the color, its <i>very</i> light now. It's almost flesh colored in certain spots. So, I can say that we are very pleased with the decision we made. I only wish we had decided to do it sooner, but we know it will continue to improve and soon enough, won't be there anymore :) If you are reading this and can relate..share your own story. I'd love to hear it!<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-86440351296746060862012-10-12T19:42:00.001-04:002012-10-12T19:42:49.708-04:007 months old!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsdH5_-R75GX34CGOTIYvr6divH6Q_IhxteOrDl6l5xyNgYrBO9I_KkNSV-egzgaTiAI29LHVncKP_EF5VboUo8MsMYMeiYkepKUC3SdXVQM3B6ZDbYOnKebKeZdS8Is1ct1oq6bhL_8/s1600/377841_830780447745_979400262_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsdH5_-R75GX34CGOTIYvr6divH6Q_IhxteOrDl6l5xyNgYrBO9I_KkNSV-egzgaTiAI29LHVncKP_EF5VboUo8MsMYMeiYkepKUC3SdXVQM3B6ZDbYOnKebKeZdS8Is1ct1oq6bhL_8/s320/377841_830780447745_979400262_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Happy 7 months, sweet girl! You are officially closer to a year old than you are to a baby, which is absolutely nuts! You've brought us so much joy, love and laughter these past 7 months, we cannot believe how quickly the time is passing us by.<br />
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You are a hoot, little girl. Every day, you learn something new, and you keep us entertained. This past month, you officially became a "real" crawler. You've been belly crawling for nearly two months now, but a couple weeks ago, you just up and started crawling on all fours one evening -- and you haven't stopped since! It's so fun watching you, but not only that, we HAVE to watch you, every minute! Otherwise, you are in to EVERYTHING. You are such a curious baby, and very determined to get what you want. Because of this intense determination you possess, Daddy and I have no doubt that you will be a walker, well before your first birthday (scary thought!)<br />
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In addition to crawling, you've decided that's simply not enough, and you are now pulling up on everything and standing up. This, our sweet girl, really just happened over night. Same thing with sitting up by yourself..one day, you just started doing it. Your favorite thing to do, of course, is to pull up on things you are not supposed to -- especially the entertainment center, which houses all kinds of electronics with buttons for you to press off and on, on and off (ie; daddy's Xbox!). We've started telling you "NO" to which you typically just turn and look at us, smile, and go right back to what you are doing!<br />
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You are still a bird with drinking milk during the day, but you LOVE solids. Anytime we are eating in front of you, you sit and stare at us until we give you a bite. You seem to enjoy almost everything we've given you to try. One night, we went out for italian and you absolutely LOVED spaghetti. Mommy couldn't feed it to you fast enough! You also tried some Mexican food, and really seemed to enjoy that as well. We weren't sure if it was the fun music that was playing, or the tastiness of the food, but every time we gave you a bite, you started swaying to the music! Silly girl. You also really enjoy puffs and yogurt bites. You are just learning your pincher grasp, and its so fun watching you try to pick up your snacks in your little fingers and feed yourself. The food makes it to your mouth about 50% of the time right now, but every day you're getting better and better! Some days, you'd rather us just feed you, so you sit there with your mouth hanging open until we pop a treat in your mouth. LOL.<br />
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Your sleeping habits just keep getting better and better. You've pushed your own bedtime back a little later, which is nice, because when 7p hits, you are no longer ms. cranky pants. You stay up until about 8:30 these days, which is perfect. You also sleep about 11-12 hour stretch, which is great!! Of course, you still don't have a perfect nap schedule, but thats okay. One day, we know you'll enjoy naps!<br />
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You bring such joy to our lives, everyday..each day, we wake up with a smile on our face, because we know we have you, and we know just seeing you first thing in the morning is a guarenteed smile on our faces! We love you much more than you even know, little one!<br />
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xoxo,<br />
Mommy<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538981810243928771.post-79954671064891333552012-08-19T17:07:00.000-04:002012-08-19T17:07:09.566-04:00happy HALF year, baby girl!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLNHlPjpXG0mmUkjU1UBp9YHzdbgym18OB06PF_VYdCbosMdoym95TbE1rFrDEIhodpsMJ9ihUWtCkvJhaz-kJd14HEBKhLzX8B2fHegKyeen6yvl7MVb2EX7BJvaeT9jKU5HN5FJxt4/s1600/audrey_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLNHlPjpXG0mmUkjU1UBp9YHzdbgym18OB06PF_VYdCbosMdoym95TbE1rFrDEIhodpsMJ9ihUWtCkvJhaz-kJd14HEBKhLzX8B2fHegKyeen6yvl7MVb2EX7BJvaeT9jKU5HN5FJxt4/s320/audrey_5.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlzMH19wIglYAQpC-lgj1VFMyj4nh2KOgr4E8xSCbl3VelPmoW69vwQafpblT4A40IG61lXrytKduN3Z2Gl8OSTagV6ex_yOXv339bJJkyVeqQAB-oQm_Rll6DIBvb4P5PIa5sdN7EQI/s1600/audrey_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlzMH19wIglYAQpC-lgj1VFMyj4nh2KOgr4E8xSCbl3VelPmoW69vwQafpblT4A40IG61lXrytKduN3Z2Gl8OSTagV6ex_yOXv339bJJkyVeqQAB-oQm_Rll6DIBvb4P5PIa5sdN7EQI/s320/audrey_6.jpg" /></a><br />
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Audrey Elizabeth, you are officially SIX months old now!! Mommy was a bit of a slacker and never got your 5 month update blogged, so I will combine the two, to make sure we don't miss a beat!<br />
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It's incredibly hard to believe that just 6 months ago, you were still kicking away in my belly. Now, you are a mover and a shaker -- for real. You NEVER stop moving these days!! :)<br />
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Since my last update, so much has happened with you! You celebrated your first 4th of July. Because it was in the middle of the week, we decided to stay in Pittsburgh and celebrate at home. Daddy got free tickets to the Pirates game for being a military veteran, so we decided to take you to that. The game was in the middle of the day, and it was probably close to 100 degrees, but you did amazing! You made it through to the bottom of the 7th inning, which was awesome! By that point, you were only slightly fussy, so honestly, you probably could have made it all the way to the end, if we tried. We kept you entertained with ice cubes and an ice cold cup :)<br />
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You tried solids for the first time -- and you really seemed to enjoy them! Don't let this photo fool you ;) Your favorites are any fruits, of course. You haven't tried a fruit yet that you don't like. You are a little pickier with vegetables, and really don't seem to enjoy the "greens". I keep trying though, in hopes that one day you'll decide they are yummy! You do like sweet potatoes and carrots though, which is a start!<br />
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At a little over 5 months old, you started the process of crawling. You would get up on all fours and rock forward, trying to move! At this point, we knew it wouldn't be much longer before you were officially on the move, and it wasn't! Just a few weeks after that, and you were off! You first started off by what can only be described as a water spider crawl, which eventually turned into the worm, and this is what you are still doing today! It's so funny watching you get where you want to go..and you are pretty fast about it! Daddy and I have had to install some baby gates to ensure you are safe, since you can now get wherever you want to go (which is usually to an electronic we've left laying around!).<br />
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At your 6 month check up, you weighed in at 18 lbs 6 oz, and were 27" long. It took three tries to get it correct because you are such a wiggle worm! You are still in the 90th percentile for height and weight, so you are growing right on track :) You had to get three shots this month, and an oral vaccine. Again, this was tough for Mommy to witness. I think these shots hurt more than previous times, because you cried longer, and your little legs had bruises at the entry site :/ But, you were still our brave girl, and kept a smile on your face the rest of the day!<br />
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You are "talking" more, which is always fun to listen you! Amongst your daily babble, you've definitely said "mama" and "dada"..more than once. We're sure you don't know what those words really MEAN yet, but its fun to pretend you do ;) We're excited for the day you say those words to us, and mean it!<br />
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You are doing amazing, in the sleep department. We've got your evening routine down to a science, and you really seem to enjoy it since you know what to expect. The past week, you've been sleeping 11-12 hour stretches at night! You still aren't a big fan of naps, and at this point, I'm not sure you ever WILL be (maybe when you are a teenager?). You will only nap for us in your swing or in the car, and even then, they are short cat naps. But since you've been sleeping so well at night, we really can't complain!<br />
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You suffered your first cold a couple weeks ago. First time in 6 months isn't bad! It was a little rough because you had a stuffy nose and couldn't breathe very well, but you trucked right through it. The only time you were really mad (and I mean REALLY MAD) is when we had to give you saline drops and clear out your nose. You would have thought we were torturing you by the way you screamed and flailed around! It took both Mommy AND Daddy to do this process!<br />
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Just the past couple days we've started giving you some table foods, letting you try some new things and get used to new textures. You tried some soup broth, bread, & vanilla ice cream..you loved them all! It's always fun watching you experiment with new foods, and see your reaction.<br />
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Every day with you is a new, and exciting adventure. Its been so much fun watching you grow and learn these past 6 months. We cannot wait to see what the next 6 months brings!!<br />
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Love Always,<br />
Mommy<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01093159142876346267noreply@blogger.com0