Twas the Night Before Christmas

Woo, we made it. 4 get togethers in 4 days. With a couple meltdowns (from Reese), lots of good food, good company, and many presents, we made it through the Holidays. We are so thankful for being able to spend time with both families. I am also thankful that Preston and Reese got to see all three of their Great Grandma's during our visit! A huge thanks to my mom for making a dairy free lunch for me on Christmas Day- I got to enjoy all the yummy casseroles that everyone else did :) 

Instead of a blog devoted to our activities, I have decided to do a picture re-cap instead.

Reese (2) Aidan (4) Aubrey (2)- sledding at Nana and Poppas House

4 generations- Grebner side

Preston and Great Grandma Albers

 Montgomery Cousins- Reese (2) Maddy (8) Preston (4 mo) Mekenna (6)

4 generations- Montgomery side

Opening presents on Christmas Eve at Grammie and Papa's

One of my favorite pictures- Aunt Courtney and Preston

Nana and Poppa opening gifts on Christmas morning

Sugar Cookies

I did my first baking using a dairy free recipe yesterday, and it turned out quite well!  I am still in the holiday baking spirit, so I made Dairy Free Sugar Cookies that Reese could help me make cut outs with. I'll be honest, they are not as creamy and smooth as regular cutouts that use real butter, but for someone who has to be dairy free, these are just fine.

Dairy Free Sugar Cookies
1 cup all-vegetable shortening- I USED 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup lactose free butter 
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons soymilk I USED COCONUT MILK instead
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:

1
Beat shortening and sugar in large bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in egg, soy milk and vanilla until well blended.
2
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to shortening mixture until well blended. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour for easier handling.
3
Heat oven to 375ºF. Roll 1/3 of dough at a time on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough with 2 to 3-inch floured cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
4
Bake 5 to 9 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Transfer cookies to cooling rack. Frost and decorate as desired.

We begin out holiday extravaganza tomorrow, heading down to Illinois to my parents house tomorrow afternoon. We will celebrate my Dad's birthday tomorrow night (his birthday was yesterday), and then the Christmas festivities take place Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, with us returning home on Christmas afternoon since Kyle has to work on the 26th.

Preston has been sleeping much better the past two nights. I have begun swaddling him with one arm out, and he seems to prefer that instead of having both arms swaddled. He slept from 2:40 am- 8:00 am this morning...woo hoo! I had to go in once at 5:00 to help him back to sleep, but I didn't feed him, so he did a 5 1/2 hour stretch...awesome! He also took 3 awesome naps in his crib yesterday and today as well. Hopefully things are on the up and up. I think he may just be giving me an early Christmas present :)

*As a side note, a shout out to one of my good friends who just started her own food blog. Check out berrysweetlauren.com. I went to Western Illinois with her and she is such a great cook. She does some amazing things and is the one who hosted our Friendsgiving this year. She has AWESOME recipes on there!

Done-zo

I am DONE! I have finished all Christmas shopping and wrapping, and am ready to start the holiday festivities. I have never taken this long to finish things up, but this year, I have been a little pre-occupied by two little munchkins at home.

Preston sleep update: Not good. He is still sleeping horribly. The past two nights, he was up every hour and  a half again, leaving me tired and ragged. I just cant figure it out. I have tried everything. A pacifier, swaddling/not swaddling, swinging/crib, white noise/no white noise, feeding right before bed/putting to bed without a bottle, crying for a bit/going in right away to get him back to sleep. I just can't figure it out. I never had this problem with Reese, thank god. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have had another kid. I am anxious to see how it goes over the holidays when we will be spending three nights at other houses- and I pray he doesn't keep everyone else awake all night too.
He has increased my milk supply a bit now, so I am able to breastfeed him during the day. I think he gets about 5 oz a feeding, which is right where he should be. His spitting up has not gotten any better, it is actually worse. He spits up SO much, I wonder how much he is actually retaining. His bowel movements are not nearly as stinky, so I think dairy free is helping. I wish it would help him sleep better though!

Jingle Bells

It's that time of year that Kyle dislikes- Christmas music time. I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoy Christmas music and take full advantage of it this time of year, driving him crazy :) To pass along my love for it, I have been teaching Reese some Christmas songs. Her favorite by far is Jingle Bells. Today at playgroup  we had a Holiday party for the  kids, and Reese was the first to chime in when asked what Christmas songs we should sing. And did we sing. I think we did Jingle Bells 4 or 5 times before the adults decided it was time to cut them off :)
We took the kids to see Santa on Saturday, and I wondered how Reese would do. Unexpectedly, she was VERY excited. She got right on Santa's lap and told him she wanted a baby doll and a cheetah (a real one, like the ones in her Ranger Rick magazine.) She may be disappointed when she doesn't get either. First, she has 6 or 7 baby dolls already, and our house is just not suitable for a real Cheetah. Hopefully she forgets what she asked for this year come time to open presents.

We began our Christmas celebration yesterday with the first of FOUR holiday get togethers! We had the Montgomery family Christmas and Reese had a great time running around with all her cousins. Preston was one of three babies there (and they were all born within 4 weeks of each other!) so there was plenty of  "pass the baby" so everyone could get a squeeze :) The other two little ones are girls- giving Grandma Montgomery 12 great grand kids- 9 girls and only 3 boys. Preston is sure going to have to learn to hold his own!!
Dairy free diet is going ok. It was super tough yesterday when I didn't get to eat any of the yummy food. I had ham and a lettuce salad- boring! But, Preston's diaper this morning was MUCH better than normal (returning more to what a breastfed baby's should be like) so I think the dairy must be the factor. Luckily my mom is making her Christmas lunch all dairy free (for the most part) using butter substitutes and rice milk to cook with so I (and my niece Aubrey who has a diary sensitivity as well) can enjoy all the stuffing and casseroles along with everyone else. Thanks Mom!

Belly Bubbles

Well, it has been quite the week of trial and error. As you know, I started a dairy free diet on Tuesday. Believe me, I ate my fair share of Christmas candies (turtles, peanut clusters, thumbprints) on Monday night as the realization that I would no longer get to enjoy these Holiday treats set in :)
I picked up some Almond milk, dairy/lactose free butter, and have read all the labels on food in my pantry to make sure I can eat what we have. I am struggling with cooking family meals though. I never realized how much CHEESE and cream of "soups" I use when cooking casseroles and crock pot meals in the winter. It sure is not making this process easy. I have been eating lots of eggs/ommlets and lots of fruits and veggies.
Preston slept much better on Wed and last night. He gave me 3-4 hour stretches each time between feedings. He still seems quite gassy, but it can take 10 days for the lactose to leave my system (thus my breastmilk.)
I called the doctor again yesterday as I had picked up the lactose free formula (Nutramigen) and Preston refused it. I feel as though he knew my breastmilk was making his tummy hurt, because for the past 2 weeks, feeding him has been a struggle. He wont eat for long- thus making my breastmilk supply drop. Now, I am not making enough breastmilk to get him full during a feeding- leading me to need to supplement with formula. Well, after getting the lactose free formula, he refused it! I tried and tried to get him to drink it, but he gagged the first few times. Finally last night I got him to take 5 oz of it before bed, and I knew he finally had a full belly. I called the doctor yesterday to ask for more suggestions on what I could do. They said they wanted me to bring him in for a weight check and an examine to make sure everything was still ok.
Today at his appointment he was 15 lbs- he has lost 3 oz. in a week (since last week when I took him in for a possible ear infection). Not a huge drop, but enough that they really want me to supplement with formula as he is not getting enough breastmilk now. The dr. checked him out and said if in the next 7 days there is no improvement in his stools and the gas in his stomach is not subsiding (I can feel gas bubbles move in his belly after he eats) then we will be referred to a gastrointestologist (who will also test for a dairy allergy.) The doctor said I have done all the correct steps- eliminating first tomatoes, then caffeine, and now dairy. If nothing improves, we need to have him referred to a specialist. So, that's where we stand as of today. Hopefully this dairy free diet and lactose free formula is the key! I was really hoping to be able to breastfeed him for atleast 6 months (as I had to stop early with Reese due to multiple bouts of Mastitis.) Now that my supply has dropped, it is like he is naturally weaning himself. I think I may just have to do morning and night feedings, and formula bottles during the day. Not what I planned, but nothing with a baby ever goes as planned!

No more MOO

After waking up every 1 1/2 hours AGAIN last night with Preston, I am on my last straw of things to try, and  switching to a diary free diet is it. This is going to be super tough for me, as I am a horrible label reader and love all dairy products, but if it is going to help him, then I am willing to try it. I talked to our doctors nurse about it last Friday, and have come to the conclusion that he probably has a dairy sensitivity. His poop is super watery, green, and stinky- when it should be yellow, not watery, and no scent (since I am breastfeeding.) His bowel movements are a big sign their may be a sensitivity and then he also has eczema spots on his cheeks, another sign of a diary sensitivity. I have talked quite in depth with a mom in my playgroup that has two daughters with dairy and nut allergies, and she has given me lots of ideas of substitutes to use when cooking and products that are dairy free. Did you know Ghiradelli chocolate was dairy free? Thank heavens for that :) HA! I guess we will try it out an see. It takes about 10 days to get out of your system, so by 2-3 weeks from now, I should be seeing improvement if it is in fact a dairy sensitivity.

We had a great weekend. Yesterday my parents came up for some chili and football (even though the Bears game was awful!) we still enjoyed ourselves. My mom and I also made a big batch of Thumbprint cookies (none of which I can eat now) :( Maybe it is a good thing I am doing this diet during the holiday season...a good reason to avoid all the cookies and candies!

SOS!

I'm not sure what has happened, but since last Friday, Preston has fallen off the "sleep train" and I feel like I have been hit with one. He is no longer giving me good stretches of sleep in the swing- he is waking every 1 1/2 -2 hours. It is just plain awful. He developed a cold on Sunday, so I am wondering if that has to do with it. He is congested, but also has a slightly runny nose. I tried Tylenol for the first time with him last night, and it didn't help him sleep any longer. He wakes, crying, and will not put himself back to sleep. if it has been 3 (or close to 3 hours since he last ate) I feed him, but otherwise I sit rocking in his room in the wee hours of the morning. He is sleeping the same (if not worse) from when he was a newborn. I realy hope this phase passes, soon. My patience is running thin, and my mind is too!

On a better note, I had a fabulous time with my girlfriends this past Saturday in Chicago. We cooked a Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday afternoon while drinking wine and catching up. It is always so good to see them. And a night with no interrupted sleep was great as well. 

This week Reese and I began our Christmas cookie making ordeal. I am hoping to make lots of different kinds this year since I am at home. We will see how far we get. Yesterday we did sugar cookie cut outs, and today we frosted them. Next on the list in Thumbprints!

Sleep Update

To accompany my goals of sleep training, I have been reading "The Happiest Baby on the Block." If you have had a child in the past 7 years, or work in childcare, you are very familiar with this book. It has become a phenomenon, working on other ways to sleep train besides "crying it out." It focuses on the 5 S's (swaddle, shush, side, sound, suck). It follows the 5 S's to get a baby to sleep well- stating to swaddle a baby, shush them to sleep, while rocking them on their side, with white noise as the sound, and sucking on a pacifier (to wean around 6 months). Well, I can do all of those with Preston, but he refuses a pacifier. 4 out of 5 not bad. But, my issue with him is not GETTING him to sleep, it is STAYING asleep. This book has helped boost my confidence tremendously in the stressful process. Needless to say, sleep training at night is not getting much better. He still continues to nap decent during the day in his crib, but night is a whole other story.

The book talks about different types of babies and different temperaments. Both Reese and Preston are considered to be "movement babies". Reese slept in a vibrating bouncy seat for her first 5 months of life. These types of babies (which according to the book account for about 40% of babies newborn-5 months of age) need some sort of movement to comfort them while sleeping. So, I am just going to do what is needed to get some rest, so I can stay healthy/good spirited to keep up with Reese during the day. The author states that some babies need movement until 4-8 months, and your baby will let you know when they are ready to move into the crib. So, that is what I am going to do. I am done fighting it at night. But, since he will nap for me during the day in there, I'll take it. Today he slept for an hour and 15 minutes (straight!) in his crib. So, I will follow his lead and he will let me know when he is ready for the crib at night. I am just not comfortable with the whole "crying it out" thing. I have read too many studies while working in the childcare field for many years that crying it out can lead to anxiety later in life because the baby feels in secure when their needs are not met at this young of an age. As a person who has dealt with anxiety issues before, I don't want to set my child up for that (that is probably my greatest fear!) So we will do what works for us for the time being, giving Preston and I peace of mind :)

In the world of Reese, she is now (basically) fully potty trained. She has no more poop accidents, and has very few pee accidents as long as we keep reminding her to go potty every hour or so. It is nice not having to change two kids diapers, and our wallet likes it too!!

Tomorrow I am headed to Chicago for a girls day with my college girlfriends. We will be cooking a "Thanksgiving" dinner, drinking lots of wine, and catching up. It is always nice to have days like this. Let's just pray when I get home on Sunday all three of them (Kyle, R, and P) have survived, :) I have faith in them.....

It happened...

If you read my last blog post yesterday, you are aware that I began fully sleep training little Preston and had some success yesterday with naps, but was leery with bedtime. I even made the comment "it cant get much worse than already waking up every hour and a half, right?" Well, it did. I must have jinxed myself. He did GREAT with the first few hours of sleep. I put him down at 8:30, he cried for 10 or so minutes, fell asleep for 25 minutes, awoke crying, and I was able to go in one time and he went back to sleep until 11:45 p.m. AWESOME! I was so excited and had high expectations for the rest of the night. Well that was shot out the door. He awoke crying again at 12:30- having been fed at 11:45 I knew it wasn't due to hunger. So I went in after 5 minutes and he fell asleep again, until 1:00. Again, same pattern, cried for 5 minutes, I went in, and he fell asleep again, until 1:45. This pattern continued on until 3:15 am. He would wake up every 35-40  minutes crying, I would let him cry it out for 5-7 minutes, I would go in and pat his back for a minute or two, he would go to sleep, only to wake again 35-40 minutes later. With exhaustion setting in around 3:30 (since I really had not been back asleep since 11:45) I threw the towel in and put him in his swing (where he slept until 7:40- waking only once to eat). Even though I "failed" at getting him to sleep the whole night in there, I pat myself on the back for making it as long as I could.
Naps again today are going fine. He took his morning nap at story hour at the library, and went down for another nap around 12:30. He only cried for about 5 minutes before falling asleep, and awoke about 25 minutes later, crying. Instead of going in, I let him cry for a good 5-7 minutes again in hopes he would go back to sleep (and not wake his sister in the room next door!) and both were accomplished. He has now been asleep in his crib for over an hour, and Reese is sleeping soundly too.  Lets hope and pray tonight goes a tad better, or I may be living off coffee tomorrow.

Sleep Tight

Alright, I have done it. I have jumped full fledged on to the sleep training band wagon. After Preston woke up every hour 1/2 last night (in the swing) I decided  that's enough! Time to get used to the crib full time. So, with a knot in my stomach, I laid him down (drowsy but not asleep) at 9:45 this morning (usual nap time), and prepped myself for the worst. I turned the monitor on, and occupied myself with Reese and an art project. 5 or so minutes went by of him talking and cooing, and then the anger set in :) I followed the sleep training books (go in and soothe after 3 minutes, then again in 5 minute intervals). I went in after 3, and he was super mad. Then again after 5, and once again after 5 more. 15 minutes in and he fell asleep. Not so bad (even though they felt like the longest 15 minutes of my life!) He slept for 35 minutes (again, not so bad). I again feared the afternoon nap (around 12:30) and rocked him a bit until he was drowsy, laid him down, and this time I only went in twice (once at 3 minutes, then after 5 more) and he fell asleep within 10-11 minutes this time. He gave me a 20 minute nap-but was not ready to get up. So I soothed him and he went back to sleep for 30 more. I hope his evening nap goes as well, and I am praying the night goes smoothly. I figure it can't be much worse than being up every hour and a half like last night (well it could, but I'm trying to be positive!) :) He is usually giving me 4 hour stretches at night (in the swing), so I hope he can do it in his crib too.

We had a very busy, fun Thanksgiving weekend. Thursday we headed down to Kyle's grandma's house for the annual Turkey Day dinner. We then stopped at my parents house for a few hours in the afternoon, and made one last stop at Kyle's aunt and uncle's house on the way back to Evansville. Both kids were cashed out, slept the whole way home, and slept good that night.
Friday we were excited to go cut down our Christmas tree. We have always gotten a pre-cut tree, so I was excited to start the tradition of going out and cutting out own (like we did when I was a kid). Reese was a trooper through the cold (and snow!) and we picked the perfect tree. Preston slept the entire time, which was ok with me!

Saturday we took Reese to Sesame Street Live in Milwaukee. Boy was she excited! We went out for lunch downtown before the show and enjoyed having a Reese Day. My mom came upto watch Preston so we could enjoy the day with just her (this was/is her Christmas present from us.) She loved it. It was an hour and a half show- with a 15 minute intermission- and I highly recommend it! We had a great time. She is still talking about it, and she even got to touch Cookie Monster and Count Dracula. It made her day!!

Before the show

All the monsters!

3 months

Preston turned 3 months old yesterday, and is changing more and more. I feel like he is starting to look like a "baby" now instead of a "newborn". He smiles ALL the time, loves to giggle (he is so ticklish!) and is starting to babble alot more. He coos when you talk to him, and loves kisses on his cheeks. He is getting bigger too, as his 3 months clothes are just about too small for him. Time to get out the 6 month bin and go though it!

We went to play group again yesterday and Reese made a turkey hat for Thanksgiving. It was so cute! She loves Monday playgroup as most of the kids there are her age. I would say there are usually about 15 kids there. We have been talking about Thanksgiving this week, and she is really excited to get to eat turkey on Thursday :)

I found another great crock pot recipe I want to share with you all! Yes, I am becoming the crock pot queen. 1. Because it is so easy to throw everything into when even though I am a stay at home mom, is is too hard to find an hour to stand in the kitchen and "make dinner" 2. Our new house has an induction stove top, and you have to have certain pans for it. Well, of course, our pans don't work on it, and I am trying to sell them on craigslist before purchasing a whole new set of pans. So, I have been cooking with ONE cast iron skillet (the only thing I have that works on it), thus the reason for lots of casseroles and crock pot dinners lately :)

A friend from play group gave me this recipe and it is delicious and SUPER EASY!

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup water

½ small bag frozen mixed veggies

1 onion chopped

2 cans crescent rolls

Place chicken in crockpot. Top with soup, water, veggies and chopped onion. Cook on low 6-7 

hours. After chicken is cooked, pull apart into smaller pieces. Turn crockpot to high. Break each 

triangle dough of crescent rolls in half and roll into balls. Drop into crockpot. Cover and cook on 

high another hour until dough is golden brown on top.

Just the right thing

As you have probably noticed, I have been changing up the blog recently because I just can't find a template that I like. So the past few times you  have been on here, it has probably been a different one each time. I am just trying them out until I find one that suits me :)

Reese (and Preston and I) attended a new play group Monday morning at the community center in town. We had a great time. She met new friends, played, did an art activity, and they sang songs and read books. It is like a little mini-preschool morning all packed into an hour and a half. Preston took his morning nap there (I was shocked!) so it was a success. Reese was asking to go back before we were even out of the parking lot. I have met a couple stay at home moms that I have connected with and they both have daughter ages 2-4. We already have scheduled a play date with them. It is much easier to make new friends in a new town when you have kids, thats for sure! :)

Preston is doing much better sleeping. He gave me SIX straight hours on Tuesday night. I ran in a checked once to make sure he was breathing :) He slept from 2:00-7:45, ahh amazing. It is incredible what a little more sleep can do for you the next day. Last night he went back to every 3 1/2 to 4 hours, but I think he had a tummy ache since he hadn't pooped in over a day (and got it all out of his system this morning.) He has also been taking a 2 hour afternoon nap from about 1-3 (same time as Reese) every day this week. I feel like I get so much done in those 2 hours. I usually get dinner made (or prepared and stuck in the fridge so I can just heat it up when its dinner time), I get laundry done, catch up on emails, make phone calls if needed, and clean. Every now and then I even sit down and watch a show I have DVR'd. Its pretty nice :)

I am busy re-launching my Arbonne business and jumping back into it after taking a few months off. I am busy planning my "Holiday party" with my sponsor, as well as lining up parties during the week nights. I LOVE the products and it is so nice to be able to share the knowledge and benefits with people about living a pure, safe, and beneficial lifestyle. Right now, being a stay at home mom and Arbonne consultant is just the right thing. I couldn't ask for anything more!

Mac n Cheese

Yesterday this house was craving mac n cheese, so I just so happened to hop on Pinterest (my go to recipe book) and find a great Paula Deen Crock Pot Mac N Cheese (yes! crock pot!) It was so yummy, I thought I would share this easy recipe with you.

Paula Deen Crock Pot Mac N Cheese

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

4 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

 

Directions:

Boil the macaroni in water for six minutes. Drain. 

 

Ia medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.
 

In slow cooker, combine cheese mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper. Add the drained macaroni and stir again.
 

Cook on low for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
 

So easy and very yummy! The best part was having left overs today :)