I'm back!

         I knew this would happen at some point..and probably will continue to happen unfortunately..but I've been gone for way too long from this blog. I know you're probably not devastated but I started this blog so I could remember milestones (and get on my occasional soapbox). Anyway,  A LOT has been going on in the Jackson household and for that reason I've been MIA in the blogging world.
         Since I've been gone we have celebrated Bryce's 1st birthday...moved into a new (to us) house...do I need to say anymore???? Let me just say that I knew moving would not be a piece of cake by any means but I didn't realize how completely exhausting it would be. Bryce is literally into everything which means I can't get anything done except for nap times. Who wants to do anything productive during nap time? Half the time I literally want to just sit on the couch and think about nothing :) Anyway..Christmas is almost here and that has been keeping me busy as well. Along with the fact that my house has a lot of work that needs to be done to it. More on that later. For  now I will start with Bryce's birthday party. We celebrated the week after we moved so life was chaotic to say the least, but it was a great day. I can't believe my sweet baby is 1 year old. Everyone kept telling me how fast it would go and it really did. HUGE shout out to my fabulous sister in law who took all of these pictures and then had them sent to Walgreens for me!! Who does that?? She's the best. Brooke Gordon. If you don't know her, you should :)

Enjoy!

                                                               Grandaddy and Grandad

                                                                first taste of cake!

                                                                        cousins!

                                            

Time

    I feel really old when I say this because I remember growing up and "older" people always saying this, but time really starts to fly by. I can't believe summer is over and my sweet little baby is almost 10 months old. Time has really started to get away from me. With working part-time, chasing after my little monkey, trying to sell our house, volunteering at church, small group, and just trying to keep up with life I feel like there just isn't enough time in the day. I really have had to sit down and prioritize my time so that I make sure I'm focusing on what's most important. It's so easy to just live life without any purpose, to just do the day to day and really not be intentional about anything. I want my life to count. I don't want to just live the "american dream" and really have nothing else to show for my life. Our small group has been doing a study called "Follow Me" by David Platt. It is intense but so good. It talks about as Christians we are disciples of Jesus - yes we know that, but are we just living life or are we following hard after Jesus? This study has been so good for me. It has really convicted me and I have needed this to show me how I get so focused on being a mom, working, being a good wife (which aren't bad things!) but forgetting about what my life's purpose is - to be a disciple of Jesus. I thought I was busy before I had a child and wow - I was wrong. I literally have to fit cleaning, cooking, laundry, time to my self, time with Jesus and anything else for that day in two nap-time slots. Soon that will be one nap-time slot. At some point there will be more kids and there probably will be no naps that coincide :) I just realized that I have to choose what's most important. I'm not going to lie, there are many times I am so selfish with my time and I want to just sit and watch mindless TV. Not that that's always bad but when I think about the amount of time I have I get frustrated with myself that I waste it. I don't want to waste my life. I wish I could say I have it figured out and I'm disciplined enough to make good decisions with my time every day but I don't. All I know is that this life is not about me. I don't want to wake up in 15 years and really have no idea what I've done that's of any importance.
      So..I don't really have any tips or cute pictures on this post but it helps me to be able to write out my frustrations and my hopes for my life. My prayer journal that I've been keeping since high school is far too personal, but this is a way I can share what my struggles are and also be a reminder of what I was learning at this stage in my life. I hope it's an encouragement to some of you as well :)

Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. " John 6:35

Bryce - 9 months

I don't know when my newborn got to be 9 months, but he did. In a span of about 2 weeks he changed drastically. He was literally doing something new every day. It's so fun to watch. We had his check-up this morning and that boy is such a ham when people (usually girls) walk in to the room. He has had some stranger anxiety but it seems to be getting better. He used to burst into tears if any male would walk in the room that he didn't know.

Height: 29 inches
Weight: 21 lbs. 1 oz.
Milestones: Crawling, pulling up (on e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g), he now says "mama" and "baba" but I don't think he associates "mama" to just me. Sometimes when he wants me he says it but he also says it when he's just playing and babbling. He can stand on his own for a couple of seconds and always wants us to hold his hands so he can walk. Let me just say that when babies become mobile it is a game changer. I literally have to watch him every second. I'm trying to teach him things that are off-limits, obviously he doesn't get that really yet but I want to start early. He no longer wants to jump in his exersaucer, he only wants to crawl around and explore. I love watching him learn new things but it's also exhausting. I look forward to nap time wayyy more than I ever have before! I try to cram in cleaning, dinner prep, eating, and whatever else in to those couple of hours. It's kind of a hard stage because he can get hurt so easily. I wish I could just put him down and let him roam and play but he will hurt himself quickly. I find that I run out of things to do with him. Any suggestions are welcomed!!
Diet: I'm still nursing 4 times a day and he gets solids 3 times a day. I'm starting to give him bigger chunks of food so sometimes he's not too keen on that idea. I'm going to start "table food" now that he's 9 months. I'm excited to give him new things. Right now I rotate zucchini, squash, sweet potatoes, avocados, apples, blueberries and bananas. I also give him oatmeal with breakfast and dinner.
Teeth: Finally! He has two! The dental hygienist in me is so excited to get to brush his teeth :) He was for sure crankier than normal when they were coming in and had a hard time going to sleep at night. I gave him tylenol and teething toys which seemed to help some but I could tell he was just uncomfortable.
Sleep: Still 7p-7a - so thankful for that!! He is pretty consistent with naps now. For a while it was hard to get him on a consistent napping schedule. Now he sleeps for about an hour and a half in the morning, an hour and fifteen or so in the afternoon and sometimes a quick cat nap in the late afternoon.

And yes, I am that mom that is already thinking/planning for his first birthday :)

My first controversial post..maybe?

I guess I could have written things in other posts that are controversial and not really know it but this one I KNOW is controversial. However, I want to share what worked for our family and the pro's and con's along the way. You can stop reading at any point :)

I read A LOT before I had Bryce. I read almost every baby book out there. I am very much a planner and I like to know what's coming next. I will have to say, though, that I didn't remember hardly anything from those books after I gave birth. I had to re-read, and re-read. A lot of it just doesn't make sense until you are in the situation. I would read something over again and think "oh, I get it now."

Let me start by saying that there is so much out there. Literally every topic you want to learn about when it comes to babies there are about 20 opinions. It is overwhelming. I cried. Multiple times. At some point you really have to stop researching. I was the worst - Mark will tell you. Any time something went wrong (or so I thought) with Bryce - I would research until I found an answer or something to try. It almost drove me crazy. I do wish I would have just relaxed and enjoyed the time when he was a tiny baby - but I think that's easy to say now. With the second one hopefully I won't be as nervous and crazy!

I read Babywise, Baby Whisperer, Happiest Baby on the Block and many many more. I took tips from each book and did what worked for us. I think that's important. I know there are many people out there that gasp when they hear the word Babywise. To each his own. Everyone has a different opinion, and guess what? That's ok. It's YOUR baby! I just knew that with my personality I wanted to have some sort of schedule. I knew I would be going back to work part-time and I wanted to somewhat have him on a routine. I also knew that I did not do well without sleep. I knew there would be a period of time where I would be sleep deprived but I was determined to get him on good sleeping schedule. I know some people don't agree with that and that's fine! I also know that all babies are different. Some respond well to "sleep training" while others don't. I know my next baby probably won't be as easy as Bryce was.

I'll start with what worked for us and then go back over the negatives of the experience. I really had heard a lot of negativity about Babywise but I wanted to read for myself. I was pleasantly surprised. I think a lot of things are twisted in the book that make it seem very cold and unloving towards your baby. It is not either of those things! It never says to not feed your baby if they are hungry (which I heard) and it never says to let your baby cry for hours on end in order to get them to sleep through the night. It gives you a very basic routine - eat/play/sleep in order for your baby to learn to fall asleep (and stay asleep!) on their own. That is key. Think about it, if your baby has to be rocked to sleep (for example) every time they go down, if they wake up in the middle of the night they don't know how to soothe themselves and go back to sleep, so they cry for you. Now let me say, it's hard to differentiate between a baby crying out of habit and a baby crying out of a need. In the beginning, I went in every time he cried to make sure he was ok or to feed him. The key for me to figuring out when to start "sleep training" was after he had slept for about 7 hours on his own without eating. I knew he could do it. My prediatrician also told me once he was about 10 pounds he did not need to eat every 3-4 hours at night, he could go longer. Granted, Bryce gave me a 5 hour stretch at night the first week we were home - don't get too excited, that happened once and then he went back to waking up every 3-4 hours. He was about 3 months old when I really started sleep training. I would put him down at bedtime - bath, nurse, swaddle - put him in the crib awake and let him fall asleep. It was not always easy. He did not just magically sleep through the night - it took work. He would usually sleep for a good 4-5 hours and then wake up. When he would wake up I would wait 5 minutes before going in. Sometimes he would go right back to sleep, other times he wouldn't. My rule was 15 minutes. If he cried for 15 minutes I determined he was hungry. I would go in and feed him with the lights off and put him right back down. Around 4 months he started sleeping 7pm to 7am. It was not perfect, there was a time where he would wake up at 5:30am and I'd go in and feed him just a little and put him right back down to get him to sleep til 7. Then I had to let him fuss a little at 5:30 and let him fall back asleep. It was hard. I'm not going to lie. I second guessed myself a lot. It was totally worth it though. He sleeps well still but there are always things that can happen, teething, sickness, learning new skills, etc. Like I said, I know all babies are different and my next one may not respond as well. However, the eat/play/sleep routine just makes sense to me. Babywise explains that it helps stabilize their metabolism by feeding every 3 hours. The key is making sure they get a FULL FEEDING (if you are breastfeeding). This was hard. He was so sleepy. He would want to eat for 10 minutes then nod off. I had to keep waking him up. I would sit there and just cry because I was so tired and just wanted to sleep (like he was!!) but I knew if he only ate for 10 minutes he would be hungry again in about an hour or so. My goal was 15 minutes of nursing on each side. Then keep him awake for a little and let him fall asleep on his own. I made a lot of mistakes. I remember I tried to keep him up for wayyy to long in hopes he would sleep longer - that totally backfired. Sleep begets sleep. If they are overtired they have a hard time settling down. It makes no sense but it's true. The more tired they are, the harder for them to go to sleep. Also, there were definitely times he was hungry prior to the 3 hour mark, so I fed him. They go through so many growth spurts - sometimes it's hard to keep up! They eventually get what they need and go back to the 3 hour routine. I probably was too rigid about that in the beginning. I did not want to feed him unless it had been 3 hours, I should have just relaxed. Breastfeeding takes so much out of you mentally and physically, at least it did me. I felt like all I did was feed that child. I takes so long for them to eat and then by the time they are changed and you get something to eat it's time to feed again. It's exhausting! It gets much easier though I promise. Now it only takes about 10 minutes for him to nurse. Now we have the opposite problem, he wants to see what's going on! What was that noise? Where's Dad? He can't sit still for 10 minutes to eat :)

The negatives were I always compared my baby to what Babywise said. If he wasn't doing what the book said I was frustrated and thought I was doing something wrong. You have to remember every baby is different and you have to use some of that God-given mother's intuition - you know your baby better than anyone else (even though sometimes you feel like you have no clue what's going on!). Don't get frustrated if it doesn't always go as planned, because it won't. Let him or her fall asleep on you sometimes, let them sleep in the car, just not every time. I had to get out with Byce the first few weeks, I felt like I was going to go crazy. Mom and I would walk around the mall for hours 2 or 3 times a week sometimes! Bryce would sleep in the stroller. That was a lifesaver for me! You just have to survive those first few months. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, I definitely did. Also, another side note, the Lord totally gave me the strength to get through those weeks of sleep deprivation. I was terrified I would be a nightmare without sleep. I'm sure I wasn't the most fun to be around but I feel like I adjusted better than I thought I would. Make sure you take time for yourself -I was so lucky to have family and friends that would come watch him while I took a nap or just ran to Target for an hour. You have to get away for a little bit. You will go insane. One of my good friends gave me a gift certificate for a massage and I used it when Bryce was about a month old while my mother in law watched him, that was the best gift I could have ever asked for. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Don't try to do it all. Give yourself a mental break by reading something that is NOT baby related. I made that mistake. All I did while he was sleeping was try to read some blog about how to do things better. I was so crazy!

If you're still reading I'm sorry this post is so long! My thoughts are random probably because the first few months are all a blur, but I hope this made some sort of sense.

Here are some of Bryce's latest pictures - almost 9 months old!!

Top 10 Baby Essentials

In my opinion of course..


These are outside the "normal" baby stuff like a Pack 'N Play, stroller, high chair, etc. There are so many things out there it can be so overwhelming. In the end, to be honest, you just make do with what you have. Sure there could be things that could have helped keep your baby from crying or given you more comfort but I kept telling myself that my mom didn't have any of these things and we all turned out fine! I would take a friend (who is a mom) to help you register - I had absolutely no idea what I needed or even wanted. Mom's are the best ones to ask but keep in mind that we all have different opinions too!

These aren't really in any particular order..just as they come to mind..

10. Rock 'N Play
So this seems really basic and sort-of weird at first but it was amazing. Shout out to my co-worker Jessica who told me about this gem. Bryce lived in this thing for the first 2 months of his life. Seriously. I never put him in a bassinet - I just put him in this and moved the monitor so I could still see him. I think it made him feel very secure and he also liked to be elevated a little bit. He later developed acid reflux so this helped tremendously. It's so easy to transport - much easier than a pack 'n play - so we took this to my parents house, when we traveled, or just upstairs/downstairs. It was awesome. We didn't use it much past 3 months but it was a life saver nonetheless.

9. SwaddleMe
We tried swaddling with a blanket in the beginning but Bryce first of all didn't like it at all and second, it would unravel and we'd have to keep re-doing it. We stopped swaddling after the first week because he would fight it and it just didn't seem to work. But I kept reading in these blogs that swaddling really helped babies sleep longer at night so I figured I'd try it again. I found this fleece swaddle blanket that made such a big difference in Bryce's sleeping. It has velcrow so it was nearly impossible for him to get out of. We tried swaddling again around 2 months and he started consistently sleeping through the night. I know that it could be a coincidence but I do think it helped him settle down and stay sleeping longer. Also, now that he's not swaddled anymore we just wrap it around his stomach and legs so it acts as a sleep sack. We use sleep sacks too but this is another option.

8. Swing
There are lots of swings out there, I don't know the difference in a lot of them but I know that this one was a.m.a.z.i.n.g. It's a lot bigger than most swings and definitely not portable but it had a lot more movement than the others and Bryce napped in that thing like a champ. He also liked to be in it awake and could look around while I got things done. My mother in law gave this to us and I'm so glad she did!! We used it until Bryce was about 6 months.

7. Video Monitor
This was one of the cheaper monitors (money wise I mean) but it has worked great. We haven't had any problems with it and you can add cameras later for more kids. It's a must-have in my opinion. I just felt so much better having him in his own room knowing that I could see him.

6. Zip-up sleepers
Not to be confused with button-up sleepers. I felt like these were a million times easier. I can't tell you how many times I matched up the buttons wrong and had to start all over or he was wiggling around and couldn't get the dang thing on!! The zip-up sleepers were a must-have for us.

5. Exersaucer
Bryce has had this obsession with jumping since he was literally 3 months old. (Where do you think he gets all of that energy from?!? ;) He loves to jump. This thing we got at a kids consignment shop for about $40 and it was worth every penny. Granted he couldn't stay in it for a long period of time when he was younger because he didn't have the back support but now he still loves to get in it every day and it's great because I can cook dinner while he's playing and I don't worry about what he's getting in to.

4. Butt paste
My sister-in-law told me about this one and the name really threw me off, not to mention the really old school cartoon on the front. However, this stuff is like magic. It wipes out diaper rash literally over night. To me, it works so much better than any of the other ointments (Desitin, Balmex, etc.). It is more expensive but we have had one small tube of it since Bryce was born and I haven't used it all yet (he's 8 months).

3.  Breast pump
This is, of course, if you decide to breast feed. This seems obvious but you have to get a good one. They are expensive. Thankfully my other sister-in-law let me borrow hers which saved us a ton of money. I have heard, though, that insurances are now covering breast pumps? Something to look into. When I went back to work part-time I was so anxious about having to pump during the day and I was afraid I was going to lose my milk supply. Thankfully my employer was great about it and my co-workers have been so helpful to make sure I get even just 10 minutes to pump. Don't worry, it's still awkward - just ask my boss. I will spare you the details.

2. Activity gym
This is the exact activity gym we have. I know what you're thinking because I thought the same thing. I'm paying $75 for a little mat with some animals hanging overhead? I'm sorry, what? Yes, I know. It's ridiculous. However, this one is not only absolutely adorable, but he has played on this since he was born and he continues to. Not many toys will last for that long. It was great when he was 2-3 months old and he was starting to focus on things and could bat at the toys. Now he more so tries to pull the animals off but hey, it works. It's really easy to fold up and take with you, too.

1. Sheet saver
A couple of people told me about these and the word "saver" is justified. When you have a diaper explosion in the middle of the night the last thing you want to do is change all of the sheets. Put this bad boy down underneath them and it will make those zombie diaper changes a little bit better. We had 2 or 3 and that was plenty. You can put this in the bassinet or wherever they are sleeping.

It still blows my mind how much stuff you "have to have" to keep this tiny little human being happy. Again, you don't HAVE to have really much of anything but these things can make your life easier. I had no clue what I needed or didn't need and I loved looking at other people's lists so I hope this helps someone! By the way, those sweet tiny human beings are totally worth it and for those new moms it really does get better, I promise! 

Bryce's first beach trip!

This wasn't technically Bryce's first beach trip..we took him over memorial day with our good friends but we didn't actually make it to the beach because it was still cold - we just hung out at their beautiful house and pool!!
So this time we were excited to let him see the ocean and feel the sand. Every year my family goes to Myrtle Beach. We usually can only go for a couple of days due to working but this year we were able to go for the whole week and it was great! It definitely wasn't our typical lazy week doing nothing but eating and lounging - due to having an 8 month old :) But we loved it nonetheless. I was stressed that Bryce wouldn't sleep well and would be all off schedule but he did great! He woke up a little earlier than normal but overall he really adjusted well. The first day he wasn't too sure about the wind and how hot it was but the next couple of days he liked putting his feet in the sand and feeling the water. We put him in the pool and he liked floating around.

 

 

We shopped, ate, hung out at the pool, ate some more and just 

enjoyed being with family! It was great to have so many people around to help with him. We are spoiled to have so many people around that love Bryce so much! 

The only tips I would give after going would be - don't have high expectations for a baby at the beach! He really couldn't stay out too long and wasn't keen on taking a nap on the beach. I think he maybe would have if he was younger but he's used to sleeping in his crib/pack 'n play and didn't get what we were trying to do when we would lay him down! He's so much more aware of his surroundings now, so like I said maybe if he was younger he would have slept out on the beach. We were across the street from the beach so it wasn't hard to just walk back with him and put him down. We did get a little pool to put on the beach but it really wasn't worth the effort to set it up for the 30 minutes he was out there a day. We will still use it when he's older. I'm really glad we had hats for him and lots of sunscreen! He didn't seem to mind either one. I tried to just not worry about his schedule and just go with the flow, but that's hard for me. I get stressed easily so try to just relax and enjoy the vacation!
Until next year!

A Collection of Recipes

Let me just say that I can't take any credit for these recipes. Most (if not all) are from my mom who gave me the best wedding present ever - a book of my favorite recipes. I don't think I really knew how good I had it growing up until I had a house of my own and realized how much work went into cooking and even finding a recipe worth trying. My mom made dinner almost every night, that is a huge accomplishment in and of itself but on top of that everything was always good. I was a picky eater growing up so I didn't always like everything but now I'm so excited whenever I get to eat a meal of hers. These are just some of the recipes that are staples in our house that I think are definitely worth mastering.

Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
1/2 cup of room temp butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour (or spray with pam) 9x5x2 metal loaf pan. Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in mashed bananas, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Check bread at 45 min and if top is browning too quickly, cover with foil and continue to bake.


Baked Chicken 
*this is great to make and use leftovers in another chicken dish like enchiladas or any dish you would use rotisserie chicken in.

3-4 split chicken breasts
2 tbsp butter per breast
bacon
Beau Monde seasoning (found at Harris Teeter)
salt
pepper
water

Sprinkle salt, pepper and Beau Monde on each chicken breast (generously). Place chicken in roasting pan, with ribs facing up. Place 2 tbsp butter on each breast and place 3-4 strips of bacon across breasts. Add about 1/2 inch of water in the pan. Place in oven and bake at 325 for 2 hours.
The broth that this makes is delicious to serve over ham fried rice which is what I usually serve this with.
You can then refrigerate the leftover chicken and use as needed.

This is making me hungry.

Stir-Fried Chinese Chicken with Cashews

1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken tenders cut into 1"cubes
1 tbsp dry sherry
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/4 vegetable oil
2/3 cup cashews
1 tsp dried ginger
2 scallions, sliced
1 can water chestnuts, sliced and drained

1. in a medium bowl, combine egg white, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, and 1 tbsp cornstarch. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, combine remaining soy sauce, 1 tsp cornstarch, sherry, vinegar, and sugar; set sauce aside.

3. In an electric skillet or large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Stir fry chicken until opaque - 2-3 minutes. remove and set aside.

4. Discard all but 2 tbsp oil. Add ginger, scallions, cashews and water chestnuts. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add chicken and reserved sauce. Cook, stirring until thickened. Serve over rice or pasta.


Cream Cheese Chicken (my personal fave!)

6-8 chicken tenders
1-2 packs of dry Italian salad dressing mix (Good Seasons brand)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (or 2 to double)
3 oz. cream cheese (6 oz. to double)
3/4 cup of white wine (1 1/2 cups to double)

*I usually double the sauce in this recipe, I like more sauce to have with the rice*
Coat chicken in salad dressing mix; saute in oil until opaque. In a medium saucepan, melt cream cheese with mushroom soup. When blended well, add wine and cook over medium heat until blended. Place chicken in casserole dish; pour soup mixture over chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve over rice. YUM

Pork Tenderloin

2-3 pork tenderloins (one package)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup teriyaki
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp pepper
2 scallions, sliced

Place tenderloins in large ziploc bag. Combine other ingredients in bowl and pour over meat. Seal and marinate for 15-30 minutes at room temp. Bake 30-40 min at 350 or until meat thermometer registers 160.

Monster cookies

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
12 oz. jar of peanut butter
1 stick of butter softened
1/2 cup M&M's
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins (I leave these out)
2 tsp baking soda
4 1/2 cups of quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine egg and sugars, mix well. Add salt, vanilla, PB and butter. Mix well. Stir in M&M's, chocolate chips, raisins, baking soda and oatmeal. Drop one tbsp of batter 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 min. Makes about 3 dozen.

Enjoy!