Well I didn't mean to take a forever hiatus from my blog, but I guess that's what happened.
Quickie Update:
Mr Winn is nearly 9 months old: He loves sitting, rolling all over the house, has 2 teeth joining the fam, playing, reading, being outside, EATING (duh), laughing, baths, and anything that involves mom. Can't complain, life is good and he's stinkin cute.
I'm still working, Colt's still working, we are loving our new home & neighbors, and we have spring fever. We will be going down to San Diego the first week in May to visit Trent (Colt's dad) and I can hardly wait. Mr Winn will be joining us.
So I decided a while ago that canned baby food was too expensive and smelled bad. So I tried making my own. Before I had Winn, I had a plan of being this really good mom and making homemade baby food and loving it and Winn loving it too. And then I got 5 months of no sleep and caved and to store bought crap. Well. Not only is it gross, it's expensive! Especially when your baby eats as much as you do. Seriously, kid is already in size 5 diapers people!
The cool thing that actually happened was that I LOVED IT. And HE LOVED IT. Guys!! It's so much fun. You know exactly what's going into the baby's food, no preservatives, and seriously, it's so fun to feed your baby something you made them. I dunno, maybe that's just me. As I explore new fun mixtures & textures with Winn, I will share them here. I'll try to post pictures too.
So I started Easy: Sweet Potatoes. 1, because I knew Winn loved these, and 2, because I knew how to make them already.
With all/most of my recipes, I make them in bulk. Bulk meaning 3-4 ice cube trays of food. This way, I don't have to necessarily make him food every week, if I make a couple batches of veggies, I'm set for about 2 weeks. You could always do a small portion first, to make sure they like the taste before goin all in. But where's the fun in that?
Just a preface to all my recipes:
--I always freeze my concoctions in ice cube trays. I let them freeze until completely frozen, plop the cubes out and place them in freezer bags, labeled with their name and date they were made. --I keep my food for about a month or two if frozen. --1 cube=about 1 ounce of food. --You can microwave these cubes straight from the freezer, or you can let the cubes thaw at room temperature for a little bit before microwaving, or of course you could place them in the fridge until microwaving. --You could use water, formula, breast milk, or juice to thin any of these goodies. I usually use water. I prefer not to use formula/breast milk just because I think Winn gets a good amount of all that with his bottles, so I like using water. Plus, water is good for the babes, it will help with constipation. If you have any questions, comment or email me!
courtrogers55@gmail.com
Easy Peasy Sweet Taters:
- 3-4 Large Yams
- Water (Bits at a time)
- Dash of Brown Sugar
- Pinch of Butter
Wash & Peel your sweet potatoes. Slice into smaller bits and put them in a large pot & cover with water. No need to salt the water. Bring to a boil, partially cover and let boil until soft. Depending on how large you leave your potatoes will make your cooking time vary. Once they are easily pierced with a fork, drain the water. Let them cool.
In a food processor (you could use a blender, or whatever other means of puree-ing you would like) place your yams, brown sugar and butter. Start will a small amount of water and continue adding as needed. I probably used a tablespoon or 2. Make it the consistency which your baby needs. You could leave the butter and brown sugar out if you wanted, but I think it's good to introduce flavor to your baby so they mayyyybe won't be such picky eaters down the road. Pulse the flavors until smooth. Winn still doesn't like to have much texture in his foods, so I pulsed the yams until they were smooth, like butta. Spoon into ice cube trays, and freeze. Once frozen completely, spoon out the cubes and put them into a gallon freezer bag. Label the bag with the name and date!
*Some people say these last frozen for up to 5 months. I say about 1 month is good. Maybe 2. You're the mom, you be the judge!
When baby is ready to eat, you can seriously just take however many cubes you want, put them in a bowl, microwave and serve! 1 cube is about 1 ounce of food. Winn eats about 5 every meal, but I think a 'normal' baby would do 2-3 ha ha. If I'm taking the cubes directly out of the freezer to eat, I microwave for about 30 seconds, stir, and then for about 20-25 more seconds on 70% power. You could also get them out and let them thaw for an hour or so before meal time just in a bowl on the counter. Or let them sit in the fridge. If you don't think ahead, like me, you can take them straight from the freezer! Enjoy!!
Pumpkin-Banana-Cinnamon Goodness:
- 1 Can of Pureed Pumpkin
- 2-3 Bananas
- Cinnamon
No cooking is necessary for this gem of a recipe. I had bananas going bad and a can of pumpkin in my cupboard that was supposed to be for pumpkin cookies (like 4 months ago Court) and decided I should give 'em a try. Mostly cause Winn hates bananas and I'm trying to trick him into loving them.
Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until desired consistency. Not much water needed here, just add as you see fit.
Plop the mixture into ice cube trays, freeze and enjoy!
Sweet Carrots:
- 2lb Bag of Peeled Baby Carrots
- Cinnamon
- Little Butter
Wash your bagged carrots and place them in a pot, & cover them with water. Bring to a boil, cover, and let steam until soft. Drain the water and place them into the food processor when cooled slightly. Add a dash of cinnamon, a little bit of butter and HOLD off on the water this time! Pulse until smooth. I added water at the beginning and realized after that I didn't need to. The carrots have a good water content themselves and this one might not require any additional thinning liquid, so wait until it's mixed to see if yours needs water or not. Place in ice cube trays and freeze!
Oh Pruney Pruned Prunes:
- 1 20oz bag of Pitted Prunes
- Apple Juice
No Cooking required with this little gem. This recipe is great for a constipated or gassy baby. Just start lightly, they have a powerful effect :)
Combine prunes and apple juice to food processor and blend until smooth. You may need water with this one as well. Place in ice cube trays and freeze!
*This was a difficult one to get a good consistency with. I added quite a bit of apple juice/water and it still was thicker than I wanted it. I decided that all is well and am most likely going to have to add formula to it when I serve it. It remained a thicker paste even with all the liquid added.
More recipes to come!
Holy Cow, I'm the worst at blogging. The Holidays have been so fantastic and fun with Mr Winn and I haven't even thought twice about blogging about any of it. Winn had a good Christmas, although he liked the wrapping paper and tissue paper more than any of the things he got. It makes me excited for next year when he will understand it all a little more. It's been a good time of year to say the least.
Ya know, Winn has already taught me so much about life. He makes me want to be better in every aspect of who I am. Babies are just pure heaven. His innocence and sweet spirit are priceless. It makes me super scared for him to ever grow up in this nasty world.
We decided to do some sleep training with him. Yikes. He is so darn stubborn that instead of it taking about 3 or 4 nights to catch on, it took like 2 weeks. He finally got to the point of sleeping 7-8 hours then needing to eat and going back to bed for 3-4. IN HIS CRIB PEOPLE! This is the greatest part of all. Finally. It makes me so much more enjoyable to be around now that he sleeps in his own room and sleeps pretty good. The past week or so has been rough, because he's been teething. Or at least that's what I'm guessing. I can tell he's just miserable and it is the saddest! He grabs whatever he can and just bites down realllllly hard on it. We took him to St George for the first road trip (he did AWESOME in the car, surprise surprise!) and he had a hard time adjusting to sleeping in a pack and play and on top of the changes he was teething. So we didn't sleep much on vacation and he is still pretty miserable. Teething sucks.
He is now 6 months old and is sitting and rolling over and eating tons of food and being all grown up. It's crazy how fast time flies and how fast our babies grow. The other night, when Winn was having a rough night and couldn't sleep, Colt brought him into bed with us, and he just tickled Winn's head until he was able to fall asleep. Of course we didn't end up sleeping well all night, but Winn did. And it took a long time for Colt to get him to sleep. I told Colt I was sorry he was so tired the next day, and he gave me the best reply. He said--He's only going to let me cuddle him in bed for so long. One day I won't be able to bring him into bed and tickle his face until he falls asleep. I'm glad to do it.
Ahh. That's why I married this man. It's true! Instead of focusing on all the sleep I lost or he lost or how tired we are, we should be grateful for the cuddle time we get with our babe.
Life is good guys. I feel so lucky. I know I'm lucky. I wish I could write everything great down that Winn does, because every day he does so many great memorable things. But I just take a lot of pictures instead.
Well Baby Winn Markham Rogers has arrived and boy has he thrown us all for a rollercoaster! The actual labor went really well, thanks to my epidural. When I was fully dilated and effaced, Winn was face-down, so it made my pushing a bit longer and my post-op pain a bit larger, but he actually turned last minute before his head made his way out. He was born at 9:09 pm at 8 lbs 4 oz and 20 inches long. I only pushed for 39 minutes which wasn't bad, to my surprise. It was the greatest moment of my life. Once he was fully out I instantly started crying without even meaning to (who can help but cry when they give birth, right?) Besides the pain that I was not expecting afterward, our few nights in the hospital were wonderful. I love him so incredibly much it's weird. Sometimes, on a not so rare occasion, I just stare and him in complete wonder at the fact that I made him. I grew him in my belly. And he's all mine. It really blows my mind. Motherhood is simply breathtaking, and something that no words can even come close to touching.
I experienced a bit of post-pardum but not so much depression as anxiety. I was so overwhelmed and my hormones were out of control. The first 2 weeks I cried every day. The hormonal effects of giving birth hit me hard and I was not expecting it. But don't worry moms-to-be out there, it is normal! It's okay if you cry and don't know why. It's hormones. And I thought I was loosing my mind, but come to find out, it actually does get better like everyone tells you it will. As for the sleep...that also hit me hard. You think you are prepared, because by 9 months fat and pregnant, you don't sleep anyway...but loosing sleep is different when you're laying in bed sweating and pregnant staring at the ceiling, versus trying to soothe a crying baby. He still isn't a good sleeper at night, but seeing as he is just about 4 weeks old, I will not complain for a while. I am actually going to start to sleep-train him. Put him in his crib, keep him awake during the day...I'm going to try. So far, I've been catering to his every need. Holding him constantly (I'll probably kick myself later for holding him every time he sleeps, but I can't help myself. He's perfectly cuddly), feeding him whenever he wants to eat, and loving on him around the clock. Winn runs the house to say the least.
I will go into detail about my struggle with nursing in a separate post, but I do want to share it. Because I felt thrown into it, expecting a lot, and not being able to deliver, and I want to share it with other new moms or moms-to-be who might feel what I went through. But to sum it up short, I'm pumping and feeding him my breastmilk by bottle. My struggle will be documented on a day that I have the energy to type it up for you. But it will come.
I just wanted to blog for a minute about how amazingly wonderful Winn is. It has so far been the hardest thing I've ever done my whole life, but it's worth it. Even when I bring him to my husband while I'm in tears because he's been crying at me for 2 hours straight in the wee hours of the morning. He is worth it. And for me, a person who seriously requires 8 hours of sleep at night to function properly, that is saying a lot. Because I think I get 8 hours of sleep in a week. My body is in shock and totally hates me right now. It's okay though, it will get better. He will get better. Everyone says this. So here's to having faith in all you guys telling me he will figure this whole sleeping thing out. Because, I'm not a "read parenting books" and "follow schedules of Baby Wise" type of gal. I want to parent my way, and I want to cater to Winn, not to the "textbook baby". Maybe I'm just in denial and making myself feel better by saying he'll figure it out, I don't need books.
Maybe I need a book.
Anyway. We love him. Colton is the best daddy ever. Our love has changed to be a billion million jillion times better, stronger, deeper, real-er. Babies do amazing things to people.
A baby will make
love stronger,
days shorter,
nights longer,
bankroll smaller,
home happier,
clothes shabbier,
the past forgotten,
and the future
worth living for.
There ain't one thing more true than that.
Well here I sit, still prego. I know I really shouldn't complain, I'm still 5 days away from my due date, but I can't help myself. I've tried so many labor inducing strategies (all of which do NOT work). He is just so happy in there, content. Just rollin and kickin and hiccup'in. He is in absolutely no hurry to get here. I can't blame him. This world is scary. But I've made him a real cute room and I'm really ready to love on him. Needless to say...I'm one onery mama.
I keep taking myself to Target, looking through the swim suits, and the clothes, just hoping maybe by even looking at the clothes I used to be able to wear, will put me in labor. Guys, it's simply not working.
I'm going crazy over here.
I keep vacuuming. And watering my plants. Which means I'm killing my plants.
Help a sister out.
Okay. So, it has been one heck of a week. I'm not even going to pretend I want to dive into all of the drama once again, so I'll just wrap it up by saying we are moving, yet again. I know what you're thinking. Yes, we've only been here 4 months. (seriously?) But, I think this is meant to be. Actually, I know it is. After all the headache and horrible-ness came to a close, it was just too meant to be. Everything horrible that had occurred, seemed to have been perfect timing. Cause we get to stay in our new ward. We are actually just moving a few condos down. So. I think it's meant to be.
I'm 36 weeks pregnant. I feel like I'm 80 weeks pregnant. I can't remember what it's like to zip up a pair of pants. Or really wear a pair of pants that didn't make me incredibly uncomfortable, for that matter. My wardrobe consists of maxi skirts, leggings, or scrubs. I'm verrrrry cute most days, let me tell you. I can't remember what it's like to not have this big belly I'm carrying around with me; to see below my belly. I now believe that God made pregnancy 40 weeks so that by the time the painful long labor gets you, you are so ready to be done being pregnant, that you welcome the labor with open arms. Seriously though. Come on labor! (But please not until we have moved. Please baby.) I'm getting so dang excited to meet my little guy. I know he's cute, because he will move his little legs and I can feel his feet. He'll push them against me and if I'm quick enough, I can grab them. And they are so tiny and cute. He usually pulls them in once he's realized I'm trying to hold them. And his hiccups I think are cute too. Homeboy really needs to learn what he's doin' though cause he gets them 1,000 times a day. I'm sure he's just miserable. But I think it's pretty dang cute. Plus, I got all these cute things to dress him up in (like a doll?) and I can't wait til his fat little body fills them right up. I'm just excited. And I think Colt is really excited too. He keeps having dreams that the baby comes. I haven't had any! But, he did say that the little man is pretty dang cute. I hope the little guy looks just like his dad, cause man, his dad is pretty cute. I think Colt is also pretty excited to have me not be pregnant anymore so I can stop having horrific night sweats and acid reflux and need assistance to get off the couch and raging cravings and so on. I think he's excited to have a less hormonal wife back. Believe me, I am too. This 12 year old acne is really crampin my style.
Anyway. I'm just excited. For a safe new place to live, and to meet my guy, and for all the exciting-ness I've got going on in my future. I'm feeling very grateful for my life and all the things and people in it today. Most of all, my amazing husband. Where I'd be without him, I don't know.
My feet get super swollen at night and it freaks me out. Another reason why I can't wait to meet my guy.
So Colt is out of town for a couple of days, and I have cried every day. I'm telling myself it's just because I'm pregnant, but I know it's because I'm so attached to the man that obviously I need therapy. He is down in Vegas at a work convention, just enjoying himself, loving the little break he's getting, and I'm over here eating a bowl of cereal, crying, and sleeping with the lights on. Get a grip Court.
I have successfully made it to my 33rd week of pregnancy. I feel like my belly isn't getting any bigger, but my baby is. So, it feels like his feet are punching me through my ribs and straight in the boob, and his hands are pulling at my hip bones. It's real uncomfortable. Today I asked him, very nicely I might add, to please stop moving the way he was moving because he was really pulling my insides apart. Sometimes he sits right under my belly button and pushes it out or sucks it right in and it freaks me out/hurts me too. You should see how I'm having to sit to type right now. His feet are just all up in my ribs. Yikes Mr, we still have 7 weeks to go and my body is huuurting. Speaking of having 7 weeks left, what the heck? Where has the time gone? I remember when Colt and I found out we were pregnant and the excitement we felt and everything else that comes along with being a first time parent. I still feel those anxious feelings, mostly about the unknown. When do I feed him, how do I know when he's hungry, will he sleep good for me, will I rock at nursing (please oh please let me rock at nursing), who is going to watch him for me when I work, how in the world will we afford this nugget, and on and on I could go. The stress and anxious I have felt, and continue to feel, is so overwhelming. But I know this--Heavenly Father wants us to have kids. He wants me to be a mom and Colt to be a dad. He wants me to bring children into my home and to raise a family. So, He will provide a way for me to do that. And He will help all those questions get answered. So in my many moments of panic, I just try and remember that I am suppose to do this, and everything will be okay. Although, if one more person says "Oh it will all work itself out..." I think I may slap the person right across the face. That's everyone's response. Well that's great, but in the meantime of things just "working themselves out", I have to take the initiative to make them actually work out. Ha ha. I sound bitter. Maybe I am.
I have my first baby shower at work this Friday, and my big family shower on Saturday. I'm excited to get baby things and get his room settled. I'm so incredibly excited to meet this little guy.
& this is just because I want him to know how excited I was for him one day: the past 9 months of my life have been hard, exciting, emotional, overwhelming, painful, and incredibly incredibly happy. I feel so blessed that I have been given the opportunity to carry this beautiful baby boy in my belly and to be his mommy. I hope he knows how much love he is already surrounded by. Colt and I are incredibly in love, and honestly, I think our relationship is the best I know of. There is not a single thing about it that I would change, or wish were different. Everything about our marriage is exactly perfect. Yes, we fight, and yes, we drive each other crazy some days, but honestly, I think we are everything to each other. And baby is super lucky to have parents who are in love. Colt and I are so excited to be parents and have no idea what we are doing and that's going to be half the fun. I know I could go into labor at any given moment now-a-days, and I'm just feeling overwhelmed with love in my life. I feel so blessed by so many things, even through all the stresses that have hit us hard the past few months. We get to be parents in T-minus 7 weeks. Oh my gosh. I can't hardly wait.
(I can't wait to sleep on my stomach again.)
I have so much homework this week its overwhelming. So naturally, I'm blogging instead of writing my dang book review.
Today I'm feeling especially grateful for everything going on in my world right now. It's Easter Sunday, and the choir at my church did such an awesome program I was holding back tears the whole way through. And not just 'cause I'm pregnant. I have to say, I'm so grateful for holidays like Easter to bring us back to Earth. To remind us that the little things that stress our lives, that complicate our worlds, that seem to override so much of what's really important, are just the minute things that really don't matter. It's so easy to get caught up in how you feel, about yourself or about a neighbor, a coworker, or anyone else, or really anything else. It's easy to forget that we are all imperfect and the things in our lives that seem to cause shadows so much of the time, are temporary. I'm grateful to know that I have the Atonement to make up for my shortcomings and to help me be forgiven when I really need it. That's why I love Easter. And today was just fabulous. The weather was incredible too.
Aside from that stuff, I just really wanted to write down how I'm feeling. Today marks my merging into my 3rd trimester! I'm so excited. And I'm also freaking out. I'm nervous that my last tri will be like my first. I don't want to live off Zofran and be tired 24-7 but it's starting out that way. Dang. Also, the whole concept of Braxton Hicks freaks me out. How am I suppose to know if I'm in labor or if my uterus is just prepping? Seriously, I'm so clueless and paranoid and nervous and excited. So this trimester could be the most interesting.
My belly. You guys! It's so big. And heavy. And I'm so serious. This belly is like carrying a 20 lb medicine ball around all the time. Strapped to your waist. I get winded walking up the hill when I take Marley on a walk. How out of shape am I right? I know. But aside from it being huge and uncomfortable and making me feel like a large animal...it's my favorite. Because it means that the little man is growing, and that means I get to feel him more often. My absolute favorite thing about being pregnant is feeling him. He makes me laugh! I seriously catch myself laughing out loud when he is doing a dance of sorts. And he is also such a punk--he moves all the time for me, and even for Colt. But whenever any of my coworkers or friends want to feel him move, the second their hand goes on the belly, he stops. And then starts up again when they've given up. How rude, right? I promise he is on the move almost constantly ha ha, maybe he's just shy. But I can't explain how much I love to see my belly move when he decides he's uncomfortable, or when he is stretching, or when he is doing some awesome kickboxing moves. My favorite. I wish I could let you all be pregnant and feel him too.
Anyway. This post is random and scattered but that's okay. I'm just grateful for Easter, and for my baby boy who's growing in my belly. I cannot wait to see his face and meet his little self. It's getting exciting around here folks.
