We like Carrots!

We have started baby food and Carter seems to really be loving it! I have decided to make most of his baby food, and it has been quite an experience. It really is a lot of work, but it is fun and you feel like you have really accomplished something. Plus you save lots of $$ in the process. I borrowed this book from my friend Rebecca, and it explains the basics to making your own baby food.
I went to the store yesterday and bought a bag of carrots (the kind with stems still attached) and 4 apples. Basically the steps are as follows:

-Rinse Veggie or Fruit
-Peel
-Cut
-Steam until soft
-Puree in the food processor
-Let cool to room temperature
-Spoon into ice cube trays (each cube is a serving)
-Freeze in the freezer
-Pop them out into a freezer bag and label with date and contents

Then, once meal time comes around, just take a cube out, pop it into the microwave for 30 seconds and let cool. Below are some pictures of the process...

Here are the already frozen carrots

Bagged up to go back in the freezer

Apples Chopped

Apples Steaming

Fresh out of the food processor

Covered and ready to go in the freezer

The apples cost about $4 and the bag of carrots cost $2. The Carrots made 27 servings and the Apples made 21. So that is $6 for 48 servings. I do realize though, eventually he is going to move up to 2 cubes and eating more than just once a day, but for right now he is eating a solid just once a day. So I am excited about the economical side of it. Here are some picture of Carter's first taste of carrots....

First bite... not real sure what I just put in his mouth!

Here he is by the end of his meal, loved it!

I loved watching him kick and fling his arms and get excited about eating! It was so fun :)

Carter's 4 month Stats

Just got back from the pediatrician's office and Carter is 13 lbs 13 oz and 25 1/2 inches long. So I guess he is tall and skinny...but he feels like such a chunk and looks so much bigger than a lot of other babies his age (and older). Development is right on schedule. I'm glad the shots are over, he was pitiful, but only cried for just a minute after they were over, and then he was smiling again. We have four bandaids, two on each leg. We are going to start on solids, so that will be a whole other blog post in itself :)

Oh yeah...I got my Mother's Day present in the mail today...It was a sweet personalized calendar with pictures of Carter all in it! Super sweet. Chad did a great job, I love it!

A Happy Mother's Day and Carter Update

I had a really great Mother's Day. Carter got dedicated at church yesterday, and it was so sweet! I was nervous that he was going to spit up on Brother Bill, or that he would start crying and we would have to walk off stage, but he was a perfect angel! He did great the entire day. I don't want it to sound like he is a bad baby; you know he was extremely fussy the first 2 1/2 months of his life...then once we found out about his reflux and got it under control he was a different child! The rest of Mother's Day we spent at the lake with my Mom, Dad, and Grandmother. It was nice to sit and relax. My Mother's Day gift hasn't arrived in the mail yet. I don't know what it is...Chad won't tell me. So we'll see!
For Chad's side of the family, Mother's Day was a sad and happy event. Chad's Grandmother passed away Friday morning. We were expecting it, and she was ready to go home and be with the Lord and Paw paw, but it is still sad that we lost her around Mother's Day. We won't forget you Nannie and we know you got the best Mother's Day gift of all!!

On to the Carter update...like I was saying previously, he is very pleasant now, and is even starting to tolerate his car seat a good bit. He loves sitting in the front of his stroller and does very good on busy days going from place to place. He is rolling over now, he can roll from his stomach to his back and he is attempting to roll from his back to his stomach but can only get on his side. His head control is great and he can sit assisted now. I can actually carry him on my hip for short amounts of time, which is nice because it gives me a free hand :) I knew my hips would come in handy for something. He loves circles and anything with a pattern on it. He is reaching for toys and putting everything in his mouth and is starting to drool a good bit...no teeth yet, I figure it will be a few more months. He is getting to be SO loud...loves to hear his voice!
Let's see...I will have stats on his height and weight after Thursday...but I know that he is going to be in the 90th percentile for height because he can't wear anything under 6 months because he is too long. He is even fitting well into some 9 month clothing and few 12 month!
Similac Sensitive is finally making it's ready to feed R.S. formula in powder now! YES! R.S. stands for Rice Starch, which means it is heavier and he is keeping his food down a little better. It is $2 more but it is worth it.
We go on solids after Thursday!! That is exciting! I am going to make most of Carter's baby food, so we have purchased a food processor and Mom gave us a steamer that should work with our pots. I have been reading up on how to do it all, so it should be fun! After we see what Dr. Webster wants us to start him on, I will start making it! I'll let you know how it goes, and post pics. I have given him cereal with a spoon every few days, but we haven't made a habit of it yet. He seems to like it but is not quite sure what to do with his tongue.
That is about it, but he is getting too big too fast! But we are enjoying him sooo much, he is a hoot!
Below are some pictures from dedication on Sunday!

A thank you that is way over due...

I have a 4 month old. A healthy, thriving 4 month old. Although my birth experience was nothing I expected it to be, and down right hard and terrifying, I have a healthy, beautiful child. I say that Carter's birth was terrifying because of his dropping heart rate and my blood pressure not cooperating appropriately. I had gone through 9 months of developing this precious child in my body and the thought that I could have lost him before I even met him is just that, terrifying. I often find myself complaining about my c-section. That is was hard and painful and emotional, but now that I think about it I am thankful. I am thankful that the Lord gave my doctor the wisdom to know when Carter needed to come out and that a vaginal delivery was no longer a safe option for me. I am thankful that there is even a procedure like this to deliver a child that is in trouble. There are also a few things that I went through in my pregnancy that I am thankful about...so Lord here is my list of thankyou's since you haven't heard all of them yet...Lord, I want you to know that I am thankful for the blessings you have given me. I don't want to take them for granted, and I am thankful that you have made me realize that the hardships I went through, are in fact a blessing.

Thank you for allowing us to get pregnant and to bring a child in this world.

Thank you for my morning sickness because that soon revealed a healthy baby

Thank you for a low lying placenta, because that moved me to pray continually that it would be moved within 10 weeks, and You did it Lord. You answered my prayer and you moved it. Only You.

Thank you for a full term pregnancy.

Thank you for Dr. Maddox.

Thank you for a procedure that got my child out quickly when he was in trouble.

Thank you that even though my placenta was separating You still kept both Carter and I safe even though I lost a good amount of blood.

Thank you that even though I had a rough first month as a new mother, I made it and learned a lot along the way.

Thank you for your provisions and allowing me to stay at home and raise Carter.

Thank you for an absolutely AMAZING husband. He is a wonderful Daddy.

Thank you that even though Carter got Pertussis he did not have to be hospitalized and he was able to recover at home. Thank you for being with us during this scary sickness. We couldn't have done it by ourselves.

Thank you for Your overwhelming love and sending Your Son to die for our sins. On top of that you choose to give us blessings here on earth, and for that I am also thankful.

There are several blogs that I follow of parents going through a heart breaking experience of losing their babies, and the whole time they are praising the Lord. I felt very convicted that they are praising the Lord while going through probably THE hardest thing in their lives but I, having been blessed with a healthy child, wasn't giving HIM near as much praise. These people are STRONG and I admire them for how they choose to handle their circumstances. I pray that the Lord will give them strength.

So I praise You Lord. I will always praise You. You are an amazing creator abounding in Love far beyond my imagination and the fact that You decided to bless Chad and I in the way that you have astonishes me because we do not deserve it. Your Grace and Mercy are like none I've ever known before. Thank you. I am sorry that this thank you came 4 months later than it should have and I am sorry for the bitterness towards my birth experience; it was nothing short of a miracle. Thank you and You deserve all the Praise.

Germ-a-phobe.

That's right. I'm admitting it! For the longest time Kerri has claimed that I am a germ-a-phobe, and I have denied it up and down and just said that I am very hygenic. Now that I have had Carter I have realized that I am a full blown germ-a-phobe. I mean, I don't think it's an extreme case, but I definitely have a big problem with potential of germs being on me and my baby (and Chad).
Now that I think about it I have 5 bottles of Germ-x in the house. One for each diaper bag, one for my purse, and two for the house. I use it after I go in a store, when I leave Church, when I pump gas, and various other times when I feel as if I have touched something 'germy'.

Now that Carter is about 4 months old and out and about in public, I find myself cringing at the sight of people I don't know touching my child. Usually I'm fine if I know you and you touch him because I am aware of whether you are sick or not. Also, if you know me then you know that Carter has had the Whooping Cough and any other type of respiratory illness he gets right now can make the cough worse....so most are kind to stay away if they are sick- thanks :)
But anyways, these folks I don't know at church that grab Carter's little fist (which he puts in his mouth) and give it a shake or SQUEEZE HIS CHEEKS with their hand are causing me to have a heart attack on the inside.
Seriously, I am trying not to freak out, and in my head I am reciting over and over that he needs to be exposed to things so that he can have more immunities, so I really am trying. I mean I can't keep him in the house all the time because the few times we did get out I'm sure he would come down with something!
I really do think I am at my worse ever since Carter caught the Whooping Cough.
Also, it's funny because it's like my ears are now in tune to any cough I hear at any store and when I hear it I RUN in the opposite direction. Trust me, if you had been what we have been through with this cough, then you would too. You're probably thinking...oh it's just a little cough...well it's not just a little cough when your baby turns blue from lack of oxygen while he is trying to swallow the thick mucus that he has just coughed up. Then once he finally does take a breath, he screams bloody murder because it scared him so badly. I have to remain calm to calm him down (which usually works), but the whole process is just stressful and scary. He is doing much much better, but still has a pretty bad cough at night. - ok so that was all just a little side note- sorry :)

Anyways, I am currently a germ-a-phobe and I admit it. I feel as if it might get better as the summer draws closer, but as of right now I am STRESSED! Anyone else been like this with their first? Hopefully it will get better with the next kid.
Oh, and I am sending a bottle of germ-x with Chad to work tomorrow. Money is DIRTY. And the strangers that come and sit at his desk and use his pens I'm sure aren't much cleaner :)
I'm trying, I promise :)

The Lip

Carter has been doing the pouty lip from the moment came out of me...whenever he is fed up with something or "done" we get the lip.

This is video of Carter pouting at the crazy bunny rabbit my Mom got him for Easter. He is done with it after about 3 rounds of singing Little Bunny Foo Foo. I realize that 1 minute and 32 seconds is a long time in home video world, but he does the best pouty lip at the end of the video, so watch the whole thing if you have a chance. We think it's hilarious!

*excuse the wet onsie...spit-up is a way of life for us right now :)

"Couponing"

So this seems to be the latest craze these days. I LOVE LOVE the idea of couponing. Being a stay at home Mom I realize it is a fantastic was to save money. I cut coupons ALL the time. Ask Chad. They are all over our refrigerator, folded in the large compartment of my wallet, in the side pocket of my purse, and in the first and second drawers to the left of the stove. Any time the clipper magazine comes in the mail I lay it beside the couch with a pair of scissors for me to look through and cut out coupons at my next available break to sit down. I have even stopped at the gas station on Sunday to buy a paper to cut coupons. Seriously, I swear my mouth waters at coupons....but here is the thing...I NEVER use them. NEVER. Seriously.
I guess I just don't get how people save so much money. Kerri and I have discussed this countless times. There are a million coupons to cut, but there may be only 1 thing that I actually need and/or buy out of the coupons that are EVER being offered. So here is my question...are you supposed to buy an item just because you have a coupon for it? I can't wrap my head around doing this because it seems like I am wasting money on something I don't even need. Am I just buying it because I will get it for 50 cents less than normal? If so, I feel as if it's a mind game. If you buy an item just because you have a coupon for it then I feel like the manufacturer/store is winning this mind game they are playing with coupons. I'm not saying that is the case, I'm just saying that is how I feel.
Also, I am furious with expiration dates. They are ridiculous. Yes, I need Lysol toilet bowl cleaner, but I don't need it right now...I will need it in about 5-6 weeks. But wait, the coupon expires in 4 weeks. I keep it just in case I happen to clean the toilets a lot within the next month. Then it becomes a useless coupon that I have to clean out of my wallet at a later date. The thing is, I know I'm not going to use it but I keep it anyways because I love the idea of couponing.
I had the bright idea the other day that I might be a better coupon lady if I actually had a coupon holder. So I went on a search for a holder. I had been told the Dollar Tree had some in the kitchen section... after 25 minutes of searching...nothing. I know they were selling them in the Target dollar bins a few months ago but they were all scooped up and by the time I decided I wanted to buy one, they were gone...I mean come on, it was a dollar...was I too cheap to spend a DOLLAR?! Apparently.
I really, really, really want to use coupons. Any advice would be great. Is it what I think it is? Do you just buy it because you have a coupon for it? Surely not!