Joey's check up

Joey went to the doctor for a well baby visit and left with 3 prescriptions and a referral for blood work! Poor baby!

The stats

19 pounds even and 28 inches. A peanut even compared to his siblings (who were: Ryan - 20lbs 12 oz and 28 1/2 inches, Rachel - well I can't find her stats, but at 15 months she was 20lbs 9oz and 29 inches so her and Joey are on par with each other I guess!)

Anyway, he had an ear infection (prescription #1), she was concerned about his eczema and called it "severe"(prescription #2 and #3). She was also concerned to hear about his runny stinky diapers (2-3 times a day) and agreed that it sounded food related (blood work order). S0 she said take him off dairy and switch to soy and we'll see what happens when the blood comes back.

That night 1/14 we switched him to soy, used the steroid cream on his eczema and hoped for the best! By Saturday 1/17 he was no longer pooping so often, eczema was clear and he was SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! And then the blood work came back negative for food allergies! HUH?!?!

Anyway we still haven't switched him back to dairy and we are going to the doctor this afternoon because I don't think the ear infection is gone yet (boo!)

We shall see what she has to say!

Overall though he is healthy, happy, and a genius (which we all knew already!)

Week #4 - Tuscan chicken and white bean stew

I got this recipe from a cookbook I own that was clearly manufactured by one of the major food companies since all the recipes call for some brand or another. There are a lot of yummy Italian recipes so don't be surprised when this books shows itself again on my blog!
Ingredients:
1 large fennel bulb (about 3/4 pound)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
1 can (about 14 ounces) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Hot pepper sauce (optional)
Preparation:
1. Cut off and reserve 1/4 cup chopped feathery fennel tops. Chop bulb into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped fennel bulb; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Sprinkle rosemary and pepper over chicken; add to saucepan. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice and broth; bring to a boil. Cover; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in beans; simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens. Season to taste with hot pepper sauce. Ladle into 4 shallow bowls; top with reserved fennel tops.
variations: I added carrots and celery since I wasn't sure who would like the fennel (turns out just me and Joey), I used diced tomatoes and northern beans (? Great Northern? or am I confusing beans and a pizza place?). I also used chicken breast because that is what we buy usually and added a splash of red wine since we had one open.
I did not garnish it with the fennel but rather served it over hot diatalini.
I'd give it a 6. Well, personally I'd give it an 8 but it wasn't a huge family hit. Again, Joey ate it but he is the human disposal so that is probably why

Mom's birthday cake

For my mother's birthday I made a chocolate mocha cake.
I used the chocolate cake recipe that Joey gave me for Joey's (HA!) birthday cake. I'm not going to re-publish the recipe since it isn't mine to give (but rather Joey's grandma's!) but it was a simple chocolate cake. I added a TBL of coffee to the cake.
I then cut the 2 8 inch cakes in 1/2 to make a 4 layer torte.
The frosting I made myself!
mocha frosting
1/2 cup softened butter
4 cups confectioner sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup of melted chocolate (i used chocolate chips)
4-5 TBL coffee

It was delicious! Not very pretty since the layers were kind of lopsided, but tasty none the less!

week #3 - meatloaf muffins with Sweet Potato frosting

Meatloaf. It's one of those things that every family makes differently. I love the recipe I use but I know others who don't. So here is the recipe for the way I make it. the only thing I did differently this time was the presentation.
Meatloaf
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 slightly beaten egg *
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk *
1/4 cup Heinz 57 Sauce
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Mix well together.
Then I sprayed a muffin tin with cooking spray and put the meatloaf in there (it made 9 muffins). Baked at 350 for 30 minutes.
*since I am taking part in a 6 week boot camp challenege I used skim milk and egg substitute

I topped each "muffin" with mashed sweet potatoes. Served with brocoli
Ryan declared this the best dinner ever and ate 2 servings!

Edited to add a picture:

Joey is one finger old!

That is how Ryan counts ages!

On 6:24am yesterday Joey officially entered the world of toddler-hood. Of course he has been walking since November but we are talking semantics here!

Joey on January 11, 2008:

Joey on January 11, 2009:

He is a total "blankie" baby and has a crocheted bunny/blanket that he sleeps with (and occasionally leaves at church!). In Homage to bunny I made him a bunny shaped cake:

Joey with Bunny and the cake

I made cut outs and spelled out "Happy Birthday Joey" with them as well as some carrot shaped ones with the remaining dough. Everyone seemed to like it!

Week #2 reults

10 out of 10!!! Everyone ate it and loved it!
I used a 1/2 a box of these thin Hungarian noodles that my MIL gave us. They were a nice touch
We ate it for dinner Friday, lunch Saturday, and I have a meal worth in the freezer.

Week #2 - beef veggie soup

I'll have to post the results of this later but I threw this together last night
1 lb ground beef cooked
1/2 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 box of beef broth
1 & 1/2 cup water
1/2 red wine
1 can petite diced tomatoes
carrots
celery
soup pasta

I cooked the beef with the onion and garlic and added it to the
broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, and celery. Also, I use organic carrots. Normally I don't buy organic produce because I just can't afford it but for some reason the carrots are just better. And really not that much more expensive.
Tonight I plan on simmering it and adding the pasta. We will have some bread with it to - YUM!
The kids love soup and actually eat the veggies in them usually.
Result to follow.....

Week #1 recipe - Coconut Chicken fingers

I originally saw this recipe in Parents or Parenting magazine but I couldn't find the magazine when I wanted it (most likely it was sacrificed to one of Ryan's many art projects). I used this one from
Allrecipes:

INGREDIENTS
1 cup BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves , cut into 1-inch strips
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 cup apricot preserves (optional)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (optional)



DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix coconut, flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in medium bowl. Dip chicken strips into egg, then coat with coconut mixture. Place in a shallow baking pan. Drizzle with melted butter.
Bake 25 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through, turning once. Serve with Apricot Dipping Sauce, if desired.
Apricot Dipping Sauce: Mix 1 cup apricot preserves and 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard until well blended.

So here is what I did differently:
I didn't use garlic powder because I didn't have any
I used spray butter instead of melted butter to cut some fat and calories
I put them under the broiler for, well, too long actually, in an effort to make them crispy!
My review:
They were okay if I had:
1. Used enough butter to totally coat the chicken fingers
2. Not burned them under the broiler - 5 minutes on high was too long! Maybe 2 minutes next time.
They were easy to make, and tasty - I didn't make the sauce, we just used BBQ sauce (and the kids used ketchup). Joey ate them (but he eats everything), Ryan ate them (YAY), and Rachel picked the coconut off and ate the chicken! I served them with tater tots and butternut squash (since it is the only veggie all 3 kids universally will eat!)
Will I make them again? Probably, but I'll use more butter and try not to singe them this time!!!
So on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = the dog won't even touch it and 10 = everyone had seconds!) I'd give them a 6

2008 in pictures

A photo review of the last 12 months....

January

Joseph Robert was born at 6:24am on January 11th. After only 2 hours of labor (woohoo!)

February

It was cold. We had a new baby. We didn't leave the house much... Oh and Rachel took her first steps!

March

Easter - it was so cold that day

April

Joey was baptized!

May

Warm weather!

June

Rhode Island for Rob's GREAT-Grandma's 100th birthday celebration!

July

Ryan went to Vacation Bible School for the first year

August

Joey and I went to Denver for a wedding!

September

Ryan started school

October

Halloween!

November

We are so thankful for our family

December

No words necessary!

It was hard to pick just one picture from each month since many months contained multiple exciting events! At any rate, it was interesting to watch the kids get bigger as the post got longer and longer! Happy new year to everyone!

YEAR in review and new blog content!

So I haven't posted since July!!! Sorry! We've been busy, but here is the Cliff Note version of the second half of 2008
August: lots of fun summer activities!
September: Ryan started school, we went to Myrtle Beach, and our nanny quit!
October: Ryan turned 4, Rachel no longer qualified for speech, Joey was 9 months old!, our new nanny started
November: Rachel finished music class (which she loved), we had a lovely Thanksgiving
December: Ryan's first holiday concert, first snow day and the biggest Christmas to date!
I'll post a photo review of 2008 later, but I am changing my blog!!!
I have decided that in 2009 I am not making resolutions, just goals (yes I know, semantics!). Anyway, I will be using my log to track my goals for the year so here they are....
1. Try a new (hopefully family friendly) recipe each week
I will post the recipe, source (where possible) and review on the blog each week. This ensures at least 52 entries right?
2. The standard weight loss
Honestly I don't want to whine about it but I will keep my weight loss ticker on here for my own records
3. Organize my house
Top to bottom, every room.... This comes from the fact that we had a fleeting chance to buy a new house but, in addition to the market sucking for us to sell ours, we couldn't even fathom cleaning it all out! I'll be starting with the attic this weekend and need to have the attic and basement done by the next weepeats sale (which I think is April)

So those are the 3 biggies that I will be blogging about. Except gratuitous kid pictures as well (they are so darn cute!). I guess that is about it for now!!!

Week in review

It has been one of those insanely, crazy busy weeks! I am so glad I have nothing planned for the weekend!
Monday
Monday morning Nanny K started. She was on time, eager and excited to start working for us! Rachel, however, was less than enthused about her presence. She cried a bit when I left but I thought it was because I had Ryan with me and she was jealous that she had to stay home (it wasn't since she cried Tuesday as well).
Ryan started Vacation Bible School on Monday. We chose to send him to my in laws church because it is a great program and my MIL was dying to have him go (and offered to help get him there and back, etc). I opted to take him on his first day:

First day!
So we drive the 15-20 minutes out there without incident (or a ton of traffic) and we are stopped waiting to make a left into the parking lot and the guy behind us apaprently didn't see us and plowed right into the back of the van! Thankfully we were all okay (as was the other driver). Ryan was funny - when he asked what happened and I told him her shouted "maniac!" about the other driver! He says that my Uncle (who takes the kids out frequently) calls other drivers that :)
So after all the insurance exchange, etc. it turns out the other driver does not have a valid license! Oops for him! Thankfully the car was insured and we have taken care of filing the claim, etc.
I spent a better part of the morning trying to find an ambulance or fire station that had a car seat tech working to check out the seats, but I was unsuccessful in such a venture. Since the seats did not meet the criteria for needing to be replaced after an accident, and they need to be taken out anyway when we get the rental, I just checked them out myself (tightened some straps but otherwise they are fine).
Also on Monday I decided that I should really see a doctor for my ankle. You see, 2 weeks ago I slipped outside Rob's restuarant (it was rainign really hard!) and fell. Thought my ankle was broken but I was able to walk on it so I assumed it wasn't and just hobbled around for 2 weeks....
yeah, so it is broken! Thankfully it is not a displaced fractured and they gave me a brace which really helps it feel better. I am supposed to wear that for 2 weeks and then go back.
After Monday the rest of the week was uneventful! Ryan stayed with my in laws Monday night so they could take him to VBS Tuesday. he stayed with my sister Tuesday night so she could take him Wednesday. We took the opprotunity to go out with just the 2 littlest kids and had ice cream!

The rest of the week with the nanny was successful! She seems to enjoy her job, the kids like her. They play outside, she makes them nice meals, they nap and only watch a few minutes of tv (sadly much less than when I am home!). she is on vacation next week but Rob is all closes so we are okay in the childcare area.
Tonight is Ryan's VBS concert! I am so excited to see my little guy in action. He has informed me that he is going to sing "Scooby Doo" instead of whatever his class is performing! Well there has to be that kid huh?

just adding....

for my records since I already posted about Joey's visit to the pediatrician
Rachel went for an (uneventful) 2 year visit!
she is 33 inches and 22.4 pounds (25th for height and 10th for weight). No physical concerns and.... NO DEVELOPMENTAL CONCERNS!!!!! This is the very first well child visit she has had that hasn't ended with a specialist or a visit from Early Intervention - HOORAY!!!

A year ago, a year from now....

Got this from Giselle...
One year ago... I had an almost 3 year old who had just potty trained and thrown up for the very first time (in my car, spaghetti-os - a scene I'll not soon forget!).
I also had a just one year old! She was getting physical therapy once a week and had just learned to sit! Funny how her unborn brother has mastered that skill almost exactly one year later!
I was14 weeks pregnant with the baby "we didn't know we wanted but can't imagine life without". Still thought he was going to be our second daughter, our Reese Marie! I was just starting to show

Rob was getting ready to open the restuarant and was very excited about the possibility of advancement there (HA!)

One year from now...
Ryan will be preparing for Kindergarden!!! This should be no big deal since he is going to full day pre-K on a bus this year, but it is in my mind!
Rachel will be 3!!! She will have no therapy as she is almost done with her speech ad her other issues seem to have resolved themselves enough that we seem to be escapting any OT. She will hopefully be potty trained! Maybe have enough hair for a real pony tail?

Joey will be 18 months! A real walking, talking toddler! Now the real fun begins!
Rob will probably still be at the same job and hopefully happier. I'll be at the same job but hopefully only working 4 days! Same house, same cars. We are boring people!

Joseph

What an amazing little guy he is!!
Last Friday was his half birthday! 6 whole months old (which also means that 2008 is half over already!)
As of Monday he weighed 15 pounds even. He is somewhere between 23 3/4 inches and 25 inches (the nurse got 24 1/2, the doc got 25 and I got 23 1/4 this morning!). Picture of health but a lousy sleeper! He still wakes to eat 2 times a night. UGH! The pediatrician says he is probably just too distracted to eat more during the day and he gets the calories he needs at night (he must since he is almost 3 pounds bigger than he was 2 months ago).
He is a developmental wonderkid! He can conbat crawl, rock on his hands and knees, and as of Monday evening sit himself up!
He loves to laugh - mostly at his big siblings who just crack him up!
He loves to eat - we have yet to find something he didn't like
and he loves to snuggle with mommy!

10 quirky things about me....

in response to Kara's post:
1. I get the willies from styrofoam. If something is packed in styrofoam I wanted to cringe when I have to open it!
2. I hate to look at unpainted or chipped toe nails! Seriously, I feel like if you don't have a good polish job please cover them up! They look naked to me
3. I can't combine food. I eat all of one thing at a time on my plate. I even rotate my plate as I am eating
4. I used to suck my hair when I was a kid. It is so disgusting to think about now but I did it.
5. I can't use tampons. They skeeve me out big time!
6. I can't sleep touching or facing anyone. I literally cling to the edge of the bed
7. I count stairs as I am going up or down them (in my head only!)
8. I can not sit still and talk on the phone. I need to be walking around - my ex bought me a thingy that could turn your cordless phone into a headset. It was dorky but I loved it
9. I never thought this was weird but my sister says it is - I wash my hair last in the shower
10. Not sure if this is quirky or just my wacky sense of humor but I LOVE to introduce my husband as "my first husband, Rob". He is my first and my only :)

Early Evening Gown GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

Early Evening Gown GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!
ahhhh, like a fairy princess....

Ice Cream Social Frock Giveaway!!!!

Check this out: Ice Cream Social Frock Giveaway!!!!
I sooo want this!!!

Rachelisms

I feel like I do a lot of talking about her these days but she is just so darn funny!!!
This morning she was hanging out with me while I put my makeup on and then she disappeared. I didn't think anything of it until I went downstairs and she was standing in front of Joey in his excersaucer putting purple eye shadow all over his face! He was laughing of course! Oh, she also made up herself and would not let me wash it off! "MY make-up" she said. Whatever, angel....
In addition to today's make up she has colored Joey with a blue crayon and when I asked her if she did it she said "yep" and when I asked her with what she got me the crayon! She has also attempted to make him look like a member of KISS by drawing what appeared to be a star around his eye with a marker! (My husband will be sad to hear that I can not recall who it is with the star around his eye - Paul Stanley perhaps?)
Ryan was taunting her at the table Saturday night by calling her a baby and apparently she had enough! She stood up in her booster seat (why oh why does she do that???) and yelled at him "I not baby!". You go girl....
Her current phrases - phrases, yes! At 18 months she said 4 words, at 2 she is using sentences:
"what doing?"
"Who here" said in response to the dog barking
"No Nico MINE!" said anytime the dog looks in her general direction
"Why _____ (insert Ya-yan, Doey, etc) fryin'(crying)?"
She sings "Scooby Doo" and "Where is My Hairbrush" all the time. Such a sweet voice!

It's the little things....

Over the weekend I had the kids at the playground. Rachel was going down the little slide that she loves so much and then tentatively tried the big twirly slide. I let her being that incredibly brave soul that I am and she did it! For over an hour - up the steps and down the slide, up and down. Another mother asked me how old she was and when I said 2 she replied "Oh, she's very advanced!"
ADVANCED! Rachel! After 14 months of PT, being labeled as "severely delayed" in her motor skill development, heck at one point there was even talk of her having cerebral palsy!!! And now? Someone thinks she is advanced! Just to have her be normal made me teary!!!

So many new and exciting things...

Recently we decided to make a change in our daycare situation. As much as we loved our current DCP there were a couple of things that were less than fantastic about the situation. Coupled with the ungodly amount of time I spent getting everyone ready each morning and out the door and then back home again AND the fact that Ryan will be in Pre-K this fall (and that is a post for another time!) we decided to hire a nanny!
I had thought a lot about this but I never thought Rob would agree to it but he did!
I ran an ad on Craigslist and got 10 responses! 8 were legit, 5 worth meeting and 2 that I really liked. We chose to go with the younger, less experienced girl because she was very enthusiastic and the kids seemed to like her.
Now, with only 2 weeks left until she starts, I am very nervous! What if it doesn't work? What if she can't handle the kids (hell, there are days I can barely handle them!!!). UGh, it's just worry worry worry with me I guess....