I can bake too, ya know

Scot has been on a "cookie kick" here lately. He's almost ate all of the ones that we bought from the grocery store, so I decided to find a recipes to make. After reviewing A LOT of recipes I realized I have one stick of margarine, and most recipes call for a cup (2 sticks) of butter. CRAP. I kept looking and came across a cake mix cookie recipe. This was perfect because I had two boxes of cake mix in my pantry that I had no idea what to do with. So without further ado, I give you Cake Mix Cookies (a step by step recipe with pictures):

Cake Mix Cookies

what you need:

Any box of cake mix (I used Pineapple)
2 eggs
1/2 cup of oil

*preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

This is what it looks like once you've mixed it.

Make small balls of dough from a teaspoon. Don't make them too big because they spread while baking.

*I rolled some of mine in sweetend coconut.

*Bake for 10 mins exactly. They are perfect and chewy!!

Tada, they're done!!!!

So I was feeling crafty

If you don't know, I am a pretty creative person. I love scrapbooking, painting, drawing, photography, and the list goes on and on. My latest obsession has been sewing. I bought a sewing machine (as I stated a while back in a post) and I'm finally able to use it. I love it. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

Here are a few things that I have made...mostly baby related. ENJOY!

6x6 2 ply flannel cloth wipe

Terry Cloth and Flannel Burp Cloth

"Animal love" Cotton Burp Cloth

Paisley John Deer Cotton Burp Cloth

Terry Cloth and Cotton burp Cloth

RIP swing and a lot of other mumbo jumbo

The swing that I so lovingly talked about a few posts back, died yesterday. I knew I'd have to change the batteries soon because it was moving kind of slow, but Marlee has only used it for about 3 weeks now! We replaced the batteries and it stood there...not swining...completely still. GREAT! So I made Scot go get a new one. Had I thought the idea through I would have gone myself. What did he come back with? A Winnie the Pooh swing.

Ok, I like Winnie the Pooh. It's cute, kids like it. But I personally don't want to decorate my house with Winnie the Pooh items. Putting that aside, the swing came with a plug, YES!!!!! No more batteries (even though we bought a huge pack of C batteries). Scot put it together and Marlee loved it.

Please don't let that face mislead you!

We are on day three of the harness. So far so good! She is still able to kick her legs out (which she does very often). AND I can put a blanket on her at night and it stays in the exact same position the whole 8 hours that she sleeps. HAHA! Last night was her first night of freedom. She gets 30 mins a day to be out of the harness. We used this time last night for a bath and a harness-free feeding. I was putting babyoil on her back and couldn't resist getting Scot to snap these pictures!

These actually take me back to my infant stage, I had so many booty pictures taken! Even looking at these I am overwhelmed with love for her!

Last night after Marlee went to bed I attempted my first project on my sewing machine. It was interesting to say the least. I attempted baby tights made from an old stretchy t-shirt. This project was very much trial an error because this was the firsrt time I've sewed in my life! It is not perfect, there are a few holes, and a I ran out of thread in the end. Here it is:

                                     

I'll continue to perfect it. They turned out kind of cute, don't you think?!

Here are a few pics I've snapped, enjoy!

A hormonal basket case?

Yes I am. I figured by now I'd be back to normal. This seems silly to me because it's been three months. After giving birth to Marlee I was a little emotional because she was in the NICU and not home with us. The first day home I completely over did it. I felt great, only minor pain down below, and I went to Walmart and Target to return a few gifts. By the time I got home I whole heartedly regreted my decision. In pain or not I wanted to be at the hospital with my baby. Scot had other plans, he said I needed to stay at home and rest. This devestated me. Marlee needed me, I needed to be there for her. I cried for hours, I didn't want to cry, but I couldn't stop.

Once she came home I was completely happy, no more crying. As time has passed I feel like I've become more emotional. I feel like I cannot protect my daughter now that she is out in the world. We have already gone through so much with her. Our adventure at the Scottish Rite hospital has really put a spin on my emotions. Taken it over the top, I think.

I cry while I feed her. I look at her and I am so overwhelmed with emotions for this beautiful little girl. Emotions I have never felt in my life. I hurt for people I know or don't know who have lost a child. I cannot imagine their pain.

Maybe it's my hormones still trying to settle, or maybe it's Aunt Flo's fault!

I still crave cereal

It's true, I still get up super late at night (around 3-5 am) and eat a bowl of cereal. This was my nightly ritual in the last 4 months of pregnancy. The difference between then an now is that I was completely happy with my big baby bump and body, and now my body is a complete WRECK.

I have never had a perfect body, ever. But I have always been confident in the way I look. While I was pregnant, I had never felt better. I was so happy with myself and the life inside of me. It dawned on me once or twice how my body would change afterwards, but I didn't dwell on it.

Instead of gaining during my pregnancy, I lost weight. 22 pounds to be exact. I gained a total of 11 pounds and 13 pounds of fluid in the last week before delivery (yes I was a balloon by 36 weeks). As soon as I delivered I was 20 pounds lighter. 5.12 pounds was Marlee, the rest was afterbirth and fluid. By 3 weeks I had lost 25 more pounds! I honestly felt good. I had a perfect little bundle of joy and lost more weight than I had expected.

Now I am at a stand still. I have not gained or lost, I'm stuck. I am completely unhappy with myself. I was put on Loestrin 24 by my doctor and it has wrecked my face. I have broken out on my chin constantly. I don't even want to look at myself in the mirror because when I do I cringe. I see disgusting acne. I have NEVER in my 24 years had this problem. Yes, I've had the occassional zit, but never anything like this.

Not only am I breaking out constantly, but my hair is falling out...EVERYWHERE. Oh and I have gray hairs. I'm serious, I have gray hairs. I can only the see the ones in the front, I don't even want to see the back of my head!

I am only 3 months post partum and I have heard it takes 9 months to get your body and hormones back to normal. I want it to hurry up and happen. I am tired of feeling ugly and thinking my fiance finds me unattractive. It's hurting our relationship! I need my confidence back!

my little froggy

We have been waiting for this day for a few weeks now. The Scottish Rite Hospital for Children has loomed in my thoughts since we found out Marlee's left hip has slight dysplasia. Now I want you to know, going into this I figured Marlee was completely fine and would need no treatment. I mean she's my child and utterly perfect. And the fact that we have been through a lot with this kid made me wish this even more.

Of course, we never get our way. We spent a total of three hours at the hospital. First we saw a resident who was extremely tall and definitely didn't lack in the "good looking" department...seriously he gives a good name to doctors! He acessed Marlee's hips and she was, of course, stubborn as could be. So to make absolutely sure what they were working with, he ordered an ultrasound.

An ultrasound was nothing new for us. The hospital, however, was and we got lost. After we finally found where we were going we went into an ultrasound room with a tech who's name slips my mind. As she started the ultrasound her phone rang. "Sure go ahead and answer it" BIG MISTAKE! That opened up the flood gates to her personal life to which I didn't care. She proceeded to tell me her son was in private school and she couldn't afford it because her husband of 25 years left her for a stripper, YES A STRIPPER. This lasted for a good 30 mins. Finally it was over and we were sent back to our room.

We were then greated by her doctor, Dr. Hering. He's an older man and definitely looks and sounds like he knows what he's talking about. He was followed by the tall handsome resident and another younger doctor who's name was Nick (he was a cutie too!). Dr. Hering said, "Marlee has an abnormality in her left hip that has the ability to easily slip out of socket. We will put her in a harness for 6 weeks. This treatment is 99% effective and we're expecting great results." My heart sank. While I was happy for the treatment and its effectiveness, I was sad to put Marlee through this. I know the routine all too well because my hips were out of socket when I was born. I went through the same ordeal only earlier in life.

A nurse and Dr. Nick showed me how to put the harness on her. She has to wear it for 23.5 hours a day. She gets 30 minutes of freedom a day. Every other day that 30 mins will go toward either her evening bath or tummy/freedom time. I pray that the next 6 weeks fly by for Marlee's sake!

Aside from our adventure today, my little stinker is 14 weeks old. Can you believe it?! She is growing so big and smiles all the time. She absolutely makes my day everyday. I love being a mom.

Spring is here!

As I write this, it's storming outside. Our first spring storm is upon us!!! Although In love winter, spring is my second favorite season. I enjoy the storms, especially the severe ones. There is something about a severe thunderstorm that gets your adrenaline going!

The past two days have been great. Yesterday we went to lunch with Scot's Dad. I don't look forward to our meetings. This might sound mean, but there is something about Scot's dad that rubs me the wrong way. Have you ever met that guy (old or young) who knows it all? Not only does he know it all, but you know nothing and he lets you know that. He has done and seen everything. If I ask a question or throw in some input he is quick to disagree or make me feel stupid. I now know where Scot gets it from. We have had many fights over the way he [Scot] reacts to my questions or comments. Infact when we are around his dad, I feel that Scot's attitude changes for the worse. It is very aggravating, but I tend to ignore it.

Aside from his dad's attitude we had a fairly good afternoon. At 5 I went to Kristin's to babysit Tanner and Grace. I brought Marlee along so they could finally meet her. They were amazed at how little she was. I don't think they understood why she wasn't their size! They "oooed and awwwed" for a while and Grace was very into helping and telling me that Marlee was hungry. I finally got home around 9:15, needless to say it was a long night. And to add to it, Marlee was incredibly cranky last night. She fell asleep in her swing and slept all night in her crib. She's such a big girl!

I babysat again today until 2 o'clock. Afterwards we went to Kid-to-Kid. I have been there once before to buy some bows, but haven't ever looked at their clothes selection. I found A LOT of stuff, but selected 4 things and only spent 11 dollars!!

Scot is a big Aggies fan, so when I found the Gig'Em onesie I had to get it. Lucky for me it was only $2.50! I figured it would make Scot's day if she wore it, so when we got home he was napping and I slipped it on her and we went to wake him up. He loved it! Except the ruffles; he seems to think girls don't need ruffles. I BEG TO DIFFER!

Dear swing, I love you

Marlee has absolutely hated her swing from day one. I could understand, it's nothing fancy and very boring (in my opinion). When picking out a swing the first quality I wanted was cozy. I figured the baby would be spending quite a bit of time in there. The second quality was cute, I'm a woman what do you expect?! After finding out Marlee was a girl all I thought was GIRLY! I very much regret this because she hated her swing...until now. It seems she's grow into it and has taken quite a liking to it.

Last night Marlee was having an "off" night. She was exhausted and fighting it whole heartedly. She screamed for about an hour before I set her in the swing. I prayed for silence and sleep. As soon as I pressed 4 and the swing started, she was quiet (beat that, paci!). Three mins later she was out. I picked her up, put her in her crib, and she didn't wake up until 6:30 this morning. Thank you swing, for doing your job!

While we're on the subject of jobs, Scot is now working 4-8's since the time changed. This means I won't see him all day, unless we get lucky and someone cancels a job. The good thing: more money (to spend on diapers, formula, clothes, and bows!

A few days ago I did a DIY Easter photo session with Marlee. They turned out wonderfully! I am going to send out cards to family and friends for Easter. Here are a few of them.

I just love this little girl!

a late update and Marlee turns 3 months

I'm a few days late...please forgive me!

Marlee has done so well in her crib. I thought that this whole experience might be hard on us both. I really didn't know how she would react to not being close to us during the night. Quite honestly I don't think she knows the difference! While this makes me happy I am also sad that my little girl is growing up and becoming independent (even if she doesn't know it) and sleeping on her own. As I have said before, I love having her so close to me!

Today Marlee turned 3 months old. UNBELIEVABLE!!! It doesn't feel like this journey has already been 3 months long. I am so excited to see my little girl grow! She is becoming so fun!

HAPPY 3 MONTH BIRTHDAY MARLEE ADDISYN!!

Follow up to Day two

Once again yesterday went with out a hitch. I am thinking that Marlee is comfortable sleeping in her room. She slept all night and woke up at 6:00 this morning. I slept a little better than the first night. I find myself always listening and waiting for her to make a noise. Hopefully this will pass and I will be able to get a better nights sleep.

Yesterday I decided that I would like to use cloth diapers, or at least try them out. While I was pregnant I had thought about this. The first word that came to mind was "EW". Now when I think about using cloth diapers the first words that come to mind are "SAVING MONEY". Everyone tells you how many diapers you will be buying, but I don't think you realize until you've just bought a new pack of diapers, and you need to buy a new one a few days later.

Buying bulk would be an option, but we are still spending money on something we are ultimately throwing away! I am trying to research a few brands and read reviews. So far I think BumGenius and Fuzzi Buns look promising. I'm going to buy one of each and see how they work and then go from there. I am so excited to take this cloth journey! Not only will we be helping the Earth, but we'll also be helping out our wallets!

Follow up to Day one & the start of Day two in the crib

Yesterday's attempt at Marlee sleeping in her crib was a success. It took her around 30 mins to fall asleep, and she slept for almost 2 hours. Had she had a few more naps yesterday I don't think she would have freaked out on Scot last night. Fussy time has reared it's ugly head, again.

We started with our normal night time routine: bath, bedtime lotion, 5 oz bottle (she's eating more than 3-4 oz!) and a paci in the mouth. I laid her down in her crib, turned on her seahorse, radio, and fan. She was out before I left the room!

I couldn't help but stare at her as I left. My once 5 lb 12 oz baby is now an 11 lb 8 oz almost 3 month old!!!!Where does the time go? She is such a beautiful baby, and growing so well. I feel so blessed!

Marlee slept a whopping 8 hours last night! I on the other hand slept off and on thinking she was crying. She didn't cry once last night! Had I not woken her up, she would have slept longer. I thought I heard her moving around on the monitor so I went to the kitchen to make her a bottle. I went into her room and she was still snoozing! I decided to go ahead and wake her up, change her, feed her, and put her down for a nap.

This morning after tummy time (I got to finish her laundry!) Marlee was really cranky and possibly over stimulated. I put her down in her paci and turned on her seahorse, and what do you know...out like a light!! I'm going to have to stock up on AA batteries!!!

The only glitch during nap time is the PACI. I have to continuously reinsert it!

Transitioning to the crib: Day One

I have been meaning to transition Marlee to her crib for, lets say......a few weeks now! I really enjoy Marlee being in our room. I like the closeness of her sleeping in her bassinet. I like knowing I can walk a few feet away and there she is. Having said that, rule number one while I was pregnant was after Marlee was 3 months old she couldn't sleep in our room anymore. Scot and I were both adamant about this because it can cause bad habits, and we both want Marlee to be independant and enjoy her own room.

After Scot asking several times when I am going to transition her into her crib, I have finally decided it's time. It is currently nap time and Marlee's first attempt at sleeping in the crib. I set her in her sleep positioner on her side, turned on the radio to KISS FM, and turned on her seahorse. I have been in there twice to replace her paci two times since 12:53...it's 1:08! I am not looking for instant results (although that would be nice!), I know this is a work in progess.

Aside from the transition, Marlee is 12 weeks old today. It's unbelieveable that it's been that long since giving birth. I feels like yesterday that I first held her slimey little body. Now she is becoming her own person and developing such a personality. I love her so much!!!

Happy 12 weeks Marlee Addisyn!!!

ugh!!!

Since Marlee was born I feel like we have been to the doctor every week. Marlee was in the NICU for 6 days due to being 4 weeks premature and having lung issues. She was alsol born with a skin tag on the right side of her face near her ear, which was removed around 1 month. Then it was jaundice, we struggled with that for almost 3 weeks. I don't know how many follow up appointments we went to, but it was beyond enough. After jaundice it was an umbilical hernia and possible hip dysplasia. We went to get Xrays and an ultrasound on two different occassions. Two weeks later we get a call that her hips are fine...WONDERFUL!!! During the hip issues Marlee got clogged tear ducts. A week and 2 days later we go back for a follow up appointment and find out the medical assistant that called and gave us the good news about her hips READ THE DIAGNOSIS WRONG. She has hip displasia in her left hip and we are now being referred to the Scottish Rite hospital in Dallas.


Will it ever end? I feel it's like one thing after another.

And if that's not enough, our cat Chloe has a puncture wound in his nose. We took him to the vet yesterday and he is on a round of antibiotics. I am going back today to get more. He will not eat or drink, it makes me so sad. Keep all of us in your prayers, PLEASE.

What a weekend!

What busy bees we have been since Friday. Marle, Lora, and I went out to Little Elm to see Candace and Carter. He is absolutely precious. We ended up going to a mexican restaurant called Cristina's. All I have to say is DELICIOUS. It as nice being able to be with old friends and talk!

Saturday was Logan's birthday party. Emily was running a little behind so Marlee and I went to Kid to Kid to buy some bows. I found the cutest flower and headband. Obviously I had to buy it. It made me realize what my headbands were missing. It's supposed to be pulled together in the middle. So Once I find the time I am going to take some ribbon and finish the headbands.

And since we are on the topic of headbands! I bought Marlee quite a bit of stuff (for only $13!) from http://www.girlscrochetheadbands.com/ and I am so excited to recieve this package! I order a few flower clips and some colored headbands so we have a wider range of choices. I suggest checking it out if you have a little girl!

Back to the birthday party...it was so much fun. It was hosted at this place in Colin Creek Mall called Amazing Jakes. I have never in my life seen such a place. it was $8 for all you can eat buffet, which consisted of pizza, salad, baked potatoes, pasta, soup, all sorts of deserts and beverages (even alocholic if that's your thing). All of the kids got unlimited games. They have a rock wall, miniture golf, and lazer tag and games galoure. The kids LOVED it. Once Marlee is older, I think we will have a birthday or two there, it's 10 times better than Chuck-E-Cheese.

After the birthday party Emily came over and we went to Hancock fabric and Joann's. We got some great deals. We bought Butterick patters 4 for $5! You cannot beat that when each pattern was normally $15.95. Emily picked out several diaper bag patterns and some purse patterns. I found some fabric to sew onto burp cloths for baby gifts. I am so excited to start this project. Here is the fabric.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

He loves me!!

Yesterday afternoon Scot surprised me with flowers and a very sweet card. I was absolutely surprised. He doesn't do this often, nor do I think he should, but when he does it melts my heart! I love him more and more everyday.

Today I decided to try to get some Easter shots on my own. Marlee did not want to cooperate what-so-ever. I got a few cute shots but I'll have to try again another day when she isn't cranky. Here are a few that I caught.

This one is edited with a colored focal point

This is the same shot edited with a glow.

I added a few shadows and a fill light. She isn't very happy here!

Marlee had her ultrasound today, I am hoping to get her results back with in the next couple of days. She did really well, she didn't cry once!!

After the ultrasound we went to eat at Mexican Inn with Emily. It was SO GOOD. It's been so long since I've had it. Emily enjoyed herself too. As we all know being pregnant makes food tastes oooh sooo good.

On another note I am very ready to start planning our wedding. The date is set; September 10, 2011. I'm excited to get this ball on a roll. Theknot.com here I come!

and the verdict is.....

clogged tear ducts. At Marlee's 2 month checkup her pediatrician told us to get a humidifier for her congestion and nose. Well it just so happens that this is what caused her tear ducts to clog...wonderful. You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't!!!

I am supposed to massage her ducts 4 times a day and use some drops that he prescribed incase it isn't clogged ducts. I'm glad we're on the way to recovery haha.

Ultrasound tomorrow, wish us luck!

I'm all about crafts!

Today I finally made Marlee an Easter tutu. It turned out great! And it was super easy to make, just very repetitive and time consuming. It took me about 5 hrs to complete between feedings. Here are the finished results.

I also ordered a sewing machine from walmart.com because they didn't have it in stock at any of the local stores. I cannot wait to get that in the mail! I have a lot of projects I want to do on it.

Aside from the crafts, Marlee has a doctors appointment tomorrow for her eye. Since wednesday her eyes have been watering and the right one is gooping up. Hopefully it's nothing! And on wednesday morning she has an ultrasound for her hips to make absolutely for sure nothing is wrong with them. Please keep her in your prayers!

Last but not least, while feeding my princess this evening she was having a smile fest. Here is some proof!