Moving Day!

Same blog.

New location.

I had mentioned not being completely satisfied with my blog for multiple reasons, so to fix it I have decided to switch servers. WordPress offers a lot more - I can reply to comments, more professional layout, and it allows readers to subscribe and be updated via email when I add a new post. All of the content has also been transfered as well, so you don't have to worry about losing all of those cute pictures! I think this will be a lot better for everyone! Sorry for any inconvenience it may cause. 

If the link does not work, the web address for the new blog is: http://heartofpassion.wordpress.com/

Officially in Print

Look who made the newspaper!

She gets cuter and cuter every day! It is impossible for me to believe that she is already four weeks old. Also that it is already December! November seems to have just disappeared. On Friday, Elly will officially be one month old. Crazy. I am so glad (and lucky) that I am getting a chance to be a stay-at-home mom and spend so much time with her... watching her as she learns and develops.

On Tuesday she got her first real "big girl" bath in her baby tub. Her cord fell off a few weeks ago, but Brent wanted to be here for her first real bath so I had just continued with sponge baths until we could give her a bath together. She hated it.

 ....but she survived and we survived! Plus you can really tell she is starting to get a belly! and pinchable cheeks. So cute!

We are doing great with getting her into a routine. She was awake almost all day yesterday and slept almost all night. She wakes herself up every 2-3 hours to feed, but she puts herself right back to sleep afterward. This is really helping Brent and I catch up on some much needed rest. As far as her being fussy and awake, we have determined that caffeine is the culprit and that her little body cannot handle it, so I have to give that up until I am done breastfeeding... or until she gains a few more pounds.  That's okay, she's worth it! She has also been sucking on her thumb more, rather than just trying to eat her entire fist. Her facial expressions are still cute as ever and we are noticing a lot more smiles (and seeing lots of her tongue)! She is learning and developing so well, we are so proud of her!

big beautiful eyes!

Yesterday we had a home visit from one of our lactation consultants (we see two, but they both work together). She said everything is going great! She watched a feeding session and was impressed with how well Elly latched and stayed focused. She also said that I could back off on the pumping, doing it only a few times a day rather than after every feeding! Great news for me.

Today we have a meeting with our registered dietician. Since Elly had a low birth weight she wants to track my diet to make sure I'm getting enough of the nutrients that Elly needs to grow properly. I don't think we have an issue, but it will be good to make sure. Elly will also get weighed while we are there... Brent and are I thinking she is over 5 pounds.... we'll see!

Brent is off today, so after our appointment we plan on finishing the decorating! and probably watching ELF!

Blog Business

It's December!!!
It's snowing!!!
Elly is FOUR weeks old!!!

Where is the time going?

We are still in the process of decorating for Christmas. Between Brent's work schedule, Elly's eating schedule, and me not being able to do much or lift anything the decorating has been drawn out and we still haven't finished. However, it is starting to look like Christmas in our apartment and I am loving it. Pictures coming soon, I promise!

I am in the process of overhauling the blog. I am still not quite satisfied with the layout or the colors. I would love to have a picture banner at the top but have yet to get one that I think works well, so I am trying to design my own. Please bare with me over the next week or so as I try and work out the kinks and get my blog looking perfect. There will probably be lots of background and color changes, but the content is still here and the pictures will keep coming.

I am also going to try and keep my posts consistent and get at least one post up a day - this could be a recipe, a new food we've tried, updates about Elly or the family, random stories, or maybe just a picture or two... whatever the case, expect at least one post per day (sometimes you may get more!)

If you haven't noticed, I am also adding tabs to the top of the page. I have a lot of readers from all over the world - met through online communities and pregnancy groups, so not everyone knows about me or the people I write about on a daily basis. I have also included a "recipes" tab since part of this blog is also dedicated to my passion for cooking and baking and several people have expressed interest in my recipes... so hopefully combining them all onto one page will make them easier to access.

Comments are always welcome! Unfortunately, I have not figured out how to reply directly to comments, so if you leave a comment I will most likely reply through e-mail.

I have a great update planned for you later... including lots of pictures!

That Time of the Year

It is officially "that time of the year".

This Christmas season, Brent is management in a retail store - that means longer days, more hours, and less time off. It's worth it because he is the only one working right  now, but it also means less family time. We are adjusting and rolling with it, but that doesn't make it less hard. At least he loves his job and the people he works with... that makes it much better for all of us. Plus, his co-workers are always receptive of my baked goods and it is about time for Christmas cookies!

Christmas aside for just a minute, this is what made my morning:

These two are my world! I love them both more than anything. :)

Unfortunately I had to wake them both up from their nap... things needed to get done.

 Time to decorate!!!!

Good Morning!

We love her! She has such a great personality, I really hope nothing ever changes that. Brent and I have also decided that her little noises make her sound really constipated, but trust us... she is not! Hopefully we can get some cute little "coo"'s soon. 

Everything else is fabulous! She is starting to have more awake time during the day and she is sleeping better at night, only waking up every two to three hours to feed. We are noticing more smiles, which are adorable as always. She is showing more interest in raising her head and wigggling around during tummy time. She still hardly ever fusses, unless she is hungry. I would say we got very lucky, and that we have the best baby ever. 

Or maybe I'm just a little biased. 

She has started wearing some newborn clothes. Preemie stuff still fits her, it's just getting tight in the legs (which seem to grow longer and longer everyday)... and the newborn stuff is still very baggy and loose in the arms and tummy area, so she is at the in-between stage. Either way, I consider it a milestone!

We have noticed that she is getting a very mild case of cradle cap, but it does not seem to be bothering her at all. We have a meeting with our lactation consultant at the hospital this week so we are going to ask the nurses about it when we go in, but until then we are going to try and not worry about it. 

Don't forget to let me know if you want a Christmas card!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I realize that pumpkin is now out and peppermint is in, but I cannot give up on my pumpkin spice latte that easily.

I first discovered the greatness that is a pumpkin spice latte about two years ago. Unfortunately, daily runs to a local coffee store can be damaging to the wallet so I knew that habit wasn't going to fly. Instead I just indulged in the treat a couple of times a season and was completely satisfied.

That is, until this year.

I gave up almost all caffeine during my pregnancy, so I made zero runs to the coffee store while the pumpkin spice latte was in full swing. Since it is only offered seasonally I figured I would treat myself to one after Elly was here. Sure enough, about a week after her birth I hit up the local Starbucks. Since it was still so warm here I ordered it in frappuccino form. It was delicious! Unfortunately, that was the night she would not sleep and became very fussy. Apparently even the small amount of caffeine was going to be too much, so I backed down to not having any - which is quite a feat when you are sleep deprived!

However, a few weeks ago my mom got Brent and I a coffee pot and some decaf coffee to home brew! Since then I have been trying to research home made recipes. I had not come across any good ones, and then as if she was reading my mind Ashley posted this recipe for one she had tried!

I tried it immediately and loved it, however if I were to make it again I would try a little more pumpkin to up the flavor a bit. The only downside was that it was hard to watch and make while keeping Elly happy, but it is definitely worth it.

Until I found this.

I love Silk soy milk products, and when I saw this at Target I had to buy it. Then I had the great idea to steam some and add it to my coffee. The result is delicious, creamy, pumpkin-y coffee.

I'm currently on my second cup.
Yeah, it's that good. :)

'Tis the Season

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Stores have their shelves stocked with red and green, lights are sparkling in the neighborhoods, and Christmas carols can be heard over speakers.

Unfortunately, the seasonal spirit has not hit our house. The tree is still in the box, garland un-hung, and lights not shining. I still have not even started my Christmas cards! This is very unusual for me, as I usually have them ready, addressed, and in the mailbox the morning after Thanksgiving and then immediately begin decorating. That is, until a little bundle of joy becomes much more important that when the Christmas tree gets put up. It's okay, I'm not complaining.

However, I was getting a little antsy about my cards. I love sending out Christmas cards, and wanted this years to be especially good since it's our first family Christmas... even though we thought we weren't even going to be able to get pictures taken, I still wanted to get cards out to our loved ones. Yet, every time we went in a store none of them caught my eye, or I just completely forgot.

Then I got great news from Shutterfly. They are giving away 50 free Christmas cards to bloggers!

This promotion could not have come at a better time for us. Elly will be almost two months old at Christmas time, and this year is especially wonderful because it is her first Christmas ever and our first Christmas as a family. Thanks to Shutterfly we will have the perfect cards to document this special Christmas and have beautiful cards to send out.

As far as our first family pictures, we are planning on getting them done by Nicole! She used to be my manager at Subway, but now is trying to get her own photography business started. Her photos are fabulous and offer much more character than us sitting on an ottoman in front of a Christmas tree backdrop, and I feel like this will help make our cards and first family Christmas even more perfect!

The possibilities are endless, but here are a few of my favorites!



I already have a list of recipients started, but if you would like to receive a card leave a comment and let me know!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!! I LOVE Christmas! :)

[If you are a blogger and are interested in this promotion, you can sign up here.]