It's Been So Long

So I have been lacking motivation to write on my blog. Maybe its the illnesses going around our house. Or maybe it's because every time I start writing my little boy starts crying or flashes that adorable smile and being a mommy because much more important than blogging.

 A lot has happened in the time I have been away so here is the quick catch up.

 Baby E turned 5 months on April 3. It snuck up on me and sweet Miss Connie reminded me when I dropped him off. *Way to go mommy.

 March 31he had his 1st rice cereal feeding....more came out than went in. Now he loves  it. He doesn't want to waste a drop.

April 5 we introduced peas. He really didn't like it. However, he made the cutest bitter beer face. I'm loving this part. Everything is brand new and I love introducing it to Baby E. I even made the decision that I will make all of his baby food. Peas are super easy.

Recipe: 

4 cups of frozen peas

5 Tblsp of water 

Microwave for 6 minutes

Put in a food processor or blender...slowly add breast milk until the right consistency

Spoon into BPA free ice cube trays (will make 2 trays)

 Freeze

Once they are frozen pop out and put in a ziplock bag. Write what it is, date and best if used by date. Frozen baby food is good for 6 months.

During spring break we went to tiny town to visit Nana, Papa, Aunt Kiki, Uncle Clint, and the bug. 

We went to the zoo. Boy was it fun. Baby E slept through it and Bug only wanted to see the play ground equipment. After wood chips got thrown we threw in the towel.

 Auntie Leenie even came to see us while we were home. She brought Baby E's girlfriend Baby C. Boy did they have a good time.

Well that's what you have missed. I will try to keep up with my postings. Until next time...

Like Father, Like Son

A father and son relationship is something very special. I feel so blessed that I get to witness it first hand. Not everyone gets that opportunity for various reasons. Whether it's because you were blessed with only girls or because dad is not able to be a part of your lives, not everyone gets to experience it. Whatever the reason may be I know that grateful is the only appropriate feeling. 

I love watching my boys together. Baby E is only 4 months old and the boys are already having boy time...no girls allowed. They "talk" every morning while mommy gets dressed for work. They wrestle, snuggle, and play after work. And daddy puts Baby E to bed every night. To say they have a special bond is an understatement.

 Doesn't it look like E is about to punch Daddy?

 He made contact.

Even though tomorrow is never promised Baby E will forever know that his Daddy loved him so very much.  And Daddy knows that the feeling is mutual.

C wants to know if they make fishing poles for a 4 month old.

"He thinks their just fishing."

Another Snow Day

Snow day #4

Where Does the Time Go?

Baby E is 4 months old today. 

E is all boy!

* He passes gas like a man.

* He loves spinning and moving in his new jumper. (Got it at Mommy and Me for $18)

* Giggles when mommy or daddy kisses his neck.

* March 2 started sitting up by himself.

He is such a big boy!

Finally!

My stupid tablet has not been working for weeks. Every time is try to get on my blog it returns to the main screen.  I finally called the tech people and you wanna guess what the problem was? Too many apps open. WHAT?! Once I closed them all it was back to working. Grrr, I loathe technology.

P.S. My baby is 4 months old tomorrow. It feels like yesterday that I was in the hospital having him. And then home not sleeping or pooping. :) Can you tell what was the most memorable events of having a baby?

P.S.S. Aw mom I know what your going to say, "TMI Liz, TMI." Well too bad because that was a very traumatic event. (The not pooping, not having baby E)

Baptism!

Baby E's Baptism!

Breakfast with the whole family!

Papa Erickson's christening gown.

And his baby ring!

And then there was a snow storm and everyone had to leave ASAP! Not even time for family pictures :(

We will reenact and get some photos. 

SNOW!!

I love snow days:

*sleeping in

*sledding

*getting things done around the house

Oh wait! That's before you have a child. Now snow days consist of:

*waking up early or whenever your baby "alarm" goes off

*helping your child tolerate tummy time

*trying to keep a schedule so your infant stays sane

*snuggling

*feeding

*getting lots of smiles 

By the 3rd day I was ready to get back to work. I love my lil man but I like to be able to miss him. Baby E's sitter started missing him. I got a couple text from her saying she was sad that we had another snow day because she was wanting to see him. That just melts my heart. I'm glad she loves our baby so much. We know he is in good hands while we are busy at work. 

She text me a few pictures after finally returning to school.

I think he missed her too!! We love you Miss Connie!

I Have All the Answers

Ok, maybe not. But I have figured out one thing. If you ask for help In regards to raising a child you can find a positive and negative to every answer! It's really overwhelming for first time moms.

Let me just say I have an awesome baby. Very mild tempered, rarely cries, nurses like a champ, etc... I am very proactive. I want to know everything about my child before it happens. I don't like surprises. (Having a baby is one big surprise. Expect the unexpected.) I like to google, webmd, baby center, everything.

"Should I breastfeed?"

-yes, breast is best!

-no, it's too much work

"My baby hates his crib. What should I do?"

-let him sleep in his bouncer in the crib.

-it's too dangerous to let them sleep in a bouncer for too long. Keep trying the crib.

My latest search:

"How to get your baby to sleep through the night."

-let them cry it out

-never let them cry it out. Go in pick them up and when they stop crying put them back down, do this over and over until you are within an inch of your sanity. 

So I decided to throw it all out the window and do my own thing. I know my child better than anyone. So here is what I figured out through trial and error.

BABY E MUST DO:

*swaddle-he is a wild man and wakes himself up with flying arms

*NO pacifier when he goes into the crib-he spits it out and then cries until it's back in his mouth

*formula right before bed-my little man drinks breast milk unless it's bedtime. Then he gets a bottle of formula...it leaves him full for longer

*cant be overly tired-he is unbearable if he gets too tired. 

*follow an evening routine:

5:00-5:20 nurse

5:20-6:00 play

6:30-7:00 nap

7:00-7:20 nurse

7:20-8:00 play

8:00-8:15 bath and then swaddle

8:15-8:30 daddy gives him a bottle, burps, and rocks

8:30-while he is still awake I lay him in his crib and turn on his fan and light up frog with music. Within 5 minutes he is sound asleep

We have been doing this routine everyday for a month. Now normally he wakes up sometime between 1:30-3:00 for another feeding. BUT last night Baby E slept until daddy's alarm went off at 5:00 (he sleeps in the side room off our master suite (it's definitely not as nice as it sounds...think pea green carpet and wood paneling) I fed him real quick and put him back in bed until 7:00. It was awesome. Except, I had a mild heart attack when I woke up at 4:45 realizing he hadn't woken up yet. But once I heard him breathing I did a happy dance.

Yay Baby E! I'm proud of you. 

3 Months Old!!

He is getting so big.

My Big Boy

I realize I haven't posted a picture of my darling son in awhile. Since he is about to be 3 months I better get on the ball.

3 months old

Weighs 15lbs...big boy

Loves to eat

Can roll from his tummy to his back

Laughs at his daddy

Best time of day is the morning...he laughs and giggles while we get ready for work

While mom and dad go to work he goes to Miss Connie's-lucky boy gets all the attention because he is the only kid

Loves bath time with mommy or taking showers with daddy

Sleeps 5-7 hours at night

Can hold his head up 

Beginning to like tummy time as long as he is on the boppy

Getting baptized on February 9th

Kinder Quote of the Day

"You look kinda nice today Mrs. Burns (that's what she calls me)." ---student lets call her Darlene

"Oh, do I?"---me

"Yeah, kinda."--Darlene

Gee thanks! 

9:30am

"Mrs. Burns I'm afraid it's happened. I had an accident. I tried to get to the bathroom but it just came too fast."--Darlene

Looking at her pants I saw no signs of an accident.

"Was it a potty accident?"--me

"Yep!"

Sent her to the nurse. 

30 minutes later door flies open and Darlene's mom shouts from the doorway.

"Sorry Mrs. Burns (not you too) Darlene has been constipated and I guess it just all came out at once."

"Oh, ok"--me

Little boy on the carpet..."whose Mrs. Burns?"

3:00pm

Darlene comes walking in from the bathroom crying. 

"Darlene, did it happen again?"--me

"Yes, I must still be sick. It's just comes out fast."

#poorgirl #goingtovomit #passthehandsanitizer #iloveteachingkindergarten

Why Can't Weight Come Off Like It Comes On?

Today is weigh in day! I'm down 3.8lbs! Yahoo! 

Nothing Tastes As Good As Being Skinny Feels...that's some crap! Wine and snickers tastes pretty darn good!

This is the worst picture of me but I have to document my weight loss journey. 

I'm also sitting in a closet "working out". Ok, so I might be pumping but it's pretty much like working out. Anytime I want to eat something bad I can come to this post and it will motivate me to eat some carrots instead of having 3 brownies like I did during my birthday week. Whoops! 

We All Have That One Friend

Unfortunately, I am that friend! I thought that baby brain was supposed to go away as soon as you have the baby. In my case it has gotten worse. In the past 5 days I have...

*While taking my last drink of water, I lose the grip on the bottle and hurled it towards my lunch partner. Spilling water on my shirt and all over the table.

*You know how you have a flip lid on the to go coffee cups? If you tip it too far back the lid touches the bridge of your nose. Therefore, I walked around with coffee on my nose for most of the day. Until a sweet coworker told me. Did I mention she didn't tell me until after lunch. :)

*Trying to hook up my pumping contraption is easy but when you are in a time crunch it gets tricky. Before school starts I have less than 15 minutes to hook up, pump, cleanup and get my milk to the fridge. Well unless i want my kiddos to get an education on how mammals feed their young. To say its a rush is an understatement. This morning as I was trying to attach the tubing into the bottle I looked like an amateur juggler.  Bottles were flying!

The best for last...

*Teachers know that time at the copy machine is valuable.  We stand around it like a pack of wolves ready to devour a juicy piece of meat. This morning I headed into the office to fight for my turn at the machine. I saw the most glorious sight. Not a teacher in sight. No one to stand behind you and sigh. No one to ask if they could interrupt to make just 1 copy. No one to say, "Not to rush you but how many more do you have?"  I had a little skip in my step as I headed over to take my turn. Until...I tripped over something on the floor (I could have sworn there was something on the floor). I hit the machine with a big bear hug. I then slid down the machine like a bird hitting a window and sliding all the way down. I quick popped up before anyone saw me and that's when I realized my knee and ankle hurt. Darn it, i was hoping I to escape from injury. I was in pain but all I could do was laugh. Mainly because not one teacher saw me. Heard me? Yes. Saw me? No! Even though I had to walk with a limp...Me:1 Copy Machine:0

"Instead of thinking of yourself as a klutz. Think of yourself as a performance artist." Unknown

To My Husband

Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

*Thank you for making it possible for my husband and I to be together.

*Thank you for making it possible to marry the love of my life. (Kansas never had a law against it but so many other states did.) 

*Thank you for showing people that love is the only way.

*Thank you for allowing my son to one day go to a school with people of all colors.

*Thank you for teaching us "to judge not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."-MLK

I Have a Dream...

*i have a dream that one day C and I can see more smiles from the strangers that we meet instead of glares and eye rolls that we are often greeted with. 

*i have a dream that no one will use the word disgusting when describing our marriage

*i have a dream that my son will never be called one of the insulting names that they refer to children of interracial couples.

*i have a dream that our girls will remember that love is the most important thing in a marriage and not race.

*i have a dream that our daughters and son will remember that their parents taught them tolerance of others.

To my husband....

Thank you for never seeing the color of my skin.

Thank you for never letting the opinions of others deter you from loving me. 

Thank you for going along with me and pretending we didn't hear the mean comments from others. Thank you for marrying me. 

Thank you for giving me a beautiful baby boy. 

Thank you for making me a step mother to two beautiful daughters. 

Thank you for being my best friend. 

Thank you for bringing me closer to God. 

Thank you for listening to my needs and working your hardest to meet them.

Thank you for being the best father to our children!

Thank you for being you!

You Should Be a Comedian!

"Liz, come here. Do you see anything in the bathroom?" Ok, with men you never know where this is going. I open the door and flip on the lights. There it sits all tucked up in my flowers, another SQUIRREL. I jump. Big sis lets out a small shriek. What the? It's strangely still. It's not moving...AT ALL! 

We then turn around to see C giggling.

 It's a potato!

 He is very creative!

MEN! They think they are ssssoooo funny!

SQUIRREL!!!!

My favorite movie is Christmas vacation. Isn't it hilarious when the squirrel falls down their chimney? That furry little animal busts out of the little doors, and runs onto the table knocking off all of the picture frames and vase of flowers. Leaving a destruction of rose petals, leaves, fur, and paper. Before finding its cozy spot under the little girls pillows. Oh, that's not National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. That happened in the Burton household tonight.

Boy, how the girls jumped when they their pillow started moving. They slowly pulled back the pillow and out jumped the squirrel.  It chased the little girls through the house. All you can hear are screams through their sniffles and sobs. One of the girls screamed so loud it broke a blood vessel and blood came streaming out her nose. We finally locked the girls plus Baby E in the nursery while daddy and I chased it out. I was armed with a broom, C was armed with a sheet. Hey, it was all we could find. It ran behind the china cabinet...I beat it out. It ran under the chair...I beat it out. It finally came to rest up inside our couch. C strong man lifted the couch up and over towards the door. We finally called in the designated hitter. He stood beating the couch like a professional baseball player until the squirrel jumped down out of the couch and ran out the door, not before giving us the finger. 

Really?

 Get the h**** out!

The bright side...I got to clean under my couch

Nothing like feeding your baby brother baby to calm you down after a terrifying ordeal.

Still a little shaken up. 

C said don't even think about taking my picture right now! O-K!

We are calling a chimney sweep in the morning. "Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?"