baby

Pregnancy Update!

by Lisa on May 16, 2013

20 weeks! It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through this pregnancy. The first trimester seemed to drag on endlessly from all of the sickness and fatigue but once I settled into the second trimester happy phase, time started to fly by. Before we know it, the baby will be here!

How am I feeling?
I feel great! Only a few minor symptoms—my tailbone really hurts after sitting for even a short period of time, so I’ve been trying to make sure I get up from my desk and walk around more frequently. Some days it feels like this little one is sitting very low in my abdomen, I carried Caroline higher so it’s definitely a different experience. A sign that the baby is a boy or that my abs are just that stretched out from the first time around?? Sleeping has been a big issue in this pregnancy. With Caroline, I slept like a rock, but with this one I toss and turn. It’s annoying but not debilitating.

What am I eating?
Ummmm…everything! Seriously, after the severely limited diet of the first trimester I am trying to pack in as much nutrition {and some treats!} into my diet now. The only problem I’ve come across is that it seems like milk is no longer my friend. I am not a big milk drinker, but I do enjoy a bowl of cereal with nice cold milk. I noticed in the first trimester that I wouldn’t feel very good after eating a bowl of cereal with milk and that has carried on to now and ice cream is definitely a problem. The good news is, over the past few years I have started to incorporate a couple of dairy-free milks into my diet, so dropping cow’s milk for now hasn’t been a big deal. I use an almond/coconut milk blend or almond milk in cereal, cooking, and smoothie making and I use coconut milk creamer in my coffee. I also found a delicious coconut “ice cream” to take the place of my usual bowl of vanilla with chocolate sauce and walnuts {and caramel, if I have some homemade in the fridge!}. Cheese and yogurt are still perfectly fine for me to eat and I really hope it stays that way!

What am I doing?
I’m happy to tell you all that unlike when I was pregnant with Caroline, I am going to the gym! And lifting! And doing yoga! Probably not as consistently as I should but I am making much more of an effort this time and it feels so good. I tried to run again, like I did a couple of weeks ago, and I felt a funny pull in my side so I stopped. Running will have to wait until after the baby is born.

Boy or Girl?
The real reason you’re reading this post. It’s a…..

blueballoon

BOY!!!!

We are thrilled to be welcoming our son into our family. I can’t wait to hold him in my arms and see his sweet face—only 20 weeks to go!

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Little Green Pouch {Product Review and GIVEAWAY!}

by Lisa on May 16, 2013

Okay, so this review and giveaway are way, WAY overdue. Many thanks to Little Green Pouch for their patience!

As you might remember, I made almost all of Caroline’s food when she was a baby—I still do—she rarely ate processed baby food from the store. On rare occasion, she would eat a pouch of processed baby food, especially if we were traveling. I loved the convenience and ease of feeding her from a pouch but what I didn’t like was the price!

I was excited when Little Green Pouch offered to send me their product to test out. Unfortunately, by the time they were in touch with me, Caroline had moved to mainly finger foods. However, we still were able to use them and loved them—I’m excited to have them from the start for the baby!

{Speaking of the baby, I have some fun news to share—check back tomorrow for a pregnancy update!}

We used them for soup, smoothies, yogurt and anything else that would be a bit too messy for Caroline to navigate on her own with a spoon when she was younger. Now, if I know we’re going to be out and about and need something to take with us that’s quick and easy, like apple sauce, I can just put it into the little green pouch, stick it in my bag and go!

At first I wasn’t sure how to effectively clean the pouch, but a thorough rinse followed by a cycle in the dishwasher did the trick. The pouches also have convenient instructions as well as measurements on the back.

My only negative comment is that one of the pouches broke after only using it a couple of times, but three of the four that I received have held up very well. {UPDATE: the company reached out to me about this issue and it turns out that they had heard of it happening to a very small percentage of their pouches. However, they’ve since improved the design and no longer have that issue so the giveaway winner will receive a box of four of the improved pouches!}

{GIVEAWAY}

In case you haven’t noticed, whenever I’m sent a product to review, I like to make sure my readers have the opportunity to try it out too. So, the generous folks at Little Green Pouch sent me two boxes—one for me and one for you!

To enter:

Leave a comment and let me know your child’s favorite food!

Entries will close at midnight on Tuesday, May 21. Good luck!

I received one set of Little Green Pouches to review. I was not otherwise compensated. All opinions are my own.

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Back to Baking

by Lisa on March 26, 2013

I started to write a long intro to this post but nothing really expressed what I want to say as well as this picture does.

We are thrilled to announce that Caroline will be promoted to big sister in October!

I’ve had a very VERY rough first trimester, which explains my absence from the blog. It’s really hard to cook and write about food when you can’t even imagine eating more than just plain carbs and fruit. I feel especially bad about all of my Working Mamas stories that I have to share, so I will be sharing them on a faster schedule over the next couple of months—stay tuned for some awesome tips from fabulous working mamas!

As for what’s in store for The Splattered Apron…more of the same! I’ll be keeping my focus on food with a little bit of fitness thrown in; I will not be blogging about pregnancy. If you have any questions about pregnancy, I’m happy to answer them via e-mail!

I’m itching to get back in the kitchen. Here’s hoping that the second trimester energy burst hits me soon!

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Caroline’s First Birthday Celebration(s)

by Lisa on August 17, 2012

Confession: I started thinking about Caroline’s first birthday party when she was six months old. I knew we would take the day off of work to spend with our girl and I wanted to have a fun activity to do that would be fun for everyone. The zoo seemed like the perfect idea!

After Caroline opened a few presents and had her morning nap, we picked up some sandwiches, loaded the car with all of her grandparents and the stroller and took off for the zoo! First things first: lunch.

Then we were off to check out the animals! Caroline loved the big ones, like the tigers.

And she practically jumped out of my arms to get her hands on the armadillo. Good thing there was a thick pane of glass to keep her from it.

She was also a huge fan of the monkeys. Which makes a lot of sense, since she is our little monkey.

After a few hours at the zoo, our little monkey had enough and we headed home. We continued the celebration with dinner, her grandparents and cupcakes. She liked her cupcake but only ate a little bit before declaring that she was all done {“aaahhhhl duh!”}.

The next day, we had planned an outdoor party for family and friends. Surprising even myself, in the two weeks leading up to Caroline’s party, I completed a couple of projects from my Pinterest board.

First, I made nine tissue paper poms to decorate outside. {I’m going to hang a few in Caroline’s room and in her playroom instead of throwing them out.}

Then, I sewed the bunting.

And, I made a video of Caroline’s first year. I would share it with you, but it’s 20 minutes long. We love it.

Finally, my mom and I made the cake! A beach ball cake for a beach themed party

The cake was baked in a 16 inch pan, which was incredibly intimidating to flip onto a cooling rack. Actually two cooling racks, one was not big enough. My heart was pounding, but I made it happen. We doubled a yellow cake recipe that my mom has been making for my birthday since I was little, frosted it with cream cheese frosting and covered it with cut up fruit to look like a beach ball.

For the party, I put together a menu that we could have done ahead of time. I didn’t want to be stuck in the kitchen or have Jeromy stuck at the grill for the whole party. We served: pulled pork sandwiches, fried chicken, potato salad, broccoli slaw and watermelon.

I was really hoping for leftovers, but there weren’t any!

And now some photos that don’t need any explanation.

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We had such a great time celebrating Caroline’s first birthday. I’m pretty sure she did too!

Zoo photos are my own, all birthday party photos courtesy of LinDC Photography. Lindsay has been capturing big moments in Caroline’s life since the day after she was born. We’re so grateful, Linds!!

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Twelve Months

by Lisa on August 14, 2012

If you had told me twelve months ago that this little baby of mine

would grow into this gorgeous little girl in just twelve short months, I’m not sure I would have believed you.

12 months

At Caroline’s well child visit, she weighed in at 21 pounds (50th percentile) and 29 1/2 inches long (70th percentile). A healthy little girl!

This month, we introduced cow’s milk and more solid food. Our doctor gave us the all clear to give Caroline anything and everything. So we have!! This little girl loves to eat, though she is becoming a bit more choosy about her food. For example, out: veggie burgers in: bison burgers.

At this point, Caroline is completely weaned during the day and I can put away my pump! We are hanging on to the morning and bedtime nursing sessions for now. I am so happy and grateful that we were able to hit the goal of breastfeeding for the first year, though it is such a relief not to worry about fitting pumping in to the work day anymore!

Now, Caroline’s schedule looks like this:

6:30/7: wake up, nurse
8:30: breakfast with milk
9:30/9:45: snack with water
10: nap
12/12:15: lunch with milk
2:30/2:45: snack with water
3: nap
4/4:30: snack with water {sometimes if she’s hungry}
6: dinner with milk
7: nurse, bedtime

We offer Caroline water throughout the day. She does not drink a lot of cow’s milk, in fact, she is nowhere near replacing the amount of breast milk she used to drink with cow’s milk. Our doctor is not concerned given that she eats cheese and whole milk yogurt without a problem.

12 months

When Caroline isn’t napping or snacking, she is very, very busy. She loves to open and close things, especially doors, take things in and out and she is madly practicing her walking skills. She can take up to five steps without assistance, but if I hold one of her hands she can go further.

Her vocabulary is expanding. Two days after her birthday she finally said mama. I’ve never heard a sweeter sound in the world. She has also added up {with arms raised} and she tries to mimic words and sounds that we say. She understands everything we say, especially when we ask her to do something. She may not be able to speak to us completely, but she responds in her actions and facial expressions.

To celebrate Caroline’s birthday, we spent the day at the zoo! More on that later this week

Baby girl, you are more than Daddy and I ever hoped to have in a child. We love you so much and are so excited for everything that is to come. You make every day brighter, just by being you. Sweet, sassy, funny, smiley, snuggly you.

This will be the last update focusing on Caroline’s development. While I love writing these posts, I don’t think my blog is the place to share them anymore. Thanks for understanding!

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