Categories
Motherhood

And Then There was Blood

Breastfeeding at 10 months is all fun & games until someone gets hurt.

And by hurt, I mean bit {again}. And by bit, I mean 6 tiny teeth & blood & pain. And by blood & pain, I mean having to pump afterwards all that day at work.

No one said motherhood was easy.

A certain male baby is not deterred by my yelping & finger pointing & quick removal from nursing with Mommy. Lucy girl, on the other hand, cries when he does it, startled & sad. She gets comforted & all the nursing time while lil dude gets another fortified bottle. And I get Motrin & lanolin & probably a glass of wine.

{I’m not giving up on breastfeeding either babies at this point. Nor am I sharing photos of this. But this has happened two Sun nights/Mon mornings in a row. I’m open to suggestions &/or sympathy at this point.}

Categories
Babies Everything Else

Dear Diaper Sprayer

Lucy & Zach’s new found enjoyment of solids bought about something else new in our household: baby poo that runs the gamete from pb-like to adult-like poo. {Non-parents, sorry for the TMI. Parents, you’re nodding along right?}

Thankfully, I was fairly prepared for this change thanks to other cloth diapering Mommy friends suggesting a diaper sprayer. Lucy & Zach gave it to me for Christmas {how sweet, right?} & my Dad was able to easily install it in our guest bath.

So now, upon arriving home from daycare, I open our wetbags & see what type of presents Z & L gave for me through the day. If they’ve refused solids, it’s more breastmilk poo & can go straight in the washer. If they’ve loved their {insert fruit/veggie combo}, J & I will RPS to see who uses the BumGenius diaper sprayer.

Our sprayer is very easy to use, but it does take a little technique to avoid spraying poo water all over your bathroom. After getting my bathroom very clean a few times, I have the technique down & really appreciate the diaper sprayer. We keep a wet bag in the bathroom for easy transporting. It’s an extra step but hasn’t stopped us from continuing to use cloth diapers on Lucy & Zach during the day at daycare & over the weekends.

I’ve heard you can make your own diaper sprayer piecing together parts from your local hardware store. But life with two means I don’t have time for that! Especially since it was so easy to shop online & have it arrive with fluff mail!

Categories
Babies

happy St Patrick’s day!

Lucy & Zach wore coordinating Mom’s lucky charm outfits to daycare Fri. Just had to share!

Happy first St Patty's day Lucy & Zach!
Happy first St Patty’s day Lucy & Zach!

We’ll all be wearing green today as we lounge around the house & run a few errands.

Hope the luck of the Irish was with you this weekend! (& since my wolfpack lost Sat, I’m all for my brother’s alum. Go VCU Rams!)

Categories
Food

{Make Ahead Meals} Chicken Pesto Pasta Casserole

My Mom came down this weekend armed with this recipe which had been emailed around from her friends. The note on the recipe says it’s from Simple & Delicious May 2010 FYI.

Ingredients
1 box pasta {we used bowtie}
6 c cubed cooked chicken {we used a Costco rotisserie chicken}
4 c shredded Italian cheese
3 c fresh spinach, cut
1 can diced tomatoes
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1 jar prepared pesto sauce
1.5 c milk
½ c seasoned bread crumbs
½ grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp olive oil

Cook the pasta al dente according to the directions on the box. While that’s boiling, in a large bowl, combine chicken Italian cheese, spinach, tomatoes, sauces & milk. Drain pasta & add it in the bowl. Toss to coat.

Transfer to baking dishes {1 large 9×13 or we did 3 smaller 8” square pans}. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan & olive oil; sprinkle over top of casseroles.

Cover with foil &/lids. Bake covered on 350 for approximately 45 mins.

Can be frozen up to three months. If baking after frozen, recipe recommends thawing overnight in the fridge but still adding a few minutes to the baking time.

Chicken Pesto Pasta Casserole
Chicken Pesto Pasta Casserole

This recipe was so delicious! The square pan made enough for dinner Monday night & two lunches/snacks for me for work this week. I’m really looking forward to enjoying the other two we have frozen.

Categories
Reading

Ketchup is a Vegetable

I can’t think of another more appropriate book to read while pumping or sitting waiting at a pediatrican’s office than Robin O’Bryant’s Ketchup is a Vegetable & other lies mom’s tell themselves.

I think I scared other women who were using the restroom attached to my office’s pump room I was laughing so hard reading this. Over her big berthas. And that both her mom & her husband seeing her naked at the same time was too much. About dragging her screaming daughter across the mall. I was laughing because I’ve been there or know I will soon be there experiencing the amazing craziness that is motherhood.

The stories of her daughter’s made me happy to be a girl mom. And the chapter on boy mom versus girl mom made me be even more so glad I’m both!

I cried reading the last chapter. Because life is short. And I now can’t imagine it without Lucy & Zach. And even when they’re driving me batty in all the best ways, I’m so thankful to be there mom & to be the one that’s being needed & loved by them.

I’d recommend Ketchup is a Vegetable to all new moms. Or moms to be or Shuggies {her precious term for grandma} to be. Laugh & commiserate then pass it along to a friend.