Truth from the Trenches: Pre-Baby Meal Prep

I didn't prep anything before BB was born and looking back, I think that would have really taken some pressure off of me.  So with LL on the way, I decided to fill up the freezer.  I made a variety of meals and snacks. I must say, I am pretty dang proud of myself for pulling this off while 8-10 months pregnant and keeping a 1 year old alive.

Here's my list!

1. Chicken fajita soup (crock pot)  I can't believe I've never shared this recipe before.  It's one of my favorite winter go-to options.  And while the Boy from Texas doesn't really like soup, he seems to doctor this one with enough of the toppings that he doesn't complain.

2.  Kylee's Chicken pot pie   This is going to be perfect for a cold winter evening!  All I've got to do is thaw, dump the freezer bag into a pie crust, and bake until the crust is done.

3.  French toast sticks When BB was born, it was super easy for me to just grab a granola bar for breakfast and call it good.  But now that I'll have a 14 month old to feed, I knew that having some easy breakfast items handy was a must.  So, I just whipped up my favorite recipe and then cut them into strips before freezing.  I think this will be right up our alley.

4.  Pumpkin bread  In all honesty, I haven't tasted this one.  It smelled amazing baking and as soon as they were done, I cooled and froze them so as not to eat it all that night.

5.  Blueberry bread. I figure the more snack type food the better and, if I'm being honest, I caught blueberries buy one get one free at the store, so I figured this was a good option!

6.  Chocolate chip cookies  This is the only cookie recipe I make anymore.  It's easy and they are delicious.  You can't go wrong.  A while back, I doubled the batch and froze half.  I figure there may be some long nights of rocking a baby during which a chocolate chip cookie might just hit the spot!

7. Green chile stew.  I'll owe you the recipe for this one--my friend Shawna sent it to me and it was really good!  I went ahead and made a big pot and just froze our leftovers one night.

8. Tuscan chicken stew (crock pot)  Here's a stew full of fresh veggies that was actually really easy to make!  I just bought double of everything and when I put one batch into the crock pot, I made another batch in a freezer bag to save.

9.  Green chile chicken enchiladas  So for this one, I basically just turn my mom's enchiladas into a casserole by layering them in one of those disposable aluminum pans.  All we'll need to do is heat it up and dinner will be ready to go.

10.  Blueberry pancakes  This is another of our favorite breakfast items.  BB loves pancakes in general, but add in real blueberries and he goes crazy.  These just need zapped in the microwave and he'll have breakfast ready to go.

Truth from the Trenches: Toddler Must Haves

In case you missed them, I previously did a post on our list of "must haves" for newborns and babies. Today, we turn to toddlers.  I actually struggled a bit more with this post because it seems like BB needs less stuff now (is that possible??)  He's pretty easily entertained and doesn't need a ton of toys--give him some rocks or a cabinet that opens or mixing bowls and he's good!  Nevertheless, here are some of my thoughts.


1. Stroller.  I'd be lost without my stroller.  Particularly before BB could walk, having a good stroller was key to get him outside--which is his favorite place.  Pretty much every night we would stroll around the house to see the dogs and feed the cows and just explore.  (Now, he walks to do these things or we pull him in his wagon.)  Also, even now that he walks, most nights we still break the stroller out and get our nightly exercise--a 1 mile walk around our place.  BB seems to enjoy the sights and sounds and it helps to calm him down before we kick off the bedtime routine.  I need the fresh air and some peace and quiet myself.

What kind of stroller is best?  I think that probably depends on how you're going to use it.  We got a jogging stroller because (until I got all knocked up again) I was jogging with him, plus because we are so often off in pastures, at fair barns, and on dirt or gravel roads, so we needed the large wheels for that terrain.  I've got the Graco Fast Action Fold Click Connect Jogger.  The only downside is that this thing is big and bulky, so hauling it around to different places isn't so fun.

I also have a cheap-o umbrella stroller that I use if we are going somewhere that I know is tile or concrete.  This wouldn't last 5 minutes around our house though on the gravel and grass.

2. Shoes.  BB basically went barefoot his entire life until he learned to walk.  Now, only because his Mom is mean and makes him, he must wear shoes to go outside.  I know some people love dressing babies head to toe, but that wasn't me.  So I basically didn't buy a single shoe until he took his first steps.  And then I bought a pair of what look basically like little kids tennis shoes that BB loves.  I couldn't find the exact shoe, but they're this brand and pretty similar to these.  My advice here is to get one that does not have a super thick sole because those can cause tripping issues when the little ones are just learning to walk anyway.

3. Suction bowls.  We're working on getting BB to eat out of a bowl rather than just off his his high chair tray.  Enter suction bowls.  My mom suggested these after BB was having a hayday dumping his bowl over, filling it back up, and dumping it again.  These helps remove that issue and can make dinner time much more peaceful for everyone.  You can get them anywhere--here are the ones we have.

4.  Crib.  We moved BB from his bassinet in the Pack and Play to his crib at about 4-5 months old.  He had just gotten too tall for the bassinet and needed more room.  It was a fairly easy transition, and now, good nights come and go.  Sometimes, he sleeps all night long.  Sometimes, he's up twice.  I can't really figure out the pattern.  Anyway, choosing a crib---I have no idea.  We got this big monster one because I liked the changing table and extra drawers and because The Boy from Texas said it was the sturdiest one he found.  (He knows this because he shook the crap out of every model in the stores.)  We've never used the changing table--we use the one on the pack and play.  The drawers are nice.  But it's big and does take up quite a bit of room.  So pros and cons....good luck.

5.  Convertible carseat.  When BB was about 11 months old, we decided to transition him into a convertible carseat.  He seems MUCH more comfortable than he did in the infant one.  Plus, he can see out the window now, which has really improved his attitude during our daily commute.  We got this carseat and really like it.  I think it's easy to get in and out when we have to move it (which is not very often) and BB loves the cupholder for things like binkies and snacks.  I've gone back and forth about whether I should have just gotten this in the first place and never had an infant carseat, but honestly, the ability to click the infant one in and out to carry a sleeping baby was probably worth it, at least for those first couple of months.  Again, I'm not sure there is a right or wrong with that.

6. High chair.  Trying to wrangle a toddler and maintain to keep food off of everything is next to impossible.  A  good high chair is a must.  I don't know that it matters what kind, so long as you have one.  We have this wooden one, but we actually don't even use the padding that goes with it.  Just got messy and I was having to wash it all the time.  BB doesn't seem to mind just sitting right on the wooden chair, which I can easily wipe right down.

7.  Balloons.  Buy your kid balloons.  It will be the best $5 you'll spend.  BB strutted through the house dragging these along for days when we got them for his birthday.  It's hilarious watching him play with them.

Truth from the Trenches: Post Partum Depression

"The gospel is perfectly demonstrated through the daily labor of parenting."  ~Jen Hatmaker

I've sort of hinted around at this in several of my Truth from the Trenches blogs, but I had a very hard time after BB was born.  I didn't go to the doctor and was not diagnosed with post partum depression, but I feel fairly sure that's probably what I had.

And after talking to several other new moms recently and trying to offer encouraging words, I decided to just write it all down and put it out there.  Because I just think we need to be honest about this motherhood thing and maybe my words will help someone else going through the newborn phase like I was.

Every day I thank God for my SoulMate Friend who had openly shared with me about how she struggled after having her two boys and counseled me through those first 6 weeks or so.  I am not sure how I would have made it without her being so willing to share how she felt so I knew I was not alone.  So, with that, here we go.

I kept hearing people talk about how much they loved the newborn phase. Cuddling the baby and wearing pajamas all day and what a beautiful thing breastfeeding was.  How this was the best time of my life and I needed to savor being home with him now before I had to go back to work.   And that's great for those moms who feel that way.

I did not.

I hated the first 6 weeks of being a mom.  There's no sugar coating this.

I loved that baby, don't get me wrong.  But I was a mess.  I cried every afternoon.  Why?  I have no idea.  But about 4:30 this sense of impending doom would hit me and I'd be in tears.  The Boy from Texas frequently had to just hold me and let me get it out.  In fact, he was an absolute rock and could not have been better that first month.

I was exhausted.  I felt trapped in the house.  Chained to BB.  I had absolute hell with breastfeeding, but kept on forcing it because of the "breast is best" mantra that gets shoved down new mom's throats.   I had hot flashes that would have given any middle aged woman a run for her money.  BB didn't communicate with me or thank me for the bottle at 3 in the morning or even smile.  Despite being home all day, I felt like I couldn't get anything done around the house.  I remember thinking multiple times....is this what my life is going to be like from  now on?  Because I really didn't mean to sign up for this.

If you feel that way too, you're not alone.  You're not a bad mom.  And your life won't always look this way.  One day, you'll look around and it will feel like you can breathe again.  That's the best way I know how to describe it.  It won't come with fanfare or a big milestone.  I was in my kitchen one day and the weight seemed to be gone.  You'll be in a routine.  Everyone will sleep for more than an hour at a time.  You'll be able to take a shower regularly, wear normal clothing, and set your baby down to cook dinner.  And that day, when you can take that breath, will feel amazing.

(If you're like me, the next week you'll pee on a stick and figure out you're in for this all over again in 9 months...)

Two little thoughts I found immensely helpful were these.

SoulMate friend told me, "Tiff, as long as you're trying, you're not screwing up."  That was my mantra for at least a month.  I repeated that to myself probably 15 times a day.  I didn't always believe it, but I kept saying it and hoping it was true.  Based on what I can tell, it was.

One of my favorite authors, Jen Hatmaker, wrote a great article called On Parenting Teens in which she explained that every mom has her strong phase.  Some are wonderful with newborns.  Some thrive raising toddlers.  She said that raising teenagers was her jam.  So even if you're like me and would gladly skip the newborn phase, you're going to hit a time and, just like Jen, declare it your jam.  If the newborn baby stage isn't it for you---it sure isn't for me!--that's okay.

So for those of you in the trenches, hang in there.  Trust that God picked you to be your baby's mom for a reason.  Trust that things get better.  They get easier.  And you will all be just fine.

Truth from the Trenches: It's Just a Phase

Before I had BB, I always heard parents talk about how things were just a phase.  "My kid having a fit in the middle of Target?  Just a phase."  "My kid eating only french fries?  Just a phase."  And at the time, I remember thinking, "yea right....what a joke!"  But then along came BB and I learned I was wrong about that, just like everything else.

Good or bad, it does seem like everything is just a phase.

Let's take eating for example.  BB has been a champion eater since Day 1.   Green beans?  Loved 'em.  The pureed peas that smell like death?  Can't get enough. Grainy squash mash?  I'll have more please.  And when table food was introduced and mashed potatoes were an option?  He could out eat his mom at any restaurant.  I bragged on this, when I probably should have kept my big mouth shut.

Because now, that phase has ended and a new one has entered.  For the last few days, any vegetable we try to feed him gets promptly chewed twice and then spit out.  Now cheese, meat, carbs, ice cream bars....all cool.  But try and sneak a carrot in there and things go south.  It's a phase.

And much to my dismay, he wants nothing to do with anything mashed or pureed.  Give us real food only, please.  Those mashed potatoes he used to eat by the bowl full?  Spits 'em out and glares at me like I'm trying to pull some sort of fast one on him.  Give him a french fry?  Downs it like a champ.

And sleep.  Oh, sleep.  We've been through the phases on this one.  For the first 6 weeks of his life, he would not sleep unless someone held him.  I know, I know.  We should have sleep trained. I read all the books and that was my plan.  But at some point I was just so damn tired, I did whatever I had to for some zzzz.  And then we got him on formula (praise the LORD for formula...another blog for another day), and a switch flipped and he slept like an absolute champ in his bassinet.  The transition to the crib went quite smoothly and there was a multi-month period there where he slept from 9:30 pm to 7:00 am on the dot without making a sound.  Sigh.  That too, apparently, was a phase.

The new phase is where he goes down relatively easy at 9:30, but when wakes up tossing and turning at 2 in the morning.  Some nights a couple of minutes of patting or walking or rocking get him right back down.  But some nights, after fighting it for an hour, I put him in our bed and we just deal with his kicks to the head for the next few hours.  Here's hoping that's a phase too.

So that's my message for today.   It's all a phase.  We've just got to hang in there.  The good will come to an end and the hard will appear.  But that hard won't last forever and the good will come back.  So for those of you in the throws of it (especially those of you with brand new babies....that's the worst in my opinion!), hang in there.  It gets better.  And then worse.  And then better again.

And something tells me that in a few  years, I am going to miss these phases.  All of them.  The good ones, the bad ones, even the ones that have me up pacing the house at 2 in the morning.

So, for now, I'm going to just try and breathe.  Savor.  Enjoy.  And know that one day, this will all just be a memory.

Truth from the Trenches: Baby Must Haves

Previously, I posted a list of the Top 10 Items for Newborns.  Today, I'll share my Top 10 Items for Babies.  We've found these very useful for BB in the 2-5 month age range.

1. Jumper.
I have Blonde Oklahoma Girl to thank for telling me about this God-send of a contraption.  She said we had to have one and although it was expensive, Santa got it for Christmas.  Y'all. Worth. Every. Single. Penny. I would have paid double. This thing has changed our life. BB jumps like a crazy fool for hours. And how that he is a bit older, he loves to play with the toys. You need this in your life. Ours is Fisher Price. BOKG has the BabyEinstein  version.

2. Favorite toy.

Your kid needs a go-to favorite toy that will always make him smile. For us, that's the stacking ring monkey. Even in to middle of a fit if you turn this thing on and stick it in his face, he smiles. Whatever you will do this for your kid is a keeper!

3. Teethers.
BB chews on everything. EVERYTHING. We have lots of different teethers. His favorite is probably a John Deere one that looks like an ear of corn that vibrates.  We also have several of the ones you can put in the fridge or freezer, which he likes just ok. (PSA...don't put those in the steamer. Learned that one the hard way.) Lastly, he has some little chewing balls on a bracelet that he seems to like fairly well. (You can see that in the photo of the play mat.)

4. Play mat.

We like these so much we have two. These are great because they are easy to move around the house and haul places, plus they can really keep kids entertained. I think for our next baby I might get a play mat that has a piano at the foot where they can kick and it makes noise. BOKG and College Roomie both have them and their kids love those things.

5.  Bumbo.

This is where BB eats every meal. It's easy to move around, takes up no room, and you can wipe it down when a meal is done and it's covered in squash and oatmeal. 

6. Big bottles.
You start out feeding your kiddos out of the 4 or 5 oz bottles. About 4 or 5 months you need to go to the 8 oz bottles. Go ahead and stock up. We have a set at the baby sitters and 6 more at home. 

7. Pack and play with bassinet & changing table.

We love our pack and play. It's in our room and makes everything so handy. The changing table is easy to wipe down,  BB sleeps well in the basinette, and you can store things underneath those two attachments. Plus eventually when he is mobile we will need the thing for containment anyway.

8. Carseat toy.

BB is in the car a lot and this little horse we call Clop Clop is a life saver!  He provides lots of entertainment. 

9. Baby dishes and utensils.
Someone gave us a set of baby feeding stuff as a shower gift and I am so glad they did even though I was too dumb to register for it! You might as well get that kind of thing now and be ready when it's time. 

10. Diaper stash.

Say hello to my diaper closet.  Before BB was born, my work and several others bought is big boxes of diapers. So great! But as I started to see the supply dwindling, I decided to start building up a supply slowly instead of spending a ton of money all at once.  I did some math and have figured out that for size NB to 3, if you can find them on sale for about $.20/diaper, buy them because it is a good deal. For bigger sizes price goes up a little, I get them if around .22-.24.  So if I find a good deal, I buy them. When I think I have enough of one size, I go to the next. Watch at Target where they frequently do gift cards if you buy in bulk and sometimes do BOGO on diapers. Also clip coupons! Babies R Us often has an $8 off coupon every month and Target sends out periodic $10 off coupons. 

Truth from the Trenches: I Put Cabbage in My Bra

I put cabbage in my bra.

If that doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will. Motherhood makes you do crazy things that, somehow, don't seem nearly as insane when you are in the middle of it.  Never say never, young 'ens.

Here are a few examples. 

- Cabbage in the bra.  I'm not going to go into great detail here, but allow me to say that I now know why cows bellow all night long when we wean.  It's not because they miss their calves.  It's because they hurt.  Like freaking crazy.  I read online that cabbage in the bra could help with this issue.  Therefore, I spent 3 days with soup ingredients down my shirt.  Yep.  I did it.  And I'd do it again.  (For those of you dealing with this, I can tell you a few other tricks I used to help....decongestant, peppermint oil, Motrin.  Feel free to ask questions.)

- Nose Frieda.   "You just stick one end of this in the kid's nose and the other end of it in your mouth and suck out the snot."  Um......are you kidding me?  No.  I'm not kidding.  And you'll love this contraption.  It works a million times better than the little bulb nose sucker.  There is no way that you can get the snot into your mouth, so that's at least a bit less strange.

- Just wipe it off.  I've got a reflux baby.  He spits up a lot.  ALL. THE. TIME.  At first, I would change everyone's clothes, wipe everything down, and start over.  By now, unless it's a major mess, I just wipe it off.  Spit up running all down my arm?  Probably fine.  Chunks stuck in my hair?  that might justify cleaning up a bit more.  One day, The Boy from Texas gave us a group hug before he left for work.  About 30 minutes later, he was driving down the road, reached for his phone out of his shirt pocket, only to find out that BB had spit up in his pocket during the group hug.  It was full of curdled milk.  He just wiped off the phones, cleaned out his pocket, and went about his day.

- Talk about poop.  From being a farm kid, I know you can tell alot about an animal by his or her poop.  Same is true for a baby.  I'm fairly sure that "poop" will be BB's first word.  We constantly talk about it.  Has he pooped today?  Did he have a hard time pooping?  What did the poop look like? Can you poop buddy?   It's freaking insane.  The Boy from Texas recently told me, "I've never worried about poop so much in my life."

Ah, life looks different now than I ever dreamed.  It's gross.  Strange.  Crazy.  But it's also a heck of a lot of fun.  

Truth from the Trenches: The Newborn Stage

Here are my thoughts on the newborn stage of parenthood.  (If you want to read something more faithful and inspirational, click here for a prior post.  What you are about to read here is neither of those things.)  Mind you, I haven't ever really been around newborn babies much until, you know, they handed me one at the hospital and said "good luck and God speed."

Here's what I've learned.

1. It just is damn hard.  No, for real.  This is easily the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.  And I've done some hard things.  Like half marathons and bar exams and long distance relationships and trying to give Cousin Swiss Mister love advice.  Having a newborn is harder.  I don't feel like many people talk about this, which is a bad thing in my mind.  If no one tells you what an absolute freaking struggle it is going to be, when you find yourself in the middle of it you might think that you are not doing it right or you are not cut out to be a mom or there is something wrong with your kid.  None of that is true.  When you find yourself thinking that, you remember that none of those things are true.  It's just damn hard.

2.  The end goal is to survive. Period. Blonde Oklahoma Girl described the newborn stage as The Hunger Games.  For real, if you and your baby survive, you have won.  Haven't showered in 4 days?  Still wearing your pj's at 5 in the afternoon?  Had to stop breastfeeding?  Decided to co-sleep?  Don't want to swaddle?  Accomplished not one freakin' thing off your to do list in the last month?  None of that crap matters.  If your kid alive?  Then you win.

3.  Everything you swore you would never do? You'll do it in the first month or less.  This would be funny if you were not exhausted and frustrated when you are doing these things.  I said I'd never let our kid sleep in our bed.  You know what?  The first 6 weeks that kid would scream if you set him down and I slept holding him every night.  Then one night, it was like he decided to get over it and now he sleeps contently in his bassinette without issue.  I said I wouldn't be a mom that let her kid watch tv.  BB loves football--I mean it's an unreal thing to see an infant focusing like that on something!  I could make this list go on and on for hours.  The point is, you might as well never say never.

4.  You won't mess up if you are trying.  God bless my Soulmate Friend.  As you know from the last blog in this series, she played it straight with me. She also told me something her mom told her during this time when she was about to have a breakdown.  "You won't mess up if you are trying."  If you're going to be having a baby, you write this down on your heard and remember it when you have no idea what to do and are sure you are ruining your child.  These words were my mantra for several weeks.

5. When you are at your wits end, they do something to make you forget about all the screaming and sleep loss and dirty diapers.  A grin.  Grabbing your hand.  Sweet sleepy snuggles.  About the time you think you want to send this kid back to the hospital and get a refund, one of these things happens and you fall in love all over again.

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Truth from the Trenches: Baby Registry

Today we start a new series on this whole being a parent thing, Truth from the Trenches.

I found the whole registry process completely overwhelming.  There is just SO. Much. Stuff.  And you don't have a clue what you really need or how it works or (sometimes, at least for me) what the heck it even is!

But never fear.  I, your Type-A friend, am here to help.  

First off, I have the list I put together and used that I am happy to share.  It has everything I compiled from the 27 separate lists I gathered up.  If you want a copy, just comment below or let me know somehow and I will send it your way.  

Second, here are the top ten things that I have found to be must haves for the newborn stage.

Diapers. Duh, you are saying.  First decision is cloth or disposable. I think poop is disgusting so disposable was a given. We registered only for Pampers and got a closet full of diapers in all sizes.  At the hospital, they gave us several packs of Huggies. You take the free stuff! After using both, we prefer Huggies.  The lining seems to be better. 

Diaper pail.  If you don't want your room to smell like poo, get a diaper pail. There are all different kinds. We have an Arm & Hammer one I like quite well. It's bigger than the diaper genie so you don't have to dump it as often.  Also register for bag refills for whichever pail you choose. 

Pacifier.  I thought everyone used a pacifier. I now know it's controversial. Whatever...my kid needs his binkie!  He likes the Soothie brand green ones and there is another small one that is flat in the front that works well.  These things will grow legs and walk off I swear, so you want to have lots of then around!

Burp cloths.  However many you think you need, get double. Then probably double it again.  If your kid spits up as much as mine, you need lots to avoid doing laundry three times a day!  Our favorite are the ones that are actually cloth diapers. We have done of those that people like Chicken Plucker sewed cute material down the middle and some that are just plain cloth diapers. They seem to be the most absorbent.

Clothes with mittens and feet. Babies have razor sharp finger nails and super cold little feet. Our luck at keeping mittens and socks on basically did not exist.  So clothes with those protections built in--especially the first couple months--are a life saver.

Sleepers. With zippers.  Confession: My kid does not look like he is from baby gap.  But sleepers keep him warm and cozy and are easy to get off and on.  Unless they have buttons, which are the devil. Sleepers with zippers is the way to go.

Boppy pillow.  I cannot say enough about the boppy.  I don't think I could have breast fed without it. 

Something your kid will sit in.  Swing, bouncer, mamaroo, nap nanny, we have tried it all.  Probably the best liked and most convenient for us is the boppy newborn napper. 

Swaddle blankets.  Super Mom told me to get Aiden and Anias bamboo swaddle blankets and not bother with anything else.  We love them.  They are great for swaddling but also just as blankets especially in the summer or if your kid is hot natured. 

Gas drops. Baby gas is no freaking joke.  Whoever  invented these deserves the Nobel Prize. They are a must have in your cabinet.

Lastly, every baby is different so what works for me might not for you. Everyone told me this and I found it super annoying.  Until I learned it was true.