Happy 3 Months Nathan

Nathan you are now 3 months old as of June 1! Time is flying and it is taking mommy forever to write up your stats!

Weight: At least 12 pounds by now

Height: Not sure we should know in July

Health: You started daycare and right away you have been congested and coughing. Hope this is not a sign!

Sleep: Oh the sleep subject again. We moved your swing into your room this month and have been focusing on trying to have you teach yourself how to sleep. We let you cry for about 5 minutes at a time before we go in and soothe you. By the end of the month you were putting yourself to sleep and only waking up once a night to eat. You seem to wake up around 3-4am and just start getting a little fussy. If I put the swing on you are out like a light and sleep until 8. I am hoping to phase out of this and then start working on crib transitioning. We are still turning the swing on for naps.

Routine: You are still following the same pattern of sleeping, eating and playing except for bedtime when daddy gives you a bottle before we put your down. This sometimes can get difficult when we try and go out and you start getting fussy for nap time and sometimes you just can't be comforted without that swing! 

Diet: 100% Breast milk still!! And at 11 weeks we were done with the nipple shield!! It just kind of happened one day. I kept always trying but you just hadn't been ready. I am so glad to be done with that thing. It makes nursing so much easier especially when we are on the go.

Clothes: 3 months and starting some 3-6 months. 

Baby Gear: You have really been starting to get into toys this month. At 11 weeks we were out at our favorite place Target and it was the first time I saw you actually start reaching for a toy hanging from your car seat, and you were just rubbing it. So cute! You are loving your jungle gym and looking at yourself in the mirror. I would say your tub this month too. You love just laying there like a king while we bath you and sing lots of songs.

Crying: Mostly when you start getting tired or bored. You will cry to let me know you have had enough and are ready for something different. 

Likes: Eating for sure! You also like to look at other babies and at yourself in the mirror. You are liking when we sing to you and always give us big smiles that melt my heart.

Milestones: Starting daycare. Boy oh boy was this tough on mommy. Luckily daddy does most of the drop offs but the bigger kids love to help out with you and you are always exhausted by the end of the day.

You rolled from your tummy to your back on May 21! You really hate tummy time.

We celebrated our first Mother's day together and you joined in on the seafood tradition!

Social: You got to hang out with all the babies born from daddy's co-workers! You are also getting to hang out with all the kids at daycare!

Nathan you continue to let your little personally show more and more everyday. We love you so much.

Happy 2 Months Nathan!

Nathan you are now 2 months old as of May 1. 

Weight: You weighed in at 11 pounds 7 ounces! Growing strong my boy!

Height: 23 inches

Health: We think you had your first little cold this month and it was the saddest thing ever. You were so stuffy and you were so upset which made mommy just as upset. Luckily this only lasted 1-2 days and then you were back to your usual self! You developed a slight fever after your shots this month but we gave you a little tylenol which seemed to help. You also had a little eczema on your forehead so the dr recommended using Cereve cream which is helping!

Sleep: Oh sleep. This month was a real struggle trying to get you to sleep in your crib. You will sleep 6-7 hours sometimes in your swing but your crib is another story. You wake up about every 2 hours screaming crying and will eventually refuse to even go back in. We are still swaddling you every night but I think you hate being in such a big space all alone. We are going to try moving your swing into your room and then try a bassinet and see if this helps. 

Routine: We have settled into quite a routine now. You are pretty much in the sleep, eat play repeat routine. Once you have been awake for too long you start to get fussy which we know is the sign for a nap. We sometimes try napping your crib but you nap best in your swing of course and at nap time we turn it on for you which helps to soothe you to sleep. Naps can range from 30 mins to 2 hours. We love it when you nap for 2 hours! Your bedtime routine is pretty consistent. We give you a bath between 7:30 and 8 which you really seem to enjoy. Then we do a mini massage with some calming lotion, swaddle you up and daddy gives you a bottle of pumped milk and will usually sing you some songs while you eat.

Diet: Still 100% breast milk! I am loving that I have the ability to give you everything you need to grow and thrive. We are still using the nipple shield but once you have get going we can usually take it off and you can nurse without it. Still no problems taking a bottle. We are using Dr Browns still and are taking around 4oz during the day and we up your night time bottle to about 5.5oz. You are still spitting up quite a bit but the Dr assures us this is normal.

Clothes: I have officially packed away all your newborn clothes which is so sad to know you will never be that small again. You are wearing mostly 0-3 months and some 3 months depending on the brand

Baby Gear: You still LOVE your swing and also your BabyBjorn air sitter is a favorite. We are starting to read books and you love to just sit there and watch our mouths move. 

Crying: When we put you in your crib! You also tend to get fussy every evening around 6:30 just in time for daddy to get home. We have started using the Avent pacifiers which help to soothe you during this time until you go into the bath. 

Likes: You are happiest right after you nurse. If you stop before you are full you let me know with a big wail and will nurse until that belly is full. You like when we talk to you and you give us great big smiles!

Milestones: You celebrated your first holiday this month Easter! I put together an Easter basket for you with things we already had around the house. I promise next year it will be all new stuff! We also celebrated your Baptism. You did amazing and slept through the whole thing even when the holy water was poured over your head. We had lots of family and friends attend and it was a beautiful ceremony. 

You love to kick your legs like crazy. I keep saying you can't wait to be on the move! Something tells me you are going to be quite the busy little boy. 

I can't believe another month has come and gone. We love you more and more everyday and you continue to amaze us! Now lets just get you sleeping in that crib!!

Happy 1 Month Nathan!

Mr. Nathan James you are already one month old! 

Stats: At your one month appointment you were up to 9 pounds 5.5 ounces and you were 21.75 inches long! Growing great as the doctor said. 

You have recently outgrown most of your newborn pajamas. We are still putting you in some newborn onsies and pants and have busted out a lot of your 0-3 month! Just this week we have switched you from your newborn diapers to size one. Mostly because we used up all the newborn and did not want to buy anymore but size one seems to fit just fine! 

You seem to be getting stronger everyday. You are lifting up your head like a pro although you seem to hate tummy time. You prefer to do it on our chest rather than the floor. You seem to like to sit in your baby bjorn chair and just look around and take it all in!

When we first brought you home you loved your mamaroo now it really depends on your mood. 

Sleeping: Some days you refuse to nap or even let me put you down, man are those days tough. Recently I have put you in a baby carrier and you seem to like that and will doze off while I vacuum! At night we try and have you in bed by 9:30-10 and you give us anywhere from 1-3 hour stretches. Sometimes even 4! I am hoping that this next month we can start extending this. Mama needs some sleep! We have you sleeping in your swing in our room, usually not turned on but we are going to start transitioning you into your crib soon. I have been trying to have you nap in there as often as possible. You seem to sleep better when we swaddle you and have been using the Miracle Swaddle blankets. 

Bathing: Boy did you hate sponge baths and you let us know. You would scream so loud that at times no sound would even be coming out! And this broke my heart. It also made us very nervous of how you would handle an actual tubby. Once your cord finally fell off we put you in the tub and the first bath you hated but the second and third there was no screaming so we are making progress! We have been using your Eurobath with a sponge insert to help keep you up right. I am hoping that you continue to like bath time! 

Eating: You have been all breast milk from the beginning and I am pleased with this. I have been worried that I am not supplying enough for you but the doctor assures me that I am. You defiantly have messy diapers all day long! You let us know with some very loud screams when you are hungry. Usually as soon as you wake up you like to eat right away. During the day it is mostly every 2-3 hours still. We have also introduced a bottle which you took no problem. We have been using the Dr. Browns and you have no trouble switching back and forth. You once and a while have issues with gas and we have given you gripe water which sometimes seems to help. You Took a pacifier the first couple weeks we were home and honestly it really helped to soothe you but you have now learned to hate it and let us know. 

We are starting to get some smiles and they are the cutest thing and makes me so excited to one day hear you laugh!

All in all you have been a really good baby and we love you so much. I can't wait to see what this next month brings.  You continue to grow and in a way it makes me sad that you will never be a newborn again but excited for what the future holds :)

Tooth Fact Tuesday

Diagram of a tooth:

Fun Fact: The enamel on our teeth is even harder than our bones and is the hardest part of our body.

Weekend in the City

This past weekend the husband and I took a trip to NYC. I have not been in about 14 years and James has NEVER been so we decided a trip was in order. Here is a list of what he hoped to accomplish and what we actually accomplished:

1. visit 9/11 memorial
2. see a show
3. go to the top of the empire state building
4. have a wonderful dinner
5. go on a tour of NBC
6. visit the Today show during taping
7. shop
8. visit Central Park
9. see someone famous 
10. buy fake Uggs (my list not James)

So our adventure began Friday night when we drove down to Conn to spend the night closer to the train station. It was going to take about 3.5 hours to get there and a little more than halfway we decided to pull off the highway to find something to eat. Mainly because I was beginning to get delirious and hungry and Kim do not go well together. We can across a cute little pizza restaurant that I wish we could pick up and move closer to home. I must say they had the BEST sangria. 

At Napoli's! Please don't pay attention to the no make up extremely tired look.

Amazing pizza

We were up bright and early Saturday morning, made it on the 8:45 train and we were in NYC before 10. After exiting Grand Central Station and turning around 3 times, we made our way to Times Square, dropped off our luggage and began exploring. However I did have to do a little convincing to have the front desk employee to upgrade our room so that we were facing Times Square, score! I must say we did a LOT of walking over our short visit. I think my feet will be sore for a few days but we saw a lot. I squeezed in some shopping before heading over to NBC for a tour. On our tour we got to witness some of the SNL cast practicing their skits for the show that night which was pretty exciting.

Hanging with Matt before the tour

 Following the tour I came across a bakery, Magnolia Bakery, that had a line out the door and around the corner. I immediately knew if the line was that long I had to have some. When I finally made it inside it was hard to decide what to get, and I don't do well making decisions under pressure, but it seemed everyone else was going for the cupcakes, so I followed their lead and decided with red velvet and a snickerdoodle. These cupcakes were the most unbelievable cupcakes I have ever had. The frosting was so light and complemented the cake perfectly. My plan was to have one right away and the other after dinner. Well they were both gone in about 30 seconds. Hello self control. 

A little blurry and they were gone before I could take another

After finishing up a bit more shopping and walking to the empire state building we finally got to our room at about 4 and I was in some serious need of relaxation. Unfortunately with so much stuff to do we only got to rest for about 45 minutes before we were out the door again. This time we were heading up to the 46th floor to the revolving restaurant for a pre dinner cocktail. The cocktail was so delicious I could have had at least 4 but at 18 bucks a pop, I limited myself to 1. The revolving restaurant was a great idea but I can't say I am a fan of revolving while drinking even at a slow speed.

View from our hotel room at the Marriott

At the revolving restaurant!

View from the restaurant

After cocktails we headed out to the "Strip House" (funny story, I made the reservation under James' email address so when he saw the confirmation he was trying to figure out why a strip club was emailing him, no hunny just steaks) I went with the 8oz filet and James the 15oz bone in filet. The steak was amazingly tender and had great flavor, but we both had the same complaint, too salty. I am not sure why but our steaks were drenched in salt, too much salt for our liking but that didn't stop either of us from clearing our plates. I felt like I was going to have to be rolled out the front door. 

Found this guy out front and had to snatch a pic

During the day while we were out walking we were stopped by one of the street vendors selling tickets for a comedy show that evening. I am so skeptical of street vendors and really hate them but at the time we had no plans for the evening and it did sound interesting and for $30 we figured what the hell so we bought them and into my purse they went. Well we should have just had IDIOT plastered on our foreheads immediately. There were 3 shows 8PM, 10:30PM and 12:30AM. We had planned to hit up the 8PM show, so after dinner I pulled out the tickets and in the middle it says: *RESERVATIONS REQUIRED* which of course was not explained to us when we purchased them and I can probably put money on it that the shows were already booked when we purchased but we called and found out the only show that had openings was 12:30AM. Well if you know me, you know that 12:30 is not something I see often and knew that it was just not going to happen. So really bummed we started to head back towards Time Square trying to think of something else to do. I knew if we went for more cocktails it would send me to bed pretty early so we tried the box office at The Lion King. James has never been to a musical before and I figured that would be a good one for him to see. The nice lady at the door informed us that each ticket would be $140 and I could not fathom spending $280, so we thanked her and headed out. Well luckily around the corner was a scalper who offered to sell us 2 tickets for $180. SOLD! The way our luck was going I was sure we would buy these and be turned away at the door but luckily they worked and we saw a great show! 

At The Lion King

As the crowd exited the building there was a large group of people congregating across the street clearly waiting for someone famous to come through the doors. Since this was on the list of things to do over I went! James was beyond "thrilled" and even more thrilled when we found out this person was Ricky Martin!! I tried to get James a little more excited by singing a few lines of "livin la vida loca" but judging by the look on his face, it didn't work. We stayed for the excitement as he walked towards his car and people were screaming and yelling how they much they loved him (I thought maybe I would have to remind these people it was only Ricky Martin!), Being on the shorter side I couldn't see a thing except for the man videoing on his IPad so close enough for me!

Ricky Martin is some where in there.....

We were up by 6:30 Sunday morning to make it over to the TODAY show. I thought we were standing in a pretty good spot but unfortunately we did not make it on TV clearly. During an inside interview I snuck over to the window so you can see me for a little bit standing behind the woman but not too clear.  However I did talk to Dylan Dryer and told her we were fans of hers from Boston! I am glad we went and would love to go back during a weekday taping. We had brunch reservations for later that morning but neither of us could fathom another massive meal after the one we had the night before so we canceled and settled on a some pastries from a coffee shop. I may have also tried to go back for more cupcakes but unfortunately that bakery was not open yet.

Following the show we headed downtown to the 9/11 memorial. We waited in line for almost 45 minutes to get in but we entered just as they were doing a Veteran's Day service with members of the Army. The whole crowd applauded and thanked them for their service as they walked by. It was great. The memorial is amazing. You can't help but just stand there and say a prayer for all the lives lost during such a tragic event. I think they did a wonderful job paying respect to the nearly 3000 lives lost that tragic day. The museum however is still not open so I will definitely have to make a trip back. Another very interesting piece of the memorial is a tree that was present at the Twin Towers and after the attacks it had been knocked down to a mere 8ft. It was transferred to a nursery where it was able to grow back to over 30ft and was returned back to the memorial site. They are also in the process of rebuilding the area with 4 more towers and I think that the end result will be beautiful. 

One of the new towers.

We finished up at the memorial a little before noon and figured it would be best to head back to the hotel, grab our luggage, and begin our journey home. With most of our list accomplished we felt that it was a successful trip. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the train station and as I turned the corner to head to our train, there it was, a piece of heaven. A smaller version of Magnolia Bakery! Of course I took this as a sign for needing more baked goods. One cupcake and chocolate chunk blondie please! With my goodies packed we boarded the train and made the 3.5 hour drive home. 

All in all it was fabulous weekend with the one I love. 

xoxo,

Kim

Kitchen Remodel

So we have finally completed most of our kitchen remodel, man what a process. We still have to do the floor but we are going to wait until after the holidays and our lives slow down a bit. Here are a few pictures of the new space! I will update with sources once I finally get our new knobs on. Hope you enjoy! 

The before and after! No more all white.

Finally have a gas stove! 

It's amazing what a difference new drawer pulls can make.

xoxo

Kim

What's for dinner?

Who doesn't love home made mac and cheese?? Here is a recipe I recently tried that came out pretty tasty! 

Ingredients:1 (8 ounce) package macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded good quality
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, buttered
Directions:


Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.

In a large saucepan melt butter.

Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.

Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly. (I only used milk)

Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).

Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.

Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Turn off flame.

Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.

Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. (I used Ritz Crackers)

Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Eat and Enjoy!!

xoxo

Kim