The Year is Dying...

...let him die. Not that it's been a horrible year, but there is something refreshing and exciting about a new start, a clean slate. Here's hoping that the feeling lasts and that New Year's resolutions become accomplished goals and not forgotten fantasies.

And the Goose's baby, well he needs to get fat

So we went to the 6-month follow-up visit last week and Dane had only gained 1 oz during the previous month. So at the doctor's recommendation, we went to the dietician on Wednesday, and she's concerned. Dane is way off the charts, but it's not so much that he's small (he's always been small), it's that his rate of growth isn't normal (5 times less than what it should be).

So the plan is to continue to breastfeed and give him high calorie solids - basically put oil or butter in everything we give him. We're also supposed to give him at least 4 oz of concentrated formula every day. But, not thinking about the consequences, we haven't given him a bottle since shortly after we moved here and now he won't take one...argh! We've tried a sippy cup too and the most he'll do is chew on the spout. So I went and got some different brands to try, but I'm already feeling it's a lost cause.

We go back to the dietician in a month and if he still isn't growing then we'll see a GI doctor to make sure there isn't some sort of other problem, like a deficiency or absorbtion problem.

Everyone keeps telling me how healthy Dane looks and that he doesn't look too skinny, and I believe them, but we decided that we need to do everything we can just to make sure. So, if after all is said and done, he is still small and a slow grower, then we'll know it's not because of something we did(n't) do.

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat

The goose in this case would be me. I need to exercise some serious self control around all the holiday treats; and I need to just exercise period.

We finally put up our tree on Sunday. We don't have many Christmas decorations, just the tree and this banner that I made the other week.


When Elizabeth was down for Thanksgiving she helped me learn how to make these snowflake ornaments, so I've been doing that in my spare moments. They are too big for our puny tree so I've been giving them away.

On Saturday we had a Ward Christmas Breakfast and Santa stopped by. I plopped Dane down on Santa's lap and snapped a quick photo just before he started to cry.

Happy Holidays!

The Feast

Elizabeth came down for the weekend and we had a full-on Thanksgiving feast (with tons of leftovers!). I dubbed it the Food Network Feast after I realized that half of the recipes that I made were from the Food Network.

I made my first turkey (I forgot to take a picture of it, but it looked nice). Daniel carved his first turkey. Elizabeth made a fantastic gravy and two awesomely-delicious pies.

Dane felt neglected all day because I was running around trying to get everything ready. Cricket got underfoot and scavenged for any dropped food.

Elizabeth's pies (pecan and apple) - YUMMY! Here's the table spread - there was more than this but we had to spread it out on the counter: Turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, rainbow jello, olives, homemade cranberry sauce and homemade cranberry relish, and sparkling holiday punch. The only thing missing were the rolls. But we stuffed ourselves silly without them, so I don't think they were missed that much.

My favorite part of the meal was the stuffing. I used Anne Burrell's cornbread stuffing recipe and the only alteration I made was to leave out the cranberries. A close second was the sweet potatoes - which was Daniel's favorite part. I used the same recipe as I made last year from the Neely's but instead of maple syrup I used apple cider syrup.

The rest of the weekend we just relaxed and had fun. Well, Daniel took a test on Friday - his 3rd CPA test. Elizabeth helped me with a crochet pattern, we played games, watched movies, and had a grand ole time. Dane was sad to see Elizabeth go, they had so much fun playing together.

It was quite the experience doing a whole Thanksgiving feast for the first time. I told Daniel that I won't ever do it again unless I have more than one oven and a bigger kitchen. He said, that's why people invite other people over and assign them to bring something.

Good Intentions

That is a piece of fudge. Not just any fudge mind you, "healthy" fudge, pinto bean fudge. Yes, that is correct, there are pinto beans in the fudge. While this fudge had every good intention of being, well, good and good-for-you, it just didn't deliver. It wasn't bad necessarily, it just wasn't good. In case you're interested in trying it out for yourself, here is the recipe.

Now that, is a deep-fried oreo. And oh, did it deliver!

6 Months

It's hard to believe that Dane has been a part of our family for 6 months already!

He is so cute and it's so fun to see his personality emerge. His favorite things are eating (milk), playing with daddy, and taking baths. His dislikes include, eating (anything other than milk), taking naps, being on his tummy, and getting dressed.

He had his 6 month check-up this past week. He remains in the Feather-weight divsion at 11 lbs 14 oz and 23 inches tall. The doctor said he looked healthy, but wants him to start taking vitamins and eating more solid foods. Yeah, easier said than done, doc. He is sitting up really well, and loves to "walk around" while we hold him up. And the other day he discovered that he can pull himself up! But he still refuses to really roll-over on a regular basis. He'd prefer to cry until someone comes along to get him off his tummy...sigh. We are so blessed and thankful to have this adorable guy in our family!

Project #1 - Nursing Cover Clips

The other day Dane took a nap just long enough for me to work on this little project. I've had intentions of getting a nursing cover but just never got around to it. Then I decided that this would be more practical because I could use it on whatever blanket I had and it takes up less space than a nursing cover.

Materiels:

1 piece of fabric about 16 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide

2 suspender clips

Directions:

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise (with the wrong side facing out) and sew up the open side.

Take a hot iron and press the seam flat.

Pull the tube of fabric right side out. (I put the tube over a crochet hook, tied some of the thread ends around the hook and then pulled the hook back through the fabric)

On each end, fold up the raw edge a 1/4 inch or so and press flat with a hot iron.

Then slip the suspender clip onto each end and fold up the folded edge once more around the suspender clip about a 1/2 inch and sew closed.

You can adjust the length of the fabric to your height and liking.

This was very easy to make for a beginner (me), and very inexpensive. I paid $1.99 for the suspender clips and used left over fabric I had from a different project. I had contemplated using 1 inch wide ribbon instead of the fabric, to make it even easier, but I wanted to do it for as cheap as possible so I stuck with the fabric that I already had. So after tax it only cost $2.15. Sure beats the $8-9 price tag to buy one online.

Let me know if you try this out yourself and if you have any other fun, easy, beginner projects, pass them on. I'm trying to expand my skill set.

Shout Out!

I've had several people comment on our new family picture, so I have to give a big SHOUT OUT to our wonderful cousin, Lanay. As I mentioned before, we went to Dallas at the beginning of October and on a whim Lanay decided to take some pictures. She is exremely talented and we love our pictures! Check out more of her amazing work here and here.

Happy Halloween!

Finally

Watch his funny face when he looks at the camera, so cute!

We'll see if he keeps it up this time around :)

October 22nd

Today we went to the park. I wore shorts...I miss Fall.

Pickles anyone?

Last weekend we went up north to visit my sister Elizabeth. We had a wonderful time and got the chance to taste some of her very own produce and canning creations. On Sunday morning we had a pickle tasting - yes, for breakfast (well, with breakfast).

On the left are the lemon pickles. They were very light and refreshing - they reminded me of the marinated cucumbers my grandma used to make, but not as vinegary.

In the middle are the bread and butter variety. They had a nice mustard flavor - they'd go great on a burger.

And finally on the right - the cinnamon pickles. Yes, I said cinnamon. They tasted, well, like cinnamon. These were Daniel's favorite because they tasted the least like a cucumber.

Thanks Elizabeth for the great time and great food!

Dane, Dane and more Dane

To Houston

We left Utah on September 9th. Here's Dane all ready to go.
This pretty much sums up the trip. Lots and lots of driving. Dane was so sick of his car seat.

We arrived in Houston 6 days later on the 14th. Dane's smile reflects all our delight at finally being in our new home.

In case you have no first hand knowledge, the drive from Utah to Houston isn't all that scenic. This is the only picture of the land we took - the famous Horse Head on Blue Mountain in Monticello UT. (it's just left of the light post)Really, the highlights of our trip were getting to see family. Grandma and Grandpa Christensen in Monticello, Kim and Mike in their new house in Las Cruces NM (and mom who was visiting as well), Elizabeth and the Swanson's in Allen TX.

StressedessertS

Did you know desserts is stressed spelled backwards? What's the significance? Um, I think it has something to do with eating desserts to relieve stress - at least that's what I'm going to believe.

This is causing me to be stressed lately:

Our apartment has exploded and there's nothing I can do about it.

This is what I've done about it:
The other night we stopped at Sonic for a tasty treat and I tried a Cherry Limeade Chiller - YUMMY! A creamy and fruity and zippy blend of ice cream and cherry limeade complete with lime wedge and cherry on top. It was definitely a moment of stress-free indulgence.

Caught on Tape!

Just too darn cute!

(click to view larger)

Stir Fry

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken cubed
oil or spray for cooking
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp 5-spice powder
minced garlic or garlic powder to taste
sesame oil (optional)
1 bag frozen veggies thawed

Directions:
Heat oil in a wok or skillet over high heat, add chicken and cook until no longer pink.

Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients (except for sesame oil) in a small bowl. (I actually sprinkled the 5-spice powder over the chicken as it was cooking to give the meat flavor)

Add the veggies and sauce to the cooked chicken and heat through (I used a "steam-in-the-bag" medley of broccoli, carrots and edamame that I cooked in the microwave before adding to the chicken and sauce).

Just before serving add your sesame oil if using (I added 1 tsp or so).

Serve over rice.

The original recipe was a slow cooker recipe using pork chops. We liked the sauce so much that I decided to try it in a wok with chicken and added the veggies and it turned out great - it's our new go-to stir fry sauce. In both cases we made a yummy fried rice with the left-overs.

3 Months

Yesterday Dane turned 3 months old. He is growing so much - even in the last few days! He's slept throught he night 2 out of the last 3 nights (yeah!); he seems like a much happier baby smiling and talking a lot; he's starting to grab toys.

He loves attention - contantly needing to be talked to or played with. He hates to sit in the back of the car by himself (I think he feels neglected). He loves to just look around and explore his surroundings - especially in new places.

We are so happy to have him in our family! Enjoy these pictures from the last few weeks.