Life One Week In…

We’ve survived the first week.
And I still am in shock that she’s here.

I cannot imagine her not being a part of our days and nights but most of all our lives. So far life as a family of three is off to a great start and Elizabeth is a fantastic baby!

Highlights from her week:

Day 1: Coming into the world! Meeting Nana and Papa Brogle, Uncle Jeff & Aunt Patty, Cousins Macayla, Lauren, and Jack. Snuggles from Mommy and Daddy. First bath in the hospital to remove all the vernix.
Day 2: Meeting Grandma K. (mommy’s mommy), friends of Mommy and Daddy’s, & heel pokes for jaundice. First hearing test, which she failed.
Day 3: Second hearing test, passed with flying colors. More jaundice heel pokes, & going home with Mommy and Daddy. First car ride.
Day 4: First outing alone with Mommy to the lactation consultant. We survived. First night survived at home; we didn’t get much sleep:)
Day 5: Much better sleeping and eating through the night and day. Going with Mommy to Daddy’s softball game for a little bit. First walk around the block in the stroller.

Day 6: First Doctor’s appt. Weight back up to 7 lbs. 8 oz. from a low on day 4 of 7 lbs. 2 oz. Lost her umbilical cord stump. Met Grandpa and Grandma Winter and Uncle Matt via Skype.
Day 7: Another outing with Mommy & Daddy to Target for essentials. She wasn’t impressed and slept the entire time. First bath in the big girl bathtub! Met Uncle Chris, Aunt Jen, and cousin Kate via Skype.

Glimpse into a day:
Elizabeth is an amazing baby…or I could be biased. Things are coming easily to both her and I. After getting some great encouragement at the L.C. on Monday, feeding has been going really well. She eats between every 2-3 hours and sleeps most of the time in-between feedings. She does much better at night in terms of efficiency which means I have been getting some pretty good stretches of sleep. She’s a very relaxed and mellow baby, very rarely cries, has yet to have a blowout or major spit up though I’m sure they are in our future. We spend a lot of time snuggling, napping, eating, and enjoying our time as a family of 3.

How’s Mama doing?
I’m doing surprisingly well. I often have to remind myself that I just had a baby and to sit and relax. Although having someone to snuggle up makes leaving things around the house much easier. Physically I’m feeling good. A little sleep deprived and a little sore, but both have been manageable. I feel really blessed that she’s a good eater and took right to feeding. Something I had been a little worried about before she was here. I’m lucky to have an amazing husband as well who is not only great with Elizabeth but extra loving to his wife.

One week in for Mommy:
Throughout the pregnancy I retained A LOT of water. I ended up gaining right around 35-37 pounds by the time she came. After leaving the hospital I was down 10 and after 7 days I’m down 22. They told me all the water weight would most likely be gone after a week; there’s still a little in my feet but I was able to wear my wedding rings today which I call success. I’m really surprised so much water was in me and believe me, I eat A TON now that I’m nursing! I can now, after 3-4 months, recognize my thighs, knees, and ankles…all of which looked like a tree trunk just a week ago. I’m not planning on doing anything to get the weight off except nursing and just going about our day. I’m in no hurry and know however my body decides to adjust is fine with me. Other than the occasional bout of tears in the first day or two home, I’ve been feeling emotionally really well and so overwhelmed with love for my husband and baby girl.

How’s Daddy doing? Daddy’s doing great! It’s been really fun to watch Alex evolve into the role of a dad. He’s never been the type to ooh and ahh over other people’s babies or even hold them. But from the minute he laid eyes on Elizabeth he’s been hooked. He was able to do skin to skin with her first in the hospital and loves cuddling with her. In fact, we often fight over who gets to hold her next:) There’s something about seeing your spouse with a baby that just makes your heart swell with love and pride. She’s blessed to have such a loving Daddy!

So there you have it, week one in a nutshell. We’re excited for week 2 and having Grandma around for the week. I can’t wait to see how she changes!

Welcome Elizabeth!

“ We give you thanks, O LORD, with our whole hearts…We give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. On the day we called, you answered us; our strength of soul you increased.”

 

Psalm 138:1-3

Our Elizabeth Mae.
3 years waited. 2 weeks early. 1 family complete.

  At the hospital in our delivery room…labor has started.

14 hours after my water broke, she’s here. Our Elizabeth. 2:18 pm.
7 lbs. 12 oz. 20 1/2 inches long. Glad she came a couple of weeks early!

Meeting daddy for the first time.

Our family of three.

After meeting her Nana, Papa, Aunt, Uncle and three cousins. Tired girl.
Tiny toes.
Long fingers.
And a big yawn. She’s all tired out. That’s enough for today.

Time to go home…as our family of three.

The Best Chicken Enchiladas

For over 5 years I’ve been trying to make really good homemade enchiladas. I’ve failed every time until this last week. Well, I didn’t really fail…they were just never that great. You know? These ones though, are delicious. They take a little bit of love to make but sometimes the best things take a little time. 

It was a necessity to learn to make them because we have a favorite Mexican joint in the Cities that just moved closer to our house. It’s dangerous…because their enchiladas are really good. And probably not as great for our waist lines. But that’s okay, because this past week I made some that I think trump anything from El Loro. Best part, you can make half now and freeze the others for leftovers…that’s what I did! Leave it to me to wait 5 years to finally follow a recipe EXACTLY…these are delicious and we don’t even necessarily like red sauce enchiladas with corn tortillas. But we’re converts now.

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce
recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated Best Make Ahead Cookbook (worth owning if you ask me!)

Sauce and Filling:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic , minced
3 tablespoons chili powder 
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat & cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips (I used leftover breast meat)
2 cans tomato sauce (8 ounces each)

1/3 Cup water
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 can (4 ounces) pickled jalapeños , drained and chopped (about 1/4 cup) 
10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese , grated (2 1/2 cups)
10 corn tortillas (six-inch)

FOR THE SAUCE AND FILLING:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 300 degrees. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until coated with spices, about 30 seconds. (I just added my precooked & shredded chicken breast meat  here. I probably had around 1 1/2- 2 Cups worth)

Add tomato sauce and water. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and flavors have melded, about 8 minutes.

Pour mixture through medium-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on chicken and onions to extract as much sauce as possible; set sauce aside.

Transfer chicken mixture to large plate; let cool until you can handle it, shred, then combine with cilantro, jalapenos, and cheese in medium bowl and set aside. (Again, I didn’t need to shred but did need to let cool.)

TO ASSEMBLE:
Spray both sides of the tortillas with vegetable oil spray. Place 5 onto a baking sheet. Bake until soft and pliable, 2-4 minutes. Repeat with other 5. Place one tortilla on a flat surface and add a 1/4-1/3 Cup of filling down the middle. Fold the sides of the tortilla over the filling to overlap and place the filled tortilla seam side down onto a 9x13 baking dish. Repeat and continue with the remaining tortillas until filling is used up. (If you want to make half now and freeze the other half, fill 2 8x8 pans. Each 8x8 pan will feed 2)

Pour the strained sauce over the enchiladas and then sprinkle the cheese down the middle of the enchiladas. (If making two 8x8’s then place half of sauce and cheese in separate freezable containers)

To Cook Right Away: Change the oven temperature to 350 degrees, add sauce and cheese, cover the dish with foil and bake until sauce and cheese are bubbling, approximately 20-25 minutes.

Uncover and serve immediately!

If cooking the frozen pan: Unwrap the dish, spray the tops with vegetable foil spray and bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven until warmed through and lightly toasted on top, 10-15 min. Pour the THAWED sauce over the enchiladas, sprinkle with thawed cheese, cover with aluminum foil and back until sauce and cheese are bubbling, approximately 15-10 min.

Baby B - 36 Weeks

We’ve made it!!
*excuse me while I jump up and down because we’re FULL TERM!!*

This past week was jumpstarted by strawberry picking and finished off with a very relaxing weekend at home. During week 36 I actually got some things done and crossed off my list. Woo-Hoo! Lampshade and lamp purchased, hospital bag packed, name letter bought and project begun, rug pad laid down, car seat installed, curtains to be installed early this week, and bedroom is ready for Grandma when she comes.

Phew…it was quite the week!

There are of course still a list of things I would love to try and accomplish but at the same time I’m enjoying just putting my feet up and napping:) I told you all that I would let you know how the first check went this week…well my cervix is still really high so no progress noted. We’ll see what she says tomorrow! Has anyone tried evening primrose oil? I’ve been hearing good things but at the same time I’m happy to let her come when she wants!

I know I owe you all a nursery tour but the biggest problem is her room. It is so dark! It’s hard to find the right time of day to get good pictures but I’ll try this week after the curtains go up. I think that will help me think that everything looks close to being finished.

How big is baby?
She’s getting up there…she’s the size of a honeydew melon! Almost 6 pounds, though I’m thinking closer to 6.5 and around 18 inches long. Can I just say that I cannot wait for our pediatrician to track her height once she’s born and let us know her predicted height. They did that for me and I ended up just as they predicted. I keep wondering if she’ll be taller than me or a similar height. She’s *hopefully* still head down, though I’m not quite sure anymore. She has definitely not dropped because her limbs are still battling my rib cage!

How am I feeling?

Still pretty swollen and puffy…from the knee cap down. Nothing really works anymore so I’ve pretty much given up. I just keep thinking about how the end is near and how I’ve had it pretty easy this pregnancy. No morning sickness, no bed rest, heartburn has been pretty moderate, and no other major issues/problems. So all in all, I feel really good. And I’m still sleeping through the night! *knock on wood*

How am I changing?

Not many changes again this week. I’m thinking I will miss my belly once she’s here though. Most days it comes in really handy:) I’m still heading to the chiropractor twice a week and I’m anxious to see if his prediction of an easy labor will be true. I’m hoping he’s right. Also I’m clumsy as all get out…this week I happened to drop a light bulb, step on a shard of glass, and whack my head on the closet door while cleaning up the mess. It was quite comical even if I was the only one home!

Little Tidbits:

Days until Due Date: 20 !
# of scheduled Dr.’s visits left: 3
Baby’s gestational age: 37 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain: I think right around 33 lbs. and I’m guessing from my pitted edema that includes quite a bit of water

Strawberry Picking

Oh yes we did.
It’s been on our bucket list since we were dating. Over 7 years. Leave it to us to wait until I’m nine months pregnant to go. Either way, we finally crossed it off this weekend. Neither one of us can remember if we ever went as kids; we probably would have been like the little ones who were in the fields with us “I’m tired.” “Are we done yet?” “Mmm these berries are good.” It was hilarious!
Needless to say, our morning out picking in the fields was perfect. In the end we left with 7 pounds of berries and my hands are now pink. I couldn’t wait to get to work making jam. My grandmother made the best strawberry jam. Chunky, slightly runny, and perfectly sweet. It’s probably what all grandmother’s made; straight off the sure-gel box! So Sunday afternoon I made a quick batch, stored some berries for eating this week and I made some very delicious strawberry muffins bright and early Monday morning.
It was the perfect morning for picking; warm but not too balmy. You learn a lot about a person by the way they pick berries. Alex was so meticulous; only picking the big, bright red berries, taking his time. I, on the other hand, grabbed any size berry as long as they were bright red. Maybe it’s because squatting was more difficult? We spent almost an hour and the berries we picked at Lorence’s Berry Farm near Northfield, were big, ripe and plump! They are so delicious. I’m pretty sure the baby loved them too!
It was the perfect way to end the weekend and I’m sure by this coming weekend you will find us in a berry coma. All’s well that ends well! Anyone else have plans for berry picking? We can’t wait for raspberries and blueberries. We might need a babysitter when those are ready!

Father’s Day is Upon Us

This heartwarming video from Shutterfly had me wanting to call my dad as soon as it finished to say “I love you”.

And here’s a great way to celebrate dad…send him a FREE card from Shutterfly!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

This past weekend Alex and I headed out to the fields to pick strawberries. It was a gorgeous morning, full of sunshine, and the crops were bountiful thanks to an early spring and summer. We had our pick of rows and thankfully the row we picked was full of fat, ripe berries.
With our box full, visions of strawberry goodies were already running through my mind as the car wandered through the country on our way home. I knew strawberry jam was a given…the recipe straight off the box. But what to do with the other berries. I checked all my starred recipes in google reader and came across this one for muffins.

I quickly threw them together this morning before I headed out to the chiropractor and they did not disappoint. Moist, filling, and bursting with strawberry goodness, these were a winner. I did cut the recipe in half and came out with 11 muffins so had I made the full recipe I’m sure my yield would have been more like 22 as opposed to 18. Either way, they are a great way to use up some berries you picked from the ground or up from the store.

Fresh Strawberry Muffins
yield: 11-12
adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C of Flour, + 1/2 T

1/2 T baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup + 2T sugar

1 large eggs

1 1/4 t vanilla

3/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (I used 1/2 C yogurt and 1/4 C Sour Cream b/c I didn’t have enough

Generous 3/4 cup chopped strawberries
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling tops (optional)

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 400

-Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in medium bowl; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

-Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition followed by the vanilla and almond extract.

-

Beat in half of dry ingredients, followed by a third of the yogurt.

Add remaining dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the yogurt, until incorporated.

-Toss strawberries with the remaining 1/2 Tbsp flour and add to the mixer, mixing for just a few more seconds to distribute evenly (the batter will be very thick).

-

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with paper liners.

Divide the batter evenly among cup

-

Bake for 8 minutes and then decrease oven temperature to 375 and bake for ~12 more minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

-

Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing and cooling completely.