Reminds me of that scene from Notting Hill.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
The Third Child
I realized today that poor Mitchell is so neglected on the blog. It's basically because he naps three hours a day, he's not a new baby, and he's not starting anything new right now (in terms of school, activities, etc.). But, he is starting so many new things! Here, I gave him a spoon and container of yogurt just to see if he could feed it to himself without making a huge mess. And you know what? He's probably a more tidy eater than Jack and Holly Grace both!And if you're having trouble being a tidy eater with a spoon, you can always just drink your yogurt.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Guess what's growing in our backyard?
All that work that we put into our garden ... and this is what we find growing in the backyard (not in the garden!).Yep, that's right! It's a teeny tiny watermelon! Last summer, when our house was still under construction, we brought a watermelon out one evening. We paid no attention to where the seeds landed. Well, a couple of weeks ago, a little plant appeared in the middle of the dirt that we like to call "the backyard". (We haven't laid sod yet because of the watering restrictions due to the drought.) I thought it looked suspiciously like some of the vines growing in our garden and left it there. Sure enough, baby watermelons have begun appearing! We wonder if they'll be worth eating! Any tips out there on growing watermelon?
Week of Firsts
We had a big week around our house last week. Jack had his first day of first grade. The workload is significantly greater this year than last. There was a lot of coloring (I didn't realize how much!) in kindergarten. Not so much in first grade! Which is nice, because Jack wasn't a huge fan of the coloring, anyway. Jack really likes his teacher and I think we're going to have a great year.
Holly Grace had her first dance class. It's a 45 minute combo class - tap, ballet and tumbling each for 15 minutes. There are six little girls (all 4-5 years old) in her class and they couldn't be cuter. Those tap shoes are the shiniest I've ever seen!
Charlotte learned to smile last week, although I couldn't have been lucky enough to capture it on film. She's not making a big habit of smiling yet, either, but we see one every now and then.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Big Promotion
Jack tested for and was promoted to Yellow Belt at TaeKwonDo last week. He is very proud of his accomplishment. This is him with his teacher after the awards ceremony.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Gaining
Charlotte was 8 lbs. 6 oz. at four weeks (up from 6 lb. 13 oz. at 2 weeks). And, her cord finally fell off at exactly one month old. I thought she was going to go to Kindergarten with that thing on her tummy. Ick.
Last night she slept from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.! Grandma (from Kentucky) and Uncles James and Matthew are in town, though, so I didn't go right to bed at 10 after she ate. Rats. I missed out on seven straight hours of sleep.
Last night she slept from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.! Grandma (from Kentucky) and Uncles James and Matthew are in town, though, so I didn't go right to bed at 10 after she ate. Rats. I missed out on seven straight hours of sleep.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Lots of Hot Air
So John is home on paternity leave (thank you, Capital One) and Jack and Holly Grace spent the better part of an hour trying to make a hot-air balloon out of K'Nex, a plastic bag from SuperTarget and a blow-dryer. John took pity on them and helped them make one that would be more inclined to fly out of a Chick-fil-A cup lid, fishing line, birthday candles and a produce bag. So we get set to light the candles ... Jack and I are holding the edges of the bag out and John is reaching under with the lighter. He lights all four of them, then a little four-year-old voice begins singing, "Happy birthday to you ... happy birthday to you ..." It was hilarious!
"But did it fly?" you ask.
Well, not exactly. At first. But it did stand up straight as it filled with hot air.
Oh, here it goes!
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have lift-off!
My children and I are so lucky to have this man in our lives.
"But did it fly?" you ask.
Well, not exactly. At first. But it did stand up straight as it filled with hot air.
Then John decided to ditch the lid and candles and just hold the lighters under the bag.
Oh, here it goes!
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have lift-off!My children and I are so lucky to have this man in our lives.
Meatloaf Part II
Years ago, when I had just moved out on my own to a micro-house in Kress, Texas, I called my mom to get her recipe for meatloaf. The conversation went something like this:
Me: "I need your recipe for meatloaf"
Mom: "Okay, sure. Just mix your ground beef with an egg and some crackers in a bowl-"
Me: "Wait, how much ground beef? How many crackers?"
Mom: "As much as you have - probably about a pound. Crackers - I don't know - 20 or so? Not quite a whole row of saltines."
Me: "Okay, mix it how?"
Mom: "Just smush it up with your hands and shape it into a loaf"
and on and on this went. Till we got to the best part.
Me: "Okay how long do I bake it?"
Mom: "Well, gosh, Crissy. I don't know ... until it's done!"
So, here it is, the recipe as I've made it for over ten years now and as my mom has made it since my childhood. It's different in that the sauce is separate, not mixed in with the beef. It's easily doubled and I usually double it to feed our family. Also, if you double it, you obviously stand a much greater chance of having leftovers, and therefore, meatloaf sandwiches the next day.
Meatloaf
1 pound ground beef
20 saltine crackers (in a pinch you can use bread crumbs)
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Crumble up the crackers and smush all three ingredients together in a bowl. This is a great job for your kids if you have the patience of a saint and don't mind them (and your countertops) getting a little messy. Add salt and pepper if you like. Form the mixture into the shape of a loaf. Place in a 9 x 13 pan and bake at 400 degrees until done. :) It usually takes about 30 minutes for a 1 lb. loaf; 45 minutes or longer for a 2 lb. loaf. I try to make the 2 lb. loaves thinner so they take less time. You will know it's done if it's not pink when you cut into the center. Unless you like your meatloaf rare. Then it's done when it IS pink in the center. But I don't know of anyone who likes their meatloaf rare.
While the meatloaf is cooking, make the sauce.
Sauce
1/3 med. size bell pepper
1/3 onion
1 small can of tomato sauce
Chop the bell pepper and onion into whatever size pieces you like. I generally chop them pretty large so that, on the off chance that one of the kids actually wants sauce (most of the time they don't), they can pick out the chunks. Saute the onion and pepper on medium heat in butter, margarine, vegetable oil, or olive oil in a small saucepan. If you have some fresh garlic, you can throw that in, too. When the onion and pepper are crisp-tender, add the tomato sauce and heat through.
I don't know why all three of my kids love meatloaf, but they do. The older ones don't care for the sauce, though - they like it dry. Good luck!
Me: "I need your recipe for meatloaf"
Mom: "Okay, sure. Just mix your ground beef with an egg and some crackers in a bowl-"
Me: "Wait, how much ground beef? How many crackers?"
Mom: "As much as you have - probably about a pound. Crackers - I don't know - 20 or so? Not quite a whole row of saltines."
Me: "Okay, mix it how?"
Mom: "Just smush it up with your hands and shape it into a loaf"
and on and on this went. Till we got to the best part.
Me: "Okay how long do I bake it?"
Mom: "Well, gosh, Crissy. I don't know ... until it's done!"
So, here it is, the recipe as I've made it for over ten years now and as my mom has made it since my childhood. It's different in that the sauce is separate, not mixed in with the beef. It's easily doubled and I usually double it to feed our family. Also, if you double it, you obviously stand a much greater chance of having leftovers, and therefore, meatloaf sandwiches the next day.
Meatloaf
1 pound ground beef
20 saltine crackers (in a pinch you can use bread crumbs)
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Crumble up the crackers and smush all three ingredients together in a bowl. This is a great job for your kids if you have the patience of a saint and don't mind them (and your countertops) getting a little messy. Add salt and pepper if you like. Form the mixture into the shape of a loaf. Place in a 9 x 13 pan and bake at 400 degrees until done. :) It usually takes about 30 minutes for a 1 lb. loaf; 45 minutes or longer for a 2 lb. loaf. I try to make the 2 lb. loaves thinner so they take less time. You will know it's done if it's not pink when you cut into the center. Unless you like your meatloaf rare. Then it's done when it IS pink in the center. But I don't know of anyone who likes their meatloaf rare.
While the meatloaf is cooking, make the sauce.
Sauce
1/3 med. size bell pepper
1/3 onion
1 small can of tomato sauce
Chop the bell pepper and onion into whatever size pieces you like. I generally chop them pretty large so that, on the off chance that one of the kids actually wants sauce (most of the time they don't), they can pick out the chunks. Saute the onion and pepper on medium heat in butter, margarine, vegetable oil, or olive oil in a small saucepan. If you have some fresh garlic, you can throw that in, too. When the onion and pepper are crisp-tender, add the tomato sauce and heat through.
I don't know why all three of my kids love meatloaf, but they do. The older ones don't care for the sauce, though - they like it dry. Good luck!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Why I Love Meatloaf
1. Six ingredients total - and I almost always have them on hand
2. My kids love it. I mean, [fighting for the last piece] love it
3. No crumbs, no mess, no spills. I don't have to sweep under the table when they're done eating.
Can this be normal? We're talking meatloaf here! Let me know if you want the recipe. Perhaps it can work miracles in your house, too.
2. My kids love it. I mean, [fighting for the last piece] love it
3. No crumbs, no mess, no spills. I don't have to sweep under the table when they're done eating.
Can this be normal? We're talking meatloaf here! Let me know if you want the recipe. Perhaps it can work miracles in your house, too.
24
Okay, are we the only people out there who haven't watched this show? John added it to our Netflix queue and we got the first four episodes about two weeks ago. We started watching it and became totally addicted! If you don't know what 24 is, it's a TV show that chronicles the events of one day in the life of Federal Agent Jack Bauer, starting at midnight and continuing for 24 episodes (one for each hour of the day) . So we finished all 24 episodes (it took us almost two weeks to watch them all, after the kids were in bed each night), and John said, "Do you think Season Two is out on DVD yet? Or was last year the first year of the show?" So those of you who watch 24 are laughing out loud right now. Yes, we realized that the first season of the show was actually in 2001 when we finally looked at the DVD case and saw when it was recorded. Okay, so we're losers. But now, the pressure! We have, like, 4 more years worth of 24s to watch! That's almost a hundred hours of television!But here's the real kicker ... John is always annoyed with me when I don't want to "commit" to watching a movie, yet I have no problem sitting down and watching two episodes of my favorite TV shows that we have on TiVo. Still two hours, just not a movie. Why is this? Why can't I commit to watching a movie? We can't figure it out. But I don't have any problem at all committing to watching twenty-four hours of programming. Maybe because it's broken up into small one-hour episodes? It's crazy.
So, we won't spoil it for those of you who have not seen the first season of 24, but, my gosh, what a twist at the end!!! We are still reeling over it!
A New Woman
Wow, I feel like a new woman today. I fed Charlotte early (9:30 p.m.) last night and then we went to bed at 10:00! I woke up briefly at 11:00 because she was "gritching" around in the bassinet, but she went back to sleep, thankfully. I was just up once at 3 a.m. for a little bit to feed her, then she went right back to sleep. John and I were both up at 6 a.m. (it's trash day!) and I actually got a shower before I had to feed her! Mitchell and Jack slept in (till about 7:30) and Holly Grace actually woke up in a great mood.
We have an appointment with a pediatric dermatologist today for Mitchell and I will be braving a doctor visit with four kids by myself today. This should be interesting. I'm sure I'll be packing lots of snacks to keep little mouths busy.
We have an appointment with a pediatric dermatologist today for Mitchell and I will be braving a doctor visit with four kids by myself today. This should be interesting. I'm sure I'll be packing lots of snacks to keep little mouths busy.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Have I Ever Been This Busy?
A whole week has passed and I survived! We were home alone on Monday and Tuesday (the four kids and I), then John was home with us the rest of the week. Although having him home didn't really "count" because of his little surgery on Wednesday and subsequent recovery. Yes, folks, it's official. We are not going to have any more children. John sent an email to his classmates from the Air Force Academy that said, "Charlotte Ivey was born 2 weeks ago and is doing well. For those of you keeping score at home, that is Lodmell child #4. This will be the last edition of Lodmell children. The production line is being disassembled tomorrow. Wish me luck!"
I have to say I'm a little sad. I sure do love having a tiny baby. I love giving birth and being in the hospital and picking a name. I love the smell of a freshly bathed baby and I love baby noises. I love nursing a baby and rocking a baby and watching a sleeping baby. But one thing I do NOT love is being pregnant. I can't even count the number of times during this last pregnancy I said, "I am so done. I am NOT doing this again." So, four is a good number. This is a good place to stop ... our family is complete.
So, after telling, oh, about a hundred or more people who have asked, "Oh, she sleeps great - she only wakes up once during the night to nurse then she goes right back to sleep!" Charlotte made a liar out of me. Last night I was up from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. Let's back up. I usually try to make her have some "awake" time in the evening. But yesterday we went to church and she just slept in the infant carrier from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Then I woke her up and fed her and she went right back to sleep until I woke her up and fed her again at 10 p.m. I should have known that I was in for a long night. Because when she woke up at 2 a.m., she thought it was time to be awake! If the lamp was on, it was all good, but as soon as I would turn the lamp off, she would get mad! She finally ended up falling asleep on my chest about 5 a.m. I think I feel a nap coming on this afternoon.
Tomorrow we have an appointment with a pediatric dermatologist for Mitchell. It's not a big deal, except for the fact that all four children will be going with me. This should be interesting.
Here's a new picture of Charlotte. It amazes me how much she has changed in just one week.
I have to say I'm a little sad. I sure do love having a tiny baby. I love giving birth and being in the hospital and picking a name. I love the smell of a freshly bathed baby and I love baby noises. I love nursing a baby and rocking a baby and watching a sleeping baby. But one thing I do NOT love is being pregnant. I can't even count the number of times during this last pregnancy I said, "I am so done. I am NOT doing this again." So, four is a good number. This is a good place to stop ... our family is complete.
So, after telling, oh, about a hundred or more people who have asked, "Oh, she sleeps great - she only wakes up once during the night to nurse then she goes right back to sleep!" Charlotte made a liar out of me. Last night I was up from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. Let's back up. I usually try to make her have some "awake" time in the evening. But yesterday we went to church and she just slept in the infant carrier from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Then I woke her up and fed her and she went right back to sleep until I woke her up and fed her again at 10 p.m. I should have known that I was in for a long night. Because when she woke up at 2 a.m., she thought it was time to be awake! If the lamp was on, it was all good, but as soon as I would turn the lamp off, she would get mad! She finally ended up falling asleep on my chest about 5 a.m. I think I feel a nap coming on this afternoon.
Tomorrow we have an appointment with a pediatric dermatologist for Mitchell. It's not a big deal, except for the fact that all four children will be going with me. This should be interesting.
Here's a new picture of Charlotte. It amazes me how much she has changed in just one week.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Home Alone
Today is our first day home alone (just the four kids and me). Grammy and PawPaw left yesterday and boy, are they missed! We're doing okay, though. We may even try to go somewhere (SuperTarget) to help the day pass a little more quickly.Charlotte is actually starting to fit into some 0-3 mo. clothes. Thank goodness! I only had a couple of things that fit her, so we were doing a lot of baby laundry in Method detergent!
She's alert a lot more these days - just looking around with her big blue eyes. We are all enamored with her! Mitchell likes to surround her with toys when she is in a bouncy seat or in her car seat.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
2-week visit
We went for Charlotte's two-week appointment today. She gained 13 ounces in 7 days - she's now up to 6 lbs. 13 oz. The doctor said that it's fine to let her sleep until she wakes up during the night since she's gaining weight so well ... which is good because that's what I've been letting her do! She generally eats at 10 p.m., 3:30 a.m., and then 7 a.m. I consider myself very lucky to only be getting up once at night.
We are using a Miracle Blanket with Charlotte and it's awesome. I've never been able to swaddle a baby this well. We highly recommend it, since it's like a little straight-jacket!
We are using a Miracle Blanket with Charlotte and it's awesome. I've never been able to swaddle a baby this well. We highly recommend it, since it's like a little straight-jacket!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
The Dairy
The other night I was nursing Charlotte and Holly Grace wanted to hold her. She said to me, "Can I hold baby Charlotte after she's done milking?" Moo.
Hospital pics
Charlotte and Mitchell. He calls her "My Baby" - never "Charlotte".
Holly Grace kissing Charlotte's tiny fingers
Jack and baby sister
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
First Doctor Visit
Charlotte was down to 5 pounds, 10 ounces when we left the hospital. Today she is up to 6 pounds even, just three days later! Hooray for our good little eater.
Monday, July 10, 2006
All the Gory Details
And I mean all the details. If you are "faint of heart" you should just skip this post and know that everything turned out beautifully.
So, my last post before she was born just said that we were on our way to the hostpital. We got to the hospital about 6:30 p.m. I was having contractions all the way there about 4 minutes apart, but they really weren't painful. My cervix hadn't changed any since my appointment that morning, so the doctor gave instructions for me to walk around the hospital for two hours, returning to my room to be monitored every half hour. John and I did three half-hour walking tours of the third floor (my feet were killing me) and returned to be monitored for about ten minutes each time. The baby was doing great, but after the third round, there was a dip in her heartrate after one of the contractions. Normally, I don't think this would have been a big deal, but it happened with Mitchell and he ended up having a knot in his cord. So, John and I kind of got uptight.
The nurse checked me again, and I still hadn't made any progress. She put a call in to the doctor, who decided to go ahead and keep me there (they had been planning on sending me home if I didn't make any progress) because of the dip in the heartrate. We definitely felt like it was a two-edged sword. On one hand, we didn't want to see that dip because of what it could mean. On the other hand, we were glad to be going ahead with labor and delivery.
Meanwhile, the kids were with friends and my parents had flown in to town and picked them up. They took them home and put them to bed and we promised to keep them updated through the night.
They finally started the pitocin (to get the contractions going stronger and more regular) about 11:00 p.m. We started the epidural process about midnight, and by 1:30 I was feeling no pain at all. John got comfortable on the couch and promptly went to sleep. I slept a little on and off, but I was being checked pretty frequently.
At 2:00 a.m. I was at 4 cm.
At 3:00 a.m. I was at 5-6 cm.
At 4:15 a.m. I was 7 cm. and my water broke as the nurse was checking me.
At 5:00 a.m. I was complete and the nurse had me do a practice push. I didn't really put alot into it because I didn't want to deliver without my doctor there. So, the nurse counted to 10, then told me to take a deep breath and start pushing again. So this time, I "wrapped up around the baby" and put some effort into it. She said "One ... two ... okay you can stop pushing and I'll go call the doctor. You really moved the baby down with that."
The doctor arrived about 5:10 a.m and started "gowning up." They removed the bottom of the bed and put my calves in the supports. The doctor got into position and then started talking to John about our recent vacation. Then she looked at me and said, "Okay, well, here's the head if you want to give a little push."
So I started to push and she immediately said, "Okay, stop pushing." John looked down and said, "Wow, lots of hair, and she's face down!" (Babies are supposed to be born looking at the floor, but our last two have been born looking at the ceiling. I would have put money on this one being "sunny side up" as well.)
So then, she just slid out and there she was, all covered in vernix (since she was only 37 weeks) and pink and beautiful. She did have lots of dark hair and she was so tiny!!! John cut the cord right away.
They put her on my tummy and dried her off, then took her to the warmer to do the assessments and clean her up. Her 1-minute APGAR was 7, the 5-minute was 8. Meanwhile, the doctor was marvelling at the cord. Apparently, it was "hyper-coiled" meaning it was coiled more tightly than most cords. This can result in smaller babies as it inhibits their growth. The doctor commented about the large amount of blood in the amniotic fluid and, once the placenta was delivered, found a small tear on it. She called this a "possible partial abruption", which is pretty scary, since an abrupted placenta can be serious for both mom and baby.
At that point, my doctor said, "Let's just say I'm glad we went ahead and delivered this baby." Yikes!
John held her for a bit, then I held her for a few minutes, but she was working really hard to breathe, so we kissed her and sent her off to the nursery for a little assistance. She did great and we had her back in our room within four hours.
Charlotte is nursing great and we go to the pediatrician tomorrow to see how she's doing. She lost weight down to 5 pounds, 10 oz. by the time we were discharged, so hopefully she's gaining it back now. Tomorrow I'll try to post pictures of her with the siblings, who are completely enamored with her.
So, my last post before she was born just said that we were on our way to the hostpital. We got to the hospital about 6:30 p.m. I was having contractions all the way there about 4 minutes apart, but they really weren't painful. My cervix hadn't changed any since my appointment that morning, so the doctor gave instructions for me to walk around the hospital for two hours, returning to my room to be monitored every half hour. John and I did three half-hour walking tours of the third floor (my feet were killing me) and returned to be monitored for about ten minutes each time. The baby was doing great, but after the third round, there was a dip in her heartrate after one of the contractions. Normally, I don't think this would have been a big deal, but it happened with Mitchell and he ended up having a knot in his cord. So, John and I kind of got uptight.
The nurse checked me again, and I still hadn't made any progress. She put a call in to the doctor, who decided to go ahead and keep me there (they had been planning on sending me home if I didn't make any progress) because of the dip in the heartrate. We definitely felt like it was a two-edged sword. On one hand, we didn't want to see that dip because of what it could mean. On the other hand, we were glad to be going ahead with labor and delivery.
Meanwhile, the kids were with friends and my parents had flown in to town and picked them up. They took them home and put them to bed and we promised to keep them updated through the night.
They finally started the pitocin (to get the contractions going stronger and more regular) about 11:00 p.m. We started the epidural process about midnight, and by 1:30 I was feeling no pain at all. John got comfortable on the couch and promptly went to sleep. I slept a little on and off, but I was being checked pretty frequently.
At 2:00 a.m. I was at 4 cm.
At 3:00 a.m. I was at 5-6 cm.
At 4:15 a.m. I was 7 cm. and my water broke as the nurse was checking me.
At 5:00 a.m. I was complete and the nurse had me do a practice push. I didn't really put alot into it because I didn't want to deliver without my doctor there. So, the nurse counted to 10, then told me to take a deep breath and start pushing again. So this time, I "wrapped up around the baby" and put some effort into it. She said "One ... two ... okay you can stop pushing and I'll go call the doctor. You really moved the baby down with that."
The doctor arrived about 5:10 a.m and started "gowning up." They removed the bottom of the bed and put my calves in the supports. The doctor got into position and then started talking to John about our recent vacation. Then she looked at me and said, "Okay, well, here's the head if you want to give a little push."
So I started to push and she immediately said, "Okay, stop pushing." John looked down and said, "Wow, lots of hair, and she's face down!" (Babies are supposed to be born looking at the floor, but our last two have been born looking at the ceiling. I would have put money on this one being "sunny side up" as well.)
So then, she just slid out and there she was, all covered in vernix (since she was only 37 weeks) and pink and beautiful. She did have lots of dark hair and she was so tiny!!! John cut the cord right away.
They put her on my tummy and dried her off, then took her to the warmer to do the assessments and clean her up. Her 1-minute APGAR was 7, the 5-minute was 8. Meanwhile, the doctor was marvelling at the cord. Apparently, it was "hyper-coiled" meaning it was coiled more tightly than most cords. This can result in smaller babies as it inhibits their growth. The doctor commented about the large amount of blood in the amniotic fluid and, once the placenta was delivered, found a small tear on it. She called this a "possible partial abruption", which is pretty scary, since an abrupted placenta can be serious for both mom and baby.
At that point, my doctor said, "Let's just say I'm glad we went ahead and delivered this baby." Yikes!
John held her for a bit, then I held her for a few minutes, but she was working really hard to breathe, so we kissed her and sent her off to the nursery for a little assistance. She did great and we had her back in our room within four hours.
Charlotte is nursing great and we go to the pediatrician tomorrow to see how she's doing. She lost weight down to 5 pounds, 10 oz. by the time we were discharged, so hopefully she's gaining it back now. Tomorrow I'll try to post pictures of her with the siblings, who are completely enamored with her.
Friday, July 07, 2006
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