No-Bake Energy Bites

These are so simple and so yummy! A good snack to hold you over or just satisfy a craving.

I found this recipe online so long ago that I honestly have no one to credit for this. However, I did modify and change a few ingredients so I guess it's safe to say this is my own recipe. 

Ingredients:

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/3 cup each, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds

1/2 cup chocolate or carob chips

1/2 cup ground flaxseeds

1/3 cup agave or honey

1/2 cup peanut or almond butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a bowl, combine the oats, seeds, chocolate chips, and flaxseeds. (When I just made these I only had pumpkin and sunflower seeds, so I just used a 1/2 cup each.) 

In a small saucepan, melt peanut butter and honey together. Mix in vanilla. 

Pour honey mixture over dry ingredients. Mix until everything is thoroughly coated. Chill in refrigerator for 30 mins. Roll into bit-size balls and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Hope you enjoy! 

I'm a Bread-Maker

Finally.

Something worth writing about.

I think I am pretty much writing this for me, because I don't think anyone even remembers this blog exists.  It's been nearly a year since I wrote on it last.  Oh, well.

Well, I did it.  At least I think I did.

I found a homemade bread recipe that WORKS and turns out WONDERFUL!!

I got on this bread making kick a few months ago and I have tried several recipes.  I even went and bought a bread maker.  Thankfully it was only $10 @ the DI.  I downloaded videos, watched youtube, studied about dough conditioners....everything.

I LOVE bread.  If I had a gluten intolerance I think I would die.  Literally die.

I have many fond memories of coming home from school and smelling fresh bread coming out of the oven.  My mom is a fabulous baker and bread was something she made often and it always turned out delicious.

Well, here it is. The amazing recipe that I have made several loaves out of now and haven't had any problems! It's great for sandwiches too!

This is technically a bread maker recipe, I just do not like the awkward shaped loaves that come from a bread maker. I choose to let the bread maker do the mixing and kneading and then I take out the dough, shape it, and bake it in my own oven.

(Mostly) Whole Wheat Bread

1 1/3 cups warm water
3 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp vital wheat gluten
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp non-instant dry milk
2 tsp dough enhancer
2 tsp yeast

If you would like, this recipe can be made in a bread maker. Just put in ingredients in the order listed and choose your settings.

Otherwise-

Combine water, yeast, and honey. Let sit for 5-8 mins.
Stir in remaining ingredients until well incorporated. This is where a kitchen aid mixer would be super handy.
Knead dough for 8-10 minutes. Then let dough rest in a bowl covered with a dish towel for 45-60 minutes.
Punch the dough down and divide in half. Shape into two loaves and place in greased bread pans (I use glass pans). Cover dough again and let rise until double in size. About 1/2 hour.
Bake at 350F for 45 minutes. When done, top and bottom of bread should sound hollow when tapped, remove immediately from pan and let cool on a cooling rack.
As tempting as it is, I don't suggest cutting into this bread until it is completely cooled down.

Well that's it. I find this bread delicious and if you chose to try it I sure hope you do too!

Jayden had a Birthday

My little Jayden had his first birthday this weekend. I can't believe it has been a whole year. It's almost like he has always been here. The life I had before is like some distant memory. I can't imagine life without him now.

Sometimes I think that I had some "mom switch" that was turned on when he was born. Still to this day when I see a commercial or movie or whatever that depicts a mother with a child having some sentimental moment it makes me emotional. It's like now I understand more fully the love you can have for a child. It's indescribable.

It's phenomenal to think of how much he has grown in this first year. From being a helpless infant to being able to entertain himself. For the most part he has developed just as any typical baby would and his little personality and way of doing things is really starting to show.

On his birthday I weighed and measured him and he came in at 18lbs and 28 inches. Meaning he has gained 12 1/2 lbs and grown 9 inches. He's always been a bit smaller than most babies his age but I must admit in the last month or so since he has been eating table food a lot more he has definitely been filling out.

He got his first teeth at 8 months and he now has 6 teeth. Four on top and two on bottom. Well more like 3 1/2 on top. One just broke through the skin and then hasn't come any further. With all these teeth coming nursing him was becoming a bit of a trial but I met my goal of nursing him for a whole year!! Now I just nurse him a couple times a day because it's good for him. It doesn't fill him up anymore.

Jayden has grown into a huge appetite. I've started making all my own babyfood. I cook and blend all my food and grind my own rice and oatmeal. He would eat me out of house and home if I didn't. I hardly use baby bowls either because they don't hold enough food. He also LOVES his cheerios. You can only give him a couple at a time though because how every many you give him he just keeps putting them in his mouth. He will just fill his cheeks until he chokes or gags on them. He is a real "act before you think" not "think before you act" kindof a guy.

He learned to sit on his own at about 7 months and was very content with that for months. Even though his little cousins were crawling and now walking in circles around him, he just continued to sit there. He will now try and scoot a little but still doesn't mind that he just sits there. He LOVES to walk though. He constantly grabs for your hands and stands himself up and gets you to walk him all over the house. Levi barely crawled, just went from sitting to walking. Therefore, I decided long ago that Jayden will most likely do that same thing. Fine with me. I haven't had to worry at all about "baby-proofing" my house.

Jayden is definitely a people person. He knows who his mommy is but he is definitely not a momma's boy. He smiles and giggles at just about anyone he meets. At about 9 months the stranger anxiety kicked in a little bit but it didn't seem to last that long. He loves people. He loves to interact with people.

He also loves books. Probably one of his most favorite things to do. Look at a book and flip the pages. This, of course, is awesome for church, except when he wants the hymn book. We are slowly learning that the hymn book is not a toy. Otherwise I know he would just rip it apart.

He used to love taking baths but for the last several weeks he no longer likes it. He loves to sit and watch the water fill up his bath tub but once I put him in he wants out. Bath time lasts about 3 minutes. I put him in, wash him down, rinse him off and then he is out. No playtime, he just wants out. I figure he will grow out of this someday. Silly boy.

Overall I think I have been blessed with a very sweet and even-tempered little boy. He sleeps great, 8-10 hours a night. Plus a good nap, sometimes up to 3 hours, during the day. He doesn't cry very often. He doesn't fight me persistently. He seems to know that I am in charge and he accepts that. He's a good eater, he's not picky. He does pretty well either entertaining himself or watching me fold laundry or do dishes. He's not demanding or possessive of me. He doesn't mind going to the grocery store or shopping with me. Except, JoAnn's. I don't know why but he cries literally every time I go in that store. Haven't figure that one out yet.

He's a good boy. Guess I'm just lucky.

I love canning!

Okay, well maybe I don't LOVE it...but I sure do LOVE the outcome. I'm obsessed with food storage and so I LOVE seeing my pantry full of bottled jars.

Therefore here is a quick picture blog of the canning I have been doing for the past few weeks.

Here is some super delicious spaghetti sauce! I have probably already used half a dozen jars. I love this recipe! It's more "runny" then "saucy" but I don't care. It's great for pasta and pizza and whatever else.

Here is some salsa. I love this recipe but this batch turned out pretty runny. I probably should have let it cook down for quit a bit longer. Oh well. It's not that great for chips because of that but it is awesome for cooking with. I have put it in dips, the slow cooker and even my rice cooker. It's mild but good.

My neighbor Kelsey has an overabundance of grapes and she said I could pick whatever I wanted for canning. I was originally going to try and make a jam or something but the grapes were so darn sweet that I couldn't bring myself to do that since you have to add so much darn sugar. Therefore I tried something new....grape juice! I've only done 8 quarts so far. Your supposed to let it sit for a week or so and then try it. I guess so it gets really juicy. Therefore I'm going to try some here soon and see how it is and if it's good then I want to make a ton more. This is probably the easiest canning recipe I have ever tried. Super super easy.

Here are all the elderberries we have to can. I have a bag in my freezer right now. I was planning on making elderberry jam (one of the yummiest things in the world) but apparently the stems are poisonous and picking all the berries off of the stems is a horrendous ordeal. Therefore I think I will make jelly instead. I'm not sure though....my mom and I are still thinking about what to do.

Here is some yummy applesauce. Levi takes a jar with him every week and it always comes home empty. Finally! I found something healthy for him take to work that won't spoil in two days!

This is some of the most delicious apple pie filling in the world. Probably because it is loaded with sugar, but hey, it's so so good! Levi doesn't even like pie but I still made 9 quarts! More for me!

Well that is all the canning I've done so far. This however is a quilt I am proud of. It is all of Levi's worn out jeans I have been saving for years and the backing is all of Jayden's receiving blankets he outgrew. It took forever to put this together and it is really heavy. In fact the sides are pinned on still. The quilt is so heavy that I can't sew it on my machine. That means it has to be done by hand....that's why it isn't done yet. Levi is excited for it though. It will be a nice heavy blanket for him so he can be warm all winter long in his truck.

Finally, here's my little munchkin. All dressed up for Halloween. I really wasn't going to do anything for him at first. I just couldn't justify spending so much money on an outfit that he will only wear for a few hours and especially when he has no idea what is even going on. I did find this outfit though at Wal*Mart the other day (I know, shame on me for going there..it was a last minute desperate search for a car battery), it was cheap and it works great for pajamas. So, I bought it. He doesn't even mind having the hood on all day!

For the past few weeks Jayden has learned to play peek-a-boo and he LOVES it! It is the cutest thing... well at least to me it is. Here is a short little video of him I took when my sister was playing with him. I just love love love my little guy! He's going to be 1o months soon. Holy Moly! He's growing up too soon already!

Goober.

My little Goober.

When I was still pregnant with Jayden, he was called Baby J. Very seldom did I or anyone call him Jayden. When he was born, he was called Baby J for little bit, but out of somewhere I started calling him Goober. Now everyone calls him Goober. He's Goober, or Gooby, or Gooby-Tooby...whatever rolls off my tongue really. I honestly rarely call him Jayden.

This month, my little Gooby, turned 6 months. I can't believe he is 6 months. I looked back at the pictures we took in the hospital and pictures we took the weeks after he was born and I can't believe how much he has grown and how much time has passed.

I'm still new to being a mom but I feel over the last 6 months I have learned some valuable lessons. The best thing I have learned, however, is to listen to my "Mommy Instinct". I have been given much advice and I have listened to many mothers talk about their experiences with child-rearing...but I truly believe that only I know my child best and therefore I know what's best for my child. After much thought, I've come to the conclusion that as long as I do my very best to care for my son and pray for as much guidance as possible that God is not going to let me mess up. My son will be just fine.

For the sake of the Baby Book, when Jayden turned 6 months I weighed and measured him. He came in at 26 inches long and about 13 lbs. I have no idea where he comes in with the whole "precentile" measurements, and honestly I don't care. I know my little guy is healthy mentally, physically, and emotionally.

For my amusement, and for Goober's when he gets older, I made a list of 25 things I have observed or learned about him in the last 6 months. Some are common and maybe others aren't.

1. He loves attention!! He doesn't like being alone or just by himself.

2. If you've got ..... he wants it.

3. He is a very VISUAL child. He cares about what he sees not what he hears.

4. He is very active. He won't sit still for long.

5. Really enjoys being bounced and tossed around.

6. Has always been a pretty good sleeper.

7. He loves nursing. I tried to start him on some fruit and it just didn't feel right, therefore he is still 100% nursed.

8. He loves his binkie, but he loves his hand even more. He is is always trying to put his whole fist in his mouth.

9. He first rolled over at 2 months and continued so until about 5 months. Now, though, he has no desire to move. He wants YOU to move him.

10. He started having tantrums at 3 months and he has never stopped.

11. Being very visual, he is constantly reaching his hands out for anything and everything that is out there.

12. He has only outgrown his clothes because he got too long. He fits really good in his 0-3 month clothes and even some newborn clothes. 6 months clothes have a great length to them, but honestly just look ridiculous on him.

13. He's gonna be a blue-eyed blonde!

14. He really enjoys going on walks and being outside.

15. I only have to change a messy diaper about every 10 days. Mostly I change diapers that are like giant water balloons!

16. He still loves to be swaddled. He is swaddled everynight before bed.

17. Hardly ever falls asleep in the car.

18. Still fits comfortably in size 1 diaper which is awesome because I get more diapers for my money!!

19. His laugh sounds like a baby pterodactyl! He also breathes really heavy when he gets excited.

20. We play a game of making "face-expression" to each other. He just laughs and laughs.

21. He always gives his daddy a big smile when he comes back from work.

22. He still looks a lot like Levi, but I think we are finally noticing a few things he may have picked up from me.

23. He will smile at anyone who gives him attention.

24. As far as I can tell he has no teeth coming in yet and I am totally okay with that!

25. He has never been a big eater. He can go several hours, therefore sometimes I just decide he needs to eat and start nursing him. Like a good boy he has never refused!

Now to "top-off" my blog her are a few pictures I took of my little guy over the last few weeks. They came off my phone, so obviously not the best picture quality.

Here is little Goober in a newborn outfit that I love. It fit him fine except that his arms and legs are much too long for it! Therefore, we have retired it. :(

Here is him staring at the camera. Probably trying to figure out how he can get it in his mouth.

We've been practicing sitting. He's pretty good...that is until he falls over and cries for you to pick him up.

Over the past few weeks he has really loved to grab his toes. I'm not sure he understands that those toes are his, but all the same he grabs for them!

Here he is, trying to sit, but it didn't work. Oh well. That silly toy is a Baby Einstein toy so I guess somehow eating it will make him smarter. :)

Here he is doing what he does best, trying to eat his whole hand. Sometimes he tries so hard he ends up choking and gagging himself. Silly Goober!

Happy Birthday to Me

Yesterday was my birthday. Yea. I'm now 26 years old. Doesn't really feel any different than 25.
Birthdays just aren't the same for me anymore. It's just another day. Nothing to really be excited about. Oh well. It's an excuse to eat more cake and ice cream than I probably should.
We actually celebrated my birthday over the weekend with family for Levi's sake....but yesterday Levi did have these beautiful pink roses sent to me!! Levi knows I'm a sucker for roses and making them pink was a very very good idea. My whole living room smells like roses now.
In other "growing" news...Jayden is now 5 months old. He still seems like my little 2 month old baby though. I guess it's because I don't realize how much he is really growing. I haven't weighed him since he was 2 months...but I'm guessing he's around the 10-12 lb range. Clarissa's little guy Owen is about 15-16 lbs and Jayden is definitely lighter than him! He's still an awesome sleeper, except he changed his bedtime from 9AM to 11AM. However, he doesn't wake up until 6-7AM which is really nice. Then he always goes back to bed until 9-10AM. He's also getting alot more active and curious about everything around him. Always trying to put everything in his mouth. I found out the kids in Levi's sunday school class call him "GloWorm" because he is so small and has such white/fair skin. Oh my goodness....I just love my little guy.
Anyways, other things I have been up to.....
I made this temple picture with my Mom at a Relief Society activity she had. I've always wanted a vintage Ogden Temple picture but I wasn't about to pay some $300 or whatever for one. When I got the chance to make one for just over $50 I was super excited. Levi really likes it to. It really wasn't that hard....just a little bit of painting and assembling and your done.

I also finally finished making a bumper set for Jayden. I have an old sewing maching at my house but I've never figured out how to use it...so I've been going down to my Mom's house to work on sewing this. However, trying to sew and keep on eye on Jayden isn't always easy. My mom would try and watch him, but more often than not Clarissa would have dropped off little Owen so she could teach dance or my brother would drop of little Catherine for whatever reason. I finally went down one morning when I knew nobody would be at my parents home and finished this thing. Thankfully Jayden was just fine sitting there watching me.
My next crafty attempt is I'm going to make him a matching mobile to hang over his crib. I have it all figured out in my head...I just need to head down to Michael's and get the stuff.

Well I don't know if it is just me ....but blogger has been acting weird the whole time I've been typing this up....so I'm going to hurry and post it before I lose it all.
(I've actually tried to do a couple of posts in the last few weeks...but blogger wouldn't let me do it...very very frustrating!)

Baby J, Sprouts, Plates, etc.

Jayden loves to smile! He smiles all the time. He's starting to let out little squeaks of laughter that I just love!! It's hard to get a good picture of him smiling though because when he does he throws his head around like he's super excited or blushing. He smiles really big for me every morning when I got to get him out of his crib. Melts my heart.

Thankfully, he still sleeps through the night. He has set himself a pretty solid schedule. Bed time is almost always 9PM and he wakes up once at 5AM to eat, straight back to bed, then up again around 7AM-8AM to start the day. I am so happy that he loves to sleep!!

In fact here is a picture of him sleeping with Levi. Levi spends so much time with Jayden when he is home. Sometimes all I have to do is feed him and change him and Levi plays with him the rest of the time. He's his little man that he can't wait to take fishing and trucking and do all those other boy things.

Here is Baby J with his super cute cousin Owen. I just love Owen's big squishy cheeks and all his chubby rolls!! Jayden just keeps growing tall so he has no rolls....barely any wrinkles. I just love little Owen. I find it so interesting to watch the two of them. They are very similar as in they are both babies and reaching the same milestones but then they are so so different in their personalities. I can't wait for these two to get old enough to play with each other!! We've decided that Jayden is going to be impulsive and steal all of Owen's toys because Owen is going to be way to involved in thinking and trying to figure out the toy and what it does and how it works. Owen is a little thinker and sensitive where Jayden is a little mover and just happy-go-lucky.

Well in other non-baby news....a while ago I decided I wanted a plate wall. I saw some of them on other blogs and fell in love. My kitchen walls have been so random and I wanted something that had a little more of a "pulled together" look. I decided a plate wall was perfect! I went to the DI and found some awesome plates that were only $1 each. Then I went to Michaels to get the plate holders. When I informed Levi of what I wanted to do and asked him to please put them up for me.....Levi, to say the least, was not happy. He thought it was stupid idea and made our house look "grandma-y" and the plates would just fall off the wall and break and on and on and on.....

I literally had to beg him to put them on and almost got to the point where I was going to say forget it and I'll just give the plates back to the DI. Levi, however, finally came through and put the plates on my wall (even though he wasn't happy to do it). Sorry honey, but I think it turned out pretty nice. I want to get some of that vinyl lettering done and write "Sweet Lovin' from the Oven" over top of the plates. My mom had a cookie jar that said that and I have so many memories of that cookie jar.

Another thing I have fallen in love with is green drinks! I used to hate these when I was younger, but I have matured and realized they aren't so bad and so so good for you! Nursing Jayden has really made me think more about what I am eating. I'm trying to eat one of these everyday. It's full of spinach and lettuce ( I made one with broccoli the other day), frozen bananas and/or any other fruit I want, some water or fruit juice and I've started putting in protein powder. I made one last Saturday and convinced Levi to drink it. I had to bribe him and put in an entire bag of frozen strawberries...but he drank it!! I kept telling him how happy his body was and that his body was telling him thank you. :)

So delicious!!

Another healthy thing I am trying is sprouting. I have always loved alfalfa sprouts, and some would argue that these are considered the healthiest food in the world. This is my first attempt and they should be ready to eat tomorrow. I love to eat them in salads, sandwiches, or just out of the jar. I bet I can put them in my green drink too!!

Lastly, a few weeks ago I started having tooth trouble and ended up needing a root canal. (Which I got today.) Well to subside the tooth pain that I was enduring...I consumed Advil like Peanut Butter M&M's and learned to knit. I tried to knit years ago but got super frustrated with it since I was having trouble switching it "left -handed". My sister knits all the time and I would watch her and tell myself....I have got to be able to do that. Since my tooth was killing me and I needed to put all my thoughts and energy into something else so I could forget about the pain....I invested in learning how to knit. My sister came over ....and before you knew it....I was knitting. I'm obviously still a beginner but I have started knitting these panels that I will eventually whipstitch together and make a little blanket for Jayden. This is my second panel.

I've also knitted a little pink purse and a pink washcloth. I think I actually really like knitting now.

Well there is my entire life in a nutshell. Baby J and me all day. We play together, eat together, sleep together, watch movies together, workout together.....everything together. I love it.

Just Another Day

Oh my goodness. My life has become boring....as in I never have anything to say anymore.


I tell myself...I should updated my blog...then I'm like...what the heck am I going to say. Nothing comes to mind.

Jayden somehow manages to keep me busy ALL DAY LONG. I swear I wake up and then the next thing I know it's 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Where did my day go? What in the world have I done today? I've turned into some boring lazy babysitter. Blah blah blah.......such is my life.

Everynight, when I'm nursing/rocking Baby J to sleep I tell myself I need to wake up the next morning and create a schedule for me, so that I can feel more accomplished at the end of the day. So my house stays clean and things get done. My motto I tell myself every day is that....It is just me and Baby J at home all day long...there is no reason why I can't have a clean house and cook dinner. Somedays I rock at it and my house is spotless....dishes done, floors vaccumed, laundry all done, bathroom cleaned. However there seem to be alot of days, where nothing gets done. Levi will call me at the end of the day and ask what I've done....and I have nothing to say to him. I just tell him I played with Baby J all day.

I think, deep down inside...I feel guilty or lazy or something that Levi is out working super hard all week long and I'm just at home "livin' it up" so to speak. Therefore, I have to "work" or something to feel I'm giving my fair share. I told my sister this once and she told me that "babysitting" all day, taking care of Baby J....there is nothing wrong with that.

Oh goodness. I think I have these weird ideas of being the "Super House Wife". I feel absolutely terrible when Levi comes home and I don't have a dinner ready for him. Or the fridge isn't full of yummy leftovers from the week for him to much on while I try and pull a dinner together. I hate it when my house is a mess. Dirty dishes and clutter drive me insane!!

Well, I guess adjusting from a life of working a full time job to a life of being full time mommy and house wife is a little more difficult then I thought.

I went to the Dentist today (cuz my tooth hurt so bad I wanted to cry, and almost did) and I left Jayden with my sister. I was gone for 2 hours and all I did was think about him. I could never leave, even just for a few hours. He's so little and he needs me. Therefore, I've got to figure out this housewife/mommy thing.

Well that was kinda gloomy.....



This makes me smile......


I just love these two little boys!

Good news....Jayden slept for nearly 12 hours last night!!!! I put him to bed at 9:30PM. I went and woke him up at 6AM to feed him (I wanted to feed him as much as I could before I dropped him off at my sisters). He nursed for a few minutes, then feel asleep in my arms. I put him back in his crib where he slept the whole time I got ready. I then woke him back up at 7AM and tried to nurse him again....he nursed for a few more minutes and stayed awake while I put him in his carseat. Once we got to Clarissa's house he was awake for maybe a few more minutes then feel asleep. When I got back from the dentist, Clarissa said he stayed asleep in his car seat the whole time. I got back to her house at 9:30AM. That's 9:30 to 9:30. I have a such a sleep baby. My mom says I was a good sleeper when I was a baby (and I still am)...so hopefully Jayden has inherited this from me! Generally speaking if I have to wake up more than once in the night....I wonder what is going on with him. I love that he loves to sleep! However he is usually pretty awake the whole day and may take one or two power naps, 1/2 hour or so. Therefore, once more reason why it is sometimes impossible for me to accomplish anything through out the day.

Oh and one more thing I'm proud of....I made my very first cheesecake! I made a classic New York Cheesecake, and dang was it good! I sent 1/2 of it home with Clarissa (Clay absolutely loves NY Cheesecake) and it still took forever for me and Levi to eat the rest. Soooo good, but sooo rich!!

Life in my House

Jayden is almost two months old. Where has the time gone? I didn't realize how big he was getting until I looked at some pictures we had taken the first week or so he was born. Then I weighed him the other day and he was up to 8 lbs. What in the world?

Yet again, I keep forgetting how little he still is. I want to get out and go places....go to the store, go back to church....but then I remember he is just a little guy and I should probably stay home a little longer.

He has finally outgrown his preemie clothes, but most of the 0-3 month clothes are still pretty big on him. Him and I have finally got nursing down. Were not a 100% great at it, but it's not nearly as frustrating as it used to be. He generally sleeps pretty good through the night. Anywhere from 4-6 hours at a time before waking up. Then he wakes up, eats, and is back down within an hour. Then again, every once in a while we have a night where he only sleeps a couple of hours and then doesn't want to go back to bed.....

I took him to Target the other day. Our first trip out in public. Just the two of us. Lucky for me....he slept the entire time in his car seat. I always wait for the weekend to go shopping. When Levi is home and Jayden is down well enough that I know I've got an hour or so before he wakes up. I can't wait until I can just take Jayden to the store with me and not worry about him crying or getting hungry. My biggest fear is that I am going to be in the middle of shopping with a cart full of stuff and he is going to wake up or whatever and be super hungry and starting crying so the whole store can hear him. What do you do when that happens? Ditch your cart and run out to the car.....hide in the bathroom to feed him....seriously? I have no idea. Therefore, we don't take that chance.

Next thing that worries me....church. Now I know church won't be as difficult. Most people are understanding and I won't have a cart full of groceries to worry about. I really wanted to go to Sacrament last Sunday, but Levi reminded me it was Conference, and then it snowed a bunch, and Jayden was a stinker all day....so I said forget it. I am really hoping for this next week. I figure worst case scenario....I end up spending all of Sacrament in the mother's lounge. What worries me the most....dealing with my calling and baby J. That's 4 hours of church....and I can promise that Baby J will not be a little angel for 4 hours. Now I don't mind being the secretary and all that....but sitting up there every Sunday in front of everyone trying to deal with my little guy and take notes and the roll and all that....I really have no idea how this is going to work. I will have a car seat, Jayden's bag and my church bag. I can't carry all of that, and as much as Levi wants to help I can't really just pass off Jayden to him. I don't really want to pass him off to anyone at this point. I'm not sure what I'm going to do....but somehow I will figure it out.

Other than those little worries on my mind...things are good around here. I really don't mind sitting in my house all day with Jayden. I've really gotten into cleaning and rearranging things. I think it is how I feel "accomplished" at the end of the day without going to "work" and bringing home a paycheck. Levi seems to like having me home too. I cook more and the house is cleaner!

Well my time has run out....Jayden's awake and giving me that hungry look!!

Jayden Levi Wilde

Jayden Levi Wilde. 5 lbs 12 oz. 18 3/4 in. Born Jan 6th @ 5:47PM.

I am so in love with this little boy. So so in love. He definitely looks just like his father. He's like a little baby Levi.

I still remember waking up on Thursday and driving to the hospital to go "have my baby". That was definitely a different feeling.

The birth, I think, went pretty well. I got to the hospital around 9:30AM. Was set up in a room. A nurse came in who then got me started on an IV. That really hurt by the way. It took two nurses and 4 tries before they got the IV in right. Later on, I can't remember the time, I was started on pitocin. The nurse told me I was dialated to a 2 and my contractions were coming about every 2-3 minutes. I figured it was going to be long day so Levi set up his laptop and we started watching a movie.

At 2 o'clock another doctor came in and said she was there to break my water. It happened really fast and I hardly felt a thing. She also checked me and said I was still dialated at a 2. We continued to watch our show, but holy cow the contractions came out of nowhere and started to really hurt!! I tried to be tough and relax and breath but I eventually started crying and Levi called for the nurse so I could get an epidural.

I honestly was scared of getting an epidural. There are so many horror stories out there and I wasn't sure what to expect. Lucky for me though, the epidural went really smooth and worked instantly. I could still feel the pressure from the contractions but absolutely no pain. After that the nurse checked me out again and I was now dialated to a 6. My midwife told the nurse to give me about another 30 minutes or so and I should be ready to go. Well, she was pretty close, because the nurse did come back a little bit later and said I was at a 1o, completely effaced and Baby J was ready to come.

I remember all of sudden everyone coming in and bringing in all this stuff. Levi was super excited and I was like..."Oh my word, I'm about to have a baby!". The next thing I remember is the nurse standing by my side and telling me it was time to push. I remember her counting and telling me I was doing great and that I could do this. Well, I guess her pep talk worked...cuz after pushing just a few times....out came Baby J.

He was immediately given to me. I remember holding his little hand and I just stared into his big dark eyes. Unfortunately, Baby J was having a hard time breathing so the nurse took him from me and to make a very very long story short.....he ended up being admitted to the NICU.

It was hard having him down there and not being able to be with him all the time. Levi and I went down as often as we could and I would try and feed him....but he was hooked up to so many tubes and monitors that it was really hard to just hold him.

Well, count your blessings, Jayden improved pretty quickly and we got to take him home Sunday afternoon.

I don't think I slept for the first 3 days he was home. I was (and still am) a clueless mom. I constantly (and still do) wondered if he was eating enough, sleeping enough, warm enough, and on and on....
Jayden, and myself, also struggle with breastfeeding. I've seen three lacatation specialists and I plan on going to a Le Leche League meeting soon. When Jayden was admitted to the NICU he was immediately put on a bottle and given formula....so I don't know if that had a play in it...but it was almost like he had to learn how to breastfeed. He's exclusively breastfeed right now....even though sometimes I will pump out a bottle and give that to him. He didn't gain weight for the first few weeks and had very few messy diapers which really kinda worried me, but he now seems to be doing pretty good ...wants to eat all the time and I'm going through diapers like crazy! I guess I haven't messed up too much!

Well I sure do love my little guy and I figure if I was really doing something wrong....Little Jayden would be screaming at me and letting me know. The sweet little guy hardly ever cries.....well mostly because he is sleeping all the time. He's my little angel baby and I'm so glad that he is all mine.