Momma Milk Cookies

It's not what you think...I didn't use breast milk in this cookie recipe(although, I'm not against doing that)!  No..this cookie is to help increase your Momma milk supply!

Levi is still only breastfed and I haven't had any supply issues, but lately he has been sick (more on that in another post) and hasn't been eating as much and coughs and spits up(or throws up sometimes) most of his meal. Even after a good nose cleaning with clear nostrils he still hasn't eaten as much as usual.  He still get's very distracted very easily so the faster the milk comes the better.  So in order to ease my mind a bit I have been doing things to increase my supply.  I heard oatmeal was a lactogenic food so I have been having oatmeal every day and what do you know I have really noticed a difference!  Stronger and more frequent letdowns!  Sweet!

To switch it up a bit I thought I would make some oatmeal cookies. I have majorly cut down on sweets from the first 4 months of Levis life(and even cut all added sugar etc out for a while), but every once in awhile you just want a cookie.  Well...actually I want cookies everyday..but we don't always get what we want and that's ok! :)  But yesterday I made a batch of yummy oatmeal cookies.

My friend Sandra(my baking friend queen) recommended I try this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I made a few alterations to it to make it have a little more oatmeal and a smidge more healthy and I am really pleased with the way they turned out! Just what I was hoping and Tristan loved them and he's not even a sweets guy!

Here is my adaptation of the recipe:


1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/2 dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup Oat Flour(I put 1 cup instant oats in the blender)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon(it was a BIG teaspoon..cinnamon is good for you)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 cups (120 grams) rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large bowl, cream together the coconut oil, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the coconut oil/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips
Chill dough for 20mins or so.
Drop onto baking pan in tablespoon size balls. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Makes close to 2 dozen. Total time from start to finish for these cookies(if you let them chill in the fridge) is 40-50mins.


That's it! Now just sit and enjoy them with some Mother's Milk Tea!  Hope some of you Momma's give them a try.  If you do let me know what you think!

Swimming!

We hung out at our pool yesterday with our friends Justin and Sandra and had a GREAT time! We got to use the new float we bought for Levi and he got to spend a good chunk of time in the water. The weather was perfect and so was the water. Levi had a great time... he was so relaxed and loved going around the pool and laying forward and lifting and letting his bum and legs float. There was even some possible slight kicks too! It was so much fun for this big water baby to watch her little water baby enjoy the water too!!!

Happy memorial weekend everyone. Hope you all have a great weekend!

First word.....Da da!

So just now, while Tristan has been getting ready for work Levi has said Da Da to him 3 times...and it seems yo be intentional! We are freaking out and I am so excited because I have worked so hard to get him to say Da Da to Tristan!!!! I'll try to get it on video soon!!!

Swing Time

2 days ago we went to the park with Jana and Piper for a picnic and some play time.  It was wonderful and Levi had his first experience in a swing!  He loved it so we will be doing it again soon I'm sure.  Here is a super cute picture that Jana took of him and a little video of him having fun!

Levi- 6 months

HAPPY SIX MONTHS SON!

-Babbles. Thhh, da, ta, ma, ba. I think  he will be saying da da soon when he sees Tristan because when I say "where's daddy?" He smiles, looks around the room, finds Tristan and then smiles real big.  He know the word daddy goes with Tristan..it's so cute! And since he says "da" I think soon he may connect the dots and say it to Tristan.
 And, I feel like he "talks" all day long He never seems to babble when I want him to though...like when we talk to my parents in the morning on Google Talk!

-Is full of smiles, laughs and giggles.

-Is very flexible..praise the Lord!

-Grabs at EVERYthing. Faces, plates of food,toys..etc.  And of course he wants to bring all of it to his mouth!

-Has been in a swing and loved it.

-Loves to be outside. Loves to watch trees and feel the wind.

-Rolls all over and right now uses that to get where he wants. Last month he was scooting more but once he learned how to "fly" he decided that was more fun.  He thinks that if he "fly's" and makes noises like he is working really hard he will get somewhere.

-Still LOVES to be naked.

-Loves his time with daddy in the morning and talks to him the whole time.

-Is SUPER snugly with his daddy! He is a daddy's boy!!!

-Still can't sit up unsupported.

-Still has no teeth.

-Still wears cloth diapers.

-Is still exclusively breast fed.

-Has his first "cold." Last week he started coughing a little and then one night he coughed so much(and was sleeping through it) and wouldn't stop we were ready to take him somewhere because it scared us so much.  But, after holding him upright and doing some hand thrusts on his back it got better. He has had the cough since and has had a runny nose, sneezing and red,watery, itchy eyes...so I am thinking it's something allergy related. He seems like he should be miserable but is handling it all really well.

-drools and gnaws on things all the time! Rubs his gums with his thumb too.

-Still spits up quite a bit.

-Has super waxy ears! GROSS.

-Has super sharp FAST growing nails.  I can not keep up with them.

-Is perfectly chubby.

-Has the sweetest eyes and brightest smile.

-Loves life.

-Loves people.

-Loves to read.

-Eats and sleeps like a champ.

- Has not been fighting me about going down for his naps this week. Maybe he is learning????

-Loves his Sophie Giraffe.

-Loves his blue blanket from Katie and Avery.

-Watches us like a hawk when we eat and smacks while watching!

-Is NOT happy when he is overtired and fusses and cries to let us know he needs sleep!!!

-Gets so happy when I sign "milk" to him.  

- Poops 1-2 times a day most days.

-Has nasty smelly gooey poops due to teething (I guess)..grossest poops ever..and I'm a nurse and have changed adults!

-LOVES his feet and toes and loves to chew on them.

-Loves bath time more every day and is more playful each bath!

-Does NOT like to be hot.

-Does NOT like to put on clothes.

-Does NOT like his nose wiped or suctioned.

-Still has his pointy elf ears!

-has HUGE cheeks!

-Is the love of our lives! And makes us want more kids all the time!

Happy 6 months old Levi, we love you so. I can not believe you are 6 months old already.....where has the time gone! You are such a joy and we are honored and blessed to be YOUR parents. This has been the best 6 months of our lives! We celebrate and praise the Lord today for his goodness, loving kindness, and mercy! Each day is a gift and treasure from Him!

Remember me?

Written on Tuesday May 15th


I'm sitting on the couch at my pom pom and grandma's watching my boy and my pom pom snooze, wishing my grandma was still here to keep me company right now. We would talk about Levi, we would talk about Jared and Tyler, we'd talk about Tristan, about Katie and Avery.... she'd ask and talk about everyone. She loved people and really cared. She loved me.
Next month it will be a year since she passed away. Right now I feel the hardest part is that it's becoming normal that she is not around and I just don't like that.

My dear friend Stacy knows what it means to love and loose a grandmother near to you too. When I was thinking about our spare room that would be Levi's room and our guest room I knew I wanted something for Levi that was in memory of my grandma.  Something I could point too and tell him all about her.

I couldn't get the nickname she had for him out of my head: Avocado.  She never met my boy, she never even knew he was going to be a boy but I had mentioned to her one time that he was the size of an avocado and it just stuck. Not to mention I love avocado's and she LOVED Mexican food.

I decided I wanted some sort of Avocado pillow or print or something in the room.  I looked on-line, I looked on Pinterest, I racked my brain for creative ideas. Nothing. Eventually I thought of Stacy.  This woman is so dear to my heart.  She is a forever friend, the kind you (unfortunately) rarely talk to but it doesn't matter. You will always love them. And she happens to be a vibrant person with fantastic creativity and artistic ability. And I said before she knows a grandma's love.  So I told her about my grandma and asked if she would do a painting of an Avocado for the baby room. She quickly said yes.

She texted me a picture of the painting when she was done. I was in love.  It was perfect and reminded me so much of my grandma.  Then we made plans for her to drop it off on her way down to Lytle for Thanksgiving on November 22nd.  Little did I know that I would be in labor at that time!  When she dropped by I was in the VERY early stages of my labor and Tristan and I were working hard to get the contractions to come on so unfortunately when she arrived we didn't even get to visit. 

The painting is lovely, and it reminds me of my grandma's favorite outfit,the one she was buried in. It also reminds me of my grandma's kitchen, my favorite spot in her whole house.   And just as I hoped the painting reminds me to share  sweet memories of her with my son.

Thank you Stacy, it's such a precious gift!

Here it is:

And here is my boy and pom pom sleeping(Levi was playing on the blanket, decided he was tired, laid his head down and went to sleep, it was so sweet):

Lightweight Moby Wrap Tutorial

So we love our Moby wrap but it's totally going to be tooo hot to wear during the summer so I have been meaning to go buy fabric to make my own, since it's only a long piece of fabric anyway. Well what do you know, just when I am thinking about this my dear friend Mary(She is also my sister in love's sister) posted a tutorial with instructions on making a moby wrap on her blog.

So all you Momma's to be take an hour out of your day, save yourself some money and go make you and your baby a Moby wrap!

Our Essential Baby Items List: Products we love part 2

My friend Kaye had some great things to add to the list I posted yesterday so I thought I would post her additions here for you.  There are some things she mentioned that I don't have that I would really like to get and some other things I am sure I will need to get eventually ...mostly related to solid foods!

Thanks Kaye!

From Kaye:

"-organic waterproof pads to put under crib/pack n play sheets to protect mattresses! we've had lots of leaks, spit ups, etc that go right through the fitted, but those pads soak it up! :)

-if you cosleep,which we did in the beginning, i highly recommend a good quality waterproof matress cover for your own bed too! i would also put those pads i mentioned under elijah so that i didnt have to always change the whole beds sheets when he leaked, spit up, or my milk leaked everywhere! haha

-one of the best inventions ever is the baby bjorn bib. it is the one and only bib i use and its amazing. there are cheaper knock offs and they are not the same. go for the real deal!

-i like your feeding mat but was wondering if it's machine washable? i got a mat that wasnt, but did wipe easily. however, when they start to really get into food, it is a pain in the butt and much easier to throw in the wash (especially when dried mashed bananas are encrusted on and blueberry smoothie is sprayed everywhere! ha) ive really just started using tan towels underneath his chair (which matches our carpet, so not noticeable) and i change them every couple of days, depending on how bad it is. until i find something better, this is what i'll do! 

-id also add that once they start eating foods (anywhere from 5mo+) its pretty important to have a bunch of spoons and forks that are easy for baby to hold, once they are ready. i bought these fancy stainless steel ones, but they are honestly too slim for his hands and he definitely prefers the bpa free plastic ones you find at target and such. 

-unbreakable, reheatable bowls are nice, especially if your flooring is hard tile. we use silicone ones by kinderville and they work great, but im sure there are other options. 

-i recommend getting a variety of bpa free sippy cups to see what your babe likes cause all kids are seriously so different when it comes to this preference. and i find different cups work better for different beverages. since elijah turned 1ish, he loved to drink everything out of a camel bak. the flow is much faster and there's no tricky suction. before that, his favorites were a soft tipped sippy cup. we tried the soft straw sippys and he personally didnt like those, but i know other kids that love them and i know lots of pediatricians recommend the straw. 

-i highly recommend the 'munchie mug' a snack cup for on the go or around the house. we use it everyday and no spills or hurt fingers when he pulls food out.

-i think the best toys that have lasted and are still going strong through his different stages are books, wooden blocks (abc ones are great, or various shapes and sizes), musical instruments (especially small hand drum or shakers), balls, & play food--(felt and wooden ones are great for babies to play with, then they play pretend with them as they get older). 

-bpa free soft baby toothbrush (elijah loved his banana brush) and fluoride free toothpowder or paste.

-swim shirt with short or long sleeves plus a good waterproof sun hat. we loved 'iplay' brand solid color one, it covers ears and neck.

-homeopathic kids kit by hylands, teething tabs, and gas medicine like gripe water or mylicon."

After reading Kaye's list I realized I didn't post anything about cribs, and I left out a few nursing momma must have's!  

So the first few months Levi slept in bed with us in this:

You can find it here.

I loved it! We have a king bed so there was plenty of room for it. It made night nursing so easy to have Levi right there next to me, while easing my mind about me rolling over on him when he was so little.  But let's be honest...I never slept that hard and he many times ended up sleeping in my arms because I just LOVED it!  I will say now though that I think I will feel a lot more confidant with the next one and hope to just use something like this(but hopefully find something TONS cheaper):

I just think that thing is the coolest!!!!!  And if anyone wants to drop a ton of cash on something for us THIS would be it!  :)  You can find the expensive thing here.

I have heard of people putting pool noodles under their sheet on the mom's side of the bed too.  We have yet to try it but would really like to. Has anyone tried that???   Levi sleeps in a crib in the other room but there are many a night when Tristan and I just  want him to sleep in bed with us and would love to have something safe on the side of the bed so he won't roll off. 

Oh and here is the crib that Levi now sleeps in. We don't have much space in our house so a mini crib is just right for us and this one is pretty cute. Iv'e been really happy with it.  It's expensive but we had gift cards and coupons so we barley paid anything for it out of pocket.  It was such a blessing!!!

And now on to the nursing momma stuff!  

1. 6-8 Nursing sleep bras. I have 4 and wish I had a lot more because I feel like I am always doing laundry just to keep them clean. I get them soaked EVERY night!  I got these. They come in a 2 pack and are super cheap!!! A sleep bra, nursing pads and pj pants or shorts are pretty much my go to every night to sleep in.

2. 2-4 Daytime Nursing  Bras. I actually only have 1(gross I know), but would love more..at least 2 more! There are so many kinds out there and I don't really have a reccomendation!  

3. Nursing Tanks.  I have a white one, a grey one and a black one.  I wish I had more though because they really make nursing in public so easy to me! They are expensive though so I am always washing the 3 I have. I got mine from Target.  They have a good selection in stores and on-line and seem to have the best price I have found and I have been pleased with the quality too.  

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4. LOTS of washable Nursing Pads.  Maybe 7 pairs at the least?? I got through them FAST.  I love these.

Our essential baby items list: Products we love!

I have so many pregnant first time Momma friends that I thought I should do a post on what Tristan and I think are the baby essentials.  I remember looking around online to find a list that would help me know the bare minimum basics, yet not neglect things that really make life with baby easier.  For years I have wanted to be a minimalist about things ...but even when you want to be a minimalist it seems to still take A LOT of stuff!! I'm including in this list the items for cloth diapering you would need too!

1. 8-12 cloth diaper covers. I HIGHLY recommend my friend Addie's diaper covers. She gave me 8 covers as a gift...we love them. Here is the link to her store : http://diapercircus.com/

These are the ones she made for Levi

2. 24 unbleached cotton prefold diapers. I really like econobum's unbleached cotton prefolds and the prefolds Addie makes!

3. 3-4 dozen cloth wipes. I bought these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040T80JA/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

I figured there was no need to buy actual fancy wipes that cost a ton, so I just got baby wash cloths..an idea I got from Addie.  These are only $5.00 + $2.00 shipping so $7 for 12 wipes...not bad. I love them!  They work better than other things I have tried. I usually just wet several with water once a day and put them in the wipe warmer.

4. 2 Diaper pail liners.  I got these in slate: http://www.nickisdiapers.com/planet-wise-diaper-pail-liner.html

5. 1-2 to go wet bags. I have 1 that Addie made for Levi..it's super cute!  

6. Wipe Warmer. Not a necessity, but my mom bought us one and I love having it!

7. But Cream.  We use Dr. Smith's per my midwife's reccomendation.  It works awesome. If Levi gets a little redness I jsut smear it on and by the next diaper change it's gone.

8. Diaper Sprayer for Toilet. We bought this one: http://www.nickisdiapers.com/bum-genius-diaper-sprayer.html

9. Moby Wrap.  I was afraid to try it. It seemed complicated. But, I kept hearing that I should give it a try and  that once I got it down I would love it. So I watched the video below over and over and practiced and what do you know...I LOVE it.  Like, I can't live without it and I think EVERY mom should have one love it.  And not only do I love it but Levi loves it.  He has from the beginning and still does!! And of all the carrier options out there I find it's one of the cheapest. And it's easy to wash.  Also, if you want to support a smaller company you can buy the Lu Lu Wrap which is essentially the same thing but hand made by a momma!

10. Car Seat. I highly recommend Britax. Fortunately, my friend Kaye had already done tons of research on car seats so I just looked up Britax per her suggestion and was really impressed.  This was one area we weren't concerned with saving money. Our carseat cost over $150.00...but worth every penny in my mind!

11. Pack N Play.  Totally didn't think I would need this ...boy was I wrong! We put Levi down to sleep in it all the time.  It helps you to still get out and do things at night and during nap time!

12. White Noise Sound Machine. We use it as part of our bedtime and nap routine to help clue Levi in on what's about to happen and the womb like sounds seemed to really help him when he was littler. We have this one.

13. Video Monitor. I thought we didn't need a monitor....that they were silly and over kill. Boy was I wrong.  I LOVE the thing! We have this one and have been super happy with it! I totally a convert that a monitor is a necessity!

14. Jogging Stroller.  If you love to run or just want to take walks on more off terrain type trails than a stroller a jogging stroller is a must have. Levi loves going out and seeing the world in ours.  

15. Car mirror.  It's great to look in the rear view mirroe and be able to see what Levi is doing and he now enjoy's looking at himself as well. 

16. A good diaper bag. I still don't have a diaper bag and the bag I have is an exploding mess. I love to be organized and for everything to have a place so this is really annoying.  Maybe eventually I will find the right bag..at the right price...but until then I'll just stick with what I have. 

17. High Chair/ Booster Seat.  We have this one. I love it. Our place is small so this is perfect as it just straps down to a table we already have.  It's also really easy to clean and portable.  I think it's so great that there is really no need for a Bumbo.

18. Bouncy Seat.  We have this one in a tan color. I love it because it's simple looking. I can't even count how much we have used this thing with Levi. We don't use it as much anymore but we couldn't have done without it.  It was so helpful!

19. Mesh feeder/ teether. My friend Kaye gave us this one. We just started using ours when we started incorporating Levi into our dinner routine.  I made breast-milk ice cubes(we call it momsicle) that I put in the feeder and he sits and eats in at dinner while we eat.  He LOVES it!!!! 

20. Floor mat.  Our mat is great for naked time which Levi loves since he has bulky cloth diapers on all day...and will be very helpful when Levi starts solids.

21. 4-5 Pacifiers(you need them everywhere...they disappear easily!) I know not everyone wants to use them and some babies don't like them...but Levi really took to his well and it was really helpful in soothing him when we were out and about.

22. Swaddler. Levi weaned from swaddling almost 2 months ago so we don't need it anymore but for Levi during those first 3 months he couldn't sleep at night without it. My favorites are The Miracle Blanket and the True Womb Swaddler.  Both contained Levi comfortably! We tried swaddling him with blankets ..like those cute bamboo ones...but he was too wiggly and could get out! We found it best to have 2 so if one gets dirty and is getting washed you aren't without one!

http://truewomb.com/

http://www.miracleblanket.com/index.htm

23. Sophie. Levi doesn't have many toys but if I had to pick his favorite it would be Sophie for sure. But he also loves his links(which are great for hanging and connecting things to strollers too.) and his activity walker.

24. Clothes! We have been so blessed and haven't had to buy much at all. Levi pretty much lives in Footie PJ's every night, and One Piece outfits during the day..when he has clothes on that is. When he was little and since he was born in December we needed about 7 footie pj's in whatever size he was wearing just so I didn't have to do laundry too often.

25. Burb Cloths/ Thin Blankets.  Levi spits up all the time especially now that he moves around so much so we have to have a cloth or 2 in the living room, one in the bathroom, one in the bed room...one...you get the picture...EVERYWHERE!  

26. A nursing cover.

27. Breast Friend Nursing Pillow....my favorite!!

28. Breast Pump.  I don't use mine very often but there are times that it's soooo helpful!  Like on roadtrips, or for making momsicles..etc.  

29. Books.  Levi LOVES to read so we have lots of books and our favorite is the Jesus Storybook Bible. It's a great children's bible.

30. Children's music.  We love music in our home and listen to all kinds and though I don't prefer most kid music..Levi loves it and so many of the songs are great for educational purposes and learning scripture!

I'm sure there are other things that I am just not thinking of right now but I think I covered the basics. 

We don't use a children's bath tub..Tristan or I just get in the tub with Levi. We have done this since birth.  We don't have any special soaps or lotions. I make a natural, mild body wash/ hand soap for our family that we just use for Levi too.  So those things cut down on stuff!

Hope this helps some of you momma's to be!  Let me know if you have any questions or if I left anything out!

Other momma's out there...what did I forget?  What are your go to baby items? Let me know in the comments!!

Life is good!!!

The last few weeks have been so GREAT!  Levi is growing like a weed and changing so much every day.  I love this age and often doubt that he could get any cuter than he is right now!
 He laughs all the time now, loves people, smiles at everyone, and seems to just be soaking up life and loving every minute! I never knew how wonderful it would be to watch your child learn and explore. Levi's newest thing is intentionally scooting towards things that he wants. He works so hard...and even huffs and puffs and lays his head down and takes little breathers ...it's adorable.  He has pretty much stolen our hearts.

He is still SOOO distracted when I try to feed him.  So much so that I have to lay side lying in bed for EVERY feeding if I want it to not last an eternity.

 He has also been grabbing at faces and loves it when he grabs my nose and I say "Oh no, Levi has my nose!"  Makes him laugh EVERY time!  He reaches out and tries to grab everything he wants.

Nights have been going so great still. He wakes up at about 5:30am sometimes and talks and coos and then goes back to sleep till about 7am and talks and coos some more....I LOVE it!  

If I tried to pick my favorite thing he does right now...I don't know if I could...there are too many!  

We have been on the go constantly, every day seems so full.

 Grandad and Grandma came to Austin to visit last Wednesday.  It was so wonderful to see them...it had been waaayyyy to  long!  I loved watching them enjoy Levi! 

 Thursday we had dinner with Justin and Sandra and as usual it was fantastic.  Levi had a really hard time going down there.  It was very unusually hard.  Not sure what was going on! 

 Heidi and Elijah flew in late Thursday and we all went to San Angelo the next day for the weekend.  Then this weekend we are going to LaVernia and then to Corpus( I REALLLLLYYYY miss my family!!!).  Levi is  a pretty great traveler and adjusts really well and I am sooo thankful for that!  

I just can't thank the Lord for how rich this new season of life has been. For the most part, the 10 years I was in nursing school and a practicing RN I was so stressed and depressed. I have felt so free since quitting my job. I love my days as a wife and momma.  It's hard work and can be stressful and draining... but it's good stress. And oh so refining! I just can't believe that I'm finally doing my dream job. It's better and harder than I ever thought it would be!

Thank you Lord. You are good. Sweet. Kind. It's all yours and I give it right back to you with praise and thanksgiving!

I can not be contained!

Next thing I know he will be at my feet in the kitchen!