Winter Weather

This seems appropriate after yesterday:

It's quite comical really. We get a smidge of ice and we are all sent into a bread and milk sandwich panic while Boston has had over 70 inches of snow in less than a month. I think it's safe to say we may overact just a smidge. BUT in our defense, we're not prepared for this kind of weather! Yea, they salted the roads when they heard it was coming, but that can only do so much when it's sleeting and the ice is freezing in a lovely skating rink-like sheet. Snow is one thing, but ice is not something to mess with! And that's what we've had so far.

It snowed a few flakes Monday afternoon before turning into sleet and freezing overnight. We awoke Tuesday morning to what looked like an inch of pretty white snow, but as Daisy quickly realized was snow frozen over into a slippery skating rink. Boooooo. There goes our first snowy adventure with the babe. Probably a good thing as she is still fighting this RSV (though she is doing much better!).  By afternoon the roads were pretty much just slush and by late afternoon they were pretty clear, but to be on the safe side all the local schools closed again for Wednesday.

A whole day with Daddy?? How did I get so lucky?? 

Sister snugs

So, where does that leave us? Waiting. They're calling for more wintery mix this afternoon with freezing temps tomorrow. And this southern bird is not exaggerating on the cold either. It's dipping down to two degrees tomorrow morning and Friday's high is only in the teens! The high! We're also supposed to get more of an icky mix on Saturday. We're not prepared for this long-term mess! My sweet friend, Jess, and I were texting back and forth yesterday wondering how long it would take Daisy to build a tunnel between our houses and if we would go cuckoo from cabin fever while we waited-haha! Until we can convince Daisy to dig us some tunnels we'll be hanging out by the fire in our cozy clothes counting down the days until Spring. . .

Firsts

The first year of a baby's life includes lots of firsts. Some are lots of fun

rolling over, smiling, walking, talking

Others are not

sickness

 Sick baby would only sleep in Mama's arms:-(

We're currently in the second category in a big way. Amelia Grace was diagnosed with RSV and an ear infection last week. I know our kid is not the first one to ever get sick, but this is the first time we've dealt with it and it's scary business!

It started last week with some congestion and a cough. She didn't have a fever so we treated the symptoms and figured her little body would fight it on its own. The next day she was still congested, but her cough was definitely better so we figured she was on the upswing. Then came Friday. Poor girl was so congested even the Nose Frida couldn't relieve her! At Nurse Gigi's insistence we made a doctor's appointment for that afternoon. 

I was watching the sweet little boy I've started babysitting for so David had the pleasure of taking her in. They quickly diagnosed her with RSV and an ear infection in one ear. They showed him how to do the oh so fun breathing treatments and sent him on his way with a sick, increasingly cranky babe.

Oooo crinkly paper

The good news is that aside from the tailend of the breathing treatments she is still a happy baby! She  is definitely still sick but homegirl is not letting her get that down. Who cares if there is a lava flow of snot coming out of her nose, she still wants to play. And boy does she want to play! The medicine in the breathing treatment has the same effect on her as the prednisone does on me so she is jacked up! 

Taking her breathing treatment like a champ.

Aside from the breathing treatments and antibiotics for her ear we've also been using essential oils like it's our job. I recently became very interested (i.e. obsessed) by them and after doing loads of research bought the starter kit from YoungLiving. Between diffusing them in her room at night and lathering her up at every diaper change she has been covered-and I definitely think they are helping! Aside from a few random stirrings she is still sleeping like a champ despite the congestion and cough. 

Our medication station

We appreciate the continued prayers for healing and know that He is continuing to work in her!

Side note if you are interested in learning more about the essential oils, please let me know! I would love to share!!

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers

One awesome part of our Whole30 journey was trying new recipes. A few were "eh" and a few were "oh, yea!"-this one fell into the latter category. Great for supper as well as something to nosh on guilt-free during a game. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

2 onions

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. dill

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried chives

5 peppers

1/2 cup hot sauce (we like Frank's)

1/2 stick of butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Slice onions and layers in 9x14 dish.

Lay chicken breasts on top.

Mix spices and sprinkle on chicken.

Bake for 25-30 minutes (or until chicken is done).

While the chicken is cooking melt the butter and hot sauce together. 

Cut tops off peppers and hollow out.

Take the cooked chicken and onions and shred it very finely (we use our Magic Bullet for this).

Combine the shredded chicken and hot sauce mixture.

Fill the hollowed peppers with the chicken and hot sauce mixture.

Place stuffed peppers in baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Serve with guacamole and enjoy!

Bench Pinterest Project

I, like most red-blooded American women, love me some Pinterest. I could spend hours scrolling through pages of parenting hacks, healthy recipes, and holiday decor. There are just so many options! One of those said options never did leave my head. I had seen it a few times and thought it was such a neat idea. I finally got around to sending it to David who said he thought it was manageable and that he would help me get started. Te he he. Poor kid didn't know what he was getting himself in to. . .

The project was to take an IKEA bookshelf and turn it into a window bench. Easy peasy, right? As is the case with most Pinterest projects, they never quite turn out like they're supposed to. First we headed to IKEA to grab the bench. That part was surprisingly easy aside from the fact that we stupidly went on a Saturday afternoon. I mean, we live 20 minutes from the place and we could have done any time, but we decided to go at the busiest time of the week. Geniuses, we are. 

David has become an IKEA pro so he was able to quickly put it together. The next step was to procure foam padding and fabric to make the seat part of the bench. I snagged that from a local fabric store. What I wasn't expecting was quite how expensive the 1 inch thick foam would be. Oof. I did score with two pillows that were 75% off that I plan on recovering later. You win some, you lose some.

David was kind enough to pick up the plywood from Lowe's for the next part despite saying after putting the shelf together that the rest was up to me. Like I said, poor kid didn't know what he was getting himself in to. . .

With my handy daddy coming in to town to watch Amelia Grace we asked if he could bring his powerful staple gun to help attach the fabric and foam to the board. After we cut down the foam and folded the fabric over the foam and wrapped it around the board he and David made sure I did my part and stapled some of the fabric to the board. I was terrified of that powerful gun, but I did it! 

The next step was to drill the plywood to the bookshelf so that the seat part wouldn't slide off and crush little fingers or toes. This was around the time Amelia Grace was losing it and needed to go to bed, so David and Daddy did this part without me. Though, I have no doubt they would have made me do all the drilling had I been available!

It wasn't a hard project, so much as it was full of lots of little steps. It also added up! We chose to do this to save money on buying our own window bench, but with it all totaled up I think it would have come out even. Oh, well. At least we can say we did it!

Helper

Recently our community group has been going through a study of Genesis, particularly seeking to see Jesus in it. Not exactly what you would expect, right? The best part about it is Jesus is all over the Old Testament! Side note-If you're searching for an in-depth study of Jesus in the OT take a look at Nancy Guthrie's different options. 

Anywho, back on track. . . this past week we dug deeper into the story of Adam and Eve and the temptation the serpent brought in the Garden of Eden. The story is common, but each time I read it I pick up something different. This time around my heart honed in on the concept of "helper". Specifically this verse:

The Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him."

God knew that Adam could not continue alone and that he required a helper. God created all sorts of animals and creatures, but none served the purpose He was seeking for them. So he took a piece from Adam's own body to create the perfect complement-Eve. How beautiful is that? God created a wife just for the purpose to help Adam. Wow. Mind-blowing and a very heavy weight on my heart right now.

I posted recently asking for prayer for the vision God is laying on our hearts. As we continue to walk through this and pray I feel a new calling on my heart as a wife. Should David pursue full-time ministry, my role will change greatly as well. He will need me to help him in new and challenging ways. Reading these simple words, "I will make a suitable helper for him" has given me huge reassurance. His words are like a big hug at just the right moment. He's telling me, "I made you for this. I knew the plan when I placed you together". God is reminding me that I am not just David's wife, but I am His helper. What an amazing gift that is! I have the opportunity to support him in this grand adventure!

As you continue to pray for the vision God is laying on our hearts, I also ask for prayer as how best to support David.

6 Month Update

Happy 6 months, little love!

Daisy kind of crashed our party this month.

"Mmmm this sticker tastes good."

She hears a lot of "gentle hands" these days

"Is this what I'm supposed to do, Daisy?"

Anddddd we're done.

Height/Weight: According to our visit to the doctor she weighs in at 17 lbs, 5oz and is in the 73rd percentile for weight. She is 26 inches long which is about 57th percentile. It seems she grew out from our four month appointment, but not up! Haha.

Clothes: Sticking in the 9 month clothes range these days. Some 6-9 stuff still, but it's a squeeze. 

Likes: She loves her some Daisy. She will just stick her hands out for Daisy to lick and can't stop giggling when she does!

Dislikes: She's in a phase of loving mommy and daddy and not many others. I know it's just a phase, but it's wearing on me! She also hates the transition from bath to pajamas. It's a battle every night!

Milestones: She loves rolling from her tummy to her back, but hasn't quite figured out how to get from her back to her tummy. She has recently discovered how to take her paci out of her mouth and put it back in. She's not consistent, mind you, but she knows the process! She's also getting better about sitting up and staying up by herself. I just love watching her sitting up playing with her toys!