Naptime Blog

Since Tristan was born we have not been back to church. I know that’s horrible but I don’t think he could sit through a service and I’m too nervous to leave him with strangers. Plus Rick is back to work on Sunday’s.

So here’s how it went:

Today I dropped Tristan off at the church nursery for the first time. It’s so tempting to always keep him with us since he’s so easy. We even contemplated taking him to the movies with us this weekend (confession: we DID see the new Twilight movie…with Tristan though). But I decided to bite the bullet and venture off without him for the first time at church. It’s amazing how much you UNDERESTIMATE how long it takes to get yourself and a baby all ready in order to go somewhere.  This whole process is definitely something we are learning a lot about as first time parents. So here’s how it went:

1. Arrive to church- already late
2. Arrive to nursery and are clueless about the “check-in” process
3. Holding baby in one arm, filling out paperwork in the other.
4. Holding up the line for people to drop their kids off
5. Realize baby’s entire outfit is soaked in a poopy-pee mixture as I’m handing him to the lady
6. Grab him back from the stranger lady, attempt to change him IN the stroller
7. Can’t find the diapers or backup outfit (”let’s just go home…” I say)
8. Finally find the diapers and backup outfit. **Note: the backup outfit was put in the diaper bag 2 months ago so you can only imagine how well it fit. Poor T.
9. Hand baby back to stranger lady.
10. Clean up the whole hot mess
11. Make it to church with 18 minutes left of service….victory!

Maybe next week I can get a half hour in.

Chrystal

Cherry Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust
• 1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling, chilled

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy.
• Gradually add the milk; stir until well blended.
• Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.
• Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
• Top with the remaining pie filling before serving.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 3 hours
Ease of Preparation: Easy
Yield: 6-8 servings

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

We LOVE this recipe from Paula Deen! It is ridiculously easy…and it looks like you worked really hard on it when in fact you DID NOT:-)Now that’s my kind of cookin’! All though I’m sad it didn’t include butter. Just kidding. If you watch Paula you know she LOVES butter.
Ya’ll enjoy!

Chrystal

My husband thought taking the twins to see Sesame Street Live was going to be a mistake.  He said they were too young, as they are only fifteen months old.  But I know how although they really do not exactly ‘watch’ television, they do love all the Sesame Street Songs and will look up at the television every time they hear “Elmo’s World” and other Sesame Street jingles.  So I knew the boys would have fun at Sesame Street Live.

I had gotten ten tickets to see the show, and we really had good seats.  My friend Lynda and her son Nicky joined us, and Paul and I had our four kids.  My two cousins came along to help with the bunch.  The boys had their own seats, which I was a little worried about at first, but it really worked out very much to our advantage. 

Louis sat like such a big boy in his chair, watching intently each scene.  He is so into detail, and every time I looked over at him it seemed he was studying each costume, each backdrop, each prop.  Because we sat in the first and second rows, when the characters came around dancing, I was worried that he might not want to be touched, but every time a character passed him and patted his head or gave him a high five, Louis was very much into it.  While he sat, every time a song came on his eyes lit up, and he was bouncing his legs in his seat to the beat!  Paul had gotten French fries at the concession stand, and Louis ate them one by one without missing his mouth OR one second of the show.  I was so pleasantly surprised by how he sat so good during the entire hour and a half.

Early in the show, Anthony went to sit on Lynda’s lap, as she was in the front row.  Although both of the boys are outgoing and friendly, neither one of them really like being separated from Mommy and Daddy for too long, so I didn’t think sitting with Lynda would last very long.  But every time I caught a glimpse of Anthony, he was chomping on some Oreos, drinking his juice, dancing to the beat on her lap.  At one point, Anthony was even standing in front of Lynda bopping with Nicky (who is a year older than the twins, 2 ½) to the tunes of Sesame Street!

Joseph slept through the whole show.  At six weeks, he is still very much a sleepy boy, even through all the noise from the show.  Joseph has three older siblings, and it is NEVER quiet in our house, so he is used to sleeping through tornadoes!  He only woke up right after intermission to drink his bottle, but then went right back into his dreaming. 

Juliana tried to play slick…  she is seven and a half years old and claims to be way past Sesame Street.  Well I caught her dancing along and watching the show as if she was watching Sesame Street for the first time.  Juliana was amazed with the neon colored swimming fish and tried to figure out if they were 3D images or something else, as they were “floating” in mid air.  Because we were so close to the stage, she was able to see the dancers dressed in black holding the fish on stage dancing with them.  Juliana thought that was the coolest thing.  She enjoyed every minute of the show and had a ball. 

During intermission, the kids got Elmo balloons, and when Anthony saw the vendor come out with what seemed like 100 Elmos, he started calling “Mo-Mo! Mo-Mo!”    Both Louis and Anthony were calling for Big Bird, and were fascinated when towards the end of the show he was within inches of them! 

Lynda bought all the kids Sesame Street Live shirts, and when we put them on all the kids and took a photo, they looked adorable!  I must be honest however, since we had all the kids at the show and I kept watching each of them, I really didn’t catch much of the storyline.  I did, however, enjoy seeing the characters myself, and loved the music.  Yes, even as a grown woman I still have a soft spot for Sesame Street!

 Juliana is holding the twins on her lap (Anthony is on the left, Louis is on the right), sitting with Nicky.

Jennifer
Wife to Paul, Mom to Juliana (7), Anthony and Louis (1) and Joseph (Newborn)
www.nevaland.com

What’s next? I lost my FAVORITE little Kodak camera a few weeks ago and I have been sick about it. I have looked everywhere! I looked in every pocketbook and diaper bag. It is very frustrating because there were about 300+ pictures on that memory card. I don’t have any recent pictures of Jayce.

I was depressed the 1st few days, now I am just online researching the best digital camera brands for the price. I want something small, that will fit right into a pocket. I also want a reasonable price with a good quality picture. Oh, did I mention, it has to be user friendly?

On top of that sad news, my laptop is headed towards the laptop graveyard soon. It runs hot and shuts off on its own. Sometimes it won’t even turn on at all, it is really depressing. I have everything saved to this stinking thing.

It is (WAS) a really nice HP that I have had for about 3 ½ years. I know in technology years; that’s forever. But for me, a mother of 2 growing, hungry buys, that’s no time!!

~Shanta

Since I’m from the South, sweet tea is like water to me. I love sweet tea. I brew a pitcher almost daily and I use real sugar. No artificial sweetener for me!Imagine how excited I was to see that Great Value now has Sweet Iced Tea in a gallon jug. To be honest, most bottled tea is not yummy to me, but I was willing to give this a chance

I decided to do a comparison. I bought the Great Value Sweet Iced Tea and compared it to another brand I like called Sweet Leaf. I have to say that it was very good. I enjoyed both teas just as much. They tasted a bit different from each other, but both tasted freshly brewed… a big plus!

In my opinion, fresh brewed is always best, but I love the option of picking up a jug of sweet tea at Wal-Mart on my way to a picnic or the beach.

Another store brand I recently found is Great Value Ripple Cut Potato Chips. We love them and actually prefer them over the store brand. Don’t you love it when your preferred brand is cheaper? Score!

I am loving trying all of the new store brands popping up on the shelves. Aren’t you? Have you found a favorite?

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

My post about family get togethers made me think about one of my favorite take along recipes. This time of year brings lots of family gatherings and holiday parties. Many times I am asked to bring my favorite side dish.

My favorite side dish is called Cheesy Potatoes. I was given the original recipe years ago by a friend, but I sometimes make it my own by adding in ingredients like finely chopped prosciutto or crumbled bacon. As with any recipe, I suggest experimenting with it to make it to your family’s taste.

Cheesy Potatoes

(This is super easy and a HUGE hit for any potluck, family reunion or other event you have to go to)
 
2 pounds frozen tater tots, thaw and break apart (Use your hands, it’s easier!)
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint of sour cream
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
About 4 finely chopped green onion (
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
 
Mix the butter, soup, sour cream, onion, salt and pepper together with the smashed tater tots. Then mix in cheese and press into a GREASED 9×13 pan or a 3 quart casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until bubbly and starts to slightly brown.

Every time I make this I have several people ask me for the recipe. Do you have a favorite recipe that is your “go to” for family reunions or other potluck events?

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

My brother and I are four years apart.  I distinctly remember being jealous when he was born.  I was only four years old, but I remember feeling like this new baby was trying to take over.  Prior to his birth, I not only had my own bedroom, but a playroom (we lived in a three bedroom apartment) with a huge play kitchen set in it.  When he came around, I lost my playroom, and since we lived in an apartment with no other place to keep the huge kitchen set, I lost that, too.

Furthermore, my father’s little sister was only 17 when I was born, and she and I were very close.  As a matter of fact, I looked up to her like my ‘rock star’, and she adored me.  Aunt Roe was my little brother’s godmother, and she adored this little alien baby, too.  I remember feeling very upset every time she held him.  I was told that I even slapped my aunt once for holding him.  As adults, my brother and I are very close, and I cannot believe I ever held any bad feelings for him!  Then again, I was only four years old!

My sister was born five years later, when I was nine and a half.  I do not remember feeling any jealousy towards her when she was born, nor anytime after. 

When my oldest daughter was six and a half, I gave birth to twin boys.  Remembering what I felt when my little brother was born, I was worried that she would be jealous as well.  As a matter of fact, knowing that I was upset after the birth of one of my siblings and not upset after the birth of the second, I was not quite sure what to expect from my daughter.  Then, when the twins were only fourteen months old, I gave birth to baby number four.  I was unsure of how I would be able to manage to give each of them the attention they needed, and hoped that jealousy wouldn’t play a role in our family, but was not sure.  Each child is different, and I just hoped for the best.

My daughter is quite possibly the best big sister ever.  She has never said a bad thing about any of her little brothers, with the exception of getting scolded for pencil marks on the wall and replied “Maybe one of the boys did it!”  The boys were only six months old at the time.  She has never expressed any envious feelings nor said any resentful comments.  And my little sister (who was ironically 17 when MY daughter was born and is HER ‘rock star’) has luckily never been at the receiving end of any rage from her niece like I did.

As my three youngest are all boys, I believe my daughter feels confident that since she keeps her “princess” status, she will always have that special place in our family. 
I am not sure she would have taken another sibling joining the family as well if she had had a younger sister. 

Younger children tend to be more envious than older children, as older children often have friends, are in school, have activities outside the home, and therefore are less dependent on their parents and less likely to be envious of the younger sibling.  This is not to say that older children cannot be jealous, as an older child has spent his entire life in his parents’ spotlight and now has to learn how to share it. 

A parent may not be able to accurately predict which child might show envy, which child might welcome a new sibling with open arms, and which child might be unmoved by a new sibling.  My twins were only 14 months old when my fourth child was born.  I was certain that the older twin would have given me a hard time when the new baby was born, as he had acid reflux as a newborn, has had stomach issues regularly since he was born, and always seemed to be in my arms being rocked to sleep.  I was mistaken, as it was his twin who didn’t want to go anywhere near the new baby when he arrived, refused to kiss him, and would walk away any time I was holding the baby.  As time goes on, he seems to be getting better, but is still not as receptive to our newest addition to the family as the others are.

As you can see, there are various factors that might contribute to a child being jealous of his new sibling:  age, sex (and sex of the new baby), relationship with parents, birth order, the child’s coping mechanisms, his individual personality type and the way the parents handle the situation. 

Children, regardless of the situation, continually need to know that they are loved, that they are unique, that they can never and will never be replaced.  When at all possible, spending one-on-one time with the older child will help him to see that he can still spend time with Mommy or Daddy and is still important to them.  What may be obvious to you may not be to the child.  It always helps to remind him how special he is and that he has an individual and important role in the family that no one else can have but him.

Jennifer
Wife to Paul, Mom to Juliana (7), Anthony and Louis (1) and Joseph (Newborn)
www.nevaland.com

Most parents are concerned with their baby’s health form the moment they become aware of the child’s existence.  Mothers take their prenatal vitamins, eat healthier, remain clear of alcohol and tobacco as well make other adjustments to ensure the pregnancy goes smoothly for the sake of the baby’s well-being.  They see their obstetrician monthly, preparing for a healthy birth.

When baby comes, the parents ensure the child gets care from his pediatrician, immunizing the child and following up on anything warranting follow up.  Parents regularly take the child to the pediatrician to make sure the child is growing and thriving as he should. 

Baby’s health does not stop there.  Good oral hygiene habits need to start from very early on in a child’s life, and maintaining oral hygiene even before a baby’s first tooth appears is key.  While you may not have to worry about decaying teeth, it is always good to remove the formula or milk from the baby’s mouth.  More importantly, it gets the baby used to the habit for when it is time to start actually brushing teeth.  And at some point baby will be getting that first tooth, so regularly cleaning the gums ensures that when that tooth comes in you are already cleaning it of milk. 

You might want to purchase the rubber cleaner that fits on parent’s finger to clean the gums.  However, a wet piece of gauze or a small washcloth wrapped around your finger does the trick as well.  And once the teeth start to emerge, you should get a baby toothbrush and begin to brush not only those first few front teeth, but the back gums as well.  This will get the child used to the feeling and getting into the regular habit of brushing the whole mouth and keeping the mouth clean and ridding it of harmful bacteria that can affect the teeth.

After baby’s first birthday, he is undoubtedly becoming more and more independent, and may want to brush his own teeth.  A child is not fully ready to brush on his own until at least five years old, maybe even later, however, it is never too soon to teach them how to start working on their own oral health.  Brushing teeth requires a level of coordination and skill that a toddler does not yet have, but it is never too soon to start practicing.  I found with my children that I would brush first, then hand them the brush to give them a turn.  Kids find it fun to brush.  It also gives them that feeling of “I am a big boy/girl!”  Plus, you are teaching them an invaluable lifetime habit that we all need.

Toothpaste is not necessary at this time.  There are a variety of tooth and gum cleansers that you can purchase if you prefer, which might also help the child to develop a habit, but it is not needed.  And because a young child does not fully understand the concept of holding something in his or her mouth without swallowing, fluoride toothpaste should not be used at all.  Ingesting too much fluoride can be harmful. 

I spent many years working as a dental assistant through high school, undergraduate school, all the way through getting my masters degree and becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist.  Four of those years were spent working with pediatric dentists.  It still amazes me how some parents do not see the need to invest so much time and energy on baby teeth, as they feel that they will fall out anyway.  It is important to have your child visit the dentist for his first regular dental cleaning from age two.  Again, not only are you creating a good habit for your child from very early on, you are ensuring that if there is cause for concern, the dentist will be able to pinpoint it at this early stage.  Baby teeth can decay just as adult teeth can.  If left untreated, the decay can make its way through the root of the tooth (and baby teeth do have roots until they are ready to fall out), can cause pain, can cause abscesses, and can cause other problems, like infection. 

Unfortunately, I saw many children who were never taken for regular dental checkups, whose parents did not teach them proper oral health from early on, and whose cavities were not treated when they were small.  By the time we saw the children in our office, it was because the child was in pain or the decay was very obvious.  The experience was not as positive as it could have been for many of these children, because treating a child with a mouthful of deep cavities, needing long appointments, anesthesia, mouth props, rubber dams, baby root canals, etc is not pleasant.

Keep in mind that often a small cavity is treated without the need to use anesthetic, the procedure is painless, the experience is fun (yes, fun!) and the child has no bad memories or fears of visiting the dentist.  Advances in dental treatment have come a long way in twenty to thirty years, and while previous generations may have had good reason to fear dentistry, this generation should not.

Many children today can grow up without ever getting a cavity.  Good oral habits from very early on can help ensure this.

Jennifer
Wife to Paul, Mom to Juliana (7), Anthony and Louis (1) and Joseph (Newborn)
www.nevaland.com

I always thought it was so cute when people had pictures of their children and they were asleep doing various things. Like time froze and they just went to sleep. I never had pictures of Tristan like that, until now. It is like he refuses to miss anything. I love it. 

  Tristan is talking more and more. It is so amazing to me how you bring this baby into the world and they are so helpless and rely on you for everything, and at first sometimes you guess at what it needs. Now Tristan can tell me or show me what upsets him or what he needs. Sometimes I still have to guess but most of the time we have our own little communication ritual. Tristan also makes his own choices sometimes. He chooses not to say Da Da anymore. Nope Da Da is not Ma Ma and he laughs when he says it. He must know it drives Rick nuts. Sometimes Rick will say Da Da for hours and Tristan will laugh and call him Ma Ma. Its a little game they play. 

 The one plus of being laid off is more time with Tristan. I still take him to daycare everyday so he stays in a routine and it gives me time to job hunt. I no longer have to get him there at 6:30 am. Instead we get up and spend time together and I take him around 9am. These extra times are so special. I wish I could stay home with him full time. I just love that he has a second family ay daycare and you can tell he loves and cares for them. When I drop him off he goes around and gives hugs and kisses and says hi to everyone. He is a character and a creature of habit.

-Chrystal

We all know how much we love getting our kiddos photographed! Dressing them up in cutesy costumes and snapping pics to send them off to our loved ones - I am so guilty of that! A very good friend of ours, Virginia, is a wonderful photographer. She has mastered the skills of photography and truly puts together beautiful works of art. I was one of those pregnant women who honestly didn’t like pictures taken with a big ol belly poking out. I don’t know why, and I wish I had taken more, but the pictures I do have I absolutely love, and that’s thanks to Virginia who talked me into taking pregnancy photos with my husband at a local park. We flew down while I was about 6 months pregnant for a week vacation and to have my baby shower with all my friends, and scheduled a photo shoot the day before the shower. At the shower, she showed up with printed photos in a beautiful album, framed photos, and a CD with all my pictures, all edited and perfected! I fell completely in love with them and was so happy I let her capture these memories.

When we moved back down to Florida, when Shaughn was about a month old, I was stressing out because I had to get out birth announcements, but it was already October…and then November came. December snuck up on us fast and I thought I might as well snap a picture and mail out holiday themed cards with his birth information. Some sites are crazy expensive, my goodness! However Virginia, once again, suggested she take photos and see what she could do. We went over to her place with a rather fussy baby, but she captured my all time favorite picture of him during her shoot. On our way home, literally less than 15 minutes away, she did her digital miracles and had a perfect 5×7 Christmas card/Birth Announcement waiting in my inbox! She has saved me so much worrying and stress with her gift of photography and I’m so blessed to have her be a part of our lives, especially to capture Shaughn grow through her lens. I definitely will be scheduling his Christmas session with her. I recommend her to anyone in the Southeastern FL area, and you can see her great work at http://www.virginiahartman.com/

-Krystle