a little 2-week reality check.

hello!

i cannot believe our little girl is two weeks old {plus a day!} already...seriously, it seems like we were just taking her home from the hospital yesterday.

i am surprised to see how much has already changed in these short 15 days.  for instance, i now realize that i can survive on a broken-up sleep schedule {knock on wood, but juliet has fallen into a great sleeping pattern: 3 hours down, 1 up to eat, then back down with little to no fussing...i am counting my blessings}.  i also have had to revise some of my expectations for myself.  i am a doer: i feel most complete and accomplished when i get things done, and i will usually push myself to do so...but nowadays, there is someone way more important than that extra load of laundry, or the floor which desperately needs to be swept, etc.  and so?  i give myself a break.  as long as my baby is fed and safe, my day is complete.  dinner will figure itself out {especially when my parents stop by to feed us (:...thank you again!}.

also, you know all of those "i will never..." statements that you think up when you think of what you will/ won't do with your child?  some are worth sticking by definitely, but others may need to be revised.  i swore up, down, right and left that i would never give my kids a pacifier. {when i was a kid, i used one for too long and it made me have speech problems later which had to be corrected in therapy...read: "hi! i'm thephanie."...}  but you know what?  pacifiers work, people, and if it soothes my baby and helps her sleep i am all in.  

i am also very thankful for the little things in my day...the cup of coffee i enjoy during her morning nap, the books i read to her as she's falling asleep {this morning it was are you my mother?}...my sister coming over whenever i need an extra set of hands and literally doing anything i need in return for a few minutes of baby-holding.  heidi: you are a gem!

so this is life nowadays!  and i couldn't be happier (:

hope you all enjoy your weekend!

juliet, 8 days...and cookies!

a cute baby and cookies?  my kind of post.

my sister brought these cookies to the hospital the day juliet was born and i seriously devoured them.  it's ok though, because regardless of my giving myself all sorts of dietary liberties these days, these are not your average cookies: they're actually good for you!

try them out and let me know what you think...and if you don't care for them, call me - i will take them off your hands, no problem.

good-for-you-but-don't-taste-like-cardboard cookies

2 cups quick-cooking oats
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup almond butter, peanut butter or sunflower seed butter {i use almond...no salt added}
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup apple butter {*check the labels when you buy this: many of the brands out there add a lot of extra sugar - we found that whole foods carries a variety relatively low in sugar, fyi}
1 large banana, mashed {about 1/2 cup...you can adjust this depending on how banana-y you like things}
1 cup dried fruit {cranberries, cherries, raisins, chopped apricots, blueberries...all work well}

1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seed (optional)

{you can also add about 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips if you want a little sweetness}

preheat oven to 325 degrees. line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

 

combine all ingredients {except flax seed} into a large bowl or stand mixer.  mix until all of the ingredients are combined - using either the stand mixer, a hand mixer or a good 'ol wooden spoon. the dough will be stiff.  when everything is incorporated, add the flax seed and mix...if you add the flax at the beginning, it tends to just stick to the sides of the bowl and not get worked into the dough.

 

 

using a cookie scoop, tablespoons, or your hands, drop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet {you can make these cookies however large/small you'd like}  slightly flatten the tops into the desired thickness...the cookies will not spread in the oven.

 

 

 

bake for 15-17 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown.  allow to cool on the cookie sheet completely.  

cookies will stay fresh at room temp for 1 week; they keep well in the fridge, and can be frozen for up to 3 months.  {they're especially good frozen, dunked in your coffee!}

 

 

these people make me the happiest:

 

daddy's little girl

 

she's here!

juliet alexis moger

december 12, 2013

7lb 4 oz, 20 inches

perfection.

 {this is currently my favorite picture taken of anyone at any time}

a little holiday cheer.

to be honest, i totally expected to be lacking all energy this holiday season and not want to do any sort of decorating...but somehow despite a pretty consistent 3-4 a.m. bout of insomnia, i seem to rally during the days.

i'm not saying martha is going to be knocking at my door asking for decor tips, but i am saying i'm happy with the little holiday touches i've been able to add to our house.

take a peek!

 ^^bringing our christmas tree home on our beloved station wagon, bubu^^

^^some of little girl's first books, camped out in the livingroom waiting for their audience^^

^^moravian molasses cookies^^

 ^^i love working with fresh greenery^^

 ^^nothing fancy, but i love little touches^^

 ^^ o christmas tree!^^

^^and a belly pic...b/c we are officially 40 weeks tomorrow!!^^

i hope you're all enjoying your monday!

3 days.

3 days.

we are three days from our due date.  i almost can't believe we're actually here.

for the past few weeks i've been having a strange feeling {i'm sure a lot of first time moms get this...maybe?}...anyway, my feeling is that i'm just going to keep on being pregnant.  mainly b/c i don't know what life is like after this stage, and this is all i've known for the majority of 2013...but i just feel like "ok - my life is now a little rounder, and i get kicked a few times a day, and this is alright!"

don't worry: logically i know what comes next.  i've read the books.  i've heard the stories.  it's just all so magical thinking about everything that's going to change, and how life is going to be, and how i am going to be and how my husband and i are going to be.

i've never been one to eschew change - i actually like mixing things up a bit...routine depresses me big time...so i'm not worried about the changes, i'm just so curious: what will they be?!

on a very bright note, i am officially off of work for 3 months.  YES.   and while i have a few days {we think (:} before our little miss makes her debut, i'm really taking the time to let myself experience these big feelings.   the doubt, the worry, the excitement...i am feeling it all, and i want to feel it all.  i want to let this in, and let this experience be so real.

so here we are: 3 days out and as ready as we'll ever be.

 

sweet bibs my mom & grandma made...and baby's first bear