My first cake!

It turned out okay, but it is only my first. I didn't know what to put on it so I dedicated it to Mad turning 6 months old on the 26th = ) This doesn't seem that hard at all, especially with a lot of practice. Next week we make a clown cake. I don't like clowns, they are scary to me, ewww. haha I guess I need to learn in case anyone wants a scary clown cake ; )

Madison is getting big! She doesn't like it when I lay her down, starting today! So, I had to sit her up on the couch and she held herself up. And she gets mad when she rolls on her tummy but I have to let her try and roll out of it. She's having peach oatmeal banana for breakfast. I'm saving all the jars so I can store food I make. My good friend Maurisa (love you) shared some tips w/me for making and storing baby food that I'm going to share for anyone who's interested. ((HUGS))

From Ris:

Basically all I did was take whatever fruit or vegetable I was making a batch of peel all the skin off and steam until soft. Even soft fruits like pears need to be steamed it adds to the nutrient value. I would then puree them in a really good blender sometimes using the leftover juices from steaming if a veggie was too thick (carrots) and put them in the glass baby food jars and freeze them. If you don't have many stock piled glass jars then you can also use ice cube trays. I for one tried not to becaus small scratches in the plastic trays leach bacteria into the food and the plastic breaks down and is an endocrine disrupter in our bodies. (Early puberty for some children among other harmful disruptions in growing bodies)

When I did a batch I would usually do 30 or more jars. So one day I would do sweet potatoes (which is more nutrient rich when baked in the oven, it brings out more natural sweetners in the veggie.) and freeze all the jars in a big zip lock bag for extra protection, another day pears, another green beans, whatever organic fruit and vegetables were on sale.

I rarely made applesauce only because I just bought it in the ready to eat containers for kids 6 packs, (like earths best or santa cruze) it was much cheaper that way. After doing this one fruit or vegetable a day for a week I had a great stock and was able to just keep up after that, once I ran out of all of a fruit or veggie I would then remake that food. I also made chile, corn and potatoe soup and spaghetti with tiny pasta and homeade sauce all of organic ingredients. My kids loved it all.

Don't let this overwhelm you. It really is a simple process. At one point I even wanted to make a company out of it. I really did enjoy it. There are many cookbooks that you can find for homeade baby food. And it is a commitment. If in the end you realize that it is more than you are willing to commit to, dont feel like your any less of a mom. Many great children grow up very healthy on jarred food.

Okay so the one day trip to Vegas was fun! We went to pick up Mom's order first, then Mom said, "I always wanted to go to Lake Mead" after we passed the sign. I said, "Lets GO!" So we went, it was beautiful. Then we saw signs, Hoover Dam 8 miles. Hey, why not? So we went, it was pretty awesome and beautiful.

Fabian spent the day with Mad and took her to THE MALL. I don't even have to say what happened.

Nothing new today. Mad's pink eye from the yucky cold virus we have seems to have cleared up on its own so we won't need those drops the dr. prescribed, phew. I bought a lot of organic baby food today and hopefully I'll be making most of her food from now on (wish me luck!) Tomorrow my Mom and I are driving to Vegas to pick up some items she bought from a liquidation website. I'm excited because I get to have one of the sewing machines so I can finally start sewing! I've been making hair bows like crazy and I'm ready to start making cute little boutique outfits for my baby website and ebay. I make tutu's too so if any one wants one! I'm going to do a princess theme for Madison's first birthday party in September and I'm going to custom make tutu's for all her girly guests : ) I think that will be fun. And I'm going to try to make a castle cake and princess cupcakes. Friday we decorate our first cake in our cake decorating class, a rainbow cake. I'm going to decorate it for Maddy turning 6 months. I want to throw it away afterwards because I don't need all those calories in this house! I wish I knew a good place to donate all these cakes I'm going to be making! And who knows what I'm going to do with the tiered wedding cakes I'll be making in the level 3 class! haha, take pictures then get them outta here! I'm down 5 pounds under the weight I was when I first got pregnant! I think I want to lose 6 more pounds, but I'm getting kinda skinny so I don't know.



Our 1st cake is this design, this is someone elses cake, I'll post ours once we do them Friday after class.

These are from Mad's first trip to church. I know its a long time, but we wanted to wait until we could all go as a family for the first time and this was Fabians first Sunday off in months.

Okay, so I just love this commercial! haha, Stinky McStinkface! Who you callin a Cootie Queen you lint licker??"

Today Madness had a follow up dr appt to check on her ears from the ear infection and make sure she is all better. She sure is! She's 15lbs 9oz's as of today. She has been extra kicky the past few days and I thought maybe she was ready for her rainforest bouncer my mom got her. I just put it together and boy are her legs long enough and bouncy enough! She is having the time of her life! What a great invention! I'm glad its unisex so we can keep using it on our future children. Definitely a must have, this is the longest she's been entertained by something yet!

I put Mad in her cosleeper last night. Boy was it weird not to have have her in bed all night w/us! She woke up at 6:30a and got in bed with us though, but she did a good job most of the night! Still woke up to eat 6x's or so though. I'm not sure when that will end. Sigh.

Here are the instructions: Copy these questions onto your blog and answer them. Tag all of your friends by posting a comment on thier blog. Add links to their blogs on yours. Have fun, and learn more about your pals!

1.WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
No
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last week watching Oprah's big give
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Ummm, I guess so
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? One little girl, Madison Ashley
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Oh heck yes I would!
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not a lot, but I definitely use it
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I don't think so.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Special K Redberries
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Mentally, yes
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Coldstone's Cake batter
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Smile/Personality
15. RED OR PINK? Pink.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Sometimes I nag, and I know I'm doing it and hate it!
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My sister Renee
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO PLAY ALONG WITH THIS GAME? Only if they want to.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Pink velour cargo sweats, no shoes
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Peach Yoplait Light
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Fabians wings sizzling in the oven
22. IF
YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Pink
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? My baby girl’s breath
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mom
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Very much.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? On TV, Football, Live, Basketball
27. HAIR COLOR? Black
28. EYE COLOR? Brown
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes but I hope to get Lasik this year.
30 FAVORITE FOOD? Most anything Italian
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings, although I do love a good SCARE!
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? John Tucker Must Die
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?White
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Both
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? N/A
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? N/A
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The Wilton Method of Cake Decorating, Course 1
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? We use laptops and I don't use a mouse other than the one on my lalptop.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Top Chef repeats
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Maddy's chatter
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? New York
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Special? Well I knit.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Long Beach Memorial
47. WHO'S ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING?Anyone who chooses to do this.

Well today was weird with the time change. No matter how many times I've done it, it always takes some getting used to. We had planned to go to church since it was the rare occasion that Fabian had it off, but we couldn't get out of bed. Me, mostly because Madison woke up at 2am for 2 hours, and Fabian had just came off a double. We went for a drive and Mad is finally asleep in my arms. Yes, I type w/one hand on my laptop all the time holding her and I've gotten pretty darn fast! Ok, gonna try to lay her down now : ) This is her sleep in the car after our drive today, KNOCKED out after I fed her some squash (she LOVES it!)

Joyce

I'm such a slacker on blogging!! Geesh, I let months and months go by between posts. I am not that busy people! I'm a domestic engineer so my day is full of feeding, playing with and caring for our little princess Mad. We have fun everyday. She is so cute (yeah, everyone thinks their baby is so cute and now that I'm a mother, I agree, babies are the cutest things on the planet and make life worth living!) Mad rolls from her back to her tummy and back to her back. She sits up for a few seconds and tries to balance herself. She pulls herself up from any position. Her favorite food so far would have to be apples with sweet potatoes a close second. I'm getting freaked out about pesticides so she is only getting organic food. I'm going to start making it now that I've got an idea of what she likes and needs.



This morning Mad woke up at 5am and stayed up! She went down for a nap at 2pm and guess who went down with her? Mom! I was exhausted. Daddy even more so. He went to work yesterday his regular shift, got home at midnight, went to bed at 1am and left at 5am for work today 16 hours straight! I don't know how he does it but he does and Mad and I appreciate Daddy working so hard so we can be together all day/night and I can raise our daughter myself.

Okay, Mad is scream playing right now, this little girl has some pipes on her! Heaven help our new neighbors : )

Mom and I started our 1st series of Wilton cake decorating classes last night, it was fun! Next week we are decorating our 1st cake. I'm excited, it should be cute. I would love to make a part time business of it with my mom.

Maddy had her 2 month vaccinations yesterday. Man that sucked! The nurse came in and said "Okay mom you hold her hands and talk to her while I give her the shots". She messed up my game plan because Fabian was going to do that. I felt bad like I had to do it so I did. My poor baby. I just kissed her the whole time and tried to comfort her. She's been in and out of groggy sleep ever since. I'm giving her tylenol so she doesn't get a fever. I think the vaccinations gave her a cold too because she has a dry cough and some boogies. I wish she could never be sick or feel pain and I could take it all! Ugh, now I know the pain mothers feel, and this is nothing. (Picc is Maddy waiting on the table for the nurse to come give her the shots : (

You better believe it! I work 24/7! But I love it!!! = )

I'm so happy the holidays are here! This is such a fun time of year. I'm not sure what our holiday plans are yet, but its going to be nice. We got Maddy's pictures back from Sears, they came out so pretty! When I get the CD I will post some of the finished pictures. Little Madison is now 10 pounds! I knew it though, I guessed that from lugging her around everyday and those chunky little thighs! She likes to kick her feet a lot and has been doing that a couple weeks now. Just this week she's added in flailing arms and fists, haha. Its so cute, she's slowly gaining control of her little limbs! Soon she'll be punching! She holds her head up so well, I think she'll be crawling next month, lol. Oops, she's waking from her nap, better get her...

Halloween Time!


This is my friend Dayna's daughter Aly w/my lil sis Debra on Halloween at Disneyland California Adventure. They were so cute! It was the longest I've ever been without Maddy. Mom came over and watched her for me until we got home, at 1am! Debra had a blast and got SO much candy it was ridiculous! I even got a ridiculous amount of candy that I'm not sure what to do with. I know I can't eat it, or this baby pouch I have will never go away, haha. I thought I took a pic of Maddy in her halloween onesie but I can't find it. I think I'll put it on her tomorrow and take a pic anyway. haha

Maddy Slide....

I'll update this often w/new Maddy pics!

This is beautiful! I altered it a little of course, for the deputies out there, but this is for all the men & women of law enforcement.....


Judgement Day for a Deputy Sheriff



-Unknown Author-


The Deputy stood and faced his God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining.
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, Deputy.
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To my Church have you been true?"

The Deputy squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord I guess I ain't,
Because those of us who carry badges
Can't always be a Saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my work was rough,
and sometimes I've been violent,
Because the streets are awfully tough.

But I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep,
I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills just got too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place
among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fear.

If you've a place for me here, Lord
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."

There was silence all around the Throne
Where the Saints had often trod.
As the Deputy waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, Deputy,
You've borne your burdens well.
Come walk a beat on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

I have been slacking SO bad on this blog! This is my cutie daughter Maddy enjoying her towel (thanks Grandma Clara!) after bathtime. Last night she stayed up from midnight when Daddy got home, until around 6am. That was SO hard on me. I was doing all I could to stay awake with her. Today I tried keeping her up a bit so we'll see how that works. I need to work on getting her a steady routine. I was speaking with my friend tonight and she was telling me about scheduling music and story time with her, even though she's so young. I think that may help to entertain and keep her awake in the day. She's sleep now and I should be napping with her but I'm not. Tomorrow is Halloween and I'm taking my little sister Debra to Disneyland with my friend Dayna. It should be fun but I hope I can stay awake that long! Grammy will be here with Madison until dad gets home. It should be a fun day. Only a few more days until its the weekend! I need to get a life. haha

So, every day as a Mommy has been wonderful & I feel so blessed. Waking up in the middle of the night to care for her, doesn't bother me. I haven't slept or ate since I've been home (last Sunday) but I'm happier than I've ever been. I have a little life that depends on me and loves me. Its been so great for both Fabian and I. As you know he graduated academy the day after Maddy was born so that was the best week of his life, and mine too. Now I get to stay home and take care of my baby, house and husband. Knowing me I will try to find a way to generate more business on my hair site and keep busy doing that as well. I can't help that business woman inside won't go away : ) Well, off to Babies R Us to get the last piece of Maddy's Cherry Blossom Graco set, the pack n play! So exciting!