Saving Our Pennies

After our trip to Houston earlier this week, we've been keeping a low profile. Mia likes her routine, so she was visibly glad to be back home. Today she and I went grocery shopping. Sunday afternoon has become our time to buy groceries since we started The Grocery Game. It is a list we subscribe to that cross references the sales going on at our grocery store with manufacturers coupons that come out in each Sunday's newspaper. We usually save an average of 30% overall on the items we purchase on sale/with coupons. Today, however, was an especially good grocery trip. Mia and I planned out our list, clipped the coupons, and took off to the store. We went to Walgreens and Tom Thumb. Mia was a good girl as always. Our total spent between the two stores was $80. Not bad considering the total without sales and coupons was initially $140. If I did the math correctly, that's almost a 40% savings ($60)! I love shopping trips like that. Unfortunately, we also needed some other items that weren't on sale, so we had to make a run to Wal-Mart. I wish I could just plan our meals around what's on sale each week, but that can be difficult since I'm dieting. Since losing my baby weight, I've lost an additional 20 pounds. I have more energy to play with Mia, and that makes me happy. She's sitting up so well that I keep waiting for her to start crawling. So far, she just lunges forward from a sitting position to grab a toy. Once she's on her stomach, she starts yelling for someone to come pull her back up. I try to wait for her to roll over on her own instead of pulling her up, but sometimes she gets frustrated and wants help. In food news, she loves peaches as well as oatmeal. I bought some frozen peas that I will steam and puree for her. I hope she likes peas. I haven't chosen the next food after that, yet. Maybe avocado or pears. I guess that's to be continued...

Mia at 31 weeks old (7 months)

Our Silent Hero

We made it back from Houston in one piece. The three of us went down there yesterday so that we could attend a luncheon at the yearly Texas conference for emergency dispatchers. Wesley was nominated for and received a Silent Hero award. Dispatchers across the state of Texas are nominated by their supervisors, and some are chosen to receive the award. It is given to those who exhibit excellence in their job performance as well as going beyond to assist and coordinate emergency responses. They have good attitudes, are flexible, and work well as part of a team. Mia did great on the trip. It didn't take any longer to drive to Houston than it does to drive to Heavener. The driving time was about the same. The conference was at the Omni Houston Hotel, and it was Mia's first time to stay in a hotel. At least half of our luggage was her's. She slept in between us and did very well. She was Little Miss Popular at the luncheon. There were probably a few hundred people there. We couldn't go anywhere without someone commenting on how pretty she was and wanting to talk to her. She was a hit. We weren't even in Houston for 24 hours, but we had a good time. Congratulations Daddy!

On the way to Houston
Mia's first night in a hotel.
Daddy receiving his Silent Hero award.
We're so proud of you!

Expanding the Menu

I think I'm really getting the hang of making baby food. Each time I make some, I get more comfortable with the process. At first, I was afraid I would do something wrong and mess the whole thing up. Mia enjoys the food, though, so I feel like it's going well. I'm loving my food processor. It's like magic! We started her on carrots and applesauce a couple of weeks ago. She likes the carrots, but I wasn't aware that carrots stain. Who's ever had a carrot stain on their shirt? Sweet potatoes don't stain, so what's the difference? Last week, Mia started eating butternut squash. No staining (thankfully) and easy to make. You half it, scoop out the seeds, and place both halves face down in a couple inches of water in a baking dish. Bake it, scoop out the insides, puree it, and presto you've got baby food. Sooooo simple. As for the applesauce, Mia wasn't too keen on it at first. I bought her the unsweetened kind since she shouldn't have sugar added to her food yet. I guess it was too cold and tart for her liking. Because she loves bananas, I mixed up a concoction of mashed bananas and applesauce. Suddenly, applesauce is okay to her. Hehe...only the first of many times she'll eat something that's good for her and not even know it's in the recipe. For this week, we will be introducing peaches. I decided to only introduce one new food this week because we will be out of town for a couple of days. Next week, we will start baby oatmeal and maybe peas.

Mia at 30 weeks old

New Set of Wheels

Mia has a new mode of transportation. Daddy gave her a ride around the kitchen in one of the laundry baskets the other night. She seemed to like it. She gets a lot of enjoyment out of things you wouldn't normally consider toys.

On a side note, Wesley, Marcus, and I saw Paul McCartney in concert last night at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Mia stayed home and played with Nana. It was the best concert I've been to. There's something about seeing a legend in person that is mesmerizing. He had all of the wildfire energy reminiscent of his much younger self with the Beatles. It was a scene similar to that which he experienced with John, George, and Ringo when they first came to the States, I would think. Girls screaming...loud music...it was great. The pictures I got weren't very clear because we were sitting by the end zone and the stage was about halfway down the field. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for us, and I'm so glad that we went. Thanks, Sir Paul, for an amazing show!

Mia's new ride

Cowboys Stadium is huge, and this is maybe half of it.

There was a gigantic screen on either side of the stage.
You can see Paul in this picture.
He's the white dot on the right side. Hehe!
This is the clearest shot we got of him that wasn't on the screen.
This was the stage when he started playing Live and Let Die.
You can see him playing the piano on the screens.

Strike a Pose

Every Sunday, Mia has a "photo shoot" with Mommy as the photographer. It's always fun, and I get several good shots of her. However, there are always some pictures that don't turn out as planned. This is usually because she either moves or changes her expression right as I hit the button. The result can be pretty amusing. The first picture is the one I chose as the "official" picture of the week. I also added a few others that aren't quite so poised.

Mia at 29 weeks (6 months)
What she really wanted to do was play.

Rub a Dub Dub

Mia has gotten big enough that the newborn bathtub that fits in the sink is getting too small. I gave her a few baths in the sink itself, but she's so slippery that I was afraid she would smack her little head on the side of the sink. I feel like she's still way too young for the regular bathtub, though. So, I set off to find a solution and, lo and behold, Target had the answer. I'm sure that other moms use these a lot, but being a new mommy, it was like finding a new toy to me. I got her a large, inflatable bathtub shaped like a duck. Not just any old duck either. Mia got the bright, hot pink duck. I didn't notice when I bought it, but it also has a thing in its bill that quacks when you press it. You set it in the bathtub with the baby in it. That way, if the baby falls over, she just lands on a cushy, inflated duck. There are also a couple of suction cups on the bottom so it will stick to the tub. Pretty ingenious, I thought. Anything that makes my life easier and makes Mia happy is a winner. Mia thought the duck was funny. Before putting it into the tub, Wesley made the duck bounce and fly around the living room. You would have thought Mia was watching stand-up by Tony Clifton. She was laughing so much that Wesley and I had to stop messing with the duck a few times because we were laughing so hard. Having a baby sure can be entertaining. She thought getting a bath in the duck was jolly good fun. She splashed, and splashed, and SPLASHED. Then she would hit the duck and just grin really big and look at us. Such a funny girl!

Just Snoozin'

When we got home earlier, Mia was asleep in her car seat. She was sleeping and holding her foot. She stayed that way while we brought her inside, and even took a 30 minute nap. She held on to her foot the whole time. It seems like it would be uncomfortable to hold your foot while you sleep, but she seemed totally relaxed.

A Look Into Mia's Domain

We've had a fun weekend. Grammy and Pa Pa came to visit us. We went out to dinner Friday and shopping Saturday. Mia got plenty of clothes as usual. She grows so fast that I'm always buying the next size up to try to stay ahead!

Solid foods are going well. We've been feeding Mia sweet potatoes for dinner for the past week. She really likes them. Also, she's been eating bananas with her breakfast for the past few days. They're a hit! I'm glad she is willing to try new things. We are taking it slow with introducing new foods. In a couple of days, I hope to start her with carrots. The next food will probably be non-sweetened applesauce. I love making her baby food, but making applesauce from scratch is a little too involved for me. I like non-sweetened applesauce from a jar myself, so I'll help her eat it.

I've learned some exciting news. I'm going to be an aunt! My brother, Tyler, and his wife, Shawna, are expecting a baby. I don't know the official due date yet, but it will be in the spring. This will be Mia's first cousin! I'm glad that she won't be very much older than him/her. Congratulations you guys!

I have been asked about Mia's room because we never posted pictures of it when we finished it. We love how her room turned out. The butterflies, flowers, and dragonflies are so adorable without being "girlie overload". Plus, the nursery will work just as well for the next baby whether it's a boy or a girl. The walls are green, so we'll just buy different bedding. There won't be another baby for a long time, but we like to plan ahead.

Mia at 28 weeks (6 months)
Sweet potatoes...yummy!
Mia's room.
This is standing in the middle of the room and turning counter-clockwise.
Mia played in her crib while I took the pictures.

Little Suzie Homemaker

I don't claim to be a great cook. That's Wesley's department. I'm not bad at it, but I'm not as creative as he is. He's pretty much taken over the task of making dinner since Mia arrived. This allows me to do other housework or just play with Mia (which is way more fun!). I attempted to make my own baby food last night. I baked a couple of sweet potatoes, scooped out the insides, and used the mixer to turn it into a big bowl of orange mush. I read that sweet potatoes in a food processor is a starchy mess, so I used the mixer instead. I also mashed up and pureed three bananas. I have covered ice cube trays ordered, but for the time being, I divided everything into two ice cube trays, covered them with Saran wrap, and into the freezer they went. Next step is to dump the cubes into labeled freezer bags. We are going to start with sweet potatoes this evening with Mia's dinner. There is supposedly a very low risk of allergic reaction to root vegetables, so she shouldn't have any problems with them. If that goes well, sometime at the end of the week, we'll start the bananas with her breakfast. It wasn't nearly so hard as I thought it would be. A BIG thanks to Holly for all of her help. She's another mommy I know that makes her own baby food. She's given me lots of info and advice. Let's hope that Mia likes sweet potatoes!

My new food processor that I haven't used yet.
It will get plenty of use next time!
Here is the orange mush.
Finished product.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Mia's 6 month checkup with Dr. Curry went very well. She weighed 15 lb. 11 oz. and was 26 1/4 inches long. As far as percentiles go, she was a little taller and weighed a little less than average. She didn't double her birth weight (8lb. 8oz.), but Dr. Curry was very pleased with her size because of her difficulty gaining weight her first few months. She still spits up when she has a bottle, but she hardly spits up at all if she is spoon fed. She spit up all over the exam table before the doctor came in. That's my girl! No big deal. He just removed that paper and spread some more out. Shots went better this time, too. Not too much crying, and I had a bottle ready. Her next checkup will be at nine months in October.

We went for 6 month pictures yesterday. Mia did so well! She let the photographer and I move her around wherever we wanted, and she gave us beautiful smiles. There was a little girl in the studio who was about four years old who was getting her pictures taken as well. She kept leaving her mom and coming in the room where Mia was having her pictures taken. She would plop down on the floor beside the photographer, point at Mia, and say, "Baby!" It was really cute.

We bought a food processor yesterday to start making Mia's baby food. I also bought some sweet potatoes and bananas. We're going to start with sweet potatoes. I'll post about that after I've attempted to make it.

Mia at 27 weeks (6 months)

One of Mia's pics from yesterday.

Here are a few pictures from Saturday.
I was in a picture-taking mood after we left the portrait studio.