Baby Eats

These are Olive's go-to foods right now, at almost 14 months:

Breakfast Items:
mini pancakes
waffles
blueberries
strawberries
bananas
tangerines
yogurt
peanut butter toast
eggs

Lunch/Dinner Items:
frozen meatballs
turkey hotdogs
Tyson chicken nuggets
steamed baby carrots
corn
peas
pears
peaches
tangerines
blueberries
baked cinnamon apples
grilled cheese
PB & J
beef ravioli
macaroni and cheese
cheese cubes/string cheese
applesauce

Oh, Lord.

I purchased this little beauty today. I never in my life thought I'd be a double-stroller mom. I used to make an audible noise whenever I'd pass by a stroller with multiple children inside, as if to say, "Ugh, how could you EVER survive with kids that close together? What's wrong with you? Do you plan nothing?"

Yep. Ironic. I am hoping to use the cupholders for Mommy's special sippy cup. Wish me luck.

Nesting...Not For the Birds, After All.

I always thought nesting was a myth. I never got the urge to clean up more than the usual chores when I was pregnant with Olive. I usually am a pretty neat (in more way than one, of course) and organized person, so I thought the urge to "nest," or organize one's home in a psychotic manner before the arrival of a baby, was not going to apply to me.

Until today.

I woke up worried about how dirty my makeup containers were. REALLY. And the makeup bag in which they reside? Filth. I dumped the entire contents out and scrubbed the makeup bag, every container of makeup, and threw out the stuff I don't use anymore. Weird.

Then I did the same purge to my medicine cabinet, toiletries cabinet, coupon files, and glassware cabinet in the kitchen.

It's not like I don't have regular stuff to do, because I definitely do. These were the burning issues in my mind today. And I'm looking for more.

23 weeks down, 17 (hopefully more like 15) to go! :-)

I Know You're Wondering

What is for dinner at Noelle's house tonight? I thought these sounded simple and delicious, so I made them. They were delish-tastic. Thanks, Pioneer Woman!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/simple-pan-fried-pork-chops

Ingredients

• 7 pieces Or 8 Pieces Breakfast Chops (very Thin Bone-in Pork Chops)
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
• Cayenne Pepper To Taste
• 1/2 cup Canola Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• Extra Salt And Pepper, To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Rinse pork chops. Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops.
Combine all dry ingredients. Dredge each side of the pork chops in the flour mixture, then set aside on a plate.
Heat canola oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add butter. When butter is melted and butter/oil mixture is hot, cook 3 pork chops at a time, 2 to 3 minutes on the first side; 1 to 2 minutes on the other side. (Make sure no pink juices remain.) Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining porch chops.
Delicious and simple! Serve with smashed new potatoes.

Maternity Recommendations Needed

I need recommendations on cheap, comfy, summertime maternity stuff. I'm already feeling constricted by my tent-like wardrobe and can only imagine what April, May, and June are going to look like. Since Olive was a December baby, my maternity stores aren't exactly matching up.

Any recs? Links would be appreciated...looking for lounge-y clothes for weekends and around the house, as well as work-appropriate. And by appropriate, I mean no stains, holes, or boobs showing. Don't really care about fashion at this point (or ever, let's be honest). THANKS!

Baby Chef

I do a load of dishes just about every day and a load of laundry every two days. Is this normal? Seriously, it's going to be every single day with two kids, I bet.

Someway, somehow, making dinner for Olive (not even us, JUST the baby) creates a sinkful of dishes. I really feel like a baby Teppanyaki chef. I cut, dice, and prepare all her food on a cutting board and serve it to her from there. I'm a made-to-order chef, complete with entertainment. I should really learn how to flip knives and catch an egg in my chef's hat, because this "Pat-a-Cake" singing business is getting old.

Miss Independent

She walks, talks, reads, insists on being treated with as much independence that I can allow without having a heart attack as possible...except for bottles. She still lays in my arms for 3 bottles of milk per day, and it is so cute that I don't want her to ever stop. She will sometimes take a sippy cup, but mainly if one of us is holding it for her. I'm pretty sure she thinks, "I've got staff for that."

Anyway, here she is, in the big rocker, after her bath, and "reading."

20 Weeks Down, 20 Weeks to Go

Our baby boy is comfy and cookin' away. Life is busy. I feel like I have no time or energy for anything. I love my job, I love my family, but everything else that demands my attention seems really hard to make room for. That sounds terrible, but I wish I could have more hours in the day! Le sigh.

The progress on Olive's new room is...minimal. We had it painted and piled up all the office stuff in the middle of the room. I ordered her a new bedding set from Amazon. That's about it. I swear, the second pregnancy flies by, with no time to wonder, worry, analyze, or prepare. This is both bad and good.

Thank God for restaurants, Clorox Wipes, cleaning ladies, and coffee.