Weekend Review (sick addition)

We had a long weekend around here.  

A long, everyone is sick, weekend.

 Friday afternoon we all hung out on the couch.

I love these three!

 

 Saturday morning, trying to get this girl to smile.

 Mission accomplished!

 My family.

 Saturday, Elizabeth did a lot of this.

 Caroline did some of this.

And Elizabeth did some more of this.

She has this thing where she takes off one sock.  

I have no idea why.

 Saturday night, Elizabeth requested chocolate cake.

I made my new go-to recipe chocolate dump cake.

Elizabeth didn't eat a bite.  

Ben and I have eaten half of it.  :)

 Saturday night, it was time to climb on Dad's shoulders

 Sunday morning, I ran over to the baby store and bought a new thermometer.

This one is fantastic!

I could not find a regular thermometer anywhere in our house and we needed one.

 Sunday, Elizabeth did this all day.

 Caroline played some more.

When Elizabeth wasn't laying down, we were trying to get her to drink.

She had water, apple juice, and milk.

Sunday night we ended up in the Kaiser after hours clinic because Elizabeth's fever (102) would not break after taking Tylenol for two days.  She didn't eat or drink much on Saturday or Sunday so my other concern was her getting dehydrated.  She ended up getting IV antibiotics and a bag of saline for hydration.  She has an infection (hence the antibiotics) and has to go back again today for another round of antibiotics.

Today, she has been much perkier and her fever finally broke late this morning.  She did eat breakfast and part of her lunch so I am happy to see this improvement.  She has also been drinking water and milk most of the day.

Now... if I can get rid of my sore throat and running nose, Ben's cough, and Caroline's runny nose- 

we will be all good. 

Happy Monday!

Finally Friday!

It's Finally Friday!

I feel like this week has been really, really long.

Probably because I am now sick in addition to my girls being sick.

Having a cold just sucks the fun out of everything.  Don't you agree?

We have done a few things this week, but mostly stuck around the house.

I had to share this picture from last night.

It was about 75 degrees outside, Ben and Elizabeth were at swim class, so Caroline and I took a very short walk around the block in our neighborhood.  I haven't been able to use the carrier too much because of my ankle, but it was great for last night and a short walk before dinner.
She loved being outside!  She hasn't been outside too much since it's been winter 85% of her life, so she loved looking at everything and getting a little wind in her face. :)

 Thursday morning we went through the Starbucks drive thru.
I don't drink coffee and I have a ton of Starbucks gift cards from being a teacher.
I decided to try this: the Teavana Shaken Iced Passion Tango Tea.
It is hibiscus, apple, lemongrass, and "natural tropical flavors".
It was alright.  I got the unsweetened version, next time I will probably try the sweetened.

I tried some reverse psychology on the nugget to get her to smile for the camera.
I kept saying, "Oh, you better not smile.  Whatever you do, don't smile."
Then I snapped this.  :)

I also have some Friday Finals for coupon shopping this week:

 The Candy is from my trip on Sunday to CVS.
The peanut M&Ms and the Snickers eggs were all free.
I paid $2.50 for the large bag of plain M&Ms.

 These BelVita Bites were totally FREE at Harris Teeter last Saturday.
I got two boxes for free with my VIC card.

On Wednesday afternoon I ran to Harris Teeter (once Ben was off from work)
to grab some deals I knew would be gone by the weekend.
Everything except the Scrubbing Bubbles was free.
I got:
(2) Pantene Mousse
(1) Pantene Hair Spray
(1) Bottle of Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner
(2) Boxes of Betty Crocker Cake Mix
(1) Revlon nail file
(2) Sticks of Crisco Shortening

The Pantene products were 3/$10.  I had a store coupon for $5/3  Pantene products and I had (3) $2 off manufacturer coupons.  So I had an overage of $1 when I bought the Pantene products.

The Betty Crocker Cake Mixes were on sale for $1 each.  I had a store coupon for 75cents of 2.  I also had a manufacturer coupon for 75 cents off 2 that doubled to $1.50 off 2.  So I had an overage of 25 cents when I bought the Cake Mixes.

The Revlon nail file was on sale for 99 cents.  I had a $1 off coupon that made it free. 

The Crisco shortening sticks were on sale for 99 cents.  I had (2) 35 cents off manufacturer coupons that doubled to 70 cents off.  That made each one 29 cents.  But, I also redeemed 75 cents back from Ibotta.  So I actually made 17 cents from buying the two crisco sticks.

The scrubbing bubbles was on sale for $3.  I had $1 off coupon to make is $2.  I then also had the $1.25 in overage to make the scrubbing bubbles 75 cents.


Total before coupons: $27.63
Total spent: $1.33 (plus I will get back 75 cents from Ibotta)
So it's like I really spent $0.58 for everything

Happy Friday everyone!

Six Months Old

Dear Caroline,

You are six months old today!

You, my sweet girl, are the ball of sunshine and smiles we love so much!  You are happy almost all of the time.  I think the only time you get truly upset is if you are hungry and you have to wait for your bottle.

You wake up in the morning and will lay in bed for awhile before you are ready to get up.  Once you are ready to start your day, you start squeaking and that's how I know it's time to go get you.  I have started calling you squeaks because of your morning routine.  :)  

We went to the doctor today for your six-month well-baby visit, so I have all of your up-to-date stats.

You weigh 18 pounds and 1 ounce.  You are 26 inches tall.

When Elizabeth was your age, she weighed 15.5 pounds and was 26.5 inches tall.

You wear 9 month onsies and sleepers.  You wear 12 or 12-18 month pants.  

You are still a great sleeper.  You take a morning nap from 9am-11am.  An afternoon nap from 2pm-4pm and then you go to sleep between 6pm-7pm and sleep until about 7am.

You take 4-5 bottles a day.  Usually when you wake up you get 6 ounces.  About 45 minutes later you take and 4 ounces.  After that, you get 6 ounces between 11-12.  6 ounces at 4pm and 6 ounces at 6pm.  

This month you started baby food.  You did not like it.  :)

You have had sweet potatoes and apples.  You have never, ever liked the sweet potatoes, but one time you ate almost the whole container of apples (this was a fluke because you have not done it since).

You absolutely love playing in your "stationary entertainer".  You play in it about an hour in the morning and then about 30 minutes in the afternoon.  If you are not in the stationary entertainer, you are rolling all over the place.  You would roll the length of the house if we let you.  I have been putting blankets all over the floor and placing baby toys around and you just roll and roll until you get the one you want.

You also love to play with your big sister and do whatever she is doing.  The sounds and colors on the TV have started getting your attention and you will watch Elizabeth watch TV.  If you are on the floor, you will roll over to wherever she is so you can play with her.  You are so in love with your big sister.

We are working on getting you to sit-up and you seem totally not interested.  We are going to work on it a lot this upcoming month and see if we can get it to peak your interest.  You are starting to hold your bottle some and you love to guide it to and away from your mouth.  I think you are teething because sometimes you rub the bottle back and forth over your gums.

This month we stayed inside (a lot) because of the cold, snow, being sick, and Mommy's hurt ankle.  But, you did have lots of friends come visit this month.  Shelley, Adam, and Fiamma came for a visit.  Laura and Graham came for a visit.  And Jim, Anuja, and Samara came for a visit.  We dropped off dinner for Jessica and Noah and you got to visit with your Great Aunt Leslie.

We have also celebrated St. Patrick's Day and Uncle Andy, Gramps, and Nana's birthdays. 

We love you so much our sweet baby and cannot believe how fast the last six months have gone.  We are looking forward to warm weather to get you outside and enjoy the beautiful days of spring (that hopefully arrive soon).

All our love,

Mommy and Daddy

 Trying sweet potatoes.

 You did not like it.

 I think you liked them more from your Dad.

Fiamma, Caroline, and Elizabeth

 Happy Birthday Uncle Andy

 Aunt Leslie

 Play time!

 Playing with big sister

 I think she might be a Daddy's girl (don't tell Ben)

 Ben with Caroline and Jim with Samara

 Selfies with Mommy

 Hello world!

 Happy Birthday to Great Grandmother!

 And... Happy St. Patrick's Day!

She loves this thing :)

 Go Gamecocks!

 Happy Birthday Nana!

 Hello, I'm cute.

Elizabeth at six months                                                                 Caroline at six months

What's Up Wednesday

Last week on Mix and Match Mama, Shay borrowed her friend Mel's blog series, and this week I am borrowing it.

What we are eating this week:

I do all of our meal planning for the week on Sunday.  Then I shop for what we need.  We use to plan our meals on a monthly basis and I would really like to get back into that.  Maybe that can be a goal for April? 

On Monday, I made meatloaf muffins.  This time the recipe made 18.  We ate 5 and I froze the other 13 for later dinners.  We also had roasted garlic red potatoes and corn.

Tuesday- we had breakfast for dinner: bacon, egg, and toast sandwiches, along with Eggo waffles (Elizabeth) and grapes.

Tonight- We are having baked Italian chicken tenders, rice, and green beans.
Thursday- We are having a frozen skillet dinner.
Friday- We are having homemade cheese pizza

What I'm reading:

Nothing at the moment.  I need recommendations!  I love James Patterson, but I am looking to branch out from all of the cop stories that I have been reading over and over again.  I have a kindle, so I can easily add to my reading list.  Please leave a comment below if you have any suggestions.

What I'm reminiscing about:

When Elizabeth was a baby.  Tomorrow Caroline will be six months old and the time just flies.  I was reading back on my old blog posts of Elizabeth during this time and I hardly even remember her as a 6-month old.  I just can't believe half a year has come and gone already.  I feel like I need to take more pictures.

Elizabeth at 6 months

What I am looking forward to:

Ben and I are going on an anniversary trip in July for our 6th wedding anniversary.  (Yes, I do remember we got married in May)  We are tying it into my cousin's wedding because we will be on the other side of the country.  We are going to Las Vegas for 5 days and Denver for 3 days.  No kids, just us.  Oh my gosh, I have to start shopping!

What I'm loving:

I love, love, love watching my girls play together.  Nothing makes my heart so happy as when I see Elizabeth talking to Caroline or laying down next to her on the blanket to "help her" play with her baby toys.  Caroline always lights up like a Christmas tree whenever Elizabeth is looking at her and talking to her.  I pray that they are best friends and enjoy growing up together.

What we've been up to:

Well... we have been sick going on almost two weeks now.  It has kinda been coming and going, but the running noses and coughs have now been around for a solid few days.  The fevers have been gone since the weekend and I am praying that they don't return.  I am hoping it's just allergies, but the allergy medicine we are all taking does not seem to be helping any of our symptoms. 

sick baby

What I am dreading:

You know that trip that I just wrote about as something I am looking forward to?  Well... I developed a fear of flying a few years ago (I don't remember exactly when or why because I have probably flown a thousand times) and I am absolutely dreading our four flights for our adults-only vacation.  I love to travel, but I hate to fly.  Now when we travel, I take our car as much as possible.

What I'm working on:

Getting the outside of our house ready for spring/summer.  I want to get a new door mat like nobody's business and we need new flowers on the deck.  I am not really into taking care of flowers, but I do like the way they look.  I have also been hunting for an outdoor rug for our deck, but I don't want to spend $400 on one, so the hunt is on for one less expensive.

What I am excited about:

My new cell phone! 
We ordered it today.  Anyone who tries to group text me knows that I am in desperate need of a new cell phone.  I got the droid razor mini (it's the updated version of my current phone).  Annnnd- I got two new phone covers!  I couldn't decide and they were super inexpensive, so I got both!  :)

What I'm watching:

Oh my goodness- Tuesday night is our TV night and we just DVR everything and then watch when we can.  We had a free red box last night - Gone Girl- so we have to catch up tonight on our Tuesday night shows.  I am loving a few shows right now:

 I don't agree with everything this family does (or says), but I do enjoy watching them.

 I love this show!
I don't like the new girl on the show.

After Gone Girl last night, I watched PLL to find out who A is.
Who the crap is Charles?

So good.
Well- the first two seasons were so good.
Last season was kinda blah.
This season is just weird.

What I'm listening to:

Uptown Funk- Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
I. Can't. Get. Enough. Of. This. Song.
Ben and Elizabeth can't stand it.
I can't stop lacing up my ankle brace and trying to dance to it.
I listen to it at least 5 times a day.

What am I annoyed by:

People that don't indicate when they are changing lanes (while driving).
You have an indicator.  It came with the car.
Please use it.

What am I hoping for:

That Ben and Elizabeth will develop a love for Uptown Funk that rivals my own and we can have a huge dance party together.  All. the. time.

What am I wearing today:

I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt.  Now I'm wearing running shorts and a t-shirt.
I am happy to say, I am 5 pounds away from pre-baby weight, so I am starting to fit back into most of my clothes. 
*I am wearing running shorts because I was vacuuming and mopping, not running. :(

What else is new:

We went on our weekly Chick-Fil-A run today.

What's up with you?

Happy Wednesday!