Out with the old, in with the new

Since Macyn has been growing like a weed lately, and because I have to dig to find clothes that fit, I thought it would be a good time to pack away her old clothes and add some new ones to her wardrobe. She seemed to skip the entire 3-6 month clothes and jump to 6 month ones instead. First, go buy a massive 50 gallon tub and start filling it up with items that don't fit anymore. Its hard to pack things away when you see them and reminisce about when she wore them, and awwwing at how little she was.

Exhibit A: Clothes/items that no longer fit (including a couple of size 1 diapers)Next, re-organize the closet and hang up clothes according to outfits, jackets/shirts, dresses, and clothes that are a little too big but still need to be hung up. (I have NO idea she had this many clothes)!

Exhibit B: A well stocked closetNext, reorganize dresser drawers because now she needs a bin for shoes and accessories

Exhibit C: From top left: Accessories (headbands, sunglasses, etc.), bloomers and swimsuit, socks, shoes, short sleeved onesies and long sleeved onesiesAnd last but not least, reorganize the second drawer of jammies and pants.

Exhibit D: Fleece sleepers, non-fleece sleepers and gowns, and pantsWhew! This should last us, oh, I don't - maybe a month? ;)

Cereal & Sippy Cups

Macyn had her first try at some rice cereal a couple of nights ago. The instant we set the bowl on her new high chair, she decided it would be fun to spill it all over (see bottom left photo). Lesson learned! We now hold onto the bowl to prevent spillage. She didn't know what to think of the cereal, but started to get used to it pretty quickly. She started opening her mouth and would voice her opinion if you weren't shoveling it in quick enough! She hasn't eaten a whole bowl yet, but what can you expect? She's only tried a couple of times. I am sure she will be eating more very, very, soon!We thought we would try a sippy cup too - with some juice. Her doctor said she could have an ounce or two of apple juice, so we thought, why not? All the literature I have read says you are supposed to start introducing a sippy cup - the earlier the better. She suprisingly figured out how to hold onto it pretty quickly and put it up to her mouth. Not so much for tipping it up. The "funny face" photos was when she got a little taste of apple juice - I think its a little sour/sweet for her liking!

5 Months Old

Macyn is 5 months today! She gained a little over 1 lb this past month so she now weighs 14 lbs 1 oz. She also grew another 1/2 inch so she is now 26" long! She is a happy baby and we are well on the way to having a 100% healthy baby, too. She had another appointment in Sioux Falls and her liver enzyme numbers were better. One (the more serious one) was completely normal. The other was still elevated, but it is up to us whether we want to check it one last time for piece of mind. The pediatric gastroenterologist said she wasn't concerned and confident that the last number will come down yet. At Macyn's 6 month appointment we were going to discuss this with her doctor and see what she thinks. But other than that, we are very grateful that everything else is normal.Now back to the "fun" stuff - Macyn likes to play with her feet, mostly when you try and change her diaper (turns into a great challenge!). She also likes to slide down in her bouncy seat and grab her feeties. Another thing she likes to do in her bouncy seat? Fall asleep! (I have caught her do this a few times already this weekend) We have also noticed that she is starting to be very verbal - if you take a toy away she gets mad! Or if she drops one off her Bumbo tray or something is slightly out of reach, trust me, you will hear it!
She can sit supported but completely falls over once you let go. But, she has started to make a "Razzing" sound when she blows spit bubbles all over - that's what she's doing in the picture above. Its cute, really. She has a habit of sucking her thumb too. She LOVES baths (see my previous post) and also started on cereal. (I will post another blog about that later), but here is a "sneak peak" of how that went:
so its been a pretty great month! She is starting to get to the "fun" stage!

Thumb-Sucker

Macyn just cannot seem to keep those darned thumbs out of her mouth. I take them out, and right back in they go. *sigh* Oh well...after all, it is kinda cute!

Snow Bunny

Last week Macyn's auntie was on spring break - and decided to watch her a couple of days! They had a lot of fun and Macyn got to experience her first time out in the snow. By the looks of the pictures, it looks like she had quite a good time! I can't wait until more snow melts and it gets a little warmer so we can go on more frequent stroller rides.

My new work (space)!

So after a few years of being sick and tired of our kitchen table being a place where everything gets thrown such as bills, we had this grand idea to make a new built-in desk. We also thought this would be a good spot if we were to ever get a new iMac (one can only dream)!My dad took the dimensions, made the leg, and built the counter top for us - which was an adventure in itself! We had looked at pre-made counter tops and also plain sheets of laminate. The pre-made ones were around $20, but you had to cut it, and buy the ends for the counter. The sheets were more expensive for about $50. As we did some more searching, we found a sheet of high-definition laminate counter top (the kind I always wanted in our kitchen) for $15! Usually it retails for $100 +, but it had a huge chunk cut out of it. We didn't need the whole sheet, so it didn't really matter that it was damaged.

So we buy this thing - its about 8 feet wide 1 way, and all we have is the Intrepid. So we decide to put it in through the trunk and fold down the seat. All was going smoothly until we bent it a little too much and it snaps in half! It was pretty funny, but we weren't sure it would work anymore. We did some quick measurements to make sure there was still a piece large enough to make our desk - and thank goodness, there was!If you aren't familiar with high-definition laminate, it is a regular counter top made to look like stone. It is glossy/shiny and gives the look of granite. I have used this new desk already and I love it....and I also love the counter top. The only bad thing is, now I want to redo my kitchen!

Double DOOZIES

mmmmmmmmm......its been probably a year since I last made these. I got the idea from The Great American Cookie Co. and came up with my own version. Whats better than two moist M&M cookies with frosting in between? Not many things I can think of. These are super easy to make too. I have been looking for a copycat recipe but could never find one on the internet. This one is the closest I have came to matching. So here is the recipe - enjoy! I actually think I will go have one right now!

Double Doozies

Cookies
1 c. Crisco
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 package mini M&Ms

Cream together shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add flour, salt, and baking soda - mix. Stir in M&Ms. Drop by Tbsp onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Frosting
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 T. butter
1/2 c. shortening
2 T. milk
2 T. hot water
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract

While cookies are baking, make frosting. Mix together all ingredients. Apply layer of icing between two cooled cookies to form a sandwich.