A Kid-Free Vacation

Oh, how I love vacationing with just my husband. Jason and I had the opportunity to go away this past weekend, thanks to Grandma who was willing to hold down the fort in Houston for us. We have made a yearly habit out of taking a husband/wife vacation each year and it has been some of the best money we've spent in our short married life. Having 48 hours of eating meals out with no highchairs, ordering milk & warm cookies from room service, sleeping late, and leisurely sightseeing together does us a world of good!

This year we went to San Antonio and stayed in a lovely hotel on the Riverwalk. We enjoyed the beautiful weather, to die for Mexican food, and overall time to relax together...We are already looking at the calendar for when we can book the next kid-free weekend!

The one photo we have together, thanks to the iphone and the hotel doorman. =)

The Riverwalk.

Good food and plenty of outdoor seating - perfect for the current Fall weather.

Lots of Old World looking charm on the Riverwalk.

A pair of cool bikes.

My dashing husband in his uber cool aviators.

Lots of tall buildings.

This Mexican food restaurant was already well lit for the holidays. Glad I'm not paying their electric bill.

Mexican breakfast complete with chips & salsa. Who could turn down chips at 7:00 a.m.? Yummy.

The panaderia was quite tempting - so many colors and flavors of Mexican sweets to choose from.

Baby Brother.

Looks like Baby #3 has the Reynolds profile. We are gonna have another handsome little boy running around here!

3 Years Today.

3 years, 3 babies. We are planning to be married a long, long time, so I guess at this rate we are on track for 48 babies.
(Ha ha. Just kidding, Mom!)

There's not much to say other than we have had a very happy 3 years...
Happy Anniversary to us!

A little more about the photo: At our wedding reception, we had a vintage photo booth for the guests. We asked everyone to take some pictures and paste one of them in a scrapbook for us with a message. It is seriously one of our best wedding mementos. We love seeing all the pictures and remembering who was there to join us on that special day. And, hey, photo booths provide a great excuse for the bride and groom to sit in an tiny enclosed space with the curtain closed - during the reception!

Housekeeping: Toddler Style

Since finding the whole roll of toilet paper in a crumpled mess on the bathroom floor is the new normal, I've decided to make the best of it.

I figure the hotel fold makes it a lot less obvious, don't you think?

Time is Flyin'.

Henry is 6 months old....already!

Little Sweet Cheeks.

...and our family continues to grow. =)

Me & the Boys.

An Important Blog

I want to introduce my blog readers to what I believe is a very important blog post. Our Army Life details the life of some of our family friends - one of the many military families in our country who are serving on the front lines in a post-9/11 world.

Our friend, Gabe, is leaving this week for the hills of Afghanistan to fight in a war he wholeheartedly believes in. Mostly he believes (which you'll discover if you read his recent blog post) that the world should remain free from the threat of terror. Whether you support this war or not, you should still take an honest look at the people who are fighting it. You simply cannot deny that they are brave, honorable, and willing to risk everything for our freedom and for their future.

Please join our family in praying for Gabe, Carolyn, and their children. May they be strengthened and encouraged in these days...

Galveston

Yesterday we set out for our second Saturday of Reynolds Family Vacation Training. We have been making a habit of road trips lately in preparation for our vacation this week to the mountains of New Mexico. We are flying most of the way, but we will spend a significant amount of time riding in the car. Since we haven't done it much with 2 kiddos, we thought it necessary to consider full fledged training - picnic lunches, extra diapers, toys, snacks, etc etc.

Saturday we ventured out to Galveston, which is about an hour drive from us. Did you know that I have grown up in Texas and I have never even seen a Texas beach? Some might snort and say I'm not missing much. And, let's be honest, it ain't Tahiti or anything. But it is a beach, and there is lots of sand and fun to be had for an active toddler. So, Saturday was a success. Let's hope this week is full of more successes! Enjoy the pics.

Yes, this photo is way overexposed. But I love it.

A colorful beach.

Happy toddler running in the sand. I think the beach is the perfect place to ensure a good afternoon naptime!

Daddy and Alex taking it all in.

Henry enjoying the beach from his stroller.

Mommy testing out the Texas waters for the first time.

The rescue squad - minus the actual rescuers.

Making a Wish.

Check out my big boy blowing out his birthday candle!

Cute little Henry.

10 Reasons to Love Whole Foods


1. Last week, I went to buy Alex some new sunscreen. I'd done some research online and decided that California Baby's Sunscreen with Citronella was the best choice. The price was marked $21.99. Pricey, but from what I'd read, I was convinced it is the best choice for our family. When I got to the register, it rang up $22.49. Only a $.50 difference, but when I mentioned it to the clerk, he offered to go check the price. He came back with the tag that read $21.99 and agreed it was priced incorrectly. He said I should go over to the help desk for my refund. I actually thought, "oh well, it's only $.50. Is it really worth the tiny refund?" But, on principal, I decided to go to the help desk to get my two quarters. You know what? They gave me an ENTIRE refund on the sunscreen and insisted I keep it. Are you serious?! Who does that? Any store that is willing to lose a few bucks to correct their own mistake is worth any extra money it will cost me to shop there in the long run.

2. They have Cedar's Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. I've given up on making my own hummus these days (who has time to roast their own red peppers?!) Cedar's is my new fave.

3. Samples on virtually every aisle, every day of the week. Samples = Happy Toddler Shopper + Happy Shopper Mommy too. Need I say more?

4. They have the most inexpensive Organic Whole Milk I've found in my neighborhood.

5. They have vegetarian and vegan ready-made food items. Even vegan chocolate cake.

6. On another shopping trip this week, I was shopping with Alex. He was riding in the front of the cart and evidently, feeling a little feisty that day. He reached behind him, grabbed my bag of apples and tossed them on to the floor. I whispered a scolding in his ear and (sweetly, of course) told him not to do it again. One of the Whole Foods employees standing nearby picked up the apples and instructed me to go get a new bag of them. I told him no problem, I'm used to eating things that my toddler ruins. Still, he insisted I go get a new bag. "I don't want you to leave this store with bruised apples." So I went and got a new bag to take home. Again, not afraid to lose a few bucks to make sure I get home with good products. Impressive.

7. They will let you taste ANYTHING. Seriously, cheese, bread, prepared foods, fruit, you name it. Probably because they understand that I'm much more willing to take home a $13 block of cheese if I already know I like it.

8. They have the greatest employee health plan I've ever heard of. Companies who take good care of their employees are few and far between these days. Whole Foods is smart to offer good benefits, which equals happy employees, which equals a pleasant shopping experience for everyone.

9. My kid never leaves there empty handed. The cashiers are always ready with some kind of treat for him. Sometimes it's a cereal bar, sometimes it's a sucker. Either way, it's a nice conclusion to our grocery shopping.

10. I can walk there from my house. Not that I'd want to in the Houston summer heat, but it was a nice perk in the winter and spring. =)

The Return of the Cloth.

Recently, Erin commented on my blog asking about my experience with cloth diapers. I actually do have a little spare time today, so I thought I'd talk a little bit about it...

First, to answer her question, yes, I am using cloth diapers on Henry. I will be careful not to claim expert status because my experience is probably a little different than other cloth diapering moms. I am using (and used with Alex) a cloth diaper service. I'll explain a little about the logistics of that later.

Second, I must state up front that this post is totally based on MY experience and MY opinions. I would never want anyone to think that I am instructing everyone to use cloth diapers. Sometimes they just aren't practical for everyone or won't work for various reasons and that's fine. There are many perspectives on diapering (like most areas of parenting), so please just consider this my perspective and not a mandate for everyone!

Overall, I LOVE cloth diapers for the following reasons:
1. They are cheap. We are thrifty and disposables are expensive. Hey, let's be honest, the bottom line matters to everyone and I can say with certainty that cloth is WAY cheaper.

2. They are better for baby bottoms. Cotton on your baby's bum is much better than bleached paper. Also disposables are filled with little gel beads made from chemicals. Often, when a diaper is full it bursts and the beads can get all up in your baby's junk. I figure that my baby's tush is one of that last places I'd be willing to expose to unnecessary chemicals.

3. They are better for the environment. We are not enviro-nuts or anything, but we felt like using cloth is a responsible way to reduce the waste we produce in our household. When you consider that 18 billion disposable diapers are thrown into landfills each year, requiring a total of 500 years to decompose, it only makes sense to try to reduce our contribution to the overwhelming amount of waste.

There are a couple of things I DON'T LOVE about cloth:
1. Newborn breastfed baby poo is very runny. Since I use pre-fold diapers and a diaper cover, it sometimes makes a mess. It is rare that my baby's clothing is soiled, but usually the diaper cover gets a good dose of the mess.

2. When Alex got older (around a year old) and was eating a diet of regular foods, the diapers were just plain disgusting. My kid is really regular and poops about 4 times every day. Even though many online articles suggest that the poop can be simply shaken into the toilet, this was never the case for me. At this stage, it was a little too much for me to handle. I was in the early stages of pregnancy and just couldn't do the poop shake with the diapers.

3. Again, when babies are eating more "real" food, the diapers themselves were a little stinky. Breastfed baby poo is odorless, so this is not an issue for the first 6 months or so. But as their diet changes, it requires a little work to keep the dirty bin from stinking. There are deoderizers and other things you can put in the bin to keep it from being too stinky, but to say that the bin never stinks would be a lie.

How it works for me:
As I mentioned earlier, I use a cloth diaper service. This means that the service actually owns the diapers and does the work of cleaning them. Each week, they pick up my dirty diapers - which I leave outside on my front porch - and deliver clean ones. Many might consider this a "halfway" approach to cloth diapering, but it is still cheaper than disposable and allows me all the benefits of "full" cloth diapering. I use Thirsties brand diaper covers and have about 8-10 of them in each size. We knew we would use cloth for each baby so we went ahead and bought a supply of covers knowing we could use them longterm. This is one of the upfront expenses of cloth diapering. I recommend that you buy the covers a size at a time so you can evaluate if you are going to continue with the cloth.

I would venture to say that most cloth diapering moms don't use a service and do their own washing of the diapers. Most of those moms would probably tell you that they are already doing lots of laundry already, so one more load of diapers is not an inconvenience. To get started, they simply buy the pre-fold diapers, covers and a good soap. It is recommended that you start with about 24-36 diapers and a trash can with a lid and a liner (some use plastic trash bags, some more sophisticated diaper hamper bags). There are complete instructions and tips on this website if you are doing your own washing.

Probably many cloth diapering moms use all-in-one diapers. If you sew, you can make them yourself and save tons of money on purchasing them. Otherwise, purchasing the all-in-ones can be a bit pricey. I don't have much experience with these, so that's all I'll say about them. Perhaps some moms will want to comment on their experience with these.

On a side note, I also use cloth wipes (for all the same reasons I use cloth diapers) and I love them. I make a wipe solution to put in a squirt bottle, wet the wipe, use it and toss it into a little trash can with a lid. When it comes time to wash them, I just dump them in a hot wash and then dry them.

I gotta run because my free time is coming to a close, but I'm going to leave the discussion open to others who have used cloth and are willing to share their experience. The web has tons of resources and tips about how to cloth diaper. My best advice is to talk to others who do it and read about the benefits. Then you can decide if it will work for your family.

Hope that helps! Oh, and here's a picture of Alex "helping" me with Henry's diapers. =)

Stayin' Home.


So glad I get to stay home with my boys...so I don't miss moments like these.

Happy and Plump.

My firstborn gave me a very good laugh this morning. I gotta show you the pictures so you can have a good laugh too...

This is where Alex gets his diaper changed. It consists of a dresser, changing pad, and a colorful homemade changing pad cover that matched his nursery.

The changing pad has blocks with pictures of old fashioned toys. He often points to each square and we learn the word that goes with the picture. For example, "airplane".

"duck"

Then, this morning, he points to this one and says, "Mama". I wasn't sure whether to be offended that my son sees me as, well, happy and plump, or laugh my head off. I chose to laugh. And laugh. And laugh! I guess maybe if I were sensitive about my weight or appearance (which I'm not), I might be offended. But instead, I find it simply hilarious.

Maybe someday he'll point to this one (she's so skinny, you know) and say, "Mama".
I'm not going to hold my breath, though!

One Happy Mama.

I'm thankful for all of these boys today!

Stylish Rollin'

My friend, Todd Schulz, has a way of finding the most hilarious things on the internet and posting them on his blog. Seriously, I am laughing so hard at this video that I am now thanking my lucky stars that Todd has the time to discover this stuff...and also wondering if I, too, should get a minivan...?

After all, I got skills too, ya know.

Thanks for the Friday laugh, Todd! And, oh yeah, Toyota.

Dark Chocolate Microwave Brownies

These little jewels are an after-pregnancy-I-really-gotta-lose-these-extra-25-lbs dieter's dream. If you are not a huge fan of dark chocolate, you can back off the cocoa a bit and they are still very yummy. Oh, and the best part? They are ready in less than 5 minutes! Perfect when you need a fix but are not willing to bust the whole diet plan with the real thing.

Ingredients:
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 c raw sugar
1/4 c canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
4 heaping tablespoons of cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c vanilla soy milk (or almond milk, or rice, whatever kind you drink that's low fat)
a handful of chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix wet ingredients in a bowl, except for soy milk. Then add dry ingredients, except for chocolate chips. Use soy milk to make the batter like brownie batter - it takes about 1/2 cup. Just add slowly and stir it till it looks like real brownie batter. Then stir in the chocolate chips.

Spray a microwave-safe dish (I use a pyrex 8" round) with baking spray and pour the batter in. Microwave it for 4-5 minutes on high. I do closer to 4 minutes because I like 'em gooey, but if you want them to be more fully cooked, do 5 minutes. They are best when they are still warm. You'll also have to resist the temptation to cover them with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. That, folks, is a Southern tradition, but it doesn't help keep these in the "decent tasting diet dessert" category. That would automatically qualify it for the "this used to be diet, but then I went and added stuff that will make me fat" category.

I'd include a picture, but I ate them all. Does that mean they still qualify as "diet"? Not sure...but they were so delicious I couldn't resist. =)

The newborn fog is lifting. Last night I even slept for 3 continuous hours! Needless to say, these days we are thankful for 7:45 p.m. bedtimes - for us, not the kids - and coffee. We're almost through the roughest part and expect to be sleeping more soon. At least, we hope! =)

Seriously, Mama.

Henry says, "How many more photos are you gonna take?"

Resolution.

Earlier in the week I blogged about the feeding troubles around our house. We have come to a resolution, so I thought I'd share...

We have decided to pump my milk and bottle-feed Henry. There are lots of reasons for the decision, but mainly it stems from us sensing that trying and trying to breastfeed him (with little success) was becoming a major stress on our entire family.

We went to see a lactation counselor this week and she was actually very helpful and encouraging. She assured us that Henry probably could breastfeed at some point, but his only problem was that he was used to the bottle. I fed him while we were there and he was only getting about a half an ounce in an hour of trying to nurse him. She encouraged us to go home, get rid of the bottle, and try to breastfeed him only. So I spent the rest of that day trying for an hour at a time to nurse him, then pump, and then feed him with a syringe. Meanwhile my almost-two-year-old wandered around the house getting into all sorts of mischief for 4 hours of that day. By the end of the day, Henry was ravenous and mad because he simply wasn't getting enough food. And actually I don't blame him...do you know how slow it is to eat from a syringe?! Like eating crumb by crumb when all you want is a whole plate of food. We decided that we should abandon the effort, even if it'd only been 12 hours. Henry was hungry and crying non-stop and he needed to be fed.

I am totally okay with our decision and actually, I'm really glad to be moving forward. We will not give up totally on the whole BF mission. I'll still offer him chances to nurse in the coming weeks and maybe he'll get it. But if he doesn't, that's fine too. The benefit of having peaceful mealtimes for Henry (and for our whole family) and the ability to enjoy our baby are worth far more to me than the cost of not actually nursing Henry. Sometimes you gotta make decisions for the sanity of your whole family. Besides, now we can actually enjoy all the things Henry really excels at...he's a great sleeper, hardly ever fusses, and is already taking the title of Laid Back Baby at our house. We've actually never had one of those. =)

I'm actually finding out - as someone who commented on my first post pointed out - that there is a lot of flexibility with pumping and bottle-feeding. Jason is in charge of the middle of the night feedings, while I am busy pumping. It's a nice way for us to tag team and both spend quality time with Henry. I'm also really digging my new hands-free pumping bra. (Here's a link to one - CAUTION: don't click on the link if you don't want to see a picture of the actual bra and a nursing mom!) Hope this is not too much information for y'all, but seriously, if you are a mom who uses a breast pump, you totally need one. I now feel like I am redeeming the time while I'm pumping instead of counting down the 20 minutes that I have to sit there in the stillness with the sound of my pump. So fabulous.

Thanks to all of you who have commented and kept up with our journey. These newborn weeks are full of sleepless nights, demanding days, and hard work. But we are loving every minute of it!

Breastfeeding Woes.

I thought I'd give a little "how the baby's doing" update on my blog since many of you are probably wondering. Henry is a super sweet addition to our family and we are enjoying our new life as a family of four. Alex is very sweet with the baby and has really taken to his new role of Big Brother.

One thing that hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be is feeding Henry. He had an improper latch from the beginning, and I let it go for about 10 days. I was extremely sore, but wrote it off as normal soreness. When I took Henry back to the pedi for his 2 week check up, he had only gained 2 ounces in 6 days and was still 2 ounces away from his original birth weight. The pedi was concerned, and as the day wore on and Henry was less and less interested in eating, my pedi (Jason) was also concerned. So we started supplementing him with formula and he was more alert and eating more after a day - a noticeable difference. For those of you who have had a similar issue, I'm sure you understand how anxiety-inducing it is for you to think that your baby is not getting enough to eat. Not to mention the fact that as a mom, there is the never-going-away feeling that somehow you have failed your baby when breastfeeding doesn't work out exactly as planned. I tell you, trying to breastfeed and being unsuccessful (even if for a time) is very, very difficult...both for mom and for baby.

With Alex, I never had any breastfeeding issues. He latched on properly at first and I had good help in the hospital with friends and lactation nurses. Now that I have had a totally different experience with Henry, I fear that I didn't have enough grace for others who had "issues". At the time I was in a small group of women who all had different experiences with breastfeeding, some positive and some negative. While I would have never intentionally been proud of my breastfeeding success, there is a nagging feeling inside me now that perhaps I was. Oh, how good it is now (despite its difficulty to accept and the sadness it brings) to say that I have been humbled. I now have a better perspective and have accepted the fact that God has different journeys for everyone with newborns, hopefully all leading believers to trust Him more and see His goodness in different ways. After all, we have been blessed with health and the gift of knowing Him personally. Who am I to demand more from Him?

Not everyone succeeds at the breastfeeding task. No matter how easy the books and other moms make it sound, breastfeeding is hard work. And sometimes it doesn't work at all. And actually that's okay.

For now, I am pumping my milk and feeding Henry with a bottle. This seems to be more functional for our family than trying to get him to latch on for 20 minutes, hearing him cry and seeing him get frustrated, and ultimately giving up and giving him the bottle. We are going to see a lactation counselor this week to get some advice and guidance about what to do next. So many people have told me stories about how their baby didn't learn to breastfeed properly until a month or two. Of course I am hoping Henry will be in this camp - for the simple fact that it's just plain easier to do the breast than to do the pump/bottle. But there comes a time when we as a family will have to be okay with Henry eating from a bottle if he needs to. Lots of babies do it and it's gonna be okay. In the meantime, we are praying and trusting that God will give us everything we need for today.
And for tomorrow.
And for the next day.

I'm blogging about this because it has sometimes been my experience in parenting that people rarely share about the difficult issues they have with newborns. They are quick to report how much they sleep, how well they eat, how much weight they are gaining, etc., but rarely offer details about the difficult parts. I know lots of seasoned moms, new moms, and expecting moms read this blog. Let our current experience be an encouragement to you - just as the stories of successful breastfeeding are.

I will keep you posted on our progress.

These are so rad.


Last week Jason's mom came to help us out and she brought along with her a huge box of Jason's old things. Class pictures from kindergarten on, report cards, hand-knitted baby booties, and all kinds of other treasures from Jason's childhood. We found these seriously cute little Spiderman shoes in the box too. They are too small for Alex, but Henry will totally be sporting these when he's a little bigger. Hard to believe that these 35-year-old sneakers still look so cool!

Sometimes I wonder if my oldest kid is practicing for a modeling career...

Here's a pic of Henry all dressed and ready to come home. He did good for his first photo shoot...he probably figures he'd better get used to this!

Henry's Birth Day.

I know some of you mommy readers are interested in the details of the labor and birth. I know I always like to hear how things go for others...especially when they have a positive experience! So I'll share a little about mine - without too much information for you non-mommy readers.

On Tuesday I visited my doctor for my 41 week appointment. I had not made much progress on labor (only 50% effaced and 2 cm dilated), so we decided that Thursday morning would be a good day to induce. We honestly wanted to give it just a couple more days because I so wanted a natural delivery. On Wednesday, I was really excited when I started to feel regular contractions around 2pm. They were fairly mild, but regular, so we were excited! Contractions became more intense as the day went on, and at 7pm, I was having 3 of them in 10 minutes. We decided it was probably time for us to head to the hospital. So we put Alex to bed, got our things together, and drove the 12 or so blocks to the hospital.

We got checked in and saw the doctor. When he checked, he said I was 50% effaced and 3 cm dilated. I couldn't believe it! I was so disappointed. He gave us the option to stay in the hospital (after all, we were scheduled to be there the next morning at 6am) or to go home and labor some more. I wanted to go home to labor. They said if I stayed, I probably couldn't move around much. I also got the impression that if things weren't "progressing" they would start encouraging pitocin and such. So we decided to leave.

We left the hospital around 9:30pm. I was bracing myself for a long night of laboring and since I didn't eat my dinner, we headed to Whole Foods. I was still having contractions every 2-3 minutes, mind you. So Jason and I walked around Whole Foods gathering some essentials (hummus, pita chips & dark chocolate almonds), all the while stopping every few minutes so I could bury my head into his chest and breathe hard through my contractions. At first I was nervous that anyone who saw might be a bit freaked out. But then I figured of all the places we could be, Whole Foods might actually be one of the best. In fact, while we were standing at the prepared foods section, I had an intense contraction. The woman behind the counter who was preparing my quiche to go calmly said to Jason, "Aren't women amazing?...Congratulations to you. Good luck!" I remember thinking, "yeah, that woman knows exactly what's happening here."

We got home around 10pm and ate a little, but by 10:30 the contractions were hard and intense. I started to feel like it was time to push, which scared me a lot. So we got back in the car. I screamed my way through 3 contractions on the way and Jason ran a couple of red lights. I was getting nervous that we weren't going to make it. In the back of my mind I was preparing myself for Jason delivering the baby on the side of the road!

We pulled into the valet in the middle of a contraction, so I stayed in the car and screamed while Jason got a wheelchair. We had no time to get anything out of the car and went straight upstairs, arriving at around 11:10pm. I went straight to the bed and I was at 8 cm, then 5 minutes later, 9 cm. In between contractions, which was about a minute, the nurse poked me 4 different times to try to get an IV. They probably wouldn't have worried about it except that my strep B test was positive and I was supposed to get antibiotics before I delivered. Finally they gave up on the IV when I was ready to push. I pushed a couple of times and I heard the resident say she saw the head. Even though I was intense pain (natural birth ain't for sissies!), I was encouraged. I pushed a couple more times and Henry came out, healthy and crying.

I have never been so scared, overwhelmed, or excited about such an event in my life. We were SO grateful to have a natural birth. It came about exactly as we had prepared for it before Alex was born. Alex's birth experience was totally different. Still good, just different. I am thankful now that I finally have a perspective on both "ways" of giving birth. Any way you do it, it is an amazing process. After Henry's birth, I found myself constantly in prayer thanking God for allowing us to take part in such an unbelievable process.

Thanks to all of you who prayed for us over the past few weeks and months as we waited for Henry. I am grateful for all the encouragement you have given me and words of wisdom. We feel like we have been blessed beyond measure.

And secretly, I'm kind of glad I had the little things that make labor so TV-like. The contractions, the screaming, the speeding car ride, the wheelchair, the pushing - all of it - made for a great birth day and a great story for Henry. The very beginning of his story is a very good one.

Here's Henry.

Sweet newborn sleep.

Long toes.

Proud Daddy.

Meeting Big Brother for the first time.

Alex loves his Baby Brother.

Henry's 41 week fingernails. He's desperately in need of a manicure!

He's here!

Henry Lewis arrived last night at 11:49 p.m. We are just now getting all the photos downloaded and hope to have some on the blog(s) soon. Oh and we have a great labor story, so we'll work on that too! He's healthy and we are all doing great. He weighs 8 lb., 2 oz. and is 20" long. He has been a champion sleeper and eater so far, so we are thankful for that. We are hoping to get a little rest tonight and post more soon!

Wow.

It is hard to believe that I have carried Baby Brother an entire month longer than Alex. I went to the doctor yesterday and they did an ultrasound to check and make sure Brother is doing okay. He is very healthy and weighing in at around 7.5 pounds. Guess he is just really comfortable in there!

We have decided with our doctor that it is best to induce on Thursday. It wouldn't have been my choice since I am hoping for an all natural labor, but we have faith that it is best. Ultimately the Lord knows the details of Brother's arrival and we trust Him. We are hoping he comes on his own today, but if not, he'll be on his way tomorrow. We'll post an update on the blog when he makes his debut.

Nesting Series #3: The Essential Slow Cooker

I would have never guessed I'd have the time for another lengthy blog, but since I'm still waiting on Baby Brother, here it is...

When I think about one of the ways I've survived pregnancy #2 and a toddler, I have to give props to the slow cooker. Now, at first I was a little reluctant to use it because I really love the process of cooking. I like the chopping, the sauteing, the simmering. You know, the process. The slow cooker doesn't exactly have much process, but it does have convenience. I have discovered the Cooking Light Slow Cooker Cookbook and I love it! The recipes are really, really good and I can feel good about eating them since they use fresh ingredients and are lower in calories and fat.

Jason wakes up for work at 5:30am, so since I'm up early too, I assemble the entire dinner before Alex even wakes up. The only work that's left to do is turn on the cooker. Blissfully simple!

Here are three of my favorite recipes...

Thai Style Pork
We love the chance to get a little ethnic flair with dinner. This Thai pork is almost as good as take out!

2 lbs boneless pork loin, cut into 4 pieces, trimmed
2 cups julienne-cut red bell pepper
1/4 C teriyaki sauce
2 Tblsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 C creamy peanut butter
Remaining Ingredients:
6 cups hot cooked rice - brown, or basmati
1/2 C. chopped green onions
2 Tblsp chopped dry roasted peanuts
Lime wedges

1. Place pork, bell pepper, and next 4 ingredients in a 4-qt slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour, reduce heat to LOW, and cook 6 hours (can be a few hours longer if necessary). Remove pork from cooker and coarsely chop. Add peanut butter to cooking liquid, stir well. Stir in pork.

2. Serve over rice in individual bowls and top with onions and peanuts. Garnish with a lime wedge for a real Thai taste and look.
Per serving: Calories 412, Fat 13.6g, Protein 29g

Barley, Black Bean, and Corn Burritos
A meatless burrito using a super good-for-you grain...without losing the great Mexican taste.

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained (I use Mexican Rotel tomatoes)
1 C uncooked pearl barley
2 C vegetable broth (about 1 can)
3/4 C frozen whole kernel corn
1/4 C chopped green onions
1 Tblsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
18 tortillas (whole grain, corn, or flour)
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salsa
Light sour cream

1. Place first 11 ingredients in a 3 or 4-qt slow cooker, stir well. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until the barley is tender. Stir in cilantro.

2. Heat the tortillas according to the package directions. Spoon barley and bean filling into them and top with cheese, sour cream, and salsa. Yum!
Calories: 402, Fat: 8.5g, Protein: 16g (may vary depending on how much cheese and sour cream you use!)

Pesto Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms
This one takes a little more preparation on the front side, but it is SO good. You'd never guess that lasagna could be so good in the slow cooker. This is a great vegetarian meal.

4 C. torn fresh spinach
2 C. sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 C. commercial pesto
3/4 C shredded part-skim mozzarella
3/4 C. shredded provolone (OR, substitute about 1.5 cups of an Italian shredded cheese mixture to keep from buying two different shredded cheeses)
1 (15 oz) carton fat-free ricotta cheese
1 large egg, slightly beaten
3/4 C. shredded parmesan cheese, divided
1 (26 oz) jar basil tomato pasta sauce
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
Cooking Spray
1 (8 oz) package precooked lasagna noodles

1. Steam spinach, covered, 3 minutes or until it wilts. Drain, squeeze dry, and coarsely chop. Combine spinach, mushrooms, and pesto in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. Combine mozzarella, provolone, ricotta and egg in a medium bow, stirring well. Stir in 1/4 c. parmesan cheese and set aside. Combine pasta sauce and tomato sauce in a medium bowl.

3. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread 1 C. pasta sauce mixture in the bottom of the cooker. Arrange 3 noodles over pasta sauce mix, and top with 1 C. cheese mixture and 1 C. spinach mixture. Repeat layers once, ending with spinach mix. Arrange 3 noodles over the mixture, top with remaining cheese mixture, and 1 C. pasta sauce mix. Place 3 noodles over sauce mix; spread remaining sauce mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on low 5 hours or until done.
Calories 398, Fat 18g, Protein 22g

NOTE: I use whole wheat lasagna noodles and they work great. The key is to cook them beforehand for about 3/4 of the time suggested on the box. Then rinse them in cold water and pat them dry. It adds an extra step, but they are healthier and easier to handle when they are flimsy instead of dry.

The official due date has arrived. C'mon, Baby Brother!