Thanks to the below freezing cold here in Texas, we had to bring out the bear for our walk today. I don’t have a problem with the bear, just the reason we have to bring it out.
I love putting Avery in this thing, I just want to pick her up and hug her tight (but enough to breathe) forever! Just look….
Lots of room to grow in here!
She didn’t mind being stuffed in her bear suit and the Baby Bjorn (really need a better carrier and can’t decide on the Ergo, Boba, or Onya) with my winter jacket zipped over her, she just chewed on my coat for a while and finally fell asleep. I find it hard to stop walking if she’s still sleeping, so after a quick pee break at the house, I journeyed back outside to “bear” the weather. See what I did there? Ha.
Seriously, no more pictures…
Today was going pretty well until later in the afternoon when Avery started having bad gas and screaming fits. I know it was gas since she was busting out burps and farts that put me to shame! I feel it has to do with how she takes the bottle sometimes and I’m trying to make sure she gets as little air gulped in as possible. But with a squirmy baby, this is not an easy task.
Before the gas
After nap time in her crib was disrupted, I ended up holding her in the rocking chair until she fell asleep again. She was in and out along with the audible gas passing through our poor baby, but at least she got a little more rest.
Once Kelley got home, she took her and was able to feed her the good stuff sans bottle, which helped with the gas problem. I also gave her some Tummy Calm which I’m not sure if it helps or not, but it doesn’t make things worse.
So, I guess Monday’s can suck for the At-Home crew just as much as the working force! It’s Monday night as I write this and we’re hoping for a peaceful, gas-free night. Crossing fingers!
Have you ever used Tummy Calm or another homeopathic for your baby?
How’s the weather in your area? Do you like it hot or cold?I’m a heat lover way more than a cold lover; let me sweat!
If weather here could talk, it would’ve said “Screw you, suckers!” this weekend. Saturday’s high was in the low 80’s and beautiful for our drive down to G-ma’s. Then, the very next day and we’re in the single digits! Thank you, Texas weather, for teasing us with 2 wonderful days of gorgeous weather and then WHAM!, we’re slipping on ice as we step outside.
Weather aside, we had a pretty good visit at G-ma’s. Avery wasn’t quite the outstanding baby I asked for in our conversation the day before, but she did flash us some smiles and let G-ma hold and feed her.
The only time Avery visited G-ma’s house was at 5 weeks old. Now that she’s 15 weeks old and aware of her surroundings, we think she was a little overwhelmed and got upset as night came around. One minute Avery was enjoying her time with Kelley and my mom (G-ma), and the next minute she bursts into crying.
Avery showing her Liley lip curl with G-ma
Of course, we never really know what makes a baby burst into the cutest yet nerve racking ball of tears, but we do our best to act like we do. We’ll say “Oh, it’s just colic.”, or “She probably has a dirty diaper.” Or maybe it’s because we missed a spot while dusting the mantle! Hell, babies just cry sometimes because that’s what they do. Yes, it sucks, and yes, I also try and make my own diagnosis for screaming baby syndrome.
Kelley and Avery chillin at G-ma’s
Although, Avery’s outburst was something abnormal for her at that time, so it just seems fitting to say it was from being a different environment. She carried on for a good hour as we passed her around like a hot potato trying different “techniques” (i.e. the same damn thing we all do with a crying baby, make weird sounds in her face and offer a boob or bottle while sniffing her diaper), until Kelley was finally able to soothe her to sleep. Oh yes, miracle boob strikes again!
Since Avery was sleeping in the room next to the living room, we kept the T.V. off for a while to make sure she was in a deep sleep.
Crap! What do we do with no T.V., you ask? What any normal group of adults would do….. We had drinks and put together 3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) puzzles, of course!
Drinking and cartoon puzzles is where it’s at!
Growing up, I was a huge TMNT fan like most boys around that time. I remember my mom bringing me to Toys R’ Us if I had a good report card to let me pick out a TMNT toy. Lately, since we had Avery, I’ve been turning back into a kid again and have been hoping my TMNT toys were stowed away somewhere at my mom’s. I was determined to find something from my past when we visited.
Not long after we arrived, I was on the hunt for my childhood toys. After rummaging through the house and attic, I only came up with 3 Ninja Turtle Puzzles covered in dust. It was apparent that the original owner (me) didn’t do a good job at putting the right pieces back in the box, so we made a night of putting the puzzles together.
Nearing completion
As I’ve mentioned in a past post, puzzles mean a lot to Kelley and me, and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening with her and my mom as we worked on these together.
We eventually retired into the living room and Avery slept better than expected through most of the night. We woke up in a seemingly different state with freezing rain and blistering winds so coffee was a given before we were going to do anything else. After a cup of coffee (three for me), we visited a little longer while Avery had a Cliff’s Notes version of her usual morning nap, and then we trekked our way back home in the cold.
Overall, we had a pleasant visit with my mom and hopefully next time Avery will be familiar with her surroundings and not transform into a wicked terror cute little crying baby. But if she does, I’m sure it will just be because she’s colicky….. 🙂
Keeping cozy with G-ma before heading out into the cold
Has your baby ever cried out after bringing them to new surroundings?
Do you ever try and diagnose a crying baby when you really I have no clue? Almost every day here!
Today we’re visiting G-ma and hopefully having a great time.
I am pushing to see a lot of these…
And very little to none of these….
Next time I won’t pop the balloon!
As well as plenty of this at night….
Sleep = Good
But, babies are, in fact, babies, so lets just hope for the best.
When we have wonderful weather like here in Texas lately, I like to enjoy a good beer. And, I like to eat good food, so why not make something with good beer?
Beer bread is a favorite of mine, but I despise the enriched flour and crappy ingredient store-bought mixes. You always pay a price when you settle for convenience like fast food and pre-mixed packages so it seems. But this recipe is pretty simple and one you’ll be making more than once!
Whole Grain Protein Beer Bread
Ingredients
1 cup whole grain spelt (or other whole grain) flour
1 cup whole grain corn flour
1 cup unflavored protein powder; I use whey protein powder
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce or pumpkin puree
1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
1 large egg and 4 large egg whites (I have used 12oz of pureed Mori-Nu Silken Tofu for a great vegetarian substitute)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 T baking powder
12-oz bottle of favorite beer at room temp
Optional #1: Add sweetener to taste (I used a packet of Stevia, but 2 tsp of brown sugar or honey would be good too)
Optional #2: Add herbs and spices like cumin, cayenne, garlic powder, rosemary, or dill to really make this bread stand out.
Directions
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan, square glass baking dish, 9-inch pie pan, or a 12 muffin baking pan with non-stick spray
-In a large bowl, beat eggs with a whisk, add all other wet ingredients and whisk to blend
-In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients stirring with a whisk.
-Add dry ingredients to the liquid mixture and mix just until combined.
-Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 55 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean. Check for browning towards the end and cover with foil for the last 10 minutes if needed.
Hope you give it a try and enjoy. Please send any feedback (good or bad) as I’d love to hear how it turned out for you and/or ways to improve.
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
