Homemade Baby Food: Butternut Squash

My first attempt at homemade baby food was super succesful!
Now that Aaron is 6 months old it is time for solids! YAY.

I kept it simple and choose butternut squash. It was super easy & I have told ya'll before that I am super lazy so if it aint easy, I aint doing it!

Here's how I did it:

All you need is 1 butternut squash & a tiny amount of unsalted butter.

1. Wash & Peel
2. Cut up the squash into pieces.

3. Boil it

4. Puree it
My blender has a puree option so that is what I used, no need to go buy extra supplies.

I added a little butter and a little water to help get the consistency where I wanted it.

5. Store!

I got these super cute containers from babies r us, they are made by Annabel Karmel. They are cute, cheap and get the job done. I packed some for aaron to take to grandma's and froze the rest.

THAT'S IT!!! Literally took 15 minutes and I was done! 

Cloth Diaper Newbie

So I am new to cloth diapering and my reason for going this route may be a little different than others. I know most people go cloth because it’s green or because it’s a great way to save money. I went this route because Aaron has a sensitive tushy, pampers & huggies were both giving him rashes and I couldn’t stand to see his little butt irritated.

Once I got into cloth diapering however, I can definitely see the other benefits and now that Aaron’s skin isn’t as sensitive anymore, those reasons are why I am considering staying cloth.


Here is what my experience has been so far:

At the moment, I cloth diaper Part Time while I try to convince my mom, who watches Aaron while I’m at work, that it’s easy & not messy at all. While he is at my mom's Aaron uses Huggies Pure & Natural, which I honestly do not have any complaints about now that his skin is tougher. No rashes & No Leaks and I really love Huggie's Every Little Bottom Program!


Again, I am a newbie and still learning the in’s & out’s of cloth diapering, I never planned on going cloth and knew NOTHING about it, so if there are any pros reading this I would appreciate any feedback you have.


So far, we have tried Gdiapers & Fuzzibunz.


Gdiapers is the very first cloth diaper I tried. I chose them first because I read that it was a hybrid diaper, so there’s a choice between a cloth insert or flushable inserts. I figured if it got really out of hand (I don’t know what I was expecting) I could go the flushable route and not have wasted my money. I also really liked the idea of a snap in liner and that you can reuse the cover and just insert a new cloth - super easy! And I need super easy because I am super lazy!


I have been using the ginserts and I noticed that when it get’s wet it scrunches up on the sides and then the liner gets wet –I am wondering if that is supposed to happen? It hasn’t been a big deal, the cover hasn’t gotten wet so that’s good. I have seen on a couple YouTube video other mom’s using different inserts but I haven’t tried that yet and don’t know which ones to try.


I had been dyiing to try Fuzzibunz because in doing more research online I read that people had great experiences with them, so I was super excited when I went to conference for work and scored one for free!!! They are super cute and super soft, which I loved.

My first thought when putting it on him was that is was a little bulky and I really don’t like too much bulk – I feel like that might to limit his wardrobe. I also didn’t really like the pocket insert, maybe because I was already used to using gdiapers. Another reason I was to try them was because their insert was nice & thick but it felt a little damp when Aaron was wet – again, I am newbie, and wondering if that is supposed to happen?
I want to try one more so I recently purchased a bestbottom diaper, I am waiting for it in the mail. I check my emails every second to see if it has shipped. I know understand the obsession with cloth diapers!

Overall, so far, I really like gDiapers and I am currently building a stash. And here is his royal cuteness in his gdiaper!

When it comes to washing, that has been fine but I haven’t had the courage to cloth when we travel or go out for a couple hours yet – I first need to tackle getting the grandparents on board! AY!

Halloween Cupcakes - Pumpkin with Cream Cheese Icing

Let me start of by saying I am no cook or baker! But I do know how to follow directions! hehe

My girlfriend Diana came over last night & in the spirit of fall & halloween we decided to make some Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing. Annie's Eats blog has a great, simple to follow recipe and we followed her instructions step by step.

look how nice and orange the pumpkin batter is!!! mmmm

ok while making the icing, we were humored but Land O' Lakes butter sticks!

They were so little and cute! and made measuring super easy!
anything miniature is cute!

so while diana made the batter and baked the cupcakes

I was in charge of making the icing

Once the cupcakes were made, the fun began!

With some black food coloring, sprinkles and black & red icing pens we made some fun cupcakes for halloween. These were super easy and so much fun!

my lame attempt at a spider! :(

we decided to make muffins with the pumpkin batter as well:

DELICIOUS!!! CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE.

Aaron's C-section Birth Story (6 months later)

I’ve noticed a trend among mommy bloggers to post their birth story- here’s mine. This was quite therapeutic so warning, it’s a long one so go grab a cup coffee and sit back & chillax while you read.

4.26 Monday
I remember going to bed Sunday night disappointed that Aaron hadn’t made his debut over the weekend, I was feeling really good, I mean the best I had ever felt throughout the entire pregnancy so I was sad that I would probably be pregnant forever!
I woke up at 2 am with the worst cramps –it took a couple minutes to register what was happening then I remembered that I had been to the hospital a couple months prior because I had some intense Braxton Hicks contractions, then I immediately recognized the discomfort and knew what was going on.

I ended up going to sleep on the couch because I would get maybe 15 minutes of sleep before the next contraction would come but I knew it wasn’t to the point of needing to go to the hospital yet. At around 8 am I emailed my boss telling them that I would be working from home. I think I knew what was going on but I didn’t think it would actually happen. I spent the day lounging around the house with Jason and took a nice long bath. I had been communicating with my OB throughout the day and when the contractions were about 7 minutes apart, we headed to the hospital.
We arrive at holy cross at 2pm and they start checking my vitals and they saw my blood pressure was really high – they decided to monitor me for about 3 hours and then it was decided to admit to high-risk maternity. I kept telling the nurses I didn’t believe them because I felt fine – aside from the contractions I felt amazing! Again – Denial.
I get admitted to high-risk maternity and then the contractions started slowing down – I remember around 5pm a doctor came over and wanted to induce labor. I really didn’t want to so they waited until a doctor from my ob practice arrived and when she did, she agreed not to induce and to let me walk around. Just then, my sisters arrived and provided a much-needed distraction from the contractions. After several hours, my sisters left and it was just Jason and I. From the time I was pregnant I thought I would want no one in the delivery room until after Aaron was born, I thought I didn’t want anyone to see my lovely lady bumps but now I don’t see why I even cared. So, while we kept everyone updated by phone we told everyone not to rush over. That is on thing I will change with baby #2 – I want my people there! It is so important to have that support system, I had Jason but sometime daddy’s need support as well.
At around 7-8pm the contractions picked up again and at 1:00 AM I was admitted to Labor & Delivery. Woo hoo!

4/27 - Tuesday
I remember getting to labor & delivery, Jason laying down on the couch and then falling asleep. All of a sudden 2 am rolls around and WHOAAAAAAA the pain went up a notch!!! I took Lamaze classes but for some reason every time a contraction came I held my breath, Jason had to keep reminding me to breath. At this point I think fear started setting in – the more intense it got the more scared I got. And while Jason was there for me, there was no one there for him and we were both exhausted!

At 4am, I was beyond exhausted and gave in to the epidural. Jason knew I didn’t want it but didn’t fight me much because he was too tired. I get the epidural and I am still feeling the pain – is that supposed to happen? My butt hurt like hell!!!!! I thought the epidural was supposed to take the pain awy! I kept trying to sleep and at around 6:30am my water finally broke!!! We could finally get this show on the road – I won’t suffer anymore (I am a drama queen!) And I can finally see his face! Well nope – all of a sudden about 3 nurses and a doctor rush in and tell me I was only 6 cm dilated and that Aaron’s heart rate had dropped. They tried to have me change positions and when that didn’t work they cranked down the epidural to see if that had any effect and then all of a sudden they throw Jason a gown and tell us they have to get Aaron out now!!! At that point, I went numb and my attitude was just whatever! I knew that this meant I wouldn’t be able to hold him right away and that killed me but I knew if he was in danger, I wanted him safe.
So as I am being taped down and given anesthesia and I kept wondering why the hell was taking Jason so long. I ask the doctors to wait for him- where was he? He was in the hallway taking pictures of his shoes! (I have pictures of his gown covered shoes in Aaron’s albums- NICE!) He finally comes and I remember telling Jason that I couldn’t breath but now when I look back I think it was nerves that everything was about to change! Or the anesthesia – who knows.

7:52 AM. At 7:52 AM, they tell us he’s here! Aaron is here and they call Jason to see him then he leaves me. It felt like I was waiting forever to hear his cry and when I heard it – it felt like a dream. I was mad that all these seconds were passing by and I still don’t know what he looks like, I hear Jason snapping pics and the nurses say he’s 6lbs 3 oz and they congratulate him. They tell us the cord was wrapped around his neck twice. Jason finally bring Aaron to me and he is just perfect! I can’t believe he is mine. Sometimes I still can’t believe it, I can’t believe I am this lucky to have him.


We go to recovery and my arms are numb, I still can’t hold him. That was the hardest part for me and I know I still struggle with this today! Jason got to hold him for hours and see him get his first bath and while I am so happy Jason got that moment with him and was there for him, I was supposed to be there too!
After 3 hours, when I got the sensation back in my arms, I was finally able to hold him and attempt breastfeeding. The one thing I do remember and won’t ever forget is the way Aaron looked at me, like he was waiting for me too.

Please excuse that I look like death!

 I then spent the next 2 days vomiting from the effects of the anesthesia and I just kept could not stay wake! I kept dozing off, so I don’t remember much. I am not sure if that is normal, since I was planning for a natural birth I did not read up or look into c-sections at all, since I had a healthy pregnancy it never came up with my doctor either. I will say I am lucky that I recovered quickly but I am really hoping to avoid a c-section for baby #2. The worst part of having a c-section for me was the difficulties with breastfeeding. If there are any first time mommies out there who end up needing a c-section, please make sure you have a super supportive nurse and that you are able to see a lactation consultant. After about 9-10 days we were able to work it out but thru a lots of tears on both mama & baby’s part!

All in all he is healthy and happy so I can’t ask for more. Now it’s time for picture overload!

Time sure does fly!

I cannot believe it has been 6 months since I met my little guy. He is already learning to sit, plays with toys, loves to splash in the water, trying to figure out crawling but instead rolls to his destination. He is just so fun. We will be starting solids very soon, like maybe this week and I think we’ll go the homemade route. We have randomly given him a taste of sweet potatoes and bananas but he wasn’t ready yet so he’s been indulging in oatmeal once a day.

We recently went to the farm to see if we can get a pumpkin but instead we left with apple cinnamon donuts ( I hang my head in shame!) – here are some pics of the little guy checking out the scenery.

And here are some pics of me messing around with my new obsession! The canon rebel – it’s so much fun learning photography.

I just started my own Project 365 - Check it out!

On the 365 Bandwagon!

New Camera - CHECK
Cute Baby - CHECK

and now I want to show them both off! :)

http://365entrylevelwife.blogspot.com/

now I want to see your's for those in the project as well. Follow me & I'll follow you!

The Year of Happiness Challenge

I decided to sign up for the Happiness Challenge. What is the Happiness Challenge? it is:
A “happiness project” is an approach to changing your life. First is the preparation stage, when you identify what brings you joy, satisfaction, and engagement, and also what brings you guilt, anger, boredom, and remorse. Second is the making of resolutions, when you identify the concrete actions that will boost your happiness. Then comes the interesting part: keeping your resolutions.

You will be seeing posts on my resolutions, lists and progress and maybe you'll be motivated to start your own!