lazy...pictures catch up

I've been horribly bad at updating my blog. Things have been going nuts at work, things have been going nuts at home. I was diagnosed with postpartum depression almost a month ago- i'm doing much better with the meds but was pretty down for awhile. Noah is rolling, trying to sit up, and chewing on everything. He's such a happy baby, I feel very blessed. Here's some cute pictures so you can't be too mad at me for the gap in updates.



That's right, I'm rocking the sweater vests.


This 'ball' feels funny!

she says we're going to the pumpkin patch. i think 'what's a pumpkin?'

OH- Those are pumpkins! Daddy, let me touch!

hmmm...interesting. I get to take this one home. but what do i do with it then?

you know, that whole camera thing is getting kinda old. you know you look pretty silly?



Leaves are scary. I'll let mommy take a few pictures before I protest.

No milk for you! (update)

So I've been *mostly* dairy free for about a week now. I've definitely seen a difference. I wasn't thinking yesterday and ate a pudding cup- today Noah had gas again. So I'm fairly certain dairy is the culprit. I miss ice cream already, but I'm happy that it's easy enough to correct and now my son is back to his happy easy going self.

4 month stats

We had Noah's four month check-up today. He weighed in at 15lbs 13oz (almost 75th percentile) and is 27 3/4 inches long (off the charts)! The doctor said he's teething but he thinks we still have a little while before the first tooth will cut through. His gums are a little purple and one spot is 'pointy' when I rub my finger over it.

I've made the decision to wait until 6 months before starting solids and the pediatrician fully supports that.

He had vaccines today. He took them much better then he did the last time, was just a little sleepier then usual and went to bed about an hour early.

I'm a slacker and I didn't take his "i'm 4 months old" picture yet. Days where I work, I pretty much come home and have to start his bedtime routine immediately. Some days we don't even get to the routine b/c he wants to eat right away and he passes out while nursing. I'll get the picture this weekend though!

Noah's appt

it's been forever since I updated- sorry about that. About a month ago we found a lump on Noah's chest- I was of course concerned. called the pediatrician immediately and went to see him. He said it had cyst like qualities and would feel better if we consulted with a pediatric surgeon, though he was fairly confident it was nothing.

We saw the surgeon today. He confirmed that the lump on Noah's chest is not a cyst. It is most likely a hemangioma , and nothing to worry about. We're going to keep an eye on it, and in 3 months he wants to see us again to re-evaluate. If it grows or changes between now and then, we'll need an MRI to determine exactly what it is. It's already fading though, so I'm fairly confident it'll be gone in 3 months.

we had put in a call to the doctor's before we went up to see the surgeon since he's been having really painful gas and pooping problems. On that front, we're going to try cutting back on dairy for me. The doc doesn't feel like it's a constipation problem since when he does poop it's still soft and normal (i know you all wanted to know that). We're also giving him mylicon every 4-6 hours for the next few days, and keeping him somewhat upright after feeding him. I'm hoping I didn't pass along my acid reflux and lactose intolerance :-(

Picnic!

My aunt Nancy and Uncle Rodger had a joint birthday party out at Patapsco State Park. Noah, Joe, and I went to enjoy the beautiful day and hang out with family. I'm not great at photography, but here are a few shots from the day.



Noah chilling at home before leaving. I love that smile!



In his new baby Bjorn, wondering where the heck he is(b/c he was napping when we first arrived)



Waving at Daddy from the Bjorn.

oh- and blogger help

I realize I ramble in my posts. Can anyone tell me how to do a jump link thingy? that way if you don't want to read all of my rambling you don't have to (i'm not a fool, i know most of you only check this to see the pics of Noah!).

budgeting and menus

We're tracking our spending for the whole month and then coming up with a good budget. mainly so we can build our savings back up and start on some of the projects we want to do on the house(fencing in the backyard and re-modeling the bathroom are top of the list!). One of our ideas for this is to cancel cable. We misplaced the remote control for a few days, and during that time we realized that we didn't really miss the tv. We watch a few shows that come on regular broadcast channels, so Joe headed out to RadioShack to get an indoor antenna. and it's like a fieldtrip back in time. we put on the channel, then I stand and fiddle with the antenna until it comes in clear. but, it'll help enforce no tv for noah, and it'll save us over $100.00 bucks a month.

We're also doing meal planning so that we don't buy a bunch of groceries we don't need. A nestie gave me a 112 page document of crock-pot recipes, so we picked a few from there. Tonight we're going to make french dip sandwiches(not in the crock pot). Tomorrow we're going to make crock-pot fajitas! I'm excited. Not only are most of the recipes really easy...98% of them are WW friendly and include point values!

I'm also coupon clipping now. I actually kind of enjoy it, although most of the time it's still just cheaper to get store brand items.

I think our biggest area to trim back is eating out. Since I get home pretty late at night(and then nurse Noah right away), it's usually after 8 before we get dinner. which often means we both are too tired to cook, so we head to Taco Bell or another fast food restaurant around us. and let's face it, it's not good for our waists or our wallets. I've lost the pregnancy weight and I'd like to keep losing. So far I haven't had to do much to lose it, but I think now that I'm back to work it's going to slow down unless I shape up.

Please add a comment for other money-saving ideas!