Happy Friday!

Wow!  So many things.

First, Jared just called and said that he dropped all the scrap off at the recycling center...and that he was praying hard for it to be at least $70.  How bout $300-something! That is SO cool and such a blessing because money has been a little tight lately.  We have what we need and aren't behind on our bills, but we are at the point where we need to be really careful about what we spend money on and how much we're spending...We're living too close to paycheck to paycheck and that makes us very uncomfortable.  God has really surprised us with unexpected money throughout the past year or more and I believe if we continue to obey Him, and continue to tithe with a glad heart, we'll be okay.  I know it.

Butternut

Sweet

Noodle

Next is a my weekly deal-e-o.  You know how I do.  We needed just a handful more diapers to complete our stash for now.  I was on thebump today and a lady was selling some of her cloth diapers because he son's skin reacted negatively to the suede cloth in a particular brand (a brand that I already use and love!) They were used as a part of a large rotation and she had purchased them in January...so, they're pretty stinkin' new still.  Anyway, she had them listed as $15 a piece (brand new they cost $18) so since they're a little used, I asked if she'd take $12 a piece if I take 3.  She said yes.  "Ask & you shall receive" "You have not because you ask not".  Alright, anyway, then I thought, "Oh! Maybe Lindsay will want in on this sweet deal!"  and she did, so0o0o0o I emailed the lady back and told her I'd take 2 more if she'd let 'em go for $11 a piece.  She said yes again, muahahahahhah!!  Let's do the math here people!  I got 3 diapers, normally costing $54 for $33 AND no shipping.  Or tax.  Ahhhh yes, that is a savings of $21 buckaroonies.

Next, next is that Judah has started teething.  He's got 2 bumps on his bottom gums and it looks like I can see a tiny bit of white poking through...he keeps chewing on his tongue in those spots, is drooling EVERYWHERE, is trying to shove everything in his mouth but doesn't quite have the coordination. Poor babe keeps cryin & cryin!  If I rub my finger on his gums, it seems to help him a bit, and I've tried to give him a teething ring (which bothers me bc it's probably bad plastic) but he just makes the yucky face and doesn't really want it.  And he can't hold it by himself so I'll just sit there and rub it in his mouth for him.  We started putting him to bed earlier--around 10:30ish (well, he puts himself to sleep, but we were waking him for one more feeding around midnightish) and he's been sleeping til around 7 am-ish.  Hahaha-ish.

We got his professional pics taken on Valentine's Day.  He was exactly 3 1/2 months. Here are some of my favorites: 

 

Well dudes, that's it for now.

See you along the journey--

Today at work was fun; it was the annual ice festival. This year was extra special because it's the town's centennial.  Not only were there tons of people and sculptures all over the place, but they had a horse drawn carriage bringing people up and down the street.  We sampled out Annie's macaroni and cheese, coconut water, and energy drinks.  I love free samples.  The live music was really, really good, too--Rogue Chimp.  It's a jazz fusion band-- so fun and upbeat.  Look em up on Youtube.

Today was also the day for the drum circle--I've been waiting for an opportunity to bring Judah.  I had Jared bring him to me so I could nurse him at work and when we were done, we popped into the circle.  He loved it.  He was looking all around, all wide eyed, checking each person in the group out.  I hope it expanded his little mind and I hope he has a love for music.  It seems to calm him down and he seems to enjoy it--I hope so.  It would be wonderful if he developed a passion for feeling the beat in his chest and jammin to the tunes.

In other news, but still baby related, his hair is getting coarse.  His fine, soft, baby hair is going away :(  It's growing like crazy, too (but he still has a little bald spot on the back of his head from where he sleeps).  He doesn't like drinking from a bottle anymore and Jared (and Grandpa) are finding it difficult to feed him when I'm at work or when Jared and I have to run errands.

The car seat is very close to being too small, so we're going to have to invest in the next stage--a convertible car seat.  It's going to cost us around $150, but that will be okay since it's such a struggle to get him in the seat because he hates it and screams and screams and he's just too heavy now for me to lug him around in it.  I went to JoAnns the other day, and wouldn't have been able to do it without putting him in the wrap.  I put him in it and he fell asleep, letting me shop and look around for atleast an hour.  It was nice.  I like bringing him into different environments, too, because I feel as though he's able to hear new sounds, look at new sights, and further develop his thinking.

Right now, he's playing on his play mat, looking at himself in the mirror, swatting at a toy I have dangling next to him.  A little over a month ago, he wanted nothing to do with his playmat.  Now he can spend an hour on it entertaining himself.

Oh, on Thursday the weather was nice so Val came over and we planned some projects for around the house (we're going to make a headboard and re-do (well I guess it has to be finished first to re-do it) our bedroom.  Yay, I'm excited!  We took a walk because it was so nice out.  

Friday, yesterday, I went to April's and we hung out for a few hours and walked again.  It was soooooooo nice out and I broke a sweat.  It was AWESOME to be outside and AWESOMER to be doing something physical.  I think between the two days I put around 4 ish miles on the stroller.

Last night we celebrated Valentines Day.  Jared got me 6 chocolate covered strawberries (5 of which are gone :) ) flowers, and a really nice dinner at my favorite restaurant, AV.  We both had waters and started off with a sample of the garbanzo pate and fabulous bread with really good olive oil to dip in.  We both got our own appetizers (at this point, we decided to go BIG).  Jared got portabella mushroom caps, stuffed with sausage, and I got the sweet potato gnocchi. MmmMmmMmmmmmmm!  For dinner, I got sea bass with a carmelized onion crust, purple potatoes, fresh green beans, carrots, and I think they called it some type of demi glaze over the fish.  Red wine maybe?  I don't know.  I'm not fancy enough.  I don't even know what a "demi glaze" is.   Jared got filet mignon and I forget what his sides were.  For dessert (o0o0oh baby, you had room for dessert, you ask? Not really, but we ate it anyway) we had a guiltless chocolate brownie, which I guess was "guiltless" because it was flourless... yeah, ok... and that was good.  I wouldn't call it a brownie, it was like a very moist cake...and a scoop of pistachio ice cream.  I think she said it was homemade.  I left there thinking I was going to explode.  But not heavy and greasy feeling.  Just explosive. :)

Tonight Kevin came over for dinner.  I made this: Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf
It's SO good.  I omitted the hot sauce and added horseradish instead and omitted the tomato paste, replacing it with ketchup.  I also upped the qunioa to 3/4 ish of a cup.  It was a hit and is my go-to meatloaf recipe.  We had steamed cauliflower and carrots and multi grain bread. 

Well, it's 10:46 and I am EXHAUSTED!  Ah, I just looked over at the playmat and Judah T played himself to sleep.  I'm going to get myself washed up and try and feed this babe one more time.  He seems to have been up for a huge portion of the day so I hope he sleeps for like 8 hours :) and that I'm not woken up on my own with bizarre-o dreams.  It must be the breast feeding hormones.  Any who, enough about bewbies and time for bed.

See you along the journey--

TJ Maxx

Soo0o0ooooooooooooooooo I went shopping the other day...all by myself!

I was in TJ Maxx and found a really awesome set of nailpolishes (is that the correct way to pluralize nailpolish?).  Anyway, the brand is called Goldie and I've seen it sold at Bath and Body Works among other places.  It was a gift set of 8 shades....Guess how much? Okay, I'll tell you.  only $7.99.  $7.99!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  For 8 full sized bottles of nail polish.  I tried to look it up online to see how much the set normally sells for (I get really excited like that) but couldn't find it.  What I did find, though, was that each bottle indivually retails for anywhere from $8-$10.  Hello! I got 8 of them for less than what 1 normally costs!!!!!!!! I can't wait to paint my nails and not feel like frumparella.

This is what I found on beautynewsnyc.com

"After searching high and low, for the best nail varnish formula ever, Goldie finally found it in Gay Paris. While most polishes tend to chip or crack, after two days, Goldie’s Nail Lacquer manages to have some staying power. Free of toluene and formaldehyde, there is no need to worry that the Nail Lacquers will be damaging to your natural nails. All shades are housed in a petite, yet curvy bottle, blossoming under a delicate white flower cap. Tantalize your toes or nails winter, spring, summer, or fall. Polishes are available in all shades from deep blood red to delicate sheer pink and retail for $8."

Oh, it's vegan, too ;)

See you along the journey--

Sensual Saturday

Haha, sensual.  What's that?  That's a topic for another blog ladies and gents. 

Anywho, I'm coming to you live from the couch, one hand typing, feeding the baby. Oh, and enjoying a lil trail mix I made: oats, raw walnuts, sunflower seeds, cranberries, a few honey cashews, & you guessed it...chocolate chips. Mmm  Mmm MMMMMMMMMM!

I worked again (or ah-gee as Judah says) today, so that's good.  Since I only work 6 hrs a week, they don't take many taxes out and I bring home 10 something an hour.  Every little bit helps.  I'm responsible for paying my school loan then the rest I'll save in my checking account or use for personal spending.  It's nice to be independent again, even if it's only a few extra buckaroonis here and there.


Lunch was fun yesterday.  I picked up Val and we met Michele at the restaurant and her 3 sons were there.  They're all hysterical and we had a grand ol' time.  I had portobella & sage soup & split a slice of quiche with Val.  We all hung out for a while and I  nursed in public for the 1st time which was a little nerve wracking for me.  Of course I was covered up, but I still felt like everyone knew even though it probably wasn't that obvious.  Michele helped me get comfortable at first, told me no one was looking, and told me if I want to go out and do things, I'd better get used to it.  She's right.  After that, me and Judah T went back to Val's for a few hours and talked. We had a great conversation and it was awesome and so refreshing to be out of the house, without being stressed if the baby cries or needs to eat, and just having some girl time.  I don't ever get that....we decided were going to make it a weekly thing now.  Cool.  Oh, and I got to eat some of her cake that she made.  She's so fancy and her food is always so fabulous.

Judah really discovered his hand 3 days ago. He forms a fist and holds it way out in front of him.  He starts to rotate it and stares and stares.  It's funny because his other fist is also clenched so tight---but he pays no attention to that one haha.  Jared said today while I was at work, he opened his hand and was realizing he had fingers.  It's neat to see his growth and progress.

Speaking of growth, he's probably nearing 20 pounds already. A lady was in the store today with her son who is 7 months.......and is the SAME SIZE as Judah.  She tole me not to worry because she thought her son was going to be a giant, too, but his growth plateaued. That's good because if he keeps growing at this rate, he'll have to start carrying me! 

In 2 days, Jared and I will have been together 7 1/2 years.  Holy mole-o.  I'm excited to get back to being more than roommates (err, housemates, since we don't even sleep in the same room anymore).  It's been tough.  We need to learn how to spend quality time together and laugh like we used to before the pregnancy got really difficult, unrelenting stress set in, and before we had a life that we became responsible for.  Life's not bad, it's just very, very different.  Gods plan is perfect and I'm excited to see what he has in store for us.  Maybe another baby in 9 months.  Just kidding.  Seriously, though.  Just kidding. Haha.

Enough for now, I say!  My trail mix is all gone.

See you along the journey--

Alright, enough of that crazy picture below.

...but there's a reason why they call it "wordless Wednesday", right?  The sick part is I've been trying to remember every Wednesday for the past few weeks so I could post it and got disappointed every time I missed it haha.

Today continued the never ending saga of my botched root canal.  I went to the endodonist today where I was tortured and made felt like crap by the assistant.  It started off by her asking me if I brought my x-rays and I said "oh, they didn't fax them over?" and she smirked and said, "you don't fax x-rays".  Oh, okay, sorry.  Didn't know things were hand delivered anymore.  So she turns around and the x-rays are sitting right there on the counter.  Then I'm told I'm going to have to get atleast 5 more x-rays.  So then I get upset because I don't like the radiation, just had an x-ray on the 29th of December and a CT scan the 2nd week of January.  I ask for a few minutes to talk it over with Jared.  I felt like I had no choice (which I didn't because it was either that, or get it pulled, which I probably should have done in the 1st place).  So she comes back in and procedes to anilalate the inside of my mouth cutting it to shreads.  I said, "Ouch, it's cutting me" and she goes "Well we put the same ones in 10 year olds mouths.  You're just going to need to grim and bare it. Now I'm going to have to cut you again".  I'm dead serious.  What a jerk.  Then she proceeds to ask me how my labor was.  What an idiot.  So anyway, they put the clamp on my tooth and I could feel it really bad so they had to numb me.  Then he came back and started to work and the numbing didn't work so they had to do it again.  So he's working and he gets to the end of the root with the file and the pain is excruciating and I scream.  It was the same exact pain I had at the other dentist during the original procedure.  He stops, then does it again.  My whole body starts shaking really bad and I'm crying.  This is why I asked Jared to come with me, but he left because he was afraid the baby was going to fuss (which he didn't :( ).  So there goes x-ray #2 in less than 10 minutes.  So anyway, he can't get the file out that the other dentist broke off in the root of my tooth, he dumped some medicine in the tooth (hole?) and patched it up...only for me to have to come back in a week.  I'm going to become one of those people that needs to be heavily medicated before getting any dental work done.  Before any of this root canal stuff happened, I never minded going to the dentist.  I actually really enjoyed going.  I couldn't understand why people would get so worked up about it, thought they were being sissies, and just needed to get over it. Ugh, I've joined their side.  Oh, and I think I have a cavity, or two, on the other side of my mouth.  Nice.

Stop whining and what's up with Judah T you ask?  Well, he laughed for the first time this week.   Jared had his hands and was making them bop together and he made noises as if he was playing the drums.  His face lit up he had a hugggggge toothless grin and laughed and laughed and laughed.  It was so cute.  He's been in cloth diapers for the past 2 weeks and it's going pretty well.  I swapped with a girl on thebump and just got 2 new ones in the mail today :).

I'm going to have lunch here tomorrow with my good friend, and boss, Michele, my BFF (lol) Valerie, and a neighbor.  Speaking of neighbors, I hate when people spell it neighbour or favourite.  Disgusting.  Back to what I was saying.  I'm going to have lunch here but I have to be there by 12:30, well, I'm going to meet at Val's house at 12 (ish, I'm never on time), so that means I need to leave here at 11:30.  Judah eats at 11.  I don't know how that arrangement's going to work, oh well.

What else?  Hmm, I guess that is it for now.  I'm going to go wake little boy boop from his late evening nap to put him in the bath so I don't need to do that tomorrow morning. Wish me luck. Oy.

See you along the journey--

Wordless Wednesday