Catching Up

I think things are finally back to normal around here. Once I got home, there were some things I needed to take care of. You know, important stuff like:

• go grocery shopping
• do the laundry
• take some Easter photos of Jillian
• order Easter cards
• pick up the apartment
• celebrate a birthday
• watch all the shows I missed on the DVR

The one thing that was lost in all this? My workout routine :( I can tell it has been awhile because my back is starting to ache. I made the decision to go to bed early tonight so I can get up and work out! Except for my birthday, (which I felt I deserved a little slack), I have been tracking my caloric intake. Because I fell off the Metformin bandwagon and am starting the dosage over, I didn't lose as much weight as I thought I would last week. However, things are looking up and I will be doing an update on the Sunday.

Can you believe Easter is less than 2 weeks away?! That seems so crazy to me! Jillian has a follow-up hearing screening on the 3rd, and her 4 month appointment on the 10th of April. It's going to be full, but we can make it :)

We did officially hear on Monday that Phil's defense has been pushed back to May 29th. This is going to make things a little harder for us financially and I'm pretty bummed since I was getting excited about the prospect of a house. I know this just means it'll be later than I wanted, but it was still disappointing. Phil is taking the news well, all things considered. I think he's just so focused on the goal that he's not allowing himself to get too frustrated. That's a better attitude for him to have. Plus, we know that it's May 29th or bust at this point. He won't be able to defend any time after May 31st and we're not sure his job offer would stand if it was any later. I'm sure we'll look back on this time and laugh about how scared and nervous and frustrated we are. We've just got to make it through the next 2 months.

For a lighter note, here's one of the photos I took of Jillian for our Easter photo shoot :)

15 Weeks

Since it's my birthday, what did I want to do? A photo shoot with my favorite gift from last year of course! Jillian is officially 15 weeks old and just as cute as ever! Enjoy :)

{Sweet girl} 

{Eating the Boppy} 

{Oh hi!} 

{Checking out the camera} 

{Feeling a bit timid}

{I sure do love that face!} 

{Eating her hand}

{Strengthening those neck and arm muscles!} 

{You can tell she would rather be crawling} 

{Lift that head girl!} 

{Stilling doing well} 

{A sweet smile...} 

{And she's had enough :)}

I'm hoping to do an Easter photo shoot this Thursday. As long as the weather continues to be wonderful and Phil is able to help a little, it should work out well!

p.s. Thanks to the lovely Mallorie at Happy Home, I have a Picnik replacement! Check out PicMonkey if you do watermarks, or use Picnik for other things since Picnik will be gone starting April 19th. It's still a free service and it has most of the fonts that Picnik had :)

Home Again, Home Again

Jillian and I returned home to Phil late Saturday. We ended up driving a different way home and went through Springdale, AR to get to Tulsa. This added almost an hour of driving and a 5th new state for Jillian. It all worked out at the end though :) In the end, we logged roughly 2,484 miles and 42 hours of driving time. Worth it? You bet! The weather cooperated the entire drive home and I did get to see a little blue Minnesota sky before I left town. It was a great, (and much needed), trip and I'm so thankful everuthing went fairly well. Jillian was only a little fussy a few times and still slept like a doll. Here are a few photos from the end of our trip.

{We bought Jillian an infant-to-toddler rocking chair for my parents house. I really like this one and Jillian seemed to enjoy having it :)} 

{For Jillian's 4th state, we drove to Baldwin, WI to visit my mom at work. You could tell Jemma was quite proud of Miss Jillian} 

{Thursday night, my dad and I took Jillian to Acapulco in Maplewood for dinner. It was my first time to eat there and it was really good!}

{Posing outside of my folks house, (with her special pink Minnesota boots), before we headed to Kansas City on Friday}

Today was a little rough on us in terms of Phil's school, but I tried to still enjoy the day because it's my birthday :) I was reminiscing about last year and the fact that I was already carrying Jillian even though I didn't know it yet! I asked Phil to hold any major celebration until my half birthday due to our financial situation. However, he and my parents made sure I had a special day!

 {Tulips from my parents!}

 {Birthday cards from Jillian and Phil with special birthday coupons :)}

{Tulips from Phil, (do you see a theme here? =P), and candy from my in-laws} 

{My birthday "cake" - 4 cupcakes from Gigi's!}

{From left to right from top: Italian Cream Wedding Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, Merry Margarita, and Lava Love}

Up in the Great {Brown} North

Greetings from Minnesota! We got here safe and sound on Saturday night, but we have had a whirlwind since. I'll tell you what's up.

Friday, Phil and I drove up to Kansas City and met my folks. We spent the night with family, and rested up for our long trek the next day. Saturday, we dropped Phil off at the KC airport to fly home and then headed up I-35. We got to White Bear Lake around 6:30 on St. Patrick's Day. Overall, Jillian did wonderful in the car! We had someone with her in the back seat at all times and she wasn't too fussy. She was only fussy if she was hungry or wet. It did not mess up her night sleep schedule whatsoever, but it did mess with her eating. She would eat fine in the morning and before bed, but her feedings in the middle of the day were low amounts. Since we traveled, these are the only pictures we got of Jillian on her first St. Patrick's Day.

 {Looking like she had a green beer herself}

{So over it mom!}

On our trip from KC to White Bear Lake Saturday, my mom got a call saying my grandma had fallen and broken her hip pretty severely. We thought about visiting her before, but I definitely wanted Jillian to meet her after that. On Sunday, we packed up again and headed to Sioux City and got to my aunt's house around 7:30 p.m. The next day, (yesterday), we went to the hospital to see my grandma. We didn't stay long because we needed to head home, but we did get a picture of the 4 generations :) Jillian is the 5th great-grandchild for my grandma and the 4th great-granddaughter. I may be biased, but she is the cutest one :) It sounds like the surgery was successful for my grandma, but she has fallen a few times in the past 2 or 3 years and her next fall could really do some major damage. We're hoping she'll continue to surprise us and heal quickly.

{4 Webb generations}

We got home around 6 last night, before all the major rain hit the Twin Cities. Today we had a leisurely morning before visiting my dad at his newly renovated office! It's been done for awhile, but it was my first chance to see it in person.

 {Chilling on the floor while the staff oohed and aahed over her}

 {Our family in dad's new office}

 {Obviously the excitement was too much for little Jilly}

{My dad's bobble head collection now includes one of him!}

{Left to right: John Calvin, Jesus, and Chaz}

After that, my mom and I did a little shopping at Kohl's, started some laundry, and now we're relaxing. I miss Phil, but we have Skyped twice now so that has been nice. No big plans for tomorrow since both my folks have to work. Friday we'll make the trek back to KC which will include picking Phil up from the airport. By Saturday we'll be home again.

I am very thankful that I get to see my folks and so happy Jillian got to meet my grandma. By the end of this trip, she will have met 9 extended family members on my side, visited 3 new states, and traveled over 40 hours. Of course she won't remember any of it, but I sure will :)

Hope y'all are having a great week so far!

Tomorrow's Another Day

Today was rough yet again.

Basically Phil's defense will be pushed back 4 weeks for the moment. I'm praying it is not pushed back any more! We also got a nice surprise involving insurance, (read: sarcasm). They told our pediatrician that there were not even covering Jillian's hospital stay! That of course really upset Phil. He said he'll take care of it while Jillian and I are out of town. I just hope it isn't too much of a struggle. He has enough on his plate right now. Jillian was also not a super happy girl for about 80% of the day. If that means tomorrow's road trip will be easy, then I'll take it.

However, that 20%? It was the highlight of my day week year :)

See for yourself... {and please don't judge the mommy that still in her pajamas}

Sinking Sand

I'm pooped.

Not only am I trying to get the apartment ready for the big Minnesota trip, but we've had some really emotional ups and downs the past four days. I'm emotionally spent because it's all or nothing. I either have a fantastic day, (like yesterday with our play date with Miss Ashley and Addi Claire, the crib coming in several days early, and Jillian being very playful), or a really awful day, (like Monday and today with our closet smelling like pot again, Jillian is in an awful mood, and Phil gets disheartening news about his defense/dissertation).

I honestly just need to give all of this to God. I cannot handle all of it and I am just making myself sick with worry. I just want Phil to be able to accomplish his goal. I want to get my long to-do list done. I want Jillian to be a happy girl. I want our road trip to be successful. Holy Moly I have a lot on my plate.

Deep down, I know it's going to work out. However, I'm just so overwhelmed being in the middle of it that I can't see the positive. And honestly? Sometimes I worry that I'll jinx everything by being positive. I know that sounds stupid, but I've always been like that.

To end on a happy note, here are two photos I snapped yesterday of Miss Jillian yesterday before our walk by the lake.

{Miss Cool} 

{I'm sure this will embarrass her someday, but it's awesome for me :)}

Jillian: {Three Months}

Jillian –

You are three months old today! Welcome to infancy my darling. You are no longer considered a newborn :)

According to our measurements at home, and a special weighing appointment at the doctor’s office this past Friday, you are 10 lbs, 10 oz and 23 inches long.

I packed up all of your newborn size clothes as of last week. It was a little sad for me, but you were ready. Depending on the brand, some 0-3 Month and 3 Month clothing can either be too big or just about the right size. You usually let us know when something’s too small by being fussy while we change you. You wear size 1 diapers.

As far as feedings go, we have you at 4 feedings a day and eat between 24 – 27 ounces total for the day. Your low day seems to be Friday, which is interesting to us. You are exclusively on Similac Advance formula. You have become a great burper! Sometimes we just have to sit you upright and you do it for us.

You are still taking Zantac twice a day for your reflux. I can usually tell when you’re having some reflux. You will cough a little and swallow a bit while the area around your eyes get a little red. You may be a little bothered, but you recover fairly quickly.

Bath time is so much fun for you! We actually bathe you every other night, but we’ll do a bubble bath the other nights. You’re really enjoying splashing and stretching your legs as far as they will go.

You are still such a sweet baby. You met lots of family members during your first trip to Tulsa recently and they ALL commented about how wonderful you are. You smiled for them and did really well. Even when you were getting tired, you acted like a sweetie.

Later this week, we will be traveling up to Minnesota to see your Jemma and G-Chaz! It will be quite a trip, but I'm pretty confident you'll be great. You may even get to meet your great-grandmother on my side of the family!

You are REALLY close to rolling over! We’re just waiting as patiently as we can ;) You have laughed a few times and we just love it!!

The Bumbo seat was not a favorite of yours the first few times, but you enjoy it now! You like to sit up and look all around. You also still love watching the ceiling fan when it’s turned on. You’re a very curious baby.

Sleep is great! You sleep between 7 ½ and 10 hours at night. We definitely lucked out with that. Of course, it was nothing we did. Thank you for loving sleep baby girl! As far as naps go, you catnap throughout the day, but nothing set in stone.

As of last week, you love to play peek-a-boo, but only if you’re in the mood. You let us know if you’re tired of playing by staring at us like we’re nuts.

Tummy time is not a favorite of yours. You might move a little, but you mostly cry or fall asleep. You can lift your head if we lay you across our chest, but you don’t enjoy doing it on the floor.

Your daddy and I love watching you grow and look forward to what the next month will bring :)

Here are a few outtakes:

{Achoo!} 

{We had a hard time focusing this morning lol}

{Getting closer to smiling for the camera} 

{And her newest sassy look ;)}

For fun, here is a comparison for her first 3 months:

These are from yesterday after church. We dressed her up in her runner-up Easter dress and tried out her Easter hairbow. She looked so cute! I wanted to post these yesterday, but I thought 3 posts in one day was a little excessive :)

{The whole outfit} 

{Her cute shoe socks}

{I love this face! It's very much like her mama ;)} 

{Daddy got a smile out of her}

Italian Sausage Rigatoni

We had another quick and easy meal this week! I'm pretty sure it came from an ad for Johnsonville sausage, but it was still a hit with us. Again, if I made any changes to the recipe, I make note of it with italics.

Italian Sausage Rigatoni

Ingredients
1 pkg (19.76 oz)  Johnsonville Italian Mild Sausage Links, grilled and coin-sliced
1 pkg rigatoni pasta
3 Tbsp olive oil (We used vegetable oil because we are out of olive oil)
2 cloves of garlic, minced (We used about 3 cloves because we love our garlic)
1 large red pepper, chunked and sauteed (We omitted this)
1 jar (26 oz) of your favorite pasta sauce (After the Spaghetti Sauce Affair, we used 3 - 8 oz cans of tomato sauce that we spice ourselves)
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped (We omitted this)


Directions
1. Cook sausage according to package directions, keep warm.
2. In a large pan, place oil and garlic, saute lightly for 30 seconds. Add peppers and cook until crisp-tender. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.
3. Combine cooked sausage and pasta sauce with peppers and heat until warm. Mix with the pasta or serve separately. Top with parsley. Serve warm.


Enjoy!

{Italian Sausage Rigatoni}