Kicking!

Oh my goodness...so I think we have just skipped the "flutter" feelings and went straight to kicking with this one! Baby has been throwing out some subtle jabs already...and I am only 17 weeks today! I don't remember the kicks with Harper until at least 20 weeks, I think it was later then that though. With the belly I am growing and the kicks I finally feel like I am pregnant! :)

Standing & Steps

So a quick recap of the last month with Miss Harper...right after her first Birthday she started to stand on her own (not holding onto anything) then a couple of weeks later she started taking her first steps! She has only taken 4 steps so far, but those steps are getting more and more stable every day! She effortlessly goes from sitting to standing now...it really just amazes me that she hasn't taken off yet! My little girl is growing up, I am so proud!

1st week of work- recap!

I thought some of you out there might be curious how my first real week of work was as a FT Mom and a PT worker in the "real world!" :) Well, I am happy to report that it went very well! I logged in 12 hours of work and was also able to get out of the house and have some fun with Harper too! I am assisting 3 property manager's and pretty much only got work from one of them this week...so if they decide to all give me work at the same time it could be very challenging, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it! :) I would also like to give a special shout out to Harper for taking two 3 hour naps this week, that helped Mama out a lot, thanks baby girl!!! I had some very busy days but I am really enjoying this so far :)

Chile Verde

I finally got around to making my Dad's famous chile verde tonight for dinner...and let me tell you, it was fabulous! It really came out perfectly and it could be easier to make! Tonight we enjoyed it like a stew but tomorrow it's all about chile verde tacos...fresh tortillas, jack cheese and cilantro, yum! And if we still have leftovers they will be going in our breakfast tacos this weekend! Thanks for the recipe Dad!

Moving on...

Well it's official,, Harper has moved on to bigger and better things that don't include my breasts!!! ;) In this last week Harper has self-weaned...she is breastfeeding no more! It's kind of a weird experience not doing it anymore since we have been doing it since we brought her home, but I do feel a new since of freedom in a way! I am so overjoyed that I was able to exclusively breastfeed her for over a year...it was touch and go there for a couple months at the end of the year but we pushed through! So now I get a 6 month break before I will be breastfeeding again, woohoo! I assume those that read my blog already know this but if I missed someone out there, we are pregnant again and expecting in early August! We will find out the sex on 3/16, so stay tuned...we are so excited to be adding to our family!!

Valentine's Day Playdate

Today I hosted a Valentine's Playdate at the house...9 kiddos and their mamas...and boy did we have fun! I baked up some yummy goodies to nibble on while the kiddos played...Cherry Chip Muffins, Chocolate Raspberry Bars and Sugar Cookies with strawberry frosting! We also had a Valentine exchange amongst the babies which was super cute, I made each baby a bag with their name on it and the Valentines were collected in the bags! Overall, I think it was a success, everyone had a good time.

Harper's 1st bag!

Harper's Great Aunt Judy sent Harper the cutest Birthday gift...a personalized tote bag with a tutu sewn on it, adorable! I can already see Harper using it to throw all of her stuff in...thanks Auntie!!!!

Leftovers

My weekly goal lately has been to make at least one dish that I can have for dinner a couple nights, makes life so much easier! This week I made fajitas and we enjoyed chicken fajitas tacos last night and tonight I made a dish with the leftovers that I think turned out pretty darn good. I don't have exact measurements because I just threw this dish together with what I had but you could easily figure that out.

Chicken Fajita Casserole
Leftover chicken fajita meat
Leftover onions & peppers
Whole wheat bowtie pasta
Light sour cream
Small jar of salsa
Low fat shredded mexican cheese
Dash of chile powder and cumin
Crushed tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta to al dente. Chop chicken & veggies to desired size. Toss pasta, chicken, veggies, sour cream, salsa & cheese together and pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle a little cheese on top. Cover dish with foil and bake for 20 mins. Take foil off and top with crushed tortilla and a little more cheese. Broil in the oven until chips are slightly toasted. Enjoy!!

Austin Snow Day

After 2 days of temps not getting out of the 20's...last night we got some of the white stuff...about an inch of it...it was so cool to wake up to white roof tops and white covering everything! After breakfast I suited up Harper in multiple layers of clothing and we headed out to check out our "new" backyard! Harper just kind of sat there and watched Jack run around the yard...eventually she tried some of the snow and as you will see from the pics she was a little startled by the cold! It was fun to introduce her to the snow, it snowed last year but she was an itty bitty baby then, not old enough to know what was going on! Mom and Dad also had a little fun of our own while Harper napped...gotta make a snowman people (even if it's a really small one)! :)