sustenance

Eating healthy is a big deal to me. I kind of slacked while pregnant and I'm not doing that great while nursing (I made chocolate chip cookies on Saturday and a tater tot casserole last night), BUT I do try to get my daily allowance of fruits and vegetables. I has been hard finding time to do that with a newborn though. I feel lucky if I can take a quick shower and eat a bowl of cereal in one sitting.

Anyway, my friend gave me a recipe for a smoothie called the "green drink" and it is fantastic! It incorporates fruits and vegetables in one so I don't have to worry about getting my leafy greens at any other point during the day.

The Green Drink

It's definitely green, but it is good. Here's the recipe if you need an all-in-one drink that covers your food pyramid basics every day.

Place the following ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth:

2 or 3 tbsp almonds
1-2 whole carrots (or baby carrots)
1 banana
½ or whole red apple (Fuji, Braeburn, or whatever is in season)
2-3 kale leaves
1 or 2 handfuls spinach
4-6 frozen strawberries
1 handful frozen blueberries (you can use any kind of frozen or fresh fruit-I use raspberries because they have lots of fiber))
2-3 stalks celery
1 tbsp flax seed (whole or ground)

Liquid: OJ, soymilk, almond milk, or water

Optional:
½ avocado
¼ bunch of cilantro or parsley
1 tbsp raw unsweetened coconut
cucumber or zucchini
Ice (if you use fresh fruit instead of frozen, you will want to add ice)

The Ingredients

Note from my friend: My favorite thing about this is you can leave out whatever you are missing or add any extra veggies you have on hand. Just throw in any veggies that are starting to go bad, like leftover romaine or tomato. In the past, I have added kidney beans, oranges, pineapple, pears, dates, persimmons, (frozen) grapes, fresh ginger, and frozen green beans. I have added both uncooked and leftover cooked oatmeal like we talked about last night. Some concoctions have been a little gross so I usually stick to the tried-and-true recipe above, but there is definitely room for experimentation.

It really is great. I'm going to go make my green drink right now so I'll have some energy before this guy wakes up. I spoke too soon...

The Best Baby EVER

my boys

Photo by Daddy

the day after

Our good friends, Rachel and Grant, visited us in the hospital the day after Winston's birth and Rachel shot a few photos. They are priceless images that we could never have captured ourselves. (This is the same Rachel that shot our wedding. She is super talented and ready to have a sweet baby of her own.)

Winston Kent Sommer
February 1, 2011
7 lbs. 10 oz.
19 inches

We are some lucky parents.

Thank you, Rachel. We really appreciate it.

baby win

Baby Win is here. I can't believe it was only 12 short days ago that this sweet little guy entered our lives. He is a great baby, but wow, having a newborn is much more tiring than I anticipated. Tiring and emotional. Hormones running through my body topped with little sleep. Not the best combination. Thanks goodness I have a patient husband who can handle the ups and downs and who takes the baby at 1 am (or so) feedings. Actually, he takes him anytime he can and encourages me to sleep all the time.

I honestly don't have words to describe the entire experience, but I will always remember the feeling of my baby's wet, warm skin and little cry when he was placed on my stomach. Unforgettable.

The whole thing was tiring and beautiful and we're so grateful for our new little boy.

feeling ready

It has taken me awhile to feel this way, but I am ready for this baby to come. Technically, I have 6 more days until my due date, but I think I am good to go. The house is basically cleaned and organized, loose ends for work are almost tied up, we have a car seat to take junior home in and I simply feel "ready". If you would have asked me 2-3 days ago, I would not have felt that way though.

It took a massive organization session (and maybe a month or two of tossing and turning at night) to get me to this point. Kent and I did some major decluttering on Saturday and I could not have done it without him. Truly, he is my voice of reason when it comes to getting rid of the old. His mantra: "When in doubt, throw it out." It worked wonders for our back room which is now the baby's room. Our space is still limited, but Kent is slowly helping me get over my pack rat tendencies. Who knew I didn't have to save every birthday card I received 5 years ago!

Anyway, back to baby. I am ready and he is ready, at least growth wise. The doctor said she thinks he is currently 8 1/2 lbs. and he has long limbs. I have heard ultrasounds can be off, but he has measured large the entire time so I am expecting something a little on the massive side. Maybe we should call him Maximus? The thought of a big baby is somewhat daunting, but like I said, I feel ready. It is just time.

While I feel prepared for birth, I am not sure where I am at when it comes to bringing baby home. It is difficult to imagine Kent and I as a family of 3 and it is amazing to think we will be responsible for a wee person. I guess the first while will be a lot of sleeping, eating and changing on the baby's part, but it is still child-rearing. Thank goodness I have a wonderful husband and an amazing support system. I am grateful my mom can come down for a few days to show me the ropes. She has done this ten times so she is full of knowledge and experience.

Enough of this rambling and onto walking to hopefully get this show on the road. I can't wait to see what the next couple of days will hold.

new arrival

It's shiny and new with a lot of spunk...

Welcome to our family little Mazda!

Kent has been searching for the perfect car for months and we finally found it--on craigslist none-the-less. I'm so proud of Kent and his perseverance. We don't have any buyer's remorse YET, and we hope that lasts. We (mainly Kent) looked at many cars, but this one won out and just in time because...

This thing is about to pop.

Seriously. Look at that belly?! Scary. Only 10 more days to go.

Excited about our new car and excited to fill it with a new little person.

Now, if we could just figure the car seat out...

no-joke noggin

How would you feel if your doctor told you that your baby's head measured 37 weeks, but you were only 33 weeks along?
Definitely something to ruminate on....