It's Electric

Okay people. I might be 31 years old but I've never really had a place with an electric bill. I've always lived in very small places that usually ran on gas. Let's just say, I've never seen a bill over $40. Today we received our first electric bill for the month we've been here... $162!! What the what?! I had no idea!! How do people afford rent on top of that?! I thought money was tight a couple of days ago. It's not like our apartment is huge. Since receiving the bill, Chris and I have decided to make our home a sweat box and have turned the A/C up to 80 during the day and just run fans. Personally, I can't sleep in 80 degrees so I turned the A/C down to 76 for nighttime. I'm still sweating just sitting here typing! Incredible! I'm hoping the baby will be alright. Fortunately, he's got the coolest room in the house.

Brighter news, I've almost got the freezer cleaned out and I'm ready to plan which meals I'm going to prepare for my experiment in eating cheaper. I've blocked out a day this weekend to plan and prepare.  Honestly I don't have enough to write about this to convey how excited I truly am but I'm very excited! :)

Also, I met with the one woman I know here now and I'm hoping to call a friend soon. Her name is Melaney and she has been awesome enough to invite me out for play dates with the kids. Today we couldn't really chat because her youngest is 19 months and wants to play, play, play (who can blame him). So she was off chasing him around while my son decided the outdoors and fresh air made for a great catalyst for a nap. He did ride in a baby swing for the first time. That's what started the nap! Oh well. We decided we are going to meet at her house next time so we can be indoors and chat and get to know each other. She seems very fun and it will be great to have a friend here. There aren't too many opportunities to meet people when you barricade yourself indoors so you won't spend money.

The new schedule with George seems to be working out. I'm feeding him 4 times a day. His naps are no more than an hour. He gets solids for his lunchtime feeding. He's sleeping wonderfully. Overall it seems to be making him happier so maybe that doctor did know a thing or two. I've torn down all of the temporary bedding since we have the nursery put together. It makes the apartment feel so much bigger. We don't have a dining room table and chairs yet so my goal is to make that area a little play area for George until I have one.  Also, today I entered his photo in a Gerber photo contest. It's not the greatest photo but he's a darn cute kid (everyone says so) so I have every confidence that he will win something.

It's late again so off to bed. Hopefully I cool down some so I can sleep.

Rough Seas

It's been a very rough couple of days. The baby got his vaccines yesterday and he just hasn't been himself since. You can tell he doesn't feel well. He got a huge whelp on his leg from the DTap. He's been running a slight fever around 100 degrees and he hasn't pooped for 2 days. No big cause for alarm. I think the hardest thing to handle is his crying. He's not a cryer except when he's bored usually. I can always get him calm very quickly but the last couple of days I haven't been able to. I'm pretty sure it's the soreness from the injection site. Last night I was thanking God that I moved him to the nursery because he was up off and on. I'm always afraid of him waking Chris but with both the nursery door and our door shut, Chris can't hear him. I keep the baby monitor low.  George has not needed me to come in to soothe him. He gets the job done all on his own. He is just cranky.

The doctor was full of information. He said absolutely no TV for mister. He stated not even in the background, but I don't know about that. I don't use the TV as a babysitter. He has toys that he plays with. Sometimes things will catch his eye and he may watch, but he's with me when he does. It's usually things that have water, like the Olympic swimming that's been on. The doctor says even a little can contribute to ADD/ADHD. I of course did some research online and there are quite a few studies, but most of them attribute it to the parents plopping the kids down in front of the TV for a video and then they go off and do their chores or whatever. I will definitely be more aware of whether or not he watches.  

The doctor also talked about limiting the number of feedings to 4 a day and naps to 2 a day and no longer than an hour each. I'm okay with the sleeping but I told him George can only eat 6 ounces at a time so I was keeping him at 5/day. He said there was no minimum amount of food and if he only eats 6 ounces 4 times a day it would be okay. I'll try it but if that causes him to wake up because he's hungry, I'm going to go with my own instinct and feed him more. The doctor also said that George is at an age where he learns to cry for attention or to get what he wants. "Love him but leave him alone sometimes" is what he told me. Again, I'm not a parent that will interrupt his self soothing but if he cries for more than 15 minutes, I'm not going to listen to it. So far he only cries for long periods of time in the car or stroller when I can't do anything about it. The doctor was friendly enough. I don't really have a choice but to see him because he was the only one accepting new patients with my type of insurance, in the area. I hope when I take George back at his 6 month mark, he listens to me a little more. (When you ask if the baby has diaper rash and I say he's never had it, don't proceed to tell me how to prevent or cure it.) 

George is a very long, skinny baby. I keep waiting for rolls to appear but instead his feet get scrunched in his pj's and I have to cut the feet out so he fits. He's in the 50th percentile for weight (I guess my feeding method has been working) and the 95th percentile for length. I was expecting the doctor to tell me what a bouncy, healthy baby boy I have. Tell me I'm doing a great job. Poke my baby a few times for the vaccines and send me on my way. Instead I felt like all the things I've been doing up to this point have been wrong. I know...I'm going on and on about it. I'm just a teensy bit offended.

This is our first month in our new place and I paid bills for the first time here. Today is the day I realized how short on money we really are. I'm glad I bought those books on how to freeze and stretch the food. We're going to need to. I know once Chris starts making money as a doctor, things will be a little easier. I'm grateful that he had the sense to save some money before he met me. It may be the only thing that keeps food in our mouths and gas in his car. Luckily we have enough for the roof over our head and wares for the baby.

Good night for now.

All Alone

Our son, George, is now 4 months old. We knew we would be moving soon after he was born, so we had waited on purchasing real furniture for him. Up until this point he has been sleeping in a bassinet that fits on top of the Pack n Play we were given. We finally were able to get all of the nursery furniture and accessories put together today and our little guy is spending the night in his very own room for the first time in his life. I'm excited to finally give the fancy video monitor I purchased, a whirl. I have to say, I didn't think this would be as big of a deal as it is now feeling. He's in there right now and I want to go scoop him up and put him back in the bassinet in our room where he is safe with my fiance snoring away next to him. I'll tear down the Pack n Play tomorrow so there is no more temptation.

I still have a bunch of decorating to do in the nursery. We decided to do a dragon theme for him so we have tons of dragon stuffed animals and blankets that somehow need to be displayed. I know I can't keep them in the crib while he's sleeping but I thought I might put them in there during the day. I don't want the crib to look to inviting for the kitties to jump into and snuggle up. I also hate to keep the door shut to keep them out of there. I will if I have to though.

I bought some indoor plants for the first time in years. It's a gamble to keep plants inside because the kitties are so mischievous. I bought some herbs and I'm hoping the smell is not appetizing to them. I guess I'll find out tomorrow if they are lying on the floor when I wake up. I also purchased some shelving that the kitties won't be able to climb on to so, if I have to, I'll put the plants up there. It feels so good to finally be able to purchase some things to make this apartment feel like a home. I have lived on such a temporary basis for so long I didn't realize how nice it would feel to know we don't have to move in a year. In fact I know we're stuck here for a minimum of 2 years whether we like it or not. It really is a great feeling.

Well, it's getting late here. Time for bed.

Family Outing

I'm sad to say that our family outing today only consisted of going to a warehouse store to stock up on the things I need to try my hand at preparing and freezing meals. I am quite pleased with the jumbo sized restaurant quality saran wrap we purchased and the bag of garlic which I hope will last forever.

My son handled the trip about the same way he handles all outings. The only difference is that Chris was with me to see how George handles the outings so that made it that much more stressful. Chris hates when George cries. I'm kinda used to it by now so it doesn't faze me. Let me just say, I've gotta do what I've gotta do regardless of whether or not he's fussing a little. Don't get me wrong, if he was in all out screaming hysterical mode, I would for sure drop what I was doing and console him. I would take him out of the car seat and make sure he was calmed down. He was no where near that level of intensity. He was just a bit fussy to let everyone know that he was tired and not enjoying his journey through the crowded store. This made Chris' stress level rise which made my stress level rise, a touch. I tried to explain to Chris that George was perfectly fine. He's 4 months old and bored. Be proud. That makes him a genius! (doesn't everything they do make them a genius?)  Chris didn't see it that way.

Overall it was a fruitful day. I was able to make a nice homemade meal and even was able to use my new saran wrap to freeze some rolls I actually made the time to make. George and I tried to Skype Nana (my mom) but she got an evil virus not even 3 minutes into our conversation and we had to try to do the rest on speaker phone.

George is really responsive now. He giggles and squeals with delight. He grabs things and brings them right to his mouth and he laughs uncontrollably for what appears to be no reason other than he's happy. I'm excited to take him to the doctors on Monday and have them tell me what a perfectly healthy and happy 4 month old baby he is.

Now that George is getting to be so much fun, it makes me miss my family and friends back home even more. I wish I could share more with them than just the video snippets and pictures I post on Facebook. I'm grateful that we at least have Facebook nowadays to share that much. I feel like I would die without it.

Here's the link to the rolls I made: http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/2011/05/light-and-soft-dinner-rolls/

Here's a pic of the burgers I made with them:

Up To Date

My name is Leslie. I'm not a writer. I'm not funny or witty or a wordsmith by any means. I'm just a new mom on the opposite coast from all of my family and friends, embarking on the biggest journey of my life. My fiance, Chris, is currently in medical school. He doesn't know what type of doctor he wants to be. We have a 4 month old son, George, and three lovely kitties, Sassy, Moo and Samuel. I am staying at home for the first time in my life to balance a small budget and provide a clean, loving and fruitful home for my family.

We recently moved to a suburb of Harrisburg, PA from Erie, PA.   I am originally from Sacramento, Ca and Chris is from Davis, CA. We have been here almost a month and we still have boxes packed with stuff.

Currently I live my life according to my son and a list of things to do on a whiteboard on my fridge. This mom at home job is enjoyable, but new, and there is a definite learning curve. Living off of student loans alone is the second biggest adjustment (the first obviously being a new mom). I'm extremely lucky that my son sleeps through the night (sometimes 10 - 11 hours if I let him), and is relatively happy and go lucky. He is so darn cute and attentive that I hate to miss any play time with him to do chores so I try to squish those in while he's napping (which luckily is often).

I am a foodie at heart. I love food. Not just food but good food. I'll eat it all. Healthy whole grain and vegetables with lots of fruits and water to the not so healthy greasy, bacon and lard filled dishes. I also enjoy rare and adventurous food. Chris doesn't really care for the adventurous so much. My recent endeavor is to learn how to provide wonderful food on a budget. I haven't really had access to a computer for over a year but now that Chris is doing rotations instead of studying over books, I can surf the web. I found a few blogs about making food ahead of time and freezing it so you can eat it later. I purchased the books "Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer", "Don't Panic - More Dinner's in the Freezer" and "Fix - Freeze - Feast". I've decided I'm going to make the things I know and love with the bulk meats I have in the freezer until they are gone and then I'm going to plan my big shopping spree and make some of these dishes. I'm hoping to have great success.

With this blog, I hope to keep track of several events in my life that are all playing out at the same time. The growth of my son, the achievements of my fiance, the advancements of our relationship not only with each other but as parents, and my personal journey of balancing a home and my health.

I cannot guarantee anyone would want to read this blog. I'm purely writing it for myself. I can guarantee there will be grammatical as well as other errors. Like I said in my opening sentence, I am not a writer.

That's it for now. I have to wake the baby up for his last bottle.