We moved!  Follow us at TheYunges.com

Meal Planning, Giving It A Go!

After eating at home almost all the time now, we were terrible at it! We went almost each day to the grocery store to pick up something and we always had the 5 o'clock rush of what's for dinner tonight. Needless to say, with Zoe, it was way too much! I decided to give meal planning another go. I've tried it before, and I have gotten frustrated. It's a lot of work. I plan, I shop, I cook, and usually I clean because I don't like to have a sink full of dishes. That is way too much work!

Kent and I discussed, if I plan, shop, and cook, he will do the cleaning! I'm in! Sunday I tried my first go at it, and it went swimmingly! I went to the grocery once on Sunday, and technically once yesterday (but that was to use a gift certificate at Foods for Living!). It's now Friday, and we've made it with plenty to spare! We made a shrimp gumbo, a whole roast chicken, egg salad, a veggie pasta mix, and we have chicken to grill out tonight, if the weather holds out! It has been great! I even made homemade chicken stock with the left over whole chicken! I feel like superwoman this week!

On a side note, at Foods for Living, I got the yummiest spread ever! It's called Speculoos! It's made with cinnamon sugar cookies! It's kind of like Nutella, only better! If you haven't tried it... you should! I love it on bananas, toast, and I can't wait to try it on so much more! Yum!

Wet Bed!

We had our very first wet bed this morning! Zoe didn't sleep well last night, as in up at 12, 2, 4, 5, 6... and then at almost 7 I was frustrated so I reached over (because I slept with her upstairs... I was exhausted from going up and down the stairs 15 times!) and her butt was wet...

I then opened my eyes and realized that not only was her butt wet, but her pj's and the bed was soaking wet! Gross! Well I guess that means it's time to do the sheets, give Zoe a morning bath, and start our day nice and early! What a morning! I'm sure it's not going to be the last wet bed, but phew! that was a lot of work this morning!

Nursery

Finally :) We were a little delayed in finishing Zoe's nursery! Between unplanned c-sections, infections, and being new parents... we've had a lot on our plates! At least that is our excuse anyways! We finally finished up Zoe's nursery! Here are a few pictures to enjoy! AJ and I made the curtains, Uncle Joe put together the crib, and Dad made the closet shelves! We had tons of fun putting it all together! Thanks everyone for all the help! The beautiful Zoe picture frame is from Grandma and Papa. I made the underwater alphabet! I know, who would have thought I'd be artistic! Thanks Etsy for the great idea! Dad painted the whale (which still needs it's sprout that I painted, so that is still to come!)

16 Weeks

So all last week I was singing.. You are 15 going on 16... I couldn't get it out of my head! It was a rough week to say the least! Zoe has been teething, as in lots of slobber and chewing on everything in sight, but that all came to fruition this past week. It was terrible! Zoe, my perfect sleeper, my perfectly content baby, my unbelievably easy baby was no more! She was fussy, and clingy, and really needy all week. It wouldn't have been bad except for the fact that she also didn't sleep! No more morning naps. Maybe one hour in the afternoon, MAYBE! And she was getting up between 2-6+ times a night. Needless to say I am one tired momma! At least she is still smiling, it is really the only thing that keeps me going some days! She fusses and then smiles, like she is saying, where did you go? Oh there you are (with a very large smile!) It just melts your heart and makes me feel like I can get through anything!

Anyways, today is a new day. I know I'm late for her Sunday 16 weeks, but HURRAY! Zoe is sleeping! As in she has been sleeping since 1 and it's now almost 4! I am not going to jinx it, but I really needed this time :) Thanks Zoe! We didn't do too much last week because of our fussy baby. We really just stayed in and tried to get back on schedule (yeah right!) after our trip up north. The weekend was wonderful, we got a few things done around the house, but it was so wonderful to stay home after being gone so much this summer! I do love traveling in the summer, and we always feel like we need to make the most of it, but it was amazing to not have any plans!

Here are a few pics from this week! Zoe tried sitting in her Jumper - she loves it! and we also set up her exersaucer! Now that she has more head control, she really likes them. She's not quite ready to play on her own, but she enjoys something new to try! Videos to come soon! She also now has two bottom teeth! They have pushed through and are coming in quick! Just like her momma :) Enjoy!

Can you see the slobber? 

A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words

Toothbrushes and Hugs

So yesterday I had to run to Meijer to pick up Zoe's first toothbrush and toothpaste. I called the doctor after she started cutting teeth and they said to start brushing now! I picked out the one and only tooth brush for ages 0-2 and looked at the million different different types of toothpaste and was really at a loss. Most of them looked like they were not swallow safe even though they were training toothpastes or kids toothpastes. I figure I'll ask next week at our 4 MONTH check up to see what the doc recommends. Until then we will try just brushing to get Zoe used to it. She does great! I think it feels good on her two bottom teeth that are coming in :) She smiles and giggles when we brush! Hurray! Hopefully it will be this easy when we add toothpaste too...

On another note, I got my first hug last night! It was 5 am and Zoe was hungry and I was very tired. I went up to get her and was exhausted. Once I got in her room she gave me a big smile and was so happy just to see me. It was a pick me up for sure. However, as soon as I picked her up she squeezed her arms around my neck in a hug like fashion! It was amazing and really made me feel much better for being up in the middle of the night (and after going to bed so late... not until after 11 pm!). I was still tired, but the hug made me smile and forgot about how tired I was for a while! I love you Zoe! Thanks for the hug!

15 Weeks Old

What a week! Between going to visit Kim, Tim, and Theressa down at their new house, to our first babysitter, to our very first trip up to the island. It was amazing! After book club on Wednesday, we all crashed and got up early (5 am early!) to head out for the island. We figured it would be easier not to interrupt Zoe's sleep schedule as we headed up north. Of course it was during a huge storm and the driving for the first hour was terrible!

Luckily the storms ended and we had a nice and easy drive the rest of the way. Zoe slept the entire time :) We had our first trip over the Mackinaw Bridge and our first ferry ride! Zoe did great! We even had our first motor boat ride! Zoe did great on the island for the long weekend and we had a blast with Mimi, Papa, AJ, Uncle Dan, Uncle Joe, Uncle Ron, Aunt Lori, Liz, Matt, and Andrew. It was tons of fun! We even enjoyed the island party that my parents hosted this year. It was wonderful!

We came home on Sunday and didn't get such an early start, but timed our trip around Zoe's afternoon nap. She didn't sleep very well while we were up north, but she slept the entire ride home! Thank goodness :)

Here are her 15 week pictures, and a video of our first time catching her roll over... gotta love the smile at the end! So proud of our little squirt!

First Babysitter

We did it! Our first babysitting experience with Zoe! Wednesday Kent goes golfing with his league. This is great, except for once a month when I have book club on Wednesdays too. We decided this month to both be out, so we looked for a sitter for Zoe. Our neighbor had offered and we decided to give her a try. I was nervous all week just thinking about it, but really wanted to go to book club (we were discussing Shades of Grey).

All day I worried and stressed about leaving Zoe. We have left her with family, but this was a big step. Our neighbor arrived on time and I was a mess. I just smiled after running through everything (literally everything) and told her it was our first time. She was great and understood :) I handed Zoe over and the crying began. I was crushed. I was upset but was able to leave. As I drove away I kept thinking I should head back, but I knew that it was good for us both. I made it to book club and sat with my phone the entire evening. It wasn't long, the babysitter was only there for two hours before Kent came back home to relieve her. He called me and let me know all was well, except that she didn't take a bottle. She was no longer fussy, but I knew it was time for me to head home. Overall it was a hard experience, but I'm glad we did it. Hopefully Zoe will be back on the bottle soon!

Success!

Zoe is amazing! Kent and I decided it was time for her to venture up to her nursery this week and it was done... seriously, it was that simple! Zoe had spent a few naps up in her crib but up until Sunday she spent each evening in our room in her pack and play or the bassinet from Papa. It was wonderful when she was getting up so many times a night I didn't have to venture up and down the stairs! But it was time, Zoe was sleeping longer and was really starting to interrupt my sleep because I'd hear every movement and think I needed to get up to check on her. So for the first night ever, Zoe slept in her crib Sunday night! It was a major success. She went down around 9 pm and slept until 5 am!!!!! That's eight hours and it was amazing! I wasn't quite ready to leave her so I slept in the guest room next to the nursery just in case :) Needless to say I was the only one up and checking on her throughout the night, but Zoe did great! At 5 she was hungry and then went right back to bed until 9:45 am! What a sleeper!

We tried it again last night and again Zoe went down around 9 and slept until 5! I got up to nurse her at 5 and she took a little longer to fall back to sleep but she was out and slept again until 9 am :) I even slept back downstairs in the master! It was wonderful! I think she slept better in a bigger crib (she was hanging out of both of the other sleeping arrangements in our room) and it was much quieter upstairs! Hurray! Zoe is seriously the best, most easily adaptable, and content baby ever! :)

Updated To Do List

Well it only took a year... but here is our updated house to do list with some of the things we have started and or finished :) Yes the closet has been cleaned, but somehow it got messy again! So it's back on the to do list! (I think it always will be on there!)

1. Master Closet - organize

2. Master Bedroom - find a bed set including night stand tables, and a dresser

-we got a new night stand table and a dresser from Ikea, Kent is making the headboard! 

3. Kitchen - organize pantry and rethink some locations of kitchen tools etc

4. Living Room - find a coffee table and maybe a cute table for behind the couch? add some cute decorations for above the mantle, add a picture on the large wall

-we found a beautiful picture from Home Goods (love that store) it fills the large wall and brings some color into the room! 

5. Mud Room - find cute baskets for the top shelf, find placemat/trays for dirty shoes below, organize the two closets

6. 1/2 Bath - Find a mirror that fits above the sink, maybe add a picture on the other wall?

-Yeah! First thing completely crossed off! We found a picture at Home Goods and a mirror at Home Depot

7. Front Hall - Find a rug for the area, find an entrance table add some pictures

-We are on a roll! Thank you again Home Goods for the rug, table, and accessories, we got the picture frames from Hobby Lobby

8. Office - find a desk? add bookshelves? add some filing cabinets? really not sure yet

9. Bedroom 1 - move dresser from master closet to bedroom?

10. Bedroom 2 - find a duvet that matches the room

-This became the nursery which we are still putting the final touches on!

11. Bedroom 3/teacher room - organize stuff, get closet organizers to help with clutter

-I did organize the closet and the books! Hurray!

12. Upstairs bathroom - get a rug for below the sinks, add some cute decorations

-We found a picture and I even painted a picture for in the bathroom, slowly coming along!

13. Upstairs hallway - add some pictures to the wall

14. Upstairs closet - organize with all linens

15. Basement finished side - no plans yet, more to come

16. Basement unfinished side - add laundry organization and place to fold laundry, organize storage

17. Garage - organize with workbench, tool storage, tall lockable cabinet for chemicals, maybe bike storage, recycling storage and set up

-We got a workbench, cabinet, and some shelving... now if only Kent would put things away! 

So, we are slowly making progress here :) We are also looking to add a few things to our list

18. Back yard - redo deck, add patio, maybe convince Kent we need a pool :)

19. Play room - set up the basement for Zoe!

14 Weeks!

Another week, and what a busy one! Monday, Zoe and I went over to Grandma and Papa's to pick up Petoskey. They watched her for us when we ran to Ohio last weekend. It was wonderful and we even got to go out to lunch! Zoe was much better this time compared to our last journey out with them :) Tuesday through Thursday Zoe and I went to Mimi and Papa's house so that I could work to finish my last paper for my Masters! Hurray! Mimi watched Zoe while I worked to finish my paper. I finished early so we got some shopping in too :) It was our first trip without Kent, but we all did great. Zoe didn't sleep very well but we have been to a lot of new places in the last few weeks so I'm sure she's just out of her routine.

Kent was very happy to see us Thursday evening and we relaxed and worked around the house this weekend. It's amazing how quickly the house can become a mess! It felt great to start to clean it up! Zoe is doing much better sleeping again, and she is moving up to her nursery for the first time tonight! Pictures of the nursery to come - the nursery is still getting its finishing touches because Zoe had been in our room so far.

Fourteen weeks! Zoe loves her owl toy from AJ and she has found that she can scream, and I mean an ear piercing scream! She does it when she is happy and Kent and I hope it's just a phase! She also has found out that if she starts fussing we come over to her to see what's wrong and she gives us a very big smile! She just wants us to pay more attention to her :) Too cute! Enjoy her photos from this week!

3 Months and 13 Weeks

Zoe is three months old and time is flying by! We spent the day enjoying finally being back home after a wonderful week of vacationing in northern Michigan and in Ohio too! We spent the week with family and there is no better way to spend your time :) We went down to Ohio to see Jaclyn and Dan on Friday and then we were off to Liz's graduation party on Saturday. Tons of fun!

Zoe is starting to enjoy tummy time, but only for a few minutes. She is holding up her head all the time now. Zoe loves talking, she is always talking to us and smiles every time she sees us :) Check out these three month photos! Thank you AJ for the beautiful blanket! Zoe loves it! I love the pic of Zoe talking to her monkey :)

12 Weeks Old

We didn't forget up north, I remembered to pack the monkey and a cute outfit for Zoe's 12 week old photo shoot! Zoe is really starting to laugh more often. Grandma Gayle and Aunt Kelly got giggles out of her all weekend. Even Kent got some giggles when he would bounce her on the bed :) Zoe is much more vocal this week. She babbles all the time, and will really let out a scream if she is tired or hungry. Luckily she isn't fussy, just a few cries to let you know she wants something. Zoe had her first trip up north to Lake Ann and Traverse City. We saw the Cherry Festival, but didn't venture in with her this year because it was too hot. She is getting really close to rolling over and gets frustrated on her play mat when she doesn't quite roll all the way. Zoe has great head control and is starting to enjoy being in her Bumbo chair and sitting up on anyone's lap! She's getting so big!

Lake Ann Adventures

What a wonderful long week up at Lake Ann. Kent, Zoe, and I headed up to northern Michigan on Thursday after Kent got out of work. We stopped first to pick up our canoe and strap it to the car... I was thinking we were absolutely crazy with a baby, a dog, a car full of stuff, and a canoe strapped to the car, but we made it! Zoe did great for the long car ride and we made it up to Lake Ann that evening.   Kelly and the girls were already there! We got up on Friday and Grandma Gayle and Papa Gary joined us that afternoon along with Chad, Patty, and Luka close behind. It was so wonderful to have everyone together again!

I made chicken tacos (thanks Pinterest!) for dinner. I also brought up a quadruple batch of cookies that were enjoyed all week! I even made up some spring rolls the following day for a snack :) Tons of fun getting back into cooking. Thanks again Sam for all the help making spring rolls and cookies!

We spent the week enjoying the lake and family! We made it into Traverse City for one day, but with the Cherry Festival and the heat, we didn't stay long. I did get a big pink sun hat for Zoe and a few charms for my Pandora bracelet. Thanks Kent for my wonderful mother's day present! I love my "Mom" charm! Even Kent enjoyed the shopping and bought a pair of sunglasses! We all met up for lunch at a pizza place in town and then we were off again. We found a life jacket for Petoskey and were headed back home shortly after lunch.

I got to help Grace and Libby try water skiing on the lake! It was wonderful. We tried last year and both girls were really close, but they didn't get up. We tried again and Grace got up and was able to do it all on her own! Libby was really close and will definitely have it next summer! Both girls worked hard and I had a blast jumping in and helping them learn to ski!

On our last night up north, Grandma and Papa offered to watch Zoe and Luka so we could go out to dinner. Chad, Patty, Kent and I jumped at the opportunity and ran into Traverse City. We enjoyed a new brewery with very good flat bread pizza, and then we stopped for ice cream on the way home at Moomers! My favorite! It was a great night out! Thanks Grandma and Papa :)

Zoe did get to put her feet in Lake Ann for the first time, but she stayed out of the sun for the rest of the trip. Enjoy the pictures below!

4th of July

Zoe's first fourth of July was wonderful! We went into Clio for the third and fourth and it was great to spend the holiday with family! Tuesday we packed up and headed over to Kent's parents house. We ran out to dinner in Frankenmuth! We ate at Tiffany's and had a delicious pizza dinner. Only one problem, Zoe decided she wanted nothing to do with being out. As soon as we sat down she was fussy and cried the entire time. I even tried to go out to the car to nurse her and that helped temporarily but as soon as we were back in the restaurant she was upset again. Papa Gary and I took turns holding her and eating. Needless to say it was a quick meal at a unbelievably slow restaurant :) We headed back to their house and enjoyed a much quieter evening.
For the fourth, Zoe wore an adorable outfit (picture to come soon). We didn't catch any fireworks, but we had a blast with Kent's family celebrating with a delicious cookout. Kent made pork tenderloin and his famous potatoes. It was delicious. We headed back home that evening because Kent had to work on Thursday. Looking forward to his week off starting on Friday and seeing Chad, Patty, and Luka who are coming in on Thursday evening!

Sorry for the delay in pictures :) Thanks Gayle and Kelly for the wonderful pics!

11 Weeks Old!

Zoe is amazing! She is sitting up in her portable high chair and her Bumbo seat! She holds her head up and is even playing with her toys while she is in the Bumbo! It's so much fun watching her learn! The portable high chair is set up so Zoe can watch what I'm doing in the kitchen and she loves it, she follows me around while I cook :) She even started laughing last night for her 11 week old birthday! It was such an amazing sound. Kent and I were watching a movie and Zoe was working on falling asleep... She kept smiling at me and I kept giggling and smiling back at her. She was being bashful and she'd smile and then hide her head in my arm, so I tried tickling her neck to see what she'd do because she was being so silly. She let out a giggle! Kent paused the movie and we sat there and tickled her neck to make her laugh for a few minutes. I was laughing and crying because I can't believe how big she is getting so fast. It was an amazing milestone! Of course as Kent got out the camera to video tape it, she decided to pose for the camera and stop laughing. Seriously, she froze in the same beautiful smile and looked at the camera for her picture! Silly girl, we have to teach her about the video feature :) Enjoy the pictures and the video of her sitting up! Bonus bath time picture, and I even made the 11 week old pictures!

Sam and Lesi's visit

What a week! Sam and Lesi flew in for the long weekend on Thursday and Zoe and I went to pick them up at the Grand Rapids airport. We drove back and grabbed breakfast at a local restaurant. It was fun and Lesi really liked seeing Zoe. After that we ran to Meijer and I got the first taste of what it would be like to have a zero and a two year old... no thanks! Lesi was tired after flying and had several temper tantrums while at the store. Plus Zoe was tired and fussy trying to stay awake so she wouldn't miss anything. It was wonderful getting out of there and back home where both girls fell asleep! Sam and I enjoyed catching up during nap time! After the girls woke up we had a quick dinner and then we were off to feed the ducks at MSU and get some ice-cream from Tasty Twist (the Dairy Store was already closed on campus). Tons of fun, but it was still really hot out!
On Friday we got up and headed out to Impression 5, a children's museum here in Lansing. The building was crazy hot, so we spent most of our time in the smaller room for kids 0-4 years old. Lesi had a blast playing and Zoe took her morning nap :) We went home and the girls both napped. We stayed in for the rest of the evening and played with the girls!
Saturday we went shopping because a trip with Sam is never complete without some retail therapy. Our plan was a few stores, but we made it to two :) At least we got to shop! Then we ran back to Meijer to pick up some yummy things to make chimichangas, cookies, mee hoon, and spring rolls. We had a blast cooking and freezing all the yummy meals for Kent and I!
Sunday we ran to the zoo in the morning and then out to lunch at Traverse Pie Company. It was a lot of fun! The best part was Lesi watching the lions. We told her if she roared at them they would roar back... she roared and a few tries later they roared back by chance. She looks back at Sam and I, said "Oops" and then jumped into Sam's arms saying "They are going to kill me"! It was so funny. Everyone around us erupted into laughter. The poor cat just had a hair ball, but Lesi thought she was going to get eaten! After a fun few days, David came to pick them up and they were on their way up north for a few more days. Thanks for all the fun Sam and Lesi! Until our next adventure!

10 Weeks Old

Playing catch up here! I feel behind with the posts while working on my last Masters class, getting ready for Sam and Lesi to be here, and all kinds of better excuses. I'll be catching up soon and lord knows I'll fall behind again :)
Zoe and I had a busy week, we ran into the office on Monday for Toni's baby shower. On Tuesday we had our appointment with Ethan Allen (total bust by the way!), Wednesday was a day with Grandma Gayle, Thursday we got Petoskey groomed, and on Friday we had lunch with Holly and her new baby boy Austin! AJ then came up to visit from Friday to Saturday. It was great to see her and visit! Saturday after AJ left, I went for my postnatal massage. It was much needed and wonderful! Except when it stated they were having a yard sale at the Greenhouse Birth Center so it was crazy noisy and they had kids playing inside the building - not so relaxing hearing the screaming kids! At least they were cleaning up and left quickly after my massage started! It was so nice to get pampered for a few minutes!

Zoe and I had a great week! She's really following us when Kent or I are in the room, even smiling all the time for both of us! It is so rewarding to see that smile! Here are her 10 week pictures!

Over the river and through the woods...

Yep, you guessed it... to Grandma's house we went! Today was Papa's birthday so he went up north for a golf outing with his friends. Grandma Gayle was home, so Zoe and I went over to visit for our long day. (Wednesdays are really long because Kent has golf right after work so he doesn't get home until 9 or later). We had a blast! We got out a new play-mat for Zoe and she really enjoyed it! We even made it out to lunch in Flushing. The lunch was great, but Zoe's car-seat didn't fit on the upside down highchair like everyone else's. So she wanted nothing to do with being on the floor so I held her. This was fine until Zoe decided to have a blowout on my lap. Note to self, always pack extra clothes for Zoe... and for me too! YUCK! After a quick change in the bathroom we were both good to go and enjoyed the rest of lunch.

After lunch we went back home and Grandma offered to watch Zoe so I could go shopping! It was wonderful and much needed retail therapy! I only picked up a few things, but it was so nice to run out for an hour and half on my own :) We visited for the rest of the afternoon and suddenly it was six o'clock and time for us to head home to get Zoe ready for bed. It was a wonderful afternoon with Grandma Gayle. We hope to do it again soon! Thanks Grandma Gayle for a wonderful day!

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling...

Zoe is 9 weeks old! Today for Father's Day, Zoe rolled over for the first time! Since she was five days old she could roll onto her side from her back, but today she rolled all the way onto her stomach! Twice!!! We had gone to Grandma and Papa's house for the weekend and really enjoyed spending time with our family! We were sitting on the couch enjoying watching Zoe, when she decided it was time to roll. Don't worry, she rolled into the couch and we were sitting right there so she wouldn't roll off. I was having a terrible bought with allergies so I had just run to get a kleenex when Zoe rolled over for the first time. Go figure! I was crushed. I came back to everyone cheering and clapping for her! Luckily, Zoe decided to try it again. I was so proud of her! She is amazing each and every day! Below are her 9 week old pictures :) The first picture, Zoe is looking up at Mommy because I was making silly noises to get her to look at the camera... so close! At least she was looking for the second picture!

For Father's Day, Zoe and Kent took a nap on the floor :) Enjoy!