Welcome Jack Dalton Burleigh

Forgive me for the delay in posting, but as you can imagine we have been a bit busy these past few weeks!  We welcomed Jack Dalton Burleigh into our family on 12/16/2011 @ 3:25AM, he weighed 7lbs 10oz and was 21 inches long.  I went in to the labor and delivery department at 10:30PM and he arrived just short of 5 hours later.  I had an easy labor and he came out so quick he was quite bruised :(  We stayed in the hospital for a night and were released home on Saturday with a bili blanket and instruction to follow up on his bilirubin levels on Sunday, as he was at a pretty high risk for jaundice due to the bruising.  On Sunday his levels were elevated but not too terribly high to require hospitilization for treatment of his jaundice.  We repeated his levels on Monday, Tuesday and being that on Wednesday his levels were still rising we were admitted to the Special Care Nursery for quadruple bank bili light therapy.  I was lucky enough to be able to stay in a room right near the nursery and made visits every 3 hours to feed Jack or deliver freshly pumped milk.  On Thursday we were released home and thus far his jaundice is still slightly present but nothing to be concerned about.  

As for the rest of the family, Brian and I are so thrilled to have Jack in our lives, he is so precious!  Addison and Kennedy are proud big sisters and want to hold and kiss Jack every chance they get.  We are one lucky family!

A Visit w/ Santa & Cousin Pics

Today I took the girls to visit Santa at the Clackamas Town Center Mall.  The girls were first in line, they were there even before Santa arrived (yay for not waiting in an hour long line to see Santa!!!).  The girls did very well, they snuggled with Santa and told him that they wanted LaLaLoopsy (sp?) dolls (little do they know they will be getting them for Christmas already!) and Kennedy wants a new dress.  After our lovely visit with Santa, we strolled to the other end of the mall to Picture People for our portrait session with the rest of the Burleigh kids, Cooper, Hudson, & Madelyn.  All in all the kids did very well, considering it is a lot to ask to have 5 kids from 3 weeks to almost 5 years old to sit and pose for various pictures, especially when there are so many fun props in the room to play with!  We were able to get a pretty good photo of all of the kids in a timely fashion.  I must say I am getting a little tired of all our portrait sessions lately, but 'tis the season ;)

Thanksgiving 2011

Brian and I were pleased to host Thanksgiving at our house this year.  Brian was excited to make the turkey, stuffing, apple pie & many other sides, while I prepared the mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and gluten free pumpkin pie.  I must say that our cooking went off without a hitch!  Everything turned out as planned and in a timely fashion.  We were joined by Cheryl (Brian's mom), Vicki (my mom), Phil & Dianne (my dad & step mom), & Sarah, Chad & Cooper (my sister's family).  We enjoyed a lovely dinner and some nice catching up.  We are thankful to have such an amazing family!  Thank you all for joining us!

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Recipe

Yep, it is that time of year & you all know how much I love pumpkin anything!  So, I had to share my new recipe for pumpkin pie ice cream.  I am so loving this & no, it is not just because I am pregnant, although that probably doesn't help me craving any!  Here is the recipe that I have been using, I prefer it much better than the recipe I was using last year.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree or 1-3/4 cups homemade cooked pumpkin puree, well-draiined
• 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Preparation:

Place pumpkin puree into a strainer lined with cheesecloth for 15 minutes to drain any excess water.

Gently heat heavy cream, white sugar, and brown sugar until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan, stirring often. Do not boil. Remove from heat and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.

Beat drained pumpkin puree, sweetened cream mixture, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, scraping sides often.

Pour mixture into ice cream machine. Start machine and freeze for 20 minutes, or as per manufacturer's recommendations for your machine.

Yield: 1 quart 

Maternity Photo Session

I came across an amazing opportunity this past weekend, I was a maternity model for a wonderful photographer's mentor photo session.  I learned about this opportunity on Facebook and thought, sure, why not!  I hadn't really considered doing this before and was really a bit nervous about it, but her photos are so amazing that I thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.  Also, she normally charges $300 for a session and I got to model for her for free and receive 2-8x10 and 2-5x7 prints of my choosing with the option to purchase more of course.  From the few shots that she showed me, I was very impressed and am so excited to see the results!  She may also need newborn models for the beginning of January, so I may have the opportunity to have Jack model for her.  How fun would that be?! 

Fall Portaits

I decided that I wanted to take the girls to have their pictures in their Halloween costumes this year since they turned out so well.  Then, I figured that since we are members at Picture People and we already had their Holiday dresses why not get a picture of them in their dresses as well!  In the previous post and as our headline picture, you can see the girls in their Halloween costumes.  The above pictures are in their Holiday dresses.  I have to say, I just love their dresses!  I get the Jona Michelle dresses from Costco each Fall, they are a great deal and super cute!

Happy Halloween!

The girls had an amazing time on & around Halloween this year.  Not only did they host a Halloween party, but they also went to a Harvest Party at their new daycare the Friday before Halloween.  At the Harvest Party they enjoyed dinner with their friends all dressed up in their costumes, they played games and won candy, not to mention the girls each won a free class (Kennedy will be taking the music class and Addison will be taking the cooking class).  Then, of course there was trick-or-treating on Halloween!  We rushed home, made a quick dinner and then were joined by Addison's best girlfriend Hazel and her parents to roam the neighborhood for candy.  They only lasted about an hour before the cold brought them back home.  But a good time was had by all!  The girls received many compliments on their costumes and Brian and I received many compliments from the trick-or-treaters on the pumpkins we carved!  The girls are already excited for Halloween next year!

Sewing Extravaganza

I have been spending a great deal of my free time, mostly after the girls are in bed, sewing.  I always make a cuddly soft baby blanket for my babies and for my nieces and nephews, and this time around is no exception!  I like to use 2 different minky fabrics (the ones that are kind of plush and super soft) and 2 different flannel fabrics and try to match their bedding.  Since making my first few blankets I have discovered an easier way to find the matching flannel fabrics that just going to the fabric store, and that is to go to Target, Babies R Us, etc and buy a 4 pack of flannel receiving blankets that match or are the same theme as the bedding.  I first did this for my sister's son Cooper and it turned out really well and have tried to do so since then.  The one thing that I have found in doing this, is that I use 2 of the 4 receiving blankets and then have 2 left over.  Well, this time around I got creative and decided to buy some towel fabric and am making double sided burp cloths and wash cloths/reusable cloth baby wipes.  This has turned out to be a nice use of the extra fabric and they are super cute!  The cloth baby wipes will be especially nice for us since we are doing cloth diapers again with Mr. Jack :)

Halloween Party!

This year we decided to do a Halloween party for the girls, cousins & friends.  It was so much fun!  We decided to keep the party small this year and see how it went with the hopes of doing them in years to come.  I think it was a success!  First we started out with some drink and snacks.  Then, we moved on to games, beginning with a Halloween themed bean bag toss. The next game was pin the tail on the cat and I am pretty sure the kids could see through the "blindfold", because they all pretty much hit the "x" on the cat.  The last game we did was bob for apple slices and that I think was the funniest of all!  First of all, Brian thought we should blindfold the kids, which I didn't think was a good idea.  However, I didn't think it would be as difficult of a task as it turned out to be!  Only a few of the kids were able to grab a slice of apple and the rest just decided after a few tries to just grab a slice to eat instead.  We then decorated Halloween ornaments before playing the rest of the afternoon away.  What a fun day!

Portland Pumpkin Patch Fun!

This past Saturday we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.  However, this year we didn't go to Liepold Farms as we since we moved back from Texas.  This year we went to Portland Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island.  Why?  Well, their highlight was a Twilight Corn Maze and being that I so love the Twilight Saga I thought it was only appropriate :)

We brought Mama Vicki and Mama Cheryl with us and met up with Brian's brother's family, as well as The Cox Family.  The kids started out feeding the farm animals and then we moved on to exploring the pumpkin patch for the perfect pumpkins.  We purchased our pumpkins, as well as some yummy farm fresh corn and carrots.  Then it was off to let the kids play in the hay maze for a bit before we ate some lunch.  Then, it was on to the muddy corn maze.  Thank goodness for Brian and Mike navigating the corn maze, because it was pretty elaborate in design.  A few of the kids fell and got muddy and well, our kids had to ride home in their skivvies, but I think a fun time was had by all!  I just couldn't wait to get out of the corn maze because there weren't any port-a-potties along the way, can you believe it?!  Now, the question is, which pumpkin patch will we go to next year?  I think that is up for debate, and maybe we will go to a different one all together :)

Going Gluten Free

I have been thinking about going gluten free for sometime now, but am finally taking the plunge!  When I started doing a little research back in April I got completely overwhelmed and decided that it was just going to be too hard, as it seemed that virtually everything had gluten in it.  I have been reading a wonderful book called Wheat Belly, by William Davis, and it has really enlightened me. Although it is still quite overwhelming for me, I have since changed my attitude.   Before any of you say "hey wait a minute, she is pregnant, this can't be healthy".  Think again, it really is no different than if I were diagnosed with "gestation diabetes" (which is tested for at 28 weeks gestation, and by the way I am not...yay!) and having to eat more proteins and minimal carbohydrates.

Don't know what gluten is?

glu·ten 1. The mixture of proteins, including gliadins and glutelins, found in wheat grains, which are not soluble in water and which give wheat dough its elastic texture. 2. Any of the prolamins found in cereal grains, especially the prolamins in wheat, rye, barley, and possibly oats, that cause digestive disorders such as celiac disease.

Why do I want to go gluten free?  I have suffered from daily headaches pretty much since Kennedy was born.  I had been told it was just hormones and had to take a daily prescription to help with this, but in addition to a daily pill that is supposed to be taken at night because it makes you drowsy, and gives you pretty severe dry mouth, I also have to take migraine medication for the times it isn't successful.  Well, now that I am pregnant, I can't take those medications and although my headaches seemed to be few and far between early in my pregnancy, they have ramped up in the recent weeks.  I am now taking the maximum dose of Tylenol of 4,000mg per day and getting minimal relief if any.  So, I decided that a change in my diet was in order.


How does gluten play into this?  Good question!  Gluten effects people in all different ways, from bowel issues, joint pain, headaches, exasperating symptoms of ADHD and autism.  Gluten effects all parts of our body.  I am willing to give it a try!  So far I am on Day 4 of being gluten free and it hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be, and this is the first day in a long time that I have woke up without a headache and at 3:30PM I have yet to take any medications besides my prenatal multivitamin.  I can't tell you when the last time was that I could say that I haven't had a headache or not taken medication to prevent one.  Not to mention my body feels much less "sluggish" and at 28 1/2 weeks pregnant, that is saying something!  We will see if this is a fluke or an ongoing trend.  I am not getting my hopes up yet, but I am hoping for the positive.

Fall Swimming Lessons

Addison began her Fall session of swimming lessons today.  She was so excited to go swimming and meet her teacher that she kept asking if our next stop was swimming lessons.  It was so cute!  Addison was in the "Advanced Seals" class as she is already comfortable with the water and is just in need of learning how to propel her body through the water.  This was the first time Addison took swimming lessons at North Clackamas Aquatic Park, in fact, this was the first time she had ever been to that pool and she was intrigued by the "big slides"!  Today they spent the majority of class floating with assistance from the teacher, jumping, putting their heads under the water and practicing kicking.  Addison did a very good job, she was very attentive and did everything she was asked.  Be sure to check back to see how Addison is progressing in her lessons :)

We will continue classes for the next month going Tuesday and Thursday evenings.  I am not sure if we will continue with the next session yet, as it will be right around the Holidays and with Mr. Jack coming shortly after, it might be better to wait until his arrival.  Oh and no, we didn't forget about Miss Kennedy....unfortunately, she has to be 3 years old in order to take classes without a parent and although I am more than happy to jump in the water with her, the parent/child classes are only offered during work hours :(

Puget Sound Getaway

This weekend we had the opportunity to go stay at one of our surgeon's beach house at Puget Sound.  We drove down Friday night after I got off work and got settled in.  We woke up Saturday morning, Brian and the girls jumped in the hot tub and I was bummed that I didn't get to go in since I am pregnant and all.  Addison and Kennedy just love hot tubs!  We then relaxed a bit in the house and got ready to stroll the beach.  The beach here was rocky and covered with barnacles as opposed to the Oregon Coast which is sandy beaches.  It was a change for us, but very neat none the less.  The girls had fun looking at the GIANT star fish that covered the rocks and finding numerous whole sand dollars of all sizes among all of the other shells.  We had an opportunity to take out some double kayaks, but decided against it since the girls were tired after searching for shells and the tide was very low so it would mean dragging the kayaks pretty far, which meant lots of work for Brian ;)  We had the opportunity to stay until Sunday, but decided to head home Saturday night for a few reasons....well, Brian really wanted to watch Sunday football and although I was enjoying all of the relaxing, I was struggling with allergies pretty bad (I am not sure I have sneezed so much in my life!).  All in all, it was an amazing time and I can't wait to do it again...with allergy medicine on board that is!

All Clear!

Today Kennedy had another follow up appointment with the ENT doctor.  Back in July, Kennedy went back to see Dr. Brock and he removed her ear tubes that were put in last Fall.  Well, during that appointment, he said she had some stagnant fluid in her left ear that appeared to be causing a bit of hearing problems and to follow up in a few weeks to see if it cleared up on it's own.  At today's appointment Dr. Brock said there was no fluid and she is hearing just fine.  Which means,  Kennedy doesn't need to get ear tubes placed again!  Oh and I forgot to mention, Kennedy does such an amazing job letting Dr. Brock poke at her ears, she just sits there and smiles the whole time :)

Sisters!

Today I took the girls to Picture People to have their pictures taken together.  I had actually intended to have pictures of them taken together as well as individually.  However, during the pictures I decided to just do "sisters" shots and would go back to get their individual pictures taken.  I found that this will not only be  cheaper, but  also, maybe I will get their pictures taken NOT in matching outfits ;)

The girls had so much fun posing together in their frilly dresses and then again in their Beavers cheerleader outfits.  I can't wait to have pictures of all 3 kiddos soon!

Hood River Fruit Loop Adventure

Brian and I have really been enjoying going up to the Hood River Fruit Loop this year.  In the past we have made scenic drives out there and dropped by a few places, but nothing too adventurous.  Well, this year we have made 3 trips thus far and each time has been more fruitful (literally!) than the last.  This time we went to Kiyokawa Farms and picked ginger gold apples and Oregon strawberries, then to Draper Girls Farm and picked peaches, then to Packer Orchards & Bakery for cookies and ice cream and a picnic lunch.  Brian's mom, Cheryl, joined us for a fun filled day as well!  Since arriving home with our good, we have made peach cobbler, canned peaches, red hot applesauce, and strawberry fruit leather.  Now, we just need to can some regular applesauce, sliced peaches, and dehydrate some apples for yummy apple chips!  I can't wait for your next trip for pears and more apples....not to mention pumpkins!