Confessions of a (Not-So) Domesticated Newlywed

Addison Grace: 1 month old

notsodomesticated — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:37:37 +0000

On Thursday, Addison turned 1 month old!

In some ways, it’s hard to believe that it’s already been a month.

In other ways, it feels like it’s been closer to a year since we first met our little girl!

Here are some things we’ve discovered about Addie this month:

She is an alert and active little girl. When she’s awake, her eyes are always wide open and checking out her environment!

She is quite the restless sleeper. She constantly moves and makes noises … which means that mommy and daddy are continuously checking the monitor to see what she’s doing!

She is freakishly strong. Seriously. I know some people might not believe me, but the child somehow managed to roll from her belly to her back last week! My mom had her on her belly in the pack & play. She left the room and when she returned, Addie was on her back!

She has a little birthmark on her head. Fortunately, if it [...]

Addie Grace: Future Supermodel

notsodomesticated — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:36:10 +0000

Hi friends.

Time is still precious right now … meaning I don’t have a lot of it! But I wanted to at least stop by and share some professional photos that were taken last weekend.

If you live in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend JaeBelle Photography. Just click on the link to check out her website!

You’d never know from looking at those photos how difficult that photo shoot was! Taking pictures of a newborn is quite the challenging task!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

My recovery from the C-section.

notsodomesticated — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:00:12 +0000

Today I wanted to share a little about my experience with getting a Cesarean section and my recovery.

But first, I want to say that this was just my experience. I realize that every woman is different!

As I mentioned in Addie’s birth story, I had to get an emergency C-section. I had intended to deliver vaginally, so I was less than thrilled with the decision, but I knew that it was best for Addie.

The procedure itself wasn’t too bad. I had already been given an epidural, so they just increased the amount of medication that I was getting. I couldn’t feel any pain whatsoever.

The only part I didn’t like was that I couldn’t stop shaking. It was a side effect of the epidural, and it drove me crazy! I also felt a bit breathless, but it mostly had to due with the fact that I couldn’t stop crying!

The doctors explained everything as they were going. Brandon sat by my side and prayed with me. Then, before I knew it, my [...]

Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies

notsodomesticated — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:00:49 +0000

Good morning, friends.

I don’t have a whole lot of time to write today (an 8 pound pooping machine seems to be keeping me pretty busy these days ), but I did want to share a super delicious recipe with you!

I can’t take credit for this recipe at all. I followed Sally’s recipe exactly.

I even made little cookie “towers” like she did.

But I will happily take credit for how delicious these bad boys turned out to be.

They were soft and chewy, with the perfect amount of cake batter flavor.

Yet they still tasted like good, old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies.

Even Brandon gave them two thumbs up … which is surprising, because he doesn’t like his desserts to be “gussied up.”

He thinks a chocolate chip cookie should just be a chocolate chip cookie.

He also thinks that cheesecake is best served plain or with strawberries only.

Silly, silly boy.

Anyway, I digress. The point is, these cookies [...]

Addison: 2 Weeks Old!

notsodomesticated — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:00:47 +0000

On Tuesday, Addison was 2 weeks old!

Within the last 2 weeks, these are some things that we’ve learned about Addison:

She is crazy strong. The day she was born, she was already lifting her head. And she constantly lifts it up now.

(She’s actually not lifting it up in that picture haha. I just think it’s a cute shot. )

She likes to sleep on someone’s chest.

She likes to swing or be in a vibrating chair. Sometimes. Other times, she freaks out. Oh, the joys of a newborn.
Be careful when you change her diaper. There’s a 50% chance she’ll squirt ya when the dirty diaper leaves her tush.
She likes to go on walks with mommy and daddy.

She can be very noisy, especially when she is trying to pass gas. Kind of like her daddy. (Kidding, kidding. )
She is Houdini when it comes to getting her arms out of swaddle blankets. I have literally tried 6-7 different kinds of swaddle blankets [...]

Crazy Easy Chicken Recipe

notsodomesticated — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:00:21 +0000

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

(I crack myself up.)

I found this recipe on Pinterest and although I was initially skeptical, I decided to give it a try after reading all of the positive comments.

Evidently this recipe has been around for a long time, in one form or another.

Some people call it “Russian Chicken.”

Some people call it “Crazy Chicken.”

The blogger who posted the recipe that I found called it “Sweet and Tangy Chicken.”

But whatever you want to call it, just make it. Because it’s really really good.

Crazy Easy Chicken

(Slightly modified from this recipe)

Serves 3-4 hungry adults

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs (use the ones with the skin and bones)
pepper, to taste
1 (8 oz.) bottle Russian dressing (or Catalina or Country French … it’s the red-colored dressing!)
1 cup apricot preserves
1 package of dry onion soup mix (see picture of what I use. I use this mix all the time to make oven-roasted potatoes!)
1 tsp. red pepper [...]

Addie’s birth story

notsodomesticated — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:00:40 +0000

Thank you all so much for your words of congratulations on Monday’s post! It was great to finally be able to share our good news with all of you.

Today I wanted to share Addie’s birth story, because I’ve had a lot of friends asking for details.

(Warning: this is wordy. Please bear with me!)

Addison was due on Monday April 8th. However, April 8th quickly came and went. And still no Addie.

So my doctor scheduled an induction for Monday April 15th, because he does not like to go beyond 41 weeks.

The morning of the 15th, Brandon and I arrived at the hospital at 7:00 am, where I was immediately given a snazzy new outfit to wear.

The doctor started me on a “cervical ripening” medication right away. He explained that for cases like mine, he prefers to use this medication first, before moving to Pitocin. With Pitocin, evidently you are confined to your bed and can’t eat. He predicted that my labor was going to be a long one (possibly 48 hours), so [...]

There’s someone that I’d like you to meet …

notsodomesticated — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:00:01 +0000

Good morning, my friends.

Today is a pretty special day.

I want to introduce you to someone.

Friends, please say hello to Addison Grace.

Addison was born on Tuesday, April 16th at 3:41 am.

She weighed 7 pounds, 4.9 ounces. She was 20 inches long.

Needless to say, she has already stolen daddy’s heart …

… as well as my own.

I have a lot to share regarding her birth story.

It ended up being a more interesting production than I had anticipated.

Hopefully I’ll have some time to write a more detailed post later this week. For now, I’m just trying to enjoy my baby and find brief moments to sleep.

But I had to at least stop in to share our good news with all of you!

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. Believe me, they were felt and so greatly appreciated!

Love [...]

Cajun Chicken Pasta

notsodomesticated — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:00:13 +0000

Hey friends! As you’re reading this, I’m probably in labor. Nutso. I’d appreciate your prayers! I’ll try to share an update and pictures as soon as I can!

In the meantime, here’s a yummy recipe to spice up your Monday!

Who’s in the mood for a little spice??

Cajun Chicken Pasta

(Modified from this recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 oz. linguine pasta
1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1.5 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
2 tbsp. butter
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta to al dente in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Drain and set to the side.
In the meantime, place the chicken and Cajun seasoning in a Ziplock bag. Shake to coat the chicken with [...]

A quick update …

notsodomesticated — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 01:07:05 +0000

Hi friends.

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update, since you’re probably wondering if I’ve “popped” yet or not!

The answer is nope … still pregnant.

I mentioned on Monday that I had a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday. At that appointment, the doctor said that if he induced me this week, there was a good chance that my labor would stretch out over multiple days. And he said that medically, there was no reason to induce me quite yet. So he scheduled the induction for Monday April 15th. He doesn’t like to go beyond 41 weeks for safety reasons, and I am just fine with that!

We were all hoping that Addison would come naturally on her own some time this week, but so far, that hasn’t happened.

But it’s all good. I know that I have so many people praying for us, and I’m just trusting in the Lord’s timing!

I’m still feeling good physically. Sure, it’s getting a bit more uncomfortable. But overall, I think I’m doing pretty good [...]