Help

Does anybody seem to have a baby manual I can borrow?
I just don't know what to do with Rosalie. Sometimes she sleeps, sometimes she doesn't. I have no idea what causes it. I am very tired right now, and she has been crying for the last hour. I think I am getting the flu or a cold and I just want to sleep. I hate it when my body aches all over, it could just be from fatigue because I haven't had good sleep for the last 3 nights. I just don't know what has come over her. I can't continue like this. What am I doing wrong?

(P.S. this was posted at 1 AM, the time stamp thingy is so wrong.)

Big Girl!!

Today Rosalie tried carrots, I think she liked them way more than the squash. Although, I think she likes the squash now because she grabs my hand and drags the spoon to her mouth as fast as she can when I feed it to her. She just wasn't so sure about it initially. But the carrots made her laugh and smile the entire time she was eating. It was so cute. Another thing my big girl is doing now is she sits up really well. I caught it on camera today. She is just so much fun, it is so exciting to watch her learn.

Another thing my big girl is doing now is she sits up really well. I caught it on camera today. She is just so much fun, it is so exciting to watch her learn.

5 Month Report

Rosalie is just growing up way to fast. Her first summer is now over, so sad. We had a great time playing together in the sunshine, and now it is time for the crisp cool weather of fall. I am sad about summer, but I love fall and can't wait to take some pictures of the Rizzler in the beautiful colorful leaves. She has so many new skills I just can't believe it.
She now rolls over like crazy. She mainly goes from back to tummy, but she can go from tummy to back.
She can sit up for a few minutes (as of today). She makes very funny grunting/talking noises when she is sitting up and trying to play or get toys.
She sometimes cries if something she wants is taken away from her, I think it depends on her mood though.
She sleeps well every other night. I have no idea why that is, but it has been that way for the last two weeks.
She grabs her feet all of the time, and takes her socks of too.
She has said "ma" a few times, but I think it was a fluke, not real babbles yet.
She loves to eat rice cereal, and squash, despite how she looked in the pictures eating squash. I think she was just hesitant at first.
She still wants me more than any other person, including Sean.
She loves going on walks and hanging out at the park.
She loves the two kids that I babysit, they giver her kisses and she smiles and laughs at them.
She kind of gives kisses. She opens her mouth wide and sticks it on our faces, so I think that is what she is doing. She especially loves to do that to her reflection.
Overall she is just a ton of fun.
I weighed her and I think she was 16 lbs. I didn't measure her though, she is just too wiggly. Enjoy the recent pictures.
Here she is rolling over and trying to grab the camera.
I don't think she was in the mood to smile for me.
Until she found her feet and started kicking them up in the air and making it very hard to get a picture.
Trying to get her feet, it takes a lot of concentration. I think good pictures are going to be much harder to get because she just wants to move all over the place now.

Courtney's Cooking Corner: Spotlight #1

My first recipe in my attempt to broaden my recipe repertoire. We are doing a diet, so it is a healthier recipe, but you really can't tell once you taste it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Chili Rellenos Casserole

3 cans (4 oz) whole green chilies, drained
4 oz Monterey Jack Cheese
1 1/4 c. egg substitute
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. skim milk
1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
chili poder
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup salsa

Preheat oven to 350 F

Lightly coat an 8x8 or 9x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray

Lay whole green chilies out on paper towels. Slice the Jack cheese into the same number of pieces as there are chilies. Insert a slice of cheese inside each chili and arrange evenly in baking dish.

In medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg substitute, flour and milk. Pour egg mixture over chilies in baking dish.

Layer shredded cheddar cheese on top of casserole, then sprinkle with chili powder and green onion.
Bake for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out "clean."

Cut into 4 portions and top with salsa.
Serve and enjoy!

Aspirations

(old picture, I know)

I want to be so many things.

I want to be a super mom: I want to teach Rosalie all that she needs to know, and have patience with her when she is driving me crazy. I want to be able make her happy all of the time and be able to know what she wants all of the time and be able to do everything she needs all of the time.

I want to be a better wifey: Sometimes I can be very snappy with Sean, even though things aren't his fault. I need to work on that.

I want to be a super blogger and actually have readers or followers: I need to write about more interesting topics and have some wit, but I am really not a witty or funny person. Sean never laughs at my jokes, apparently I don't have a good sense of what is funny.

I want to be an amazing baker and chef, let's face it, my kitchen cuisine is pretty tired: I think I make the same recipes over and over. I think I will start trying a new recipe every week. It is just that I hate buying new ingredients, it can get expensive. I think I will post the new recipe I try each week too, then maybe it will make my blog more interesting.

I want to be better spiritually: I need to remember to read my scriptures and say my prayers and write in my journal and read the ensign and visit teach... I have a lot to work on. I also need to be better at doing the same thing with my family.

I want to be a good photographer: I think I just need to practice, but Rosalie gets mad at me if I take too many pictures she gets bored. There is no way I can get Sean to pose for me either. Maybe I just need more subjects, or a good photography book so I can learn more about lighting and posing and all that fun stuff. Maybe when I get more time and money.

I want to be a good homemaker: I try, but it is impossible to keep things as clean as I would like. I'm also not very organized, I am cluttered. I think I need to work on my pack rat tendencies.

I want to be better at saving money: I think I need to learn to get things with coupons, but it is just so tedious that I have just given up.

I want to be better at the violin: I think the first thing I should do here is to actually make time for practicing. I always put that last and it never gets done.

I want to be in shape: This is going to require me not saying I am too tired to go to the gym. I am so lazy.

I want to be so many things, I have so much to work on. Hopefully I can somehow do it all.

The 11th

I am honoring and remembering those who lost their lives on the 11th. I cannot believe how tragic and scary and crazy that was. I am so glad that this country has put action into place to try and keep us safe so my little Rosalie will hopefully not have to deal with those tragedies. I am so grateful to live in the U.S.A. So here are some cute pictures of her from the last couple of weeks.Oh, and she has found her feet, is it just so cute.

Also, here are some pictures of her eating her yummy rice cereal, she loves it!!!! And yes, she does try to "feed" herself, but I just give her the spoon once she is finished.


She loved visiting Gammy on Labor Day weekend!

Another thing she started doing this week is rolling from back to tummy, and she gets angry because she hates her tummy and can't remember how to get back to her back. Even though she used to roll from her tummy to her back. Oh well.

Update on Dis-repair

Fixed the trashcan!

Crazy Day of Dis-repair

(warning: picture has nothing to do with this post)
So yesterday was the day that everything fell apart. Well not everything, it just seemed like it at the time. I woke up early thanks to my little monster, and I fed her while lying in bed. Well, she decided to leave my bed the little gift of a leaky diaper. So I proceeded to do the laundry by starting with my sheets. I pulled them out of the dryer and put them on the bed, and noticed that my fitted sheet was completely shredded at the foot, I have no idea how that happened.
Then, onto the second broken thing of the day. We went to take Rosalie on a walk because she was going crazy sitting inside the house, and the stroller has a flat tire. Which I just filled with air a couple of days ago, so that must mean I need to replace the tube in the tire.
I went to throw the shredded sheets away, and our trash can is now broken. The pedal to open the lid does not work. So weird.
I know that those are not at all big things, and not a big deal at all. It was just crazy dealing with that and a headache, and a tired baby, and groceries that somehow didn't make it from our cart to checkout to our car making me have to return to the grocery store made for a pretty hectic day yesterday. When all I wanted was a day off from the norm to have a vacation day of doing nothing with Sean and Rosalie.

On a side note, I made Rosalie laugh so so so hard today, it was great! I wish I had caught it on camera, I have never heard her laugh that hard before.

Also, is there any way to get her to go to sleep for Sean? If she wakes up for her pacifier and he goes in to comfort her or to give it back to her she starts crying hysterically. It seems that lately all she wants is me. Me when she is 30 minutes away from eating time, me when she is 1 hour from nap time, me me me. I don't mean being near her either, she wants me to be holding her. I know it is a good workout, but my biceps, triceps and back need a break every once and a while to recover from carrying around a 15 lb. weight. Is this just a phase and I'm going to have to stick it out? Or is there some way to convince her that other people can take care of her just as well as I can?