Babies, Trees and Christmas Cheer

Yes, we're still alive.

Nope, no big news.

Yes, I'm still pregnant.

Things have been rather interesting in a boring sort of way around here.  Most of the very regular contractions stopped after I was given freedom from couch rest, and then the baby dropped....really, really low.  And then very regular and strong contractions go on for maybe 2 hours and then subside...leavings us frustrated and still waiting.  

We haven't gone far from the house...just in case.  I always travel with my "must have" oils when we leave the house.  It's getting cold...okay, cold by my definition. *grin*  It's been rainy lately, which makes it hard to get out.  Because of that, we've only taken a few walks around the neighborhood and are just trying to stay sane at this point.

Even Lilyana is ready for the baby to come out.  We all are.  As Ben keeps saying, we want to be tired with a purpose.  

Until our little guy decides to leave the warmth and rather tight conditions that I have to offer, we're just taking each day as it comes.  We're praying that he comes soon....very soon.  

With that for in an introduction, here is what we've been up to lately...again, mostly just staying in and taking pictures of my adorable baby girl...who is very quickly turning into a little lady. *sigh*

 Meal planning hasn't been on the top of our list, but always eat well!  

Sourdough baguettes with arugula  diced and marinated tomatoes, salami and Spanish cheese...can you say "YUM!"!?!?

 Ben is practicing the two baby hold.

Brothers and their babies...swapped, of course.  

Love how the girls both have their fingers in their mouths....

"Hey Lilyana!  That's my headband!"

 My babykins...keeping calm and shining on!

Okay, so she's not always calm, but she's almost always shining!

See?  Does it get cuter than that?

I was reading a book the other day, and Lilyana climbed up onto the ottoman with her book....she's either reading this one, The Right Word or John Milton's Paradise Lost.

So cute. 

 A walk in the park with daddy...before it got chilly.

 Love, love, love.

 Enjoying her glass of NingXia Red with breakfast.

"Your baby blues, so full of wonder..."

Somebody gave us these very fuzzy cloth diapers for the baby...Lilyana thought that they made better hats.

 Lilyana loves kisses!

 My second favorite face to see in the morning.

 I took a walk around the block by myself the other day and tripped....that hasn't happened in a long time!

Lilyana loves to look at my knee with a very pitiful face and say, "Ow..."

 Yeah, with this face. 

 Guess where we went?!?!  Well, just down the street...but to find a tree!!!  Hurray!  Ben got off early on Friday, so we jumped in the car and went Christmas tree shopping!  

 A lovely among the lovelies.  Seriously going to frame this one!

Mama and le bébé.

Setting up the tree...SO fun!  We actually brought the tree in that evening, but didn't decorate until Sunday evening.  Lilyana is cutting teeth, which means early bed time and we wanted her to "help" so we waited.

 Daddy gave Lilyana yogurt...Lilyana thought it was face paint.  She did manage to get most of it in her mouth, though. 

 Mmmm...organic Sparkling Pear Juice...so festive!

 Lilyana and the angora hat.  

 Aren't they cute?

From last year...tiny (fake) tree...tiny (real) baby.

 This year...bigger tree, bigger baby!  

And the finished product.  It looks so cheerful from the street.

We're hoping that the next post will have good tidings...and pictures of the new baby and the four of us...we'd appreciate your prayers!

Tiffany for BLT and Zorro

Of couch rest, germ season and babies

Yes, yes, I know...we've been strangely absent on the blog as of late.  To be quite honest, it's not that we've been too busy, it's just that we haven't been busy.  Ben would disagree, since he tells me that I am busy...making lungs, and toes and eyes, etc.... but I usually feel as though we haven't "done" anything since I've been on couch rest for about a month.  

Because of the couch rest and the need to lay low to keep our little guy cooking for a bit longer, we haven't been out of the house much and each day passes with pretty much the same routine...shower before Ben leaves for work, play with Lilyana, read the same books to her (we really need to get some more board books!), Ben comes home for lunch (*love*), nap time for Lilyana...sometimes me, more couch rest and quiet time, Ben comes home to make dinner, we spend time talking and reading out loud...just the three of us (very soon to be FOUR!!!!!), Lilyana goes to bed, Ben and I play a game, or read some more, or talk until we're tired enough to actually sleep, we sleep and then start all over again.  

I'm hoping to get the green light to get up and get some work done on Thursday when we have our next appointment.  My "to-do" list gets longer everyday and I'm eager to get started on some last minute projects/housework before our little guy arrives.  However, this last month of laying low has been good for us, I think.  Since I'm not allowed to "do" anything (by my definition), I can sit with my baby girl and read and play for hours without feeling like I have to get work done.  It's been a good reminder that my family...my wonderful, selfless husband and my sweet strawberry-blonde curly topped baby girl matter more than the dust under the desk.  Being there for them, letting them be there for me (wow...that's a hard one!), and just enjoying each day (which I usually don't get an A+ for) is my current calling.  It will be over soon...very soon...  And I am so thankful for two dear friends of mine who have come to visit and keep me company, and the delightful D. family for doing our grocery shopping...such a treat!

Laying low hasn't kept our house from colds and such, though.  Poor Lilyana came down with Roseola recently...congested, running a fever and then the rash, which wasn't as bad as I expected.  I was so thankful that it didn't itch!  She wasn't her normal cheerful, happy-go-lucky self for many days and just wanted to be held, mostly by her daddy.  We rubbed her down with oils and diffused them in her bedroom at nap-time and during the night while she slept.  This seemed to help a lot, but she was still waking up at least once during the night coughing.  At about the same time, Ben developed strep throat and I was doing all I could to stay healthy!  I wasn't going to be sick and in labor at the same time!  I hated to see both of them suffering and knew I could do more.  So I got up one morning and whipped together some home remedies to soothe their aching bodies.

What could be better than some Cough Syrup and a Vapor Rub?  These are so easy to make and use household ingredients and essential oils! Quick and easy, healthy and tasty, the Cough Syrup and Vapor Rub are good to keep on hand in your home, and if packaged nicely, would make great gifts to your friends and family this Christmas!  

So, I hope you enjoy these two recipes as much as my family has, and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me!  



Homemade Cough Syrup

(Lilyana LOVES this stuff!)

1  C Honey (preferably raw, local honey)

1/4 C Organic Apple Cider Vinegar 

30 Drops Young Living's Lemon Essential Oil

30 Drops Young Living's Thieves Essential Oil Blend

Combine honey and vinegar in a small pot and heat over low heat until the honey is runny and the two ingredients are combined.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Pour into desired storage bottle and add essential oils.  Shake before serving a healing 1-2 teaspoons to your family!

**WARNING!!  DO NOT give to children under the age of ONE as this recipe contains honey**

Vapor Rub 

(A Lilyana favorite...she carried the jar around and would ask for more as she needed it!)

2 T Beeswax

1/2 C Olive or Coconut Oil

30 Drops Young Living's  Peppermint Essential Oil

30 Drops Young Living's R.C. Essential Oil Blend

20 Drops Young Living's Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Heat beeswax and oil in a small pot over low heat until the beeswax is completely melted.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Pour into desired storage jar, add the essential oils, stirring to combine and allow to set before use!  Rub on chest and back every 2 hours or as needed.

CAUTION:

NEVER take lower quality essential oils internally. From my research, the only essential oils that I trust enough in quality to be taken internally, are Young Living therapeutic grade essential oils, and only if it is labeled as a “supplement.” If your essential oil is from an edible plant such as lavender, lemon, orange, grapefruit, oregano, thyme, frankincense, ylang ylang, etc., and it states that the essential oil is “Not for Internal Use” then you can be certain that the essential oil is NOT superior quality. Only 2% of all essential oils in the world are considered therapeutic grade. CLICK HERE to find out what that means.

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If you don't use essential oils and would like more information, I'd love to answer your questions!  Leave a comment with your contact information and I'll get back with you as soon as I can!  If you would like to sign up for Young Living and share in these wonderful healing oils, click here!

So, if you have any jokes you'd like to leave in the comment section, please feel free to do so!  And if you try these recipes, please leave a comment and tell me how you liked them!  I love getting feedback!  

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor.  The information provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to prescribe, diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is your responsibility to educate yourself and address any health or medical needs you may have with your physician. Please seek professional help when needed.

A Week (or two) in the life of Lilyana....

With only 10 weeks until my due date, I've been nesting like crazy...maybe more than I did with Lilyana...which Ben didn't think was possible!  My "to-do" list gets longer and shorter and then longer again with each passing day.  Things to paint, hang, organize, wash, frame, get rid of, re-arrange, etc....  We've actually made much progress in our little house, which makes me very happy!  

But, because we've had our hands full of house projects and a busy and very inquisitive 18 month old who happens to be cutting 6 teeth, I haven't had much time to carry my other "baby"
(a.k.a. my camera) around much to snap pictures...okay, so I did manage to get some of Lilyana!  When I looked at the pictures on my camera, almost every picture was of her!  So, I thought to myself, "Self, why not put up a post of what keep Lilyana entertained!"  It made lots of sense to me, and I hope that you enjoy a peek into her fun and busy life....

 Food!  Food is always at the top of Lilyana's list.  I'm always amazed (and amused) and what she eats.  Last night she was thrilled with her plate of herbed pork roast, grilled beets, grilled mushrooms and sautéed spinach and beet greens.  When she was done with her plate, she looked expectantly at our plates!  Quite the foodie baby!

"I'm going to EAT you!!!!!"  

Awwww.....sweet cousins.  Lilyana LOVES babies, but her favorite baby is Isabella, or "Della" as Lilyana calls her.  She can't get enough of her cousin's very kissable chubby cheeks.  And yes. we have this framed in our house!

One good thing about having small bottles of essential oils is that they run out faster than the big ones...especially when the bottle is about 2 years old.  Lilyana was "treating" her feet with some Lemon oil.  She then proceeded to "treat" our feet. 

Not only is she a foodie baby, she's an essential oil baby, too!

Oh look!  The three of us!  We went down to L.A. for a wedding and found some fun places along the coast to see.  This just happens to be our new favorite coffee/pastry shop!  It reminded us of Spain... *sigh*

Ooooo....Food!!!

A long 4 day weekend makes for a sleepy baby.  The drive home was a cozy one for her with her "lambie" and "blankie". 

Tea time with mommy is always fun.

Maybe one day she'll drink like a lady....

Tea time with mommy inspired her to have tea time with her bear.  Grandmommy bought her a wooden tea set for her birthday  and some wooden cakes and cookies on a tiered stand.  Lilyana loves to dip her cookies into her tea and say, "Dip, dip dip!"

A late morning means that she missed saying goodbye to daddy as he left for work.  She likes to send pictures to him when she misses him. 

And then she stands at the window waiting for him to come home. 

This is a daily routine for her now.

And he's home!!!  Ben was fixing an antique typewriter and Lilyana wanted to help.  She got to hold the flashlight for him...

...until she got bored and found something else to do with the flashlight. 

We call her crabby pants. 

Talking on the phone is a favorite pastime.  

What can I say?  She takes after her father in some things....I wanted to add some feathers and beads and make it look more Regency, but it fell apart before I could get started. 

Sporting her new shoes.  She outgrew all of her shoes before she started walking so that meant getting some new ones!  Thankfully, Robeez was having a sale and free shipping!!!  So we got some for her grow-in box, too!

And that's all for now.  When she isn't being silly, or "helping", or playing with her baby and dog (no, not a real one), or eating, or reading, she's usually napping...which she needs to be doing right now.  Lunch is done and she's asking for her lambie and blankie...

Until next time!