Day 1 of Cooper's sleep transformation.

Actually, it's not Day 1... more like Day 4 or 5. But, this is Day 1 of me blogging about it.

Naps: I'm not sure exactly what his naps were like today. I was at work all day. :(
Bedtime Routine: He was sooo tired tonight. He didn't get his late evening nap. Note to self... make sure he gets his late evening nap!! We did a bath, pajamas and nursing. No book tonight. He was so cranky and sleepy. He fell asleep nursing and was OUT. He kind of woke up when I laid him down in the PnP.... but not really. He fell right to sleep with no whining or crying.

Philip and I also started P90 recently. I'm motivated so far. Which I always am when I start a workout program. This is Day 4 of that. It's actually the most fun workout I've ever done. I'm actually enjoying it.

Cooper said "Mama" today!! First it was "Mamamamama" then just straight out "Mama." I'm so excited he said his first word! I've been signing to him as often as I can remember, so hopefully that will help expand his vocabulary.

It's been a month since my last update... but I feel like I have nothing to write about... :-/

I quit Chili's finally. I'm sad I don't get my discount anymore, but that's pretty much all I'm sad about when it comes to quitting Chili's. It's nice to have Fridays off again.

Cooper swam for the first time last weekend! It was so much fun. I thought he might not like it because the water was pretty cold. I lowered him into his floaty and he LOVED it. He was so relaxed and loved splashing in the water. I've got a water baby on my hands. :) I think we're taking him to the lake for the first time this weekend, which should be a blasty blast.

Oh, speaking of 'blasty blast'.... I was planning to surprise Philip to see Dane Cook in Dallas on June 19th which is the weekend of Father's Day. I bought the tickets and reserved the hotel. I NEVER get to surprise him so I was really excited. Well, turns out he was planning the exact same trip as an early birthday surprise for me (my bday is July 3rd). UGH! I was so bummed. I was really excited about surprising him. Oh well, we'll still go and it will be SO fun. I'm just glad he hadn't bought any tickets yet... that would have really sucked.

Doctor's report on Cooper: no pink eye! Which is a sigh of relief. Apparently it's just his clogged ducts flaring up again... more than usual. She prescribed him some eye drops. 

This morning I woke up at 7:50am and Philip still wasn't home. I texted him to ask where he was (I was half asleep) and he walked in the door. So, Cooper and I just conked out again. He came in the bedroom and Cooper started waking up and being fussy. Philip knew we had a hard evening/night last night. So he took Cooper and fed him and played with him in the living room until I woke up at 9:30! When I walked in the living room Philip said, "Why are you awake? Go lay back down." Wow. But, I didn't. I stayed up so he could go get some rest. (FYI, He works 6p-6a so he hadn't slept in over 24 hours when he did this) It was a great and refreshing way to start the day. :-)

Tonight was the first night of "Photo Basics 2." I came in late (effing 5:00 traffic on I-35) so I was really lost when I walked in and *everyone* else seemed to be getting it perfectly. Great. What an awful way to start the new class...... then we went out to get some "hands on" time. Which was great! We didn't have this time in the first class, it was all "lecture" (<--- I use that word loosely) so it was nice to go shoot outside and have our instructors there to help. I learned a lot tonight and can't wait to have a photo shoot with someone this week :)

Next new recipe is a crock pot one...

Chicken and Stuffing (7 PTS)

6 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 box stove top stuffing mix

1 can 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup -- or any cream soup

1/2 cup water or chicken bouillon

Spray a 3 1/2 quart crockpot with cooking spray. Add chicken breasts. Combine stuffing, soup, and liquid. Spread over chicken. Cook on low 6 - 8 hours.

** It was also, just ok. It was really REALLY easy to throw together, but it didn't have a ton of flavor. I probably won't make it again unless I'm desperate for food and happen to have the ingredients laying around.

I think Cooper has pink eye :( I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow. Around his eye is all red and oozy, and his actual eye has a red tint to it. He was a mess tonight. I don't think he feels well.

Tomorrow night is my first "Photo Basics 2" class!

Philip was getting tired of the Mexican Meatloaf and Turkey Ziti all the time... so I tried new recipes this week.

Angel Hair Pasta with Zucchini and Tomatoes

2 medium zucchinis, julienned
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
4 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
12 oz high fiber angel hair pasta, like Barilla Plus
1/4 cup fat free chicken or vegetable broth
fresh Parmesan cheese
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to instructions.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat pan on medium-high flame and add oil when pan is hot. Add garlic and shallots to the pan and saute about 1 minute. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes, parsley, chicken broth and adjust salt and pepper. Stir for another minute. Remove from flame.
Drain pasta when done and mix well with vegetables. Top with fresh Parmesan cheese.

--- I thought this one was "ok." Philip really liked it a lot. He ate most of it. First of all, I used double the pasta I was supposed to... cause I wasn't paying attention. lol. And, I didn't like how the recipe wasn't specific ("pepper to taste"). I also added chicken cause I knew Philip would freak if there was no meat. I'd probably make this again sometime, but it wasn't great. Maybe because it was pretty much all pasta.... my fault....

Here is that cute video I mentioned in my earlier post... seriously, I don't know what is with the screaching noise, but he does it EVERY night before bed. It's like he's so overly excited he can't contain himself.

And this is just me and Cooper playing today :)






I came home from work Tuesday to find this in my front yard...

My wonderful in-laws surprised me with new flowers on Tuesday! I can't wait till they grow and fill out the planters :)