Taking a Look Back 2000-2009

In the year 2000:
a. Was in my first high school plays.
b. Started my sophomore year of high school.
c. Was in swimming (swimming the back and free style).

In the year 2001:
a. Lost my Grandpa Linos.
b. Met Eric.
c. Was in more high school plays.
d. Was a gap (grade assistance program)tutor for math.
e. Went to Prom for the first time.
f. Got a job at Ace Hardware as a cashier.
g. Went to the Cayman Islands

In the year 2002:

a. Was a Junior in high school
b. Had one of the leads in the Spring play - "Prime Time Crime".
c. Was an assistant director for a student directed play but ended up staring in it after one of the leads dropped out.
d. Went to Prom for the second time.
e. Ran the mile in 8 minutes.
f. Went to Florida for Summer vacation.
g. Went to California for Christmas.                                          

In the year 2003:

a. Directed a one act play and won best directed/show!
b. Went to Prom for the third and final time.
c. Was one of the lead characters in the Spring Play - "Oliver Twist".
d. Became an Honor Thespian for troop 18.
e. Become a "Who's Who of High School Students" member.
f. Graduated high school - T.F. South Class of 2003!
g. Went to Colorado, white water rafting for Summer Vacation.
h. Started taking college courses at the local community college.
i. Got a job as a preschool teacher.

In the year 2004:

a. Working as preschool teacher/ art teacher.
b. Still taking classes at the community college - was an ele. edu. major.
c. Went to Florida.                                                    

In the year 2005:

a. Was in my sister-in-laws wedding
b. Got engaged!
c. Went to Canada for Summer Vacation!                                    
d. Started planning my wedding!
e. Started at Saint Xavier University Chicago - Clinical/Counseling Psych. major.
f. Got a job at Univar as an administrative assistant.
g. Got our first fur baby - Lucy "Lucy in the sky with diamonds".
h. Became a Psi Chi Honor member.

In the year 2006:

a. Turned 21!
b. Moved up at work - Chemcare assistant
c. Went to Las Vegas!
d. Got in major shape and shed some extra pounds.
e. Had our wedding shower.
f. Bought our first house.
g. Got married!!
h. Went to Cancun for our Honeymoon!

In the year 2007:

a. Had an internship at Bloom High School under their social workers.
b. Went to Galena with Eric
c. Got our second puppy - Penny "Penny Lane"
d. Got a new car - Pontiac G6
e. Got a job at Vanis Salon and Day Spa.
f. Was the Matron of Honor in my friends wedding.
g. Went to Nebraska for my Papa's dedication.
h. Graduated from Saint Xavier with a B.A. in clinical/counseling psychology.

In the year 2008:

a. Got a new job.
b. Went to Cancun for Summer vacation
c. Penny got attacked by the "nasty" neighbor dog.
d. Eric got injured playing Racquetball.
e. Was in my brother-in-laws wedding in California.
f. Lost Eric's Grandpa George.
g. Was in our friends wedding in Michigan.
h. Eric got a new job.
i. Found out I was PREGNANT!
j. Had Christmas in Nebraska.

In the year 2009:

a. Found out we were having a GIRL!
b. Had our baby shower.
c. Saw Claire on a 4D ultrasound!
d. Gave birth to Claire Constance!
e. Claire got baptized.
f. Got a new car - Chrysler Sebring.
g. Met some amazing new friends!
h. Started my blog.
i. Started cloth diapering Claire (and loving it!)
j. Celebrated Claire's first - Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas!      




It was a wonderful & memorable decade! I can't wait to see what the next 10 years brings my family and I! Our journey as a family has just begun!

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday's Review

Every Tuesday I will be reviewing an infant item, hence Tuesday's Review. I wanted to start this infant review because over the last almost 6 months, Eric and I have found items we love and items we will never use again! I want to share what I know with new moms or experienced moms that just need a little advice. Check back every Tuesday for a new infant review!!

 

 This weeks product is: Enfamil - Tri-Vi-Sol

We were first told to give Claire vitamin D supplements at her 4 day old check up. At first Eric and I were very skeptical about pumping our new little baby full of vitamins. The doctor recommended that breastfed babies get a daily dose of vitamin D because our region lacks sun (which gives us our vitamin D) more than half of the year. Also, vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets and that is very dangerous for anyone.

                                                                

We started giving Claire Poly-Vi-Sol, every now and then. We didn't make it a daily thing because we were still so apprehensive about giving our newborn vitamins. Poly-Vi-Sol was the only type of vitamins I could find at Walgreens. It contains Iron, which I was even more not a fan of. I did know that too much iron is not a good thing and I was still taking my pre-natal vitamins which contain iron, so that made me more weery of the whole vitamin thing. When we did give Claire the Poly-Vi-Sol vitamins, it turned her poop a dark brown color.

As the flu epidemic was running rapid and the scare of everything was keeping me on my toes, I started researching natural ways to keep the flu away. One thing that I found was that, vitamin D helps keep your immune system up and helps your body fight of the cold and flu bug. It also helps fight cancer/heart disease. I decided to rethink giving Claire vitamins. I went back to walgreens and in the pharmacy department (not the baby aisle) I found Tri-Vi-Sol vitamin drops (with no iron). We started and have continued to give Claire a daily dose of vitamins. She has had stuffy noses but has "knock on wood" not had a full blown sickness since she was born. She absoluty loves her vitamins, she gets them every night before putting her jammies on. She squeals every time she sees the dropper. She takes the vitamins like such a big girl.

For anyone on the fence on whether or not to give your baby vitamin D supplements, I highly recommend Tri-Vi-Sol (it contains vitamin A,C, and D). I feel that anything natural that will prevent my baby from getting sick is something I am willing to do. 

Once Upon a Monday

This week's book is Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt.

Pat the Bunny is a simple, interactive kid's book. It looks like a storybook from the 1950's. One page describes an action the characters are doing, while the next page asks you, the reader, to perform the previous action. From patting the bunny, smelling flowers, to saying, "good bye".

Claire (5 1/2 months) thinks that Pat the Bunny is a great book. I love all the pages because there is something for me to do, smell, or touch on each page.

Megan and Eric think that Pat the Bunny is a great, first read. It is simple, interactive, and interesting for kids of all ages. We feel this book is great for kids who are just starting to read because they can see and do the action after they read it. Which helps learn the reader to learn the meaning of what they are reading.

Megan and Eric rating 4 out of 5 stars.

Pictures from my new SLR

Recipe Sunday

  Stuffed Green Peppers - recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 6 green bell peppers
• salt to taste
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
• water as needed

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain. Sprinkle salt inside each pepper, and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, saute beef and onions for 5 minutes, or until beef is browned. Drain off excess fat, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C). Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to make the soup a gravy consistency. Pour over the peppers.
4. Bake covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly. 
   

A Review of 2009

I snagged this from Hope Springs Eternal. She wrote this post as her own, and I liked it so much I asked her if I could snag it and re-post on my very own blog. Being the awesome, blogger she is she said "go for it!" So, here it goes.

Moments to Remember

January:
1) Entered the second trimester of pregnancy.
2) Felt Claire move for the first time.
3) Become a Godparent, to my niece Natalie.

February:
1) Turned 24 years old.
2) Was fully in maternity clothes.
3) Found out our little one was a girl - Claire Constance.

March:
1) Celebrated 8 years of being together with Eric.
2) Registered for Lamaze class.
3) Saw Claire kick/punch from the outside for the first time.

April:
1) Was relieved to reach pregnancy mile marker 24 (weeks).
2) Started to registering for Claire @ BRU.
3) Celebrated Eric's 26th birthday.

May:
1) Welcomed the third trimester with open arms.
2) Pregnancy photos taken.
3) Sadly said goodbye to the television show ER.

June:
1) Had our baby shower.
2) Saw Claire on a 4D u/s - she was all girl.
3) Started Lamaze classes.

July:
1) Was proud to finally reach 37 weeks of pregnancy - full term.
2) 4th of July party at our house.
3) July 10th @ 9:39am, Claire Constance  was born all natural.
 

August:
1) Claire turned  a month old.
2) Claire met Brayden.
3) Claire was baptized.

September:
1) Claire turned 2 months old.
2) Found out Claire has a dairy sensitivity.
3) Got a new Chrysler Sebring!

October:
1) Claire has her 3 month pictures taken.
2) A long weekend gateway to Galena with the family.
3) Claire's first Halloween - she went as a ladybug.

November:
1) Claire turned 4 months old.
2) Had our family pictures done.
3) Spent the weekend in Chicago.

December:
1) Eric and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary.
2) Started Cloth diapering.
3) Celebrated Claire's 1st Christmas!

That's 2009 in brief review. Obviously, more than that happened but those are just some highlights.

Favorites of 2009

Favorite moment of 2009: July 10th 2009 @ 9:39am, the moment Claire Constance entered the world.
Favorite song: Second Chance by Shinedown.
Favorite CD: I didn't have a favorite CD this year.
Favorite movie - Drama: Taken
Favorite movie - Comedy: Proposal
Favorite move - Action: District 9
Favorite TV Episode: Any and all episodes of Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Favorite new show: Flash Forward
Favorite lunch while at work: Deli sandwiches
Favorite home cooked meal: Stuffed peppers
Favorite homemade Dessert: Lemon meringue pie
Favorite gadget: Sony SLR camera
Favorite App: Dex Knows
Favorite Website: Facebook
Favorite Radio Station: The Mix 101.9
Favorite Ice Cream: Cold Stone Creamery birthday cake or apple pie
Favorite Pizza: Stefanio's

Favorite LOL Moment: So many, so so so many!!