"Janelle's Cake" Chocolate Frosting

I have the worst time finding this recipe card or my online file, so I'm stashing it here as well. You are welcome. This is the best chocolate frosting I know.

Ingredients (I double for a large cake)

5 Tbsp shortening
1/2 c cocoa
2 2/3c powdered sugar
1 1/3 tsp vanilla
6-7 Tbsp evaporated milk

Directions
Melt together shortening and cocoa. Add vanilla.

Stirn in about 1/3 of the powdered sugar at a time, with 1 Tbsp at a time of the evaporated milk, until desired consistency is reached.  (I thin it out with extra at the end to spread more easily.)

THE END.

Isabelle is 4 months!

Alright! Izzy girl is 4 months old! Time sure does fly.  The 3rd and 4th month have definitely been easier than the first two.  Isabelle is a darling tiny little gal.  She is very smiley, laughs when tickled, and loves to kick her feet.  When she sits in the back seat of the stroller, she can just barely reach the back of the front seat and spends a lot of energy kicking and kicking and kicking that seat. Luckily not hard enough yet that it bothers John, haha!!!

Isabelle can roll from tummy to back but usually doesn't bother with it.  She weighs  11lbs 3 oz and is 24.5 inches.  She loves to play with her toys.  She goes to sleep pretty easily (thank you, Amazon, for shipping a white noise machine in less than 24 hours!) but currently most naps are only about an hour. Then she's up for 1-2 hours and then back to bed again.  Nighttime she does pretty well, depending on the time she falls asleep for the night but usually only one wakeup.  Although the last couple nights she was a little feverish and cranky so she slept with me.  With John, I never even considered co-sleeping. With Isabelle...well, suddenly sleep is very important. And I read a statistic that co-sleeping is safer than falling asleep with your baby on the couch (which is what happened with John instead), so, bed it is.  I'm definitely trying to get her to sleep in her bed tonight! Last night I was just ready for bed before she was, so it was easier to snuggle her to sleep than listen to her wrestle out of her swaddle in her bed and then cry about losing the pacifier.

Isabelle loves the water, baths and the 1 warm pool she's been in, and is a pretty great traveller so far, thankfully!  And now onto pictures...

amazing upside down baby

To compare kids, as everyone should [not] do, here's John's 4 month post.

TWO TWO TWO!!!

I've been drafting this in my mind for a couple weeks, yay, our boy John is finally 2!!!  Crazy, I tell you!  I wanted to document what he is like at this age so I can read back and remember later...the last 6 months have been an incredibly fun age.  The last 2 months or so have been a verbal explosion and his constant (and I do mean constant) chatter is far more recognizable.

Favorite mispronunciations currently: Nilk (Milk), Mamy (Amy), SooSoo (Swimsuit and also swimming) um...I have more so I'll come back and edit this part later.
Favorite Toys: anything food/kitchen, most things that play music, pianos, and increasing interest in both cars and blocks, especially blocks made to be ramps for cars.
Obsessions that have come and gone: Plush toys. From November-May, it was plush everything, his "Friends" as I'm sure many (devoted) readers saw on IG and FB.  Lately? Doesn't touch them except the 2 he sleeps with.  Also, he's currently less interested in books, but I think I need to hide the ones he is bored of and get out new ones so they are all fresh again.
Favorite Foods: Yogurt, Yogurt, cheese, yogurt, milk, yogurt, and noodles. And crackers. And yogurt. And smoothies. Meat we have to force him to eat, usually fresh veggies also (although he still gets a lot of those via pouches.)
Favorite activities: playing outside, going to the park, taking a bath, making a lot of noise.
Sleep: Decent to good, finally after the last month being a big sleep regression with tons of crying at bedtime and skipping daytime naps.
2nd Birthday: Non-eventful.  We barely squeaked out birthday muffins, hats, and party favors at Zach's insistence (for which I am grateful!) He LOVED getting "Happy Birthday" sung to him all day long. We do have a party coming up for him with his church pals next weekend, so I am doing *something.*
Weight: 24lbs-ish. Height: Not sure, checkup on Friday to find out.

In case you missed them - here's a little summary of John so far.

2 months worth of pictures (not really)

Time is flying by around here!  I realize if I don't blog about what is going on, I'll never remember it. Even with baby calendars.  I reread John's early months and realize tons of things I've forgotten. So maybe I can catch myself (and you) up on things.

1) Bubble guns are super cool. I don't know why we didn't really do the bubble scene much, but we got some and John thought they were amazing.  Now he really doesn't care and just pours the bubbles from one container to the next. But look at the joy on this face!  Note: It was an extremely cool June gloom week, full of low temps and rain...hence, long sleeves. Crazy So Cal weather.  Izzy chilled on the back porch in her chair and then took a nap. I guess bubbles aren't her thing.

2. On Memorial Day, we went to a you-pick blueberry farm with Zach's parents who were visiting. Isabelle did wonderfully, nursing than napping in a carrier.  (Perfect age to to on outings with her!) John "picked" berries from all of our baskets and in general ruined his appetite for lunch.  We all had a blast though!

3. Sibling Love...only if someone is there to take a picture.

4. 1 Month picture and a photobomb by big brother.

5. 2 month picture and a phototomb by big brother. (are you sensing a pattern here?)

At least he is loving about it!

6. We've had an amazingly fun long weekend. First we went to the beach (not pictured) and then for the 4th we went to a local high school with a bunch of church families.  John made several attempts to hula hoop and the video demonstrates his success.

Isabelle is doing really well, more alert and very smiley.  She still has lots of hair and is generally all around adorable.  John is talking more and more every day, even a few sentences.  My favorite though is when he is excited and says, "Alright, blocks!" (or whatever he wanted.)

New and Improved!

...meaning, a blog with pictures. I have had a heck of a time getting camera pics to the blog. Browser problems.

So I'm typing one handed, holding a stirring baby, while reminding a coloring toddler that crayons aren't for noses or eating.  That boy loooooves to color and it keeps him in his high chair, contained, so who am I to complain?

Onto pictures of course.  Just a few random ones.

I love my babies reading early. If she is awake and John isnt stealing the book.

Adjusting is...some days getting along ok, some days barely functional with the support of Sesame Street and chocolate.

John is exploding verbally.  He says sooo many more words now, and always knows what he wants.  We've had some tantrums but he loves his Izzy, or at least getting his picture taken while holding her...except when we actually hired a photographer.  In addition to coloring. he plays chalk outside and loves to sing along -and dance - to his musical dog Scout.  Still working on the videos of that.

Izzy is growing like a weed and sleeping all the time mostly.  She likes her pacifier and usually sleeps well at night too.  She enjoys car rides and being worn.

Zach has just wrapped a crew job on a movie which kept him extremely busy.  He has a different gig next week.

I'm living feeding to feeding (2:13 since last feed) and trying to feed myself and maybe bathe too. While this time is very tough, I know it will be more fun later.

Isabelle's Birth story (mostly Christy's labor story)

Isabelle's Birth Story

Here is the story of Isabelle's birth. I've come to realize, perhaps, I am a person in complete denial about being in labor and birth. She was born Monday morning, April 27th, but let me back up to the Saturday before to begin.  I attended a baby shower. When I put on my dress, I looked in the mirror and thought, "Wow! Is my belly that high and sticking out?!" But I didn't photograph it because...I don't know why.  Later that day I read John some books. As he insisted on sitting in the middle of my lap, my stomach was very uncomfortable and I wondered how I could last another 3 weeks with him sitting on my lap.  That night I visited some family and we unexpectedly ate at an oyster bar for dinner...I had a burger and a few fries. Immediately my stomach started cramping frequently, I was sick, I wondered if I could make the trip home without needing bathroom stop. I felt horrible.  John had a 24 hour bug earlier in the week, so in the middle of the night when I also started vomiting (I was already up and sick anyhow) I thought maybe I had what John had, or food poisoning. I was up a portion of every hour, cramping, contracting, emptying my body...not pretty.  The next morning I stayed home from Church and slept. I also texted 2 other moms - all of our kids had the stomach bug earlier in he week - and they both came down with throw ups, fevers, aches that day too!  So I figured, I had the flu, food poisoning, or maybe early labor but I didn't really believe the 3rd option.  But I had no fever, no aches, and after sleeping most of the day I felt great except very weak.  I went to bed thinking, "thank goodness I'm not in labor. I'm so exhausted. I'd never make it through."  I ate what I could but it wasn't appetizing or handled well by my body.

At one point Sunday, I checked my baby bump in the mirror. Unlike Saturday. It didn't look so high and sticking out. I thought it was a little strange, but knew second babies don't drop until before birth. I chalked it up to different clothes.

Monday morning, 3 am. Woke up to pee, with a contraction, like I had a million times recently, went back to bed without a second thought.

5 am. Woke again to pee, contraction, and I thought it was weird that this time, I really didn't have to pee. I said a brief thankful prayer that John was still asleep and went back to bed. 

5:02. Wake. Try to pee. Contraction. Sleep.

5:04.  Wake. Try to pee. Contraction. Noticed that it seemed like this just happened 3 times in a row really fast.  Still bleary minded, I checked on Zach, who was getting up for work (he had been banished to the guest bed when I started throwing up). He got in the shower and I decided to count contractions. 4-6 Braxton Hicks in an hour and I was supposed to go in for monitoring,  was it 2 or 3 contractions I already had? I wasn't sure. I sat through a couple more. I had to gasp and concentrate on breathing through them. Naturally, I did what every laboring woman does next and facebooked a friend about it. As I wrote about the pain level, still referring to them as BH, I realized BH contractions are not usually THIS painful, just uncomfortable.  It was maybe 5:20. By 5:30 I told Zach he couldn't go to work, we needed to drop off John and check me for monitoring first "just in case."  I threw a few last minute things in my half packed hospital bag.  Thinking past what I needed wasn't on my radar, so nothing got packed for Zach. Wife of the Year right there.  I got teary over not finding specific pants I wanted to wear. I packed John's diaper bag for his day at school/sitter.  All the while contracting regularly.  Zach put his digital watch on me so I could time them but I couldn't really operate it mentally.  Contractions were no more than 3-4 minutes apart and still very painful.  

545-6 I called the sitter, who I knew rises very early, and told her we had to go to the hospital. "Bring John now," she said, right as he started to wake. I packed him a breakfast and we rushed him into the car.

6:15ish For me, sitting down in labor is my nemesis. It makes things so much more painful. I hummed through the pain and newly forming back labor pains while Zach essentially threw John into the babysitters arms (traumatic " DADDEEEEEEE!!!" Cries followed) and drove me to the hospital. 

6:30 I estimate this is when we arrived. I asked Zach to drop me off at valet, I was in so much pain I didn't want to walk from the parking lot.  Dumb idea to leave the girl who couldn't choose pants alone. I went in the wrong entrance and couldn't find Labor and Delivery. Luckily I was headed in the right direction and as Zach came out of the elevators, he led me to be right spot. I got teary again about not being able to find the right spot. We strolled in and I was feeling a LOT of pressure with each contraction, not like a head coming out, but enough pressure that almost felt like relief.  The nurses casually called the doctor as they busily got me ready - mind you I haven't even done the pre-work of hospital check in paperwork yet- so I'm not even really in the system. Oops.  Have I been exposed to Ebola? Is that important right now? After what seems like an eternity but was maybe only a couple contractions, the doctor appears. Everyone is still moving like molasses but he checks me and I hear (for the second time in my life) " You're at 10 cm. Time to move you to delivery." 

WHAT?! AGAIN?!  So we move to the delivery room. This time I can exit the room without them prying my hands off the bars of the bed. They quickly set up the delivery room and put my legs in the stirrups, which made me extremely cranky and uncomfortable. I remember saying, "these are hurting me!" And other such nonsense that only a laboring crazy woman would say. 

I remind everyone profusely that Zach is announcing the gender. The doctor breaks my water and tells me to push and I do, with a less intense version if the grunting I made with John. Except this pain was far different. The grunt escalated to a cry, to a scream, to a panicky high pitched wail as I pathetically (his word, not mine, but I agree) looked at Zach and was screaming as high as I could.  I had no idea how I could do this again with that kind of pain. The pain with John was different, still bad, but different.  I think I had another contraction/push like this then the doctor told me he was going to inject some numbing something and give me a small episiotomy. He wouldn't say what degree, just held up his fingers.  Ok- whatever, do I even have a choice? Then he told me I could push between contractions for relief. This felt really good.  I think Zach said something about the baby coming, or seeing it, but then one big push and I happened to be looking at the doctor and I saw him lift a baby right out, up and high from between my legs. The baby was dark colored but covered, really covered, in white vernix and around the umbilical cord I saw it was a girl. "It's a girl," I said before even giving Zach a chance to see. Oops again. Sorry, Babe.

As it turns out, she was sunny side up (posterior position) which is probably why the labor felt so different and I needed to be cut.  Also why the doctor pulled her out the way that he did, which was an amazing sight I hope never to forget.  Also explains the back pain during labor.

Time of birth, 6:47 someone said. They said we checked in at 6:36 but it seemed like longer than that. Maybe 6:36 that we got to the delivery room. Whatever it was, it was fast. 

There were so many surprises at once - delivering almost 3 weeks early, the speed, etc that the gender surprise wasn't as huge as I expected.  But I'm still glad (now) that we waited, although lack of agreement on the name made it difficult because she just didn't "look" like our top choice names.  Ironically, the name Isabelle was my first choice initially in the pregnancy, I had just forgotten it in favor of other similar names.  But I love her name, and calling her Izzy, and it's a name John can easily say.  

So there it is.  Despite the episiotomy, recovery this time (last time was allegedly minor tearing) has been a lot easier.  I've been less emotional ("less" but not non-existent) and a lot more capable than previously.  Which is good because John still needs me! Amazing how our bodies do what they need to do!

Oh and so Isabelle Jean, born 4/27, weighed 6lbs 1 ounce and was 19.25 inches long.  

Now at 9 days old, she weighs 6-4 (yesterday) and her favorite activity is sleeping. I can barely get her to eat on both sides and I have to wake her at night sometimes to avoid milk supply problems. She is so different from John in so many ways.

Second post coming for John and Baby: Davenports are a family of 4 at home saga.

Before I forget!!

Updated to add a couple more pictures and 2 videos to the end!

So, it turns out, the ONLY baby milestones I can now recall are those I reread on the blog. What signs did John know around 1? How long did it take him to get used to milk? When did he get molars? All. Gone. From. Brain. Except I happened to scroll backwards a bit and got a nice reminder. SO, before baby #2 wipes away my remaining brain cells, I better get a little more documentation out here!!

First of all, projects. My goal is to put my sewing machine away before baby arrives. That means finishing a SLEW of projects first. And that means if we have a girl, trucking it out again afterwards with new fabrics for headbands.  Unlikely. But, I've got burp cloths, teethers, key rings, paci clips (maybe) all in the works.  And lots of people to gift them all to!  And other things I want to make like marble mazes, tons of stuff. Maternity leave cannot come soon enough (May 4th).  Sewing machine lives in the dining area, though, so it will be nice to clear that area when we have the craziness of newborn going on in our house. In fact, that will probably be the baby station since the floor is no longer safe but full of books, strewn toys, jumping toddlers, etc.

Second of all, HUGE BABY. They told me baby was 5 lbs 14 oz a week ago. I can only hope and pray the ultrasound estimation is wrong. John was born at 6-11 and with 4 more weeks to go that puts this baby over 8lbs likely. OUCHIE.  Other than that, everything looks superb. No heart problems, no growth issues, proper amounts of fluids everywhere. Praise God!

John. 18 month sleep regression. *Moan.* Adorable except for the fits of not sleeping.  Frequently signs for "more" when we are tickle playing, playing hide and seek - anything that sends him into fits of laughter - more, more more.  He still prefers to sign over speak but does say quite a few things.  Loves to color lately, although got pretty upset when his last "whole" crayon (the yellow one) finally broke - had a LONG conversation with me at dinner discussing trying to put it back together. Despite all the other crayons (jumbo sized) being already in 2-3 pieces.  We have new crayons in reserve for when (big) baby comes, along with a new coloring book. Hopefully he'll like Veggie Tales!  Right now his favorite is Sesame Street and he loves to look for Oscar's coloring pages.  Oscar = "O-tee"...don't ask why.   Still into his books, although slightly less -- probably means I need to rotate them or hide some toys.  I've been too tired to parent extremely closely lately, so maybe I just haven't noticed.  We've finally got all 4 molars and canines at least partially showing, so hopefully we have a teething break for a LITTLE WHILE.  I busted out some chalk for the backyard and he's been enjoying that immensely (Can we say Target clearance + Cartwheel deal for 61c chalk?! woo hoo!)

Zach. Working on an independent film most of the next month. Including my due date. And most dates around my due date.  Yikes.  I think 5/10/15 is an easy date to remember for a birthday, which he conveniently has off. That sounds good, right? Now to alert the baby of my superior plans.

Household: Would be suffering, if not for all Zach does. I seriously lucked out.  This week I finally got back on the meal planning bandwagon, although I forgot to defrost and marinate our chicken 2 nights in a row so tonight was (uber delicious) breakfast burritos. I could eat those every day. John didn't have any complaints either, which was nice.  Once I'm on maternity leave, I'll be able to cook and freeze some stuff for post-baby.  What easy meals are other people eating these days? My favorite go-to lazy chicken is to throw chicken in the crockpot and cover it with salsa, cook on high 4 hours. Makes perfect shredded chicken for tacos, enchiladas, etc.

Exercise: We joined the local YMCA. They have free childcare. :)  And a pool! It is SO nice to get back into the water, even though its an indoor pool.  I am stoked to be getting back into some shape before having this baby. And excited to take John to open swim this weekend, hopefully!!  And when I'm on leave, I can take him to a couple toddler classes they have for baby signs and music.


Wow...I have really not uploaded pictures to Picasa lately. Oopsies. Here are a couple. John preferred his soccer ball to any egg hunting on Easter. Here is celebrating his "touchdown."

And this was...I dunno...around 34 weeks? Seemed bigger than the 35ish one I could find of me with John.  Somehow I can't find most of my last pregnancy pictures for a good comparison.

Ok, well, I think thats all I can bore people with for now.  Thanks for reading the whole thing! Ha!

Addition: John reading the "Doggies" book, and dancing, and a couple more pics.