Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Monday, September 28, 2009

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

Look at the beautiful cake!


I found this on Mckmama's blog and just had to pass it along. It just looks so fun and delicious. I can't wait to have a reason to make this cake. Here is the recipe:

Rainbow Cake

You'll need:

(for the cake)

2 boxes of white cake mix

food coloring (try Ateco)

(for the frosting)

4 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese

1 cup butter

5-6 cups powdered sugar

1 T vanilla

To make the cake:

Mix up one box of the cake mix, following the directions on the box. Separate the prepared mix into three bowls with roughly 1 cup of cake mix per bowl. Add food coloring (red in one bowl, orange in another, and yellow in the third).

Bake the three cakes in round pans according to the box instructions. Make sure to check the cakes about 10 minutes before they are supposed to be done. With less mix in the pans, they can cook faster.

Repeat with the second box of cake mix and the remaining three colors (green, blue, purple).

To make the frosting:

Mix together softened (room temperature) butter and softened (room temperature) cream cheese until well combined. Add vanilla. Combine. Slowly add in powdered sugar. After the 5th cup, taste the frosting. If you'd like it sweeter, add the 6th cup. If not, leave the 6th cup out.

To assemble cake:

Level the tops of each layer of cooled cake with a large bread knife. Slice into the cakes horizontally so that the centers of the cakes are no longer higher than the edges (something that usually happens to them when they are baked). This is important so that the colors will display evenly when the completed cake is cut. Your rainbow will appear warped and not even unless you level the tops of each cake first.

Begin assembly with the purple layer. Set the purple layer on your cake stand or plate. Add enough frosting to cover the layer with enough to spill over the edges (about 1/2 to 1 cup of frosting). Run the flat, smooth side of a large knife around the cake to smooth out the frosting. Add the blue layer of cake on top of the frosted purple one. Put more frosting in the middle and spread again with the flat, smooth side of a large knife so that the frosting covers the layer and falls out over the edges. Run your knife around the outside edge of the cake as well, to smooth out the sides.

Put the cake into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or the freezer for 1 hour.

Repeat with green layer and then yellow layer.

Put the cake into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or the freezer for 1 hour.

Repeat with orange layer and finally with red layer.

Freezing between each two rounds of layers is recommended. The cake can get really heavy by the time you are adding the 4th, 5th and 6th layers. If it is somewhat frozen at this point, the cake will not get smooshed or crushed. Additionally, it is much easier to frost the cake when it is relatively solid, not wobbling all over the place.

Cover the cake with frosting and run the flat, straight edge of a knife around the top and the edges of the cake to smooth out frosting. Add wording or decorations to the top of the cake with royal icing. Add cream cheese frosting and orange food coloring to a pastry bag and add the orange dollops around the base of the cake.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

I am...

UPDATE:
I am now a whopping 8lbs 11oz!

I am 21" long!

I am in the 25th percentile for weight and height!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am 1 month old today.



I am still wearing newborn sized clothing.

I have grown out of my premee clothes.

I am sleeping 4-6 hours at a time during the night.


I am smiling (randomly mostly, but sometimes when my mommy or daddy smiles at me)

I am waking up for feedings.


I am awake and looking around more often.

I am spitting up a lot.


I am eating 6-7 times a day.

I like being held and bounced.

I am sleeping in my crib in my own room.




I am still peeing on mommy and daddy when they change me.

I am wearing size 1 diapers and cloth diapers

I am still overall a very calm, happy and sleepy baby.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Not Me! Monday


I am back to Not Me! Mondays. A day to not feel guilty for all the things you didn't do this week.

I did get peed on while giving Jacob a bath this morning. And I most certainly did not continue wearing the same clothes I had on while getting peed on because by the time I was finished with the bath the peed on area was dry. Not Me! I would always wear clean clothes.

I did not sleep in until 11:00am this morning. I was not awakened only because my husband called to see what I was doing for lunch. Nope. I am always up and at'em in the morning.

I am not looking forward to a frozen meal prepared for us by a friend because that means I don't have to cook or think about dinner. And because I have not eaten much of anything healthy today, except for a yogurt. (that is healthy right?)

And I am not sitting here writing this while my baby is crying right behind me wanting to be fed. I would never let my baby just cry while I write such an important blog post. Not Me! What kind of mother would do that!

You can check out MckMama's blog to see what she and everyone else has not been up to this week.

Friday, September 18, 2009

The Cutest Little Bum


So I started using my cloth diapers (BumGenius). They are still a little big for Jacob but are working. I have only used them 1 day and I only have 5 diapers but so far so good. They are a cinch to put on and the laundering isn't bad.

And don't they just make for the cutest bum!


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Sleep

Our little man slept last night from 11pm t0 3:30am and then again from 4:30-9:20. I know it won't last but it was great only having to get up once to feed and change. I was debating about waking him this morning as it was nearing 6hrs since the last feeding and then he woke up. He has been waking for feedings now so I am trying to just go by his schedule. I think we are only getting in 7 feedings in a day but he seems to be doing well and is getting chubby! Will be interesting to see how much he weighs at his doctor's appointment next week. He usually goes 2-4 hrs between feedings. Also last night we again swaddled him (we hadn't for a few days) and I think he slept longer because of it. I swaddled him during the afternoon yesterday and he slept for 4.5 hrs. Oh and he is also sleeping in his crib and Devin and I are getting much better sleep. I know we are entirely lucky and blessed to have such a calm, sleepy baby. Thank you Father God for this little boy!

Spontaneous

Devin and I like to be spontaneous (like when we decided the day before to fly to San Fran for a long weekend and then again, a last minute flight to Vegas). We decided Saturday morning to head to Leavenworth, WA for the weekend. Devin's cousin Stephanie just gave birth to little Silas Oscar Kane. We visited with Devin's aunt and cousins and got to see brand new baby Silas, while they got a chance to see Jacob for the first time. We stayed overnight in Leavenworth and spent Sunday walking the riverfront, visiting the shops, and eating ice cream.

It was a little more difficult to be spontaneous with a new baby but Jacob did great. He did great in the car, the ride was just a little long with a 45min stop for nursing. The night in the hotel was interesting as we didn't want to disturb the other guests with a crying baby (translation- we were up much of the night holding, rocking, walking, feeding, and changing in efforts to keep Jacob from crying too much) and he did pretty well. It was in the high 80's to mid 90's on Sunday walking around the town. We put Jacob in the bjorn. He was a little small but slept almost the whole time in it, course the heat helped with the sleeping. The restaurants and shops with air conditioning were a life saver for cooling off and for feeding. Jacob was pooped and slept most of the way home, with a stop for feeding of course. Overall, the spontaneous trip with a 3 week old was a success. I now feel much more comfortable going out and planning future outings.



Silas Oscar Kane, 5lbs 10oz & 19 inches long



Proud Momma & Poppa


Jacob (3 weeks old) & Silas (1 day old)



Leavenworth riverfront




Enjoying a cool beverage and cooling off
Gotta love air conditioning
Diaper change on the bench
Nursing in the restaurant
Strolling downtown
Tired, hot baby. Absolutely pooped!


Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Upsizing!

So my little sister, Sidney, is going to be moving from a 1 bedroom apartment to a studio apartment. She is sorting, packing, selling, and getting rid of everything. She is downsizing, which means I am upsizing! I get the great benefit of getting some of her left over stuff. I don't know what I am going to do with all of it, but I have a few ideas already. Here is a peak of some of the new things I have acquired:

FABRIC-


RIBBON-


A NEW BAG-




PEACOCK FEATHERS-




One man's junk is another man's treasure!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Friday, September 4, 2009

Pictures and Advice Needed































Advice Needed:


I need help with diaper changes. Every diaper change last night, Jacob decided to pee just as I was wrapping up with the change and I wasted a diaper every time (4 times).

When I am changing, I put a new diaper under his bum before I take off the old one which then when he pees gets on the new diaper before I have a chance to put it on him, thus going to 2 diapers at every change. When I didn't put a diaper under him, yesterday happened...

Anyone have a better idea about how to change without wasting diapers and without getting the pee all over the changing pad and him?