Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

This is a recipe for the little ones. Others can eat it too, I just have an aversion to cottage cheese so I make these for the babe. And he is CRAZY for them.

Everett was never into baby food. So right away I tried to find recipes that he could safely feed himself for meals. I found this one, and have made it so many times and adjusted it for us, I thought I would share it! Its a good way to bookmark it for myself, I pulled it up on my phone twice already this week.

I love this pancake recipe, because it is flour and sugar free! the original is very thick so I add liquid to make a thinner batter. I also add cinnamon and I like to do banana when I have them on hand. I have tried these, and they are good!!

You need: oats, cottage cheese, eggs, fruit, cinnamon, vanilla, and water.

Add everything except fruit to the food processor.

Add the batter and cook like you would a pancake! I always add the fruit to the pancake batter once I poured it into the pan.

After I make a big batch (and its usually a big batch since I don't have another use for cottage cheese), put them on a cookie sheet, freeze for 6 hours then transfer to a ziploc. Then I pop one in the microwave for 20 seconds and cut up for Everetts breakfast! (the picture below are the frozen blueberry ones I made earlier in the week)

Baby approved!

Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

1 cup oats (not quick cooking)

1/2 cup cottage cheese

2 eggs

2-3 tablespoons water or milk

pinch of cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla

thinly sliced banana, or fruit of choice

Put all ingredients except fruit into food processor. Blend until it forms a smooth, not too thick or thin batter.

I use an ice cream scoop to add the batter to the pan, this makes small pancakes. Add fruit (banana or blueberries are great) to the batter once in the pan. Flip once the pancake bubbles. Cook on fruit side another 30 sec- 1 minute.

Serve immediately or transfer to cookie sheet to freeze and enjoy throughout the week!

yields 10 small pancakes- recipe easily doubles, or triples!

My cool guy

My little boy looked so cute last week, I couldn't resist a little photo op.

p.s, if you have a little boy, Wal Mart has these hats for $3.47, I bought the navy one as well. I love them!

Zoo!

My sister invited Everett and I to the zoo last Friday. This was our second trip this year! Luckily for us, my sister has a membership which means we got in free! bonus! We didn't stay too long because it was so crowded due to Spring Break, and a little warm (I know in a couple months it'll be worse, so I hesitate even saying it was HOT!)

Everett loves being outside, but the heat was making his little cheeks so rosy red, as you can see in these pics!

Looking at the giraffes!

I gave my niece and nephew the cotton candy we had leftover from the Ostrich Festival. Hey, they are kids, and will never know...haha.

The walk-thru monkey exhibit is so fun. There were a ton of baby ducklings in there too. Cuteness overload!

The monkeys were so close to us, Everett was really watching them closely!

You can also walk right up to the peacocks! I had never seen them there before.

It was nap time, and I kept waiting for him to pass out, and he just wouldn't. Poor baby!

And hey, we have all had that awkward moment when we think we are taking a photo, but its a video! And I am sharing mine.

talking baby

My mother in law has always said my husband Chris was born talking. Everett is very vocal and learning new sounds every day.

Here are a couple videos of his words he will say!

Bye-bye (being held by my sister and my mom is talking. he says it very quietly at the end. this was about a month ago)

da da

oh, and if no one watches these I totally understand. I rarely watch videos on fb or blogs because I feel creepy....haha.

Ostrich Festival

This weekend we went to the Ostrich Festival! If you live in Chandler or Gilbert I am sure you've heard of it! When Chris worked in Chandler the company sponsored it so we got free tickets the first couple years we were dating and married. We have lots of good memories going there, and we were excited to bring Everett!

We were on our way there when I realized I forgot my camera. Hate that. So here are some iPhone photos for you!

They sell Ostrich burgers there. I tried one, and it was actually very good. Tasted like beef!

Everett loves being outside! He also loves looking around, taking everything in. We were waiting for a monkey show to start, and people were crowding in around us, so Chris put Ev on his shoulders. Everett started pulling peoples hair around us. Whoops. We didn't stay at the show much longer after that.
It was a beautiful day! The weather has been gorgeous, it was even very chilly once the sun set.

10 months old!

I've been dreading this month, since he is now double digits. Makes me so stinking sad! I know the whining about time going by so fast gets annoying- but SERIOUSLY it goes so fast!

Everett is such a busy little boy. Always moving. Always getting into things. Rarely still. Never cuddles.

He is standing on his own now. He pulls himself up on everything, even his crib which is very low so I am surprised he is tall enough to reach the top. He now stands and then lets go, standing alone for a second before he falls to his bum. For as busy as he is, he is very cautious when he is on his feet. He knows to sit himself down slowly, and takes slow steps when "cruising" along furniture.

He is so social. He babbles a lot. He still says "dada" all the time and definitely knows what it means. A couple times he has said "mama" but it was maybe only twice and when I tell him to say it he says "dada". Stinker. He also says "buh bye", "dog", and he called his PawPaw Kent "pawpaw" clear as day last week. I have gotten a few words on video, I need to post them!

He is doing this new thing where if I am holding him, and introduce him to someone new, or even just tell him to say hi to someone, he lays his head down on my shoulder and acts bashful.

He is still signing some things. A while ago I taught him "milk", but then I decided to stop because I thought it may make weaning harder. Well, the other day Ev was sitting at my feet and reached his hand up toward me opening and closing his fingers (the sign for milk is squeezing your hand open and closed). I thought it was a cute new wave he was doing, but when I picked him up, he "assumed the position" of nursing and yanked my shirt, signing milk over and over. Oh boy. This is his new favorite thing to do, and its so funny to me! He is so smart! Now that he signs it and knows what it means, it makes our life so much easier. He signs it when he is tired too so its almost like he's asking to go to bed. Which he does now beautifully.

Speaking of sleep, we had a rough month when him waking up often, but it was due to teething. He cut his fourth tooth (after it being **right there** for 3 WEEKS) and since them he will sleep 11 hours straight.

Everett had ear tubes put in this month, his first surgery.

His favorite foods are: black beans, blueberries, chicken, cheese, puffs, and cheerios. Still not a veggie fan- we need help in that department!

what I don't want to forget:

• waking up to your happy babbles over the monitor
• how love your dada
• how excited you get over black beans
• how you really study things. you take toys and look them over, picking and poking everything.
• how you are a little vampire, biting our faces and necks all the time.
• how you love your doggies! you often let them out of their kennel and chase them around
• your breathy voice, especially when you say "pawpaw" and "baba"
• your little hand signing milk at me
• how you eagerly pull all your clothes out of your drawer and throw them on the ground
• how you sleep so sweetly, taking up almost half the length of your crib

Jumper Fun

Post Partum Hair loss and Regrowth.

People. The things your body goes through after having a baby is ridiculous. And here I am, nine months later, with my baby being outside of me just as long as he was inside and the hormonal aftermath is still in full effect. You'd think everything would be level by now, but I still find myself very emotional, exhausted, paranoid, etc, etc... It definitely comes in waves. Immediately after coming home from the hospital I was an emotional wreck. Scared of keeping my baby alive! Worried about everything- even CRAZY things like the world was going to end I and I willingly brought him onto this earth. Then things leveled out, but now I think things are dipping again because Everett isn't nursing as much and I read that causes hormonal changes.

Anyway, the most physical hormonal change Ive seen has manifested in my hair. I always heard you lose hair after being pregnant, and for me it started when Ev was 3 months old. Clumps of hair everywhere. Hair in my food, on the baby, in his diaper (yes that happened), in the shower, hairballs all over the laundry.

You can see in the photo below how thin my hairline was (although at the time I didn't realize it):

Now 6 months later here it is growing back in:

I did not know that the hair you lost grew back so strangely. Now when I blow dry my hair I have all these baby hairs sticking up everywhere.

Stop.

Did you enjoy those awkward photos of me? Hormones be crazy people (and make people crazy!).

best buds

Everett and his cousin Ryan always have so much fun together. While having dinner at my moms Ryan busted open a container of puffs, and the boys went to town on them. It was so cute seeing them so excited over their treasured treats being on the floor to eat and eat and EAT! I think this also is a little window into all the fun (and maybe trouble) they will have as they grow older together!

Valentines Day!

Well its March 1st, so lets talk about Valentines! Sheesh I am so behind on everything it feels like- especially blogging. Here and over at my photo site. I have been blessed to be so busy with that but haven't been able to share my new work lately.

Anyway- Valentines day was more or less a regular day (we do always ALWAYS get take out and watch a movie- our little tradition) but the weekend before we went up to Show Low. Chris skied for a half day and Everett and I hung out in the hotel room, eating snacks and watching CABLE. It was glorious (minus the fact that 5 minutes into our room Ev fell off the bed. Horrible).

(rocking his rig burn from the fall)

(nap time)
When Chris got back we went to a very classy dinner at JB's diner, had dessert at Sonic and watched the intriguing show on NatGeo, Doomsday Preppers. That was a fun marathon to watch.

We tried to sleep- we thought having a king bed Everett would sleep well with us. Ha. He is a crazy sleeper. He likes to flip flop all night long- and even sits up and just looks around. None of us got rest. That boy is not a cuddlier and definitely likes his own space. A part of me so wishes he would cuddle and sleep with us (Chris would like that too), but he HATES it!

In the morning after the complimentary hotel breakfast we walked outside to SNOW! It was so fun to show Everett the snow.

I know he looks thrilled! Ha!

Then we drove up to Greer. Looked around some antique shops and explored the snow some more before driving the 3.5 hours back home!

Moms Birthday!

February 16th my mom turned 50! We had so much planned for her- a surprise trip from her sister and even a small surprise party. My grandparents were in town for her birthday and stayed here with us. I loved having them here- I wish they would've never left! Seriously! They loved playing with Everett and were willing to help any way I needed. It was the best visit ever!

My Grandpa Bill (as I always called him, now the great grandkids call him Papa Billy) will be 85 May 12 (a day after Ev turns one!). He is in great shape for his age and is such a pleasure to be around. I loved seeing him with my little boy. Melts my heart. My Grandma Wy is just wild about Everett too (well kids in general). I hope one day to be as great of parents/grandparents as they have been. What a legacy to leave.

Something new everyday

I keep telling everyone that Everett is doing something new every single day- and its so true. Since he turned 9 months old he seems to be unstoppable.

Heres a few things he's been up to lately-

• Saying "dad", "ma ma", and "bye", sometimes he tries to make a "dog" sounding word
• pulling the toilet paper off the roll
• pulling down the trash can
• walking along furniture
• pulling himself up on walls and the sliding glass door
• opening cabinets
• pulling everything out of said cabinets
• sitting down gently after standing up
• closing (or slamming) open doors
• opening the dog crate
• Giving the dogs food
• hes been clapping his hands for a while, but now will do it if I say "yay" or if he hears music
• hes also been blowing raspberries, but now will mimic us doing them, even with noise added. Also if I ask him a question, he sometimes responds with blowing a raspberry at me (not like hed ever answer with words), but its like hes this sarcastic comedian. This morning I woke up to Chris and Ev playing in the living room. I said hi to Chris, then walked into the kitchen and turned around and said "Oh, Hi Ev!" he blankly stared at me, then almost sighed as he blew a raspberry at me. It was like, "hey MOM! Dont forget to say hi to me EVER again. Ok?"

then Chris laughed, and Ev joined him. He's so funny.