Friday, March 22, 2013

Cooper is Two Months!!


Cooper at 2 months
(March 14, 2013)

Well another month has gone by and our little guy has grown and grown.  We went to the doctor today and he weighs in at 12.10 lbs and is 24 inches. 

Cooper has been much better with his sleep schedule and getting into a routine.  He is usually in bed at 9pm now and sleeps until 3am or 4am.  He usually only stays up for 30 minutes and is back asleep until 7am or 8am.  Every few nights we have an iffy night, but we've also had a few lucky nights where he has slept all the way through. Hallelujah!  This makes Mommy much happier because I can anticipate what's coming and can prepare for it.  Just this little bit of routine has really helped me feel like a better Mommy to not just Cooper but Ryleigh as well.  My patience is back & I'm not as exhausted so I'm able to play and goof around so much more with her....and that makes me happy.

Cooper has been smiling a lot this month and had his first chuckle.  Mommy was lucky enough to be recording him while he was laying on his playmat and all of a sudden he just started giggling.  After that, Mommy and Daddy tried everything to get him to laugh again and finally Daddy found the answer....tickles and shakes.  Now we tickle and shake (but not in a violent way, obviously) him every chance we get just to hear that sweet little laugh.

Cooper has also rolled over a few times from his back to his tummy.  Now, that could be a fluke because he was laying on the sofa and the cushions could have been slightly slanted offering him a little assistance in the roll process.  But he did it, so I'll take it!  He has lots of time to perfect the roll.

So far, Cooper has been a pretty laid back little guy.  He enjoys swinging in his swing, but he likes to cuddle too.  He likes watching his sister run around, laughs whenever Lucy licks his face and every  so often you can catch him watching TV.  I've really enjoyed these last couple months with him and I am so sad that in 2 weeks I have to send him to daycare : (  but such is life, and this just means he is about to get super fun!  Soon he's going to be babbling, interacting with me, playing with toys, sitting, yada, yada, yada.  As much as I love the newborn phase, I love this next phase more!  Can't wait to see what next month brings!


a face only a mother could love : )

keeping a close eye on her little brother, making sure he doesn't roll anywhere



Ryleigh came running into the kitchen and said "Mommy! Baby Cooper likes ponies!"






my three babies


Cooper's first time eating with a spoon

so strong : )



These next photos are part of his 2 month photo shoot with Mommy.  We were given these adorable monthly onsies, but it is impossible to get a good picture of him in them!  So here are the attempts...and then some much better takes once the outfit was changed.









Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Weigh In Wednesday

It's been two weeks since my last weight loss post because we have had a very rough last couple of weeks here at the Richardson house.  Ryleigh has been fighting a tough cough for almost two weeks now, plus she had a few days where she was fighting some sort of stomach bug.  Then, of course it wouldn't be fair if both Mommy and Daddy didn't catch some form of said stomach bug as well.  It seemed that as soon as someone got better, the next one went down.  So needless to say, we've been a little preoccupied over here.

Through it all I was able to pretty much stay on track diet wise...exercise is another story.  I was a little sleep deprived a few days from my sleepless nights between Ryleigh & Cooper.  Then I was feeling a little weak from my allotted sick days.  Then after that I was on full time kid (and Daddy) duty because it was Daddy's turn to feel under the weather.  So once again, exercise has taken a back seat to everything else.  I have a little over one month left of my maternity leave and I am determined to stay focused the rest of the way!  I have made an exercise plan for the month and have posted it up on the wall so I can mark off the days as I go.

The Weight Watchers is going wonderfully and the hubby is being such a good sport.  We've definitely had some misses in my recipe selections, but he never says a word...just eats whats in front of him without complaints.  He might be keeping his mouth shut because he has actually lost 10 pounds himself, so maybe he's secretly happy with the change in nutrition.  He did steer me adrift a little bit this past weekend, but I know he can only take so much.

Since the last time I posted I have lost 3 pounds...

so not that great, but enough to keep me feeling motivated and happy.  Also, I'm starting to see the changes in how my clothes fit and I'm fitting into more and more of my pre-pregnancy clothes as the weeks go. Hopefully I can stay motivated with my work outs so I can start toning up a little bit more too.  Keep your fingers crossed!



Honey BBQ Meatloaf (8 points) with Smashed Potatoes (3 points) & Green Beans

Honey Barbecue Meatloaf
makes 4 servings   8 WW points/serving

1 lb 90% lean ground beef
½ cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
3/4 cup smoky barbecue sauce, divided
2 tablespoons honey, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together the ground beef, panko, 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce, the spicy brown mustard, 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, salt, and black pepper.
Shape the mixture into a long, thick log and place in an oiled baking dish. Be careful not to pack the meat too tightly or you’ll end up with a very dense, tough loaf.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, and 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce. Spread half of this mixture evenly all over the meatloaf. Reserve the other half for serving.
Bake for 45 minutes. Slice and drizzle with reserved honey barbecue sauce.


Smashed Potatoes with Sour Cream & Chives
makes 4-3/4 cup servings    3 WW points/serving

1 1/4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4), chopped
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth, warmed
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
salt & pepper

Boil potatoes until fork-tender, about 12-15 minutes.
Drain potatoes and return to their pot.  Add the warm broth and coarsly mash.  Stir in sour cream and chives.  Season with salt & pepper.


Wonton Tacos (5 points) with broccoli & carrots

These Wonton Tacos have been around Pinterest for a while now and I finally decided to make them.  For some reason we actually had wonton wrappers in our fridge and when I figured out the points it turns out 4 of these tacos are only 5 points!!  They are from hungry-girl.com and they actually were pretty delicious.  The only thing is the recipe tells you to drape your wonton wrapper over the side of a baking dish and bake them in order to create the "taco" shape, but this makes the opening very small & frankly I could barely fit any stuffing in the taco because it was so tight.  So I would recommend finding somthing a little wider to use in order to form your wonton taco shape because once they're cooked and shaped, they aren't budging!

Wonton Tacos
makes 2 servings   5 WW points/serving

8 small square wonton wrappers
4 oz. cooked skinless lean chicken breast, shredded
2 Tbsp BBQ sauce with about 45 calories per 2-tbsp. serving
3/4 cup dry coleslaw mix
2 Tbsp
Newman's Own Lite Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To make the wonton shells, spray the inside and outside walls of a deep square or rectangular baking pan with nonstick spray. Evenly drape wonton wrappers over the pan's walls on a diagonal, making triangle-shaped "shells." (Use two pans, if needed, to keep wontons from overlapping.) Bake for 3 - 4 minutes, until just crispy enough to hold their shape. Remove pan from the oven and set aside to cool.

Combine chicken with BBQ sauce in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine coleslaw mix, dressing, and cilantro. Mix well. Microwave for 45 seconds, until slightly softened. Set aside.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. One at a time, carefully remove wonton shells from the pan and fill each with a heaping tablespoon of BBQ chicken and a heaping teaspoon of cilantro slaw. Lay filled wontons gently on their sides on the baking sheet.

Spray the upward-facing sides of the wonton shells lightly with nonstick spray (for added crispiness) and bake for about 5 minutes, until warm and crunchy. Let cool slightly and serve!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Cooper is One Month!


Cooper at One Month
(February 14, 2013)

At the Richardson house we are not only celebrating Valentine's Day today, we are also celebrating Cooper's one month!  It's hard to believe that it has only been one month since our little guy graced us with his presence.  So much has happened these past 30 days that it seems like he has been here much longer.  Since being born, Cooper has had visits from his Yaya & Poppi; Uncle Jason, Aunt Bekah & cousin Olivia; and his Gammy.  Not to mention all the family and friends he has met via Facetime!

Cooper has been doing a great job adjusting to "life on the outside".  He's eating like a champ and continues to gain weight & grow by the day.  He has grown out of his newborn diapers and is now sporting the Ones and he can fit into most of his 3 month clothes.  If I had to guess, I'd say our little guys weighs a little over 10 pounds now.

He was doing a wonderful job sleeping and we were even able to get a few 5 1/2 hour spans out of him, but for some reason, this past week has been difficult.  He is deciding to sleep in 2 hour increments throughout the night and instead of eating 3-4oz at a time he is only eating 1-2oz at a time, but more often.  We're hoping to get him on some sort of schedule here shortly though...as soon as we can figure out how to do that : /

Ryleigh is adjusting to life with baby Cooper wonderfully.  She loves giving him his binkie, covering him up with blankets and giving him hugs & kisses before bedtime.  She isn't overly interested though, which is actually very nice-she gives him just the right amount of attention.  She tells me numerous times that she "loves baby Cooper" and when he cries she pats his little head and says "it's OK baby Cooper, Mommy fix it".  It really is adorable to watch her grow into a big sister : )  He is one lucky little boy.

Mommy & Daddy are still adjusting to life with two children as well.  We have been on our own with no helpers for about two weeks now and we seem to be falling into a little routine.  I'm not going to lie though, it is difficult balancing everything.  While I don't want to wish these first few months away, I do look forward to the months when Cooper is finally sleeping through the night and we are more in tune with him so we can easily figure out what he needs. 

Things are still fairly new right now and we're still getting to know our little guy, but one thing I am happy to share is that Mommy sure knows how to get him to smile : )  A few days ago Cooper had his first legit smile and he's been flashing those adorable little smiles at Mommy almost everyday since!  We are very excited about what the next few months bring and for Cooper to become more interactive with us and Ryleigh.





with Yaya

with Poppi




Cooper, Ryleigh & Olivia

all the kiddos

Olivia was eyeing that binkie

Uncle Jason, Aunt Bekah, Olivia, Daddy & Cooper
Ryleigh & Mommy are missing from this photo because someone decided to throw a fit and ruin it

Cooper, Yaya, Ryleigh, Poppi & Olivia

snuggles!





what our Saturday mornings look like now

not sure if Lucy likes the blanket or the baby more?


sometimes playmats are exhausting


Daddy's idea of a swaddle


one of Coopers first real smiles : )





Happy Valentines Day!

Ryleigh loves Cooper