{my life at this moment}

With Caroline keeping my hands full all day, my photography business has kept me busy at night. I can't believe I have been blessed with this opportunity. I have loved every minute. Aside from becoming a parent, I don't know anything else I have done where I have learned so much in such a short time. I can't wait to see what 2012 brings!

If you haven't checked out my other blog, feel free to peruse here. I feel so blessed that God has given me the heart for photography, and I only hope I can serve and glorify him in all I do.

I also want to thank those who have been my support system. You know who you are. I don't know if I could have done this without you!

All my love--

kate

{throw it all together}

Today was a confidence boost kind of day for me... cooking-wise.

I put Caroline down for her nap, and walked into the kitchen to scavenge for my lunch. I really wanted some tomato soup and a grilled cheese, but alas- "no soup for you." ;)

So, I grabbed the ciabatta bread, sliced it in half, buttered it, and then topped it with shredded mozzarella cheese. I broiled it in the oven (at 400 because our broiler on high burns stuff really fast. not speaking from experience or anything.) It came out perfectly brown and melted.

At that moment, I looked into the fridge for something to dip my grilled cheese into. Salsa? Nah. Ketchup? No way. Hmm... Tomato juice. Surely I could just heat that up in a mug, and it would be close enough?

I pour it into a mug, and just as I was about to stick it in the microwave, I had a lightbulb moment. Whole milk. check. Basil? check. garlic? check. I added those ingredients together (1:1 ratio of milk to tomato juice, but you could adjust that to taste) in a small saucepan, quickly whisked together, and turned it up to medium/medium high. After I checked to make sure it was warm enough, I poured it back into my mug.

Voila! Tomato Basil Soup a la kate. Is it La Madeleine's? No. But, is it good? Absolutely.

So proud of myself for thinking outside the box and whipping something up with what I had on hand.

{no regrets: microsuede}

Back in the fall of 2008, Zach got a bonus in the form of a gift card he could use at several places. Crate and Barrel was included on that list. We had been saving gift cards to Pottery Barn so we could get a new sofa, but decided to use the bonus gift card to Crate and Barrel instead. We had $1000, which doesn't always get you very far when buying a sofa. We went to the store, and found one we thought would be great. It was $999.00. Perfect! Clean lines, no back cushions for Sadie to smash, and it was made of microsuede. Hmm... I was a little leary of microsuede, because at the time, my perception was that it was a little cheap-looking. The microsuede had a very classy herringbone pattern, and a rich mocha color, so we went with it. It has been a great couch. Still going strong 3 years later!

Fast forward to nursery-gear. I wanted a rocker/recliner for Caroline's room, but had a hard time finding one within my budget. I returned all of the duplicate items we had received at baby showers and hoarded those gift cards and store credits until I had enough. I found one at Babies 'R Us that was a deep chocolate brown, had great reviews, and could rock AND recline without having to need an ottoman. Again, it was made of microsuede. I was hoping for cotton or velvet, but didn't have any problems compromising on that. It was a great choice. Not only has Caroline thrown up on me several times while sitting in it, but I have also clumsily spilled coffee on it more than I care to admit. All I have to do is soak up any extra spill, and then wet a washcloth to clean the surface. It dries, and you can't tell at all. Amazingly enough, it doesn't smell either.

When you have kids, or tend to spill a lot (guilty), this is one of the best things to have for your upholstered furniture. I am sure leather is great for it too, but that hasn't been in my budget thus far. I am so happy with both choices, so I wanted to recommend it in case you have looked past it too!

Microsuede. Thumbs up!

{comfort food}

I just emailed this to a handful of family members and friends and thought- what the hey. I should do a blog post! So here it is...

Now that it is cooling down outside...

I found this recipe a few months ago and have made it a handful of times. I really love tuna noodle casserole for some reason, even though we didn't eat it much growing up. It definitely counts as comfort food for me. Zach grew up with tuna casserole, and usually isn't very fond of it, but does like this version.

It is also really easy to exchange some of the ingredients for a healthier version. (i.e. olive oil for butter, less cheese, skim milk) It's from scratch, quick, and very easy to make.

Another great thing about it is that you usually have most of the ingredients on hand, so usually I just have to buy the tuna and the cheese. Super inexpensive to make!

Just thought you might like it and wanted to pass it along! Here is the link:

http://tammysrecipes.com/easy_tuna_noodle_casserole

I love recipe swaps. So, if you have anything easy, sort of healthy, and want to pass it back, I'd love you for it!

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Kate

{Happy Halloween}

Caroline was Peppa Pig for Halloween this year. That is a character on Nick Jr. that she loves to watch. It is an adorable british cartoon that even makes me laugh! She was adorable :)

{NANAS!}

I am really going to try to get better about posting. C is doing way too many fun things not to document!

Funny thing... I remember when my nephew was younger, he was a really picky eater as a toddler. And I remember hearing that is pretty common.

I have a pretty picky eater on my hands, but it isn't the typical "chicken nuggets" or "hot dogs" that a lot of toddlers prefer.

My child loved fruit in puree form, but really doesn't like it in it's original state. (surprised Mama on that one!)
The only one she likes is bananas.
Bananas, Bananas, Bananans. Or, "nanas" as she calls them.

She does love to eat!

At this point, of her three (+) meals of food per day (and Goodness!! Toddlers can put down some food!), she prefers:
potatoes (Tay-toes)
avocado (ah-ca-do)
green beans (gee-gee)
and...
NANAS! (I typed in all caps because she usually yells it)

If you haven't seen this clip from Despicable Me, you should watch it. That's about how every meal goes for us around here. Haha!

This is what happens when she realizes she has finished her banana:

{happy birthday hubby}

I have the absolute best husband in the world. I really do.

And today is his 31st birthday.

I told him recently that our 20's really brought some amazing things, but I feel like our 30's will be even better.

Zach is the hardest working person I know. And I really am not saying that. He works 12 and 14 hour days sometimes, just for me and Caroline.

He is so patient. Lord knew that when he put us together :)

He literally could not be a better father. I really can't think of one thing he could do better. Caroline loves him with all of her heart.

He is so selfless. He does so much for me and for Caroline, and never ever complains.

I have known him for over 10 years and I couldn't be more grateful that he was put in my life.

I am really so blessed.

Happy Birthday, love.

Salud!

{Happy Half Birthday Caroline!}

18 months. Wow. My daughter is a year and a half. I really can't comprehend that. It's just nuts to me. She was being silly this afternoon, so I grabbed my camera and took a few shots of her just being herself. She is the best. I need to write more things down. I feel like I am forgetting stuff she says or does!

{living simply, living intentionally}

"Look for the bare necessities,

The simple bare necessities.

Forget about your worries and your strife.

I mean the bare necessities,

Old Mother Nature's recipes

With just the bare necessities of life"

"The Bare Neccessities"

by Phil Harris and Bruce Reitherman from Disney's, "The Jungle Book"

I have a passion in my life for living simply. That's not to say I am always successful. But, I try and always be mindful of it.

In my 20's, I have come to learn many life lessons. One being that life just continues to get busier, and it's important to stop every once in a while and reflect. Am I going in the right direction? How can I serve and glorify God in what I do?

I am pretty sure I have cited this blog several times, but here it is again. Simple Mom, founded by a lady named Tsh Oxenreider, is a wonderful resource. Not just for Moms, but anyone who sometimes feels overwhelmed by the daily grind.

She talks about keeping the house clean and organized, saving money, managing money, raising children, work-life balance, among many other things. Her blog has been so successful that she expanded into a network of Simple Living blogs with many different contributors on many different topics.

She has written a book called Organized Simplicity, which ironically, has been sitting unread on my table for about month now. Nice, Kate. This is what I am talking about. Ugh. (Hanging my head in shame)

She also has written an e-book called, One Bite at a Time. It's $5 and outlines how to make life simpler one step at a time. (Did she write this for me?)

I just downloaded it, and just scanning through makes me so excited to read through it. 169 pages of tips for people like me, who need a plan to wade through the everyday mess of life.

I recommend.

Happy reading! Happy Simplifying!

(*Side note: Caroline is eating breakfast next to me, I have Pandora's Disney radio station on, and I am typing this post. The Bare Neccessities comes on. How appropriate. :)

{change}

(forgive the iphone picture)

It's pretty amazing how fast things can change, especially with kiddos.

We went from liquid diet at 15 months, to pureed food at 16 months, to 18 months (almost) completely off pureed baby food. I am sure a lot of that has to do with her having a mouth-load of teeth.

Remember how I said the doc still wanted me going for 24-30 ounces of formula a day through 2 years old? Yipes. Ain't happenin' any more! She will drink about 10 ounces in the morning right when she wakes up, 4-6 ounces before naptime (if I am lucky), and then about 8 ounces before bedtime. So, not horrible, but we are short a good 6-10 ounces. With all of the food she is eating, I think we are okay on calories, so I am not really worried.

Caroline looooves potatoes, avocado, and bananas!

People have been asking me how she is doing with food lately, and I wanted to post about it. She is doing great! I basically have her on a whole foods sort of diet. No wheat/oat/barley, but it hasn't been too hard to work with at this point. I am hopeful :)

{impact}

I am sure it is fairly obvious by now that I am highly motivated by positive words. I don't think there is a lot of room in life for dwelling on the negative. I think if things aren't going right, the only thing you can do is get on your knees and pray. Everyone is fighting their own battles on a day to day basis, so the best thing to do is have faith that God's plan will reveal itself and it will all work out. All that being said, I love all of the Steve Jobs quotes that have been popping up all over social media. This is one that I put up on Facebook and Twitter, and I liked how this person graphically laid it out. I would love to print it out in a small frame on my desk or (someday) office.

{honestly: mama anxiety}

(image from Pinterest here)

Hello friends.

A friend I knew in college has "truth telling Tuesdays" on her blog, and I felt the need to do something similar. I am going to call each post "honestly" as a way to look back on myself and see how God has helped me to work through things. I don't know that I will have something on a weekly basis, but I would like for this blog to be as real as possible.

People always comment to me about how I look like I have everything together, or that my life looks like it's perfect or easy. I'm sure that I can speak for anyone, especially new moms, when I say, it's not. I make a lot of mistakes. But, I am learning so much.

Everyone is fighting their own battle(s). Here is one of mine:

Caroline is doing so well with food. I am working very hard at trying to get her off of the pureed food and onto regular food. I still have to strictly regulate everything she eats. If something has more than one ingredient, it's because I have mixed them. For example, green beans and rice... or sweet potatoes and squash.

She isn't the one struggling with all of this. I am. I have watched her time and time again, when she gets sick after eating food.

If you aren't in the loop as far as her food problems go, here is a rundown:

1) She had a milk protein allergy when she was born that made her sick/hurt if I had dairy. So, I had to take it (among all other possible allergens) out of my diet. Once I stopped the dairy, her reflux got better.

2.) Reflux has been controlled since she was about 8 weeks old.

3.) She started solid food around 5 months and did great.

4.) At 9 months, she got a bad stomach virus. We couldn't ever get her back on solid foods without her throwing up.

5.) For months, I kept trying single ingredient foods or bland foods, and she would still get sick. Things she ate every day before.

6.) The doctor put her on a liquid diet to give her body a rest. From 11 months until 15 months, her sole nutrition was formula.

7.) We did an endoscopy of her throat, which showed no food allergies (so weird), but that she has a hiatal hernia... an anatomical abnomality that basically just gives her a predisposition for reflux. So, basically, I think she had a double dose for reflux at the beginning.

8.) At this point, I have a strong feeling she has grown out of the milk allergy, but only time will tell. We went to a new doctor... the best of the best... Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology at Texas Childrens.

9.) He gave us a strict plan to follow. We figured out that the wheat/oats are what were making her sick. Things she ate everyday before she got sick at 9 months. He told us allergies show up that way, and it's best to take them out of their diet instead of continuing to give them. Hence, I can't give her a ton of regular food because a) we haven't gotten to the point of trying dairy in his plan yet, and b) practically everything has wheat or dairy in it.

I wasn't going back over that to be wordy. All of this has given me so much anxiety as a mother.

I literally get pits in my stomach as she is trying a new food. Is she going to get sick this time? She has been fine on fruits, veggies, and rice so it's just wheat/oats at this point.

Now that she is 17 months old, the church nursery or any mothers day out will have kids that are eating normal things. Things Caroline can't have yet. Like Goldfish. Or Graham Crackers.

I have so much anxiety when we drop her off at the church nursery, or at the thought of taking her to Mother's Day Out, because I am terrified she will pick something up off of the floor she can't have and eat it.

I am terrified she will choke. I am terrified something bad will happen if she eats something she can't have.

So, there it is. I constantly have to tell myself that God will take care of her. We have such a strong bond, and I can't bear for something to happen to her. I am tearing up just writing this.

I keep seeing all of these precious babies get sick on Facebook, or lose their Mamas, and it fuels my anxiety.

So, I keep repeating verses to myself, and I keep praying.

this printable from here

{life lesson}

If I could pick one life lesson I've learned in my 20's, it would be this:

I got the image from Pinterest (duh :) but it originally came from here.

{typical day}

I wish I had done this from the beginning... kept track of a typical day in the life of miss Caroline as she grows. Once you get a sort-of-schedule in place, they tend to go and change it again. That's what makes every day interesting, though! Oh, well! Maybe with the next one (which is not any time soon).

At 17 months,

this is what we did today:

6:45am: wake up, medicine, drinks her milk, and we play! (I have to play and play and play with her or she won't go down for her nap! I try to avoid TV in the morning because she needs to be more active)

Things we do:

(dancing to the wiggles, doing puzzles, chasing each other, throwing the ball for sadie, playing with magnetic letters on the fridge, playing dress up with Mama's purses/shoes/pearls/etc, reading books, among other things)

9:00am "Breakfast" This keeps changing because we keep adding food (amen!). Today, she had apples (I crushed up), and mashed sweet potato mixed with a little bit of apple to help the consistency. This is probably so weird for those who have kiddos around Caroline's age. She "should" be eating regular people food (Still cut up into smaller bites), but we aren't there yet. She is doing so great at learning how to feed herself with the spoon. I haven't really been pushing it much, because I wanted her to get used to picking up food with her fingers again, but she likes to hold the spoon, dip it in the bowl and feed herself. She can't have any dairy yet (we haven't gotten to that point of trying it), and she can't have any type of grain aside from rice. That is what makes eating so tricky for us. No processed food whatsoever. I have to have full control over every ingredient in whatever she eats.

Another thing is that her Doctor says he still wants the majority of her nutrition coming from her formula, which means I still have to fit in a good 25-30 ounces on top of the food we are trying one by one. The solid foods at this point are moreso for trying/experimenting and less for calorie count.

Next, we clean up, play a little bit more...

11:00am Napped like a champ for 2.5 hours. That's my girl. She does great when we are at home. Traveling... not so consistent on that! {insert Mama's time to eat, shower, go to the bathroom, do anything around the house, and work. yipes.}

1:30 Up, drank some milk, and ran some errands.

Ate some bananas/prunes frozen into ice cubes inside one of these (best invention ever) and watched a little bit of Elmo's World on DVD. She loooooves "Oh-no" (Elmo)

Played some more {stacking blocks/making towers/knocking said towers down/etc)

Rubbed on some sunscreen and headed to the splash park. I keep thinking we should enjoy it while we have the warm weather! This is where today was not normal. She {hearts} the splash park. Today, not interested. At all. Long story short, she kept following this little boy around. Oh geez. Zach, you are innnn trouble.

6:00 medicine, bathtime, cup of milk, brush teeth, read book, say prayers, go to sleep (aka Mama leaves the room)

And, I'm spent. At this point, I usually get on Pinterest or Facebook just to have a few minutes of pointless activity. Then, I get dinner ready/clean up/do laundry/eat dinner/watch a TV show, and then it's time for me to sit down and work. I usually work until 11:30 or 12am.

Then, I go to sleep, get up, and do it all over again. Just a reminder for myself when our next one is around this age. Especially if we have another girl!

{12-16 months}

I am pretty sure an absence of blogging in the time of 12-16 months is a bit par for the course... Caroline is SO busy! She keeps me so busy. The baby that turned one in April is not the same baby I have here at 16 (almost 17) months. Wow... the changes have been unbelievable to watch! Some things I want to remember...

* Caroline is going to be a little dancer... she is already doing movements to some of the wiggles songs and songs I sing to her

* She is very verbal (although I don't really have anyone to compare... that is just my own observation). It is so funny which words she comes up with and which ones she totally botches (but I know exactly what she is saying).

* She became super attached to her paci after we weaned her off the bottle in July. I am a little indifferent... Sometimes I think- oh geez... we need to start working on getting rid of this... and sometimes, I think... eh- we've got time. I don't mind it... Until I make up my mind, it stays. :) Another funny thing is that she is VERY particular about her pacis. Not just NUK brand, but the NUK Genius ones... Sorry to say I know exactly where she got that from!

* She is obsessed with animals and can do every animal sound I can think of. Some of them are really funny. The latest ones are snake and owl and her "whooo whooo" is hysterical. I think the elephant is my favorite.

* She has started to throw tantrums, but I am getting way better at handling them. They really aren't too bad (yet?) and almost 100% of the time happen when she is tired.

* August was a crazy month for her. She got Salmonella poisoning (from licking a restaurant table we think. nice) and cut 4 teeth (3 fang-ones and her last one year molar)

* She is getting closer and closer to allowing bows to stay. She wants them, but she always pulls them out within 30 seconds or so.

* She is SO girlie. Purses, shoes, jewelry... anything. It is the cutest thing ever.

* She is a water baby. She loves the pool, kiddie pool, and especially the splash parks. It got way too hot this summer, so we didn't do as much of that as I thought. I took her yesterday with her Aunt Tara, and she literally screamed with delight as she ran around. She absolutely digs it. I plan on taking her to the beach when it cools down below 119.

Are we really in September? Hol-ee cow.

I have a goal (aside from finishing my darn photography challenge. Ugh- sorry.) to go out and take some more pictures of her and have them printed. SO shameful... I am a photographer and I haven't printed any pictures of my sweet girl. Zach is beyond swamped, so hopefully it will happen someday soon.

That's all I have time for now, but I will try to be better about taking just 15 minutes to write a quick post! I know I have forgotten some stuff since I haven't been great at updating since she turned one. Her birthday party pics will be coming soon! Gah.

{thank you Aggieland}

This is adorable. So sweet.

{snafu}

A/C went out again yesterday for the 2nd time this summer... Aye-aye-aye.

Hopefully Zach gets it fixed... Meanwhile, I have a newborn session in Dallas this weekend that I am so excited about!

I know we'll get through the craziness to come up for air. We always do.

<3
kate
(Forgive the post... I am typing it out on my iphone!)

{august photography challenge: yipes}

I have always had awesome timing. And by awesome, I mean terrible.

Way to schedule the photography challenge when you're super duper busy and out of town all the time! Fail, Kate.

Oh, well. I do what I can with what I have when I am able to...

I am trying to catch up, but here are days 7-12. Hopefully I can catch up by Friday because I go out of town again :) Haha!

{need a laugh?}

I had quite the day. C was her cute little self, but I am just run ragged from all of the traveling we have been doing. And it's not over. I'm off to another shoot this weekend, and I can't wait to get home. I will hopefully be able to catch up on my (poorly timed) photography 30-day challenge.

I forgot Zach and I were being silly and playing with the scanner one night. I saw this on my desktop just now... From a time when we scanned some stuff for his business, and it made me laugh really hard. I needed that. Thought I'd put it up in case anyone else needed that too. Thanks, honey. ♥ you!

{challenge: vacation hiatus}

I will be away from my own computer for a few days, so I will update my photography challenge once I return. Can't wait! This has been a wonderful way to learn new things. I have loved it so far, and even moreso-- have loved seeing some of my friends' ideas. So cool!

{I.Did.It!}

I found a chair on the side of the road. I decided to re-do it to be a photo prop. After weeks of cleaning, pinspiration, painting, and re-upholstering, I am SO happy it's done. Zach just might be even happier. I will do another post in the near future going through the how-to, but I couldn't wait to share the before and after! Hope you like it! Anyone want to take it for a spin??

{challenge: day six}

I got out of the house and went to downtown Beaumont. I love scouting locations for shots. I found some really cool places I could do portrait sessions, so if you know anyone in Beaumont (or that wants to come here), contact me! I took the theme for today pretty literal as you can tell. Trying to push myself out of my comfort zone to be more creative...

{challenge: day five}

I took C to Petco today to look at the fish.

(I don't think Beaumont has an aquarium, sadly. She would be in heaven!)

I just lifted the camera over the turtle tank and snapped the picture. Nothing fancy, and I am not super impressed with it. But, I am forcing myself to get creative, which is the point of this whole thing! I am pretty hard on myself too.

{challenge: day four}

I had fun with this one. I made a rule for myself that I couldn't use grass or any other plants as my something green... I wanted to force myself to get creative. This is one of my favorite things in the whole world... a coke or dr. pepper in a glass bottle. I'd drink one of these over dessert or even alcohol any day! I was out there less than 10 minutes and the mosquitos were eating me alive! Beaumont is the mosquito-breeding capital of the world.

I am loving friends that have started to join in. It is so much fun to see what people come up with! It's not too late. Join in whenever you want!

{challenge: day three}

We didn't get out of the house today, except once to go fill a prescription. Caroline is a bit under the weather. By the time I got out of the house to go pick up some dinner, I realized I didn't have my camera with me, and I didn't see a lot of clouds in the sky. So, I stopped in a church parking lot that has a field next to it, and took a picture with my iPhone of the one cloud in Beaumont's sky for the day!

I'm not super impressed with the picture, but I did improve the composition and color quite a bit in Lightroom. Not toooo horrible for a phone camera. I also took a few pictures with the hipstamatic camera app, but Zach liked my edit of the raw picture better. So, here is day 3! Tomorrow will be fun- I am trying to think of something really creative for something green...

And just for fun, here is the original straight-out-of-camera shot:

{challenge: day two}

I wanted to think outside the box for this one...

I like clothes and fashion, but I don't live it right now chasing after a 15 month old.

One thing I do really love are sunglasses. You won't find me without them. Ever.

I would love to see some others participating! I have had soooo many people ask me about how I get good pictures, what camera do I have, what lenses do I use... C'mon friends! Join in!

{amazon prime/amazon mom}

***UPDATE since I posted: (see bottom of post)

Most everyone is familiar with Amazon.com.

Most everyone is familiar with Amazon Prime membership ($80/year for free shipping on almost anything)

They also have a program called Amazon Mom. It works like Amazon Prime, but it is free... The catch is that you have to purchase a certain amount of things regularly to get it free.

Up until now, I wasn't sure that I could buy enough stuff to be eligible for Amazon Mom free. (I did join Amazon Mom back in December to start doing subscribe and save for diapers)

I buy my diapers from Amazon. They have a subscribe and save program that saves 30% on diapers if you sign up for a monthly delivery. All you need to do is figure out how much you would need for a month's supply, and then they keep coming as long as you want them to. Run out early? Just go to the site and add another shipment. Have too many, or don't need it anymore? Just cancel it with the click of a button- no questions asked. It's pretty awesome! (**Let me just note that Caroline has very sensitive skin, so I have to use the Pampers or Huggies sensitive. I have chosen Pampers. Some kiddos do just fine on store brand. You'll just have to go by your own kid and price it out!)

I am finally also switching Caroline's formula. If you know our situation well, you know this is HUGE for us. They have a subscribe and save program for the formula as well. So, instead of $22/can (where I have shopped around to find that to be the cheapest price), I pay for a month's supply (around 12 cans)... and they become $17/can. Wow! Pretty great, huh?

I could order this formula straight from Enfamil for $22/can for a case of 6. Their shipping is free. But, with Amazon Mom being free, I get free shipping and save an extra $60/month... JUST on formula!! That doesn't include the savings on diapers. Even if Amazon Mom wasn't free, it almost pays for my Amazon Prime membership in just one month's time.

I buy gifts and things I can't find in Beaumont (imagine that) off Amazon all the time.

I seriously ♥ Amazon.com

P.S. UPDATE: (I am just going to warn people that Amazon Mom only allows for Prime Membership benefits for up to a year. I just spent an hour on the phone with Amazon customer service arguing about what it says on their website. I cancelled my Amazon Prime membership, and went to order a carseat, and it wouldn't give me the prime member free shipping like it is supposed to. ARGH. I don't heart amazon as much as I thought. I think it's still worth it, but only for the first year! I am going to reinstate my prime membership because I buy other things from Amazon and the Amazon mom benefits only apply to "qualifying" baby items. What a crock. I have spent about $1000 on amazon in the past 8 months on just baby stuff alone. Geez....)

{challenge: day one}

this one was a hard one to start. i felt like a total goob taking pictures of myself. i really wanted to do a shot where i set the timer and the camera was further away, but zach convinced me to use this one. it isn't my favorite picture of myself, but i hope by day 30's self-portrait, i can come up with some better ideas. hopefully, this will also pull me out of my comfort zone and get the creative juices flowing so my clients will get even better pictures out of me! :)

***side note: i can't get the settings right to upload to the picasa gallery... so, leave a comment with a link, or make a facebook album and tag me or let me know you are doing it. i want to see everyone's pictures!

{no more bottles!}

I have tried on and off to get Caroline to switch from Bottle to sippy cup. She will take any sippy cup all day long if it has water in it. The moment there is formula, she used to hand it back and say "all done." Sheesh! How crazy that they get so attached to formula or milk being in the bottle!

I had read/heard from friends to take it one feeding at a time. But, since Caroline is on this liquid diet, it wouldn't work. I took her in for her 15 month appointment/shots last week. The doctor said I would just have to do it cold turkey. He said it took his daughter 3 days (oh.em.gee.) And he said it would be rough.

Oh geez. If I had known that, I might have pushed a little harder starting at 9 months. But, that's also when all of the food shenanigans started, so I know I can't say that. Hindsight is 20/20 right? :)

We got home from the doctor's appointment just in time for her nap. I gave her the final bottle and then put her down. She slept like a dream. Amen! I teared up as I washed all of her bottles and put them away for the last time. When she got up, I offered a sippy cup. She handed it back and said "all done."

She did this for 28 hours.

I am not joking. I don't know how my pediatrician's wife handled 3 days! I just kept handing it to her. She might take a sip, but might have had half an ounce at most total. At the 24 hour mark, it was getting really rough and I started to second-guess myself.

Other kids her age are also eating solid foods, so they are getting other nutrients. She isn't. I can't starve my baby!

So, in a sense, I caved. Not really, but sort of. I filled a random sippy cup (that I rarely use) with pedialyte just to make sure she wasn't going to get dehydrated. She sucked it down!

Then she handed it back to me and asked for more. This is when I got smart.

I filled it with pedialyte, but then mixed several scoops of formula into it.
(*We have been told she has a milk protein allergy, which is why she isn't on cow's milk. Hopefully, we can wean by her 2nd birthday)

She took it! My heart felt like it was about to burst! She drank most of it, so I kept filling it back up.

The next couple of days, I filled it with less and less pedialyte until I was back to mixing water in.

Phew. 28 hours. She slept fine at night, so I really can't even say 28 hours. More like 16 rough hours. Not that bad!

I feel like I dodged a bullet. I know there will be other things that challenge, but this gives me the motivation that I can handle it!

And now, she acts even more independent when she drinks her sippy cup. One more step away from being a baby!


Oh yeah, and she will only take formula from this specific sippy cup! All the other ones she loves for water are only for water. Little particular stinker. How funny is she!

{challenge!}

Please join me on a 30 day Photography challenge! Starting August 1st...

You don't even have to have a fancy camera--use your cell phone if you don't! I saw this on Pinterest and thought it would be a great way for me to get my creative juices flowing and inspire future photo sessions.

Here is the challenge: (All credit goes to here)

Upload your pictures to my picasa album here.

(**UPDATE: don't upload to picasa. I can't get it to allow outside people to upload)

Feel free to upload on your blog or facebook too! Just comment with a link so I can see everyone's pictures!

{hunger strike and some insight into her condition}

hunger strike=harder on Mama than it is on Caroline.

geez.

I have also come to some conclusions lately. These are just my own opinion. It may or may not line up with what anybody else thinks. It may change too. And that's okay... Perspective has a lot to do with that. Needed to just get some feelings off my chest.

Having your first baby is so different than when the next ones come. (*And let me say, I hope I am not offending Mamas out there with two. I know that I absolutely don't have a clue what it's like to have two. I'm pretty sure it's a lot harder! :)

Parents naturally dote on the first baby so much more, because you are learning their thresholds of comfort, pain, and stubbornness.

I didn't transition Caroline from the bottle to her cup early on, like a lot of parents do. Her first birthday was right in the midst of the crazy food intolerance problems, and we were still trying to figure things out. I just didn't focus on it. And, now here I am having to force her to switch. But, that's just life. We will have to move on from the comfort of what we know. Not just as babies, but as we grow. I can't protect her from everything. But, I know as her Mama, I will still try. And that's okay with me.

Now, we know 2 things:

a) Her reflux is caused mainly by her hiatal hernia, an anatomical abnormality (that is somewhat common). This just means she has a predisposition for reflux, and will probably deal with it the rest of her life. I am so happy I fought for Prevacid, because that has saved her esophagus from having any long-term damage.

b) She also has some food allergies/intolerances. We haven't figured out exactly what they are yet. We are working on it. The weird thing is that she ate all these foods before, with the exception of dairy. Oatmeal and bananas were her favorite thing. She enunciated the word banana at 9 months old. She ♥s them. All of a sudden, she couldn't tolerate her normal food anymore. We kept trying, thinking it was the stomach virus, but then months went by, and she still couldn't do it.

I took her to a new GI specialist. He told me explicitly how he wanted me to start foods again. And do it in this order:

Rice, Oatmeal, Barley.

Yellow Veggies

Green Veggies

Fruits

Meats (white first)

Then, we try dairy.

Rice. No reaction. Hates it. Even with pear juice.

Oatmeal. Violent reaction.

Barley. Violent reaction.

As a first time parent, I am extra sensitive to protecting her. She's my first baby.

She always will be. We will do different things with our next one. First, because they will be different human beings, and second, because we will already understand some of those thresholds unlike before. (And, I know I will still love them just as much.)

That's ok. I know I can't say I would go back and do things differently, because she is my first baby. And I am extra careful to protect her.

It's different when you have a ticking time bomb, and you don't know if the next 24 hrs after having food is going to be okay, or taking care of a sick baby.

It's just different. When Caroline was eating solid foods before, feeding her every day was no big deal. Sweet Potatoes, Bananas, Green beans, any kind of cereal...

Most people don't realize that is what our day is like now. I worry about what kind of reaction we will get this time. With foods she ate just fine before 9 months.

Most people don't realize how sad it makes me to watch other kiddos her age eating table food. It's not something we have or haven't done. This is how her body has reacted.

We tried food. She would be sick all day. We would wait a week or so. We'd try again. Same reaction. This went on for months. From January to June. Finally, the doctor told us to keep her on the formula, and give her body some time to heal/adjust.

We don't know the cause. It could have been triggered by the stomach virus she got back then. Or it could have just been a coincidence, and the food allergies showed up at the same time.

I know we will get her on solid foods soon. I am anxious (in a good and bad way) to start the yellow veggies. She loved those last time. I hope she doesn't react like she did with the gluten-ingredient grains.

There are so many times that I feel so alone. No other kiddos are on a liquid diet at 15 months of age. Why her? It doesn't matter. It's my job as her mama to help her get through life. And I am doing the best I can. God blessed me with the sweetest baby girl I could imagine. I couldn't be more grateful.

{grab some kleenex}

I just read about this little boy, who has an aggressive brain tumor.

My heart is broken for this family.

Yet, they are so hopeful and so faithful to God, knowing he has a plan in all this.

The mother, Kara, writes:
"I think when you become a parent, you hope for two things for your children. The first is that your children know that they are loved. And James is so desperately loved. Not just by his family, but by so many people around the world. Our other hope is that James would find his calling in the world and live it out. My word, has he found his calling. James' impact on the world is far greater than mine.

So, what else can I ask for? I spent the day with the light of my life, and God gave me one more day with him. Glory to God, who blesses me beyond belief."

Please take a moment to pray for this family. Help them to have peace, and to know God is in this with them.

virtual hugs...

kate

{home is wherever i'm with you}

we've been in the process of moving. for a while now. transition is turning into a marathon of sorts. but, that's okay. the market is what it is, and we are perfectly happy in our situation right now. in my mind, it's God's way of saying--"I got it. Let go." so, i have.

onward. :)

i have been feeling a bit swamped.

shooting photos.

editing pictures.

keeping a house pretty.

trying to, at least.

running after caroline.

traveling back and forth over all creation.

reading about how to discipline a toddler (see #4 above)

celebrating 5 years of marriage

waiting for a/c to be fixed

watching mad men with zach

keeping up with friends

wondering where april, may, june, and july went

praying.

i know all of this sounds pretty trivial, but it's my life. and i love it.

i will just say God never ceases to amaze me how he provides for us.

feeling so blessed.

i took caroline out to the administration building on campus and took about 5 minutes worth of photos of her. cute little thing, you'd be surprised how many i ended up taking!

here are a few of my favorites. love her more every day.

"holy, moly, me, oh my. you're the apple of my eye. girl, i've never loved no one like you."

p.s. (**song lyrics are from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes' song called "Home")

{iced heaven}

Since we are in the craziest heat wave/drought, I have been on a big iced-coffee kick. Pioneer Woman posted a recipe recently and it was way too complicated for the fractional amount of spare time I have on my hands, so I went another direction.

It is called Vietnamese Iced Coffee. I adapted my recipe from this link because I don't have any of the special equipment. Hope you enjoy!

Serving Size: 1-2 cups

6 Tablespoons of coffee (I used a dark roast to make it extra strong)

18 ounces of filtered water (ratio is 2T coffee to every 6 ounces of water)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Ice

Brew coffee (strong is good because the ice will weaken the coffee a bit)

Fill big coffee mug about 1/2 full with ice (crushed is best)

Add about 2 Tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk (+/- to taste)

Pour coffee on top and stir.

Add more crushed ice as needed.

SO easy! Of course, you can adapt the strength of the coffee and amount of sweetened condensed milk to taste.

I am WIRED right now, so you may want to avoid this in the afternoon?

Enjoy!

{welcome to the jungle}

"[Toddlerhood is] more like three parts party mixed with

two parts wrestling match and one part jungle safari."

(-Dr. Harvey Karp)

{post-script: update on Caroline's condition}

p.s. I don't think I did a great job of giving the full story. It sounds like Caroline is having a terrible time and is in terrible condition, which couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, if you didn't know she was having problems with reflux/food, you positively could not look at her and know it.

She is one of the happiest little girls I have ever seen. She loooves to be the center of attention, and will perform to her heart's content. She loves to dance, say animal sounds, point to things she knows, and a couple of new ones are doing "happy feet" and bouncing her left leg. It's hilarious. I need to get a video and post that. I also DIE laughing when I tell her to smile for Mama. Oh man- she gives the biggest smile her face can possibly make!

Something else I forgot to mention.... The CHIEF of PEDIATRIC Gastroenterology made a comment about how busy she is! That made me laugh SO hard! If a pediatric specialist who sees kids ALL day long comments on how busy she is, then she really must be! Now I feel a little bit better about being so exhausted after chasing her at the end of the day.

I saw this quote in an email yesterday, and I feel like it should be my new daily mantra:

"May you always be overwhelmed by the grace of God, rather than the cares of life."
(~unknown)

I don't know anything that could be more relevant than that.

much love--
kg

{update on Caroline's condition}

I felt I owed an update on Caroline. I want to first thank you for the kind thoughts and prayers I have received throughout all of this. I am a "problem-solver" by nature, and nothing is harder for me to go through than something that I try to fix, and can't. That helpless feeling is the worst for me! A good lesson to keep trusting in God, though. He always answers.

Last week, we had our follow up appointment with the GI specialist here in Beaumont. Biopsy results came back that enzyme levels were normal and no evidence of Celiac Disease (Gluten-intolerance). (Can I get an Amen? :) My Dad was able to witness what I have been feeling all along, which is that Caroline is a number, not a patient. I have to regurgitate her entire health history at every monthly appointment we have had, and he continued to ask me to try the same things month after month, when we had already tried them unsuccessfully. I have no doubt he is a good doctor, but I felt a lack of creative care in searching for a cause of Caroline's problems, rather than just treating some of the symptoms.

Good friends of ours led us to a doctor at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, one of the top Children's Hospitals in the world. Anyone I have ever spoken to who had had business there in one way or another has done nothing but rave.

We were able to get in to see the Chief Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Texas Children's Hospital today. He read through Caroline's medical records, my own spreadsheet of notes (those who know me well are probably getting a kick out of that one), and Endoscopy notes and results. He was a great listener, and asked meaningful questions. I never felt rushed. It was wonderful.

He says that there is no hard evidence from her Endoscopy showing that Caroline has a milk protein allergy (something I have been told for the past year). One thing that was found in the Endoscopy procedure was that she has an anatomical abnormality in her esophogus/stomach called a Hiatal Hernia. There is more of an opening from her stomach into the esophagus than should be, which causes the reflux. So, instead of the milk protein allergy causing her reflux as we believed before, it is the Hiatal Hernia. We have been treating this all along-- Prevacid neutralizes the pH in her stomach, so that there is no long term damage should anything come up.

He wants me to try food again, and once we have established solids, then we can explore the formula option. He also prescribed another topical medication for the diaper rash.

I feel good about this. I know that there wasn't much we heard today that we haven't heard before. I feel as though there is some hope, and I will get an answer soon. I didn't feel like a number. And I did feel like he cared about helping us get Caroline back on track.

{doing what you love, loving what you do}

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."

~Oprah

I think there is definitely something to be said about doing what makes you passionate.

I took a big leap of faith and decided to start Kate Gavos Photography.

Six months later, I couldn't be more excited.

I.love.it.

I am in my element when I am in a photography session. As much as when I was teaching.

I am so hungry to learn more and soak it all in.

I just want to say a big thank you to those of you who keep up with us, and who have encouraged me along the way.

My love language is words of affirmation. Those virtual hugs, kisses, and prayers have kept me going, and kept me motivated.

I can't wait to keep learning.

It's a magical feeling to know you are learning and growing, still at 28 years old.

{where did May go?}

Hi there! Long time no see. Sorry about that. I will give you a one word clue: MOLARS.

My response to that word: boo! Molars are horrible! Caroline has now finally cut the second one, and I can feel the third one coming in. That would make 10 teeth, going on 11. Wow! It's funny that one of the most common comments made by strangers is "look at that mouth full of teeth!" Yep!

As much as it pains me to watch Caroline cut her molars, I know it is even more painful for her. Poor baby! She is starting to come around to the Orajel. I think she is starting to recognize that little tube makes her mouth feel better.

She is one busy little girl! I love it! I am so exhausted by the end of {her} day. It makes it tough to sit down at the computer and edit pictures (or blog) :)

Here is a peek into my world...

She looooves to be outside. She would rather walk around the grass and pick up leaves, mulch, rocks, and grass than chase bubbles or play on the playground. She's getting better about not eating them. yuck!

She is a TOTAL ham. I need to take some more video and post it here so everyone who keeps up with us can see. It is what makes this age so much fun. She continues to do new little tricks. She can say a lot of the animal sounds, tell what an Aggie says, and basically tries to mimic every word that I say. She sure is a talker!

She saw my belly button the other day when I was getting dressed and pointed to it. So, I said, this is Mama's belly button. And she said (very clearly for a 13 month old!), "belly button." Holy smokes. She giggles to no end when I tickle her belly button. I just love it.

Instead of just tricks like "what do the Aggies say?", she is also getting really good at learning the commands I use with her. For example, there is a side table next to the glider in her room. It has a lamp, a sort-of-heavy metal bird (purely decoration), and the camera for her monitor which points to her crib. She constantly wants to go over and pick up the bird or the monitor. I have been consistent every time and I say, "not for Caroline." I guess I must shake my head when I do that, because she started going over to the table, not touching the things on it, and then shaking her head. What a good girl! I am so proud! She is doing this with all sorts of other things... I have taught her what "close it" means, so when I ask her to close something, she knows what I mean. She gets a big cheer when she closes a kitchen cabinet, or closes the lid on the toilet, so she is pretty good about it.

I am having a hard time trying to find new things for her to do. One problem is that she doesn't take her nap at a consistent time. Sometimes it's 9am. Sometimes it's noon. It's so weird. She is pretty much down to one nap. She is pretty exhausted by the end of the day whether she takes her nap in the morning or in the middle of the day. I am having to watch running errands at 5pm now, because a lot of times she falls asleep in the car, which messes up bedtime.

And she sure does love her "Sadie-dog" with all of her little heart! (check out who's inside the window)

My goodness, look at that hair! It's mostly blonde, but definitely has a strawberry cast to it, especially when we are outside. The ends are darker, and the only thing I can guess is that is her original brown hair?? I don't have a clue! I thought for sure she would be white-headed like Zach was. Her blonde seems to be more of a dirty blonde like me, so it will be interesting to see whose hair she really got! And the red! My great great aunts apparently had red hair, so if the red stays, I guess that's where she got it!

I will post more about her current situation with Reflux maybe later on this week. She has a follow up appointment with her doctor next week, so I may wait until we know more.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. So grateful for those men and women who are making and have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. God Bless America!

{way behind! sorry!}

I know I am way behind on posts, especially on this week's events. I promise I will update in the next few days. Super duper busy editing some fun photography sessions, which is a good thing!

Here is a picture of Caroline at a birthday party last weekend. I just can't get enough of her. She is so darn cute!