A Cozy Friday

Morning! Ella and I are having a very lazy and snugly day. She just fell asleep mid-feeding and I'm going to let her take a little snooze while I write this post real quick. It's been an interesting week between all of the formula switching, doctors appointments, dairy elimination, and issues with the pharmacy. Supposedly the insurance company won't cover Ella's reflux medication, I'm going to figure that one out in a little bit. But first, let's take a look at the week in photos!

1. I love this pic of my little beauty striking a pose, and how cute is that onesie?! It's one of the first things I bought for her!

2. This is literally what I'm looking at right now as I type this. She is just so cozy!

3. Mal's sweet potatoes were INSANE! If you are thinking of trying these...DO IT!

4. Ella has been rocking her ladybug slippers this week. 

5. I've been back in the kitchen...hoping more recipes are coming up soon around here!

We really don't have much planned for the weekend. Tomorrow I think we are going to spruce Ella's room up (for the 15th time). Somehow it just keeps getting messy and unorganized. I guess because we don't really use it yet it has become a little bit of a dumping ground. We may even carve our pumpkin, and I'll roast pumpkin seeds! On Sunday we are going to church and finding out some details about her christening which is coming up next month. 

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

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Linking up:

High Five for Friday & Five on Friday

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The Boys Behind The Blog {Link Up #5}

It's the FIFTH round of the Boys Behind The Blog, and it's a good one! I feel like this round came up really fast! I seriously enjoy reading all of your posts! It will be a great way to pass the time today (and tonight) through all of Little Miss Ella's feedings!  Now let's hear from my Hubs!

1. Describe yourself in 5 words.
Thoughtful, diligent, hard-working, insightful, passionate.

2. What is your biggest fear?
My new biggest fear is not being able to support my family for whatever reason. It’s the stuff of real nightmares.

3. What is your favorite candy?
There’s something to be said about the simplicity of a frozen 3 Musketeers bar. ::In my best Homer Simpson impression:: Mmmmmm…….

4. What was the best Halloween costume you've ever worn? (include pictures if you have them)
Pac-Man Ghost for a Halloween 5k last year, hands down. The group shot completes the look.

 5. Who is your favorite football team?

Let’s just say I’m currently looking for a new favorite as my previous favorite has severely let their fans down this season. If you think I’d be a good fit for your team, please provide supporting cause for your team’s case in the comments section.

Now grab a button, and link up with us!

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An InLinkz Link-up

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Ella's Six Week Update

Whoops...I missed out on doing an update at the one month point, so here we are at SIX weeks! I can't get enough of this face!

Our little beauty is sure giving us a run for it, I knew she would! I had been saying she was a wild one throughout my entire pregnancy! Little Miss Ella has been fussing A LOT. If she is not eating or sleeping, she is screaming her head off about 90% of the time. Yes, babies cry...and yes some babies are obviously fussier than others...but she seems to be experiencing discomfort. It has to be more than ordinary infant gas. On the rare occasion I catch her in a happy moment, I am sure to take a bajillion photos! Her little smile is just about the sweetest thing I've ever laid eyes on. My mission is to figure out what is bothering her so we could have more smiley moments!

A few weeks ago she was put on Zantac for reflux, yesterday the Pediatrician switched her to Prilosec to see if it works better. One thing that's been on my mind is the possibility that there is something in my diet that has been hurting her little tummy. It's impossible to pinpoint what that may be being that I breastfeed, and I feed her pumped milk too. I also supplement three bottles a day with formula. After talking with a few people, it sounds like she just might have a milk protein allergy. At this point, I'm cutting all dairy out of my diet as well as switching her formula to Nutramigen. Does anyone have experience with this formula? It does not smell good! She is taking it, but I think she knows something is different. Such a smarty pants...

 So obviously cutting dairy will be a huge challenge but I'm willing to try it out just to see if that is the problem. I'm not sure how long I could keep up a dairy free diet but I sure will try my best for my little peanut!

Besides the almost constant fussing she is doing well. We have figured out a few ways to soothe her, the best way is to bounce on my exercise ball. Stephen and I have major back aches from the constant bouncing, we have to take shifts. My favorite thing to do is to put on hip hop music and dance around with her, she sometimes loves that! She likes the moby wrap and usually falls right to sleep, until I sit down. Basically I just do laps around the apartment and take in the silence, sometimes I'll do a few laps around the complex! A lot of these things you could only do for so long but it's nice that we at least have options (a few weeks ago there was NOTHING we could do)! She also loves the sound of the vacuum...until it turns off. 

 She is up to 8 lbs. 1 oz. (fom 5 lbs. 13 oz.). Not too shabby for 6 weeks. She has been a lot more alert, and seems to respond to the sound of our voices. She will even flash a little smile every once in a while...it mostly happens right before she poops. Ha! Her eyes are still that newborn blue/grey color. I still think they look more blue than grey but I wouldn't be surprised if she woke up one day with brown eyes. Bath time is usually soothing for her except for when we take her out of the water, then she freaks out. I couldn't resist snapping this pic! My poor little ducky!

It has not been easy by any means, especially with family and friends living so far from us - but Hubs and I are doing the best we can....actually I'd say we are doing an amazing job! We love this little girl so much and will bounce as long as she needs, but I sure do hope going dairy free helps her little tummy! I can't wait to have some more happy and content time with my sweet pea! 

* Ohhhhh Yeaaaa! 60% off of all ad spots with the promo code "SIXWEEKS"! Click HERE! 

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Lindsay @ Typically Late {Guest Post}

Hi there, NTSST readers! I'm Lindsay, and I blog over at Typically Late. I write about my life as a new-ish wed (celebrating two years this month!), and share recipes, workouts, and snapshots of our newest adventure: being homeowners! 

Most of the recipes I share are pretty healthy, but I love to bake, so I've got my fair share of treats, too. I am always looking for new ways to change up "regular" dishes - it can get so boring to eat baked chicken and steamed veggies. One of my newest favorite ways to cook vegetables is to roast them. I got on a roasting kick last year, and I'm still going strong. A while back, Stephanie posted a recipe for crispy broccoli, and it reminded me of one of my own favorites: roasted cauliflower! I have never been a cauliflower lover (or even liker), but once I threw this together, there was no going back. I can eat an entire head of it now all by myself! I am super excited to share this recipe with you all today. Take a look! 

Roasted Balsamic Cauliflower 

Serves 4 (or 1, if you're me!) 

Ingredients 

Cauliflower - 1 head 

Balsamic vinegar - 1/4 cup

Olive oil - 1/4 c

Salt - 1 tsp

Pepper -1/2 tsp

Garlic powder - 1/2 tsp

GrillMates Garlic & Onion Seasoning Medley (or mixed spices of choice - fun to play with flavors here!) - 1/2 tsp

PS - As a note, I tend to eyeball the ingredients in this recipe - I don't use exact measurements, but just add a little, then a little more, until I like the taste of what I have. My measurements listed above are approximations of what I use.

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 425*. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray lighting with cooking spray. 

2. Chop cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and wash thoroughly.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings. Mix thoroughly to create dressing. 

4. Add cauliflower and stir to coat completely. If possible, let sit for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally, to let cauliflower soak up a bit more dressing.

5. Spread cauliflower in a single layer on baking sheet and drizzle with remaining dressing. 

6. Roast for 30 minutes, using a spatula to flip halfway. 

I'll be honest - I tend to let my cauliflower go a little longer than the 30 minutes, but that's because I like mine super crispy. Feel free to alter the cooking time by a little more or a little less, depending on how you like your vegetables cooked.

I find that this dish is a great compliment for a meal like pork tenderloin and cous cous - but equally enjoyable with almost anything. I'd love to hear about your experiments with roasting vegetables, either this recipe, or your own. Come on over to Typically Late and share your creations! :)

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Kitchenspiration {Link-up}

It's time for another round of Kitchenspiration!
Chelsea and I are SO excited to bring you this weekly link-up! Kitchenspiration is all about ANYTHING that inspires you in the kitchen. 

This can be:

-Recipes you've tried or want to try

-Weekly meal plans

-Pinterest recipe ideas

-Food related tips

-Your favorite kitchen essentials

The possibilities are endless!

You can link-up a brand new post OR link-up anything food/meal/recipe related from your blog that you posted within the previous week.

Before you scroll down to link up:

***Check out some Kitchenspiration from this past week on NTSST:
Mushroom Jack Tacos
My Weekly Meal Plan

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