jonah's foot

We didn't get out today, but it was a decent (but long) day overall. Jonah had a huge blow out and had vomited down my back by 9:30 am, so I was afraid it was shaping up to be one of those days. He did have another big gusher later in the day (thankfully we were out on the deck at the time), but other than that, it turned out alright.

I don't have a whole lot to say (and I'm trying to watch Glee), but just wanted to ask for prayers for Jonah's foot. He has a huge blister on his right foot that starts in the middle of the top side and wraps completely around to the middle of the underneath side. And it's causing him a lot of pain. Actually, it's one of the worst I've seen as far as how much it's hurting him. I tried to drain it yesterday, but he would only let me get one slit in it and wouldn't let me push on it at all, so today it had almost doubled in size. I got a couple more slits in it today, but again, he wouldn't let me touch it at all, so I'm hoping it has drained on its own.

Matt had to work late tonight and then go straight to church (he's still leading the seventh grade boys' small group), so I'm pretty worn out. I feel like I'm getting a sore throat, but I'm hoping it's just from being tired. Even though it's my night, Matt said he would get up with Jonah tonight so I can sleep. Part of it is to help me out, but I'm pretty sure he's suffering from serious Jonah withdrawal (Baby J was in bed by the time he got home from church). I don't think he's going to mind some middle of the night snuggles too much.

Ok, I'm going to finish watching my stories and then I'm off to bed. Please pray for Jonah's foot and his continued eating difficulties.

Thanks :)

our tuesday

We've had a busy day today, so I'm napping now. I've been asleep for over an hour. Mom hopes this is a new pattern for me.

We had an appointment with the geneticist today, so I still haven't had my bandages changed today. Mom is dreading it.

But anyway, we got out of the house again, so we were BOTH happy about that. Here I am, dressed and ready (after I had just had a huge three ounce gusher all over my chest piece and both my legs.) I look pretty innocent though, dontcha think?


When Mom said we were going to get out for the second day in a row, I was stoked! (She didn't tell me we were going to the hospital though... funny how she decided to leave out that tiny little detail.)


Once we got to the hospital, Mom put me in my stroller Aunt Kim gave us. I think it's pretty great (Mom says she likes the storage and the fact that it reclines), despite the fact that I slouch over to the side a little in it.

We waited out in the big hall area, but we kept dad in isolation in the waiting room to listen out for my name. Here he is trapped behind the glass. (Don't worry. We eventually let him out.)

And what did I get to do in the meantime? I got to watch the biggest TV EVAH! Eat your heart out, Dad. It was so cool. Granny or Mom would stand on these lights on the floor that would make a cool moving scene appear. I was very entertained. (That's me and Granny watching the hot air balloons.)

The appointment went well. We are starting the first round of testing, and the results should be back in about four weeks. It's to help determine exactly what genes are affected and what kind of mutations there are. Mom says she doesn't really understand it all, but it will be good to know exactly what's affected for any cure/treatment in the future. There are four tiers of testing, and they will have to go on to each tier if they don't find anything with the first round. Luckily, all the blood has already been drawn (shwew), so my part is finished.

After my appointment, Daddy, Mommy, Granny, and I went to lunch at Dairi-O. We got to sit outside in the beautiful weather. I was asleep so Mommy put me in my stroller. I was reclined and super-comfy, but then they came over the loud speaker and called out "137" or some number really loud, and it woke me right up.

But I woke up really happy...

... and let everyone enjoy their delicious hotdog lunch. I'm such a good boy.

Then Daddy asked me to stop by his work so he could show me off to everyone.

"Ok, Dad," I said. "But only if you eat my face."

Everybody there thinks I'm adorable.

These are Daddy's office mates, Denise and Debbie. They're pretty awesome.

So anyway, so far it's been a great day. (I'm still sleeping, by the way... and hour and a half and counting...) Dad should be home soon, and once I wake up we'll do dressing change. "Ugh," Mom says. I concur.

Mom is so happy to have gotten out the last couple days. She knows that she and I can't go out just the two of us (because she can't drive and be back there with me catching the pukies at the same time), but she's thankful to get out when other people can go with her to help out. It does her heart some good and makes things seem not so overwhelming.

So I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday. Feel free to leave lots of comments about how adorable I am in my Homerun overalls. (Yes, I still got called "she" today in them, but that's neither here nor there.)

a good day

Another short post tonight. I'm tired, it's my night, and I am DETERMINED to be in bed by 9:45. Jonah's been going down at 9, and I've been staying up until 11 or 12. Craziness. So tonight I'm putting myself in a glorious time out.

Jonah's been doing much better with his sleeping lately. He's only been waking up once to eat, eating four to six ounces in about thirty minutes, and then going right back to sleep. So the last few nights we've only had to be up with him about forty minutes total. So I would be getting some good sleep if I wasn't staying up to wash dishes, mix milk, fold laundry, blog and read blogs.

Today was a great day. Jonah had to get his second flu shot today, but the nurse called this morning to say that if we'd let him know when we were in the parking lot, he'd come out and do it at the car. They've been having many flu cases come in, and he didn't want Jonah to have to come in to all of that. I thought that was so nice. Anyway, we got there, and it took him a while to come out, so I put Jonah in his umbrella stroller and let him look around and watch the cars go by. He was so happy, and I LOVED the time outside. It was absolutely beautiful here today. Maybe a high of 80 with the greatest breeze. I wouldn't minded if it had taken him an hour to get out there. :) Jonah did get gaggy when I put him the car seat to leave the house, but never puked. He didn't gush all day!!! Woohoo!

After the doctor, we went to the grocery store to pick up our groceries. That's right... to pick them up. There is one (only one) Harris Teeter in Winston that will let you shop online and do pick up. They charge a 4.99 fee for doing your shopping for you, but then you just pull up, buzz them, and they bring your groceries right out to the car. Totally worth every dime. I plan my meals for two weeks and do a big grocery trip, so I was having to leave Jonah with Matt and spend two hours at the grocery store on a Saturday (when maybe I could have been napping???). Gross. And since it's so hard to get out with Jonah, it just makes more sense to do the pick-up service. I went and got them today because Matt's mom was with me, and Jonah was asleep, but typically I'll probably do the ordering over the weekend and have Matt pick them up when he gets off work on Monday. The grocery store that does it is really close to his work. Suh-weet.

After that we stopped by McDonald's and got hot fudge sundaes.

And if all that wasn't great, Jonah fell asleep in the car at 3:00, stayed asleep when I got him out of the car seat once we got home, let me put him in bed, and slept until 6:00. And he STILL went down at 9:00. Before today, I can't remember the last time he took a decent nap... maybe lasagna day.

Okay, it's 9:28... only 17 minutes to get ready, say my prayers, and get to sleep. I don't know that I can work relax under this kind of pressure.

Yikes! It's 9:31 now. I'm not proofreading this post, so please ignore any mistakes.

seven months today

Hi friends!

Today I turned seven months old.

Can you believe that???


Yeah, me neither.

So what’s going on with me these days? Well, every day I’m getting more and more personality. Mom and Dad just LOVE hanging out with me.

I can’t really blame them.

I mean, I like hanging out with me too.

I currently weigh 17 lbs, 6 oz. Mom says she has no idea how I keep gaining so much weight. I barely eat 20 ounces a day, and I usually have one to three gushers in a 24 hour period. Mom and Dad know it’s God watching over me. That’s the only explanation.

Oh, you know what? God did a miracle right in front of our eyes last week. Mom noticed blood and drainage that had soaked through my bandages on the middle of one of my feet. She knew that probably meant I had a big blister there so was not looking forward to dressing change. But a couple of hours later, at dressing change, she unwrapped me and noticed that ALL three layers of my bandages were bloody. But then, when she finally got me completely unwrapped, there was nothing there. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Perfect Skin. Now explain THAT one.

I have some new favorites this month. My new favorite song is a song Mom grew up singing at Bible Camp. It’s called, “Said I Wasn’t Gonna Tell Nobody,” and it’s a really catchy tune about not keeping what the Lord has done for you to yourself. It keeps me happy when nothing else will during dressing change, and sometimes it will help me eat. I still really like “Only a Boy Named David” too.

Mom does this new thing that I think is hilarious. When she’s mixing my medicine and rice cereal into my bottles, she takes them in her hands, shakes them (and her bootie!), and sings, “Shake-a, Shake-a, Shake-a” to a little tune. It will make me smile EVERY. TIME. Even when I’m fussy or tired - I just think it’s the funniest thing.

And Dad always does a boxing announcement for me when he holds me after bath. You can’t really blame him. After all, I look like this.

He says something like this, “And now, in this corner, weighing in at 17 pounds, 6 ounces, from Winston-Salem, NC, the undisputed, undefeated, unchallenged, super-duper flyweight champion of the world, Jonah THE EBJEEBIES Williams.”

He He He. Dad’s silly.

I’m still intrigued with hands – mine or anybody else’s for that matter. I’m reaching out and holding on to bigger things for longer amounts of time now. I love holding tags, ribbons, or my stuffed animals’ tails. Just in the last couple days, I’ve discovered my own hair, started scratching at my cheek, playing with my ear, and doing a waving motion. Mom says I don’t know what a wave is, but I’ve definitely figured out that my fingers wiggle.

I still haven’t rolled over yet, but I’m getting so close. I can go from one side completely over to the other, but nothing beyond that. I tolerate tummy time a little better now, but I’m still not a fan. Mom tries to work with me daily on my tummy time, sitting up, and rolling over. I’m getting stronger and getting closer to being able to support myself sitting. Sometimes I’ll balance with my hands down, but not often. I’m really hesitant to put weight on my hands. Mommy’s also trying to get me to put weight on my legs. She tries to carefully hold onto me by my torso while I practice crumpling to the ground skillfully putting weight on my legs. I’m not so great at it, but we’ve really only started practicing that this very week. My feet do touch the floor now when I’m in my exersaucer, so Mom hopes that will get me more used to it.

Things are definitely still rough on the eating solids front. What do I mean by that?

I mean that I DON’T

LIKE

THEM!

Got it, Mom? Sheesh. How many times do I have to tell you?

But even with my feeding inconsistencies and severe acid reflux issues, I’m becoming a super-content baby.

I am just as happy as can be. I seem to only fuss these days if I’m hungry, tired, have a dirty diaper, or I’m in pain. Other than that, I’m a happy boy… especially if we can get out and about. I love that I’ve switched to my big boy stroller now and can see what’s going on in the world around me. I’ll stroll around Target or the mall ‘til the cows come home if it means I can people watch.

And Mom says she is IN LOVE with my laugh.

It’s not a typical baby laugh, and Mom likes it that way. She says it’s fitting that I would be atypical. I don’t know what that means, but I seem to make her smile a lot, so I’ll take it as a compliment. (Mom also asks that I let you know that her hair was wet in this picture because she had just gotten out of the shower. It's NOT Aquaphor grease.)

My laugh is more of a huge smile followed by a high-pitch squeal. See?

I had a special visitor for my seven month birthday. My Aunt Kim came all the way from New York on a big airplane to see me. She loves me so much, and I can tell she’s a mommy too, because she knows all the best songs and just the right way to read stories. I loved having her here.

But as much as my Aunt Kim loves me, NOBODY can love me as much as these guys do.

Well, Mom says that’s not exactly true. She says there is One who loves me more than anybody here on earth ever could. She says that God loves me more than the birds in the air, more than the flowers in the field, more than ANYTHING. I can’t imagine anyone loving me more than Mom and Dad do, but Mom says it’s true. She says that He’s the reason I live and breathe. He’s the reason I’m growing, infection free, improving every day. I know I can’t really get it right now, but Mom and Dad are trying their hardest to show me that kind of love. All I can say is that God must love me a whole bunch if He loves me more than they do. Because they love me A TON!

weekend update

This will be quick because it's my night tonight, and I don't want to be up too late.

After dressing change today, we fed Jonah, took showers, and went out to the mall. It was rainy and gross here, so although I would much rather be outside than at the mall, it was a one stop kind of place that killed lots of time. Aunt Kim is here (all the way from NY!!!) this weekend, so we had a great time getting out and about with Baby Jonut. Bad news, though. Apparently the new car seat is just as bad as the old one, because as soon as Matt got him hooked in, GUSHER. But thankfully, he caught it all in a cup. Disaster averted. What can I say? Matt's always been very athletically inclined. True, he never thought he'd be using his mad skills in quite this capacity, but all the same, I'm thankful he's a baller. Nice Catch, Mathew! I mean, Matthew. Ahem.

I was a little ticked before we left because we couldn't get Jonah to eat any substantial amount. He only ate two and a half ounces, so I knew we were going to have to do an "out in public" feeding (which, if you knew what it was like to feed him, you'd understand why that scares me). And THEN he gushed it ALL. So then I was really ticked. But he got really fussy around four, so we found the feeding area in JCPenny you guys told me about, and he ate better than he does at home. Go figure. He fell asleep while he was eating, which was good, except that the toilets flush REALLY loudly in the bathroom next door, so he jumped out of his skin and started screaming. So then we had to move from the feeding area to the lobby outside of that, and I got him settled back down. I actually like the lobby area better because Matt can be there with me for an extra set of hands.

He, yet again, was an angel. He loves being out... when we can actually get him to eat and not gush enough to get out.

Anyway, I got him lots of new onsies (I only had six he could wear, and as much as he's spitting up, we were going through ALL of them in a day), and a couple Wake onsies for basketball season. (Matt's parents got us season tickets for an early Christmas present! Woohoo!) It was a very pleasant, successful trip, and that's saying a lot considering how I typically feel about the mall. It was really crowded today, and we definitely got lots of stares, several dirty looks, and one "What happened to the face?" but I guess we're just going to have to get used to that. I don't mind the looking, but I do mind when the looking turns into staring, and when we get the judgmental "Why did you let your child hurt himself?" look (aka "You're a bad parent" stare), I really have to hold myself back.

But just so you know, those people are lucky I don't kick their teeth in.

Err... Um... I mean... I put them on my prayer list, naturally. Yeah. That's it. That's what I meant to say.

you know you're sleep deprived when...

You know you're sleep deprived when...

... you are trying to purchase something online, you go to type in your address for shipping, and you can't remember your own zip code. So you have to go into your junk drawer to find one of those return address labels your auto insurance company sent you as a "thank you" just to figure out your OWN address. You think to yourself that you should really send your insurance company a "thank you" for helping you know where you live, but sending them a thank you note would require you knowing yet another zip code. And really, one zip code is hard enough.

... you spent about thirty minutes one day cleaning up a pukey, poopy baby, requiring you to call your husband home from work and do major bandage repair. Several hours later, when you go to throw something away, you discover that amidst all the chaos you apparently threw one of your child's six wearable onsies in the trash and have to fish it out, because, obviously, you cannot distinguish between it and a poopy diaper.

... you are half asleep (and trying to blog and watch Grey's) while you are cutting Tubifast. You look down to see that not only have you cut your four hundredth piece of Tubifast, but you've also cut the draw string off your pajama pants.

... you are watching a Braves game where they mention a Matthew West concert. When they give his web address, matthewwest.com, you comment to your husband how weird it is that he spells his Matthew with two t's. "Two T's? Who does that?" you say in disbelief. "That's rare." Your husband looks at you like you're crazy. So you say, "Is that how you spell YOUR Matthew?" He comments that, yes, that's not only how HE spells HIS Matthew, but also 90% of the Matthews in the world. He holds it over your head for the rest of your life.

dermatologist appt

We had to go to Chapel Hill today for Jonah's dermatologist appointment.

Remember these cool sleevies (made from baby legs) that we fashioned for Jonah when he was in the NICU?


Well, today they got further mutilated into car seat strap covers.



They were too wide to go over the straps, so I had to wrap them around the straps. And then the problem... how to attach them? I do not sew (seriously, I don't even know how to reattach a button). I am not a creative problem solver. Jonah would not sleep at all this morning, so I had very little time to figure anything out.

And so...

I stapled them. That's right. Staples. I wrapped them around and stapled them to themselves. I just made sure to put the staple side away from Jonah's face. Not the best solution, but one that worked for today at least. I do have a set of strap covers from Babies R Us, but they have a thick trim on them that rubs too. So for now, I'll use my not-so-sophisticated concoction until my pretty, not stapled ones arrive.

As for the appointment, it was uneventful. Dr. M said Jonah looks great and was really happy with his growth. He didn't have us unwrap him, since most everything that's covered with bandages is clear right now. His face and hands are the worst, and obviously he could see those. One thing (bad? good?) is that he noticed Jonah has milia (those acne looking little bumps newborns sometimes have). Anyway, it's common in some forms of EB, but apparently not in Junctional. He said it's more of a Dystrophic characteristic. That scared me very much. He said that it's not necessarily a bad thing. It just means he's a "deep Junctional." He said not all Dystrophic is bad and that a mild Dystrophic could get better as one gets older. I immediately asked him if we needed to be wrapping his fingers individually... if we were worried about the webbing and contractures associated with RDEB. He said no. So Jonah is Junctional, but is obviously not perfectly typical. I have no idea what any of it means. Maybe it's good. Maybe it's the same. Maybe it's bad. He also said something about a Junctional he used to treat that leaned more toward Dystrophic. That person had the webbing and contractures though, I think. And he died of skin cancer in his twenties. So... I have NO idea.

Pretty much all we know is all we've ever known. Jonah is probably Junctional non-Herlitz, but is not classifiable. He's most likely a "deep Junctional"... whatever that means. I don't know what to think.

I think I'll just keep looking at Jonah... his beautiful self and how well he's doing is the only prognosis I need.
********************************************

I have a question:

Does anyone know of anywhere around here that has a pumpkin patch on a farm? With maybe hayrides? I've found some a couple hours away in either direction, but nothing close by. Any ideas?
********************************************

Okay, I have to go now. I'm trying to watch Grey's Anatomy AND blog, and it's virtually impossible. And the drama continues...

a song for jonah

(Not the greatest quality, but all I could find.)

God is good

I won't really count this as a post tonight, because I'm very tired. It's my night to get up with Jonah, so I think I should take advantage of going to bed "early." I love blogging, but I'm so freakishly OCD about it, and pictures take so long to upload, I can easily put an hour into a post.

Jonah weighed 17 lbs, 6 oz today. That means he has gained six ounces between Thursday and today. And I'd say he's having more gushers than he's ever had before. How 'bout them apples? I continue to be amazed at what God is doing, and honestly God is the only explanation for Jonah's continued growth and great health. I'm blown away. And to think we weren't even sure he'd make it out of the hospital. I can't believe we are approaching seven months... without a g-tube, without a trach, without an infection, growing like a weed. I'm in awe.

Did I mention how amazing my God is? It is so evident to us that His hand is on Jonah and that a legion of angels surround him. I'm so thankful.

AND we got to take a walk tonight.

God is good.

finally...

We finally got out as a family yesterday. I switched from Jonah's infant car seat to his convertible one, hoping to ease our vomiting issues. He did have several gushers yesterday, but none while we were out. Woohoo! We went to Gabe's spot, to Target (of course), and got some food to go from The Loop.

We hadn't been out to Gabe's spot since his day in April, and I had been wanting to go for a long time. So finally, when we were able to get out, it was our first (and favorite!) stop.

Gabe's fall flowers.

Here is Jonah's new car seat. Actually, Aunt Melanie bought if for Gabe forever ago, and I've just had it in the closet. He's also loving his umbrella stroller because it lets him see everything and everyone. He was so content getting out and about. I know he loves it, and I hope we can do it more. He's really throwing up a lot (he had three gushers today), so it makes me nervous going out very much. We'll figure it out though.

The only thing bad about this car seat is that the straps really cut close, and the left one caused blisters on his face. I have to figure that one out before Thursday because we're heading to Chapel Hill for Jonah's dermatologist appointment.

I bought these online today from this etsy dealer:

I'm hoping they will work for him. I went ahead and got several pairs since Mr. Barfy McPukePants likes to aim right for the straps... thought it was a good idea to have some back-ups. AND they were really reasonably priced. I just hope they work. I'll probably have to rig something up with some Transfer and/or soft cloths for Thursday as I'm sure they won't be here yet.

Oh, and Jonah got his first, "What a pretty little girl" comment yesterday. True he was riding in a gray stroller. True he was wearing navy blue shorts. True he had on a gray "Bruno's Skate Shop" t-shirt. Don't all those things just scream "pretty little girl" to you? Oh well. I guess that's better than, "What in the WORLD did you do to that child?" so we'll take it.

jonah update

We're having a pretty quiet weekend around here. I tried to take Jonah out twice yesterday, and both times we had huge vomits as soon as he got in the car seat, so once again, our plans were thwarted. The first time I was able to catch most of it in his burp cloths/a garbage bag (only had to change his chest piece), but the second time we thought we were in the clear, on our way out the door, and then all of a sudden... all over the car seat. Frustrating to say the least. I can't even remember the last time Jonah's been out of the house. That makes me so sad.

So Matt kept him, and I ran through the Chick-fil-A drive thru, but other than that, I haven't been out since last Saturday. Matt always offers to keep him so I can get out, but then I'm spending time away from the two of them (after Matt's been at work all day), so that's not really fun. I want to go out WITH my family.

Oh well. I guess it's not a big deal in the scheme of things... but it feels big to me. I just feel like Jonah is missing out, and I'm missing out on memories with him. Maybe it's bigger in my head than it really is, but things start looking different when your cooped up all the time. I have spent all of this hot summer waiting for cool weather so we can get out. And now the cool weather is here, and we still can't get out.

Praying it'll work out for us to go to church tomorrow...

Jonah's doing very well other than the throwing up (three gushers today). His back, arms, and legs are completely clear. His belly is mostly clear except for some healing spots. I can keep his belly clear most of the time, but as soon as I take his bandages off, if I'm not quick enough, he starts rubbing. Sneaky boy. His toes have several blisters (from rubbing his feet), but his actual feet look good. We're still struggling with places on his face and hands (it's very day to day), but nothing we can't handle. His face looks so much better than only a couple months ago, and we are so thankful for that. His hands look about the same, but we are leaving them (when we can) completely unwrapped now. His right one is in pretty good shape, but we're having to keep the left one (hand, not fingers) wrapped right now because it has some pretty big raw areas. So overall, I feel so good about things. Right now the bandages are serving protection purposes more than healing purposes, and that's the way we want it.

He's taking about 21 ounces a day consistently. When he does take more than that, it's because he's vomited three to four ounces during the day, so it still evens out to about that same amount. I know that's not enough, but he continues to gain weight (he's at 17 lbs even now), so I've just tried to stop worrying so much. Things aren't good on the eating solids front. Today I maybe got him to eat about a half an ounce of solids, and that's been the most he's eaten in forever. He seems really excited when I get the bowl and spoon out, will take a couple bites, and then gets all done really quickly. I have no idea. If you could be praying about his eating solids specifically, we'd appreciate it so much. I know the extra nutrition and calories would be so beneficial for him.

And here's what he's been completely intrigued by the last couple days:

I know. Pretty amazing, right?

And a cute one of when he caught me taking pictures.

Well, that's it for now. So excited to hear so many of you eager to try the lasagna. You won't be sorry. I was also going to tell you that the bread was great too. It's just a nice change to regular garlic bread. It tastes like the bread at Macaroni Grill or something. Very tasty. But easy on the red pepper. I made it again tonight, and did equal parts of everything (last time I just eye-balled it), and it was too hot. I mean, I like spicy, but a little red pepper goes a long way. Lesson learned. :)

jeannie's lasagna

My mom bought me this nifty book when I was about to leave home for college. It's really neat. It has easy recipes, laundry tips like how to get out stains, and basic first aid information.



One thing I really like about the book is that it has blank pages where you can write in your favorite recipes. And one of my favorite recipes ever is Jeannie's Lasagna.


So here it is folks. THE BEST LASAGNA EVAH. Seriously, this is the best lasagna I've ever tasted. The secret's in the curry. (I've posted this recipe before but never with the photos or clever asides.)

Ingredients:



6 lasagna noodles
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 jar spaghetti sauce (original or traditional)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning
8 oz cottage cheese
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350.


2. Cook lasagna noodles per package directions. Put a little bit of olive oil in the water.
(Barefoot Contessa says this will keep the pasta from sticking. And whatever the BC says, we do.)

3. Chop onion.
- Get out your really big knife so you can do it like they do on The Food Network. Attempt chopping.


- Put your big knife away for fear of accidentally killing yourself.

- Get out your Quick Chop. Ask forgiveness for trying to be all hoity toity by using your big knife. Remember how much you love your Quick Chop.


- Drop Quick Chop on floor, scattering onion bits everywhere, almost giving your dog a heart attack.

4. Brown hamburger and onion.

5. Add jar of spaghetti sauce, curry powder, and Italian seasoning.
- Wish husband was home to open stupid lid of stupid sauce.


6. Simmer until most of liquid is gone.

7. Layer:

3 noodles, ½ meat sauce, ½ cottage cheese, ½ mozzarella cheese, ½ cheddar cheese.

Repeat layers.

Break to take care of an adorable baby who just woke up from his THREE HOUR NAP very happy.

8. Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes (the lasagna, not the baby.)

9. Prepare bread:

- Mix crushed red pepper, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, rosemary, basil, and parsley (about 1/2 TBSP of each)

- Brush 4 to 6 pieces of bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

- Sprinkle seasoning on bread

- Bake with lasagna the last 10 to 12 minutes.

10. Be thankful you have a dog who will eat all the cheese and such that has fallen on the floor, because, Heaven Forbid, you actually sweep your floors.

ENJOY!

a day (five minutes) outside

It was an overcast, rainy day here today. But it was great, because the high was only in the 70's. And the five day forecast calls for more of the same. Outdoors here we come... hopefully.

We took Jonah out on the deck for a little bit after dressing change today, and this is what we saw on top of the neighbor's house.

Pretty cool, huh?


As soon as I got my camera, I got one shot of him perched on the rooftop, and then he took off.

This is our friend, Mary Helen, who helped with dressing change today.

Baby Jonut, enjoying being outside.