Mission: Charlotte's 14-Month Schedule

We have recently made a huge transition within our 4-hour schedule with Charlotte... We dropped the morning nap! I kept noticing that she wouldn't really sleep while she was upstairs in the morning, she would just play quietly in her crib or just kind of sit there. At her babysitter's house, it was the opposite... She would take her long nap in the morning (2 hours) and then just take a short nap (1 hour) in the afternoon which made her really "pleasant" to be around in the early evening! So I decided she was ready and showing the signs and we have officially dropped the nap.
I have mixed feelings about this and it's kind of bittersweet. On the plus side, it really frees up my mornings for errands and other things but at the same time I don't get that little bit of down time that I used to have! But she will sleep for about 3 hours in the afternoon now so I have an extra long time during that period.
Here is a sample of her current schedule (weekends included as they are slightly different in incorporate Gymboree and church). The reason she gets up a little bit later on Saturday mornings is to just help her make it through her Gymboree class... She starts to kind of lose it towards the end because she is so active and gets tired a little faster. We will probably try to adjust this as she gets a little older or just leave it until she enters the Level 4 class which starts about an hour before her current Level 3 class. I have also included an as needed nap in the morning part of the schedule just in case she is having a rough morning but so far we have not needed this.

Charlotte’s Schedule (14 months old)

Monday – Friday Schedule

7:30am: Wake up

7:45am: Breakfast (4oz. milk)

*10:00am – 11:00am: Nap, if needed

11:45pm: Lunch (4oz. milk)

1:00pm: Nap begins

4:00pm: Wake up

4:15pm: Snack (4oz. milk)

6:45pm: Dinner (4oz. milk)

7:30pm: Bath, brush teeth, story time

7:45pm: Bedtime

Saturday Schedule

8:00am: Wake up

8:15am: Breakfast (4oz. milk)

*9:30am – 10:30am: Nap, if needed

10:40am: Leave for Gymboree

11:10am – 11:55pm: Gymboree class

12:30pm: Lunch (4oz. milk)

1:30pm: Nap begins

4:00pm: Wake up

4:15pm: Snack (4oz. milk)

6:45pm: Dinner (4oz. milk)

7:30pm: Bath, brush teeth, story time

7:45pm: Bedtime

Sunday Schedule

7:30am: Wake up

7:45am: Breakfast (4oz. milk)

8:20am: Leave for church

9:00am – 10:30am: Church

12:00pm: Lunch (4oz. milk)

1:00pm: Nap begins

4:00pm: Wake up

4:15pm: Snack (4oz. milk)

6:45pm: Dinner (4oz. milk)

7:30pm: Bath, brush teeth, story time

7:45pm: Bedtime

Mission: Make Ahead Freezer Meals

When I was pregnant with Charlotte I had every intention of making ahead several freezer meals for Jason and I to eat after she was born... That never happened! Luckily, we had so many friends and neighbors bring dinner to us that we were able to freeze a lot of those and they lasted for several weeks. (I think we had at least 5 lasagnas... One of the reasons I will never take that to new parents!) Another thing to factor into this is that I was having full blown gallbladder attacks at this point and could only eat Saltine crackers and Nilla Wafers. Every now and then I'd splurge and have a reduced fat Fig Newton. I basically had to cut everything out of my diet that contained more than 3g of fat per serving and even then, no guarantees that it wouldn't trigger an attack. So because of that I really didn't eat much but at least Jason benefited from the meals!
It's totally different this time... I don't have a gallbladder any more and we also have another mouth to feed! (I can't see us trying to give Charlotte Ramen noodles!) So I am going to get it together and start getting my make ahead freezer meals in order. I have about 16 weeks left so I figured if I start now then I can make one extra meal to freeze every two weeks or so (more if I'm feeling ambitious) and then I'll have about 8-10 by the time the baby gets here.

I'm going to use the "mold technique" because our freezer is not that large and is pretty packed as it is. Basically, I will make a casserole and divide it in half into two 8x8 dishes instead of one 13x9 (unless it's already meant to be in an 8x8). I'll line the bottoms of the 8x8 dishes with wax paper and plastic wrap (I would use foil but I'm afraid it might stick and tear) and then cover them and stick them in the freezer until they are frozen through. Then I'll pop them out and remove the wax paper and plastic wrap and stick them into two Ziploc freezer bags, removing as much air as possible. I wanted to get one of those Foodsaver machines but Jason said no! LOL! The reason for dividing them in half is so we only have to defrost and cook what we will be eating that night so things don't have to be reheated more than once. Also, I have more space for 8x8 squares than 13x9 rectangles in my freezer.
Since they will be in the "mold" of an 8x8 dish, once they are taken out of the freezer they can simply be placed back in the glass 8x8 dish to be reheated in the oven.

This is my list that I'm going to go by of what meals to prepare ahead over the next few months. Most of these will go in the freezer unbaked.
White Chicken Lasagna
Three Cheese Baked Spaghetti
Burritos with beans, rice, cheese and beef filling (individually wrapped in foil, then sealed in a bag)
Spinach Rice Casserole (good side dish for baked chicken)
Easy Lasagna
Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie  (I'll make the filling only and then thaw the day before I use it)
Beef Chili with Beans
Award Winning White Chili
Taco Soup
Enchilada Casserole (I need to post that recipe to my BigOven page and then link it here)

I'll have to plan an update post after we have thawed and eaten these meals so I can remember if they froze well or not!

Mission: Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

This chicken casserole was really enjoyed by both Jason and Charlotte and I have already received requests to make it again soon!

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole
 4 boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts, cubed
4 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can broccoli and cheese soup
1 cup Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
2 cups broccoli, cooked

Preheat oven to 350.
Saute chicken pieces in a large skillet with your choice of seasonings (I used a garlic and wine seasoning).
Mix together cream of celery, cream of chicken and broccoli and cheese soups in a large mixing bowl. Add in the chicken and broccoli.
Layer cooked rice at the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese cubes on top of the rice layer.
Spoon soup, chicken and broccoli mixture evenly onto the rice layer. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar on top.
Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and browned, approximately 45 minutes. Cover with tin foil if it begins to get too brown on top too quickly.

Mission: Gymboree!

Charlotte had her first Gymboree class this past Saturday and it was wonderful! She really enjoyed herself and participated in all of the activities and I was really impressed with the quality of the program. We went ahead and enrolled her (this first class was a free trial) and she'll start going weekly now. It is a little pricey, in my opinion, but after attending one of the classes I do think it is well worth it. I signed up during a period where they waive the $40 one-time enrollment fee and give you $10 off your first month so our first month will only be $59 instead of the normal $69 and we'll never have to pay that enrollment fee since when you join it's a "lifetime" membership. That includes one class per week and, I think, one Open Gym time per week. Also, you have the option to upgrade to a premium membership which is a one-time fee of $59. That gives you two classes per week, unlimited Open Gym time and your monthly rate drops to $59 per month instead of $69. I think we will probably go ahead and upgrade to this when we go back this coming Saturday. Even if we don't attend the two classes per week, it will still lower our monthly payments and that will pay for itself within 6 months. So, all in all, a little pricey but worth it and they also offer some incentives which helps.
One negative is that it does seem to be geared more towards stay at home moms since most of the classes fall during the week, mornings and afternoons, not a lot of evenings. But they do offer some evening Open Gym times and a Family Play & Learn class one evening of the week that we'll have to check out. But they do offer a few weekend options, just not as many.

Charlotte is in the Play & Learn 3 class (10 months - 16 months). The description for this group is: "Explore two-way communication with your child. Play environments encourage discovery, balance and coordination as parents learn to understand how their infant interacts and communicates with them and the world."
 The class is about 45 minutes long and is divided up into little sets of activities and there is always a theme for each week. This past Saturday our theme was "Big & Little" and was all about distinguishing between things that were small and large. The instructor emphasized how important it was to keep reminding the kids that things they were doing were big and little even if you think they aren't really comprehending because they are learning anyway, even if it doesn't seem that way to you, the parent.
The first activity was basically like a free play but with explaining to them how things around the room were big and little. For instance, there was a large slide and a smaller slide, a large bee puppet and a small one, etc.

If you look at the left side of the above picture you can kind of see the big slide next to a smaller one. Charlotte loved the slides in particular and kept insisting on going up each of them backwards.

One of the structured activities that came next was bouncing big and little. They have a large inflatable kind of thing that we sat the toddlers on and sang a song while we bounced them big and then little. We would sing louder when they were bouncing higher as another reference that one was greater than the other. Charlotte enjoyed this and wanted to do it twice in a row!

After that they did the Signature Activity for the Level 3 group which was to all line up behind the big inflatable thing and push it together across the mat and then back again. Charlotte kept stopping to clap... She was loving it!
I didn't get too many other pictures since I wanted to participate in the class with her too and not let Jason have all the fun!
Some of the other activities were to sit in a circle around the mat and blow bubbles while singing a bubble song. We got the huge parachute out and they all got under it while the parents raised it up and down. Then they got to sit on the parachute with Gymbo the Clown (a 36" plush clown that is actually pretty cute) while we pulled them around in a circle.
She had a really amazing time and we can't wait to go again this Saturday!

Mission: Beef Penne Pasta Casserole

This is a great family casserole because both Jason and I love it and Charlotte loves it as well! I just cut up her penne noodles into halves or thirds so it's easier for her to eat. It has been a huge hit!

Beef Penne Pasta Casserole
1 lb. penne pasta, cooked and drained
8 oz. lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
12 oz. tomato paste
2 cups water
1/3 cup red wine or water
1 Tbsp. instant beef bouillon
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Saute ground beef and onion in large saucepan, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink.
Add water, tomato paste, wine and bouillon; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes or until flavors are blended.
Layer ingredients as follows in an ungreased 13x9-inch baking dish: 1/2 pasta, 1/2 sauce and 1/2 cheese. Repeat layers and cover. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.