My Time Saving Dinner Secret!

You get home from running errands or various activities and the last thing you feel like doing is whipping together some grub for the family! If you did not plan ahead, as I often do not... you are thinking... "Great... got to get some chicken... out defrost it... cook it up... chop it up and then FINALLY I can get to making dinner." On top of that you have a little one, or multiple little ones, to be entertained and care for all at the same time! Sound familiar?


Before I had Evelyn I was brainstorming ideas of what I could do to make preparing meals easier. It is so important to me to have a warm meal ready for Andy when he gets home! I am his wife, his completer, his helper, and the least I can do is have something healthy for him to eat and not chicken nuggets, corn dogs, and french fries. A man can only eat so much of that! Andy and I are not big meat and potato people! It is good from time to time... but we try to spread out the meat as much as we can to save money. So, we always are putting it in a casserole or pasta dish or something that does not require a big portion of meat. On top of wanting a meal ready for Andy when he gets home, I want to make sure there is leftovers for him to take to work! So whats my secret? 


Well my nesting has helped me out a ton... before I had Evelyn I bought 10 lbs of chicken breast and boiled it in chicken bouillon and shredded it up and froze it in 1 lb increments.  I was not sure how much time it would save... but now I am so relieved I did it! I am going to continue doing it as well!! Now if I get home from somewhere or time snuck up on me... all I have to do is take out a bag of cooked frozen chicken and pop it in the microwave or right into a pan and I do not have to do the tedious defrost.... cook... shread... I use the chicken in Chicken Alfreado, Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Pot Pie (with crescent rolls for my crust on top), Chicken go-lash, Chicken Tacos... it is wonderful! Thought I would share my tip with you and may it help you in making preparing dinner a whole lot smoother!

366 Captured Moments of 2012 continued!

Jan. 24th- Andy got Evelyn to stand just long enough for me to take the picture. I put it up on facebook saying that she took her first steps sarcastically because I figured everyone would know she is too little still... well let's just say we had people a bit confused... oops.. :-/

Jan. 25th- Evelyn hanging out in her Bumbo! She never lasts very long though... enough for a BIG smile!

 Jan. 26th- This was a very special weekend for us as Evelyn got to meet her Great Grandpa & Grandma Scholta. My grandparents live in AZ and my grandpa has not been doing so well so we are VERY blessed they were able to make it up for a visit! He is 93 might I add :-) I will never forget it!

Jan. 27th- Evelyn soaking up the heat! Fell asleep right away :-)

Jan. 28th- Evelyn sporting an adorable hat that my good friend Sage gave to me before she was born! Even daddy thinks the hat is adorable!

Jan. 29th- Samson and Evelyn getting along just fine!!

Jan. 30th- Evelyn loves baths but they are exhausting!!

Evelyn- 11 Weeks Old!

So it has been 9 weeks since my last post... so I figured it is about time to post again!


I am loving being Evelyn's mom! I thought watching her grow would be hard and something I would dread. I thought that telling others how big she is getting would be bitter but yet it is all so fun and bittersweet! I thank God constantly for providing me with a healthy and super content baby! She rarely cries except for when she is not getting fed as fast as she would like (have to keep up on all those cute rolls you know! hehe) or if she is tired and wants to be cuddled just right in order to drift to sleep!


Andy is a wonderful father! Even better than what I imagined, I always knew he would be an amazing father! Everyday he looks forward to coming home to see her and love on her! He constantly tells her how beautiful she is and how much he loves her! When we are out in public he always wants to be the one to carry her so he can show her off. I just can't help but think of all those kids who are not blessed with a father like Andy and it breaks my heart as well as reminds me how much I have to be thankful for!

Andy holding Evelyn right after she was born!

Andy holding her on Christmas Eve

Evelyn is a social thing! Loves to say "coo" and "ah boo" as well as squeal and smile! I have  begun to notice, well other people have noticed, that if I am moving around a room or out of a room she is looking around for me. Makes a mother's heart melt.. well until it turns into blood-curdling screaming when you leave the room... which thankfully is not the case... yet I should say... She is feeding like a champ! Last I weighed her... which was a few weeks ago... she was 13lb 3 oz (give or take). So Now I would guess she has to be 13.5-14lb at least! She is the size of some of our friend's 4-6 month olds... crazy! It was only a few weeks ago that the 3 mo clothes barely fit and now some of them should probably be put away already! She is sleeping through the night at 5-7 hour stretches and then she will go back to sleep for another 3 hours or so. Yay! I love that :-) She is starting to want to sit up (obviously she can't... but she tries!) and loves to be stood up and be talked to! 

A few things I am doing to try and capture the moments as the days zip by is daily photos and emails to Evelyn. On facebook I took on a challenge to take pictures capturing day to day moments and not just the big ones that you remember anyways but taking joy in the small things that he Lord blesses us with each and every day! It is a great way for me to kind the wonderful aspects of each day! It is so easy to feel that some days are so insignificant and to say that the Lord has given us an insignificant day just seems completely against his character. He is working everyday... he never sleeps... never takes a break... so that means there is something going on everyday that I should be transformed by! It is not just about Evelyn... it can be as silly as the dog or a landscape or other people the Lord has brought in my life! Another thing I am doing is sending e-mails to Evelyn. I once was told by someone that they have journals for there children and they write down things about them for them to cherish someday. I just know my lack of motivation... and I know I would not do so well! But I always have either my phone, kindle fire, or laptop by me... so there are no excuses! I got the idea of sending emails to Evelyn from that google commercial where the day sends notes, photos, and videos to his daughter (I am not creative enough to come up with it myself so I don't want to take credit for it!). So I decided to take on that challenge as well!! 


I am trying to get back to life now that Evelyn is growing and growing! Back to cooking meals to have ready for Andy when he gets home. Keeping up on the house and laundry as well! Trying to remember to feed the dog and make sure has water... as well as water my poor plants! Taking time for Andy and also for myself (Evelyn has been so gracious to let me enjoy a warm shower every day so that I feel productive as long as I got myself ready for the day!) I am trying to really keep motivated to make time for quiet time for the Lord.. and it has been REALLY hard for me... So if you could be praying for that! I need to get back in the word!!!


 So many people think that staying home is simply me holding my baby... sitting on the couch on the computer or in front of the TV. There is that... but there are chores to do, a baby to feed, play with, rock, change, and put to sleep. And it is a 24 hour deal... not a 9 hour deal. I love it though! Every minute! To bless Evelyn and bless and serve my husband! I am not bored... and I do not imagine I will get bored as it is only a matter of time before Evelyn is busy and mobile. Plus I am already being asked when we can try for another... oh man... so life is going to continue to change. NOT saying we are going to be trying to get pregnant quite yet... I just started feeling like myself again and I am still in maternity pants so I still want to some time to enjoy feeling myself and enjoy Evelyn! hehe So that can wait!!!


So here is my 366 Captured Moments of 2012 thus far!

Jan. 1st- Cuddling with a big ol' bear!

Jan. 2nd- Proof that Samson Loves Evelyn!

Jan. 3rd- Tea with Auntie Pono

Jan. 4th- Evelyn wearing the shirt that Auntie Lynsey Gave her.

Jan. 5th

Jan. 6th- First day I was able to get her to hold a toy!

Jan. 7th

Jan. 8th- Wearing Mommy's ring

Jan. 9th- Monthly Growth Update

Jan. 10th

Jan. 11

Jan. 12th- Angel's wings!

Jan. 13th- Grandpa Owen trying to "scare" Evelyn when she woke up!

Jan. 14th

Jan. 15th- Tummy/Get That Gas OUT time!

Jan. 16th- Hanging out with Grandpa Owen

Jan. 17th- First time in High Chair and observing mom boil 10 lbs of Chicken to shred and freeze for quick and easy meals!

Jan. 18th- Wanting to watch the TV so she decided upside down would work. She likes the lights and movement!

Jan. 19th- My beautiful naked baby!

Jan. 20th- "La Cucaracha... La Cucaracha..." I found out that meant Cockroch! EW! But thats the song that went through my head taking this picture!

Jan. 21st- Evelyn with her friend Everett... holding hands!! UH OH! Everett & Evelyn... has a nice ring to it ;-) But seriously she is not dating until she is at least... 30! JK

Jan. 22nd- All ready for Church! It is also Grandpa Owen's 54th birthday!

Jan. 23rd- Evelyn loves being put in the air like an airplane or hanging out on my legs. She smiles really big every time!

I know that is lots of picture but I hope you enjoyed! I am going to try to be better at undating!

Evelyn Grace

So as of yesterday it had been two weeks since my sweet little girl made her entrance into the world... so I figured it was about time that I post about it before the memories start to fade on me!

Here is how it all played out...

I had been having an increased amount of braxton hicks throughout the week of my due date. On Sunday, November 6th, I noticed that I was discharging some mucus and then I did end up losing my mucus plug at around 3pm. Andy and I decided to go see a movie that night because I was not suspecting that anything would be happening anytime soon. So we spent some time out together and came home and I decided to head to bed. Andy was up watching some tv show episodes on the computer. I had been noticing tightening every four minutes but nothing painful so I did not think much of it. Well I got up to go to the bathroom at about 11:30-11:45 and as I was getting out of bed I felt a release of fluid. With losing my mucus plug earlier I figured it was still just working parts out so I did not think for a minute that it could have been my water breaking. Well I made my way to the bathroom and I could not stop "peeing," so I thought. I called out to Andy and he told me to stand up and that if I was still releasing fluid that it was my water. Well sure enough I stood up and could not stop it. 

We called the midwives and because I tested positive for Group B Strep, they wanted me to come in right away to start the antibiotics. After my water had broken I had noticed that I was starting to experience some cramping, almost felt like intense menstrual cramping. We got the hospital and they hooked me up to the antibiotics and I tried to rest as much as I could. Well... my body never kicked into labor so they started Pitocin on Monday morning.  I spent the day kicking up the levels of Pitocin to get labor going... I was having contractions but they were either not frequent enough, intense enough, long enough, or the time in between was too long. My body just got to a point of complete discomfort. I was feeling a lot of it in my back. I even tried to take a bath and could not manage to get comfortable at all. After being on Pitocin all day they decided to take me off and give me some morphine to sleep. You can only be on Pitocin for so long before it is really no longer effective. The nurse told that I would be put back on at 5 in the morning because they wanted to get things going as early as they could. 

Well, I woke up on Tuesday and it was way past 5 and I had not seen any nurses or midwives yet to get antibiotics or pitocin or vitals or anything going. I was beyond frustrated! Well we finally got back on the pitocin at about 11 and finally saw a midwife at that point. I guess it was a busy morning in the maternity unit with lots of woman in labor. Not something you want to hear when your water has broken and you have yet to go into labor. I was to the point where I wanted to just drop everything and leave everything there and go home. I did not see how it could be worth it anymore. So I spent the day waiting for the Pitocin to have an effect. At around 3 o'clock one of the midwives came in and talked to Andy and I about doing an internal monitor in order to really manage the contractions and get things (hopefully) rolling faster since there was really only a few more hours before I would have to be taken off the pitocin again and brave another day of it. At this point I was only about 3 cm (after almost 39 hours since my water broke..) Andy and I ended up deciding to go with the internal monitor. 

At about 6 o'clock I was finally in active labor and feeling the intensity of the contractions! I labored on the birthing ball as well as walked the halls but as the hours went on I was so uncomfortable... I tried laboring in the tub and could not sit on my butt at all... so I went back to the bed and finished out my labor on my hands and knees. It felt amazing to have all that pressure off... I actually remember dozing off in between contractions! At about 8 o'clock I was dilated to a 6 and finally at 10 o'clock I told the midwife I was feeling a ton of pressure and felt like I had to poop and could not help but push. So she checked me again and I was 9.5 cm and completely effaced and she said I could start pushing after 5 contractions. Prior to my last check Andy had called my mom to come relieve him for a little bit. My poor husband had been cooped up for two days and watched many episodes of 24 on the computer to keep some sort of sanity! Little did my mom know that when she walked into the room I was starting to push!!

So about 10:15-10:20, I was told I could start pushing. Of course it was uncomfortable... but there is something about being able to push that makes things so much better. No longer are you focusing on getting through the contractions and breathing through them but you can actually do something with that pressure in order to get one step closer to holding your baby! I wish I could put into words what it felt like to push a baby out but it is not easy to explain. After about 40 minutes, at exactly 11 o'clock on November 8th, Evelyn Grace Hentges FINALLY made her entrance into the world at 8 lb 1.4 oz 21 inches long!  We are so glad she is here with us!! Also, we managed it all without any pain meds! Yay! I was at points where I was wanting something to take the edge off but did not have the energy to ask for it so I just sustained through the contractions taking them as they came.

It has definitely been a time of adjusting. I was freaking out the first few days until my milk came in, concerned that I was unable to nourish my baby. Of course I knew that the colostrum is full of wonderful nourishment for the baby... it is just crazy that such a small amount of something can keep a baby thriving and hydrated... So now we are adjusted to feeding, for the most part... she wants to eat ALL the time though! Still trying to decipher when she is actually hungry and when she just wants to do it for comfort! We have our good nights and our bad nights... working through some gas issues I believe. We are currently doing the gripe water and leg pumping but she does not like the taste of the gripe water and only seems to get frustrated when we rub her belly and pump her legs... So I am learning to pray a lot more!  :-) I have not really had time or energy to dive into the Word :-( but man am I praying more than I ever have! I have had the privilege of being able to pray over Evelyn in my arms as well as praying past the breastfeeding frustrations and gassy belly! I was expecting my motherly instincts to just kick in right away... but they really did not! I found myself staring at her for days wondering what to do with her and now this week finally I feel like things are clicking and I am experiencing much joy even in the frustration!

I am so SO thankful for my husband! He has been such an awesome support and cheerleader! Seeing him with Evelyn just warms my heart! I feel like his fatherly instinct kicked in way before my motherly instinct kicked in. He is simply amazing! He stood by my side every minute while we waited for my body to do SOMETHING in the hospital. He was with me when I wanted to just curl up in a ball and quit and go home and forget everything! And He was with me to rub my back when I was finally in labor and was down and determined to birth Evelyn on November 8th! He was there for me to wipe my tears and pick me up with I lay in the bath tub in tears after no sleep and frustrated with feeding. He also sat by my side many times when I was feeding Evelyn to encourage me and help me keep Evelyn awake. He is a rare gem... I am more and more in love with him each passing day as I realize what the Lord has entrusted me with! As Thanksgiving is tomorrow I am overwhelmed with what the Lord has brought our way this year and I am overjoyed for what he has in store for us in the year to come! I pray for continual peace and joy when things get hard and grace when I fall! Not to mention the ability to soak up every sweet memory and not let any of it pass by!

I have tried to get this picture to rotate the right way and can't... so I gave up :-)

The LORD Who Reveals and Sanctifies!

So I am currently a few days shy of being 38 weeks along! Crazy! Baby and I are doing really well! I am surprised how much I can handle at this point! I actually forget that I am pregnant sometimes... I will be meeting with someone or randomly run into someone I know and they oh-ah over my belly and I am taken off guard and remember... oh yes... I am much bigger than I usually am!! :-)


My biggest struggle right now is my mind. It is constantly racing with all the things that are coming my way and all the things that I need to get done... soon! I am pretty sure I am never in a deep sleep and that I am constantly dreaming because I wake up flooded with thoughts again as I start my day! Praise God that he is training my body now for interrupted sleep schedule! It is pretty amazing if you ask me how much your body naturally prepares for birth and motherhood!


Even deeper into what I am struggling with, beyond the fact of my mind, I struggle to surrender something very precious to God...


      ....Time!


I am fighting off my fear of time passing. I go on Facebook, talk to a friend, or even just look around me and I am reminded how fast time goes. 


I have been asked a lot lately, "So are you just so ready for this baby to come!?" And since being done with work I can confidently say, "No... I am not!" Do I long to hold her and gaze at her and talk to her? Well of course! But am I ready to start a journey where you watch someone gain more and more independence from you as the days pass... No! NO! NO!


Yesterday I was walking and listening to a sermon by Pastor Colin Smith. To be honest, I do not even remember what the sermon was about. One thing I do remember is him talking about eternity and how it is not something that we will watch pass away but it will be... eternity! I am not really sure why or how... but God really used this to convict me of my current struggle. I am struggling so hard to hold onto the time on this earth and freaking out about how fast it is going and much worse how fast it will go that I am forfeiting my opportunity to experience joy today! For the first time God opened my eyes to see how sinful I was being. If my eyes were set upon my King and if my heart was seeking him and my life living for him... I would not be consumed with the passing of time! Instead, I would be taking each day to praise his holy name and thank him for the grace to experience the joy we are able to experience in him and also being one day closer to spending eternity with him! In eternity the passing of time will never be a concern and there will be no fear of time or aging or missing out on the joy for the day because we will be surrounded by the glory of the LORD forever and ever! May I allow God's glory to comfort me and sustain me each day! May I seek him and fix my eyes on HIM, that my eyes may be turned away from the things of this world and its offerings in order to experience the JOY God has for me... today!


Thank you LORD for revealing in me the area in my life where I am not surrendering complete control to you! Thank you LORD that I can go even further to say you not only reveal the area but you sanctify it that I may be the pure bride you desire me to be! I pray that as I enter a new stage of life that I move from the mourning to embracing of what you have each day for me as a wife and a mother. May I embrace the good and exciting days as well as the bad and stressful days! May I not let ANY moment that I have with this little girl be taken for granted as a result of focusing on how "fast" or "slow" things seem to be! When the nights are long... may I praise you! When the days are short and fleeting... may I praise you! When she grows and learns more and more how to operate on her own... may I praise you! You have given me an opportunity here... to watch another life grow GROW GROW... yes maybe too fast... but to have a better view of who YOU are as a result of watching and observing the life of a child! Amen

Less Than A Month/Four Weeks To Go!!

So it has been a long time since I have posted anything!! My apologies! To be honest I have been in complete survival mode the past month! Last week was my last week working and so now I feel like I am finally able to rest and prepare for Baby Girls arrival! My goal each day was to just get through the day! It made for the passing of time to be quite miserable! I do not miss having to bend over all the time. I do not miss having to push around a heavy brute barrel. I do not miss cleaning toilets or mopping or vacuuming. I definitely do not miss unloading 3-5 dishwashers a night! I do not miss doing 2-3 loads of laundry a week either...


I have really enjoyed taking this week to serve my husband by staying on top of laundry and meals! Especially since Andy came down with a pretty nasty flu/cold! So be praying for him as he fights this off and as I try to avoid this nasty sickness. We need to be at our best for when baby decides to come!! Anyways, it has been so nice to finally be able to spend time with  Andy again and really enjoy this time that we have together before the baby comes! He was hunting for the past two weeks (Thurs-Sun) and so I am glad that is behind us! It stressed me out to have him away as you really never know when I will go into labor. I highly doubt we will go early but thinking of him up in deer stand, 2 hours away, with not the best of phone service... really made me wonder what I would do if I did go early! So now he is on lock-down :-) 


So... how am I doing? Well I am hanging in there! I can definitely tell my body is preparing itself for what is ahead! My joints are not what they were two weeks ago... even to open a door can be painful sometimes... It is funny because as soon as I was done with work I have felt a lot more pressure in my lower abdomen and am having to go to the bathroom a lot more! So it will be interesting to hear at my next appointment whether I have dropped or not. I feel like I am doing a lot better emotionally now that I am done with work. We will see if that continues... but I just feel like I can finally relax and ENJOY being pregnant for the first time! I am not having to worry about whether I am overdoing it like I did when I was working.


Starting next Tuesday, I will begin to see my midwife every week! I have started to see a different midwife than I did most of my pregnancy and have been thrilled with this new one! She is very informative and I feel so very comfortable with her! Andy and I did not take any birthing classes so I sometimes felt so unprepared... but with my midwife, Angela, I feel so much more comfortable with the whole idea of labor and delivery! I am praying that all goes well and that the LORD will enable me to be able to do a water birth!! The waivers are signed and the tests have been done and I am set to go as far as that goes... but if I go too late or if for some reason something pops into the picture that could be risky... then I will not be able to go through with the water birth! I really hope to do this all natural! So a water birth would be a great way to alleviate some of the pain! I am getting excited to experience birth... I know it is going to be painful... the bible is very clear about that!


Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said,

   "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
    in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
   and he shall rule over you."


But I know that the pain is what brings me closer and closer to meeting my daughter! 


I have been reading a book called "Your Best Birth" by Ricki Lake & Abby Epstein and have been learning a lot!! It just goes through what birthing entails and what my options are and also gives you the pros and cons to doctors vs midwives, c-sections, and overall just lays out the facts and puts you in a better place to really take back what birthing is all about! It talks about how America has really made child birthing to be looked at as a risky and medicalized business. Child birthing has become so driven by the fear of pain. This book is to remind people that birthing is an experience that should not be driven by pain and medical intervention but by the mother doing what her body is telling her to do. This book does not discourage people from the medical options! It is just reminding you that in most pregnancies you do not NEED it!


This is me at 34 weeks...

And me at 36 weeks!

I ask that you be praying for Andy and I in the weeks to come, as my body prepares to bring this little girl into this world. Be praying that if it is in the Lord's will, that I would be able to do a water birth but overall just for a smooth delivery! Most importantly, be praying for Andy as he will be my source of encouragement and supporter through the whole thing! I just praise the Lord that HE is the DELIVERER! He is the SUSTAINER through all of this! May I keep my eyes on HIM through it all!

One Day At A Time!

Quick Update:


Let the changes begin I guess!!! Things have been kind of crazy here in the Hentges household! Quite a few weeks ago my husband had a different job just fall right into his lap! He was not planning on taking it originally but one rough day at his job with ABM Janitorial as an account manager can change your mind VERY fast! This other job is in a machine shop of some sort... Andy will be a machinist/sales. I do not fully understand what he is doing but he is working with metal which is totally up his alley! He was informed of the job through a friend of ours so it is neat to know that he is working with another guy who he enjoys being with and did I mention he is a christian! I pray that the Lord would use those two in a place where things can be very dark and not so moral... in a shop full of guys... Andy and I for the first time in a long time prayed together in seeking wisdom as to where the Lord was leading us! It was a refreshing time, but also a time of uncertainty. It is a bit of a pay cut... which is hard when in not too long we will be losing an income! We have some major adjustments coming our way and I am starting to feel the emotions of the upcoming events and the unknown.


So the last three weeks Andy has been working at the shop for a trial run and training (the new place he works for is SO flexible and it was very nice of them to let Andy try things out and see if it was a good fit for him and the company as well). He has ALSO been working at ABM as an account supervisor for those three weeks as well! It has been extremely difficult on me!! To go from spending all day together except for about 5-6 hours in the evening... to going 12-14... sometime 15 hours without seeing him... and by that time we are both home and able to spend time together... we are ready for bed in exhaustion from the day! I have been very emotional and extremely lonely at times... as I am not used to being at home by myself with chores and reading to do before I head off to work myself! I try to reserve as much energy as I can so I can give my all at work... So this week closes the chapter of Andy's time at ABM(except for a few moments where he needs to lend a helping hand in the transition at his former buildings). Will I have my husband back!? No, not really.... I myself will continue to work the evenings so... we continue on with the challenge of working opposite schedules... I HAVE NO IDEA HOW PEOPLE DO THIS!!! ESPECIALLY WITH CHILDREN!!! 


As far as pregnancy goes... I am getting a lot of comments on how I have "popped" just recently! And man am I feeling it... sleeping is not so easy anymore... and moving around... with an extra 30-35 lbs is very difficult!! I am still bending down to pick things up, put liners in trash cans, putting dishes away (at work... 4 dishwashers a night people! crazy!!) So as long as I can continue to move and operate... I will continue to work as I feel it is the best thing for me and the baby to KEEP moving! I am hoping by the end of this month to be done officially... it would just be SO nice to get some quality time with Andy before our baby girl enters the world! 9 weeks.... 9 long weeks... left! But I really cannot complain... the Lord has blessed me with a smooth pregnancy! So I have SO SO SO much to be thankful for!! I want to make sure I do not forget that... and that I do not wish the days away... because time goes by fast enough! It is just so hard though when you want to meet someone small.. cute... and special... oh and precious... and just all together lovely. We cannot wait to meet you little girl!! Keep baking! :-)