Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Muffin Pan Cookies

I hate that sometimes my cookies are oddly shaped and that only some are gooey. So I decided that if I put the cookie batter into muffin pans that they would all turn out perfectly round and gooey! A win-win!! The recipe below is my chocolate chip cookie recipe- the simplest cookie recipe I could whip up. 


Ingredients:

  1. 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  2. 1 teaspoon baking soda
  3. 1 teaspoon salt 
  4. 1 cup butter ( 2 sticks), softened 
  5. 3/4 cup sugar 
  6. 3/4 cup brown sugar
  7. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  8. 2 large eggs
  9. 2 cups of chocolate chips 

Directions: 
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F
  2. In a large bowl combine butter, eggs, sugars and vanilla extract and beat until creamy. 
  3. Stir in chocolate chips 
  4. Combine flour, baking soda and salt and add in to mixture. 
  5. Drop a tablespoon of the batter into each muffin compartment. and repeat until batter is gone. 

  6. Bake for 9-11 minutes. 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Banana Bread


I will say, that banana bread is hands down my favorite bread to bake. It's an easy breakfast or snack. It's perfectly sweet without being too sweet. I've used this recipe time and time again with adults and kids alike; it hasn't failed me yet! Kids love to make this recipe with you and it's easy because you don't need a mixer to make this bread. It doesn't need to be perfect either so... DON'T OVER MIX!! :) 


Ingredients: 
  1. 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
  2. 1/3 cup melted butter
  3. 1/2 cup sugar 
  4. 1/2 cup brown sugar (you can reduce this to 1/4)
  5. 1 egg, beaten
  6. 1 teaspoon vanilla
  7. 1 teaspoon baking soda
  8. Pinch of salt
  9. 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
Directions: 
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F 
  2. In a large bowl combine butter, mashed bananas.  egg and vanilla. 
  3. Add in flour, sugars, salt and baking soda to wet mixture. 

  4. Pour batter into buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. 
  5. Bake for 1 hour and let cool before cutting.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Welcome to the World Haidyn Bayne Wells- The Birth Story


On week 39 and 3 days (April 13, 2014), I walked around the Sparks Marina with Jon in hopes to speed time up. I wanted the baby to come before Jon shipped off to boot camp. It was really important that they would meet. So many people had suggested doing so many ludicrous things to get the baby to get here faster and I figured that walking wasn’t something that was out of the ordinary.. and honestly what are the chances that the baby would come out right after. After our brisk walk around the marina (and many dirty glances later) we stopped by Tacos el Rey (my favorite) for a takeout dinner. I ordered so much because finally food started to look and sound good again after puking everything I ate up the last few days.

At the dinner table, we were all laughing and conversing when I suddenly had the urge to pee. However, this urge felt different. I couldn’t stop it no matter what. It didn’t smell like pee nor did it look like it. I couldn’t believe it; this was NOT my water breaking right now. I told Waymon and Jon, “I did keegels! And it didn’t stop.  I think my water broke.” Confused as hell my husband and brother told me that if it happened again then we would go to the hospital. So, we waited… Everyone cleared out of the kitchen and went our separate ways trying to do our best and catch up on some sleep. I went to the bathroom numerous times and nothing but pee came out. I was a little disappointed. Why was nothing happening? At 5 am, April 14th, 2014, my husband woke up for work and I went to the bathroom again. My underwear was damp and not from pee. I told him that we had to go to the hospital to get checked just in case. We packed everything in the car and drove to the hospital.

As we checked into triage, I was told that I was to undergo 3 tests to see if my water had indeed ruptured. I took all of the tests and patiently waited an hour for the results to come back. I felt so silly taking all of the tests and being hooked up to all of these monitors. I felt like they were going to send me back home and I was just going to go about my daily business. At 7:30 am, the nurse stepped in and told us that we were going to be admitted due to my water being ruptured. I looked at my husband in disbelief. We were going to have a baby soon. It was actually happening. My mother-in-law, Tracey, came by right after we got the news as did Stacy. Everyone was in a light and cheerful mood.

















We checked into Labor and Delivery and was checked by my OBGYN. I was having contractions but I wasn’t feeling them at all. The latter scared the doctor a bit since my water broke at 8:30 pm the night before. I should have been feeling something. He gave me a chance and put me on pitocin to speed things up. Contractions came and I didn’t feel much until 5 hours into labor and pitocin was off. Baby girl wasn’t responding to pitocin. I chose to get an epidural to help me up the pitocin and have my contractions come faster and stronger.  I went from dilated from a fingertip to a 1cm in an hour, 1 cm to 2cm in 2 hours, 2 cm to 3cm in 3 hours and 3 cm to 4cm in 4 hours and suddenly everything came to a screeching halt. We thought that we would be able to continue with the labor on my own, but after waiting another 4 hours for things to change at 8:45 pm I stayed at 4 cm. At that point, we needed to get the baby out due to my water breaking 24 hours prior. Emergency C-Section we went.






I was terrified of the fact that I needed to get an emergency C-section. I felt awful at the fact that I didn’t come sooner so that baby girl would have time come out on her own. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to feel about anything anymore. My baby girl was going to be here tonight with me. I wasn’t going to be able to hold her until 2 hours after my surgery. I couldn’t be with Waymon until everything was well underway in the operating room. I was shaking in the operating room. I was nervous. After a while, I didn’t feel anything below my chest. I started to fall asleep from all of the drugs I was given. There was no pain at all during surgery. I felt the tugging and pulling, nothing else. At 10:11 pm, I heard baby girl cry for the first time. I couldn’t see her, but I could hear her. I cried. It was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard in my life. Waymon whispered, “She’s here and she’s so beautiful.” I couldn’t believe that I was a mom. I couldn’t believe that after all of this time waiting she was finally here. The nurses cleaned her up and gave her to Waymon. I saw a glimpse of her while Waymon was holding her. I cried seeing my family for the first time. They were perfect.



 I couldn’t be any happier with everything. I fell asleep soon after Waymon and I parted. I was in recovery with for an hour to make sure that everything with me was okay. Waymon came to visit me telling me how beautiful and perfect baby girl is. He showed me a picture of her. I couldn’t believe it. After that hour of monitoring me, I was checked into my room. I waited another hour to see baby girl for myself. I couldn’t wait. I was anxious. I was so happy to see everyone I loved, but I just wanted to see her.




At 2:10 am April 15th, 2014, I finally got to hold my baby girl. I didn’t feel like a mom yet. I couldn’t believe that she came out of me. I couldn’t believe that, she was the one kicking me from the inside. I couldn’t believe that she was one that I spent the last 9 months with.  Waymon was right. She is perfect. She is beautiful. She’s everything I could have ever asked for. I didn’t want anything else more in my life, more than I wanted her.











On April 14, 2014, Waymon and I welcomed Haidyn Bayne Wells into the world at 10:11 pm. She weighed 6lbs 15 oz and measured at 18in long.