Family

Baby Days

July 18, 2017 by Abbigail Kriebs 6 Comments

I knew having a baby would be life-altering, but whew. These baby days are rough.

Arthur Scott made his world debut on April 18th – he’s three months today. And I say he made his debut, but really we forced his hand. Once he’d stuck around an extra 11 days, the doctor induced me on the 17th at 8:00 A.M…. and about 30 hours later we landed in surgery to physically remove the baby that would not come out. Stubborn at the first, huh Arthur? Let’s hope this isn’t a sign.

Arthur Scott

Baby Yawn Stretch Hospital Photo

I kind of figured we’d have it a little more together by now, three months in. But no one told me that you have to teach your child to sleep… or that it really doesn’t work too well until they are a few months old. Or that babies eat every 2-3 hours… for months, not just at first. I don’t think anyone ever told me that itty-bitty babies take four naps a day, either. That they are just not as portable as people make them out to be.

I knew that having a baby really alters your schedule, but I kind of thought it got better sooner than this.

Needless to say, I’ve not written six consecutive sentences since he’s been born, and I’ve only really picked up my camera in the last two or three weeks. I’m starting to feel like a human again, to get out of the house once in a while, with and without Arthur. I’m learning which cries are hungry cries and which ones are “I should have napped longer” cries, how to entertain him for the tiny windows of time he is awake and alert and not physically attached to me nursing.

He likes baths, thank goodness. He wants to see the world, which is marvelous. He’s slowly figuring out that our two cats exist and that they move. He often decides that sleep is overrated and then we all regret it later.

So he’s a pretty normal baby, from what I gather.

I’ve never spent so much time invested in the research and deliberation of when and how to get another person to go to and stay asleep. I’ve never done so much math in my life.

And, of course, I’ve never loved anyone so instantly.

While we’re adjusting, I’m trying hard not to be frustrated when there’s setbacks. But that’s a tough line for this over-analyzer to follow. I’m trying to spend time with other moms to remind myself that all of this is normal, that it is a season, that we will get through it. I’m listening to good podcasts, recent episodes of Chasing Creative where we’ve interviewed moms, and trying to minimize the amount of battery operated toys that enter through my front door.

And I’m slowly adding back in things that bring me joy. I’m working a little, taking a few more pictures, reading a few more books (e-readers are a gift to moms everywhere), and recognizing that drive-thrus were created for the parents of small children.

A day at a time, if my planner-at-heart self can manage it.

If you have kids, what new-baby things were you shocked to learn with your first? Any tips for entertaining a 3-month old or getting him to like naps?

P.S. I share things over at Instagram a little more often than here on the blog these days.

Story in Photos: The Hartman Family

November 6, 2014 by Abbigail Kriebs 4 Comments

When I decided to wrap photography into my business last year, I had no idea how rewarding it would be. I love getting the chance to take fun, energetic photos of families that they wouldn’t ever be able to capture themselves.

I had the opportunity to photograph my good friend Jamie’s family last year, and it was a lot of fun to do it again one year later. The kids were a little less wiggly, but just as full of their own personality. My personal favorites are always the candid shots: her little boy running through the leaves, smiling up at me on the jungle gym. His little sister skipping down the path, her fist pumped in the air, a war cry on her lips.

These are the memories that give me the most joy to capture.

What is your favorite family photo ever? What makes it so special?

The Story of a Recipe: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

October 7, 2014 by Abbigail Kriebs

I’m often very glad that cell phone cameras weren’t around when I was a kid. I like the fact that my dad doesn’t know how to use the internet well enough to upload my baby pictures to Facebook and tag me in them. I’m grateful that my awkward years of braces and bad bangs aren’t documented too terribly well for the world to see.

But sometimes, I wish we had documented everything like we do now.

One of those times I wish I had pictures of is cooking with my grandmothers. Especially so when they were teaching me to make cinnamon rolls.

You see, both of my grandmas make excellent cinnamon rolls – and both of them have passed the love of feeding others on down to me.

My Grandma Morgan in Kansas used to make cinnamon rolls the old fashioned way – getting up before dawn to let the yeast activate, then letting the dough rise until it needs punched. I always loved the punching part as a kid. Now, at almost 95 years old, she doesn’t spend too much time in the kitchen, but her recipes keep making an appearance every time my cookbook comes out.

My Grandma Nancy on the other hand, makes cinnamon rolls in a more modern fashion: with a bread machine. (She also reads blogs and has a Facebook account, so it’s par for the course for her.) You toss in the ingredients, hit a button, and two hours later there is fresh, perfectly kneaded dough just waiting to be rolled out, buttered, and sugared. My time-strapped, millennial self likes this option, and that’s the recipe I find myself going to the most these days. I probably need to take a day and make them the old fashioned way, just so that I remember to appreciate all these modern conveniences I get so used to (and, you know, for old time’s sake and such).

Because I have a feeling you like saving time, too, here is the recipe for the perfect bread machine cinnamon rolls, often called the Cinnabon Clone recipe:

“Clone of Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls” (hence the deliciousness)

Bread machine: takes 1 ½ hours in machine. Bakes for 15 minutes at 400*.

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 eggs (room temperature)
1 cup warm milk
1/3 cup melted margarine
1 t. salt
1/2 cup sugar
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/2 t. bread machine yeast

Filling:

1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup softened butter

Cream Cheese Icing:

4 T. softened butter
3 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt

Directions:

Add ingredients in order listed to bread machine baking pan. Insert pan into bread machine and start “dough” cycle. When dough is done, turn out onto floured rolling board and allow to rest for ten minutes.

Roll dough into a 16″ wide and 21″ long rectangle with a thickness of about 1/4″.

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl until well mixed. Spread softened butter over the surface of the dough and sprinkle mixture over it. Roll dough jelly-roll fashion along the 16″ wide side of the rectangle. Cut dough roll into 12 slices. Place into 9 x 13 baking pan and bake at 400 degrees for approx. 15 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Remove and allow to cool.

Combine Frosting ingredients until well mixed. Frost and Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite family recipe? What is it?