Bless This Nest

A Contest

2012-01-28T18:57:00.001-05:00

And this is the post where I ask for your help :-)

Our fabulous photographer, Jenni with Forever-Yestetday Photography, is hosting a contest on Facebook to win a free portrait session. She's done all of our portraits and I would LOVE to win a free session!!

If you could help us win... well shoot, that would be amazing. Like, absolutely & utterly amazing.

It's really easy. Just click this link & "like" the picture that comes up (should be my blondie toddler in an aqua hoodie with a HUGE toothy smile). Then, just "like" Forever-Yesterday's Facebook page. That's it!

The contest ends on Friday and so far we are in 3rd place. We are behind the first place photo by almost 30 votes right now..... your vote would be amazing :-) Thank you so much!!!

15 months

2012-01-26T10:08:00.002-05:00

A drive by post....

I'm sitting on my floor reading emails because I spilled berry-flavored (and colored) TheraFlu on my cream colored couch, and the cover is now in the washer. In a minute I need to go take a shower and start getting ready for work. My husband took the baby (toddler) to daycare and I'm here getting a few things done before I head to work for the day/well-into-the-night.

I was sitting here in my quiet house, listening to my fingers tapping the keyboard and the washer swishing away (and hopefully swishing away the berry colored stain on my couch cover), and all of a sudden I was in labor all over again.

Not really, obviously, but sometimes I can distinctly remember what I was doing & exactly how I felt on my daughter's birth day. Every sip of cranberry juice reminds me of the cranberry juice I drank in the lobby of my medical pavillion (fancy word for doctor's offices where my midwives are located; we went there to be checked before going to the hospital), working through contractions in public and being blissfully aware of my body and absolutely nothing else. I pressed my back into the wall and leaned forward onto Ryan's chest, supporting myself with my arms around his neck. I labored in that position for much of the day, though thankfully not in the medical pavillion...

But this morning, sitting on the floor in silence, I remembered what it was like walking around my first floor, working through contractions and not realizing that these contractions were going to get much, much worse. It was amazing. I never wrote my birth story here because it's such a precious memory to me and I don't know that I could really do it justice.

15 months ago today I labored at home for 4 hours, at the hospital for 10, pushed for another 4... and delivered my beautiful girl via emergency c-section at 11:54pm. Best.Day.Ever.

Back to WW... again.

2012-01-10T11:21:00.001-05:00

I became a Lifetime Member of Weight Watchers in August 2011, after losing 20 pounds. Actually, let me back up... here's a neat little timeline of my weight-loss journey:

September 2009-January 2010: Doing Weight Watchers @ Work and lost 17 or so pounds.
February 2010: We found out I was pregnant. Stopped following WW plan. OMG I am PREGNANT. Happy Dance Every Single Day for 38 Weeks. Also, no morning sickness & loving food & WOW my ankles are getting thick....
October 2010: I'm up 60 lbs!! Holy crap. Some of it is water weight (my ankles weight 10 lbs each), some of it is baby weight, and some of it is the copious amounts of Apple Jacks I ate throughout my 38 weeks (my one true craving).
December 7, 2010: Go to my first WW meeting at exactly 6 weeks postpartum. I weigh in at almost 40 lbs DOWN from the day I delivered... I told you it was a lot of water weight! Yikes. That also means I ate 20lbs worth of Apple Jacks.
December 2010 - July 2011: Lost 20 lbs on WW. Didn't have the energy to work out, so it was just eating... I also nursed for 6 months, so while I did burn extra calories from that, I also needed to take in extra calories to maintain my supply. It was a slow weight loss, but I don't think I had any weeks where I was + weight.
August 2011: Became Lifetime Member. BOOOO YAAAA. Meetings are free. Wait, I still have to pay for eTools? That is crap, WW. Whateves, I'm too cheap to continue to pay for eTools... I can do this on my own.
September 2011 - December 2011: Eating-fest. Back to school, holiday baking, whirlwind NJ tour for the holidays... it was no good. And the "do it yourself" way of calculating Points+ Values? HAHAHAHHAH! Did not exist. By the number on my home scale, I'm up 5 lbs from my goal weight today. Not cool, especially since I bought some new jeans in a size I could only DREAM of while I was in college and well... they are tight. Tight in a "you look like you are wearing a sausage casing" way, not a "damn girl, you fine" way. Bad news.

January 2012: Back to WW. I'm going as soon as the baby wakes up from her nap. (Note to self - I think a 14 month old is classified under TODDLER not baby.)

Then I came across the 10lb Challenge & shoot, I need to lose weight so why not get paid.

So...

I joined the 10-pound Challenge hosted by Newlyweds on a Budget. Lose 10 pounds in 12 weeks, win $$$. Are you in?

Chicken Soup

2011-11-06T19:51:00.005-05:00

My poor husband is sick. It started with the baby's runny nose and while she seems to be feeling ok (minus the nose), my husband picked it up and he's just sick.

So today I made chicken soup. From scratch. And I am kinda proud of it because it was so damn good.

My soup!

I used this recipe as the starting point and kind of made it up as I went along, but it was so good that I wanted to write it down so I had it for next time I needed some soup. It actually cooked up pretty quick, though it would probably also be good to simmer all day on the stove. It makes the house smell delicious :-)

Chicken Soup Ingredients:

a whole (raw) chicken... I think I got a roaster chicken

a bunch of carrots

a bag of celery stalks

whole onion

spices - I used salt, pepper, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and chicken boullion cubes

egg noodles

Recipe:

Put the chicken in a big soup pot and cover with water. I added 3 carrots and 2 stalks of celery, chopped in really big pieces. You'll end up tossing these, so the bigger, the better. I also added half of the onion, cut into 2 quarters. Bring the water to a boil and keep it boiling until the chicken starts falling off the bone.

Skim the foam off the top of the water every so often. I have no idea how long I let the chicken boil; maybe an hour? But the chicken will totally start falling off the bone - you'll know.

Meanwhile, clean and chop the rest of the carrots, onion, and celery. Set aside.

Once the chicken is done, put another big soup pot in the sink and put a strainer over the second pot. Drain the chicken/veggies/broth into the strainer. You can then put the second pot on the stove. That's the broth. You can toss the cooked veggies (they will probably be really smooshy) and cut the chicken however you like it. I did a combo of shredded and cubed.

Toss the raw veggies and chicken into the broth on the stove and let it simmer. Add your spices - I used 3 chicken boullion cubes, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and oregano.

Bring water to a boil in the first pot and cook the egg noodles per package directions.

When the noodles are done, add to the chicken soup. Stir it up and it's done!

I think it took 2.5 hours to make, but I wasn't really paying attention to the chicken and I didn't have the forethought to cook the noodles and have them cooked and waiting to be tossed in. You shoudn't cook the noodles in the soup because they'll get really soggy; I bet if I cooked them along side the chicken I could have shaved 30 minutes off the total cook time.

This makes a huge pot, so we have lots of leftovers. Yum :-)

It's that time again...

2011-11-05T20:54:00.005-04:00

The obligatory Christmas card post :-)

Honestly, my favorite time of the year now starts on October 26 - my daughter's birthday. Before she came along, my favorite time of the year started on November 7 - our anniversary :-) I love jeans and sweatshirts and crisp fall air, and that rolls right into Thanksgiving and turkey and Black Friday shopping and baking stuff and not really doing a ton at work (or is that just me?) and SNOW and family stuff and Christmas trees (!!!) and trips to see family in NJ...

And now we get to kick off the season October 26, so we're in full swing here. Clearly it is time to start thinking about Christmas cards because they have to go out kind of soon... I like to get mine out the first week in December so that our family & friends can see our smiling faces for a full month. How sneaky of me to be spreading the good cheer so early, right?

We just did our annual family photo shoot and I have a bunch of great pictures to choose from. The only easy choice I have is going with Shutterfly for the cards. We used Shutterfly last year and I was so impressed with the quality of the paper and the beautiful printing! But after that? I am lost. I have a bunch of awesome pictures, they have a bunch of awesome designs...

This one is called Mod Holly and I loooooove the bright, but simple, colors.

Or something classic like the Rainbow Greetings Christmas Card? Guess you'll just have to wait and see!

Shutterfly also has photo calendars (good for grandparents, I assume?) and a variety of other photo gifts, making it super easy to give personal gifts that your family will love.

In exchange for my honest review, Shutterfly gave me 50 free photo cards, and I cannot wait to order them! Are you a blogger? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here: http://goo.gl/DDw7Q

Can't wait? Shutterfly also gave me 3 codes worth 25 free photo cards each, and I'd love to share them with you! Leave me a comment below with your email address - first 3 to leave me comments get the codes.

Birthday Eve

2011-10-25T11:46:00.002-04:00

This showed up in my inbox today:
And I promptly teared up.

Cheap Wipes and Other Stuff

2011-10-04T12:38:00.004-04:00

Just caught this deal on Amazon and wanted to pass it along.

I love Huggies Natural Care Fragrance Free Baby Wipes Soft pack, 72-Count (Pack of 8) and right now they are $12 for a box of 8 packs, which is $0.02 per wipe. You will need to sign up for the Subscribe & Save feature, but you can always cancel it after you get your package. Also, Target's Up&Up brand formula rang up at $17.99 for the big canister last night (usually $19.99), so that was a happy surprise! I skipped getting wipes at Target last night because I didn't have any coupons on me and I'm glad I waited to look at Amazon.

The baby's first birthday is coming up soon and plans for a fun day are in the works! We'll spend the day at the apple orchard picking apples and a pumpkin. They have hayrides and a petting zoo, so it should be a great day. If it rains, I think we're going to go to a local children's museum.

Giveaway Winners!

2011-09-20T18:48:00.003-04:00

I am SO SORRY for the huge delay in announcing winners from the Mary Kay Mascara Giveaway! Life with an almost one year old is hectic :-) I've been crafting it up in preparation for the big birthday and have a really sweet balloon wreath, pendant banner, and party hats to show you. If I can find a spare moment. We'll see.

Anyway, on to the winners!

Yeeeeeyyyy for free mascara! Lovely ladies, if you could please contact my Mary Kay rep, Amanda, with your name and address then she can get your mascara in the mail! To contact Amanda, go to her profile HERE and click "email me".

Party Time!!

2011-09-03T11:05:00.006-04:00

The other day, I mentioned that I'd be hosting a party.... ready for the details?

Join me all month for a Mary Kay E-Party!!

I am teaming up with my Mary Kay Beauty Consultant, Amanda Delaney, for the entire month of September to host an online Mary Kay party. You've probably been to a "product party" like Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, or (does anyone still have these?) Tupperware and you know the drill: get dressed, go mingle, eat awesome appetizers, and try to decide what to buy in a room full of women all having the same "oh crap, what do I buy" moment. Not with the online party!

Feel free to shop the Mary Kay website all month long.... take your time, browse in you PJ's, and (clearly the best part) receive 15% off your order when you mention my blog at checkout! All the details are below, so be sure to read them before placing your order so you get the discount :-)

If you haven't used Mary Kay and aren't sure where to start, I would totally recommend the TimeWise Miracle Set. I have been using it for about 2 months now and I love the way it makes my skin feel! There are 4 components to the set:

From left to right, it's the 3-in-1 Face Wash, Moisturizer, Sunscreen, and Night Serum. I use the face wash twice almost every day and I'm just starting to run low. There is still a good amount of moisturizer & sunscreen left, and you can see how much night serum is left. The face wash smells awesome and has little microbeads in there to really get your face clean. The whole set is a little spendy at $90, but it's lasted 2 months so far and I can probably get another 2 months out of the moisturizer, sunscreen, and serum so I feel like it's worth it.

Here's a close-up of my daily routine:
After giving birth and seeing the time I have for my morning routine diminish by half, it really became important to me to start taking care of my skin.... mainly so I don't have to wear a lot of make-up to look ok! I'm also swiftly heading towards the big 3-0 so I like that it's "age fighting"... makes me feel like I'm doing something to keep wrinkles at bay!

My other favorite product is the Ultimate Mascara, which I mentioned yesterday:

Check out my naked face & enter for you chance to win a free mascara HERE! Entries close on Thursday and the winner will be announced on Friday. But if you can't wait & want to try it now, it's normally $15 but you can get it through my online party for only $12.75!

Ready to order? Here's the deal:

Head to www.marykay.com/amandadelaney and look around! It's important that you go to Amanda's site (and not just marykay.com) so that she can track orders and make sure you get your discount.
Fill up your cart with whatever goods you like and then click "check out" in the upper right corner of the page.
Double check your cart, click the big check out button, and register for a free account. Click through everything, add your shipping address & double check everything.
In Step 2 of 3 it will ask for payment. Make sure you click "Contact Me For Payment" and put Bless This Nest in the comment section. That code will get you 15% off your order total!!
Await the arrival of your fancy new Mary Kay products :-)

Wanna hear the best, best part? If you place an order during September 2011 and use the code for 15% off.... any future orders you place with the code "Bless This Nest" will also get you a 15% discount!!! Happy Shopping - and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Giveaway and a Party!

2011-09-01T07:00:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it's already September! I feel like the summer always goes by way to fast but mornings like this - crisp and clear - make me excited for the fall. I love sweatshirts & jeans & a new tube of mascara.

Yep, new mascara. Not pens and notebooks. Mascara. It's my favorite back to school thing! Some girls like new shoes... I just like new mascara. I mean, I buy new mascara when I need it, but there's something about starting off the year with a fresh tube of mascara that makes me reaaaaally happy. I also like a new tube for the holiday season, but that's still weeeeeeks away (even though stores seem to think otherwise?) so we won't go there.

My go-to brand is usually Covergirl, and I LOVE DiorShow for special occasions (like my wedding/honeymoon only because wow is it expensive), but I have a brand new favorite that I am so excited to show you!

Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara

I don't normally wear a ton of makeup, so big & thick lashes are a must. Well, that and really good under eye coverup. But mainly big lashes because I feel like they make me look instantly put together and wide-eyed, even if I really just need another coffee (or 3). Behold, my super naked (and tired) face:

Most mornings I pull my wet hair back in a braid, slap on coverup, and swipe on a few coats of mascara before going to work. Yikes, right? I know, that's why I'll try any mascara that crosses my path - I'm always on the look out for the perfect tube. The Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara claims that it's super volumizing and is flake & clump resistant. The first thing I noticed when I pulled the wand from the tube was there it was fully clump free. The box says that it has "smart wiper technology" which I think is just a fancy way of saying that the tube wipes the brush on the way out. Either way, it works. I didn't have to drag the brush across the top of the tube to get off the extra before trying to get it on my lashes, which was really nice. And I wore it for 12+ hours a day the past few days and it sure is smudge resistant - even with a baby trying to grab my glasses off my face, which is nice because the raccoon look is so not in these days.

I didn't think that it made my lashes super voluminous, but it did make them more defined & waaaaaaay longer! They are super glossy, super black, and super long. Wanna see my lashes?

Try to focus on the extra long lashes and not the eyebrows that are about 10 months overdue for a waxing. And thats all I have on - no eyeliner, no shadow - just mascara. Yey!

So now what? Well, now I have 5 tubes of Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara for 5 lucky readers! To enter for a chance to win:

Leave me a comment below telling me about your favorite mascara or favorite back to school item
Tweet about this giveaway & post the link to the tweet below (copy me in the tweet @hagen23)
Blog about this giveaway and & post the link to your post below

For each entry, make sure you leave a separate comment and if your blog doesn't have your email address, be sure to leave that in your comments as well. Entries will close on Thursday, September 8 and the winners will be announced on Friday, September 9!

*************

Can't wait to see if you won & want to try out the Ultimate Mascara now? Or have a MK favorite and need to stock up? Stay tuned - I'm hosting an online Mary Kay party for the entire month of September and every order is eligible for a discount - no minimum needed! I'll post the details tomorrow :-)

Happy Thursday!

*I was provided a new mascara (plus 5 to giveaway) by my Mary Kay rep in exchange for my honest review. These words are my own!

Tomorrow!

2011-08-31T10:46:00.003-04:00

Be sure to check in tomorrow because I have a fabulous giveaway lined up.... and there will be 5 winners!! FIVE!!

I also have an awesome discount party planned for September, so make sure you stop by tomorrow for all the details & to enter to win. Want a hint? It's my favorite "back to school" item but it has nothing to do with actual schoolwork. Any guesses? I'll see you tomorrow bright and early with the answer!

Happy Last Day of August!

Waiting for Irene

2011-08-27T09:41:00.003-04:00

The hurricane is supposed to come in around 5pm tonight, so the babe and I are hanging out in our pj's and getting things done around the house. Even though Irene has been downgraded to a Cat 1 and we are far enough inland that we shouldn't get more than some rain and heavy winds, I still want to be prepared "just in case". If it was just me and Ryan, we'd be laughing at the empty water shelves and lack of toilet paper at Target last night. However, when you have a kid, you're just an ass if you're not prepared. We went grocery shopping on Thursday night for some stuff to make chili, some fresh veggies for salads, and stuff for grilled cheese and PB&J. Then yesterday I realized we probably needed more formula and some applesauce for the banana-chocolate chip muffins I wanted to make. While we were there, I also bought two really cute tutus for the babe since I haven't found anything I like on Etsy (well, that I like and wasn't $45). Both were on clearance, so I got them for $6 total. Score. I also picked up a 3 pack of pink polka dot onesies (also hurricane necessities) because they matched the tutus nicely and one had a cupcake on the front.

I figured we should get cleaned up just in case we lost power for a while and weren't able to do dishes, etc, so Ryan and I stayed up last night getting that done. So I just had my bowl of Kix, the babe is in her pen (pack n play) playing with some Little People, and now I need to get a shower. But the dishes are all washed, garbage is out, and now we're just waiting for the rain!

OH!!! And make sure you come back on September 1st - I have an awesome giveaway lined up! But the best part? There will be 5 winners. It's true - stay tuned!

Baby's First...

2011-08-26T17:21:00.004-04:00

Guess who is 10 months old and had her first brush with natural disasters?
This sweet little girl right here!

Yep, we're on the east coast and felt the 5.9 quake on Tuesday and are now getting ready for Hurricane Irene... she's supposed to be here Saturday night. Does no one else think this is totally bizarre?

Whoops, she's up from her nap... earthquake stories, tales of standing & crawling up stairs, and her love of dancing all have to wait. Happy Friday & stay dry this weekend if you're an Easterner!

Note to Self

2011-08-24T19:00:00.002-04:00

Things I need to post about include:

Child will be 10 months old on Friday. How/when did that happen?
We took a 7 hour road trip to NC with a 9 month old. All survived and ::gasp:: actually enjoyed the drive. Once we got there we spent 4 glorious days at the beach. Pictures of my bathing beauty to follow.
We have a total of 7 teeth. The first came in on May 27, and the latest came in yesterday.
My favorite baby things - stuff we loved and maybe I'll even throw in a few we hated.
This kid is 2.5 seconds away from walking....

Makeup makes me happy

2011-08-23T21:22:00.003-04:00

Even though I totally have no idea when it comes to how to apply eyeshadow. My normal routine is slap on some under-eye concealer, draw on dark brown eyeliner, curl up the lashes, and swipe on a few coats of extra black mascara. I have it down to 5 minutes because that's how I roll these days.

I can't even tell you the last time I dried my hair. Maybe March? Some days it's a wet pony, and some days it's a wet braid. I'd rather get 20 minutes of snuggle time with the babe in the morning than tackle a blowdryer. At least I don't have an office job :-) And THANK GOD I didn't succumb to the "mom hair" that is chin length and thus "so much easier in the morning". Short hair, on me, requires a blow out every single day, whereas with long hair it's just up and out of my face. It's not stylish and I certainly don't think I look good.... but it's quick and easy and that's what I'm about these days: spending the maximum amount of time with my kid every day.

The point of this? I need makeup that is quick and easy. I have a random assortment of stuff that I use, but I always start with the Miracle Set by MaryKay. I totally love it and I just saw Molly's blog post over at Stilettos & Diapers about her giveaway and review of a bunch of different MaryKay products!!! Check out her review and enter for a chance to win $100 worth of beauty products. Let her know I sent you :-)

Black and White

2011-07-19T20:53:00.002-04:00

Taking a snooze in her infant carrier. July 2011, 8 months old.

Doggie Kisses

2011-07-09T22:50:00.004-04:00

My sweet pup and her cousin sharing a quick little doggie kiss on July 5, 2011.

I'm linking up to The Paper Mama Photo Challenge... this week the theme is "sweet"!

Weight Watchers, Reconsidered

2011-06-30T20:49:00.005-04:00

There are lots of times that I have said to myself "I can do this for 10 minutes. I can do anything for 10 minutes". And more often than not, it is true that anyone can literally do anything for 10 minutes: sit through a terrible work meeting, listen to someone berate you on the phone, sort through millions of pictures to find the one you need, walk your dog in the blazing heat, get through a class, pack up moving boxes, listen to voicemails....

Except WW doesn't really work like that. It's kind of an all the time thing. And I still like to eat. I enjoy it. And I still kind of don't care when i feel really full, because I secretly love laying on the couch like "ohhh that was so good" (in regards to whatever it was for dinner).

So in however many weeks I've been doing WW (just 2 more to go until Lifetime!), I sort of expected to have this major revelation and just stop eating. And enjoy vegetables more than I enjoy bread with butter. And not feel like I have to have a lot of hot dogs whenever hot dogs are being made.

You can imagine how disappointed I am because sadly, it is not that way. Tomatoes do not suddenly taste like movie popcorn. I would still rather eat a Chipotle burrito than a garden salad with grilled chicken.

This is hard.

Still.

I really have to think about what I'm eating, and when I don't, the scale creeps up a little bit. I think (hope) that I'm still within 2 pounds of my goal weight, but I'm not 100% sure. My home scale is a bit wonky, and because I don't have to go to WW meetings weekly, I don't. Clearly that is the first problem. I really need to go to meetings, even if WW says I don't have to. The second problem is that I'm not in a place where I can stop tracking. I need to do that too. I am pretty good about it, but I do need to be better. I know that.

Basically, I need to stop hoping that I'm going to make Lifetime in the next 2 weeks and just make a concentrated effort. Duh. It's that simple.

(except I really like to eat....)

Week Review

2011-06-24T11:17:00.003-04:00

This week marks the first time since I was pregnant that I actually worked out.

To clarify: I did work out for the first few weeks I was pregnant. Then I was just walking. Then I was ok with just being plump & pregnant and trying to drink enough water was exercise in it self. After I gave birth, I did WW and dropped 60 lbs and am back to my pre-pregnancy weight by solely watching what I eat. I figured this was a good week to get my butt into gear.

Back to the recap.

I hit the treadmill for 30 minutes on Tuesday (some incline, some intervals), did a quick 30 minute circuit on Wednesday (10 min ARC trainer, 10 min cycling, 10 min running), and took an hour long Power Yoga class this morning.

Also? I didn't buy one Starbucks Frap this week, which is a total WIN. See yesterday's post for how I made that happen.

I have a weight goal for the time I go on vacation. I don't know how feasible it is, so my other goal is to just work out at least 3x a week. OK, if we're being honest here.... my new fitness efforts were totally spurred by this post. Ashley at The Domestic Wannabe totally lit a fire under my butt.

Game on.

Homemade Frapp

2011-06-23T10:51:00.005-04:00

More dollars than I care to admit have been spent on Mocha Coconut Frappaccinos at Starbucks this summer. I am thinking about having half my paycheck direct deposited to Starbucks on my way to work (and the other half at the Starbucks in my Target).....

However, the other day on Pinterest (why are you not on Pinterest???) I saw a recipe for homemade frapps that were supposedly a perfect match for the Starbucks ones. I dragged out the ol' blender this past weekend to find out.

It came out perfect on the first try, and now I can keep my direct deposit dollars right where they are. Good thing, because getting direct deposit changed is such a hassle...

Here's the link and below is my take on the recipe - the original makes 36 oz, which is enough to fill 1.5 of these. My version makes enough to fill that Copco cup with just a smidge left over. I also like mine Mocha Coconut flavored :-)

1/2 cup double strength coffee (basically 4 oz boiling water & 1.5 tablespoons of Foldgers instant)

1/2 cup cold milk

A few shakes of Splenda (I get the kind with a gram of fiber per serving)

2 or so tablespoons of Hershey's Light Chocolate Syrup

A splash of coconut extra (imitation, because that's what my grocery store had. It's by the vanilla extracts)

1.5 cups of ice

Throw it all in the blender, pour into cup, be amazed at how it didn't cost $4.85. I make mine right before I leave the house so I can enjoy it on the way to work. It starts to separate (it's still delicious) as it warms, so it's really best to enjoy right away. So for me, that means: get myself ready, make the coffee & throw all ingredients (except ice) into the blender, get the baby ready, get our bags together, throw the ice in the blender, blend (and watch baby's eyes get HUGE as the blender does it's thing), pour in cup, collect baby & bags, and get to the car. I've made one every morning this week :-)

First Day of Summer!

2011-06-21T18:17:00.003-04:00

It's the first official day of summer and our beach vacation is just a few weeks away. I cannot wait to get Baby girl into the sand! Everything is still business as usual and I usually don't have enough time to put together a post of substance.. which means no posting at all. I'm keeping this blog more for me than baby Girl, so i don't feel so bad. I have a baby book that I'm writing all of her milestones in and while I don't update that as much as I'd like, I when I do, it's good stuff.

I was putting all of our mother's and father's day cards into the shoebox I keep of cards we've gotten for her, and while I was in the closet, I pulled out the little box of special outfits I have saved. I can't believe how tiny she used to be!!! And really, an almost 9 lb baby is in no way considered "tiny". At this point, she's got to be almost 20 lbs?

I'm working late tonight, with lots of work stuff and personal stuff to be done in these few hours away (with not many other people in the office!). The majority of my personal paperwork (bills, thank you's, trying to figure out how to spend less money) gets done at work because when i'm home I just can't be bothered. I saw this on the mommy message boards...

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

She'll be 8 months old next week - where did the last 8 months go?

Living Social Movie Deal

2011-06-09T08:59:00.002-04:00

Another link to save some dollars! Right now Living Social (similar to Groupon) has a deal up for a voucher for two movie tickets for a total of $9.... how amazing is that?! Movie tickets by us are usually $10 each, so 2 for $9 is amazing.

It's one voucher per person and expires September 9, 2011. It has to be used on Fandango.com (you can't take it to the movie theater), and each ticket price can't exceed $15. I don't think there are any other restrictions! I'm buying one under my card and one under Ryan's... he loves going to the movies, so I was pretty thrilled to see this one. Here's a link in case you want to get in on all the movie fun!

Note: The links above are referral links and if 3 people click and buy from those links, my movie tickets are free. If you're going to buy.... please use my link? Pretty please???

Old Navy Groupon

2011-06-02T08:59:00.004-04:00

Just an FYI that up on Groupon right now is a $10 for $20 worth of stuff at old Navy! It's a nationwide thing, and you can combine it with in-store promotions!! It looks like it expires on July 30, 2011 and it's one per person.

I am in love with Old Navy's summer dresses and baby girl stuff this season!! How sweet are these little dresses??

Another FYI - the link above is a referral link and I would LOVE if you used it to buy your Groupon. You don't have to if you don't want to, but it really would be sweet <3 Here it is again just in case.

7 months later...

2011-05-30T21:51:00.002-04:00

I hit my goal at Weight Watchers.

I finally freaking hit my goal. Thank God, because paying for WW was kind of getting expensive.

I love charts and tidy little lists, so here's how that whole 60 lb weight loss went down:

In 38 weeks of pregnancy, I put on a hot 60 lbs.
In the first 6 weeks postpartum, I lost 40 lbs. FORTY POUNDS in SIX WEEKS. Holy crap. I assume the majority of that weight was my almost 9 lb baby, a heavy duty placenta, and a crapload of water weight. I mean, my ankles were like coke cans...
I started Weight Watchers at 6 weeks postpartum. I was nursing, and I got so many points that I will admit I didn't keep track as well as I should have. However, I did lose 9 pounds in the first 6 weeks on WW.
In total, I lost 20 lbs on WW in 24 weeks. I will admit that the last 6 weeks were a struggle... my pants fit, so the last 4 lbs weren't a huge deal. Except I really wanted to hit goal... so I sucked it up and did everything I could to lose the last 0.8 lb.
May 27 - GOAL Weight, which also happens to be my pre-pregnancy weight.

So I officially lost the weight and just have to maintain that weight (within 2 lbs +/-) for the next 6 weeks. Then I can stop paying!!! And I can spend that $40 a month on size 2 pants at the GAP. Fun fact - that happened on Saturday. I've been wearing size 4 pants but tried on a 2 for shits and giggles. They fit. Better than the 4s. I almost shit myself, then I bought them. It was a glorious day.

Even though I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight (which coincidentally is the lightest I've even been in my adult life), I still have some toning to do. I need to find time to work out. I want to say "I need to find time to work out, but I'd rather be fooling around on Pinterest", but I'm not going to say it. I'm going to think it, though. And while I'm thinking it, I will be dragging my husband, dog, and baby on an after dinner walk.

The plan is to start slow with post-dinner walks. It'll be good for us, and even better for our pup (who turned 7 on Friday). Once we get into that routine, maybe I'll feel the urge to do more. Or at least, I hope. We went on a walk today around 7:30p, and it nice. The sun had gone down enough that it wasn't blazing hot out, but it was still warm enough for the baby to enjoy the warm air on her bare feet.

Baby toes are so munch-able... did you know?

Food Update

2011-05-25T21:29:00.006-04:00

Someone is going to be 7 months old tomorrow.....

We started solids about 10 days before Baby Bink turned 6 months old. She's got a solid month of real food under her belt (ha, she doesn't even wear belts) so I figured I'd make a note of it. It's pretty exciting stuff around here, ya know? With all of the new textures and tastes and omg I have a little person who eats real food. Crazy. So far I've made all of Binka's* food, except for prunes (which she desperately needed....) and grains. Here's what she's tried so far, in order:

Sweet Potatoes - love at third bite :-)
Green Beans - a hard sell... she ate it all but I don't think she enjoyed it
Organic Oatmeal - Gerber from a box, mixed with formula. I think she was pretty neutral on this one.
Prunes - LOVED them
Pears - Sweet and delicious. Love.
Apples - Couldn't get enough... till they made her butt red and then we laid off the apples for a few days.
Squash - Hatred to the point where she'd open her mouth for the spoon but would have tears streaming down her face. It was terrible. I think I gave her squash 4 or 5 times with the same effect (only a few spoonfuls each time, just to see if her reaction would change), then today I gave her some and she ate the whole cup without resistance.
Carrots - Yucky face at first, but warmed up pretty quickly
Avocado - the wild card.... she LOVED it! She ate half an avocado for dinner last night!! She did the whole mouth open, leaning forward, baby bird thing. It was awesome!
Organic Brown Rice - Gerber from a box. Blah, I think, but I mixed it with the avocado and she was quite a piggy about it.

Binka's eating schedule generally goes like this:

Wake up between 6-6:30am and have a 5 oz bottle in bed with us.

She has fruit & oatmeal when she gets to school, and then 3 bottles throughout the day (7 oz each).

When we get home, I give her either 2 veggies or a veggie and brown rice. If she still is antsy, I give her a few ounces of a bottle. Then it's a bit of play time, a bath & lotion, and a 5 oz bottle before bed. We usually feed her down here, let her fall asleep on us, and then bring her up to her crib.

~~~~~~~~~

All of that food? Lovingly made by me in my Beaba Babycook. Oh man, I love my Beaba. Honestly? It's a $150 steamer/food processor, and yes, you can do the same exact thing with 2 pieces of equipment for much cheaper. But you know what? It's so easy to use, makes the perfect portions (who needs a freezer full of homemade pearsauce?), and wouldn't you know, it's easy to clean, too. I have never been so happy to get an appliance for Christmas in my whole life - Ryan did good this year :-)

Here's the full run down - chop up fruit/veggies, place in steamer basket, put steamer basket into bowl attachment. Add water to the water tank. Close the lid and turn it on. It's self-timed and will go off when it's done steaming. Drain water, dump basket into bowl attachment. Pulse to desired consistency. That's all. And it makes the perfect amount of puree to fill an ice cube tray. It's my Working Mamma Partner-in-Crime. I can have a weeks worth of sweet potatoes ready to go in less than 20 minutes AND I only have to clean a basket, a bowl, and the blade. Well, and a knife if you want to be technical. A final thought: Worth every penny.

~~~~~~~~~

A food update of my own... I'm .8 lbs away from my WW goal weight, with weigh in on Friday morning. Wish me luck!!!

~~~~~~~~~

*We call our girl Binka Bink. Why? No clue. Sometimes I sing "Biiiiiiinkaaaaa Binka Binka, and Jelly" to her. you know, to the tune of "peeeeeeeaanutttt, peanut butter and jelly". Anyway, that's what I'm going with on the blog now. Just as an FYI :-)

Friday Random

2011-05-20T08:53:00.002-04:00

I have a whole list of things to write about when i get a second:

Pinterest. Like a virtual scrapbook of all the cool stuff I find on the internet. You'll need an invite if you want to join, so leave a message at the bottom with your email. Then you too can waste hours of your day pinning things to your boards.
Birchbox. Like a magazine subscription, except instead of a monthly magazine, they send high-end make-up samples. It's amazing.
Mocha Coconut Frappachinos from Starbucks. I love them.
Weight Watchers - I am 0.8 lbs away from my goal, which is also my pre-pregnancy weight. I have been hovering here for 3 weeks now, which is so aggravating because I really thought I could hit my pre-pregnancy weight by Baby Girl's 6 month birthday. Well, that was 3 weeks ago, and I was about 1.5 lbs away from goal. All of my pants fit, so it shouldn't be such a big deal... but it is ::insert whine here:: because if I can just hit my stupid goal than I can stop paying for WW.
I ordered a bathing suit from Athleta.com and I am so excited to get it.
I will have a 7 month old baby and a 7 year old dog next week... though I'm not sure how because I'm pretty sure they were both really small, like yesterday.

So glad it's Friday.

6 Months

2011-05-11T17:57:00.006-04:00

Little Miss is 6.5 months old.... holy crap! And how did that happen? I know I say it every time I do a picture post, but honestly... it's the weirdest paradox of "I can't remember life before her" and "wasn't she like 6 weeks old 2 days ago?".

She's a big girl these days, in size 9 month clothes and size 3 diapers (we love Huggies Little Movers.... and BumGenius 3.0 Mediums). She's clocking in at 17.5 lbs and 26.75 inches, and her hair is starting to grow in!! She's always had a bit of super fine hair, but it's getting a little longer and looks like maybe it's coming in a bit.... but I can't tell what color it's going to be. It looks like it's maybe a light brown? And her eyes are a beautiful mix of blue and brown... the outer portion is steely blue and the inside, right around the pupil, is a beautiful golden brown. Sometimes they look almost green.

But you're really here for the pictures, right? :-) We did her 6 month portraits a few days after her 6 month birthday with Jenni at Forever-Yesterday Photography. She also did Baby Girl's newborn shoot - we love her work and I highly recommend her to everyone in the Maryland area!! She is fabulous to work with and managed to capture all of Baby Girl's best expressions. Here are a few of my favorites:

She took a TON of photos in a variety of outfits and poses and I love every single one of them. She also did a few family shots and a few "Mommy & Baby" and "Daddy & Baby" shots, as well. I was thrilled to death to be there with my girl... as such, every single picture includes my "SO EFFING THRILLED I CAN'T EVEN STAND IT" huge, gummy smile and crinkled nose.

I don't even care because OMG I LOVE THAT BABY. Also? I never got fabulous pregnancy hair, but that meant I never lost any hair postpartum. Clearly, that was good... and magically, my hair now grows at the speed of light. I love it.

What else does my 6 month old do? She sits on her own, loves apples and pears, "talks" allllllll day long, loves to help me sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes", and loves the dog. She also has the sweetest laugh, everything goes into her mouth, and she doesn't roll over. She also still hates tummy time.

Please vote?

2011-05-04T09:57:00.003-04:00

I entered Baby Bear in the Parents.com Cover Photo Contest... I mean, have you seen that face?? Anyway, it would be so awesome if you took a minute to vote for her. You don't have to sign in or register or anything... just click the link below, click vote, and enter some words in a box. That's it :-)

So.... will you vote for Baby Bear? I promise I'll post some of the professional photos from her 6 month shoot if you do!

6 Months

2011-04-30T22:10:00.006-04:00

This little face makes me happy every single day.

Baby Bear turned 6 months old last week and I can't believe how big she has grown! She's up to 17 lbs, 11 oz and is now 26.75 inches long!! For comparison, she was 8 lbs, 13 oz and 21 inches at birth. My big girl.

She started trying to sit right around 5 months, had it down pretty good by 5.5 months, and has finally mastered it at 6 months. She can sit for a pretty long time by herself, and has started scooting her butt around. She only falls when she throws her hands up in the air (like when she sees the dog) and has the awareness to tighten her abs on the way down to prevent her head from hitting first. I don't think she's ever cried after tipping over.

This baby loves her puppy!! Her eyes light up when she sees Marley and if she's close enough, Baby Bear grabs fistfulls of dog fur. Marley doesn't seem to mind. I think she's just happy for the attention!

We started solids 10 days before she turned 6 months old, and so far she's had bananas, sweet potatoes, green beans, and today I gave her a bit of organic baby oatmeal. I think sweet potatoes are her favorite, and she really didn't like the green beans at first. Yesterday she ate a full 2 tablespoons though, so we'll see. This weekend I want to try apples or pears - I guess whatever looks good at the grocery store!

I still wanted to do a quick post on juggling work & daycare & Baby (oh, and husband - let's not forget him), and a few other things, but my blogging time is really minimal these days. I try to get on the computer only after Baby Bear goes to sleep, but I know I should be washing bottles, getting ready for the next day, or spending some time talking to Ryan without our faces glued to the computer/tv screens.... I do try to keep a running list of things Baby Bear is doing so that I have a nice list for her baby book, though. I wish I had more time for that!! I'm actually at home right now, and Baby Bear is sleeping, so I'm going to see how much of the baby book I can update before she wakes up.

Wish me luck!

First Bananas

2011-04-27T22:55:00.005-04:00

I've mentioned it before, but we waited to introduce solids to Baby Bear because I just didn't see the need to start cereal at 4 months. I figured I'd skip the filler cereals and go right to fruits and veggies when she seemed ready. And 10 days before she turned 6 months old, I knew she was ready.

So I got her set up in her high chair and gave Ryan the camera. Mashing up Baby Bear's first banana was a little emotional. How lame is that?! I nursed this little baby for 5 full months, and in month 5 started to mix in a bit of formula here and there for that I could fully wean by 6 months.... and here I was, getting a bit teary about giving my little baby Big Girl food. Who does that?? At any rate...

That face is priceless!! Three bites in and she was hooked... I couldn't shovel it in fast enough. The next day we tried it again, and even though she gave me the same face at first, she ended up eating a freaking half a banana. I was cutting and mashing about an inch at a time, so I didn't realize how much she'd eaten until half the damn thing was gone!

The next weekend I cooked up a sweet potato for her (in my super fancy Beaba) and that was a hit, as well. Know what's not a hit? Big Girl "I eat real food now" Poop. OMG. That is all I have to say about that.

Tomorrow

2011-04-25T09:16:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow my baby turns 6 months old! Updates & pictures to come... including my current weight, Baby Bear's new favorite things, and what it's really like to be a working mom.

There's so much going on and I wish I had a spare minute to write it all down... but I have 867 photos from the month of April, so at least we have some photographic evidence of our life! I'm also waiting on some new pages from Edna Mae for the baby book, so as soon as those come in I can consolidate my lists into a coherent paragraph about Baby Bear's past few weeks. The past few weeks include sitting up, starting solids, and generally being a big girl. It is SO FUN to see her face light up... but I'm supposed to be doing work right now, so you'll just have to wait.

More this week; I promise.

Bottles

2011-04-07T22:43:00.003-04:00

One day, when my baby is a toddler and doing big girl things, I will be sad for a minute and wish she was still a little, tiny baby. And then I will remember all of the bottles and pump parts we wash and sterilize every evening....
... and I will probably still be a little bit sad because I love my little squishy girl. I will, however, be thrilled when I don't have to wash and sterilize bottles any more. Actually, Ryan will be thrilled since that's usually his nightly task. He actually said the other day that he can't wait for solids because she'll stop having so many bottles. He just about died when I told him that at least for the first few months the solids thing is just to practice eating and that milk is still where she gets the bulk of her nutrients. Yep, she's five months & 2 weeks old and Baby Bear still hasn't had her first taste of solids. Soon. I think. Oh man, she's getting big.... When did that happen? - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fluffy Butt

2011-04-05T22:15:00.003-04:00

There's nothing cuter than a baby with a big fluffy cloth diaper butt. I'd show you some proof, but I feel like maybe the internets aren't the best place for a nakee pic of Baby Bear. It's been a couple of weeks since we started cloth diapering and I looooove it. Possibly because Little Miss hasn't pooped in her cloth yet. I imagine that's going to suuuuuuuck. But we've been doing cloth at night and on the weekends, and I'll be damned if her little cloth-covered butt isn't the cutest thing I've seen. Our cloth stash so far consists of:

Two BumGenius 3.0's

One BumGenius 4.0

Two Flip covers with two stay-dry inserts & one organic insert

Three BumGenius Fitteds

Two packages of Circo brand washclothes... yep, we're doing cloth wipes, too

I've been buying them here & there when I see them on sale, which is why it's such a random assortment. That's not really enough for a full weekend, so we're still using disposibles here and there, and I wash the cloth dipes as soon as they've all been used. I loooove doing cloth diaper laundry because it means Baby Bear's butt will be fluffy again soon.

Our laundry routine is pretty simple - everything goes into the washer and through a cold cycle. Add two tablespoons of Rockin Green detergent and run everything through a hot cycle, and once that's done, run a cold cycle to get out any excess detergent. All of the inserts and wash cloths go into the dryer, and the diapers all get hung to dry.

I'm looking to expand our stash... any recommendations for fitteds? I've seen lots of chatter on the mommy boards about Sticky Peas and MammaMade. Has anyone tried those?

Two Lists

2011-04-01T22:39:00.005-04:00

It's 10:30pm on Friday night. Things I am doing:

Jerking around the interwebs looking at cloth diapers, cute appliqued onesies, and recipes for homemade baby food.

Watching the Food Network, my dog snoring on the couch, and my husband sleeping with his feet on the dog's head.

Listening toBaby Bear's little kitty-cat noises coming from the nursery.

Picking baby puke out of the setting of my engagement ring.

Wishing I had hair like Reese Witherspoon in Water For Elephants.

Things I should be doing:

Washing & sterilizing bottles.

Sleeping???

Picking up around the house so that when we come down tomorrow, it's not a huge shit-show.

Sleeping???

Figuring out what we're going to eat this week so I can make a shopping list for tomorrow.

Downloading pictures from my camera to my computer and then uploading pictures to the Kodak Pulse frames we got our parents.

Figuring out how to lose the last 3 lbs of pregnancy weight that have been hanging around for a good 3 weeks now.

OK. Collecting my dog & husband and dragging them off to bed. There is much spring cleaning to be done this weekend and I need some sleep.

BFF

2011-03-27T11:39:00.001-04:00

Is there anything cuter than a girl and her dog?

Nope.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Big eyes

2011-03-23T20:58:00.005-04:00

Oh hai, Mom. What do you mean no oatmeal today?

Baby Bear is switftly approaching 5 months old (Saturday!) and we haven't started solids yet. Nope. We've got five solid months of nursing and pumping behind us... and at least one more to go. Baby Bear is only vaguely interested in things I'm eating and doesn't open her mouth when I move a spoon towards her mouth, so I'm not rushing it.

She does like to hang out in the kitchen with me (and her spoon) though, so maybe soon? Though I'm not sure I'm ready for this solids business. What happened to my teeny newborn???

Adventures in Cloth

2011-03-21T12:37:00.005-04:00

After months of reading about cloth diapers and how they're good for your baby, your budget, and the environment..... I did it.

I bought cloth diapers.

They were on sale, and I figured that I'd try it for a week or so and see how it goes. I love that cloth is more breathable and has zero chemicals smashed up against delicate baby skin. I love that the diapers I bought are "one size", which means that I won't have opened packages of disposable diapers that all of a sudden don't fit because of overnight growth spurts. And clearly, I love the fact that this can be a fairly cost-effective endeavor.

On the flip side, I am scared of poopy diapers, pee leaking onto clothes, and massive amounts of laundry I will probably have to do.

So I started out with a Flip diaper & stay-dry insert, a BumGenius 3.0, and a BumGenius 4.0. These 3 diapers don't need to be prepped, so I just washed them once, laid the covers to dry (inserts go in the dryer, and then I hung them for a photo op), and snapped this:

Don't they look so cute? Here's the top view:

The dark pink is the BumGenius 3.0, the yellow is the Flip, and the light pink is the BumGenius 4.0.

Apparently there is a science to cloth diapering over night, but I dove right in and wrapped up Baby Bear's little behind in the 3.0. I chose that one because it's a sized diaper (medium) and has a pretty thick absorbent layer built right in. I added the newborn insert from the 4.0 (those dipes come with a regular insert plus a newborn insert - the newborn is smaller because newborns pee less, I guess), put it on, took a ton of pictures of Baby Bear's first fluffy butt, and got her dressed for bed. She was asleep by 9.

This morning, I went into the nursery at 7am to find a very happy baby. The sheets were dry, so that was a good thing... I picked her up and her sleepsack didn't feel wet.... I undressed her and the outside of the diaper didn't feel wet..... I took off the diaper and even the cloth that was against her skin all night didn't feel wet to the touch. That diaper weighed about 10 lbs though. Full of pee and no wetness against her little behind. I think we were both pretty thrilled about it.

Since I only have 3 diapers (well, enough for 4 changes, because I have 2 Flip inserts), it's 1pm and i'm back to disposibles for the rest of the day. I'm going to wash everything, place another order with CottonBabies.com (another 3.0 and maybe this Econobum set), and see how it goes.

I'm finding that keeping an open mind and setting zero expectations is the way to go when it comes to most things. Take my labor & delivery, for example. I went in with zero pre-conceived notions of how I wanted things to go and even though I was in labor for 14 hours, pushed for 4, and ended with an emergency c-section, it was the best experience of my life and I have nothing but positive memories of that day. And breastfeeding. I figured if it worked, it worked, and if not, we'd do formula.... well, it worked for us and I'm hoping to do it for at least 6 months. After that? Who knows.We're taking it one day at a time. And the same is true for this cloth diaper experiment. I'm going to see how it works for us, and go from there.

After all, the most important thing is a happy & healthy baby.

And I think we're doing a pretty good job so far.

Big Love

2011-03-20T23:28:00.002-04:00

Dear HBO,

Well played. I'm sitting here, like a jerk, crying over the series finale. Crying like I knew these people in real life. I literally have a pain in my chest.

This is not normal. Then again, this isn't cable tv. Thank you.

Love,
Kate

PS - I always knew Carl was an asshole, I'm glad Heather is of the forgive/forget variety, Margene's hair looked better at the begining of the episode, and OMG why do my favorite shows have to end????

PPS - When does True Blood come back on?

Green and Jeans In Action

2011-03-17T08:04:00.003-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Thank you so much for the book, Aunt Claire!!!
I can't wait for Daddy to read it to me tonight!

Green and Jeans week

2011-03-15T11:07:00.003-04:00

There has been a sign at daycare for the past 2 weeks: "The week of March 14-18, wear a GREEN shirt and jeans!"

Like a good mother, I went through Baby Bear's clothes and she has 2 green St. Patrick's Day shirts. She will be at daycare 3 days this week, so I went to Target and for $4, bought another green onesie so that she can wear green shirts (and her jeans) all 3 days. Did I need to? No, she could have worn the same shirt 2 days. But it was $4 and it's cute. And it doesn't specifically say "St. Patrick's Day", so really, my Irish baby can wear it any time. And wow, does she look cute in green.

So today she wore an adorable green and white striped onesie that says "This is my lucky shirt". She is also wearing jeans and her St. Patrick's Day bib (for Christmas she was gifted sweet personalized bibs for Valentine's Day, St. Patty's Day, and Easter). I will wash jeans and bib this evening with her other items so they are clean for tomorrow. I will repeat this act tomorrow night so they are clean for Thursday.

This morning I did drop-off.

The sign is still up by the check-in computer. None of the kids I see are in their green shirts and jeans. I get to the infant room. Baby Bear immediately smiles when she see her teacher and her teacher says "Hi Baby Bear! I knew you'd get dressed up this week!" The 2 other children in the room were wearing regular (non-green) outfits.

Now, here is what I am wondering.... are other parents lazy? Do they not care? Or am I just a first time mom?

Monday morning

2011-03-14T11:31:00.005-04:00

Work would be more tolerable if this Baby Bear could come with me every day:
Oh hai! Can I take a message?

Things I should be doing this morning:

Washing & sanitizing bottle and pump parts.
Unloading the dish washer.
At least one load of laundry.
Taking the baby & dog for a walk.
Dusting the tv so we can watch it without a fine layer of dead skin cells obstructing our view.

Things I actually did this morning:

Slept in with Baby Bear & dog... snuggling in the morning is my absolute favote part of the day. Daddy had to miss out this morning because he had work early.
Made coffee while Baby Bear played with her bouncy seat friends.
Supervised Tummy Time, practiced sitting and rolling, and watched Baby Bear admire herself in the play mat mirror.

Things I am currently doing:

Watching Baby Bear sleep in my arm.
Typing this post one handed.
Continuing researching cloth diapers because they are equal parts thrilling and frightening.
Thanking God that our workplaces are flexible and allow us to work alternate schedules so that once a week, I can spend the morning with Baby Bear and pretend for those few hours that work just doesn't exist.

Soon enough..

2011-03-04T13:49:00.002-05:00

Little Bean is on the verge of laughing and I am just dying to hear it. In the mean time, this kid cracks me up:

Working Mom Stuff

2011-03-02T21:37:00.004-05:00

Little Bean has been going to school (daycare) for a full month and it's pretty safe to say she loves it. She always has a huge smile for her teacher and she loves to watch what the other little girls in her class are doing. It's basically the cutest thing ever.

Today when I got there for pick up, she was in the swing (we don't have one at home, so it's a special "school" thing for her) kind of zoned out. She must have just finished a bottle because the look on her face was just bliss. So I watched her through the class window for a minute while I put on my shoe covers, and then went into the room. I said "Hiiiiii Little Bean" and she looked at me and just broke into the hugest smile. I could have died. It was unreal... just the sweetest smile for her mama.

Which I totally needed, because work is less than cool. The Working Mom bit is tiring, yo.

But such is life.

I actually feel sort of badass about the whole thing. I work 40+ hours a week, take care of my baby, dog, & husband, and keep the house semi-presentable. I feel..... accomplished. Tired, clearly, but at the end of the day.... I really, honestly feel great.

And at 6am when I hear little sounds from the nursery? That is my favorite part of the day because I know when I go in there, I will see all smiles and then I bring her into our bed for 30 minutes of snuggles.

6-6:30am is a huge snugglefest in The Big Bed. It is very hard to get out of bed at 6:30. Very hard, indeed.

I've been meaning to compile a list of stuff that helps me get through the day in one piece... clearly I'm not the expert, seeing as I've been doing this Working Mom gig for only a month now, but here's what's helped me so far:

Medela Pump In Style Tote: It's easy to use, you don't have to take the pump out of the bag (it's attached, which means less to assemble when you're at work and short on time), and you can buy wipes that clean the suction part between uses. That means from set up to clean up, it takes 20 minutes... and you don't need to wash the parts in the kitchen. That makes for zero awkward run-ins with co-workers who really do not want to see you cleaning out your pump stuff...

GlamourMom nursing tanks: I wear these under everything... easy boob access means quicker pumping, which means less awkward "someone's knocking on your office door and can clearly hear the pump and you have to say you're busy and then it's awkward when you talk to them later because they know you had your boob out at work". I'm just saying. I have 5 of these and wear them every single day.... but they are heinously expensive, so I got mine in the Private Sale section and on eBay. Just search for GlamourMom and then click new with tags. They are a little cheaper, and some have free shipping. GlamourMom charges like $7 in shipping.... so I get mine on eBay. And they are awesome. The bra part is for real. I swear. There is enough support for huge bewbs. Trust me.

Initial bracelet: I bought this right around Christmas and haven't taken it off yet. My daughter's name is 4 letters long, so I got her name on mine, but it would be equally adorable (and meaningful) with her initials. It's thin and looks quite delicate, but I'm pretty rough on my jewelry and it's still in perfect shape after being worn for 2 solid months. I love wearing her name on my wrist... it helps me feel closer to her when I'm at work.

Blue painter's tape: This is all you need to label bottles. This is apparently a daycare trade secret that our daycare director shared with us. It seems that the stickers you can buy with your kid's name on them (the waterproof ones that claim to stick through washing) don't hold up at all if you sterilize your bottles (which we do) and they leave sticky crap all over the place. The painter's tape? Comes right off every time. Plus, I need to label our bottles every single day with her name, the date, what it is (milk or formula), and how many ounces. So even if we had the stickers, I'd need to find a way to get the rest of that info on there every day. The painter's tape works perfectly without any sticky residue. Our daycare uses a cup of hot water to heat the bottles, and even after being submerged, the tape is still legible and stuck to the bottle. Don't waste your money with stickers. Just buy a roll of tape at Lowes.

Quick & Easy Dinners: I've gotten into the habit of making dinners ahead when I can and making sure I always have a freezer full of frozen veggies and turkey sausage. That way I can always throw something either right in the oven or put together a quick sausage & veggie dinner. My favorite freeze-ahead recipes are enchiladas, rice ball casserole, mac & cheese, and chili. Those recipes are all WW-friendly AND husband-approved. I always split the recipe into two 8x8 baking pans to make it easy to throw one right into the freezer.

Weight Watchers: At 18 weeks postpartum, I'm just 5 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight.... and I put on 60 lbs during my 38 week pregnancy. It's easy. It works. And you get a crapload of extra points if you're breastfeeding. I heart WW so hard.

And now, a gratuitous pic of my 4 month old baby girl:

Friday Roundup

2011-02-25T09:04:00.001-05:00

Little Bean turns 4 months old tomorrow.

On one hand, it's sort of funny that she's only 4 months old because it feels like she's been here forever. On the other hand, HOW IS MY BABY 4 MONTHS OLD ALREADY?

Quite the conundrum. I'm excited to see how much she weighs at her 4 month appt on Monday... I'm guessing she's at least 15 lbs. The baby/car seat combo is getting pretty heavy. And by pretty heavy I mean holy crap, at least I don't have to go to the gym to get an arm workout.

At 4 months postpartum, I'm down 54 lbs and have just 6 to go to reach my pre-pregnancy weight! I'm feeling pretty good about this. Nope. I'm actually feeling f-ing amazing about this. Yesterday one of my supervisors stopped me in the hallway and told me that I "didn't look like I just gave birth". All I have to say is Thank you, Weight Watchers. And breastfeeding.

I didn't really talk a lot about how I was going to feed Little Bean, mainly because I didn't want to make any huge statements and then have it not work out or something, but nursing came pretty easily to both of us and I am possibly part cow. Or mostly cow. And I think it really helped take off the weight. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!

We're doing our taxes this weekend and it looks like we're going to break even. Thank GOD because the $1K we owed last year kind of sucked. Know what not owing means? Our house fund gets to keep that $1K I thought we were going to owe this year.

And I got a letter in the mail yesterday from the car loan people. Apparently GAP insurance is calculated for the length of the loan and split evenly amoung the payments, and so by paying off our loan 16 months early, we also paid 16 extra months of GAP insurance. And they want to send us a check to reimburse us for that 16 months of GAP insurance that we don't need. Hotness.

And finally, we're going to sign our lease again for at least 15 months. I want to sign it for 2 years but that wasn't an option on the renewal form, so we're going to see about that this weekend. I'd love to lock in a monthly rent payment so I don't have to worry about it going up (um, like it did on this renewal... which we'll also be talking about with them this weekend). And I decided that since we're going to stay put for 2 years, we're going to do some work around the house. Before & after pics to come as we find time to paint and get some new curtains up.

Oh, and in case you were wondering.... the check was misplaced.

Question

2011-02-21T10:36:00.003-05:00

Say you had to miss a wedding, but you sent a card and a gift (which was a check).

And you know it was received.

But, 4 months later, the check hasn't been cashed, nor have you received a thank you card.

What do you do?

Technology

2011-02-17T20:43:00.002-05:00

Little Bean Skyped with her Mimi today. And played with her Daddy's iPhone. She's so advanced for a 16 week old :-)

Actually, I could never really figure out a reason as to why people would need to Skype, but it's the perfect way to stay connected with the grandparents. Don't worry, Grammy, we're going to set up Skype at your house this weekend!

Owned.

2011-02-10T10:10:00.004-05:00

I have a silver one like this.

Last week we paid off our car. 16 months early. And I feel so badass right now.

My dollars

2011-02-09T11:26:00.005-05:00

All of my money goes to:
and

Skinny Hazelnut Latte in the morning and online shopping at Gymboree during lunch. Throw in 2 pumping sessions and a handful of emails/phone calls/meetings and all of a sudden it's time to leave to pick up Little Bean.

But if I had to tell you how much I've spent on coffee and adorable (on sale, I promise) baby clothes for next year, I think we'd both be sick.

A Tip

2011-02-08T09:00:00.004-05:00

Last night when I picked up my Little Bean at daycare, I was talking with one of her teachers and I asked about tummy time and how that was going. Would you even believe that Little Bean's teacher said "Great; she loves looking at the other kids."

What?

At home she screams like I laid her down on a bed of hypodermic needles. Needless to say, tummy time is far and between at my house, which possibly isn't so good for her little head (which I check obsessively to ensure no flatness... ) but I'm not talking about some whining when she's face down. I'm talking about bloody-murder "Holy Crap I hope the neighbors don't call Dyfus to come check on me" type screams.

But apparently hanging out on the floor with her little friends makes it more tolerable. So worth the large check I write out weekly.

So back to my Tip of the Week.

Just because daycare isn't the worst thing ever doesn't mean going back to work is awesome... or even a little bit fun. It's just necessary. But know what makes it a little bit better? A card from my mom in the mail that says lots of really nice stuff about me being a bad ass mom & includes a Starbucks gift card... you know, for the early morning drive to work when you're sort of still asleep. And then a call from my sister on Friday night asking how our first week was, and what did Little Bean do at school (we call daycare school... so what) and how was my week back at work and just some general, old fashioned support to let me know that she was thinking about us.

And then know what showed up at my office yesterday, on my first Monday back at work?

A box of happiness from my sister with a note that said she hoped this would help me get through the day a little easier. And you know what? It did.

I know that we made the decision that was right for us, but having that support system is amazing. And the card, phone call, and box of cookies? All came with the general message of "I know work sucks but maybe this will help it suck less". And I felt loved and supported, even though those 3 ladies live 3 hours away from me.

The take away? If you know someone going back to work after however many amazing weeks of maternity leave they had, send a card to their office letting them know you're thinking about them. Bonus points for gift cards for caffeine :-) And do NOT mention daycare sucking, because really? That is probably how you feel... not the parents. The parents probably found a daycare situation they love and feel 100% comfortable with... so keep your negativity to yourself. But bitching and moaning about work? Totally acceptable. I mean, it's called work for a reason.

1 week down...

2011-02-05T22:19:00.005-05:00

Dude, daycare is so not terrible. We all survived our first week with 2 working parents, and shockingly, I was totally fine.

In the last few days of maternity leave, I didn't feel upset about having to send my sweet girl to daycare... but I figured I'd feel differently on my first day back to work. The night before my first day back, I made two lunches (one for me, and one for Ryan), packed up Baby Girl's bottles (5, just in case), ironed everything (still in love with these), and went to bed.

On Wednesday morning, we woke up super early, got everyone ready and out the door, and truthfully, I didn't even have time to be sad because I had to get my ass to work and desperately needed a coffee.

I checked emails, scheduled meetings, ate lunch, pumped (so weird to do this at work), and all of a sudden it was 3pm... only 2 more hours until I could leave to pick up my baby. The day just flew by - I didn't even have time to be upset... or whatever it is I was "supposed" to be feeling.

All day people stopped by my office to ask how I was "coping" and if "I was ok".

Um, I sent my baby to daycare.... not jail.

Actually, I sent my baby to the best daycare we could find (obviously it was also the most expensive)... we love their set-up and teachers, and feel 100% comfortable leaving our baby there. Duh? Otherwise we would have found another one. It's not like I dropped off my kid on the street corner and said see ya later.

So then I was like maybe there's something wrong with me. Maybe I'm supposed to be sad? About what, though? I mean, I would clearly rather stay home with my kid.... but I'd also rather not eat Ramen noodles every night for dinner and I'd also like to make multiple trips to Disney World. Oh, and I'd like another kid at some point. And college savings accounts for said children. And clothes from Gymboree (baby) and Ann Taylor Loft (me). And I'd really love to go back to our honeymoon resort.

And these things? Not possible on one salary in our chosen career path (& with our student loan payments). Therefore, I am a working mom. Case closed.

But anyway, people would ask me how I was coping, and at first, I was like "Oh, Ryan did drop off and he said she was super smiley and was looking at the other babies. Sounds like she is happy!" And then they were all like "OH wow, you aren't upset or anything?" And I was all like "Uh, I mean, we like our daycare..."

And then they'd say "oh... yeah... that's great". Cue weird "shouldn't you be crying in the fetal position in the corner" look.

Why do I feel like I have to defend my choice in child care?

It's one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't things: Totally fine with daycare? Clearly you don't love your child. Slinking through work with tear tracks down your face and crumpled tissues in your fist? Clearly you need to get a grip and just suck it up. People look at you weird either way. Why?

No, really. Why?

New Adventures

2011-02-01T13:08:00.006-05:00

Today is my last day of maternity leave. It has been an amazing 14 weeks... I mean, I got to hang out with this adorable face all day, every single day:

I am so thankful I had these 14 weeks to spend 100% with my girl. We did lots of snuggling in The Big Bed (yup, morning naps are of the co-sleeping variety), took many trips to Target, and spent lots of time walking around the house... I point stuff out and she laughs.

Tomorrow is my first day back to work and her first day at daycare. I'm not excited to go back to work, but I'm not upset about having to take her to daycare.

I totally thought I'd be more stressed out... you always hear about how hard it is to leave your kid with stangers so you can go to work all day. Obviously I'd rather be home with my girl, no question there. But I like our daycare. I like the director, I like our lead teacher, and I like the room she will be in. And last week we did "practice drop off" (Ryan & I left her there for about 2 hours just to practice) and she was happy when we left and happy when we came back. I could see her looking at the other kids and just taking it all in.... and I immediately felt 100% ok with the situation. I mean, I had to be somewhat ok with it because we can't live the lifestyle we want on just one salary, but I really felt good about our daycare choice and Baby Girl's ability to be happy there.

The whole "working mom" thing... it's a new adventure. And wow, my work days are going to be so much easier to get through knowing I have this to look forward to every day when I leave at 5pm:

In case you couldn't tell, that is a Very Snuggly Baby. And that giraffe? That's Janet, and she is the best. And now you'll have to excuse me.... that Very Snuggly Baby and I have some last day of maternity leave Target shopping to do.

No, Turbo Tax...

2011-01-30T15:32:00.002-05:00

I do not own a home. STOP ASKING ME!!!

Mark Zuckerberg doesn't own a home, and he's loaded. See? Not everyone owns.

Now how about you do up my taxes and get me my maximum refund without asking me at the end of the process "Are you sure you don't own a home?".

I am positive I do not own a home. I am also positive that if my hot water heater/roof/dishwasher explodes, I am not responsible for the fixing/replacing.

Now back to the refund, k? Thx. Luv you.

For my spare time.

2011-01-21T11:14:00.004-05:00

Because as a (soon to be) working mother, I will have so much spare time.

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAAH.

Anyway, I was putting Baby Girl down for her nap in her Pack n Play and I tucked her in with her Nikki Blanket and she just looked so snuggled in (side note: blankets shouldn't go in cribs... she sleeps with a blanket only in her PnP because it's downstairs and I watch her like a hawk).... and then I thought to myself "I wish I could knit".

Twelve and a half weeks ago, Baby Girl spent a few days in the NICU because I had quite a fever during labor that IV meds didn't help and the doctors were worried there was some sort of infection. Both Baby Girl and & I ended up completely fine, but she spent 3 looooong days in there. All of the NICU babies are wrapped up in blankets donated by women in the community, and my baby ended up with this beautiful handmade blanket:

I am so thankful we were able to bring that blanket home. We had such a good experience in the NICU and that blanket was able to keep her warm even when I couldn't be in the NICU with her. Once we got home, "NICU blanket" got shortened to "Nikki blanket", and I carefully wrapped her in it every single night right up to the day she turned 12 weeks old. That night we moved her to her crib and even though she is still swaddled, I didn't want her to accidentally pull it over her face in the night.

So now the Nikki blanket floats around between her Pack n Play for naps, and the rocking chair for snuggles. I can't wait until she can sleep with it again... I think that it is such a beautiful blanket that has so many beautiful memories attached to it.

And if I could figure out how to knit (and find some free time), I would make lots of blankets to donate to our hospital's NICU. I'm adding that to my "some day" To Do list.

50

2011-01-14T11:50:00.003-05:00

WOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!

In the last 11.5 weeks, I have lost exactly 50 lbs. FIFTY!!!

Pre-pregnancy, I was the skinniest I have ever been and now I only have 10 more pounds to go till I hit that number again. Granted, most of the pregnancy weight came off rather quickly because I did have an almost 9 lb child, and I was extra swollen with what I assume was a massive quantity of water weight.... but I started doing Weight Watchers 6 weeks ago and have lost 9.6 lbs following the new Points Plus program.

Yep. So I'm hoping that the last 10 pounds fall off just as easily in the next 6 weeks.

That would mean a 60 lb loss in 17 weeks. That's some Biggest Loser weight loss, right there.

Free Time

2011-01-12T14:33:00.004-05:00

I have zero free time now, but in the weeks before Baby Girl was born, I had a lot of it.... in which free time = time I should be working but cannot because I was Too Excited For Labor & Delivery To Focus On Work.

I spent most of that free time looking up baby stuff on the internets, and during one random afternoon I landed on the most perfect grandparent Christmas gift ever:

The Kodak Pulse digital frame.

It's a regular digital frame on steroids. You know how with a regular digital frame you have to keep uploading new photos to the memory stick? And how that is basically the most annoying thing ever, so you continue to look at outdated photos because you really just can't be bothered? Or, because the frame was given to you as a gift and you don't know how to keep uploading new pics?

Yeah. The Kodak Pulse has wifi, so it connects to your internet.... and has it's own email address... so photos can be wirelessly emailed directly to the frame. Or, you can just upload them to your account (on the Kodak site) and they automatically get sent to the frame. Genius.

Baby Girl's grandparents live 3 hours from us and they are always dying for new pictures (babies grow fast & I am having a slight panic attack re: this fact). This frame makes it soooooooo easy, it's not even right.

Every few days I transfer pictures from my camera to the computer. Then I can upload whichever photos I want directly to the Kodak Pulse website (through my account, which is linked to the frames) and 10 minutes later the photos show up on the frame. And then new pics of Baby Girl's smiling face are right there, waiting to greet you when you get home.... with no need to turn on the computer.

Best grandparent Christmas gift ever. Hands down.

PS - I wasn't paid/asked/told to write this.... I just love the frame that much. But if you work for Kodak and want to send me one for free, I would love one.

Question

2011-01-12T07:53:00.002-05:00

Does anyone know the best way to clean a microsuede couch? Or the best kind of slipcover for said couch?

We've added baby pee to the list of liquids that couch has been assaulted with.....

Obviously.

2011-01-10T12:44:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago I posted about how even though I love to read about other people's kids, I felt a little weird about putting my kid's business out there.

Why? I don't know. And the whole birth story bit? I really do wish I would have written it down somewhere - just not here - because even though the whole day still feels very fresh when I think about it, I am having a hard time remembering the details. And I'm sad about that. The day she was born was absolutely the best day of my life and I would just about kill to relive the whole thing. From the moment we realized that I was indeed in labor, to the hours in the hospital shower, to the epidural I got at 10cm.... the 4 hours of pushing, and even the whole c-section thing. I loved every single minute.

Know why? Because Ryan was there with me. We did it together. I was doing the physical work, but he was doing the emotional work for me. And I really wish I would have written all day down somewhere.

Because now I'm trying to put together my 2010 album (I make a My Publisher album yearly) and I have a whole page reserved for all of the happenings of October 26... and while I do remember every single detail, I just can't put a time on certain things. Too bad I didn't have someone video tape the whole day. Then again, I probably don't want to remember what I looked like - the photos are bad enough. Real time footage of me in labor is probably just gross.

Here's my 11 week old girl with her Pacimal, Janet the Giraffe.

I could just die from the cuteness.

Free Dollars

2011-01-05T18:04:00.003-05:00

I've posted about it before, but wanted to throw it out there again for new folks... I love SwagBucks. Last year I earned $60 in gift cards to Amazon by doing searches using the SwagBucks search engine. I also downloaded the toolbar and have been using that, which pops up $1 every now and then.

Basically, you use SwagBucks as your search engine and it gives you "swagbucks".... which you can then redeem for giftcards. And you earn SwagBucks for every referral :-) So if you want to sign up, it would be soooo hot if you used my referral link: SwagBucks

I have my eye on an e-reader, so I'm saving up my SwagBucks for a hefty Amazon giftcard :-)

1 Month

2011-01-03T10:58:00.002-05:00

till I go back to work, which means it's one month till the Bean starts daycare. I would say I'm really not looking forward to either, but I need my paycheck, and so I'll be going back to work after 14 glorious weeks of maternity leave.

New Years post to come.... the Bean turns 10 weeks old tomorrow, so pictures as well. Today I'm cleaning up the house, doing lots of laundry, and figuring out what I need at the grocery store. Oh, and giving the Bean a ton of kisses.... God, I am so not looking forward to going back to work.

Baby's First Christmas

2010-12-17T11:17:00.005-05:00

Know what is more awesome than getting presents at Christmas?

Picking out presents for your (7 week old and will have no recollection of this) baby and writing "Santa" on the tags in different handwriting so it looks like said presents did not come from you and did indeed come from a fat man who broke into your house in the middle of the night. It is totally awesome and I can't wait to open up presents with her!!!

My favorite gift is the Land's End tote, monogrammed with her initials. Every southern girl needs one, and seeing as I have 3, I figure it's never too early to have one. It'll come in handy when we make weekend trips to see the grandparents and she needs too much stuff for just a diaper bag!

Not her initials, but we did get it in gold.

While I do love the tote (and I love seeing her initials on it), I'm guessing her favorite gift is going to be the activity mat.

We went with the Tiny Love Super Deluxe Gymini because it has extra holes in the arches to add toys. Lots of reviews on other activity mats mentioned how nice it would be to be able to move the hanging toys or add some to change it up, so I found one that had that feature. Yey for research.

And yey for personalized books... I got this one and I'm in love with it. Santa is also bringing some Baby Einstein cd's for the car. I am so excited for Christmas!!!

6 Week Update

2010-12-10T07:55:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken on October 27, when Baby Girl was less than 24 hours old: And here she is just one day shy of 6 weeks on December 6:

She has the most munchable cheeks! It seems like so long ago that we brought her home from the hospital... but I still remember being in the hospital like it was last week. I ended up with a fever twice while pushing, so after the c-section, we both ended up with IVs of antibiotics. Baby Girl had to spend a few days in the NICU to be monitored - that's why she's wearing the split in the first picture; it's an IV - but she was discharged with a clean bill of health on October 29 and spent that night in the room with us before we went home on the 30th.

I was going to try to write down our daily schedule, but it is so different every day. I mean, she'll generally want to eat every 3 hours, and takes naps throughout the day, but we're not on a schedule and every day is different.

While she's sleeping, I get laundry and dishes done.... and I take a shower. Every single day. I feel like I read online that people were having a hard time getting a shower every day... I'm not sure why, because I just wait until she's asleep and then get it - it's not hard, considering she sleeps a lot of the day.

She hates tummy time - hates. She'll lift her head up once and then cry. It's funny because she really does have good neck control - I think she just hates laying on her belly.

The dog keeps trying to sneak in licks, but we keep foiling her plans. I know she desperately wants to lick the baby's head and it's kind of funny to see how sneaky she is. Marley will come and sit next to us all nonchalantly and then slowing lay her head on our lap... and then move just enough to get into prime licking position... and then she'll act like she's just going to sniff the baby's head... and then whoever is holding the baby pulls her out of the way just as the very tip of Marley's tongue comes out. It's comical to watch.

Baby Girl LOVES her baths! We do one every other day and she just loves to lay in the water. She hasn't cried at all in the tub and loves to watch Ryan while he soaps her up. It's so cute and there are many video clips of bath time that I'm sure she'll resent when she's a teenager. Oh well!

6 Weeks Old & WW

2010-12-09T07:45:00.002-05:00

Baby Girl turned 6 weeks old on Tuesday! We went for my 6 week postpartum check up and everything looks ok - I was asked what i'd be doing for birth control, and so I asked what I could take while nursing. My OB ran through a very short list, ending with the mini-pill... which is apparently just 1 hormone instead of 2, and is "a bit less effective". Since I can't afford 2 infants in daycare, we'll skip that one... I mean really? Who is saying "Oh well let's go with that - what's the difference if it's a bit less effective?" Yikes.

Yesterday I decided I should get myself to Weight Watchers so that when I go back to work (in 8 weeks ::oh God::) some of my clothes fit the right way because I am soooo not buying more. I went to the WW Center at noon and the meeting was full of weirdos who wanted to compare the old plan with the new plan. FYI - WW changed the plan and now all the points are different. You can't use the old plan any more, so what do we need to talk about? I can't wait to go back to my WW @ Work meetings.... the people there are so much more normal.

At any rate, Baby Girl was a champ and slept through the meeting. I'm hoping to lose a good 5 lbs before we go home for Christmas, but even then, I'm not sure what will fit. Apparently I threw away all of my bigger jeans when I dropped all that weight last winter (you know, in time to get knocked up and put on 60 lbs) and my closet is full of size 4 jeans that get up my thighs but aren't even close to buttoning. I really only have 15lbs to lose... fingers crossed that my pants eventually fit again!

Baby Books & Stuff

2010-12-03T15:09:00.004-05:00

Here's the thing about baby books... you want to record the memories, and yet you can't without crying.

Or is that just me?

The book is asking me to write down the "biggest surprise" from the first week home with Baby Girl. Can I write that the biggest surprise was how much I actually loved her? I mean, I knew I would love her, but jeeze... or how much more I loved my husband? Because I really did love him before, but that first week home with our girl? I thought my heart was going to explode.

And now there are tears all over my keyboard.

I feel like I should wear goggles when I write in the baby book... to keep the tears away from the paper, ya know?

-------------
Also, she sleeps through the night! At 3 weeks 6 days old, she gifted us with 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep (midnight to 6am) and she's been doing it ever since... sometimes up to 8 hours, but always at least 6. That's "through the night" in my book! (Literally - I wrote that in the baby book.)

-------------
We're getting our Christmas tree this weekend and I am so excited. Know what is awesome about maternity leave (besides the obvious)? Being home to accept packages from UPS and FedEx. This means all of my Christmas shopping is D-O-N-E. And it's only December 3. So great... and I didn't have to step foot in a mall. Well, except on Black Friday, but that's a tradition and I love it. Also? Last year my mom & I went Black Friday shopping at midnight (our mall opens then) and it was a zoo. It was fun but it was an experience, for sure. This year, we ment to go out at midnight but Baby Girl was fussy and we made the decision to go out when we woke up. We left the house at 9 and shopped until about 3pm... and got all of the same deals that the idiots at 1am did. I mean, we weren't out to buy any fancy electronics, but the Gymboree and Bath & Body Works deals we wanted were an all day thing. And now we know we don't have to go at midnight..... yey.

------------
I called our daycare today to set up Baby Girl's first day, which will be February 2. I didn't cry while I was on the phone. I may have cried 5 minutes later. I don't know why - I like our day care, I like the fact that she will learn social skills early, and I know she will be well cared for. It's still sad.... especially since instead of being with her, I'll be at work. I can't think of anything more horrible.

------------
I was adamant about not putting my 8 week old infant in a dress for Christmas. Gymboree is the devil (also known as I have a dress for Christmas Eve and another for Christmas Day and Ilove them). Pictures to come.

31 Days Left

2010-12-01T08:30:00.000-05:00

Way back in January, I posted my goals for 2010. With just 31 days left in 2010, let's take a look at how things panned out. My goals are in red and my progress is in black:

1.Create a newlywed map. I meant to buy a map on eBay but got sidetracked in February... and then it just sort of didn't happen.

2.Plan monthly date nights. Real dates. Every month. This did happen... yey for us.

3.Go grocery shopping once a week, with no extra trips for "one or two things". Huge fail. I love the grocery store. I can't stay away. Also? I never buy enough ice cream on Sunday to last through the week.

4.Menu plan. I already know the first few weeks will be a huge pain in the ass, but it will be worth it. I did this on the blog for a while, and then kind of stopped. I always make a loose plan for the grocery store though, so I'd say this was a success.

5.Aquire one of those 10% WW key chains. This will be a 2011 goal. The 60 lbs I put on during pregnancy need to come off :-) I'm down 40 and have 20 to go!

6.Vacation: North Carolina August 2010. It was awesome.

7.Get rid of the crap in our house. Really pare down all of our "stuff". Take everything else to Goodwill. Success. When we were cleaning out the second bedroom to turn it into a nursery, I was making trips to Goodwill every single weekend. There's probably more we could get rid of, but overall, this was a huge success.

8.Take LOTS of pictures with our Canon Rebel. Complete a 2010 photo book. Done and done. Well, I'm working on the book, so it's not actually done... but it will be.

9.Get rid of our CCCS debt. I want it gone now. DONE. October 8, 2010.

10.Beef up our savings account. We'll be exactly where I want to be come Jan. 1!

So it looks like the only thing that I really didn't do was #1... not too shabby for a year's worth of goals. Oh, and Secret Goal #11? Accomplished.

4 weeks!

2010-11-23T08:03:00.007-05:00

Today Baby Girl is 4 weeks old!

In other news, today Baby Girl is 4 weeks old. Sad face. My scrunchy little newborn is not so much scrunchy and not so much a newborn. Double sad face.

However, she is plumping up and has delicious baby toes and thighs. Also? Dimples. And? She smiles at weird times and oh my God my heart is going to explode.

Two weeks ago, on our anniversary, we did newborn shots with Jenni from Forever Yesterday Photography. We spent an hour at her studio and got a disc full of beautiful shots:

I'd show you more, but I'm sending out birth announcements shortly and then Christmas cards (the post office loves to sell me stamps) and will be using shots on both of those.... and I don't want to ruin the fun since I already bought my $100 worth of stamps. Just know that they are adorable and Jenni is the best. So if you're in the Baltimore/DC metro areas and you need a baby/wedding/whatever photographer, Jenni is your girl. Seriously. She is so fun to work with and her photos are just awesome.

So what's new at 4 weeks? Baby Girl LOVES bath time. Her cord fell off a week ago and so far she's gotten a bath every other day... and she loves being in the water and looking around. No tears at all. Someone (me) is looking forward to Mommy & Me swim lessons in the spring!!!

4 weeks... on one hand, it seems like she has been with us forever... and on the other, I can't believe it's already been 4 weeks. I am already dreading going back to work, and I still have 10 weeks of leave left. I try not to think about it, because it makes me feel puke-ish.

On the upside, I'm 4 weeks out and now down 42lbs. So if you're keeping track, I was 197 on delivery day and am currently clocking in at 155. I feel damn good about this, seeing as I have done NOTHING to lose the weight.... other than deliver an almost 9 lb child and nurse her around the clock, of course.

Blogging with Baby

2010-11-18T09:51:00.003-05:00

It's funny... I love reading about other people's pregnancies and babies, but I feel a little weird posting about my own baby. I'm not sure why... maybe because I'd feel weird if my mom was blogging about me and posting my business all over the internets? Or because when is the appropriate time to stop - when she's in kindergarten? Middle school?

On one hand, I want to post tons of pics and tell you about the cool stuff she's doing. On the other hand, I feel kind of weird about it. And that is weird, because normally I post all kinds of stuff and don't think twice about it.

And I LOVE reading other people's birth stories... but I'm afraid to post mine. In my head, it was the most special 19 hours of my life and I got to share it only with my husband (and my midwife and 2 nurses names Debra and Jill).... and it's like once it's written down for everyone to read... it's out there.

Blogging is a weird thing... where do you draw the line? Do you have a line?

Mom knows best.

2010-11-11T09:13:00.004-05:00

Ryan wants a new couch. He's wanted one for about a year now, but I kept telling him that I wasn't buying a new couch only to have a child puke and poop all over it.

Plus, it doesn't make sense to buy a new couch while we still rent, because I know I am going to want a new couch when we buy a house (in like 7 million years).

I usually try to come to some sort of compromise on things like this, but my BFF has 2 kids that i know for a FACT have peed/puked/pooped all over her couch when they were little, and I just refuse to subject a new couch to that. Also? My dog drools when she sleeps. She sleeps on the couch. Do you see what I'm saying?

This morning I was sitting on the couch, holding my baby girl all swaddled in her blanket, just staring at her little face. Then BAM.... waterfalls of puke everywhere... all over me, her, the couch, and the floor. Score 1 for me and my refusal to buy a new couch.

And now, as I clean the couch and floor with Formula 409, I am thrilled to death that this isn't a new couch. And that it wasn't poop... though I suspect there is plenty of time for that to occur.

Weight

2010-11-10T09:24:00.001-05:00

Per my shocking announcement, yesterday Baby Girl turned two weeks old and she is growing like a weed! She was 8lbs, 13oz at birth and 8lbs 3oz when we were discharged on Day 5. Yesterday she clocked in at 9lbs even... she looooves eating, which is good because I love snuggling and nursing means lots of uninterrupted snuggle time every day.

She's gaining weight, which is awesome, and I'm losing... which is also awesome.

My last belly shot was on Friday, October 22 at 38 weeks:

I can't believe there was an 8lb, 13 oz baby in there just 2 weeks ago. It's mind boggling, really. In my 38th week, the scale was tipping alarmingly close to the 200 pound mark... I think at exactly 38 weeks I was 194lbs on my home scale. When I woke up on October 26 and realized I was in labor, I really wish I would have had the mind to ask Ryan to take one last belly shot... sadly, I was a bit more focused on the fact that I was in labor and so there are only some very unflattering photos of me actually in labor at the hospital.

But I did have the mind to step on the doctor's scale one last time on my way out of the midwife's office before we headed to the hospital.... my final, all-time high pregnancy weight?

197 pounds. Yikes. I do remember telling Ryan I was sorry I didn't hit 200, because I did semi-want to see that on the digital scale. At any rate, I put on a total of 60 pounds with this pregnancy.

As of today, at exactly 2 weeks postpartum, I'm down to 162. Whoooo hoooo... 35 lbs down in 2 weeks. Not too shabby! The photo evidence:

Don't mind the soap streaks on the mirror... I now wash my hands 50x a day and sometimes my thorough washing splatters all over.

So I'm 35 down and still have 25 lbs to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. My plan is to eat when I'm hungry, make sure I'm drinking enough water, and just make sure I'm not mindlessly snacking just because I can...... until my 6 week checkup. Once I get the ok to start exercising, it's time for Weight Watchers (for nursing mothers!)... because clearly I'd rather restrict my calorie intake than go for a run :-)

Edited To Add: I got on the scale this morning and it said 159.... whoooo hooooo!! 38 down and 22 to go!

Shocking Announcement.

2010-11-09T11:00:00.003-05:00

Someone here is 2 weeks old and I cannot believe it.

That is all.

It's almost time..

2010-11-08T14:53:00.008-05:00

We did newborn photos on Sunday and should have the disc by the end of the week... then I can finally order birth announcements! And once those are in the mail...

I can start thinking about Christmas cards!!!!

Who doesn't love getting photos of happy, smiling faces in their mail? And photo cards are way more fun to display... we use a french bulletin board to hang the cards we get and it's like a wall of warm wishes. Yey for Christmas.

I have been perusing Shutterfly's new 2010 holiday cards and here are a few of my top pics:

Simply Joy

Berry Merry

Frosty Friends

They have a ton of Christmas photo cards, Christmas invitations, and holiday gift tags.... it's basically a one stop shop for all your holiday photo needs :-) I probably won't order mine until the last second so I can use the most recent photos of Baby Girl possible... that just means lots of time to decide on our cards! I loooove the ones with big spaces for photos, but I'm undecided on one big pic or a few smaller ones. Hmmmmm...

Oh, and! Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly.... http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Stuff I Love

2010-11-08T09:53:00.004-05:00

The birth story is coming, I promise. For now, a list of stuff me and the Bean (ie my 13 day old daughter who is growing up much too fast) love... because I always appreciated reading these lists while I was pregnant.

Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets - but here's the thing... don't buy the Target ones, even though they are basically the same thing for way cheaper. The "real" ones are HUGE and are so good for swaddling, especially with flailing newborn arms and legs. The trick is to buy them on Amazon, where they are the full size ones for $10 cheaper (with free shipping) and use your SwagBucks. I scored a set of 4 full size blankets for $16 shipped thanks to Amazon/SwagBucks. Plus, these blankets are so soft once you wash them and they honestly do keep getting softer with each washing.

Medela Nippleshield - The lactation consultant at the hospital set me up with these because of engorgement issues (you have never seen a huge boob until your milk comes in... trust me). These were basically a lifesaver and meant I didn't have to supplement with formula while I waited for the Bean to have something to latch on to. Engorgement is no joke, people. No joke, and it hurts.

Kimono-style Bathrobe - I got mine on sale at Kohl's for $15, but it looks similar to this one. You will want one of these for the hospital... and then you will live in it while at home. The 3/4 sleeves are so clutch... it was perfect for while I was in the hospital for 5 days getting a new IV bag every 8 hours (long sleeves wouldn't have worked) and now that we're home, I love it because the shorter sleeves don't get in the Bean's face. The waffle knit is nice and light and the short length is perfect for just keeping covered up. I wear mine every single day over a nursing tank and lounge pants.

Gilligan & O'Malley Nursing Tanks - I have 2 in size large and 2 in size XL, and I wear them every single day. The larges fit about a week and a half before I delivered, and then my boobs got huge, thus necessitating the XLs. I think after my supply regulates, the larges should fit again. Right now, I can wear them, but the inner sling part sticks out because of the huge boobness. I wear them to bed and save the better-fitting XLs for during the day. I wear them under the bathrobe every single day. They are so comfortable... loooooooove these. They do the trick, and so while I am lusting after a GlamourMom tank, these $17 tanks fit the bill.

Old Navy Henley Top - On the occasion I have to leave the house (dr appt, etc), I throw this on over my nursing tank. The button placket is long enough that when I fully unsnap everything, I have plenty of room to pull the shirt to the side and feed the Bean. This way I don't have to actually remove my top to nurse, which is just less awkward for everyone. And by everyone, I just mean me, since I'm not into the nursing in public thing. I just can't get into it.

Other than these things, we're also loving our Pack n Play's newborn napper for daytime naps, the Canon Powershot SD1300 for snapping quick pics of our baby girl & the Flip Video for capturing her cute face in motion, and the Boppy for feedings. I realize none of this is earthshattering news, but who doesn't love a good Baby Stuff List??

Our Story

2010-11-07T14:33:00.007-05:00

Once upon a time, in 2004, two college friends went on a trip.

He asked her if she wanted to go for drinks. She said yes.

They sat at an outdoor cafe and drank Coronas and talked for hours.

Those Coronas in 2004 led to an apartment in Indiana in 2005,
a cross country move to Maryland in 2006, and a diamond ring in 2007.

The diamond ring in 2007 led to one of the best nights of their lives in 2008.

In 6 years together, we have shared three apartments in two different states.
We opened a joint bank account, adopted a dog, and jointly purchased a car... all before even being engaged. We planned a wedding, dug ourselves out of credit card debt,
and spent 9 months waiting....

And then late, late, late on October 26, we got to
meet the daughter we'd been dreaming of.

It's been 12 days since this little girl stole our hearts and
I can't imagine a better way to spend
our second anniversary
than holding my husband's hand and staring at this little face.

One Week Ago.

2010-11-02T13:43:00.003-04:00

One week ago today, I woke up at 4am and realized that my water had broken.

One week ago today, I spent 15 hours in labor and another 4 hours pushing.... and then got wheeled into the OR because someone's little head was actually not so little.

One week ago today, I fell more in love with my husband than I ever knew was possible.

One week ago today, I heard "It's a girl" at 11:54pm and a good hearty scream a minute or so later, and finally laid eyes on my daughter shortly after midnight.

One week ago today, our world was forever changed by a perfect little 8lb, 13oz angel-face princess..... and every day with her is better than the last.

Is it time yet?

2010-10-24T15:01:00.001-04:00

Our bags are packed, our freezer is stocked, and there are some very antsy people in this house...

So my 24 hour pee came back normal, and at Friday's appointment I was told I was "still closed, but mushy". But my blood pressure was borderline high (130/90), even after she took it a few times, so I'm going in for a non-stress test tomorrow morning at 9:30am.

Baby, don't you want to come out and play???????

I know I still have 12 days until my due date (actually, tomorrow is my original due, based on my LMP - they pushed it to November based on the ultasounds), and I wouldn't even be thinking about delivering early if all of my appointments were the usual "get in, pee, get measured, see you next week" type... but all of the modified bedrest and extra appointments have me hoping she comes a bit early.

I mean, yes, I can do some work from home and luckily I was able to do that last week for the two days I spent on modified bedrest... but I'd much rather be at work waiting for this little girl than wait at home by myself and burn my maternity leave (which is actually just all of the sick and annual leave I've saved up over the past 4 years at work for this specific purpose)!

I am sooooo looking forward to 14 weeks at home with this munchkin. Maybe the 14 weeks will start this week?

Stocked Freezer - For Real

2010-10-23T13:05:00.003-04:00

I think at some point like 2 weeks ago I wrote a similar post about what I had in my freezer, but I'm doing it again anyway... mainly so I can keep inventory of what I have.

As of today, I'm looking at 10 actual "ready to go" dinners, plus the makings of 10 more. Yey for me.

Ready to go dinners:

enchiladas
baked ziti
stuffed peppers
perogies (just need 1 pepper and 1 onion)
ravioli with vodka sauce (jar of sauce is on hold in the cabinet)
meatballs & sauce (just need 2 sub rolls and some provolone to make meatball parm)
meatballs & sauce (have a box of spaghetti on hold in the cabinet)\
burrito mix , modified to add corn & Rotel (just need tortillas, have salsa & sour cream in the fridge)
chicken nuggets & fries - will be enough for 2 meals... I had coupons that made this a really cheap dinner idea :-)

Also have:

3 packets of cooked shredded chicken (1 cup portions)
2 packets of raw ground turkey (1/2 lb each)
3 packets of raw chicken breasts (2 breasts per bag)
2 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls (because I am in love with this site)
Tortellini & Alfredo Sauce, and a bag of frozen broccoli. This is a really quick dinner - boil the tortellini, heat the sauce, make the broccoli in the microwave. Then chop up the broccoli and add it to the sauce... toss over tortellini. Yum.

This month's shopping bills have been a killer, since normally I look at what we have before we go and try to craft meals based on what we already have plus what I have coupons for or what's on sale. These past 2 weeks worth of groceries have been almost double what we normally spend, but I've kind of been making doubles of everything and stocking up on stuff that I normally wouldn't - like Listerine, body wash, pancake mix... plus all of the meat. I bought more meat than I normally would have this week.

I'm hoping that by stocking up on stuff now, I'll only have to do really quick "10 items or less" trips when Baby Girl is really little, seeing as it's flu season and I have no desire to do grocery shopping with an infant. I just wish my freezer was bigger....

Off to make a few batches of pumpkin and chocolate toffee cookies. I learned a hot trick on Good Eats (I am secretly in love with Alton Brown) - make the dough and lay out the cookies on the baking pan... and then instead of putting them in the oven, put the tray in the freezer. Once the cookie dough is frozen, bag it up in a freezer safe bag and store (in the freezer) until you want to bake them. Then bake as normal! Which means you can bake 4 cookies (for yourself at 3 in the afternoon) or 2 dozen (to take to a party.... of for yourself at 3 in the afternoon). How genius is that?

Cookies

2010-10-21T21:06:00.002-04:00

Last night we were in the mood for dessert but didn't have anything because we might have eaten a half gallon of ice cream in two days. To be fair, it was Turkey Hill's Chocolate Pretzel Ice Cream and it was delicious. It's vanilla ice cream with a fudge swirl and bits of sourdough pretzels. Holy crap it is good.

Anyway, we had nothing sweet in the house, but I've been stocking up on baking stuff so I figured I probably had enough random stuff to make some cookies of some sort. I happened to have a bag of toffee bits (purchased by mistake when I was making these) and ended up finding this recipe, which I modified to use what I had on hand. They were kind of messy right out of the oven, but once they totally cooled down.... chocolate toffee awesomeness. Here's the recipe with my modifications:

Ingredients
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla extract
0.5 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp salt
2 cups toffee bits

To Do

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat butter and sugar together.
Add egg and vanilla and blend!
In a different bowl, blend together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
Stir dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
Mix in toffee.
On an ungreased baking sheet (no really, it has to be ungreased otherwise the cookies stick... trust me, and do not use parchment paper to line the baking sheet), drop dough balls about 2 inches apart. These cookies spread.
Bake 10-12 minutes. The cookies will puff a bit and then crack along the tops.
Let cool for about a minute and then transfer to a baking sheet. Let them cool completely... they should be a bit chewy inside and crispy outside. Awesome with milk.

Post-Delivery Thrills

2010-10-21T09:05:00.000-04:00

OBVIOUSLY meeting my girl is going to be the best part of not being pregnant any more. That said, there are a number of things I'm really looking forward to...

Like wearing my wedding rings:

And eating lunchmeat, especially of the cured, salted, Italian variety:

And a nice glass of white wine:

Other things topping my list? Being able to roll over in bed without maximum effort, snuggle with my husband on the couch without falling off (& hugs with full body contact), and having a selection of more than 4 shirts to wear. Oh, and? Being able to pick up my dog's crap without feeling like I'm going to tip over.

I know there are some pregnant ladies who read this nonsense blog... what are you looking forward to doing post-delivery?

The Orange Jug

2010-10-20T08:42:00.004-04:00

There's a jug of pee in my fridge. It's next to the gallon of milk and bottle of cran-pomagranate juice. I am thoroughly grossed out by this, and it only has about 6 oz of pee in it. I assume 24 hours worth of pee is just disgusting in and of it self.... but sitting next to my milk?

Worst.

You may be wondering why there is an orange jug of pee in my fridge? Well, I'm kind of wondering that, too...

Yesterday I had my weekly doctor's appointment and when I got there, my blood pressure was... high. They didn't even tell me what it was, just to lay down on my left side (on the table with the stirups - uncomfortable, much?) and they'd be back to take it again. The second time they took it, it was 150 over 98.... and they found protien in my pee. It was like a huge PRE-ECLAMPSIA sign was flashing above my head and the midwife sent me directly over to the hospital for further testing.

Further testing was going to involve some bloodwork, more peeing, and more blood pressure readings, so I called Ryan to give him the update and even though he immediately said he'd leave work to meet me there, I told him not to worry about it because they were just doing some tests and I didn't want him to waste his vacation days sitting around at the hospital for a few hours... I'd rather he saved them for something cool, like the birth of our child.

And that, my friends, is how I ended up in labor & delivery ALONE. I honestly don't know what I was thinking about where they'd put me for this testing... but they took me to LABOR ROOM 8. As in the same room where PEOPLE GIVE BIRTH.

And then they told me to get naked, put on a hospital gown, and get into the bed. So I did. They strapped me up to the fetal heart moniter and then contraction moniter.... holy crap, it was like I was there for delivery. Except I was alone. WTF? It was soooooo weird.

At any rate, my blood pressure was out of control - 170/100 - so they did a bunch of bloodwork and I watched "Say Yes to the Dress" for 2 hours. The end result? Everything came back fine - my blood, my pee... even my blood pressure dropped to 120/77. Two solid hours of looking at rich girls try on expensive (and gaudy) wedding dresses apparently has a calming effect, and I was thrilled that Ryan didn't leave work.... it would have been a waste of a sick day.

Of course, now everyone is baffled as to how my pee could have protien in it at 11:30am and not at 1pm.... so now I'm on modified bedrest and collecting 24 hours worth of pee to be tested. I collect the pee all day today and tonight, and then take it to the lab tomorrow morning... and I find out what the next steps are when I go for my follow up on Friday.

Maybe we'll meet this baby soon?

20 Dollars for free

2010-10-18T17:21:00.003-04:00

RueLaLa just sent me an offer that I wanted to pass along because who doesn't want $20...

Apparently all you need to do to claim the $20 credit with RueLaLa is join via an invitation by October 25!

So if you want to claim your $20 credit, leave me a comment below with your email address and I'll send you an invitation. Looks like you just need to sign up by the 25th, and then use the credit by December 31, 2010.

Happy Shopping!

Edible Arrangements Special

2010-10-18T13:35:00.002-04:00

I loooooove Edible Arrangements but I am too cheap to buy them... really I wish one would just show up at my house every week. They have a special going on this week that I may partake in:
$10 for a dozen pieces of chocolate dipped fruit. Yummmmmmmm. The only catch is that you have to pick it up, but who cares. That way you don't have to wait for delivery (or pay delivery charges)!

Dinner this Week

2010-10-16T14:11:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to make meals that I can split into dinner now and dinner later (yey for frozen meals)... I don't have a huge stockpile going but so far I have baked ziti, 2 servings of meatballs and sauce, and 3 servings of shredded chicken (for super lazy nights - it can go over rice, veggies, pasta, etc).

This week's menu is pretty simple but I'll get 2 more freezer meals with zero effort:

Tonight: Burgers with sauteed onions & mushrooms
Sunday: Enchiladas (will freeze half for post-delivery)
Monday: Chicken & Bean Stuffed Peppers (will freeze half for post-delivery)
Tuesday: Soup & grilled cheese
Wednesday: crock pot baked potatoes - these are a staple at our house
Thursday: Pasta w/ garlic & broccoli
Friday: Rice & Beans, modified recipe to add corn, tomatoes, and chilies

Onward to the grocery store!

Best Nursery Art Ever

2010-10-13T15:36:00.000-04:00

Look at that little foot print!

More little fingers and little toes....

How adorable are those prints??? I have no idea how I stumbled across this website, but I am sort of in love with Baby Print Art. They have a bunch of different options for prints using your baby's hands and feet, but I love the simplicity of the single hand and foot (the color pattern in the print below is call Pink Lemonade - so cute!!!):

You can pick the size and number of hands/feet and whether or not you want text or a picture... I'm thinking this would look absolutely adorable in Baby Girl's nursery. Come on, Baby.... join the party out here!

Baking Projects

2010-10-12T20:27:00.002-04:00

I'm on a mission to make pumpkin everything this week. Tonight I made these cookies for Ryan to take to a work thing... let's just say he's lucky there were enough to actually take to work. They are delicious. The kind of delicious that only pumpkin, sugar, and cinnamon can create. Oh, and butterscotch chips. OMG.

And then on Thursday we're having breakfast for dinner and I'm making these pancakes with pumpkin butter. And know what would be delicious for breakfast this weekend? Bagels and pumpkin cream cheese.

I'm sure I don't even need to mention my addiction to these items. Decaf, obviously. For now...

10 10 10

2010-10-10T20:56:00.002-04:00

When my midwife told me she bet I wouldn't make it to my due date (someone is cooking up nice and plump, apparently), I really thought I'd have a 10.10.10 baby. But it's currently 9am and no signs of any contractions.... no baby today!

We were super productive though... dog got a bath, both cars got washed and vacuumed, car seat bases were installed in both cars, BOB stroller was folded up and stored in Ryan's car, and we did grocery shopping for the week plus some freezer meals.

Obviously I have heinously swollen ankles to show for it, but we're finally ready for Baby Girl to get here. Spending the rest of the evening watching HBO with my feet up :-)

I heart Chowder

2010-10-08T08:22:00.001-04:00

Specifically corn chowder. I made some on Tuesday that was pretty great, so I figured I'd be nice and share the recipe :-)

I used this as the base and modified it a bit.

Corn Chowder Ingredients
12 slices of bacon (I used turkey), chopped
1/2 an onion, chopped
2 cups of diced potato (about 3 medium size white potatoes)
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of Half-and-Half (I used fat free)
2 cans creamed corn
1 can sweet corn
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder to taste

To Do

Chop up the bacon and brown it in the bottom of the stock pot you're going to make the soup in (no need to dirty extra pots, plus the drippings add a nice flavor). Once it's pretty crispy, add the chopped onion and brown that as well.
Add the diced potato and chicken broth. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Add all of the corn and Half-and-Half. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder.
Simmer for 45 minutes or until it's as thick as you want it. I like mine thick, so I let it simmer for the full 45. You can just heat it through if you like yours a bit thinner.
Top with some shredded sharp chedder, or even some extra crispy bacon bits (if you saved any, I did not).

It should serve 8, but realistically, probably 4-6 hearty portions. I'm going to freeze my leftovers and see how that turns out. Oh man, I love fall weather and chowder and sweatshirts and blankets. Yey for cooler weather!!!!

For Movie Lovers

2010-10-07T13:43:00.003-04:00

Today's Groupon for Boise is 4 movie tickets for $20.... that's $5 a ticket.... for any show - not just the 9am ones!!!

It's through MovieWatchers.com, and you get 4 codes to use at either Fandango.com or MovieTickets.com and the codes are valid for movies up to $14 per ticket, including IMAX.

I am sooooo happy I saw this because Ryan wants to see the Facebook movie, but I have a really hard time paying $12 a ticket - date night at the movies ends up being $45! Yey for Groupon.... click here to get in on the $5 movie tickets.

PS - This is an internet deal, so you don't need to live in Boise to get in on it. I don't.

Freezer

2010-10-07T08:58:00.002-04:00

I'm going to try to make/freeze as many meals as possible, strictly so I don't have to think too much about dinner and a baby little enough to have her age counted in weeks. Clearly I'd rather just think about the baby.

This week I made a huge pot of sauce and 3 batches of meatballs. We had meatballs and pasta on Tuesday night and I was able to freeze 2 dinners worth for post-delivery. Other than that, I haven't really done much freezer cooking.

I'm thinking about making these enchiladas and a batch or two of baked ziti. I came across this recipe collection and might try out a chili or noodle recipe or two. Oh, and these chicken pot pies... they look like a lot of work but I love a good chicken pot pie.

Anyone have a favorite go-to recipe that freezes nicely? Please share!

EDIT: Today I made a big batch of shredded chicken breasts and portioned it out to 3 bags of just over 1 cup of shredded chicken each. I can use shredded chicken in pretty much anything, so there's another 3 dinners! The shredded chicken is really easy to make - toss chicken breasts into a large pot, add a quartered onion and some garlic cloves, cover with water (I do about 2 inches), and simmer over medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked through, let it cool just enough to be able to hand shred it. I had a pack of 4 thick breasts that made three 10 oz portions to freeze. I can use the chicken over chili, rice, or even season it and just throw it over pasta. Yum.

Packing

2010-10-06T08:03:00.000-04:00

It's totally time to pack the hospital bags.

We were instructed to pack two bags - one for labor and one for recovery. Makes sense cause I don't want Ryan digging around in my clothes bag to find a tennis ball or chapstick. But I really have no idea what I need to pack.

Here's what I have so far for my recovery bag:

2 nursing tank tops
1 pair loose yoga capris
1 pair loose lounge pants (full length)
1 thermal shirt from Old Navy
1 bath robe
Nursing pads
HUGE maxi pads with wings (though I really just want the diaper kind you get at the hospital)
Toiletries (deodorant, shower stuff, new toothbrush, etc)
Lanisoh

What else do I need? Did anyone really just wear the hospital gown the whole time? Should I get one of these? Heeeeeeeeelp meeeee.

And in my labor/delivery bag? Um... tennis ball, camera, and Flip Video? What else do I need? Experienced moms - what did you bring?

35 Week Update

2010-10-05T09:37:00.003-04:00

Hi, Baby Girl! Here's my 35 week belly:

I can't believe it's that big. I also can't believe we officially have 4 weeks and 3 days to go.... but I really think we're looking at an early delivery. I can just feel it.

In other news, I'm on bed rest for today and tomorrow. I had some pretty bad ankle swelling over the weekend (grapefruit size ankles = so not attractive) and my mom made me call the midwife emergency line. My midwife wanted me to go in yesterday, and she was also fairly concerned about the swelling (and the heinous weight gain and high blood pressure reading I had at the office) and sent me for a blood workup and full urinalysis.... and then said to lay on the couch with my feet up all day Tuesday and Wednesday. Yikes. I go back on Wednesday morning for the test results and to see what the game plan is for the next few weeks.

A few short weeks ago, I felt like we had nothing done and I was so.worried she'd be here early. But as of last night, the nursery is all set, clothes are washed, the car seat is put together (still needs to go in the car and get inspected though)... I can't help but giggle every time I think that she could be here in the next few weeks. Of course I don't want her to come before she's ready.... but I really, really can't wait to see her beautiful little face.

35/35

2010-10-01T16:28:00.002-04:00

Yep. 35 weeks down, 35 days to go. The hardest thing I've done during this pregnancy? Put sneakers on my fat swollen feet. I've worn flip flops pretty much this whole time and with my blown out ankles/feet, I haven't bothered to see if my real shoes even fit. Tonight we have a special event at work, though, and sneakers are really in my best interest. Putting them on just now completely sucked... and I can't even tie the laces right because the little nubs I'm left with after loosening up everything aren't long enough to make a proper bow.

I really need to get to work at this point, but I'll post pictures of my HUGE belly and MONSTER SIZE ankles this weekend.

Only 35 days to go till my due date... less if you figure the first due date they gave me was October 25....

Sugar and Spice

2010-09-30T07:47:00.001-04:00

The walls may be green, but the nursery screams girl.

More to come once everything from my awesome shower is put away!

Pump

2010-09-29T07:36:00.005-04:00

Breast pump, that is.

Right now Babies R Us is doing a promo where if you buy any Medela Pump in Style Advanced pump (I got this one), you get Medela parts wipes, nipple cream, sterilizer bags, and nursing bra pads for free. It's $34 worth of stuff you have to buy anyway, so why not get it for free? I was able to use a 20% off coupon and got everything for $218.... my receipt showed a badass savings of $91.

And no matter what any BRU store employee tells you on the phone, this offer is valid both in the store and online. I got mine all in store and got some new 20% off coupons. Yey. Now the trick is going to be finding storage space for this until I actually need it....

Baby Shower!

2010-09-26T21:27:00.005-04:00

My sister threw me a baby shower 2 weekends ago and I finally downloaded all of the pictures! She put together an adorable pink owl themed party... look at these sweet dectorations:

The favors were chocolate safety pins, owls, and other baby shapes all wrapped up and tied with a little tag:

The centerpieces were rolled up diapers bound together with polka dot ribbon and a felt owl:

And of course, an "It's a girl" banner!

We got TONS of gifts - almost everything we need, plus more, for our Baby Girl!

It was so fun to see everyone and open up gifts knowing that she'll be here in a few short weeks, and my sister did an awesome job putting everything together! The day flew by so quickly, but thankfully everyone sent me a ton of pictures for my photo album. I can't believe we need all of this stuff to take care of a little tiny baby!

We were able to get almost everything put together/put away that weekend, and now I'm working on getting all of the clothes washed and put away. The little 0-3 month onesies are the cutest things ever. Only 5 weeks to go!

Birth Class #1

2010-09-16T08:03:00.004-04:00

Apparently it's an expectation that when you go to birth class, you are an adult who isn't going to snort and giggle through the entire first part (and some of the second part) of your birth class.

Major FAIL for us. Whoops.

So we get to the medical pavilion at 7pm for our 2.5 hour class (only 4 more weeks to go!) and I am vaguely stressed. We brought our 2 pillows and blanket and giggled about how the instructor was going to be super crunchy and the class was going to be like every single cliched birthing class you have ever seen in any movie or Teen Special. We get into the class to find 9 other couples, similar in age to us, sitting in a semi-circle.

Here's the thing - I didn't come here to share. I came to get the information, make sure my husband has some idea of what's about to happen (in holy shit like 6.5 weeks), and get out. I did not come to share, and semi-circle seating screams "we're SHARING!!!"

OBVIOUSLY the first thing we do is get into groups, introduce ourselves, our baby, and where we work (why?), and then we have to pick a couple to introduce to the crowd. Fine. The couple we introduced was having a boy, and upon hearing ours was a baby girl, the mom promptly looks at her husband and says "BUT THATS WHAT I WANTED!!".

OOOOOK.

So we get the introductions out of the way. The next thing we have to share: Why are we here?

Here, where? Like in this room? Or in this class? You really want to know why I signed up for birthing class?

Because I am PREGNANT and that is WHAT YOU DO.

So the first couple breaks the ice and the mom basically says "I'm here because it's my first and I think you're just supposed to do this". The husband says "To get knowledge".

Geek.

Then it's our turn. I say "Because you're supposed to" and my wonderful husband says "Because she told me to". It's true. I did tell him he had to. Apparently he broke the ice for the guys though, because every single one of them that came next said "Because she told me to". Except for the one idiot who said "Because she'd KILL me if I didn't come". Note: he was also tapping away on his Blackberry during this conversation. I assume the car ride home was not fun for them.

So finally we are done sharing. We have only been in class for 30 minutes. Another 2 hours to go.

Next we are asked if we know what a uterus is. I would say that if you made it to birthing class, you probably know the various parts of your body. I cannot look at Ryan, because I know if I do, I will laugh because this class is exactly like the movies, except that we're in it. So we discuss the uterus and cervix and placenta.

And then she says "Does anyone know what kegels are?"

Everyone looks at the ground.

She then goes on to explain, in graphic detail, what they are. She has us all get to the edge of our chairs, feet spread apart, and she says, "OK, men, the first thing you need to do is relax the area between your scrotum and anus".

And then I absolutely died laughing. I snorted, covered my face, and giggled like the hugest a-hole. Thankfully I broke the ice on that, because a few of the guys started laughing as well. They got yelled at by their wives.... my husband and I continued to giggle together. In a semi-circle so everyone could see.

It was bad.

It was so bad that by the time she was explaining how to hold your muscles in similar fashion to an elevator (?) I had to leave the room because I couldn't stop laughing.

I am fairly certain I am not mature enough to be someones mother. I am also fairly certain that if this shit continues next week, I'm going to be asked to leave.

The rest of the class was fairly benign: we watched a movie that semi made me cry (baby is dreaming now?? AWWWWWWWW), did some stretching exercises, and then timed fake contractions.

Post-class we went out for ice cream (me) and wings (him), watched the Yankees game (they were ahead... and then they lost), and marveled at the fact that a baby will be here in a matter of weeks. And this is where I'll be the sap that says yes, the birth class was stupid... but we giggled through it together and then went out for dessert (where we giggled more). I'd say it was an evening well spent.

Cell Phone Pics

2010-09-09T08:51:00.000-04:00

After taking the foot picture last week, I was looking through my phone pics and realized I had a ton on there. These are some of my favorites.

Marley, snuggling with her toy.

Our neighbor used to park her car in front of her townhouse... to sleep in... because she said there were radioactive waves coming through her house and they shook her bed all night. She was crazy.... like, for real.

The best hot dog I ever had was at US Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. Tell me that's not the most delicious thing you ever saw.

In my next life I'm going to be a pastry chef.

This is the world's tiniest bra, found in the children's section at Kohl's. I have no idea what 8 year old has a need for a padded bra. For size comparison, I leaned the little bra up against a 4x6 picture frame. Note that it's just barely bigger. Why, Kohl's?

Only one more work day to get through this week.... hahahahahahahaa who am I kidding - I'm at work all weekend for staff training. Hot.

Flashback

2010-09-08T08:28:00.000-04:00

I wrote this post just over a year ago. I can't believe our dreams are coming true... just over 8 weeks to go until we meet our baby girl.

Salad and a Photo

2010-09-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

Something about the crisp fall air got me in the mood for a good, hearty salad.

Here's my new favorite concoction:

A bag of mixed baby greens
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
1/2 a bag of Craisins
1/2 red onion, chopped
a block of Gruyere cheese to shred over top

Toss everything with balsamic vinegarette and eat 3x in one week. It's amazing. The Gruyere cheese adds a nice sharp contrast to the Craisins and apples, so if you can't find a block of that, I'd suggest something like Swiss.

And just for kicks, here's my 31 week gut from this past Friday:

Yes, that is what I wore to work last week. Ryan and I were both at work late numerous days and no one did laundry... and since I only have 2 pairs of pants that fit and both went in the dirty laundry, I had to resort to a pair of yoga pants that couldn't even be dressed up with a nicer shirt - there was no denying they were just workout clothes. So I went with the workout theme and wore a maternity tank and a fleece zip up... thank God I don't work for Corporate America. I would be in huge trouble if I needed to dress up every day.

And here's a naked belly, cause I cannot believe how much belly skin actually stretches:

Also, is it Friday yet?

My Publisher Code

2010-09-06T14:38:00.002-04:00

I've raved about My Publisher in the past because it's fun and easy to make beautiful photo albums using their software. So fun and easy, in fact, that I plan to make annual albums.

I decided to do a combo first year of marriage/2009 album, which held photos and stories from November 2008 through December 2009. I finished it up during the Snowpocolypse but never ordered the book because it ended up to be $75 plus shipping and My Publisher usually has good coupon codes and sales, so I figured I'd just wait for a discount to show up to order.

So yes, I ordered my 2009 album today....

If you use My Publisher, here's a code for 40% off: MYSTERYC

I ended up getting my book (60+ pages of awesomeness) and shipping for $55! Much better than the $84 it would have been without the code. The code is good through September 9, so hurry up!

Naked

2010-09-05T18:17:00.003-04:00

It's true. I've been walking around naked for the past few days:

I can't even get on my plain wedding band any more. And so I've been walking around with a naked left ring finger, which I haven't done since 2007. It's weird and now needs to be rectified because apparently it makes other people uncomfortable and, in turn, makes me feel uncomfortable.

See, yesterday I went to Target to tool around and see what was on sale. My Target has a Starbucks inside and I usually get a decaf mocha light frappachino to sip on while spending all my dollars. Yesterday, though, I had my first (decaf) pumpkin spice latte of the season and it was glorious.

Except for all of the judging.

As I walked up and down the aisles in Target, holding my decaf latte in my naked left hand, I watched people look at my huge gut and then my naked hand, and then my coffee... and I could see their thought bubbles: Look at this fat, unwed, caffeine-fiend.

Ryan says I'm making this up, but I can assure you - I was judged. In Target. It was a shame. I thought I could just suck it up for the next 8.5 weeks without a wedding band, but I can't. Clearly a wedding band doesn't make me more or less married, but I love my wedding bands and I miss wearing them. That's where this little guy comes in:

This'll be my stand-in from now 'till my rings fit again, which probably won't be until after Baby Girl is here... only 8.5 weeks to go!!

This is terrible.

2010-09-02T10:27:00.000-04:00

My super cool job sometimes leads to 12 hour work days. Know what 30.5 week pregnant ankles and toes look like after 12 hours at work?

This:

FYI - that is so not normal. I actually have ankles, though you'd never know it judging from this picture. Also, I can't bend down to take off the purple polish, much less touch it up, so forgive me on that. Oh, and my toes look kind of white because I like to put baby powder in my flat shoes to keep my feet from sweating.

9 more weeks.... 9 more weeks.... 9 more weeks.....

PS - My ankles looked normal this morning when I woke up, thanks to my midwife's advice of hydrating (I did spend all night peeing though) and laying on my left side. I also slept with my feet elevated on a pillow. Thank God the swelling went down, because otherwise they wanted to see me in the office to test for pre-eclampsia, something I am trying to avoid at all costs (even though I know you can't really avoid it at all).