Surf's Up

Well this weekend was one for the record books.  P graduated from college after four years of balancing school, work, high-maintenance wife (Hi!! ::waves::), and recently the Peanut.  He is a superhero in our household of women and we couldn’t have been prouder.  The whole fam joined in on the festivities and celebrated P’s matriculation (hehe, that’s such a great word) with a trip to the beach.  Since this was Peanut’s very first time seeing the ocean we took a gazillion pictures…naturally.  The blue you see in the background is our pop up beach tent.  Best money ever spent.  We were at the beach for four hours, and it was a hot hot day.  No sweat.  (pun totally intended)  We just popped that sucker up and Peanut and I enjoyed the view from the shaded shelter.  It is also convenient for breastfeeding if you don’t want to get arrested for indecent exposure in a public place.  Just zip the walls up and bam, insta privacy.  There was only one incident involving massive amounts of poo on everything (read: Peanut’s back, Peanut’s swimsuit, my shorts, my HANDS…ew) but she saved it for the very end when we were packing up.

I do not have any pictures of me in a bathing suit due to the fact that I still have 8 pounds to lose, I still have that stinking linea nigra down the middle of my stomach, and I don’t have a one piece.  I have tried to find one that fits, but I have a freakishly long torso so all of the cute strapless ones fall below the boob line.  Why not a tankini you ask?  Because a tankini is so close to a bikini I might as well wait it out until I’m back to normal (as much as you can be after being a human incubator) so I can wear my old suits.  Oh, and what’s the update on the 30 Day Shred you ask?  It really is awesome and does what it says.  Why have I only lost 2 pounds and not 10?  I haven’t been consistent.  And I can’t really do the cardio sections due to sensitive downstairs neighbors (a topic for a different post…they called the cops on us Friday night…for real).  But I’m going to keep truckin’ and hope to get these last few pounds off soon. 

The babe is doing awesome.  She likes to stand now on those wonderful chubby legs.  And if you put her on her back she tries to sit straight up.  It kinda looks like she’s doing crunches.  I think she wants to skip rolling over and crawling all together and just wants to be able to sit up and walk.  Big girl.  Her personality is getting more and more obvious.  She is so happy all the time and LOVES to laugh.  This weekend the make-baby-laugh award went to her little cousins.  They wrestled and she thought it was the most hilarious thing IN THE WORLD.  Nana is still watching her during the week while I tough it out at the job.  I’m learning to just make the time I have with her count.  But who can blame me for wanting to spend 24/7 with this face??    

Once Upon A Time (Exactly One Year Ago)

this happened...

which turned into this...

which turned into this...

which turned into this...

and this...

and they lived happily ever after!

The End!

Meltdown Free

We’re chugging along through week 4 of working motherhood and I think we’re getting the hang of it. My sweet girl has decided to sleep through the night…well, mostly. She likes to wake up at 2:30 with a fuss so I’ll go in and check on her. Usually she just wants to smile and chat, but if I roll her back on her side she’s instantly unconscious. I can successfully navigate through the apartment with my eyes closed so the total wake time for the interruption is approximately 30 seconds. NBD. Good sleep = minimal meltdowns for Mommy. And a meltdown free Mommy = a happy (and relieved) Daddy.

P is closing in on his last week of school EVER. I’m beyond ecstatic. Whenever I announce this little tid bit of information (because I tell EVERYONE…I’m a proud wife and, let’s face it, I’m pretty stoked to be a double income family) they always say “well it’s not his last time in school EVER if he decides to go get his masters, PhD, etc.”. Ha. Haha. Hahahahahahahaha. (Do you detect a small hint of sarcasm with a dash of hysteria?) Now I am all for higher education. I sometimes wish I had a couple more degrees under my belt. And we are definitely forcing encouraging Peanut to attend my alma mater when the time comes. But right now? NO MORE SCHOOL! We have been married almost 4 years now, and P has been in school the entire time. I am ready for the payback on our investment. And you can only imagine how P feels about it. Take my excitement and multiply it by a gazillion. He is ready and willing to take on the manly bread-winner role. And I am thrilled to let him! Now if we could just figure out how I can get paid the big bucks to stay at home and snuggle my baby…


Speaking of my baby – she is such a big girl!! Her eye hand coordination is so good (and yes, probably better than mine…I’m definitely not an athlete)! She reaches up to grab me when I’m making faces at her on the changing table. She can shriek with delight now, and it’s pretty much the best sound heard ‘round the world. She knows when you’re going in for a kiss and does the typical baby wide-open-mouth kiss right back. She’s my little daily miracle and she makes me smile the big smiles that make my cheeks hurt.

Introducing Chatty Cathy

So, I'm thinking she's going to be a quiet little girl...right??

Dear Little Peanut,

You are THREE MONTHS OLD!!  You are such a big girl now!  You are less and less an infant and more and more your own little person.  We have had a roller coaster of a month.  Things are quite different from our lazy days together while I was on maternity leave.  But, when I get home from work you always give me a big smile and as many kisses as I want, and that makes Mommy feel better every time.  I'm trying to cherish every minute of you at this stage, which is hard when you grow so fast!  Daddy and I love you so much and hope you know that we will always be here for you.

Facts about YOU:

- You are in size 1-2 diapers.  I have a feeling the next time we buy a box you'll be in 2s.

- You can still fit in your 0-3 onesies, but 3 months fit a bit better.  You can fit into some of your 3-6 stuff too, depending on what brand it is.

- You still spit up, and now you drool like crazy.  There is a white spot on your bottom gum that looks very much like a tooth wanting to break through.

- You still talk a LOT.  Every time I come home to feed you at lunch you have to take small breaks to "chat" at me.  I like to think you're telling me about your day.

- You can roll from your back to your side, but not all the way over yet.  You prefer to sleep on your side with your thumb in your mouth.

- You love books and Daddy reads to you every night before bed.

- Your Nana watches you during the day and you LOVE her.  She's always making you giggle.

- You don't like to nap right now.  I'm not sure what changed, but I'm hoping you start to like it again soon.

- Your play mat is still your favorite toy.  You could spend hours laughing at all the animals.

- Everything you grab now goes straight to your mouth.  And you grab everything you can get your little hands on.  Especially Mommy's hair.

- You can see really far now.  When we walk across the room you follow us with your eyes.

Love you Peanut!  xoxo  

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well."  Psalm 139:14

There are Only 24 Hours in a Day

This is a realization I have had a hard time coming to. Remember my schedule last week? The one where I accomplish EVERYTHING on my to-do list after a full day of work? That would totally work out if I had about 5 more hours in my day. However I do not. So I made sacrifices. First off the list? Working out. Now I know that sounds like a really important one, but not as important as feeding baby, playing with baby, eating dinner (which in the past I would have given up, but now my body has to have fuel to make baby food), and sleeping. (Ha! Who am I kidding? I don't sleep any more!) BUT, on the flip side, if I let these extra 11 pounds hang around too long I will spiral into a deep loathing for my body and that's not healthy for my daughter to see either. (Did you see that? 11 pounds. Would seem like a lot if not for the 49 I had to lose in the past 3 months - please refer to the picture taken right before we headed off to the hospital...I WAS HUGE)

My solution? The 30 Day Shred. And it is EXACTLY what I need. A workout that includes weights, cardio, and ab work packaged in a neat little 20 minutes. Even I can find 20 minutes in my day to get sweatin. Now is it like running 5 miles? No. But I actually need the toning due to the post pregnancy deflated balloon effect. And I can do it at home, so I don't have to rely on P to babysit. And I can do it at night. (I have strict rules about running at night alone. No woman should EVER do it.) So May 7th will be 30 days. We'll see if I can lose those last 11 pounds. And if I do? I might just work on 10 more. That would put me at my happy weight. Which just so happens to be wedding day weight. Hmmm, why is that always the benchmark?

So wish me luck! I might make it to bathing suit season without succumbing to the "mom" suit...you know the kind. Wide strapped one piece in a dark color with a skirt...aaaahhhh!!! My colorful bikinis are crying out in protest. Don't worry Peanut, we'll both be rockin cute suits if Jillian Michaels has anything to say about it!

I Have Been Blessed

with a WONDERFUL family. Easter Sunday was even more special this year with our little peanut addition. God is good. And Peanut is spoiled. No candy this year due to my dairy allergy and her lack of teeth. Just adorable outfits. And...wait for it...baby bathing suits!!!! (you know how I feel about baby sized bathing suits)

Look at that angel face.

Pure bliss. Please disregard the fact that it was noon exactly when this picture was taken so the shadows are horrible and we all have the squinty eyes.