Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 in review

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
A whole heck of a lot....but the main thing...had a baby

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I can't really remember my resolution if I did make one.  However, I am assuming that if I did since I was all consumed at this point with my new pregnancy, it would probably have something to do with have a happy healthy baby.  So in that regard yes.  But my long standing resolution (which is of course the same one for this year is to be more organized) and that one I failed COMPLETELY!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Me! and my friends Diana, Sara, and Jennifer

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My great Uncle died this year, but I wasn't close with him

5. What places did you visit?
No where.  I'm a homebody.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
I would like to have a better grip on things.  I hate the feeling like you are slipping backwards....I only want to go forwards, even if it means starting some things over...just in a different direction.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 24 - Leigha is born!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting to 9 cm dilated by myself.  I got to the hospital at 7 cm dilated, but they checked me after I got the epidural and I was at 9, so I'm counting it as 9.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Being a good friend since Leigha was born.  I still haven't really figured out how to put my friends on the front line and manage being a mom at the same time.  Also, I haven't been as good at keeping it all together as I had hoped.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
If you consider the INSANE rash that I got after having Leigha, then yes, but in general, no.

11. What was the best thing you bought? I haven't really bought anything really, except for some clothes for Leigha and a few for myself.


12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I have 2 that go in this category.  Richard.  He was much better than I expected when I was delivering Leigha and that just blew my mind.  Also my mom.  I expected her to be way overbearing this year with having her first grand baby and all, but she has been awesome...she has been my rock and my go to person for advice.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Again, I have 2.  Richard.  I had expectations and dreams and they haven't turned out as I wanted and I am REALLY struggling with this.  Myself.  I wish that I wasn't so moody and that I was able to hold it together more.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills and baby stuff.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Leigha.  How could I not?  She is a good baby all in all.  And I don't know how I couldn't not be really excited about my first.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
I'm so horrible with music and titles and singers.  Its really sad.  Although pretty much everyone has listed a song by Adele and the only one that I can think of now because of that is 'rollin in the deep'  At least I think that's what it was called. 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?Today, sadder...Overall, definitely happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner!  Whooo for remodeling the kitchen...its easy to loose when you don't have a kitchen to cook in LOL  I am currently 20 pounds under pre-pregnancy weight, and I hope to keep going.  I know how good it feels to loose that weight now...and it makes me want to keep going.
c) richer or poorer?Moneywise, poorer (such is life with a baby and getting laid off work)....lifewise Richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Spend more time with friends and then in the later half, I wish I had taken more naps with Leigha after she was born...I think it would have kept me more sane.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
worrying, and freaking out.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
With our families.  I can't wait till next year when we are hosting!


21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Oh yes, I did... with Leigha, and even more with Richard when I see her with him sometimes when he is playing with her.


22. What was your favorite TV program?
I like Up All Night and Whitney.  And of course my old favs, Big Bang Theory and Rules of Engagement.

23. What was the best book you read?
I haven't read any books this past year sadly :(

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Adele I believe.  I really like her music. 

26. What did you want and get?
A healthy baby.

27. What did you want and not get?
An easy baby.  I thought that they existed, but somehow I am beginning to doubt that. 

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I got Horrible Bosses for Christmas and that was pretty good.  So was Friends with Benefits, and Just go with It and I also got the Help and I can't wait to watch it. I am sure its a good one too. 

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
My birthday was kind of a blur this year.  I had a 2 week old and I seriously don't remember what went on. Kinda sad for my 30th huh?

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More sleep, more money, more work. 

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Comfy frumpy.  Jeans and an old Tshirt for the majority of my pregnancy, and then after it was lots and lots of yoga pants and sports bras and sweatshirts.

32. What kept you sane?
I'm not!  I really feel like I am loosing it sometimes.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I have discovered the train wreck that is the Kardashian family. They are so beautiful and I am sure that it is all for TV, but they are just so hilarious, I can't help but watch.  And I WANT Kim's hair and Khloe's personality and Kourtney's money sense! LOL

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Giant FAIL on following political issues.  I HATE POLITICS  I think ALL politicians should take a VERY long walk off a short peer and that the government should just start all over with a new way of thinking.

35. Who did you miss?
My grandparents.  My grandma is still alive, but all the others aren't and I really wish that the were because I know they would adore Leigha.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Leigha..HANDS DOWN!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
I don't think that I did learn a life lesson. 

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I said earlier that I'm bad with music and such, and I'm not lying.  The one that seriously keeps popping in my head is the part of the Adele song 'I could have had it all' but somehow that doesn't really seem appropriate in the grand theme of my life this year.   

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Finally!!! A Richard story!

So if you have ever read my husband's blog, you already know that he likes to post some funny stories about me and my pregnancy and Leigha (some funny and some not so funny to me). And if you haven't read his blog, you need to because it really is hilarious. http://itwasfun.wordpress.com/ He started his blog when we found out we were pregnant (although he switched to Wordpress in the middle of the pregnancy and copied and pasted his past enteries, so if you want to read his from the beginning, you would need to go back to April 2011's entries.

Anyways, because I FINALLY have some good dirt on him, I just HAD to post a good one about him.

Leigha has been teething something fierce lately.  Poor thing is drooling constantly and chewing on ANYTHING she can get in her mouth.  Anyway, last night she was fussy as usual so I handed her off to Richard (nice right? ;) LOL) and went to get the Oragel.  I put some on her gums which quieted her a little.

If you don't have kids and have never been around this stuff it smells like cherries. Well Richard caught a wiff of it and asked me to put some on his gums too so that he could see what would happen and what it would taste like.  So I did of course.

At first he said it tasted pretty good, but he couldn't tell a difference.  He said that it felt like there was toothpaste stuck to his gums that couldn't come off and that it had kinda a gritty feel to it.  I laughed and gathered Leigha up to give her a bath. 

As I was stripping her down Richard comes in the bathroom he looks at me and tells me that he was just drooling a little in the living room and that he couldn't feel his top gums or his tongue (which he licked his gums with) at all.  He was making such funny faces while licking his gums and rubbing them and pulling on his lip.  I started laughing at him uncontrollably.  He said that his top lip felt like it was fat and swollen because it was so numb.  I was rolling on the floor so much that I couldn't hardly give Leigha her bath.

This went on probably for about 15-30 minutes with him describing to me what he was feeling and how he was surprised that it was able to numb his mouth that much since its made for infants.  Then finally he told me that he was getting back to normal, although still felt a little odd, but he could see how Leigha would calm down almost instantly when I would rub it on her gums.

OK, now that I have written all this down, it didn't seem nearly as funny as it did last night, but oh well, maybe someone will have a smile about it at my husband's expense!  :D

MERRY CHRISTMAS if I don't post before then!!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Make it and love it give away

Do you like DIY blogs as much as I do?  One of my fav's is Make it an Love it.  

Right now she is doing a give away for $100 gift certificate to cooking.com. You should check it out and enter if you haven't already because who couldn't love an extra $100 during the holidays to use for Christmas shopping, or for themselves ;)

make it and Love it giveaway

Make it and Love it giveaway
Also as a bonus she gives an awesome recipe for turkey cutlets (which I have used on regular chicken and it is AWESOME!)

Make it and Love it giveaway
Go check it out...now!   ;)
Make it and Love it giveaway

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Four month letter

My dearest Leigha.

So much has happened in this last month.  You have started doing SO. MANY. THINGS now, and in just a short time frame of just a couple of weeks!!!

You are now 15 pounds and 26 inches long.  In the 4 short months that you have been in our lives, you have doubled your birth weight and grown 5 inches!  You are growing like a weed!!!  You are still 75% in weight, but you are now 95% for height.

Doc says that you are definitely teething that he can feel that your gums have gotten much harder and they should be working their way out.  Its only a matter of time, the days of the gummy sweet smiles are numbered.

Last month, you wouldn't roll over, you had just found your hands, but you didn't really seem to interested in them.  You just laid there and didn't do much of anything really.

Now in the past month, you constantly have your hands in your mouth.  You love to suck on your thumb and first and second fingers.  You have them in your mouth so much they are in a constant state of red wrinkly-ness from being wet all the time.  You have begun to talk to me when we are in the car, and speaking of cars, you used to fall asleep in them, any time we went ANYWHERE, and not just long trips, but you used to fall asleep even when we went just to Walmart.

Also in the last month you have found your tongue and your lips.  If you don't have your hands in your mouth you are playing with your tongue, or sucking on your bottom lip, which of course makes you look like the sweetest little cabbage patch doll...someday I am going to catch it on video (you will love that when you are older).

You can now roll from back to front and back again both from either side.  You will do it pretty much any time I put you on the ground.  When you are on your stomach, I also notice that you can hold your head up at a 90 degree angle now and you are really really trying to get your feet to move.  You are constantly trying to kick them to get you to scoot across your play mat. 

You have also started to grab at your toys quite frequently.  You are now never just content to sit and have things near you.  If I am eating or drinking or reading or changing the channel on the TV, you will always grab my hand to try to get what I am holding, into your mouth.

You think that 'horsey rides' are the best thing in the world, the one where the lady, gentleman, and cowboy goes for rides in the morning and the bouncing gets progressively faster.  All I have to do is put you on my knees and sing the song and you break out into the biggest grin which only gets bigger if I actually bounce my legs. 

We have moved you into your own bed at night.  It was really really hard on me at first.  I didn't want to let you go, so we made a bed up on the floor of pillows and blankets and I slept in there for the first few nights.  I didn't want you to be scared because you are never in that room at night with the lights off, and I wanted to show you that when you cried I would still be right there to get you even if I wasn't very close.  It took me several days to finally get up the nerve to leave you in your room all night by yourself.  But it took even longer to clean up the bed.  I still slept in there every once in a while just because I like being close to you.  Its so nice to just cuddle up with you, or go to sleep knowing that I just have to sit up and look in your crib and I can see your cute little self all comfy in your bed.  But now the palate is picked up, even if it is just folded up and stacked at the foot of your bed.

You are now consistently waking up at 3:30 wanting to be fed, and lately after that time you haven't wanted to go back to sleep.  I told your doctor that at your 4 month checkup and he said that we need to start prolonging the amount of time that it takes me to go get you and cutting back on the night feedings because you need to start sleeping through the night.  I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this.  Sure this is one of my worst times of the night because I am so tired, but I like it being us.  I may be wrong, but I think that when you are ready to cut out the night feeding, you will let us know.

We are also starting to really be able to tell that you are very ticklish.  You are ticklish on your feet, stomach, neck, and underarms...the usual spots.  You smile and shriek whenever I tickle you there.  You really like to be upside down as well and will throw yourself backwards to look at things upside down, so of course this allows me to tickle your tummy, or zerbert it.  Come to think of it, I'm not sure if you like looking at things upside down, or if you like me tickling your stomach LOL.

You are becoming such a little person, its crazy.  You can really see your personality come out.  You like to be around people (which you get from your Daddy), but at times you like to be by yourself (which you get from me.)  You are in general a very serious baby, but you like to have fun.

I hate that you are growing so fast sweetheart, please slow down and let me enjoy your cuddly littleness just for a while longer.

We love you Beautiful!!!
Mommy




Thursday, November 17, 2011

Randoms and a couple of vents

  • I ended up sending Leigha an email.  Its not a sappy one.  I just told her that I loved her and told her about the blog and sent her the link and told her what it was about.  I'll probably send more.
  • I am pretty sure that she is teething, but being a first time mom, I have ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE what I am looking for.  I know she drools a lot, constantly chews on her hands, feet, toys, me, and the sides of her pacifier. Oh yeah, and she is REALLY grumpy.  I ask what I need to look for and people tell me that she would have a little fever, (which sometimes she feels warm and has a tiny 1 degree temp, not sure if that is from her fussing or not) and that her gums would be swollen (I have no idea what swollen is), and that I would feel the teeth, (I can't, but they have to come from somewhere right?)
  • Today has been the day from hell.  For some strange reason I didn't sleep last night.  I was super tired, but I couldn't shut my mind off I guess.  She woke up once which is fine, but then woke up at the butt crack of dawn at 6:30 and was up for good so in total I got 4 hours of sleep.  I even tried to bring her back to bed and get her to sleep with me but didn't have any luck.  She then pooped, peed, or spit-up on every single outfit that I put her in.  We went through 6 outfits today and 2 changes of jammies tonight.  She pooped in her bouncer. She wouldn't nap except on me.  She peed in my bed.  She rolled over from back to stomach several times, but refused to go back the other way which led to lots and lots of screaming.  I REALLY hope that this is a one time deal because I don't know how many of these kinds of days that I can take. 
  • I started my period back last month, and I think its getting ready to be that time of the month.  I guess there is one good thing that being sleep deprived causes....PMS!  I have been nursing her like crazy trying as hard as I can to increase my supply, so I'm hoping that it stays away this month.  I really don't feel like dealing with it.  
  •  I've been incredibly frustrated lately.  I'm frustrated that there are times that I can't figure her out.  I'm frustrated that she is still not sleeping through the night.  I'm frustrated that I try to tell Richard what is going on with her and that he NEVER listens to me.  I'm frustrated that I feel like I'm doing this all by myself with no help.  I'm frustrated that Richard seems upset and frustrated, I'm sure because of work, probably because of me too.  I'm frustrated that this whole parenting thing isn't going how I thought that it would.  In short, I'm just a joy to be around at the moment LOL.  (PMS at its finest)  I feel bad that I just called my husband out on my blog, but I tell him the same things in person anyway.  He really is a good dad, I just wish he would listen to me.
  •  I feel like I need a vacation LOL.  I'm only 4 months into this and I already feel that way...how in the world am I going to handle the next 18 + years.  EEK!!
  • My little brother is getting married....still really weird to say that.   But he may elope.  Not sure how I feel about that.   I think that it would be awesome to do that because how cool are destination wedding pics! and part of me wishes he would stay and get married her because it would be hard to afford for us to go (yeah, thats selfish but I don't care, I only have one brother)
  • I am a pinterest addict.  I can't help it.  I wish that I could say that I do some of the things that I pin, but I don't...YET!  I have a huge board of things that I want to sew, and I am going to widdle that one down once I get my machine tomorrow.  And I am planning a pinterest dinner once our kitchen gets back to normal. 
  • I love love LOVE my kitchen.  Its tore all to pieces, there are no doors on the cabinets, and half the cabinets are down and getting reinforced by Richard and we have no counters, but I LOVE IT!  Its going to be so pretty when it gets finished.  
  • Its midnight and Leigha has been asleep for 2 hours now and I'm just now getting sleepy.  This is going to be a fun day tomorrow at my makeover appointment. LOL
GOODNIGHT ALL!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Emails

So you know that commercial that they had on a while back.  It ran most of the time towards the end of my pregnancy where this dad sets up and starts emailing his daughter details about their life starting when she is a baby, and he sends her videos and pictures and things like that?  Well, Richard has been doing this.  He has set Leigha up an email account and has been sending her emails.  When he told me a couple of months ago I fell in love with that man all over again.  (Yes, granted he probably got the idea from the commercial, but who cares, he's doing it! LOL)  Anyway, I begged him for the email address so that I could send her emails too.  I didn't want her to have several email addresses already set up that she would have to check, I would rather her have just one email address to have all these special letters from her parents. 

Anyways, I haven't sent her any emails yet.  I know that I want to, but I have no idea what I want to say to her.  And partially I'm scared that Richard will read them, and I don't want him to.  So I asked him to give me the password (he refuses adamantly!)  He won't give it because he doesn't want me to read her letters from him.  Makes sense...afterall isn't that the whole reason I haven't sent her anything yet? LOL.

I'm torn.  I still don't know if I want to send her emails, I'm afraid she will think that they are stupid and corny, and even though I'm sure at multiple times in her life she will think I'm stupid and corny, I don't want it to happen too soon. 

Maybe I will at least start one, and then I can decide if I want to send it later....I mean after all, I will tell her about this blog so she can read all about how she came to get here....Yeah, I think that's what I'll do.

(Yes, I know I"m weird and that I overthink things, but hey, that's part of my charm...right? ;)  LOL)

***And honey, if you are reading this, can I please get the password to the account?  Just think of it this way, if something were to happen (GOD FORBID!) I want to be able to tell her the account is there so she can read your letters. 

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Quick update

Leigha is in her room asleep and while she is in there she will get about 30-45 minutes total of sleep before she wakes up.  She has been in there about 15 minutes already so I only have 15-30 minutes left to type this. (Oh I hope this gets better LOL) 

We have moved the beautiful one to her own room.  I decided that with her being 13 pounds and rapidly gaining more, I would rather not break her bassinet since we are just borrowing it from some friends of my parent's.  So we started on Sunday night.  The first night she slept on the floor with me.  The second night she slept half in her crib, and at about 5am came onto the floor with me.   (I made a "bed" with pillows and blankets) The next night she slept entirely in her bed while I was on the floor. and last night I tried sleeping in my own bed using the monitor, but it didn't end up so well, she woke up every 2 hours and since I am not feeling so well I slept in there from about 2 am on.  (Is that enough nights from Sunday to today?  I can't think straight.  It probably isn't but it probably was some variation with her on the floor and in the crib.)

I wasn't planning on putting her in her crib till Christmas, so this has been incredibly hard on me.  I'm totally not ready for this stage in her life.  I know that its for the best, but still doesn't make it any easier on me at all.  I have spent the last couple nights crying to sleep.

Well its been about 30 minutes in her crib and right on time she is waking up....Time to get her.  I will try to post more later.  So much has happened that I need to update on.

Till later!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

3 month letter

My darling little beautiful one,

3 months has come and gone SO FAST.  I never knew time could move so quickly.  But I have loved every minute of it.  I love waking up to see your face, which starts out as crying until I pick you up, then you are all smiles and cuddles for about 5 minutes before you remember that you are hungry.

You have started smiling a LOT more.  Last month you pretty much smiled only in the morning and at night.  Now you smile a lot more during the day, and you have started smiling at more people and not just your Daddy and I.  However, you still pretty much refuse to smile for the camera if you know its there.  I can catch you sometimes if I hold it far enough back and zoom in because you still can't see that far away, and forget shooting a video, you just stare with this blank look on your face most of the time.


This past month my Grandma (your Hun-hun) was in town.  You loved her.  You felt so content with her you fell asleep in her arms most every time she held you, and towards the end of her visit, she was even able to have a 'conversation' with you because you were talking so much.  She loved it.  I know it was very hard for her to leave you and go back home to California, but she will be back in the spring hopefully so you will get to see her again.

You do like to talk alot to me and your dad, and when we make the same noises back at you you think its the greatest thing ever!  You smile so big.  You also have recently started trying to stuff your hand in your mouth, which makes for some very interesting sounds when you try to talk or cry even.
You are even trying to roll over. Kinda.  You like to roll on your side and sometimes you are perfectly content to stay there but other times you really try to get all the way over.  I have tried to put you on your stomach several times to see if you will roll over that way, and you have done it once, but I think it was more of an accident because I haven't been able to get you to do it since.  But that's OK, all in good time sweetheart, you will get there.  And if I'm being honest here, I don't want you to do it too quickly because that just means you are getting so big.

Speaking of big, I had to take you to the doctor last week because you had some weird skin things going on on your back and chest and legs.  They had me weigh you and you now weigh 13 pounds 2 oz.  You have grown a whole pound and a half since our last visit a month ago...A POUND AND A HALF IN A MONTH!  I can feel it too.  I can no longer pick you straight up out of your bassinet, now I have to tilt you to a sitting or kneeling position in order to pick you up that way.  But that's what I get for having such a tall bed huh ;)

But at the doctor they told me that you have eczema, and that's what is wrong with your skin.  But we have all kinds of creams and lotions and it is getting a smidge better so far.  Your doctor has also put me on a special diet.  I am no longer allowed to have dairy, nuts, eggs, or seafood.  The seafood part is pretty easy because I don't like fish (although I won't ever tell you that till you're older because I want you to like it) and I can do without shrimp.  The dairy, eggs and nuts though are a whole other ball game.  I LOVE those things.  Its hard, but I will do ANYTHING to help you get better because I know that your skin makes you uncomfortable...I am sorry for that sweetie.  I wish you didn't have to go through that.

This has been a really fun month so far.  I can really tell that you are getting so much bigger.  You are still throwing us for a loop with sleeping though.  Sometimes you do it, and sometimes you don't.  You still take the small cat naps during the day, only about 30-45 minutes at a time and you take several throughout the day.  Sometimes this is nice as it occasionally will help you sleep for a longer stretch at night because you are so tired by the end of the day, and other times its frustrating because I no sooner put you down then you are back awake again, so its hard to get things done around the house like cleaning.  Although I have to admit, I would rather you do that and me have to entertain you all the time than clean.  Hopefully you don't inherit the same hatred of cleaning that I have.  I hope you are a neat freak and teach me to be one.

You still do this little curling into a ball when you are waking up and we pick you up.  I am trying to find someone to capture it on video because I want to have that on record because its not something that you do every time, and I know soon you will stop.

I know that there is a LOT more stuff that you have started doing my sweetheart, and that I need to start typing this letter out as the month progresses, but as I said before your napping times leave me very little time to get much done around here.   But hopefully things will get better.

I love you my sweetheart, you are the light of my life and I love you with all my heart.

Mommy

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

I'm still here!

I am, I promise.  Just lately we have been struggling with emotional issues, breastfeeding issues, my grandma was in town, work has been crazy, my mom got sick, the remodeling of the kitchen is in full swing, and basically life has gotten in the way of blogging LOL. 

I have been working on her 3 month letter and just an update in general, but its a slow process.  Leigha will usually only sleep in my arms, and I think she is getting her days and nights mixed up again.

I am trying a new nap technique of making the room as dark as possible and letting her nap in her room, so hopefully that will go well and I will be able to post a little more in the next few weeks.  I really promise this time too.  I have found that blogging is a good for me!


Saturday, October 15, 2011

Almost mobile

After doing the Day in the Life post, and sending it to Navigating the Mothership for it to be attached to her round up, I have gotten a TON of hits on my blog (77 hits as I am typing this...that's huge for me considering I would maybe only get one a week if I was lucky).  Hopefully some of you have stuck around.  (Hi there new friends!)  I'll try not to stay completely all baby on you, but since she is my world at the moment, its pretty much all I know, and lets face it...without her, my life is INSANELY BORING!!  LOL.

In the last couple of weeks, Leigha has mastered rolling on her side.  I can put her on her back and she will roll her little bitty self over to lay on her side.  She likes that position MUCH better.  She does it when she is on the floor and I am playing with her.  She likes it when she is laying in our bed.  She likes it when she is on the changing table (and I have become a pro at diapering her while she is laying on her side) and she likes it while she is sleeping.  I know that the doctor says to put her on her back to sleep...and I do, I swear...but some time in the middle of the night she squirms her way to her side, even though she is in a sleep positioner.

At first she only rolled to her right, now in the past few days she has started rolling to her left, but she still really favors rolling on her right side.  Its cute.  She will just lay there chilling and if she can see people, she will talk to them too.

In the last week or so, she has been trying to roll over now too.  But from her back to front.  She can't do it, and it makes her so mad.  She can get her butt over and her head all the way around, but she just can't figure out what to do with her bottom arm (whichever side it may be, mostly her right of course).  She will figure it out eventually.

Well the other day she was in a good mood so I decided to put her on her stomach to see what happens.  She normally screams and cries right away whenever I do this therefore doesn't get much tummy tiny, so I figure today would be no different.  Well this little beautiful one surprised me by not only not screaming right away, but being able to really push up on her chest, AND almost roll over on her back.  I think that she will be rolling over from front to back in no time if I can just time it right so that she will be in a good mood when she does.

Its kinda bittersweet because she's getting so much bigger.  I don't want her to, but yet I do.  I want her to stay my little bitty baby forever, but I want her to get bigger to see what she will become.

I really don't know how I will do with all these milestones that are coming up....rolling over sitting up, talking, walking, running...just growing up.  Oh me, I'm such a sap! LOL

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Warning

So I was re-reading Richard's blog tonight, and I got to the "Warning" post that I had said that I was going to link to, and I realized that I never did it.  Its such an awesome post, I just have to share it.   And don't worry, just because the post is titled Warning, doesn't mean that there are bad pics, or graphic language or something you need to be concerned about reading or seeing.  Its actually VERY cute, and funny.  You'll like it....I PROMISE!!!

Warning

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Day in the life.....Wednesday, 10/5/2011

12:04 am.  I am woken up by a little miss who is just dying to eat.  This has completely thrown off my routine as she normally does not wake up at this time, but she fell asleep at about 8pm the night before after downing a bottle, so I guess she is due.  I feed her and she falls right back to sleep,  as do I after snuggling deeper under my covers.

4:00 am.  OK, this is more normal.  She is wanting to eat again.  This is usually when she want to eat in the morning, so I am used to this.  However, for this feeding, I can smell something brewing in her britches, so unfortunately I have to change her, which means she is going to wake up, which means I have at least a 2 hour ordeal ahead of me to change her, feed her and get her back to sleep.  


5:45 am.  Richard just left for work, the beautiful one is laying next to me WIDE AWAKE, I decide that in order for me to even remotely think about falling back to sleep she has to go back in her bed.  I think that I fell asleep before her, but who cares, we both fall asleep for a while.

8:30 am.  Time to get up for good.  I feed her again, get up, let the dogs out, put her in her swing, check facebook, pinterest, email, google reader, and let the dogs back in.  Leigha is still awake just swinging, and this time she is starting to whimper so I go change her and get her dressed.  She has to wear something cute because we are having pictures taken today.  I put her in her swing, take a shower, and get ready to meet Kristy for lunch. while Leigha naps.

10:00 am.  I watch a little TV because I just love Alton Brown and Guy Fieri.  :D  My 2 favs on the food network.  



12:00 am.  I pull up to Kristy's house and we head to The Corner Pub for lunch.  Leigha is wide awake, and I am ready with a bottle, but she decides she doesn't want to eat then, so she naps during lunch (SCORE!!)  I get wonderful chicken tenders, and Kristy gets a steak salad.  Those always look so good, maybe next time, I will try it (I always say that)


1:30 pm  We are finished with lunch, and on our way to the park.  But first of course, we gotta have ice cream, so we stop by sonic for a blast.



1:45 pm.  By this time Leigha is screaming for a bottle, so I prop her bottle up on a blanket and eat my ice cream before it melts.


2:15 pm  Because of some very inconsiderate grounds keepers who cranked up their leaf blowers and blew dust and gas fumes all over us, our ice cream and the baby, we rush away from that park.  There wasn't any real pretty place to take pictures anyway, at least none that weren't very crowded.   But unfortunately I didn't get a good pic of them because we left so fast.   (Like I was buckling Leigha back in her car seat as we rushed back to the car.)

2:30 pm.  We make it to Long Hunter State Park.  I get to wrap Leigha up and off we go down the walking trails by the lake.  I wanted my friend Kristy to come because #1, she's an awesome friend to hang out with,  #2, she's a great photographer, and I will never turn down an opportunity for her to take pictures of Leigha, ad #3, I had been asked for photos of me wearing Leigha by the makers of the sleepy wrap (maybe for the website, who knows) We do a little posing, I take some pics, Kristy does too, she teaches me a little about photography, we take more pics.  Just basically have a good time walking around, watching people, watching ducks, talking gossip, that kinda thing.







3:15 pm.  Its time to head home.  I drop Kristy off at her house and head home to unpack my pantry so that Richard can move it today to tear out the floor.  We have someone who wants to buy it so it has to be up by Friday. Of course when I get home, I can't help but get online to get the pics that Kristy took while I feed Leigha.  They are really really good.and of course, I play more on facebook to see the all important stuff that happened to other people while I was out.  I dawdle online until 4:45 when I start clearing the pantry before have to start work at 5, nothing like procrastination :D.




5:30 pm  Richard is home and starts to tear out the floor.  Its a little harder than he expected it to be, but we are going to get money for it, and we both hate this floor, so he just cusses through it, thank goodness Leigha is still little so we can get away with it.
6:00 pm.  I FINALLY get some report to come in.  I've been sitting here for about an hour waiting on work as usual.  Playing solitaire and eating my Werther's, with Leigha asleep in the pack n play next to my desk.   I don't know why I haven't brought this thing in here sooner.  I can put her in it with her aquarium playing music and she is as content as can be.
6:30 pm  She wakes up, nurses again, and afterwards I go back and forth between typing reports and putting her paci in her mouth and trying to help Richard by moving things out of his way without getting IN his way.
7:30 pm.  Break from work.  I have to decide what I am going to dress Leigha in tomorrow.  My grandma is in town from California, so this will be the first time that she will meet Leigha.  I can't wait.  I want to find her a beautiful outfit to put her in so that I can take lots and lots of pictures of Leigha and her Hun Hun. (That's what all her great grandkids call her).

8:00 pm  Work is now non-existent, and Leigha is now sound asleep in her bassinet.  Which is fine, but I kinda have her strapped to her bouncy (and I am NOT telling you with what, because its kinda odd, but totally works) and am starting to wonder just how I am going to get her out without waking her too much.   But she will need to eat anyways, so I guess its all good if she wakes up a little.

8:45 pm.  Laura on Navigating the Mothership  (The wonderful woman who has inspired me to do this post) has posted her day in the life, and I have a little mini freak out that I have missed the deadline for me to link up to her page LOL.  All is good though and I continue reading her post.

9:15 pm  I start working on my post again, and start to wonder if maybe mine is a little too mundane.  Its kinda boring.  Work, feed the kid and sleep, and kitchen remodel.  Oh well, it is, what it is,  Its a day in my life, and its not all that exciting at the moment LOL.
9:20 pm.  I realize that I haven't eaten dinner yet, and I am completely starving and starting to get a little shaky because I may have had a few too many Werther's.  I need something salty STAT!  I go to find popcorn only to discover that Richard has unplugged the microwave and I have NO IDEA what I have done with the popcorn.   Looks like I am going to have to eat some peanut butter.  I really need to go grocery shopping.  I will have to do that Saturday morning.

9:30 pm.  In the middle of the peanut butter hunt, I discover that Richard has in fact, NOT unplugged or moved the microwave (or maybe he did move and plugged it back in, yes entirely possible) So I can make popcorn, but by this time I am really wanting peanut butter, so I find the popcorn and get both.  and a Sprite. Dinner of champions.... in the middle of a kitchen remodel.... on a budget LOL.
9:35 pm, I totally almost break my neck trying to get to the fridge to get butter to put on the popcorn by sliding on some of the floor that we Richard has taken up.  (BTW, first time I have used that cross out text, too cool, I am so proud of me LOL)
9:58 pm.  Just when I think my work day is over, I remember that its Wednesday and I have one more hour.  UGH.  One more hour of sitting here waiting for a report to come across my computer to type.  This is really getting ridiculous, but unfortunately we have been told not to say anything to our leads because apparently they don't need to deal with that stuff.  It sucks, but oh well, its a paycheck, even if its a small one. 

10:05 pm.  I was waiting to feed Leigha until I went to bed at 10, but since that's not going to happen, I decide to feed her now since she just won't accept the paci anymore.  It takes me nearly 45 minutes to feed her tonight because she is doing her weird pulling off thing, and crying in between.  I try to burp, sometimes I get one, and finally I can't handle her pain anymore and I get the Mylecon.  I swear that stuff works miracles.  I give her the dose and almost instantly Leigha is back to being her sweet quiet, smiling self again.   I really have to figure out what it is that I am eating or drinking that makes her like this.  I'm thinking either cokes or sugar, but every time I try to cut it out of my diet,  I forget and eat some of it.
10:45 pm  6 more minutes!!  I start to prepare to get Leigha to go to sleep.  Richard conked out long ago,  so its all me at this point.  I am hoping that since she is wide awake now squirming and talking in her pack n play that she will wear herself out by 11 and we can all fall into our respective beds and asleep.   She is already starting to get cranky and fuss when she spits her paci out, so she is at least headed in the right direction.  I realize that I really wanted to give her a bath tonight since she is going to meet my grandma in the morning, but that's OK, I can give her a quickie bath in the morning before I get her dressed.
11:00 pm.  FINALLY!!!  My work week is over, so I shut down my computer, gather up the beautiful one and head towards the bedroom trying not to trip over anything in my path.
11:20  Leigha is in her little bed, asleep for now, and I am trying to wind down for the night by watching a little TV.  I am so tired that I try to fall asleep, but Leigha has other ideas and by 11:45 is up crying again.  So I try to nurse her back to sleep in the living room so she doesn't wake up Richard.  Success FINALLY comes about 1:00 am when I put her back in her bed for the night.  I guess she needed just a little more to eat.  But in the back of my mind, I think she may be starting to get her days and nights mixed up yet again.  But time will tell.  By 1:15 am, I practically can't keep my eyes open long enough to figure out how to turn out a light and as soon as my head hits the pillow I'm out for the count as well, for at least a few hours till I have to get up and do it all over! 

Monday, October 3, 2011

2 Month Letter and Update.

My dearest beautiful

You are getting so big.  I can't believe that it has already been 2 months since you have come into our life.   In some ways it seems like you have been here forever, and others, it seems like  you just got here yesterday.

We took you to the doctor yesterday and as expected, you are growing wonderfully!!  You are now 11 lbs, 8.5 oz and 23 1/4 in long.  Which means that you are still in the 90th percentile for height and about the 75th for weight.  You are also in the 90th percentile for head size, but that just tells me that you are going to be a very tall, skinny, smart little girl, which is fine by me.

This past month we have noticed that you are DEFINITELY more alert.  You started to get your days and nights mixed up.  But after a couple of days of keeping you up and only letting you sleep for about an hour at a time, and then also flipping you head over heels (its an old wives tale, you can ask me about it later) you are now sleeping a lot better.  We can get you to go to sleep at 9 most nights and you will sleep till about 2 or 3 before you want to eat again.  This is fabulous for me.

You are definitely smiling more and more and I can get you to smile on command practically.  You love to be tickled and talked to and played with.  And you are squealing more all the time.  You are SO LOUD!!!  I can tell you are going to be a screamer, which is fine by me, but it will drive your Dad nuts!
Sorry that photo is upside down, I don't know why its doing that, it is right side up on the computer, but I can't rotate it on the blog.....if anyone is reading and knows how to fix this, please tell me
 
You are slowly but surely starting to into some of your 3-6 month clothes.  You haven't outgrown your 0-3 month clothes yet, but its coming in the next couple of weeks,  Some onesies are pretty snug.   This is bittersweet.  I want you to grow up and get bigger because you will become incredibly fun the older you get, but you won't be my little squishy beautiful girl anymore.  You will become my wiggly hyper little girl.

Speaking of squishy, you still do your squishy face when you are waking up and when I take you out of your carseat.  Its incredibly cute and I just love it.  I may have to have your Dad take a video of it so that I can always remember your cute little squishy face.  I'm almost positive that it won't be something you carry with you when you get older.



You are also starting to loose your newborn cry and get a big girl cry.  You do this weird little yelpy type cry.  It is too entirely cute.  You have started getting your tears and sometimes now when you cry, you have tears running down your face, which is completely heart breaking.
You also cough a lot, and usually when you do, you start to gag and choke and spit up.  So, the doctor says that you have reflux, and that we need to keep your head elevated.  Which I have been doing anyway from day one, because lets face it, who likes to sleep flat on their backs.  You may be a baby, but you still have to be comfortable, and that's just not comfortable, so we propped you up a little. 

You love to have your diaper changed, and usually you cry your little heart out when you have a dirty diaper, but once we get you in your room to change you, your mood changes completely and you spend the whole time smiling at your bubbles and making shrieking noises, its so cute.  

You are asleep in your swing right now (which you love by the way, and Mommy and Nanny got it for a STEAL at a consignment sale, you will learn that you have a very thrifty Mommy, and I will teach you how to be as well, saving money is a wonderful thing baby girl.) and you keep waking up a little bit, and smiling and making noises and go back to sleep. 

You eat like a champ about every 3 hours.  Sometimes Mommy has a hard time keeping up with as much as you want to eat, but we are still working things out, and I will do everything that I possibly can to make it work.  I enjoy those times so much.  You are so sweet, and I will never forget those times that I am feeding you.  You don't latch well, unless I hold your head, but we are slowly learning how to do it so that you get enough.

I know that I am forgetting some of the things that I want to put in here.  I need to start typing it all out more often so that I (we) can look back on it some day and remember.  But I love you so unbelievably much sweetheart.  You hear it all the time that once you have a baby you love them more than you ever thought you could love something as much as you love your baby, but it is so true.   I am so proud to be your Mom and to have you as my daughter.  You are the best baby, but of course I am a little biased.


I love you beautiful, you are my everything.  This next month is going to be wonderful.

Millions of hugs and millions of kisses every day,
Love, Mommy