On Emma's 1st Birthday, we...

Wow, so yesterday was an amazing day! I still am in chock that my baby is a little girl now. Anyways, here is what our Mommy-daughter day consisted of:

First, Emma slept in! I actually had to wake her up at 8am because she just wanted to sleep and sleep and sleep! She reminded me so much of her daddy then.

When she finally did wake up, she had a bottle, played with her toys, made a big mess in the living room... and basically made me laugh and smile the entire time! I put the computer away all day. I just wanted to spend time with her. I figured if I had to, I could work while she napped, but--if she was up--the computer was closed. Very proud of that decision.

Thing is, Emma didn't really want to nap yesterday. She wanted to play even though she was super sleepy (aka: becoming very grouchy). Finally I figured, if she wasn't going to sleep, I was going to have to take her with me on my errands. We went and ran an errand for Daddy, signed Emma up for the Kid's Pass at Barns & Noble where she got a free cupcake for her birthday, went to my other favorite store and bought a few things, went to Party City for streamers and a helium tank, then went home where she went right to sleep. I started prepping the ribs I would make for dinner, cleaned up the house some, watched some TV, and watched my baby girl sleep so peacefully in the living room.

She woke up right before her daddy came home. After that we were constantly entertaining her until her Nonna, Poppa, uncle, and Mamaw came over for dinner. Ribs & grilled corn. Tasted pretty yummy if I do say so myself!

After that we played in the living room for a bit with Emma before we opened presents. She had so much fun pulling the tissue paper out of the bags and "reading" her cards like they were books. Adorable. Then we brought out her birthday cupcake with one candle lit, sang to her, and she loved it. She is such a little diva too: Loves being the center of attention! She manga'd on her cupcake!! Icing all over her hands and face. Luckily not her hair this time like happened with the smash cake in her photo shoot.

Not long after that, the long day caught up to her. She was exhausted but fighting sleep. She didn't want her "guests" to leave yet and made a big show of fussing when someone had to leave. It would be adorable if she weren't so darn loud about it! haha Then she got a last bedtime bottle and went right to sleep.

Overall, a fun-filled, family-filled, perfect day!

My Mother's Day!

I'm just a few days late with this. Pretty good if you ask me!

Anyways, Mother's Day started off in the most memorable of ways. The night before I just could NOT get Emma to go to sleep. We went down around 10 and at 10:30 Emma was up screaming. I changed her diaper and tried everything I could think of. Nothing worked. After 2 hours (yes TWO HOURS!) of trying to get her to sleep to no avail, we finally figure out a new "technique" to get her to sleep. She slept great the rest of the night; Daddy & I--not so much! haha

It seemed like just minutes later her daddy was waking me up saying he had to go meet his dad so I needed to get up with the baby. I was scared it was already like 8am because we had a full day ahead of us and I needed every minute to get ready for the day. I hopped up and that's when I realized something was "off." He had this huge grin on his face and was leading me to the kitchen. There, sitting on our counter, was a huge stack of pancakes and my iced tea just the way I like it!!!
   **Side Story: Every Sunday I have tried to make pancakes for us as a family and it never happens. Either her daddy has to help someone out, or we don't have syrup...SOMETHING! 
But this time, this time I got to have my Sunday pancakes!! And they were delicious! Everything was perfect. I even had a dozen yellow roses and a B&N gift card. My "daughter" already knows me so well!! haha

After that I had to get Emma ready for her busy day. Diaper bag packed. Car loaded up. Emma dressed up. Me dressed up. Extra "nice clothes" for both of us for when Emma decided she no longer liked what we were wearing (aka: spilled something on herself or me, spit up on me, wiped guk on me, etc). Mother's Day bags ready for Mamaw (my mom) & Nonna (her dad's mom). Then we made our rounds! haha

We had brunch at a really nice place... a golf course. The food was really good. I ate way too much sausage gravy & biscuits and bacon! Emma even enjoyed he eggs, biscuits & gravy, hashbrowns... my girl can EAT! After brunch we went to hang out with Nonna and her family for a while.

Towards the end of the night we went to Mamaw's for dinner. We were celebrating my mom's birthday that night too. It was a lot of fun! Emma entertained everyone. We had rotisserie chicken my stepdad made, salad I made, and my sister's "famous" ranch potatoes. It got really late on us pretty fast though. Not sure if that was due to the lack of sleep or if Emma just was wore out from her busy day! Either way, we were home and asleep by 9pm! haha

I must say. Mother's Day was as perfect as it could have been. I had the best wake up. Got to enjoy both of my families. And I got to share my Emma with people who love her. There's nothing a mother could ask for than to see her baby receive so much love. That might have been the best gift of all!

Staying Organized: Feeding Time

Part four of (maybe) five in the "Staying Organized" mini-series.

Feeding Time: Making healthy easy and convenient!

In my "Double Duty" blog, I mentioned food briefly. The thing of it is, that section was originally going to be super long. I realized I had more to say on it than I thought and it would need it's own little post. So here are my tips for feeding time!

The thing is, when it comes time to eat with a little one, it can (and WILL) get crazy and messy. It really doesn't matter if you are making/warming a bottle, or mushing up some "solids," or actually cutting up real food pieces. You are going to feel like it takes forever! And a big part of that is because your baby knows what time it is and wants to eat NOW!

Before I move on, I just want to rant and clarify. I hate when people ask if Emma is on "solids" yet. Because no, she's not. She's on MUSH!! Seriously. There has to be a better name for this phase because, to me, solids are like chunks of chicken. Not this mush I'm giving her! BUT, in an effort to keep things simple for all other moms out there who may be reading this, I will continue to call the goop I give her "solids."

Okay, back on topic. Rant done. Now I *really* will give my tips.

Prep ahead. Whether it's formula or solids, feeding times can be a little easier if it's already ready.

• Formula: We got a glass jar from a dairy place we use. I can mix up about 48 ounces of water and 24 scoops of formula powder. That usually lasts about 2 days. 
• Solids: I mix 1/4 cup rice cereal or oatmeal cereal and 1 container of baby food puree. I split this in two bowls & put one in the fridge for later; then I just have to heat and go. 
• Homemade Prep: I also went the route of homemade baby food, which is even more time consuming. But worth it. So when Emma was around 4 months old, I spent an entire morning just getting her future food ready. I steamed or baked peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and baked potatoes. Then I pureed them (separately), set them in ice cube trays and other single-serving-size containers. Froze them. Now I can pull out one or two cubs as needed, leave them in the fridge to thaw, add her cereal, mix and go. It's good to know that she is eating REAL FOOD and not something processed all the time. I think it will only help us to keep her on that path.
• Other liquids: I always keep 1-2 sippy cups of water in the fridge. 

Invest in a food processor. Yeah, I know the Baby Bullet can run upwards of $60. BUT you can use it for your food too! It is so worth it. I did the whole "making my kid's own baby food" thing. But you don't have to do all that to justify buying one of these.

Yes, I decided to pre-make a lot of Emma's baby food. But you don't have to. If you are one of those mom's who wants to get your child on the path of "we all eat the same dinner," then this is perfect for you too. Are you having carrots for dinner tonight. Just pop some (unseasoned) ones in and Voila! Baby dinner made the same time yours is cooking! As they get older and can be introduced to new things, you just plop them all in the little processor and done. I actually used mine when I was making Chicken Tortilla Soup a while back. My guy isn't a fan of beans, but I love the smell and taste of them. So I cooked some, put them in our Baby Bullet, and pureed until smooth/chunky (that almost smooth, but just not quite stage). Added it to the soup and he couldn't even tell they were in there.

Go ahead and buy those travel cups, sippy cups, and other "big kid" things you don't think you'll need yet. Seriously, there's nothing worse than seeing that you need something you don't have. I hate that feeling. So I registered for one or two sippy cups for Emma. I knew there would come a time when I would have to give her one, and having one on hand--at the back of the cabinet, mind you--just made me feel better. Same thing with those travel containers. I REALLY wanted those for her. They have a soft plastic top the baby can put their hands in and get those puff things or whatever. But the baby can't get too many, and if it gets dropped it's (probably) not going to make a mess. Cups, plates, "big kid silverware"... just go ahead and get one or two of each. That's all you'll need in the beginning. And feeling prepared for anything just makes you feel more calm. At least it does for me.

Have a cabinet JUST for baby food-stuff. It can and will take over your kitchen if you aren't prepared for it. This was something I QUICKLY came to realize as I unloaded the bottles and accessories from Emma's baby showers. Right then and there, I just moved everything around in the kitchen so she would have an entire cabinet for her stuff. It's really great to have that all together so if I have to send her Daddy in to get something, he doesn't get frustrated by not knowing if her puffs are with the snacks or cereals. They are just all together. Now, when she gets to be a little older (18 months--2 years or so), I plan on moving things around AGAIN so that she has her own cabinet where she can help set the table and learn "chores" but they are manageable and at her level. Right now though, I need that cabinet up high and all food things at arm's level.

Okay, I think that about wraps up "FOOD" for now. I have one more blog about what I think are a new mommy's Must Have's. I promise this will wrap up soon. I just started a new job and love it. But it does mean that some things are getting pushed to the weekends or wee-hours of the morning. Thank you all for being so patient!

Thanksgiving

Okay, I'm a little behind on this one. Things have just been going non-stop around here for a while now. This is basically the first time I've had to stop and catch my breath.

I have to say, Thanksgiving was a pretty good day. Both my guy and I were off, which was nice. It seems silly to have to say that, but our schedules were so not in sync that week. We tried to sleep in but Emma had other plans for us. We were up bright and early & like 6am. We played for a bit. Her Daddy even changed her and got her dressed for the day. Well, I had picked out 2 outfits for him to choose from, but he did make the final decision! lol

We first went to his dad's mom's for dinner. Emma got to see her great-grandma and great-grandpa, an aunt, 2 uncles, and a cousin. She even got to eat mashed potatoes!

Then we went to his mom's. We ate mostly desserts there since we went RIGHT after dinner. But I did manage to steal quite a bit of the ham! lol I am much more of a ham person than a turkey person. I mean, I love deep fried turkey, but I would still--even then--choose a ham over turkey if given the option.

We took a lot of pictures of Emma with her cousin "A." I swear, my heart melts a little bit every time I see the two of them together. "A" absolutely LOVES Emma. Always wants to make sure Emma isn't crying. At one point we told "A" to sit if he wanted to hold her. He looked right up at me and goes "Why? Her mine." Emma loves him back, too. You can see it. She was being held by one of her great-aunts, but when "A" came near, she reached as far as she could for him. She kept trying to get him. And they played together so easily. He would press the button on the Singing Frosty-the-Snowman just so Emma would laugh. They are going to be such good friends as they grow up together. It makes me so happy to see that.

My crazy life

Things keep getting more and more crazy around here now-a-days!! Must be the holiday season, because I just can't believe how frazzled I've felt lately!

Emma is trying "solids" for the first time. So that's all kinds of interesting. She isn't fond of carrots or sweet potatoes, but she LOVES peas!! I couldn't get them to her fast enough. She would just start yelling at me for taking too long to add food to the spoon and get it to her. I had to keep the bowl basically right by her face and kind of shovel it in! LOL But seriously. The doc said we should stay with the "yellow" veggies for right now. Carrots, squash, sweet potatoes. That kind of thing. But Emma just doesn't like them. Which kind of makes sense because she wouldn't let me have ANYTHING sweet when I was pregnant with her. I'm hoping she learns to like all veggies. I think we're on a good path though, because I don't know too many babies that like peas....

Emma is also teething. So that's TONS of fun. Not. Poor thing is soo uncomfortable. And there's not too much I can do to make it go away. We have tons of those teether things in the freezer. Heck, I even put a binkie in the freezer hoping it would help!! She is just so pitiful. She wants to be held, thinking Mommy will make it all better. And I want nothing more than to take that pain away. Being a baby is TOUGH! Sure, you get every one doing things for you, but your body is fighting you all the time. And you can't make it better. You can't tell anyone what exactly hurts. It's just not fair!

Emma is already trying to crawl. Tonight she started the "rock"--that stage where she kind of has herself up on her arms and legs and is rocking back and forth like she wants to crawl. And she is SO MUCH like her dad. She gets so frustrated when she doesn't accomplish something right away. Okay, maybe that's like me too. LOL But you can just see it in her eyes, in the way she sets her mouth all firm and stern. She WANTS TO CRAWL, Dag-um it!

And yes, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Which means Christmas is close. Which means it will be That. Much. Harder getting out of my neighborhood with the mall traffic. And we have so many people left to buy for. I don't want to put it off until it's too late, but there just never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done.

So those are all the crazy new things in my life right now. And let me tell you...

I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way!! 

I Love My Life. 

I Love My Boyfriend & Daughter. 

I Love My Family & Friends. 

I have an amazing life that I am so grateful for. I am thankful I get to sleep surrounded by people who mean the most to me. When I go to bed at night, I have my guy on my right, sleeping soundly (& snoring LOUDLY! LOL). And my daughter in her Rock N Play by my bed on my left. I am literally surrounded by Love every night. And nothing could ever beat that.

This is me at like 6-ish months. I think Emma looks a lot like me here!

Things Emma can do now

I can't believe my baby is already 4 months old! Time is flying by. I don't know whether I am happy about this or devastated! Probably a little of both.

I mean, I love watching her learn new things and discover new things. But at the same time, every day older she gets, every new thing she learns, takes her one day further from my "baby." I mean, she's already developing her own definite personality.

But anyways, here are some of the new things Emma does now:

• She puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. Seriously. Everything. If she can get even a little piece of something near her mouth, she will try to get it IN her mouth! Makes me kinda nervous.
• She sits in a high chair. And likes it! We set ours up last night so she could sit in it while we carved pumpkins. And she loved it. She didn't fuss at all. She played and was content the whole time.
• She smiles all the time. I mean, she's always been a fairly happy baby. But now there are things that just crack her up. She still loves the popping noise and the clacking noise, but she is discovering all sorts of sounds and deciding which she likes and which she doesn't.
• She love music. She will grab for my phone when I put the music on so it is closer to her. (And then she'll try to put it in her mouth! LOL) She also calms down immediately when I put the music on. 
• She will try to "lift" herself up. Seriously. When we had her in her stroller while we were trick or treating, I went to grab her from it at the first house. She kind of pushed herself away from the stroller and tried to get up. She's done it a few times too. Usually when someone is trying to get her to hold her. She likes to make that as easy on a person as possible! LOL
• I really think she is teething, or starting to at least.
• She tried "real food" for the first time. And I have to say that it felt amazing to be the one to make her food. It was simple: I just cooked 2 sweet potatoes, added a tiny bit of butter and salt/pepper, and used the baby bullet until it was mushy. She's not loving it yet, but I hear that's normal. Tomorrow we're going to get some peas and carrots, maybe some other potatoes. I think she may not like sweets, honestly. I couldn't tolerate anything sweet when I was pregnant, so that may have something to do with it. We'll see. We'll also be getting some Rice Cereal and maybe even those cookie things, just to have on hand. 

This is my Shocked face!

1 month check up

Today Emma had her "one month" check up. Seriously? Already?!? No way! It can't really have been that long since I brought this gorgeous little person into the world!! And there it is in black and white. Her birthday is July 2. Yesterday was 4 weeks. Friday will be her one month birthday. Numerically it all makes sense. But in my heart I can't believe we are already halfway through my maternity leave! I have 5 weeks left with her full-time. Then it's back to work. :(

Anyways, back to the reason for this post. It's a short one. Just a little update on her stats. Just a refresher: Last check-up was 2 weeks ago. She was 7lbs, 12oz & 20.75" long.

This check up: 8lbs, 15.5oz and no length change. She's almost 9 pounds already! Half an ounce from 9pounds! So that means after the feeding she had while we were there, she was probably 9lbs when we left! lol She gained 19 ounces in 2 weeks! And we were all worried she wasn't getting enough to eat! haha She proved us wrong!

And she was SUCH a good girl at her appointment too! She was wide awake and making faces at the nurse. She was quiet when I was asking my "new mom questions." She fussed a little bit while we were waiting for the doctor but only because she was hungry (understandable, don't you think?!?). Then the doctor came in and she was amazing while her ears were checked and her lungs and her mouth. She even let the doc get most of the way through the physical part of the check up--where the doctor has to pull the legs down, push them up, lay them flat to the side, turn her over and check again, push on her belly some... Emma started to get really annoyed on the last check, when the doc pushes her legs all the way out and down--butterfly style. You could tell Emma was done with the check up at that point. And who could blame her really? I don't love sitting Butterfly style and I'm used to it! lol But other than that, the doc says she's doing amazing! She's a healthy, happy baby girl!

Okay, that's it for now. It's really late and I have a FULL day tomorrow. I have to get up early and spend some time with my guy, clean the house a little bit, pack for our weekend getaway to my hometown to see my dad and some of my best girl friends, work a little bit on a project or two for my mom,... and have some kind of dinner ready when my guy gets home!  Think I can do it all?

Such a perfect baby at her check up today!

Trial & Error

Emma has been really fussy lately and we couldn't figure out why. I even went so far as to call the doctor. They said it could be a couple of things.

• She could just not know when she was full, so she would overeat. Then she would spit up and get sick and be miserable. 
• She could have reflux.
• She could be lactose-intolerant.
• She could be formula-intolerant.
• She could be constipated.

Okay, great. There's a whole list of things and they wanted me to do trial-and-error to figure it out. Little did I know this would be so much harder than it appeared. Since we were just using formula sporadically, they recommended we try soy-based. They even went so far as to give me 2 cans of soy-formula.

When my guy and I had a date-day a while ago, we prepped 2 bottles of formula for his mom. Emma acted like she was still hungry after she had her allotted amount, so her grandma gave her a little more. But it was too much and Emma ended up getting upset again. That lasted about 2 days. We thought it was just a case of overeating.

We tried feeding her while she is mostly upright. Burping often. We switched from milk-based to soy-based. We tried everything we could think of. And my poor baby girl was still uncomfortable. :(

One of the hardest parts about being a mommy to a newborn? It isn't the lack of sleep. It isn't the constant diaper changes, laundry, dishes, cleaning... Nope. It  isn't any of that. It is the fact that your baby cannot tell you what is wrong. They are uncomfortable and they can't tell you what EXACTLY is wrong so you can find the best to fix it. Ugh...

Welcome Home Party

Sorry these are taking so long to post. I didn't realize how much time you lose each day as a new mommy...even with the baby sleeping most of the day! haha

So we were finally able to bring Emma home on Friday. My boyfriend had talked about having everyone over to our place as a Welcome Home Party for her. Especially after the NICU scare, we really didn't want to tote her around to everyone's houses. We figured if we had everyone here, then they could all spend as much time with her as they wanted. No rushing around. No one getting missed.

We were initially going to have it on Saturday, but there were a few family members that definitely couldn't make that day (and it would have been ridiculously short notice), so we moved it to Sunday. Because that extra day's notice is huge, right?!? lol

Sunday morning came. My guy went and scored a major discount on patio cushions and umbrella. We got a TON of food, snacks, drinks, things like that. Plus people brought a little bit of everything. So we were set on food and drinks. It turned into a gorgeous day. Actually, it was a little warm. We stayed outside for HOURS! Playing bags. Snacking. Passing Emma around so everyone got a chance to hold her. Overall it was just an amazing day.

After everything was cleaned up, everyone had gone home, and Emma was resting from a fun-filled day; I got to take a good look around and really see what had happened this day. Our home was FILLED with people who love us and adore our baby. So many people took time out of their day--on short notice--to come spend time with us, see Emma, love on her. Everyone was laughing and joking around. My guy looked so relaxed, surrounded by people who care about him and are happy to see him so happy. When I looked up from my chair or out the kitchen window while tidying up, and I got to see him laughing and joking around with our family and friends and neighbors...it made me that much more happy.

I looked around and realized my life is as complete as is physically and emotionally possible right now. I look at my home and take pride in it; we have worked so hard to fix things up and even tackled a few big projects this year. I look at my boyfriend and feel all sorts of emotions: I love this person who makes sure we are all taken care of. I am proud of every thing he accomplishes because he works so hard for every thing. I am blessed beyond measure and don't know if I could ever truly say how thankful I am for having him in my life. Then I look at my little girl. This part of me/part of him that I have been waiting for my entire life. Having a daughter; that alone is a miracle. But to be blessed with a little girl who is so very good... I didn't know anyone could be that lucky.

How much longer?!? (Part 1)

30 days! That's it. 30 days until little Ms. Emmaleigh Grace's due date. I can't believe how fast the past 8 months have gone... and dread how LONG I know this next month is going to be! haha

Every day there is something else I can't do, it seems like. Sleep, for example. I CANNOT sleep! I get into bed around 9pm because I know that's when I should be going to sleep. But it's impossible to get comfortable. I will literally spend 2 whole hours tossing and turning. I can't get the pillows right (and yes--pillows. As in: I need at least 5 just for me!). Or I'm already sweating just from laying down on top of the covers. My legs feel sooo heavy and there's no good way to position them so I can get comfy.

Housework is getting a LOT harder. I almost can't keep up with it during the week. I get out of breath when I try to bring the laundry basket(s) up or down the 2 flights of stairs. And when the laundry is washed and dried, then there's the whole issue of folding it. Ugh. I try not to make or leave messes when I leave a room, just so that's one less thing I have to worry about the next day. And just the upkeep of each and every room makes me exhausted. I make To Do Lists, mentally going through every room, trying to figure out what needs to be done... and as soon as it's done, I don't want to do it! It seems like so much. But I know me and I WILL NOT bring my baby girl home to a place that isn't *clean*! So let the internal/physical battle continue!

Making dinner is difficult only because nothing sounds good anymore. Except Rice. I could eat rice 2-3 times a day, every day. As a matter of fact, yesterday I had rice from the Mexican restaurant next door to where I work for lunch AND dinner!! I bought 2 side orders for lunch knowing I'd only eat one, and saved the other one for dinner. And that was about all I ate during those meals. Well, I had a baked potato with butter and ranch (no--not a pregnancy thing because that's the way I've ALWAYS had my baked potatos! lol). But seriously, eating is a chore too. My boyfriend said the other day that eating stopped being fun now that he's trying to get back into "fighting" shape. (In his other words: He wants to lose his Emma before I do!) I told him I've felt that way for a WHILE now!

Work is hard too. I have almost no energy. In part because I can't sleep. And in part because I generally feel worn out at work. I sit there and do computer work all day. But when I leave I feel like I ran a marathon. It doesn't make sense. If I have to walk from my office to the front to mail something, it takes me FOREVER because I have to waddle the entire way. I do it hoping it'll relieve some of the stress in my back from sitting all day, but after I'm done I just want to lay down! People ask me if I plan on working up to the due date. At first I was all "Yeah, of course." --Well kinda because with the holiday being on a Thursday... I'm just taking a "long weekend" before my maternity leave officially starts on July 8th. But if the holiday fell after her due date, then yes, I would work up to that. Now though, every day is a STRUGGLE to get out of bed it seems like. I'm still planning on working as much as I can up to July 3rd. But there are days where I COMPLETELY understand wanting to take off now and just relax this last month. I wish I could afford to do that. Mentally and financially. Even if money weren't an issue (Oh that'd be the day!!), I think I would go bonkers sitting at home alone all day with no "purpose." So it's 40 hr weeks for the next 3 and a half weeks.

Shoes. Seriously, with one month left, my tennis shoes DO NOT FIT! I thought they were just a little snug on the side, so I had a girl I work with loosen the laces for me. But nope. With 4 weeks left to go, I almost have to go up a 1/2 size in my tennies! I am refusing for now though. I'll make do at work as long as I can, and on weekends it's either my Roxy flip flops (because they have so much padding on the bottom---HEAVEN!) or barefoot-and-pregnant!

So those are all the bad things I have been experiencing. I have really tried to be positive on here. Writing mostly about the good parts of the pregnancy. But here lately I've realized that these not-so-fun aspects are part of it too. They are the parts people skim over when they tell you about pregnancy. The parts you read about and think "Yeah, sure. Okay." But to go through them is entirely different!

**Don't worry: Part 2 is all the good things lately!**

What will my baby be like?

This week marks the end of the first trimester. As of Sunday, January 6th, I will officially be 14 weeks and starting part 2 of 3. So as this week winds down, I find myself daydreaming a little more about meeting my baby. And I have all these questions!

"What will my baby look like?" Of course I am going to think my baby is the MOST BEAUTIFUL BABY in the whole wide world, lol. It's not about being egotistical...Every parent thinks that! I mean, I look at my baby pictures and I see a huge butterball. What can I say: my Oma and Opa were putting mashed carrots in my milk at 3 months old! My mom looks at them and sees the Gerber baby. haha I was a very photogenic baby though, I will have to give myself that. I loved being in front of the camera and cheesing it up. (When did THAT change?!?)
When I see pictures of Daddy as a baby, I think he's adorable! He had ice blond hair and pure green eyes. And every picture I see he's either got a huge grin or he's got this "look" like he's planning something really interesting. Every picture is precious. So if I think about it: of course we're going to have a perfect baby! lol
My question is more of the actual physical look of the baby. Will they be tall like Daddy or short like Mommy? Will they inherit Daddy's green eyes--which turned hazel? (Boy I hope so!) Or will I look into grey-blue eyes like mine? Will they have a head full of blonde hair? Dark brown? Or will I birth a cue ball?!? LOL

"What will my baby be interested in?" My mom says (and has photo & video proof) I was addicted to books from the very beginning. I used to "read" my books backwards, too. (This is something I still sort of do and something-apparently--my Uncle Tom does!) Daddy loved firetrucks and Ninja Turtles.
I was very academic in school because I wasn't the most athletic kid. I was the one getting the "Coach's Award" or "Team Spirit Award" every year: which basically boils down to "You have a ton of heart, but not a ton of skill." lol The one sport I did decent at was soccer and I was on the school dance team in elementary school and senior year of high school. Daddy was a big athlete though! He was an awesome football player and really into weight/power lifting too.

"What are going to be their '-ism's?" You know, those things kids say & parents just don't have the heart to correct, so the kid says/does those things for a really long time? Like, when my sisters and I were little we used words like "glassable" (breakable), my dad drove a "car with the lid off" (a convertible--well T-top), my dad had a "moo-shtab" (mustache), we "me-membered" things, and drink "jingle bells" (ginger ale). These were all things we said long past when it is considered "acceptable"! LOL But my parents thought they were so cute and just let us keep on doing it.
I know Daddy and I were both BIG Binkie-babies!! I've heard stories about how he fought long and hard before he got rid of his. And I used to steal them from my sisters. Hey, what can you expect when you have two little sisters within 3 years?!? LOL I called my dad's mom "Grammy Damn-Damn" when she tried to take them away from me! So I'm pretty sure our baby will want a binkie but Daddy's already sworn we will NOT be using them for those very reasons.

"What kind of sleeper will my baby be?" Daddy is a "dead to the world" sleeper. I wake up with the least little bit of movement. Hmm... this one's a toss up! Daddy has to have a down comforter on him when he goes to sleep and he steals all the pillows. I just like a sheet but love pillows; I always end up cuddling a pillow at some point during the night. Daddy tosses and turns a lot; once I get settled, there's no movement unless I am woken up. Sheesh!! We are total opposites here! lol We do both like to have it kinda cold when we go to sleep and both like having a fan right on us, too.
Will my baby sleep through the night (for the most part) right away? Or will they be confused with day and night: Sleep all day and up all night, sort of thing? That would interesting, lol! Daddy and I USED to be more night owls than morning people, but *waking* Daddy up is a major chore sometimes!! lol

"Is my baby going to be a picky eater?" Daddy has a few things he will NOT eat: Green beans, tomatoes, beans, guacamole...those are the biggies. I don't like: asparagus, peas, rice (except in rice cereal)... And of course there's brussell sprouts and those sorts of things that no one *really* eats! Daddy noticed I almost never eat food that's "coated." I didn't ever think about it, but he's right. If I make something with a breading like shake-n-bake pork chops, I always scoop the coating off. If it's something like fried chicken, I eat the skin separate from the chicken. Hmm... I never realized that unless he pointed it out. lol Daddy and I are both big meat eaters too.


These are just a few of the questions I could remember tonight. I had a whole list of them but, by the time I went to type this blog--whoosh! Blank. lol

Mommy Mantras, pt. 1

So this is going to be a "series" of blogs spread throughout my pregnancy and even longer, on things people tell me and how I'm incorporating them. Especially now, in the early stages.

1. "Get plenty of sleep."/ "Sleep when the baby sleeps." Okay, so the second is a little early to use, BUT I'm definitely getting the hang of the first! Sleep whenever I can? Okay! No problem! The problem now is I want to sleep all the time. I want to sleep when I should be washing my hair in the shower. I want to sleep when I should be making dinner. I want to sleep when I should be working!! The problem, right now at least, is not NOT getting enough sleep. The problem is making sure I don't sleep at those inopportune times.
The other part of that is... well at night, good sleep is really difficult to get. I can tell you approximately what time it is when I wake up in the middle of the night. It's somewhere between 2:08 and 2:28am. Yep. Every single night I wake up sweating like a fat pig on Christmas Eve. Then there's the whole "adjusting throughout the night" and "trying to find a comfortable way to sleep." Because, let's face it, *NOTHING* is comfortable anymore. Sleeping on my stomach makes me out of breath. Sleeping on my side makes me have to pee. And I've never been able to sleep on my back. Key here: Very soft, very comfy, very many pillows!! Those are saving me right now!

2. "Eat"/"Feed that baby." Everyone has their suggestions as to what I should or should not eat while pregnant. Spicy foods worked for some and others adamantly oppose going anywhere near that salsa! Some say to drink lots of water all day, but others say to slow way down after around 3pm--otherwise you'll end up getting up in the middle of the night for an entirely different reason.
Me. I just want to be able to eat SOMETHING! I want food to taste good again. I want to enjoy a meal, not "bite, chew, swallow" simply to get the nutrients I need. Ugh... I have a few mini-goals that I've set throughout this pregnancy. I hope it will break it up some so I don't get so freaked out about how long 40 weeks actually is. My first goal is 10 weeks, because that's 25% of the way there. The NEXT goal is 14 weeks. Because that's when this hellacious experience of "morning sickness" is supposed to go away. I just pray I follow suit on that one--and it doesn't last the entire pregnancy!

3. "Do what you can, when you can." I'm a huge OCD, clean freak. I hate messes. I always say "I never had to learn how to *really* clean, because I never really make a mess." I honestly believe that to a point. Now, if there's a mess, obviously I can clean it up. But the fact is, I don't let things get messy. I pick up after myself (and others, lol). I follow my mom and Grammy's advice of "Never leave a room empty-handed."
The thing is, now, I have almost 0 energy all day. And things were starting to back up. I felt like a complete failure because all the laundry wasn't completely done. Or there were dishes in the sink still. Or the fridge was a little bare because I hadn't been to the store in a while. Luckily my guy is absolutely amazing. No, he doesn't go and do those things for me (I never said he was PERFECT! Lol). But he looks at me and says "Babe. Don't WORRY about it. It's fine. It'll get done. The house looks great anyways." And the fact is, the house really isn't that messy. It's just me; I like things to be exactly where they are supposed to be. To combat this a little, I'm learning to "do what I can, when I can." I have a little bit of energy in the morning--I do the dishes. I have a little bit when in the evenings--do the laundry. On my way home from work and not about to pass out--stop and buy all the groceries we need. See... things are getting done. Not as quickly as I would like, but that's okay.
**Plus, they say in a few weeks I'll have most of my energy back and can do about 90% of what I did pre-pregnancy. That'll be nice!

Like I said, this is a series. These are not the only "blurbs" I've heard since I announced I was going to be a mommy. These are just the ones on my mind right now. I'll have more "Mommy Mantras" as we go! If you have any you want to share, go ahead and comment them here. :)

Spoke too soon.

Ho boy. This morning has already been a doozy.

I just recently posted about how I've been nauseous but hadn't actually gotten sick. Of course I'm experiencing my very first "Your kids will make liars out of you" moment!

I was bringing the laundry up when I started feeling like I was in between a cough and a gag. Suddenly it felt like there was a hook in my stomach with two cords: one attached to my chest and one attached to my knees. This hook suddenly jerked on the cords and almost doubled me over. I had to run up the last of the stairs and book it to the trash can.

It was horrible. There I was dry heaving into the garbage and feeling like crap. Then the smell hit me and I REALLY started getting sick. It was this vicious circle.

Now I have to get ready to leave for work and have Zero energy. Praying today goes by quickly so I can come home and curl up with my guy. I don't want to do anything!

Morning Sickness all day!

I have had quite a few friends who have had babies, so I knew to expect some queasiness these first few months. Sure. Normal.

But WHY do they call it morning sickness??? It's all dag'um day!!

From the time I wake up until Daddy puts his hand on my belly! MY stomach is rolling and turning and plopping... It never ends. The best thing I can say about it is: While I always feel nauseous, I never actually "get sick." Thankfully everything I *DO* eat stays down.

A good friend of mine is pregnant right now too (we're due around the same time) and all of her Facebook posts are about the good food she's eating and what food she wants to eat. Oh, and sleep. Of course. Me. I can't stomach the idea of eating most days. :(

I eat because I know I have to. Nothing tastes good to me though. And everyday I find another food-thing I can't have. First was Italian Dressing. One day for lunch at work, I brought a salami sandwich, a PB&J, and some cold pasta soaked in Italian Dressing. Right after that I kept running to the bathroom thinking I was going to be really sick. I ended up having to leave work early because it was so bad. We chalked it up to the weird combo of food. That is until we went to a nice little restaurant for brunch with my boyfriend's dad, stepmom, and sister. I ordered what they were getting since I had never been there and they ALL were getting the same thing. It came with a salad, so I ordered what I always get: Italian Dressing. The salad comes and it's about the size of my fist with just a tiny amount of dressing. Good, because I really didn't want to fill up on salad before the "famous" sandwich. As SOON as I finished the salad, I ran to the bathroom. I couldn't eat anything else. My stomach was soooo upset. I spent most of the rest of that day laying in bed, praying I would just go ahead and get sick and all that offending dressing would get out of me!!

Then there's the other side of weird foods. See, I'm lactose intolerant. I have been since high school. It was a gradual thing: started out not being able to drink milk, but I could still have other dairy products. Then it was no yellow cheese. Then I could have pizza only if the cheese was almost burnt (broke the proteins in it down). Then even Ranch dressing became an issue. So imagine my surprise when the only thing that will settle my stomach even a little bit is a little bit of WHITE MILK! I now have to have a glass everyday for breakfast. It will easy the discomfort for about 2 hours which is AMAZING! I can't have another glass after that first one, though. Just the one.

Hey, at least there's some comfort right? And no really weird cravings yet. I have a little mini countdown to the 14 week mark. They say that's when most of the morning sickness ends!!