9 Months!

In the rush of Christmas we also have another thing to celebrate, G is 9 months old!

This is such a fun age, and I looked forward to this time of year since the moment I knew I was pregnant. It has not disappointed.
G is full of spunk, a little stubborn at times, entertaining and the joy of my life. I never could have imagined it would be THIS fun.

She has had a lot of growth over the past month. She is now crawling, pulling herself up to standing and has also started working on standing on her own. She is cutting her top teeth, the first cut through a few days ago and the 2nd shouldn't be too far behind. (There may even be some more coming in up there!)

G is a tall skinny girl. At her Well Visit yesterday her weight was in the 20th percentile, while her height was in the 95th.

I am so looking forward to her first Christmas, tomorrow! I can barely contain myself!!

 

Christmas Past

I never really thought there would be a day that a Mariah Carey Christmas song provoked a deep & meaningful revelation, on my part. But…last week…it did.

There were a  few years ago (2005 & 2006 to be exact) that all the lonely Christmas songs were my anthem. See, those were the years Tyson & I were in a long distance relationship. He was in Cali doing the navy thing, I was in NY…working 50+ hours a week at Picture People. (ahhh the Christmas rush!) I missed him something terrible in November & December. I love getting ready for Christmas, and those 2 years the prep was filled with doubt. We often wouldn’t find out if Tyson would be granted leave until a couple weeks before Christmas. (And even then we didn’t know if he’d be granted leave the weeks of Christmas & New Years, or the two weeks before/after.) Of course once he was granted leave, the mad rush was on to get plane tickets.

Those were the days that I just missed being around him. I missed his face. The two weeks we would get in December & November would be all the time we would get, until, we didn’t know when. (In January of 2007 he deployed.) When I sit back & think about it, I was so lonely then. Nothing really to what I now would call ‘lonely’.

Flash forward to 2010. One of those lonely Christmas songs, which was my theme song, came on the radio and I finally listened to the words for the first time since 2006. All those emotions I had 4 years ago came flooding back to me. My heart ached, like it did at nights as I would fall asleep. I was on the verge of tears remembering those years. It was such relief to realize where we are today. Together, preparing for our baby’s first Christmas. We might not make the money we’d like, have our own house or even be able to spend our evenings together…but we have come a very long way.

It must be that I forget how it really felt. Those days I would promise myself to never forget where we came from, and how hard those first 2 years were. I still haven’t forgotten. Though nights now while he’s working and I’m sleeping, I miss him. I remind myself, I get to see him in the morning, get a kiss & hug and a short conversation as we cross paths. I get to spend time with him on the weekend and share the same bed with him. Heck, I share the same time zone with him. Things may not be ideal now, but they are markedly improved.

Very Grateful This Week

I am forgoing the list of what I’m grateful for this week. I have something else on my mind.

Tonight I rocked G for a few extra minutes after she fell asleep. I soaked in every second of having her there in my arms. I’m grateful that I have little opportunities to snuggle my baby and tuck the images back in my mind.

When she was a newborn I spent too much time worrying. Mostly I worried over if she’d never sleep through the night. Heck, worrying that she’d never sleep anywhere but in my arms. That I would never again have any time to get anything done.

Tonight I sat in that rocking chair, thinking about how 8 months ago I was sitting in that same chair with a teeny baby wishing she’d let me put her down. And now I struggle to hold her for more than 30 seconds without her WANTING to get down. (Unless she’s asleep! Ah ha!)

I know, all too soon, she will be too big for me to wrap my arms around her & rock in that chair while she sleeps. Too big to let me kiss her forehead after we read a bedtime book. Too big for me to even be involved in her bedtime routine at all.

I am grateful for a happy, healthy, bouncy, beautiful baby girl. I am grateful for the memories that I’ll always be able to hold on to, even when I can’t hold on to her.

Extra Dollar

I have a confession to make. A few weeks ago I was at a big box store doing some Christmas shopping. I was in a rush, on my lunch break and on a budget. (I have been using cash to ensure I don’t over spend, but I also needed to make sure to keep $5 to get a joint gift for my boss for his birthday.)

I paid for my purchases and headed to my car. It was there I realized that the cashier had given me one too many dollars. Here comes my dilemma: I was sitting in the parking lot, hadn’t even started my car I could have easily walked back in, handed it to customer service and gone on my merry way. After all that was the RIGHT thing to do.

But….

I was getting close to the end of my break, and if I returned the dollar, I would be one dollar short for my allotted $5, and the gift was being purchased that night after work. No time for me to acquire another $1.

So I turned on my car, and left. (I know, I know…hide the children…I’m a monster.)

In reality, the big box store would not miss $1. The cashier would not get in trouble for $1 (when I was a retail manager, we often would be missing much more than $1 and no one ever got in trouble).

I felt guilt ridden as I drove to work, and gave the $5 to my co-worker. That’s when I told myself I would donate money the next time I saw a red kettle, or was asked if I’d like to donate a dollar to toys for tots. Or SOMETHING. I would do something.

Of course, the next time I saw a red kettle all I had was a $20. As much as I’d love to have dropped that bill in there, I didn’t budget it in. Not that I couldn’t afford it, just not that paycheck.

Just adding on to that guilt I already felt. I had images of starving children, lonely dogs shivering in a SPCA cage, empty shelves in a food pantry. I GET IT ALREADY!

So in the past week I’ve thrown in some change at the same red kettle I had previously jilted $20. We’ve had a united way campaign going on at work for a month or so, with different ways to donate. This month they’re doing ornaments to dedicate to a family member who’s passed away. So I bought a $2 ornament for Tyson’s dad. (I honestly don’t know how his family would feel about that, but I thought it was important. I didn’t know his dad how everyone else does, but I still feel a grief for the father in law I’ll never know and the grandfather my daughter will never have. But that’s another post for another time.)

The basic jist I’m getting at is it feels GOOD to give. I actually look forward to the next little red kettle I see. I think after Christmas I will try to budget in being able to give more often. People need all throughout the year, not just December.

Do you donate or volunteer?

When you need a reminder…

There are many reasons I enjoy my job. 

But in the grand scheme of things, I long to be rid of this job and home being a mommy. 

It helps every now & then to remind myself that I do like it here. To know that God is doing good work through me for the time I am here. It just takes hanging up the phone after talking to a lonely elderly patient for 5 minutes, to know that. I brought a smile to their face, a break in their monotony; that’s enough work for one day. Everything doesn’t need to be so complicated.

This week it was also easy to realize how fun it is here…

Wednesday was a pizza party for a birthday

Today was a pizza party for getting 91% customer satisfaction

Next Wednesday will be a breakfast/brunch Christmas party

I often lament & wish I were in elementary school, everything resulted in party then. Sometimes I forget I have that now.

Holiday Traditions: Part II

The past week or so has been tedious, to say the least.

With the constantly driving in snow covered roads, a daughter that won’t consistently stay asleep, the jumble of list in my head for the holidays (How DOES Santa keep his lists straight??) and stress at work, I have been an emotional wreck. To the point of, while falling asleep last night, I considered taking a pregnancy test the next morning just to make sure. But after G letting me get 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I miraculously felt much more with it – and very much not with child.

My point to all of the rambling nonsense was I’ve been busy…and I literally called Uncle last night on the drive home. (Audibly, ask my daughter who was in the back seat and the unnecessarily-slow moving truck in front of me whom I directed it towards….) Getting to this blog has totally not been a priority. Then today at it work it dawned on me: I had promised a post of our Christmas traditions…..how better to get my mental lists organized than to make them tangible lists, while posting it on my blog! Ta da!

So here we are. Now that everyone is on the same page, lets get rollin’

Baking Cookies

This will be the 3^rd year my mom & I have made Christmas cookies. We decided to start doing it as gifts for friends & family instead of gifts. (And who doesn’t love cookies??) My mom & I are planners, so this extends much beyond just the day of baking. There’s the deciding on which recipes to choose, what to package them in, when to make them, etc. The first year we were way too ambitious, choosing too many recipes. What can I say, we like cookies. At the end of that shenanigan we had promised each other to limit how many recipes we did the next year. And we did. Kind of. My mom likes to add recipes as the day approaches. I also wasn’t much help last year, being pregnant & swollen & having to wash the dough of my hands every 20 minutes to pee.

This year I’ve arranged for a daddy/daughter day for G…and we DID limit our recipes. We’re also working on something a little different this year. Though I might actually gain a reader, which would bring me to a total of 1. And it would be my luck that the 1 reader is someone receiving the new ‘thing’…so you’ll have to wait & hear about it later.

Hopefully in coming Christmases this can become a 3 generation tradition with G joining us. I have visions of little aprons dancing in my head.

Making Candles

For a few years I made candles with a family member. It was always a lot of fun deciding on colors & scents (picking scents that really did not “GO” with the colors was always my favorite). It was also a great way to recycle the stubs of other candles used throughout the year, as we’d melt those down to make into new candles. But due to circumstances beyond my control, that won’t be happening anymore. My sister & I had talked about taking up the tradition, but it didn’t happen this year. Two mom’s, with two little ones, one busy being a mommy, and making jewelry & being in a show and the other busy with a demanding change at work…and well there you have it. No candles this year. Maybe we’ll get a jump on next year, and make them in January!

Christmas Eve

For as long as I was growing up, Christmas Eve meant church service @ 7:00 and egg nog by the fire once we got home. Then it was off to bed to me, as I wondered what the adults did downstairs while they waited for Santa. As I got older…I was often one of the last ones to bed, and Christmas Eve lost its magic.

However this year it’s been completely revived, as a new tradition is starting in our household. Christmas Eve morning one of Santa’s elves will leave a new pair of pajamas and a new Christmas book , for G, to be used for Christmas Eve night. I am most excited about this. J

Which of course will be followed by Christmas Eve service, egg nog by the fire and if I can convince all other adults – a screening of Polar Express on the giant HD screen. (No matter how many times I watch that movie it makes me cry - it stills reminds me that Christmas can be magically, even without the magic!)

Christmas Day

The actual activities of Christmas day have morphed over the years, as I assume it does in all families; as everyone grows up, moves out and starts their own families with their own traditions. So right now our Christmas day is actually kind of looking for its identity, which I’m sure will flourish as we have older kiddies to enjoy the day with. Though there is always that orange in the toe of the stocking to look forward to. (Other than the year there must have been cold weather in FL, as Santa left random fruit in the toe of our stockings. Tyson’s smelled like a banana for a few days after that!)

The most important tradition of this entire month is time spent with family. I look forward to every get together, every moment that is different from the status quo of all other 11 months of the year. I love my family, and I love spending time with them. Laughing. Eating good food. Sharing stories & talking. Eating good food. Gift giving. Eating good food. Did I leave anything out? Oh yeah, eating good food.

What types of traditions does your family have?

Grateful for the Dull & Boring

This week I am struggling to come up with what I’m grateful for.

Not that I’m lacking for things, just that they all seem sort of dull & boring. It’s an okay to think to be grateful for dull & boring things, right?

For starters, I’m grateful for automatic draft saves…because though I did type up what I was thankful for last week, I forgot to post it. It sat there waiting for me.

….Also for a successful trip to the Christmas tree farm this weekend, and being able to decorate the house & tree. G’s first experience with Christmas makes everything seem so much more fun & meaningful this year.

…and on that same note, for having a young body or else that wipe out in the tree farm parking lot could have been much more disastrous.

…for a husband who tries to let me get as much sleep as possible on the work nights he’s home, even if G refuses to be comforted by anyone but me in the wee hours

…and also for a daughter who decides that after one rough night’s sleep, she’ll give a reprieve and sleep for 11 hours.

And because I just thought of one more thing….

….Radio stations that play all Christmas music, and being able to share an office with a boss who also likes to have Christmas music on 24/7 this time of year

Full of Gratefulness

This week I am truly grateful for:

…My husband returning, safely, from a trip back home, and relaxed

…A fun Saturday with my mom, Grandma & G, hanging out around the house, going to a craft bazaar and just relaxing

…SNOW! It may be cumbersome to drive in. But it’s so pretty and really makes it much easier to get in the Christmas spirit. I am one of those annoying people who loves every single season, for one reason or another.

….Being able to stay home and have a Mommy & baby day with G today. Tuesday’s are my mom’s day to watch G, and she is not feeling well at all. And G seemed to be running a slight fever. I just didn’t have the heart to bundle her up, drive through the mess on the roads and send her off to the sitter for the day. So I stayed home. J

…A job that allows me to get *some* work done from home. Not 8 hours worth, but a few hours to make me feel less guilty and not necessary for me to use an ENTIRE day off from my Time Off bank.

Holiday Traditions: Part 1

Apparently becoming a mother as not only instilled in me a more sensitive ear, crazy thought reading abilities & finding the use of my mouth to hold & open things to be about as useful as an additional appendage….but I have been completely overwhelmed with the necessity to start “family holiday traditions”. Move over nesting, you never even came close to this.

I have been blessed to have come from a family that loved to celebrate. Every holiday is a celebration, a chance to see famiy, eat good food and just to purely enjoy what God has graced us with. Resulting in my necessary 3 month long celebration; when Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas all seem to jumble together.

I also came from a “broken” family. Though I really dislike the term “broken” because we’re all crazy, you can’t fix us, we don't want you to fix us and if anyone tried it would cost an exorbitant amount of cash...to be paid to us. But because of this I celebrated many holidays at least twice. Which really only adds fuel to this fire, because I’ve got lots of places to pull traditions from.

The one thing I enjoy about creating holiday traditions for my own family, is I can keep the traditions I know & love, forget all about the ones I really didn’t care for and implement some of my own! I also enjoy the opportunity to coordinate with my husband. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve asked him about HIS family traditions and any he’d like to implement in our family. Parenthood, in general, is a cooperative team sport….but for some reason to bring two sets of traditions together makes it feel even MORE like we are joining two families. If there are two things I love it’s holidays & family. (And who’s kidding who, all the food too!)

For Thanksgiving I put out some card stock and pens, crayons & markers. I also printed out some blank leaves which I cut out and put with the supplies. I traced G’s hand print and made a hand-print turkey; in the middle of which I put the things she’s thankful for. (Being that she’s 8 months old, I took a wild guess with 'Mommy, Daddy, Puffs & Milk')

Then adults were asked to write what they were thankful for on the leaves, and the children had a choice of making their own hand-print turkey or using a leaf.

As the day progressed not only did everyone get into writing what they were thankful for & decorating their leaves & turkeys…my aunt & I decided it would be fun to let people read them aloud. So we randomly put the leaves or turkeys down in front of plates around the table. (Or not so randomly in some cases, we thought it would be all too funny for my uncle to read about being hopeful of getting along with future college roommates) And as we started to pass food around the table we all took turns reading what others were thankful for. Much to my surprise, everyone seemed to be “into” it and enjoyed it. Hopefully this is something that we will continue to do.

It was my original intention to just trace G’s handprint & write in the things she's thankful for, every year. (And of course do the same for any subsequent children's hand prints) Then some how make some decorative chain/garland with them. But since as of right now, I only have one hand print, I don’t have to completely finish this thought process yet. However, after seeing how much everyone seemed to enjoy the leaves & turkeys, I may find a way to include those. Ten years from now it'd be nice to look back to see who was around for Thanksgiving that year, and what they were thankful for. So for now, I'll just hold onto the pieces until I have another jolt of creativity. 

Stayed tuned for a Part 2 where I share current Christmas traditions and what my plans for new traditions. 

Truly Grateful Tuesdays!!!

Has it really been almost a week since I last posted?
Time flies, especially when I had a long weekend to enjoy with my family....

So here is what I've grateful for this week:

.....4 AMAZING days off with my husband & daughter. I have not spent 4 days in a row, without having to work, with G since my maternity leave ended. It was pure bliss.

.....Black Friday shopping with my mom, Grandma, Aunt & G...without a major argument. It was actually enjoyable!!

.....My husband who keeps going to a job that he really does not like, to provide for his family. He sees the missed time as not being there for his family, when I see the exact opposite. He's doing what he has to right now. Like all things in life, this too shall pass.

.....Teething Bling!!

Without which making this post (and catching up on old posts) would not have been possible!

8 Months Here We Are

Today G hit the 8 month mark.
A month ago I was so incredibly certain she'd be moving around by now.

But I was wrong. She has been so close to crawling for awhile now, but has recently decided she's much  more interested in standing on her own for longer periods of time, and working on walking. (And now is pretty successful at maneuvering those little feet when someone holds her hands.)

I was preparing for a crawling baby...not so much for a walking baby....

Her personality is really beginning to shine, and she makes me laugh daily. She's also very talkative, and I would just love to know what she *thinks* she's saying.

Let me just say, it is getting more & more difficult to do these monthly pictures by myself. Even this month the piece of paper was wondering what it ever did to deserve this....

8 Months Here We Are

Today G hit the 8 month mark.
A month ago I was so incredibly certain she'd be moving around by now.

But I was wrong. She has been so close to crawling for awhile now, but has recently decided she's much  more interested in standing on her own for longer periods of time, and working on walking. (And now is pretty successful at maneuvering those little feet when someone holds her hands.)

I was preparing for a crawling baby...not so much for a walking baby....

Her personality is really beginning to shine, and she makes me laugh daily. She's also very talkative, and I would just love to know what she *thinks* she's saying.

Let me just say, it is getting more & more difficult to do these monthly pictures by myself. Even this month the piece of paper was wondering what it ever did to deserve this....

Truly Grateful Tuesdays!!!

Truly Grateful Tuesdays

I’ve barely been able to keep up with this blog, and I have stashes of things to post. Heck, I don’t even think I have anyone reading this. But I have suddenly become ambitious enough to start my own meme.  (What’s a meme you ask?)

I heard on the John Tesh radio show, of all places, some benefits of keeping a gratitude journal.  I know I am not disciplined enough to keep up with an actual 'writing' journal. Trust me. I’ve tried. Recently. So I figured: Hey I have a blog. And hey I don’t need to do it EVERY day….so I’ll do it once a week.

And from hence forth, it shall officially be called: Truly Grateful Tuesdays

That’s it, all my creativity for the week. I can’t possible risk using & therefore exhausting another brain cell to list what I am grateful for…………

Perhaps, I should be grateful for brain cells. For that I truly am. Especially the ones in my daughter’s head. She is such a smart baby and it is such a joy to watch her grow & learn.

I’m also grateful for:

… a wonderful place to work and a very relaxed boss. (Who let me leave a little early Friday after Tyson & G came to surprise me with a visit me.)

… getting my blood test results back and my TSH levels are good, and my meds don’t need to be upped again!

…a very productive weekend, and a very comfortable bed to crash into after a long weekends worth of work.

…safe hunting excursions for Tyson & my grandfather (Even though Tyson *shot* a buck with a HUGE rack, and after tracking for hours the blood trail ran cold. Now we have reason to believe that buck is out there taunting Tyson. Oh well, still plenty of time left in the season!)

Typing that brought a smile to my face. What a great way to reflect on the past week. I also thought it fitting to start this “trend” the week of Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for this year, and can’t wait to share one of my favorite holidays with my daughter. A happy thanksgiving to each & every one of you! Safe travels to those of you who are venturing out!

Here's Your Christmas Card!

There will be no cute Christmas card this year. My usually smiley, photogenic daughter decided to note cooperate:

 
 



Which is just as well, cause I couldn't get the lighting to cooperate either

Mama Don’t Take My Kodachrome

Over the past 5 years have hemmed and hawed about starting a photography business. Photography is something I have loved since I was in my early teens, and thank goodness, I’ve continued to learn new things, improve and find joy in it.

Often I’ve had people suggest I do it professionally. I’ve kind of done that now & then in my life. I went up the ranks at Picture People, though they don’t really encourage artistic creativity, at least not in the way my OWN business would allow & demand. I worked for a wedding photographer, and I’ve helped out a friend with her studio. But none of that has filled the little hole in my soul that wants to make photography what I DO.

In case you haven’t noticed, I think big thoughts. I often don’t follow through. I get scared, realize I’ve taken on too much, or just get overwhelmed at all the necessary steps involved. Usually when I start to think about how much I would love my own business & career, I shut down. Beat myself up. Spend the next few days telling myself I’m not good enough to *charge* people to take their pictures. It will take me a couple weeks to recover from this self-degradation before I touch my camera again.

Truth is, I’m okay at it, I guess. (*stares at floor while I shuffle back & forth*) I lack in proper equipment & computer programs, but with time all those things can be upgraded. I really have no desire to photograph weddings. Honestly, it is way too much pressure for me and that in turn takes the joy out of what I love. I enjoy photographing families, children, babies….they are what matter most to me, in my life, so naturally I would want to spend my time & talent capturing these important things for other people. 

Last weekend I photographed my Grandparent’s 50^th Wedding Anniversary Party. It wasn’t a difficult task, and I knew they’d be pleased with whatever they ended up with. They just wanted photos of the event. Much to my surprise, after sitting down at my grandfather’s computer and editing the photos, they actually looked professional. I was, and still am, very pleased with myself.

 

 

 

My biggest hurdle, really, is time. I work 40+ hours a week, at a job I actually enjoy. I don’t enjoy the full time hours, and would love the opportunity to work part-time at my “job” and spend other time on my family and business. I’m also a new mom. In my opinion this first year is so very important, and I don’t want to miss any more time than I have to.

Maybe down the road, as my babies get a little older (heck I need to have more babies first) and as Tyson finds his place in this world, God will give me the opportunity to do this. In the meantime I’ll keep clicking away, because that’s better than nothing!

Lessons in Parenthood #535

Today I learned that if the baby is momentarily out of sight....she will always find some way to occupy herself.

After hearing her giggle & talk while I was in the shower this AM, I find this sight on the bathroom floor. Not sure how she did it, but her arm was IN her pajamas when I got in the shower.

I ran down the hall to wet a washcloth, and she helped herself. (In case you're wondering, yes those are dirty.)

Daylight Savings Funk

I’ve really been struggling the past few days. My mind feels full to capacity, but when I sit down to put it in words….no words exist.

Everything seems to be overwhelming to me, yet I don’t have a reason why. Work has been stressful, and it makes me miss G something terrible. So maybe that’s it. What it all really boils down to. I’ve read that a new mom’s brain grows and her senses are more intuned to her baby. Maybe I’m so upset over the time I’m missing with her that this emotion has completely hijacked my brain.

Or…I could just blame this funk I’m in on daylight savings. (Much like I blamed daylight savings on the extreme urge to shove a fondue fork up a co-workers nose today. She really got under my skin, and that was the first image that came to mind. Go figure.)

.......Needless to say…....I have not been doing such a good job sticking to the organization schedule.

Operation Get Organized: Part One

I am trying to get organized.

Transitioning to the world of being a full-time working Mom has been a difficult one. (Emotionally, physically & mentally…) And it’s often something that I wish I could protest by kicking & screaming; this really isn’t how I wanted to parent. But that’s how life is right now. My time outside of work is precious and I need to learn to make the most of it.

So as stated before, it’s time to get organized

I’m going to try and tackle one area of my life that needs organization, every month. It takes 21 days to create a new habit (or break a bad one). So I figure if I give myself a month that gives me a week to forget I’m supposed to be doing it and the remaining three weeks to actually do it!

The first month of “Operation Get Organized” is to work on my evening routine – mostly in respect to my “chores”. I will put off dishes, laundry, dusting, you name it…as long as I can. Until it gets to the point that the clutter & piles of stuff everywhere drives me to the edge and I’m cursing & resembling Linda Blair in her famous role. (Minus the spewing of pea soup…)

I like that movie and all…….BUT…..

The goal is to wash baby bottles & dishes EVERY NIGHT. And then have one area of the house that I tidy up each evening. (Originally laundry was going to be part of this, but I will hopefully be getting some help from my mom in this area…which would be a HUGE help. With Tyson’s work schedule, I can’t really expect him to consistently get things done during the week, so to get some regular help from another adult is most appreciated.)

I’m thinking the “chore” schedule will be this:

Monday – Bedroom: tidy, dust & empty garbage

Tues & Wed: I’ll cut myself some slack, these are the nights that I need to have a diaper bag packed for G to spend the day @ the sitters….and maybe I’ll work in doing some yoga or pilates with the extra 10-15 minutes I’ll get these nights.

Thurs- Bathroom: tidy, clean & empty garbage

Fri- Hallway (which serves as an office/playroom/catchall room): tidy, dust and empty desk garbage & diaper pail.

Sat & Sun’s off

(You don’t see G’s bedroom on here, because that room is actually one that I keep on top of regularly. It’s the only one that hasn’t gotten out of my control.)

Eventually we’ll have our own house, and I’ll need to add other rooms to this schedule. But hopefully this works for now.

In reality I have about 60-90 mins between when G goes to sleep & when I turn into a pumpkin….and I’d also like to get in a teeny tiny bit of computer time in here too. The trick is if I can keep on top of the baby bottles…I’ll have more time in the evenings. So here goes nothing.

Stay tuned…..

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Trick-or-Treat For the Troops

I heard about a great idea today, and it made me wish we’d be trick or treating this weekend. (The idea of doing so with a 7 month old sounds not only pointless, but exhausting!)

So instead I share this with you all, in hopes that someone will do it for me.  Instead of eating ALLLL that candy you’ll accrue this weekend (or have left over), consider sending some to our troops deployed overseas.

When Tyson was in the navy he gave me the advice to send lots of snacks in his care packages, because when someone got a package it was a big deal & they would all share the snacks that arrived. So I imagine that some candy could go a long way. (Though not sure how the chocolate candy would fair, it takes about a month for packages to arrive and well….it’s hot in the desert…or out on the ships in the gulf.)

Operation Gratitude puts the care packages together themselves, and they’re accepting Halloween candy donations. So all you need to do is drop it in the mail and let them do all the work.

Or you can add a little more “stuff” with your candy and create your own care package using anysoldier.com (which has links for the other branches also). I didn’t have much time to browse the site, but you’re able to search for troops based on branch, the state they're stationed in, etc. You get to choose who to send the packages and it’ll list what they need. Pretty cool.

I’m glad I came across these ideas before the holidays, I’d like to put a box together and get it out pretty soon. My heart aches when I think about these troops spending holidays away from families. Tyson & I never had to spend a Christmas apart, luckily, but I do remember that Thanksgiving & other holidays were difficult. I can only imagine what it feels like to wake up Christmas morning and know you’re missing this time with your family. If I can take an hour or so & $20 out of my life to brighten a solider (or sailor, marine, or coastie)’s day…why the heck not.

I encourage you all the do the same.

Concen........huh?

Concentration has been eluding me this week. Okay, it’s been eluding me since last July when I found out I was pregnant, but this week has been especially taxing on that part of my brain.

I have not been lacking such concentration that I caught myself looking up blogs, searching to see if drinking hard water is the reason for our cat’s weight loss, completing DMV paperwork (oh and the actual trip to the DMV is a whole other story!), working on posts for this here blog, or finding local organic farms, all while I’m at work.  Nope. Not me. I work diligently for all 8 hours.

In my defense this work week has been a little stressful, and I’ve occasionally needed a brain break.

It also had me wondering if this is a post-partum affect. (It seems excessive to have a 7 month old and still make post-partum excuses for myself, but oh well.) I know that pregnancy plays around with your concentration. So in keeping with this week’s tradition, I looked it up, while at work. And the answer is…………. Pregnancy & post partum can mess with your thyroid function, which in turn can mess with your concentration. I had hypothyroidism before pregnancy, and since giving birth we’ve been adjusting my medication level because it has in fact been totally outta whack. So there! *insert juvenile tongue sticking out here* I have a medical excuse for looking up Christmas gift ideas at work. (Gosh I hope no one from work ever finds this blog!)

I still can’t seem to find out how long you’re considered post-partum. I only found one source that said it was the 6 week period after giving birth. I beg to differ. My body is still recovering. Anyone know the answer to this? I guess it could just be called motherhood, right?

Please forgive me if this post has more zigs & zags than a mogul ski course, I had half a cup of non-decaf coffee this AM (with the most yummiest pumpkin spice creamer) and I’m feeling the effects right now. I am flying high. There’s a reason I stick to decaf. I needed to run to Target on my lunch break, maybe the driving should wait until I calm down a little bit.

And caffeine is supposed to aid concentration, not with me apparently!!

Seven Months

G hit the 7 month mark today.

This past month flew by. After all the dreading I did leading up to her reaching 6 months, I am shocked at how quickly another month has passed without my knowledge. A month ago I wasn’t ready for my baby to be a whole half a year old. And now she’s *more* than half a year.

I am constantly amazed by this little girl. And I just know in a month’s time she’ll be mobile. She’s so close right now, there’s no going back after this next milestone. It seems as though I am the ONLY person not pushing her to start crawling. I like a stationary baby. A cute little baby that just happily sits on the bathroom floor, playing, while I take my morning shower. Once she’s moving, I can’t just plop her down any old place. BUT…we’re not there yet…so I won’t think about it.

(Though thinking about baby proofing might be a good idea.)

This month brought some big changes for G. She sprouted some hair…FINALLY….

All kidding aside, she has really started to finally get some more hair. Let’s just assume it’s the changing weather; all cute little animals must grow a thicker coat. Tyson & I joke that she’s finally getting bed head, and it’s just long enough to cover her ears….okay maybe cover is the wrong word. Overlap. A little bit.

Although this first year is flying by too fast for my liking, I’m enjoying every minute of this beautiful girl and can’t wait to see what adventures the next month bring. She’s only a baby once, so I treat every month almost like a birthday. (Minus the cake, presents & games…though I wouldn’t be against eating cake every month.)

What girl doesn’t like clothes? I know I find a mild satisfaction of seeing my dresser drawers full and not an empty hanger in the closet. (Because that also means the miracle of miracles occurred, and all of my clothes are clean!) But since moving with a newborn, and having a 'new' body to dress – I’ve become very good at purging myself of clothes that don’t fit or that don’t look that great.

Almost –too- good. Because now I’m rotating about 4-6 different, acceptable, tops for work.

I still don’t tire of hearing people compliment how I look after having a baby. Right after G was born I would absolutely beam at the mention of my figure. But let’s get real now, she’s almost 7 months old and I’m still sporting a little pooch. And my confidence has taken a serious hit. (Yes I can see your eyes rolling and hear your sighs all the way out here in the boondocks.)

Never the less, this is not the body I’m used to. My hips are wider, my butt is too (though I don’t hear Tyson complaining about that one), my the girls are smaller (despite still nursing??) and my tummy jiggles when I walk. Not things I’m used to.

While I am working on getting more in tone & in shape, my wardrobe is suffering. I find it difficult to feel like I look nice in anything I wear. So I end up dressing frumpy. Or so I feel. I haven’t quite resorted to mom jeans yet, but I feel I’m one old baggy t-shirt away.

What prompted these thoughts, you ask? I went to the rest room at work today, looked in the mirror and actually said to myself “who let me buy another striped shirt??” Seriously. Who did? I hold you all responsible!

As soon as I got home I covered it with a sweatshirt, and I intend on sending it to the salvation army as soon as it comes out the other side of the laundry.

I’ll slowly start working on a more respectable, full-time working, sweating off the pooch to get hot, mommy wardrobe. In the meantime I hope they don’t catch on to my wearing the same 5 shirts at work.

Can you hear that....the faint jingle bell in the distance?

I absolutely love this time of year. Fall is my favorite season. Period. Then add in that it marks the start of the "holidays" (at least in my book). More importantly it also means the start of preparing for the holidays, which I find about as enjoyable, if not more so.
Tyson really dislikes how much I over-book & over-plan our lives, especially this time of year. But there's so much I want to do, that I can't help it. Fall brings apple picking, applefest, pumpking picking & carving pumpkings, decorating for Halloween, etc, etc, etc. And that's all before Tiff's annual Halloween Party.

Now that I have my daughter to share this with - it's even more exciting! Sure she doesn't have a clue as to what's *really* going on around her, but she loves being outside. She just excited to & happy to be outdoors, and maybe inside, a little bit, it makes me think she might be intersted in what we're doing. Maybe I'm a little delusional. So what?

Naturally this all means that I'm more excited for Thanksgiving & Christmas, also. I've been Christmas shopping for a couple months now, and anticipate being finished in November. Which means December will be that much less-stressful. I want to be able to enjoy G's first holiday season.

I'm so caught up in all the excitement of the coming weeks & months, that I'm even excited for opening day of hunting season. (Could it be that waking up to boxes of donuts on the kitchen table is skwing my feelings??) But like everything else, there's a presence of excitement in the air on opening day, and I've just started throwing that in with being part of the "holidays"

Oddly enough this is the first year that I don't really care so much about my birthday, which used to always be included amongst the "holidays". I remember last year everyone told me to enjoy my birthday because once I had a baby, my brithday wouldn't matter anymore. I automatically assumed that they were referring to how others would treat my birthday and it made me a little sad - I didn't once think it would change my opinion of the day. I'm looking forward to spending the day with my husband & daughter - and that's good enough for me. (Of course spending time with other family is always a plus too!). But I no longer view it as an additional holiday........Though I am getting giddy over the idea of Tyson treating me to Cheesecake Factory.

Pumpkin Picking & Carving

Today we took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch - and then later, after much convincing, Tyson & I carved them.


Looking for a pumpkin......

Tyson does the heavy lifting....

G posing with our finds....

Mama & G....she dressed herself I swear!!

Watch out, Tyson's got a knife....

Taking a break to snack on some puffs....

The final products....



Here I Am!!!!

Over the past 4 months, I've lost track of how many times I've tried to start a "blog". (I really don't like that word, but that's what this is so we'll go with it....)

I don't know why I feel such an urge to update people I know (and those I may not) with mundane happenings in my life, but I do. Maybe because I feel partly misunderstood? Could be. I want to share things with people I may not see or talk too regularly? It's a good idea. Possibly because I have the world's most adorable baby girl and an awesome husband? Yup. That must be it.

In trying to start my blog, I tried a couple with "themes". But I got bored with those real fast, so I knew anyone reading it would too. I guess I'll just go with random. I'm good at random. Today one of my coworkers informed me I'm random & weird, but that's what they expect from me. So there ya go.

This will just be my sharing of thoughts on the journey of marriage and amazing achievements that my daughter makes - which my seem small to you but just completely floor me; proving to me what a miracle babies are.
I'll probably also share my attempts at creating a more simple & natural life. (Believe me, that includes some crazy idea - like did you know I have shampooed my hair since August??)