One Long Lady

So Meredith had her three month visit at the doctor today.  Of course that meant another set of shots:( Fortunately these shouldn't give her a reaction, so now that we're home the worst is over, and I'm sure she's forgotten about the pain already.  My favorite part of any doctor visit is getting to find out her height and weight.  She is currently 11lbs 60z and 24 1/2".  This puts her in the 50% for weight, and the 90% for height!!!  At a petite 5'4 I can definitely guarentee that little Mere with be bigger than her mommy one day!  I see a career as a supermodel in her future!

A VERY Thankful Thursday!

It works out perfectly that today is Thursday, the day I dedicate this blog to all the things I'm thankful for.  Today is also February 26th, which is the anniversary of the day my Skip came home from Iraq.  Four years ago today I was standing on the runway of a small military base in Willow Grove, PA, freezing my butt off, because you know I was not dressing for comfort on that day!  Every year on this day my husband and I rewatch the video we have of his arrival back to the US (ok, so it's more like I make him watch it with me)  I think it's so important to always remember what he went through and just how beyond happy we were that day.  So today, and everyday, I am thankful that my husband came home safe and sound from Iraq...and I am also thankful that this year we can share this anniversary with our healthy and happy daughter:)

They Grow Up So Fast

It seems as if my Meredith has sprouted up overnight! All of a sudden she seems so big to me! She is no longer the tiny, red, wrinkled, squirmy baby I brought home from the hospital. She is so awake and alert now! She loves kicking, smiling, and cooing. I even heard her at 4:00am last night laughing to herself! She seems so long now too (we'll find out at the doctor today exactly how big she has gotten this month) My little girl now sleeps through the night (yay!) and has finally moved into size 1 diapers! A few of her newborn outfits, including our favorite bear sleeper, no longer fit:( She is my big girl and loves to sit up and just take in the world around her. She is still a tiny baby, don't get me wrong, but I just can't get over how much she has changed in the past two weeks! I know every mother that ever came before me has commented on how fast their kids grow up, but it is so true! It is truly an amazing experience getting to watch her grow and change. I can't wait to see what will be different today!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:
- It being a nice day so I could take Meredith for a nice long walk
- My baby sister who always humors me in my craziness
- My two puppies who provide me with playful times, comfort, and security
- My husband who will do anything for his family
- My beautiful daughter and her amazing smiles

Bumbo Seat

Today I got the Bumbo seat I had ordered for Meredith in the mail.  I was so excited to get it and have her try it out.  She has been lifting her head up since day one and has incredible neck control, so I knew she was ready to use it.  And I knew she would need something else to sit in once she grows out of her bouncy seat.  So I quick got it out of the packaging and put her right in it.  Well, she loved it!  She has been really interested in looking around and observing everything recently, so this is great.  It's so funny to see her sitting in it like a tiny little person:)  I highly recommend this to all new moms!

Eight Golden Hours

I don't think I will ever figure out this whole baby schedule thing.  Meredith seems to change her mind on her sleeping schedule all the time.  However, last night it was a good change.  She slept through the night...the entire night!!  We put her down at 7:30, which is half an hour earlier than her normal bedtime.  But she seemed really tired so we put her down early.  I assumed that because we had put her down earlier than normal, she would wake up even earlier in the morning.  However, at 6:00 I awoke with a start.  The baby hadn't woken up yet!  I panicked that something was wrong and quick went into her room to check on her.  I was so relived when I saw she was sleeping peacefully still.  I went back to bed and didn't wake up until I heard the baby crying at 7:30.  She slept for 12 hours straight!  I could not believe it!  It was so great because it allowed me to get 8 straight hours of sleep last night.  That hasn't happened since before she was born, so I was ecstatic to be so well rested:)  I know that she won't sleep this well every night from now on, but it does give me hope that some time in the future she will!  Now if we could just figure out this whole napping during the day thing we'll be all set!

My Valentines

I am a very lucky girl, with TWO Valentines this year, my wonderful husband and beautiful daughter. I love them both so much!

Thankful Thursday (a day late!)

I plan on dedicating every Thursday from now on as "Thankful Thursday".  I want to take the opportunity to reflect a little bit and count all the many blessings I have in my life.  However, I was too busy watching the two-hour Grey's Anatomy event last night to blog then, so I'm a day late this week!

I am grateful for:

- All of the help I have received on my blogs.  I no longer feel alone as a new mom, but have lots of help from so many generous women...Thank you everyone!

- Nothing being damaged on my property from the high winds yesterday

- My bulldog puppy (who is not quite house-broken yet) had two straight days without an accident....let's go day #3!

- My baby took four decent length naps yesterday

- My husband who is a constant source of strength, support, and love.  And I will never be able to thank him enough for doing whatever it takes so I can stay home with our daughter...it means the world to me!

I Wish This Could Last Forever

Yesterday was a really good day.  I actually got a decent amount of sleep and the baby was happy and giggly all day.  Thanks to some great advice I received on my last blog (thanks ladies!) I was feeling much better about everything.  Also, it was 60* yesterday!!!!  The warm weather always puts me in a good mood.  It was such a nice break from the below freezing temps we've been suffering through.  And it was wonderful to finally see all those mounds of snow we've been staring at since before Christmas start to melt.  I took the baby on a nice long walk in the afternoon, with a stop off at Grandma and Grandad's house.  I've been able to walk her every day for the past 5 days.  It's been wonderful for both of us.  It's good for her to get some fresh air and the motion of the carriage always lulls her to sleep.  And I love being able to get out of the house with her and get in some exercise (especially since I can't seem to drop these last 5 pounds!).  The sun and gentle winds helped me to feel like myself again, before I was pregnant, and always helps me gain some perspective on anything that has been troubling me.  It was so nice to be out that I immediately agreed to go out again with the husband when he suggested we go to the park in Ridgewood.  There is a mile-marked path Skip likes to run on, so the baby and I came along (at a MUCH slower pace)  We both enjoyed our second 45-minute walk, but by the end my legs were so sore!  I haven't worked out too much recently and I keep forgetting that I'm only 10 1/2 weeks post-partum and not everything is back the way it used to be!  But it felt good.

I was very disappointed though when I woke up this morning.  Yes, it is 52* and much warmer than it should be for this time of year, but with 50-60 mile an hour winds, it's not good weather to take the baby out in.  So we will have to break our 5 day walking streak and only dream of the warm spring days that still seem so far out of reach.  We are using this opportunity to just snuggled up all day on the couch and watch movies though, which can often be just as relaxing and refreshing!

Sometimes Being the First Isn't Always the Best

For the past few weeks Meredith has been on a pretty good sleeping schedule.  She goes down at 8:00 and then sleeps till either 5:00 or 5:30, and goes back down again till around 8:00.         It has been great and has afforded me with some quiet time to get things done around the house and even a decent amount of sleep.  Everything was going pretty good until two nights ago when I was awoken to the sounds of the baby crying at only 3:00am.  It also didn't help that I had only been asleep since about 12:30.  Since she had been practically sleeping through the night recently, I figured that there was no way she was hungry, as she has been going so long without eating.   And I didn't want to just feed her if that wasn't what was wrong.  So I changed her and burped her and rocked her.  With the tears still coming I sang to her, read her a story, and rocked her some more.  An hour passed and she still wasn't going down to sleep.  As I started to cry out of frustration, I brought her into our room, hoping Skip would have some advice, or at least we could figure it out together.  However, as a man who slept through mortar attacks in Iraq, my gentle cries didn't even stir him.  Finally, out of tiredness and lack of ideas, I fed the baby.  She ate a full meal hungrily and I felt terrible that I hadn't just fed her to begin with.  It's just so hard to figure out what she needs and wantss, and how to keep her on a schedule.  And the worst part is that I feel very lonely in the whole process.  I know I can ask my mom any questions I have, but it would be nice to have someone my own age to compare things with.  Some days I just hate that I'm the first person of my friends and family to have a baby and long for them to have some experiences to share with me.  And I also get jealous of them and the fact that when they all have kids, I will be there to give then any advice I have., while I'm doing this blindly.  It's just hard to know what's right and wrong, and whether or not I'm doing what's best for my little girl.  I am trying to let go a little though and just relax and do whatever my instincts tell me.  She woke up again at 3:00 last night, and this time I fed her right away.  She again ate a full meal and drifted peacefully off to sleep.  I'm assuming she's just going through a growth spurt and will be waking up this early for a little longer.  And while I'm not a huge fan of being awake in the middle of the night, I now know what she wants and feel much better about the whole thing.  Though I'm sure she will do something new tomorrow that will confuse me and I'll feel lost once again!

Hold your baby tight

Last week was a tough week for the husband and I. It started out with Meredith's pink eye (which she has recovered from nicely!) Then, a woman he works with lost her 22 year son to a drug overdose. She is a pretty close friend of Skip's, and is constantly talking about her kids. This really hit us hard, as that is the first child we know who has died since we had Meredith. As soon as you have a baby, you immediately begin to worry about EVERYTHING. I am constantly paranoid that something awful is going to happen to Meredith.  I also worry that something will happen to Skip and I, and she will be left all alone.  Both Skip and I get really upset thinking that something could happen to our sweet angel.  That's the most frustrating thing as a parent, the unknown.  I cannot promise Meredith that she will always be safe and happy.  As much as I try and pray for it, I cannot guarantee her safety for the rest of her life.  And that fact breaks my heart.  I can just keep doing whatever I think is best and make sure to hold her a little closer, kiss her more frequently, and enjoy each and every moment we are blessed with her.  

Sick:(

Skip and I had to take Meredith BACK to the doctor again today.  She woke up yesterday with red eyes and discharge coming out of them.  I had a feeling right away it was pink eye.  She was very fussy all day and woke up crying every couple of hours last night.  The doctor confirmed my suspicions today that she does indeed have a cold and pink eye.  This is the first time she has been sick and it just breaks my heart.  Hopefully it will clear up with the medicine in three days and I just can't wait for her to get better.  It's so hard since she is so little and can't tell me what hurts her, and I can't explain to her what's going on.  It is naive of me to think she won't ever get sick again, but I just wish I could keep her safe and happy always.  She really is a trooper though and has been smiling and laughing in between bouts of crying, so hopefully that means she's not too uncomfortable!

The Real Truth About Pregnancy

Here is a compilation of things I learned while pregnant:

- Your entire life and lifestyle does not change once the baby is born...it changes as soon as you get a positive pregnancy test

- I already knew that morning sickness could happen at any time of the day....what I didnt know was that my morning sickness would occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week....for 20 weeks straight!

-Zofran is a miracle drug and I would have never survived teaching without it

-Never take a trip to Paris when you are 10 weeks pregnant and knee-deep in nausea

- Don't move to a brand new house when you are only 5 weeks pregnant and all the new smells make you sick (there were entire weekends I had to stay upstairs in our bedroom...and I couldn't open the kitchen cabinets for months without holding my breath)

- You will crave ice cold water at the height of your nausea, and as soon as you give in to the craving, you will promptly throw it up 

-Eating is often the only thing that makes your stomach feel better (I am the only person who was throwing up all the time, and yet put on weight!)

- Everyone, including strangers, feels they have the right to touch and talk to your belly....that is a right reserved only for the pregnant woman, and her husband

- Everything takes so much longer to do when your pregnant

- You can have a stuffy nose that lasts your entire pregnancy

-Parts of you back that you didn't even know existed will begin to hurt

- They say your cravings are based on nutrients your body is lacking....well I only craved donuts, milk shakes, and candy bars...what does that say about me?!?!

- You will begin to waddle waaaay sooner than you thought you would, and you cannot control it, no matter how hard you try!

- I am amazed my husband didn't ever want to divorce me, my mood swings were so bad

- People think you can't and shouldn't do ANYTHING when you're pregnant

-However it is possible to paint every room of you new house with a huge belly!

- I really missed being skinny, tan, and blond...much more than I thought

-You will be more hungry and thirsty than you ever have in your life

- When you say you need to eat you mean RIGHT NOW

-You will love maternity jeans when you first get them, and hate them by the 8th month

-It doesn't matter how nice you do your hair, how much make-up you put on, or how cute your maternity clothes are.....you constantly feel huge and unattractive

-You cry at everything!

-I went into my pregnancy saying that I would deliver completely natural.....that flew right out the window once I went into labor....I asked for the drugs as soon as I walked in, and a little while later was practically begging for an epidural....don't be a hero it HURTS!

-It was all 100% worth it once I looked into my daughter's beautiful face:) 

I will add more later as I remember them!

Semper Fi Sweetheart pictures

He's home!! First kiss

Seeing each other for the first time!

Getting off the plane

My Marine's Girls!!!