Wordless Wednesday

Me and Little M visiting my sister down the Jersey shore last week!

Honest Scrap

WAHOO!!!  I was very excited the other morning when I got a comment from Young Wife/Mom over at I Took the One Less Travelled By... saying that she had awarded me with this fabulousness!

It is my first ever award, so I'm pretty excited about it!!!  (in case you couldn't already tell)  Ok, so now I'm supposed to share 10 true things about myself that you all may not know, give it away to some other deserving people, and let them know they've been awarded.  I feel like coming up with the 10 things is going to be hard,  but I will give it my best shot.

1. There might have been years here and there that were tougher than others, but I have really loved every stage of my life.  I hope this continues in the years to come.

2. I don't mind calling my friends at all, but I really hate calling companies.  It's totally irrational but I get very anxious about having to do it.  The same goes for talking to people in stores.  It is for this reason that I LOVE the self check-out aisles popping up in stores.

3. Almost every time Skip leaves the house, I think something terrible is going to happen to him.  I think it has to do with the time he spent in Iraq, when I was always preparing myself for the worst.

4. I am a HUGE fan of pop and hip hop music...I would fit right in with a group of 16 year-olds! (though I do draw the line at the Jonas brothers...I just can't take them seriously)

5. I would love to one day be a pastry chef or be an interior decorator, even though I have no training in either field.  

6. I am probably one of the biggest New York Giants fans in the world.  I have tons of t-shirts, jerseys, socks, pants, toys, statues, books, and magazines.  I have waited for hours and hours for autographs from players.  I go to as many games as possible.  I scream like a trucker whenever they mess up during a game, and do push ups every time they score.  

7. I have the worst eating habits in the world.  I am completely addicted to Diet Coke and often eat cookies for breakfast.  The only time I really ate well was when I was pregnant.  I really hope I don't pass these bad habits on to Little M.

8.  All my life people have called me "the little blond one".  I like this and always considered a compliment.  However, I think I associate myself with this a little too much and got very upset when I was pregnant and no long little or blond.

9. Even though I live so close to it, I hate going to New York City.  I just think it's more trouble than it's worth.

10.  It took me an HOUR to write these...pathetic I know.  I was also distracted by watching the most recent episode of The Secret Life of the American Teenager though (my guilty pleasure)

Ok, so now time to pass on the love.  I would like to bestow this award onto

JosiahsMommy at Confessions of a First Time Mom

Janae at McDonough Family Life

Casey at Mine All Mine

Ashley Paige at I Love You More Than Carrots

JLC at French Kiss

Go check out these ladies and their honest blogs.  I look forwarded to reading each of their posts every day!  Thanks again to Young Wife/Mom for the award.  It really means alot!!!!

Friday Night In

I was pretty pleased with myself last night. Since the baby, my house cleaning has obviously fallen by the wayside and is no where near the standard it used to be. Laundry seems to be the worst. I always get it done, but it seems that I really only have time to get one load done a day. Which pretty much means that I have to do laundry *every* day, since I never seem to be able to get on top of it. And big organization projects I want to get done around the house? Forget it!

That is until last night. Skip had two of his guy friends over to hang out, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to get some stuff done (and to let them have some boy time!) I figured I'd start some laundry in the basement and see where I went from there.

While I was down there, I couldn't help but notice the absolute disaster that is our basement. It is unfinished, and with the very low ceilings, we will only ever be able to use it as storage. Because of this, anytime we ever need to put something down there, we pretty much just plop it wherever there is free space and walk away. As I'm sure you can tell this has turned into a giant mess. Skip and I always talk about how we want to organize things down there (especially because of the slight water problem we've been having down there recently) but we never seem to have the time...until last night. I decided that while Skip was hanging out with the boys I would just dive right in and see how far I got.

Well after three hours of moving, cleaning, separating, and organizing I was done! I have two sets of shelves that hold all of our bulk items, extra food and sodas. All of the stuff from our childhood we would like to save has been condensed as much as possible and stored all together in one corner. My painting supplies and Skip's fishing gear are put off to ths side, but still easily accessible. There is now a huge open space in the basement, and nothing is stored anywhere near the area we've been getting water. I cannot tell you how accomplished I feel!

Oh, and while that was going on I continually worked on some laundry...and I finished it all! And by all, I mean *all*. There isn't anything left in my house to wash! I did all of my and Skip's clothes, all of Little M's clothes, all the bath towels, both entire sets of sheets, all four pillows, our mattress pad, and even the comforter! And I even had time to fold it all and put it away!

It's sad that that's the way I want to spend my Friday nights now-a-days, but I guess that's all part of growing up!

ANOTHER Giveaway!

I have yet another fabulous giveaway to tell you about. (I should really get on doing one of these myself!)  This one is by Mrs. over at Trying Our Best (remember she's the one with the awesome button on the side of my blog)  She is giving away two "green" products from a great eco-friendly website she found.  Head on over and check it out!

Giveaway!

Hey guys...no, it's not me doing a giveaway this time...not yet anyway. In honor of her 100th post, Vanessa over at Journey to James 1:27 is doing a fabulous giveaway. Make sure to head over there and check out her blog!

Wordless Wednesday

A flash back to my pregnancy days. Here I am at 23 weeks. I thought I was *huge*. Haha...little did I know how much bigger I would get!

Skip's First Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! to all the dads out there...especially my dad and my most amazing husband. Skip unfortunately had to work the late shift today, 3 pm - 11 pm, so we spread out his Father's Day activities and presents over the past few days when he was off. On Friday Little M and I took him to his *favorite* bakery about half an hour away. He got to pick out any cake he wanted and it was all his to eat. (don't worry, he didn't eat it all in one sitting!) Then that night we watched 'Revolutionary Road' (EXCELLENT movie for anyone interested in seeing it. It is a much sadder than I thought it would be though)

On Saturday we took Little M and drove out to PA to spend the day with Skip's parents. We don't get to see them all that much, so it was nice to just get away for a few hours and relax with them. Once we got home Little M and I gave Skip his presents a day early. I had gotten him a wet vac, which he had been wanting for a while now (this is also the reason he got the presents a day early. With all the rain we have been having, we obviously got some water in our basement. On Friday Skip was saying he wanted to go out and pick up a wet vac. I told him to just wait a day but wasn't sure I could hold him off any longer!) Little M got him a tie, because every dad should get a tie for Father's Day, and a picture of her in a frame that said 'My heart belongs to my dad'. After presents, I went and picked up dinner for us from Charlie Browns. (We decided to order in food instead of going out because it's just too much work with Little M still, and the dinner hour is often her most cranky) It worked out anyways because while I was out picking up the food, Skip put Little M down to bed and we were able to enjoy a nice quiet dinner, just the two of us. We then popped in another movie we had rented ('Immortal Beloved') It is about the life and loves of Ludwig von Beethoven. It is also very boring; we had to turn it off after an hour.

Sunday morning I let Skip sleep in nice and late and then we just hung out and relaxed for a bit before he had to go to work. I felt so bad that he had to work the late shift on Father's Day, but such is life.

It was so special to get to spend this weekend with my new daddy husband. I always knew Skip would be an amazing dad.  He was so excited about being a dad from the moment I told him I was pregnant.  He came to all my ultra sounds appointments, took care of me and the house when I was too sick to leave our room, talked to my stomach 'aka the baby' constantly and never failed to tell me how beautiful I looked (a huge must when you are pregnant and feeling huge and disgusting!)  The day I went into labor Skip spent the whole morning cleaning the entire house because I didn't want my family to see it a mess when they came over to take care of our dogs.  He held my hand through the whole process, never leaving my side.  And the moment Little M was born, he immediately embraced the role of dad.  His face lit up as soon as he saw her; he looked like a kid on Christmas morning!  Skip is also not a man who shies away from being hands-on.  I think he changed more diapers in the hospital than I did!  He never has a problem waking up in the middle of the night for a feeding, changing diapers, giving baths, or singing her to sleep.  There is no one else in the world I would rather have children with.

First picture of Skip and Little M

Thank You!

I just wanted to say a very huge THANK YOU! to all my blogging buddies out there.  All of your comments really helped me.  I am not as stressed or worried now, knowing that this is all normal.  In answer to some of your questions, no I don't think it's late onset colic or that she's gassy, because as soon as I pick her up from her crib she is perfectly happy and smiley.  We haven't had any big changes around here recently so I don't think that's throwing her off.  She is teething though and learning to sit up by herself and creep backwards.  Based on your answers and what I have read, that can be throwing her off her schedule.  I think it might also be a touch of separation anxiety as well, since as I said she is fine once I go in there and she sees me.  Tonight was much better.  It only took her about 15 minutes to go down and it's already 11:30 and I haven't heard a peep out of her.  Maybe she read my blog this morning and decided to give me a break tonight.  Let's hope she sleeps through the night!  Thank you again for all of your help and support, it really made me feel better!

Honest Mommy Moment

For this post I have borrowed this awesome button from "Mrs." over at Trying Our Best

(stop by and check out her blog...it's fabulous!!) I have added the button over to the side.

I need to just vent for a few minutes to say I have absolutely no idea what I am doing as a mom. Tonight Little M woke up around 9:30. She had gone to bed about 45 minutes earlier than normal, so I expected she would probably wake up. I gave her a bottle which she hungrily drank most of. Then I burped her, changed her, and *attempted* to put her back to bed. After lots of crying on both our parts she finally fell asleep around 11. I have no idea what happened to my newborn baby girl who used to sleep wonderfully. The first few months were like a honeymoon with her. She would go right down without a fuss at 7:30. No rocking, or singing, or pacifier necessary. Now she won't go to sleep without a huge production. I don't know what has changed.

And her napping schedule is practically none existent. She does take 2 or sometimes 3 naps a day depending on what time she wakes up in the morning, but I cannot seem to get them at a regular time. Sometimes she will sleep for 2 1/2 hours, while other times it's only for 30 minutes. How do you get a baby to sleep, or at least lay quietly in her crib. If all she wanted to do was play in her crib for an hour I would have no problems, but she just screams. It's not just regular crying either, she screams like she is in pain, but stops as soon as I pick her up.

The other problem is that even if she has just taken a nice nap, if I take her out to the store or for a walk she always falls asleep in the car or stroller. That must be throwing off her schedule as well, but I have no idea how to fix it. She is on a great feeding schedule and is put down to bed at the same time every night, so I have no idea what's going on.

If there are any other moms out there that could give me some advice, please do. I'm just about at my wits end here.

*Mom Tip*

As I think of them, I'm going to be posting some short, quick entries on things I have found useful as a mom. Here is today's tip!

- Get an extra diaper bag, or any oversized bag, fill it with diapers, wipes, small garbage bags, burp cloths, and an extra set of clothes and leave it in your car. Because I have done this I never have to pack a diaper bag when I am running out to the store or on a short trip with Little M. I can just grab my purse and go!

Bedtime Update

Thankfully Little M decided to go to bed not long after I finished my posted last night (early this morning).  I guess she could read what I was writing and decided Mommy was getting tired of playing in the middle of the night!  Even more thankfully, the husband got up with the baby when she woke up for the day at 6:00 am.  *does she ever need to sleep recently?!?!?!?!*  He let me sleep in until 8:30...wahoo!!! It was very exciting.  It did push our plan to get on the road until 9:30, but the sleep was soooo worth it!  I will post tomorrow about all the fun Father's Day activities we have been doing the past few days!

Late Night Partying

When I was pregnant, I was fully aware that I would be a walking zombie the first few months of my child's life. I knew that newborns constantly wake up to be fed, changed, burped, or just rocked. I knew I would pray for the day that she finally slept through the night.

Well here's something a lot of moms don't talk about....It's not just the first few months that can be sleepless, but many months after. My daughter actually slept pretty well from the beginning. And I'd say months 2-4 were absolutely glorious. She slept almost 12 hours a night, every night!! I certainly relished these days and did not take a single one for granted. Since then though we go through patches where Little M will sometimes sleep well and sometimes not. Tonight is one of the "not" nights. It is currently 1:42 am and she has been up for over an hour (this is after waking up two other times since we put her down at 7:30 pm) She has had a bottle, burped, been changed, rocked, sang to, and we even let her cry it out for a few minutes (longer than that and she just works herself up into a total state and is impossible to calm down). Of course I *really* need her to sleep tonight since we are going to see the in-laws in PA tomorrow and wanted to be on the road by 9:00.

I am completely at my wits end and have no idea how I'm going to get her to sleep, considering she is perfectly happy lying next to me right now, playing with her pacifier and cooing. Awesome. Will let you know tomorrow what time she actually lets me go to bed. Hopefully I will get *some* sleep tonight!

MORE Rain + Sick = A Still Cranky Mommy

It's still raining here...seriously, I'm not joking. We've had at least a little bit of rain everyday for at least 2 - 2 1/2 weeks now. It's really getting depressing. I mean if I lived in Seattle I would understand, but here on the East Coast we're used to summer...you know 80* and sun! I think I'll just start building my ark now...or at least a small row boat to get through the pond that has now sprung up in our back yard...or the small stream we now have in the basement. Awesome. Anyways, I promise this whole post will not be about the rain because I do not want to depress you with our crappy weather!

We have had a very busy few days around here. Sunday was Little M's baptism. She looked just like an angel!

And she acted just like an angel too...she slept through the entire ceremony! I could not believe it. Apparently, as long as her Mommy is holding her, she really doesn't mind if strangers pour water on her or rub oil on her head. Who knew?

With all the planning and cleaning and running around I was doing in the days before the baptism, I guess I forgot to take care of myself and rest. As soon as I woke up on Monday I knew I was sick. This was the first time I have been sick since Little M was born and it was not a pleasant experience. Monday wasn't too bad, but Tuesday was just awful. Of course as luck would have it, Skip had to work a 16 hour shift that day, so he was gone from 6 am until 11:30 pm. This left me to take care of the baby, two puppies, and myself. REALLY not a good day, let me tell you. But God love him, Skip decided to take Wednesday off of work to stay home and take care of me and Little M. It was such a HUGE help. He let me sleep until 10:30 and woke me with some medicine and a strawberry Fribble (my favorite!). He then was "Mr. Mom" all day and let me just sleep and rest. I'm not 100% today but soooo much better then I would have been if he hadn't taken off yesterday.

Anyways, that's really it right now...I know, nothing too exciting going on. I'm just hoping to get better and praying the rain stops! Skip's first Father's Day is this weekend and I have some fun little tricks up my sleeve. I hope he likes them!

Rain, Rain, Go Away....

Dear Rain,

Please stop.  I mean really.  It's been rainy ALL WEEK.  And it's June!  If it were April I would understand but that was MONTHS ago.  I really need some color on my pale skin.  And Little M could use a nice long walk in the sunshine.  And you have officially ruined the outside stair railings of my house.  Yes, I know I'm the one who attempted to paint them while it was raining, but still.  Please just go somewhere else...preferably soon.  Thanks

Signed,

A very cranky Mommy

Baby Gear - Bedding and Furniture

Again, I am taking this list of supplies straight off the Buy Buy Baby website.  I will add my own to the bottom if I think of anything else!

Bassinet or Cradle - I never bought a bassinet or cradle.  Right from the beginning my husband and I decided Little M would sleep in her own crib, in her own room, right from the first night.  Lots of families have their own opinions on whether or not baby should co-sleep with the parents in their room.  Skip and I personally felt that we wanted our room to be a place where we could always go and there would be peace and quiet.   Little M's room is right next to ours, and we always hear her if she cries during the night, so it's not an issue.

Bassinet / Cradle Bedding Set - N/A

2-3 Bassinet / Cradle Sheets - N/A

Crib - This is the crib Skip and I bought for Little M.  It is from Graco.  We got it from Walmart for a really great price.  It can later be turned into a toddler bed, and then used as a headboard for a "big girl" bed.  We absolutely love it and have had no problems yet.  My mom even bought the one in white for her house down the shore!

Crib Mattress - I just got a basic firm one from Walmart.  

Waterproof Mattress Cover / Pad - I have one, I don't remember what brand, and it definitely comes in handy for when she leaks through the sheet on her bed.  This honestly has not happened all that often yet, so one has been just fine.

Crib Bedding Set - I have always collected Precious Moments statues and so it just seemed obvious to make that the theme of the nursery.  This set is just adorable!!  It came with a bumper (another controversial topic...especially between my husband and I....but I won out and feel perfectly safe with it) bed skirt, one fitted sheet, and the blanket you see in front.  Because of a risk of SIDS, Little M does not get any blankets in bed with her, so I just hung this on the wall in lieu of artwork.  I also thought this set was neutral enough for both a boy and girl (we did not find out the sex of the baby until she was born).

2-3 Fitted Crib Sheets - I bought a pack of two more fitted sheets in the pale pastel green color that matched the Precious Moments set.

Blankets - I feel like I have more baby and receiving blankets than I could ever need.  Both my mom and I made blankets for the baby and I was given about 15 receiving blankets.  Like I said before, Little M does not have blankets in the crib with her yet, so we really don't have a huge need for this many yet.  I did use them sometimes to wrap around her in the car seat, or just walking around the house in the chilly winter months.

Changing Table - I just LOVE this changing table.  We also got it from Walmart.  It has been just perfect for us.  I have all the diapers and supplies stacked in brown woven baskets on the shelves, so everything is right there when I have to change Little M's diapers.

Changing Pad - The changing table came with a very thin pad, but I opted to spring for the much nicer contoured one.  It is a lot thicker and I believe a lot more comfortable for M.

2-3 Changing Pad Covers - I have one changing pad cover from Boppy.  It came with a waterproof pad that lays on top in the middle.  After realizing that that cover gets dirty pretty much 5 minutes after I would put it on, I went out and bought three more.  Definitely a good investment.  

Glider and Ottoman - I never bought one of these.  Skip's mom gave me her old rocker from when she had her babies, so I have just been using that.  Once we have a little extra income I would LOVE a high back, natural colored, wicker rocking chair.  Maybe this summer.  I didn't miss not having an ottoman since I always just brought the baby into our bed so I could feed her at night.  I would have fallen asleep feeding her if I didn't have the TV on to keep me awake in our room!

Dresser - I'm lucky that my mom saved all of my sisters and my old furniture from Ethan Allen.  They are a natural color as well so they match the crib perfectly!

Lamp - Much more important than I ever though.  Perfect for when the baby wakes up in the middle of the night and you don't want to put on the bright, harsh, overhead lights.  I would post a picture of mine, but apparently Babies R Us no longer carries it, and Little M is sleeping so I don't want to wake her up with the flash.

Mobile - I again can't find the picture of my mobile but it is a Precious Moments one we got from Walmart.  Goes perfectly with our bedding!

Toy Chest - We don't have one.  Her toys are just sort of everywhere right now.  Maybe we'll get one once she's bigger

Wall Hangings and Room Decor - Too hard to describe everything we have.  I will post pictures later this week of her room!

Sitting Pretty

I am totally and completely in love with my two new dining room chairs!!!  When my husband and I first got married, he found a fabulous, glass-top, marble base dining room table with four matching chairs at a local antique shop.  Since we were living in a tiny one-bedroom condo at the time, four chairs were all that would fit.  However, now that we have an actual formal dining room, and a growing family, we are definitely in need of some more chairs.  This was difficult though, because since the chairs are antiques we really have no way of matching.  So I set out to find some chairs that just complemented them.  THANKFULLY they are cream colored, so it would be pretty easy to find something to go with them.  

I was leaning towards the fashionable Parsons Chairs since I think they are so elegant looking.  They can however be slightly on the pricey side (for me at least)  I was hoping to spend no more than $200 on the pair that we needed.  After scouring the internet for weeks, I finally came across these beauties.  

They would look great paired with our other four chairs and really bring the whole set together.  And even better....I found them on walmart.com for only $108.00 for BOTH!!!!!  I could not believe it!

I ordered them straight away and my husband went to go pick them up yesterday (yeah I'm a HUGE fan of Walmart's free Site-to-Store shipping) and we put them together as soon as he got home.  We put them at the heads of our table and look absolutely FABULOUS!!  We have each already claimed which ones are ours and will refuse to let anyone else sit in them.  I am working on a few more projects around the house, and then promise to post tons of before and after pictures of all the painting/decorating I have done over the past year!!

Stay-at-Home Mom

I took Little M up to the school today where I used to teach. I hadn't brought her up there in two months and everyone was amazed at how much she has changed! It was really nice to be there and visit with all my old colleagues and students, but it was tough as well. I was amazed at how different and more mature all "my kids" have gotten. I taught most of them for two years in a row and it's hard to no longer be a part of their lives. They love when I come visit, but I don't really have an clue what's going on in their day to day lives.

I have never regretted my decision to stay home with Little M, but it was definitely not an easy one. My husband and I have had to make a huge financial sacrifice in order for me to stay home. He also has had to take any over-time that comes up....something that is very draining for the both of us. I also do miss a lot of aspects of working outside the house and teaching specifically. I miss having adult conversations and feeling like I'm making a difference. I miss seeing the expression on a kid's face when he finally "gets it". I miss the division of my day between work and home life. And I definitely miss that paycheck!!!

Like I said though, I definitely do not regret my decision at all. Nothing compares to getting to spend hours and hours with Little M's smiling face. In the past few weeks she has started to grow, both physically and developmentally, by leaps and bounds. I love just watching her discover new things. I am so happy that I am the one who gets to see her all day and not a stranger. I also love that I can spend the day in my pajamas if I want to and hardly ever having somewhere I "have" to be that day. Since Skip's work schedule is all over the place, I would hardly ever get to see him if I was teaching all day. I love getting to run errands in the middle of the week when stores are not crowded. And while I definitely do miss the extra money I used to pull in, I would barely get to see any of that if Little M was in daycare. I worked in a Catholic elementary school (DEFINITELY not known for its salary) and my pay would be just about enough to cover the exorbitant cost of daycare facilities in this area. And lastly, but most importantly, I want nothing more than to be able to hold my little girl anytime I want.

Staying home full-time once you have a baby is not the right choice for everyone and every situation. But I am very lucky I have that option, and so happy with my decision:)

New Layout

In my free time (ie during 5 minute stretches while Little M sits next to me on the couch and plays "quietly" with her toys) I have been working on a new layout for my blog.  I think it's a little more sophisticated looking than it was before.  Let me know what you think!!

Busy

Sorry for being MIA for a while now...I have not forgotten about all of you!  Things have just been so crazy and busy.  There has been a lot of family stuff going on as well.  I promise to blog more tomorrow about everything Little M has been up to!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for all my friends who have been so supportive during this tough time. I am also thankful for my husband who has been just amazing, helping out and offering so much support. I am also thankful that my Grandma is in good spirits despite everything going on. Keep those prayers coming for her!

Taking My Mind Off Things

Nothing 100% confirmed yet about my grandma...though things aren't looking great. In the meantime, to take my mind off of everything, I'll give you some Little M updates! Last week we went to our first Mommy playgroups. One got cancelled so we just went to the other. It was held at a local coffee shop and three other moms were there besides me. I was sooooo nervous about going because I notoriously hate meeting new people. I'm just not always that good about striking up conversations and making small talk. This meet-up went very well though! All of the moms were very nice and the babies were right around Little M's age, so I knew these ladies were going through the same things I was. It was nice to get out of the house for a bit and relax. The moms were all about 7 years older than me though. I think it's great to have friends that are older, but I also wanted to have some mom friends closer to my age, so they understand better what I'm going through.

That is why I also joined a young mom's playgroup. The first meet-up got cancelled last week because of the rain, so we rescheduled for yesterday. I wasn't positive I was going to go, because of everything going on in my family right now, but since my grandma is in the hospital and it's best if we don't visit yet, I decided to go to take my mind off of things. An old friend from high school started the group, and since she was going to be there I was not as nervous as with the other group's meet-up. We met at a local park to let the kids play on the playground. The only babies there yesterday were all older than Little M, but it was great to get some advice from moms who have already gone through what I am. Again, it was so nice to just relax and get out of the house for a bit. I also put Little M in the baby swings for the first time and she absolutely LOVED it!!! I'm hoping the rain holds out so I can take her back to the park today to show Skip!

I am very glad that I have forced myself to go slightly out of my comfort zone and reach out to these fellow moms. It has really helped to know I have some other women to talk to. I'm also excited to start socializing Little M with other kids at an early age. I can't wait till next week for our next meet-ups!!

So sorry I have been MIA from the blogging world for the past few days. My grandma is in the hospital (the only grandparent I have left). She apparently has had a series of small strokes. They have admitted her for a few days to run some more tests and keep and eye on her. We are hoping that they don't find anything else wrong with her, though it will be good for her to be under the care of doctors for a few days. It will also be good to give my mom a few days to figure out what will happen when she gets released, as she still lives alone. We'll just have to see. Little M and I are hoping to visit her in the hospital today to cheer her up a bit. Please keep her and my family in your prayers, and I will blog more later about what's been going on with Little M recently!