1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
We had a baby =)
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Yes and no, I didn't quite accomplish all of them (such as losing weight but I had a wonderful excuse), but we stuck pretty well to the everything has a place organization of our house and our goals to be more green. I would like to lose that extra baby weight and then lose some that extra post-marriage weight.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, our friends Melanie, Rachael, and of course moi
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No one close but my great aunt did pass away
5. What states/countries did you visit?
For the first time in about 10 years, I did not leave the country...in fact, with baby on the way, we didn't travel much. I did visit Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, and DC...holy heck was this overall a boring travel year.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Aside from extra money to work on some of the projects that we would like to do (it's not that we don't have the money...we just don't like to spend it)
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 31st-February 1st - a very important weekend (do the math), the ski weekend and the Steelers Superbowl
February 13th - the day I found out I was pregnant
February 14th - the day I told Erik
April 9th - the day we first saw the peanut on US and she actually looked like a baby
May 29th - when we found out our peanut was a girl
June 6th - Lauren's wedding
June 12th - Penguins win the Cup and Erik is there to see it (I felt like I had just accomplished my lifelong goal knowing he was there to see it)
July and August - 2 months of hell in the ICU
October 23rd - Brooklyn Sydney changed our lives
November 28th - our first Thanksgiving here
December 25th - Brooklyn's first Christmas
December 26th - Brooklyn's Baptism
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Becoming a mommy
9. What was your biggest failure?
Realizing it's almost impossible to keep an impeccably clean house anymore
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope...except for being in the hospital for the first time overnight when I had Brooklyn
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our Nikon D60 and the theater room
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Don't really know how to answer this one...probably Erik's for being an awesome dad and Crosby's for being a wonderful big sister and getting along with B so well
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one's really...except maybe Tiger Woods and another person in my life disappointed me more than anything else.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills and my 8 page American Express Credit Card Statements
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Brooklyn and when we first saw her smiles and coos
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Probably "My Daughter's Eyes" by Martina McBride or "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? slightly fatter - I just had a baby
c) richer or poorer? richer (in love)
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Relaxing, appreciating all the blessings we have in our life (we do this all the time but really, we are so lucky, fortunate, and blessed to be in the position in life we are now)
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Housework, worrying, and stressing over little things
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve by driving into NC, spending time with my grandparents then Erik's grandparents then home to change and off to church, then off to Erik's mom's then home for opening gifts at my parents then waking up Christmas morning and having our family dinner then spending time with relatives
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes, on Friday, October 23rd
22. What was your favorite TV program?
I really liked Glee ;) Top Chef, Next Iron Chef, Next Food Network Star and a few other Food Network and Bravo shows have always been my favorites.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't have time to hate people
24. What was the best book you read?
Since I didn't do much pleasure reading since I have a pile of textbooks to read, I would say Happiest Baby on the Block since it saved our sanity the first week home
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I guess Glee and probably realizing that B loves music
26. What did you want and get?
My camera and a healthy pregnancy
27. What did you want and not get?
I didn't get my house completely finished with the basement bar or the outside patio
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I think we watched Marley and Me this year...I also really liked Up
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29 and was 38 weeks pregnant. I worked, then came home and napped. Yep, that about sums it up! However, the day before, my parents, Erik and I went to the Springfield for my birthday brunch while the waitress looked at me with evil eyes while I drank my glass of champagne
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Pretty much nothing (except maybe winning the lottery) as 2009 probably was our best year ever
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Scrubs :) My favorite....I have no fashion concept. My husband picks out my clothes on the rack in the store and then I just find the size to fit. I admit I have no style and wish someone would nominate me for What Not To Wear as I would rather wear jeans and a casual shirt, scrubs, maternity clothes (at the time and even for the first 6 weeks or so because I loved the loose fit and elastic waistbands until I was forced by he-who-shall-remain-nameless to buy new jeans)
32. What kept you sane?
Given the 2 ICU months, probably milkshakes and chocolate =) and in reality, Erik who managed to keep me sane and grounded
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Sidney Crosby
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Health care
35. Who did you miss?
Some of my old friends from MCV that I've not seen in over a year
36. Who was the best new person you met?
New person...besides Brooklyn, I feel like I just formed better relationships with the people I already know
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Live in the moment and cherish each fleeting second because they will be gone before you know it. My little B is growing and changing each and every day and I won't get a second chance at these moments with her
38. What was the single best thing that happened this year?
Brooklyn's birth
39. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
Finding a balance between wife, mother, doctor, sister, daughter, friend and all the other hats I wear.
40. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
Kinda an expected joy but having a daughter and realizing how much I love seeing her smile and laugh
41. What was an unexpected obstacle?
42. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of 2009?
Starting 2009 hoping to become a mother by year's end and ending the year as a mommy
43. In what ways did you grow,
emotionally? Having a deeper understanding of love
spiritually? Having a connection far beyond this physical world
physically? More like increased size, like about 15 pounds more
44. In what ways did you grow in your relationship with others?
Most importantly, I grew more in love with my husband by seeing him as a father
45. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
Definitely with Erik and now with Brooklyn....having a better relationship with my parents knowing what they went through in raising baby
46. Who did you miss?
I miss some of my girlfriends and other friends who I haven't seen in a long time...
47. Who was the best new person you met?
Um, Brooklyn ;)
48. What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home?
I'd say this year it was landscaping the outside and finishing the theater room
49. What was your most challenging area of home management?
I'd say it's probably putting away the clothes and keeping our breakfast table clutterfree as that's where mail and everything accumulate....I did make great strides in keeping the counters clear and hopefully the secretary desk will help with the breakfast table.
50. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this year?
I would say Facebook and the Nest have to be a tie.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2009 Goals in Review...
Last New Year's Day, I made a list of my 2009 goals to accomplish....
Thpost from last year....the italicized posts are the items we were able to check off this year!!
2009 is here...it's my last year in my 20s...it's the last year of the decade...hopefully it holds great things for us!
We have a long list of stuff to do to enhance the house or other goals for our life...some are extensive (hmm, basement ceiling and others are quick like caulking the bathroom)...
Just a "short" list:
Living Room:
-Finish shelf for Audio Tower with basket organization: completed in January with 2008 Christmas gift from Heidi that we put together
-Wire living room for final surround sound speakers: done in January during one of the snowy weekends
Main Level:
-Get Secretary desk with central organization area for mail, stamps, etc: um, we finally got on that and to make my life easier, we asked mom and dad this for Christmas and it was finished on Christmas Eve but they're bringing it down tomorrow for New Year's Day since we didn't have enough room
-Paint Power Room: um, not enough time...on the 2010 list
Upstairs:
-Tags for linen closet baskets: thanks for reminding me...printed today ;)
-Reading nook with rocker and table: we brought back the wood rocker we received as a wedding gift and set it up with a nice blanket on the landing
Master Bedroom/Bathroom:
-Apply silicone to bathroom seals: was the first task completed in 2009
-Paint Master Bathroom
-Paint Master Bedroom: done in May when I went home for L's bridal shower so I wouldn't be exposed to the fumes
-Organize jewelry armoire: will complete this this weekend...it's on my list (I swear)
-Go through clothes and throw out old clothes (including all clothes in guest bedroom closet and dressers): we did this in late January but I need to do it again post-ba
Office:
Basement:
Outside:
Garage:
Thpost from last year....the italicized posts are the items we were able to check off this year!!
2009 is here...it's my last year in my 20s...it's the last year of the decade...hopefully it holds great things for us!
We have a long list of stuff to do to enhance the house or other goals for our life...some are extensive (hmm, basement ceiling and others are quick like caulking the bathroom)...
Just a "short" list:
Living Room:
-Finish shelf for Audio Tower with basket organization: completed in January with 2008 Christmas gift from Heidi that we put together
-Wire living room for final surround sound speakers: done in January during one of the snowy weekends
Main Level:
-Get Secretary desk with central organization area for mail, stamps, etc: um, we finally got on that and to make my life easier, we asked mom and dad this for Christmas and it was finished on Christmas Eve but they're bringing it down tomorrow for New Year's Day since we didn't have enough room
-Paint Power Room: um, not enough time...on the 2010 list
Upstairs:
-Tags for linen closet baskets: thanks for reminding me...printed today ;)
-Reading nook with rocker and table: we brought back the wood rocker we received as a wedding gift and set it up with a nice blanket on the landing
Master Bedroom/Bathroom:
-Apply silicone to bathroom seals: was the first task completed in 2009
-Paint Master Bathroom
-Paint Master Bedroom: done in May when I went home for L's bridal shower so I wouldn't be exposed to the fumes
-Organize jewelry armoire: will complete this this weekend...it's on my list (I swear)
-Go through clothes and throw out old clothes (including all clothes in guest bedroom closet and dressers): we did this in late January but I need to do it again post-ba
Office:
-Finish the craft room, including desk, craft organization: done earlier this month with the assistance from mom watching B
-Organize my medical-related stuff, including articles (maybe even the 4GB jump drive from Staples on Sunday to store my articles and presentations): slowly done but not yet complete...have the jump drive started and working on the articles to cut down in the filing cabinet
-Organize bills, receipts, statements, tax info, etc in the filing cabinet: NYE through this weekend project
Basement:
-Sell extra med books on Amazon or to PittMed: or more like donate since they're old
-Go through boxes and get rid of stuff: this is semi-done...we had the great yard sale of 2009 to get rid of a ton of stuff, we just have a lot of stuff to get rid of and sort through
-Go through boxes and get rid of stuff: this is semi-done...we had the great yard sale of 2009 to get rid of a ton of stuff, we just have a lot of stuff to get rid of and sort through
-Start and finish ceiling: thanks to the great Paul Glasgow and a hefty check, this was done in June
-Paint: this was done in July
-Finish baseboards: we didn't really get to this until August but it was done!
-Redo windows: along with the basement renovation but we still have to paint the window frames but at least the windows are now glass block
-Reseal door/window frames: done with the basement redo
-Create bar area: on the 2010 list...bar area may go by the wayside in favor of kick ass play area (since we didn't really have that in mind last year)
-Create entertainment area: aka our new Theater Room....we bought the furniture in July after the ceiling and renovations were done and then the Pioneer Kuro in September along with the audio system
-Create Wine Cellar: eh, Erik wasn't too fond of this idea
Outside:
-Landscape outside and remulch: done in April
-Plant around electric boxes: done in April
-Redo stairs off deck: deferred to 2010 where we focus on this area
-Sand and restain deck: done in June
-Enclose under deck either with structure shed or built shed: deferred until 2010...we thought about putting in a hot tub or enclosing but we'll probably just pour concrete and use as a play area and BBQ area
-Create patio area outside back door: see above
Garage:
-Paint bookshelf and convert bookshelf to shoe/winter storage: decided to use shelf as it is
-Bring back Craftsman tool storage thing and redo tool storage: done in January
-Create workbench area and additional enclosed storage: done in October
-Hang a second hanging rack: done in April
-Paint wood in color scheme: eh, simple task to finish
-Storage above garage doors: deferred
Nursery:
-Go through boxes and get rid of stuff: slowly over the past few months
-Hopefully decorate, hehe!: Yay...our biggest accomplishment of 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The New Computer...
You may have noticed a blog post today....yeah, that's because after 6.5 years with my handy dandy computer, I have finally retired her in favor of the my new love, Hamlet. Yes, I named my computer Hamlet and well, I probably would've been more productive during the past 9.5 weeks of my maternity leave if Hamlet had joined my life sooner. The screen, the speed, everything just makes my heart sing. I've been more productive today than I have been all week b/c I HATE SLOW COMPUTERS. So, expect me to finally catch up on the 30 blog posts I have waiting to finish for the past month.
Anyway, since Monday night failed miserably at trying to recreate the luxurious sleep we had over our Christmas break at my parents' house and we didn't get B to bed last night until 9:15 after feeding her at 8:45 since we were out restocking the shelves, we didn't do a dream feed last night and well, I'll be, she slept until 3:15 (are you following? That's 6+ hours!!!). I can handle that! Then, she was up again at 7:30 and we brought her into bed with us for our cuddle time and pillow talk. I'll refrain from commenting on what time we eventually got out of bed out of fear of jealously when I reread this blog in the future.
I spent some time catching up on some things that were due while Old Faithful (my nickname for my old computer) was under the weather. Finally, we got ready for the day and after some play time and Bumbo time, we headed out the door.
B had her 2 month visit today (she's officially 9.5 weeks old or 2 months and 5 days old).
She weighed in at................drumroll..............
2 month stats: 10lbs, 12 oz, 22 3/4 inches
For the recap:
1 month stats: 8lbs, 1 oz, 21 1/4 inches
Birth stats: 7lbs, 1 oz, 19 3/4 inches
Needless to say, the peanut has become a little lug. She finally has filled out the baby fat and she's growing well. The pedi addressed all of our concerns and pretty much reassured me that we are not sending B down a pathway toward lifelong psychotherapy for not meeting her every need. She kinda laughed when I said about her 10 minutes of fussing here and there, mainly before feeding and said that they really don't get concerned at her age until that's about an hour or more. Um, yeah, we're lucky. I did ask about Gripe Water and Mylicon and as I suspected, she supported my decision in that there are no studies that show any benefit (although there is one that suggests Gripe Water may help). I think we'll stick with what's working and getting us through the day. She was impressed at the production of 30-ish ounces of milk per day. As long as I can maintain the 3-4 pumping sessions a day, I hope I can still provide the sole source of nutrition for at least the next 2 months until we introduce cereal and given B's successful weight gain the past month, she appears to getting more than adequate nutritional intake despite her shrieking cries at the end of every bottle.
What was hilarious was that B was smiley, giggly, and so happy while it was just she and I in the room. Even when the doctor walked in, she still was happy and laughing at herself in the mirror. As soon as she sat down next to her and B took one look at the doctor, she had the biggest pout and then started crying. It was as if she knew the doctor was the bearer of impending doom.
B then proceeded to fuss until I fed her. She checked out well except for some rashes under her arms and around her baby fat of her neck. Dr. J recommended using Lotrimin as this looked a little yeast like (but her diaper area looks great) and since I was on dicloxacillin for mastitis earlier in the month, it's better to just treat for yeast than let it continue (cue the: I-feel-like-a-crappy-mother feeling....do you know how hard it is to keep an infant dry when they're constantly spitting up and it settling into the folds of baby fat???)
After Dr. J left, in walked the nurse. She got her oral polio vaccine and then her shots for DTaP, Pneumococcal, and Rotavirus. She turned a deep shade of purple and let out a shriek. Then after some shushing, cuddling and singing, she quickly calmed down and was asleep by the time we got to the car.
I then finally picked up What to Expect the First Year and bought some baby signing books as that will be on the horizon before we know it. We picked up some Lotrimin at Target and got a Godfather sub from DiBella's on the way home.
We spent the evening cuddling downstairs as a family with daddy and Roo Roo (aka Crosby). We watched the Pens unfortunately lose to NJ and then watched the Truman Show. I think she is feeling a little sick from the shots as she's just not interested in eating much and spit up what I would call most of the bottle from earlier in the evening. While we like to put her down so she can play in her bouncer or on her mat, I gave her a reprieve tonight because of the shots and just laid here with her.
Dr. J did give us the reassurance that for now, while she's still doing 3-4 naps per day, that we don't have to have her in bed at 8pm. If we kept her up until 9 or 10 or even later at this point, then maybe she'll go back to those 7 hour nights like she did at home over Christmas.
December 30 Ad. What advertisement made you think this year?
2 of them...the one I liked the best I don't think ever was on TV...it was the T-Mobile Dance in the metro station where one person danced then slowly everyone else joined in. It made me think of how one person can make a change in a lot of people, how one's actions may affect dozens or hundreds down the line....it's the snowball effect
The other ad that makes me cry every time I see it is for the Animal Rescue where they show all of these sick dogs and cats that need adopted and I just want to bring all of them home. I know how much we love Crosby and how she is such a part of our family and I just don't know why some people don't care for their dogs or bring too many pets haphazardly into life. Then, it makes me think of all the unloved pets out there and then all the unwanted children and it just brings me to tears thinking about Crosby and Brooklyn and how much we love them and they are a part of our family. I can't believe how much these 2 beings have transformed our lives completely over the past 18 months...they've taught us such a deep understanding and form of love. Wow...it's powerful.
Anyway, since Monday night failed miserably at trying to recreate the luxurious sleep we had over our Christmas break at my parents' house and we didn't get B to bed last night until 9:15 after feeding her at 8:45 since we were out restocking the shelves, we didn't do a dream feed last night and well, I'll be, she slept until 3:15 (are you following? That's 6+ hours!!!). I can handle that! Then, she was up again at 7:30 and we brought her into bed with us for our cuddle time and pillow talk. I'll refrain from commenting on what time we eventually got out of bed out of fear of jealously when I reread this blog in the future.
I spent some time catching up on some things that were due while Old Faithful (my nickname for my old computer) was under the weather. Finally, we got ready for the day and after some play time and Bumbo time, we headed out the door.
B had her 2 month visit today (she's officially 9.5 weeks old or 2 months and 5 days old).
She weighed in at................drumroll..............
2 month stats: 10lbs, 12 oz, 22 3/4 inches
For the recap:
1 month stats: 8lbs, 1 oz, 21 1/4 inches
Birth stats: 7lbs, 1 oz, 19 3/4 inches
Needless to say, the peanut has become a little lug. She finally has filled out the baby fat and she's growing well. The pedi addressed all of our concerns and pretty much reassured me that we are not sending B down a pathway toward lifelong psychotherapy for not meeting her every need. She kinda laughed when I said about her 10 minutes of fussing here and there, mainly before feeding and said that they really don't get concerned at her age until that's about an hour or more. Um, yeah, we're lucky. I did ask about Gripe Water and Mylicon and as I suspected, she supported my decision in that there are no studies that show any benefit (although there is one that suggests Gripe Water may help). I think we'll stick with what's working and getting us through the day. She was impressed at the production of 30-ish ounces of milk per day. As long as I can maintain the 3-4 pumping sessions a day, I hope I can still provide the sole source of nutrition for at least the next 2 months until we introduce cereal and given B's successful weight gain the past month, she appears to getting more than adequate nutritional intake despite her shrieking cries at the end of every bottle.
What was hilarious was that B was smiley, giggly, and so happy while it was just she and I in the room. Even when the doctor walked in, she still was happy and laughing at herself in the mirror. As soon as she sat down next to her and B took one look at the doctor, she had the biggest pout and then started crying. It was as if she knew the doctor was the bearer of impending doom.
B then proceeded to fuss until I fed her. She checked out well except for some rashes under her arms and around her baby fat of her neck. Dr. J recommended using Lotrimin as this looked a little yeast like (but her diaper area looks great) and since I was on dicloxacillin for mastitis earlier in the month, it's better to just treat for yeast than let it continue (cue the: I-feel-like-a-crappy-mother feeling....do you know how hard it is to keep an infant dry when they're constantly spitting up and it settling into the folds of baby fat???)
After Dr. J left, in walked the nurse. She got her oral polio vaccine and then her shots for DTaP, Pneumococcal, and Rotavirus. She turned a deep shade of purple and let out a shriek. Then after some shushing, cuddling and singing, she quickly calmed down and was asleep by the time we got to the car.
I then finally picked up What to Expect the First Year and bought some baby signing books as that will be on the horizon before we know it. We picked up some Lotrimin at Target and got a Godfather sub from DiBella's on the way home.
We spent the evening cuddling downstairs as a family with daddy and Roo Roo (aka Crosby). We watched the Pens unfortunately lose to NJ and then watched the Truman Show. I think she is feeling a little sick from the shots as she's just not interested in eating much and spit up what I would call most of the bottle from earlier in the evening. While we like to put her down so she can play in her bouncer or on her mat, I gave her a reprieve tonight because of the shots and just laid here with her.
Dr. J did give us the reassurance that for now, while she's still doing 3-4 naps per day, that we don't have to have her in bed at 8pm. If we kept her up until 9 or 10 or even later at this point, then maybe she'll go back to those 7 hour nights like she did at home over Christmas.
December 30 Ad. What advertisement made you think this year?
2 of them...the one I liked the best I don't think ever was on TV...it was the T-Mobile Dance in the metro station where one person danced then slowly everyone else joined in. It made me think of how one person can make a change in a lot of people, how one's actions may affect dozens or hundreds down the line....it's the snowball effect
The other ad that makes me cry every time I see it is for the Animal Rescue where they show all of these sick dogs and cats that need adopted and I just want to bring all of them home. I know how much we love Crosby and how she is such a part of our family and I just don't know why some people don't care for their dogs or bring too many pets haphazardly into life. Then, it makes me think of all the unloved pets out there and then all the unwanted children and it just brings me to tears thinking about Crosby and Brooklyn and how much we love them and they are a part of our family. I can't believe how much these 2 beings have transformed our lives completely over the past 18 months...they've taught us such a deep understanding and form of love. Wow...it's powerful.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Ah...to wake up in our bed
It was so nice to wake up in bed this morning. I'm so glad we decided to venture back through the snow instead of staying another night. Today was a pretty lazy day but filled with lots of tasks...
The morning was full of unpacking and washing and putting away the 3 loads of laundry. We put the Christmas gifts under the tree (must take pictures....yet another epic mothering failure of not taking pictures with the child and her presents). I had my eye appointment this afternoon. Then Erik made a wonderful Mango Pork Stirfry.
We then headed out to do a big restocking grocery trip at Target, Walmart and Costco and put all of the groceries away. Man, it was COLD today...like 16-20 degrees.
December 29 Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?
Anytime I can hear Brooklyn poop or fart or burp from the other room. Seriously, baby body noises are so loud they rival any adults. Brooklyn just cracks me up with her laughs and big gummy smiles. I love (and purposefully sometimes) bumping her and seeing her go into her thriller pose with her hands. God love the Moro Reflex! She'll hate me one day.
The morning was full of unpacking and washing and putting away the 3 loads of laundry. We put the Christmas gifts under the tree (must take pictures....yet another epic mothering failure of not taking pictures with the child and her presents). I had my eye appointment this afternoon. Then Erik made a wonderful Mango Pork Stirfry.
We then headed out to do a big restocking grocery trip at Target, Walmart and Costco and put all of the groceries away. Man, it was COLD today...like 16-20 degrees.
December 29 Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?
Anytime I can hear Brooklyn poop or fart or burp from the other room. Seriously, baby body noises are so loud they rival any adults. Brooklyn just cracks me up with her laughs and big gummy smiles. I love (and purposefully sometimes) bumping her and seeing her go into her thriller pose with her hands. God love the Moro Reflex! She'll hate me one day.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Oh Xanax, Xanax, where are you when I need you...
Based on Wednesday's post about Crosby eating my jeans, I needed to face the music and get something age appropriate that actually fits and was not from a maternity line (the elastic waist bands were so forgiving and so comfortable). I woke up today in a panic knowing we were going shopping and wondering what the size would be (I was always a 10...heck, I even think I was a size 10 when I weighed 117 pounds in 9th grade and then since the wedding slowly crept to a 12 and damn, I'm probably a 16-18 or something now).
Anyways, we were out of the house around 10:30 and swung by Rahal's for their Holiday event. We picked up our free gift and we chose a nice set of Christmas bulbs decorated with Mercedes themes. I also wanted to pick up the hat Erik wanted and was going to give it to him as a gift from Brooklyn. Well, the case was locked and no one had the key because it's kept by the parts department and they were closed on Saturday....um, hello, you have your big event today...you would think people might be stopping in and buying things. Anyway, the girl told us they would just mail the hat. I asked about whether they would also mail the bill and she said that they would just mail it for free. Sweet...score a $35 hat for free!
Before we left, I grabbed some snacks and we headed to the mall. Store after store filled me with disappointment. We ordered an ottoman for the basement. We were going to just have the sleeper sofa, loveseat, chair and 1 ottoman but Erik would sit in the chair with the ottoman and I'd be sprawled on the couch and we realized we'd rather have 2 ottomans than a coffee table so we swung by Penney's first (did I mention I swear everyone was out shopping...it was SO CROWDED!) and ordered the ottoman.
We also ventured out to get our Holiday outfits (and outfits for our 10-year reunion next weekend) since we have B's Christmas dress already. I love the Sweater dress style as it seems to be very forgiving. After trying on the 10 sweater dresses and other dresses I picked out on my own and being highly disappointed, I tried on the one Erik found and of course, it was exactly what I wanted (a little more expensive than what I wanted to pay because we missed the doorbuster by 30 minutes....yet, my husband was able to assuage the female clerk in the men's department to ring up all of his purchases at the doorbuster prices....ugh!). I hate how my husband shops for clothes and has better style than I do. I also found a great new pair of knee high black boots in a more feminine style than the ones I already have (that have also served me well since 2000...holy crap, I had those boots since late 2000, fall of my sophomore year because I took them to England with me and I remember in the Euston metro station, the scary metro guy commenting "damn, girl, you have beautiful legs" in his British accent and watching Erin try to walk in them the night she borrowed them....um, yeah, I think I'm due for a new pair).
I love the pair I got...They are very similar to my old ones just with a nicer heel. They're still like 3-4 inches in height and they're the stretchy fabric that conforms to the calf to give that contoured look. I got them for a great price too (hey, I'm all about the sale and never pay full price and usually don't pay less than 50%).
Then we were on the quest for a thick belt and tights (which to me, is more like nylons but apparently Erik had leggings in mind). After refusing to pay $50 for a belt and $24 for leggings at Express, I found a fabulous pair of leggings at Forever 21 for $5 and a wide belt for $4...sweet!
We also bought the Hallmark Snowman/woman/baby ornament to symbolize 2009 for us and the Crosby ornament this year. I also bought 2 pairs of jeans today that fit.
We then went to Burlington and I bought a great knee length charcoal peacoat (I have a black butt length one but I wanted a longer one) and Erik bought a wool coat for himself. So, our Christmas outfits were officially complete! I can't wait to look like a family at church and over the holidays!
I went across the parking lot to Michaels and bought the wall gallery frames for mom for the living room. I also had my first experience with pumping in the car (twice!), once with batteries and once with the car charger that I bought at Burlington on sale. B slept well in the stroller while we were at the mall and had bottles throughout the day mainly because we were on an agenda to get stuff done. We got home around 9pm so it was a long day out and B got all bottles today. Needless to say, she hated nursing tonight and I fought with her for an hour. Um, I think I made a mistake by giving her bottles all day.
Anyways, we were out of the house around 10:30 and swung by Rahal's for their Holiday event. We picked up our free gift and we chose a nice set of Christmas bulbs decorated with Mercedes themes. I also wanted to pick up the hat Erik wanted and was going to give it to him as a gift from Brooklyn. Well, the case was locked and no one had the key because it's kept by the parts department and they were closed on Saturday....um, hello, you have your big event today...you would think people might be stopping in and buying things. Anyway, the girl told us they would just mail the hat. I asked about whether they would also mail the bill and she said that they would just mail it for free. Sweet...score a $35 hat for free!
Before we left, I grabbed some snacks and we headed to the mall. Store after store filled me with disappointment. We ordered an ottoman for the basement. We were going to just have the sleeper sofa, loveseat, chair and 1 ottoman but Erik would sit in the chair with the ottoman and I'd be sprawled on the couch and we realized we'd rather have 2 ottomans than a coffee table so we swung by Penney's first (did I mention I swear everyone was out shopping...it was SO CROWDED!) and ordered the ottoman.
We also ventured out to get our Holiday outfits (and outfits for our 10-year reunion next weekend) since we have B's Christmas dress already. I love the Sweater dress style as it seems to be very forgiving. After trying on the 10 sweater dresses and other dresses I picked out on my own and being highly disappointed, I tried on the one Erik found and of course, it was exactly what I wanted (a little more expensive than what I wanted to pay because we missed the doorbuster by 30 minutes....yet, my husband was able to assuage the female clerk in the men's department to ring up all of his purchases at the doorbuster prices....ugh!). I hate how my husband shops for clothes and has better style than I do. I also found a great new pair of knee high black boots in a more feminine style than the ones I already have (that have also served me well since 2000...holy crap, I had those boots since late 2000, fall of my sophomore year because I took them to England with me and I remember in the Euston metro station, the scary metro guy commenting "damn, girl, you have beautiful legs" in his British accent and watching Erin try to walk in them the night she borrowed them....um, yeah, I think I'm due for a new pair).
I love the pair I got...They are very similar to my old ones just with a nicer heel. They're still like 3-4 inches in height and they're the stretchy fabric that conforms to the calf to give that contoured look. I got them for a great price too (hey, I'm all about the sale and never pay full price and usually don't pay less than 50%).
Then we were on the quest for a thick belt and tights (which to me, is more like nylons but apparently Erik had leggings in mind). After refusing to pay $50 for a belt and $24 for leggings at Express, I found a fabulous pair of leggings at Forever 21 for $5 and a wide belt for $4...sweet!
We also bought the Hallmark Snowman/woman/baby ornament to symbolize 2009 for us and the Crosby ornament this year. I also bought 2 pairs of jeans today that fit.
We then went to Burlington and I bought a great knee length charcoal peacoat (I have a black butt length one but I wanted a longer one) and Erik bought a wool coat for himself. So, our Christmas outfits were officially complete! I can't wait to look like a family at church and over the holidays!
I went across the parking lot to Michaels and bought the wall gallery frames for mom for the living room. I also had my first experience with pumping in the car (twice!), once with batteries and once with the car charger that I bought at Burlington on sale. B slept well in the stroller while we were at the mall and had bottles throughout the day mainly because we were on an agenda to get stuff done. We got home around 9pm so it was a long day out and B got all bottles today. Needless to say, she hated nursing tonight and I fought with her for an hour. Um, I think I made a mistake by giving her bottles all day.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Um, yeah...long night for our FOUR WEEK OLD
So, we put B down to sleep at 11 last night and from midnight to 2, it was definitely a trying time. She was up every 10 minutes...she nursed from both breasts, had about 2 ounces from a bottle, was burped, changed, cleaned, rocked, bounced, swaddled, shushed, etc and yet still continued to scream despite my best attempts. Then, I think she finally fell asleep after I fed her again (she had to have had 6-8+ ounces over the multiple feedings). She was up again at 4 for a quick nurse and then up at 6:30 for another feeding. I brought her into bed with us on the Boppy Lounger where we both woke up at 9:30. My Facebook quote this morning was "Some kid out there who wanted a little sister for Christmas almost got their wish when I was ready to put her in a box and ship her to the North Pole at 2 am after two hours of B's desire to cry and not sleep." That about summarized how I felt this morning!
I was exhausted so I didn't get very far off the couch after nursing. I took a nap from 11:30 to 12:30 and B had a bottle for that feeding. Andrea left during this time...it was nice that she spent yesterday cleaning...actually quite nice b/c it's one less thing to worry about with the needs of a demanding four week old. Did I just say that? FOUR WEEKS! Oh my, what a pleasure it has been.
I finally made it to the shower at 2 and headed to our Homeowner's Association Board Meeting at 2:30 with B. I did catch Oprah at 4 and watched her bid her farewell when she ends her show in 2011. B napped on my chest and I just watched her for what seemed like an hour...I watched her different facial expressions while she slept...she smiles, curls her lip, frowns, furrows her brow, moves her eyes, winks, etc all while sleeping and it's just precious. We all have come so far in the past 28 days, 4 weeks. 4 weeks ago, we had this tiny little fragile being and now we have this still tiny, not quite as fragile baby that has more of a personality. Her eyes will focus on us and she stares intently while studying our faces. Every once in a while, we get a smile when we smile and always, you'll get a yawn from us when she yawns. She's just so precious and we are so fortunate, blessed and happy to have her in our lives!
Erik learned an invaluable lesson today about burp cloths and their purpose as he had a significant amount of spitup on his shirt and B, being the multi-talented infant that she is, was able to burp, spit up, hiccup and poop at the same time. Unfortunately, given Erik's position and B's already full diaper, we had some leakage which was also quite evident on his shirt....he looked like the classic dad and would not let me take a picture!
Tonight, I must share two Crosby stories (no, she's not the red-headed stepchild...she still sleeps with us and gets her fair share of cuddling...she just is over this whole B crying thing so just stays asleep whenever she fusses). The past few days, B's spitup has been more frequent and with increased quantities...Crosby takes it upon herself to clean up our burp cloths by licking up her spitup. I think she might gain a few pounds this year from all of her extra snacking. Then, Erik was doing some work tonight and I hadn't seen Crosby for about an hour...I go upstairs to change into PJs and I see a lump in the bed...yep, sure enough Crosby put herself to bed underneath the covers...oh, she never ceases to make us smile.
I'll close B's FOUR WEEK (can I say that enough!?!?) post by saying how much more I love Erik every time I look at B and see him in her and every time I see Erik holding her, I fall in love with him all over again!
I was exhausted so I didn't get very far off the couch after nursing. I took a nap from 11:30 to 12:30 and B had a bottle for that feeding. Andrea left during this time...it was nice that she spent yesterday cleaning...actually quite nice b/c it's one less thing to worry about with the needs of a demanding four week old. Did I just say that? FOUR WEEKS! Oh my, what a pleasure it has been.
I finally made it to the shower at 2 and headed to our Homeowner's Association Board Meeting at 2:30 with B. I did catch Oprah at 4 and watched her bid her farewell when she ends her show in 2011. B napped on my chest and I just watched her for what seemed like an hour...I watched her different facial expressions while she slept...she smiles, curls her lip, frowns, furrows her brow, moves her eyes, winks, etc all while sleeping and it's just precious. We all have come so far in the past 28 days, 4 weeks. 4 weeks ago, we had this tiny little fragile being and now we have this still tiny, not quite as fragile baby that has more of a personality. Her eyes will focus on us and she stares intently while studying our faces. Every once in a while, we get a smile when we smile and always, you'll get a yawn from us when she yawns. She's just so precious and we are so fortunate, blessed and happy to have her in our lives!
Erik learned an invaluable lesson today about burp cloths and their purpose as he had a significant amount of spitup on his shirt and B, being the multi-talented infant that she is, was able to burp, spit up, hiccup and poop at the same time. Unfortunately, given Erik's position and B's already full diaper, we had some leakage which was also quite evident on his shirt....he looked like the classic dad and would not let me take a picture!
Tonight, I must share two Crosby stories (no, she's not the red-headed stepchild...she still sleeps with us and gets her fair share of cuddling...she just is over this whole B crying thing so just stays asleep whenever she fusses). The past few days, B's spitup has been more frequent and with increased quantities...Crosby takes it upon herself to clean up our burp cloths by licking up her spitup. I think she might gain a few pounds this year from all of her extra snacking. Then, Erik was doing some work tonight and I hadn't seen Crosby for about an hour...I go upstairs to change into PJs and I see a lump in the bed...yep, sure enough Crosby put herself to bed underneath the covers...oh, she never ceases to make us smile.
I'll close B's FOUR WEEK (can I say that enough!?!?) post by saying how much more I love Erik every time I look at B and see him in her and every time I see Erik holding her, I fall in love with him all over again!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Clean House...
A little rough last night...we put her in the crib at 11:30 and we went to bed. She woke up at 12:30pm to eat and I gave her a bottle. She was up at 4 and nursed for a bit and went straight to sleep after I put her down. She woke up again at 6:30 and then she had two reawakenings so I just brought her to our bed with the boppy where we slept in until 9. She ate and was so messy that she got a bath which she enjoyed once I filled her tub up with water. I took a bath and then gave Crosby a bath. By this point, it's 11:30 and I attempt to straighten up the bedroom and put away the huge pile of clothes.
While B has been more alert and interactive, she's also been more fussy. After her 9am feeding, she had a significant spit up. She nursed at 11 and then spit up a ton that I don't know how she had nything left in her. After her 2pm feeding, I swear she spit up half her bottle. I just don't know what a normal spitup level is...is this too much???
Andrea cleaned the house today which was greatly appreciated. She took a little break in the afternoon and did some B holding while I finished up the house stuff.
Then I got ready to head to WPSA tonight. It was nice seeing everyone and having an intellectual interaction. B slept the entire time and as I was walking in the house, she was having a bottle...then, she went into a hissy fit where she was clean, fed, held and yet still continued to scream for 10 minutes. She nursed but didn't eat and just had comfort sucking. She's been asleep since then so hopefully she's down for a bit longer.
While B has been more alert and interactive, she's also been more fussy. After her 9am feeding, she had a significant spit up. She nursed at 11 and then spit up a ton that I don't know how she had nything left in her. After her 2pm feeding, I swear she spit up half her bottle. I just don't know what a normal spitup level is...is this too much???
Andrea cleaned the house today which was greatly appreciated. She took a little break in the afternoon and did some B holding while I finished up the house stuff.
Then I got ready to head to WPSA tonight. It was nice seeing everyone and having an intellectual interaction. B slept the entire time and as I was walking in the house, she was having a bottle...then, she went into a hissy fit where she was clean, fed, held and yet still continued to scream for 10 minutes. She nursed but didn't eat and just had comfort sucking. She's been asleep since then so hopefully she's down for a bit longer.
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