Momma Love

We have entered a new phase. One where I am the center of Elsa's world. I know this will only last a little while, and then daddy will be her world. But I will enjoy the extra snuggles while I have them.

What A Year!

This year has brought the best gift ever, Elsa Anna. I've always heard people say they can't remember their lives before their little ones, or they couldn't imagine their lives without them. It's so true. She has brought so much joy and happiness into our lives.

Happy New Years to you and yours!

Salt Dough, DOH!

Pinterest has so many good ideas. I love looking through them, and dream about what projects I will do in my spare time. Ha ha, spare time. Projects are never as easy as they appear. To see tons of "Pintrocities"and get a good chuckle, check out this website.

My big project was to make salt dough hand print ornaments that looked like santa like this:

From the get go, I realized we were not going to get this beautiful ornament. So plan b, just make a circle handprint and paint it with some paint I already had. I had no idea what a pain this was going to be. Every time I tried to put Elsa's hand in the dough she scrunched her fingers, squishing the dough in her hands. Finally I decided to wait until she was asleep and do it.  That worked! But then they would not dry. I tried baking them several times, left them out over night, and they just would not get dry. I also put them on tin foil, bad idea. Always use wax paper! 

I finally gave in and just painted them. And this is what we ended up with:

One got eaten off our tree by a little black dog named Brisco, which infuriated me!! 

In the end, I am so glad I did this because I will have a memory of Elsa's tiny hand for the rest of our lives (as long as a dog doesn't eat it.)

                        

 

Elsa's First Christmas

Here are a few photos of Elsa's first Christmas. We had a blast, but it was exhausting.

Guilty Christmas

At Christmastime in 2011 15.5 million children were living in poverty. That is one out of five.

We have been sitting around the last week or so watching Christmas specials. Heart warming stories of children celebrating Christmas, opening gifts in bright colored paper and eating tasty feasts. All these happy images broadcast out to the world to anyone who has a TV (and possibly cable).
Knowing that Elsa is going to have a bountiful holiday, I just got a little sad for the children who will not. So many children in the world who see these images and will not experience the joy of the season like Elsa will. There is a part of me that says we shouldn't show this type of stuff on TV, because it will make an already depressing situation even more heartbreaking for these children. I want to protect them from the disappointment and sadness when santa doesn't come to them. But I can't.

Maybe next year or the following year we will start a tradition with Elsa where she will pick out a gift to give to a needy child. When she is even older it might be nice to set up a piggy bank for charity too.

Article: How to talk to your Children about Poverty

First trip to the ER

I am now ready to report on the very scary first ER trip. On Sunday night Elsa woke up around 11:30 crying.  Normally she just puts herself back to sleep, but this particular night she wasn't. I got up and went to put her pacifier in her mouth and her cry was not normal. It sounded awful. She was also gasping for air. When she would cough it sounded like seal barking, I almost lost it. Steve called the on call pediatrician and he told us to head to the ER. Better safe than sorry. We were there for about 2 hours. She was in good spirits, charmed the nurses and was diagnosed with croup. She took her meds like a champ, and went right to sleep when we got home at 2am.

Monday: She was happy, but sleepy.

  Tuesday: Feeling much better

Profound Sadness

I've been trying to process the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary. I've always felt a little heartbroken to hear of any person losing a loved one. But for some reason this particular one, was so heinous that a deep sadness welled up inside me. I really do think having a child of my own gives me a new or different perspective on situations like this, than if I had not had a child. My heart is full of love for my precious little girl, and I could not imagine how it would feel to lose her. To lose her in a way such as that.
I cried over the initial news of the incident, and then I thought all day about those parents. ALL of those parents. So many of them who will never see their children alive again. The agony of waiting for their little bodies to be returned to them, so they could begin the process of mourning them.

Today was my birthday, and there was definitely a cloud hanging over it. I can accept having a sad birthday, because I will go on and continue to have many happy birthdays. But those special little children will not.

My heart goes out to all those affected by this tragedy. And I will hug my little Elsa much closer.

Why I hate Christmas Music

A simple answer to a simple question. "Leslie, why do you hate Christmas music?"
Because I have a December birthday. December 15th to be exact. Which means no one gets Christmas until I get my birthday! Got it? Good!

Too bad I'm past 35 now, but this cake was uber yummy!

No Puppy Love

When I got pregnant I immediately started thinking about how the animals would adjust. The dogs are pretty nuts, so we tried to do some corrective behavior. Tried to get Keegan to stop barking all of the time, and tried to get Brisco to stop being such a spazz. I had dreams of Elsa climbing all over them, and they knowing she was their baby. Dreams that they would never freak out on her.  Well that dream is over. Keegan lost privileges last week. He was sitting next to me and Elsa was pulling his hair, and he was being so good. Then she bowed her head into his side, and he snapped at her. She didn't get hurt, but what little trust I had is gone. Makes it so much harder to control every situation. The dogs are going to get sick of always being behind the baby gate. That's for sure.

A Different Perspective

It is easy to forget that babies are seeing and experiencing things they never have before. Elsa has made weird noises, and taken deep gasps of air because it was something new to experience. The same can be said for vision. She has started looking at the world from a new perspective. Sideways. I wonder what is so intriguing about a sideways glance?

Countdown of Thanks

This year I decided to do a Thanksgiving Countdown on Facebook. I thought this was a good place to put them all together in one place, so in the coming years I can reflect on them.

#1: I am thankful for my amazing husband and daughter. (The rest of the family is coming don't worry, I have 22 of these to do. Lol)

#2: I am thankful for the support and love from our families.

#3: I am thankful for connecting and building an amazing relationship with my sister, brother-in-law and nieces. They have enhanced my life more than I realized.

#4: I am thankful for a stable roof over our heads. We can pay our mortgage, keep the lights on and provide a safe place for Elsa. Not everyone can say that and I realize that it's a special thing.

#5: I am thankful for the stable decent paying jobs that both Steve and I have. Again, I know these are something special, because not everyone has one. And I appreciate that.

#6: I Am thankful I live in a country where I can express my rights by voting in a free election. Please vote today! Please be kind to your fellow Americans! And please respect the process and get on board with whoever is in office. No matter who that person is he is or will be our president!

#7: I am thankful for being a mom. This wasn't something that came easy, but since it finally did come it has been amazing. Everyday I learn something new about myself through her eyes.

#8: I am thankful for such a wealth of good friends. From elementary school to college and adult to mommy they have helped shape who I am. Their support is amazing and I can only hope I am as good a friend to them as they are to me.

#9: I am thankful that my husband recognized I needed some me time and got me a pamper me day. He went fishing, ulterior motive? Ha ha

#10: I am thankful for a gator win no matter how ugly it was. On a deeper level, I'm thankful for the fact that I grew up in such a great town with great people, places and teams. We have the outdoors, great museums, community events, and a superb university. Go Gainesville!!

#11: I am thankful for friends with witty kids. I truly enjoy the little quips posted on Facebook. "out of the mouths of babes."

#12: I am thankful for my fur babies. They are annoying, fluffy, smelly, adorable, sweet, eat poop, destructive at times and love us unconditionally.

#13: Thankful my mother taught me that if I have a dream about someone or am really thinking about them to connect with them. There is always a reason they are so strongly in your thoughts.

#14: I am thankful for incredible health insurance. Without it I would probably be a hermit hiding from the world with migraines everyday. My wish is for everyone in America to be provided affordable healthcare options, for healthcare costs to be realistic and for those less fortunate be provided preventative healthcare.

#15: I am thankful for my daughter having the best dad. He changes diapers, feeds her, bathes her, plays with her and makes her smile. What more could a mama ask for?

#16: I am thankful for modern conveniences. Where would I be without my laptop, iPhone, fancy camera, dishwasher, Internet, big screen tv and video baby monitor? And do much more. Probably reading a real book instead of an electronic one. ;-) (And after the actual post, I realized I needed to say I wasn't bragging, but I might need an intervention.)

#17: it's Saturday so I should be thankful for another gator win. But that's been done already. I am thankful for early morning wake ups so we can go to the Flying Biscuit Cafe without waiting in line. Love creamy dreamy grits!

#18: I am apparently thankful for a wonderful husband. Because as I was told, you can't say it enough. I do adore him and love all that he does for me and Elsa.

#19: I am thankful for a fenced in backyard. It gives our fur kids the ability to run around all crazy. Elsa loves watching them, puts a smile her little face.

#20: thankful we arrived to our thanksgiving destination safely.

#21: I am thankful for the special gifts we have received this year, especially Elsa Anna.

#22: my final thanks is for family, love, friends, peace, and laughter. All things I could not live without. And I wish this for all of you!

Abby Wambach is a Bad A$$

I had the craziest dream last night. Steve and I were driving down 16th street coming up the intersection at 43rd street. I look out to the left and I see Abby Wambach sitting sideways on a bicycle with her legs over the left side. She then proceeds to lean back over the right side and do crunches! All this while the bike is heading down the street. And I look at Steve and say "That's why Abby Wambach is a bad a$$!"

http://www.abbywambach.com/wambach/index

Life Before 10 AM

In my non-child days I would love to go "run errands." That is code word for browse and shop. Most stores I went to did not open until 10am, so I thought why be up any earlier? Ha ha, joke is on me. Now that I am with child, we are up so freaking early. And wouldn't you know stores that cater to children, such as Toys-R-Us, are open as early as 7am! 7am people!! Who knew?

There is one really good bonus to this early morning wake up call, we can eat at the Flying Biscuit Cafe without standing in line for over an hour.

Elsa's first tooth

Elsa finally cut her first tooth.  It was a total surprise. I let her chew my finger since I forgot her pacifier while we were out. Once she chomped down I announced that we had a tooth!

Holiday Shopping for Elsa

This new mom has learned a very annoying lesson. At the beginning of October I decided to get a cute outfit for Elsa to have her pumpkin patch photos taken in. I headed to the mall. Silly me, in October there are no "fall" clothes left. Every store had Christmas and holiday clothes. I waited too long. After 2 hours and 6 stores I settled on some clearance items at Gymboree.

During this process I manage to lose my keys. So I spend another hour+ looking all over the mall for them. The staff at Belks, where I bought a thanksgiving bib, provides no help whatsoever. The staff at JCP where I didn't make a purchase put a call out to all of their customer service desks to see if they had been returned. GAP staff looked all over thir store while I was on the phone with them. And the ladies at the Gymboree store helped me tear apart the store twice to look for them. I gave up and called Steve to bring me a spare set and as I was waiting I got a call that they were found at Gymboree.  The ladies there kept looking until they found them. I was so thankful and sent a note to their corporate office. I am so glad my purchase for her outfit was made there.

And here is the end product....

Mom in the photo

I was moved recently by an article in the Huffington Post about a mom that realized she wasn't in photos with her kids. She felt self conscious and not at her best post pregnancy and shied away from photographs. My "due date club" online vowed together as a group to start taking more photos with their kids no matter how great or terrible we felt or looked. The kids deserve to have photos with both of their parents. I am happy to say, that no matter how bad I look I always take photos of myself with Elsa. I want to have those memories for her future. Here are a few examples...again good and bad.

 

A Baby in a Bar!

Sweet Home Alabama 

Lurlynn: 

You look like you just stepped out of a magazine. 

Melanie:

Oh, well, thank you. Um, look at you.  You have a baby...in a bar.
Lurlynn:

Hell, I got three more at home.  This one's still on the tit, so I can cart 

him anywhere. 

Melanie: Right.

So we may have taken Elsa to a "bar." It was Swamphead Brewery. So it's 

not really a bar. I asked the door guy about bringing babies, and he said 

people bring them all of the time. One guy even brought his 3 day old! 

Momma (aka me) was the DD, so no drinking. Good thing too because I'm not 

a fan of beer. 

Laughter is the best medicine

I have had a long week and it isn't over yet. I worked last week a normal schedule, then I worked all weekend at the ButterflyFest for the Museum, then a regular work week this week plus a special event this Thursday night. Then I am oh so lucky to get to work on Sunday afternoon/evening. I am already completely exhausted and it isn't over yet.

But coming home to my adorable little munchkin and hearing her laughter makes it all better. Well until I have to go back to work and leave her. :-(

As Time Passes

As I rocked Elsa to sleep tonight I got a little sad. I looked down at her and thought she will never be this little again. Tomorrow she will be a little bigger, and the next day bigger, and so on. Each day she will learn new things that she never knew before.  You fall in love with each stage they go through and have to grieve when they pass through it, and then fall in love all over again with the next stage.

Working vs home-ing

"In courting the always-on livelihood, we're turning our backs on rich moments of full focus and absorption, in favor of darting restlessly back and forth between two or more complex streams of life. The integrity of a moment is lost when we unthinkingly blend different parts of our life."

How this statement impacts my very existence. This came from an article titled "Smartphones Let Work Win Out." And it is so true. The home vs. work distinction has been blurred so much by smartphones. I started using a Blackberry in 2006 and found a way to get my work email on the phone. At that time my philosophy was to fix a problem before it becomes a problem. Rather nip it in the bud then take more time to clean up the mess. I used it so much that when Steve and I went on vacation in 2007 I was forbidden to use my phone for work, but I totally snuck a few email checks. I dropped my BB Pearl in the toilet AT WORK by accident and had to use an old phone and was without email for awhile. And honestly, it was such a relief. In 2009 we got iPhones. Oh glorious iPhone!! At first I was resistant to loading work email again, but eventually it just became necessary. 

I now have a reason to put the phone down...Elsa Anna. I informed my boss that my email will be turned off on weekends so I can spend quality time with my family. In the last couple of weeks I have realized that I also need to turn it off in the evenings. Working while home and neglecting my precious little girl is not an option. 

Read the full article here.

Nursing in Public also called NIP

So this post may not appeal to all of my 6 followers, but it is something that I have been thinking about lately. Today two different people on facebook that I know (but who do not know each other) posted a link to the same "blarticle" (blog + article, not quite a an article but definitely a blog). This blarticle talked about how to talk to children about breastfeeding when they see it in public.
Now I have I have a nursing cover, which Elsa hates. She thrashes when she is underneath it and fights eating. So if I want to feed her in public I sometimes have to just go "commando." Although I have used the nursing cover I really didn't think much about NOT using it. I didn't think to myself "Am I harming some child out there by allowing them to see me feed my baby from my breast?" or "Am I offending some adult out there for feeding my baby from my breast?" It is such a natural thing to do that I forget that people could be offended. But why? Why is it such a big deal to see a mother feed her baby? A friend of mine wrote this very matter of fact blarticle on the topic as well, and I am on board with NIP! Breasts are not "just" sexual organs (and that definition of sexual for breasts is a social construct not a biological one), they are meant to provide the best nourishment possible to our offspring.

So if you are offended by my actions, look the other way!

And watch this hilarious commercial.....

Where are all the intelligent people?

I cannot wait for the elections to be over. What has happened to the people I know that I thought were so intelligent? So many people posting propaganda on their facebooks for the parties and candidates without researching the information first. They are just making themselves look like idiots.

Snopes.con
Factcheck.org

Be smart look it up first.

FAM with a baby

Every year I attend the Florida Association of Museums conference. Each year it is in a different Florida city and we get to tour the various museums in the evenings after the sessions are over for the day. The last few years I have even had some sessions of my own and I assist with the Emerging Museum Professional track.  I truly enjoy my time at these conferences. I have learned a lot and have gotten to know some great people.

This year was the first one since Elsa was born. At 5 months old, I wasn't ready to leave her for 4 days and 3 nights yet. So I asked Steve to come along and bring her. He got excited for a bout a minute until I told him it would be in Tallahassee. Ha ha. I was a completely different experience having them there. I didn't network as much as I normally would, but it was awesome to have them go on the tours with me in the evenings. Now that I have done it with a baby, I probably wouldn't repeat it. It's hard to be fully engaged in the conference while also thinking about when the next time I needed to be back at our room to feed her was.

All in all, a great conference and I got to show off the Elsa! :-)

So she wouldn't stand up straight for a photo. Best I have though.  We were in the Senate Chamber of the Capitol Museum.

I'm a Working Mom

When Steve and I made the decision to grow our family, we knew it would come with some unfortunate choices. I won't use the term "sacrifice" because nothing I do for my daughter will be a sacrifice, I will do it because it's what it best and right to do. And how could that be a sacrifice?

We knew we would both have to work. We could not pay our bills otherwise, unless one of us doubles our salary or we win the lottery (personally I'm banking on the lottery). Knowing this I had to come to terms that this is the lifestyle our family would live. Mom and Dad working, baby going to a sitter or daycare. When the time came for me to go back to work I had to put my big girl pants on and accept it. To do otherwise would mean endless days of anguish, longing and ultimate sadness.

There are pro's and con's to this arrangement. Con's I miss out on a big chunk of Elsa's day, I don't get to be her only teacher besides her dad, and exhaustion after work does not mean I can check out and nap or whatnot when I get home.  The Pro's are that I get mommy time, some adult interaction on an intellectual and social level and I can provide for her (put a roof over her head, clothes on her back, diapers on her butt, food in her belly and so much more).

In a perfect world we would get one year of maternity leave and still be able to pay the bills. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world, but it is the best world I can offer and live with.

Doggy

Elsa has been licked and barked at by the dogs. She was aware of them, but she did not pay much attention to them until today!  I was playing fetch with Keegan while she was jumping in her jumperoo. Every time he came back to give me the toy, she laughed.  I love it!

Pretty Ears

When I was five years old I got my ears pierced. I love wearing earrings. I do not know any one female who doesn't have earrings. So when we found out Elsa was going to be a girl, I knew I wanted her ears pierced, but I had to think about when she would get them pierced. Would she get them as a baby? At some birthday milestone? Would I let her make that decision or would I make it for her?

To make this decision I only had to look back at my own experience to answer it. My holes were made by using spring/tension rings. I tried to find a picture of one on the internet and couldn't. Guns were available back then (insert old joke here), but why pay when you can push a hole in your ear over a two week span? I don't remember the pain, but I do remember the emotion of it. It was how it was done  and I lived.

In the end I decided I would rather get her ears done now and save her the memory. She will always have had earrings.  Yes, I have heard the argument about letting her choose it IF she wants it someday. But again I do not know any girls without them that I can think of. She will eventually want them. And she won't mess with them now or get them infected by touching or playing with them.

Yesterday was the big day, and she is dang cute!

There was some emotion with it. My baby is no longer how she came out of the womb. She has holes in her ears. Daddy had a very hard time as well.  He didn't want to see it happen, but wanted to be there. But it had to be a team effort to get it done, so he had to stay and help.  She cried a little bit, but she had already been pretty grumpy that day. Today, she has no idea it even happened.

Pool Time

I would like to say that these photos are from the first time that Elsa has been in a pool, but I know that she has dangled her little feet in her sitter's pool.  I choose to believe this is the first time she has been in a pool, because it was the first time she was in a pool with us.

We got her a little bathing suit and slathered her up with sunscreen, even though the sun barely touched her skin. We also got her a little floaty thing, that she seemed to enjoy. She didn't like sitting as much as standing on the steps of the pool. It was so much fun to watch her.

 

 

Sleep Tight

Well it finally happened. We moved Elsa to her own room, to her own crib. I was sad. She wasn't right there for me to soothe her if she fussed, or to just touch her while she slept. What was even more sad, she was just fine. She didn't need me to be there. She slept so well, and only once this week has she woken up in the middle of the night.  So starts a new era in our household.

More

Everyone these days seems to want more. Upsize that value meal, BOGO, plates the size of a watermelon. I do enjoy a great deal, but the thing I find wanting more of these days is far more precious.

I want more TIME with my daughter. She is growing so fast and changing so much. I envy countries where a parent can stay home for a whole year on paid maternity leave. How wonderful to be able to see all the firsts, then head back to work?
For us to be able to accomplish this particular more, we would need more MONEY. Which in turn means one of us has to WORK more. Thus diminishing one person's time with our daughter. And that is sad.

So for now I will take more photos, more videos, and hug and kiss her as much as possible when I am with her.

Routine is Gold

I have learned there is something to say about routine. Routine makes sure everything gets done, nothing gets forgotten, and sanity is maintained. Thus having said that, routine got screwed up this morning and I forgot my cooler. Ugh!

How are we doing? Month 4

Again, I have decided to see where Elsa is on the developmental scale. I'm more worried about her getting "behind" than staying ahead. I'm not sure if checking these things is warranted, or even productive. I feel better knowing that we are doing ok though.

The Fourth Month:

• Drooling begins: Started at 3 months
• Good head control: Achieved at 1-2 months
• Sits with support: Can do, but very wobbly. Constantly tries to sit up.
• Bears some weight on legs when held upright: Another 1-2 months. She has wanted to stand since I can remember.
• Raises head and chest off surface to a 90 degree angle: She hasn't quite done a full push up, more like a push up from the elbows.
• Rolls from back to side: She is rolling over from back to tummy and back again.
• Explores and plays with hands: This is becoming more pronounced.
• Tries to reach for objects but overshoots: She is reaching and grabbing.
• Grasps objects with both hands: Check
• Eye-hand coordination begins: She grasps her pacifier, removes it from her mouth then puts it back in. Looks at and grasps her feet, even put them in her mouth today.
• Makes consonant sounds: This one makes no sense to me. She has made the hard "g" for awhile. "A-Gooo"
• Laughs: Finally she started this a couple of weeks ago. But she is very judicious as to how she doles it out. We did get it on video, yay! 
• Enjoys being rocked, bounced or swung: Another one I don't understand. She has enjoyed that since birth. 

I looked ahead at month five and she has completed 10 of the 13 milestones. Well, at least we aren't messing anything up right?

Moving Up

Discussions have begun on moving Elsa to her own room. I say begun because anytime before now that Steve brought it up I pretty much didn't listen. I am listening. I have crazy paranoid thoughts about her being away from us if an intruder comes into our house. How would we get to her? How would we get out? I know crazy, but they are legitimate fears in my mind.  And it's not so much that it is convenient to have her in our room, because she sleeps through the night.
She is getting bigger and more mobile. She has started putting her feet up on the side of the co-sleeper. She is constantly trying to sit up, and she must have 6 pack abs by now. It is just a matter of time before she escapes. So for safety's sake we are really really close to having to move her whether I like it or not.

                         

My Little Singer

Every morning on my way to Elsa's sitter I play music. I have learned that talk radio just makes Elsa angry.  She loves to hear the music and singing. Lately she has started doing this hum grunt thing all the way to the sitter's. I think she is trying to sing. It's so cute and if I didn't think I would kill us both I would video tape it. So instead you get a photo of her when we arrived at our destination this morning.

Hate

Hate is just that...hate. You can try to disguise it as "belief" but it's still hate.

I feel like we a regressing into the dark ages. Enlightenment and tolerance are being snuffed out before our eyes. And on so many topics, not just on whom can marry whom, but what a woman can do with her body and so much more.

I'm saddened by all this.

P.S. not looking for a debate. Just wanted to throw my two cents in and be done with it. Moving on now....

4 Month Check up

Just a quick recap on Elsa's four month check up. Got 2 shots, took them like a champ with minimal crying. She is ahead on her motor milestones. And her growth curve is good. She is still on the small side but symmetrical.

It was still harder on momma to watch the shots, and afterwards she was very snugly. Which made it very hard to drop her off at the sitter's. I would have preferred to have stayed home with her all day cuddling.

Elsa's First Cold

We have been weathering Elsa's first cold. She so kindly gave it to her momma too.  Kids get colds. In fact I read that babies can get on average 8 colds per year! Let's hope Elsa is less than average on this one.  Listening to her cough and sneeze is terrible, but the strain on her voice when she cries is heartbreaking. Through it all she has been a trooper. Still happy, still smiling.

Disgusting baby fluids

I am learning about all the fluids that can come out of a baby. Not only am I learning about them all, but I'm finding that I am slowly adapting to them as well.  Before having a baby I was kind of crazy about any kind of gunk.

Babies poop. Not just poop like adults or dogs, but it is a special kind of poop. And it can get EVERYWHERE! Example, yesterday we went to the store with Elsa and she was in her car seat. When we got home Steve made a comment that the house smelled like poop. When he went to take her out of the car seat, he realized that smell was from her. She had a major blow out. Probably the worst we have ever seen, and she was so quiet about it. We had no idea. She had to go straight to the bath.

Babies drool. Their drool is thick, gooey and leaves a film if they choose to either drip it on you or suck on your arm. Elsa does both. I go into the shower the other day and as soon as the water hit my arm I felt the slick film. Gross!! Also I find that she can drool just about anywhere. On her playmat, all over her car seat shoulder pads, on our bed sheets, on our clothes, on her clothes...Do I need to go on?

Babies snot. Elsa has her first cold. Because she is so small she can't blow her nose or sniff. So the snot just drips out. When she sneezes or coughs it becomes a projectile bullet of goo.

My conclusion: babies do alot of gross stuff, and I am learning to deal with it and just go with the flow...litterally!

Baaaaad Dog

Steve came home to this last night:

These are parts to my breast pump. Brisco decided to dig through the bag and chew them up. Now I get to replace them!

Baby Version of Time Management

In the old days (pre Elsa) I was somewhat neurotic about being on time, to the point of always being early. And not just a couple minutes early but anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes early. Being early sometimes has its perks, like getting in to see the doctor earlier, or getting first dibs on seating. But after Elsa was born, my time management skills went out the window. After Elsa (AE) I can barely make it to work at the time that I am supposed to. I show up late to events. Getting her ready for travel at first was a major ordeal, now not as much, but still time consuming. I have to make sure I have everything she might need for our outings, clothes, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, toys, burp cloth, etc. Eventually I hope to get the swing of this, get faster at it, thus returning to my old always early self.

The Tree Trimmer

This morning on my way to work I saw an older couple taking a walk. All of the sudden they stopped at some bushes, the old man pulled out some garden trimmers and started going to town on the bush.  Apparently it had overgrown the sidewalk just a tad, and that must have been unacceptable to him and his mate.The questions that came to me were: is it ok to trim someone else's property? is it so hard to just avoid the bushes that you have to trim them? And who carried trimmers with them? Seriously?!

Is it Enough?

I have recently started feeling like I'm not doing enough for Elsa's brain development. I don't know why I am having this feeling, but it is quite irksome.
We were in Toys R Us yesterday and Baby Einstein DVDs were on sale and I kept thinking that we needed to buy them. Money is a little tight, so I had to ask myself "Is this an unnecessary purchase?" How much is Elsa's education and brain development worth? Then I freaked out (inside my head of course, lest other parents see me), am I screwing up my kid by not buying this DVD? Then I thought should we be using "Baby Can Read," or other learning tools? She is changing so fast, will I miss a critical learning phase if I skip this DVD? Am I messing up her learning foundation?
We talk to her all of the time. Explain everything to her, trees, plants, animals, household items, you name it. We read to her, but not as much as we probably should. I work with her on her alphabet and counting using a Fisher Price ap on my iPhone.  She really likes that. But is it enough? I have no idea! I try to read their developmental milestones for an indication, but there isn't one for this kind of stuff.  Just suggested age ranges on the tools themselves. I guess I will just cross my fingers and hope for the best?

Ahhhh Vacation

We are slowly bringing our first vacation with Elsa to an end. I'm not sure a vacation with a 3 month old is truly a "vacation." Let us recap.
A normally 5 hour drive took almost 7 hours. Stops to feed Elsa put us back a little bit. This long drive also put Elsa off her sleep schedule for a couple of days. This is turn made her momma and daddy exhausted.
I got sick. Not sure what the heck is/was wrong with me, but it isn't/wasn't fun.  4 nights so far and that means I haven't had the best vacation. Which is sad. I was looking forward to this so much. Crossing my fingers for tonight.
The fun stuff includes whitewater rafting on the Ocoee yesterday. Walking around downtown Blue Ridge. Finding a pair of Marie Switch Flops to replace the ones I have worn out that are now discontinued. Surviving a freak wind storm that took a tree down across the road leading out from our cabin. (Tree has since been chopped up enough for us to get out).  The giant jacuzzi bathtub that I have soaked in a couple of times so far. It's awesome! Must get one for myself someday. Elsa meeting Karen for lunch at the Twisted Taco. And Elsa meeting her cousins, and we got to meet Blake. Blake is Elsa's cousin born 2 days before her.

All in all a decent yet exhausting vacation. And we still have a VERY long drive home on Sunday.

ABC Family? Try Anti-Family

As a new parent my awareness of for all things good and bad has heightened. Since being home on maternity leave I have had plenty of time to watch day time television while feeding, rocking, cuddling little Elsa. And I have to say by far the worst hypocritical station out there is ABC Family.

A few titles of their shows:
Secret Life of the American Teenager: filled with sex and pregnancies. And very poorly written I might add. Joel McHale on The Soup showed a clip that was just terrible!
Pretty Little Liars: deviant girls.
And the newest show, Baby's Daddy: a guy has a one night stand and the mom drops the baby off at the front door.  Now there is also another show similar called Raising Hope on another channel that I actually like, but it isn't on ABC FAMILY!

I thought this station was supposed to have wholesome family shows for the whole family. Ha! What a joke!

I guess we will NOT be watching that station.

Changing So Fast

I cannot believe how fast Elsa is growing. Not necessarily growth in size, because let's face it, she is tiny and growing slower in that department. She is growing in her actions, mannerisms and recognition.  I love seeing her smile. Especially when I know it's not gas. She is focusing on things like the hinge on the swing,  I have no idea what is so fascinating about a hinge, or the white wall, but she is so intent about it. She has even started trying to reach for things.  She hasn't quite figured out how to actually grasp. I give it another week though. She knows her momma and daddy, and is happy when we are around. And who wouldn't love that?! Her vocalizations increase every day. She has a cute little "aaa" sound, and squeals. Watching her change day-by-day is such a gift. I am so lucky.

Deep Sleep?

I have been known to be a notoriously light sleeper.  Any little noise, ray of light, or slight movement in bed normally wakes me up.  Since Elsa has arrived my sleep pattern has completely changed.  Steve can get up and out of bed, make noise getting ready for work, etc and I don't hear a thing.  But if Elsa makes even the slightest whimper I am wide awake.  I guess my sleep evolution has adjusted for survival. Survival of my sanity that is.

The Conversation

I have discovered an amazing new show on Lifetime, The Conversation, with Amanda de Cadenet.  She found that there was not a show out there that was "real" in their conversations about or with women.  She interviews (or more accurately converses) with all types of women, young, old, famous, politicians, authors, you name it.
One question she asks each person is what would you tell your 14 year old self? One of her on the street interviewees said "if you ever go into a date always ask yourself 'will I like them?' not 'will they like me?'"

Wow! That says something powerful about being ok with who you are.  I really hope I can teach Elsa to be a strong independent woman who is ok with who she is.

http://www.theconversation.tv/

Big Dreams

I wonder what this little girl dreams about.....