June 30, 2011

fifteen months

Please excuse the slightly lackluster mostly out of focus photos.  Somebody had no interest in cooperating with this photo shoot.  And I was grumpy.  Therefore I had little interest in trying to make it work.  But the day she turned fifteen months has been capture, and we will move on.  Bah.

Hold on a sec.  For reals?  FIFTEEN MONTHS?  Pretty soon she will be eighteen months, and that is halfway to two, and that is OLD.  (On the bright side, that means I'm slightly closer to getting to plan another birthday bash.  Huzzah!)

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she wanted nothing to do with me, or my chalkboard.  obviously.

Fifteen months equals a doctor's appointment, so we actually know how big this little girl is getting.  She is weighing in at 22 pounds 10 ounces, and is 30.5 inches tall.  She is still hanging out in the 50th percentile range for both, her growth has been pretty steady there for over six months.  The doctor said she seems to be in perfect health.  I almost laughed when they were going through the developmental checklist... I know this isn't the same for everyone, we've been over it, every child is different, but she asked if Ryann was saying at least 3-6 words.  Ummm, definitely!

This kid is blowing my mind.  No joke.  I know every parent thinks their child is amazing.  I'm totally aware of that.  But the rate at which is picking things up just baffles me.  I honestly can't count the number of words she says.  A few newer ones are bucket, goggles, closet, tummy and kite.  She is starting to string words together, such as 'mommy's car', 'dad-un (daddy) home', 'more cracker pease', 'bonk head', 'wock-a-by baby', 'mammy loud' (yes mom, she said that to me yesterday, out of the blue.  :o).  She says big step whenever she has to step up or down on something.

If you are ever talking around her, you better watch what you say.  She is already a parrot.  But she doesn't always repeat you right away.  I've heard her say a word that I said maybe ten minutes earlier.  And she has definite possibilities of being tattle-tell.  I think someone may have called her a cry baby at the gym daycare yesterday (which yes, definitely rubbed me the wrong way, but I don't know if it was someone who worked there, or another kid), because all day she was randomly saying cry baby.  I don't think she would randomly string those two together on her own.

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Ry is holding strong at 12 teeth.  But all of the 5:30 wake-ups lately have me wondering if she isn't getting ready to pop up a couple more.  Really I'd prefer it go ahead and happen, I'd like to just be done with teething already!  I'm sure Ryann feels the same.  Because teething isn't fun, and nobody likes 5:30 in the morning.  And it doesn't really matter what time we put her to bed, she still wakes up then.  So bedtime has started getting a little bit earlier and earlier.  Which makes me sad, because I preferred not having to get her in bed until 8 or 8:30.  She naps for about two hours around noon.  Except for yesterday, when she slept for an hour.  Who wakes up at 5:30 and only wants to nap for an hour?  Someday... someday I will feel rested.  Right?  Ha.  The doctor did say she was surprised by how little Ryann wanted to sleep, but that yes, it indeed was 'enough.'  She suggested trying the two nap a day schedule again because she is usually exhausted in the evenings, but I don't think I want to.

Separation anxiety seems to be at an all time high again, thanks to me starting to leave Ryann in the daycare at the gym.  Whenever we arrive at a destination in the car, no matter where we are going, Ry assumes we are at the gym and starts freaking out, telling me she wants to go home.  This morning when we got to the doctor's office she started saying 'no run mommy.  no run mommy!' while we were in the car.  Today we were outside with my mom, and I ran inside to grab my phone.  That kid freaking loves her grammy, and she was all out bawling because I left her.  I feel really guilty about it, about making her feel this way, and sometimes I think it is a bad idea.  But on the other hand I know at some point she will hopefully get used to it, and someone watching her for 45 minutes out of the day is probably good for both of us.  I know it's selfish, but 3 hours out of the day to myself just isn't enough time for me to get all my work done, workout and still have time to do something I enjoy, such as blog or craft or try and plan healthy meals for my family.  How do you people do it all??  :o)

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She can recognize and say ten shapes:  circle, square, oval, rectangle, triangle, diamond, pentagon, octagon, heart and star (however she calls a star a starfish.  oops, our bad.)  She has been doing pretty good recognizing colors with the sidewalk chalk, however it isn't carrying over to other objects.  She can find me the pink, purple, blue, yellow, green, brown, black and white chalk no problem.  But if I ask her to identify other colored objects, or pick them out, she either doesn't want to, or isn't getting it.  Eventually it will happen.  Ry is also starting to love and recognize letters.  Her favorites are B, C, D and O.  She has also been picking out P's.  It is funny, we will walk by a sign or a car, and she will shout out 'Buh Buh B!!!!!!'  or 'Duh Duh D!!!!!'.  I love it.

This month Ry became OBSESSED with the Llama Llama books.  We grabbed Llama Llama Red Pajama in Georgia, so I could have something to read before I put her to bed, and hello giant tears when I wouldn't read it again and again and again.  A couple Llama Llama books now reside at our house, so she isn't without it!  Another favorite book is Who's That Snoring.  BUT, you can't pull the flaps.  The freak her out.  Yet she still brings me the book over and over again to read.  And when she says it, there isn't an S.  'Noring?  Noring?  Pease!'

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Ryann's love for fruit is continuously growing.  She will eat blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, bananas, pineapples, pears, apples, and her two new favorites, grapes and 'main-go main-go main-go!' (mango, if you didn't follow that :o).  Goldfish have been given the cold shoulder.  I'm not surprised, she has had quite a few in her little lifetime.  Another current favorite food item is yellow and orange bell peppers.  She will eat the red and green ones too, but yellow and orange are her faves.  They have to be raw though, I've tried to give her cooked ones and she spits it out like it is the most disgusting thing ever.  We really REALLY need to work on things for her to eat for lunch and dinner.  I refuse to let her eat veggie tots, chicken nuggets, and Gerber meals forever.  Tonight she actually ate some pizza.  That is progress right?

I'm pretty sure that girl would spend forever outside if we let her.  She is always wanting to go 'ow-tide'.  Either to 'color color color!' (draw with chalk) or go to the park to 'wing!'.  Park has become the four letter word in our house.  If you don't want to go you better not mention it.  Our there will be a meltdown.  I guarantee it.  She also knows the way to the park, and if you turn on a street that isn't the one that leads to the park, she gets upset.  Sometimes she is so excited when we are going, that she giggles and squeals the entire 8 minute walk it takes to get there.  I love it.

She blows ridiculous kisses.  She is learning to 'pound it'.  She doesn't like it when Chris and I pretend to sleep.  If you catch her somewhere she isn't supposed to be, she pretends to be playing peek-a-boo.  She likes to build towers out of markers.  She knows she is cute, and does a little shoulder shrug if you ask her if she is.

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Oh baby girl.  You wear me out, and you make my heart whole.  I love you!

June 29, 2011

a day in the life - claire

Happy Wednesday everybody.  Today a certain little someone just might be 15 months old (I'm totally denying it, but apparently it is true).  There should be a monthly post up tomorrow, but today you get to peek at a day in the life of Claire!

***

Hello! I'm Claire from Chaotically Speaking! I'm a stay-at-home mommy to 12 month old Averlyn, but you can call her Avery, and wife to Bruce. I hope you enjoy a peek into my life!

7:30AM: I'm up automatically. Avery stirs, flops over onto her belly, and pushes up. She starts babbling. I assume she's telling me about the crazy dream she had. After a quick diaper change, we head downstairs and I hand her off to Grandma while I take a shower. (We're in the process of finding a new place, so we're staying with my family for the moment.)

7:50AM: I'm out of the shower and head down to find Avery chopping down some fresh peach. I fix her a cup of milk and scramble some eggs for the both of us. While I finish eating, she decides to help Grandma in the kitchen. Then we take out our dog, Dante. Avery enjoys walking him and flips out when she sees his leash. Dante, on the other hand, is less than thrilled.

9:00AM: Avery is constantly on the go. She goes from room to room talking, playing with her toys, chasing the dogs, and just being goofy. Daddy taught her how to kick a ball and now she always kicks at a ball when she sees it. She has an occasional snack of either rice cake or bell pepper. We spend the rest of the morning playing and spending time with each other.

12:00PM: Lunch time! Little Miss gets a tuna salad sandwich cut into bite-sized pieces, some blueberries, a few bites of tomato, and milk. I'm eating some leftovers from last night. Nothing too exciting. After she's done eating, Avery decides it's time for her and Grandpa to go inspect the vegetable garden. Avery comes back in for a few gulps of water and then drags me back outside.

12:45PM: We head inside to cool off for as long as Avery will allow. She's loving the hot weather and being outside, if you couldn't tell :) . She hangs out with Grandma while I wash Bruce's camis and other various military gear to pack for his upcoming training. After I'm done, it's time to see if Avery will go down for a nap. It's a no go. She's weaned herself down to no naps for some odd reason.
2:05PM: We get a call from Daddy! Avery sees me talking on the phone so she picks up her toy phone and walks around talking on it. Then, it's back outside. This time, we take her doll. Apparently, dolls need fresh air too. Avery walks around carrying her doll and showing it all the different things.

2:30PM: We come back inside for another snack and some more water. I quickly assemble the ingredients I need to make a fresh strawberry pie, then it's back outside to test out her new water table that she got for her birthday! It's a hit! She gets soaked, so we have to come in and change clothes. All I can find quickly is a MU Tigers cheerleading style dress. So, I guess she's representing our college team. Go Tigers!

4:30PM: Daddy's home for the day. Avery lights up when she sees him and it just melts my heart. She babbles at him about her day while they relax on the couch. She's super clingy when he first gets home, so now is my time to catch up on anything I need to do. Today, I catch up on a few blogs, my e-mail, and make the strawberry pie.

6:00PM: Time for dinner. Tonight, we're having chicken enchiladas and a side of peas. So good! I try to feed Avery a Gerber toddler meal, but she's not having any of it. She wants what we're eating, which is fine, I just don't worry about the spiciness. We let her have a taste and she's happy, so she ends up having chicken enchiladas too. After dinner, it's playtime. Daddy puts her on her rocking horse and she's a happy camper.

7:00PM: We wind down playtime and it is time for Avery's bath. Tonight, she's not feeling like taking forever, so she plays for about 10 minutes and then decides she is done with her bath. We take her out, lotion her up, and put on pajamas. She nurses and then falls asleep. I'm trying to wean her, but she just got on a good sleep schedule, so I'm not forcing the end of the nightly nurse session.
8:00PM: Bruce and I pop in a movie -- Predators while we eat some of the dessert I made. He's wanted to see it for ages, but we just got the DVD from Netflix. I watch while chatting with one of my friends online. After the movie is over, it's bedtime, finally!
1. What's the most surprising thing about being a mom?
How easily I put her needs above mine. She is the foremost thought in everything I do.
2. What are some tips you would give to new moms, or soon-to-be moms?
Be flexible and do what works for you. When I was pregnant, I swore I would never co-sleep. After having a newborn, I caved and it's been great for me!
3. What are your top three baby products?
1 - The Moby wrap. This was my life saver when I had a baby who was clingy only to her mama.
2 - Medela Pump In Style Advanced. I never really left Avery for any noticeable length of time, but on those rare occasions, it was a life-saver.
3 - Fisher Price Hoppy Days Bouncer. This made taking a shower possible.

***

Thank you for sharing your day with us Claire!

June 28, 2011

to my husband

Christopher,

I am truly blessed to have you in my life.  You understand me like no one else.  There isn't another person I'd rather spend the rest of my life with.

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These past three years have been filled with lots and lots of joy.  Thank you so much.

Happy Anniversary.  I love you.

June 27, 2011

two steps forward...

...and one step back.  This is how I feel like I've been moving in regards to this whole weight loss thing lately.  I do great, and then I indulge a bit, then I have to make up for it.

I was seriously having a kick a$$ week, and then Chris and I celebrated our anniversary (which is tomorrow!) at The Capitol Grille.  HELLO AMAZING FOOD.  Seriously.  It was quite the indulgence.  Bread.  Lobster Bisque.  Citrus Glazed Salmon.  (A wee bit of veggies)  Lobster Macaroni.  So freaking good.  I enjoyed every bit of it.

Thankfully I had hit the gym Saturday morning for my first class, No Limits Circuit.  I would compare it to the 30 Day Shred video, except instead of only lasting 20 minutes, it is an entire hour.  I'm sore today.  It feels good.  Sunday I spent some time on the stair machine, and got in a 20 minute run.  So the damage wasn't near as bad as it could have been.

As of today my total lost is 28.8 pounds.  I am 3.6 pounds from my goal.  3.6!!!  I'm so happy/proud/excited.  BUT... do you know all the tasty deliciousness my mom puts together for the 4th?  It is pretty awesome.  So I have a feeling this week will be all about kicking some butt, indulging this weekend, and paying for it next week.  But I refuse to deny myself all of the goodness that I always enjoy this weekend.

I'm finally starting to enjoy all of this fitness stuff (still not as much the healthy food stuff, but maybe I'll get there).  As in, I look forward to working out.  Taking that group class on Saturday felt amazing.  I get antsy to go get my sweat on.  Pounding it out at the gym is such a release.  I just really hope Ryann can tough it out in the child care center.  Like I mentioned, the first time she fell and got a bloody nose.  We actually think her shoes were the culprit, two pairs that she has seem to be a bit slippery.  The second time I had to change her diaper (but it had been 35 minutes!), they told me she had been crying on and off, but she was ok.  I decided to just take her when I changed her.  Today... today she only lasted 17 minutes before I got paged.  They said she wouldn't stop crying :o(.

She was actually telling me she wanted to go home as soon as we were walking in the doors to the gym.  When we got to the child care center she was still saying home over and over again, but I told her mommy needed to go run and she said ok, and even though her eyes were a bit watery, she still got down and played.  But apparently she just couldn't handle it.  I'm crossing my fingers that it gets better, because getting up before her isn't an option.  Have we talked about how she wakes up between 5:30 and 6?  I'm not getting up at 4:30 to go to the gym.  Not happening.  I'm motivated, but definitely not that motivated.

Before I get my butt kicked by Jillian I'll leave you with this:


I think I might actually be feeling optimistic lately.

June 26, 2011

pineapple-rum turkey kabobs

This recipe is also coming at ya from 1999.  When I was copying the ginger glazed shrimp recipe, I made copies of a few others that seemed like they might be good.  This one included.  Really, we had this a few weeks ago, and I don't remember exactly what it tasted like, but I do know I was mad that I forgot to eat the leftovers before we went out of town.

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Pineapple-Rum Turkey Kabobs
from Better Homes and Gardens Simply Perfect Grilling magazine, 1999

Ingredients
1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
3 tablespoons rum or unsweetened pineapple juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass or 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces boneless turkey breast
1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges
2 nectarines or 3 plums, pitted and cut into thick slices
1 1/2 cups fresh or canned pineapple chunks
hot cooked rice (optional)

Directions
1.  For the marinade, combine the pineapple juice, rum, brown sugar, lemongrass and oil.  Cut turkey into 1-inch cubes and place in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish.  Add the marinade; seal bag and turn to coat turkey with marinade.  Refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours, turning bag occasionally.
2.  Drain marinade into a small saucepan.  Bring to boiling; cook for 2 minutes, remove from heat.  Alternately thread turkey and onion onto four 12-inch-long skewers, leaving 1/4 inch of space between pieces.
3.  Grill for 12 to 14 minutes or till turkey is tender and no longer pink, turning once and brushing occasionally with marinade.
4.  Alternately thread nectarines or plums and pineapple onto four 12-inch-long skewers.  Place on grill the last 5 minutes of grilling, turning and brushing once with marinade.  Serve kabobs with rice, if desired.  Makes 4 servings.

This recipe has 229 calories per serving (not including the rice).

Enjoy!

June 25, 2011

just some videos

Ok several videos.  I couldn't resist.  I've had some cute ones (in my opinion obviously) hanging around and decided it was about time they hit the blog.

First off, the water table turned out to be a success.  The video is a bit long.  Surprise surprise.


Chris got out the hose to do some watering.  My child who didn't like swimming pools at the time, loved being sprayed with the hose.  Ok well I'm sure if he full out sprayed her she wouldn't have been too happy, but I love her dorky little laugh in this video.


I think I've mentioned before that Ryann loves a book called Shake a Leg.  We got her on camera doing a pretty good job with all of the prompts.


Ryann loves animal crackers.  She is usually pretty forceful with her requests for them.


Oh you know, just trying to show off my little smarty pants.  Sorry I can't help it.  All of our kids are the smartest ones out there right?  Obviously.  :o)


One of Ryann's favorite things to do right now, is go to the park and swing.  She used to want out of the swing the second we put her in it, but now it is cool.  I missed her most excited moments when we asked her if she wanted to go, so I tried to do it again.  She was a bit peeved that we hadn't left the house yet...


And baby girl doing what she loves.


Wow.  Ok, I suppose that is enough videos for right now :o).

June 24, 2011

this and that

::  When we were flying home from Georgia, I must have lost my driver's license, because that thing is no where to be found.  Finally on Tuesday I headed to the dreaded Driver's License Station to get a new one.  I brought my passport, an old license, my social security card and a bill that had been mailed to our house to use as proof of address.  The guy at the check in desk wouldn't let me in line because my two photo IDs didn't match the name on my bill.  And they don't accept a social security card as proof of identity.  He told me to trek back home and find my marriage license and come back.  Boo.

So I went home, and honestly, we couldn't find our marriage license anywhere.  We found a certificate from the church, but I didn't know if that counted, or if I needed something official from the courthouse.  So I called to check what they would accept.  The lady who answered the phone told me the guy at the front was nuts, and my married name was already in the system so it didn't matter.  No marriage license needed.  Ugh.  I love wasting my time :o).  For the record, I do have a license now.

::  I saw this on pinterest today, and thought I needed to tape it by my bed.  Seeing as the little miss has been waking up at 5:30 for over a week now.  Honestly I'm not sure how many wonderful things happen that early in the morning, but I am trying to be optimistic here!


::  Yesterday I joined a gym.  Like a super fancy gym by my standards.  I settled on Lifetime Fitness.  The club was a little intimidating when I first walked in, but you don't have to sign a year long contract or anything, they have a kick butt outdoor pool that we can use, and I got two personal training sessions when I signed up.  Now I have no excuse not to work out.  It gives Ryann and I something to do during the day.  Which leads me to...

::  Today was Chris's first day of residency, so I figured what better day to start at the gym.  I barely slept last night, I was super worried about leaving Ryann in the child care center.  Even though the people I met were super nice.  And it looked really clean.  And all of the kids there yesterday were happy.  I was terrified about it.  I was worried she would cry the whole time.

This morning Ryann was the first kiddo there (like I said she is getting up at 5:30, why not be at the gym at 8?).  A lovely lady named Bee was in charge of her area.  As soon as we walked in she squirmed out of my arms and went straight for the toys.  And didn't look back.  I was amazed.  The girls in there told me she did great!  She asked for me a time or two, but was content when they said I'd be back soon.  It was fantastic... until I was paged 20 minutes in to my workout because she fell and got a bloody nose.  

Kids fall, it happens, and I have faith that she wasn't doing anything ridiculous and not being watched.  But seriously?  Bloody nose on day one?  The first time she has ever been watched by anyone but family?  Geez.  Really though I just hope she isn't traumatized, and does just as great when we go back on Monday.

::  Lunch is the most baffling meal of the day for me.  I never know what to have.  And end up eating the same thing everyday.  Which is no fun.  I'm not really in to salads, and it has to be quick and easy.  And healthy.  What is your favorite lunch that fits that criteria?  Do you frequently eat the same thing?

::  On that note, I am seriously craving anything and everything unhealthy.  All I want is cookies and pasta and pizza and ice cream and chips and guacamole and margaritas.  Why????????  Boo to carrot chips and salad.  Why can't I lose weight eating brownies?

Hope your weekend is fantastic :o).

iphone pics

I never got around to posting my iphone pictures from last week on Monday, so I figured I'd throw them up before I have next week's stock piled too.

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And a little rundown on what you're looking at...  a tasty little breakfast sandwich.  A mini whole wheat bagel, one side smeared with crunchy peanut butter, the other with nutella, with banana slices in the middle.  Heaven!  ::  Ryann and Daddy in the park.  ::  That sad little red face is all because we went outside and got in the car, instead of getting out the chalk.  ::  Snack time bliss  ::  Playing in mommy and daddy's bed.  ::  CHALK!  ::  Watching Kung Fu Panda with baby Abby.  Oy.  ::  Big eyes and a mouth full of bell pepper.  ::  Napping at grammy and papa's.  ::  Evening boat ride  ::  My parent's cat craves attention from everyone.  Ryann doesn't care.  ::  Making a marker tower.  ::  Another evening boat ride.  ::  TADS TROPICAL SNO!  Yum.  ::  She loves to give Little People rides on that toy.  ::  My heart is melting.  Trying to be just like her mama!  ::

Here are a few that are really old, that I don't think ever made it on the blog.  But I really like them.  So they are being shared :o).

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these pajamas might have been a bit eccentric for the grocery store... oh well.
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Ryann requested this be placed on her birthday list for next year :o)
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Our house has been taken over.
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Just chillaxin' on a walk.

Happy Friday!

June 23, 2011

georgia vacation, part three

The conclusion.  I think so anyway.  And this time I'm pretty much just throwing in photos.  Because I'm too lazy for the play by play.  Essentially we ate.  We went to the beach.  We ate some ice cream.  We slept.  Yep.  About sums it up.  Chris, his mom and I did visit an old fort on the island, and some shopping happened, but that is about it!

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just hangin' out on the porch
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ugh.  this picture would have been better if the catch lights weren't in the middle of her pupils, but I still like it.
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more berbert (sherbet) please!
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We had some delicious Mexcian food for lunch (yummy shrimp tacos!).  And they served their margaritas in mason jars.  Love it. 
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She spent more than five minutes pulling handfuls of sand out of the bucket and rubbing it on her belly.
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Chris caught some little fish and a couple stingrays!
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So sad, only 'decent' picture I took of her in that dress.  It was adorable!  Why was it the only one, you might ask.  Well, that was the evening that Ryann flat out slapped me in the face.  Not flailing oops I accidently hit mommy.  She turned around and palm to cheek slapped me in the face.  I have no idea where she got the idea it was ok to hit.  She was frustrated because we were out to dinner and I wouldn't let her run around the restaurant, mean mommy, I know.  And she hit me.  I quickly grabbed her hand and told her sternly 'no thank you'.  Her face said it all, she knew exactly what she did was wrong.  And she hasn't done it again, yet anyway.

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What was she doing?  Playing peek-a-boo of course!
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Everyone except my mom right before we left for the airport.
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Snuggling with daddy, and then with the new monkey Grandma bought.
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Let's talk a little bit about our return flight.  When you book the flight it sounds absolutely amazing.  It leaves Jacksonville at 4:05, gets in to Kansas City by 6:30.  Perfect right?  Except that only leaves you a 30 minute layover in Nashville.  And when your flight out of Jacksonville is delayed?  You're screwed.  Which of course, is what happened.

The guy working our gate was very nice, and quickly rebooked us on a different flight.  The flight made two stops, Dallas and Houston, before it went to KC.  We were barely on the ground for the stops and didn't have to change planes.  But think about that one.  We were on the same plane for over FIVE hours.  Yes I know other kids have probably survived similar situations, and Ryann did alright.  For about four hours.  The last hour was miserable for all three of us.  We felt bad because she was overtired and ready for bed.  We felt bad because she wasn't exactly quiet.  I felt bad because she wanted NOTHING to do with me, and just wanted to squirm around on Chris.  But we survived, and did eventually make it home.  In the future though?  Probably not booking that flight.

embrace the camera

Now I'm not 100% certain, but I think a certain little miss may have almost actually enjoyed the pool this past weekend.  Granted the first time we had her in there she was saying up every few minutes to the nearest person, but she didn't freak out or anything.  And she lasted at least 20 minutes!  It was awesome.

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She of course had to have some friends with her.  Side note, her taking one nap a day is perfect for having a couple hours midday to lay by the pool and read a book.  But a word of advice?  Make sure you aren't sitting up the whole time you're reading outside, or you might get sunburn on your belly, with a big ol' white stripe across the middle.  Whoops.

June 22, 2011

a day in the life - tracy

Rise and shine sleepy heads!  I'm going to bet that I have been up since 5:30AM (this is a scheduled post), but maybe I'm lucky, and maybe, just MAYBE the wee one decided to sleep until at least 6 for the first time in a week.  Looks like Tracy generally starts her day bright and early too.  I hope you enjoy a day in her life!

***

Hi!  My name is Tracy and you can find me over at The Blessed Life.  I am a 30-something, stay-at-home momma with two little girls ages one and two and one more on the way.  I started my blog to keep friends and family updated and to keep a record of our lives that I plan to someday make into one of those handy blog books!  My husband and I have been married for 10 years and I am beyond blessed to have him as my partner and the father of my children.  You can find a bit of everything in my blog, recipes, kid stories, parenting advice, money saving tips, and things that I think are great.  I would love to have you stop by and say hello!  A big thank you to Ashley for letting me share my day with you!

pic of the family by CC Miller photography

6:00 a.m.  Both girls are up.  Crazy, I know.  They have been and probably always will be early risers.  I am sure that is largely due to the fact that I put them to bed early, but I would much rather get up early and have some time to myself at night, than to sleep in!  Isabelle gets a cup of milk as soon as she is up, Molly gets water.
6:30 a.m.  Breakfast time.  Molly is a champion eater and Isabelle is not.  So all meal times are a struggle to get Belle to eat, but Molly will eat whatever.  After the girls are done with breakfast I usually pop in a Signing Time DVD for them to watch while I eat my breakfast and check email.  I am a stay at home mom, but I also work from home so I use time in the morning to plan out my day both with the girls and with work.
7:00 a.m-9:00 a.m.  This time of the morning is pretty low key for us.  Since it gets so hot here during the summer, we try to head into the backyard in the morning for a little fun.  If we don't go outside we play inside.  While I am not always successful, I try to spend some quality time with the girls before the day gets too crazy.

Belle in the pool.  Usually she wears a swimsuit...HA.

9:00 a.m.  Molly is down for her first nap.  She will generally sleep for about two hours.  I check blogs, clean the kitchen, start laundry, make the bed, get dressed (maybe squeeze in a shower), and spend some one-on-one time with Isabelle reading or playing with her toy kitchen.  Basically I try to get things done that are too challenging to get done while Molly is awake.  Isabelle will generally color or look at books at the table while I am reading/writing my blog.
11:00 a.m.  Molly is up and hungry.  I swear that girl is always hungry.  A quick snack for both girls while I start getting lunch ready.  We do everything early around here! 
12:00-12:30 p.m.  Time for Isabelle's nap.  Molly is still a two a day napper, but Belle just takes one long afternoon nap.  While Belle is asleep I will spend some one-on-one play time with Molly and also try to get some housework/work done. 
1:00-1:30 p.m.  Molly is back down for her second nap and so...guess what?  Mom sleeps also.  Before getting pregnant again I was super productive during this time.  I scheduled new appointments, sent emails, called customers, and planned for the next day.  However, this pregnancy has been so much different.  Not only have I been sick and throwing up pretty much all the time, but I am also insanely tired.  So for right now, when both girls are asleep, so am I.  My house has suffered and so has my business, but I am hopeful that after my first trimester things will get better.
3:00-3:30 p.m.  Girls are awake and they are ready for a snack.  I try to be very conscious of what they eat and make sure that the things I am feeding them are healthy and are giving them nourishment.  Since there is so much fruit in season right now, snack time is easy and usually consists of some sort of fruit and maybe a piece of cheese.  After snack they get to watch another Signing Time DVD.  This is also the time of day where we will run errands.  If I have to make deliveries, or go to the bank, or stop off at the library, this is when it gets done.  It is really the only time of day where it isn't meal time or nap time for one or both of the girls.
5:00 p.m.  Dinner time.  Some days I feel that all I do is feed kids and then clean them up!  Molly is always hungry right at five.  This makes it somewhat challenging for me and making dinner, because Jason is not home until closer to six, but making two dinners is out of the question.  If there are leftovers from the night before, that is what Molly will eat, otherwise I make dinner early and Jason and I warm ours up when he gets home.  Again, Isabelle doesn't really eat and I usually have to make her eat one bite of everything on her plate and call it good.

Molly waiting for another bite!
Finally full!

6:00-7:00 p.m.  Bath time, book time, daddy time.  The girls are at their best at this time of day.  They are so happy to have their dad home and it shows!  Jason is usually the one who will give them their bath and I am able to clean up the kitchen and relax for a few minutes.  If I have an appointment scheduled it is almost always during this time, so there are days where the rest of the evening is up to Jason!  I am thankful for a job where I set my own schedule and can work when my husband is home with the girls.
7:00 p.m.  Molly's bed time.  Whoo-Hoo.  One down, one to go.
8:00 p.m.  Belle's bed time.  Whoo-Hoo.  Now time for Jason and I to spend some time together.
The rest of the night consists of catching up on TV shows we haven't had time to watch, talking about our days, planning when to do the millions of things we have to do, and just spending time together.  I think this time of day is so important and that is why I will probably never keep my girls up late so they will sleep in.  I need time with my hubs and when we have three little ones instead of two, I think it will be even that much more valuable.  We will usually head to bed around 10:30 p.m.
 
Questions:
1. What is the most surprising thing about being a mom?
How hard parenting is.  Being a mom is more than a full time job.  I wouldn't trade it for the world, but being home full time is no joke!
2. What are some tips/advice you would give to new or soon-to-be mamas?
Stay home.  I know that for many people this is just not possible.  I would have said it wasn't possible for me either.  We had been a two income family for so long that I was sure it would never work for me to be a full time stay at home mom.  However, it was something both my husband and I wanted and we have been able to make it work for almost three years.  We have had to make sacrifices, but it has been worth it.
3. What are your top 3 baby products?
-Lansinoh breast pump.  I nursed both girls for a year, but being able to pump and have someone else feed them if I needed to go out was essential.
-Bouncy/Vibrating Seat.  We called it the magic chair.  I could not have made it through the first weeks home with Isabelle without this chair.  I think this is a parenting must have.
-Signing Time DVD's.  This is more for toddlers than for newborns.  Both Molly and Isabelle have learned sign language and were able to communicate with us long before they could talk.

There is it, a day in the life of me.  We are a routine oriented family, but it works for us.  Sure, there are days when things don't go according to our plan, but luckily my children are able to adjust.  Thanks again, Ashley for letting me be a part of this series!

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Thank you, Tracy, for sharing your day with us!