a day in the life - caits

I think every school in our area is closed, except Ryann's MDO/Preschool program.  Woot woot!  You better believe I dug my car out to get that girl there.  We both need it.  I need a break.  She is stir crazy.  Win win for everyone!

Today you get a little look at a day in the life of Caits.  Enjoy!

***

Hi. I'm Caits. I was really excited when Ashley asked for volunteers for a day in the life. How fun! My blog, theonlyonemama, is kind of random about life. I usually work 4 days a week, so here I picked a day when I'm home with my daughter, monster. 

6:30 My alarm goes off. I check the monitor, sometimes she's awake and sometimes she's not. Today she is not, so i snuggle back under the blankets to wake up slowly.

6:45-8 Monster gets up, we get dressed, and have breakfast (oatmeal for her, eggs for me), I spend a few minutes picking up the living room since she has PT today and they come to the house. After breakfast we play until K and E arrive.

 8-9 K and E put monster through her paces with lots of suggestions for me. She works hard!

9:15-11 We play, make supper in the crock pot, get a meal plan together, make a grocery list, have a snack, and watch TV. I usually don't have the TV on during the day but monster and I both have colds, so we're taking it easy today.

11-1:30 Make lunch, feed monster, MIL arrives to watch monster and I leave for lunch with a couple of girlfriends. My last girlfriend is getting married next week (in Jamaica) so we have lunch because I can't go to the ceremony. I eat really good pizza and homemade ranch dressing and draw a turtle.

1:30-3:15 Back home, monster and I take a nap. I didn't mean to fall asleep but obviously I need it because I sleep until JT comes home from work and finds me in bed.

3:15-5:15 Monster plays with her daddy, plays by herself, and we eat supper. JT leaves for class.

5:30-6:30 Monster has had enough for today and cries like crazy so, I give her a bath to calm her down and get her ready for bed. She fights it for awhile but then falls asleep.

6:30-8:30 I clean up around the house a bit and relax with my book until I give up and get ready for bed. I down some NyQuil and rub on some Vicks. Here's hoping I feel better tomorrow! Good night.

And Ashley's questions...
What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mom? To me, it's how hard it really is. I mean, I knew it would be hard but I figured I'd get the hang of it. Since monster has developmental delays and trouble with coordination, it's 10 times harder than i ever expected.

What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be mamas? Take everyone's advice and filter it to your own situation. What works for some, doesn't work for others. Don't worry if your baby doesn't fit the mold that the book babies do... all babies do things in their own time, even if you want them to do something different. :-)

What are your top 3 baby products? Lets see... The Sleep Sheep, the infant carrier car seat, and the bathtub sponge.

Thanks for stopping by!

***

Thank you for sharing your day with us Caits!

this and that

::  Sorry there was no 'move it monday' yesterday.  If you had a health and fitness post you wanted to share feel free to leave a link in the comments, or link up more than one next week!  Assuming I write one next week.  There isn't much to say.  I've been stress eating chocolate like it is my job, so no more weight loss to report.  And lack of sleep and time plus snow = no walks.  Boo.  I know I still have another 3+ weeks before I really am supposed to get back into a routine, but I am so anxious!

::  Speaking of the stress and snow.  So my husband?  He has had one real day off since we came home from the hospital.  He has worked a minimum of 12 hours every day besides that day.  More than once now he has had to sleep at the hospital thanks to the snow, for fear of not making it in for his next shift.  I am so completely over it.  I know it could be worse.  I know many husbands work more time consuming jobs, or heck, are in the military and gone for long periods of time.  BUT I never signed up for that, I couldn't live that kind of life.  And what we've got going on right now?  It is about the most that I can handle.  I just want my husband back.

And the freaking snow to go away!  Lots of people love the snow.  Me?  Not at all.  If I could pack up my family and friends and move us all somewhere where it never snows I absolutely would.  This morning our power started going on and off sometime before 5:30am, which means sleep buddy was all screwed up, which means Miss Ryann thought it was A-Ok to come prancing out of her room at an unreasonably early hour.  It wasn't ok.  Then the power went out for good at 8am.  The temperature in our house dropped 5 degrees in less than two hours.  I wasn't sure what we were going to do if it stayed off.  Me, a toddler, a newborn and my mom (thank God for my mom).  Yikes.  Thankfully, just as my mom finished digging out the car and had booked us a room at a hotel, the power came back on.  Crossing our fingers it stays on, but we aren't cancelling our hotel room just yet on the off chance it doesn't.

The only bonus to the snow is that Ryann and Chris finally got to build a snowman.  Ryann could hardly walk in the snow because it was so deep, hence the reason she was crawling to me :o).

what it currently looks like on my street

::  And again, I have to mention and thank my mother.  She has been essentially living at my house on an air mattress since the beginning of the month.  I have no clue what I would have done without her through all of this.  Lost my mind, that is for sure.  She has been filling in for all of Christopher's duties, and then some.  And a few more after that too.  I'm sure some people would go insane having their mother live with them for so long, but my mom is awesome.  She keeps thinking that she has 'over stayed her welcome,' but she is so wrong.  I'm trying not to get too used to all the extra help.  But I totally am.  We pay her in cute baby smiles...

I know, I know, it might not be a 'real' social smile.  But it is freaking cute.  And I love that girl.  And it does seem like she kind of tries to smile for us.  Mostly my mom.  My mom talks to her and you can just see the corners of Elsie's mouth twitch, and sometimes her face breaks out into the cutest little smile like the one above.  Love. It.

::  And just some other cute photos.  Because it is easier to post those than share cohesive thoughts.

how ryann is coping

It is no secret that I was worried about the affect of bringing home a new baby would have on Ryann.  She said she was excited to be a big sister, she had shown interest in babies and enjoyed holding Collins.  But lets face it.  Ryann has been an only child for nearly three years, she has no cousins, and none of our friends we hang out with on a regular basis have kids.  Girl has had it made in the attention department.  And, um, she is a strong headed girl who lacks some of the need to please.  She is going to do what she wants when she wants.

We read a couple of books about being a big sister and about what a baby needs.  We talked about mommy and daddy having to go to the hospital and coming home with Baby Sister.  But really none of that could truly prepare her to have her little world as she knew it completely turned upside down.  No one is every truly ready to have a baby, child or adult.

The good news?  Ryann is in love with Elsie.  I wouldn't say obsessed with her or anything, but she is happy to give Elsie kisses, worries about her when she cries, etc.  The bad news?  Ryann was more or less PISSED at me.  And kind of everyone else, but she was taking all of her frustration and emotions out on me for the first week.  Confused and angry toddler + newborn + postpartum hormones?  Whoa.  A whole lot to handle.

While we were in the hospital my mom stayed with Ryann.  She said Ry cried for me, a lot.  Grammy is pretty awesome, but Ryann is so used to me being there ALL THE TIME.  Those few days in the hospital were the longest I've ever been away from home since Ry was born.  She didn't exactly handle it well.  We thought maybe it would be better once we were home because I would be there, but Ryann quickly realized that things just were not the same.  Grammy was still around and there were things mommy couldn't do.  I had another person I had to take care of too.

For several days Ry's behavior was pretty awful.  We were all walking on egg shells waiting for her next outburst.  She was throwing toys, talking back to us, outright disobeying us.  And it wasn't just to me or Christopher.  This behavior was directed at everyone.  The worst of it seemed to occur while I was feeding Elsie, or when it was time to get ready for nap or bedtime.  It was so hard, I could tell my little girl was hurting, and she just didn't know how to express what she was feeling.  One night while I was tucking her in, she told me she didn't want to be a girl anymore.  I asked her what she wanted to be, and she responded with nothing.  She didn't want to be anything anymore.

Dagger to the heart.  I felt so terrible.  Like I had ruined her whole world.

I'm sure some of this behavior simply comes from the fact that she is almost three.  She wants to be an independent little kid and she is testing her boundaries.  Looking for ways to control pieces of her life.  Having a newborn in the house just exploits the behavior that much more.

Thankfully, over the last few days things have started to get a little better.  I think Ryann is understanding that Elsie isn't going anywhere, and that she is just going to have to deal with mommy needing to take care of someone else.  Her behavior is still worst when I'm feeding Elsie.  She gets mad when I can't help her with something.  And she wants me to do everything.  She doesn't want Daddy or Grammy to help her with stuff, it has to be mommy.  I'm trying to do as much as I can, but I can't do it all, and slowly I think she'll realize that.  It is just going to take some time.  And a whole lotta paitence.

But again, Ry isn't taking any of her behavior out on Elsie.  She will help me do stuff for E here and there, and asks to give her a hug and a kiss before bed every night.  So I think once Elsie can 'play' a little bit more, they really are going to become the best of friends.  And that?  Makes it all worth it.

if only I actually adjusted the white balance on my camera...   

nearly two weeks in...

Tomorrow Elsie will be two weeks old.  I've been at this whole mom of two thing for two weeks.  It is still crazy to me.  Crazy that Elsie is here.  Crazy that this little baby will some day turn into a toddler like Ry.  Crazy that I have two kids.

I wanted to write a little bit about the newest member of our family, and doing that revolves a lot around this whole nursing thing, so this is kind of two for one post (which means yes, boob talk.  if that is tmi, come back another day!).  I mean honestly if I want to get anything done right now I have to multitask anyway, so why not?  Side note, the post I wrote about my decision to breastfeed climbed to the most popular post on my blog in roughly four weeks.  I can't believe how many people have read about my boobs...

Lastly, I should add, I'm not sure how cohesive and well flowing this post is going to be.  I already feel like it is coming out a jumbled mess, but that is good as it gets right now.

Miss Elsie Jo, 5 days old

Everyone said it would happen, but I didn't really believe them.  They said somehow my heart would double in size to accommodate this new little person in my life.  I just didn't see how it was possible.  Ryann was my whole world.  But the minute they put Elsie on my chest she had stolen my heart.  I spend a lot of time staring at her, wondering how she is so absolutely perfect.  Her sweet little nose, her absolutely kissable lips, her extra long fingers and toes.  It is all perfect.  Her little body molds into mine when I hold her, like she was made just for me.  I love her so much.

When we were in the hospital I was certain she was going to be high maintenance.  Shortly after birth she latched on, and was pretty great at nursing from the start.  She would spend up to an hour nursing every three hours.  Now we definitely had our issues.  That girl was hungry, and you could tell she was pissed that she didn't really get instant satisfaction and everything she wanted from me.  So it would always take her a while to really get latched and get going.  We ended up resorting to putting sugar water on my nipples to get Elsie to stay latched long enough to get things going, without getting overly pissed.  Also?  Elsie's cry is much louder and more demanding than I remember Ry's being.  Despite that, Elsie is actually a pretty chill little girl.  Especially since my milk came in.

As long as she is fed and dry (and doesn't need to poop, burp or puke), she will lay in your arms for an hour or more just staring, without making a peep.  Obviously she needs to sleep, and sometimes it is tough to get her there, but she isn't mad about being a awake.  I can even set her in the rock 'n play completely awake and she will just hang out.  Occasionally she will just put herself to sleep, but it usually takes some cuddles.  Apparently she doesn't want to miss anything.

I have taken to calling Elsie the Queen of Bodily Fluids, or Little Miss Bodily Fluids.  I swear there is always something coming out of that kid.  No joke, the nurses couldn't believe her diaper output in the first 48 hours.  She pees and poos like a champ (sorry Elsie, I know you'll hate me when you read that one day, but really, you love me).  But if she doesn't fall asleep immediately after nursing, I can almost guarantee that she is going to spit up.  Especially if you move her around too much.  And frequently when she sneezes (or spits up for that matter) milk comes out her nose.  So between leaky diapers (blaming it on the chicken legs :o) and spit up, I change her outfit at least twice a day, if not more.  I don't remember Ryann being quite so spitty this early on, but I'm sure it was similar.  So I'm settling in for the long haul with another super spitty baby.

Nursing really is going so so SO much better this time around.  Elsie must have an amazing latch, because even though there is some discomfort when she initially latches, I haven't really had any notable pain associated with nursing.  No cracked or bleeding nipples at all.  Nothing.  And I pretty much only used my lanolin the first few days.  I have no idea how I got so lucky.  Elsie did lose at least 8% of her body weight, but was just over her discharge weight at our first pedi appointment (discharged at 5lb 12oz, weighed 5lb 14oz at our appointment) and the doc said she looked great, her color was excellent, so she didn't have us schedule a follow-up weight check.

Now I'm just trying to figure out our 'schedule'.  Obviously I can't really put her on a schedule per say just yet.  I will nurse on demand.  But in order to nurse on demand, she has to actually demand to be fed, and that just hasn't happened yet.  When I left the hospital, they suggested I feed every two hours during the day and three hours at night, to get my milk supply established and because Elsie was just a small babe in general.  I've had to wake her for nearly every feeding.  She has only woken up on her own maybe three times?  And that is when I've been letting her go three hours at night.

hello little wrinkly knees... and chicken legs :o)

I think part of the problem is that Elsie can be kind of a tough cookie about going back to sleep.  If she doesn't fall asleep while nursing, she really will stay up for almost two hours at a time.  She just can't settle back down to sleep.  So I'm guessing she gets really tired, and even if she is hungry, isn't going to wake herself back up right away to eat.  Sometimes I have a hard time waking her, she just doesn't want to get up.  Yet when I do finally get her awake, and she realizes she is hungry, she goes a little nuts.  Gets relatively upset, is rooting like crazy, attacks anything that comes near her face trying to find a boob.  So yeah, I'm not really sure what to do. 

With all that, I kind of wish we had scheduled a two week follow-up with the pedi.  I'm sure I could still call and ask to take her in, but, um, snow is coming.  I just want to have her weighed to see where we are at (but I'm pretty sure she's gaining, I swear her cheeks look fuller!).  And to just kind of ask some questions and make sure I'm doing everything 'right'.

Oy.  Babies.  Why don't they each come with their own personal instruction manual?  Overall though, I'd say everything is going well.  I wouldn't mind a little more sleep, but Elsie seems to be doing good and that is what matters.

Elsie girl, I love you so much.  I'm so happy that you've joined our family and can't wait to watch your personality develop, and see how you 'fit in' with us.

a day in the life - alisha jo

Woot.  Hump day.  Which = MDO which = a slightly more sane mommy today.  Plus my mom is still around helping us out since the hospital has kidnapped my husband.  So today should be a good day.  Unless said husband gets snowed in at the hospital, then I think I'll be extra sad that he can't come home in the morning.  We shall see.  Anyway... 

Check out a day in the life of Alisha Jo.  Twins, could you do it?  I figure if I had to, I could.  But one baby is daunting enough for more.  More power to you mommies of multiples!

***

Hi everybody, my name is Alisha Jo and I am currently a SAHM to twin girls who are 9 months old. My husband and I relocated back to my hometown (Lee's Summit, MO) when our girls were four days old due to my hubby taking a new job. I was thrilled to be back by my family and that his job allows me to stay at home right now. I'm a licensed attorney (only licensed in IL right now) so I'm enjoying my time with my girls while I figure out what how I want to proceed career wise next. I began blogging to chronicle our infertility journey and to keep family updated. Now I blog about my girls :) Enjoy a peek into our day!

2:05 am: For some reason, I wake up, immediately check both monitors (hear & see nothing) and contemplate going upstairs to check on the girls. I know if I check on them then it will be harder for me to get back to sleep but if I don't check on them then my Mommy Guilt kicks in... While I contemplate for a few minutes Ellie Jo decides to make my decision easy by starting to cry. She's fine, lost her paci and rolled herself into a corner of her crib. I fix the issue and head back to bed.

3:50 am: Ellie Jo's full on screams wake me so I head upstairs to check on her. She tends to talk/cry in her sleep (I always wonder what is so terrible in my poor baby's life that is causing this?! This is probably Mommy Guilt kicking in again, blaming myself...) so I wasn't sure if she was actually awake or still asleep. She was actually awake so I rub her belly and try to calm her before heading back to bed. When I get to bed though she's back to crying! Ugh. Because we're trying to sleep train I stay downstairs and intensely watch the monitors. After 10 minutes my husband heads up to try but no luck she's back to crying. I hate sleep training.

6:55 am: I slept through Scott leaving (well, I heard him in the kitchen but decided not to get up) and am awakened by Charlie through the monitor. I grab the girls and bring them to our bed to let them hang out (surrounded by pillows and my watchful eye) while I at least go to the bathroom. And then I take a few minutes to snuggle and love on my baby girls.

::Ellie Jo on the left & Charlie on the right::

7:15 am: Starting our morning ritual- we head to the living room, I turn on Good Morning America (Momma needs a little bit of news and pop culture), change a couple wet diapers, set the girls' toys up, and head to the kitchen to make the morning bottles. The girls' first bottle of the day is 6 oz at 7:30. They fell into a routine extremely early, within a week old, and while the schedule has changed with their needs, it hasn't deviated too much. I figured out early that E & C thrive on a schedule, when we would deviate that's when things would go bad. The girls are happiest when we (the adults around them) stick to their schedule. Personally I love it because I am extremely type A and this just worked. I was prepared for the feeding on demand but the girls never did that, in fact, I had to make sure I was feeding them every three hours during the day in the beginning because they wouldn't cry for food. Even at night our pediatrician had me wake them up every four hours for a bottle till they were one month old. They both would've happily slept longer but they were too small. That was a long first month.

::Morning bottles in the living room. Please excuse the boxes, that's our pantry till we buy a freestanding one! But it also serves the purpose of blocking the fireplace since 

Charlie is obsessed with it right now!::

7:50 am: Bottles are done so it's play time for the next hour and ten minutes. Ellie Jo FINALLY crawled last night while she was at Nana and Papa's house (yay baby girl!) so I was hoping she would practice her new skill for me, which she did! She's much slower than Charlie right now but I anticipated that. Charlie has been crawling for over a month now and is everywhere. She's a determined lil girl and loves to follow me around the house.

9:00 am: The girls have been rubbing their eyes randomly for the last 15 minutes and I'm starting to see the tired signs from both of them. They're like clockwork, so I quickly check diapers and head them upstairs to nap. I get them wrapped up in their blankets, give them their taggie blankies (Charlie is a big blankie girl and loves hers) and paci's before I turn on their music and head out the door. We don't rock or sing, and never have, because we want the girls to put themselves down. They have been awesome with it so far and it's saved us quite a few headaches probably. After the girls are down I pick up their toys, straighten up around the house, let the dogs out into the backyard to play (we have 3 fur babies who really were my first babies), and tackle any projects I have planned for the day. Today it's finishing the girls' Valentine's Day/Papa's birthday outfits. My dad's birthday is on Valentine's Day so cupid has always taken the backseat to my dad. Always a Daddy's girl! The girls love their Papa, especially Ellie Jo who just lights up with him and hates to share him, so tomorrow we are celebrating at my parents' house. Of course I had to make them outfits!

::this picture is actually from Valentine's Day, but I wanted to show their outfits!::

10:30 am: delivery guy wakes up the girls which is ok because they'd be waking up anytime within the next half hour. My husband sent flowers a day early for valentines day! Definitely surprised me :) I immediately change the girls diapers and we head downstairs to play a little.

11:30 am: bottle time! 2nd 6 oz bottle of the day. And a quick lunch of leftovers for me.

11:50 am: I quickly pick up the living room toys, put the bottles in the sink, and we head up to the playroom. I grabbed my camera to get a few pictures of the girls and they had fun playing with all their toys.

1:15 pm: 2nd nap of the day and shower time for mommy! I also spend some time working on the disorganization of our house... The guest room is currently filled with every single picture frame, candle, decorative mirror, wall decoration, etc, that we own. There are no decorations of pictures up in our house so it feels a lil cold and not family like. I hope to get things up soon but I have no motivation!

2:30 pm: The girls are up. I was hoping they would sleep a little longer but oh well. I change the girls' diapers and decide to load them up in the jogging stroller to go get the mail and take a little walk through our neighborhood since it was a nice day.

3:30 pm: Back home after our walk and ready for bottle #3 (another 6 oz) and some more play time in the living room.

4:30 pm: Time for me to start dinner. While we were living with my parents I didn't cook a lot so I collected a lot of recipes on pinterest (follow me @Jo Scott!). This was my 3rd new meal for the week and was geared to my husband (philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers-- they were actually good!).

5:30 pm: Scott is home, girls are in their highchairs, and dinner is ready. The girls usually only eat one meal of solids a day. On the weekends if we make breakfast like pancakes they'll eat those but they usually are more than content with just their bottles through out the day. They are eating more finger foods than purees and love food. Tonight they munched on some steamed carrots and peas along with a little bit of potatoes that I made for us.

6:30 pm: Bath time! Scott picks up the living room and vacuums for me (Ellie Jo is scared of the vacuum, wth? so he does it while she can't hear it) and then makes the final bottle of the night (8 oz). I give both of the girls their baths, put them in their pj's, and hand off Charlie to Scott. By 7:00 pm both girls are done and ready to be fed.

7:20 pm: Both girls are asleep... we'll see how long this last. Currently the girls are going through a sleep regression

7:30 pm: It's off to the gym for me. I hate treadmills but in this weather it's all I can manage. I'm running the Rock the Parkway half marathon in April with some friends so I have to put some time in on the treadmill to train.

9:30 pm: After my run, a quick pick up of the house (really I pick up through out the day... I'm compulsively clean so I clean as I go, I just never make note of it because it's second nature to me!), and a quick shower, it's off to bed for me. Which really means laying in bed with my computer, watching tv, and talking to my husband. Sleep doesn't happen for a while but I like to be comfy :)

Now for Ashley's questions:

What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mom?

How easy it was to fall into the role! I don't know if I thought it would be different or if I would need more assistance but looking back I realized that the minute they arrived my life changed and so did I. I just naturally fell into the role of a mom of multiples and it felt natural to be their mom and to love them more than anything in this world.

What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be mamas?

Trust your gut. Seriously, everybody says this but you need to do it. My best example of this is when we were visiting my in-laws in Illinois and we noticed something off about E's diaper (not to gross anybody out but a little discharge). She had been diagnosed within the previous month of having a kidney issue (urine in her bladder leaks back up to one of her kidneys and she had a UTI, which can be serious and we have to monitor everything pretty close) but she wasn't showing the same signs as her previous UTI. But in my gut I felt like she had been "off" all day even though my husband didn't agree. But we called the nurse's hotline and ended up taking her to the emergency room where they diagnosed her with another UTI. You know your child, so if you feel like something is wrong or they need something, trust that feeling, you are their mom!

What are your top three baby products?

Hmmm, mine are based on helping with multiples since my hubby was only home on weekends the first 6 months of the girls' lives but I think they may help others :)

1. Rock n play: Yes, they had a recent voluntary recall (wash them people, not hard) but I would still buy another. They are portable and great for tiny babies too! When the girls had RSV this winter at 7 months they slept in them at night because they were elevated. They are awesome!

2. Boppy: we still use them for feedings now that the girls are holding their own bottles but they were great in the beginning too for helping the girls sit up and for laying comfortably and playing with toys.

3. Aden & Anais swaddle blankets: Get the big ones, you can find them on amazon... they are a bit pricey but they are big enough to swaddle easily, soft enough that my girls LOVE to cuddle with them, cute enough for photo props, and they are versitile- I've used them as stroller & car seat blankets and as car seat covers. 

Thanks Ashley for the "day in the life" series! I have loved reading these posts since before I was even pregnant and am always curious how other momma's  spend their days.

***

Thank you, Alisha Jo, for sharing your day with us!

one week postpartum

I weighed my options of picking up around the house or blogging, and decided blogging sounded more fun.  So woot woot for having this post up in the morning!  Just remind me of this decision when later I'm complaining my house is a disaster.  Because it is...

Well, I'm not pregnant anymore.  Obviously.  Which I guess leaves me now on the journey to get my body back.  Because I'm nursing (and because I did JUST have a baby), I'm jumping into anything too fast, but I am anxious to get back to working out.  Not quite as anxious to really worry about my food intake, but thankfully aside from chocolate I'm still craving mostly healthy things.  Fast food makes me want to gag.

So where exactly am I one week after giving birth?  See for yourself...

Not too shabby, not too shabby at all.  I give my body props for handling delivery like a champ, and for the second time bouncing back rather quickly.  I think I've been more sore this time around, but I can guarantee you I'm not taking it as easy as I should be.  Ryann has been rather demanding, and because my body feels mostly normal, it is hard to make myself slow down.  But I'm trying.

Friday, at exactly one week postpartum, I was down 15.4 pounds, leaving me with 4.8 pounds to go to hit my pre-pregnancy weight.  I feel pretty good about my body right now.  I have some regular jeans that can fit, and I don't feel like I need to leave my maternity clothes in my closet.  Until I can start working out, and taking into account the nursing, I think my body might hang on to those extra five pounds for a while.  But we shall see.

My goals right now are to maintain my current weight (i.e., not eat so much chocolate that I gain weight back!), and to hopefully start the C25K program in early March.  I'm really really REALLY wanting to run the Mother's Day 5k.  Not fast, but I want to run it.  I just have no clue how I'm going to work exercise into my day.  As with everything else right now, I'll just say we'll figure it out eventually.

I'm going to take another week without any structured physical activity, and then after that, if the weather happens to be nice here or there, I hope to go for some easy walks with the girls.  It is questionable though, whether I could get Ryann to stay in the stroller for any length of time...

 

Well, that's my story right now.  How is everyone else doing?  Link up your health and fitness related posts below!

photo dump

I've started a running list of things I'd like to blog about (more about Elsie she is awesome, how Ry is doing not as good as I'd hoped, how nursing is going, how I made my weekly pregnancy photos...) but between a newborn and a toddler that wants my attention constantly, I'm not sure how much of that I'm going to get to.  Anytime soon at least.  Thanks to my mother who is definitely a gift from God I'm accomplishing a lot more than would be possible on my own considering my husband is generally home mostly to sleep, but in the free 30 minutes I have here and there, I honestly just want to snuggle my newborn.  I could stare at that sweet face all day long.  So I'm going to do it as much as I can.

Thus... photo dump.  I haven't taken a ton of pictures on my big camera.  Not many at all really.  I've got some on my phone (you're welcome for me blowing up your instagram feed!) that I need to eventually get on the blog as well.  Who knows when that will happen!

sorry whit... obviously sleep deprived and not paying attention to the reflection in your glasses!

For the record I have intentions of having a Move it Monday post up tomorrow.  Just don't be surprised if you don't see it until 10pm.  Or Tuesday... :o)

that's what she said

Ryann:  "I want someone to put these pickles in my mouth.  Ahh..." opening her mouth really wide
Christopher:  "Well aren't you a little princess?"
Ryann:  "I don't want my hands to get all pickley!"

Ryann:  "You tickled my bum, and I liked it!"  can we say awkward?

Ryann:  "It's foggy and rainy today."
Me:  "Yep.  We need the rain, it is good for the grass and the plans and the trees.  But I sure hate having to walk in it."
Ryann:  very straight forwardly "Mom.  You have an UM-brel-YA."

Me:  "Aw man.  We need gas.  That stinks.  You know why?"
Ryann:  "Why?"
Me:  "Because it's like two degrees outside and I don't wanna get out of the car."
Ryann:  "But we have to get gas cause the car needs gas and if you don't get gas the car won't go and I can't do it cause I can't reach!"

Ryann:  at 6:48am  "Morning.  You need to vacuum."
Me:  "Do I?"
Ryann:  "Yeah.  There are kitty hairs on the floor."
Me:  "Well good morning to you too."

And the crown jewel for this post...
Me: singing a song out of a book she has "When you grow older...... you will be loved and precious to me."
Ryann:  "Nooo!"
Me:  "What?  What is wrong?"
Ryann:  "I'M NOT PRECIOUS!"
Me:  "Yes you are.  You are precious to me.  I love you!"
Ryann:  "NO.  I wanna be a CEO!"

And then I had to try really hard to contain some of my laughter.  I think Ryann thought 'precious' was something she would be when she grows up.  And she claims she wants to be a CEO like her papa.  So apparently that pissed her off.  I had to try and explain the use of precious.  Poor kid.   

a day in the life - frannie

Hey.

Survival mode.

Thank God for my mother.

And for guest posters...  Enjoy a day in the life of Frannie!

***

Hi everyone! My name is Frannie! I am a first time mom to a beautiful ten month old daughter named Claudia, a wife to an amazing husband/father named Kevin, and an English teacher to 79 CRAZY middle schoolers. Whenever I get a free moment, I blog about life as a new mom and all the crazy fun antics that go along with having a new baby!

Here is an insight to a typical day in the life of a Uitto (pronounced We-Tow).

5:30 am- My alarm goes off. I immediately hit snooze. This 5:30 alarm really is pointless because I have never actually gotten up at 5:30. I love to stay up late and hate waking up to an alarm. You can imagine how miserable my mornings are. I literally go through this battle every.single.day and silently curse myself for staying up too late. But, I never learn.

6:00 am- Drag myself out of bed and head to the shower. My husband has been up since 5:45 and is walking our dog, Lady. Claudia usually doesn't wake up until 6:45, but this morning she woke up at 6:20. She has a really bad cough and a super runny nose, so I am sure this has something to do with it.

6:20 am- Get Claudia changed and dressed for daycare. My husband comes back home and takes over for a little bit while I finish getting ready. Normally, I am done getting ready by the time she wakes up, but today we had to improvise since she woke up early. See, if I actually got up at 5:30 I would be on top of everything, but usually I am playing catch up because that extra 30 minutes of sleep to me is like winning the lottery every day.

7:00am- Out the door and on my way to daycare. Daycare is only a few minutes away from home, so I usually get Claudia settled and play with her a little bit before I hit the road. My school is a 25 minute commute, so I have to be on the road by 7:30 at the latest.

7:55am- Get to work and begin my crazy day! We are reading "Flowers for Algernon" and today we are watching clips from the movie and comparing the movie to the book.

1:45pm- I am on planning period until the end of the day. Today I had piles and piles of grading to do. I love English, but I sure do despise grading essays!

3:30pm- Leave school to go pick up Claudia from daycare. On the way my awesome husband calls and asks if I want to go catch a quick happy hour. He has had a tough week at work and wanted to celebrate that the work week was almost over. He didn't have to ask me twice! Wings and beer? Yes, please!

5:30 pm- On the way home, Claudia fell asleep in the car. She started to get fussy at the restaurant, so I wasn't surprised to see that she fell asleep, especially since she didn't nap that well at daycare today.

6:10pm- She's up and ready to EAT! One thing I love about Claudia is her appetite! She can put away some food! And is so animated whenever she eats. She kicks her legs with excitement and is constantly saying "mmmmm" to things she particularly likes. We are introducing table foods this month and for the most part it is going really well. She still eats mostly baby food, though. Tonight she had pureed green beans, pureed peaches, little pieces of cheese and little pieces of chicken.

7:15 pm- After she finished eating we played and danced in the living room until time for her bath. She loves bath time and daddy is a pro at making bath time extra fun. He is on bath duty tonight and while he bathes, I clean up the kitchen, wash bottles and make her bedtime bottle.

7:45pm- We usually put her to bed around 7:30, but I think with that little nap this afternoon everything got pushed back. After getting her all snug in fresh pjs, I turn on her nightlight, cut on the sound machine and the humidifier and plop down in her rocker to feed her and rock her to sleep. It is, hands down, the best part of my day. It is so calm and quiet and just watching her fall sleep is so peaceful and comforting. I lay her down in her crib and head downstairs to start on the nightly chores. Normally, we won't hear from her again until the next morning. She is a good sleeper (knock on wood), but since she is sick I am guessing she will get up a couple of times in the night.

8:15- Time for laundry, a little ironing, and grading essays! Boo!!

10:30- Head to bed. Normally, I get in bed and read. I love to read and it is the only time in my day I have to read, so I usually read a few chapters and then go to bed. However, lately my attention has been elsewhere. I turned 29 last month and my husband bought me the entire series of Dawson's Creek. A typical gift for a 29 year old, right? I probably have lost all credibility even admitting that, but I was mildly obsessed with this show in high school and have not seen it since. The passion and love for this show is still there!! I have caught myself watching 2-3 episodes instead of sleeping like I should be. It is sad to have to admit the reason I can't get up at 5:30 am is because I am addicted to watching a show that involves bad acting and predictable outcomes. But I freaking love it!

So there you have it---a typical day of a working mom to a ten month old baby!

What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mom?
The most surprising thing about being a mom is realizing how much more meaningful your life becomes the instant you become a mom. I can't imagine life without Claudia and I think about how much I was missing out on in life before she was here. I now understand the meaning of selfless love and I seriously smile at just the simple thought of her. Motherhood is amazing and has made me a better person and allowed me to love in ways I never thought possible. It is an incredible feeling!

 What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be mamas?
 My advice would be to be prepared for anything and trust your instincts. Have confidence in yourself that you are making the right decisions for your child. And, to not be afraid to ask for help. Having a new baby is tough work and there is no shame in admitting you need some help!

What are your top three baby products?
1) The Wubbanub--it's a pacifier with an animal attached to it. I know it sounds crazy, and I thought it was too, but trust me, it's the best invention out there! Unless of course you don't use pacis, but if you do you must buy it right now!

2) Homedics Sound Machine--it's the best one out there! New babies feel uneasy in silence, but it seems like a sin to make noise around them while they sleep. A family friend recommended this one and I love the sounds. It has a heartbeat sound, a white noise sound, a beach sound (what we use), a rain sound and a nature/rain forest sound. We have used it every night since she was two weeks old.

3) Orbit Bottle Labels from Inchbug- If you have a baby in daycare this is a MUST. You can say goodbye to tape and sharpies, because now you will have a label that can withstand anything. AND it's cute, too! We have it in pink with her name on it.

***

Thank you for sharing your day with us Frannie!