Sweet Sweet Nothings

3 years ago I was sipping coffee with my ladies not even believing I was getting MARRIED TODAY!! It is hands down of the best days of my life. It was the beginning of family and a chance to celebrate with all the people we loved so dearly. People traveled from all around the country to be there for us and the memories (and pictures and video) are priceless.

2 years ago today we were heading to the beach for the day before going on our Las Vegas trip! We had a hard time finding parking, but once we did it was a day of relaxing and enjoying the waves! We ended the day at an Italian restaurant and eating our (nastyyyy after 1 year) cake!

1 year ago today we were in CT for the morning (that looked very much like today) and we were going to head to the beach. We ended up not going, but had an awesome spontaneous day together! We headed out and ate where we wanted, shopped when we wanted, and ultimately just enjoyed the great day off together! It was simple and sweet and we spent the day dreaming we would have a plus 1 with us for our next year.

This anniversary we celebrated our first dinner out minus Miss Lexi (so strange!) a little early during the weekend when we had grandparents to babysit. We ate great food, drank great wine, and talked out our great future together. We enjoyed our dinner and being together as a couple, but couldn’t wait to see our muffin! Today I will spend the day with Lexi as I am still on maternity leave and have an easy day after a great holiday weekend. Tonight we will celebrate as a family with some wine for us and some formula for sweet Lexi. We will continue to pack our place (moving this weekend!!) and think about all the wonderful memories on our big day and over the past 3 years…

We went small this year with plans, but being here with my family of three is the best anniversary gift we could have given each other! I love you hubs and the love and family we have grown since those very beginning days back in college. xoxo

This picture means a great deal to me.  I look at it quite a bit and see so much joy in my smile.  Pure joy hanging out with my baby girl.  

This picture also represents something that even before she entered the world I had made a promise to do. TAKE MORE PICTURES OF ME.  This probably sounds narcissistic, but I promise there is a good reason! You see I am always behind the camera and normally I have no problem taking the pictures at events or when the moment strikes, but I knew that when I became a mom I wanted to have my “mom moments” captured with my baby.  I had to let go of the fear of asking others to take a picture and make sure that I took that extra click that included me in the photograph.  

As the photographer in the family I can be left behind the camera during all these great memories we are making with our sweet daughter. I have been more vocal with saying, “can you take a picture of us?” because even though almost every moment is a “kodak moment” to me others never think to pick up a camera.  I even have been so bold to ask, “can you take just one more of us please?”—it has been pretty liberating!  Not even an iphone pic!  This is so mind boggling as I have to remember to put the camera down and just enjoy the moments!!

This picture is case in point as the hubs had no desire to take pictures that morning. He grabbed the camera as I directed him and he grumbled how he isn’t good at taking pictures.  I pleaded my case that the light was great and that Lexi and I were having a great morning that I wanted to capture it with a picture.  As he snapped away I really took in the moment and thanked him for taking the picture. I am so happy to have this picture to remind me to slow down and enjoy even the simple things like staying in bed a few minutes later than usual. 

It is a picture that I will frame and cherish for years to come all because I was vocal and asked for someone to take my picture (thanks hubs!!xoxo). Lesson for all those family photographers out there—don’t forget to get into a picture and don’t feel bad for asking someone to take it! 

(another thing I promised I would do was to have a family picture taken of all 3 of us each month for her first year.  Even if it was just with our Iphone. So far we have done it for March, April & May!)

In denial she is growing, but these high waters don’t lie. (Taken with instagram)

Only the fanciest party dress will do to celebrate Auntie Kay’s graduation!!! (Taken with instagram)

EmphasisAdded blog did a fun post and it made me think of my own list!!

Obsessing Over: The sleep of my baby. She moved to the crib and has a new bedtime routine so every night I cross my fingers my little girl gets a good night sleep (and mom at the same time!).

Working On: Losing the baby weight! It is slow going but I’m thankful to be losing (even if slowly) rather than gaining. Trying to get more active too and I’m so glad it’s getting warmer!

Thinking About: Having my maternity leave 1/2 way done! I have so many great weeks ahead of me (ending in an awesome trip to California!), but I’m still really sad it’s 1/2 over.

Anticipating: My sister’s graduation is this weekend! It’s amazing how time flies and thinking about my baby sis cross the stage makes me so proud. I remember when she was excited about going on the yellow bus for kindergarten. Ekkkkk!!! I’ll be there clapping the loudest in the crowd!

Listening To: Jazz music that I got for mothers day. It’s nice background music with hanging out with the little miss in the house.

Drinking: My morning coffee with a side of gossip girl with baby girl sleeping in my arms. It is a sweet morning ritual that I love before the day starts.

Wishing: I lived closer to my family. I miss them so much and as I start creating my own family it makes me value family even more. For now though I’m grateful for my Lexi being a great sport with traveling in the car so much!

Yesterday I woke up to an envelope (shown in pic. Poor pic and it was early in the morning)
It said I would have a visitor and I was going on a trip this afternoon. And to wait for further instructions
(me giddy!)
I wondered all morning what was going on! Who was my visitor? A trip?
(still giddy)
At a 11:30am I got a text stating there was another envelope in the house with a clue
(Ohhh a scavenger hunt. So fun!)
Find the 2nd envelope and it says I will be getting a note from someone at 2pm for a location
(wow he really outdid himself!)
2pm arrives and I get a knock at the door and it was my in laws!! They arrived to babysit for the afternoon as I go to the location on a piece of paper they gave me!
(eekkkkk!!!)
I get to the place at 3pm and find out it is to my favorite massage therapist in my area!!
(spa afternoon!!!)
I enjoyed getting an awesome massage with a facial included
(just what this mommy needed!)
I had some time before I had to be back and needed a haircut desperately so I ended the afternoon getting a cut
(got side bangs, not sure how practical this was???)

I returned home feeling really great and refreshed (and racing to see Lexi again!) The best part was it happened during the week when I need the break the most. On the weekends I love family time together and it is much easier to have personal breaks on the weekend that I wouldn’t want a 3 hour break (not just yet) from my family. It was so perfect and I know he put so much time into the surprise that it made it so special and sweet!

We had taco night (MIL did the dishes!!) and we enjoyed great company into the evening before Lexi’s bedtime.

What a great way to kick off a great mother’s weekend ahead of us! Oh how I love surprises!!

Well done hubs.
xoxo
(how am I going to beat that for father’s day???!!!)

For me time (pre baby) was just never regulated by a clock. This drives my husband bananas as he can’t stop looking at the time constantly. I do have a watch, but I use it mainly as an accessory and rarely look down at it if it is on my wrist. I have multiple clocks in my house, but they are either blinking or need new batteries (except for an alarm clock in the bedroom) and it doesn’t bother me one bit. If someone asks me what time it is I normally say I don’t know and really most times I HAVE NO CLUE!!! My iPhone and outlook has actually been really helpful for work as it keeps me on task for meetings because I will think it is 9:30am and really it’s 10:45am. And weekends?? Forget about it I never know the time. To me it just seems irrelevant and why be thinking about time when you can just enjoy the now. Who cares about what will be in 20 minutes. It just never crosses my mind to know the time and yes this has gotten me into a few binds over time, but for the most part I feel pretty free not being tied down to a clock.

So when I had a baby being regulated by a clock just seemed so out of my realm and it was difficult for me to adjust to this new lifestyle. I had to know exactly the last time my daughter ate, what time she had a poop (and how many times), and a ton of counting in a 24 hour period. My life had turned into being regulated by a clock (and a tiny baby). I was constantly looking at the time and living day to day (and night to night) by what the clock read. It was so annoying at first and I really hated being tied down to this whole time/clock thing. I tried to go back to the freedom of not knowing the time and that got me into trouble for instance being on a walk during a feeding time and having a screaming baby as I raced home as quickly as I could. I mean I always felt like a responsible person without utilizing a clock often, but now I just feel über responsible as I check the time 1.6 billion times a day (I’m being only slightly dramatic!). It is a whole new world I had to get use to and over 2 months later I am still adjusting. I would love to be clock free, but with a baby it is nearly impossible. Clocks now tell me is it feeding time? Nap time? Bedtime? Time when dad gets home?

With all that being said one thing I have really enjoyed about the two month stage (besides the amazing smiling and cooing) is that we have started to have a small schedule that I can rely on day to day. I know this will change multiple times, but going from days of no schedule to a slight schedule is amazing!!! As a new mom it was great to see other moms schedules and so I thought I would post mine!

Here is my schedule (24 hour period): (2 month olds his isn’t concrete, but close to what a day looks like during the week.

6:30am/7:00am: wake up time for the day and have a feed. This is where we start to incorporate play into the day,

7:30am/8:00am: Starts to get tired from play and takes a nap in the swing

9:00am/9:30am: wakes up from nap (morning naps are usually her longest). Feed her and do more play at another station (our bed or activity mat). She gets dressed for the day.

10:30am: Gets tired again and goes down for another nap. This is the time I try to put myself together for the day.

11:30am/12:00pm: Feed her and then play for a few moments. If we are going to run errands this is the time we will do it.

1:00pm/1:30pm: small nap around this time. If out and about will sleep in carseat. Do more playing after nap.

3:00pm: Late afternoon feed. Sometimes a nap after this feed and sometimes wide awake and playing.

5:30pm: Dinner feed normally happens before the hubs gets home

6:00pm/630pm: Hubs is home! He plays with Lexi while I cook dinner or vice versa. Name of the game is to keep her up until at least 8pm. This can be sometimes really hard as she gets sleepy around 730pm. We pull out any and all tricks we have to make it to at least 8pm.

8:00pm/8:30pm: we made it! We start bedtime routine of bath, lotion, pjs, 1-2 books depending on crankiness, soft music, dim lights and feed in nursery. Rock to sleep,

**while one of us is putting Lexi down during bedtime the other will get ready for the next day. Clean bottles, put way dinner, clean dishes, put tub away, pick up toys from the day and put in basket.

9:00pm: she is normally out by the latest at this time. (this weekend we are moving her to the crib so night time sleep might get disrupted.) once she is down we spend some time as a couple before our own bedtime.

3:00am-4:30am: between these hours is her wake up. It depends on when she went down and how much she drank before she went down. We feed her in the dark with only a nightlight, soft music and in her nursery. Within 30 minutes she is back down.

6:30am/7:00am: Wake up time! Repeat cycle!

Happy Friday!!!