The Weekend Update

Well, we had a pretty productive weekend. We spent Friday night eating our favorite pizza uptown during the first Farmers Market of the season (yay!) I love farmers markets, and am so excited my small, but growing town, has one now every Friday. It certainly is small, but we love ordering pizza from uptown and eating it outside now that it's nice. We usually bring it home and push Lola in her swing while enjoying the evening air.

 

Chuck's mom came home from Utah Saturday and we planned to visit over there most of the day. Well the last week or so Lola has been taking 2-3 hour naps. One or two times a day. So we delayed our day because look how cute she is napping peacefully in a sea of flamingoes for so long! 

 

Two-three hour naps are total game changers. There's no more planning on being out most of the day. Before, when she would take like 30-45 minute naps, I didn't feel so bad letting her nap in her carseat for the 15-20 minute drive home from wherever we were out doing (shopping or my parents house usually) and then bringing her in and either letting her finish her nap in the carseat, or take her out and rock her a few minutes until she fell back asleep in my arms for the remainder of the nap. Usually if I tried to lay her back down after a carseat nap, she was up. But now, I lay her down thinking she won't sleep long, so I better run and get my never-ending to-do list done. And I find myself finishing the list, and being able to do 500 more things cause shes STILL napping. During her Friday morning nap, I swept the house, vacuumed, showered, ate lunch, did 2 loads of laundry, watched 3 episodes of Girls on HBO, and still had time to spare! Saturday's nap I ACTUALLY cleaned out my car, which I thought I would never in a million years have time to do again. So I will stay home all day long if nap time is like this! And the other bonus, she wakes up and is the happiest ever.

 

We also did a lot of walking this weekend. I JUST started paying attention to getting some exercise and eating better after pregnancy. I'm a little late to that one, but it feels SO good to sweat again. And Lola loves to stroll.

 Sunday I woke up with what I thought were bites all over my ankles and feet. I had a nervous breakdown trying to sleep Saturday and Sunday I went nuts ripping apart our bed, because I thought maybe Chuck brought home  bed bugs from the hotel he was in the week before. Then I thought, maybe our carpets are flea infested. I searched our dog like 10 times, I even got down on my hands and knees looking in the carpet. Vacuumed twice, Washed our bedding in scalding hot water and bleach. Woke up this morning, and my dad popped into my work and said "I think you have poison ivy" And the lightbulb went off. DUH! Chuck has poison ivy right now on his hands from planting wild flowers. And I had a pedicure Saturday so I BET the one tiny spot I thought was a mosquito bite and itched the shit out of, really is poison ivy and it spread!  Long story short. IT SUCKS. 

 

So anyway, Sunday we were supposed to have our rescheduled family photos taken, and had to reschedule again because classic Ohio weather, hail storm. My best friend in the entire world was in town for Sunday only, and went spent the day together grabbing lunch, and ice cream, and teaching her how to use Snapchat.

Hope everyone has a great week. My baby girl is standing!

 

8 MONTHS

Age: 8 months

Height: I don't know exactly, but she seems to be SO tall when 

she's standing up

Weight: 21 lb 3.5 ounces at the doc last weekend

Clothing size: mostly 9 months, 6-12 months, and some 12 month stuff. But today I put a pair of 3-6 month pants on her and they fit fine. So weird

Diaper size:  She's in size 3 during the day, but we just started putting her in a 4 over night. She rolls over and sleeps on her  belly most of the night so those size 3's were leaking!

Eating: She is eating solids twice a day, and we just started snacks. She gets a fruit and oatmeal when she wakes up from her morning nap, and then has dinner around 5:30 with either 2 veggies, or a veggie and chicken. And she always gets a piece of watermelon for dessert ;-) She has tried so many foods and seems to love every single one. She is doing so good with feeding herself now too with her fingers, and we're going to start doing more and more now that she's older

Sleeping: She pretty much naps like clockwork 9-10/10:30am every day, and then goes down again at about 1:30/2:00 for about 2 hours. Bedtime is 7:30ish and she sleeps til about 6:30am, SOMETIMES we can get her to sleep in til 7. She's such a great sleeper. She never wakes up in the middle of the night anymore. I don't even know what I would do if she did!

Favorite toys: Her pop up toy, still loves her exersaucer and really gets moving in it now. She has finally learned to move in her walker, but only backwards. We got this little play kitchen as a hand me down and she really seems to love it. And she's totally obsessed with this Elephant toy that blows balls out of the trunk. But she doesn't really care about the balls, she pulls it down and lets the air blow in her face and laughs hysterically.

Loves: This girl loves everything. But mostly eating solids, having bottles, being thrown up in the air, playing with Louie, blowing kisses, bath time, standing on the counter looking at herself in the mirror, wearing sunglasses, and playing with her daddy. Oh and I would definitey say she loves her cousin Mia!

Sweet Lola, you are something else lately. I seem to think each month is the best age, but right now we're loving how fun you are. You are SO close to crawling, and want to stand all day holding onto mommy or daddy or the couch! You get a little frustrated when you can't get those knees to move on their own to crawl. But you will get it soon enough. You're growing at the speed of light, or so it seems. And I want to bottle up every single moment and keep it forever. Your first summer is already proving to be the best. Mommy and daddy love taking you on hikes and walks, and swimming with you in Nana & Papa's pool! Many, many more adventures to come.

  

Memorial Day Weekend

Our Memorial Day weekend was full of family, sunshine, food, relaxing, and so much fun. Chuck usually works Saturdays, but didn't this weekend, and it was so nice to have him home for three whole days after his trip away. While we didn't get too many household projects knocked off our to-do list, we did have some much needed fun. 

Friday afternoon my mom took off work and we went flower shopping. It was SO hot outside, so we didn't spend much time or get too many flowers, but we visit the greenhouses several times throughout the summer

 Saturday we just hung around at home relaxing. Sunday we had our Memorial Day picnic at my mom and dads house and we ate delicious picnic food, played with all the cousins, and put Lola in the pool for the first time. She had no expression what so ever. Just a complete straight face the entire time, no matter what we did. She either had no idea what to think of it, or was too cold in the water to smile. Either way she looked ADORABLE in her swim suit and mommy had fun splashing with her.

Baby Flamingo Float // Blue & White Polka Dot Bow // Home Grown Onesie

We went back over to my parents house Sunday for more swimming. Lola still didn't budge with many smiles, but I think she had slightly more fun in the sun.

I fried my shoulders, because once you become a mom you worry about making sure every square inch of your baby is slathered in sunscreen and forget to even bring sunscreen for yourself. Oh well, I'm glad this skin finally got to have some sun touch it! 

Giant Flamingo Float // Flamingo Swim Cover Up

We spent the rest of Sunday at home in our own backyard, grilling pork loins and left over veggies, and swinging in Lola's new swing.

Red/White Striped Bow

I never forget what Memorial Day is all about. I feel forever indebted to those who make the ultimate sacrifice for us to have amazing weekends like this. Our freedom is not celebrated in vain. Home of the free, because of the brave.

Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. 

Red/White Romper

Single Mom

So Chuck has been out of town all week for work. My first week alone with Lola. If I'm being honest, I was terrified. Lola is such a great baby, goes to bed around 7:30, sleeps all night, wakes up in a good mood. What was I so worried about? You know that gene you get when you grow up and you're no longer afraid of the dark and can live alone, or spend the night somewhere alone? I didn't get that gene. I hate being alone, in the dark, sleeping. Ugh.

We live in a great neighborhood, with wonderful neighbors, and we even have a security system! But it's just something about the dark quiet night, or maybe all the scary movies I watch. Either way, it isn't ideal for me to be alone at night. And I was a little nervous to have to take care of all the things Chuck does around the house and for Lola when he's home too. Like making dinner, making her bottles, and folding the laundry. (He really is the best hubby/daddy)

But, to my surprise, the week went by really fast, with gorgeous summer weather, and a happy, playful baby. I have to thank Nana ten times, who came over Tuesday night to hang out just so I wasn't bored, and is taking the day off today so we can go flower shopping together. 

Of course last night Lola spiked her highest fever ever of 103.5 out of nowhere and I panicked and made Nana come back over. Having a sick baby with a fever and no clue what's wrong is the worst feeling ever. She was a limp noodle and just looked like she felt like total crap. She didn't let me lay her down until 9:30, and I thought for sure she would be up all night, but she slept like a champ (as always) and woke up with 100.8. I'm still waving my white flag today and so happy Chuck comes home tonight. I'm more then ready to see him, and share the bed again. And I know Lola is just going to go nuts. She is truly such a daddy's girl. 

We have lots of plans to cross off many household "to-do" list items this weekend including:

Mounting our living room TV

Assembling our new dining room table

Assembling Lola's new high chair

Installing new dining room light

Planting our hanging herb garden (& hanging it)

Planting flower beds

Painting Lola's Flamingo painting

Removing the Christmas lights

Now that I wrote all that out I'm realizing how 7 out of 8 of those are Chucks job. Weird?

This September, we will have been in our house 3 years and I can't believe how much work I still want to do. When we moved in, everything was freshly painted and brand new. But it's funny how quickly I get bored with home decor and ready for a change. We're currently couch shopping and I'm planning to redecorate my office upstairs to make it an office/playroom for Lola. 

Hoping Lola stays healthy this weekend for  for lots of needed family time outside and cooking out! 

Happy Memorial Day weekend y'all!

My First Mother's Day

Being a mom was something I knew I always wanted. As an adult, something I longed for. As a married adult, something we worked hard at making happen. And it far exceeds my many expectations. The 6:00am wake ups, the formula stained couch, the never ending laundry piles, the tears every time you walk into the other room just real quick, the sagging hips and gut from pregnancy, the arguments you now have with your husband, the hormones, the heavy car seat that gives your shoulders and back knots carrying it back and forth every day, the post-partum migraines, the poop in the tub, the poop on your new rug, the poop on your clean changing sheet. 

Worth it. 

All of it. 

Because holding her, making her smile, laughing with her, watching her learn how to put a ball into the right spot of the toy. 

They're feelings you never knew you could feel.  

They're moments you know are going to be too fast, too short, and too fleeting. 

They make me take more selfies together, read more books, dance more in the kitchen, sing more songs together, and rock a little longer before bed.

How sweet is this homemade frame and craft made by Lola 

(aka her teachers at day care!) Melted my heart. I'm keeping it forever.

My First Mother's Day was one for the books! My peanut walked into the bathroom with her daddy carrying a sweet mothers day card, signed (left handed by dad). But her face was the most priceless thing. She was smiling ear to ear and acting excited, like she knew what she was doing. I have to give my husband credit for always being so sweet and funny, and just making everything so much more fun.

 It doesn't hurt that he rocks at gifts either. This was my Mothers Day gift that I had been talking about since Lola was born and we couldn't find anywhere, and nobody wanted to make it because opals are so fragile. I looooove it and plan to wear it every day forever. They say to wear your rings like this for "love, marriage, and baby" Guess I can't have too many kids, huh?

So every year for Mothers Day I take my mom to get a pedicure. This year we did manicures too. This is one of my favorite traditions we have. Because it's always just me and my mom. We spend a lot of time together, between family get togethers, shopping trips, walks on the bike path, and random Saturdays when Chucks working and I'm bored. I can honestly say my mom is my best friend.  Other then Chuck of course, there is nobody I would rather spend time doing anything with. We only live about 15 minutes away from each other, and some days or nights, I feel like it's too far. I wish we lived next door so stopping in any time was easier. One day (hopefully insanely far into the future), I know my mom won't be here, and thinking about that thought breaks me to my core. Mothers Day has always been special to me as an adult, but becoming a mother, it changes you. It makes you ache in places you never knew you had worrying about your child. My mom has three children, three in-law children, and six grandchildren. Do you know how big her heart must be? She's an incredible human being, and single handedly the most amazing mother.

We spent Sunday hosting Mothers Day brunch at our house. Another tradition we've had for the past 5ish years. So glad we got a photo of all the moms with their kiddos. We have such a fun, growing family. I love how close we all are and how much time we get to spend with each other. My sister in laws are amazing moms to my nieces and nephews who have always been the best kids that we all just have so much fun with. And my grandma tops all grandmas with her killer food, amazing generosity, and 100% pure West Virginian sweetness.

Brunch was delicious. I haven't gotten to host any thing since Lola was born, but I love choosing a menu, and creating a party! Any reason to celebrate really is my thing. We had waffles, bacon, cheesy sausage potatoes, a cheese board, a cheese ball, an egg bake, meatballs, mimosa's, and strawberry cake bars. Of course I didn't make all of this.... All the mentioned ladies above helped!

 And last but not least, a photo of my mom, grandma, myself and Lola. 

Four generations of women in our family! Another traditional photo I hope to capture for a long time.

Hope you all had a wonderful Mothers Day

What are some of your favorite Mothers Day traditions? I'm thinking we should be adding a massage to our list ;-)