Rugged Mountain Baby

...Or something along those lines.

She didn't get bit by bugs. She didn't eat much dirt. She slept. She wasn't too wiggly or wanting to be down all the time.

We camped and it was a success!

About a month ago, I think I was maybe feeling like I was missing out on summer fun, the sun, camping, swimming and all that goes with summer. Don't get me wrong, of course I am having so much fun with the babe, but it's definitely a different type of summer than we are used to. So on a whim, I declared to Ben that I wanted to go camping. Of course he was on board right away because a.) he is always up for an outing or doing things that are outside my comfort zone because he thinks he knows what is best for me...and b.) because he loooves camping. So do I. So, why not, right?!

Loves of my life!

We found a spot about 20 minutes from our house and put the invite out to our group of friends that have babies and that we go on our vacations with. The two couples with babies responded with yes so it was planned.

Yes, we still have a dog and she even got to come! 

About every other day I was skeptical. I tried to back out a couple of times and Ben was not happy about it. I was worried about E not sleeping, eating dirt, getting bit and getting West Nile or something. You know, crazy-first-time-mom-stuff.

Two Fridays ago, we began yet another new sleeping technique. We did the normal bath, cuddle, jammies, lotions, etc. routine, I nursed her for about thirty minutes and we put her in her crib. She cried. We let her cry for five minutes, went in, soothed her, patted, sung, etc. and repeat. I can't remember all the days and nights and how they went down but after a few nights of doing this at bedtime and a couple nights of not running right into her room when she fussed in the middle of the night, she was sleeping 8-10 hour stretches. Whatintheworld? Whoisthisbaby? We had in in our minds that if we went right in, got her before she was all the way awake that she would always go back down easier. Well, turns out, as of now, if we give her some time, she may put herself back to sleep. Go ahead and think it all you moms out there...well, duh, I could have told you this! I guess we had to learn it on our own and be ready to let her cry/fuss a bit.

The reason I mention all this is because she did it while we were camping too! We didn't quite let her cry too much as to not disturb the rest of the campground--which was great because it was full of families with kids and babies--or the other babies at our campsite, but I think all the fresh air, playing, new scenery just wore her our. The second night she slept 10 hours...her her pack and play...in a tent! 

So awesome.

Anyway, we had a great time, it was nice being close to home in case we thought we needed to rush home, it was great to be able to head out after Ben got off work on Friday, and it was beautiful weather. We arrived Friday night, made dinner, put the babies down, got to sit by the fire for a bit, hiked Saturday morning, had lunch went down to the river, dinner and fire Saturday night and packed up and headed home Sunday morning.

I am so happy and thankful--I think Ben was even more so than me--that it all worked out. I am by no means a negative person, but since becoming a mom, I think I can get myself worked up about all the negative or difficult situations we could encounter on such excursions and that can lead me to just not want to do them all together.

Very glad I busted out of that and we survived Eleanor's first camping trip, survived it well and are eager to do it again!

Thoughts Lately

Well, I basically can't believe that it is already a week into August. Summer felt like it was already flying and now we have plans the next few weekends so basically there goes August. It is kind of bittersweet. It is so fun experiencing summer with an 8 month old. She is so observant and curious and loves being outside but at the same time, when time is flying, all that means is that she is getting older!

Having a baby is full of double edged sword type situations, I think. On one hand, this is awful to say, but some days I can't wait for her to grow, get older, sleep longer, be walking and talking and telling me what's wrong and what she needs and on the other hand, I just want her to stay this sweet age forever with soft baby skin, sweet toes, lovely baby talk, and sweet cuddles when she is tired. When she is happy, I am so happy and when she is mad or sad...well, you can guess, I am so mad or sad. We are all just learning everyday...how to balance, how to deal, what to try, what to throw out and although it is one of the hardest, most challenging job I have ever had--I wouldn't change it. I am becoming better. I am becoming more patient, more nurturing, more selfless everyday and I would say those are all traits I welcome with open arms.

Ben and I had our three year anniversary last week and then actually celebrated this past weekend. It is funny how dates make you reflect. I guess that's why we have them. It was interesting to look back at our wedding day, our first anniversary, our second and where we are today. So much has changed yet a lot is the same. Our relationship has continued to grow, flourish and strengthen each year. That's really all we can ask for. For our celebration we went to a little town called La Connor about an hour northwest of where we live. It was a beautiful day, we had lunch, wandered around and relaxed. We left Eleanor at my parents' house and the goal was not necessarily to miss a feeding for the first time but to know that we could if we wanted. We left my parents equipped with breastmilk and cups and we were gone for about five and a half hours. I know it doesn't sound like that long but for a mom who is with her baby basically 24/7 it felt like so long. But in a good way. I felt refreshed when we got back and that's just what we were looking for.

I want so badly to blog more and take down our memories but every day all of a sudden the day is over and all I feel like doing is vegging out on the couch in the evenings. It has finally gotten to where I don't feel like going straight to bed when I put the baby down every night so it is nice to have a little husband time at the end of the days and not have my face glued to the computer.

I was running a little bit with the jogging stroller because I was aiming to possibly do a 10k when we go on vacation in September but seeing as now that is about 4 weeks away and I stopped jogging due to my back flaring up again, I don't think that is going to happen. I am hoping to pick up some yoga to work on my back muscles and stretching. I don't know if I am aiming to do some at home or find a class I may be able to get to a couple times a week. I don't want to jinx anything now but it seems Eleanor's sleep habits may be getting a little more predictable. Like everything else, it seems we take two steps forward and five one step back!

Eleanor is actually taking her first mom-induced crib nap right now and everyday I think of a million things to jot down if only I could actually open up the computer and not look at blogs on my phone and now I am drawing a blank!

I guess that's all I have to offer for today but hopefully I will be having a little more in the coming weeks. I will also be sure to post and 8 month post here pretty soon. There is much to report on with our little girl and I surely don't want to forget any of that!

Where Did June Go?

Ok.

Wow.

Have I been MIA or what?! Well, this month has been a little bit interesting. I have started to write E's 6 month post but have not finished it and now my goal is just to roll it in with the seven month post.

Part of the reason I haven't been around much is that E's sleeping schedule has been a little trying so it kind of leaves limited "me time." And when I do get a free moment, I can't always justify it with blogging. If ya know what I mean. 


So almost right when she turned 6 months, she had her little cold. That threw her sleeping way off and once she was well, she got a little better about sleep again and then reverted to not so great again. We came to the conclusion last week that it was time to lose the swaddle. We had tried a few times and it never turned out well so we always reverted back and were just clinging to the hope that the swaddle was what would allow her to sleep those longer stretches. Well, don't think that was the case. We think she began waking because of it because she is more mobile and was just trying to get comfortable.

So, after reading The No Cry Sleep Solution, I felt silly because the main focus of the book is basically what I already knew--choose a plan, stick with it and just be patient and persistent. I am not a fan of cry it out method and if you are, I am totally not judging you, I just cannot bring myself to do and don't really believe it what it accomplishes. So we are choosing gentle methods, chose a plan and since last Friday night are sticking with it. Eleanor has been moved into her own room, into her crib with no swaddle. As expected the first couple of nights were still rough, but after what we had been going through we figured it couldn't really get any worse which is why we were ready to begin trying something else! We are also committed to making sure her naps are around the same time everyday and then we will move into getting her to nap in her crib as well, once she is a little better at night.

We aren't really doing that much different but it makes us feel better to have a plan and the last couple of nights we are seeing some progress, which is very reassuring.

Anyway, other things that have been going on around here include getting ready for our Texas family to arrive this evening. They will be in town for a week and we are very excited to spend time with them, have E's uncles meet her and for them to get to know her! Hoping this rain we have been having gives us a little break so that we can go on some fun adventures into the city and such.

Eleanor and I also survived Ben's first work trip away. He was gone for four days and three nights. We missed him a lot but my mom also came to help because it was right in the middle of when Eleanor was having really wakeful nights.

We have started baby led weaning so it is fun offering her a variety of fruits and veggies and just letting her go to town with them. I know it is not quite in true BLW fashion because we aren't quite to the point where we are comfortable giving her any and everything on our plates but I think we can go about it how we are comfortable and still be successful. She is doing great sitting in her high chair at meal times and has a lot of fun.

I have quite a few DIY projects that I am dreaming up to accomplish. Hoping to redo a couple of gallery walls in the house, update some frames, hang some old windows and possibly paint them, make a couple of wall hangings, redo-ing the dining room table, painting kitchen cabinets--too many possibilities. It is nice because Eleanor is getting to a point where she can be entertained for a bit by placing her in a little standing toy we have, in the pack and play with some toys, or just crawling around after Holly in the living room. Even if it gives me 15-20 minutes to do dishes, it's nice!

So, basically this is a bit of a mish mash, but that's what my brain is these days. Thought I would try to get some stuff down about what has been going on lately so when I try to look back I can remember some bits because sometimes I feel it is a fog! Well, a fog with a cute baby!

I have also jumped on the Instagram bandwagon and seem to update that a little more than the blog so follow me @allyce_riemer

A Free Moment...

Whew.

This past weekend, yes I realize we are three days into the short week, was quite the whirlwind. Here I chat all about how we stay home a lot, haven't been getting out, don't have many plans and then all of a sudden the "inaugural" week of summer comes--Memorial Day Weekend--and we are out and about and realized it will be a little bit non-stop for the next few weekends!

Friday, we were up early-ish and out and about running errands. Replacement social security card for me, emissions for Ben, Costco for the family and then home to enjoy the rest of the sunny day. My parents stopped by for a short bit around dinner time to say hi to the baby and then we grilled and hit the sack.

Saturday morning, we were up earlier and trying to time out a feeding and then nap time for Eleanor around 9ish because we were hitting the road. Our group of college friends have been going on the same camping trip since freshman year of college and since it's less than a two hour drive from home, we decided to go up for the day and say hello to everyone. The morning was great, E went to sleep in the car and then it felt like all hell broke loose because we were picking up a friend at A park and ride but apparently there was a mis-communication about which one. Well, we ended up getting lost, having to back track and listening to our whining dog. Eleanor slept most of the time but woke up about 15 minutes from our destination. Had we not been such idiots about the getting lost and such, she would have slept the whole way! Oh well. 

We arrived at the site and hung out for a few hours. We got to catch up with some friends, have lunch enjoy being outside in the nice weather and then we tried to feed and get back on the road for another nap in the late afternoon. Well, she slept the first half hour to forty five minutes but once we got off the freeway to drop our friend back off at his car she was not having it and cried the whole rest of the way home. About another forty five minutes. Awful to listen to but we made it. We played outside a little bit when we got home and I made dinner.

Sunday morning we got up a little slower, made breakfast and then headed about an hour south to some friends' house to visit with them and their seven month old baby girl. We had lunch, some yummy burgers, and played some Xbox Kinect--which Ben even got me to play the Micheal Jackson dancing game. I am NOT a dancer. But it was fun!--and then tried to time out feeding and napping again. This time it worked perfectly and Eleanor was a perfect, little passenger snoozing all the way home!

Monday morning we got up slowly and then headed over to my parents' so that Ben could help my dad slaughter their chickens they had been raising and then we had a late lunch. It was quite the experience seeing the chickens so I pretty much stayed in the house. Obviously I eat meat and it isn't about feeling bad for the animals but more the gory details. Ben and I were talking about how weird it is that most people, including us most of the time, are so far removed from their food and where it comes from. I love the idea of raising my own food whether it be a cow or a head of lettuce.

Anyway, we had lunch, my parents played with E for awhile and then we headed home to relax for a bit before having to gear up for Ben to head back to work on Tuesday.

Come Tuesday, Eleanor and I were playing around the house and I noticed she had some sniffles--I had never seen snot come out of her nose before--as well as a little cough and some sneezing more than normal. Ben let me know he was working from home on Wednesday which he decided before we knew E had a little cold coming on. Wednesday night was not pleasant, we took shifts trying to sleep with her because she was not wanting to lie down by herself so I was either nursing her or Ben had her in the recliner. It was a rough night to say the least. It was great timing that Ben stayed home yesterday and having the both of us here was so great. Ben tried to explain to me that it was good that she had a little cold and it would build her immunity up even more and even though I know that to be true I still figured I could keep my daughter in a bubble as long as possible avoid sickness a little longer.

We used Simple Saline "Baby" to flush out her nose and although it was obviously not fun to blast something up her nostril, it help a lot and we got a lot of mucus out every time. The only downfall of it is that we were only able to use it on each nostril twice and it was five bucks for the container. Slight ripoff.

Anyway, the babe did a little better last night, is on the mend today and woke up talking, laughing and crawling around the floor. Such a relief to my heart because I cannot stand it when she can't tell me what's wrong, she has a pitiful look on her face and we can tell she just doesn't feel good.

That's what's been going on around here. A whirlwind weekend, a baby that didn't want anything but snuggles from mom and dad the past couple of days and tomorrow is already Friday again!

Sunny Day Randoms

I know. I had to put "sunny" in my title because in our part of the world, it is a beautiful, February day that I have to celebrate and acknowledge!

First and foremost it is truly amazing what a little Vitamin D does for the mood, soul, skin, hair, etc. Okay, maybe a little carried away but this girl is getting a little tired of the short, dark days so I love a little brightness in my life. I also love introducing my baby girl to one of my favorite things--Mr. Sunshine!

Source: etsy.com via Allyce on Pinterest

It is so fun having friends with babies. We can get together and not feel weird about staring at our babies. Or being a little distracted because you are paying more attention to your baby than the friend you are visiting with. Swapping stories, advice or even some weird emotions you may be having is also nice.

Source: Uploaded by user via Allyce on Pinterest

It has been a long time coming but I am enjoying my Toms. I have wanted them for awhile. Tried them on and couldn't decide. Couldn't decide on a size or color. Thought they looked strange on my feet but good on everyone else. But I have finally decided and I love. And I can't wait to get a pair for Baby E.

 I have discovered the true meaning of coffee now that I have had a child. I have only been having one cup in the morning as opposed to the two maybe three in the past but I truly look forward to it and it is a nice start to the day while Baby E is at her happiest and we are waking up.

Source: earthytoastyspicy.blogspot.com via cindy on Pinterest

I am falling more and more in love with my cloth diapers everyday. Okay, well, not my cloth diapers. But Eleanor's. They are so cute, actually surprisingly easy to deal with and so much less garbage.

Source: familyoffarmers.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

The sunshine peeking out is really getting me excited for spring and our garden. Also for summer and being warm and grilling and being on the water and introducing E to nature and more.

Source: gardenrooms.typepad.com via Emily on Pinterest

I would love a garden that looked like this!

These are my thoughts for the day. I mean, I have more, but sometimes it is hard to get them organized with a sweet babe kickin' next to me so this is all for now. 

What are your Friday random thoughts?

A Weekend at the Coast

This past weekend we traveled a little south and a little west to end up at a small Oregon coast town staying in a hotel with three other couples. We each had our own room which was a little different than the vacation last year with this same group where we stayed in a house together.

We arrived Thursday afternoon and just kind of got settled and waited for everyone to arrive. We went down to the beach even though it was pretty windy and not too sunny out. Once everyone had arrived, we headed out to a famous chowder and seafood house for dinner. I ended up hitting the hay pretty early that night after getting up too early in the morning and the long car ride.

Friday morning we were up early and headed to the outlet mall that was nearby. Ben scored on a great deal for some new work pants and we also got some items for our baby at the Carter's outlet. Very fun. We then met up with one of the other couples and their three month old and visited a light house. It was really neat and we even got to go to the top, however we couldn't really wander around the the lighthouse very much because it was incredibly windy. We headed back and got some really good pizza on the way and then met up with everyone else. The boys started a washers tournament and we all just kind of relaxed. We then made some dinner and hung out after dinner.

Not sure what made me want to take this pic

Hub at the top of the lighthouse

Saturday morning a couple of the girls and I went back to the outlets to wander around for a bit. Once we got back, we got some lunch and it was much sunnier this day. The boys continued their washers tournament and then decided to hold the championship game down at the beach because the "losers" were to jump in the ocean so they wanted to be able to run right in. It was nice down at the beach for most of the time and then the wind picked up a little more. We watched them get in the ocean which is not a warm ocean and then we all headed back so they could warm up.

Washers championship game

Relaxing in the sand

One of the couples who is neither pregnant or has a baby made up a game for the other couples who are either pregnant or have a new baby that had categories mirroring TV shows such as "Baby Naming with the Stars," "Don't Forget the Babies," "Shop 'til You Pop," and "The Newlyparents Game." It was really fun and they had come up with some great questions. We were all laughing pretty hard through most of the game. We all ate some dinner and then I turned in early again.

The hosts of the game "So You Think
You Can Have a Baby"

Ben and I were up and out the door early in the morning after not getting much sleep due to some noisy neighbors in the middle of the night. This was definitely a nice getaway and so nice to spend some quality time with the hub. It was definitely a different type of vacation than we took with this group to San Diego last year where no one was pregnant and there was no new baby. We went a little crazier in the libation and partying department. This year was different in a good way as I'm sure next year will be with three little ones along!

Beautiful Weekend

We are here, enjoying this:

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Happy Friday and I hope you and yours have a fab weekend as well!

Babies Galore!

When I found out I was pregnant I think I knew about 12-15 others who were as well. 2 of these include my two best friends. This past weekend, we threw a shower for my friend who is due in October. She is having a boy and although we didn't really have a theme, we tried to keep in boy colors and I made her a banner in the colors of the crib bedding.

I wanted to try my hand at a diaper cake so I enlisted my other pregnant BFF and we dove in headfirst. It was actually really simple. We looked at a couple tutorials online and here is what we came up with:

We were pretty proud of our creation and the ribbon really made the whole presentation. Even though she is having a boy, I thought the green flowers added a really pretty feminine touch. You know, since our friend is female.

I got the idea for my banner from the "One" banner shown in this post and sort of recreated it with my own vision. I gathered my materials: scrapbook paper, a paper cutter, rick rack, newspaper, pinking shears, hot glue and darling mini, mini clothes pins:

I cut the scrapbook paper into triangles/pennant shapes. And cut the newspaper into circles and then cut around the border with the pinking shears for a scalloped edge.

I then glued the rick rack to the fronts of all the pennants. I thought it was cute in the front but you could glue it to the back if you like that look better. Then I stenciled my letters to each newspaper circle. They haven't 100% decided on their name yet so I just used their last name. I then pinned all the letters to the pennants. Easy peasy!

I tried to keep in tune with the bedding colors and she is also using giraffes in the theme so I made sure to use giraffe print. I thought it turned out pretty cute and if she decides to put it up in the room, she can easily switch out the letters to spell his whole name.

Here are some more pictures from the fun day:

Very proud of her fruit pizza.

The gifts from great friends.

The guest of honor in the middle.

Two of four co-hosts. Me and my other pregnant BFF.

Enjoying each gift.

The whole group on what turned out to be a beautiful day.

Now, I just can't wait to meet little, baby boy Mack! So happy for this family!

There are Reasons I Need a Man's Help

Lately I have been trying my hand at bbqing. I use the word "trying" lightly because I still prefer to just have Hub do it. Sometimes if I really want to have dinner ready right when he gets home or if he is running a little late, I have braved the BBQ(s). Also, when Ben was travelling so much, I used the gas grill by myself.

A couple of weeks ago I even learned how to light the briquettes on the charcoal BBQ. Ben prefers the charcoal grill, as do I usually, so it's nice if I can start them and then he can grill when he gets home.

Last week, I wanted to grill some chicken for the Chinese Chicken Salad I was making to take for our weekend away. I had some boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I asked Ben what temperature I should grill them on and he told me. However, I had some huge issues with the chicken sticking and it didn't appear that the left burner was on. I started to get frustrated and I'm pretty sure once I moved all the chicken to the hot parts of the grill it became pretty over cooked. Luckily I was putting it in a salad with many other ingredients and dressing.

Ben knows all the ins and outs of his grills, what temps to cook things on, how long it takes and it doesn't stress him out. For some reason, I have always associated BBQing with being stressful. Having to move things around, constantly keep an eye on it, flipping and turning.

Ben, you can have the grills and I will stick with the oven and stove. I just love having such a balanced marriage!

Perfect Weekend Retreat

This past weekend we headed over the mountains a few hours to celebrate our friend's birthday at her family's lake cabin. We met these friends in college and they live about two and a half hours away and we don't get to see them nearly enough. They are expecting a baby in September so this was also probably the last time we will see them before they have the baby.

We got to the cabin Friday evening and left yesterday afternoon and between the lake, 90ish degree weather, friends, and good food, Hub and I certainly were dragging our feet when it was time to leave yesterday. Friday night, the birthday girl and I (both pregnant) actually stayed up pretty late visiting and playing cards with everyone. We had the pleasure of sleeping outside under the beautiful blanket of stars. What a treat!

Saturday morning we were up bright at early due to the sun coming up and enjoyed a nice breakfast and set out to the deck and dock for the day. More people trickled in throughout the day to celebrate the actual birthday. The day was spent floating in the water, laughing, relaxing and eating.

The boys throwing the football with the dogs closely observing.

Some of the group enjoying the dock.

Relaxing on land in a floatie!

The beautiful birthday girl/soon-to-be-mama!

Ben and I enjoying the nice evening and having gotten a little sunshine!

Saturday evening we celebrated the birthday with a BBQ with her family and friends and then enjoyed cake while visiting in the warm evening. I definitely headed to bed a little earlier than the night before and some others stayed up to keep the party going. Sunday morning we woke up and tried to soak up some more sun until it was time to head home. The drive home ended up taking a little more time than the drive there due to everyone heading home Sunday afternoon at the same time. 

All in all a wonderful weekend in the sun. We can't wait to celebrate in the next couple of months when our friends welcome their baby. It is so fun going through the different seasons of life with close friends. 

Happy Friday

Hub and I are off today for the weekend once both of us finish our short days of work. We are headed to some relaxation, friends and sunshine.

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Hope everyone has the same type of weekend. Have I mentioned that I love summer?!

How We Celebrated

How we Celebrated

We hemmed and hawed about a few different options to celebrate our anniversary. I really wanted to go stay somewhere to kind of make it an anniversary celebration/babymoon type of getaway but this didn't end up panning out due to the fact that Hub or I didn't really get going on the planning front. When I finally did try to book something, everything was either full or way out of the price range because it was such short notice.

We decided that we would go on a hike and go out to dinner. We headed out for the hike Saturday morning with a particular hike in mind. It would be about an hour drive and it was a beautiful morning. We get on the road and realize that our parking trail pass is expired. We find a ranger station and get a day pass. We keep driving. We feel like we have been going pretty far, passed a lot of trail heads and get to the end of the road. I later find out that this is not the end of the road but keeps going as a gravel road for quite a ways. We decided to turn around at this point. We then decide to do a different hike because we have been in the car for awhile with a whining dog and were getting a little frustrated.

The hike we ended up on was pretty short, the trail was paved a lot of the way and there were a lot of families. Not our typical hike. It was nice to get outside and be in the woods but I think we may be trying to find our originally planned hike soon and maybe not go back to this one until our little baby is old enough to walk along a trail.

Yes, there was some snow at the end of the trail.

Holly and I near the end of the hike.

We headed home after the hike and walked a little ways into our town that was having their summer festival and got some street food for lunch. We had a gyro and a BBQ pork sandwich. We headed home and took Holly to the lake to cool down and then relaxed for a bit reading and snoozing.

We headed in to shower and get ready to go to dinner in the city and left about an hour and half before our reservation thinking that traffic may be busy it being a sunny Saturday evening. Well, it took us two hours to get to the restaurant because half of downtown was blocked off due to a parade for this weekend's summer festival in the city. It was really frustrating, we were both getting hungry and actually almost went home because we could not find a way to get to the restaurant. We called and let them know we would be late and finally made it a half an hour late. I had the OssoBucco and Hub had venison, mushroom and spinach ravioli in a veal sauce. Our dinner was good, romantic and relaxing when we finally got to sit down and enjoy it.

A little blurry photo taking by the waitress.

All in all, we had a great celebration of our marriage even though there were some frustrating parts of it. But that's marriage isn't it?! :