What I'm Loving Wednesday

I have not linked up for the Wednesday fun in awhile so I thought I would join in on this dreary, rainy, Washington day.

I love that it's a four day work week for Hubs. Only two more days until the weekend!

I love that my high school alma mater is going to be on MTV's True Life  tonight with a profile on the wrestling program. My best friend's dad has been the coach forever and he is a great coach and they have a great program so it will be really fun to watch. 

I love this sweater I got for Christmas from my parents. I haven't left the house much lately but when I have, I wear it!

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I love these jackets I came across on the Nordstrom site. I used to have a slight obsession with coats. Maybe I still do I just don't indulge anymore.

Source for all of the above

And I have always loved this style of coat.

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I love that we have started planning our group vacation for this September. Such a fun group we go with and this year will be a little different since we have added three babies among the group. I assume we will have a walker and maybe even a couple of crawlers!

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And of course I love this girl.

Head on over and link up!

It's Almost Time...

...To begin our cloth diapering adventure. The Bum Genius diapers we have start around eight pounds and we tried one on the little Miss the other day and body wise they fit okay but her lil' legs still need to fill out a bit. I am actually getting really excited to start using them. We have gotten the diaper routine down, she isn't poo-ing every time she eats, I don't feel completely overwhelmed by washing diapers every day to start, I am tired of our overflowing garbage and let's face it, the cloths are much cuter.

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I have poured over blogs over the past few months, well, basically my whole pregnancy knowing this is the route we wanted to take, and I think I am ready to start. By the time we start, we will have eleven diapers and eventually I hope to get more but I think this will be okay to start. Obviously I'm sure it will take some time to get used to since disposables are pretty easy and quick.

We made the decision to cloth diaper based on cost and to be honest, I like the idea of not producing as much garbage. We are not just going to have one child either so we will have the diapers for future offspring. That also came into play in the decision-making. I will be the primary care-taker for the baby so we don't have to worry about a day-care opposing the idea or anything like that. I hope to get comfortable enough to use them all the time but I'm sure there will be times, maybe when we are on a outing in the beginning or if we travel somewhere that we are unsure of the ability to wash, that we don't.

I think we will definitely be making the transition within the month so we will see how it goes and I will keep updated on our adventure. I think it's good that I'm going into this with the mentality that it's an adventure, right?!

On another note, yes, I realize that the majority of my posts since December 1st have been baby/child related. That is the main topic of my life right now, however I assume that will simmer down a little and I will get back to recipes, crafts, etc. The blog world is so nice with topics that are baby-related, though, because there are so many moms out there. So, with that said, if you have headed down the cloth diaper route, what advice do you have? What is your routine/supply/diaper preference? Are there any special secrets that I need to know?!

Lately...

Everyday I think of topics to blog but then I never do. Either I run out of time in the day, I can't quite get a whole, cohesive post together or I just don't pick up the computer when I do have a moment and then that moment is gone. So, here is a throw together post of my thoughts and what's going on lately.

I am always happy to welcome a new year but then I do get a little sad taking down Christmas decorations and feel like our house is a little bit bare again.

Tomorrow marks Ben's start back to work after a very flexible work schedule in December. We realized that he only actually went to work 6 days in December, worked from home some days, took a few vacation days and used one week of paternity leave (he saved another week to use in March). It was awesome.

It will be interesting to adjust to taking care of the baby without Hub's help but I am definitely quite a bit more confident that I was after the first week when he went back to work for a few days.

With parenthood and a new baby, we have realized that it is kind of a few steps forward and a step back. We may have a few great nights of sleeping and eating schedule and then a not so great night. I may have a few days when I feel like, "Wow, I'm really getting this whole 'Mom' thing down," and then a day where I get frustrated and feel like I will never get it. (Not to a severe extent, you know, we all just have 'those type of days.')

I've realized that it may take 5 times microwaving and until about noon to drink a cup of coffee. But I am happy to be drinking a little bit of caffeine again.

Days. Fly. By.

We don't have too much on the docket for the next couple of months due to Hub's busy season of work so it will just be the little lady and I during the weeks and then happy to have Dad home on the weekends. We will look very forward to his week off in March.

We have taken a couple of outings. We have been in a couple of stores. On New Year's Eve, we went into the city and visited a few friends. Baby E did great, we had to feed and change the diaper in the car but it worked out. Here we are at our "rockin'" NYE party:

I am thankful that I have some dinners still stored in the freezer for days when I just may not get it together in time to fix dinner. I am sure there will be 'those days.'

I have realized that I have a really hard time focusing on TV. Maybe it is just because it has been on a lot over the past month just for background noise or out of habit but I just don't pay attention. Maybe this will make it easier to finally cancel the cable.

Breastfeeding makes me endlessly thirsty. And pretty hungry, too.

The time has come to crack down on our budget and it stresses me out a little. But it will be okay.

Sorry for the randomness of this post but seriously, my brain is all over the place lately. Hopefully I will gain some focus and write some real posts soon!

Out of Town Family

A week and a half ago on Eleanor's two week birthday she received some very special visitors. Her grandparents from Texas! They had been chomping at the bit for two weeks in anticipation to visit their first grandchild.

They stayed with us for the weekend and loved every special minute spent with their granddaughter.

They arrived Thursday night and we caught up and they swooned over the girl. Friday morning, we were up and again, obsessing over the babe. We hung around the house and that night my parents had us all over for dinner. Here are the grandmas and I admiring our angel. Eleanor is very lucky to have so many grandparents that love her.

Saturday, they grandparents stepped out for a bit, all 4 together, to do some Christmas shopping while Hub and I got a nap in. They came home to fix us dinner and spend time reading the books they got for Baby E.

Included in the books were many classics from Hub's childhood including a book that Grandpa R reads in a special voice. Very cute.

We enjoyed their visit very much and are always sad to part ways. Hopefully it won't be too long before we see them again.

We love our Texas family!

Holidays Don't Always go as Planned...

We don't really do the same thing every year for the Christmas holidays.

By Christmas of 2008, we had been together for 4 years, were engaged, had bought our house 3 months earlier, brought home a puppy at the beginning of December and it was the first Christmas we were spending together. Before that Ben had always gone home to Texas for the holiday. That year, his family came here. It was a great Christmas with a house full of family, snow and our families got to spend Christmas together.

Christmas of 2009 we had just gotten married a few months earlier and spent the holiday in Washington with my family. It was a little strange to wake up Christmas morning with just the two of us, but nice at the same time. We chatted with his family on the computer for a while and opened gifts with them and then headed over to my parents to open gifts and have dinner with them.

Christmas 2010 was spent in San Antonio with Ben's family. It was my first time away from my family for Christmas but our Texas family made it very special indeed. After getting back to Washington we celebrated with my family on New Year's day.

This year, after welcoming our baby just a mere 24 days earlier, our plan was to have a low-key, quiet day/dinner at my parents' house on Christmas day. However, a yucky cold for my mom had other plans so we didn't make it over there. We had french toast for breakfast, exchanged our gifts, spoke with Ben's family on the computer and opened gifts from them and relaxed all day long. It was a little strange not seeing any other family but it was kind of nice and special having out first Christmas with our new family of three.

Not the best photo but glad we got one with the 3 of us. Thank goodness
for a Gorillapod and camera timer!

Pretty sure she understood that this gift was for her!

We did go to my parents' yesterday because it seemed as though the cold had passed so we exchanged gifts and had a yummy dinner of a pork crown roast from the pigs that my parents raised last year. We relaxed and visited and of course Eleanor's grandparents gushed over her for a few hours. We called it an early night after a big dinner and on the account that we get tired pretty early these days.

Dad opening a gift with her at my parents'.

Hub gettin' artsy...until my brother noticed the creeper outside!

Even though it wasn't necessarily the "planned" Christmas we had a wonderful weekend and are just cherishing the quiet time we have together before Hub gets geared up for getting back to work.

How did you spend your holidays? Do you have the same plans every year or do they change? 

"I've got nipples, Greg. Can you milk me?"

Sorry, I couldn't help myself with that line from a movie. Speaking of milking, let's talk about breastfeeding. If you have no interest in milk, nipples, feeding a baby, etc. I would just go ahead and stop reading here. For those of you that can relate, offer advice, commiserate or are interested--read on.

Breastfeeding is not easy. I didn't really realize this. I had always known that I would want to breastfeed my babies if possible. My mom did, I think it's this right decision for me and I love the intimacy of it with my baby. I thought, okay, I'll have a baby, she has a mouth, I have a nipple, milk will come out and we will all go on our merry way. However, it is not all a barrel of laughs and I think many women forget to share this information so I am going to share.

The very first couple of times that Eleanor latched after being born, she was getting a little high on my nipple so she caused some blistering. I did not notice this at the time because I was in a state of euphoria having just birthed my daughter. I just thought, "Oh, great, she's on there are sucking--this will be a breeze." Oh, silly me. From then on, I have never had a problem getting her to latch or suck. Oh boy, does she suck. Similar to a vacuum cleaner I would say. My milk came in on about day 4 which was great. It was not horribly uncomfortable. I think I had a clogged duct for a couple of days but with pumping, nursing and massaging it worked itself out. The problem that I seem to have encountered is this horrendous, toe-curling nipple pain. I seriously thought something was wrong because why in the world would it hurt this bad? This is a natural thing, what I am supposed to be doing right? Ben tried to explain that it makes sense it would hurt--after all this is a new thing, never have my poor nipples been subjected to this type of man handling baby mouthing before. Okay, on I go.

I start mentioning this pain to my other friends who have breast fed. Oh, why yes, they say, the first few weeks there was definitely pain when the baby first got on but it went away. I mention it to my midwife at our two week postpardum appointment. Oh, why yes, she says, it will go away. Some women have that little pain forever though, it may never go away but hopefully will get better. Okay, I am normal, this is normal. I have come to realize that with babies, women tend to block out the bad parts after a certain amount of time. Maybe I shouldn't use the term bad but how about the hard parts. We all talk about the magic of a baby, how sweet, how cute, how wonderful it all is--and don't get me wrong I agree with all of this--but it is also helpful to hear some of the hard parts too, so we are prepared for them. And so we don't think we are freaks for having a few struggles.

I still have the nipple pain on day 21. It is hard to want to put my nipple in her mouth sometimes but I do it because once it's in there and she starts sucking it's fine. It is a little comical to me that I had a great, natural birth and here I am whining about some nipple pain. Oh, the irony. It is better when I pump it a few times in the morning and then start feeding her in the afternoon. However, when that happens I am only feeding her on one side and she doesn't get enough to keep her full very long so on those days it means feeding her every hour. Which is also hard.

On a positive note, I do love breastfeeding. I love holding her sweet, little body in my lap and knowing that I am giving her everything she needs. I know it will get easier or my nipple may just fall off and in a few months I will be one of the women who look back and struggle to remember the hard parts. She is also a really easy baby to nurse. She wakes, is hungry, eats from both breasts and then has a diaper change. All pretty easy in that respect. I also know that breastfeeding isn't for every woman and that's fine too. I have nothing against moms who don't breastfeed because if I have learned anything over the past year of all my friends having babies or the past 21 days of having my own, it is that every baby and every mom is different.

I did not write this post to scare anyone off from breastfeeding, I wrote it to have an honest recount of my experience over the past few weeks and to be honest with any expecting moms out there. Seriously, I swear there is a mom somewhere who has experienced what you are experiencing and can relate with you, no matter what.

Happy milking! ;)

The Christmas I Only Wanted One Gift...

Gee, what gift could that have been? Yes, you guessed it--my daughter. Well I got it so now people, my mom in particular, are really wondering what I want for Christmas. In 4 days. I can't believe Christmas is 4 days away and a week after that we will enter 2012. So weird.

Anyhow, I think after becoming a mother 20 days ago, I realize that my wants right now are for my girl. To be happy, healthy, warm, loved and all the other goodness we can provide for her. It's not to say I think I am never going to want for anything ever again in my life but for now, I am content with our wonderful Christmas gift.

Luckily, I finished all of our Christmas shopping before Eleanor made her debut so the past few weeks have not been stressful in that department. We didn't go overboard with gifts this year but I think each person will genuinely enjoy what we are giving. 

It's funny how we can all go on and on about how the season is not about the gifts and the true gifts aren't presents but we are always caught giving gifts to each other every year. I do think my family is pretty good about not making gifts the main event though. We love to be together, relax, cook and enjoy a good meal as well. This year my mom decided to do things a little differently since she hosts Christmas every year with her extended side of the family. This year on Christmas day it will just be our immediate family. My mom and dad, brother and his girlfriend, Ben, Eleanor and I. It will be nice, quiet and relaxing. I am happy for the baby and I to not have the over stimulation and this way my family can all maximize their time with the baby as well instead of her being passed around constantly.

My true gift this year comes wrapped in a swaddle blanket--What will be your favorite gift of the season? Have you asked for anything special? Do you have one big Christmas gathering, a couple, or just a small, intimate one?