A Girly Girl

I know Eleanor is only almost 15 months old but it is so, so sweet to see her budding personality. While we do see things like her gaining independence and being a little stubborn at times--which are all things I know are normal at this age--a few funny things have appeared over the past few months. She loves  to put on skirts and dresses even if just for wandering around the house. I found some dresses in her closet in bigger sizes that had been bought awhile back on sale and was pulling them a little closer to the front and looking at them and she kept trying to pull them on over her head. So on they went and she, quite literally, pranced around, holding out the sides just like a little girly, girl.

She also likes to pose.

Her grandparents gave her a Stella doll for her first Christmas and she has always, well for as long as possible, been a little interested but over the past couple of weeks her interest has turned into a slight obsession. She even says her name. Ls and all! It is seriously so cute. She carries her around, wraps her up, rocks her and my mom had some hand-me-down doll accessories--a stroller and carrier--at her house with no doll so we brought them to our house and low and behold Eleanor now puts Stella in her stroller and pushes her around. 

I totally know that this is all normal for girls and babies but it is just so heart-melting to see it for myself and see the developments of her attachment and interest in certain things. It is interesting too because while I had my fair share of time playing with Barbies, I wouldn't classify myself as a girly, girl. Never wearing a lot of skirts, dresses or even make up in the later years. My best friend has always joked with me that Eleanor could be my complete opposite and just love all these things. I think that would be fun and a new adventure for me. I would never want to discourage any creative interests for her. Being a mom is fun and hopefully I am rubbing off some of my good traits for her care-taking of Stella! ;)

It's Me Again

I have a friend who had her baby almost exactly 6 months ahead of when I did. It was nice to chat with her about things, relate to things she was experiencing a little bit before me and then when I got to that point even be able to have her go back and say, "oh yes, that happened to me/us too."

I distinctly remember her telling me that she did not feel "normal" until her baby was about six months old. I kept holding onto that through those hard, grueling, tiresome first few months. All the way up until six months. I didn't feel it. I still wasn't normal. I held out a few more months and then I brought it up to her. She replied with well, yes, I thought it was true but it wasn't until about nine months.

I kept holding out. There would be better days than others. However, I still wasn't myself. I would complain about it. I knew it. I knew I was crazy, emotional, hormonal and overwhelmed, I just didn't know what to do about it.

Fast forward again to Eleanor's birthday party and my friend and I were talking again. Oh, Allyce, she said, you really don't feel like yourself again until about 15 months old. 15 months?! Well, that was a far cry from her original 6 month mark and then her 9 month mark. But I laughed and agreed and scolded her for giving me these false hopes. Not really but we did laugh.

The other night we got together, our four couples of friends, without kids and her and I were chatting again. We were talking about her friend who is now in those early months with a three month old and she was telling her that it is all just really weird. A weird time, weird experiences, feeling weird and all that.

We had a great day as a family yesterday complete with a family nap, a walk and a good dinner. I was joking around being my quirky self and Ben was laughing. I turned to him and said, "Hey, isn't this the Allyce you like?" and he replied with, "Ya, she just took a break for awhile and gave all her goodness to her," and pointed down to Eleanor. I totally took that as a compliment.

Over this past year plus I have given my all to Eleanor. It has left little to no time for myself. And what I wasn't giving to Eleanor I was trying to give to my husband. I finally am getting to the point where I feel like I am back. So, these bench marks of when we feel normal again as mothers are different for everyone and for some it is just a new normal to get used to. I also feel like it is easier now that Eleanor is to the point where she can be a little more independent playing while I make dinner or able to quietly ride in her stroller while I run. I also don't feel a panic come over when I do leave her for a few hours or even overnight. All of this is okay and I know it is a good balance to be a mom but also to be me and be a wife.

Will I do everything the exact same with a second baby? I can't say. I will always be a mom that does what feels right for us at the time. Have I learned a few things on this first go around? Well, you betcha. I have also learned that it is okay if I am not doing the exact same thing as every other mother out there. Eleanor is my baby and I am her mother. That's really all that matters even if it did take me almost 15 months to get back to that quirky self of mine.

Go ahead and link up with Becky to share what's on your heart today.

The In-Betweens

I seriously love the age Eleanor is right now. She understands so much, she is getting so much better at expressing herself and what she wants. She is interested in everything and always learning.

The issue I am having is that sometimes I think she is bored. We play with her toys, roam around, she loves to help with chores like the dishwasher and "folding" and putting away laundry. We eat our meals. We try to go outside for walks as much as possible. But I want to make sure I am challenging her or teaching her as much as I can. I feel like a lot of the activities I come up with or can think of are just a little too "old" for her. Baking, putting pipe cleaners in the colander, sorting craft pom poms. I don't want to wish her older, I just wish I could come up with activities that are age appropriate  I mean, I know she is a 14 1/2 month old with little to no attention span but there has to be a few things.

We have found that she loves stickers. So that keeps her attention for a bit. And the girl loves books. I mean like big, puffy, heart lovin'. Books, over and and over. Which I love.

All this aside, Eleanor and I are in a really good place right now. It's not to say that I haven't loved other ages up until now, I just think that some of the previous challenges are starting to fade and my confidence as a mom continues to grow. I find that things I used to stress and agonize over are becoming less of a big deal as time goes on. I try really hard to go with the flow a little more. I think that was kind of an oxymoron. She really is such a good girl. She is happy most of the time. When she isn't I can usually figure out why. Minus the damn teeth! Those little buggers, seriously, come out of no where or take forever, for the love, to come in!

Again, we are really looking forward to nicer weather because I think E will want to live outside. Just like her mama.

Any ideas on good or fun activities for an almost 15 month old are very welcome!

Hey, Hey...

...It's Friday!

Another week gone by. Some days seem never ending and then all of a sudden here we are meeting with another weekend. Today feels like a good day. We have been having a rough bit of sleep this week because I think little Miss is getting a molar. Or two. Whoever really knows?!

I always do feel just a bit more chipper when the sun is peeking out which it did yesterday afternoon, today and is predicted for the next couple of days. So nice. I just can't stop thinking about how much fun it will be once the nice weather is more frequent for Eleanor to be outside. She loves it outside and I think she is going to be such a fun age for summer this year. Camping, swimming, the zoo, long walks...gahhh, hurry up summer!

Let's not get to far ahead of ourselves. This weekend we are headed out on Saturday night to celebrate a friend's birthday. We are leaving a bit early so Ben and I can have some alone time before we meet up with the group. The month of January is filled with a lot of work hours for him so we are a bit over due on some time out together.

I am already beginning to think about our garden this year and what we will be planting. We tried starts last year and they didn't really work any better than just putting seeds into the ground when the time is right so I think we will just do that. I also didn't do many flowers on account of not having a functioning brain due to lack of sleep so hopefully I can plant some more flowers this year. That will be another fun thing to do with E babe.

I am also trying to decide if I want to forge into some toddler groups for E. I think it would be fun to get her around some more toddlers however, the only hesitation I am having is that the flu is rampant around here right now! I know I can't keep her cooped up all the time, but when there are high-risk situations, i.e. a group full of germ-y kids, I feel I should keep her away. Maybe we should hold out a couple more months until the sickness dies down a bit.

I also wanted to say thank you to Holly for the mention in her post today. I think it is so nice to have those special girls that we connect with and relate to. She reached 1000 followers which is amazing because just a year ago she was lingering around the number of followers I have. I love reading her blog and staying in touch.

{Kind of} Wordless Wednesday

Some Most days...

I can't believe she's mine.

Almost February?!

What a couple of months we have had. December came and went in a hurry with Eleanor's first birthday, a trip to San Antonio for ten days over Christmas and back to Washington to ring in the New Year!

Oh yes, her hair is still wild.

We were home for a couple of weeks in January and then my mom, E and I took off for sunny Arizona to spend a week at my aunt's house. Yes, we sadly left Dad behind to work and even though it was very hard to be away and hard for him to not have his girls home, it seemed like it was for the best because was putting in some ridiculous hours. Oh, the life of a CPA.

Hopefully he is on the downswing of things and we can get back into our groove around here.

Travelling with a baby was, yes, I really am going to admit this--not as horrendous as I had anticipated. Of all the four flights there was only one that was super challenging and of course it was the longest flight that was oh, so perfectly right around her bedtime. Although there was no endless screaming, thankfully, she was just a squirmy, tired mess. Ah, well, we survived and apparently it wasn't too hard because we did it again!

This girl, I tell ya, is just amazing. I can't believe how quickly the time is flying by and how much she grows and changes everyday. She is such a toddler now and although I still see her as my baby, she proves daily that she is moving at a fast rate into toddler-hood and being such a big girl.

She is beginning to say quite a few words. She definitely mimics everything. Her words right now include:
mama {or mostly, mum}
dada
nigh nigh
mah {more}
beh {bird}
buh {book}
bah {bath}
ah-pa {Opa}
di-puh {diaper}

I know, I know, most of these just look like different sounds, but I want to remember how well she was associating her words with actual things and differentiating sounds. And, I'm her mom, right? So I speak her language fluently. Or at least I try.

On the personal front, I have really started to make an effort at working out. My brother has been sending me workouts so that if I can magically get E to stay in her crib for at least thirty minutes of her nap, I can get something accomplished. It is amazing what just a quick twenty minutes of abs and strength can do. Ben also got me ten yoga classes for Christmas of which I can use for regular or hot yoga. I always thought I was partial to hot yoga, but I have been to two regular and it turns out I love it too! I can also use the gym on days that I go in for a class so I will see about that. It is really amazing how much better I feel when I get a little alone time or do something active.

My one, main goal for the year, no I am not calling it a resolution, is to meal plan. I am usually good at stocking up on groceries and try to get good deals, but then once five o clock is all of a sudden upon us, funny how that happens everyday, I draw a blank as to what to throw together. So, we end up eating a lot of the same meals on a semi-regular rotation. Well, I have had it with that and am trying to get better. Even if it's searching through the cabinets and freezer at the beginning of the week, I want to write down each day what we will have so I don't have to think about it. I also want to go through the 14,000 3 magazine subscriptions my grandma has gotten me {well, I actually get three separate and then the same one three times. How's that math for ya?} and try some new recipes. I like simple recipes that use pretty standard ingredients so that's what I look for.

So that's what's up. Not too much detail but a little update. I need to get back here. I still love following along with all my regular reads and I do try to comment when I'm on the regular computer but unfortunately I still do a lot of blog reading on my phone. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that is to come in 2013! ;)

Somethings Just Make You Smile

This past week and a half has really been a memorable one. The weekend before Thanksgiving we got to celebrate with two friends from college as they got married. They have been together for over seven years, everyone has known they would get married for awhile and it was so fun to be a part of the huge celebration. It was just one of those weddings that every feels good about, is happy to be a part of and was just overflowing with love and joy for the couple. It was also so fun to get to see so many college friends that we don't get to see near enough.

We took Eleanor to the wedding for the first couple of hours and then it was close enough that my parents came and picked her up before her dinner time, fed her dinner, took her to our house and put her to bed. We stayed for a few more hours and had a great time dancing and visiting. Eleanor must have known that mom and dad were out a little late because she didn't wake up until 745am! Unheard of! We got a slow start, Ben worked at home for a little while and then we headed over to my parents' to celebrate my brother's 25th birthday. A friend of his that was like a little brother to  me came up and we got to meet his almost 9 month old son and visit with him and his wife. It was really nice to see old friends that we hadn't seen in awhile.

Starting mid-week, we spent a lot of time over at my parents' house because they were hosting Thanksgiving so E and I went over to keep my mom company on Tuesday and then again Wednesday afternoon. My dad was off work Wednesday and Ben came our when he got off work. We had a throw together dinner since they were preparing for Thursday but it was just a nice relaxing evening.

Thursday we spent a nice morning at our house, slept in a little, had breakfast, Skyped with our Texas fam and then headed to my parents' after E's morning nap. My parents tried something a little different this year for the bird which actually consisted of three birds; turkey, duck and chicken. Yep, that's right, a turducken. We spent the rest of the day there, my brother and his girlfriend came, my grandparents and my great grandma. It was a nice dinner, relaxing day and we went home full and happy.

Friday we were home some of the day, ran some errands and then came home and made a good dinner. I did start to get out some decorations that day but it sure is quite a bit harder to whip it all out with a baby running around!

Saturday Ben headed over to my great grandma's with my dad and brother to put up her Christmas lights and I put E down for her morning nap and then we all met over at my parents' so the guys could brew some beer, we played with E and I ended up making some gumbo.

Ben worked for awhile Sunday morning and then we spent the rest of the day finishing up Christmas decorations, lights and relaxing before the holiday was over.

I know none of this sounds out of the normal or not like any super special events took place. It was just a week full of things to be thankful for. People, family, friends, warmth, good food and relaxation. It was a "good for the soul" kind of weekend and it actually was kind of calming rather than stressful like sometimes holidays can be. It felt like a great kick-off to E's first holiday season as not a newborn!

11 Months

Dear Eleanor,

This past month flew by. So much so that I am writing this post just a short two weeks from your first birthday! Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's remember this month because it has been so fun and so full of excitement as far as you are concerned.

Your personality shines more and more everyday. You are happy, talkative, determined and yes, sometimes stubborn. You seem so inquisitive and curious which your dad and I love to watch. Watching you try to figure things out is like watching every little gear in your brain hard at work and it is so amusing. You are showing when you get frustrated also if something isn't going quite your way.

We tried to teach you the "more" sign starting a couple months ago and you picked up on it quickly although your sign is more squeezing your hands together. It helps cut down on whining when you want something so I guess we accomplished our goal. You have kind of taken it a step further and it has kind of become your sign for nursing, "yes," please, and more. I guess we will work on that.

You talk all the time when you are awake. Jabbering, blabbering, babbling and I love it. You are mimicking our inflections on sentences and such and it is so cute. We think we can also pick out some "words" such as:

night night (nigh nigh)
yes/ya (dis, da)
juice (jis)
dad (dada)
mama (mama)
no (na)

It seems as though you use all these at the correct times so I think they have proper meaning behind them. Also, you can sometimes make a cow noise. We ask what does a cow say, or show you a cow and sometimes you will just moan or we have to do it first and you mimic. Not all the time but when you do it's cute!

On your 11 month birthday, I would say, is the day you started walking. It was the first day I saw you take steps, unprompted on your own accord. Now, two weeks later, you usually choose walking over crawling, your balance is better everyday and you can turn and such. Love it.

Your sleep has improved tremendously. We tried to move your bedtime back with DST and then again a little bit more so our evenings weren't so rushed and Dad got to spend a little bit more time with you. So at night, you are usually going down between 8-830 and we actually had a couple of nights where you slept until 7am! What?! I know, crazy. But usually, you still wake between 5-6am, nurse and go back until about 730. You are still usually taking two naps a day, morning and late afternoon. I should say you still should be taking two naps, the afternoon can be hit or miss, still. We can definitely tell when you don't take it!

You continue to love food. You are such a good eater and for that we are so thankful. Over the past two weeks we have started offering you watered down juice and coconut milk. You seem to like both and it seems you like the coconut milk more everytime you have it. We have tried working in a snack time in the mid-late afternoons to cut down on that nursing session which you have been taking to pretty well. We are nursing about three times a day now, there have been a couple two times and a couple four times but seems to be mostly three.

Over the past month, you stayed with your grandparents for extended periods of time, about 8 hours, we missed a bedtime with you and did wonderfully and you continue to gain independence. It's hard for me to grasp but I know it's a good thing!

You love to explore, as well. You will toddle into the next room by yourself, you love to look in the cupboards and pull everything out, you point at everything and love watching the birds fly around outside. You also love riding in the shopping cart. It is new-ish to you since we don't go shopping too often and for a long time I was putting you in the Ergo. You feel like such a big girl in the seat and love to look around. I know this stage before you want to be down walking on your own is probably short-lived so I am soaking it up while I can.

I just can't say enough how fun this past month has been. You are learning everyday, I am so thankful I get to be right by your side to watch and learn along with you.

We love you so, so much, sweet girl and count ourselves lucky everyday to be your mom and dad.

Love,
Mama

Busy Bees

The next few weekends it feels like we are jam-packed with plans.

Sometimes I feel like we never do anything and then all of a sudden it is the total opposite and there is no end in sight.

Tomorrow I have a bridal shower for a good friend and then Ben and I are going to a brewery's anniversary party. After that we have been invited to a friend's house to hang out in the evening.

With all these plans comes some juggling with the babe. I still don't really leave her except for a couple hours here and there with my mom to run to the store or be home to get a couple chores done, uninterrupted. Over these next few weeks I think there are some events that will require a few more hours than normal.

I know, I know. It's good and I need to start and breakaway at some point but that doesn't make it any easier on my mama heart. We are sllllooowwly starting the weaning process. {Unexpected, yes and basically a whole 'nother post in itself.} So she is definitely going longer stretches between nursing sessions and eating table food really well. I think it is just a hard thing to grasp. That she is okay for that long without me. You get so used to the routine of basically being needed by this little human all the time and then all of a sudden that need starts to slow down. She is becoming more independent, plays on her own here and there, can find me in the house on her own. It is all so exciting yet bittersweet at the same time.

Tomorrow will require being away for a minimum of 5-6 hours. That would be the longest I have been away from her. Even when I say it, it sounds a little crazy! But, it has been what has been right for us. So I will leave mid-morning, attend the shower, meet up with Ben for the afternoon and then we will head home. She will most likely have lunch and an afternoon snack and maybe some coconut milk with my parents. I will come home, she will be happy and well-taken care of.

Oh you don't need to be reassured by all this? I do? Ohh, okay, got it.

Anyway, next weekend's events will require us to be away for bedtime. We were away for bedtime, kind of, once. Once in 11 months. We did the whole dinner, bath and I nursed her, and she went down soon after we left. This time, we will be leaving late afternoon and won't be back until about 10:30pm.

This instance is a little more stressful for me but I know I just need to do it and she will be fine.

We are four weeks away from the big one year birthday and I think my heart is having a hard time adjusting to this new stage.

Yes it is exhausting to be needed all of the time, but I am her mom. That's what I'm here for and what I am used to. I know the next stage is so fun as well but with this first year coming quickly to a close and these new experiences approaching, I feel like I am entitled to some sentimental time as well.

All that said, I am excited to leave her in very capable hands and get to get out, visit with some friends, have fun and feel like a normal human. I mean, I will admit to being a little socially awkward these days, but hey, friends should understand right?!

What are you up to this weekend?

Quiet Moments are the Best

I have definitely talked about how E is not the best napper. Lately I have been really good about trying to nurse her and then lay her in her crib. She used to not have any part of that at all so it became hard for me to want to try and I would just let her lay, sleeping and nursing.

Today she started to get tired so we quieted down our playing and headed into her room for me to nurse her and lay her down. Which, again, sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. She was sleeping, I tried to lay her down and she wasn't having it. Tried to soothe her while she was laying down, she quieted a little and then started crying again. It was the kind of cry that I just knew she wasn't going to sleep so I picked her up and tried a new method a friend told Ben about and Ben relayed to me. Just holding her tight and not letting her squirm as best we can while she is trying to fight sleep. It worked yesterday so I wanted to try again! Well, that wasn't working either so I flipped her around and she laid her head right down on my shoulder and fell asleep.

I sat down in the chair and when I knew she was really asleep I almost got up to lay her in the crib but I thought twice about it. I thought, okay, I have been pretty good about laying her in her crib lately and she is doing way better than she used to. I also thought, when does she ever sleep on my chest anymore?!

So right then and there, I got comfortable and she stayed asleep for an hour right on my chest.

I didn't have my phone by my side, there was no TV in the background (which isn't normally the case anyway), and no distractions. Just me and my girl, quiet, in the dark, snuggling.

It is so easy to get caught up in what I need to get done during the rare occasion that she does lay in her crib and nap for any length of time but I am so glad I took that second thought today and cherished it. I know that no matter what I will look back at this time and know it went by in the blink of an eye so I know that when I have that feeling of just needing the closeness, I just need to soak it right up.

Maybe that's what she was trying to tell me, anyway, by not wanting to be in her crib for that nap. Just needed some extra Mama snuggles.

10 Months

Oh, Sweet Eleanor,

Halfway into your eleventh month and here I am posting your letter. I am just keeping with my system though of being a little behind. Mostly because I am always trying to keep up with you!

This month has just been a joy. Just like all the rest. Even though you are not always the best sleeper and you are pretty stubborn like your parents, watching you continue to learn, change and develop your personality is just so amazing. That's basically the word that always comes to mind: amazing.

This month you are crawling around at the speed of light, pulling up on everything and cruising along furniture, walls and cupboards. Oh, the cupboards, they keep you so amused! You have taken little half steps but then fall into whoever you are aiming for. You think it's pretty funny. You clap, dance, give kisses and babble up a storm. We have noticed many different sounds this month also, with your tongue, you make a little hissing sound, you have ba, ma, da, nya all down and you string them all together. I'm pretty sure you have looked right at me and said mama a few times now and although Dad was hesitant to accept you saying dada I jumped right on my name and know you know who I am!

You are getting into some 12 month clothes and definitely 12 month pants and even some 18 month. Again, mostly because of your diapers. You had your well visit at 9 1/2 months and you were 28 inches long and 18.5 pounds. Still petite but again mostly average in everything and still steadily growing. I don't know how you couldn't be growing because you still love to eat, feeding yourself and nursing. You basically have three food meals a day and then nurse in between putting you at eating something about every two to two and half hours.

Your sleep, again, is a little hit and miss. You have good stretches of going down between 730-8 pm and sleeping until 4-5am, nursing and going back down but then we hit a rough patch with what we thought was another little cold but then the next week you had a tooth pop through and another close behind. So, we wondered if it really was a cold or just the weirdness that we have heard can come with teething. That's right, your first tooth at 10 months 2 days. For the most part, you have been great. During the day you are happy as a clam, it was just a couple of nights that we thought the teeth were bugging you and we did end up giving you some Tylenol. It's hard to tell if it helps or not but I hope it took a little of the edge off. As far as naps we are still mostly all over the board. It seems like we can usually count on a morning nap although we can't always count on how to get you down for that whether it be rocking, nursing, walking, etc. The afternoon nap is the tough one. It is clear that you need it because you do become whiny and clingy, you just fight it like a mad woman! Sometimes I just give up, get dinner a little early and try to get your bedtime routine going so that it distracts you from being whiny. Bedtime still goes smoothly so that's nice.

You still love to be outside, we visited the pumpkin patch, which you loved. You love playing with other babies and you are back to enjoying car rides. You like going to the store with me and riding in the Ergo although we have put you in the cart a couple times and I think that may start winning out because you love that and act like such a big girl! We got to go for quite a few afternoon walks this past month because we had such beautiful weather and you enjoyed your stroller. Sometimes I would do that if you weren't showing signs of going down for a nap and you would just sit back and relax in the stroller.

Eleanor, I just want to soak up everyday as much as I can because I just can't believe how time is flying by. Your personality just cracks me up everyday and you are such a joy to be around. Yes, there are tough days and I do lose my patience at times but know that it is always me that I am being impatient with. I am working at just knowing you are just a little person who goes through the same things I do. Bad days, bad moods, tummy aches, head aches, etc. You are such a wonderful light in our lives and your dad and I could not be more proud to be your parents.

Love you so much, baby girl.

Xoxo,
Mama

I am still taking monthly photos, just haven't gotten around to taking this one on the big camera yet. ;) Gave up on the weeklies at about 6 months but I want 12 pictures of her once we hit one year!

Update, Memory Record, Random

I am trying to write this, drink some water, relax and decide on the theme for E's first birthday all at the same time. I know, not that crazy but still, always multitasking if she is in her crib for a nap! Can I also just pause for a minute and re-iterate that I just typed first birthday?! Can't believe that's on the radar!

I am trying not to make the decision on her party decor a huge deal, but I still want to decide on something cute. Ben just reminded me of the "bedding debacle of '11" in which I stressed and went back and forth and thought long and hard over her bedding for her crib and how I laughed the other day and said, "I think I should sell her bedding, we don't even use it." We obviously don't use the big puffy "comforter," we have back up sheets so we aren't always using the crib sheet that came with, the bumper is off because we have a breathable one in there right now, the skirt is barely visible under her crib and just the other day we took the valance down and replaced with longer, blackout curtains. You know, because her window had been draped, hillbilly-style, with a blanket to create darkness. Oy.

Anyway. Back to the randomness that is our life. Over the past couple months we have had a little bit of goings on. Nothing of huge significance but worth noting on our part. We, well mostly I, am thoroughly annoyed of our dog. Which I feel really bad about because I love her and it's mostly not her fault that she is annoying it just is the way it is. She sheds like a...well, something that sheds a lot. And with the shedding comes the dander and when she scratches, shakes, walks or breathes, she is shedding. And it's disgusting. I can't really believe I have let my baby cohabit in the same dwelling as her for this long. And crawl around in it. Sick. So, last weekend we began taking our house back. We, as embarrassed as Ben is to say this, bought a shock collar, and are training her to be an outside dog. Why do you have to train your dog to be outside? you might ask. Well, our dog is afraid of something in our backyard and we don't know what. We thought it was the chickens and then quickly learned that is not the case because she jumps the chicken fence and plays merrily with the chickens. That's a whole 'nother story. So, we have to shock her, gently, when she is jumping at, scratching at or whining at the back door. Work in progress. We also got rid of the gross area rug we bought right before Eleanor was born because I really wanted a new, clean rug for the baby except that the dog hair wove itself into the stupid, braided design that I so carelessly bought because it was onsale and I was 9+ months pregnant and just wanted something. My awesome Dyson that I got for Christmas also began promptly ripping it up as soon as I started using it. Cool. Insert new, beautiful rug we got last weekend that has not begun to come apart and which I am trying my best to keep the dog off when she comes in to sleep at night.

We finished up the season pretty well with our garden with plentiful amounts of tomatoes, zucchini and summer squash. My rosebush also bloomed that we waited like, forever, 3 months to plant. It was beautiful.

I made a trip to my beloved college town, Bellingham, the other day in search of a solution for our night time diapering situation and came back with pre-fold cloth diapers of which I cannot figure out how to get around my baby. Hopefully more practice will help.

Here I am again during a nap time with a minute to blog and I cannot remember what I always want to sit down and type.

I am still in the middle of trying to decide to cut my hair off or go long. About 8 months ago I cut it just above my shoulders and then it grew pretty quickly and is in a fairly awkward stage of length and bushiness so I am back to trying to decide if I just want to grow it long or cut it to my chin, inverted bob-style. And some color, maybe I need some color. I see pictures of both my long and short styles and I like both. So, here I stand, undecided. As usual.

We went to the pumpkin patch last weekend with some friends. It was fun because it was the same patch Ben and I went to last year while I was still pregnant and we talked about how the following year we would have a lil' baby. And we did! She loved being outside, of course, and holding herself up on the pumpkins. There were two other babies so they all had fun exploring and being out in the beautiful weather!

I have been trying to decide what type of milk product we will be offering E once she turns one year. I was on a little kick of goat's milk for awhile and trying to convince Ben we need to get a goat. Probably not going to happen at this time. However, goat's milk is slightly more appealing to me than cow's milk, not that I don't drink cow's milk because I do, but supposedly goat's is just a little more easily digestible, less likely to be allergenic and a few other things. But do you know that goat's milk is flipping expensive?! So yes, we will see. Also, Ben thinks that since I can't stand the chickens right now, there is probably a good chance I will get annoyed of a goat too. Kind of like the dog. Also, we do live in the city-limits so we may not necessarily be wanting to create such a farm-like atmosphere on our little, quarter of an acre property. We may need to sell our house someday and don't necessarily want to look like such hillbillies with goats, chickens and whatever else we may dream up. Those might be dreams for the future.

Last week, one of my college roommates was passing by our city and she stopped in to meet E. She lives in San Diego and I hadn't seen her in over 2 years so it was great to see her and have her meet E. She just turned 30 and it was kind of a shocker that meant we had met 9 years ago in the dorms. Wow. Time flies.

So, those are some of the things going on in our life. On top of that, gearing up for the holidays, E's first birthday, traveling to Texas for Christmas and just trying to enjoy each say in itself and not getting ahead of ourselves. I am trying to soak up this last little bit of E's first year still in constant amazement that some days seem so long yet I look back and can't believe December is so quickly approaching!

And, sorry for the randomness but this is how my brain works these days! ;)

The New Normal

Coming off of vacation is usually a difficult adjustment whether you have a baby, kids or not! Getting back to work, the normal schedule, meals, etc. is enough to tire out anyone and even bring on a bit of depression. Okay maybe not depression but just a little disappointment that vacation is over and basically with our vacation being over, summer is pretty much over here as well. We have had some beautiful weather, don't get me wrong, but there is definitely the fall-chill in the air in the mornings and evenings despite the really warm afternoons.

I feel like I have been doing just a terrible job of documenting the everyday happenings around here and I really hope that changes because we are in a really good place right now and finding our new normal. I'm pretty sure I have talked before about how Ben and I are pretty routine-craving people and that having a baby threw us for a loop in that department. It's like before you have a baby you know things will change, be different, unpredictable and challenging but you don't know quite how much until it is you.

These days we are embracing whatever "routine" or "schedule" we have for the day. There have been many low points in my days with Eleanor, I will definitely admit that, but I am focusing on the high points these days. All of a sudden, last week, it hit me that she is 9 months, well actually over 9 months, old and will be one in less than three months. Less than three months?! What in the heck have I been doing these past nine months?! Well, even though it has been a slow process, I have been adjusting to my new normal.

This past weekend was pretty great even though I was feeling a bit under the weather. Last weekend, we had arrived home from vacation on Sunday and kind of just hopped back into the week. This weekend we got to relax on Friday night, enjoy a leisurely morning on Saturday and celebrate a friend's engagement on Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning, again, started out slowly, enjoying family breakfast and lunch, a couple of naps for E and then Ben's birthday dinner. None of it was too fancy or exciting but that is where we are now. And we love it. Friday night, our friend's band was playing in the city and we considered going until we found out he probably wasn't going on until about 11:30. PM. Ben still thought about going even after heard that because he hasn't seen them play yet and he wanted to see our friends but after talking about it, we realized {and I think we already knew but were trying to feel somewhat social} that we just aren't in that place right now. And that's okay. Maybe next summer we will be able to make a late show like that but last Friday night just wasn't the night. We haven't stayed a night away from Eleanor as a couple and Ben has only been away for business and a wedding and he decided that wasn't how he wanted to spend a chosen night away from her quite yet.

If we have learned anything {I mean we have learned a million things} it is that each phase/stage is so fleeting. Each stage that I have thought couldn't possibly get any harder, could have been over the next week.  I know that people told me that at the time and it is so easy for experienced moms to tell me all that but at the time it is just really hard to hear. There have only been a few people that I have been able to just vent to and not get some sort of piece of advice. Sometimes you just need an ear, ya know? I am grateful for those people and over time, one of those people did become my husband. Ben always wants to be able to fix a problem or give a solution and I think he realized that wasn't always going to be the case. Sometimes, I just need to talk, vent, get mad or cry and he would just have to listen. We have always had strong communication but this experience has strengthened it even more. We have found balance between when to say something and when to not. When he is being super patient, I may not be and vice versa. I am by no means saying we have any of this figured out or that we are experts at all, but we are getting better and getting to a point where we have our feet under us a little bit more than we did.

I know this is all sort of random and scattered but I haven't been able to blog much and when I do it feels more like a journal entry of where my thoughts are on this one particular day. I know it will be nice to look back at when we are considering another baby and I need a reality check as to if we are really ready to head down that road again!

So, Happy Monday and here's to a good week! ;)

8 & 9 Months

Dearest daughter of mine, Miss Eleanor,

Well, here we are again, combining two months into one letter because I just can't seem to keep up! It is all beginning to blur together and before this wonderful experience, I could not understand how moms couldn't remember exactly what date these wonderful milestones all happened on. How do you not know the first day you gave your baby food? How can you not remember when your baby started sleeping through the night? Oh, it's because it feels like there is something new every day!

My sweet baby, you continue to amaze us all the time. You are at such a fun age where you are just on the move and all you want to do is explore. You just love taking it all in whether it be roaming from room to room {with me close behind, of course}, outside on a walk or in a group of people. You are quite the chatterbox when you have the floor and it is hilarious. Right now we get a lot of "dadadada" and some "nyanyanya" and we like to mimic you and try to get you to mimic us.

You started to wave over the last month. It is adorable, of course. Your wave is an outstretched arm and open and closing of the hand. Melt my heart. I think you are also on the verge of clapping but not quite to full on open hands together. You get excited, shake your arms and sometimes put closed fists together. You also love to dance! Music comes on and you bed your knees and bop up and down.

As for your chosen method of getting around it is still crawling--fast. You stand up on everything and will try to walk if you are holding you up from behind. You can turn from one object of furniture to another and will sometimes change what you are holding onto. Your dad thinks you are close to walking, I like to think no. Partly because I am not ready for that step and I like to stay in denial.

You still have no teeth but some days I think I see the starts and some days I don't which is what I hear is pretty typical.

Right now you are doing really well sleeping at night. {I'm sure I just jinxed that by typing it ;) } We have your bedtime routine down and it seems to work well. We eat dinner around 530-6, if it's during the week you and I usually have to start before Dad gets home. We try to get you in the bath by 630 and reading books shortly after. Ideally I am nursing you by 715 but sometimes 730 at the latest. Usually I put you down after nursing but some nights we do have to let you cry or fuss a bit in your crib before you go to sleep.

Nap times have been a little trying as I think has pretty much always been the case for you. I think we are in transition from always napping while nursing and sometimes you will do great with two naps in your crib, sometimes just one, and on the not so great days, sometimes none! I really am trying to learn to be patient with this and just take it one day at a time but sometimes that is hard. I just feel so bad for you when you get so tired and won't go to sleep.

You are doing so wonderfully with food. I don't think there has been a single thing we have offered that you haven't eaten. We did give you some yogurt about a month ago and I think I gave you a little too much, 4 days in a row, and I think it was a little hard on your tummy. Since then you have a had small amounts of cheese here and there and it seems to be fine. We may revisit the yogurt soon or maybe not. You continue to love meat and scarf down any that is put in front of you. Fruits and veggies are always a favorite as is Mom's homemade hummus.

You are nursing about every 5-6 hours during the day which has been interesting for me. I feel like for so long I was so used to the frequent nursing but now with food added, you definitely skip one nursing session during the day right now. You nurse when you wake and then have food for breakfast and lunch and then usually nurse again sometime in the afternoon and again before bed. There are definitely times I can tell it's more for comfort which is fine too!

You love to be in the water and you also had your first boating expedition on Oma and Opa's boat. We went on our first family vacation and it was a blast. We went with our group of friends with your friends Addison and Freddie. We had five days of fun in the sun and on Lake Chelan. You were a little bit difficult in the sleep department but we pushed through and enjoyed ourselves despite that.

You are wearing mostly nine month clothes with mostly 12 month pants because of your diapers. We have your nine month check up next week so we will see what your measurements are.

You continue to light up our lives everyday and we are so blessed to have you as our daughter. Your personality continues to grow everyday and we love watching you learn, explore and discover every bit of the world around you.

Love you always, baby girl.

Xoxo,
Mama

The Toofers

No, Eleanor does not have any teeth.

Yes, everyone asks.

As a matter of fact, everyone has been asking for awhile. She is always gumming everything, hands, arms, toys, etc. She drools. I don't know if it's excessive, it's all I know, but don't most babies drool?

Anyway, for a few months now people would probably think she was teething. We have yet to see any signs in her gums and it is just fine by me. Not only because I am a little scared out of my mind nervous about her biting me but also because I just cannot imagine her with teeth! I loooove her sweet, gummy smile and I think it will just make her look too, darn old! She is already growing fast enough and I just think a tooth or two will put me over the edge. My brother and I were both later teethers so that's what I am hoping for.

Another reason, I think, people ask about her teeth is because she eats quite a bit. She does really well getting chicken down but tougher meat is a little harder. She chews really well too, there are just no teeth to chew with. I think people also forget how incredibly hard babies' gums are. Her gums are strong!

Kind of a random post but I just think it's funny how many people ask and I really don't give it a second thought. Just another thing that is such a wide spectrum of difference for babies. *Thanks for all the beautiful, gummy smiles, my sweet baby!*

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

My Own 6 Month Celebration

Three days ago I smiled and shared a snapshot of E on Instagram and Facebook as well as texted a picture to the grandparents because she turned 6 months old. {6 month post to come} As exciting as it is that my baby has been with us for 6 months, I was also celebrating 6 months of exclusively breastfeeding my little one.

Before we began our breastfeeding journey I would have never thought that continuing would be cause for me to feel proud of myself and my baby. I know it's not for everyone and some people have too many issues to continue or it's physically impossible and that's fine; I am not trying to start a debate about any of this or make anyone feel bad. However, it is important to me and I take pride in the fact that for half a year I have given my daughter all the nourishment she needs.

It has not been easy. We had some challenges in the beginning, it is always tiring and a bit time consuming and we may even be up against thrush at this point but...I wouldn't have it any other way.

I guess I may sound a bit like I'm tooting my own horn here which I kind of am--so I can look back later and know this little feeling of accomplishment. The emotions that have come with breastfeeding were definitely not expected. I did expect to feel the extreme closeness with the baby and those types of feelings but a lot of times I have felt stress, exhaustion, frustration and many more. I have learned also to deal with and understand that these are all normal feelings and that I am not a bad mom for feeling any of these feelings. My amazing husband has helped me through a lot of these emotions, bless his sweet heart. He has put up with a lot from me and all of these feelings and he always reassures me that it is okay to feel overwhelmed at times. I think even he has been very surprised with all that breastfeeding brings with it.

My daughter also does not take a bottle. I learned to be fine with that too. It really isn't that big of a deal. I guess sometimes it would be nice to be able to plan out an outing a little better but we are getting better at doing that too. So basically, feeding E on the go is quite easy too. I don't have to bring anything along, no mixing or warming which is quite convenient. I learned to accept the fact that although the days and nights may seem endless right now sometimes, this is all just such a short phase that we will fondly look back on and wish it hadn't gone so quickly.

Breastfeeding is an amazing thing and I didn't realize how committed I would be to it and our continuing success and mother and daughter {and father, really, let's face it, it's about all of us!}. I am still in amazement that my daughter has gained about 10 pounds since being born 6 months ago and that is all because of my body. Cuh-razy.

So, onward we go and will continue for as long as we can and for that I am thankful. Again, thankful for a husband who works hard and for our life that we tried so hard to set up for me to be able to be at home and nurse around the clock. I am also thankful for finding the La Leche League in our area and for the women who are willing to share tips, advice and their company.

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!