Life Sweet Life

Despite the wretched start with a trip to the dentist, this has been a really good week.

~Our lovely Ella had gotten into a wonderful night time sleep pattern of nursing at 10pm, 3am, and 7am. Calculate that people. That means only ONE middle of the night feeding and two good chunks of sleep (one 5 hours, one 4 hours).

~But this week she didn't even wake up for the 3am feeding! That's right. Our little seven week old attempted to sleep straight through the night! I didn't let her because #1) "they" say not to do that before 8weeks of age, and #2) for the sake of my chest! I had THE most difficult time waking her at 4am (the 6 hour mark). And from that night on she's been sleeping a 6 hour chunk and a 4 hour chunk!

~Helped set up for Alpha at church.

~Planned out our meals for the next two weeks. Went grocery shopping and spent UNDER $100 for all that food!

~Played with the pooch outside on a warm, sunny winter day.

~Created a new way to carry my babe for super cheap because I used a 40% off coupon at JoAnns. I'll post more about that new way later!

~Jess had us over for a girl's breakfast this morning and we made zip lock omelets (A new fave). Jason watched Ella. Had a wonderful morning with wonderful friends. Thanks Jess!

~Got home, snuggled the babe, kissed the babe, snuggled the babe etc. etc. Gave her a bath. Love bath time.

~Now she's sleeping soundly and I'll go snuggle Jason :)

We Finally Made the Switch

I posted a while back about how we were going cloth, but we didn't actually go cloth until today. I resold the fuzzi bunz that I had bought because I decided it was too pricey of an option. I'd have to do laundry every day with just 14 diapers and I'd have to spend again on another batch each time she grew out of the current size.

So I'm going way old school. I went prefolds and wraps. The prefolds are super cheap so I got 36. Now I'll only have to do wash every three days or so! And I got 6 prorap wraps. The only thing I'll have to buy more of as she grows is the wraps but they're $40/6 wraps so that's still a huge savings! And the best part is that for our next little munchkin we won't have to buy diapers at all!

And here's more detail than you probably want. But just after I put her in her first cloth diaper she filled her pants. I mean it was a good one. She'd been storing up for a while. I thought for sure it'd be a blow out (it would have been with disposables) but NOPE! Fully contained! No outfit change needed!

Here's our little cutie patootie sporting her new diaper duds!

THIRD DAY!

Third Day is BY FAR my favorite band EVER! First of all because their music was the first Christian rock music I came across when I first accepted Christ my freshman year of college and it got me through a lot of rough times. But also because the music is awesome, their voices are so powerful, and the lyrics always hit me to my very soul.

I had the opportunity to see them in Portland my junior year of college. All of my roommates and many friends braved a snowstorm. (I think that was the time Tara's car spun out and she missed death by inches!) But let me tell you, it was worth it!

AND NOW THEY'RE COMING TO BANGOR! I CANNOT contain my excitement! Of course I'm going!

Jason went with in college but I think it was just because he was trying to woo me. But now that the wooing is over, it works out perfectly for both of us because Jason is not really a music guy, doesn't get excited about it, can't clap and sing at the same time and he pretty much hates concerts. So when I told him about it he was all, "Can you make this an all girls thing this time?" and I was like, "Oh, good! 'Cause I wanted to take my mom anyway!"

Daddy Time

I think growing up without a father from the age of 3 on makes me EXTRA sentimental when it comes to seeing Ella with her daddy. I want to savor the images, drink in every moment and never stop praying for a second that she grows up with her dad in her life.

I believe God has orchestrated Ella's day purposefully. You see, from the time she wakes up until her 5pmish feeding Ella takes nice long naps in her crib or pack n play. But, after her 5pm feeding she won't go down for a nap on her own. She needs to be held. And this conveniently happens to be the time when her daddy comes home. So after he's dropped his stuff and done a little work and settled in, he takes her for some Daddy time and holds her while she sleeps. But miraculously, after her 10pm-ish feeding she always goes right back to sleeping beautifully on her own so we get a good night rest.

So these are the wonderful images I get see every evening and this is the wonderful man and beautiful baby I get to snuggle up to on the couch! Blessed doesn't even begin to describe how I feel! (PS:I love that he's secure enough to wear the sling! :)

I Got a Good One!

Finally got a good smile on film today. She smiles like this with her eyes open too, but this particular smile happens to be her, "I just got finished nursing and I'm full and happy!" smile.

What I Should Have Said!

Ever since I was 18 and Dr. Fister (yes, I used his real name and I think he's a terrible doctor!) refused to put me under anesthesia to take my wisdom teeth out, and THEN refused to give me more Novocaine when I TOLD him I wasn't numb, and THEN proceeded to rip my wisdom teeth out while I felt EVERY bit of it...I've had an INTENSE fear of the dentist. True story. NOT lying. Most traumatic physical pain experience of my life! FAR worse than labor!
Now, even a routine cleaning frays my nerves to the very last thread. And today I had just that. Here are three highlights.

Dental Hygenist (Who, from this point on shall be called Evil Torture Woman): I see on the chart that you had a bit of a problem with this sonic cleaning tool last time. Let's try it again. It shouldn't hurt.

Me: Okay I guess I'll give it another shot. (5 minutes later I am LITERALLY crying in the dentist chair. Evil Torture Woman agrees to stop.)

WHAT I SHOULD HAVE SAID: Listen Evil Torture Woman! Don't tell me what SHOULD and SHOULDN'T hurt! That thing sounds like a drill and the noise alone is enough to send me straight to an insane asylum. And when you put that metal tool of sonic torture to my tooth and it vibrates against the enamel the sensation is enought to make me prefer gouging my eyes out. IT DOES HURT! And NO, You can't try it again!

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Evil Torture Woman (who has now switched to the fun scraping tools): Do your gums ever bleed when you brush or floss?

Me: Nope.

Evil Torture Woman: Because they're bleeding quite a bit. And bleeding gums aren't normal.

Me: Hmmm.

WHAT I SHOULD HAVE SAID: Reeeaaalllly!? They're bleeding? You don't say. Perhaps that's because you're STABBING THEM WITH A SHARP METAL OBJECT! That's not normal!? I'm pretty sure when you rip apart any living tissue with sharp metal objects it's pretty freakin' normal for them to bleed! Why don't you sit on down here and I'll rip apart your gums with sharp metal tools and then I'll tell YOU that bleeding isn't normal!!! How 'bout that!?

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And last but not least the dentist came in and told me I have a cavity. Of which I have not had since I was 12 and I'm going to blame on pregnancy because Evil Torture Woman said the hormones can cause weakened enamel and gingivitis.

Evil Crazy Man (a.k.a. Dentist):Well then, it looks like we'll invite you back to have that taken care of. It's so small and shallow I'd say you won't even have to be numbed for it!

Me: Oh, yes I will.

WHAT I SHOULD HAVE SAID:Listen Evil Crazy Man! Let's stop with the CRAZY! Not be numbed? You better numb me! You better numb me up good! And If I tell you I can still feel stuff, you better numb me some more! As a matter of fact, I don't care if my whole face is so numb I can't even hold my eyes open! If you don't numb me I'll tear you limb from limb!

And that pretty much sums up my trip to the dentist today.

Mean Mommy

Today I discovered something Ella doesn't like. I was singing patty cakes to her and holding her hands and going through the motions. When I got to the part where you say, "...paaat it, and roooll it..." I moved her hands real fast and changed my voice tone to a lower more drawn out tone and this is what I got for a reaction (no tears, just super stuck out bottom lip!):
So what did I do? I called for Jason to get the camera and did it again so I could get it on film. It was just too funny!

Queen for a Day!

That's what I felt like! Not only did we have a wonderful evening last night, but this morning Jason got some great one on one daddy time while he sent me away. Where did I go? To be pampered! Jason's Christmas present to me this year was a gift certificate to a Salon and Day Spa as he figured I would be in need of some pampering after having Ella.

It was AMAZING! The place was great, very nice decor and atmosphere. And the people were super friendly! I had a fabulous massage. The massage table was heated, the lights were dim, the music was relaxing, the smells were great, the massage was perfect and I got a chocolate at the end! And I had a pedicure which I've never had before. I wasn't sure if I'd like it but it was great! I loved the vibrating tub of hot water, the exfoliating scrub and the foot massage! I don't care if it's sandal weather or not, I know my feet are pretty! I feel relaxed and refreshed and very lucky and loved!

First Date!

Okay, so it wasn't our first date but it sure felt like it! It was our first date since Miss Ella entered our world. My mom babysat her and Jason and I went out. I must admit I'm proud of our frugality. We ate at home, and went to McDonalds to snag two of their free lattes and 2 apple pies for dessert. We bought candy at the dollar store and then went over to the cheap seat movies and watched Seven Pounds. GOOOD movie!

It was so nice to snuggle up to Jason for an uninterrupted two hours! On our drive home we got into a wonderful discussion about the movie and then about our favorite actors and what qualities make a good actor or movie. It was great to have grown up conversations that had nothing to do with babies!

And while all of it WAS wonderful, I definitely had my new mommy anxieties. I typed up a whole instruction page for my mom (like she doesn't know how to care for a baby!). I had my cellphone glued to my side on vibrate. I worried if Ella would be confused or scared or fussy. And in my most extreme bout of anxiety I had horrible thoughts of "What if Jason and I got into a car accident and both died and our little baby was left all alone!?" Am I crazy or have other new mommies experienced these same kind of fears/thoughts when leaving your little one for the first time?

Anyhoo, I worked through it, enjoyed our evening out and of course Ella did just fine! She took the bottle great, did fuss a bit (but that's her norm in the evening and mom said the bouncing I told her about worked like a charm) and was sound asleep in my mom's arms when we got home!

Proud Parenting Moments

This morning Ella had just finished nursing. She was laying in my arms and we were exchanging smiles and coos back and forth. It was one of those picture perfect moments. And then, my precious daughter had another first. She started sucking on her finger as she has for quite some time. But then she took her finger out of her mouth and stuck it right up her nostril. After she had completed that new task she shoved it right back in her mouth. Yup, that's right. My daughter can pick her nose and eat it! Wish I had a picture of that one!

But I did get a picture of this. During tummy time, she pushed herself up farther than she has before and held her head up quite high for quite a long time. I have nothing to compare this to, but I think she's pretty strong for 7 weeks old!

This toy is like my favorite. My friend Jess gave it to her. It's a giraffe that plays sweet music and it's head slowly moves side to side. Ella's never really taken notice of it before today but today she was clearly like, "Oh, hey there giraffe! You're cool! What's up?"

Odds and Ends

I know, I know. My blogger template changes like the wind. I'm just discovering that I can get sweet layouts for free online. However, I wish I knew how to design my own because I haven't quite found one that's just right. So don't be surprised if it changes many more times!

Yesterday and today I've been scrap booking! It is much different than the marathon stretches I used to go on. Much more disjointed these days. But none the less I scrap booked all the photos I have of Ella so far...up to one month. My plan is to organize the photos on the computer by month. At the end of each month, pick out my faves, get them printed and then scrap book them so as not to get too behind. Here's a couple of my fave pages!

Ella Update

Watching her grow is so fun. During her awake times she's quite alert and content. She has tummy time and I put toys in front of her to look at. We also read. Her favorite book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear. She smiles every time I read it. Her favorite pictures to look at are the dog and the sheep because they are in black and white and that's what she sees in. She inquisitively looks around all the time, often staring at high contrast things, faces or light. If objects and faces are close enough, she tracks with them when they move. She's starting to find her voice. Before the last few weeks it was either crying or grunting when she made sounds. Now her sweet little voice shows up every now and again with adorable little coos.

Here's a picture of her facing me, leaning against my legs. She just sits, quite content, looking at me and looking around. Ooo, she just looks so scrumptious!When I lay her on my chest, she's super strong and picks her head way up and stares at me with those beautiful wide eyes.Here's one of her "What the heck?" faces.
Here's sort of a picture of a smile (it's hard to tell 'cause my finger is in the way). Its not a full blown smile but they're hard to capture on film!

Feeling Productive

It's been a good week. I am (sloOowly) learning to measure productivity by different standards. Meaning that if at the end of the day the laundry is still piled, the bed is still unmade, the dishes are still towering, and the dust bunnies are still flying, but I have managed to take the best care of Ella and spend time with her...I need to see that as productive. It's a slow learning process. Aside from spending sweet moments with my daughter, I've gotten a lot of other things done as well this week. And I have to admit that being productive in that sense of the words still definitely brings me sweet satisfaction!

I..
went to a great moms time on Monday
did numerous loads of laundry.
went grocery shopping and kicked butt budget wise
cooked a turkey dinner
baked two loaves of bread (all bread will now be homemade to save lots o moolah!)
made two meals of baked ziti to freeze
made two meals of chicken enchilladas to freeze
made a giant batch of hearty itallian soup to freeze
made a batch of chocolate chip cookies
organized photos so I can start scrapbooking when my new album arrives
and had friends over Friday night to whip the boys at cards again :)

Oh, and did I mention that at the top of my "to do" list each day was DEVOTIONALS which I actually did first thing. Hmmmm, is it any coincidence that I have had the energy and strength I need for each day? I think NOT! Gotta give credit where credit is due because it's certainly not just me!

The Earth Has a Fever!

All Time Record Low in the State of Maine Last Night:

Big Black River
-50 degrees F
(That is WITHOUT windchill factor!)
Don't worry it was a toasy -25 where we live!
I'm SOOOO glad Al Gore won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for making a movie about how the earth has a fever!
More like hypo-frikin-thermia!

Three's a Crowd

Umm, call me old fashioned but I think three's a crowd in the bedroom. However, our house guests are apparently more post-modern and liberal in their thinking on this subject.

Yup that's right. Me, Jason and an ant. Those of you that know me, or have perhaps even seen me react to a spider, will have a good visual for what occurred when I caught a glimpse of a small black crawly thing scurrying across my arm (WHILE I was nursing Ella no less!).

Let me tell you people, I have the speed of superman when I think that I've spotted a spider on my person. I was out of the bed, around the co-sleeper and down the hall into the living room in a FRACTION of a fraction of a second (Don't worry, Ella still safely in my arms. I would never abandon my baby daughter in a bed with a spider (aka ant)!) There was also much screaming, hopping, jumping, and incessant brushing off of my arm where the little bugger had been.

Thankfully Jason found the spider (aka ant) and killed it. After a thorough stripping of the bed to search for more I finally laid back down. But it was not a very restful night. I'm sure to the outsider I look like I'm in a constant state of hallucination. I'm constantly jumping or ticking or swiping at myself because every time I feel anything light across my skin (a stray hair, a breeze, my clothing moving etc. etc.) I think it's a spider (aka ant). Awesome!

Ella's First Bottle

I'm trying to balance my blog by not having it ALL about Ella. Trust me it's hard. But I think it's high time for another little baby update.

At 4 weeks old we started introducing the bottle because, ya know, we want her to be able to eat when I go back to work. Thanks to everyone out there for all the good advice...Amy L. - don't wait too long to introduce it or they might not take it. Esther - give it to them consistently once you start. Our Doc - pick one feeding and give it at that feeding so she knows what to expect and gets used to it. Evelyn - told me what nipple is best to help her keep a good latch and told me to have others give the bottle so she associates me with just breast feeding. All excellent advice.Introducing the bottle was strangely hard for me. I think because #1.) I'm a control freak and I worry about her. #2.) I was afraid it would mess up her breast feeding. #3) I just miss that time and connection with her and last but certainly not least #4)It reminds me I will be going back to work.

But it also felt very good because it gives me some freedom. She feeds every 2-3 hours and by the time I get done feeding, burping and changing her I only have like an hour and 15 minutes until the next feeding if she goes the shorter 2 hour route. So this way I can get out and have some alone time, or go grocery shopping like I did the other night when J got home, or Jason and I can go out! So that's the great part.

Anyhoo, she's been taking the bottle with no problems at all. We give it to her every other day and she's taken it beautifully from Jason and from my mom.

I'm HOT!

Literally people, not figuratively. I am literally roasting! At night that is. I've shared this fun tid bit with a few friends and apparantly it is more than normal but it really stinks! Literally...it stinks.

I'm talking about night sweats. From what I've read it happens because of the drop in estrogen after giving birth and also because your body is eliminating fluid. Some people have it, others don't. It can last a few days and the longest I've heard of it lasting is 2 months.

Well, I'm goin on 5 weeks people! And I'm going to vent a little and give you more details about my night sweats than you probably ever wanted to hear! It's super fun to wake up dripping in sweat and sit in your own filth whilst your baby nurses for what seems like forever! It's even more fun to wipe yourself down a few times a night only to get back in bed and try to get your already sleep deprived self back to sleep snuggled up in some frikin' freezing, sopping wet sheets. Oh! Oh! You know what's even better!? Is when you wake up each morning to an aweful stench only to realize it's YOU!... covered in dried sweat and breast milk and reeking of B.O.! Oh sure, you can shower it away, but unless you want to wash your sheets EVERY day, that bed is still gonna stink so much your husband won't even cross the center line! Some days I truly wonder if I'll ever feel attractive again!

Needless to say I make showering an absolute priority each morning and hop in as soon as Ella's finished with her morning feeding. I learned a good trick of putting down layers of towels on the bed and stripping them off layer by layer in the night as they become wet. And let me tell ya Fabreeze will buy you a lot time in the sheet changing department and help keep your husband a little closer too :)

It Was NOT Pretty!

Background: Aside from being closer to Jason's work, the reason we moved into a trailer in the middle of a giant dirt field was to pay off debt and reduce our expenses to the point where I could stay home with Ella if I wanted to. Well, I want to. Every fiber of my being wants to. Every ounce of me cringes at the thought of leaving her and not being a stay at home mom. But alas, with Jason's pay after taxes and the ridiculous cost of healthcare, me staying home is not an option. In fact, me working part-time is not even an option. And I am not dealing with this well!

More Background: Worry and Anxiety are one of my struggles. With me on upaid maternity leave we're trying to make it on one paycheck but we still have to pay for my health benefits. The hospital bill from Ella's birth is still hanging around somewhere and I just got a bill from my chiropractor yesterday. I'm not doing so well in the anxiety and worry department.

At the end of a particularly tiring day yesterday Jason informed me that to put Ella and I on his health insurance it would cost $630/month! For her and I on my insurance it'll cost $430/month and we were banking on his being cheaper. No such luck. We can't just raise more money to cover the cost of health insurance like we could when we were with CCC. NOPE! This nice chunk of change will come directly out of my (already ity bity) paycheck that we were already trying to scrape by with. This little tidbit of info tipped off my ugly downward spiral...

Oh, it was complete with:
Jealousy - "Everyone else that wants to be a stay at home mom gets to be except me!"
Self-Pity - "Here I am trying to be a good citizen by working, doing a job that makes a difference in people's lives and all I get is shafted! Why even bother!"
Ungratefulness - "We're going to live in the poop-box (side note: I did NOT use the word poop) of a trailer for the rest of our lives and I can't stand it!"
Anger and Resentment - "YOU (Jason) told me that you crunched the numbers and moving to this poop-box would allow me to stay home and allow us to build a house. But you were WRONG and I never would have agreed to it if I'd known that!"
People, it was NOT pretty. In fact, it was down right UGLY! It was a full blown adult temper tantrum.

I woke up this morning feeling like the most terrible person ever but in all honesty, still quite upset about my whole life situation. So I decided to fly the coop. I wrestled with feelings of guilt for leaving Ella and (gasp! heaven forbid) wanting some time to myself. But Jason reminded me that he had already been ice-fishing twice while I stayed home with the babe and I had not been away from her even once in an entire month. That helped me put it into perspective.

So Jason watched Ella and I went into town. I went to the library and got some books I wanted. I got some new bottles that I'm very excited about. I used a gift certificate to buy some jeans that make even my post preggo butt look really good! Also got a black and white collage frame so we can finally display some pictures of our precious pumpkin.

And last but not least, the best part of all, I went to Starbucks and had a peaceful, uninterrupted devotion. And whadaya know, the Lord completely met me there. Here are a few of the highlights:

Opening line: It's easy to want our lives to be all beauty and no cost, all gain and no loss. When difficulty mars the scene, we find ourselves focusing on our disappointment rather than treasuring life's delights.

If our Father did not pamper His beloved Son, should we expect Him to pamper us?

"In this world there will be trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" -John 16:33

We can choose to take heart and experience His peace in the midst of pressures and trials.

"...but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulations bring about perseverance, and perseverance proven character, and proven character hope; and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." -Romans 5:3-5

Does this change my situation? No. But it gives me strength. Will I be able to apply this perfectly and not struggle again? Heck No. But turns my perspective around and I can come back to His truths anytime I fall back down. Yup. God is good.

Taking the Plunge

My mom is going to jump for joy when she reads this and my friend Esther will be TRULY convinced that I am copying her every parenting move :) That's right people...WE'RE GOIN' CLOTH!

We tossed around the idea when I was pregnant and Jason was like, "Oh No. I'm not washing poop in our machines. It would NOT be more cost effective because I'd insist on buying a whole separate washer dryer set just for the diapers." But now that he's settling into daddyhood and becoming oh so comfortable with the poo, he's over his issues.

Then it was me that flip flopped and said I didn't want to do cloth because I hate laundry. And in the early weeks of mommyhood I thought I'd never have any energy again, let alone energy to do any extra laundry. But now that we're at week 4 and I'm feeling a little more normal...some days... I think I can swing it.

And I can't tell you how bad I feel every time I empty my diaper genie. Those things fill up stinkin' fast! And I just picture each little blue bundle of poo filled absorbant material making it's way to the local landfill and swelling up to 10 times it's original size and taking forever to biodegrade!

Sure it's an investment up front. But a few hundred dollars up front and a few extra loads of laundry each week is FAR cheaper than the few thousand we'd spend on disposable over the course of a few years. And I'm not gonna lie. Money is my biggest stress. I won't get into details but suffice it to say, we have FAR less money now than we ever did when we were missionaries! Go figure!

So we're buying ourselves 14 fuzzibuns and 9 liners for one heck of a deal! Wahoo!

Wait a minute....that doesn't taste right...

My Husband has sensitive teeth. This man is so anal about his oral care he should be a walking billboard for dental hygiene. He brushes meticulously and uses a sonicare electric tooth brush. He uses special non-abrasive toothpaste. He never misses a flossing. And he even uses a water pic on his gum line in the shower! And he still has sensitive teeth.

He recently got some paste that he puts on his teeth twice a day that is supposed to help with the sensitivity. He likes to keep his dental hygiene goods all over the bathroom counter and the neat freak that I am, I like to go behind him and put them all in their proper place. I think I should have put a little more thought into where the "proper place" is for his new tooth sensitivity paste because this is what transpired last night:

I'm in bed. J is conducting his 45 minute dental hygiene routine

J: "That doesn't taste right..." (and then much water running and much spitting into the sink. Thankfully I then hear laughing.)
J: "You wanna know what I just did!?"
Me:"Yeah."
J: "I was putting my tooth cream on and it didn't taste like strawberries like it's supposed to...I put the wrong thing on my teeth."
Me: "What did you put on them?"
J: "There were two white tubes in the cabinet side by side. I just grabbed the wrong one."
Me: "What did you grab!?"
J: "I don't want to tell you."
Me: "Tell me! It's not going to hurt you is it?
J: "I don't think so. I spit it out right away."
Me; "What did you put on your teeth!?"
J: long pause...."Butt cream."

He never even realized that I was the one who put them side by side. We just laughed our butts (pun intended) off for a good 10 minutes straight. Ummm....maybe I'll find a new "proper place" for at least one of those similar looking tubes."

House Guests

Now don't get me wrong. Jason and I love to entertain the occasional visitor. But we all know that there are some that just grate on your nerves. Our most recent guests are that kind! Let me just vent for a moment...these guys showed up unannounced, then they brought friends with them, they have been here for day, they are completely overstaying their welcome, they are taking over like every room in the house, and they don't even bat an eye when I yell things at them like. "Uggg! I hate you!" or "You suck so much! Get out!" or "I don't ever want to see you again!"Yup, you guessed it. We've got ants in our house! They showed up 3 or 4 days ago. I saw one in my bathroom, then another. Then there was one in the living room, then the kitchen, then the guest room. I'm deathly afraid of spiders and every time I see one of these black specs on the wall, or floor, or shower my instinct says it a spider and I jump out of my skin for a second having a mini heart attack. They're just yucky! We put out ant traps, the kind where they eat the food and bring it back to their little colony and so they all get poisoned and die! I hope it works soon! Anyone out there have any luck getting rid of ants?

PS: To answer your questions. Yup I did take those photos of Ella. Photography has been one of my loves since I learned how to use my first 35mm SLR at Windover adventure camp. I took them where I had Jason take my belly pics. In Ella's room which gets the best natural light. I put a boppy pillow on a chair and covered it with the darkest blanket I have to create good contrast (a brown one on that you gave me steph) and took like ten thousand shots because thats what you have to do to get a few good ones of a babe! Thanks for the comments!

One Month Old Already!

I can't believe she's one month on Thursday! She's getting so big. She's quite strong and pushes herself up with her arms when she's on her belly. And she's definitely smiling at us! Here's our little one month photo shoot.

Single Parents Must be Super Human!

There she is, superwoman in the flesh...

Our little pumkin is quite a good baby (I think anyway). She eats every 2-3 hours during the day and sometimes gives us a 4 or 5 hour stretch at night. During the night, morning and into late afternoon she goes down for naps and sleeps like a champ. He more alert time is evenings and she's a little fussy but usually easily consolable....except for last night.

I think it was gas...or she was overtired because she didn't nap well in the early evening...but I'm pretty sure it was gas. Anyhoo, she fed and cried (intermitantly, not nonstop). You burped her and she cried. You changed her and she cried. She looked hungry so we tried feeding again and she looked like she wanted to eat but kept coming off and crying. Finally after a while, holding her in our arms tummy down and walking around with her calmed her down (which is why I think it was gas) and by 11 o'clock she fed like a champ, slept like a champ and is back to normal today.

That one little night got me seriously thinking. I just don't know how single parents do it alone. J and I emotionally support one another, we talk and bounce ideas off of one another and we take turns trying to soothe our little babe. It's just so nice to have someone there who can take a turn when you are exhausted and frustrated or sad because you can't figure out what's wrong. (And by the way it was daddy's arms that Ella finally fell asleep in) I just have so much respect for single parents that I can't even put it into words! They don't have that other person to share the responsibility. They have no choice. They do what it takes. They have to somehow, somewhere find the strength and patience to do it on their own, no matter what it takes or how long it takes.

So here's a shout out to all the single parents and to my most beloved single parent...my mom. Who somehow found the strength and stamina and patience and ability to raise up two little girls all on her own after she was suddenly left a widow. That is an accomplishment that no other accomplishment could top. I simply don't know how you did it. You are amazing and strong....far stronger than you ever give yourself credit for...and wonderful! Love you more than you know xoxo!

Mall Walk

On New Years Eve day I was, again, feeling the itch to get moving but it was WAY too cold to go outside with our little munchkin...so we went to the mall. I haven't been there in ages...many changes...fun to see. She cuddled up in the sling and napped the whole time we walked around. We finished it off with a little treat from Starbucks for ourselves. What a fun little day! Here she is bundled, ready to go in the car. I couldn't help but snap a picture in this ADORABLE little hat!

Cable or Satalite TV users need not read this one.

Okay, those of us that still use the old rabbit ears and get channels 2,5,7 and 12 (....sometimes....very fuzzily). Are you SICK of all the commercials, news announcements and scrolling texts every 2 seconds reminding us that Digital TV is coming Feb 17th and our antennas won't work anymore without a converter box? Well I am!

I'm not sure why we waited so long to get this converter box. I didn't know how much they cost and I think I was scared that it wouldn't work out here in the sticks and I would be faced with the reality that I'd have to kiss even my fuzzy basic channels good-bye.

Let me tell you people....NOT THE CASE! I finally went online and got my coupon for my converter box. With the coupon it only costs $10 and HOT DIGITY...IT'S AWESOME!

Yes people, I'll admit it. I like TV. And as I've mentioned before, the reason that we do not have cable is because I can't do moderation and I would surely end up losing my job and alienating all friends because my butt would become permanantly glued to the couch watching TLC, HGTV and few other choice channels with stupid reality shows.

We now get ABC, NBC, CBS, CW, MPBN, FOX AND some all weather all the time station clear as a bell! I will now be able to watch America's Next Top Model and HOUSE! And it FEELS like we have cable because there's a menu and stuff, and you can press these buttons that tell you what show is on next and gives you a description of it!

So the moral of the story is, if you have rabbit ears and havn't gotten your coupon and converter box yet...GIDDIUP and git to it!