Love, Marriage, and a Baby Carriage!

100 Reasons Why

2012-01-26T21:51:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, can you believe it? Jeff and I normally go for a nice dinner at Capital Grille and that's our gift to each other. We get to dress up a little bit and enjoy some really delicious food. We're still doing that this year while my parents watch Landon for a couple hours, but I wanted to do something else too. A friend of mine said she was going to type 100 reasons why she loves her husband and give it to him, so I decided to do it too. It was amazing how fast I was able to come up with over 100 reasons! Once I got started, more and more ideas kept coming to my head. Some are dumb, some are sentimental, some are inappropriate for this blog lol, but it was a lot of fun! I'm pretty excited for Jeff to read them all. If you are like me and have a husband who has everything, do something like this for him. It's thoughtful, sweet, completely free, and there's no way he won't like it!

Happy Wednesday!

2012-01-18T16:19:00.002-05:00

Mexican Stuffed Shells

2012-01-17T20:59:00.001-05:00

*Pic from This Way To His Heart

I found this on Pinterest (of course) months ago and decided to finally give it a try. It's DELICIOUS and so easy to make! I actually did everything today while Landon napped, put it in the fridge all day, and then just popped it into the oven and added cheese for the last 10 minutes of heating. I used ground turkey instead of beef, and I've heard it's also great with chicken. I also used a Mexican blend of cheese instead of whatever the recipe tells you to do.Yum!

Do yourself a favor, go here for the recipe, and make them for your family. You won't be sorry.

"Cousins"

2012-01-14T21:45:00.000-05:00

Today we went to Long Island for the day for Jeff's Uncle's surprise 60th birthday party. It was held at a restaurant that the family loves and it was a lot of fun. It was nice to see all of Jeff's family, and they loved seeing Landon. Some of them hadn't seen him since July, so they were surprised by how big he is and how much he's changed!

One of Jeff's cousins' cousins Caitlin, so not blood related to us at all, had a baby girl 8 days before I had L. It's funny because she was due 4 weeks before me, but she had her daughter 2 weeks late, and I had Landon 5 days early, so they're closer in age than we expected. Anyway, I love going to Jeff's family functions because we always get to hang out with them and watch the babies play. Caitlin's daughter's name is Wyatt. She's absolutely adorable, tiny, and dainty. She weighs like 14 lbs and Landon is 23-24 lbs, so it's really funny to see them next to each other because Landon looks like he could squish Wyatt!. Wyatt LOVES Landon and grabs for him, squeals when she sees him, etc. It's super cute. I love chatting with Caitlin because our kids are so close in age and it's nice to hear what she does and how she handles certain things. Here's a picture that someone took of them today:

Happy Saturday!

Friday!

2012-01-13T09:40:00.001-05:00

When I was working, Friday was my second favorite day of the week (after Saturday of course. That was the day I got to sleep in, not worry about lesson planning, and not have to go to the work the next day.) Even thought I stay home now, my job is never done, and my sleep is dictated by a 7 month old, 23 lb bundle of cuteness, I still love Fridays! Jeff usually gets out of work earlier, and we often go out to dinner or have friends over.

Tonight we are having a couple from church over, which means I have to watch my terrible potty mouth because the guy is a pastor. They're expecting their first baby next month and they don't know the gender. I can't even imagine not finding out. Waiting until 20 weeks killed me because I wanted to plan everything! Anyway, I am making dinner, which would be really scary if I didn't have my crockpot. I am making this delicious meal, which is a favorite around here and I know I won't screw it up. We just put chicken and corn in ours with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper because we're picky eaters. The biscuits on top are so delicious when combined with the chicken and sauce. This is hands down my favorite meal (aside from my mom's amazing tortellini). Do yourself a favor and just make this. You won't be sorry.

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

Pinterst Recipe Successes

2012-01-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

I'm a pretty crappy cook. I don't do well with complicated stuff, and I need things that are really fast and easy. I'm a huge fan of my crockpot because I can dump a bunch of stuff in there, let it cook all day and we have a delicious meal by dinnertime. I feel bad because a lot of the time my poor husband comes home to yet another meal of chicken nuggets or hot dogs with Rice A Roni or mac and cheese. There's nothing wrong with these meals, but they get old pretty fast.

I've become pretty obsessed with Pinterest and my food board is full of dinner and dessert ideas I want to try. I've tried a few things to far and they've all be successful, so I thought I'd share (all pics are from the sources I got the recipes from):

1. Lime Chicken Tacos in the crockpot

I just discussed why I love the crockpot, so no need to repeat myself. These were really good! I made enough for leftovers, and they were just as delicious the next day eaten with Tostitos Scoops.

2. Crockpot Italian Chicken (The link I have pinned has a different recipe, but the recipe I used is in the description. Not sure why that happened.)

4 chicken breasts, 1 packet Zesty Italian dressing seasoning, 1 8 oz. cream cheese (softened), 2 cans cream of chicken soup; Cook on low for 4 hours. If sauce is too thick, add a little milk. Serve over pasta.

This was really good, but very rich and heavy. It's not something I could eat all the time, but I enjoyed it and would make it again.

3. Sopapilla Cheesecake

I made this last week and holy crap is it good! It's definitely not healthy, but it is so, so delicious! It would be great to bring to a pot luck or it's just a nice treat for you and your family. I will be making this a lot. It was incredibly easy and so freakin good.

4. Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Surprise! Another crockpot dish! My husband is a huge fan of spicy foods. I'm not so much, but I can manage sometimes. I made this in the spicier side using my husband's homemade salsa (he uses a recipe that copies the salsa from Chili's) and we enjoyed it a lot. I had leftovers the next 2 days with extra shredded Mexican cheese mixed in and I ate it with Tostitos Scoops.

That's all I've tried for now. I have several other recipes I plan on trying soon, and I'll be sure to post some of our favorites!

If you're on Pinterest, follow my pinboards!

Sensory Bottles

2012-01-06T08:00:00.005-05:00

I saw this idea on Pinterest months ago and I pinned it on my "For The Kids" board for when Landon was a bit older. I decided Landon is now at an age where he would enjoy playing with the bottles and seeing all of the stuff inside move around. This was such an easy project and I will definitely make more in the future.

I used the Voss water bottles because they're smooth plastic and it's very easy to see what's inside. You can really use any bottle you want, but I thought these were pretty. I ordered ours off Amazon, but a lot of people have found them at Home Goods, Marshalls, or TJ Maxx. I had no luck at any of those stores here in CT.

Left to right: Water with a tiny bit of light corn syrup and glitter, colored water and a little bit of dish soap, colored water and vegetable oil, baby oil and colored water with monster critters inside (kind of hard to see them here tho), water with plastic beads, light corn syrup with sequins. I crazy glued all of the lids and they're not coming off, but I do plan on adding a bit of clear tape to each lid for extra protection too.

Landon seems to really like these, especially the glitter one. He's too young to understand the science lessons, such as why the oil floats on top of the water, but he likes shaking the bottles, looking at everything inside, and trying to eat the bottle (of course). These were fun and easy to make and I think Landon will like them even more as he gets older.

Here are the sites I used for ideas for the sensory bottles:
Kid's Crafts
Pre-school Play
Discovery In Water Bottle

Landon Is 7 Months Old!

2012-01-03T09:39:00.000-05:00

Dear Landon,

Today you are 7 months old. I say it every month, but I can't believe how fast the time is going! You are growing up so fast and while I love seeing you learn new things, I'm sad at how quickly we are approaching your first birthday.

A few days after you turned 6 months I noticed 2 teeth! You were a champ and barely gave me any problems. I didn't even know there were teeth until they were practically through your gums! I'm pretty sure you're teething again, and this time you are suffering a bit. It makes me so sad to see you in pain and I really hope the tooth/teeth pop through soon and give you some relief. You also caught your first cold and it seems to be taking forever to go away! You've been in pretty good spirits considering how much you're dealing with right now.

Your sleep has taken a big hit due to this cold and teething. You are getting up every 3 hours and it's hard to get you settled for the night. I think you're also having some separation anxiety because you cry when I leave the room. Lately you've been wanting to be rocked to sleep the first time I put you down for the night or before a nap. I love that you're snuggly and I'm happy to cuddle you a bit, but I do hope your night sleep gets better again soon. You take a really good 2 hour nap about 2 hours after you wake up. Your second nap tends to be shorter and you often fight it. I keep telling you someday when you're older you're going to wish you could have all of these sleep opportunities back!

You are sitting up so well on your own now! You will topple over if you get really into a toy because you forget to keep your balance, but that's happening less and less. It's been really fun to play with all of your new toys now that you can sit up! You were very spoiled for Christmas and got some great new toys to play with!

You are very alert and like to play with and grab at everything! Most things still wind up in your mouth, but you are also starting to interact more with your toys. You enjoy shiny things and things that light up the best.

You are great out in public and I can take you almost anywhere. We took you to Buffalo Wild Wings recently, which is nothing new, but we put you in one of their high chairs for the first time! You loves sitting at the table with us and you got a much better view of everything around you. You also tried to eat the table! (mommy wiped it down first, don't worry)

You're still a great eater and like most things you've tried. You aren't a fan of green vegetables or blueberries, but everything else has been great! You are showing you're ready for finger foods (you've only had purees) because you grab at your spoon, any food that gets on the tray, and at the container. You eat Baby Mum Mums well and we're going to try puffs soon. Mommy is nervous about giving you finger foods due to choking, but it will be OK. You also like eating fruit through your mesh feeder. You are nursing every 2-3 hours and it's been nice to be able to take you places and know you most likely won't be screaming with hunger if we're gone more than an hour. You do tend to nurse more when we're at someone's house and you're uncomfortable, or if you get fussy in the evening.

We're working on getting you to drink water out of a sippy cup. You understand the concept of the cup, but I'm not sure you're getting much water out yet. We've also tried sippy cups with straws, and you know the straw goes into your mouth, but you don't really suck it yet. You'll get the hang of it soon.

You celebrated your first Christmas and New Year! Christmas was a bit crazy and you didn't sleep so well away from home, but you handled all of the people and running around very well. You were actually asleep when the clock struck midnight and it turned to 2012, but you woke up an hour into the new year to eat hahaha.

Stats:

You wear a size 3 diaper (Luvs)
You are in size 9-12 month clothes, depending on the brand
Weight: My guess is 23 pounds, but I don't know.
Length: No idea and you don't see the Dr. again until you're 9 months old. You were 27 inches long at your 6 month appointment.

The comments I get about you anytime we go anywhere or people come to see us is how beautiful your big blue eyes are, and how happy you are. You smile at everyone and just love people watching. You have such a great personality and you are pretty laid back unless you're tired or hungry. You're such a fun little guy and I love that I get to spend every day with you!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Happy 2012! My Resolutions

2012-01-01T09:00:00.015-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had fun last night!

I have several resolutions that I think I can manage this year :)

I want to be on the internet less, especially when L is awake. I think having an iphone makes it so easy to hop on as I'm playing with my son. He deserves my undivided attention, so unless he's nursing, napping, or I am purposely giving him some independent play time, I will not be on the internet. I need to be off of Facebook and Twitter more and spend time with my family and friends.

I want to watch less reality TV. The "Real Housewives" of wherever are quickly losing their appeal to me. I have them on as background noise sometimes, but I don't DVR them anymore, nor do I care if I miss an episode. I'm pretty much over the Kardashians as well. I will keep watching Bethenny and Top Chef though.

I want to read more for fun. It's better for me than TV.

I want to exercise and eat better. I don't need to lose weight, Landon nursing every hour for almost 6 months took care of all of my pregnancy weight and then some. I would like to tone up and exercise because it will keep me healthy. There will not be a pregnancy in 2012 (or for a couple years after that hopefully), so I want to keep myself looking and feeling good. I also want to set an example for Landon that fitness is important as he grows up. I'm happy with the way I look right now, but I know that I will pack on weight again after I'm done breastfeeding if I continue to eat the way I do and not exercise.

I want to keep my house cleaner. It's not bad at all now, but I get lazy sometimes. I need to keep us more organized as well.

I want to make it a point to spend more quality time with my husband. We need more date nights, and we have great babysitters in my parents who will watch Landon any time. We've had 2 date nights since Landon has been born, and they were months ago. I also want to dress up for him more. I do hair and makeup almost daily, but I am in yoga pants constantly.

Get our house organized and ready to sell. I have a lot of cleaning things out, donating, and putting things in storage to do.

Stop spending money so frivolously. I am lucky that I can spend a little freely, but that doesn't mean that I should all the time. I have always been an impulse shopper and it's not good. Sometimes I'm happy with my purchases, other times I regret them. I want to really think about it before I buy something and decide if it's really worth it or not.

Go to church more. We've been terrible about this since Landon was born because he doesn't sleep well, therefore, I don't sleep. We just need to suck it up and go. I can always nap when Landon does once we get home.

What are your resolutions?

2011- Year In Review

2011-12-31T18:34:00.002-05:00

2011 was a big year for us! Among other things, we celebrated 2 years of marriage and welcomed our son into the world!

On January 17th, we had the BIG ultrasound to find out if out baby was healthy, developing normally, and whether it was a boy or girl. We were thrilled to learn that we were discovering a beautiful baby BOY! We got to registering and designing his nursery soon after.

In February, we became members of the church we had been going to. I will be the first to say that our attendance has royally sucked since I had Landon, but one of our New Year's resolutions is to go more often. It's hard when I get no sleep, but important.

In April, my mother and mother in law threw me a beautiful baby shower in the dining room of the school I used to work at. Jeff joined us in time to help me open gifts. It was a wonderful day with friends and family and Landon got very spoiled and he wasn't even here yet! Jeff joined us in time to help me open gifts.

At the end of May, I stopped teaching for the foreseeable future. I was convinced I would have about 2 weeks to myself to hang out and relax before Landon came. I didn't think he would come early, but he had other plans.

On June 2, around 7pm, I was sitting on the couch and felt a gush of fluid. From what I've read, most women do not have their water break on its own and either a Dr. has to do it or it breaks at the hospital. That began a night of going to the hospital, being told I peed myself (I didn't) and sent home, and then laboring at home and realizing that the pain I was having were indeed contractions and we started timing them. Once they were more consistent, I called my Dr. back and she sent me back to the hospital where I found out I was 4 cm dilated and indeed in active labor.

Landon James was born on June 3, 2010 at 10:05am. He was 9lbs 10oz, 21in long and absolutely perfect! I had a relatively easy labor and delivery, and recovery wasn't too bad. I'd do it again, but not for a few years.

On July 3, we celebrated 2 wonderful years of marriage. A lot has happened in that time, and we love each other more and more each day. Later in July, Landon went on his first road trip to Jeff's cousin's wedding in upstate NY. He did great and we learned then that we can pretty much take him anywhere and he would be fine.

I have spent the last half of this year staying at home and taking care of Landon. Being a stay at home mom has always been a dream of mine and I am so thankful and lucky that I am able to do it. I absolutely love spending my days with Landon. He is such a joy and it's fun to watch him learn and grow. He's at such a fun age now, and it's been amazing to see how far he's come in such a short time. I've made some new mom friends, joined a music class with my son, and learned so much about myself and my son. Motherhood has been quite an adjustment, but it's been wonderful and I have learned a lot about myself. Certain things I thought I would do as a parent I've learned don't work for us, and other things I never thought I'd do, I've done and it's been great.

In September, Jeff started a new job at a start up company. It was a little bit of a risk, but he really wanted to do it and I trust his judgement. He went for it and he's so happy at his job and the company is doing well. I love my job as a SAHM, so I'm very happy Jeff loves his job too. It's important to me that he loves what he does since it allows me to stay home and his happiness means a lot to me.

Landon celebrated several first holidays: Father's Day, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We're excited to celebrate the last few "first" holidays with him in 2012. Due to the crazy weather the East Coast has had this year, Landon has already experienced a tropical storm (Irene), and snow at the end of October.

I turned 27 on December 23rd. When I was a teen, that age seemed so old to me. Now I still feel like I'm in my early 20's, but with a husband and a child. It's amazing to think about what an adult I've become in the past few years.

2012 will hopefully be another awesome year! We will be watching Landon grow up and start crawling and walking, we will celebrate his first birthday, and hopefully be selling our condo and getting a much bigger house sooner rather than later. We will be very busy, but we are so blessed.

I hope everyone has a very safe and happy time tonight and a wonderful New Year!

Landon's First Christmas

2011-12-29T11:14:00.000-05:00

We had a nice, but very busy Christmas! I didn't take too many pictures because Jeff got a video camera for Christmas and we recorded a lot more than we took pictures of :)

Christmas Eve was spend at my MIL's house on LI. We got there around 4:00 and went to Jeff's aunt and uncle's house for 5:00. It's always a lot of fun and great to see everyone. They always serve delicious food and drinks too! We dressed Landon up as Santa and he was a huge hit! Landon got to see his friend Wyatt who is 8 days older than him, but she looks months younger because she's so tiny and Landon is a big boy. We brought Landon back to my MIL's around 9:00 (he napped on me for about 40 minutes at the party) and tried to get Landon to sleep so we could open most of the presents since we have to leave kind of early Christmas Morning. Landon basically refused to sleep, so he opened lots of gifts with us. He slept like complete crap when we all finally did go to bed. He was up every 1-2 hours like he was a newborn again. To say I was exhausted was an understatement. I think Landon is like his mommy and doesn't sleep well away from home. It was bad and we won't be sleeping over my MIL's house again anytime soon, it's just too hard.

Christmas morning my MIL made her delicious French toast casserole and we opened the rest of Landon's gifts. He got spoiled, but both of our families were respectful of the fact that we are short on space and need to move, so they really only got the toys and books I put on Landon's Amazon wishlist. We left LI around 11:30, thinking Landon would nap the 1.5 hour drive home. He napped 40 minutes and then was up and ready to party. We unloaded the car, then headed out to my parents' house. Landon was dressed in his "Baby's first Christmas" outfit and was once again a huge hit. My Aunt, Uncle, and cousin were over and they hadn't seen Landon since he was 4 weeks old, so they were amazed at how different he looks and how big he has gotten! Landon was exhausted and I tried several times to get him to nap, and he did for about 40 minutes. We left relatively early because he was so overtired and started to fuss. Considering how little sleep he got, I'd say he was still pretty happy and handled all the running around and people very well. I was thankful we opened gifts with my family 2 days earlier on my birthday because we wouldn't have had time between everything else and having to leave early due to a tired baby.

Next year, we might go to Jeff's Aunt and Uncle's house, but drive home that night and let Landon sleep in the car. I want him to wake up at his own house on Christmas from now on and the drive isn't so long that we can't make it work. If we're in a bigger house we will host Christmas, if not, we will go to my parents' house again. We still have 1 more Christmas to celebrate at the end of January with Jeff's dad and stepmom!

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas!

27

2011-12-23T09:58:00.000-05:00

It's my birthday! I'm 27 and have everything I've ever wanted: A wonderful husband and a beautiful little boy. I'm so blessed and happy with my life. I can't believe I'm officially in my late 20's!

Jeff brought me a donut and pumpkin muffin this morning and we're going to see my family later for dinner, cake, and presents. I'm excited to celebrate my first birthday as a mommy!

First Christmas Tree

2011-12-19T20:12:00.000-05:00

Landon sitting in front of his first Christmas tree! The vast majority of the stuff under there is his and he has no idea. I do plan on wrapping everything for him sometime this week tho :)

Sitting Up!

2011-12-16T10:22:00.000-05:00

Landon is finally able to sit up unassisted for short periods of time! He could barely do it, then all of a sudden one day earlier this week he was able to do it much better! I snapped a pic last night:

Next is crawling which means I am in a lot of trouble lol!

Baby Products: 4-6 Months

2011-12-12T11:02:00.000-05:00

It's time for another post about baby products we love! As Landon gets older his needs change and I love sharing what works for us. I don't get compensated for these posts, I just want to help another mom out if I can.

We still love our Rainforest Jumperoo and Baby Einstein Discovery Center. The latter allows me to shower and keeps Landon entertained while I do that and get ready if he happens to be awake when all of that needs to get done. He also plays in it in the dining room while we eat dinner. We're moving away from our activity mat and really don't use it much now. Landon likes to roll all over the place and he has little interest in this now, but it definitely served it's purpose for several months. We also still like the Bumbo seat since Landon isn't sitting up on his own yet. He's so close, but not quite there.

Fisher Price Seahorse

This thing is great. It plays soft classical music for 5 minutes and its tummy lights up. Very soothing and Landon loves to cuddle with it at bedtime.

Baby Einstein Aquarium Soother

A family friend gave this to us at my baby shower. I had never really thought of using anything other than a mobile. The mobile that we registered for that matched the nursery bedding was cute, but played music for maybe a minute and it just wasn't doing the job. When I was trying to figure out different ways to get Landon to go to sleep without me having to nurse him or rock him to sleep, I pulled this out and gave it a shot. We LOVE this thing! I cannot praise it enough. It almost always gets Landon to sleep during naptime and bedtime. It lights up and either plays classical music or aquarium noises for 25 minutes. The sea creatures scroll by so it looks like they're swimming, and the music and light gradually gets softer until the machine shuts off. It also comes with a remote so you can turn it on or off without disturbing your baby. So, so awesome.

Homedics SS-3000 Soundspa Lullaby

The same family friend who gave us the soother gave us this. Clearly she knows about getting babies to sleep! This is basically a white noise machine, but it also project images on the ceiling if you want. We don't use that feature yet, but we love the white noise! There's several options such as a heartbeat, rain, lullabies, etc. We prefer the rain sound and L sleeps so much better with this. You could set it to play for a certain amount of time or let it go all night. Landon is like his parents in that he loves white noise all night long. Thank goodness this machine plugs in! It's also small and easy to travel with.

Graco Blossom Highchair

Now that Landon is eating solid foods, we have busted out the high chair. I love this chair so much! We got the pattern pictured, which is called Hathaway. It's a sturdy seat, and very easy to use and clean. I like that it has wheels and the tray is dishwasher safe.

Totseat Travel Fabric High Chair

A fellow mom introduced me to this. It's a portable fabric chair for babies. I love this because it will allow me to feed Landon anywhere! For Thanksgiving, we had to bring the Bumbo seat since my MIL doesn't have a high chair and it was a pain in the butt to feed him in that. This fits on pretty much any chair, comes with back support for open back chairs, and your baby is secure and you can do whatever you need to do. When you're done, you roll it up and put it in the diaper bag. Brilliant.

Munchkin Fun Ice Soothing Ring Teether

We've recently started the hell that is teething (yes, Landon has gotten a bit worse since my last post, but not too awful.) We have this in the purple and orange combination. I like this teether because it's easy for Landon to grab, it's pretty big, so there's plenty of places for him to chew on, and I can put it around my wrist if he doesn't want to use it and we're out somewhere.

Luvs Diapers

In the beginning I swore by Pampers Swaddlers. They're great diapers and I still love them a lot for a new baby. We used them from size 1 (birth) until size 3. The issue I had once we got into size 3's was that they were no longer Swaddlers, and they weren't holding in the poop and pee as well. Landon is sleeping longer stretches at night now, which means less diaper changes. I don't want to be changing his PJ's and sheets or sheet saver every night due to pee leakage. I was having that issue a lot with the Pampers Cruisers. Landon has also been making much bigger, nastier poops (thanks solid foods), and the Pampers just weren't holding it in. Jeff went onto a few forums and a lot of people there suggested Luvs for huge blow outs, so we decided to try them. No diaper is perfect, and we've had leaks and poop explosions with the Luvs too, but it's a lot less. They's thinner and seem so flimsy, but they can hold in A LOT of poop and pee. Landon slept a wonderful 8 hour stretch of sleep a few weeks ago and there was no pee leakage. I'm very impressed with these right now. Every baby is different and it amazes me how even with diapers diapers, what works for one baby is awful for another, but if you're looking to try a new diaper, these are great in my opinion.

Bright Starts Lots of Links

A friend of mine gave me these when I was still pregnant. Her sister has twins and said her girls loved these. It's amazing how something so simple can keep Landon entertained and happy. We have these everywhere and Landon just loves them! There's fun textures and colors, and I think they make Landon's gums feel better during teething as well.

Sheet Savers

With glorious longer stretches of sleep come fuller diapers that sometimes leak. These are awesome because they get leaked on and you don't have to change the crib sheet. If you've never changed a crib sheet, just know it's a huge pain in the butt, especially in the middle of the night. We have 3 of these that we rotate through. We've been lucky that Landon doesn't typically leak, but when he does, these are nice to have.

What baby products are you loving right now?

Teeth!

2011-12-09T13:08:00.000-05:00

This post is kind of boring to anyone else but me, but I need to document this so I don't forget the date. This blog will come in handy when I finally do L's baby book!

I've always heard that teething is a nightmare. Babies can get super fussy, not sleep, get awful diaper rashes, etc. I thought for sure Landon would get some or all of these symptoms and I would definitely know he was cutting teeth.

Wrong! At least this time! Landon has 2 teeth coming in and I had NO CLUE until he was crying and I happened to look in his mouth and saw them! They're the 2 front ones on the bottom. He's been drooling more and chomping on his fingers and toys a lot (not on me thank goodness), but I figured he's been doing that for months anyway, so I never thought anything of it. He's also been fighting naps, but sleeping great at night, but again, he's fought naps his whole life, so I didn't think anything of it. That was quite the surprise this afternoon!

Now that I posted this, I'm sure his next few teeth will be awful and he will have every issue in the book lol

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-08T11:00:00.000-05:00

Since most of our family and friends have received our holiday card, I thought I'd share it with all of you too. I'm very happy with how it turned out! It's a bit clearer in person, I took a picture of the card with my iphone.

Landon is 6 Months Old!

2011-12-03T08:00:00.006-05:00

Dear Landon,

I can't believe you are already 6 months old. I feel like I just gave birth to you, but that was a half year ago. In my eyes, 6 months is a milestone. When you were first born, I wondered what you would be like at this point in your life, and I have to say that this is such a fun age so far. Your personality is really starting to show, and you can do so much more.

You're such a great eater! You've been eating solids for awhile now and you've had rice cereal, oatmeal, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, pears, and bananas. You've loved everything, and I think your favorite was carrots. Unfortunately, carrots give you a terrible tummy ache, so you can't have those again until you're a bit older. I'm excited to give you more fruit and eventually meat. You have shown a great interest in what mommy and daddy are eating and drinking in front of you, and you love to touch and try to eat our drink glasses! It's been fun seeing what you like to eat, and so far you are not picky like your parents! You still love to nurse and are doing that every 2 hours, sometimes a little bit more or less.

You are a rolling machine! If I put you down for a minute, you are across the room almost immediately. You are constantly moving, playing, and exploring everything around you. You are interacting more with your toys and grabbing at everything, including mommy's hair! We're working on you sitting up on your own. So far you can do it for a few seconds, but then you either fall forward and flop backwards. You're a big boy and I'm sure it's hard to hold that big body up! Your legs are much stronger, and you can stand with someone holding you up for a long time now. Last month you could only do it for a few seconds and then your knees would buckle. You're not crawling yet, but you can either get your bottom half up, or your top half up and hold it there for awhile. Once you get the hang of doing both at the same time, we're in trouble!

You still love your jumperoo and your exersaucer, but your new favorite toy is an empty plastic water bottle. If you're playing with it and you drop it (which you like to do with all of your toys), you cry until you get it back. It's so funny to me how such a simple item entertains you, but everything is new to you and it's cool to see the world through your eyes.

You are drooling and chewing on everything like crazy! You don't have any teeth yet, but you are showing all the signs that some will be coming soon. You've recently decided you like your cold teething rings as well. You've also discovered your feet and like to put those in your mouth during baths or when you're in your crib.

You are very alert and are great at paying attention when I read to you. You like to hold one side of the book and sometimes you help me turn the pages. I hope you continue to love reading throughout your life. Your Kindermusik teacher has said how impressed she is with your attention span and your interest in the world around you. You absolutely love animals and try to pet them whenever you see them. You smile and laugh at our cat Peanut and you love petting her when she lets you.

You experienced your first Thanksgiving in November! We went to daddy's Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jimmy's house and spent the night at Granny's house. You did wonderfully, even with 2 big dogs and a ton of people and noise. You don't sleep so well at other people's houses though, just like mommy. Speaking of sleep, you are getting much better at home! You've been going to bed earlier and doing some longer 5-6 hours stretches some nights, and then other times you sleep 3-4 hours at a time and then want to nurse. Either way, it's a lot better than getting up every 2 hours like you were doing for awhile! You are also getting more consistent with your naps and you are taking longer ones.

This month, you will experience your first Christmas, which is mommy's favorite holiday. We've been reading some holiday books to get ready, and doing our advent calendar. You seem to like doing both and you love looking at the lights on our Christmas tree. You also met Santa and sat on his lap at the Westchester Mall when we met up with your friend Katie and her mom Laura. You even tried to pull Santa's beard and kick him and he had to hold you down for the picture! You're always on the go, so this was no surprise to mommy!

You are the happiest baby I've ever met unless you're hungry or overtired! You smile at everyone, and I always have strangers telling me how cute and happy you are whenever we go out. You're so easy to take out in public and people have asked me if you're always so good, which you are. You love when we make silly faces at you or sing funny songs. You are a little ticklish and enjoy when we do the Tickle Monster to you. I think your favorite though is when daddy tosses you in the air! You never really leave his hands, but you love being moved up and down. You're starting to babble a lot and it's the best! You say "bla bla bla," "mem mem mem," and "wa wa wa" mostly as well as some other random noises. You really love it when we babble back at you.

At this point we're pretty sure you are going to keep your big, beautiful blue eyes, which you got from mommy. Aside from those eyes, you look more and more like your daddy every day, especially when you smile. It's so interesting to watch you grow and change and see what kind of person you are becoming.

Stats:
You are wearing 9-12 month clothing
Size 3 diapers (Luvs)
Weight: 22 lbs. 3 oz.
Length: 27 in.

Landon, these first 6 months have gone by so fast, and I know we will be celebrating your first birthday before we know it. Your daddy and I have had a blast getting to know you and taking care of you. You are such a blessing to us and we really cannot imagine life without you. We love you!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Thankful

2011-11-24T08:00:00.083-05:00

Like I do every year, I decided to make a list of things I'm thankful for. I've been extremely blessed throughout my life, but this year in particular has been very special.

My son. I've wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember and I am so happy that dream has finally come true! He is the greatest joy of my life and I absolutely adore him. Aside from his craptastic sleep, he is such a wonderful, easy baby, and he's always smiling and happy.
My husband. Jeff has been such an amazing support for me, especially as I gave birth to Landon (I think he did every push right along with me for those 2.5 hours) and the first few horribly difficult weeks of breastfeeding afterwards. If it wasn't for him, I'm almost positive I would have quit breastfeeding and I would have missed out on such an amazing bonding experience (not to mention the ridiculously fast weight loss) because I didn't have the support I needed. I've never seen Jeff research something so in depth and he ran out to the store several times to get things I needed. He also sat with me through every feeding at first, making sure L was latched properly, that I was relaxed, etc. He's also an amazing father and Landon just loves him so much, as do I.
Being able to stay home with Landon. I am so thankful and lucky that my husband has a job that allows us to still live comfortably and for me to stay home with our son. Being a stay at home mom is another thing I've always wanted to do, and I'm very happy that I can. Leaving L to go to work would be really hard for me.
Our health- the 3 of us and our extended families are healthy and that's such a blessing.
Our home. We do need a bigger space and will be getting this house ready to sell in early 2012, but I do love our little home. It's the first place Jeff and I lived in together, I helped him house hunt, decorate, pick furniture, etc. It's also the place we brought L to when we left the hospital and it will always have a special place in my heart.
My friends, both new and old. I am not someone who has a ton of friends. I prefer to have a few really close friends than a bunch of acquaintances. I have branched out to make some more mom friends, and I am so glad I did because I was getting lonely and it's hard to only have friends in different stages of life than you. Having the support of other moms is huge, as is having girlfriends I can hang out with and have adult conversations.
Our families. Yes, they drive us nuts sometimes, but we are very lucky to have amazing family on both sides. Especially with a new baby, everyone has been willing to help if I needed it (I usually refuse though. Control freak and I like to do it myself.), and it's nice to see how much everyone loves Landon (and us of course haha).
Our church. We've been absolutely awful about going since I had Landon, but every time we actually manage to get there, everyone is so welcoming and sweet to our little family.

There are also some frivolous things I am thankful for:

My iphone. It's gotten me through every night feeding and times where Landon has fallen asleep on me and I couldn't move to get my laptop. It's amazing how far cell phones have come from the first one I got at age 16.
Target. I'm kind of obsessed with going there lately. It's hard not to spend hundreds every time. Same with Old Navy, another store I'm thankful to have near me.
Starbucks- I can't drink caffeine without shaking, but I love their drinks made decaf. I also love the festive red holiday cups. They make me happy every year.
Buffalo Wild Wings and Chili's- I just love going to both of these places. They have delicious food!
Landon's nap times. I love them because I can get some housework done, screw around on the internet and/or relax and watch some TV. It's so important and nice to get a little "me time" during the day.
My car. I drive a bright blue Nissan Rogue that I leased the day after Jeff and I got engaged. We just bought the car outright when my lease was up in October. I love this car so much, it was the first one I ever bought/leased myself. When the time came to either give it back and buy something new or keep it, Jeff said he hated the idea of giving it up and I agreed. Eventually we will need a bigger SUV, especially before baby #2, but for now it works. Jeff will take the Rogue down the line and I will get a new tank to drive :)

I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!

My First Born :)

2011-11-15T20:34:00.000-05:00

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Very much so

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Even though we were trying, seeing those 2 lines on a pregnancy test was very shocking!

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? We were trying to get pregnant, but even if we weren't, abortion is not an option for us. Not saying that's the right decision for every woman, but I would never do it.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 25 when I found out, 26 when I delivered

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I didn't get my period the day it was due, so I took a test when I got home from work and it turned positive almost immediately!

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? The cat lol! Jeff wasn't home from work yet, but he was the first human to find out.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Absolutely. Not finding out was never considered. I'm a planner and wanted to know who was in there! It also helped it seem more real to me and it was nice to be able to say "he" instead of "it."

9. DUE DATE? June 8, 2011

10. Did you have morning sickness? Yes. I puked once a day from weeks 7-16 and felt nauseous all the time. I also had lots of food aversions to stuff I used to love and certain smells bothered me and made me gag.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? My husband called my cravings "the circle diet." I wanted cookies (Oreos or Chips Ahoy), chocolate frosted donuts, Spaghetti-O's, Eggo Waffles, Chocolate Cheerios, and later on pizza rolls and ice chips. Cookies and donuts were the 2 things I craved the entire pregnancy.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Nothing really irritated me. I wasn't a fan of getting sick, but it was worth it!

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? A boy! :)

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No. I was convinced I was having a girl, but I truly didn't care either way. Jeff really wanted a boy. I love having a son!

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 32

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yup!

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew. I picked the date and told my mom and MIL what color scheme I wanted and the location. I also said I wanted a candy bar and pom-pom decorations. I let them do the rest :)

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Nope. I had a really easy pregnancy

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Greenwich Hospital

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? My water broke at 7:00pm on June 2nd, I was in active labor by around 2:00am on June 3rd, and had Landon at 10:05am June 3rd.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Jeff, both times. They sent me home the first time insisting my water did not break even though I knew it did. I knew I'd be back, and a few hours later, I was back and 4 cm dilated having contractions lasting for a minute and coming 2 minutes apart hahaha

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? My husband, the nurse, and the Dr.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Yea! As soon as I got to labor and delivery and they told me I was 4 cm I said, "Oooooh! That means I can have an epidural now!"

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 9lbs. 10oz.

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? June 3, 2011. 5 days early.

29. What did you name him/her? Landon James

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 5 months, 12 days

Landon's Birth Announcement- Better Late Than Never!

2011-11-10T14:29:00.000-05:00

I'm actually really embarrassed that Landon is 5 months old and I just ordered his birth announcements! I just never got around to it, and time slipped away! I ordered them from Tiny Prints and I'm thrilled with how they came out! During Landon's nap I will be addressing envelopes and finally sending these out! Sorry for the crappy iphone pic, but here's the announcement!

Fun In The Jumperoo!

2011-11-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Landon LOVES his jumperoo! Best toy ever!

Landon Is 5 Months Old!

2011-11-03T11:21:00.001-04:00

Dear Landon,

Today you are 5 months old! You are getting so big and I really can't believe you've been here 5 months already! You've done lots of exciting things this month!

The Dr. said you can start solid foods, so we gave you some rice cereal. It took you a few days to understand what to do with the spoon, but you figured it out and now you LOVE your cereal! You lunge at the spoon when Daddy is trying to feed you. It's so funny! You've had green beans so far, which you aren't a huge fan of, but will tolerate, and peas which you LOVE! You devoured them so fast and never made a "yuck" face like you did the the green beans!

You have been rolling both ways for awhile now, and I knew it was only a matter of time before you decided you wanted to sleep on your belly. You roll over to your belly the second anyone puts you down on your back! This scared us at first, but you can hold your head up really well and you sleep so much better on your belly. I definitely lost a few nights worth of sleep worrying you'd suffocate, but you are just fine!

You are very curious and are always watching what Mommy and Daddy are doing. I let you play with an empty water bottle because you were eyeing it up as I finished drinking it, and you loved it! It's so much fun to watch you experience new things and see the world through your eyes.

Daddy also put together your jumperoo! You loved it from the start and now you can really jump and play in it! It's definitely one of your favorite toys and we love watching you have a blast in it!

We took you to the pumpkin patch for the first time on what was probably the hottest October day I can remember in CT! We got you a pumpkin and it was a nice time! I think it will definitely be a tradition we do as a family each year.

You had your first Halloween and we dressed you up in 2 different costumes: a skeleton and a yellow duck. We were supposed to have a Halloween party, but we had to cancel due to a snow storm! I never thought I would write that you experienced your first snowstorm on October 29, 2011. You got to model your costumes just for mommy and daddy. It will be really fun to take you trick or treating in a few years, I can't wait for that!

Your sleep has gotten better (usually. We do still have a few rough nights here and there)! You did a 7 hour stretch one night, but usually you're going 3-5 hour stretches before needing to eat, and after each feeding at night, you go an hour or so longer than the pervious stretch. You're starting to go to sleep earlier at night too. Napping is still not your favorite, and lately you only really want to nap on Mommy. You will nap in your crib sometimes, but you won't sleep there at night yet. You're still eating every 1-2 hours during the day, even with some solid food in your diet now. You just love your milk!

Stats

You were just about 18 lbs at your 4 month visit, so my guess is you're close to 19 lbs now.

You were 26.5 inches long at your last well visit.

You're wearing size 3 diapers (Pampers Cruisers).

You're wearing 9 month or 6-12 month clothing, it all depends on the store.

Landon, you are at such a fun age now! Daddy and I love watching your personality come out and seeing who you will become. The big holidays Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up soon and we cannot wait to share them with you for the first time! You have brought such joy into our lives and made everything so much more interesting and amazing! We love you very much!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Solid Foods For Babies

2011-11-01T08:00:00.002-04:00

When the Dr. gave us the green light to try solids with Landon anywhere from 4-6 months, I was a bit nervous, and my husband was all for it. We started with rice cereal, and at first we made it super duper watery with my breastmilk. As he got used to it, we made it much thicker and once he was able to handle a good amount of thick cereal, we decided to move on to pureed food.

So far, Landon has had green beans, which he's not a huge fan of but will eat, and peas. He LOVES peas and devoured them! It's been a lot of fun introducing foods to him, and while it does nothing to make him nurse less (which is fine since he's supposed to still be getting his nutrients from my breastmilk), he seems to be enjoying the food. Right now we give him a veggie in the afternoon and rice cereal at night. The only reason we still give him the rice cereal is because he likes it. Once we introduce fruit (can't do that until all veggies have been introduced) we will probably mix some in with his cereal.

When you start solids with a baby, you have several options: puree the foods yourself, buy store bought purees, or do baby led weaning. For us, the best decision was to buy pureed Gerber food from the store. We get the organic stuff and so far, so good. I've noticed on Twitter and various forums I've visited that a lot of moms make the food themselves. I'm awful about making dinners for Jeff and I (when Landon is eating table food with us, I will absolutely make healthy meals every night), and I didn't want to take on the responsibility of pureeing a ton of food for Landon when I have a house, husband, child, and cat to take care of already. Ridiculous as it sounds, I am starting to feel really guilty that I don't make my son's food myself. I worry that people are judging me because I choose to give him Gerber food instead of freshly pureed stuff. Please tell me I'm not alone in buying the pre-made stuff to make life a little easier?

The mom guilt never stops, no matter what decisions you make! I try to remember not to compare myself, my child, or what decisions we make to others, but it's hard sometimes. I know I'm a good mom, and I have my son's best interest at heart, so why do I beat myself up over such silly things?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

Why Do I Blog?

2011-10-30T11:27:00.000-04:00

I decided to join in on a blog link-up! Basically this post will be to introduce myself to new readers, so if you've been here before you probably know a lot of this info.

I've been blogging for about 5 years. First on a blog I named "Pretty In Pink And Green" which I deleted years ago. I started this blog in 2008 and since then I've gotten engaged, married, been pregnant, and given birth to our beautiful son Landon. I use this blog as a scrapbook of sorts for our little family. I write monthly posts on my son's growth and milestones, which I plan to print and give to him when he's older, I write about any trips we take, the occasional recipe, and funny incidents that happen, or whatever is on my mind. Blogging started out as a little hobby, but is now something that I truly love to do and I've "met" some wonderful people in this community. I've always been bad about keeping a handwritten journal, so blogging is my digital version of that and it's been a great way to keep track of the big events of our lives.

I will be 27 in December (2 days before Christmas), I've lived in Fairfield County, CT my entire life, and we have no intentions of leaving here anytime soon. I taught middle school special ed. (writing, study skills, and health) for 5 years, but now I stay at home with my little boy. I've been married a little over 2 years to a wonderful man named Jeff who I met on match.com 5 years ago. We got engaged July 18, 2008 and were married July 3, 2009. We welcomed our son Landon James into the world on June 3, 2011 and he's the greatest joy of our lives. Right now this blog is mainly about my son and my new journey into being a mommy because my entire life right now is taking care of my son and that's OK. If you want to learn a little more about me, you can click on the tabs at the top of my blog :)

I look forward to "meeting" some new bloggers from this link-up! If you're new, please leave a comment and say hi! :)

Don't Worry Baby

2011-10-26T08:00:00.054-04:00

*Post title from The Beach Boys. Anyone know that song? It's one of my favorites by them.

I read a post on Kelly's Korner recently about worrying and it inspired me to write a post of my own on that topic.

I've always been pretty anxious. I'm a worrier by nature and it's not pleasant, but it's how I am. Becoming a mom has made my anxiety go through the roof! I worry about Landon's health and well-being all the time. Am I teaching him enough? Is he happy? Is he eating enough? Does he get enough sleep? Why is he pooping so much today? Why isn't he pooping at all today? Why is he crying so much today? Why won't he nap? The list goes on and on.

My newest worry is a big one. Landon can roll both ways now and rolls onto his belly the second he's put down on his back. We've all heard the "back to sleep" campaign to reduce SIDS and everyone puts their babies on their backs to sleep because of it. I did too, but once your child can roll on their own, there's not much you can do. The first night Landon did it, I kept flipping him back over, but he'd wind up on his tummy again anyway. I got no sleep because all I did was check to see if he was on his tummy, and if so, was he breathing? He has wonderful neck control, so I knew deep down he wouldn't suffocate, but it was really very scary for me. Logically I knew if he couldn't breathe he could move himself into a better position and I've actually watched him lift his head and move it in his sleep. Lots of other moms told me the same thing and not to worry about it. It took me about a week to get used to him sleeping that way and trust that he wasn't going to die on me while he slept. SIDS has been my biggest fear since day 1. Now that I'm a bit calmer, I can see that he actually sleeps much better on his tummy, so we're both more well rested (now that I can sleep again) which is great.

I don't write a ton about religion on here, but I do pray and we try to go to church when we can (our attendance has been bad since we had a baby, we really need to get back into it). I prayed to get pregnant, I prayed for a healthy pregnancy and baby, and now I pray for my son every night, and I've been praying extra hard now that he's sleeping in a way deemed "dangerous" for babies. My pregnancy happened easily, the pregnancy itself was uncomplicated, my labor and delivery were great, and my son is healthy. I got everything I wanted and I really need to remember to trust in God that my child is and will be just fine and not to worry. It's SO hard to put my trust into anyone else because I am a control freak, but I'm trying and it is comforting to know I can pray for Landon whenever I feel the need to. It literally helps me sleep at night (and we all know how precious sleep is for new moms!)

I look at this little guy and realize that I will worry about him for the rest of my life, but I definitely need to keep it in check.

Initiation into Mommyhood

2011-10-25T08:00:00.065-04:00

*This post is about poop. If that grosses you out, don't read it :)

There's lots of firsts for a new mommy: The first time your baby smiles or laughs, the first time your baby rolls over, the first time your baby sits up on their own, etc. There's also some not so pleasant firsts, like the first time your baby shoots poop across the room or blows out a diaper and is covered in poop, the first time your baby spits up all over you, etc. I like to think of these firsts as an initiation into mommyhood. I've experienced several of the firsts listed above, but not all (Landon can't sit up on his own yet). I experienced a new one yesterday at Target and it was not pretty!

I've gotten more comfortable with going out with Landon alone in public. I had Jeff to help me at first, and then as I grew more confident, I started venturing out with just Landon. I've never really had an issue, which has been great. If we're going out for a longer period of time, I bring a bottle of pumped breastmilk so I don't have to worry about feeding him in public (nothing wrong with doing that, I just don't like to.) Landon always behaves and is really only fussy when he's tired or hungry. He loves people watching and going out, so I try to do it as much as possible. Yesterday we went to Target so I could get Starbucks (decaf soy mocha) and a few other things I needed for our Halloween party this weekend. When I'm alone, I put Landon in the Ergo carrier so I don't have to deal with a stroller and a shopping basket by myself. It works great and Landon loves being in there. As I lifted him out of the car seat to put him into the Ergo yesterday, I noticed he smelled like poop. No big deal, I've changed him in public bathrooms before, so I figured I'd take him inside to the bathroom and use their changing station. Then I noticed his pants felt wet and when I took my hand away, it was covered in poop! There was no way I could get him inside, I had to change him in the car. Luckily, I'm pretty good about being prepared and had a change of clothes, plenty of wipes, extra diapers, an old shopping bag for the dirty diaper and wipes, and a wet bag for his soiled clothes. There was poop all down one of Landon's legs and all over the bottom of his onesie and pants. He's had worse blowouts and I was grateful there was nothing up his back. I cleaned him off, changed him, and miraculously managed to not get poop anywhere in my car. We went to Target, (where I washed my hands very well in the bathroom) got what we needed to get and went back to the car, no problems.

Then, as I took Landon out of the carrier, he started crying and I knew what he needed. He was hungry and I didn't have a bottle for him because I knew we'd only be gone an hour or less, but with the whole poop incident, we took longer than I expected. We live about 10 minutes from Target, but I knew he'd scream the whole way home, so I took out a blanket, covered myself and nursed him in the backseat of my car. Of course one side wasn't enough, he HAD to have both or else he would have screamed the whole way home. Once he was finally done eating, he passed out in his car seat and we drove home. I was exhausted after all of that!

While I can still say that Landon's behavior in public is wonderful (I know there will come a time when it's not though), I can no longer brag about the fact that Landon's poop timing is always great because he does it either right before we're leaving or right when we get home. As difficult as it was to deal with alone and in public, I'm proud of myself for just kind of rolling with the punches and being prepared enough to handle it and not freak out. If this happened when Landon was a bit younger, I probably would have cried. It was just another initiation into mommyhood and I know I will be able to manage it even better the next time, because it will happen again.

Up next? Landon blowing out a diaper in his sleep and waking up covered in poop. It's only a matter of time until that happens. Hopefully Jeff will still be home to help me :)

Before Becoming A Mom, I Never Thought I'd...

2011-10-24T06:00:00.037-04:00

Be so concerned with someone's poop

Have such lengthy discussions with my husband about poop

Get so emotional over sick children, child abuse stories/deaths. They always made me sad, but now that I'm a mom, they really upset me

Be able to function on so little sleep for so long

Be OK with not having a rigid schedule like I always expected to have

Go to the bathroom with a baby strapped to my chest in a carrier

Be able to do almost everything 1-handed if needed

Miss my baby when he sleeps

Check my son several times each night to make sure he's breathing

Understand why parents get emotional when their kids hit any milestone, big or small

Actually enjoy breastfeeding. It sucked so much for the first couple months, but I love the bond we have now and I will so miss that time when it's all done.

Sing ridiculous songs and make silly faces all day and love it

Love my son this much. I knew I'd love him obviously, but you truly don't understand the love a mother has for her child until you become a mom yourself.

Love my husband even more. Seeing him as a father has made me love him in a whole new way.

Be quite this anxious about my son's health/well-being. As a mom, you are allowing your heart to walk around outside of your body. (I read that somewhere. Isn't it such a great analogy?)

What did you not realize you would do before becoming a mom?

Losing The Baby Weight

2011-10-22T23:35:00.001-04:00

In general, I tend to lose weight relatively quick, but I also gain fast. I do have to watch what I eat and exercise to stay at an average weight. I do not have the build to be skinny. I consider myself a bit of a pear shape because my hips and thighs are kind of big. I've tried many things to make them smaller, but it's just the way I'm built. I have to wear a size 10 or 12 in pants because of my lower half. They're usually a little big in the waist, but it is what it is.

I was worried and convinced that when I got pregnant, that my hips, thighs, and butt would vastly expand and I would look huge all over. To my delight, that did not happen this time around! I carried everything in my belly, gained 32 lbs, and lost 15ish lbs of that weight before I even left the hospital (almost 10lbs was baby haha). Obviously, my old pants and a lot of clothes didn't fit yet, I still looked 4 months pregnant. Landon was born in June, so I spent the summer living in cotton empire waist dresses, or nursing tanks and cotton gaucho pants. I also had a few tank tops that were flattering, but that was basically it. Nothing else fit. All of my baby weight was off by the time Landon was 2.5 months old, but I still wanted to lose 10 lbs that I was working on when I found out I was pregnant last fall.

Once fall came along, I had lost all but 4 lbs of that 10 lbs. I decided to try on my pre-pregnancy jeans. They fit decently when I was standing, but when I sat down they cut off my circulation and I had a huge, squishy stomach roll. Not cute, so I decided to wear maternity pants for awhile. They're super comfy and no one knew unless I told them. I tried not to beat myself up about it because it's normal to be wearing maternity pants for months after giving birth. When I was visiting my mom the other day, she commented that I looked thinner than I did when she last saw me 2 weeks earlier, and I noticed my maternity pants were literally hanging off my butt, so I decided to weigh myself the other morning. I was shocked to see that I was at my goal weight! I tried on my old jeans again and they fit both while I was sitting and standing! I'm thrilled to be in normal clothes again!

My stomach is still squishy and my legs are a bit bigger than I'd like, but considering that I didn't do crap to lose all that weight, I can't complain. I did try to exercise with my 30 Day Shred DVD, but I fell off that wagon a few weeks ago when somehow I hurt my back and Landon decided he didn't want to take naps that lasted longer than 20 minutes anymore unless he's sleeping on me. I don't diet because there's already so much I can't eat because Landon can't tolerate it in my milk and dieting too much can screw up your milk supply. Basically, I've been eating crap and being lazy and I lost weight. How does that work? For me, breastfeeding is magical. I always thought women who said they lost weight from nursing were full of it, but now I'm one of them and I get it. Landon nurses constantly and takes everything I have, so I am burning a ton of calories just by feeding my child and as a result, I eat like a horse and still don't gain weight. It's awesome and I will miss this when it's done and I actually have to watch what I eat and exercise. I also think having to cut out dairy has helped because I can't eat my true love, cheese.

I am well aware of how lucky I am. I know others who breastfeed and still are struggling to lose weight and are working their butts off to do so. I wish everyone had it as easy as I did. Who knows how it will be for baby #2 though. I will be older and that baby might not have the massive appetite Landon has. We'll have to wait and see!

Baby Nicknames

2011-10-14T09:53:00.000-04:00

I tend to shorten everyone's names, especially when I was a teacher. Oddly enough, I don't shorten Landon's name because I think calling him "Lan" sounds weird. I do have several nicknames for him though and I have no idea where they all came from! They just kind of come out of my mouth when I'm talking to him and I use them so much that even my husband has started using them too haha.

We call Landon:

Bub/ Bubs
Lovie/ Lovie pants (no idea why I say "pants")/ Loviekins (again, where do I come up with this stuff?)
Sweet boy
Sweetheart
Love bug
There's a couple more but I'm too embarrassed to share them :)

At this rate he's never going to know his real name! Of course, I don't use these names with him in public, but I will be sad when I have to stop using them when he's older and tells me he hates them!

What kind of nicknames do you give your kids?

Roly Poly

2011-10-11T14:04:00.000-04:00

Landon would like to show everyone his new trick. Ignore my silly mom voice:

Every time I put him on his back, this is what he does now! He's been doing belly to back since 11 weeks, and he started rolling back to belly at 17 weeks (he's 18 weeks old now).

Landon's First Time At The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-09T17:03:00.000-04:00

At my insistence, we took Landon to the pumpkin patch yesterday! I had a super cute outfit for him to wear, but it was unseasonably warm (high 70's) so I had to put him in something cooler. He will have to wear that other outfit once I change him out of his costume during our Halloween party in a few weeks. I still made him wear his pumpkin hat though! We had a lot of fun, got a pumpkin, and made some memories, which was the whole point in going. Landon won't remember this trip, but Jeff and I will and he will have the pictures to see when he's older :) This is definitely going to be a family tradition and I can't wait until next year! He will be a little over 1 and probably running all over the place! I've always wanted to do these types of things with my child(ren) and I'm so thankful those dreams are coming true! I love my little family of 3!

Pinterest- Halloween

2011-10-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

I've become obsessed with Pinterest (I'm MrsMelissaKaz on there if any of you are on there, follow me and I will follow you back!) and Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I've found some adorable ideas on there and I wanted to share them with you.

This is adorable for a pumpkin carving or Halloween party. From here.

I really love this wreath from here.

This is a really beautiful Halloween table from here. I love glittery pumpkins and have a few on my dining room table.

Brilliant idea for a party from here.

Finally, how cute is this drink for a Halloween party? Found here.

If you're on Pinterest, what are you pinning right now?

Landon is 4 Months Old!

2011-10-03T12:31:00.004-04:00

Dear Landon,

Another month has gone by already and you are officially 4 months old. You are at a really fun age now and I am enjoy watching you grow up.

You are becoming much more interactive with your toys, which is wonderful. You still love your playmat, and you will grab at the toys with both hands, hold them, and put them in your mouth. Everything you hold goes in your mouth, including your own hands! You are really loving your Manhattan Winkel, which is really a teething toy, but you still enjoy chewing on it even though you aren't teething yet. You also move around like crazy! I never find you in the same place on the playmat as where I put you!

Your neck control is great now! Tummy time is really fun because you always keep your head lifted so I can look at you, and you also like to roll over sometimes. You can roll both ways now. You've been doing belly to back since 11 weeks, and you just started doing back to belly at 17 weeks. I've put you in your Bumbo seat, and you're not really a huge fan of it for more than a few minutes, but you look adorable in it!

We put you in your exersaucer last week for the first time. You're a little bit too small for it, but we put a bunch of blankets in the seat with you for support and you really seem to love it! Your favorite toys are the giraffe and lion puppet.

You have found your voice and love to scream with delight! It's so funny and adorable! You are making more and more sounds and you're "talking" all the time. You're also a huge flirt and love to smile at everyone.

You finally went to church for the first time a couple weeks ago. Everyone was so excited to meet you! Mommy is a bit overprotective, so you didn't go in the nursery yet, but you slept through the entire service in your Ergo carrier.

Your mommy and daddy are huge Yankee fans, so of course you have a lot of Yankee gear. You finally fit into some of it, just in time for the playoffs!

You also watched your first Jets game and we took a family photo in our Jets gear.

You got to meet your cousin Troy when we went to Pennsylvania with you for the first time a couple weeks ago. Troy was turning 1, and Uncle Todd and Aunt Kim had never met you. It was a great day!

Stats:

You weigh 17 lbs. 6.5 oz. and are 26.5 in. long

You are in size 3 diapers- Pampers Cruisers

You are in size 6 month clothing. Some 6-9 month or 6-12 month things fit you as well.

You are still eating every 1-2 hours. I think that just might be the way it goes until you start solids in a couple months.

You are having a rough patch of sleep where you are up every 2-3 hours. The Dr. said it's normal, so we will just wait this one out.

You are at such a fun age now, and we cannot wait to see what you do next! We love you very much and you have brought such joy into our lives.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins

2011-10-02T08:00:00.003-04:00

I've seen this recipe going around Pinterest, Twitter, and various blogs. I used the recipe I got from the Kimberly's Korner blog.

All you need is:

*1 can of pumpkin
*1 box of yellow cake mix

Mix them together. I used my stand mixer, then mixed them together with a spoon afterwards to make sure everything was thoroughly mixed.

Put the mix into a cupcake tray.

Bake for 16-20 minutes at 350*

These were good. Very good, but they do taste way more like yellow cake than they do pumpkin. Some pumpkin pie spice might help. I might try putting chocolate chips in them next time too. You can put powdered sugar on these, cream cheese frosting, or eat them warm with butter. So easy and delicious!

Stay-At-Home-Mom Responsibilities

2011-10-01T08:00:00.017-04:00

I'm very blessed to be able to stay at home with my son. This is what I've always wanted to do ever since I was a teenager and would babysit for various families. We're very fortunate that my husband has a job that allows me to stay home without us taking an enormous financial hit. Sure, my income was nice, but if I went back to work, the majority of that money would go towards daycare, so what's the point? I've definitely put some high expectations on myself and I do feel kind of bad when I don't meet them, but if Landon is having a hard day, laundry might not get done, or the dusting might have to wait. I don't beat myself up over it, but I do try to fit everything in. I've never been happier though and I feel this is the job I was meant to have. I don't miss teaching at all.

I feel that all of the housework and laundry (I don't do ironing though because I never iron my own clothes because I use Downy Wrinkle releaser, so Jeff handles ironing his stuff in the morning before work. I'd probably ruin his clothes if I tried to iron them anyway!) is my responsibility. Caring for Landon is a full time job, but I can do these other household things while he naps or is playing. I also wouldn't think Jeff did a good enough job cleaning and would re-do whatever he cleaned anyway haha! I try to do one room each day, but sometimes it just doesn't get done and then I have to kind of double up the next day. People have told me to hire a cleaning lady, but I think that's a bit silly since we don't have a huge house right now and I'm not working outside the home. I also do some cleaning on weekends while Jeff plays with Landon.

I try to cook dinner every night, but this one is hard to do. Jeff gets home at various times, so it's hard for me to have dinner cooked by the time he gets home, and Landon tends to be fussy in the evenings. It's not so easy to cook dinner with a baby strapped to you in a carrier. We've done leftovers, chicken nuggets, or take-out more than I care to admit, but it is what it is.

Obviously the primary care for Landon is my responsibility. I feed him, change him, play with him, take him to the Dr., etc. Unless he works super late, Jeff bathes him and of course plays with him once he gets home. We also both play with him and take care of him on weekends, but I'm the only one who can really feed him unless I pump a bottle. I also hold myself responsible for Landon reaching milestones and for exposing him to as many different things as possible.

Jeff works pretty long hours, handles our finances, household repairs, killing bugs, some cooking, and he is of course active in raising our son and spending time with him, bathing him, etc. Jeff also does the grocery shopping because I hate doing it and rush to get in and out, so I never use coupons or look for sales. It drives Jeff crazy, so he just does it himself. Works for me :)

I think both staying at home and going back to work present different challenges for moms. I personally would not be able to handle both taking care of my son and going back to work, so I give working moms a ton of credit and I don't know how they do it all. I'd be interested to hear how other stay-at-home-moms or working moms divide up the household and child responsibilities, so let me know what works for you and your families!

A Year Ago Today...

2011-09-30T10:50:00.001-04:00

September 30, 2010 is a day I will never forget because I got the best news in the world: Jeff and I were going to be parents! It was a Thursday, and it started out as a totally normal day. I got up, went to work, taught my students all day, and came home.

I was expecting Aunt Flo to show up that morning, and she never did, which was odd to me since I ALWAYS started in the morning. I decided to take a pregnancy test when I got home since we were trying anyway. I got the shock of my life when 2 lines showed up almost immediately! I started shaking and pacing around the house. I remember telling the cat that mommy was going to have a baby!

Jeff tortured me that day and didn't come home for 2 more hours after I got the positive test! When he finally came home, he was on the phone with his mom! I met him at the door, which I never do, and told him to get off the phone immediately, which he did while giving me a strange look. When I told him the news, he got this huge smile on his face and gave me a big hug! It was the best! He also asked me where his cookies were since I promised I'd bake the chocolate chip cookies he loves once I got a positive pregnancy test. He actually sent me to the store to get the ingredients haha! I was in such shock I totally forgot about making him cookies before he mentioned it! That would have been a nice way to pass some of the time until he got home!

I spent the rest of the night signing up for Baby Center and The Bump e-mails and reading all about being 4 weeks pregnant. I had also made my first Dr. appointment for when I was 8 weeks before I even told Jeff he was going to be a daddy. I never worried about miscarrying that pregnancy. I felt at peace with it and knew the result would be a baby, and on June 3, 2011, we had our beautiful baby boy Landon. I cannot believe it's been a year since I found out I was pregnant, and a lot has changed since then, but we couldn't be happier and we are so in love with our son!

Mom Guilt & Insecurities

2011-09-29T08:00:00.002-04:00

Being a mom is the hardest job in the world. No one is perfect at it, but we all want to do what is best for our babies. What works for one family may not work for another family. I'm sure I'm not alone in having things I feel guilty about or insecure about now that I'm a mom. Landon is thriving and hitting all of his milestones when he is supposed to if not a little early. I know I'm being way too hard on myself, but it's hard not to be.

I feel guilty if I am not interacting with Landon every second that he's awake. I put him on his playmat in the morning for about 20 minutes while I eat, pump, and check e-mails and blogs all at the same time. He's happy as can be, literally squealing with delight at his toys, but I still feel bad.

I feel guilty if we don't read at least 1 book every day. It's so important to read to babies, and now that Landon is more alert and actually looks at the book we're reading, I really try to make sure we read at least once a day if not more. I've been really good about this lately, but do feel bad if we miss a day.

Sometimes I think I don't do enough to entertain him in different ways. I know this is ridiculous because he has a playmat, an exersaucer, books, rattles, various toys, we do a music class, a mom's group, and I take him on walks. He is getting plenty of stimulation, but I always feel like I can do more.

I feel guilty when I go on my phone to check Twitter or Facebook while Landon is playing. I'm only on for a few minutes and I'm sitting with him, but I still feel kind of bad about it!

I worry if a younger baby hits a milestone before Landon does. I am really working on this one because it's absolutely ridiculous to compare babies/children. I know they all grow and develop at their own rate and that everything with my son is fine, but I always think he should do something first because he's older. I don't want Landon to ever feel like I am comparing him to someone else or that he doesn't measure up, because I don't feel that way and we all do things in our own time. This insecurity needs to go away ASAP.

I worry that if he doesn't hit a certain milestone at any given point that it's my fault since I'm the one who takes care of him all the time.

TV: This one is a huge guilt trip for me. I love TV. A lot. I spent the first several weeks of Landon's life parked on the couch in front of the TV constantly nursing him or snuggling with him while he slept in my arms on on my chest. The TV never phased him, but as he gets older, I've noticed that he LOVES TV! He stares at it instead of playing or interacting with Jeff or I. I've made a strict rule for us now that TV is only on during his naps or when I'm nursing because I don't want him watching it when he should be playing with his toys. I've read that it can possibly contribute to ADHD or can interfere with their play, which I have definitely seen because Landon will position himself on his playmat or the bed or wherever we are so that he can see it. Not OK with me and he will have TV limits when he's older too. I'm not going to be a mom who says no TV at all, especially when I have a wild toddler and need to entertain him while I cook dinner, but he doesn't need to watch it at 4 months old.

Landon is a crap napper and sleeper right now and I feel like it's my fault. I refuse to let him cry it out (no judgement to those who do that, I just don't think it's right for us). I did try a modified CIO once, where he'd cry for 5 minutes, I'd go in soothe him, he cried 5 more min, etc. and all it did was make both of us very upset. Never again. I think part of it is that he's so busy and active that he doesn't want to miss anything, and he's also hungry all the time (another issue I have guilt with). I'm going to talk to his Dr. on Monday when we go for his 4 month well visit. I know that some babies just aren't great sleepers and I've done everything I can think of to make him sleep. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. This might just be the way he is, and that's OK.

Feeding: Landon is nursing every 2 hours during the day, sometimes every hour still, and a night it widely varies. I'm worried I am not making enough milk for him at any given feeding. I'm going to meet with a lactation consultant to figure this out. There is nothing wrong with formula at all and I have no judgements for moms who use it, but I am going to feel like a big fail if I have to do that after 4 months of exclusively breastfeeding. I am not against it at all and if it gets Landon more sleep and nutrients that way, I will absolutely do it, but based on his size, I think he's getting enough, he just needs to eat constantly to get all of his calories in.

I think a lot of these feelings are normal (it felt really good to write them all out), and when I look at my beautiful little boy I know I'm doing a good job. He's such a happy guy and he's growing and learning new things every day. I've watched him hit milestones and I know he's on target, so why am I so hard on myself? I don't think moms give themselves enough credit and I am going to work on feeling good about what I am doing for my son and stop beating myself up over things that don't go so great.

Can any other moms out there relate?

Making New Friends

2011-09-28T12:03:00.001-04:00

I've always been someone who had a fair amount of friends, but not tons. I like keeping my social circle a bit small because I'm shy and feel more comfortable around people I really know well. I have a great group of friends from high school and another group from where I used to work. We go out to dinners on occasion, and all of them who still live in the area have come to visit me and meet Landon, or have made plans to see us when they're in town next. I love each and every one of them, but we're at different stages of life and I'm one of the few in that group that has a baby.

Now that I'm a mom, I have found the need to try to make some new friends, friends that get what I'm going through. I realized I need more mom friends because I only have 3 and all of them have kids at least 3 months older than Landon. It took me quite awhile to adjust to having a new baby and being comfortable taking him out of the house on my own. What if he had a huge, nasty poop that goes all over? What if he wanted to eat and I didn't have enough pumped milk to give him? What if I have to breastfeed him in public? (nothing wrong with that, but I personally don't feel comfortable whipping the girls out in public, even with my nursing cover. I don't care if anyone else does it, it's just the prude in me). Once I got past all of that by taking him out at first with my husband to help me, I decided Landon and I needed to start going out, doing things, and meeting other moms. I was getting kind of depressed just sitting home all the time.

I started with joining a mom's group at the hospital where Landon was born. Landon is the oldest baby in there by a couple weeks, but all the babies are born between June and August. I've met a couple of really great moms who are staying at home like me, so I am hoping to arrange some sort of get-together soon. I'm shy, like I mentioned above, but I am so glad I did this! I love going once a week and talking with other women who get my struggles and I feel really comfortable around a lot of them.

I also enrolled Landon and I in a music class on Saturdays and am encouraging some of the moms in the group to join as well. It's really fun, Landon loves it, and it's another way for me to meet more moms. I'm considering joining MOPS at my church if there's still room, but I haven't committed to it yet. I might go once just to see what it's all about before deciding if I want to join or not. I've also joined the site meetup.com, but have yet to go to an event. I have been chatting with a mom on there and we plan to meet sometime soon. My friend from my old job is forming a playgroup which we will be joining in a few weeks as well. I'm really excited about it and I think it will be good for both Landon and I. Not only do I want more mom friends, but I want Landon to be around other kids so he develops good social skills as he gets older since he's an only child right now.

What kinds of activities do the rest of you new moms out there do? How do you make mom friends?

Baby Products: 0-4 Months

2011-09-19T16:24:00.000-04:00

I've found a lot of really wonderful baby products lately that have worked great for Landon and I, and I wanted to share them since I know some of my readers are new or soon-to-be moms. I mentioned a few other things I loved in this post here.

I didn't get paid to write this or anything like that. I just want to help other moms out!

1. Graco Metrolite travel system

This is the exact travel system we got, it's the "Hathaway" pattern. I think it's exclusive to Buy Buy Baby. Anyway, I know some people don't like travel systems, but it works really well for us. I love that his infant seat just snaps right into the stroller. The stroller itself is easy to fold up and unfold, and it's not too heavy. We chose this particular travel system because it's supposed to be the lightest of the Graco systems. The car seat is pretty heavy with Landon in it, but he weighs around 16 or 17 lbs right now, so that's probably why. The stroller is great for our purposes. I don't know if I'd jog with it, but I don't plan on doing that anyway.

2. Sleepy Wrap

I just got this from Zulily. It was on sale for $21 and I heard rave reviews on it, so I figured I'd get one because you cannot beat that price. I have an Ergo Baby Sport carrier too and while I like it, I find it incredibly uncomfortable to sit down in, my back aches with it sometimes, and Landon gets hot because it's bulky, so I wanted to try something else. Landon loves being all snuggly and held and when I put him in this earlier today, he LOVED it! It's really just a huge piece of stretchy fabric, but you tie it a certain way and it becomes a carrier. The instructions were very clear and easy to follow. I definitely need to practice a bit more, but Landon was comfortable in it with my first attempt this morning. I also watched a few You Tube videos showing how to do it as well. I love the idea of being able to use this at the store or anywhere else really. A lot of moms also nurse their babies in one of these, but I don't know if I'm talented enough for that yet lol.

3. Woombie

This is my favorite product on the list and in my life right now. We have been having some serious sleep issues with Landon. He would not nap unless he was in a carrier which made it hard for me to get things done. His swing used to work, but not anymore. The entire past week or so, he has been getting up every 2-3 hours all night long and wouldn't go down to sleep until way too late. Both of us were exhausted and I was really frustrated because he used to sleep a 5-7 hour stretch followed by a couple 2-3 hour ones. I was having a hard time falling back to sleep after he'd wake up because I was frustrated, so I noticed a few things about his sleep during that time. Landon is very busy when he's awake, constantly moving, rolling, kicking, etc. He was doing that stuff in his sleep and waking himself up or startling himself awake. He was also scratching himself in the face. Everyone told me to swaddle him, which we did do the first few weeks, but he kept breaking out of the Swaddleme blankets we were using and neither of us could swaddle him well with an actual swaddling blanket. I ordered a Woombie over a month ago and forgot about it until yesterday. Out of sheer desperation, I decided to give it a try. The minute I zipped Landon up in it, he was passed out and slept 9 hours straight! He's taken a 1.5 hour nap today so far, a 45 minute nap, and is currently down for his third and final nap of the day all because of the Woombie. It keeps his busy little arms and legs calm and I think he likes the feeling of being snuggly and secure. I cannot say enough good things about this, just get one and save yourself a bunch of sleepless nights. I am kicking myself for not using this much sooner. I won't make that mistake with baby #2.

4. Swing

This is the Fisher Price My Little Lamb Swing. This was my lifesaver from weeks 8-14 as far as naps went. I would put Landon in here and was able to do my 30 Day Shred DVD and he would nap the entire time and then some. I used to get 2-3 hour naps from his with this. Now he likes to sit in it and look at the mobile and mirror, but no more naps. I like this swing a lot, but it's battery operated only, so I suggest getting rechargeable batteries like we did because it eats batteries really fast, or get the Snugabunny one which has a plug-in option as well as batteries.

5. Playmat

I'm pretty sure I've gone on and on about how awesome a playmat is. This is the Baby Einstein Around The World Discovery Mat. I like this one because it has a light up toy that plays music and the light blinks with the beat. Landon LOVES this thing. He loves the lights and mirror, and he's been grabbing at all of the toys and squealing at them! It's super cute and gives me a good 20-30 minutes in the morning to eat and pump while he's happily playing.

6. Video Monitor

I originally wasn't going to get a video monitor, but I am SO glad I did. Several of my real friends and Twitter friends convinced me that I needed one, and they were right. We got a Summer Infant one on sale from Amazon. It's great because it has the audio, but you can also zoom in and out and move the camera around to see your baby from many angles. Landon still sleeps in our room, but he will be going into his own room very soon and it will give me piece of mind to be able to check on him and make sure he's breathing whenever I want. I still shine my phone on him now to check breathing haha! It's also really nice for when he's napping. I kept thinking that our house isn't big, and I don't need to see him sleep, but I am such a worrier and this give me piece of mind and I don't have to keep going into the room and run the risk of disturbing Landon to check on him.

7. Dr. Brown's Bottles.

I don't really bottle feed Landon unless we're going out. I was using the Medela bottles that came with my pump and they worked great for awhile, but they're small. Now Landon will drink 5 ounces in a feeding sometimes and if we're going to be gone for awhile, it's easier to have more milk in one bottle instead of carrying around several bottles. I like these because they help prevent your baby from sucking in air which causes gas and that's not good. These are a pain in the butt to clean, but we like them. I don't know if I would buy them myself, but we got them as gifts. Landon hasn't had any gas issues, but if your baby does, these might be good for you.

8. Manhattan Winkel

Landon loves this toy. It's easy for him to grab and put in his mouth. He also likes to pull on the different tubes. He's not teething yet, but this toy is meant to be a teether as well and can be put in the fridge to make it cold.

Landon is 3 Months Old!

2011-09-03T12:11:00.004-04:00

Dear Landon,

Today marks 3 months since the day you were born. I can't believe it's been so long already, but at the same time I feel like it's flown by! This has been a big month for you as far as hitting milestones is concerned!

You are smiling and cooing a lot now. The cooing is louder and you are making many different sounds more often. It's absolutely adorable and makes me so happy! You are starting to grab at your "friends" on the playmat and hold onto them. You will also hold onto things we put in your hand. You also like to grab mommy's hair or tank top straps when you are upset! You love listening to music and when I sing to you. We are doing a music class with you later this month and I think you're going to love it!

You move constantly and your Dr. thinks you will be an early mover in terms of crawling and walking! You kick your strong legs and move your arms around all the time, especially when you're excited, which is adorable. You kick like a maniac in the bath and you really love the water and get upset when it's time to get out! You have also discovered your hands and really enjoy putting them in your mouth! Your favorite place in the world is still your changing pad and mommy can't figure out why! You are so smiley and happy on there and that's where I get the most coos from you.

Your neck is so much stronger and you can hold your head up for a good amount of time now. You aren't quite strong enough for your Bumbo seat yet, but I think you will be in a few weeks. When you were 11 weeks old, you gave me a HUGE shock when I put you on your tummy and you proceeded to roll over! I thought maybe it was a fluke, but each time I put you back on your tummy, you rolled back over, so I think it's safe to say that you have mastered rolling from tummy to back! Your daddy and I are so proud of you for doing that!

Your blue eyes are getting lighter and daddy and I hope you keep them. We think you will. You also have your dad's side part and we can't really do anything else with your hair, but it's very cute! I can't get over how different you look from when you were born and you are getting so big! You are currently around 15 lbs and you were 24.5 inches at your last Dr. appointment. My bet is you're around 25 inches now, but I don't know for sure. You are wearing 3-6 month clothing and are in size 2 diapers, but I think you will be in 3s very soon.

Normally, this is the month that I go back to teaching. I am so blessed that your daddy has a good job and we can afford to let me stay home with you. The thing I've wanted most in my life is to become a mother. You have made that dream a reality and I am so lucky and blessed that I get to spend my days with you. Your daddy and I love you very much and cannot wait to see what new things you learn next!

Accent Vlog!

2011-09-01T13:39:00.001-04:00

** Something is wrong with the video. I am going to try to fix it and re-post**

I decided to jump on the vlog bandwagon and post an accent vlog. I got the questions from Erin at Blue Eyed Bride. I really hate being recorded, but it's fun to place a voice with a face, so I thought it would be a cool thing to do. I think you can tell I was a bit uncomfortable doing this though haha. Let me know if you decide to do it too so I can watch!

Here are the questions I answered:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

And answer these questions:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you use to change the TV channel?

Crazy Baby!

2011-08-19T14:44:00.000-04:00

I took this video last night of Landon going a bit nuts in his crib! The funniest part is near the end. He absolutely LOVES to kick! Makes for some interesting diaper changes :)

Brain Dump

2011-08-15T13:54:00.000-04:00

I don't have a whole lot going on, so I am just going to give you a list of random stuff I've thinking about:

We have an ant invasion in our kitchen (small black ones). I am SO tired of killing them all the time and we have no idea how they're getting in! It's really gross and a lot of our food is on the dining room table right now, making it unusable. Any advice? We've used traps and Raid. I think we might just need to call an exterminator, but I worry about fumes with a 10 week old.
I'm really excited and ready for fall! I couldn't enjoy any of my pumpkin scented stuff last year because the smell of it made pregnant me want to puke.
I'm really looking forward to Landon's first Halloween. He's going to be a yellow duckie. I'm also really excited about his first Christmas, but we have a few months until then.
I'm thankful Landon will now nap in his swing. Gives me a chance to get a few things done and the kid needs sleep!
Speaking of Landon, he's 14.5 lbs and 24.5 inches now! The Dr. thinks he will be an early mover due to the fact that he could not stay still for his exam haha. He kicks anytime he's on the playmat, bed, crib, etc. He's cooing more and more and smiling a lot too. It's the best and totally brightens my day!
We are doing a Kindermusik class together as a family on Saturday mornings starting in September. I can't wait!
We are planning to return to church this Sunday. It will be the first time I've ever been there not pregnant (we started there in January). I don't know if I want to leave Landon in the nursery yet or not. Probably not. I hate leaving him, but I need to get over that.
We still haven't seen Harry Potter. We tried to go yesterday, but our babysitter (my mom) fell through.
I want to read "The Help" but do not have time right now.
I'm really excited for my Erin Condren Life Planner to get here! Jeff made fun of me for getting one, but I think it will really help me keep all of our schedules organized.
Jeff starts a new job and a brand new company on Thursday. Prayers that this company is successful are appreciated! I'm excited for him because it sounds like something he will be challenged in and really love. He was miserable at his other job for the last 1.5 years, so I'm glad he's doing something better now.
We're moving sometime in the relatively near future. Jeff would like to move in a few months, we'll see, but definitely within the next year. The idea of getting this house ready to sell is giving me anxiety. I need to do a massive clean out, but where is the time for that?
I have been having fun house hunting online in the towns we're looking at. I've discovered that I really love colonials and hate ranch houses unless they're raised.
I need a haircut badly.
It's SO weird to see everyone getting ready to go back to teaching and know that I won't be for a very long time. I'm so happy I get to stay home with Landon though! It's the best and I've never been happier!
I'm obsessed with Pinterest. If any of you are on there, my name is MrsMelissaKaz. I need to do several posts on the stuff I've pinned. It's so much fun!
I am trying to get into an exercise routine to lose the 10 lbs I started to lose before I got pregnant. All 32 lbs of my pregnancy weight fell off with no effort or healthy eating on my part due to nursing, but my jeans are still way too tight (I can zip them though, but sitting in them isn't happening) and my body doesn't look the same (maybe it never will). Everything else fits though! I am doing the 30 Day Shred when L naps and I feel great once I'm done! I am going to really try to stick with it and eat better (no diet tho, I don't want to ruin my milk supply) so I can be a bit thinner and healthier! I want to look good, feel good, and set an example for my son as he grows up.

Landon Is 2 Months Old!

2011-08-03T14:35:00.002-04:00

Dear Landon,

You are 2 months old today! You are growing up so fast and mommy and daddy are having a blast watching you learn new things!

You are cooing and smiling like crazy! It's the best thing ever and it really warms mommy's heart when you smile at her when you wake her in the morning for milk and a clean diaper. Speaking of milk, you want to nurse A LOT! You usually go 1-2 hours during the day, mostly 2 hours at this point. You will go 3 hours if you're napping, but you don't sleep well at night if you go that long during the day. At night, you want to eat more than during the day, so a lot of your time is spent nursing.

You do not like to nap! The only places that work for a nap are your swing or the Ergo carrier. You will nap maybe 1 1/2 hours, and then you're up! If you nap too much during the day, you are up every 2 hours at night. If you take less naps during the day, you will sleep 6-7 hours straight at night! Mommy is a bit concerned about your lack of naps, but you seem happy and healthy. We're still going to check with the Dr. about your sleeping habits though.

You love to play with your "friends" on your playmat, and you really love to look at yourself in the mirror. We often hear you cooing and yelling at yourself and your "friends." You like to be talked to and read to, so we do that as much as possible. You also smile when mommy sings to you, which I'm sure won't last as you grow because mommy is a terrible singer! You are getting much stronger neck muscles and are lifting your head a lot more during tummy time and when we hold you certain ways. You also focus on our faces better and look like you're really listening to us when we talk to you, even though you don't understand what we're saying yet.

You are loving your baths now and we love to watch you kick around like crazy! You look so serious when you're doing it and it's just so funny to watch!

You took your first big road trip a couple of weeks ago and you did amazingly well! You showed mommy that as long as there is a bottle pumped for you and somewhere to change you, that you can go places and it's not so hard!

You go for your shots next week and we can't wait to see how much you weigh and how long you are! Daddy and I think you're about 14 lbs, but we will see! You're a big boy and we love that! We also noticed that you got your dad's side part and we can't really make your hair do anything else but that. It's cute and I love that you have your daddy's hair. You still have beautiful blue eyes and we hope you keep those!

You wear a size 2 diaper now. Your 0-3 month Old Navy clothes are starting to get a bit tight, as are your Carter's 3 month clothes, but you're not ready to move into bigger clothes just yet. I think in a few weeks you might be ready for 3-6 month stuff. You also grew out of a lot of your socks, and even the bigger ones we have leave dents in your legs.

You are 14.5 lbs and 24.5 inches

The past 2 months have flown by, but mommy and daddy cannot imagine life without you! You have brought such joy into our lives and we just love and adore you!

Traveling By Car With An Infant

2011-07-28T15:36:00.007-04:00

Last Thursday- Sunday we were at a wedding in upstate NY. We made the decision to drive the 5 hours there instead of flying since I am terrified of airplanes, and refuse to go in the smaller ones, which is what we would have had to take. I knew about this wedding well before I gave birth to Landon, and have been worried about the long car ride with an infant ever since. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about! Landon was AWESOME and I feel much better about taking him out in public and for long car trips. I am by no means an expert, but I wanted to share some tips that worked really well for us:

Know that the trip will take longer than you think. A 5 hour drive turned into 7 hours with the stops, but it wasn't bad at all. Also, you will be packing a TON of stuff! Landon had his own suitcase and then some!
Sit in the back with your baby in case he/she gets upset and needs soothing.
We stopped every 2-2.5 hours. I didn't want Landon to go too long between feedings because if he doesn't get enough calories during the day, he will be up all night. I also didn't want him sitting in dirty diapers for a really long time.
If you are breastfeeding, pump a bottle or 2 before you leave and put it on ice in an insulated bag so you can bottle feed at 1 or 2 stops. I didn't do this on the way up, and it was kind of hard to nurse in the car. I am not comfortable nursing in public, even with my cover, so I had to do it in the backseat of the car. By pumping a few bottles, I was able to feed Landon a bit faster. I would feed a bottle one stop, and then nurse the next so I didn't get engorged or screw up my milk supply. I also did the bottle feed/nursing alternating at the rehearsal dinner and wedding so I didn't have to leave as much.
If you're going out to dinner, bring a bottle of breast milk so you don't have to go nurse in the car. Again, if you're cool with nursing in public, then you don't have to worry.
A HUGE fear of mine was changing Landon in a public bathroom. We stopped at a few McDonald's restaurants on the way to the wedding and back home because we knew they had baby changing stations. Sometimes the changing tables aren't the cleanest, so what I did was put a Pee Wee Pad under my nice changing pad so it didn't get all germy and gross. The Pee Wee Pads are disposable, so you just toss them when you're done. You could also put them on top of your changing pad so it doesn't get covered in bodily fluids.
Bring several plastic shopping bags to put soiled clothes in. Landon decided to poop all over one of the McDonald's changing tables, and I had to change his onesie. He also got poop on the changing pad, so I was glad to have bags to put this stuff in so it wouldn't make a mess if my diaper bag. I also used the bags for the washcloths I used to cover Landon's boy parts so he peed on those instead of me.
Have 2 changing pads in case your kid likes to poop on them like mine does. I was so glad we had a spare that we also used for the hotel changing station we set up in the room.
Bring at least 2 extra onesies in your diaper bag in case of leakage or poop/pee accidents while changing a diaper.
Not all restaurants/public places have baby changing tables. My opinion is that it should be a law that every women's room have one (men's rooms should too, but definitely women's rooms). I had to change Landon's diaper in the car, on a small bench in the bathroom at the rehearsal dinner, and on a tiny corner shelf at the wedding reception. Be ready to change a diaper anywhere.
Landon currently sleeps in a pack n play in our room. We brought this pack n play with us for him to sleep in at the hotel. I strongly believe that he slept just as well in the hotel as he does at home because he was familiar with the bed and felt comfortable there.
Bring some sort of toy. I regretted not bringing our activity mat, but I did bring a toy with a mirror to tie to his bed so he could look at that, and I had a rattle which he enjoyed playing with.
We brought an entire plastic box of wipes and used almost all of them. We weren't gone too long, but we needed way more than I expected. We also brought a ton of diapers. We did have some leftover, but you can never be too careful. I also had about 10 diapers in my diaper bag just in case. Sometimes Landon likes to poop the second after I change him into a fresh diaper. Again, you can never be too careful. Overpack that stuff!
Also overpack onesies. We didn't need every single one we packed, but it was good to have extras just in case. We also brought an extra sheet for the pack n play and a couple of sleep sacks.
If you are nursing, bring your pump! I didn't think I'd need mine, but I am SO glad I had it and used it several times. Along with that, I brought a new sponge and dish soap to wash my pump parts and bottles.
We didn't bring Landon's tub, but we did bring a bunch of washcloths, 2 towels, (in case he peed on one) and his bath shampoo/body wash. Jeff got in the tub with him and we bathed him that way. I did forget his special cup that prevents water and soap from getting into his eyes, and the duckie that tells us if the water is too hot, but that wasn't a huge deal.
If your baby likes to be worn, bring your carrier! Huge lifesaver for me at the rehearsal dinner. Also, don't forget your nursing pillow if you use one!

Here is Landon at the hotel playing with his rattle:

Show Us Your Life: How Did You Tell Your Husband/Family You Were Pregnant?

2011-07-16T19:23:00.000-04:00

I've decided to link up to Kelly's Korner's Show Us Your Life this week because I love the topic. I think I've posted this before, but here it is again:

I didn't do anything cute to tell my husband I was pregnant. I took the test around 4:30 when I got home from work because my period hadn't come even though it was due that day, and I usually get it in the morning, so I figured we were trying so, why not test? I was in total shock when 2 lines appeared pretty fast! I still had a couple hours before Jeff was due home from work and the wait was TORTURE! When he finally came home, I was at the door to greet him and he was on the phone with his mom! I told him to get off the phone immediately and he did because I never act like that. I blurted out that I took a pregnancy test and it was positive! He was shocked, gave me a big hug and asked to see the test. He though the fact that the second line was fainter was a bad thing, but I assured him a line was a line. He wanted me to take another test the next morning, which I did. I actually took 2 different brand tests, both turned positive almost immediately. Once that happened, I think it really hit home to Jeff that we were going to be parents!

First BFP. I took this pic before Jeff got home.

The second tests I took the next morning.

Telling our family was fun! We had plans to see my parents at Outback for their birthday the next day, so we decided to tell them in person. Before leaving for dinner, we called Jeff's mom first, he told her our news, and she was very excited, then we called his dad and stepmom. We had just seen them the weekend before, so it was kind of funny to call them and tell them I was pregnant and obviously was when we were visiting them but didn't know it yet! At dinner, I told my parents that I got a positive pregnancy test 2 days in a row and my mom thought I was kidding at first! She had to look at me to see that I was dead serious Both she and my dad cried, it was really cute! Then I called my brothers, who were up at UCONN and told them they were going to be uncles! They were super excited, and my brother Warren commented that he hoped it was a boy and it's cool that I can be the designated driver for the next 9 months hahaha!

We told a few close friends a week or 2 later, then told everyone else, including our extended families, around Thanksgiving time. I think I was 10 or 11 weeks when we spilled the beans. I was going to wait until 13 weeks, but we had seen the heartbeat several times, everything looked good, and I just knew this pregnancy was going to make it.

While we don't want to have that news to share again for a few years, it was really fun telling everyone and seeing them get all excited! Now we have this adorable little boy to love:

What I've Learned So Far

2011-07-12T16:42:00.002-04:00

Since so many ladies are pregnant/new moms right now, I thought I'd share what I've learned so far. Hopefully it will help someone, but all of this stuff is just my opinion.

Get a My Brest Friend pillow. It's sturdy and has been a lifesaver for me while feeding Landon. It's especially helpful if you have a big baby like I do (he's 11 lbs 10.5 oz now!)
Breastfeeding is REALLY hard at first. I wanted to give up basically every day and I cried over it a lot. Having a supportive husband was a huge help, as was a nipple shield. I still use it, but hopefully can get rid of it soon. It made a huge difference in Landon being able to latch. I still had pain though, which is normal at first.
If you are breastfeeding, invest in an electric pump. The hands-free ones are pricier, about $100 more, so don't get one of those. Get a normal electric pump (I have the Medela backpack one) and a hands-free bustier, which is like $20.
I love the Lily Padz more than the disposable nursing bra pads. They're reusable, waterproof so you can swim in them if you wanted, and they stop the leaking milk pretty well. I have had a few leaks, but those were my fault for not putting them on exactly right.
A lot of people love those sleeper gowns for babies. We HATED them! They were a huge pain in the butt to put on, and Landon leaked poop on one and taking it off made a big mess. We just put him in a onesie, then a Swaddle Me blanket at first (get those. So much easier than trying to swaddle with an actual blanket). Now we use a sleep sack. Landon seems to like his arms to be free and he doesn't wake himself up, so it's fine.
Don't bother with a pretty changing pad cover. Get a changing pad that has a wipeable surface. I can't count the number of times Landon has peed or pooped on the pad, and it's so easy to just wipe it down. Don't give yourself more stuff to wash, because believe me, you will have plenty as it is.
Landon isn't huge on pacifiers, but when he does take one, he likes the Avent Soothies. The hospital gave us one, and we bought several more. Very nice for when he's really upset.
Buy lots of burp cloths, but save the pretty ones for when you're in public. Just get the plain white ones for the house. You cannot have too many of these.
Get some sort of play mat. We have a Baby Einstein one and I can get a good 20 minutes to get stuff done while Landon is entertained by his "friends" dangling from the mat and the mirror.
We hate Huggies diapers. Pampers Swaddlers are working best for us right now.
Get some sort of bouncy seat or vibrating chair. We have the Fisher Price My Little Lamb seat and it's wonderful! Landon naps in it during the day sometimes and it allows me to take a shower while he's in the seat at the doorway of the bathroom so I can keep an eye on him while I get ready.

I think that's all I have for now! As Landon grows, I will continue to blog about what does and does not work for us. Feel free to chime in and let me know what you love or what you've learned so far!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T13:01:00.002-04:00

Two Years

2011-07-03T15:58:00.002-04:00

Today is our second anniversary! I can't believe it's been two years already! We've had a very busy, wonderful two years of marriage and I look forward to many more! This year is even sweeter because we have our baby boy :)

Landon is 1 Month Old!

2011-07-01T08:29:00.002-04:00

Dear Landon,

You are already 1 month old! I cannot believe how fast the time is going!

At our last Dr. appointment you weighed 10lbs. 9oz. (you exceeded the Dr's expectations of being around his birth weight of 9lbs. 10oz.) and was 22in. long. We go again on Tuesday and I'm guessing you're over 11lbs, but not 12lbs. yet. You fit into 0-3 month clothes in Old Navy and Baby Gap, 3 months in Carters, 3-6 months in the Gerber onesies, and a size 1 diaper. You never fit into newborn clothes or diapers.

You love being worn in the Ergo carrier and your My Little Lamb seat. I love it too because it allows me to shower every day! You're not really a fan of his swing yet, maybe you never will be. You're sleeping less during the day and going anywhere from 3-6 hour stretches at night. You did 6 hours last night and I feel well rested today because of it! You have been nursing during the day every 1-2 hours, which is hard, especially because you fuss between feedings sometimes, but I know it will get better in time. I'd rather you do that all day than at night. You also loves your Baby Einstein play mat and we tried tummy time yesterday. It went OK. You didn't love it, but we have to do it! You are really starting to like baths more, and I can't wait until you are old enough to splash around and play with your bath toys.

Tummy time before the crying began.

You like to sleep on my chest and did so for over an hour the other day. It's so sweet!

Chilling on mom and dad's bed

Landon, even though I've only been your mom for a month, I've really loved it so far! I'm really enjoying my time with you and you keeps me very busy! I have no idea where the hours in each day go, and I am so grateful I get to spend all of this time with you. You're the best and mommy and daddy love you very much!

1 month old

1 week old

Still Here

2011-06-23T11:22:00.000-04:00

I'm still alive, just very busy! Basically all I do every day is nurse Landon, change his diapers, nap when he naps or do housework, and play with him when he's awake. I'm loving it, but it doesn't give me much time for anything else!

Breastfeeding is still hard and overwhelming, but getting better. I got mastitis on the left side last week, so that was fun. I got antibiotics which I finished yesterday and I feel MUCH better! I hope it doesn't come back! I had a fever and body aches along with it, which is normal, and I felt like I had the flu! It was awful!

We went to the Dr. today and Landon now weighs 10lbs 9oz and is 22in long! I have a big boy! All of my worries that he wasn't getting enough breast milk are gone lol! He was 9lbs 10oz at birth, but 9lbs 1oz when we had him weighed 2 weeks ago, so he gained a lot of weight fast! The Dr. was really happy with it and said Landon gained more than he expected. I still have to nurse him every 2ish hours during the day, but that's fine with me! He told me I don't have to wake Landon up for night feedings anymore, but I'm sure Landon will still wake up on his own anyway! He's been sleeping 3-4 hour stretches at night, which has been amazing. I never thought I'd think 3 straight hours of sleep was good! It's incredible how you can function on so little sleep and you do get used to it. We have had a few difficult nights where Landon fusses unless he's being held and it's usually at like 4am when I want to sleep. He will be up for hours when that happens sometimes and it's hard. I am the one to hold him because Jeff needs to sleep and go to work. I feel bad for him since he's not getting a lot of sleep either and doesn't have the luxury of napping during the day like I do.

Tomorrow Landon turns 3 weeks old. I can't believe it's been that long already, but at the same time I feel like he's been with us forever and I can't imagine life without him!

That's pretty much all I have going on right now! I hope everyone is doing well! :)

Mommyhood so far

2011-06-08T23:10:00.001-04:00

I am loving being a mom, but I'm very busy! I have to feed the baby every 2 hours, so my life basically revolves around his eating schedule. Breastfeeding is the hardest thing I have ever done. I've definitely had some really frustrating moments already, but it's so important to me to feed my son this way, so I am sticking through it. Between my frustration and my crazy postpartum hormones, it's been a rough couple days, but today was awesome! We went to a lactation consultant who told us that Landon is re-gaining the weight (less than a pound) that he lost after birth, his color is good, I am feeding him correctly, and I am making a lot of milk! I feel SO MUCH better now! Also, a few of my friends with kids went through the same thing and I feel better knowing I am not the only one who has cried over all of this. Jeff has been incredibly supportive and I would not be getting through any of this without him. I have even more respect for single moms now because I see how important support from your partner is. I'm dreading when Jeff goes back to work next Wednesday, but I think Landon and I will be fine! :)

I will leave you tonight with my favorite pic of Landon so far:

Landon's Birth Story

2011-06-05T21:53:00.001-04:00

First, thank you all for your sweet comments on my last post! We just got home today and Landon is currently fed, dry, and sleeping, so I figured I'd tell you the birth story while I had the chance!

Some of this is TMI, but I won't get too graphic. If you're easily squeamish, skip to the end of the post for cute pictures:

All day Thursday I was getting period like cramps. I didn't think much of it and I was able to go about my day. One thing I found odd was that I did absolutely nothing but chill and sit all day and needed an afternoon nap, which has not been normal for me if I've done nothing. Around 7pm, I was sitting on the couch, playing on my laptop when I felt a jab down low and then a gush of fluid. I immediately stood up and felt another gush. I went to the bathroom to see if I had peed myself, but I was able to go pee quite a bit, and I just knew my water had broken. I called down to Jeff who was in his man cave, and then we called the Dr. She said to go to the hospital and let them check to see if I really did break my water or not. On the way to labor and delivery, I felt yet another gush of fluid. The mistake I made was not wearing a pad for them to check and going pee again. They did 2 different tests on me and said I did not break my water, I peed myself three times. Meanwhile, I was getting stronger cramps, but nothing consistent or unbearable. I was checked, dilated 1cm like I was earlier that week at my appointment, and sent home. I was mad because I KNEW it wasn't pee and later on, my Dr. agreed with me.

I was sent home around 11pm, we stopped for some dinner for Jeff and got home around 12:30. We were back home and my cramping was getting worse. I was trying to watch TV in bed and could not get comfortable. I kept going between bed and the bathroom and I was definitely losing my mucous plug. The cramping got stronger and I thought maybe I was having contractions. Jeff started timing them and they were coming about 4-5 minutes apart and did that for an hour. I called my Dr. again around 2am and she said if they were consistent to go back to the hospital. By then I was getting intense contractions about 3 minutes apart and I was really uncomfortable and couldn't do anything when I was having one but breathe through it. Jeff and I headed back, I was taken in again and checked. I was dilated to 4cm in a matter of a few hours! I knew that I was far enough along for an epidural, so I asked for one and was given it within an hour. By then my contractions were 60-90 seconds in duration and 2-3 minutes apart, so I was barely getting a break and it was really awful. Once I got the epidural I felt awesome! I don't know how anyone does this with no medicine, but I have a lot of respect for them. There is no way I could ever do that.

By 8am I was 10cm dilated, so my labor was really fast! I pushed for 2 hours and that was the most exhausting part. I felt no pain, but A LOT of pressure and near the end it was unbearable. It felt really good to finally push Landon out at 10:05am. He was born on June 3, weighing 9lbs 10oz and 21 inches long. I do have stitches now and they're painful, but I didn't tear that badly and while I'm sore, it's really not THAT bad. I'm shocked that I'm not worse due to Landon's size.

We stayed at the hospital for 2 nights and felt very well taken care of. We loved my labor and delivery nurse as well as the nurses that took care of Landon and I during our stay. One in particular was a huge help and we got her twice. We got home today and so far, we are doing very well. I am breastfeeding and I think my milk is about to come in! That has been a much more challenging experience than I expected, but it's getting easier and it's so worth it to me. Jeff has been absolutely amazing through this entire thing and I couldn't do it without him. We are so in love with our son and so happy he decided to come a bit early!

Landon Is Here!

2011-06-03T22:30:00.001-04:00

Landon James arrived this morning at 10:05! I was in labor for about 8 hours, pushed for 2 hours and we now have our beautiful son! He's 9 lbs 10 oz and 21 inches long. He's big and heavy, just like I said he'd be!

I will definitely post the birth story when we're home and settled, but all of us are doing great and we're excited to be a family of three! :)

39 Weeks- Still Pregnant!

2011-05-31T16:53:00.000-04:00

I'm due in a week! I can't believe it! I had a Dr. appointment today and yet another ultrasound to determine Landon's size. This time he was measuring about 8.5 lbs. The Dr. is guessing he will weigh about 9.5 lbs when he's born. I've made some progress in the dilation/effacement department too which was nice to hear, but it isn't much. My Dr. said we will see how much more progress I've made by my appointment in a week and talk induction then if we need to. I don't think they want me going too far past my due date since he's on the bigger side. I'm very nervous about pushing out a big baby, but the 2 Drs. who have given me ultrasounds have said that I'm tall and they are confident that I can do this. They also said his head isn't HUGE and the fact that it's so far down in my pelvis is a good sign that he will fit. Obviously we don't want a c-section unless needed, but I also don't want horrible tearing down below. I'm definitely feeling anxious about everything and my higher blood pressure this week reflected that.

I finished with work last Friday and I love not having to get up early or lesson plan anymore! I know once Landon gets here I will not sleep much, but until then, I am enjoying my rest and feeling so lucky that I get to be a SAHM!

Here's my 39 week pic taken by my husband. I'm big!

38 Weeks!

2011-05-24T07:28:00.000-04:00

First, thank you all for the sweet comments on the nursery! We're really happy with it! We actually found some shelving this past weekend, so I will be sure to add a picture of it once I get all of Landon's toys and books on it!

I would be thrilled if this was the last pregnancy post I made, but I have a feeling Landon is going to be late and I will wind up being induced. Jeff thinks he will come on or near his due date because his head is so low and I have a lot of pressure in that area. I've made zero progress towards labor so far, but I know that can change in an instant and that being dilated or effaced could still mean a few more weeks of pregnancy. I am seeing the Dr. today at 3:15, so we'll see if she has anything new to tell me! I have been getting more cramps, but nothing consistent. I really don't want to go late since Landon is probably already big and the longer he stays inside of me, the bigger he will get. Some Drs. will let you go 2 weeks late and I think I will die if that happens to me! We have the car seat installed, the diaper bag packed for the baby, and the hospital bag packed for us, all we need now is the baby!

I have a bit of a cold which sucks and it needs to go away ASAP. My lower back still hurts, as does my pelvis, but no more than it did last week. Walking around is hard, and so is getting up from a sitting or laying position. I am getting up 3-4 times per night to pee, but I can still fall back to sleep fast, which is great! Speaking of peeing, the newest thing is peeing, then standing up and feeling like I have to pee again, so I sit right back down and get like a little trickle out. So irritating haha! I know it's not a UTI, just a pregnancy related annoyance. My feet and hands are pretty swollen now and that kind of came all of a sudden last weekend and is here to stay. I can only wear flip flops on my feet (I even wore them to a wedding we went to this past weekend. I didn't have a choice!) and cannot wear either my wedding or engagement rings anymore which makes me sad. This week is supposed to be hot, so I'm expecting to be even puffier and more miserable than usual, but I will manage.

Friday is my last day of work. It's definitely kind of bittersweet because I do love teaching and won't be going back for a very long time, but I am so ready to meet my baby and become a stay-at-home-mom. It's always been my dream and I'm so excited that I can do it! My job is awesome and is giving me 3 weeks of maternity leave (the amount of time left in the school year) instead of disability, which is what I thought I was getting. This means I get full pay until the last day of school, which is much better than 60% of my salary!

My next post will either be week 39 which will no doubt include some complaining about still being pregnant even though I won't be at my due date yet, or a post announcing the birth of my son! Almost there! :)

Here's my 38 week belly:

The Nursery!

2011-05-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

I'm finally posting about the nursery! We still have a few minor things to do: Hang up a couple of pictures and find some shelving to display all of Landon's toys and books, but the major stuff is done.

The stuffed bear will not be in the crib when Landon is.

We are going to hang up a picture above the changing pad and that lamp is going away.

One of 2 closets in the room. This isn't even half of his clothes. It's some of the 0-3 month stuff and some of the 3-6 month stuff. The rest of his clothes are in the dresser. I want to get more hangers so I can hang up a bit more stuff! The other closet is being used as storage for the books, some toys, the bathtub, etc.

37 Weeks- Full Term!

2011-05-17T08:00:00.039-04:00

I'm now considered full term! I'm so grateful to have made it to this point because not everyone does. I'm very uncomfortable though, so Landon can come out anytime now! I have a strong feeling he will be late though, which means he will have even more time to gain weight. The kid weighs more now with 3 weeks to go than some of my friends' babies did at birth at 40-41 weeks lol.

Like I mentioned above, I am really uncomfortable! My pelvis hurts all the time, making walking difficult. Landon likes to hang out on my sciatic nerve and that is killer! My lower back aches and I have a lot of pressure "down there" due to how low my baby's head is. I waddle and I am going much slower than I'm used to (normally I am a really fast walker). If I'm not sitting, I'm not happy lol. We ran a few errands on Saturday and I actually had to go sit in the car while we were at Costco because I was in so much pain, I had cramps, and my hands and feet were swollen. Thank goodness I teach middle school and can sit most of the day! Speaking of work... I am having the Dr. write me a note this week at my Wednesday appointment telling work that my last day will be Friday, May 27th. That's next week and I cannot believe I'm at the point where I am leaving work due to pregnancy! I am looking forward to sleeping and relaxing as much as I possibly can before Landon is born! I will miss my students and teaching, but I've always wanted to be a stay at home mom and I am so lucky that I can do that.

We are meeting with a pediatrician this afternoon that my friend loves. Unless something goes majorly wrong, we will be taking our son to him. Jeff really wanted to meet him before deciding for sure, so I made an appointment. I've heard nothing but good things about this Dr. so I look forward to meeting him!

In spite of my recent complaints, I have enjoyed being pregnant for the most part. The first trimester/beginning of the second trimester sucked because I was puking and/or feeling sick a lot, and this 9th month has been kind of hellish so far, but otherwise, it's been really easy and fun! I love feeling and seeing Landon move around inside of me and I will definitely miss that once he's born.

I'm starting to get anxiety about giving birth, especially knowing that this baby is not small. I know it will all be OK in the end, it's just the unknown for me that's scary. I've also never had stitches before and I am pretty much guaranteed them given Landon's size, so that makes me a bit nervous. I am so getting an epidural ASAP and I know it will all be fine. I was reading "What To Expect While Expecting" last night and had to put it away because it was freaking me out so much! I won't be reading anymore of that book during my pregnancy!

Here's my 37 week belly:

Landon Update!

2011-05-13T18:10:00.000-04:00

I'm so happy Blogger is back! I've been dying to post about my appointment!

I went and had my 36 week ultrasound yesterday. Landon is estimated to be 7 lbs 11 oz already (give or take 1 pound). All of the measurements the Dr. did said he was measuring anywhere from 38 weeks to 39 weeks, 5 days, so he's going to be a big boy! I know ultrasounds aren't exact, the Dr. herself said that, but I think it's right in my case and this is going to be a big baby! My Dr. said I am built to have big babies and she isn't worried about it at all, which makes me feel better. His head is VERY low (hence the constant pressure and pain I have downtown), but I still feel him up in my ribs, so the kid is also long. He's taking after his mom and uncles! The Dr. is guessing he will be at least 9 lbs at birth since babies gain about half a pound a week and I have 4 weeks to go. I am now preparing myself for the idea that I will more than likely tear or have to have an episiotomy. I HATE the idea of getting stitches down there (I've never had stitches before and that is a hell of a place to get them for the first time), but it will all be worth it!

Even though knowing he's big makes me a bit more nervous for the birth, I'm actually happy he will be a bit more sturdy and strong due to his size! I won't be as afraid to handle him since he will be a bit beefy lol

36 Weeks!

2011-05-10T07:30:00.002-04:00

I'm 36 weeks pregnant! 1 more week until I'm full term! I say it every week, but this pregnancy has really gone so, so fast! It still seems surreal to me at times that I am going to be someone's mother very soon!

I'm really tired and getting uncomfortable. It hurts to walk because my lower back and pelvis ache. I'm still sleeping pretty well, but I can't seem to get enough of it! I've also been getting horrible leg cramps here and there. I got one Friday night/Saturday morning and it was a bad charlie horse that came and went 3 times within a few minutes. My leg still hurts from it and the pain was intense when I was going through it. I also think Landon is hitting nerves down there because I get some shooting pains where my legs meet the rest of my body. They're painful, shocking, and happening at least once a day. I plan on talking to my Dr. about writing me a note to leave work about 1.5 weeks before my due date so I can just rest and be uncomfortable in peace. I want to be able to tie up loose ends at work, prepare my students, and talk to the person/people covering my classes before I go.

I also cannot see my lower belly anymore and I haven't really looked at my entire body in the mirror recently. I was using the faculty bathroom at work the other day, and there's a big mirror in there, so I took a look at my stomach and was horrified to see a bunch of stretch marks on my lower stomach! I had NO IDEA they were there! They're red and angry looking and I was genuinely upset about them for a few days. I also have them on my left hip and a little bit on both boobs. They say it's genetic, but my mom got none with 3 HUGE babies, so I thought I would take after her... WRONG! I was so shocked to see any on my stomach because I really thought I was going to be like my mom. Not that I was going to anyway, but I won't be wearing a bikini ever again because no one wants to see these. I know they will fade and I plan on getting cream to help that along. I'm OK with them now. My poor husband had to hear me complain about them and be upset for a few days, so he's been super sweet about making sure that I know he still thinks I'm beautiful and all that and it's made me feel a lot better. I still think the stretch marks are super ugly, but having Landon is so worth it and I wouldn't give up this experience for anything. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a huuuuge deal. I have had an easy, uncomplicated pregnancy, and both Landon and I are healthy, which I am so grateful for. It was just a bit shocking and I'm hormonal, hence the overreaction and vain behavior on my part.

Everyone thinks Landon is going to be big. One of my bosses, who has given birth to 5 kids, told me today that she thinks I have a big baby in there! I will find out more info at my appointment on Thursday when they do an ultrasound. If I get any interesting news, I will be sure to post about it. I'm excited to see him once more before I give birth to him! I cannot believe we're in the home stretch! I've started packing our hospital bags and Jeff needs to install the car seat bases into our cars!

Here's my 36 week belly:

35 Weeks!

2011-05-03T07:22:00.000-04:00

I'm 35 weeks today and it dawned on me yesterday that I will be considered full term in 2 weeks! That's insane!

Not much new here. I am swelling a lot, so I can manage to fit my wedding band on my finger, but having both that and my engagement ring on at the same time is a bad idea. Not sure why I can wear one ring and not the other since they're the same size, but at least I can wear something! I'm hot all the time and the warmer weather doesn't help anything. I'm still sleeping well. I do get up to use the bathroom several times each night, but I fall back to sleep quickly. I am definitely getting more tired faster and I'm looking forward to being done with work in a few weeks.

I went to the Dr. last week and everything looks great, but she did say that she can tell by feeling my stomach that the baby isn't going to be "a tiny pipsqueak." This makes me a bit nervous since I was 11.5 lbs at birth, Warren was 10.5 lbs, and Kurt was 9.5 lbs. The only reason Kurt didn't get to my weight is because my mom was induced 2 weeks early to prevent that. My grandfather was 13 lbs. so I come from a family of big babies and it looks like my son might be following suit. I told the Dr. all of this, so she is going to give me an ultrasound next week when I go in to see just how big Landon is! I think he's long too since I know his head is down low, but I still feel kicks and various body parts up in my ribs and I have a long torso!

On a completely different note, today is my husband's 29th birthday! He always said he wanted a kid by the time he was 30, and he's getting one a little bit sooner than that! :)

Here's my 35 week belly:

34 Weeks!

2011-04-26T07:23:00.000-04:00

34 weeks today, only about 6 more weeks to go! I definitely don't want Landon to get here too early, but I am so done with being pregnant and he can come as soon as I'm full term! I'm tired, my feet and hands are swollen (but I can still wear my rings thank goodness), and everything on my lower half hurts, especially my back and pelvis. I definitely have the pregnant waddle now, which Jeff finds amusing. I'm hot all the time and wake up sweating a lot, which is so gross! I'm still feeling lots of movement, but even that is starting to get uncomfortable. I think Landon might be a long baby because I'm carrying high and can feel him up near my ribs, but my Dr. also told me his head was "right there" when she checked my cervix a couple of weeks ago. I have a long torso, so he has plenty of room to stretch out haha. My brothers and I were all long babies, so I think Landon might be taking after us in that area. I've been craving ice chips all the time, which I know is kind of weird. I read that it could be a sign of an iron deficiency, so I will be asking my Dr. about that on Thursday. Speaking of the Dr. I go in again at 36 weeks for one last ultrasound, then I start going once a week until the baby is born! We are getting so close now and I can't believe it!

The nursery is just about done, all Jeff needs to do is hang up a few pictures. It's such a small room, and I wish I was able to do a bit more with it, but it looks really cute and I can't wait to show it to all of you! As soon as Jeff finishes hanging stuff up, I will do a post :) I am nesting big time, which is actually kind of fun and I feel very productive when I get stuff done! I'm always exhausted and sore after I do it, but at the time, I feel great haha

Quick prayer request before I get to my belly shot. A friend/co-worker of mine was due on August 4th, but she had her son last Monday at only 24 weeks, 4 days gestation. He was 1 lb 8 oz when he was born, and he's fighting in the NICU. They have a long road and rollercoaster ride ahead of them and I know they could use all the prayers they could get for their little boy.

Here's my 34 week belly:

33 Weeks and My Baby Shower!

2011-04-19T07:25:00.000-04:00

I'm 33 weeks pregnant today! I'm still feeling pretty good, but getting tired very easily and dealing with a little insomnia some nights. I've been getting a little cramping and feeling some pain and pressure "down there" so my Dr. decided to check my cervix last week which wasn't terribly pleasant. She said everything looks great and that Landon is head down, which was wonderful to hear! I'm glad he's in position and will most likely not move out of it before he's born. I like knowing he's head down also because I now know it's his little feet lodging in my ribs and it's his little tush that I feel sticking out near my belly button sometimes! I'm also glad I'm not dilated or anything like that yet! I want him to stay inside until at least 37 weeks, then he can come whenever he's ready! I will deal with being uncomfy as long as I have to in order to be sure that he's healthy! I have also started getting swollen feet and hands. I gained 8 lbs in 2 weeks and the nurse was so confused why that was happening until she saw my feet. I guess I am retaining a lot of water and need to drink as much water as possible! My feet feel better when I put them up, so I am doing that as much as I can, whether I'm at work or not. The Dr. said my blood pressure is great, so this is just a lovely side effect of pregnancy for me to deal with.

The nursery is just about done now that we got a ton of the stuff for it at the baby shower! We need to hang a few pictures and find some nice shelves, then it's all set! I am loving how cute everything looks and I can't wait to post pictures!

Here's my 33 week belly. Someone asked me where I get my maternity dresses. Most of them are from Old Navy and I think they might make some of them in non-pregnant sizes as well.

This past Saturday was my baby shower which was held in my school's dining room. Our family and friends were incredibly generous to us! We really only have a few small things left to buy because everyone got us the big stuff which was so sweet. My mom and MIL planned the shower and did an amazing job! The color theme was blue, white, and brown like the nursery, there was a clothesline with outfits for every holiday/event in the first year of Landon's life, my friend had everyone decorate a onesie for him, and we ate a lot of food! It was overwhelming how generous everyone was and it's so nice to see how loved Landon is already. My shower was not Jack and Jill, but my husband, his dad, my dad, and my brothers came about an hour (should have been 30 min, but we ran over) before it ended and Jeff helped me open presents! Our house looked like an episode of "Hoarders" once we got everything inside, but my MIL, SIL and I spent a lot of time yesterday sorting through everything and now the house looks so much better. I've also washed every single piece of clothing, washcloths, blankets, towels, etc. that we got. This kid doesn't need any clothes anytime soon!

My advice for moms to be who have not registered yet: Do NOT register for clothes, PJ's, socks, or blankets. People will get/make you all that stuff anyway and they will get whatever they think is cute.

Time for the pictures!

We're going to use the little blue tree in Landon's room at Christmas time!

My MIL made the cookies.

My mom ordered the cake! Chocolate per my request :)

Centerpieces with glass baby bottles used as vases.

Onesies designed by the guests.

The candy station I requested. Everyone loved it! :)

All of our stuff! It took 2 SUVs and a sedan to get it all back to our house! Of course it was pouring rain which made it all the more fun to get everything inside...

Jeff and I

2011-04-15T07:40:00.024-04:00

I'm stealing this from Faith. Sorry for the wonky formatting. Blogger has been a HUGE pain in the butt about using pictures without massive spaces between the words and pics. Anyone know how to fix that?

How long have you been together?
4 years and 3 months. We've been married 1 year and 9 months.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
A few weeks

Who asked who out?
Jeff asked me out.

Did you go to the same school?
Nope

Who is the most sensitive?
Me and I was even before I got pregnant!

What about pets?
We have a cat named Peanut.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Probably Buffalo Wild Wings

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Vegas last March.

Who has the craziest exes?
Jeff lol.

Who has the worst temper?
I do. My fuse is a lot shorter than Jeff's, however, if he's pushed too far, he has a bad temper too. It just takes him a lot longer to get to the explosion point.

Who does the cooking?
Usually me, but since I got pregnant I never cook, so Jeff right now.

Who is more social?
Me.

Who is the neat freak?
Me.

Who is the most stubborn?
Me. It's one of my flaws and I am trying to work on it.

Who hogs the bed?
Neither of us right now. Jeff would have said I do before I got my pregnancy pillow!

Who wakes up earlier?
During the week for work, I do. On weekends, Jeff usually does.

Where was your first date?
Starbucks. We met on match.com, so I wanted to meet him in a public place in case he was psycho lol.

How long did it take to get serious?
About a month, not long at all.

Who eats more?
I do right now. I'm pregnant and Jeff is on a diet!

Who does the laundry?
Me.

Who drives when you are together?
Jeff! I hate driving and he hates my driving! I will be the DD on occasion though.

Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong?
Jeff. I have a hard time with admitting I'm wrong sometimes. I'm working on it.

Who wears the pants in the relationship?
In general, I do, but I would definitely say Jeff is the head of the house. He manages our finances and stuff like that and I love it because those are things I'm bad at. I'm really great at spending money, but that's it haha

Who eats more sweets?
We both definitely have a sweet tooth, but I eat more sweets. Always have, even before the pregnancy.

32 Weeks!

2011-04-12T07:20:00.000-04:00

Today I enter into my 8th month of pregnancy already! I'm still feeling pretty good! I'm sleeping well, not through the night, but I can fall back to sleep pretty fast most of the time. What's been annoying is that I usually wake up at 6am on work days, but my body keeps waking me up anytime 5am of after and I wind up just laying in bed dozing off here and there for that last hour. I wish I could just sleep until my alarm goes off! I'm also getting really hot throughout the day and night and wake up sweaty sometimes. It's so gross!

Landon is moving around a lot and I'm feeling HUGE. I didn't realize just how big I am until I saw pictures from my work benefit this past weekend. I still thought of myself as small, but my belly and boobs are definitely not small anymore! Kind of weird to think you look one way when you look the opposite! I also have a few stretch marks on my left hip. They're small and will be hidden if I ever wear a bathing suit, so no big deal, but I was hoping to make it through this pregnancy with none!

We had our childbirth prep class on Sunday and it was a long day, but we learned a lot. Jeff and I really enjoyed touring the labor/delivery rooms, and the post-partum rooms. I am delivering at a really nice hospital with big rooms that kind of remind me more of a hotel than a hospital. I feel a bit better about the whole birth process and I think as long as I have an epidural I will be just fine.

This Saturday is my baby shower and I'm really excited about that! I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends and celebrating baby Landon!

Here's me at 32 weeks. I got my hair cut yesterday and it's pretty short. You can kind of tell in this pic, even though it's a bit blurry.

Things I'm Loving Right Now

2011-04-08T09:30:00.001-04:00

1. Sephora by OPI nail colour drying drops- These are AMAZING! They really make your polish dry super fast! My friend Shannon got me a bottle of this for my birthday a year ago and I've been hooked ever since!

2. Old Navy maternity shirts and dresses. They have some really cute stuff right now and the prices are reasonable! I do find the dresses to be a bit big, but one run through the washer and dryer and they shrink a little and fit pretty well.

3. Keebler Peanut Butter Filled Cookies. They're like Tagalongs, but they have a chocolate cookie inside. They're not as good as the Girl Scout Cookies, but since those aren't around all year, these are a nice replacement.

4. Bath and Body Works Peach Bellini hand soap. I can't drink a real bellini right now, but this soap smells awesome! We prefer the foaming soap in our household.

5. Shopping but trying to save money at the same time! Check out my Shopping tab for my favorite sites to get great deals for both adults and kids! There's invites to join some of the sites if you haven't already.

* I don't get compensated for any of this. I just like this stuff and wanted to share it with you :)

31 Weeks!

2011-04-05T07:18:00.000-04:00

I'm 31 weeks today and feeling pretty good! Not much new to say and about 9 weeks to go until my due date! Jeff and I are going to an infant care class tonight and our childbirth class is on Sunday. I registered for these classes months ago and I can't believe it's already time to go to them! We have my work benefit on Saturday, and I got a cute dress for that, and then my baby shower is next Saturday! I cannot believe how fast everything is coming!

My main issues this week are that I am constantly hot and sweaty, I'm hungry a lot, but get full fast, and my stomach is itchy since it's getting bigger and my skin is stretching out. I'm trying to drink lots of water and I'm still sleeping OK most nights.

Here's my 31 week belly:

Weekend Recap

2011-04-03T10:44:00.000-04:00

We had a great weekend!

On Friday, Jeff and I met up with a friend of mine from college and her husband for dinner at Outback. Any time we go out with them, we wind up talking for hours and lose track of the time. It was a lot of fun and Jeff and I both passed out when we got home since we were out later than we had planned!

On Saturday, we went to see "The Lincoln Lawyer" which was excellent. Then, we came home, watched the Yankees win (I am SO happy baseball is back), and then watched the Uconn men make it to the finals. I also finished reading "Water for Elephants" and I really enjoyed it. Now I can't wait to see the movie!

Today I am lesson planning, doing housework, washing clothes, and relaxing. I have a busy week ahead with an infant care class on Tuesday, dinner with friends on Wednesday night, and visiting my friend and her brand new baby boy named Declan on Thursday after work. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Show Us Your Life- Tell Us About Your Church

2011-03-31T21:21:00.000-04:00

I haven't done Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" in a long time, but I love this week's theme: church!

A little background info first: I did not grow up super religious. I've always believed, but I didn't really go to church or anything. I met Jeff and quickly found out that his dad is a minister and his mom works in a church. Obviously he grew up going to church every Sunday and had a strong religious background. He was OK with me not having one because I was willing to learn, go to church, and raise any children we might have with a strong church background. Once we got engaged, we decided we should try to find a church, but we never got around to it. Same thing when we got married. We always meant to do it, but never did it. I know that's bad, but that's the way it was.

Then, I got pregnant. We decided it was time to get really serious about finding a church so that our son will grow up with that in his life. Once I started feeling better with my morning sickness (around 17 or 18 weeks) we decided it was time to go to church. We absolutely love the church Jeff's mom works at on Long Island (we got married there). We wanted something more modern since that was what we were used to. Jeff talked to his mom, and she told him about Willow Creek, which helped Jeff find us a church on Old Greenwich. We started going around Christmas, the kids' pageant was actually our first time there and we loved it.

Jeff and I go to Presbyterian Church of Old Greenwich. We felt welcomed there immediately and I really love the kids' programs they have. That was hugely important to us considering that we're having a child very soon. There's people our age there, and we love the fact that the service is modern, but still follows some traditions, and it reminds us a lot of the church we love on LI. We decided to begin the membership process, so we met with the Pastor, then a few elders, and now we are church members as of February! Everyone has been so nice to us and they're very excited about our baby boy! It kind of amazes me since they don't know us well yet, but it's been wonderful. One of the deacons invited us to lunch at her yacht club a couple weeks ago, and we had such a great time with her. I just love the sense of family at our church and hope that someday we can make someone feel as welcomed there as we do. Once the baby is born, I think both of us will get more involved than we are now, and I look forward to that. Jeff and I are excited to finally be part of a church and we look forward to bringing our children up as part of this church family!

30 Weeks!

2011-03-29T07:30:00.000-04:00

I have about 10 weeks left in this pregnancy and I can't believe it! Things are going well, but I am super tired and starting to get uncomfortable. The baby likes to put body parts in my ribs, which makes it hard to sit. I also hate being back at work. It was really nice to have a couple weeks to just relax and I will definitely be taking a couple weeks off of work before my due date to rest some more. I can't see my feet too well anymore, so polishing my toenails is hard and I think I will start getting pedicures so I don't have to deal with it. I see the Dr. on Thursday and then I get to start going every 2 weeks. Good thing the office is 5 minutes from where I work, so it's nice and easy to get to!

I am in serious nesting mode and I think Jeff kind of is too! He painted the nursery and put together the crib, glider, and dresser this weekend! The room looks great and I feel much better that it will be done before Landon gets here! All that's left is decorating, and I know people got me a lot of the decor stuff off my registry for my baby shower, and I need to wash all the clothes and blankets. I'm holding off on that because it's too early yet and I know I'm going to get more clothes and stuff at the shower, so I figured I should wait until I had everything.

Here's my 30 week belly. Some of my co-workers told me that I "popped" over the break:

Mommy Advice

2011-03-24T23:31:00.000-04:00

As my due date gets closer (About 11 weeks to go!) I get more and more excited to meet our son, but anxious about how much everything is going to change. What I would love is for all of you veteran moms to chime in and tell me what you wish you knew about childbirth, breast feeding, taking care of an infant, whatever! I'd also love to hear about any products that you just could not live without!

29 Weeks!

2011-03-22T12:55:00.000-04:00

I always thought 30 weeks was a huge milestone in pregnancy. Not sure why, maybe because that means there's only 8-10 weeks left, but regardless, I am so close to 30 weeks now and it just amazes me. I have a Dr. appointment next week, then I start going every 2 weeks instead of every 4! I feel like I already live at the Dr. and now I will be there even more!

I'm feeling good, but let's see how I do next week when spring break is over and I'm at work again! I was sick with a cold all of last week which sucked because you really can't take much for a cold when you're pregnant, but I feel much better now. I can tell that Landon is running out of room in there because I can feel/see a lot more of his kicks and movement. It's really cool and I spent most of church on Sunday watching my belly move instead of paying attention to the sermon! Oops! My back is hurting again, but I have a massage planned for tomorrow, so hopefully that helps. I've been getting Braxton-Hicks contractions for the past couple of weeks. They don't hurt and my Dr. said they're harmless as long as I don't have pain and they aren't coming at regular intervals. They last about 30 seconds if that and come whenever they want, no consistent pattern, so it's all good.

I also passed my glucose test! YAY! I'm so happy I don't have to do the 3 hour test or deal with gestational diabetes and a really strict diet. I'm a very picky eater as it is, so I would have starved!

Jeff is in the process of painting the nursery! We have the crib already and I ordered the rest of the furniture, so he can assemble everything soon. Based on my registry stalking, (did any of you do that? I did it with my wedding one too) I am getting a lot of the nursery stuff (curtains, wall art, etc) for my baby shower next month, so I should have nursery pictures to show within the next month or so! I'm really excited to see it all come together!

Here's my 29 week belly shot taken a few minutes ago:

Elton John Concert

2011-03-17T15:18:00.000-04:00

Last night Jeff and I went to NYC to see Elton John in concert! It was my 4th show and Jeff's 3rd and honestly, I was a bit disappointed! The beginning was great, he was singing songs everyone knew, we were all pumped up, and it was fun! Then, he had this really old dude who I guess is a rock legend and in the hall of fame named Leon Russell come out. They have done some tours together, which I purposely didn't go to because I don't care for Leon Russell and wanted to avoid it. We figured they'd do maybe 3 or 4 songs together and that would be it. WRONG! It went on for an hour and I didn't know a single song they sang and there were like 10 of them! I know most artists do sing some of their new songs at a concert, and I totally respect that, but an hour was way too much and I was getting super pissed. When Leon Russell FINALLY left the stage, Elton started singing his old hits again and I was happy and not bored anymore.

This has nothing to do with Elton John himself, but the seats at MSG were really uncomfortable and there was almost no leg room! Jeff is sort of tall at 6'1" and I'm tall and pregnant, so we were really uncomfy and my back was killing me by the end of the show. Also, the 3 women in front of us couldn't have been more annoying! They kept getting up to get drinks, switch seats, etc. I felt so bad for the 2 people who had the aisle seats and had to keep standing up to let these women leave. They never all left at the same time and one of them was either getting up to leave or going back to her seat every 5-10 minutes. I was getting so pissed and it really didn't affect me too much. When the 2 seats next to us that were also aisle seats cleared, we told the couple who had to keep getting up to come sit with us so they could actually enjoy the show. I couldn't believe how rude those 3 women were! It was absolutely ridiculous! Once the other people moved, they did apologize and stopped leaving every 30 seconds, but they decided to stand up and dance like idiots instead. To their credit, they did keep asking Jeff if he wanted to switch seats since we were in the back row and they were worried they were blocking our view. They weren't and the last thing I wanted to do was move. They were also super late to the show, and between that and constantly getting up, I don't know why they bothered coming.

All in all, Elton did sing his hits and did a great job with that, but it wasn't my favorite concert of his by a long shot. My favorite based on songs was at Mohegan Sun a little over a year ago, and seat-wise, the best was in Hartford when we had seats in the 21st row. Those were a V-day gift from Jeff. We won't be going to a concert again anytime soon, but I was a bit sad that my last time seeing Elton John for who knows how long kind of sucked. With all of the walking and getting home late, I am BEAT today! I can't do nearly as much as I used to and I am still getting used to that!

28 Weeks!

2011-03-15T14:15:00.000-04:00

Today marks the beginning of my third trimester! I can't believe in about 12 weeks I will be meeting my baby boy! 2 of my friends had their sons within 2 days of each other (Saturday and yesterday) and seeing pics and hearing how amazing their birth experiences were makes me all the more anxious and excited to have my baby! Part of me wants it to be June right now, and the other part wants to enjoy what's left of my pregnancy.

I took my 1 hour glucose tolerance test this morning. I got to drink fruit punch flavored sugary stuff instead of the orange (the lab tech said the fruit punch is so much better), which was a pleasant surprise. It wasn't that bad and waiting for an hour for them to take my blood wasn't a huge deal either. I really hope I passed so I don't have to do the 3 hour one though haha! Having gestational diabetes would be a disaster for me since I'm such a picky eater anyway and they put you on a very strict diet. I'd probably starve!

I'm feeling pretty good! I'm very tired and my lower back is killing me on and off, but I'm managing. I can't see certain parts of my body anymore which makes some things challenging! I'm off of work until March 28th for spring break, so it's really nice to rest all day and sleep late! I scheduled a pregnancy massage for next week and I cannot wait for that! I'm also going to see Elton John tomorrow night, so it will be Landon's first concert too in a way! I love that he can hear now and hopefully he enjoys the concert too!

The nursery is ready to be painted! Last Saturday, Jeff and my parents moved the couch out of out basement, and all of Jeff's office stuff down to the basement. Jeff still has an office, and the baby's room is completely empty! We're going to pick out paint and Jeff will actually paint the room sometime next week hopefully. Then we can start putting together the crib and ordering the rest of the furniture we want. I feel so much better now that the room is cleared out because that was the hardest part of this whole thing! I'll be sure to post pictures as we make progress.

I've gained 18 lbs so far, which isn't bad and it's all belly. I still have some time, but so far, my hips and butt have stayed the same size which is nice! I do have a few varicose veins on my left leg, and those are gross, but whatever. I'm also starting to get that ugly line on my stomach that most pregnant women get. I'm getting sooo tired of my maternity clothes! I feel like I'm wearing the same shirts/dresses over and over again, which gets old, but there's no point in buying too much stuff since I won't get to wear it forever! Also, maternity clothes are really expensive if you don't go to an outlet, find a sale, or go to Old Navy! They also fit weird sometimes.

Here's the belly this week:

Girl Scout Cookies

2011-03-10T13:03:00.000-05:00

I finally got my order of Girl Scout cookies today! I may or may not have eaten almost an entire box of Tagalongs already... They really need to put more than 15 in a box.

The good news is I can stomach peanut butter again! That was a pretty big food aversion through most of this pregnancy, but I've been handling the Tagalongs just fine today lol

27 Weeks

2011-03-08T07:31:00.000-05:00

This is the last week of my second trimester and my due date is 3 months away! I can't believe it!

Aside from the dehydration episode from last week, which you can read about below, I'm feeling pretty good! I tire easily, but I manage. I've also been drinking a lot more water so I don't wind up in the emergency room again and that's been making me feel much better. My latest craving is cereal. I can't get enough of it! There's definitely worse thing I could be eating, so I'm fine with it. When I got weighed at the hospital, I've gained about 15 lbs from when I found I was pregnant till now. I don't think that's too bad, we'll see what my Dr. says when I see her on Thursday.

I had parent conferences last Thursday and Friday, which made for very long days. After the first day, I was so sore from sitting on a folding chair for hours on end, so I brought a pillow for day 2 and it made a HUGE difference! I need to remember that my body is very different now than it was before and I need to take it easy and do things a bit differently.

I was looking at my first belly picture from when I was 10 weeks and I had to laugh. I was a tiny bit bloated, but definitely not looking pregnant at all. Seeing what I looked like then and now is amusing and I can't believe how small I was compared to my size now! I am happy that I've really only gained in my stomach. I have pretty big hips and thighs to begin with, so I'm glad they haven't gotten bigger yet! Hopefully they don't! See for yourself:

27 weeks, 10 weeks:

A Little Scary!

2011-03-02T11:20:00.000-05:00

I spent yesterday afternoon in the emergency room. I had to leave while students were in the room, some knew where I was going, and they were a little worried.

Basically, I had been feeling really lightheaded on and off all day, so I called my Dr. during my free period after lunch and asked if that was a normal pregnancy thing. She told me to go to labor and delivery ASAP to get checked out, which was not what I expected to hear! I called Jeff, got my neighbor to cover my last class, and went on my way. The hospital is like 5 minutes from work, so that was good. Labor and delivery had no beds, which I guess is odd for them, and since I wasn't having contractions or bleeding, they sent me to the emergency room downstairs. In the end, I was dehydrated and needed IV fluid. I was told to stay home today and rest along with drinking lots of water at all times. I thought I was getting enough and pee SO MUCH as it is, so I don't know how this will work, but I will figure something out. I'm so grateful it was nothing super serious! I also got to hear Landon's heartbeat again, and that's always awesome!

The nicest thing was when I e-mailed the school secretary and the head of school to let them know I had to leave and needed coverage for my afternoon activity, the head of school offered to drive me to the hospital! I didn't get the e-mail saying that till after I was home, but I thought that was such a nice thing of her to offer. Our old head never would have done that, and I just love how supportive our new heard of school has been with everyone's pregnancies this year.

26 Weeks!

2011-03-01T07:20:00.000-05:00

Happy March! I can't believe I will be having my baby in about 3 months! This year and pregnancy are flying by for me!

I'm 26 weeks today and feeling pretty good! I'm really tired, but do get random spurts of energy here and there. I took advantage of one this weekend and did some massive cleaning, but now my legs are sore and I'm paying for it. I really need to learn to slow down. I tend to be a very fast walker/mover, and that's just not working for me anymore because it hurts. I'm sleeping pretty well, but my body loves to wake me up an hour or so before I have to get up and I can't fall back asleep! I might doze a little bit, but it's not a deep sleep and that's getting really annoying, especially because I don't do that on the weekends when I can sleep late.

I'm still craving Double Stuf Oreos and strawberry frosted Pop Tarts. I'm trying to eat fruit and veggies too, but those aren't as much fun haha. According to our scale at home when I weighed myself yesterday afternoon, I've gained about 13 lbs total so far, but we will see what the Dr. says next week. It's kind of hard seeing the largest number I've ever seen when weighing myself, but it's all for a good reason and I know I will lose it eventually.

Here's my 26 week belly:

99 Days?

2011-02-28T07:41:00.000-05:00

I noticed on my ticker this morning that I am now in the double digits in the countdown until my due date! I know that most babies are not born on their due dates, but I am in shock that I have less than 100 days (give or take) left until I could possibly have a baby! This pregnancy is flying by much faster than I expected! The funny thing is that the first trimester dragged on and on, but now I feel like time is slipping away from me!

25 Weeks!

2011-02-22T07:34:00.001-05:00

Today marks my 25th week of pregnancy. Nothing all that new to report. I'm still feeling good, just tired/lazy, and I'm getting bigger of course. I'm feeling Landon kick and move more and more, and Jeff has been able to feel him more and actually see my stomach move a bit too, which has been awesome. I'm definitely getting more wobbly and it's harder to keep my balance. This is an issue since it's still winter and it just snowed again. My school did not do a good job of salting the ice patches this morning (they basically didn't do it at all) and I had to be extremely careful walking in.

My newest craving has been frosted strawberry Pop Tarts. Another pregnant friend of mine gave me some and I'm hooked hahaha

Here's my 25 week belly. I just got an iphone and I am trying to get used to using it to take pics of myself. I haven't mastered doing it with 1 hand yet hahaha. My belly definitely looks a bit bigger in person than it does in this pic. I'm twisted a bit in order to take a pic :)

Weekend Recap

2011-02-21T11:19:00.000-05:00

I love long weekends! Not having to face Mondays for work is awesome and now the rest of the week will fly by!

On Friday, Jeff's mom came to visit for the weekend. Jeff had to work late, so we hung out at the house then met up with him for dinner at PF Chang's.

On Saturday, Jeff pretty much had to work from 9am-1am. He had about 4 hours off in the afternoon, so we met him for a movie and dinner. We saw "The King's Speech" which I really enjoyed, then we had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Before we met Jeff, my MIL and I hung out, watched TV, and I did my lesson planning since I knew Jeff wouldn't have to work the rest of the weekend. I'm so glad I got that out of the way early.

Yesterday, Jeff and I became members of the church we have been going to for the past couple of months. We have been meaning to find a church forever, and then I got pregnant and we decided that now was the time. It's really important to us that our son grows up with church in his life, so now he's all set with that! After church, we went to Milford to go to Babies R Us and lunch at Red Robin. I got myself a breast pump at Babies R Us, which is thrilling lol. I didn't want to register for that because I feel it's weird to ask people to get me things related to breastfeeding. Lunch at Red Robin was amazing. I got a burger with cheddar cheese, bacon, and a fried egg on top! It was delicious and I know we will be going back for more burgers soon! I had also been sent a text by Verizon recently telling me I was due for an upgrade. Jeff just got an iphone, and I wanted one, so we went to the Verizon store to see what the deal was and I got my phone! Jeff tried to tell me "not today" even when we found out that I got the phone at the discounted price as long as I signed a new 2 year contract. My response was "I'm carrying your child" so I got what I wanted and made the sales guy laugh hahaha. It was his idea to go to the store and check it out, so I don't know why he'd think I'd be willing to wait! I'm obsessed with the phone now though. It's so awesome and basically a mini computer!

It freakin snowed again last nigh, so I think we're staying in today. I am washing clothes now and will be doing our sheets later this afternoon. My MIL is leaving at some point today and it was nice having her visit! It's a good thing we like each other and get along since Jeff had to work for half of the weekend!

24 Weeks!

2011-02-15T07:29:00.000-05:00

Today marks the beginning of my 6th month of pregnancy and the final month of the second trimester. When I realized that, I kind of freaked out! This is going by so fast and we have lots to do!

I'm still feeling good, but very tired and my back hurts from time to time, especially when I sit for too long. I also had a few rough days with my hormones being crazy and it caused me to be overly emotional. Jeff is a saint for being so patient with me and I'm so lucky to have him. I feel better and more like myself now. Landon is moving around a lot, especially very early in the morning and then in the evenings. He is definitely getting stronger and I can visibly see my stomach move more when he kicks me. My skin is super dry, but no stretch marks yet and I hope it stays that way! My belly button looks weird though. It's not sticking out, but the top is out a tiny bit and the whole thing looks like it's flattening out, which is normal, but so weird to see. I really hope it doesn't pop out all the way!

We started cleaning out Jeff's office so we can turn it into the nursery. We got rid of a lot of stuff, but I still feel like there's so much more to do! Jeff has a lot of crap, but most of it that's left he actually needs. I am dreading the whole cleaning out the basement and moving the office down there project, but we have family to help us out which is good.

Here's me at 24 weeks:

23 Weeks!

2011-02-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

The weeks just keep flying by! I'm feeling great and the baby is moving around a lot in there! It's the best thing in the world and I know I will miss that once this little guy is born. He's getting much stronger and I can visibly see some of his kicks at times, which is awesome. My back has been hurting along with my left hip, but I finally bought myself a pregnancy pillow and it worked wonders last night! I love it!

I've gained 8 lbs so far, which is pretty good, especially considering what I have been eating lol. This past week I craved McDonald's, which I gave in and ate (I know, bad!) and Double Stuf Oreos. I cannot get enough of those and can eat an entire row at a time if I let myself. I'm trying to balance it out with fruits as well, which are also yummy and I do crave them on occasion. We won't even talk about all the crap I ate during the Super Bowl on Sunday.

We ordered the crib, mattress, etc. and baby bedding this week! Next up is finding a dresser to match the crib (I don't want a changing table because we'll use it for like 2 years and that's it. I want a low dresser and I will put a nice changing pad on top) and picking out a glider. We also need to start actually cleaning out Jeff's office and moving him to the basement so we can paint the nursery! My parents have offered to help us move stuff, which is good since I really can't do any heavy lifting.

My baby shower is going to be in April, and my mom and MIL are hosting it. I've been trying to get my registry all set and I have a few things I really want incorporated into my shower, so I shared those ideas with my mom and MIL and will share them with all of you once we have the shower. One of my favorite ideas I stole from my friend's recent baby shower, and she got it from another friend's shower.

We've also picked out his name! As many of you know, it was between Jackson (Jack) or Landon with James being the middle name no matter what in honor of Jeffs great-grandfather. I might have written about it on here before, but Jeff's mom's side of the family has a tradition of giving every boy a "J" name, and Jackson was the only one we agreed on that wasn't taken by 500 other people already. Jeff then watched the World Cup and developed a man crush on Landon Donovan, and told me he'd break the "J" name tradition if we could use Landon. Jeff and I have both felt like this little boy is more of a Landon than a Jackson. I can't really explain why I feel this way, but I just feel in my gut that he's meant to be named Landon James, so my son will be named after a soccer player and his paternal great grandfather lol. Knowing a name for your child is "the one" is kind of like knowing your husband or your wedding dress is "the one" you just know and it feels right. I'm also kind of pumped that we're breaking that "J" name tradition because I think it's stupid haha! I did tell Jeff though that if we have another boy, we cannot use a "J" name because that's not fair to have one kid break the tradition and the other one not. He agreed, so Jackson will never be used by us, as cute of a name as it is.

Here's my 23 week belly:

22 Weeks

2011-02-03T07:37:00.000-05:00

... and 2 days! I haven't gone to work since Monday due to the snow and ice we got, so I decided to wait until I was wearing something other than PJ's to take my belly picture for this week!

I'm feeling great! I went to the Dr. on Monday, and she said everything looks perfect and we got to hear out son's heartbeat again, which is always fun! He's been kicking me a lot, sometimes hard enough for me to see my stomach move! I can feel kicks both on the inside (duh) and the outside. Jeff finally got to feel them yesterday morning too, and I missed it because I was fast asleep haha! He said it was around 6am, and he decided to put his hands on my belly and got to feel the kicks! I'm so glad he can finally feel our son too, I think he was starting to feel left out! My only complaint right now is hip pain. I've always slept on my left side, which is best when you're pregnant anyway, but even with a pillow between my legs and our nice temperpedic mattress, my left hip is killing me from laying on it all night! Any suggestions for how to fix this? I can't fall asleep unless I'm on my left side, but I have noticed I wake up on my right side a lot more now.

I've been craving fruit lately, mainly blackberries and Granny Smith apples. I think this is my baby's way of telling me I need to eat better! Vegetables always have and still turn me off completely, but I'm enjoying fruit a lot right now. I got some frozen strawberry bars that are made from 100% juice and have fruit chunks in them. They're so good, even though it's freezing outside!

Here's me at 22 weeks, 2 days. I'm definitely getting bigger, which one of my health class girls pointed out the other day haha!:

We FINALLY Picked Out Nursery Bedding!

2011-01-31T09:00:00.014-05:00

We found out the baby's gender 3 weeks ago. If you know me, the fact that it took 3 weeks to decide on bedding says a lot. I usually know exactly what I want immediately, which is why my wedding was so easy to plan. Deciding on a theme for our nursery was one of the most difficult things we had to do. We both wanted something with blue in it, but Jeff really wanted a cutsey animal or sports theme and I wanted something a bit more "adult" like stripes and polka-dots. I found this set on Buy Buy Baby and showed it to Jeff along with two other sets we liked in the past and told him to pick one. The one he picked was my favorite, but he didn't know it. I love this bedding because it combines what we wanted! I get my stripes and polka-dots, and Jeff gets a cute turtle theme. I also love that we can (and will) get some of the coordinating accessories! We are going to get espresso colored furniture and paint the walls a light shade of blue. I will definitely post pictures when we get it all done, but that won't be any time soon :P

Also, I know quilts are a suffocation hazard, the quilt will not be used on the baby, nor will the bumpers be used in the crib for the same reason. They come with the set, and the other stuff I need isn't sold separately, so I don't have a choice. The quilt will be used for decoration somewhere, and the bumpers will hide in a closet or something lol

Here it is! It's called "Mod Turtle" by Kids Line

Baby Bargains

2011-01-29T11:10:00.000-05:00

I'm sure all of you that are pregnant out there already know about this book, but I wanted to share for anyone who doesn't or is going to try for a baby soon! My friend told me about this book and called it "the Bible." Now I get why because I actually opened it up last night and used it. This book is AMAZING! It does all of the hard research work for you and you just read and get to decide what products are best for you and your family! It breaks everything you could think of that's baby related down by price and gives it a letter grade based on quality. It factors in any recalls, poor customer service, etc. It's a MUST for any pregnant woman! I was able to register for a lot of our big ticket items (stroller, car seats, high chair, etc) last night after doing my research with this book. I think a new edition is coming out this spring, so I'd wait to get that one if you can. My baby shower is in April, so I had to get this version, which is the 8th edition.

* I did not get asked to write this, nor did I get paid. I just wanted to share this amazing book with all of you. I hope someone finds it helpful.

21 Weeks!

2011-01-25T07:49:00.000-05:00

I'm now at the point where I have less weeks of being pregnant left than weeks I've already completed! That's nuts to me! Not much new to report this week. Baby boy is the length of a banana and I am feeling him move and kick a lot! I actually felt one kick on the outside of my stomach yesterday, and that was awesome! I can't wait for my husband to be able to feel the baby move. I think he's jealous that I can feel him and he can't right now haha! I'm feeling pretty good aside from one vomiting episode last week that came out of nowhere! I am finding that if I pack too much stuff into a day or weekend, that I pay for it the following day. I actually stayed home yesterday because I made myself sick from trying to do too much over the weekend, so I am trying to remember to slow down and relax when possible.

We're still trying to figure out our son's name and nursery design, and we need to get going with the registry. My mom and I decided on a date in April for my baby shower, but I'm glad I don't have to actually plan it! The idea of registering is overwhelming. There's so much stuff out there and it's hard to decide what's best for you and your baby!

Here's my 21 week belly. Not sure why the picture is blurry.: