This Crazy Beautiful Life

New Layout

2012-02-19T17:43:00.000-05:00

So I'm sure you guys are use to me changing my layout quite frequently but normally I just surf the internet for "free blog layouts". Why- because I am lazy and didn't have a clue how to do it myself. But now thanks to Becky at From Mrs to Mama I finally was able to do something a little nicer, a little more "me". So what do we think? Hopefully this one will be around for a while. If you are completely clueless like I was and need a hand, head over to Becky's blog where she posted a how to with lots of helpful links to redo your blog.

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T10:20:00.001-05:00

Hoping you all have a wonderful Valentines Day full of love and spending it with the people you care about

I can use what???

2012-02-13T12:35:00.001-05:00

So I don't know about you, but my house has been taken over with baby products. Toys, clothes, diapers. EVERYWHERE! I don't have one room in my house that doesn't have baby gear of some type. But you know what? I'm going to make this work in my favor.

Have you ever looked at something and thought, there has to be a better use for this? Well there is, at least for about half of the random baby stuff laying around. Don't believe me? Well you should....

Source

Baby Wipes- Did you know baby wipes double as a great makeup remover? I figured this out on one of our many trips we have taken with bubs, during which I realized I hadn't packed my makeup remover. Pulled out a baby wipe and tada.... Gone!
They also come in handy cleaning up pretty much everything, Spilled soda- yep, dusting the car- yep. you name it these things will help clean it.

* Plus the boxes come in super handy as little storage containers once they're empty

Source

Baby Powder- We got about 50 million things of this before Ethan was born, and haven't used it once. Well except when my hair is all blah and limp, and I need something to help freshen in back up if I am too rushed to wash it ( Shocker, I don't wash my hair every day.... oh wait I'm a mom, thats not really a shocker I guess).
Add just a tiny ( I mean tiny, don't dump the whole thing on your head...) bit to your roots and brush it thru. Plus its so much cheaper then that dry shampoo you can get from the store.

Too Small Onsies- Other then helping out and donating them to charity they make great dust rags ( as do burp clothes if you no longer then those.

The Boppy- I think I use this more as a pillow then Ethan does, but its so comfortable!!

Stuffed Toys- So kids will be kids, and after a while get really bored with toys. Well instead of tossing them or donating them. Give them the family pet. Our dogs have loved receiving a few of Ethans toys that he cares nothing about.

See told you there were random uses for stuff. Of course this makes me look like a hoarder...I'm not I promise ( normally ;)

Weight Loss Wednesday

2012-02-08T11:40:00.000-05:00

Wow I actually remember to post this on wednesday! Go Me!!

All dressed up for lunch with a friend and the Bubs

Look! No double chin! Woo Hoo!

Weight this week- 244

Weight loss so far- 46

Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-Yep, they're kind of snug, but they fit which is progress. Now I have to get them to be too big on me so I can have a shopping trip!!

Eating-Definitely paying more attention to calories and sodium. Did you know a pack of Lance peanut butter crackers has 310mg of sodium in them? Yeah me either, and my personal trainer says I should only have 500-1000 mg total a day. Wow!

Exercise- Started seeing a personal trainer to whip me into shape, of course then I broke my elbow so it looks like its only cardio for the next month for me.

( Probably a good thing she is fierce! She made Tim puke because he was working so hard... just don't tell Tim I ratted him out ;)

How do I feel - Annoyed. I really wanted to take full advantage of the gym ( classes, trainer etc) but because I'm a klutz I'm limited to cardio equipment

Happy 5 Months to my little Nugget!

2012-02-07T21:41:00.003-05:00

Weight:

16lbs 9oz. Home boy is a chunky little thing!

Height:

25 1/2 inches

Clothing Size:

Finally in mostly 3-6 months, but this poor kid has short little legs so all of his pants are way too long and have to be rolled up for him to wear.

Diapers

Size 2 Huggies

Feeding:

Yummmmmm, lunch!

Mom, serious what is this!

So we started him on solids. Thus far he has tried prunes, rice cereal, oatmeal, and just yesterday tried carrots for the first time. I was finally able to pull out the baby bullet and put it to good use. Too bad he doesn't seem to be a fan of the carrots I made. Otherwise he is still taking about 30 oz of formula a day which is bitter sweet, because I'm having trouble keeping up lately.

Hair:

Its back! I have a feeling he is going to take after the Hubs and have really coarse hair, because whats growing in is all over the place.

Sleep:

Ha, sleeping is a joke in my house recently. Thanks to teething ( yet still no visible teeth) and the fact that he would rather play at 2 am, nobody in my house has got a full night sleep in the last month. He wakes up at least twice every night and then after the second wake up blatantly refuses to go back to bed without a bottle. Yeah I made a trip to Barnes and Noble today... I think its time to start trying to sleep train.

Likes:

Squealing- The first few times we heard him do this we thought something was wrong (pain, hunger, something) but after a few times we saw him start laughing up a storm

Being Held- ALL THE TIME! Yeah we are working really hard to breaking this horrible habit

Outside- Something about being outside calms him right down

Footballs- Bubs has 2 footballs ( a stuffed one, and one with a bizillion holes in it so he can hold it) and they are pretty much the only thing he wants to play with lately. NFL here we come!

Mirrors- Every time we walk past one he laughs and talks to "the baby in the mirror"

Dislikes:

Sleep- Duh
Carrots- Or maybe just my cooking? The jury is still out on this one
Road trips- This is weird because up until recently he loved road trips

Milestones:

Rolling both back to front and front to back.
He has also mastered the tripod sit and has been trying to hard to sit without any support lately
Solids, we tried out of desperation and come to find out he was totally ready for them

Love makes the world go round

2012-02-07T08:54:00.011-05:00

So in honor of Valentines Day Becky at From Mrs. to Mama is hosting a little link up that I decided to participate in. Its all about love... More specifically in my case me and the Hubs so I thought this would be a fun way to kick off Valentines day.

1. How long have you and your significant other been together? We've known each other for 9 Years ( Holy Cow!!) and married for 3 years in August.

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}Tim and I met back in 2003 when I was a freshman in college while I worked at Subway. He came in about 5 minutes before closing one night, after I had everything cleaned and was ready to walk out the door. I pitched a huge fit, and was actually pretty mean.. ( what can I say I was 18, selfish and it was a friday night). But despite my attitude and the fact that I looked like a hot mess ( I don't think a day went by in the 3 years I worked there that I didn't get mustard on my work shirt, and this night was no exception) he came in every day and asked me for my phone number, which I always told him no. I had just got out of a relationship and wasn't wanting to start a new one, especially with a older, navy guy. Finally one day to get him to leave me alone I took his number, and after some harassment from my 2 best friends I gave him a call. He hasn't been able to get rid of me since.

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? We were married August 1, 2009 on the hottest day of the year. We didn't have much of a choice since we had a 2 week break between workups with Tim's job, where he would be gone.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? We got married in Norfolk Va at the Sheraton Hotel which was wonderful because it is right on the river, so we had our ceremony outside looking over the river and then the reception inside. Of course in true Shannon and Tim fashion we ended up picking the hottest day of the year to get married on... Go us! We had about 50 guest and danced the night away.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? I rarely call the hubs "Tim". Its almost always Timmy or TW ( short for Timothy Wayne). He normally refers to me as " Your Highness..." ok just kidding, normally its babe, or Shan.
6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey. Yes I could list all the physical things ( because I married a hottie, so I have lots of things to list there) but otherwise he makes me laugh more then anyone I know. He loves me even at times when I don't think I really deserve it, and he isn't just a loving and caring husband, but he is such a good father with Ethan and Aubrey that it always makes my heart melt a little bit.

7. Tell us how he proposed? Tim recreated our first date, including dinner at Outback, a movie( we saw Lakeview Terrace), and then a walk on the beach. It was freezing that night ( just like our first date actually) So I didn't feel like staying at the ocean front very long, but Tim insisted and convinced me to walk down to the water. Once we got there he dropped to one knee and gave me a quick speech about love and then pulled out..... pearl earrings!!! He started laughing , and I followed right along, until I noticed he was still on one knee with another box. He then continued his little speech and opened the box to reveal my engagement ring. It couldn't have been more perfect.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals? Neither, he is practical. He is always listening so when I say randomly one day that I would love " insert really random thing here" and then forget about it he remembers and magically gets me said thing. Which is always better then flowers or champagne

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch? Definitely a pop in a movie type of girl,but I like to go out sometimes too

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere? Tim is really into snowboarding but we never get to go, and when we do its just to local ski resorts ( ie nothing but tiny mountains and fake snow). I would love to be able to surprise him with a trip to Aspen for a week or so. Who knows... maybe sometime soon it will happen

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day. Not much. Tim works, so we will probably just have a quiet night in with a nice home cooked meal and snuggles on the couch while watching a movie.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day? The winning lottery numbers? Otherwise no. I think it takes away from how special a gift is if you have to ask for it.

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love. Know that its ok to fight some times. But when you do, fight the right way, not back handed and childishly. Having different opinions and working thru that can help you grow as not only a couple, but as individuals.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

Love is never being afraid to be yourself.

Weekend "Break" down

2012-02-06T21:17:00.007-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I love going to KY to visit family ( mostly my amazing step daughter Aubrey)?

Well if I haven't just an FYI I love KY... Most of the time.

We planned a impromptu trip to KY this past weekend so Ethan could see his big sis. Up until now my little angel has been just that.. An angel. However someone (Egor??) has decided that he will not sleep in cars any longer, and if we want him to not scream the entire 9 hour drive then someone had better park their butt in the back seat next to him. So we did, for the entire 9 hour trip take turns hanging out in the back seat making stupid faces, popping a paci back into his highness mouth. No worries, we get to KY at 1am Saturday am, and decided we are too tired to pull out the pack and play so we stick Ethan in bed with us and all decide to call it a night, until about 7 am that is. Then Ethan decided that it was time for everyone to wake up. So up we get and try to convince Tim's step mom to come to breakfast with us but she isn't interested so we go alone then head 45 minutes away to see Aubs.

Now there is one thing that is always a must when we are in or near Lexington, and thats go to Mi Pequena Hacienda. If your ever near Lexington, then trust me you want to EAT HERE!! So 3 ( and a half) full bellys later we decide we wanted to go roller skating.

Now just an FYI when I was high school I was good at this, like really really good ( be jealous, trust me) however it has been atleast 10 years since I went skating, but I figured it would be like riding a bike again. Well it wasn't. Tim went out with Aubrey first while Ethan and I hung out and watched, and as usual he picked up on it right away despite never going before. Ok so my turn... Put my skates on ( no roller blades, darn!), Stand up ( so far so good), start moving ( Oh boy), Finally make it to the actual rink, and start skating. Now by skating I mean waving my arms like a maniac praying I don't fall ( I can do it, I can do it!).

Lap one really shaky but done. Lap two, still shaky but I'm ok. Lap three, alright I got this, I CAN DO THIS.

Then it happened. Some super talented 5 year old wiped me out. Now by wipe out I mean they got too close and I panicked resulting in arms flailing, legs moving in all sorts of directions and like slow motion I ( at least to me) fell, right on my left side.

Now normally you fall, and get back up and keep going while laughing about it. This however was no laughing matter. It didn't look deformed, but the nurse in me KNEW I had broke my arm. So up I go, back to the table where my wonderful husband was laughing at me ( guess thats what I get for joking him about how HE would fall). I put a smile on my face, tell everyone I'm ok and I just need to rest. I don't want to ruin our visit with Aubs, we had only been with her for about 3 hours. So there I sit holding my little wiggle worm smile on the outside, crying on the inside. After about an hour of sucking it up I guess my mask was breaking because Tim could tell something wasn't right. Luckily the skating rink was closing to prepare for night time skating so off to to the mall we went.

After getting Aubrey a mini makeover at the MAC counter ( my favorite) and doing a little window shopping I decided we couldn't take anymore. I pulled Tim aside and told him we needed to get me to a hospital, but I wanted to go to dinner first ( Why? because I'm stubborn that's why). Off to dinner we go. By that point I wasn't even really trying to fake like I was ok. My arm was killing me! I could couldn't move it at all.

So dinner comes and goes and Tim and I decide that it would be best to drop me off at the ER and while he takes Aubrey home.

Have you ever had x-rays taken on a broke arm? Well let me tell you- IT SUCKS. Your arm is already throbbing and then they try and get you to move your arm in all sorts of positions that just are not possible. So after screaming and crying like a 2 year old, the x-ray tech takes it upon herself to position my arm, since I'm incapable of following directions. Capable yes.... willing? No. Poor thing probably heard more curse words in my screaming fit then she had her in her entire life time, but we got it done.

About 30 minutes later, back in my "room", I was greeted by a pleasant physicians assistant.

" So you broke your elbow"

" Wait I did what?"

"Your elbow, you broke it"

( it was right at this point that Tim and Ethan walked in)

"So we are going to splint your arm and you can get in fixed when you get back to Virginia"

And that was that. The PA and a nurse put a heavy, uncomfortable splint from my elbow to my finger tips and sent me on my way with a disk of the xrays and a prescription for pain medicine. ( Not that they do any good since I have a baby who needs to not get high off of vicodin).

I don't even surprise myself any more

Fast forward to today. I was determined I was going to work I mean its not like I can't do my job.... I just can't lift anything. The alarm goes off, I get up and start getting ready then I receive a phone call.

" Hey Shannon, so even though you were already approved to come in today with your arm, you actually can't because you need cleared by occ health first"

So back to bed I go and wake up to call a local orthopedist to get looked at.

Get there, finally get that horrible splint off my arm and then find out that the disk with the xrays I had done in Kentucky wasn't working properly.

Cue me crying again through more x-rays.

In walks the doctor. " So your elbow is broke ( well no shit sherlock) but you don't need a cast ( SCORE!!)

So even though I broke my radial head I didn't/ don't need a cast. But I do get to wear a super attractive sling for the next month.

So yeah thats my weekend, never a dull moment in my life but luckily it has seemed to all work out.

Did I mention I am only allowed to lift 5lbs? Yeah if anyone has a magic flying carpet I can lay Ethan on let me know.

My Heart Melts

2012-02-02T21:42:00.002-05:00

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

22 Years Ago

2012-01-31T21:32:00.000-05:00

22 years ago I had it all, I was the only child, the apple of my parents eyes, I was the know all, be all. And then it happened, my mom gave birth to my 2 crazy, beautiful amazing siblings, and I had to learn that I had to share being completely awesome.

Needless to say its been a crazy 22 years but we have had moments of tears, lots of laughs, and have always had each others backs.

Its crazy knowing that my little pain in the butt siblings are soon to turn into real, live adults. They are both graduating in the spring ( Thats right! Ryan got a school yay!!), Michelles getting married in the summer, and they are growing into amazing self reliant people. Saying I'm proud of them hardly covers the emotions I feel right now.

Happy Birthday Beavis and Butthead. I love you!!

Weight Loss Wednesday

2012-01-26T11:06:00.001-05:00

So I know I'm late again with this, but its been a busy week with Ethan teething, no sleep, and trying to get the house back in order. But the good news is with all the running around I've lost more weight!

First thing in the am and looking like a hot mess

Much better, ready for a girls night ( and wearing all pre pregnancy clothes!!!)

Weight this week- 242

Weight loss so far- 48

Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-Its getting better every day. I even had to get rid of some of my scrubs that were too big.

Eating-\Better. Salads, chicken and no more eating out

Exercise- Hitting the gym has never felt so good. Its nice to get back into the swing of things

How do I feel - Amazing. Despite no sleep and soreness from the car accident I'm feeling pretty darn good. And seeing numbers go down on the scale always help!

Adventures in Mommyhood- Teething

2012-01-25T21:59:00.005-05:00

Oh yes we are there. The thing that many people have said is the hardest part of having an infant, and thus far I am incline to agree. I'm not quite sure where my sweet, happy little boy went but he has been replaced with a grumpy, fussy, mad at the world little guy who despite my hardest efforts cannot be consoled. We are on day 4 of up all night, nobody is getting any sleep someone please put me out of my misery craziness.

Nothing ( and I mean nothing short of a miracle) has helped Ethan. We can tell how miserable he is as he grabs his lower gums and pulls of them so hard I'm afraid he is going to somehow dislocate his jaw. Thus far we have tried teethers, cold teethers, cold wash clothes, orajel, tylenol, homeopathic teething tablets ( which we had people swear by) and yet nothing is relieving his pain.The fact that I have to sit and watch my child suffer literally is breaking my heart.

The worst part? I can't even see where the tooth is coming thru, it hasn't broken skin yet, so who knows how long we will be dealing with this craziness.

I did hear a recommendation for these homeopathic teething pills which I immediately ran to Walgreens tonight to buy and gave Ethan a dose. After all I will try pretty much anything to help my little man be comfy. So now we wait and see what happens, but I have a feeling its going to be another long night.

( In good news we finally weaned him off the being swaddled! Yay us!!)

What a Wreck

2012-01-19T15:58:00.001-05:00

Literally, not figuratively. Last night we were running some errands and decided that since we were already out we would just go out to dinner instead of going home to cook. So we left the store we were at and started driving towards the resturant via the interstate. Out of no where the car in front of us slammed on his breaks ( even though traffic was moving fine) so Tim swerved onto the shoulder and slowed down to miss him. The car behind us also had to swerve but while she was able to miss him she smashed right into the back of us. Luckily everyone involved was fine ( minus some sore muscles on my part) and our truck had just has some damage to the bumper, however the other girls car will likely be totaled :( I'm so thankful we were in the truck and not in my Passat because I have a feeling things would have been much different if we had been.

The other car

We took Ethan to get checked out just as a precaution since he was extremely fussy after it happened, but luckily he is fine ( and apparently solids have done him good, he's gained a pound in a week).

Yeah definitely a "wrecked" ( insert cheesy sarcasm here) night. But God must have been looking out for us and keeping us safe.

Hate and Bullying

2012-01-16T11:10:00.005-05:00

Hate is such a strong word yet there are people out there who believe its ok to hate people that are different. They can be hated for gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, the list goes on. As a young American I feel like it is my job along with all other young Americans to do our part to end hate. As many of you know I try to do my part to support the LGBT community not only because I feel that people should be treated equally but because my brother is a part of this community and I have seen the struggles he has gone thru.

Ryan should be graduating college in May with as a history teacher, but do to who he is this may not happen now. For his last semester he is suppose to do student teaching to prepare him for after graduation. All was set up to work out until the school he was suppose to teach at decided that they didn't want him there. Now this was masked as " Sorry there isn't enough room" Really? Out of all the students graduating with Ryan he was the only one who was denied his spot at the last minute ( 3 days before he was suppose to teach) because they were too full? Hundred of students graduating yet only the transgendered student gets denied. Yeah thats a nice way to hide the truth.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened to him while he has been in college. The school has tried taking away his student loans, kicking him out of class, you name it, they have expressed their dis taste for him

I can respect the fact that people may not agree or like with "different" but being transgender doesn't make Ryan any less of a teacher, or any less of a person then the next guy. Its ok to express opinions but to try and sabotage someone ( again) is bullying, its hurtful, its HATEFUL.

We have no idea what lies ahead as we try and support my brother as he sorts this out but I do know that enough is enough. Hate needs to end, because in the end we are all the same on the inside. We all bleed red, we all cry when we are hurt.

Do your part to help end bullying, I did.
http://crazyb8utifullife.blogspot.com/p/it-gets-better.html

Oh Crap

2012-01-15T10:07:00.000-05:00

Thats right... Oh Crap ( Poop, sh*#, whatever you call it). I have never paid more attention to baby poop then I have recently. Why? Oh well thats because my son went from pooping 3 times a day to none... Nadda, zip, nil. For a week and a half I wondered what was going on. I mean his stomach wasn't hard, he didn't seem uncomfortable, and he was acting like his normally silly self. So luckily he had his 4 month check up right in the middle of this and what does the doctor say?? "He's fine, it will happen when its time".

Well I beg to differ. The nurse in me was going thru all the usual suspects ( constipation, bowel obstruction, you know the normal stuff....) Have I ever mentioned I think that nurses make the most paranoid moms?

Of course Tim was with the doctor ensuring me that all was well and Ethan wasn't going to explode because he hadn't pooped. But then it started.. No not poop, but gas. Horrible, room clearing, makes you wanna smother your nose, gas.

Of course in my mind this was proof that indeed there was poop, and he was going to explode if he didn't go soon. So we made the decision we had been playing with for a while. Time to start solids. Why? Well because then Ethan could have prunes! So off to Target we go ( because after the gas attacks, I had no desire to try and figure my baby bullet out yet) and bought a thing of organic baby food.

The prunes were a huge hit, so we gave him 3 servings total... then we waited, because we knew that it would work. 2 days later... no poop!

Now I had been lucky during this little problem that the prunes had also been on Tim's days off, thinking that he would be there to help when/ if it happened. But like all good things it came to an end and on day 11 of no poop Tim went back to work.

45 minutes after Tim left I had a red faced screaming child. Yep it was time...........

Long story short Ethan and I both had to take baths after this was done, along with me using clorox wipes on the bumbo, and my leather couch... yeah fun times.

I was right... he was going to explode. And my lucky husband missed it. I guess there is always next time

2012

2012-01-09T18:07:00.001-05:00

Ok so its a new year, which means time for the typical resolutions... " I will lose weight, I will eat healthier, I will stop cursing, etc" Well I make those exact resolutions each year and each year I end up saying "F^*& it". But this year I want change. Not just in my waist line, and my potty mouth, I want to change me. I want to be a better person all around, emotionally, physically and spiritually. So I've tried to start doing something about it.

The Gym- I finally caved and signed in for the gym. I get a personal trainer free for the first month which is super exciting, because I have high hopes that they can help get me on the path to a healthier me. A lot of the girls I work with go to the same gym which is extremely helpful because I have a great support system and people to "make" me go with them, which is something I desperately need at this point.

No more potty mouth- Its been 2 days since I last said any curse words, and its surprisingly been relatively easy. So hopefully this continues

The Church- So I'm hunting for a new church. Growing up I went to church on a regular basis, but that has kind of went by the way side. Now that I am a mom I want to ensure that Ethan ( and our future children) are involved in the church. I'm a little picky when it comes to churches, because I want to stay in my comfort zone, somewhere I'm use to. I have any many people try to get me to go to non-denominational churches, and while they have all been wonderful it just doesn't feel right. I need to find a uptight, crazy southern baptist church like back home :)

So yeah, baby steps. I want to be a better person all around so I think these are a good step in that direction. Hopefully I don't lose steam and can continue for the weeks and months to come

4 Months

2012-01-07T09:43:00.002-05:00

Wow! I have a 4 month old! The last month has been so memorable with all of the holidays we have recently celebrated. He has really come into his own and his personality can light up a room

Weight:

14lbs, 13 oz according to the doctor which is right in the 50th percentile. I was actually quite surprised because he seems like he has gotten so much bigger since his last appointment, but in reality has only gained 2lbs.

Height:

25 Inches (50th percentile)

Clothing Size:

He can still wear some 0-3 month stuff, but is also starting to fit in 3-6 months, it all really depends on the brand

Diapers

Size 2 huggies and/or the BRU brand. I've actually come to really like those diapers which is a surprise, but they hold "blow outs" really well.

Feeding:

We've started making it to 4 hours between feedings, and we have gone up to 5 oz during the day and then a bigger ( normally 6 oz ) bottle at bedtime. He has also learned to hold the bottle on his own ( although sometimes he tries to act like a show off)I know he has reached the stage where we can try "real food". But the doctor and us don't think he is ready, so we're going to hold out for a while longer. Of course I got a baby bullet for Christmas, so I'm ready when he is ;)

Hair:

Its starting to grow back! But its come back blonde/light brown! When he was born he had really dark hair so its weird that its coming in so light. Of course Tim and I both had light hair as kids as well.

Sleep:

So we moved bedtime up to 830, and so far its working great! He has even started sleeping in later. Today he didn't wake up until 7am!! We are still having to swaddle him though. I don't know how much longer that is going to last, hopefully not to much longer.

Likes:

His feet! This kid could sit there and play with those things all day. They're like the toy that never leaves his side.

Being outside- This one is hard because the weather here changes so much, but whenever we can we take him outside and he seems to love looking around and touching things ( grass, snow, etc)

Talking- Yep he is a talker, loud and inappropriate ( timing that is) but I love to hear his cooing and "screaming" at his toys

Exersaucer- He got one for Christmas and seems to really be enjoying it thus far

Dislikes:

His car seat- Yep he still hates it and arches his back every time we try putting him in it.

Tummy Time- So apparently this is now overrated. The kid who use to roll like a champ has decided he no long wants to, so in his mind tummy time is a waste of time

Milestones:

Rolling back to front, even though he suddenly hates rolling the other way, he still loves this. The doctor was so impressed at his checkup because he seems to be developmentally ahead. Yay Ethan!

Holding his bottle. He gets so mad when we try to help him

Holiday Recap

2012-01-05T15:13:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone! I'm finally home from visiting family, so I thought I would do a quick recap of our holiday. As you know I worked on Christmas, so we didn't actually celebrate our Christmas until the tuesday following Christmas because Monday was spent with my family.

Let me see your finger Aunt Michelle... I promise I won't bite hard!

Everyone looks so excited to have their photo taken, no?

We decided to do a very small Christmas this year because we had already bought so much stuff for ourselves, and plan on some big purchases in the near future ( Hello new living room!!) so Ethan was the only one who got gifts this year ( not that he knows what a gift was, but regardless we had fun)

What are we doing dad??

Ohhhhh Paper! Yummmm!

Touch Down!!!

Then for New Years we spent it in Michigan visiting Tim's family who all got to meet Ethan for the first time. It was such a treat to see Ethan with Tim's mom who hasn't been in the best of health, so I know it meant a lot to Tim as well as me.

Ethan and Grandma after playing in the snow

Ready to head outside and tackle the snow

Not sure he likes what is about to happen

Hey Mom, what IS this stuff??

After that it was a long (14 hour) drive home to Virginia

Are we there yet??

Super cold, but atleast it was beautiful

So thats it! All and all a wonderful holiday. Now its time to take down the Christmas tree and relax on our last day off before we head back to work

Weight Loss Wednesday

2012-01-04T14:49:00.001-05:00

So its been a few weeks since I've done this, but I have honestly been afraid to step on the scale since the holidays were here and I was overindulging in all the "good stuff". You know... pies, cakes, cookies, etc. So I took a little hiatus from holding myself accountable. Plus we were traveling a lot visiting family, so I was stuck in a car a good portion of the last 2 weeks also. I'm kind of glad I didn't weight myself during Christmas, because I think I would have been in tears seeing what i saw today... a 6 pound weight gain. That is NOT ok. But its alright, I am going to the gym and eating healthy again, so hopefully this is only a minor set back.

Don't know why I'm orange, I promise I haven't been hitting the spray tanner....

Weight this week- 251
Weight loss so far- 39
Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-With the help of spanks, all things are possible ;)
Eating-Yeah like I said the holidays are a bad time to try and eat healthy.
Exercise-Does riding in a car a whole lot count?
How do I feel -Like I need to get my butt in gear. No more funny business.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T18:39:00.000-05:00

We are on vacation visiting family in Michigan( hence no recent posts) but I wanted to take a quick second to wish all of my readers a Happy New Years. I am so thankful you guys have stuck with me thru my crazy journey. Hopefully 2012 will be just as fun and exciting!! I have tons to talk about ( what's new there) but it will have to wait because I am being summoned for movie night, so until next time.....

Merry Christmas

2011-12-26T22:01:00.000-05:00

So I'm a day late, but I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I spent mine at work, so while I didn't get so spend it with my own amazing kiddo, I did get to hang out with some other amazing kids. After that I was able to rush to my moms and hang out with Ethan and the rest of my family ( except Tim who had to work last night). Definitely an amazing Christmas.

Who needs gifts when you have wrapping paper?

Tired from a long day of fun

Trying to sneak under Mimi's tree

Mommys little elf

I have tons more photos to come, but right now I'm heading to bed so I can get some sleep before work tomorrow

Sugary Goodness, Perfect Start to the Holiday

2011-12-23T21:30:00.001-05:00

So if you've ever looked on pintrest then chances are you have seen the melted snowman cookies. Well I thought these cookies were adorable and since I completely lack creativity and couldn't come up with something unique on my own then I decided to make up own snowman cookies. They were actually really fun to make ( in between eating extra icing and marshmellows that is).

1. Bake pre-made sugar cookies ( pillsbury is what I used)

2. Either make home made icing or take the slacker way out and buy some fluffy white icing from the grocery and put in the the microwave for about 15 seconds to make it a little thinner.

3. Spread icing over cookies

4. Place marshmellows on plate and put in microwave for about 15 seconds ( or until they start to look slightly deformed)

6. Decorate!

I can wait until Ethan is a little older and we can decorate together!

I'm taking these delish treats to work with me this weekend where I will be celebrating the holiday.....

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas weekend!!

Christmas Tree Photo Dump

2011-12-22T22:09:00.001-05:00

No real point other then to show off photos of my handsome son in front of our Christmas tree that I keep forgetting to post. Happy Holidays!

Show Me Christmas- Traditions

2011-12-22T22:06:00.002-05:00

So I've been seriously slacking on the blog front ( busy, busy, busy...). But since I have a little free time I thought I would go ahead and participate in this weeks link up thanks to http://www.frommrstomama.com/ ( PS if you haven't already check out Becky's blog, she is hilarious and I always love reading what she has to say).

Anyway this week is about traditions, all the wackiness from the past and the stuff I'm excited about in the future.

The tree

So the day after thanksgiving ( or as soon after as possible) we turn on some Christmas music and put up our Christmas tree and other decorations. Its normally an all day event but after we're done I'm always so pleased! Then afterwards we get all dressed up and take some photos in front of it. Perfect way to start the holiday season

We actually only did Ethan in front of the tree this year ( poor kid). Tim and I were feeling like "hot messes"

Ginger Bread Houses

Tim and I started doing this a few years ago on a whim, and now every year a few days before Christmas we build a ginger bread house trying to out do the year before. Definitely something we plan on continuing in years to come, and hopefully Ethan will be able to help a little next year despite still being young.

This years master piece

"The Christmas Photo"

The yearly Christmas photo that we put inside our Christmas cards. Luckily they have gotten progressively better throughout the years because the first few years were a little rough around the edges

2005

2006

2008 ( really Tim.... what is with that tshirt?)

2009

2010

2011

Wow does my poor hubby like that red shirt of what??

The Ornaments

Each year on Christmas eve we exchange ornaments in hopes that one year our tree will be nothing but ornaments we've given each other throughout the years. We have a lot but we're nowhere near having enough to cover the tree, so we fill them in with plain ornaments as well.

My favorite ornament, from last year.....

I'm sure in the future we'll come up with more traditions now that our family is getting bigger like baking tons of cookies for Santa, going to the Christmas parade and lightening on the city ( were all the buildings turn there christmas lights on all at once), and then cooking a big breakfast together as a family on Christmas morning...

Our Visit with Santa

2011-12-14T15:04:00.000-05:00

So we did this a while back and keep forgetting to post! We decided at the last second to go and take Ethan to see Santa, and we completely lucked out. You would think on a sunday afternoon there would be a line out the door, right?

Wrong! We were in and out in 5 minutes. No wait, no screaming, sick kids near by. Just me, Tim, Ethan, and Santa... perfect. Ethan didn't even cry. I was waiting for a complete melt down since it was past his nap time but he surprised us all, and even looked towards the camera. I wish Santa had been a little more interactive and maybe got Ethan smiling since its actually quite simple to do, but oh well!

Best and Worst- Infant Edition. Part 1

2011-12-11T21:37:00.001-05:00

So I did one of these right after I had Ethan, and decided to do another with updated best items that I've really come to love during the last few months.

1. The bottle warmer

Tim suggest we get one of these when Ethan was first born since we realized that I would have to pump instead of breast feed but consistently put it off because I didn't think it would be any easier then just putting the bottle in a cup of warm water to warm up. Obviously I was wrong! When Ethan started sleeping thru the night it became a huge pain to wait for a bottle to warm up when I had a hungry child who hadn't ate in 8 hours so we caved and headed to BRU. We originally bought a travel warmer ( thinking we could use an adapter at home, and still use it to travel, but more about that later) and then we got the first years bottle warmer and I was amazed. It heats a bottle in minutes flat! AMAZING!! I didn't think it would be as effective as it has been since it wasn't one of the super expensive fancy ones, but low and behold this thing is wonderful ( and inexpensive!)

2. The humifier

We actually bought this before Ethan was born ( and before we knew if we were having a boy or girl, but we thought it would work with either), but then we forgot about it until I was cleaning out Ethan's closet recently. With winter here our home has got so dry and this makes it much more tolerable, and in my opinion has really helped Ethan sleep more comfortably ( we even went and got one for our room, although ours isn't as "cool" as Pooh Bear)

3. The Noise Machine

Another pleasant surprise from The First Years. After reading Happiest Baby on the Block I decided we had to try one of these, and its this that I credit saving my sanity from "Egor", the name I gave to Ethans grumpy alter ego. "Egor" has pretty much been non existent lately, but the white noise machine still gets used on a nightly basis just in case. White noise calms Ethan within seconds. Tim and I have even uploaded white noise apps on our phones for when we're traveling.

4. Octotunes

Probably the cutest toy out there in my opinion, its big, colorful, makes fun sounds, and even smells good. Definitely an all around fun toy for little ones.

5. The Bumbo

Not a great picture but between a cellphone and a moving baby its the best I could get

Probably my favorite thing out of everything baby related we own ( and trust me that is a lot of stuff). Ethan has wanted to be held upright since he was born but someone can only go so long holding him upright. However now that he has good head control this thing is a life savor. He would sit in it for hours if I let him. It enables him to practice sitting up while I can use both arms and get stuff done around the house. I just sit him in it while I am doing laundry, or dishes, or cooking, or whatever else I need to do and he "talks" up a storm and giggles the entire time while watching me work.

So there you go. The best of the best according to none other then me, your opinionated blogger. Stay tuned for the worst infant items according to me.......

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2011-12-10T19:32:00.002-05:00

So I've been having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit this year despite it being the most amazing year ever. I think its just because I'm so busy I don't really have time to think about it. Well I finally convinced Tim to get off of our butts ( he's sorta anti-christmas this year) and decorate.

First thing, I saw this really cute wreath courtsey of pintrest and decided I could totally do something similar. So off to Michaels I went with a vision, and after changing my mind about 10 times I finally got what I needed and came home to tackle my latest DIY project. Michaels is having a huge sale on their christmas stuff, so if you plan on doing any DIY decorations this year get over there and CHECK IT OUT!!! Anywho I just took a wreath, cut the little balls off the stem, and hot glued them all over the place, then took a wooden letter and glued it in the center. Super simple and only cost about $15 to make! I'm sure I could have dressed it up more, painted the letter and all the jazz, but I think its simple and cute just the way it is.

So as for the rest of our house, I keep it pretty simple. I would love elaborate decor but our house is just way to tiny for that.

Oh christmas tree, oh christmas tree...

Is it slightly ironic this is the ornament I got Tim last christmas, and 2 weeks later we found I was pregnant?

No I'm not a horrible Mommy, Ethans stocking had to be special ordered to match ours, so I'm waiting on it to come it, that big space in the middle is for him.

Not the prettiest nativity by any means, but I made this for my mom when I was twelve ( well not the whole thing, but the "stable"). She collects them and when I moved out years ago she gave it to me so it has sentimental value.

My favorite tradition every year is we go and buy a ginger bread house and decorate it. Tim and I do this every year, and now that we have Ethan it will only become more fun ( if thats even possible).

Now if only I could convince one of Santas elfs to come lend and hand wrapping presents.

Happy 3 Months!

2011-12-07T17:06:00.005-05:00

Ethan is 3 months today! Its been a crazy month and I feel like he is growing way too fast.

Weight:

13.6lbs. I really thought he would weigh more then this, but we triple checked and sure enough thats it. I'm still not convinced though because his little budda belly says otherwise.....

Height:

No clue, I'll pull out a tape measure and get back to you on that later. I know he is getting long though!

Clothing Size:

0-3 Month still, except I have noticed some of his sleepers are getting alittle snug, so we've started pulling out the 3-6 month sleepers.

Diapers

Size 2 Huggies. We used pampers for a while but they didn't really contain his poopsplosions the way we needed them to ( and I got sick of doing laundry non stop!) But we have also tried the Babies R Us brand ( because I'm a cheapo and they were on sale) surprisingly they have worked fairly well, but I think we'll stick to huggies unless we are in a pinch

Feeding:

I think we could set our clocks to this kids feeding schedule. During the day its every 3 hours around the clock and at night he gets his bedtime bottle at 9 and wakes up at 5 am on the dot for his morning bottle. Ethan is nothing if not consistent.

Hair:

Well what he has left is both blonde and dark brown. The hair on the back of his head ( that he still has... poor kid has developed a bald spot) is dark brown, but his new hair that is growing in on top is blonde. It would be weird for him to have anything but brown hair with 2 brunette parents but we'll see.

Sleep:

Sleeping like a champ! His bedtime is still at 9, althought he is normally sleepy by 830, and then he doesn't wake up until atleast 5am. The only negative is he still has to be swaddled to sleep thru the night, but we're just gonna go with it and hopefully he will outgrow it in the near future. Plus he has started taking naps without being swaddled so thats progress.

Likes:

Tummy time!- About time, he hated it up until now but I think rolling over now is really peaking his interest

Being outside- I don't think he would care if it was 30 degrees outside, being out there instantly calms him down.

Talking- The boy "talks" up a storm.... wonder who he gets that from???

Bumbo- His favorite new thing as well as mine because I have my arms back and don't have to hold him up all the time

Dislikes:

His car seat- I've never seen a kid get so peeved by having to sit in a car seat. If he had his way he would never have to get into that thing

Being late with is bottle- Yowsa, talk about a grumpy kid!

Socks- I cannot get him to keep them on his feet, even with shoes on he manages to kick the shoes and socks off

Milestones:

So he is rolling front to back ( and has done back to front once!)

Holds his head up without assistance

Talking up a storm

He is trying to hard to pull himself into a seated position when someone holds him. He grabs their hands and uses all of his strength to pull himself upright.( Once again, thank you bumbo!)

Weight Loss Wednesday

2011-12-07T16:35:00.002-05:00

Its that time of the week again and I was really hoping my scale was broken, but alas an unrelated trip to the doctor today ( more on that later) confirmed that indeed my scale is correct and I gained alittle. Yes its only a smidge, but every bit counts to me. Its ok I mean I'm still don't significantly from when I was pregnant, so I'll take what I can get.

Weight this week- 246.2
Weight loss so far- 44
Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-Yep, now if I could get my muffin top to disappear when I'm wearing them
Eating- So I'm back on my chicken and salad kick, but I've also been chowing down on a lot of tuna lately... yummmmmm tuna....
Exercise- Ha ha yeah not so much.
How do I feel - Busy. Work and trying to get my house in order pretty much took up the majority of my week.

Show Me Christmas

2011-12-06T11:06:00.001-05:00

So one of my favorite blogs ( and a weekly must read for me) is doing a little linkup with show me christmas, where each week we get a topic and answer via photos.

So this week is " Show me your christmas list." Oh I can totally do that, but this may get long ( and competely outlandish...) Ready... Set.... Go

A Vacation preferably somewhere tropical that serves mai tais' on the beach

So I plan on trying to make baby food, and this just seems perfect!

So I'm kinda of a cheapo, and would rather spend my money elsewhere, but could really use a gym membership with a personal trainer ( that way I can spend my money on cookies and candy.... just kidding!)

4. I mean who doesn't want one? Its not just a want... I need one!

5. Santa can fit me a new house on his sleigh... right?

6. Thanks to my awesome driving skills I am hoping santa can bring me a new paint job for my car.

7. Every women needs a edgy leather jacket

8. And cute boots to match

Ok so on a serious note, I don't really need or want anything for christmas because I have so much already. But yeah that vacation sounds really good right about now.......

Anyway if you don't already follow her blog, run over and check out Becky at http://www.frommrstomama.com/. She is hilarious and has a cutie pie of her own.

Then link up and let me see your christmas list too!

Sizing up the competetion...

2011-12-06T10:32:00.002-05:00

So everyone sizes up the competition, even though motherhood shouldn't be one. I try so hard to avoid those situations that feel like your sizing up or comparing your childs milestones, temperment or overall awesomeness to someone else. You know what I'm talking about the converstation is normally blah blah blah, my child is amazing, has yours done this yet?

What in the world! I hate this yet we all, myself included, put ourselves in situation with these wonderful frenemies. The women ( or men) who have kids close to the same age as our own whose little einstein is probably the smartest, fastest learner, or the most well behaved child you will ever meet. *** Insert giant eye roll here**

During a little pay date recently ( her child is 2 months older then Ethan) another mom and I had a converstation that went kind of like this.

Frenemy- So how is everything going?

Me- Great! Ethan started sleeping thru the night!"

Frenemy- "Oh well little so and so was doing that since he was born. Has he started rolling over yet?"

Me- " a few times, its still a work in progess"

Frenemy- oh wow, my little guy was doing that by ___(insert annoying comeback here)___

And so it continues. Neither person is being rude or trying to make the other one feel bad, but then you walk away like wow... I wonder if my child is behind, or Maybe I need to talk to the pedi about this, or something is wrong with my kid.

Or here is a thought, you have a normal child who is developing at his own pace and your awesome frenemy is a big fat exaggerator. I mean if she said her child was quoting shakespeare at 5 months, would you believe her? Of course not! I mean so what if other children don't hit a milestone early, that doesn't make them any less amazing. I mean me personally, I'm completely ok with the fact that my little monkey hasn't figured out how to get into trouble yet, because when he does there is no turning back. I guess I will remind my friend of this next time she is trying to tell me that her kid can stand on his head and play the piano at the same time or whatever amazing milestone he reaches ;)

Rock and Rolling

2011-12-02T11:13:00.002-05:00

Thats right... Our little man is rocking and rolling now! He rolled over for the first time about 2 weeks ago but of course I didn't have my phone ready so I missed it, and I have missed it every time until today. We caught him, twice on video! So for your viewing pleasure, and the fact that I'm such a proud mama here you go! By the way, please ignore me and Tim acting like Ethan just won a gold medal at the olympics, we are excited to say the least.

PS, I know I have been messing with the look of my blog lately, but I think I finally found something I like!

Weight loss Wednesday.... The friday edition

2011-12-02T10:35:00.001-05:00

So yes I know its not wednesday, but since I didn't post last week ( silly turkey day.. I'm sure my scale would have blown up) and since this has been the first chance to post this week I figured I would just post weight loss wednesday a few days late.

2 pictures this week since skimped last week.

Weight this week- 245.6
Weight loss so far- 45
Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-Most of my pre pregnancy jeans fit!!!! Yes some are still very snug, but I can atleast wiggle myself into them which is an accomplishment by itself
Eating- I have the worse eating habits. I've been trying hard to stay low carb but its hard when nights that I work I don't get home until atleast 8pm, get Ethan ready for bed, pump and then I'm to tired to cook, so if I do eat ( which is only about half the time) its a bowl of ceral or a hot pocket :/
Exercise- Running around like a mad women. Does that count? I have been going for more walks and doing kettle bell at hom some, just not as consistently as I would like
How do I feel - Tired. I just got off a 3 day stretch at work and all I want to do is curl up with a glass of wine and a magazine.....

Low Carb Mexican Cassarole

2011-11-28T13:59:00.002-05:00

So I haven't posted a recipe lately so I thought I'd post one of my favorite ( and easiest) low carb recipes I have found thus far

Mexican layer cassarole, cauliflower mexican rice, and low carb margaritas. The cassarole is amazing, and stays really well in the fridge. The rice is delish, but you do need to like cauliflower( I mean really like cauliflower ). The margaritas are really yummy as well and super simple to make. Enjoy

Mexican Layer Casserole
5-6 servings
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 1.24 oz packet of Taco Seasoning
1/2 Medium Onion
2 Cloves of garlic
1- 1 1/5 block of cream cheese (softened)
Chopped tomato
Chopped lettuce
Shredded Cheese
Salsa or favorite taco sauce (optional)

Preparation Method:
1
Brown ground beef with onions and garlic until fully cooked.
2
Add in taco seasoning mix. Stir together. When fully cooked and mixed, pour into square casserole dish and let cool for 5-8 minutes.
3
Spread softened cream cheese on the top making sure it is spread evenly over the ground beef and covered. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
4
Put tomatoes and lettuce over the shredded cheese.
5
Add salsa or taco sauce if desired.
6
Refrigerate leftovers immediately.
Carbs:
6 carbs per serving
MEXICAN "RICE"
10 ounces fresh cauliflower, grated, 1/2 medium
1 small onion, slivered, 2 1/2 ounces
2-3 tablespoons butter or oil or a combination
1/2 cup salsa
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon granular Splenda
In a very large skillet with a lid, sauté the onion in butter and/or oil until tender. Stir in the grated cauliflower, then the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover and simmer 10-12 minutes until the cauliflower is tender, but not mushy, stirring occasionally.
Makes 6 servings
Can be frozen
Per Serving: 56 Calories; 4g Fat; 1g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

Margarita
Ingredients:
•1 jigger (1.5 oz) tequila
•2 Tablespoons (1 oz) lime juice - bottled more convenient, fresh tastes a lot better
•1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) water
•1/4 teaspoon orange extract
•1 Tablespoon's worth artificial sweetener (I like to use liquid, carb-free types)
•Ice - small handful
•Margarita salt or kosher salt
Preparation:
Wet the rim of the glass and dip into a small plate of salt.
Combine all ingredients. You can either serve it over ice strained into the glass, or blended in a blender.
2 grams of carbohydrate using bottled lime juice, 2.5 for fresh.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Jess!

2011-11-27T21:12:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to one of the best friends a girl could have!

Today is my besties 26th birthday. This girl has been thru thick and thin with me for the last 21 years. Thats right 21 years we've been friends! We've been there for each others first loves, first heart breaks, thru tears and laughs.

There isn't a secret I've kept from her because she knows me better then I know myself. We've both grown so much as people, but our friendship has always remained the same.

I can't even begin to say some of the silly Shenanigans this crazy girl has gotten me into but I wouldn't change one thing. She's the ketchup to my mustard.

Here is to 21 more amazing years of friendship. Luv Ya Jess!

Happy Belated Turkey Day

2011-11-25T12:20:00.015-05:00

So I'm a day late but I was enjoying spend the day with my family yesterday, you understand I'm sure. I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving because we sure did.

We all slept in ( Yep even Ethan) and then decided to go out and have some fun with our camera and take some photos at the park and then some christmas photos. I love how most of these came out, if only Ethan was looking at the camera instead of everywhere.

It was a beautiful day but it go cold so fast so we had to cut our photos short. Plus Tim and I had to start cooking to food to take to my moms for dinner.

Baby Laughs... my absolute favorite

My sister and her fiance, plus my brother were all in from college so we were able to have the whole family together. Of course Ethan took center stage showing off his smile that his aunt and uncles hadn't yet seen

I have so much to be thankful for this year. A wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally ( even though sometimes I wonder how he can put up with my crazy self), an amazing son who makes me fall more in love with him every day, a beautiful and talented stepdaughter ( who I really wish could have been with us for the holiday :( ) and my parents ( and step parents) and my siblings.

I love them all so much and have no clue what I would do without each and every one of them.

Linked Up to:

30 Days of Thanks- Day 24

2011-11-24T23:00:00.001-05:00

Family! Everyone in my family has a special place in my heart and I don't know what I would do without any of them! Its so nice when we can all get together for the holidays and celebrate.

30 Days of Thanks- Day 23

2011-11-23T10:58:00.001-05:00

Today I'm thankful for womens rights. 100 years ago women weren't able to do half of the things we do today. We were thought to stay home, have babies, and be "good wifes" Today we are doctors, lawyers, politicians and can still be mommys and wifes. I do think there is still a little ways to go before we are seem as complete equals with men but we are making progress.

30 Days of Thanks- Day 22

2011-11-22T10:56:00.000-05:00

Today I'm thankful for fall. I love fall. The colors, the weather, Thanksgiving, the fact that I get to pull all of my boots, hats, and cardigans out ;)

Why Pump?

2011-11-21T11:06:00.001-05:00

So I've had a lot of questions reecntly about why I exclusively pump, or how I manage. It normally starts out like " How is breast feeding going" and then I go to explain that Ethan never would properly latch and we decided to exclusively pump instead of switching to formula. Then I get to hear "wow that must be really hard on you, I couldn't do it etc etc". Well yes it can be done. Many people, including those who have no difficulties breast feeding, don't really understand the emotional toll that EP can take. And some people who formula feed don't understand why people who EP don't just switch to formula if breast feeding isn't possible. Yes pumping all the time can be a pain, its a personal decision that if your willing to try can work. So in honor of that, I've decided to post all about exclusively pumping ( I know I know, very exciting, calm down.....). And if you have any questions feel free to ask me, I'll try my best to answer them all.

So why pump?- Well my options were pump or switch to formula. I was insistent that I would give Ethan breast milk even if that meant pumping all the time. People exclusively pump for multiple reasons. Personal preference, unable to breast feed or in my case a baby who is stubborn and wouldn't latch. Not because I "wanted to take an easy way out", because trust me this isn't always easy. I worked with 3 extremely qualified LC's, but even with my struggles with breast feeding none of them really mentioned EPing as an option. To them ( and to many other LC's I've since spoke to) breast is best. Not just breast milk, but breast feeding. Therefore thats what they tend to focus on which leaves women who can't breast feed without a large support system and without significant resources. Did making the decision to pump crush my spirit a little? Yes but seeing myself being successful and able to still give my son breast milk makes the decision so much easier

So how do you do it? I mean doesn't it take up all your time?- No.... Does feeding a baby any other way take up all the mothers time? No. Yes it may take alittle more time but its not like I'm strapped to my breast pump at all times. You need to pump enough to maintain your milk supply, thats its. For me thats about 6 times per day, for 10 minutes each time. Thats it. So I basically spend an hour of my day pumping. Really not that much time. Get a good quality breast pump ( I use the Avent Isis Duo and LOVE it) a comfy location to pump ( like your rocking chair or glider) and a little bit of time. Thats all you need.

So you have tons of bottles in your fridge?- No way! I have enough for 24 hours in my fridge. Everything else gets frozen in 2 oz increments using Lansinoh storage bags. Which in my opinion are the best ones out there ( and trust me I've tried lots of bags). Plus the bottles in my fridge are 11 oz bottles, so I fill them up completely before starting a new one, then when I need a bottle I pour out what I need, oldest to newest into a smaller bottle.
** FYI there is conflicting data on whether you can add fresh pumped milk to milk already in the fridge. Most reports say its fine. Thats what I do and we've never had any issues.**

But what do you do about traveling- Now this was one of the harder parts to figure out. 9 hour trips to visit family requires atleast 1 pumping session ( normally more). So if you've read my post about our first trip to Kentucky then you know its possible.

But don't you hate it? Do I hate providing my child with breast milk? No. Do I hate pumping? No. I mean its frustrating at times when I'm half asleep and trying to pump. Or when I forget my manual pump ( I seriously recommend anyone who is thinking of doing this to get a hand held manual pump to keep in your little ones diaper bag, just in case). But for the most part pumping is just another part of my day as a mommy. Nothing more, nothing less. Its not for everyone but it can be done.

Regardless of if you breast feed, EP, or formula feed do whats right for you and your baby, not what others think you should do.

So there you go a quick start guide to exclusively pumping.

30 Days of Thanks- Day 21

2011-11-21T10:00:00.001-05:00

Baby Laughs! I love baby laughs. Ethan just started really laughing this last week. He giggles over anything and everything which makes me laugh right along with him. The dogs, mine and Tims funny faces, heck even sitting on his changing pad provokes laughs. Wow I love that little boy.

**One of these days I'll stop laughing with him and remember to pick up my phone to record it**

30 Days of Thanks- Day 20

2011-11-20T09:56:00.002-05:00

Today I'm thankful for the beautiful weather. In most places of the country there has already been snow. But here in Virginia Beach it was 73 degrees with a beautiful breeze. Perfect weather for people like me who hate cold weather.

Whats in a name?

2011-11-19T19:21:00.000-05:00

One of the first things people start doing when they find out they're pregnant is start thinking about baby names. I mean a name is important and we all want to make sure that our child has the "perfect" name. I know when we found out we were pregnant we made a huge list, and then slowely one by one started taking them off. Then we decided that if we had a boy I would get to choose his first name and Tim could pick his middle name ( and if it was a girl then vice versa).

So I had my list and I knew exactly what I wanted. No not Ethan. Actually Ethan wasn't even on the list at the time. It was Deacon. I was positive that our sons name would be Deacon. So then I waited for Tim to tell me his middle name and when I heard it my heart sank. I knew it wouldn't be traditional but Tims logic was.... illogical to me. Blaze. He wanted our sons middle name to be Blaze! He's reason? " Because when he is a teenager and is a star football player then he can go by his middle name and it will sound AWESOME!" Whatever. Eventually I compromised and said I wouldn't force Deacon, if he would drop Blaze. So Ethan Andrew was picked instead.

Now the weird part of that is we NEVER ( ok hardly ever) call him Ethan. He has about 50 million nicknames and none are even close to Ethan. Its not like Tim, which is short for Timothy. You can't shorten Ethan.

Within hours of his birth I for whatever reason started calling him Bubby. He was/is my little Bubby. No clue what it means or why. But then Bubby turned into Bubs, and now thats what I call him 90% of the time. As he has grown, and is starting to develop his personality and habits other names have appeared. Drool Monster, Fattykins, and Monkey just to name a few.

Then it gets worse because extended family has their own names for him. My dad calls him LT ( as in Little Tim, since he is basically he fathers clone). My mom has about 50 names that I can't even remember.

So back to the actual question, Whats in a name? In Ethans case a lot of love. While so of the names make absolutely no sense, each one was given with love.

So what are your kids nicknames?

30 Days of Thanks, Days 17, 18, and 19

2011-11-19T19:02:00.000-05:00

Ok so I'm slacking off again because to be completely honest after waking up at 4 am and working all day, then not getting home until atleast 8pm I'm just too tired to get on here and post what I'm thankful for. So since I'm off I will try and play catch up just for you lovely people.

Day 17- Today I'm thankful for white noise. Huh? What? Thats right, white noise. Its one of the few things that soothes Ethan within seconds. Tim and I both have white noise apps on our phones for when we're out and about, we have a white noise machine. Heck even my mom bought a swing for at her house that has white noise on it. It can turn my little man from screaming maniac to sweet baby in 5 seconds flat.

Day 18- I'm thankful for surprises. Today Ethan and Tim surprised me at work with a little visit. I had been having a super busy, extremely chaotic day at work and right as I walk out of a patients room I was greeted with Tim and Ethan both grinning at me. Its not like they were running errands near by, or had any reason to be near where I work. They just decided that it would be nice to stop by and they were right!

Day 19- I'm thankful for eating out. So before Ethan was born Tim and I ate out all the time, probably ( ok definitely) more then we cooked at home. We were lazy, and enjoyed good meals. Not a good combination therefor we were extemely well know at a couple of resturants. But after Ethan was born we both decided that things needed to change because we will need to lead by example and can't be eating junk all the time. So we've been cooking at home so much more. Today however we decided that eating out would be perfect so off to Chilis we went and it was AMAZING!!!! Ethan even stayed on his best behavior ( which is rare at a resturant)

Newborn Photos

2011-11-16T15:09:00.000-05:00

Better late then never right?

Ethans newborn photos came out better then we ever could have imagined! Our photographer(s) were amazing. He normally doesn't do newborn photography, but he knew us from our wedding ( he did our wedding and engagement photos) and thought sure what the heck. So here we go a sneak peak and some of the cutest photos ever taken!

So yes if your ever around or live in Hampton Roads check him out, you won't regret it!

www.photographybyelite.com

Weight loss Wednesday

2011-11-16T14:36:00.000-05:00

Its that time of the week again. I feel so accomplished, but don't know how or why it happened. I was expecting to step on the scale and see an increase because I've wanted to do nothing for the last week except relax and eat chip and salsa ( yummmmmmmmm) But somehow I actually lost weight! Maybe all the running around at work last week paid off? Or maybe I'm just lucky. Either way I'll take it because I have a long way to go. I was thinking today about how far I still have. I've been over weight as long as I remember and can't believe its taken me this long to really do something about it. Looking at the scale and seeing weight loss is amazing, but how did I let myself get this big to begin with. I wish I could blame it all on my pregnancy but if I did then I would just be in denial. So yep its time to put away the fat girl clothes and get in the shape I should have been in all along.

So don't judge my horrible photo. Its a lazy day here at home and I've done nothing but hung out with Ethan and done some laundry.

Weight this week- 249.6
Weight loss so far- 41
Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-I'm in about half of my pre pregnancy jeans ( with the help of spanks, but still they fit, thats all that matters)
Eating- Yep chips and salsa... and salad, but lots of chips and salsa
Exercise- Not much, just the exercise I get while I'm at work running around
How do I feel - Rested. Having a few days off was invigorating, plus the weather has been beautiful which I love.

30 Days of Thanks- Day 16

2011-11-16T13:51:00.001-05:00

Today I'm thankful for SLEEP! They say babies will start to develop their own natural schedule. Well Ethan has been all over the place. Some nights he is awake ever 3 hours, some nights he will sleep 6 hours then 3 hours. Well last night he slept for 8 hours straight! I woke up about 230 to pump and expected him to wake up shortly there after but nope. He stay asleep and finally woke up about 5am ( he went to be at 9pm) I was in shock! It was so nice to get a good nights rest. Do I think it will last? No, but I can be thankful for it regardless.

30 Days of Thanks- Day 15

2011-11-15T13:37:00.001-05:00

Today I'm thankful for my childhood. I had one of the best childhoods imaginable. 2 parents that loved me, a roof over my head, and some of the best memories I could ask for. Looking back at my childhood always puts a smile on my face, and I hope that we can provide Ethan with memories that he will be able to look back on fondly when he is an adult.

30 Days of Thanks- Day 14

2011-11-14T13:35:00.001-05:00

So today I'm thankful for my keurig. Yep, my coffee machine. I have never been a huge coffee drinker, but now that I'm getting up at 4am ( vs 520 pre Ethan) I definitely need the extra boost to get me thru the morning. Plus its so convient not to have to make a whole pot when I only need a cup.

30 Days of Thanks- Day 13

2011-11-13T14:53:00.001-05:00

Today I'm thankful for my camera. I take it every where with me because you never know when your going to capture the perfect photo. And now with Ethan here I'm using it even more, but I mean how can I resist, he's so cute!

30 Days of Thanks- Day 12

2011-11-12T14:49:00.002-05:00

Today I'm thankful for my Iphone. Yes my phone. I mean it helps me keep in touch with everyone near and dear to me, I have a million photos that I take, my calender ( can't go anywhere with a planner of some sorts) plus I am the google queen, so at 3 am when I'm feeding little man I can just pull out my phone and google whatever random question that has been racing thru my head all day ;) Perfect.

Like I never left

2011-11-12T14:02:00.000-05:00

Thats how it feels being back at work, like I never left. The people I work with are amazing and I am so grateful for all the kind words and the welcoming attitude they all have. While I always felt like part of the team, it was so nice to see how missed I was.

I decided that going back on a sunday would be a good transition, limited craziness. I was so right! I didn't have to "jump back in" and feel like I was drowning because it was a low key relaxing day. We were able to get all our work done then had time to sit around and catch up. Wow I missed those girls! And to make my first day back even better while I was standing there talking to some of my fellow nurses everyone got really quiet and started smiling. I turned around to see Tim and Ethan right behind me! They had decided to come and surprise me at work and it made my day. I had been doing so well being apart from my little guy but it was so nice to see him and give him a huge hug and a million kisses.

Tuesday and Wednesday were a little more hectic. Tim had to work the nights before, so it was just me to get up, get ready, pump, and get Ethan fed. Luckily my mom decided instead of me having to drag Ethan out at 5am she would come to my house and wait for him to wake up on his own and then get him ready and take him to her house which gave me about 30 minutes extra to sleep in every morning. Work was much more busy ( as it normally is during the week) but it was so fulfilling.

I had doubts that I would be able to juggle work and baby but so far so good.

For Mommy

2011-11-12T09:21:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone its Ethan!

Mommy left her blog open so Daddy and I decided to steal it for a second. Mommy has been posting a lot on things she is thankful for so now we get to tell you what we are thankful for.... Mommy! She is the best and we are so thankful for the little stuff she does even though we dont always tell her. Like dealing with my poop-splosions so daddy doesnt have to, or her crazy organizing and planning , or for making us laugh with her silly faces and stories. She is the best mommy and wife ever and we couldnt be more lucky!!

Love You Mommy
-Ethan (and Tim)

(PS I told you we would hack your page one day!)

Weight Loss Wednesday

2011-11-11T15:59:00.001-05:00

So I'm 2 days late with this, but its been a busy week and I'm just now getting a chance. So how am I doing you may wonder? Well I'm doing better then last week which is awesome. Its hard but with everything I eat I have to think about it, and make a choice whether its worth it or not. Yes sometimes a reese cup is totally worth it ( like during my last day at work when I had a migrane and chocolate seemed like the only cure). But taking the time to think about what I'm eating, to question everything that goes in my mouth is really helpful. It makes it hard when I have a screaming baby to stop and cook a real meal instead of grabbing the bag of chips, or ordering pizza but so far so good.

Weight this week- 253
Weight loss so far- 37
Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-Its about 50/50 what fits and doesn't fit. However I did have 2 pairs of scrub pants I threw into a pile of stuff that needs to be donated because THEY'RE TOO BIG!! So exciting!!
Eating- Like I said its hard to think about everything I'm eating, but making myself think about it ( look up the caloric intake, and the carbs) is making it worth it because it makes passing on the "good stuff" much easier
Exercise- I ran my butt off at work this week does that count? I even did the stairs a few times ( I'm on the 8th floor, so up and down the 8 flights of stairs a couple times can definitely make me tired.)

How do I feel - Exhausted. This week kicked my butt. Up at 4am to get ready for the day and home at 8pm. Wow. But I did good, despite being to busy for a real meal I did good.

30 Days of Thanks Days 8-11

2011-11-11T15:42:00.001-05:00

So I was so caught up in work and getting back into our routine that I haven't had time to post for a few days. So instead of doing an individual post for each missed day, I'm going to do one massive post

Day 8
My Mom. She is the strongest most loving women I know. We have such a close relationship which means the world to me. Yes we fight like cats and dogs sometimes but I know whenever I need her she is there for me and I pray I'm as good a mother as she is.

Day 9
My 2 best friends. I have the most diverse, wacky, fun best friends a women could ask for. They accept me for me, and trust me thats not always easy. They don't care that I'm a complete spaz, or loud, or opinionated. They are my second family, my family because they chose to be not because they were born in to it.

Day 10
A day off. This week was a mad house trying to get a routine down with work and the baby, but I think we finally have it figured out. I was so tired every day after I got off work, so its nice to have a few days off to catch up on sleep, relax, and just enjoy my family

Day 11
The military. As much as I complain about how a military life can be I am beyond thankful for all of our brave men and women that risk there lives, their relationships, and sometimes their mental well being just to ensure that my family and I are safe. I don't just mean my husband, I mean everyone from the highschool grad who is in boot camp to the retired admirals to the men and women overseas. Thank you just doesn't seem like enough when it comes to them.

30 Days of Thanks- Day 7

2011-11-07T14:39:00.005-05:00

Ok so today is a little random, but I'm thankful for modern medicine. Yes I know there are people who don't believe in immunizations, or who believe in delayed shots but we aren't those people.

I fully believe in benefit medicine, and see what a huge help it is to so many people on a daily basis. Yes there are risks but there are risks with everything and the benefits definitely out way those risks in my opinion ( Not saying that waiting is wrong, its just a personal choice). Think about all of the illnesses that have been cured or atleast been made tolerable in the last 100 years thanks to modern medicine, vaccines, imaging studies, and drugs. There is no wrong or right answer when it comes to these things though, there is just whats right for a particular family.

Happy 2 Months

2011-11-07T14:39:00.003-05:00

My little boy is 2 months old today! Well I guess little isn't really a correct statement. Today at his doctors appointment he weighted in at 12lbs 8oz. Slightly above the 50th percentile for weight, and was 23" long ( right at the 50th percentile)

Hanging out with Daddy waiting on the doctor

The doctor said he is in excellent health and gave us some ideas for the mild ezcema he has. ( Aveeno apparently is the magic trick). He got his shots today and took them like such a champ! He didn't even realize what was happening until the last shot, and then all it took was a few seconds on Mommy love to make it all better

Likes-Showers with Mommy or Daddy, Eating ( hands, mommys hair, breast milk, you name it this kid will try to eat it), Being outside, being swaddled, sitting up/standing up ( with help of course)

Dislikes- Baths, night time ( talk about a fussy baby), carseats, tummy time, wearing clothes.

I feel like he is growing up so fast! He has such amazing head control and can hold it up by him self 99% of the time. Next thing I know he'll be heading off to college!

30 Days of Thanks- Day 6

2011-11-06T17:44:00.000-05:00

Today I'm thankful for my coworkers. I have never felt so much love from a group of people I worked with like I did today when I returned to work. Everyone was so happy ( or appeared to be) that I was back, with hugs, and congrats , and just the warmest most welcoming enviroment possible. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with!

30 Days of Thanks- Day 5

2011-11-05T17:36:00.001-04:00

So today I'm thankful for lazy days. You know, those days where nothing has to be done, you can just relax and do nothing but lounge on the couch, snuggle with the ones you love while watching a movie or catching up on a good book. Today thats exactly what I'm doing ( except when feeding baby and messing with the blog) We are all sitting here in our pjs with a movie playing that we only half pay attention to while taking cat naps. Perfect way to spend our day.

Back to work

2011-11-05T10:55:00.001-04:00

As the 7 dwarfs would say... Hi ho Hi ho... well you know the rest. Today is my last day of my maternity leave and the thought of returning to work is bitter sweet. I mean I love what I do and I definitely miss the adult interaction but the thought of leaving my little man behind breaks my heart. Tomorrow he will be with Tim, who has the day off. I personally wish I had a way to record the chaos which I'm sure will ensue. It will be the longest Tim and Ethan will be by themselves since he was born. I'm expecting lots of phone calls and text for sure. After that Ethan will be spending work days with his Mimi ( my mom). She of course is beyond thrilled to have him all to herself.

So today we're having a lazy day relaxing and enjoying each others company. Tonight I have to get back in work mode, lay out my uniform, make sure I have everything I need in my breast pump bag, and then tomorrow just hope it goes smoothly.

I'm sure I'll have plenty more to post about my first day back at work, but I guess we will just have to wait and see.

30 Days of Thanks- Day 4

2011-11-04T17:58:00.001-04:00

Ok so today I'm thankful for my planner. Yes my planner. Let me explain. I'm what my loving husband would call a PITA. Oops I mean a constant planner ;) I have a hard time doing spur of the moment stuff ( wish that wasn't true, but it is) and always have my planner with me. Always. Its just nice to be able to whip it out and know exactly whats going on when, without the whole " Ummmmm I dunno, let me get back to you", because I do know. So this time of the year I get all excited because the planners for the upcoming year come out and I run to target to by mine, then spend way to long at home getting it all organized ( putting in birthdays, my work schedule, Tims work schedule, whatver) I seriously don't know if I could properly function without it. So yep. I think this officially makes me a queen size dork and should probably find some time to relax.... Let me just pull out my planner and pencil that in ;)

30 days of Thanks- Day 3

2011-11-03T19:54:00.000-04:00

So I was going to be silly and post my keurig ( who knows, maybe another time?) but decided to try to keep this serious, so today I decided on my job. Working in a childrens hospital is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done ( except for my family which always has the number 1 spot). But not only do I have the pleasure of working in a childrens hospital, I get to work with children with cancer and blood disorders, everything from leukemia, to brain tumors, to hemophilia and sickle cell. This has seriously been my dream job since I was in nursing school. Its hard to have a bad day or a pity party for yourself when you think about the things my patients have to go thru. Chemo, transplants, transfusions, and all the "yuckiness" that comes with it. Yet these kids keep their heads up, a smile on their faces and fight their hardest to get thru. They are such an inspiration to me, to keep fighting no matter how hard it gets. I look at my own son and don't know how the parents and patients stay so strong but they do. And for that I'm thankful. Thankful I have the honor of meeting these people, and hoping that in some small way I am making a difference.

Get involved! Whether you donate, volunteer, or just say a prayer do your part to help fight cancer. For more information on childrens cancer research check out cure search.

Understanding Ryan

2011-11-03T13:30:00.002-04:00

So I normally don't post about the hard things, the serious stuff. But I started this post a while back and keep coming back to it and decided its time to finish it

This is my brother, Ryan

Ryan was born Danielle.

When Ryan was a teenager ( and was still Danielle) they were outted by a teacher to my parents for being a lesbian. Well to ease the blow Danielle said they were bisexual, not a lesbian. My parents took it the best they could. Danielle was in a dark place for years due to depression and my parents didn't want to push the envelop. They supported her, we all supported her. Even when it came out that nope, not bisexual, she really was a lesbian. Ok thats fine, whatever as long as she was happy. And so Ryan went thru his teenage years as Danielle, the rebellious, depressed lesbian with a back bone of steel ( even fighting the school board for gay rights). Off to college and for the first 2 years he was still Danielle. Then one day in spring of 2010 I got a phone call from my sister that changed my world.

Me- "Hey Dani whats up"

Danielle- " Shannon I need to tell you something I need you to hear me out"

Me-" ok???"

Danielle-" Do you know what transgender means"

Me- Yes....

Danielle- *Dead silence*

Me- OMG are you telling me your transgender?

It was a interesting phone call. After lots of tears on my part, both happy and sad but mostly shock. Danielle told me that she was transgender, had know for a while, and had been going by the name Ryan. Then she asked me this

" Shannon do you hate me?"

I spoke from the heart and told her no, I didn't hate her. I didn't understand, but I would never hate her. It would take me a while but I would come to adjust. Although not as devote as I should be, I am a christian, and hearing this was hard.

I was raised to be tolerant, to be understanding, and to not judge something I didn't understand. And this, well I definitely didn't understand this. Ryan asked that we start calling him by his preferred name, as well as calling him a him. He said he had thought long and hard about this and this was the life he wanted, even though he knew it would be a hard road.

I researched, and talked to people, and asked questions. And finally got a general understanding for what this meant. It didn't mean my little sister was gone forever. Ryan was still the same person they had always been, just in a different way. He was still the same pain in the butt who chased my boyfriends around with a hammer,the same kid I tortured by dressing up as a cow during a play for our parents, the same kid who liked to eat french dressing on spaghetti. Nothing had changed. Do I still have questions. Yes, a ton of them.

What do I tell childhood friends who ask me how Michelle and Danielle are? I tell them they are doing great. Because its the truth

How do I explain to Ethan that his Uncle Ryan was born Aunt Danielle when he sees pictures from my childhood? I'm not going to lie to my child, I'm just going to tell him the truth and help him understand just like I had to do. I believe hate is something that has to be taught.

So now its been a year and a half and I can finally, honestly say that I'm ok with this. Would this be the life I had chosen for my brother? No but thats because this isn't a easy life, and I don't want to see him hurt by people who judge something they don't understand. Regardless I love my brother, every crazy part of him and over time have see how much happier he is.

No more depression, no more anger. He is free of all of it because he is finally himself.

30 Days of Thanks- Day 2

2011-11-02T22:43:00.001-04:00

My Husband. Nobody quite "gets" me like he does. My quirks, my annoying habits, my perpetual love for planning, you name it. He knows my deepest secrets and biggest fears and I trust him more then I trust myself at times. Not only is he a wonderful husband but he is an amazing father. Both of us have really strong personalities and it doesnt always make it easy but we make each other stronger. I love him and I wouldnt change that for the world.

Weight loss Wednesday

2011-11-02T14:26:00.002-04:00

Halloween is evil! Ok actually my lack of self control is evil. I bought halloween candy 2 weeks early and by the time halloween actually got here probably a quarter of it was gone! Horrible horrible horrible! I hadn't noticed a real difference in how my clothes were fitting so thats probably why ( or atleast I like to think) I didn't stop myself to chowing down on reese cups and mini hershey bars. But today I got on the scale and saw a 4 lb weight gain. 4 lbs in a week. Thats 4 lbs of reese cups and hershey bars! Of course after seeing that, and taking todays picture I did promptly walk downstairs and throw the remaining candy away so thats a little progress. Plus I finally got Tim on board the weight loss train ( so hopefully he won't mind that his milky ways have disappeared.)

Early this year he had taken up MMA style fighting/training but eventually it fell to the wayside and he gave it up ( he said it was boring, but I don't think thats the real reason) Anyway we both are sick of our weight gain so yesterday when we went grocery shopping it was nothing but healthy food. Salad stuff, grilled chicken, and lots of fruits and veggies. Having someone trying to lose weight with me I think is going to be a huge help, especially after my halloween set back.

Ugh! Looking at this and comparing it to last week I definitely see a difference :(

Weight this week- 255
Weight loss so far- 35
Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-Yep some of them fit, but they're definitely snug. I think I'm going to be in big trouble soon because my maternity pants constantly need pulling up, but my other jeans aren't very flattering. Luckily I will be back to wearing scrubs soon which will help "spice up" my wardrobe
Eating- Other then the halloween candy I've been devouring its pretty much been chicken and salad lately.
Exercise- Its getting alittle to chilly to take Ethan for long walks anymore so I've been having to do a lot more at home via work out videos etc. But once I get back into the swing of things at work I'm definitely signing up for the gym
How do I feel - Like a piglet. Halloween was a huge set back when it really shouldn't have been. I definitely don't have the self control I wish I had and will have to work on that with the holidays right around the corner.

30 days of Thanks

2011-11-01T21:00:00.001-04:00

So I'm going to try to do something alittle different and post something I'm thankful for every day in celebration of thanksgiving and all the good in my life :)

Day 1- So today I'm going to do the obvious and say my son. When people tell you that having a child changes your world they're not kidding. Having Ethan changed me completely. That little guy has single handily made me a stronger, more compassionate and patient person and I thank God every day that I was blessed enough to be given the chance to be that little guys mother. There is nothing that warms my heart more then hearing him coo and flash me his big toothless grin. Or my other favorite face- bottom lip out as far as he can, puppy dog eyes, it melts my heart.

Yes there have been days where I've been stressed and pushed to my limits but he is worth it, he will ALWAYS be worth it.

Dear teenage me,

2011-11-01T11:51:00.001-04:00

Have you ever thought about what you would say to yourself if you could back in time? ( Yes kinda like that Brad Paisley song). Well here is what I would say

-Shannon nothing is wrong with wanting to be young and care free, just be careful who you hurt in the process

-Stop worrying about your bio dad, things don't change and eventually you realize he just isn't worth your time ( PS even though he promises you he will call you on your 16th birthday, he doesn't... big surprise)

-Go visit your Pop-pop, it won't be to much longer until things really change

-Its ok let your guard down sometimes, I promise.

- In 2 years your going to meet your husband. Don't give him such a hard time and just go out with him!

- Start taking better care of yourself. No you still hate to run, but trust me, you'll wish did it at 16 so your were healthier later

- Having an opinion is ok, shoving it down other peoples throat however is not ok.

- Boys will come and go, and so will friends, but your family will always be there ( even though things get much crazier )

- Give Mom a hug, she may really need it

- Be a better sister. The twins look up to you more then you realize

- Study harder it makes things so much easier later

- Treasure every memory that you make and never regret anything.

Well what would you say???

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T11:45:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween everyone!

( No judging my dorktastic glasses, we both know they're awesome )

What are you doing on this beautiful day?

Not much going on for us today. Ethan is of course way too small to take out tonight ( although Tim almost had me convinced to do it, because after all Ethan can't eat the candy... so someone else would have too ;) But we still decided to get him dressed up in his little costume to take photos (and who knows maybe I'll even get dressed up myself to pass out candy).

My little monkey

So besides the obvious excuse to eat candy and dressing up all silly, my favorite reason for halloween is the scary movies. I love horror movies so in honor of halloween I decided to post the top 10 best scary movies, according to me. ( yes some of the common scary movie faves like Psycho and poltergeist didn't make my list... but what can I say, I'm not a fan...)

10.Paranormal Activity

9.Friday the 13th

8.Texas Chainsaw Massacre

7.Nightmare on Elm Street

6.Halloween

5. Amityville Horror ( the original, however I also love the remake with Ryan Reynolds... hubba hubba)

4. The Omen ( once again the original not the remake)

3.Rosemarys Baby

2.The Shining

1. The Exorcist

Ok thats it, my top 10 scary movies.
Have a safe and fun halloween!!

Accent Vlog

2011-10-29T16:36:00.001-04:00

So I keep seeing these things around and finally decided to do one myself since I had nothing better to do on this rainy saturday and Ethan is sleeping. So I completely stole the list of words/questions from Lacey at Life of Lacey ( check out her blog she is hilarious and has her own cutie pie)

Anyway a few things I didn't realize I did until i watched this. 1. I talk with my hands... a lot! 2. I say whatever way to much .... whatever 3. I roll my eyes and make way to many stupid faces. Awesome huh?

So here is the list of words/ questions

Say the following words:

Aunt, route, wash, oil, theatre, 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 curls into a ball when you touch it?
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?

Halloween Costumes gone bad...

2011-10-29T14:17:00.001-04:00

So I'm going to say this, and probably offend someone in the process ( whats new....) but halloween comes, and it seems like people loose their minds trying to come up with a unique costume for their baby. Nothing is wrong with being unique but this normally turns out really bad. So in honor of halloween, I have put together my own personal list of horrible baby costumes. ( and if you bought one of these, its not to late to return it... just saying ). Curious what my little man is going to be? Well your just going to have to wait until halloween to see.

10. Food babies? This takes the phrase " I could just eat them all up" to a whole new, really bad level

9. Yes your baby is cute, maybe even stronger then the average baby, but seriously?

8.Spider baby, spider baby? Oh no.....

7. I don't even have something snarky for this one... just don't do it!!

6. Once again sushi goes bad.

5. The King is back.... but should have stayed wherever he was.

4. So your telling me your child smells?

3.Maybe this one is because I don't like Gaga, but seriously... seriously!!

2. A joystick? Really

1. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

So there you go, the top 10 worse baby costumes according to me. Think there is something worse that didn't make my list? Let me know

Juicy Lucy

2011-10-28T11:22:00.000-04:00

So I didn't name this ( because the name juicy lucy freaks me out just a bit) but I do love to eat them ( once again.. freaked out).

What is a Juicy Lucy? Well its basically just a fun take on a cheese burger.

Random Shannon factoid. I'm addicted to the travel channel, mostly to Man Vs Food. So much so that last time I was visiting my mother in law in MI I made Tim drive to Ann Arbor just so I could take one of the challenges I had seen on the show. ( FYI if your ever in Ann Arbor and really want some amazing nachos, check out Tio’s Mexican Cafe and take the Mount Nacheesmo Challenge, 5 lbs worth of nacho goodness. And no, I wasn't able to even put a dent in it despite being pregnant at the time)

Anyway back to the Juicy Lucy. While indulging ourselves ( because I have Tim hooked too) in a little man vs food tv we saw what could only be described as the best hamburger ever in Minneapolis. It looked simple enough to make so since then we have been on a journey to make our own Juicy Lucy. I guess 3rd try is a charm, because we made them recently and they were delish! Now I know they aren't techniqually low carb with a bun, but lose the bun and they're still heaven on a plate. Trust me, you don't want to ignore this.

So here we go, Juicy Lucy

Yes, thats cheesy goodness oozing out of the side

2 lbs ground beef
6 slices Kraft Cheddar cheese
6 hamburger buns
steak seasoning

Season meat per personal preference. ( we used mccormick hamburger seasoning, plus a little chopped onion)

After mixing meat and seasoning together lay it out on cutting board and use rolling pin to thin ( you want it thin, but not so thin that it breaks)

Use a bowl/large cup/ ( or in our case a milk shake cup) as a "cutter" to get perfectly even, same size patties. ( you may have to ball left over meat back up and re roll, to get all the meat cut perfectly)

Take cheese, break it in 4 small pieces and stack together in the center of 1 patty. Place another patty on top and then pinch edges of patties together to seal cheese in ( this is the most important part, if you don't create a good seal then the cheese will leak out before its done cooking)

Grill for 14-16 minutes depending on the type of grill you use ( basically cook these bad boys until they are completely done. It takes a little while longer because it has 2 cook thru 3 layers including the cheese)

Place on bun and add desired toppings then enjoy this super yummy cheese burger ( careful, that cheese is HOT!!)

PS, I decided to join followers fest, and you should too!

Never Grow Up

2011-10-27T12:00:00.001-04:00

I heard this today and of course sat there crying like a lunatic while looking at the most precious face ever.

Weight Loss Wednesday

2011-10-26T11:10:00.004-04:00

Weight this week- 251
Weight loss so far- 39
Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-Some of them! My maternity jeans are defintely are getting loose. So today I dug thru my closet and tried on pair after pair, finally finding some pre pregnancy jeans that fit. Still snug, but 2 weeks ago I wouldn't have even been able to button them!
Eating- so far so good. Caesar salads are this girls best friend, plus I am loving trying our new recipes.
Exercise- kettle bell kettle bell, kettle bell:)
How do I feel This weeks weight loss was definitely the confidence boost I needed after a few weeks of my weight stalling. The best part is I didn't have to change or extreme to see it happen. Now don't get me wrong, this hasn't been perfect. My milk production has been effected some, so to help keep it stable I started using Fenugreek. Great in theory, but I definitely wasn't prepared for what happened. Basically I went from a diminish in my supply to an over abundance in a matter of a day. Which then caused clogged milk ducts and a bunch of other issues. Its ok though, I've figured it out and things are back to normal. Plus I'm losing weight. Win/Win.

Monday Rambling and photo dump

2011-10-24T14:41:00.002-04:00

So there are a million things on my mind, but not enough of any one in particular for a actual post, so instead you get them all...

-Started Christmas shopping today. I love this time of the year, its gorgeous weather plus it means christmas is right around the corner.

-Do you know how hard it is to come up with christmas ideas of a baby that will only be 3 months old? Thats right at the time we're he'll probably be much more interactive, yet the toy selection is still so slim. But we started christmas shopping today and got a few things for him that I think he will like ( I can't believe Tim didn't throw a fit when I picked up the raggady Andy doll... I definitely thought he would veto it because " No son of his will have a doll" Whatever....

- I realized I only have a week and a half before I go back to work. Its bitter sweet because I miss my job, and talking to adults ( because it gets alittle old not having someone who can talk back to me when Tim is at work) but at the same time I'm not ready to leave Ethan. Luckily my mom will be watching him when Tim and I are both working so its a familiar face.

-Did I mention my complaining about Tims work schedule must have payed off? They are switching schedules and he gets to go back to days! Woo Hoo!!

- Remember I posted that there would be an awesome surprise regarding our trip to the pumpkin patch.. Well here it is! How cute is he?!? I mean he's adorable anyway, but seriously this melts my heart.

- I feel like such a bad mommy. I hate cutting Ethans nails and normally let Tim do it because I'm so afraid I'm going to cut him, well I didn't have a choice yesterday because they were getting so long. My worse fear came true. I cut my poor baby and sat there and cried with him. Yes he was over it long before I was, but it broke my heart when I realized what happened

- Good news? We have smiling. I mean consistent smiling. He smiles in response to us, and falls asleep smiling.

Weekly Recipe

2011-10-23T14:16:00.000-04:00

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Such a delicous breakfast treat. Of course I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This recipe is so simple and its perfect for the family thats not all low carb because everyone loves it. Definitely recieves a 2 thumbs up from me so give it a try.

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
3/4 cup soy flour
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. bulk sugar substitute
2 tsp. baking powder
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup blueberries
8 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. trans fat-free margarine
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Directions:
Place oven rack in the center position and preheat to 375°F. Spray an 8-inch oven-safe skillet or round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray, and sprinkle 1 Tbsp. of bulk sugar substitute around the bottom and edges. In a large bowl, combine soy flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar substitute, and the baking powder. Whisk in 2 eggs, soy milk, vanilla extract, and 1/3 cup of tap water until completely mixed. Fold 1/4 cup of the blueberries into the batter, and then pour into the prepared skillet or cake pan, spreading evenly. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and remaining 1 egg, mixing well. Pour over batter in cake pan and spread evenly. Top with remaining 1/4 cup of blueberries. In another bowl, combine margarine, almond flour, cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar substitute to create the crumb topping. Crumble over the top, all in the cake pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean of any batter. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing into 8 equal slices.

Getting into a routine

2011-10-20T14:17:00.000-04:00

So ya know how all the baby books and doctors and blah blah blah say that you really shouldn't start a schedule with an infant until they are a few months old? Well I say they're wrong. Atleast when it comes to my infant. But if it will make them happier then its not a schedule, its a "routine".

Tim and I have both gotten to the point where we are tired of fighting with Ethan to sleep. He has only been getting about 10 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period for the last week or so. Basically he would wake up in the morning eat, play and then refuse to nap. All. Day. Long. Then he would sleep for about 9 hours ( broke up in 3 hour periods) at night. I mean yeah, he would take a 10 minute power nap in our arms here and there. But 10 minute power naps 3 times a day just doesn't cut it. So by the evening he was in a horrible mood wanting to do nothing but fuss. Why? Because he was sleepy.

You would think he would just go to sleep if thats what he needed right? Nope. He would yawn and shut his eyes for a second only to pop them right open because he's afraid he's going to miss something then starting screaming. Of course the only thing he was missing was mommy trying to get some house work done, or eat something.

So then I read "Happiest Baby on the Block" and we started trying the 5S's. And it helped! Every time Ethan would get into those fussy, nothing we can do to help moods. We would swaddle him, put him in his swing and play some white noise. ( Thank goodness for iphone apps). And it would stop. A few minutes later he would drift peacefully to dream land and all was right in the world.

Of course this wasn't an exact science and he would still have those fits so we tried harder to look for a pattern, to find something that could be done different. And then I realized it.

Ethans normally starts yawning about an hour after he is fed. So at that point a routine fell into place.

He wakes up, eats and plays for an hour. Then gets swaddled and will easily sleep for a hour to hour and a half. Then he wakes up and is in a good mood and wants to play ( or be cuddled, or whatever) until its time to eat again.

It makes for such a better day! He's happy, I'm happy, Tims happy.

So whoever says scheduling doesn't work. Let them come to my house without trying to stick to a routine and watch how quickly they change their mind.

How to make a mom go from 0 to 60.

2011-10-20T11:45:00.002-04:00

Ok so yes, new first time moms may be alittle more sensitive to things because its still a learning process. However there are somethings that people do that will set a mom ( not just a new mom) off in seconds.

1. I know your a parent yourself. However your kids are 40 years old. Don't sit here and argue with me all day about how things were done " back in your day". Your kids rode around without seatbelts, and you smoked around them all the time. That makes you a better mom?

2. Congrats, your children slept on their stomach. That doesn't mean I'm going to do that. Yes SIDS is real, yes research has been done, no I don't care that your kids turned out all right!

3. Thanks for all of your well meaning advice. I'm assuming since you have no children of your own, nor are you EVER around them then your an expert.

4. Yes I know the baby is crying. No that doesn't automatically mean he is hungry. Yes I'm sure, really sure. No you can't give him a bottle just to make him "happy" He's NOT hungry!

5. Pretty much anything you say after " No offense but..." I don't want to hear. Thanks

and last but not least something that happened to me and Ethan just the other day, the reason for my first "mommy freakout"

So there we are, minding our own business at the Navy Exchange ( the navys version of a Target). We were there to buy a new computer for Tim. Ethan needed changed so we ran to the restroom. I was almost done changing him when a lady walked out of a stall, walked right over to us at the changing station and tried to put her dirty, nasty, had just used the bathroom hands all over my childs face! Of course I flipped and without giving you the R rated version it went something like " What the (fill in the blank) do you think your doing! You just ( fill in the black) and now you are trying to touch my child. First I don't know you, and even if I did you just used the bathroom!!!! The lady just looked at me in shock, like I was the one who was out of my mind while stammering " He's just so cute, blah blah blah, sorry he's just precious". Then she ran out of the bathroom.. WITHOUT WASHING HER HANDS! Seriously I just fussed at her and in her hurry to get away from me ( I may have possibly had smoke coming out of my ears) she still didn't wash her hands. WTF. Yes I know I have a adorable child. But trust me, he is still just as cute without you touching him.

So there you have it. 6 things never to say or do to a new mom. I mean you can, just don't blame here when she kicks your butt ;)

Weight loss Wednesday

2011-10-19T17:39:00.001-04:00

Finally! I didn't have to write 258 again! Yes its only a lb, but I'll take it. This week has been a whirl wind because I've been so much more active. I'm definitely sore, but its a good type of sore. It just reminds me how hard I'm working to get into shape ;)

So I actually hate this photo because my shirt is loose, which makes me look bigger but oh well. Its comfy

Weight this week- 257
Weight loss so far- 33
Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-Not really, but my pregnancy clothes are getting to big so who knows what I will have to do.
Eating- Low carb is in full swing and I'm loving it. I still splurge on some things ( like chips and salsa) but otherwise I'm eating so much better and feel amazing. Plus no changes with my milk supply yay!!
Exercise- Our jogging stroller is my new best friend. We've been going on family walks every day and walk a few miles a day. Plus I finally found a gym I like so I can't wait to start going
How do I feel-Amazing. Losing weight definitely is a slow process, but slow and steady wins the race.

Life of the Navy wife

2011-10-16T16:12:00.001-04:00

It doesn't happen often, but today is one of those days I hate being a navy wife. I despise it down to my core.

Every 6 months Tim rotates shifts ( days to nights or vice versa) well this last time, even though he was suppose to go to days, they kept him on nights. Now with his weird schedule ( on 3 off 2, on 2 off 3) plus the fact that he works nights, there are at times days that go by without me seeing my husband, and without Ethan seeing his father. I think its complete crap that he got " promoted" to a supervisor role at work, but its not really a promotion ( because normal promotions come with additional perks of some sort) no, this is more work with no incentive. So it makes me feel like I'm a single mother 5 days a week because even on his days off, Tims trying to play catch up on his sleep.

I knew what I was getting into when I married a military guy, but that doesn't mean that it makes it any easier to deal with. I don't know how some people can do this. Basically be single mothers while there husband is deployed ( or in my case 15 minutes down the street, but we still don't get to see him). I think I would break. Kudos to them, because I don't know if I could do this all the time. Its not like I have a extremely fussy baby or a colicky baby, but its like he can tell when Tims not around because he clings to me like glue, screaming if I put him down like he is afraid I'm going to have to go somewhere too. ( which makes me wonder how this will work when I go back to work in a few weeks).

I don't feel right talking to Tim about this. He is stressed with work as is, he doesn't need my pity party on top of this. I know if he had a choice he would love to have a "normal" work schedule so he could be home more often, but its just not in the cards right now.

Wow reading over this makes me feel like a whiner....

Weekly Recipe- Chili Turkey Burgers

2011-10-16T10:56:00.000-04:00

So I'm going to try something new. Remember how I've said in previous post that I use to have another blog that I stepped away from because of my pregnancy. Well that blog was basically a weight loss/low carb living blog but since I couldn't do low carb while I was pregnant, the blog became pretty inactive. Well now that Ethans here and I can start trying to lose weight again I've decide to bring back my low carb life style to a certain degree. I can't fully jump back on the low carb train because of its impact on my milk supply but I'm going to start following it very losely to a certain degree. With that being said I don't have the time, energy or desire to keep up with both blogs, so instead I'm going to post my low carb stuff here too ( lucky you...) I figure since I have weight loss wed already then posting a weekly recipe isn't that far of a stretch. So whether you are eating low carb or whether you just want to try out a yummy new recipe keep reading.

Oh just an FYI. Most people who have never gone low carb think 2 things.
1. its basically torture, that you can't have any of the "good" stuff. - Trust me this is so far from the truth. I still eat cake, and cookies, and pasta. Just in a different way.
2. Low carb food is gross- This is even farther from the truth. I constantly use my family ( especially my poor husband) as taste testers to see what they think. I don't like cooking 2 seperate meals, so when I do cook low carb it needs to be something everyone would like, low carb or not.

Ok so here we go. Chili Turkey Burgers, courtesy of George Stella's "Livin Low Carb" cookbook

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12-15

Yield: 10 burgers

Net Carbs- 1gm per serving

Burgers:
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon Quick and Easy Sugar-Free Ketchup, recipe follows
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Garnish:
10 tablespoons mayonnaise
10 red leaf lettuce leaves
10 tomato slices
10 onion slices
10 pickle spears

Make the Burgers: Mix all the ingredients together with your hands, except the oil, in a bowl.
Divide the meat mixture into 10 equal-sized patties.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the burgers, turning once, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes per side.(A instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the thickest burger should read at least 165 degrees F.)

Divide the burgers among plates--2 to a plate. Dollop each serving with mayonnaise and stack lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle on top.

Quick and Easy Sugar-Free Ketchup:
8 ounces no-sugar-added tomato sauce
6 ounces no-sugar-added tomato paste
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

So a few things I do different.
1. I don't have time to make my own ketchup. Instead I use heinz reduced sugar ketchup. It still only has 1gm carbs per tbsp.
2. I grill these on my george foreman grill instead. It takes 13 minutes and they come out perfect.
3. I don't use mayo, I dip mine in more heinz ketchup.
The changes don't change the serving size or the amount of carbs, but they make it so much easier and faster to do.

Thumbs Down

2011-10-14T20:36:00.001-04:00

Yep today was a big thumbs down, literally.

My little sister is in town for fall break so she and I along with my mom decided to go tackle some errands for her wedding. Well after finding her shoes to match her dress we stopped by Moms so my sister could try on her dress with the veil I wore to my wedding ( her something borrowed).

So I jumped out of the car and turned to talk to my sister right as I shut the car door.. ON MY HAND! As in the door completely latched shut and I had to open it with the handle to free my hand. . Of course I am screaming my head off and nobody understands why until I manage to finally say what happened.

I ended up putting some ice on it and finishing what we had came for but after a while with the swelling and pain I decided it was time to get it checked out.

Ethan was at home being watched by my brother, so my sister Michelle went to my house to relieve Ryan so he could get some school work done while mom and I ran to urgent care. 2 hours and a xray later I broke my thumb... Lucky me. So yep like I said Thumb(s) down.

What idiot shuts their hand in a door??

This girl thats who

Its hard to tell in the photo but now I get to rock an awesome splint for 4 weeks until it heals. I never realized just how much I really used my thumb until I can't use it anymore. Even things like picking Ethan take a little more thought. So yep go me, never a dull moment.

Karps missing S's

2011-10-13T21:28:00.001-04:00

So I'm currently reading Harvey Karps " Happiest Baby on the Block", whom if you don't know this guy is apparently the guru of all gurus when it comes to comforting a fussy baby. Now Ethan isn't really more fussy then any other normal baby, but Tim bought this for me before he was born, so I decided it can't hurt, maybe it will even help some.

I'm not completely done with the book but I can say that Dr. Karps techniques do work. Remember how I mentioned in a previous post ( because you read all my post right?) that Ethan has a "witching" hour every night, and I named his alter ego Egor? Well we have been using Dr. Karps techniques and the witching hour has been much more tolerable. A little swaddling, a little shushing and we're good to go.

However I've decided that the great doctor missed a few things. Or I guess technically I came up with a few on my own that really seem to work for us.

1. Shower- So we have finally realized that Ethan hates baths, and by hates I mean full blown red face screaming fit. Well the other day at wits end, and dreading another bath time Tim decided just to take Ethan in the shower with him to "get it over with". Talk about surprise when not one unpleasant sound escaped our little mans lips the entire time. He loved it! And so now thats what we do. Showers with mommy or daddy. I personally love it because it gives me some bonding time and its so funny to watch him tilt his head backwards into the water and let it hit his face ( plus he gets so mad if you move his face away from the stream) Plus it definitely helps calm him down if he is having a rough day.

2.Skin- As in skin to skin. Once again another win win. Ethan calms down and relaxes plus Tim and I get to have some intimate bonding time with our little boy. I normally do this right after a shower for the added benefit and could lay with him for hours. We play a little music and just lay down enjoying the peace and quiet.

Now these two don't work 100% of the time, but nothings perfect. I think the funniest thing about the 5's is that its stuff we all do anyway, but putting them together in a certain order makes a world of difference. Trust me, if your struggling with a fussy baby ( or even a baby who is only occasionally fussy) check this book out!

Weight loss wednesday

2011-10-12T21:17:00.001-04:00

So not really any changes this week ( wow thats getting annoying to say). But its ok. I got my final bit of motivation from the doctor yesterday at my check up. The all clear to go back to my normal routine. So that means I can really start putting this weight loss into high gear. Time to kiss the baby weight goodbye!

Weight this week- 258
Weight loss so far- 32
Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-No but I do feel like my clothes are starting to look better ( maybe just wishful thinking?)
Eating- So I have been gone back and forth with the idea of going low carb again. Downside it can effect my milk supply. Upside I feel amazing. So I've decided to compromise with myself. Normally when I go low carb its pretty extreme, so instead I'm going to do a very modified version where I can eat much more then I would normally on a low carb, but only the "good stuff". So far so good- Tonight I had grilled chicken, roasted potatos and strawberries with cream cheese dip for dessert... YUM
Exercise- I was finally cleared by my doctor to exercise again! My post partum check up was yesterday and it went great. She said I look wonderful and can go back to my regular routine ( however she warned that I shouldn't dive in head first... apparently she knows me to well) So far lots of walks and a little bit of kettle bell. Tomorrow I think I'm going to tackle the gym for the first time in a long time.
How do I feel-I feel good. Getting the all clear from my doctor was exactly what I needed for that last little bit of motivation.

Adventures in Mommyhood- Bedtime

2011-10-11T21:29:00.001-04:00

Bedtime? Whats that? Sleep? Yeah thats an even bigger riddle.

My husband would tell you that I'm a planner, and therefore can get alittle antsy if things don't go as planned. Now this wasn't too much of a problem Pre-Ethan, because I could plan my day out/trips out/ whatever and know that things would actually close to this. Post-Ethan- I don't know why I even try.

Ideally we start our bedtime routine somewhere between 815 and 830 with a bath. Then after getting little man bathed and dressed he and I settle into our big comfy glider for some music and a bottle. If I'm lucky he's asleep by 9pm. Now this seems like it would be ideal, because then I can stay up and do some house work/ catch up on tv/ whatever. However this only works about every other night.

The other nights look something like this bath, dressed, bottle, and wide awake child who decides he wants to play. So I rock and I rock and I rock him until I can rock no more. Yep he's still awake. So then I cave and decide that laundry, dishes and everything else will wait, its play time. Finally 11pmish rolls around and he falls asleep. Now of course its been almost 3 hours since his last feeding, which I know means that there is no point in going anywhere because he'll be awake soon enough. And he is... always. Yep this fun little game of his happens all night long. He wants to play for 2 hours, sleep for 30 minutes ALL NIGHT LONG!!!

After a long night my swaddling skills are pretty much nonexistent

Until somewhere close to sun rise he crashes, and so do I ( normally right there in the big comfy glider because I have ran completely out of energy to move to my big comfy bed.)

Look Ma, No Hands!

2011-10-11T17:07:00.003-04:00

Do me a favor and ignore the fact that I look like a hot mess, thanks :)

I did it, I got my hands back!! The last few days little man has decided he must be held, constantly. He wants to play while being held, sleep while being held, everything. Whenever we put him down he even starts screaming, even when he's asleep he wakes right up. Not only has it made it impossible to get anything done but my arms are killing me ( hello biceps!).

Well back when I was pregnant I bought a super cute lucky baby sling, not thinking I would use it much, maybe the occasional outing here and there. Now I have realized this is my saving grace. I just put Ethan in it and he can nap, or look around or coo all he wants without having the urge to scream. Plus I finally get my hands back to eat or clean or even type out silly blogs....

Its funny because I feel like I'm becoming the opposite of what I thought I would be as a mom. Don't get me wrong I love every minute, but I never thought I would be a babywearing, cosleeping mom. I didn't think my type A personality would ever learn how to mellow out this much but I love it. I still have a long way to go to learn to relax and go with the flow but I'm working on it and now that I have my hands back maybe I can reach a happy medium when it comes to my type A personality ( well maybe after I clean my house... There are baseboards to dust ;)

Fall Fun

2011-10-09T19:36:00.002-04:00

So todays post is really just an excuse to post a million photos from this weekend so enjoy!!

What a wonderful weekend! Beautiful weather, my favorite people, and even a pumpkin spiced latte from starbucks ( yummmmmm).

We spent saturday outside enjoying the weather. That morning we went to the pumpkin patch to take some photos and get a pumpkin to decorate ( I don't want to ruin the surprise but it will be AWESOME!! trust me.)

We had such a good time sipping on cider, watching all the animals, and of course playing with the new camera with our favorite little model

After that we spent the afternoon at Mount Trashmore, a local park, basking in the sun

And simply enjoying each others company

Plus Tim and I ended up having some well deserved mommy and daddy time while Ethan spent the evening with Mimi and Papa D. It was so nice to get out and have adult conversations over dinner and enjoy a movie. Of course I couldn't wait to get back to my favorite boy when all was said and done.

All and all a perfect saturday....

Time really does fly

2011-10-07T10:11:00.001-04:00

When your having fun that is. A month ago today to be exact my little rockstar was born and my whole world changed for the better. I've seriously learned to much about myself since I've become a mom, strengths I didn't know I had, weaknesses that I need to work on, and what true unconditional love is.

It breaks my heart to see that he's getting bigger. I want him to stay the tiny little guy that he was when he was born, but I'm excited to see what the future holds at the same time. His personality is starting to really come thru and I love it ( probably because as Tim says " he may look like his daddy but he acts just like his mommy) I think thats Tims way of saying Ethan is a little spit fire, which he is and I love it.

Ethan is still the pickiest little boy I know, refusing to be held certain ways. Screams if the water temp isn't "just right", and don't even think about not picking him up right away. Now means now.

Tummy Time is for the birds!

But he's so curious, so loving, and such a joy to be around that I wouldn't change anything about him for the world.

Happy 1 Month to my little angel.........

Adventures in Mommyhood- Grocery Edition

2011-10-06T09:52:00.000-04:00

I don't even know where to start! Let me just say that grocery shopping with a newborn=bad idea!!

A few days ago I got the brilliant idea to go and buy groceries because our cabinets were starting to look pretty scary. Of course my very smart husband suggested I wait until the next day when he's off and I could leave Ethan with him. But no, I am super mom, hear me ROAR!

I mean its just a grocery store, nowhere scary, and "I'll do it right after I feed Ethan, because then the car ride will put him to sleep". If only I knew.

1st mistake- Didn't make out a grocery list, because after all I was just planning on getting a "few" things.

Mistake number 2. Our grocery store is probably only a half a mile away, which isn't really enough time for a baby to really fall asleep.

Mistake number 3 ( this is the big one) Taking my time!!

I was enjoying doing something different so I decided there was no reason to rush. Got to the store, Ethan was asleep, put him in the cart and headed inside. Veggies-check, Deli counter- Check, Meat- Check. Cereal- No check! About the time I made it to the cereal aisle I started to lose my battle with my sleeping angel. At first it was just a few moans and grunts so I grab the cereal and decide its time to hurry things along. Oh wait I need spagetti, time to back track. Right as I got to the pasta aisle Ethans little moans and grunts turned into a full on screaming fit. As if he was saying " Listen here lady, get me the heck out of this car seat!" So I pulled out his paci and bought myself a few extra minutes. After that there was no stopping him. So there I stood now in the milk section with a red faced, screaming newborn. At that point I just started grabbing stuff, because I mean its food, we'll eat it eventually and I ran to the check out.

And yet I still had a second to snap a picture

The other fun part was getting home, its not like I listened to Tims advice to wait, therefor I had nobody to help me bring everything in, which means I had to bring Ethan in first and leave him there long enough for me to make 3 trips back to the car ( so much for just getting a few things huh). By the time I finally got inside and shut the door with the last few grocery bags he looked like he was going to bust a blood vessel in his head. So I run over, get him out of the car seat and sit down for a minute... silence, finally. About 2 minutes later I look down and see a peacefully sleeping little boy.

I can just hear what he was thinking now " Nobody puts baby in the carseat... nobody."

Weight Loss Wednesday

2011-10-05T12:06:00.001-04:00

Another week has come and gone yet unfortunately none of the baby weight has. Atleast I didn't gain, so there is always something to be thankful for. I do feel like i'm finally getting on track. I was telling Tim just the other day that when the doctor gives me the ok, I'm signing up for a new gym. Nothing is wrong with my current gym really but the one I'm going to sign up for has classes, more equipment and best of all... A DAYCARE! So I won't have to get a sitter or work around Tims work schedule. I can just grab little man and head to the gym for an hour. SWEEEEET

Weight this week- 258
Weight loss so far- 32
Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?-No and this is probably the most frustating part, not because I think I NEED to be back in pre preggo clothes, but because I was pregnant in the summer, which means I didn't have to buy many maternity clothes because I could just wear sundresses. Well its getting cold out, and I have nothing to wear!
Eating- Better. I went grocery shopping the other day and pick up a bunch of healthy goodness.
Exercise- My walking goal from last week has been a complete success thanks to having to take the dogs for more walks.
How do I feel- Like myself. For the first time in 10 months I feel like me again which is awesome!

Seven Things

2011-10-05T11:54:00.003-04:00

I've been tagged! Seriously, this made my day to know that people not only read my blog, but want to know more about me and my crazy life. I was tagged by The Mrs. over at http://frommrstomom.blogspot.com/ . Check out her blog if you haven't already she is another new mommy and I love reading what she has to say!

Ok so here we go...

There are 3 simple directions to follow:

Write 7 things about yourself.
Give the ‘award’ to other blogs
Inform them about it!

Here we go!

I'm originally from North Carolina and don't think there is anywhere better to grow up. Good food, good people, good times. One day if I'm lucky maybe we can settle down there after the Navy.
I keep thinking about going for my masters, becoming a Nurse Practitioner. But to be honest the thought of it scares me to death. I hated college the first time around ( probably why I transferred 3 times) and don't know if I can go thru it again.
This isn't my first blog. I had another one about my "journey to skinny jeans" ie a weight loss/low carb blog which pretty much went to the wayside after I found out I was pregnant since I wasn't able to diet anymore. One day I might start it back up who knows...
Something I don't talk about a lot, mostly because its something I still struggle to understand is my brother, he's transgender and seeing him go thru his journey has brought up so many mixed emotions. I'm proud of him for standing up for himself and who he sees himself as, but it breaks my heart knowing that this will never be an easy journey for him and knowing that my "little sister" is gone in a way.
I'm a baseball addict. I could watch or play baseball/softball all day every day. And I normally take a road trip to Atlanta once a year to cheer on the Braves. This year it didn't happen but thats of course because I was having such a wacky pregnancy. Next year though I have a date at Turner Field with my favorite team. Go Braves!!
I'm a complete and total girly girl. I even did my makeup when I was in labor, because you "never know who will see those photos later". Plus I love accessories. I have about 10 pairs of eye glasses ( prescription, not fake ones) and I lost count of my shoe collection, but you never know when you'll need that "perfect thing"

I'm opinionated to a fault. Its really a double edged sword because people know that I will always tell them the truth, good or bad. I'm definitely not the person to ask for their opinion if you really don't want to hear what I have to say. I've learned over the years to try and be more tactful in my approach, but it has come back to haunt me on more then one occasion.

Wow that was actually kind of fun!

Now its time to pass this along to some other wonderful people. Check out their blogs, I love reading what these ladies have to say.

1. Brittany http://bstandsforballer.blogspot.com/

2.Mandy http://www.shebreathesdeeply.com/

3.Megan http://www.inthiswonderfullife.com/
4. Lacey http://lifeoflacey.blogspot.com/
5. Mrs 305 http://newadditionbabyh.blogspot.com/
6. Stephanie http://robertslove.blogspot.com/
7.Lindsay http://pavko001.blogspot.com/

Trust me, check these out. Yes all but one are mommy bloggers, but I love these!!

In the dog house...

2011-10-03T18:57:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday Everyone!! Hope your weekend was filled with plenty of smiles and laughter!

The highlight of my weekend? Dog sitting my moms 2 dogs. Plus Tim worked all weekend. Thats right it was me plus a newborn, plus 4 dogs... alone, all weekend. It definitely kept me entertained. We have be working hard to break my dogs of their misbehavior with giving them as much attention as possible with walks and treats and playtime. But with 2 more dogs it was a mad house. The walks were the hardest part because it also was only about 60 degrees all weekend, and Ethan had to come on every walk because Tim was either sleeping or working. So every few hours I bundled Ethan up, put him in the sling, which he always hates for the first 10 minutes of, wrangle up 2 of the dogs, take them for a walk, come home and get the other 2. Luckily Moms dogs are small, however equally annoying and crazy as mine. The whole process took about 45 minutes everytime. The first time I did this I had all four dogs with me, and it looked something like this.... ( except I was getting pretty much pulled the entire time, and yelling at them to slow down.

Good Times....

On a side note (hopefully I don't jinx this) my dogs have been on their best behavior since friday. YAY!!!

Best and the Worst 2.0- Newborn Edition

2011-09-30T18:43:00.001-04:00

There are so many things I have come to love and things I now realize were a complete waste of money that I thought I would share my opinion with the world ( or the handful of followers I have, because you guys care right?)

The Best
Avent Smoothies

The fact that these things have a long nipple, similar to a bottle has totally worked in our favor. Ethan loves these things so much more then your typical paci.

Avent Isis Twin Electric Breast Pump ( so apparently I really like Avent huh? )

This thing has seriously saved my sanity. If it wasn't for this breast pump I probably would have gave up and started Ethan on formula. But with this I can easily pump 7-9 oz in 10 minutes which is awesome because then I don't have to feel connected to a machine all day.

Jeep Stroller

This thing is perfect for any " off road" family adventure. We've already taken it to the beach ( not just on the board walk, but in the sand, no problem) and many other little adventures. I love that its so easy to manuver. The only negative, I'm a bad driver ;)

Burp Clothes

Ok so we got a million of these for our baby showers and personally thought they would be a waste, thinking, " we might use 1 or 2 of these things". In reality we use these things all day every day, to the point we haven't even used a bib yet when feeding him because these are so much easier. Plus they come in handy with pumping because apparently I'm a klutz...

The Bad ( well not bad, just not so good either..)

Pampers diapers- They need an in between size in these. Newborn diapers are too snug and size ones are to big, which lead to a lot of messes and leaks.

Baby Swing-

There really isn't any thing wrong with this swing, other then Ethan isn't a huge fan of it. The only way we can put him in this is if he is already asleep, and even then he normally will only stay asleep for about 30 minutes before he wakes up and wants out.

The "cute" baby clothes

One of the only times he's worn this, photo day.

Yes I know people try to warn you not to waste money on all of the cutesy clothes, but did we listen, no. Why? Because they're just so darn cute. In reality all Ethan wears are onsies with little newborn pants when we are out in public, and just a onsie at home. He has worn his "cute outfits" ones or twice a piece, thats its.

I'm sure there is a lot more good and bad, but I have a fussy baby to tend to, so until next time.....

My other babies

2011-09-29T14:10:00.000-04:00

So I decided to post about my other babies today, the 4 legged ones.

Remember how I posted a blog on how we were trying to get the dogs ready for the baby, and how it should be a smooth adjustment and blah blah blah? Well we were wrong. It definitely hasn't been a smooth adjustment. As a matter of fact its been a nightmare.

The first day or 2 with Ethan home were a breeze, the dogs didn't mind him and all was well. But now they have decided they want to act out whenever they can. Not directly at the baby, they still don't mind him, but instead they have decided to try to turn my house into their own personal toilet. They are both house broken yet constantly going "potty" in the house. Which then makes me get frustrated, which gets them locked in the kitchen for misbehaving, which causes them to feel neglected, and the vicious cycle continues.

We take them out regularly to use the bathroom, we play with them and love on them like before and yet they continue to act out. We really are at wits end because we love out dogs but we are ready to kill them.

I guess the only thing we can do is give them more time and keep loving on them as much as possible. They'll come around eventually....

Happy 3 Weeks!

2011-09-28T10:35:00.003-04:00

Happy 3 weeks to my amazing little man! I can't believe he is 3 weeks old already!! It seems like just yesterday I was pushing his chucky butt out lol. Speaking of chunky, Ethan had his 2 week check up a few days ago and he is getting so big! 9lbs 14oz worth of big to be exact! Thats a pound and a half weight gain in 2 weeks ( he had lost weight and at his first appointment was 8lbs 1 oz). This kid definitely loves to eat!

What else does he love right now?

Likes- Eating ( duh!), car rides, falling asleep in mommys arms ( even though this causes my arms to fall asleep too lol) and this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyx6JDQCslE&feature=player_embedded
He loves this song for whatever reason. We play it and he becomes so animated moving his arms and legs like a maniac.

Dislikes- Bath time, sleeping during the day, getting dressed or undressed

Weight Loss Wednesday

2011-09-28T10:12:00.001-04:00

Or in my case this would be called weight GAIN wednesday. Thats right I don't know why and I don't know how but I gained 2 lbs this week! GAHHHH. Yes I know its only 2 lbs but it still sucks to step on the scale and see it. I know mine and Tims eating habits aren't up to par right now and we eat out way to much so I already warned him that starting today that is going to stop. We're going to eat at home more and eat healthy. A little grilled chicken and veggies never killed anyone. Plus we are going to get more active. Walking, bike riding, you name it we're doing it. I guess I'll have to get one of those side car things for my bike though if I want to go bike riding huh? I just wish I had a better excuse for the weight gain. Yes I've been sick the last few days, but thats still not a good enough excuse to gorge on junk food like I have been doing. But like I said that stops today.

Weight this week- 258
Weight loss so far- 32
Back in prepregnancy clothes yet?- Nope, I tried a pair of pre-preggo jeans the other day and those things were TIGHT!
Eating- Junk food. I know I know, how can I lose weight while eating junk?
Exercise- My goal for the next week is to excerise ( even just a walk) atleast 4 times
How do I feel- Yucky... I have a cold and no energy :(

Adventures in Mommyhood- Travel Edition

2011-09-27T17:45:00.002-04:00

What a weekend! We did our first road trip as a family this weekend to go to Kentucky so Ethan could meet his big sister Aubrey :) So it was a long trip to say the least but we made the best of it. We left friday afternoon in the middle of a thunderstorm and were stuck in traffic for the first 2 hours of the trip. Now luckily Ethan loves car rides and falls right asleep but that doesn't mean he stays asleep. So of course right after we started actually making up for some lost time we had a screaming baby who was ready to eat and be changed.

Ok we can do this, we can totally do this. So we pull over and I jump in the back seat to get to work, diaper- check, bottle-check, burped-check, a little cuddling-check. Back in the car seat- no check. He was screaming and screaming. Apparently he had enough of the road trip. After about 20 minutes he calmed back down and went to sleep, so Tim and I decided to go ahead and get dinner- mexican my favorite. And then Ethan woke up and the screaming continued. Tim ended up trying to hold and console him the entire meal.

Back on the road came the fun part. Remember how Ethan refuses to latch, so I have to pump and feed. Yeah well there is no way to possibly make it on a 9 hour road trip without pumping so I devised a plan. I luckily have a nursing cover that I unfortunately will never be able to use so out came the cover, out came the pump, and out came the car adaptor. Yep thats right my low moment thus far as a mom, having to pump while sitting in the passanger seat of my car. Did it work? Yes, was I super paranoid I would accidently flash other cars? Most definitely. The one upside other then not feeling like I had 2 water balloons about to burst? We didn't have to stop and heat up frozen milk because I could just pump and give it directly to Ethan.

What 11 hours in a car ride does to me

The rest of the actual drive there was pretty uneventful except a 9 hour trip turning into a 11 hour trip. But I guess thats to be expected traveling with a child.

Tim and the kids

Saturday was spent doing alittle shopping at Old Navy and then we spent the afternoon with Aubrey and her boyfriend Scott with an amazing dinner at Outback ( with a screaming baby who insisted on being held the entire time again) and then bowling( and go figure in the loud bowling alley he slept...). Aubrey absolutely adored her brother, and even though he couldn't verbalize it I know Ethan loves his big sister. Sunday we stopped by and saw Aubrey again before heading out and snapped a few photos of the kids together then got lunch. After that it was time to head back to Virginia.

Ethan and his big sister

The trip home wasn't as bad. Tim and I were both exhausted but other then that it went off without a hitch. Eat, sleep and poop was Ethans entire routine while mine was pump, feed baby, and sleep. Win win with an awesome weekend to boot.