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  1. Grandma Kathy

    February 13, 2012 by Katie

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    {hope it’s wonderful!}

    Category Baby | Tags: | 1 Comment

  2. Tea Parties

    February 10, 2012 by Katie

    I vividly remember this day, exactly one year ago.

    We had our 20 week ultrasound scheduled—you know, the one where you can hopefully find out the gender of your child, if you choose to do so.

    Obviously, we just wanted a healthy baby and weren’t partial to having a boy or a girl. But, in the weeks prior to this appointment, Todd and I both had really strong feelings that we were going to have a daughter.

    I can’t pinpoint exactly why I felt that way, but I was 99.3% certain we were having a girl. Mother’s intuition, maybe? Something inside me just felt strongly ‘girl’ versus ‘boy’.

    We still had a boy name as backup in the .7% chance we were wrong—we had first-middle-last {duh} names picked out for both genders before we were even 3 months along. {Actually, we had decided on ‘Elise’ many years ago, and after going to Europe in 2009, ‘Arosa’ was solidified too.}

    So, basically we just needed someone legit to tell us the baby was a girl, and we were set.

    It seemed to take forever for the ultrasound tech to do her required measurements of the baby, and then I specifically remember her saying “okay, dad, you better get ready for tea parties and lots of pink…”, and then I stopped listening to her and I looked at Todd, who only had a tiny look of terror on his face.

    We both smiled and he gave me a kiss.

    A girl.

    That announcement immediately weighed heavily on my shoulders. I felt there were so many things I/we could do to mess this up, so I started praying every day for God to help us raise her to know Him. To be a strong woman and make good choices. To love and respect herself and others. For her future husband. For her future children. For her health, happiness, and protection. Etc. Etc. Etc……

    I mean, I turned out pretty well, but not without mess-ups along the way. I greatly desire my daughter to be better than myself, so every day for the past year, we’ve been working on making that happen.

    I know we have a long road ahead of us too, but there is no road I’d rather go down and nobody I’d rather go down it with.

    And if you have any advice for raising a daughter, pleasepleaseplease, do share.

    Category Baby | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Step into my Shoes {Part 2}

    February 1, 2012 by Katie

    Read Part 1

    ……….

    4:00 pm Elise is still napping. I throw a load of laundry in the wash and take care of some emails I’ve been meaning to respond to.

    4:18 Elise is awake. I hear her half crying, half talking to herself so I get her up and we go to one of her favorite places in the house…in front of the full length mirror in our bedroom. She loves loves loves mirrors. Pair that with being on mommy’s shoulders and you get some monstrous giggles and smiles.

    She’s usually still fussy when she wakes up from her naps, so I find it beneficial to get her in a happy mood as soon as possible, because fussiness can escalate very quickly if it’s not treated (just realized I say that like it’s a disease).

    4:33 Mirror time is over for now and we go breastfeed. Then she decides she’s full and wants to check out what’s going on in the neighborhood {answer: pretty much nothing}.

    Then I lay her on the floor with some of her favorite toys while I snarf down a snack, move the laundry to the dryer, and change my clothes so we can go for our walk before it gets too dark outside. She gets excited when I pick her up and scratches me while flailing her arms all about. I make a mental note to clip her daggers finger nails.

    5:15 Diaper change, then I bundle her up and put her in the stroller. In the process, I accidentally {duh} bump her head on the metal frame, and 3…2…1…cue the crying.

    I feel really bad and contemplate skipping our walk, but she forgets about it quickly, so I very carefully put her in the stroller without causing further injury. As soon as I can get a smile out of her, we leave. I run for 10 minutes and then we walk for 30 minutes.

    6:00 Elise eats sweet potatoes and applesauce while I have some yogurt and start chopping vegetables for dinner. Grandma S calls and says they are free to Skype, so we spend about 15 minutes chatting with them. Thank goodness for Skype & Facetime—even being far away from her grandparents and uncle/aunt/cousin, she can ‘talk’ to them and get to know their faces and voices.

    6:30 Daddy arrives home from work to spend some quality time with Elise before she goes to bed. Work has been pretty crazy for him recently, so he comes home to hang out with her, then finishes doing work after she is asleep. I go work on dinner while they run off and play.

    I hear him say “Wanna go drive the car?”.

    7:00 Bath time for Elise. I usually give her a bath 3 times a week since she’s not exactly crawling around in dirt yet and mostly just needs her hair to be washed once it gets too greasy looking. Lately, she’s had an obsession with putting anything and everything in her mouth, so I give her a clean washcloth to keep her from grabbing the one I’m using out of my hands.

    7:15 I pass her off to Todd while I put dinner in the oven. We have a system going where I give Elise her bath, then he reads her bedtime stories and puts on her pajamas. I don’t even offer to do the storytime/pajama part anymore because I know he loves that time with her.

    7:25 Time for bed. I breastfeed her for 20 minutes til she’s calm & relaxed, then I give her about 500 kisses and lay her down. We say our bedtime prayers and I sneak out of the room.

    7:45 I take a quick shower while dinner finishes cooking and Todd works in the office. Then we eat dinner while watching The Biggest Loser. We’re fun like that. This part of the evening is when I finally get to relax and decompress, so I hardly ever do much more than sit on the couch and enjoy some mindless entertainment {except on Thursdays–that’s when I go to our church SHARE group for a couple hours}.

    {stuffed chicken + zucchini gratin + small glass of white wine}

    10:00 Todd goes back to the office to do work and I watch reruns of FRIENDS while I blog.

    11:00 Time for a ‘dreamfeed’ with Elise. Todd helps change her diaper, then I feed her.

    Tonight is our last time doing this, so I’ve gradually been decreasing the duration I feed her, and we’re down to 8 minutes.

    {Anything less than that is not worth waking her up from sleep, but I needed to make sure my body also gradually adjusts to this weaning. We’ve been doing the dreamfeed almost every night for the past 6 months, and it has worked great for all 3 of us.  But, she doesn’t need it anymore and hardly stays awake long enough to eat anything, plus I would really like to be able to go to bed earlier.}

    I get a manly burp out of her, breathe in a big whiff of her baby scent, and lay her down in her crib. She cries for a few seconds, so I put my hand on her tummy and she’s back asleep for the rest of the night.

    11:30 Bedtime for me. Todd comes to bed shortly thereafter. I probably don’t actually fall asleep until midnight though.

    Sometime in the wee hours of the morning (i think), she cried. I had no idea what time it was, but before I could even think to check the clock, she must’ve fallen back asleep. Bad dream, I guess.

    Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

    Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. I wake up to my alarm. We have Pre-Toddler Play Group every Wednesday, so I have to slightly adjust our day to make sure she still gets a good nap in before we go sing and dance.

    And so begins another day……………

    .    .    .   .   .   .   .

    I feel I should make it known that not every day runs this smoothly. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by her excellent naps and minor fussiness.

    {For instance: this morning before Play Group, she woke up from her nap after 45 minutes, so we laid on the daybed together while she calmed back down and slept another 30 minutes. We ended up being a bit late, because I didn’t think ahead enough to brush my teeth/get dressed/pack our lunches/change her out of her pjs beforehand, so I did all of that once she woke from her extended nap.}

    And while I do try to have a nice dinner every night, some nights it ends up being take-n-bake pizza or leftovers.

    She’s a relatively happy and easy-going baby, but yes, she cries. She has fussy times and won’t let me sit her down or put her in her jumper. Somedays I just have to tell myself that it’s okay if the house is a disaster, I only have time to eat a Clif Bar for lunch, or don’t change out of my pajamas until Todd calls to say he’s heading home from work.

    So I hold her and hug her as much as she wants, because soon enough, these days will be gone.

    Category Baby | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Step Into My Shoes

    January 31, 2012 by Katie

    I thought it’d be fun to show you what a day looks like for Elise & I. While no two days are ever the same, we I like to keep us on somewhat of a regular routine.

    This is our day today (part 1 of 2):

    8:19 I wake up just before my alarm goes off, listen to the baby monitor, and hear Elise talking to herself. I slowly drag myself out of bed; I was tossing and turning a lot last night and didn’t get very good quality sleep. (Funny that I used to consider anything past 7:00 as ‘sleeping in’ and now I struggle to get out of bed after 8:00.)

    8:25 Walk into the nursery and say “Good Morning, sweetie pie!” She starts kicking her feet—as if to say, “yaaay, mommy’s here, time to eat!”

    I pick her up out of the crib, we go relax on the daybed (which is also in her room), and breastfeed. This is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE time of the day. Usually when I feed her during the day, I tend to also be doing something on my phone or watching tv—but in the mornings it is just me and her, so I really savor this time together. I watch her, and she occasionally looks up at me and smiles, then goes back to doing her business of eating.

    9:00 Full belly. We lay beside each other and relax. I massage her legs and arms for awhile, then Guster the cat jumps up to see what we’re doing and she grabs his tail. “Gentle”, I say. He decides he’s seen enough and leaves.

    We get up, change her diaper, head to the family room where Elise spends some time playing on her piano mat while I catch up on important world news (i.e.: watching the Today Show).

    9:15 I move Elise into her jumper/exersaucer toy for some exercise. Gotta build strong legs. She keeps herself entertained in that for awhile and I eat some cereal and check email/facebook/read blogs, etc.

    {I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all the grandparents for giving Elise her piano mat & jumper toys exercise items. They have gotten more use than you’ll ever know.}

    9:20 Todd is up and comes out to play with Elise for a bit before getting ready for work. I make us coffee and start unloading the dishwasher.

    10:00 Hugs & kisses for daddy, then he leaves for work. Elise & I hang out on the couch—singing, laughing, and talking—whatever it takes to keep her entertained until naptime. Oooh, let’s practice sitting up!

    {no, she’s not naked, her pajamas are just the same color as her skin}

    10:33 Rubs her eyes. First sign of her getting tired. I pick her up and we walk around the house, looking at photos on the walls, discussing the sunny weather, and ‘what do you want to do today?’.

    10:35 Yawns. Time to take a nap. I change her diaper, read a couple stories, and then turn off the light. I cuddle her in my arms and sing Jesus Loves Me, and 3 different versions of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. She seems to be pretty relaxed by now, so I lay her down in her crib and turn her lullaby seahorse on and leave the room.

    10:45 Free time! I go relax on the couch for a bit, then remember I should finish emptying the dishwasher and washing the dishes in the sink while the water is still somewhat warm and I have my hands free. So much for ‘free’ time.

    11:20 Done with that, I decide to call my longtime friend Crystal, who is a stay-at-home mom in Texas. It’s been a couple months since we’ve talked and we’ve been playing phone tag, so it’s great to catch up with her.

    11:40 I figure I should get something else productive done, and I never know how long Elise will nap for, so we say goodbye and I finish stuffing cloth diapers and picking up the house.

    12:21 pm Elise is awake and crying. I let her cry for a couple minutes, in case she decides to fall back asleep. Nope. That’s fine, because she’s due to eat shortly and got a 90 minute nap in. Yaaay! She is doing consistently much better on her naps than she was even just a couple weeks ago.

    Todd calls just as I’m getting her out of the crib so I put him on speakerphone for a bit so she can hear his voice.

    12:30 She breastfeeds while I plan our meals for the week. Just remembered that I volunteered to bring salad for the SHARE group meal on Thursday, so we’ll go to the store after lunch.

    12:45 Elise and I sit down to enjoy lunch together. She eats some peaches while I have a tuna melt and leftover salad, which she seems to be pretty interested in. It’s SO much easier for me to actually eat lunch now that she’s on solids and sits in her high chair.

    1:00 We are both still in our pajamas. And I haven’t brushed my teeth yet. Do not be surprised, as this is the case pretty much every weekday.

    I sit her in the middle of our bed while I go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, put on jeans and a sweater, and some face lotion & mascara. Nothing fancy for this momma.

    I do a lot of singing and clapping while I’m running around. She likes this and giggles along with me. Stiggy the cat is weirded out and is running back & forth between the bedrooms.

    We go change her diaper and finally get her out of her pajamas.

    1:30 Drive the mile to Trader Joe’s for groceries. I put Elise in the Ergo carrier so I can have my hands free to shop. She loves looking around and feeling snuggly wuggly.

    I have an interesting conversation with the sample lady about hiccups {fyi: peanut butter is my favorite way to cure them}. Some days, going to the store is my only face-to-face adult interaction (aside from with Todd), so to me this is good entertainment. I’ve never been a very extroverted person who starts random conversation with strangers, but I find myself doing it a lot more now that I have a baby and don’t get out as much.

    2:10 Back home. I always try to make sure we’re back home before she’s due for a nap, as I hate having her fall asleep in the car.

    Unload the groceries while holding Elise on one hip and keeping her hands preoccupied with something safe to gnaw on so she doesn’t grab the grocery bag and pull it off the counter.

    Then we play together on the floor and get a couple minutes of tummy time in.

    2:30 Yawns. Same routine as before….change diaper, read books, sing songs, seahorse….she softly cries herself to sleep.

    2:45 I work on this blogpost.

    stay tuned for part 2…….

     

    Category Baby | Tags: | 1 Comment

  5. Confessions of a First Time Mom

    January 28, 2012 by Katie

    1. Occasionally when Elise can’t settle down for a nap {like if she falls asleep in the car and won’t transfer to her crib or if she wakes up from a way too short nap}, we’ll both lay down on the daybed in her room and I close my eyes and say “shhshhshhhh” over and over and over until she falls back asleep. Sometimes I take a nap with her, and sometimes I just lay there watching her. And smelling her hair.

    2. I try to take her on a walk every day so that we both get fresh air and I get some exercise, but mostly so that I can have an easy way to keep her entertained without actually entertaining her—if you know what I mean. It’s mindless for me, but she stays quiet and happy.

    3. Same with an evening Skype with family. It’s just one more easy way for me to keep her happily entertained until bedtime.

    4. And sometimes if I don’t think she’ll make it to bedtime without getting cranky, I take her on a walk—even in the rain or snow—so that she’ll get a short nap in. Even if she only sleeps for 15 minutes, it gives her an extra boost of happiness.

    5. I really didn’t want to start her on solid foods because I was afraid of what her poop would turn into. Come to find out, it’s still not too bad….yet.

    6. I know eventually she will wean from breastfeeding {it probably wouldn’t be good for her social life once she gets to high school if she’s still doing it}, but right now, I don’t ever want that day to come. It makes me tear up just thinking about it. The 5 times a day when I breastfeed her are the most relaxing and enjoyable parts of my day. It’s a very intimate time that only her and I get to enjoy together.

    7. She stopped taking a bottle when she was about 2 months, I think. And I secretly enjoy that. Yes, I can’t be away from her for more than 4 hours during the day and that limits my ‘freedom’.  More importantly, I know that she needs ME to be nourished; which makes me feel extremely useful for something important.

    8. Speaking of feeling useful…I’m sure all stay-at-home moms fight these feelings at some point, but there are days when I feel inadequate or like I’m not doing anything important in society. Other adults talk about what’s going on with their jobs and important projects they’re working on, and the only thing I can bring to the conversation is an in-depth discussion about naps and poopy diapers. Which ends up not being so in-depth because the other party quickly loses interest.

    This is ridiculous to feel this way, and I know that. Still, those feelings sneak up on me occasionally. I’m raising a human being, for goodness sake {and one who will hopefully not be a total disaster}! Not to downplay anyone else’s job, but on a scale of 1 to 10—10 being the most important job on Earth—mine’s an 11 and yours is about a 5.

    9. I need to work on my humility.

    10. Sometimes when she’s fussy, I dress her in something that has I love mommy on it as a reminder to myself that even when she seems to want nothing to do with me in that moment, she does love me.

    11. I love her SOOOOOOOO much, but man am I looking forward to taking a vacation without her! Obviously, that won’t be anytime real soon (see #7).

    12. I often find myself in disbelief that she is actually my child—that she has half of my genes and came from Todd and I. That God knew us to be the perfect parents for her. Still blows my mind.

    13. I always knew I would love my child, but I had no idea that the love would be so overwhelming and intense. Being a mom is a bazillion times more awesome than I ever thought it would be.

     

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