Friday, June 25, 2010

Loving Summer Vacation

Things I'm loving about summer vacation :

1. Getting to spend oodles and oodles of time with L.
    Seriously, I feel like I am on maternity leave again, and I love it. And we fell right back into our old routine. He wakes up around 6:45 and I bring him into bed with me, were he nurses and we doze and cuddle until about 7:45. Then up for breakfast and to the gym for mommy's pilates/yoga class and a quick run, then home for lunch. In the afternoons we usually hit either the pool, the library or barnes and nobles and then home for our afternoon nap and playtime and Daddy is home by 4:30. It's heaven I tell you. It really reinforces to me that my ultimate goal is to be a stay at home mama. And don't get me wrong, I know that I really, really have the best of both worlds, as I have mentioned before. To be able to work part time, four days a week is amazing, and while I'm in the routine of the work schedule I don't hate it. I'm not restentful that I'm at work, if anything I really do enjoy my job and the people I interact with and getting dressed up and grown up converstation. And I'm ok with it, for as long as I have to do it, but I know that ultimately I want to stay home. Because, really, who wouldn't want to spend all day with this handsome little man?






2. Getting back to the gym.
    Well, hello old friends. I've missed you. Before I was pregnant I was something of a fitness fanatic, in the gym 5-7 days a week, and while I  slowed down while pregnant I was still very active, and did pre-natal yoga once a week. After L came I was back in the gym at two weeks, basically one same schedule I mentioned before. A yoga or pilates class, followed by a run (or, two weeks after birth, a walk). Now that I"m working part time I don't go as often. And it's not so much that I've gotten lazy, I do miss going, but I would rather spend time with L. And after he has been in daycare for the morning, mommy guily kicks in big time if I put him in gym daycare for the afternoon. So I've been going 2-4 times a week, and really only running and some weights. No classes. I know I could go to the evening classes after S gets home, but that's were the laziness does kick and truthfully by that point I'm exhausted and all I want to do is lounge on the couch with my two guys. But I'm so happy to be back in yoga and pilates, at least over summer break. It makes me feel strong and healthy and centered, and if you've never tried it I highly recommend it.


3.Reading
   I love love love  to read. Ever since I was a littel girl I have always been able to get lost in fiction. And I am a fast reader. Alway have been. Seriously, I can finish a book in one afternoon if I let myself. So I am trying to make ample use of our public library (although the offerings are slim) and buy books from amazon and the discount racks of Barnes and Nobles.  And although the Phoenix weather is pretty miserable during the day (hello, 111 degrees?) at night, after everyone has gone to bed, I love sitting on our back porch with a good book and a glass of wine and just getting lost in the story. And here is the honesty disclaimer: you may be about to lose respect for me. I am not reading something to strengthen my mind or viewpoint. I am not reading the classics or non fiction or philosophy. Oh no, bring on the beach reads. I am reading Nicholas Sparks and Jane Green. I am grabbing every book at the book store and library that has a pink cover.  I want to disappear in to the world of woman who are dealing with men issues, weight issues and shoe issues. I want to cry over the overly romantic and completely unrealistic love affairs of Mr. Sparks. And I am not ashamed to admit it.


4. Pool time
   I think S and I are both estatic over how much L is loving the water. We are both water babies, him in the ocean and me in the pool, but we both love and it is so great that it seems like L is going to love it too. And he is fearless, which gives his Daddy immense amounts of pleasure and and his mommy heartattacks. He constantly dunks his head and submerges his faces and tries to get to the deeper end when he is on the steps. He loves kicking and thinks splashing is pretty much the funniest thing in the world. And on a hot summer day in phoenix there is nothing better then a cool pool, and a picnic lunch, and a happy baby, and a handsome husband. I am truly loving my life right now.





So those are the things I am loving about summer right now. And it's only been one week. What's everyone else loving about summer vacay? I'm sure I'll have much, much more to come.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!

What a wonderful holiday, because really, is there anything more wonderful then men who are good Daddys? It was S's first Father's Day since L has been born, and I think I was more excited for this day then he was. Because money has been so tight, S made me promies not to get him anything, but he didn't make L promise. And L. being the strong willed child that he is, went right on out and bought his Daddy and adorable "Daddy and me" picture frame for S to put on his desk at work, and another frame with three pictures in it: one of mommy while she was pregnant, one of L right after he was born, and one of the whole family in the hospital after he was born. And being the good wife that I am, I  only bought him a card, per his request.




And seeing the joy, and the emotion in S's eyes as he opened his gifts was a gift to me. I am so lucky to have this man. I always new S would be a great husband, long before I married him, even before I was really fell in love with him, I knew this. It is just the kind of man he is. And becuase of the man he is, I also new he would be an amazing father. But, really, this amazing? Beyong my wildest dreams.



I can't wait to watch them grow together, this man and this little boy. I can't wait for little league games, pop warner football, fishing and camping trips, lessons to be learned, and father son talks. I know that they are going to teach each other so much, and I know that I am going to learn equally as much from both of them.


And I am excited for future children, who will be so lucky to have S as a father. But for now I am just so happy with my little family of three, me and my two men.



And I can't end this post without a shoutout to my own Daddy. Thank you, Dad, for supporting me, encouraging me, and loving me always. I know I wasn't the easiest teenager and I know at times (all the time?)  I was a handful,  but you always stuck with me. Thank you for being at every soccer game, every basketball game, every track meet. Thank you for not pushing me to talk when I was crying about boyfriends, but for still being there for me just the same, and for pushing me to stay at college when I was so homesick I just wanted to come home. I wouldn't have what I have now; a loving husband, a beatiful son, a beautiful life,  if you hadn't helped shaped me. I owe you I am, in part, to you Dad.  (The other part, of course, is owed to my mom, but this is a Father's Day post! I love you too, Mom, you know that!)


So, to the men in my life who are great Father's, Happy Father's Day! And to my wonderful hubby, thank you for who you are, both as a husband and a father. I love you.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Old friends and Summer Vacation

School's out for summer!

I drove home from work today with the windows down, the wind blowing through my hair, and the Alice Cooper hit blaring from my stereo. I was free.

(Ok, in reality, L was sleeping in the backseat, so the windows were up, the AC was on, and the while Alice Cooper was playing, it was low enough not to wake the baby. But in my mind, it was loud and there was wind in my hair.)

Today was my last day of work before I go on summer vacation. Four full weeks off. Amazing. I do enjoy my job, but the idea that I have an entire month to do nothing but spend with L makes me so incredibly happy. I will be able to bring him into bed with me in the morning, where we can cuddle while he eats, instead of rushing through nuring while I try to get dressed and get us both out the house on time. I am going to go back to my morning pilates classes, which hopefully will whip my butt into bikini shape. And I can let go of the stress of work and just focus on my family. How lucky am I?

And to jump start my summer vacation, we had dinner and wine with dear friends tonight that i don't see often enough.


Jasmine and Susanna and I have been friends since college, and they are truly what you can call "Real Friends". The kind of friends that you can not see for months, even years, but when you meet up again you just pick up right where you left up. And I love that even though it's been awhile, they came in and loved on L as though he was one of there own. Suz is engaged now, and Jazz in a serious relationship, and I can't wait untill I can love on their babies on day. I love that I have friends like this.

So happy summer everyone! Hopefully with this break inspiration will strike and I will be posting even more!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

One man wrecking machine

It is a few days shy of L's 9-month birthday, and my sweet baby boy is turning into a crawling-almost walking-babbling one man wrecking machine! The child is into everything! He is so curious and has to explore every inch of his enviroment. And now that he has officially mastered crawling, and is now pulling him self up on stuff and able to "kind of" walk if he is holding on to furniture, there is not stopping him! And even though I now spend pretty much every waking  minute trailing after him as I pull him away from stuff he is not suppose to be getting into, picking up the toys that are strewn everywhere, and occasionally rescusing Lucy (the cat) from him, I love every second of it. He really is turning into a boy, and while I am sad to leave the baby days behind us, I love who he is becoming!









He loves crawling into the cubby where we keep his toys downstairs and pulling out every single thing. I think he wants to make sure that he knows all of his options before he decides which toy to play with. And after he pulls out all of his toys, he usually decided he would rather play with the remote, or a DVD. I guess he sees Mommy and Daddy playing with those and thinks they must be fun!






He still isn't saying any actuall words, but he sure does love to talk. He babbles and shrieks and laughs pretty much nonstop. It's really funny when he chases after the dogs shreiking at them becasue he is so excited.... they are not totally sure what to make of it. I keep trying to get a video of him doing this, but neither animals nor baby is being cooperative.




Anyway I just wanted to do a quick update and post some pics before we get on with our Saturday!

Oh, and by the way, L spent his second night in the nursey last night, and you will all be very proud to know that I didn't sleep in his room with him.

I slept outside the door.

Hey, baby steps, right? :)

Sunday, June 6, 2010

The Great Crib Debate

There has been a battle raging in our house since L was about 3 months old. Last night I finally withdrew the troops, conceded defeat, and waved the white flag.

What could cause such conflict in our peaceful household you might ask? The issue is, and has been, moving L to his own room. Months before he was born, nursery furniture was orded, walls were painted a "disney" blue, diaper genies were assembled, and in our room an adorable bassinet (It belonged to S as a baby) was set up right next to my side of the bed. The thought process was that L would sleep in our room, within arms reach of me, for the first 12 weeks of his life or so. This would ease my fears of SIDS, make it easier to get to him when he was still in the stage when he awoke several times a night, I could easily nurse him in bed, and, frankly, I just wanted him close to me.

When three month came along, I was no were even close to being ready to for L to move into his own room, but unfortunetly, L was quickly out growing the bassinet that was meant for a newborn baby.

"6 months!" I told S, "I'm sure in 6 months I will be ready! He's just to little still, he still wakes up to much, there is still a SIDS risk.... I'm not ready!"

Being the good and understanding husband that S is, he gave in, with only minimal grumblings. We retired the bassinet to storage and moved the pack and play into our room. Order and peace was restored, and mommy and baby were comforted in the fact that they were not to be seperated yet.

6 months came.

"I"m still not ready!" I cried,  "Just give me another day, another week, another month!  I'll be ready soon, he will be ready soon! Just not yet!"

7 months came and went. Then 8 months. Finally, last night, nine days before L's 9 month birthday, S put his foot down.

"It's time" he said. "We will take it slow. We will start with just tonight, and then maybe do another night next weekend, and go from there. This is good for him, and good for us. We need to do this"

So, being the mature adult that I am, I finally gave in. I conceded with grace. I realized and reveled in the fact that I should be proud of my little boy, that he was gaining his independence.

Ok, really, I cried. As S and I took turn feeding him before bed, tears rolled down my face.


A lot. And I may or may not have dragged a sleeping bad into the nursery and slept next to L crib. I plead the fifth.

But the good news is, as hard as it was for me, L did great. He slept through the night, he does not appear to be showing sign of distress or feeling of being abandonded. I don't  think he will need therapy becuase mommy and daddy moved him to his own room to early.



And for tonight at least, S has withdrawn from battle. L will be in our room tonight and the battle will resume next week.

And, for the recorded, I am so very proud of my little man. But it doesn't make it any easier to let go of him.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Looking on the bright side......


I've been in a major writing funk. Everytime I sit down to do a post I realize I am poised above my keyboard, hands in position to put my thought in writing, but all that is about to come out is rants, raves, and overall bitching about life.

I don't like posting when everything seems kind of negative, because I like to think I am not a negative person, and I would hate to portray that. But this last week L had a very  high fever (104=super worried mama!!!) and was out of daycare all week, which meant S and I has to juggle our schedule to each call in sick to be able to stay home with him. On top of that I had some major work drama that I won't get into to much on here, for fear that it could possibly get back to those who employ me. Let's just say that this week has made me reavaluate my current position and wether it is truly the right place for me. Also, money is tight, I've gained 2 pounds, L is teething and my cars "check oil/engine" light keeps going on.

So that is the debbie downer part of this post. I hate writing about all that is wrong, but I guess that is life. And sometimes we all have bad days/weeks/months and that is what makes us human, right?

On the bright side of life, our Memorial Day Weekend rocked. We had a weekend chocked full of plans; friends, barbeques, and a much needed girls night out. It started on Friday when two very good friends on mine from college came in to town and we met them, along with another friend, for happy hour. They got to meet the baby and we got to catch up, reminise and laugh. Heaven. On Saturday S had to work so L and I got our clean on a scrubbed the entire house top to bottom. Quite a feat when toting around a 20 pound baby, but sometimes nothing feels better then the cleaning chemical induced high of a spotless house. (Dont' freak out, I actually use all natural and organic cleaners to spare L's poor little lungs, the high is all in my mind). That afternoon we had a pool party/bbq to attend for another friends birthday. L spent forever in the pool, in an infant approved floaty, and loved it.




And finnally, that night, we had the much anitipated girls night. Since L had been born, and really since I have settled into the role of "wife" and don't participate in these night as much. But that almost makes them oh so much sweeter when they do happend. The above mentioned friends from out of town, myself, and another good friend met at my house where we got all dolled up, listened to to Journey, and applied "going out" makeup. After that we went to a fabulous resturaunt where we sat on couches outside, drank fruity drinks out of huge glasses, and munched on delicious and expensive appetizers.









I loved, loved, loved it. I loved sitting with old friends and laughing about past antics.I love swapping stories that we have all heard a million times and teasing each other about stuff that happened ages ago, but it still kind of embarrasing. As much as I love being a wife and a mommy, I like remembering who I use to be.

Dinner was followed by a night of bar hopping, singing loudly to songs that we all know by heart, laughing at guys who would try to cozy up to our little group, and overall just having an amazing time with my girlfriends. And the best part, at 2 A.M. when the night ended (by the way, I was soooooo tired at that point, how did we ever stay up so late!)  I got to go home to a sleeping baby and a wonderful husband.





So despite the kind of icky week that followed, and the lack of writing that accompanied it, as I've sat down to write this post I've realized the all the icky really does pale in comparison to all the fabulous. And life really is fabulous, wether it;s happy hour, girls nights out, cuddling with babys and husbands, or just really clean houses.

And, no matter how bad the day, I always know I get to come home to this: