Lake Trip

My Loves

Long deep breath....

We made it.

Last night we returned from a weekend vacation. We went here:

Location: Indiana/Michigan Border

We decided to bring the pups with us... Traveling long distances with a baby and two dogs? It was a little crazy at times. Other than Savannah's minor accident on the way there, the trip was a success. A huge thanks to Dick and Patty for letting this mess stay at their lake cottage.

Reggie and Savannah enjoying the lake wind in their ears

Reggie went for his first swim. He wasn't ready to jump in again afterwards, but liked to stand at the front of the boat and intently watch all of the kids swimming. He has a bright future as a life guard. (Possible role in Air-Bud 18, Lake Adventures??)

Reggie swimming at the sand bar with Jason and I

Lucy went for her first boat ride, but her momma wasn't quite ready to put her in the water yet.  We bundled her up in a crazy-big life vest. The poor thing. I realize they're made to save her life in the event of an accident, but seriously, this thing was twice her size. She was a good sport, considering the ridiculousness of the situation.

Kyle's Uncle Tom and Aunt Deb hosted an awesome party. We celebrated 3 and 8's birthdays.

8 (Auntie Em) and 3 (Jay) with their birthday cake. And, no, I don't think the Irish-flag icing colors just happened by coincidence.

 

We drank a few cocktails and ate a delicious meal. We played Bags (I lost due to a lucky streak by Joe C.), we visited, and laid in the hammock. And Lucy was able to meet even more of her awesome family.

 

Awesome family

More  family awesomeness

I really love Kyle's family. They're all just such nice and fun people. Both of our families are filled with kind supportive people. Not to mention very drama-free. It was a great weekend spent with great company.

I think Reg and I could get used to the "Lake Life"

P.S. It is EXTREMELY hard for me to type "Michigan". I constantly type M-I-C-H-E ... Silly brain, constantly trying to type Michelle.

Baby Free

Kyle and I have been baby free for over 24 hours.

Lucy stayed over at her nana and papas last night. Kyle took me out to for nice dinner. We realized that it had been well over a year since the last time we went out for dinner and each had a glass of wine :)

We watched an hour of uninterrupted TV (with another glass of wine).

We slept in a pitch black room (usually we have to leave the closet light on, so we can check on Lucy during the night). I slept very soundly, until I had to wake up and pump. 

Luckily, I have a technologically savvy mother in law who keeps me posted through picture mail... Lucy's last 24 hours has looked something like this:

Though the calmness was a nice break, I'm anxious to see and hold my little girl again.

Steam Rolled Thumper and Reggie’s Birthday

About 30 seconds out of my driveway this morning I ran over a bunny. This wasn’t one of those ugly gray colored bunnies either. This one was light brown and had a perfectly white tail. I saw the bunny in the other lane. As I was admiring its beauty, it decided to hop underneath my front left tire.

Dead bunny was much better looking than this guy

I heard a pop, and then in my side-view mirror I saw fluff. Darn. Poor guy. Worst part of the story? I have to pass its mangled fluffy carcass whenever I go to or from my house. What a way to start my morning!

Reggie’s birthday was on Monday. Happy 2^nd birthday Reg!

Reggie checking out his present

In lieu of a bunch of stuffed toys (that within hours would look similar to the bunny after it met my Xterra this morning), we bought him just one toy.  *Side note: are we the only family out there that buys their pets birthday presents? My parents looked at us like we were crazies. Anyhow, that one toy was… A WALKY DOG! Yep, while trying to save money for a new house, we splurged $47.72 on a baton with a bungee cord that attaches to your bike.

Below is a video of Reggie and I strolling down the street. Things were going well until the neighbors unleashed Yorkie made an appearance. Though you can't see it in the video, everything went fine and Reggie just kept jogging along side the bike.

* Also, please forgive my pajama pants; I am still too large to fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans and am in denial that I may never will fit into them again.

 

Lucy's First Trip to the Zoo

Yesterday, my mom and I took Lucy, Franny and Yosh to the Zoo.

Lucy all buckled up

Kyle met us there in the afternoon. It was a good, yet tiring trip... At one point my mom said "this is similar to what it'd be like to have 3 kids". It definitely made the idea of just one more appealing :)

First zoo trip

We saw the lions, elephants and zebras. The kids seemed to have a good time, though Lucy slept through most of it.

Nuna and her two very good listeners. (Seriously, these kids are SO well behaved!)

The funniest part of the trip was at breakfast before we left. 

Scene: Franny and Yoshi sitting at the table eating their cereal. I'm packing up Lucy's milk for our trip.

Franny: Auntie Chel, What does momma milk (breast milk) taste like?

Me: I don't know Franny, you've had it more recently than I have.

Franny: I know, I just don't remember.

Franny: Yoshi, do you remember what momma milk tastes like?

Yosh: Uh huh

Franny: Does it taste good?

Yosh: Uh huh

Franny: What does it taste like?

Yosh: JELLY BEANS!!

So there you have it folks. Breast milk tastes like Jelly Beans. I just hope that it's not like those icky black licorice jelly beans!

Moving Forward...

Yesterday I posted a Wordless Wednesday from my phone. Not sure where it went though….

Well I’ve made the decision to move forward in my career. I’m taking a position at the plant I used to work at (I guess by “move forward in my career” I really mean “move backwards”??).

I gave my notice yesterday and was kind of hoping my current employer would’ve told me to just pack up my stuff and go. But that didn’t happen. Instead they offered me more money. I turned them down. So it looks like I will be working one job through Tuesday July 31^st and starting a new job on Wednesday August 1^st. The last time I switched jobs I at least had a weekend in between :)

We plan to move to Plainfield. We picked out an apartment and move in on the 11th. We’ve listed our house on the market... www.terrehautehomes.com/searchlistings.html (we're MLS 67177). Hopefully it will sell fairly quick since we wrote an offer on a house up by Kyle’s parents in Carmel. Though we wouldn’t be moving into that house immediately. (I think it’s just in my blood to have multiple homes). This is all just happening so quick. I’m trying not to stress out. So I’ve taken over the moving to the new apartment tasks and Kyle’s been responsible for selling our current home and buying our future home.

Lucy's been hanging out with Nuna this week. She's able to sit up when we hold her hands. This little girl is growing up too fast!

Registry Musts and Registry Busts

Below is a list of a few items that we've come to love in these first two months:

Clothing with hand cuffs. No, not handcuffs. But the long sleeves that fold over. Auntie Em (Kyle's aunt Maureen) bought us a set. They are great for a newborn who is constantly trying to scratch her face and poke out her eyes. Do all babies do this?

Lucy chillin in her swing (another awesome gift)

Itzbeen. This works for both Kyle and I. I like routine, and like to make sure I’m on top of feedings and diaper changes. Kyle would forget if the timer wasn’t reminding him. This handy device tells you how long "itz-been" since Lucy’s last feeding or diaper change. Also tells me which side I last nursed from. I’m pretty sure they could make an app for this, but in the mean time, this thing rocks. Newest timer being used: How long since that glass of wine.

QuickZip crib sheets. If you or someone you know is having a baby, look these up. No messing with crib mattresses for this momma.

A Nice Stroller: We opted for the BOB jogging stroller. Though I’m not much of a jogger, the stroller is robust and super nice. We decided not to skimp on a stroller, and glad that we have such generous mothers

Reg taking Lucy for a walk.

Cloth Diapers and diaper liners. This may need to be a separate post sometime in the near future.

Rockabye Baby CDs: Really this should be any baby music. Kyle complied all of the CDs that we received on an iPod for Lucy. The Rockabye collection plays lullaby versions of songs by artists from our generation (or our parents). All of a sudden I’ll find my self humming along to Pennylane by the Beatles or Crash by Dave Matthews.

Snugabunny Sleeper: Instead of having to check on Lucy in her crib multiple times throughout the night, we put her in her Snugabunny Sleeper. It sits right next to the bed and is much more affordable and portable than a bassinet. As Kyle’s mom agrees, it’s just too bad they don’t make these in adult sizes.

 

iPod lamp: When we’re hanging out in Lucy’s room, all I have to do is plug her iPod into the lamp, and voila, instant baby music. Oh, and it functions as a lamp. I love *multipurposeful items. (*Side Note, blogspot is trying to tell me that "multipurposeful" is not a word. I think they're wrong).

Flloyd: Kyle's aunt picked this guy out for Lucy. He's become her BFF (after Reggie). He makes this cool sounds when you shake him. No wonder she's so intrigued.

Books. By far my favorite gifts we received. When my sister sent out invitations for our baby shower, she requested that guests put their name in a book instead of a card. I love reading Lucy a book and being able to tell her about who gave her the book and how that person’s important to her momma and daddy. I also love the collection of books we received. Everyone seems to have their favorite, and many of the titles I had never heard of, but have come to love. Favorite new book meeting this criteria: Is your Mama a Llama?

Now for  some Registry busts:

Socks. Seriously, my daughter can’t keep them on. I prefer our hand-me-down little soft booties with Velcro straps holding them on her wiggly feet.

Baby Wash cloths. We’ve been using non-baby, adult-size wash cloths. They seem to be working just fine.

Burp Cloths. I didn’t realize how much babies spit up. I didn’t register for any of these, but my mom went to Walmart and bought a 10-pack of the old school style cloth diapers for $13. They clean up the spit up at less than half the cost of fancy shmancy burp cloths.

Clothes. This may be a shocker, but I think Lucy loves me just as much, whether she’s in a hand-me-down onesie or a designer brand dress with matching purse. Luckily for her, her momma’s friend Hannah splurged on some pretty stylish outfits for the few times that we have to go out and mingle.

Nail Clippers. I tried cutting Lucy’s nails. She moved. She bled. She screamed to the point her voice was quivering with pain. My heart cried. Since then, I’ve been biting her nails during feedings. Weird? Yes.  Any screeching babies? No.

Pack and Play. I originally registered for one, but then took it off our registry when I thought “where are we going to put this?” They’re great for grandparent’s homes or if you have a huge house (we don’t).

Dear Lucy - 2 Months

Dear Lucy,

Today you are two months old. You are the most beautiful two-month old ever, both inside and out.

Everyday I tell you that “You are going to do great things. You are going to treat others with respect. You are going to love yourself. And you are going to stand up for what is right”. I started telling you when you were not even a week old. It reminded me of the book “The Help” (an excellent read that your Nana had recommended) and I’ve told you everyday since.

You are becoming more and more like your daddy everyday. You snore when you sleep on your back. This morning, I noticed that your feet of your onesie were sopping wet (you must get your sweaty feet from your daddy too). You guys like to watch the Cubs games together, and you love falling asleep on his chest

You’ve really started to grab onto things. Your favorites are your daddy’s chest hair or my butterfly necklace. I eventually took off my necklace so you won’t break it. It’s the necklace that your daddy bought me as a “push present”. When we hold you, you'll grab onto our shirt when you're starting to fall asleep. I think you do it so that you'll know if we put you down.

Though the thing I’m told the most about you is “what beautiful hair”, the second most commented is “what a ‘doll baby’ ”. Your daddy and I aren’t exactly sure what it means, but we think that it means that you’re as cute as a doll?

 

Though you’ll fuss more than last month, I still think that you might be the world’s happiest baby. You prefer to be held so that you can see what’s going on. You’ll just sit there and watch. You’ll give out a quick grunt if you’re not happy.

This has been my first week back at work and I miss you whenever I’m not at home with you. Your nuna and nana have been coming over to watch you. You love them both and you are always a happy baby for them too.

You are growing wonderfully. You weigh 12.4 pounds and are already rocking some of your 3 month old clothing. You got an A+ at your two month check up.

You’ve started sleeping more at night and less during the day. On a good night you’ll sleep 6-7 hours straight.

You definitely know your mama’s voice, and I’m pretty sure you’d be able to pick me out of a lineup.

I find myself loving you more and more everyday. Just when I think I can’t love someone anymore, I fall a little more in love with you!

I’ll always love you anyway,

Your mama

Shots! Shots! Shots!

Lucy had her 2 month appointment yesterday. She was a happy smiling baby the entire time.... until it came time for the shots. She got three shots and once the nurses gave her back to her momma, she was a happy baby again. 

My brother and sister both had seizures when they ran a fever. Franny and Yosh did as well. After talking to Theresa about how scary it is when your little baby starts seizing, I'm hoping that she gets her reaction to fevers from Kyle's side of the family. We haven't seen any side effects from the shots yet, but we have infant tylenol on hand, just in case.

Lucy at the doctors:

Oh, and by the way, this little cutie measured in at 12.4 pounds and 21.75 inches :)

Back to Work

Just as Lucy and I were starting to figure this whole thing out, I have to go back to work.

We were on a routine. She ate, she burped, she pooped, she ate again, she burped some more, she pooped. Repeat (at least 4 or 5 more times with a few catnaps mixed in).

Our health insurance is through my job. I'm not going to go all political on you and write about Obama-care. However, we need health insurance. We can't afford private insurance. I want to be able to provide Lucy with nice things. Therefore, I am back at work. 

Luckily, for the first month, we have found the most loving (and affordable) childcare. Grandparents. Lucy's Nuna and Nana are going to come to Terre Haute and watch Lucy while Kyle and I go to our big-kid-jobs. Talk about an easy transition for me. It's really not too hard to leave, when you know that you're leaving her with the best care possible. We are so fortunate! Thanks Moms!

Well, here is a photo of what I left this morning...

Lucy looks ready for her visit from Nana and Papa Ring... Kyle looks ready to sleep a few more hours :)

Oh and by the way, here's how we spent our Saturday =>

 Hanging out with our fun, energetic, and well behaved niece and nephew.