Happy Monday :)

I hope that everyone had a great Easter.  Our weekend was spent with friends and family.  Good times were had by all.

On Friday the hubby and I didn’t do much.  We stayed at home and just relaxed.  Not to eventful.  But it’s a good way to wind down after a hectic week.

On Saturday, the morning was spent finishing up lose ends.  But that night we went over to Steve & Sandy’s house for dinner.  It was so much fun.  Sandy fixed a wonderful dinner (stuffed chicken breasts with pasta alfredo & brocoli).  I was so glad that they got to see the baby.  They hadn’t seen her in a while.  She got good cuddles from her uncle Steve, and lots of hugs from cousin Summer.  (They are not related to us by blood or marriage, they are just amazing people.  To the point that if something was to ever happen to Vic and I, they are the ones we have asked to take care of Tori.)  It was just so nice to spend time with such wonderful friends.

On Easter, it was up at the crack of dawn and to church.  Then afterwards we went out to brunch, then over to my mom’s house.  It was a really nice time.  Here is a picture of my mom and the girls.

The yellow you see behind them is so beautiful…I thought it was honeysuckle but I’m not sure.  It smells wonderful as well.

Here’s a picture of just the girls together. We tried to get a picture of all 3 of them together, however PB (Brandon) wanted nothing to do with it.  So that was a missed shot.

And here’s a picture of me and my gorgeous Angelbear.  Ugg, I love the picture but goodness I need to start exercising again :(

Well I couldn’t post picture w/o posting one of my PB.  Here he is with his Nana (my mom)  I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!

Well that was out weekend….but I do have some good news to share, that we (hubby and I) are really excited about.  I am so blessed to have the friends that I do.  God is so good to us.  And this opportunity could not have come at a better time.

On Saturday night, while over at Steve & Sandy’s, they inform us, that one of our friends had left the business.  She answered the phones, did paperwork, invoiced for him, things of that nature.  I was really sad to hear that she had left.  Steve knows my background, and knows what I am capable of doing, and asked if I would be interested in working 2 days a week.  At first I thought he was joking.  But he wasn’t, he was for real.  The best part about it though,  I can take Tori to work with me!!! I will not have to leave her in a daycare.  I can take the swing and pack-n-play and set up shop.  I had been wanting to find a pt job, but did not want to put the baby in daycare.  And I can’t say I wanted to work on the weekends, because that is our family time.  This works out so perfectly.  God is so good.  I am so blessed with the people that I have in my life….

So as of tomorrow, I will be back to work.  I can wear jeans and a t-shirt, tennis shoes, I can take my child with me, what more could I ask for….oh, and the pay is good too :)

I’ll report tomorrow night how it all went….until then….  

Easter Dresses…

They are finished…over and done with.  That’s all she wrote.  I put the final stitch in the dresses this morning.  Yes I know I was procrastinating, but they are done and that is all that matters.  They turned out cute.  I let Ali pick out the fabric.  Not something I would have chosen for an Easter dress but she liked it.  I was hoping she would have picked something softer so I could have made dresses with big white collars and lace.  But it’s just as well that she didn’t.  These were fun to sew. 

Tori’s took me about 4 hours.  That’s cutting and sewing.  And about 30 minutes for the hem.  It was nice not to have to under stitch the bodice.  Hers was a simple finish with single fold bias-tape. 

Ali’s…well hers is a different story all together.  Ali is like a bean pole.  Same measurement all the way down.  Needless to say because she is so tall I have to make a longer skirt.  But then she also need the bigger bodice because she needs the length in that too, but a smaller size for around her bodice.  Needless to say, there were a lot of alterations.  But the finished outcome is simple and pretty.  And it looks cute on her. 

Here a couple of pictures of the dresses.  I’ll post updated ones tomorrow when the girls have them on.

 

 

Ali’s dress.  There’s a zipper in the back and the ribbon ties in a bow in the back.  

 

 

 

 

 

Tori’s Dress has a zipper in the back.  She’ll wear hers with a white sweater.

 

 

 

And just a parting shot.  Here’s a pic of Miss Thing as I surprised her with the camera, and then got down on her level.  Drool and all, she’s an amazing little girl!!!

 

 

 

 

 

On a Happier Note

Okay so now that I’ve got my feelings out there, I need to post something happier :) Tori tried her homemade applesauce last night, and loved it. Daddy couldn’t get the spoon to her fast enough. She only got about 1.5T along with 1T of rice cereal, but she was a happy girl. Personally I think my homemade applesauce taste 10x’s better than the stuff you buy in the grocery store. I love to eat oatmeal with applesauce mixed in with a little bit of cinnamon. It truly tastes like you’re eating apple pie, so from now on, I’m making my own applesauce too :)

As some of you know, our little miss will be 5 months on Easter. Which in my mind is absolutely crazy, there’s no way on earth I had her 5 months ago, but unforutnately the calender says otherwise. For the past 2 weeks she’s been rolling over from her back to her tummy, and sometimes from tummy to back. However, daddy and I have not been able to catch her in the act. She does it when we’re not looking, or when we try and record her, she stares at the camera and just giggles at us. So this morning, with her in her pack-and-play, and me nesteled into the edge of the couch out of sight….I CAUGHT HER!!!! The video is short, but I thought ya’ll might enjoy seeing my little one in action…so here she is!!!!

Just One of Those Days

hrmmm…well it’s 1:27 on Tuesday and I’m just sitting here on the couch.  The motivation is out the window.  I just can’t seem to get it together.  There is a list of things that I need to get done, but no desire to do a damn thing.  Not like me at all.  I usually like to accomplish a little something everyday.  Makes me feel like I’ve contributed to the house.  (Beings I don’t work, I feel I need to make sure that things around here are taken care of.)  The hubby won’t complain.  There was breakfast for him this morning, he had a lunch to take to work, and when he arrives home, there will either be dinner waiting for him or almost off the stove.  But still I feel I need to do something else.  Monday is cleaning day and I got that accomplished, but today, the items on my list just aren’t even getting started.  I don’t know what my deal is.

It seems now, that since I’ve been a SAHM, I tend to get down a little easier.  I used to be so lively and full of energy, and I feel that slowly slipping away.  I don’t know where that girl is anymore.  She seemed to hop on the train out of my life.  I’m not depressed, I just feel so out of my element.  The things that make me smile are the wonderful smiles that Tori gives me.  Her little bubbles that she blows.  The funny sounds she makes when I tickle her kneecaps.  But as bad as this is going to sound, it’s not enough. :(  [see i told you that was going to sound bad.] 

There are some days that I just don’t want to get out of my pj’s and you know what, I don’t.  Even though I am on the go quiet often, I don’t really go anywhere by myself.  I knew my life would change once I had a child.  And by no means would I ever give this up.  But I need to find me again.  I need sometime for me to sit outside and drink a cup of coffee and let the world pass me by.  To not feel guilty for not having the baby with me.  I need this time to make me a better mom.  And right now, that’s not happening.  Just like I feel hubby needs time with just his daughter alone to make him a better dad.  No, this is not a dig at my husband, because he is an AMAZING daddy.  I just need some me time.  To find me again.  Not the old me, but the me that is now a mommy…..

Tori’s Feeding Table

Week	Food	Date Started	Mix-ins
1	Rice Cereal	3/16/09	Breastmilk
2	Bananas	3/27/09	w/cereal
3	Carrots	4/2/09	just carrots
4	Applesauce	4/6/09	just apples
5	Sweet Pots	4/09/09
6	Squash	4/14/09
7	Pearsauce	4/18/09
8	Green Beans	4/22/09
9	Peas	4/26/09
10	Prunes	4/30/09

So for now, this is the feeding chart that I plan to follow.  According to all documentation that I’ve read, she needs to have 3 servings of the food before a new one can be introduced.  This is to make sure that there is no food allergy.  I’m doing 4 days instead of the 3.  For those wondering, this IS NOT taking the place of a meal.  She only gets about 2 Tablespoons of solids a day, if that.  Before solids are offered for the day, she is nursed.  Breastmilk is still her Main source of nourishment.  All of her food is homemade.  There is no store bought food, except for the rice cereal.  I do have a homemade recipe for that too, however I wanted the DHA enhanced, so I succumbed and bought it. 

Some people may think I’m being prudish, and not wanting to spend the money ect.  However, fresh vegetables and fruit taste 500 times better than the store bought ones.  I’m not diss’ing on anyone who buys the ones at the store, it’s just not for me.  I was fortunate and my mom made all of my baby food.  Fresh from right out of the garden.  My daughter deserves the same.  Granite I don’t have a garden, but her fruits and veggies are organic and they are steamed, so that no nutrients are lost.  And they are not steamed in the microwave, they are steamed on the stove top.  So for now, that is the best that I can offer her.  This might be my only child, so I am holding nothing back.  Besides, food made with love always taste better.  :)

I’ll update the chart as she progresses through the foods….

Another weekend come and gone….

Happy Monday everyone.  This weekend seemed to fly by for some reason.  Although it seemed short it was packed with much fun. 

Friday I went shopping for food for the baby.  I decided that beings I am able to stay at home, there is no reason why I can’t make Tori’s baby food.  It bothers me when I look at baby food labels and see other things in them.  And when she gets older and I can start mixing a couple of flavors, I want the taste to be true.  I don’t want everything to taste like carrots or sweet potatoes, which unfortunately that’s what baby food seems to always taste like.  I’ve already made her steamed carrots, and she DEVOURED THEM!!!  So on Friday I made the following:  applesauce, pear sauce, green beans, peas, spinach, sweet potatoes, and squash.  They all were steamed on the stove, so no microwave used, and the only thing added to them was nursery water.  Which I used to steam them, and to thin them back out.   And just to make sure that I approved of the flavor, I tasted them all too, and they taste pretty darn good :)  It was a little time consuming but my freezer is now stocked full of baby food cubes.

On Saturday, we got up early and it was so beautiful outside, we decided to take the baby to the park for a nice walk.  Off to McAllister Park we went.  We went for a little over 2 hours and she loved it.  We walked almost 6 miles.  My legs are a little sore but it was so much fun.  Here are a couple of pictures of our adventure.This is Daddy with his little girl, we are just getting started on the trek.. We were blessed with the song of the Cardinals…This is a picture of the path that we walk on….it’s so peaceful, you have the birds singing, and several deer actually passed by us.  Not startled by our presence at all, just in their element.The rustic railings to keep us on the path and not go down into the small gulley.    This is what happened at about mile 3…she had seen enough, and fell fast asleep..but we continued on.But when it was all over with, we had a very happy little girl who got to experience the outdoors with her parents!!!

Okay so that was my Saturday morning…that afternoon, the baby and I went over to Nana’s house (my mom) and helped her tear down a shed in her backyard.  Yeah I’m sore, and my arms and legs hurt, but it was a great accomplishment.

Sunday, was up early for church.  Then after church it was time to run errands and then back to the house to relax.  We rented a couple of movies and just enjoyed time together.  I FINALLY got to watch Slumdog Millionaire, what an amazing movie.  We both really enjoyed it….

Now it’s Monday morning/afternoon and it’s time for all the house work to get done.  I’ve already cleaned the kitchen and done the laundry, now I have to just fold a couple of loads and then I’m free for the day.  Life is good…no life is great….

1 Year Ago Today

The title says it all…One year ago today, my alarm went off at 4:00am.  I was supposed to be getting ready to meet my mom at the gym for a spin class at 5:30.  I awoke as normal.  Nothing to different there.  The few days before this day I hadn’t been feeling all to well, but I thought it was just me getting a little run down.  However, for some insane reason, I thought I’d take a “test”.  I had one in the cabinet and it was only collecting dust.  So blurry eyed I did the deed and waited my two minutes.  When I walked back over to the test, I wasn’t expecting anything.  We had been let down too many times before.  I haphazardly picked it up and here it was.  2 pink lines.   I didn’t believe what I was seeing.  But there it was.  The proof.  God had answered my prayers.  I was finally pregnant after several years of trying. 

Victor was sound asleep all snug in the bed.  I grabbed his foot and was jumping up and down squealing.  The poor guy thought something had happened.  He didn’t know what my deal was. I handed it over and he was dumbfounded as well.  What a blessing we were looking at.

We ended up telling my mom too.  We told her we were coming over that evening.  We stopped and bought a jar a baby food.  When we got to her house Victor took it out of his pocket and handed to her.  It took her a couple of minutes to put it all together, but when she finally did…she started crying right along with me.

The journey to his day in 2008 was a long one.  A lot of tears.  A lot of prayers.  God answers prayers in His time, not ours.  The road from that day on was a bumpy one, but we made it through…and on 11-12-2008 @ 6:33pm, my amazing little girl entered this world.  Miracles happen every day.  And she is mine.