My new job

Well, I started a new job on Monday.  See, what my former boss didn't know, is that I was leaving that company to work for JLB Inc.  I liked my desk job!  I really enjoyed what I did.  But, my heart wasn't there.  It was with another employer.  Every day that I drove to that job, and dropped my little girl off at day care, I ached to see her develop, change, advance...  I was able to give up the cushy desk job that paid me well - given the fact that I only had 2 semesters of college under my belt - offered benefits, sick time and vacation pay.  I left that position to take on a job with JLB Inc.  My new job is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with no pay, no sick time, no vacation time...but has HUGE benefits.  I get to see my daughter grow up!  I can take naps and snuggle breaks with her whenever I want.  I can work on random crafty projects whenever I want.  I can straighten up the house, go shopping at the drop of a dime...well, if the new boss is ok with it.  It's only been a week, and I'm loving it so far.  I can deal with not having a pay check...

Meet my new boss...

Miss JLB.  She's also modeling the beret I made for her...  =)



God Bless!

Happy Half Birthday!

Just a quick update...Lil Miss J turned 6 months old today!  She had her 6 month appointment also, and is weighing in at 14 lbs 6 oz now!  They measured her at 24 1/4", but I'm POSITIVE she's longer than that...oh well...she'll have a big jump at her next appointment.  =)

Aaaannnnddd....a couple photos...enjoy!

God Bless!

Plans

I think any mom knows that your plans can (and WILL) change in a heartbeat when a baby is involved.  We can try and try to keep to our plans, but chances are...it's not going to happen exactly the way we would like.  I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, but it can be rather annoying sometimes.  =)  Mostly when the wee one decides that filling their pants - 5 seconds after a clean diaper is put on, and 5 seconds before it's time to run out the door - is entertaining!  Julia does this on a semi regular basis...I actually find it pretty funny myself because she will just look at me and grin after she does it.

Once I'm home with her all the time, I've got big plans!!!  We'll see how well it all goes though.  I have one crochet project in the works (yes...the blanket that I started for her when I was pregnant...it's almost done), four more that I really want to get going on - but I'm making myself wait until the blanket is done, a latch hook that I just started, a blog to maintain - hello...um Timewarp Tuesday's are kind of unintentionally on hiatus, a garden to tend in preparation for next year, lilies to move out from the house a bit so they don't lean so much, a house to clean, puzzles to work, oh yeah...and a baby to take care of!  LOL

I'm so excited, it's hard to keep it under wraps while I'm at work so that people don't get it twisted into a lack of focus on my part.  Next...Friday...is my L.A.S.T. day.  It's still hard to believe for me...it's a dream come true...I'm hoping (well, I'm fairly certain) that I might finally feel like there is enough time in the day.  I often wonder how so many moms can work full time and not feel bad at the end of the day.  I know that staying home isn't an option for a lot of people - and who knows, maybe I'll be working somewhere again before I really want to - but it's a risk I'm willing to take for the better of our family.  Yes, it's going to be pretty tight for a while until we get a budget really nailed down...but we're ready.  If it wasn't for cloth diapering (the cost savings is INCREDIBLE), and breastfeeding (thanks be to God that I'm able to nurse my baby)...I wouldn't be able to do this.  =)

And now, a couple of photos for your enjoyment  =) 

This was taken on 8/21...it's been a big hit already!

And this one was taken 8/27...

God Bless!

So close I can taste it...

I have seven work days between now and next Friday. Seven work days until I am finally with my daughter!!!

Today I thought to myself "I feel like I will be meeting her all over again. Like I have to LEARN her again. I feel so disconnected right now, and I can't wait to get that back.

For now...sleep.

Good night blog world...

God bless.

Well, here it is...

So, my last post consisted of... "OMG...OMG...OMG..." and the promise of an update a few days later.  Well...here's that update!!!

Michael has been working as a carpenter since he graduated high school.  Along with that position came the instability and possibility of being laid off at any given time, for any amount of time.  When we found out I was pregnant with our little girl, we both knew that I would be staying home with her.  Or at least that's what we both wanted.  With him being in such an unstable position, that couldn't happen.  He had an interview a couple of weeks ago with a new employer.  It would be a permanent full time job.  After the initial interview, they set up a "try it out" kind of thing.  That went really well, and before we knew it...they were offering him the job!!!  Friday night, we went out to dinner to celebrate his new job, and we decided on a date.  September 10, 2010.

..........That's...the day...that...

 .....................................I...

........................................Will become...

...............................................................A...

Stay at home mom!!!

I am ECSTATIC!!!  I can't WAIT!!!  I get to be home with my baby!!!

At the same time...I'm scared...nervous...anxious...happy.  I don't think it has entirely hit me yet.  I've turned in my notice at work, the email has gone out notifying the entire company of my resignation (which I was privy to).  That got me choked up a bit...after all, I've been with this company for 6 years...but I don't think it's really going to hit me until I walk out on my last day, and don't have to get out of bed the next week!!!

**sigh**

I'm so happy...  =)

God bless!!!

Just Breathe...

OMG...OMG...OMG...

I will update in a few days...but OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God bless!!!

Strange feeling...

I had this really weird feeling hit me today.  Sitting at work, and all I could think about was being with my baby.  Maybe because we had a harder-than-normal morning...maybe because I miss her so much all the time...maybe because I can't stand the fact that someone else is getting nearly all of her awake time...all of her smiles...all of her cuteness...I was on the verge of trying to take a half day just so I could spend some time with her.  Well...that didn't happen (obviously...it's 1:20, and I'm taking my lunch break as I type this).  Then, I get a phone call from day care.  Nothing is wrong, they just don't have record of my tuition payment this week!  UGH...but, I have a receipt number!  =)

Anyways...on to the harder-than-normal morning.  Julia has been sleeping pretty well the last couple of nights (knock on wood...).  Tuesday night, she went to bed at 7:30, slept until 11 or so when she woke up to eat, and then didn't wake up again until 5 am.  5...solid...hours...of GLORIOUS sleep!!!  Last night, was almost the same.  She went to bed between 7:30 and 8, woke at 11:30 and 4.  So not SO much sleep, but still quite a bit!  Ok...so this morning, I'm getting ready for work, and I'm waiting for her to wake up.  I've come to the conclusion that she needs to start cereal a little more than she has been.  Following my maternal instincts on that one.  So I go upstairs only 15 minutes before I normally wake her up. She's SOUND asleep.  I mean...rubbing the belly, tickling the feet, playing with her hands, talking to her...none of it was working.  SOUND asleep.  Finally, after she stretched a few good times (full body, arched back, knees up, arms by her head ADORABLE stretches), I just picked her up and took her down stairs.  She was not happy about it for the first 20 minutes or so.  I got her cereal ready - decided to try oatmeal instead of rice this time - and she finished waking up.  First bite of oatmeal, and I got the "What the HECK are you giving me?!?!?!" look, and pushed almost all of it out of her mouth. She didn't like it one bit, but I kept trying.  We managed 2 or 3 itty bitty bites, and that was it.  I decided to try the rice since she likes the rice.  Yeah, that wasn't happening either.  She started trying to climb out of the bouncy seat, and if she was in her Bumbo, she was staring at her feet...not exactly easy to feed a baby that's looking down.  She fought me so hard...and I gave up.  Dumped another bowl of cereal down the drain, and daddy got her dressed while *I* finished getting ready for work.

So, here I sit...only 15 minutes left on my lunch, and all I want is to hold my daughter.  Unfortunately, I have to wait another 4 hours.  =(

On a happier note - Michael's "working interview" went great!!!  3 days of great!  Here's hoping they offer him a job!!!  Keep us in your prayers...

God bless!

Full time maybe???

So, Michael had an interview this past Monday.  It went well, and the guy wants him to come in a couple of times this week to "try" the work that he would be doing.  They'll be seeing how well he works with the other employees, and what kind of worker he is.  If all goes well, this would be a permanent job!  No more fear of being laid off...wahoo!!!

Anyhoo...I'm spending the next couple of days with two of the cutest girls I know!  My niece, and my daughter!

God Bless!

Time Warp Tuesday!

Ok, ok...so I've missed a couple of TWT entries...sorry!  Time is slim lately, and I'm finally figuring out how to make the most of what little minuscule amount of time I have during the day...only took nearly 5 months!!!

Today's TWT entry doesn't go back too far, but I thought it deserved to be revisited... =)

TWT Entry #7:
This was taken at the hospital the day after our baby girl was born!  Don't mind the lack of make-up and hair "style"  LOL

*sigh* she was so teeny...

God Bless!

This is new...

I was walking around earlier today, and I realized something.  I am doing things that I've never done before.  when I was little, I was the shy one.  We moved around so much that I only let myself get attached to a few people.  I was quiet, reserved, walked with my 'head down' along the "lonely" road, really.  I was very introverted, didn't really smile a lot, and actually was diagnosed as "depressed" when I was with one of my exes about 8 years ago.  So many people are completely shocked when I tell them I was a cheerleader for 3 years in high school.  I still miss cheering...it was FUN!!!  Today, however...I realized that I'm walking a little taller...I'm walking with my head up, confident, and with a smile on my face!  This...is new to me...and I really like it...  =)

Quick Update...

Ok, first off, let me apologize to anyone that regularly follows me (or anyone that cares...).  I've been away for a bit and I'm sorry!  Life can be crazy with a baby!!!

Last weekend, my hubby and I were in a wedding so we had to figure out details for little miss J.  Everything worked out, and Julia got to spend the day (and night!) with her nannie (my mom)!  Both thoroughly enjoyed the time they had together, and it was nice for me and her daddy not having to worry about who was taking care of our little snuggle bug!

Right around the time of my last post, Julia had come down with an ear infection in both ears.  We got her on some anti-biotics, and it cleared up quickly.  Now, she has another minor ear infection (thank you day care...) which is caused by drainage from her nose, and it's causing her to cough too.  Ugh...  Of course, I was the all too paranoid first time mom thinking 'what if she's coming down with pertussis?'  Well, obviously she's not (thank the Lord!).  She's up to 13lbs 5oz as of her appointment this morning!  Growing like crazy...  =)

Now...there is one little tooth that is trying to poke it's way through her little lower gums, and I can't wait to see what she looks like with a little chomper!  I can wait to feel said little chomper though....LOL.  Day care actually called me the other day because the lump on her gums was relatively large and somewhat resembled a blood blister.  Well, I called the pediatrician and they said that it's most likely a dental cyst, and it's VERY common, so good news there!

As for me and Michael...I'm back to work full time going on the end of my second full month, and all I can think of is being at home with my little girl.  Michael is laid off again, but has an interview on Monday...pray for us please that he gets the job!!!  Thanks!

Now, a few more photos for your enjoyment...

That hand must taste good...

Enjoying Mr. Quackers...

 

Miss blue eyes...

 God Bless!

Baptized in Christ...

Sunday, July 11, we had our baby girl baptized.  It was something I had been looking forward to for quite a while.  I anxiously awaited the day that we would be seeing that water pour over her head "In the name of The Father, The Son, and of The Holy Spirit".  I had this mental image of how the day would 'go down'.  We would head to church for the 12:15 mass, and possibly deal with a crabby baby (due to it being nap time), but then she would fall asleep, and sleep through the baptism which started at 1:30.  Well...that's NOT how it went!!!  LOL

We went to the 12:15 mass as originally planned.  Julia fought sleep for the first 30 minutes of mass (mass is approximately one hour), but then finally fell asleep about 5 minutes before Communion.  She slept for the last little bit of mass, and until we got into the social hall to change her diaper and clothes.  We got her in her pretty little white gown and headed back into church.  This is where it gets good...

There were two babies being baptized that day, and we all headed out to the narthes with the Deacon to answer the first few questions that are asked of the parents and godparents.  Almost every time the Deacon started talking, Julia would start talking with him.  She cooed and gurgled like crazy.  It was so funny!  The "talking" on Julia's part continued throughout the ceremony.  Occasionally it elevated into screaming and crying (she was, after all, very tired AND getting hungry). 

When it was our turn to head to the front to have her baptized, she had calmed down just enough to be tolerable. They anointed her with the oil, which she didn't mind much at all, but when it came to the water...oh, she wanted nothing to do with it! That's when the wheels officially came off. She started screaming...screaming! I finally got her calmed back down when it was the other baby's turn. She was ok for the rest of the baptism, but was more than ready to eat (understandably) before we actually left the church.

We headed back to the house afterwards for a little picnic with the family. All in all, it was a good day! And Julia smelled GREAT for DAYS!!! I love the smell of chrism oil. =)

Time Warp Tuesday!

TWT Entry #6:
In honor of having had our cutie patootie baptized on Sunday, here is a picture of when I was fully received (full immersion baptism!) into the Catholic Church back in 2008!  The gentleman in the picture drew my name to pray over prior to the Easter Vigil, and he is the one that actually performed Julia's baptism.  I will be posting that story hopefully soon (and it's a rather entertaining one at first), so watch for that...

Enjoy!

Prayer requests, and a Baby J update!

There are a few people very close to me that are going through some trying times.  I ask that anyone coming across my blog keep them in your thoughts and prayers.  (RL, MO, PR, JM, DL, JK)

Little Miss Julia had her 4 month well check yesterday. I can't believe it's already been 4 months. Seems like only yesterday that we brought her home, and I was able to be with her every day...I miss those days... =(

Anyways! On to the update.  When we got back into the room, we started the usual routine of stripping her down so she could be weighed.  Now...Michael and I have looked at her numerous times over the last few weeks baffled at how big she's gotten!  I realize that babies grow, but seriously.  I looked at her one day and thought "your head used to be smaller than my hand!!!"  I placed her on the scale, and the nurse worked out the conversion.  (They weigh babies in kg I think)  She said "12 pounds 2 ounces!"  WOW!!!  This little chunky monkey has gained 7lbs since she was born...that's another whole baby!  I then laid her on the table so the nurse could mark above her head and at her heel for the length measurement - 23 3/4".  A whole 2 1/2" longer than at her 2 month well check!  All from mommy too!  I'm so proud  =)  She is finally making her way up the charts for length and weight - from barely 10th percentile 2 months ago, to 25th percentile this month - and her head is still ahead of the curve at 75th percentile.  The hubby and I are definitely getting some pretty toned arms thanks to our little 12 pounder.  Her ears are back to normal (from an ear infection in both ears a few weeks back), heart, lungs, eyes, etc all check out fine!

Here are a couple of pictures for your enjoyment:

The first one is Julia at 4 days old, and the last 2 were taken July 5th.  Sorry the last one is blurry...she's a little wiggle worm!!!

Time Warp Tuesday!

Well, at the suggestion of a very good friend of mine (love you, girl!), today's TWT entry will flash back to October 2007 when my mom and I went to Ireland.  It was a GREAT trip...I can't wait to go back...

TWT Entry #5:
Mom and I took a walking tour of Kinsale.  It was quite possibly one of the neatest little towns - and by far the most colorful - I have ever seen.  Every year they have a contest between themselves and surrounding towns to see who is the "cleanest".  For this contest, nearly EVERY building gets repainted!  There's one paint store in Kinsale, and man...that lady must make a killing when this contest comes around!  This is a picture of a two lane road...yes...TWO LANE ROAD called Chariman's Lane.  There was a young lady in a "Learners" vehicle (you can tell by the capital "L" sticker in the windshield and rear window) that came around the corner to head down this hill.  She was grinning from ear to ear!  It was funny!

I give up...

I'm not going into detail about why.  It's in God's hands.  He is in control, not me.  I'm giving up, and giving my wishes to Him.  If it's meant to be, He will make it happen.

Time Warp Tuesday to come...

Time Warp Tuesday!

Well, here we are again.  Another week gone, and the year is almost half over!  Holy moly...

What's my mood today you ask?  Well...I don't even know at this point.  Up until about an hour ago, I would have said "shattered"..."crushed" even...really upset.  Now?  I have no idea.  And I don't think I'll know for a little while.

Anyways...on to the Time Warp!

TWT Entry #4:
I took this picture at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.  I <3 this car...It's a Ford Shelby Cobra GR1 concept car...hand polished...HAND POLISHED aluminum body...with a V-10...auuughghhhghhgggg (think Homer Simpson...)  I think they said there was something like 7,000 man hours put into that body.  *drool*

You can find more information on it here.

Lilies...

As promised, a photo of my lilies!

It's time for some changes and some clean up...

To all of the bloggers that I currently follow - Please don't be offended if I no longer follow you, I will have you bookmarked on my computer.  I'm finding myself sifting through the 20 something blogs I have listed right now looking for specific ones.  It's all a selfish act to make my life a little easier...which right now, I really need.  I'm also going to be playing around with the new 'Design' feature that blogger has.  I need a new background...I don't know when these changes will take place, but it will be soon.  I've actually resorted to bringing my laptop to work with me again.  It's a bit of a distraction some days, but I must say...I have more control over my music on this thing than I do with Pandora.  =)

Now, to my usual posting.

Last night was interesting to say the least.  I got to the day care to pick up Julia (still despise the fact that I have to take her there, but at least I like the place), and she had just - JUST - gone down for a nap 20 minutes before.  I thought to myself, "Great.  This will make for an interesting night..."  I got her loaded into her car seat and she was wide awake, which meant I had to try to get her to go to sleep after the 20 minute car ride home.  Yippee.  I got home, changed her diaper, wrapped her up and laid her down.  She fell asleep for a short time, but 5 minutes later, she was crying.  Went upstairs, shushed her, calmed her down, eyes fell closed, went back downstairs.  5 minutes later, she was crying.  This went on a couple more times and finally I said 'screw it' and got her up.  She did end up taking a nap before bed...at 7 pm.  For 25 minutes in my arms, and (you guessed it) 5 minutes in the crib.  The rest of the night was just as fun!!!  Michael spent a lot of time outside, while I stayed inside dealing with a crabby, over-tired baby, washing bottles, washing Julia's new cloth diapers (can't WAIT to start using them!!!), and trying to figure out when I'm going to take a shower!  Anyways.  She FINALLY went to bed...at 9:45.  Normally she goes down some time between 8 and 9:00.  Not today!  Nope.  She had other plans.  Julia finally fell asleep at 10, and that's when I had my chance to shower.  I must add here that I hate, hate HATE showering at night...but that's the only time I can unless I get up at 5 am...  Yes, last night was one of those frustrating nights.  They don't happen often, but they are so annoying when they do!  LOL  I can't believe that her first birthday is only 8 months away!!!  The next few months are going to be so much fun, and they're going to go so fast!!!  I'm just disappointed that I'm going to miss so much of it because she's in day care all day.  *sigh*

On a side note...my lilies are blooming like crazy!!!  I'll post a picture soon...I hope...

Time Warp Tuesday! (and an update...)

Whew...where did the last week go, seriously?  I can't keep up!!!  Before I post TWT #3, I want to do a much needed update.

Last Sunday, Julia was super congested, and kept us up half the night practically gagging on whatever drainage was going on in her little sinus cavities.  She had also started coughing and sneezing a bit so I called the doctor.  They didn't even hesitate setting up an appointment for her when I ran down her list of "symptoms".  I left work a little early and had her checked out.  Get this...she was "perfectly healthy".  No fever, no cold, nothing.  I was instructed to get her outside (for the humidity), and to set up a humidifier/vaporizer in her room to help break up whatever was in her sinuses.  No biggie.  I got home late that afternoon, and around dinner she felt kind of warm so I took her temperature.  101.6 (+1)!!!  Crap.  Well, the doc said she was ok, but I can't take her to day care for 24 hours following a fever.  I gave her some Tylenol to break the fever and called my sis to watch her on Tuesday.

We kept an eye on her that night, and throughout the day Tuesday.  I wound up taking her back in on Wednesday because she spiked a fever again.  Turns out...she had an ear infection!  In both ears!!!  Poor baby...but apparently, it happens all the time so my first time mom freak out was a little overboard!  LOL  She is doing much better now that she's on antibiotics.  Our little girl is growing fast though!  She's up to 10lbs 11oz!  I can't believe she'll be 4 months old in just 2 short weeks...  *sigh*

Now for Time Warp Tuesday!

TWT Entry #3:
This picture was taken in Chicago on St. Patrick's Day in 2007.  Wow...what a fun weekend THAT was!!!  I would love to do it all again, except I would change one thing...I would have my hubby and my daughter to spend it with!  =)

Time Warp Tuesday!

Wow!  I can't believe it's already been a week since the last Time Warp Tuesday!...where is time going???

Anyways...

TWT Entry #2:
Deleted...maybe I'll replace it eventually.

3 Months down, a lifetime to go...

Yesterday, little miss Julia turned 3 months old! =)  I can't wait to see what the rest of our life with this little girl brings. She is such a joy...even when she wakes up 3 times a night to eat and refuses to go back to sleep one of those times, or is screaming because she needs something.

Happy 3 Months Julia!

She's been in day care since Monday, and it has NOT been easy on me.  My brother-in-law watched her the first 6 days I was back at work, and that wasn't so bad.  I got text updates whenever I wanted, and even got pictures and videos sent to me sometimes.  It was nice!

When I dropped her off on Monday, she was sleepy and a little hungry so she was whining a little.  I didn't want to leave her.  I wanted to take care of my baby girl, but I had to go to work.  I made it most of the day without crying.  Only got choked up a couple of times, and didn't actually cry until I was in my car on the way to pick her up to take her home.  She did pretty good on Monday though, and greeted me with a big smile when I got there...that almost made it worth it.

Yesterday was a lot easier.  She was still very sleepy, and had just eaten about an hour and a half before I got there, so I swaddled her and put her down in her crib.  I felt a lot better about the day yesterday...until I got there to pick her up.  I saw that she had only eaten 3.5 oz the whole day.  I knew that meant it would be a long night for us.  She wanted to eat 3 times in a 3 hour period, and I felt like I had nothing for her...I felt terrible.

This morning sucked dropping her off.  Maybe because she only got 3 1/2 flipping oz of breast milk yesterday and was up 3 times last night, maybe because I didn't get to bed until almost 10:30...and got up 3 times last night. Maybe because she was tired, hungry, and crying when I dropped her off and I couldn't do a damn thing about it because I had to be here, at work, and not with her where I should be...I've already cried once today...we'll see how the rest of the day goes...I need to get cracking.

Time Warp Tuesday!

I've decided to start a new "tradition" so-to-speak with my blog.  We'll see how well I'm able to keep up with it!  From now on, I'm going to start Time Warp Tuesday!

TWT Entry #1:
The weekend I met Michael's parents...about 3 years ago.

Music

Well, it's almost D-Day.  I can honestly say that I'm really not looking forward to it, and everyone knows that.  Every time I think about leaving my little girl for the entire day, I get choked up.  I can do it, I'm just not ready to.

When I was pregnant, I had 5 ultrasounds before the little bean made her grand entrance.  One was at 16 weeks.  During that ultrasound, we told the tech that we didn't want to know the sex of the baby.  When she got around to checking out the baby's belly, she went just a little too far, and we caught about a 60% shot of the area.  Obviously it wasn't enough to say one way or another, but I didn't see anything.  At the same time...I didn't see anything.  From that day on, I had a feeling that this little bean would be a girl, but I didn't want to get my hopes up, and I still wanted to be prepared either way.  This song has always been one of my favorites, and I often found myself trying to re-word it to be "In My Mother's Eyes".  Now that I have my little girl, it breaks me down whenever I hear it...



And...I just can't seem to get enough of Lady Antebellum's song, Need You Now.  I don't know what it is about this song, but it just doesn't get old...

Need You Now
Songwriters: Haywood, Dave; Kear, Josh; Kelley, Charles; Scott, Hillary

Picture perfect memories, scattered all around the floor
Reaching for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now
Said I wouldn't call but I've lost all control and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now

Another shot of whiskey, can't stop looking at the door
Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time

It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now
Said I wouldn't call but I've lost all control and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now

Woah, woah
Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now
And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now, I just need you now

Oh baby, I need you now


*sigh*...counting down...

Had a Moment Today...

Today, I went with my future SIL to have alterations started on her wedding dress.  My daughter stayed home with my hubby and his brother.  I knew she would be needing to eat while I was gone, so I went over how to prepare a bottle for her with my husband.  I nursed her at 11, and then a short session (seriously...less than 5 minutes) again around 12:15 for two reasons: 1) To "top her off" for her nap, and 2) In hopes to hold her over until I got home.  Granted...she needs to start taking a bottle since I'm going back to work next week.  I figured it wouldn't be too huge of a deal since she's taken a few in the past.

Anyways...my FSIL and I left around 1:15 for her 2:00 appointment.  When we were done there, we made another pitstop at JC Penney to pick up some photos, and headed home.  Over the course of about an hour or so, I had texted my hubby to see how Baby J was doing.  He said she was "Crying and kind of sleeping" (we're getting back to the fighting sleep thing...).  Then he said she was sleeping in his arms.  Good, at least she's sleeping!  We got home about 3:30, and he was trying to feed her the bottle...she was screaming.  I asked when she last ate and he said "she hasn't"  WHAT???  Great...so now, she's pretty much going on 4 1/2 hours of not really eating, and she hasn't really had a nap.  I pick her up from my hubby and head upstairs to the nursery.  She screamed the whole way, and even started coughing and gagging because she was getting so worked up.  I felt so bad.  I was finally able to calm her down and get her latched.  She ate like it had been forever.  In all honesty, it had been in comparison to her normal 2-hours-between-feedings-during-the-day schedule.

As I sat in the rocking chair, I started thinking, and started crying.  I have such a bad habit of taking things for granted, and I really need to stop.  It was then that I realized how blessed I really am, and how lucky I am to be able to give my daughter everything...EVERYTHING she needs.  All of her nutrition to grow comes from me, the roof over her pretty little head, the diapers on her adorable little butt, the clothes on her teeny little body, the socks on her perfect little feet...all of the love and care that she needs...  Yes, she gets most of that from her daddy as well, but I can give her everything.  I think that was the moment that it finally hit me exactly how real this whole thing is.  She's mine.  100%.  Forever.  To care for, love, and teach.  And I'm going to stop taking things for granted and enjoy every minute of it.

Now to just get her to take a bottle!  LOL

L O V E

One year ago today, May 16th 2009, I married my wonderful husband.  Thank you, Michael, for two of the best gifts a girl could ever ask for...the love of a great man...

and our beautiful baby girl!

 I love you honey!

Mother's Day, and a Lil J update

So, yesterday was Mother's Day!  Happy Mother's Day to all of the mommies out there!  My first Mother's Day was pretty good!  I got a card in the mail from one of my sisters, one of my best girlfriends, and my mom.  I loved them all!  They're still sitting on the table.  =)  Michael also got me a very sweet card and signed it from him and Julia.  Inside, there was a gift card for the little spa that opened up just down the street, and I CAN'T WAIT to use it!!!  They do manicures, pedicures, facials and massages!  Wahoo!  My mom also came over and spent most of the day here, and brought me some gorgeous flowers.  It was intended to be a "HELP ME WITH MY FUSSY BABY" visit, but Julia was wonderful the whole time.  Go figure!  I also got a T-shirt from my other sister that says "New Mom 2010".  It's really cute, and I wore it yesterday!  Michael and I got dinner from Panera, and later in the evening, he gave me a quick foot massage.  It was so nice...

And now for the update on Lil J...she is growing SO much!  I just can't get over it.  She was 5lbs 2oz and 18" at birth (even though I think 18" was pretty generous...), but when I took her to her 2 month appointment at 9 this morning, she was 9lbs 2oz, and 21 1/2" long!  I couldn't believe when the nurse said she was over 9lbs!  Sheesh...little piglet...LOL  Anyways.  Today she got her first round of vaccines.  I wasn't looking forward to her getting poked - yet again.  Granted, this wasn't a poke like the biliruben testing.  That was actually a little slice in her heel to draw blood.  This was "just" needles.  Well, she got 2 pokes in her left leg, and one in her right.  When the first needle went in, she screamed...the purple-faced-breath-holding scream.  I had to blow in her face a couple of times to get her to breathe again...poor thing...  When she was done getting the vaccines, the nurse let me use the room for a few minutes to nurse lil J.  It helped her calm down quite a bit more.  She fell asleep (one of the side effects) on the way home, and has been sleeping pretty much ever since...it's now going on 5:00.  Poor baby...she keeps waking up whining every once in a while, and I feel so bad!  I'm just giving her lots of extra loving today.

*sigh*

8 down...

 3 1/2 to go.  Until I go back to work that is.  I'm torn between being excited, and being severely bummed out.  After the last couple of days, it will be a welcomed change.  But...like I've said before, the good WAY outweighs the bad, and I'm NOT ready to leave my little girl yet.

In classic "Stacy" style, I seem to have procrastinated myself into a bit of a pickle.  I had looked into a couple of day care centers, and even found one that I really liked.  When I visited that place, they had one slot open in the infant room.  However, when I called them the other day, they don't have any openings until the fall.  That's what I get for waiting until 3 weeks prior to needing a day care provider.  Whoops.  There have been a couple of other places that I've called recently, but the only one that has an available spot for an infant is $230/week, and probably isn't NEARLY as fun as the place I liked before!  It's an option though.

Recently, I found out that my brother-in-law is willing to watch Lil J for a while!  He'll do it for a super price (plus food *giggle*), and I'm much more comfortable having a family member watch her, rather than a complete stranger.  There is one place that has an opening in a couple of months, and I'm hoping I can figure out how to have the BIL watch her until that opening is available.  Oh...I should probably try on some of my old clothes to make sure they fit too!  I just can't believe that I'm already so close to going back to work.  It's going to be hard.

Lately, I've found myself getting rather frustrated during the day.  There are times that Julia will cry for (seemingly) no reason.  Now...I know that babies don't cry for no reason.  There is always SOMETHING that they want or need, it's just a matter of figuring out what it is.  Whether it's a clean diaper, to be burped, eat, or maybe just being held or bounced for a bit.  When I can't figure out what she needs, I sometimes find myself holding her in front of me, staring at her saying "I don't know what you need...I'm sorry" usually followed by tears of my own.  It's hard.  It hurts me to hear and see her cry...  Sometimes it makes me question whether or not I'm really cut out for this whole mommy thing.  Then, she smiles or giggles at me and it's all better.  Her little giggle is enough to heal even the worst broken heart-the most stressed out mind.

And as I finish up this post...my little girl is calling for me!  =)