240 Days of Mommyhood

As we round the corner of month number eight we're hitting new milestones. Elle's able to get herself up and sit nice and straight. In the mornings after a bit of stretching and head tossing she's up and looking for yours truly. She's silly & laughs at everything. Peek-a-boo is her favorite. Whether you cover your face or her's she is always up for a few rounds of fun. She's definitely got some stubbornness in her, which I certainly didn't pass on to her. It usually shows itself when she's got something in her hand, which basically means it's making it's way to her mouth & it could very likely hurt her. One of her favorites is my headphones I suppose because the little ear buds fit perfectly into her little hand. She's also a huge fan of car keys as well as my iPhone. Since I've done some reading on the matter I always hand her something less dangerous (i.e. a toy) but it's just not as much fun. After a few tears she's all better.

She's still got jello legs but really enjoys standing up. She's also just started crawling forward. And is reaching for any and everything. It's so fun to watch her play with her toys, she's spinning, hitting, squeezing and pulling.



She's got a new car seat! And friend, the purple pup is Violet & she's going to teach Elle how to spell her name!


High chair...


and riding in the shopping cart! (I know she's not wearing shoes, don't judge me! And I'll be purchasing a grocery cart cover-thingy once I find a print that reflects our style.)


XOXO

The Is"shoe"

After my last post I decided I really need to find Elle some new sandals. I went to Piperlime first, why, I couldn't tell you. They do have some cute sandals but if I don't have a pair of $47 sandals I can't imagine why Elle would need a pair, they are fabulous though, huh? Here are the ones I ordered and these I'm wrestling with ; I mean practicality totally gets thrown out the window, they're white! And as the cold weather sets in she'll just being how to walk. I can see this going real bad, real quick.

“The one thing children wear out faster than shoes is parents.”
~John C. Plomp

XOXO

My Little Wiggle-Worm

Yesterday was Elle's first time riding in her stroller! A very big moment for us. Hip, Hip, HOORAY! I don't really like having to run errands during the week. If it can't take place during my lunch hour then it just has to wait till' the weekend. But now that I'm exercising during my lunch hour that means every now and again I've just gotta suck it up and get things done. Formula was needed so we headed out to Babies "R" Us and since we were out and it was close we made a quick stop at Target too. FYI-There is no such thing has a "quick stop at Target" LOL!

She did a great job at Babies "R" Us! Cool, calm, collected, just loving life. I'm in a bit of dilemma, Elle needs a new pair of sandals. She's inching her way out of the very stylish ones she currently has. My problem is that I really don't like what I've got to choose from which is the whole reason I hadn't bought any prior to them. To me they are so old lady and orthopedic looking. And we are neither old lady or orthopedic! So after picking up the formula, which I got a free can of! Gotta love the rewards program, after every 9 cans you get a free one & a bathing suit, which was on clearance too! We were off to Target. I had bought some outfits that were the wrong size & since I didn't have the receipt and they're such sticklers about there exchange policy I had a hunt in front of me. So to avoid a return visit I decided I had to try the shorts on to make sure they fit. Sounds like a smart thing to do right? WRONG! So here we are in the back of the baby dept. I've unbuckled Elle from her stroller, slid her bloomers off, got the shorts ready to go up and my lil' wiggle worm wasn't having it! She is practically going nuts and I'm doing everything in my power to not let her wiggle out of the stroller and on to the ground. I wrestle the shorts up and back down, WHEW! I picked out a few more things and then I realize I don't hear her lil' maraca...why is it so quiet? I take a few steps back and there it is on the floor. As we head for the customer service desk I don't see her passy. I check all around her and it's no where to be found, so we head back to the baby dept. on a mission to find it! A dad had picked it up off the floor and set it aside in case we returned, thank goodness because that was one of her cuter ones...lol!

I left out our visit to the dressing room. Before we left the house Elle ate but eventually it was going to be time for a bottle. Insert our bottle break. She's a mess & falling apart, hunger pains have that effect & as I try to reason with her and explain that I'm moving as fast as I can, she's not really responding all that well. After a few additional minutes taking over the handicap changing room she was momentarily content and allowed us to finish up our shopping. One day she's really going to enjoy our shopping trips, yesterday wasn't that day!

Stroller=Struggle. XOXO

I'm Busy...doing nothing

Yesterday I had the esteem pleasure of having a quick chat with a dear friend. She recently relocated, luckily it's near the beach so even though she left our great city how can you not love that part?! Since I love both my local Hallmark and snail mail (minus the post-master, ofcourse) I write her once a week. It's my way of letting her know that I miss her and I tell her about whatever is going on that day. While we were talking yesterday she asked what was going on and it hit me that I can sum my life up in just a few sentences.

Elle's fabulous! She's starting to crawl, backwards but it's progress; she's reaching for stuff; she cries if you take something away from her that she's fond of, like my headphones; she loves em'! And as soon as I take them away cue the waterworks. Last night she had a wrapper in her hand and as soon as she put it in her mouth I took it away from her. I'll give her credit though she didn't immediately go that route she did some investigating first. I watched her cry, like push out these huge tears and her bottom lip curled under. I also took a minute to listen to her cry. Just see if I could hear a difference when she's hungry. I'll have to get back to you on that.

Work is good. I've been a little irritated with some co-workers recently but nothing too crazy.

I've become a gym rat. My 10-year high school reunion is in September and I'd like to lose 15 lbs. I'm not gonna lie, twenty would be better. So since there's enough time to change my eating habits (i.e. my beer consumption...lol) & sweat it off versus going on the cottage cheese and apple diet, because that sounds like fun! Not. It's only been four days today but I'm really proud of myself. I've resisted Panda Express, I found a coupon for a free entree (tempting), this morning there were the most yummy bagels & cream cheese in our office (enticing); but I resisted! Part of what helps is I found a dress & in order to fit it and look my best I've gotta stay strong! And to reward myself I'm planning a girls night out in a month. That way I can have a few cocktails and a yummy dinner and then get right back to it.

Normal's nice. XOXO

"Not" Mom of the Year

I'd have to say that I'm both surprised and proud of myself for wanting to be "Not" Mom of the Year, I've wanted the coveted Mom of the Year title since the day I had my daughter. To be completely honest, it started while I was pregnant. I wanted to look my best inspite of feeling my worst, which meant a new haircut, saying goodbye to the blonde hair that I felt defined such a huge part of the person I was (that alone was a hard pill to swallow if that's who I was then who am I now), smiling through the morning sickness which left me unable to eat till the clock struck noon, an obsession with finding skinny leg maternity jeans so I could still wear my uggs, determination not to pack on the pounds, and perseverance to still celebrate one of my favorite holidays almost eight months pregnant, Halloween.

I've only been a mom nearing eight months but in this "short" time I began striving to be Gold Star Mom and today I can say & more importantly mean, the day isn't a failure if I don't get a gold star; some days are no star days and those are the times that I want to share with you...

When it comes to Elle and her crib lets just say I've won a battle here and there but she's won the war. It's with a heavy heart and bowed head that I admit Elle spends more nights next to me then in the pretty crib just inches away. She's actually turned into quite the bed hog! The first time I decided to lay down the law put her in there and let her cry it out this is what being a tough guy got me.



It hurts, guess that's why they're called growing pains...huh? She was supposed to calm down and nod off but after what was the longest half hour of our lives I relented, snapped this photo & begged for forgiveness.

When it comes time for mom to eat let's just say that it's no easy feat. When there's another person around it makes things a lot easier but more times then not that's a luxury I'm not always afforded.



I make sure she's fed & changed, then I place her in her bouncer, hand her a toy & make myself my dinner. She's stubborn! I'm 100% sure there is nothing wrong with her other than obviously not wanting to be strapped into the bouncer, which I know sounds rough but if she wasn't buckled in she would wiggle her way out of it and right onto the floor. So she cries, yells, attempts to get free and I let her. It's usually in an on and off pattern, she distracts herself, then remembers she's mad and is right back at it.

Taking pictures is just what I do! I was inspired by this article I read of a mom who took a picture of her son everyday his first year. I started out determined but I only made it around three months or so. I had the best of intentions but it takes a LOT! From when Elle was just an infant (mind you she's still just a baby) I've been pushing her buttons attempting to get the perfect shot.



The best part of all is that shots like this one and many more like it have turned out to be some of my favorites. I can't wait to be able to tell her about all the times I was unwavering in my desire for just the right picture.

I unashamedly match our outfits. I'm not a total nut job in that it has to be the same shade but if I'm wearing purple, she's wearing purple. I find it both fashion forward and absolutely adorable. It was hard to pick just the right picture that shows our style and quirky-ness but I think this one does a pretty good job!



I'm keeping it simple in a black & white tank and Elle's shining in her Run DMC onesie our facial expressions are just an added bonus :)

Whoever said being "Not" Mom of the Year was underrated clearly hasn't met me! XOXO

210 Days of Mommyhood

As I hit day two hundred and ten of motherhood I can't help but pull out the calculator (math isn't my thing) and put some perspective on how many days we have to go till' it's day three hundred & sixty-five, drum roll please....155! When I look to the days ahead I realize that summer is going to come to an end and with the cold weather I've got pea coats, scarves & mittens in lieu of a bunting suit to look forward to.



My little Elle is more than I could have ever asked for. She's got rolling down and is well on her way to crawling. She's still figuring out how to maneuver her legs to get moving but it's coming together. She's definitely giving it her all with her head laying flat and her bottom in the air and her legs moving but just not the rest of her. One day she'll put it all together I just hope I can keep up! She still doesn't have teeth but they're on there way, right?! Our pediatrician's kid got they're teeth on the later end of a year so until there is something to worry about...I won't. Besides her pretty smile is all gums and there is just something so precious about it.

Me and Elle have come a long way when it comes to church on Sunday's. I'm so very proud of us! I want to start with our ride this past Sunday morning. The sun can blind my poor girl and this particular time I couldn't help but laugh. My first thought was Elle is definitely honors level material. She had the sun in her eyes but this time around she didn't just take it she actually moved her head around to get it out of the sun. I was impressed. But then decided I should pull over and put her sunglasses on. If she could understand that the sun was in her eyes then ofcourse she'd get that the sunglasses were there to help. In theory that makes sense; however, that was not the case. By the time we were getting back on the road she had taken them off! We kept trucking and when we got to a red light I tried putting her glasses back on but still no luck! We also scored with our parking spot too! There was a car pulling out but I passed them basically burned rubber and circled the parking lot to get back to it, it was in the very front of the church, primo spot. I did have to be just a wee bit aggressive in attaining it which I know isn't very nice but I've got a heavy baby to carry & it was either there or in the overflow lot, so cut me some slack! Looking back to the first time I dropped her off at the nursery, I was terrified. I'm pretty sure I spent the entire hour with an accelerated heart beat, but we made it! This Sunday though when I came to pick her up she was sitting and had her sandal in her mouth. No tears in sight and all smiles! I guess she's getting the hang of it. I know she gave the ladies there a run for there money and I'm so glad that they didn't buzz me at the first sight of tears and by tears I mean pissed off, fussy, tired theatrics...thank you sweet baby Jesus!

Time flies when you're having fun! XOXO

Elle & the carrots vs. Mommy

I lost & my white tank top was a causality! XOXO