OOTD - orange and gray

I miss dressing up, and jump on every chance I have for a night out.  My favorites are the ones that don't start until after baby goes to bed, so I don't miss a minute with that sweet face.  What you don't see cropped out of the background in these pictures is Tyler changing Gwen and putting her pjs on, so that I could nurse her and head out for a fun night in DC with two of my three favorite "internet" friends!


BTW, if you live in the DC-area, you MUST try Graffiatos - it was one of the yummiest dinners I've had in a long time, and who can say no to Prosecco on tap?!

 Rainy weather calls for a tousled curly updo - the back was fun, but of course I didn't get a picture of that :)

Dress, scarf, clutch and shoes:  H&M

Sales person:  You know, this would all really work well together as one outfit.  You should totally wear it all at once!

Yep, that was the point :)

Pinnable Me Friday - Dining Rooms

Like everyone else I've met, I'm obsessed with Pinterest.  OBSESSED.  This gets checked infinitely more than Facebook or Google Reader.  

This week, I'm linking up with Paw Prints and Pastry Bags for Pinnable Me Friday!  

Our dining room is one of the only finished rooms in our house, where as most others still need a lot of work.  Maybe thats why I'm dreaming about redoing it?  I want a big, round table, comfortable chairs with nailhead trim, and a fabulous light fixture.  Someday :)  So today, my favorite dining rooms from Pinterest!

LOVE: The round table, the jute rug, the bamboo blinds with the floor length drapes, the light fixture, and the fabulous pattern on the chairs.

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

LOVE: The floor length mirror, the modern table with the vintage painted chairs, the dark hardwood floors (already have those!)

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

LOVE: The gold wall paper, the modern chairs, the amazing crystal chandelier.

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

LOVE: The teal chairs with the pull handle hardware and nail head trim, the graphic curtains, the arched doorway.

Source: houzz.com via Kelly on Pinterest

LOVE: The grasscloth wallpaper, the sleek console table, the pattern on the chair backs and the gold globe light fixture.

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

LOVE: The ikat curtains, the neutral wall color and molding, the rustic wooden table, the mix of different colors of wood, the drum shade light fixture.

Source: trianglehoneymoon.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Do you pin?  Let me know your username, so I can follow you!

Photo dump

Let's just do a dump of everything, shall we?


Last Saturday, Tyler and I went to a Brewfest with some friends.  We had SO much fun!  The weather was gorgeous, and Guinevere was pleased as punch to ride around in the Bjorn all day.  I did get some comments and side-eyes from other women for carrying both a baby and a beer, but the men got a kick out of her.  I got several "Baby Carlos!" comments, which cracked me up, and her little pink hat with bear ears on it was much complimented :)

Guinevere and I (okay, it was all me) baked cookies last week to make Boo bags for our neighbors.  We deliberately waited til Friday to do them, so the neighbors with kids that work would have their two days to pass it on over the weekend, when they had more free time.  Neighbor A immediately booed 2 people, who immediately booed 2 more people.  Yea!  Neighbor B didn't hang their sign, and didn't boo anyone.  And neighbor C booed 2 people, including Neighbor B, because of the lack of sign.  And I KNOW this is so dumb for me to be pissed about, but I am really upset that Neighbor B ruined the game for our street, killing it TWICE!  I think its unfair they got two sets of goodies, but didn't pass it along, and I wish I'd given them to another house :(  Lesson learned for next year.

I spent an obscene amount of money on a crappy rubber giraffe.  And Guinevere LOVES it!  So much, I spent even more money on a second one, so she could keep it at daycare.  Ai yi.

Kimchi and Guinevere are already bestest friends, and Guinevere is far more excited to see the dogs when she gets home from daycare than she is to see me.  Sometimes, we let Guinevere "ride" Kimchi, but Kimchi is just thrilled at the easy access for kisses.

And, I've been realizing lately that all my pictures are of Tyler and Guinevere, and I'm rarely in any.  So when I ask Tyler to take a picture of me and my three girls, this is what I get - and then he's "tired of taking pictures".  Arghh.

Since I don't work Fridays, its about to be my weekend!  A Halloween party while Guinevere spends the night with Grammie and Grandpa and Aunt Casey, then a pumpkin patch and gearing up for Trick or Treaters!  Happy weekend everyone!


ETA:  Can anyone believe that I just posted SIX pictures of Guinevere and none have a bow or a flower?  I need to pull it together...that is completely unacceptable :)

GOTD - Blue Ruffles

Guinevere of the Day


She's only 4 months old, but lately when I look at her, she seems like such a little girl already.  Maybe its all the hair?  Or the sassy personality?  Whatever it is, I love getting to know her...even if I do miss that teeny baby sometimes :)

Mommy Must Have

I've done a few posts on the baby things that I absolutelypositively could not live without.  And trust me, there are quite a few ridiculous toys and gadgets that I never saw myself buying, that I now say thanks for every single day.


But the number one, must have, can't survive without it?


A partner.  


For me, thats this guy:

He works a lot.  There are many days that he doesn't get home until Guinevere is in bed.  And sometimes that means weekends too, which can be tough.  I get pretty tired most days - up around 6:30, get Guinevere ready, work (and it is SUPER stressful right now), then taking care of Guinevere from 3pm til bedtime - along with the dogs, trying to feed myself, and do laundry, pick up the house...it can feel pretty overwhelming.  Especially since Guinevere is struggling to stay focused these days.  The world is so incredible and exciting to her, that she isn't eating or sleeping well, since she's so busy exploring - making my job more challenging, trying to keep her focused.


But we knew what he was getting into with the hours that he works, and we were able to discuss it before he took this job, so at least it isn't a surprise.


But - when he's home?  You could not ask for a more hands-on partner.  If I'm holding Guinevere and hear her pooping, and say in a stupid baby voice "Uh oh! Someone needs a clean diaper!", intending to get up and go change her, Tyler will reach over and take her, and he'll do it for me.  He is in charge of cutting her fingernails, and bath time.  


Tyler wakes up before I do on the weekends, and after I've nursed her in the mornings, he happily takes her downstairs to cuddle while he watches cartoons (oh yes!) and lets me get another precious hour of sleep.  And on particularly rough weekday mornings, he swoops in to get her dressed for daycare, to give me an even more precious 10 minutes of sleep.  (Can you tell this momma is EXHAUSTED?)


And sometimes it means that baby girl is wearing outfits like these to daycare:

But there is nothing sweeter than hearing through the baby monitor the thrilled coos your daughter makes when she discovers that its Daddy who woke her up and is spending time with her getting ready for the day.  It is enough to keep me awake, listening to them with a big smile on my face, over that sleep I thought I wanted so desperately.


Military wives and single mothers...I don't know how you do it, and my heart goes out to you.  I could not do this alone, and I am SO thankful every day for a husband that loves being a father just as much as I love him.

Gwen's First Flight

The drive to the airport on Sunday morning confirmed that flying was an EXCELLENT idea.  And the entire experience turned out to be wonderful!

We walked into the terminal, printed out our boarding pass, and headed over to the TSA Security checkpoint.  God bless them - they saw a mom with an infant in a sling, struggling with two bags, and they opened the line so that I could cut all the way to the front.  Another officer then took all my bags and put them in bins for me, and stayed with me to keep moving them forward so I could focus on Guinevere.  Then, even though they had full body scanners, they waved me through without needing it.  It was such an easy, quick, beautiful process!


First mistake of travel - booking with Spirit Air.  While talking to one of the cousins on Saturday that is a pilot, he made a comment to Tyler about how most pilots these days can't fly, and keep everything on auto pilot, etc.  Then he said we were probably okay, "as long as (we) avoided crappy airlines like Spirit".  As Tyler repeats this comment to me, we both make a face.  I tried to tell Tyler that more people die in cars than planes, but he countered that more people are IN cars than planes, and then I had nothing :) 


So when Guinevere and I make it to our gate, the flight time has now been moved up 45 minutes, so we are walking up as they're starting to board, which irritates me.  I go up to the counter, and explain that I will be nursing my child at take off, and request a seat next to an open one, so that I won't make a fellow passenger uncomfortable.  I'm told it is a full flight, and everyone is checked in.  


Fucking liar.  There were at least 12 open seats on the plane that I could find.  So obnoxious that they weren't willing to work with me.  On top of me paying an extra $30 so that Gwen could sit in my lap.  Oh, and they charged $45 for carry-on luggage.  And you had to pay for all sodas/drinks/pretzels.  Yeah, shitty fucking airline.


The flights were easy - Guinevere adored all the people around us, and didn't cry once.  She had no issues nursing or sleeping on me, and I found it incredibly relaxing to read my Kindle with her sleeping in my arms.  I don't know why we didn't decide to fly sooner!


So, onto my opinions for what I packed when flying.  We got to the airport at 9am, had one layover, and arrived in DC at 4pm.  If its crossed out...I didn't use it.


Bag 1:
6 diapers (used 2)
Wipes
2 teething toys
2 rattles
1 Einstein Baby toy that lights up
Changing Pad
Burp Cloth
Nursing Cover
Sling
Kindle/Cell/Charger
Wallet/Keys/Sunglasses
Camera/Lens
Travel mobile


Bag 2:
Full sized pillow - I always nurse her on top of a pillow in my lap at home
2 blankets - anticipating play time on the floor during our layover
Change of clothes for each of us
Sweater for me
6 extra diapers


So basically, I never opened Bag 2 once, and only needed really my stuff from Bag 1, plus two diaper changes.  I used the Baby Einstein toy a little bit, but would have been fine without it.  She was far more interested in people than toys!  


The sling was a lifesaver in the airport.  It was lightweight, easy to put on and take off, and really helped me carry the weight of the bags, and Guinevere.  The nursing cover was helpful on the first flight, when I had an aisle seat, but the second flight was so warm, and I was  by the window, that I didn't use a cover at all.  I know, gasp!  But the woman sitting next to me didn't even notice, and Gwen was MUCH happier!


Unless we get an unexpected opportunity, our next flight isn't until Oregon next Spring/Summer, but I'd definitely recommend flying over driving for anyone debating :)

What a trip

We survived our trip to Atlanta!  Barely :)


First off, HUGE thanks to Pamela, Bridget, Suzanne and Katharine for chiming in with ideas on what to do!  We were really excited about all of the suggestions, but Guinevere ended up making things a little complicated for us, and we didn't get out much.


So Wednesday night, I put Guinevere to bed as usual, and then began packing up the car.  By 10pm, we were ready to hit the road so I put her in the carseat, and we hit the road, and she never woke up.  Tyler and I talked for awhile, then I napped for a little bit, and we were making fantastic time.  She woke up at one point very upset, so I nursed her in a gas station parking lot, then she napped a little bit longer (an hour?  two?) and then was up and furious!  She was screaming at the top of her lungs, and pretty much inconsolable.  Tyler was still driving, and he was exhausted - 5 hour energy wasn't cutting it anymore.  And I was singing the ABCs over and over again, since it is Guinevere's favorite song (well, the only song that she positively responds to), and I was tired and cranky, too.  


So we pulled over to a seedy EconoLodge in Tennessee.  Once out of her seat, Gwen was happy as a clam, and wide awake.  We pulled her in bed with us, and got a few hours of really bad sleep, and then hit the road again.  Instant scream fest.  She was a total nightmare.


Finally arrived at our hotel around noon, got checked in, and I played with Guinevere while Tyler took a nap. Later, we went out to eat at, hit up a Target, and scooped some beers.  We were all passed out by 8pm.


Friday morning, I was dying to get out and visit the aquarium, or do anything fun, but Guinevere was fussy, and so after her second nap of the morning, we decided to stay local and went to a local garden.  Not a lot of flowers this time of year, but the weather was GORGEOUS, and we had such an awesome time walking around.  Gwen especially was in heaven in the Bjorn with her Daddy!

Friday night, we went to a BBQ at the Groom's house, and discovered, again, that Guinevere hates her carseat.  She also hates being out past her bedtime.  We were disappointed to not get to spend more time with the family, but thats the way it goes when you have a kid!


Saturday was the wedding, and Guinevere and I spent most of the ceremony outside :)  Luckily, I got a picture of her and Tyler, although none with me..

After the ceremony, we rushed her back to the hotel so she could get some naps with the babysitter we'd hired, and would be a happy baby that night.  The reception was gorgeous, and we LOVED catching up with our aunts/uncles and cousins that we hadn't seen in so long.  But in all these trips about town, Guinevere continued to scream in her carseat, and it was really beating us down, so I bought a plane ticket for us to fly home.

But I'll save that for another post :)


Tyler had been working such long hours the last few months, it was heaven to spend time with him for a few days, and we had such a good time catching up with family.  His cousins are amazing, and I feel like they are my family, too.  Can't wait til the next event!

One year ago today...

I found out that I was going to be a mother.  Was it only one year ago?  I still remember the pure elation I felt that day - I was walking on air.  


The blog post I posted last October:


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Oh yes, Tyler and I are expecting a baby, to be delivered around June 16th next year!  The story is a pretty special one, and pretty long, so buckle in :)

On Tuesday night, as Tyler and I crawled into bed, he decided to have a talk with me about pregnancy tests.  I am a compulsive tester - three times a day, for a week or so.  And those things are expensive!  So when I'm spending upwards of $100 a month on something I pee on, it warrants a discussion.  We had no real hopes for this cycle working.  With all the issues we were aware of, we fully expected to have to go through IVF.  Or as Tyler put it, I "might as well just pee on $20 bills, which will be just as accurate."

He was right.  I agreed to cool it.  We'd try Clomid again one more cycle, then save all of our money for IVF.

The next morning, he sweetly offered to make breakfast.  He went downstairs to get started while I started getting ready, and I saw that I had one digital test left.  I decided to say "screw him" and went to take it.  It had the hourglass flashing when Tyler called me to breakfast, so I went down to eat (omelettes with cheddar and spicy sausage!) and then spent some time talking to him before he left for work.  I'd already forgotten about the test, kissed him goodbye, and headed upstairs to finish my make up.  The first thing I saw was this:

I was in disbelief, and yelled, "Tyler!!"  I could hear him coming upstairs, and I panicked, thinking it could be a false positive, thinking I didn't want to celebrate before we both had to go work, thinking "it can be better than this."  So I called back "nevermind", and he left for work.

I was in a daze getting ready.  After I got to work, I remembered I had a doctor appointment at 3pm regarding next steps in fertility treatments, and Tyler was supposed to join me.  I knew that if I was pregnant, we obviously wouldn't be talking about next steps, and so I emailed him and gave him a made up reason why he didn't need to join me that day.  I didn't want to tell him in a doctor's office, either.

Just to be sure, I ran to CVS on my lunch break to get another pregnancy test.  Sure enough:

I was pregnant.  I got to my appointment, absolutely glowing and bouncing at this point.  They ushered me to the back, to talk to a nurse.  After going through my birth date, weight, etc, she asked what cycle day I was on.

"Well, none", I said.  I'm pretty sure I was actually singing at this point.  "I'm pregnant!"

Because this was the last answer she could ever expect, due to my history, she actually didn't understand me, and said, "oh, well then, what was the first day of your last menstrual period?"

"September 9th", I said, "But no, seriously, I'm pregnant.  I brought the sticks!" and I pulled them out of my purse to show her.

"You're PREGNANT?!" she said.  "Omigosh, congratulations!  Let me go get the doctor!"

My doctor rushed in, gave me a big hug, and it all started to feel real.  I followed her into her office, and we talked about what a miracle it was - how amazing that we were prepared for the worst, and were given the best!

She immediately ordered more blood work so that I could get my HCG beta levels tested, and gave me a prescription for Prometrium, a vaginal suppository that would give me some extra progesterone to help with a healthy pregnancy.  We then scheduled my two follow up appointments!

By the time I left, and got my blood work done, I saw I had two hours until we had friends coming for dinner.  I rushed to Walmart and bought iron-on transfers, baby t-shirts, and ingredients for dinner.

When I got home, I made two t-shirts for the dogs - both said Big Sis.  I then wrapped two Redskins onesies I'd bought awhile ago:

And after getting the dogs in their shirts, and tucking the pregnancy tests in the gift bag, I was ready!

I started getting dinner ready while waiting for Tyler to get home, and then I finally heard the garage door open - it was go-time!

He immediately greeted the girls at the door, like he always does.  Kimchi has actually been wearing a t-shirt all the time lately, since she has hot spots, so he goes, "Oh, you finally got her one that fits, awesome!" as he's playing with them in the kitchen.  Then he laughs when he sees Kimchi's shirt says "Big Sis" and comments that while she's bigger, Holly is actually the older/Big sister.  So he looks at Holly's t-shirt, and realizes that it also says "Big Sis".

Normally, my husband is VERY quick on the uptake.  But we'd already convinced ourself that all those negative tests were accurate.  And, he was under the impression that I'd been to the doctor to map out next steps for getting pregnant.  So the fact that I actually WAS pregnant would have been the last thing he would suspect, and he was a little confused.

When it clicked, he looked to me - "No way.  I don't get it."  When I handed him the gift and he looked inside, he said, "seriously?"  I fell in love with him all over again then.  He gave me the biggest hug, and I was so excited to see how excited HE was that I started to cry.  And while he will probably deny it, he was definitely teary and red himself - it was such an exciting and emotional day!

And then - we had company coming over in 10 minutes.  So we had to rush to take the shirts off the dogs, hide the present, and act as normal as we could for the next three hours.  We had a great dinner with our friends, but nothing beat getting to say good night, and curling up in bed, excitedly talking about next steps, due date, names, and everything fabulous in between.

This is it, we're going to be parents.  I'm sure its going to be a fabulous, crazy, hectic, amazing and exhausting ride...I can't wait :)


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The ride has been even more incredible than I thought it would be.  I love being a mother...and I love my husband even more today than I did then.  Thank you, Tyler, for joining me on that crazy, unstable path towards parenthood, for your incredible patience during the pregnancy, and your amazing support during labor.  You took to fatherhood immediately, and most days I feel like you have a much better grasp on raising a baby than I do.  Anything I struggle with, you seem to have the answers, and I feel like we are the perfect team.  Nothing makes me all melty and gooey more than seeing our daughter smile and coo when she sees you.  Our family is perfect.

Champagne problems

Source: lilblueboo.com via Mandy on Pinterest

I whine a lot to Tyler about things he calls "champagne problems".  If you haven't heard the term, its basically a way of saying that they are problems that other people wish they had.  I'm underlining the parts that should really get your eyes rolling...

Examples:

I have been really lonely from working from home, and miss interacting with co-workers, dressing up for the office, and going out to lunch with friends.

I am SO tired in the mornings, and am definitely not a morning person - never mind the fact that my daughter has been sleeping anywhere from 8-11 hours in one stretch every night since she was 5 weeks old.

I can't find clothes that fit my body well because my breasts are so ridiculously huge (Tyler especially mocks me for this one!)

I HATE pumping, and being strapped to a machine during the day - but in only 1 or 2 sessions a day, I can produce enough breast milk for Gwen's entire following day at daycare.

I don't get to see my parents as often as I'd like, and complain about the drive to their house.  They live 45 minutes away.


My debit card got declined at the store - turns out I shopped somewhere that had compromised security, so my bank immediately cancelled my card and overnighted a new one to me.  Never mind that I had a credit card with me, or that I'd have a new card the next day - I was so pissed that I was so minorly inconvenienced and embarrassed.


My job (you know, the one that lets me work from home, and have off every Friday) is stressing me out, and I'm on a new project that is really challenging my skill set.


This morning I was whining about sitting in the driveway for 3 minutes waiting for the heated mirrors on my brand new car to kick in and de-fog so I could see to drive the 0.2 miles to Gwen's daycare.


I've been bummed about taking the brunt of watching Gwen since Tyler has been so sick, and we don't want to pass those germs on to her - even though I've remained perfectly healthy.


I really miss my friends.  I miss happy hours and nights out, and spending time with them.  Even though, thanks to email and cells and texting, I get to talk to them every day.




Have you ever seen a more pathetic list of problems?!  


I am one lucky lady.  Its time to spin my perspective, and start smiling, and being more appreciative of the blessings I have.

Source: one-happy-mama.com via Janae on Pinterest

Atlanta

Tyler and I are headed away this weekend!  One of our cousins is getting married, so we're driving down to Atlanta for a few days to see family and introduce them to our little girl.  I can't wait!


We've decided to leave Wednesday night after her bedtime,  hoping she'll sleep through the majority of the drive, so we should be in Georgia bright and early Thursday morning.  We're hoping to get checked into our hotel early to get a few hours of sleep, but then have lots of time to kill Thursday and Friday day.


Any readers from the Atlanta area that can recommend anything fun to do, or places to eat that would be appropriate for a couple with a 4 month old?  Our hotel is actually in a NW suburb called Kennesaw, and looks like we'll pass through Marietta and Smyrna to get to Atlanta, since its not quite 40 minutes away, but I'm used to DC traffic, so okay with a bit of a drive :)


Hoping some of you have some suggestions!  And since all posts need a picture...Gwennie's first pigtails :)

Jumperoo

Gwennie has been wanting to stand since she was just a few weeks old.  She has such great head control, and has become so alert, we thought it was time to try out a jumper.  Success!  Every day she falls in love a little bit more.  The first day she just sat and looked at everything.  The second day, she started jumping a little bit, and later she realized that when the music and lights stopped, she could jump and it would all restart.  I LOVE seeing how she's starting to understand cause and effect.


Now she's starting to interact with the toys - reaching for them, touching them, and watching all of them.  My little slug baby is turning into a smart, inquisitive, engaged little girl - how is she growing up so fast??