Grateful

Today, I got an email from whattoexpect.com that really made me think about how blessed we are. It was titled "5 Things You Didn't Know About Breast Milk."

• It changes based on your baby's needs
• You can donate it to save lives
• It may make your baby smarter
• It helps make diapers less stinky
• It can help develop his taste buds

I knew most of these things already, but this email made me so grateful for the opportunity that I have to breastfeed George. My favorite fact is that it changes based on the baby's needs. I've watched enough of "A Baby Story" to know that it doesn't come easily or naturally for everyone. I am one of the lucky ones whose milk came in almost immediately and whose baby was a pro at latching. I know that this is no coincidence. I know that my premature baby needed the nutrients that only my milk could give him and that he continues to need the ever-changing nutrients. Sometimes nursing seems so inconvenient (especially when I have to find a 'hidden spot' when I'm out in public.. or when we have to cut running errands short), but I am so grateful that I am able to provide for my baby in this way. I think it is evidence of divine creation of the body by a loving Heavenly Father, and I'm so grateful for the ways that it has helped my baby grow!

Mine!

Day 8: A song to match your mood.

Taylor Swift is just great! I think this is such a sweet love song!

I'm lucky that these guys are all mine!

6.13.09

Day 7: Your Dream Wedding.

"There is no substitute for marrying in the temple. It is the only place under the heavens where marriage can be solemnized for eternity. Don't cheat yourself. Don't cheat your companion. Don't shortchange your lives. Marry the right person in the right place at the right time."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

To find out more about what we believe, click here and here!

The Little Red Panda!

Day 6: A photo of an animal you would like to keep as a pet.

Two years ago, we went to the Columbus Zoo and we saw the adorable little Red Panda! No, I don't want a real Red Panda. I'll settle for a stuffed animal. I grew up with pets, so I don't hate them, but we really don't want pets.

In fact, that day at the zoo, Steve had my ring in his pocket.... BUT, today is the exact 2nd anniversary of the night we got engaged. xoxo

2009

Day 5: A photo of yourself from 2 years ago.

Wish I was still that skinny.

Also, I really, really miss the Aveda school on High St.

I had great hair... and it only cost $23.

March Resolution

Why are resolutions limited to just January 1? I'm making a new month resolution. I think any new beginning is a good opportunity to change things up a bit.

As a new mom, sometimes I sit and hold my baby all day. I absolutely love this! I love that sometimes he just wants to be held. Now that he's a little bit older (and it's a little bit warmer), sometimes he just wants to lay by himself. I have decided that my March resolution (that I'm starting a few days early) is to make better use of my time. Instead of watching TV all day, I'm going to start reading while I hold George. When George is content on his own, I'm going to find things around the house that I can do little-by-little (and trust me, there's plenty to be done). Who knows... I may even shower daily (I actually can't promise this one... gross, I know).

They say that to keep resolutions, you have to be accountable to someone, and you are all my accountabili-buddies. Keep me to this, please! XOXO

Besties!

Day 4: Your favorite photo of your best friend.

I love this picture. We went to see the dolphins when we went to visit Dan, Trina & JJ.

I'm a lucky girl, though... because while Steve is my #1 BF forever and ever and ever, I also have other besties!

Hump Day!

Don't hate me. Yesterday got really busy. We went to Target and Babies R Us! We had to get new SwaddleMes... and apparently Babies R Us is the only place in the world that sells them in large. At Babies R Us, George had a little diaper issue. It was a good thing that he was wearing thick fleece jammies. They held in all the poo. We just ran home because we were so close.

So then we got home and relaxed for a minute or so before we started making dinner for the missionaries. I did get a second to shower (not an exaggeration). We fed the missionaries and my friend Kristi came over because she thought she lost her house key.

THEN, before bed, I got the new SwaddleMes out of the dryer and attempted to put one on George. I couldn't get it to fasten. I got all flustered and sweaty. I even yelled for Steve to help me. It still didn't fit! I got the other one out of the dryer and it seemed sooo much bigger! That's right--I managed to get a mis-labeled one. The package said large, and the tag says large, but it is not a large. Nothing frustrates me more than having to return things these days. Getting out of the house is so awkward and I feel so disorganized no matter how many times I re-organize the diaper bag. So today's agenda: back to Babies R Us.

Here is 2 days' worth of the 30 day challenge:

Day 2: A photo of something you ate.

Yummy chicken tortilla soup with crushed-up tostitos.

Day 3: My idea of the perfect first date.

Welllll, we went to California Pizza Kitchen (which I love) and had some great conversation. We shut the place down. Then we went to Franklin Park and talked and threw a frisbee (which I am terrible at, btw. surprise!). It was just comfortable. And he loved me!

Kleptomania Monday

I'm stealing things left and right today. Now I'm stealing Auntie Dubs' 30 Day Challenge (which she stole from someone else, who stole it from someone else, no doubt).



Day 1: A picture of me and description of my day.

Wait. Was this supposed to be a picture of me today?
That's not happenning.

My day has been pretty good so far. Woke up, fed the baby and went back to sleep early. Then I woke up, had breakfast, and helped Steve do our taxes (mostly reminded him where things were.. I can't take credit for doing our taxes.) Then George & I watched Wendy Williams (we heart her) followed by Jeopardy. Fed the boy a few more times in there, plus gave him a bath (I couldn't remember the last time he had a bath... oops). I pulled down the shower curtain by accident. We eventually ran "family errands" to drop some things off at Good Will and the dry cleaner and go to the bank. Now Steve is at work and George is asleep. I'm surfing the world wide web. Contemplating making a sandwich. I think it took me as long to write this as my day has been so far.

George Loves This Cool Breeze

I was going to scan and post this... but that would have taken a lot of effort. (Unplugging the computer, walking to the printer, trying to scan before the computer goes dead, etc.)

So instead, I am going to unapologetically "borrow" it from my SIL McKensie's blog. Because it's funny. And you should all see it.

It reminds me of the facebook page that my sisters made for our cat, Angel Elizabeth Pajinsky. Facebook took it down because apparently Angel is not a "real person," but almost daily it would give me a chuckle when her status would say:

"Angel really loves this chair" or "Meow."

I would like to think that this weekend, George's status would have said:

"George loves this cool breeze"

(Because this weekend he discovered breezes.. and ceiling fans.)

Love This Dress.

(Diane Kruger in Chanel at the Berlin Film Festival)

Such a Nice Day!

George has been laying like this for the last hour. Totally content, soaking in the breeze of the ceiling fan. It's 81 degrees and beautiful here today! The sun is shining and we have all of the windows open and ceiling fans going!

I guess I shouldn't really complain about the disgusting summers here... because I certainly don't mind a beautiful day mid-February. I guess it's a trade-off? I will most likely still complain this summer. You've been warned.

Ooh, George had some firsts today:
-The first time he pulled my hair (the first of many, I'm sure)!
-The first time he discovered his hand. He just stared at his little closed fist for about 5 minutes. Almost like, "what is this??"
-The first time he seemed interested in another baby. At playgroup, he laid next to little Rhett and actually looked at him and kicked and flailed! He seemed really excited to make a friend!

UPDATE: George laid like that off-and-on for 5 hours on Friday. It was just so hot outside that he didn't know what to do! He got so flustered and was only consoled by the ceiling fan!

I Have the Best Baby!

A side note--At 67 degrees, humid, and a little overcast, it feels like a summer morning. Maybe not summer... late spring? May-ish? Anyway... this morning, when I woke up, it felt like summer. Automatically, I associated the weather and the smells and the sound of the lawnmower with feeling icky. My stomach started to turn and I remember this smell that I can't quite point out. I really, really hope I don't always associated summer mornings with the first trimester icky stomach feeling! I love summer mornings!

On another note, last night I decided to try out a bedtime for George. Just a loose bedtime (I never want to be one of those parents whose kids are thrown off for a week by getting to bed 1/2 hour late one night). So after his 8:30 feeding, I changed his diaper, swaddled him, and laid him in his pack and play. I gave him a kiss and left the room. He fussed for about 5 minutes before he fell asleep. I went to bed around midnight, thinking I was going to have to wake up to feed him soon. BUT, George slept until 2am! That's 5 1/2 hours!! Then he ate and went straight back to bed until 5:30! That's another 3 1/2 hours! Then he didn't wake up again until 8:30! This bedtime thing is going to be awesome!

One of my friends asked me if George sleeps at night. I thought this was a weird question and said, "I still have to feed him 2-3 times at night." And she said, "Does he sleep in between feedings?" and I said "Of course! As soon as he's done eating, he falls back asleep and sleeps until it's time to eat again!" I guess all babies don't do this? I have the best baby!!

Love, Love, Love!

This year, I have 2 of the most adorable Valentines!!
(3 if you count that Suzy is here visiting!)
What a great day to celebrate those we love!!
I hope that you all have a fabulous Valentine's Day!

A Little D.I.Y.

I was looking at pictures of my little baby and noticing how much he has grown in the past 2 months!! It's especially noticeable when the pictures are side-by-side. I decided that I wanted a picture frame that documented his first year. I got on Amazon and found some really cute ones... but I didn't want to pay $20-30 for the frame plus shipping. I then decided to make a collage and frame it nicely.. but then I realized that I either have to re-make the collage every month, or it couldn't be done until next December!

THEN, I happened to go to Target last week (surprise)! They had a "School Years" frame that was ok... and it had the exact number of openings that I needed for George's first year... but I wasn't crazy about the design. While perusing the clearance aisle (yes, they had a whole aisle of housewares clearance!), I found a "School Years" frame that I actually liked! I was sure that it was going to be more than I wanted to spend... but it was marked down to $9.99! That was more like it! So I got creative... the background pictures were not cute and since George has a while to go before he fills all the spots, I had to make numbers to fill them in. Can I just say that it turned out awesome considering that I think that I'm more crafty than I actually am sometimes! I owe it all to Picnik and Picasa!

Is Butter a Carb?

Last night, while watching "I Used to be Fat," I really got a craving for brownies. I got the mix, poured it in the bowl and then realized we didn't have any vegetable oil because we used it all when Steve changed the oil in the deep fryer (oh my gosh, we sound obese...). So I was sad for a minute and then decided to google substitutions for vegetable oil. Did you know that you can just substitute butter?? Yup... butter. So I made delicious brownies that probably have 75% more calories than normal.

No more watching "I Used to be Fat" in this house or we're going to be on it. Only it will be called, "I Used to be Skinny" because I don't have the energy to work out like those trainers!

Help!

UPDATE: The internet is really a wonderful thing! I asked for help and within minutes, someone told me just what to do!! Thanks, Molly!!

Dear Friends,

I still hate the new blogger templates, but I'm getting to something that I can live with.

BUT, now I have a question for those of you who have revamped your blogs lately. Does anyone know how to center the header?? Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't figure it out! Help!!

XOXO,

Kathleen

2 Month Check Up!

Today, I took George to the pediatrician. 8 am is soooo early for us, but we were excited to see how much he has grown! (And my philosophy with doctor's appointments is that the earlier you set the appointment, the less likely the doctor is to be behind already, and the less time you have to sit there waiting...)

So, at 2 months, George now weighs 12lb, 6oz!! That's more than double his birth weight! He's in the 75th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for length when compared to full-term babies his age!! When compared to babies who were 5 weeks early at 2 months, he's in the 95th percentile for weight and 70th percentile for length!! He's doing so well that the doctor said that from now on, they will only compare him to full-term babies his age!

Developmentally, he is where he should be at 2 months! Hooray!! Look at our baby!! He was 5 weeks early, and after only 2 months, he has completely caught up with full-term babies!

Some Thoughts.

-Last night George went 3 hours between feedings and then 3.5 (almost 4) hours between feedings. That means that I fed him at 10:30, 1:30, 5:15, and 7:30. It was great... but I woke up in severe pain every 2 hours. Could it be?? Am I going to start getting more sleep?? I'm not going to bet on it just yet.....

-It's embarrassing to admit, but it's been a while since I've dusted. Well, in dusting our ladder, I moved a picture frame and found 2 mini Reese's wrappers behind it. Really? Who does this?? Adults, even! Since I can narrow down the exact day that I bought those Reese's, it narrows it to 4 people. I don't know who did it, but you know who you are.

-Some mornings I wake up and go straight for the cookies. It's moments like this that I realize why I have plateaued in losing my baby-weight. It's also moments like this that I realize I have become my parents. Both of them. They may not like each other, but they both like cookies!

-I grew up in a climate with freezing temperatures and snow all through January and February. You wouldn't think that snow would bother me as much as it has this week. Now, I live in a place that uses a 90% sand/10% ice mixture on the roads when it snows. I also live in a place that (according to the nice lady on the news) cannot justify keeping the amount of salt trucks necessary to clear the "occasional" storm. Not to mention, every truck in the entire state has been sent to clear the roads for the Super Bowl crowd. I cannot wait until the Super Bowl is over so that I don't have to hear about it anymore. I also cannot wait until it gets warm enough to clear the snow (next week, maybe?), because that's obviously the only way this is going to be cleaned up.