First Cereal

Last night we gave Cori her first rice cereal. It was hysterical! She really seemed to like it, the parts that she got into her mouth. Most of the time she was content to be sucking the cereal off her bib. What do you think?

Prior to getting started (clean)

First bite...

What is this stuff?

Cori wanted to help feed herself

What a mess!

God bless Isaac

Thank you God for so many things. Thank you for Isaac Timothy Delisle.

As many of my friends and family know, I'm a member of an online community. Lots of ideas and information is exchanged here, and recently the story of one woman's pregnancy had been the topic of conversation. She was blogging about her pregnancy; she was to give birth to a little boy (whom she and her husband had named Issac) with chromosomal abnormalities. They suspected Issac had one of two trisomy disorders (trisomy 13 and 18) both of which are lethal, usually with the baby being carried to term or close to it, and then either being stillborn or dieing shortly thereafter.

This woman, Stacy, lived every day of her pregnancy knowing that she'd meet her son maybe for only a minute, maybe not at all. In the final weeks of her pregnancy, she knew that October 7th her son would become an angel on his birthday. She began writing letters daily to her son and she posted them on a second blog .

Can you imagine waking up each day knowing this? Can you imagine being able to feel your baby move inside you, safe and loved, and knowing that once he was born it would no longer be? I cannot.

This woman prayed for a miracle that Issac may be healed or live at least long enough that she could hold her baby after her c-section. And she found beauty in everything. She handled her lot with such grace and poise and acceptance. It humbles me.

Today Issac was born. He lived for 16 minutes.

An entry on her blog via a friend said "Isaac weighed 4 lbs and 12 oz and almost 17'' long with fuzzy strawberry blonde hair and mommy's nose and lips and daddy's ears."

I have been sobbing all day. My heart breaks for them. And while I know that Issac and Stacy and Spencer aren't the first family to have to deal with this, it is the first family I've known, and the first time I've stopped to think about this. It sure puts teething in perspective. It sure puts having to wake up at 4:30 AM to entertain your wide awake child into perspective.

Today I am holding my sweet daughter a little tighter.

God bless Issac. I continue with the most humble prayer I know -Thank you God for everything in my life, just as it is.

weekend reconnect

We had a pretty nice weekend these past few days. Saturday was a cool, crisp day; we took our little pumpkin to Trax farms for her first autumn outing to pick pumpkins and such. Having grown up in the south hills, my family has long gone out to Trax year-long. It's a place that holds a special part of my heart. My grandfather grew up on the surrounding land (the one-room school house still stands!) It is a place where my mom would tell me stories about her childhood and tell me the history of the civil war houses & graves in the area.

But I digress - we took Corinne out to Trax and met up with my mom, my cousin Tracey (up from Atlanta), Kelly & David.

After Trax, Dave and I headed to Nemacolin Resort to celebrate our anniversary. The 2 hour drive was very nice ;not only was the weather sunny and cool, but we had the chance to catch up with one another and just reconnect verbally. We had a nice lunch and went horse back riding at the resort. I love to ride but don't get the opportunity very often; I miss it. We went through the woods with our guide and took in the scenery. Twice we encountered deer grazing on brush less than five feet from us - what a way to be part of nature!

Our ride wrapped up and we headed to the resort to walk around a bit and have an ice-cream cone. Not long after it was time for our spa appointment - a couples massage. This was pure bliss! Probably the best massage I've ever had, and I've had the opportunity to try bunches of them. The spa was wonderful and they were very attentive. The hour certainly went by fast! We relaxed in the sauna for a bit after our rub down and then got showered and ready for a nice dinner.

After dinner we drove back home and got to sleep for 9 uninterrupted hours, which was almost as good as the massage. Well, maybe better. I can't make up my mind, but I'd sure like to sample both again a few times so I can see which I think makes me happier!

Speaking of "happy", Cori isn't all that happy these days. The poor kid is teething something fierce and is miserable a lot of the time. She even had some bloody drool this afternoon which is normal from the pressure and bruising on the gums. (While it's normal, it was still a bit freaky to see!) We're trying Hylands teething tablets and Tylenol (alternating) as well as cold teethers but she often refuses these. It's a really helpless feeling and often we can't make her calm down. I'm hoping we make it through this week relatively okay. I guess everyday can't be Saturday huh?

Zumba!

Tonight I tried a new class at the gym - Zumba. Zumba is defined as:

a fitness program inspired by Latin dance. Zumba combines Latin rhythms with cardiovascular exercise to create an aerobic routine that is fun and easy to follow. The name Zumba is derived from a Colombian word meaning to move fast and have fun.

I would've defined it as a bunch of people moving like they have ants in their pants, to Latin music. It was hysterical to watch myself try and keep up. Don't get me wrong - I had a blast, especially with Joelene on my left just bee-bopping around making silly faces. I worked up quite the sweat and didn't manage to break anything. But you can seriously hurt yourself in this class trying to do all these moves at such a fast pace. (My chiropractor is not going to be happy with me tomorrow)

First note in case you ever try Zumba - DO NOT lift weights the hour prior. You'll be really sore.

Second thing to keep in mind - you may look silly, but you're in good company. I looked at Joelene once and said "When do I look like Jennifer Aniston?" since she'd commented it reminded her of Jennifer Aniston in "Along Came Polly".

Something else to maybe remember - here's the guy who invented Zumba. Doesn't that make you laugh?

The music is cool though, I will say that. I got all excited to hear the song "Calabria" (you know, the song that plays on the Target commercial while the 2 girls in the dorm room are dancing?)

Well, we didn't look like that, but the instructor kept on yelling out moves to roll our hips and do double time squats, as well as other moves with a Spanish name that translated into "no way in heck can I move like that, that fast".

I've never felt so "white". Or out of shape!

Knock on wood

The title of this post could have been "What 4 month sleep regression???" but I don't want to tempt fate. Knock on wood, Corinne has been sleeping really well. We are keeping to her routine, which works out great for her and us. Granted we can't go out like we used to, but we try to keep in mind that she is only little this once and it won't last forever. But she is sleeping in her crib for most of the night, and is usually asleep from 8 PM to 6 AM. She is also napping much better and without being held, so we're really grateful.

That's what brings me to occasionally think "What sleep regression" but I know things can change at any time and we just need to roll with the punches. Cori is definitely teething but she seems to be taking it fairly well. And it could last a while before the tooth pushes through.

Cori is just such a happy baby for the most part - she's laughing and playing and we're having a blast with her. This weekend we're going to take her to Trax and have our little pumpkin's picture taken with the pumpkins.

We're lucky that Cori has been sleeping fairly well since Dave and I have both been sick with colds. And I've been working so much that I've not been able to relax in the evenings & weekends (yeah, I know - who can relax with a small child, but I dare to dream!) We've been trying to get some projects done around the house like new back deck stairs and winterizing the yard. In the meantime we've been enjoying the cooler weather, all things flavored pumpkin, and football! We hope you are healthy and enjoying autumn too!

4 months today

Advance apologies that this post doesn't have any pictures - we had Corinne in a cute little fall outfit this morning to take her picture later, but thanks to a mega blowout at daycare, that plan fell through. What is the old saying..... People plan and God laughs?

Cori is 4 months today - wow! Where has the time gone? She is smiling and cooing and laughing up a storm these days, and rolling from belly to back. She still loves her baths. She is also putting everything possible into her mouth, so she is quite the drool machine. She had her doctor's well visit today and surprisingly she didn't gain any weight in the past month! She is holding steady at 14lbs 14ozs (now the 65th percentile). She is 25.5 inches long (81st percentile) and in the 87th percentile for head circumference. (She's like her mommy and has a large noggin!)

The doctor did say that she wants us to see the pediatric eye specialist next month, as she can see the problem with her pupils we noticed. But she did say that her eyes are both working fine and reactive, and I guess the optic nerve and such look good from what she can see. So that is a good relief. We just need the confirmation that there's nothing else going on.

We're all excited fall is here and looking forward to dressing Cori up in some great hand-knitted sweaters, pumpkin shirts and fall colors! Hope you are enjoying your evening!

Quickie

Just a fly-by post...I have no idea where this week went, but it can be summed up in one word. "Rushed" or maybe "Stressful" is a better option. Random things going on:

• The new car is working out great, though 95% of my time in it is rushing from one place to the other, so that isn't very enjoyable. Though I am addicted to the XM radio.
• I think I took too much on joining the gym. I am really bummed I can't go as often as I need to and want to. And when I am there, I am rushing through my exercises so I can rush home and continue to try and get things done. Which makes the exercises less fulfilling.
• We had to make an appointment with a pediatric opthamologist for Corinne. Without going into details here, as I don't have time this posting, we have to get her eyes checked out after we noticed a problem and spoke to her pediatrician. I'm praying she falls into the 10% normal range and not the other areas of brain tumor or eye cancer or some other disease or cocaine use (which we can safely rule out I think). I am super stressed about it.
• Work has been a blur as I take on new accounts due to hurricane Ike's damage. I've been working OT and I've just been super busy in general.
• All the stress is making my supply drop big time, which further stresses me out. And it makes me want to wean from my pump which has been feeling like a ball & chain again lately.
• I feel very guilty that I've not been able to chat with friends as much as I'd like to lately. I owe so many of you emails or phone calls. I'm sorry!
• It looks like a bomb went off in our house. I'm debating about looking into a maid once a week (you do not want to see our bathroom - ugh) but don't think we can afford it.
• We're somehow getting even less sleep than when Cori was an infant. This isn't helping my supply issue or my stress levels.
• I really think Cori is teething and can't decide if the crib transition is working or not. Sometimes I just feel like I have no idea what in the world I am doing as a parent.
• It's 8 PM and we have yet to eat dinner, though it's been ready for 2 hrs (thanks to the crockpot).

More later - I need to go relieve Dave from baby duty.

Pimp my ride...

We got a new vehicle this weekend - my VW is about to retire and I'm graduating into a larger crossover SUV. After a lot of research, test drives, and a dealer recommendation from Michelle, we purchased an 08 Hyundai Santa Fe! The exterior is a sapphire blue and interior is beige leather. We got a great rebate and discount from the dealer, and a good trade in value on the VW.

We pick it up tomorrow after work- can't wait!

New men in my life

Here's how we dressed Corinne today - Fridays are Steeler Day at daycare:

I'm been meaning to blog about the 2 new men in my life. I've also been trying to figure out how to make them get along. I think it will just take time. One man is younger - he's a fitness guru and his name is Antonio. The old man is a littler older - he is a doctor and his name is Brian.

Antonio isn't aware of Dr. Brian. I'm not sure how he'd react if he knew about him; I actually don't know if he would have even started seeing me if he knew I was seeing Dr. Brian. But Dr. Brian on the other hand is fully aware of my interactions with Antonio and isn't happy at all about it!

Antonio has asked that I commit to 5x a week for an hour - some days very intensely, and others a little less. Right now I'm seeing Dr. Brian about twice a week- he's a little more expensive so he's understanding about me spreading out our visits.

Antonio is my personal trainer at the gym I joined earlier this month. Dr. Brian is the chiropractor I started seeing earlier this month.

My poor body has no clue what has hit it. I have to hit the gym tonight, and I've just now recovered from my session Tuesday! "Ouch" is an understatement. This all started because post-Cori, my body felt completely weak. While I lost all my baby weight, I had zero core strength. And a lot of back pain. My body was just all of of alignment and I started compensating in my muscle groups, using muscles for unintended jobs as the other muscles were too tight and taxed.

I really want to feel stronger, and the chiropractor is really helping. I have terribly tight tendons going into my SI joint (that's the Sacroiliac joint, located at the bottom of the back on either side of the spine. Not my Sports Illustrated joint...) But the tightness is really limiting my range of motion in my right hip and leg. Not to mention it hurts. And due to weak supporting muscles in my core back, I've been using other muscles to help support my posture and it's causing a lot of pain.

But like I said, Dr. Brian really helps. It's just that he wants me to not work out yet until I get better range of motion over a longer period of time. And Antonio doesn't know I'm seeing a chiropractor. I don't want him to think the "problem" is more than what it is. This is really what I think Antonio is selling:

what's more, I think I need it. Thankfully Joelene is hitting the gym with me when our schedules allow, and having a work out buddy makes all the difference!

Sleep depravation: 5 / Us: 0

Well, it's been another few bad nights of sleep, but I think Cori has her first cold. To show how sleep deprived I've been, here are two things that happened:

1. On Sunday in church, I went to flip to hymn # 577 and got really confused. On the left was #575 and on the right was what I **thought** was #578. I turned to Dave and said how odd it was that the page was missing! Dave told me I had to turn the page - on the right was really #576. I think I momentarily forgot how to count.



2. On Monday I ran to the grocery store during lunch. I parked near a cart return. When I came out, I walked up and down the car aisle trying to find my car. I kept looking and just couldn't find my car. I started to panic that someone stole my car, like really panic! After about 3 minutes, I realized my car was right in front of me. I was so embarrassed.

Today's pictures are extra special - Cori is wearing her first knit dress! It was a gift from my friend Lisa and fits Cori perfectly!

Cori isn't lifting weights - I just caught her mid stretch.

Elusive Sleep

Whomever invented the phrase "sleeping like a baby" never had a baby. Or they didn't intend to convey sleeping well. Sleep is by far the hardest thing we deal with in regards to Miss Corinne. She is a cat-napper during the day, usually taking 20 minute naps at most. On rare days she'll sleep longer and that is usually at daycare. We still have to hold her at home to get her to nap, and it isn't a good deep sleep. Sneezes or movements or the slightest noise can wake her.

And sleep at night is elusive these days. We're actually getting less than what we were. The first few months we held her in a chair to sleep and for the most part, she slept pretty well. A few weeks ago we started to transition her to her crib. She wasn't comfortable in the chair anymore, and neither were we. As part of her transition, we started a bedtime routine. We're a big believer in this as it seems to work. Usually. Around 7:30 we bathe her, give her the last bottle for a while, and sing a bit to her. She sometimes tolerates a story. But by 8:00 she is usually out. While she'll wake around 9 most times, she's back down by 9:30 and in a deep sleep by 10.

Here enters the crib transition. It's taken some adjustment on all our parts but she's slowly getting it. We've had some good nights, and we've had plenty of bad ones. (3 in a row the past three nights). We keep reminding ourselves that she is little and it will take time. Patience is key.

Unfortunately the bad sleep seems to be catching up on Cori - she had a rough day at daycare right now and as I'm typing this, I can hear her screaming as Dave is trying to start to put her down for the night. Her little eyes get so red I feel terrible for her.

Sorry for the lack of pictures- we've been slacking and honestly, time is just slipping away from us. Our house looks like a bomb went off inside, and outside I have dead flowers from lack of water and fallen leaves inches thick in my front yard. Trying to get everything done with cleaning bottles, filling bottles, getting dinner ready and cleaning up - laundry (we go through burp cloths like crazy) and etc. There just aren't enough hours in the day. Certainly not enough left to get decent sleep! Anyone know the number of a good evening maid that is inexpensive??

Pediatrician visit

Today Cori had a previously unplanned visit to her pediatrician. It had been 7-10 days that she'd been acting off - lots of slimy spit up, some vomiting and diarrhea and major fussing at her feedings. At times, she'd scream her way through an entire bottle or refuse it. I spoke to Dr. Mary and she thought Cori may have reflux and wanted to see her.

So now Corinne is on baby Zantac twice a day. It should take about a week to see if it is helping. We also found out some other interesting things at the doctors:

• Cori weights 14lbs 14ozs
• Cori may have to have PT for her neck if she doesn't start looking to the left more. She's not using her muscles enough on that side, so we need to enforce tummy time (which she hates) and sitting in the Bumbo with toys to her left.
• Both her reflux and neck issues will be assessed at her 4 month check up on the 24th this month.

And today she rolled over from belly to back at daycare. I guess that is how much she hates being on her tummy - she pushed that nearly 15lbs over to get back to her favorite position - stretched out on her back!

September already?

Happy Labor Day! I can't believe it is already September. The summer seems to have flown by, and I feel like I wasn't part of the great outdoors for most of it. I did spend most of it indoors with Cori so many days I didn't even step foot outside. I'm hoping that next year is completely different and she'll be running up a storm and we'll be spending lots of time together in the fresh air.

We celebrated Labor Day weekend with the annual visitation at the Big Knob Fair in Beaver county. This year, while Cori's 1st, was much more laid back. We didn't see many family and friends as we usually do. Not sure if it was the heat or just busy plans.

Cori is just about ready to roll over - she just needs that extra "umph" to make it all the way over. We think it may happen any day now!

She is also very fixated with her hands. She'd found them some time ago, but now she holds them in a very funny way. She looks like Mr. Burns from the Simpsoms, planning her next diabolical move. Excellent!!!

Cori loves to sit upright and face the world to better see what is going on. She has full control of her head when we hold her, and about 75% control when she is on her own (like in her Bumbo). She'll sit upright for a few seconds then slump and bob like a bobble head.

Hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend!

Look-a-like

When Corinne was born, she clearly looked like me. Now she seems to be looking like her dad. I guess it's good to know that they didn't mess up in the IVF lab!



But seriously, there are times I look at her and clearly see myself. (And I mean in physical traits- we'll save the discussion of who gave her the stubborn streak for another day.) Other times I clearly see Dave in her.



It prompted me to go back and look at our own baby pictures. The result? Dave and I kind of look like each other! Very scary indeed.

So here are some baby pictures of us - you decide for yourself. There's a new poll to the left, and as always, the comments section!

Baby Beth

(The B&W picture is actually my mother as a baby, but I look just like her!)

Baby Dave:

(look at that chub in the tub!)

Murphy's Law

I am starting to further subscribe to Joelene's theory that when you blog about something, the opposite happens. While my past post talked about our daughter being happy unless she is fussing to go to sleep, I fear I not only gave the wrong impression that Cori is always happy, but I also invoked the rage of the Karma Gods.

Sunday night Cori didn't sleep very well. This was followed by not sleeping much at all at daycare Monday. And then there was the icing on the cake - last night she barely slept. We can't seem to break the cycle. She's miserable. We're miserable. And I fear that we have no clue what we're doing and she's suffering for it.

We've tried it all - white noise, swaddling, the 5 S's, swings, PNPs, co-sleeping, rocking, etc. It just isn't working. I guess there is nothing to do but keep trying and praying.

Maybe if I blog about how crappy she's been sleeping, she'll sleep well?

3 months old

Today our little Peanut is 3 months old, and she isn't so little anymore! According to our home scale, our big girl weights about 15.5 lbs! We are so blessed to have such a pleasant baby - unless she is fighting her naps, she is usually cooing and smiling and laughing. She loves to look right into your eyes and talk up a storm!

Yesterday we took her for her first pictures at the mall. The P!cture People were really great at getting her to smile and such. We're really happy with the way the pictures turned out; if only they were less expensive, but I guess we'll be saying that about a lot of things over the years. Welcome to parenthood huh?

Pictures are posted here, but are copyrighted. So no matter how cute they are, please don't use them as your screensaver or to promote the next big baby item - ha ha

This past week of daycare was really well. Cori seems to be adjusting well and even has a bit of a schedule down there. She has made a liar out of me and has no issues sleeping without being held; she will nap in the pack and play for about an hour in the morning and 2 hrs in the afternoon. And she naps right when I bring her home; I think the stimulation really tuckers her out!

But alas, daycare and home seem to be two different worlds as she won't nap as well for us here at home. It will no doubt take some time and more adjusting, and probably a stronger dose of tough love. We're just not ready for that yet.

The details of my return to work aren't really that noteworthy; I've been busy and it helps keep my mind off missing Corinne. I do have to admit that I am enjoying being able to shower daily (and in the morning to boot!) and having an uninterrupted cup of coffee. I hope that doesn't make me sound like I'm a terrible mother that I am not sobbing daily. I just think that I am comfortable early on with leaving her with Donna. The test run last week helped, as well as previously pretty much grilling my friend who takes her 2 sons there. In any case, it's all good!

Cat's in the cradle

I find it amusing that our daughter won't sleep in her cradle but our cat does.

I guess the bedding isn't going to waste after all?

Whew - she's exhausted!

Day #1 of daycare is done and we all did fine! Cori made a liar out of me and slept in her pack and play a few times for 30-40 minute naps. Fine by me! All the kids (all 5 are boys by the way!) love playing with her and talking to her - I think she was slightly overwhelmed at times from what Donna said. She was so tired that she slept in her car seat in the house...

I did fine too - I'm grateful for the emails and calls of encouragement and good luck wishes! I truly have the best friends and family!

Some pictures

Thought I'd post some recent pictures of Corinne. We took her to meet her daycare lady (Miss Donna) this morning and Cori was all smiles and coos. Then she fell asleep in Miss Donna's arms. We're doing a trial run one afternoon this week which is probably a good idea.

Cori is growing out of so many clothes! We have pulled all her 0-3 months and some of her 3-6 months (depending on how they run). We have 2 bins full of of her clothes in the basement. Sometimes the problem is that even if the outfit fits her across the chest, it isn't long enough in the torso (she is so long!). She's in mostly 3-6 month clothes but some 6 month stuff as well.

By the way, the 80s are back big time! Thanks to my friend Melissa for the BabyLegs to keep Corinne in style!

I love how the leg chub hangs over the top!

Cori just loves her Miss Kitty from Aunt Jen - she is at the stage where if it is near by, it goes into the mouth. This obviously presents some new challenges!

She is really curious about everything these days and I think that is part of why she won't nap as well in the afternoon - she doesn't want to miss a thing! But considering she sleeps from about 9 PM to 3AM, wakes up to eat then goes back down from 3:30 to 7 AM, we're thrilled! Now if we could just get her to sleep in her bed.......

Blowout - part 2

So question for the moms out there...

When your kid has a blowout up the back of the diaper, how in the world do you take off a onsie (classic onsie that has only the 3 snaps at bottom) without getting poop all over your kid's head and smearing it up their back???

And without using those fancy smanchy scissors that the emergency docs use to cut away clothes from the victim??

I still have not mastered this.

Dumb

Math was never my strong suit... thanks to my friend April, I've just learned that I am not due back at work next week but the week after!!

At this rate, my boss may tell me to not come back at all if I can't even count to 12 correctly.

Party Girl

Cori attended her first birthday party yesterday - the theme was princesses, so Cori dressed up like a little princess too. Note the sparkly pink slippers!

Unfortunately our princess wasn't feeling well all day so we left long before the clock struck midnight. Our poor girl may have a touch of a tummy bug since she's been extra fussy and spitting up a ton frequently. We're resting at home today so she can catch up on some sleep.

On a personal note, I got my hair cut and colored a few days ago and am really happy with it (except if you're like me, you can never make it look as nice as the stylist does! ) Here I am with Kadence the birthday girl.

This is my last week at home with Corinne and daycare looms in the future. I think it may be harder on me than on her!

Celebrate the Small Victories

As I sit and type this post, our daughter has been asleep for 50 minutes in her crib. The title of this post was easy to write. And as Dave is (at long last) staining the bathroom door, it only reinforced the thoughts of the title.

But as I thought about how happy I was that the door was getting stained, I stopped to think about if it was really that important. Like, if I found myself in a situation like Jai Pausch, would it really matter to me that the door wasn't finished? And even more so, wouldn't I want it to stay unfinished?

Jai Pausch is the wife of now world known Dr. Randy Pausch; unfortunately now she is also a widow. As most people have heard, Randy succumb to his pancreatic cancer on Friday July 25th. That news made me truly sad. I know that Randy lived his life as full as possible, but the world needs more people like him. I felt compelled to read his book "The Last Lecture" as it was sitting in our bookcase. (Corinne had given it to Dave for Father's Day this year.)

All I can say is wow - what a read. I hope everyone reads this book. And I hope I can follow through with some dreams I've promised myself I'd attempt at some point. The point is that there is no time like the present.

On the left I've added some things I promise to do for myself, and I'm going to really follow up on them. As time moves forward, I invite anyone who reads this blog keep me in check by asking what I'd done thus far to see them through. I'll probably be adding to it as I realize things, and I believe that Dave may want to add some things as he finishes the book too.

• I promise myself that I'll take up piano lessons again. I played until I graduated high school and then I stopped. Truth is that I hate to work hard for anything; I am lazy about many things. A lot of things come naturally to me which I take for granted, and I don't like that I have to work to keep them tuned. That is how it was / is for me & music. The ability to read music and play came so easily to me, but I hated to practice. (Heck, that kind of describes my attitude of studying in my college years!) And now I've forgotten how to play. I've gone from winning awards in high school for my abilities to struggling to read 2 lines of music together. And I really miss music; so many nights I dream I am playing the piano or viola or saxophone again and I'm part of a symphony. And I am so happy! I want to try and make that happen - no, I don't want to be a musician, but I guess I just want to get back that love and feeling I had while playing music.
  
• I am scared to death to sky-dive, yet I really want to experience it. I think I should just do it.
  
• The phrase "Jack of all traits, master of none" comes to mind when I think of my hobbies. I have a few, but my favorite is gardening. I didn't do any of it this year knowing that our little girl would occupy so much time. But I miss it, and I want to cultivate more knowledge about this my favorite hobby.
  
• I want to work out to feel better and to live a healthier life - for my daughter as well as myself. I've been thinking about joining a gym in the next month or so, which kind of makes me laugh since I barely have time for myself now. But I think I need this time to myself, to work on myself and strengthen who I am inside and out. I talked to Dave about it and we think we can make it work. It's long overdue.

I hope that today you can take a moment to find real joy in something simple and small, and maybe even celebrate a small victory!

100 out of 100

Today was Corinne's 2 month check-up, and our sweet girl is growing like a weed (except much cuter!) The doctor is really happy with how she's doing. Have I said how much I love our pediatrician? She is down to earth, takes a ton of time to answer questions, and is great with Cori. But today I was honest about how Cori seems to prefer sleeping on her tummy, and she didn't make me feel bad at all. She listened and gave me some tips and said that while she can't endorse sleeping on baby's tummy, sometimes parents know best and you have to do what you have to do.

Corinne's stats:

• weight = 13lbs (100th percentile!)


• height = 23.5 inches (85th percentile)


• head circumference = 40.3 cm (75th percentile)


• received an oral vaccine and 2 shots of vaccine (we opted to split them up)

Corinne did great! She cried when she got the shots but recovered quickly thanks to her favorite pink pacifier. She's been actually less fussy than usual (go figure) and is just sleeping and eating.

Time is ticking until I return to work (August 13th) and summer seems to have flown past. Fall will be here before you know it; I know Dave is looking forward to taking his little girl to her first Big Knob Fair!

Fascination

Cori's newest fascination is her bouncer seat - she will stare at the musical fish for up to an hour! It seems to be the only "toy" that holds her interest for longer than 5 minutes. Maybe I can get some things done with her in this contraption! Maybe you're thinking that I should be getting things done while she naps on her belly, having figured that out. Well - our kid is so smart, she is on to us! While the first day we got 2 hours from her, the time has been decreasing daily. We're now down to about 5 minutes. Sigh.... back to the drawing board!

Her 2 month check up is this Thursday and I can't wait to see how much she weights. I am betting around 14 pounds - at least that is what my back is telling me!

Not much else has been going on. Dave and I had a date night on Friday night and we were some of the millions of people who went to see the new movie "The Dark Knight". I was honestly surprised at how good the movie was! It's more Dave's cup of tea than mine, but I really enjoyed the story line, the social implications it brought up, and truly, Heath Ledger's performance was outstanding. People aren't just speaking well of the dead.

We also got to see a lot of Dave's family this past week and they got to meet Cori. We always enjoy spending time with family!

Tummy time..

I can't believe that I have to go back to work in a month. It just seems unreal - August 13th I report back for duty. Part of me is really looking forward to going back and slipping back into somewhat of a schedule. I think I'll be a better parent to Cori when I'm back at work. I enjoy my work, am happy to have a job, and think I'm fairly good at what I do. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. I also miss the pay! ha ha But I dread catching up; I've already had to log on 2x since my inbox was overflowing past the 1 GB of mail limit.

As time is going by, and Cori is in her 7th week, she is smiling more, cooing and laughing a bit. She's really alert and active in the morning (which is also why we've not yet captured this on film - it's too early to be fully functional!) But we ***may*** have solved the sleeping only when being held issue.

I've suspected for a while that she may be a tummy sleeper like her mom. She no longer enjoys the cradle position of being held in your arms. She much prefers being held upright (like when you'd burp her). She usually falls right asleep. I think it's the warmth of the chest to chest and the pressure on her tummy (as she is prone to gas). So yesterday afternoon I said a prayer and laid her down on her tummy. Low and behold she slept for 2 whole hours! She slept through her feeding time even.

I thought she may have slept from being over-tired (as she had a mild meltdown in Target yesterday). Well, I tried it again this morning and 40 minutes later, she is still sleeping. Granted I am checking on her every 5 minutes to make sure she is still breathing, but she seems fine. I don't trust it enough to do it at night, so we'll continue to co-sleep or hold her, but for the daytime, we may have found our answer!

Tagged - 2x!

Oh man, I thought I felt something... I got tagged twice! On the same day by Michelle and Melissa!

The criteria:
Name five things that you can't live without. It can't be a person, it has to be something material that actually makes your life easier. It can't be something in general, it must be exact. Hmmm

1. Heated seats - without a doubt. May not make my life easier but sure makes my butt warmer! After having them in my first Jetta, I will not purchase a car without them. I've been researching cars / crossover SUVs recently as we're considering a purchase. I will not even consider one that doesn't have this as an option!
   
2. my dishwasher - call me lazy, but I hate drying dishes, and seriously, I don't think I could ever live without this invention. At times I don't mind washing dishes, but I **hate** to dry them!
   
3. MAC pressed powder - with Corinne's birth and the past 7 weeks, I haven't been wearing much make up at all. But just putting this on my face takes away the shine and makes me feel human again. And when you can't get out of your PJs some days, you learn to really relish the days that you have a reason to put on any bit of make up!
   
4. Haircolor - at the risk of sounding now both lazy AND vain, I have to admit that I'm not a real blonde. Shhhhh! I used to be. Honest! But I think the teenage hormones did something as all that lovely blonde hair was replaced with a very ashey color with splashes of red undertones. It's just awful. I'd be richer if I didn't color my hair, but I'd be miserable for sure. I've worn every color of hair from fiery red (which looked smashing with my hot pink junior prom dress) to very dark brown / almost black. I think I'm happy with my current status.
   
5. Online banking - I hate going to the bank. I never have time for it. I hate writing checks. And two things I never have on my are cash or stamps. Online banking really solves both for me. Being the control freak that I am, online banking let me set up all our payments ahead of time; knowing I'd be a bit busy with the baby in May-July, I set up the payments prior. I could then "set it and forget it"... I hope this never goes away, even if one of my good friends works for the post office and they lose money from no more bills being paid via stamped envelopes!

So those are my 5 boring things. I really wanted to post my love of the DVR, which is true, but more than a few people said that and I already copied the "heated seat" answer!

I now tag Sara and Suzi!

Like a kid in a candy store

Have you ever had so many options that you just didn't know what to choose?? Today I'm like a kid in a candy store- endless options before me. So many in fact, I'm just kind of mentally standing around going "duhhhhh" and not sure what to do first. See, Cori is with her pap-pap and grandma Kathy today and I'm free all day! (Well not all day but for 8-9 hrs) Don't get me wrong - I will miss my kid. Heck, I almost shed a tear as she went out the door. But I am smart enough to know that a big dose of "me" time will make me an even better parent.

So what did I do first? I ate a big piece of DQ ice-cream cake left over from my mom's birthday cookout this past weekend. I'm not sure what they put in the middle of the cake, but those chocolate crunchies are like crack to me! And let's face it - I'm a smart girl. Breakfast is THE most important meal of the dal - you don't want to skip that!

Next I caught up on some friend's blogs and my email. I love my child but I miss technology! Then I proceeded to vacuum under the couch and chair cushions. Though it needed done in a big way (what was under there totally skeeved me out), it was a moment where I said "what the heck are you doing?!?! You have free time and are vacuuming under cushions? Pathetic!" I stopped. Whew - that was close.

Intending to go outside into the sunshine and garden (wow, I really miss gardening) I put on my tennis shoes. My first thought was " wow! they fit again!" since they didn't fit for a long time due to the massive swelling known as 'the 3rd trimester'. That thought was immediately followed up with "you really need to put these shoes on more often and exercise!" I filed that thought away for future consideration.

Before I head out into the sun, I thought about how infrequently I've been blogging and decided I should take the time to post. Things really have been going okay. This past week Corinne has been sleeping for longer at night, though still needing to be held. We're willing to not complain too loudly for a few more weeks, but we'd sure love to get her into her bassinet or crib! She just won't cooperate for longer than 15 minutes. Last night I tried cosleeping again and it worked much better. 4 hrs straight of sleep, waking only to eat. So that may solve the night-time situation but not naps during the day. All in time I guess.

We had a lovely holiday weekend. Grandma Suzie came over on Friday to watch Cori while Dave and I prepped the house and food for the Saturday cookout. We even went to see the movie Wall-E, which was wonderful! Highly recommended. We watched the fireworks on TV Friday night. Saturday was out family cookout and Sunday we hung out at Aunt Kelly & Uncle Dave's house while my husband and brother toiled in the hot sun digging a fire pit.

We'd gotten back the pictures we ordered from Cori's 1 month photo shoot. We didn't order a ton due to finances, but this one is probably one of my favorites. It won't be on the birth announcements so I won't ruin any surprise by sharing it here.

I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day! Hope you're enjoying yours!!