Laughable

Last night was a lot of laughs - Molly's bachelorette party was a hoot! I'm just now recovering from laughing as hard as I did, and just thinking about some memories of the night sets me off laughing again. We hit the Improv to see Hal Sparks who was just hysterical! Molly ended up on stage after some funny dialog between her and Hal during his skit. Anytime I hear the Song "Sexy Back" from Justin Timberlake, I am going to crack up thinking about how he danced around Molly in a mock provocative manner. Any description I try to give of the encounter will not do it justice, so I won't try. After the show Molly got his autograph and we got a chance to talk with him a little bit; he's a pretty down to earth guy and was a great sport to all our flirting and laughing.

Oddly enough, last night was that I thought for sure coming home late, I'd be up a lot during the night with Cori. I was happy to be wrong - our girl went to bed as usual at 7 and got up at 10:30 for her feeding, but slept straight until 7:45 AM!?!? Maybe I need to go out more often if this will be the result!

Picking back up

It's been a while! Where have you been? We've been here for the most part, but time sure has been going fast. Is Thanksgiving really next week? I finally had a moment to update the blog while my little turkey and Daddy turkey are asleep in the chair.

Work has been very busy for me; add the fact that our work firewall blocks Blogger websites and now you know why I've not been able to blog as well as comment on friends' blogs. I'm just looking forward to a short work week next week. (And sweet potatoes. I always look forward to sweet potatoes!)

Cori has been doing great - she seems to either have a touch of a tummy bug or jarred apples don't agree with her. Today we took her for her 6 month pictures. She was such a good girl - all smiles and cooperative with outfit changes. We got some great shots, a few of which I'll share below. I'll leave the ones out that will be on the Christmas cards.

She also met Santa for the first time - we weren't sure if he was the "real" Santa or just one of his helpers. She seemed to be okay until she noticed that Santa has a beard. And Cori + beards = crying. We didn't think to bring our camera along because I thought you had to purchase their photos. So we purchased one from the mall - for $26 for a 5x7. Man times have changed.... the economy can't be hurting that badly for the length of the line to see Santa, and at those prices!

Dave is doing well too - he's been trying to run so he can do a Turkey Trot next week, but he's not sure how that is going. I've been trying not to ask him about running another marathon next spring... I think he misses running. It's just hard to fit everything in with Cori and chores and work and such.

We're getting ready for our friends' wedding in two weeks. Mike and Molly take the plunge on Dec 6th and we're excited (and praying for good weather too!) I think Dave is working on doing his best man speech in a haiku. While I play the keyboard. Nice... Klassy! Just kidding guys - but we are looking forward to your big day! Tonight is Molly's bachelorette party. We'll try not to make it too uncomfortable for her! Hee hee heee...

Dr. Oz speaks...

My very favorite speaker at my recent conference was Dr. Mehmet Oz - yes, that Dr. Oz from the Discovery Health show. Yes, the very same Dr. Oz that is always on Oprah's show. His talk was amazing - ultra informative and yet easy to understand. There was enough technical medical information to appease the analytical science geeks like myself, and it was presented in fun, easy to understand terminology with lots of visuals to drive points home. I could have listened to him talk for hours.

I took a lot of notes during the talk about how to better your health emotionally, spiritually and physically. I also purchased his book "You on a Diet" which is just a fascinating read! (Unfortunately I didn't stand in line to have him sign the book since I would have missed most of the conference.) I really recommend this book for everyone interested in losing weight or even better understanding your body.


With this entry I thought I would share some knowledge about ways to improve your physical health.

• Vitamins that he recommended were A, B, C, D & E as well as Calcium, Magnesium, Selenium and Zinc. He stressed B Complex Vitamins as well as Vitamin C: B vitamins are essential for the conversion of glucose into energy. You can find B vitamins in brown rice, dried beans and organ meats. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which circulates in the blood and lymphatic system. It boosts the immune system and aids in healing.
  
• Other very important nutrients stressed were Omega 3 fatty acids, Green Tea extract, Asprin and Probiotics. Essential fatty acids protect against hardening of the arteries by promoting the formation of good prostaglandins, thinning the blood and reducing the stickiness of blood cells. They can be found in coldwater fish like salmon and halibut and flax seeds. They have been found to decrease depression, and they work wonders for your skin!
  
• The supplement Co-enzyme Q10 is essential - it is responsible for energy conversion. In some studies, CoQ10 improved muscular performance by 10%30%. It also helps protect muscles from oxidative stress.
  
• Important anti-oxidents to consume are Lycopene (in tomatoes), Lutein (in leafy green veggies), Quercetin (in apples, onions, and berries), Tumeric (found in mustard and Indian cuisine), Capsaicin (found in chili peppers) and Resveratrol (found in red grape skin and thus red wine!!)
  
• No eating two hours prior to bed.
  
• Consume half your body weight in water ounces. So if you are 160lbs, you need to drink 80 ozs of water just to stay hydrated.
  
• Count to your age prior to indulging in whatever is tempting you. See if the urge goes away when you reach that number.
  
• Weight training is needed to build and maintain your bones. You lose 5% of your muscle mass every ten years after the age of 35 if you don't do anything about it. In addition, adding lean muscle to your body is very beneficial. Muscle burns 50x more calories than fat ever does!
  
• Exercise 30 minutes a day, every day. No excuses. Nothing fancy - walking will do just perfectly.
  
• Have a handful of nuts 30 minutes prior to meals to trick your brain & hormonal system into feeling that you are full. (More on this next blog entry because this is just fascinating. I've been doing this for 2 weeks and it really works!!)
  
• Stop drinking the soda (or as we say round these parts - pop). Even the diet stuff. Fructose in beverages blocks the fat message to your brain and makes you eat at least 125 extra calories a day. Add that up and you'll see in no time how bad that is for you. Not to mention the spikes in blood sugar and insulin.

I hope you find these tips useful. Our bodies are truly fascinating machines and we owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to take care of ourselves. Time to start putting YOU first - as Dave likes to remind me, I won't be able to take care of everyone unless I make sure to take care of me too.

So Proud!

First off, I have to say I was so proud to be an American yesterday! I wish that all our elections had the turn out that happened yesterday; I wish they all had that excitement! I had this electric feeling when I pressed that VOTE button on the machine, and I cried tears of happiness and hope when they announced that Obama would be president at 11PM. Now let's heal our nation and unify and move forward to be as great of a nation as we know we can be!

I'm also proud of our little Cori. She has been sleeping like a champ - I'm starting to wander in every few hours to check that she is still breathing. At times it's hard for me to tell b/c she is so deep in sleep.

She is also eating like a big girl - we laugh that when we feed her, she swallows (really more of just a tongue reflex) and then immedaitely opens her mouth really WIDE again for more. Tonight she ate an entire jar of sweet potatoes. The girl screams bloody murder when we wipe her mouth (her signal that food is over). Dave is currently giving her a bottle right now to fill her bottomless pit!

Halloween was fun - Cori was certainly the cutest pumpkin in the patch!

Cori's new favorite past-time is to grab at your face. It seems to provide never ending fun for her. Note if you plan to visit - don't wear long jewlery!

On Sunday we visited Cori's great great Aunt Marianne. I'm becoming more convinced that Cori will be a red head. Less decisive is if she will be a cowgirl or a piano player like her mama.

Feed me!!

Just a little update on Cori. I am soooo swamped with work (even more so this week) that I don't even have time to upload all the cute pictures from this past weekend!

Cori turned 5 months this past Friday and is still loving her oatmeal. She is now grabbing the spoon and bringing it to her mouth, with fairly good aim! She gets upset when she isn't holding the spoon and when there isn't food on it. We have great video of it. I may upload it if I can figure out how to do so. Our big girl is also holding her bottle on her own. It is still too heavy when full, but she still grabs it to help out. When it's half gone, she can do a good job all on her own.

Finally, at the risk of writing this and thus making the complete opposite happen, she has been sleeping like a CHAMP! For the past 8 days she has been sleeping the whole night in her crib. She will wake up once to eat but will go back down without much of a fuss. We are amazed and so thankful! (A part of me misses snuggling with her while cosleeping.) We will take the good, as we know the not as good is due to come up, especially with teething. Which mysteriously has disappeared. She is still gnawing away on everything that goes into her mouth, but the fussiness is gone as well as the bloody drool. Odd.

Pictures to come I swear. I just need to find time to pull them from the camera.

LA Times

I spent most of this week in Los Angeles to attend an annual business meeting and then the California Women's Conference. This was my third year attending the conference which I've always enjoyed. It's a day of really engaging speakers and though provoking talks from people. There is also a lot of free swag from vendors which is never bad either!


Parts of the time it was hard - first I was stuck on eastern time, which meant I woke up at 4:30 AM wide awake. (I tried to make the most of it and went to work out in the hotel gym.) The days are long and emotionally intense during the conference (just the clip highlight of Tim Russert from the prior year set me into tears just 5 minutes into the conference.) And of course it was really hard to be away from Corinne.


But I did manage to have a really good time. I got to see my friend / coworker Jen, and I got a lot of uninterrupted sleep and had good food & beverage. The conference itself had some REALLY awesome speakers with powerful and inspiring stories. Jennifer Lopez kick started the morning and Warren Buffet spoke about the economy. I heard stories from Women's Right's leaders Gloria Steinem and Billy Jean King. The talk from Christiane Amanpour was simply awe-inspiring!!! It was probably my second favorite talk of the day.


The very best talk was from Dr. Oz who is THE health expert. I listened to his hour long session and took a lot of notes. I could've listened for hours - the man just has a method of delivering information that is factual and fascinating at the same time! I ended up buying one of his books but didn't stand in line to have him sign it. I can't wait to read it none the less.
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In the afternoon I found myself five feet from Rita Wilson (yes, Tom Hank's wife). She was hosting a session on looking your very best, and while the talk didn't start for about 45 minutes, I saw some people heading into the theatre. I just walked in like I was supposed to be there and I guess it didn't hurt that the security guard has his back to me.... I took a seat toward the back on the aisle and started reading. No one questioned me and I just acted like I was disinterested in everything going on. Well, in flies Rita Wilson (oh so pretty and such a sweet lady!) talking to the world famous hair stylist and makeup guys who work on all these Hollywood Stars - they were speaking too. I just kind of took it all in. And of course ended up buying their book as well - it isn't even released yet and won't be until December. I can always use some styling tips!
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But the star of the day was Bono who, (don't tell Dave) is OMG HOT!!! And even sexier, he has an accent and most importantly, a mind. And he came with a message about helping to rid hunger and AIDs in Africa. It is amazing that children are dying from diseases that can be solved from a $0.20 vaccine. That AIDS patients can turn their life around with a pill a day for 2 months. Bono was articulate and compassionate, funny and sincere. He talked about when even things are bleak both in our own homes, and in our nation, how important it is not to forget those who are worst off than ourselves.


I signed their petition and encourage you to read about ONE's mission and sign if you believe in it as well.

ONE is Americans of all beliefs and every walk of life - united as ONE - to help make poverty history. We are a campaign of over 2.4 million people and growing from all 50 states and over 100 of America's most well-known and respected non-profit, advocacy and humanitarian organizations. As ONE, we are raising public awareness about the issues of global poverty, hunger, disease and efforts to fight such problems in the world's poorest countries. As ONE, we are asking our leaders to do more to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE believes that allocating more of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the world's poorest countries.

After the conference, I was really looking forward to coming home. I flew home the next day and couldn't wait to get home to Cori. I actually had tears in my eyes when the plane touched down; it was all I could do to not leave my bags behind and just run home to see my little angel. She was asleep when I got home since it was late, but she couldn' t contain her smiles and excitement when I picked her up from her crib as she woke up. THAT made me feel amazing.

Fast Forward on time

Friday night my friend stopped by with her daughter MacKenzie who is 3 weeks older than Cori - it was fun to watch them play together. They were really interested in touching one another; I think they liked that they were the same size.

Cori didn't seem to enjoy her rice cereal too much so upon a suggestion of a friend, we had her try oatmeal. Well, that was a huge hit! So much so that she cries when we are done feeding it to her. She just wants more!!

No pictures to post of it since it is the same messy situation as the rice cereal - most of it ends up on the bib. But we are now placing Cori in her high-chair which is a big step! She sits there and plays with toys while we eat our dinner, and she's taking her cereal in her high chair.

Today we put some more of her things that she's outgrown in the basement. She's now too big for the bouncer that was our initial saving grace. She hangs out of the little swing we had for her. Time is really going by fast! Not to fear though - the "extra" space in our living room will soon be occupied by the jumparoo and exosaucer. She is just big enough for them but we haven't brought them up again. (Previous attempts showed little interest on her part so we just took them back downstairs.)

I leave Monday for 4 days in Long Beach, CA. While I am looking forward to the trip (imagine reading on the plane, uninterrupted sleep for 3 nights, and lots of wine with dinner!) I know I am going to miss Cori like crazy. I'm only slightly worried about Dave having to handle our high-needs child solo for 4 days. I know he can do it, but4 days may feel like 40!

Baptism

Sunday was Corinne's baptism and it was a beautiful day! The dress turned out beautifully, and she was a real tropper considering we learned the hard way that babies and lace don't always mix well. She had red chaffing marks under her arms and on the back of her neck from the zipper. Naps were too few and far between that day as well. But with all her family and a few friends with us, we were truly blessed!

October 15th

October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Please take a moment to remember those angels who are at home with God now, and the families who still grieve for them. Even after having other children, the hole in your heart is never fully filled.

Now I know why I dreamt of my twins last night.

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"An Ugly Pair of Shoes"

I am wearing a pair of shoes.

They are ugly shoes.

Uncomfortable Shoes.

I hate my shoes.

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Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair. Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step. Yet, I continue to wear them. I get funny looks wearing these shoes. They are looks of sympathy. I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs.

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They never talk about my shoes. To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable. To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them. But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.

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I now realize that I am not the other one who wears these shoes. There are many pairs in the world. Some women are like me and ache daily as they try and walk in them. Some have learned how to walk in them so they don't hurt quite as much. Some have work the shoes so long that days will go by before they think of how much they hurt. No woman deserves to wear these shoes.

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Yet, because of the shoes I am a stronger women. These shoes have given me the strength to face anything. They have made me who I am. I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has lost a child.

Author Unknown

Wedding dress anew

Today is our third wedding anniversary, and a few weeks ago I had my wedding dress cut up. On purpose. I wanted to make our daughter's baptism gown from the gown I wore on our wedding day. A friend of mine is a seamstress and I entrusted her to work her magic.

And what magic it is! I really don't think these pictures don't do it justice. It is so beautiful, and I can't wait for her to wear it this Sunday.

Here's my gown on our wedding day three years ago

Here's Corinne's baptismal gown

She's our little angel for sure!

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!