Stuff Lately

 The sweetest of dreams..

My heart just melts.

I think I'm one of the luckiest people in the world.  I met my friend, Elina, 15 years ago when we were both Au-Pairs in Germany.  Somehow we've kept track of each other (first through real hand-written letters, now through FB..*sigh*)and kept contact. She has the cutest twin girls.  She ended up staying in Germany and making a sweet life for herself there..and she sent this cute onesie for Brixton, along with some German children's CDS!  Danke Elina!

P.S. The shirt says please give us a vote!

Actually it says toothless and happy! :-)

Poll Question: Do You Wake Your Sleeping Baby?

Hello friends,

We've had a heck of a few days over here in Brixton's World.  He's decided to stop sleeping for a good 6-7 hour stretch during the day, but goes to bed around 6:30pm and then wakes up 2-3 times during the night.  So here's my question: Do you wake your sleeping baby?  

I've shot myself in the foot a few times on this one.  It sounds like a good idea when you are thinking "Yeah, if I wake him now, he'll be more tired later."  Usually that doesn't happen AT ALL.  

The night before last I tried to "dreamfeed" him (have you heard of this??) and that backfired.  That whole day and night (Monday) was h-e-double hockey sticks.  Dreamfeeding, BTW, is the idea that if you can squeeze in a late night feeding without really waking the baby, then they will sleep longer.  So I tried it.  Around 10:30pm I snuck into Brix's room armed with a warmed bottle.  I gently lifted his sleepy head to an angle, popped the bottle in and let him drink.  He took about an ounce and a half.  I set him back down on his side (supposedly that helps them burp on their own if they need to).  Then I over-analyzed, got greedy and tried to give him more.  He did take more, but he also woke up more.  He made little Brixton noises for the next hour, finally fully waking around midnight.  Fail. 

Monday I also tried putting him on a Baby Wise schedule.  That was the worst.  I'm not doing that again.  

Last night I got him up at 10:30 again, this time getting him properly up and feeding him.  That worked a lot better, as he didn't wake again until 2 and then again at 5:30.  

Here's my question: If he's napping, should I just let him wake on his own no matter what?(Except, of course, if he's gone hours and hours past his last feed, although I'm totally of the mindset that when he's hungry he'll let me know).  

The poll is on the right hand side, please vote and/or comment! 

In the Moment

Dear Brixton,

I'm trying to write this while balancing your squirm-worm body on my legs.  I'm watching you watch me, your tiny sushi tongue sticking out, your arms flying awkwardly out in a very sieg heil kind of way.  I can't believe you are 7 weeks old, but at the same time, I can.  I guess what's unbelievable is how seamlessly you have transitioned into our lives, how the period of "there's a baby in the house and he's ours" was so fleeting, how I've gone 50 nights now with interrupted sleep and how I've been latching a pump onto my bosom every day to make you food.  And we've all survived.

Papa and I have been arguing a lot and I hope you don't think it's your fault.  We have so much going on right now with Papa's work and money and finding our place in the world.  It's really hard right now, but we are making it work.  Don't worry little friend, your life won't consist of visitation schedules and wondering what could have been.  

Mostly, Papa and I dream about you.  Dream about what we want to do with you in the future.  Things like camping, beach vacations, hiking, planting seeds, catching fireflies in Ball jars on steamy summer nights.  I try to not think about these things though, I try to not wish you any older.  I'm trying to love you now, as a little 7 week old boy, with big blue eyes, a gummy smile, pouty lips, an awkward hairline and a tongue that just won't stop poking out.  I'm trying to bottle your moments up, because soon enough you'll be asking for a sippy cup of milk, a new video game,  the keys to the car. (No.  The answer is already no).   

  Soon enough that pokey tongue will speak, the gummy smile will be full of teeth and those pouty lips won't let Mamma kiss them anymore.

That is also a future I try not to think about. 

Love,

Mamma

Welcome To Paradise

Welcome to Paradise.

All that its name implies.

Yes, folks. I am from Paradise.

Paradise, California.

 Welcome.  Side note: some friends of mine took a plastic plate or something, painted their initials on it and nailed it up on this sign.  It was there for years before it was discovered and taken down. (photo: activerain.com)

Oh, you thought..? No, not Hawaii.  Not somewhere tropical or sandy. We have things like clampers, a gold nugget museum and Johnny Appleseed Days.  We have hazy, smoky falls and the stormiest storms you've ever seen in the winter.

Paradise is in NorCal.  Growing up there, nestled in the foothills and surrounded by trees and mountains and nature, I thought it was the most boring place in the world.  Then I went to Yuma. (just kidding.  I've never been to Yuma.)

It's a smallish town, but that's relative.  About 25,000 people, so small, but not like where my Grandpa grew up: Walnut, Iowa--population 800.  In Paradise you knew a lot of people, but not every one.  In high school you also knew a lot of people, but not everyone.  

I moved there when I was 5 or 6.  My parents bought a wooded acre and my dad was going to build us a house.  And he did.  It took about 4 years.  And we lived in a trailer in the meantime.  A tiny trailer with a swamp cooler, my bedroom so small the dresser and the door hit each other, my brother sleeping in my parents' room for a few years (Lord knows what atrocities he was privy to in those years) and a kitchen that really was a kitchenette.  It was kind of like camping for four years.  

But oh my.

The woods.  I would run and play for hours! I found and followed trails, pretending I was an Indian or a princess or a horse (sometimes even a pegasus!). I would steal eggs from the neighbor's hen house and make mud pies with them.  I would chase quail through the brush.  There were wild peacocks and I would hear their distinctive caws.  I would find newborn fawns, scare the pellets out of deer while tearing through the trails on my Huffy and climb trees (and fall out of them).  

My parents set me up with a little watch with a timer.  When it beeped, it meant I had 5 minutes to high-tail it home or face the consequences.  I was 7 or so and literally gone for hours.  Didn't my parents worry?  I don't know if I could let Brixton disappear like that.  Even when our neighbors had warned of a mountain lion sighting (and found a torn apart deer in the same area I played) I wasn't kept inside.

Mom? Any comment here?

One year it snowed in March.  7 inches.  I tramped around the forest, amazed at the difference snow made.  Alone in the quiet woods.  Imagination gone wild.

I only had one neighborhood friend and we devised a calendar which indicated on which days we were allowed to fight, so you can imagine how that went.  I didn't need friends though.  I was so involved in exploring and playing and imagining. It was wonderful.

So, for me, this was paradise. I spent so much time alone, collecting manzanita berries, discovering bugs and snakes, eating fruit off of trees from other people's yards.

So much fun.

   

Baby Sign Language

Have any of you used Baby Sign Language?  Well, if you haven't, I HIGHLY recommend looking into it.  I started using it a few years back while I was nannying.  I taught the little girl I was watching a few signs, like for eat, drink, more, and please.  It made a world of difference in trying to communicate with her before she could speak.  I had her on video using the signs and it was adorable!  I also used them recently with another little girl I was watching.  We used milk, please, all done, eat and more.  It's amazing to see this little tiny person who can't speak yet using signs, understanding meaning and knowing when to use the sign to get what they want!

In my opinion, it cuts down on frustration (for both you and baby) since you know what they need and they are able to tell you (pretty cool thing for a 13 month old!).  I can't wait to start using signs with Brixton, though I am intrigued as to how that will work because he'll be then learning English, German and sign language...hmmmmm..should be interesting.

The chart above is from www.babysignlanguage.com, which is a great resource for all things Baby Sign Language! 

Life With Baby Tips With Scarlett O'Hara

 Scarlett O'Hara isn't really a great role model, but I still love her. In fact, I kind of feel like she's my alter ego, which I'm not sure if that is good or bad (AND Vivien Leigh and I share a birthday!) So I'm just including some shots of her in this post for the fun of it (isn't she fabulous?) 

After 6 weeks with a baby, I'm not an expert, but these are just a few things that helped me and that might help out any of you new mommies, or mommies-to-be survive those early days of mommyhood and still feel like yourself.

Get Dressed!

 The best way to feel like myself every day has been to not succumb to the "hanging out in my pjs" mentality.  Yes, it would be so much easier to just chill in my comfies, but that doesn't really inspire anything for me.  Plus, I always think, is this how I want Brixton to remember me? (Not that he's remembering much from right now, but there are such things as video and photographic evidence!).  The easiest thing to wear is a dress.  You just throw it on and done and it kind of looks like you tried, even if you were barely able to crawl into the closet that day.  While pregnant, I bought about a dozen dresses for my postpartum summer.  I got the vast majority of them at thrift shops to save on costs and I looked mostly for cotton dresses that would be easy to wash when they got spit-up (or more) on them.  

Make a Schedule for Yourself!

If I don't do this, I'm lost at sea.  Everyone has different expectations of what their house should look like inside (cleanliness wise).  Mine are pretty high (but I struggle with laziness).  I made myself a reasonable and realistic housecleaning schedule where I focus on getting one thing done a day.  Mondays I dust the house.  Tuesdays I sweep and mop.  Wednesdays I vacuum.  Thursdays I clean the bathrooms.  Fridays I clean the kitchen.  I also throw in a load or two of laundry a day (when needed).  And I have my daily stuff: make the bed, trash out, recycling out, put stuff away and washing up.  It is amazing to me how hard it is just to get this stuff finished, especially now that Mr. Brix is more awake during the day and demanding more cuddles.  This gives me an everyday purpose and goal though and helps me keep on top of my household.  

Eat!

 It's hard to find time.  But you really, really have to.  Sometimes when I have that 10 minute window when Brixton is happy sitting somewhere other than my lap, I have to decide how to best use that time.  It might be tempting to wash those bottles or walk out to the garden, but when you are breastfeeding/pumping, you really have to take care of yourself (shoot--even if you are formula feeding!).  It's like on the airplane, when they tell you to put on your oxygen mask first before helping your child.  It might seem counterintuitive, but if you aren't taking care of yourself, you can't take care of your babycakes.  

Reset Yourself--Every Day!

Did you have a bad day?  Guess what, tomorrow's a new chance to have a great day!  Did you lose patience with your baby/spouse/self today?  Luckily, most mistakes don't follow us into the next day, giving us a chance to learn and reset.  I'm trying a new thing: praying every morning for my three biggest needs in terms of this mothering/stay at home thing--wisdom, patience and love.  I'm reminded of my prayer throughout the day while making my choices or when I'm reacting to a situation.  It really helps me.  And I try to forgive myself (and forget!) on those less successful days.  I've never been a mother before and just like anything else, I'm going to mess up.  At the end of Gone With the Wind, after having a string of epically bad days (but great hair), Scarlett says, "After all, tomorrow is another day."  We, too, need to be so resolute!

 Take Care of You Girl!

Your baby isn't the only one who needs some TLC! It's not selfish to find time to floss your teeth, wash your face, pluck your eyebrows or shower!  If you are like me, doing these things helps me feel GOOD about myself, plus, if you live with other people (i.e., hubs) they probably appreciate these things (especially the shower part).  I haven't really gotten a chance to exercise yet, but I've been cleared and I can't wait to have that time to myself again to just listen to music, sweat, and feel those endorphins!  Don't just find time to take basic care of you, make time!

Basically, you DO need to give a damn! 

Brendan's First Father's Day

This was the first Father's Day for Brendan, as well as the first Father's Day in about 15 years that I've actually gotten to be with my Dad, so it was pretty special on a few fronts.

The weather played along, so we were able to enjoy grilled flank steak, polenta, grilled asparagus and corn out on the porch.  And don't forget the sweet tea!

We opened gifts and cards, gazed on the little baby who made it all possible for Brendan and listened to stories of my Grandpa, who passed away several years ago.  

I made a chocolate cake from scratch (my second homemade cake attempt now) and am pleased to report there was none left a few days later!  That's a good cake!

My Father's Day banner added in a little extra flair and I'm glad I finished it in time for the day.  Now I just need to find time to take it down and put it away for next year...

Oma & Grandpa Visit!

I love my parents.

Maybe more since having Brixton (if that's even possible!). There's something really magical about presenting your parents with your own child, old hands touching new, dreams of grandparent-hood fulfilled, the meeting of the future.  

It was beautiful.

I had a list of things I wanted to get done while they were here: wash and vacuum car, weed in garden, organize clothes in closet.  None of those things got done.  In fact, the whole house kind of went to pot.  It was so much more fun to sit and sip coffee with mom and dad, watch them play with Brixton (who showered them with some of his first ever smiles), chat, joke and watch my mom try to play Wii Dance.  

Visitors wreak havoc on my pumping schedule though.  Most days I pump every 2.5-3 hours, but when you're out shopping or eating or lazing around, time does fly. Plus when you have two milk pumpers suctioned on to your boobs and your dad is just a loosely closed door away, it does kind of rattle your confidence.  Wouldn't want to have that awkward moment.


Being from California, my parents were pretty excited to get some good old-fashioned Midwestern thunderstorms.  And boy did they.  We sat out on our screened-in porch, listening to the pouring rain and cracking thunder.  Have you ever heard lightning? I didn't know this was possible until the lightning hit so close to us that I heard the sizzle of it and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

That's when I went inside.


But..the excitement wasn't over!  The tornado sirens went off (I do a really good tornado siren impression, but this was the real thing).  Instead of heading to the basement, my parents just hung out in the living room watching the Weather Channel, which kind of defeats the purpose of a basement and a siren.  I, on the other hand, was in full-on momma hen mode, as I went around gathering diapers, formula, water, a blanket, and random food items into my survival bag.  Just in case.  And sheepishly putting it all away later too.


Brixton was a champ through it all.  And I don't just mean the tornado stuff.  I mean Oma holding him constantly, breathing on him, staring at him, sneaking into his room to gaze at him, kissing him, sniffing him and talking in that extra-high Oma voice.


The coup-de-gras was when I presented Oma with Brixton's dirty, yellow and white striped nightgown to take home with her.  I thought she'd like to have it because it had his sweet baby smell on it and frankly, it's better for her than a scented candle these days.  But, Oma wanted to rub the nightgown on Brixton again.  Just to get more of his scent.  If there's a line, Oma crossed it with that one.  Step back, Oma. Step back. 

Guess Who's Smiling!

Hello Again Darlings..

Ahh..my parents are here.  It is WONDERFUL to have my mom here.  She lives for this stuff--this holding the baby, feeding the baby, burping the baby stuff.  I swear, I think Brixton's going to think he's got a new mama or something.  Oma is also a bit aggressive with her Brixton time, literally stealing him right out of people's arms, deaf to protests (even the "I'm his mother" type of protests).

I love it!

There was nothing quite like seeing them all meet for the first time.  The older generation meeting the newer.  The soft baby cheeks being kissed for the first time.  The examination of fingers and toes, eye color and ears.  Beautiful.  

Another great thing about my mom being here is: shopping.  She wears me out.  She seriously could shop all. day. long.  I'm done after a few hours.  She could set up a pup-tent in the aisle at Nordy's and just hang out organizing receipts and stretching and cracking knuckles in preparation for the next round.

 

Seeing my dad with Brixton is wonderful too.  My dad is a big guy--6'3" and sturdy (he was a hero--a fireman) so seeing him holding Mr. Brix who is all of 10 lbs. is really sweet.  

Brixton is now 6 weeks young.  He's awake a lot more during the day and now is spoiled by Oma from being constantly held all the time.  But I wouldn't trade any of that, wouldn't dare put a stop to it.  He's smiling more and more, though I feel like I'm still waiting for THAT smile.  You know, the one that's just for you. 

Brixton is eating like crazy these days and sleeping less during the day.  I think he's getting cuter and cuter, especially since his baby acne is clearing up, but I could be biased.  We snuggled together for a sweet nap today on my bed; I love these days..

Taking a Break

Sometimes even our favorite hobbies can burn us out.  That's how I feel right now about blogging.  I'm not inspired, I could give a rat about my TBB ranking and I just have other fish to fry right now.  

So, I'm gonna take a week or so off, maybe more.  My parents are coming this weekend and I'm so excited to post about that, but right now the days are just kind of the same: wake up, pump, feed Brixton, house-chores, wash stuff, brush teeth, etc. I have so much to do this week, including dealing with the stack of medical bills on our desk (and just looking at it saps my strength). 

I'm getting my exercise clearance at my 6 week doctor's appointment on Saturday and I'm hoping some cardio (finally!) will help boost my spirits a bit. 

Until we meet again...stay classy.

Brix Fix-5 Weeks Old

The Paci is NOT Your Friend

Psst. It whispered from the dark shadows of the bassinet.

"Nope. Not going there." I said.

Come on, it'll be fine!  It's not like he'll get addicted or something!  Don't be such a MOM!  

"No! I know what you lead to.  I know what kind of games you play with babies and mommies."  

That's not true, I'm a helper!  I help!

(2 am. First night home from the hospital. Brixton crying on bed.)

I'm here for you.  It'll be so easy.  Just pop me in his mouth and all that crying and screaming will end.  And you'll be in dreamland in no time.  No time at all. 

(Me sighing. Placing blue paci into Brixton's mouth).

(Evil laugh) Ha ha ha! Ha ha! Ha!

(Momentary silence. Paci falls out of Brixton's mouth. Crying commences.)
 
"See? I told you! You don't really help!"

Are you sure?  Try me again.  I promise I'll end your suffering.  Your pain will be gone!

(Me desperate.) "Ok. Fine. You win." (Putting paci back in mouth.)

(Silence fills room. A few minutes pass. Everyone seems to be sleeping until....)

Uh-oh, looks like he spit me out again.  Mommy wake up! Put me back in!  Ha ha! What are you going to do now MOTHER?

"You told me you'd help! That I'd get to go to sleep!"


Yes, yes, in good time. But first you will dance like a monkey! You will go insane trying to make me stay in his mouth! He will spit me out a hundred times and you will put me back in a hundred more! Is that not insanity?! Ha ha ha ha!!

(Brixton takes paci back in mouth. I tiptoe back to bed.)


Oh..where do you think you are going?  (Popping out of mouth) Dance monkey dance!  (Brixton crying. I run back to his room.)


"You are so cruel!  SO CRUEL!"




  

To Summer

It was so hot today.  The heat poured onto my skin and made me nostalgic.  Reminded me of where I grew up and the hot, hot summers we'd have there.

Reminded me of the way the air smelled like warm grass and the red dust that was found throughout the town.  Of the warm nights spent with friends, tooling around in our parents' cars, wasting gas when it was 99 cents a gallon, looking for something to do.  

There was no escaping the heat then.  You just stayed inside all day long and then ventured out in the evening.  You made sun tea during the day, the amber light filtering through the large glass jar, making patterns on the driveway.  At night we'd turn off the AC and open up the windows.  The screens let the warm, sweet scent of summer through.  Dad would turn on the house fan and it would push through a cool breeze from outside, along with the summer sounds: chirping crickets, screech owls and the tramping of leaves from the forest creatures that we couldn't see.  Sometimes my brothers and I would shut all the windows in the house except the one next to my bed.  This would make the suction of the house fan especially strong and full-forced at this window, causing the usual breeze to become something more like a hurricane.  We'd lay there screaming, laughing, pretending to be caught in a storm while on a ship.  

There wasn't too much to do in my town.  Summer meant endless days of boredom, scattered friends, meet ups in hot parking lots with the asphalt melting away the soles of your Birkenstocks.  It meant dusty hikes to the river, with it's cool promises.  It meant camping with friends new and old at the lake, on the river or in random wooded lots away from it all.  

As a kid, it meant hours of riding my bike, hands sticky from banana flavored popsicles, pockets full of candy from Stratton's Market bought with the money I got from recycling cans and bottles. Stratton's Market, possibly the dankest, darkest market in the world, forever smelling of dusty cans and refrigerator coolant. 

As a teen, summer was for finding friends with pools, playing chicken, watching friends get concussions from falling over and hitting their heads on the pool's edge. Feeling self-conscious in my pink bikini, wishing my body could fill out the top. My body grew almost two inches in one month during the summer.  That growth forever recorded as stretch marks on my hips.  

Oh summer, I would bottle these lazy days if I could..

Need Your Help!

Dear Friends~

Top Baby Blogs has reset its numbers and I need your help to stay ranked!  This blog has been so much fun for me to write and has become my new favorite hobby (besides washing bottles of course).   I've met some really cool people with some fun blogs that I highly recommend checking out. Here are a few of my faves:

*delirious rhapsody--It just took me about 5 tries to spell that right.  Anyhoo..Deanna has two REALLY cute little guys, great features (my fave is "Gage Says"--her kid is hilarious) and she also, like me, is fluent in sarcasm.  


*Lil Muse Lily--Check out this mama's cute fashions, her beautiful pics of her darling daughter and general musings about life!  She also gave me one of the best pieces of advice for the post-pregnancy body: wear a girdle.  Seriously, I am and it's made a big difference!


*Expecting the Unknown--It's not often that you get to actually meet your blog friends, but I did!! Joan and I met up for lunch with our baby boys a few weeks ago while she was out in Illinois!  Her baby, Porter, is (in my humble, not-very-important opinion) one of the cutest little guys I've seen!  


*Yellowsquarelove--This fun couple had an adorable baby girl just a month or so before I had Brixton.  They live in Chicago proper and have a great Urban Garden growing in their yard and chickens (I think..whatever happened with the chickens?)!



*Little Gray Pixel-I love the way this mamma writes, with lots of description!  And she's my So Cal blogging connection, since I"m still oh-so homesick for all things San Diego!  


I have a few fun things I'm planning on posting about during these next few months, such as:


1. Post-Brixton Weight Loss-Oh yes, you don't want to miss any of this.  If any of you are like me and have the double whammy of not only hating to exercise, but also having no self-control over what you eat after 3pm, then stay tuned for some real fun (and embarrassing photos).


2. Brixton-Duh. This blog is "kinda" supposed to be for/about him so yes, lots of Brix posts and pictures of my growing baby boy.  


3. Giveaways (?)-I have a few ideas with giveaways that may or may not work out, but I'm open to maybe trying one on for size.  


4. It's summer, summer, summer time!-There's lots of great stuff to write about during the summer!  

5. Take Me Back Tuesdays-I'm feeling very nostalgic lately for my hometown so I think I'm going to include this feature every week.


6. Sarcasm-Everyone needs a daily dose.  Come here for yours.  Or I can probably make you cry.  Just depends.  


And so, friends, on that note, I do kindly ask for your votes..you can vote once daily!

Rocking You

Dear Brixton,

Sometimes I can't believe you're here.

It's been a month.  A month of adjustments, of hundreds of bottle-washings, of stubbing-my-toe-in-the-middle-of-the-night feedings, of pumping, and of course, of loving you.

I rocked you tonight.  Your head fit perfectly on my shoulder, the smallness of it relaxing in to the soft space between the collar bone and shoulder.  I couldn't help but breathe you in, you have your own scent now that I recognize and it fills me with tenderness. 

I washed your hair again with my tears.  More tears.  I couldn't hold you close enough tonight.  I couldn't press you until you were inside of me, even closer to my heart, filling my heart.  I can't protect you inside of me anymore, those days have passed.  

You looked up at me as I cried with a look so innocent, a brow so furrowed and eyes so deep and dark that I had to turn my face away.  

I placed you in your bassinet and so wished I too was small enough to curl up next to you there.  To breathe in more of you, to feel the grasp of your tiny hand around my finger and to feel the soft warmth of your head on my cheek.

It's beautiful, this life.

Love,
Mamma

1 Month Old

Brixton's coming up on his one month birthday.  It feels like a month has gone by and I'm glad I'm saying that rather than where did the time go?

 

I hope it means I'm cherishing the time or at least that I'm getting enough sleep!  My parents come out at the end of next week and I know my mom can't wait.  I can't wait for two more pairs of hands to hold little Brixton so I can do some of the following:

-shower and shave my legs

-actually dry my hair into its proper style

-eat a hot dinner

-work out in the very abandoned veggie garden

-maybe get to go to dinner/movie with my hubby (we really want to see Bad Teacher)

Brixton is a charm by the way. 

He still only gets up twice a night, like clockwork-about 3 hours apart.

He seems to be dropping his 11pm feeding and is sleeping from about 8:30pm-1:30am.

He drinks between 2 oz and 5 oz.

He's gained a pound in two weeks, currently weighing about 10 lbs and measuring about 22 inches.

He is more alert and awake during the day.

He's starting to kind of smile, but no real smiles yet (we can't wait!)

He has started making some new sounds, like a happy squeal and also a coo-like sound.

He really likes listening to his German children's music.  

His baby acne is clearing up! (hooray!)

 

 

Some of my favorite things are:

 

-taking a nap next to him and the way he seems to know I'm near and he calms right down and falls asleep.  

-the way the ceiling fan seems to hypnotize him

-when we take him on a walk and think he's asleep but he's actually wide awake, looking around like what the heck?  I didn't know all this was out here!

-I love bathing him.  He really enjoys his baths and doesn't cry.  Plus he smells so sweet afterwards and his hair is so cute and fluffy. 

 

I'm really looking forward to this next month.  I can't wait to have my clearance from the doctor to exercise.  I'm only 9 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight, which all seems to be sitting in my stomach.  I'm horrible at dieting or restricting myself so it's going to be interesting.

 

I also can't wait to see my parents, who I haven't seen since I told them I was expecting a baby back in October.  

 

And summer's here!  Outdoor concerts, jazz fests, dining al fresco, picnics, farmer's markets and grilling!  Love it!

 

Happy Monday and have a great week! 

Just Because

Please don't forget to vote!

And have a great weekend!

50th Follower!

When I started this blog a few months back, I only had a handful of Followers and I knew them all personally.

It's so fun to see people enjoying your blog enough to actually want to follow it, to want to share a little bit of their time with your words and thoughts.

Thank you to ALL of my followers for allowing me a few moments of time from your busy lives..it means a lot!

And I'm so excited today because I've gotten to 50 followers!

My 50th follower is Emily from Ellarye 

Her blog is really cute, so check it out and help her to reach 50 Followers too!

 

Mad About Madison

 first of all:

just had to get that out of the way...

 This past weekend our little family drove about two hours northwest to check out Madison, Wisconsin.  I'd never been to Wisconsin, so it's another state I can smugly check off of my travel map on Facebook.  

It was our 4 year wedding anniversary so we thought we'd do something fun.  And it was our first family trip and the first time staying in a hotel room with a baby, so there were surprises all around!

Brixton handled the car ride up like a champ, sleeping the whole way.  We stopped in first to one of Brendan's work accounts.  That's when the fun started.  Brix and I waited in the car.  It was a nice day and we were lakefront.  Brix was hungry, so I fed him a bottle in the front seat.  Then I heard a very powerful TOOOOT.  Worse than hearing it, I felt it.  And then I realized little Brix crapped his pants. 

No biggie.  

Instead of coolly setting down the tailgate of our Honda Element, I tried to fanagle a way to change him in the front seat.  I had the changing pad all set, but it turns out I am useless at changing a baby when his head is on my right side. It was turning into a wiggling, pooey nightmare.  Brixton was screaming, I was trying to be cool, but also was in a parking lot, alone, in limited space with a baby that sounded like somebody needed to call in CPS. 

That's the  moment Brixton's pee-pee got weepy.  He peed all over the seat, the pee pooling up toward the bottom of the changing pad and now baby was sliding down toward it.  I kind of lost it here so I called Brendan.

Apparently, when he answered his phone accidentally went to speaker phone straight away, so everyone heard a maniacally screaming baby and a naggy, super-stressed wife voice saying something like, your baby just crapped and peed all over your car--get out here! 

We got him cleaned up and changed.  All was calm again.  I went back to feeding him a little bit.  Then he projectile vomited.  It was pretty amazing.  Not a drop went on him, or even the car.  The vomit all went directly down my cleavage.  It didn't even really get my shirt, instead just shot down comfortably between my boobs.  My tight sports bra helped hold all the vomit in place and create a nice wishing well.  Anyone got a penny?  

For a second I almost started to cry.  But I got over it in the next second.  Whatever.  It was kind of funny.  I wicked the spit up out of my bra with a rag and resigned myself to the fate of a day spent in a slightly damp top (traveling, I hadn't brought enough for an extra change).  

We ate some lunch.  Yummy. 

 Then went to our hotel and Pickle & I took a nap while Daddy did some work.  He also gave me a box of my favorite chocolates, of which I promptly ate about 5.  That evening we went to dinner at Olive Garden, chosen in part because if Brixton was screaming, I don't think anyone would notice--it always seems so loud in there..luckily, Brix had a great night and didn't scream in the restaurant or during the night at the hotel.  Lucky us.

 Hey Little Giraffe!  How about a sponsorship?

(We LOVE this blankie..Oma got it for Brix..expensive, but oh-so worth it!)

The next day we checked out the Farmer's Market near the Capitol building and did a little site-seeing around town.  Pretty place. All in all, a very successful first trip for Brixton!

 

One cool thing about the Farmer's Market was all of the different performers and musicians about.  These guys were really fun!