Weekends

Daddy entertains us. He sings songs, runs around, and makes funny noises. This is usually the expression that he gets (from both of us) :)

 I know, honey, he's very strange. But soon enough I'm going to be shushing both of you while you run around acting like monkeys. (Daddy is the fun one).

Your little bottom in jeans kills me.

Hello, cuteface!

This weekend we lounged around, and played with our feet :)

And tryed to get that darn binky facing the right way!

We are not members of the "make your bed every morning" club. (Or match your bedding either, apparently).

Oh, happy weekend!

it happens when...

I put her down.

 Just for a few minutes, while I fold clothes (that's one task that cannot be done one-handed). Outstretched arms beg for mama to hold her again. A widdle baby bottom lip pouts out and she stares at me as if I've just broken her heart.

Oh, lordy!

balance

Balance in life is something that I'm sure everyone struggles with. I'm really struggling right now with the balance of my own life. The guilt factor that comes with being a mother isn't something anyone could have explained to me. It came as an added "bonus".

Balancing a full time job and a baby is something I knew I'd have to do. And I also knew there are tons of people who do. I guess I never thought I'D struggle with it as much as I have. Not the guilt from being away, because I believe every mother (and baby) needs time away, even if it's at work. I also believe strongly in the wonderful activities and interaction that Paisley gets while at daycare. Basically, I know I'm doing the right thing by my choice to work and use daycare. But it's making that work smoothly that I struggle with. It's getting to work on time. It's the logistics of the 4 bags I have to walk out the door with everyday. It's the evenings when mommy, daddy, baby are all exhausted.

I have to learn to balance my household as well. Having an anxiety attack because the laundry isn't done is not going to help. Sometimes I realized that when I read posts like this. How in the background (not foreground!) there are struggles and discomforts, worries and fears; but over all of that, there are cuddles and cooing, enamoring over every move, kissing and playing, and most of all- looking around and knowing that
this is what I've always wanted.

We are slowly introducing formula this week.

 ::rips hair out::

Trying to piece together a myriad of possible allergy symptoms sends my brain into a tailspin. I'd like to say there's no guilt associated with weaning my girl. But I'd be lying. Why? Because she is a nurser! She loves it and she has it in her plan to do it until she's 5 :). In the end, I'm going to do what's best for both of us and I know I will look back and think it's no big deal. But I'm not there right now. This is my freak out time, I guess.

Each week in motherhood is a new hurdle. And I'm hanging on for the ride.

(thank god for my more than wonderful husband who surprised me after a hard day with a hearty Pioneer Woman meal, the latest issue of People magazine, and making and eating fresh homemade donuts after putting our girl to bed. this man has got me figured out! also, for my amazing mom who chants to me over and over "you ARE a good mother, you ARE a good mother!")

a week in our life goes like this

What a week! Even 4 days felt like a looong workweek!

 Evenings are still fussy time, but daddy comes to the rescue :) We are working on rolling over and doing a lot of talking.



We had to take a quick trip to the Dr. in the middle of the week to clear a rash. I think she's allergic to the eggs mama ate.

I can breath now. It's the weekend. I'm so glad we got a photoshoot in yesterday! :) I'm slooowly learning how to shoot in manual mode and really use my camera to it's full potential. It really doesn't hurt that I have the cutest subject in the whole wide world! So without further ado, here's my baby girl (who's 5 MONTHS OLD) shot by her mama.

I'm so glad I caught these moments. I was having a hard time getting a good photo of her because she was all slumped over in her chair. But then I realized that she was trying to reach for her toes. First time finding feet, on camera, mama captured it. Yeah, baby!

 I forgot to mention in the last post that she now cries when I take her toy away in the bathtub. I made her give up the yellow toy in the pics below for a second so I could wash her and she started crying until I gave it back to her. HA! I don't think I'm ready for this part yet!!

a walk down the last year of my life.

Remember when I used to look like this?

Small boobs, trim tummy...

And then this happened.

Inside my belly she was cooking...

Then, this little oh-my-god-cute-as-a-bug-smoochy-poochy-woochy-widdle-tiny-smells-so-good-and-tastes-even-better baby came into our world.

Bad parent of the year award. Newborn sleeping in Boppy with blankets around face. I know, I know.

The other morning she puked on my fresh work clothes. Most of the time I'm exhausted. My clothes don't fit the way they used to. I'm never wearing a bikini again. My skin....oh, my skin! I'm incessantly late. I used to do my make-up meticulously and "change it up" during the week. Oh, no. Slap that mascara on and don't poke yourself in the eye, you're going to be late again.

But it also means that Saturday mornings look like this:

Light pours into the living room while daddy is still sleeping. After nursing, I get my coffee and we play in our jammies for however long we want.

And evenings? Busy and completley different on most nights, they consist of homework, cleaning, prepping for the next day, Zumba, dinner and bathtime.

Life has changed radically. Life is different and good in so many ways than it was before. Like the fact that I have a new alarm clock. She's cute, but she doesn't ring at the time I asked. Oh well.

***

Forgot to include this pic of my girl holding her own bottle, which she has been doing for about a month now :)

we've been

looking cute

Hanging out with Grammy and Grampy

doing tummy time

laughing

bouncing

and cuddling.

life is good.