Mommy Guilt and Pressure Cookers

This past week I decided my days of lactation needed to come to an end! I have been exclusively pumping with Alice for the past 3.5 months. She refused to nurse at 2 months and has continued her nursing strike with a vengeance. She will not nurse... AT ALL! I have shed a lot of tears, been to 2 lactation consultants, the Pediatric GI specialist at Stanford, and Alice's pediatrician and we have come to the conclusion that her reflux is so bad nursing aggravates it and so she refuses. So I was once again chained to the pump. At first it wasn't so bad because Alice was sleeping so much. Then she started being awake a lot and needed attention! Ava also HATED when I pumped. She would cry and yell "Momma, NO PUMP, NO PUMP, HOLD ME" every time the pump came out. I would try to hold her while pumping and then Alice would start crying. Have you ever tried to hold 2 squirmy kiddos with a pump attached? It was awful. Alice's reflux also seemed to be aggravated by everything I ate; Dairy, soy, beans, tomatoes, garlic... everything! She was spitting up less on sensitive formula and gaining weight faster when I gave her more formula. I decided it was best if I stopped pumping all together... cue the Mommy guilt. Mommy guilt is the absolute worst! So how did I deal with it? By making over 120oz of baby food!!! That's right 120oz in one rainy afternoon! 

Alice started eating solids about a week and a half ago and my goodness this chick was ready for food! The first 3 times I fed her she ate about a half of an ounce but then she started packing it in! She is up to 5oz at every feeding! I was able to channel my "Mommy guilt" into a baby food making marathon! With Ava I made a little bit of baby food but steaming veggies for 20 min in a double bioler was exhausting! A few months ago Peter got a pressure cooker and that has been a game changer! 

You can cook 8 peeled sweet potatoes in 20 minutes, 10 cups of green beans in 5 minutes, and an entire butternut squash in 10 minutes!!! I was able to make 120oz of pears, apples, butternut squash, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, and spinach in an afternoon! After each veggie steaming I placed them in our food processor and within 3 minutes had perfectly pureed food!

 I then placed them in ice cubes trays over night (please excuse my messy pouring. I am sure I was holding one or both children while pouring this) 

and then popped them out and put them in labeled plastic bags in the freezer.

 Between the purées and the fresh avocado and bananas she gets she'll have enough food for about a month... just in time for finger foods!!! Gotta channel that "Mommy guilt" somehow! 

I haven't showered in 3 days and I smell like rotten milk

Whoever said having 2 kids is like having 10 was right! Whew! Someone ALWAYS needs you, someone is always upset, someone is always hungry. I am finally coming out of the dark side and see the light at the end of the tunnel! Alice is finally sleeping all night, 7pm to 7am woooo hooo, and let me tell you that makes everything so much better. We have finally gotten into a bit of a routine but there is never a dull moment with 2 kiddos!

These are the 10 things I learned over the past 15 weeks.

1. Get out every day! Ava needs LOTS of play time and loves parks and playing with her buddies. I try to get out to a park or even just to Target every day of the week. I find Alice naps better if we are out and about and Ava stays busy.

2. Forget about day time showers. Most weeks I am apologizing to my other Mommy friends about my appearance. I am a Southern girl and normally have a very put together ensemble, with matching jewelry, and my hair done. Most weeks I do not get to shower in the day unless Peter is home so pony tails and dirty hair are my new look.

3. Communicate with your Spouse on what you need. We have 0 family around and having 2 kids is super hard. I can't just drop Ava off at my Sister's house so I can go to a Dr's apt or have my Mom come over because I only got 4 hours of sleep the night before. We are here alone and have to relay on each other for help. My wonderful husband goes into work at 6:30am so that he can come home and help from 4pm-7pm and then does more work from home.

4. Forget working out. Sorry baby weight but you're going to have to stick around a little longer. I don't have time to shower= I really don't have time to work out. I may have 45 min when both girls are sleeping in the day. You better believe that means I am trying to nap too!

5. Get alone time with each kiddo. The days can be crazy and long but it's important each kiddo gets some alone time. I normally play with Alice the first half of Ava's nap. Then when Ava gets up from her nap I try to get in some snuggle time with her. I find Ava behaves much better when she gets enough 1 on 1 time with me.

6. Wine! A lovely glass of red wine after the kids go to bed really really helps!

7. Have good girl friends. There are many days I send a text to one of my friends saying please meet me for lunch or I need to get out lets meet at a park. Adult interaction is key to getting through the day.

8. Don't sweat the small stuff. Your kid just threw a tantrum in the middle of Target and the other kid just spit up all down the front of your shirt? No problem... buy a new shirt, give your toddler some goldfish and enjoy the rest of your Target experience.

9. Don't try to cook dinner every night, especially before your husband gets home to help with the kids. I tried to do this and let me tell you it was a disaster. For the first couple of weeks do not attempt to do anything other than keeping both kids alive and keeping your self sane.

10.  Find a babysitter! I am a firm believer in date nights. Before you were a Mom you were a Wife and it's important you give as much to that relationship as you do to your adorable little kiddos.

If you are expecting your second or just had him/her hang in there! It gets better! These girls make my heart so happy and make me laugh every day. Take deep breaths, get out of the house, and try to focus on the fun stuff!

Oh and make sure there is always wine... :) 

Alice's birth story

Pregnancy is SOOOOO different the second time around as a stay at home Mom! No matter how many times you've thrown up that day, how tired you are, how swollen your feet are, or how bad of a headache you have you still have a tiny little Princess that wants/demands your attention! This continues and becomes 100x harder at the end when you are in early labor for 2 weeks! I had contractions on and off for almost 2 full weeks. I had the same types of contractions with Ava and went into L&D twice, only to be sent home. This time around I knew that it was just early labor and I had to continue to stay active to keep progressing. Luckily, Ava was ready to help me stay active! Lol! Contractions picked up so much the week before I was due that my parents flew out a little early because chasing Ava while having contractions every 5-7 minutes was getting to be too exhausting and I wasn't getting much sleep at night so the days were long.

The day before I went into labor we decided to drive to Sanata Cruz and hang out on the beach. If your going to have contractions all day you might as well do it on a beautiful beach! The 100 yard walk through the sand felt like I had just run a marathon and kicked my contractions up to every 6 minutes. The whole drive home I told Peter tonight might be the night! After we put Ava to bed Peter, my Parents and I watched a movie (Non-Stop) and I sat on the birthing ball. I was having terrible back labor so my Mom rubbed my back and I just tried to focus on the terribly written movie. By 9pm the contractions were back up to every 10 minutes and not as painful so we went to sleep. I took a Unisom and had the best nights sleep I had gotten in months! The next morning at 7am my water broke! I told Peter Alice was trying to win favorite child award because she let me get a full nights sleep in before the crazy labor cycle begun. We took one last family photo as a family of 3. The next time we walked through that front door we would have 2 little girls. 

The feelings of leaving your home to go have your second child are so bittersweet. It was so hard for me to leave Ava knowing that she would no longer be my only little buddy. She and I did everything together and the dynamic was about to change. But at the same time I was so excited to meet sweet Alice and so thrilled our family was expanding!

As Peter and I drove to the hospital my contractions became a lot tougher. I knew she would be here soon! We checked into the hospital and this snotty Nurse said "Honey, are you sure your water really broke?" I stood up for her and the giant puddle on the floor and the wheel chair helped confirm my story. So off we went to get hooked up to the monitors! The first thing I told my nurse was that I ABSOLUTELY wanted an epidural. With Ava I asked too late and so I knew without a doubt that I did not want that labor experience again! I was about 5cm dilated so she went ahead and got me in line for an epidural. About an hour later the Anesthesiologist came in to put in the epidural. He left and I laid back into bed and as I was talking to the nurse I told her I didn't feel well. All of a sudden my hearing and vision started going out and I knew I was about to pass out.  I came to and I was on my side with another Nurse yelling at me to focus and breath. My BP was 60/49. The Anesthesiologist came running in and gave me a shot of epinephrine. This all happened right as my Mother was arriving. She walked in as I was passing out and they told her She had to wait in the hallway. I cannot imagine seeing my child, who is about to have my grandchild, passing out and not being able to stay in the room! Luckily, as soon as I was awake Peter ran out to tell her I was ok. My BP bumped back up to 100/70 and everyone calmed down. The hospital Dr came in to check on me about 2 minutes later and as I was talking to her I felt like my heart was about to explode. I told them my chest felt tight and then the vision and hearing started going out again. In those few seconds I was absolutely terrified that when I woke up I would be in an OR and they would be taking Alice out. I knew that this was not normal and they would not allow the baby to be in there if her heart rate dropped at all. This time my BP was down to 58/40. I woke up again with the same head nurse yelling at me and a giant oxygen mask on my face.

Apparently every time I laid on my back after the epidural it's position along with Alice's head position were cutting off blood flow therefore causing my BP to drop. So for the remainder of my labor I had to sit on my side. After they figured that out I had 0 issues and things calmed down for the next few hours. During both fainting episodes Alice's heart rate did not jump or fall. She was completely unfazed with Momma's BP issues! 

Epidurals are a wonderful thing. My Mom, Peter and I just hung out and talked from around 10am-1pm. Around 1pm I told the Nurse I started to feel some pressure. She checked and said I was 8cm dilated so not quite time yet. Then the epidural machine started beeping indicating it was out and needed a refill.

About an hour later I noticed I could really feel contractions and my legs. I know with epidurals you aren't supposed to be able to feel or be able to have full control over your legs. I tried to ignore it but about 30 minutes later I was clutching the side of the bed every 3 minutes in terrible pain and could feel every single contraction. The nurse came back in and I told her the pressure was terrible, I felt like I needed to push and something is wrong with the epidural. She said she'd call the Anesthesiologist but it was shift change so the new nurse would meed to check me. She checked and I was 10cm dilated and Alice's head was about 1 inch from coming out. She told me not to push. UM.... WHAT? If you have ever birthed a baby you know when it's time to push you cannot NOT push! All of a sudden 3 nurses came in, the baby nurse came in, and my nurse was yelling that they needed to call the hospital Dr because it's possible my Dr may not make it in time. 3 minutes later my Dr rolled in. She put on gloves, threw her hair back and ran over. She said I needed to push. I pushed for a solid minute and then told her there was No way I could push again for 3 hours, like I did with Ava. She looked up and said "Katelyn, the head is half out!" WHAT?! With Ava I pushed and pushed and pushed and she's telling me with 1 minute of pushing she was almost here!? So 2 more giant pushes and Alice had made her grand debut! She arrived at 3:45pm was 7lbs on the dot, 19 inches and had a full head of hair! 

 

 She nursed right away and gave us the sweetest cuddles! Our family has been forever changed in the best way by this sweet girl. She rarely cries, smiles all the time, and LOVES to be cuddled. I thought Ava was an easy baby but Alice is even calmer. God has truly blessed us with the 2 sweetest girls in the world! 

Later I asked my nurse about the epidural and she said it either moved and was in the wrong position or my other nurse forgot to turn it back on when she refilled it. So next time with baby #3 I really need to make sure I have this epidural thing under control! 

Alice in Nurseryland

Nesting has been in full effect these last few weeks. For some reason (sheer exhaustion and chasing a toddler) I haven't had a lot of time to set the nursery up until now! I was also waiting until my Mom and Dad came out a few weeks ago because the nursery will double as a guest room. The room is much smaller than at our last place so I knew with a crib things would be tight and wanted them to have a little more space on their visit. 

I also had a little "sprinkle" a few weeks ago. Some fabulous friends threw a small brunch to honor Alice's arrival. We already have tons of clothes, bottles, swings, blankets, toys and most necessary baby things but we did not have diapers, a second crib, and some of the larger items. I was just expecting and wishing for a few boxes of diapers but my good friend reached out to the "Duke ladies" and gave us an amazing Amazon gift card so we could get a new crib and mattress for the nursery. Several friends here also gave GIANT boxes of diapers, wipes, new California Baby Shampoo, and lots of fun books. I was blown away and slightly embarrassed at the generosity of our local friends as well as so many friends from our Duke days contributing to the "Alice crib fund." 

As soon as I got home I ordered the crib right away and that weekend Peter and I found the perfect vintage dresser and changing table. We already had the glider from Ava's room so all that was left was pictures. I had a Mary Blair theme in mind and found this great San Francisco Mary Blair'esq print on Etsy that I fell in love with. 

I really wanted an Alice in Wonderland Mary Blair painting but sadly Peter and I don't have an extra $5k laying around of nursery art. I purchased the A-L-I-C-E letters off of Etsy and got some great frames at Ikea. 

This past weekend at HomeGoods I found this great chalkboard and decided a scripture would complete the room. 

Peter and I finished hanging everything tonight and then sat and talked about how crazy it is that we will have ANOTHER baby in less than 2 months. As I finished folding her tiny little onsies and sleepers I prayed for the amazing woman I know she will be. Can't wait to meet our sweet Alice Elizabeth!!! 

Summa Summa time

Northern Cali has been experiencing quite the HEAT WAVE this week! We are so spoiled here with 72 degrees and sunny 90% of the year that when it's too hot or actually rains people don't know what to do! My husband jokes that we should get a break in rent when the weather "acts up" because if you're paying $3000+ a month to live somewhere the weather should be perfect all year long! 

Luckily we have AC so we haven't been experiencing this "brutal" weather like some of our friends. By brutal I mean it was 91 (with 0% humidity) 2 days this week... basically winter weather in FL! Ava and I took advantage of the heat and spent almost every afternoon outside at the water table and in her little kiddie pool. We also went to our big neighborhood pool with one of our friends and hit up the splash pad at Mitchell Park. 

With all of this fun in the sun Ava got to test out 1 of her new swimsuits. Now baby swimsuits preferences vary by person but I am a big fan of either a rash guard (if in the sun for a while but it sucks trying to get it over their head) or a 1 piece. Ava had one baby bikini last year and although a baby belly sticking out of a bikini is adorable they are SUPER annoying in the pool! All they do is ride up under their armpits and provide 0 sun protection. So this year we stuck with only 1 pieces. Ava has 2 monogrammed swimsuits but after she wore this Bella Bare Wear snap bottom swimsuit it was hard to put her in anything else. This swimsuit is so easy to get on and off and has a snap bottom closure! WHY don't all little girl swimsuits have a snap bottom closure?! You can slide the swimsuit on and off from over their head like a regular onsie then snap the bottom. Then when you get to the park or pool you just unsnap and put on the swim diaper... GENIUS! Last year Ava had some cute swimsuits but getting them on her chubby little body was so hard! Peter used to call it stuffing a sausage because you have to put their chubby little thighs through these tiny leg holes and then hike it up and up to get the straps over their shoulders! This year it's all about the easy way out! 

I also just ordered another snap bottom suit by Ruffle Butts. Hopefully it'll be just as easy to use. Plus I can't get over ruffle bottoms on swimwear!! Such a fun way to start off the summer! 

Pregnancy Cravings

Every pregnancy is different but this time around I have a MAJOR sweet AND salty tooth! Last pregnancy I craved donuts. I would allow myself to have 4 donuts a week until the last few when a donut a day kept the pregnant lady at bay! This time around I crave home made chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownies and Chick fil a french fries. Clearly ALL healthy things! But I would like to not be a ginormous pregnant lady so I really try to limit my sweet and salty intake. We eat pretty healthy at the house due to Peter's dietary restrictions and because I am feeding a toddler and want her to only eat healthy whole foods. But this pregnant lady needs some sweets now and again! So I have found 2 recipes that are GREAT to fulfill both of my cravings but not have me chowing down thousands of calories. 

The first is a single serve chocolate chip cookie recipe. It actually makes 2 large cookies so I have one for the next day! Here is the recipe. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 firmly packed tablespoons of dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk – discard or set aside egg white for a different use
• ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
• ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
• 3 heaping tablespoons of semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, heat butter just until it starts to melt and is softened. Blend softened butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla together by hand.
3. Add egg yolk and stir again.
4. Add baking soda and flour and stir until combined.
5. Then stir in chocolate chips.
6. Form cookie dough into two balls and place on baking sheet.
7. The cookies will spread during baking, so make sure they are several inches apart.
8. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
9. Remove baking sheet from oven and give the baking sheet a firm, but careful bang on the counter top. This will deflate the cookie and give it a perfect wrinkly appearance.

The second is a homemade french fry recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• sea salt
• pepper
• garlic powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray
2. Wash potatoes well 
3. Peel if you would like. I like to keep the peel because it's better for you
4. Cut the potatoes into wedges
5. Let the potatoes soak for 20 min in ice cold water. This helps remove some starch
6. Dry the potatoes as well as you can
7. In a bowl or large plastic bag mix all ingredients together. Garlic powder is optional 
8. Bake at 450 for 30-45 min depending on how thick you cut them and how crispy you want them

Now if you are craving sweet and salty I would recommend sweet potato fries! Same as above but I add a teaspoon of brown sugar to the mix. 

Bon Appetit! 

Babymoon

I have been an absentee blogger for a while... again... Basically I am 30 weeks pregnant and spend 99% of my day chasing around a 16 month old who DOES NOT STOP. So there is my excuse...

BUT I had to blog about our great BABYMOON we went on last month! Peter and I are FIRM believers in getting some alone time from the kiddos 1-3 times a year. I think it's healthy for Ava to be around other caregivers and also for Peter and I to reconnect and focus on each other for a few days instead of our sweet girl. Of course 70% of the trip we talk about how cute Ava is or about how excited we are for Alice's arrival but it's still nice to be able to not plan a day around nap time.

For our babymoon we chose the cute town of Carmel. Carmel/ Pebble Beach are about 1.5 hours from where we live and have great shopping, food, and beaches. We found the cutest little cottage to rent on airbnb.com. The house was along the 17 mile drive and about a 15 min walk to the city of Carmel.

We got there Friday evening and enjoyed a fabulous Sushi dinner in Carmel and picked up some chocolate cheesecake on the way home. We got into bed at 8:30 and watched Scandal and ate cheesecake. It was AMAZING! The next morning we both woke up at 7:45! We tried to sleep in but I guess Ava has ruined us from sleeping in! We decided to walk down to the city and grab some brunch. The walk down to the city was super nice. We stopped at the beach to relax a bit but it was a little too cold to hang out for a long time.

After brunch we hiked back up to the cottage.... literally. The walk down the hill was pleasant but hiking up a 40 degree hill 26 weeks pregnant was a bit tougher than expected! I tend to be a bit of a overachiever and never admit that I am over exerted or need help but luckily Peter noticed my HEAVY breathing and made me take several breaks on the way up. We saw several deer and SEVERAL multimillion dollar homes on the way up. It was fun but we did not attempt the hike again during the trip. 

After we rested for an hour or so we decided to drive down to Big Sur. The drive down was SPECTACULAR and we made several stops along the way. 

Peter had to climb down and up every hill/mountain along the way. I just looked away and prayed he didn't slip. Boys are so funny! We also spotted a whale from this look out. I spotted the blow spout and yelled down to Peter to look. We assume it was a gray whale and it's calf since they are in season to spot around here.

We finally arrived at Pfeiffer State Park but didn't realize they have limited parking and had to wait about 45 minutes to park and head to the beach. If you ever head down there on a weekend get there early or it can take 3+ hours to park. They don't let cars in if there aren't any spots so you have to wait until someone leaves for them to let any cars in. The wait was worth it! This beach was BEAUTIFUL! It was still way too cold for me to swim but it was great to hang on the beach.

The next day we decided to go whale watching in Monterey. We did this actually during our babymoon while I was pregnant with Ava but apparently spring is the best time to see Orcas and so we decided to go again. We did not see any orcas BUT we saw over 20 humpback whales, a family of gray whales, and lots of dolphins. We even saw 4 humpback whales bubble feeding while dolphins tried to jump all over/around them. The whales made this super annoyed trumpet sound from their blow hole to warn the dolphins. The dolphins did not listen and we saw a humpback whale lift up his/her fin and slap the dolphin! It was crazy and the marine biologist onboard said she has never seen that in her 20 years of whale watching. Let me just say I would not want to be on the other end of a 15 foot long fin slap! We also saw a whale in the distance tail flapping over and over. By the time the boat reached the area the whale had gone on it's way but it was very interesting to see in the distance. Sadly there were no orca sightings but it was so amazing to see so many whales and dolphins! We also saw a few cute little otters and a ton of seals! 

After the fun whale watching tour we headed home to see our sweet girl. I think she really missed us because she held on to us so tight that night and would not let go! She is not a big cuddler but she hugged each of us for 2+ minutes.

What a great trip! And a BIG thank you to Memei for watching Ava!!

#targetdoesitagain

So this Fashion Friday post is a little early but it's because I don't know what our nap time schedule will look like tomorrow! Ava is cutting a tooth and her molars are starting to descend so today has been a 2.5 hour nap day but tomorrow could be 30 minutes! 

Anyways, today's blog post is dedicated to everyone's favorite store... Target! Somehow I was living in the dark ages a few months ago and wasn't aware of the Target cartwheel app! I mean coupons... on your phone... that you automatically load? GENIUS!!!! 

I started using this cartwheel app right when Ava's feet grew. Somehow Target KNEW and a 25% off kids shoe coupon showed up! Of course I had to check it out to see if it worked and I got 3 pairs of shoes for $28! I have had a Target red debit card for a while so I also got another 5% off on top of that! AMAZING! 

Well just the other day I realized I needed some more play clothes for Ava for the Spring/Summer. Now you all know how much I love to put Ava in smocked monogrammed dresses but on a day to day basis or #whenpapasincharge (you have to follow my instagram to get that one) you know our days can get messy. 

Ava LOVES to play outside, sit in the mud, splash in puddles, and collect rocks so most of her clothes require intense quantities of oxyclean on a daily basis. Just the other day I decided to divide all of Ava's clothes in her dresser so that when it's the weekend and Peter gets her dressed in the am he knows where her "approved" play clothes are located. This has helped immensely in sparing some of her nicer more expensive outfits from dirt, grass, blueberry stains, etc...

So anyway, back to #targetdoesitagain and my cartwheel app. I was just telling Peter how little Cuties shirts were getting a little tight in the tum tum and how she had no shorts for the Spring and what popped up on my phone... a 5% off Circo clothing and half of them were already on sale for $4! I love Target's Circo clothing line. The separates are great, are fun colors, aren't too cheesy, and wash really well. So I ordered 4 s/s shirts, 3 l/s shirts, 3 pairs of shorts and a pair of easter shoes for $45! Thats right, 11 items, including shoes, for under $50! And because I have a target red card I didn't have to pay ANY shipping!!! 

You literally cannot get mad when a $3.50 shirt gets mud on it. These clothes are perfect for all of fun sunny park days ahead or for #whenPapasincharge! 

10 Things You Miss Once You Are a Mom

So over the past few months I have had several friends have babies and during the last week of their pregnancy they always ask "What should I do before my life changes forever?" I think some of them are just trying to get their mind off of how uncomfortable and anxious they are but some also know that once you are a Mom you will always be a Mom and therefore miss out on many every day "luxuries" that most people take for granted. 

Here are my top 10 things you miss doing once you are a Mom. 

1. Using the bathroom alone: In the beginning your terrified you're child will roll out of something or magically disappear if you run to the bathroom for a minute. Then once your kiddo can start crawling or walking they follow you in there because what you are doing is WAY more interesting than the awesome toy you gave them to distract them for 2 minutes. 
2. Eating a meal at it's proper time or at it's proper temperature: Man I miss eating my food when it's ready. It seems there is always some emergency as soon as your food is ready. Ava also only wants what I am eating if we are eating at the same time, even if she has the EXACT same thing on her food tray. 

3. Not sharing: What's mine is yours is the name of the game with kids. Whatever it is you are eating, drinking, or doing you kiddo will want. Peter drinks grapefruit juice (GAG) but Ava wants some if he is drinking some. She totally gags as soon as she gets a sip but wants more once she sees him drinking it. 
4. Sleeping in: No matter what time you go to bed your kiddo is bound to wake up between 6:30 and 7:30 and they DO NOT go back to sleep until many hours later. The luxury of sleeping in is no more. Unless it's Saturday and Hubs lets me sleep in and then greets me with a waffle in bed. :) 
5. Sleeping Soundly: As soon as that baby comes out the Momma bear instinct kicks in and any weird noise they make in their sleep you wake up to. We had to move Ava into her nursery at 3 weeks because if she cooed in her sleep I woke up and ran over to check on her. That never changes! I used to be the heaviest sleeper, I slept through hurricane Fran when 9 oak trees fell on our house, but now any little baby noise I hear I wake up! 
6. Listening to whatever you want in the car: I used to listen to all sorts of music in the car but now it's all Christian music or Veggie Tales Pandora station. At least Veggie Tales plays lots of classic Disney music so I can relive my Disney days! 
7. Having a clean home: The moment you pick up they need the toy at the BOTTOM of the toy bin. I now only pick up after Ava is in bed. So if you come over to my house in the day time please excuse the trail of toys, piles of Tupperware that NEEDED to come out of the kitchen cabinet, and the toilet paper that MUST be torn up into little pieces all over the bathroom. 

8. Long Showers: Unless you take night time showers before bed showers after kids are asleep showers will be a 3 min MAX affair! Even if they are sound asleep in their crib as soon as you lather your hair up with conditioner they WILL wake up. It's inevitable! 
9. Wearing silk or cashmere: I wore a cashmere sweater once after Ava. Within 5 minutes it was covered with snot and mushed green beans. Load up on the cotton or anything machine washable after kiddos. And a word to the wise always have backup clothes in the car for every member of the family. There is a lot of misplaced poop/food/nasty random things that tend to cover you and them at some point in the day! 
10. Doing ANYTHING alone: I used to just hop in my car and go wherever I needed at any time. Now it takes 30 minutes to load up the diaper bag, dress the baby, get them in the car and your bound to have a poopy diaper right when everyone is ready. Going to the grocery used to take 20 min max, now you are lucky to get out within an hour. Everything takes longer. BUT you do have a buddy with you wherever you go and now when I run through my grocery list out loud I am actually talking to someone! 

Don't get me wrong being a Mom is SO wonderful BUT if you are pregnant or thinking about having kids please take advantage of ALL of the above every day simple luxuries! They'll change your life forever... in the BEST way possible! 

Fashion Friday: Tiny Toes

Today's blog post is dedicated to my Little Lamb and her tiny tiny toes! When Ava was born she had tiny little feet, well every baby has tiny tiny feet... But Ava's have grown at an incredibly slow pace! I mean SUPER SLOW! Ava still wears 0-6 month shoes and just now fits into infant size 2 shoes. Her buddy who is 2 months younger than her wear size 5.5 and most kids her age wear between size 4 and size 5. Her feet are also super narrow so finding shoes that don't fall off is a challenge. I guess she is going to have feet just like her Momma! Here are my top pics for kiddos with tiny toes. 

1. Pedipeds: Although a little pricey, these shoes are AMAZING! They are all leather so they are great first shoes for walkers as the kids can still feel the ground and help with balance. You can also wipe off all dirt so they always look new. The mary janes can tighten to accommodate very tiny narrow feet or stretch wider for chubby ones. They also come in lots of cute colors and styles. 

2. Robeez: These shoes will NEVER fall off! Well unless you have them on a 1 year old who has learned to pull them off! But these are also all leather so are great shoes for when they are first walking. They too come in fun colors and designs. 

3. See Kai Run: These shoes are super cute and all leather as well. My one issue with these is they are cut a little wide so only the mary janes which can be tightened fit. 

4. Toms: We bought our first pair of Toms the other day and they are very comfortable and durable. Ava got the cutest paisley pair. My friend told me they look like Lily Pulitzer and Toms conspired to make some adorable little girl shoes. They are holding up well but they are very easy for Ava to kick/ pull off when she is done wearing them so we have had a few almost losses. 

5. Lastly we love some Target OshKosh shoes! These are more for walkers and not pre-walkers as the bottom is full rubber but they are not too heavy. These metallic gold ones have been our favorite during the holiday season! And the best part is they are only $12.99! SCORE!

"I can only imagine where these tiny feet will go in their lifetime. My only hope is that they never forget the way home."

 Author: Candice G. (Kendallsmommie)

I'm Baaacccckkkk...

Hey Ya'll! Whew, what a crazy few months it's been! We were gone 17 days in December/Janurary for the Tour de Feliz Navidad, as I like to call it. We went to Miami, Key Biscayne, Port St Lucie, Florida and then flew up to NC to visit my family in the Durham/Pittsboro area. During the second leg of the trip Peter and I caught some terrible upper respitory virus and were sick as can be for a week. Ava seemed totally fine but the day before we were supposed to be home she spiked a 102 fever and ended up with a double ear infection. Luckily, I took her right to the urgent care and 24 hours after taking the amoxicilin she was back to her old self and ready to fly home. Seeing family was great but that was the last double location trip we will be taking for several years! Here are a few pics from the trip

Peter's Family at Christmas 

Rolling in Lila's jeep 

  

Fun at the Ferrington House                        Dinner with my Mom and Sis

Cutest little cheeseballs around!

After we got back to Cali Peter started a new job at Cisco! Peter had the increadible opportunity to help lead a new division of Cisco here in the Bay Area. Of course he misses the all you can eat free food and I miss the heated Google toilet seats but this opportunity was such a great career move that it made sense.

check out this fab Google toilet seat. 3 heat settings and various other functions I was too scared to try

We also decided to find to a much bigger townhouse in North San Jose. It is closer to Peter's job and has 3 bedrooms for the growing family! It even has a tiny little yard! Real Estate in the Bay Area is incredibly depressing, especially when you are from the Triangle and a moderately priced real estate market so for now we will just be renting. There is something about spending $900k+ on a 3 bedroom 2 bath 1800sq foot home that just doesn't quite make sense to me. Hopefully in the future we can move back to the East Coast and buy something amazing! For now we will just focus on packing and moving into our fab new 1800 sq foot townhouse on February 1!

Ava also gave up her beloved paci this month. Ava only used her paci for naps and bed time but when speaking with her Pediatrition she mentioned that if you can take away any baby habits before 15 months that the transition is much easier. So we stopped the bottle right at a year with no issues and decided the paci was next. We obviously waited until after the Tour De Feliz Navidad where we would be on 6 airplaes and in all new places and started the weaning process a week after we got home. We tried the cutting process and honestly next time I would just go cold turkey. The first night of the paci cut she didn't notice and sucked away. The second night she was so confused as to why she couldn't get good suction and the 3rd day during naps she was LIVID. She could see the cut paci and really did not understand why we had mutilated her beloved friend. The 4th day was much better as we did not leave her paci in the crib and by the 4th night she went to bed in 5 minutes with no tears. Praise GOD!

I have also still been having some pretty terrible bouts of morning sickness. Almost 18 weeks and still sick 2-3 hours a day. I'm not tossing my cookies quite as much but just have awful nausea. Praying that 18 weeks is a better week for us! We also get to find out the gender at the end of next week! We are so excited to find out if Baby L is a little boy or a another sweet girl! 

So as you can see we have been PRETTY busy here at Case de Lamar. Oh and lastly Ava started carrying around a purse everywhere she goes. It's pretty adorable and hilarious.