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8/30/13

Five on Friday vol 2

Linking up again this week for Five on Friday
O*N*E
I booked my first unofficial photography gig a couple weeks ago for a close friend who is pregnant with #2 thats happening tomorrow afternoon. Im a little nervous to say the least. Im no professional, and am honestly scared that we will end up with no good pics. My friend has complete confidence in me and says shes knows that im just beginning, but that she thinks i take really good pics. (if youve see pics on here of matthew and his girlfriend sam, thats her firstborn). I told her she didnt have to pay me unless she liked how the pics came out. That way its a win-win for both of us, cuz honestly Id do it for free just to get the experience, and this way if the pics dont turn out good then she can hire someone else to take pics. :/ Wednesday during my lunch break I even went downtown to the location to scope out some areas where we can hopefully have some nice background scenery. Now only if I could figure out how to make my camera do the focused foreground blurry background trick when i want it to (i only sometimes get it, and it frustrates the crap outta me!)


T*W*O
We finally put up the swingset that Matthew got for his birthday back in June, this past weekend. It took hubby and 3 of matthews uncles to build it in 2 days. It sits so nicely in our big backyard and I can already picture many future playdates with lots of kids. Matthew already is attached to it. He'll grab his shoes, bring them to me to put on, and then head straight to the back door. And also, his changing table is right next to the window that overlooks our backyard, lets just say diaper changing has become a complete challenge since he can see the swingset thru the window. Look forward to a whole post of the swingset, but for now, ill leave you with this pic.


T*H*R*E*E
Kinda fitting I pick to write about this third. I have this weird theory that everything comes in threes, but more particularly life and death. So if someone tells me they are pregnant or that someone has passed away, im always looking for the second and third person to be pregnant or pass away. (sorry if the death one is kinda morbid, but its true) So basically, where this comes into play is i think i have major baby fever right now. Matthew is starting to act more and more like a toddler and less and less like a baby. He has his own characteristics, and is becoming so smart that its hard for me to enjoy it because i already miss his small baby squishiness (yes, i made that word up). So when a friend of mine announced her pregnancy, I immediately started looking for the next couple of preggos, and OMG they just keep coming. Literally
  1. Friend - Sarah L
  2. Acquaintance - Krista G
  3. Friend  - Julie F
  4. Friend's wife - Jamie L
  5. Friend's sister - Daniella S
  6. Friend - Ciji J
  7. Friend - Kristina
  8.  
  9.  
And these are all IRL friends. I dont really count blog friends since I dont know them personally. So basically Im am literally chomping at the bit wondering who is #7 & #8. And unfortunately even though baby fever has come in at full force, i know for a fact its not me :( we're not trying yet, but hopefully soon.

F*O*U*R
Ive been a total slacker on weight watchers lately. I feel like a drop-out. But i refuse to give up. So what if ive have a few bad weeks, as long as i go back on it i am good. Im still down 30lbs so Im happy about that, but i finally got my bob jogging stroller and ive had my new rollerblades in my closet for a good 1-2months. So i have absolutely no excuse not to be exercising now. Plusalso the temps should be dropping at least a degree or two soon (thats alot cooler for us floridians lol) so i should be able to rollerblade after work before dinnertime. We shall see. I just need a good kick in the butt! Any volunteers? jk

F*I*V*E
We finally booked our Thanksgiving cruise. Its kind of a tradition on my side of the family to go on a cruise for Thanksgiving, but we missed last years due to matthew being too young.We were debating going on this years because it goes to a port we've already been to and because its only a 4day cruise. But at last minute we decided a short cruise is better than no cruise. So basically the countdown begins for when i need to be in a bathing suit in front of people. Which brings be back to point four above. My small goal is to be down at least another 10lbs before the cruise. My final goal weight is about 20lbs more, but Ill be happy with 10lbs by Turkey Day. Wish me luck!

Thats about it for me. Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!
If youre new here, leave a comment and ill make sure to hop on over to your blog too!

8/27/13

the marry-wed game

Recently Ive become more aware of the dynamics of my marriage. Most likely due to lots of friends getting married within the next year. Now, i am no expect by any means, when it comes to the success of marriage, but i do feel like I have a little bit of an upper hand considering hubs and I have been together for going on 11 years (2.5 of those being married). I know we're young and still have alot to learn, but it feels nice to have my newly-engaged or newly-wed friends come to us for some advice. Granted the questions are more like "It gets better right?" and "All of this is worth it right?"

Now, lets start the off by saying I do love being married, but the hard honest truth is marriage isnt necessarily about how much you love someone. Instead, to me at least, its about how much you are willing to constantly work on having a relationship with another person for the rest of your life. Yes there are many good times, fun memories, romantic nights, and life events that just make you smile and your heart beat a lil faster. But there are a hell of a lot arguments, disagreements, and just plain old trying days too. Some like to phrase it as "picking your battles." Which indeed is true. Just like you as a person change as you grow older, so does your marriage. And quite honestly sometimes the physical day-to-day becomes so routine that you kind of feel like youre in a slump. You see this person everyday, talk to them numerous times a day, and usually if anything new happens the other person is standing right there with you as it happens. Conversation are based on house projects, kids, finances, etc. And so it becomes hard sometimes to just enjoy a conversation with each other because you feel like there is nothing new to talk about.

This brings me to the real point of this post, sorry i got so deep up there ;)

I have a board on pinterest that is completely dedicated to married life. I like to go back to it every now and then when i feel like we are in a "slump." And for those of you who have your head in the gutter, im not talking about physically :P but more about the relationship itself. I pin things like date nights, quotes, gift ideas, etc. Well i came across this pin last night that was a little game, kinda like the newlywed game. Only it was catered more towards people already married, and basically was comprised of 20 questions on how well you know your significant other. Normally hubs isnt real into doing these things because they end up taking a long time, but seeing as Matthew was already asleep and we were just hanging out back on our patio, we decided to give it a try. (Note: i clicked on the pin and it keeps taking me to an error page, so i took it upon myself to make a lil printable/graphic)


I thought it would be fun to share our answers. Hubs answers for me are in blue, mine for him are in pink. Anything in italics is the other persons comments to the answers.



1. fav comfort food
mac & cheese and pork loin <yep>
mexican food or chicken parm <so which one?> probably chicken parm <yep>
  
2. dream job
stay at home mom <i was so wondering if you would think that as a job, good answer>
probably a wildlife enforcement officer, although its hard because you just recently changed careers <yeah, i would probably go with having my own recruiting agency>

3. bed cover hogger
YOU!
hehe (lmao)

4. fav color
purple....blue <well i kinda have alot, purple, blue, teal, pink>
green? <actually blue, but i like green too> thats probably because i always take the blue stuff and give you green

5. toothbrush color
 light blue? <yep>
green! please refer back to question 4 ;)

6. last book read
well you havent read 50 shades of grey, was it one of those eclipse, vampire books? <eclipse? you mean the twilight series? > yeah the vampire book <lol, no it was the hunger games series >
i cant remember the last time you even read a book, but i know what book you would read again <what?> the old man and the sea <yeah, and that was probably the last book i read too lol>
 
7. fav hobby
photography <yea>
fishing, or golfing now <yeah, but id still rather go fishing>

8. fav date night
dinner and movie
same

9. strangest gift
ive never really gotten a strange gift
yeah, we dont really get strange gifts for each other 

10. best vacation
either our honeymoon cruise or cruise we got engaged on
defintely the cruise we got engaged on, it was really the only vacation we have gone on alone and had a really good time without anyone else  
<note: on our honeymoon we met with my best friend when she lived in st thomas, so it tech wasnt completely alone> 

11. first date
skipping school and going to the court house <that wasnt really a date>
i dont think we actually ever went on a "first date" <we went on alot of date> 
12. first kiss
same as question 11 <we didnt kiss that day>
honestly cannot remember <so it was the time at the court house> no, i promise you we did not kiss that time, but i just cant remember when the first time was :/

13. fav dessert
strawberry shortcake <and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and cannolis....i have a sweet tooth>
tiramisu <yep>

14. fav sport
softball <probably>
baseball or golfing <yeah probably>

15. fav restaurant
melting pot <fo sho!>
Roasted Pepper, Franco & Vinnies, Giannis, anything italian, oh and mexican too! <Roasted Pepper is too far, but yeah prob all of those> 

16. excites you
<somehow we completely missed this question. oops>

17. name of first pet
butterscotch? <close, cinnamon, but they were both golden retreivers>umm, chuck? <no cracker, a black lab> cracker? why did you name your black lab cracker?
<because his tail was constantly hitting the wall, and it made a crack sound>

18. fav household chore
making the beds <i guess, i dont really like any chores lol>cooking dinner <i dont think thats a chore but ok> 
19. home from work, first activity
to say hi to matthew
<well i was going to say, go pick up matthew, but same thing>go take a poop (sorry tmi) <i always say hi to my son first...then go poop> lmao

20. eggs cooked
scrambled, with cheese, the way i make them <YEP!>over easy, a little runny <thats not how you order them, you just say over easy, then i make them runny> whatevs

So basically, hubs knows me extremely well, and i could probably pay a little bit more attention lol, but at least we had a good 20mins of casual fun conversation. I definitely suggest trying this with you significant other and see how well you now each other! If you do, blog about it and leave the link so I can read all about it!

 




8/23/13

Matthews Birth story part 2


You can find part 1 here.

We waited for what seemed like hours, but in all honesty was probably only 10-20mins. The triage nurse came in and explained that they were going to monitor me to see how far apart the contractions were. She asked me all the normal questions, including if my water had broken. At this moment in time it hadnt. But I swear those contractions ever couple of minutes were pretty intense. I remember squeezing Matts hand through each one. I would cringe my body up real tight and basically stop breathing. Again something they tell you not to do. But I just couldnt control it.

It had been about 30 more mins of monitoring when all of a sudden I felt a leaking sensation. (sorry for the tmi) Not a pop. Not a gush. Almost like I had just peed in my panties. I even told hubs this. "Either I just peed all over the bed, or my water broke." And truthfully, I really didnt know which it was. lol. And at that moment, the nurse had come back in. She was coming to tell me that my contractions were not coming as often as I had reported when coming in. They were now 6 mins apart. Basically meaning that I would be sent home.

To which I replied, "umm I either peed or my water broke." She looked at me kinda funny and asked if she could check. She lifted the sheet and confirmed, "Well, you just bought yourself a ticket to being admitted!" You mean this is real. This is really going to happen today? I couldnt believe it. And then another contraction hit me. Quite hard. The nurse said she would be back with clean sheets.

I turned to Matt. I think im going to vomit. Get a garbage can. Get a bag. Get something. Somehow I held it in the time it took him to find the ever so clever "barf-bags." I couldnt understand how i even had anything to throw up. I hadnt had anything to eat since the night before. And it was going on 2pm. Then I remembered those delicious fruit pops. They didnt tast so delicious coming back up thats for sure.

When the nurse returned, she noticed how pale i looked. Hubs informed her of what just happened. Then she said something that kinda amused me;
"I bet youre 4cms now."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, I dont know why, but the minute someone says theyve thrown-up, they are normally at least 4cms dilated"

Sure enough, she was right. I was now 4cms. She told me they would be moving me to a room and out of triage. As we were waiting for the room my sister was actually able to come back. When she did, she also let me know that the other doctor at the practice, Dr. Coe, was the doctor on-call that weekend. Quite a coincidence if you ask me, being he is my sisters dr and had delivered my niece and a few of my friends children. (lil back story, i actually first went to this practice to have him as my dr, but then found out he didnt take my insurance. however, one of the other partners, Dr. Fahey, did. At that time I was a little relieved because she is a woman, and Coe is a man, and i had never had a male Gyno.) I wasnt the least bit upset either. Dr Coe knew me very well, as i had been extremely involved with my sisters 2nd pregnancy, and i was at least happy i knew who would be delivering our lil boy.

The next few minutes are a little blurry to me. I remember them asking if I thought i could walk to the new room. I had said that would be fine, and then all i remember is halfway there (which wasnt very far) the contractions started to hit hard. I grabbed onto the nurses station and had to have Matt holding me up because I couldnt move. Then the next thing i remember is getting onto the bed.

Throughout my pregnancy I had always been undecided about the epidural. First, Im allergic to epinephrine, the main ingredient in most epidurals. My dr assured me that it isnt always in epidurals and just to let the anesthesiologist know, and they should be able to make a different cocktail of drugs that would work the same. And secondly, i really wanted to be able to move around and not be limited to the bed during labor. Hopefully allowing me to use the tub if possible. So i had told my hubs and sister, the two who would be in the room with me, that i would like to hold off on the epi for as long as possible and see if i could make it natural. But never being 100% against it, knowing I may demand it at some point ;)

Sure enough, as im getting on the bed, the nurse asked me if I would like an epidural. As in, if-down-the-line i would like an epidural, but first you need to sign paperwork. But before she could even explain to me the part about the paperwork I was already forcefully saying "YES! PLEASE!!" At which point my sis and hubs began hysterically laughing, as well as the nurse, who then explained she would call for the anesthesiologist and be back with the paperwork. Looking back, I am sure glad I said yes at that point, because turned out i wasnt able to get it for another 1.5hr due to the hospital being busy that day.

During those 90mins i was so uncomfortable and in pain. I would get really cold and shake. I would have a contraction and shake. I couldnt talk to anyone. I could barely rest between the contractions. I believe my sis-in-law and mother-in-law came in sometime during this time. And they say I wasnt very pleasant.... I would squeeze matts hand, hold my breath, and cringe everytime. And then the anesthesiologist finally showed up. I was really nervous at how i was going to be able to sit still during a contraction, as i was involuntarily shaking uncontrollably during each one. The nurse assured me I would be fine and asked everyone, including matt to the leave the room. Which he had absolutely no objection to. Then she had me lean over a pillow as she stood in front of me and told me i could hold on to her or the pillow. She said we would do it right after a contraction ended so I had a better chance of staying still.

Surprisingly it honestly did not hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would. Yes, its a needle, its gonna hurt. But trust me, compared to the contractions your feeling every couple of minutes, that needle is like a small pinch, followed by a small burning sensation. And then she said it was done. They put me back on the bed lying down and explained how my legs would start to go numb. Which they did.

They continued to monitor my contractions and even had to inform me when i was having one. I was so surprised at how it literally took the pain away. I mean i knew it would, but the relief to be able to relax in between was so calming. Then everyone came back in, to which they all informed me I seemed to be in a much better mood. And I was actually able to talk to them.


The next couple of hours are blurry to me. Dr Coe came in to check on me and say hi. Letting me know he would be the one to deliver. I know i was able to rest a little. I know they turned the lights down low so I could try to nap. I was exhausted, but too anxious to sleep. I remember the nurse checking me a couple times, and me progressively dilating further. I think somewhere around 11pm the nurse said i was at 9 cm and that she was going to call the dr to come in and check on me.

Around 11:30pm Dr Coe came in and said I was now 10cm, he had me do a couple of pushes. I guess to see how well I would do? i dunno. And then informed me that I would need to push for a little while. He let me know that he would be at the nurses station doing some paperwork and would come back to check on me soon. And then, get this, youll see how informal we really are and how close of a relationship we have with this doctor....With my legs spread open from him doing the internal check, he turned around and started watching and commenting on the Miami Heat game that was on the TV. Him and my husband were literally watching the basketball game as I was "laboring" on the bed. Till this day we all laugh about this. (Sidenote: the Heat did win that game! lol)

He left after a few more mins and my nurse came over to have me do a couple more pushes. I guess I wasnt doing it right. And if im being completely honest, i think it was the thought in the back of my mind that I might poop on the table. It wasnt that I was scared to or anything, i just didnt want to, and i think that thought was hindering me from pushing as hard as I could. The nurse finally came out and said it, and informed me that she could tell I was tensing up as I pushed each time. She said she could see his head coming down but then I would kinda suck him back in (Sorry if thats too visual). She said I needed to push like I was going to poop. So I tried, and she immediately exclaimed "Yes! Just like that!" After only a few more "test pushes" as I like to call them ;) she said she was going to go get Dr Coe because our lil boy would be here very soon. And explained that since I had had a fever all day that they would need the nicu nurses to be in the room during birth.

By this time it was around 12:10am. Dr Coe came back and said "I didnt even get to do any of my paper work!" Which lightened the mood a tad. He scrubbed up, the nurse got the baby table all ready, and we started doing the "real pushes." My sister was on one side holding up my leg, and hubs was on the other. I swear it felt like hours later, but with literally only about 20mins of pushing our lil boy was born at 12:38am at 8lbs 12oz. They put him on my chest, and I just held him for a couple of seconds, not realizing the weight of what just happened. I was still in shock and quite out of breath. But he was there. Our lil boy was here.

They then took him over to the table to clean him up and weigh him and such. I remember hearing him cry, but it was what they called an "extended cry." Im not sure how long it was, but i remember hubs going out to the waiting room to tell family he was finally here. While he was gone, it was only me and my sis in the room. I dont remember exactly how long it was, but I heard one of the nurses say he had a fever. And then I heard my nurse say that "he probably had a fever because the mom has had a fever all day too." Probably due to me being in the pool & sun earlier that day.

My nurse came back over to me and explained that he had a little bit of an extended cry. Probably due to a tiny bit of fluid being on his lungs from not being squeeze out at birth. And that since this was happening and he had a fever, that they would need to take him to nicu for further monitoring. They wrapped him up and asked if i wanted to hold him before they took him down. I of course said yes. At this point hubs had come back in the room. I just looked at my sis and told her to explain what was happening. As I was still a little out of it and just wanted to hold my baby.

I asked Matt if he wanted to hold him before they took him, since he hadnt held him yet. I think he was too nervous to, and said no they should just take him to make sure hes ok. They then put him in one of the transporting beds and wheeled him out. By now i tears welling up in my eyes and trickling down my face. I knew he would be ok. I knew it was just precaution, but I wanted so badly to do the skin-on-skin contact. And to try breastfeeding. And to just hold my baby boy.
Matt and his mom followed the baby down to the NICU while my sis stayed with me. My nurse came back in and let me know she would help me go to the bathroom, as I had to pee badly. The epidural had worn off by now, and I could feel my legs. She led me in the bathroom and helped explain "the cleanup." We were transferred to our room somewhere around 3am. Still no baby with us. Then around 5am they came in to check on me. They insisted I could go to see him whenever I wanted, but I could barely move, let alone get into a wheelchair to be able to go in. I was so tired and told them I would go as soon as I could get up and shower off. Around 8am hubs was awake, I showered, and we went down to see our precious boy.

He was getting oxygen through a helmet, and was on a little bed warmer. I wasnt able to hold him, but he was so precious. All i kept thinking was we dont belong here. I mean, as i walked in all i saw was tiny babies, babies that were fighting for their lives. My son was gigantic compared to them. Remember he was almost 9lbs.

Ill skip over the next few trying days. He spent a total of a week in NICU. I had to be discharge from the hospital without my baby. I never got the experience of having him in my hospital room with me. It was odd that people came to see him/me, and it was literally just me laying in my bed. Only close family and few close friends were able to actually see him in NICU. But it was literally the best day of my life when they told us he could come home with us!


8/22/13

matthews birth story part 1

Ive been meaning to write this for a while now. I dont want to forget any details of the day my precious lil boy was born. And since there are so many bloggers who have had babies recently, its made me really want to share my story. Its actually a pretty simple story, but nonetheless still very meaningful to me.


It started out on Sunday June 3, 2012. I woke up around 7:00am, which was actually quite early for me (ha, wish I could say that now). I had felt a couple of cramps, which I first alluded to a stomach ache, but later realized it was the beginning signs of labor. They werent really consistent and I didnt want to wake Matt up for a lil stomache. So I tried to go back to sleep.

After about 1-2 hours of tossing and turning, with so-called cramps about every 15mins that were starting to get a little bit more painful, I decided to wake Matt up. I wasnt sure how to explain it to him, and he really was kind of clueless when it came to this kind of thing. He kept asking, "well what do you want me to do?" In which case I would reply, "I dont know."


Well, if you dont know my husband, hes all about the "quick fix" with everything. If there is a problem, tell him how to fix it, and he will. But if not he gets kind of frustrated. So, since he didnt know exactly what to do, he called who he thought would be the best person in this situation, my sister. Who at that moment in time was at BJ's shopping. She told hubs to calm down and as soon as she was done she would head over to our house.

I continued to have these slightly uncomfortable cramps about ever 10-15mins. I would stop at the end of our bed and grasped tightly to the footboard. And then just like that, it would be gone. My sister showed up fairly quickly and basically took one look at me and quickly stated "Its starting!" I'll admit. I wasnt quite sure what to think. Id been wanted this baby out of me for a few days now. But the thought that today would be the day? I dont know. It kind of freaked me out a bit. Plus, I still wasnt sure if this was actually it. You hear people all the time having false alarms. And I hadnt really experienced any braxton hicks, so thats what this might be.


My sister reassured me it was ok, and that why dont we just relax a little. She actually suggested that we go down to my parents (only 2 blocks away) and just go hang out in the pool and bounce. Funny she says bounce, because that is exactly what we did back when I was in 8th grade the entire day before my nephew was born. I figured, heck, it worked for her, maybe it would work for me to. So I slipped on some clothes, still not completely sure I was indeed going in the pool, and we all headed down to my parents.

My mom wasnt home from work yet, but called and asked if we needed her to pick anything up for us on her way home. Im not sure whos idea it was, but when she showed up with fresh fruit popsicles, i swear it was like I had died and gone to heaven. Little did I know it would be the last thing I had to eat for the next 12+ hours.


I was getting extremely uncomfortable at this point. And couldnt talk through the "cramps." Instead I would just stop and basically hold my breath. You know, the one thing your NOT supposed to do. Thats why they always tell you to breathe. To help ease the pain through the contractions. My sis and hubs at this point had agreed it would be best for me to get in the pool and just "relax." I managed to get in my bathing suit and into the pool. Just hanging on to a raft that was floating in the water.

Now, I could be wrong, but if the rest of you are like me, the very last thing you want is to have visiters when you feel like a giant whale. Literally,  I mean come on, I was in my maternity bathing suit, no makeup, not able to control the pain, and just floating around in the water. And what happens? Hubs thinks its ok to have his sister and cousin stop by. And not like just stop by to drop something off and leave. But like stop by, chill with their feet in the pool, all while drinking some cool beverages, and basically staring at me going through contractions in the pool. Im sorry but to me, this is kind of a private time. I didnt mind my mom and sis, because Im extremely close to them. But with his sister and cousin there, I was extremely self conscious and waaay uncomfortable. I even made my sis bring out one of my dads shirts for me to wear to cover up while in the pool. And for gods sakes, STOP STARING AT ME! lol


Now, all the while, I was screaming that to myself (in my head), i actualy appeared quite calm to every else. The pool itself was a great idea. It made me feel buoyant. And the water was keeping me cool. Hubs was keeping count of the contractions. Telling me when he thought the next would come. They were now about 4 mins apart. Technically that was close enough to go to the hospital. But i chose to stay in the water a little longer. Knowing if I went now, they might send me home. Or I might be limited to those four walls they call a birthing suite.

It only took a few more contractions to convince me it was time to go. They helped me out of the pool, reality hit right then and there that I was indeed NOT buoyant. lol. I waddled my way to the restroom to change back into clothes and try to put some makeup on. Between hubs, my mom and sis, they were all laughing at me about wanting to put makeup on. Like they literally wouldnt let me. And kept telling me I didnt need it. Somehow they pushed me out of the house without even so much of mascara (my staple) and out the door I went. (man do i wish I had been able to put that makeup lol)


We got into hubs truck, just the two of us. My sis following behind in her own car. This was it. This was the last time it would be just the two of us. Last time we were just husband and wife. Next time we would be in this truck we would be mommy and daddy too.

The car ride there was actually not too bad. It almost felt like the contractions had slowed down. I was doubting our decision to to go to the hospital. But I figured we might as well see what the progress is. I had been dilated 1cm for almost 3 weeks, but I knew that didn't necessarily mean anything.

We pulled into the parking lot and found a somewhat decent spot. I remember walking in and thinking this is it. We weren't sure if we needed to check in at the front reception desk or just go straight to the third floor, the maternity unit. As soon as the lady at the front saw me stop in mid stride, she simply said "go on up." so that is what we did.

Thankfully, I had already preregistered with the hospital, so it didnt take long to get me into the triage area. Unfortunately, they wouldnt let my sister come in with us during this time, and also refused to let her stand in the hallway, so she was banished to the waiting area. I remember sitting on the bed, not knowing exactly what was going to happen. Even though they had went over all of this in our hospital tour.




8/7/13

baby steps

Yes, i mean that literally, our BABY took his first STEPS yesterday!!!!

This mommy could not be more proud! All the while a couple thoughts are running through my head:
Bout dang time!
Slow Poke!
Thank god, my back was starting to really take a beating carrying around a 27lb baby.
We're in trouble now.......

Remember in this post where i told you one of my main reasons for wanting Matthew to stay home with me while I work was so that I dont miss out on any of his "firsts"? Well I guess god works in mysterious ways, because I just so happen to have him home with me yesterday and figured we would burn off some energy by playing in the grass out front. I put on a little pair of his shoes, grabbed some juice, and out we went.

We had been practicing walking for a few minutes, with him holding my hands finger. He was doing pretty good. And he was literally leading me back and forth across our large front yard. I decided like most mommy bloggers that it was only necessary for we to snap a pic of our lil man standing in the front yard. Now, lets get this straight, hes 14months and 2 days old, barely stands by himself, and usually refuses to let go of one of our hands while standing. He can crawl at lightening speed, walk around the couch, use the table and his toys to get around, and even climb onto the couch. But he still doesnt want to stand without holding on to something, and always drops before he can even take one step.

So back to the story

I want to snap a pic. I get him balanced enough to stand. I let go. Scoot back a touch. Squat down to take a pic, and what does he do? He takes about 4 steps! not just one, but FOUR! And then plop. I must have scared him, as well as looked like an absolute fool to any bystanders watching, when i screamed OH MY GOSH!!! BUDDDY!!! (i was able to control myself though, and held back any tears) I clapped, he smiled, and then i thought "SH*T!! my phone was on camera and not video!!!"

So of course, we had to try again. I was actually able to catch his "second" steps on video. Its a really short clip, but I just have to share

Honestly, i was in shock for at least 20mins after this. I tried to catch a couple more video clips, but wasnt as successful in my attempts. Plus, it was like 95* outside and lil man was drenched in sweat. So after downing some juice we headed back inside where we sent the video to Daddy (and a whole bunch of other family members).

Needless to say, the minute daddy got home from work we continued to practice our walking skills out front. But of course, as I like to correct everyone when they say they are so happy hes walking, "he walked, hes not walking.... he doesnt seem to want to do it again lol."

 
So for now, we are just going to continue practicing, and prepare ourselves for the trouble that we are going to enter in the very foreseeable future........




also linking up with linking up with Kelly, Lindsay, Megan, and Carly for Trendy Tot Tuesday (technically it was Tuesday when I wrote this lol) because I just think the first lil outfit he was wearing (that had to be changed due to sweat, grass, and juice) was just so adorable. My sister-in-law bought it for him this past weekend at BabiesRUs when they had a huge sale. The pants are actually a little big since they are a 3T but they are SOOOOO soft!!! And plusalso, his shoes, too cute! The ones in the first pics & video are from carters, and the ones in the last couple of pics are Toms that I got on a huge sale when they were on Zulily.

8/2/13

Five on Friday

Yep, switching it up this week and totally jumping on the 5 on friday bandwagon! Linking up with Darci, April, Christina and Natasha

O*N*E
After mentioning last week that i was debating on dishing out the hefty price for my BOB Revolution SE Single Stroller,  I sat down with my sweet husband to discuss. You see we made a promise a few months back when we new we needed to slow down on spending money, that from now on if either of us wanted to make a big purchase we would discuss it with one another before actually buying it. Yes, i know this is something we should have been doing all along, but it just never happened, and we would always be upset the other didnt ask to spend the money. Needless to say, my sweet, kind, understanding, loving husband (<---thats me sucking up hehe) agreed that not only does he know that i wouldnt buy something without it being a good deal, but that I also work hard, and if I really want the stroller, then i deserve it. You heard that right, I am a proud new owner of a lovely navy blue Bob stroller!!!! only sucky part, it doesnt ship for another 2 weeks!!! uuggghhh!!!

T*W*O
Today is Friday, and weather permitting, that means Starlight Musicals tonight. Its kinda a family tradition during the summers. We, meaning my immediate family, my sis family, my parents, and lots of friends, pack up the cooler filled with nice cold brewskies, throw the Radio Flyer Wagon in the back of the truck, and head down to a local city park where they put on free live music concerts every friday from 7-10pm. Its a cheap easy way to just chill and hang out with everyone. Granted, its the summer, in south florida, there are about a bajillion mosquitoes and there is a good chance you are either going to sweat like a pig or get rained out. But, that being said, we have a great time and it really does help wind down the busy work week. I love that Matthew is starting to enjoy it too. His cousins pull him and his friends (our friends kids Easton and/or Sam) around the park in his wagon. I remember going to the musicals when i was a little girl and I hope that Matthew will continue enjoying it as much, if not more, than I did.

T*H*R*E*E
I know Ive mentioned some friends here on the blog, but when i read this post last night, it was as if I was writing it myself (although i probably wouldnt have been able to write it as good). I have alot of friends acquaintances. But honestly there are only a handful of people i can count on. Some friends, mostly family, and honestly those friends are the ones I consider family. Im recently, well actually currently, going through a time in my life where a friend, a truely close friend of mine, just isnt who i thought she was. She used to fall into the category of family, but somewhere she lost that title. It kind of hit me out of nowhere, as I had thought everything was ok. But like it says in her post, im probably not the best a friend could be lately. Just like Becky, it kind of all started when I got engaged, got married, bought a house, got pregnant, had a child. To me that was just life, and I thought this friend understood that, as she was/is going through the same life stages. But obviously I just wasnt there enough for her, and disagreed with too many of her decisions (mainly fiance). Ive reached out multiple times and have tried to make things better. But maybe this is just one of those times that you just have to "choose to walk away from a friendship that doesnt work" anymore.
http://pinterest.com/pin/256283035017030464/
via

F*O*U*R
Im seriously considering giving this whole couch to 5k thing a shot. Im defintely not a runner. I prefer to walk/powerwalk or rollerblade. And honestly any type or race or marathon completely freaks me out. But i was thinking that if I did decide to go for it, it could be something that truely challenges me and takes me out of my comfort zone. Something that I can commit to doing for myself. It will help in my weight loss efforts, help in getting me out of the house, and help me feel just a little bit more accomplished. However, it scares me to death. Me run? a 5k? whos chasing me? thats more normally my attitude, but now that i got am getting my jogging stroller, this is kinda like a sign right? right. just keep telling myself that.....
via
F*I*V*E
I finally started putting some things on our walls. Mostly pictures. Weird considering we've lived in our house for close to 3 years. I dunno, it was just always kind of like we were waiting for things (renovations) to be finished before putting anything on the walls. Ive seriously had 3 big canvas photos sitting on our bedroom floor since matthew was about 4 months old. Theyre supposed to be hung up in the living room, but Im just too indecisive on where to actually hang them. And quite honestly, the photos are now kinda out dated since there are the first professional photos we had done as a family of three. We've now had like 3 more photoshoots, and im thinking maybe of getting new ones. Plusalso, our house is kinda small, and im nervous that by putting things on the wall it will kind of make it look cluttered. May have to scour pinterst this weekend to come up with some ideas.

Well, thats about it, and I hear matthew waking up over the monitor now. So hope you all have a great weekend. And if your new here from the linkup, thanks for stopping by! Would love to get to know you all so leave a comment!

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