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it’s really happening (baby #2): 3rd trimester
Home stretch! Jesus I can’t believe I’m starting my 3rd trimester. At the latest, in 11 weeks we’ll be welcoming a new baby into the world. A little brother for Liv, a son for Justin and another baby to keep this crazy family of ours interesting and full of love. It’s all incredibly overwhelming, but keeping a list of shit that needs to get done before that time comes has actually helped. Lord help us. Oh, and this is an accurate picture of what my bladder feels like 24/7. Even if I JUST pee’d 5 seconds ago. Here’s how I’m doing this time around: 1. How big is the baby?…
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I Should Be Sleeping…
Every time Olivia finally settles down for a nap during the day, the same thought runs through my head: “What should I do?” 1. Get dressed 2. Make my bed, do laundry 3. Wash bottles and dishes 4. Work and send emails 5. Watch one of my re-recorded shows (Scandal needs to be watched uninterrupted) 6. Sleep I know moms out there would tell me the obvious choice would be to take a nap, but let me tell you the problem with that. If I nap, I’ll be thinking about the 5 other things that I should just do so I don’t have to worry about them later. It’s a…
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3 months!
The first 3 months of a baby’s life is no joke. Justin and I had to learn how to keep a tiny, 4 pound, 5 week early preemie baby fed, rested and alive with minimal crying. That was the goal. Keep the baby that we worked so hard to get alive and well. All the while figuring out life as parents, taking naps, dimming lights and speaking softly. Before we had a baby, Justin would come home and turn on the TV and we’d talk about our day while I was in the kitchen making noise and cooking dinner. Now when he comes home we dim the lights, speak softly…
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the first mother’s day
I read this article the other day about how the first mother’s day is the best one. I get it. Aside from the fact that my little one will be mobile and probably talking by the next one, it’s not the reason why I think the first Mother’s Day is the best one. This year is the first one I spend as a mom, hanging out with my mom friends and talking about the best baby carriers, how to travel with a baby and other topics I never thought I’d partake in. Instead of celebrating my mom on her day, I’ll also be celebrated. Although it makes me sad that…
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Mama Bear
“You are Mama Bear”, the pediatrician’s nurse said to me. I used to shake my head at moms who I thought were “extreme” about their babies- washing hands, using hand sanitizer and practicing “cocooning” (sheltering until the baby is old enough to handle visitors and outdoors). I’m talking about that mom that has a specific way of caring for her baby (from diaper changes to bottle feeding) and keeps a close eye on how other people handle her. It’s the mom that stands by their kid through the good, the bad and the ugly. They are the Mama Bears. I’ve heard them roar and I’ve joined their pack. As a…
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Our Little One
Everything happens for a reason. Timing is everything. There was a short 5 weeks left to plan everything. Just having signed a lease to a new place that had an extra bedroom to build a nursery in, we were just starting to get everything together. A short 5 weeks, I would tell myself. 5 weeks can go by so fast. I wasn’t prepared to deliver 5 weeks early due to severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome that developed what seemed like overnight. My baby wanted out and my body was tired of playing host. The doctors kept saying that if I was induced it would give my family time to get…
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What It Means to Say “I’m Busy”
In 2011 I was working full time at a job I hated, planning a wedding and finishing up my MBA. I was “busy” in the most logical of terms. With waking up at 8am to be at work by 9, leaving early and hitting rush hour traffic to get to class by 6pm and then coming home to look at flower vendor contracts, I’m surprised I even saw my now husband and fed the dog every night. Although I remember being so busy, what I don’t remember is skipping out on the things I really wanted to do. I went to concerts, dinners, movies and made time to call my…
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It’s really happening
Yep, no joke folks, Justin and I are going to become a threesome in less than a year and it’s been one hell of a ride so far! I’ve heard about morning sickness from others and how much it sucks, but I can honestly tell you that it means nothing until you actually go through it. With 6 weeks of what felt like the never-ending stomach flu, I’m now in a place where it’s manageable and can actually have “real food” (as in anything but saltine crackers and ginger ale) without throwing up (I will never have sour patch kids candy again). I can’t go into crazy weird food yet…
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Father’s Day Cards
When I was younger, my dad was the disciplinarian. He was the one that made sure we knew it was not OK to be up past bedtime. The one that made sure we knew how valuable education was, or we would be doing rounds at the hospital during summer break. As I get older and older, I’ve realized how intelligent, dedicated and loving my dad really is. Now he’s one I turn to for advice, and he surprises me every time as I find myself thinking about what he says. Weird how that happens, huh? So with Father’s Day being this Sunday, I thought I’d share some fun father’s day…
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are you the favorite?
“I don’t have a favorite, I love you three the same”, my parents would always answer. Growing up with 2 younger sisters, we would always question who was our parents “favorite” and would always get the same response. Being incredibly different in personality, actions, feelings and even lifestyle, it would baffle us that our parents didn’t have a favorite. For mothers, studies show that one of the biggest predictors of favoritism has to do with similarity. I know growing up, my sister was adventurous and a bit of a risk-taker, which my mom could relate to as a young teenager. I don’t know about fathers, but I can tell you…
