tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29127250539380746232024-03-05T14:01:56.402-05:00Bliss In ImperfectionLoving my perfectly imperfect life.Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-45415215582830961712013-12-04T00:59:00.000-05:002013-12-04T00:59:06.291-05:00Adjusting to life as the Mom of Two under TwoI started this post a few days after we came home from the hospital. I'm glad it's taken me almost three months to post it because it has really been quite the on going life change. Now that I can see the semblance of a routine forming, I finally feel like I've gotten somewhat of a grip on being a mom of two under two (I'm sure I'll pay for that comment shortly, it is murphy's law after all). For a few weeks I literally felt like days were just getting away from me, one melting into another compounding the feeling that I was seriously not winning at this game of whining and crying, feeding, changing diaper after diaper, repeat.<br />
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When I was pregnant and envisioning this next life change, I truly just felt a bit frozen in fear. Part of it was that I really had no clue how taking care of every need for 2 young kids, myself a dog and a cat alone for close to 10 hours a day was going to go down. I was scared big time of the change and was worried about how I would handle things like getting Sammy down for a nap while the baby was awake. I wasn't too worried about loving both Sammy and the new baby. I had heard enough times, your heart simply grows.<br />
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What struck me horribly by surprise was what has been my biggest adjustment. I guessed people had me thinking the only two worries would be loving the new baby as much as I loved my first and easing through Sammy going from only to oldest child. The problem for me was that I somehow changed how I saw Sam because I started loving the new baby. A terrible feeling knowing that Sam was also probably feeling very replaced. Can you imagine, it would be like your spouse bringing in another woman to love and you just had to deal. I didn't anticipate how I would react to Sammy, vs the new baby. I've written redundantly about how Sammy's babiness has been disappearing in what seems like milliseconds on my monthly Sammy posts so I'm not sure how this surprised me so much. However when I got home it was like a bomb had gone off and in it's wake my baby and toddler were just replaced by big kid.<br />
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In hindsight by 4 weeks postpartum the thought was completely ridiculous, but I just couldn't and still sorta can't see him as a baby anymore at all. His needs were so different than this helpless newborn weighing just a mere 8lbs. It was just crazy how he truly grew up in a blink of an eye. It took me several days to find a new normal with how I viewed Sammy. I was really upset over the way Sammy had gone from my whole world to this kid who was driving me absolutely nuts. After a few days had passed, I was able to see on Sammy's face how down trodden he had become. He just seemed weathered and sad and it just about broke my heart. It was right then and there that I realized some of this had to do with me treating him as an older child vs the not even two year old he was. I needed to get back to treating Sam with the level of care I had always given him. Doing so, really helped us both to adjust. <br />
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Paul is fortunate to work for an amazing company that provides fully paid paternity for two weeks and then allows a father to take as much of their vacation leave as they'd like or also just unpaid FMLA. Paul took off a bit more than 4 weeks and it was great and needed, especially with two kids. It gave me the chance I needed to bond with Lexi. Without him being home, I honestly can't imagine being able to sit and be still and just love on her the way we both needed. Paul being home allowed us to keep Sammy on his regular routine of
getting out of the house each day, which in turn gave me 1 on 1 time
with the new baby and Sammy 1 on 1 time with his Dad and sometimes with
me. By the start of the 3rd week, I was ready to face reality and find a new normal at home. I think everyone Sammy and Paul included also needed to get back to life as a new normal. <br />
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What has helped for me now 3 months in has been to really focus the first set of waking hours before Sammy takes a nap just on him. I struggled emotionally with having to let Sam be by himself while I tended to Lexi but we have both adjusted to the normality of needing to tend to each child on their own a few times a day. I'm not sure what I could have done to prepare Sammy for this change in his life as I also didn't expect to have a nosey newborn who didn't just conk out when tired. It's almost like giving birth. You can only do so much to prepare for it, but in the end only the present moment will give you the opportunity to know and write your story. Fortunately, Lexi has blessed us as a great at home sleeper (knock on wood) which has given me and Sam wonderful one on one time. <br />
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I think back to the question we get often of if it is harder or easier the second time around and the fact is that both are hard and easy in their own right. I know I had severe newborn amnesia from the first go around. I remember it being hard, but I think you just forget just how hard having a newborn can be. The unpredictability, the amount of time they spend feeding, going to sleep, etc. The first time around everything overwhelmed me because I had no idea what I was doing or if I was doing it right/wrong. I read way too many books that did nothing but remind me to use my intuition and read my son. The second time I have been way more relaxed (haven't picked up single baby book and haven't looked back). Lexi has been exposed to so many of Sammy's germs and has been manhandled in ways I would have died over had it happened to Sammy. The second time I have also been in tears with the enormity of the work. The day I had to put both of them to bed by myself when Lexi was 9 weeks old and Paul had gone to NY for work was horrible. So thankful that day is over and won't be back.<br />
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I had to readjust my expectations since I had assumed she would have just come with us on walks, to the park and shopping in her carseat or ergo. Unfortunately even given my best effort to get us out of the house from the get go, it just wasn't going to happen once the early first few weeks of extreme portability wore off. Lexi was just way overstimulated by the environment around her or it was just reflux causing a host of problems. We have become very inventive on fun stuff to do at home while Lexi naps all morning. Sammy still gets out of the house after Paul gets home around 5 to run errands, go for walks or go to the playground. Also having my Dad come over to get him out of the house for a bit has also helped both me and Sammy tremendously. So aside from getting out of the house first thing after breakfast and watching tv more than he used to, Sammy's routine has stayed the same which I know has helped his world not be completely rocked. He now understands that I'm going upstairs to put Lexi down for a nap and to stay downstairs and watch tv, have a snack and play with his toys for 10 minutes (this took some time but it has helped a lot!)<br />
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Now that most of the newborn fog has lifted we are starting to get out alone and as a family. Life feels much more balanced and it is amazing how fast time has gone. It truly has been a butterfly like metamorphasis becoming the mother of two and watching Sam grow as a big brother and Lexi as a little sister. The worry has faded about whether both are getting enough of me. They have both grown to need each other and love being together. Sammy goes around almost all day saying, Baby awake? Baby asleep. Makes me so happy to know his sister brings him so much joy. I hope that they will always have such a strong innate bond. <br />
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I am sure I will again feel overwhelmed when a new stage hits me by
surprise but for now I feel like I can breathe and feel adjusted both
from the standpoint of loving myself, my kids and our new normal as a
family of 4.75! Now to feel more comfortable in my non elastic waist
band pants!<br />
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<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-20299634484536836062013-12-03T22:48:00.001-05:002013-12-03T22:49:51.445-05:00Tiny Prints Christmas Card Time! Incredible that we are already at the 2013 Christmas Season. Last year at this time if told me I'd have a 4 month old for Christmas I would have laughed. So blessed the joke is on me!<br />
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Last night before bed I stepped outside to take Bailey for a walk and was caught off guard by the beauty and smell of the crisp fall air. I could smell the clean non humid air, the stars for the first time I can remember in our neighborhood were breathtaking (we live in a very well lit area) and you could just smell the leaves having reached their peak. Never mind that I could see my breath and that Bailey was taking his sweet time, I was soaking up the change of the season.<br />
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Tonight when I made my great escape during Lexi and Sammy's nap I fled to target and was of course drawn into yet another sign that Christmas is near. I was so excited to add Lexi to the tradition I started in 2011 of buying Sammy a child friendly ornament each year. This came in handy last year when Sammy was able to pull at the ornaments at the bottom of the tree. Hopefully this year Sammy listens a little better and our tree won't end up having to look like a backwards mullet of ornaments.<br />
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Another tradition to continue as we head into the Christmas Season is picking out our<a href="http://www.tinyprints.com/2013-holiday-products.htm" rel="nofollow"> Christmas card</a>. Oh how our Christmas cards have changed over the last 10 Christmas' we have been married. From boxed cards to photo cards of the cats, to the cats and Bailey, then Sammy and now Lexi and Sammy. Now we have kids (emphasis on the plural) to spread joy through cards this Christmas. How blessed are we!<br />
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I talked a little bit about how I was already perusing <a href="http://www.tinyprints.com/2013-holiday-products.htm" rel="nofollow">Tiny Prints Christmas cards</a>
when I ordered Lexi's birth announcements a few months ago. Here are
my favs for this year. Will you be surprised by my choice in a few
short weeks when they are delievered to your door? <br />
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What will you chose
this year?<br />
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I hope as you start celebrating this Christmas, you get a chance to hop over to the Tiny Prints website and see all the cute cards they have to offer again this year. Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-72364241095272751812013-10-30T22:56:00.000-04:002013-10-30T22:56:28.356-04:00Welcome to the world Alexis Rita. Lexi's Birth AnnouncmentsI love getting beautiful cards in the mail. There is something about holding that thick card stock with vibrant colors that makes me so happy. I always have fun designing our cards. Whether it be Sammy's birthday cards, our Christmas cards or something truly special, the announcement of our new baby girl! <br />
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I knew I wanted to order from <a href="http://www.tinyprints.com/shop/baby-birth-announcements.htm" rel="nofollow">Tiny prints.</a> I think they have the best designs and affordable prices when using a coupon for the quality and customer service. Since I had blogged for tiny prints in the past, I reached out to them and asked if I could blog about our birth announcements in exchange for Lexi's announcements. They agreed which I think is totally awesome, especially considering my blog is about the opposite of famous.<br />
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When I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to choose the favorite cards from their site and put them aside so that when I gave birth all I had to do was put in Lexi's pictures and her birth stats and add them to my cart. Tiny Prints has so many choices that I end up spending too much time being indecisive. I knew if I didn't make my decision before Lexi came it was going to take too long to do it with caring for a newborn and a 2 year old and a husband on paternity leave.<br />
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So many choices, but these are the few I narrowed it down to. Once Lexi's newborn pictures came in from the very talented Wishbox Photography, I ended up adding the pictures I wanted and seeing which card looked best with my favorite pictures. In the end, it wasn't the card I would have chosen with the stock images which was surprising. I think adding your own pictures to several of the cards you like is a good tip. So often it's the image on the card that you like and not the actually design of the card. For me I also was able to narrow down the selection by eliminating cards with only one image. I'm way to indecisive and eclectic to go with just one image!<br />
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While shopping for birth announcements, I also ordered these cute Halloween cards to use as birthday cards for Sammy's pumpkin patch second birthday party. One thing I especially like about the tiny print cards we've ordered is I can add text and images to the back. It worked out great for Sammy's birthday invitations. I think adding a picture to a birthday invitation is also a great way for friends and family to see your child at their current age. Sorta like a school picture or valentine you share.<br />
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I've already taken a peak at what they have for Christmas cards this year. I'm excited to chose our pictures and a card and have our friends and family receive some pretty mail.<br />
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Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-68605738903496958992013-10-30T21:59:00.001-04:002013-10-30T22:02:19.299-04:00Alexis Rita's Birth StoryHow blessed I feel to have this story to tell. My heart has grown yet again and I am over the moon with love for my new baby girl. We had an amazing birth and I know the grace in which she slipped effortlessly into the world is just the precursor of good things to come.<br />
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Lexi your birth could not have been a happier day. I look back on
your birthday and know it will always be one of the best days of my
life. We were so excited to meet you and see what God had been growing
inside me for the last 9 months. Having a baby for the second time is
almost more special because you know just how wonderful a gift you are
about to receive. As physically demanding as my pregnancy was, I was
totally in awe at how easily you came into this world. I thank you so
much for that! I heard from a friend that girls go easier on their
mamas and for me, from not having to try to conceive, to the lack of morning sickness, to your birth that was truer than true.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your first picture! Delayed clamping in progress!</td></tr>
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Short version
in case you don't want to read the deets: 9 hours of labor and 2 sets
of pushes and boom chicka boom boom there you were slipping effortlessly
into the world as perfect and as healthy as can be. 8/15/13 at 2:02 am!<br />
<br />
Continuing on from the start of <a href="http://blissinimperfection.blogspot.com/2013/10/anticipating-our-new-baby-girl.html">your birth story</a>, I'm going to start this part of your birth story on the Monday before your birth. Nana was supposed to arrive in a few hours and Daddy was busy looking for the camcorder charger I tasked him with packing several weeks prior. I had just put Sammy down for a nap in an immaculately clean home and couldn't wait to get my butt into a massaging chair for a pedicure and manicure and then boom, I come down the stairs to a gigantic mess and no Paul. He's honestly lucky I wasn't home, I was on the hunt for blood after seeing this mess.<br />
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Paul apparently thinks the charger is behind the dryer, the dryer my
friends, the DRYER. This is after he thought it was above a toilet,
under a sink, above the refrigerator... you get the point. Seriously,
who in the right mind,
especially a pregnant woman would put a camcorder charger in any of
those places. Maybe he didn't notice me nesting and organizing all our
cabinets for weeks prior. Bangs
head against wall. 39.5 weeks pregnant is a good time to tear apart your home and do a laundry room remodel, no?. Why do men have such a hard time finding things. It
is by God's grace alone that we are still married.<br />
<br />
He finally returned from Home Depot where he bought a shelf to amp our laundry room up and I escaped for a very needed and long overdue mani pedi. I got my nails done in the colors of your nursery. The blue was also sort of an ode to your brother.<br />
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The next day, Nana and camcorder charger in tow (I found it in two minutes exactly where I said it was), we head to Clemyjontri park for one last, enjoy your time as an only child trip with Sammy. This place is really awesome. Despite the heat we stay for several hours and all have a great time.<br />
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We head home have lunch and get an exhausted Sammy down for a nap and have one last belly picture
taken akin to our last picture with Sammy courtesy of Auntie Stephanie
(thanks mama) and we head on our way to the hospital to have
prostaglandin inserted. I was 39.5 weeks with the too small watermelon and 39.2 weeks with the pumpkin.<br />
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This whole time I've had a nagging sore throat
and am pleading with my body and God to not be sick. Eventually I
muster the courage to ask the nurse to take a peek and bam I'm stuck in
the hospital for an extra two hours courtesy of an unneeded strep test
which of course came back negative. We finally move on to what we went
to the hospital for, the dr. checks me and has me going backwards barely
dilated and maybe 50% effaced. Say what?! I was at least a fingertip
and 80% a day ago according to another dr in the practice. At this point it's
what evs, we are going on 3 hours at the hospital and we are about to
miss Sammy's last bedtime as an only child. I don't not want to miss my
last opportunity to say goodnight to my boy. I'm emotionally not ready
to do that for the first time a day early.<br />
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We finally
head home, get Sammy down, scratch our plans for date night and order cheesecake factory takeout as a
fabulous last meal instead and try and get some rest. I tossed and turned all
night. I was so ready to be at the hospital at the ungodly hour of 6 am
to get this show on the road and meet my girl. I remember distinctly
looking at my phone at 3:36am and thinking yes, only a few more hours! I
couldn't sleep all night and there is nothing worse than trying to sleep
because you know you have to ,and ending up on pinterest/facebook
burning time instead. Wouldn't you know my phone rings when I had just fallen asleep at 5 am. Who
the hell is calling me from a number I only scantly recongnize at 5 am.
I figure I should answer since it couldn't be a wrong number.<br />
<br />
Well the
call was definitely for me. It was the hospital saying our induction
was postponed. WHAT?! I didn't even know that was possible. Apparently the wild weather we had overnight sent every woman in fairfax county into labor. Commence freak out of the century. OMG I was
so disappointed, pissed, frustrated all at once. So much pent up
energy from not being able to sleep and being ready to meet my baby. We
were told to call back at 9 am. We call at 9, still no beds, so we are
told to come in at 12. So we get busy making the best of our second
chance at one last morning with Sammy as an only child.<br />
<br />
We go for a
walk and enjoy the absolutely gorgeous weather. Had it always been mid 70s and no humidity, I could have stayed pregnant forever. Of course we get home to my phone blown up by calls from the hospital. We call them and find out they are cancelling my induction for the day. Ugh, I want to scream! I have barely eaten per doctors orders. How do you do this to a woman 40 weeks pregnant. I make them page the Dr. so he can explain to me what is going on and how we are going to proceed. He calls me back, I'm almost in tears and we decide that if a bed becomes available before evening, they will call me and I will get my butt into a L&D bed ASAP so no one else can steal my spot again. If not, I am in for round two of not being able to sleep, anxiously awaiting my induction appointment at the ungodly hour of 6:30am in the morning.<br />
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At this point I'm famished, I throw in the towel and go to town on leftover cheesecake factory. Screw a semi empty stomach prior to giving birth, Mama's hungry. I get Sammy down for a nap and Paul and I plan to make the best of a bad situation and go on that date after all. I finally manage to get him off the computer and out the door when of course L&D calls all cute and sweet asking me if I'm ready to meet my baby. Why Yes, Yes, I am! So the nurse says, come on don't wait, let's have ourselves a baby.<br />
<br />
We get to the hospital about 3:30pm and wouldn't you know that even with
all the chaos with not having a room for me, we ironically end up in
the exact same room we gave birth to Sammy in and will because of the
shift change coming in a few hours will also have the same doctor too. <br />
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We are finally done with the paperwork around 5pm and Dr. Hodges comes and checks me. I've made siginficantly more progress this time around on prostaglandin than with Sammy. This might be because I've had it in almost 24 hours this time because of the delay in the morning vs. just 12 hours with Sammy. Dr. Hodges breaks my water and starts me off on pitocin, says a funny joke while exiting about not liking needles (threw my gullible self for a loop and looked like a complete idiot) and then I just start getting as comfortable as possible.<br />
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Dr. Zaita steps in for her shift change and I go about telling the nurses what was hard for me during Sammy's labor and what they could do to try and not have the same things happen again. Mainly it was not having to sit on wet towels. Speaking up and being informed helped a ton. I was able to get up as often as I wanted to go to the bathroom or change positions. I'm not sure exactly why I was so stuck to the bed with Sammy, but I'm sure this is why I was able to labor through broken water and pitocin almost 7 hours without an epidural. <br />
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Around 8pm they check me again and I haven't really made much progress. I started about 1-1.5 cm dilated and I was about a 2, 3 hours later. They up the pitocin and we talk about an epi. Dr. Zaita's suggestion makes me laugh. She said just don't wait until you want to kill someone. Maybe she was having flashbacks from Sammy's L&D!<br />
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Somewhere between 8 and 10 pm they come in and up the pitocin again. I felt the contractions getting stronger and closer together, but am still able to breath through them well on my own. I really tried to just channel my pain and concentrate on something else during the contractions. I knew from my labor with Sammy that staying on top of the pain instead of letting the pain just overcome you was key.<br />
<br />
I must have been in lala land because it wasn't until I ask Paul about the contractions coming closer together that he says well they did up your pitocin. What?! How that happened and I didn't notice or remember will always mystify me. It's during this conversation when I'm asking him to rub my feet and back that he begins telling me about his headache and how much his back hurts because of the dryer and how uncomfortable the chair is that he is sitting in. OMFG, What?!! What is wrong with my husband.<br />
<br />
The nurse comes in, Paul asks her for Tylenol for his back....<br />
<br />
I ask her to have the doctor check me to see if I've progressed more since I want to know where I am before deciding on the epi. Dr. Zaita does the check and I'm a 3. I'm thinking that just like with Sam, my body won't progress without the epi, so even though I'm not that far along, I decide that I'm at the point where if I don't get this epi I won't be able to handle the contractions without wanting to kill someone. I really wish I knew if I would progress as fast without an epi, or if it's just what my body needs. If we have another baby I do think I will try and go without an epi. The nurse needs to get 2 bags of saline in me first so timing seems right in terms of me being mentally prepared to go through what I think is the scariest part of labor (having a needle go into your spine).<br />
<br />
Around 10:45pm the anesthesiologist comes in and she is SO nice. So much better than with Sammy. She is patient, waits in between contractions, is gentle, funny. Everything you want. Even Paul comments on how awesome she is, describing the Anesthesiologist with Sammy as a complete jerk.<br />
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The pain of the needle was bad, but not completely over the top like it was with Sam. To be honest, the IV in my arm was way more painful, before, during and after labor. I feel relief pretty quickly and think the epi dose was perfect unlike with Sam where it was just way too high. I'm still numb but can feel the contractions just slightly. About an hour later I am feeling so much pressure and call the nurse to tell her I'm almost positive I'm ready to have this baby. This was so different for me than last time because of how much more numb I was with Sam. She checks me and is shocked to find that I am almost ready to have the baby. The feeling is pretty weird with her checking me. I can feel how dialted I am because I can literally feel her fist turning inside me.<br />
<br />
She pages the dr. and gets orders to turn the pitocin off and epi down. Dr. Zaita got called into yet another c-sec and I am waiting in line, laboring down. All is good as this is giving baby girl some time to make her way down the birth canal meaning less pushing for me. I spend this time truly just trying to enjoy the last few moments of feeling my baby kicking and living inside of me. So special. I'm in no rush to get her out, just want to carpe diem. With my water broken, Lexi's movements were looking so crazy from the outside. They were always very pronounced but the lack of extra fluid just made it nuts. Don't mind the stretch marks aka my tiger stripes, but this picture sorta says it all.<br />
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By the time we are ready to push it's about 1:45am. I didn't realize it would be so fast, so about 10 minutes prior I finally forced Paul to the car to get the Excedrin he didn't want to take because it contained caffeine (again...). Dr. Zaita walks in checks me, looks around and says "So, where is Paul?". We call him over and over and over again and get no answer. I can tell she's getting annoyed, so I try and lighten the mood by telling her why he needed tylenol and how it probably wasn't smart to lift a dryer on his own to find the camcorder charger. 10 minutes go by and we are all getting annoyed. She gets a secretary to contact security to make sure he isn't locked out.<br />
<br />
Security was keeping Paul out of the hospital (sorta funny now), they finally let him in and Paul walks into the room a few minutes later. The look on his face was priceless. Literally all color drained from his face as he saw me with my legs up in the air, ready to push. He almost missed the birth of his daughter. Two contractions later, maybe 4 pushes (?!!), and she literally just slid right out as healthy and beautiful as can be. I couldn't believe how gracefully she came into this world. It was amazing, a feeling I truly won't ever forget. If I hadn't given birth to Sammy and this was my first experience I wouldn't understand the true pain of childbirth. This I could do again and again. Even post partum I didn't have anywhere close to the intensity of pain I had from Sammy's birth. I was fine with a few doses of Tylenol.<br />
<br />
Once Lexi was born, we were able to do delayed clamping, Paul was able to cut the
cord and I was able to hold her and have her cleaned up on me right
away. What an awesome experience. <br />
<br />
My first time holding Lexi on the outside. Born on her due date 8/15/13 at 2:02 am <br />
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In retrospect, I think I must have been very, very close to a c-sec with Sammy. His labor and delivery was so intense, so painful, so eventful. I was turned from side to side almost the whole time, had an oxygen mask on, had a nicu team present at his birth. I'm glad I didn't realize how abnormal everything was with Sammy. All I can say is I have an incredible Dr.. Dr. Zaita was no different during Sammy's very high risk delivery as she was with Lexi's routine picture perfect one. Not once did I have any inkling that there were problems with Sammy's delivery. Truly humbled.<br />
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We stayed in the L&D room bonding and recovering for several hours. Lexi latched on like a champ right away.<br />
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Around 5 am we were wheeled to what had to be the smallest post partum room. It had to have been 4x smaller than our room with Sammy. Apparently with the flood of women having given birth in the morning, all the rooms were booked up solid. We got the last room in the PP ward. Everyone else was being pushed over to Peds. It was pretty cramped once family started to arrive, but we made the best of it. First world problems after all.<br />
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Sammy was smitten when he finally met his baby sister. Here are some pictures of his big debut as a big brother.<br />
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We stayed until mid day Friday. I was anxious to get home and was uncomfortable in our "closet" room. We were able to get an early discharge and come home to celebrate and recover in the comfort of our own home.<br />
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We got Lexi all dolled up in her coming home outfit and off we went to start our new life as a family of four with 2 under 2!<br />
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<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-36592983977499169032013-10-29T23:51:00.000-04:002013-10-29T23:51:08.213-04:00Anticipating Our New Baby GirlIt's always fun to lead up to a major life event. The memories of the anticipation are always wonderful to look back on. The week before your wedding, the days leading up to your due date, even for us the weeks leading up to a fun vacation. As I typed out our daughter's birth story, I realized as much as it was a part of her birth story, it was better to just make this time in our lives their own post.<br />
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Just like with <a href="http://blissinimperfection.blogspot.com/2011/12/sammys-birth-story.html">big brother Sammy</a>, we had a scheduled induction date. This time, I knew it was coming and started asking the dr around 35 weeks when it would be. I was pretty miserable those last few hot weeks being pregnant! I tried as hard as I could to enjoy the last few weeks of my pregnancy, but it was SO hot and I was SOOOOO big. Chasing Sammy around everyday had me begging for naptime so I could rest too. Also, every time I went out I got so many comments about oh you must be past due, blah de blah blah blah (say something nice or don't say anything at all). Now crazy enough as it sounds I do miss being pregnant and the anticipation of a babies arrival as well as all those wonderful baby kicks. So, se la vie, the grass is never greener on the other side. Verdict is still out on whether or not we are crazy enough to get ourselves outnumbered and have more babies.<br />
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After one especially long wait at the doctors office and an errant NST machine sans paper that left me in tears, the doctor finally took pity on me and scheduled our induction for the day before my due date. I again walked out of the office grinning from ear to ear, feeling like I held the golden ticket and not caring about a soul on the elevator wondering why I was so giddy.<br />
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Giving birth this time was a little trickier since we had to coordinate childcare. Emotionally this was so hard for me as it would be the first time I was ever away from Sammy. In retrospect since he did so well without us, I guess I should have bitten the bullet sooner and gone on a childless babymoon for a few days. Lesson learned, toddlers = adaptable.<br />
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Fortunately unlike with Sammy I don't have to start this birth story with a traumatic arrival at L&D 7 weeks early. This time around baby was showing no signs of wanting to vacate the premises. In fact it was the exact opposite. I was so proud at our 24 week ultrasound when I found out baby was already head down. Praise God! Seemed like history wouldn't repeat itself with with a breech baby flipping and sending me into labor early.<br />
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Well, as luck would have it, miss Independent, by the time my next ultrasound rolled around a month later the little miss had flipped to breech and stayed that way until 2 days before I was scheduled to for an ECV in the hospital (ouch), epidural (ouch again) and hospital bags packed and all. I'm sensing the little miss has inherited her mom's nonchalant attitude about procrastinating. Wonderful... Anyways, a full 3 months of anxiety over a csection and lots of <a href="http://spinningbabies.com/baby-positions/breech-bottoms-up/what-to-do-about-breech">spinning babies yoga and handstands in the pool</a> (imagine the looks you get 9 months pregnant, the size of a whale doing handstands in the pool) on the eve of our 37 week ultrasound I felt the take your breath away, hold onto something movements of a 6.5lb baby flipping. Thank you Jesus for an answered prayer.<br />
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So off we go on our merry way counting down the days until baby decides to come on her own. I trusted in both of our inherited procrastinating skills at this point and knew we were in for an induction. I'm positive your Daddy did too because not only did he go to Texas on a business trip for 4 days when I was 37 weeks pregnant, it wasn't until 2 days before giving birth that he decided it was time to pack his hospital bag and uphold his end of the bargain which included packing up all the electronic goods we would want in the labor and delivery room. Leave it to Paul to not be able to do this without my help. Anyways stubborn is as stubborn does and I maturely refuse to help him (more on this later).<br />
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We continued our trend of jam packing fun family outings into the last few weeks of my pregnancy. We did the pregnant pilgrimage to Ikea as a family (Sammy LOVED it), went to burke lake park and rode the train and carousel, spent a ton of time together at the pool, went to Sammy's first baseball game, went to a few summer fairs where Sammy got to ride a ferris wheel for the first time and also went on a few date nights too. <br />
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On our last day as a family of three, we wanted to have one last awesome day with Sammy. We go to clemyjontri park at the frequent recommendations of our friends and had a blast despite the heat.<br />
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After our morning at Clemyjontri park, we went on our merry way getting ready to head to the hospital later that day. Continued in my next post!Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-20074356543164881242013-09-22T15:11:00.001-04:002013-09-22T15:11:13.874-04:00Being Featured!Sounds cool eh?! Well it made me fluff my feathers with pride ;)<br />
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I'm excited to share that one of my go to sources for paint colors <a href="http://involvingcolor.com/blog/benjamin-moore-chestertown-buff-and-behr-sweet-rhapsody">http://involvingcolor.com</a>, featured the <a href="http://blissinimperfection.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-teal-and-pink-nursery-for-little-miss.html">Little Miss' nursery</a> on Friday.<br />
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Hop on over and check it out and go see all the amazing rooms she has showcased. It is an awesome way to see paint colors in action in a normal room. Her <a href="http://involvingcolor.com/involvinghome/home-tour-before-and-after-4-years-later-part-1/">home blog </a>is also amazing. Check out the link for the incredible before and afters of her house.<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-14797665531530513942013-09-11T18:04:00.000-04:002013-09-11T18:04:56.707-04:00Nursing Through PregnancyWhen I first found out I was pregnant in December one of my first thoughts was about Sammy nursing. He was 14 months at the time and was still nursing 5-6x a day. I began doing some research on nursing during pregnancy and not only came up short but also full of conflicting information. There were obvious biases on Kellymom.com and the Leakyboob.com towards it being safe and then of course less breastfeeding friendly sites were on the cautious side and told you to wean. I fortunately knew a few women who had successfully nursed during pregnancy and their encouragement as well as their healthy thriving children gave me the courage to continue on with my goal of allowing Sammy to self wean.<br />
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Had Sammy been knocking out his nursing sessions like other toddlers his age I may have just encouraged weaning, however he was still nursing as much as he did at 8 months and clearly needed the comfort and nutrition. Just like with bottles as a young infant, he was not interested in milk from any other source aside from straight from the tap. This trend continues to this day. I'm now 4 weeks post partum and Sammy is 23 months old. As you can see Sammy loves dem boobies ;)<br />
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During the first trimester there didn't seem to be any change for me in continuing nursing so on we went. However, almost immediately into my fourth or fifth month of pregnancy, nursing became incredibly uncomfortable almost to the point of what it felt like to nurse a newborn who didn't know how to latch onto breasts that had no idea what they were doing. I would literally count to get my mind off of the pain. It was horrible, especially because it was my body's doing and had nothing to do with Sammy. I had to start cutting his nursing sessions short. In a way I wonder if this was my body's way of making sure I allowed my pregnancy to continue without harm (My OBs concern was that my toddler would be taking away the nutrition my pregnancy needed). <br />
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All of a sudden around month 7, in the midst of counting and using the length of a song to get through a nursing session with Sammy the pain just went away. I started to feel like Sammy wasn't dry nursing anymore and could hear him swallowing vs just suckling. I also was able to hand express to see what was up and while the milk coming out wasn't cream in color (it was more clear) it was there and easy to produce. I didn't ever have colostrum leak when I was pregnant with Sammy, so I'm not sure if that is what it was. I showed the lactation consultant in the hospital a few hours after I had given birth to Lexi and she called it transitional milk. I have no idea exactly what that means, but it wasn't my full milk and wasn't colostrum either.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the few pictures of us nursing. Side lying ended up being the most comfortable position once I was pregnant. Bailey likes to get in on the morning snuggles too. And don't worry, I'm wearing shorts, they just are short and my belly as you can see was HUGE.</td></tr>
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A few benefits to nursing during pregnancy were the ample amount of times I was able to sit still with a toddler. I honestly don't know if I could have survived pregnancy without the "downtime" of nursing. It gave me an extra 20 minutes in bed in the morning with Sammy, as well as anytime I needed to rest I was able to just ask him if he wanted to nurse. Normally the answer was yes. Nursing through pregnancy also without a doubt made the transition for Sammy from only child to first child easier. He understands without having to be explained what the Baby is doing. It also made breastfeeding a newborn again one billion times easier. I
was insanely shocked. Even the hospital lactation consultant couldn't
believe how great my nipples looked for having had a newborn latching on
for several hours. I haven't had any pain whatsoever this time. I was
dreading it and am so glad I was spared. I also think the engorgement
process didn't last as long as my breasts are already set to regulating a
supply.<br />
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Also, shockingly, Sammy started to really wean once the baby came home. I'm not sure if it was because I spent two days away from him in the hospital or because he saw the baby nursing from me, or the taste, or it was finally time for him or a combination. Either way, he went from nursing 3x (morning, nap, and bedtime) to 2x a day (morning, nap), then 1x (morning) all withing a week of being home. It was a very welcome change! I had been wanting to stop the bedtime nursing session for a while just because I was so tired by that time of night. Over the last few weeks, he'll occasionally ask to nurse before his nap or bedtime or at odd times like during a playdate (hi Steph). Normally as long as his sister has just nursed I'll let him get some leftovers. Otherwise he waits. <br />
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I hope this information helps other women in the same situation. If you have a normal healthy pregnancy, trust your body and your gut. If your child is ready to wean, pregnancy is as good a time as ever since it can at times be very hard. If your child is showing no signs of wanting to wean and is old enough to get nutrition from other sources, keep on trucking on.<br />
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<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-61737899984798309772013-09-06T22:42:00.000-04:002013-09-06T22:43:22.184-04:00A Beach and Bailey (doggie) Nursery for Sweet Baby Sammy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So this post really cracks me up. When I was writing up the post for the Little Miss' nursery, and wanted to link back to Sammy's I realized I actually never took pictures of Sammy's room once it was complete! I honestly can't believe I'm two years late in posting these pictures. That's one for the record books. </div>
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So without further ado, here is the reveal for Sammy's nursery. </div>
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The Dali Decal I had designed and the beach and Bailey print we purchased in cape may long before Sammy was even a poppy seed in my belly. He loves pointing out Bailey every morning. </div>
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These three Ikea shelves were a last minute edition. I love them! They hold so much art. Sammy loves having pictures of his family in his room too.<br />
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A few closeups. The big silver frame is from <a href="http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/silver-leaf-first-year-frame/?pkey=e|silver%2Bleaf%2Bfirst%2Byear%2Bframe|1|best|0|1|24||1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-">PBK</a> and was an awesome baby shower gift from my Paul's brother and wife. We love it so much, we bought one for the Little Miss' nursery too.</div>
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Another wonderful PBK gift from a dear friend for Sammy's dedication. She even took the picture of him too!</div>
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An empty frame still left to fill and a cute shot from our maternity session</div>
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The target bookshelf was the last thing we added to his room. We accumulated a lot of well loved books over the first year and a half of Sammy's life, so this was a needed last edition. For $80 it looks great too!<br />
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I love this shadow box I bought at homegoods. It holds Sammy's coming home outfit and hat, his footprints from the hospital, his hospital id bracelet and his birth announcement. I wish I had a matching pink one for his sister's room.<br />
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I actually lied, these starfish plaques were the last thing we purchased for Sammy's room. We got them during our OBX trip this past May.<br />
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Paul's mom received an old rocking chair from the church nursery and gifted it to Sammy last summer. He loved it, even at 9 months, so I refinished it with a quick sanding and spray paint and put it in his room.</div>
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So, two years later, the new big brother finally has his nursery revealed. I hope he continues to love his room and crib for quite a while!<br />
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<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-36085946793515230232013-09-06T22:15:00.002-04:002013-09-06T22:15:40.074-04:00Summer Mantel and Decor 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I figured I'd squeak in one more summer post before I down any more PSLs and enjoy anymore fallish weather. </div>
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Here are a few pictures of our Summer 2013 mantel. Lots of starfish, sea glass, sand and shells from beach vacations. A lot of the shells are from our trip last year to <a href="http://blissinimperfection.blogspot.com/2012/09/marco-island-florida-our-first-family.html">Marco Island</a>.</div>
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Hope you liked our simple summery decor. Hopefully I'll post our fall mantel before NYE 2013.Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-81643889602198703902013-09-06T21:59:00.003-04:002013-09-06T21:59:58.746-04:002013 Spring and Summer Flowers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Seasonably appropiate and fashionably late post as always. At least I'm dependable. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh Cut Flowers from whole foods fair lakes. Freshest and cheapest I can find in the area. This is a $10 bouquet </td></tr>
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I love, love, love, love flowers! They make me so happy. I've posted a few times about my love for gardening see <a href="http://blissinimperfection.blogspot.com/2010/08/shop-around.html">here</a> and <a href="http://blissinimperfection.blogspot.com/2011/05/april-showers-bring-may-flowers.html">here</a>. This years flowers made me even happier because they were planted after the coldest dreariest winter ever. They were also cheap! For the Front, Back Deck and Patio we purchased all clearance flowers from lowes and then the $4 for $10 white buckets from home depot that I split up into containers. </div>
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The flowers below in my favorite christmas tree shop planters were the first I planted in late March and were purchased at Merrifield Gardens using a 50% off Groupon. Since it was so cold out, the plants that were for sale were cool weather flowers which meant that while they were an awesome first pop of color right outside our kitchen, a lot of the blooms don't look so great now that it is September. </div>
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This is what the flowers look like now in late summer</div>
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We always buy a bag of bulbs in the fall from costco. Each spring, they are always such an awesome surprise in the front of the house. Putting this post together 5 months later just amazes me. I can't believe how much Sammy has changed! Also, I had a baby girl in my belly girl in who is now happily sleeping next to me! </div>
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These are the $4 for $10 plants from home depot. They are a great buy and great for containers. I planted all these into 8 baskets and containers.<br />
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Here are the clearance flowers from lowes in the front as well as a shot of our crepe myrtle.<br />
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Lowes clearance flowers on back deck. I love the hanging vines. The limey color is so vibrant and the way it falls off the container makes me think of green dread lock plant hair.<br />
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Hope you enjoyed the last pop of summer color from our outdoor spaces we love. Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-7815269488488862022013-09-01T13:59:00.003-04:002013-09-11T15:45:07.519-04:00A Teal and Pink Nursery For The LIttle MissI absolutely love the way the nursery turned out for the Little Miss. It makes me laugh because in comparison to <a href="http://blissinimperfection.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-beach-and-bailey-doggie-nusrey-for.html">Sammy's nursery</a>, second child syndrome definitely reared it's head this time around. In fact, we didn't finish the nursery until the weekend before we delivered, didn't start it until I was 38 weeks and I am just now getting pictures taken 2 weeks pp. We even still need to figure out what to put above the crib. I wanted to buy this piece of <a href="http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/cherry-blossom-art/?pkey=e|cherry%2Bblossom%2Bart|1|best|0|1|24||1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-">art</a>, but it's just too $$ so I'm designing something again from Dali Decals (stay tuned!) Quite hilarious considering we purchased art for Sammy's nursery long before we even started trying to conceive.<br />
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This time around my main concern was doing as little work as possible, especially when it came to painting. I had painted our guest room three years ago and the thought of doing it again so soon wasn't so awesome. Also, given that I was pregnant with a toddler who is the lightest sleeper ever and loves to "help" I knew chances of getting around to repainting this room were not high. So, BM chestertown buff the room stayed. <br />
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The nursery design came to me one day when I was looking at the ballard design catalog that had come in the mail during the spring, everything finally clicked when I saw this <a href="https://www.fabric.com/buy/up-073/p-kaufmann-indoor-outdoor-silsila-poolside">fabric</a> and just like that I enjoyed some naptime <a href="http://pinterest.com/kashchy0618/little-miss-nursery/">pinterest</a> and I knew what I wanted to do for the Little Miss.<br />
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The end result is very timeless and I love that most everything was purchased outside of baby stores. Since her dresser was Paul's from when he was a kid and the crib was my niece's and the mattress was a gift from Paul's parents we were fortunate to not have to spend much money at all. Our big expense was a new rocking chair from <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Enchanted-Coronado-Glider/19717793">walmart</a> of all places for $350 shipped.<br />
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I had most things purchased for the Little Miss' nursery in stages. The items I bought two of had nothing to do with different genders, they were just baby items I knew we needed and couldn't share or use from Sammy.<br />
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For us with two under two and both in diapers this included:<br />
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<li>Changing pad and cover</li>
<li>Dresser</li>
<li>Rocking chair</li>
<li>Humidifier</li>
<li>Fan</li>
<li>Crib</li>
<li>Mattress </li>
<li>Bedding</li>
<li>Bookshelf</li>
<li>Gender specific decor (rugs, art) </li>
</ul>
Without further ado, here are the pictures!<br />
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Refinished hand me down dresser in Behr Sweet Rhapsody and my favorite hot pink Lack shelf from Ikea. They even made the Expedit shelf in hot pink, but only in the double size.<br />
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Closet with these cute <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60095321/">Ikea Bastis Dog hooks</a> (a loved item in Sammy's nursery too), art from a local fair. Metal flower was a kirklands sidewalk sale find on my way into target.<br />
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Originally, I wanted this ikea Expedit shelf as a window bench with some pretty fabric as a cushion. Once the chair arrived though, the room was just too small. Womp Womp. It still looks nice upright, it's just not as fun for the kids.<br />
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DIY Lampshade: So much cheaper than purchasing already made<br />
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Wrapping Paper Drawer Liner from Homegoods:<br />
So cheap and great for baby since it doesn't have a scent. With Sammy, I was extra sentimental and used the prettiest paper from his baby shower<br />
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Closer up of the crib skirt<br />
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Art from VOL 25, purchased in 2010 for the guestroom and worked perfectly in the nursery</div>
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<b>Source list:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Nightlight: DIY using this <a href="http://www.joann.com/shaded-night-light/zprd_10742450a/">kit</a> and <a href="http://www.joann.com/cloud-9-premium-quilt-fabric-straw-hat-pink/zprd_12542544a/">cloud9 fabric</a> from Joann's. $5 </li>
<li>Letter A: <a href="http://www.sarahortega.com/2011/05/diy-yarn-wrapped-letters.html">Pinterest</a> inspiration using a cardboard letter and yarn with embellishments from Joann's. $10 </li>
<li>Art: Local Artist purchased at the fairfax corner art show in Spring of 2013</li>
<li>Metal Flower: Kirklands $20 </li>
<li>Word Art: Purchased in 2010 from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/transaction/28153244?ref=fb2_tnx_title">VOL25 an etsy seller</a>. Total for three $45</li>
<li>Glider: <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Enchanted-Coronado-Glider/19717793">Walmart Coronado Glider</a> $350 shipped</li>
<li>Ottoman: <a href="http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/for-the-home/college-living/room-decor/decorative-accessories/happy-chic-by-jonathan-adler-katie-round-pouf/prod.jump?ppId=pp5002440342&searchTerm=pouf&dimCombo=null&dimComboVal=null&catId=SearchResults&colorizedImg=DP0123201317023552M.tif">JCP Happy Chic by Jonathan Adler Katie Round Pouf</a> $60</li>
<li>Crib Sheet: <a href="http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/chamois-crib-sheeting-girl/?pkey=e|chamois%2Bcrib%2Bfitted%2Bsheet|2|best|0|1|24||2&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-">Pottery Barn Kids Chamois Sheet</a>. (softest sheet EVER) $29 (used a coupon $15)</li>
<li>Crib Skirt: <a href="http://emmmylizzzy.blogspot.com/2012/02/ruffled-waterfall-crib-skirt.html">Tutorial</a> found on <span id="goog_713865359"></span>pinterest (we added two additional layers)<span id="goog_713865360"></span>, fabric from joann's my friends Mom sewed this for us. $20</li>
<li>Drapery: <a href="https://www.fabric.com/buy/up-073/p-kaufmann-indoor-outdoor-silsila-poolside">P. Kaufmann Pooliside silsila</a> fabric with blackout liner (from Joann's ) sewed by my friends mom. Total after searching high and low for a discount $90</li>
<li>Changing Pad cover: <a href="http://www.joann.com/soft-n-comfy-dot-fabric-brown/prd33722/#">Minky Fabric</a> from Joann's, sewed by my friend's Mom using this pinterest <a href="http://thelittlefabricshop.blogspot.com/2011/05/project-nursery-contoured-changing-pad.html">tutorial</a>. $7</li>
<li>Pink Shelf: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80251706/">Ikea Lack Shelf </a> $17</li>
<li>Bookshelf: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20116274/#/90116275">Ikea Expedit</a> $60 </li>
<li>Floor Lamp: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90202174/">Ikea Vidja</a> $50</li>
<li>Rug: <a href="http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-moderno-ombre/pink/200MTVS37A-508.html">Rugs USA, Tuscan Moderno Ombre Pink Rug</a> $123 shipped</li>
<li>Dresser: Hand me down from Paul's parents when they moved. Color is BEHR Sweet Rhapsody, paint and primer in one </li>
<li>Drawer Liner: Wrapping paper from Homegoods $3</li>
<li>Blanket: Homegoods</li>
<li>Pillow: Clearance find from Bed Bath and Beyond $8 </li>
<li>Pom Poms: <a href="http://www.partycity.com/product/bright+pink+fluffy+decorations+16in+3ct.do?from=Search&navSet=fluffy%20decorations&bypass_redirect=1">Party City</a> $15</li>
<li>Mobile: <a href="http://www.3sprouts.com/products/peacock-mobile">3 Sprouts Peacock</a> $20</li>
<li>Storage Boxes: <a href="http://www.3sprouts.com/products/peacock-storage-box">3 Sprouts Peacock</a> purchased at Buy Buy Baby with a $5 off $15 coupon</li>
<li>Closet:<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/ClosetMaid-Selectives-16-in-White-Custom-Closet-Organizer-7032/100597848#.UiN6R7wtZMY"> Closet Maid shelving</a> and <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Martha-Stewart-Living-10-1-2-in-x-11-in-Green-Fabric-Drawer-4924/202040762#.UiN6dLwtZMY">Martha Stewart Boxes</a> from Home Depot. Ooops Paint and <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60095321/">Bastis dog hooks from Ikea</a> Appx $150 for the closet redo (completed in 2011)</li>
</ul>
Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-67382634969120148872013-08-08T00:26:00.001-04:002013-08-08T00:32:17.193-04:00Easter 2013 and an Easter basket for an 18 month old<br />
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Better late than never! Easter 2013<img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-imLGHs3tcmk/UgHWTlfw74I/AAAAAAAACJI/-v13B-IbDMw/s640/Easter+2013.jpg" width="580" /></div>
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A little disclaimer before I move onto Sammy's Easter basket: Easter is a very special holiday for us. While the Easter egg hunts, bunnies, and new toys are fun, we celebrate because Easter gives Christianity it's redemptive Grace. Sitting down for a nice dinner with family and rejoicing in salvation is truly something very special.<br />
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This Easter was extra special because we had just found out our baby's gender and were excited to share the news with our family. I had planned a fun gender reveal with gender specific candy in Easter Eggs and some gender specific frosted carrot cake cupcakes and then whomp whomp, Paul went and told the whole world who of course let it slip to our parents. High five to the face Paul, thanks. <br />
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Here's the little basket I had put together. It's a GIRL!! <br />
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We made Sammy a simple Easter basket and filled it with a lot of fun toddler friendly items. <br />
<ul>
<li>A new book and ball from the target dollar spot</li>
<li>New sippy cup (target sells these seasonal munckin cups with straws for $3, they are the best)</li>
<li>Eggs filled with </li>
<ul>
<li>Goldfish</li>
<li>Yogurt drops</li>
<li>Animal crackers</li>
<li>Socks</li>
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A few new outfits for summer<br />
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His big gift was a water table purchased at Costco. This has been SO
awesome to have on the deck. It keeps him busy while I cook and he
loves it. I see many years of fun ahead with it.<br />
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<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-68262046451620358292013-08-08T00:25:00.000-04:002013-08-08T00:25:14.908-04:00Hello Again!Stopping my mad procrastinating skills and brushing off the cobwebs on the good ole blog.<br />
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It's been a seriously long time and a lot has changed since my last post. If I still have any readers (I added a few other follow buttons since google reader sadly is gone), you are about to experience the world's fastest blog pregnancy. I'm due next week! Most bloggers slow down for their first tri to get a wrap on things, I apparently take off my whole pregnancy.<br />
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Mr Serious. Couldn't get him to crack a smile, he wanted to play with the blocks!</div>
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We found out I was pregnant a few days after our Christmas Party in
mid December. Slightly crazy since I decided to drink up a storm as I
hadn't been able to drink at our last Christmas party in 2010 and then
having to cancel our 2011 party due to newborn Sammy, that I would be
enjoying a plethora of my infamous mimitini's. Oooops. So needless to
say, God gave us a little early surprise Christmas Present. By
Christmas I was feeling more like this was Paul's present and by March I
was feeling it even more so. The couch totally swallowed me up for
weeks on end as I succumbed to the "first trimester" baby incubating
period.<br />
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After having tried for so long to get pregnant
with Sammy in 2010, it was certainly different to experience finding out
I was pregnant without trying. Unlike with Sammy's pregnancy which I
had prayed ceaselessly for, here I was with a gift I knew I would
treasure but wasn't quite sure I was ready for. With Sammy, I knew
exactly when we had conceived, the joy was as immediate as the second
pink line. So many answered prayers, and yet with this pregnancy that
second pink line brought a lot of fear. Looking back though, I know the
surprise was just a continuation of those prayers from 3 years before.
I was so incredibly thankful to not have to experience an early
miscarriage again or the ups and downs of trying to conceive. It took
me much longer this pregnancy to feel better (almost 20 weeks) which was
pretty hard with a young toddler needing me to be active. A lot of
that may have been the crazy cold weather we had in DC (snow in
March!!!) Once the weather finally broke and I started feeling a lot of
movements a lot of the joy of being pregnant was there just like it was
with Sammy.<br />
<br />I showed pretty much immediately this time. By 12 weeks, I looked like I
did when I was 20 weeks with Sammy. Here are the few bump pics I've
taken.<br />
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I was about 14 weeks here in March at a little gym party for our friend's first birthday party<br />
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About 26 weeks here in early May at the Pet Fiesta with Sammy<br />
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And about 30 weeks here in OBX in late May<br />
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I know you are jealous of my awesome six pack ;)<br />
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At my sprinkle at 37 weeks<br />
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Today at 38.6 weeks<br />
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Fortunately my weight gain stopped in late May. I've miracuously stayed the same weight for my whole third trimester. I'm so incredibly thankful. I had already started the pregnancy 10 lbs heavier than I was with Sammy and for me breastfeeding does nothing to take off lbs. It may even keep them on. <br />
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A week out from my due date and I can't wait to meet this little one. Sammy is going to be a great big brother and I think he's a great age for the transition. I'll report back on how it goes ;)<br />
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Anyways, I'll be posting a catch up on Sammy's monthly posts, a trip review from our first family trip to the Outer banks, a new nursery reveal and a few other fun posts I have drafted and never published. Hope you enjoy!<br />
Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-28834983660839480422013-08-07T01:06:00.001-04:002013-08-11T09:53:32.465-04:00Catching up with Sammy (17-22 months!)I really wish I had kept up with these monthly posts. Semi hard to believe that the last time I posted was March. It snowed in March and now I'm sweating from every pore imaginable. So much has changed in our family in such a short amount of time and I have to sometimes just sit back and think about how it's possible for time to seemingly fly and crawl at the same time.<br>
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I mean seriously: March 2013 <br>
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I've heard this said so many times, but if ever there was an age to bottle up these first few months in toddlerhood would be it. What a little man you have become Sammy. You are just a ball of love oozing with an exuberance to explore and enjoy life in a way I have never witnessed before. We haven't really hit the tantrum phase or intentional bad behavior which makes all of the sweet innocence and seeing the world with eyes wide open just that much more magical as a parent to witness. Seeing the mental transformation over the last few months is truly magic. So many connections being made. It makes me wonder how much of this knowledge was there just brewing and waiting to show itself. Also, how frustrated you must have been wanting to do so much but being limited by your physical and mental strength<br>
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We should all love life like a toddler experiencing it for the first time:<br>
Bubbles <br>
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Fairfax Corner fountain for the first time<br>
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This may have been when you finally stopped playing in the dirt. Praise God! </div>
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You love walking in mommy and Daddy's shoes </div>
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OBX for the first time: Late May 2013</div>
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I love you stop to smell the flowers Sammy!! Never stop taking the time to love the simple things!<br>
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At the Reston Zoo. I think you liked the birds so much you wanted to eat them!</div>
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Your first popsicle </div>
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Your first baseball game! </div>
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A lot of what has transpired over the last 6 months (eeeek, I suck at blogging!) should really be split over two posts since the first half of the last six months did have the last tinge of baby and now in it's place is a full blown toddler. In the last month especially your verbal skills have exploded. I'd say the final shift from baby to toddler really happened at the beach in late may. Maybe it was the new environment and just the abundance of new experiences, but I also think it had a lot to do with having both Mom and Dad with you full time for almost two weeks.<br>
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Speaking of independence, there have been some bad smelling roses in this whole change of scenery from baby to toddler. Unfortunately two of my favorite past times shopping and eating out are better enjoyed Sammy free. Gone are our pleasant family of three dinners out. You are fine for 20 minutes or so, but then you are over it and want to get down and find something better to do (my suggestion, chill out and enjoy the conversation little dude). Suffice to say, most of our dinners are now cooked at home or carry out. You also are becoming slightly picky. I'm not talking about chicken nuggets and waffles type of picky, I'm talking about gourmet type of picky which leaves me having to prepare you a hot fresh (non leftovers) meal. A Totally frustrating 180 to watch your eager eater become picky when I'm the type of mom who hates to cook. Good thing we have Daddy to the rescue.<br>
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But hey, what kind of Mom ends on a sour note: I saved the cute Sammy tales for the end.<br>
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Here are some of the fantastically cute things you've done that I want to bottle up like fireflies on a summer night.<br>
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<li>You still nurse and boy nursing a toddler is cute. You make sure everything you like is in it's place. For example, you like to make sure I'm rubbing your hair just so. If not, you take my hand and start moving it in a circular direction while you nurse. </li>
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<li>You also have found another comfort object: your nose. This started with you rubbing the top, then moved to rubbing the sides, and has now moved to you full blown sticking your finger in your nose for comfort. If you are really tired, then both forefingers go into each side of the nose. It is rather gross, but at least it doesn't cost me a fortune in braces or lead to any embarrassing middle school yearbook pictures for you.</li>
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<li>For a while, even though the pediatrician said you were right on track, I was really concerned with your vocabulary. The cute toddler girls in our lives are way more verbal, but around 20-21 months you just went through this amazing explosion in your vocabulary. I had a feeling this was happening because you have this cue of broken sleep whenever some major milestone is about to happen. The way you say the words are so adorable. Some of the funniest are </li>
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<li>Nana= nang nang</li>
<li>Up=Airplanes. You LOVE pointing these out. </li>
<li>Choo Choo, your lips crack me up when you do this. Full out like you are about to give a big kiss.</li>
<li>If I happen to say one, you always say two, no matter what. </li>
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<li>You also have impeccable teething timing. We rarely go on vacation, but both times you have decided it a great time to start acutely cutting 5 teeth at the same time. Glad that's over! We only have one more set of molars to go! </li>
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<li>One thing that has really amazed me is how quickly you remember things and how many a time what you remember hasn't been said or done in quite some time. For example, you watched me putting on lotion and then the next day you found the lotion bottle, sat down next to me, pulled up your pant leg and had me lotion you. This has made getting sunblock on you a breeze! You love your lotion time!</li>
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<li>Some other things you love to do is clean and cook! Let's hope this trend continues. Whenever you reach for the swiffer, you know I've attached a cleaning pad to the bottom. Not going to waste an opportunity for some free child labor ;) </li>
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Hope you enjoyed catching up with Sammy!<br>
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<br><br>Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-21075316214256989532013-03-05T20:25:00.002-05:002013-03-05T20:25:50.770-05:0013, 14, 15 AND 16 months with Sammy!!Happy 16 month birthday Sammy! 16 months!! Wow, Mr. Man, you are a cute busy little man and I'm always loving you more than yesterday. Crossing into toddlerhood has made you much more a little boy now than a baby. It is amazing to watch your personality and imagination take form. Month 15 into 16 marked the start of your defiance...fun, fun fun!! Gotta love the offspring of two strong willed parents.<br />
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There is really one word that best describes you and that is cute. Cute in your kindness, cute in your silliness, cute in your defiance, cute in the way you love certain foods, drink out of cups with those sweet little lips. You are just CUTE! <br />
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Over the last four months there have been lots of changes but they aren't as dramatic as wow, you can hold your head up, roll over, sit, feed yourself, crawl, walk. You still have one big milestone to hit which is climbing but I'm not in a rush by any means for that! I think in part the lack of really physical changes may have been why I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to continue with these monthly posts, but then around 13.5 months I started realizing how many funny, absolutely hilarious things you were doing and wanted to be able to remember them later down the road. I'm caught off guard daily by the things you know and can pick up easily.<br />
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Here are a few of my favorite Sammy things from the last few months:<br />
<ul>
<li>You've learned how to blow kisses and use that as your key to say goodbye, even to strangers. You even say the sound Mauh when kissing. Melts my heart.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>You pick up the phone and start talking. You even pick up things that resemble phones and start talking. And boy do you talk. You are very serious and engaged and have some really animated facial expressions when you're on the phone. </li>
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I let you answer the phone for a telemarketer and the convo went like this: "Hi can I talk to Paul" "YEAH" silence. Telemarketer asks again, Sammy louder which more toy clanging "YEAH" This went on four or five times before the poor guy hung up. Maybe because he knew he was talking to a toddler or maybe because he heard me cracking up in the background.<br />
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<ul>
<li>You give and want the BEST hugs. It is so endearing and wonderful. I truly think your love language is touch. You love to be close.</li>
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<li>I think you may have started to understand the concept of being gentle with Bailey, which means you are now better friends once again. Unfortunately, the love of your life Romie the cat, you haven't quite mastered the pat gently technique. That is still a love hate relationship. You chase him around saying meow, meow, meow meow. I word you learned from your favorite thing on tv, the meow mix commercial. Seriously, your face lights up when you hear it and you sing it back in tune!!</li>
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<li>You are very clean, it is pretty awesome. You like everything in it's place. Even the toilet paper you attack as if you were a rabid cat. Gets torn to shreds and then the pieces placed one by one into the trashcan. You even walk things over to the kitchen, open the cabinet where the trash is and throw them away.</li>
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<li>Keeping up with your cleaning trend, if I open the dishwasher you are there faster than Bailey comes to sound of his cookie jar opening. You love to put all of your sippy cups back together and stack the plates for me. The other day I was putting dishes away and found a paper plate you'd been playing with had ended up put away in the dishwasher. It was even placed the way it should be. </li>
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You also started celebrating the first of many seconds. It is amazing to see the transformation year after year. <br />
Your second halloween<br />
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Second thanksgiving and Christmas: You absolutely LOVED Christmas this year. Your favorite gift was
your wagon from grandma and grandpa. I can see a lot of memories being
made with you in that wagon.<br />
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Second New Years<br />
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We did a bunch of fun local stuff during the Christmas Season. The first was a trip to Frying Pan Park and the second was the Cox's Farm Christmas tree farm. A great time was had and you got to visit Santa for the first time (for free!!). I was happy to report you weren't at all phased by the big guy and Bailey even got to get in on the action too.<br />
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Sammy you are so loved! Thank you for being the light in my life. I will try to get your 17 month post up before you turn 18!<br />
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Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-76090483059914844292012-11-25T23:49:00.002-05:002012-11-25T23:59:31.557-05:00Sammy's First Birthday PartyWe had a blast at Sammy's first birthday party. We love to entertain, so it was really fun to have our friends and family together again in our home. With having a baby who sleeps really lightly, having a lot of company has been on pause for a while. I think now we are back in the swing of things!!<br />
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I was a <a href="http://pinterest.com/kashchy0618/sammy-s-first-birthday-party/">pinning</a> feign and found some really cute ideas for a puppy (Bailey) themed birthday party. I ordered a printable party package for $25 and spent more than I wanted to printing everything off at office depot. I then went to work cutting and adding ribbons (my furry helpers favorite part)<br />
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There were a few late nights, but it was nice to throw Sammy a really cute first birthday party. Most importantly, the man of honor, Sammy had a blast mingling and eating. He absolutely did not enjoy having people sing to him or eating cake.<br />
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Enjoy the pictures and if you were there, thanks for coming and I hope you had a great time. <br />
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<b> A picture for each month</b></div>
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<b>DIY Tissue Pom Poms </b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had lots of food! Veggie and Reg Chili bar with hot dogs, Corn Bread, tortilla chips, guacamole. Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Veggies and Dip and my friend Kim surprised us with her famous pulled pork and mac and cheese.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is pretty much how we roll trying to keep this guy contained now that he can move on his own. </td></tr>
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<b> Smash Cake from Wegmans, I made the banner using craft tape</b></div>
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<b> I made his tie using this <a href="http://www.vanillajoy.com/toddler-neck-tie-tutorial.html">tutorial</a>. he wasn't pleased with the tie, the hat, or the signing of happy birthday. Hopefully he has a lot more years to get used to it!</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why wait until two to state your opinion in a wild way?</td></tr>
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<b> Sammy was blessed with lots of presents!</b> </div>
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<b> He loved the paper, munch munch.</b></div>
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<b>Sammy enjoying the present from his mommy and daddy. His little furry friend likes it too!</b></div>
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<b> Party favors: Bubbles, Play Doh, Cup, Curly Straw, Candy and Stickers</b></div>
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<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-38225281410948573362012-11-25T22:40:00.002-05:002012-11-25T22:40:40.868-05:00It's Fall Y'all!I know, I know, I'm a little late on this one! I originally started this post on Sept 17. I'm just now getting
around to uploading pictures on Nov 25th! I've got some serious ADD, story of my life. <br />
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I don't know why, but I've been dying to say Y'all all of a sudden. What better way to segway Y'all than with Fall! I'm not from the South, so that doesn't exactly roll off people's tongues here in DC. <br />
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I was able to make excellent use of naptime the other day and put out the fall stuff. It seems like this year, the release of my all time favorite drink, the pumpkin spice latte, ushered in the perfect fall weather. I couldn't wait to get my hands on some of Paul's fall yankee candles and see all our pretty pumpkins around the house. Most of the pumpkins my mom bought at the christmas tree shops several years ago. The rest of the decor is either from target, or yankee candle.<br />
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Enjoy! Don't worry, I'll be posting pictures of our halls all decked hopefully before the Mayans come.<br />
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<b>Foyer</b></div>
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<b>Mantel</b></div>
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<b>Living Room/Dining Room</b></div>
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<b>Family Room</b> </div>
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<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-17158237800131056442012-11-19T14:10:00.001-05:002012-11-19T14:12:35.680-05:00A free treat from treat cards!Y'all know I love me some free.99 and I love to share it even more. This is how I was given the nickname coupon queen at work. I was also given the nickname el cheapo, but I digress. <br />
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When I posted the winner of the tiny prints giveaway, my only regret was that I wasn't able to give something to everyone who entered. Fortunately tiny prints contacted me a few days ago with an offer from an affiliate brand <a href="http://treat.com/">www.treat.com</a> for all of my readers to enjoy a free greeting card. The offer is good only today Monday 11/19 & Tuesday 11/20 using code <b><span style="color: magenta;">TREATBLOGR</span></b> at checkout.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In honor of my upcoming 30th birthday!</td></tr>
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If you are a close friend of mine, you are probably surprised (or you should consider the event extra special) when you receive a store bought non generic card from me. The majority of the time, when I give a card with a gift it is a box card or a cheapo .50 cent or $1 card. There are several reasons for this. First I hate spending money on a card, when I could spend it on a gift. Hello, $5 Starbucks card or $5 birthday card. Easy choice, enough said. Secondly and more surprising is I can never choose a card when I actually find the free time to go to the store to choose one and I hate standing there aganozing over which one to pick. So needless to say, a free card just in time for the holidays is right up my alley. I can have the computer narrow down my selection from the comfort of my own home and it's free!<br />
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Winning!<br />
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Have a safe and happy thanksgiving everyone! I know each of us has much to be thankful for.<br />
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Once I get my lazy butt moving I'll get around to posting about Sammy's first birthday party. <br />
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xo<br />
MimiMimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-40717588791337486572012-11-01T23:29:00.000-04:002015-02-05T00:56:21.942-05:00Making it to 100 percent! Nursing for a yearI'm so excited and feel very blessed to say Sammy and I made it to his first birthday without a drop of formula! This was my goal and it is really awesome to have been able to fulfill 100% of it. We've been very fortunate to not have had many bumps in our breastfeeding journey all of which made this awesome and exciting milestone possible and even more special. I know there a lot of women who want to nurse and aren't able to make it this far for various reasons. We were fortunate to not have any early hurdles to overcome which can including having a preemie or a baby in the NICU, a rough start from having a csec, not getting the opportunity to pump at work, etc or sadly because they are ill informed. Because of that I know this milestone truly marks again something that so many people take for granted, a healthy baby! That is the best blessing of all.<br />
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When I was pregnant, breastfeeding was something I wanted to do because it saved money and was good for Sammy's health. It didn't dawn on me, the amazing connection we would have through nursing. Nursing has been a major way I've gotten to know Sammy and myself as a mother over the last year. I think there is something about sitting still somewhere between 6-10 times a day for a good 10-20 minutes at a time that will do that to a mother and her baby. There are so many memories that I've accumulated through this time and while so many days have grouped together over the last year, many of my fondest non singular memories are from nursing. Some are of holding him in the wee hours of the night, or of him stopping racing around a room to climb into my nap kicking his feet contentedly against me and of just being able to gaze into each others eyes in such a calm, peaceful and natural moment. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Bailey loved this special time!</td></tr>
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Looking back over the year, one thing I've really loved is watching Sammy's personality and mental/physical development take shape while nursing. There are so many times when you look at your baby and think, "WOW, you are bigger, or how could your hair have grown that much overnight", or wow, you are REALLY intrigued by those stripes on my shirt, or wait a second, were you really just able to move your body like that?!<br />
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Sammy pretty much won my heart when we were in the hospital and he was nursing for the first few times. After he was done nursing, he would pick up his tiny little head, just far enough that he could settle in on top of my chest and take a snooze. It cracked me up. I was amazed at his strength to be able to do such a profound movement with his neck at such a young age and felt so blessed to have this sweet little person snuggled so close to me. He did this almost every time for the first three months, I so wish I could remember the last time he plopped his sleepy head down on me in one swift motion like that. On a side note, I will add that I'm not trying to sugar coat how hard the first 2-3 weeks were. It was painful and tiring to say the least. I think many women fold in the towel around this time, but it is worth it to continue past the pain of engorgement, getting used to a baby latching and just the sheer exhaustion of being a milk maid.<br />
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The next several months was definitely an adjustment for me nursing Sammy. He was SO distracted! Babies seriously wake up and don't miss a beat around 4 months. Everything had him turning his head to look. I swear a pin could drop and he would crane his neck to figure out where it was, what it was, etc. It was cute for a minute but quickly became frustrating. It was so hard to feed him that Sammy did lose a bit in his weight percentile. I really wasn't sure how to feed him! I ended up feeding him in a dimly light room for a while, sometimes when he was tired in his nursery before and after his naps.<br />
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In April, when Sammy was around 5 months, I ended up with a terrible 24 hr stomach bug. I completely lost my milk supply. I was crushed. Sammy had really never taken bottles and I felt terrible that all of a sudden I couldn't provide for him. I drank water, water, water, water and ate, ate and ate some more. I drank beer, mother's milk tea and somehow managed to get my supply back in a few days to a week. I was determined that this would not be the end of our journey. Since he was so resistant towards bottles, we had to just go along with a supply and demand relationship until my supply came back. One good thing that came out of the ordeal was that my over supply which was always causing Sammy to spit up, finally stabilized to meet exactly his needs. Perseverance and prayer never fail.<br />
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As Sammy moved into the second half of his first year, nursing him became so silly and funny. He was starting to show me just how much he also loved nursing. Most weekend mornings Paul takes Sammy so I can sleep in and rest (yes, I'm a very lucky woman). When Sammy sees me after hanging out with Paul for a while, he's giddy with excitement. He races over to me, tugs at my shirt and plops himself down to top off the tank. Somedays, he can't wait for me to switch sides and flops over so fast I'm glad I have my hands to the side in time to catch him before he falls over or gives himself whip lash.<br />
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Somewhere in the midst of Sammy loving to nurse so much, when he was nine months he <a href="http://blissinimperfection.blogspot.com/2012/07/a-few-unfortunate-firsts-surviving.html">abruptly didn't want to nurse</a>. He was inconsolable, I was so lost and I realized that we do really need to appreciate and enjoy each moment. Babies really do grow up in a blink of an eye. How will I ever know when it will be the last time he does something. At that moment I would have been happy to get woken up at 2 am to nurse Sammy. Until his bout with Roseola, I had started to become very frustrated that I was the only invited guest in his room in the middle of the night.<br />
I guessing that around 9 months is a totally normal time frame for many nursing mothers, myself included to really want to not feel so tethered to their babies. Being able to go away for a weekend with your spouse, sleeping a full night, spending a day alone doing absolutely nothing...<br />
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After experiencing Sammy's nursing strike, I stopped taking for granted the solace of this time period in our lives together as mother and son. Sammy is rambunctious and inquisitive little man. The time when he settles in to nurse is truly the only time that I'm really just able to hold him and love him. It's like a fresh breath of young babyhood amidst the race of toddlerhood. Praise God his nursing strike ended within three days. I no longer take this time for granted and cherish it as a period of time in our lives which is fleeting and special. A beachy vacation alone with Paul, can wait a little while longer. That is why I'm very happy to let Sammy self wean. I've always been pro on demand feeding and Sammy crossing the 12 month mark isn't going to change that pattern for us. I wouldn't even know how to go about weaning him at this point and quite honestly, I see no reason not to follow his lead. I haven't been able to find an answer to why the AAP and WHO differ in opinion as to when babies can be weaned. The AAP says at least 12 months, while the WHO says at least 24 mo. Either way, I have no desire to rush Sammy through a transition for something he has done every single day since the first few minutes of his life.<br />
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I hope you enjoyed a reading about our years journey through nursing!Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-36411657669156244822012-10-31T12:37:00.000-04:002012-10-31T12:37:22.877-04:00A Day in the Life: Sammy Edition, almost 12 monthsI posted this a few weeks ago as a <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-day-in-life-mimi.html">guest blogger for Ashley over at the domestic wannabe.</a> In case you missed it, here is the post!<br />
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I'm a stay at home mom to a beautiful and courageous 1 year old son, Sammy. <a href="http://blissinimperfection.blogspot.com/2012/01/gods-plan-my-plan.html"> If you'd asked me a year ago if I thought I'd be a SAHM, the thought would have been foreign to me</a>. Somehow the second I laid eyes on my son, years of thinking I'd be a working mom vanished from me. <br />
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Today is Saturday October 7, 2012 and my baby Sammy is about to turn 1 in 4 days!!! I can't believe it. Time has flown by too fast and I've fortunately spent the last year trying to relish each and every day I've been Sammy's Mom.<br />
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I would have chosen a weekday, but I kept forgetting to take pictures throughout the day, so I had to choose today as I was running out of time to get this post over to Ashley! Se la vie!<br />
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Sammy slept really well last night, only waking once almost 10 hours after he went to bed. It was 4:52 am and I took my tatas over to see Mr. Sammy who nursed for a bit and went right back to sleep. I was back in bed by 5:15. After getting my husband to stop snoring in my ear, I finally was back in lala land.<br />
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7:00 am on the dot and Sammy is up! Why is it that baby's don't need alarm clocks? This kid has a wicked circadian rhythm. I force Paul out of bed to get in the shower while I nurse him and change him into a fresh diaper. <br />
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7:20: Sammy is ready to play! Fortunately, Daddy is just stepping out of the shower and I hand him over and hop back into bed for a few minutes! Paul has to work today, but I can normally squeeze in at least 20 minutes to myself in the mornings while he gets ready and spends some Daddy Sammy time together downstairs.<br />
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8:00 I'm being summoned as Paul has to leave, so I drag myself downstairs and give Sammy some breakfast. I give him some cheerios, fresh peach, a little piece of a banana and some of my cinnamon raison toast with cream cheese and fresh pumpkin butter from our visit to the pumpkin patch.<br />
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8:30, We are done with breakfast and I straighten up and we head downstairs for some play time. Sammy helps me fold up some laundry and I start chasing him around and making sure he doesn't kill himself. This child is into EVERYTHING. My husband was putting the suitcases away on vacation and Sammy crawled right in. Then he stayed there for 45 minutes! It was a miracle. So now, we have a suitcase in our family room. It's a non torture containment device. Seriously, it's screaming 1 way to entertain your infant with a household item pin on pinterest.<br />
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9:45: I can see Sammy is starting to wain and I take him upstairs and start our naptime routine of getting into his sleepsack and reading to him. He also is getting over a bit of a cold so I clear out his nose with the best invention ever: A <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nosefrida-The-Snotsucker-Nasal-Aspirator/dp/B00171WXII">snotsucker</a>. Yes, worst name ever for the best baby tool ever.<br />
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10:00: I nurse Sammy<br />
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10:25:
He FINALLY goes to sleep and I relax with my google reader, facebook,
texting some friends back all in the cozy of my bed. I've gotten into
the habit of making sure I take time for myself during his first nap.
Sometimes I even take a quick nap. I call it putting oxygen on myself
first. Sammy spent many, many months not napping or sleeping well at
night, the exhaustion I felt was so overwhelming I really needed to
rest myself in order to ensure I was going to be capable of being a good
Mom for the rest of the day.<br />
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11:15: I hop in the
shower, video monitor close by. I want to get myself ready for the day since we have plans to go to a fun
ocktoberfest. I love Fall in
the dc area. Not only is the weather perfect, the leaves are gorgeous
and there is always something fun to do on the weekends.<br />
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11:50:
Sammy is up and ready for me to come get him. He isn't one to wait
patiently in his crib so I try to get him before he goes nuts. I nurse
him for a few minutes and then go to change him. I don't get a new
diaper on in time and while I am holding him, he decides to pee more
than he ever has on me. Seriously, I felt like I was the one who peed
myself. Fortunately, I absorb all the pee and none of it gets on the
bed. Unfortunately, this means me being ready to go when he woke up,
was a complete waste of time as now I have to find a new outfit to wear. At least Sammy looks cute!<br />
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12:20
pm: We head downstairs and I get lunch ready. We are having left over
turkey meatballs with broccoli and cheese and spaghetti squash cooked
in EVO, garlic, basil and lemon juice. It is gorgeous out and I decide
since the days of warm weather are fleeting, we are going to eat al
fresco out on the deck.<br />
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1:00 We are done with lunch and
I clean up the kitchen. We bought these terrible baby proof locks
which when tugged to hard break off. Paul and I broke a couple, before
we realized we had installed them and now Sammy with his herculean
efforts to get into things he isn't supposed to broke more. Finally, I
gave up and made one of the lower drawers a busy box for him. I left a
bunch of the tupperware in there and added a bunch of other things like
buckles, teething things, toys, ribbons to keep him busy while I'm
cleaning up or making dinner. Genius Idea if I don't say so myself!<br />
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1:20: He is still busy in his busy box and the kitchen is nice and clean. I mentally took a picture for you guys but unfortunately forgot to actually do it! <br />
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1:30:
Daddy is home! Paul works as a branch manager for a bank and sometimes
works on Saturdays. He gets a day off during the week if he does, which
is also nice. Last week he took of Wednesday and we had a totally fun
day as a family. Paul also surprised me by taking the reins and painting
our kitchen! I've got a great hubby! Paul takes
Sammy and goes to change with him and play. Sammy loves when Daddy
comes home. It's so cute. He and Bailey race to the door when they
hear the garage door. Bailey was exceptionally excited today and race
up and down the hallway with his bone. Sammy was looking at him like he
had gone mad.<br />
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I use this time to finish the laundry
from earlier. We've been using BG 4.0s with snaps for about 6 months
now and while I was soooo anxious about using CDs, they have been
amazing and such a money saver for our family. <br />
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2:00: I go upstairs to see what's going on since we were supposed to leave right when Paul got home. Instead I see Sammy sitting on the couch watching football while Paul sits at the kitchen island eating! I cease to be amazed by what Paul comes up with during Sammy and Daddy time. If I didn't relish my breaks, I would probably have more to say about it. Trust me, if I had the intuition to bring my phone with me I would have had a picture to show you all. It was a pretty classic are you kidding me right now scenario.<br />
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2:15: It's gotten too late to go all the way to the Octoberfest, so we decide to go for a walk up to an awesome shopping center near our house called Fairfax Corner. They are having an art festival today so it will be another fun free fall day with the fam. Paul decided it was a good time to pump the tires on the stroller and so it was also a good time to snap some photos. The leaves are just starting to turn now and the weather is beautiful. We run into some friends and chat for a minute as we go looking through all the local artists.<br />
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3:20: We are back home and we let Sammy play for a little bit. He hates being strapped in the stroller now and if I don't give him some time to burn off energy after it's built up during a walk I'll never get him down for a nap. I have no clue if this is just a boy toddler, or if he has ADD, but seriously he has SO much energy!<br />
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3:45: Paul takes him upstairs for his naptime routine and I head up in a few minutes to nurse him and put him down.<br />
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4:10: Sammy is sleeping!! No fuss, just a bunch of babbling for 10 minutes until he is finally out. Paul is working on Sammy's first year photo book for his birthday party next weekend. Sweet Home Alabama is on so we watch that together and then I steal the computer so I can type up our day so far!<br />
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I open the mail and I see that Sammy's birthday shirt came in from etsy. So excited!!<br />
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5:25: Sammy's up! I go to get him, nurse him for a few minutes and then bring him downstairs for dinner time! We are trying something new from Trader Joes: Butternut Squash Risotto. It was really easy to make and also really good! <br />
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6:00: Play time! We all go downstairs and play around for a little bit. Super exciting, Sammy walked long enough to catch it on video! He took his first steps on 8/24, but I don't think he realized it. On 9/23 he took a bunch in earnest and then today was REALLY doing it! So exciting!<br />
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6:45: Bedtime is usually Daddy and Sammy time, so Daddy goes up to read a few books and give Sammy a bath<br />
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7:00 Bath Time! <br />
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7:15: Daddy hands me a sleepy, squeky clean baby. I soak up his freshly bathed smell and nurse him.<br />
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7:30: Sammy is in Bed!! Sleeping babies are the best, seriously.<br />
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7:45: Grandma just came over so we can go on a date!! We are buying a new dishwasher and going out for dinner. Yay!!<br />
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8:15: We head out for Lowes and a good spanish restaurant called Alto Plaza. It has great food, always has coupons and has the most wonderful atmosphere. Also very important, they always have $5 margaritas! <br />
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11:00 We get home and are so thankful for my mom having given us some time to ourselves as a couple. What a special treat! <br />
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11:30 Bedtime for mommy and Daddy!<br />
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I love this section of Ashley's post. I found them really helpful when I was pregnant.<br />
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-What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mom?<br />
How naturally mothering came to me. I am the youngest of six, so I have never been around babies. Sammy's diaper was the first I ever changed. I had no idea how much I would love my baby and how easy that makes it to mother, even when it is one of those days that become so long.<br />
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-What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be mamas?<br />
Relax and don't sweat the small stuff. All that matters is that you have your arms and your heart open wide for your baby.<br />
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- What are your top three baby products?<br />
Halo Sleep Sacks: I love these for the peace of mind that they provide. I know Sammy is nice and warm and isn't tangled in a blanket. I was terribly paranoid about SIDS and these provided me decent peace of mind.<br />
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Boppy Pillow: I've used this every single day since Sammy was born. If you are planning on nursing, this gives baby a nice place to side lay and gives your arms a break. Now that Sammy is older it is easier to nurse him without the pillow, but before he could sit up, it just really killed my back without it.<br />
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Motorola video monitor: This has also given me great peace of mind. It is great to see if I need to go in there, or if he is just crying to readjust himself. The screen is big, it has a great talk back feature if you ever need to wake up your baby, plays lullabies and has a thermometer. <br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-41020801285924624322012-10-30T17:41:00.003-04:002012-10-30T17:45:00.588-04:00Drumroll please....!!<br />
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Congratulations to #11, Shauntel! She is going to have a great time selecting a Christmas card for her adorable son's very first Christmas! So happy to be able to provide you with a $50 Tiny Prints Gift Certificate. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I had to google how to do a screen shot on a mac (apple key + Shift + 3) if anyone is interested!</td></tr>
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Thanks for everyone who played along. I wish I had a prize for each of you. If you have a blog of your own, write Tiny Prints, they are always really happy to help spread their name through social media giveaways. There are a ton of <a href="http://www.retailmenot.com/view/tinyprints.com">coupons right now </a>and if you follow them on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tinyprints?fref=ts">facebook</a> they giveaway a lot of cards fairly often.</div>
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I loved all the responses to the tiny prints giveaway. I'm glad you guys decided to play along! It was neat to see all of your choices for cards. It was awesome reminiscing about the things I also loved so much about Christmas. Siblings, smells, food, music, grandparents, presents (esp when we were little). It's exciting now that as a parent I get to help and watch Sammy as he builds these memories.<br />
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Hopefully you don't judge me, but here is the response that made me laugh the most (I mean, I laughed A LOT, I even caught myself laughing to myself when I was nursing Sam in the darkness of his room before he went to bed for the night).<br />
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Yes, I know I have no shame and I have a serious problem. You see, I love people falling (as long as no one is hurt). I used to tivo America's funniest home videos so I could go back and
watch the falls. There would be tears by the time I was done watching.<br />
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Here is Katy's hilarious Christmas time Fail:<br />
<ul>
<li>Katy said "My Christmasfail was when I was about 12 years old - we had just opened
all our presents when I realized we hadn't yet seen the stockings. So I
yelled STOCKINGS and got up to run to see them, and promptly slipped and
fell on my face on the linoleum floor. And yes, the moment was captured
on video!" </li>
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Hope this helped get everyone started to a fun Christmas season. Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-3766551318424656652012-10-29T13:33:00.001-04:002012-10-29T13:33:17.858-04:00Stay Dry, Humble and Win Some Free Tiny Prints!<a href="http://blissinimperfection.blogspot.com/2012/10/christmas-card-time-tiny-prints-giveaway.html">Today is the last day to enter the tiny prints giveaway.</a>
Even if you don't send out Christmas cards, you could use the gift
certificate for birthday cards, thank you cards, or other fun stuff on
the tiny prints website. Plus since only 4 people have entered, odds
are really good! <br />
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I hope everyone is safe and dry today on the east coast. We are all hunkered down enjoying the stillness of the storm. I'm so thankful all our lines are buried and we live across the street from Wegmans.<br />
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This really puts things into perspective. Not just for the servicemen who are cold and wet and in danger, but for the sacrifice of those who have served and given so much that there would be members of our armed services whose duty it is to watch over their grave 24/7 365 even when it puts their own lives in danger. So incredibly thankful that our problems have always been microscopic in comparison.<br />
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Here's what we are up to today!<br />
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Good luck to everybody. Stay dry and safe!<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-36623506674645071162012-10-17T23:02:00.000-04:002012-10-19T23:00:53.956-04:00Christmas Card Time, A Tiny Prints Giveaway!What an exciting time of year. The leaves are starting to blaze away with their fiery reds and radiant oranges. The day skies are crystal clear and blue, the sun is perfectly warm and the nights are giving way to brilliant stars and a crisp cool air whispering that winter and Christmas is coming! I adore this time of year. I love the stillness that you know will
disappear too soon, replaced by the storm of travelers and shoppers and
kids needing to go see Santa.<br />
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I realize this is a bit early to be talking about Christmas cards, but
if you are indecisive with pictures and cards like me, it helps to get a
head start. <br />
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I'm excited to be able to help you get in the mood for fall and the 2012 Christmas season by giving one lucky follower a tiny prints gift certificate worth $50. It can go towards anything <b>except</b> shipping, and <b>cannot</b> be combined with any other promos.<br />
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The winner of the Tiny Prints giveaway will be chosen on <b>October 29, 2012</b> using <a href="http://www.random.org/">http://www.random.org/</a><br />
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<b>To be eligible you will need to:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Follow my blog</li>
<li>Comment on this post with your favorite Christmas memory </li>
<li>For extra entries:</li>
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<li>Leave a comment telling me your favorite thing about this time of year.</li>
<li>Link your favorite tiny prints 2012 Christmas card</li>
<li>Leave a comment telling me your biggest Christmastime fail (did you fall into the fountain when trying to run from Santa?!)</li>
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Last year was my first year using tiny prints. I splurged after seeing on someone's blog the perfect first Christmas card for us as brand new parents. I
knew exactly the picture I was going to use from Sammy's newborn
shoot. Had he been due a few weeks later, I would have probably made
these are birth announcements too. The extra money spent was well worth it. I absolutely love tiny prints. They have the best quality and excellent customer service and they proof all your cards for free (totally awesome considering my abnormal ability to have brain farts).<br />
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They also have a really great selection that includes<a href="http://bit.ly/R7ULIE" rel="nofollow"> Christmas cards with pictures, pet Christmas cards (you know we are the type to have chosen those pre Sammy), Christmas card birth announcements, even cards with space to write about your family's year.</a><br />
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Here are a few of my favorites from the Tiny Prints 2012 collection. If you follow them on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/tinyprints">facebook</a>, you will also be the first to get freebies and specials. Last year I was able to get a personalized valentine's day card for free! If you aren't on facebook, tiny prints has a <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20%20http://www.tinyprints.com/promo/tiny-prints-coupon-codes-promotions.htm">special offers page</a>. Very cool! They also have great <a href="http://pinterest.com/tiny_prints/">pinterest</a> boards with lots of party and crafting ideas.<br />
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* I have been compensated by Tiny Prints to review their 2012 Christmas Cards, however my opinion on their products is solely my own.<br />
<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-70651683296801210222012-10-16T00:52:00.003-04:002012-10-16T00:52:50.426-04:0010.11.12: One Year with Sammy!!! This has been the best, and most speedy year of my life. I have done
everything I can to enjoy each and everyday with you over the past 12
months, doing my best to live with a true intent. How I praise God for the gift of this wonderful life changing year.<br />
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A year and a day ago I never could have imagined a love like this. I had no clue about so much of this world and how true it is that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. In just one breath you taught me so much and I will always love you and thank you for this wonderful gift of making me a Mom, Sammy. You are truly the most special part of my soul. I've always
thought when celebrating birthdays that we should also think of what our
mothers were doing that day. It's hard to believe I was becoming a mom
through so much hard work and pain a year ago. I can't imagine my life
before. It's hard to describe the before and after of a first time
parent. I think that is why when you are pregnant and people ask is
this your first. They always have this air of excitement for you as
they know, the best is yet to come. This saying my friend pinned says
it all. <br />
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As I look into your eyes today, it doesn't seem possible that a whole year has past. It seems like just yesterday we saw each other for the first time and yet, I have seen you, held you, breathed you in everyday of your life and it seems like no time has passed at all. I hope that all the years of your life are this magical and yet, I pray that they all don't go by so quickly.<br />
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To think that when I was 16 and told your Daddy, that I couldn't wait for the day we would be parents together, knowing he would be the perfect Dad, I am amazed at God's faithfulness. That my first love, got to be my last and that through so many storms (some felt like a cat 5 hurricane), we have weathered them and the dream we had so long ago as kids is far better than either of us ever could have imagined. I think of the devastation of what was in December of 2010, a miscarriage and a cancer diagnosis all on the same day and how just 22 months later almost to the day that all seems so far away. <br />
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I will never forget, Sammy. Every good and perfect thing is from above James 1:17</div>
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Today, October 15 is the first anniversary of your due date. On Oct 11, 2011 you made your debut. You were born blue, your umbilical cord wrapped so tightly around your little neck. I have never prayed so fast in my entire life. My heart stopped as I shot up looking all over the room for my baby that had grown from a prayer, to a poppy seed, to what looked like a firefly as we saw you for the first time on a tv screen as we learned your tiny heart was flickering creating a beautiful glow inside your body. You've lived a year of life my love. A huge miracle that so many babies never get to. I will praise God always for you. <br />
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For this Child I Have Prayed 1 Samuel 1:27</div>
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You have gone from a beautiful 8 lb baby who loved to eat and lift your
sleepy head onto your pillow (my breast) . You're a thriving toddler
now and I yearn to hug and kiss and hold close forever.<br />
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Happy Birthday Sammy! We love you "to the moon and back"<br />
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<br />Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912725053938074623.post-7308894409498915202012-10-16T00:34:00.000-04:002012-10-16T00:36:10.050-04:00Twelve Months with Sammy!What a fun month Sammy! I can't believe you just finished off the first year of your life and celebrated your very first birthday. It is amazing how much love you have brought into our lives and those of our friends and family. You truly are a joy and the best part of my soul. I love you so much Sammy. <br />
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This month, you left your sticker alone, but refused to smile. <br />
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I think you may have broken the cuteness meter this month. Seeing you in fall clothes looking like a little man was melting my heart. Baby clothes are cute, but toddler boy clothes, o m g. You also are cutting teeth right and left which is funny because for the last 5 months you've only had two. I think you are up to 4 through the gums and 4 more right on the edge of breaking through. The first top tooth caused some pain for all, but the other ones were so quiet, I didn't even realize they were coming (hopefully that's a trend).<br />
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This month was really fun. The weather was perfect and you were lighting up our days with something new all the time. You had some really big milestones happen this month which included walking and your first words! On 9/23 you took a ton of steps for the first time. You then continued to do it again and again amazing us with how you needed to just let go of your fears and go for it. I took you to little gym for the first time and you were the youngest in the class. It was awesome to watch you see the other toddlers running around. By the time we left you were walking all over the place. I filmed you by the end and you were walking for over a minute straight!<br />
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I can say that leading up to this milestone was hard for you and conversely for me too. I think you were extremely frustrated wanting to walk but being afraid to let go or not having quite mastered the concept in your mind. Your sleep was disrupted and Oscar the grouch could have been your twin. I hate to say it, but there was a definitely a day in there when I swore we would both be better off if I went back to work. Fortunately, once you started walking it was back in business for sweet baby Sammy.<br />
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With the change of weather and your new upright mobility, it was time to fork over the exorbatant amount of money for your first pair of shoes. Seriously, I don't spend this much on my own shoes which will last me more than 2-3 months and are a good 5x bigger than yours. Come on stride rite, have a sale already! You've got some big feet kiddo! 5.5 wide! <br />
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We got you some lunch first (good rule of thumb, never take a hungry baby shopping) and you have started making it a point to take over our food too. Here you are enjoying Daddy's sandwich!<br />
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Your very first word that wasn't mama, dada, baba which I think we apply meaning to rather than you knowing what you are saying was "UP" You clearly said it with hands outstretched for me when I was in the kitchen with you. It totally took me by surprise and you better believe I picked you right up! The funny thing is now when we are driving I hear you screaming Up, Up, Up, Up! Sorry dude, but you mean out and also sorry but you're stuck. Ever since you became mobile you have grown an increasing dislike for being tied down. The stroller and the car are now two torture devices. <br />
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Some other fun milestones:<br />
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You learned how to throw and understand when I saw throw the ball to Bailey! You even initiate playing fetch on your own. Bailey and I love playing with you. Seeing you beam with pride after Bailey retrieves the ball you've thrown is really awesome. <br />
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You dance! At first I thought you were having a seizure but then I realized you were boobing your head to the song on one of your toys. Now you dance when you are standing and it is really freaking cute! I can even say dance Sammy dance and you do it. Pretty awesome to watch you connecting so many words to actions. <br />
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Your fearlessness and desire to get into everything is also increasing. I've turned my head several times and had to raise my jaw off the ground when I see what you've gotten yourself into in a matter of seconds. You are finding your way into everything now by climbing. Your rocking chair, the dishwasher, the kitchen drawers. You are keeping me on my toys little man!<br />
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This month's edition of it got too quiet:</div>
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We also lowered your crib before you figured your way out of it and got hurt. You are getting SO tall! Here you are helping Daddy. I hope you learn how to be a handyman like him.<br />
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You also really started reading on your own, you love it! It cracks me up because you are thumbing through books to look at the pictures. You really love the colors and images from Daddy's berstein bear collection. You also adore touch and feel books as well as any type of peek a boo books. Though, you keep destroying them which is really annoying.<br />
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You are giving the best hugs. They are so wonderful. First thing in the morning or after naps, or sometimes just because we've come to pick you up or you are in the mood to snuggle. They are so deliberate and provide such a wonderful sense of a job well done. I love that you love to be loved and that you adore showing affection.<br />
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We also did a lot of fun fall activities. We took you to the pumpkin patch for hte first time. To the fall festival in our neighborhood and out for lots of walks. It is amazing to reflect back on this time of year last year and remember all the things we did leading up to your arrival, to bring you home to those first sleepless weeks. I have a whole new reason to love fall.<br />
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Happy 12 months Sammy!<br />
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Mimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17794980141176949988noreply@blogger.com0