Actually it's more like home with Sofia....which is very, very different than being home alone. Point is Russ is away in Kansas until Sunday. I'm on my own! My greatest fear realized =) and I'm going alright. Probably because he just left this morning. Ask me tomorrow. Seriously, I know I'll be fine. My friend Cindy is flying in tomorrow to hang out with us so that I'll have back up just in case I have a break down. You never know...
I am a little concerned about how we'll sleep over the next 4 nights. I'm not as good a chair sleeper as her daddy is....perhaps she'll be forced into the crib. But then again I need to sleep for work. We'll see.
Sofia had her 9 month appt yesterday along with her 9 month birthday. Man! She's getting OLD. She is 22 pounds, 12 ounces (96%tile) and 29 and 3/8 inches (97%tile). Oh my big girl!!! Her growth is consistent and the dr said it will start to slow down now. She had one shot - her final hep B and then they did a blood draw. Ick. Sofia didn't shed one tear, although she definitely got annoyed with the nurse squeezing the blood out of her little finger.
The dr also told us that shoes don't really matter - no sense in buying a $50 pair. She said anything that's soft-soled and not too rigid is fine. She said the point of shoes is to protect feet from pavement and cold. Bare feet learn to walk best, so when inside it's bare feet all the way.
Baby girl is moving!!!! She is standing up almost completely on her own! She has to grab something for a little leverage, but that won't be for long. Once she's up, she thinks she can let go but she quickly falls over. Such confidence she has though!! People keep telling me that she'll walk soon. Yikes. Not ready for that. Her crawling is great, though she mostly crawls so that she can get to things to help her stand. She slips on our hard wood floors sometimes too.
We need to start her on more foods, but I'm so afraid of choking! I love that she's happily eating her stage 2 meats, fruits, and veggies along with her multi-grain cereal. She loves Mum-Mum biscuits and we give her puffs but she isn't crazy about them and can't get them in her mouth - though I'm not sure she's tried. She just throws them on the floor. I gave her a bite of my banana yesterday and she thought it was alright. Dr says to give her pieces of food about the size of a rice crispie - so small! Better safe.
On a different note, does anyone remember my friend that was going through IF with me a couple summers ago? We had our beta tests on the same day in July 2009. We both had BFN and she did one more unsuccessful IUI before calling it quits, deciding she would live child free. And husband free. She made some big changes in her life and decided to leave her comfortable, but unfulfilling marriage to go out on her own and discover happiness. Well, she sure did!! She met the man of her dreams and is happier than almost anyone I know. And guess what else? She's pregnant! Conceived naturally. If that isn't the universe working it's magic, i don't know what is.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
New Day, New Way
Sorry for yesterday... I was a mess. Perhaps it was Blue Monday (the Monday before my period has always been a problem for me). To be honest, I've lost track of my periods. Is it awful to say that I want to become menopausal? I know the process can be a train wreck, but I'm ready to not worry about these things anymore.
I talked out my issues from Mother's Day with a colleague and realized some things and got my perspective back together. A good friend pointed out that many new moms (especially where I grew up) have a huge support system to include their moms, aunts, siblings, cousins, etc. If I lived at home, I'd have that. He pointed out that I have no one except my husband, so I am doing a lot. Great point. I love him (my wise friend).
Yesterday I discovered my first gray hair!! I realize that getting to 37 without experiencing this yet is pretty good, so I'm not complaining, but I kinda liked not having to worry about that. Not that I'm worried yet - and let's be honest, I haven't not-dyed my hair ever in my life, so covering the suckers won't be a problem.
Today I went to the Dr. Did you know that my pesky liver is still giving me trouble? Yep, those enzymes are still high. He is fairly sure that it is due to "fatty liver" (such an attractive sounds ailment) and that losing weight will help. He actually prescribed me to lose 20 pounds. This is the first time that a doctor has actually told me to lose weight. I hope I take it seriously and do it. I'm using the Lose It app on my phone. Russ has been using it for a while and he's lost 18 pounds (well, la-di-da for him, right? =) Why is it so easy for him? ugh...). And I know that losing weight will help hold off diabetes too. Not too mention that I'll become a hot mom which is what I've always wanted to be! =) (sort of..I mean it can't be a bad thing, right?)
Now on to Sofia world. Baby girl is BUSY! All of the sudden, she is all over the place and won't sit still. She is having so much fun!!! She is pulling up like crazy and I'm sure she will walk waaaay before we're ready for her to. Have I mentioned she's wearing mostly 18 month clothes? They are roomy, but I can't stand when her stuff gets small. No offense to other moms/babies out there, but I just think in general people put babies in clothes that are too small. Things generally look nicer when there's room to move. Also, not sure if I've mentioned this before, but we've transitioned to jammies! No more sleepers for our girl. She's in real pajamas and I love it! They're so cute! My friend told me that she preferred PJs over sleepers and I didn't get it, but now I do too. Only issue is cold feet, but since she sleeps with Russ, it's not big deal. If she were on her own in the crib, I'm not sure what I do about it. We haven't had to use her wearable blanket yet, but maybe that's what we'd do.
We're transitioning her formula from all Nutramigen ($33) a can (we go through almost 3 can a week) to generic brand Gentle Ease ($15 a can!!). Let's hope she tolerates it well. Today she got 1/4 Gentle Ease....
In food news, she's eating lots of different things, but not much table food yet. I need to try and give her more stuff, but I get worried that she'll choke even though I give her the smallest possible pieces. She makes the best faces when she tries new things! You'd think we're giving her poison. But then she ends up eating it and loving it. She still has NO TEETH!
In one week, she'll be 9 months old!!!! And she'll have her 9 month check up on the 17th as well... It's been so long since we've been to the pediatrician, so I'm looking forward to that.
Lastly, next week Russ is out of town for 4 nights next week. I'm nervous. My friend is coming to stay with us because I have anxiety. I know, I'm crazy. I just worry that I'll be dead tired and she'll have a fit and I won't be able to handle it because I'm so tired. I know we'll be fine........... =)
I talked out my issues from Mother's Day with a colleague and realized some things and got my perspective back together. A good friend pointed out that many new moms (especially where I grew up) have a huge support system to include their moms, aunts, siblings, cousins, etc. If I lived at home, I'd have that. He pointed out that I have no one except my husband, so I am doing a lot. Great point. I love him (my wise friend).
Yesterday I discovered my first gray hair!! I realize that getting to 37 without experiencing this yet is pretty good, so I'm not complaining, but I kinda liked not having to worry about that. Not that I'm worried yet - and let's be honest, I haven't not-dyed my hair ever in my life, so covering the suckers won't be a problem.
Today I went to the Dr. Did you know that my pesky liver is still giving me trouble? Yep, those enzymes are still high. He is fairly sure that it is due to "fatty liver" (such an attractive sounds ailment) and that losing weight will help. He actually prescribed me to lose 20 pounds. This is the first time that a doctor has actually told me to lose weight. I hope I take it seriously and do it. I'm using the Lose It app on my phone. Russ has been using it for a while and he's lost 18 pounds (well, la-di-da for him, right? =) Why is it so easy for him? ugh...). And I know that losing weight will help hold off diabetes too. Not too mention that I'll become a hot mom which is what I've always wanted to be! =) (sort of..I mean it can't be a bad thing, right?)
Now on to Sofia world. Baby girl is BUSY! All of the sudden, she is all over the place and won't sit still. She is having so much fun!!! She is pulling up like crazy and I'm sure she will walk waaaay before we're ready for her to. Have I mentioned she's wearing mostly 18 month clothes? They are roomy, but I can't stand when her stuff gets small. No offense to other moms/babies out there, but I just think in general people put babies in clothes that are too small. Things generally look nicer when there's room to move. Also, not sure if I've mentioned this before, but we've transitioned to jammies! No more sleepers for our girl. She's in real pajamas and I love it! They're so cute! My friend told me that she preferred PJs over sleepers and I didn't get it, but now I do too. Only issue is cold feet, but since she sleeps with Russ, it's not big deal. If she were on her own in the crib, I'm not sure what I do about it. We haven't had to use her wearable blanket yet, but maybe that's what we'd do.
We're transitioning her formula from all Nutramigen ($33) a can (we go through almost 3 can a week) to generic brand Gentle Ease ($15 a can!!). Let's hope she tolerates it well. Today she got 1/4 Gentle Ease....
In food news, she's eating lots of different things, but not much table food yet. I need to try and give her more stuff, but I get worried that she'll choke even though I give her the smallest possible pieces. She makes the best faces when she tries new things! You'd think we're giving her poison. But then she ends up eating it and loving it. She still has NO TEETH!
In one week, she'll be 9 months old!!!! And she'll have her 9 month check up on the 17th as well... It's been so long since we've been to the pediatrician, so I'm looking forward to that.
Lastly, next week Russ is out of town for 4 nights next week. I'm nervous. My friend is coming to stay with us because I have anxiety. I know, I'm crazy. I just worry that I'll be dead tired and she'll have a fit and I won't be able to handle it because I'm so tired. I know we'll be fine........... =)
Monday, May 9, 2011
No Supermom
Warning: I think I'm hormonal today. Not sure what's about to come out, but just know that you've been warned.
OK, so it was my first Mother's Day. Let me start by saying that I sort of think holidays like Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Valentine's Day are silly. I mean I celebrate them and all, but I realize that they are manufactured holidays and mostly mean that there is a gift obligation in there somewhere. My husband and I had agreed that these days would be gift-free and just about doing whatever the parent of the day wanted to do. Then I decided that what I wanted to do was have Sofia pick out a charm for my Pandora bracelet. So we went to church, had lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant and then went to the Pandora store where I picked out 5 charms that I liked. We then put them out in front of Sofia and she chose the one that we bought. So sweet that she picked out the charm! That was fun and super cute. It was a great day - don't get me wrong. (and side note, I've already gotten Russ his Father's Day gifts from Sofia, so obviously I'm breaking my own imposed rule 2 fold...go figure) It was a lovely day. (Incidentally, past mother's days haven't been horrible for me either...for some reason it never bothered me to think about mother's day and not being a mom. I think it may have to do with being far away from my mom or maybe because it's always been all about my mom so it's not like anything had changed, I don't know. Point is that while other people made a big deal out of it for me, I wasn't all emotional about finally being able to celebrate after all those years of trying. Strange since I get emotional over everything else. I honestly felt more emotional at Christmas and my birthday about being able to spend it with Sofia. Maybe it goes back to me thinking Mother's Day is silly? Am I rambling? Did you not read my warning?)
Here's the thing. I feel like an impostor. I mean I know I'm a mom, but I don't feel like I deserve all of credit. I'm not looking for "yes you do, don't be silly..." encouraging statements here, I'm just trying to figure out how I feel and wondering why yesterday wasn't the greatest day ever (though it was really good!). I think I'm struggling with the fact that I'm not supermom. I'm a great mom, but I certainly don't do it alone. So this day where mom gets pampered and celebrated because of all the hard work she does every day just doesn't seem appropriate for me. And it's not like i couldn't be super mom - maybe I could. I don't have to be, though, and I think that's the thing. I have the greatest (literally) husband ever. I have the BEST day care provider. Without these two loving, caring, dedicated people I don't where I'd be. Russ DEFINITELY does more than I do for Sofia and our household. I do a lot, but he does more. I didn't need a "break" yesterday to sleep in or not do housework. Russ consistently gives me sleep and does a ton around the house, usually more than i do. Doris loves Sofia and cares about her and is helping her grow and learn when I can't be there. I trust that she's doing all of the things that I would do (and probably more). So, please hear me. I'm not giving myself a pity party because I'm not mom of the year according to traditional definitions. I'm recognizing that I'm in a position where I'm not expected to do it all and I don't do it all. And that's OK. I don't feel a bit of guilt about the support I have. I don't have any guilt about not being with Sofia every morning while Russ gets up with her and gets her ready to go. I don't feel a bit of guilt about not being with her all day. I know that I'm the best I can be because of these people in Sofia's life.
And sooooo......I guess I need to accept being celebrated for the mom that I am and not for the mom that society thinks moms should be. And I deserve to be celebrated because I'm a great mom!
Thanks for letting me process all of that here. I kinda wish I had come up with this conclusion yesterday so that I could had a more giddy day. There's always next year...
Lastly, to my IF sisters out there still on their journey.... I know yesterday may have been difficult. Good news is that it's over! And your babies are their way to you. I wish I could tell you when - it's the waiting and not knowing that gets to you. It is going to happen. Know that it will. Much love to you.
OK, so it was my first Mother's Day. Let me start by saying that I sort of think holidays like Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Valentine's Day are silly. I mean I celebrate them and all, but I realize that they are manufactured holidays and mostly mean that there is a gift obligation in there somewhere. My husband and I had agreed that these days would be gift-free and just about doing whatever the parent of the day wanted to do. Then I decided that what I wanted to do was have Sofia pick out a charm for my Pandora bracelet. So we went to church, had lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant and then went to the Pandora store where I picked out 5 charms that I liked. We then put them out in front of Sofia and she chose the one that we bought. So sweet that she picked out the charm! That was fun and super cute. It was a great day - don't get me wrong. (and side note, I've already gotten Russ his Father's Day gifts from Sofia, so obviously I'm breaking my own imposed rule 2 fold...go figure) It was a lovely day. (Incidentally, past mother's days haven't been horrible for me either...for some reason it never bothered me to think about mother's day and not being a mom. I think it may have to do with being far away from my mom or maybe because it's always been all about my mom so it's not like anything had changed, I don't know. Point is that while other people made a big deal out of it for me, I wasn't all emotional about finally being able to celebrate after all those years of trying. Strange since I get emotional over everything else. I honestly felt more emotional at Christmas and my birthday about being able to spend it with Sofia. Maybe it goes back to me thinking Mother's Day is silly? Am I rambling? Did you not read my warning?)
Here's the thing. I feel like an impostor. I mean I know I'm a mom, but I don't feel like I deserve all of credit. I'm not looking for "yes you do, don't be silly..." encouraging statements here, I'm just trying to figure out how I feel and wondering why yesterday wasn't the greatest day ever (though it was really good!). I think I'm struggling with the fact that I'm not supermom. I'm a great mom, but I certainly don't do it alone. So this day where mom gets pampered and celebrated because of all the hard work she does every day just doesn't seem appropriate for me. And it's not like i couldn't be super mom - maybe I could. I don't have to be, though, and I think that's the thing. I have the greatest (literally) husband ever. I have the BEST day care provider. Without these two loving, caring, dedicated people I don't where I'd be. Russ DEFINITELY does more than I do for Sofia and our household. I do a lot, but he does more. I didn't need a "break" yesterday to sleep in or not do housework. Russ consistently gives me sleep and does a ton around the house, usually more than i do. Doris loves Sofia and cares about her and is helping her grow and learn when I can't be there. I trust that she's doing all of the things that I would do (and probably more). So, please hear me. I'm not giving myself a pity party because I'm not mom of the year according to traditional definitions. I'm recognizing that I'm in a position where I'm not expected to do it all and I don't do it all. And that's OK. I don't feel a bit of guilt about the support I have. I don't have any guilt about not being with Sofia every morning while Russ gets up with her and gets her ready to go. I don't feel a bit of guilt about not being with her all day. I know that I'm the best I can be because of these people in Sofia's life.
And sooooo......I guess I need to accept being celebrated for the mom that I am and not for the mom that society thinks moms should be. And I deserve to be celebrated because I'm a great mom!
Thanks for letting me process all of that here. I kinda wish I had come up with this conclusion yesterday so that I could had a more giddy day. There's always next year...
Lastly, to my IF sisters out there still on their journey.... I know yesterday may have been difficult. Good news is that it's over! And your babies are their way to you. I wish I could tell you when - it's the waiting and not knowing that gets to you. It is going to happen. Know that it will. Much love to you.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Spring Break Catch Up
I've been back to work for three days and am ready for another break!! I know, summer is coming soon and it will be here before I know it. Still, being off was nice. I got to spend every day with my baby girl and I have to say that leaving her yesterday for the first time in over a week was more difficult than I anticipated. I can't imagine what it'll be like when I have her all summer and then have to go back. At least I'm fortunate enough to be able to spend a lot of time with her on these breaks, a luxury that people out in the real world don't have. (I live in the school world, which is far from reality!)
So here's the run down of my week:
- On Friday (a week and a half ago), my mom flew in. That Saturday we had Sofia's photo shoot. It went so well and I'm so happy that we did it! Once we have all of the proofs, i will be sure to share them. I'm very happy with the pictures. Sofia made it through five outfit changes and was pleasant throughout the whole thing. The hard part now is deciding which pictures we want to make into wall photos...so many decisions!!
Friday night, Russ and I went out on our first date night since Sofia has been here! It was very nice. We went to dinner and saw The Color Purple musical that was in town at the National Theater. It's always nice to go into the city, especially one as pretty as DC. We live only 2 miles outside of the city, but we forget sometimes how close we are to some pretty cool things. Russ, who usually dislikes musicals, really loved it and thanked me for broadening his horizons. I am a huge fan of the movie and was actually a little disappointed in the musical. It didn't move me the way the film does. Oh well... My mom did great at home with Sofia. No surprise there, but I relieved to get home.
- On Sunday, Sofia turned 8 months old!!! Yikes, time is flying. Like really flying. Big time. Have I mentioned lately that baby girl has NO TEETH? Where are those little suckers? More on developmental milestones a bit later...
- On Monday, my mom, Sofia, and I drove to Buffalo (about 8 hours away). Sofia did great in the car with mom sitting back there with her. She was an angel and had no problems at all. I was concerned when we got to my house (well, my parents' house but it's the house I grew up in so it'll always be my house too!) and I didn't have my routine established. It was my first time to be with Sofia overnight by myself (well, without Russ at least) and I was worried about how we would sleep and just not being in our own place with our own things is tough. It all worked out very well. Sofia slept on my bed with me. I had a bed rail on one side and then I was on the other. She slept very, very well. We had the option of putting her in the pack n play, but since she doesn't sleep on her own at home (still sleeping on her daddy!), I thought that expecting her to do it away was asking a bit much. She didn't sleep on me, so I counted that as a small victory. The truth is that she would probably sleep just fine on her own if we allowed her the chance.
- On Friday we visited the Easter bunny!!! So much fun! My nephews (Frankie, 5 and Danny, 3) came with us and even sat there with the bunny too. We got a cousins shot!!! Yay!! It couldn't have worked out better, everyone was in happy spirits and it was a great memory. I'll have that photo coming soon - left the large one up in Buffalo so we can't scan it just yet... We also decorated Easter eggs on Friday...it was more of an activity for me and my nephews - Sofia observed. So fun.
- Easter was fantastic! She loved her pretty dress and going through her basket. It was a perfect day.
So, while we were gone, Sofia started crawling full force! Girlfriend is all over the place! Yikes. And on top of that, she's decided that she'll pull herself up and stand whenever possible. This is all happening too fast! I can't deal with the thought of her walking yet! And now I'm concerned about her shoes. Until now, I didn't care too much about shoe quality because she wasn't standing, but now that she is i need to go out and get her some decent shoes. Everyone says Pedipeds, but some swear by Stride Rite - which I'm most comfortable with since it's so tried and true. We'll see...
We're back in her routine now and she was excited to see her babysitters, Doris and Mirna as well as the other little kids that she spends the day with. On Thursdays I teach a parenting class, so i don't get to see her but tomorrow is Friday and we'll have all weekend to soak her up.
So here's the run down of my week:
- On Friday (a week and a half ago), my mom flew in. That Saturday we had Sofia's photo shoot. It went so well and I'm so happy that we did it! Once we have all of the proofs, i will be sure to share them. I'm very happy with the pictures. Sofia made it through five outfit changes and was pleasant throughout the whole thing. The hard part now is deciding which pictures we want to make into wall photos...so many decisions!!
Friday night, Russ and I went out on our first date night since Sofia has been here! It was very nice. We went to dinner and saw The Color Purple musical that was in town at the National Theater. It's always nice to go into the city, especially one as pretty as DC. We live only 2 miles outside of the city, but we forget sometimes how close we are to some pretty cool things. Russ, who usually dislikes musicals, really loved it and thanked me for broadening his horizons. I am a huge fan of the movie and was actually a little disappointed in the musical. It didn't move me the way the film does. Oh well... My mom did great at home with Sofia. No surprise there, but I relieved to get home.
- On Sunday, Sofia turned 8 months old!!! Yikes, time is flying. Like really flying. Big time. Have I mentioned lately that baby girl has NO TEETH? Where are those little suckers? More on developmental milestones a bit later...
- On Monday, my mom, Sofia, and I drove to Buffalo (about 8 hours away). Sofia did great in the car with mom sitting back there with her. She was an angel and had no problems at all. I was concerned when we got to my house (well, my parents' house but it's the house I grew up in so it'll always be my house too!) and I didn't have my routine established. It was my first time to be with Sofia overnight by myself (well, without Russ at least) and I was worried about how we would sleep and just not being in our own place with our own things is tough. It all worked out very well. Sofia slept on my bed with me. I had a bed rail on one side and then I was on the other. She slept very, very well. We had the option of putting her in the pack n play, but since she doesn't sleep on her own at home (still sleeping on her daddy!), I thought that expecting her to do it away was asking a bit much. She didn't sleep on me, so I counted that as a small victory. The truth is that she would probably sleep just fine on her own if we allowed her the chance.
- On Friday we visited the Easter bunny!!! So much fun! My nephews (Frankie, 5 and Danny, 3) came with us and even sat there with the bunny too. We got a cousins shot!!! Yay!! It couldn't have worked out better, everyone was in happy spirits and it was a great memory. I'll have that photo coming soon - left the large one up in Buffalo so we can't scan it just yet... We also decorated Easter eggs on Friday...it was more of an activity for me and my nephews - Sofia observed. So fun.
- Easter was fantastic! She loved her pretty dress and going through her basket. It was a perfect day.
So, while we were gone, Sofia started crawling full force! Girlfriend is all over the place! Yikes. And on top of that, she's decided that she'll pull herself up and stand whenever possible. This is all happening too fast! I can't deal with the thought of her walking yet! And now I'm concerned about her shoes. Until now, I didn't care too much about shoe quality because she wasn't standing, but now that she is i need to go out and get her some decent shoes. Everyone says Pedipeds, but some swear by Stride Rite - which I'm most comfortable with since it's so tried and true. We'll see...
We're back in her routine now and she was excited to see her babysitters, Doris and Mirna as well as the other little kids that she spends the day with. On Thursdays I teach a parenting class, so i don't get to see her but tomorrow is Friday and we'll have all weekend to soak her up.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Spring break!
Spring Break is next week and I'm wondering if I'm going to have time to post (since I'll be away from both my home computer and my work computer), so I thought I'd post a little something now...
My mom is flying in this evening and will stay with us this weekend and then the three ladies (mom, me, and Sofia) will drive up to Buffalo on Monday. I'm a bit worried about the trip. On our two previous journeys home, Sofia was much younger and slept much more and I was in the back seat with her the whole time. This time, I'm driving and mom will be back there with her. She is much more alert now and interested in every single thing that goes by, so I'm worried that she'll be awake more and will become frustrated with being stuck in her big girl car seat all day. I'm sure it'll work out, but not having Russ with me definitely makes me nervous. He'll fly up there Thursday morning and then we'll come back home on the Monday after Easter.
Speaking of big girl car seats...(I haven't told you about this yet, have I?) Sofia is now in her Britax Marathon 70. At first she hated it! But she's getting used to it. I hate that she seems so far away. We had the infant seat in the middle so it was closer to me while I was driving and I could even stick my hand back there and locate her pacifier or just hold her hand. Now she's behind the passenger seat and I can reach her sort of if I'm stopped at a light and really stretch...it's not the same though. Probably better than she outgrows me holding her hand while I'm driving anyway. Like I said, she is getting used to it. A major disadvantage of the new seat is that when she falls asleep, I have to wake her in order to get her out of the car. I used to just crab the infant carrier and plop it in the stroller and we'd go up to our place (remember I live in a high rise condo and park in a large garage). Now I have to wake her up and put her in the stroller. I have sat in the car a few times and just let her sleep while I read or listened to the radio. I can't bear to wake her at times! I'm looking forward to when the seat will be forward-facing, but they're saying now that they should stay rear facing as long as possible! I was hoping that we'd get to that first birthday and then she'd be accessible. We'll see.
Tomorrow we're doing our first professional pictures. We're having a photographer come to our place. She'll set up her studio here and then we'll also take some outside shots - fingers crossed that the rain will hold off! I'm excited about it and have many outfit changes in mind - there will be a tiara involved! It's the tiara I wore when I got married. I'm so excited!
By the way this won't be Sofia's first official photo shoot - she had that last Sunday. Russ's friend creates a catalog for Volkswagen owners - you can order ANYTHING with a VW on it! There's all kinds of stuff like shirts, bags, grills, housewares, and, of course, baby onesies! So Sofia modeled for it and she will be in the catalog! Can't wait to share once I get the pics!
Sofia will be 8 months old on Sunday. Where did that time go? She's literally going to crawl any second, she's loving food, she's coming into her personality more and more, she has NO TEETH to speak of, she is perfection personified. I love her and have appreciated these 8 months so very much. Thank you, universe!
My mom is flying in this evening and will stay with us this weekend and then the three ladies (mom, me, and Sofia) will drive up to Buffalo on Monday. I'm a bit worried about the trip. On our two previous journeys home, Sofia was much younger and slept much more and I was in the back seat with her the whole time. This time, I'm driving and mom will be back there with her. She is much more alert now and interested in every single thing that goes by, so I'm worried that she'll be awake more and will become frustrated with being stuck in her big girl car seat all day. I'm sure it'll work out, but not having Russ with me definitely makes me nervous. He'll fly up there Thursday morning and then we'll come back home on the Monday after Easter.
Speaking of big girl car seats...(I haven't told you about this yet, have I?) Sofia is now in her Britax Marathon 70. At first she hated it! But she's getting used to it. I hate that she seems so far away. We had the infant seat in the middle so it was closer to me while I was driving and I could even stick my hand back there and locate her pacifier or just hold her hand. Now she's behind the passenger seat and I can reach her sort of if I'm stopped at a light and really stretch...it's not the same though. Probably better than she outgrows me holding her hand while I'm driving anyway. Like I said, she is getting used to it. A major disadvantage of the new seat is that when she falls asleep, I have to wake her in order to get her out of the car. I used to just crab the infant carrier and plop it in the stroller and we'd go up to our place (remember I live in a high rise condo and park in a large garage). Now I have to wake her up and put her in the stroller. I have sat in the car a few times and just let her sleep while I read or listened to the radio. I can't bear to wake her at times! I'm looking forward to when the seat will be forward-facing, but they're saying now that they should stay rear facing as long as possible! I was hoping that we'd get to that first birthday and then she'd be accessible. We'll see.
Tomorrow we're doing our first professional pictures. We're having a photographer come to our place. She'll set up her studio here and then we'll also take some outside shots - fingers crossed that the rain will hold off! I'm excited about it and have many outfit changes in mind - there will be a tiara involved! It's the tiara I wore when I got married. I'm so excited!
By the way this won't be Sofia's first official photo shoot - she had that last Sunday. Russ's friend creates a catalog for Volkswagen owners - you can order ANYTHING with a VW on it! There's all kinds of stuff like shirts, bags, grills, housewares, and, of course, baby onesies! So Sofia modeled for it and she will be in the catalog! Can't wait to share once I get the pics!
Sofia will be 8 months old on Sunday. Where did that time go? She's literally going to crawl any second, she's loving food, she's coming into her personality more and more, she has NO TEETH to speak of, she is perfection personified. I love her and have appreciated these 8 months so very much. Thank you, universe!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Growing too Fast
How is it possible that I have an almost 8 month old? Everyone says that it goes by so fast, but you don't realize what that means until you're there. We do a good job of staying present with her and appreciating the moments. The moments are just so fleeting. She'll do a new cute thing, like blowing bubbles, and after a week she's on to something else. It's like we can literally see her grow and learn. I know that if we tried, we could get her to crawl today. She's so close. But honestly? I'm not encouraging it. Once she's mobile, she's gone! Off to explore and learn and grow some more. She'll get there soon enough and it's not like we're preventing her from crawling, we're just not going behind her and helping her do it.
We got our foam tiles for the "play room". We're turning half of our office into a play area for Sofia. We have hardwood floors, so we needed to find a spot that can be a safe place for her to play independently. We're going to gate in the area and let her be free - well, as free as you can be in a small, gated area. The tiles are 100 times nicer than I expected. They're thick! And soft. We'll put it all together this weekend and I'll hopefully b able to share a pic. If anyone needs foam tile flooring, go to http://www.softtiles.com/ Like I said, they are nice!!
I'm excited about a mommy group that some friends and I are starting. At my school where I work, there are tons of babies being born! And with friends of co-workers, we're going to be able to get a pretty large group going. I'm thankful because all the mommy groups in my area are held during the day when I'm working. Stay at home moms defintely need to connect to other moms as to not feel isolated, but working moms needs support too! So I'm glad we're doing this.
We got our foam tiles for the "play room". We're turning half of our office into a play area for Sofia. We have hardwood floors, so we needed to find a spot that can be a safe place for her to play independently. We're going to gate in the area and let her be free - well, as free as you can be in a small, gated area. The tiles are 100 times nicer than I expected. They're thick! And soft. We'll put it all together this weekend and I'll hopefully b able to share a pic. If anyone needs foam tile flooring, go to http://www.softtiles.com/ Like I said, they are nice!!
I'm excited about a mommy group that some friends and I are starting. At my school where I work, there are tons of babies being born! And with friends of co-workers, we're going to be able to get a pretty large group going. I'm thankful because all the mommy groups in my area are held during the day when I'm working. Stay at home moms defintely need to connect to other moms as to not feel isolated, but working moms needs support too! So I'm glad we're doing this.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Full Circle
The bill came in the mail the other day for our frozen embryo storage. It costs $360 a year to store our two little embies. 360, full circle. Basically a dollar a day. It's less than I thought it was going to be. It's weird to be paying for a bill like that - as if we're storing our holiday decorations or furniture we can't fit in our place. We're storing potential people. Weird.
And it brings me to what I've been thinking about a lot lately. What are we going to do with those two little guys? At this time, we aren't interested in another baby. I realize that could change, but we're very happy with our one little baby girl and life is very manageable both logistically and financially. Another baby? We can't imagine it.
Then there's those two embryos. What to do? I can't thow them away. Russ says we should donate them to an infertile couple (not even sure if that's an option). But those are OUR babies. It's not like egg or sperm donation. This would be our baby! I'm not sure I can do that. But are they better off in a freezer? The ethical dilema is mounting.
So what to do? Wait. I'm sure that a year from now I'll have more clarity about what I want to do. For now $360 a year to keep our options open is a small price to pay.
And it brings me to what I've been thinking about a lot lately. What are we going to do with those two little guys? At this time, we aren't interested in another baby. I realize that could change, but we're very happy with our one little baby girl and life is very manageable both logistically and financially. Another baby? We can't imagine it.
Then there's those two embryos. What to do? I can't thow them away. Russ says we should donate them to an infertile couple (not even sure if that's an option). But those are OUR babies. It's not like egg or sperm donation. This would be our baby! I'm not sure I can do that. But are they better off in a freezer? The ethical dilema is mounting.
So what to do? Wait. I'm sure that a year from now I'll have more clarity about what I want to do. For now $360 a year to keep our options open is a small price to pay.
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