Sunday, November 27, 2011

snapshots.











      ...morning messes...







...loving looks...
                                                                                                         



...nursing and napping...



...a very "adult" morning - coffee, muffin and poetry...


...a very "baby" morning - tea and toys...











...walking in the warm fall weather...
   ...beetle basking in the sun...



Hope everyone is having a great week :)  Beetle is talking and smiling more than ever!  She is even starting to do this single laugh thing - just one big HA! - so cute.  She also sneezes open-mouthed like her dad (like an old man).  So funny :)

I'm in talks with my job about returning to work and am having such a hard time with the thought of leaving her.  I can't even think about it without crying.  I know that, ultimately, it will be for the best.  It will give Andrew a chance to spend some alone time with Lu and will give us some added income, which we could really use.  I just can't get over the fact that she's only this age (not even 3 months) once, and if I go back to work I will miss so much precious time with her.  I have never experienced this feeling of ... loss.  I know, I know, I'm being overly dramatic.  Maybe "selfish" is the right word.  I don't want anyone else to hear her first giggle or see her roll over for the first time.  I want to be there.  I want to see it, to hear it.  I want her to see my face when she wakes up from her nap and secretly want her to hate the bottle because I've worked so damn hard at this whole breastfeeding thing.  I don't want her to grow up without me watching...ya know?  Anyway, I'm sure I'll be fine whatever happens and Beetle could probably use a break from this goofy face in her's all the time :)
Wish us luck!

homemade.

So, I've been trying to think of cute and cheap DIY projects for the Beetle,  because she's growing so fast that it just doesn't make sense for us to spend a ton of money on clothes/accessories for her.  I still want her to look cute though, and have begun futzing with some of her onsies (see post here).  The other day, I was inspired to make some headbands after visiting Thief and Bandit Kids on Etsy (such cute stuff!)

Pretty easy to do...I just cut up some old t-shirts and either braided or knotted them and hand-sewed them shut to make some really cute head gear for my little babe.  Next on the list - one for me!




Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  We had a great time playing mahjong, family feud and stuffing our faces :)

Friday, November 25, 2011

cousints.

miss eloise:)

We are really starting to miss Miss Eloise.  It's really hard to live in the city, period, to just live here - add to that a baby and the fact that you're 1500 miles away from her nearest/only cousin... you've got one lonely family sometimes.  Don't get me wrong, there are a few NYC moms who I love to chat with and get advice from, but there's just something special about seeing "Lo" and "Lu" together.  They're so similar in so many ways and I just wish we could give them the opportunity and the joy of growing up side by side.


Lua and Eloise :) almost 2 and almost 3 months.


Thursday, November 24, 2011

gobble gobble!


Thank you, baby Beetle, for being such an awesome babe. You make me laugh. And cry. And love more than I ever thought I could:)

Thanks to my hubcap for being such a devoted husband and for taking on the role of 'daddy' so gracefully.

Thank you hand-me-downs.

Thanks to my other mommy friends out there, especially my sister in law, Leslie, and my dear friend, Laura. You inspire and encourage me to be a better mom.

Thank you Tank. You are such an awful pet, but have taught me to have patience for all things.

Thanks grape stomp lady, leprechaun sighting and giggle baby. You have provided countless hours of entertainment this year.

Thank you Costco. 32 pack of toilet paper for 5 dollars? Yes, please. You sure are a lifesaver for us struggling New York City folk:)

Thanks mom, dad and the rest of my unique and joyful family.

Thank you West Village uncles and the amazing meal I am about to eat! Hopefully there will be scotch eggs involved:)



HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Saturday, November 19, 2011

2 months.


I cannot believe it has been 2 months already.  I'm sure every mother says this, but time has just flown by.  At Lua's 2 month checkup, there were a few newborns in the waiting room and they looked SO tinyKinda makes me want to have another ;)


Things that are easy right now:

getting out of the house - it no longer takes 2 hours!
diaper changes
breastfeeding - FINALLY getting rid of the thrush
sleeping - while I'm prepared for this to change, right now, the girl is a champ.

Things that are hard right now:

having patience - I'm not very good on a good day, so this is bad news.

dealing with the fact that I can't stay up late any more, watching movies with the hubcap - this one makes me pretty sad :(  how do moms and dads manage to keep their relationship strong without the late night ice cream, chips and movie date?
 
deciding whether or not to "sleep train" the beetle - seriously, what do we do?

being back in NYC - I kind of want to upchuck every time I hear a car alarm, door slam or pounding from the workers on our roof.  I miss my house and dog and yard.  I miss the space. This happens every time I come back from visiting Nebraska.

Friday, November 18, 2011

emailing

Excerpts from an email correspondence for your enjoyment. Bad words have been changed to protect the children;)

...

the email:

Okay, so I've gotta know what happened on your plane ride home (when you have a spare moment). Was someone giving you lalala for feeding your baby!??? Except for the staring (and then quickly looking away when they realize what I'm doing) I haven't had any problems feeding in public. I'm all set to send some nasty vibes this mean person's way!;)

...

my response:

No, it was waaaay worse. Some dootdootdoot father and his 18 year old son were seated cattywompus behind me and were joking about it the whole time. When the flight attendant brought around cookies, the son said, "maybe we should ask her for some milk!" ...Grrrrr! THEN the guy in the aisle seat across from me leaned over to the girl sitting in his window seat and said, "if she does the other one too, I'm gonna hafta switch ya seats" ... He later helped me with my bag, but I kinda wanted to punch him anyway. People, you see more of my boob in a swimsuit than you do when I'm feeding my child, so get over it! Also, I'M FEEDING MY CHILD, no, I will not go to the bathroom or anywhere else! Dingus.

How are you guys? I so wish we lived closer to you all:( Lu just had her 2 month appointment today! How time flies:) 12 pounds (until she pooed on the table, then 11lbs. 14oz.), 24 inches long... She's in the 90th percentile or above on eveything - the child is huge. She also got a shot that made her little leg sore this evening and every time she would kick, she would cry - poor thing just couldn't figure it out:(

I'm waiting to hear from work as to what the future holds for me there. I'm getting a tiny bit nervous because there is a huge part of me that just wants to stay home with her. We'll see. I hope you're loving being a stay at home mommy!

Give that little lady a smooch!

...

THE END.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

thrifty thursday.

I have a little confession: I loathe some of the clothes we got as presents for Lua. Whew. I said it. And, now that I've said it, I feel like an awful person...the phrase, "don't look a gift horse in the mouth" comes to mind. All I should care about is that my child is clothed, right? It shouldn't matter that she's wearing a onsie that says 'princess in training' or 'future diva' with so much glitter you wonder if it could somehow be a choking hazard.

...but, I do care. I don't want her to be a princess or a diva and - stepping even deeper into the shallow end - I want her to *grimace* look a bit fashionable? I look at her clothes and think..."would I wear that?". I know it's pretty ridiculous, but I know in a few years she'll be picking out her own sparkling jumpsuits and I won't stop her, so why not dress her like me while I still can?

...another but, we don't really have the money to buy beetle a whole new wardrobe from the department store and I am REALLY opposed to throwing out the hideous garments - they're still free and wearable, so that leaves us with only one option - fix it!

I'll tell you now that, for the purpose of this blog entry I used onsies that were plain, so as to save anyone from any kind of embarrassment:) I really do love and appreciate everyone's gifts for Lua and am so grateful for all our friends' generosity.

I decided to clean out my closet at about the same time as I decided to "revamp" Lua's clothes and managed to find some pretty cute materials to cover the glitter. If you know me, you know that i have always been a fan of cutting up old clothes. Basically I'm starting by cutting simple shapes out of my clothes and hand sewing them onto Lu's onesies to cover up anything I might not be so fond of. The first couple attempts are not so awesome (see below), but I'm excited to keep trying!







Above are the first two attempts. Not totally what I'm going for, but close! Below are a few more attempts up close and, just for fun, the cutest little baby butt you ever did see!


Sunday, November 13, 2011

Things that make me go "BOOOOOO!"




...

...my hubcap's oncoming cold
...my thrush (STILL!)
...healthcare in this country
...the length of maternity leave in this country - 3 months, people, really?!?! In many other countries, you get a whole year!
...kegels (I'm sorry, but I hate doing these! I DO find it amusing that it's hard NOT to do a kegel when someone mentions it:)
...good friends having to deal with crappy spouses
...the amount of money we are expected to pay for baby clothes (DIY, HERE I COME!)
...the realization that I'm going to have to break a sweat if I want this bread-dough belly to go away
...the fact that NYC didn't really get a good Autumn
...the death of my parents' pet praying mantis (as grossed out as I was by her, I like having parents that are earthy and bug-friendly!)
...tomatoes
...having to leave Nebraska tomorrow and my family. The Beetle and I have had such a wonderful time on the prairie! Someday, beetle, someday:)

...

Friday, November 11, 2011

good morning!

I love my childhood house in the mornings. It's so peaceful and warm. Someday, I hope the mister, Lu and I can live in a house with a yard and a hammock. And a bee-hive. Can't forget about the bee-hive:)

Lua is so comfortable here, this morning we had her on the kitchen counter and she was singing! And talking! And then she was asleep. No muss, no fuss, just asleep:)




Have a great 11.11.11!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

apollo.






if you know me, you know that my dog, apollo, is hands down the coolest dog EVER. rescued from the Aurora Animal Shelter in 2004, apollo has been a big part of my smile for many years. it wasn't until recently, when asked the "cliff" question ("apollo and andrew are hanging from a cliff, you can only save one....yadda, yadda") that I actually saved my husband...

...and I'm only kind of kidding ;)

apollo was hit by a car a week before lu was born and broke his front leg. Being such an old dog - 14 in December - we weren't sure if surgery was the best option because of the effects sedation can have on older dogs, but decided to give it a shot. amazingly, the vet said he healed like two year old dog!

I'm so happy that he got to meet the beetle, hopefully he'll live long enough to get to see her for years to come!



p.s. PLEASE please adopt a shelter pet. there are so many in need. Find YOUR apollo here: www.petfinder.com

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Family.Foto.





We spent some time with Beetle in the big back yard in Wisconsin and managed to get some pretty great family shots!

Lua's smiles are getting bigger and bigger, she has found that sucking on her hands is AWESOME and, right now, as we drive through Iowa, she could not be more content :)




Oh, did I mention that? My parents drove up to Green Bay to drive us back to Nebraska. 11 hours. With a 6 week old. In a car seat. So far, so good!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

eloise!

Eloise is here!!!

We're having so much fun.

Here's a sneak peek...:)




Wednesday, November 2, 2011

green bay.



We're having a great time visiting with Grammie Nan, Grampie Mel and the rest of the Wisconsin clan! Lu celebrated her first Halloween as the cutest cow in the barnyard and has been so well behaved (she slept the ENTIRE plane ride!) on this trip so far...she's definitely a mover and a shaker...

With a gentle nudge from Andrew, I left Beetle for the first time for almost three hours! I can't believe how attached I am to that little nugget.

Tomorrow, Lua gets to meet her cousin! I'm so excited to hang out with Leslie and Anthony (andrew's older brother), and meet beautiful little Eloise Sophia - Lua's cousin who was born a month before her - (how cool is it that: we share a name!). I haven't been able to find a good mommy group in NYC, so have been depending on my satellite mommies, so it will be nice to be able to sit with another mom and chat/vent ;)