Catching up on life

This have been crazy around our house, but I wanted to get everyone caught up.

1. We have walking baby!!!!  As of last week, Jeanette is walking on her own.  She is still crawling some but she's walking a lot of the time and doesn't need to hold on.  She has also mastered climbing the stairs and chasing the cat.  He is not sure what to think about her walking.
   
2. Andrew started his new job about three weeks ago and so far, things are going really well.  He likes all of the people that he's working with and being able to work four, 10 hour shifts has been working better for our family.
3. To try and jump start my weight loss, I joined the new WeightWatchers online program through work.  I've been doing a hybrid workout for a few weeks which involves Turbo Fire and PiYo but I needed to get myself even more motivated.  After giving up fast food and fried foods for lent, I thought this would be a good idea.  Our work offers a deep discount on the monthly fee for WeightWatchers and holds free meetings on campus for employees.  I have had success in the past so I hope it's the same this time around.
   

   

   Love my new workout shirt.

4. Like most people in Ohio, I am so sick of winter.  The weather has been so crazy from -20 windchills, to blinding snow, to big snowstorms that strand us at our house all weekend to rain and fog yesterday which turned to sleet this morning and will turn back to snow tonight.....MAKE IT STOP!
   

   

   This sunrise was pretty, but please snow, go away.
   

5. Jeanette is now in a forward facing carseat which I really like and she loves being able to look out the window while we are driving.
   
   
   
6. On Monday night, Jeanette developed a bad cough, which turned out to be croup.  She has been miserable and taking care of her has been exhausting.  I took her to the doctor yesterday morning and they started her on steriods.  So far today, she hasn't had a fever and I hope that she's feeling better soon.
   
   

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Hope that you are having a good week! 

FIVE on Friday

This week has been crazy, difficult and exhausting....

ONE: As you may have already read, we had our dog put down on Monday.  It was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  So far this week I've called out for her to come eat food off the floor, worried about getting home to let her out and cried when we got a sympathy card from our vet.  I've cried more times than that too.  Life is so different without her and a piece of my heart went with her when she left us.

TWO: I've actually been pretty good about working out over the last two weeks.  I've been doing a hybrid of TurboFire and PiYo which I think is going to help kick my butt into gear.  My diet is slowly getting better.  The first major step was giving up my morning Starbucks run.  I've also given up fried foods and fast food for lent.  

THREE: Winter is an ugly thing for many people this year, central Ohio has been no exception.  It's -9 right now and tomorrow we could get 3-7 inches of snow on top of the 3-5 that are already on the ground.  I have a playdate planned for tomorrow, but may have to cancel if the weather is bad.  Last weekend I missed my nieces birthday party on Saturday because of near white out conditions.....

View from my front porch Saturday at noon

FOUR: Andrew started his new job last Friday and things are going well.  He has gotten back into the groove of things and I think he will do very well with this job change.  I can already tell that his stress level has decreased and he just seems like a happier person.  It's amazing what getting rid of job stress can do for a person.  I'm so proud of him for making this change because I know it was not easy for him.  

FIVE: I'm super addicted to online shopping right now and have been scoring a lot of good deals.  I have also found that searching for online coupon codes can save me even more money, Retail Me Not is my favorite site for coupon codes.  I've been trying hard not to spend so much, but Jeanette doesn't have many 18 month clothes and I'm on the hunt for good deals!  So far I scored some adorable outfits from a Carters President's Day sale and snagged some Toms for her on Zulily.  I plan to take some of her birthday money to Once Upon a Child in the next couple of weeks to find her some used clothes.

Goodbye dear friend

Today we said goodbye to our dear, sweet basset hound Bessie.  She was about 16 years old.  Last week, we noticed she wasn't eating as well took her to the vet and got her on some medicine for a tooth infection.  We figured she would get back to feeling better and everything would be okay.  Then she stopped eating and drinking, she got sick fast and we knew there wasn't much we could do.  We took her into the vet this morning and said our goodbyes, we cried and held her and told her how much we loved her and how much she would be missed.  It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

Bessie was your typical basset hound, smart (maybe too smart), smelly, noisy, lazy and a great family dog.  She adored Andrew since he rescued her from near death when he got out of high school.  She was tied up with another dog, had a broken leg and was almost starved to death.

When we first started dating, she did everything with us.  We used to walk down to the McDonald's in town and get her a little cup of ice cream, take her out on the boat, go for nice walks picnics and even camping.  She loved a mild spring day, taking a sun bath, sleeping, stealing food or begging for food, following her snout and just being loved.

7 years ago when I first met Bessie

The day Bessie came back home, Jeanette was about a week old.

I found this lovely poem and wanted to share.

   So this is where we part, My Friend, 

   and you'll run on, around the bend,

   gone from sight, but not from mind, 

   new pleasures there you'll surely find.

   I will go on, I'll find the strength, 

   life measures quality, not its length.

   One long embrace before you leave, 

   share one last look, before I grieve.

   There are others, that much is true,

   but they be they, and they aren't you. 

   And I, fair, impartial, or so I thought, 

   will remember well all you've taught.

   Your place I'll hold, you will be missed,

   the fur I stroked, the nose I kissed. 

   And as you journey to your final rest, 

   take with you this...I loved you best.

"I loved you best" - by Jim Willis

One year photos

I will keep this one light on the text so you can enjoy the photos from Jeanette's one year photo shoot!

This dress and the next one were mine
when I was little :)

One of my mom's friends made her birthday hat.

I think it's safe to say Jeanette likes cake!

Working mom - one year later

I took nearly three months of maternity leave when Jeanette was born last year and I struggled with the idea of being a working mom.  We found a great sitter, Andrew adjusted his work schedule, my mom adjusted her schedule to watch Jeanette one day a week and I had a few back up plans for care.  I talked to my boss and we came up with a flexible work agreement so that I could work from home one day per week.  I was anxious to go back to work, but the adjustment was not easy.

When I first came back, I was still pumping and my supply started to dwindle.  I took two breaks a day to pump and everyone in my office was great about giving me the time.  But I was stressed, and after a month my supply was gone.  I tried the tea, supplements and even a prescription from my doctor (which sent my emotions over the edge and made my energy level tank).  I beat myself up a lot but decided that formula was the best decision for our family and my sanity.

First day at the sitter

My morning routine for a few months
Decaf Starbucks, pumping, to-do list writing

I slowly got back into the groove of work, child care pickups and occasional sleepless nights.  Where I feel behind, was keeping up on the cleaning, cooking and general daily chores.  When I came home, all I wanted to do was be with Jeanette and I didn't have much desire to get things done.  I gained back some of the weight I lost from nursing (and then some) and fell into a slump.  It's hard not to beat yourself up when you're a mom and even harder when you're a working mom.  You want to be perfect (or maybe that's just me, since I'm type A and a little obsessive), you want to be the best mom, the best employee, the best wife, cook and housekeeper.  But there are nights, like the one below, when you just pass out on the couch after feeding the baby.  There are days when dinner is whatever you can find in the deep freeze that isn't expired or fast food.  

I often question how our family has made this all work and yes, I've had days where I wanted to throw up my hands and say "I quit" but somehow I keep on going.

On a typical day:
I wake up between 5:15 and 5:30am, feed the cat and dog and get in the shower
Get dressed and ready, leave a note for Andrew if he needs to take something to the sitter and I'm out the door by 6:20am

I get to work at 7am and start my day, some days I have lots of meetings, some days I have none.  What I do at work often changes from day to day.

Around 11am it's time for lunch and I try to make a healthy choice in the hospital cafeteria if I didn't pack, which is usually soup and a salad.

At 3:30pm it's time to leave, every day but Mondays and Thursdays I pick Jeanette up from the sitter, I usually get home between 4:30 and 4:45pm.  I get Jeanette settled in the living room, feed the dog and figure out what to make for dinner.  

By 6pm, we are all sitting down to eat.  It's great that Jeanette can eat dinner with us at the same time and we don't have to try and entertain her while we eat.  This also means that we are eating at the table together more, which is good!

After dinner the meal gets cleaned up and lunches are packed.  We watch the national news, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune (which happens to be Jeanette's favorite show, I think it's because there's lots of clapping, bright colors and fun noises).  We don't always watch the whole show because most nights, she get's a bath.  

Around 8pm Jeanette goes to bed and I try to get in a workout or some time on the elliptical.  If I don't workout, I will do some light cleaning or laundry.  From 8:30ish to 10:30pm, you can find Andrew and I watching TV.  I'm usually reading while we watch or doing Sudoku.  I rarely stay up past 10:30, even on the weekends.   

Rinse and repeat - Monday through Friday.

As crazy as this schedule sounds, things are about to get even more crazy!  Andrew is starting a new job on Friday and I am going to have to change my work hours so that I can pick up and drop off Jeanette at the sitter.  I feel blessed to work for a place where the HR office supports flexible working hours for those with families or other life situations that make them unable to be in the office for 40 hours a week.  I'm still trying to figure out how we are going to do it all, but I'm sure we will find a way to make it work.

Even a year in, I'm not sure that I have it all together as a working mom, but you better believe I am trying hard!

At the end of a long work day.

Jeanette - one year old

Jeanette didn't have her one year pediatrician appointment until February 5th, so I decided to wait until then to post her stats.  I still cannot believe that she is a year old!

Height: 31 inches (98th percentile)

Weight: 21 pounds even (75th percentile)

Clothes/Diapers:  Little miss is wearing mostly all 12 month clothes and 18 month sleepers since she's so tall.  She's still in a size 3 diaper.  She has small, skinny feet like her momma and I have a hard time finding her shoes, she can still wear some size 2 or 2.5 baby shoes which range from 6 months to 12 months for a guideline.

Sleep: Jeanette is still the worlds most amazing sleeper.  She sleeps through the night from 8pm till 7am and takes two naps.  I have a feeling she may go down to one nap soon, but I'm not going to push her.  She still likes to suck her thumb before she falls asleep.

Feedings:  We are officially done with bottles, which I find hard to believe but I'm happy at the same time.  No more buying formula and no more bottle washing!  Jeanette now gets oatmeal in the morning when she wakes up along with a sippy cup of whole milk.  She gets a morning snack around 9:30 and lunch at noon.  I've also been giving her milk before her afternoon nap.  It's great that she can eat dinner at the same time we do now so we don't have to worry about entertaining her while we eat!  She also gets some milk before bed at night.  Jeanette LOVES to eat and is all about self feeding, though we are still working on using utensils.

Worst Moment(s): The shots/finger prick at her one year appointment here awful!  I have not seen her scream that hard in a very long time and she was pretty crabby the rest of the day.  I finally got her to fall asleep in the car after offering her some milk and puffs.

Best Moment(s): There are probably too many to name for this month.  I think from 9 months on, we've really been able to see her personality develop.  I think we may have a daddy's girl on our hands as well, she lights up when Andrew walks into the room and immediately wants him to hold her.

Development:  Jeanette has been cruising on the furniture since Thanksgiving but doesn't seem quite ready to let go just yet and walk.  I read that kids who are excellent crawlers walk later and I think she falls into this category.  Other development: talking (dada, mama, uh-oh, kitty, dog, hi, no), rolling a ball back and forth, handing over her toys, playing peek-a-boo either with her hands or putting an object in front of her face, standing unassisted for a minute or two, identifying things by pointing.

Jeanette Likes: Food, the cat and the dog, books, dancing to music, sticking her fingers in your ears and mouth/pulling hair, walking while holding your hands, bath time.

Jeanette Dislikes: There isn't much I can put her anymore, she loves most everything!

Enjoying her first piece of birthday cake. 

Sneak peek from her one year photos with Erica Pitcock Photography.

Enjoying some reading at a family dinner.

Thumb sucking

Harassing Bessie

Enjoying the fish at the doctor's office with daddy.

Sippy cup champ! 

Birthday pancakes at Grandma Sharon's! 

A very late resolution post

I wasn't sure if I would be posting my resolutions here, but I thought maybe it was time to hold myself accountable:

ONE: Healthy living, weight loss and having an exercise routine.  I've made myself a 10 week hybrid workout where I combined Power 90 and PiYo. I'm at the end of week one and taking Friday and Saturday as my rest days.  I have been awful about workout out and terrible about watching what I eat.  I know I need to loose this baby weight and I need to get focused.  Once I get to the end of the 10 weeks I will see where I am at with my weight loss and figure out what I am going to do next.

TWO: Getting my house in order needs to be a priority this year.  We will likely be moving in the next year or two and I have to start getting rid of junk, organizing and cleaning out every room of the house.  It's not fun, but it's necessary.  So far I've cleaned out our coat closet, office and gotten rid of some things in the basement that I've been meaning to take to Goodwill.  Next up, going through a years worth of Jeanette's clothes and then onto our bedroom.  The basement is what I am dreading the most, I really need to go through my holiday decor and the couple of piles of clothes next to the washer and dryer.....

THREE: Kill people with kindness!  I'm not a mean person, but I know I can be a b*tch sometimes.  Recent events have gone on with family and friends that have left me with hurt feelings and wishing that I wasn't a wet blanket.  There is nothing I hate more than being belittled or being made fun of for who I am, but instead of snapping back at these people, I'm going to kill them with kindness.  I no longer want to allow people to get to me and make me feel like I'm 5 inches tall.  I want them to see that I'm stronger than them and that all of their words will just roll off my back.  I know this one might sound "easier said than done" but I am determined!

FOUR: Be present.  I am so guilty of checking my phone too much or not paying enough attention to what is going on around me.  I need to try and be more present this year, if not for me, then for Jeanette and Andrew.  I'm blown away by the fact that my baby is one now, and I want to remember each moment that I can over the next year.  When I get home from work, I need to be present and be a mom, when Andrew gets home, I need to be present and be his wife.

FIVE: Strengthen relationships with family and friends.  Being a new mom has been an adjustment and I really need to get back to the relationships I once had with my family and friends.  I need to make time for people and honor my commitments.  This might be another thing that is easier said than done, but I'm willing to try and make it work.

What are you resolutions for 2015?

My baby is ONE

One year ago, on January 22nd, I woke up to find that just two days after my due date I was in labor.  I had no idea what was going on, I was terrified and though we mostly had things ready for the hospital, we rushed around, found care for our pets and headed to OSU.

I never could have dreamed that the labor and delivery would be so crazy, that I would end up having a c-section at 4am on January 23rd, but all that mattered was that sweet baby girl was here and she was healthy.  We had three names picked out that we liked but decided to wait till we saw her to choose a name, and we chose Jeanette, after Andrew's very dear great aunt.  I had loved the name since we first heard it (also in the running were Eleanor and Amelia).  She was much bigger than I expected at 8lbs, 6oz and 21.5 inches long.

After four days in the hospital (it was more like 5 with the whole day of labor before she was born), we finally got to bring our baby girl home.  That's when life as parents really started.  We had alarms set to wake up and feed the baby, spent many nights rocking her and listening to her cry only to find out my nursing wasn't enough for her and I needed to supplement.  We had many visitors, people brought over meals and gifts and I spent my maternity leave trying to soak up every moment with my sweet girl.

The whole year has been a whirlwind and I've tried so hard to soak up each moment.  All of the milestones were so neat to watch, when she learned to roll over and then quickly figured out she could roll across a room, sitting up, standing, crawling and now she's nearly walking.  I remember thinking it wouldn't go by so fast, but it has and here I am on January 23rd with a ONE YEAR OLD!

To say that this little lady has stolen our hearts is an understatement.  She is so funny, sweet and cute.  Watching her personality develop has been amazing.  I love the sound of her laugh, the look she gets when she's frustrated, how her bottom lip sticks out when she cries, the sweet sounds she makes in the morning when she wakes up, her smile and the joy in her eyes when she sees my face.

Being a mom has changed me in ways I never imagined.  There is nothing more that I love now than a night at home, playing with Jeanette, giving her a bath and reading books and snuggling before bath time.

I've also come to terms with being a working mom and I find that I still enjoy both aspects of my life.  I love having my career and I love being a mom.  I think Andrew has also found that being a dad is amazing and Jeanette already has him wrapped around her little finger.  She gets a hug and kiss before me when he comes home now, but seeing the joy in her eyes when he walks through the door melts my heart enough that I don't even care!

We've been super lucky as first time parents to have a baby that sleeps through the night and has since she was about 4 months old.  She is sweet and friendly and doesn't really know a stranger, she's always smiling sweetly at people in the store and loves being the center of attention.

To my sweet girl - we love you so much baby Nette and you've brought joy, happiness and so many blessings into our life.  I can't wait to see how you grow and change over the next year!

Her one year appointment isn't until February 5th so I will post her stats then.

Jeanette months 10 & 11

So I've missed a few months of updates on Jeanette so I will do my best to update everyone on her progress!

Jeanette at 10 months old

Jeanette is comfortably wearing 12 month clothes now and size 3 diapers.  She LOVES to eat and I swear she would eat till she exploded.  Right now she's down to three small bottles a day, one when she wakes up, one before her afternoon nap and another before bed.  If she gets a late dinner, I sometimes skip the bedtime bottle and she doesn't seem to mind.  She's great at drinking from a cup with a straw and she seems to prefer those over other sippy cups.  Her favorite foods are cheese, peaches, grilled cheese, carrots, bananas and yogurt.   She loves to snack on puffs and cheerios and enjoys water from her sippy cup.

Jeanette at 11 months old

Jeanette was 11 months old just a few days before Christmas and my mom found this ADORABLE dress for her at Macy's last year on clearance.  She looked so cute on Christmas Eve, unfortunately my parents lost power Christmas Eve due to a wind storm, and I didn't take a single picture......I'm really regretting that now.  I did take photos on Christmas day, however I have not even uploaded them onto my computer.  I've really been slacking!

Jeanette is very close to walking and can cruise and walk behind her shopping cart.  She is still a little leery of letting go and just walking but I've been trying super hard to work with her.  I know she is getting closer by the day.  She can crawl so fast that it's unreal!

Currently, Jeanette weighs about 19 lbs and I would say she's close to 32 inches long.  I will find out at her one year appointment which is on February 5th, a few weeks after her birthday.

She's been meeting all of her developmental milestones.  She is saying a few more words now, mama, dada, uh oh (which is so cute), hi and kitty.  I'm trying to get her to say all done and love you as well as doggy.  She loves books and puzzles and could look at her books for hours.  I leave some of her board books out in her toy baskets and she's torn a few of them up, though they were hand-me-downs so I'm not too upset.  

She also loves to beg from you for food if you're eating something.  She will throw a fit if you don't let her have a taste, and much like the dog when she begs, I always give in (unless of course it's something with nuts, in that case I try to stay out of sight!).  Her favorite is when I make myself a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast on the weekends.  

These are a few of my favorite pictures from the last few months.  The top middle photo was taken when little miss was sick, she was a mess that day.  I love the one on the bottom right of her watching Bessie as well, they are just so sweet together.  

Thinking about this sweet girl turning one is unreal to me!  I hope to stay on track with my blogging now!  Thanks for sticking around readers :) 

Well, hello there

Oh hey, it's me.....that girl who never blogs anymore.  For those of you who don't follow me on Instagram (AmandaP0922), yes I am still alive and things are relatively well in my life.  I have however been incredibly busy and focused on my job and family, thus the lack of updates on here.

I plan to update all of you on Jeanette who is growing like a weed and will be ONE on January 23rd.  I really can't believe I just typed that.  So a short update on Jeanette:

• She's almost walking and weighing in around 19lbs.  She eats like a horse and loves to feed herself.  She's weening some from her bottles, but still loves one around nap time and when she wakes up.  
• She's saying, uh-oh, hi, mama and dada now
• We did find a new sitter and she's wonderful, Jeanette is the only child in her care (besides her own kids who are in school during the day) and they have so much fun together

As for the rest of my life, well things have been busy to say the least.  Andrew is looking for a new job, we had our first Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years as a family of three, we are likely going to be moving with in a year or two and we are in the midst of more home projects.

Here are a few photos just so you can see what has been going on around these parts.  Thanks to anyone who reads this and still follows me, I will be better in 2015!

Andrew got his first deer this year during bow season, a nice sized 8pt buck.
I'm glad we paid to have the deer processed, the meat is good
leaner than beef and a lot cheaper in the long run! 

Jeanette on Christmas morning! 

11 months old in her Christmas Dress in front of my mom's
aluminum tree! 

Mom life!

Baby girl got pretty sick for the first time :(

I was pretty spoiled this Christmas by the hubby.

New Year's Eve was pretty low key this year.

Jeanette loves to watch Bessie, they are such buddies! 

What happened to my little baby?!?!

This girl, she's so silly and sweet.