Too cute for words

Ok. So, have you ever seen something that was so cute that it brought tears to your eyes? Well, the first time I saw all the babies in the buggy I literally couldn't hold back the tears. It was one of the sweetest things I had ever seen.

My first sight of Lola in the buggy will never leave my mind. It was really too cute for words. Like I always do, I walked into the day-care to pick up Lo. As I signed Lola out, I greeted all the ladies in the front. They had mentioned that they thought Lola was in the buggy. I didn't know what that meant until I saw it. I almost died...It was so adorable!!!! At the time, there were 5 kids in the buggy. Poor baby Lo was on the back seat by herself. Of course she didn't know any different but it still just broke my heart in a really sweet way (not sure if that makes sense). Anyway, Clay said the next day when he picked her up, they were in the buggy again and Lo was front row joe. Oh....too cute.

Apparently, when the weather is nice, they load the babies up a couple times a day and stroll them around the day-care and they get to go outside for some fresh air. They said they love it!!! I can imagine they do...I would love to be strolled around in one of these things. My mom was able to capture a picture and I was thrilled. That's Miss Yolanda (one of Lola's fav teachers) pushing them around. Seriously....it doesn't get much cuter....love it!!!

www.jorycordy.com

See attached gallery of our photo shoot.

http://www.jorycordy.com/odomfamily/

Poisoned Profits

Did you know that dryer clothes are one of the worst things you can bring into your house??? Crazy right??? The other day I was listening to one of my favorite talk shows "Think" on NPR and these two authors, Philip & Alice Shabecoff, were on talking about their new book "Poisoned Profits: The Toxic Assault on our Children". The things they were saying was absolutely terrifying to me. I ordered the book but I'm scared to read it.

I don't want to get into too much detail but I highly recommend anyone who has kids or is thinking about having kids buy/read this book. If for anything, they have a chapter in the book that lists "helpful tips" on how we can help avoid the exposure of toxins to our kids. Get it...this is a MUST HAVE!!! Here is a quick description of the book:

In this shocking and sobering book, two fearless journalists directly and definitively link industrial toxins to the current rise in childhood disease and death. In the tradition of Silent Spring, Poisoned Profits is a landmark investigation, an eye-opening account of a country that prizes money over children’s health.

With indisputable data, Philip Shabecoff and Alice Shabecoff reveal that the children of baby boomers–the first to be raised in a truly “toxified” world–have higher rates of birth defects, asthma, cancer, autism, and other serious illnesses than previous generations. In piercing case histories, the authors identify the culprit as corporate pollution. Here are the stories of such places as Dickson, Tennessee, where babies were born with cleft lips and palates after landfill chemicals seeped into the water, and Port Neches, Texas, where so many graduates of a high school near synthetic rubber and chemical plants contracted cancer that the school was nicknamed “Leukemia High.”

The danger to our children isn’t just in the outside world, though. The Shabecoffs provide evidence that our homes are now infested with everything from dangerous flame retardants in crib mattresses to harmful plastic softeners in teething rings to antibiotics and arsenic in chicken–additives that are absorbed by growing and physically vulnerable kids as well as by pregnant women. Compounding the problem are chemical corporations that sabotage investigations and regulations, a government that refuses to police these companies, and corporate-hired scientists who keep pertinent secrets massaged with skewed data of their own.

Poisoned Profits also demonstrates how people are fighting back, whether through grassroots parents’ groups putting pressure on politicians, the rise of “ecotheology” in the pulpits of formerly indifferent churches, or the new “green chemistry” being practiced in labs to replace bad elements with good. The Shabecoffs also include helpful tips on reducing risks to children in how they eat and play, and in how parents clean and maintain their homes.

Powerful, unflinching, and eminently readable, Poisoned Profits is a wake-up call that is bound to inspire talk and force change.

Off to Atlanta

Hello all. I'm off to Atlanta and haven't had time to post any fun blogs this week. I have some good stuff so I hope to have time toward the end of the week.

We had pictures taken this past weekend. It was a blast! I also hope to get the link to the gallery up on the blog this week so everyone can see. The photographer was fabulous!!! In the meantime, you can go to the following blog to get a quick preview.

http://blog.jorycordy.com/

Be back in a couple of days!!!

Junction Trip

Over Labor Day weekend we went to Junction with my family to enjoy being out in the country. It was very relaxing and a ton of fun. The ride down with Adam and Brana was great. We were able to catch up on conversation and luckily due to the fab Orbit toddler seat, we enjoyed the ride. We stopped in Brady at the famous Hard Eight BBQ joint...it was good but not as good as Coopers (we stopped there on the way to Fredericksburg with Molly & Ben). Then it was time to stock up on brewskies and start the weekend off right. We loaded up in the Bronco with Lo in tow and drove around checking out the beautiful land. WOW...it is amazing out there. Here are some pics of our adventures in the Bronco.

We also spent a lot of time on the back porch enjoying the views. We talked, ate, drank, ate, enjoyed the views, ate, went kayaking on the Llano river and ate some more. Do you see a trend here? There was lots of eating going on. I've determined that not only have I gained back the 6 lbs I lost when I was sick but I've probably gained another 3 lbs on top of that. It was worth it but it's now time to buckle down.

There was one downfall to the trip....it appears Lola and cedar trees do not mix well. She had horrible allergies the entire weekend. This meant no sleep. When I say "no sleep", I mean NONE. She was up at least every hour if not more. It was miserable for all of us. I think she would wake up scared b/c she felt like she couldn't breathe. Poor baby girl. She's doing fine now...all cleared up and sleeping 10 -12 hours at nights.

Oh, I also forgot to tell yall that Brana found a horny toad. How cool is that! These little suckers are going extinct but randomly she found one. Look how cute he is. Clay has great childhood memories of catching horny toads so he was loving it.

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!!

I must confess

As I was driving to work this morning several things crossed my mind and I decided I would not post the blog that I prepared last night rather I would confess some things to my fellow blog readers.

Firstly, I'm obsessed with the Kidd Kraddick morning talk show. Even those who know me best may not know this. When I found myself sending a text message to my sister-in-law, Brana, at 7:45 a.m. this morning to find out if Kidd and his wife Carolyn split I thought first of all I'm 32 and trying to get gossip about Kidd Kraddick of all people and second of all this may be considered major obsession. Of course, Brana quickly responded back with the answer and I was very upset to hear the sad news that Kidd and Carolyn are getting a divorce. It's funny b/c we talk about them like we know them. Like Diet Coke (DC), this morning show is something I absolutely HAVE to have to get me going in the mornings. Good Lord...if they are on vacation and playing re-runs, I know it will be a bad week.

Then, you throw a Chris Brown (my new fav artist) in there and I know it will be a fabulous day despite the deadlines I have at work. Now, I mention Chris Brown as this is another confession...I love Chris Brown!!! It's been since 1999 when Usher came out with his first album that I've had a R&B artist that I like this much. Back in the day I loved all of it but lately not so much. Chris Brown has officially brought me back.

Now as yall have probably figured out, I typically steer clear from TV watching as there is usually nothing on that is worth watching but Wednesday nights are different. I must confess that I LOVE ANTM. For those amateurs out there, that's Americas Next Top Model. Last night was a dream night for me. The premiere of ANTM then the premiere of Top Design and you top that off with Project Runway and that makes for some fun. I loved every minute of it. Although Clay wouldn't ever admit it, I think he may have enjoyed it too.

Another confession...right now I'm eaten up with chigger bites. My entire back is covered with them. Well, I've always been very proud about the fact that I can be sitting outside and everyone around me can be eaten up by mosquitoes or chiggers and they don't touch me....I walk away with not one bite. I had a tendency to brag about this in the past by saying things like "Nah...I don't need Off" or while everyone was getting attacked around me I would joyfully say "Bugs don't eat me!". I never knew why but I loved it as it was just one less thing I had to worry about. Now, it is obviously a different story b/c I'm in pain. And, the bites keep popping up....it's crazy. Anyway, I don't know if this, like so many other things, is a post-baby thing but all I know is something has changed.

My final confession is a big one. I'm getting baby fever. Eeeek!!! CRAZY right!!! Clay will probably come close to having a heart attack when he reads this but I seriously think I'm ready to be pregnant again. Now that I've thrown that out there...please don't get too excited b/c I'm ABSOLUTELY NOT going to act on this for a number of reasons but I can say with confidence that I'm ready (so I think). Due to my lack of love for pregnancy, I didn't know if I would ever be ready again. Maybe since I feel this way I'll enjoy the next pregnancy more. Of course, it will be a while before we know the answer to this.

I've attached some pics of Lo working diligently to get the sippy cut in her mouth...it was really cute.

Fredericksburg Trip

Fredericksburg House - home away from home for the weekend.

Hanging out in the trees for a photo shoot.
BTW...I hate the way I look in the dress.

Look how smiley our little chunky monkey is in this pic.

Ok...seriously...I had to attach this pic to show Ben's righteous 80s hair-do he had kickin this day...nothing like a little party in the front and business in the back action. He, He!

As mentioned a week or so ago, we went down to Fredericksburg, Tx for a quick family getaway. At that time it was much needed and very refreshing.

We stayed at a precious little house on several acres of land right outside of Fredericksburg and enjoyed being out in nature. The house also had a pool which was fabulous. Nothing better than to kick back, have a drink and catch some rays. It was very enjoyable!

On Saturday, we headed to town. The boys tore off to the horse races while the girls went to shop. Most of the shopping was very disappointing but we did stumble upon three little stores that made it all worth the while. Thank goodness b/c we had money burning in our pockets (not really but we acted like we did at least). Despite the heat and long day, Lo did great on the shopping journey. It looks like she may be taking after her mom there. At the end of the day we all met up for some great food, drinks and music and headed back to the house.

Ben and Clay are always looking for an excuse to pick up the guitars and play some music. This particular weekend was no different. In the evenings, everyone kicked back and listened to some of The Post Folk tunes. When you get a chance, check out their my space page at www.myspace.com/thepostfolk to hear some of their stuff. To quote Ben, they are a "slave to the groove".

It worked!!!

I'm happy to say that the Orbit toddler seat made our road trip seamless. Yea!!! Well, I assume it was the seat but all I know is we went 5 hours with no screams, cries or any other problems. She had tons of room to move around in her little seat....I think she felt like she was in hog heaven. I also took some of the other advice given and bought some Gerber puffs and a new toy and we were off...

Lo didn't take to the Gerber puffs too well. She seemed to like the Tupperware bowl I put them in better than the actual puffs. That's ok...I guess she just isn't ready for finger foods yet. We'll keep trying. She loved the new blabla I bought her though. Attached is a pic with Lo in the fabulous new roomy car seat with her new blabla. I also took all of her favorite toys and books along with us so we had all basis covered. Here are two of her favorite toys. They are simple but she absolutely loves them. This is all she needs to keep her happy for long (in baby terms) periods of time. This little rosette toy was a gift. How cute is this rattle!!! Lola has always loved this one. I think it's the bright colors. She takes it in her hand and shakes it VERY aggressively. You better steer clear when she has this toy in hand b/c she is likely to bop you in the head with it and it doesn't feel good. She's also bopped her own head a couple times but still just kept going like it didn't phase her.

Lo also loves the Sassy wood toys. I think she likes the fact that she can get a good grip of it and she also LOVES the tags. She touches them, plays around with them, puts them in her mouth....she really has a fascination with tags. I need to get her a few more of the Sassy toys.

What I love best about both of these toys is that they are so simple. Nothing talking and/or flashing just pure simplicity....back to the basics. It's amazing how the most simple toys can keep a baby/child entertained....no need for TVs, video games, etc. A baby can learn to entertain themselves with the simplest objects if we just let them. I know it can be easy to sit a baby in front of a TV with a DVD that will entertain them for hours but the key is not to do this. If they aren't taught to watch TV then they won't know what they are missing....right??? Clay and I feel strongly about avoiding TV watching as much as possible. I know this is easier said than done but I remember as a kid playing with dolls and legos and other things like this that teach a child to have an imagination. I don't remember watching TV at all. So, for now, it's our plan to use the same parenting techniques with Lo that our parents used with us.

Anyway, I would love to update everyone on the trip and post some pics but don' t have time today. Hopefully later this week I'll be able to get some pics up on the blog from the Junction and Fredericksburg trips.

Our Saving Grace

Well, we're off on another road trip today. Good news though....we (when I say "we", I mean "my dad") bought the Orbit toddler carseat in hopes that this will be our saving grace on this road trip. Oh I so hope this will help b/c I'm not up for another trip where Lo is screaming the whole way.

So, since we've been on a roll with the road trips, I've been asking around and trying to get advice. So far no one has been able to offer advice that knocked me out of the park. Probably b/c there is no "real" solution to the problem. The fact is that babies don't like to be caged up for long periods of time. You can't blame them...I hate it too.

The best advice I received was from a friend, Meredith, who said she usually waits to leave when it's time for her daughter to go to sleep for the night. She said she feeds her, bathes her and does everything she would do on a normal night but instead of putting her in bed she puts her in the carseat. I thought this was a great idea but unfortunately not feasible for us on this trip. Other advice was buy some new toys or give the baby teething crackers and/or Gerber puffs. So I went to Target yesterday to get some of the fun finger foods that were recommended. We'll see how it all works out for us this round.

We're heading down to Junction, TX with my family. It usually takes approximately 5 hrs to get down there. I pre-warned my brother and sister-in-law that it could very well take us 8 hrs. I'm not sure he was too happy about that. I recommended to him that instead of leaving at the worst time which is around 3:00 p.m. that we should take the advice of Meredith and wait until about 8:00 p.m. when it's Lola's bedtime. He wasn't to hip on that idea. To be honest, we would probably get there at the same time either way.

Maybe I'm just being a pessimist and it won't be that bad. We'll see. But, I certainly do hope the Orbit toddler seat ends up being our saving grace on this trip.

Can't wait to update everyone on the fun. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!!!

Boys, boys, boys

Enough talk about baby girls...lets talk about boys for once. My sister-in-law, Molly, found out she's having a boy. Yea!!! Lola's first cousin will be a little bambino. This is a good thing...hopefully little Magill can protect Lola from all the boys that will be chasing after her at school.

Of course, when it comes to clothes, having a boy is much different from a girl. We've been on the search for cute boy clothes. It's really tough b/c it seems all the boy clothes are like mini-adult clothes. They're babies and you want them to look like babies so we've been trying to find clothes that have that classic baby look. You know...little rompers, jumpers, etc. I just think this look on little boys is absolutely adorable.

My friend Lane has a precious little boy, Milam, who is 18 months old now and she always has him dressed in fabulous outfits. I've attached a pic of him....How adorable is he in the little romper!!! Lane was able to give some insight to having a little boy. She is now pregnant and about to have her second so she has become somewhat of an expert. She gave Molly her list of brands that she loves. Her favorite stores are Haute Baby and Hip Hip Hooray but those stores can get a little expensive...like $85 dollar for a baby outfit expensive....a little crazy!!! So she also loves ebay and searches for her favorite brands. She says she finds great deals. For all of you out there that have little boys, here are Lane's recommendation on her favorite brands:

orient expressed (also a catalog company - they have good sales)
ragsland (same deal as orient expressed)
amanda remembered
auraluz
strasburg (they have a store in the galleria...good sales too)
good lad
remember nguyen
IMP originals
Sir John Rosalina
Petit Ami
Anavini
Search eBay "jon jon x" (x being the size)
Search "longall x" & "romper"

Here are some other places:
http://www.olivejuicekids.com/
http://www.plantationshop.com/
http://www.kellyskids.com/
http://www.grammies-attic.com/

I also love Feather Baby. Their clothes are simple but cute with that fabulous classic look. As we've been searching for boy clothes, I've found that the boy stuff is really cute too so I wanted to attach this website.

http://www.featherbaby.com/

Hope to have more tomorrow!!!

Ready, set, GO...

READY

SET

GOOOOOO!!!!

AND DONE!!!

Lo is seriously movin' and groovin' these days. And when she can't get somewhere quick enough....she tells ya!!! Seriously, we can't just sit the baby down and leave the room anymore....all the logistics and dynamics in our household have changed. This should be interesting.

Childproofing: It seems as soon as Lola started moving (can't technically call it a "crawl" yet as she is pulling herself...it's really amazing how quick they can move using this method), she went straight for the plugs. So I purchased some of those plug things last weekend and stuck them in all the outlets. This is obviously very important b/c we don't want her to get electrocuted. After I completed this task, I started looking around and trying to figure out what needs to be put up and out of the way and what else in the house needs to be "baby-proofed". Then I thought.....you know what....we're not putting any of it away. She needs to learn on her own what she can and can't do. We've tested out the sharp "NO" and she seems to somewhat understand so why not try to teach her what not to get into. I don't know if this "baby-proof" method will work but as long as there is nothing out that will seriously injure her, we're going to give it a shot.

BTW...If you can't already tell, Clay loves to cut off heads in picture. He actually does this intentionally.

No more Babies-R-Us

I will most likely never walk into Babies-R-Us again....Yea!!! Why? Well, I developed a great disdain for Babies-R-Us when I was pregnant and it was time to register. I asked around and EVERYONE said you "have" to register at Babies-R-Us. This frustrated me for several reasons: 1) It's way too overwhelming. Too many products. What do you choose? 2) They make you believe you need more than you really need and 3) I like more of a boutique feel in the stores I shop in. Now that Lola is 6 months and I have my "must haves" and I feel like I'm more "in the know" there is no need to go to Babies-R-Us. I can go to stores like Right Start (http://www.rightstart.com/) and find not only what I need but also find the new and improved baby items. I love this store.

Clay and I went this past weekend to search for Lo's first highchair. Unfortunately baby girls chubby legs don't really fit in the Bebe Pod anymore. I did my research beforehand and we decided on the Stokke Tripp Trapp highchair (http://www.stokkeusa.com/). It's not only baby chic and hip but it comes in fun vivacious colors which I love and it offers a plethora of features that your typical highchairs don't offer. If you can't already tell, we pretty much steer clear from all things that are baby like and traditional when it comes to baby purchases. I guess you could say we try to have fun with it....Why not??? So we went with the very non-traditional turquois Tripp Trapp.

To uphold my loyalty to eBay, I did look for a Tripp Trapp there first and wasn't able to find one in a color I wanted for a reasonable price so the next option was Right Start. Attached is a picture of our new highchair. I also bought a precious padded cover to go on it. I love that the chair is designed to pull right up to the table allowing the baby to have more interaction with family and helps them better learn social skills, language, etc. The best part is when you're done using it as a highchair, it converts to a regular chair for a toddler or adult. How great is that? Multi-function...gotta love it. It's amazing what you can get out of things that are thought out and designed well.
On our journey to Right Start, we also found some other things. As you know, I love my glass bottles best but still haven't found the "must have" plastic bottle that is BPA free until this past weekend. After trying the Adiri and Born free bottles, I still wasn't completely sold for a number of reasons but I'm proud to say that I've finally found "the one"!!! So which bottle is the winner???? Drum roll please....it is the thinkbaby bottle (http://www.thinkbaby.com/). Why do I like this bottle better than the others? 1) Like the others it is BPA free but in addition it is also free of Phthalates and PVC 2) It also has the venting system to reduce colic but it's much simpler and doesn't require additional parts / assembly and 3) The best part is they are reasonably priced. You can get 2 bottles for $16.99 and a the sippy cup was only $8.99. I'm so happy I finally found "the bottle". Of course, we'll only be using them for another 6 months but it's better late than never. But I now also know which sippy cups to buy. Woohoo!!! I can't tell you how happy I am about this find.
We also explored further and had some other finds. The Kidco food processor (http://www.kidco.com/) which was also recommended by Jodi Levine on Martha Stewart. Even though Martha doesn't have the best personality in the world, I still LOVE her. She really has some good stuff to offer not just for baby but for all. See attached video:

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/mommy-must-haves?autonomy_kw=baby%20must%20haves&rsc=header_2

I haven't had a chance to use the processor yet but I'm looking forward to it as I take on the challenge of making Lo's food.
Right Start also has so many fun baby books. As I look through the fabulous choices my mind starts spinning...I never can make a decision. We ended up buying these precious books by Rebecca Emberly entitled "My Colors Mis Colores", "My Animals Mis Animales" and "My Numbers Mis Numeros". What a great / simple way to incorporate English and Spanish. In addition, most of the words in these books I can actually pronounce and that's a plus.
It doesn't stop there....I also loved this book "Urban Babies Wear Black" by Michelle Sinclair Colman. She also has several other books such as "Eco Babies Wear Green" and "Foodie Babies Wear Bibs". I really like this author. Most of these books are probably more for adults than babies but I still love them....very clever and fun with fabulous illustrations for all those modern babies out there! They also make great gifts.

Finally, the best find were these great Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Radiohead, Beatles, U2, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and more. Clay was in hog heaven...he didn't know which ones to choose. Lola absolutely loves music so she'll get a kick out of these. Her favorite band right now seems to be The Decemberist but maybe it will soon be Radiohead. Who knows! The only thing they are missing is a Lullaby Renditions of Wilco. I've put in my request. Anyway, those are my finds for the week and I'm pretty pumped about them. It didn't take us anytime to put all of it to use. Lo approves too!!! I have some other things too but decided I should wait for another day. I'm telling you....I'm back on my "A" game and it feels good. As usual, I'll keep you updated on my thoughts and reviews.

I'm back on my "A" game

Ok...I'm finally back on my "A" game. It was rough but I survived!!! So, after further evaluation, it seems that my illness I had last week was not related to nerves but it was an actual illness. I'm telling you...it was hard core. It had me down for the count for a good 6 days.

The worst of it was Monday and Tuesday and it was bad. So bad that I really felt like I couldn't function whatsoever. It seriously took a ton of effort to just lift my arms. For those of you that have been pregnant, it felt very similar to the first trimester of pregnancy....nauseous, can't eat, fatigued, etc. Basically, all you want to do is lay in bed.

On Tuesday, I was heading back to work from lunch and was sitting at a red light...well, all of the sudden I just stepped on the gas and went....the light was still red. I didn't realize until after the fact that I ran a red light for no reason. I was completely out of it. It got a little worse and I hit rock bottom on Tuesday night....I won't go into these details but I was up all night and then I had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to catch a flight. I didn't know how I was going to survive. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday I was basically still trying to recover. This is the first time that food was an enemy to me. I LOVE food and never imagined there would be a moment or a week for that matter that I wouldn't want to eat and that it would actually disgust me. Well, it happened. The good news is that I lost 6 lbs. The bad news is as soon as I get my appetite back I'm assuming it will pile right back on.

Clay spent most of last week making fun of me and didn't quite believe that I was sick. If he asked me once he asked me a thousand times "What's wrong with you". Every time I would answer "I'm sick...I know you don't believe me but I really don't feel good". I could see it in his eyes that he didn't really believe me until Friday. We were in Austin and it hit him...the sickness that is. He caught my bug. We were at a fabulous restaurant and he couldn't eat or drink. He felt terrible and it stuck with him. He started feeling a little better last night so it doesn't look like it's going to stick around as long for him but we were both pretty pitiful on Friday night.

Luckily, Lola has survived without catching this evil bug. Maybe it's the fact that the dogs have been licking her face since she was born and this has made her immune system tough as rocks. All I know is she has been happy-go-lucky all week thank goodness. Look how cute she is in this picture with her chubby little cheeks. She is the happiest little baby.

Now that I'm back on my "A" game (it may still be "B" game... "A" game should be here by tomorrow) I hope to blog more this week and update you on a few things. For now, I have a deadline to make today so I have to get going so I'm not stuck at work until midnight.

Hello & Good-bye

I'm not sure why I decided to title this blog "Hello & Good-bye". It just kind of came to mind. I guess it's b/c I'm just checking in to say "Hello" and I can only drop a quick note before I have to say "Good-bye" which will most likely be for the week.

It's been a tough week so far. I've been swamped at work and I'm taking my first business trip as a new mom. I'm in Nashville, TN...woohoo!!! On top of everything else going on this week, I've been sick with a TERRIBLE stomach bug. It's put me out and in bed by 8:30 every night. It's rough and I'm still not feeling much better but I'm just trying to fight through and finish up the week.

I was thinking today that maybe the stomach bug could be related to the anticipation of leaving baby Lo over night for the first time. I swore I wasn't going to do this. We're really good when it comes to keeping some independence. We try to meet friends, go out to dinner and do other things together that are baby free. However, I haven't left Lola over night yet. I never wanted to go this long. I wish I would have done this sooner b/c it's true that the longer you wait the harder it is. Now that I'm here, I'm much better but I have a sneaking suspicion that the stomach problems could be related to my nerves and the anticipation of leaving.

I know this is good for both of us....I like to say it's good for our souls. Lola has become pretty dependent on me so this is really perfect timing. Of course, I want her to love me and want me to be around, but I don't want her to "need" me (i.e. cry when I'm not around, cry when I leave, etc)....I want her to be independent and love to be around other people now and in the future. Hopefully this will help her become a strong woman one day. I know I know...she's a baby and I'm probably over thinking this but I do feel it's good to take some time apart. However, when she sees me tomorrow night, I certainly do hope she is filled with lots of joy...arms waving and all!!!

So, with that, I'm missing our reading time tonight. Clay snapped some pics of us reading earlier this week. Clay and Lo have reading time in the mornings and me and Lo have reading time in the evenings. She really loves it!!! As you can see from the picture, Bella also likes reading time. This dog (aka gorgeous girl) is never more than 3 feet away from Lola...It's almost like she thinks Lo is her baby...it is really sweet!!!

Well, if I'm not able to check in again before the end of the week, I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. We're heading out to Austin for another road trip and we're looking forward to it.

momoFandango

You gotta love it!!! How adorable are these blankets. They are my favorites and another "must have".

My sister-in-law, Molly, started this little company called momoFandango where she designs baby blankets that are handmade using assorted vintage and modern fabrics. The best part is that no two are alike. The blankets are funky and fresh for all of us hip mothers!! They also make great baby gifts. The heart of the designs come from Molly's love for vintage fabrics and the idea that all things "baby" don't have to be about the usual color schemes (pinks, blues & yellows), soft cheniles, and little bunny rabbits/themes. The blankets are designed so babies can be groovy, hip, sophisticated, and still childlike.

Check out the momoFandango website at http://www.momofandango.com/ and the blog at http://www.themomodance.blogspot.com/. Molly hopes to have the blankets up for sell on Etsy and Ebay within the next couple weeks. Once the blankets are posted, I'll let you know. In the meantime, you can contact momofandango@gmail.com for pricing and ordering information.

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!!

We made it (so far)

Well we made!!!! Lola is 6 months old and we have survived. Hooray!!! So far I really have no complaints about this parenthood thing. Yes, consistent sleep would be nice but as much as I love sleep, I wouldn't trade Lo in for it.

We had the 6 month doctor appointment yesterday. I'm really sad to announce that I wasn't able to go...boo!!! I got caught up at work and couldn't get away. That's the only bad thing about being a working mom. My job is very flexible so this rarely happens but I have a project I have to get done by the end of next week and it was just bad timing. I was kind of sad until I remembered a few things. 1) Waiting room with a baby...not fun! 2) Immunizations (we'll talk more about this debate in later blogs)....again, not fun!! The only 3 times I've seen Lola cry her heart out was during these shots....not a good experience. She sticks that pouty bottom lip out and then just goes off with the cry. All you want to do is pick her up, coddle her and tell her everything will be ok. So, I'm not sad I missed that stuff.

But, I do love the excitement of the appointment. Showing her off to the doctor and the anticipation of hearing her "statistics". This round here's how we stand:

• Weight: 18 lbs 7 oz - 90th percentile
• Height: 27 1/4" - 95th percentile
• Head: 44.5 cm - 90 - 95th percentile
• Developement: excellent
• Other: Two front teeth coming in

Odom's have very large heads so we continue to watch this statistic. She was in the 50th percentile early on and her head growth continues to rise up the percentile gage. Pretty funny.

You know when you have a big baby there are lots of crevices, cracks and indentions that you have to pay really close attention to. I've learned this the hard way. The last two times we've been to the doctor, she has found little hidden spots that I wasn't quite getting to. Yes....I know...a little embarrassing but it's really hard. When you wipe and bathe, you really have to peel apart things to make sure and catch everything.

So, the first time this happened was at her 8 or 12 week appointment and I was traumatized. ONCE AGAIN had one of those "I'm a terrible mother" moments. She found a spot buried deep that we weren't cleaning as well as we should. When the doctor pointed it out I thought "Are we even suppose to mess with that area?". The answer was "Yes". It's really hard as a first time parent.

Then, at the next appointment, I made sure to give Lo a bath and clean every crevice possible. I pried apart the little rolls on her legs, belly, arms, wrist and ankles . I thought she'll be sparkling clean when we walk in that office and I'd be proud! Well, the doctor peeled some areas back and once again found an area that could be a little cleaner. After she pointed it out I thought "How did I not see that" or the better question was actually "How in the world did you find that...seriously???". I've found you have to be very detailed oriented to get everything clean on a chubby baby. The doctor was real sweet that time and said "Well, it looks like the day-care missed this area"....Little did she know Lo had not been to the day-care that day and I specifically gave her a bath before the appointment to avoid the same embarrassment I had experience at the prior appointment. Oh my! I kept that to myself....felt that was the best way to go. Anyway, so I was glad Clay was taking Lola for this reason too. But, apparently this time when the doctor scoped around, all crevices were spiffy clean. YEA...we finally conquered the rolls!!!

On another note, is anyone else really struggling with this Olympic thing???? I'm not a big TV watcher. Basically only like to watch The Bachelor/Bachorlette, Project Runway, Americas Next Top Model (ANTM) and Flipping out. Yes, I realize these are all shows for the very top intellectuals but I can't help it. I get sucked into these shows like I do People and US Weekly magazines...very addicting to say the least. To even out this terrible habit I tend to listen to National Public Radio (NPR) during the day and try to read the newspaper and Time magazine also. I like to think they all offset each other and I remain somewhat intelligent.

Anyway, now that the Olympics have started, I've found I come home and watch them the entire evening. So basically nothing is getting done around our house...it's pretty much a disaster zone right now. The worst part of this is that they are on until 11:00 p.m. and I can't stop. Oh...I'm going to be a walking zombie by the end. If you haven't been watching, we all know Phelps is adorable in a "I have a very hot body" kind of way but ladies you need to check out Ryan Lockte...he is what I like to call "easy on the eyes". I would love to go to Daytona Beach and "accidently" run into him. Clay, Don't be jealous....

Road Trip

We took the brave step that all first time parents have to take at one point and headed out on a road trip this past weekend to Fredericksburg, TX. We have a 6 month old so naturally I was REAL nervous about this trip. The mapquest said the distance was 281.83 miles from Dallas or the scarier number for me was the 4 hrs and 46 minutes estimated travel time. This number jumped out in bold and stared at me as if it was trying to taunt me or something. I was terrified just thinking about it. All I could think was "this is a really long trip to take with a 6 month old". That number and thought continued to haunt me throughout the week. I was seriously a nervous wreck.

As we progressed through the week, my panic of the 4 hr and 46 minute drive increased greatly. So much so that on Thursday evening at about 6:45 p.m. I started to go into panic mode and began calling all the boutiques in town that may carry the Orbit toddler car seat. I'm not sure how much Lola weighs right now (We find out tomorrow at her 6 month appt...yea!!! So excited.) but I know it's a lot. As you can tell from pictures, she's a big girl. She basically protrudes out of her infant carrier which should last her until she is at least 1 year old. Not in our case!!! I think it's about time to go ahead and switch on over to the "big girl" car seat. I had always heard that you can switch when the baby is 22 lbs or 1 year old...whichever comes first. As my road trip concerns increased last week, I did some additional research on this and found that the orbit toddler car seat is good from 15 lbs to 35 lbs. Woohoo!!! Thank goodness. Problem with this is I wasn't able to find a store that was still open to go purchase the dang thing....I waited to late....bummer! So, on Friday morning, we set off with Lo in her infant carrier.

Luckily, it wasn't as bad as I expected (on the way down that is). Mornings are Lo's best time so I knew the earlier we left the better. We stopped several times on the way down to Fredericksburg and she did really well. Only a couple of small crying spurts that really were very manageable and could be taken care of with a bottle, toy or a kiss on the nose. Of course, it took us about 6 hours to get there (wowsers!) but we made it in one piece. That was a huge win in my opinion. Now, on Sunday, as we set out to take the much dreaded road trip home, it was a different story. How can I summarize this...it was HORRIBLE!!! Needless to say, there was some crying. Not spurts of crying but hard core crying. Of course, I don't want to put any blame on Lola as I feel this was ALL parent error. I mean there is only so much you can expect out of a 6 month old.

First off, we didn't leave until around 11:00. Baby 101...don't drive with a baby in the middle of the day when there is no scheduled nap within the near future. Lo usually takes a nap in the morning and then for the most part doesn't take another nap until about 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. (mind you...this is when we were scheduled to arrive home). So, it wasn't the smartest move to take off on a 4 hour and 46 minute drive when we knew a nap was at least 5 hours away. Especially when she is squished in an infant carrier.

Baby 101....don't feed a baby cereal before taking off on a 4 hour and 46 minute drive. Oh my goodness....what in the world was I thinking? Actually, I know what I was thinking. I was thinking that maybe if we crammed enough food and cereal down her that she would sleep like a baby the whole ride home. Well, that really back fired (excuse the pun). We had two huge explosions on the way back home. Poor baby girl.

Ok, so with that said, the trip home was a little overwhelming for me and I'm sure everyone else in the car. Here's the worst part of it....I've found that when Lola cries, my nerves get shot real quick and I literally feel like I may be going insane. My tolerance for the cry is very low...sad right??? I try to practice my yoga and take deep breaths but that doesn't always seem to work. I've also started taking fish oil hoping this will help. I'm very fortunate that Lo is not a fussy baby and rarely cries b/c it literally makes me a nervous wreck. I know...this is bad...I'm a mother and should be able to deal!!! Over the past day or two, I've been contemplating this point. I wonder does this make me a bad mother? This thought really eats me up. Then I think, what if baby #2 is a crier....will I be able to handle it? Luckily, Clay is very good with the cries. I think he begins to see my eyes get big and panic face start to kick in and he always sweeps in and takes over. Then I'm able to breath a sigh of relief. This is something that I'll continue to struggle with...I only hope it gets better with time.

Overall, Lola did a great job and I am very proud of her. Now we're all set to take another road trip next week to Austin and another in September. Like all first time parents, we've learned the hard way and we should be experts before long.

Now this is a challenge...

So, we're off to phase II.....

I'm referring to the baby feeding world. Of course, like everything else with Lola, it seems that Clay and I are making things a little more difficult on ourselves. You may ask how....feeding a baby is not difficult...all fun times right? Well, I hate to make a general statement but once again (like with cloth diapers) we're trying to stick with what we really believe in and no matter how hard and inconvenient it may be we're hell-bent on not taking the easy way out.

What does this mean? Well, as we all know, organic foods are the best for obvious health reasons. They cut out all the pesticides and other chemicals that our dumped on our foods and they are supposedly more nutritious. So if we try to do this for ourselves the obvious choice would be to do the same for Lola too. Great news!!! There are organic baby foods out there. There aren't a ton of choices but they're out there.

Since coming back to work, I've had to supplement some formula (I'll talk about this more in another blog...challenges of breastfeeding are never-ending) so we use Similic organic. Actually, I know this is bad but Parent's Choice organic (generic) is the exact same and half the price. For cereal we've been using Earth's Best (http://www.earthsbest.com/) which is also organic. Last week we decided to start Lo on "real" baby food. Yea!!! I've been using Earth's Best jarred baby foods which seems great so far. No additives which is key and Lo loves all of them....carrots, peas, pears, sweet potatoes....eats them all no problem. It appears she is not going to be a picky eater...thank goodness!!! But, in order to give Lola the "best" and the most nutritious meal possible, we've decided to take it even one step further.

What does a step further consist of??? Well, we're going to make her baby food. Due to the lack of time in our lives, this will be a definite challenge but we're going to make it work. So I just invested in my first book which is "Top 100 Baby Purees". It's great and provides so much variation. I'm telling you...some of the recipes in there are totally gourmet. If restaurants like Craft or Local served baby food purees, this is what would be on the menu. So, this is new for us and we're going to try it out.

Now, before you think "these people are crazy", I should say "I know". But, here's what I think....we as mothers put so much time and effort into breastfeeding for 12 months b/c it's the "best" for our babies so why wouldn't we continue doing the "best" most nutritious thing for our babies when they start eating the "real" foods. It can't be more inconvenient than breastfeeding can it?

Of course, Clay and I know this is a steep challenge so we're being realistic about it which means we'll most likely have to supplement some already prepared foods here and there. So I'm doing my research on this too. "They" say frozen organic foods are the most nutritious. Problem here is that they are very pricey. The Tasty Baby foods (http://www.tastybaby.com/) are suppose to be great but they run around $39.99 for a box of food. WOW...that is a big jump from .69 cents a jar. I'm currently on a search to find the right frozen organic food that won't break the bank. I hear Tom Thumb and Target both have a good brands but haven't had a chance to check into that yet. If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know.

I forget about the Lil Sugar blog. I need to make a point to read it more often...has some good stuff at times. My sister-in-law, Molly, sent this link to me the other day entitled "Do you make your own Baby food?".

http://www.lilsugar.com/1810268?utm_source=lilsugar&utm_medium=email&utm_term=1810268&utm_campaign=email_friend&utm_content=link_2

Here's another good website I reference when I have organic questions:

http://www.organic-center.org/

Finally, as most of you know, we lived in NYC for 4 years and loved it. Miss it oh so much!!! Anyway, I try to keep up to date with things going on there. One thing I love about NYC is that they are very progressive. They now require all restaurants to put the calorie and fat count on their menus. How awesome is that. Can you imagine? We seriously don't realize what we're eating when we go out. Well, this changes all that. I recently found this article about it and found it pretty interesting.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25464987/

I have so many other good articles and research but I'll go ahead and stop here. Sometimes I get a little crazy with this stuff!!! But, I'll make sure and keep everyone in the loop on our progress with making our own food. Oh my...why do we take on the challenges????

Conked out again

Considering the fact that Clay is chilling in his boxers he is going to kill me for posting this picture but here's what I walked in on this morning. Seriously, how does he do this? I've tried numerous times to get Lo to fall back to sleep with me when she wakes up in the morning. Never happens!!! I guess it's a daughter/father thing...

BTW...Monday evening I spent about a hour doing a major clean up on the house. It looked perfect when I left for work yesterday. Made the bed and all. Today, only 1 day later, I walk out this morning and it was a disaster. How in the world does this happen? I would really love to have a full time maid. I can't wait until I can fit that into our budget!!!

Conked Out

I've FINALLY developed quite a routine. I'm not a big routine person so I'm very proud of this fact. Again, like almost everything else, it's taken 6 months but at least I've got it down now...right? The problem is that my routine keeps me going 90 to nothing and I feel like I never have a chance to wind down. So I look forward to weekends to possible sleep in or even take a cat nap which I love so much. Well, hasn't happen so much lately.

So, my routine consist of this....Monday through Friday I wake up an 6:00 a.m., stumble out of bed (still really hard for me) and walk out the door to meet a friend at the lake. We usually run about 30 minutes in the morning (VERY hard right now with the heat). Soon we'll kick this up a notch. I get home around 7:00ish, jump in the shower, get ready, give Lo and Hubby a kiss good-bye and I'm out the door to head to work.

I've started a new job so I'm getting pretty overwhelmed at work but I manage. I try to leave no later than 5:00 p.m. and I'm out the door again to pick up Lola at school. We play, cook, eat, feed Lola (we'll talk about this more later this week b/c we started baby food and I need advice...another time, another blog) and then put her down around 8:30 p.m. Once we get Lo to bed, I always think it will be time to relax and have "me" time but there is always something to do...clean, wash clothes, get my lunch together for the next day, get bottles ready for Lola, etc. It's seriously non-stop. We usually get to bed around 10:30 p.m. and then I like to read. Once I finally fall asleep it's not long before Lola is ready for another feeding. She usually wakes up around 3:00 a.m. for a feeding....lately this seems to be pretty consistent. On top of this regime, I try to squeeze in 90 minutes of yoga on Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. and sometimes Thursdays at 8:00 p.m.

Crazy right??? But, here's the deal...I feel like I really need to do mass amounts of exercise to keep my nerves running smoothly. This is my alternative to medication I guess. But it's hard b/c I don't want to cut out time with Lola so I've worked to find this happy medium. This way, I'm able to exercise and still able to spend just as much time with Lola. But the downfall is I feel I'm constantly on the go so this is why I look forward to the weekends. Of course on Fridays I have to get to bed really early b/c I wake up at 5:00 a.m. and head out to the lake to run with my group. I always hope to come home and squeeze in a cat nap but that hasn't worked lately. I'm usually off to run errands (I LOVE my errands) or play with Lola or once again clean.(BTW...what's the deal with this cleaning thing? Why is it always something?). So, Sundays are usually my big day to try to sleep in and nap.

I've found that pre-Lo I loved to take tiger naps, post-Lo but pre-Lo at 6 months I loved the cat naps and now that Lo is 6 months I find that I'm only able to squeeze in kitty naps....at most!!! It's funny though....as seen in the pictures, it appears Clay is still able to squeeze in the tiger/cat naps. Anymore, I'm not able to get Lola to lay down with me to take a nap but Clay is always able to make this happen. Seriously...what's up with that!!! He says his secret is the Tuvan throat singing. Do you know what this is? Google it! Another very funny thing he has with Lo. He does his Tuvan throat singing which she loves...at first she is squeeling and laughing and then all of the sudden she'll conk out. It's pretty fabulous! The belly rub always works for him too. But for me, it always seems like when I'm trying to kitty nap, she's up and at 'em and then when she's finally ready to take a nap, I'm up and at 'em. Oh my....I really have to figure out a way to squeeze these naps into my regime. We'll keep working on it. As usual, I'll get back to you with status b/c I know there is a solution to this.

Tree Hugger

I'm loving the tree hugger onsie. Lola doesn't know it yet but she's going to be a tree hugger one day.....Or, at least we hope. Clay and I will try to do everything we can to inspire her.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!