Warms my heart...

My sister-in-law, Molly, sent some pics of Lo and family this past Friday. Looking back at some of them I can't believe how small Lola was. It warms my heart to look back and see how precious she was. Of course she is still precious and is growing so fast right in front of our eyes. Every stage I say "I like this stage best"...then I find myself loving the next stage even more.

There were some great pics from Lola's first pub experience so I thought I would attach....look how much smaller she is! I think she was around 9 or 10 weeks here. Sitting on a patio with friends is one of our favorite things to do. Luckily, Lola still allows us to do this. We were with Molly & Ben, Clay & Kara and Jennifer H. Lo was so good...she enjoyed being outside and relaxed along with us. It's so great that we can take her around everywhere with us.

Over the weekend Lola really made some great advancements. She is almost sitting on her own. She can do it for a few seconds then topples over. She is also threatening to move. Yesterday, she was scooting very slowly. There was a piece of white string on the carpet that she was trying to get...she was pulling herself trying her hardest to get to that tiny piece of string....it was really cute!!! We would like to keep her immobile for a bit longer. I know once she starts moving that life as we know it will drastically change as we'll constantly be chasing a baby.

Must Have #5

The Orbit stroller rocks!!! When we were trying to decide on a stroller, I was all about going the cheap route as I felt they are all the same and there is no reason to spend extra money. Clay on the other hand was really passionate about getting a good reliable stroller so he did his research. In the end, I gave in to his passion and we decided on the Orbit stroller (http://www.orbitbaby.com/).

Now, the Orbit is more expensive than your basic “Babies-R-Us” stroller but I have quickly found that it is worth the cost. It is absolutely fabulous!!! Every day this is one purchase that I’m glad we made. Well, we didn’t actually make it, Clay’s parents did but you get the point. Not only is it totally groovy looking (BTW….if you get this stroller, be ready to have people constantly coming up to you making comments and asking questions….they all love it) but it’s so user friend and it's really 3 strollers in one.

If you talk to people with kiddos, they’ll tell you that you really need three different strollers – 1) The infant travel system 2) A walking stroller 3) An umbrella stroller. The Orbit is all 3….it really is!!! The infant travel system is fabulous due to the base. The seat locks into the base and it allows you to rotate the seat around. This makes it so much easier to put Lola in the seat as we can rotate it towards us. Or, if she is fussing in the back, when I'm at a light, I can rotate her around and give her a toy or pacifier or whatever it is she wants and then rotate her back in place. Doesn’t get much better than that!

Then you have the base of the stroller which is also fantastic!!! You can also easily rotate the seat around on the stroller base and it is so easy to fold up….easier than an umbrella stroller. I’m telling you….you take one hand, flip your wrist and it’s folded up. And, it’s just as easy to flip out. Plus, it’s light so it’s easy to throw in and out of the trunk.

Finally, this sucker rolls as if you’re on clouds and it has a turning radius like no other stroller out there so it’s very convenient when you're at the mall going in and out of clothing racks trying to find the “must have” outfit. We also have the toddler seat and it is so comfy for baby Lo. I’m able to take her out in the neighborhood on walks and she loves it.

So, all of you pregnant women out there….make sure and give this one a look. They have them at my fav store Baby Bliss (http://www.shopbabybliss.com/) or another great store Right Start (http://www.rightstart.com/). Like I said…It’s a little bit more expensive but I promise it will be worth it!!!

Sick of being sick

It's going to be a long day today. I was up all night coughing. I'm sick of being sick and can't wait to get through this. It always seems like these colds tend to stick around for way too long. Anyway, since I'm exhausted due to getting no sleep, I won't be rambling today.

I wanted to attach this picture....I thought it was hilarious. Baby girl is conked out!!! I love it when we capture these moments. Every morning when Lola wakes up, I go and grab her and feed her in bed. She, like her parents, loves to sleep so once she gets her belly full she's ready to hit the sack for another couple hours. Well, this is probably a "no no" but after I feed her the first morning feeding, we let her sleep in bed with us. It's something we've done from day one and will probably continue to do for a while. I love it and feel like it's such a special time for us. I look forward to the mornings due to this.

Oh, to be 31 again...

Two weeks ago today I turned 32. Since then it seems that my body has been deteriorating more and more each and every passing day. Now, you may think that I’m over exaggerating (once again) and being a little melodramatic (once again) but I’ve thought about this and that’s not the case this time.

Here’s the deal….3 days after turned 32 I was scheduled to do a 3 mile trial run for the ½ marathon. I work out fairly often, do bikrum yoga and try to keep myself in shape so this shouldn’t be that hard for me….right? Well, it was one of the most miserable things I have ever been through. In my defense, my brother so kindly pointed out to me that I actually haven’t run since 1993 (15 years ago) which was my last soccer game. I do power walk but I quickly found running is a totally different story. So, the next two days after the run I literally could not walk and ached all over like I’ve never ached before….it was terrible!!!

That was incident #1. There are several other incidents that have occurred that prove turning 32 has affected my bod massively. Incident #2 – I was outside of our garage and trying to get into the house. Well, our garage is an obstacle course so I did a very graceful leap over some sort of item….immediately I felt a pull in the groin area. Once again, was sore for two days from leaping over something as small as a book in our garage. The soreness from the run on top of my new groin strain not only caused me to walk with a limp but also kept me out of yoga for a week.

Oh…it gets worse. Incident #3 – I was opening a can of chicken & dumplings ( I know it’s sounds disgusting but it has been one of my fav things since childhood). As I’m using the can opener I felt a pull in my wrist. My hand immediately started aching like you wouldn’t believe and I think I now have carpal tunnel b/c my hand is constantly aching. Huh!!!

And there’s more…Incident #4 – We went to a birthday party for a friend of ours, Camille, who was turning a whopping 23 (oh, to be 23 again). Anyway, her and her friends have gotten into tennis. I thought that was great and sounded like so much fun. So, Camille said lets get together sometime to play tennis and then have a drink afterwards. When we got in the car, I was telling Clay how that sounds like a lot of fun and I would love to do it. He didn’t say “Your old and not in shape” like he should have but posed it much nicer and said “Amy, Camille is really young and is very athletic”. Basically, saying he wasn’t sure that I was much up for a tennis match. I actually agree with him there but it still sounds like fun.

AND, Incident #5 – I’ve been sick with a TERRIBLE cold. Clay told Molly and Ben last night that he feels like he’s been living with a 80 year old with emphysema for the past week or Amy Winehouse….not sure which is worse.

Not done yet….Incident #6 – As you know, we went to the lake with some friends last weekend. There house has decks all around it and you have to walk up a lot of stairs to get to the house. It seemed as soon as I got down to the lake that Lola would need something and I would have to go back up. I was going back and forth fairly often all day Saturday. Well, low and behold I woke up Sunday with my calves hurting so bad that once again I was forced to walk with a limp. I thought…Ok, seriously…this is getting a little ridiculous.

Incident #7 - Woke up this morning with a terrible crick in my neck. Can't move my head to the left without screaming bloody murder.

Finally, Incident #8 - After all my ailments I’ve encountered over the past two weeks, I found out that I’m way behind on my ½ marathon training and we meet with the group again on Saturday. I went in panic mode last night as I need to get in catch up mode asap. So, I woke up this morning at 6:00 to do the 25 minute run that was on our schedule. Well, once again, it was the most miserable thing I’ve ever been through. I think I may either have to get in the walking/jogging group or walking group b/c this dog don’t hunt!!!

Please help me….my body is seriously deteriorating away right in front of my eyes…what do I do????? I guess I at least have a precious baby to show for it. Oh, to be 31 again…

Fun at the Lake!!!

Well, I have so much to say and for the first time in a while I can't do it. I'm officially sick and barely have the energy to type this blog. Ok...maybe a little over exaggeration but I'm feeling pretty bad. I want to fill everyone in on the fabulous weekend and some other happenings but today isn't the day as I'm not up to it and I'm feeling the writing blues. So, in the meantime, I'll attach some pics of of Lo's first boat ride. She was a little fussy at first as she was hungry and had a huge life jacket on but then was fine....she actually ended up sleeping like a baby (excuse the pun) most of the ride.

Oh, since I'm not babbling on today due to the illness, I figure I can give some other insight. Don't want to walk away with nothing good to say. Here are a few books that I've found some interest in lately. Thought yall might enjoy also.

Farwell, My Subaru - I heard this author speak and thought he was insightful and witty at the same time. This book is a good way to learn how we can all be better at being "green" and laugh at the same time.

"Whether installing Japanese solar panels, defending the goats he found on Craigslist against coyotes, or co-opting waste oil from the local Chinese restaurant to try and fill the new “veggie oil” tank in his ROAT (short for Ridiculously Oversized American Truck), Fine’s extraordinary undertaking makes one thing clear: It ain’t easy being green. In fact, his journey uncovers a slew of surprising facts about alternative energy, organic and locally grown food, and climate change. Both a hilarious romp and an inspiring call to action, Farewell, My Subaru makes a profound statement about trading today’s instant gratifications for a deeper, more enduring kind of satisfaction."

X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking - As a "Generation Xer" I got a kick out of this author and thought yall may too.

From Publishers Weekly: "Nostalgia for the attitudes and culture of the early to mid-'90s looms large in Gordinier's entertaining book-length argument for the greatness of Generation X. Gordinier does not have warm sentiments toward the baby boomers or the current wanna-wanna generation of celebrity worshippers, preferring instead the self-effacing, conflictedly ambitious heroes of the '90s, like Kurt Cobain and Richard Linklater, who were not enthralled by the concept of changing the world. Gordinier has an easygoing style and a comprehensive knowledge of pop culture gleaned from a career writing for Entertainment Weekly and editing Details magazine, and this might be the reason the book sometimes feels like a collection of essays. Sequences on the rise of Nirvana and the burst of the dot-com bubble are ably narrated. And Gordinier does find a fresh perspective in discussions of recent phenomena such as YouTube and American Idol and their relationship to Generation X".

We found toes

PRE-WARNING…I have a lot to say today so this may be a long one. This week I feel I haven’t been on my top blogging game (Does this term make sense? Not sure but I’m going with it) so I haven’t been able to say everything that needs to be said. Those of you who know me best know that when I have a lot to say I can go on and on and on. I basically take a deep breath and go….and don’t breathe until I’m done. Well, I do the same thing when I’m writing. So, here we go….I’m taking a deep breath and….GO…

One of my favorite moments over the past 4 months was when Lola discovered her toes last week. I’m not kidding it was one of the cutest things I've ever seen. She looked at them, wiggled them, reached for them, touched them for a bit and then attempted to place them in her mouth. It was absolutely adorable!!! So, I attached these pics today. I love it!!!

Ok, so I think I’m officially a terrible mother. I woke up this morning when my alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. I didn’t remember hearing Lola wake up so I immediately said to Clay “Did Lola wake up last night?”. Sometimes all the nights blend together and you can’t remember what you did three hours earlier much less a day or two ago. Anyway, we noticed we forgot to turn the monitor on before we fell asleep so Clay went to grab Lo and she was starving. I immediately thought surely we didn’t accidentally let her cry it out last night.

Before having a baby, I had always said I was going to use the “cry it out” method as I LOVE my sleep. Anyway, when it came down to it, I just couldn’t do it. I asked my doctor and she said that she never could do it. She didn’t seem to condemn it but then again she didn't really recommend it. I also asked some friends and of course everyone has a different answer. My friend Ashley said that if you do it you should wait until 6 months. Some say they did it around 12 weeks. Of course, when you read about it, you’ll get both sides of the story. To each his own….we decided not to do it as it really doesn’t bother me if she wakes up once to feed at night. Now, if she was waking up every 3 hours, I’m pretty sure that would be a different story.

We’re heading to the lake this weekend to see our friends Ashley and Mark. I’m so pumped!!! Can’t wait!!! Earlier this week I started feeling a little sore throat and felt TERRIBLE last night. I was talking to Ashley and she said you need to go to the doctor b/c we’re going to have a fun like the old “Amy & Ashley days”. I told her no fear….I don’t care if I’m on a respirator….I’ll pull it together b/c I’m so excited about hanging out at the lake. Plus, I can't wait for Lola to have her first lake experience.

Of course, the whole “lake” thing brings me to another very important point….BATHING SUIT!!! Oh no, this will be the first time since having a baby to get into a bathing suit. I’ve been traumatized over it. So, two weeks ago I decided that I would buckle down and get bathing suit ready. Well, I have a lot to say about the results but I need to breathe now so I’m going to wait and tell you the details next week. It’s pretty pitiful but I figure honesty is always a good trait to have. So, tune in next week to hear how the two week “panic” plan went.

Erin, Thank you so much for the fabulous comment. I loved it!!!! It’s great to know that we're not complete psycho parents. Based on the facts you gave, it’s apparent that SIDS was also a concern for yall too. It gives a sense of relief to hear other parents have the same concerns as us.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend!!!!

Cereal is Yummy!!!

Well, we tried cereal on Sunday night and it didn’t go so well. Lola made a face like you’ve never seen before….almost as if she was completely horrified. I wish we had pics from Sunday but we don’t as the camera was dead. I made the first time mother cereal feeding mistake…I used breast milk not thinking of the fact that she probably wouldn’t eat it and the milk went to waste. HUH!!! I was sooooo irritated with myself as breast milk to us right now is like finding gas at $1.50 a gallon….Basically, it’s precious!!! So, I wasted an ounce of breast milk and this took about 2 days for me to get over it…bummer! Well, I must say I guess it wasn't a complete waste b/c the dogs seemed to love it. They couldn't wait for us to get done....as soon as we were, they honed in and licked the bowl dry. Hopefully they got some good nutrition out of it.

Anyway, we gave it another go last night and it went much better. This time I learned my lesson and mixed the cereal with formula. She actually seemed to like the cereal this round. She would open her mouth and was swallowing it better but still would make the funny face….to a lesser extreme this time though. I think part of it is getting used to the spoon which I assume will take a while. At points, she was grabbing the spoon right out of my hand and would start sucking on it trying to get as much cereal in her mouth as possible. When I tried to take the spoon back, she would give me a big WHAY!!! It was really cute and fun!!!

Here’s what I’m still struggling with….So, Sunday when she hated it, we fed her milk before so she wasn’t starving. I thought some of the problem with her rejecting the cereal was that she wasn’t hungry. However, yesterday we fed her cereal before giving her milk. This worked better but seemed to make her very anxious and aggressive with the cereal (kind of like I am during all meals….as a matter of fact, I’m scarfing down a lean hot pocket as we speak…I’m starving and can’t seem to get enough of it). So, we need to work on finding that happy median (BTW…question for fellow blog readers…Is the phrase happy median or happy medium? I’ve researched this in the past and never really found a definitive answer. I tend to use them both interchangeably.). Hopefully tonight we’ll be able to nail it and maybe by next week she’ll be a cereal eating coocooclock!!!

I’ve attached some pics documenting the process…it was really fun! Every milestone just gets better and better.

Rolling everywhere...

So far, not too much going on this week. However, Lola is rolling around like crazy. She loves it!!! You put her on her back and within seconds she'll be on her stomach. It's so cute until she started doing it at night.

When we lay Lola down at night, we put her on her back. She'll immediately roll to her side. I decided that the girl loves sleeping on her side so I should stop being an overly conscientious parent when she does this. SIDS has been one of my biggest fears since day one. It's really weird....I think we are really laid back parents but when it comes to anything that can cause SIDS I pretty much obsess over it. So, it was hard for me to finally let go and just let Lola sleep on her side. Of course now that she loves rolling onto her stomach my panic has picked back up.

Over the past couple nights, we'll wake up to check on Lo and she'll be on her belly with her face buried in the mattress. I'm telling you....if freaks both me and Clay out!!! With this happening and my SIDS obsession, I've been waking up at least every hour to check on Lola to make sure she is still on her back....it's been exhausting!!! I'm not real sure what to do about this or if we should even be concerned (Anyone who has an opinion....please let me know). Anyway, I received a frantic call from Clay on Sunday. Lola had been napping and he walked in to check on her and (once again) she was on her belly with her face smushed into the mattress. He panicked and frantically picked her up and she woke up screaming. I decided that if we were ever going to get sleep again, we would have to do something about this. So, I ran to BRU and got there 1 minute before the doors closed. Now we're using a positioner. It seems to be working pretty well so far but I have a feeling it won't be too long before she figures out how to tackle the positioner. It seems she'll find a way to roll on that stomach no matter what it takes. Please....anyone....advice....

I haven't mentioned another milestone. Over the past couple of weeks Lola began recognizing her name. It's so cool that when we call her name she'll actually turn her head. Exciting!!! We're also going to give cereal a try this week. We'll make sure and post pics.

Lo's Fab Closet

Lola’s closet is pretty fabulous!!! I’ll tell you what….I sure do wish my closet looked like hers. She’s only 4 months old but has a closet full of fun fabulous outfits. If she was a Sex & the City character, she would definitely be Carrie Bradshaw. I’m not a big fan of babies wearing shoes before they are able to walk so she can’t compare to Carrie there but she can in all other aspects. Of course, Gami on the other hand, LOVES baby shoes. She buys them constantly for Lola. If I told her once I’ve told her a thousand times, “I don’t think shoes are cute on babies and supposedly it’s not good for their little feet”. She still continues to buy them and then gets pouty when Lola grows out of a pair that she never wore. Grandmothers...

In the mornings, Clay normally gets Lo ready and takes her to daycare but I quickly realized that he was putting her in the same outfit different variation over and over. He likes Lo to be dressed in very simple non-cutesy outfits. I mean this is coming from a guy that would love for his wardrobe to consist of ten of one shirt and ten of one pair of pants…all black. My thought is that she’s a little girl and we should have fun with it. So, I would sit out outfits but Clay would overlook my outfit pick for the day and put her in an outfit of his choice. He loves the little groovy onsies (which I love too) and seems to pair them with the same turquoise pants every time. They are cute outfits but I decided that we should mix it up so about 3 weeks ago I started dressing Lola in the mornings.

Well, one morning I’m in the bathroom getting ready and Clay stomps back and says “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” I said “What do you mean?” He said “That outfit you put on her…I will not take her to daycare in that.” He continued on to say “First off, it’s lingerie (it was satin….not lingerie…but I agree…may be a little much for a baby) and “Second off, it’s ugly.” I just laughed. It actually wasn’t as cute as I wanted it to be on her. Anyway, this day Clay changed Lola into a onsie of course and I got out some cute little pants to pair with it. The pants had a little bit of lace at the bottom that you really couldn’t see at all. Clay says “Those pants have lace”. I just ignored him and went on. This is when I start thinking "OK...SERIOUSLY!!!!". It’s pretty funny how he is about Lo’s wardrobe….very opinionated to say the least. He told Lola yesterday that he was going to take her shopping this weekend and invest in some “groovy cool clothes”. I’ll be interested to see what they come home with…..

Attached is a pic of Lo’s fab closet. You wouldn’t believe the drawers and the stuff I have already stored away. It’s really insane. I also attached a picture of the outfit that almost gave Clay a heart attack (If interested, on ebay shortly)…ha,ha. This weekend I hope to get some stuff up on ebay. I’ll post the links on the blog next week so get your check books out!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

A bad day turned good

Yesterday started out pretty bad. Why you may ask? Well, it was my birthday and I turned 32. I can’t help but get depressed over birthdays anymore….I actually dread them. I miss the days when you would get so excited about a birthday that you had butterflies in your stomach. Now, several days before the big day got here I was thinking “Is there anything worse than turning 32” . Then I thought about this a little further and I figure 33 will probably be worse. Luckily, I’m still 364 days away from 33 so that made me feel a little better. I realize this is a little melodramatic but I really did feel this way.

To ease the pain I was feeling, I decided to take a vaca day and spend some time with Lola. This bad day quickly turned good. We went to Itsy Bitsy yoga and then I did post-natal yoga. We hadn’t been back since I returned to work so it was fun to see all the mothers and babies again. Lola loved it! Then, I headed to one of my favorite little stores and decided to buy myself a little something. Why not? It’s my birthday…Happy Birthday to me! I got a cute little hot pink pin stripe skirt. It will look precious with everything.

Of course, the most exciting part of the day came at 4:00 p.m. We had Lola’s 4 month doctor appt. I’ve been excited about this one for weeks. I purposely scheduled it on my birthday as I knew I would be depressed and I figured this would lift my spirits. Well, it did!!! It’s funny how you look forward to these appointments. I was the same way about my monthly appointments when I was pregnant. I’m happy to say Lola is perfectly healthy. She weighed 16 ½ lbs (95th percentile) and was 25 ½ inches long (90th percentile). I knew she was a big girl!!! The doctor also said Lola is real close to being able to sit on her own. And, we can also start her on cereal. So, this weekend we may give the cereal a try.

After the appointment, Ben, my brother-in-law, and I went to the Luke’s Locker Marathon Kick-Off meeting. I got pretty pumped up and I’m ready to get out and start running on Saturday at 6:30 a.m. Woohoo!!! When I go out on a brisk walk in the neighborhood with Lo or the dogs, I’m exhausted after about 10 minutes so this marathon training should be interesting. Please keep your fingers crossed that I survive this training.

So, after several days of worrying about turning 32 and dreading the day, it actually ended up being a fun fulfilling great day.

The Blabla

When I first saw the blabla dolls (Must Have #4 - www.blablakids.com), I absolutely fell in love with them! They were so cute and unique and the colors were vivacious and fun. The blabla was the inspiration behind Lola’s nursery and it turned out totally “spunky and groovalicious” as Molly puts it. I was so thrilled that my FAVORITE baby store Baby Bliss (http://www.shopbabybliss.com/) also carries the blabla so I was able to register for all of them (If you live in Dallas, you have got to check out this store…totally funky and cool). Now that Lo is starting to play with things, we have found that her favorite toys are the blablas. I think she loves them for the same reasons I do. She loves to hold them, stare at them and chew on them of course. Attached is a picture of Lola with her favorite blabla. She absolutely loves it!!!

As you’ll see in the pic, we’ve been having some issues with Lo’s hair. Like her father, she has curly hair. I’m thrilled about this but it’s definitely hard to control at times. Right now we’re going through a phase where she looks a little bit like a Soprano’s baby. Hair up and slicked back…..too cute!!! Look how shockingly similar her hair looks to Silvio’s from the Soprano's....ha,ha,ha…you gotta love it!!!

Up until this past Sunday, Lola has been sleeping in a cradle in our bedroom. Since she was about 10 weeks old, I have said to Clay “I think we need to move Lola to her bed this week”. Clay would always say “No, she’s not ready and neither are we”. Of course, in my mind, I was thinking “Who’s “we”? Do you have a frog in your pocket?” as I’ve been ready to make the transition for a while. We finally bit the bullet and on Sunday we put baby Lola to sleep in her fabulous bed in her groovalicious nursery. She loves her nursery so I felt this transition would be easy. Now I’ll admit….it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be....I was a little sad that she wasn’t lying next to me in the cradle anymore. One of my favorite things is waking up and seeing her in the middle of the night but I also knew it was time.

Well, Clay on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. Sunday night he was up and down all night long checking on Lola. Every little sound he popped up and headed to the nursery. Yesterday he said he got less sleep with Lola in the nursery than when she was in our room. I think he may have also mentioned seeing ghosts....I'm assuming this was from the sleep deprivation...not real sure. It’s sweet how worried he was about her. Of course, she was fine and slept great. Like day-care, there is a transition period but after we get through this week, it will be wonderful.

It's been 4 months

I can't believe it's been 4 months since baby Lola entered our life. Boy how time flies! Every day since has been such a joy and always brings something new. Attached is a video my sister-in-law made for us that documents our time in the hospital and bringing baby Lola home which was one of the best days of my life. Although it seems like it was ages ago, I remember it like it was yesterday.

As we got in the car to drive home, it was a crazy feeling. After being in the hospital for four days, we were now out in the "real" world with a baby in hand. We wanted to make sure Lola's first time to listen to music was a good one so we put in a Wilco CD....you don't get much better than Wilco. When we got home, our families and some good family friends Reta, Billy & Jesse were all there to welcome baby Lola home. We cooked out and enjoyed the afternoon. Everyone was so excited that this new little baby was a part of our lives.

Lo has her 4 month doctor visit on Wednesday. I can't wait to see how much she has grown since her 8 week appointment. I have a feeling that she is going to be very high on the percentile gage. She's a big girl!!!

Obama Baby!!!

He’s come out of hibernation

Clay seems to be a creature of habit. It never fails that every year as soon as the temperature drops below 60 degrees (which isn’t very often in Texas) or as soon as fall hits, Clay starts to grow his beard (which only takes about a day) and always has great expectations for it. He’ll say things like “I’m not going to shave it for a year” or “I want it to look like Jim James from My Morning Jacket”. Fortunately, he has never let his beard go for a year but as you can see from some of the pictures posted below, he’ll let it get pretty bushy.

My favorite beard story was from Christmas 2006. Our dear friends Ashley & Mark were visiting with their little girl Isabel who was 2 yrs old at the time. Well, we walk in, Isabel sees Clay, points to him and says "Jesus". It was Hilarious!!! We let it go on for a while but Ashley and Mark figured it probably wasn't good that Isabel thought Jesus was in their living room especially when he had a beer in hand. Ha,Ha!!! It was too funny. You gotta love kids.

Although there have been some great beard stories and photos, I’m happy to say that Clay has come out of the Fall/Winter hibernation and has shaved. We can see his face again!!! It’s so refreshing. Now we can officially say that Clay is ready for summer and it seems it’s going to be a hot one!!!

Several Firsts

I’m not sure if it’s grammatically correct to say this but we had several “firsts” this past weekend.

It was such a fabulous weekend as we had nothing planned. On Saturday, I woke up and was ready to try something new with baby Lola. She LOVES her bathes so I figured she’ll probably love hanging out in the pool. So, I blew up her baby pool, got some toys ready and put Lo in her little swimming suit. We were ready to tackle Lola’s first swim and I was so excited! Well, as you can tell from the pictures, it didn’t go so well. Poor baby girl. I think it was a combination of things. One, it was too bright outside and two, she can’t sit up on her own yet so it just wasn’t any fun for her. Oh well, we gave it a shot. We’ll try it again in a couple weeks.

Moving on to the next “first”. As noted in a blog below, Lola flipped from her stomach to her back a while back. Well, this past weekend, baby girl flipped from her back to her stomach and then got up on her arms. Yea!!! We were so proud of her. I know, I know….It seems crazy to get excited over something that seems so little but in “baby world” this is a huge deal so we were proud parents.

Now to the next “first”. This one is a little disappointing and has nothing to do with Lola. Clay asked me to get my own toothbrush. I should back up a little so you can better understand the significance of this. I have a tendency of using other people’s toothbrushes. Really, I limit this great honor to family only. For example, if I’m staying at my parents, I don’t take a toothbrush b/c I know I can use theirs. Not a big deal right? I didn’t think there was anything wrong with this until I used my sister-in-law, Molly’s, toothbrush and she was pretty much appalled. After thinking about it, I guess you are taking germs off your teeth and maybe others don’t really want my germs on their toothbrush. Understandable for family members to feel this way but my husband….I was in shock and a little sad. I mean seriously, we’ve been together for almost 14 years and we’ve made a baby together so why in the world would it be a problem to share a toothbrush? Well, apparently, he’s ready for me to move on and get my own toothbrush so I’ll be on the search for that perfect brush this week.

We now present Mr. & Mrs Rope

Here are some more pics from the wedding. Yes...Lola pretty much slept through all the pics so we weren't able to get any good ones. Although, I didn't have time to give Lo a bath and fix her hair before the wedding, she still looked precious!!! That's what's great about being a baby....you look cute no matter how clean you are...ha,ha!!!

500 years is a long time

Over the past couple years, Clay and I have tried to change our lifestyle as much as possible and attempt to be “green”. It’s not always easy but it’s amazing how the little things can help the environment. So, we try to think of the environment at all times and do what we can to help the cause. We recycle, conserve water use (Water is very precious....less than 1% of the world's fresh water or about 0.007% of all water on earth is readily accessible for direct human use), buy organic and environmental friendly items if available, use a push mower (Um, yes….Clay mows our yard using a push mower….old school), use Green Mountain for electricity (uses wind & solar to produce electricity), use compact fluorescent light bulbs, etc. Of course, there are so many other things we can do to help the environment but unfortunately it takes time and money. Our next big items will be solar panel tint for our windows in our house and a hybrid car.

We're also trying to raise Lola "green". When I was pregnant, diapers didn’t cross my mind until someone asked “Are you going to use disposable or cloth diapers?”. Wow. This had never crossed my mind. As a matter of fact, I didn’t know cloth diapers were even an option as I always had correlated cloth diapers to cloth rags with pins. Nope….not so anymore. Once this questioned was posed, I started doing my research and found some interesting facts such as: It takes up to 500 years for a disposable to bio degrade in a landfill or over a billion trees are killed each year to make disposables. Wow!!! You don’t realize how important it is to be “green” until you start hearing some of the facts. So, early on in my pregnancy, Clay and I decided we would use the cloth diaper.

Well, we finally started cloth diapers about a month ago. We tried out several different diapers/methods. I’ll spare you all the dirty details but we have found a cloth diaper that is absolutely no more inconvenient than a disposable diaper. The G Diaper (must have #3)!!!! The diapers have a washable cotton outer “little g” pant and a plastic-free flushable diaper refill. Instead of flushing the refill every time, you can also throw them in a diaper pail (like you do with a disposable) and compost them. The g diaper takes 50 – 150 days to disintegrate vs. 500 years for a disposable. And, the refills are no more expensive than buying disposable diapers. I’m telling you, they’re fabulous and stylish!!!

Attached is a pic of baby Lola in her cute cloth diaper (Please ignore the deer in headlights look on Lola...Lately, anytime the camera is on her, she has been giving this look...nice!). I’ve also attached some good “green” references that I love.

http://www.treehuggingfamily.com/

http://www.gdiapers.com/

Good Books – Ready, Set, Green: 8 Weeks to Modern Eco-Living, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way we Make Things, Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Baby Care

Cousin on the way...

We're so excited that Lola's first cousin is in the oven cooking. Molly & Ben finally announced to the world that "They are expecting!!!!". Yea! Baby on the way!!! We're all so excited.

We know they'll be great parents as they are so wonderful with Lola. Not just the way they look at her and hold her and take care of her but how they want her around always. Boy...if Lola Ruth isn't going to be there, then it's just not a good time anymore. For example, Ben's birthday (BIG 27!!! Remember the days....) was about a month ago and Molly threw a fab party for him. It was all set....my mom was coming over to keep Lola. Well, nope....that doesn't work. Although all their friends got babysitters for their kids, they wanted Lola there for the party. Molly's exact words were "Lola is my muse and I want her here". How cute! Lola partied with us all night and everybody loved her. Or, this past Friday was Molly's birthday (BIG 32!!!) and again we were going to have my mom come over to keep Lola. Well, that wasn't good b/c everybody wanted Lola with us for her birthday celebration. Things like this make you feel so good as a parent. To have family and friends that love your child so much that they always want her around. It's very special!!!

So, as a congrats gift I gave Molly all of my essential items that I had to have throughout my pregnancy which were: low fat wheat thins (in case of emergency hunger weakness), mixed nuts, jalapenos, hot tamales, prunes (I know...very strange craving), bananas, water, cream to prevent stretch marks, waste band (to help smooth you out when your in that phase where the stomach is mushy) and Pea in the Pod pre-natal yoga schedule. Oh, how I loved all of this stuff throughout my pregnancy. Most of these items were with me at all times. The only thing I couldn't wrap was the big gulp coke that I allowed myself once a week. I looked forward to those all week long.

Congratulations Molly and Ben!!! We can't wait for the little bambino(a) to arrive.

Adam & Brana, Now that you're married, it's time for you to start working on cousin #2.

Have a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!!

Hooray for a long weekend!!!

Lola loves to cat nap

Boy we’re lucky. Lola loves to cat nap or should I say tiger nap. When I was pregnant, if you asked me “What will you miss most once the baby is born” my answer would have been “Cat Napping “ without thinking twice. Well, I don’t want to mislead anyone so I should actually phrase the term as “Tiger Napping” because the naps I’m referring to usually last a minimum of 1 ½ hours and can be as long as 3 ½ hours. I’m not kidding….I really love the tiger nap!!!!

We have been blowing and going for the past two months and it seems there hasn’t been one moment to sit back and breath. This past weekend was the first weekend in well over a month where we had no plans. I was so happy about the plan free weekend and looked forward to it all week. I thought I’ll finally have time to get organized and get things done around the house. I had my list of chores. BTW…I love my lists....they basically run my life. The list included things such as clean out my closets, get the nursery organized, clean out the cabinets, wash clothes, write thank you cards, pay bills, etc.

Well, when it came down to it, I basically couldn’t move due to exhaustion and didn’t do one thing all weekend (We did squeeze in the Radiohead concert Sunday evening....awesome show!). Oops!!! What did I do instead? Tiger napped all day Saturday and Sunday. Now, you would think once you have a baby that the tiger nap would be cut out of your life. Luckily for us, that’s not the case b/c Lola LOVES to tiger nap. The funny thing is Lola doesn’t typically sleep a lot during the day. She usually takes little 30 minute to hour long naps here and there throughout the day. But, when it’s time to tiger nap, she is ready to go down hard. On Saturday and Sunday, we would lay her down with us either on our chest or next to us on the couch and she would take the 3 hour naps right along with us. She wouldn’t wake up until we started moving around. Then, if we got up for an hour or so and decided to take another nap….she would be ready again. It’s great and what I like to call a true blessing.

Other great news, I weighed this morning and have lost 1 ½ lbs this past week. I guess my regime is working so far. I hope to keep the scale moving down. Over the past couple months, I’ve felt like Lola should be attached to my hip at all times so people know I just had a baby. I’m finally starting to feel like I can walk out into the world on my own and feel comfortable with it. Such a great feeling!!!

The Next Big Thing

It’s really amazing how quickly they change. Here are some pics from last night when we were playing with Lola. She is such a doll!!! It seems within a week she has changed so much. She is much more alert and really focuses on faces now. She’ll stare at you for long periods of time and you wonder “What in the world is this child thinking”. Not that I can remember but it makes me miss the days when life was so care-free. Lola has also become very active in the evenings. Stomach time is easy for her now and she is able to raise her head up high with a smile. She is also getting better at sitting up. She still topples over if you let go but she is able to balance better if you put her up against something. It’s fun seeing these little advancements and she seems so proud of herself when she accomplishes a new move.

In other great news, Lola seems to love daycare now. She laughs and coos when we drop her off and she's always having fun playing when we pick her up. The daycare said “She has made lots friends”. I’m not sure what this means exactly since she can’t talk yet but I’ll just go with it. Yesterday when we picked her up she was sitting in an exersaucer. This is a first! She hasn’t been big enough or steady enough until this week. Now, I am a little torn about the exersaucer, swing and all other objects of this type. Why? Well, “they” say the use of walkers, swings, exersaucers, etc can cause delays in development. Studies show babies who spend a lot of time in these type of toys tend to sit, crawl and walk later than babies who don’t. I know, I know….this is a little much. But, you have to pay attention to the research. This is why I love the playmat (must have #2) because it challenges babies to move around on their own, reach for things, turn over and other fun things. That’s my tid-bit for the day. I’ll try to keep these to a minimum in future blogs but I figure parents and future parents might be interested in what “they” say.

Although I love seeing her do the “next big thing”, it’s also sad for me to see her change so quickly. It’s funny how every little thing is such a big deal. Grabbing something, pulling things to her mouth, steady head, lifting her head, etc. These all become huge accomplishments when you're a baby. Every stage gets more and more fun which is great. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Also, scope out this article http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/4653/lose-weight-eating-restaurant-foods/ Eat this, Not that. I found it pretty interesting. It makes you stop and think before you eat anything.

My daughter is a spitting image of her Father

I’ll never forget the moment when Lola finally arrived and the first thing my doctor said was “She is definetly her father’s daughter”. I’ve since heard this term numerous times. Her hair, her eyes, her nose….it’s all her father’s. Nothing, nada, zilch, zip is mine. Initially, we thought she may have my mom’s fabulous brown skin tone. However, when the jaundice left, the beautiful olive skin was gone too and she was left with pale white skin which definetly makes her an Odom. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Although I’m constantly searching for any little thing on Lola that may come from me, I actually love the fact that she is a mini-Clay. I remember the first time I looked at her and you have this feeling that you’ll only experience once. After this glance, I was finally able to sleep after being awake for over 30 hours. I remember waking up the next morning, Clay was in the hospital room with me and when I looked at him, I saw Lola in him (Of course, at this point she still didn’t have a name). It was a very special moment for me. Ever since then, I love and cherish the fact that my daughter is a spitting image of her father.

Happy 35th Birthday to Clay!!!

Too Cute!

How cute are Adam & Brana. I can't wait to post more wedding photos. I'm telling you...this photographer is great! You won't believe the wedding party photos....so much fun! Again it's http://www.salleephotography.com/. Visit their blog. If you visit the blog, you'll also see that Brana is famous....it appears the website The Knot is using her bridal portraits. How cool is that.

“Must Have” #1

When I was pregnant and it was time to register I was very overwhelmed. I had no idea what we needed and had no clue where to start. So, I began taking polls from all my friends that had kids, took their “must have” list and went from there. I’ve now developed my own “must haves” and will try to share them throughout the blog. First “must have”, Adiri bottle (http://www.adiri.com/) and/or Dr. Brown glass bottles (http://www.handi-craft.com/bottles/Products.shtm).

One obvious thing that we all need with a new baby is bottles. Did you know plastic bottles are a no no for babies? It’s crazy…right? Well, this is because a chemical in some plastic food and drink packaging including baby bottles may be tied to early puberty and prostate and breast cancer. Wow! Can you believe this? I didn’t just make this up either. It came straight from the U.S. Government’s mouth.

The key is to buy bottles that are free of bisphenol A which basically eliminates most plastic bottles as bisphenol A is used in the productions of plastics. So, this is why my first “must have” is either the Adiri bottle (silicon) or Dr. Brown’s glass bottle. Both are great not only because they are bisphenol A free but they also have a vent that helps prevent colic and gassiness and they are eco-friendly. It’s a win win with these bottles!!!

Of course baby first but with this information we also need to think of ourselves. Clay is on a mission to throw away all of our plastics. Oh my!!! Think about how much you use plastics during a day….tupperware, plastic baggies, plastic cups, bottled water, bottled soda, etc. This list could go on and on and on. This is going to be a huge adjustment. So, I’ve asked Clay to slow it down as we’ll have to ease into this change.