Taking a Break

It has happened again. I have fallen into the trap of trying to get more followers/views/comments. I have linked up, written boring posts, and hopped along to try an boost this little blog.

That is not why I wanted to write. This is a place to capture memories for Kate. So I am taking a break, again, and will write again when/ if I feel like it.

I am also taking a break from reading blogs. There are SO MANY. And  I like A LOT. But I feel inferior after reading them- my house isn't decorated right, Kate's playroom has too many plastic toys, I should be making cute/delicious/inspiring things all the time, etc...

When we cut out cable, and I could no longer watch HGTV, I no longer dreamed of the big fancy house that was decorated just-so. I am hoping cutting out the blogs will have the same effect.

I could have just stopped completely, but then If there is anyone actually interested in what was going on here, then I wanted to give some sort of closure (if you can call it that).

So maybe I will write again, but as for now..
So long Blog-o-sphere.

Kate's "Couch"

You may or may not have seen it in this post about my failed attempt at working out... yet again... but we made a little couch for Kate. Very simply, I exchanged the chaise cushion for a regular one, stored the chaise support, and plopped the cushion on the floor.

It fits perfectly against the wall, and provides a place for Kate to sit, rest, or even play while we hang out downstairs. She will sit and watch some TV for a few minutes, but most of the time she is up and running. Literally.

She seems to like having her own little space to sit. We'll probably keep it set this way for a while.

Judgement

I try not to judge (even though its is soo easy and I do it all the time), but I especially try not to judge other moms.

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No one knows the whole story. I don't know if one of your kids was up every hour of the night, or if there are other family/money/job/etc issues that are impacting you.

Whenever I see some parenting styles that are different from my own, I try to take a step back and remember that we (most of us) are doing our best. We can only work with what we know, whether it is from our own childhood experience, family and friends's support and encouragement, or learning more through classes/research/tips/strategies.

Adam always reminds me that if I wasn't here, and he had to parent on his own, he would have no clue what he was doing. I was complaining to him that there is a new chocolate flavored Toddler Formula, full of sugar and other chemicals, and people should just give their kids milk. Well Adam is the type of dad who would probably buy it for his child: "it says formula... ooh chocolate, I bet she'd like that..." 

So instead of silently judging those moms who are buying that 'formula', letting their big kids suck pacifiers just to keep them quiet, who yell at their children to stop acting like brats, or are carrying their too-big child in an infant car seat, I will try to remember that we are all just trying to do our best.

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I wish I was able to offer support to those parents who look at their wits end, or inform them of the dangers of putting the infant seat in the top of the cart, but that's not who I am. The best I can do is to not judge, and pray that they will find the support/encouragement/knowledge for raising their children from the family or friends they trust, not the crazy know-it-all lady who walks up to them in the store.

I don't know why I felt the need to write this, but it is something I am working on. Maybe it will help someone else realize their 'helpful advice' isn't really so helpful- or wanted.

Pregnancy #1 Belly Shots

I was inspired by something on Pinterest, and wanted to document my baby bump the same way. I had Adam take my belly shots every couple weeks.

Looking back now, It was a few too many. So I picked out four that were special and used picmonkey to make a collage.

5 weeks- We're Pregnant!!!
25 weeks- I finally told my students I was having a baby. I totally forgive them for thinking that I was just getting fat.
37 weeks- Full term!
40 weeks- Due date is here. Went another week before meeting our beautiful baby girl!


I loved being pregnant. Absolutely LOVED it. I miss it.
I think Kate was a month old when I told Adam I missed being pregnant.
He looked at me like I was crazy and just said "NO"

And no, I'm not pregnant, but I can't wait to document a growing belly again. I just need to figure out if I will go the same route as before.

Things I Thought I Wouldn't Need....

...but I use everyday.


When we were registering for baby stybs, there were a couple things I thought would be unnecessary to have. After bring Kate home, however, I had to make some last minute orders on Amazon to help us out.

1. baby monitor. Our house is old, you can hear everything, so why would we need a monitor? Well, you do hear everything... if you're on the same level. In the basement or even outside, I need the monitor to hear when Kate wakes up from her nap.

2. white noise. Kate was such a bad napper when she was a couple months old. I had seen people commenting on how white noise helped their babies, so I got the giraffe. It's cute, Kate still likes to snuggle it  in her crib, and for a while, the only way to get her to nap was to lay the giraffe across her tummy.

3. changing pad. This is the item that I thought was pointless and a waste of money. Oh how wrong I was. Every diaper change I had ever done had been on the carpet. Well, I was recovering from a c-section and bending over wasn't the best idea for me. Plus, middle of the night changes require some concentration and time efficiency, so when she was getting too big to leave the waterproof pad in her pack-n-play while she slept, I knew it was time to get a real changing pad.

What are some must-haves that you didn't think were necessary?

Five on Friday

1. Kate has Roseola. It sounds worse than it actually is, but I didn't know she had it until yesterday. She had been tired, but not sleeping like usual (5:30 makes sense now), and kept feeling warm. We took her temp on Sunday and it was 102 under her arm. I freaked out and took her to RightTime care. The conclusion there was that she had a virus, give her Tylenol for 2-3 days, schedule a follow up with her pediatrician. Before her follow up, she was feeling better, no fever, but had a rash from her neck to her chest. Yup Roseola. She'll be fine in a couple more days.

2. I finally started sewing Kate's quilt. I'm using my mom's serger to help me keep a straight line. I am horrible at guiding the fabric through a sewing machine, but a serger does that for me. I just have to keep it from bunching or sliding off. It is so much quicker and easier. I've been able to get a row or two done when I go to pick Kate up in the afternoons.

 I finally finished them today, but now I have to iron and sew the rows together.

3. I need a coffee pot with an auto-off. I have left it on all day twice in the past week. I've been looking into models with a programmable start time as well. I just don't know if Ill wait until our current pot dies, or just o ahead and order a new one. What I do know is coming home to the burnt smell of coffee sucks.

4. I am so done with this school year. Our curriculum is divided into 9 weeks. Next week is week 9, but we still have two more weeks, ugh. But, finally Memorial Day is here! Our only day off in May, and Adam is actually home this weekend. I'm looking forward to family time, yard sale-ing, grilling, and other summery things.

5. Stupid weight keeps fluctuating! I had lost all pregnancy weight, then gained 10 lbs back. I've been trying to be very conscious of what I eat, logging everything into myfitnesspal, and not become obsessed with the scale. But it's hard to not obsess, especially when  the numbers go up and down by 3 within a few days. I know, only weigh yourself once a week. I know, weight will change throughout the day. I just want to stay consistent or lose. It's really hard to see the numbers go up.  Currently I'm down, hopefully this weekend won't ruin it.

So those are the top 5 things on my mind this week. What about you?

Quilting

About a month after Kate's birthday I finally started on her quilt. Even though I had been saving ideas on pinterest for a while, I was still having a hard time deciding what to do. I knew I didn't want anything complicated- I had never quilted before, and have only used a sewing machine a few times- and I didn't want anything that needed a perfect pattern- no rows of squares. I am a little OCD/ and slightly a perfectionist so I knew that if I didn't get those rows matched up and straight it would kill me and I would take it out over and over and over.

So with some help from my mom I decided on 3" wide strips, but random lengths in each row. Mom showed me how to square off my fabric, and I got to cutting lots and lots of fabric.

After a couple weeks, I got all the strips cut. I took them home and laid them all out trying to make a "random" pattern that didn't look awful. When it looked good enough (over an hour later) I bundled each row up so I could return to mom's an sew them together.

I've started sewing the strips together, so I'll post whenever I get done.