Liebster Award

I'm excited to report that my witty, hilarious fellow blogger, Amy at Baby Mama Juice, nominated me for the Liebster Blogger Award! I'm so honored to be recognized for my blog! This award is presented as a way to acknowledge up and coming bloggers and to help them be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments within design that is presented on their blog. My blog still needs a lot of revamping and refreshing, but I will get to that all in good time. For now, I am enjoying sharing my thoughts and daily life on this here space. Thanks Amy! 

The rules:1.  Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.
2.  Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, and then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to next.
3.  Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.
4.  Go back to their page and tell them about the award.
5.  No tag backs.

My 11 totally random facts:
1. After college, I worked in NYC for a year in public relations. I will always love the city, but not working there. Especially when you work three blocks past times square and your daily commute involves sidestepping millions of pains in the ass tourists taking a million pictures. It gets OLD very quickly. 

2. Ruby Foos Times Square will never get old. If you have never been, you must go. My friend Cristina and I would easily drop over $100 at lunch on the few occasions she would come up from her gig at MSG to meet me for lunch.

3. I love tv and I am a reality tv junkie. Recently, I have been added to the Brav-ho club! I am not ashamed.

4. I LOVE Cocktail and Overboard. I will watch these movies ever single time they are on. These movies are the only thing to trump my reality tv obsession.

5. I played Division I lacrosse in college. Best memories ever. Even better body - too bad that is also a memory. 

6. I am the COMPLETE opposite of a hoarder. Don't set your shit down in front of me. I will throw it away. I hate clutter. 

7. I have been to Hawaii twice both times at Halloween. Waikiki parade at Halloween = flippin awesome.

8. My husband and I met at a wedding ... er, at a bar post-wedding. Hey, they say the best marriages start at an all night hotel after party right? 

9. I live for Fridays ... when my US Weekly arrives! 

10. I love to cook. I have learned so much from my mom, from food network, from reading, and from messing around. I love making big dinners that cook all day. I wish I could create my own recipes, but I am not there yet. Cooking just stinks when you have NO time.

11. I was born in Syracuse, NY, and I will always have a place in my heart for Otto the Orange.

The 11 questions from Amy and my answers:
1.  When and why did you start your blog? I started my blog during my first pregnancy. MY friend Angela really inspired me to start blogging, and I wanted a way to document my pregnancy and motherhood.

2.  Who are your girl crushes? Beyonce. Jillian Michaels. Kelly Ripa.

3.  What is your biggest pet peeve? Heavy breathers, people who don't wave in traffic after you've given them a courtesy, and people who leave don't fill the paper in the copier.

4.  If you could have a second home, where would it be? Turks & Caicos. After a babymoon there, it is my favorite destination. The most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. 

5.  What is your favorite movie? I just asked my hubby "what is my favorite movie?" and he laughed and said "you've seen like two movies! You haven't seen shit!" I don't know a ton of movies, and he always gets mad. He thinks its funny that I am have never seen any movie he references. I haven't seen a ton of new movies lately either. Hence, Cocktail and Overboard.

6.  Where is your favorite place to shop? Oh geez, no where lately. I am a big gilt groupe shopper. Amazon... I haven't been shopping much at all lately even though I desperately need a million things from clothes to kitchen appliances. My all time favorite is Bloomies. 

7. If you could have lunch with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?  What would you ask them? 

8.  Would you rather take a vacation in the mountains or the beach? Oh please, the mountains don't stand a chance. We are beach lover through and through. Ocean City, NJ our second home.

9. How do you come up with ideas for your blog posts? I like to post about things we do with the girls for my friends and family. I like to post pictures of the cutest girls ever for me to look back on. I like to post about things that are always on my mind. One week, I will have a million ideas and the next, zilch, zero. 

10. Do you have a daily beauty routine?  If so, what is it? Time is not a friend of mine in the morning, but I always try to throw some make up on my face so I don't look like the walking dead. First, I put some Clinique Even Better foundation on, then some blush. Lately, I have been loving the Benefit 10 bronzing and highlighting powder. For my eyes, I HAVE to start with Stila prime pot. I love it. So much less creasing and greasing on my eyes! Then, I choose some shadow from Urban Decay Naked palette. Finish it off with some mascara. It takes no time but it makes a world of difference for me. 

11.  If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? My skin! I have always had skin problems. I would love beautiful, radiant skin. My skin always looks dull and greasy, and I always seem to have blemishes or a perioral dermatitis flare up. So definitely my skin! Hands down! 

The 11 blogs I'm giving the Liebster Award (with under 200 followers or just a smidge over):
The Lloyd Sisters
Momma B & Babyboy
High Heeled Mama
Words About Waverly
Life Revolves Around Them
Nine Months
Ashley Spain
Our Forever
Once Upon a Dime
Serrano Style
With Dirt on Our Face

The 11 questions I'm giving them to answer:
1. What are you currently reading or the last book you read?
2. What did you want to be when you grew up? 
3. What is your biggest fear? 
4. What is your greatest accomplishment?
5. Are you a weekly meal planner or are you a fly by the seat of your pants kind of eater?
6. What would be your ideal date?
7. What is your inspiration for your blog?
8. Pet person? How many and what kind?
9. If you had 24 hours alone, how would you spend it?
10. Neutral or colorful?
11. What is your favorite vacation spot?

Thanks again Amy! This was so much fun and I love reading and learning about other fellow bloggers and what inspires them!  

For Real?

Bath time. Bath time usually goes off without a hitch. Happy playing child. 

Until, our boy learned to jump up and open EVERY SINGLE DOOR in our house (and scratching the shit out of them). Shoot me. Now, this is what bath time looks like. 

Teddy. He will not leave us alone during bath time. He drinks the bath water, licks the kids, takes EVERY SINGLE TOY out of the tub - then proceeds to run around the house squeezing them and squirting water everywhere. It is putting me over the edge after a very L-O-N-G week.

Weekend of Changes

Changes. So, I already have that feeling. The horrible feeling. The feeling that your baby has changed so much in a week's time and you are missing it. 

This weekend, things seemed different. She seemed different. She was just as happy and pleasant as ever, but she seemed bigger and stronger. She seemed more playful and more active. Today, I couldn't help but hold her, stand her up, tickle her, and help her sit up all day because she was so much fun to be around. Rolling over at every turn, squealing and blowing raspberries, and just having a good old time. She is getting stronger as I help her sit by holding her hands. Today, I was even able to hold her on my hip for the first time ever. She has grown and changed so much in 3 short weeks. *Sigh* When she wasn't rolling and playing, she was laying in my arms and staring me. After eating today, she would simply lay calmly and still and smile at me. She would snuggle in my arms like she never wanted to leave. I like to believe she misses me during the week and misses our snugly nursing sessions so she lived it up this weekend. 

And it felt so good.

We didn't have any plans at all this weekend, but we were so busy just the same. My hubby got home late Friday night from traveling for work, and I was happy to spend the weekend together. On Saturday, we had a family outing and we stopped at a new burger joint that just opened by us. SMASHBURGER. OMG. I am hooked. Seriously.

We splurged on burgers, fries, and we shared a Saturday afternoon milkshake with our favorite girl.

If you have a Smashburger, go to one. Now. That's all I'll say about that.

My other new weekend obsession ... The Laughing Cow Garden Vegetable Spread. After eating burgers and fries on Saturday, we wanted a lighter, healthier lunch on Sunday. This shit is amazing. 

We spread some on whole wheat tortillas and filled them with some turkey, carrots, cucumbers, and avocado. 

Wrapped those suckers up and prayed that she would even try one bite. At least, she loves pomegranate seeds.

A weekend full of chores, errands, and exhaustion, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love being home with my family. Within the craziness, I find moments with my girls that just make this life worth living. After feeling a little negative at the beginning of the weekend, I am going to bed with a full heart. 

Have a great week! 

She's Lucky...

that she is this cute.

The unswaddling is not going according to plan.

Like I said, she's lucky she is this cute.

Happy 5 Months

Yesterday, Keira Jane turned 5 months old. It feels like just yesterday that I was sitting on my ottoman at 35 weeks telling my family that this baby was coming. Sure enough, she was born a few hours later. When the Dr. said "it's a girl," I almost died of happiness. She has joined our family so seamlessly, and I can't believe I have known this little girl for 5 months. Pure. love.

No, seriously. My heart could explode just from thinking about her.

My sweet Keira Jane. Everyone calls you Gaga because of your sweet sissy. She used to call you Gaga because she had trouble saying Keira, but now I think she purposely calls you Gaga. 

Talk about a happy baby. You are easy to take care of, easy to be around, but most importantly you are easy to love. Everyone that meets you falls in love with your easy going way and your gummy smile.

You have the best eyelashes I have ever seen, the sweetest cheeks, and the sharpest blue eyes. I love when those sweet blue eyes follow me as I walk around a room.

At 5 months, you...

* have tried oatmeal. Other than that, you are exclusively nursing and we are proud of it!
* wear 9 month clothing! I am even starting to have trouble snapping your jammies because you have a long torso.
* were sleeping through the night from 7:30 pm to 6:30 am, but this week, we finally stopped swaddling you. The past few nights, you are trying to figure out this new freedom. You are such a great sleeper so hopefully, we get back to sleeping straight through the night quickly!
* are a rolling machine! You roll from front to back and back to front all day long!
* are gaining so much strength. You can push yourself all the way up on your tummy and you try to sit yourself up when you are in a chair or propped up.  I love watching you get stronger and stronger each day!
* have started really grabbing toys. Some of your favorite toys are your light up ladybug and your light up monkey. You love grabbing your lovey and rubbing it on your face.
* have found your hands. When you are not grabbing toys, you are constantly sucking on your hands and fingers. I am waiting for you to find these cute toes.

* you had your first bath in the big family tub! The first of many with your sissy!

My girl. I love you. You are my special girl. Happy 5 months.

Mommy Confessions

Tuesday! Another link up with Heather and Megan! I confess that since going back to work I miss my girls. I miss my Kay. I find myself at bedtime letting her stay in our bed and watch tv, cuddle, and snuggle. Bedtime comes and bedtime goes. We stayed up later than bedtime almost every day last week. 

After bath, we let her lay in our bed until bedtime. This past week, I crawled in bed with her and we just got to relax together. I didn't want to put her to bed because I loved the way she felt laying against me. Her tiny hand would sweetly touch and rub my wrist as she laid in the crook of my arm. Her wild, clean hair tickles my face.

My sweet girl. I know my return to work has confused her a little bit. When I get home, she wants my attention. One night, she hung on my leg while I tried to make dinner. She said, "Mommy, hold me." At the moment, I put everything down and we laid on the couch together. I know this transition has been hard on me, and I failed to realize that my girl could be missing me as much as I am missing her. So, I let her stay up past her bedtime....and I don't care.

Pumping

Well, I made it through my first two weeks back at work. I was successfully able to pump 2 or 3 times a day while I was away from my sweet baby girl. It isn't easy, but I know what a priority it is for me and for my Keira. From the moment I wake up in the morning, I am planning and scheduling when and how much she will eat and when I can pump. It is like an intricate chess match to make sure she is latching on as many times as possible without me having just pumped. Calculating how much milk she will drink during the day without me and how much I am pumping. Is it enough? Will my freezer supply start to dwindle? My mind is constantly on breastfeeding and pumping. It is a little exhausting, but preparation and planning will make sure not one precious drop is wasted down a drain.

It is work, but it is worth it. Even staying up until 10:30 or 11:00pm when I am completely exhausted to get one last pump in has been worth it.  The last pump of the day is the most important, but the hardest for me to do. I am usually already laying in bed and I have to drag myself downstairs, but the extra 4 or 5 ounces I get is a necessity.

Feeding my daughter has been one of the things that I am most proud of in my life. She has survived because of my body alone. It blows my mind.

Some things I am learning as I go...

- freeze the milk in 2 oz increments. This way, it lessens the chance of any milk going to waste. If she needs more, it defrosts in no time at all. I love the Medela storage bags.

- Medela steam bags have become my best friend at work. 

- looking at pictures and videos of Keira while I am pumping definitely brings on the "let down" like nobody's business.

- do NOT look at how much milk you are pumping while you are pumping. It immediately stresses me out and it is not good for my body.

- no matter how much it sucks - keep chugging the water. When I don't drink enough, I notice a difference in my pumped milk amount. It is ridiculously hard to drink a lot of water at work especially because I can't just run to the bathroom and leave 25 first graders alone. 

- try to stay on a "schedule" - random pumping times are not as successful as sticking to a schedule... but any pumping session is better than none!

- when I sit down in the nurses office to pump, I try to close my eyes and relax for a moment. Sometimes, it is the only chance I get all day to have a quiet moment to myself so I take it for all it is worth. I block out the lesson plans that aren't done, the emails to parents that I have to return, and the dinner that has to be made when I get home. I sit still and think about my Gaga. I picture her smiling or the feel of her hair on my cheek. As rushed as I am to get them, I love those quiet moments. 

When the going gets tough, I just remember how much benefit both my daughter and I are getting out of it. 

When your freezer starts bursting at the seams with milk everywhere, you can organize it by date and put it in Ziplock freezer bags for extra protection and space saving.

Looks like a lot... sadly it probably wouldn't even last 2 weeks :(

How much milk do you usually get when pump for your 5 month old? Do you give your child the amount of breast milk you express? I am having a little trouble figuring out exactly how much she should have. Any advice out there?