(mostly-olympics-themed) musings

To start with- thank you for all of the well wishes and happy birthdays you sent Millie's way on Friday! She doesn't yet have a concept of "blog friends," but I'm sure that on some level she felt the love. Hahaha. We had a wonderful 'family day' and did all of her favorite things.



Lucky for me, most of her favorite things involve food, so it was a pretty great day to be Millie's mommy. She had her two-year check-up today, and I discovered that she actually HASN'T gained a lot of weight...apparently I've just gotten weaker. Womp. Millie is hanging out at 29 lb 12 oz (84th percentile) and 35.6 inches long (91st percentile). So at least I was correct about one thing- she's super tall...more than 3 inches (and about a pound) gained since her last visit (in February).

Anyway, we (using the word "we" really generously here) did get Millie's playground built this weekend! Insert all the praise hands emoji right here.



It took Matt, his dad, his brother, and our friend the entire Saturday (about ten hours) (plus Matt and I worked on organizing the pieces for probably 3 hours the day before), but they did it! And then I generously screwed those two flags to the front, hence the reason I can say "we" built it with a semi-clear conscience. Obviously we've only had it for like five days, but so far I will give the swing set my stamp of approval. I mean, my #1 recommendation would be to get one from a company that will come to your house and assemble it for you...but if you're on a budget and can wrangle some helpers, this one turned out pretty great. And as you can see, Millie definitely approves!

And that leads us to our next important topic: the Olympics.

Without her swing set, how would Millie ever properly prepare for the 2020 games? She'll be six-ish then, right? Based on my observations, that seems to be about the average age of female gymnasts, so that's what we're aiming for.

No, in all seriousness, I've spent a lot of time thinking about which sport I would most want Millie to go to the Olympics for. I mean, obviously she is extremely gifted at probably every sport, so it's really up to me to just choose the one to really focus on. Gymnastics is most definitely my favorite one to watch, but over the last few Olympics (Olympicses?? haha), the diving events have crept up and are now rivaling gymnastics pretty hardcore. I get tired of the swimming events pretty fast, because...they just go on forever, they're not terribly interesting to me, blah blah blah. But synchronized diving? LOVE IT. Probably because it moves SO fast. Probably because jumping from a board or platform into a pool only takes about 2 seconds, even if you're doing 14 flips and twists on your way down. I just love the way that diving is as intricate and athletic and artistic as gymnastics, PLUS it's super fast, MINUS (I'm assuming) the humongous risk of debilitating injuries. It just seems like a win all the way around.

Oh yeah, PLUS...Millie really loves it. So I guess I can let her opinion count for something.

It's hard to see, but Millie is copying the (paused for instant replay) divers. When they show the slow-mo dive, she jumps up and spins around. Gifted.

But actually, I don't even think the diving is her favorite part of the Olympics. The water is.
And lest you wrongly assume, as I did, that when she excitedly screams "wah wah!!!" that she is referring to the (unbelievably gorgeous) Brazilian beach/ocean, or perhaps the pool...well, she's not. It took awhile to figure it out, but what she is ACTUALLY excited about is athletes drinking water on the sidelines. From water bottles. Every time they pan to someone on the sideline drinking water, Millie just can't even handle it. "WAH WAH!!!!!!!!" The thrill! Olympians! They're just like us!

Speaking of non-athletic-but-slightly-Olympics-related things...possibly one of my favorite parts of the Games is the previews they keep showing for the show This is Us. They piqued my interest with Milo Ventimiglia, but after a few days of seeing dozens of different trailers...I actually found myself tearing up at one of the previews last night. For a show I've never even seen! I don't even know the premise! I just know enough to know I'm already emotionally committed. So anyway, I'm excited about that.

I'm also EXTREMELY FREAKING EXCITED about Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life being released on Black Friday!!!!! I mean, it goes without saying...but I just felt like I needed to say it. Finally...something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. ;)

And on a final, unrelated note, I want to go on a cruise to Alaska. Anyone done this before? More specifically...anyone done this with a two-year-old before? I've been on several cruises and thought I would swear them off for life because of my seasickness. Plus, I discovered all-inclusive resorts, so like...who would want to cruise when you could have all the benefits with none of the drawbacks (like seasickness...or your ship losing power and floating aimlessly at sea while people poop in bags and what not)? But now I've got a hankerin' to check out Alaska (I don't know, maybe it's the 4,000 days of 100 degree weather that has me thinking crazy thoughts), and you can't really "check out Alaska" while sitting in an all-inclusive resort (or can you?). Cruising is supposedly one of the best ways to get to experience Alaska. And so I find myself researching and dreaming and scheming...but maybe this is the worst idea ever. Anyway, thoughts or experiences (good OR bad- just honest!) are welcome! 

And with that, I return to...oh wait, shocking...more swimming events!! Oooh wait, I forgot that there is one thing I particularly like about swimming events: Michael Phelps's baby. HOW CUTE IS THAT BABY??! Also, I love the Tula his mom wears him in. Major baby-carrier envy. So anyway. Look at me, finding the silver-ish lining. Ha. I guess Millie and I have that in common: an unconventional appreciation for things at the Olympics. Water bottles and Tulas. Good times!

may (mostly in parenthesis)

Well, May has certainly flown by...sheesh. It's been a blur of working and running (I've continued running 5 days a week since April 25...so that's almost a month...so that's like the most I've worked out in two years, easy) and cuddling and working and bubbles and painting (we've decided not to move and are instead updating/remodeling/adding a bunch of stuff to our house. We started with repainting the kitchen/dining room/laundry room in our "spare time"...it was soooo fun. NOT.) (Isn't it great how that life update was summed up in a parenthetical statement? In ye olden days, that would have been a week's worth of posts and pictures, but now you just get a sentence in parenthesis. HA.) and like...stuff. I need a nap. And/or to crash on the couch with my new favorite (incredibly stupid and ridiculous) show Young & Hungry (I'm embarrassed to admit that). Oooooh also I recently fell in love with (and learned to make at home!!) margaritas. I feel like that may have something to do with how much I enjoy Y&H sometimes. Ha.

But enough about me. You really wanna hear about The Beloved One, don't you?

No worries, she's as cute as ever. Except she kinda looks like a teenager now. WAAAAH.

I act like a teenager sometimes, too!! I have lots of emotions and ALL of the opinions! 

 I enjoyed a lovely Mother's Day. It's a bittersweet but incredibly happy day for me now.

My gift to you, Mommy, will be that I will look adorable and glance in the direction of the camera occasionally!

 We've taken in some sporting events at UGA. Millie is a big fan. Or maybe she's just a fan of ballpark food, but that's the same thing as being a sports fan in my book.

REAL sports fans don't waste time taking SELFIES during a game, Mommy. Sheesh. 

No but for real. That's really how she feels about selfies. This is how it usually happens:

How about NO, Mommy?

One of her greatest life passions remains swinging, or as Millie calls it, "WEEEEEEE!!!!" That is both the sound she makes while doing the act of swinging, as well as what she calls the swing itself.

Do you see my face? Do you think I like it when you stop pushing me so that you can TAKE ANOTHER PICTURE???!

But she's not exclusive with the swings. She appreciates a variety of playground equipment. We are looking forward to getting a swing set for our yard sometime this summer!

She can legitimately hang there like that all by herself. It's crazy!

So we are busy having lots of fun, but I need to reiterate what we are NOT busy doing: vacuuming. Remember how we got a Roomba last month? I'm back with my one-month update, and it is this: YOU NEED A ROOMBA. It is basically the best purchase ever. It has changed my life, and I'm really not even exaggerating. My stress level is way down, just because I don't have to come home to fur tumbleweeds rolling across my floor. I don't have to sweep. I don't have to vacuum. The rugs always have vacuum lines. And most importantly: I don't get grocery store feet from walking around my own home. And if you clicked on that link: you're welcome.

(In the interest of fairness, I don't know if it would be as life-changing an item if we weren't all out of the house all day. Since we're at work/school, our house stays relatively neat and picked-up. I can quickly Roomba-proof (pick up any toys, close the door to rooms that I don't want him to enter, etc) the house before we leave in the morning, and I come home to a perfectly clean house (he's programmed to run during the day). If Millie and I were home all day, a) the house wouldn't stay optimally Roomba-ready, and b) it would probably get annoying having to walk around him while he does his work. BUT- actually, it still probably would be worth it. As long as you leave the house for a few hours a few times a week...or you could just run him at night, which sometimes I do anyway just so that my house gets cleaned TWICE IN ONE DAYYYYYY!!!!!!)

Anyway. It's probably dumb how obsessed I am with a vacuum, but it's the most recent purchase I can think of that instantly improved my quality of life (and probably my health...goodbye years-old piles of dog fur/dust hiding under furniture that I never move to vacuum!), so forgive me for being zealous. :)

Are you done talking about the wo-bot Mommy?

Well, it's sad but true, but my show is calling me...so thus concludes another riveting periodic life update. Ha. I dedicate this post to my my long-lost friend and former coworker Ellen, who moved away last summer and yesterday told me she "religiously stalks my blog" and then made a really sad face as she told me I need to step it up. I really hate to be a disappointment, so here we are. Thanks for the motivation, friend!

things that are amazing

My stream-of-consciousness, no-particular-order list of things knocking my socks off lately.

1. Robots. Let's just be honest and start with the SERIOUSLY MOST AMAZING AND LIFE CHANGING THING EVER (well, almost ever) to come into our lives: a Roomba.

WOBOT, Mama!!

We've owned this guy a little under a week, annnnnd...I dunno, maybe it's the honeymoon period or something still, but I can't really overstate how amazing he is. We can sum it up like this: I come home from work and there are not tumbleweeds of dog hair and dust frolicking across my floors, and I don't have to lift a finger to accomplish this. SOLD! Also, I finally understand this scene from Gilmore Girls. It is truly mesmerizing to watch Humphrey do his magic- even Millie and Lola agree! (Well, Lola is down to being only about 40% terrified, so we'll go ahead and consider that mesmerized.) My apologies to everyone who has the pleasure of knowing me in real life, as they are no doubt extremely sick of hearing about how amazing my life is now. And being forced to watch videos of my house being vacuumed. I should probably get a hobby or something.

2. I got up early and went running every single (week)day last week! And I've practically broken an elbow with all this patting myself on the back...but seriously. That was a major accomplishment for someone as lazy as me! I'm aiming for a repeat performance this week, although I'm also trying to be realistic and sustainable...even if I could keep up with three days a week or something, that would be a huge improvement. 

3. Speaking of amazing feats of athleticism...Millie started swimming lessons this week! She's taking them with her good buddy Garrison, which is just the most heart-burstingly wonderful thing in the whole world. 

Neither baby is 100% sure that being in the water is exactly what they want to be doing on Saturday mornings, but the mommies and daddies seem pretty sure that it's a good idea, so we'll see how it goes! Plus, I mean, what could be more fun for grown ups than wearing a bathing suit and getting in a pool with 6 other adults (whom you mostly don't know, unless you're me and Amanda) and splashing around and singing goofy songs with your screaming babies all before 10:00 a.m.? Nothing, that's what. (Note: they should seriously consider selling adult beverages at this place. I feel like this could make the whole thing a lot less awkward.)

On the super plus side, though, Millie's 2016 bathing suit collection is on fleek, as the kids would say (if they still say that, which I'm not really sure about), and this is a fabulous way for more people to get to appreciate it. Silver lining!

4. I'm not kidnapped.

I know that might seem like a strange thing to find amazing, but it's not. I am truly thankful. I read A House in the Sky last week (Google Amanda Lindhout if you have no idea what I'm talking about) and it was horrifying. I have seriously spent at least...I don't know, half an hour, maybe, each day since then just sitting and thinking about how thankful I am to be not kidnapped in Somalia. And thinking about how to make sure I stay that way for the rest of my life (step #1: don't go to Somalia. Should be pretty easy.), but also trying to figure out how much money my family/friends/country could raise for my ransom if I did happen to get kidnapped. It's something to ponder. But thankfully, for today at least...I am finding it pretty amazing to be free. Ha. (Maybe this is a good thing to think about if you're reallllly struggling to find something to be thankful for in life, ha! I'm not at the moment, but I've been there...when you can't think of basically ANYTHING to be happy about? So there's always this one: at least you aren't being held for ransom by insane people in Somalia. Life's pretty good.)

5. Finally and most obviously, Millie.

Perusing the coupons before she starts her weekend.

Being so cute I just can't stand it. Note the toenails that match the jammies!

Helping Mommy get ready.

This is how I found her on Sunday morning...bound and determined to put that other shoe on all by herself!

football, swimming, bikes, and trust issues

Last week was pretty rough- Millie had a round of croup that just would NOT get better, and she (and therefore all of us...) was pretty miserable all week. Thankfully, she started feeling a lot better right around 5:00 p.m. on Friday, because she knows that being healthy for the weekend is of utmost importance! Much appreciated, Mills.

On Saturday, we decided to go to G-Day, UGA's annual spring football scrimmage game. Matt and I went to G-Day a few years ago, and strangely enough, that remains the ONLY college football game (if you can even consider it that) that we've been to together (although we both graduated from UGA and went to all of the games while we were students...we didn't know each other then)!! I keep thinking one of these days we will happen upon tickets so that we can attend a real game together in the fall, but...not yet, I guess. Ha!

Clearly this was Millie's first college football experience- although she has two UGA basketball games under her belt from this season, so I wouldn't say she's a total sports newbie. You never would have guessed, though- homegirl obviously bleeds red and black just like her parents, and spending a long afternoon in the blazing sun was just fine by her!

Oh, you say there will be music and pom-poms? COUNT ME IN!

And while you're at it- count me sassy.

We had a ton of fun- much like her mama, Millie particularly seemed to enjoy the festive food that goes along with attending sporting events. Fistfuls of popcorn and a giant pretzel? Right up her alley. 

But not everything was up her alley, actually. I think that one day, if Millie ends up having trust issues and reflects back, looking for a cause...I think that this G-Day game may pop into her mind. Sure was funny at the time, though.

So there she was, slamming back ballpark snacks with Mommy and Daddy, when she notices that Mommy and Daddy are sharing a huge cup with a straw. She'd been drinking water out of her own lame sippy cup, but obviously Grown-up Straw Cups are far superior, so she reaches to grab ours. Up to this point in her innocent life, the only thing she's ever tasted from one of our cups is water. We're pretty boring people- we just drink water at home (well, and coffee. And beer. But she doesn't get sips of those, ha). But at a ballgame- well, different story. Millie didn't know that story, though. So she gets the cup and proudly sucks up a big ol' strawful of SPRITE. Her eyes got HUGE as soon as that sugary carbonation hit her mouth, and as she swallowed she burst out crying, making the saddest just-sucked-a-lemon face you've ever seen. It was SO sad (and hilarious!!!!). Baby's First Carbonated Beverage: not a success. She stuck to her own sippy cup after that, while giving mean glares to our sporty straw cup. (Also, after the game we went out to eat. The milk we ordered for her came in an opaque cup with a straw. She wouldn't TOUCH it, HAHAHAHA. Not even when we opened the lid, showed her the milk...nothing. Major trust issues.)

I had the most interesting (hahahaha) thought while we were at the game: the last time I was at a REAL college game (November 2004, the last game of my senior year!), smart phones hadn't even been invented. There was no such thing as a hashtag (well, there was, it was just called a pound sign, and it had no social media connotations). My friends and I took TONS of pictures during the football games, but we had to *gasp* wait until we got home to upload them to our computers (with a cord!!! hahaha!!!) and then put them on Facebook (since our college HAD Facebook...we were so lucky!). My, how things have changed.

We followed up our super-awesome Saturday with a Sunday Funday outside. The weather was perfect this weekend- 'twould be a shame to waste it! We pulled out her pool and reintroduced her to the joy of "swimming." Since she's basically the same size as the pool now, that equates to just sitting...but she still seemed to think it was fun. She spent most of the afternoon just climbing in and out of the pool, alternating her swims with playing soccer with daddy and making mud in the yard.

While she swam, I just sat there with googly eyes over how freaking cute she is in her bathing suit. Ugh. To be young and fabulous.

Who you lookin' at, Mom?

Well SOMEONE needs to weed this yard- guess it may as well be me!

We also took advantage of the lovely day to take Millie's new bike seat out for its inaugural spin! I got the seat for Matt for his birthday so that we would have something else fun and semi-healthy to do as a family. We used to love riding bikes (remember those days? Ahhhh), but we haven't done it in probably two years at least. But since Millie loves being outside so much, we figured she might go for it- and she did!!

...well, she went for most of it, anyway. She wasn't a huge fan of her helmet. But she loved the riding part (and the part where we rode by cows and goats). So as long as we were riding, she was happy...but when we stopped for selfies, she remembered how awful the helmet was, and then she wasn't happy. Too bad for her, I'm a helmets-non-negotiable kinda lady. But all in all, it was a success...and I'm thankful that I'm not the one hauling an extra 28 pounds behind me, haha.  (Side note: it was shockingly challenging to find a baby helmet that wasn't COMPLETELY OBNOXIOUS. I'm still holding firm on no ridiculous 'character' nonsense adorning my child (or my house), and since she doesn't have the first clue about Mickey or Elsa or Doc McStuffins or anyone else...I wasn't in the least bit interested in having them all over her helmet. But apparently those guys have cornered the market on baby helmets! It was either that or pink/purple/hearts/peace signs...like...peace signs? How about no. Anyway. Just didn't anticipate finding a solid-colored helmet would be as challenging as it was, but Amazon came to my rescue with this only moderately-obnoxious highlighter yellow monstrosity. Picky mommy- but NOT BABY- approved!)

I rode behind Matt and Millie today and it occurred to me that the last time we were bike riding, I spent the whole time daydreaming (slash stressing) about having a child. There's not much else to do when you ride besides think...and that's what I would think about. Back when we were riding pretty often, it was when we were still waiting for an adoption match...and that's what I'd think about. I always rode with my phone, just in case we were to get The Call while we were on the road. And that's what I remembered as I was riding today...staring at my daughter's highlighter yellow helmet right ahead of me. I'd pull up beside them and Millie would reach out for me, and when we passed the cows, she hollered "HEY MOOOOO!!! HEY MOOOOOO!!!!" The last time I rode, I worried that I may never be a mother. And today...this.

What a crazy, wonderful life.

the most exhausting week

We survived the week in one (or three, as the case may be) pieces...but with not an ounce of time or energy to spare, as is evidenced by my lack of blogging until Saturday morning...the day widely agreed upon to be the worst possible time and day for blogging. But oh well. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead and all that. [Probably uninteresting side note: I just Googled to see where that expression even came from...apparently the Civil War! I had no idea. I'm not sure where I thought it came from, but not that. You learn something every day, I guess.]

I feel like this week really kicked my butt, and I've been reflecting to figure out why. I prefer to arrive at Friday afternoon feeling like I conquered the week, not like I just barely escaped alive. I can do the occasional just-barely-survive week, but I have no desire for it to become the norm, so when I have one of those weeks...I find it helpful to assess so that I can see what changes need to be made. Here's what I came up with.

1. Exercise. Honestly, I think one of the biggest reasons I feel so run-down is that I am physically exhausted from starting T25. Although I've been a very regular exerciser and gym-goer in general for the last 7 years or so, I've been WAY off track since Millie was born...so this 25 minutes a day of intense exercise is a big adjustment for the ol' body (that is carrying a few more pounds around than it used to). T25 doesn't have any off days (except that Sunday's exercise is way less intense, supposedly- some kind of active stretching thing, although I haven't actually done it yet), so every evening it's like I take my achy, sore bones and throw them through the paces again to add NEW soreness on top of the old. So anyway. All of that to say- I am happy and pretty proud of myself for doing T25 every single day this week, but I think it can definitely account for why I feel extra exhausted.

In addition to actually EXERCISING every day this week, I'm still trying to get to 10,000 steps every day on my Fitbit. Since it's been too cold to go on walks around the neighborhood or downtown at lunch, this means that most nights at about the time I'd really like to go to bed, I'm stuck speed-walking laps around my living room, kitchen, and dining room to get in those last 2,000 steps. It's the most ridiculous thing ever, but whatever. That's another 30 minutes I'm not sleeping, though.

2. Work. It was just a crazy hectic week at work. In some ways, I prefer that- the time passes much more quickly and I don't end up sitting around missing my baby all day. But on the flip side, it's just mentally exhausting...and I get to 5:00 feeling like I got hit by a train. Plus, when I'm slammed-busy, I don't have time to make extra-long walks around the building, which means my steps aren't accumulating. Wah wah. Anyway. Although I will probably stay busier in general at work in the future (I got a promotion January 1, yay!), I do think this week was probably just a little more hectic than normal and things will probably level out a bit next week. Coming back off several weeks of vacation schedule just meant things had piled up.

3. The daycare transition. I already lamented the no-swaddle-can't-nap thing, and so far that has been the only problem we've encountered. And I think she's getting better/more used to it. I mean, she's still only sleeping for about half the time she used to sleep during the day, but her naps are getting progressively longer, so...I think by another week or two, she'll have mastered the art of sleeping unswaddled in a crib in a room with other people. Her teachers are really sweet, the other babies are cute (which REALLY matters, obviously!), and whenever I come in (in the mornings, to pick her up in the afternoons, and one day Matt and I just randomly showed up at lunch to play for a little while), the babies are always happy, peaceful, and being talked to and played with. Also, there are about 10 different exersaucers in her classroom...and since those are one of her greatest passions right now, it's like she's living at Disney World or something. I think it will be a great situation, ultimately. However, since she's been on a nap strike this week, she's a lot sleepier and more zombie-like in the evenings. We spend a little extra time looking like this:

Snuggles and cuddles are alright by me. She's still sleeping great at night, so I'm glad her overtiredness isn't manifesting itself by disrupting her nighttime sleep so far. I think that all in all I actually have slightly more time with her during the days now than we did previously, but for some reason I have less pictures (basically NO pictures except ones I already shared on Tuesday), which is tragic. Next week I'll do better. (Also, for the record- despite the fact that she refused to take morning naps any day this week at daycare, she's been asleep for an hour already here at home...proving that despite what she thinks, she does still need naps!! Oh, the glory of the swaddle...)

4. Personal time. Uhhhh...there has been almost none, unless you count the fact that much of the work day I'm technically alone in my office...but it's not like I'm just doing whatever I want. I think this definitely contributes to feeling exhausted. I'm an introvert- I need time to myself! I normally get that at night after Millie is in bed and Matt and I have some time to just do whatever we want. That time got cut this week because of adding in exercise, which bumped back our schedule of Getting Things Done...so now we have more to get done after Millie is asleep, which means less time to lay on the couch and decompress. I'm not sure how to change this- I guess when it comes down to it, I prioritize getting things done and being prepared for the next day more than my personal relaxation time. I'd much rather know that all the bottles are made and the clothes and diapers are clean and the diaper bag is packed and our lunch is ready. Soo...I don't know. Since we plan to keep working out and I'm not going to Get Things Done while Millie is awake and I can be playing or cuddling with her, this is just how it's going to have to be. I have Saturday mornings for me, I guess...and so here I am.

And now my sweet girl is awake and wiggling in her crib. This is probably the most boring blog ever (which works well, since no one reads them on Saturday anyway!), but I like keeping track of even the boring stuff sometimes...and writing helps me process. So...sorry, but not that sorry. Oh, but sorry that along with 'me time,' blog reading and commenting and responding to emails also fell WAY off the schedule this week, and I do feel bad about that. I promise to try to catch up eventually. Maybe after I finish playing with this sweet happy baby.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

it's seriously only tuesday.

Whew. It's been quite a week already...and it's only Tuesday night. Waaaah. I'm totally wiped out and feel like I need a break (maybe I got used to all those two- and three-day work weeks over the holidays)...and it's only Tuesday night. Blargh. All I want to do is paint my nails and watch Gilmore Girls...but I'm too tired to paint my nails and pushing all of the buttons (power on BluRay player, turn on TV, hit 'source,' select Netflix...and so on...) to get to Gilmore Girls just seems way too complicated. AND IT'S ONLY TUESDAY NIGHT.

I got a wonderful gift card for a mani-pedi for Christmas. I had big plans to wait until...I don't know, the future? Some day when I really really needed it??...to use it, but all signs are pointing towards really needing it by about Friday at 5. Or maybe Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

Obviously it's going to be a struggle to string together some coherent sentences, but I'm a glutton for punishment, so let's get to it. In the midst of my fatigue, I still have some super important thoughts and experiences that need to be shared...if I don't get them down, I'll forget them. I know it. And that would be just tragic. (Heavy sarcasm here, if you didn't catch it. I might be too tired to relay it properly.)

1. Millie started daycare yesterday. Even though I've been back to work for two months, it's another adjustment to adapt to. Her first day was pretty rough, as I had expected- I knew (and have known for 4 months...) that they would not be able (allowed by the state) to swaddle her for naps. I had a lot of great plans to transition her out of the swaddle before she started going. Annnnd...best laid plans and all that and guess who got to go cold turkey on the swaddle for her first day at daycare?? Right. My baby. Poor thing. So her napping for two days has been...umm...not impressive. I feel like the workers are really earning their paychecks because I can only imagine the fits she pitches every time she's over-exhaustedly trying to fight an unswaddled nap. Ugh. I know that she'll adjust and get used to it- and we would have had to lose the swaddle eventually anyway, plus she's almost too big for all of them (and I can't seem to find any BIGGER ones!!! Are the swaddle-makers implying that 18 pound babies should not be velcro swaddled?!?! Lunacy!!)...so really, they're probably doing me a favor. I just hate knowing she's (probably) crying and upset every time she needs a nap. So far (you know, all two days) she's still been her normal happy and playful self in the evenings and sleeping just as well as night as always, so I guess that's good. But still. (Relatedly, do you think I should get her teachers Starbucks gift cards or something as a small token of appreciation for listening to her scream all week and doing the dirty work of un-swaddle-training for me?)

2. I made an amazing first impression on all the other daycare parents and teachers by HULKING OUT OF MY SHIRT when I went to pick up Millie yesterday afternoon. Yes. And I am actually putting this on the internet for all the world to see. Laugh away. I sure did.

So to enter the infant classroom they require you to either take your shoes off or put on those plastic shoe cover things like surgeons wear...I guess so that you don't track gross germs all over the floor the babies are crawling on. I appreciate that. So there I was at 5:15, all excited to go get my baby from her first day at school, and I grab my shoe covers to put over my boots, and I bend over to put them on, and RIIIIPPPPPPP!!! I spun around to see what was behind me that made that noise, only to discover that IT WAS MY SHIRT. Totally ripped across one of the seams on the back (it was a button-down chambray shirt. RIP.). Annnnddddd yeah, I totally Hulked out of my own shirt. Luckily I had on a tank top underneath- no one got a free peep show or anything. And Matt was standing right there and gave me his jacket so that I didn't have to do a walk of shame around the daycare. But still. Come on. Ugh.

3. RELATEDLY, Matt and I started T-25 yesterday. HA. Actually we'd been planning to start it yesterday for a week or so...the Hulk Incident really confirmed my commitment to the plan. So far we've done two days of workouts and I feel like I will probably collapse and all my limbs will fall off any minute now. I convinced myself to do this because we could do it while Millie takes her evening nap (usually right after we get home from work) and some delusional belief that "I can do anything for 25 minutes!!!" Yeah, no. I can do a lot of things for 25 minutes, but apparently not that. I try. But dang. It's no joke. I usually take a few breaks to sip water and check on Millie...but I'd say I do a good 21 minutes of it, and that's 21 incredibly painful minutes of working out I wasn't doing last week (or the last 5 months...), so we'll call it a win. I had previously imagined that we would complete the whole T-25 'plan' or whatever (I think it's a month?)...let's just say we're taking it on a more day-by-day basis now. Each day I'm not paralyzed is a win. But I'm going to try to keep at it, because remember the Hulk incident.

4. Oh look, Millie is learning to sit up!!

Unnntil she topples over while I'm trying to take a picture and then I inadvertently capture a picture of the topple while I'm dropping the phone and trying to grab her. Ha. It was pretty funny (and she survived the fall, no worries). Anyway, she's so cute and proud of herself when she sits up! I think it'll open up a whole new world for her when she can sort of look around and select toys and stuff all by herself...you know, all the things she misses out on due to her long-term Tummy Time Boycott. 

5. I am easily influenced by marketing and an abundance of articles shared on social media when it comes to my coffee choices, apparently. I couldn't wait to go to Starbucks today to try the new Flat White (new to Americans only...in case you're not up on your reading, apparently Australians and UK residents have been drinking flat whites for years and sneer at us for not knowing about them...).

Source

Since my Starbucks orders usually tend to come heavily sweetened and topped with crushed candy, this was a decidedly more subdued choice. But I actually really liked it! My first thought was I feel like a grown-up drinking this, which Matt thought didn't make sense, but it made sense to me. Again- my usual coffee treat is usually pretty flavored. I don't like black coffee, so I'd worried this would be bitter...but it was actually really good! I would totally get it again...particularly if I were getting coffee with a group of friends and they were all getting Frapps and mochas...I'd get a flat white so that I could judge them and their childish taste in overpriced coffee. ;) No but really. It was good. Thanks, Aussies! (And UK-ians!)

But despite my two-shots-of-espresso-afternoon-beverage, I'm still fading fast. I think I've made it through all of my most deep and burning thoughts, so I'm going to head to bed and wish you well surviving the rest of this back-to-real-life week. Right after I finish washing these diapers. Waaaaaah.

birthday weekend shenanigans

I had a fabulous birthday weekend!! It was definitely the best birthday ever, thanks in no small part to a cute baby, a handsome husband, and my awesome parents!

My lame immune system tried to bring me down on my big day with a surprise staph infection in my knee. I think my body is trying hard to conspire against me on birthdays; last year I herniated a disc in my back a few days before my birthday...and now this?? Luckily I caught it early and snagged a doctor's appointment right in the nick of time so that I could get started on antibiotics. I really did not want a repeat of 2011's needle-in-the-face-MRSA episode. And I don't suggest clicking that link and reading my gory (but picture-less; I'm not THAT nasty) tale if you are feeling weak in the stomach. You've been warned.

Anyway. I wasn't about to let this little (large) bump in the road (knee) ruin my day...actually, getting to start some antibiotics that must be taken every six hours with food is actually kind of a BONUS on a birthday weekend! A requirement to eat every six hours (mostly not coinciding with meals)? Don't mind if I do! Matt and my parents were more than happy to help me find delicious ways to meet that requirement.

The weather was incredible this weekend, so I'd like to thank Georgia for really doing me a solid there. Your generosity has been noted and appreciated. Having a December birthday means I don't generally expect to spend a lot of time outside on my day, but this year I was more than happy to welcome a change! We spent most of Saturday taking nice walks/'hikes' (slow hikes, 32-year-old-broken-knee permitting) at a variety of pretty Athens parks.

Millie seemed to enjoy getting to spend the day outside...and Parents of the Year seemed to once again forget that babies can get sunburned even when it's not hot outside. Oops. Her cheeks are just extra rosy now...

We spent some time checking out the State Botanical Gardens, which is where Matt and I got married. We walked over to the Day Chapel to show Millie where all the magic happened. There was another wedding taking place, so we couldn't get close, but I'm pretty sure she was really impressed.

This is my impressed face.

 We finished off Saturday night with a visit to our town's Christmas festival and (another) walk downtown to see the lights. Part of the reason I was so gung-ho about walking all day was that I got a Fitbit* for my birthday (woooooo!!!!!) and I was extremely concerned that it would immediately reveal how slothful I've become...so I tried hard to get a lot of steps in. And it worked! Now I have to figure out how to do the same thing on the days I'm stuck in my office for 8 hours...and the weather isn't fabulous...

Anyway, after one last walk, we settled in for a junk food dinner and a Christmas movie on Netflix. My parents like their movies cheesy...like, I think that if marrying TV channels was possible, my dad would probably marry the Hallmark Channel. And probably take on Lifetime as a sister-wife. So it was really lucky that Netflix has a ton of ABC Family original Christmas movies right now, ha.

The weather was perfect again on Sunday, so after my parents headed back home, we set out for another walk. We just started putting Millie forward-facing in the K'tan. I think she likes it...although I can't know for sure, cause I can't really see her. But Matt says she seems happy.

I definitely still prefer wearing her inward-facing in the Ergo, but it's nice to have another option, I suppose. It doubles as entertainment for us, though, because she looks like a giant floating head.

Emphasis on giant. I'm fairly certain her face is bigger than mine. THOSE CHEEKS.

The only way to see her face was if I flipped around the camera on the phone. Drooling and looking slightly concerned? That's about normal, so we'll say she was happy.

We also added two very special ornaments to the tree on Saturday!

The wooden ornament is something I ordered from a wooden toy Etsy shop called Little Sapling Toys. I love it!! I also ordered another little toy from them that Millie will be getting for Christmas. I can't say what it is because what if she reads my blog?? (She's super smart, duh.) (And has refined taste in reading.) The 'adoption is a miracle' ornament is a gift from Melissa! I cried when I saw it. It has Camilla's name in the heart on the left and 2014 in the heart on the right. I just love each new addition to our tree that reminds me of our great joy.

It was the perfect birthday weekend. I wish it could have lasted about twenty times longer, but alas...it is Monday again. And nearly Christmas! Which probably means it's about time to start my shopping...yikes. Ummm...what do you buy for men in their 60s who don't need anything? I pretty much just want to choose some random hobby or interest to inflict on them so that I'll have a permanent source of gift ideas for the next decade...would that be wrong? Ha. Happy Monday!

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work, winter weather, weekend, working out, whatever

We had such a fun weekend!

(I feel like that is the most generic way to start a post EVER, but...if it's true, then what can I do about it?)

I survived (and perhaps even enjoyed!) another half-day of work on Friday. The temp that covered for me during my leave stayed until the end of last week so that he could catch me up on things and pass the baton back (figuratively. Unfortunately, I'm not a full-time majorette or relay runner...). I was glad to have time to get re-acclimated and up-to-date, and now I'm actually looking forward to taking my office back, putting up ludicrous amounts of pictures of Millie, and seeing if I can make a go out of being a Working Mom. Yes, those words need to be capitalized. It's a serious thing! Today I'm back to regular old full-time, so we'll see how it goes. I'm thinking it'll go good because yesterday I treated myself to a Back to Work clothes shopping spree. The excitement about wearing fun new clothes will fuel and distract me through lunch time at least, I think. Millie is in good hands- my mother-in-law is keeping her through the end of the year, so that's making the transition much easier. Also, she brings her up to have lunch with us sometimes- like today! So that gives me something to look forward to.

But anyway, back to Friday- Halloween! Millie was pretty jazzed.

Or maybe she was just plotting something devious??

We were excited to dress Mills up in her other costume, sit on the porch, and hand out candy. It got suddenly cold and that made it feel extra-fun and festive. And also, Matt wore one of our Snuggies. Nothing says HAPPY HALLOWEEN like a Snuggie, right??

Millie loved her super-warm cupcake costume- it was cuddly and adorable and to be honest, I said you're so cute I'm gonna eat you up!! even MORE times than I normally do, which is really saying something. But it's extra funny when you're saying it to a cupcake, so...I really had no choice.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE AIR FEELS LIKE THIS? WHAT IS THIS SENSATION?!?

I'm not sure I've ever had more fun sitting on the porch in the cold. We didn't get a ton of trick-or-treaters, but something about just rocking with my family, all bundled up against the cold...it was amazing.

Saturday was delightfully chilly, too. I love the first few days (maybe even weeks) of cold weather. Jackets! Sweaters! Scarves! So fun! I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune soon, but for now it's novel and wonderful. Plus, Millie looks super cute in her warm hats and cuddly jackets. 

I don't want to talk about most of Saturday because it just involves us watching a football game that we should've had in the bag but instead lost in an embarrassing and awful manner. Misery.

To take away the sadness, I chased the bad football game with about 12 episodes of Gilmore Girls. At least that never disappoints!

Sunday was our first time change as parents and OH MY GOSH IT WAS SO MISERABLE I JUST WANTED TO DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sike. Just kidding! Just trying to establish solidarity with the rest of the parents on earth, but really it was no big deal here. Either Millie didn't get the memo about ruining her parents' lives on November 2 or else she's just too young or something. She slept pretty much the same as always (almost 11 hours overnight) and woke up within the realm of her normal wake-up times (which is anywhere from 7-9 a.m.), so...sadly, it wasn't nearly as dramatic as I'd anticipated. Maybe next time! (For the record, I woke up an hour earlier than I would have liked, because HELLO SUN!!!, so...I was at least a little bit miserable, but I can't really blame it on the baby.)

Sunday was heavy on the Productive and not so much on the Relaxing, but that's fine by me- I wanted to be as prepared as possible for my first full week back at work, so I'm glad that we accomplished a lot (and had that extra hour Sunday morning to get started, ha). Next weekend we're heading to the mountains (and there might even be SNOW!!!!!), so it's going to be a jam-packed week. I did take a trip to the gym (my *ahem* second since Millie was born...three months ago...) just for kicks (and because my new pants are all about 40 sizes larger than I'd prefer) and made the AMAZING DISCOVERY that I can watch Netflix (read: Gilmore Girls) on my phone!!!!!!! I know, this is probably like welcome to 2004, Erika!!, but it was pretty exciting to me. I had big plans to do a lot of strength training and weights, but then I discovered this and it was all about the elliptical for 48 minutes. So...I guess it's better than nothing, and it was certainly more entertaining than staring at my flabby arms in the mirror doing weights for an hour. Whatever.

Have a fantastic week!

great discoveries

It's been another exciting week of maternity leave- I'm doing my best to not think about how how few weeks I have left. Gulp. Instead, I will focus on the good things.

This week we made a few great discoveries.

1. Fingers.

Uhhh, yeah. Fingers. They are amazing. I mean, she's seen them before, but sometime this week she started noticing that if they happened to land in her mouth, she can suck and bite on them which is extremely pleasurable. For us both- because it means that she has a tool to help calm herself down when we're in the car and I can't help fetch a lost paci! I've been trying to help her 'find' her fingers for a few weeks now, constantly putting them up next to her face (and/or just shoving them in her mouth, ha)...and finally it is sinking in and paying off!! One day I will probably totally regret this when we can't get her to stop sucking her thumb/fingers and she needs a trillion dollars worth of orthodontic work, but that day is not today. Today we applaud the adorable discovery of fingers! Plus, how cute is she sneaking them up out of her swaddle?? Such a little Houdini.

2. These amazing glasses.

I was going for something more subtle and mature...pretty sure I nailed it.

Just kidding. I was helping my MIL pick out frames for herself, but I just couldn't not put these on. Also, they were quite a steal- I think only $350 or so...before you pay for the lenses! So basically, I should get them in every color.

3. Babies love Couch to 5k too!

Since my gym membership isn't getting much action these days (as in, I've been once since August 5...), I decided to just start running again. Bleh. I could go to the gym in the evenings after Matt gets home, but like...I just don't feel like leaving and driving all the way to and from Athens just for that. No thanks. I'll just run here. I started back at the beginning of Couch to 5k just because it was easiest. Ha. I can definitely run more than that, but whatever. It'll make me feel good to have a couple weeks of 'easy' running. Plus, now I'm doing it with a stroller, so that's an added challenge (and an added bonus- places to put my phone and water, yay!). So if it works out during the day for us to go downtown and run, I run with Millie. If it doesn't, I'll run alone when Matt gets home. I much prefer running downtown because it's flat and there are shaded sidewalks- around my neighborhood it is hilly, sunny, and no sidewalks. Let's not make running any more miserable than it already is.

Anyway, this is Millie after today's run. She evidently finds running to be much more relaxing than I do. 

4. There's life on the outside.

The outside of my sister's womb, that is. That's right, folks: after approximately 812 weeks of gestation, my niece was forcibly evicted decided to exit the premises and try out life on the outside! Laney Marie was born yesterday, October 9, and is beautiful and surprisingly petite. If you think 9 pounds, 6.7 ounces is not 'petite,' then obviously you haven't heard that this baby's daddy (Sarah's husband, for the record) weighed over 13 pounds when he was born. So Sarah (at 9 days overdue) had plenty of reasons to fear.

Personally, I think she looks just like her cousin Camilla in the picture above! I am so excited and happy for Sarah and Mark and for us, too- Millie has girl cousins on both side of the family within 2 months of her age!

5. This cute baby in this cute fox dress.

So maybe this is a stretch...but I did discover this dress on the clearance rack at Target, so I think it counts. I took this picture Sunday and I personally think it is the cutest (if blurriest) picture on earth, so...it's the perfect note to end on. Happy weekend from Adorable Fox Dress Baby and me!