4 am Ramblings

Since a certain someone ::cough cough Sadie:: was determined not to let me get any sleep, I found myself perusing the internets. After reading Mandy's "10 Things" post I figured why not? Other than watching some dvr'd Bachelor there is not a whole lot to do at 4 am.

So the deal is you post a picture of yourself, 10 random facts, and then answer the 10 questions Mandy picked. Here we go....

This photo is the epitome of me. Baby, yoga pants, no time for hair or make-up because we are too busy with play time and house work 

10 Randoms

1. I have very vivid dreams and I can usually remember them in great detail when I wake up. They are always in color and occasionally in cartoon form. I always thought that was normal but the hubs has informed me that it is, in fact, not.

2. In college I ate half a package of oreos every night before bed. and never gained a pound. Oh how I miss that. 

3. I have an irrational fear of birds. However, some my favorite animals are penguins and owls. 

4. I have an issue with plans and lists. I love them. Everything from what to pack for a trip to what needs to be cleaned in the house and when, they all get lists! And it is possible that I may have already started mentally planning Sadie's birthdays for the next 5 years. It's a problem.

5. I still love Disney movies. I know the words to all of the songs and sing along every time. I cannot wait until I can share all of that with Sadie :)

6. When I was little I was extremely shy. My parents had to bribe me with Barbie dolls to get me to read out loud in class. 

7. I could spend all day and night just staring at Sadie. Her existence alone amazes me to no end.

8. In elementary school I decided to cut my own hair... with my dad's clippers... it was not a pretty sight.

9. I smile a lot. Sometimes people even ask why I smile so much which seems like a very odd question to me. 

10. Thanks to the hubs and my sweet baby girl, all of my dreams are becoming realities. 

Questions from Mandy

1. have you ever met someone famous?  Oddly enough, I met more famous people while I was pregnant than the rest of my 25 years. I wrote about meeting Cameron Mathison here and I never got the chance to post about it but a week or so later I met Dwight Howard (of the Orlando Magic for you non sports friends). My all time favorite though was meeting Albert Pujols (former St. Louis Cardinal), I could not find my words. 

 2. what is your happiest childhood memory?  All my favorite memories are the simple things. Wrestling and singing in the car with my dad, Christmas at my Mam-maw's house, family vacations.

3. favorite album of all time?  Dr. Hook Greatest Hits. I love every single song and it reminds me of my dad :)

4. are you a salty or sweet lover?  both. together or separate.


5. what is favorite guilty pleasure tv show or movie?  The Challenged on MTV. I started watching them in high school and can't seem to quit them. 

6. describe your favorite sandwich. can't go wrong with a classic pb&j

7. what was your first pet?  a black cat named Figaro 

8. what is your biggest accomplishment thus far in life?  Bringing Sadie into the world. Nothing will ever be able to top that. 

9. what is the first blog you started reading?  Heir to Blair. I stumbled across it before I even knew what a blog was. 

10. if you had to choose one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?  orange cake made by my mother-in-law. but let's hope this never has to happen! 




I am too tired to think of 10 new questions right now... maybe later :)

Steppin' Out Saturday 2.25.12

top & cardigan: Lauren Conrad @ Kohls

jeans: Aerie

boots: Steve Madden

necklace: Francesca's Collection

On Saturday the hubs and I stepped out without Sadie for the first time! I only made it a couple of hours but I'm trying, ok? Some good friends of ours had a party to celebrate their recent engagement and we were so happy to be able to celebrate that with them. 

My mom was happy to watch Miss Sadie and the hubs managed to drag me out of the house. Thank goodness she knows me so well and sent texts and pictures so I didn't even have to check in. I really do not know how I am going to handle going back to work... but let's not think about that right now.

Despite my anxiety over leaving Sadie, we had a great time with our friends. I even had a little yummy champagne punch :)

A very sleepy Friday

This week has been a bit exhausting. Sadie had been sleeping like a champ up to this point and decided to switch things up this week. And by switch things up I mean go back to waking up every 2-3 hours at night. And wanting to be up for the day at 5:30am. So this Momma is tired! Last night was better though so I am hoping ::fingers tightly crossed:: that we get back to some kind of normalcy soon.

Other than some sleep deprivation, it has been another great week with my little angel. Sadie got to spend some time with her Uncle Jordan, received lots of kisses from the hubs and I, drooled all over her Sophie, wore adorable bear slippers, and killed the world with cuteness.

This weekend is full of celebrations for some wonderful friends. Which means the hubs and I will be leaving Sadie with her Grammy (my momma) for a few hours for the first time. Eeek!

The countdown begins...

Nine days left of my maternity leave. Only nine more days. And then life as a working momma begins.

I have really enjoyed the past eleven weeks, where I could fit all of my responsibilities neatly in my arms. I would love to continue on as a stay at home mom but that is just not what is best for our family right now and I only want what is best for us all. However, I am fortunate to be returning to a job I really like where I get to work with my bestie and some other really awesome women. Also? I get to do so part time.

When you work 12 hour shifts at the hospital, part time = two days a week. Not too bad right? Although it gives me extreme anxiety to even think about being away from my baby girl for twelve plus hours I know she will be in good hands with her Daddy and Grammy while I am gone.

Some of my concerns are ridiculous and others completely rational, but I think they are all pretty normal. Will Sadie know I'm gone? Will she miss me? Will she be sad? I really don't want her to be sad... And then there are my concerns about breast feeding/pumping. Sadie has had nothing but breast milk since day one and I will miss being the one who feeds her while I am at work. What if I don't pump enough while at work and it messes up my supply? What I haven't left enough of a supply for her at home? Will she be crying for her milk because she isn't used to waiting for the bottle to warm up?

All of those worries for being away just two days a week. And not even two consecutive days. Yikes.

Mostly though, I will just miss her. A lot. But I know it will get easier and it will be good for the both us. For now I am just going to enjoy our uninterrupted time together and not think about this again until I have to :)

Steppin' Out Saturday 2.17.12

On Momma

top, belt, & undershirt: Target

shorts: Old Navy

shoes: AE (which you cannot see. oops)

On Sadie Baby

outfit: Carters

bow: Target

Today Miss Sadie and I took our first long drive, just the two of us, to watch her Uncle Jordan play some baseball. Sadie was an angel in the car! Thank goodness too because I was nervous driving that far by myself. 

Although she slept through most of the game she did manage to keep her eyes open for Uncle Jordans first hit. He had a great game and we were so happy to be there to see it. I foresee many baseball games in Sadie's future.

ps- she has a baseball paci in :)

Happy Friday!

What you see here: lots of Valentines Day fun, puppy snuggles, tutu's, lunch and hand holding with my  two favorite people, and mostly just lots and lots of love!

Have a great weekend everyone! I will be taking Sadie to her first baseball game so she can cheer on her Uncle Jordan! Wish us luck :)

This Body.

I barely recognize it. I loved my pregnant body. My growing bump that contained the most precious thing in the world to me. I would rub my belly, talk to it, sing songs to it. The hubs would kiss it and my pups loved resting their heads there. I didn't mind my cheeks getting fuller, I always knew they would. And as my legs got thicker and hips got wider I told myself they would be back to normal after I had the baby.

And now? I'm all flabby and don't fit into my clothes and just want to eat all of the time.

Don't get me wrong, I still love my body. This body made an incredibly beautiful little girl. This body endured over 24 hours of labor without failing me. And I in no way expect it to be exactly the way it was before I had a baby. But now that I have gotten the okay to exercise again I'm jumping right in.

Only it's not that easy. Finding time to exercise when you're taking care of a newborn and two dogs, trying to keep the house clean, laundry washed, and dishes put away is no easy task. Then you add in the lack of sleep and many times I find myself in the great debate of "nap or workout". I guess the important thing is that I am trying.

Usually I stick to the workout videos that I have been doing since college. They can be done while Sadie plays on her mat next to me or naps in her swing. I also received a baby & me workout video from my brother-in-law and his wife and have done that a few times with Sadie and she loves it! The only problem with it is that there is zero cardio involved.

The current goal is to lose 15 more pounds (5 pounds less than pre-Sadie weight, what I weighed before the miscarriages) and be ready for a half marathon come January. I went for my first run last night and it felt amazing. Painful but incredible. I am excited to get back into shape but worried about my wavering motivation. 

Other momma's out there do you have any tips? How do you find time to workout? What are you doing to get back in shape?

Two Months

As I type this I can hear Sadie in her room with her Daddy having the most adorable "coo"ing conversation. She was not doing this a month ago. It is amazing how much she changes and learns in just a matter of weeks.days.moments.

She has definitely gotten her talkativeness from her Momma! I had no idea that two month olds talked so much. It's awesome! And her smile? Oh my goodness, her SMILE! It is big and silly and beautiful and is used during most awake hours.

This big girl can hold on to her toys now and reaches for the ones that hang from her play mat. She loves feeling stuffed animals and tries to eat most of their noses if they come anywhere near her mouth.

If you whistle at her, your heart will explode. Her eyes get big as she gasps really loud and shakes her whole body back and forth while smiling. We got this on video so as soon as I figure out how to put that on here I will.

Sadie also had her first Valentines Day but I'm afraid she's not going to be a big fan of the heart filled day since she had to get her two month shots that morning. She did really well with her shots though and is growing so big!! I love this little girl more and more every day.

Our week in iPhone photos

I'm going to try to start doing a weekly update via iPhone photos. It is embarrassing how many pictures I take every day on my phone so every Friday I will pick out my favorites and share them. A lot of my favorite bloggers do this and I love catching up with them this way.

What you see: a cute ballerina, my niece, mommy & baby love, Sadie's beer (yes my daughter has a beer named after her, brewed by one of the hubs best friends. awesomeness), cake, Sadie listening to records with Grandpa, and a lot of Sadie just being adorable.

This has been a pretty great week. We took Sadie on her first long car ride to visit the inlaws and she did wonderfully. She got to meet her cousin for the first time and love on her grandparents a whole bunch.

Also this week I started a workout routine and have been trying to eat better. My entire body is sore... but more on that later.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend :)

Birth Announcement

After browsing all of my favorite sites searching for birth announcements I came to the conclusion that while adorable, they were so expensive! To be able to send them to everyone we wanted to it was going to cost well over $100 and that didn't even include postage. And with a new baby in the mix we just couldn't do it. Instead I decided to give it a shot myself and I have to say I am pretty happy with how they turned out:

$30 to print plus postage. Not too bad right? Next up I am going to attempt a new blog header/design. There is someone very important missing from the current one plus this little blog needs some change!

Getting to know Sadie

I realized just the other day that I haven't really shared anything about Sadie. Sure I have posted pictures and while she is the most adorable creature on Earth (don't tell my pups I said that), there is so much more to her than that.

We have been blessed with a good sleeper. She doesn't sleep through the night or anything but we do get a solid 4-6 hour stretch every night and then two more 3-4 hour periods after that in between nursing. The girl loves her sleep and will do so absolutely anywhere and in any position.

Sadie is the most smiley baby I have ever met. Most likely if she is awake, she is smiling. And if you talk to her in a sing-songy voice she "talks" back to you in those same tones. If you walk too close to our during the day you would probably think we are a safe house for Disney princesses. The best part is that I sometimes forget who I am talking to and carry on that voice to the hubs and even once at the grocery store to the cashier...

Now don't get me wrong, she is a pretty easy going baby but she definitely has her moments. Like her obsession with her paci. Don't get in the way of that. She may be all smiley so you take her paci out to talk to her, which is fine until the smile is gone and then you better get that thing back into her mouth asap. Even if she spits it out five times and puts her hands in front of her mouth and shakes her head back and forth while you're trying to give it back to her.

Sadie has developed a love for classic rock, especially Aerosmith (my dad would be so proud). And if you play it during bath time she kicks her feet all around splashing water everywhere. So worth getting soaked for! She enjoys dance parties in her room and coo's a lot when I play "A Whole New World" (I hope you know what that's from).

She absolutely loves when you touch her head. If you run your fingers from the top of her head down her face she gets all giddy. It's safe to say that she will always find ways to amaze me and challenge me at the same time. She is already her own person. And I love everything about that person.

Newborn Photos taken by the talented Shannon Smith of SNS Photography.

Awaiting baby Addison

Have I mentioned that one of my very best friends is having a baby girl? Only a few times, right? Well it's only because I am so excited to meet her!

On Saturday we held a baby shower at my house to celebrate. She did such an amazing with my shower and I tried to make hers just as special. I had so much fun making decorations and getting things ready. The Momma-to-be looked absolutely gorgeous and Sadie could not get enough of her.

She's a natural, am I right? The shower was full of love, baby gifts, potted flowers, owls, chalk board mason jars, delicious desserts and punch, lots of friends and a few dirty jokes :)

Now that the shower is done, Miss Addison can go ahead and make her way out into the world because I know a lady and a baby who are ready to meet her. Sadie has already started planning play dates for her future bestie.

I will leave you with one more photo of my beautiful baby girl because I just can't resist. But I must warn you that this face tends to bring on baby fever so get your ovaries in check before looking at it....