Our Baby Dance

Worlds worst Blogger.

2014-12-13T18:02:00.001-08:00

I'll admit it, I forgot about my blog. Oh well, I'm just soaking up time with my girl.

BTW, is she not adorable?

She's starting to speak in sentences now, which is pretty amazing.

Christmas is coming. Santa is coming. I'm feeling the energy from the holiday and definitely in full fledged Christmas spirit.

The First Snow.

2014-11-08T15:42:00.000-08:00

The first snow fell in Maine last weekend.

Normally, the first snow is a few flakes falling from the sky one day and you think "wait, is that SNOW!?" and there is a little excitement there as you picture the days full of white to come.

Not this day. This day, there were FEET of snow that fell from the sky. Heavy, wet snow that blocked plow trucks, fire trucks and CMP trucks. Yes, we were without power for 3 days. It was rough but, all in all, it could have been worse!

Meanwhile, Layla HATED the snow. We spent about 30 minutes getting us and her ready to go out into the great white stuff and we spent about 3 minutes playing and then came inside! She wasn't a fan at all but, eventually, she'll get there. All kids do!

We have plans to lay low this weekend and maybe do some Turkey crafts! Thanksgiving is fast approaching!

Halloween.

2014-11-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT Halloween! Layla went as Charlie Chaplin and was the best Charlie Chaplin I ever did see!

She's TOTALLY cheesin' right here. For real. This is what she looks like when you tell her to say "cheese" for the camera.

These photos below are from a couple weeks ago when we painted her pumpkin and did some halloween crafts. Thanksgiving Crafts are coming right up! I'm so excited!

is she, or is she not the next Van Gogh?

Thanksgiving crafts are coming up! I'm SO excited! Mommy loves crafts. After Christmas is over, crafts will be much easier because we'll have a brand spankin new easel for her to paint on- courtesy of Santa :).

Baby Fashion.

2014-10-23T20:40:00.002-07:00

I'm not gonna lie, I've been pretty heavy into baby fashion lately. Not like, obsessive heavy, but just heavy enough to write a blog. Ok. borderline obsessive.

The fact is though, I refuse to buy "off the rack" unless it's under $5 or so unbelievably cute I can't leave the store without it (which has happened a total of 2 times and cost me less than $20 total for both items).

The entire outfit in the photo above cost me less than $4. But truth be told, I can do better.

For me, I love when Layla looks adorable in her outfit and I pride myself in my ability to pull a cute outfit together for less than $5. How do I do it you ask? Well, let me share my secrets.

I'm never afraid to buy second hand. Or third, fourth or fifth hand. Who cares? She'll likely outgrow all of this within the next couple of months. To be honest, I don't know how people can afford to buy clothes that are brand new. I just don't get it- unless you're rich or have your priorities like, completely backwards, I just don't understand it. Maybe I'm being judgmental but I'm going to chalk it up to ignorance. Here's how I save money by shopping cheap.

First off, I start at Goodwill. I L O V E the Goodwill. I search through items more than once to make sure I didn't miss anything. I even shop for shoes there. The sweater above game from goodwill as did the pants. See? Less than $4. Most baby clothes in my area are $1.99 per item (half off if you get the right colored barb. I got the right colored barb on that sweater!). I go to Goodwill about 2-4 times a week depending on my availability. I don't always leave with something but I always look. And I look at the color of the barb first.

That dress is so vintage and was only $1 at Goodwill! The shoes were mine when I was a tot. The tights? Let's not go there. Let's just say, there are somethings I refuse to buy second hand.

Second- I shop second hand online. Where is my favorite place? THREDUP! (p.s. click that link for a free $10 to spend there. You can thank me later). Their clothes are in like new condition. I buy a TON of clothes there for Layla and we love it! SUPER cheap clothes in excellent condition? Yes please! I also do a TON of online shopping on ebay. I know, right? It sounds so...gross? But you know what? The clothes are always in great condition. I just bought her Christmas pj's on there and am SO excited to get them in the mail! I've bought a ton of shoes for her as well. I normally hit them up for pajamas but I've been known to buy other things. ebay is SO underutilized by people when it comes to clothing. They have a ton of stuff on there. Even if you don't end up buying anything, it's always worth a look!

Third- I shop second hand consignment stores.

I think the coat says it all, right? A hell of a steal. PERFECT condition. Basically new. $7!!! Holy crap! I almost fell over when I saw that coat. I specifically went in to a local consignment store looking for a coat and the perfect one was hanging on the rack! We also got another one on ebay that has a hood and is a little longer but either way, they are both adorable and total, I spent $10 on both. That evens out to an average of $5 per coat. Great deals. The boots? A goodwill find! The pants? A gift :). Also, my child, much like her mother, LOVES goats.

Fourth- I shop deals in store. MAJOR mark downs people. MAJOR. And sometimes, price isn't everything. Sometimes, it's a mixture of price and quantity. If I can get two pairs of pajamas for $7, that is a GREAT deal. $3.50 per pair OR $1.75 per item (they were two piece sets). I rarely buy baby clothes new so when I do, they need to be unbelievably cheap.

I also use this really cool cash back website while I'm online shopping- EBATES. Ebates is great. It basically has all these links to websites and gives you a certain percentage of cash back on each website. When you earn a total of $12, you can send away for your big fat check (their term, not mine. I don't consider $12 fat by any means but, it's basically free cash so, I take it!). It is SUCH a good way to do holiday and birthday shopping. We have a couple of big ticket items this year for Layla and I'm hoping to earn a bit of cash back on at least one of them. It isn't specific to clothes either. I plan on using it when we buy Layla's big gift from us this year (a kitchen set) and it's looking like I'll get $5 back. Not a huge amount but a free amount!

I freakin LOVE when she wears a pony tail.

That dress? FREE thanks to a working parent program at my previous job. Holy cow it was SO cute I couldn't leave it there!

The FINAL way I save money on baby clothes is this: Instagram. Bet you didn't see that one coming did you? Here's the thing about Instagram. A lot of the sellers way over price their items (I saw a used baby gap coat for $40 yesterday. WHY?!). You really have to weed through everything to find something worth the price they are asking for. I bought her a brand new pair of slippers on there the other day for $5 but now, I'm questioning the price. Oh well, too late now- they are on their way! They are part of her Christmas Eve gift so hopefully they will still fit her in a couple months. Anyways, take the Instagram advice with a grain of salt. Go look at what they have to offer but don't get your hopes up. @xoxomadalyn has some pretty good deals (her $3 sale is going on right now!)

One of my favorite dresses. $1 at the Goodwill. Missing a button but it's just for play. Still adorable.

So anyways, that's how I save money on baby clothes. Brand? Not important to me (although I do love to get a good score on Baby Gap or the pair of TOMS I got for $2.99 a few weeks ago). I don't think brand should be important. They are baby clothes. Worn a few times and done. The clothes she wore when she was an infant were always second hand because she was constantly spitting up on them. And now? She's constantly covered in dirt. Why would I pay $40 for a coat that she's going to get dirty all the time? One thing I will say is this: I always, always look for stains or signs of a lot of wear (other than wash wear or light fading) before I buy. Sometimes, I'm not picky. Sometimes I am. It really depends on the day or if there is something specific I'm buying the item for. Her Christmas dress- it will be used this year just like last year...but it will have to be in perfect condition. I also work to get stains out of Layla's clothes so that they will have a little resale value.

And you know what? I get daily compliments on how cute she looks and how well she is dressed. And people are usually floored when I tell them I got her outfit at Goodwill. There is something to be said for being smart about your shopping.

Does it sound like I'm constantly shopping? It probably does.

Family photos and a toddler.

2014-10-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we attempted our family photos. Needless to say, we'll be having a MAJOR re do this weekend. Seriously, my child is adorable but when sister wants to swing, we swing.

Meanwhile, Layla's daycare provider is expecting her first baby boy and I had the pleasure of doing her maternity photos! It's been a while since I was behind the camera for someone other than Layla- other than a senior shoot I did this summer and a "play date" photoshoot I did for a friend and her one year old boy. This summer was the most I've photographed other families in a while. I loved it! I looooved photographing Makayla's baby belly and it made me excited for when baby Colby #2 takes up residence in my tummy (not for a while. So don't get too excited).

Here are a couple shots of her. I haven't shared any of this type of work in a while and I'm pretty proud of these images. There are a couple on Facebook and the rest will hit when I've fully edited them all.

I have to say, I was a little afraid it was going to rain but the weather persevered. And, although it was a little cloudy and kinda cool, we survived! We ended up leaving the orchard with a big jug of fresh apple cider too. Matt absolutely loves it. Me, on the other hand, not a cider fan. I REALLY wanted a big bucket of apples but we are already over flowing with apples!

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna put this on our Christmas cards this year and call it good.

Hopefully some better family shots this coming Saturday. Weather (and Layla) permitting!

Somedays, you gotta dance.

2014-10-02T18:30:00.002-07:00

Sometimes, Layla wakes up 5 minutes after she falls asleep for the night and is LOADED with energy. And when those nights happen, all you can do is roll with it.

Don't we always say we hope our children dance? Why would I try and stop her?

Once upon...

2014-09-30T18:54:00.001-07:00

Once upon the last day of a golden summer.... -Winnie The Pooh

Today was the last day of Summer. Not really, that was a few days ago...but with temps in the 80's and it being the end of September....it just felt so nostalgic. I wore SHORTS. Layla wore a dress, we sweated and complained about the heat. We had a popsicle after dinner and drank ice cold Lemonade. It was the last day of summer. Autumn is here now and, I'm ready to fully embrace the pumpkin spice craze. I've already had a pumpkin spice iced coffee...more than once. And I've already eaten a pumpkin pie blizzard at DQ. My birthday is in a few short days which means it's officially fall time now. We are planning on painting pumpkins with Layla in the next few weeks and I'm SO excited!

This smile. It generally means she's about to do something she shouldn't.

Fall is here now and I'm so glad. I've already started Christmas shopping and hunting. Santa is bringing his four best gifts to our house :) We learned this year that Layla is a HUGE artist. She loves to paint, color, draw and anything else you can possibly imagine. So, Santa MAY be bringing her an art easel, art supplies, a smock and some art books :). We just got Pop Warhol's Top and it is the freakin CUTEST book ever! Santa typically does the "One thing you want, one thing you need, one thing you wear, one thing you read" deal so we don't get too carried away with the "presents" and we get more carried away with spending time enjoying eachother. I'm so beyond excited to spend this Christmas with my favorite girl.

Apple.

2014-09-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

I guess, although it's still officially Summer, Fall is really here. About a week ago, I refused to admit Summer was over. But, it is. This past weekend, we made an hour drive up to Treworgy Orchards in Levant, ME and spent a few hours picking apples, looking for pumpkins and having a hay ride. We had a great time and Layla had a TON of apples to feast on.

She LOVES to feed the goats.

That smile. I love it.

This is the face of determination.

Layla knew all her crayon colors tonight. I'm totally NOT bragging or anything *coughyesiamcough* but seriously, my child is a genius. I mean really, she amazes me every day. After we learned colors tonight, I asked her to put her crayons back in her box and put the box on her coloring table and guess what? SHE DID IT! She's cutting her canine's right now and her two pointy's on the bottom so life is pretty hard for her. She's SUPER clingy and pretty whiney (only with me though, ironically). I lucky out and get a ton of snuggles all the time!

I'm hoping we can either hit up a fair or go apple picking again this weekend. So far, she's really loved to experience fall. In a few weeks, we're going to get out the perfect pumpkin and have a pumpkin painting party like we did last year. I'm so excited to see what creativity blossoms with her again. Her BIG present from Santa came the other day- an art easel. I am SO excited to get it set up for her on Christmas and have her paint a beautiful picture. We got a great deal on it too! Bought it through IKEA for $25. All the good ones I was looking at on Amazon were $100+ so when I saw that price, I nabbed it! I know I know, I constantly tout that Christmas isn't about presents- and it isn't. But Santa only brings 4 things in our house so when Santa gets a good deal, it's worth bragging about :).

Anyways, this mama is off to bed. I'm sure my sleeping beauty will wake me in a few hours for snuggles while she gets through her teeth coming through. Hopefully she sleeps right on through the night but I'm not getting my hopes up TOO high!

Reading

2014-09-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

I've recently had a few people ask me "why do you read books to Layla that are so far above her age level? She can't even understand you".

I had a Facebook rant which I'm sure you're aware of and it basically sparked a TON of comments supporting our decision to read books like The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, A Little Princess etc (I think next, we're going to read The Little House on the Prairie). When I first started reading advanced books to Layla, the first one I read was Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Which is set to about a 3rd grade level (I read it in 1st grade along with other Beverly Cleary books. LOVE HER). At first, I even questioned myself. Why WAS I reading this book to her? It's not like she could comprehend what was happening. And she fell asleep about 2-3 pages into the story- so what was the point? Then we started on The Hobbit and I noticed a change. Creativity started blossoming. She started to imagine. Earlier this summer she used to pretend to eat things off the table, her slide, the ground, the counter- and she was constantly asking us to "try" whatever it was she found. I obliged more times than I can count and ate several imaginary snacks with her. But the hobbit sparked something completely different. She started to understand play. She makes car noises, beeping and runs into things and says "sowwy!"---with things that AREN'T cars. She DRAWS. She draws lines and scribbles and then babbles out a story of what they are (in complete gibberish). She has learned probably 15 new words since earlier this summer. She is constantly trying to say new words.

And, my favorite, she sings! She SINGS! Sometimes, if I'm lucky, she dances along to her singing and it is perfect. She knows two words in Itsy Bitsy Spider, down and out (which I find pretty ironic). She knows the hand movements (is it just me, or is this starting to sound like a "my baby is unbelievably smart" post? eh, oh well). So when people asked me why I read these books to Layla, I have to laugh. Even though I started out apprehensive and questioning my own sanity, I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I've made. We read and we read a LOT in this house. And I do it without shame.

Reading does so much for kids. I was watching a news story a few weeks back about lower income families and their childrens speech habits. Now, I'm not going to be a person who associates income with ability. I refuse. This is just what the report was saying. Anyways, it was saying that generally, children with lower income families tend to speak later in life and know fewer words (how they make this correlation, I have no idea. I'm certainly not rich by ANY stretch of the imagination and my kid knows a ton of words. I think some people are just born with speech delays and some aren't. Just like some people are born really good at math and some aren't. It's just the way our brains work...but I digress). They had a specific case study of a 2 year old girl who didn't speak at all. She spent most of her days home with her father and they would hook up a "word counter" to her to count how many words she heard in a day (not what the words were, just that she heard them). One of the days they were looking at, from 10am-6pm she heard something like 5 words. FIVE WORDS! That becomes more than a speech delay- that is when your general care giver is refusing to do their part in your well being. It's borderline neglect. When I'm around Layla, I do not stop speaking to her. We sing, we talk about our day, we talk about what we do tomorrow, we read, we talk about what animals say, we talk about colors, we talk about shapes etc. etc. etc. We TALK. Now, keeping in mind that I'm not rich (like, probably the furthest thing from rich you'll ever know), I want you to see that money in the bank has nothing to do with it. It's your choice to talk to your child. To let them hear your words. To read to them. The more you talk to children as if they can understand you already, eventually, they will understand you. And way before you expect them to. Layla follows directions incredibly well and she understands WHY you want her to do what you're asking. It's so funny when she makes you laugh and you tell her to do it again- she gets it. And she tries harder to make you laugh.

Anyways, this was a huge rant about something that doesn't matter to everyone. Not everyone reads to their kids and that's ok. Just make sure that you don't stop talking to them. What most people don't realize is that you can teach your kids more by just talking to them then by telling them "this block is red" or "this block is blue".

Anyways, this mama is off to bed. I literally just spent 5 hours looking out the window every 5 minutes for the northern lights and never saw a damn thing. Such a tease.

Summer lives.

2014-09-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

Autumn is knocking on my door LOUDLY. And, although I love pumpkin iced lattes, apple picking, fall boots, fall coats, the cool crisp air blowing in our window all night- I'm not willing to let Summer go JUST yet. It still lives at our house.

You can see Autumn sneaking up a little bit in this photo.

Layla LOVES to help in the kitchen.

Future Mia Hamm, right?

Sometimes, she gets this look on her face and it's my face and I know it and I don't know if I should be proud or scared.

Like all good things, I know Summer must come to an end and it will be reborn again next year. I'm excited to see all the leaves change, and the snow fall and the earth come to life again...but I REALLY love Summer. Like, I love it a ton. I'm going to miss it. The air felt really crisp and cool today when I went outside. As much as I hated it, I also loved it.

And now, I'll leave you with my favorite song right now. I can't stop listening to it and I'm pretty sure I'm driving my husband insane.

The Fair.

2014-09-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

We went to the fair this past weekend and had a great time.

Windsor Fair 2014.

My kind of farm. P.S. they served maple ice cream. Pretty sure I ate 10 pounds.

This thing was so cool. When you look inside, the pictures were 3D!

No joke. This guy saw my camera and posed for me.

This bird hates humans.

ha!

Love her eyes. So much.

The guy on stilts? Such a weirdo but, clearly enjoys a good time :)

This girl? She LOVES herself a pony ride!

She also LOVES to feed sheep!

A great time was had by all and I gained about 30,000 pounds. It was worth it though. This weekend is FULL of adventure! Company picnic, birthday parties, motorcycle rides. We're going to have a great time and I can't wait! I live for weekends with my favorite girl :)

Going to help daddy in the garden.

I'm pretty sure I gave birth to the cutest baby on the planet.

Summer!

2014-08-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

So summer really blows by if you're not blogging, right?

This summer has been amazing for us- the winds of change blew through very hard, but the end results were amazing.

I got a new job. Yes, another one. But one that I really, truly love. And, if you have to work (you know, the pay the BILLS), you might as well love what you do, right? Plus, there are a TON of opportunities with this job. It is really helping us position our family for a better future. Things will be great for us- I just know it. I can feel it this time- we're going to do big things.

Shaggy blonde hair? She knows how to rock it.

But the curls- I'm completely obsessed with them.

There is something about that knee dimple.

Layla now knows a bunch of body parts- eyes, ears, nose, mouth, knees, hands, toes (also she responds to shoes lol), hair, and more recently- BUTT. She is also recognizing people in photos and calling them by name- it's pretty hilarious. But I think, my favorite thing she does, is when she pulls something yucky out of her mouth (usually food) and says "EWWWWW! Or, when she comes in holding a pair of shoes and says "shoes, shoes, shoes" and puts them in front of you to put on. We have discovered that she is a HUGEEEE Beatles fan. Also, she loves Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley. I'm so glad she has good taste in music. Nothing lame allowed in this house!

Meanwhile, I've decided, I need to be healthier about my eating habits. I think, for now, my goal is to replace more of my drinks (and food too) with water. Less sweet tea, less soda (don't judge me)- more WATER. When I was pregnant, I loved a nice cold ice water (almost as much as I loved root beer). I still do love water but it's so hard for me to get into something so boring. Who is with me on this? At my new job, I was given a FREE fitbit! I've had it for approximately 36 hours and am completely in love with it. It's nothing fancy- their most basic model. But it's pink and small and oh so pretty. I'm in love. It has inspired me to be healthier. Drink water, go for walks. I would love to hit 10k steps in a day. Today I walked almost 3 miles! That is CRAZY to me! Especially considering I have a desk job. But, I spend about one mile of that chasing after Layla so it makes sense I guess. So, my health plan starts with more fiber and protein. Less "fluff" food. More oatmeal, more almonds (and, probably, an occasional honey roasted peanut. Don't judge.), less fruit loops, less brownies. I can't let temptation get me EVERY time. I'm taking on my weight loss goal as more of a "get healthy" goal and less of a "weight loss" goal. It will be hard- I do plan to lose weight but it won't be my main focus. Basically, next time I'm pregnant, I don't want to weigh over 170 by the end of it.

This weekend we are planning on going to the fair and the following weekend is pretty much eaten up too. Fall is already zooming by and it's not even here! Time flies when you're having fun I guess :).

Changes.

2014-07-22T19:46:00.001-07:00

Layla. She is changing every day and some of the biggest changes happened in the past 2 weeks.

Seriously, the kid won't eat without spoon or fork. She's peed on the potty twice. She started SINGING (and it is adorable) and, she gives herself a bath (basically, she washes her hair, her feet and her hands. Leaving me all the dirty work). This kid, she LOVES to do things on her own. And guess what? I love her independence. LOVE it.

She looks like a total raggamuffin. But, I just love it. These overalls cost me 0.50 at a baby fair. She's been wearing them since last October now. hashtagmykidnevergrows

Oh, that bright light up there? That's her future. NBD.

My town is, like, 99% Celtic (that's just my estimation). So, it's only fitting that we have a Celtic celebration every year. Us? We're Scotch-Irish and Welsh. Basically, we've been in America since like, the 1700's so people who were already here of Scottish and Irish decent made babies (aka us) and we call ourselves Scotch-Irish. Essentially, we're the whitest people ever. Oh, and we have blonde hair with red undertones. I have very little red in my hair but, if the light hits it juuusttt right, you can see it. Layla, on the other hand, has a ton of red tones when the sun hasn't bleached her out completely!

Enjoying fireworks at the Celtic festival!

She steals the show.

She has recently started taking care of her "baby". She feeds her a bottle, rocks her, puts her to sleep and then starts all over again. Eventually, this play will advance to the next level. I think I might teach her to nurse her baby. Matt thinks that's weird...but I disagree.

Layla had a doctors appointment this week. I wish I could say her growth was substantial. 19.15 pounds and 30 inches tall. She's a peanut! She actually LOST weight. The doctor did seem concerned until I told him how much she ate and how active she is. Seriously, unless she's sleeping or eating, she's running everywhere! And she eats EVERYTHINGGGGG. OMG this kid eats just about anything you give her- unless it's a vegetable. I'm on the hunt for some pomegranate for her to try this summer but haven't found any yet. I think I'm looking in the wrong places :). Pom is one of my favorite fruits and I so want her to try it!

Beauty.

2014-07-15T19:41:00.002-07:00

She is really turning into a beautiful little girl.

Not that she hasn't always been beautiful but this girl, she's gonna break some hearts.

She just looks like a little kid here.

Here are some shots from our weekend.

The mark on her leg? She apparently has terrible reactions to bug bites.

This is how she winks. Legit, it's pretty adorable.

Helping mama make a pizza.

She's a pro

Annnnddd baby girl is sick. Runny nose, coughing, sweats, snuggles, sleep- no fever yet though. Nothing about 99 so I'm not too worried about it. I don't look at 99 as a fever- not until it hits about 99.5, then I'll worry. But for now, she's still in daycare and I'm still at work. That's probably the hardest part of being a working parent- deciding what to do when your child is sick but it can actually get you in trouble if you call out sick too many times. ALL of my sick time is saved for her. So, I currently have no choice but to wait it out and see what happens. I check in regularly with daycare to make sure she is still doing ok and not too sick to stay. So far, so good. She has her regular check up on Friday (shots, I'm pretty sure. GULP), so if her nose is still running (it will be day 6 at that point) and her throat is still sore (she cries EVERY time she coughs. So heart breaking), I'm going to ask for more advice. Right now, she's pretty much sleeping it off, lots of fluids (even orange juice- her favorite!), and lots and lots of rest and snuggles. Hopefully, we can kick this thing by the weekend but, time will tell.

I'm pretty excited for her doctors appointment actually. I'm fairly certain she hasn't grown at ALL since her last one so that ought to be a fun convo with the doctor lol. She's a whopping 21 pounds now and I think we measured her in at 26 inches about a week ago and she hasn't grown at all since then (we measured her again two nights ago). She's a little bitty thing- she's still in 9-12m clothes and size 3 shoes. I swear, this kid won't grow but she eats like a horse. Literally. A HORSE.

Anyways, it's off to bed for this mama.

Summer

2014-07-10T19:40:00.001-07:00

Summer is flying by! Where is the time going!?

First and foremost: an update since my last blog. I know, such a cliff hanger, right? Well, it's ALL completely 110% GREAT news. Cassandra is on her way to a full recovery and is on her way home TOMORROW! What WHAT!!!!!! That girl is a huge fighter. I've heard she will still have to wear a helmet until they can reconstruct part of her skull but she is walking, talking, going through rehab, speech therapy, OT, PT- she's working hard for a full recovery and I cannot tell you how strong she is. Fred is doing well also- he's home already and is working his leg to heal. Don't forget, you can still donate by clicking HERE. Can't donate? Please send prayers/love/positive vibes and maybe share their link? They could really use ALL the help they can get- and that includes help from the Big Man upstairs.

Here are some shots from our summer so far. I have to say, I'm loving every second I get with my girl. 2 days a week is just not enough sometimes. I see her for about 1.5 hours in the morning, 1.5 hours at night and then 2 days during the week. I miss her. Working mom guilt gets about 1 million times worse during the summer, I think. It's pretty awful.

Meanwhile, enjoy her cute face. We went to the Maine Wildlife Park a couple weeks ago. It was beyond lame. It used to be awesome but now, I could take it or leave it. We only saw a few animals and spent most of the day trudging for what felt like miles (the park is not organized very well and spread out a TON) so we could see a raccoon, 2 porcupines and 1 lynx. We did see an eagle (but apparently I could see that in the parking lot at work because I did. NBD) but other than that, it was dumb. We are going to York zoo in a few weeks and I couldn't be more excited! Way better animals there!

Oh hi curly locks.

My favorite attraction- a baby moose! SO cute!!!! We did see some grown moose as well that were laying down enjoying the shade.

Just in case you were wondering, she had this same outfit last summer in 0-3 months. I'm a huge fan of buying the same thing in bigger sizes so she can re-wear them. Don't judge me.

After trudging around in the 95 degree heat, we decided a trip to Range pond was in order so we could cool off. So far, she isn't a huge fan of the water but, we've got a new float and are trying again tomorrow!

Yep. That's her bathing suit this summer. Don't hate it because it's so cute. Also, her blonde curls are too much for me to handle.

Hi, Mama!

Thanks to Hurricane Arthur (with his light breeze and heavy rains), 4th of July was kind of a bust. We did manage to make it to Brooks Parade and Brooks Field day which was kinda fun. We didn't stay long though- the rain started in and we had a bbq to get to at my grandmothers house.

All American.

This is her "please make the sirens stop" face. It got progressively worse.

Tomorrow, we are hitting up another lake. My goal this summer has to been to try a new beach every weekend. So far, we've done our best. We've been to a few beaches already and are planning more and more as time goes on. Next weekend, we won't be going to ANY beaches though- we are having a yard sale! If you are in Waldo County and need baby girls clothes size NB-12 months (and a few bigger sizes), I'll be posting more info later so keep an eye out! I am SO excited!!! We also will have some maternity clothes for sale, house goods (dishes etc), non maternity women's clothes, movies (TONS of movies) and even some baby gear! WOO! I'm hoping we can get rid of all of it so pretty pretty please, when we post the time and place- come buy my stuff! Anyways, the weekend after that is the benefit for Cassandra and Fred and guess what else? I won tickets to see Kenny Loggins that night! WOO! I won them on the radio and was pretty freakin stoked the day I won. Still can't get over it. The bad news? The concert is in Rangeley which is like, over 2 hours away but that's cool. I'll get to do something that is kind of once in a lifetime and it costs me nothing! SCORE! I will miss my baby big time that night though :(

Anyways, I'm feeling so grateful for my day with Layla tomorrow. I miss that girl so much. Missing all this time with her during the week is for the birds. Pretty sure I need to win the lotto so I can be a stay at home mom and really soak her up. Balancing motherhood and a career is so hard. I hate it. She is the number 1 most important thing in the world to me and the fact that I spend most of my time away from her kills me. I miss her.

But, it's bed time for this mama. I can't wait to go swimming tomorrow!

The blink of an eye.

2014-06-24T19:03:00.002-07:00

Oh how life can change when you least expect it.

Saturday night was terrible. I can't even think of any other words for it- I'm speechless even now. My step dad is a volunteer for our local fire department/ambulance. We heard on the pager that there was an accident which needed life flight- not far from our house. My mind immediately flashed to my cousin Cassandra and her husband Fred- they live not too far from where the accident was and regularly travel that way at the end of the work day. We then got word that a second life flight was requested. I hesitated and said "geez, I hope it isn't anyone we know". Then, my step dad ran out of the house to a call at the same sight of the accident. We sat and waited to hear that he was coming home and ate supper. My uncle called (which I think might be the 1st time in my life that he has ever called us) and I knew it was them. I just knew. From there, everything is a blur for me. I remember hearing it was them and my mother saying "oh god they were on the bike? and not wearing helmets?" and I lost it. I just lost it. My heart wasn't beating anymore and I couldn't focus. I started crying- trying to sweep the floor. Pack a bag so we could go to the hospital, get Layla in a pair of pajamas, get her a sippy cup and some snacks- and we were out the door. On the way to Bangor to support my cousin. Her husband was sent to another hospital 2 hours away with serious leg injuries and some swelling on the brain. Cassandra had all of her trauma in her head. All on the left side. When I got there, everyone was crying- "they have to do surgery on a part of her brain" my grandmother told me "tonight". Emergency brain surgery? I remember her mother saying "if you believe in God, you better be praying because I'm very close to losing my baby" through tears and sobs. We all hugged each other. I walked with my cousin Justin (Cassandras brother) all the way to the ICU, with arms around each other.

Cassandra and Fred are both in very tough shape. Most of Fred's injuries are in his legs and, as of the last update, he still needs more surgery (after 5 hours earlier this week). Cassandra, on the other hand, has all head trauma. Some minor knee surgery but then complete and total head trauma. It's all on the left side of her head which controls your hearing, your speech, your personality and the right side of your body. She is still in pretty serious condition and, from what I hear, will still need some surgery to reconstruct her skull and get the tube out of the back of her head. She is off the ventilator as of today (it's working part time if she needs it) and can breathe on her own! This is HUGE news people.

Us when we were little. Can you spot me? How can you not, right? Cassie on the right, Justin on the left, Layla in the middle. Just kidding.

Having been raised around motorcycles, I can't tell you ENOUGH how important it is that everyone do their part to keep bikers safe. The bikers have equal parts as the non bikers. Ride safe- everyone. Bikers are people too.

Legit the cutest kids on the planet.

Cassandra and Fred have two littles of their own- Jocelyn and Mason. Jocelyn is 5 and Mason is 3. This family has a long road ahead and are in need of your help. If you can, please click the picture below to donate. If you can't donate money, please donate positive thoughts/prayers/love to them and their family and pretty please share the link to the donation site.

They need all the help they can get right now. There is currently a benefit in the works for them as well so, if you're in the Waldo County area (or surrounding) and would like to come, it's on 7/26 at Bowens Tavern on Rt 137 in Belfast.

There is also an account opened at Winslow FCU for them. Checks can be made payable to Lisa Cote or Winslow Community FCU. It's located on 12 Monument St in Winslow.

Again, monetary donations help but prayers and positive thoughts/love are appreciated. I have family keeping me updated on their condition and I'm very hopeful that they will both make a complete recovery. Both kids have been to see Fred but, as far as I know, they have not been to see Cassandra yet. Fred is awake, talking, alert- Cassandra isn't.

To see the outpouring of love and support that can stem from such a small community is amazing. People in two countries and ALL over the USA are praying and sending love to them. It is absolutely amazing and to think that all stems from little ole Maine is just mind boggling. We love them and want them both home with their babies.

Life can change when you are least expecting it. Take nothing for granted, even for a second. In that second, life could change before you can even blink.

Outside.

2014-05-30T18:39:00.001-07:00

Fresh air. It does a body good. And Layla? She's doing very well. She LOVES the outside. Her sandbox and slide is a HUGE hit. HUGE.

Her face. I love it.

She played in her first mud puddle the other day. She LOVED it!

needless to say, she had a bath immediately after this.

I think summer is officially here (even though the rude tourist lady in the grocery store parking lot doesn't seem to think so. High 60's and she tells me Layla MUST be cold in her dress and this lady was wearing a freakin SWEATER. I can only assume she's a flat lander from an ultra tropical area. Not even a breeze blowing by when she said that! And who asked her anyways?). We spend a TON of time outside playing in her new sand box and slide (new to us, that is!). I've created a mini "play ground" for her and I love it. All we need is sunblock and bug ~~spray~~ lotion and we're ready to go. I did pull a tick off me the other day so I've been ULTRA careful the past few times we've gone out.

Looking forward to the beach in a few weeks. We've been once but I'm waiting for the sun to really come out and warm up the water :)

I need a distraction.

2014-05-20T18:21:00.002-07:00

Today was a bad day. In every way possible.

Layla and I needed some distraction. So, we decided to rock it out. LITERALLY.

Is she not the cutest ever?

In case you haven't picked up on it yet, I'm OBSESSED with her curly blonde hair. It's beautiful, it's cute and it's natural. She's a lucky, lucky gal ;)

At the end of the day, this is all I really need. Snuggles and love from my girl <3. So blessed to have her in my life.

I'm so glad tomorrow is a new day.

Mothers day.

2014-05-11T19:46:00.003-07:00

I had a great Mothers day. I was spoiled endlessly with hugs, kisses and snuggles from my favorite girl on this earth. It was exactly what I needed. We played outside, we played inside, we visited with other mamas. Love.

For the record, I could care less that this photo is out of focus and dark.

One day, our family will grow and we'll add more blonde curls to the mix but, for now, she's my one and only. We ended our weekend completely sunkissed and exhausted. SO glad that summer decided to visit Maine this weekend with temps in the 70's, sunshine, cool breeze- and yes, even green leaves!

FIVE generations. Yes you read that right! 5 of us! Crazy! What's even more crazy is that we make gorgeous babies. Am I right?

I fell in love with an American Child.

2014-05-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

Red, White and Baby Blues.

I'd like to note that eating dirt never killed a person.

2 years ago, we didn't have a Layla. We only had a dream, a vision- a wish, for these beautiful blue eyes to be in our lives. And now, she's here. She's determined, she's stubborn and she is FULL of personality. There are so many positives to this: she won't take no for an answer, she knows what she wants and goes and gets it, she's type A personality.

But, there are negatives as well- she won't take no for an answer, she knows what she wants and goes and gets it...she's type A personality. While all of these traits will help her when she's older, they can be challenging while in the toddler stage. She knows how to test our patience...but, it's something we all work on. We're working on hitting right now. This really picked up this weekend. We're working on her verbal skills to be able to SPEAK to us when she's feeling upset (although, it's usually pretty obvious by the instant crying and limp body), I actually WANT her to say "no" and then understand my response when "no" is not an option. It's a work in progress- but, we'll get there. As we do with everything else. As they say "this too shall pass".

The wind is tough to tame...but she tries to catch it anyways.

Her determination will get her far in life so I don't want to squash it completely. I want her to voice her opinion. To develop reasoning skills- to debate. Even if it's over something as simple as changing her diaper or eating her vegetables. I want her to know that she has an opinion and how to voice it. She is FULL of voice. She blabbers to us like she's having a real conversation- sometimes for 10-20 minutes. If we can turn those into real words- imagine what she will say?!

But for now, she is 1. I understand she will not love everything she has to do. She will throw tantrums in public and I will expect people to understand that she is 1 and doesn't want to put the crayons away right now and it is a big deal to her. The best I can do is validate her concerns as only a mother can do and give her a compromise (I've been giving her compromises since she was about 9 months old. They've finally started to sink in).

Good LORD. Those beautiful curly blonde wisps...makes you jealous right?

She's turning into a little girl before my eyes.

Her new "squatty potty" pose. It's a real thing. No joke.

And, did I mention, she LOVES dirt?

As a side note, this entire outfit cost me $3. Second hand baby fashion: I'm a boss at it.

With every stage of childhood, there are challenges. But, challenges aren't a new thing in this family. We got this one, I just know it!

Rugger

2014-05-02T18:44:00.003-07:00

I'll admit, I haven't watched a rugby game in a few years. But, I tossed the hubby's ball around with my girl today. I use the word "tossed" VERY loosely.

Future Rugger!

That's her daddy's smile.

Ah Spring in Maine. Almost 70 today. Overcast (I thought we were going to get rained on but the sun persevered!) and a little breezy. It was the perfect day for a playdate outside. And we enjoyed ourselves as much as we could going out again before bedtime. If the weather is nice again tomorrow (which it is supposed to be!) we are heading to the park for some fresh, crisp ocean air to fill our lungs :).

Meanwhile, Layla is a walking talking toddler. It's crazy how fast she's grown up. Her new favorite word? "quack". What does a ducky say Layla? "quack quack!" *birds chirping outside* "quack quack!" *the neighbors rooster crows* "quack quack!" *she sees a picture of a bird* "quack quack!". All birds quack. Didn't you know that? The changes she's going through and the things she is learning so quickly is just...well, frightening, really. She knows where her belly is, her nose, her eyes, her hair, her ears...She knows where her mouth is but only when she's stuffing it full of food (preferably cheese. Her favorite food on this earth). And today, I bit the bullet and bought her ketchup. Organic ketchup with no HFCS...but still, ketchup. Me: the overly picky mother who only feeds her kid the healthiest of healthy...is going to let her daughter dip her eggs in ketchup tomorrow. *sigh* what is happening to me? What is happening to her? She's growing. So. Fast.

Well, my little blonde curly haired baby is down for the night so I guess I should follow suite.

Infertility.

2014-04-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

It's National Infertility Awareness Week!

I opted not to post about this week last year because I was busy soaking up my brand new baby girl and reveling in the fact that we did, in fact, kick Infertility's scrawny little ass.

I have to say, infertility was easily one of the hardest things I've ever faced. Tests, pills, tests, pills, sex, sex, sex, tests, pills, sex, tears, pills, pelvic scans, break downs at work, sex, tests, pills....it was the most vicious and depressing circle of emotions I've ever found myself in. Taking my temperature EVERY day for almost 3 years. If there is anyone out there who never had to "try" to get pregnant or who was able to do it in under a year- consider yourself EXTREMELY fortunate.

Matt and I have been discussing when to try to make baby number 2. Although we are far off from trying now, the thought still terrifies me. What if Layla is 30 before we are able to make another baby? What if we never make another baby? Not that Layla isn't enough for us (she will always be enough) but, when you're so overflowing with love that all you can do is keep spreading it...how do you contain that need? It's hard. It's so hard.

To everyone going through this struggle now or to anyone who has ever gone through it in the past, silently or out loud, I commend you. I can relate to your emotions and I know the fears you have. I've tried to be as open as possible with postpartum life because not many people are. As you know, after I had Layla, I hemorrhaged BIG time. I cannot tell you the fear coursing through me as we sped away to the ER. I cried the whole way there. The WHOLE way. The desire to want a second child the second you lay your eyes on your first child is hard to explain...and I was so scared that would all be taken away from me within minutes. My husband was incredible during that entire ER stay. I was so afraid my journey with infertility would start again so soon.

To all couples going through this right now, let me just say, I know your journey will be over soon. There are so many options for you out there and, as discouraging as it is, and as hard as it is to see a pregnant woman happily rubbing her belly...try to imagine that woman as you. She may have once been you. That may be a beautiful work of ART inside that belly. It is so hard to see beyond the bump- believe me, I know. But you will be there one day and, when you are, you will fall so hard that you'll forget all about your struggle.

So yes, infertility, we kicked your ass. We'll do it again if we have to, so get your game face on.

One.

2014-03-30T08:05:00.002-07:00

It happened. My bunny is One.

Her birthday was a huge success. An Easter Egg Hunt, presents, DELICIOUS carrot cake (made by daddy) with yummy cream cheese frosting (made by me!), Peter Rabbit EVERYWHERE and lots and lots of family and friends. Children everywhere, giggles, clapping- it was perfect. I opted to enjoy the moment rather than taking a bunch of photos all day. But trust me when I say- it was perfect. I relied on other to take the photos and the end result is just what I wanted to remember. The vision of Layla as others see her.

And now, we move on to bigger things. MILK in her bottle, walking (ie running) everywhere, talking, eating big girl foods. She's no longer a baby- she's a toddler and she's into everything. But, I love her determination and her exploratory demeanor. She's constantly giggling and laughing...however, when she DOES throw a tantrum, watch out!

She knows the following words: More, Please, Thanks, Mommy, Daddy, Cat, OK, Water (I use this one loosely). And the walking- OH the walking. Everywhere! Literally- EVERYWHERE! She's just amazing. It's so hard to leave her during the day and go to work- but when I come home and she smiles, gives me a hug and then "talks" to me about her day, nothing is better. I can honestly say, there are no harder days then the days when I have to leave her ALL day long. And honestly, I don't think you could understand how hard that really is, unless you're a parent who works outside the home. It is HARD. There are days I still cry. One day, maybe I'll get my chance to be a stay at home mom...but until then, I have bills to pay.

Well, I'm off to enjoy my day with my favorite girl <3

Fundraising time!

2014-02-17T18:54:00.002-08:00

It's FUNDRAISING time as promised! I'm SO excited to tell you all about this fundraiser! Let me just tell you, I already have my eyes on a few things :). Anyways, you can click HERE to do your shopping! PRETTY please- if you see something you love, let your friends know all about it! Layla's seller ID is R248154.

So, let me tell you what the fundraiser is for- at Layla's daycare, they are planning on redoing their playground. This is a HUGE deal for Layla because it involves them building a little platform for the littles to play on so they can interact with others outside and not have to sit in a stroller or a swing- they can actually be a PART of nature without the daycare leaders having to constantly take pinecones, dirt, leaves, rocks etc out of their mouths. It is something that is very much needed for their daycare! The daycare keeps about half of each product sold!

Only because I refuse to blog without a photo. When did she start looking so much like a toddler? boo!

Anyways, I'm sure Layla's daycare would GREATLY appreciate your purchase! There are really a LOT of great items for sale!

This just has to be blogged.

2014-02-12T17:57:00.002-08:00

She's adorable. Peek a boo is her favorite and she just discovered a new way to play.

I just love her. Tons.