a long time ago

Their bond is so special

 I have so much to catch up on!  So let’s go back to last month when my mother-in-law and grandma-in-law were in town.  I love it when family comes to visit.  For me it is like a sigh of relief, because I know they will help out and care for Helena.  Having the extra help and love is huge and I appreciate it so much. 

Mary and Grandma got to town on a Sunday and left on a Thursday. 

She loves her Grandma Sweat!

 It was a great week!  Mary is making Helena a super cute outfit for her up and coming first birthday, so we went fabric shopping for that!  I was able to cook while Helena was taken care of, and see the joy she creates with her grandma and great-grandma! 

Giving Great-Grandma kisses!

for the LOVE!

 That Thursday night Chris woke up with some horrible stomach pain around 11pm, and when he told me it wasn’t like a normal stomach ache I immediately said “that’s not normal, that is your appendix”.  He brushed off my diagnosis and was up the rest of the night violently throwing up and groaning on the floor.  Finally at 2am he told me to take him to urgent care.  Once we were at urgent care and Helena was happily awake and Chris was hooked up on some drugs and getting blood work, we went back home around 3am.  Thankfully Helena took a bottle and went right back to sleep.  Around 5am I heard from Chris and wasn’t surprised when he told me they were transporting him to the hospital to get his appendix removed!  So Friday morning he was in surgery.  I spoke to the doctor and she informed me that a normal healthy person can get their appendix removed and can usually go home the next day.  But Chris had missed his morning dose of pills for his epilepsy so she wanted to keep him over night.  Thankfully everything was ok and Chris was discharged Saturday morning.  That afternoon we took Helena to meet the Easter bunny and play at the crawling area at the mall. 

playing after meeting the Easter bunny

It’s definitely always something!  

The following weekend was Easter weekend, when my parents were in town.  We had a great visit and had fun celebrating Helena’s first Easter.  On Saturday we went to a super fun music class, where we were the only ones that showed up!  It was a lot of fun dancing around and singing with Helena!  Plus she even got to “play” the guitar.  After we went to a super fancy dinner at Guard and Grace to celebrate my dad’s birthday (it was 4/7).  I was a little nervous taking Helena to such a nice place, but she did SO good!  We were able to enjoy our dinner and the wait staff feel in love with her, and even brought her fresh fruit to eat!  Near the end we did a lot of “peek a boo” with the napkins, but she was a trooper! 

dancing!

Happy Easter!

LOVE my dads smile in this picture!!!

Easter Sunday we went to a church then a horrible and over priced brunch in Boulder. 

Overall we’ve been super busy! 

Up next: Florida!

11 months

Rockin' the one sock.

We've had an extremely busy month with lots of visitors and firsts, but first things first.  We got to document Helena's 11 month birthday.

Helena was at the Urgent Care yesterday so we got her weight: 18 pounds 5 ounces!

Here are some highlights as of late that I want to remember:     

• Smells like fresh cut wood after a full day of playing (specifically when she’s been outside)

• Says “Uh OH” “woof” “meow” “baa”

• Loves to dance.

• Claps when you say “good job”

• Waves “bye bye”

• Her laugh is the most joyous sound in the world.
•  Always wakes up super happy.  
• Loves chicken and seafood.
• Starting to use a sippy cup for water, and can get water from a straw.
• She figured out how to open the kitchen cabinets.  Our kitchen is now baby proofed.

• She’ll stand accidentally.  Once she realizes she is standing she’ll squat herself down.

She’s officially in size 12 month clothing.  Packing away and putting up her 9 clothes was really hard on me.  Harder than the other transitions.  The year as gone by crazy fast and to think of my daughter as a toddler and no longer a baby is crazy because she’ll always be my baby.   

A Day in the Life - 3.16.15

I've been meaning to do a "day in the life" post for forever.  I always do good at the beginning of the day but then I just forget.  And I'm always waiting for a "normal" day.  Well I don't know why I would ever expect a normal day to happen.  Even though I didn't take any more pictures of our day past 3pm, I still want to remember today.

I took today off, as I had no one to watch Helena.  We slept in, and it felt great!  At 8am I finally got up and took a shower, but the time I was out Helena was ready to start her day.

 I have my moments when I miss nursing Helena.  I usually try and make her feeding time calming.  I let this time be time where I can focus on her.  I usually just stare at her and just memorize her face and features.  She usually pulls on my hair, picks my nose, puts her fingers in my mouth, or stabs my eyes.  It's a good time, and I enjoy it. 
After her bottle I make her some cereal with mashed blueberries.   I don't know what it is but within the past 24-48 hours or so she doesn't want to be fed.  She wants to feed herself.  So majority of the cereal went to waste.  Sad face.

 At 9:50am we left to go check out another daycare. 

 We've arrived.

 After the daycare we went to Grease Monkey to get the oil changed in the car.  Helena crawled around and got horribly dirty.  After waiting for awhile I decided to take a little walk outside.  Once we left Helena immediately fell asleep in the car, once we were almost home I got a call from Grease Monkey to bring the car back as they forgot to "flush it out" whatever that means.  Turned around and went back.
Once we got home Helena woke up.  I fed her another bottle in hopes that would put her back to sleep.  No dice, I'm not surprised.  Heard from Andrea and was asked to go to Chiptole for lunch.  SOLD!
Met Andrea and Grayson for lunch.  Helena had some pinto beans, black beans, and blueberries.
After lunch we headed to the Broomfield Rec Center.  I'm so glad I was introduced to this place by my friend Aundra!  Grayson and Helena had the whole place to themselves the majority of the time!  They had a blast!  Helena went down a slide and tried super hard to climb up the big tube slide!  I'm learning my little daughter is fearless!

After crawling around and playing for an hour we called it a day.  She fell asleep immediately in the car, and woke back up once we got home.  I knew she was exhausted so I tried to rock her when we got home.  No such luck.  She got another bottle and some food.  She was over playing with my shoes when I heard this huge fart then another vibration...a blow out.  Which she hasn't had for sometime, and it really wasn't that bad.  But a change of clothes was necessary.  After that she was getting cranky, so I tried to rock to sleep again.  Again, no such luck.  But it was some good cuddle time.  She sorta just laid on me and whined.  After she calmed down I needed to start dinner.
She thankfully played with herself with her toys in the living room while I prepped dinner.  I was really impressed by this as she usually likes to come over and be in the kitchen with me, or getting in the cat food, or getting in the water for the cats, or playing in corner by the fireplace, or the bookshelf.  But she actually played where I could see her with her own toys.
At around 6:30pm Chris came home, and dinner was just going in the oven.  Chris took Helena to change while I cleaned up the kitchen.  Once dinner was ready we ate, Helena again refused to be fed.  So she fed herself some chicken and green beans.  After dinner we cleaned up and read some of the "Good Night Bible".  Chris started her bath, while Helena came with me to take off my make-up.  Chris gave Helena's bath while I did some work, and now Helena is asleep.
It was a great day.      

A Storm is Brewing

You know those big blizzards that come?  A few hours before it’s calm and clear, then the clouds move in and its gray and eerie and silent (almost too silent), the anticipation builds of snow and accumulation.  You anxiously await as you wonder how long you'll be buried inside?!  Then it hits.  Even though it was expected it is still a surprise.  Your almost taken aback by how much snow there is and the cabin fever you know will come. 

I feel like this is my life right now. 

Change is coming.  I’m scared and I’m anxious, and I pray all the time that everything will work out.  I, of course, know that it will.  Why?  Because it has to.  There is no other choice.  How it works out may not be how I want, but I know it will, indeed workout.  I know me and my family will be taken care of.

There are two different elements to this storm, when is a storm ever just one dimension?  One being with Helena and her daycare, the other with me and my job. 

I’m currently looking for a new daycare for Helena.  I struggle with this because when you give your child to someone else to look after, you have to trust them.  You have to have faith that they are caring for your child as they would their own.  I put a lot of weight on what a provider tells me, because that’s all I have to go off of.  She’s the one who is there when I am not there.  So I believe what I’m told and believe that she is being cared for. 

I would prefer an in-home situation like what she has now, but I think an actual daycare is the route to go.  Because it’s more dependable and just easier.  Or maybe that’s my assumption.  One thing I do know, it’s a lot more expensive.  I feel like I’m pay for my spot, not for my daughter to be taken care of.  I hate that.  Hate it.  Thankfully I have two weeks to figure it out, as I already have something set up for this week, and the following week my mother-in-law will be in town.  But I know those 2 weeks are going to go by wicked fast. 

The next element is my job.  I need direction.  I’m working hard at my Younique business (and it's growing!!!), but I’m also looking at growing in my corporate job.  There are so many balls in the air, and it is distracting.  I’m the type of person who needs something to focus on.  I need to know where to put my focus.  And right now there are so many directions I don’t know where to turn, let alone focus. 

Back in September 2013 I applied for a different job within CTL (CenturyLink).  Shortly after I applied I found out I was pregnant.  I went through the interview process, was hopeful I would get the job, and then I didn’t.  I was totally fine with it, as now I had something else to focus on….my growing baby.  Throughout my pregnancy and through the end of 2014 I didn’t focus on my career.  My priorities were elsewhere.  My priority was Helena and taking care of her.  She’s still a huge priority in my life and always will be, but now I have the energy to focus on something else.  The organization I work for has been going through a huge re-org since January.  Usually changes like this mean lay-offs, but not in this particular situation.  This change is requiring a lot of hiring and growing.  This change has presented me with two different opportunities.  Nothing is set, and I’m highly aware that just because these two opportunities are currently on my plate that neither one will work out.  I know that one outcome could bring back to exactly where I am.  But I can’t help but feel that a change is coming in my work life, too.  This one requires patience.  Which I am not good at.  The corporate world takes it sweet time with things like this.  At this point I would surprised if I know anything by the time Helena’s first birthday roles around in May. 

I find myself more and more in anticipation of the future, because I know the future will be here super quick.  But I need to take time for the now, because that’s what is happening.  Not much of a guarantee in life, except for that.  The now. 

Last week at church Pastor Ken talked about change.  As we are in this Lenten season with Easter approaching and even the change of seasons.  From winter to spring.  How you have to find beauty in the mess.  And it's the time when life gets hard is when you are truly living.  I definitely think parts of my life right now are a mess, and hearing the positive spin that this "mess" is beautiful made me reflect that the problems I have aren't bad problems to have.  Things could be much worse and I'm so blessed that they aren't. 

10 months

Where has the time gone!?
It's amazing how everyone says they grow up SO fast.  And you know to believe and it expect it, but living it is so different.  Because it is so true.  I find myself asking how to enjoy each moment, each time, each month. How to document and remember it all, because before I know it it'll be over.  I'm trying not to anticipate the next mile-stone because I want to remember today.

As I ramble, Helena is 10 months old!  We of course did stuff over the last month, and I of course have been meaning to blog but time as just gotten away. 
We are continuing with another month's of swimming lessons.  She's definitely eating more.  Although it seems that milk is what fills her.  She really enjoys fish and chicken. 
She hates the blow dryer.  She instantly freaks out.
She loves the corners of the house she is not suppose to get into.  Particularly the corner by the fireplace and the corner between the desk and bookshelf. 
She love to chase the cats.  Denali knows to move, Otis however has gotten his tail grabbed a couple of times.
She's ticklish.  Most recently on the bottom of her feet, but tickle her stomach and you are guaranteed a laugh and giggle. 
She's in size 3 diapers, still sleeps all night and is such a joy!

Nine Months

Helena turned 9 months on Tuesday!  We have a beautiful, healthy, growing baby girl!

Weight: 16 lbs, 12oz (24%)
Height: 27.5 in (42%)
Head circumference: 43.6 cm (41%)

We've had a super eventful month.  She can easily crawl herself up to standing up against anything, and can do "squats" up and down, along with cruising along the furniture.  She "dances" to music by swaying back and forth or moving her head.  She claps!  She waves, and tries to mimic what we say.  She's good at dada and mama.  And "ba"...we think she could be saying "bye" "ball" or "bath".  She LOVES her bath.  Once she hears the water running she crawls like mad to the bathroom.  She's broken in a second bottom tooth, so she is no longer the one tooth wonder. 
Her separation anxiety is no longer an issue at her daycare!  Thank God!  She's comfortable there, and I can drop her off without getting upset!  Unfortunately I can't say the same for the daycare at the gym. 
She's eating more!  And her cost is definitely going up.  Now that I'm no longer breastfeeding, holy moly that formula is expensive!  Along with the baby food!  She can feed herself finger foods, and tries to put everything in her mouth at once.  She's super talkative when she eats.  Who knows what she is saying but she is loud!  She's still a great sleeper, in 9month clothing, and still size 2 diapers.  However once these size 2 diapers are done, we'll go to size 3.  I've started stock piling diapers, we had a good stash of both diapers and wipes, but for the first time since she's been born I had to buy wipes!
She laughs.  She now laughs spontaneously, where previously she only laughed if something was super funny.  She knows "no" but doesn't listen.  So we are re-directing her a lot.
We can still pretty much take her anywhere.  She sits and lets others entertain her when we are out.  She loves observing everything that's around her.
I can't wait to see what month 10 will bring!  

Swimming

Helena had her first swimming lesson on Friday!  I've been looking forward to this for sometime now, and I'm super excited to have her get used to the water.
I myself grew up doing swim lessons each summer, I love the water, and I don't have any fear of the water.  And I want the same for Helena.  She loves her nightly bath, and I was hoping the pool would be no different.
She definitely had a freak out moment when she first got in the water, and was pretty stiff the whole time according to Chris, but I think after a few more times she'll get used to it and grow to really love it.
We have four lessons total, and I'll be going in with her on Saturday!  I'm really looking forward to it!
Here's to my future swim baby!