Wonderful Weekend

Pin It Now! The last few weekends Eric has either been on call or we have had family visiting.  Weekends where Eric is on call we are really limited on what we can do.  He's not a doctor but works on computers in a hospital, so he has to be ready to go in if needed or at least have a computer with him so he can log into the network and try to fix things remotely.  If we want to go anywhere we have to to take 2 cars, pack up his computer and all his equipment, and run the risk of him having to leave.  We usually end up just having a nice quiet weekend at home, which is nice but I also love getting out and about and doing things as a family.  I also love having family visit.  It's great having loved ones near but it also takes a lot of work and energy to be the hostess.

Well, this weekend Eric was not on call and we didn't have any house guests.  It was great!  We were able to do whatever we wanted!  Saturday we decided to head to the park between naps.  The weather was gorgeous and we want to take advantage of it all we can before it turns cold.  Avery loves the sandbox and going down the slide in our laps.  Since she's still not walking she's a little limited in what she can do but still has fun.  We also took a stroll around the pond in the park and looked at the fish and geese.

At the park, Avery discovered she loves pinecones (you can see her holding one in the bottom picture).  She was great with it too!  I figured she would try to put it in her mouth but nope she just wanted to look at it and feel it.  So cute!

That night, Eric's parents watched Avery and we were able to have a date night!  YAY!!  It had been way to long since we were able to spend some time by ourselves.  We went to one of our favorite restaurants and had an incredible, leisurely meal.  It was so nice!

Sunday we were suppose to have Avery's one year pictures taken.  However, there was a miscommunication with the photographer and we weren't able to do it.  The worst part was that we got up early that morning, got all of us cleaned up, fed, and dressed only to wait around for 30 minutes and not have her show.  She apologized profusely but it's not easy to get all of that done before 7 in the morning.  Now we are going to have to do it again next weekend.  Ugh!

Sunday was another perfect day weather wise so we played out in the yard for a while, took a walk with some neighbor friends and their kids, and then grilled that evening.  Nothing too exciting but it was nice to just relax and not worry about Eric getting called into work.

I hope you all had a great weekend, too!

A Lot of Randomness

Pin It Now! Things are crazy here and I have all kinds of thoughts running through my head so I figured a totally random post was in order. However, I will divide it up into categories for you!


The Party
Doing well on that front.  Finished the cupcake stand and photo banner (even though I ran out of ribbon and had to go get more).  I didn't finish my other project with the polka dots and haven't decided if I'm going to or not.  Yesterday I deep cleaned the whole basement (playroom/family room, guest room, and bathroom) and today I plan on tackling the master bed and bath.  


Tomorrow I'm going to do a test run of the cupcakes for two reasons.  First, I want to see how the rainbow color thing works out.  Second, so many of my friends have had mixed reactions  from their kids the first time they are given cake (some are totally scared, others don't know what to do, etc) that I want to have Avery try it first without all the pressure of tons of people watching her!  Wednesday night is the evening my parents come over for dinner each week so I thought that would be the perfect time to give it a shot.  Hopefully then at her party she will know right what to do and we'll get some great photos...or not, who knows!


One thing that I forgot to mention in my last post was that I do have a great birthday outfit for Avery.  I wanted something custom made so I looked around Etsy but couldn't find exactly what I wanted.  So I got on fabric.com and found the perfect fabric. It has polka dots in the exact colors of the decorations.  So then I got back on Etsy and did an alchemy.  Never did one of those before but you submit a request for anyone that would be willing to make you a custom item and you explain what you want.  I had a bunch of people respond, picked one out, and she made us the most darling outfit.  It is perfect and didn't cost as much as I thought it would.  So excited about it!


Sleep
Since Eric got back from SF, Avery's sleep has been great (knock on wood).  Three nights she has slept until 6:30 or 6:45, I give her a quick 10-15 minute feeding and then put her back in her crib until 7:15/7:20.  She usually doesn't fall back asleep but plays quietly.  Well, this morning she slept until 7:10, which is almost her wake up time anyway.  I was so excited!  Now, if only I could sleep through the night!  Haha!  I find myself starting to wake up at about 4:30 or so (which is when she usually wakes up for a feeding) and then sleep restlessly, waking every 30 minutes or so, until it's time to get up.  This morning I couldn't fall back asleep after 6:30 and finally gave up at 7:00.  Oh well, that too will come!


However, as much sleep as she got last night, she was one grumpy girl this morning, which is not like her at all.  She was whiny, cried a lot, and very clingy.  Not sure what was going on there, as I sit here while she's at nap, I'm wondering if she might be teething.  She almost 1 and still doesn't have a single tooth so it could very well be that.  When she gets up I'll see how she is doing and might give her a teething tablet if she's still cranky.  


A Great Loss
Yesterday morning Eric's former boss and the father of his best friend past away (we'll call him J for this post).  He'd been living on machines for the the past month after having multiple strokes.  He was an incredible man and will be greatly missed.  


Eric and I owe so much to him!  Eric got his degree in finance but has always had a passion for computers.  J knew this and when he started looking for an IT person for his company, he hired Eric even though he had no experience.  It was a small company and Eric was the only IT person there so he got to have complete control over everything.  J let him do a lot and he experimented with some very cutting edge concepts.  Due to all the experience J gave him, Eric was offered another job that paid twice what he was making and as hard as it was to leave, Eric knew it was what was best for our family.  J completely supported Eric and was so happy for him. They even gave him a PS3 for a going away present.  If it hadn't of been for J, Eric never would have gotten his job and I never would have been able to stay home with Avery.  Like I said, we owe him so much!  He was such a wonderful man!




I have many more things running through my head but I won't bore you anymore and plus I think I hear Avery starting to wake from her nap.  Off to make lunch and then run some errands.  Hope you have a great week!

What a Week

Pin It Now! Avery and I have had a great week (for the most part) while Eric has been gone, though we have missed him a ton.  We've actually stayed pretty busy which has helped it to go by quickly.  Monday we ran the errands for the week, grocery store and Target.  Tuesday we went shopping for some new clothes for Avery, she's about to start wearing 12 to 18 month clothing and didn't have too many.  From all the baby showers we were pretty well taken care of until this point so I got her quiet a few things.  We went to Children's Orchard, which I love.  In case you don't know what it is, it's a used clothing store for kids (they also have some toys).  I got her 3 outfits, 2 jeans, and 4 shirts all for about $50, way less then I would have paid in a regular store and I got great brands in wonderful condition.  Love a good deal! Wednesday we went to a friends house for lunch and Thursday we had a play date with our playgroup.  However, I am not looking forward to today's errand, heading to the DMV to get our new car licensed and the tax paid!  UGH!!  I waited until after the end of the month for this one so hopefully it won't be too bad.


I said we had a great week for the most part because the nights haven't been going as well as they usually do.  Avery goes to bed at about 7:45 and usually only gets up once a night for a quick feeding around 4 or 5 in the morning and then goes back to sleep until 7:15 or so.  Not sure what is going on this week (Eric gone, approaching a new milestone, sleep regression, etc.) but it has not been going that smoothly.  She goes down great but 3 of the 5 nights she has gotten up at 1 am and has not wanted to get back to sleep.  Sunday she stayed up for 1 hr and 50 min, Tuesday she was up for 1 hrs, and Wednesday she was up for 1 hr and 10 min.  UGH!!!  Eric being gone has made it especially hard since I have to do it all by myself.  Needless to say I've been a little tired this week!  Luckily it hasn't effected naps or her mood at all, which has been nice.  I really hope that once Eric gets back today things will go back to normal.  We'll have to wait and see how it goes tonight!

Weekend Update

Pin It Now! What a great weekend it's been!  Saturday, Eric let me sleep in while he played with Avery.  When I finally got up (8:30) he already had her fed and dressed for the day, yay!  After nap 1, we went and ran a couple of errands together and stopped by the pet store to look at the animals.  Avery LOVES the birds!  She gets a huge smile on her face anytime they fly around the cage.  So cute!  That evening, I went to a moms' night out while Eric took care of dinner, evening playtime, bath, and bed.  I had such a great time with 6 great friends from our playgroup!  We had delicious food (I had some yummy seafood fritters, fish tacos, and brought home a dessert of chocolate peanut butter pie) and wonderful conversation!  I love it when you meet women through your child but end up finding really good friends!  We try to get together about once a month without the kids for an evening out.  It's a nice break and always a great time!  

Today, Eric once again let me sleep in (8:45 this morning).  It was his turn to sleep in but he had to leave for a week in San Francisco (he has a conference for work) at about 10 this morning so he wanted to spend some extra time with Avery before he left.  After I put Avery down, we packed up his car and he headed off.  I'm going to miss him so much this week but I know he is really excited about going so that makes it a little easier.  He doesn't have to travel too often, only about once every 3 months or so.  The best part is that my parents are here in town so they always come over and help me out in the evenings.  They fix me dinner and help with bath and bedtime, plus it's nice to have some adult conversation!  After Eric left and Avery was up and fed, we ran some errands, a trip to Target and the library.  After nap 2, Avery and I headed to a friend's house for a barbecue.  It was so nice to catch up and her husband is the best cook so the food was delicious!  Now, Avery is in bed and I am finally able to relax and enjoy a quiet house!  

A Good Plan

Pin It Now! Eric and I have decided that there is no point in both of us having to get up early on the weekend.  So yesterday morning, I got up with Avery at 7:30 and let him sleep in and then this morning he got up with her and I slept in.  It was WONDERFUL!!  I slept until 8:30, which a year ago would have been early for a Saturday but today was heaven!  Avery only gets up once a night for a quick feeding (at about 4 or so) but man was it nice to stay snuggled up in bed and get an extra hour of sleep.  We are definitely going to be doing that again!

Hello Blog World!

Pin It Now!

So, I guess I should tell you a little about me.  My name is Liz.  In July 2003 I married my high school sweetheart (we've actually known each other since kindergarten when we played soccer together).  He is the most amazing man in the world, he is my best friend and the love of my life.  In September 2009, we welcomed our daughter, Avery, into our family.  She is a character to say the least; she is cute as can be, stubborn just like her mommy, a bit of a drama queen, a total mommy's girl, and so stinkin' funny!  She keeps me entertained and on my toes, that's for sure.  Before becoming a stay-at-home-mom, I was a 2nd grade teacher, which I loved!  I miss the classroom sometimes (and other times not at all) but I wouldn't trade getting to spend my days with Avery for anything in the world!  

I'm a bit of a perfectionist, stubborn like I mentioned, opinionated, wear my heart on my sleeve, get upset and mad a little to easily, totally loyal to friends and family, a worrier, and working my tail off to be the best mom I can be.  I love rainstorms, coffee (even though I've only had decaf for more than a year and a half), cookies, chocolate, traveling, reading, taking family walks, shopping (but not for me so much), cooking, to do lists, photography, and, of course, spending time with my incredible family.  

I'm not sure how this whole blog thing will go, I'll probably be the only person who ever reads it.  But that's okay, I'm just hoping to use it as my journal, a place for me to celebrate and vent my adventures as a new mom.  So now I'll end the post with a couple of pictures of Avery!

First day home from the hospital

3 months old

6 months old, playing in the yard

9 months old, doing her famous "scrunchy" face

Almost 11 months old, watching the dogs play in the backyard




***By the way, all of the names are fake names.  Eric asked me to do this, he's a little paranoid about safety.  Avery was my second favorite name to the name we actually picked for her.  Eric and I both picked out our fake names, nothing significant about either of them.  Just wanted to let you know.***