I'm not saying, I'm just saying

Where Have I Been?

2010-01-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

Wait, really, where have I been?

Unfortunately, right here. In Minnesota. Sigh. I'm sorry to those who live in Minnesota. But this is just not working for me.

My husband was wondering why I hadn't blogged in awhile. My response? "No one wants to know how depressed and lonely I am".

I'm trying, really and truly I am. I joined the class. Early Childhood and Family Education. Eh. And I go to the gym like 4 or 5 days a week because I figure if I don't meet anyone, at least I'm burning off the aggression.

Oh man, we need to talk about the gym. I'm not a "naked" person. I go to the gym in my running clothes (with a whole fucking suit over it because it is -27 degrees). I leave, wearing the same clothes. The people who go to my gym seem to be "naked" people. I walk into the gym and I spy taint. There is always someone bending over to apply lotion or put on their drawers or something, and it's gross. There is one woman who walks to the toilet, NAKED but with a towel around her NECK. I mean, really.

Where am I going with this? I don't know. I'm lonely, bored, and angry. I'm fully clothed (if you were curious). And I'm going back to Chicago in a week. Hallelujah.

Schooled

2009-08-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

I signed Ava and I up for the ECFE classes yesterday. It turns out they did have a class for her age range but it seems like she's going to be one of the older babies in the class.

To pick the appropriate class, you use your child's age as of Sept. 1. Ava will still be 11 months old so she's in the "Up and At 'Em" class for babies 7-11 months old. I wanted her in the class for 12 months-17 months. We're going to be out of town for the first class anyway so I figured she'll be 1 when we start "school" so she should go to the older class. I spoke to the coordinator yesterday and apparently, that is not the case.

The coordinator explained to me that they are firm on the Sept. 1 age, since these are the kids Ava will be going to school with. You know, like in 4 years! The coordinator said that I could choose to put Ava in the older class, as long as there was an open spot once the year starts.

I did not realize that, as the mother of a not even one year old, that I would be making decisions regarding her education that would, on some level, effect her schooling for the next 18 years. These classes are no joke, apparently. For one thing, they last the entire school year! The class we signed up for runs through the end of May.

I was torn, honestly. The class for the older babies has a much better schedule. Right now, nap time is from about 8:30 until 10:30 (on a good day). Guess what time our class starts? 9 am. So I'm willingly disrupting her naps once a week. Of course, Ava's schedule will change soon and she may have dropped that morning nap by then (I hope not). And I've heard that you make a lot of friends through these classes and lord knows we could both use some playmates right now.

So in the end, we're doing the classes. I'm still apprehensive about them but I suppose we could always drop out of school if they don't work for us. Maybe there's like a GED program for pre-pre school.

What To Do?

2009-08-24T05:13:00.000-07:00

Everyday I'm faced with the daunting task of figuring out what we will do today. I need to get out of the house at least once a day or else the day is sooo looong and boooring and drags oonnnn foreverrrr.

I have no idea what to do today. I would go for a walk but, um, I pulled a butt muscle playing Wii Sports Resort bowling.

It's supposed to be hot (-ish) today so maybe we'll try the pool later.

This is one of the things I miss most about Chicago. There was so much to do. We went to the park a lot. I had friends to meet up with. When we didn't have plans, we just went for walks to look in shops or just look at houses around us.

I don't have any of that here. I just looked into the city sponsored early childhood education classes for next month (which are supposed to be great) that meet once a week and of course, Ava is too old for the baby classes but too young for the toddler classes. Looks like we won't be doing that this year.

I never thought I would ever say this, but... I am so bored, I want to join a gym. At least then we'd have somewhere to go.

The Chair Fiasco

2009-08-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

When we were looking at apartments and floor plans and picturing our furniture fitting in said apartments and floor plans, we decided we needed more furniture. Our living room in Chicago was pretty small and there was only room for a couch and a small chair. When we moved we decided that the small chair from the old living room would move to our bedroom and we would get a new living room chair. Actually, we had decided on a pair of chairs but when we actually got here, we realized the floor plan looked bigger than the living room actually was and so only one chair would fit. Since we were only getting one chair, we had enough Target gift cards (yup, I buy furniture at Target) to get the chair IMMEDIATELY and we wouldn't have to wait!

Ha. Ha ha ha ha ha.

Someone...uh, me... was so excited about ordering the damn chair. I typed in the gift card numbers and accesses numbers so carefully and pressed the "submit order" button and was so psyched about my new chair.

Until the next day, when the order shipped email came and I notice that I sent it to the wrong address. Like, the apartment that I just vacated...in Chicago...when I now live in Minnesota. Ugh. The instant I realized my mistake, I called Target. I acknowledged that it was fully my fault and that I was an idiot and sent the chair to my old address. See, I'm an expert online shopper. I have shopped on Amazon/Target so many times that my info is stored. And while I was so careful to enter the gift card numbers carefully, I totally forgot that my shipping information, rather, my old shipping info, was stored.

By the way people, before I was a stay at home mom, I worked for a freight broker. You know, in SHIPPING. I think my former company should be glad I no longer work for them.

Anyway, the Target person told me to contact UPS and do a delivery intercept. I've seen the UPS commercials and remember this being the subject of one of their commercials. "Sweet", I thought, "This should be easy".

Ha ha, think again. I called UPS and was told they couldn't do anything for me until a tracking number was available. "Fine", I said, "I'll call you tomorrow".

I called the next day and was told that nothing could be done until a delivery attempt had been made and if the website shows delivered, then I would need to called the delivery terminal and they would send someone out to pick it back up.

The next day, the website showed a delivery attempt had been made and that the receiver no longer lived at that address. Um, duh, I've been telling you that for days. I called UPS AGAIN and was told the receiver can no longer do delivery intercepts, only the shipper can. And then I lost my shit.

Long story short, the chair ended up being sent back to Target! They sent me 2 gift cards for the exact amount for the chair. I received the second one today and ordered the chair again, except this time I ordered a different fabric.

The first time I ordered:

This time I ordered:

What do you think? Our living is tan and our furniture is very tan. When I showed my husband the two, his reaction to the first one was, "That was the chair we ordered?".

Chair #2 is on it's way. I guess it worked out for the better, since I think I like the 2nd chair better anyhow.

**Sorry for the big ol' chunk of text. Blogger doesn't like my paragraphs**

Neighbors

2009-08-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

We've been here a few weeks and I've gotten a decent look at a few of my neighbors. Everyone seems to keep to themselves here but I've spied a glimpse of my closest neighbors. And what a bunch they are.

The way this apartment "community" (I don't like saying complex, as I feel it doesn't accurately describe this place) is divided is into groupings of 3 town homes per building. We're on one end, which means in addition to our tiny, tiny, tiny back yard, we also have a decent side yard.

To our immediate right is a family. I haven't seem them too much but I know there is a budding guitarist in the family, a toddler (maybe also the guitarist?) and someone who showers at night. Hey, we share a wall and I go to bed early. I hear things.

On the other side of them is a family we call "The Pack Rats". Every weekend since we have been here, they have had their garage door open. It is packed with crap. Boxes and boxes stacked to the ceiling and old sleds and wire shelves and...just crap. At first we hoped they were moving but it seems like they were just moving stuff around. They've moved some stuff, like the sled and wire shelves, out to their side yard, where it has stayed for over a week. We do know that they drive an older Jeep Grand Cherokee. I know this because it is always parked in their driveway as there is no room for it in their garage. (On a side note, after seeing their garage, we vowed to keep our crap to a minimum so that we would always be able to park both cars indoors, in the garage, the way God and nature intended).

Across our side yard is a couple we now refer to as WT Haircut. WT is our code for "white trash". The hair cut is, well, because one night I looked outside and the couple was sitting out on their patio and the woman was giving the man a haircut. Outside. They may be the classiest, nicest couple in the world but they will always be WT Haircut to me.

Hornets Nest

2009-08-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

I've been laughing all day about this which of course means, it's only funny to me.

The back story:

Yesterday I discovered a HUGE hornet's (or wasps or yellow jackets) nest. This thing is easily the size of a football. A picture would really do this story justice but it's dark and I'm scared of being stung. So anyway, I was outside with Ava and the dog yesterday, just killing time until Fredo got home, when I happened to look up and discover the reason we've had so many stingy things flying around our patio. I immediately went inside and called the management company to tell them we had a stingy thing nest on the side of our house. They said they would come out today to look at it.

This morning I got Ava up from her nap and was heading downstairs to give her lunch when I noticed 2 guys in the yard looking up into a tree. I went outside and asked if they were there to take care of the nest. I pointed them in the right direction and said I was going back in the house. As I was closing the door I hear, "Holy...".

Um... granted I didn't say "huge nest" when I called but... they showed up with a can of hornet spray each.

As I was getting Ava's lunch together and chuckling to myself at the thought of these two guys trying to take down that massive nest with 2 cans of spray, the doorbell rings. It was the maintenance guys to tell me that rather than spray the stuff and run (his words), pest control would be in this afternoon or tomorrow.

Classic.

First Week Done

2009-08-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

So my internet has been out for the past few day. I know there once was a time when we were like "Inter-what?" but man, I've been like a junkie jonesing for a fix. I have an Iphone so I've been using that, but I missed me some internet.

Of course, since I was sans internet, I had an eloquent, thought provoking post all worked out in my head, just itching to put out there for all to read. Ha, just kidding. When have I ever posted anything eloquent or thought provoking here?

What I have been wanting to say is that I'm not having the smoothest of transitions to this new life of mine. It's been a HUGE adjustment not having my husband home everyday, for one. How I miss the day not too long ago that I could run out and get a pedicure, on a weekday, because my husband was home. I've been a very spoiled mommy. Now, it's all Ava, all the time. Which is great but would be better if I knew what to do with her all day. At home (yes, I'm still referring to Chicago as home), I could throw Ava in the stroller and take a walk. I didn't need a destination, I could just go walking. Here, the lack of sidewalks around our place makes that a bit difficult.

I'm also not used to driving everywhere. Now, unless I want to go somewhere within the apartment community, I'm getting in the car to do so. I know suburban life is different than city life but man, I miss living in the city.

I've been trying to make the best of it, I really have. It seems like everyday I wake up with the intentions of enjoying our new community and everyday something pisses me and I end up on the verge of tears, cursing the fact that we had to move here.

I'm not pretending I was super happy about moving to Chicago when I moved there either. It took time for me to love that city (well, I didn't dislike the city so much when I first moved there as I did the people I first met there, but that is another story for another day). I know it'll take some more time for us to get acclimated here and for me to meet some people. Right now I just have to be patient and give it time (and other stupide cliches like that, blah blah blah).

But that understanding and rational thinking hasn't stopped me from counting down the days until I'm in Chicago next. Eight more days!

Just a Quick Hi

2009-07-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

We've made it to Minnesota. We actually drove up Saturday but just got our Internet (and TV) hooked up today.

So far, we've gone to Target once, Home Depot thrice, ditto the swings. We've painted 5 rooms, with 3 to go.

Tonight we'll probably take a trip to the Container Store followed by dinner at Five Guys.

Our furniture is getting delivered tomorrow, so the unpacking will commence soon.

A more detailed post will follow but I wanted to let you know I made it.

Busy, Busy

2009-07-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

I've been on hiatus. And I'm back...sort of.

There is just so much to do that I haven't found the time or energy to blog. We've been packing like crazy (the movers come Thursday, yikes!) and went on vacation for a week. Sometime during all of this craziness Ava decided that, like, the funnest thing EVER is just to screech at the top of her lungs for no reason. Guess who is driving the car with the car seat in it for 6 hours to Minnesota on Saturday starting at 5 am. So yeah, totally looking forward to that.

Here's my run down for the next few days. Packing, visiting my grandma, visiting with friends and having one last playdate (well two more actually, the last one is on Friday and includes mimosas and bloodies...love my friends). We'll be staying with my mom on Thursday and Friday and trying to meet up with some friends we missed last weekend. And we're getting up at 4 am to drive to Minnesota on Saturday.

Which means, no Blogher festivities for me. I'm not going to the actual conference but was planning on trying to make it to the parties (that is so like me) but no dice. Maybe next year.

This Just In... Moving SUCKS!

2009-07-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy the past couple of weeks packing, packing and more packing. I've been trying to see friends that I probably won't see before we leave and just getting ready to get out of Dodge.

We go on vacation for a full week on Saturday which seemed like a great idea at the time until we decided to move an entire year earlier than planned. Now Ava and I get back from vacation and move less than a week later.

So, yeah, I've been a little stressed out.

To make matters worse, they (and I'm not really sure who "they" are, the management company? An outside agency?) started showing our apartment this week which is all well and good, except that they didn't have our phone number written down correctly so when they called to tell us they were coming by, they were leaving messages for someone who was not us. Imagine our surprise when we decided to go for a walk one day and came home to random people leaving our apartment. And then I walked into our bedroom and saw no less than 3 of my bras out in the open, including one that had been hanging from the door knob to dry. That same day, our doorbell rang as I was fixing Ava's dinner (I hid my undergarments before we answered the door) and we had to delay bedtime by 15 minutes so that another group could come tour the place. I think it's rented already though because people have come by to look at the apartment downstairs and not this one.

So there's a very brief update as to whats been going on. I'm off to pack more....

Vote

2009-07-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I enter Ava in those "Beautiful Babies" contests. Today is one of those times.

Please vote early and often, in true Chicago style, for my daughter!

**Update: Yeah, the link they gave me was garbage. Thanks for trying though!**

Teething and Other Adorable-ness

2009-06-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

We're currently in the thick of teething. I've been saying this for, oh, only about the past 4 months but now we really are. It finally seems as though Ava's bottom teeth are on the verge of breaking through. Of course, since I'm actually putting this out there, it will take another few months before they actually make an appearance. My poor peanut, she seems very uncomfortable.

We've experienced some sleep problems as a result. At least we think it's because of the teething. Ava is also getting so much more mobile and seems to really enjoy sitting or standing in her crib and screaming her head off instead of going right to sleep like she used to. We've gone back to our sleep training and the "controlled" crying it out. Now we go in to check on her and lay her down in her crib until she falls asleep. Sometimes it works well and other times we have to listen to her scream for the better part of an hour.

But, I guess to make up for the screaming, Ava has been even cuter, if that's possible. She learned to clap the other day. If I sing any song (and I sing her many made-up, silly songs), she grins and claps. She's also waving at people. She's pulling herself up on the furniture and cruising about. Nothing is safe anymore which is making packing really, really fun.

My favorite recent Ava development, though, occurs when one of us pulls out our wallets. Whenever Fredo or I open our wallets now, Ava shrieks. A shriek of pure joy, no doubt. She is so my girl!

Musings

2009-06-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

We got the apartment. The movers are coming 7/23 and will be delivering furniture 7/27. We're going to MN (Minnetonka, to be exact) 7/25 to paint and sleep on air mattresses for 2 nights. And to see the White Sox-Twins (except I guess it would be the Twins-White Sox) game from a suite on 7/27.
I should be packing. I have boxes but have not packed anything. I should probably get on that.
I bought new shoes this week. I was (silently) freaking out that Fredo would yell at me for buying new shoes. I was planning on telling him I bought them for the box. You know, because we need boxes. He never said anything about them....and neither did I.
I have a friend's bachelorette party to go to this weekend. There's the lingerie shower part, dinner (at 9 PM!) and then a club. This is also the week that Ava decided to begin waking up at 1 or 2 am and then crying anytime you try to put her down. So Saturday night should be fun.
Lingerie is expensive! I was considering getting my friend some cotton Hanes undies from Target and telling her that the sexy stuff was for day 1 of her marriage and the cotton unsexy stuff was for the rest. Fredo did not find that as funny as I did.
Ava is 9 months old today!
I find it incredibly hard to find a belt. I never wear belts but I think a camel color thin leather belt would look good with my dress for Saturday night. So of course, I can't find a belt anywhere!

Alright, so, random enough for ya?!

Have a great weekend!

You Say it's Your Birthday...

2009-06-17T17:29:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday. I'm usually pretty disappointed by birthdays so I don't put too much emphasis on them anymore. I wanted a Kindle this year but then life and moving and buying food and diapers got in the way. I had a nice day though. We went for a nice walk to grab some lunch and then went out to dinner. I also got some cool Chicago art to decorate the new apartment from Fredo.

On the way home from dinner with Fredo and Ava, we walked past the eL stop where there was a guy handing out flyers for a bar in the neighborhood. The two guys (it seemed like a younger guy and his dad) walking in front of us got them. Then we pass the guy....and he just looks the other way. I mean, I know we were with our kid but maybe we would have wanted to go to this bar on Wednesday.

Way to make a girl feel old and boring on her birthday, random flyer passer outer.

How Was Your Weekend?

2009-06-15T08:17:00.001-07:00

Mine was a blur. Up at 4 (well, 3:49 am...that sucked) on Friday to drive to Minnesota. Looked at 4 apartments Friday (was supposed to be 5 but luckily one called us to cancel) and another 4 on Saturday. We now know that Ava is, luckily, an awesome road trip baby. Here's how it went:

Apartment #1: Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous condo quality 2 bedroom. It had a fantastic new kitchen...and a view of a switching station so the apartment was next to gigantic power lines. On the plus side, there was a bar & grill in the building.

Apartment #2: Nice 3 bedroom town home. Two car garage, lots of space with an outdoor pool on the premises. The fixtures were a little dated but the size made up for that. This was Fredo's favorite by the end of the day on Friday.

Apartment #3: Three bedroom apartment with a nice updated kitchen. The rest of the apartment was OK but it was on the first floor, didn't really feel all that safe and overlooked a car wash and the dumpsters for the Big Lots! and Target that were right next door. It was a Super Target though. I liked the apartment but the area was just a little too sketchy for me.

Apartment #4: Gross. Just gross. But at this point we were glad that places were taking themselves out of the running.

Fredo's boss and his wife were nice enough to watch Ava while we were apartment hunting on Saturday, which was awesome since we were in and out of the car all day.

Apartment #5: Three bedroom townhouse with a great patio. This place had newer fixtures, granite counter tops (but old, old cabinets which was weird) and large rooms. It was definitely dated but was also inexpensive. There were no amenities here but it's still our second choice.

Apartment #6: Our first choice. It's a 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath town home with a den and a 2 car garage. The complex has sweet amenities-- an indoor and outdoor pool, 2 fitness centers, dog park, playground and a path to the beach. Again, it's a little dated but the amenities are what sold us. We put it our application today.

Apartment #7: I had high hopes for this one since the pictures online were great. I was totally disappointed. The master bedroom was huge but that was about the only thing it had going for it. And it was expensive. When we got back to the office, the leasing agent asked if she knocked the rent down from $1605 to $1599, would she be in the running? Um, $6? Really? NEXT.

Apartment #8: Well, we were supposed to see apartment 8. We accidentally drove to apartment #9, realized we had another to go to, turned around and went to 8 to be told that the person I spoke with to make the appointment didn't ask if we had a dog and they didn't have anything in the pet friendly building. This was a giant waste of time but at least I got to see Minnetonka a little bit more. So, if I need to find the Maserati dealership at some point, I now know about where it is. Funny thing, they ended up calling us on Sunday with an apartment for us to look at. Yeah, no thanks.

Apartment #9: Awesome amenities but the apartment was kind of a dump. It was old with small rooms and the bedrooms were all in the basement. It was inexpensive but it didn't make the list.

So that's the wrap up of my whirlwind apartment hunt.

Did you have a nice weekend?

Hi Y'all

2009-06-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

We're back from Texas. The trip was full of highs and lows.

Highs:

Ava got to see her grandparents and meet her aunts, uncle and cousins.

She did great on the plane! She slept a good portion of both flights. We got Ava her own seat and had her in her car seat, which I totally recommend. We, however, totally eff'ed up on the way there (see Lows).

Swimming! We took Ava swimming for the first time and after a little bit of crying, she loved it.

Lows:

We did not give ourselves enough time to get to the airport for our flight out. We made it, but got to the gate with only about 10 minutes to spare.
I thought I was so smart buying a $20 BRU umbrella stroller just for flying. We put Ava in it in long term parking, made it through check-in and up to security. This is where the wheels came off...literally. As I was folding the stroller to put it through the x-ray machine, a wheel fell off, rolled away and we couldn't find it. I ended up throwing the stroller out as soon as we made it through security.

So now we're off to Minnesota tomorrow to find an apartment. We'll be looking at 10 places over the course of Friday afternoon and Saturday and most likely choosing a place Saturday night and signing a lease on Sunday, all with Ava in tow. Should be...interesting. But this weekend should give some blog material.

I Always Knew I Had a Big Heart...

2009-06-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor this morning. My EKG results came back and my heart rate was a little slow. She thinks I could have an enlarged heart and that it's kind of weird for a healthy 26 year old. She sent me for an electro cardiogram (basically an ultrasound of my heart) since the EKG just monitored the heartbeats and not the dimensions of my heart...or something like that.

I go back 6/19 for the results. I'm sure if there's anything truly serious she will call me before then.

I'm not freaking out about this. Not, at least, until I know more. I'm just going to enjoy my trip to Texas and Minnesota and worry about it on the 19th.

So that's the news.

Oh and I'm definitely not pregnant (they checked).

Overprepared

2009-06-03T13:10:00.001-07:00

On Friday we leave for our first trip with Ava. We'll be flying to TX to visit my in laws and attend a high school graduation. Not only is it Ava's first trip but it will be our first time flying with an infant. I've been freaking about it for, oh only about the past 6 months or so.

In preparation I've been shopping up a storm. I got the inflatable duck bathtub, pack and play sheets, a mini food mill, a cheap umbrella stroller and a bunch of other things that I'm convinced will make our travels easier. In my defense we do have a few trips planned this summer so this isn't all for TX. In fact, we get home from TX on Wednesday and then drive to Minneapolis (yea apartment hunting) on Friday.

Last week I created a word document entitled "Ava's Master Packing List", containing all of the things I think we would need for any trip.

Today I packed up most of Ava's things.

Did I mention we leave on Friday?

So, yeah, anxious much?

What the Hell Does That Mean?

2009-05-31T17:48:00.001-07:00

So I fainted this weekend. For those of you who are Facebook friends or who follow me on Twitter, I've upgraded it from "almost fainted" to "fainted" after trying to describe it to my husband and realizing I can't account for several minutes and am not really sure what happened. Here's what I do know.

I didn't eat much on Saturday but I DID eat. I've gotten faint before from not eating but I wasn't hungry at all right before this happened. In fact, I had a spoonful of peanut butter about an hour before the incident that would raise anyones blood sugar. And I was drinking water so I don't think I was dehydrated. I didn't drink the night before either (I've become light headed the day after drinking).

We were waiting in line at an extremely popular hot dog restaurant and had been in line for about 45 min. It was very sunny but not particularly hot outside. All of a sudden, I felt a little, shall we say, intestinal distress. A few minutes later I felt nauseous, hot, sweaty and dizzy. I decided to make my way inside to the bathroom. I was pushing my way through the line, excusing myself, my vision getting blurry, when I...I don't know. I couldn't see anything, although I'm sure my eyes were open. I think I sat down or leaned on something. Some guys helped me. I don't know their names but they were so nice. They got me to their table, brought me water, found my husband, even offered me some of their fries. It was a terrifying experience made worse by the fact that I have no idea what happened, what caused this or what I should do. I'm debating whether or not I should see a doctor.

I think one of the worst parts is that I didn't even get my hot dog. And they have good hot dogs.

Ava Update

2009-05-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

It seems we've had a flurry of motor skill development over the last month or so.

Ava has been crawling.

And feeding herself (just starting finger food, I don't trust her with a spoon yet).

And pulling herself up.

She knows where her toys are.

And sometimes, she naps.

Who Brought the Cool Kid?

2009-05-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

I admit it. I am socially awkward. I never know the right thing to say and usually end up putting my foot in my mouth and saying something regrettable. Like tonight...

We just got back from a friend's BBQ. While there I saw a friend of my friend, who I had met several times. I was saying hi to her and she introduced me to her husband, her sister in law, her brother and their kids, one of whom was named Cole. I thought she said Cora. Which is my dog's name. To which I said, "Is your kid's name Cora? Oh, it's Cole? I thought you said Cora. Cora is my dog's name. And, you know, since my name is Bailey, I'm always think it's cool when someone has the same name as my dog, so um..ha ha, I'm going to go back outside now". By the way, no one has the same name as my dog, unless they are 90.

So the mystery has been solved. Who brought the cool kid? My husband did. And I don't mean Ava.

Maybe it is Time to Leave

2009-05-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Every city has it's fair share of weirdos. We encountered a couple of Chicago's today.

We went out for a walk before lunch to take advantage of the sunshine. We walked up through our neighborhood, to the park and grocery store and back home. Nothing too out of the ordinary, just saw your standard odd ducks that you see when you're out walking with both a baby and a dog.

When we were almost home, a woman and her daughter asked if they could say hi to our dog and to our baby. They stopped to pet our dog and coo at Ava. And then the woman looked right at Ava and said, "I bet you're glad to be out of your mom in time for summer, aren't you?". Which, what the what?

As we continued on home, I looked and Fredo and said that maybe I was over all of the Chicago weirdos and that we give the Minnesota weirdos a try.

Uninspired

2009-05-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

I've got nothing... really, nothing.

I feel like I'm in a bit of a funk these past couple of days. Fredo's out of town, leaving me alone with Ava, who has been, I hate to say it, a bit of a jerk lately. She's still sleeping at night, which, thank GOD but naps have sucked. She goes down and sleeps for between 20 and 40 minutes. That has not left me enough time for anything. I hosted a play date today and spent the past two days cleaning the apartment. It shouldn't take that long but I've had to squeeze in bits and pieces here and there while Ava was in her crib taking a faux nap or in her exer saucer thing or after she went to bed. This has led me to broach the subject of getting a cleaning person once or twice a month when we go to MN. I mean, it's only going to get harder to find the time the more active she gets, right?

Ugh.. I just, I don't know. I'm just out of sorts. I lost one of the stones from my wedding band yesterday. My grandmother fell last week and broke her pelvis and my mom is down in FL helping her. This impending move is looming over my head. I can't leave the room without Ava screaming and crying. I've just got a lot going on that's all sucky, frankly and I'm trying to not let it get me down but I just feel...sad.

I'm just having an off day, I guess.

Conversations With Myself

2009-05-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I talk to myself. Like I have full blown conversations with myself. It's like I'm talking to my husband but I never give him a chance to answer, instead playing out both sides. Examples? You got it.

A few weeks ago we were watching HGTV. It was probably Design on a Dime or Designed to Sell, something like that. Anyway, it always bothers me when they spray paint the appliances. I don't know why but it does. Here's the resulting conversation.

Me: I hate when they spray paint the appliances..... Someday that paint is going to flake off of that refrigerator and the new owners are going to be piiisssed.... But I guess by the time that happens, you would be long gone.... Sorry suckers.

Meanwhile, Fredo is just staring at me, quizzically, trying not to laugh....until the very end when he laughs in my face.

Then last night, Fredo turned on Gone Baby Gone.

Fredo: I didn't know Ben Affleck directed this.

Me: Oh yeah. He's not completely talentless.... No, he's got a little bit of talent... His Keith Olberman impression on SNL was good...No, it's a good movie. He is talented.

Again, Fredo just stared while I debated the Ben Affleck/talent issue...with myself. And then he laughed at me.

But I guess that's what happens when you talk to someone who can't speak yet all day, although I'm pretty sure I was doing this before I had Ava.

Mother's Day

2009-05-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

I had a fantastic first Mother's Day. The celebrating lasted for days, which is exactly how I like all special occasions to go.

Saturday morning I got out for a pedicure sans baby. An hour of relaxing by myself with Pretty in Plaid was so lovely, I'm going to try to make that a monthly occurance. When I got home, my husband was cleaning the house! I took Ava into our bedroom while he mopped the floors and she fell alseep...on our bed. That has never happened before but why fight it? I took a nap too.

Naptime

On Sunday we went to Ava's first White Sox game. We took my mom and her boyfriend with us and had a great time. You will just have to trust me on this one because while I thought I had successfully transferred the pics to the computer, I was wrong. I deleted them off of the camera before checking the computer so those pictures are lost and gone forever. So sad.

Monday night, I celebrated Mother's Day with the other new moms in my life. We had a great sushi dinner.

With such a great Mother's Day, I'm going to have to figure out what to do for Fredo for Father's Day. I think I'm going to get him a Flip video camera. I got him a card at Target the other day but come to think of it, I have no idea what I did with it.

90 is the New 365

2009-05-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

So remember earlier this month when I wrote a post about how I only had one more year left in Chicago? Turns out I only have 3 months.

It was sprung on me last week that we need to be out in Minnesota earlier than next May. We have several trips planned this summer so the absolute earliest we can go is August. So...we're going in August. Maybe it'll get pushed to October if we can't find an apartment for August but either way we're going soon.

We're probably going to go look for places sometime next month. I'm dreading packing up this apartment and all of the complications that go along with moving. I'm just dreading the whole thing, really.

She Crawls

2009-05-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

Ava has been crawling for about a week now and gets better at it every day. She never army crawled, just went straight for pushing herself up on her knees. She crawls forward and backwards and can even get herself back into a sitting position from her knees.

So far, she hasn't figured out that this crawling thing could get her around the apartment. Right now, crawling is just for getting that toy, that dirty tissue mommy hasn't gotten up to throw out yet or the border of the play mat. She is always going for the border pieces. The other day I turned my back for a minute and she had crawled to the border, stole a piece, crawled back to the other side and sat up, chewing on the contraband.

The few times she has ventured off of the play mat have served as reminders to me that I need to vacuum more often. I think I should attach Swiffer sheets to her and let her clean for me. Yeah, I'm going to put my 7 month old to work.

Sometimes she gets herself stuck. Under furniture.

Preparing to LMAO

2009-05-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

Guess what comes out today? Jen Lancaster's new book, Pretty in Plaid! My copy has supposedly left the Amazon facility in KY and is on its way now. Her previous books are laugh out loud funny, like don't read this book in public because you will laugh and people will look at you like you are crazy funny. I'm sure PIP will not disappoint.

The timing could not be better. I plan to enjoy my mother's day pedicure while reading this book on Saturday. Can't wait.

I encourage everyone to get on Amazon or go to the store and pick up Pretty in Plaid.

This concludes my shameless plug.

Ladies Who Lunch

2009-05-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

I have to say, when I found out I was pregnant and knew I would be staying home, I was a little worried about what I would do all day and who I would hang out with. I have been pretty lucky. I've made some very good friends in a short amount of time.

Today was nice and warm so Ava and I met 2 friends for lunch. We did a little walking and settled into a neighborhood bar with great food and an even better patio. Lunch, babies and a few beers, what could be better?

I'm so glad I've met the ladies I have. We all met through a play group on meetup.com. It's like internet dating for moms and thank goodness we've met more cool moms than duds.

Beginning of the End

2009-05-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

So, we're moving to Minneapolis in a year. I've known about it for awhile but today marks the start of my last year in Chicago. I love it here and am not excited at all to move.

I've lived in Chicago for the past 11 years and consider it my home. I finished high school here, went to college here, my mom lives here as do the majority of my friends. I just made a bunch of new mom friends and in a year I'm going to have to do that all over again. As long as I've lived here, there is a lot of stuff in the city I haven't done, like visited the majority of our museums. I'll have to do all of that stuff over the course of the next 12 months.

We're going for my husband's job and since my job of being a mom doesn't come with enough, um..any income, there's really no other option but to move.

We're going up to Minneapolis in July to look at a bunch of neighborhoods/suburbs. We're thinking we'll be renting for at least the first year to get to know the area better before buying our first home. And since we'll be the parents of an 18 month old when we get there, we're looking for apartment complexes with some amenities, like a pool and/or a playground on site.

We're considering St. Louis Park, Edina and Eden Prairie since my husband's company is in Eden Prairie.

Minnesotans, any advice? Oh yeah, and will you be my friend in real life when I get there?

At Least the Trunk of My Car is Going to Be Super Clean

2009-04-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Target, I don't want to be mad at you. I love you, I really do but today, today we are fighting.

While scanning my items, the cashier noticed that my dish soap was open and leaking. I paid for it and she told me to get another on my way out. What she did not realize, nor did I, was that my big bottle of ultra concentrated laundry detergent was to suffer a similar fate.

I ran the rest of my errands and made my way home. I pulled into our parking space and got Ava out of her car seat. I figured I would just grab a few light bags and send my husband out for the rest. When I opened the trunk and pulled out a bag something dripped on my foot. It took me a minute to figure out where the liquid was coming from. Then I saw it. The entire bottle of laundry detergent had fallen over and both the cap AND the pour spout had come loose. There is now an entire bottle of laundry detergent in my trunk.

Ugh, my husband and I have been taking turns with a bucket of water and the Sham-Wows (which are not as worthless as I originally thought). Looks like we'll be getting the car detailed soon.

I know it's not Target's fault that this happened but I really want to blame someone (not me) for this.

Keep Me Out of the Kitchen Part 2

2009-04-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I maimed the blender. Today I finished it off. T.O.D. 9:51 am.

I was trying to puree green beans and I probably should have done smaller batches, one at a time. Impatient person that I am, I threw all of the beans (2 bags of frozen green beans) into the blender at the same time. I had the blender on puree and ice crush and liquefy with little success.

I ran the blender for awhile, probably longer than one should, when I started to smell something. And I heard noises and saw smoke. I turned off the blender, unplugged it and watched, fully expected to see flames shooting out of it. I even started to move toward the fire extinguisher, just in case. The thing didn't catch on fire, luckily, but I made it bleed it's mechanical grey blood.

Remember what I said about how I shouldn't be allowed to use appliances with out an adult present? I bet you thought I was kidding.

Mom or Nanny?

2009-04-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I'm out walking with Ava I play a little game called "mom or nanny?". The game is pretty self explanatory. You guess if the person pushing the stroller is the mom or the nanny. It's funny how differently the game goes depending on which street I'm walking down.

Today I took Ava to the park to swing. As we approached the playground, I noticed it was very crowded. There were people there who were obviously nannies and people there who were obviously the moms and then a number of people that you just couldn't tell one way or the other. One thing I noticed about the moms there is that the majority of them were with 2 kids or one but also with bun in the oven.

I put Ava in her swing and started pushing her. I was looking around and got the feeling that some of the people there were looking at me, wondering nanny or mom?

I think because I'm on the young end of the spectrum for a stay at home mom that I get those looks a lot. It's probably just me being paranoid but I'm glad Ava resembles me. If she didn't I would probably get those looks a lot more.

Tweet Wolverine

2009-04-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of you have been following the story of the Spohr family, but Heather and Mike Spohr recently lost their 17 month old daughter, Maddie, who was born prematurely.

I have been reading Heather and Mike's blogs since last summer, when I was pregnant, and through reading their stories about Maddie, I began to feel like I knew them. Their loss of Maddie earlier this month had me in tears and had me hugging my daughter a little tighter that day.

Recently, Hugh Jackman has committed to donating $100,000 to charity. The catch? He needs to be convinced via Twitter. The Spohr's have started a twitter campaign to get Wolverine to donate the $100,000 to the March of Dimes. All you have to do is send Hugh Jackman a tweet.

Check out March for Maddie for the details. Go to twitter and sign up (it's free!) and send the tweet via your twitter feed.

Please tweet for Maddie!

We've Got a Mover

2009-04-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

Ava has started moving. Not crawling yet, although I'm sure that's not too far off. She pretty much has only mastered 3 point turns and reverse.

This morning, the hubs put Ava on her belly in her little activity center thing. I left the room for a couple of minutes and in the time I was gone she backed out of her activity thing and scooted backwards across the floor.

I think we're actually going to have to take the next step from talking about how we need to babyproof to going to Babies R' Us this weekend and actually buying the gate and outlet covers and cabinet locks and all the other babyproofing stuff.

Where the Eff is Spring Already?

2009-04-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, I forgot. I live in Chicago. Which means spring will show up the second to last week in May, say hi and then it will be on to summer.

It's been so cold here that I haven't left the house in two days. I'm starting to go a little crazy. I skipped a play date on Monday due to a cold and wanted to go for a walk yesterday but then Ava decided her nap schedule was totally overrated and she would nap whenever she damn well pleased and by the time she woke up, I had lost all motivation to leave the house.

That changes today. In preparation for some warm days ahead, I am going to get the pedicure I've been wanting (needing?) to get for the past 3 weeks. And since I'm already crazy, I'm taking my daughter with me. Yup, today's the day I introduce my 6 month old daughter to the nail salon.

Will I regret my decision in, oh, about an hour and a half? Probably but stay tuned to find out.

**Update** Ava was great and my toe nails are red.

This is Kind of Embarrassing

2009-04-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

Umm... you guys? I have a hickey... Actually I have two. One on my nose and one on my chin.

Who gave me these love bites, you may be wondering? No, it wasn't the hubs. It was Ava. She's teething and seems to enjoy grabbing my face and sucking on it.

Hmm, maybe I should try those teething rings I've heard so much about instead of giving her my nose.

Then and Now

2009-04-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today has been a great day. We went to both Ikea (yea, new end table, new silverware and a ricer to make baby food!) and Babies R' Us (a foam play mat, sweet!). It got me thinking how my definition of a great day has changed drastically from what a great day was to me 5 years or so ago.

Then: Wake up at 10, get coffee, smoke a cigarette.
Now: Wake up at 6 to a crying baby. Change poop diaper, heat up some carrots for Ava's breakfast, nurse and then get coffee. Pump while drinking coffee. By the time I'm done pumping, it's about time for Ava's nap.

Then: Lay around watching TV. Jerry Springer, Maury, whatever's on. Sometimes I would catch myself watching The Weather Channel.
Now: Bake squash to puree for Ava. Shower while Ava naps. Puree squash.

Then: Shop at Urban Outfitters for cute going out clothes.
Now: Shop at Ikea for living room furniture and Babies R' Us for bibs and foam play mats.

Then: Happy Hour!
Now: Happy Hour, which now means feeding, bathing and putting Ava to bed. Takes about an hour and makes me pretty happy.

Then: Shower. Change outfits no less than 3 times. Take my time doing my hair and putting on makeup.
Now: Put makeup on in less than 10 minutes. Throw hair up into a sloppy bun. Get dressed quickly in outfit I've been thinking about wearing the next time I go out. I can be out the door in a half hour if need be.

Then: Dinner and drinks with girlfriends.
Now: Dinner and drinks with girlfriends.

At least somethings never change!

Enjoy the weekend!

Keep Me Out of the Kitchen

2009-04-02T06:04:00.000-07:00

I should not be allowed to use kitchen appliances unsupervised. Yesterday a blender got the best of me.

I can't cook worth a damn. I can bake like a mofo but I can't cook anything. Yet, I've been making my own baby food. It's really easy to do. You just boil the crap out of everything and then blend it up. Sounds simple enough, right?

For previous batches of apples, peas and squash, I had used a stick blender. For some batches I mixed it right up in the pot and for others I used the food processor type attachment with much success. The other day I made such a huge amount of apples that we broke out the big blender.

Yesterday I bought some butternut squash and during nap time, got to cooking. I peeled, seeded, chopped and boiled. When it got time for pureeing, I again got the blender out. Everything was going fine but then I decided that I needed to help things along to make sure everything got pureed and there were no chunky bits. So I mashed the top pieces toward the bottom....with a wooden spoon...while the blender was on. Yeah, so not smart. I saw my husband do it the day before so I figured it was fine. But when I did it, there was a loud noise, a mini squash explosion and when I pulled the spoon out, I noticed it had chipped.

For a minute, I entertained notions of straining the wooden bits out of the squash but when I found a jagged piece of plastic from the inside of the blender in the food, I scrapped the whole thing.

I'm going to get more squash today and try it again. I think this time I'll ask my husband to supervise me in the kitchen. He'll be my adult helper.

Margaritaville

2009-04-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

Last night, I had a mom's night out with some mommy friends. We hit up a southwestern restaurant, Jack Rabbit, to take advantage of their awesome happy hour special--half price food if you are seated between 5 and 6:30.

Ava was not in the best mood yesterday. I blame it on the rain (as does Milli Vanilli) and not leaving the house all day. Regardless of the cause, I was jonesing for a margarita by 4 pm. Good thing Jack Rabbit makes a great 'rita! I had a blood orange-raspberry one to start and then switched to classic. So yummy. Margaritas were one thing I craved while pregnant and hadn't satisfied the craving until last night.

The food was pretty good. I ate a ton of pork though. We had delicious shredded pork nachos and then I had a dish called The Three Little Pigs-- 2 pork taquitos and a pork loin wrapped in bacon. Sorry piggies!

The conversation was as good as the food. I always feel bad for the people around us because when you get a group of new moms together and add alcohol, the talk always turns to grisly childbirth. I believe I heard the words "vernix" and "episiotimy" used last night.

It was a great time and nice to be out of the house. The moms and I are trying to make dinners out at least a monthly occurrence. I look forward to the next one!

Suck It HGTV

2009-03-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, in lieu of drinking green beer for St. Patrick's Day, I watched a crap ton of HGTV. Shows like "Design on a Dime" inspired me to makes some changes to our living room, in hopes of it looking like an adult's apartment instead of a bunch of hand-me-down furniture thrown together in a room (which it is).

Inspired, we rearranged the furniture last Sunday and made plans to buy a new end table (eventually), get rid of our current end tables (when we buy afore-mentioned new end table), get a rug (purchased Friday) and I decided it would be a great idea to paint a bookshelf and small table black in hopes of presenting a cohesive message.

Oh my god, what a horrible idea that was. I think it will look ok when it's finally done. From far away. Please don't look too closely. Problem is, it's taking forever.

Friday night, we took the bookshelf and table apart, thinking we'll get a head start and make this go as seamlessly as possible. Saturday morning, Fredo sanded everything and then I primed everything. Sunday, I got a late start due to brunch with family and managed to get one coat of paint on each side. I left everything outside to dry. This morning, I woke up to grey skies. I got Ava fed and went outside to check on the pieces. It had started to rain so I brought everything in. I just got the 2nd coat on one side of the pieces but they are now scattered through out the apartment.

At least I have an excuse for not doing dishes today.

I think it would have been a lot less annoying to have driven the 45 min. to Ikea and just bought new stuff.

Sorry for the big block of text. Blogger is being a punk ass bitch.

Walking on Sunshine

2009-03-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous. It was 74 degrees and sunny. It was the kind of day that you just need to be outside as much as possible.

I already had made plans to meet a friend at a park and since it was too nice to be inside, Fredo decided to join us. Since my husband works from home, he has the freedom to unchain himself from his desk every once and awhile. As long as he has his phone and can receive email on it, he can be out and about. I'm really going to miss that in about a year when he has to start going to an office every day again. We got all ready to head to the park and were outside getting Ava in her stroller when the UPS guy pulls up. Guess what came just in time? The baby sunglasses! Perfect timing!

Ava rocking her cool girl shades

We spent a lot of the time just sitting on a bench but it was just nice to be outside. Before we left though, we needed to let Ava swing for the first time.

She didn't seem to hate it too much. Dare I say she even enjoyed it a bit? I loved it though and can't wait to take her to the park again!

In Support of Baby Proofing

2009-03-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

I can has baby monitor?

Baby Bargains

2009-03-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

I think I can finally say, we're done buying baby gear. We just purchased our high chair, convertible car seat and umbrella stroller. I can't think of any big ticket baby item we'll be needing to get anytime soon.

The Right Start filed chapter 11 recently and I'd been kinda stalking the store/website to see if I could score a deal on any of those baby items. Right around the time I found out Right Start was going under, their website was completely sold out. There was not a single thing in stock. I checked the website again the other night to see if there was any notice as far as in-store discounts and they evidently restocked!

I purchased a Britax car seat for $50 off the normal price and a Maclaren Volo stroller for about $30 off. Everything is on sale so I even got Ava some sunglasses!

I'm sure they will discount even deeper but I didn't want to chance it. If you need baby gear, I would recommend checking out The Right Start.

Night 2

2009-03-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

I'm totally sold on "The Sleep Easy Solution". Conan O'Brien, Ben Stiller and Greg Kinnear were right.

Last night we put Ava to bed and she only cried for 3 minutes. It was pretty amazing since my mom and her fiance were over for dinner and we aren't the quietest bunch.

As far as I know, Ava slept through the night. If she did wake up, she put herself back to sleep promptly, which was kind of the point of this whole experiment.

While the book seems to say what many of the other sleep books say, I like that it basically told us just to do it. Yes, there will be some crying but better to have a few nights of crying than to have to listen to bedtime related crying every day. And it should continue to be a good reference as Ava gets older since it does contain information on getting older children to sleep (I think up to 2 or 3) and has tips for transitioning to a bed among other topics.

I will be recommending this book to anyone I know who has a baby, is about to have a baby or is even thinking about having a baby.

Night 1

2009-03-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

So we started sleep training following the "Sleep Easy Solution". The book has praise (I'm sure it's called something in the world of publishing but I don't know what) from Conan O'Brien, Ben Stiller and Greg Kinnear so you know it has to be good.

My heart was pounding as I approached bedtime. I was nearly in fits wondering how I would keep Ava awake while nursing. Every time I would see her eyes start to close, I would gently shake her or make funny noises. I was practically spitting at her by the end. I was convinced she was starting to hate me since I knew she wanted to just close her eyes and I wouldn't let her. But she was still awake when I put her in her crib. She cried for about a half hour and drifted off around 6:40 pm.

It was smooth sailing for awhile. I kept peeking in since it was weirdly exciting to watch her sleep unswaddled, probably because I thought we'd be swaddling until she was 12. She woke up at 12:20 (I know because I wrote it down) but must have put herself back to sleep.

Then she woke up at 2:57. And cried. For an entire hour. Take that, downstairs neighbors.

But she went back to sleep on her own around 4 and slept in until 7:30. She's napping now and has been out for about an hour.

All in all, I would consider night 1 a success.

Swaddle Update

2009-03-06T06:14:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for your comments on my last post. It was very helpful. And Ava made the unswaddle decision for me. Yesterday morning she was almost out of her miracle blanket, a.k.a the baby straight jacket, but her arms were still down. This morning she got completely out. How she managed to Houdini her way out of that, I have no idea.

Our goal with sleep training is to teach her to soothe herself back to sleep and to improve her day sleep. We have some bad habits to break. I nurse her to sleep every night and put her in her crib asleep, which is apparently a big no-no. I was of the mind set that as long as she was sleeping, we weren't going to fix what wasn't broken. Now that she's seemingly ready to go swaddle-less, we need to make a few minor changes.

So wish me luck. We could potentially have a sleepless weekend ahead of us.

Moms of the Internet

2009-03-02T18:39:00.000-08:00

Wait, that title sounds like some cheesy calendar.

Actually, I need some advice. No, not on how to post more than once a week, although that would help. I need some advice on how to stop swaddling my kid without halting all night sleep.

We're getting ready to sleep train this weekend. I just read "The Sleepeasy Solution" which seems doable and realistic. I expect some crying...and I bet Ava will cry too (ba dum dum). We're probably not picking the best weekend to do this, what with turning the clocks ahead but we need to do something. She sleeps well at night but naps are another story. She also won't sleep unswaddled.

My question is, how do we break her of the swaddle habit in the least painful way possible? The book makes it seem like we should just cold turkey it as part of the sleep training but I don't know. I guess I would rather attempt to break her of the swaddle habit prior to starting the sleep training.

Anyone have any tips on weaning from the swaddle?

Gilt-y Pleasure

2009-02-19T11:08:00.000-08:00

My latest obsession? Online sample sales.

As I've mentioned before, I love a bargain. I also love designer clothes, shoes, purses and accessories. My two loves do not usually go hand in hand.

And then I discovered the online sample sale. A friend sent me an invitation to Gilt Groupe awhile back. I was reluctant to join as I still had all of the baby weight to lose and no reason to wear anything nicer than jeans and sweatshirts. While I still don't have much reason to wear anything other than jeans and sweatshirts, I'm slowly losing the weight and craving new clothes.

A few weeks ago there was an article in the Sunday Chicago Tribune about these members only websites. The Trib provided invitations to these sites and I've been hooked ever since.

I bought a new pair of jeans on Ruelala.com. They retail for $175 and I got them for $55!

I also hit up gilt.com for these.

I can't wait to receive them. It will almost make all of the rainy spring days ahead exciting!

I'm sure my husband is really psyched about my new hobby.

**Since these sites are invite only, if anyone wants some fun online sale access, leave me your email address in the comments and I will send you an invitation!**

Tagged!

2009-02-18T14:03:00.001-08:00

I was tagged by Cara at Land of Bean for a bag-related meme.

The rules are:

1) Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house.

2) I want to know how much it cost:) And this is not to judge. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I’d love to hear it.

3) Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you’re showing everyone your diaper bag/non-diaper bag.

Good timing! I went out to dinner with a couple of friends last night so the last bag I used was this one:

I got this bag in September 2007. It was $500-ish. I don't remember the actual price though. There's no real story associated with this bag other than I needed a black purse and love Botkier. I've had this bag for a year and a half and still love it. In fact, it's the only black bag I own.

Good thing I saw that Cara tagged me when I did. Otherwise I would have had to post the diaper bag. Oh what the hell?! I'll show it to you anyway.

I now tag... anyone who wants to show off their bag!

She Makes Babies Cry!

2009-02-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

If you watch American Idol, you know the screaming girl. Even if you don't watch it, you may be familiar with her. I think her name is Tatiana.

I watched last night's AI and was supremely disappointed in some of their choices. Jamar was awesome but didn't make the cut. On the other hand, some of the most annoying people ever got through, namely Tatiana.

I was just watching a recap clip of last night's show with Ava on my lap. The clip showed Tatiana doing what she does best, shrieking. Ava started to cry.

So AI viewers, I implore you. Don't vote for Tatiana. She made my baby cry!

On The Menu

2009-02-10T16:08:00.000-08:00

We started Ava on rice cereal last week. I give her some cereal at night and she seems to be getting the hang of eating solids.

Doesn't she look like she enjoys it?

A Taste of Spring

2009-02-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend was fantastic! The temperature reached 60 degrees on Saturday. It was warm, sunny and lots of snow melted. Of course, since it was beautiful out, Ava decided that she needed an almost 2 and 1/2 hour nap in the middle of the day. We weren't able to get outside until after 2 pm but we went for a nice walk to the grocery store. In honor of spring-like weather, we had my mother over for a "cook-out". We grilled hot dogs and ate macaroni salad and pretended spring was right around the corner.

Yesterday we went for another long walk. It wasn't quite as warm or sunny but we'll take it.

But, this being Chicago, we'll have some decent weather this week (it's supposed to be around 60 again tomorrow) and then the weather will turn frosty again. This will last until June, when the weather SHOULD get consistently nice. I can't wait for that!

Hello Again

2009-02-05T19:10:00.001-08:00

I went on a blog vacation (blo-cation?) this week but I'm back.

This cold weather is killing me, smalls. My hands have been so dry that the skin on my fingers cracked, making it super painful to type much hence the break from blogging. My hands are finally feeling better, thank goodness.

So what's been going on? Well, Ava and I have been working the play group circuit lately. Last week we hung out with a few moms and babies and we've been pretty busy this week too. It's been so nice getting out of the house and hanging out with moms with babies around Ava's age. Swapping stories and tips has been great!

The downside to our increased social life is that naps and what semblance of a schedule we had going has gone to pot. But Ava sleeps pretty well at night and I would rather have good night sleep and give up some naps then have her sleep all day and keep us up at night.

This weekend is supposed to be pretty nice so I'm hopeful we'll be out and about this weekend. We may even try to hit the park and give Ava her first ride in the baby swing.

Me? Complain? Never

2009-01-28T19:11:00.001-08:00

My downstairs neighbors really piss me off.

We live in a 3-flat that the tenants are pretty much responsible for the up-keep. The landlord/management company take care of the big stuff but when it comes to everyday stuff like snow removal, we're on our own. We have a pretty good relationship with the guys in the basement unit. We don't see them much but they're really nice. They even bought us a baby gift when I was pregnant with Ava. The guys in the basement take care of shoveling the gangway and we do the steps and the sidewalk. We've never really talked about this arrangement, we just do it and it works out pretty well.

The weird people on the first floor? Don't. Do. Anything. They will walk through snow instead of shoveling it. They left a phone book sitting on the porch until Fredo threw it out. They walked by it for an entire week and didn't do a thing with it.

I got mad today. Fredo is out of town this week and it snowed last night. I had to take the stroller out today so the porch steps and sidewalk needed to be shovelled. Did the neighbors do anything? No, of course not. But it had to be done and I had to be the one to do it. I put Ava in her snowsuit and stuck her in the Baby Bjorn and swept the stairs and shoveled the patch of sidewalk in front of our house ONE HANDED. I only swept our side of the stairs though. Let them continue to walk through snow.

I'm considering leaving a note for them. Something to the effect of if they need a snow shovel, we have an extra they can borrow. You know, something passive aggressive like that. The only thing about that is they never check their mail. Seriously, never. The mailman won't deliver mail if you don't have a name on your mailbox. Seven months later, I don't think they've ever received mail. They don't have a mail slot so I don't know how I would get them the note.

I really hope they move in June or whenever their lease is up. Not only are they bad neighbors, but the dude's bedroom must be right under ours. When it's really quiet in our apartment late at night, I can hear him snoring...in our apartment. Yes, really. It's so annoying. The worst part is once you realize what that noise is, that's all you can hear.

I'm off to bed now. Hopefully I'll fall asleep before he starts sawing logs. And I'm praying we don't get anymore snow tonight because I am not shovelling tomorrow.

Ava in her snow suit. She's like a real life Maggie Simpson. Anyone? No? Just me? Ok.

House Rules

2009-01-25T15:23:00.000-08:00

If you are ever lucky enough to play a round of Tiger Woods Wii golf with Fredo and I, there are some house rules you must abide by.

If you get a birdie, then you must flap your arms like you're doing the chicken dance.

If you are so fortunate as to get an eagle, then you must flap your arms like an eagle (hold your arms out to your sides and put them down quickly and repeatedly) while saying, "It's the eagle, it's the eagle".

If you get an double eagle, or "falcon" as we have dubbed it, which would most likely be a hole in one, you have to run around the apartment with your arms out to the sides, like an airplane.

Yes, we are strange and no, we weren't drinking when we came up with this.

Flashback

2009-01-23T10:12:00.000-08:00

One year ago today I took a test that changed my life forever. It was a year ago that I had a beer that tasted weird to me and made me think that maybe, just maybe I was pregnant. I peed on a stick and 2 lines appeared almost immediately one year ago.

Fast forward to now. Ava is almost 4 months old and is absolutely amazing.

It was the best test result ever.

Eureka!

2009-01-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy night tonight. We've been ski jumping, slalom skiing, tightrope walking and heading soccer balls. I found a Wii Fit today and it's been hours of entertainment since.

I went to Target to pick up Ava's portraits that we had done last week. We went and picked out a frame first, then to the baby section and then I decided to check out the video games before picking up the portraits and heading out. I walked into the Wii aisle and noticed they had a bunch of Wii's, way more than were there when I left on Sunday. I ventured further down the aisle and saw a big box that looked like it could be a Wii Fit. It wasn't locked up in the cabinets or anything so I picked it up, looked at it a few times to make sure it was, in fact, what I was looking for and proceeded to the register. I was slightly nervous that since I just helped myself someone was going to yell at me for taking their Wii Fit or something. I was even kind of hiding it behind my cart for fear that someone would try to tackle me and wrestle it out of my hands. Nothing of the sort happened and I paid for it and went on my merry way.

It's so cool! I can't wait to use it to work out tomorrow. The Shred has been out for a few days. My back has been killing me and it's too uncomfortable to do jumping jacks or anything so I've been taking it easy. I love that in the Wii Fit work-out mode, it compares your "scores" against any other Mii's that are saved. Since Fredo and I are pretty competitive with each other this should keep us motivated.

Fredo's been playing for awhile and Wii just told him to take a break! Ha, love it.

I've got my work cut out for me though. I took the fit test earlier and my Wii age is 40 (I'm 26)!

Wii-kend Wrap Up

2009-01-19T09:08:00.000-08:00

Fredo is off today for Martin Luther King Day, which is very nice. We're going to have lunch with my former co-workers soon.

We ended up buying a Wii this weekend. We had a shower curtain catastrophe (I washed our cotton shower curtain and it shrunk...it was only catastrophic for me) so I decided I would beat the Sunday crowds at Target and go right when they opened, at 8 am. Fredo knew I was partially going that early to see if there were any Wii's in stock. He knows me so well.

I got there bright and early and was only one of 3 or 4 people waiting to buy Wii's. I got one no problem, but they didn't get any Wii Fits. I'll have to keep looking for those and have told a few friends that if they see one to get it and I'll pay them back.

We went to another Target later in the afternoon (two Targets in one day... sounds like my idea of a perfect Sunday) and bought a few games and an extra controller. I also got Sham-Wows at Target! I was almost more excited about that then I was for the new games. I wanted to go home and fill a pie plate with water to see how much my Sham-Wow could absorb. I didn't...yet.

We played a few rounds of Tiger Woods golf yesterday and we're both sore. I'll have to keep up the Shred as training for Wii.

I Hate You Jillian Michaels

2009-01-15T08:34:00.001-08:00

I've done the 30 day Shred everyday this week and I am so sore. I can't even pick up Ava without my arms hurting. I've resolved to do the damn thing everyday for 30 days
(26 days to go) since the description says you can lose up to 20 lbs. in 30 days and I'm 20 pounds or so away from fitting into all of my pre-pregnancy jeans. On a side note, I do fit into the pair of pre-preggo jeans that I really wanted to be able to wear again and I'll be sporting them tomorrow when we have friends over for dinner, muffin top be damned.

Since we're having friends over tomorrow for dinner, I should clean the apartment today. Cleaning is my least favorite activity in the world. When I actually do clean the place top to bottom, I brag about it for days and expect heaps of praise from my husband. I need to get on that. But it's -5 degrees out right now and we're under a wind chill advisory so what else am I going to do today?

Hello

2009-01-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

Hello internets. I have missed you.

I feel like things have been pretty boring lately. Just living the life of the stay at home mom. But let me update you on what I've been up to.

I found a stay at home mom's group on meetup.com so we went to our first play date/lunch last week. It was at a restaurant in the neighborhood so I got to have lunch and chat with some other moms. It's a weekly thing so as long as the blizzard doesn't hit, I'll be going again this Thursday.

Oh yes, the blizzard. It started as a blizzard watch yesterday morning, which prompted me to walk around the house all morning saying "Blizzard watch" like Paul Rudd says "Panda watch" in Anchorman. It was upgraded to a warning sometime yesterday afternoon and then the storm fizzled out sometime over night. There's another blizzard watch for tomorrow. I'm sick of the snow already. Good thing it's the middle of January and this snow thing is just getting started.

I'm attempting to take Ava to the Target photo studio today for portraits. I want to get portraits done at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year and then every year after. I may change my mind, depending on how today goes. I guess I should attempt putting on some makeup in case I end up in any of these pictures.

I've started the Jillian Michaels 30-day shred again yesterday. I'm going to try to do it for 30 days and see what happens.

Fredo asked me the other night if I wanted a Wii Fit now that I'm in shape up mode. Of course I do but that would mean we would also have to get a Wii. He shouldn't have said anything because I'm thinking about buying a Wii. I hope Target doesn't have them.

And last but not least, I will leave you with something that had me giggling this morning. The local news had the weather for the next day or two scrolling across the bottom. Whoever typed it must have been typing really fast because instead of saying "80% chance of snow", it said "80% chance fo snow".

New Car Smell

2009-01-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

I've had my license for 10 years but just got my first car!

Our old car, lovingly called "Big Red", was just too small for our growing family. I damn near broke my back every time I had to wrangle the car seat into the backseat. To fit the car seat in, both the driver and passenger seats had to be moved up about as far as they could go. Even with the seats moved up, I still had to fold my legs in, using my hands, to fit in the back seat. I'm 5'9" with long legs. To put it mildly, it has been slightly uncomfortable riding in the car since Ava was born.

We knew we would be getting a small SUV sometime after the first of the year. Fredo was off from work on Thursday and Friday and we began our new car shopping Friday morning. We visited a few dealerships and got some ideas of cars that would work and car salesmen that we would never buy a car from ever. We looked at Saturn, a Toyota dealership where we were told that this is Toyota, '07 RAV4's fly out of here and a Subaru dealership in the city. Fredo did always seem to have his heart set on the Vue and since we were able to find a 2008 with extremely low miles we jumped at it.

Saturday morning, we went back out to the Saturn dealership and got our new Vue. It's sweet and Fredo and I were very happy. We even went grocery shopping on Sunday just to drive the new car... oh yeah, and to stock our pretty much empty refrigerator. Last night, I even caught Fredo looking out the window at the car.

Cut to this morning when I got a call from Fredo who had left early to go visit some customers. There is already a dent and scratch on the passenger side door. It had to have happened in the parking lot yesterday.

Is that some sort of record? Three days and the car already has to go to the body shop. I would say that this is what I get for living in the city but this happened in a big parking lot. I'm bummed. I wanted my new car to stay new for awhile but it's already scarred.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

I'm not one for resolutions. I don't usually make them and if I have, I probably haven't stuck with them. My only resolution for this year is to not do anything. I got engaged at the end of 2006, got married in 2007, got pregnant and had a baby in 2008. My resolution for 2009 is to just hang out. I think I can stick with that one.

My goal, however, is similar to that of many--lose the weight. I set a goal about a month and a half ago to lose 10 lbs. by the new year. I'm sad to say that I failed, but only by less than a lb. so I think I will consider it (mostly) a success. That leaves me a little less than 3 months (by the time Ava turns 6 months old) to lose the rest. My commitment to healthy eating was derailed over the past month or so by my commitment to holiday eating but I'll be eating back on the healthy eating, exercise wagon tomorrow.

Anyway, happy New Year to all!

Post Holiday Shopping

2008-12-29T07:50:00.000-08:00

Merry belated Christmas! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is going shopping afterward. Whether it's to spend gift cards received or just take advantage of the holiday sales, I always seem to go shopping in the days following Christmas. This year is no different, just toned down a bit. Like many, I love a good bargain and these are the days to find them.

We didn't do a Christmas tree this year since we didn't want to shell out for all of the accessories, like a tree stand, skirt and ornaments. I decided that we would buy a bunch of stuff after Christmas and put it away for next year. Friday we went to Home Depot and got a tree skirt and about eleventy billion lights, all half price! Then we hit Cost Plus/World Market for ornaments. We got $40 worth of ornaments (all 50-75% off). More half price ornaments purchased at Target yesterday and I think we're ready for next Christmas.

Yesterday we also went to my new favorite store, Kohl's, for yet another roasting pan (we now have 3). Kohl's sells Levi's on the cheap, which has been awesome for me since I wear jeans everyday but am trying to lose the baby weight so I'm not quite fitting into my old jeans and don't want to buy a new pair of expensive jeans. Kohl's Sunday circular advertised a sale on denim so I figured I would look for another pair of jeans. I found a pair of Levi's marked at $34.99 and figured they'd probably be on sale for $30, which is pretty great already. I got to the register and they were $7!! I don't know if it was the wash or what that was on sale but I'll take it.

Every year I also find myself taking advantage of the holiday sales to buy sweaters. I could always use sweaters and this year is no different. It's been hard getting dressed to go out to dinner or anything where a nursing tank and sweatshirt just won't do. I was checking my email on yahoo and saw a link for Martin + Osa. I've seen this brand in magazines before and decided to check out their sale. It's a pretty good one. I bought 2 sweaters this morning for $36 total, with free shipping!

Off to find more bargains!

3 Months

2008-12-26T17:39:00.000-08:00

Dear Ava,

Today you are 3 months old! You are getting so big so fast.

This past month you got better at holding your head up, so much so that we put you in the Bumbo a few times. You seem to like it alright but something about being in that position makes you poo your pants. It has resulted in some funny pictures. You have also started pulling yourself into a sitting position when laying on your back with a little help from Mommy or Daddy and will stay seated pretty well as long as you are propped up.

We started going to the New Mom's group this past month. You seem to like the other babies but are also pretty content to just lay on your back and look at the ceiling.

You met Santa and your great-grandma this month and celebrated your first Christmas. Santa was very good to you and you received many toys and a swing from Grandma.

You are still a good sleeper, although it seems harder to get you to fall asleep. You seem to be going to bed later than you were last month but you're sleeping longer so it's a trade off. We're going to start trying to get you to go to sleep earlier after the hoopla of the holidays calm down. You started sleeping in your crib this past month and it was a smooth transition.

This month you also started grabbing some toys and shoving them in your mouth. You will sometimes get upset if you can't get the toy in your mouth though.

You laughed for the first time this month! You let out a little giggle on 12/21 and had a good laugh on 12/24. Your dad was holding you, bouncing you around and lightly slapping the bottoms of your feet and you loved it! You had a good chuckle going. It was great!

It's pretty fun being your mom and I love watching you with your dad. As always, I can't wait to see what the next month brings.

Love,

Mommy

Who's Ready for Christmas?

2008-12-23T12:53:00.000-08:00

I think we are, actually. We don't have a tree set up yet but I will set it up Christmas Eve so that Santa will be able to put the presents under...er, near it. Our tree is about 2 feet tall and will need to go on our dining table so it needs to wait.

This past weekend I made cookies...and a mess. I made 3 different color glazes for the cookies and used pastry bags to decorate the cookies. They came out good and were delicious but I probably used about every mixing bowl we had.

We finished up our shopping and wrapping last night. I ventured out today in the snow (will it ever stop snowing?) to go to the grocery store(s). Despite almost spinning out in the middle of a 6 way intersection, which was scary, it wasn't too bad. Luckily Ava was home with her Dad. I would have freaked out more if she had been with me. I hit Whole Foods first and was able to get just about everything I need. The store is small and was very crowded so it kept me from doing too much milling about and grabbing things that weren't on my list. I only had a few items that I couldn't find at Whole Foods so I had to go to other grocery store in our neighborhood. Despite the 2 stops and the slow driving due to snow, I was home in about an hour and a half. Better to get the grocery store out of the way today since I will be doing loads of baking over the next 2 days. I'm making coffee cake tomorrow for breakfast on Thursday which means I get to open my Christmas present from Fredo early. He's the best husband and got me something I've been wanting for a long time -- a KitchenAid Stand Mixer!

I can't wait to use it!

Thursday I'm tackling eclairs and cornbread. The cornbread should be pretty easy. I'm hoping the eclairs come out okay but if not, I do have ingredients for a back up dessert.

I love baking so I'm excited for all of the things I'll be working on the next few days. And of course, I'm excited for Ava's first Christmas!

Ava and Santa

2008-12-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

We took Ava to get her picture taken with Santa this past weekend and finally got the picture.

Ava looks like she wants to take a nap right there on Santa's lap. Santa looks like he would rather be off enjoying cocktails elsewhere. I guess that will happen when you have kids crying on your lap all day.

I was kind of hoping for a child crying on Santa's lap picture but Ava did not cooperate. Oh well, there's always next year!

Another Open Letter

2008-12-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

Dear Residents of Chicago,

Thank you for not shoveling your sidewalks this morning. Four inches of snow is no big deal and doesn't really need to be shovelled right?

Really, thank you for making sure I got my cardio in today. Pushing a stroller a half mile through the snow was just what I needed to get my heart pumping. Thanks for thinking of my health and of those 3 cookies I ate right before going to the bank! Pretty sure I worked those off.

Now I'm going to eat 3 more.

Shit List

2008-12-15T15:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Babies R Us,

I'm writing to inform you that you have officially made my shit list, effective immediately.

I've been trying to find the Ultimate Crib Sheet as I was told it would make my life easier. That may be so but the quest to find it is slowly killing me.

I began my search for said sheet where I always do, on your website. The website has never steered me wrong in the past so I had no reason to doubt any information found there. There's now a nifty feature where you can search your zip code and see if the product you are looking for is in stock. This is only available for a few stores but Chicago is included so yea!

I searched for my item and entered my zip code. The Ultimate Crib Sheet is available at every Toys R Us and Babies R Us store in a 20 mile radius of my house. I decided I would drive to the closest Babies R Us store (which is still about 10 miles awhile and in a suburb) since Ava needed Swaddle Me's and diapers and wouldn't it be just great to get everything in one place? That would have been too easy.

I got to the store, finally, after getting Fredo to unstick the car door that was frozen shut for me and after scraping all of the ice off of my windshield. Did I mention it was 7 degrees? At the store and looked high and low for the damned crib sheet. I asked someone for help. No one could find the thing so I was told it was out of stock. How could that be as the website said it was in stock? I asked if other stores could be called to see if they have it in stock. Well yes of course you could call but if they're busy they won't answer the phone and you know, they are really busy right now.

So I will be ordering the stupid sheet online. I wish I could say I will never shop there again but that would just be too hard. Instead, I will just shake my fist and curse you Babies R Us!

Mom Date

2008-12-11T14:22:00.001-08:00

I had my first mommy date today.

One of the moms from my new moms group and I met for lunch. Instead of flowers I brought my kid. After lunch we sat around and talked for a bit. It was fun and hopefully I've made a new mom friend.

After we parted I made a few stops on my way home and probably kept Ava out a bit too long. I was punished for my lollygagging with a nice blowout diaper.

Now I am trying to figure out how to tell what size frosting tips are. I have the pastry bags and a bunch of assorted tips. I need a 1/4 inch and a 1/2 inch plain tip for the eclairs I want to make for Christmas. Of course, the tips don't have sizes associated with them, they have numbers. No where can I find what the numbers mean! At this rate I'm going to end up cutting the tip off of a Ziploc bag. This is the crap I use nap time for.

Raw Fish and Footprints

2008-12-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

Fredo and I went out for dinner together for the first time since having Ava last night. We had to twist my mother's arm to come babysit for us (yeah right, she's been practically begging me to go out so she could stay with Ava) while we went out for sushi. I had been craving sushi since, well probably since getting pregnant.

We went to a terrific restaurant, Hachi's Kitchen and ate our weight in sushi. We both ordered the chef's choice and a sashimi appetizer. The chef's special ended up being about 6 courses and dessert. By the end, we felt like we couldn't eat anymore yet we kept wolfing down whatever was put in front of us. It was so good! After dinner, we met a friend of ours out for a drink. Being at the bar on a Saturday night made me feel a little old. One of the first things I said upon walking in the bar was how loud it was in there.

Today we took Ava down to the Winterfest in Roscoe Village, a neighborhood near ours. There were sleigh rides, a trolley and the shops had specials. The maternity store on the street had a clay footprint ornament making table. We pressed Ava's foot into clay and now we have an ornament to remember Ava's first Christmas.

It's such a great idea. I'm thinking of getting some clay this week and making ornaments for the grandparents this year.

I'm not complaining, I'm just saying

2008-12-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

Ava has been asleep all day! This is amazing as naps were getting pretty sketchy.

Yesterday we decided that the moses basket has run it's course and it's time Ava starts sleeping in her crib. This was decided after a few nights of putting Ava to sleep with her feet almost touching the end of the basket and her waking up with her head almost touching the other end. We think because the basket rocks when she moves it wakes her up.

We got the baby monitor set up and last night, for pretty much the first time ever, we put Ava down for the night in her crib. She woke up once but the second time she fell asleep in the crib. She doesn't put herself to sleep often so this in itself was a big deal. She probably fell asleep finally at 8 or 8:3o and slept until 5:3o this morning. I wanted some more sleep so I put her back down and she slept until almost 9. Then she was acting fussy so I put her back down at 10:30 and she's been sleeping pretty much ever since! It's almost 1 pm now. I almost don't know what to do with myself with all of this free time. Oh wait, I know. There's always laundry and house cleaning and I bet Maury is on right now. I could always use some, "You are NOT the father!" (just kidding).

I think she may be waking up now, but could it be? Did she inherit her mother's love of sleep? I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself here. This could just be a fluke, but I'm baffled by how much she's slept already today.

Exploding Poo: Part 2

2008-12-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

We've gone through quite a few onesies (5 to be exact) today and it's not even 2 pm. A few were spit up on and a couple were poo-sploded on.

Ava and I went to the new moms group at the hospital where she was born today. It was nice to be out of the house and to be around other moms with their babies. Soon after we got there, I heard it. My baby has audible poops, must take after her father, and this one was no different. She was sleeping and stayed asleep so I figured it must have sounded worse than it was since it didn't seem to bother her. The minute she stirred, I got her out of her car seat to see that I was wrong. It wasn't that bad but it definitely called for a new outfit, which is too bad because her first outfit was so cute.

Then we got home. Fredo was holding Ava and heard the unmistakable sound of our baby crapping her pants. I took her to her room, laid her on her changing table, began to undress her and promptly called for back up. She had poo all over her back. While trying to figure out the best way to get her onesie off without getting poo everywhere, we had the following conversation.

Me: I feel like we should just cut it off.

Fredo: It's just poop, not like it's a gunshot wound or something.

I found that hysterical. I'm still laughing about it.

Thankful

2008-11-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

This year I am thankful for (in no particular order):

-My wonderful husband, who is a great father. Fredo, you make me laugh so hard every day and you are truly a wonderful partner.

-My beautiful daughter.

-Health, mine and my family's.

- My family, especially my mother who has been a tremendous help since Ava was born and is a terrific grandma.

-My friends, who I've probably seen more often since the baby was born than when I was pregnant. I could too easily spend most of my time in my house, especially since I'm not returning to work, but they have made sure to get me out, even once without Ava.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2 Months

2008-11-26T07:35:00.000-08:00

Dear Ava,

Today you are 2 months old. You started smiling this month, which replaces stretching as your father's favorite thing that you do. You smile several times a day and every time it melts my heart. The other night you were not in the mood to go to sleep. I came in to get you for the third time or so and you gave me the biggest smile when you saw me. How could I be mad at that?

Speaking of sleeping, you had some of your longest stretches of sleep this past month and also some of your shortest since you were first born. One night you slept about 10 hours, from 8 pm to about 6 am. It was terrific! Since then, you pretty much will sleep about 7-8 hours at a time at night. You go to sleep between 7:30 and 8:30 pm and will usually sleep until 3 or 4 am. We'll nurse and then you go back down until 6 or 7 am, giving your parents a pretty decent nights sleep. Last week, however, you decided you didn't want to sleep...ever. Naps were non-existent and it took many tries to get you to sleep at night. One night, Daddy even let you sleep on his chest for a few hours, just so you (and Mommy) would get some sleep. All in all, we lucked out, kiddo. You are a terrific sleeper!

Naps, on the other hand, are still unpredictable. You seem to be getting on more of a schedule and will go down for naps pretty regularly, as long as you are swaddled, but it is anyone's guess how long you will sleep. Sometimes you will sleep for a half hour and sometimes you will sleep for 3 hours.

You got half of your 2 month shots this month and you were a trouper. I think I was more upset about the shots than you were. The doctor said you are doing great and were in the 50th percentile for both height and weight.

You're growing like crazy and getting sturdier. Your cheeks are much chubbier now as are your legs and I think you are just getting cuter everyday.

We can't wait to see what the next month will bring!

I love you Peanut.

Love,
Mommy

Weight a Minute...

2008-11-24T06:55:00.000-08:00

I'm on a mission to start losing this baby weight. Ava is almost 2 months old so I figure it's time to begin to try.

I gained 50 (0k, closer to 60) lbs. while pregnant. I had always been thin, even skinny at times. I never weighed myself. I never had to worry about my weight or what I ate so I totally embraced the pregnant woman stereotype and indulged in nightly bowls (or cartons) of ice cream. Now I wish I gained a more manageable amount of weight.

I've already lost about half of the weight since giving birth and would like to lose the other 30 or so lbs. by the time Ava is 6 months old. I know it took me 9 months to gain the weight, I should allow myself 9 months to lose it, but honestly, I don't want to wait that long. I don't like what I see when I look in the mirror right now. I don't like the way I feel when I struggle to find clothes in my closet that fit and look halfway decent. I also can't replace all of the clothes in my closet with larger sizes. I have a pretty sizable wardrobe and the majority of it is too small right now. I need to fit into it again.

I realize I may never be a size 2 again and that the smallest jeans in my dresser may not fit. My body has changed. I have hips now that I didn't before. I just need to try to get back into some kind of shape. Actually, it would be nice to be in better shape than I was before I got pregnant. That might not be so hard as I was not in very good shape to begin with.

So last week I started eating better. I also started keeping a food journal. I figured that if I'm writing down everything I eat, I will be less likely to binge on junk food because I won't want to write down that I ate an entire bag of cookies in one sitting. I've been making an effort to cut out bread, except the occasional sandwich on whole wheat, and to eat more fruits and vegetables. I'm eating about 5 times a day since I am breastfeeding and need to keep my calorie intake up. I'm just trying to eat healthier.

I also want to make more of an effort to exercise. Since it's getting colder out, going for walks everyday just may not be possible. I got 2 exercising with baby DVDs last week and this morning I took advantage of one of the exercise videos that cable has on demand. I have a tendency to start exercising and then quit soon after. Maybe I should write down what I do for exercise too to keep myself from quitting.

I'm also setting goals for myself that I think I will post updates on periodically. My goals are:
1) Lose 10 lbs. by New Year's (15 would be even better but I'm trying to be realistic here).
2) Exercise at least 3 days a week.
3) Lose an additional 20 lbs. by March 26 (I've heard the last 10-15 lbs. are the hardest to lose so I will give myself some wiggle room on this one)
4) Wear a bikini next summer

I am not letting this "diet" effect my Thanksgiving though. I still plan on stuffing my face Thursday. I will just skip the apple pie for breakfast on Friday.

Hibernating

2008-11-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

It's only supposed to be 32 degrees today in Chicagoland and it may snow. Looking out my living room window, it looks gray and cold outside.

I remember being at work on days like this, when the weather was not the best, wishing I was home under a blanket, wearing sweatpants, drinking a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate. I think that's one of the thing I like most about staying home with my daughter. I can do that today if I choose, as long as I do it during nap time. But first I need to do laundry, take a shower, give Ava some tummy time and it wouldn't hurt to swiffer.

Well, at least I don't need to go outside to do any of that.

7 weeks

2008-11-14T12:44:00.000-08:00

I took Ava for her shots today. She got 2 and a vaccination she had to drink. My job was to hold her arms while the medical assistant shot her up.

Now I don't like shots. I don't really like needles, which is kind of funny considering I have had multiple things pierced over the years and have 3 tattoos, one of which took 2 or 3 hours during which the needle was more or less on my spine. I figured my 7 week old daughter would react similarly to how I would, you know, since she's a baby and all. Because she cries all of the time, one would think she would scream her little head off when a needle was inserted into her leg muscle. One would be wrong. She barely flinched. I was staring into her eyes, trying not to cry myself because I did not want to see the needle go into her leg and all she did was let out a 2 second cry after the second needle. She calmed right down afterward.

I guess she takes after her daddy on this one.

Yesterday

2008-11-12T08:25:00.001-08:00

My solo trip to the mall went as well as could be expected. We left right after Ava's nap and post nap feeding. She slept in her car seat the whole way there and slept in her stroller most of the time. There was only one time when she got a little fussy but there were no ear splitting cries and once the stroller started moving again, she conked out again. I was able to browse pretty much uninterrupted. After a little while, I felt my luck was starting to run out and that I should head out. The trip back took awhile due to traffic but she was still quiet. All in all, it was a good afternoon and it was nice to do something different.

Field Trip

2008-11-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling adventurous today (and maybe a little murderous too since the roof isn't finished yet and there is oh so much banging and yelling). I'm taking Ava to the mall... by myself. I've only ever gone out like this with Fredo so today will be interesting.

I feel like I need to get out of the house for a bit today and since it's Veteran's Day, there are sales to take advantage of. Why not start my Christmas shopping early for once?

Wish me luck!

Girls Night Out

2008-11-08T08:03:00.001-08:00

I went out to dinner with my girls last night and had a great time. It was so nice to get out of the house for a few hours and to have a great meal and glass of wine.

We went to a restaurant in my neighborhood called Chalkboard. It's such a cute place with a really interesting menu. From what I understand, the menu changes often depending on what the chef wants to make and what's in season. There's a giant chalkboard on the wall detailing their many (delicious sounding) specials. We all had such a hard time deciding what to order. Interestingly enough, their specialty is fried chicken and mashed potatoes. One of my friends ordered it and it was delicious.

When we got to the restaurant, it was pretty empty, which worked out well since we had some catching up to do. As the it got later, the place got busier. A couple came in as we were eating and we had a great time listening to them. The woman seemed, um shall we say, hard to please. We overheard her complain about sitting next to the window since the restaurant is across the street from a diner that advertises "Waffle House Chicken". She even made her dining companion switch seats with her, although she was still next to the window so I don't know what good it did. We ended up tuning out her bitching.

After a delightful meal, we were gathering up our coats. I happened to look over at that couple and noticed the woman had ordered the fried chicken. I laughed all the way out of the restaurant. For someone so offended by the waffle house chicken across the street, it struck me as quite funny that she ended up ordering the fried chicken from Chalkboard. I hope she enjoyed it so the man she was with didn't have to listen to her.

Naps? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Naps

2008-11-07T09:16:00.001-08:00

We are getting a new roof. It is very, very noisy. Consequently, nap time is suffering for Ava and for myself.

I'm going out to dinner tonight with my girlfriends which will require me to stay up until at least 9 pm. Of course today was my 6 week lady parts check up at 9 am so I was up at 6 to make sure I would be on time. I had planned on napping today while Ava took a nap but with all the noise, I just don't think that's going to happen. If she does fall asleep anytime soon, I don't think I'll be able to sleep.

I hope my friends don't mind when I yawn my way through dinner.

I really shouldn't complain since we are getting a new roof and maybe, just maybe, the ceiling will stop leaking when it rains, which it's supposed to do tonight. And then maybe snow tomorrow. Yeah, getting the roof replaced before the snow comes is probably a good idea.

History

2008-11-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

Last night we made history as we elected our first African-American president.

I'm excited about what Barack Obama will do as president, for the future and for my daughter, who will never know a time where it was impossible to picture a black man being elected to lead this country.

Now, if only we can do the same thing for a woman (who's not a "maverick" from Alaska).

Election Day

2008-11-04T08:25:00.001-08:00

I just got back from doing my civic duty...at a bar.

My polling place was the back of a bar called "Silvie's" or "Sylvie's", depending on which sign you choose to believe. This room is used for bands and DJs, so there weren't any taps or anything there but there was a stage, DJ booth, jukebox and something no polling place should be without, a disco ball.

In any event, it served its purpose and Fredo and I voted. Now to watch election speculation all day.

Blue Monday

2008-11-03T09:32:00.001-08:00

Oh blog, how I've been neglecting you recently.

Things have been pretty slow here lately. I've been trying to get out of the house for walks here and there to take advantage of the insanely wonderful weather we've been having but it's sometimes hard to do between nursing, napping and changing my shirt because I've been spit up on for the eighth time today (seriously, it's 11:30 and I've been spit up on twice already).

I don't want to jinx it but Ava has been sleeping like a champ lately. Yesterday, I put her down at 8:30 pm (realizing at 7:45 that she has no idea we changed the clocks and that she was probably tired) and she slept until 5 am.

Since we had a good night's sleep Fredo decided to hit the gym bright and early this morning. He got up at 5, changed Ava, got himself ready, went out to the car and the car wouldn't start. Hopefully it's just the battery and it's not a bigger problem. We'll see tonight when my mom and her fiance come over to jump start our car.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

1 month

2008-10-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Ava,

Today you are 1 month old. I can't believe it's already been a month. All those months I waited, not always patiently for you to arrive and now you've been here for a month already. It really did fly by and has been pretty wonderful.

This month, you rolled over (once, we're still trying to get the hang of it), surprising your doctor and your parents. You've also started to find your voice. Instead of just crying, you are oohing and ahhing and sometimes making cute little monkey noises.

I hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying this but you are a very good sleeper. You usually go to sleep between 9 and 10 pm, sleep until 12 or 1 (or 2 if we're really lucky), up again to eat, back to sleep until 4 or 5, up to snack again and then back down until 8 am. If you're really fussy at night, Daddy has been good about getting up with you and giving you a bottle so that I can sleep.

You've also met 2 of your 3 sets of grandparents and lots of your parents friends this month. Let me tell you, once you are in their arms, no one wants to put you down! In the next few months, you will be meeting your great-grandmother and your other grandparents. I'm sure they will love you as much as everyone else who has met you.

We're so happy you're here, Peanut. It's been a great month.

I love you.

Blah Friday

2008-10-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged all week but nothing much has been going on.

Ava is 4 weeks old today and will be a month old on Sunday.

She has been sleeping fairly well (except during the day, unless she is being held) and eating regularly. I spend most of my day with a boob hanging out.

I've been trying to get out for walks as often as possible and have cut down my sweatpants wearing to 2 days a week.

Ah, life with a new baby. It is wonderful.

So...

2008-10-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

I quit my job yesterday.

The plan (since May or so) was for me to stay home with the peanut but I pretended like I totally planned on going back to the frat house (aka my former office). The last thing I wanted was to get fired while waiting for my maternity leave to begin. Yesterday I called the HR rep, got her voicemail and ended up emailing her my "resignation". Ah well, whatever works.

I am now officially a stay at home mom.

Peanut and the Exploding Poop

2008-10-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

We had our first experience with projectile poo today. Fredo was changing the baby while I was in another room. I heard him yell, followed by laughter. I went into Ava's room to see what was so funny and that's when I saw the poo. It was all over the changing table and managed to make it to the bookshelf several feet away. We were quite shocked.

Right now we're in the middle of un-happy hour. She always seems to be fussy in the evenings starting around 5 or so and tonight is no exception.

2 Weeks

2008-10-10T18:07:00.000-07:00

Ava is 2 weeks old today. It's so insane that only 2 weeks and 1 day ago I was wondering when the baby would just hurry up and get here already and today our baby has been here for 2 whole weeks.

We had another pediatrician appointment today and all is well. The doctor is satisfied with her weight gain and said we could stop with the formula if we wanted. We're going back to strictly breastfeeding but know that we always have formula as a back up.

While at the pediatrician, the doctor put Ava on her stomach and boy, was she active. The doctor asked us if Ava had been trying to roll over. She had rolled onto her side before while sleeping but I didn't really think anything of it. The doctor was curious and left Ava on her stomach. In just a minute or two, Ava flipped over onto her back! We were stunned. I'm so proud of my little girl.

Of course, we've tried to get her to roll over again this evening with no luck. I know how we're spending our weekend!

Success!

2008-10-08T08:22:00.001-07:00

I'm considering today a success, even though it's only 10:15 am. Ava (and consequently I) slept from 10:30 pm until 3:30 am and then again from 4:30 am until 6:30ish so I'm feeling fairly rested. She also napped once already this morning which means I've actually showered and brushed my teeth already today!

Seriously, how do people with babies make it anywhere on time in the morning? The few times so far we've had to be at the doctor's at a certain time, I've started preparing 2 hours in advance. Gone are the days of getting ready and running out the door in under an hour.

Weigh In

2008-10-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

We had our weight check yesterday. Ava had lost another ounce so the doctor told us we needed to supplement. We're feeding her at least every 3 hours and adding an ounce of formula after the boob. What's amazing is that after just about every feeding, she has zonked out for about 3 hours each time. She was incredibly quiet last night and allowed Fredo and I to sleep pretty much uninterrupted (besides waking up to feed every 3 hours). I think we each got about 6 hours or so of sleep.

Right now, she's in her moses basket, not sleeping but not making a sound.

We go back to the doctor tomorrow morning to see how we're doing. I'm not sure how long we're going to have continue to supplement but we'll see what they say.

Insert Title Here

2008-10-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

I'm the first of any of my friends to have a baby. I'm starting to wonder if they "get it".

In the past day, I have received a few calls, texts or emails from friends. The first call came the other night (well, voice mail anyway). My friend just moved in with her fiance and spent all day moving. The message went something like this, "Hi Bailey, Just calling to see how you and the baby are doing. I spent all day moving and I'm so tired". Now, not to discount my friend's excitement and the exhaustion of moving, but really? You're tired? My husband and I have had a total of maybe 20 hours of sleep in the past week...maybe.

Last night, I received a text message from a friend who was out at a fashion show. She and I had gone to this show together last year and I would have gone with her this year if not for the baby. She texted that she was sitting across the runway from Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz. Ok, that's cool. She followed it up today with an email detailing how cool the show and the gift bag were and blah, blah, blah. I would have loved to go to this show but it was not in the cards. No big deal though.

I just checked my email and got one from another friend. This email was inviting me to a beer tasting event that's going on sometime this month. It seems like the email was sent to her entire address book or something but still.

I know the world doesn't stop because I had a baby, but it made me and my husband laugh this evening...and then we yawned.

5 Days

2008-10-01T15:53:00.000-07:00

Fredo and I have been parents for 5 days now. How weird. We're getting used to it but there are some things we're having trouble adjusting to, like NO SLEEP!! The baby has actually let us get some sleep, but definitely not what we were used to. Fredo's been great about getting up at night and all. I've been trying to breast feed in bed when she wakes up in the middle of the night but I'm not sure how I'm liking that so far. We're, obviously, still trying to work out the kinks.

In other baby news, she had her first pediatrician appointment yesterday and lost about a lb. since leaving the hospital. The doctor didn't seem concerned but mentioned we may have to supplement with formula if she continued to lose weight. We go back tomorrow for another weigh in. In the meantime, I've been feeding her like crazy...which works out well because my milk came in and my boobs are SORE.

Every day has been something different and will continue to be. It's unpredictable but I'm just so glad our little peanut is finally here.

Introducing...

2008-09-29T08:17:00.001-07:00

Ava Marie Rodriguez

Born September 26 at 6:47 PM.

7 lbs., 1.6 oz.

19 1/2 inches long

She's Here!

2008-09-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

Must See TV

2008-09-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday and that means the season premiere of The Office!!! I can't wait.

I will also be DVR'ing Grey's Anatomy but I do not subject Fredo to that.

Which reminds me, I need to check our DVR and make sure all of my stories are going to be recorded in case I go into labor during The Hills or something.

Pregnancy Update

2008-09-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

Yup, still pregnant. Tomorrow is my actual due date.

Since finding out I was pregnant, I always assumed the baby would be late. I was late and first babies in general usually are. But a couple of weeks ago I went to my doctor who said I was 2 cm dilated already and wouldn't be surprised if I didn't make it to my next appointment. Well, I did and to another one after that. I blame him for making me so antsy.

I had an appointment yesterday and with my due date rapidly approaching, the doctor scheduled my induction, just in case. If Peanut doesn't come on out on her own, we're inducing labor October 1. I will definitely have a kid in a week, if not sooner.

We also went ahead and scheduled a non stress test for Friday morning with a follow up appointment with my doctor on Monday.

I had some pretty intense contractions about 2 weeks ago and then nothing since so we'll see how this all shakes out.

I hope she comes out soon because I'm getting a little tired of watching daytime television. Today I caught myself watching Martha Stewart and Maury. Yikes! Although this sleeping in thing is working out nicely for me.

Crazy Neighbors

2008-09-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

No baby yet so to pass the time, I'm scaring the neighbors.

Our neighbors are weird. I haven't really met them so I'm speculating here but I think there are weird for two reasons.

One, they have a diamond shaped window in their door and obviously don't want people (us) seeing inside. Ok, that doesn't make them so weird. I wouldn't want people looking into my apartment from the porch either. What is weird is how they deter people from looking into their apartment. They have a drawing (not a very good one either) of a man and a woman holding hands that has been taped up in the window. What wasn't taken into consideration when drafting this masterpiece was that the window is a diamond, not a square so the picture is on it's side. (I wondered if I could sneak downstairs and take a picture to post here but didn't want to get caught but take my word for it, it's just bizarre).

Two, the woman is afraid of dogs... all dogs... including my 9 lb. chihuahua/mini pincer mix. She is, apparently, terrified of dogs. She had told my husband this one day when she ran into him walking our dog. This morning, I got my taste of the crazy. I was coming back from walking our dog and was about to open the door to our apartment. Cora was sitting on the porch, waiting to get upstairs when she heard the neighbors door about to open. Now, Cora is a very friendly dog and always wants to say hi. I had our door open and was trying to get Cora inside but the dog was distracted. The woman opened the dog, obviously saw Cora standing in front of her door, screamed and slammed the door. I had to get Cora inside quickly before I burst out laughing on our porch.

Maybe this is mean of me, but it was damn funny.