My Life - Happy New Year!

2014 has been pretty amazing. Just to name a few of the incredible things that happened this year:

• We enjoyed a long weekend in Santa Barbara to celebrate our babymoon and our anniversary
• Our little girl was born!
• Lots of family came to visit to see our baby girl
• We went to Ohio to celebrate Christmas with family

Each year of my life seems to get better and better. But getting old is weird! I'm going to be turning 30 here in less than 6 months. I can't believe it! I still often feel too young to be married yet alone have a child :)

I'm beyond excited for the next year and the years beyond. Watching Ryley grow up is going to be pretty amazing, just the past 6 months has been amazing. Here are some of Ryley's accomplishments in 2014:

• She slept through the night for the first time at 6 weeks from 10 pm - 7 am
• She rolled over for the first time at a play date at 3.5 months
• She began sitting up at 5.5 months 
• She took swim lessons and LOVED it
• We took our first flight to Ohio for the holidays

It's been a blast being a mom. This next year is going to bring with it some pretty amazing things. We are going to start gym class soon, sign language and get to celebrate Ryley's 1st birthday! We have lots of vacations planned as well; we are going to Arizona in June, Seattle in August, and Ohio again for Thanksgiving. 

2015 is the year of health for Matt and I. We've been learning more and more about clean eating. We aren't going crazy and changing everything right now but we are learning to make better choices. I've been getting into my barre classes so working out has finally become FUN!

What are you looking forward to in 2015?

Friend Life - Friendsgiving

Matt and I LOVE hosting events at our place. Usually we go over board and make way too much food. We've been working to get better at that in the past few years so this year for Friendsgiving we did Potluck style! Sadly I forgot to take a picture :(

There was so much great food. Matt and I did a little competition to see who would make the best turkey. I did a traditional one - no brining but with herb butter and shallots. Matt used our infared fryer and beer can turkey. In the end we really couldn't decide who's was better, so we are both awesome :)

We love getting together and enjoying good food and drink with friends. I wish we could actually fit more at our house :) We tend to have a few parties a year but the best ones always stem around some sort of dinner party.

On actual Thanksgiving Matt and I enjoyed taking Ryley to Turkey Trot. We did it last year and thought we'd make it a tradition. Our plan is actually to do it every year, wherever we live. Next year we may be spending Thanksgiving in Ohio so we'll have to see if there is a Turkey Trot near there.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!!

Baby Life - 4 Months

I love the 4 month age, Ryley is SO fun. She smiles a lot, except when I'm taking pictures, giggles, "talks" and plays games. It's awesome! She's becoming so much aware of the world around her and enjoys being outside to investigate the world.

There is a thing called "4 month sleep regression" which I guess is the downside of this age. Ryley hasn't gone super crazy in this regression but has done a bit. She used to sleep totally through the night but recently has started waking once or twice a night. Sometimes just crying out for a couple minutes and other times wanting to feed. And my "mommy ears" have really turned on because I hear her crying even before I ever hear her on the monitor (guess I don't need that guy anymore).

Adorable!

I still feel lucky though because I'm in a Facebook group and people are talking about the troubles they are going through. There is this thing called Wonder Weeks and I guess around 4 months is called Leap 4. It's a great developmental stage - and you can see it. It's awesome. The way she looks around, taking in everything, it is truly amazing to watch. All that "learning" she is doing during the day is what affects her sleep. She started rolling over so that has definitely affected her falling asleep; when she rolls over she starts crying and hasn't learned to roll back over to her back. But she LOVES sleeping on her belly once she's actually asleep.

The past two nights we are back to sleeping full nights and I'm SO thankful! Even if she isn't making me get up to comfort her I still struggle getting back to sleep. You'd think since I don't even get out of bed it wouldn't affect me much in the morning but I can feel a huge difference when I get the full 8 hours uninterrupted. It's truly wonderful. We are almost done with this "regression" so hopefully her sleeping habits continue. Next up - teething...we'll see how that one goes!

Thanks!

Sorority Life - Initiation

The thing that makes each sorority different from the next is our ritual. It's the secrets that bind us together. Sadly in this day and age you can find lots of things online about the ritual of various sororities; it makes me sad that people put this information out there.

Anyways....the chapter I'm advising has Initiation this weekend. This is when our new members, we call them Alphas, become sisters, we call them Deltas. (As a note: when you graduate you become a Pi, so Alpha Delta Pi). It's a few days of just sisterhood. It's a time to go deeper in your relationships with your sisters and bring our new members into the sisterhood. It's all very exciting!

My initiation was May 2005...wow I can't believe it was almost 10 years ago! I'll be honest, I don't remember a ton about my own initiation. As a new member you aren't sure what the course of events are going to be and it goes by quickly. But as a Delta it is so awesome being a part of bringing the new members into our sisterhood. I always loved bringing my little Diamond Sisters through initiation. Bringing more women into our sisterhood and sharing everything that I love about my sorority was an exciting thing for me.

Ashlei and I hanging out on our bench! No other sorority has a landmark on campus :)

At my school on Blue and White Day we had a small ceremony at the Philomathian bench on our campus. The Philomathian Society was at ASU long ago and gave this bench to Alpha Delta Pi. We were installed on October 14th, 1950 and the second oldest chapter at ASU. It's amazing to see how long we've been on campus. I feel old but I love seeing the pictures and hearing the stories of how my chapter is doing. I also love being an advisor to this other chapter. It all brings me back to the many initiations I was a part of. Sharing our secrets with our new members to continue the legacy of our sisterhood.

Pi Love!

Park Life - Fun Friday

We had a great morning! Ryley woke up with smiles as usual. My favorite part of the day is waking that little girl up. Her smiles make me so happy :)

After getting her up she enjoyed some time in her bouncy seat playing with her monkeys while I got  a much needed shower. Showers are harder to come by these days ha.

Then we enjoyed a great morning with our Las Madres mommas. We went to the most serene park in the middle of the cutest Los Gatos neighborhood, it was Bachman Park.



Bachman Park in Los Gatos

We were at the park from about 11-12:30. It was relatively quiet with a few kids playing on the playground. The park is pretty small with large grass area and a small play area. Ryley is still young so we aren't to the stage of playing on the structures yet.

Pros:

• The setting is very nice and quiet. Perfect for relaxing
• Small park so you can see everywhere
• Those who were there were very friendly
• Great location to grab lunch from downtown Los Gatos restaurant and enjoy it outside

Cons:

• Not much parking if it were to get busy, there was plenty when I was there but not sure how a weekend might be
• Small play area

I want to take my husband back here. I can't put my finger on it exactly but I just felt calm at that park. My husband loves being outside so I figure it's a good option for us to hang out. Grab lunch from somewhere in downtown and enjoy this amazing fall weather we are having.

Thanks!

Baby Life - Happiness

My grandma Virginia and aunt Laura came into town last week and we had so much fun, more on that in another post! Anyways while they were here they came to swim class with Ryley and I. Laura video taped us while we practiced Ryley going under water. Later I watched the video and I realized that I haven't seen myself that happy in...well in a very very long time.

Being a mom is actually a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. I was always so nervous that I was going to miss work and resent my little one for having to leave work (even though it was my decision). I love waking up every morning and getting to spend the day with her. I love taking her out and showing her new things; watching her discover the world around her.

I've really enjoyed all the things I've gotten to do with Ryley. She's only 4 months so it's only going to get more awesome from here! Right now we just do swim class (and play date stuff) but I'd love to do gym classes, music classes, and sign language in the future. We also plan on continuing the swim classes, it is a lot of fun.

 

I asked Matt if I seemed happier and he even said yes. He said I just seem more at peace and not so  "go, go, go" all the time so I'm living in the moment. My life is different and I'm enjoying it in a totally new way. I still have to keep myself busy, as I've mentioned in a couple other posts I'm still super involved, but it's just different. It's a slower life but it brings me so much joy. Being a momma is pretty damn amazing!

Thanks :)

Sorority Life - Diamond Sisters

This is my first post in a serious about sorority life. When I was in school, I LOVED being in a sorority. I was just looking back through pictures and it made me smile to think about all of the fun adventures. I realized I didn't take enough pictures; I wish I had more to look back on.

Since I loved it so much in college I decided to stay involved as an alumnae. When I moved to San Jose I became an advisor 2 weeks after moving here! I am the Recruitment and Marketing advisor for our Santa Clara chapter and I love every second of it.

This week it is Big/Little Diamond Sister reveal and chapter retreat. It makes me think back to my experiences. I loved being a big diamond sister and still keep in touch with most of my little diamond sisters, even if it's just a Facebook message every so often. Here is a picture of a couple of my littles:

Elissa, Cameron, Chelsea, Caitlin and I
 

This isn't all my littles but just the only picture I could find. Elissa became part of our "crew" when her big graduated so I took her under my wing you could say. I wish I could find the picture I took at formal my last year where it had all my littles, grand littles, and great grand littles. It's amazing the bond that can happen by being a big or little diamond sister to someone.

At the beginning, becoming a big diamond sister is kind of awkward. You may not know the person and aren't sure what you're supposed to be doing. What if you don't have anything in common? But in the end that isn't what a big/little diamond relationship is about. It's about being there. It's about taking them out to fun things and meet people. It's about introducing them to the most amazing sorority ever!

You don't have to be best friends with your little. That's not what the relationship is meant for. Sure it's great if that happens but what is more important is just being there for her. Sending a quick text wishing her luck on an exam or just to have a great day. Helping her get ready for a fun evening or a social event. Providing a shoulder to lean on and someone to laugh with. Someone to help them get through that crazy time called college.

Even now 6 years after graduating I still keep in touch with these ladies; some more than others. The joy of Facebook is that I can see how they are all doing and what sorts of amazing things they are doing with their lives.

At my baby shower in AZ Chelsea came and my great grand little even sent me a card. These women truly impacted my time in the sorority and college; I hope I was able to do the same for them!

Thanks!

Baby Life - Crying...

As a new parent crying can be a bit scary. You see the face on your little one and it hurts to see and/or hear them crying. And as a parent we want to make our baby feel better.

But sometimes crying isn't bad. I believe that crying can be part of the growing process for little babies. They need to learn to self sooth themselves so that they don't rely on mom or dad for everything. I wanted to share with your our process for working with Ryley for day time naps.

Age 0-1 Months

• During this time getting her to sleep was actually pretty easy because babies just tend to sleep a lot. I didn't stress too much about it and I often let her sleep on me or just in her rock n play. During the night she actually slept on me while I slept in a rocking chair. It wasn't the best idea but it worked at the time.

Age 1-2 Months

• I realized I needed to stop sleeping in the rocking chair so I told myself that if I could do two weeks of sleeping in my own bed I'd get myself a new Kate Spade wallet I really wanted. And it worked! If you are struggling with something give yourself a reward. A mani/pedi, a massage, a new purse, whatever it is that will motivate you DO IT!
• At this point we worked on getting her to a more structured schedule. We were trying to follow a babywise type schedule. Feeding every 2.5-3 hours with around an hr nap in there as well.
• When it came to crying we followed this:
• Put her down and if she cried let her cry for 2 minutes then go in
• When we go in we'd try to calm her in her bed for 30 seconds before picking her up
• Once we picked her up we'd shhh her until she calmed down and then we'd put her back down
• If she started crying while we were putting her down we'd still put her down all the way before picking her up and shhing again
• Once she was down that time I'd leave the room. If she started crying again this time I'd wait 3 minutes and then follow the same process above
• I would go thru this process until I had been trying for about 30 minutes. At that point I'd go ahead and sit down and try to rock her and do whatever needed to happen to get her to sleep

Age 2-3 Months

• We still followed the same process as above but the timing changed to 3 minutes on the first time we go in and 5 minutes on those after
• We never really ended up going in more than 3 times. If I have to go in a 4th time then I'll usually try to get her to sleep somewhere else (her swing, her rocker, etc.)
• We also moved to a 4 hour feeding schedule, this was seriously the best thing we ever did! I felt like a whole new person who wasn't just a milk machine anymore. Plus her naps are actually longer (usually 1 hr nap in the morning and a 2 hour nap in the afternoon with a 30 minute cat nap in the evening)

Age 3-4 Months

• Still same process but now we wait 5 minutes
• Sometimes we'll turn on her mobile, it really helps her fall asleep and now most times I don't even have to go in at all. It's been working very well
• She also switched to sleeping a bit more during the day (2 hr nap in the morning and afternoon and still the cat nap in the evening)

And that is where we are at now. Seriously one of my favorite things was moving to the 4 hour feeding schedule. I felt like a new woman and felt like I could actually get things done during the day. I get longer stretches of quality time with her but also longer stretches of time to do stuff around the house (or write in my blog :) )

Thanks!

My Life - Workaholic

Back when I was working I LOVED my job. I'm still sad sometimes that I'm not doing it anymore but I know I wouldn't be able to handle full time mom and full time work....that's because I'm a workaholic. When I was working before I was working 60 hour weeks including most every night and most weekends. Even if I had Ryley in day care during the day, what would I do at night? I loved my job so much I couldn't stop working. And Matt is the same way; we couldn't have two workaholic parents. So Matt and I made the decision that one of us would stay home, and, well since he made far more money than I, it's me that gets to stay home.

Given my workaholic tendencies though I knew I'd need other things to keep me busy and provide adult stimulation. So I continued with my sorority stuff I was already doing, Recruitment and Marketing Advisor as well as Alumnae Association President, and I joined a mom's group. The mom's group is kind of set up like the sorority. There is an over arching exec board which is then broken down into the year the child was born and then broken down into areas of the city. I joined 3 groups for the 2014 year - Los Gatos, Willow Glen and South Valley. And like normal I took on leadership roles.

Here is what I did prior to baby:
Work
Recruitment and Marketing Advisor
Alumnae Association President
Alumnae Association Panhellenic Delegate

And what I'm doing post baby:
Momma
Recruitment and Marketing Advisor
Alumnae Association President
Alumnae Association Panhellenic Delegate
NMC for Los Gatos and South Valley Play Group
Treasurer for Willow Glen
Director of Special Events for Las Madres Exec
2014 Club VP

So yeah - I'm doing more things than prior to baby but just things that take up a lot less time. And things that aren't required in order to get paid so if I'm slow or late on something it's ok :) I love being a busy person and I love giving back to the organizations that have given to me.

I give back to my sorority because it is what got me through college. And it brought me some of my greatest friends and memories.

I'm now giving back to the mom's group that has helped me during these first few months of being a momma. It's nice to have a reason to get out of the house each day. The mom's group is that reason. Play date, mom's night out, all sorts of fun things that get me out meeting other mommas and get Ryley interaction with other kids.

So although I'm no longer working I'm still just as much a workaholic as ever :)

Thanks!

Baby Life - The Second Best Day of My Life

Some people might say it's sad that I'm calling the birth of my child the second best day of my life so I want to start this post out by sharing the BEST day of my life.

 

The best day of my life was the day I married my husband. I couldn't have asked for a better man to spend the rest of my life with. And our party of a wedding was truly fabulous. Those of you reading this probably already know the story so I won't share it here, but the reason I say it's the best day of my life? I wouldn't have had the second best day of my life without the first. I am beyond lucky to have found my husband and the day we got married is the day that determined the rest of my life. Without that day I wouldn't have my daughter. That day I was SO happy, I still remember every detail!

So now onto the second best day of my life. I'll share with you Ryley's birth story.

On July 3rd I was wrapping up things at work and begin feeling slight contractions but nothing was painful yet. By about 7 or 8 that night I was definitely having full on contractions. They still weren't that painful though. They continued and at about 2am we finally decided to go to the hospital. My contractions had been about a minute apart for quite a few hours at that point.

We got there and at first they check you out to see if you should be admitted. The nurse asked me on a scale from 1 to 10 how my pain level was. I said a 4. She told me I probably wasn't ready to be admitted but that she'd still check, ha! Apparently a level 4 wasn't high enough to be in real labor :) Well the nurse was right, I was still only 2 centimeters which I had been for over a week. The nurse gave me a shot of morphine to help me sleep and then we headed up.

Once home I was able to sleep for a bit. I woke up about 7 or 8 and I was definitely having full on contractions at that point. I was still comfortable enough so we put on Longmire, thank you Netflix, and hung out on the couch. I wanted to make sure I waited this one out since the last time we went to the hospital they sent me home. So I went for a long while and around 2 or 3pm I decided that if the contractions got much worse I wasn't going to want to have to sit in the car to drive to the hospital so we should go now. The hospital is about 25 minutes away so I knew it was going to be an uncomfortable ride, and that it was!

When we got there they didn't even bother checking me out, they could tell from my face I was ready to go. We got all situated and checked in and I was told I was dilated to 7cm. WOW, I couldn't believe I had stayed at home from 2cm to 7cm! I was honestly kind of proud of myself for that one. The nurses kept asking me about pain meds, but I really wasn't certain what I wanted still. I was proud of myself for getting to 7cm but the contractions were continuing to get worse so I didn't know if I could go without anything. I waited a bit longer and then asked for the phentenol. I wanted to try that one first so that I could still get up and move around. The nurses from my birthing class told me it would feel like having a giant margarita; that sounded fun!

I got the phentenol and a few moments later Matt was calling to the nurse about the baby's heart rate. The nurse rushed over and saw that her heart rate was dropping so they rolled me over onto my side and it thankfully went back up. Because of that, they wouldn't let me get out of bed any longer so the whole reason I did the phentenol, over the epidural, was no longer applicable. I tried to keep going on just the phentenol but I finally gave in. I was crying during every contraction and couldn't talk. Luckily my amazing husband knew exactly what I was "saying". He told the nurse I was ready for the epidural. A little while later I got it and all was right in the world!

That epidural is pretty amazing. We had been at the hospital for a few hours at that point. I honestly don't even remember it since I was in so much pain, it was all a bit of a blur....until I got the epidural. After I got it the nurse said she'd come back in about 3 hours to see how I was doing. Matt and I turned on the TV and watched random shows about building awesome pools, very exciting stuff.

After 3 hours the nurse came back to check on me. I wasn't feeling much pain at this point, I could still feel my contractions but they weren't painful. Her first reaction was "whoa we are ready to go"! And so the pushing began! Since I had an epidural I still wasn't in pain so honestly this part was pretty awesome! I could feel the contractions and feel myself pushing but without the pain. I'm glad I got to feel what I was doing. The nurse went to go see where my doctor was, came back, and told us she was delivering another baby so we'd just do little pushes until she was finished. Hmmmm....we thought, "hope it doesn't take too long". The nurse directed Matt to grab a new when it was time to push. What a great husband, he really did amazing! My contractions were 3 minutes apart at this point so I didn't have to push for very long stretches at a time which was nice.

The doctor finally arrived and I swear like 20 minutes later little Ryley was here!! She was born at 10:55pm on July 4th weighing 6lbs 8ounces and 18 3/4 inches long.

Giving birth was my greatest fear prior to doing it; once I did it, it was the most amazing thing I had ever done. The moment she was "free" I started crying and so did Matt. It was absolutely amazing! I love this little girl more than anything, just writing this post makes me want to cry. I am SO excited to see her grow up.

 

So that's the story of how our little one arrived into the world...and we couldn't be happier!

Baby Life - Change in Season

So it's finally becoming fall around here. It started to get cooler and then was back up in the 90's again. I'm excited for Fall, with no AC in this house I'm over the heat. However I never thought about the cooler weather when picking clothes for Ryley. So I didn't have a ton of pants in the 0-3 size range so I decided to make some for her!

Love these trendy pants!

So far I've made her two pair but they are little SO dang easy I'm totally going to make her more. This is even easier than the dresses I've made for her; they only take about 25 minutes. And making them various sizes is easy. I went through my closet a few weeks ago and kept a few of the stretchy jersey items to use for more pants.

One of my favorite of her outfits, love the colors!

I want to figure out how to do onsies too but that's a lot more difficult since they have nice seams and such. Maybe some day :) Next summer I plan on making more dresses too, those are fun to make. I also love making her those headbands, especially since her hair is so flat it gives her head a little something extra. Soon I'm going to open an Etsy store and sell those and some other things I sew. Not trying to make a living or anything, just something fun to do on the side.

Next I'll have to buy some fleece to make fleece pants for winter!

Thanks,

Fit Life - Weigh in Wednesday

So...let's start with me. I really still haven't lost any weight but I haven't been very strict on everything. I definitely haven't been watching closely what I eat, opps. I had a friend visit this past week so we went out a lot and drank a bit as well. It's hard finding the balance and remembering to always put in my food to my food diary thing. That is my goal for next week.

My goal for this week is to get to Barre class twice! I've already registered, Wednesday and Friday, so that definitely encourages me to go since I've already paid. Thank goodness for Sally and getting me to go to the first class. I'm always nervous going to the first class but once I do that, and enjoy it, then I'm ok going on my own.

With my moms group I'm trying to find someone to go to a stroller fitness class with me too. Again I just need a friend to start with me and then I'll feel more confident.

Now the fun part, RYLEY! She's doing great. She's been gaining more than well. She's up to about 11.5lbs now and over 23 inches long. I love seeing her grow! I was looking at past pictures and it is seriously just so crazy how much she's grown. Check it out:

A little blurry but she's so little!



Her little legs are getting so chunky!

Baby Life - Mommy Groups

Out for a mom's group play date!

One of the best things I did for myself, and likely for Ryley later in life, was to join moms groups. I absolutely LOVE my groups. Having them there, as someone to ask advice to and just a reason to get out of the house, is so helpful. We joined a group called Las Madres. We are in three playgroups within Las Madres. Las Madres is split up by year and then by area so we joined South Valley, Willow Glen and Los Gatos.

With the moms groups there is literally enough stuff for me to have something to do with her at least 4 days a week. I was a little nervous in the beginning, would it be too much? But honestly it keeps me sane. Right now she is feeding every 4 hours and doing 3 naps a day. So it's nice to get out during one of her awake times to do something. It helps the day go by faster and gives me some adult conversation.

I highly recommend moms to get involved, whether their little one is 1 month, 1 year or any age. It's great to have a support system. Plus it's nice that all the kids are within a year of her age. She's one of the younger right now but that just means I have other moms to ask questions to and give me advice. Having others that just went through it to talk to is great!

Plus as Ryley gets older she'll have immediate friends. My oldest friend is fourth grade; how cool would it be if Ryley had a friend from birth? Crazy! Likely that won't happen since we don't plan on staying in CA forever, but still that option could totally happen with these moms groups.

Heading out for moms group!

Like my usual self I'm doing plenty of volunteering with the group. I am a strong believer in volunteering for the organizations that you believe have helped you. It's just like the sorority, they supported me through college, and now my moms group is supporting me through this parenting thing. So here are my volunteer positions:

1. New Member Coordinator for Los Gatos and South Valley Play Group
2. Treasurer for Willow Glen Play Group
3. 2014 Club VP
4. Director at Large - Special Events for Las Madres

Typical me :) I got an email double checking that I was ok with all these positions...obviously I am. Totally my style to get myself crazy involved. I love keeping myself busy. Plus I have great support from Matt; he's SO helpful with Ryley and loves spending time with her. I won the husband and baby jackpot!

So for all the moms out there - if you haven't already I highly encourage you to check out moms groups in your areas. It's well worth it!

Thanks!

Baby Life - The Newborn Stage

So many of the baby books, blogs, community posts, etc. that I've read all talk about things that are really in the 3 months and older stages. Yet the first 3 months are some of the hardest. You have no idea what you are doing yet and it's all very overwhelming.

Some people say that there is no information on the newborn stage because you "can't spoil a newborn" so you shouldn't worry too much about figuring it all out. They say to focus on the cuddles and enjoy that part.

I'm not that type....sure I love cuddles with my little one but I'm just not the type who can't be in control, or at least trying to be. I started sleep training from the day we brought Ryley home. I wasn't crazy strict about it but I did try to stick with our same schedule every day. Part of me thinks that why she slept through the night so early. The structure worked well for Ryley; 1 - Matt and I like routine and since she's our kid it makes sense she would too, and 2 - babies like routine, they like to know what comes next.

Being in the newborn stage it was so hard feeling like there wasn't much out there to help me get through it all. And it was so hard to read things telling me to just enjoy those first few months and not worry about it. I personally can't do that. But I've learned that everyone does it differently and none of the ways are "wrong".

For all the new moms out there - do what works for you. Don't read books or blogs or whatever and think that something you are doing is wrong or worry about anything. You WILL figure it out...and once you do something else will change and you'll have to figure that thing out. Do enjoy the cuddles. Enjoy everything about being a new mom. Be excited about each new thing they do. You get to make the decisions about you and your little one; trust yourself.

Whatever you decide is just fine! I have strong opinions about the way we decided to make things work with Ryley but it doesn't make the way we did it the RIGHT way, just the way that worked for us. And if it doesn't work you just try something else. I think that's the best advice for any stage of child rearing, although I don't know since I'm not there yet. You will get through whatever that little rascal throws at you. Every stage only lasts a short while so enjoy each and every one of them :)

Thanks!

Married Life - SURPRISE!!

One of my favorite things, post baby, about being involved as an alumna with my sorority? All the babysitters I have! Matt and I have been able to enjoy 2 date nights in the past month with one of the collegians watching Ryley.

Last Friday I got my Gap items I had ordered online. They were my first post baby clothes and after trying them on I felt pretty. It was nice to wear non maternity clothes that fit nicely. Looking good I decided I wanted a fun night out with my hubby all dressed up! I messaged one of the ladies at 4pm to get a babysitter for 6 and it worked!!

Matt arrived a bit after 6 to find me ready for date night. He was very surprised, I'm not the spontaneous type. So we headed out for a great night out! We went to San Pedro square and did a bit of "bar hoping". It's how we used to do things before a baby was in the picture - a drink and an appetizer and each place. Vino Vino was first on the list and we enjoyed a delicious flight of wine and meat/cheeses. I drank the most I had since before I was pregnant, it was a ton of fun. Felt like old times :)

Deliciousness!!

I love getting to spend alone time with my husband - it really keeps us close...so thank goodness for all the potential babysitters I have! :)

Home after date night and a few drinks :)

Baby Life - Sleep Is A Wonderful Thing

I probably shouldn't write this post - it may jinx the amazing thing we have going for us....SLEEP! Sleep has been had in this household, it's amazing!!!!

Little Miss Ryley, at 6 weeks old, slept through the night for the first time on August 16th. She slept 7 hours!! What 6 week old does that? Apparently mine. Since that Saturday night there have only been 2 nights where she hasn't slept from about 10pm until 5am. And for the past week she's slept until 7am. Sleep is the most wonderful thing!

Sleepy baby!

I read a crap ton of books about sleeping so I thought I'd share a bit about how we "think" we made it work. First off I want to say - it's not normal for a 6 week old to be this good of a sleeper (now 9 weeks) so if your little one isn't sleeping this much, don't worry as you are actually the norm.

Let's start by saying that Ryley has always been a good sleeper. For the first 6 weeks of her life she only once woke up 3 times during the night, every other time it was either once, at 3am, or twice, at 1 and 4am. We never really had to do any training to get her to that point so we started out very lucky.

I read Babywise, Baby Whisperer, and 12 Hours of Sleep by 12 Weeks. All of the books had great ideas that I made my own. The main thing was creating a consistent plan but being flexible with what your child wants.

We focused on a few key points (**note that this is what worked for us, it may not work for everyone and we are definitely not experts, this is just my experience**):

1. Eat, Play, Sleep and repeat - this pattern helps the baby get into a habit so they know what to expect next and you to better understand the needs of the baby
2. Yawning? Time for a nap - during play time as soon as I see the first yawn it's time for a nap
3. Crying isn't bad - depending on her age I let her cry for a certain amount of time before I go in to comfort her. This isn't a hard and fast rule, I base it on her crying but I do let her cry. Plus if you go in for every sound you may actually wake the baby up - there have been many times where she will let out a little squawk while in the middle of a nap and then be asleep again
4. Put her down for a nap awake - I get longer naps when she gets herself to sleep over me getting her to sleep and then putting her down

These are all things that I've been very consistent about and it seems to have worked. We also LOVE our footie PJ's. The first night she slept through the night was the first nice we put her in the footie PJ's so now we put her in them every night - it's adorable!!

Footie pajamas are my friend!

I'll post more posts with additional information on each of the things we found helpful so be on the lookout.

Thanks!

Fit Life - Weigh in Thursday

Today was a great day; it's my daughters 2 month birthday!

We had her 2 month check up, and for any of you with babies you know what that means - SHOTS! Poor little lady got 3 shots today. She was such a trooper! She cried of course, and Matt almost did too, but once we were home she was great. She slept much of the day and was fussy early on but got better as the day went on. Taking off the bandaids was the hard part for me, making her cry hurt :(

But the great news was that she weighed in at 10.5lbs! She was born 6.5lbs so she is doing great in the weight department. It feels good to know that I'm helping her grow. It's a proud momma moment today!
Now for my weigh in....drum roll....I'm down 2 lbs, yeah. Better than nothing lol. I did start exercising with my first Barre class. It was hard work, but it was great. I'm going to start going every Wednesday. I haven't gone to the baby boot camp yet but I'm hoping next week. It's hard to find the time to fit in the exercise, but I know I need to, just so busy.

Life is good!

Fit Life - Weigh In Wednesday...err Friday

Well all I can say is it's been a long week...I haven't lost any weight nor started my exercise. I know I know I need to get it started and I am going to. I actually signed up for Baby Boot Camp starting next Tuesday. It's a bit spency so we will see how it goes. I get the first class free :)

My friend also asked me if I wanted to start taking Barre classes so I'm going to be doing that on Wednesday. I'm a bit nervous because I'm really out of shape but can't get into shape without working out :) Having a friend to keep you on track is always super helpful too. We are going to start next week as well.

Food has been so so - I need really quick and easy snacks/meals that are healthy and I struggle a bit with that. Things that can be eaten with my hands over a fork are great as well. Salads are a bit hard because I often eat with just one hand while I'm feeding Ryley so I need something I can easily put into my hand with no table to set it on. I need to do some Pinterest searching to figure out my options here.



Ryley is ready for football!!!!

On to more exciting news - Miss Ryley is up to 10.2lbs! She's finally fit 10lbs, so crazy! Looking at her growth chart she is exactly where she should be so that's great. I can tell she is getting heavier; my back hurts more haha

She's in a weird in between size unfortunately - her newborn clothes are almost all too small, except a few plain onsies, and then her 0-3 months close are mostly too big for her. Baby Gap seems to be the best fit so far in the 0-3 month range but even those are a bit big. She'll get there! It's hard to buy baby clothes - I want to buy her some winter clothes for when we go to Ohio but I don't know size wise where she will be. She'll be 5 months old so I'm thinking she'll still be in her 3 month old clothes since she's on the smaller side. I just bought a few things from Carter's that are 6 month and they look like they are going to be too big. And when you have to buy for the season you are in it's harder to buy things on sale - it's how they get you!

Anyways - not so good week for me but exciting week for Ryley :)


Married Life - Date Night

Yesterday Matt and I had a great day! First we had a BBQ with our ADPi family and then we got our first REAL date night and our first real babysitter (outside of family)! It was a very good day!

Matt and I decided to go to the Willow Glen Wine Walk - it's something we would have totally done prior to baby. Anything wine related as right up our alley. The first place we wanted to eat after I was no longer pregnant/could have a glass of wine was Enoteca, which is our favorite little spot in Los Gatos, CA. Great wine, great cheese, great food all around. They have a fabulous patio and before pregnancy Matt and I would enjoy it almost every Friday :)

Anyways back to the wine walk - different stores in Willow Glen each had a winery with a table serving small tastings. We tried probably 8 or 9 different wineries. Nothing super stood out to us but it was just fun to walk and chat sans the little one. Ryley definitely came up in conversation but we spent lots of time talking about other things too, which I'm told is a good idea so that not everything is always focused on baby. After the wine walk we enjoyed a nice dinner at Haymarket. Sadly I was getting a bit tired, why I don't know since Ryley tends to sleep relatively well, but it was still a great night with my husband. It actually felt like a good date night from before we even had a baby. We were home by 7:30 but that wasn't all that unusual for us prior to baby, we are old ;)

One of my favorite things from the night - we found this AWESOME shark robe.
A little too big for now but soon enough :)

We also had our first non-family babysitter, one of my sorority girls I advice, Erika. Things went well. I expected Matt and me to be a bit nervous but honestly I was more nervous about Ryley crying a lot more so than Erika doing anything wrong. But I'm told she was good, so hopefully we can use Erika again. 

It was exciting to have a night out just us - we can't wait to do it again!

 

Family Life - Grandparents

Grandpa and Bo-Gee (bonus grandma) meet little Ryley!

This past weekend my dad and his fiancé came down to visit and meet Ryley. They were here Thursday thru Sunday and it was a great time having them. It's my dad's first grand baby so he was very excited. Ryley is finally more alert so she got lots of grandparent cuddle and play time. We enjoyed time out, took them to Matt and I's favorite restaurant Enoteca, playing in the pool and some delicious mac-n-cheese made by Shawn. I even had leftovers for lunch today :)

It's hard not having family close by but it's great that they get to visit. Matt's parents were able to visit 3 weeks after Ryley was born. She was a bit more of a "blob" then but they are coming out again in October and she'll have grown SO much by then!

Look how much she's grown just in the three weeks between the visits! Her head is so much bigger, adorable :) Miss Ryley is also Grandma and Grandpa Bossenbroek's first grandchild and they couldn't be more excited to have a little one.

Ryley is one lucky lady! She has the grandparents above plus Leigh Ann, and amazing GREAT grandparents. We are going to be heading back to Ohio for Christmas so that she can meet Matt's grandma Lucille. She has quite a few great grandkids but is still beyond excited. We'll have to figure out when we are going to take a trip to WA to see my grandma Virginia; this will be her first great grand baby! I'm so glad Ryley will have all of these amazing people in her life; she is one lucky lady!!

Thanks,

Fit Life - Weigh in Wednesday

First for a Wednesday - YAY!

This week will feature TWO weigh-ins, exciting :) I had my six week postpartum appointment last Friday and was given the all clear for exercise. I'm not sure if I'm excited or not hehe. Well I'm excited but also having an excuse to be lazy was kind of fun, now I need to get my ass in gear!

Goal 1: Lose 25 lbs by birthday (April 24th)
Goal 2: Work out at least twice per week
Goal 3: Go on a minimum of 2 walks per week
Goal 4: Do yoga twice a week

I'm going to accomplish goal 2 in a few ways. I'm joining babybootcamp and going to do that once per week and then work out at home on my elliptical the other day per week. I'd like to say I'm going to work out three times per week but I'm trying to make realistic goals here.

For goal 3 I know Matt and Zoey will appreciate it. During the last couple months of my pregnancy we were going on a walk almost every night. Zoey LOVES walks and she was getting so used to it that if by the time the sun went down we weren't up and walking she would be jumping all over us to get us going. It was actually kind of nice because if I wasn't feeling it she made us do it.

For goal 4 I'm going to do yoga at home as well. My dad's fiancé, Shawn, recommend yogaglo so I'm going to check it out. It's $18 per month and you can target specific areas of your body and pick your timing too. I'll check it out. Matt and I really enjoyed going to yoga before I got pregnant but doing it together with a baby is going to be a bit difficult.

So my starting weight as of August 15th is 152 lbs. My pre-pregnancy was 132 and I got up to 170. I gained too much weight but all for a good cause ;) So yeah, that's my goal. I'll post each week where we are at.

Now for Ryley's weigh in! This little lady is getting bigger by the day! It's just crazy and amazing all at the same time. We weighed her yesterday and she was 9.5 lbs! Can't believe it! I also can't believe that some people give birth to kids that size. Our little girl was a small one but I'm thankful for that. She already looks so different; it's very fun to see her growing. I can't wait to see her grow year over year, as she gets older and see what sort of woman she grows into

Thanks!

Baby Life - Breastfeeding Month

In light of it being breastfeeding month I figured I'd share our story. On TV and in life breastfeeding is portrayed as being easy and just "what you do" but in reality it may not be so easy. I went into being pregnant afraid of the delivery part but my experience for that was actually easier than the weeks and weeks of pain with breastfeeding. This is a bit of a long post as I share my experience.

I never really thought about it but the shape of your breasts and nipples play into how easy breastfeeding is going to be for you. I have large breasts but very small and flat nipples. Sadly that means that getting Ryley to latch was difficult. For one my boobs are hard for her to get her tiny mouth around and for two my flat nipples didn't really give her anything to "grasp" onto.

At the hospital the nurses didn't really explain what they were doing, they just tried to jam her face into my boob. Since I wasn't getting her to latch I had to pump in the hospital because those first few hours and days are so important to your milk coming in. When jamming her face into my boob didn't work they gave me a breast shield. It basically suctioned my nipple into it and gave her something to suck on. That began to work thankfully so she was able to get milk.
However my nipples were getting raw and bleeding and were SO sore all the time. I didn't want to keep breastfeeding, I just wanted to cry and often did. I was feeling inadequate, like I wasn't going to be able to provide for my daughter. It was very hard. On top of feeding Ryley I was trying to pump too so that Matt could feed her a couple times a day and give me a break, but I didn't get a lot when I pumped so to get Matt two feedings I had to pump at least 3 times a day and if I missed one he wouldn't have enough milk. I felt horrible.

A couple weeks went by of using the shield so Ryley was two weeks old at this point. I had a hard time getting a hold of the lactation consultants but when I finally did I went in and met with Claire. Claire was great and really helped me see what needed to happen. Thankfully my nipples had started to come out from the use of the shield so latching Ryley onto my boob without it was going to be easier. That day she latched for the first time. The goal was to keep trying every day - start with the shield and get her relaxed and then remove it and get her to latch.
My nipples were still so sore and I was still pumping but we talked to our pediatrician and he said we could supplement some of our bottle feeds with formula so I finally cut out one of my pump sessions which seemed to really help. We didn't want to feed Ryley too much formula so with each feed we give her about 3 ounces of breast milk and make 2 ounce of formula, sometimes she drinks none and sometimes she drinks all of it. But just know it was "ok" to give her formula took a lot off my shoulders.

That week I did just as the lactation consultant told me, except it didn't seem to work. She would get SO fussy and cry and cry so I'd just end up going back to the shield to make sure she ate. Then randomly two weeks later, Ryley being 4 weeks old, she just latched. And she latched at every feeding that day and every day since then. Something just worked. Honestly, I can't tell you what it was. Her latch wasn't great and my nipples were still incredibly sore and cracking but we were at least making progress.

Now at 6 weeks old we are FINALLY to the point where it doesn't hurt every time I put her on my breast. Sometimes it still does and I have to adjust her but 8 times out of 10 we are good on the first try. My nipples are still a bit sore but they don't throb/hurt all day long anymore, thank goodness! I finally feel like I'm getting her an adequate supply of milk AND my pumping sessions are going better too! I do take Fenugreek to help with my milk supply but as long as I pump in the morning, in place of the 7am feeding Matt does, I can get a really good amount then and then a smaller amount when I pump at 10pm in place of that feeding.

The morale of the story is to keep with it. Breastfeeding is hard, I wish they had told me that, but the closeness I feel with my little one and the health benefits for her are so worth it. Any breast milk is better than none so even if you are struggling and you need to mix in formula don't feel bad. Just don't give up, keep trying for a few months and try to work it out. It's truly an amazing feeling to have that bond with your child.

Thanks!

Baby Life - Cloth Diapers

When I first started thinking about cloth diapers it wasn't about the cost savings to me, it was about the environment. The fact that disposables will never break down is just sad. But gesh there are SO many options I didn't even know where to begin so I got a few different types to test out. Pocket diapers, All In One's, Hybrid, and Covers and then all the different brands.

In the end we purchased Bum Genius and Alva pocket diapers, GroVia All in Ones, Thirsties and Bumkins Covers and Flip and gDiaper hybrids. Covers and hybrids are my favorite honestly. Here are my thoughts:

Pocket Diapers - I don't see the point. If I'm going to put an insert into a flap in a diaper so that I have to replace both the insert and the diaper why not just go with All in Ones? I know you don't have to put the insert into the diaper, which we don't so that we can use the cover a couple times, but I just don't get it except that they are cheaper than the All in Ones. These are one size fits all too so they are big

1. Alva - a Chinese cheapo brand, they seem to work fine for us but I've read many bad reviews online
2. Bum Genius 4.0 - The "name brand", they are good but I don't really see a difference between them and Alva, we'll see if that changes as she gets bigger

Alva Cloth diaper

All in Ones - If they weren't so expensive I'd probably buy all this type. It's basically a washable disposable. It means you have to do laundry for sure but the ease of them is really nice. However the most recent GroVia's I purchased aren't soaking anything up at ALL and I've washed them the correct amount of times so not sure I recommend that brand.

Although still sized these aren't as big as the pocket diapers

Covers - I use inserts and put them in a plasticy feeling cover. Similar to a pocket diaper but just no "pocket" to put the insert in. They work great, just wipe out the cover between each use.

Covers - you can buy them sized on onside fits all, we have both

Hybrids - I love these! You can use cloth inserts OR disposable inserts. We use both and it's very convenient.

1. Flip - these are from the same people as Bum Genius. I hate the insert, it's WAY too big. I don't recommend just based on that
2. gDiaper - I LOVE these. they are so stinking cute. The covers aren't waterproof so that's something to think about but they have a waterproof pouch inside and then you stick the insert in the pouch. The disposable inserts are flushable or compostable so even though you are using disposables they aren't as bad for the environment which I love. They are about the same price as disposables but like I said before it isn't about cost to me but rather the environment so this is a great option

gDiapers that I love

But DAMN are disposables just easier! In the middle of the night we still use disposables just because when I'm half asleep it's easier. So Matt puts her in a disposable when he puts her to bed and then I use them during the night and then Matt puts her in a cloth when he gets her up. I still don't know if we've "made the right choice" but for now we are mostly using gDiapers. Not only convenient but super cute :)

Good luck in your venture to find your fit :)

Fit Life - Weigh in Thursday

That totally doesn't have the same ring to as "Weigh in Wednesday" it but I keep missing Wednesday for this post. The joys of a newborn :) And as I'm typing this she's beginning to cry so I figure it will take me a few hours, maybe even another day, to get through this post...and I'm back an hour later.

Anyways - back to Ryley's weigh in....drumroll please....she is 8 pounds 1 ounce as of Monday 8/4 at exactly one month of age. It's crazy that our one month old is the size of many people's just born child. I'm so glad she was a small baby! I also can't believe she's already a month old! Here are some pictures:

With the struggles we had in the beginning with breastfeeding its beyond relieving to know that she is gaining weight well, that's all I want for my little one. I love that little girl and making sure she is growing is all I care about, especially since I'm the one providing her food to her. There was a day I broke down because I was just so scared I wasn't providing enough for her, that's why her weigh in's are so important to me. It means that I'm providing for her and right now at this age that's all I really can do for her. 

She is truly an amazing little girl. She's smiling while she's sleeping and we had her first laugh today! OMG it was so dang cute!

Starting in two weeks I'll be adding myself to the weekly weigh-ins, once I get the approval from the dr to start working out again I'm going to get back into doing 30 minutes on the elliptical. It isn't much but that's where I'm going to start. It's going to be hard but I NEED to find the time to fit this in...so be on the lookout :)

Baby Life - So Much Information

Before Ryley was born people gave lots of advice and many included books I should read. I read many, probably too many, and now that she's here it's hard to figure out what Matt and I really want to do.

I've read Babywise, The Baby Whisperer and 12 Hours of Sleep by 12 Weeks most recently. All of them have things I like but combining this is a bit overwhelming. I don't think one way is the "best" way but rather just finding something that works with your child, and that my friend is the difficult part.

The Baby Whisperer is a great book - it focuses on understanding your own child. But it's not that easy. I'm trying to listen to her cries and her body language and I just don't know how to read it.
Then there is Babywise that has a relatively strict schedule. I'm a routine person so I like the idea and we've been going off of their suggested schedule mostly. The downside is, what if an activity we want to do falls during a time she is supposed to be doing something else?
12 Hours book also makes sense - similar idea of a schedule but more flexible.

I just don't know....honestly all I can think about is getting a full nights sleep again. I know we will get there but I'm dying with the middle of the night feeding. I know I'm lucky too because she isn't horrible or staying up all night or anything but I'm the type that used to get like 9-10 hours of sleep every night so to go from that to increments of 3 has been rough to say the least.

I think I want her to be older than she is, that's part of the problem. She's only a month old, I shouldn't expect her to sleep through the night yet. Give it a couple more months, I know. I just want some sanity back in my life :)

Another thing that I miss is going to bed with my husband. Matt and I made it a priority to go to bed together each night. It was always a great way to end the day and for us to reconnect after our very busy lives. I can't wait to have that back too. He's been so great and helpful, I really am lucky to have him!

Here a few pictures of the little one sleeping :)

I love this picture - she is just the sweetest thing ever!

Couldn't be happier

Thanks!

Fit Life - Weigh in Wednesday....well Thursday

I'd like to do a post each Wednesday with a weigh in on Ryley and myself (once I get the ok from the doctor to sort working out, etc.) So I'm a day late on this one, life with a newborn is a bit hard to schedule, but here it is.....drum roll please.....she weighs in at 7 pounds 7 ounces! She's gained almost a full pound since birth and a pound and a half since her lowest weight. She's right on track!

In the beginning breastfeeding wasn't easy, although it still isn't, so I had to pump to make sure my milk came in. I was constantly worried that I wasn't producing enough milk for her. A feeling of inadequacy was hard to deal with. I was the life support of my child and I felt horrible that I was struggling to provide for her. But thankfully things are working out and she's gaining weight great. I still stress about it but it's getting easier.

This is us out for a walk after our weigh in. It was our first solo adventure :)

I wanted to do newborn pics but they are SO spency so I figured I could do some of my own. Isn't she the cutest little thing!

This is her just about a week old. You can tell she's grown already :)

 I can't wait to see her continue to grow. She gets stronger every day. It's the coolest thing. She's started hugging my arm while I give her the pacifier. It's pretty adorable :)

I'd write more but she's awake and hungry so have to head off. Thanks!

It Starts....

Stay at home mom life has begun. I'm 3 weeks and 4 days in and for now I can say it's interesting. I LOVE my little one but I'm just used to a different lifestyle. My work life was so hectic and constant GO GO GO! Although life now is tiring, from lack of sleep, the repetitiveness of it is a bit boring. Feed, poop, sleep....and repeat. Good thing Ryley is just the most adorable thing ever! Check her out:

Ryley Eleanor Bossenbroek Born July 4th, 2014 6lbs 8oz, 18.75 inches

Matt and I are so lucky to have her. The first couple weeks were rough - the hormones were just making me crazy. I'm not an emotional person and for 2 weeks i was crying all the time. Not because I was sad but just everything, good and bad. Luckily things have leveled out quite a bit and I'm finally feeling back to normal. Plus Ryley and I are getting onto our own schedule too. She's a relatively good baby and sleeps pretty well. Right now we are doing about 4 hours after her first night time feeding (from 10pm-2amish) and Matt does that feeding so I'm getting a bit of sleep. Thank goodness for Matt, he's been truly amazing and SO helpful. I sure have myself an amazing husband :)

So since I'm now a SAHM I've decided to get back into blogging. I figure I'll have a bit of time, eventually, to do this. And I'm excited to share my experiences along the way with others. Hope you come along for the ride :)