Not too much excitement

Not too much is going on around here, but at the same time, I'm super busy..how does that work? I feel awful for not having more pictures to post, but once again, I'll use the camera as the excuse. It's just awful for lighting and no matter how I tweak the settings, it just doesn't do what I want it to do. I keep reminding myself, 5 more months...it really isn't that long.

I went for my wog (walk+jog) at riverfront park today. Since I re-started my c25k(couch to 5k) program (gets you 5k ready in about 8 weeks) I seem to be OK with running a whopping 90 seconds without it hurting my leg. So I can't decide, do I do another week at 90seconds, or go up in time to 3 whole minutes? I just don't want to re-aggravate my leg to the point of not being able to heal on my own again. I have a very hard time accepting defeat and letting go of things, and this is one of them. My body wasn't entirely made for running, and I have a hard time accepting that.

In other news, we got our csa box yesterday, this is what was in it:

1 red leaf lettuce, 1 green leaf lettuce, 1 head cabbage, 1 pint strawberries, .5 pint blackberries, bunch of potatoes, 2 onions, 2# of summer squash (I love patti pan squash, it's so fun to cut up), 2# heirloom tomato

I don't think I've ever had an heirloom tomato before, but I'm excited to taste the different varieties!


what's your baby sucking on? Oh, that's just the lotion bottle. E has gotten all weird about lotion. If I've just put it on my hands, legs, arms, wherever and she notices, she comes and licks me. I tend to try to use up ALL the lotion in a bottle, so I take the lid off and tap out what's left. One day, the bottle was on it's side near the edge of the counter in the bathroom. When I got out of the shower, Elisabeth was standing there licking bits of lotions off her fingers from the opening. She found this bottle by my bed (Hi, I'm Maddy, I'm a lotion-aholic) and decided it was better to put in her mouth. She cracks me up.

Speaking of making me laugh, we were at the library yesterday during story time. She decided that stranger danger was out for the day. E went over to a lady (who I know from work thankfully) and started rubbing her shoulder, then sat down next to her like it was no big thing. Then a little while later, there was a group of quite a few kids at the front listening to the story, so E stands up, shuffles her way through the crowd by holding onto other kids' shoulders, heads, whatever she can use for support and plops herself right down in the middle of them all, looks up at one of them (cause at this point she's facing backward), smiles at the person and says, "HI!" A little while later, she found a dad, stood there looking up at him and kept waving and saying hi. I really hope I didn't overstep anyone's comfort zones by letting her socialize, and if I did, I apologize, but it was just so interesting to see this little person going out of her way to interact with others.......and SO not what I'm used to at home....I'm used to the, "I'm bawling my head off if you aren't playing with me or holding me" baby... anyway, I giggled and thought it was pretty cute.


my little techies

Here and There

We went out to the coast yesterday to hang out. The weather app on my phone said it was supposed to be sunny and 80 degrees. It was almost 90* when we left our house, and I was excited to play in the cool water. We got there, and the closer we got to the coast, you could literally watch the temperature gauge drop in the car. It ended up being only 60 degrees and way foggy---but ONLY on the sand, if you got out onto the roads, it was fine!

We went to our trusty Neskowin spot since it isn't frequented as much as the Lincoln City spots, but even that had a ton of cars! We found a spot and played anyway. It was cold, but it was fun. The sand was warm and there wasn't much wind.




I need to practic self pictures with this new camera- I don't have to hold it out so far and that's hard to remember!


Spitting out sand


Talking on the phone. hehe

I've also been going through some self-reflection? over the last few days. Having a little girl instead of a little baby has been really weird. We weaned off of the rest of the formula this past week and are just using regular milk, which seems like such a milestone.

It makes me realize what am absolute and utter struggle the past year has been, but as the saying goes, "this too, shall pass." Having a low milk supply really puts a lot of things in psycho girl perspective. You don't realize how difficult things are until you're out of them. Thinking about where I was this time last year is just insane. I thought I had it all together, that I was doing a good job with what I had been given, but really, I was struggling...badly. I wish I had been more aware of PPD and that the medication I had been on wasn't working- (I weaned myself off of it at 6 months realizing this, and hoped things would get better, but they didn't until about a month ago). I wish I had been more consistent with a lactation consultant (even though I feel it wouldn't have changed the problem, but maybe made the situation better in my eyes rather than taking it out on myself).

In addition to some severe health issues I was having at the time, I honestly don't know how I kept it together as well as I did.

So with a major door of caring for an infant closes, let's hope that the next infant door that may or may not open in the future is a better one. That if I come across the same postpartum depression, or major low milk supply, or both, that I'm proactive about keeping myself sane and happy, and if they do happen and things are out of my control, let's hope that I take them gracefully instead of resentfully toward myself. Afterall, I do have a happy, though non-giggly, healthy little girl running around my house wreaking havoc on everything she comes in contact with. What more could I ask for?


And one last thing, Drew and I have done some major budgeting, and once our student loans change over to incorporating spousal student loan debt as well as our own, it'll drop down our student loans enough that we should have a decent amount saved within 12-15 months to buy another house. We realized that our chances of selling our place (even for what we bought it for) are slim to none (condo board is having a difficult time getting the place FHA approved so anyone wanting to move in would have to have 20% down and no one does that anymore). So we'll end up renting this out, but we'll have enough to get a decent place over in West Salem assuming the market doesn't explode again in the next year....so cross your fingers for us!

Teething and My Book!!

I swear, if these teeth don't make their debut sometime soon I may lose it. I have never dealt with this much crying from Elisabeth before. I'm not complaining, just commenting. She won't let me leave not only her sight, but touch. We must always be holding hands or within close enough proximity that I can't leave. It's adorable and I wouldn't trade it, but man is it tiring! I feel awful for her, I think she's just hurting so bad. I would too if I had half of my gum-line shooting sharp objects through it in a row! ouch!

So my book came today. It is wonderful! It is perfect! It is everything I hoped it would be! There are minimal errors (on my end- the publisher did an absolutely fantastic job)! I couldn't ask for anything else! L.O.V.E it!!!


Trying out the swings at the park- I don't know about those....I think she was in some kind of trance, and I'd stop her every few minutes to see if she wanted to get out and she'd just sign 'more' each time, so I'd keep doing it. No giggles, but she did talk to me a few times, and was happy when I'd sing the Bumblebee song to her. It was just weird. But then again, she hardly ever laughs, so maybe it isn't?


This is a piggy at the library. She's in love with it. Whenever we go to visit, she has to hug it, give it kisses on it's ears and smell it. It's disgusting and I just watch. LOL


My beautiful, beautiful book and baby! (see all those books in the back? I've taken it upon myself to convert all my cassette tapes into mp3 format and I'm going to buy mp3 players for my kiddos to use at work to listen to stories on so that we don't have to use rickety old cassettes anymore!)


Oh heeeeeyy.... (my favorite part is the piece in her hair... at least she hasn't figured out she can put stuff in the toilet yet?)

I Won!

Back near the middle of June Drew and I were out at Lancaster mall for whatever reason. (probably buying clothes at Old Navy or The Children's Place). Anyway, the store, Shutterbug, was having a photo contest. They had a few different categories and you were allowed to enter each of the 3 categories (pets, kids/people, and general) but only one photo per category. Drew suggested I enter in the picture of Ellie in the snow back during Christmas time that I took. I was a bit hesitant just because I feel like there are so many other really great pictures out there and I was nervous about it. So I humored him and entered the picture as well as a picture I had taken in Hawaii.

Fast forward to last Saturday. We went into Shutterbug because that's where we got our last camera and I am forever in love with Canon's now and wanted to have their opinions on DSLR's since that seems to be the step I need to take since my digi just wasn't cutting it with some options and since it had taken a swim in the Caribbean ocean, I needed a new one. So we asked who had won the photo contest. They told us that they hadn't announced the winners yet, but they would by Monday. Once again, not really anxious or anything, I saw so many beautiful pictures earlier on that I figured mine was going to get lost in the mix.

Fast forward to Monday evening- I get a call from an unrecognized number, and thinking it was the Dr. calling me back about a question I had, I answered it. It was really one of the guys at Shutterbug telling me that I had not only won in the photo competition, but I won 1st prize in the kids/people section and I got a $100 gift card to the store for it! I was so excited!!! I really honestly did not think I had a great chance of winning!

I didn't win the grand prize (these were voted on by the public- that person got $300), but I got second best, and really, anything would have been really great!! The whole thing is just exciting, and to be $100 closer to a nicer camera is nothing to sneeze at for sure!! I should have a new camera by Christmas if I save well :)


I was told the way they picked the winners that were't by the public, is that they had guest judges, like one of the retired photographers from the Statesman Journal (Salem's newspaper) and people like that and they had to go through over 1,500 entries and vote on what they felt was the best....so in reality, I think this is more impartial than those that just come in and vote....cause if you have all your friends and family around and tell them to go vote for you, your chances of winning are going to be pretty high!


The banner in front of the store


And produce came today!! We got some sweet girl? tomatoes, carrots, summer squash-looks like yellow and some green patti pan, garlic, radicchio, salad mix, lettuce, strawberries and basil! (My freezer is going to be plum full of pesto for winter- I'm excited!)


Hey! We had a top left tooth pop through yesterday during the day!! This little munchkin has been a *handful* today! I didn't even fight the no pacifier during the day rule...it just wasn't worth it.


this is the picture that didn't make the cut- I think it was too grainy (happened during editing) and I think the one they did pick was beautiful congrats to all the winners!!!

Slides! Eggs! Cherries!

Sunday after dinner, we had some time to play before it was time for bedtime routine, so we decided to go to the park just a street up from us. We took Elisabeth down the slides a few times, and then let her go by herself. They had a little mini slide, so I was at the top to guide her down, and Drew caught her at the bottom. She loved it so much that she's perfected her hand sign for 'more' She went down slides for almost an hour! I think next time we do a park, we'll go to the bigger park and try out the swings, I think she would enjoy those, too!

We're also attempting to play outside more when the weather is nice, and since Elisabeth doesn't play with her toys anyway, why not play in the dirt???


Playing with one of the wall-o-toys


weeee!!!


Checking out the handle bars

Mom, just let me go down, I don't need pictures! (She normally would sit up, but the picture taking opp took too long for her patience)


Going down the big curvy slide


This little girl is on the move constantly. She has a hard time stopping for me to take a picture, and with a slower camera, it's near impossible.


I couldn't resist the nose picking


I'm amazed at how much mimicking is involved. Drew is making a Dorodango and she had to have her own ball to roll, too.

Then today, we went to pick up our eggs from a friend's house who raises chickens on her farm. They live about 10 minutes away. They have a dog named, Shadow who is a long haired golden lab. He is the sweetest dog I have ever met! He was letting E crawl all over him, give him kisses and pet him, and he just soaked it all up, even rolling onto his back so she could rub his tummy!! They also have a wild cat that comes to eat and then leaves, they've named him Garfield. Garfield let E pet him as well! I love how much she is loving these animals! I'm sure she'll go through an awkward 'I'm scared of them' phase, but I hope it doesn't last long. I actually worry her first sentence is going to be, "I want a doggy."

So anyway, they were out of egg cartons and I forgot mine, so I got them in a container! I thought it was great!!! I came home and put them into the cartons I had, but it made it feel so non-commercialized and I loved it.



On our way out to their house, there was a big sign for cherries for sale. It was on the opposite side of the road so I decided we'd go there on our way back home. I stopped in knowing I only had $2 in cash. So I went up to make sure they didn't take credit cards (cause I'd probably head into Salem and get some cash tomorrow) and I was right, but she said I could get 1lb for $2, which is quite a deal!!! So we got some delicious local cherries that we ate at lunch.


We parked under these trees to head over to their little stand where some old ladies were sorting through and pulling out leaves and bad cherries. I may not enjoy living in Dallas a whole lot, but the atmosphere of some of the things are pretty awesome.

The Week Recapped

Man, I have been busy! Once I get into a routine, I find it difficult to figure out how I did anything else before "this." It always amazes me. I've learned that I'm a crummy housekeeper. I'd rather play with Ellie, and then play on the computer while she's napping than actually do anything around the house. Maybe it's a good thing I work so that the house doesn't get so messy during the school year.

So this week, Little Miss Brainy and I played in the house, went for walks, and even did a stop at PetSmart. We don't have any pets..... so what I decided is that this way, E can see animals and I don't have to have the commitment! (I have commitment issues. hahaha) So we go in and head to the fish first. I think E spent a good 15 minutes staring at those guys and saying things like, "OH!" "HI!" "WOWOW!" and "YAY!" It was darling. If she could have figured out a way into that water, I'm sure she would have taken it. She liked the birds, and the rats and mice, but definitely not as much as those fish! She didn't seem at all interested in the cats for adoption, nor the dogs getting groomed. It was all about keychains, doggy treats and fish! Pretty cute.

So let's see...we got our produce box this past Tuesday. We had lettuce, lettuce mix (this is usually just smaller leafed, different varieties of lettuce--it's pretty good), cilantro, potatoes, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, celery, 2 sweet onions, and blackberries. You guys, I am not a blackberry lover. I have never found a blackberry that I've said "This is IT!" to like I have with strawberries, cherries, and raspberries. So I threw them into some pancakes this morning and drizzled honey on it. It wasn't perfect, but definitely better than eating them regularly.




I was putting dishes in the dishwasher, I went to the kitchen table to get the rest of the dishes and I found this. I laughed and took pictures before I took her off. Heeelarious!


Look at those AWESOME glasses! They're Baby Banz and they're supposed to stay ON a kid's head. Not mine. She ripped them off after about 45 seconds, which is about 43 seconds longer than the first time she tried them on!


Doesn't she look so grown up?? Where did my baby go?!


And I can't remember if I mentioned in the last blog or not, but we have a walker! I cried. :) I cried for sheer happiness and realizing what a sheer disaster is to come, but I'm going to love every minute of it, cause if I don't, it'll go by too fast!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Dog Days

This week has been *H.O.T* needless to say, we hung outside a lot. Did you know that it's near impossible to find a sand and water table anywhere around here?!? I had to improvise. I grabbed a storage container from the attic and we filled it up with water. Elisabeth had a great time. She preferred trying to drink out of the hose. The first day we played, she also felt it necessary to get IN the container! So get this, I'm sitting there, taking cutie pictures of her cause she kept putting her little leg up on the ledge and then BAM she plops in. I was grateful for a shockproof/waterproof camera! Elisabeth wasn't hurt or anything, I think she was pissed at getting into such cold water! Anyway, add that to my "awesome mom moments."

So now that I've been home for a week, I've run out of *things* to do with Elisabeth. We go on walks, go to the library- it had been too hot for the park, but I plan on doing that this week. What else do people do with little busy bodies??

And speaking of busy bodies, today, Ellie has been walking around the house! Just little bits here and there, but she's been walking, all by herself! I'm pretty excited for her! And her teeth are ALMOST in- and THAT I'm very excited for, just so that she won't be in so much pain anymore. Cuttin 4 teeth in a row couldn't feel good for anyone!


Smile!


mmm nom, nom, nom!


Totally random- I made strawberry shortcake cake and it was *divine* seriously. Probably worth the 10lbs I'll gain from eating it.


Daddy let me get in my tub with my diaper on- we learned those diapers can hold a lot of water! (so why do they leak at night?!!)


I love the hair!

Lettuce, Lettuce everywhere!

I was so excited to get our produce box yesterday. After eating not so great food for a week on vacation, I was actually missing all the fresh fruits and vegetables we were getting. I was sad to find out we didn't get any cucumbers this week cause I was absolutely loving my cucumbers and pesto.

This is what we did get:
2 heads of lettuce- one green, one red
2 sweet onions - one white, one red
1 bunch of garlic
1 bunch of radishes
1 basket of strawberries
1 basket of raspberries
1 pint of tomatoes
1 bunch of basil
2lbs of purple viking potatoes



At dinner last night, we ate about half the strawberries, raspberries and tomatoes so the containers aren't as full as they should be in the picture.

When we got back from our trip, one of the heads of lettuce in my itty bitty garden was giant sized. It took Drew and me 3 days to get through it. I think that might be my only head of lettuce that grew decently this summer- but that's ok. Anyway, needless to say, we're going to be eating a lot of salads this week!

I've been attempting to clean the house this week, and barely anything has gotten done. I forget how much time little ones take up! Last night though, when Drew was home, I somehow mustered enough energy to clean the kitchen- including wiping the faces of cabinets. I was shocked! I also made freezer jam!

(can you tell which one is from the grocery store and which one is from our farm friends?)*

On Monday, we went grocery shopping and decided to get a whole chicken rather than pieces since it was so much cheaper and we eat all the parts anyway. We took it home and I actually cut it all apart. I wasn't nearly as grossed out as I had imagined being either. Once I cut everything up, I even make chicken stock and froze it!


all the pieces cut up and piled. I should have lied them all out, but I was getting tired and didn't want to wash my hands another time.


The start of my chicken stock- I didn't take after pics since it was about 11pm and I was tired.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to this week. Today, when the weather warms up a little more, I'm going to set up a little water table for Ellie to go play and splash about in!


*The one on the left is from the farm, the one on the right is from the store- did you guess correctly?

The end!

And here's a few more random pictures. Thanks Mom and Rissy for going with us so we could have some company and "free" babysitters!!


this kid loves water and has very little fear of it. I love it!


Perfection!


just playing


Hi maummy!








This banana boat looked so fun! We are totally doing that next time we go somewhere!


Rissy reading to E


Family pic, and of course, Ellie *needs* to be somewhere else

Life is Great