More Pictures

Apologies. They put these up a day or two ago, but I have been SWAMPED at work. Seriously, it seems like we are short-staffed every day now. Which, isn't too much of a surprise, since no one cares and we only have 7 weeks left. Without further ado, pictures of a brand new baby!


Peaceful and serene!



She is obviously a genius baby, finding her fingers already!



This has got to be my favorite picture. Proud Daddy and baby. Notice how much they look alike!



Going home, and she couldn't be happier!



Look! A Gloworm! (it is the bilirubin mat)



All of the proud grandparents... my dad is in the back (the big silver-back gorilla) and my mom is in front.



Proud Parents leaving the hospital.




Another one of my favorites! First family photo (minus the dogs). Notice how big the bow is on her hat. I'll have to compare this picture to Alice's here soon, so you can see how big a difference in size there was.



PERFECT! She is absolutely beautiful!


Thanks for being patient! I'm sure there will be more pictures in the future (at least I hope they share them with me!).

I'm an Aunt!

Eliza Christine was born July 9, 2010 at 6:49pm. She weighed 6lbs and 18 3/4" long! She is tiny! Alice was WAY bigger.

She has a head of dark hair, and my brother's nose (oh dear! that was the first thing I noticed about her) I have a few pictures, but I'm on my phone so I will have to post them later.

She has had a bit of a rough start. There was meconium when my SIL's water broke, and Eliza's heart rate kept getting lower. Turns out the cord was wrapped around her neck. They also had to use suction to help get her out. And yesterday, they discovered she has jaundice. Poor baby! Thank God she is healthy! Now I am Aunt 1.0!

It's a Hard-Knock Life

I didn't post yesterday. I could have, but to be honest I was dealing with the beginnings of food poisoning. Fun stuff! So I haven't been feeling very well for the past 24 hours or so. Of course, I think I'm headed for round 2. I ate the same thing I had eaten Wednesday for lunch (which it takes 24 hours for food poisoning to hit you-usually) yesterday, so I'm expecting the next round anytime in the next few hours. Woo hoo! We are supposed to be going to my MIL and Step FIL's tomorrow, but I think I may bow out. Which means that Sean will cancel as well. I don't know why he can't go without me, or take Alice by himself. She is so much easier now than she was! And I don't want to make it sound like I do not like or get along with his mother or step-father. I do. I just don't feel like going.

I did get some good news on the job front. They are coming in July 1st to present and go over our severance packages. And our last day is September 3rd. That means 11 weeks to go!!!

Oh, and I am officially on vacation (again!) as of 9:00pm EST tonight! Hopefully I manage to get a few posts in! We will be going on a road trip towards the middle/end of next week, but I plan on taking my laptop. And if all else fails, I can update from my cell phone.

Girls' Weekend!

Sean asked me yesterday if he could go to Arkansas for the weekend. I'm a bit fuzzy on exactly what was going on down there (a Memorial/political thing? Hey, I was working at the time he was telling me!), but he left shortly after midnight this morning. He will return Sunday afternoon/early evening.

So that means Alice and I get a girls' weekend! Tomorrow we are going up north to his cousin's graduation cookout. I have to bring strawberry lemonade, pasta salad, and asparagus to grill. I'm even happier to announce that Sean went to the store and got all of the stuff I would need to make all of the said items. Though, to be honest, I did ask him and tell him what I needed. But since I have to make it all tonight after Alice is asleep (i.e. after 1am) and then I have to be up by 7 to get up there in time for lunch. We should return home around 6ish tomorrow evening, so I'm trying to get something planned for that evening. Most likely we will end up staying at home and watching movies and playing games. Which is probably the most fun we could have.

I'm really excited to see all of his family. We haven't seen most of them since Christmas; and his step-sister hasn't seen Alice yet! And Alice's cousin Olivia (who is 6 months older) and Lily will be there. I'm really excited to see Olivia and Alice interact. Who knows what that will be like?! But I'll make sure to take pictures, and maybe get a video or two.

And hopefully I can update tomorrow, since I won't have a husband stealing my internet at home! Although I will still have an adhesive baby :)

Weekend Update and a Recipe Too!

The weather was MUCH nicer this weekend. In fact, it was too warm on Sunday-I think it got up to 89 at our house. I think the inside of our house got up to 77, and I had Sean put in the air conditioner in our bedroom. We still have to put the other one in the living room, but that can wait until the weekend. During the week we don't spend much time in there.

Saturday, Alice and I went to my friend Monica's house. It was so fun to watch Alice try to play with their girls, Fiona and Sofia. They are 7 and 4 (soon to be 8 and 5). They thought it was so cool that Alice was walking. Alice kept trying to "run" with them, but they were in the grass (and it is uneven ground) and she kept tripping and doing semi-somersaults... which resulted in a few head bumps. Sofia was riding on her little bike, and Alice thought that was the coolest thing EVER. So for the remainder of the night, she kept trying to climb on it. I have quite a few pictures of Alice with the girls, but I don't have my camera with me at work. I'll post them later. Oh, and Alice also ate corn on the cob for the first time. I know she actually managed to get some of the cob, as there were kernels in her diaper the next day *wink*

Sunday, I planted my herb garden and did laundry and cleaned a bit. We grilled out steaks and had carrots, broccoli, and southwest potatoes. Then I made the most delicious Strawberry Lemonade ever! It was the perfect drink for a really hot day!

Strawberry Lemonade:
2 lbs whole frozen strawberries (you can get fresh, but freeze them for at least 2 hours)
2-3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
1 qt lemon juice
1 gallon water

Mix 2 1/2 cups water and sugar in a pot. Stir until dissolved and then bring to a boil. Turn off heat and CAREFULLY add frozen strawberries. Let steep for at least 20 minutes (I think I waited 30-40). Mash strawberries into syrup. In a separate container (I divided this amond two containers as I don't have any container larger than a gallon) mix lemon juice and water. Pour in strawberry syrup and mix. Refrigerate and enjoy!

I should note that I only used 1 cup of sugar the first time (with 1 cup of water) and it was really tart and not very sweet. So I made another batch with about 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 cup (or a little more) of water. So if you use at least 2-3 cups of sugar with 2 1/2-3 cups of water, it should be just fine. It isn't too sweet, but not too tart and bitter.

If you decide to try the lemonade, let me know what you think!

This Laid-Back Mama is About To ERUPT!

Yesterday, I got a text from the babysitter saying she had strep throat. So trying to give her a day to rest (she is pregnant) and thinking I'd save ourselves the potential of getting it, I made other arrangements. Turns out, I wish I would have just taken Alice down there and risked the possibility of strep...

My brother agreed to come to the bank to pick up Alice when he got off of work. So Alice was at work with me for about 2 hours. Lets just say that it is really hard to get work done with an almost nine month old walking and crawling around... and oooh outlets! Fun stuff!

So he picks her up a little before 5 pm, and I transfer the carseat to my sister-in-law's car (which is a coupe)... that took about 10 minutes of creative wrangling on my part. Try getting a Britax in a small coupe. HA! Then I went over the whole eating/bottle/sleep thing with him. I called on my pumping break to see how things were going. He informed me that his wife was irritated with him (and possibly me) for not knowing when "a 9 month old last ate or slept". So I told him to try to give her some of the bottle, and if she didn't want it then heat up her little meal. I have been buying the Gerber meals for toddlers/preschoolers for the babysitters... it is easier when doing BLW (baby-led weaning) and I also know what she is eating.

So I get off of work and go pick her up about 10pm. My SIL gives me a run-down of the evening. Alice slept for 8 minutes! Yes, 8 minutes! I mumbled something about the sleep regression thing (she claims to know nothing about it). Then she says she was really fussy and crying most of the evening. Oh, and she only ate just a few ounces (FIVE!), but she just kept chewing on the nipple and playing with the bottle.
No big deal, I think. She just didn't want milk.

So we get home, and I start unpacking things and find her meal in the bag. Along with her cheerios and goldfish. ALL UNEATEN! No wonder my baby was crying and fussy... she was STARVING! So I quickly heat up her meal (who has time to make food when I can heat up her meal in 30 seconds and give it to her) and feed it to her. She ate it all in less than 7 minutes! I have never seen any child eat anything so fast in all my life. Then I nursed her and she fell asleep. I put her in her crib, where she slept for 33 minutes before she was back in bed with us and nursing most of the night.

I have a few problems with this whole thing. First, I'm not sure where the problem broke down, but I have two guesses (and either one could very much be the correct assumption)... my brother, either out of not caring or his inferior baby knowledge skills to his wife, decided not to tell her about the meal. OR she decided not to give it to her. I know she had to have seen it... it was right next to the diapers and wipes. Perhaps she thought my baby shouldn't be eating solids. All I know, is that my baby was crying and I'm sure they ate in front of her. Poor baby! I don't care what your personal opinion on feeding a baby is. You want to give your baby purees-fine. You want me to give your baby purees-fine. I give my child solids. I ALWAYS have. If you have a problem with that, I'm sorry. Get over it. Feed my baby.

I think I should also mention that my SIL is a NICU nurse. She claims she is "The Baby Whisperer". I also know she has not read a single thing on baby/child development... and she is 33 weeks pregnant. YUP! She tried to tell me that I needed to put Alice on a feeding schedule every three hours. I told her you can't do that with a breast-fed baby. I have also told her about BLW and wonderweeks, and a few other things that I "buy" into. She hasn't heard of any of this stuff. I think now may be a good time to try to figure it out. Just sayin'.

So I spent the majority of the night awake. And feeling like a horrible mommy. I cried. I still feel like crying, but now I'm more to the screaming part. Alice is fine. I think she has probably forgotten all about being hungry. Thankfully, she will not remember any of this. Me... well I unfortunately will not.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Lets start with the good:

1. It is official. Alice has said her first word... CAT! She has said other things, but I wasn't really sure whether to count them or not, but yesterday (twice) we saw cats and she said, "CAT!"
2. It is almost the weekend.
3. I am feeling quite a bit better today.
4. My husband is wonderful!

The Bad:
1. Alice has been having a rough time lately. Especially at night. I'm not sure if this is because of gas, teething, a wonder week, or what. I'm about at my ropes end. She seems to be "reverse cycling" in regards to nursing. She is too busy and too distracted to really nurse during the day (though she does take a bottle fine at the babysitters) when I am with her, and only "snacks". Then comes night-time...and I feel like an all you can eat buffet. Any suggestions on getting her to sleep through the night?
2. I have to reschedule my hair appointment (that I have already rescheduled once) because I just found out LAST NIGHT that we have a graduation party for my husband's best female friend, Gwen. Whom, I like, but have only met once (right after giving birth and I hadn't showered... and she was all cute, tiny, perky, pretty, etc.) and who's party conflicts with my rescheduled appointment. My hair is getting SO long, and looks horrendous. I will reschedule, but come Hell or high water I will make this next appointment!
3. I was awoken from a very sound sleep this morning (I was having a wonderful dream) to Alice screaming hysterically. I quickly got up and looked for her (she had been in the bed with me). I found her in between my husband's side of the bed and his nightstand. That is right. She was stuck. Apparently, she was trying to grab an almost full beer that Sean had left on his nightstand (No we don't give her beer...she has a fascination with cans and bottles. As if I'm not already worried that CPS will come knocking on our door). To make the situation a little worse, she had hit the corner of her left eye and bumped her head in two spots. Her eye has a small cut and is really swollen.

And now the ugly (not that my baby is ugly... just the eye for now):


I imagine she will have the best black eye ever in the next day or two. Just in time for the graduation party... so we'll be "those parents" who don't watch their baby. In my defense, I ALWAYS know when she is moving while in bed with me... I just didn't today because she had been cuddling with Sean, and he didn't move her over next to me. WAY TO GO MOM! I'm just glad it wasn't any worse than it was. Lord knows it could have been.

Oh and my blog... way ugly. I was trying to change a few things yesterday, and I think one of you tried to make a comment at the same time, but I have no idea who it was or what you said. And now my blog is mixed between what I want and what I don't. All in due time... all in due time.

Happy Belated Mother's Day...

...to all the beautiful Mothers* out there! I hope that your husbands, fathers, daughters, sons, mothers, grandparents, and all other loved ones made your day lovely!

I would have posted this yesterday, but I was extremely busy. I know a lot of you moms out there realize that a mother's work is never done. I slept in a bit (Thanks Alice!!!) and woke up to Sean making me breakfast (nothing fancy; just an omelet and coffee). He also got me a box of chocolates. I could complain about this, but I'm really just surprised that he got me anything. And while I can think of a million other things that I would like more, I'm just really flattered that he got me something! I love you, Sean!

Back to my day... I proceeded to do umpteen-million loads of laundry. Okay, it was more like 12, but still. I completely spring-cleaned the bathroom (EVERYTHING-including blinds, curtains, shower liner/curtain, walls, etc.). We could eat on any surface in our bathroom, if we wanted. Not that I would allow that, but just sayin'.

I started spring cleaning in the living room. Mostly, I only got the area rug cleaned (been wanting to do this for a LONG time) and put up Alice's swing (again, been meaning to do this for a few months). Then I organized Alice's toys and the bookshelf with all the movies/books. Of course, they are no longer in the order I put them in, as Alice has a fascination with pulling everything off the bookshelf.

Then Alice and I went outside, where I planted a ton of bulbs and seeds in my newly tilled "flower bed" (it is all around the barn). And then the biggest project... clean out my car. WOAH! I have been meaning to do this for months... perhaps over a year. I vacuumed, cleaned the windowns, cleaned the carpet/upholstery/ceiling, and it looks sooooo good.

My father came over mid car cleaning, and I proceeded to clean his windows and vacuum out his car. Then he grilled steaks for us (I made scalloped potatoes, broccoli, and carrots)... and we ate a very good dinner. He brought over lemon meringue pie for dessert. YUCK! I HATE meringue. I don't know what it is about it, but I can't stand it. I didn't say anything to him. I just ate it (or tried to-I gave most of the meringue to Alice... I *think* she liked it). Actually, I do know what it is about meringue that I don't like... the texture. It is like tapioca in my mouth (another thing I DO NOT like).

So I didn't have a relaxing day, but I got a lot of stuff done that I wanted and had been meaning to do for awhile. Today, I am incredibly sore. But my car is clean!

How was your Mother's Day? Or if you aren't a mother*, what did you do for the mothers in your life?


*And by mothers, I mean any woman who has had a child, become pregnant (regardless of the outcome-we just ended Infertility Awareness week), or any woman who mothers/babies/takes care of you.

Inquisitive Minds Want to Know

...or maybe not, but since this is my blog, I can do what I like!

My name is Sarah (duh!). I am 29 and I live in central Indiana. I am a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend. I am funny (at least Alice thinks so-don't tell her otherwise, if you disagree), blunt, laid-back, and a go with the punches kind of girl... though sometimes I throw punches too. I'm actually a lot more than that, but I'm limited on time people!

Sean is my husband. We have been together for over 4 years. I'm not really sure how long we have been "together". We dated for awhile back when I was 24, and broke up after a couple of weeks. I thought about him from time to time, but I moved on and dated other guys. Fast forward two years, and I ran back in to him (at the same place I met him at, none-the-less) and we started hanging out again. I didn't know we were dating. I sincerely thought we were just hanging out and being friends... as I'm stubborn and I refused to "re-date" someone. To make a long story short, I realized we were dating, and we fell in love. We got "married". We eloped. I have never wanted a wedding, and the thought of a bunch of people looking at me sends me in to a panic attack. And who wants to be drunk/doped up on their wedding day? So we eloped.

Alice is my daughter. She is currently 8 1/2 months old. She is the greatest thing ever! Well maybe Sean *wink* If you haven't already noticed, I write about her a lot. She does take up most of my "free" time, but soon will take up all of my time when I become a SAHM at the end of summer (more on that later).

More about me... I love to cook. I also love to bake, but I prefer to cook. Mostly because if I baked every day, then I'd be the size of a barn. Though to be honest, I'm getting close! I will go on a diet after I wean Alice... until then, I will consume as many Peanut Butter M&M's and Reese Peanut Butter Cups as I please (please feel free to send me pounds! wait...don't!). I also love to garden. I love to read. I don't get much time for that, but I have ambitious plans to read a few books this summer. I enjoy cross-stitching (again, little time for it).

I have really ambitious plans to learn to sew and make headbands. I would like to eventually be able to sell them on Etsy or something. I am interested in going "more green" and have started making some of my own cleaning products. I may start cloth-diapering in a couple of months... actually I have pretty much decided to cloth diaper, so there is no maybe. Just a when.

Well, that is me in a nut-shell, more or less. There is always more, but I have less time. As always, if you ever have a question for me, feel free to ask. There isn't much I won't answer!