It's all worth it!

Oh my little Addie, you are growing up so much!

She is growing up to be so strong, and everyday we get to see a little bit more of her personality! 3 and 1/2 months old and she is showing that she is a soft spoken, bashful, smiley/ joyful, yet determined sweet little one! She laughed for the first time this week with the help of her Grandpa! Oh and she LOVES her sleep… She is still taking five 1.5- 2 hr naps a day and sleeping 7-10 hours straight at night! It makes it hard to go out though because she will rarely sleep in her car seat (ya we are still working on that), so then she doesn't get her much needed naps in :( However, I am wondering how I got stuck with a husband, dog, and daughter who ALL love their sleep!? lol... I myself, do not share that passion!

We are loving every moment we get to spend with her! It's so much less stressful now that we feel like we finally "get the hang of it!"  She is especially enjoying her many hours of daddy and grandma time while mommy is at work! Its so neat to see her relationships grow with others!

Unfortunately, Addie is currently sick for the first time :( It breaks my heart to see her so congested, and feeling so sick…Hopefully this will be short lived and she will be feeling better soon :( In the meantime, hopefully lots of snuggles and kisses help her feel better...

The weather is so gorgeous!!! I am so thankful we did not have to deal with a bad winter and a newborn! I was scared of having to deal with the roads, cold, etc…but it looks like we had it quite easy! Now onward to walks outside, swimming, and adorable summer clothes for the little one! We are going to try and soak up every bit of summer this year as a family, and not forget/ put aside the things we love to do!

Side note: Things that are good, are true, and are right…well, they are worth fighting for. It is worth giving of yourself, your selfish thoughts, ways and desires. It is all worth it, and in the end thats what matters. Trying your heart out to let the important things in life (relationships, morals, others, truth) remain a priority.

Still thoughts...

As I lay here with my daughter sleeping oh so soundly on me (really the only way she sleeps good during the day) I am forced to reflect in the silence of our home.

I am feeling guilty for how crabby I have been all day, and I can't even tell you why I have been crabby, because I have no clue! I wish I could've snapped out of it so I could've enjoyed some time with my husband (who was gone all weekend)

 I am also continuing to remind myself of what life is all about. I mean the nitty gritty stuff, the sole of our existance. It's most certainly not the day to day stuff I stress about. It is bigger than that, so much bigger! However, we do have a choice in what we do with the small moments of each day. Those things build up who we are and what we will become. I just wish that could ring louder in my ear when I get all caught up in the day to day stuff and remind me what I should refocus my attention on!

If we ever stop learning or desiring to grow, that is when we should fear for ourselves. Instead, let us try our little hearts out each day to be more like Him, and live how we know we should.

Adjustments...

Whelp, we are doing it… we are adjusting to the new routines and ways of life without momma around 24/7!

Its been almost 3 weeks since I went back to work...and yes, we did survive, and are even starting to thrive! It takes a little (ok, a lot) of letting go, and help to not miss her so much, but we are doing it! The many pictures sent to me through the evening as well as knowing there are such good people (Sam and my mom) taking care of her make it possible! I just love my little girl so much my heart literally hurts every time I think about her! When I am home, it makes every moment with her that more special. I appreciate it even more now, and am very blessed to now only work a .6 (24 hrs a week) 

Momma time :)

On another note, we can proudly say little Addie has hit 10 lbs as of yesterday! We are so excited because her weight gain has been a slight worry since birth. She dropped more than usual after birth, was very dehydrated and very jaundiced. Since then, has had trouble (most weeks) making that growth curve actually move upward! However, I know I shouldn't worry so much, and that she will be just fine I'm sure… She is just showing us she is a slow grower and very petite!

Getting so much stronger!!

Brother/ sister love! Its so cute to see them interact!

For 2 nights in a row, we have gone 7 hours, yes, 7 HOURS between feedings at night!!!! I can't believe it, and really hope it lasts a little while! I actually didn't even mind waking up once a night (usually between 4-5) because we would both go back to sleep until 8 or sometimes 9! But hey, Ill take the "sleeping through the night" as long as she will give it to us!

Have I mentioned how blessed we are to be living where we are? Our house situation may have been/ is horrible and not fun, but we didn't expect (or deserve) to be blessed with such a great place to live now once we go out of there! Wow! God is good!

Other random facts about Addie/ life with Addie: she HATES the car and her car seat. She cries (and sometimes screams continuously) every time she has to go in the car for about 10-15 minutes. It is so sad! However, she does LOVE music, and sometimes I just need to crank it up and once she lets it, it seems to sooth her. Hopefully this hate does not last forever, and is just a phase. (fingers crossed)

Finally relaxed and dozing off in the car!

Until next time…. :)

My little Addie...

My little girl is 2 months and 1 week old now! Oh how the time flies! It is crazy how fast each day, week, and month goes by… I am trying to keep the moments within those days/ weeks/ months to go by so slowly though! Got to soak up every minute/ stage with this little girl of ours! I love how her personality is starting to come out, it is so exciting!

-She is a definite cuddler, and if it was up to her, she would be wrapped around my shoulder or curled up in someone's arms 24/24 hours in the day. I so am grateful for this!
-She is a sleeper, and is still only awake for about 30 minutes after each feeding.

-She likes 1 on 1 time when playing, and thats when she will really get to talking/ smiling!
-She does a mood 180 in like 2.2 seconds. She is either super happy or ready to eat/ sleep. There is NO in-between.
-She knows exactly what she wants, and is very strong in letting you know that!
-She has mischievous little smiles quite frequently, letting us know she's up to no good ;)

-She continues to be an active little bugger, and has been able to scoot across her crib for about a month now!

-Her neck and legs are getting so strong and her eyes so focused…bring on the play time!

It is also so neat watching her and her 'big brother" Theo interact! Theo has been great with her from day 1... He is so protective of her and always wants to be right by her side. She is starting to notice him now too, starring at him, and reaching out to touch him.

I am going back to work tomorrow. I am of course nervous and sad... but I am also anxious to get it over with…I think the anticipation of it is worse than the reality of how it will be. Onward to create a new routine! (just when we were starting to get things figured out)


On another note, my best friend has set the date for her wedding! (Sept 1st) and I am so excited to be along the ride with her on this exciting journey! I couldn't be more happy for her and her fiance! Yay for LOVE!


…and she has just informed me its eating time for her, so it's time to go!

P + P + P = ...

I am finding out that being a perfectionist, people pleaser and {new} parent is not an easy combination!
As we all know, things in life never actually go PERFECTLY...so those endless efforts to strive for that are often stressful and overwhelming. Oh, and making everyone happy, well thats not so likely either. Trying to balance these two factors of my personality has been hard, and the failure to do so has often left me unsettled.
Add being a new parent to the mix, now thats even more challenging! Especially, if you get all wrapped up in trying to do EVERYTHING right. If I thought it was hard not to compare myself to others before, its even harder now! Instead, I need to remember to be grateful and appreciative of what I have and what I am. And…that i am doing the best I can and that is all I can do!

So... my {Daily} battle has now included things like:

-Soaking up each and every moment with my baby girl (instead of crossing just one more thing off the list)
-Sitting and starring at her play (instead of accomplishing something else while she is occupied)

-Telling myself its OK if today, she did not get enough tummy time or fell asleep in my arms 7/10 times (instead of feeling guilty)

 etc, etc…I think you get the picture!

So onward with the days ahead, and hopefully I can relax and be at peace with my efforts of my job as a new mom as well as a wife/ woman…and try to set aside my perfectionist/ people pleasing tendencies.

welcoming 2012 with open arms!

Well... It has been a long while since I have updated this on my life, and what a few months it has been!
Lets start from where I left off:

At the end of August 2011 we were grateful enough to be able to temporarily move into my parents house in Lakeville, MN. This was as a result of the extensive mold/ water damage that we continued to find in our recently purchased house. We weren't sure what we were going to do with the house yet, but one thing was for sure, it was not safe for me (being pregnant) to live there anymore. My parents welcomed us with open arms, and thankfully it was less of an adjustment than I had anticipated it would be. Not sure what we would have done with out them!

As we continued on with our 45+ minute commutes to work, we sifted through what were were going to do with the unfortunate situation at hand. With my belly enlarging week by week, it was a reminder that  we had to decide something soon! December was soon approaching! We decided to start looking for a town home to rent for the time being. We looked at a few places, and fell in love with one in Hudson, WI. Neither of us could believe we would actually be living in the state of Wisconsin ;) (ok, its really not that big of a deal I guess...but it seemed weird with it always being a rival state and all) The price was amazing, and it was available right when we needed it (at the start of November). We are so happy here and feel completely blessed and provided for!

With a little over a month to get settled and ready for this baby to come, I got decorating and organized real fast! Here are some pictures of her room, which is of course...animal themed!

I was working full speed ahead everyday! Also, being on my feet so much at work made me exhausted, but it was good to keep so busy doing something I love! As thanksgiving approached, I was readier than ever for this little girl to come into the world! However, I didn't REALLY think I would get that lucky to have her just shy of 37 weeks...so I continued to be active and waited... My mom and I still did our crazy all night black friday shopping, and got all ready for Christmas, 'just in case!'

Fast forward one week, and its my 25th birthday! I had a wonderful morning with my husband and got to see my best friend, then spent the evening at work. I was hoping to share a birthday with our little girl, but again, realistically did not think I would be that lucky to not have to wait until 40+ weeks. However, I did not give up hope or stop doing everything I could to get her to come! And...

Surprisingly, the next morning at 7 am on December 2nd my water broke! We were both a little in denial, but it went pretty quick and at 6:18 our beautiful little girl Addison Joy was born at 7 lbs 3 oz!

Its a month in, and I have so many thoughts/ emotions I cant even put into words. Overall, being a parent is the most rewarding and incredible things I have/ will ever do. I am trying to cherish each moment and stage of her life. She has started to be awake more, is staring at people/ things more and is growing every single day in so many ways! It is amazing!!! The crying and tough times are worth every second of it... I still cannot believe she is a month old already!

We have been keeping busy and going on a lot of outings to keep me from going insane from being in the house for so long. 5 1/2 weeks left until the dreaded time when I have to go back to work :( It is going to be so hard!

Overall, 2011 was a pretty tough year for many reasons...but it sure ended with something GREAT! Hoping and believing for a better year, yet thankful for the strength I have gained though everything!

I have promised myself to blog/ write things down more this year so expect more frequent updates and vent sessions in the near future :)

-Christina

it all started with...

It all started with us thinking it was time to get out of the "renting world" and start the home buying process. Soon after we found the house we thought would be a perfect starter home. Over the past 6 months, we have had several small/ moderate sized projects to better suit this house for us. It started with that...However, we now have a much bigger issue on our hands....WATER! it seems to be everywhere...in the walls, in the carpet....ughh! I wish we would have known this 6 months ago BEFORE we bought the house :(

It seems like once we think we have figured out what the source is or the locations of the water damage, we find more and more! The stress of all this has been a bit too much for this pregnant lady to handle. Once we find the exact sources of where the water is coming from we can move on to the plan of knocking down walls/ killing mold/ and re-doing the walls. hmm....  :/

I find myself constantly wishing we would have made a different decision. What if we would have just been patient and kept renting for another year (or two)...or what if we would have just gotten a new townhouse? Life would have been easier then right? or...why does it seem like everyone else's house does not have big & expensive problems (especially so soon). The grass always looks greener on the other side. And we cannot turn back now!

The stress+ fear+ sadness of all this has led me to TRY and remind myself that we will be taken care of...some way, some how... God is going to keep us in his arms and carry us through this tough time. Its hard to believe at times, but that is where my faith needs to step it up.

Hopefully all of these water/home issues get fixed in enough time to prepare for baby's arrival. ;/