Beautiful Baptism, Horrible Hostess

Thought I would go ahead and update while I wait patiently (NOT!) for my pictures to upload to Shutterfly.  I have been totally negligent with updating my albums and have not had any printed since June.  That amounts to 860 pictures.  Clearly I haven't been negligent with TAKING pictures.

So with moving into a new house and getting things decorated inevitably amounts to having family and friends over to visit.  My Grandma and Nanny had not yet seen the house, and Morgan was scheduled to be baptized, so I figured, what a great opportunity to throw a party! Her baptism was yesterday at Hopewell UMC, and it was a beautiful ceremony.  Morgan was such a good sport.  As we stood at the front of the church, the entire congregation smiled and laughed at her cuteness (she hiccupped the whole time, which echoed loudly!).  I am pretty sure our family alone increased their congregation by 20%.  I wish I could say that the after-party was as successful as the ceremony.  To preface this story, I must tell you that I am very new at being a hostess.  Our old house was terrible for entertaining, so we never had people over.  As soon as we found out we would be moving, I was thrilled to finally be able to host a party.  Okay, so back to the story.  I planned to have a simple lunch after the ceremony.  Deli trays, rolls, pimento cheese, buffalo chicken dip, potato chips, fruit, veggies, and cake were on the menu.  I estimated about 18 people would come over, and the trays claimed to serve 10-12, so I bought two.  My lack of experience caused me to seriously underestimate how hungry people are after church.  In no time, we were out of rolls, chips, lunch meat, and lemonade.  CRISIS.  I was totally panicked and embarassed.  I cried in Morgan's room briefly, before pulling myself together and asking Brad to run up to the store.  He then informs me that his car is blocked in by about 4 other vehicles.  DOUBLE CRISIS.  He could tell I was losing my mind, so I think he asked his uncle if he could borrow his car so I wouldn't have a nervous breakdown.  Such a good husband.  He returned about 20 minutes later with the goodies and the party was salvaged.  WHEW.  I have definitely learned that it is ALWAYS better to have too much food than too little.  The Boy Scouts are right....BE PREPARED.

Here are a couple shots from the day...

 

In my last post I promised a few house pictures to show the new paint, so here you go!

 

 

 

Master Bath

 

Master Bedroom

 

Dining Room

 

Half Bath

 

Kitchen

 

Not crazy about the lighting in any of these pictures, but you get the idea.  The Kitchen is not as lime green as this picture shows.  Well, it's not lime green at all.  Clearly, we still need window treatments in every room, and furniture in the dining room and formal living room (not pictured).  The card table with the table cloth did the trick for the party Sunday, but we would eventually like a table that hasn't been used for poker and beer pong.

 

Super quick Morgan update:  She is 7 months old now, and is sitting up with no problems, rolling from one end of the room to the other, rocking back and forth on her knees, and lunging and scooting towards toys.  She has "crawled" a couple of times, but she doesn't have it totally figured out yet.  She isn't showing any interest in pulling up yet.  She is eating great and growing so fast (18 lbs 9 oz!).  She is always happy to see her reflection, and loves when Mommy sings, patty cakes, and reads to her.  Okay that was quick, right?

 

Until next time!! 



 

Moving on...

I survived!  This past week went by surprisingly fast.  Maybe it was because it was only a four day week, or maybe because I have been too busy to think about the time passing.  It was back to work for me Tuesday morning.  I dropped off Morgan at Brad's Aunt's house (she is keeping her for me while I'm at work), and although I knew it would be difficult, I had not anticipated the surge of emotions as I left.  It was devastating.  I had to hand over my little bundle of joy and leave her for an entire day!  Yes, I know how overly dramatic that sounds, but other Moms understand and Moms-to-be will one day.  There were lots of tears that morning on my way in to work, but I composed myself and ended up having a fabulous work week.  As hard as it is to leave my baby, I feel so grateful to at least be going to job that I genuinely enjoy doing.

As if going back to work wasn't stressful enough, we are getting the house (inside) painted.  The project was originally supposed to take 5 days tops, but it quickly grew to 6 or 7.  Our master bedroom and bathroom, along with all of the trim and some touch ups are still on the to-do list.  So far I am loving the colors and even went on a little shopping spree to Kirklands today to get some decor.  In an attempt to expand my blog topics, I will hopefully be posting lots of pictures when all is said and done.  Stay tuned!

After 6 months of successful, yet sometimes challenging, breastfeeding, Morgan and I have moved on.  I am reluctant to say "quit," or any other negative words because that would not be a fair way to describe my efforts.  With the introduction of solids, returning to work, teething, and my need to go back on some BC (I don't want to be the next Tori Spelling), it just seemed like the timing was right.  Of course, this was an emotional decision for me, as I have made it my mission to be a successful breastfeeding mom.  At times it was very frustrating (fighting thrush, feeding issues, engorgement, feeding in public, etc.), but overcoming those challenges made me so proud of accomplishing 6 months of nursing.   I am happy to say that Morgan has adjusted very well to formula and is even holding her own bottle (awesome considering she has not had much practice).  I am still in the process of drying up my milk, which I am guessing will take a couple of months.  Attempting to stop cold turkey was an epic failure, and I don't reccommend it to anyone (OUCH).  I am now pumping every other night and trying to pump less each time until I dry up.  Thank GOD for breastpumps.  It amazes me that my mom nursed me for 9 months and NEVER pumped.  How is that possible?!

Here are some pics that Morgan's Great Aunt Lori took for me this week, and a picture of an art project they did.  Can't wait to fill up the whole fridge with these :)

Half a year, could it be?

Yes, that time has arrived.  Six months old.  Six months ago almost to the minute, I had just delivered my beautiful baby girl.  On the one hand that time seems so long ago because of how much my life has changed, but on the other I feel like these 26 weeks have passed in the blink of an eye.  Morgan is healthy, happy, and changing so much each day.  Brad and I feel so blessed and proud to have her in our lives.

 As you can see from the picture, Morgan is sitting now, mostly on her own.  She gets wobbly after a while, especially if she loses focus or tries to watch Waylon as he runs all over the room.  Teething has definitely begun, but no teeth have cut through yet.  She loves her Sophie the Giraffe and her frozen teething rings to soothe her gums.  She just figured out yesterday how to roll from one end of the room to the other.  Looks like baby-proofing the house is in the very near future. 

I feel the need to share the following story because I have a feeling that I am just one of many moms who have experienced this.  Mom and I went shopping yesterday to spend my birthday money on some much needed new clothes.  I am embarassed to admit I actually still own (and sometimes wear) items that I have had for over 10 years.  In fact, I still have a pair of cheerleading shorts from MIDDLE SCHOOL that I regularly wear.  The elastic in the waist is shot, and the cotton is so soft.  By far the comfiest shorts in the world.  Brad loves to joke about how many clothes I have, but I quickly remind him that it only LOOKS like I have a lot of clothes because I don't get rid of stuff.  I have plenty of friends whose summer wardrobe puts my entire wardrobe to shame. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about this.  Fashion has never been my cup of tea and I really don't consider myself to have a "style."  Anyways, back to my story.  I desparately needed some updated clothing because stuff either didn't fit, was terribly outdated, or was just plain age-inappropriate (no, it is not okay for a 25 year old to wear a rhinestone encrusted halter/tube top from Charlotte Russe).

                                                                     (yes, this is the one)

We started off in New York and Company and I was trying on some jeans.  I think you know where this story is heading.  Jeans were a difficult purchase for me before having a child, so my new body made it even more challenging.  I called out to my mom to go grab me a size 8, because the 6's made me look like a busted up can of crescent rolls.  She called back that those were the 8's.  GASP.  Why is it that as women, we care SO MUCH about the number printed on a pair of pants?  Tears started welling up in my eyes, but I decided I wasn't going to let it ruin my day.  Rather than trying on the 10's, I decided those jeans just weren't for me, and asked my mom to grab me a pair of black slacks (a girl's best friend according to Stacy London).  The 8 petite fit perfectly, and I went back to trying on some cute tops.  We ended up having a very successful shopping trip (about 7 tops and a pair of size 8 jeans from The Limited).  I guess the moral of my story is that motherhood changes a woman in so many ways.  We become more patient, we can multitask like no one's business, we put others before ourselves day after day, and even with these wonderful and positive changes, we tend to focus on a few extra pounds and curves.  The old me would have spent all day crying over my size 4's and XS's, but not the new me.  This body may not be perfect, far from it, but it grew a beautiful healthy child, and continues to feed her everyday.  If that isn't something to be proud of, I don't know what is.  Now I'll leave you with a quick video that is sure to put a smile on your face!

Milestones, Vacation, and House Projects!

Just looked back at my last post and realized it has been exactly 1 month since I last blogged.  I have been dying to post some important Morgan milestone updates, as well as our first family vacation to the beach!  Without further ado...

Milestones!  Morgan is almost 6 months old (just typing that is making it more real for me).  She develops more personality with each passing day, and let me just tell you, she may look like her Daddy, but she acts just like me (not sure yet if that is a good thing or not).  She is very sassy, giggly, and I have never seen someone so cranky when they are sleepy, except for myself.  Those little hands are on everything these days.  She loves to reach out and grab whatever catches her eye, be it my phone, my hair, my earrings (ouch!), or her ever-growing stash of toys.  While we were on vacation, she started hinting at wanting to sit up, aka, she would fuss whenever she was put down on her back or tummy.  In the past when I have attempted to sit her up either with assistance from me or the Bumbo, she showed little interest.  After just a few tries of plopping her down in the sitting position, she has really gotten the hang of it.  She can sit completely unsupported for 10-20 seconds, sometimes even longer.  Way to go, Morgan!  In other milestone news, she is still sleeping in her crib, and still waking me up SEVERAL times a night.  I am hoping this phase ends soon since I will be back to work in just 2 weeks.  We are still working on feeding her rice cereal, and I am not sure if I am having a harder time with it than her.  It just seems too soon to be feeding my little baby actual food with a spoon, but I know it's best for her.  I am excited to try her on some other foods, and I am hoping she likes them!  Also, I am thrilled to announce that Morgan's Halloween costume has been ordered.  No, I am not making it myself as I do not sew and do not possess any crafty genes whatsoever.  Regardless, I am super stoked about it and can't wait to get her all dressed up.  Here it is!!  http://www.target.com/p/infant-this-lil-piggy-costume/-/A-14047910

Vacation.  Ahh how the meaning of that word changes once you have a child.  We went to Oak Island Beach, NC this year, where we have never gone before.  We normally go to Topsail Island, NC, but the family decided to change things up.  We stayed in an oceanfront condo with Brad's grandparents.  First of all, it is AMAZING how much crap you have to take on vacation for one child.  We had the bed of an F150 slam packed with the Pack N Play, bouncer, tent, umbrella, toys, clothes, etc.  Looks like once we have more kids we will be renting a Uhaul.  On top of having all the stuff, we had a very modest sized condo for 4 adults and a baby.  The bed took up so much room that we had no room for the Pack N Play.  Thank goodness I decided to bring the Rock N Play just in case.  Morgan's feet practically hang out of it, but she slept in that thing all week.  I was a little worried about the weather due to some gloomy forecasts for the area, but it ended up being beautiful all week.  We took Morgan onto the beach a few days, which was a ton of work.  Hauling the tent, chairs, umbrella, towels, water, toys, bouncer, and baby is no easy task.  And after all of that hard work, it turns out Morgan is not much of a fan of the beach.  Just like her Mommy, she does not like being all hot and sandy.  Once Brad and I figured this out, we decided we would go down to the beach in shifts so that we could relax while the other watched Morgan.  Brad's grandma was a ton of help too, since she didn't like to stay on the beach too long either.  Next year I am hoping that Morgan will enjoy herself a little more so all the work will be worthwhile.  Overall, we did have a nice trip.  Most of all, I enjoyed having an entire week to spend with my husband.  He truly is my best friend and we have so much fun together.

House projects!  We finally got a reasonable estimate for some interior paint work, so we will be getting the downstairs, upstairs hall, master bedroom, and bathroom painted the week I go back to work.  All of the walls are currently white, so I am very excited to have some color in this house.  Once the walls are painted, it is GO TIME for decorating.  I can't wait! 

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer! 

Getting Settled In

Now that I finally have a few minutes without having to clean, pack, unpack, feed a baby, feed myself, feed my dog, etc... I figured I would update the blog.  We are officially moved into the beautiful new house in Brandermill, right on hole 4 of the golfcourse.  Words really can't describe how happy we are at the new home.  Waylon has adjusted quickly and is even going to the bathroom outside without a leash (our other house had a fenced backyard).  Ever since we put an offer on the house I have pictured Waylon running like a bat out of hell towards the golfcourse to bite some poor golfer.  He knows how good he has it here and I don't think he plans on making a break for it anytime soon.  We still have a list a mile long of things we want to do to the house (paint, new furniture, organizing, etc), but we are in no hurry.  I am going to view this house as a lifelong project, because I meant it when I said that I am NEVER moving again!!!

It seems like Morgan has grown and developed by leaps and bounds over the past few weeks.  Once we got moved in, she immediately started grabbing her feet and bringing them to her mouth, along with every other thing she can get her little paws on (including my hair!).  A few days later during tummy time, I noticed she was a lot more content with being on her tummy, which is major progress.  That same day she began doing little baby "push-ups" and by the time Brad got home from work she was ROLLING OVER!  YAY MORGAN!  We were so proud of her.  Other major news in Morgan's life...she is now sleeping in her crib!  I decided that enough was enough, and it was time to take the plunge.  I realized that I was keeping her in the Rock N Play for selfish reasons and she soon would be way too big for it anyways.  She has slept in the crib every night since July 7th.  Of course I have to go back and forth to soothe her and get her to sleep on occasion, but for the most part I lay her down and she is out like a light.  Unfortunately, she is waking up more frequently (about 3 times a night), but I have gotten pretty good at being a Zombie Mommy and I am able to feed her, burp her, change her, and go back to sleep without feeling too sleep deprived in the morning.  A few days ago I gave her rice cereal for the first time, in hopes that it would fill her up before bed and allow her to sleep longer.  She loved the cereal, but no such luck on the sleeping.  I may postpone the cereal a few more weeks since she is still breastfed, which is going great by the way.  I am so glad I made it past the difficult part because now it is so much easier.  I cannot imagine having to come downstairs and make a bottle at 3am, SCREW THAT!  Not to mention the hundreds of dollars I have saved on formula.  I encourage any new mom who is having a hard time with breastfeeding to just take things day by day, and DO NOT BUY formula.  If all you have is Momma's milk, then you are less likely to give up.

Well I apologize for the lengthy post and promise to do better with keeping it up.  Maybe I will even get motivated enough to blog about some house projects.  Warning: I am in no way crafty or creative, so keep your Pintrest accounts. 

Toodles!

PS This post's photos are a few of my favorites from my iPhone from the last few weeks.  Enjoy!

SCHOOOOOOOOLS OUT FOR SUMMA!

Despite the fact that I was only back at work for 12 days, I am still very excited that school is out and summer is here!  Obviously, I am thrilled to be at home with Morgan to watch her giggle, grow, and get prettier by the second (didn't think it was possible but she does get prettier everyday).  But I guess there is also that kid inside of me that can't help but love summer vacation, snow days, or any other event that allows the teachers and kiddos to have a break.

It was a moment that I had dreaded before Morgan was even born.  I knew that with her due date being in early March that I would have to go back to work for at least a few days unless she was born 2 weeks late (no thanks).  So May 31 was my first day back and I have to admit it wasn't as horrible as I pictured.  Yes there were tears, and yes my heart ached the entire way to work.  But honestly once I got there, the hugs from all the kids and the friendly faces of my coworkers made it much easier.  Within a couple of hours I felt like I hadn't missed a beat.  Of course, I couldn't get home quick enough in the afternoons and soaked up as much cuddle time as I could for the rest of the evening.  The hardest part (other than leaving Morgan, of course), was the balancing act of keeping up the house, being super organized with bottles and pumping, and running errands.  I am so grateful that I have a very  helpful husband, who will do just about anything I ask of him.  And I also have a happy, sleepy, healthy baby who is now sleeping about 6-7 hours at night.  Being well rested makes everything easier.

When deciding to post today I actually had to think about how many weeks Morgan is now.  When I figured up 16, I thought, CAN THAT BE RIGHT?  How is she 16 weeks already??  I knew the big 4 month mark was coming up but for some reason 16 weeks sounds insane.  She is doing great though, and everyday she seems to learn something new.  She loves grabbing things and bringing them to her mouth.  She has officially started giggling (cutest. thing. ever.) and is a very smiley girl.  I had guessed going back to work would result in bringing home some yucky kiddo germs, and I was right.  Morgan is a tough cookie though, and is getting over her first cold.  She just had some sniffles and a little coughing, but she never seemed to be upset over it.  What an angel!  I am still waiting for the all-important "rolling over" milestone, which technically doesn't need to be reached until about 5 months.  She has rolled over a couple of times, but not consistantly, so I am not really counting it.  She HATES tummy time, which doesn't help.  It's so hard to sit there and watch her cry, but I try to get in a few minutes so that she can build up those neck muscles.  Whenever I get stressed about Morgan's milestones, my mom reminds me that I didn't sit on my own until I was 8 months old and I didn't walk until 14 months (both well behind the curve).  My rents even put me in Junior Kindergarten due to my "delays."  Thanks, Mom!  Haha.

In my last post I mentioned that Brad and I had been house hunting and would possibly be moving this summer.  Well, it's official!  We accepted the sellers' counter offer and will be closing on July 6th.  After an exhausting search, we finally decided on a beautiful home in Brandermill.  The house has everything on our "wish list."  We made a small compromise on the yard.  It isn't fenced and is a tad smaller than what we were looking for, but we decided it was something we could definitely live with and being right on the golf course with a water view doesn't hurt either.  Because the market SUCKS to sell a house, we will be renting out our current home.  We are excited about being landlords and hope that it will be a smart investment, although at times the risks associated with renting makes me want to puke.  I have been doing A LOT of praying and am trusting that all of this chaos will be worth it in the end.

Speaking of my gut-wrenching anxiety, how about a Weight Watchers update?  Well, I have to admit I have been off the program since I last posted.  The stress of moving and going back to work was totally overwhelming, so I decided to take a WW break and see what happened.  I honestly had gone weeks without weighing, so when I stepped on the scale yesterday I was a nervous wreck.  Fortunately, I have managed to maintain my 12 pound weight loss.  Yay!  That is all I can ask for.  Maybe once we get moved and settled in, I can start utilizing those amazing walking trails in Brandermill and burn off a few more pounds.  If not, no big deal.  I have accomplished a lot and overall I feel good about where I am.

Now time to feed my growing machine...until next time!

12 Weeks: Happy baby, sick dog, and new house?

I had no idea that it has been 4 weeks since I last posted.  Time really has slipped away from me.  Morgan will be 12 weeks old tomorrow and continues to be a little growing and learning machine.  She laughs, coos, holds her head up, plays with her hands, loves to kick her feet, and is now getting used to her Bumbo seat.  She still enjoys swinging and will now take naps in her crib (Yay!).  She is sleeping great at night; on average about 6 hours.  She also takes a couple of naps during the day.  Her Rock N Play sleeper is still her napping/sleeping location of choice.  Hopefully she will become more comfortable in her crib before she gets too big for the Rock N Play.  At her 2 month doctors appointment, which was now about 4 weeks ago, she weighed 11 lbs 15 ounces.  Morgan is in the 75th percentile for height and weight, and 50th percentile for her head size.  We are still breastfeeding and it is going well.  Morgan spits up quite a bit and seems to have reflux issues, so we recently started her on some medication to help with that.  I never understood why some mothers kept a bib on their babies at all times.  Now I get it.  This child drools, spits, burps, and vomits ALL the time.  Good thing I have a supply of about 20 bibs.  Now I know why new moms complain about laundry.  I go through a few shirts a day because despite all of the bibs and burp cloths, my shirt seems to be the best place to puke.  I call it my "Mommy Perfume" and even though at times it stresses me out to have to change my clothes constantly, I wouldn't have it any other way!  I am LOVING being a Mommy and finally feel like I have settled in to being at home; of course just in time for me to go back to work.  I have about a week and a half before I return and I am extremely nervous about it.  I haven't given work much thought since I have been out, and I really want to go back and finish out the school year strong for the kids.  I just hope that I have the strength and patience to do my job well.  My mom is going to be taking care of Morgan 2 of the days, and one of my best friend's mom will be watching her the other 10, so I know she will be in great hands. 

On top of adjusting to life with a beautiful baby girl, Brad and I have had some other recent developments at the Hooper household.  Poor Waylon has been very sick and we have been so worried about him.  We took him to the emergency vet back in April and he had a terrible infection (still don't know what caused it).  He was having bloody stools (sorry if that's too graphic) and had a really high fever.  It took several days, but he finally got over it.  Last Friday, I noticed he was licking his rear end (not overly unusual), and was walking funny.  Upon closer inspection, I discovered he had a huge cyst-like sore spot on his bum.  He was also burning up and not acting himself.  Fortunately my best friend Amy was over and she helped me take him to the vet.  Sure enough he had a fever and the vet said that one of his anal glands had become infected and turned into an abscess (gross!).  They had to completely sedate him, drain it, and load him up on pain meds and antibiotics.  He seems to be doing a lot better, but still not 100% himself.  Needless to say this past month has been extremely stressful (AND EXPENSIVE) as pet owners. 

Also adding to the stress, Brad and I are currently looking at moving into a new home.  We made our first offer on a house yesterday and now we are just waiting to hear back from our agent with the counter offer.  It's true what they say.  Buying a house is one of the most stressful life events.  We also need to sell our home or rent it out, which has made me a complete cleanaholic (as if I wasn't one already).  Our house isn't on the market yet but our agent is hopeful that we will get a lot of activity.  Fingers crossed!

Weight Watchers update:  Down 11 lbs since the start and 33 since having Morgan!  I have become slightly less strict with my points, but I am still managing to lose a little every week.  I have done WW many times in the past,, and each time it has consumed my life.  This time I don't have that choice since I have so many other things going on, and it's really nice not to be stressing over the scale at every meal.  In fact, I only weigh myself once a week, and I only remember to do that because my WW app tells me it's weigh-in day.  I still have about 5 pounds to lose to reach my WW goal, and 10 to reach my personal goal.  But if it takes 6 more months to get there I am okay with that. 

Maybe the next time I post I will have some exciting house hunting news.  Prayers and happy thoughts are welcome!  Thanks again to all my wonderful family and friends for their constant outpour of love and support.  Morgan and I are still receiving gifts and acts of kindness from people and it warms my heart to know that so many people love us.  We are so very blessed!