We've finally convinced Stephen's mother to offer some of her fantastic handmade baby things for sale. She makes the sweetest things - we have been lucky to have some of her darling headbands. Seems like every time we see her, she looks at Stella's outfit, disappears for a while, and emerges with the cutest accessories to match her ensemble. Lord knows this baby has to be coordinated!!
She also makes THE BEST baby blankets - big enough to swaddle a little one (so they stay swaddled, and you know how fanatic I am about that), and in different weights for different seasons. We would not have gotten through summer without her sweet lightweight blankets - Stella loves to play with (and on) them, they block the sun and are easy to wash.
If you need a baby gift, check out her shop at www.diddledee.etsy.com. (It's named after this sweet little Irish song she sings to her grandchildren.) She takes custom orders and has much more than is listed currently (bibs, burp cloths, buntings, etc.).
Stella is definitely benefitting from her talented Nana.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
sugar-free me, week one
I'm down 3 pounds since last week. Still sane and everything.
There is a weight loss pool going on at work, I think I will join it and harness the power of my competitive side. Everyone puts $50 in and winner takes the cash. Hopefully breastfeeding mothers aren't disqualified. On the one hand, it burns extra calories, but on the other, you aren't allowed to diet and have a hard time finding time to work out. Maybe that all evens out?
There is a weight loss pool going on at work, I think I will join it and harness the power of my competitive side. Everyone puts $50 in and winner takes the cash. Hopefully breastfeeding mothers aren't disqualified. On the one hand, it burns extra calories, but on the other, you aren't allowed to diet and have a hard time finding time to work out. Maybe that all evens out?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Thoughts from a Househusband 2
Something occurred to me the other day; being a stay at home parent is not like a job at all. I thought that staying at home would be like a simple transfer to a new position or small career change. I thought my hours would be better, I thought I would enjoy being my own boss. I thought that the work would be less stressful. Boy was I wrong!
The hours suck, and there is no such thing as a weekend off. I really thought that being a househusband would be just another work day – different deadlines, different boss, but work all the same. The problem with my logic was that the weekend comes and I am still a dad with a very demanding boss. And the stakes are much higher – quarterly sales goals are nothing compared to helping my daughter form the personality that will take her through her whole life.
I've got the best job in the world. Hats off to all those stay at home moms and dads.
The hours suck, and there is no such thing as a weekend off. I really thought that being a househusband would be just another work day – different deadlines, different boss, but work all the same. The problem with my logic was that the weekend comes and I am still a dad with a very demanding boss. And the stakes are much higher – quarterly sales goals are nothing compared to helping my daughter form the personality that will take her through her whole life.
I've got the best job in the world. Hats off to all those stay at home moms and dads.
Monday, August 25, 2008
still growing
Stella had a check up with her doctor today. 15 lbs, 4.5 oz!!!
Kiddo is in the 95th percentile for head size, and 90th for height and weight. Meaning her head is bigger than 95% of all the other babies her age, etc. At least she is in proportion...
She also had to have a couple of shots, not fun, but we did ok.
Kiddo is in the 95th percentile for head size, and 90th for height and weight. Meaning her head is bigger than 95% of all the other babies her age, etc. At least she is in proportion...
She also had to have a couple of shots, not fun, but we did ok.
not into the bar scene
Some good friends of ours moved out of town last weekend, and had a last hurrah at one of our pre-baby hangouts. It's an Irish pub with a big open patio in the back. We thought we would stop in and wish them well, and bring the bambina since we would not be there long. We've been many times where people have brought their kids, since the patio is outside and all. But as soon as I crossed the threshold, I knew I had made a huge mistake. Stella started crying instantly, unprepared for such loud Johnny Cash. And of course I can't make it more than 10 yards without running into someone I work with. I'm all "Oh yeah, hi, I'm the woman who brings her baby to a bar..."
It felt awful, we hightailed it out of there. It's weird how much things change with a little one. It was just all wrong.
It felt awful, we hightailed it out of there. It's weird how much things change with a little one. It was just all wrong.
Friday, August 22, 2008
sugar-free me
Today is day three of my cut-out-the-sweets initiative. In the last part of my pregnancy, I cut out all sugar in hopes of having a non-ginormous baby. Didn't have gestational diabetes or anything, but her head measurements were so big that the ultrasound machine literally could not compute her size. They were thinking she was going to be 11 pounds or so! My doctor suggested cutting back on sugar to see if that would help.
And... yikes, was that hard on me. Especially during pregnancy where you get tired so easily, a sugar rush could really help my day along. Anyway, I did it then, and I am going to try it now.
After a while, I really did crave it less. Certain things (hello, mint chocolate chip ice cream!) were always hard to pass up. But I put a goal in to eat at least three pieces of fruit every day, and while it did increase my danger of becoming one of those jerks who think fruit is a dessert, it worked.
I gave myself one cheat a week, and by doing so felt more like I was savoring, and less like I was depriving. The pressure was on to make sure it was truly delicious and worth the indulgence. Sometimes I even skipped the indulgence if nothing worthwhile came along. It's easy to pass up nasty store-bought cake if you know a homemade brownie sundae is on the horizon...
This is not a low-carb endeavor, so certain things that others might consider sugary are still in on my list. More like I am cutting out those foods you would normally consume for dessert. I know that I eat healthy foods already, in acceptable portions, but my sweet tooth is completely insane.
Out: cookies, chocolate, ice cream, etc. (4:00 gelati hour, I think I'll miss you the most...)
Still in: yogurt (not the frozen kind), fruit with whipped cream, chocolate milk, grown up breakfast cereals, PB&J
If I drank sodas or juices, I would cut those out, but I really only drink water, wine, and the occasional margarita.
Wish me luck!
And... yikes, was that hard on me. Especially during pregnancy where you get tired so easily, a sugar rush could really help my day along. Anyway, I did it then, and I am going to try it now.
After a while, I really did crave it less. Certain things (hello, mint chocolate chip ice cream!) were always hard to pass up. But I put a goal in to eat at least three pieces of fruit every day, and while it did increase my danger of becoming one of those jerks who think fruit is a dessert, it worked.
I gave myself one cheat a week, and by doing so felt more like I was savoring, and less like I was depriving. The pressure was on to make sure it was truly delicious and worth the indulgence. Sometimes I even skipped the indulgence if nothing worthwhile came along. It's easy to pass up nasty store-bought cake if you know a homemade brownie sundae is on the horizon...
This is not a low-carb endeavor, so certain things that others might consider sugary are still in on my list. More like I am cutting out those foods you would normally consume for dessert. I know that I eat healthy foods already, in acceptable portions, but my sweet tooth is completely insane.
Out: cookies, chocolate, ice cream, etc. (4:00 gelati hour, I think I'll miss you the most...)
Still in: yogurt (not the frozen kind), fruit with whipped cream, chocolate milk, grown up breakfast cereals, PB&J
If I drank sodas or juices, I would cut those out, but I really only drink water, wine, and the occasional margarita.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
one tough crowd
I am so glad we captured Stella's exuberant baby giggles a few weeks ago. We haven't really heard them since. Apparently, we are just not that funny to her anymore.
We are working our tails off trying to hear that giggle again, but no dice. The most we can get is this mannish little chuckle, it sounds sort of like a lawnmower starting ("heh-heh-heh-heh-heh").
She acts delighted, sort of doing the silent laugh like my friend Tammy used to do, where the face is laughing, but no sound comes out. And so we keep doing whatever it is, tickling, singing, waving our hands in the air like we just don't care, you name it. She seems to quickly tire of us. My sister thinks she is just like me, on the not-so-easily-impressed side. Like, "ok, that was funny, now what?" She enjoys it all, but no baby hysteria.
Stephen does this great thing where he is like a wild pig rooting for truffles on her tummy. She goes insane, but of course no giggles. It's the closest thing though. All he has to do is snort at her and she lights right up.
She's a very happy baby, but we are just dying to hear that giggle again...
We are working our tails off trying to hear that giggle again, but no dice. The most we can get is this mannish little chuckle, it sounds sort of like a lawnmower starting ("heh-heh-heh-heh-heh").
She acts delighted, sort of doing the silent laugh like my friend Tammy used to do, where the face is laughing, but no sound comes out. And so we keep doing whatever it is, tickling, singing, waving our hands in the air like we just don't care, you name it. She seems to quickly tire of us. My sister thinks she is just like me, on the not-so-easily-impressed side. Like, "ok, that was funny, now what?" She enjoys it all, but no baby hysteria.
Stephen does this great thing where he is like a wild pig rooting for truffles on her tummy. She goes insane, but of course no giggles. It's the closest thing though. All he has to do is snort at her and she lights right up.
She's a very happy baby, but we are just dying to hear that giggle again...
Monday, August 18, 2008
everything is bigger in texas
including this headband Stephen's mom made her:
we took some more pictures yesterday, you can see them on our flickr site.
we took some more pictures yesterday, you can see them on our flickr site.
Friday, August 15, 2008
reunited, and it feels so good...
Sorry for the long lapse between posts. Last week Stephen and Stella went to visit Stephen's family, about a three hour drive away. They left in the middle of the week, then I went down for the weekend, and they stayed until the middle of this week. I know Stella enjoyed getting some grandparent time and seeing her cousins.
I didn't want to write about it while they were gone. I was lonely and at the same time ridiculously productive. My plan was to go to bed early, but the first night they were gone I got so much done, I couldn't seem to stop. I was so happy to see them on the weekend; it was really hard to drive back home without them. But I'm glad they did it, glad Stephen can do stuff like that with his flexible schedule. I missed them both like crazy. This house is too big without them here.
I didn't want to write about it while they were gone. I was lonely and at the same time ridiculously productive. My plan was to go to bed early, but the first night they were gone I got so much done, I couldn't seem to stop. I was so happy to see them on the weekend; it was really hard to drive back home without them. But I'm glad they did it, glad Stephen can do stuff like that with his flexible schedule. I missed them both like crazy. This house is too big without them here.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
She laughs!
This morning Stephen did something Stella must have found funny, we heard a kind of chuckle. We looked at each other like, did she just laugh?
She did. Stephen's mom was there and the three of us were so excited to hear her laugh we scared her.
Grabbed the camera and got this:
She did. Stephen's mom was there and the three of us were so excited to hear her laugh we scared her.
Grabbed the camera and got this:
date night
Oh, we have to get better at this date night thing! Stephen's mom was in town and offered to watch Stella so we could have a night out. Oh how lovely this sounded! We talked about going to Nick & Sam's, Stephen's absolute favorite restaurant (steak to die for), then to see Mamma Mia (yes, my pick).
Well of course we got moving later than planned, so we were forced to re-evaluate the plan. As it was already 7:45, we had to choose between dinner and a movie. Since Stella is actually pretty good about restaurants (won't last forever, I know), we picked the movie. We were so unorganized, we just went to the theater without checking times. Got there and next showing of Mamma Mia was not until 10, which was way too late to do to Stephen's mom.
So what started out as:
Dress up night out, fabulous dinner, escapist singing and greek isles travel lust
ended up as:
batman
Which, by the way, was a good movie. Definitely not for kids though, quite dark and bleak. Also may have been too much for my tired brain. Me, in the car, after: "But why was his hair green? I just don't understand!" Stephen: "sigh..."
Well of course we got moving later than planned, so we were forced to re-evaluate the plan. As it was already 7:45, we had to choose between dinner and a movie. Since Stella is actually pretty good about restaurants (won't last forever, I know), we picked the movie. We were so unorganized, we just went to the theater without checking times. Got there and next showing of Mamma Mia was not until 10, which was way too late to do to Stephen's mom.
So what started out as:
Dress up night out, fabulous dinner, escapist singing and greek isles travel lust
ended up as:
batman
Which, by the way, was a good movie. Definitely not for kids though, quite dark and bleak. Also may have been too much for my tired brain. Me, in the car, after: "But why was his hair green? I just don't understand!" Stephen: "sigh..."
role reversals
In a stunning turn of events, we find ourselves in the unlikely position of having switched personalities, just a little bit.
Used to be I wanted nothing more than to be going, going, going, all the time. Friday night was wasted unless I was out seeing people, doing stuff, etc. Stephen always needed downtime to recharge. I would be climbing the walls.
Now, it's him that needs the interaction, and I just want to rest... who knew?
Used to be I wanted nothing more than to be going, going, going, all the time. Friday night was wasted unless I was out seeing people, doing stuff, etc. Stephen always needed downtime to recharge. I would be climbing the walls.
Now, it's him that needs the interaction, and I just want to rest... who knew?
grandparent visit
My parents came to visit last weekend, they got some good bonding time in. It was fun to see them, they haven't seen Stella in person since she was just a week or two old. She obliged them with some new milestones - putting both her hands together and putting her foot in her mouth. She has been sucking on her hands a lot lately, it's kind of funny because she starts to gag if she gets her fingers in there too far but doesn't quite know what to do about it. In the past two weeks or so she has started curling her legs and feet up in to the air, to the point where she can now grab one foot in each hand. Looks like a little monkey.
Here's Grandpa Mike and Grandma Jenny trying to figure out her stroller - Stella got to go on lots of walks while they were here:
And here's the sweet little ladybug dress that Grandma Jenny bought her. (Overheard Grandpa Mike: "Are we going to have to start a new Quicken category for this kind of thing?")
We hit the farmers market and gorged ourselves on strawberries. Becca and Chris came over for dinner and we got to try out our new round dining room table (an estate sale find).
Jenny got in the tub with Stella for her bath, baby was so overtired but she enjoyed it until I messed it up. Here's a memo in case anyone wants to learn this one the easy way: Never, never, never pour water on a severely overtired and cranky baby's face. They REALLY don't like that.
Here's Grandpa Mike and Grandma Jenny trying to figure out her stroller - Stella got to go on lots of walks while they were here:
And here's the sweet little ladybug dress that Grandma Jenny bought her. (Overheard Grandpa Mike: "Are we going to have to start a new Quicken category for this kind of thing?")
We hit the farmers market and gorged ourselves on strawberries. Becca and Chris came over for dinner and we got to try out our new round dining room table (an estate sale find).
Jenny got in the tub with Stella for her bath, baby was so overtired but she enjoyed it until I messed it up. Here's a memo in case anyone wants to learn this one the easy way: Never, never, never pour water on a severely overtired and cranky baby's face. They REALLY don't like that.
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