On the Road Again....

2.26.14

I know that internet on an airplane is amazing, I get it. But it is slow as molasses! Sophia and I are on our second leg of travel from St. Louis to Portland, and there are babies EVERYWHERE! I love it.. bring on baby fever! ;)

This trip has been a stressful one and it has barely begun. We will be away from home for a month. A month. That is a long time. And because I am slightly anal retentive, the house has to be cleaned before departure. I enjoy coming home to a clean house, as in just-finished-spring-cleaning. Also, we will be having someone housesitting/dogsitting for two weeks. There is no way I would let them stay in my house with it being dirty. Not to mention packing for two people for four weeks!

So, Sophia and I are Oregon bound today. Yay. Tomorrow, I am headed to Vegas! I am attending WPPI with the husband and pretty much everyone we know, in St. Louis at least. This will be my first time attending the conference (as well as being in Vegas) and I am super excited. I will have a lot to take in over a week so I am preparing myself for being overwhelmed. This will not be Laurin's first rodeo, so I am expecting him to be patient with me and all of my questions. I'll get to meet photographers from all over and get to watch Sal speak live. Not to mention boozing it up and staying up all night. Okay, about staying up all night... I am in no mental shape to stay up as late as I am going to be expected to. I mean seriously, my idea of late is the 11:30pm that I normally, finally, get to sleep. Should be interesting and I will be doing my best to go with the flow...

Sophia gets to spend a week with Grandma and Grandpa. She is so excited! I hope she doesn't grow too much in that week! She seems so much older today than she did this time last week. It really is crazy. She is starting to have such a great memory, and will recite the major topics of the day to Laurin as soon as he walks in the door. It is really cute how she gets so excited to share information. She will get so much playtime in with her cousin too, especially since she will be there for an entire month! Yup after Vegas, I head back to Oregon. I'll get my time to spend with family and my mom's and nephew's birthdays are in March, as well as a family friend's birthday. It will be an exciting month, but I know I will be ready to be home by week three. ;)

Can't wait to see what the next month has in store.

Resolutions

Welcome 2014. Last year was a crazy whirlwind of a year.

Moved to the Midwest.

Ellie Goulding concert.

Passing of Uncle.

Birthdays and visits home.

Tumbling classes.

More visits home and more birthdays.

Europe.

Holiday craziness.

Christmas.

Looking back at the last year and forward through this upcoming year makes me truly realize how fast time can fly by. One of my New Years Resolutions is to document something everyday or as close to everyday as I possibly can. 

Today| 1.1.14|

With packing almost finished, we look forward to heading home tomorrow morning. It has been wonderful seeing family and friends but we are ready for our own space, our routines, and our own bed. 

Today we say last goodbyes to family and friends. My mother-in-law fell ill over Christmas and we wish her a full recovery even though it has been slow going so far. This trip has been less than successful for us. Sophia has had some wonderful Christmases (yes, multiple), however between family being ill and friends dealing with their own family complications has been tough and somewhat disappointing. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel has been difficult. 

On a positive note this trip has not hindered future plans to visit. Sophia and I will be back in March and again in June. So fear not Oregon, we will be back to cause havoc and mayhem!

Homeward Bound.

Today we head home. As in home-home. As in the Midwest welcomes abnormally cold temperatures and four inches of snow on the ground. We are juggling a toddler, a car seat and two EXTRA bags, plus three carry-ons. Two of us with a toddler, a car seat, and 8 bags including carry-ons. What did we get ourselves into!?! We had to buy a large suitcase because our old one went kaput after our trip to Europe last summer. So we bought a set of two... Bonus is that we didn't have to ship any presents home! They are the really nice suitcases too, you know the ones that roll upright on four wheels and are hardshell. The ones that take a fraction of the energy to move than a normal suitcase does. I'm in love. These bad boys better last because we have at least three more trips to take this year including one to Europe this summer. Yes, Europe again. Jelly? Don't envy us too long because we are taking the little on this trip too. Am I crazy? Probably. Deets later.

I digress.

We are on our flight home. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed with all the room a king bed can offer someone my size. I'm ready to eat my own food and make my own food. I'm ready to be one of the laziest people on the planet for at least one day. Sophia has done pretty amazing on this flight and it has been a bit of a long one at three hours. Only a few outbursts and back talks. Could be a record! We bought her cute kid safe headphones so she can actually listen to her movies or games on the flight without disrupting others. She used them for about half the flight, that's not bad!! The other was spent eating, drinking and pretending to sleep and then wake up. "I get up mommy!!" She tried to go potty once but those bathrooms are so small that she wasn't having it. Oh well, at least she tried! But now with an hour left to go, she sleeps. Thank goodness! I got tired bending over and pulling snack after snack out. It can be exhausting! (Do those count as crunches?)

One flight almost down. One hourlong layover and one more flight to go. 

Longing for my home sweet home.

ALMOST HOME!

Snowpacolyps

It has been so nice being back home. In fact it didn't take long for our house to once again become a disaster. The laundry room looks like a bad case of clothes hoarding and dishes are piled in the sink. Toys are strewn about and blankets are carelessly tossed to the side.

On Sunday we received about 10.5 inches of snow! It was a beautiful sight to see - from the comfort of my nice cozy and warm house. We took a moment to bundle up and play in the snow. It was only for a couple of minutes but it was so much fun! Sophia wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do in the snow but I think she had fun anyways. Monday was boring. We had all this beautiful snow and we couldn't even play in it. Temperatures were well below freezing with an even colder windchill. Our dogs loved every moment of it because they got to sleep and lay around in the basement. 

Getting fit and staying sane.

This mama is trying to tone up. With Vegas right around the corner and Europe this summer, I want to look as close to my best as I can. I started the Bikini Body Mommy 90 Challenge. I'm on day 8 and going strong. The workouts are geared toward mommies looking to get into shape and who don't have a ton of time to workout. It typically takes up around 45 minutes to an hour each day and that includes warm up and cool down! I feel like I can already see results - although I could be delusional.

Laurin has been out of town for several days now. I can't wait for him to get back tomorrow. It is a lot quieter around here without him, and a lot cleaner. ;) Sophia and I have had some great mommy and daughter time though. She has been surprisingly pleasant with her tone and words. She listens well and is even picking up her toys without prompting! 

Last night Sophia and I had some extra special time together. We rented Turbo and snacked on chips and cookies. What!?! I have no willpower when it comes to junk food. I'm working on it!! I think she really enjoyed that time together, I know I did. And the movie was really cute too. 

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We have restarted the potty training process. Back in October she was 95% potty trained and then I ruined it and she regressed. The last hurdle we needed to jump over was her fear of public toilets. I pushed her too hard and she stopped going on the potty altogether. 

Well, we are on the road to diaper free days again. She's been in panties, except at night or out of the house, for almost a week now! The only accidents we were having was with the dreaded (and messy) number two. Yesterday, we jumped that hurdled and she went poo on the potty! 

Today, we turned around and started knocking all of the hurdles down. We've has two accidents so far. One of each, if you know what I mean. Hopefully it is a fluke and we will be back on track again. Fingers crossed!

Operation Get Sophia to Sleep in Her Crib

The last couple of days I have not been sleeping well. Sophia has been crowding me out and wants to frequently nurse. So, Laurin and I decided it is time to move Sophia out of our bed and into her crib. Now, we -read I- have tried this before and Sophia would not have it and I caved. She has been taking her naps in her crib for over a month now, so we thought maybe it was the right time... I mean, we'll never know if we don't try it, right? Here's how the night went...

9:00pm - 9:50pm: Screaming/crying/whining. I never actually left the room, but I did try various positions to see what would work for her. I sat on the floor. Screaming. I hid by the door. Screaming then crying then screaming again. I sat in the chair. Crying. I stood over her rubbing her back and patting her but. Crying then whining. Hmm.. progress. After many attempts at laying her back down, she finally gave in.

1:30am: She awoke and I nursed her - hoping it would seamlessly put her back to sleep... It didn't. I was able to put her back in her crib with little fuss! - Trust me, I was shocked. I was sure that she would put up a fight! As she lay, I rubbed her back and turned on her ocean noises. It took forever to get her little eye peepers to close.

2:10am: I creeped back to bed and got comfortable.

2:11am: She awoke and started crying. Sigh. I tried to lay her back down and she wouldn't have it.

2:15am: She effortlessly went to sleep... in our bed.

3:00am: I finally got to sleep.

I would consider that a pretty successful night! At least we are making some sort of progress. Hopefully tonight will go better!


***UPDATE***

NIGHT TWO: Sophia went down with only 15 minutes of fussing! But again, she was awake at 1:30. I was too exhausted to fight her. I succumbed and put her in out bed. 

NIGHT THREE: She put up no fight! I nursed her to sleep and she didn't budge when I placed her in her crib. However, she was awake at midnight. Started screaming when I even made the motion of placing her back in her crib. She finished the night in our bed.


***UPDATE***

9.18.12

Sophia has been going down for her nap without nursing for over a week now!!! I've been rocking her to sleep and she seems to be doing okay with it.

Because Sophia was taking her naps without nursing, I decided to try to put her to sleep at night without nursing. It worked and in her crib! NO FUSS - can you believe it?! I'm even able to put her in her crib sleepy but awake! 

A part of me feels a bit sad that she doesn't depend on me to sleep anymore... I know it is for the best and a BIG step in the right direction!!!

Now we are working getting her sleep in her crib for the entire night!

14 Months

14 Months! Snacking at Gram's

Sophia turned 14 months this last Monday. And she reminds me everyday that she is my toddler (bring on the tears - she's not my baby anymore). So much has changed in the last two months and I can't possibly imagine how much she will change in the next two months!

Sophia says words now! She repeated her first word "snack"a couple of months ago. A few days later she used it in proper context - she pointed to her high chair, looked at me and said, "snack?" My heart melted! So, "snack" is her first word.. and if you know my family, you would know that that is not a surprise! Although there was a pool at Laurin's office that it would be a cuss word.. classy, I know.

List of Words Sophia can say at 14 Months:
-Snack
-Dada/da/DADA (yelling tone - it happens a lot!)
-Mama (only when she is really whiny, she hardly actually says it to get my attention. Boo)
-Bye-Bye while waving (really, it sounds like die-die)
-Hi!
-Grandpa (she refuses to say grandma.. which cracks me up!)
-Yeah
-Baby (ba-bah)
-Uh-oh

**Still NO TEETH.

She can shake her head no, but she doesn't understand that it means no yet.

She loves to point at EVERYTHING! She is so curious about the world and what is in it.

She goes poop on the potty! Okay, it is not as exciting as it sounds. Sophia makes really loud grunting sounds when she is.. you know.. pooping. As soon as I hear them we rush to the toilet. My main goal is to get her used to the toilet and the idea of using it. I'm hoping that it will make potty training easier later on. We'll see.

Girl has an attitude. Wonder where she gets that from? (Bows head in shame) She really loves to push the boundaries, to see what she's going to get into trouble for. She also loves to run away laughing when I go to get her and move her away from a trouble area. *sigh*

That would the vacuum that she is dragging around.

Most importantly. She loves to sing and dance. Cue melting heart....

Notice the shoes... that's what she wanted.

Toddling

I. have. a. toddler. 

Holy shit. (pardon my cursing)

Todd-ler... as in, walking child. As in, not a baby anymore.

A one year old.

It has been a full year.

Holy shit. (pardon my cursing once again)

...................................................................

I have been very preoccupied. Sophia's first birthday party is this Saturday and I have been making everything by hand. It has been a HUGE project but it is turning out.... AWESOME! I didn't think I could do it. Usually when I try to put large things together like this the theme gets lost because I try to do so much. Luckily because we are on a tight budget I can't do a whole lot - hence making everything! Her theme is "Sunshine". She is my little sunshine and the name holds a fondness for me... so it seemed appropriate. I promise to post pictures after the party!!

Here's what you've missed (aka I have failed to blog about on time):

. Sophia went on her first airplane ride! We traveled to St. Louis for almost a week. It was so much fun and the weather was amazing!

. Sophia is walking. Yes... walking... or should I say toddling. It seems like it happened overnight! She can even stand her self back up if she falls down without any assistance!

. I turned 26.

. Sophia loves to clap and wave! No talking yet but she understands A LOT! She is also into sharing right now!

. Still no teeth. ugh. Laurin is convinced that she'll never have any! :)

. Still reintroducing solids but so far no reaction! (I have an inkling -sp? that it might be dairy)

. Sophia HATES grass... weird for a kid I know.

. We've been told for the umpteenth time that we need to enter Sophia into some sort of photo contest. Not to toot my own horn, but she is pretty dang cute! :) And yes, child modeling is something I am considering...


I am in the process of writing a post about Sophia's birth story..  mostly for myself, but I find my memory getting a little foggy, which is frustrating! But keep on the lookout, in case you'd be interested in reading it!

Hope everyone is having a great June! And...... HELLO FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!

37 weeks pregnant.. my last belly photo.

Sophia and daddy.. just born.

May 27, 2012. 11 Months old.

Lessons Learned

I must say it has been a chaotic couple of weeks. Sometimes life moves so fast that you have to force yourself to slow down and enjoy the small moments. Morning cuddles are the best moments for reflections. We've had a lot of stressors emerge in our life over the last couple of weeks. However we know that these things are only going to make us stronger. We are learning to effectively deal with them not only as individuals but as a family. Every step we take not only affects us but also our daughter. But as each day begins the light at the end of the tunnel gets a little bit brighter and we know that everything is going to work out.


Here are some lessons that I have learned..

1. Budgeting is my friend. Money has gotten a little tight so we have been forced to become friends the budgeting. It is actually working out really well! This is not to say that we threw money around like it was confetti - wouldn't that be nice! - but have really began to look at our finances to see where we can trim down fat. Preplanning meals is the best option. Since we have began doing that we have saved ourselves from the overload of crap that we don't really need.



2. My brother is awesome and I am old. Stevie turned 22 on the May 2nd. I love him dearly and he reminds me everyday how unimportant material things are. He is thrilled to recieve a pack of wrestling cards on his birthday that were only a couple of dollars. One of his biggest joys in life would be to go to the movies with my sister's boyfriend (although, that will never happen - ugh, don't get me started on that subject!).










3. Almond milk and coconut ice cream aren't that bad and babies NEVER forget the awesome taste of food! Around my brother's birthday Sophia broke out with a rash. I didn't think too much of it because a month ago she had what is called Contact Dermatitis. This means that she had a reaction to something that came in contact with her skin. We determined that it was her baby detergent and promptly stopped using it; the rash cleared up in a couple of days. Sophia also has eczema. So, between these two things a rash wasn't something to rush to the pediatrician's office for. However, the blood in her diaper a couple of days later was. Between the blood and the rash Sophia's pediatrician thinks that she may have a food allergy. She ordered us to exclusively breastfeed her and I was to cut out dairy until the rash was gone and then we would reintroduce foods one by one again. That meant no butter, cheese, sour cream, or milk... not to mention the millions of other things that have some form of dairy in it! LAME. It hasn't been the end of the world for me, there are quite a few options out there for a dairy free lifestyle and most of it isn't that bad. Unfortunately it puts the kabosh on some of our favorite recipes and Laurin has to be careful what he uses to cook with. The worst part about all of this is the look in Sophia's eyes when she sees us eating. The longing in her eyes with her lips smacking, it breaks my heart.

4. Being a mom is an emotional rollercoaster that infinitely loops. As every mom knows, everyday is a new adventure. Some days are relaxing and the babe takes her allotted naps at all the right times. She cuddles and giggles all day long. Other days the babe is cling, need and destructive. She gets into everything she's not supposed and throws continuous temper tantrums. Naps are the enemy and she will stay awake at any cost necessary. And some days are an odd mixture of both. Like I said, it is an emotional rollercoaster and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The concept of time needs to be thrown out of the window. From the time you find out that you are pregnant, you begin watching the clock. At least that's when I started. Each month is counted down. "How much longer?" - the all-so-exciting pregnancy clock. Then it becomes the labor clock, "I was in labor for this long!" Or "I've been in labor for this long!" After that it's watching the feeding clock to record how long he/she ate for and when the next feeding should be. This type of clock watching was exceedingly stressful for me. Sophia was - and still is- a bird eater. She would eat for five to ten minutes on one side of the breast and be done. They normally want babies to eat for fifteen on each side. As you can imagine as a first time mom, I stressed over this. Is she eating enough? She seems fine and happy. She gained the proper weight after birth and from that moment on I stopped watching the feeding clock. I stopped timing how long she had been eating for. She was an efficient eater and I fed on demand. Unfortunately that's not where the clock watching ends. Next it has becomes the diaper clock, "When did I change you last?" Nap time and length of nap are clock watching culprits as well. The worst culprit of all though is the age. This is the age clock. Month by month goes by and you realize that you're baby wont be a baby forever. They are growing and getting smarter. It always feels like a lifetime when you are waiting for your baby to arrive, but then time races by once they are out. Sophia will be ONE in two weeks!!! Yes, ONE! I guess I'm feeling sentimental. It's a mixed emotions milestone. Embracing my toddler but mourning the passing of the baby months.My point is that I hope that I haven't wasted too much time watching the clocks in my life. I want to soak up every moment with my baby (she's not one yet!) that I can. Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life. -William Faulkner

Wonderful Weekends.

There is will be many upcoming posts to update you on what I've been up to! But for now here is a post about some wonderful weekends that we've had.

Since we live in Oregon or should I say the Pacific Northwest, we try to take advantage of the beautiful weather we get blessed with. The weekend before this last weekend was no exception! We took Sophia up to Washington Park to enjoy lunch in the sunshine. This activity is a favorite past time of Laurin and mine. So, Sophia and I got dressed up in pretty outfits and we all packed into the car.

We decided to grab lunch and after much ooh-ing and ahh-ing from the cashier about Sophia, we walked back to the car with our delicious smelling -and steaming- bento.

Washington park was its usual busy self, exploding with people enjoying the weather. There were people playing tennis, riding bikes, taking photographs of loved ones using the breathtaking views as backdrops, and just a few taking quiet nature-filled naps.

We laid our awesome giant beach towel - best Costco purchase EVER - out and made ourselves comfortable. Sophia loved sitting outside and took everything in. She even repeatedly danced to her classical music player! Laurin and I got some much needed fun conversations while still enjoying every moment of Sophia.

We sat in the park and played and played! Sophia loved climbing all over daddy! And they played airplanes and giggled!

This Weekend.

Or should I say this last weekend. The weather is was even better than before! On Friday, we had some wonderful friends over to barbecue. Sophia was shy in the cutest way possible! She eventually opened up and even let Auntie Erin hold her! It was wonderful to enjoy some adult conversations over a great meal and some wine!

 On Saturday, we had a wonderful dinner at Laurin's parents' house aka Nana and Grandpa T. I've never before seen Sophia open up with them the way she did. She giggled and talked and was her typical goofy self! She absolutely loved their large wind chime and quickly figured out how to make it "sing". 

Laurin even played the piano for Sophia, unfortunately she was too busy playing with Legos to notice. But that's okay because I loved every moment of it! 

On Sunday, we had a wonderful Family Day! Laurin had a quick shoot doing family photos in the morning, so Sophia and I had breakfast and she took a bath. We then chilled out with all of our windows open and caught up on a favorite tv show while Sophia napped. Afterwards, we did a quick trip to the grocery store to stock up on food for the week. After lunch we took Sophia for a walk. And boy did she walk! She made it halfway around the block walking on her own (well, holding onto our fingers)! After another Sophia nap, Laurin made dinner. Sophia sure does love to "help" in the kitchen! She is notorious for getting under your feet and making a b-line for open cupboards and the refrigerator!

And after dinner we took a pre-bedtime walk. What a wonderful evening it was for a walk! I love getting the fresh air and Sophia loved looking at the clouds, trees, people... EVERYTHING!

I must say that we've had a couple of wonderful weekends! These are the things I need as mom to be rejuvenated! It makes the week so much better and gives me something to truly look forward to. I try to treasure every moment because it just flies by in the blink of an eye and before I know it, its Monday morning and its back to the daily routines and waiting for Laurin to get home from work... 

Next weekend we have our Babyclass reunion! I love seeing all the little babies! Should be another fun weekend!

How was your weekend??

Here is our Menu for the week!

Monday: Spinach, Artichoke and White Bean Pasta

Tuesday: Nachos

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Chicken and Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Friday: Leftovers

Trisomy Twenty-One

Today is World Down Syndrome Day! 

This day is meant to help spread awareness about not only the cause of Down Syndrome but also about how wonderful those who have been diagnosed are. I have a brother with Down Syndrome who is four years younger than me, so I know first hand what it is like being around a Downs kid. He has shown me so much of the world. What beauty lies in the simplest things. Seriously, this kid is happy with some wrestling cards and a Gatorade.

This last weekend. Stevie at his Special Olympic Oregon basketball tournament.

I've always been to his school events and recently to all of his meetings for possible new programs. I know that part of my never wanted to move out of Oregon (for college) because of him. I wanted to stay by his side. He means the world to me and I've always been So So proud to be his sister (even if he does favorite my husband over me)! 

Every chance I've gotten (ie. School reports, research papers, speeches) I've tried to raise awareness about Down Syndrome. Now you can to! Wear blue and yellow every March 21st. Let people know that you care! 

If you would like to know more about this day visit World Down Syndrome Day and if you would like to know more about Down Syndrome click Here or Here!

Three-Quarters of a Year.

My dearest Sophia Grace is 9 months old today. 

This makes me so happy and so sad at the same time. Just a reminder that she is growing up so fast and those newborn days are long gone. She grows before my very eyes and never ceases to amaze me. It is so hard to remember her being tiny. The way she nestled in my arms as light as a feather. The way I could curl up around so easily while sleeping. Now she's bigger. Now she weighs down my arm and she's too long to curl around while sleeping. She would prefer to sleep sideways anyways! She's ticklish and laughs at funny faces. She mimics sounds and "sings". We often have a contest to see who can make the last sound.. she always wins! Even more bittersweet is the fact that we have to order a "big girl" carseat for her because she is outgrowing her infant carrier and today I washed all of her 6 month clothing. She's always been a small baby, but that doesn't mean that her growing up is any less bittersweet. I can't imagine what a wreck I'm going to be when she turns 1!

Sophia's Progress at 9 Months:

. Crawling (and quickly!) .

. She knows how to play Peek-A-Boo! .

. Can pull herself up on anything .

. Walks along all the furniture (tends to do circles around the coffee table) .

. Tries to stand unassisted, but can only do so for about a second .

. Looks under furniture for objects .

She absolutely loves looking out on the world!

Tropical Storm Sophia

Since Sophia has started crawling she has been on the move. Constantly. Anything and everything is fair game to play with or destroy! She will literally cover every inch of the floor looking for things to get into! She will entertain herself by banging toys together or ripping apart magazines <--- which is a favorite activity. You can always tell where she has been! :) 

Those books are no longer there. She kept trying to bend and rip them apart. Now that bottom shelf is almost empty. Nothing but old magazines that she can happily rip apart now.

Every time I ask her, "What are you getting into?!" She turns and looks at me first with a surprised "Uh-Oh" face and then with a big grin! She knows that she's being destructive. 

Currently a favorite - cookie cutters. She LOVES scattering those things around! Unfortunately my feet don't find it as awesome.

It makes me wonder when her imagination will really begin to set in (and no I have not done any research on when experts think this happens). I hear her everyday playing with her toys and yelling and "talking" to them. Banging toys together while yelling.

Which toy to choose? Oh the tough choices in life.

photo courtesy of my Instagram Account. If you'd like to follow me, I'm @mthienes 

Yes, mom. I did notice that you didn't shut the lid all the way!

Every night I laugh as I go along the house hunched over picking up her messes. Yes, she will make them again the next morning. But I wake up less stressed when I wake to a clean house. It only takes a couple minutes and I feel much better. :)

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So Laurin and I are really trying to cut down on our food waste. We are also trying to avoid the inevitable battle of "What's for dinner?" So I've been trolling Pinterest for yummy dinner ideas. I've been doing this for about 3 weeks now and it has worked out wonderfully. We get to try new recipes and we are both happy that we're not fighting about what's for dinner! Follow me on Pinterest if you would like!

Here is our menu for the week!

Monday: Corned Beef

Tuesday: Chicken Gyros

Wednesday: Hump Day Leftovers!

Thursday: Barbacoa Beef Tacos

Friday: Stuffed Peppers