2 months old!

This is a little belated but my baby girl turned two months old on 12/5/11!  I can't believe how fast time is going by.  She is trying really hard to hold her head up and is doing so great.  She will hold it up for a while but she still is a little uneasy.  I can't wait for her to be big enough to at least sit up.  She has been smiling now for a while but just this week she has really gotten into cooing and laughing.   My heart just melts every time I see her! 

On that Monday the 5th, Elizabeth had her two month well child checkup and she had to get shots... my poor baby screamed bloody murder!  As a mom, that is something you don't want to experience is your child in pain and it broke my heart to see that.  She had already been feeling bad from a cold she had since Thanksgiving so I decided that I would spend the day with her and love on her.  The next morning we woke up and I took her to daycare... I picked her up that evening and my poor baby developed diarrhea... now on top of a cold, she had diarrhea! Needless to say, it has been a rough December so far... It is now the 15th and Elizabeth is doing so much better.  She still has a little congested nose but she sounds better and is happier now that she feels better.  Hopefully we can keep this cold away from her.  I was seriously thinking of skipping out on Christmas activities just because I don't want her to get sick but then again, I love showing her off.  Hopefully she will be OK!

Here is a picture of her at two months!

We also had family pictures taken for Christmas... I will have to post as soon as I get them loaded. 

Learning something new!

So, I have left my camera cord at my mom's and have not been to EC in a few weeks so I couldn't update with any pictures.  Well... that has now changed... I have learned how to send my pictures from my phone to my blog so I can update quickly with my phone with pictures! YEAH for me!

Here is Elizabeth blowing kisses to me...

Day with Dad

So, on Wednesday Greg kept her all day because of her being sick... here are the pictures I got throughout the day at work...

Off to the doctor to see if anything is wrong with me!

 The trip wore me out so I took a nap...

 Daddy reading to me...

 checking out my handsome daddy!

 playing in the bouncer...

 tummy time!

 laughing at daddy... he is one funny man!

Greg is such a wonderful dad and there are not too many dads out there I know that would stay home all day with a two month old!  He said he thinks he got special treatment at the doctor's office too because not too many dads bring two month old's in without the mommy!  He was ready for a break by the time I got home but he did a great job.  We both love him so much!

Do you believe in signs?

This week has been one of the worst weeks ever... my baby girl is sick, work is really stressful, and to top it off today, my pants broke when I got to work!

I got dressed this morning with little enthusiasm because nothing at work seemed to be going right this week.  Of course I was out on Monday because I took Elizabeth to the doctor, which put me even further behind than I truly needed.  I worked 12 1/2 hours on Tuesday and 13 hours on Wednesday and needless to say, I was not looking forward to coming into work this morning.  So, I got us rolling and Elizabeth dropped off at daycare.  As I was driving to work, I told myself that today was the deadline and that I won't have to worry about this again until next month so be patient and all will work out.  I got to work, logged in, started working and everything seemed to be going fine... I even decided that I would go get breakfast downstairs to make me feel better this morning.  Then I felt it... the cold air... on my leg.  The pants I wore today zip up on the side and when I looked down, the whole zipper was open on the side of my hip.  I go to the bathroom and try and try and try to get the zipper to fix itself.  Nothing.  I then have to suck up my pride and ask someone to help me... again, nothing.  With tears rolling down my face, I finally broke the zipper completely.  What was I going to do?  I couldn't leave because today is the deadline and I will be very busy all day and plus it is 6:30am there is tons of traffic (I work in the Galleria area)... there are no stores open yet... WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!?!  What a day!  A temporary fix with safety pins and a trip to a clothing store during lunch and hopefully this day will get better!

So, I took this as a sign.  Some might say this was just a wardrobe malfunction, but I see it as I am too darn fat!  I have been really self-conscious of the way I look lately.  (Having a baby does nothing for a woman's body!)  This is my sign to start losing weight.  Even though I didn't gain weight (the scale #) with the baby, my body proportions have changed... nothing fits right, and I hate the way I look in the mirror.  So, I am starting my New Year's resolution early... lose weight!  Isn't this what everyone says every year!?!  I need a good looking body and for my clothes to fit not only for myself but for the sanity of my husband that has to listen to cry and complain about it.  So let the fun begin...

Back to Work

The piercing ring of the alarm woke me at a very early 4:30am on Tuesday morning.  The second best thing about being on maternity leave was not hearing that sound each morning.  I stumbled around what would eventually become our morning routine, and managed to get Elizabeth and myself ready with time to spare!  I got up, got dressed, got her bottle ready and warming, changed her into her clothes, and feed her.  How that all happened without Greg even making a stir is beyond me!  Then it was actually time for me to leave her with someone that I had just met a week ago... :(  One hundred kisses, a few hugs and off to work I went.
During the car ride, I was feeling excited, but that feeling quickly turned into guilt.  How dare I feel anything but sadness when I had just left my baby for the first time?  I put my emotions in check and turned on the radio to hear the familiar voices of my favorite morning show.  I had my diet coke and breakfast next to me, I remembered what it was like to spend time alone and be still. It almost felt like relaxation. Uh oh, here I was feeling something other than sadness again.  I was truly enjoying myself, and I wasn’t sure it was okay. Did this make me a bad mom?  Away from my newborn for ten minutes, and I’m not feeling a bit of despair.  I didn’t have much time to think about it. I had arrived at work.

I pulled into the parking lot, grabbed my baggage (lunch, purse, baby photos) and headed to my office.  I was early as always because I get there at 6:30am, and most people hadn’t arrived yet. This gave me the opportunity to unpack my bags and catch up on email.  The director sent me a picture of Elizabeth playing in the bouncer, she looked so happy... I choked back tears, then my coworkers began to arrive.  Within five minutes, there was a crowd of ladies oohing and aahing over photos of my little angel.  Everyone was so accommodating and seemed truly interested in hearing about her progress and growth.  It’s a good thing because I would have told them even if they hadn’t asked!  I didn’t feel sad at all; talking about Elizabeth was the best therapy.  I checked in with my supervisor and was asked to work on something that would keep me very busy over the next week.  It was just the distraction I needed.  Throughout the day, friendly faces stopped in to welcome me back and, of course, see pictures.  My day flew by, and before I could blink, it was time to go home.

During the car ride to get Elizabeth, I was able to reflect on my day and find perspective.  I loved my job and was happy to be back. I had to admit; it was nice having something to focus on besides the baby.  I was still struggling with the guilt, but doesn’t that come along with parenthood?  If it weren’t work, it would be something else.  When I arrived at the daycare that evening, I was greeted with a smile.  It seemed she remembered me, and I could tell she didn’t seem un-happy.  Her teacher gave me a rundown of her day, but I didn’t hear a word.  I was just ready to get home to snuggle with my baby! 

Lets talk about routine... before Elizabeth everything I did was pretty routine.  How in the world do you get a child to adapt to your routine... I mean come on, sleep at 9pm, wake up at 4:30am (except on weekends of course!), eat and be merry!  Not that hard right... WRONG!  Elizabeth has taught me that there is no night or day that will be the same.  I am sure as she gets older that she will get into a grove (at least that is what everyone tells me).  With the help from Greg in the evenings, it has been a good transition back to work.  I hope and pray it will continue to improve and my little angel will adapt to mommy's schedule! 

I love everything about my little angel but as I sit here and try and think of all the little things she does, it is just too hard.  I wish I had a better memory!  I struggle from time to time with the idea that I am not doing something right or that I am a bad mom but Greg always tries to bring back to reality.  Life is good and we could have it worse!  Well, we will update again soon and hopefully will have a few pictures!  Have a great weekend everyone!

Thanksgiving

Well, our little Elizabeth has made it through her first real holiday.  Of course she got sick from being around so many people and probably being held by way too many people.  I am still struggling with people touching her... just random people... now that she has been sick twice, I might just spend the Christmas season locked in our house!  In all seriousness, we had a great Thanksgiving and it really makes you step back and think about what you have.  I know I am the worst when it comes time to think about what I don't have and what I wish I had... Lord knows I would love to lose about 50 pounds!... but then I look at the miracle of life that God has given us and the many blessings along the way.  So, yes, we are paying two mortgages, but that just means we are blessed with jobs, I wish I could be naturally skinny but at least I have my health... the list can go on and on but the bottom line is, we just need to be thankful. 

On a lighter note, Greg has had a shift change!  Yeah!  It is only temporary but now I have a little help in the evenings.  It will be hard for me and him when he has to go back to the old schedule in a few short weeks but we will live with the here and now and be thankful.  Elizabeth is growing and changing so much over the past couple of weeks that it is hard to remember everything she does.  I love that she is so lovable and laughable in the mornings and I hate the crying and grouchiness in the evenings.  She is getting her own personality and it will be fun to watch it grow over her lifetime.  Everyone is saying that she looks like Greg but we are still mixed on it.  I think she looks like a mixture of both of us.  We shall see!   

Our first cold

Well, we have had our first sickness for little Elizabeth.  Greg had been sick over the weekend with just a cold.  I was worried that he might get her sick but he is such a great help that it is hard to not be around her.  Well, my fears were realized.  I first started noticing Monday night when she cried it just sounded different.  On Wednesday, Greg suggested I take her in just to be sure.  The doctor confirmed the cold and told me that there was nothing that we could give her to make her better and we would just have to wait it out.  He did suggest putting a humidifier in her room and rubbing some vicks on her chest.  This has turned into a long week because of it.  She is more fussy and I can tell she doesn't feel good. She just wants to sleep a lot (except at night).  So, I we make it through our first sickness we also had some good news... Greg is getting a shift change.

Of course the shift change is only temporary but it is better than nothing.  It has been so hard to be with her all day and then have to deal with her fussiness all night.  We had about three good nights in a row where she slept until about 3 or 3:30, woke up, ate, and went back to sleep but then she got sick and that threw us off the good course.  I keep praying that she will get a routine and and start sleeping better but it will be nice to have Greg here during the evening to help out.  This is really true with the fact that I only have one more week at home... how sad!

Elizabeth is really starting to grow and learn.  She is now starting to reach for her play bar on her bouncy and the toy that I have hanging on her carrier.  We also have a little finger sucker on our hands... it is cute how she now knows that her fingers soothe her and she will put them in her mouth.  Now I am going to be worried with people touching her hands and then she puts them in her mouth... man parenting is fun! :)  We also started this week putting her in her big bed.  She does really good sleeping in the baby bed at my mom's house so it is time she sleeps in her room.  Of course it lasted one night and she got sick but we are putting her in there now.  We just need to find a home for our cat and then I can move back to my bedroom.  I am so worried about the cat at night when she is sleeping so he sleeps in our bedroom.  It will all come in time.

I will share a couple of pictures that I find really cute...

This was after her morning bottle... I put her back down with Greg so I could get some chores done!

This is at my mom's house... she was out like a light bulb in her crib... she also hates to be covered...

Showing us she doesn't need her paci, she has her fingers!