Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Thanks Thanks Thanks

Thanksgiving Week
We had an exciting Thanksgiving holiday week filled with fun times with our lovely family. 
The Sunday before Thanksgiving we took a somewhat stressful walk with Cambria on a trail in Richmond Hill that I love. The trail was looking beautiful with all the fallen leaves, but Cam was being a tad bit difficult, which added just a little stress to the walk. 
Cambria off in the distance not wanting to walk or ride in her stroller. Just a liiiiiittle difficult. 


Riding on Kyle's shoulders wasn't as bad.

Pushing an empty stroller.  She did eventually get in and enjoy some of the walk.

On Tuesday, I finally made progress on Cam's scrapbook. It's so tedious and messy (especially with limited space), but once I get everything out and start working it's a lot of fun.  I got through two more months...March and April.  Yeah, I'm a little behind.  That night, I also baked some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies that I found on my friend Amanda's cute blog which she found here. When she posted the recipe, it looked sooooo delicious that I went out and got the ingredients right away.  They were very tasty!

The MESS created from my scrapbook stuff!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!


On Wednesday, Cam and I went to the mall with my mom and two younger sisters (Amber and Casey) in search of some lingerie for my older sister Ashley for her upcoming shower.  While we were there, Cambria got to ride on the Christmas train twice because BOTH Casey and my mom wanted to take her. She didn't mind. 
Riding with Aunt Casey.

Riding with Grandma. 
 We made it to Thanksgiving on Thursday and had a busy day spending quality time with both of our families.  
My family decided to go out for Thanksgiving dinner this year.  This ended up being a WONDERFUL idea!!! The meal was perfect and there was no cooking or cleaning involved.  We plan to have a big Christmas dinner instead. I guess my parents didn't care about the picture.

Kyle's plate, hence the turkey.

Cambria just begged for sweat tea the whole time by doing this.

After lunch, we came back so I could make progress on Cambria's quilt....

...Kyle could research the best Black Friday deals....

...and Cam could take a nap.

We then went to Kyle's grandparent's house (Mema and Papa) but forgot to take pictures! :(  From there we headed to Kyle's Dad's house (Grandpa Finnegan).  He made a delicious meal that we all enjoyed!
After dinner Cam had a little meltdown on the rug.

And we had a small photo shoot. Kyle + me + Cam + baby being covered by Cam.


Aunt Katie, Mimi, Cambria, me, Katelyn, and Erin.

Then Uncle Chris came home from work, but we had to leave because Cambria decdied to poop for the 5th time that day and we were out of diapers. 


On Friday, we went out shopping later in the afternoon then swung by our friend Erin's house to see her, her boyfriend Kevin, and our friend Caitlin.  It was nice catching up with all of them because we hardly ever get to do it.  I didn't get any pictures with them but took this picture of Cambria while we were there.  She's wearing the embarrassing red socks because she started to get a blister in her new shoes.  She reminds me of Dora in this picture with her cute backpack.








Overall, we had a lovely few days leading up to Thanksgiving and a very nice Thanksgiving day.  I hope you all enjoyed the days with your loved ones too. Tomorrow I will post some pictures from our trip to Atlanta.  We met a very special person on the trip and I can't wait to post some pictures of her!!! Until then, I will share with you something I am very, very excited about......
In addition to a new fridge and TV, we also purchased these beautiful things on Black Friday!!! I have been admiring them for years and cannot believe we own a pair.  I feel so fortunate.  
Did I mention that buying a house is expensive??!?! :D 

Sunday, November 21, 2010

It's a hard job

Everyone has always said that parenting isn't easy, but recently I have started to realize that parenting seriously is.not.easy.  It's a realization I have come to within the last two weeks when in a few moments of despair I have thought to myself "Gosh,  I just don't know what to do, THIS IS NOT EASY!!!"  Now don't get me wrong,  as a parent it's very easy to do all the fun stuff with your child like giving them sweet baby kisses, playing with them outside, watching them eat a messy ice cream cone, or laughing at them when they fart really loud.  Nope, none of that is what makes being a parent a hard job.  What makes it hard is when you have to make important decisions about their health and well-being.   

From the moment I held Cambria in my arms, I wanted her to experience life in the healthiest and happiest of ways, as I assume most parents do.  I saw my choice to give birth at the birthing center as one of the first positive decisions I made for her.  I wanted to bring her into the world in the most natural way, which is what I saw best for us.  But the very day she was born I realized that being her mother wasn't going to be as easy as I had thought.  As my midwife was stitching a small tear I acquired during childbirth, Kyle and I were faced with our first real decision concerning our 2-hour-old baby.  Did we want her to receive a Vitamin K shot?  I hadn't heard of the shot before that moment and started flooding the midwife with all sorts of questions "Do most parents get it? Is it standard procedure in hospitals? Do you recommend it? Is it the most natural choice?"  I felt panicked.  For a moment, I felt like this was a life and death decision that would affect Cambria for the remainder of her life.   We ended up deciding in favor of the shot.  Little did I know, this was the first of many times I would feel this almost panicky, helpless feeling about a decision I was making for her.

Throughout the last (almost) 16 months, there have been so many decisions.  Decisions that are important.  Decisions that have and will continue to affect Cambria's health and home environment.  Most of the decisions I am talking about are debatable and depending on who you are talking to, you  can hear a vast array of opinions.  What pediatrician do we use? Should we follow the recommended immunization schedule? Are pacifiers bad?  Should we spoon feed? Is it okay for her to sleep in our bed? Should we use cloth or disposable diapers? Is a vegetarian baby healthy? Does she need Orajel? Is she developmentally on schedule?  Will her baby signs slow verbal communication? Does she socialize enough? What should we do about a cold? A fever? Throwing up? SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.  Until about a week ago none of my close friends had children.  Without having anyone my age with children to consult with, Kyle and I have made many of these decisions on our own.  We have definitely discussed certain issues with our own parents, but they had us over twenty years ago and truthfully a lot has changed since then. 

Because a baby brings with them all these questions, I think the most important thing to do it to stay INFORMED.  Knowledge is power and this statement is so incredibly true when it comes to your child.  It's easy to just listen to your parents, friends, or your pediatrician.  The hard part comes when you research all sides of an issue and make your OWN informed decision.  I have found this to be difficult because the decisions Kyle and I have made are not always the most "normal" or "mainstream".  This leads people (friends, family, acquaintances) to question the decisions we've made, decisions that I myself questioned at one point.  This cycle just leads to more questioning.  Did I make the right choice? Am I harming my child? Am I a BAD parent?  I think one of the worst feelings in the world has to be realizing something you did harmed your child. 

After all is said and done, I have to remind myself that Cambria is my child.  I do not own her, but I am one of two people in charge of making important decisions for her until she can make them for herself.  As long as I continue to research, question, and discover information for myself, I feel that I am doing my job as her mother.

Cambria eating a piece of broccoli.  This reassures me we're doing something right.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

House Update

Even though the title of this post promises an update on our current buying-of-a-house-situation, there isn't much to update. 
There has been.....next to no progress. 
About a week ago we found out that the seller's bank screwed up a few things and our offer has been sitting on someone's desk doing nothing since we put it in about 2 months ago. 
Baby, coming soon, freak out!
It's pretty stinky and we are really starting to get antsy.
The only good thing about the whole situation is that we are able to just continue saving $$$$. 
Because we didn't have a "big wedding" and we both contributed almost nothing to our college households, we have almost none of the basic living essentials for a house.  
Sooooo, we are slowly trying to accumulate all the necessary items. 
Some will be new, some will be used.  
We have already found a used couch, 4-chair table, patio furniture, and a bookcase.  Yay! 
We are planning to venture out in the wee morning hours on Black Friday in hopes of finding some deals on appliances and a TV.
Our latest dilema has been trying to decide on a large dining room table for our formal dining room.
We have narrowed it down between two at World Market.

It's between this.......
Love the white legs and the bench.

That chair is so pretty!!


 And this....
Classic. This one is Kyle's choice.

Lots of texture. This one has a leaf which will make it longer.

They are both solid, beautiful tables. 
I think I am leaning toward the first one only because it is unique and I love the white!! 
I will probably have to do some convincing with Kyle if I want the first one.

Good: Cambria actually pet one of the horses by my parent's house today. 
Bad: I didn't change out of the shirt I wore to bed last night until I was getting ready for bed tonight.

Monday, November 15, 2010

A new addition!

Ashley and Chris welcomed their new daughter into the world this morning! 

Elodie Alene Watson

I know their world is now complete.
I just can't wait to hold that precious girl!!! 
From the pictures, I think she look just like her mama,
but she is still so brand new so we may have to wait and see.
What more could parents ask for than a beautiful, healthy, darling new cuddly baby?!?
Life is good. 
(Pictures to come soon) 

Also, details about our fabulous NYC trip this past weekend coming soon! 

Monday, November 8, 2010

Belly #2

I figured it's about time to put a few more belly pictures up.  Contrary to what some people have told me to expect, I don't think my stomach has gotten bigger any faster this pregnancy.  If anything, I have gained less weight this time around.  Almost everything about this second pregnancy has been exactly like my first.  This is one of the reasons I am convinced this little muffin in my belly is a girl muffin too!!! 
June 14th  The day we found out- 3 weeks 4 days

September 9th-16 weeks

September 9th-16 weeks

September 17th- 17 weeks 1 day

September 17th- 17 weeks 1 day

October 5th- 19 weeks 5 days

October 5th- 19 weeks 5 days

October 12th- Ultrasound 20 weeks 5 days

October 12th- Ultrasound 20 weeks 5 days

October 16th- 21 weeks 2 days

October 24th- 22 weeks 3 days

October 30th- 23 weeks 2 days 

Pregnancy seems to be all around me these days.  One of my best friends is due to have her baby on the 19th! She is having a little baby girl and I cannot wait to see that child's darling little face.  She has her own family website HERE and it's great because I can keep up with her even though we don't live in the same city anymore.  I am so excited that one of my friends is having a baby now!! I've honestly felt like a bit of a loner in that respect throughout the last year or so.  BUT, I have a feeling that more babies will start showing up soon with all the weddings these days!  

I have also recently started talking to an old friend of mine from my middle school swimming days who is expecting a little one.  She lives in Utah and is going to have a baby boy shortly after me. AND she has a website!! She and I have been conversing through e-mail and I've really enjoyed rekindling our friendship. Technology is lovely. 

Have you ever heard of the artist Alex Grey? My sister introduced me to him after she purchased this print while in NYC.  She is letting me keep it until she has a baby of her own too!! Anyway, she also told me about a piece of art he created that depicts the stages of pregnancy.  I think it's beautiful

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Happiness

Do you ever feel overwhelmingly happy with your life?
Like, you're just going about your day and you think, "this day is lovely, I love my family, I love what I'm doing, I have everything I want, why do I deserve this?!"

Does this happen to you?!?! 
It happens to me a lot. 
I think this is a good thing, right?
I never want to become complacent in life, but think that being happy with your current life experiences can only be a good thing.
When I experience this happiness it makes me so grateful for everything I have.
It makes me realize suddenly that life is short and everything could end tomorrow. 
That may be a depressing thought to most, but I like to think about my mortality often, I think it helps me to value my life more, now, before it's too late. 

Things I am grateful for:
Parents that allow me and my family to live in their house while I buy my own.
A spouse that works and makes money for our family which allows me to stay home to raise our child(ren). This is something I value more than anything in my life so far.
Fertility, which I value so much because I realize every person may not experience it. 
My healthy, beautiful 1-year old daughter and the growing baby in my belly.
My education and my degree. 
Parents, sisters, and friends I am able to love and share with.
The abundance of food and material things I have.  I really think I am extremely spoiled.
And finally, I am grateful for my husband Kyle and everything we have and do share together.  I am so lucky to have HIM as the father of my children.  He puts up with me and we still have fun together! 
August 1, 2009- The happiest day of my life.





I can only hope that everyone is able to find joy and happiness in life, no matter what they are dealing with.