My baby girl is so amazing. Today she officially rolled over. I saw it 4 times! I put her on her belly and she just rolled to her side and then on to her back. I flipped her back over and she did it again. Then when Eric came home she did it twice for him. It was so cool.
Wow. Another milestone.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Catching Up
It's been so long since I've had a "real" post, that I don't even really know where to begin. I suppose first a little explanation for my absence. I've been busy. Really busy. It's mostly work. It's hard to really describe to anyone who doesn't truely understand my job, but a brief summary goes something like this. I had a renewal proposal due to a client last Friday (3/18). It's a big client, so they have lots of different kinds of insurance. We use brokers in our Chicago office to do the negotiations. They all were supposed to give me quotes for my proposal. As of Friday morning I had complete information for 2 of the 7 parts. By the end of the day (the day it was due) I had 4 of the 7 done. Last week I had a pre-renewal meeting on Thursday. I had to prepare a strategy presentation for the meeting plus put together a submission to send to underwriters by Thursday. My plan was to finish up that first renewal by 3/18 and then have all last week to work on the next client. Well, since my proposal didn't get finished that Friday, I had to continue working on it last week. It just got finished on Wednesday! That means I didn't even start on my meeting presentation until Tuesday afternoon and my submission actually got started after my meeting on Thursday. I worked a lot of hours last week. Monday I left on time, but after work took Grace to get her 3 month pictures taken at Target. Tuesday, I left a little late, but had to get Grace since it was Eric's late work night. I brought work home though and worked on it after Grace fell asleep. Wednesday I stayed at the office until 8:15 p.m. Thursday I worked until 6, and then came home and went to the Maundy Thursday service at church. Friday our office had an early close at 1:00 p.m., but I worked until 4:30 p.m. The good news is that most of it is done now and next week I should be able to just catch up on everything else that I neglected (even you all!)
Again, I can't remember everything I've forgotton to discuss, but I decided to through some pictures on here and narrate, so I can discuss some of the other stuff going on. The rest of this is mostly about Grace. She's wonderful by the way. Being a Mom is the best. I'd like her to sleep a bit more at night, but other than that...the best!
Grace watches TV
I think this girl is too much like her Dad. TV facinates her. She seems especially interested in basketball. Eric thinks it's the greatest thing in the world. I'm not so sure.
Head Control
She's exceptionally good with head control now days. She does awesome on tummytime. Compare this picture
with the one from this post just 3 weeks ago. I can't believe how fast she changes.
Playmat
Her new favorite toy is the playmat.
She loves to "get" the hanging animals. She really grabs at them now and sometimes even gets ahold of one. This mat plays music every time she bats at a toy, so she can really make it go. It's a good distraction for her. She just swats and kicks her feet and will keep herself occupied for 15-20 minutes easily. It's so cute to see her really concentrate when she tries to grab one. They move when the music is playing so it can be tricky.
Lovey
This hasn't become a "can't go anywhere without it" kind of thing, but she does seem to like this teddybear blanket. She will hug it and hold onto it. I think it's cute, so I give it to her to hold alot.
Sitting
Besides the head control, Grace is also getting lots of back control. I have her "sit" alot. I'll have her lay on her back and I'll pull her to sitting with her hands. She can do pretty well too. She'll stay upright with me only holding her hands for balance. I prop her up on pillows on the couch too. I'm guessing we still have some time before she sits without support, but I know every thing we do is helping her get there. Once she can sit, she can officially use the Exersaucer. Sometimes we do a test drive for a couple of minutes though. This time she seemed intrigued by the idea.
Random Cuteness
No real story line, but I liked these pictures.
Easter
Today was Grace's first Easter. Of course we took pictures. Here are a couple of good ones. This is also the outfit she was wearing for her 3 month pictures (minus the jacket.
Ok, that's all for now. I better see if naptime is over. I'll try to do better this week.
Again, I can't remember everything I've forgotton to discuss, but I decided to through some pictures on here and narrate, so I can discuss some of the other stuff going on. The rest of this is mostly about Grace. She's wonderful by the way. Being a Mom is the best. I'd like her to sleep a bit more at night, but other than that...the best!
Grace watches TV
I think this girl is too much like her Dad. TV facinates her. She seems especially interested in basketball. Eric thinks it's the greatest thing in the world. I'm not so sure.
Head Control
She's exceptionally good with head control now days. She does awesome on tummytime. Compare this picture
with the one from this post just 3 weeks ago. I can't believe how fast she changes.
Playmat
Her new favorite toy is the playmat.
She loves to "get" the hanging animals. She really grabs at them now and sometimes even gets ahold of one. This mat plays music every time she bats at a toy, so she can really make it go. It's a good distraction for her. She just swats and kicks her feet and will keep herself occupied for 15-20 minutes easily. It's so cute to see her really concentrate when she tries to grab one. They move when the music is playing so it can be tricky.
Lovey
This hasn't become a "can't go anywhere without it" kind of thing, but she does seem to like this teddybear blanket. She will hug it and hold onto it. I think it's cute, so I give it to her to hold alot.
Sitting
Besides the head control, Grace is also getting lots of back control. I have her "sit" alot. I'll have her lay on her back and I'll pull her to sitting with her hands. She can do pretty well too. She'll stay upright with me only holding her hands for balance. I prop her up on pillows on the couch too. I'm guessing we still have some time before she sits without support, but I know every thing we do is helping her get there. Once she can sit, she can officially use the Exersaucer. Sometimes we do a test drive for a couple of minutes though. This time she seemed intrigued by the idea.
Random Cuteness
No real story line, but I liked these pictures.
Easter
Today was Grace's first Easter. Of course we took pictures. Here are a couple of good ones. This is also the outfit she was wearing for her 3 month pictures (minus the jacket.
Ok, that's all for now. I better see if naptime is over. I'll try to do better this week.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Baby Hopes
I responded to the e-mail requesting I post info too late. Gabrielle is here! Go check her out.
Still Here
Sorry for the lack of posts.
Work has been crazy. I've already worked 39 hours this week with another day to go. (That's alot with a baby at home).
Grace hasn't been sleeping. Sunday night she was up 6 times before 2 a.m. Monday up 4 times by 1 a.m. As a result, I've done every night shift since last Thursday, as Grace has spent most nights in bed with me. Unfortunately, sleeping in my bed hasn't kept her from waking up, so even though I'm not "getting up" I've had very interrupted sleep.
I've got lots to post about and more cute pictures, but I can hardly keep my eyes open, so I'm going to bed.
One more thing. I got a package yesterday from a un-recognized name and address in Iowa full of adorable baby clothes. Looks like an e-bay shipment. Thank you to whoever got Grace some new clothes!
A better update this weekend, I promise.
Work has been crazy. I've already worked 39 hours this week with another day to go. (That's alot with a baby at home).
Grace hasn't been sleeping. Sunday night she was up 6 times before 2 a.m. Monday up 4 times by 1 a.m. As a result, I've done every night shift since last Thursday, as Grace has spent most nights in bed with me. Unfortunately, sleeping in my bed hasn't kept her from waking up, so even though I'm not "getting up" I've had very interrupted sleep.
I've got lots to post about and more cute pictures, but I can hardly keep my eyes open, so I'm going to bed.
One more thing. I got a package yesterday from a un-recognized name and address in Iowa full of adorable baby clothes. Looks like an e-bay shipment. Thank you to whoever got Grace some new clothes!
A better update this weekend, I promise.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Friendly Blogs
I just wanted to say that I have been honored by a friend I've met through blogging. My friend, Lisa at Baby Hopes (see link at side) has asked me to post the pictures and stats when she has her baby and is unable to blog. She's due any day now (well 6 days to be exact, but that's when my water broke!). I'll have to faithfully check my e-mail and then let you all see her beautiful baby "Pumpkin." Keep an eye out, or if you want to learn more about her, read her blog while you wait!
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Hello from Across the Ocean
Technology today is so cool. Tonight I got to chat with my brother online while he is in Iraq. We got on a conference with my parents too. We're not even talking about the old fashioned, typing back and forth. We got to do a voice conference with our microphones and we turned on our webcam and my parents web cam, so Jeremy got to see the whole family. It would have been cool if he had one, but at least we got to chat for 20 minutes or so. It was about 5:30 a.m. his time and 9:30 p.m. ours. He had to leave for breakfast, but it was good to chat with him. Hopefully, we can do it more often.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Do You Want to See?
I know I've talked alot about Grace's cleft palate. Those of you who know me in person (and have seen us since Grace was born) have probably seen it. When we first explain it to people, I don't know that they really know what we are talking about. Tonight Grace was crying and I decided to snap a picture, so you have a general idea of what her cleft looks like. You can see it better in real life, but this picture isn't too bad.
Click here to see Grace's cleft palate.
Click here to see Grace's cleft palate.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Catching Up
Seems like I haven't been updating lately and I have lots I wanted to talk about. I'll sort by topic.
More Pics from Weekend with Grandma
Mom got my hint and sent me some pictures. Here are some highlights.
And just to make Eric mad...
For you non-football followers. This is a Tom Brady jersey. He's the quarterback for the Patriots. Eric hates Tom Brady and the Patriots, since he love Payton Manning and the Colts and the Patriots keep preventing the Colts from going to the Superbowl.
This Weekend
I know I mentioned my amazing night of sleep, but what about the rest of the weekend you ask? It was very nice thank you. After my great night of sleep, my husband coninued to be an angel and watched Grace most of the day, so I could go to the mall with Samara. We did a bit of shopping although I only bought clothes for Grace and then we had pedicures. It was so nice to have some "alone" time. Later that afternoon, when I came home, I took Grace and went shopping for Samara's shower gift (from all the girls). I thought Eric could use some "alone" time too. While I was out I also bought Grace an "Exersaucer." It's so cool. Eric decided to put it together that night. We did sit her in it before reading the directions that babies should be able to sit unsupported before using it. So we took her out and will have to wait a bit longer before it gets use.
Sunday was a nice day. Grace sort of napped during church, although she spent most of the time fighting it. It worked out nice though because after we got home and had lunch (and a bottle) Grace and I napped together. We layed down around 12:30, she fell asleep close to 1:00. I got up at 2:30 and she continued sleeping until 3:45 p.m. Eric took advantage of that time to go to BW3's with Martin and watch some college basketball.
Here's a picture from this weekend hanging out with Daddy.
Grace's Amazing Development
Grace changes almost daily. I can't believe how much she's developing. I'm loving every minute. Here are some new acomplishments:
- She laughs when Daddy tickles her. It's funny because it almost sounds like a growl. We call her a little tiger.
- She's definately reaching for things now. Sometimes it's your face, sometimes it's the things on the bouncy seat, and sometimes the bears on the mobile above the changing table, but she's trying.
- Yesterday, while in her swing, I put the baby keys and rattle on the swing tray. All by herself, she picked up the keys and shook them around for a while. We were amazed. Then she dropped them, but picked them back up. Wow.
- Today she has decided that crying gets our attention, so she made up a fake cry. It's like she knows what crying sounds like, so she just makes the sound on purpose. We just stared at her and then she grinned. I think it's part of her "babbling" stage. She just makes the noise, but it isn't near as loud as her real cry and you can tell in her face that she doesn't mean it. So funny.
Today's Drama
This morning we woke up with no heat. I noticed I felt colder than normal and then Eric noticed it too. We looked at the thermostat and it said it was 58 degrees. Yep, that's cold. We kicked the temp up to 90 degrees and it still didn't kick on. We called and had someone come out today. The igniter and a little fan was broken, so we paid our $167 and they fixed it. I was sort of glad it was a real problem and not something stupid. A friend at work mentioned that you are supposed to change a filter in the furnace. We haven't done that in the 3 years we've lived here...until today. Luckily, that wasn't the problem or I would have felt really stupid.
Did I Mention?
Grace had her first ear infection? I know I'd mentioned that we'd been sick around here. Last Tuesday or Wednesday I called the doctor to make her 4 month appointment and while on the phone asked the nurse about her cough, since she'd been coughing for 3 weeks. She had us come in that afternoon and rather than just the cold I'd been expecting we found out she had an ear infection. She's on Amoxicillan for 10 days, but luck for us, Wal-Mart is running a promotion and in March Amoxicillan is free!
More Pics from Weekend with Grandma
Mom got my hint and sent me some pictures. Here are some highlights.
And just to make Eric mad...
For you non-football followers. This is a Tom Brady jersey. He's the quarterback for the Patriots. Eric hates Tom Brady and the Patriots, since he love Payton Manning and the Colts and the Patriots keep preventing the Colts from going to the Superbowl.
This Weekend
I know I mentioned my amazing night of sleep, but what about the rest of the weekend you ask? It was very nice thank you. After my great night of sleep, my husband coninued to be an angel and watched Grace most of the day, so I could go to the mall with Samara. We did a bit of shopping although I only bought clothes for Grace and then we had pedicures. It was so nice to have some "alone" time. Later that afternoon, when I came home, I took Grace and went shopping for Samara's shower gift (from all the girls). I thought Eric could use some "alone" time too. While I was out I also bought Grace an "Exersaucer." It's so cool. Eric decided to put it together that night. We did sit her in it before reading the directions that babies should be able to sit unsupported before using it. So we took her out and will have to wait a bit longer before it gets use.
Sunday was a nice day. Grace sort of napped during church, although she spent most of the time fighting it. It worked out nice though because after we got home and had lunch (and a bottle) Grace and I napped together. We layed down around 12:30, she fell asleep close to 1:00. I got up at 2:30 and she continued sleeping until 3:45 p.m. Eric took advantage of that time to go to BW3's with Martin and watch some college basketball.
Here's a picture from this weekend hanging out with Daddy.
Grace's Amazing Development
Grace changes almost daily. I can't believe how much she's developing. I'm loving every minute. Here are some new acomplishments:
- She laughs when Daddy tickles her. It's funny because it almost sounds like a growl. We call her a little tiger.
- She's definately reaching for things now. Sometimes it's your face, sometimes it's the things on the bouncy seat, and sometimes the bears on the mobile above the changing table, but she's trying.
- Yesterday, while in her swing, I put the baby keys and rattle on the swing tray. All by herself, she picked up the keys and shook them around for a while. We were amazed. Then she dropped them, but picked them back up. Wow.
- Today she has decided that crying gets our attention, so she made up a fake cry. It's like she knows what crying sounds like, so she just makes the sound on purpose. We just stared at her and then she grinned. I think it's part of her "babbling" stage. She just makes the noise, but it isn't near as loud as her real cry and you can tell in her face that she doesn't mean it. So funny.
Today's Drama
This morning we woke up with no heat. I noticed I felt colder than normal and then Eric noticed it too. We looked at the thermostat and it said it was 58 degrees. Yep, that's cold. We kicked the temp up to 90 degrees and it still didn't kick on. We called and had someone come out today. The igniter and a little fan was broken, so we paid our $167 and they fixed it. I was sort of glad it was a real problem and not something stupid. A friend at work mentioned that you are supposed to change a filter in the furnace. We haven't done that in the 3 years we've lived here...until today. Luckily, that wasn't the problem or I would have felt really stupid.
Did I Mention?
Grace had her first ear infection? I know I'd mentioned that we'd been sick around here. Last Tuesday or Wednesday I called the doctor to make her 4 month appointment and while on the phone asked the nurse about her cough, since she'd been coughing for 3 weeks. She had us come in that afternoon and rather than just the cold I'd been expecting we found out she had an ear infection. She's on Amoxicillan for 10 days, but luck for us, Wal-Mart is running a promotion and in March Amoxicillan is free!
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Sleep
Last night my husband made up for any time he's shirked on baby duties in the last three months. I had my first "real" night of continuous sleep. I wasn't expecting it either. Apparently, he was tired, because I was on the phone with S for a while and when I came upstairs at a little after 7, he was already asleep on the couch. I did the nightly rountine, fed Grace a 7:00 bottle, hung out with her for a while, bath at 7:45 p.m., sleep on the couch, bottle at 10:00, and we both headed to bed at 10:30 p.m. Eric was still asleep, but I left the baby monitor on the coffee table, so he would wake up (it was his night.)
I woke up at 6:30 a.m. with no baby in bed with me. Usually, after Eric gets up and feeds her, he brings her in and lets her sleep with me, so he can go back to sleep on the couch. It is extremely hard to get her back to bed in her crib (on average it takes about 2 hours start to finish), so we cheat and let her go back to bed with me. Then I started freaking out thinking that the sound was down too low on the monitor and he never got up. I can't hear her from my room, so I got up and sneaked into the hallway...silence. I very quietly opened her door and saw she wasn't in her crib. I took that as a good sign and went back to bed.
I got up at 8:30 a.m. That's right I slept for 10 hours last night with just one waking. I feel so good today. The first words out of my mouth this morning were "Thank you." I haven't slept that long un-interrupted since December 11th. Wow.
I woke up at 6:30 a.m. with no baby in bed with me. Usually, after Eric gets up and feeds her, he brings her in and lets her sleep with me, so he can go back to sleep on the couch. It is extremely hard to get her back to bed in her crib (on average it takes about 2 hours start to finish), so we cheat and let her go back to bed with me. Then I started freaking out thinking that the sound was down too low on the monitor and he never got up. I can't hear her from my room, so I got up and sneaked into the hallway...silence. I very quietly opened her door and saw she wasn't in her crib. I took that as a good sign and went back to bed.
I got up at 8:30 a.m. That's right I slept for 10 hours last night with just one waking. I feel so good today. The first words out of my mouth this morning were "Thank you." I haven't slept that long un-interrupted since December 11th. Wow.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Weekend with Grandma & Big Girl Stuff
First of all the weekend. We had a very nice, but much too short weekend. My Mom (Grandma) came to visit. Her flight was slightly delayed, but she arrived at about 7:00 p.m. After picking her up at the airport, we stopped for some wings at BW3s and then headed home. Grandma spent lots of time holding Grace and helped with the bath and bedtime routine.
Saturday we had a slow start, but decided to go shopping after the 9:00 bottle. We went to the mall where Grace got a new outfit and so did I (for my birthday). We also picked up my Mother's ring and had lunch. After the mall we headed to Babies R Us, but only ended up buying formula and then Target where we picked up a few more things. After our shopping expidition we were pooped, so we came home and took naps. Then we gave Grace her bottle at about 6:30 p.m. and headed to Champps for my birthday dinner. Luckily we called ahead, so we had a short wait. Grace was slightly fussy towards the end of the meal, but she was just fighting sleep.
Sunday we got up and went to church. I was really excited for Mom to get to visit our church. Unfortunately, Grace was doing the fighting sleep thing again, so I spent the entire service in the hallways and lobby trying to help her on her way. After church we went to Cici's pizza for lunch. Then we went home, fed Grace and took Mom back to the airport. Mom took lots of good pictures, plus we used her camera to get pics of Grace and Grandma. Hopefully she'll e-mail them to me (hint, hint) and I'll post some here. I miss my Mom, but we did have a good visit. We've also picked a date for our next trip to Iowa and Grace's first plane trip. I'm hoping to book tickets this week.
As for the big girl stuff. Grace is now officially in her 3-6 month clothes. I was postponing it, but Mom pointed out many of her clothes, while cute, are getting a bit too small. After the comment, I noticed that everything is a bit stretched now, so after I did the latest load of laundry, I packed away the 0-3 month clothes. It was a bit sad, but I'm still glad she's growing so much.
Grace is also getting much better at head and neck control. She holds her head up all the time now and is getting better at lifting it off the ground during tummy time too. I'm guessing it won't be long before she gets that chest off the ground. See pictures.
Grace can also grab ahold of things now. I don't think she's aiming for anything, but I notice I get my hair pulled alot and she tends to grab my necklace on a daily basis. She'll also hold on if you put something in her hand. Here she is with a rattle. She was shaking it all over, although I don't think she really realized what she was doing.
I think she's almost learned about splashing too. The last couple of baths have resulted in a lot more spillage of water, but again, I don't think she's doing it conciously yet. Soon, very soon, we may be moving the baby bath to the big bathtub instead of on the vanity.
Ok, I just wanted to get this posted, but Eric just got home from bible study. I should go visit with him.
Saturday we had a slow start, but decided to go shopping after the 9:00 bottle. We went to the mall where Grace got a new outfit and so did I (for my birthday). We also picked up my Mother's ring and had lunch. After the mall we headed to Babies R Us, but only ended up buying formula and then Target where we picked up a few more things. After our shopping expidition we were pooped, so we came home and took naps. Then we gave Grace her bottle at about 6:30 p.m. and headed to Champps for my birthday dinner. Luckily we called ahead, so we had a short wait. Grace was slightly fussy towards the end of the meal, but she was just fighting sleep.
Sunday we got up and went to church. I was really excited for Mom to get to visit our church. Unfortunately, Grace was doing the fighting sleep thing again, so I spent the entire service in the hallways and lobby trying to help her on her way. After church we went to Cici's pizza for lunch. Then we went home, fed Grace and took Mom back to the airport. Mom took lots of good pictures, plus we used her camera to get pics of Grace and Grandma. Hopefully she'll e-mail them to me (hint, hint) and I'll post some here. I miss my Mom, but we did have a good visit. We've also picked a date for our next trip to Iowa and Grace's first plane trip. I'm hoping to book tickets this week.
As for the big girl stuff. Grace is now officially in her 3-6 month clothes. I was postponing it, but Mom pointed out many of her clothes, while cute, are getting a bit too small. After the comment, I noticed that everything is a bit stretched now, so after I did the latest load of laundry, I packed away the 0-3 month clothes. It was a bit sad, but I'm still glad she's growing so much.
Grace is also getting much better at head and neck control. She holds her head up all the time now and is getting better at lifting it off the ground during tummy time too. I'm guessing it won't be long before she gets that chest off the ground. See pictures.
Grace can also grab ahold of things now. I don't think she's aiming for anything, but I notice I get my hair pulled alot and she tends to grab my necklace on a daily basis. She'll also hold on if you put something in her hand. Here she is with a rattle. She was shaking it all over, although I don't think she really realized what she was doing.
I think she's almost learned about splashing too. The last couple of baths have resulted in a lot more spillage of water, but again, I don't think she's doing it conciously yet. Soon, very soon, we may be moving the baby bath to the big bathtub instead of on the vanity.
Ok, I just wanted to get this posted, but Eric just got home from bible study. I should go visit with him.
Promise
I owe another update. I promise I'll attempt to do it tonight. Mom was here over the weekend and we had a lovely visit. Most of the pictures are on her camera though. I also need to tell you about all the "big girl" things Grace is doing now. More later...I promise.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Happy Birthday to Me!
Today I turn 26 years old. I hope it's a good day. So far I have received cards from my Mother-In-Law and friend Erica. Eric and I celebrated last weekend with a dinner by ourselves and he let me get a new pair of tennis shoes. The rest of the fitness equipment was a tax refund present.
This weekend my Mom is coming to town to visit and see the baby, so I'm sure we'll have dinner out to celebrate too.
Work went really well yesterday. I had a presentation to a client that I wasn't feeling especially confident about, but it went very well. Today I have a lot of catching up to do, but I don't have that dark cloud of dread anymore. At one point rumors were that they were going to do corporate wide staff reductions today. I suppose getting RIFed (Reduction in Force) could bring me down, but hey, at least I could come home and take a nap!
I expect today to be good. Grace started me off with a beautiful Happy Birthday smile, so what else could I ask for?
This weekend my Mom is coming to town to visit and see the baby, so I'm sure we'll have dinner out to celebrate too.
Work went really well yesterday. I had a presentation to a client that I wasn't feeling especially confident about, but it went very well. Today I have a lot of catching up to do, but I don't have that dark cloud of dread anymore. At one point rumors were that they were going to do corporate wide staff reductions today. I suppose getting RIFed (Reduction in Force) could bring me down, but hey, at least I could come home and take a nap!
I expect today to be good. Grace started me off with a beautiful Happy Birthday smile, so what else could I ask for?
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