Five Months Update

About a week ago, Sweet Baby V turned 5 months old! Wowzer! She constantly amazes me and has got to be the sweetest, happiest baby ever. She went to the doctor a few weeks prior to being 5 months. She checked in at:

Weight: 14 lbs, 12 oz
Length: 25 inches

(25th-50th percentile in all areas)

She gets to start eating rice cereal in a week (so cool!) so I've started getting the baby spoons ready! Time for Dad to pull the highchair outta the box! I can't believe she's going to be eating solids soon. She has started to love holding her toes when she's laying on her back, and is a HUGE talker. She squeals with delight when she's really pleased by something. She also squeals in frustration when her toys aren't working the way she wants them to! Her night time sleeping is going so well. We put her down around 7:00 p.m. and she will sleep till 5 or 6 a.m. (10 hours!).

She currently has a little cold (stuffy, runny nose), but she's certainly not letting it show. She's still as happy as ever. We're hoping to take her to see Santa in the next week.

Work is still going well, although the kids are really testing us. You can tell, it's time for Christmas break! I love this time of year though, because the holiday activities make things more fun. Speaking of Christmas, this will be our first year since we got married (3 years ago) that we will spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in our own home, celebrating by our own tree. We can't wait. Unfortunately, not all our family will be here, since a lot of them are in Roanoke; However, some are coming up Christmas Day and the rest we will go visit a couple days after Christmas. Now that we have Baby V, it's important to us to spend Christmas in our own home, starting new traditions.

We had a Christmas photo shoot taken of Victoria when we were home for Thanksgiving break. Our photographer was my family's good friend, Liz Mitchell, who did an awesome job. I highly recommend her! Check her out on Facebook.  Here's some of our photos!

Hope you're enjoying the holiday!

xoxo,

Fitness Freak

So I've been very fortunate in losing most of my baby weight pretty quickly and I'm pretty sure I owe that to genes and nursing. However, my muscle tone is something to be desired. Even though I may look like I'm back to where I was pre-pregnancy, clothes hide areas where muscle once was. Now there is loose skin, yuck! My goal over the next month is to start running again and strength training my core, arm, and leg muscles, in an attempt to get back to where I was. 

source

Reasons behind this desire?

First of all, Victoria is getting heavier by the day! I'm finding it harder to get her into her crib at night when she's limp in my arms and don't even get me started about how heavy that baby carrier is. My arms are getting weaker now that I'm not holding her all day. I also want to get back to living a healthy life style and taking care of myself. Being busy with work, home, and V can make me forget about that. I know that if I let it go for too long, I'll lose sight of my health goals, making it more and more difficult to get back in the saddle. I LOVE exercising, not only because it gets your body in shape, but because of those endorphins that take over! I'm always so happy after a workout. It helps release all the stress that builds up. And last, but not least, I want to stay attractive for my sweet Trey. I'm baring it all here, so might as well be honest! Even though we're into the "having kids" phase of our lives, I want to make sure I'm still wanted by my man (I know I'm not the only woman thinking thoughts like this). 

Why am I sharing such personal information, you ask? I'm sharing all this in hopes that because I've put it out there in the public eye, I will do a better job at sticking to my goal. I'm much better at getting things done and holding myself accountable when I've got people watching. So don't be afraid to say, "Hey Liz! How's your exercising going? Have you been going to the gym?", because that helps me! 

So on that note, better head to the gym while I've got the time. Adios!

xoxo,

Happy 4 months, Victoria!

Four months ago, today, Victoria was born! She's technically 17 weeks, 3 days, and she is getting to be such a big girl. Fortunately, I'm off work (due to threats from Sandy), and I had time to do a photo shoot. Our usual photo chair is at Tiffany's so we made due with her swing...not as great of an angle, but still cute! You can check her out at 3 months, 2 months, and 1 month to compare.

Those legs are lookin' long!

Victoria's "I don't like this!" face

Pure sweetness

We LOVE these toes

Victoria's favorite activity

Trying so hard to roll over

xoxo,

Pumpkin Patch

Victoria had her first trip to the pumpkin patch earlier this month! Unfortunately it was super crowded and quite hot, so we didn't go on the hayride out into the field to pick out our pumpkin. We did enjoy picking one out from the "already picked" pumpkins and being able to say "V went to the pumpkin patch!". It's all about firsts with our little one :) She was also kind of grumpy while we were there, so we waited until we got home and then set her up with the pumpkins to get pictures.  Here's our photo shoot....

xoxo,

Better late than never...3 month check up!

So I never posted V's stats from her 3 month check-up and in a couple weeks she's going for her next visit!
Here she was at her 3 month check-up:

She weighed in at 13 lbs, 9 oz, was 24 inches long, and her head circumference was 16 inches. 

Her next appointment is November 14th which is actually quite a bit past 16 weeks (she's already 17 weeks, 1 day, now!) but it will be interesting to see how much she's grown. 

Here are photos from her 3 month photo shoot:

xoxo,

Everything is OK...wait no, it's GREAT!

To my regulars, I apologize for my absence. My excuse for the last 4 weeks is that I've been a working mom again...and before that, I was just depressed about being a working mom again. As I expressed in my last entry, I was freaked out about working and being a good mommy. Now that I'm back in the saddle, I'm freaked out no more. Things are going much better than I could have ever thought possible. Victoria loves her time with her sitter (Tiffany) and the other little girls she sees there. She's learning so much from being around them and I love listening to her babble and coo when I pick her up everyday. She's sleeping well at night, which I'm certainly grateful for! And nights that are not so great...well, there's coffee for that. I've never enjoyed coffee until now. It's SO good - especially Dunkin' Donuts Pumpkin coffee! YUM!

Work is going well too. I'm co-teaching with a special ed. teacher, Michelle, and she's awesome. I love having her to talk to about V and everything else in life, and she's really great to teach with. We both love writing and seem to have the same attitude toward teaching and helping students, so that is nice. I also have a sweet class, and although there are a few in every bunch that love to test me, I'm handling it ok so far. The work has been very doable and it's nice being in the same grade for the 3rd year in a row. I'm finding that I'm not having to do so much outside work and I'm able to leave work when I want and still have the afternoon to spend with my sweet girl. 

I'm still breastfeeding - surprise! (at least it's a surprise to me, anyway). Originally, my goal was to make it to 6 weeks. It was really hard in the beginning. Then, once six weeks rolled around, I felt like I was finally getting used to it and not minding it so much. So then, my goal was to make it until work started. Once work started, I figured I'd try pumping and if it was too hard, I'd let it go. Four weeks at work and I'm still going! Yay! My new goal is to make it to six months (Christmas time). I enjoy it because I feel like I'm still able to take care of Victoria by providing my milk for her, even though I can't physically  be there during the day. There's something special about nursing and the bond it creates with your baby...at least there is between me and V and I'm just not ready to let that go yet! :)

Always so happy!

Loves play time

So, I'm OK, V's OK, Trey's OK, and all is well. Victoria will be 4 months on Tuesday - holy cow! She's talking up a storm and can almost roll over. And she's just so darn happy. It's wonderful :)

xoxo,

Career Mom...or not

There's a little part of me that worries every day how I'm going to continue being a good mom to Victoria once I go back to work. And I hate it. I mean really hate it....sometimes it makes me feel sick to my stomach. I am dreading the day (October 3rd, btw) when I have to leave her for an entire day - for an entire work week - with someone else (no offense Tiffany, I'm sure she'll do great with you!). I know women do it all the time and are still good mommies. I just worry how I'm going to have the energy to teach all day (and deal with behavior issues - ugh), fit in making lesson plans/grading papers/attending meetings, and come home and take care of V and cater to my wonderful hubby (and when am I supposed to get to the gym, again?! Or cook? My two favorite things...)

And of course this month is going by ridiculously fast. I'm trying to hold on to each day and make it last longer...so I can be with my baby girl just a little longer. I love to teach and I'm excited to get to do that again, but somehow being with Victoria seems so much more important now. I don't want to miss the little things - or not so little things -  and I know I will miss some of them. Yuck. Icky feelings again.

Any positive thoughts, friends? I could certainly use some :(

xoxo,

No longer waiting...for now

I meant to point this out the other day, but you may have a noticed a change to my blog. Yep! That's right! I'm no longer "madre in waiting" because I am no longer waiting to be a momma! Victoria has made me the luckiest madre, hence my new title. Every time I see her sweet face, hear her cries through the monitor, or change a stinky diaper, I'm reminded of just how lucky Trey and I are. Reminds me of that kind of lucky I felt when I first knew I loved Trey...or when I said "I do"...but times a million twizzlers (Trey can appreciate this comment!). So in my opinion (naturally) I am the luckiest momma there is to have such an amazing baby girl.

Now it's possible I will be a madre in waiting again...at some point (wink, wink)...but I will always consider myself the luckiest, from here on out. Thank you, sweet Victoria, for being such a blessing in my life.

V at two weeks old...this seems so long ago!

So, please note, if you're ever trying to go to my blog via the link, it is now:
www.theluckiestmadre.blogspot.com

I'm off to bed now so I can hang out with Victoria in the early hours (LUCKY me! - and there's no sarcasm there! :)

xoxo,

Super Mom!

That's what I keep hearing in my head..."Super Mom!" (with the same singy-song voice as you would use to say "Super Man!"). I finally feel like I've arrived as a mom, and it's only 12:05 p.m. on this fine Sunday morning. I've gotten more accomplished (and without crying and any other hiccups) this morning than I have this entire week. You know the advice, "sleep when the baby sleeps"? Well, I had started to take that a little too much to heart and I feel like I was getting too much sleep. I was stuck in this haze where I wouldn't leave the house for days at a time, taking care of Victoria, and living solely around her schedule. As a new mom trying to provide the best for your new baby, it's easy to get stuck in the repetitive cycle of nurse, burp, change, rock, sleep, repeat....and not do anything for yourself.

So this morning after Victoria woke up at 7:00, she nursed, and then I got both of us ready and out the door by 7:45. We went to Trader Joe's, Wal-Mart, and made it back home before her next feeding (first "yes!" moment). She enjoyed a 9:30 a.m. breakfast and then while she hung out in the  swing cheerfully, I changed into my running clothes and got V & pup ready for a run. We ran for 30 minutes around the neighborhood (beautiful morning, might I add) without Dean pulling my arm off and Victoria fell into a deep slumber within seconds of leaving the driveway (second "yes!" moment). Once we got home, I got both Dean and V inside and although V woke up, she fell back asleep in her swing while I did my stretching routine so that I could take a shower (third "yes!" moment). I got out of the shower, ran downstairs to see if she was crying, and to add to my super successful morning, she was still asleep. That meant I could actually put on make-up after throwing on my clothes (rare!) and I got to enjoy a nice lunch as I wrote this post.

It's the little things that make life grand :)




Did I mention she is also decked out in her Redskins onesie/bib for the game today? And she hasn't even spit up or pooped on it yet! (fourth "yes!" moment)....we've got 35 minutes till kickoff though. Keep your fingers crossed!












xoxo,

PS. Baby V is still napping and I was able to write and publish this entry (fifth "yes!" moment) Woohoo!!!

2 month check-up report

Victoria had her 2 month check-up today. I love "well visits" because it's a happy visit to the Doc! Except for those no good, terrible shots...

I've always been a weak one when it comes to anything that pierces through my skin. I would cry, or vomit, or pass out. Probably seems a bit hilarious (so dramatic, right?) but to me it was the worst possible thing ever! I always wished I was stronger but alas, I'm not. It is what it is. Watching Victoria get shots is almost as bad. I hate seeing my poor baby girl in pain and feeling so helpless as her mother. She had to get 3 vaccines today and has had some grumpy moments this afternoon as a result - but I don't blame her, I'd be grumpy too!

Baby V prior to "the shots"....a happy girl!

Her latest stats...

weight: 12.3 lbs (75th percentile)
length: 22.4 inches (50th percentile)
head circumference: 15.5 inches (80th percentile)

That's our growing girl! She's still breastfeeding at this point. I didn't know if I'd be able to hang in there but I finally got "good" at it about 6 weeks in and wasn't ready to give it up. My goal now is to continue breastfeeding once I go back to work in October. We'll see how that goes!!

Tomorrow is my 26th birthday...and my first birthday with my sweet baby girl. I can't wait :)

xoxo,

Happy 2 Months, Victoria!

Today Victoria is officially 2 months old. I can't believe how fast time flies...seems like just yesterday we were watching my belly grow, eagerly anticipating her arrival.

Naturally, we had a "2 month" photo shoot this morning and it went much smoother than the 1 month session. Now that I know what makes Victoria tick - like when she's getting sleepy...when she's hungry, and all that jazz, I made sure to do our photos during the window of opportunity where she is at her best (and smiling!). You'll notice that in this month's picture you see her beautiful smile that makes my heart melt! Next Wednesday we go for her check-up and I'll get the latest on poundage, length, headcircumference, and all that fun stuff. On to the shoot....

close up of her sweet smile!

hey there...

In my opinion, the cutest toes in the world!

 Check out how much she's grown in a month by looking back to her 1 month photo shoot.

xoxo,

A Night to Remember

In honor of being 8 weeks old, Victoria decided it was finally time...to sleep through the night! YAHOOOOOOOO! She did go to bed a little later than usual last night (10:15, after she had her bottle with daddy) but I didn't hear from her again until 6 AM. So if you do the math...that's about 8 hours. Again, YAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!  Who knows if it will last, but the fact that she made it through the night (in her crib, mind you) even once, makes this momma so happy (because I'm well-rested!). 

We've had a great weekend hanging out as a family and we also started putting Victoria in her crib for all her naps - and she slept great! From what we've read, the more she naps (as she needs it) and the earlier she goes to bed, the better and longer she will sleep at night. The pros are right! She has certainly been napping better during the day and sleeping better at night. We are so glad that we're finally getting into a routine and I feel like I am communicating and understanding V so much better now. We just got "Secrets of a Baby Whisperer" by Tracy Hogg, as recommended by many, and I'm eager to get reading. I'll let you know what I find out! 

chillin' with the queen of good napping!

xoxo, 

She's growing so fast!

Well, as you can see I'm having a hard time finding the time to blog (guess I have a good excuse, with a newborn and all...) but here I am, better late than never. 

Victoria is changing so much, so fast, and I feel like I need to write it all down before it passes me by. She had her 5 week check-up the first week of August and weighed 10 lbs, 9 oz - that's a 3 lb. increase from her 2 week check-up. Way to go, V! The doc was very impressed with her growth and told us to keep it up. She's also gotten taller - she was 19 3/4 inches at birth and was 21 1/2 inches at her appt. Thank you Victoria for having such a healthy appetite and to my milk-producing glands for making so much milk! (yes, I'm finally getting the hang of things and I'm not so overwhelmed by being an overabundant milk-making machine!). 

Victoria at her 5 week check-up

Victoria is almost 2 months old (AH!) and she grows into more of a little person ever day. Teachers go back to work on Monday and I am so thankful I get 5 more weeks at home with her. She loves to make eye contact now and watch your facial expressions as she figures out her own. Check out this smile I captured earlier this week:

so precious!

She is starting to be entertained by little board books that contain bright colors so we read one every morning. I'm learning that her "alert" time is right after her first morning feeding after she wakes up, so I'm taking advantage of that and try to stimulate her little brain as much as I can before she tires out...usually within the hour. Yesterday we tried her play mat for the first time and she was thoroughly interested in the colorful/black & white designs above her. SO cool to watch. She's also started loving the mobiles in her crib & swing which she hadn't noticed until a week or so ago - again, SO cool!

The best news is she's finally starting to get into a sleep routine. Trey feeds her a bottle of expressed breast milk (or formula, if I don't have any back-up milk expressed) to put her to bed around 9:00. She's usually asleep 30 minutes after she finishes eating and Trey puts her in her crib (yes! We've graduated to her crib and she loves it! We love it too because she is the NOISIEST sleeper!).....then (fingers crossed) she will sleep till around 2:00 a.m., when she wakes up hungry. I feed her and then get her back to sleep by 3:00...and then her next waking is still "up in the air" - sometimes she starts feeding every 2 hours after that, but this morning she made it till 7:00! WHOAH! So, she's still making changes, but at least she's not eating EVERY 2 hours throughout the entire day and night like we were during the first four weeks. Mommy is finally getting some sleep! Yay! :) And thank you to Heather Snyder for her advice on a sleep training book. She told us about Dr. Weissbluth's "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" which we have found to be very helpful. Victoria is still young for any official sleep training, but we have been able to start putting healthy sleep practices into place now so we can keep it up as she gets older. 

Morning nap in the swing

Well, it's breakfast time (again) for Victoria - I'll post a 2 month picture in the next couple days!

xoxo, 

1 Month Old!

Sweet Victoria was born at 10:24 p.m. four weeks ago from today.

Happy 1 Month Birthday, V!

After 20 "takes"...we got a good one!

Dancing with her daddy

Amazing how fast time flies when you're having the time of your life with the ones you love most.