Road Trip!

Yesterday we set out as a family of three in our loaded down Ford Escape to head North to Syracuse, New York.  I woke up at 4 am to feed Marissa, fixed Danny and I breakfast, finished loading up the car and we hit the road.  We were on the road around 7:30 am and had to make a quick stop to fill up on gas.  There's something about going to a new place that gets me excited like a kid on Christmas morning.  What can I say, I like road trips. 

Our first stop was Baltimore, Maryland to pick up Capitals tickets for the game on Columbus Day.  Danny is going to have a guys night out, which I think is well deserved after being such a great husband and father.  I was going to try and go to the game but I'm not ready to leave Marissa with anyone yet, and I don't think that drunk men screaming at a hockey game is exactly my cup of tea with a one month old baby in tow.

The drive up was pretty uneventful.  We stopped a few times to feed Marissa, gas up and of course we had to refuel ourselves with some Starbucks coffee.  Danny had a pumpkin spice coffee and I got an iced vanilla latte, yum!

Here's a few shots from the drive up:

As most people know, Danny and I are huge fans of "The Office."  Remember this picture from last Halloween?  Yep, Danny got this costume idea from the show, sporting his Dunder Mifflin shirt like a true fan. 

How 'bout those Redskins last night?  But I digress... =)

Anyway, we stopped in Scranton, Pennsylvania to take some photos of the Paper Supply Company that is featured in the opening scenes of The Office.  We also got a shot of Mulberry Street.  We tacked on about 45 minutes to our trip by driving around Scranton, but we weren't in a rush so we had a little fun!

Yes, we are dorks.

After cruising around Scranton we got back on 81 to head to Syracuse.  Marissa slept the rest of the trip which was great! 

We arrived around 4:30 pm, so it was about a 9 hour drive.  We were originally thinking it would take us about 10 hours so it was nice that we had actually goofed off for a bit and still made it in decent time.  We unpacked the car and headed to Ruby Tuesday's to watch the Skins beat the Eagles!  Afterwords we went grocery shopping and then headed back to the hotel to call it a night.  Danny and I were both in bed by 9:00 and lights were out by 9:30.  Even though Marissa slept most of the day she only got up at 1:00, 3:00 and again at 7:30 this morning.  I guess the trip took a lot out of her, too.

Today we are just relaxing in the hotel while Danny is at work.  Marissa is 5 weeks old today.  My little girl is growing up!



Trip to the Mailbox

Marissa and I took a little trip to the mailbox this morning to find this little handmade gift from Monika, a long time family friend.

So cute!  We have gotten so many wonderful gifts from friends and family.  Everyone has been so generous and thoughtful.  Marissa is one special little girl.  I love handmade gifts that are one of a kind.  Marissa has received 3 handmade crochet blankets, headbands and a cute winter hat.

The sun is finally shining after two days of pouring rain!  I'm trying to pack for our trip to New York, though I'm not feeling very motivated today. 

Eli and Sadie will be going to their best friend's house next week while we're away.  They like going to Heidi's (the black rottie) house because they can romp and play and drive Heidi's parents crazy with their non-stop energy. =) Here's a few photos from their last sleep over...

They play so well together.  I know many people don't trust Rottweilers, but Heidi is such a sweet dog and very well behaved.  She's not temperamental at all and she does well around other dogs and kids.  We watched Heidi a few weekends ago while Bear and Amanda (Heidi's parents) went on a camping trip.  Even with a new baby, having three dogs in the house wasn't that bad. 

Today is the first day of October which means it is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Ladies, make sure you do your monthly breast exam!  It's very important to catch it early.  I'm sure you know someone who has had, beaten or lost their battle with breast cancer.  Several years ago we lost my Aunt Norma to breast cancer.  I miss her and think about her often, I can only hope they find a cure one day soon.  Save the ta-ta's!

1 Month Check-In

One month ago today, my sweet little baby girl made her way into the world.  I can't believe how fast the time is flying and all I keep hearing is "just you wait" and "it just keeps going faster."  I just want to freeze time and keep her this size forever.  This past month has been one of the greatest months of my life, Marissa brings such joy to my heart and I love her so much!  It's going to be really hard for me to go back to work.  At least I don't have to go back until the week of Thanksgiving...unless I find some way to make money from home.  Hmm...wishful thinking.


Here's Marissa's one month stats:

8.13 pounds, she weighed 6.6 pounds at her 4 day check up.  She is currently in the 38th percentile for her weight (she's petite, but 2 pounds is great, which means breastfeeding is successful so far).

She is currently 21.75 inches long, she was 19 inches at birth, so she has gained 2.75 inches in a month!  She is in the 76th percentile for her height, she's a tall girl. 

Her head circumference is 14.25, she was 13.25 at her 4 day check up.  She has a small head like her mom and dad and is in the 29th percentile. 

Now onto the important stuff....

I know I'm a little biased, but isn't she cute?

Our First Play Date (with commentary)

We had our first baby play date yesterday.  Okay, really it was more of a play date for the parents, but I think we all had a little fun.  =)

Jeremy and Mickey came over for dinner, we had baked spaghetti, salad and bread sticks. Hunter and Marissa got to meet again.  Hunter was checking out Marissa and was pretty curious about her.  It was so cute! 

Marissa: "Daddy, this is Hunter"

 Hunter: "Hi, Marissa!"

 Hunter: "Mr. Mudd, may I hold Marissa's hand?"

Danny: "Hey now boy, you better watch it!"

 Hunter: "You're a little baby, I'm a big boy now!"

 Hunter: "It's okay Marissa, no need to cry."

 Marissa: "Mom, you know I really don't want the finger right now..."

Hunter: "I'll take that finger, I like fingers!"

 Hunter: "Yeah, my bib doesn't lie, I drool."

 Hunter 5 months, Marissa 4 weeks

I think it is going to be so much fun watching these two grow up together.  We probably shouldn't tease them about being boyfriend and girlfriend, but they don't know what we're talking about yet, ha, ha.  It's nice that they are so close in age and it's nice having friends with kids.  They understand bath time, bed time routines and fussing while you are trying to carry on an adult conversation that doesn't consist of baby poop!  I had a lot of fun yesterday and hope to get together more often. 

Danny had a ball with Hunter.  He's at that age where he laughs, smiles and loves being bounced!  He's like the total workout gym.  After all the excitement of the day we got Marissa ready for bed and Danny and I relaxed on the couch together.  We both dozed off a few times and decided to get in bed early.  I think it was a little after 9:00, lol.  We are an old married couple now, but it was nice to snuggle in bed together on a Saturday night. 

Today we are going to watch the game, the Skins vs. the Rams.  Hopefully we've got this one in the bag!  Marissa is going to have to wear her Redskins onesie today.  Last week she didn't wear her onesie and we lost in overtime.  Danny got me an Orakpo jersey for my birthday, so I'll be sporting that today! =)

Change

Life is all about change, each day is a new day, no two ever the same.  Change can be for the best, the worst or indifferent.  Change can make you happy, make you sad, it can be a life altering event.

A lot has changed in the past few weeks, but there is much more change to come in the near future.

For starters, I'm obviously a mom now.  That in itself comes with a lot of change.  For me, this change was for the best and has made me have a whole new outlook on life.  There are things that are no longer of importance to me and there are new things (Marissa in particular) that my whole world revolves around now.  When I was pregnant I had some people tell me that I would regret getting pregnant "so young" and that I would be missing out on some of the best years of my life.  Well, I know it has only been a few weeks as a new mom, but I've partied since I was 15 years old.  I've gotten so drunk I've fallen down, passed out, got some great pictures along the way and had some crucial hang overs! 

My case in point...

 

 Don't Ask...

 

 Dance Party

 The Girls on my 23rd Birthday at Tim's

 

Bachelorette Party in OBX

Bar Dancing/Singing

 Shots in Mexico

Okay, I think you get the picture.  We were border line alcoholics, lol!  I've left out many, many incriminating pictures along the way...we'll save those for another day.  = )  But my point is that I've already had some great memories partying with friends, lavish vacations and hang overs that felt like they lasted a week.  I was ready for the next chapter in my life, which is why we decided to start a family.  I have to say, this chapter so far is better than any drunken night I've had!  But with this change, I think we will find that our friendships are going to change as well.  And it's no ones fault, we just aren't able to go partying like we could before, we have someone now that depends on us, for everything.  We hope to stay in touch with friends but we know that it will be more of a challenge now. 

Secondly, one of the biggest changes that is soon to come, which also happens to be heavy on my heart is my best friend, Cierra, is moving to South Korea for a year.  Yeah, a YEAR!  She leaves in October.  I won't be able to just pick up the phone and say hey and catch up (not that I really have a lot of time on my hands to do such a thing these days) but still.  I will have to set up a Skype account so that we can stay in touch and we will have to schedule "dates" due to the time difference.  Plus, Marissa needs to know who her "Auntie C" is.  I'm so happy for her that she has decided to make this change, but I will miss her dearly.  She has always been the one friend that I can confide in and be myself, 100%.  

 

Change is good, change is inevitable.  We learn, we grow, we evolve with change.   Right now, I wouldn't change a thing in my life.  I have an amazing husband who loves me unconditionally, a daughter I adore and so much to be thankful for!

~*Happy Autumn*~

Today is the first day of fall, which means it's my birthday!  I love this time of year.  The leaves start to change colors, the air is crisp and clean, football, fall festivals, the smell of pumpkin spice fills the air!  What's not to love? 

This is my first birthday as a mother and as a birthday gift Marissa slept from 10:30 pm to 3:30 am.  Such a good little girl to her mommy!

We are relaxing on the couch this morning together, enjoying a cup of coffee in our jammie jams.  Since it's my birthday and all, I might splurge and make it a two cup morning.  :)

So Fresh & So Clean

After Marissa's cord fell off we were able to give her her first real bath!  And let me tell ya, babies are slippery when wet!  I think she enjoyed her bath, until Danny accidentally put cold water on her.  Oops!  That really woke her up.  I love the smell of fresh baby!  I haven't been wearing perfume lately so that she smells like a sweet baby like she should.  She has the rest of her life to smell like perfume.  :)

Look at that big belly!

Today we've been hanging out on the couch together.  Momma put away some laundry, ran the dish washer and vacuumed the bedrooms.  Marissa has been napping in the boppy on my lap while I blog.  I even caught her having a happy baby dream...

  

 

I wonder what she was dreaming about? 

I can't believe she is 3 weeks old today.  Where is the time going?  She has been such a joy.  Don't get me wrong, having a baby is hard, hard work...but soo, soo worth it!  I would do it a thousand times over.  I just wish she could stay this small forever.  I find myself just staring at her during the day.  Can't get enough of her sweetness.  

Wednesday is my birthday and we are meeting "Grammy and Grandpup" for dinner at the Olive Garden.  Yum-yum!  Can't wait!