Splish~Splash!

I have been meaning to blog but I just haven't had time.  Danny is on travel and I have been busy with Marissa and working. 

Anyway, here are the pictures from her in the pool from a few weekends ago.  She really seemed to like it, after the initial getting used to it. 

Plunging in...sort-of.  Danny was trying to put her hat on and she slipped into the water. 

I love her bathing suit!

She loved playing with her bath toys!

I think she splashed a little water in her face.

We had a nice weekend with Danny's family.  I haven't had a chance to upload any of my pictures yet, but this was taken at Marissa's 2nd cousins 1st birthday party.  Her hair is getting so long and light!



Aubrey (the birthday girl) also had a ladybug birthday theme!  They must be quite popular this year.  While she had traditional black and red ladybugs, Marissa will be having pink and black (with splashes of green!).

A friend made her cake for her:

As of Monday, I am 10 weeks pregnant!  30+/- to go!  I've been feeling pretty good, mostly just tired and hungry.  I feel like a bottomless pit.  It's been a bit exhausting with Danny on travel.  Marissa clearly wants her momma when I get home and it's hard for me to get anything done when she wants to be held.  She cries when I sit her down and looks at me like "hold me, momma!"  It's cute but it doesn't change the fact that I can literally get nothing done until she goes to bed, when in all reality I just want to sit my butt on the couch and do nothing.  I feel like I'm away from her so much as it is, that I just want to spend quality time with her when I get off of work.  I really wish that all of my other responsibilities would disappear. 

I'm seriously considering asking Danny if he will let me get a maid. :o)  I just need someone to keep up with the mundane tasks around the house like vacuuming, mopping, dusting, etc.  I try to keep an orderly house, clutter drives me crazy, but it's so hard to keep up with all the dog hair, drool and dander that the dogs create.  If I didn't have to worry about those three chores (dusting, vacuuming and mopping) I feel like my life would be SO much easier.  I need to find a young teenager who needs some extra money.  Although I have no idea what the going rates are for something like that.

Any takers??  I would even be willing to give them the title of "Momma's helper" instead of "maid"!  :-D

Ugh - it's only 10:30 and I'm ready for lunch...

1st Sonogram - Baby #2

I had my first sonogram on Wednesday to date the pregnancy.  I am 9 weeks 4 days along!  I am due January 2nd, 2012

....and you wouldn't believe how many people have already said "maybe you'll have a Christmas baby" or "maybe you'll have a New Year's baby" or "maybe you will have the first baby of the year" or "maybe he/she will come early so you get another tax deduction" or "maybe it will be born on so-and-so's birthday" or....you get the point.  It's funny because I have several friends who are pregnant right now and occasionally I am their ear to vent to.  I forgot what it's like to be pregnant, everyone and their mother has something to say.  Sometimes I think people just say the first thing that pops in their head, when really just a simple congratulations would suffice.  You should see the looks that I get when I tell them that Marissa is only 9 months old.  Their eyes widen, sometimes a jaw drops and they get that inevitable blank stare on their face that says "this was an oops, right?"  Occasionally those words even come out of their mouth and I have to laugh because yes, Danny and I really are that crazy...we intentionally planned or didn't prevent another bambino coming into our lives.  We are excited for our journey of having another baby.  You only live once, right!?  Who needs sleep anyway?  It's totally over rated!

So with that I present to you peanut #2, my dad joked that maybe this one is an almond.  He always called Marissa "peanut" when she was still an inside baby and he for sure thought that peanut would stick once she became an outside baby, but no such luck!

This weekend my BIL, SIL and nephew, Knox, are home to visit.  We haven't seen them since January and Knox has grown so much!  He is 5 months old and almost as big as Marissa already.  I hope we can get some good pictures of them together this weekend.  

Tomorrow we are going to Marissa's second cousin, Aubrey's, 1st birthday party!  It's hard to believe that we will be celebrating Marissa's 1st birthday in just a few short months.  I really need to get the ball rolling on her party decorations.  I finally broke down and bought the Cricut cartridge that I need with lady bugs on it.  My friend Mickey was so generous to let me borrow hers but she needed it back and I'm still not done with everything I need to make.  Hopefully the cartridge arrives in the mail soon and I find some much needed motivation to get things going again.

Danny is hanging out with his brother tonight so I'm at home with baby girl.  Our comfy king sized bed is going to be calling my name very shortly!  Perhaps after a glass of milk and a little something for dessert.

Have a wonderful weekend!

BLW

We've been taking a "Baby Led Weaning" approach to solid foods for Marissa.  Up until she recently got sick, she was doing great on solid foods.  Basically, we cut up soft, gummable foods in bite sized pieces and let her decide what she wants to eat.  She is normally very good at eating her food, feeding herself and exploring new tastes and textures.  She got sick last week and it has been a struggle to get her to eat any solids.  I don't know if it's just a phase or if it's because she isn't feeling well.  Hopefully she will be back on track soon!

I know that several of my readers have shown interest in making their own baby food and BLW is a great option.  There are many misconceptions about BLW.  A lot of people think that it's a choking hazard to give a baby bite sized pieces when they don't have any teeth, but it's actually a very safe option for getting your child to eat solids, obviously under close watch.  It teaches them how to move food around in their mouth, chew and to swallow.  We kind of went with a modified BLW approach and started with home made purees first, but many other parents go straight to finger foods. 

This site has some helpful information about BLW as well as recipes, first foods, what to avoid, etc.  Check it out! 

Sono Today!

I have my first sonogram today to date the pregnancy and get a more definitive due date.  Though what does a due date really mean?  Marissa was right on track for most of my pregnancy and decided she would come a week late.  Either way, it will be nice to have a date to look forward to!

We had a nice weekend and I need to upload pictures of Marissa in her pool.  She enjoyed sitting in the cool water.  She didn't move much or splash around, but she liked chewing on her toys.  My parents came to visit on Sunday and we had a cook out with Danny's parents as well.  It was nice but I was exhausted.  I napped off and on with Marissa all day on Monday and finally got out of my pj's around 4:00.  We headed to the "beach" to get ice cream and take a stroll on the boardwalk.  It was nice to have an evening out with my little family.  Marissa turned 9 months old on Monday.  It's so hard to believe that she is approaching a year old already.

Danny has gotten news that he has to start traveling more for work again.  During my pregnancy with Marissa he travelled to New York every other week.  He would leave before I got out of bed on Monday morning and wouldn't return until late Friday night.  It was hard to be away from him for so long but it was manageable.  This time they want him travelling to Baltimore every other week.  Now with Marissa and a second little one on the way, I honestly don't know how I will handle him being away half of the time.  I know we should be grateful that he has a job in today's economy, but I can't help but feel like it's just not fair.  I didn't sign up to be a single mother half of the time, to work 40 hours a week, take care of our house, two dogs, all the chores and everything else that comes along with being a mom, an employee, a home owner and a wife.  Needless to say, I'm not very happy about all of this.  It would be one thing if he was getting paid a substantial amount more to do all of this travel, but he's not.  The only thing he gets is compensation time.  So it's not like I can quit my job just because he is working more hours and away from home.  Sometimes I really wonder if people care about family life anymore.

Okay, enough with my rant!  I'll make due and we'll get by, things could be worse, right?!

How can this sweet face not make you smile?  Not the best pics since they are from my phone but ahh, I love her!

  



Locks of Love!

I had been wanting to get a hair cut for awhile and I finally made an appointment to donate my hair to Locks of Love.  I donated 10 inches.  Here's the before and after!

Before:

After:

What do you think?

Productivity

I have been pretty productive this evening!  Danny is gone on travel and Marissa was very needy tonight.  She's not feeling well, I'm not sure if it's teething or a cold.  She has a runny nose that is clear, a slight cough, no fever, a little bit of a diaper rash and her overall mood is cranky with a side of all I want to do is snuggle with my momma.  

So instead of a "To~Do" list, how about a "To~Done" list:

• Unpack diaper bag
• Wash Bottles
• Re-pack diaper bag
• Go through mail
• Pay bills
• Vacuum
• Snuggle Marissa
• Feed Marissa dinner
• Bathe Marissa
• 2 Loads of laundry
• Dishes
• Make myself dinner
• Feed the dogs
• Pack Marissa's lunch for tomorrow
• Pick out Marissa's outfit for tomorrow
• Water the plants
• Pull weeds outside
• Hang diapers to dry
• Dust the living room
• Marissa's bedtime routine - lotion, PJs, rock while she drinks her milk, story time and kisses
• Oh - now it's time to RELAX!  I didn't get to sit down for more than 2 seconds until just a few minutes ago.  

I said I was productive, right?  All the while Marissa was glued to me.  She wasn't really into playing tonight, she just wanted to be held.  She was quite content being worn around the house.  I think she may have nodded off for a few minutes, then she decided to play peek-a-boo with the mirror and then mommy's back started to break so I had to take a break.  I really need to invest in a better carrier.  I loved the sling when she was itty bitty but she is really too heavy for it now.  

Look how big she looks!

It feels good to be productive but I feel like I still have so much to do.  I guess that's what the weekends are for.  I can't wait for Danny to be home, I really miss him.  It will be so nice to have a long 3 day weekend!

Click-A-Doo!

My Click-a-doo diapers are ready and I can't wait to receive them in the mail!  Aren't they just too cute!?  They will be perfect for Marissa's birthday theme!

Marissa is going to have one stylish little fluffy butt! ;-)