Wednesday, August 29, 2012

In Bed


One good thing about working part time is that I enjoy my time at home with William SO much more! This morning, we were lazy and decided to hang out in bed.

No morning rush.


No traffic.


No students to teach.


Just this cutie pie!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Tickle Me Tuesday, 79th edition


Welcome to the latest edition of Tickle Me Tuesdays, where we all share what's been tickling our fancy!


If you'd like to participate (and you know you do!!), here are the rules:
  
1. Write a short post with anywhere from one to five items that have been tickling your fancy recently. Please include pictures and links :)

2. Make sure to link back to the party in your blog post (you can grab the button or include a text link)

3. Come back here and link up your blog post!  

4. Visit some other links and HAVE FUN!





Now it's your turn! What's been tickling your fancy lately?





Back to School Party

Today marks day one of a new school year. Big yellow buses and a trail of cars will be dropping off the children at the doorstep. And all of the teachers thinking: "Ready or not, here they come!"

One of these years, I'd love to host a back-to-school party - it would sure get everyone excited about the big day! There's tons of inspiration online, but here are a few of my favorite party ideas:

How cute are these place settings?

These would be awesome party favors!


Apple cupcakes and school bus cookies? Yes please!

Don't forget the drinks!

A pretty display couldn't hurt!

What about you? Have you ever been to or thrown a back to school party?

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Dear William - Two Months

Dear William,

Today, you are two months old.


If I had to sum up this past month in one word, it would be:

Poop.

You are either pooping, trying to poop, thinking about trying to poop, or just plain gassy. Poop is the bane of your existence, your nemesis. It makes you so fussy and angry! We all had a rough couple of weeks until your father thought to harness the power of the internet. Now we know better ways to feed you so that you can digest easier. Victory! You're a much happier poop-er now.


This month marks the first time we've been on our own, without the help of our families. It's nice to be just the three of us and figure out a routine. On the other hand, there are a lot fewer helping hands around here. The house is messier. The kitchen isn't always clean when we go to bed. I've taken fewer showers. The living room is more cluttered.

Really, it's all your fault: your needs trump anything and everything else. The floors need to be swept? The dog needs to go out? Gotta pee? Too bad! You come first! But I can't resent you, my beautiful, beautiful trump card.


You're a bit more particular about your sleep these days. You especially love to be bounced and swayed to be put to sleep. BUT! It must be while I'm standing up. If I try to bounce you to sleep while I'm sitting on the couch, you become quite incensed. I can almost hear you say: "YOU'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT, MOM!" One notable exception to this pattern was that one night when your dad put you to sleep by playing classic rock on the guitar and belting out the tunes. That was pretty awesome.

Oh, and this month you've started squealing..... spontaneous, loud, delightful little squeals that are usually paired with a smile! They come at the most random times, and I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but we take it to mean that you love us back.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Maternity Leave

We've been extremely blessed to have had William in June: both my husband and I have been off all summer since I'm a teacher and he's a grad student! But now with back-to-school looming (I start Friday and the kids start Monday!), I have a few thoughts on going back to work. 

First, this:



Shocking, isn't it? I mean, c'mon... Pakistan?!? 

My school district doesn't give any paid maternity leave. If you want to stay home with your baby, you'd better have a lot of sick days and personal days stored up. So I'm grateful that I had 2 months to stay at home, worry free. 

That said, my husband and I want to avoid daycare at all cost (and we have no family around to watch the baby). Max can work from home three days a week, and I'll be taking an "intermittent maternity leave" the other two days a week. I have some sick/personal days in my bank, but not enough to cover the whole year. But I think the pay cut will be worth it, though!

You know how some mamas are really excited to go back to work? I think I understand that. But I don't feel that way.... maybe if my job involved actual adult interaction instead of managing a class of second graders. Right now it just seems ridiculous to me to leave my baby to go take care of some other people's babies!

So in a way, I'm blessed that I'll only have to go in three days a week (I'll be planning for a long term sub for the other two days). I have some worries - mainly about pumping and messing with my milk supply - but I hope everything will work out!

Do any of you working mamas have tips about pumping? I'd be grateful to hear your advice!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Tickle Me Tuesday, 78th edition


Welcome to the latest edition of Tickle Me Tuesdays, where we all share what's been tickling our fancy!


If you'd like to participate (and you know you do!!), here are the rules:
  
1. Write a short post with anywhere from one to five items that have been tickling your fancy recently. Please include pictures and links :)

2. Make sure to link back to the party in your blog post (you can grab the button or include a text link)

3. Come back here and link up your blog post!  

4. Visit some other links and HAVE FUN!






Now it's your turn! What's been tickling your fancy lately?


Aquarium Adventure


Last week, when we had Max's side of the family in town, we all decided to be adventurous and go to the Dallas Aquarium.  And I do mean adventurous - it's hard to get our act together to take baby anywhere, let alone somewhere as exciting as the aquarium!

William was a trooper! (And I've never needed to carry a purse so big before!)

Everyone's saying hi to the monkeys.

Looking at the sting rays - and Max refuses to smile for a picture ;)

William got tired of the stroller. This is my view of him in his sling!

After the aquarium, we ate a very late lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse. I would have taken pictures, but I was too busy stuffing my face with pasta alfredo!

All in all, it was worth the hassle to get out there and do something fun! I need to schedule more adventures soon!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Around

I'm using my camera more than I ever have before these days! I recently dressed William in some actual clothes instead of the usual onesies - then I was like: "Quick, take a picture before he grows out of it or pees/poops/spits up on it!!"


Anyways, we're doing lots of lazy hanging out around here. Thought I'd share some links I'm sure you'll enjoy as much as I did:

- I'm dying to make these chickpea salad wraps!

- Which profession drinks the most coffee? Is yours on here?

- DIY: Spray painted color block shoes

- What a great way to preserve summer memories! Map Cork Board with Shell Pushpins

- I loved this article from an up-and-coming daddy blogger: Achieving Happy

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Three Lifesavers

One of my new mama friends asked me what product(s) I couldn't live without. It was a good question and it got me thinking. Below, my top three picks:


With my hands full with baby, I just can't realistically wash my hair every day. This dry shampoo has been a quick fix that WORKS!  I'm sure it will be even more important to me once I go back to work.

This is what William sleeps in. Forget the pretty bassinets, this thing has been a lifesaver!! The incline is so perfect. It's so easy to rock, and the best part is - when he kicks around and gets fussy, he rocks it himself and can put himself back to sleep!!


I've decided against drinking any caffeine while breast feeding. But! I still miss my morning cup of coffee. This instant stuff tastes like the real thing. I can almost convince myself I'm more awake (almost....)

So... what in your life can you not live without? Do share!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Thwarted!

Here I am, thinking I'm so organized... but my best attempt has been thwarted!

You see, I have a basket with all of baby William's washcloths and hooded towels. Now that our guest bathroom is once again available (we had our parents with us for the last seven weeks!) I thought I'd keep the baby tub and the towel basket in there.

But! I forgot about our pets, who are usually up to no good:


As you can see, Mrs. Hufflepuff removed the top few towels and made herself comfortable! Grrr.....

Monday, August 13, 2012

Tickle Me Tuesday, 77th edition


Welcome to the latest edition of Tickle Me Tuesdays, where we all share what's been tickling our fancy


If you'd like to participate (and you know you do!!), here are the rules:
  
1. Write a short post with anywhere from one to five items that have been tickling your fancy recently. Please include pictures and links :)

2. Make sure to link back to the party in your blog post (you can grab the button or include a text link)

3. Come back here and link up your blog post!  

4. Visit some other links and HAVE FUN!





Now it's your turn! What's been tickling your fancy lately?


Ten Year Celebration


Friday we celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary in our typical, low-key kind of way: we went out for lunch at a new Thai place in town.

It's in a strip mall and easy to pass by without noticing at all. It's pretty tiny inside, but we loved the food! I even got Max to let me take a picture:


(William was well behaved and slept contentedly through our date.) Max and I split a mango bubble tea. It was the first time I'd ever had one and it was delicious!!


This may not have been the travel adventure we had been planning for this anniversary, but it was definitely a fun adventure just being out of the house!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Ten Years and a Love Story

Today is our TEN YEAR wedding anniversary! We got married at the ripe old age of 20, and it was the best decision I've ever made!


I thought I'd share our love story in honor of this momentous occasion:



I met my husband, Max, for the first time during freshman orientation in college.

We were going around in a circle, introducing ourselves and saying where we were from. This was a tricky question for me since my family started out in California, but moved to France when I was seven. And then, to make things even more complicated, I attended a boarding school in Germany for high school.

So when it came around to my turn, I said, "California, France, and Germany," and that's how I made the nerdiest first impression with my future husband.

I didn't see much of him after that, even though we lived in the same dorm. We started hanging out rather randomly in April of that year. I sat next to him at a dorm picnic and asked him, by way of an ice breaker, if he was Canadian. He wasn't.

Our relationship really kicked off on my birthday, when we got into an impromptu cake fight, chasing each other, laughing, and getting frosting everywhere.


Shortly after that, our first year of college had ended, and I flew back to Germany to spend the summer with my family. Max and I emailed each other back and forth during that time, and checking my inbox was the absolute highlight of my day.

I half-jokingly invited him to come over and visit with me and my family. You know, because it's not like Michigan and Germany share a border or anything. To my utter surprise, he did! One day during his two week trip, we toured the World War 1 trenches, and it was there that we "officially" started dating. August 10th, 2001.

We held hands. We cuddled. We hugged. But we didn't kiss.

I had told him right off the bat that I wasn't ready to kiss him yet. (Truthfully I had never kissed anyone before, and the idea was terrifying!) He was a trooper about it!

As the months progressed, we knew we were meant for each other, and we knew we wanted to get married soon. We decided to save our first kiss for the altar.


We were married on August 10th, 2002, precisely one year after we started dating. (I like to tell people it's because we're organized, but actually it was just a coincidence!) By this time, I was more than ready to kiss him :).

So there we were, standing at the altar: his dad and my dad (both pastors) up at the front, conducting the ceremony. It occurred to me right before dad said: "You may kiss the bride" that I was going to have my very first kiss ever right in front of all of these people!

I leaned in for the kiss. I thought it was going to be a huge, romantic moment in my life. And it was! But at the time I can only remember thinking: "Gee, this is wet!" He likes to say that I wouldn't let go of him when he tried to pull away... but that's his side of the story!

I'm glad we saved our first kiss (I can hold this over my daughter's head someday...). I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, though. We were lucky in that we had a short engagement. But it definitely made our story special, and I believe that it deepened our relationship. Ten years and we're still going strong!



Wednesday, August 8, 2012

First Play Date

Last week, William and I had our first play date. I was beyond excited to see my friend Jackie, who gave birth to baby Clark the day before I had Will!


Clark is half Chinese and half Vietnamese. Will is 1/8 Chinese. I don't think you can tell that William has a lick of Chinese in him. What do you think?

Jackie and I had a sqeal-fest when we put the babies down and they linked arms. I'm sure it was a total accident as they have zero body awareness, but still. Cuteness!

I know there will be lots more play dates in our future. It's so nice to connect with someone who's going through all the same things I am!

Monday, August 6, 2012

Tickle Me Tuesday, 76th edition


Welcome to the latest edition of Tickle Me Tuesdays, where we all share what's been tickling our fancy


If you'd like to participate (and you know you do!!), here are the rules:
  
1. Write a short post with anywhere from one to five items that have been tickling your fancy recently. Please include pictures and links :)

2. Make sure to link back to the party in your blog post (you can grab the button or include a text link)

3. Come back here and link up your blog post!  

4. Visit some other links and HAVE FUN!




Now it's your turn! What's been tickling your fancy lately?