Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day everyone!  I hope you all have enjoyed the long weekend and had some time to celebrate with friends and family. Most importantly, I hope you have spent some time thinking about what this holiday really means and remembering those who have given their lives so we have the freedom to BBQ (or whatever else you did this weekend). This day makes me really think about the family members who are left behind. We appreciate you and your loved one's sacrifice!

We went to our friends, Jim and Maggie's, house yesterday to grill out and swim in their amazing pool with some of their other friends who have kids. Davis was definitely the youngest one there, but he knew how to party...in between naps. Steve and I kept watching the boys, who ranged from 20 months to 9 years old, and envisioned our futures. Oh boy.

Here are some pictures from Davis' first swimming experience. The water was as warm as his bath water is, so he probably thought he was just in a big bath and wondered why he had to wear so much clothing. 

I love his outfit!

Laughing at daddy

LOVES his daddy!

Just wanna kiss that handsome face. 

Keeping an eye on the bartender. 

That's how its done!

Trying to steal dad's margarita. 

I guess if I was going to lose my husband to anyone...

I read several blogs written by moms who have multiple children, and I have NO IDEA how they do it.  I find it difficult to find the time to write a new post and I only have one baby.  I seriously need to step it up.

Mother's Day weekend (and yes, I'm just now writing about it....pathetic!), we flew to New Orleans to visit some of our close friends, Jacques and Barb.  They lost their home in Katrina and lived with Steve for several months back when Steve was living in this house all by his lonesome.  They rebuilt their house and it is absolutely gorgeous.  They have TONS of windows and Davis loved getting to look around all day.  Barb is also an amazing cook and so we have a tendency to overeat while we are there.  (We also tend to drink quite a bit too which is why I didn't want to visit while I was pregnant.)

As the weekend went on, and I was taking pictures, Barb and I started to realize that it seemed like Steve and Jacques were having a very "sweet" weekend together.  Look for yourself:

Doing a little shopping and feeding the baby.

Getting a pedicure.

Watching a little TV (that's Jacques in the yellow shirt).

And finally, doing a little baking.

They also went on a bike ride, but I didn't get any pictures of that.  They are so cute together.  

Davis also had his first play date with the little girl across the street.  He proved to not be such a great host though; falling asleep halfway through it.

Jacques kept watching me swaddle Davis and wondered what it would be like.  I grabbed a big sheet and showed him:

I think he liked it.

I guess if I am going to lose my husband to anyone, it should be Jacques. 

Davis has 4 passport stamps...how many do you have?

My mom told me that everyone misses my blog.  She may have simply been referring to herself, but I am going to take her literally and believe that EVERYONE has missed me/my posts. 

Since I only have limited amount of time before my little angel wakes up from his nap, I'm going to make this one fast. 

We have been back from our vacation for a week now and Davis is finally overcoming his jet-lag and getting back on his schedule....just in time for us to go to New Orleans this weekend.  Whoopsie!

Davis was the PERFECT traveler.  He slept through 90% of the flights (there were 4) and hung out in his baby bjorn on all of our adventures.  Adjusting to the time change was a bit difficult, but after 3 nights, he was back on schedule. 

This trip was great for both Steve and I.  Steve got to spend a lot of time with his son which was so heartwarming.  I got a little break because Steve was super dad, and I also realized what a great baby I have.  Everyone commented on how well-behaved he was. 

Here are some highlights of the trip:

Europe or Bust

I am finally done packing - and let me tell you that was the most stressful packing I have ever experienced. I remember the days when my carry-on was full of books, magazines, and snacks for me. Now it is full of diapers, pacifiers, wipes, and a change of clothes for the little guy. In fact, he has 2 separate carry-ons. One with items we will need on the plane, and the other with items that we couldn't live without if our luggage was lost (bottles, diapers, formula, etc). I managed to sneak my iPad and makeup into that one.

As I was about to carry the bag Davis and I were sharing downstairs, I noticed it seemed pretty heavy and decided to weigh it. I almost cried when after all of my hard work it weighed in at 58lbs. Grrrr! I guess Davis gets his own bag. He must have overpacked.

I am so excited to revisit Paris and to experience Spain and Morocco for the first time. I plan to eat everything in sight and drink lots of wine. My diet and fitness regimen will have to start when I get back (there is a Tom James meeting at the end of June when I will have to be in a bathing suit).

We are hoping the group will decide to make a sign-up sheet for who will babysit each night. I think we already have Tuesday set up!

Well, see ya on the flip side...I'm Europe bound!

Trans-Atlantic Baby

We leave for Europe in 1 week!  This trip will include, Paris, Costa del Mar Spain, Gibraltar, and Morocco.  Davis' passport came in (finally) and look how excited he is for the trip:

I, on the other hand, am very nervous about the flight.  Any tips for flying with a 10 week old???  I know about feeding him during take-off and landing, but no one has told me how to keep him quiet for 8+ hours.  I have a feeling I will be buying drinks for the people around us....thank goodness they are free on international flights. 

Is it time?

Last night, as I was putting Davis to sleep, we had our usual chat about what we did that day and what we would like to accomplish the next day (really this is just a moment for me to smell all of his post-bath sweetness while he's swaddled and can't fight me off). Here is what we decided we wanted to do today:

1. Sleep and eat (those are always the first things Davis mentions wanting to do)
2. Take a nap in his crib
3. Cook dinner for our friend who is coming over
4. Read a story
5. Go for a walk

Nothing major; no babies being saved here, but it's nice to have a goal for the day. One day, my only goal was to remove my nail polish and repaint my nails. Sounds pretty silly, but it took all day to accomplish, and when I was done I felt great.

#2 came about because Steve was complaining yesterday about how tired he was and asked me how many times Davis was up in the middle of the night. I assured him it was just the usual 3:00 and then 7:00 (which Steve wasn't even here for), but he felt like the little guy kept him up all night. I have zero frame of reference, so this may be normal, but Davis is the LOUDEST sleeper (with the exception of Steve's melodic snoring....yea, I sleep great). Between the grunts, squeals, and whimpers coming from my precious boy, I can see how it would disturb Steve's sleep. It has seemed to have gotten worse lately, but maybe I'm just waiting for the real thing so these false alarms don't bother me as much.

I have been saying that as soon as he is down to only waking up once a night (yes, we go back to sleep after he eats at 7:00, don't judge), that I will move him to his crib. This is entirely for selfish reasons...purely of the convenience nature...but now I'm wondering if I should go ahead and make the change now so my hubby can sleep more soundly. The idea of a nap in his crib is to see how he adjusts.

Currently he sleeps in a nap nanny inside of his playpen. This came to be during the neurotic first few nights home when I was INSISTENT that he would spit up in his sleep and choke on it, so we needed to keep him elevated. I tried to remove the nap nanny once, but it was during a week where he was particularly fussy (read: cried every single waking moment) and Steve quickly put it back feeling if it would pacify him, it was worth it...then I never tried to take it away again. I'm wondering if he will nap fine swaddled and laying flat or if he will need the nap nanny in his crib for a little while.

Last night, was a particularly terrible night sleeping. OK, I have to make a confession. I am writing this as though it is Wednesday, and it is....but it is 3:30am on Wednesday and I am up for the THIRD time with him since 10:00. Yawn! I'm not sure what has affected Davis so terribly tonight. Here are my guesses:

1. He does not like the idea of moving to his own room and is trying to convince me that he is not ready yet. Although he is highly advanced, I'm not sure his powers of premeditated manipulation are really that strong at this point.

2. Steve's more severe than usual snoring (which has woken me a few times tonight triggering my arm to reach over and shake him until he rolls over...purely subconsciously) is disturbing his sleep. This is a strong possibility.

3. His feeding is screwed up because he keeps waking up more frequently than normal and therefore not wanting to eat as much in one sitting. This in turn causes engorgement (yes, I'm having an incredible night...you can sign up in the comments section to trade places with me), and I read that babies can smell your milk and it will wake them up. This is also a strong possibility, and if the smelling my overflowing boobies is accurate, a very creepy and disturbing possibility.

If either 2 or 3 are the reasons for tonight, I guess the time has come for Davis to move out. Time to cut the cord mom.

Let me add a few more items to my list for tomorrow.

5. Move the glider back into Davis' room for middle of the night feedings.
6. Schedule a lot of reality TV for the DVR in his room so I can be entertained in the middle of the night.

Thanks for listening (reading) as I think out loud (type). I feel like I owe each of you $100/hour for the therapy....don't bother trying to collect, I won't pay.

Goodnight for a few hours...fingers crossed.

The New Plan

I know, I know.  I make a lot of plans...and then revise them.

Plan #1:  Don't have children and travel the world with my husband.
Revision to Plan #1:  Be a stay at home mommy (for the time being) and bring the little guy along on our worldly travels.  (We are headed to Paris, Costa del Mar Spain, Gibraltar, and Morocco in a month.)

Plan #2:  Only gain 25-30 lbs during my pregnancy, which is the healthy amount to gain.
Revision to Plan #2:  In the last month of pregnancy, blow up into a blimp.  I went from gaining one pound a week to about 4 pounds a week.  Ended up gaining 40 lbs total.

Plan #3:  Train for the Chicago half marathon on June 9 to lose my baby weight.
Revision to Plan #3:  Take things a little slower and train for a 5k and 10k here in Houston first, then run a half.

I am beginning to wonder why I even make plans.  Maybe I should just start with the revisions.

The latest revision (Plan #3) happened because I have been extremely lazy and have not even started training.  When I looked at a calendar and realized that June 9th is only 11 weeks out, I saw that plan slipping through my fingers.  Then, I talked to some runners and after telling them about my current exercise regimen (which doesn't exist), they advised me to take it a little slower.  Steve is going to train with me, so we will have to hold each other accountable.  FYI: I have 15 of the 40 lbs left, and I don't think nursing alone will get the job done.  

The next problem I have is what to do with the baby while I train.  I got a jogging stroller specifically for this but it isn't recommended to run with a baby until they are 6 months old.  The stroller is car seat compatible, so he should have plenty of neck support...I'll have to check with the pediatrician.

In the meantime, I am trying to shop for Paris and Spain because A) I don't fit in any of my clothes yet, and B) even if I did fit in them, I am bored with my wardrobe.  I just hate the idea of spending a bunch of money on a "fat girl" wardrobe.  Oh, baby mama problems.

For those of you who supported Kristi (not me, my friend who was on CBS This Morning for her Pinterest party) but didn't see her segment, here is the link: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7403678n&tag=strip  Aint no party like a Pinterest party, cause a Pinterest party don't stop!