Love this:

We need to teach our daughters the difference between
a man who FLATTERS her
and a man who COMPLIMENTS her.
a man who spends MONEY on her
and a man who INVESTS in her.
a man who views her as PROPERTY
and a man who views her PROPERLY.
a man who LUSTS after her
and a man who LOVES her.
a man who believes HE is GOD'S GIFT to women
and a man who remembers a WOMAN was GOD'S GIFT to man.
and then teach our sons to be that kind of man.

Not that I plan to let Claire date anytime before she turns 25, but once the time comes this will definitely help :)

Some nights you just gotta hold 'em.

Last night, my little angel fell asleep after nursing, cradled in my arms like a miniature heater. In our typical nightly ritual, Kevin came to take her upstairs to change her, wrap her and put her down but last night was different. Usually I am so ready for the break, either out of pure exhaustion or genuine selfishness of wanting one on one time with the hubs snuggling on the couch. But not last night. My heart was telling me to just hold her, just love on her for a few minutes longer so that I did. I studied her every eye lash and the movement of her eyelids as she drifted into dreamland. I watched her wrestle her lips around an air binky and finally give in to the fact that no binky was had. I listened to her come and go with every breath, rhythmic and steady. I breathed deep her intoxicating smell of sweet milk and baby lotion. I think I could have stayed there all night, wondering how long she's gonna let me hold her like this. Truth is, this stage will pass as quickly as the last 5 months have so I am just focusing on enjoying the present. She sure is a gift.

Airing my dirty laundry

Any time someone shows up on my porch to visit, I offer a simple disclaimer: sorry, my house is kinda messy. Yes, it's true. As much as I try to hide it, at any given time, I am usually up to my elbows in laundry, my sink is rarely void of dirty dishes and baby toys are strewn throughout our living room entire living space. There are currently 3 lightbulbs out in my entry way and hall way. Pretty sure the plants on my front porch have gone to plant heaven because remembering to water them is nearly impossible. Every time I walk down my stairs I can see the cobweb castle that's growing on my chandelier glistening in the sunlight. It drives my darling husband crazy when he goes to put something in the dryer and it's still stuffed full of clean (but now wrinkled) clothes. I have to explain that yes, honey, they are ready to be put away. What he really doesn't realize is how much of a feat it was to get them from the laundry basket to the washer AND the dryer in the first place! See. It is as bad as it seems. Pre-baby, keeping things in their place was a bit of a challenge but was manageable. Now, I don't know how other women do it! No wonder my mother wanted to banish us to the outdoors because as soon as she'd clean up one mess, we would have already made another. Let's not even think about what it will be like when Claire can actually make messes of her own. How do all the other mothers do it? I just dont have the heart to make Claire entertain herself all day while i clean here and there between feedings, naps and bath time. She deserves snuggles, loves, reading and interaction just as much as a clean towel after her bath. There has to be some kind of balance. I spend 3 days at work and the remaining 4 days of the week trying to clean the house while caring for the little miss. Never ending cycle. But still, I smile. There's a silver living under that pile of laundry. It's the fact that I know my daughter won't remember the messy kitchen or the unkempt couch pillows and snuggies. She will just remember the love and snuggles her mama had for her and that's all that really matters to me. So, when I seem a bit bashful about my messy house, just smile with me, try not to judge and realize that I am doing the best I can. I have learned that is all I can ask of myself.

My 1st Mother's Day!

Yesterday was one day to celebrate being Claire's mama for the rest of my life. I must say, it felt pretty good to be honored, pampered and catered to. I felt very blessed to be able to partake this year. Even though Claire can't do much to show her love, I know it's there. I feel it in her snuggles, her giggles and the peaceful reassurance she finds when she's in her mama's arms. I feel it when she sees me standing over her crib in the morning and her cry face breaks open into a huge grin. And yesterday, I also saw it in a rare form...she only spit up on me once all day! ONCE! I'll take it! All in all, it was a fabulous day filled with church, lunch on the McMenamins patio in the sun, a family barbecue at my parents (complete with sun and swimming kiddie-pool style), a family walk, homemade ice cream sandwiches and the overflow of love from my husband and daughter. This mama is truly blessed. Not sure how we'll top this Mother's Day, but I can't wait to try.

My little reader

A girl after her Grandma B's own heart, Claire already shows her love for books. If Kevin or I sit down to read our current books, we try to make an effort to read out loud to Claire, as it is supposed to help create a wide vocabulary, an interest in words/books and stimulate her imagination while she listens to our voices. Obviously, it's true - she listens intently when her papa reads to her, even if it's one of his scientific smarty-pants books. Every time I reach for one of those hard-back Dr. Suess books, her eyes grow wide as she pulls the pages close to her face to study all the colors and shapes. From what I can tell, my girl is definitely going to be a reader:

Grandma B thought this was her papa's kind of book

Photos from her trip to Barnes and Noble with Grandma B 5/10/12

This makes my heart happy!
Days spent at the local library, here we come!

Post-Baby Budget

April marks the first official month of our new budget with one full-time and one part-time income. My new part-time pay is not quite as much as we anticipated so we're going to have to learn to adjust our lifestyle a bit. Let's just say the trade-off with being able to spend more time at home raising our daughter is knowing that some luxuries are no longer at our fingertips. Date nights will be fewer and farther between (but of course that was expected with a new baby anyway) and eating dinner outside the home is pretty much not going to be an option. However, knowing that I am contributing even a little bit and carrying the benefits for my family reassures me that all the hard work and sacrifice is worth it. Now the hard work really begins - coming up with a new budget. I can feel my blood boiling already. I have a love-hate relationship with budgeting, especially now that Claire is here. There is just so much more to think about. We need to be mindful of the things we've added to the budget since having a baby like wipes, diapers and the occasional can of formula or clothes as she grows. Let's not even think of those co-pays and our part of the doctor visits not covered by insurance. Or what about the fact that we really need to be saving money, but what if we can't afford to put away much (if anything) into our savings? What about saving for Claire's future? Where do we cut corners to save? I am a firm believer that you must, must, must always pay yourself first and save that money! Why else are you working your life away than to save your money for a rainy day? How much is too much for weekly grocery budgets? How much do we need to budget for gas every week? Luckily, we are heading into summer and our utility bills will be getting smaller and smaller. However, how do we anticipate for the fall and winter months again? See! So much to think about!


I anticipate an adjustment period to get all payments in line with our budget and to adjust our spending to live within our new means. It will take time. We will get behind before we move forward. There may will be months that we don't save anything. And, it just might get a little tricky to make ends meet here and there. But, we've done it once, we got through it and we'll do it again. Ahh, the beauty of babies and the way they make life so wonderfully unpredictable.

Grow, baby, grow!

Claire had her four month well-baby appointment on the 23rd. I'm so thankful to report that I have a happy and healthy baby girl weighing in at 12 lbs 13 oz and stretching at 24 and 1/4 inches. That falls into the 30th and 50th percentiles respectively. Her head, although I don't recall the exact measurement, remains in the 75th percentile. Kevin still concludes that is just because she is housing a big brain :) She's a petite one, but her pediatrician assured me that she's growing right on track. She's starting to roll over, both from front to back and back to front, but it's quite a feat and I have yet to witness it. I'm taking her papa and her Grandma B's word for it. Miss Claire has also made significant progress in the realm of head control. Now, when sitting on our lap, she can hold her head steady and is working on sitting up on her own but she's not quite there. She can maneuver her little feet enough to skooch along the floor on her bad as well as turn herself around in her discovery center (exersaucer). It's very entertaining to watch her interact with all the toys she's discovering. Tummy time is still not her favorite past time but she will tolerate it for a few minutes here and there. A couple weeks ago, Claire discovered her feet and from that moment forward, it's her sole purpose in life to get those piggy toes in her mouth. Who needs teething rings when you've got feet to chomp on, right!?! She's not teething yet, but sure loves to chew. And drool - oh boy, does she drool! The newest and most entertaining trick up her sleeve is blowing raspberries. She purses her little lips together, concentrates and contorts her little face to make noises. She also recognizes her favorite toys and gets very excited when I pull them out, opening and closing her mouth while she flails her arms and feet around. It's too cute! This little one sure is growing and keeping us on our toes in the meantime.