Just because...

Give me that camera

hide and seek

Looking at photos

Home again, home again, jigity jig

Well, we are back from all of our travels and we are all standing...barely.

As I mentioned in the previous post, Minnesota was the first stop for us and what a stop it was. We (Grandma, Natalie, and I ) were supposed to leave on Sunday morning at 9:50 am....supposed to that is. Well, as with most mornings I was running a little late, not thinking much of it we high tailed it to the airport just knowing that we would have no trouble. The airport in our city isn't ever really busy - so it shouldn't be an issue getting our bags checked and through security. Well, best laid plans... My mom got to the airport before we did and called saying that it was REALLY busy, so I told her to just meet us at the sky cap on the upper level - there wasn't a line, so we could breeze right through. Again, best laid plans... Because the sky cap was a "Delta" sky cap and our tickets were booked on a Northwest plane (through the Delta website), he couldn't help us - thanks for wasting 10 minutes of our time to tell us that...

We raced inside to find lines the likes of which I'd never seen. We cruised over to the shortest line (1st class) and waited, and waited, and waited. By the time we made it to the counter and told the woman what flight we were trying to get on she responded (without looking up from her computer) "the 9:50? you can't be on that flight, I'll see if I can get you on something else." Great!

She was able to get us on the 1:30 flight, so we checked our bags and went home to wait. We made it back to the airport in plenty of time to get through security and get on the plane. The door to the plane closed and we pushed back, only to wait for a little over an hour on the runway...Lucky for us (and everyone on the plane) Natalie was so tired that she promptly fell asleep and slept through the one hour wait on the runway and the 2 and a half hour flight, waking up about 5 minutes before we landed (what a peach!)

By the time we got to Minnesota it was 6:30 and by the time we had a car and were leaving the airport it was 7:00. I had to make copies for work the next day and pick up food for Natalie and we needed dinner. So we found a Target, bought food for the week, found a Kinko's and requested the copies I needed, then made the short trip to the hotel to check in and eat at the hotel restaurant. The hotel was very nice and extra helpful while checking in with all our bags, even though the bell boy said "How many people are in your party?" when he saw our bags :)

I was ultra busy at work while there, leaving at 7:30 and not returning to the hotel until 8 or later each night. My mom was (as always) great! Never making me feel like she and Natalie shouldn't have come. When I returned from work, tired, stressed and needing bed, she knew that just that 20 minutes with Natalie and her was all I needed and it made the trip and all the work worth it. I said to her one night that someone had mentioned that it probably wasn't worth my mom and Natalie coming along, because when did I actually see them...my mom looked at me and said "Does that person have a good relationship with their mother? Do you know that even if I had to travel for days just to be able to spend 20 minutes with you I would?" I just smiled and gave her a hug - because I feel the same way about her. It makes me know that is the mom I hope to be for Natalie.

Thursday afternoon we packed up the car and made our way towards the airport, stopping for lunch along the way. We got to the airport and finally got to the gate. My mom and Natalie were flying home and about 20 minutes after they were supposed to leave Phil was going to get to Minnesota and then fly to London with me. So after a tearful goodbye to my mom and Natalie, the gate door shut and I waited for the plane to fly away and for Phil to arrive...well, I waited and waited and waited and the plane never left. There was a mechanical issue and they ended up waiting an hour and a half before taking off. Phil arrived and we watched the plane until it finally left. I continued to cry every 5 minutes until we got on our plane and left for London. I then gave myself one last cry in the bathroom and then told myself that we would have a good time and the days would fly by (which they did).

We got to London the next day (Friday), made our way to the hotel. I worked, Phil slept, then I slept for an hour and we decided to make the 20 minute (ha) trek to London. We finally got to London, made our way through the train station and then on to the underground. We went first to Piccadilly Circus and wandered all around, finding a cute "local" bar (which we stopped in for a quick beer...so delicious), then found China Town. We walked for about another hour before stopping in a local burger shop for dinner then made our way back to the underground stop, back to the train station and back to hotel.

Saturday we slept in a little then made it back to London, went to Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery and walked all over. Made our way back towards our Hotel, hitched a ride with a person from the train to a local pub enjoyed dinner, beer and wine. Then walked to our hotel. Slept in on Sunday had a crazy time getting to London, but finally made it and saw Big Ben, Parliament,Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, the Jubilee Bridge and made our way back to Trafalgar Square for lunch. Then back to the pub near our hotel for beer and relaxing.

Monday I worked so Phil went to London and visited the British Museum, the National History Museum and did more exploring. Tuesday I worked, then joined Phil for lunch at "our" pub, we took a nap after that and then went back to the pub for another beer (the beer is so good it is a shame not to drink this much).

Wednesday we were up at 5:00 to make it to the airport 3 hours ahead of our departure time, then flew to Detroit, then home. I had a pretty nasty cold, so flying was not my friend that day. We were so happy to be home and see Natalie and family!

First night - China town and burgers for dinner

Little church and cemetery near our hotel

Big Ben

Beer - Yum

Trafalgar Square

Westminster Abbey

Grounds at the hotel

London Eye & Thames River

Tower Bridge

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work I go

With my mom and baby in tow...

Tomorrow I start a week and a half of traveling for work. First stop Minnesota. My mom and Natalie will be joining me for this visit, which as I write this, I still have second thoughts about. I'm very happy that I have a baby who is easy to travel with and a mom who is willing to drop everything and babysit in a hotel room in a city she doesn't know. What will they do all day with no car and no knowledge of their surroundings? Play. Play in the room, in the lobby, at the neighboring hotel, on a bus to the Mall of America - there are options. Not great options in the cold, but options. Selfishly I think it would be nice to leave them home...

My mom will bring Natalie home on Thursday and the family will start their week of babysitting...because Phil is meeting me in Minnesota and we are heading to London for a week. I'm working and Phil decided to come along for the weekend. It is the first time I'll be away from Natalie for longer than a work day. It will be harder on me than her, I hope.

I'll report back with photos of both locations. My mom, Natalie and I are staying in a nice hotel in Minnesota. I've heard the beds are wonderful, so I hope Natalie will cooperate and we will both sleep like babies. Phil and I will be staying just outside of London and are looking forward to full days of sightseeing, eating and drinking. I'm thinking we will be even more tired upon our return than I am right now...although, I'm not sure that is humanly possible.

Dance Party

Natalie loves to dance. Any time she hears music she starts to bop around. My brother took a video of her rocking out to Paul Simon - you can find it on you tube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7YSTeJT89s

I also took a little video of her dancing to the music her piano plays

Enjoy the show

Grandma + Nanny = granny?

While we were searching for a nanny my mom stepped in and babysat. She is a trooper, getting up early every morning for a week to come and watch little Natalie. On top of that, she has taken Natalie outside to put the snow suit we bought to good use. They go on walks and play in the back yard. Natalie is in shear heaven - she loves my mom and gets super excited when she sees her.

Our new nanny started on Monday (yea!) . She is working part time this week, so that Natalie "eases" into it. Monday was a half day, then we are adding an extra hour every day so that Natalie gets comfortable with it. My mom has, again, been coming over to help out when the nanny leaves, and she hasn't even complained!

While I was completely stressed out over the holidays looking for nanny (and knowing that I wouldn't find one in time), my brother, the God Father (or Ga as Natalie calls him), reminded me that the reason you live by family is so that they can help at times like this. It is so true. I was nice knowing that my mom, dad, and he were willing to come and help out when needed.

Happy New Year (almost)

I've taken a bit of a holiday (pun intended) from blogging. But, then I received a text message from one of my (three) readers saying, "blog already" and it took me out of my holiday coma and prompted me to down load some photos and document the season.

So, I'll make this recap as quick as possible by using photos and bullet points:

- Our nanny is leaving, so we have spent our holiday break looking for a replacement

- We decorated the house for the holidays, it looks festive, but in actuality, I wasn't in the spirit until Christmas eve

- My wonderful friend, Ashley, was in town for the week leading up to Christmas. It was good to see and spend time with her and her family

- Natalie had three holiday dresses, so her celebration began the day before Christmas eve when she wore the first one. The best part - for all three, I only paid a total of about $35.

- We scaled back this year. We got old toys from my mother, which Natalie loves, and bought her a rocking horse which was a big hit! Everyone else got smaller gifts too...no need to spend money when we have so much to be grateful for already.

- I still have presents to hand out to friends I haven't seen

- We are excited to ring in the new year and are looking forward to the changes it will bring

Starting to open gifts

playing with the tupperware drawer on Christmas morning ~

this is the first time she actually climbed in

Christmas hat from Auntie Laura

Red holiday sweater

Tonight we are thinking about braving the cold temperatures to go to 3ve (a three-day new years eve celebration). God Father is playing with Rattle and Hum and because Natalie loves music, we think it is only right to let her ring in the New Year with dancing.

Happy New Year to you and yours. May 2010 bring good health and happiness to your life.

What a difference a year makes

This time last year I was holding a new born (well, a 4 week old) and trying to squeeze into a skirt to rush to Phil's holiday party. This time last year, I was leaving my baby for the second time in her life. This time last year, I was thinking being a mom was an easy gig. This time last year I was getting sleep, longing around in the mornings and spending my days running errands.

A lot has changed...

This year I was chasing my 13-month-old around the house, while slipping into my dress and trying to get to the party on time. This year, my big girl waved goodbye to me (one thing that didn't change - same baby sitter, G-ma and G-pa). This year, I am thinking being a mom is still pretty easy - but there are days... This year, I'm not getting as much sleep, I'm not lounging around in the mornings, and spend my days in an office.

A lot has changed...but I wouldn't trade it for anything

Choices

Because of my aforementioned weight loss and an impending holiday party that is hosted by hubby's work, I needed a new outfit. True to form, I couldn't decide in the store. So I bought three dresses, a shirt and a pair of snazzy heels. The shirt is out because after the fashion show I hosted, it was decided that it was "not holidayish" (if that is even a word). The shoes are more "work" wear, even though Phil said, "You would wear heels that high to work?"

So, back to the dresses. The last dress I bought, the cheapest one, was more "motherly" - if an off the shoulder short black could be "motherly", so it is going back. The decision now comes down to two...a form fitting (read-tight) black number

and a silver strapless stunner

I think I'm leaning towards the silver one - more holidayish, but I'm going to wait and make the decision tonight when I'm ready with shaved legs, washed hair and make up on. I'll update with a photo of the winner later.

Two things

First thing is that we are now the proud owners of a new heater and air conditioner...which is supposed to keep us comfortably warm all winter and cool all summer. For the money we paid, it better. I won't shock you with the total price tag, but if you want an idea, take what amount you are thinking it would cost and double it and you might be close. I almost fell off the couch when he told us the total price tag.

Second thing is so wonderful I barely have the words to explain, but because this is a blog, I'll try. You might be thinking, "Oh she found the cure for cancer" or "She must have solved the crisis in the middle east", but no...I have kicked those pregnancy pounds and then some to the curb. I don't know how it has happened, maybe a combo of lack of sleep, breastfeeding, and forgetting to eat? Any way, I'm just excited to report that while at the mall last night trying to find an outfit for a holiday party on Friday I tried and purchased dresses that are half the size I used to wear! It is very exciting and when I actually decide what dress I'll be wearing I'll take a picture for the blog.

12 months have come and gone...

This is a long overdue post…but better late than never.

A few weeks ago we went to the doctor for Natalie’s 12-month check up. We found out that she is healthy and growing (but not too fast). She is still a string bean, a touch over 29 inches (40 something% on the growth chart) and 17 pounds 12 ounces (4% on the chart). For those tracking her growth, she has grown two inches since her last appointment (9 month), but has only gained a little more than a pound…which means we are now free to pump her full of calories. The doctor instructed us to put butter on everything and put cream in her whole milk, seriously.

Basically the doctor said that because Natalie isn’t totally interested in eating (she just wants to walk all over and see what she shouldn’t touch) that we should try and make each bite as highly caloric as possible. So add the fat we have. The only problem is the extra fat hasn’t sparked Natalie to eat it all up. I’m not worried any more, I’ve thought it over and she is very happy and healthy (I mean, hello, she hasn’t ever been sick – knock on wood). We will keep offering and if she won’t accept we will just keep offering.

The other instruction given to us by the doctor was concerning sleep and eating at night. Because Natalie normally nurses to sleep, the doctor said this means she doesn’t know how to fall asleep on her own so we need to “teach” (train) her how to do this, which she suggested we do by letting her cry-it-out. (I feel bad just typing those words…) She said that if Natalie knew how to put herself to sleep that if she woke up in the middle of the night she would just put herself back to sleep without us. So, we figured that 1. Natalie already falls asleep on her own for naps, so doing it at bedtime wouldn’t be that hard and 2. If she cried, it wouldn’t be that bad…well we were wrong, on both accounts.

When Natalie was born we decided that we didn’t want to be the cry it out parents unless we had to, we figured (at the suggestion of my mother) that comforting her and going to her when she cried would help to build a happy, healthy and secure child (I mean it worked for me). So far, we have been on this path – and other than a few nights of almost crying it out, we hadn’t done it. So the Tuesday before Thanksgiving we decided to see if Phil could put Natalie down without letting her cry. It didn’t work, it was horrible, she cried and cried and so we decided that we would change the bedtime routine a little, but stick with me nursing her to sleep.

Our new bedtime routine involves Phil giving Natalie her bath and getting her totally ready for sleep without me. Then, he passes her to me, kisses her goodnight; I feed her and put her down. Because the doctor suggested that we stop letting Natalie eat at night, we also decided that if she woke up in the night that Phil would be the one to get up with her and see if he can put her down. If he couldn’t then we would cave and I would feed her and she would either sleep with us or go back in her crib for the rest of the night. So far, this is working. She has been waking up more than normal lately, but not needing to eat.

The other part of this story involves weaning. It was always my plan to nurse Natalie until she was 1 and then wean her over the holidays (and by wean I mean, let her wean naturally with a gently little nudge). Well, the whole feeding to bed might extend the nursing for a while, who knows. I’m along for the ride and hope that it isn’t a ride that goes on longer than expected. I’m hoping that my mom is right when she says that it will just happen and it will be quicker than expected and not to really worry about it. Easier said than done, but I guess she has been here and done this before (three times).

So, there, that is my update on Natalie. Now that I have all that updating done I’ll be able to update you on the new outfits Natalie has, our holiday plans (which might involve a trip to somewhere sunny), painting projects, holiday decorating, and anything extra that is going on in our lives. For now, I'll leave you with the below. We are teaching Natalie Bulgarian, in this video she is being asked "where are your shoes"...she is brilliant