Party Girl

I swear this was the weekend for the drive-in! On facebook a friend in South Salt Lake and one in California were at the drive-in on Saturday night. I suppose all the cool people got the memo, LOL!

CC suggested we go so we did. I still have hours, and hours, and hours to finish before December 15^th but I also have a family with needs. I decided if we went to the drive-in I could sleep in and volunteer after. Well, let’s just say, I slept in, and then I never even put pants on. We all (including  B) lounged around the house ALL day! We call Brek a party girl when she doesn’t get ready for the day.

The latest things she has been doing…

*She was having separation issues for a few weeks but it seems to be over now! Hooray!

*She ‘army’ crawls all over the house!

*She says ba-by and waves-Adorable!

*She is officially a chatter box (has been for sometime)

*Still in 3-6 and 6-9 month clothes.

*She has BLONDE hair so she appears bald.

*Breast feeding is starting to come to an end. I have accepted it (a little). I still try but we did start supplementing one meal a day. I use to pump 15-20 oz a day, now we are lucky if I come home with 5 oz in a day. Plus, we have started the wrestling match that is ever so present at this age. Sometimes I just want to give up—but I don’t! My work schedule is starting to pick up and I will have to visit schools at 7 AM in SLC so that means I won’t have as much time in the AM to nurse or pump. What to do…I suppose she is almost 10 months and it would be ok if I stopped but I am going to keep trying until there is no hope.

I finish school in 16 weeks! (Hopefully, FOREVER!!!!) We are surviving my schedule but let’s see how the next 16 weeks go. I am very excited about what 2013 will bring for our family. Wishing time away is not healthy and I know it but I need to survive this year so I can start on my Year of Reconnection! I am hopeful that 2013 will allow us time to reconnect as husband and wife, mother and father, mother and daughter, plus our families, friends, health, and traveling!

Loves and hugs-Here’s to surviving one more semester!

Erin

Rejection

I love me some KLOVE in the morning! The other day I was listening and the morning show host was telling a story about rejecting the rejection. Sometimes people will reject us for no reason, do we accept it or do we reject it. I desperately want to be the person to reject it. However, that is easier said than done. Ugh.   

This week CC received a rejection letter from a potential employer and it hurt bad, real bad. What are you supposed to do when your livelihood depends on this one scenario? How do you recover? How do you deal with rejection every day, multiple times a day?

Of course the Christian in me says, pray. God is in control. So I pray, and then I get frustrated and try to take control. As I am writing this my favorite hymn “How Great Thou Art” is playing in the background. It is a divine intervention showing me that He is with me. But it is hard, real hard.

Then I wonder….when we look back on our life what lessons we are learning from our situation will they seem so overwhelming when we are five years removed? Or, will we get completely lost in our situation and never recover. Are we supposed to be finding new dreams? Are our dreams not the plan for us?

Loves and hugs—My year’s theme is not being well executed this year!

Erin

Oh No!

Brek has decided to push herself into a sitting position. Last night she was having a rough night and started crying. When we went to get her up she was sitting up in her crib. We have been waiting and waiting for her to advance and now that it has happened it made me realize that this is just the beginning. Oh no!

The other night we had chicken stir fry for dinner we gave Brek some on her tray and she gobbled it up. Which is great because I am having issues again with my milk. I fear that we are going to have to supplement in the not so distant future. We currently have 10 oz in the fridge and 15 in the freezer. Clearly that is not enough to get us very far. Now that we know she loves stir fry we are going to try to add a 'lunch' meal in the day so she will be satisfied a little longer. The great news is when I nurse her she seems satisfied and I haven't had much trouble.Hopefully, I can keep feeding her well into the winter.

Loves and hugs--She is growing up so fast!
Erin

Breky B

I frequently visit all of your blogs and I think they haven’t updated in a while. Then I look at my last entry and think, how about you Erin, you need to update yours too! You all know when I haven’t updated it is ALL over the place so stick with me.

First things first, Brek girl is ADORABLE! She is so animated and pulls the most hilarious faces. Everyone is drawn to her because her personality is amazing. Even when she hasn’t napped all day she still smiles and hides it well. It looks like sweet little B is going to be outgoing. (Where or where would she get that from…not us!) 

My very crunchy friend Rikki introduced us to Baby Lead Weaning and Brek has been eating solids for a few months (She is 8 months already!) We are very lazy about giving her food but when we do it is usually a vegetable, some fruit, and her very favorite, Cheerios.  There have been many emails and texts to Rikki keeping me focused and encouraged about breastfeeding. I now know why mothers do not make it very long. IT IS HARD! I barely pump enough to survive but by the Grace of God I make enough to feed her. Not that I want to wish time away, it goes so fast already but we are talking less than four months of pumping, I got this!

A few of Brek’s milestones so far:

-Has her two bottom teeth. (I wonder if she is always going to be an overachiever, couldn’t she just do it one at a time?)

-She rolls and rolls and rolls but hasn’t shown much interest in crawling yet.

-Started swimming lessons last week, today is her last day.

-To date has not had one jar of baby food! HOORAY!

- Desperately wants to be friends with Chica, now that she drops food Chica is warming up to her.

-Has had her first manicure/pedicure (Look again, did you notice her nails are done?)

-This morning she waved goodbye to me! ADORABLE!

-She still wears 3-6 month clothes.

-She has her dad wrapped around her little finger...and if  I must be honest, her mom too.

That girl is awesome and amazes me every day! She fits perfectly in our family! I want what is best for her and will make sure I will always be the best I can so she never has to feel hurt or rejection.  

Loves and hugs-In 20 weeks I will be finished with school…forever? I hope!

Erin

Busy Busy Busy

One of my favorite people on Earth posted an article she read about people always talking about how busy they are…well, it is annoying…and then I looked in the mirror and said, you are annoying! Because I AM GUILITY …so guilty.  (here you go if you want the full guilt trip-http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/?smid=tw-s) 

Then, there is another one of my favorite people on Earth, she is the Emergency Service Director at the Red Cross (this nonprofit has a very special place in my heart), that has been basically working 24/7 because Utah is on fire, literally, on fire. I would bet that if you asked her “how she is,” she never once would say she was ‘busy’. 

This article really put a few things in perspective for me. Yes, we are all busy but what are we trying to get? Sympathy? Respect? Honor? Just be aware of how off putting a simple statement could be.  I do.

My blogging has been few and far between so you get the benefit of two posts in one!

I had a realization the other day. I am stagnate, complacent, just plain surviving. I NEED AN ‘EAT LOVE PRAY Moment’ to change my life. I am not sure what it will be but I am figuring it out! I have a friend that has done something I could never do in a million years…she sold her car. She is using only bikes and public transportation to get everywhere. She has only been doing for a couple of weeks and she blogs about it…That to me is an “Eat Love Pray Moment”  it has to be something BIG,  a little scary and something that challenges you to the core.

I hope I can figure out my moment. December…is when things will change...I hope…and I can have time to figure out my moment.

Loves and hugs—have you ever thought about your “Eat Love Pray Moment?”

Erin

Dreams...

I do not believe in Voodoo…but the other night I had a dream that I was in Louisiana and someone told me I had 1.5 years to live. Guess what the first thing that came out of my mouth? Oh my goodness, I need to quit school! I am burnt out and need a break! I have the rest of this semester and fall semester…and I am finished…that is…if I finish all of my hours! I have been busting out hours like crazy. I need to get about 28 hours a week for the next three weeks to be on schedule. (Piece of cake right?) I am envious of my classmates because they do not work and if they do it is part-time.  I on the other hand work full-time and exclusively breastfeed my daughter. (Which, if you haven’t ever breastfed before is a full-time job in itself). 

Have you ever heard of the seven deadly sins? Well, I am guilty of them all at this exact moment! Lust, after my daughter and husband…they are so close but yet so far away. Gluttony…look at my schedule—I bring it on myself. Greed, I think as Americans we are all greedy. Sloth, I am lazy when I have one minute to myself. Wrath, all I can say about that is Poor Cory. Envy, this is probably the deadliest of them all for me I am envious of everyone. This is not a healthy place for me to be so to spare you a raging pity party for me I will avoid it. Pride, again another one of the deadliest for me. 

Obviously I am on extreme overload, hence the lack of posts.

Loves and hugs-Next time I plan to be much more positive and less stressed.

Erin

Boring

I have nothing much to say...I am almost lost without 100 things to do this week! :)

I had an actual weekend and I am pleased to say we went to the nursery and purchased items for our garden. It is still a little early to plant but as soon as the weather breaks I am ready with plants.

B is progressing nicely. She is still a tiny little thing rolling all around. She spends her day playing with her friends, raffi (stuffed giraffe, cow, and rings) then she goes down stairs and begins her studies. She does baby mozart (which she LOVES), signing time, and your baby can read.

This weekend she started fussing at bed time...which is new for us. That was fun...but tonight she went down without a fight. I hope she was just having a hard couple of days.

Loves and hugs--I am enjoying this boring week after last week. OMG!
Erin