Bundle up Bash!

Ok... once again I realize this is an infomercial for Crowdtap, but seriously it is such an amazing website!  My latest sample and share that I was given was for Old Navy, titled "Bundle up Bash".  This particular one has been the best I have ever been given-I was able to invite three friends and each one of us could get a sweater, pants and a winter accessory.

We all showed up at our local Old Navy and immediately started going through the store picking out different items.  Interestingly enough, three out of the four of us stuck with our very first selections.

When I saw this shirt I just knew it would fit well and flattering.  You can't tell in the picture but it is slightly sheer and has just a hint of gold sparkle.  I love how it looks just a plain black shirt and it has just a bit of sass.  I picked out black skinny jeans and while I love the way they fit, honestly the material must have aspirations to be a dog because if I just walk anywhere near my dog, my jeans are covered in dog hair.  At least they look cute (without the dog hair!).

Manda wanted to pick out something that would be great for her casual Fridays at work.  She picked a really cute (and comfortable) cable knit sweater.  She also picked up the same jeans that I selected when I did the women's jeans sample and share. 

Rachel also wanted something that she could wear on casual Fridays.  Rachel is a lawyer in an office downtown so she needed something just a bit more on the business side than casual.  She picked a cardigan that can be dressed up or down and a pair of bootcut cords in brown.

Chelsea was the only one who did not like her first selections once she tried them on.  Her first choice the pants just didn't fit properly and the sweater was an awkward length.

Her second choices were perfect though.  The sweater fit perfectly and the pants were exactly what she needs.  Chelsea has a one year old so the color of the sweater will be perfect whenever her daughter decides to get food all over her.

After we picked out our outfits we walked around and looked for our winter accesories.  We all decided on scarfs but we couldn't turn down a photo op showing us "bundled up".

When we were checking out our awesome customer service rep Adam couldn't believe how great of a deal we had.  He wasn't familiar with Crowdtap (it turns out not one employee had heard of it) so I was excited to share the gospel. 

Since my sample and share I think I have worn my outfit at least twice and I have seen each of these girls wearing their choices.  It was such a fun time and I am looking forward to the next one!

Another year of Baby!

January

 

February

March

April

May

 June

July

August

September

October

November 

December

Happy Blogiversary!

One year ago today I started this blog.  I had visions of writing frequent updates so that I could go back and look that the events and times that passed, I wanted to have the details of our everyday life written down so that those small details would not be forgotten.  I wasn't quite horrible at it, I have had 25 entries in the past year-just a little over 2 a month on average.  In the grand picture-that isn't anything and just as I remiss how I have let time slip by me so quickly, I regret not having taken a few moments more often to write something, no matter how little or insignificant my words might have been.

I wish I had thought to document the moment Baby saw snow for the first time, immediately recognizing it as something special (and in Texas the amount of snow we received that day was VERY special).

Even though I was exhausted from staying up all night with Boyfriend putting together Baby's kitchen, I regret not just writing a few words down about how excited she was.  She immediately knew what to do and started microwaving her breakfast, just like her mother does. 

There have been so many firsts this past year, like the time she wore pig tails for the first time at my company's family function. I know we think she is the cutest, but that day we were told by a more than usual amount of people how adorable she is. 

Another first was when she played with another kid-not just played beside them, but actually played and interacted with.  Her playmate was so gentle and made her laugh non stop.  It was so much fun watching her go from being timid and shy to eventually leading him around everywhere.

 I also learned where the saying, "like a kid in the candy store" comes from.  Watching Baby run around this candy store in Galveston was such a great moment-honestly Baby doesn't even know what candy is but somehow she knew that it was a magical treat.

 Baby also was with us when we took our first non-rev flight and as always, she made me so proud.  She just hung out in her seat and read the safety cards the entire flight. As a side note, notice how she can still fit in her infant carseat.  I have a tiny child.

I know regret and how fast time goes by is a common theme for my blog but I just can't help but try to find that delicate balance of holding on to the moments as they slip by and looking back at all the sweet moments I have experienced with her.  In this next upcoming year, I am going to make a bigger effort to take a few moments and make sure I have put down in words exactly how beautiful life has been with her.

All Done

I've started this post so many times and just as many I have erased everything to start over again, only to restart the cycle. I don't know why it is so hard for me to put the occasion into words, I don't know why I can't articulate our newest milestone. So I'll guess I'll just throw it out there and see where I go from there.

After 16 months and 27 days, Baby self weaned herself from breastfeeding. I knew it was coming for awhile, around 14 months she went from nursing one or two times a day every day to once a day and then it became every other day. She stopped asking to nurse almost entirely and for the most part I stopped offering. I could tell it wasn't a nursing strike and felt it would have been very unnatural to ask her to nurse more than she requested on her own.

My nursing story is full of pain, crying (lots of crying), anger, frustration and resentment. Nothing could have ever prepared me for breastfeeding and not only the physical toll but the emotional one. I never even came close to understanding just how hard it is to breastfeed. I'm stubborn though and refused to give up. I've always had a hate relationship with my breasts and I wanted them to fulfill their purpose. So yes, the first six or seven months (and yes, I mean months not weeks) I breastfed through the pain, I took various supplements and prescription medicines to "fix" the problems, I took on a second full time job researching how to make breastfeeding work for me.

And then around seven months things just got better. Breastfeeding still hurt, but it was manageable. I figured out Baby had an upper tongue tie (oh how I wish I had known that from the start) and what adjustments needed to be made to make it hurt less. She embraced solids and wasn't nursing for 100% nutrition (though I do believe under one, just for fun when it comes to solids). In summary, I was able to just be a breastfeeding momma vs a woman who breastfeeds. I even began to enjoy and savor our nursing sessions (which by this point were only last five minutes tops).

I am so thankful that I breastfed my daughter. I found a passion I didn't realize I had. After all the misinformation that I was given, from family to friends and most importantly doctors I have become outspoken and very opinionated about breastfeeding and other women's issues. I feel like I have to throw out this disclaimer that I do not think I am superior or any other reputation that a lot of "lactivists" get. There are many women out there who judge parents that formula feed their children but I am far from one of those. It literally took hours of reading every day, communication with people from online communities, and an extreme amount of family support for me to keep nursing. I have never experienced the level of pain that I had from nursing (and that is saying a lot, as I had a drug free birth). I have never felt the emotional ranges of stress to anxiety to anger than while nursing. So I understand why women will make that choice not to nurse.

But I did, and I am proud of myself. Not only did I grow my child for the first nine months, but she sustained life for the first six months exclusively because of me. That to me, is an extremely powerful thought. I made many sacrifices for giving her the best food possible. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but for me, it was never a choice. I have always known that my child(ren) would be breastfed. So yes, I am very proud of myself.

When I realized that Baby was weaning, I made myself memorize every single nursing session. I took in the way I cradled her, the way she would play with my teeth. I would breathe in her baby smell, sometimes she smelled sweet, sometimes she was a stinky/sweaty mix. I would memorize the weight in my arms and how she would look up and smile at me while nursing. I can still hear her say, "Ahhhh!" when she was done. The last time she nursed, at 16 months and 27 days was during a bath. She nursed for only a moment and then kissed my breast and did the "all done" sign. My sweet, silly, loving baby girl really is all done.

Old Navy!

Another Crowdtap post...so if you aren't interested please skim on by-but you should stick around because Crowdtap is awesome!

I was given another opportunity for a product review, this time for Old Navy!  I was allowed to take myself and one friend (which of course the BFF came!) to pick out a pair of women’s jeans.  A disclaimer-back in the day (high school) I shopped at Old Navy frequently.  My sonic car hop money didn’t allow for splurges often, but Old Navy was great for basic tops and flip flops.  I stopped shopping there pretty much all together though after because their jeans just did not ever fit me correctly and my flip flops were constantly breaking.  Even at $2.50 a pair it didn’t hurt financially when they broke but while you are walking around Six Flags with a broken flip flop, well I just wasn’t interested any more.

Then I had Baby.  Everyone knows that infants grow at lightning speed and while Nana can spend the big bucks buying Baby designer clothing that she will wear maybe twice, my frugal side just can’t justify it (no matter how cute the Juicy Couture  jumper is!).  So I started frequenting Old Navy for the baby and children items, and found that not only do they have great (inexpensive!) children’s clothing, but I found the Woman’s section calling my name as well.  I purchased several tops that were flattering on my post baby belly (and easy nursing access) and even found that their flip flops were seemingly redesigned to be stronger and have had two pairs that have not broken yet, despite frequent wearing. 

There was one item that I never even considered, even with my new found adoration for Old Navy which is their jeans.  When I saw Crowdtap offering an opportunity featuring jeans I immediately jumped on it and crossed my fingers I would be able to participate in this sample.  When I was selected,  I immediately texted my BFF telling her she would be joining me and started looking at different styles online.  There are three types of shopping that I HATE to do-bathing suits (but what woman doesn’t?), bras and jeans.  I have an odd shaped body and find that most retailers just don’t make jeans that fit my shape, which is round belly/no hips or butt/thick thighs/and short.  I was hopeful I would find something that I would love but would have been content with something that fit, kinda.

The BFF, Baby and I all headed over to the new Old Navy across from North Park mall.  I was pretty disappointed that they didn’t have the shopping carts that all the other locations have because I didn’t bring the stroller for Baby to hang out in while I was shopping.  Since she was running around like a mad woman trying to pull things down everywhere, we decided to grab two pairs each and headed to the fitting room. 

I actually really liked the first pair I tried on, which was the The Rock Star  in dark wash.  The only problem was that they were way too long, even with them being petite.  I’m lazy and don’t want to go and get my new jeans hemmed, especially when they are already petite!  So these were a no go.

The BFF tried a pair on Skinny Mini-Flare in rinse.  She and I both agreed that the cut and style of the jeans were flattering all around, but the wash of the jeans made them look like men’s work pants, not stylish women’s jeans.  Which was a bummer because they looked really cute on her!

I then tried on The Flirt in Ruby and loved them!  With my new job, I am allowed to dress casual every day but I feel like these were a little more professional looking than a lot of my jeans.  They were still too long (I am wearing BFF’s 5 inch wedges in the picture) which is frustrating because if I am going to buy petites, I shouldn’t have to wear 5 inch heels in order for them to fit but I digress.  I am really pleased with them though and know they will be in my regular work rotation.

The BFF tried on her last pair but they didn’t fit properly, but after selecting a different (smaller!) size,  she was really happy.  She purchased Slim Flare in rinse.  She is also wearing a shirts she decided to pick up while there, I almost bought the same one for 60’s day at work, but I ended up getting a Beatles shirt which was a hit at the office.

I’m bummed I didn’t get a better picture of all of her new threads, but I was too busy running after baby who was busy making new friends.  With the mannequins.

I am so appreciative that I was able to take part in this sample share.  I think had it not been for this, I would have never considered Old Navy for jeans but now when I am forced to buy more Old Navy will be one of my first stops.  Even if it is just for Baby to hang out with her new BFF. 

Amazingly Perfect

When trying to think of words to describe her that would pinpoint exactly how amazingly perfect she was, I couldn't come up with any others because those two words, while overused often, are exactly what she was. 

One year ago, my sweet friend and her husband lost their one year old daughter.  Her death affected and changed me forever.  I can say without hesitation that I think of her every single day.  While not my own personal loss, knowing that the universe took away such as special being hurts my heart and soul so deeply.

When I learned of her death, I was out of town without Baby and I just ached to hold her in my arms, to smell her sweet skin.  When I did finally arrive home and hugged her tighter than I ever had before I felt guilty that she was there and my friend was never going to be able to hold her daughter.  It just wasn't/isn't fair.

I have lived my life differently since her death.  It is the little things I've noticed.  When I have a car near me weaving in and out of traffic and speeding, instead of annoyance (or possibly slowing down a bit in a touch of road rage) I get out of their way.  I think about my friend's family driving to the hospital and how fast they might have been going to reach their destination- I don't know the erratic car's story and if it was a similar situation I only would want them to arrive to their family members faster.

I've always been big on making sure that the last words said when parting with my loved ones are, "I love you" but I spend just a few more moments before taking their touch in.  In the mornings when I leave I kiss each of Baby's cheeks, I stroke her hair, as much as I try not to, if I wake her it is ok because I've learned you can never take the moments together for granted.

I tend to believe that things happen for a reason, I can even justify and understand my own father's early death.  I can not and will not ever understand why this happened.  My friend while small, radiates love and joy, her husband a literal gentle giant.  There isn't one person who deserves to lose their child but loss like that shouldn't happen to such genuinely good people.

My heart is sad and broken, more so with remembrance of an anniversary.  I can't stop thinking of my friends and just hope that they, along with their son and the rest of the family have as much peace possible remembering their amazingly perfect daughter.

Dallas Children's Museum vs Fort Worth Children's Museum

Several weeks ago, the BFF and I took Baby to the Dallas Children's Museum.  It was a spur of the moment trip-it was too hot to swim (when I was younger I never understood that but I definitely do now) and I can only go to the mall so many times.

The first part of the Dallas location is interesting, Boyfriend and I had been semi recently and really enjoyed it.  It was pretty boring for baby but the BFF and I did learn that you swallow a litre of mucous every day.  Tasty.

We finally made it down to the children's part though and Baby loved it.  The first section we went to was the soft play area for children two and under.  She loved crawling around and climbing the toys.  This is also where her series of what we call cheesin face started.  When you ask her to smile, if she obliges, it is with a face similar to this:

All I know is that that is a Daddy trait, not from me.  For reference, here is a picture of her father and I at a wedding recently:

Anyway, after we let her play there we went and explored the rest of the Children's Museum. It really was a blast, she pretended to drive a fire truck, rode a John Deere tricycle, got herself soaked at the water table (and even managed to get a few drinks in, gross!), even the BFF got involved and played dress up.

We had so much fun and Baby promptly crashed as soon as we got home and took an epic nap.  It was a great day. 

Since we had so much fun, the next weekend Boyfriend had a very rare Sunday off.  We decided to take advantage and go try out the Fort Worth Children's Museum.  According to reviews it was better than the Dallas one so I was very excited to go since we enjoyed the Dallas one so much.

Before the museum, we went to Brownstone and for those who are Top Chef obsessed like we are, Casey Thompson is the Executive Chef there.  We have heard very good things about the restaurant and were very excited to try it out.  It did not let us down one bit! 

Boyfriend and I started out with the chicken pot pies (good to know-if you check in with the Yelp app, you get 50% off an appetizer) and even though I do not like pot pie, these little hand pies were delicious.  I am going to try and recreate them but if they are anything like any other cooking I attempt they will be better used for Boyfriend to practice his softball swings. 

He had the fried chicken and grits and I had the banana bread french toast, everything was so good.  Baby really enjoyed it all too.  As we were leaving, our waiter told us that Baby was the absolute best baby they had ever had dining with them.  I don't know if he tells all his guests that but it made me feel proud!

When we first arrived at the museum it was just opening and the line was already really long so I was afraid it was going to be really crowded but luckily it wasn't at all.  The first section of this museum was awesome and all three of us enjoyed it a lot.  There were all sorts of interactive features and I could see spending hours there when Baby gets a bit older.  For the most part it was more interesting to me and Boyfriend.  Baby did however love the wind machines:

Then we saw a short 3D movie about natural gas in our area and how our area used to be under the ocean.  It was really interesting and Baby actually enjoyed it.  I was a bit nervous going in since it was one of those movies where the seats move and since it is 3D I was worried she might be scared but she laughed when the seats would move and vibrate and kept her glasses on the whole time.  She actually asked for more when it was over and tried to touch the items coming off the screen.

By this point we were getting excited because we hadn't even gotten to the children's part and figured since we were so impressed with the rest it would be awesome.  We finally arrived at the children's portion and a collective "whomp whomp" came from Boyfriend and I.  It was so small and while it was fun, it just wasn't half as good as the Dallas one.  Of course Baby had fun, but they had maybe half the space and it just felt really crammed.  She did get to drive an ambulance this time, after fighting for the seat with a little boy.

There was also a water table, but it was outside and we really couldn't enjoy it because it was so hot.  Also, this table was a bit higher so Baby couldn't play with the toys in it like she could at the other museum. 

All in all, we had a blast but more in the rest of the museum vs just the children's museum.  If she were older I would say hands down the Fort Worth one is better, but for the next year or two I think we will continue to patronize the Dallas one.  I also read that the Dallas location will actually be opening a newer one soon so I imagine it will be even better!

As much as I miss Baby being an infant and lament about how fast the time went, this part of being a mother is really fun.  I love experiencing these new things with her and watching her brain grow and flourish.  I think Boyfriend and I are going to purchase memberships to the Dallas Children's Museum, not only is it fun but a great way to spend the day when it is too hot (or rainy).

Swim Lessons!

Awhile ago, Boyfriend and I joined Lifetime Fitness.  Even though this gym is definitely one of the more pricey gyms it does offer a ton of amenities and most importantly child care that has very open hours.  Unfortunately I am lazy Baby hates the child care center so I don't get to work out often but we do utilize the pool often.  Baby just loves swimming and I know by next summer she will be able to swim on her own. 

I taught swim lessons for years (in fact that is the very reason Boyfriend and I started dating) but it has been several years since I taught and thought taking some classes would be good.  Not just for Baby, but for me to meet some other parents as well.  As predicted, Baby loved them and enjoyed watching the other kids around her.

She did get a little possessive with one of the toys and another mom asked me if she was in school.  When I told her no, she kinda shook her head like "Oh that explains why your daughter won't share" but other than that the other parents were really nice.  Baby was the youngest of the group, the next youngest is 20 months and it was so fun to see how much he could do from being in classes for a couple of months.



I know that it isn't necessary for us to take classes since she isn't cognizantly developed enough to actually know how to swim but it still a great experience for the both of us.  The teacher was impressed by her bubble blowing skills and that she has no fear of the water at all and enjoys going under the water.  I'm excited to see how she progresses, who knows maybe she will be the next female Michael Phelps.

Splish Splash

Boyfriend has been working this awful schedule where he goes in at 2:30 and doesn't get off til 11:00 when supposedly both Baby and I are in bed (in reality though that often isn't the case).  He also works on the weekends so for the most part I get to see him Saturday and Sunday from when we wake up until 1:30 when he leaves for work.  I really miss him and feel lonely a lot at nights but for right now, we can't change anything and we are just appreciative that we both have a job.

During those few hours on the weekend, we try to jam as much family time as possible.  Baby just is obviously happier when all three of us together, it is quite cute actually.  She just looks from Boyfriend to me, and back and then will give us each kisses.  This morning we decided to take her to the Ridgewood Splash Park.  It is basically just a big area that has a ton of water features and sprinklers.  Baby is very much a water baby so we had a feeling she would enjoy it but I had no idea she would love it as much as she did.

Baby was grouchy getting out of the car, she has been pretty clingy when Boyfriend is around and always wants him to hold her.  Usually when we take her to the park, she refuses to be held and just runs off.  Well we put her down, but she was crying for him to pick her up.  As soon as he did though, she saw the splash park and just said, "ooooh" and smiled the whole way we were walking there.

We put on her bathing suit and walked over to the splash part (it also has a normal park) and she just started running through the water fountains.  There was one feature that had three rings that squirt water through the middle and after watching one person go through them she knew exactly what to do and wouldn't stop running back and forth through them.

Each time she would run through them, she would hold her arms up like she was running a marathon and going through the finish line.  She spent most of her time going through these circles and even would wait her turn when other people were going.



I don't know why we waited this long to take her there.  We saw this park years ago when we lived on that side of Dallas and always wanted to take our dog (which sadly isn't allowed), I guess we just forgot about it.  I remembered this morning and I'm so glad because it is going to be a common field trip that we take.  There are some great trees that I could bring a chair and sit under while she runs around like a mad woman.


She really liked this one fountain because it was really small until you stood on it, and then it would shoot up really high after you removed your foot. Well, she really enjoyed it until it shot up her nose and she started grabbing her head-I'm assuming the chlorine got in her sinuses and I know how bad that hurts. As a note, I really love how sassy Boyfriend looks in this picture.

After awhile she started to slow down and just start walking around from fountain to fountain.  I could tell she was getting tired (and I was getting really hot) so we told her we were going to go bye bye.  She was really sad.  Really, really sad.

After the splash park we decided to make it a super summer fun day and go to the Yumi-licious near the park.  We are partial to Yogurtland since it is the closest to us (and they are the cheapest!) but Yumi-licious has avocado yogurt and since I'm kinda obsessed with avocados, how could that be a bad thing?  Sadly I was disappointed, it was tasty but not as good as I had hoped.  Also, they were a lot more pricey than many of the other yogurt places so we probably won't make the return trip to that location. 

Even though it was only a few hours, I love our Sunday mornings together.  I hate when Boyfriend has to leave and I know Baby misses him too.  But for a few hours, we get to spend some quality time and just enjoy being with each other as a family.