Christmas cheer

It's only a few weeks til Christmas, and I am so excited!! Although Elise will only be 4 months old, I'm anticipating making our own holiday traditions with our family.
On the list:

Done....
- family Christmas card
- dress the cats in Christmas sweaters
- decorate a Christmas tree
- Christmas lights outside
- buy & wrap presents
- watch as many seasonal movies as possible

To Do.....
- make Christmas cookies
- live nativity experience
- Christmas Eve church service
- drive around & look at lights

When Elise is older...
- letter to Santa
- cookies & milk for Santa
- homemade gifts
- elf on the shelf
- Mickey's Very Merry Christmas at Disney

Rant about the school board

As I gear up for my return to work in the public school system, I have to add another tally on the cons side of being a teacher.

Yesterday as I loaded up my car to visit the school board office with baby in tow, I will admit I was already a little frustrated. Elise was having a fussy day, and if I hadn't been under the impression that I had to visit that day I very well would have stayed home that afternoon. Nonetheless I took my less than happy baby & drove 30 minutes to the office.
As we arrived, I sighed with relief. Elise needed to be changed, and I was sure I would be in and out in 20 minutes with my insurance taken care of.

After being rudely met by one woman in the risk management office, I was treated like an inconvenience and told I could wait in their break room for the insurance rep to return from lunch. She was halfway through at this point, so I settled in for 30 minutes.
After almost an hour wait, I packed my stroller up to leave. As soon as I got up the woman returned (Are teachers allowed a 2 hour lunch break?) and told me my insurance card with Elise's name wasn't enough proof that she's covered and that I'll need to return with a letter stating the same thing.

Con # 2235624: school board employees who presumably make more than teachers that take two hour lunch breaks are disenthused when asked to do their jobs. Can we put them on a pay for performance scale?

Far from being made to feel welcome and part of the reason these people have jobs, I was brushed off and treated with disdain. Unfortunately I have to grudgingly return to the same office next week to try to take care of the problem again.

On the other hand, I really need to attempt lesson plans so that when I return I'm not overwhelmed. That looks promising with a wedding looming & infant at home!

& next time I'm sure ill be back with more baby updates & less negative tellings.

Overflowing

Emotions brimming:
Rearing and running,
Skimming and dancing through my mind.
My cup overflows-
Drinking in joy
Uncertainty, fear, & hope.
Simple things made new.
Like plants after a long drought
devour water
Observing life anew,
Through the eyes of a child.
My heart is full.

Thankful

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving break is upon us!! I'm slowly but surely figuring this whole parenting thing out. Man is it difficult! I've been trying to "wear" Elise around lately so she can see things & be involved while still allowing me to get stuff done!

Obviously with the attention span of an infant that's sometimes short lived, but she enjoys sitting up & checking out all the new things in our house. It always amazes me how exciting she can find a blanket or dishes, etc. 

So the holidays are finally upon us, and I'm finding the balance between giving Elise my constant undivided attention and finding time for myself, David, and thing like chores (yuck!). 

My little one is holding her head up SO well already! We took a trip to BJs, and she loved sitting up in her cart cover with her pillow to play with. I find that the carseat is too restrictive & doesn't allow her to  sit up and look around like she prefers. 

What does my day consist of now?

Here's a brief (and I'm sorry, probably boring) rundown:

5:00am- wake up & get dressed, scarf down banana or toast

5:30am- leave for the gym

6:00am- workout class begins!

6:45am- on my way home to relieve David from baby duty

7:00am- home! If I'm lucky, baby is still asleep so I can shower!

7:30am- Elise is definitely awake by now, and our day together begins! Time to nurse, change the diaper & get out of PJs.

8:30am- Time for our 2nd feeding of the morning after playtime.

9:30am- If naptime hasn't happened already, she's ready to go down for nap #1 by now.

10:30am - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or a Disney movie

11:30am- Nap time #2!*

12:30-2:30pm- Playtime, storytime, lots of dirty diapers, & more nursing!

3:00pm- Nap #3* if I'm lucky. Some days she only takes 2 naps, but when I'm lucky there's a 3rd one.

4:00pm- 6:00pm- It's "witching hour after 4:00pm so I try my best to keep the little one happy. Since it's getting nice & cool out now we go for a walk around the neighborhood with Elise in her stroller & get dinner ready for daddy to get home. 

7:00pm- David is finally home after a long day of work & some gym time, and he is given the task of bath time while I debrief & shower or finish up dinner.

7:30pm- Elise is cozy in her PJs again, and we settle in to nurse (lots) before putting her to bed.

8:00pm- Elise is asleep, and David & I eat and watch our shows while enjoying each other's company. At this point I usually also get things together for the next day: workout clothes out, dinner cleaned up, lunch prepped for tomorrow, and maybe even some laundry or dishes.

9:30pm- I am usually in bed at this point so that I am rested and ready for an early morning workout.

* Nap time for the past two months has been rather trying. I've gotten into the bad habit of letting Elise sleep on me, and she has only wanted to do that pretty much from 10 weeks on. Since I've been home the past couple of days my mom has been coaching me in putting her down (even if she cries), and it is allowing me breaks that I haven't had before.

Anyone else struggle with naptime? I hate to hear her cry which she does immediately after I try to set her down. From what I've experienced these past few days, she stops after a few minutes of whimpering, but it's almost more than I can take to leave her in her bed rather than scooping her back up safe in my arms. *sigh*

However, I really really really need the free time to clean & get stuff done so I HAVE TO set her down & let her whimper for a few minutes so I can actually get things done. So hard but so worth it!

Lastly, this cute little chair is another gift from my ever generous mother who saw that Elise wasn't happy laying down all the time so she bought this little activity center chair so she could hang out & play more on her own.

Hope everyone has a terrific Thanksgiving!!!!

3 month recap

It's been a crazy few months here in Port St Lucie! Though not the same craziness as last year. I remember being more than ready for Thanksgiving & Christmas break at this point, and David and I were gearing up for a snowboarding trip to Colorado! It was also around this time last year that little Elise was just starting to grow inside me.
Man does time fly the older you get!

In three short months I've watched Elise go from a floppy, sleepy little thing to a chubby baby with a stubborn streak that is presenting itself with an expressive personality.

What she can't communicate in words is conveyed in body language, eyebrow raises, gurgles, babbles, and smiles.

I'm so thankful I get to spend another few short months watching my baby grow!

Right now we have a few short goals to accomplish before I go back to work:
- naps in crib, not always on mom or dad
- eating from the bottle without fussing
- car rides longer than 10 minutes without crying
- quicker bedtime routine

I think overall though we have been blessed with such a good baby, those things will sort themselves out as she grows and matures.

Have a great week everyone!!

Figuring It Out & Fitness Plan

My days seem to run together at the moment.  I seriously got up today & was confused that it was Thursday already...weird.

Although I "just" stay home & take care of Elise at this point, my days are seemingly filled as if by magic with dirty diapers, playtime, lots of nursing, naps, & trying to fit in regular stuff like, you know, getting out of my pajamas before noon.

Warning: poopy picture below!

Told you. Had to take a picture because it was such a mess!

Watching sports with dad

After bathtime

David already teasing her.

I love her smile. 

In her adorable monkey Pjs!

I do feel like David & I are starting to get the hang of things. We have been fortunate enough to be blessed with a baby who already sleeps through the night. She wakes up early, between 5-6am, but then takes a nap an hour later for another 3 hours so my mornings are free to do errands, housework or exercise! David is blessed with a job that has flexible hours so he is on baby watch in the mornings as I run around & get things done. Within the month that seems likely to change as he has gotten a promotion (yay!) with the downside being a slight commute and more rigid hours. However, I feel lucky that in this economy he's already moving up after getting his job just last summer. I have been able to breathe a little easier on my maternity leave from school that our finances will remain intact. I may even take a bit longer off work through the holidays & 'til Elise is a little older before sending her to daycare.

This is how much she's grown and changed in a month; it's CRAZY!! She's already gone from a sleepy little thing to a curious baby with a personality that is starting to show. I love it!

On her birth day

1 week old

2 weeks old

3 weeks old

1 month old

  This week I began my fitness plan as I finally hit 1 month out and am unofficially cleared to start light exercise. It feels SO good to start moving again! I have also tried taking Elise out in the jogging stroller, but she's still a bit small for it so I think i'll break that out more as she becomes more alert and enjoys the scenery. The few times we've gone out lately she's slept or cried at being strapped into the seat. Below is my super awesome spreadsheet with my 1/2 marathon plan culminating in my first half in at least a year and a half with 5 months leading up to it for recovery from childbirth & training. My mom and I have a 5k in November to kick things off, and I'm debating adding another 10k/15k in there too. Obviously this is a very loose guideline of what I want to accomplish; I really will just be happy to complete the 1/2 marathon & am NOT focusing on a PR for this race- finishing will be reward enough!

Good night everyone!