pic free post (sorry)

I know pictures are what makes posts fun, but this one will have to be picture free. I’ll play catch up with those later.

So what has been going on? I’m back in full swing at work (is that the right term?) – not a thing has changed. That is not a good thing. I would have thought that after 3 months a few things would have either gotten finished up or figured out. I swear, the world DOES stop when I’m not around! (I kid, I kid…)

Now I’m trying to figure out a good balance between work and baby. Luckily I can leave whenever I want (no timeclock to punch) but I then I also deal with the repercussions of work piling up. For the most part, I’ve been out of here and home around 6:00. Jeremy’s job/hours are similar. I swear, I do not take for granted the advantages we gain by having family watch Bella. There is NO WAY Jeremy or I could leave work and pick up from a daycare by 5:00 everyday!

I get a lot of questions at work about how I feel about being back. The only way I can describe it is that it’s nice to have a routine again. It’s nice to get up, shower, put clothes on that aren’t PJs and go somewhere that isn’t the mall, parenting group, my mom’s house, or for a walk around the neighborhood. I miss Isabella like crazy, but am happy that she is able to spend time with family during the day. I know (hope?) they enjoy it, too. So really it is a win-win, right?

Also, I really don’t want that coming off as though I enjoy my job. I really despise it right now. There are so many reasons why that I won’t go into it. It’s an OK job, but I guess the best word really is ‘despise’. This is why I’m actively looking for/interviewing for other jobs (within Target). Keep your fingers crossed that I’ll find something that makes me happier soon!

Back to Isabella. She is perfect. Seriously. I don’t know how else to describe her. We moved her into her room and her crib and she didn’t even seem to notice/care. She’s still sleeping all night every night. She’s “talking” more than ever. She loves to lift up/hang onto her feet. She’s almost rolling over. Jeremy can make her giggle up a storm (but still only Jeremy!). I don’t think I’ve heard her CRY (as in all out screaming) in over a week. She goes in to get her pictures taken for the baby search contest thing next month. She has about the best temperament of a baby anyone could ask for. Just perfect.

The only thing that I worry about is her eczema – we’ve started putting stronger stuff on it but it seems to be getting worse. Especially on her face. Poor thing… I don’t really know how much it bothers her, but I can’t imagine it feels good.

This weekend Jeremy and I will be celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary pre-baby style. Bella will stay with Grandma and Grandpa and JT and I will be staying at a hotel in Maple Grove – we’ll enjoy some wine, the cable TV (TLC and Discovery are big deals to non-cable subscribers!), and the hot tub in our room. Oh, and Sat we might even take Bella to the fair!

SURPRISE!!!!!!

And a surprise it sure was!



Staged pic (duh)- no camera when we arrived

This past Saturday night, my husband threw me a surprise graduation party! He did great. I had absolutely no clue. Turns out he's been planning for months. I thought we were going to dinner with his cousin and her wife; his parents were going to watch Bella. Sounds normal, right?





We pull into his parents driveway to drop off Isabella and I notice:


1) my friend Jessica's car in the street (along with many others, but Jessica's stood out - or could it have been a friend of his sister's that had the same car?)


2) my sister and her husband creeping into the back yard (WTF would they be at my in-law's??) and


3) a guy I'd never met in the garage under a 'Congratulations Graduate' banner (he was JT's uncle's new wife's son that i never met...got that?)





I don't even know what was going though my mind...then we get out of the car and my friends and family start streaming into the garage! I started crying I was so overwhelmed! It was fantastic - I had no clue and so many people came! Even family from out of town! JT did an amazing job.




he's a sneaky one!

The night was so fun. We played yard games, drank from the keg (no keg stands, though), I clobbered a pinata, we played flippy cup, and...




First a shot - then pinata time

Isabella had her first sleep over at my parent's house! JT and I crashed at his parent's house (in his old room...weird). It was both relaxing and lonely to wake up and not have our Bella Baby there with us.




Bella and her friend, Milton

So, thank you to everyone who came. Thank you to everyone who couldn't came but wished me well. I am an official graduate with a Communications and Cultural Arts degree from Metro State. It only took me 8 years (with a 2 year break in there) but I'm satisfied. After getting my AA degree from North Hennepin, I'm glad I took the time to figure out what I wanted to study/what the right school was so I didn't waste time and money on something that wasn't beneficial to me.





All I know is that after this weekend I feel like a very lucky girl! :)

watch that baseball soar!

Isabella and I went back to Edelweiss Baby yesterday to pick up the $200 giftcard 'we' won from their promotional model contest. (check out her winning picture) It's such a cute store so we had a lot of fun knowing we had 'free' money to spend! The clothes are a little too $$$$ for us (considering she may only get one or two wears out of them right now), but they have some cute accessories.

I picked up a pair of Baby Legs to try out (funny how you assume babies just come w/ all their appendages). I've heard good things about them, like the fact that you don't have to take them on/off when doing a diaper change.... and they are pretty darn cute!

baby legs

I also got her a pink Flapp Happy hat which she'll have to grow into a bit...

it looked like it fit in the store...

Later that evening, Isabella put on her party dress and hung out with Grandma and Grandpa H.

party on wayne

Jeremy and I went to the Twins game. His work gave him 11th row tickets. Such great seats! I haven't been to the Metrodome in a long time. I'm actually going to miss it. I don't care what anyone says - I think it's a great place to watch a ball game.

what baby?

Tonight we are going to drop her off with his parents and go to dinner with his cousin/our friends. Should be another good night! We are lucky to have so many ready and willing baby sitters nearby. It's nice to be able to get out and about....although I will always miss saying goodnight to my angel/burrito.

better than Chipotle

What's been going on?

As I stated before, I'm back at work now. The transition wasn't as tough as I expected...but still hard. It helps a ton that Isabella is able to be with family during the day (my mom and JT's older sister) rather than having her in daycare.

I know there are plenty of great daycare options out there, but it is just more comforting to know that my baby is getting the one-on-one attention and love she deserves!

What do I miss about my maternity leave? How about all the game shows I got hooked on - of course there is the Price is Right, but Temptation and Family Feud became staples during the day.

I'll also miss being able to pack up Isabella and take her where I want, when I want. For example, we took several trips to Arbor Lakes just to wander around.

I'll miss the parenting group that I attended some Mondays and every Thursday. At first, I thought it would be 'lame' - but it ended up being a great option for getting out of the house stress free. No one cares if your kid cries, needs to eat, needs to be changed, etc. I'm so glad I went and recommend it to every other new mom.

What will I miss the most?

My Bella Baby, of course!! Now JT and I have to 'fight' for her cuddle time at night since I need my fix, too!

Other updates:

As everyone probably knows, since I emailed the entire world about it, Isabella won a promotional modeling contest. We won a $200 Giftcard to a baby shop in Maple Grove and another 'photoshoot' for Isabella. The store will then choose a few pics to use in their promotional materials. I totally did it just for fun/something to do - so no, Bella will not be appearing in Target ads anytime soon

She rolled over!! The first time was for my mom during the day, then she did it again for me that evening. JT still hasn't seen it, and you wouldn't think it's that big of a deal...but seeing your baby flip over by themselves is a big thing when you are used to them being totally stationary!

Much better at tummy time, now!

SHE GIGGLED!!!! A real giggle - not a "wait, was that a giggle?" giggle. It was at JT last night. He was playing with her and she busted it out. It was so damn cute. I grabbed the video camera like a frantic lunatic but didn't catch another one. That's Ok, I'll take the one for now.

We took her back up to the cabin and again got 'sucked' in for 2 nights when we swore we'd only stay one! We had to go to Wal Mart (shudder) to get her diapers and everything. We found out she only enjoys looking at the lake, not being put into it. She also got to meet some animals at the Sterns County Fair.

She got to hang out with the girls at Crystal's baby shower this past weekend, too. And then she got to hang out with the entire family - extended in all ways possible (Pete's family, Jessica's family, etc) at Andy's new house. It was a fun weekend!

If you ever need a fix, check out my Flickr page - I try to keep it up to date .

And to end, I have to say that I can not believe she is 3 months old!! I already find myself saying things like 'I remember when she was little/tiny/younger...' I don't know how I'm going to handle it when we start getting into 'years' instead of months'!

much more l8r

Back at work this week (boo hiss) so my time has been limited. I'll update later.