It's Here!

I love office supplies/school supplies/organizational type supplies. I like to stroll down the office isle at Target just to feel the organization potential and abilities. It calms me, really.

I did something I don't normally do. I splurged on myself. For an organizer. And. I'm in love.

I ordered it last Wednesday and it arrived today! It came from Tiny Prints, my favorite place for custom cards, announcements and now....planners! We ordered Evan's 1st birthday invitations and they were beautiful.

Let me tell you, it's chock full of cool stuff. Weekly planning, month views, places to jot down goals and to-do's, a little folder to store stuff and a cool plastic pouch to store coupons and such. A place for important phone numbers and notes and even special occasions so I can stop forgetting people's birthdays. In my version I got to customize the front of it with pictures and our family names. There are also little stickers and such to make it fun and make it my own. It's also just the right size to fit in my bag. When the new baby arrives I can see myself using it to track those important diaper changes and feedings. I'm so excited.

The minute I opened it I started jotting things down in it. I will be doing this annually from now on. Totally worth it. Getting to customize it with pictures is super cool and fun and means I'll use it because it's fun to use it.

I'll use it for:

• Meal planning/shopping lists
• Goals/To-do's
• Special occasion tracking
• Evan's school events and breaks
• Bill reminders
• Appointments
• Coupon holding
• Baby tracking
• Blog ideas/notes
• Important phone numbers

I know these days people really like to use their smart phones for scheduling and contacts but I am a pencil and paper old school kind of girl at heart. I still thinks it's cool to have the actual book in your hand even though the novelty of a Kindle is neat. I like seeing my handwriting for my shopping lists and sometimes it just feels easier to write it then to open the app and type it out. If I had the time I'd still write in a journal. I guess I just like the personalization of it. 

That's why this little bundle of awesomeness is right for me. I'm a nerd. I'm okay with that. 

Home Alone with a Newborn: Help!

A friend just had a baby. It got me thinking about my days with a newborn. So, I came up with some notes for reference. This will help me when I go through this again in a few months! Here we go..

You are probably one of those naturals. Everything comes so easy to you and you know just what to do even though this is your first baby. Lucky you.

I wasn't quite so lucky. Not that I was scared out of my mind to be alone with my newborn but....nervous...is a better word for it. What am I supposed to do? I know I have to feed and change him. But...what else do I do with this little bundle?

Of course, my knowledge came from my mom and my experience of trying things out and figuring out what works best for us. John spent 2 weeks at home with us and I was spoiled to always have someone there to help me if I had trouble soothing baby or getting baby to sleep etc. Then...he went back to work and I had about 9 weeks of home alone days with Evan. It was tough at first, getting use to that.

I had trouble picturing what our days would be like. I'm a planner, I like to know what to expect. With a newborn, that's tricky. Yet, after experimenting with different routines, schedules and activities, we found one that kept us all happy.

So, here are my tips and pointers to all the new mommies out there:

1. Make a point to get out of the house each day. Whether it's a quick dash to the grocery store or an afternoon strolling the mall, you need time away from home. I think it's important to change your environment so you don't get cabin fever and also to give baby a new experience. When Evan was a newborn it was summer time and I had to plan around the awful heat that we experience in the southwest (well over 100 degrees). I would often go out early in the morning to avoid the extreme temps.
2. Play music in the background. I had the radio (on a mellow station) playing softly for a couple of hours a day. I like silence but days and days of it can take its toll on me. It also helped Evan be able to sleep with noise (I didn't want to have to tip-toe around him while he slept). AND most importantly, it presents the opportunity to dance with your little one, ah a priceless memory.
3. Take a walk outdoors. Gives you both some fresh air, change of environment and introduces new things to baby (new noises, the feeling of wind and sun on their skin etc). Evan and I would stroll down our street (just a quick 10 minute walk) and I would narrate what we saw and heard.
4. Sing! I have always sung to Evan but when people were at home with us I would be a little more reserved about it. When no one else is there, it's easier to sing and not be embarrassed if you don't know all the words or your tune is off or make up your own! As baby gets older you can get crazy and make faces and dance for him. I do this even now, and I get a ton of smiles and laughter.
5.  Do some chores or answer emails....I carried Evan in the moby often. This allowed us to be close but I could still do the dishes, laundry, vacuum or catch up on blog reading. Carrying him helped me because I would feel terribly guilty if he was just sitting in his bouncy chair staring at me while I did chores. It kept our bond strong yet gave me some hands-free time. Plus, he got use to the motion and sounds of household activities.
6. Tummy time. Of course! Lay baby on a soft blanket on the floor to help him workout his neck muscles. Lay a few toys near by for added excitement. To add to the sensory workout, let him feel different textures: a towel, a knitted blanket, a plush toy, a feather on his palm. Of course this is only for a couple of minutes a day as a nb, you don't want to overload them, they'll just shutdown and be cranky. At 2-3 months I let him lay under a baby gym with dangling toys, he really liked that.
7. Sleep!! You might be experiencing many wakeups at night, so when baby sleeps you should too! I'm serious, do it.

And just remember....enjoy it. Be in the moment. This phase will pass.

How I Define Success

Success. Being successful.

It means something different to everyone. One person might say she is successful because of the job title she obtained or the salary she earns or how much she has in savings. Another might say he's successful because of the size or location of his home or the kind of car he drives. Another might say she's successful because of the type and quantity of clothes in her closet or the vacations she takes.

I may or may not have had similiar definitions of success. Now, as a mama, my idea of success has completely changed. My original idea was blown to smithereens.

I feel successful at the end of the day if any one of these occur:

• my kid takes a good nap
• my kid smiled and laughed today
• I rememberd to bring Evan's favorite blanket to daycare
• I have dinner ready by 6:30
• I get to go to bed by 11:30
• I get to read a page or two in a book
• we get to take a walk
• my head is still attached to my body
• I have clean (albeit wrinkly) clothes to wear to work
• I got to work on time
• I have a moment to pet the dogs
• we all still love each other
• melt downs were kept to a minimum
• there's enough gas in the car to get me to the gas station
• I didn't dehydrate
• I remember to pay the bills
• Saving 50 cents with a coupon

Does this sound familiar?

As moms, we take these mini succcesses each day and let them keep us motivated and help us feel achieved even when our to-do lists are overflowing. They help us to keep smiling even if we're exhausted.

Having Evan taught me that time with family, your baby's smile, a hug....these things are so much more important than money and status. I wouldn't trade memories and experiences like these for the most expensive home or highend clothing or endless spa days. Nothing can compare.

Funny how things change.

P.S. I am usually successful, even on my worst days because I can get Evan to smile and laugh.

How do you define success?

Filling in the Blanks

Today I helped my friend A build her baby registry. I had so much fun. It brought back memories of doing mine last year. As we walked through each section of the store, I pictured Evan using the various items throughout his 1st year. I had to choke back a few tears more than once. His 1st year flew by. He no longer uses his bouncy chair, is too big for a baby bath tub, doesn't wear 3 month old clothing and said good-bye to breast milk months ago.

Planning my son's 1st birthday party has made me run through these memories, too. It's fleeting.  It's a bittersweet thing, this 1st birthday. My squishy newborn is gone and my explorative toddler is emerging. Hours of cuddling are distant memories and his independence is strong. I'll stop before the tears come and I can't make out the computer screen. Of course, I'll do all kinds of gushing in his 12 month post.

John and I have survived Evan's 1st year. Through the tough sleepless nights, fussy days and teething pain to the amazing milestones like smiling, laughing and crawling. We made it. I don't want to forget the details.

So, after leaving my friend A, I began to think of all the things that helped get us through it. I plan on writing a series of posts related to baby's 1st year. Recording my notes on anything from how we spent our days after John went back to work (alone with the baby for the first time ahh!) to finding our routine and even baby care. I hope this helps your need for real life application but it will also be my reference so I don't forget the details if I am ever blessed enough to have another child.

I've already posted about preparing for and surviving labor and delivery (part 1 and part 2), useful baby items for 0 to 6 months, my personal account of L&D, and my life as a mama-the early weeks along with many other tid bits and insights in mamahood. I want to fill in the blanks. If you're like me you'll read the books, visit the popular baby websites and begin by strictly following them. Good! You're a good mama. Yet, I also think you'll find your own rhythm by combining the books, other people's experiences and your own style.

Maybe it's because my confidence has grown as my child reaches new milestones. Maybe it's my need to share with my peers. Maybe it's because I feel I'm leaving behind the title of "new mom" as we begin year 2.

Are there any topics you'd like to hear about? Leave me a comment!

Is your baby turning 1 soon? Lets cry and smile together.

the answer to my wardrobe prayers

It's early in the morning and I'm staring at my sparse clothing choices in the closet. I stare and stare hoping something will jump out at me so I can get dressed for work.

Those pants are too tight. That shirt shrunk and it's too short now. Darn, my black pants are at the dry cleaners. What goes with these gray pants? Ugh, the gray pants need to be ironed.

This happens to me more than I'd like. I'm not the best at putting outfits together, especially at 5:15 a.m. 

I've found the solution! Why didn't I think of this before? It's so obvious. 

Dresses. Dresses!

Cute, flowy, versatile, easy to care for dresses. I can just pick a dress, throw it on, put some shoes on and I'm done. Problem solved, total time to get dressed is now 20 minutes and not 30 minutes!

Now, I'm not typically a dress type person. I grew up a tom-boy. Jeans, shirts, sneakers. I gave my parents a hard time about wearing a dress for school pictures, weddings, church, anything. I hated them. They were too girly for my taste. If they managed to get me in one, I would wear shorts underneath. At 9 years old, I told them I was going to wear pants at prom and my wedding. Dresses, yuck.

A co-worker, who is a working single mom and always looks stylish and put together, inspired me. I always wondered how she was able to care for her 3 daughters, keep her house running, work and still look fabulous. I noticed that she wears dresses more often than not. Of course! 

She says it's easy, fast, you don't have to think about matching things together. She also pointed me toward the stores that have the cute, inexpensive easy to care for variety.  JC Penny's, Ross and Marshall's. I was excited to begin building my dress stash, so I set out for JCP (after googling for coupons: $10 off a $50 purchase, score!). 

I've already added 3 dresses to my wardrobe and it has been so easy to get dressed in the morning. I feel pretty and I've been getting compliments! I just make sure the dresses are machine washable or hand washable (if I really like it) and that I am truly comfortable with the fit. I prefer A-line because it masks my larger hips and back side while giving me a flattering shape. It also helps when the material is easy to wipe when Evan gets food on me or spits up on me. 

The cost is also much better than what I was spending on outfits with pants. I would buy these $75 pants  because they were the only ones that fit well then I would get them hemmed. Add a shirt for $50ish and I've spent $135 on one outfit. Outrageous. Plus these pants need to be dry cleaned! I bought 3 dresses for under that!

So, if you're a mama and you need to streamline your morning routine, get some dresses. Go ahead. Go. You'll love me for this. I like gerber daisies by the way.