Just a Strollin'...

Finally!  A pretty day  that I was off work!  I've been waiting for the perfect day to take Anniston out for a stroll in the BOB. Monday was perfect weather for a little walk outside. We've been out in the regular stroller once or twice but I've been dying to test out the BOB.  She's still too young for me to run with her in it, so Allie and I hooked up the infant car seat adapter to it and off we went!  We dressed A in her super cool Nike track suit and drove over to Chickasaw Gardens (our favorite running spot) because we knew it would be safe and we just really enjoy all the beautiful scenery.  I must say- the BOB is definitely worth the money!  It was such a smooth ride and Anniston seemed to really enjoy it.  She got really sleepy as we were strolling but was trying to stay awake so she could see what all was going on around her.  It was a new experience for her so she didn't know quite what to think of it.  She never fussed or cried even though she was tired.  I cannot WAIT until she gets old enough for us to run with her in it!  We had so much fun and I was so thankful I got to spend such a beautiful day with my beautiful baby girl:)  Here are some pics we took:

Instagram Photos of the Week

I'm linking up with Jenni from Story of My Life to show you my week in Instagram photos.  I just started using Instagram this week and I have to say- I LOVE it.  I love the cool effects you can do to all your photos.  And, it was so easy to snap a pic here and there with your phone!

Anniston has recently started grasping and reaching for objects.  Now I'm ready for her to start reaching for me!

 Anniston sitting in her big girl high chair.  She loves sitting up in it like a big girl:)

 Anniston's new toy bin that I ordered from Etsy came in this week.   Love how it turned out!

My new running shoes I scored for $40 at the Nike outlet and my Nike GPS watch displaying the results of the "Freeze Your Thorns Off" virtual 5K I did Sunday.  What a great week!

Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K

Today Allie, Brandon C., and I got up and hit the roads for an early morning run. I am counting down the days to warmer weather so I can take my little pumpkin with me!

The Boring Runner was doing a little virtual "Freeze Your Thorns Off" 5K so we thought it would be fun to participate.  We were total nerds and printed off some super cool bibs so we could get the full effect.  Oh yeah- we are cool.  I'm sure everyone that passed us thought so too- Ha!

 I've been sick (we all have, actually) off and on for over a week now so I haven't really felt good enough to get some quality runs in over the past week.  We kicked some butt today!  Brandon C (Allie's husband) ran with us and I always love it when he joins us.  I think of him as my personal pacer.  He's also really good at shouting out some motivation towards the end when I can't feel my legs and my speed starts to dwindle down.  It was cold, but thankfully the wind was not blowing so it actually felt pretty good once we started working up a little sweat.  As always, the scenery in the neighborhood where we run was awesome. I was shocked that after taking a week off from running I was able to keep up with the Chewnings- but I did!  I felt super cool:)  Now I just need me some awesome Nike running sunglasses so I can be cool like Allie....

Fill in the Blank Friday

I'm linking up today with The Little Things We Do to do my first Fill in the Blank Friday!

1.  My favorite place I've ever traveled to is   Boston.  I love the charm and the big city life at the same time.  I LOVE all the history that's associated with it.

2.  Italy is where I'd love to go someday.

3.  I pass time on a plane/bus by  focusing on breathing in and out and not puking.  I get really, really motion sick and I've spent several plane rides hugging the barf bag or the airplane toilet. Fun times.

4.  My three must-haves when I travel are:  make-up (you never know when you might get stuck somewhere), a bottle of diet coke, and, my motion sickness wrist bracelets.

5.  My favorite travel companion is  my hubby.  He does all the planning!

6.  The craziest thing that ever happened to me when I traveled is  probably losing our luggage in Mexico on our honeymoon.  We flew into Cancun and were going to take a bus to Playa Del Carmen.  Our luggage was on another plane when we flew into Cancun so we had to stay there and wait on it before traveling to Playa Del Carmen.  I was one unhappy camper.  I did NOT want to spend my honeymoon partying with the college age spring breakers in Cancun!  Thankfully, it was there later that night!

7.  The most exotic food I've ever tried while traveling  Ha.  If you know me at all you know that I'm a VERY picky eater and have a hard time trying new things! I did get really freaked out (like literally let out a little squeal in the restaurant) when we were in Boston and our waiter shoved a live lobster in our faces in order to see what size of lobster B wanted to have for dinner.  I was traumatized.

8.  If I could live anywhere else, I'd live in   Boston.  Hands down.

9. I've been to 10 states in the US

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...

B left for a business trip Tuesday morning so it's just us girls (me, Anniston, and Ruby) for a couple of days.  I had to work on Tuesday, so my mom drove into town to pick up the kiddo from daycare and help me give her a bath and put her to bed that night.  Yesterday and today are my days off this week, since I'm working the weekend shift (boo) this Saturday and Sunday.  I dislike the weekend shifts, especially when B is in town, but I do LOVE my days off during the week- time to check some stuff off that to-do list!  Thankfully, I haven't had that much that HAS to be done.  Rest and relaxation is what I need right now.  Monday and Tuesday at work was cah-razy!!!!!!  450 prescriptions filled on Monday = rough day!  I dreamed of little pills dancing in my sleep that night.  I was ready for a fun two days off!

I took Anniston to daycare for a few hours yesterday so I could get a couple of things done.  I had some laundry to do, trash to take out, and a few things to order on the internet:)  Ha.  It's so nice when the hubby is out of town and not sitting beside me asking "What are you buying on the internet now?"  Whoop, whoop- get the credit cards ready- it's time to online shop!!!    I ordered A some hairbows and headbands from a couple of different stores to match all her cute summer outfits.  I'm also gearing up for another baby clothes auction tonight on Facebook.  I totally need to be in my "zone" with absolute concentration for these since it's a first come, first win kind of thing.  Hard to accomplish this with B rambling on about some soccer goal that just happened on TV....so after A goes to bed it's just me and the computer ready to score some cute stuff!

We spent today laying low around the house since the weather was so yucky outside. Aunt Allie came over to hang out us and we had the best time playing and goofing off with Anniston.  I love days like that!
Even thought I have enjoyed getting the TV to myself (Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries, American Idol- oh yeah!) and spending our hard earned money on stuff A probably doesn't need, I will be so happy when B gets back home.  I love us spending the nights playing with Anniston, giving her a bath, and then curling up on the sofa to watch a little TV before bed.  Family time with Daddy is the best but us girls sure did have some fun!

Here are some pics we took the last few days:

Pinterest Wednesday

I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple today to show you some random stuff that I'm loving on Pinterest.

Love:)

This reminds me of how Ruby acts with Anniston- so protective of her!

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

You know you are a true Friends addict when you totally know which episode all these come from.

Love these knobs for her dresser to remember where everything is!

Just need to figure out where I could put this...

Motivate Yourself Monday

I am linking up with my sister, Allie, for "Motivate Yourself Monday."  Here are some things that I am trying to muster up some motivation to do this week:


ONE:  Not eat "out" at work this week.  I've got healthy salads, granola bars, chex mix, and carrots all prepped for the week so hopefully I will stick to eating just what I bring.  Having everything organized for the week on Sunday night really helps keep me motivated to stay on track!

I also try to prepare all of Anniston's bottles and formula for a couple of days so I can get out the door quicker in the mornings.  I'm on top of it for this week!

TWO:  Organize and back up my pictures.  My sister helped me get started with Adobe Lightroom this weekend and I'm loving the way it helps you organize all your pictures.  I want to be able to quickly find any picture I have easily so I need to go through and categorize the hundreds of pics I have of Anniston.  It seriously raises my blood pressure several notches to think that my computer could crash and I could lose all my precious pics.  That thought alone motivates me to BACK UP!

THREE:  Run at least 2 times this week.  Hopefully more.  But I'll be satisfied with twice.  Maybe I can find some inspiration this week to motivate me for that extra run.....

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: shape.com via Kelly on Pinterest

How's this for some motivation?  Maybe I can tell myself if I run, I could look like this.  Ok, maybe not exactly like this, but a better me!

FOUR:  Order Anniston some cute headbands for her summer outfits (I'm thinking Etsy, of course.) I see these cute headbands on Pinterest and I really need to go through and order her some to match all the adorable outfits I have been collecting for spring/summer!

Source: thisisboutique.com via Cookies for Babies ® on Pinterest

Let's hope I can stay motivated to complete these by the end of the week!!

Workin' Mama Update

Whew! I have successfully completed my first week back at work.  The week went well but came with quite a few hurdles.  Luckily, we all toughed it out and now can relax and enjoy the weekend.  Here's how the week went:

Monday was my first day back.  Anniston woke up with a really bad cold.  She was sneezing, coughing, and a lot of congestion.  I think it bothered me more than it did her but still, I felt so bad having to leave her when she sounded so pitiful.

 It didn't take me long to get back in my groove but I was thankful we were not that busy.  It gave me a chance to catch up with everyone and spend some extra time chatting with my customers.  Everyone was so glad to see me back- and that made me feel so good.  I took pictures of Anniston and put them on the fridge so when customers asked about her I got to show off my beautiful baby girl.  It was so nice to be back among adults and to hear about what all was going on in their lives.  I was due to close that night, which meant I didn't get off until 8pm.  I talked to Brandon about 7:30 and he was just then giving Anniston her last bottle.  I got really excited because I thought she might still be awake by the time I got home.  I just wanted to hold her for a minute before she went to bed.  I raced (by raced I mean I actually ran) in the parking lot to my car to try to make it home in time.  Brandon met me at the back door and told me she was passed out.  I totally lost it and the tears started coming.  I was so disappointed.  I sobbed (oh yes!) on Brandon's shoulder for about 10 minutes before I pulled myself together again.  It was an emotional day and I needed to have a good cry.  She ended up waking up about an hour after I got home (and no, I didn't wake her!) so I got to rock her back to sleep.  All was well in the world again!

Tuesday went better.  I worked the early shift (8-5).  We woke up early so we could have some play time before I took her to her babysitter.  It was nice to be able to spend time with her at night, give her a bath, and rock her to bed.

Wednesday I myself developed a cold.  Head congestion, pressure, stuffy nose, snotty nose- you name it, I had it.  I was thanking the Lord that B was in town this week and I would have help with Anniston when I got home.  All it took was one smile and laugh from her after a long, sickly day at work and I forgot how bad I felt.  Seriously, she has magic powers:)

Thankfully, I only felt bad on Wednesday and Thursday. My three day weekend started on Friday and we woke up early for a trip to the pediatrician so they could re-check her ears.  Another ear infection.  Sigh...
Another round of antibiotics.  Sigh...  At least we caught it before it got really bad.

I made it through my first week back at work even though Anniston and I were both under the weather.  Hopefully, next week will be a breeze when we are both feeling better!  I'm really happy with my decision to return to work.  After I got past the withdrawals from not seeing her as much, I really enjoyed getting back to doing what I love.  I look so forward to seeing her when I get off and I have really cherished the time we have gotten to spend together.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

ONE
My new custom New Balance shoes I designed myself to start back to work!  I love the kelly green color...

TWO
My grandmother's chex mix.  She has a "special" recipe that she uses and it is the BEST ever!  She recently made me a batch so I could take some to work to munch on.

THREE
Ruby's new doggie door.  My dad came down a couple of weeks ago and installed one for us.  Now we can save some major $$$ by not having to take her to doggie daycare.  I just hate leaving her all cooped up while I'm at work and it's too cold to leave her outside all day!

FOUR
My new Inchbug labels I ordered for Anniston's bottles for daycare.  I absolutely love them!  A friend gave me some for a shower gift and I loved them so much I ordered more- purple, of course.

Milestones

This weekend we reached a couple of milestones.  For starters, Anniston started rolling over!  She had done this once before a couple of weeks ago but I think it was more luck than anything.  This weekend however, she has successfully rolled from tummy to back several times.  She is getting so much stronger during tummy time.  She can push herself up and hold her head up with so much more control.  I am one proud momma!

Secondly, Anniston started laughing!  She has the cutest little giggle and has been doing this all weekend long.  Yesterday, Aunt Allie came over to play and we tickled her, made funny faces and noises, and played peek-a-boo.  She would smile so big and then let out a little cackle.  She has been trying to talk much more too.  She let a few sounds we have never heard before.  I feel like these past few days have been filled with new development.

I'm so glad that Brandon has been here this weekend to witness them with me.  We've had so much fun hanging out together as a family.  It's been nice to have this time together since I start back to work tomorrow.

On another note, Allie and I ran twice this weekend.  Saturday was not too good.  The wind was brutal and I never got in my rhythm.  The 3 miles we ran was tough.  I was a little discouraged because I felt I had made such good progress so far.  We got back out there today and ran 4 and I felt great.  The weather was nice and I set my pace nice and slow.  I felt better after 4 miles today than the 3 miles yesterday!  I guess I was just having an off day.  I'm pumped to have started the week off right!  Tonight we are going to relax, order some takeout, and watch the Golden Globes!  Whoo hoo!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho- It's Back to Work I Go!

The time has come for me to rejoin the workforce!  Monday will be my first day back.  The past 3 months have flown by in some ways, but in other ways it seems like so long ago that I was in labor.  Weird.  We've come a long way in these 3 months.  Anniston is sleeping so much better, her gas is almost completely gone, and I myself finally feel like I know what I'm doing!  I cannot imagine having to go back to work at 6 weeks.  I'm so glad I took a long maternity leave but I am ready to return to my career.

After deciding in high school that I wanted to be a pharmacist, I spent 8 long years in school (post high school) in order to get my Doctorate of Pharmacy.  My job is very important to me.  I love my patients, my store, the people I work with- and I miss it all.  I'm ready to have more structure in my life and to feel productive during the day.  I miss socializing with grown-ups and just getting out of the house!

That being said, I still have reservations about returning.  I'm used to seeing my little girl all day every day.  I know everything that goes on in her life and the moment she does something new.  It's going to be hard to see her less everyday and to depend on her caregiver to provide me with information about what she does during the day.  That's going to be tough.  In addition to that, Brandon has a job that requires him to travel.  A lot.  There will be many weeks that I will be a single, full-time working mom.  I know there are many moms that do this and my hat goes off to them.  It is going to be quite an adjustment, but I feel I can do it and still keep my sanity:)  Ha ha.

This is going to be a big change for us as a family and I can only pray and have faith that it will all work out.  As much as it breaks my heart to think about how much less time I will be spending with Anniston, I know this is the right decision for me at this point in time.  I'm really ready for us to fall into a routine- her with daycare, me with work, and all of us as a family at night.  I like that sort of structure to my life.

I know it will all work out and that I have to be patient- the first couple of weeks are going to be hard.  But I'm really going to try to be on top of things and well organized- hopefully that will make it easier!  I will post an update in a couple of weeks.  Wish me luck!!

A Saturday of Photos

I thought it would be cool to do a timeline in photos of a random day in our lives.  How fun will it be years from now to look back on?  This past Saturday was just a normal day;  nothing special was going on and that's exactly why I chose to do this day.  Sometimes it's those random, kick-back days that hold the best memories...

7 am
We woke up and attempted to get dressed for the day.  Anniston, however, had her eye on one thing only- her bottle.  Until she had that, she did NOT want to get dressed.  So she was naked Anniston until after she ate.

7:30 am
She is MUCH happier now.  We were able to get dressed and snap a couple of photos.  Now that she has a full tummy she's started to get sleepy again!

8 am
We play in her jumparoo that she loves so much.  I love watching her look at all the lights.  She gets so excited when she figures out how to make it bounce!

9 am
Time for her morning nap and the dreaded laundry for me....

9:45
Play time again!  We watch and sing along to our Baby Einstein Nursery Rhymes and watch Daddy do his bike ride

10:30 am
Aunt Allie comes over to hang out for a minute before we go running.

11 am
And off we go...our first "official" run together since Anniston was born.  We did 3 miles and it felt great!

12 pm
After our run and a quick bite to eat we came home to find Daddy playing with Anniston

12:30
I think her ears are better and not hurting her as bad but I give her a little Tylenol just in case.  She actually loves taking medicine- it's a good thing since I'm a pharmacist!!!!  Ha ha

1:00 pm
Time for a Target run!  It's a little chilly so we get all bundled up.

6:00 pm
Bath time!  This is one of our favorite times.  She is always so happy and loves splashing around in her bath tub.

7:00 pm
She is soooo sleepy.  This pic Brandon snapped as I pulled her last bottle of the night out of her mouth. She fell asleep while eating.  We then put her to bed (after cleaning up her mouth, of course!:) Lol

What a great Saturday it was.  Just hanging out as a family enjoying spending time with each other.  Years from now I will look back on this post and think "How did my baby grow up so fast?"  I try to enjoy every minute with her!