How 3G Saved My Life

If you're wondering why I haven't blogged in over a week it is because our cable and internet went out last Thursday as a result of a tree limb falling in our backyard. It just got repaired yesterday, so yes- I have been without cable and internet for over a week.  Cable out- not so much a big deal.  Internet out-  uh, what do I do with my time now?  Oh sweet 3G, what would I have done without you?  Seriously, without you I would have been isolated from the rest of the world without any way to contact people, check my email, stalk people on Facebook, and, most importantly- SHOP!  Never fear, my fabulous 3G saved me from all of this and I was able to maintain a somewhat normal lifestyle.  Thank goodness for my iPad...

So, what's been going on? Too much to talk about in one post so I'll try to stick with one subject!  Last weekend B and I had our first date night without Anniston since I've started back to work (January 15th, to be exact.)  Since I work full-time, I want to spend my time off with her and so I've turned down a lot of the offers for a baby-free date night.  Until now!

Brandon and I decided to stay overnight at Harrah's casino. It's about a 40 minute drive from where we live to the casinos in Tunica, MS so it was a perfect overnight-er!  My mom and dad came down Saturday to stay at our house with Ruby and Anniston.  I really appreciated them doing this because it meant I didn't have to pack all of Anniston's stuff up and it kept her in her normal bedtime routine.

We headed down to Mississippi Saturday afternoon and stopped at the very small outlet mall they have across the street from Harrah's.  We hit up Gap, Izod, Nautica, Carters, Children's Place, and Osh Gosh.  I shopped more for A than I did for me, but I did score some cute shorts and 2 tanks from Gap.  B never shops but when he does, he buys in bulk.  And I mean in bulk.  He walked away with about 15 shirts and a pair of shorts.  Men....

We got our meal comped and enjoyed a good (free) meal at the famous Paula Dean buffet.  Afterwards, we played some blackjack, hit the slots, and watched some basketball.  We slept like the dead that night.  On Sunday morning I was itching to get back to see my baby though.

We had such a good time even though I missed A so much.  We had forgotten how to just relax and enjoy each others' company.  It made me think back to our pre-baby days and how much fun we had.  I'm so glad we waited a couple of years (4 to be exact) to have kids.  We got to enjoy being married, traveling, focusing on our careers, and just simply learning about each other.  We were both so ready for children when I got pregnant with Anniston though.  I think we had perfect timing!  I wanted to post a few pics of us pre-Anniston. They were good years with some great memories.

 Christmas 2006

 Our first Christmas with Ruby!

 Hosting a dinner party for his Mom and Nana

 Hosting a New Year's Eve party

 NYC on our way to the Statue of Liberty

 NYC at the Natural History Museum

 Halloween 2010 as Elvis and Pricsilla- totally cheesy!  Can you tell we live in Memphis?

 Vegas baby!

Thanksgiving 2010

Jamaica 2006

It was nice to spend some alone time with my hubby.  We both agreed to try to make it happen more often!  More updates on Anniston in a later post!

Midweek Confessions

Today I am linking up with E, Myself, and I for some midweek confessions.

I am totally addicted to Facebook auctions.  I used to only bid on stuff for A but now I've gotten into jewelry and accessories for me.  My favorite is Accessory Auctions.  They have the cutest scarves and jewelry- and at great prices!  The other night Brandon asked me, "Are you doing one of your auctions?"  I nodded.  "So that means I can't bother you right now, right?"  I nodded again.  Sad, but true.

Easter candy is has been a major temptation for me at work.  I have to forbid myself from walking down the candy aisle.  My absolute favorite is the cadbury caramel eggs.  I texted my sister the other day asking her to pick me up some on her way over.  I needed them...

I bought Footloose on DVD and have already watched it twice.  It's kind of cheesy but I love the dancing scenes.  And Anniston loves it when I sing "Footloose" to her and dance.

My co-worker and I persuaded our soft drink consultant (no idea what their "official" title is) at work to special order these glass bottled diet cokes.

 I LOVE the way glass bottled soft drinks taste.  It reminds me of when I used to go to my grandmother's work after school.  They had the old school vending machines and you could get glass bottled cokes.  I was in elementary school at the time, so it was such a treat for me to have one.  Brandon rolled his eyes when I came home with the case of them and asked what the price difference was.  Who cares?  It's like heaven in a bottle!  Apparently he doesn't understand the difference!

That's all I have for today!

Our Not So Relaxing Weekend

Nope- this was not a kick your heels up and relax kind of weekend.  We were crazy busy but I enjoyed every second of it.  Friday morning A and I were up super early (like that's any different than any other morning, due to A's 5:30am wake-up time) to tag along with Aunt Allie to take some newborn shots of one of our friend's new baby boy.  Anniston and I had fun just sitting back and watching.  It seemed like just yesterday that we were having Anniston's newborn photos taken.  While baby Bridger was having his diaper changed, Allie snapped this adorable pic of Anniston:

We had all planned to head over to the Botanic Gardens to take some fun spring pictures but by the time we finished it was pouring down rain.  Oh well- we still have plenty of warm, pretty days ahead of us!  Friday afternoon we had a visit from Bebe, Papa, Aunt Tara, and cousins Neely and Mary Beth.  They all loved seeing Anniston and Neely and Mary Beth had the best time playing with Ruby.  They also found the video monitor in A's nursery and the receiver in our bedroom and entertained themselves for quite some time making funny faces into the camera.  They were cracking us up. We all had a fun time.  Here is a pic of us girls:

Saturday morning we had an appointment with an ENT doctor to talk about Anniston's repeated ear infections.  A was so good at the doctor's office.  She smiled and giggled at everyone- the receptionist, the nurses, and even random people in the waiting room.  She is such a ham!  I'm really glad I chose this doctor.  He was very personable and interactive with Anniston.  We made the decision to go ahead and get tubes put in.  Hopefully this will help us stay off antibiotics for awhile.

After the appointment we grabbed some lunch at a nearby restaurant.  Anniston loves to watch us eat now.  She was so content just to sit in her carseat and watch everything we did.  We headed to Babies R Us afterwards to pick up some essentials (diapers, formula, etc.)  Brandon LOVES to go to Babies R Us/Toys R Us.  Even though Target is so much closer to our house and it would be much more practical to get our supplies from there, Brandon insists we go to Babies R Us.  We get coupons in the mail because we use our rewards card every time we buy something.  He gets so excited when the coupons come in and immediately plans a trip out there (yes- sometimes even by himself!)  I just humor him.

Saturday night Allie hosted a St. Patrick's Day get-together for our extended family.  It had been almost six weeks since my grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousins had seen Anniston so I was really excited to show them all the new things she has learned.  We had a great time visiting (and eating)!

Anniston with her Kay-Kay (top) and with my handsome cousin Will (bottom)

This morning Allie and I went for a quick run.  It was hotter outside than we both expected so we didn't do as well as we wanted to.  Seriously, where did this 84 degree weather in March come from?  This afternoon was spent playing with Annison, doing laundry, packing bottles for the week, and cleaning up around the house.  Then Brandon, Allie, Anniston, and I headed to dinner earlier tonight for some yummy Mexican food.  It is so great to be able to take A out to restaurants now without fear she will start screaming halfway through the meal.  It's a nice treat to have dinner out every now and then!

I'm ready for an awesome week to follow my awesome weekend!

8 Things I've Learned Since Having A Baby

I had no idea what to expect after I had my first baby.  Sure, I had friends who have had babies, and I knew it was going to be hard, my life was going to change, blah, blah, blah.  But until I actually brought a newborn baby home with me did I really get a taste of how life was now going to be.  No one truly prepare you for what is to come because- #1- every baby is different and #2- you can't possibly understand some things until you experience them yourself.  Here are a couple of random things I have learned since having my first baby.

1.  Breastfeeding is not easy for everyone.  For some crazy reason, I really didn't think twice about the possibility of me not being able to breastfeed.  I knew that it was something I really wanted to do, therefore I would.  End of story.  This was not the case, however.  It was very difficult for me and Anniston. We went through a few traumatic experiences and I cried for days about not being able to nurse.  I won't bore you with the details, but in the end I exclusively pumped for 6 weeks. Pumping was no walk in the park either.  I was so stressed about my milk supply and exhausted from having to pump round the clock.  I cried  again when I started thinking about switching her over to formula to make it easier for us.  I felt so guilty.  When I did, things were so much better for us.  I was happier, she was happier, everyone was happier.  Looking back, I wish I had not stressed out so much about it.  Lesson learned if the same thing happens next time around:)

2. I would rather shop online than go to the store.  Sure, I shopped online before I had Anniston but now I shop online for everything.  Amazon is becoming one of my very best friends.  I buy stuff from there that I could get at Target- that's how ridiculous it's become.  But some weeks, it's hard to fit in a Target run and I LOVE getting things delivered to my front door!

3.  You can survive on less sleep than you think.  I can remember many nights the first couple of weeks where I maybe got 3 hours of sleep.  I would think, "How am I going to be able to function tomorrow, let alone take care of a baby?"  There must be some kind of baby endorphin that kicks in and helps you throughout the day because you function better than you would think.  Or maybe your body just knows you don't have a choice....ha ha.

4.  A trip to Target can be the biggest and most exciting thing you do some days.

5.  I get more excited over clothes, bows, toys for Anniston than I do for myself.

6.  It's so much harder to be a "stylin" mom than I thought it would be.  I had visions of sporting around my 6 week old looking like I had it all together in a cute "mom" outfit.  Sometimes this happens.  80% of the time it does not.  I learned real quick how to get ready in the least amount of time possible.  There is just not a lot of time to spend primping in front of the mirror to look your best.  Either A needs something or I just simply would rather look decent and spend the rest of the time playing with her.  I'm working on this though- it's getting easier.

7.  You don't sweat the small stuff in life.  No matter how bad of a day I have, when I come home and see my beautiful baby girl smiling at me nothing else seems to matter anymore.

8.  Our definition of "fun" has dramatically changed.  Previous fun times included going out to a nice dinner, catching a movie, going to concert, etc.   Now I look forward to nights at home with the hubby and A.  I can't think of a better way to spend my nights.  

Ta Da...

I got a new blog design (in case you didn't notice!)  I absolutely LOVE it!  Thanks to the wonderful Jenn at Munchkin Land Designs for putting this together for me.  I wanted something pretty and professional looking- really more for me than anyone else.  I look at my blog almost every day, so I wanted something that would make me happy when I go to look at it!  I'm very pleased and I think she did a fantastic job!  I hope you all like it too!

Happy 5 Months Anniston!

Baby girl,

You are 5 months old!  You are growing up so fast these days.  So much has happened this past month.  You have tried so many new things and have learned a lot of new tricks.  You smile and laugh more than ever and I have been creative at coming up with new "games" for us to play that make you laugh.  It doesn't take much, and when you do it makes me the happiest mom in the world.

One of your favorite games to play is the tickle monster.  I spread my fingers out and wiggle them and say, "Here comes the tickle monster, coming to tickle Anniston."  Your eyes light up in anticipation of me coming to tickle you.  Sometimes you even try to wiggle your fingers to imitate me.  It is so cute!

You have really started reaching and grabbing things now.  Your hand/eye coordination is so much better.  You love to sit in my lap while we go through all the toys in your toy bin.  I put the toys in front of you and you will reach out to grab it.  You are fascinated by things that light up.  You love to grab hair.  Sometimes you can get a really good grip on it yank it!  Everything you grab goes straight to your mouth.  When we read books you are much more interested in grabbing the book and trying to put it in your mouth.  Aunt Allie gave you some soft books the other day so you can put them in your mouth and drool on them and it won't matter.  You absolutely love them!

You have started eating solid foods.  We feed you breakfast (usually bananas or apples) and dinner (we have tried peas, carrots, green beans.)  So far your favorite is bananas and your least favorite is green beans.  You will still eat them but you make a horrible face while doing it.  You are still taking a bottle about every 3-3.5 hours.

Your sleeping habits have changed a little this month.  You still go to bed around 7:30/8:00 pm but lately you have been waking up once, sometimes even twice wanting a bottle. You used to sleep until about 6:30/7:00 am but now you wake up at 5:00/5:30.  I hope this is just a stage and you will start "sleeping in" again soon.

You love to play in your exersaucer and jumparoo.  We put you in your jumparoo the other day after taking a break from it for a couple of weeks.  You din't need a towel around you anymore to hold you steady!  We had previously rigged up some shoe boxes to put underneath because your feet wouldn't touch the floor.  You don't need that anymore either!  Your Dad and I could not believe how much you had grown in just a couple of weeks!

You are still wearing 3-6 month clothes and some 6-9 months.  It will not be long before you have completely outgrown all your 3-6 month clothes.  You are really long, so some of the pants are getting a little short!  At your checkup this past month you were in the 75th percentile in height.  You are still in size 2 diapers.

Your hair is getting a little thicker up top.  You lost a little of it after you were born, but I think it's starting to grow back in!  You are getting more aware of your surroundings.  You notice Ruby now and sometimes will try to reach out to pet her.  If I am across the room and I speak, you will turn to look in my direction.  If you hear a noise you will turn your head in the direction of the sound.  I cannot believe how much you have developed in just 1 month!

I truly believe the best is yet to come- there are so many fun things I cannot wait to do with you.  I love to watch you learn new things.  I feel so lucky to have you in my life and I thank God every night for keeping you healthy.

I love you, Annie Ruth!

Love,
Mommy

Pinterest Wednesday

I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple today for Pinteresting Wednesday.  Here are some of my recent Pinterest finds that I am loving:

Source: fieldstonehilldesign.com via Kelly on Pinterest

I want to buy this for Anniston for this summer:

Source: gap.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: designetcllc.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Monday Ramblings

-We had a great weekend despite the fact that everyone in our family has been so sick lately!  I blame it on this crazy and unpredictable Memphis weather.  Brandon and I have both been battling a cough, stuffy nose, and aching body.  We haven't really felt terrible, it's just been slowing us down.

-Brandon had his first trade show this weekend with his new job.  He really likes it and I'm so thankful that it's going well so far.  I'm looking forward to having him home more.  He will have to do some training in Tulsa and will be gone for 2 weeks.  That will most definitely be a very long 2 weeks for us all.

-Anniston has decided that 5:30 am is her new wake up time in the mornings.  I haven't been able to sleep past then in over 2 weeks!  I hope this is a stage she is going through and that it won't last forever.  If I could just sleep past 6 on some mornings that would be great.  But for now we've been going to bed around 9 or 9:30 so we can get enough sleep in, especially since we are a little under the weather.

-I ordered A an Easter basket from Pottery Barn Kids this week and I bought her an Easter dress from a local boutique here in Memphis.  I can't wait for all the cute pictures!

-I did so good on working out this week up until Friday when I started getting sick again.  I ran last Sunday, rode the stationary bike for 30 min on Monday, did a workout from Pinterest on Wednesday, and ran again on Thursday.  I also made my lunch every day this week to take to work and Brandon and I ate off a casserole I made for dinner most nights.

-This week is going to be a long work week.  I only have 1 day off in 7 days because I traded shifts with my partner.  Next week is going to rock though- I only work 3 days out of 7!

And because I feel the need to post a picture with this post, here are some from this weekend:

Happy Monday!

Fill In the Blank Friday

www.thelittlethingswedo.blogspot.com

1.  The highlight of my week was  watching Anniston start to grab everything within reach!  She especially loves hair.  She loves to run her fingers through it and then pull it.  She has even started to reach out to touch Ruby this week.  It's so cute!

2.  If I had to classify my interior design aesthetic it would be  traditional with clean lines.

3.  My first vehicle was  a 1991 blue Ford Probe. I called it the "Blue Bullet."  It went through a lot.


4.  An item I need to have in my day in order to function is  a diet coke, hands down.  I can make it through whatever as long as I have a diet coke with me!


5.  My favorite way to waste time is  playing on Pinterest, shopping online, and watching YouTube videos.


6.  Right now I could really go for an  everything bagel with cream cheese. City East has the BEST everything bagels in Memphis.  I discovered my love for these bagels in NYC and have loved them ever since.

7.  This weekend I will be  relaxing at home with Anniston, maybe (if I can find the time) watching Breaking Dawn, and doing laundry.