DIY Birthday Banner

Since I was a DIY bride, I figured I can be a DIY mama. I found online some cute birthday banners and figured, I can do that and for much cheaper! People wanted $30+ and I ended up spending $11! I went to Michael's with a coupon in hand but everything I needed was already on sale. Card stock and scrapbook paper were on sale for .25, cardboard letters for $3.99 and ribbon for $2. Score!! Came home and traced my letters on card stock, then cut them out (had some help cutting from my friend Steph). Borrowed someones paper cutter and cut out 2 different sizes (1 slightly larger than the other) of scrapbook paper and card stock. Glued my letters onto the smaller paper and that to the larger paper. Used a hole punch and threaded my ribbon threw.
An easy & inexpensive project. Its not perfect but I love it, and I love knowing I made it!

big mess, aka getting started

organizing my paper

Finished product :)

1st 5k

Last weekend I did my 1st 5k!! I didn't train and it showed. I'm bummed with my time of 42min but at least I finished it. It felt good to accomplish my goal of doing a 5k and it was great to see Ben and Michael at the finish line and hear my team cheering me on. I walked/ran. I need to do another one because I KNOW I can improve my time. Now the only thing is finding a race to fit into our crazy summer schedule. I swear, theres not enough time in the day.

team silly jilly! (I'm in the purple)

1 year ago

This time last year I was 38 weeks pregnant with my 6/30 due date fast approaching. I had gained 60lb at this point since the start of my pregnancy, my feet were beyond swollen and I was so uncomfortable, not to mention the heat. All I wanted was for M to be an outside baby. I remember fearing something was wrong 24/7 and never getting over how I got pregnant. I didnt enjoy my pregnancy. Looking back I wish I did. If given the chance to be pregnant again I will enjoy and embrace it.
Everything worked out in the end, I had a very healthy baby and a pretty easy 30+ hrs of labor! haha. Here is what I looked like waiting for Michael to make his arrival! This was the last pergnancy pic I took, I wish I took one the day he was born.

june 11, 2010

I've been a bad blogger, but I have been busy as usual. Michael is running and trying to climb, obsessed with being outside. Working on his 8th tooth etc.My grandfather has been in the hospital and now is in a rehab facility to regain his strenght. He had fluid in his lungs and was having trouble breathing, he is recovering well but is weak. He is down, called me the other day to say 'goodbye' and tell me he had 1 week left to live. I start to panic and speak to my gram who tells me he is fine and feeling emotional. It still sucked. It sucked listening to him cry and tell me he loves us, I'm so close with him. I cant imagine him not being here to watch M grow up... I just need to tell myself he will be fine, he really is the strongest person I know.

In other news Michael's party planning in well under way. The invites are out and I've received great feedback about them! Finding trucks has proved to be a hard task, but I think I've finally found enough. My next task is goodie bags for 12 kids who's ages are 11months-5yrs old. I don't want to waste money on things that will be thrown away in 10 minutes, and I don't want an 11month old to be playing with an 5yr old toy. This is harder than I thought. Fingers crossed I can find things for everyone!

Teeth

Since Michael has 6 teeth, I figured we should start brushing his teeth! He kept on watching us brush our teeth and even would open his mouth- meaning my turn! So during our weekly target run we picked up a Winnie the pooh toothbrush and some baby toothpaste! He LOVES brushing his teeth & we are starting good habits! YAY

the big D

An update on the big 'D', the diet. I'm down another 5lb, which is a total of 15lb. I've cheated a few times but nothing crazy! Still working out 2x per week, I need to somehow increase that- maybe in my sleep? I dunno know, haha!
Some people are commenting on my weight loss and others not, its weird. Sometimes I see it, other times I dont!
Until next week

Moms night out

Last night I attended a moms night out with my stroller strides class. It was at a sneaker store? We went in and got fitted for sneakers, bras, and there was a nutritionist on hand as well as a chiropractor. Wine and cheese too! I have never been properly fitted for sneakers, it was an experience. I probably tried on 6 or 7 different sneakers, had someone watch me walk/run around. I finally picked the best pair for myself and got 15% off, yippee. Enjoyed some nice coversation and was in bed by 10! Sounds like a good night to me!

mama got some new kicks!

party planning

I've started planning the event known as Michael's 1st birthday! I've decided on a truck theme as he is obsessed with trucks. I'm trying not to go overboard but thats easier said than done. I'm thinking about this party alot and have many ideas running threw my head, I dont want to give all the details away but if I can pull it off it should be amazing (to us at least). I picked out the invites on etsy and plan on printing them via vistaprint (I got a great deal on livingsocial, spend $10 get $50 worth of product). I'm inviting 50+ people and plan on hosting in our yard. The children (around 10 attending) will be playing in kiddy pools, sand box and maybe a sprinkler.

I need to get our yard in order- we were sopost to have trees removed this week but that got cancelled due to the weather, or maybe them over booking themselves. Whatever. I need to get some grass seed down but dont want to do that until the trees are gone, as they will damage the yard when coming down. My veggie garden is looking like a wild field.... Ahhhh. Fingers crossed for some decent weather soon! We have a party to plan.

Happy birthday

Last weekend was my 29th birthday (how'd that happen)! I woke up to flowers and cards from my guys. My gift from my husband was going to the casino for the day and some gambling money! Michael got me a gift card to the kidsplace- the shop where we made a platter last month. I'm very excited for this gc because I broke our platter as soon as I walked into the house...dumbass, silly mommy! Any who, the casino was a blast and a few friends were able to join us for the day!

crappy cell pic, but its a pic!

playing catch up

Good god have we been busy. Its a good busy, but still busy. So I'm going to play alittle blog catch up.
Our dear friends got married on 5/7, I did a reading and M walked 1/2 down the aisle! After the wedding we dropped the baby at home with my mom and my gram and spent our 1st night away! It was alittle stressful and I might have gotten 34 phone calls from 4pm-7:30pm but thats okay. It worked out and my baby was in 1 piece the next day!




The following day was mothers day. Make that my 1st Mothers day!! We went to the swan boats in Boston common. Michael loved it as did I. We didnt get any great pics, so I'm bummed :(  That just means we will have to return for more pics!

Babies 1st Mothers day 5/8/11

Fast forward to Tuesday 5/10 and we had a minor surgery. Michael had ear tubes put in. It wasnt as bad as I imagined it would be, thankfully. A quick rundown, we had to be at the hospital for 6:30am, surgery was at 7:30am. M wasnt allowed to eat or drink after midnight and did great with that! He put on a gown and waited his turn, I put on a gown aswell because I wanted to be in the room when he went to sleep. I walked him back, it took about 30seconds and he was out like a light. About 5 min later it was over! To be honest I didnt have too much time to freak out. When he woke up we were able to go into the recovery room and he started SCREAMING. He was pissed. I think part was being starving, part was minor pain and most of all the anestecia. We were home by 8:10am. I gave him some tylenol and he was good to go. He is recovering well and tonight is his his 1st post op tub, fingers crossed he doesnt mind the cool orange ear plugs I bought him!

busy busy

Its been awhile, but I've been a busy lady! May is here and it started off with a bang. May has always been a crazy month for us, with birthdays and mothers day. This May we are adding my 1st mothers day and ear tubes and a wedding!

Michael is officially walking alone threw the house and its soo cute. We have had a few bumps & bruises along the way but hes getting better by the hour! We have 6 teeth now, 4 on the bottom and 2 on the top. The 5th one came in and we didn't realize it until it was threw the surface-oops! He is wearing size 12-18 month clothing and eating everything in sight. He has starting biting us, even the dog (thank god the dog just cried and ran away). M isnt a fan of the word no either. His most favorite place to nap is on me and its becoming a problem. He goes to sleep in his crib and wakes up after 30 min EVERYDAY, I pick him up and he will go back to sleep ON ME for another 1.5hrs. I'm trying today to make him nap in his crib the whole 2hrs...lets see how this goes. I'm watching the monitor (had to mute it) and hes up, screaming at me...
All this and hes not even 10 months yet!

diet

I neglected to post about my diet last week, it was a crazy week around here! My goal was to loose 10lb by 4/16 and I reached it, YAY! This diet thing is hard but its getting easier, its definitely a lifestyle more than say a quick fix diet. I have been in contact with a friend who is a fertility nurse and mentioned my 'our' diet and she said that's great. Its known as the PCOS diet and has been known to help couples get pregnant. Bonus, in my book for whenever that may be! I also contacted our friend who is a nutritionist/dietitian and asked if we were going about it the correct way. Turns out we are, she just said to add a few more carbs in daily.



peace out 10lb!



1st family Easter

We had our 1st Easter as a family on Sunday, it was so much fun! I enjoyed filling M's basket almost as much as I enjoyed shopping for Christmas! I got him an embroidered basket liner from potterybarn and got the basket from Michael's craft store to save some $ (p.b wanted $34 for a basket). I'm all about saving some money. I filled his basket with a few books, one of which sings Peter cottontail- hes now obsessed with the book and I cant get the song out of my head! Some wooden magnets, bubbles, a eco friendly firetruck that I have been eyeing for months, & eco friendly trucks, new cell phone (because his was out dated), a mini photo album to help him learn some of our immediate families names.

Easter basket filled with goodies

checking things out



new chair



We hosted my family and my inlaws for lunch. Ham, mashed potatoes, and a TON of organic veggies. Michael had his usual yogurt and I put the potatoes, squash, diced carrots on his tray and he was in LOVE! Kept on saying ummmm (yum), it was the best. In the afternoon we went to my inlaws and got to see my sister inlaw, brother inlaw and our nephew. Michael had so much fun chasing around his big cousin.

eventful week

Another eventful week over here. Michael took his 1st steps- 4 to be exact! He looks like a little drunkin' sailor, its adorable. He is now 'walking' more and more, but crawling is way faster! He had his 4th tooth pop threw, yay! We went to visit the Easter bunny, M wasn't so sure but he didn't fuss. Just needed mama to play a little peek a boo to get a smile!
And my favorite part of the week was M's newest word: MAMA, MAMA, MAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Honest to god everytime he says it I smile and my heart melts.

ear update

Tuesday we had our ENT consult and a hearing test. Hearing test was GREAT and M passed with flying colors! Michael sat on my lap in a small room and chewed on my teething bling that I got for Christmas. Animal noises came out of speakers at different levels and an audiologist watched to see his reaction. We met with the doctor and he told us about the procedure, showed us the tubes etc. The procedure is very basic and takes 2-5 mins, M is asleep for 15min max. The doctor said the ball was in our court and we could either have the surgery now or wait a few months to see if the good weather will help M. We decided to wait it out and see...

 Fast forward to today- 6 days later. M was up for 2hrs last night screaming his head off and tugging his ear I knew he had an ear infection. We went to the doc this morning to confirm what I already knew. M has his 6th ear infection in 3.5 months.
So to make a long story short I'm scheduling the surgery tomm, it should be in a few weeks.

diet update

The diet. The diet is going well, I guess? I have cheated a tad, Ben and I had 2 slices of pizza on Sunday. And I've discovered michelob ultra. I'm running out of ideas for lunch, its getting kinda boring just eating protein and lettuce... (low carb ideas welcomed)
Stroller strides is going well, I'm not a fan of running stairs or doing frog jump things but I've definitly noticed a difference in my body. We also have been going on family walks- 1 mile each when the weather is good.
I've only lost 1lb this week ( I go Tuesday to Tuesday) so thats a total of 9lb in 2weeks. My goal was 10lb by 4/16 so lets hope I can do it by THIS Saturday!

project day

Sunday was project day around here. While M was napping I started an aisle runner for my friends wedding, I painted her monogram on it. I continued this threw out the day while he napped and finished it by bedtime! It came out pretty good- I think. I just hope the bride likes it!

The next project was for myself: I took M out on a jog. It was a sight especially since I am not a runner. I tried a combo of walking and running. 1 min walk, 1 min run for about 20min- I thought I was going to die, but I didnt! haha!! I need to get out there and go it again since I have a 5k coming up in June. After our run I weeded out my front flower garden while M watched wondering what the heck I was doing! My plan is to get some mulch and new flowers at some point this week to finish it up.

new kicks for M

Since the weather is getting warmer and M is down on the ground now I figured it was time for some shoes- crocs to be exact! We went to a local childrens shoe store and he got measured, like a big boy (tear, hes growing up). He is a size 4 so in crocs hes a 4-5! He thought he was a big shot with his shoes on and it didnt effect his standing! Its soooo cute to see him wearing shoes!!

modeling his new kicks

9 months old!

M is 9 months old, how did that happen??

We had a good 9 month old week- On Thursday we went to the kids place, we painted M's feetys and made a platter. I'm so excited about this platter, I plan on using it on Easter (oven, dishwasher safe etc)!!


finished product





getting painted





Yesterday we had our 9 month well baby check up. My baby is healthy, YAY!! Weighing in at 23lb and 30.5 inches long we are 80% for weight and off the charts for his height! He has hit all of his milestones- he babbles constants and vowels, has great hand/eye coordination, is standing ALONE etc etc. It was a GREAT appt until.... we had blood drawn. At 9 months my doc does a led test and normally she does allergy testing at 1yr but because we have allergies in our family and he was already getting blood drawn we figured lets get some allergy testing done too. OMG, it was awful. I had to sit in a chair and hold Michael, I had to pin down one of his arms while they looked for a vein on the other. My husband watched. My poor baby screamed and cried soooo hard, I had tears in my eyes. One of the women (there were 2) starting singing wheels on the bus, this made things worse! Michael wasn't interested in signing and wanted to LEAVE. I wanted to leave. Before we left he stared down the woman who did the needle. I'm certain he won't forget her. It sucked but I'm happy its done and we will know if there's anything we should avoid.

Awareness

Infertility is a heart-wrenching, faith-questioning, relationship-testing, life-altering experience. April is Infertility Awareness Month. Whether a friend, a family member, a colleague or yourself has fought through this difficult fate that MILLIONS of women are fighting day in and day out...So many have walked to hell & back for the chance to be a mom.  There's a 1 in 8 chance you  know someone with infertility.

Be there for a friend, show them you support them.

target



my favorite place



The other day I went to target (shocker, I know). Target is like my playground especially since they did a renovation at my local target. We have produce, we have everything!! I finally caved and got a target credit card.

I was also able to pick up a new 'toy bin' for Michael's toys. I think he likes it! haha

The diet thing

On Tuesday M and I hit stroller strides at the mall, Its an exercise group for moms and babies. We really enjoyed it, Michael is so much like his mama- he loves to people watch! He really liked the singing during reps and watching me bob up & down. The class involved walking and circuit training and ended with abs (something I forgot I owned). At some points during the 1hr class I thought I was going to pass out, thankfully I didn't! I felt really good about myself afterwards and plan on joining for at least 3 months. I also attended hot yoga this weekend, hot yoga is something I have a love/hate relationship with. I hate it while I'm there but love how I feel afterwards. We have also been able to go on some family walks- about 1mile or so. Michael is having a blast looking at Buddy. Buddy however has no clue that Michael is there, he keeps walking in front of the stroller. Maybe one day he will learn!

During the week Ben and I stuck to our low carb diet. He has lost 11lb and I'm down 8. It isnt as difficult as I expected but it is hard! Its amazing how many things have carbs in it. Fingers crossed for another good weight loss week!!

last week of being 8 months old

 I think Michael wanted his last week of being an 8 month old to be a good one! He has been BUSY!

Michael had his 3rd tooth pop threw (and if history repeats his 4th should be here in a week). His favorite place to hang out in under the dinning room table, he gets in there and then cant get out... Whenever someone says byebye he waves which is the cuttest thing EVER.  Favorite chew toy is buddy's tail and toes (anyones toes, including Buddy) And last but not least he is resting his head on everything, mama & dada, buddy, toys, the floor etc- its his little way of cuddeling- ITS THE BEST!!


favorite place to hang out



 Did I mention while standing he is now letting go and throwing his arms up?? He can do this for a few seconds but once he realizes whats going on he falls to his bum!! I cant believe my baby is going to be walking soon. These 8 months have flown bye, everyday I  love him more and more. I really am truely blessed.



Taking a rest



family fun day



1st trip to the aquarium, I wish M was looking!

checking everything out



 

On Friday we had a family fun day! Ben took the day off of work and I found some aquarium passes at the library (highly suggest). We got into Boston and parked at a garage $35 holy moly I had no clue about parking, thankfully the library passes we had made it $16 to get in (no passes would have been $42). Michael was very interested in the penguins but was distracted by all the strange voices, he also kept making sure mama and Dada were still there. He also enjoyed the small colorful fish. We walked around for almost 2hrs and hit the gift shop... we left there with a new book and a penguin!! We couldn't resist. After the aquaruim we went to the Olive garden and Michael sat in a big boy highchair and ate his yogurt and people watched. It was a great family day and I cant wait to do it again.








new book






m's new friend



1st time in a restaurant highchair



I'm motivated

During my pregnancy I gained 70pounds, that's like a 5th grader and lost it by the time Michael was 4.5months! However I need to tone up and loose some weight and I'm finally motivated (i saw my stomach). I signed up for stroller strides at my mall and I have my 1st class on Tuesday, fingers crossed I enjoy the class and make some mommy friends while loosing my spare tire! Ben and I decided to have NO CARBS at dinner this upcoming week- lets see how that goes! I REALLY want to start running, I hope the weather warms up for me and M to take a jog.

At my friend Steph's bridal shower
(L) me, (R) Steph

**My goal is to loose 10lb by Stephs bachelorette party on 4/16

happy baby

Here is my happy little man, waving HI to mama!! His lungs are 100% clear and I can stop his nebulizer treatments.  Yippeeeee

He is wearing his 12month jammies from his auntie Jackie!

Thats $20 please

Every week I hear the same thing, that will be $20 please, that comes from the receptionist at the pediatricians office! This week we were in because M was trying to amputate his ear and was wheezing a bit. He had the start of an ear infection and mild RSV. Kill me now. We had a nebulizer treatment at the office and got one for the house. He is reacting well to his meds but HATES the treatments that last around 15min. He is in better spirits during the day though. We have scheduled a hearing test and ENT consult for tubes for the end of April, I hope we are able to get in sooner. Fingers crossed.

1st nebulizer treatment at the doctors office

life is good.

Life is good. I mean life is GREAT. I'm so blessed to have my precious baby boy.

We had a good week, the weather was nice, Michael slept 7pm-5:30,6am most days and he had a follow up appt on his ears. His weight is back up to 21.14 (OMG) and his ears are all good, Woot woot!! We are officially antibiotics free and I plan on staying that way for a LONG time. I started using  wally's ear oil for M's ears since he still has a cold and I fear another ear infection will be coming our way. Its a natural way to avoid/help ear infections. Fingers crossed it works as well as the reviews said it did!

Spring is here

Spring is finally here, I think! The weather has been nice enough to go on some family walks and M doesn't need his snowsuit 24/7, win-win! I have been meaning to go for a run this week, even put M in the jogging stroller to find my husband in the driveway home from work early and wanting to go for a family walk instead (buddy too).
I have noticed my front flower garden has a few early buds and is in need of some maintenance especially since I 100% neglected it last year while pregnant. Ooops. I cant wait to clear it out and plant some new flowers. My backyard vegetable garden is also in need of repair,  I cant wait to plant some organic veggies for us this year. I'm sure Michael will enjoy helping me dig in the dirt!

At trader joes this week Michael helped me pick out a hydrangea, fingers crossed I don't kill it. I have a history with hydrangeas!!

sometimes you need to stop and smell the flowers



sometimes you need to touch them too!



The Luck O' the Irish

Yesterday was St.Paddy's Day but technically we have been celebrating all week! I lucked out at carters last week and got all St.paddy's stuff for 60% off! I'm planning on going back to get some cheap stuff for next year, fingers crossed they have 2T (currently we are in 12months). My little man is Irish, not sure if you can tell! We celebrated by going on a family walk and I had a glass of wine, M was fast asleep by 7pm! can't wait till next year, I see some green pancakes in M's future!

The mompetition

First things first, I didn't come up with this fantastic posting title. It comes from a blog I follow- http://www.themompetition.com/ its friggin' hilarious. But its all true. As a new mom I have encountered every ones advice, I mean everyone. I feel as if people are always judging me for how I raise M. Boob vs. bottle, organic vs. not, sleep training, teething, crawling, etc etc etc. I have learned that you cant 'win' when you are talking about your family dynamics with another opinionated mother. There shouldn't be a winner and a loser when it comes to parenthood.  The way I'm raising M works for my family and that's the ONLY thing that matters. I'm not in a 'mompetition' and I dont think anyone should be.  I have a happy and healthy baby and I'm happy.

 This video is fantastic and there are plenty more on the blog or youtube!

8 months ALREADY

Its hard to believe that my little man is 8 months old. Its crazy. When you have a baby people tell you all the time, it goes by so fast and all you want to say to those people is shut up, I know this. I don't want a reminder that my baby is growing up! haha. I can honestly say I cherish everyday with M, even the crying days, the ear infected days the sleepless nights. My favorite days are of course the smiley days. Everyday is an adventure over here; we are cruising the furniture, walking on`our hands and opening cabinets. The current favorite room in the house for M is the kitchen- because it has Buddy's water/food bowls. This child is obsessed with splashing in the dogs water bowl. When I catch him going towards them I say Michael where are you going, he stops crawling looks at me and goes faster while laughing- its hilarious!

I havent introduced new foods this week because we have been batteling colds over here. I did give M some watered down cheerios the other day with his yogurt, he loves eating on his own. He was so excited that he passed out!