Family Rules

I love this.....from here:

Doggy Birthdays!

Everyone says that when a baby is welcomed into a family, the 4-legged family members take a back seat.  Of course, our focus shifted when we brought Logan home, but I must say that Daisy and Lilly still get lots of love and belly rubs around here.  They should also be pretty happy that Logan's 3rd official word is "Dog"  ("Dada" was first, "Mama" was second).  Our sweet dogs both celebrated birthdays in the last month, and I didn't properly celebrate them on here.  So without further ado, allow me to love on my sweet dogs:

Happy 5th Birthday, Daisy!!  SB surprised me on my bday 5 years ago with one of the best birthday presents a girl could wish for.  I was working an event that night, and came home late to find a warm, wriggly little chocolate puppy on a pillow on our bedroom floor.  She was cute beyond belief, and I just couldn't believe she was ours.  I was so, so, so happy and excited, but also so overwhelmed as I'd never owned a dog and just didn't know where to start.  SB, thankfully, was a veteran with dogs - and taught me all I needed to know.  She has a funny, persnickety personality.  She doesn't love to be pet, and sometimes likes to do her own thing - but she will be right by my side if I'm not feeling well, and she loves, loves, loves to go running or for walks.  Here's our little Daiser in her first month with us:

And, a very happy birthday to our little Lilly (aka: Willy, Wilbur, or Pickles)!  In planning for our family, we thought Daisy might enjoy a puppy companion.  Caring for Lilly as a puppy was exhausting.  I had forgotten just how high-maintenance puppies were!!  However, nowadays she is such a sweet, loyal (though still unbelievably energetic!!) little thing.  She gives big hugs, loves to be pet, loves to sit on our feet, sit outside the shower, loves to play with Logan (and is amazingly patient with him), and basically will follow me anywhere and everywhere.  We were lucky that we were able to visit her litter just 10 days after she was born.....we literally had our pick of the litter!

 

It took Daisy awhile to warm up to Lilly, but Lilly was a big fan of Daisy from the very beginning!  Now they are the best of friends, and I seriously cannot imagine life without these two:

 

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR SWEET GIRLS!

The carrot.....

Body permitting.....I hope to get back into running soon.  My back started feeling much better yesterday in the late afternoon, so I'm hopeful again.  It's like an hour by hour thing today.  I'm so excited for spring, and I'd love to enter a few races to try to keep the motivation high.  Another good way to stay motivated....cute workout clothes! (double bonus for moms.....cute + easy to wear while chasing little ones!  Totally ok if you wear them with the hope of running, but never end up getting in motion!)  But seriously, the perk of feeling good in what you're wearing is a big one!  Here are a few cute little ditties:

No Room For Error

I called my Mom this morning, the way I normally do when life is feeling chaotic and I need a dose of rational, caring Mom advice.  As you likely know, I work from home and I also keep Logan here.  That means that from wake-up to bedtime, I am balancing my work duties, making sure Logan is fed, clean, dressed, and has plenty of playtime and mama attention all at once (oh and I try to workout whenever I can too...which basically means taking Logan for a jog in the jogging stroller b/c I haven't reactivated our gym membership yet -- and thankfully he likes our little adventures too).  Impossible?  Surprisingly, I've made it work well in these first 10.5 months.  I have had a handful of days when work was really busy, and Logan didn't nap well, and I just felt overwhelmed, and tears may have been shed.....but for the most part, everything has fallen into place and I've loved it.  But right now, I'm going to PT appointments for my shoulder 2 mornings a week before work, and now my back is really bothering me.  It started last Thursday after a run, and got worse after I ran on Friday (dumb move).  I had major back pain in high school, and I get so nervous when I am seriously hurting that it won't just go away.  I just wish that my body would cooperate right now to allow me to do everything, and be everywhere.  My mom reminded me that my current arrangement leaves me "no room for error."  She is right.  SB has a demanding job, and can't just come home and watch Logan while I go to a dr appt at any time.  I'm trying to develop a babysitter list so that I have a handful of people who could watch Logan if I need to go to a doctor appointment, or something like that during the day.  (and I'm even struggling to get girls to call or email back)  So, for now, it is what it is. (SB's least favorite saying). I really wish we lived closer to one of our families.  I know I have friends I could call, but it just seems like such a big imposition even if I know I would do the same for them. 

Do you ever feel that the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and that you have no room for error?  How do you make it work? 

Tips for a Happy Marriage...

My dad has a thing for the United States Postal Service.  He loves to find and share news articles with his children.  I can pretty much expect something from him in our mailbox on a weekly basis, and it always makes me smile.  One of the more recent articles was sent to our dog, Daisy.  It was about a chocolate lab who saved her owner when he had an accident on the family farm.  He thought Daisy would be especially proud to know of her accomplished brethren...and of course she was ;) 

This week (in honor of Valentine's Day) my dad sent my siblings and me (+ spouses) an article about marriage, and what it takes to keep a marriage happy and healthy.  The article was from the "Dear Amy" column in their local newspaper (Dad also has a thing for the tried-and-true paper version...no online news for him).  The advice came from a survey of 1,200+ Americans who had been married 40, 50, and even 60 or more years.  My own parents have been married for 47.5 years (side note...need to start planning for the big 5-0!)!

Here are the top 5 tips for people striving for a long and happy marriage, courtesy of "Dear Amy" (I tried to find the article online, but couldn't...so here's the gist):

1.  Marry someone a lot like you:  Similarity in core values in particular is the key to a happy marriage.
2.  Friendship is as important as romantic love:  Heart-thumping passion has to undergo a metamorphosis in lifelong relationships.  Marry someone for whom you feel deep friendship as well as love.
3.  Don't keep score:  Don't take the attitude that marriage must always be a 50-50 proposition; you can't get out exactly what you put in.  The key to success is having both partners try to give more than they get out of the relationship.
4.  Talk to each other:  Marriage to the strong, silent type can be deadly to a relationship.  Long-term married partners are talkers (at least to one another, and about things that count).
5.  Don't just commit to your partner, commit to marriage itself:  Make a commitment to the institution of marriage and take it seriously.  Seeing the marriage as bigger than the immediate needs of each partner helps people work together to overcome inevitable rough patches.

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose

My heart is feeling very full this Valentine's Day.  It is a wonderful way to feel, and I am surrounding my boys with lots of love today!

This little guy has been running around the house all morning carrying one of the dogs' balls, with the dogs hot on his heels.  He giggles the whole time, and it seems as if Daisy and Lilly are in on the game, and play gently with him. 

We had a yummy breakfast of heart-shaped pancakes, and fruit & spinach smoothies.  SB will be bringing home dinner tonight from a local Italian place.  Sometimes it's just easier to do a date night at home.  Wishing all of you a very happy Valentine's Day, and lots of full hearts :)

A BIG win with a last second threeeeeeee!!!

(Let's keep it real here.....I was asleep just after tip-off.  It was a looooong day!  BUT this alum is very happy to read about the amazing game last night.  Go Duke!)

10 months old (*Feb 2*)

Milestones:
Sleeping: You've had another month of really great sleeping.  7pm - 7am....like clockwork! (knock on wood!)
Eating: You continue to love finger-foods, and trying new things.  Fruits are great, but veggies are not quite as great ever since we introduced fruits.  You must have a sweet tooth like your mama.  We're still pushing the veggies at dinner though.  For the most part you'll give them a try.  You love the fruit/veggie mixes by brands like Ella's and Happy Baby.  The squeezers are such a great invention -- we love taking those when we eat outside of the house.  So the big thing this month is that we weaned you to from breast to bottle.  The first week, you didn't want to give the bottle or sippy cup much of a thought (which totally stressed me out!).  I ended up calling our pediatrician's office, and the nurse said that we were doing the right things (trying new cups/bottles, new nipples), and that we just needed to keep trying, and to give him some extra dairy while he gets the hang of it.  Things are going so much better this week.  The Tommee Tippee bottles and sippies are great.  I should do a separate post on breastfeeding....it was hard at times, but I already miss it (words that I thought I would never say!)  However, that said - it is a liberating feeling to feel like my body is my own again.
Clothing Size: 12 mo., but moving into more and more 12-18 mo.
Diapers: Size 3 during the day (until we finish this last box), size 4 at night.  We've been liking the Costco Kirkland brand diapers.
Teeth:  2!  You have 1 new tooth this month....with a 3rd little bud popping up too.
Etc: We have a full-on walker now.  He is such an active, adventurous little guy.  He loves exploring the house, walking under the kitchen table to play with the placemats, and climbing the stairs (gates are on order!).  He gives me such a mental and physical workout every day.  When we are out and about, people always comment that he is "such a happy baby" (that is until he lets out his ear-piercing screech....that's a new thing that we don't exactly love!  I mean it's seriously just about the pitch that only dogs can hear).  Speaking of dogs....he loves watching the dogs, and petting them - but we are working on "gentle, gentle petting" and not grabbing their faces.  His favorite "toys" are his books -- we probably read at least 5-10 every day.

So we're at 10 months.  I'm already feeling a little sad that we only have 2 months left till he's 1.  I have to get on the bday planning train!  I have a theme, and a potential date - but I need to start putting things into action. 

Current....

I am joining the wonderful AEOT at Up North Preppy with a fun survey.....

current guilty pleasure: Our new, yummy Keurig

current nail color:  Nothing special.....clear polish done by moi

current playlist:  A crazy mix with a little of everything.  In the car I listen to country radio stations.....and my ipod is usually playing upbeat running mixes.

current read:  Just finished She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb), and just started The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Mary Ann Shaffer).  I am trying to stay up to date with my New Year's resolution of reading 10 books this year.

current drink:  Trying to drink more water every day.

 
current food: My meals are so predictable every day....multi-grain cheerio's for breakfast, turkey sandwich on wheat bread for lunch (or something equally easy to throw together), and then something homemade for dinner. 

 
current favorite show: I have several faves (The Office, Parks & Recreation, Mad Men (we're catching up on past seasons via Netflix), 30 Rock) but my most, most fave is Modern Family.  It is just so funny every single week -- so many great characters.

 
current wish list:  A bunch of things for the home....buffet for the kitchen, wall decor for the dining room, some kind of lighting fix for the living room.  Just bought 2 new pairs of mid-rise jeans.  I feel like such a mom -- but at least they're cute and I won't be showing anything when I bend over!!

 
current needs:  A new shoulder.  I saw an orthopedic specialist last week....and he says it looks like  I have a tear in my right shoulder.  I have an MRI scheduled for Friday to confirm.....but if it is indeed a tear, I don't think I could easily have it repaired (ie: surgery) in the next 5 years.  It only hurts when I do overhead motions (ie: playing tennis, throwing a ball) -- it doesn't hurt at all in my normal life (picking up Logan, changing diapers, etc.).  I'm really sad though - I love tennis, but I have to be practical here.

current triumphs: Every single day that I can manage working and playing with Logan.  It is an absolute workout physically and mentally, but I love it.  I've started research to find someone who could come to the house in the morning to help watch him.  If any of you have done that before, and could offer guidance on where you found nannies - I'd love to hear about it!

current bane of my existence: My hair.  Such a petty thing, but I've hated my hair color ever since we moved to St. Louis.  First I couldn't get the blond highlight color quite right, then I dyed it "natural" and I hated that, and now I'm struggling to get it back to a natural blond highlighted look.  Again - so petty, but gosh - shouldn't I be able to control something like hair color if I bring in a picture and everything?  Can I add another....our Internet!!  In the last week, I've called Charter 7 times, we had 5 techs visit our house, bought 1 new modem/router. Thank goodness for the last tech, Dan the Man -- we are back up and running....at least we were until an area-wide outage this a.m.  I seriously wanted to scream!

current indulgence: 2 new pairs of designer jeans - hemmed so that I can wear them with flats.  I'm such a mom.

current blessing: Family time.  I love my boys.
 
current excitement: One of my best girlfriends from high school is coming to visit this weekend.  We have some fun travel plans this year that will allow us to spend time with lots of friends (@ weddings!) in really neat destinations (Ponte Vedra Beach/St. Augustine, Napa Valley, my hometown, and potentially Asheville, NC)

current mood:  Happy, happy, happy and tired!

TAG - you're it!!