Honesty

I love my little boy. I really do.  Even when I have to carry him for all of his naps during the day so that he isn't cranky. Even when he wakes up a million times at night.  Even when I have to clean up poop explosions.

But, to be honest, there are times I miss my old life. You know, the one where I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. The one where I could stay out past 6 pm. The one that didn't revolve around a 3 hour schedule. I think that this is one of the biggest adjustments I've had to make (aside from not sleeping through the night).  No more near daily trips to Target. No more leisurely shopping at the mall. No more driving out to visit friends for dinner. I miss hanging out with my friends whenever I want. I miss working on my Etsy shop.  I feel selfish even saying it, but sometimes, I miss it. There are a few things that will hopefully happen in the next few months that will make things a little easier including teaching Baby J to sleep through the night, teaching Baby J how to nap on his own and just letting him have time to grow up a bit.

In the meantime, I'm trying to enjoy where we are...his fat little thighs, his soft skin, his little coos, the way he wraps his arms around me when I hold him, the way he's learning so much, so quickly. It's rough right now, but I know he's going to grow up so fast and then I'll miss how little he is now.  Like Chris often says to Baby J before he leaves for work, "Don't grow up too fast. Okay buddy?"

Baby J and his milk belly.

My Favorite Month of the Year

Yes, February has arrived and it is my favorite month of the year!  Two of my favorite big days are here -- Valentine's Day and my birthday (ha!).  My husband is NOT a romantic, but he knows I love special occasions like this and he tries.  He's been asking me everyday what I want for my birthday and Valentine's Day. So here it is -

A new Mom on leave of absence can dream can't she?

Because you can never have to many good black flats!

Remember these from my Christmas wishlist?

Perfect for our trip to Maui!

This really cute belt!

Happy February!

How Disneyland is Forever Changed

I love Disneyland. I still feel the magic when I walk through the gates and under the bridge to Main Street.  Not to mention the killer churros.  Chris and I went to Disneyland pretty frequently when we were dating and even spent our first New Year's Eve there.  We went to Disneyworld for our honeymoon.  Needless to say, we really enjoy spending the day at Disneyland together. We didn't imagine going to Disneyland with Justin in tow until he was much older, but when a couple of friends who work for Disney offered to take us for free, we had to jump at the opportunity.

I love Disneyland, but Disneyland is forever changed.  With Justin in tow, we went on ONE ride in the 8 or 9 hours we were there.  Most of the hours were spent feeding, burping and changing him.  The leftover hours were spent buying him his first set of Mickey ears, lining up at guest relations for his 1st Visit pin and eating.

Disneyland is forever changed, but not necessarily for the worse...just different.  Yes, we need to forgo Space Mountain and Matterhorn and spend our time instead at Carsland and Toon Town, but we couldn't imagine life without our new little guy. We can't wait till he's older and can love Disneyland as much as his Momma and Daddy do!

The Wish List 2012 Edition

When I start Christmas shopping for others, I end up finding lots of things that would be perfect for me! It's horrible. I know.

Please tell me I'm not the only one.

So, I'm trying to keep shopping for myself at a minimum and honestly, I don't need a single thing on this list, but since you were dying to know, here's my wish list for 2012.

{1} - So luscious 

{2} - I <3 lace. 

{3} - I promise I'll keep them clean! 

{4} - Because you can only have so many pairs of green pants before you move onto a new color. 

{5} - I've got a crush on hammered gold. 

{6} - One can never have too many boxes of stationery. 

{7} - I only need 5 of them - CJ&J<3 

{8} - A little holiday dress! 

{9} - Gold polka dots! It's all in the details. 

{10} - Fun on your finger 

{11} - Just 'cause 

{12} - I have big bag syndrome.

Just Sayin'

Not much to post except that...

I love my husband.
I love our baby.
I love our family who has helped us tremendously.
I love our friends who are a constant source of encouragement.

And...

I'm exhausted.

I promise I'm not a bad mommy. This is part of some diaper rash therapy prescribed by our good friend. Mommy was up way past her bedtime to keep an eye on this guy while he was on his tummy.

Thankful

One of the things that Chris and I always pray for is to be thankful for what we have. This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for family and friends, especially those who have supported us during this crazy week with advice, prayers and helping us out at home. Between a newborn, jaundice and Chris out with the flu and then me, it's been a very insane week. Thanks to those of you who have been praying for us or caring for us in our home while all this has been happening.

I'm especially thankful for my two boys.

Let Me Introduce Myself

Hello! I'm today's guest blogger, Baby Justin. I'm new around here so let me tell you a bit about myself. I'm 6. Yes, that's right, 6 days old. It's been a pretty crazy 6 days. The first few days I was at the hospital with my Mom and Dad, but the last 2 nights, Mom and I had roommates and man, was our roommate noisy! He cried all night so Mom and I had a really hard time sleeping. Then we moved into my new house and had lots of visitors. I met a lot of my aunties, uncles, grandmas, cousins and new friends. But on Sunday night, my Dad got food poisoning and it seemed like that was pretty rough on both Mom and Dad. I was okay though. I was still waking up every three hours to do my thing. The next day, I went for my first doctor's appointment and they said I was jaundiced. I'm not sure what that means, but it ended up being kind of cool because I got these new sunglasses and sat in a box with blue lights. I hope to get out of here today though because I am itching for a change of scenery.

Like I said, it's been a crazy 6 days. What can I say? I'm livin' the fast life.