Just call me Carmen San Diego

I know, I know.....Where in the world have I been? Have I dropped off the face of the planet? You've probably lost some sleep asking yourself these questions and many more, but I'm here to tell you that I am, indeed, ALIVE. I got yelled at by a stalker friend of mine who informed me that I hadn't written anything since January 17th (yeah, I didn't even know that). Since she's one of my besties and she watched the Bug for me today as we looked at houses, since I was belated on her bday gift, and since I love her dearly.....I will break my record and update the good old blog. Although, P.S.--- "N", for someone who doesn't leave a comment on all my blogging effort, maybe you shouldn't be giving me the hard time. hehe! I say all blog stalkers should come out of hiding and leave some love every once in a blue moon.  :-P

Things have been kind of crazy these past 2 weeks. I've been working non-stop to get my house ready to go on the market. Yep, we even met with the realtor earlier this week and will probably have the official "For Sale" sign in our front yard this week!! CRAZY stuff--and kind of scary too. Prior to having it ready to go, I had some projects to finalize around here, including my DIY no-sew blackout roman shades I did for Bug's room so I could take down the brown sheet. I'll do a post on that process later along with pics of the project. They turned out great, and I was on a crafting high. I was feeling SO good about myself that I also recovered the seat cushions at my breakfast table using more of my fabric glue. Let's just say that project didn't turn out as well as the first, but I was running short on time after doing the blinds during Bug's afternoon nap. For the record, if you ever need cheap, neutral material---go buy yourself a canvas drop cloth at Home Depot, Lowes, or wherever. I got a big one for $13 and still have plenty left over for a future project. Needless to say, I'm kind of excited about the prospect of a new house because now that I'm making time for my house...I'm loving the idea of becoming a do-it-yourselfer kinda gal.

This week my dad and my little brother drove down from NY. We always get the pit stops in GA on the way to the bigger and better destination---FLORIDA, where my other brothers live. My dad got my brother out of school for a little road trip to the Pro Bowl in Miami, since it could be a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, according to my dad. True, it actually IS in the states, so better take advantage. Needless to say, Bug had fun visiting with her uncle and her grandpa and I was actually able to run an errand here and there without her the two days they were here. Yep, that includes getting a cavity filled without my daughter.  Imagine that!! Ahhhh, the luxuries of life. hehe!

Long story short, (ok, not short AT ALL, but by now you should know me well enough to know that I don't know the meaning of a short story), last week I was finalizing my house and doing celebratory birthday dinner evenings (the big 2-9) with the bestie that gave me a hard time for my lack of blogging committment, and I was highly involved in DIY projects. This week, was meeting-with-realtors-AND-hanging-out-with-out-of-state-fam-AND-having-my-first-official-day-of-house-hunting week (house-hunting update for another post). SO yeah....the blog has been put on the back-burner. I'd like to say that I've turned a new leaf--that I'm back in the game, BUT I can't make any promises. I'm really going to try to get better about it, but between keeping my house spotless with two hairy dogs and a baby, getting kicked out whenever someone wants to see it, and constantly obsessing and scouring the internet for any and all potential homes casually looking for my future home, all in between nursing sessions, getting ready for the Bug's big 0-1 in a couple weeks, and chasing around this energizer bunny, we'll see how I do with the blogging.

I just hope absence DOES make the heart fonder and that you all stick with me through thick and thin. I have a feeling these next couple months are going to be quite the rollercoaster. I'll do my best to keep you (and thus the future ME, since this IS my attempt at an online diary given my horrible memory that began at pregnancy) updated all along the way.

Well, We Had a Good Run....

It was fun while it lasted. Actually, it was FABULOUS and I loved every minute of it, or better yet--every minute WITHOUT it. Unfortunately, the time has come where my bubble of cramplessness has been popped.

Yep, the other day SHE reared her cramping, painful, and awful head. And when she came, she came with a vengence. For those of you who haven't caught on yet, YES, I'm talking about Mrs. Flow, The Crimson Tide, Code Red, my monthly visitor....or whatever other cutesy name you call this bloody mess.

Bug will be 11 months next week, so it's been since May 26, 2008 that I last had a visit from her. I know, I've been spoiled and have zero room to complain. Yet, here I am....complaining still. And you know what's worse?? You're having to listen to it.

Anywho....back to my complaint. :-) Like I've said in previous posts, I'm still nursing Bug so I'm on a birth control pill for breastfeeding known as the minipill. When I got on this pill (pretty much right after she was born because I was NOT about to get pregnant again so soon), I was told that "it will keep my uterus nice and clean." aka...I shouldn't have any periods while on it AND breastfeeding. When I started to wean her, I need to get back to a real pill because the minipill isn't 100% effective on it's own. So when I was ready to wean and get off this pill, my monthly visitor would be back.

Well wouldn't you know, I'm still nursing about 5 times a day, still taking the pill every day (again, NOT about to get pregnant now), and what do I feel running down my leg??? Ok, it wasn't really running down my leg, but it makes for a much more interesting (and disgusting) picture, don't you think?? But seriously, I was cramping soo badly and couldn't figure out what was going on. Surely, I'm not getting my period. I thought I have a nice and clean uterus. Then...GUSH!! Did I pee myself??? I must've sprung a leak. I wasn't laughing hard, so I'm sure I didn't pee my pants from that. What's going on??? Into the bathroom I go.....

and what do I find???

My period has returned in an angry fury!! My first thought was, "Oh no....does this mean my birth control is no longer working since my uterus is obviously NOT so 'nice and clean' like I was told." I'm not ready to wean Bug off breastfeeding yet, so I can't take the real pill. Then the thought that I may actually have to use condoms hit me like a ton of bricks. For the record, I HATE THEM!! I think I've only used them like once, maybe twice, around the time I got off the pill before to try to conceive, but before I actually wanted to conceive. If I haven't mentioned it, I'm a HUGE planner and knew exactly the month I wanted to get pregnant so I could get the most out of my maternity leave. Thank goodness my plan worked well with God because He blessed us with our Bug on the first go. So here I am...spoiled about not having to use a condom and dreading the thought of it. At the same time, I can't get pregnant before September or my new insurance won't cover it. So no.....Oh, "if it happens, it happens" here. I was freaking out about this wrench in my birth control plan...all amidst the usual hormonal feelings that come with your period.

Just so you all can rest easy and get some sleep tonight, I will tell you that the nurse said I'm A-okay on my pill. That it's still working, but that my body just told me it was time to shead it's skin. I may or may not get another period last month, but I at least know that I shouldn't be peeing on a pregnancy stick anytime in the extremely near future. Yep...that means no other means of birth control necessary. YAY!! So although I'm hating every minute of my crampy mess of a friend's visit and hating the monthly reminder of being a girl, I guess I should be grateful that Bug's helped me keep the crimson tide at bay this long.

Delivering the Mail

So for any of you who haven't had the personal experience of becoming a mailman, it is exhilarating, particularly when you're sneaking around at night like McCreepy....hehe! Ok, let's start from the beginning. When I resigned my teaching position to stay home with Bug, I thought I'd make some extra cash tutoring. I can charge a pretty decent amount per hour--the going rate--and still get to do what I love during her naps, work with kiddies. I was pumped. I'd make just as much as I would've working part-time with a fraction of the hours. I had connections in a bunch of schools in this area, so I had teachers on my side to get the word out. This was an awesome business in the making.

Except, it wasn't!! Fall came and went, and I barely got a call. I knew teachers were giving my name out to any interested parents, but I wasn't getting many calls and the ones I was getting ended up falling through. It didn't help that I am 10-15 minutes away from the schools I taught in---why would parents drive to my house after school when they can get someone IN the school??? I joined homeschooling Yahoo chat groups to offer my services to them. I got nothing! I emailed principals to see if I could drop some flyers off. Most didn't respond, the ones who knew me allowed me to do so, but again...the schools were farther away. So yeah, the tutoring thing wasn't happening. I knew God wanted me to stay home, so I still trusted Him that something would work out.

At the start of the second semester and the new year, I got motivated again. This time, I was going to do some advertising in MY area. Unfortunately, I didn't know many teachers in the schools RIGHT near my house, but the couple I did got a lovely email begging nonchalantly asking them to refer me if a parent asked about a tutor. Then I thought I would go ahead and make a postcard from vistaprint.com. If you haven't been there, they do some great stuff for pretty stinkin' cheap. That's where we made our birth announcements for like 1/2 the price that some friends paid. Anyway, made my postcards and googled for a coupon. Wouldn't you know it, I found one which cut the prices of the postcard packages in 1/2. LOVE GOOGLE!! My husband was amazed by my skills, and I was estatic to get 250 color postcards for like $25 or something.

They arrived within a week and you would've thought it was Christmas by my response to getting them. Unfortunately, that night, Darling Dearest didn't get home until 7pm. So we couldn't play mailman that night. Last night, he got home at his normal time (around 6:30). We fought with the Bug over food calmly fed our precious daughter, packed her up, and hit the road. We had two neighborhoods in particular that we wanted to hit up with postcards---both have beautiful and expensive homes. Surely, they'd be the ones to have some extra cash in this tough economy...maybe??

Hubby had it all planned out. I would drive since his arm span is longer. FINE BY ME!! So into the first neighborhood we creeped...me driving, Bug chillin in the back, and Hubby with his arm out the window ready to hit up the mailboxes. We were just hoping no one called the cops on the creepy SUV sneaking up and down the streets of the neighborhood, awfully close to the houses. At first, I was pulling up too far away and Darling Dearest yelled at me kindly instructed me concerning my driving. Well, I didn't wanna bust our car, pardon me!! Then, I wasn't going fash enough. He wanted me to smoothly roll up and out of there with just enough time for him to get the postcard in. Well, I didn't wanna snap his arm off. Pardon me, AGAIN! When I started moving faster, it was too fast!! The whole thing was actually pretty funny because we started off in a good and playful mood about everything (started off being the key words).

We finally got into a "GO" system. I wouldn't pull off until he said GO. Every now and again someone was walking their dog or taking out the garbage, so we had to ABORT MISSION ASAP and head back to that street. Let me tell you, some of these neighborhood set-ups are confusing. It was all I could do to remember where we had been...and most of the time we had to do a mailbox-check to see if we'd been up that street or down that side. Ugh! Pain in the boot-AY! Not to mention, at some point in there Bug started to SCREAM! How could I be passing out tutoring flyers telling people to trust me with their child when I have mine screaming her head off in the back seat??? So I pulled over in front of an empty house for sale, got in the back, and whipped out a boob. After a slight interupption, we were on our way again. We were getting to the point where we had passed out close to 200 postcards and were ready to head to the next neighborhood before getting busted in this one. At our last house, someone was walking out the door as we put the card in the mailbox. Hubby was DONE! You would've thought we were smuggling drugs by how "busted" he reacted. hehe! So off we went to the next neighborhood.

Prior to getting there, we had a quick pull through Mickey D's for some energy to finish the mission. We only had 60 cards to get out in the next neighborhood and were mentally OVER IT! This was the point where the playful/fun attitude flew out the window. These mailboxes were different than the others. Harder to open? Close? I don't know....but all I know is, I wasn't doing it right. I was going too fast or not up far enough, close enough...you name it. Not to mention, I was trying to eat my chicken selects while creeping through the neighborhood in a totally stalkerish way. This was HARD work. I told Hubby I may drop him off and he responded that he'd take the postcards with him. heheh! ANYWHO....we made it through the last 60 and still loved each other at the end of it. I love that Darling Dearest is the kind of guy who would do this with me and for me without even thinking to complain about it. I told him it was an investment in our family business. To which he responded about how we were TOOT-ers! "Yep, that's something I do well!" Yes, hubby---it is. Thanks for turning this whole thing into a joke about your ridiculously smelly pasttime. :-) And you all wonder why I love him so much. The whole process took an hour and a half, and that includes feeding time for us and her. Not too bad, if I do say so myself.

If I don't get any calls out of this, I just may cry inconsolably like a 2 month old infant!! But hey, we had a pretty comical experience out of it and at it's worse, it was $25 spent on a night on the town with my family (or the closest thing to a night on the town that I've had in about a year). Totally bummed I didn't get any pics of our adventure. Maybe we'll go out tonight and pose for some feux-pics of this experience. Here's for hoping I get some calls!

What are some of the most ridiculous or embarrassing things you've done for a job??

Prayers for Haiti

Let's join in prayer for the people of Haiti during this tragedy. On of my best friends was a missionary down there. She came back this year to raise support and is going back there permanently in the summer. Her heart is in Haiti, along with several of her loved ones. My prayers go out to both the people of Haiti as they deal with the destruction, but also the people here and around the world whose hearts are in Haiti. May God bless the relief effort and be a source of hope and peace for everyone during this time. This certainly puts my "troubles" in perspective. Thank the Lord that He is sovereign in all things. I hope we take some time out of our busy schedules to pray for those who could use our prayers right now.

I've Created a Monster!!

It has come to my knowledge that I may never be able to leave my child during a mealtime (ok, "never" may be a bit much...but at least for as long as I'm still nursing). Why?? Because I've created a monster!! Hopefully, this post will be helpful to some nursing mamas or those of you who may be expecting.....this is what NOT to do!

Bug is 100% breastfed, with the exception of solids and finger food. Needless to say, she needs ME for most of her nutritional needs. I'm planning on nursing somewhere beyond a year, and she'll be a year next month. So we'll see how I feel in a few months. Several months ago, my milk supply started slowing down. She was nursing less often with the introduction of food. I even added the number of meals very slowly so my supply wouldn't take such a huge hit. I thought I was doing everything right, and I definitely did my research (total nerd like that). Anyway, my daughter takes her breastmilk like one would wine---a little at a time. Yet another hit to my milk supply. Prior to maybe September, she would occasionally get a bottle of pumped milk, and all was well to the world. Here's the science of nursing for those who may not be familiar....the more they nurse, the more they tell your body to produce. The body gives what is needed, so if they're nursing less, the body thinks it needs to produce less. Pumping is good, but it isn't as efficient as nursing. Nothing gets more milk out than your baby.

With our little science lesson behind us, you'll understand why I decided to hold off the pumping and keep her nursing. I didn't want to waste any of my liquid gold (frozen milk) I stored up unless there was an emergency. That was the beginning of the end. Braya was nursing more often and my supply went up more, but it was only enough to feel her. I wasn't making much extra to store. Basically, the milk I stored up was probably going to be "it" as far as my supply went unless I could up my supply, which I was hoping to do by nursing her more often. I guess at some point in those months, she got so used to nursing that anything other than the tap itself was unacceptable.

We found this out the hard way. The other night, my boobs just really wanted a break. They were drained. The tap was dry. So Darling Dearest heated up some liquid gold. He attempted to give her a bottle of it...NOPE! Bug threw a fit and wouldn't take a bit of it. So we put it in a sippy cup, which is what she normally drinks from. NOPE...this girl is not taking the sippy cup either. Back in the bottle it went because goodness knows I wasn't about to waste any of this milk. She was going to drink it, even if I had to put a funnel to her mouth. No need to call child protective services, the funnel comment is an exaggeration (maybe). :-) We tried different size nipples--thinking if we tried one with a huge hole, she'd be forced to taste enough that she'd realize it was the same thing.

Darling Dearest and I had two different approaches. His was much more annoying and angrying than mine. She looked away, he found her with the bottle. She got mad and he continued to chase her down. Finally, mama had to step in. Darling Dearest is usually amazing with his Bug, but tonight....he didn't have the golden touch. It's basically a miracle she didn't learn to punch and slug him right in the face with how much he was annoying her with the bottle.

So did I get her to finish the bottle? You bet I did. Did it take distraction with a book, a million sips before she actually stuck with the whole drinking thing, and a ridiculous amount of time?? You bet it did!! I swear I aged a good 10 years from start to finish of that bottle, but hey...no liquid gold was wasted. I should've just nursed her and had it over and done with, but through this experience...I learned the hard truth..............

I've created bottle-refusing, boob-lovin' MONSTER!! I'm counting down the days until she's one when she can drink cow's milk amd all the water she'd like to supplement her mama's milk. This mama would like to be able to go do some things without her! Here's to hoping she finds something she loves just as much as her mama's milk!

Projects & Pics

So in the effort to become more crafty, I've managed to complete some DIY projects for my house. I did a couple Christmas decorations that I'll put up once I finally get all my Christmas pics in one place. Yep, you'll probably get my Christmas pics update in February. :-)

ANYWHO....As you know, we're going to put our house on the market soon. It was supposed to be right after the holidays, but my house currently looks like a hot mess and I feel like I'm starting from square 1 all over again. It's just so stinkin' hard to get to finish my to-do list when I'm chasing around Bug all day.

Then why are you wasting your time on this thing right now?? Yeah...I heard you. You asked it.

Beats me! I probably shouldn't be...but it is nice to have a couple minutes sitting in bed and doing my own thing...even if it's only long enough for me to write this post.

So I've begun the process of making my house less personal---taking down the pictures, etc. Let me tell you, my house was pretty much covered in pictures. Since I'm not about to decor me out of house and home, I decided to make some of it. I saw this project on Michaels.com using styrofoam materials. I got some foam board, spray glue, and scrapbooking paper and off I went......here are the results. They're not perfect, but they're cheap, they'll do, I did it myself, and so----I love them.

I just cut the foamboard into 12x12" squares (some of them I pieced together from leftovers because you can only get 2 whole 12x12 squares out of one piece of foamboard---better to use the leftovers and tape them together.), sprayed it with spray glue, put the scrapbooking paper on the top & smoothed it out, then covered the edges with ribbon. The ribbon didn't exactly lay flat because I definitely hacked up some of the edges of the foamboard when cutting, but at least you can't see my hack job. :-) Pictures below (I was messing around with the settings of my new camera & I still don't have a good program to do any editing in---any ideas??).

And while we're at it....some other pics of the house (ok, I just wanted an excuse to mess around with the Canon Rebel XSi I got for Christmas...yay!)

I tbought these wall hangings with the candles for like 8 bucks together at Ross. I need to go back to find some centerpieces and decor for my mantle.

Let me just say that the balls in this bowl smell like YUMMY cinnamon (or used to...how can I get their scent back?)

So can I keep these berries up as "winter" decorations and not Christmas decorations for when my house is for sale?? They're neutral enough, right?? Please say, YES!

Yes, I know the sap is coming out on some of these Ikea mirrors--already bought replacements. :-) Still more berries in this room.

Don't these fake hydrangeas look real?? I have them in my bathroom too.

PS....I'm not editing this post because Bug just woke up and I need to go be a mama. :-) Sorry for any typos or misspelled words in advance.

OPINIONS PLEASE: Best and Worst Baby Purchases

So one of my besties asked me the other day what baby things I wouldn't have purchased had I not been a first time mom and the perfect prey for these baby product companies who thrive on my cluelessness and my desire to get everything my child just may need. Anyway, I thought this would be a great idea for a post and an open discussion----the things we got that are a HUGE, pointless waste of money and the things we couldn't live without. Hopefully, this will help some other unsuspecting first-time mommies (or soon-to-be) from falling prey to the trap of all things cutesy. :-)

Someone tell me why exactly I got this??

The whole baby bedding set-- Now let me tell you this was one of THE most stressful and "important" decisions I thought I made prior to Bug's arrival. This decision determined the decor and cuteness factor of her room. I mean, it practically shaped her future, right?? :-) How could I possibly have her sleep in a room that wasn't perfectly decked out with all its girlie goodness?? Well let me tell you, I found my Confetti Girl by BananaFish bedding set at a ridiculously cheap price at some random online store, so I thought, "Yay, I can afford to get some accessories!" I got the comforter, the bumper, the bedskirt, the plain pink sheet, the valance, 2 of the matching pillows, the round rug, the hamper...and I was going to get the lamp, but the one I wanted was out of stock. While this stuff was on sale and "inexpensive" for what it is...it was still a couple hundred dollars. Well, let me tell you about what I've used and what was the biggest waste.

OK, most of the typical 4-piece bedding set (skirt, bumper, sheet, comforter) is a complete waste. Babies aren't supposed to sleep with comforters/loose blankets OR bumpers in prevention of SIDS. I never did the comforter (it's resting on my rocker for decor purposes ONLY--you know how many other cheap blankets I could've gotten for the same purpose?? WASTE!), but I did try to use the bumper because it had double ties and I didn't think it was dangerous (plus, it was SUPER cute and everything in me wanted to use it for that reason alone). Until one day her face got awefully close to it, and I FREAKED out. I took it off right there in the middle of the night and never looked back. Babies like to scoot to the edge of something even before they can move well--all the more reason to not have that cute, fluffy bumper. I ended up getting a breathable bumper for $15 so her hands & feet couldn't get through but also that she couldn't get suffocated OR use it as something to stand on to get out of the crib. I used the skirt until a couple months ago when she started standing up in her crib and I had to lower the mattress to the lowest setting. The bedskirt could no longer fit---sad day! So now my adorable bedding set that I had to have has dwindled down to a plain pink sheet. Had I known this, I would've invested in some cute sheets and spared the rest.

The rug was also unnecessary. I used to have it by the crib, but every time I walked over there, it would bunch up. A rug on a rug isn't the most crucial thing to have.

I also have only used my matching hamper to throw stuffed animals in because my laundry room is 2 doors away and her stuff usually has food all over it and needs to get washed ASAP. So that was also pointless FOR ME, although maybe will be used later. I know my bestie uses hers frequently.

I use my valance, but you wouldn't know it because I've thrown a brown sheet over it to keep the room dark for her naps. Would've preferred making my own blackout curtains or shades, but that's for another project later.

All "Baby's First" clothing and accessories-- I know, I know...I fell into this trap too. These baby's firsts are probably bigger firsts to the parents than the babies. The companys know this and they know that we parents are the ones with the money, so they get us on the emotions. All those "baby's first" stuff can really only be worn once. Baby's First Easter, St. Patty's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas....etc. Unless you get a really good deal on it, I wouldn't waste your time. Instead, get a bib with a turkey, snowman, egg/bunny, whatever....that way they can use the same bib for a year or two. Otherwise, make a cutesy sign and have them hold it up for a picture while they're in their holiday gear. You can wear snowman PJs or onesies all winter long so you don't have to feel ridiculous when they're wearing their "Baby's First Christmas" onesie in January so you can get the wear for your money.

Things I couldn't live without on a daily basis:

My Chicco traveling system---it's awesome. The carseat is one of the best rated and the stroller is amazing, in my opinion. I have the grey and green one so it was neutral for use with any of my future children.

My Diaper Genie ELITE--You just push the peddle and the thing pulls the stinky diaper into its belly so you don't have to smell it---until it gets super high, but I've found you can always smoosh more in there then you think. It holds a good amount of diapers too.

My wipe warmer--Ok, so I didn't register for this and thought it probably would've been a waste of money, but when I never had to deal with an upset baby (until now when she wants OFF that table and to crawl around) due to cold wipes on cold days....LOVE IT! It's also nice having warm wipes to wipe her face and hands now that it's the frozen arctic here.

My video monitor--I know some people would HATE one of these because they feel like they'd be constantly watching it. I wasn't that person, so I found it invalueable. That's actually how I saw Bug's face close to the bumper that night months and months ago. I'm not going to lie...it was REALLY awesome to have in the beginning. I'd have her inside sleeping while I'd be able to lay out and relax in my yard. I could see if she was just crying and fussing to get comfortable or if she was really done and ready to get out. Saved me a lot of trips up to her room to check on her when I was laying out with my straps untied. :-) It's also been great to have now when she's overtired and crying in bed. I can just watch her and tell if she's rocking and tossing and turning in her crib and will cry herself to sleep or if I'm going to go in and help her. LOVE it!

My Plumb Blink CD-- My bestie burned a copy of it for me and it's something I use for every nap and bedtime. As soon as she hears the music and I turn off the lights in her room, she's resting her head on my shoulder, sucking her thumb, and it ready to hit the sack. It's by a Christian group (Plumb), but it's basically the sweetest most calming lullabies you've ever heard. I believe she wrote them for her baby. They brought tears to my eyes so many times when I rocked her before putting her in her crib. I couldn't live without this. Best gift!

My gliding chair--- My bestie gave me an old glider that she was given and didn't need. My husband painted it a dark brown to match our espresso furniture set and my sister re-covered it with soft, tan fabric (to be used in any future nursery). I love that thing and all it cost me was $$ for paint and fabric.

My camera & video camera--I think this speaks for itself. The faces, sounds, moments, silly antics.....all caught for future reminescing and wondering where the years went.

My decorative baskets/buckets--They're big and they hold everything (not to mention, they match the bedding decor that once was). I've got one on the changing table, anothers on the ground holding her toys. I also have a matching ottomon that holds her stuff.  Anything for cute storage.

My Medela Pump N Style Pump--Well, technically I borrowed it from a friend of mine who used it all of maybe 3 times (I know, I know...you're not supposed to borrow these). Anyway, I got new tubing and accessories for it, but I don't know what I would've done without it, especially in the first 6+ months. I'm not pumping as much now because I need to keep my dwindling supply up and it's better if she's nursing because it gets more milk out.

My Bumkin Bibs-- I started off with regular brands of these types of washable, plastic bibs with pockets to catch the messes, but my bestie introduced me to the real deal: BUMKINS. They're SOO much easier to wash. They keep in better condition. They may be a little more expensive than the others, but totally worth every penny of it, which means a lot coming from a cheap person like myself.

Some of you may disagree with me and found uses or the lack thereof for some of the goodies listed above. I'm also sure there's plenty more that I could come up with that I'm momentarily forgetting, but that's where YOU come in. What are your best and worst baby investments?? Let's get a good reference list going for those new or soon-to-be mommies to save them some time, energy, and money.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! May today be the start to a wonderful year for you all. May the Lord bless you richly and more importantly, may you grow to know Him more---His peace, His love, His forgiveness, His joy.

Last night was 10 years since spending my first New Year with Darling Dearest with him wrestling with my brothers. Aww, memories! Ok, so last night we didn't make it past 11 (probably more like 10:30). I even turned my phone on silent so my sleep wasn't disrupted by Happy New Year texts/calls. Someone should've given the people in the neighborhood who love to set off fireworks the memo. ;-) We were exhausted and both have sinus infections---YUCK! So we had a relaxing night at home (truth: we are babysitterless which means we haven't even had a couple hours alone since our 5 year anniversary in June--we really need to move where we have family or get family to move here ASAP). Suprisingly, I actually enjoyed being home. It was nice to both put Bug to sleep and say our bedtime prayers as a family while praying for all those we love as we enter a new year. Wouldn't have traded that for a night on the town anyway.

This past year has been my best one yet, with the introduction of our Bug into our lives. We've been so blessed this year with me being able to stay home with her and watch her every new skill. She's brought more joy than imaginable into our world and I'm so grateful for the gift of her life. We've got a lot to be thankful for from the past year and even decade. I look forward to all that 2010 will bring our family and our loved ones. It's the beginning of a new year and a new decade! Let's make this year a great one!!