Tag: cute | Baby Doodah!

A Day in the Life

Posted on August 13 by Jillian416 • 2 Comments

A few blogs that I follow have been doing “day in the life” posts and I thought it would be fun if I did one too. If you want an example of another “day in the life” post, you can check out Healthy Tipping Point.

4:40 – 4:45 AM – My alarm goes off and I remark to myself that I think I’ll go sleep for a bit on the couch. I’d love to stay in bed and snooze a few times but Seamus has a hard time getting back to sleep after my alarm, so snoozing it repeatedly isn’t fair to him, so I get up.

Once I’m up I realize that I’m not actually as tired as I felt while still in bed and can use this time to get some things done.

5 AM – I’m wide awake now, and flipping through Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest or trying to catch up on reading some blogs. I’ll also occasionally write a blog post, but not this morning, a little too slow mentally.

5:20 AM – Hop in the shower. I always try to get in and out before I wake Seamus up at 6, that way once I’m in the bedroom again I can dry my hair right away. With it being shorter, it air dries quickly and if I don’t handle it right away it looks messed up.

6 AM – Head into the bedroom, wake Seamus up, blow dry hair.

6:10 AM – Do make- up and hear Emmett starting to stir on the monitor. I’ll usually let him roll around and sing to himself for a bit before getting him, unless he’s bawling, then I get him (or Seamus gets him) right away.

6:20 AM – This begins my whirlwind of dressing, styling hair, packing bags, brushing teeth, walking back and forth across our house about a million times, ensuring I haven’t forgotten anything and finally loading Emmett into his car seat and heading out the door.

7:15 AM – We are on our way to school. Typically Emmett falls asleep on the ride in, sometimes he’s mad and just shouts the whole way. This morning, he was nice and content and dozed within minutes of us driving away from our house.

7:50 AM – Arrive at day care. I drop him off, put his sippy cups of milk in the fridge, take him over to the younger baby room because his normal teacher his helping with breakfast. Get him buckled into his high chair, open a banana for him and chit chat with the teacher for a few minutes.

I realize I’m already running late (I have a meeting at 9 that I need to prepare for), I give Emmett about 20 more kisses and head out the door.

8 AM – Even though I’m running late, it’s Monday and what better way to start the workday than with a Venti Iced Coffee from Starbucks? So I stop and order just that with a shot of vanilla and 1 cream. Perfection!

8:15 AM – Pull into work and hustle in with all 4 bags I have. Normally I only have 3 but since I decided to workout during lunch today, I had a fourth one with my gym clothes in it.

8:20 AM – Begin the extensive login process to my computer and other necessary systems. Bunker down and get to concentrating on what needs to be covered in my 9 o’clock meeting.

9 AM – I have a series of morning meetings which all go smoothly and then I’m back at my desk trying to get through all the new work that I have since being promoted. All stuff I am enjoying doing, but I am trying to work on my time management since all of my old jobs had hard and fast deadlines that were a long distance out, and now my deadlines are ever changing.

11:30 AM – Emmett is still nursing and I’m still pumping once a day, I head down to the lactation room for my one pumping session.

12:15 PM – Get changed, go for a 5.88 mile bike ride. Come back and eat my delicious lunch, a salad with chicken, hard boiled egg, blue cheese crumbles and sunflower seeds and 2 locally grown plums.

2:30 PM – Another meeting and it also goes well. The rest of the work day is spent trying to get through everything, I do a pretty good job and knock some big things off the ‘to do’ list.

5:15 PM – Leave work, head to pick up Emmett.

5:35 PM – Get to day care, find out that he had tripped earlier in the day and has a big bump right above his eye. He’s fine, it looks worse than it is but I still feel bad for the poor boy.

6:20 PM – Get home, IMMEDIATELY change and head outside with Emmett while Seamus cooks our dinner, burgers and corn on the cob tonight.

6:45 PM – Sit down to eat. Seamus is an amazing cook and his burgers tonight are no exception, I savor every single little bit.. Yummy!

7:15 PM – Play time! We all hangout in Emmett’s new play room and play with his toys and every so often our sweet boy will climb up in our laps and cuddle. Such fun!

7:35 PM – Emmett’s bath time, then lotion, book, nursing and finally bed.

8:15 PM – I fill my water bottle and sit down to work on this post. Phew!!

9:15 PM – Seamus and I will usually watch something on TV. Currently we’re watching Dexter, starting from the very beginning. We are two episodes in, Micheal C. Hall plays such a good creep.

10:15 PM – In bed with my iPad, reading some blogs.

10:45 PM – Time to Crash! Zzzzz

Are you as exhausted from reading that as I am from living it?! Life is so so busy right now, but I would not change a single thing!

Your turn!

What does your “day in the life” look like? Are you a snoozer, or do you jump right out of bed?

Filed Under: All About Me, Daily Updates, Family

Birthday Party Teaser

Posted on August 3 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

Whew! I am exhausted!

Here’s a birthday party teaser for you…

Oh yes, today was Emmett’s first birthday party and I’m pretty sure a good time was had by all. I will share the whole experience with you tomorrow, but tonight (because I’m pooped) I’ll share just a few of my favorite pics from the day. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Daily Updates, Emmett's Birthday, Family

Day at the Park

Posted on June 9 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

This was first weekend in a long time that we were free and had time to do some family bonding. We tossed around the idea of going to the zoo but changed our minds because yesterday’s weather was kind of iffy and we didn’t want to risk getting caught in the rain, so the idea of going to a playground came up but we weren’t sure where a good one (for babies) was. Seamus did some quick googling and actually found a list of the top 5 local playgrounds.

I don’t recall where this particular playground fell on the list but it was really really nice! I look forward to Emmett being older, so we can take him and he can run around. This time we put him on the swing for awhile and he really loved that, then we walked around to see what else was there. It had so many different “obstacles” that I can’t even remember them all. Seriously, can’t WAIT until Emmett is walking (running) around.

Here’s his first swing…

The baby swings at this playground were a little different than what I had seen at others but we were careful not to swing him too high or too fast and he ended up having a blast. Like I mention in the video he really just wanted to stare down at the wood chips, I’m sure that’s because it looked so neat going fast underneath him.

We took turns pushing him so that the other person could be in front and get to see his adorable smile as he flew back and forth. Everyday there are new things that warm my heart, this was definitely one of them. He was so happy!

Once we were all swung out, we went to check out the slides to see if any of them were dry enough or short enough to send Emmett down. We found one and sent him down with me there ready to catch him but he didn’t seem to enjoy it too much so the next one we tried (there were literally 6 or 7 slides on this playground) Seamus went down with him. Emmett seemed to enjoy that SO much more!

Our final stop was at this bouncy circular thing. Seamus and I both remarked how when we were kids the circular toy at the playground spun around and around, until you got sick. This did not spin, it just had some giant springs underneath it and bobbled around. We sat on it, with Emmett, for awhile before we decided to call it an afternoon.

I’m definitely not rushing Emmett to grow up, I love his age right now but the park will be even more fun when we go back, once he’s walking.

How did you spend your weekend?

Filed Under: Daily Updates, Family

Dear Emmett

Posted on May 27 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

10 months!? 10 whole months old! Insane!

This month’s post is a little late because your baby cousin and her family were in town to celebrate her first birthday, so we were busy visiting.

Don’t worry, Emmett doesn’t normally ride in the front seat. He was only here because he had just finished nursing.

In last month’s post, I shared that you were still army crawling, it was literally the day after you turned 9 months that you started really crawling. I was in the other room and your dad yelled for me because (as he said it), “Your boy is crawling!” I ran in but you were already back on your belly but within no time, I got to witness you crawling. What a big boy! Here’s a funny story, I was picking you up from day care one day and I asked your teachers whether they had seen you do your big boy crawl yet, both girls said no. As if on cue, you stopped playing with your toy, got on your hands and knees and crawled over to me. It was adorable! Both teachers were very excited for you, and I can’t say I blame them. I am endlessly proud of you!

We celebrated my first Mother’s Day. You and daddy got me such nice and thoughtful gifts, a beautiful new charm bead for my Pandora bracelet and a gift certificate to my favorite salon, to be used for a massage or in another pampering way. Daddy also took us out for breakfast, it was a buffet and the food was really good. You weren’t really into anything, except for the french toast and a small piece of bacon. Then we went down to your Grammy’s house to spend the afternoon with her. It was a perfect first Mother’s Day!! I can’t wait for every year to come. 🙂

Remember last month when I said you were getting better at standing up and were slowly starting to coast? Well, you are now a pro at pulling yourself up and moving along, whether it be your crib, the pack and play or our couches. You grab, pull up and MOVE! Your dad and I have had to be much more careful about what we put places since you’re able to reach things now. Pretty soon, the coffee table will be completely empty because you’ll be able to reach all the way across.

Last month I also mentioned how we had started placing you at your motorcycle and how you’d take a couple steps and then fall down. Not any more, now you stand up behind the motorcycle and take it clear across the house. Your dad or I will follow behind you because when you bump into something you don’t yet understand how to back up or turn, so we help you readjust but you’re doing so well. I wonder if by next month’s Dear Emmett, you’ll be walking independently??? I think the reason you’ve excelled so quickly with walking with support is because of day care. They have a bunch of different toys for the babies to stand and walk with, so you get loads of practice.

You continue to be breastfed but we’ve reduced the amount that we send you to day care with. Instead of 3-six ounce bottles, we’ve been sending you with 3-five ounce bottles and it seems to be working out well. You are still a pretty good eater! Some days you don’t feel like eating a lot but for the most part, you are willing to try anything. You love grilled cheese sandwiches and also peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, when we can’t get you to try anything else, you will usually eat either of those two.

We also experienced your first ear infection. But we never would have known you had an ear infection if we hadn’t had your 9 month appointment. You were never cranky and your mood never changed, so it was very surprising when the doctor looked in your ear and said you had one. You were on amoxicillian for 10 days and loved the taste of it. I’m glad the ear infection didn’t cause you any pain, but I am also glad that your doctor caught it when he did.

Speaking of your 9 month doctor’s appointment, you weighed in at 23 lbs 2 ounces and 27 inches long! Big boy! You fell into the 95th percentile for both height and weight for a 9 month old. You’re even beginning to wear 12 month clothes because 9 month stuff is getting too small. Your dad and I are in for it!!

I think you’re teething again because you’ve been drooling like crazy, shoving even more stuff into your mouth and you’ve had a pretty bad diaper rash (which I’ve heard is an indication of teething). I wonder which are growing in?

We think you are learning the sign for ‘more,’ but it’s hard to tell if it is that or you clapping because they are so similar. We just keep doing the ‘more’ sign hoping that you will catch on. You also say a lot of mamamamam’s and dadadadada’s but we’re not sure if they actually mean momma and dada yet, but each time you say one or the other we repeat it and point to the correct person.

You unfortunately also got your first black eye this month. 🙁 I got a call from the director of your day care while I was at work, letting me know that you had fallen and bumped your eye and it had bruised pretty badly but that you were perfectly fine and seemed very happy. When I got to you at the end of the day, I couldn’t believe how dark and big the bruise was, poor guy! I guess what happened, was that you were pulling yourself up on one of the bookshelves and you went to grab a toy and let go at the same time and fell and slammed your head. It took nearly a month for those bruises to heal but you are finally back to normal.

As each month passes and we get closer and closer to a year, I am amazed at what you are able to do. You seem so inquisitive and curious, I can’t wait to teach you everything and more.

Filed Under: Emmett, Family

Review: Active by Old Navy

Posted on May 19 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

It’s no secret that I’ve been trying to workout and get into shape, pretty much forever, but more immediately since having Emmett. It’s also no secret, to those who know me well, that I love shopping and clothes. So it makes sense that when it comes to working out, just like with anything else, I like to be clothed well.

Since I am considered plus sized, finding workout clothes that fit the way they should and that are made out of wicking materials, is hard. Most items in my size are just essentially big bags that cover you but offer no style or comfort when sweating hard, and when I workout I workout hard, sweat is typically dripping off of me.

With that said, I had heard really good things about Old Navy’s Active line and decided to try it for myself. I can’t say I was surprised (because Old Navy has served me well through the years), but I was seriously impressed with how well everything fit. I bought, Women’s Plus Active by Old Navy Tanks (in black), Women’s Plus Active by Old Navy GoDRY Tanks (in neon green, which is sadly no longer offered), Women’s Plus Cropped Wide-Leg Yoga Pants (in black), and Women’s Plus Active by Old Navy Compression Shorts (9″) (in black) and I loved each and every piece.

Since Old Navy no longer carries their plus sized line in stores, I placed my order online and excitedly waited for everything to be delivered. Once it arrived I immediately tried everything on and was so pleasantly surprised to find that everything fit perfectly and had the look that I desired while working out (which is not a big giant t-shirt). I have to be honest, I read the reviews for each I item I bought because I knew that some of the items were considered “compression” and would be tight. I wanted to ensure I gave myself enough leeway, so as to be comfortable.

The Women’s Plus Active by Old Navy Tanks (image above), fits tightly and has compression support but because of the reviews, I ordered a size up and it fit perfectly. The first time I wore the top, it was tight under my arms but it has since loosened up and literally fits perfectly. It does not roll up around my waste and it covers well too. The first time I worked out in it, I was anxious to see whether it would wick the sweat away like it says it will in the description and it absolutely did!

The Women’s Plus Active by Old Navy GoDRY Tanks, is one of my all time favorite workout tops. It was so soft and so comfortable from the moment I put it on. I’ve worn this shirt a bunch of times and the quality of it hasn’t changed. I got my normal size in this item because it is not considered compression and it fit perfectly.

Love the Women’s Plus Cropped Wide-Leg Yoga Pants! They are so comfortable and I wear them constantly. They are perfect for working out, for anything from jogging, to spinning, to yoga but are also great for just lounging and relaxing around the house, I use them for both.

Women’s Plus Active by Old Navy Compression Shorts are another compression support item, because of that I paid close attention to the reviews again and decided to go with a size larger than my normal one. This was the right decision, the shorts fit perfectly and aren’t so tight that they feel restricting. I love these alone or underneath another pair of shorts and do a really great job of keeping the sweat away from your body.

There are several more pieces from the Active line that I want but for now, what I have is, is doing a really good job of motivating me to workout because I get to look cute and feel comfortable while doing it.

**This is NOT a sponsored review, I just really REALLY love Old Navy’s Active line and want any plus sized woman out there to know that they can be comfortabl, while working out.

Filed Under: Reviews

Emmett’s 7 Month Pictures

Posted on February 27 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

Emmett has become a very serious boy in the last week. It has become more and more difficult to get him to smile. He’s taken to just staring at you, studying your face and movements, which is why most of his 7 months pictures are taken with a serious face. It doesn’t make him any less adorable, though!

7 Months

1 Month

Hey Ladies!! Wanna Hang Out?

Moooom, stop distracting me!

Filed Under: Emmett, Family

Dear Emmett,

Posted on October 24 by Jillian416 • 1 Comment

Holy cow! You’re 3 months old! I can NOT believe that it’s possible, that you’ve been alive in this great big world for 3 months. I cannot believe that my heart has been full of love for you for only three months; it feels like it’s been forever!

You’ve had quite a big important month! When we started out this month you weren’t quite sleeping the night, you were waking up two sometimes three times, but since I was still on maternity leave I didn’t mind. Getting up with you was a treat because it was extra time that I got to sit and cuddle with you. You’re always the cuddliest in the middle of the night or right before bed.

I remember one night in particular where you had woken up 3 times and it wasn’t even 5 am yet. I was so tired and I knew you weren’t hungry and just wanted to be held but you rewarded me that night. While we were rocking and I was looking into your beautiful eyes and I had a peaceful smile on my face, YOU smiled back at ME, your first genuine smile. Not once but twice, you did this! You made me the happiest mommy around and it was at that exact moment that I realized I didn’t mind waking up with you.

You’ve gotten really good at smiles. You give me one every single morning and even after naps! I’d hear you on the monitor and come into your room, lean over your cradle and smile at you and ask for my smile. Almost instantly you’d smile the biggest BRIGHTEST smile that I could ever hope for. It is such a beautiful thing to see and warms my heart every single time. It’s definitely not something that gets old.

Up until this week you’ve liked sleeping in your cradle. Any time we’d put you in the crib you’d sleep there for a few hours and then wake up and refuse to sleep in it any longer. Your father and I had decided to get you a sleep wedge but then changed our minds, thinking we’d just keep you sleeping in your cradle until you were a bit older. Then lo and behold, this week, we started putting you in your crib to sleep for the night, and you’re fine with it! I’m so glad!

You’ve also become a really good sleeper *knock on wood*. We put you to bed sometime between 7 and 8 and after you’re finally down for good, you’ve been sleeping until 4:30 or 5. There are some days when you’ll wake up at 3 and then again at 6 but for the most part, it’s usually around 5. Daddy and I have been very excited about this because it allows us to get a nice full nights rest.

You have become a very independent little boy! You even let your father and I eat dinner without needing us to hold you. You were just happy and content to lie on your play mat and entertain yourself with the toys dangling above you. We’ve also noticed that you had a slight personality change again, during your 9^th week. You’ve become crankier and seem to want to just be “Mr. Independent,” as I like to call you. I’m okay with that, as long as you still like spending some time with your mommy.

Your two month doctor visit fell after your two month birthday. They weighed you and you were up to 13.6 lbs and 23 inches long! You’re my little chunker! Oh Emmett, I just love you so much. You were also given your 2 month shots at this visit and that was highly unpleasant. You were fine with the oral vaccine, which is just some medicine dripped down your throat and with the first actual shot, it wasn’t until you had your second shot that you started to scream. Daddy picked you up immediately and gave you some hugs to help make you feel better and once the nurse left the room I held and nursed you to help comfort you. You calmed down pretty quickly and got very sleepy, you slept the entire way home and then for a while once we were home, in your car seat. The next couple of days were rough. There was one day that you really scared mommy. I was holding and nursing you and all of a sudden you started freaking out. Screaming and crying and you wouldn’t stop. Eventually I gave you some baby Tylenol and that seemed to calm you down after 20 minutes or so. When your dad got home we called your doctor to see if it was normal for you to still be in pain for a couple days after the shots. It was normal and they said just to keep giving you Tylenol for the next couple of days, we did that and you were fine. Thank goodness!

Oh man! You’re still exploring your hands and working on realizing they belong to you but you have noticed them. The day that you did, was a very funny day. You would just sit on my lap or your dad’s and just stare at your hand like it was going to jump up and bite you. It was really really funny to watch and I have to admit that your father and I were laughing pretty hard but it’s because you’re adorable.

Everything you do requires a grunt! It’s pretty cute and very funny! It makes it seem like everything you do is hard work.

Your monkeys! Oh your monkeys! Your dad was a super smart guy and put up three monkey wall clings right next to your changing table and you just can’t get enough of them. You kick and squeal and get so very excited whenever we lay you down to change your diaper. It is the sweetest sound in the world hearing you coo and squeal in excitement. I took a video of you doing it once and I absolutely love watching it.

You are also much more vocal now. One of mommy’s favorite things to do is to put the boppy around her waist and sit you in it facing her. You will sit there and look into my eyes and just have a regular baby conversation with me. I feel like you’re telling me about your day and I adore hearing about it. I hope you continue to enjoy doing that well into your adulthood.

Your dad and I took you to the pumpkin patch, you didn’t seem all that impressed. You were kind thrown off by the strong wind that was blowing but you did seem to enjoy being outside and slept quite a bit on the way home and when we stopped for lunch.

One of the biggest thing that happened to you while you were two months old was that you went to your first two days of day care. I had been dreading this day for a long time because I enjoyed being home with you all day everyday very much but it was necessary since both mommy and daddy need to work. I survived and so did you! Actually, according to your teachers, you did very well and I’m so glad.

First Day of Day Care

Well Baby Doodah, another month has passed and I just fall more and more in love with you. You and your father make my heart full and my life complete.

Love you always, mommy!

Filed Under: Emmett