And then it was all pink!

I made a big boo boo when I did the laundry the other day! I have always washed all of Lillian's clothes together, never separating white and colored. Big mistake on my part this time. In with all her clothes was a new reddish pink dress. Next thing I know, all of her clothes were some shade of pink and some had pink splotches on them. I was so upset with myself! The first thing I did to try to fix the problem was to rewash it all and add some bleach, didn't work! I then turned to Facebook for help. I got quite a few responses with suggestions to try. One of my coworkers told me to soak the clothes in Oxiclean and then wash them with a color catcher sheet. Her husband was even so kind to bring me the needed supplies. I came home that evening and started soaking the clothes. The next morning I washed them with the color catcher sheet. Problem still not solved. So I then decided to try another way that was suggested but I had to go get the supplies needed. I went to three different stores in search of Clorox 2 powder but could not find it. Instead I found Carbona. After reading the sales pitch on the box I decided to give it a try. I dissolved the stuff in water and soaked the clothes. A few hours later my problem was SOLVED! All the white parts were white again and the pink splotchy areas were gone too. I did have another problem on my hands though. A few of her outfits had been faded and looked as though they could have been clothes I wore as an infant! I washed all of them with Dreft like usual and dried them. Voila! Everything but three outfits were good as new. I decided that losing three outfits, as opposed to about 8 other outfits, 3 pairs of socks, 5 burp cloths, a towel and a blanket, was quite alright. Lesson learned... separate Lillian's clothes just like I do ours!

*the infamous dress*

*supplies for my 2nd attempt*

*the winner*

Three Months Old

May 23, 2013

Lillian-
Wow! You are three months old! Time is flying by and you are growing like a weed! You can barely fit in size 0-3 month clothes anymore. You are mostly wearing 3 month. Although you have chunky rolls on your thighs and arms, you are definitely not a chunky girl. In fact, we think you are pretty dainty. You are very active and love playing. In just a weeks time you have started grabbing for things in front of you and pulling them to your mouth. You also love to sit up with support and always check out your surroundings. I always say how nosey you are, but I think that's a wonderful thing. You are so observant and curious of this big world. The bumbo is one of your favorite things these days because it allows you to sit up and see everything.  It never fails, if a TV is on in the room you will find it and watch whatever is on!  You have been working on rolling from your back to your tummy but have not quite mastered it yet. I have a feeling it won't be long!  Pacifiers are still something you can't stand, instead you chew on your fingers.  There are times when you try to stuff both of your hands in your mouth and you just don't understand why it won't work.  Your days at home with your daddy are still going great. He says you love watching ESPN and action movies. (I have a feeling you don't get much of a choice.) You are still taking bottles with rice cereal during the day and nursing at night and on the weekends when I'm home. You have slept elevated since you were born because of your reflux, but a few weeks ago I noticed you were too long for your bassinet. We started laying you on the flat part of your pack-n-play to help transition you to your crib. Things have gone well so far. I'm sure you would do just fine sleeping in your crib, but I don't think I'm ready for you to be in your room all by yourself just yet. You are still loving bath time! You are "talking" so much these days and we love listening to what you have to say. It is very obvious how much you know and love me and your daddy nowadays. If either of us is in sight you won't take your eyes off of us. It really melts our hearts that you know who your mommy and daddy are.  Life has been so great these past three months! You bring your daddy and me so much joy and happiness! Thank you sweet girl for being such a happy and loving baby. I hope you will always know how much we love being your parents!
All my love,
Mommy

Things she is loving: her hands, any TV, bright colors, 

laughing and smiling, taking a bath, being outside

Things she is not a fan of: being in her carseat if its not moving, 

cold milk, having her face wiped

Back to Sleep

We made it through our first night of Lillian sleeping flat!! Let me start by going back to when she was home the first couple of nights...we (Jon and I) took turns sleeping while the other stayed awake and kept an eye on the baby. The reason we were such freaks in the beginning is because her reflux was terrible. She would gasp for air and choke and start coughing when she had a reflux episode. It was very scary for us! The reflux did get a little bit better as the days went on but we also never let her lay flat to sleep (or anytime really- I even rigged up her changing table to be elevated) Since we've been home, she has slept in our room in the bassinet part of her pack-n-play. It kept her elevated and it vibrated (which I think has helped her sleep for longer periods of time).















I noticed a few weeks ago that her feet were sticking out of the end of the bassinet, but I just assumed it was because she had wiggled herself down. I was wrong! Sweet girl is too long for the bassinet.

 I was afraid of putting her straight to her crib because it does not vibrate, so we are transitioning with the flat area of the pack-n-play, because it can still vibrate. I finally had Jon take the bassinet part off yesterday. Last night was our first night on the flat part and it went better than I expected! After she fell asleep last night I laid her down and not even five minutes later she was awake and coughing because of her reflux. I picked her up and rocked her back to sleep and we tried again. This time we were more successful. She stayed asleep for 3 1/2 hours. She normally would have slept at least 7 but maybe this sleeping flat will take some getting used to. I was able to feed her and she went back to sleep for another 3 hours. I fed her again and laid her back down and as of this moment she is still sleeping. I'm hoping the frequent waking is going to stop once she is used to sleeping this way (fingers crossed!). 

Our next obstacle...sleeping in her crib where there is no vibration. That's going to be hard for me too because that will mean she is on the other side of the house! I don't see that happening for quite a few weeks! :) I'm not ready for my baby to grow up and sleep in her own room! :)

Baby Weight

What happened to becoming "one hot momma"?  I believe that was just wishful thinking!  I told Jon that I was tired of continuing to wear maternity clothes or baggy clothes so he told me to go shopping to get some new clothes that fit.  Off I went this evening to find some cute new clothes to make me feel good when I would get dressed.  Epic fail!  I didn't like anything I tried on!  I started with some skinny jeans.  I should have known simply by the name of them that they weren't for me!  OMG-talk about awkward looking! They are so cute on everyone else, just not this girl!  I then tried on some shorts and "flowy" shirts.  I looked like a tree stump.  Needless to say it was so depressing to go shopping today!  I am still about 18 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight and trying on clothes made that very clear!  My wedding band and engagement ring still do not fit! I ended up buying a fake ring to wear until I am able to fit in the real deal.   I know that I had a baby not even 3 months ago, but if I don't start doing something I will never lose this excess weight.  I need someone to drag my butt to the gym, or around the block, or somewhere that involves exercise.  I am not a "dieter."  In fact, I LOVE to eat and when I try to diet I feel as though I am starving myself.  I don't mind exercising, I actually enjoy it.  I just need to find time and make myself do it!  Who wants to be my free personal trainer? :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Celebrating Mother's Day today has a whole new meaning now that I am a mother myself.  I am so thankful that God chose me to be Lillian's mommy.  I love her more than I ever thought possible!  She has brought so much joy to my life.  I now have a better understanding of the sacrifices a mother has to make for her children and the love that is felt.  I pray that God guides me in the direction I need to best raise Lillian in this world we live in today.

(Photo courtesy of Nikki Melder)

Train a child in the way he should go, 

and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Make Time

I haven't posted much lately because I just have not had time.   I have been struggling trying to find time being a mom, wife, and employee (not to mention all the other things I am supposed to be...friend, daughter, sister...)  Every day I go to bed wishing there were more hours in a days time.  My routine has been something about like this on a weekday...Wake up around 6am and feed Lillian, get her back to sleep, pump, get myself ready for work, attempt to make it to work by 8am (never fails I am usually about 15 minutes late), work until somewhere between 4pm and 5pm, get home and either pump or feed Lillian, love on Lillian for a little bit, cook dinner and eat, feed Lillian, clean the mess I made in the kitchen, bathe Lillian, feed Lillian and put her to bed, and by this point I am exhausted and I go to bed too.   Did you ever see anywhere in that typical day where I made time for my husband?  No!  Not cool either!  We had to have a talk and come up with a better plan and schedule, because since Lillian was born we have neglected our relationship and not had much time for one another.  We would talk and spend time with each other but it was always revolved around Lillian.  We are now making a point to make time for each other, to talk about something other than our child, to ask each other how the other is doing, to make each other laugh.  Please don't get me wrong, we do love our baby, more than we ever thought was possible actually, but we can't forget about each other.  I actually read a quote the other day that I really liked..."Your heart beats because of our love and our love beats stronger because of you!"   It is very true, but if we kept going on the path we were on, we definitely could have grown apart and our love would have been tempted to not be so strong.  I'm hoping with time and determination it will be easier to manage all of the duties I am to uphold. For now I am going to do the best I can and will remember to always turn to God for help and guidance.  Afterall, "the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."