Rants, Recipes, and Running

 One of the things I really wanted to get down in writing was a post about weaning, as I've been feeling all the feels this week as she hit this "milestone".  I know I've alluded to this in the past on this blog, but breastfeeding was not easy for me in the beginning. We spent about 3 weeks of her not actually transferring enough milk (I had no idea), her becoming quite underweight, introducing formula & pumped milk in bottles, and then having weeks of her literally screaming at my breast and refusing to latch. Alas around 7 weeks we got the right help from a IBCLC in town - and finally by the time Maddy was about 10 weeks old she was exclusively breastfeeding. We had to use a system called an SNS (supplemental nursing system) - where you use a tiny syringe, fill it with milk, tape the catheter to your breast, and slip it in their mouth while you attempt to latch them. It is tedious & messy - but it is extremely beneficial in teaching them how to nurse.  I wou...

I haven't blogged in a really long time and I was thinking about this the other day. But figured I'd do a little life update on here. Ryan and I were talking about amusement parks the other evening and he thought I had never been to one with him. He said "your memory of Six Flags with a guy must have been a college or high school boyfriend. We haven't gone together"  So I busted open this blog - and referenced a post from 2013 when we were stationed in San Antonio and walla! I proved him wrong :D  That led me to realize this blog is really nice. While facebook/instagram is a great place to hold pictures with random captions about the day. My blog really demonstrates a little more feeling to it all.  I wish I had been better about blogging throughout Maddy's 1st year of life. But here are I am.  We've been a little busy since my last post in October. Since October we have -Gotten settled into our cabin -Sold our house  -Bought a new house  -Moved -Acquired ...

    Reading :  I'm just going to say nothing. I can't seem to stick with a book these days. And when I try to read I fall asleep. :( I'm hoping this weekend up at the cabin to find a book to enjoy. Thinking: about color schemes for the next house. It is very modern with white cabinets and gray vinyl flooring. I am deciding between grays/whites or Navy/white with gold accents. I feel like everyone decorates in gray/white these days (including me) - so it would be a neat little accent! Feeling: Excited! As the last post revealed - we have a lot of exciting things going on with the move. Anticipating : Completion of the inspection of our current home so we can start packing. Of course, Ryan is out of town all week next week so it will be tough as I have to do a lot of the packing solo. I sure am glad I don't work full time. I'd lose my mind! Working :  Still about 10-12 hours/week. However with the move coming up, I'll probably back down. We also have a home with ...

We have had an "itch" over the last 2 years that we keep thinking about scratching. Every few weeks, one of us would crack an obscene joke about wanting to sell our house and move into a home that is easier to maintain. Then we would follow that up with sending each other homes in the area we would find on zillow. Then about 3 weeks ago we had a serious conversation about the thing we keep talking about. " What would life look like if we sold our current home, moved into more of a neighborhood, and simplified our lives a bit. "  I'm writing about this to hopefully some day look back at this with confidence saying "we made the right choice"... We love our current home. It is beautiful, unique, and tranquil. We are almost self-sustaining with a large garden, hens, and an orchard of fruit trees which we (mostly Ryan) built from nothing.There is a sparkling pool and several seating areas for entertaining and enjoying the mountain views.  Our lives are ins...

 Well, I missed month 1-8. But it is never too late to begin, right? Here is a recap of Maddy at 8 months. (I'm totally stealing this idea from my sister, Lisa. I thought it was so neat that she recaps her son's favorites and happenings every month)   How am I sleeping? Better than I was - but not as good as my peers. It also depends on if I'm teething. Last week, her 2nd tooth was poking through - so she was awake 3 times.  No matter how much I let her cry it out, I cannot seem to cut down her feedings. When I go in there - she is literally pulling at my shirt with her mouth wide open. So clearly she's hungry.  She eats 2 times/night and luckily goes right back to sleep. It is what it is. What am I eating? While we have had breastfeeding and bottle refusal struggles - I am so glad that taking to food as been relatively smooth. We are doing baby led weaning, and Maddy really enjoys most every food I've given her.  Her favorite foods are scrambled eggs, appl...

 Dear Sleep, My distant dear friend, I know we have become distanced over the last 7 months. In fact, I don't believe we have spent more than 3 hours together since February 12. (For I didn't sleep the nights leading up to labor). Please keep in touch and, while we don't spend as much time together anymore, I'd like to rekindle our relationship at your soonest convenience.  Truth be told...It's not you, it's me. Actually...it's not you...it's Maddy. :D We have reached a level of sleep deprivation that one morning this weekend I woke up to myself talking. Apparently, I had been telling Ryan (repetitively) "I don't understand why she's already awake. Why isn't she sleeping." And he was trying to explain to me that she was , indeed, asleep. He even had our Owlet camera pulled up to show me. It was very confusing for both of us because I was talking in my sleep, and neither of us was aware... And that's how tired I am. I don't f...