7 months in review

I've been in a bit of a haze over the past 7 months. I wouldn't say I'm out of the haze. But I'm coming up for air.

Let me bullet point-style and unload my soul. As I feel these are pivotal life moments that need to be documented somewhere...

Maddy had growth issues. I had breastfeeding issues. It took many pediatrician appointments, 6 lactation consultant appointments, Gallons of tears, and so many prayers - but somehow Madelyn has gone from being in the 1st percentile to the 13th percentile as an exclusively breastfed baby. If our next baby has issues - I am going to come back to this bullet point as a reminder. It took work. It took a supportive husband. It took professional help. It took many text messages and phone calls to my sisters, Mom, and some good mama friends. But...we got there.
We have had some awesome family visits - my parents stayed here for 2 weeks after Madelyn was born, my brother Kevin and his family came in April, Ryan's sister Erin came in June, and his Mom and step dad stayed with us for a week in July!!

We took our 1st vacation to San Diego in May when Maddy was 3 months old!
I did not return to work. I quit my job, as they could not accommodate part-time work. But when I quit my job, they came back and asked if I could do some contracting and work as many or little hours as I'd like.
Since June, I've worked more hours than I'd like. Being a full-time stay-at-home mom, helping run our real estate business, and working 15 hours a week, and running on 5 hours sleep/night was a little much. I've finally trained up my replacement...and am able to settle down a little.
I'm still a runner. But most of my runs are pushing a stroller and a babbling babe.

I haven't slept more than 3 hours straight since February.
Life feels complete.

ABC

We are home from a wonderful, extended-weekend-getaway to Omaha. It was filled with family, relaxations, and greatness. I will do a more detailed recap on it soon! In the meantime, I'm doing this ABC bit that I stole from my cousin 's blog! Also, no -- I did not get switched to days. Trust me, I would've told the entire world and screamed it from roof-tops if I did. A. Age: 22, but that will change on Sunday. B. Bed size: King C. Chore you dislike: Cleaning the shower - especially dealing with hard-water stains. Lime away=ouch D. Dogs: Really really really really really dislike. Really dislike. Sorry. I could do a post in itself about my dislike for canines. E. Essential start to your day: Bowl of oatmeal/or cereal with bananas. Or fruit F. Favorite color: Greeen G. Gold or silver: Definitely silver. H. Height: 5'4'' - Sometimes I lie & say 5'5''. Some people lie about their weight, age, haircolor...I lie about my height. I...

Let's try this again...

Last year we purchased soil, mulch, and all these plants that grow great in well-watered, rich-soiled areas. Then we went away for a weekend, and everything dried up like a prune. I was a bit disappointmented, as gardening is a hobby & passion of mine. In fact, I became quite frustrated with our hot climate. But we did some research on desert plants, and I found a new love! Desert plants are quite fascinating, actually. Their tough outer skin & small leaves result in maximum absorbtion of our spare water -- allowing them to thrive on little. They are also extremely regenerative. You can cut a branch or an arm off a cactus, and plant it in the ground somewhere else to create a new plant. So we found a very local cactus nursery last weekend, and got to work! Here are a few of the gems we planted. (These are pictures I've found offline, as I haven't taken proper pictures of our front yard yet due to the immaturity of our plants at this point) The Desert Barrel ...

Currently - May edition

I haven't blogged much - but the last time I did one of these, Maddy was 9 months old. It's really fun looking back on the things that were "stressors" to me at that time. Prior to that - my currently post was a pregnancy edition. So here goes May 2022. Maddy is almost a 15-month old and summer has set ablaze here in Tucson. Reading : I really wish I had a better answer for this one, but I have not been the best about reading lately. The only book I'm reading is "How to talk to your kids so they'll listen and listen so they'll talk". It is really good. Most of the book is geared more to school-aged kids, in my opinion. But it highlights some great communication skills with children to help them trust you as a parent to be open and honest. Eating: All the smoothies. It has been getting really hot here - and every day when we get home from our stroller run I make a smoothie for Maddy with whole milk, Fage, and fruit - and then a smoothie for...

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