Happy Thanksgiving

This is a few days early, but we're traveling to NH tomorrow evening and the days fly by- especially when you're packing up a baby for her first overnight trip!

I just wanted to post a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Here is MiniM.E.  I think she will be eating fingers rather than turkey on Thursday...

And a super awesome picture- the first real smile we half caught on camera (this was either right before or right after... I took a bazillion pictures in a row but never got the full smile)!  She can't do it on demand yet, but she spends a good hour every night practicing...

My Daily Life Is...

currently not really worth blogging about.  Sorry :(  Plus, to be honest, I hardly have time to check and respond to e-mail, let alone upload photos and write blog posts.  Turns out MiniM.E. doesn't really like to sit and work on the computer...

Not that Molly isn't interesting.  She is the most fascinating human being I've ever spent 24 hours a day with.  However, what I find fascinating and interesting isn't really blog-worthy as there are probably only a total of 2 other people (Dad & Grandma) who would agree with my obsession with everything MiniM.E. does.

Originally, this blog was going to be:
A: A place to post funny stories about being a new mom
B: A place to post recipes that are either awesomely tasty, super easy, or fun for kids
C: A place to post artwork I make for the baby or that we make together

I think (A) might occur once in a while, but for the most part, my days include none of "cooking", "baking" or eating anything other than prepackaged foods and they certainly do not include time for creating artwork (with or without baby) or even thinking of ideas for artwork.

Instead, my days include a lot of
A: Feeding a baby (which sometime soon will lead to a funny story about being a new mom)
B: Changing a baby (again, I'm sure will have a good story at some point)
C: Holding a baby (which makes it hard to do anything else)
D: Watching a baby sleep (and occasionally dozing off)
E: Doing laundry (at least 3 loads a day)
F: A, B & C, in no particular order, repeatedly.

Like I said, while I find A-D fascinating because MiniM.E. is my baby, I'm sure the rest of the world probably doesn't need to read posts about my daily life -- unless of course something awesome, funny, unexpected, or ridiculous happens.

So here are some cute pictures to hold you over for a while.

Once MiniM.E. starts getting into a routine (and maybe napping by herself) I will try to post more photos and hopefully funny stories.  Until then, I'll be feeding, changing, holding, watching, cleaning and not sleeping pretty much full time, so please excuse my lack of posting... eventually, this blog will be all those things I planned... I hope...

A Beautiful Sunday

As we get used to having a baby, we've started doing a few more "normal" things.  MiniM.E. and I have made a few trips to the grocery store and we've been out to see a few people and had some people over.  Still, during the week- for the most part- we stay in.

Not that I don't like sitting in my house all day, every day, trying to recover while constantly feeding or changing a crying baby while still getting a few important things done like laundry (so MiniM.E. has clean clothes since she only has a few outfits that fit her tiny peanut body right now) and dishes (so that I can eat cereal and ice cream- why don't we have enough bowls??).  Seriously though, I love being home with MiniM.E.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  And even though she can be pretty demanding sometimes, every time I look at her my heart melts and I feel like I would do anything for her.  SO... I'm really not complaining.

BUT, it is nice to get out of the house and get some fresh air.

Sunday we decided to walk around downtown- our first big stroller outing!  The weather was gorgeous and MiniM.E. seemed to enjoy being pushed around and shown off to interested strangers.  We even got frozen yogurt (which hopefully MiniM.E. got to enjoy later- how does that work, anyway?).

After our downtown excursion we had a few stops to make in Wilton (the town with all the shopping essentials like Target and Wal-Mart- we'll be making lots of trips there, so it's a good thing MiniM.E. likes riding in the car).  Since we'd already been out for two hours, it meant we had to do an in-car-feeding.

Let me share how my thought process went:

"Wait, where is the burp cloth?  Oh, on my knee.  Check.  And that moisturizing stuff?  Crap.  On the nightstand at home... oh well..."

"Okay, how to I get the baby underneath this feeding cape thing while holding her with one hand?"

"What the ----?  Why did I have to wear a shirt whose material sticks to the material of the feeding cape?  How am I supposed to see the baby?"

"... Come on MiniM.E., I know we're in a strange place, but latch already!"

"I'm too hot... and thirsty... and do you think people driving by can see my boob?  What if they walk next to the car?  Then do you think they could see it?  This stupid cape is in the way!  Maybe I should just take it off... but no, there are cars driving by... why couldn't Target have a bigger parking lot?  Or a special breastfeeding parking lot... or better yet, a special feeding room near the restrooms like at BuyBuyBaby??"

It was a pretty trying experience.  But we got it done, and MiniM.E. was happy and let us run our errands and even rode back in the car without getting too fussy.


Long story short- downtown Saratoga was awesome.  Feeding a baby in the car was not.  And now we have laundry detergent and diapers.

Babies and Cats

So I'm pretty sure when we first brought MiniM.E. home from the hospital the cats thought we were bringing home a cat-eating monster (as seen here).

For a while, they made under the bed their temporary anti-baby camp out.

After a few days, they got curious (and hungry), and would venture into the same room as her.  Of course, since they believed her to be a threat, this involved stealthily "hiding" next to the wall and behind any available item of furniture.

About a week in I think they realized that the thing they believed to be a cat-eating monster really wasn't that much of a threat (the fact that she's smaller than both of them might have had something to do with it...).  Curiosity got the best of them and they started slowly coming closer and closer...

By two weeks, we could bring the cat-eating baby into the room where the cats were sleeping and they stayed.

And now, at almost three weeks, they have become so bold as to sit on our laps WITH the baby.  I think they're really going to like her :)

I just like this picture because it makes MiniM.E. look SO small

**I have to add a photo from last night (Nov. 7)**

And as promised, another cute picture:

Happy Halloween!

Yesterday MiniM.E. and I were pretty excited about Halloween.  Not only do we finally live in a neighborhood that is perfect for trick-or-treaters (no hills, houses spaced close together, lots of houses in one area), but we also had plans to visit the most tricked-out halloween mansion ever!

One of our friends who moved back from Dresden at the same time as us lives right around the corner from one of the most ridiculous houses in Saratoga Springs, the Riggi Mansion.  (You can read more about it here.)  For Halloween, they go all out and decorate with a bazillion pumpkins and on the actual date host a "Halloween Party"- open to the public with free cider and donuts and trick-or-treating for a full sized candy bar and a chance to win a hundred dollars in the wrapper (sounds a little Willy Wonka to me...).

Since it sounded so cool, MiniM.E. and I ventured out for the first time BY OURSELVES (with the exception of the grocery store- which we only did yesterday morning) to meet up with our friends and see the Riggi Halloween.

Once we got dressed in the Halloween outfit (super cute), threw a tantrum about getting in the car seat, made it all the way to our friend's house (15 minute car ride), got out of the car and cried because we were wet, did a diaper change on the couch, got held by someone else, pooped in her arms, had poop all the way up the back (what's with these new up-the-back-poops??), got changed again, cried some more because, well, who knows?, and finally got into the baby-wearing-carrier, we were ready for the Riggi Mansion.

It really was pretty awesome.

This is just the side entrance...

Me and MiniM.E. in front of the side entrance... even though it kind of looks like just a pregnant me...  

Free cider and donuts

The line to trick-or-treat

Us with a costumed Riggi daughter who gave us a full sized candy bar

By the time we walked over, ate our free cider and donuts, and stood in line to trick-or-treat, it was time to walk back and head home because MiniM.E. was going to be hungry since it was past time to eat.  Fortunately, she was fantastic and slept the whole time we were out (nothing like enjoying your first Halloween), but once we got in the car, all hell broke loose and she screamed bloody murder the whole way home (which was a little upsetting for a new mom taking her baby out for the first time by herself).

We made it home and got her fed and she was fine (I'm sure you were all concerned...), and then we enjoyed all the compliments on having such a cute baby as we handed out candy to a ton of trick-or-treaters.

And finally, pictures of MiniM.E. in costume (kind of).

As Promised, Cute Photos

Recovering...

So as it turns out, having a new baby really does take up all your time.  I knew they ate and slept a lot and needed to be changed and held, but somehow in my head, all those things did not add up to 24 hours.

Pretty much our days consist of sleeping as long as possible in the morning since we were up 3-5 times in the middle of the night for feedings that lasted at least 45 minutes because someone is finicky and has a hard time latching sometimes and falls asleep in the middle of eating and makes poopy diapers even though she was just changed.  Not naming names...

Then we get up and eat.  AGAIN.  Then I pawn MiniM.E. off on my mom (who thank God, is still here, because when would I have time to do dishes or laundry or anything else) so I can take a shower and check my e-mail really fast.  Because by the time I've done all that, guess who's hungry?

So she eats.  AGAIN.  Then, if there's anything we have to do, like buy groceries or stop at a store, or go outside for any reason, we have to get ready and do it really fast so we have the maximum time window possible, because chances are, before we are even finished with whatever errand it is, someone will be hungry.  AGAIN.

She does look really cute in the car seat though...

In the afternoon, after such a trying morning, we spend a lot of time doing this:

and this:

Before eating.  AGAIN.

Then Bob gets home and we have to eat ourselves... and Bob has to spend time with MiniM.E.

and I have to sit around and do nothing because the post-partum recovery stuff (I don't need to explain that here, do I?? No one wants to read about that...) hurts and my blood count is still low and did I mention that I was up every two and half hours last night??

And then MiniM.E. gets fussy and everyone tries their hardest to keep her quiet for "just another half hour" because I totally can't feed her again yet (why didn't anyone tell me breastfeeding HURTS!?!?).  And then finally I give in and feed her AGAIN.  And then I go to bed.

Which is why I have not posted in such a long time.  But, according to my doctor (and other women who've offered their advice and opinions- some helpful, some not) it will get better soon.  And by soon, they mean "three to four weeks".  WHAT?!?!

So until then... I will try, on occasion, to post cute pictures like this one.  Maybe.  Or I might just lie on the couch...