Mommy Diary: 12 weeks

12 weeks old!

Well this week has definitely been a trying one that's for sure. Belle is sleeping in her crib again for the most part but still isn't sleeping as well as she had been. There was one two particularly horrible nights where she not only woke up more often than normal but acted starving while refusing to eat. She'll fight me for a while before finally calming down a little to eat. I am however very thankful for pacifiers because when she refuses to eat she has a tendency to flail around and get hysterical pretty quickly if she doesn't have a pacifier to suck on. I'm really hoping that her change in temperament has to do with it being a wonder week as she is also more cuddly and needy like she gets during a wonder week. In the end though, only time will tell. 

The lack of sleep aside she is becoming such a fun little person. She now smiles whenever she sees either the LT or I, which, not going to lie is really nice. We get quite a few smiles these days and even a giggle every now and then. She has also become VERY chatty which is a lot of fun. In the last day or so she has also started experimenting with volume and can get quite loud sometimes. She's batting at her toys quite a bit these days and is getting pretty good at grabbing things intentionally and accidentally. She's also gotten extreeeeemely good at batting her bottle out of her mouth, followed by hysterics because she's no longer eating. She still occasionally rolls from her back to her tummy at night in her sleep but has started rolling from her front to back while on her play mat. She does however, have a tendency to do it as soon as I look away or down. 

Last weekend the LT and I traded in some DVDs we had duplicates of at Half Price Books and put the money towards some more books for Belle. I got an old copy of Wizard of Oz along with some others and I try to read at least one chapter out of it to her every day. Her attention span for it is longer than I thought it would be ....probably because I sit her up in my lap while reading which she loves. At night if she's not quite sleepy enough to put down I read from an old Winnie the Pooh book of my mom's. I'm trying to get in the habit of reading to her now so that it becomes a part of her everyday life and hopefully something she will love to do as she gets older. Speaking of sitting up and everyday routines...we've started putting her in her Bumbo every evening which we sit on our dinning room table while we eat dinner. She usually gives us lots of smiles and chats some as well. My hope is that it gets the whole family used to eating together so that once she's big enough to sit in her high chair and eventually eat with us it won't be much different than it is now. It also means that I can usually sit and eat a hot meal at the same time as the LT.

On a completely unrelated to Belle note, I am FINALLY getting this house organized the way I've wanted to since we moved in the week of Halloween. Between being pregnant and miserable followed by a new baby things didn't really get organized like I usually do after a move. Normally I get everything unpacked and then go back room by room and really get things set like I want them and slowly buy anything (plastic tubs, drawers, etc.) I need to help me do so. So far I've gotten most of our office (not including the LTs desk which is his domain), the coat closet, Belle's room, and the guest room closet that has all the LTs uniforms. I need to get some space bags for some of his extra gear that doesn't get used often as well as my maternity clothes  so that they take up as little space in the garage as possible. I still need to finish the guest room, work on our closet and re-organizing my dresser since I took all my maternity clothes out, and the most daunting of all....the garage, eeeep. I feel like I'm actually getting this house in the shape that I need it to be in to live efficiently within it. By the time I finally get it the way I want it it will probably be about time to move but such is (military) life. Honestly though, as time goes on we are slowly acquiring more of the things we need to make each unpack and setting up house again easier and more efficient like garage shelving and various other organizational tools that I love. :)

Tigger seems to be her favorite and she is usually quite content playing in her bouncer for a decent stretch of time which allows me to get things done while she's awake.

****Side Note: I just re-read my last two posts and realized how scatterbrained they sound. Wish I had noticed while I was writing them but such is my life at times and I'm just going to leave them as they are in all their glory.**

First Mother's Day

Some days I still can't believe that I'm actually a mom and this past weekend being mother's day definitely made it more real to me somehow. It may sound weird to some but Mother's and Father's Day over the years have become almost non holidays in my mind. Other, than having brunch with my Grandpa on Father's Day I really haven't celebrated it in over 15 years. I remember we used to have lunch somewhere my mom wanted on Mother's Day growing up but since I left for college all I've really done is make sure I sent her a card in time but I haven't even needed to do that for a few years now. All that aside, I didn't care to go out to any crazy dinner or anything. I really just wanted to spend the day as a family especially after the previous week where the LT had been working extremely long hours and we had hardly spent any time together. 

Saturday I got to go get a haircut, for which I was way overdue, and Sunday I got a mani and pedi. Throughout the weekend the LT made sure I didn't do any of the cooking or laundry which was better than any gift he could have bought for me. We took advantage of the beautiful and warm weather by going for a long walk on both Saturday and Sunday as a family was I enjoyed more than I can express. My friend Kimberly and her family brought over some lunch on Sunday as well and we celebrated as a big Army family. I am so very lucky to have such wonderful people here to call my friends who feel more like family. 

So there was nothing fancy about my first Mother's Day...no big gifts, no specially planned meal, or anything terribly "unusual," just quality time with the most important people in my life. 

Mommy Diary: 10 & 11 weeks

Well I'm behind on my week 11 post and pretty much gave up on week 10. Sometimes enjoying life just gets in the way!

Dancing with Daddy

Yeah I looked away for a few minutes in the morning one day and she had managed to get her leg into the neck hold of her night gown...crazy girl!

I feel like in the last two weeks she has changed SO much but I guess that's just how I'm going to feel every week nowadays. We went to a really fun gathering/party at the family lake home of one of the lieutenants that The LT works with. We got all dressed up, including Belle, since it was Kentucky Derby party but I didn't have time to get a fun hat sadly. It was a beautiful drive out to the house and the view on the water was absolutely amazing. The weather that weekend was also unusually warm and sunny which made it even better. Actually, the weather for the majority of the past 2 weeks has been unseasonably warm for Washington springtime. We had so much sunshine that after almost 2 weeks without any rain the weathermen were talking about a possible drought for the summer if the current weather continued. 

10 weeks old at our first party!

In my quest to not only eat healthy and eventually as organic as possible I'm also trying to support local businesses and farmers whenever we can. I had noticed that at least 1/3 of our neighborhood was using Smith Brothers Farms home delivery for their dairy. Well, lo and behold, their prices for milk, eggs, cheese, and yogurt are the same as the commissary or close enough for it to be negligent...AND they deliver to your front door. So, I finally got my act together and set up an account. I'm still working on tweaking our regular order but they make it so easy to adjust both your "standing order" in addition to anything you may want to add or subtract that particular week. If you live in the Tacoma area I highly suggest using them!

First delivery from our milkman!

Cooler box that now lives on our front stoop.

About 10 days ago Belle had been sleeping on a pretty consistent schedule long enough in her Rock n Play sleeper and napping so well in her crib that I figured it was time to give the crib a try at night. She had been sleeping either from 10-5 or 10-3 then wake up, feed, and back down until about 6. Wellll...the first night in the crib went great but the second night she managed to roll herself onto her stomach in her sleep and woke up screaming. She loves to be swaddled but from then on I knew that I could no longer swaddle her in the crib because if she managed to accidentally roll over again she couldn't use her arms at all. Yeah, not going to lie, that was a sad realization and hard transition to make. On night 3 I tried to just put her down in a sleep sack in the crib and she kept waking herself up when she moved her arms in her sleep. Napping in her crib was even worse....

I honestly felt like we took 3 steps forward and 2 steps back as far as her sleeping routine went and I was a little discouraged. We had to move her back into her Rock n Play sleeper in our room so that she would sleep more than 30 minutes before waking herself up. While she was back to sleeping better when we moved her back into our room, now unswaddled, she was waking an extra time per night. Part of this I'm pretty sure is because I really think she might be gearing up for a growth spurt and needing the extra feeding but I also watched her on more than one occasion wake herself up from a dead sleep when she flailed her arms, bonked herself in the head which then surprised her enough to wake up. For naps, she was back to either only sleeping in my arms or in her swing. Last night I tried putting her back in her crib, this time swaddled but with her arms free. She slept her new normal of 10-1, waking up hungry, fed her and back down by 1:45. When she woke up around 3, not hungry, just startled I decided to move her back into our room after I soothed her back to sleep and her waking up again 15 minutes later. I'll try to put her in her crib again tonight but will play it by ear. She did nap this morning pretty well in her crib but wouldn't this afternoon but is currently sleeping in her swing that I kept stationary. I know I'm not the first, or last, mom to deal with this but boy is it frustrating at times. I just keep reminding myself that this too shall pass and she will get more consistent with her sleeping again. Honestly, the getting up an extra time during the night isn't too terribly bothersome to me most of the time but the inconsistency of how many time she wakes per night really throws off my sleep. 


Anyway, other goings on of the last few weeks included attending my first MOPS meeting here on Fort Lewis which I enjoyed and plan on attending more. Unfortunately, there is only one more meeting until next fall but in joining the group and their Facebook page I'll be able to keep up with any play dates and gatherings they might have over the summer. I also went to a Lewis Community Spouses Club luncheon for the first time which I enjoyed. I've wanted to join the spouses club since we moved here but my pregnancy made it difficult. I plan on joining the club for their next year (their years are June through May) which is coming up here in a few weeks. The LT and I also had a hail and farewell which was a fun evening out and I really enjoyed getting to see people from the battery and battalion either for the first time or for the first time since Belle was born. We took Belle with us and she did really great and she got lots of oos and ahhs. 


New baby developments...

• She holds her hands a lot as well as loves holding your hand or finger. She loves holding your hand when you feed her or rock her to sleep which I love.
• Started batting at her toys on her bouncer and playmat.
• Doesn't loathe tummy time quite so much and can push herself up really well now. Her head control has also gotten really good.
• She's really patient in the morning when we get up. I move her into her bouncer in our bathroom while I get dressed, do my hair, put on make-up, etc. She also is usually fairly patient once we go downstairs so that I can get her diapers going in the wash, grab my smoothie I made the night before, and a bottle for her. 
• Starting to kind of hold on to you when you carry her and she will sometimes put her head on your shoulder or chest.
• LOTS of social smiles and chatting
• Many nights she will sit fairly content in her bumbo on the table while the LT and I actually get to sit down and eat a full dinner together.
• She likes to stand while leaning up against your chest which often results in her rearranging my organs from the outside in contrast to her rearrangement while in utero.
• FIRST GIGGLES!!!!! We got them last night and it was so exciting. I was playing with her in the evening and she was making all kinds of cute noises and I turned around to the LT who was doing dishes and said "she's this close to giggling." When I turned back to her and started playing again she let out this big giggle! I was so excited and even managed to get another out of her in addition to a few more this morning. Color this mama excited! 

And now for a few more adorable pictures :)

"Ummmm mommy? I think you should use a bigger basket next time!"

Workin hard

Sweet sleepy baby snuggles...and arm chub!

Mommy Diary: 9 weeks

Well it looks like I'm actually getting this done on time! Woo hoo! 

"Mommy's little cupcake" at 9 weeks!

Cupcake butt :)

Ok, so after all my big talk and plans for getting back in shape I may or may not have over done it. *sheepish grin* On Sunday (after Yoga on Friday and walking about 2 miles on Saturday) I decided to do the harder yoga routine for a "challenge." Welllll.....it was a challenge. When I woke up Monday morning my lower back was KILLING me so I wasn't able to do anything the rest of the week and was back taking my arthritis medication. This then made me think about the fact that I need to get in to see my PCM here to get my arthritis on file at MAMC and get my prescription renewed here since the refills from Ft. Sill have expired. Party party! So, now that I'm back to normalish again, thanks to my chiropractor, I hope to be back to exercising next week but at an easier pace so I don't end up hurting again. 

Tuesday was Belle's two month check-up with all the shots. I got super irritated after we saw the doctor (who I love) when the nurse passed us off to the immunization clinic instead of doing the shots herself. It meant that we waited about 30 minutes after her appointment was over for the immunization nurse to call us back. Then she finally got the shots and then we waited another 15 minutes afterwards to make sure she didn't have a bad reaction. All told, we were at the pediatric clinic for 2 hours...I was thoroughly annoyed by the time we left but oh well. The day or two after all the shots she did pretty well actually with the exception of that first evening. She slept a lot that afternoon and wanted to be cuddled which didn't bother me until she kept waking up out of a dead sleep in the late afternoon/early evening with this awful cry of pain that I have never heard before. I gave in and gave her one dose of Tylenol which helped, we then skipped bath time and got her to bed a little earlier than usual. Next day was just a few more cuddles and a little more sleep than normal which was fine with me. I do have to say though that the rotovirus vaccine (which is a liquid they drink) has made her have some rank gas and poops! That being said, I will take a week or two of that over her having the actual virus. 

After shots snuggles...she started WAILING a few minutes after I took this

This week I was able to finally reconnect with a bunch of wives I hadn't seen since before Belle was born. It was so nice to see everyone and be out with such a great group of women again. I also helped my friend Kimberly, along with Charlie (another spouse who's husband was a part of our battalion) go through a bunch of her stuff in preparation for her move in a few months. I'm still in a bit of denial about Kimberly and her family leaving but I know it will be alright and we will see each other again. 

In addition to lunch out with a bunch of ladies on Wednesday I had dinner with some of them last night. The LT was able to get home in time to watch Belle so that I could go out sans baby. I feel like I did pretty well until the last 30 minutes or so because it was taking forever to get our check and I wanted to get home to put her to sleep. I was also exhausted yesterday so I needed to get home in time to get to bed at a normal time. I also found a group of JBLM wives/moms on meetup that I met for the first time today for coffee this morning at Starbucks. I really enjoyed getting out and chatting with all the women and I plan to keep going to their get togethers so I can hopefully make some lasting friendships with other women with kids who also understand the military. 

Changes this week:

• Even more baby noises and smiles...I love her little chat sessions!
• Not doing quite as well in her crib as last week but I think the shots had something to do with that.
• Loves to sit up and is getting stronger core and neck muscles.
• Starting to like to "stand" on your lap sometimes. 
• Likes being outside although feeding her outside is hard because she likes looking around so much she gets really distracted. I was outside with her a good bit this week since we had unseasonably beautiful and warm weather this week.

Got to put her in a cute summer jumper we got from friends with the warm weather!

• Getting really good at getting her hands to her mouth and loves sucking on her fist and fingers.
• Tolerating tummy time slightly better but still not a huge fan.

PISSED during tummy time but seems to be more tolerable if we can suck on our fist

• Put her in the bumbo for the first time...she didn't hate it but got tired of it pretty quickly which wasn't terribly surprising since it still required a lot of work for her little body.

Sitting up is so hard our tongue came out to help.

Little bit of a lean going on

And last but not least...the pitiful face.

Dear Sweet Baby Girl: 2 months

Dear my sweet baby girl,

I absolutely cannot believe that you are two months old today. Where has the time gone!? It seems like just yesterday we were on our way to the hospital to meet you for the first time. You have changed SO much already that  sometimes I can't believe it. At your check-up today you weighed in at 12 pounds and 22.5 inches! I knew you were getting big but my goodness how you have grown!

I'm so lucky to be able to spend each and every day with you watching you grow, learn, and change. I can see you taking in the world more and more each day and it's an amazing thing to watch. You love music, especially when mommy or daddy sing along. You also like to talk even though we don't know what you are saying yet but boy do I wish I could get inside your little head and find out. You are starting to figure out your hands and arms and sometimes I swear you bring your hand straight to your mouth on purpose in order to suck on your fingers. You love snuggles and almost always fall asleep for at least a little while when mommy carries you in the Moby wrap. You also like to go on walks which makes things easier for mommy. 

In your short two months we have already had quite a few visitors come to see you and we will have even more in the coming months. So many people want to meet you and it makes mommy a little sad to know how far away we live from family and friends who love you so much. Everyone talks about how beautiful and adorable you are and I can't disagree. You are such a sweet precious little girl and we are so lucky to have you. I can't wait to see how you change and grow. I constantly wonder what you will look like as you get older and what your personality will be like....I will just have to be patient and wait to find out. 

Love always,
mommy

Mommy Diary: 8 weeks

8 weeks old! 

See the waves!?!?!? The curls are coming the curls are COMING!!! :)

Ok well I can't seem to actually get this done on Saturdays or even before Saturday lately. One day I will actually manage to get it done on Saturday which I when I intend to but this week has been a bit nuts. Also, I realized I kind of like using this not only as a way to document Belle's changes but also a way to document how I, as a woman, a wife, and a mother, change. I feel like I'm truly starting the next phase of my life, a phase that I've been looking towards for quite a while. This may even be the phase in life that I have been subconsciously craving and wishing I was ready for or in for years. That's not to say that being a new mother isn't constantly challenging me and my patience but I enjoy the challenge much more than I have in almost any other job I've ever had. So, here we go...

Sunday meant that Stacey's visit came to an end which was sad but it was a great visit and I'm so glad she was able to come. I love our time together and I loved seeing her with Belle. I love knowing that Belle is already surrounded by such strong and wonderful women that want to be a part of her life. She is a luckier girl than she will be able to understand for quite some time.

This week also marked the second week of implementing my new household "schedule." In short, I made a 4 week rotation of various household chores to ensure that every part of our home gets cleaned at some point. It also gives me something to check off daily which makes me feel good. I made it into an excel spreadsheet (well 4 actually) where I fill in the date on the day of the week which I keep on the side of the fridge. It also works out to be about 30 minutes worth of house work a day which I feel is totally attainable. This also means that if I get busy with life so to speak and get "behind" a day or two it's not torture to get caught up. It breaks down like this...

Monday-wash sheets (w1&3) or towels (w 2&4); commissary
Tuesday- clean kitchen (1), master bath (2), guest bath (3), 1/2 bath (4)
Wednesday- dust downstairs (1&3), upstairs (2&4); wash cleaning rags, unpaper towels, and kitchen towels
Thursday- vacuum downstairs (1&3), upstairs (2&4)
Friday- mop downstairs (1&3), upstairs (2&4); meal plan for upcoming week
Saturday- Army laundry

Keep in mind I also do our regular laundry throughout the week when necessary and wash diapers, now that we started cloth diapering, every day in addition to this. Saturday and Sunday also allow me to catch up on anything I missed as well as relax with the hubs.

This past Wednesday the LT had PRK done courtesy of the Army. He had HORRIBLE vision...as in could barely read the clock in the morning and only if it was at the right distance. He was pretty darn close to legally blind in fact. He's been wanting to get the surgery done for years but things kept coming up, i.e. deployment, going to college, another deployments, etc. Honestly, after seeing him go through the first phase of recovery I never want to have surgery on my eyes. My vision isn't bad enough to qualify truthfully but holy crap he was miserable. From Wednesday afternoon until late Saturday morning he was essentially voluntarily blind and a total invalid. He was going from dose to dose of pain meds and couldn't open and use his eyes pretty much at all without intense pain. All this meant that from Tuesday morning until Sunday I was not only taking care of myself, Belle, and the house, but the LT as well. I had to check on him all the time because he couldn't really get out of bed and walk downstairs to even ask for something or text me with what he wanted from our pitch black bedroom. By Sunday I was absolutely exhausted. I also (stupidly) decided to make an enormous batch of my homemade spaghetti sauce, and can it, in the middle of all this. I don't suggest it.

8 1/2 quarts of spaghettie sauce! Makes me tired just looking at it and thinking back to the insane evening I chose to do it.

Since daddy was laid up mommy had to do bath time creatively. I showered while she was striped down to her diaper in our bathroom in the bouncer. Dried myself off and put on my PJs, got her in the tub, then put her towel on the bouncer and wrapped her up in it to start drying off while I brushed my teeth and finished getting ready for bed, then got her ready for bed before our goodnight bottle and snuggles in her glider. 

Another change this week was me getting back to exercising. While my body doesn't respond well to things like running, even though I wish it did since you can do it anywhere and for free, I'm committing to getting back to forms of exercise I can do and love. My ultimate goal is to get back to taking a ballet class at least once a week but since I've been pretty sedentary for the last year and haven't danced in almost 2 years it's going to take time for me to get there. Luckily, the weather here in Washington is improving and we are having more and more sunny days, or at least sunny afternoons. For now, my short term goal is to walk our neighborhood, at least 30 minutes, every other day unless I do lots of walking with my shopping where I carry Belle in the Moby and Yoga at home on opposite days. I have a few yoga DVDs, two of which are just ok, but this one is by far my favorite. I also ordered another DVD by the same guy which should be here in the next few days. I also do my own little core workout after doing yoga or going on a walk that is a combination of pilates and other core exercises I've picked up over the years. 

I think my next step in getting in shape may be ordering the Brazil Butt Lift workout series. I've known several people who have done it an loved it. I can do it from home and I don't have to put Belle in any sort of daycare at a gym. Not that I'm opposed to gyms, I just don't like them very much but I will probably do some yoga at one of the post's gyms once she's a little older since they have very inexpensive childcare and the classes are free. I'm going to do my walking and yoga thing for at least a few more weeks before I order the DVDs because I know they will kick my butt. Then my ultimate goal is to try to take a ballet class this coming fall so we will see how it goes!

I've hit the wall with wearing my maternity jeans...I I'm tired of it and I want back in my regular pants. I've picked up a few pairs of jeans in the next size up which is fine...I really don't mind wearing a bigger size but I would prefer to not have to replace all my pants and skirts. I know that some of my pants may never fit again since my hips widened with pregnancy but I'm determined to get into shape again so I can maybe wear at least some of them. I also want to get in shape so that I can be fit and active again and because I always feel better on a number of levels when I'm in good shape. Honestly, it's not about loosing pounds from my pregnancy, it's about getting in shape and being healthy. I don't want to be at my exact pre-pregnancy weight since I was underweight at that point but I would like to be at a normal and healthy size and weight for me...not someone else. Unfortunately since I'm no longer breastfeeding it will be a little harder for me to loose my "just had a baby jelly belly" that all women get. I still wish breastfeeding had worked better for us but I stand by my belief that formula was the right choice for us even though I still belong to the "breast is best" school of thought. 

In the last week since we have been entirely visitor free I've had time to think about how my life has changed, as well as how it hasn't. Truthfully, my day to day life other than taking care of Belle really hasn't changed all that much. My life is vastly different compared to how it was when I was pregnant because I was miserable and exhausted all the time but in comparison to my pre-pregnancy life it really hasn't changed much. Why? How? Well, I was already pretty darn domestic. I don't mind laundry and cleaning (with the exception of showers/tubs...I loathe cleaning them). I love to cook and bake. I like being crafty and creating things myself for our home and for the people in our life. I (usually) don't mind grocery shopping or errand running. Thankfully another important thing in my life that I enjoy is working with soldiers and their families..i.e. the FRG and being a stay at home mom allows me to do this. On the flip side though I need to remind myself that some days the only thing I "accomplish" is making it through the day with a baby who has been fed and has on a clean diaper...maybe even feed myself at some point too and that's ok. I have to remind myself that this life isn't about checking things off a list, having a "perfect" home, or proving to anyone what I do or don't do with my time. This life is about enjoying the little moments with my daughter and my husband. The cuddles, the smiles, the snuggles, the firsts, and most importantly, the love that exists in our home wherever it may be at the time. 

Anywho, here are the changes in Belle over the last week:

Un swaddled her one morning to find her night gown down to her elbows and a big goofy grin. My sweet girl!

• Pushing up more when she lays on your chest
• Really starting to track sound and people better 
• Started napping in her crib! I try to put her down in her crib for at least one of her daytime naps so that she can get used to sleeping in her room. I'm not quite ready for her to sleep in her room at night but I know she needs to start getting used to it so the transition will be easier.

  

  Our first crib nap!

• Slept 7 hrs straight a few more times.
• Cloth diapers! We started using them for her on Monday and its going awesome. I'd like to have a few more which I will buy here pretty soon which will be helpful. Getting them in the wash first thing in the morning has already become part of our morning routine so it doesn't even really seem like any more work. I need to get a bunch of fabric asap so I can make a bunch of cloth wipes so I can start using them instead of disposables at home. I will probably continue to use regular wipes when we are out for at least a little while longer. Honestly, it's such an easy transition especially if you do it step by step and don't try to dive into it all at once. 

  

  Started our first day of cloth diapers with our cutest one!

  
  

  

  I call this diaper her smarty underpants...smartly paired with her TCU onesie :)

• 
  

Mommy Diary: 7 weeks

7 weeks old!

Last weekend was the last few days we had with the LTs mom and I honestly can't believe how fast her visit (3 weeks) went. Belle changed SO much during her visit and it was really great to have her here for so many reasons. I was able to get things done around the house and clean some since she could watch the baby. She was working remotely so she would work some each day and did conference calls via Skype but was still able to spend plenty of time with Belle which I know she really enjoyed. 

Saturday we took a day trip to Seattle. Since the LT and I hate dealing with driving into and parking in Seattle we decided to try the bus. We would have taken the train but it doesn't run as often on the weekends so bus it was. It was a little stressful getting the stroller on and off the bus but it worked out really well and with the price of gas and parking ended up being far cheaper. I fed Belle each way on the bus and she slept most of the time in the stroller while we walked around Seattle. I fed her again at lunch time and then she napped in the stroller again. It was a typical Washington day, meaning lots of rain and fog but we didn't get too wet fortunately. We walked all around Pike's Market where I found a store that only sells polish pottery...probably the most dangerous store you could EVER take me to. I'll have you all know that I didn't buy a single thing but wanted to take it all home with me. We had lunch at The Crab Pot which is one of my favorite meals...if you like shellfish and are in Seattle you must must eat there. Then we walked up to a "mystery location" that the LT had planned for our trip. It turned out to be the North Face store where he told me I could pick out any jacket I wanted for an early mother's day gift. This may seem odd to some but I've wanted a North Face jacket for a while but just wouldn't spend the money on myself for one. I found a great jacket that I absolutely love and fits all the requirements all my other jackets failed me on. It's water proof with a hood (great for Washington weather), it's very warm and blocks out the wind, it has a zip out lining that can be worn like a thin fleece by itself, and when you zip out the lining it's just a thin hooded rain coat. So, again...a weird Mother's Day gift but it was perfect for me and I love it, and love my husband for knowing me well enough to know I would love it.

Babies love seafood!

Multitasking is the key to motherhood....a woman has her priorities.

Danger! Danger!

Baby's first bus ride!

My MIL left on Sunday which is also when I found out that my Grandfather had passed away. It was a total shock when I talked to my Grandmother as we didn't even know he was sick. I had talked to my Grandma on Friday and he was just suffering from what they thought were allergies but must have been more serious. He was such an amazing man I can't even begin to explain how much he will be missed. He was an Air Force pilot and flew in both Vietnam and Korea and worked for the state of Texas after that. He wasn't my biological grandfather but he started dating my grandmother when I was a baby so had been around my entire life. They got married when I was in pre-school and was the only grandfather I ever knew. He loved and treated us like his own grandchildren as well as my mom and her sisters like they were his daughters. He will be dearly missed. He will be buried at Ft. Sam on the 19th with a memorial service in Austin, TX on the 21st. Unfortunately, since the LT goes back to work after 3 weeks of block leave on the 15th he won't be able to take leave and it would just be too hard to fly with Belle by myself for such a short trip that would also require lots of traveling between cities in Texas. I absolutely hate that I won't be able to go, especially  to the burial with full military honors, but unfortunately that's part of living this military life and having a new baby. 

My lovely grandparents

Tuesday was my OB centering group's postpartum reunion where we all got back together with all the babies. It was a lot of fun to see all the babies after talking about them for so many months and seeing each other go through our respective pregnancies. I really hope that I am able to stay in touch with the women I met through centering since they not only have kids the same age as Belle but are also great women.  

All the adorable babies!!!

I also got some great finds at the Ft. Lewis thrift store on Tuesday! $20 got me a large enough pot for me to boil jars so I can start canning, another of my favorite burp cloths, a practically unused shopping cart cover for when Belle is able to sit up in the shopping cart, a pair of jeans that fit perfect, and a snack bowl for down the road. I love finding great stuff for cheap, especially things I need or will be needing.

Wednesday one of my best and oldest friends, Stacey, arrived for her visit. We've known each other so long we are practically sisters and have always treated each other's families like our own. Stacey wanted some seafood while on the coast (she lives in Kansas City so doesn't get much seafood there) so we took her to our favorite sushi place in Olympia, Osaka. Belle was quite the attraction as every waitress stopped at our table multiple times to smile at her and talk to her. 

Cuddling with Auntie Stacey

Big smiles for Daddy during our first trip to a Sushi restaurant

Stacey and I also took a trip to IKEA to get a few things for Belle's room. We needed a little bookshelf along with some things for the walls. It was fun to go with her and then put the final touches on her room together.

Baby's first trip to IKEA. She did great in the Moby and didn't get upset until we were almost home. 

Finally found a use for all my old kinesiology text books and notes that I couldn't bring myself to throw away. They are under her crib mattress to put it on an incline (to help with her reflux) for whenever she starts sleeping in her room.

New things this week:
- Lots of cooing and adorable baby noises
- Lots of smiles and more social smiles every day
- Awake for longer periods of time during the day
- Slept 7 hours straight for the first time (yay!), but has only done this once (boo)
- Sleeping longer at night...I put her down usually around 10, wakes up between 2 and 3, back to bed about an hour later, then up usually around 6.

So, here's some other random pictures from the week...

Tutu pants :)

I put her in her bouncer in our bathroom in the mornings while I get ready and she has a nack for wiggling her little feet out of her swaddle.

Custom onesie I had made after seeing something similar on Pintrest and our first pair of jeans!

She does this stretch for several minutes every time she wakes up but  her first one in the morning is by far the best.