Good times had by all

My best friend Rose and her hubs Jon came to visit us last week, and we had the best of times! I really do have the bestest friend in the world- I never will know how I got so lucky to find my soul mate (can one have soul mate friends? well I do if it exists). We went shopping and walked around the cutesy, artsy fartsy downtown area in my town that I never visit unless I am entertaining guests. We also just hung out and relaxed together. Rose absolutely loved our little Ali gal- she and Jon are going to start trying to create their own bunch over the winter- whoo hoo!

KK and I finished off the week by heading up to the cabin. It was so nice to get outta town and just relax - it is amazing how much fun doing nothing can be! I strapped Ali in the front pack and went walkin'- I love fall and all the trees changing colors! It was really refreshing for me - I have been feeling so run-down lately- maybe a mild case of the baby blues- but being up in that northern air and seeing the beauty that I have in my life gave me just the boost I needed.

On the Ali update front: she is becoming so alert and starting to show us her little personality, and thankfully, it's a good one :-). She is beginning to smile and coo, and follows us around the room with her eyes- it's awesome!

She rolled over on Saturday!!!!!!! We could not even believe it: I was sitting on the floor with her, enjoying some tummy time, and she pushed herself up and over to her right side! It surprised the crap outta her, me, and daddy, but we laughed and clapped for our big girl. Who knows if it was a fluke- she is only 5 weeks old- but we think she is pretty amazing.

P.S. This picture confirms it: this baby looks nothing like her mommy and exactly like her daddy:( Thankfully, her daddy is a good lookin sucker!

It's going to be a good week

My greatest friend of all times, Rose, is coming to visit me tomorrow! She and her husband are both captains in the Air Force and are currently in between bases: they were stationed in Turkey (Rose also just got finished with a 6 month stint in Iraq) and they are on their way to San Antonio, Texas. They are spending their month-long transfer time visiting his mom in Kentucky, her parents in Boise, his brother in Seattle, and ME !!!
I'm so excited to see them and introduce them to Ali! I have so much to catch her up on.. and it will be nice for her to have a peek into what my life is like with a baby to care for! We have been friends since college, so this scene will be a little different then what she is used to :-) It is so hard for me to go through life without her here on a daily basis- our yearly visits don't quite make up for the distance, but we do our best to squeeze in as much fun and laughs while we can be together. Oh man, I'm so excited!

4 weeks!

It is hard to believe that my little gal is already 4 weeks old! But at the same time, it feels like I've known her forever. She's doing so good: growing like a weed lately... we are still trying to figure out just how many ounces of formula to give her to keep her full for more than an hour, without making her upchuck from over-eating: it's quite a process really. Last night, or should I say morning (2:30am) she decided that she wanted to play in her bassinet after eating. Believe me, it was as fun as it sounds. Needless to say, Mommy didn't get back to sleep until 4am, and was then woken up by the hubster getting into the shower at 5:15. I didn't get to sleep in to catch up either- I had my 4 week checkup at 9:15... and getting ready with a baby is a whole other story then getting ready by yourself. I have never been more late to things in my life! Don't' worry- I'm learning from it and scheduled my next appointment at 11:00: perhaps then I can make it with a few minutes to spare!

And my 4 week appointment went great, by the way. My va-J-J that was blown out by this almost 9lb baby coming out facing up is healing up nicely, I'm happy to report. My hubby was happy to hear we got the go ahead on doing it again: the poor man is cravin some a-c-t-i-o-n!

Time to get in shape

Since Ali was 1 week old, I have hit the street almost daily. I load her up in the stroller and we walk around our neighborhood. I get a good pace going and feel like I'm burning some preggo weight off, but I really want to kick it in gear and loose this nice flabby fat tire that has attached itself to my waist area. I'm planning to start using our elliptical as soon as the weather turns colder, but I can't force myself into that basement with the beautiful sunny weather we've been having.
I know it has only been three weeks since she was born, but I'm already jonezin to get into my old clothes so bad! It's funny: I remember looking in my closet and hating all my clothes last November, but now I look at them and think I've got some pretty cute stuff just begging to be worn!
I'm going to start an ab routine today, just your basic sit-up jazz...right after I finish this cup o' coffee and watch Regis and Kelly... does anyone have suggestions of a fun workout DVD or exercise regime they use to stay fit and trim?

Just call me the social butterfly

Staying home with this little gal has made me realize what a social person I am. I mean, I really miss talking to people (that talk back) throughout the day! When my husband comes home, I pounce on him for adult conversation. People keep asking me if I'm dreading coming back to work in October, and I'm actually not. I mean, leaving Ali will be the worst thing ever, and I struggle with having her precious daily hours spent elsewhere, but it will be nice to have the routine of work back. I really like teaching, and I really like the people I teach with. One of my closest friends teaches right next to me, and we really miss seeing each other every day! I'm also sick of being in the house- and I'm too poor to really go anywhere. Ali and I go for long walks everyday, and then I come home and find things to clean. I must be a busy body because I just can't sit still! I guess having the routine of work everyday breaks it up a little more for me. I hope I'm not a bad mother for feeling this way- it isn't about getting away from my child at all: I wish there was some way to bring her with me every day- I guess I'm realizing how important my adult life is to me.... Perhaps I will ask my principal if he minds that I teach with Ali strapped in the front pack? :)

Livin la vida baby

I cannot believe this baby girl is already 2 weeks old... yet I feel like we've had her forever! I am finally beginning to feel like I've got a handle on this mommy thing. I've got a great baby- she hardly cries and only wakes up twice in the night to feed!

I did, however, go through a hard time last weekend: I stopped breast feeding. I had breast reduction surgery in 2004, and I knew that I might have a problem with milk production, as the surgery completed unattached and then reattached my nipple. At Ali's first doctor visit she wasn't gaining weight, so the doctor suggested supplementing nursing with formula. It broke my heart to not be able to provide enough for her to eat, but I was more concerned with my baby's happiness and health. We waited and waited for my milk to come in, and to my sadness it never did. So I gave up, and I felt like a failure as a mom. However, I now realize it wasn't my fault, and what milk she did get from me was beneficial, and that formula-fed babies turn out just as healthy and loved as breast-fed. And the brightest side? It only takes 15 minutes to feed her at night, vs. 1 1/2 hours when I was trying to nurse! I don't think Ali is mad about it and she still loves me the best :-)