Odie's Play Date

Today after lunch we met Meli and Tootsie at the dog park :) Meli is one of my good friends from work and she just adopted Tootsie around the same time we had Violet :)

Odie loves the dog park and playing with the dogs and running around :) One thing about Odie though is that he's super submissive and is always rolling onto his back (even for small dogs)... So he gets a wee bit dirty :) I LOVE watching him frolic and meet the other dogs :) He looks so happy! No matter where he is in the park, he always 'checks in' with us... By that I mean he runs by us and makes eye contact then runs back to where he was playing. We didn't really train him to do that. I think it's his way of saying, 'hey guys, still here, I'm playing, but you better not leave without me.' Sometimes when he's real tired he goes over to the entry gate and touches his nose to his leash :) Sweet Odie pie :)

Then we went to yogurt land :) Mmmmmmmm :)

3 Weeks to 9 Months

I feel like the luckiest mom in the world! I know I've mentioned this before, but Matt and I have really good friends in the area who have babies of their own born within 7 weeks of Violet :) And through those friends we've met MORE! Yesterday was our 2nd grand play date, hosted at our house! There were 8 babies total, but one had to leave before the picture was taken (there were a few who couldn't make it, too!). These mommy's are beautiful, phenomenal, and inspiring :)

All these women are juggling mommy hood with working :) It's incredibly amazing to have so many ladies to talk to about the everyday ups and downs of being a mom, wife, sister, daughter, and friend. Not to mention getting to see so many cute babies! I can see how staying home to raise your kiddos could be lots of fun when surrounded by babies AND adults to talk to!

As for me, I'll be returning to work on August 6th, a mere 5 1/2 weeks around the corner. I'm returning to a fantastic .9 schedule which for me, will be Monday - Thursday, 9 hour days. I can't say that I'm super excited about work, but I AM excited that Violet will get to socialize with other kiddos everyday while I'm gone (a speech therapists DREAM) :) I can't wait to see what new skills she'll pick up on! Our day care woman (miss Veronica) is warm, kind, and loving :) We chose well :) You know those people in the world who hug you even though you've only just met? That's miss Veronica :)

Odie is a Big Boy

Look! His pen is completely down! Oh how I hope this lasts :) If it does, the only time he'll need his pen and rug will be when we go out of town on vacation and gramma & papa watch Odie :)

My Odie

Every morning is a great morning with Odie in our life! He woke up with me for every feeding when Violet was an infant :) Now he's back to his good old 'good morning mama -love, Odie' routine... Which means he nuzzles his head by my side of the bed, staring at me till I wake up :) Then he assumes a backwards sitting position so I can scratch his ears and tummy :) Once that's done, he waits for me as I make the bed, then crawls into my lap on the floor as I scratch his tummy a little more (don't worry, I'm wearing shorts in that picture!) :)

Did you know that when you pet your dog, both YOU and YOUR PUP release 'happy endorphins'? The same ones that are released while moms are nursing their babies? It helps build a bond that's as deep as chemistry :) Super neat right?! I learned that on 'the science of dogs', a Nat Geo special :)

I love you Odie :)

Pictures

Here are more pictures from last night :) Thanks Aunty Bre!!

And He Wants Me To Do WHAT??

During Hawaii and since coming home, Violet has been having these horrible bouts of shrieking fits after nursing (sometimes during). At the same time, she's arching her back, sweating, and breathing heavily. It almost sounds like she's being stabbed to be honest with you and it's intermittent NOT constant. I called the pediatrician's office a week ago and the front desk suggested gas drops which I tried, but they didn't work. I also emailed my favorite lactation specialist (Susan Orr), who thought it sounded a lot like acid reflux and to keep a food and nursing journal and make an appointment with the pediatrician... which I did (remember the peeing story?). I waited a week before making the appointment though because I didn't know how much of it was reflux versus 1) adjusting to being back home 2) riding on the airplane (ears?) 3) possibly colic? 4) fighting off Matt's nasty cold (which I semi-caught)... But I took her in :)

Dr. M said she looks great and super healthy. He said it definitely sounds like reflux and his preference for treatment is 1) positional 2) mom's diet 3) medication (with meds being the LAST resort). We already keep her upright for 10-15 minutes after each feeding so that was easy. Then he told me about dietary restrictions. OH MAN. The "3 common culprits are: 1) caffeine (including chocolate - yea... WHAT?!) 2) onion, garlic, peppers, etc. 3) ALL dairy (related to dairy protein NOT lactose)". My heart sunk since I LOVE so many of these foods! Honestly... I had a feeling it was caffeine and onions since after cutting those out completely after Hawaii, she's gotten MUCH better. I also eat dairy foods very minimally since I'm a little lactose intolerant, so I'm not so sure it's that. Dr. M did say that I'd have to do this for at least 7-10 days. If I noticed she got better, then I could re-introduce foods one by one for a week at a time to determine specifically what foods are causing her pain. Her bouts of shrieking are so inconsistent that I really don't think it's ALL these food groups. But I HAVE noticed that bell peppers, onions, and garlic have made her yucky :( I myself have never done well with caffeine, but I LOVE a morning latte! So sad that I'm giving that up... AND green and white tea :( The nice thing is that I don't think I have to do the COMPLETE food cut out AND Dr. M said that we can "re-challenge her in a couple months" (try these foods again to see if her more developed tummy can handle it).

It's interesting that while I was pregnant, even though I KNEW giving birth wasn't the end of the story I guess I didn't realize how much sacrificing I'd STILL have to do while breast feeding. It's all worth it, especially when my super happy smiley baby is shrieking in pain... but sheesh!

Aunty Bre & Aunty Renee

Tonight Violet and I made the trek out to Highland to see some great friends :) Bre made us a delicious dinner of chicken and steak kabobs, potato salad, dinner rolls, green salad, and lots of veggies and fruit for appetizers :) It was so nice to catch up since its been MONTHS and they both met Violet for the first time! I miss those girls so much... It was so nice seeing them :) Driving up the 210 and getting off on Baseline brought back so many memories :) I got quite nostalgic and a bit sad thinking about how long it's been since I've driven that road. It made me really miss my parents, too. They used to live in Highland and since they moved I don't go there often. Life changes so much so fast and then years go by before you really realize how long it's been.

Such a great night! Thanks ladies :)

Every Mommy's Dream...

Odie had another successful non-penning for 2 1/2 hrs!!! He's a champ :) I don't know how we were blessed with such a fantastic pup :) Oh how I love him :)

Funny thing happened to me at the pediatrician's office this morning... Violet peed on me through her outfit!!! TWICE!!! The first happened when we just got to the waiting room. She was in her Beco carrier when I felt an intense warmth and knew immediately what was happening! I went to the front desk to ask where the bathroom was so I could get her changed and off me. BUT the woman said I was next and if I could wait a little, Dr. Maneffa could take me - Dr. Maneffa is a 4 star pediatrician... But for his doctery skill NOT for his punctuality... Needless to day, I didn't want to be in the bathroom when I got called. Well... As I should've known, 20 minutes go by in the waiting room while I'm soaking in V's pee and then low and behold... I feel another intense warmth on my tummy!!! The joys of being a mom :)

Odie Did It!

I'd like to share a fantastic 'Odie First'! Matt and I really want to take down Odie's pen someday and thought that the best time to try is while I'm on maternity leave. Well... He did it! I left him for 2 hrs and he was a gem! He just basked in the sun by the sliding door :)

This, in the Harrison house, is a HUGE accomplishment :) You see... We've tried to tackle this before, but Odie was WAY too young (maybe a year or younger). We tried a few times... The best failed story goes like this: Matt put up a baby gate between the fireplace room and the kitchen. He left for class a mere 45 minutes before I came home... I found Odie doing a stealth role off our sofa (which he's NOT allowed on) AND he took a nibble out of one if my yellow cushions and brown cushion! You see, he HATES being left alone and does anything he can to get our attention and show us JUST how much he hates us leaving without him. So this was such a wonderful first for him :)

Hopefully he will do the same tomorrow while I take Violet to the pediatrician :) I've started to semi take his pen down in preparation :)

Ps~ Odie got a haircut... Can you tell? Look at the middle picture then look at the bottom one :)

Beach Day

Now I'll start by saying that we didn't spend the entire day at the beach with our 3 month old Violet, but we could have! We purchased a SWEET half dome tent which was huge and provided ample shade for V AND us! We also have the tommy Bahama chairs and rolling cart :) We'd like to give our neighborhood Costco a shout out for the great beach gear :)

Today was a beautiful day at the beach :) We spent it at Newport with Matt's family (mom, dad, sister Julie, Ryan her husband, and our niece and nephew) and we had so much fun! ... building sandcastles, frisbee tossing, ball tunnels, chatting... And then old spaghetti factory did we go! I love spaghetti factory :) This time was a little challenging because Violets been having bad cases of reflux and to try to avoid it I've been trying to stay away from foods like cooked tomatoes, onions, garlic... Well... Spaghetti is JUST that! So I went with the ONLY thing on the menu CLOSE to that... The mizithra minus the garlic. My tummy is KILLING me (lactose inefficient tummy), but Violet is doing great :) Thank goodness :) I'd do anything to avoid her poor soul shrieking in pain :(

Now we're capping off the night with 'common law' and snuggling with Odie pie my love :)

As Good As it Gets

That's the movie I'm watching right now as I'm trying to get Violet to take an afternoon nap :) She's been really fussy the past few days... Either she's growing or fighting off the cold Matt had (or both). Even when she's fussy, she's still just an angel :)

Stroll N Savor

Last night we took Violet to her first stroll n savor down on 2nd street! On Wednesdays and Thursday's in the summer, all the local restaurants get together and put it on. You buy a ticket booklet and use tickets to sample select menu items the restaurants bring onto tables in front of their businesses on the sidewalk! Our favorite is this little Indian food place :) It's a fantastic way to spend a summer evening while tasting some local cuisine :)

A Deep Giggle

It's official! Violet laughed out loud for the first time tonight while taking a bath :) It was super cute and came out of no where :) We're so blessed with 2 happy little tykes (Odie included here) :)

Swimming

We started taking classes at the water safe swim school 10 minutes from our house in Seal Beach when Violet was 8 weeks old :) It's a great way to get out of the house and is a FREE class for babies between birth to 4 months! We try to go once a week (its a 30 min 'parent and me' class) and it's so much fun! The pool is an indoor heated pool which is nice, too! Today Violet floated on her back and dunked under water a few times (gently... I learned my lesson) :) During class she is so watchful and likes looking all around at everything :) I can't wait till she's older and REALLY learns to swim and love the water!

Organizing

Doesn't it feel great to take a drawer and organize it so you can actually FIND what you need?! That was the case with our medicine drawer... I first purchased one large plastic Rubbermaid drawer, but it started to explode! Now look at it :) A happy sigh :)

Ps- If you don't have a label maker I recommend getting one! This little device is what DRIVES me to organize :) I love it so much that I LOOK for things that need to be organized so I can label them! It used to be just at work, but now that I'm on maternity leave I'm on a house hunt!!

Lowe's

Violet was officially inducted into the family last night :) As Harrison's we've visited our local Lowe's HUNDREDS of times! Sometimes even 3-4x in a day! Since being a home owner we've learned to LOVE house projects and remodeling :) If you've ever been to our home you'd agree! The employees know us from almost every department, too!

Here's a funny story: while remodeling our front bathroom, Matt went to special order our toilet. You see, our home was built in 1952, and back then bathrooms were MUCH smaller (people seemed to like being able to sit on the potty and be able to close the door, wash their hands, and turn on the shower all while taking care of business!) :) Needless to say, we needed a smaller and shorter potty. Lowe's knows us so well that as Matt was contemplating whether or not I'd fit on the toilet he wanted (without my feet dangling), the guy said, "oh she'll be good." to which Matt said, "I'm not so sure... Her legs are a little short... I may have to go get her." Guy says, "oh she'll fit all right! Part Asian girl? About this tall (while motioning with his hand)? You're good to go!" Nice. Welcome to the family Violet!

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Day to my dad, grandpa, and Matt :) My life has been wonderful because of them :) There's nothing that shapes a life more than a wonderful dad :)

Odie and Violet got Matt really cool gifts for Fathers Day! A personalized frame and Super SOFT t-shirt :) Daddy loooves pictures of his babies at work and soft t's!! We started off the morning with homemade pancakes and then V and Matt took a 4 hr nap (Matt's been a little under the weather and V has been sleeping up a storm since returning from Hawaii). We finished it up with a walk, carne asada tacos and now a documentary on the Dream Team :)

In the 2 years he's been daddy to Odie and the 3 short months he's been daddy to Violet, Matt has been spectacular :) He is loving, caring, helpful, and stays level headed and down to earth. He makes us a team and I don't know what I'd do without him. Odie LOVES playing ball with him, helping put on socks, going for walks, wrestling, and cuddling :) Violet LOVES when he sings to her, holds her, talks to her, cuddles her, feeds her, changes her, and makes her smile constantly :)

... I love him so :)

Pictures!!

Here are some pictures from our trip :) Thanks uncle Kurt and Aunty Rae for the great pics!! Somehow you got V to smile like crazy AND capture it! Nic thanks for lugging your iPhone on our hike and capturing some Harrison family moments while scattering grammas ashes :)