First Day at Daycare!

Violet spent 7 hrs at daycare today :) I lasted 3 hrs before I called Veronica to see how our little bloom was doing :) And of course she was doing great :) When I picked her up (at 2:30) I had to knock a few times because they couldn't hear me over all her hysterical giggling (a little boy was playing with her). I could hear her from the driveway! So cute :)

She took 2 naps (30 min) and 3.5 oz by the bottle (a new record for her since she stopped taking one)! Of course that was nothing compared to how much she eats at home with me, so she guzzled for the next 4 hrs once returning home... Which made her spit up a LOT and be a little crabby... And she also didn't want to be set down... Just cuddled all afternoon and evening till we gave her a bath early and she was sound asleep by 7 pm.

I must admit that I was a slight mess this morning and even after picking her up. Since Violet's so small and can't talk to me about how her day was and what she is thinking and feeling... it's hard for me to relax when she's crying because I can't always figure out what's wrong... Like this afternoon. She's NEVER been that fussy :( Was it the crazy busy weekend? All the travel on Sunday? Being at a new place for 7 hrs? Not being able to eat as much as she normally does? Not napping as much as normal? Or maybe just everything wrapped in a tight little ball? It was a rough afternoon...

I'm so incredibly happy we've found such a wonderful daycare family :) I hope each day this week gets better and better and Violet falls into a spectacular routine :)

We're Home!

Oh man we made it! After 3.5 hrs in the car from Dubuque to Des Moines and 4 hrs on a plane (after an unexpected 2 hr delay), Violet and I landed in LA at 5 pm yesterday. I tell you, aside from being a great sleeper, Violet is also a trooper when it comes to traveling. She's never been in her carseat for more than 1.5 hrs and she did 3.5 hrs TWICE in a matter of 3 days! And let's be honest... She doesn't particularly love her carseat.

Last night she went down a bit early for bed and slept 11 hrs... And woke up for daycare! There was a hiccup at work with my CPR recertification, so I actually have the day off. Matt and I decided to take Violet anyway to ease her in slowly (I'm picking her up at 2:30). I feel a bit sad and miss her, but I know she'll do great. Hopefully Veronica is able to give her a bottle... That would be a Christmas miracle!

I Love You Sara!

Today we celebrated baby Peterson all the way in Dubuque, Iowa :) It was such a wonderful day! We spent the morning preparing for the baby shower and then took a trip to Sara's sisters house near downtown Dubuque for a tour and to see the boys (Sara's adorable nephews). The house used to be a bed and breakfast up on the bluffs overlooking the city and the Mississippi river. It was GIGANTIC and beautiful. Built in 1898... so LOTS of detailed woodwork and neat spaces :)

The shower was fantastic and Sara was truly showered with love, stories, books, and gifts :) Violet made some new best friends in Rita (Sara's good friend) and Rachel (Sara's cousin) who we dubbed baby whisperers for their ability to get Violet to nap on vacation :) Gramma Karen (Sara's mom... And like a 2nd mom to me) did some magic, too :) While we had our girls night dinner, we tried to put V in Sara's bumbo she got from the shower.... I SWORE she fit into ours last week!!! Oh man is she getting big! Or maybe she's just stretched hers out at home?

Tomorrow we make the 3 hour drive back to Des Moines, then Violet and I get on a plane back to Long Beach (4 hrs)! Such a quick trip, but so worth it to celebrate a woman who has brought so much joy and happiness to my life :) I can't wait to meet her little pumpkin, give home a kiss, and tell him all about how amazing it was to grow up with his mommy as my best friend :)

Ps- Violet even experienced her first thunderstorm!

Pps- Matt sent me a photo of Odie... I miss them soooo much!

Ppss- If you scroll down and see a picture with iced tea and an object at the bottom... That's a tiny plastic BABY that was put into ice cubes... It's a little creepy to look into your drink and see a baby at the bottom!!! We had a good laugh :)

Good Mornin'

Last night it took some time to put Violet down. I think it must have something to do with the new environment and smells... After trying to put her down 3x with no luck (she'd wake up crying), I decided to put my cardigan on top of her so she'd smell me if she woke up... I guess I figured that I must smell like home to her? It worked :) She went down for the night... Snoring :) She only slept for 9 hrs though since it took so long for her to go down (she gets up at about the same time every day). She was a doll and let me sleep for an extra 45 minutes while she laid there quietly cooing :)

Oh Dear

(This post is actually from Wednesday)

We had another bought of acid reflux this afternoon :( Maybe it was the bit of orange Fanta I had at lunch? Or the pesto in my panini? I don't know :( She was so tired, too since we've been running errands all afternoon and she can't nap quite well on the go. She just fell asleep after some moaning... And she's angry sleeping. Poor dear :( One second she was all smiles... The next just a sad bear.

Iowa!

We made it! 3 hrs on a plane by ourselves and Violet and I landed safely in corn and soybean country :) Let me quickly give a shout out to the kind lady at the Allegiant Airlines counter who checked my bag for free :) Thanks dear!

Sara (my best friend) looks fabulous at 30 weeks pregnant and I couldn't be happier to be here :) She has learned the art of making V giggle hysterically, too :) That's always heart warming :) Her baby shower is in Saturday and I can't wait to celebrate with her!!!

On the plane, V was a gem! She took an hour nap and was happy as a bean :) I didn't master the "eating on a tiny plane with an active baby on your lap" bit and I forgot to eat breakfast... So my first meal was a giant muffin I bought when we landed. I was soooo hungry!!! On the other hand, I DID master the "go to the bathroom with a 17 lb baby in your arms in a tiny airplane bathroom" :) Amazing the things you can do one handed!

Tomorrow we're sleeping in (or trying to if V stays on her sleep schedule) and then doing some artwork for the baby's room. Sara and Ryan have done AMAZING things to their house and the nursery is included in that! I'll post pictures later :)

Ps- when a baby is sleeping on a plane do you:
A. Poke it with your finger
B. Talk loudly in her ear
C. Pat her arm again and again
D. Leave her alone

My sweet airplane neighbor thought that A, B, and C were correct... But the sweet old man offered repeatedly to hold her while I slept, went to the bathroom, or needed to get things from my bag. Can't get mad at that!

It's Coming to an End...

Today is my last day at home on maternity leave...(tomorrow morning Violet and I fly to Iowa for the weekend, then I start work). I can't believe these nearly 20 weeks have gone by so quickly! And it's truly amazing how MUCH things change from those first weeks till the past few weeks. I dare say that becoming a mom is the fastest transformation in a woman's life :) You really don't need to read a lot of books, blogs, or articles to know how to care for and love your baby and family... Most of it just comes naturally :)

Over these past 20 weeks, I have LOVED the advice, love, and support from other moms (including my own) and family as well as some educated people in the field like our lactation specialist, pediatrician, and of course my amazing sister Melyssa :) It's quite spectacular how just having a baby opens up your life circle to so many more people! And friendly people, too! I swear I've never had so many 'hellos', smiles, doors be opened, and people just stopping to chat! And how fantastic is it that they always admire your baby?! Having a child has really opened my eyes to the natural goodness in people :)

I've loved my time at home so much more than I thought I would. I mean, I always knew I'd love being a mom, but I didn't realize just HOW much that might be :) Every look, smile, giggle, and even her cries make my heart skip a beat (maybe in a sad way for the latter). She's such a good baby :) Demanding? YES. But such a good little bloom :) So good in fact that I've asked my boss if it's possible to come back to a per diem position (they don't do part time). I hear back from her today, so send up some happy thoughts and a prayer for us :) I'm hoping to work three 10 hr days instead of four 9 hr days. That would give me 4 days at home with her and Odie :) A better life balance for us :) We'll see!

Last weekend I did something I haven't done since Violet was born... I got my hair cut! It was getting waaaaay too long and just gross. When I sat down, after some chatting my hairstylist Lori asked me, "what kind of look are you going for?" I was confused and said, "what do you mean?" she said, "mermaid meets Samoan? Because that's kind of what it looks like..." To this I laughed since I know how nice, yet honest she is... And I knew at that moment that I looked like a rag-a-muffin! So 6+ inches off and dyed back to brown I went :) By the way, my hair MUST have been super long because even with 6 inches gone, my hair is still long! She also encouraged me to come in for my free bang trims... Yikes... She knew I have been doing them myself... Caught red handed! I'll say in my defense that SHE taught me how to cut them so I wouldn't have to come in every time... I guess she thought my abilities less than adequate? :) lol

Ps- do you think Odie will be okay when I return to work? I think he's gonna be sooooo sad :(

Pps- How gross is it that last night I JUST removed the toenail polish from a pedicure date I had with a girlfriend over 14 weeks ago? Back when V was still taking a bottle... I repainted.