Rolling On

What's funny is (and I think I've said this before) I originally created this "family blog" to be able to post about my child all the time. Then I actually had our child and now I never post...Then once I get so behind, I feel like I can't catch up thus starts the cycle of non-posting. I may eventually go backwards one day and fill in the blank spots but today we are just going to talk about recent stuff. We are "rolling on"

Here's what is new with our family:
1. Let's just get me and Casey's updates out of the way so we can concentrate on Elise. ( I know that's what you came for here anyways) I am still working at the Lasik Eye surgery facility as the business manager. Love my job with every inch of my heart and could not be more glad that I made the change to get out of the banking business. Casey is still the branch manager at Citibank and rocking out the management position. He is the perfect combination of common sense and hard work ethic that every employee respects. BB&T just recently bought out Citibank's branches in our area and after losing about a night's worth of sleep we realized it was actually going to be a great change for Casey. Less conference calls and 'corporate-world B.S.' and more benefits, respect and community values. The merger will happen in May.
2. Elise is 16 months old and adorably feisty! (just like her momma?) She is a busy body, the captain of destruction and the best snuggle buddy. The trick is getting her varying personality degrees to coincide with the appropriate setting. For instance- she RARELY/NEVER wants to snuggle in church. That is when she wants to socialize, crawl all around, tear paper and wave hello to strangers. And she ALWAYS wants to snuggle while mommy is folding laundry or making dinner. Pretty funny
3. She recently went to her first dentist appointment and did great! She has 8 teeth total and like 5 more teeth coming in all at once. Our pediatric dentist is actually a friend of ours so the experience was super pleasant.
4. Last night we taught Elise how to bowl with some plastic princess set that I got from Ross. If she didn't get the ball to hit the pins, she would just walk over and knock them all down with her hands. We clapped anyways.
5. She currently sleeps from 7:30pm-6:30am every night. It is so amazing to report this! I thought we would never be able to say things like that but here we are! We have a set bed time routine that includes books with both parents a quick rock in her room and putting her in her bed drowsy. It's amazing, I'm not going to lie.
6. She recognizes the songs: "Itsy Bitsy Spider & Patty Cake" can sort of do the motions but loves to watch us do them. She also likes watching American Idol and standing in front of the TV swaying back and forth as the contestants sing.
7. She is really, really, really into animals right now. Books about them, videos about them, seeing them outside, or talking about them. She can point to : dogs, cats, birds, lions, tigers, ducks, fish, bears, elephants, pandas and of course horses. She LOVES horses. probably going to have to do a whole separate post about horses.
8. We love her to the moon and back. She squeals and dances every time Casey walks through the door in the evenings. she is never shy to give hugs and loves to lay on top of you on the floor. We're still working on the whole kisses thing. She'll blow kisses, but she's not too keen on the mouth part ... maybe we have bad breath...

Elise and I at Light Pediatric Dentistry. This is our friend, Candace. Elise doesn't look happy, but I swear she was!

Playing at a local restaurant

Adorable shot from the park the other day

From our ice day the other morning. Mommy and Elise took our time getting ready and ate breakfast like big girls at her little table. She was pumped as you can tell. 

Told you she loves horses

Snuggle time with daddy

More snuggles - think this was from Thanksgiving 

Park Day!

Sleeping angel

A year in Reflections

When we were in the first 4 weeks of Elise's life, I thought it was the hardest. I felt like one day during the second month of her life, I finally "woke up" and felt a tiny bit like a human again. Once we reached the 6 month mark, I thought we had cleared another big hurdle. We had gone through our first winter chock full of day-care colds. I was still breastfeeding but I could see the light at the end. Now that One year has come and gone, I feel like we have survived the hardest year of our life. All the consecutive nights of sleeplessness are behind us, my child can be mobile on her own, she can eat everything we eat, and is starting to communicate with us.(Mom's who have gone through the terrible two's and teenage years will probably laugh at me because they know better.) HOWEVER since I only have the experiences that I have been through, I can only surmise we have accomplished something great. Allow me to be bold and boast that we have survived the first year of parenthood!!!

I'll pause for your applause.

Although I 1000% realize that I will one day look back on this and laugh at how much I.did.NOT.Know, I kind of feel confident right now. (Which is a huge new breakthrough.) But before I go and get a big head, let's talk about some exciting things I learned over the last year:

1. You cannot spoil an infant. Hold the baby 24/7 for the first 2 months of it's life and it will still want to wiggle out of your arms as soon as it becomes mobile.
2. It is extremely hard to change a baby's bed with baby bumpers on. Do you take the bumpers off everytime you wash sheets? No, you just jam your fingers trying to wedge that stupid crib mattress down. I count it as a 15 minute workout everytime I do it.
3. Baby wipes are multi-purpose. They can clean a bottom, take makeup off without a problem and even wipe down bathroom counters in a pinch.
4. A full baby is a happy baby. Just feed the baby first and if that doesn't work - work down the list of other qualms.
5. Your hormones rage for much longer than just during pregnancy. I'm going to venture out and say mine are still not the same as pre-pregnancy. I think it has something to do with the massive amount of love that pours out of your heart and the expansive amount of responsibility you are thrown into. Bad combo.
6. Being a mother has given me a LOT more grace towards society as a whole. ESPECIALLY other mom's. I will never judge another mother again. As long as she is trying, she's allright by me. None of us know what the hell we're doing and to judge another mother based on how much of a mess her child is, how loud they are or what brand of diapers they wear is ridiculous. Being a mother is an excellent tool that God uses to humble women. I trully believe that.
"Oh, you're a hot woman in your twenties with a fantastic job and walk around extremely self-centered???BOOM! Here's a kid. Lessons learned."
7. Becoming a mother made me a little bit of a road-rager. Never before did I get angry when driving, but if I'm on my way to pick up my child and there is a traffic jam? Move over buddy! You've got one hot momma on your hands!
8. Having children at approximately the same time as your friends is a must. We would not have survived the first year with any dose of sanity had we not had fellow 'trainees' to swap stories with and cry with. 

Google

So I realize that the internet cannot solve all our problems. but since I'm from a generation where it is a fast resource tool, I find myself using it more than referring to books. And to my sweet surprise, I realized my phone keeps a record of my recent 'search' history. Hooray! Now I have a way to chronicle all the uncertainty that I have navigated on this road called motherhood. : )
Apparently my phone only goes back 6 months, but this is the list since March. Man, I wish I could see what I searched during the first few months of Elise's life.

Kristi's internet searches in March 24th, 2013. All of these are absolutely true and hilarious
Enjoy!

• Red spots on baby's bottom
• fisher price toys
• hormone crash after stop breastfeeding
• Ear infections
• Post-weaning blues
• how long does baby ear infection last
• how many ounces should a baby have in a day
• feeding tips 
• phone apps for parents
• University Pediatric Association
• kayro syrup and babies ?
• when baby's poop texture changes
• Little Bunny Foo-Foo Lyrics
• how to stop co-sleeping
• I suck at letting my baby cry-it out
• Lollacup
• 8 month old will not sleep
• sleeping in your babies crib
• ways to get your baby to sleep
• Prayers for mothers
• baby ear wax
• baby sleep training
• cry-it-out methods
• working mothers guilt
• my 10 month old has an attitude
• far-sightedness in infants
• glasses for children
• Toddler nap guide
• benefits of in-home child care

Baby proofing - Zimmerman Style

Check out all the new additions to our house :)

Baby gate strategically around the dog food because we've learned that Elise really likes that stuff! 

Baby gate around the entire TV area - because it's just easier than saying "NO" two thousand times a day 

Bouncer still in front of the fireplace even though she hasn't used it in months. All because it distracts her from the ACTUAL fireplace and all the danger there. 

Adult items on top, baby things on bottom. Now mommy doesn't care what gets pulled off and thrown on the floor 

Obviously. I mean, what are we - amateurs? 

Toys just line the walls!

I thought having baby stuff everywhere would annoy me, but instead I love it!

More toys - These are lining the walls of our bedroom. All beautiful distractions for a very curious girl. This stuff buys mommy at least 20 minutes to put on make up in the morning 

Hard to tell, but this exer-saucer is up on its side hiding a huge pile of cords and computer accessories. So clever!

What a working mom looks like

In our house, a working mom: 

Hasn't gotten her hair cut in over 6 months because...well... I guess it just hasn't made it to the top of the list yet. 

Spends her lunch breaks doing laundry, grocery shopping and stocking the toy chest so that she can give her full attention to baby in the evenings

Cleans her floor for different reasons. Not so company will compliment her mad housekeeping skills, but so her daughter can crawl anywhere she wants without rolling in dog hair

Goes running BEFORE work because this baby fat ain't coming off on its own and there's too much fun to be had in the evenings to consider working out then

Takes help from her parents! My mom has cooked 3 meals a week for us since they moved here. I'm not ashamed- I'm proud!! My poor husband would have been eating sandwiches this whole time had it not been from our helpers! 

In our house, a working mom: 

Is secretly happy breast feeding is over-Pumping in a closet at work can really get old!! 

Has amped up her prayer life to a new level- I like to think I have my own personal 'angel fleet' watching over Elise all day and night. The chief angels? My grandmother and Casey's nanny.

Has learned to squeeze 'date night' in with the hubby in just 2 hours after baby girl is asleep. No roses and movies needed. Just laughter and cuddling makes the parenting world go round.

Is still figuring out how to balance all aspects of life. Props to moms with multiple kids! Wife,mom, employee... Sheesh! There's a lot to do.

Realizes parenting is the toughest job you'll ever love

Ten Months

Likes: vegetables, drinking out of her sippy cup, watching her puppies, being chased by mommy and daddy, reading books, pulling books off the bookshelf, being told 'no' so that she can shake her head, smile and then do what she's not supposed to.

Does not like: getting into the car seat, having things taken away from her, when mommy won't pick her up upon demand, sleeping with a blanket, waking up

Things that suprise mommy and daddy: How quickly she learns, the random nuances that she has genetically inherited from us (who knew certain things could even be passed down!?!?!?). That a 10 month old can have so many preferences, and that having a kid can simultaneously be the best and hardest thing on your marriage.