It's Father's Day!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

We celebrated Father's Day on Saturday this year since Sunday was going to be pretty busy. And we needed a full day to celebrate such a great dad!

I must say, it was a fun filled day! It started with breakfast in bed. Miss Nylah and I surprised Allen with an egg and bacon cup. Very rarely do we eat bacon in this house (eck!), so Allen was pleasantly surprised. The two without the bacon in the picture were mine. Although, just one proved to be quite filling.

On Friday, Nylah and I were busy putting together a framed poem for Allen. On the poem is a boot print from one of Allen's old boots. And of course the little footprint is Nylah's. The poem is called, "Walk a Little Slower Daddy. It reads,

"Walk a little slower Daddy," said a child so small. I'm following in your footprints and I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast; sometimes they're hard to see;
So walk a little slower Daddy,
For you are leading me. 

Someday when I'm all grown up,
You're what I want to be.
Then I'll have a little child,
who'll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,
and know that I was true;
So walk a little slower Daddy,
for I must follow you!

I seriously love that poem! But what I love more is seeing my husband and daughter together, snuggling, playing and laughing. She loves him so much!
And no one can make her laugh like Daddy! All he has to do is walk in the room, and her entire face lights up!

And don't worry, after I snapped a few pictures, I climbed into bed with them and we all enjoyed some yummy breakfast together!

 After breakfast, we let Daddy open some fun gifts. This was my best attempt to make a 'manly' gift bag for him, all while saving money on a store bought one.
I think he liked it.

Since he loves to BBQ, we got him lots of accessories for his grill.

And as you can imagine, we spent the afternoon grilling and hanging out.

Later that afternoon, we hung the swing that Nylah got from Grandma and Grandpa. Allen had to trim more branches in the front yard to make room, and then measure and hang it up on a level branch.

While he was busy hanging it up, all the neighborhood kids came around to lend their full support. Aiden stood especially close by to make sure to hand Allen his drill, and share his two cents worth of advice. And everyone else wanted to hang out with Nylah. So, we went out to join the party.

In the middle of this project, while we were all sweltering in the 90' weather, the ice cream truck strolled down our little cul-de-sac, music blasting and all. Everyone scrambled home and dragged their parents outside to buy ice cream. Then we all took a break and ate ice cream!

 Once the swing was up, Nylah wasn't sure what to think of it at first. She just laid back and chilled out, taking it all in. Then, after 5 minutes or so, she couldn't stop smiling and laughing at Daddy while he pushed her!

Last but not least, I decided to make a special desert that I kept seeing circulate around Facebook; an Oreo cookie brownie. I don't remember who posted it, but I thought it would be fun to try. I think I was more interested in the challenge, and taking pictures of the final product. I love food photography, and I love a challenge.  And this was quite simple.
Basically you take two Oreo cookies and put a layer of peanut butter in between them. You then place them in cupcake liner then cover it with brownie mix. Cook for 20 minutes at 350' and voila! It turned out pretty good. Here's the link on Facebook!

And below is a picture of mine. They turned out great. Very rich though. Good thing we have plenty of kids around to share with!

Again, I love food photography! So, of course I had to dig out some studio equipment and snap a few pictures. Allen was laughing at me, so he snapped this picture of me with his phone:

All in all, it was a fantastic day!  

Welcome to the Moms Club....Oh wait! Which one?

It's a funny thing. When I was still trying to get pregnant, I assumed that once I got pregnant I would automatically just be jolted into the 'mommy club'.  I assumed there was one big club, and if you were a mommy you just sort of became part of that club. As it turns out, once I actually became a mom, it was made very clear to me almost immediately that it's not just one big club....it's multiple clubs.... There's the breastfeeding clubs, the cloth diaper clubs, the holistic clubs, the working mother clubs, the single mothers clubs, the special needs clubs, the home school clubs....and the list goes on.
I remember one day listening to some moms talking while I sat holding my newborn, and it hit me that not only are there multiple 'clubs' out there for moms, but that there are some pretty strong opinions and views on parenting, and so many moms get caught up in comparing themselves with each other. You have some moms who feel so strongly about things that they have a hard time seeing any other views but their own. Then you have some moms who feel so guilty because they aren't meeting the standards of all the super moms out there, then they feel they have to explain themselves to everyone.

I wish there was a club for new moms called 'Like-a-deer-caught-in-the-headlights club'. ---the club where you are kind of standing in the middle, just sort of neutral about everything, trying to figure everything out but not wanting to be 'stuck' in any specific club....the club where you just want to let your hair down and enjoy your child, all while trying to do what's best for them.




I'm also noticing a lot of pressure from companies, groups and especially online resources advocating things and making you feel like a jerk if you don't live up to those standards.
Here's an example. I went to do a quick search for something the other day, and a website totally unrelated to my search popped up with this picture on it:

Notice how unhappy the first baby looks, and how happy the breastfed baby looks? I don't normally let things get to me, but this picture ruffled my feathers a little. My baby is formula fed and she's happier than a lot of breastfed babies that I know! I've also noticed that a lot of breastfed kids seem to have some of the worst allergy breakouts I've ever witnessed. One friends child broke out so badly over eating a couple of Smarties candies...apparently they have eggs in them. Point in case, does it really matter?!

Also, if you do your research not all formulas are bad. Not all formulas are caked with syrups and DHA/ARA additives. Just read the labels and do your research and find one that's best for your baby!  I get tired of hearing about all the negative things about formula. You never see lists of all the positive things about formula. Well, here's one: Formula is keeping my baby alive and HEALTHY and happy!  Sure, breastfeeding is best, but a mother should never feel bad because she can't breastfeed, or because she chooses not to.

Ok, so perhaps what bothers me the most about the picture above is that they put "bonding" next to the breastfed baby and not the formula fed baby! Really? I understand all the chemical releases in the brain that take place when a mother breastfeeds, but really? Why is it continually noted from all the breastfed advocates that breastfed babies can bond better than formula fed babies? Bonding is a huge perk when it comes to breastfeeding, but honestly it doesn't have to be any different with formula fed babies. I am truly thankful for the months that I was able to breastfeed my baby, but when I did have to switch her to the bottle, that did not keep us from bonding. In fact, when I was growing up I always saw moms prop their baby's bottles up and feed them in their car seats, and that always bothered me a little. I like to snuggle my baby close to me when she eats, just like a breastfed baby. At night, we snuggle up in bed together and she will gulp down an entire bottle while I stroke her hair, or just snuggle her. During the day, we rock together on the rocking chair while she takes her bottle. We gaze into each others eyes. She grabs my nose while she drinks, and I nibble on her fingers and pretend to eat her hand.

Also, for the first month or so after I switched her to the bottle, I wouldn't let anyone feed her, not even my husband, because, just like breastfeeding, that was our bonding time. Allen couldn't quite understand this at first because it was just a bottle and he felt it was something he could do. It used to frustrate him because he knew how exhausted I was and he wanted to help out, but no matter how tired I was, I always insisted on feeding her. And it was simply because I didn't want to loose that bond with her.
Daddy helps out with feedings now, but to this day, she still eats better for me, and it's because of that bond we share.

Last but not least, I had to share this little insert that a friend posted on FB the other day. It made me chuckle and it helped me to realize just how much a lot of us moms stress out over the little things...when in the end, kids are just going to be kids and do what kids do best! And hopefully, just hopefully, no matter what "clubs" we belong to, our kids will turn out just fine! :)

To crawl or not to crawl, that is the question

Time sure does fly! It's been a long time since my last blog post, 16 months to be exact. I never did claim to be the world's best blogger, so if you're reading this, don't expect miracles. But a few of the ladies inspired me to update my blogger account, so I thought I'd give it a whirl again.

I was looking back at my old posts, and I can't believe that my last post was about adoption, and starting the adoption process again. We had attended our first class and started filling out the massive pile of paper work. However, little did I know that while I sat writing that post, little miss Nylah was finally on the radar...an itty bitty pea sized baby, bobbing around in my tummy. Those are the kind of interruptions in life that I actually enjoy.

Nylah will be 9 months old next week! And with that brings me to my next subject: crawling. I've been told most babies start to crawl between 7 and 10 months. I'd be curious to know from some of you moms when your babies started crawling. So far, she shows no interest in getting up on her knees or scooting, but she is definitely starting to stand and "walk" with the help of mom or dad guiding her. And just put her in her walker and she quickly flies from one side of the house to the other! It didn't take her long at all to figure out how to get around in it.


We've been trying to keep up with her tummy time (normally on carpet), getting her to balance on her tummy and finding creative things that she can reach for, anything to entice her. But, she very well may just start walking before she crawls.

We're Adopting!

Allen and I started the adoption process (again) a few months ago. But today, we took a major step that I'm still not sure we were ready for, and for those of you who know our situation will understand. Even though we are still months away from adopting, Allen and I set up a crib today. It sounds silly to ask this, but please, somebody tell me we are doing the right thing. We told our case manager that we are very interested in fostering/adopting a special needs newborn who might be born premature, addicted to drugs, etc.. Before we get approved we need to complete our home study.... and in order to have a home study, we need to have a crib and some basic things set up and prepared for a child or newborn. With that said, Allen will be gone the whole month of March and part of April, so we are probably not going to start the training, have our home study and be totally approved until May or June. And here we are setting up a crib in January! Am I nuts or what?! But since the paper work process that we are going through now takes a while, we are using this time to organize and rearrange bedrooms, thus the reason for setting up the crib.

I must admit I was a bit apprehensive setting up the crib, pulling all the bedding out, and unpacking years of dreams that have been set aside not only in boxes, but also packed away deep in my heart as well. Some of the things we unpacked from boxes today were things I had saved from years ago, in hopes for a baby of my own. The Peter Rabbit theme was picked out long before we even tried to have a baby. The colors picked out, ivory, yellow and white. The dreams picked out. The hopes picked out...  Then, crash, right in the middle of all our dreams, we found out we couldn't conceive on our own. So, we wasted no time and jumped right in and started the adoption process, along with fertility treatments just in case. We completed all the training, the home study and even got a little certificate letting us know we were approved and ready.  Everything went so incredibly smooth and quick until........Uncle Sam abruptly decided to move us overseas, first Turkey and then Italy. So, for the past 5 years, all those hopes and dreams remained packed up in boxes, and I refused to open them.....until now. 

Therefore, today has been a bit of an emotional day. Just as quickly as we set up the crib, I found myself closing the bedroom door, so as not to walk by it day after day, waiting, and hoping, and wondering.
Over the years, I have prepared my heart many times in case I wouldn't have kids, and I prepared myself to be content and happy with my life, my husband and the hobbies and interests we share as a couple. We quickly focused our energies on Career, work, photography, travel, military and, well....life has been good to us. I can't complain. Regardless, I hope we're not opening our hearts just to be disappointed again. I hope we're making the right decision to adopt through the Foster Care system. And I hope nothing else gets in our way and prevents us from adopting. It's my hope that not only will our dreams come true and we find ourselves parents, but that we can offer a good home to even one child out there.

Allen setting up the crib in what used to be the guest bedroom

Guest Bedroom/nursery. We'll slowly make it more kid friendly, and also add a toddler bed, just in case...along

with more toys, books and so on..

We love Peter Rabbit!