yay!

I don't have alot to say today.

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan is devastating. Watching the footage is unreal. It's hard to believe something like that can actually happen. But it did. And it does. I guess the end of the world is coming quick.

Talking to my sister in law today we agreed that it seems like the world is falling apart a little. All these crazy natural disasters, political craziness, and other things. It makes me wonder what the world will be like when my baby is grown up.

All I know for sure is that his spirit is stronger than mine.

It was great to have the hubby home early today. We survived the week of tests! I didn't see much of him, and what I saw was "I'm studying, so I'm out of commission." We celebrated with lunch and a big shopping trip at Costco.

(lame, I know. but it was fun)

I think we have at least a 3 month supply of food storage now! Wahoo! Makes me feel good.

Now I will cuddle with my man, eat some delicious cookies and ice cream, and watch the BYU game. Go Cougs!

New friends and decisions

Today was fantastic.

Remember how I said I wished I knew more people here in my situation? And how I wished I had more friends?

I feel like that changed today.

I met a couple girls on Sunday whose hubby's go to the same school mine does. We talked about getting together for a lunch group. And it happened! And at this lunch group I met about 10 other awesome gals whose hubby's also go to the same school as mine!! Some of them have kids, some don't. But they're all fantastic. I had so much fun!

And it's SO nice to know so many more people who are LDS and who are doing chiropractic.

Kinda makes things easier because people can relate.

And also my kid is adorable.

I'll probably say it everyday.

You'll probably get sick of it.

I don't care.

He's so Dang. Stinkin. Cute.

I'm taking a break from Facebook. I realized last night that I spend way too many hours doing absolutely nothing of value. I thought it'd be interesting to see how much more I can accomplish and do with my life with the time I would normally be a zombie clicking through junk.

(it's not really junk. it's just not a good use of time.)

...and maybe it will help with this "not being able to fall asleep" problem

Some things I want to do with my time:

-journal (like the real, pencil-paper deal)

-clean the bathrooms (don't ask how long it's been...)

-study the scriptures

-read the Ensign

-make jewelry (i miss it!!!)

-call friends and family

-organize places that I feel are unorganized (like my closet.)

-finish and mail the thank you cards that have been sitting on my counter for 2 months

-blog. (i can't give that up. it's a form of escape and freedom for me.)

-write a novel. (i've always wanted to. and i've started several times. i doubt it'll actually happen though. but at least i can try. and hope. or try to hope.)

I also made cookies tonight.

Told you I had an obsession with chocolate

(and I bought chocolate ice cream.)

I changed the recipe a little.

They turned out delicious.

Call me. I'll share. :-)

He's a chub.

A very cute and happy chub.

I love him.

Insomniac

I feel like every post should be named "random thoughts." But that would probably get boring. Maybe I feel that way because my thoughts really are random. And because I'm not so good at labels.

Today, however, I have named this post Insomniac for a few reasons:

1. I feel like an insomniac.

2. I was composing this post in my head numerous times during the night when I should've been sleeping.

3. Because insomniac sounds dramatic. And sometimes my blog posts are more dramatic than real life.

I feel like an insomniac because every night when I lay in my bed exhausted and excited to sleep, guess what happens? My brain decides it's suddenly time to go wild and crazy and think of every possible thing I couldn't have possibly thought about during the day.

And I get itchy. Don't know why. I just do. When I'm tired.

Back to my brain. I try to makes lists of things I'm thinking about before I fall asleep, but that doesn't help too much. A little, but not enough. This morning Hubby asked for an example of what my brain is busy thinking about.

"well, right now I'm thinking about my American Heritage lab when I was in college"

"What the heck!? Why the heck are you thinking about that?"

"Well, I thought about that you said you studied all day yesterday. And I wondered if you went to your cadaver lab. Then I thought about different "labs" in college. How there might be a dry lab and a wet lab. A cadaver lab would be a wet lab because you're actually doing something. My American Heritage lab was a dry lab because I just sat there and it was like another class. But I didn't know that before. I thought I would actually do something in it. But I didn't. And I'm amazed I passed that class because I always fell asleep in lecture and didn't do any homework or studying, and then I had no idea what was going on in the lab. But I still managed to get a C- and pass the class and not have to take it again. And that was my thought process 2 minutes ago."

"Wow."

I think I might need a new brain.

One that likes to sleep more than think.

Also Mr. Man broke out of the double swaddle last night.

What the?? Really?

He has some serious skills.

(maybe I didn't make it tight enough...)

And I also decided last night that when I write, I say things how they are. I don't sugarcoat. Upon occasion I may make things sound worse or better than they are. But I try to be honest and real. My life is not perfect. It's not roses and butterflies. I am not perfect. Sometimes I have really hard days. Like when I get 5 hours of sleep between 10 pm and 5 am. Or like when I feel lonely because it's cloudy outside and I have nothing planned for the day. Or like when I miss my husband because I have seen him for all of 60 minutes in a 24 hour time period.

And I blog about those hard days.

But there are days that make up for those days. Like when my baby wakes up smiling, cooing and kicking all over. Or like when he plays with me for an hour. Or like when he spits up all over my newly washed jeans and then smiles and kicks so much he makes the ottoman he is sitting on rock. Or like when my hubby comes home earlier than expected and we get to cuddle and talk. Or like when I get to see friends and show off my baby. Or like when my baby sleeps a ton so I get lots done. Or like when my baby is asleep in my arms and he smiles. Or like when I send lots of picture texts to hubby and my mom and they think he's adorable. Or like when it rains and sounds glorious. Or like when I cook something really fantastic. Or like when I get an email from an old friend and I get to reminisce about good times.

And I blog about those good days.

I can't appreciate the good without experiencing the hard.

Really, my life is great. I love being a mom!

But it's not always easy.

And sometimes it's not quite fun.

It can actually be pretty tough.

But I love it. And it's worth it. I wouldn't trade being a stay at home mom for anything. I blog to share the good, the bad, and the ugly.

And, of course, the ridiculously cute!!!!

My jeans saga. And other random things

One day I decided to buy myself a pair of jeans.

I thought it would be so wonderful to have some jeans that I could fit into now and not have that "I need to lose 5 more pounds" hanging over my head.

So I did. I bought them.

(and I haven't lost 5 pounds.)

(I have a slight obsession with chocolate.)

(Every. Stinkin. Day.)

And now apparently my dear sweet son loves those jeans best for catching spit up.

Especially right after I pull them out of the dryer and put them on.

But it's all good because he was very pleased with himself today.

I know this because he was kicking, wiggling, smiling, almost giggling, and talking up a storm right after he emptied the contents of his belly onto my newly washed pants.

How could I possibly be mad after that?

Oh yeah. He also discovered how to kick his legs during his sink-bath and splash me all over.

Who is teaching him these things?

It's okay though because last night hubby said "I've never seen such a happy baby before." It's true. He is a ridiculously happy baby.

Except when we swaddle him.

But then he decides it's okay because he sleeps better.

I discovered the double swaddle last night.

I slept 4.5 hours straight.

Bliss.

Mr. Man is a macho man.

When he breaks from the double swaddle, we're in big trouble.

But for now, it works wonders and blesses me with sleep.

Tomorrow I think I might make it to the gym.

He's old enough to attend the child care.

I only feel okay about it because I'll be 100 feet away.

Or less.

a few of my favorite things

First, my apologies for the gigantic pictures. I'm lazy. So I copied and pasted.

Today I was thinking of my favorite things. Here are a few.

1. Levi 524 Too Superlow jeans. They're tight in the morning and stretch out in all the right places by the end of the day. And they don't break the bank. I have two pairs. Love.

2. Kirkland brand Macadamia nut clusters with salted caramel. This is sin in a jar. Heavenly.

3. Homemade pizza. It's more fun and delicious than ordering out. Cheaper too (sometimes). We've had a couple of these in the past week. I also like spreading sauce and cheese on a wheat pita to turn it into a pizza. Yum. (note: this is not a pizza we made. I have a hard time remembering to photograph our food)

4. My black Adidas jacket. It looks a little like this one. We bought this gem in Park City on our honeymoon. I wear it alot. The zipper is broken and the cloth is super worn and thin. And the black is more of a grey from being loved. Yet, I love it. I feel sporty and cute when I wear it. Someday I hope to get a replacement.

5. Euphoria perfume. Hubby bought this for me shortly after we were married. It's my favorite scent. He wears the man version. Makes me want to kiss him all over and, ya know...

6. On the Border chips (round style) and San Antonio's Black Bean & Corn salsa (from Costco). This is a spicy, sexy, heavenly combination of the most delicious chip and the most delicious salsa. It leaves that amazing burn on your tongue that makes you want more. I may or may not be headed to Costco today to get 4 more jars...

7. Bath & Body Works lotion. Black Amethyst or Irresistible Apple. It's the perfect silky smooth and not sticky consistency of lotion. Both scents are divine. mmm.

8. Silver hoop earrings. Not too big, not too small. I wear them almost every day. My current pair(s) need replacing. They're not sterling silver and thus not really silver anymore...

9. Deep action cream cleanser. I still get zits (ick) and this is the only face wash I've found that consistently keeps my face the clearest.

10. My wedding ring. (please disregard my face in this photo, my eyes are a little odd) I wanted something simple, elegant, and unique. I got exactly what I wanted. The man in the photo ain't half bad either :-)

And those are a few of my favorite things!!!

random ramblings

After writing that mommy post and generating one comment, I decided I should change something.

I shouldn't try to write in my blog to generate comments. I should just write in it for me.

And if someone comments, awesome. If not? Big whoop.

So, here's to writing in MY blog for ME.

I guess I don't really have much to say. Other than I'm pretty sure it was pouring rain for about 7 hours last night. It was lovely laying in bed listening to it pound down. Too bad we're in an apartment on the second floor so we don't get the full effect... At least our backyard is a forest so it amplifies the sound.

Also, I love the TV show Chuck.

Especially while eating ice cream. And snuggling my hubby.

And sometimes I eat lots of cookies while watching Biggest Loser.

If we can survive next week, we may be able to survive anything. Hubby has 6 tests in 5 days. Looks like a mall walking and dinner alone kinda week.

Good thing I have a baby to keep me company... Sometimes I get really, really lonely.

Is it so lame that going to Costco or Target to just walk around is exciting to me?

Maybe because I need to be around people.

I wish I knew more people here who are in my same situation.

Or maybe I just wish I knew what the people I know do all day.

Maybe I think just because they have more than one kid they're too busy to hang out with me.

What do mom's with more than one kid do all day?

Do they "hang out" with another mom who has only one tiny baby?

It feels weird to call one of those mom's and say "I'm bored. What're you doing? Wanna hang out?"

And it's not warm enough to call and say "Wanna go to the park? Or to the zoo?"

I guess I'll never know what they do unless I ask.

Also, I feel really young sometimes...

...and by sometimes I mean, all the time. Almost.

I think I'll take a nap.

p.s. I love Burt's Bees baby shampoo & lotion. It makes my baby smell delicious!

Mommy Favorites

I feel inspired to write a "Mommy Favorite's" post. Before I had my baby, I always wished someone would tell me the most essential things to get. Well, I had alot of people tell me. And everything was different. Now that I have my little angel here, I have compiled my own list of most essential things to have. He's still little, so I'm sure the list will change as he does.

First and foremost, I have to write about these blankets:

1. Aden+Anais, Swaddleplus blankets

A dear friend of mine got these for her little babe. On Monday we were talking to a couple who were registering at Target. She swore by these blankets and told the couple to get them. I kinda rolled my eyes and thought "too expensive, not worth it." Two days later I went and bought me some. Yes, that's right. I did. These blankets are huge. Super light weight. Stretchy. Perfect for swaddling ANY size baby. And the baby can't break free. And you can layer two for cold nights or one for warm nights. She had me sold when my baby wouldn't fall back asleep at her house while she was doing my hair (friend with same age baby who can highlight my hair? Seriously awesome.). She wrapped my babe in one and put him in the kitchen with the vent fan on. He was out in 2 seconds and slept for almost 2 hours. Sold. Done. I ran out and bought them. (he hasn't been taking good naps lately...or really naps at all, longer than 45 minutes)

Last night my babe slept from 8pm-1:40am. He hasn't done that in weeks. I'm singing Hallelujah's in my head. If you have a new baby and they need to be swaddled. Get these.

Okay, onto the list of things, in no apparent order:

2. Bouncy chair

from Target. Couldn't live without it.

3. Huggies or Kirkland brand diapers.

Don't go cheap on these.

4. Pampers or Huggies wipes.

Don't go cheap on these either.

5. Lansinoh nursing pads.

Don't go cheap on these either.

6. Medela single pump.

Life saver.

7. My Udder Cover nursing cover.

LIFE SAVER. I'm not coordinated enough to just use a blanket.

8. SwaddleMe blankets.

These have velcro and a sack for the legs. Great when he was smaller!

9. Thick, heavy burp clothes.

10. A big, yellow, bath sponge for him to lay on in the bath.

It fits in the sink so he stays warmer and it works better than the plastic tub so far.

And obviously you can't take a baby home without a car seat. I love our Chicco Keyfit. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Yes! It's about 5-6 lbs lighter than any other car seat. The base is so easy to click in the car, and the seat is so easy to click in the base. I do wish it had a bigger sun shade. And I wish the stroller had a bigger (and easier access to) basket on the bottom.

I'm still testing these to decide if I love or just like:

1. Butt paste cream and spray

2. Johnson's Lavender bath soap

3. Burt's Bees bath soap and lotion

And now here are a couple comparison pictures of my babe and how much he's grown.

(this is the aforementioned bouncy chair. love.)

1 week.

8 weeks.

What are your "Mommy Favorites?"