5 lbs to go…

And then maybe 3 more after that! Before I got pregnant, I had gained a few pounds post-wedding. BUT, as of now, I only have 5 lbs to lose until I’m at my pre-pregnancy weight and then another 2-5 to get back to my ideal! That means I’ve lost 36 lbs in 11 weeks!

I don’t know if that’s good or not, but I’m calling it a win! Especially because I just had my first workout this past weekend. A few more of those every week and I think I could actually have my old body back… Or some motherly variation of it.

Wouldn’t that be nice?

I need to remember this when I’m craving pizza and French fries.

I think I can, I think I can…

Gutting the pumpkin

While hubs gutted the pumpkin, the bambino and I got to snuggle and enjoy the perfectly sunny day.

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Please note the enjoyment in Charlotte’s face. This sentiment continued into her photo-shoot. Hopefully the photographer was able to get a good, non-crying shot. And of course, as soon as we had officially given up on the chance that she might smile for the camera, she was happy as a clam. Typical.

And for fun… I think Toby is trying to hint at his desire to be Todo for Halloween…

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Pumpkin Carving for Our Photoshoot

As part of Charlotte’s year photo package (professional pictures at newborn, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months), she also gets a bonus “pumpkin patch photo”.

So naturally, I searched the internet for ideas until I found this one…

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Since I found it, I’ve been trying to recreate it. So, I watched a tutorial about “scraping a pumpkin” and Mark and I got started last night.

Step one: pick a computer font you like to make your stencil. I originally did this in word, but because her name is so long, I switched to Adobe Illustrator so I could stretch the text to be taller. Once perfected print out stencil on any old paper and cut off the excess paper.

Step two: tape your stencil to your pumpkin. We used doubt sided tape on the back and then scotch tape over it. That worked really well.

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Step three: use a very skinny exacto knife to trace your stencil onto the pumpkin. The best way is to poke holes until you’ve traced everything. Note: work from the inside out… The middle, the inside of a letter, everything.

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Step four: peel the stencil off and reveal. Then, take flour and rub it on to make your lines pop more.

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Step five: using the exacto knife, chunk out the letters. Then, use a scoop (I used the tip of our old school peeler) to smooth it out.

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And… Voila!!!

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We used a mixture of half water and half lemon juice soaked on a paper towel and wrapped in plastic wrap to preserve it. I’ll let you know how that works…

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I also picked up this cute little onesie/pants/tutu thing from Kohls for $14:

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And my friend at KiKi & Bee made me the cutest little Halloween headband! Photos to follow.

Now we just need a happy baby and we’ll be all set!

The Superhero in Our Lives

"I heart my dad." -C

“I heart my dad.” -C

It’s been awhile since I’ve gushed over my husband and I’m feeling like it’s long overdue. While this lovely man has made me want to punch him a few times (can we say Seattle??), he’s really been so amazing.

The amazing started long before sweet Charlotte arrived. Have I mentioned that my husband went to all but one prenatal appointments with me? That means every ultrasound, non-stress test (and there were at least 6), and regular check up. I didn’t have to beg him or pout… he just did it because he’s pretty damn amazing.

Then our labor/delivery/recovery experience. Hubs stayed in the hospital for all 5 nights and was the most active labor partner I’ve ever heard of. In fact, the nurses on the floor were all asking if he had a single brother. Mark was literally with me for every second of my 24 hours of hard labor (and the 12 or so before that) except for the one time he went to the bathroom and the one time he went in the hall to talk to the doctor. Other than that, his hands were on my back or around my waist the entire time. We were in the tub, in the shower, up on the bed, walking the halls… we were everywhere. And without complaint or hesitation, my guy was by my side. It was our labor.

And now, since our girl has arrived, he’s just been wonderful. He comes home just about every day to have lunch with us and spend some time with Charlotte. He’s been to all of her doctor’s appointments (and my post-birth check up). I didn’t change a single diaper until Charlotte was just about 2 weeks old. He still changes 99% of all diapers when he’s home. He lets me sleep whenever possible. He loves on both baby C and me. He’s pretty amazing.

Truly, we don’t know where we’d be without him.

Wahhh, my daddy's a superhero!

Wahhh, my daddy’s a superhero!

I'm cute.

I’m cute.

And by the way, look at me playing with my new toy...

And by the way, look at me playing with my new toy…

And did I mention that I tried out my bumbo today??

And did I mention that I tried out my bumbo today??

I think I might like it...

I think I might like it… maybe…

Our Little 10 Week Old

Well, here we are… Another week has gone by. Charlotte’s made some big changes… Some good and some a little less pleasant.

In fact, this week the sweetie pie has decided she will officially no longer accept a bottle, she will not be sleeping through the night and on top of that, she has a cold! A rough week.

On the positive, she has been doing so well with sleep training (besides not sleeping through the night)! She’s been napping in her crib every two hours and even “put herself to sleep” tonight (for the first time). I breast fed her and we swayed around the room for a bit. Then, I put her in her crib awake and rocked her gently for a few minutes. She wasn’t falling asleep and I was getting impatient, so I went to get the hubs. We decided to let her fuss for a few and see if she’d fall asleep on her own (note, she was not crying… Just fussing).

Sure enough, after 5 or so minutes, she was out!! Yay!! Hopefully we can recreate that tomorrow. As for timing, she’s been falling asleep in the 730/8 range these days.

Other developments… She LOVES sucking on her hand (see photo below), she is even more personable than last week, and is my favorite little thing on this earth.

Enjoy the pictures! See if you can pick out the photo where she decided to work out a poop! No better time than photo shoot time, right? Babies are awesome! No shame 🙂 She smiled after. I was proud.

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And just a couple others from our day!

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Did I mention that she loves to suck on pretty much anything but a paci? Exhibit A: my sleeve after she sucked it like crazy while I made dinner with her in my pouch.

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Baby’s First Cold

At around 1:45 this morning, the sweet bambino woke up totally congested and coughing. It was really sad. We used the nose frieda, which actually worked really well… Although Charlotte does not enjoy it. Her eyes bulge out of her head and she desperately tries to sniff all the boogs back into her nose as I’m trying to suck them out. Yuck.

As an FYI, we called the doc this morning and she said to monitor her temp and make sure she doesn’t have a rash. If her rectal temp was over 100.6, she would need to be seen.

Anyway, the sweet girl was sick all day, which made my attempt at getting her into good sleep habits easier. She took a 3 hour nap, a 2 hour nap and a 45 minute nap today and was asleep by 8. Pretty good! Sleeping after 1-2 hours of wakefulness, as our sleep book recommends.

Hopefully her good sleep habits will last through the night. This momma is tired.

Despite her stuffy nose and cough, she was in pretty good spirits today. Check out her mini smile on our walk today (and don’t judge her for rocking pjs all day… It was a sick day!).

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And here she is reading and playing with her pops and pup…

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I heart growth spurts (said no one ever)

Charlotte has been in a growth spurt for the past few days. Last night this lovely spurt meant no sleep. I literally spent 3 stress and anxiety filled hours sleeping and about 6 house bouncing and/or feeding the little one.

Remember when I was all excited that the lady was sleeping through the night? That is no longer the case. Hopefully it’s only temporary, but sheesh. I’m tired.

As a slight tangent, I have an app called Wonder Weeks, which helps to predict a child’s developmental leaps based on their due date. It provides symptoms to recognize the leap, information on what to expect after the leap and activities to help you through the leap. I’d definitely recommend it.

Anyway, send me positive vibes for a peaceful evening.

In the meantime, some pictures of the crankster staring at the chandelier (the best way to soothe her lately… Chandelier bouncing):

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And nap time on momma today (please note the hand print impressions on her face… A symptom of sleeping face down)…

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And some others from the weekend including a sneak peak of the naming ceremony, pedicures, a gorg scarf my friend made me, and my new favorite children’s book. A must have!

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If you’re interested, here’s a link that includes the full “wherever you are my love will find you” book: http://community.babycenter.com/post/a25640907/wherever_you_are_my_love_will_find_you