My awesome life

Right now my life is pretty great. I spend all day with an adorable little one and I have an amazing husband. There are a few things that I would change of course. Scott has spent way too much of his time during my maternity leave working his hind end off. He was working too hard because he was short people. This weekend it is because of the holiday. Luckily I live close to family, so I was able to spend some time with them while he was away. At first being a mom was really hard and I wasn't sure what in the world I got myself into. Now that Taylor is sleeping a little bit better and doesn't have to be held as much, I am feeling much better. I am starting to get things around the house done and I feel productive for the day. It is still the hardest job I have ever had, but those smiles from Taylor, and the support of my awesome hubby make it worth it. Scott bought me these awesome flowers on Thursday. 

Just because he loves me. I almost cried. It made me feel so good to have a husband who appreciates what I do and still makes sure I feel special and important. (Notice it is a golf bag. I thought that was pretty cool too.) He also was sweet enough to get me a gift card to a spa so I can have some me time for mother's day. That will be a welcom treat when I use it. I am constantly amazed that my love for my husband can still continue to grow. He is such a wonderful man and I am so lucky to have him in my life. Watching him interact with Taylor warms my heart and I savor those moments when it is clear how much he loves his little girl. I couldn't ask for a better family.

I am so grateful that we had Aflac so I could get disability pay so I could stay home for the entire 12 weeks of maternity leave. We would have never survived otherwise. I am also glad we have it to help pay for hospital bills. Altogether with disability and the amounts we received from aflac, we got about 7 times back what we put into the plan. We will keep it for our next child as well.

I am very sad that I have to go back to work in a couple of weeks. I can't stand the idea of being away from Taylor for 10 hours a day. I once again grateful for my mom who will be watching her for the first couple of months. She only lives 10 minutes from work, so at least I can go see Taylor on lunch breaks and not have to instantly be away from her all the time. I know I am a boring mommy blogger right now. I can't help it. Not a lot going going on besides spending time with Taylor.

2 Months Old

I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Taylor had her two month check up last Monday. She is now 11 lbs 4 oz and 23 1/2 inches long. I am amazed how big she is. Yet sometimes she can still look so tiny. She is a very happy baby. She smiles and coos a lot and loves to lay down on a blanket and kick her legs. i have started putting her in front of a baby Einstein video and she smiles at it and stays quiet through the whole thing. I am guessing she likes it. She does not like tummy time. This morning I put her on her tummy four times and each time she just rolled over. We don't think she is too far from rolling over from her back to her front either. She just can't seem to get the arm underneath her out of the way. That's ok though. We absolutely adore her, and I am already starting to miss some of the things she did when she was a little bit younger. I fear that she is not going to be much of a cuddler because when she is awake and being held, she is pushing up on her legs and moving around a ton. She is always looking around and seems to be afraid she will miss something. I am dreading going back to work. I can't stand the thought of leaving her, and we actually don't have anyone set up to babysit after August. My mom is watching her while she is off work for the summer, but we don't know who will watch her after that. Anyone know someone that will do it for cheap? We seriously haven't even looked. It is hard to know who to trust. I know my mom will love her and take good care of her. I am hesitant to take her to someone I don't know will do the same. Ugh... anyway, hoping to update more about my life soon. But for now, Taylor just woke up and needs to be fed.

Taylor's Newborn Shoot - 4 Weeks Old

My life these days

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth, I am just pretty busy with baby Taylor. If I am not sleeping when she is sleeping, I am trying to get my house in order that is a total disaster. I can't believe she is 7 weeks old already. It is amazing how fast it goes by. I have been mentally blogging for the past few weeks, so here are condensed versions of my mental blogging:

• There is really no way to prepare for being a mom for the first time and it is not easy. I have had a few really bad days and being a mom really is hard. It makes me really grateful for my own mother. Baby Taylor is a relatively good baby, but it is still not easy. I think I was having a really hard time because Scott was working 8 to 3 and then taking a nap and going back from 5:30ish to anytime from 10:30 to midnight. It was really tough having him gone that long. I don't know how single moms do it, because even though Taylor was being good, it was hard to be alone a lot.
• I have never loved my hubby more. He is so cute with Taylor and he loves her to pieces. A couple of weeks ago he asked mentioned how crazy it is that you can love your baby as much as you do in such a short time. You know you are going to love your child, but you don't realize how much. I am constantly amazed how much I love her and how much I love him.
• I went to my first "girl's night" a few weeks ago. My neighbor invited a lot of ladies over and she had some people doing glitter toes. It was only $10 so I got mine done for the first time. It was a lot of fun, and it was nice to have a social night.
• Daytime television sucks. I am watching a lot of re-runs of sitcoms and sometimes there is really nothing on. I have developed a new addiction to cake shows: Ultimate Cake Off, Cake Boss, Amazing Wedding Cakes, Last Cake Standing. I am in awe of the talent of the cake decorators and I love to see the finished product.
• I thought I would have a lot more time than I do. When Taylor is sleeping I am trying to take care of my disaster of a house and take care of myself (shower). I never thought it would take up this much of my time. It can get old to sit on the couch and hold her all day long to feed her or rock her to sleep. I know I really need to get her on a routine, but haven't had a chance to even think about getting her on a schedule. I will figure it out eventually.
• I am not a big fan of parents talking about how amazing their kids are, but I am discovering that every child has some sort of strength that is unique. Taylor's is amazing muscle strength. She was holding up her head from day 1. They brought her in to nurse a few hours after she was born and when I burped her she lifted her head. She turned over from front to back at 6 weeks. She did it twice and then when we tried to record it, she wouldn't do it. She has done it once time since then. It is crazy.
• And finally I love that sweet little girl's smile. She just started smiling recently and when this adorable little girl smiles and coos at you, it makes any frustration of the day well worth it.

Smiling for mommy

I tried to get a month old picture, she wasn't having it.

First day out with mommy after mommy's 6 week check up. She did so well. Slept most of the day.

Just a super cute picture with her little beanie because it was dang cold last Saturday.

More smiles