ABCs With Ada

Ada loves to sing. This was in the car last Monday evening on our way to the donut shop for FHE :) 

Bula is our neighbor's cat that she mentions at the end. And she likes to make up songs and add, "all night," or, "all day long" on the end. 

Two Peas in a Pod

Sweet sisters in a box!

Ada's mission in life is to make Lola laugh. She is successful most of the time...it reminds me of my little sister, Lindsay, and I :)

Lola will grab Ada's hair because she's a baby and doesn't know better, then Ada gets mad. And Ada is a little too rough with Lola because she wants her to get up and run and play with her. You can tell Lola wishes she could!

For the most part, they are sweet with each other and it makes my heart so happy!

Dust Go To Sleep.

I came across the last stanza of this poem today via Kate at Lily Pads. Her whole post about motherhood is great and resonates with me. The poem made me happy and gave me peace about not having the cleanest house all of the time, so I looked up the whole thing. It's beautiful! I don't think I'll ever catch up on laundry as long as there are children in this home! I would much rather rock my babe and make monsters out of play dough than fold clothes though :)  

Song for a Fifth Child by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh mother, come shake out your cloth!
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking!

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby, loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.)

Oh, cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby. Babies don't keep.

Lola is 7 months old!

As of March 7th. We had her 6 month check-up late - here are her stats:

Weight: 20 lbs. 12 oz. 90th percentile

Length: 27.7 in. 90th percentile 

Head Circumference: 18.11 in. 100th percentile

Favorite things to say: yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! And, "Ma-ma!" She is a total Mommy's girl :)

Rolls onto her side and props her elbow under her. It looks like she's a supermodel posing or just finished break dancing.

Loves to play with her big sis, and is very tolerant and tough. 

Waves hi and bye.

Has her two bottom teeth coming in! Two months earlier than her big sister got hers.

Loves to pat your face sweetly then GRAB your nose when you least expect it.

Has to have her face burrowed or covered to fall asleep.

Likes to click her tongue, blow raspberries, and say tah-tah-tah

Gets on all fours and rocks back and forth like crazy! It looks like she's going to take off!

Is crawling, pulling herself up on things, and standing. 

Likes being in the walker, but mostly likes to be held.

Loves bath time and sleeps really well afterward.

Has fair skin, straight hair, and blue eyes.

Has the sweetest cheeks you can't help but kiss!

Has rolls on top of rolls on her arms and thighs

Loves to smile!

Here Lola is doing her happy clicks:

Laughing with Papa:

I have finally realized that Lola has my Nana's eyes! Her whole life it has perplexed me. We were sitting in Relief Society this past Sunday, and Marilyn Rosenlof (who has known my Nana for over 30 years) said, "Alice, that baby looks just like you!" I looked at Lola sitting on Nana's lap and sure enough, their eyes are the same! I am so happy that her middle name is Jennie, after Nana. She definitely has her Papa's head shape and that Miller chin :)

Loves to balance with Papa!

 Lola is such a happy little girl. She is mellow, calm, and a perfect addition to our family.

Christmas Eve 2011

Warning: Gross, bloody pics ahead.

Leave this page if you don't want to see blood! And read about a nasty emergency room visit!

You've been warned.

This past Christmas Eve, I got really sick & started throwing up. It was so violent that I started throwing up blood. Through both of my pregnancies and extensive puking, I never threw up blood. Googled it and everything said, "GO SEE A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY!" I thought it was another gallbladder attack, but turns out it was a nasty stomach bug.

Matt had to work that night up in Santa Cruz, so the girls and I were down in Santa Maria without him. My sweet little brother drove me to the ER and sat with me for three hours while they tried to figure out what was wrong with me. What a guy! Ladies, he's single & living in Portland. :)

What they had to find out was if my stomach was bleeding. So they had to shove a tube UP my nose, then DOWN my throat, and into my stomach. It was AWFUL!!!!!!! I've never had a bloody nose in my 27 years...this will do it for ya! Not to mention your gag reflex trying to get that tube out of your throat. I threw up a ton as she was putting it in. So sick. Here's what I looked like after the whole ordeal! 

I look like I just left the boxing ring! (It's just runny mascara, not a real black eye). I sent this pic to Matt on his drive down and asked him if he still thought I was a pretty girl. :)

Everyone at the hospital was so nice, the nurse was joking with me about giving me a nose job. And the person on the other side of the curtain kept my brother and I laughing, he/she sounded like gollum and kept talking in their sleep! 

They flushed out my stomach and then determined that it was not bleeding. 

After waiting around forever they sent me home with meds to help with the nausea and said to take it easy. Mhhhm.  

Matt & Lindsay showed up at my mom's house around 3 AM after Sean and I got home from the ER. 

Ada threw up in my mom's bed at 5 AM. MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

We made it to church in Lompoc with Matt's family the next morning (anyone have that group pic we took?). Just as we pulled into the church parking lot, Ada threw up again. AWESOME! 

She was so sad and all I can say is thank goodness for baby wipes! And a change of play clothes in the trunk. She didn't get to wear her cute Christmas outfit, but looked like a little mis-matched scrapper. Poor thing. 

We were all so tired. Matt from working all night, then driving to San Jose to pick my sister up, then down to Santa Maria. Sean & I from being sick and at the ER all night and last-minute wrapping! Promising myself that I'll get everything wrapped before Christmas Eve this year because that was not fun at 3 AM. I felt so weak. Ada got it, Sean got it, and Uncle Devin got it. Terrible sickness.

Anyway, that's our eventful Christmas Eve. I had to document it because it was just so ridiculous. We had a wonderful Christmas which I will post about later, and I promise it doesn't involve any blood.

An Observation

This song came out last summer and I LOVED it! Still do. I played it over and over again when I first heard it. When I saw the video, I thought the guy was cute & hadn't heard of him before.

Warning: the second video is a bit scandalous.

Then this song came out. I saw the video and thought he was NASTY! What the heck?

I decided it was because my type of guy is: athletic, happy, laughs & smiles a lot, funny, and carefree.

NOT: pouty, whiney, girly (referring to the obviously straightened/styled tresses), and depressed.  

Case & point: Matt mountain biking last weekend.

That's my kinda guy :) 

My Post-Pregnancy Must Haves

Now that Lola is 6 months old, I'm starting to feel more like myself again. It's always right around 6 months post-partum that I feel like I'm getting my body back, can workout like I could before having a baby, and fit back into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes. 

I thought I would put together a list of some of the things that help me get through the not-so-cute months after having baby. Luckily, most people are looking at the adorable baby in your arms and not the things you'd rather not draw attention to :) 

1. Assets (Spanx)

I bought these sexy things after I had Ada. I was a bridesmaid 25 days after having a c-section, a scary thought indeed! I found that wearing these actually helped my stomach get back to it's pre-pregnancy form faster! I've worn them some since having Lola and they help suck your tummy in and keep the jiggle at bay. Today was the first Sunday I didn't wear them to church! It's slower goin's the second time around. Woohoo! 

2. Garnier Spot Reducer

I get the pregnancy mask pretty badly. It looks like I have a brown mustache and patchy freckles on my cheeks...attractive, I know! This has helped keep the discoloration at a minimum. I didn't have this with Ada and I can definitely tell a difference this time. It doesn't completely get rid of it, but it's great for the price and fades acne scars as an added bonus!  

3. MAC Concealer

I've used MAC concealer as long as I can remember. It's become my best friend through the ups and downs of pregnancy and motherhood! It will make the dark circles under your eyes disappear, cover up zits, and help blend in blotchy freckles. 

4. Benetint

I did have Posietint before, and used the whole bottle! It's a more peachy color and great as well.

This will give you a nice rosy glow on your cheeks and a base color that will last on your lips. I love it under some gloss. 

It makes you look alive and rosy when you feel dead. ("Are we dead?" is a common phrase in our house after long nights. Up All Night anyone?)

5. High Beam 

Another great product from Benefit! This bottle has lasted over a year. Use this to create highlights all over your face and recapture the pregnancy glow! The first time I went out with the girls by myself I was told that I was literally glowing. Little did they know it was because of this little bottle :) I like putting it in the corner of my eyes, under my eyebrows, down the bridge of my nose (makes it look smaller...it's an optical illusion ooooh!), and if I'm feeling generous - on my cheekbones too.  

6. Old Navy Active Control Max workout pants 

I am in LOVE with these workout pants! They are made of a nice thick material that holds you in, but doesn't restrict your movement. The top has a panel that can be worn up to hold your tummy in, or folded over. I got them on sale & am so glad I did! Nothing like your stomach bouncing while you run : /

7. BANGS

This one has been the biggest confidence-booster of all. Thank goodness for sisters who give really good haircuts (and let you pay in cookies)! :)
After Ada was born, my hair could be found everywhere. It was like I was a moulting bird. But I never felt like my hair was any different. After Lola was born, my hair still fell out all over the place. But I got bald spots on my temples this time! I had a mean peninsula going that rivaled David Letterman's. It looked awful and made me feel so ugly. Enter bangs! I had them before, grew them out my whole pregnancy, and they've returned to help me get through the Patches O'Houlihan stage. Now that all of the little baby hairs are growing in, they are covered and can do their thing to give me a normal hair line again.

Well, there's my list of things that make this new mommy feel better about her appearance. Have I missed anything? What are your go-tos after having a baby?