Blog Award!

My first blog award... Thank you Lauren at Throne of Thornes, this is very fun!

As a recipient of this wonderful award, one must continue the rules of the award which are:
- Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.
- Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.
- Link to the nominees within your post.
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

And while I don't actually read 10 blogs at this point because I'm new to blogging, here are the blogs that I do read and am going to pass along this award to!

Chasing My Dreams to Disney
Knit Witch Blog
The Little Way
Musings of A Catholic Lady
The Funny Things My Kids Say

Jack's First Christmas!

We had an amazing day and got to spend it at home in our PJs. We all got lots of goodies and are feeling very lucky! Here are a few pictures of Jack's first Christmas!

Here is Jack and Matt... its probably the best picture I have of him in his Christmas outfit.

A view of the bottom of our Christmas tree after Santa came... my favorite thing Santa brought Jack would be his chair from Pottery Barn Kids! (Excuse the exersaucer in the background, he already had that... haha)

Jack under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning... I couldn't get him to smile, I think he was so distracted by the presents behind him. He's even grabbing them already in this picture.

We even got some goodies from our new neighbors, whom we haven't even seen much since we've moved in due to the holidays. They gave us some edible goodies (Chex Mix, Puppy Chow, etc.) as well as two Hallmark ornaments. One is a "New Home" ornament for the family and the other is a Classic Pooh "Baby's First Christmas" ornament. This was such a beautiful reminder of the fact that we got the right house for us!

In other news, I bought a new vacuum after ours crapped out right before Christmas. We desperately needed one after wrapping paper, food, and guests were in our house. I couldn't really shop around as much as I usually want to do when making a major purchase. I asked for suggestions from Facebook friends and everyone said Dyson. Well, I simply couldn't justify spending upwards of $350 for under 800 sq. ft. of carpet and ended up going with the suggestion of the Eureka Boss Smart Vac after reading some more reviews. I'll be sure to post a review after using it for a while but so far so good!

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish everyone a very merry and blessed Christmas! Tis the season for me to be very thankful for amazing family and friends.

Now I've got to go to sleep so Santa can visit our house!

Friday Fill-ins!

Yes, I know its Thursday but tomorrow is Christmas so I will be busy ;-)

1. My boots are super cute... I got new Uggs for Christmas.
2. Tomorrow might be my favorite Christmas of this century.
3. Imitation sugar is not even close to as good as the real thing.
4. Do you want to call and talk?
5. I'd like to celebrate a wonderful Christmas with my family.
6. Cry a river, build a bridge and get over it?
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Christmas festivities, tomorrow my plans include visiting with a couple of aunts & cousins, an uncle and my grandma from Indianapolis and Sunday, I want to relax after the big weekend!

After All the Crying...

Comes sleep for all involved! That's my conclusion for all the "crying-it-out" we went through. In fact, Jack is feeling stuffy and yucky the past couple of days but tonight it didn't even take 7 or 8 minutes before he was sound asleep! Yes, it is normally not that long but since he's feeling stuffy again that is much better than the twenty minutes of screaming [every 45 minutes to an hour] when he was sick earlier.

I feel so much better after getting a lot of sleep for over a week now! I don't know that I've slept this good since before the 4th month of pregnancy, or maybe even before then (sleeping with 1st trimester nausea was not so much fun either).

Holiday Outings!

This weekend has been busy already! Just wanted to post a couple of pictures from out trip to the Columbus Zoo last night to see the Wildlights and from visiting Santa this morning! Enjoy!

Jack and Daddy in Santa's Holiday House at the zoo... taking a break from walking around in the cold to see the lights. His "snowsuit" says "Dad's Team" on it and Matt is really excited about it!

Jack and Santa at the Scott's children's holiday party! Its also a sneak peak of his Christmas outfit, but I don't think you can see it very well in this picture. I'll try and post a better picture after he wears it again.

In other happenings, the cry-it-out method has been going pretty well. Last night we had a bit of regression. I don't know if it was all of the excitement with going to the zoo or what, but it took over the initial 15 minutes to go to sleep and then he woke up again at 4:30 a.m.! We brought him to bed with us because we were both sleepy, but he did get 7 hours of sleep straight. Tonight has been successful though, he fell asleep in 3 minutes. Even through he woke up not too long ago, it didn't take any longer than 5 minutes before he was back asleep. Naps today were not good, he wouldn't sleep in his crib but slept on the couch while we did things around the house.

Friday Fill-Ins

1. Good times: Are always with my husband and baby boy!
2. I am finally decorating for Christmas at my home.
3. Sleigh bells ring is a sound that reminds me of school Christmas programs!
4. I wish Jack would stay little.
5. When will this work day end?
6. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo, tomorrow my plans include taking Jack to meet Santa at Scotts and having the Vatters over and Sunday, I want to get some Christmas shopping done!

Crying it Out Update

So far, crying-it-out has been working for us! Last night, Jack was asleep in only 12 minutes, tonight after only 8 minutes. In fact, tonight he actually woke up after about 30 minutes and I realized I hadn't given him tonight's dose of antibiotics. We got him out of bed, gave him his meds and put him down again with kisses from Mommy & Daddy. He cried for less than 5 minutes before falling asleep. Last night Jack slept for about 10 1/2 hours

Now, I believe that every baby and every family is different. Which is why I don't have any issues with someone wanting to formula feed, or someone who has their baby in their own crib from the night they come home from the hospital, or someone who does not let their baby cry-it-out. What works for us, may not work for someone else or even our next baby! We try to remain open-minded to trying different techniques to determine what is best for our son and our family.

I am really looking forward to this weekend! Friday evening we're taking Jack to see the Wildlights at Columbus Zoo... we got free tickets through work so it was an easy decision! We won't stay long because it is supposed to be very cold. I need to go and get Jack's winter "coat"/bunting so we can put him in the stroller. Saturday morning we're taking Jack to see Santa at the children's Christmas party at work. That afternoon we get to see our friends Brooke & Greg and their little girls Abby & Izzy, maybe some other friends will join us! I hope that in between visiting Santa and our friends coming over to see the house we can get our house decorated for Christmas finally! (I'm glad we didn't do anything outside before today because we had terrible winds all day today.) I will post pictures soon, I promise!!

Night 2 of Cry-it-Out

Let me put it this way... for the past 5+ months we've essentially been bed-sharing at night, not for lack of trying to get him to sleep in his bed. It has been extremely beneficial to me as a nursing mother having him in bed with us. Especially since I've been back to work and not had the energy to be waking up at all hours of the night to nurse him. There was a span of a few weeks where we were actually able to put him down in his crib asleep (around 10:30 or 11 p.m.) and he'd stay asleep until about 2:30 when he would end up in bed with me after eating.

Well, night one was relatively successful... we put him down right around 9:30 p.m. and by 10 p.m. he was asleep. He slept until 3:30 a.m., almost 6 hours straight! We were kind of caught off guard at that early hour that we ended up bring him to bed with us. Tonight we're determined to stick to it, even if he does wake up in the middle of the night.

We're ten minutes in to the first fifteen minutes and Matt went to go get pizza for us. This is a little bit tougher without keeping each other in check... I am practically staring at the clock so I can run in there and pat him and tell him how much I love him.

We will stay strong... We will stay strong... We will stay strong!

Thanksgiving Pictures of Jack!

Enjoy!

Happy Jack... in his adorable Thanksgiving outfit from Matt's Aunt Meg.

Jack and Daddy napping after yummy turkey at my in-laws!

Pictures like this remind me of how lucky of wife and mother that I am! :-)

Night 1 of Cry-it-Out

Well, its been a rough week in the Chilicki household... Jack has had his first double ear-infection. He's feeling much much better the past couple nights, but he's been on antibiotics for 4 days now. The first night was rough... we're talking waking up screaming as often as a 1-week old, crying so hard he threw-up... twice. It is heart breaking to not be able to help your baby while he's in pain.

Since he's feeling much better and nearing his 6-month "birthday" we've decided to work on self-soothing. As I type this my son is crying in the other room trying to go to sleep. Our pediatrician said if he wasn't sleeping through the night at 6 months we'd have to work on it for his emotional development. The way she said to do it was each night for a week give him an hour and fifteen minutes allowing him to cry-it out. After the first fifteen minutes, we are allowed to go in and comfort him, without picking him up, by patting him and telling him that we'll come and get him in the morning. She mentioned that he will get louder after hearing our voices but that we can leave the room for the remaining hour. This is repeated for 7 nights, but our doctor advised that usually within 2 or 3 days he'll be able to go to sleep on his own and if he wakes in the middle of the night he should be able to get back to sleep.

As terrible as it is to listen to your baby cry after our first fifteen minutes we realized that he's just mad, not scared or hurt. We know that he is fed, clean, and safe... and very sleepy. After going through the ear-infection, when he had to cry himself to sleep because we couldn't do anything for him, that he can do it.

This night it took just under 20 minutes before he was asleep.

I'll try and update every night on our progress... since I'll have roughly an hour and fifteen minutes each night.

Happy Thanksgiving!

After a long but successful road trip to Texas...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL! Today, I am especially thankful for family and friends! We got to spend Jack's first Thanksgiving with his cousins and my mom was even here until she went to pick up Rachel & Alex at the airport. I am thankful for friends because without the wedding this weekend, we would not have likely planned on coming down for the holiday!

My in-laws are going to do Black Friday shopping tomorrow... I am staying home with the kids because I can not handle the craziness. We've got a rehearsal dinner for Tiffany & Steven's wedding tomorrow night and their wedding on Saturday! I can not wait!

God Bless everyone on such a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Supply and Demand... of Milk

All of the stress of the move did a number on my supply and getting back into the routine of pumping at work was not so easy! I went out for a friend's birthday last Friday so Matt had to give Jack what I had pumped the Thursday at work. Well, we had some back-up frozen and we thawed it for Monday, but it was only about 6 ounces. I had all intentions of pumping in between feeding him on Sunday, but was so exhausted I never did. It took 5 months, but we finally had to "give-in" and supplement his bottles with some formula. Let me say this loud and clear, I feel there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with formula feeding for babies... what works is different for every family and every baby. As a scientist I completely understand that formula is nutritionally complete for a baby's growth & development. Now, after saying that, I do feel a certain amount of personal pride of being to be my son's source of nourishment after his birth. Its fairly obvious that while I was pregnant he got all of his calories and nourishment to grow & develop directly from me. To be able to continue that "service" to him after he was born is a beautiful thing and something that is very important to me. I love the bonding time I get with him... to me nothing is more relaxing after a long day at work to snuggle up on the couch and feed him. Another benefit is the money saving aspect. If you know me, you know I'm a very practical person. I clip coupons for our groceries and rarely buy any clothing unless its on sale and at a good deal. I read every review I have time for before making a major purchase, or even adding things to our baby registry this past year! So, of course the fact that breastmilk is free is just another benefit. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the emotional and financial benefits of this choice we've made for our family!

Its Wednesday and my supply is finally catching back up to be able to have enough for his bottles while I'm working. Phew! I'm certainly glad it wasn't an irreversible situation!

Happy Homeowners and Lots of Other Happenings!

Well, we're all moved in (and with internet access no less!) and loving our little home! We officially moved last Saturday, but it was such a busy day. We had carpet being put in that morning throughout the living room, bedrooms & hallway... then the guys (our amazing friends) showed up with a full truck at 11:30 a.m., had it all unloaded by 1:30 p.m. (after they had to wait for the carpet guys to finish up).

That afternoon we had the dryer hooked-up to remedy a fiasco from Friday. Friday was a busy day as well, we had multiple contractors at the house to do work.. including delivery & set-up of appliances. My mom was coming by to help me finish painting and just to help out with Jack, but wasn't there yet when the guys came to deliver the washer/dryer & range. Needless to say, my first experience with these delivery guys was miserable! I had my fussy 5 month old in one arm as I let them in. The older gentleman immediately started into how things were wrong, not going to work, etc. First "problem" was that the washer & dryer hook-ups were on the opposite side, which I suggested we simply put them on the side of the hook-ups. It appeared as though he did not like my ability to problem solve so quickly, but heck, we'd paid for them already & knew they'd fit (measuring tapes are very handy)! Well, the dryer vent that was left from the previous owners was a stiff material (not like the flexible kind I am most familiar with). It was simple enough to untape from the point where it was attached to the vent going outside. All this one-handed because Jack was in my other arm. Then he talks about how he can't bring the range in through the back door.... well, fancy that we've got a front door! That was a very small issue and again, easily solved. The washer was brought in and set-up to be working just fine. Then, the first part where we made a mistake came in... we didn't measure the baseboard molding when we measured for the washer & dryer. Okay, well its a tiny bit of molding only needed to be popped off to solve this problem. Well, that's something I couldn't do one-handed... I tried to hand a guy a crowbar and a flat-head screwdriver from Matt's toolbox. Nope, wasn't gonna help us out. I was trying to figure out what he was going to do... he decided all he could do for us was to put the dryer in the garage. So he did... and then he left. It took me a while, but after much "firing-up" by Matt & my parents, I called our sales guy and told him what had happened and explained that (after my mom was there to hold Jack) I went ahead and took the baseboard off. Long story short, he was able to get someone to come out the next day (moving day) to bring it in and set it up for us. I requested that it not be the same guy who came Friday, I simply didn't want to deal with such a debbie-downer. Needless to say, it was EXTREMELY frustrating, but it worked out okay.

I'll be posting some pictures of the house soon, I promise! It is just getting so dark by time I get home from work, that the pictures aren't that great... not to mention interior pictures would show more of boxes then of the actual house!

Other things happening on our busy front include: getting ready for Jack's first road-trip (18 hours to Texas!) next week for Thanksgiving and Tiffany & Steven's wedding, as well as Christmas being right around the corner! We're so excited for Jack's first Christmas (in fact we've already bought his first gift) and decided to spend his first Christmas at home, just us! I am so excited to start our own family traditions for our children... things like getting to open gifts from Santa in our pjs sound so relaxing and wonderful!

Jack's First Halloween!

Our little man was the most adorable monkey I've ever seen! (If I do say so myself!) I love that he doesn't mind hoods or hats because he looks so good in them. His costume was a little big (I bought it a while ago figuring he'd probably grow into it), but I think it looked super cute anyway.


In other news, we get possession of the house this week! My mom helped me finalize paint colors this evening because I was down to a few different paint chips and couldn't decide which were going to look the best. My mom, Holly & I are going to start painting on Saturday because Matt has to work. My MIL is going to watch Jack so we can get a lot of stuff done without him being exposed to yucky paint fumes.

We've also decided on the washer & dryer we're going to purchase. We were down to three different sets and we made the decision based on size. They were comparable in every other aspect. I'll be sure to post my review of them after a few weeks/months of usage! To me, buying appliances has been harder than buying a house. I guess because houses make more sense to me (as far as benefits, features, etc.) than appliances.

I am very excited to finally decorate Jack's nursery. We've decided on a theme: classic children's books. We're painting the wall a solid khaki/yellow color then I am going to paint 9 canvases to look like 9 different classic children's books. Some of the ones I'm going to use are "Goodnight Moon" and "Pat the Bunny". Then in a long canvas I am going to paint the phrase "May Your Dreams Become Your Story" to tie together the book theme with sleep and dreamtime! It has been a while since I've painted, but I usually can do pretty well when looking at a subject. I can't wait to get started... and I especially can't wait to have pictures to share of the finished product.

Official Homeowners!

Well, its official folks! We're homeowners... and now officially poor! Haha! We closed on our house yesterday and it was quite the experience. I had been to one house closing before with my mom when my parents bought their house for this last move. It is of course completely different when it was our house and our money! Quite a shock to see the actual amortization schedule and how much we'd pay if we were to stay there for 30 years and pay off the house. Oh well, we are so excited!

I got off early today, which is always a good deal, and got to come home to my boys! My mom came by a little bit today, even though Matt was off, just to help watch Jack so Matt could crank out some packing/cleaning. This evening we went to Lowe's to check out paint, carpet, and a few other odds and ends that we may be needing soon! I can't wait to get started on a bit of home improvement with first painting and then getting the carpet replaced. We have a few other things we'll eventually want to do (i.e. replacing some not-so-attractive light fixtures) but other than that not too much longer til we are in our house!!!

We're planning on painting our bedroom a lighter blue/grey shade to coordinate with our bedding that we got when we were newly married! Jack's room will be a yellow/khaki color that coordinates with our crib bedding but will hopefully stay pretty neutral when he gets to a big boy bed. The only other room we're planning on painting right away is the kitchen. I am thinking one of 2 colors... one is kind of a toffee brown and the other is a toned down brick red. There is not a ton of wall space that will need to be painted because of the tile backsplash. That's why I'm thinking the bolder/darker color will be ok in a smaller space.

I'm so excited to get started! I will be posting the pictures over the next few weeks as we make our new house a place that is our home!

The Move is Almost Here

We close this week! YEA! Matt and I officially started the packing process... its going to be a long one. Thank goodness we've got a couple of weeks! We went looking at appliances yesterday and I'm very excited! I can't wait to have a bigger washer & dryer. Right now we're in a constant state of doing laundry. Not that that will change once we have bigger W/D... I mean we do have a 4 month old! He tends to dirty things up very quickly!

I'm extremely excited to paint and decorate our house. We started to look at paint colors and went to Lowe's without any stuff we want to match/coordinate with. Once I got home I definitely realized my eye was not as good as I thought! Next trip, I'm bringing "props" to be more prepared!

On other notes, here is an adorable picture of our happy Jack at 4 months with his teddy bear. This is the bear that Matt and I built at Build-a-Bear. We felt a little goofy, but we wanted to start the tradition so that when we have another baby we can take Jack to build a bear for his younger sibling... and so-on!

Trying to Get Back into the Habit

So its been a very long time since I've written! We've been extremely busy around here.

The house is pretty much set to go with closing October 29... we're so excited! In fact, this evening we went to Lowe's to check out paint chips and flooring options. I am very excited to paint. We've never painted our apartment even though its allowed simply because we never knew for sure if we were going to be there more than a year. I just got a few that I thought were close... boy, was I off! Well, not too far but next time I'll be bringing examples of bedding or whatever I'm trying to coordinate with.

We took Jack on his first plane ride when we went to Texas the other weekend. We had a crazy trip down there with a two hour layover turning into a 12 hour layover! We are lucky though, because Jack was a star the whole time and only cried once when we were on the plan and only because he was hungry. My good friend Leah got married on the 10th. I got to see my closest friends from high school and they all got to meet Jack! Here's a picture of all of us at the wedding:

Last weekend was Jack's baptism and it was beautiful! My friend Brooke is a professional photographer and as a gift to us took pictures of the whole ceremony. Jack wore a beautiful baptismal gown from my grandmother. I will be sure to post a picture a little bit later.

We're in Contract!!

We just found out that our "best and final" offer on a house was accepted! We're moving to Hilliard! Thanks so much for everyone's thoughts, prayers and support through this emotional rollercoaster... we're so excited and so happy!

Can't wait to show everyone pictures of the place! Its an adorable starter home, 3 BR + 1 BA with a 2 car detatched garage! We close at the end of October and we'll move in November.

Frustrations in the Housing Market!

Well, we've put in/written offers 6 times on 4 different homes throughout this process... and none of them have been accepted! We're definitely most disappointed in the last home because we actually let ourselves get too attached to it. It was a great home (listen to me, talking about it as if it has passed away). We're trying to continue to be positive and really hope that we'll find something great and never look back... that is getting harder and harder to do with every offer. I am a bit discouraged by reading about how great the market is and that its a "buyer's market" when no one wants to sell us a house. And to answer everyone's question, no we haven't been sending in low-ball offers. I am very familiar with how to figure out offers because of learning from every move my parents have been though, and learning so much as we go through homes. Every house we see, I become more and more confident that what we've offered have been fair prices or maybe slightly under that for negotiation purposes.

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers so that we can find something SOON! We essentially need to be in contract on a home by Oct. 15th because we will need to move mid-Novemeber before going to TX for Thanksgiving w/my in-laws and Tiffany's wedding. We're going out to look at homes tomorrow evening!

I will try and keep updates coming more on Jack... we're preparing for the big plane trip in a week and a half! That will definitely be interesting. As laid back as he is, I am thinking he will likely do okay over all with the trip. I'm mainly worried about his ears popping during take-off & landing. I'm even more worried about trying to handle it all through the airport, not to mention the fact that I bet we'll overpack "just in case". I'm sure I will have lots more to tell after the trip!

Jack is getting bigger and bigger every day... he keeps outgrowing clothes, or at least fitting into the bigger ones (as we try to squeeze him into current ones to get more use out of them). I have his outfit picked out for Leah's wedding on the 10th and I think I know what I want him to wear for Tiffany's in November... just waiting to see what size to buy. We bought his Halloween costume last weekend, he's going to be a monkey, because a) Matt loves monkeys and b) Jack's been making this new monkey-like sound (that kinda sounds like "hoo-hoo"). I will be sure to post the video I got of him doing it the other day (or you may have been able to see the one my mom got and emailed to friends & family).

Its been a While!

Wow... I can't believe its been so long since I've written an entry! Things have been extremely busy at work and when I get home I just want to crash and snuggle with my little man.



Jack is officially past the 3 month mark and we can't believe it! He is getting bigger and bigger every day and I just can't believe my eyes. I want to keep him as a baby because he's just a ton of fun, but I know that he's a ton of fun because of all the new things he's discovering these days.



He had been doing so well holding himself up that we decided to put together his exersaucer. I love to put things together (the scientist part of me loves to figure things out) so I just up and did it one day. It had just been sitting in a box in his room because I wasn't sure when he'd be able to use it (and I didn't want to unpack it and have to move it if he wasn't ready to use it). He loves it, mainly a couple of toys he can use but I think he loves being held upright in it the most! Here's a pic of the little guy enjoying himself:

Well, Matt and I went looking at houses today and think we found some great possibilities! I'll updated Sunday after we go looking at our favorites again... maybe we'll put a 4th offer in. Tomorrow Matt is working, so I might go and get Jack's Halloween costume! I can't wait, I will be sure to post pictures!

Back Online

After giving in, we went and bought a new modem/router for our DSL. Still slightly annoyed, since we've had it for under two years... but what can you do? Especially in my small internet dependent world! I will have to admit that the days without internet resulted in great family time! I found myself more focused on my husband and son... leaving our TV off more too. Definitely something of which I'd like to make more of a habit!

I definitely think this past weekend was great... Friday started off with me getting Jack's baptism invitations printed off at my parents (their printer is really nice!). I then came home and got myself ready for a "Mommy's night out" with a few friends who also have babies (but it was of course, not a Mom-only night). We went to El Vaquero for dinner and I must say, I've missed margaritas! I have never been one for margaritas, but man did they taste delicious. We even went out to a bar afterwards... my wonderful husband packed up my son and came and picked me up!

Saturday night we went over to a couple that we're good friends with for the Buckeye game. I made yummy Skyline Chili dip because I honestly kinda had a craving for it. It will be interesting to see how Jack does during football season; he was not a big fan of the random loud yells that the guys would give for the good, the bad, & the ugly plays. Our friend, Mike was in town from Orlando and it was great to see him... he's only been in FL for a little over a month but he's been missed.

Today, was nice & relaxing! Matt woke up and made a yummy breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs & toast; we think we want to make Sunday breakfasts a part of our family traditions. We went to Mass, which was kind of eventful for Jack... he ended up getting fussy & hungry half-way through so we had to move ourselves to the "cry room" so I could nurse him. I thought before we ventured to take him to church that this would be something I find very uncomfortable, but in the end it was very natural and I did not feel disrespectful about doing. Honestly, I was more worried about what some of the little older ladies might think than what God thought... I know He would want me to take care of my son!

Well, this evening has been full of laundry and a yummy dinner of oven-baked subs made by Matt! I am off to play around with our camcorder software so I can back-up our movies that we've taken so far.

This Week!

This week has already been flying by... and I think that's great! It was already a three day week for me because Scotts company holidays include Labor Day and Patriot Day (for those of you who don't know when that is, its 9/11).

If you look at the previous post, you'll see that Jack is officially on the move! He's enjoyed practicing his new trick and my mom said he even rolled over in his crib after waking from a nap yesterday. One of the first things Matt brought to my attention after the initial excitement wore off from his first roll: now we have to keep a better eye on him! Little man is officially able to move from where we put him and that's kind of a scary realization.

We're going house hunting again tomorrow... we've got our fingers crossed that we find something soon! I know we're not even halfway through this month, but our personal goal is to find something before the end of the month. That would give us 30 days to close plus time to do some cosmetic stuff in the house before having to move out of our apartment before Thanksgiving.

Well, on other notes our internet is down until further notice... something is wrong with our DSL router :-(. Hopefully its a quick fix, otherwise we'll have to shell out $70-80 for a new one. This coming weekend, I am going out for a "Mom's Night Out" with friends. I'm so lucky to have friends who are mom's too... they really understand how much lives change after bringing a baby into the world. I thought pregnancy was a big change, it is nothing compared to motherhood!

Well, until next week (unless we get the internet fixed) this will be it because I'm taking vacation tomorrow and Friday's a holiday for me. I also want to wish my parents a very happy anniversary this Friday! (If you need something positive to associate with 9/11, it is my parents' anniversary; always try to see the good [memories] with the bad [memories].)

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend.

Rolly Polly...

Jack rolled over on the first college football Saturday of 2009 (Sept. 5, 2009), shortly after the Buckeye's scored their first touchdown of the game/season!

The things that excite us as parents are so amazing. I think it is hard to truly appreciate the little things in life until you have a baby. We're so proud of our little guy! Enjoy!

A No Go on the House...

Its kind of unfortunate, but the seller's didn't even counter our offer. Their agent even told our agent that it was a good offer (and better than the offer they received earlier that day), but that they have been very unwilling to budge from their asking price. The seller's agent even told them they wouldn't get their list price in this market... they had even received an offer within the first week of being on the market for only $5,000 below asking and didn't even counter because they were 'insulted'. Good luck to them... and that house just wasn't meant to be ours!

The Big Hunt for a Little House...

So we looked at a house for the third time on Wednesday. We were pretty sure we wanted to make an offer, but decided to sleep on it! We set up a meeting with our realtor to write up the offer on Friday. Friday afternoon we got an email... someone put an offer in on the house that morning. The seller's agent said they'd like to see our offer because the other people low-balled. We had to start out offering a little higher then we were originally going to but still under what we had already decided was the highest we'd go for this property. We gave them until 5 p.m. Saturday so we'll see what happens! We're nervous, anxious, excited just to find out what they have to say. If its meant to be ours, it'll work out!

Jack is getting to be more and more alert everyday! His little personality is so fun to watch interact with people and all the new things he is noticing. Below is a picture of him holding/chewing on his "baby" that Aunt Laurie, Uncle Chic, and his Chilicki cousins gave him... he really has started to enjoy the texture! We've started to take it everywhere.

Somebody's Got a Case of the Mondays...

So going back to work for week two was harder than starting back week one in my opinion! It almost felt as if last week was a temporary thing... until today. I keep telling myself I am lucky enough to have short weeks through the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30) because of having to use up my vacation.

This coming Wednesday night, Matt and I are going to check out a home (for the 3rd time) that we might make an offer on! Very exciting, nerve-wracking, etc. but nonetheless a good thing. We've asked my parents to come along to help us pick up on any possible issues that we might not notice. They've bought a house or two in their day and it definitely doesn't hurt to have extra eyes on such a large purchase.

This evening I put away some of Jack's first clothes that he has since outgrown. Its not that I hadn't known he didn't fit in them anymore, but I hadn't pulled them out of his dresser until tonight. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, but it makes me kind of sad to be putting away some of the adorable teeny, tiny clothes that he wore as early as his first day home! I can not believe how big he's gotten at just over two months old! Speaking of, I forgot to update everyone on his stats from his 2 month check-up: 13 lbs. 2 oz. and 23.25 inches long! That's up 5 lbs and 2.75 inches from birth!

First Week Back

Luckily, for me the dreaded "first week" went very fast! Getting to see Jack midway through the day both Monday & Tuesday helped a ton... as well as getting to take a 1/2 day on Friday. My long recovery from childbirth is kind of a blessing in disguise, short-term disability insurance covered all of my leave due to "complications" (my doctor said I have a high pain tolerance, I figured I don't have anything to compare it to). I ended up with 10 of my vacation days (which I had saved to get paid out during my leave) must be used by September 30th (end of the fiscal year)! I'm so happy, I get close to 3-day weeks until then... making my part-time transition time pretty much come true!

For all of you breastfeeding moms out there, you know its not always easy! After the first week or so of tough times I came to really appreciate the bonding & snuggle time while feeding Jack. I didn't realize I would, but I really did miss those times this week. I am still nursing when at home but I am pumping 3 times throughout the workday so Jack can get breastmilk while I'm away. Pleasantly, so far I have been able to keep up with his needs (its always daunting to plan on something that may not come easily). I can already tell it might be tricky getting those three times a day in, but I really want to make it happen!

Well, this weekend we're kind of laying low! Last night we went to the mall, I got a couple of shower gifts for my friends getting married this fall and we also got a couple of cute onsies for Jack from The Children's Place! One saying "Man of the Year" another saying "Dad's New Football Buddy" (you can guess which one Matt really likes).

We cut our night pretty close because I knew Jack was getting kinda hungry but I thought he would be fine until we got home... needless to say the last few lights we hit before home were pretty much torture! He was hungry and screaming, by time we got him home and I was nursing him there were big ole tears streaming down his face. I will always hate those situations, but it wasn't the first and I'm sure it won't be the last.

We get to go house hunting again tomorrow! We got our pre-approval letter finally (we had a verbal amount from the consultation with the mortgage broker before) and it was higher than what we want to spend, but its nice to now have in writing! There are a few houses near old Hilliard that we're going to see and one in North Clintonville just south of Worthington. Matt and I are constantly struggling with making the right decision on this... buying your first home is kinda a big deal! We plan on living there for 3-5 years; our cars are the only things we've made long-term commitments to.... well, with the exception of each other through marriage and our son through parenthood! We're so excited for this new adventure! (Its not like we haven't started anything new in the past couple of years... ha ha!)

Tonight, we're off to my parents' house and out to dinner with my family and my grandma who's coming into town from Dayton. Should be fun, but now I need to get Jack fed and dressed!

Back to Work, Back to Work...

So my first couple of days back went surprisingly well... My first day back included lunch with my boys and some of the ladies at work! I got to show of our little man to my coworkers and get a Jack fix. Matt and I had gone to a wedding when Jack was a month old and spent 4 hours away from him then; this made splitting my full day up much easier. Not to mention I had 250+ emails to sort through that day (and this after I had checked my email a couple times on leave and deleted some "junk"). It was also nice for Matt to get to spend a whole day of father-son time. Their day ended like this:

Today was again relatively easy, but Jack had his 2 month check-up and immunizations. Matt met me at the pediatrician's office and was the strong on, while I was pacing in the tiny exam room holding back my own tears while Jack was crying through his shots. Jack spent the rest of the day with Grandma and Aunt Rachel and did really well! My mom said he took a nice long nap and ate a little bit, but was in pretty good spirits.

Tomorrow is my first full day without my baby boy... Here's to hoping that goes well! I go straight from work to pick him up at Grandma's, I better not get a speeding ticket! Ha ha!

Weekend Wrap-up

This weekend was a busy one for my last weekend before going back to work full-time!

Friday evening we went out to dinner with some friends of ours to say goodbye to a couple that is moving to KY! It's never easy to say bye to friends, but this is a great opportunity for them and we wish them the best of luck.

Yesterday we went to lunch with a friend to say goodbye as she heads back to school for her last year of grad school. We also took Jack to his first Clippers game, and it was my first time to the new stadium! And it is truly a beautiful stadium... and it was even named the 2009 Ballpark of the Year beating out the new NY stadium. Not bad for a minor league baseball team's stadium, huh? Here's a pic of us at the game:

Today we went looking at houses again. We looked at four houses and discovered an area of town that we really like! There is a potential home in Hilliard that we saw, but it didn't scream "buy me" so we're going to keep looking. Update on the house we saw last Thursday, its now in contract... kinda a bummer since we really liked the yard and the layout. Oh well, we can keep an eye on it, in this economy unfortunately not everyone's financing goes through.

Today is my last official day of maternity leave. I am heartbroken to be leaving my little guy, but as parents Matt & I have realized that we do what we have to all because of our son. We're both working at this point so we make sure he can have a good life! Matt will be with Jack all day tomorrow, which he'll definitely enjoy... and I'll be a little jealous of. (Matt has been back to work for 6 1/2 weeks though.)

I'll definitely post tomorrow after my first day back at work!

Jack

My baby's 2nd picture (the first he is a nakey boy). Born June 17 at 8 lbs. 2 oz., 20.5 inches!

My Welcome to Blogging...

So I'm definitely new to the blogging world, but I have enjoyed reading those of friends and those on topics I've Googled (i.e. pregnancy, motherhood, cooking, etc.).

A little bit about me... I've been married to my wonderful husband and best friend, Matt, for over a year and a half. We have a beautiful 8 week old son, Jack, who is our world and our favorite entertainment. Being a mother has been an amazing experience so far and I can not wait for all of the excitement that is yet to come!

After a little over 8 weeks of maternity leave, I will be returning to work as a chemist. I know that going back to work won't be easy, but its what we have to do [for the time being.] We're blessed enough that my mom has offered to come to watch Jack while we're working. (If you've ever looked into childcare options you know how much money this will save us... can you say, college fund?)

Throughout Jack's short life I have been breastfeeding and I plan on continuing this once going back to work. I've already bought a pump and I am lucky that my work has a "Mom's Room" that I can reserve for pumping during the workday, with a fridge and lockers to store my stuff. Although I'm definitely not ashamed of breastfeeding or pumping for my son, I would feel slightly awkward lugging my pump back and forth around the office building! My main concern with trying to maintain breastfeeding is that my supply may not be able to keep up with my growing son's needs [in case I can not pump as often as he is eating], but I try to just focus on what I can do. Every blog/online article I read on working full-time and pumping says that even if you mix breast milk and formula its still a great thing for Baby. We shall see... hopefully we won't have to address supplementing with formula! That is my goal!

To make things more crazy in our life right now, we're also house-hunting! If you know me, I have moved quite a few times growing up and I truly feel it made me who I am today but I am eager to settle down for a little bit. (I have always told Matt that I am willing to move in the future.) We finally went out with the realtor last Thursday (things were a little crazy there for a while with a newborn). We saw 3 homes, one of which is a potential home for us! I keep having to remind myself that it's our first home, but I am so focused on future resale value, details, etc. The potential house is: 3 BR, 1 BA split level (built in the 70s) in a great school district and pretty good location for commuting. Positives: nice open kitchen, 2 living spaces (partially finished lower level), in a cul-de-sac, and HUGE lot (almost 1/2 acre) for in the suburbs. Downsides: no garage, only 1 bath, needs some minor cosmetic updating. All in all a good first time looking at homes, we're going out tomorrow to another area of town!