tuesday bluesday

This week at work is going by so slowwww ....it's only Tuesday! On a brighter note, next Thurs, Brian and I are going to Atlantic City! We're staying the night with a couple of our friends at the Tropicana. It should be interesting considering the fact that I've never stepped foot in a casino. Let the gambling begin! Let's hope we come away with some winnings so I can start crossing items off of my wishlist.

I hope I'm not a nervous wreck since it will technically be my first night away-away from Lily. My sister Tracy is watching her. I'm betting that next Thurs will be the first night Lily decides to wake up crying at all hours. I hope she's a good baby for her! I'm not looking forward to the extra pumping I'm going to have to do to make bottles for her while I'm away. Sometimes I want to give up altogether on breastfeeding. Even though Lily sleeps thru the night, I still have to wake up every 3 hours to pump, just to make bottles for her while I'm at work. It's exhausting and a lot of work! Not to mention I have to lug a "discrete" pump to and from work each day and I have to watch my caffeine intake. There are pros to breastfeeding of course: the extra 30 mins. a day I get to sit in the Mother's lounge at work and catch up on my reading, the money I save (formula is expensive as hell!), and the nutritional benefits. So, I suppose I will stick with it for the time being...

One more thing...is it bad that I love pictures of Lily frowning?
I think it's the cutest thing!

Milk 2% alcohol?

After much curiosity...I bought Milkscreen, a test kit that measures the amount of alcohol in your breastmilk. I'm still breastfeeding Lily and am pretty cautious when it comes to feeding her after a few drinks. So, just for kicks I decided to test some milk I had pumped after a long night of drinking. (The blue and white strip is the tester....the black square is the test pad).

Needless to say, I poured the bottle of milk out and fed her a bottle of non-alcoholic milk from the day before.

spring fever!

Lily had her first Easter pictures taken today!

2 month check-up

Lilyan is 2 months old! I can't believe it...she's so much more alert now and full of smiles. Yesterday was her 2 month check-up and she's weighing 10lbs 12 oz. and 23 inches long! Right along the 50th percentile.

We've been really blessed with a good baby. She hardly ever cries and sleeps through the night. I know that will all change, the older she gets, but for now I am counting our blessings! Prior to yesterday, I could probably count the number of times I've heard her cry (hysterically) on one hand. So, of course it was heartbreaking to hear her cry when she got her 2 vaccine shots yesterday. Not only that, but she caught my cold, so I had to use the saline drops and aspirator for her stuffy nose. She's not a big fan of that either. Then she developed a fever of 101.4, so needless to say she was a sad baby yesterday. Poor girl. Today she is much better though, she's back with Grandee and her temperature is back to normal.

I look forward to this month with her..each day gets better and better and it's so exciting to see her grow and accomplish each milestone:

By the end of month three a baby typically:

• Raises head and chest when put on tummy
• Lifts head up 45 degrees
• Kicks and straightens legs when on back
• Open and shuts hands
• Pushes down with legs when placed on a hard surface
• Reaches for dangling objects
• Grasps and shakes hand toys
• Tracks moving objects
• Begins to imitate sounds
• Recognizes familiar objects and people, even at a distance
• Begins to develop a social smile
• Begins to develop hand-eye coordination
• Brings both hands together
• Interested in circular and spiral patterns
• Kicks legs energetically
• Holds head up with control

-iVillage, by Lisa Schulman

30 - part 1

So I know I have a few years before I turn 30, but recently I started thinking about how quickly the years are passing and how much there is in life that I still want to accomplish. Plus, given the fact that nobody is guaranteed tomorrow, who knows how long I'll have to accomplish my life goals (besides God)? All my life I have lived in Northern Virginia. Granted, I don't think I could ever move away from my family, but it really puts things in perspective if you compare Nova to the rest of the world. There's so much out there that I have yet to see and I'm not getting any younger! Even though I've traveled my fair share for the occasional vacation getaway, I have never been to Paris, Italy, Japan, or Ireland...all the places I dream of going. So until Lily gets a little older and my paycheck gets a lot bigger, I'm going to have to settle for achieving the smaller goals in life that are within reach. My first goal is to actually list out my personal goals, since I can't say I have one. To get me started on my own list I've browsed some books & websites on What to do before you're 30, What you should know before you're 30, Where to go before you're 30...etc etc. I'm horrible at making long term goals or even considering the fact that I'll live past 30 since I'm terribly superstitious and think the moment I plan for the future, something terrible will happen to me (I know, it's stupid). So, I'll start with 30. A reasonably safe age I hope to reach.

Anyways here is the first list I found after surfing the web all while being semi-productive at work:

30 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do Before Turning 30 (by Siobhan Adcock)

1. wrap a present
2. start a successful fire in a fireplace(does a gas fireplace count?), at a campsite, and in a barbecue
3. finish a piece of furniture
4. get a raise (something i'm horrible at...negotiating)
5. order wine at a restaurant without getting stiffed
6. parallel park in three breathtakingly beautiful movements (i can do it in 10 beautiful movements)
7. dance a “slow dance” without looking like an idiot
8. use a full place setting properly, including chopsticks and Asian soup spoons(duh, i live for the asian soup spoons)
9. clean your place in under 45 minutes, when friends, relatives, or prospective lovers are coming by unexpectedly, and soon
10. hold your liquor
11. cure a hangover
12. do the Heimlich Maneuver
13. use a compass ta da!
14. change a flat
15. jump start a car
16. open a champagne bottle(even though it scares me)
17. send a drink to someone’s table
18. cook one “signature meal”
19. whistle with your fingers
20. take good pictures(at least I think they're good)
21. fold a fitted sheet(thanks to my mom!)
22. remove common stains(Dreft baby stain remover spray works wonders)
23. sew a button
24. carve turkey, lasagna, and birthday cake
25. hold a baby (i better know how!)
26. change a diaper
27. keep a plant alive for more than a year
28. make dogs and cats love you
29. help someone out of a car
30. write superior thank you notes(superior? maybe not, but good enough)

Well, not too bad, I seem to know most of these. Although, I'm not positive that "making a cat love me" will make it to my own list, there are a few things from this one that I'll definitely consider...Heimlich Maneuver, Get a Raise..

To be continued..

me lucky charm

Saturday was the perfect day for a parade! We went to Old Town Alexandria for the Irish Day Parade. Lily loved the cobblestone paths because they put her right to sleep in her stroller. Isn't her outfit so cute? She thought so too...which is why she pooped all over it and we had to strip the poor girl of her clothes in front of everyone on a bench. Trust me, it was better than changing her in the bathroom of Pat Troy's.

On another note..this is my first full week at work and it is dragging on and on and on..At least I get to work from home tomorrow, which means I get to spend all day with Lil G!

Ok, I'm tired...............plus i can't think of anything to write worth reading....and my husband is making fun of me for blogging and not watching American Idol with him...dork.

ta ta for now!

back to reality.

Work sucks. Today is officially my first day back at work. Luckily not too many people know I'm back yet, so I haven't been bombarded with phone calls or emails. I like this..I can just sit here inconspicuously and get paid. Although we are going through a re-org, so I may want to get some work done or else they might phase me out like Milton from Office Space.

Now for a little weekend update:

• Lily smiles now! and I'm not talkin about the gassy smiles..
• Friday night - I drank too much. We had a few friends...wait just one friend over..and played Scene It Seinfeld - love that game! I actually don't miss drinking that much and definitely don't miss the hangovers.
  
• Saturday - got some news that one of my bff's is gettin married! Congrats Sarah & Sam!! I'm thinking they might have a Harry Potter themed wedding around Christmas time. haha jk Sarah!
• Sunday - finished "New Moon". Only 2 away from getting VIP access at the Twilight Party later this month...haha don't ask. This is the one guilty pleasure that I'm letting myself get away with.
  
• Monday - Snow day!
  

So come to think of it, my weekends have been pretty lame lately. Hopefully this weekend will be more promising. I need to start planning a ladies night...any ideas ladies? I think Brian owes me one or two considering the circumstances over the past 10 months :)