Tag Archives: working mom

Jan8

hello 2013

Posted on by
Standard

As we rang in the new year, I found myself revisiting my New Year goals from this time last year.
I decided then that they were goals, because I don’t like resolutions.
I quickly realized what a different place we are in and how much has changed in just one short year.
The memories of returning to work after maternity leave flooded back to me,
and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief that in this new year, I don’t feel that stress.
The year wasn’t always easy, but to see where we are now, I can safely say, we survived.
A year ago we were still in uncharted territory learning to be Kenley’s parents,
to understand what it means to be working parents, and yet, still be a married couple.

The reason I wanted to look back was to see just how we did with our new year goals.
as well as look forward to 2013 to see what we want to accomplish.

For a quick look back:

(1.) I have gotten back to my pre-pregnancy body (and then some) by running a half marathon,
and mostly by breastfeeding for over 11 months.
I didn’t share much about that journey because I wasn’t sure how to do that (maybe next time?),
but one of the biggest goals of last year was to have Kenley on breast milk for at least a year,
and we most definitely succeeded and it was most definitely a family effort.

(2.) We have also grown our blog over the past year.
I say we because, even though I may do most of the updating, it is really a family effort.
There are many, many nights that Greg was on dinner & dishes duty (for example) so I could sit down to write.
A lot of people ask, how do you do it all? and the answer is that I don’t! Not by any sense of the word.
We have a great system down and I couldn’t do 99% of the stuff I do without his support.
We’ve done a good job of documenting Kenley through her first year & beyond
and our goal is continue to do that, as well as keep friends & family up to speed on our ever-changing girl.
It is definitely fun looking back through posts of the last year and seeing what all we did!

(3.) We did a lot of great updates and projects in our old home,
and I don’t think either of us would have thought that we would be living in a completely different house
at the start of this new year, but we feel really good about how we left our first home,
Kenley’s first home (tear), for the new owners.
And we actually completed some Pinterest projects! Always a good thing.

(4.) I still feel that our church-going habits are a work-in-progress.
There are ups and downs through the year. We will get on a roll with attending,
then have a couple busy weekends in a row and not be able to go.
Finding our place in our church will continue to be a goal for us this coming year.

(5.) I think I deserve a huge pat on the back really learning to let things go.
Having a child has totally helped me be more “go with the flow”
and really not stress out over things that are out of our control.

Looking forward:

(1. ) First and foremost, this year, there will be more Greg and Kendra time.
I’m not sure how that is going to look yet, but it is a priority.
It may just be ‘no technology Tuesdays’ or date nights in, or even date nights out (gasp!),
but something’s going to give. We love being Kenley’s parents more than anything in the world,
but we need to pay more attention to intentionally being husband and wife.

(2.) Now that we have found our house, we need to transform it into our home.
I am very excited about the (forever long) to-do list that we have,
but it will be fun slowly making this new house our own.
Sort of along those lines, I want to also learn more about sewing.
I got a new sewing machine for Christmas (!!) so I am determined to use it properly.
I am planning to make (at least) a quilt this year.

(3.) I need to stop relying on my iPhone to take all my photos this year.
I’ve become way too dependent on it and I have a nice camera that I need to use.
I also have a new lens that I need to learn to use, so there is no time like the present.
Remember (over six months ago) when I gave you Michael & Karolina’s sneak peek?
Yes, I realize, I still need to blog about their session and how much fun it was.
Hopefully, I’ll have a few more to share this year, who knows?
At the very least, I need to start using my camera more,
and while I’m at it, I could stand to get in a few more pictures too.

(4.) Church will still be a goal for us this year.
I understand there will be Sundays that we just don’t make it to church,
but I would like to take advantage of our church podcast service
and still worship, even if it’s not in person.
I don’t want this to be a cop out. I want it to be a secondary option for worshiping.

(5.) Have fun!
Life is short and it’s moving very quickly.
We’re going to enjoy the ride.

***

What are your new year goals?

How will your 2013 look?

Aug22

44 weeks :: new schedule, bumps, and bruises

Posted on by
Standard

We went from no schedule to a new schedule in a week and we sure are feeling it.

The transition to the new class is going well, we are just adjusting.
Nap time, meal time, play time is all different, plus there are so many new things to explore,
by the time we’re home for the evening, we are dealing with one worn out, tired, cranky baby.
It’s been a struggle to keep her up until after 7pm each night…
enter working mom who feels guilty for only seeing her child for 2-3 hours a day.

You will notice the tears welling up in her eyes. She was not thrilled for the weekly photo,
even after we bribed her with four goldfish.
It doesn’t help that her curiosity is causing some bumps and bruises lately.
Just in the last two days, she has gone face first into her play table,
did a face plant onto the tile floor while crawling,
and opened a cabinet door that hit right below her eye.
Needless to say, there have been a few meltdowns in our household.

On the bright side, busy days equal good night’s sleep, so we’ll take it!

 

 

 

Aug19

Ten Months!

Posted on by
Standard

We have reached double digits people. 10 months.

IMG_1603

IMG_1451

The biggest change from our nine month update until now is her eating schedule.
I mentioned that her milk intake was dropping a little. Since then, it has dropped a lot.
Everything I have read (and I’ve been reading a lot) says that babies under age one do not typically wean themselves,
so I don’t want to say that she’s self-weaning, but she definitely is drinking less milk.
She also decided that she was done with the bottle…which first started the drop in the milk.
She flat out refused. She would chew on the nipple and then spit out her milk like it was a fun game.
Those of you who have pumped milk  know this is not a fun game.
The nurse and doctor were not concerned since her last weight check was good
and she’s continuing to eat solid food like a champ.
They suggested just trying the sippy cup and we are still working on it.
We’ve tried three different types and two different brands and we have a winner…for now.
I’m still feeding her in the morning and at night, but the other attempts at milk are all from the sippy cup.
She’s eating three to four small solid food meals a day and we are continuing to introduce more foods.
We had a semi-unexpected trip to the doctor on Friday and Kenley weighed in at exactly 20 pounds.

IMG_1601

Another fun change since last month is our daily wake up call. We mentioned to our doctor that Kenley was still
getting up anywhere from 5am-6am to eat, then going back to sleep. She suggested that we push back this feeding,
and we gladly obliged. It really only took two days of us not going in there when she first woke up.
She eventually would fall back asleep, then we would feed her the next time she woke up, and was up for good.
At first it was 6am, then it slowly crept later and later.
The last couple of days, we haven’t gone into get her until after 7am!
Even if she is awake, she is happy as a clam just sitting in there and playing.
Excuse me while I go knock on wood.

IMG_1610

Other fun things this month: clapping, waving, talking, and dancing.
This girl loves music. As soon as any of her toys start to make noise, she moves it and shakes it.
She’s also adding to her long list of words. We are up to: mama, dada, hi, bye, ball, and uh-oh.
She says hi like it’s going out of style. The girl loves to talk and babble.

IMG_1616

Kenley starts in a new class tomorrow at school with a new teacher, so I’m sure her schedule will change slightly
as we head into a new school year. Also on that note, I’m hoping that our routine at home changes slightly too.
The mornings are exceptionally hard getting out of the house at a decent time to beat traffic and get everybody
where they need to be on time. Our goal is to start doing more at night, even if all we want to do is sit on the couch.
We think this will make our mornings less hectic. Here’s to hoping, right?

IMG_1660

It’s no surprise that this little girl is not our cuddly newborn anymore. She’s becoming more independent every day,
but with that, it’s so fun to watch her try things out on her own and learn new things.

IMG_1531

On that note. Someone took three steps yesterday! Look out world.

Happy 1o month birthday Kenley!

Aug15

43 Weeks :: schedule-less week

Posted on by
Standard

Greg and I are playing SAHD and SAHM this week.
(stay at home dad and stay at home mom, for those new to the online baby community)

So far, it’s been so fun playing with Kenley all week. But, that also means we aren’t on a schedule at all.
The last couple of weeks have consisted of us rushing around like crazy people in the mornings,
packing bags, making food, taking 2-3 trips to get the car packed up,
then rushing out the door to get to school and work on time.
Needless to say, this week has been much needed on everyone’s end.
School starts on Monday (um, where did summer go?)
and I am hoping that we get back on a regular schedule and adapt to a new routine.
A routine that does not include rushing around in the mornings…I hope.

Stay tuned this weekend for a fun-filled Kenley update since she’ll be 10 months! Say whaaaaaat?

 

 

 

Mar31

Tampa for NIRSA 2012

Posted on by
Standard

Let me just start off by saying that going to NIRSA not pregnant
is way better than going to NIRSA pregnant like I did last year in New Orleans.
I’ll even go out on a limb and say that Tampa trumped NOLA by a LOT, but I may be biased.

 I headed over to Tampa this week to learn more about the field of recreation,
sport clubs, higher education, and student development, which I love.
I’ll fully admit that I’m a nerd.

This week could not have worked out any better
with my parents and Kenley having the same spring break.
We cannot thank them enough for keeping her during the day
and helping out Greg at night while I was away.
I’ve been getting the question a lot why she has spring break to begin with…
Kenley’s new school is a charter school that operates on the Orange County schedule,
but has children infants to third (soon to be fourth) grade.
So yeah, Kenley has spring break!

Tampa was awesome!
It was hard to believe that I was just two hours away from home.
It was so nice to see that water and the weather was phenomenal.
We were right downtown and in walking distance of everything.

I was a little stressed leaving Kenley and had to be very strategic about blocking time off to pump,
which I thought was going to be hard with a jam packed schedule,
but I managed and the fam came over one day to visit, so that was great.
Overall, it was a very successful trip away and it was great to see old friends and colleagues.

View from the 15th floor!

View from the convention center!

Happy to see the little nugget!

Met up with Kim for a delicious seafood dinner!

Nick and I were GAs together back in the day

Cheerwine at our Region II meeting thanks to North Carolina!

Amazing sushi dinner on our last night!


See you in Vegas for NIRSA 2013!

Jan5

a {very} new year

Posted on by
Standard

2012
While it’s a new year for everyone, this year is a new year for us in a different way.
We rang in the new year as parents, with a baby sleeping down the hall.
How weird is that?
I was drinking Monster, just so I could stay awake until midnight.
Oh how times have changed.

Today is the fifth day of the year and I feel am already overwhelmed.
I’m now a working mom with a stylish new, must-have accessory.
My breast pump.
I returned to my position in the workforce this week,
and I’m not going to lie, it’s been hard.
Real hard. 

Heading into the new year I had a few “resolutions” on my mind,
I’ve never been big on resolutions, so they are nothing too concrete, just things I’d like to do this year.
However, after this week (of only working three days, I might add)
I am thinking how am I going to have time to do anything this year?!
Cue the overwhelmed feeling.

Now, I know that Rome wasn’t built in a day
and I know that we’re going to eventually get into a routine.
Greg so sweetly pointed out today that returning to work after 12 weeks
would be hard on anyone, even without a baby.
Which is a very valid point.
Which is why I’m still a tad optimistic about my goals, I should say,
[rather than resolutions. I just don't like the word resolutions], for the year.

- 1 -

I want to get back to my pre-pregnancy body.
I think that’s a reasonable goal for any new mom.
While I’ve lost almost all of my baby weight, and yes, I’m thankful for that,
I just don’t feel like I used to. Maybe that’ something I need to accept,
but I really need to get into a work out routine.
I know it’s going to be hard because I just want to spend every free minute
snuggling on the couch with Kenley.
But, thankfully Greg is really good about just getting on the treadmill
and getting it done, so hopefully that’ll rub off on me!

- 2 -

I want to be more intentional with my blogging.
I never want to feel like I HAVE to do this. I WANT to do this.
I LIKE to do this. It’s a way for me to relax, vent, have some me time.
I also love that I am documenting Kenley’s life (or any future children we birth),
how fun is it going to be for her to look back and read about all the fun
and even not-so-fun stuff we did when she was growing up.
That’s why I do it. And that’s why I’m going to keep doing it.
It also doesn’t hurt that we can keep our family & friends
across the country updated too. (You’re welcome)

- 3-

I want to keep updating, upgrading, and decorating our house!
We’ve done a lot of fun stuff to it this year,
both big and small.
I want to keep transforming it into a home.
Our home. Kenley’s first home. 
And I want to actually DO some of the things I’ve pinned on Pinterest.
What a concept!

- 4 -

I want for our family to become more regular attenders of church.
We go when we can, but sometimes make excuses not to,
which I think is normal. Maybe?
But that is something I want to work on.
I am also thinking very seriously about becoming more involved.
We love our church, but I don’t really feel like we’ve found our place there. Our purpose.
I don’t know, just something I’ve been thinking about,
hopefully by the end of 2012 I’ll have it figured out.

- 5 -

Finally. I want to learn to let things go.
Not be so stressed.
Life is short.
I am going to have a messy house.
I need to deal with it. And I’m already starting to get a little better.
I know my to-do list is going to be endless.
There is always going to be a dirty bottle, pump part, diaper or clothing article, to wash.
I need to get over it.
I’m never going to have it all together.
I need to learn that no new mom really has it all together. Right?
Right.
Again, we’ll get our routine eventually and we’ll take it day by day!

I hope to reference this post as we progress through the year to see how we’re doing.

***

I’ll leave you with this.

Aside from the chaos of trying to get out of the house at a decent time this week,
yesterday, I clipped the recycling bin with the front of the car
so all of our empty glass and plastic containers
were all…over…the…street.
Awesome.
And today, I definitely pulled out of the garage with my coffee
on…top…of…my…car.
Even more awesome. 

Jan4

Eleven Weeks!

Posted on by
Standard

The first week of the year is a big week for everyone,
and that is no different for our family.
I started back to work yesterday (more on that later)
and Kenley has survived two days of daycare.

We had developed a nice routine while I was home.
Kenley had been sleeping through the night for the last three weeks,
even when we were in Indiana for a week, which was so nice and surprising.

Of course, the night before I started back to work,
she was up at 3:30am ready to eat and be changed, which was fine.
Then it happened again last night, at the same time.
I guess she’s on a new schedule now.

As I was feeding Kenley in the wee hours of the morning,
I caught up on some blogs and read this post, which brought me to tears.
It really puts things into perspective.
Yes, getting 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep was amazing,
but it’s really alarming what we take for granted.
I am thankful that Kenley can eat on her own, even if it is at 3:30am.
I’ll just put a little more coffee in my cup on those mornings.

Also, while we were up this morning, Greg mentioned that Kenley
“is only 10 weeks old”…
I reminded him that she’s 11 today!
Time is seriously flying.
Which makes me thankful that I am doing these weekly posts,
even though they are tedious at times.
I’m 100% sure will get more tedious as the weeks go on,
but I know it’s going to be fun to look back to see how she’s changed.
Side note: you wouldn’t believe some of the random things
Greg and I talk about in the middle of the night.
One night it was oyster crackers. Yes, oyster crackers.

Anyway… 

Kenley is still smiling a lot and even laughing sometimes.
She loves her play mat and her new octopus,
as well as Mr. Duck and Mr. Frog who hang on her car seat.
She’ll just stare and smile at them, it’s seriously hilarious.
We’ve been battling  some gas and tummy troubles lately,
which does not make her a happy camper.
She has also become quite the drooler and slobber-er
and likes to blow tiny spit bubbles, whether she means to or not!