Stereotype

At one point tonight, I was:
Barefoot in the kitchen
Making dinner
With a baby on my hip
And a shirt that was wet from his bath, or his drool, or leaky milk- I can't remember
Saying something about how "I had the baby all day- I just need a break"

When I pointed out what a "mom" moment I was having, Rico's response from the other room was- "yeah, but is your hair in a ponytail?"

Why yes, yes it is.

And for bonus points: it was super sloppy because I just threw it up quickly (earlier in the day) because Eli needed me.

....if ONLY I had been wearing yoga pants.

Stinky Boobs

Remember that time I kept saying, "oh my gosh- Eli's farts smell SO bad!" every time I fed him all day?

Remember how I figured out it was actually a stinky breast pad with rotten milk?

Remember how when I figured it out Rico said, "Were you wearing it in Walmart?" and when I said yes he admitted that he totally smelled my stench earlier and just didn't tell me?!

Gross.

love,

Stinky boobs.

Class reunion: Saturday

Saturday, I got to sleep in while Rico went to the golf tournament with some guy friends. The tournament proceeds went to our amazing friend Cheech (obviously a nickname- at least I hope that is obvious) who JUST FINISHED HER LAST CHEMO TREATMENT! She's got 2 adorable, sweet, funny babies and a loving and devoted husband. She shared her struggles, inspiration, and hopes as she went through treatment and it was very inspiring. I am so very lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing friends.

This ALSO happened to be our 6 year anniversary. 

Our friends put the whole event together,

and I told them that I felt like they were planning our second wedding.

Seriously, beautiful location (yes, a barn, but a cute barn- and NO I did not grow up in the country),

beautiful flowers/ decorations, 

a bar, a dj, yummy food, and a lot of the same people.

Like my girls.

 10 years, lots of weddings, and lots of babies later,

two in the oven as I type this!

when we all get together we still act just like we did at those after football game slumber parties on Friday nights: like dorks.

 It was awesome to see people that live so very far away.

There was also a photo-op spot. Perfect!

I told Rico that for our anniversary he had to remember that I spent the morning alone while he golfed, and that he owed me a favor at the party that night. 

Rico: "Only if you tell me what it is"

Me: "No"  

Rico "Fine, but it can't be in front of people"

Me: "Weeeeellllll, it has to be"

Rico: "Fine, but not more than 4 people"

Me: "Deal"

So I made him do our vows photo-booth style. I even brought some of my own props!

For better or for worse

In sickness or health

For richer or poorer

As long as we both shall live

Yep, he played alone without complaining and ALMOST without rolling his eyes. Poor guy.

We also were sure to renew our vows (we do it for our anniversary every year to something random- dolphins, monkeys, fish while underwater, you know, like totally normal people). This year we took a walk to the field and said them to some cows.

The whole night was a blast. It was great to get out, get dressed up, and be with adults. 

Class Reunion: Friday Night

Ways you know you live in a small town

1- On the wall of the bar, there is a mounted (as in framed and in glass) jersey of one of your groomsmen

Yep- that #77

2- You not only know your waitress- you love her AND she brings you drinks that you've never had before that are delicious! I couldn't tell you what it was- but I CAN tell you that I made up for a year of no beverages by having 1 of almost anything I had craved this past year (with the exception of a margarita and a tequila sunrise) 

Don't judge me.

Mama pumped for an ENTIRE week to earn those drinks. 

(all that pumping and Eli was at home torturing his grandparents by not eating his bottles! Poor grandma and grandpa)
3- Your reunion is in a barn- and there are actually a couple of people there in non-ironic cowboy boots / hats- more on that later

4- You are one of the answers to the "find someone who...." Game. Actually, you could be several answers

Friday night at the bar in highlight form
1- A pregnant friend ordered fried pickles
2- Got to see many of my favorite people

Some of the boys of 2004

Some of the girls of 2004

3- Got to be an adult (sans child since Rico's parents were babysitting)

4- Got a surprising number of people telling me that they read the blog. 1 that said he liked it-
Actually, he "------ loves to read your blogposts"
(Former students, pretend that blank says "really")
the others just that they've read it (translation: I read your blog, saw your over sharing, and read on only because I couldn't believe you were really talking about your -----. I may have even re-visited it once or twice just to see if you wrote something else that will make me feel more "normal" in comparison to you"
5- Got a little touchy freely with our friend Tom, indicating to Rico that the time had come for us to leave
6- Used the Fogle Taxi (my parents) for the first time in over a year.
And now, the sad ending. Here you see the milk I had to dump down the drain.
Wasted.
Better wasted milk than wasted baby.
I still felt like I was holding a funeral when I was dumping it down the toilet.

RIP breastmilk.

Lizzie-Sitting

We got to do some cousin babysitting. I maaaay have over documented- but I love watching Rico play with her!

From drawing pictures together

 To Lizzie "helping" to swing her cousin to sleep in the very swing she used as a baby. She also tried to rip off the birds…it made a horrible noise.

 She found a Lizzie sized bench

 …and her and Rico found a way to make Eli's play gym toddler appropriate- turn it into a TENT.

Gee- Rico hides so well!

 It's ok, Lizze is a good seeker, she somehow managed to spot him.

We need a girl next. 

I'm saying it.

Laughing

Ok, so apparently Eli is going to do something new every day. 

Geez kid, you're really taking this "3 month olds are awesome" thing to a whole new level!

He's given us a few giggles from time to time, but today he started giving them consistently for my dad

We were on our way home, but I had to try it for myself…

SO cute

Rolling Over

Ok, NOW it is for real. After a week or so of geting halfway there- he FULLY rolled over, and then did it again by request for the video...

Also of note- 

1-I just watched all his videos I haveof himas a newborn- oooooh my gosh.

2-Tonight he actually smelled like Eli baby (and not generic baby, baby) again. It was AMAZING

3- I just wrote a 2 page instruction letter for babysitting my child from 8pm on. Holy details batman!

Mommy updates

This will be waaaaay more than you want to know if you are

1- Not a woman

2- Not currently so involved in new mommy stuff that talking about girl things doesn't phase you

Don't say I didn't warn you. 

I'll start off easy…

Each morning Eli and I walk a couple miles to my parents house. Now I am going to start running parts of it. It has revealed a sad fact for me.

Our dog is officially getting old. He can barely make it on our walking days, and the couple of times I tried to jog with him…well, there was dragging involved and I look/felt like an abusive dog owner. So, although it will slow my goal of being able to run the whole way without stopping, I've decided to just walk it with Max on Tuesday/ Thursday. 

I'm using my couch to 5k ap again. This time I don't have the pretty lake and I am pushing a baby, so it is far less glamorous than 3 years ago. 3 years?! Yikes.

In other (ALSO less glamorous and more "why are you telling the Internet this") news- this morning God let me know that there has to be some balance in the world, SO to balance the extra sleep Eli has been getting at night (therefor the extra sleep I've been getting), my body has decided it is ready to have a baby again.

My BODY folks, not me.

Yes, I get to have my period again. Gross, I know, but honestly this is what is going on in my world. 

Oh, and I'm pissed and need to vent about it.

I was REALLLY hoping that since I am exclusively breastfeeding that I wouldn't have to deal with this until he started eating solids (about 6 months). I WANT THOSE EXTRA 3 MONTHS OF GLORY 

It's been a year since I have had to worry about this- and that year was awesome.

I even saw a video on Facebook yesterday: "What if guys got their periods" and I commented to Rico about what a nice perk it was to get to skip out on that part of life.

Honestly, I didn't even pack anything to deal with this. It's been so long- I don't even know if I even HAVE anything. (I used to have emergency packs EVERYWHERE- one in my purse, one in my office, one in my car: but I started giving them away like hot cakes when I found out I was pregnant.)

The good news? Well, it explains a LOT:

-My crazy acne (I'll be going to my high school reunion with MORE acne than when I was still IN school and I can't do much about it because I am breastfeeding and don't want to use anything with more than 2% of the ingredients that actually do work on acne)

-My OBSESSION with chocolate/ sweets lately. I realize that most of it is that I have REALLY been lax on my diet. Last night I ate white rice people. WHITE rice. I've been slacking on my eating for convenience sake, so I assumed that was 100% to blame for my obsession with getting chocolate in my body at all times. I even made Rico go get ice cream with me on a weeknight- and I ordered a sundae. Not once in my entire life have I ever ordered a sundae.

-My emotions. I react when I get my period the same way I react when I drink. 

I wonder if that is a thing? 

Anyway, I don't get mad…or sad…I get LOVEY and NEEDY.

You'll hear me ask my husband: "Do you love me?" "How much?" multiple times a day (it really is annoying, I realize this)

You'll find me randomly saying things like, "I really just love Rico so much."

Well, that happened JUST the other day, but NOW I also get mushy about how much I love Eli.

So much love going around!

3 months

"It will get better, just wait until he's 3 months" 

To be honest, things started getting MUCH better at 2 months, but if 3 months has even more fun to offer, bring it on.

We've figured out a pretty great system for being able to go in public, so we can go out to dinner or run short errands a lot more easily now. 

We even brought him out on a dinner date Friday. 

He slept through it.

WHICH, might I add, meant he missed out on having a picture with his face through a world-cup themed cardboard cut-out. I actually considered waking him up to do it.

Rico talked me down.

He's starting to thin out in the back of his head- more than you can see here.

Eli recognizes Erik and I and turns toward us when he hears us. His cries are much easier to distinguish- thank goodness.

Trying to find me as he hears my voice in the kitchen

He found his hand and has it in his mouth almost ALL the time. He has also learned how to grab toys and put them in there too…and how to suck on shoulders and chairs. You could say "He really sucks", sorry, it had to be done.

He's LOVING his taggie blanket- mainly shoving it in his mouth.

We pull him up by his hands to sit up and his neck stays strong. He's started to hate laying down- he prefers to sit up. Basically, he's stopped being floppy, which is great and all, but floppy = newborn/infant and now he's a "baby"

Growing up is stupid.

Just kidding, kind of. 

He uses his bumbo chair.

He loves to bounce and fly with all his grandparents!

He sleeps 4-5 hours at night (I don't though…gotta pump pump pump). He still sleeps in his rock-n-play (not swaddled), but naps in his crib (we just started swaddling again in the past 2 days and OH MY GOSH- he is actually taking REAL naps, not 10-20 minutes siestas)

He wakes up EVERY morning with a smile.

Want some t.m.i/ a mental image you don't really want but it is probably my favorite thing he does so I am going to share it anyway?

In the morning, when he wakes up to eat, you can tell that he is done and ready to be up for the day: he'll stop eating because he looks up and me and is smiling too big to eat. It's like he forgets what he is doing and he just griiiiiins. 

It makes me laugh every time. Even if it is 6 am and that smile means I am going to be missing sleep- I just can't help but smile. 

Obviously, I don't have a photo of this. 

His most recent trick? 

He grunts.

Does that sound cute to you? 

Let me assure you, it is not.

Ok, it's kind of cut the first couple of times- and then it just sounds like he is constipated all day long. 

Here's a video to prove it:

Our lives are pretty consumed by the house right now, and by "our" I mean Rico's life…and his brother.

Eli and I just hang out here since he isn't allowed to be in the construction. 

He HAS been on many trips to pick out counters, paint, backslashes (etc) though.

Fun with Jess

My friend Jess came into town to visit her family…and we got to have lots of fun.

Saturday:

She saw our new house and I gave her a "tour" of Derby, complete with sno-cones. 

We gave Eli a bath.

Sunday:

A pool play date at her aunt's house.

This was a big day for Eli- he had never gotten all the way in the pool before. 

He did great! 

He kicked his little feet 

and he didn't cry at all!

 Again, he wasn't Mr. Smiles, but he didn't cry, and that is my current measure of him liking things.

 Monday:

Zoo day! 

I. Love. The. Zoo.

Since we've moved here (about a month), I've taken Eli to the zoo 3 or 4 times.

Last time I went, Eli SLEPT THROUGH THE WHOLE THING.

This time, he was awake and alive. 

A little grumpy, but awake.

A little fussy, but awake.

A little crying, but awake.

A little sweaty and uncomfortable (it was over 100 today), but awake.

This helps you size your child up so you know what breed of penguin they are the same size as. Eli has been asleep though this part every time we've been here.

Tigers

He fulfilled one of my mom dreams by bonding with a gorilla.

Growing up, I always noticed that babies seem to draw the apes in…

so I used Eli as baby-bait. 

It worked! 

The gorillas came over to us and faced the baby to stare at him.

It's official- everyone loves babies.

He seemed to actually like it too- look at that smile!

He got bonus points by ALSO bonding with the orangutans. 

Melt. My. Heart.