Lazy.

Oops. I took an unintentional hiatus. I guess to be honest I have been kind of lazy when it comes to blogging, uploading photos and just the online life in general for the last week or so. Between staring constantly at Max (and sucking up every moment possible because I have to go back to the dreaded office in less than a week), traveling here and there to spend time with Grandpa and family, galavanting around Western MA with Valarie while she made a last visit from Texas for awhile and getting sucked into a book I couldn't put down for days I guess I just was a bit busy. But this morning I woke up and realized it was time to get back into the swing of things. Maybe it was because I spent most of the night up with Miss.Max last night - something I honestly haven't done in weeks and so instead of sleeping I pondered more. Or maybe it was just enough of a technological break and I missed it. Either way .... My brain is already pouring through ideas and moments to write about... So now the question is where to start?! 

Family Time Y'All.

We have been able to spend so much time with so much family this summer, it has honestly been truly amazing. I have always been a huge advocate of family time and that is one of the biggest reasons that I just had to come home from Paris when I did. Family is something that I just can't live without and thrive when I am around. I hate missing those things that normal people dread going to - showers, reunions, plays... all that jazz. Even though I have always put a lot of effort into doing as many family sponsored actives since Max's arrival our weekend schedules have pretty much tripled - I think we are booked for months out at this point. I am actually almost dreading the holiday season already. I have no idea how we are even going to remotely start to make that work, but that is an entirely different bag of beans we will have to deal with at some other time when it is much closer. Normally our weekends and even some of our weekdays are filled with the usual suspects - Babci, Memere and Pepere, Gigi and Grandpa, Aunts and Uncles and a healthy dose of our other "family" the Ieracis. But this past week we were able to spend some time and a lot of it with family Max was finally able to meet for the first time her cousins Valarie and Sarah and Uncle Michael - who will now be referred to as Vooyek Mishu (my semi polish for Uncle Michael, although Mishu isn't even Michael is teddy bear or something but it sounds good). Max may be too young to remember this first visit but it was her first time hearing a legit souther drawl and the word y'all - I promised the girls they will have to teach Max the proper use and pronunciation of this word because us New Englanders prefer you's and wicked. It was a pretty good time, we shopped (a lot), went to dinner, celebrated Max's two month birthday and Vooyek and Daddy's birthday, watched the terrible and entertaining Sharknado movie and really were able to have some quality time together. It was a lot of normal things that we would do anyway but better because we won't get to spend a lot of one on one time with the girls and Max - Texas isn't exactly down the street so we have to make the absolute most out of every minute we get to have with them. These kind of days just all seem a little more special than normal because I realize that even though she won't remember it yet these days are just the start of some awesome memories we will make over time as our new family.

Vooyek Mishu being a smart ass... just like Daddy. We all know if and when Max decides to try a beet it will not be Bud Light!

She is so good she can play cards and sleep at the same time

2 months and 2 shots...

My oh my how time flies! I know everyone says it but it is unbelievable how true it really is. These days are passing by faster than Superman trying to rescue Lois Lane from some bad dude. It seriously feels like just a few short days ago I was waddling around just waiting for our little girl to come join us. Now I am trying to figure out how to make time stop so I don't have to go back to work and leave this little bundle of joy! I guess one of the good things about the time flying is finding out how she is doing in the height and weight department. Because I am nursing Max I always feel like I am questioning whether or not she is eating enough or if I am making enough milk and all those what I am assuming are normal thoughts for a nursing mom. This well visit gives me a chance to track just how well we are all doing as a team. It also gives me a chance to ask the questions that I have asked and answered via Google but need confirmed by a real medical professional. Yes, I know Google has all of the answers and most of the time I would just run with whatever it decides to throw me buuuuuuuut since I am not the only one relying on it now I figure a second (and probably more educated opinion) is the way to go. Anywhooooooo at this 2- month check up Miss. Max passed with flying colors.

Not that I was overly worried because she is pretty much as wonderful and perfect as they come (so what if I am biased)! It was verified that the boobie milk machines are working properly and those days of feeling like a human pacifier are paying off because Max is healthy, happy and right on track for her growth. The nugget is in the 50th percentile for her height and weight and the 25th percentile for her head. Which I will thank her for one day, I am pretty sure that little peanut head made the pushing two months ago a little bit easier. See she is already looking out for me! At 10lbs 2oz and 23 inches she has gained almost a pound in the last month and 3/4 of an inch. Those numbers may not seem big but when you are a mini person these are huge (and necessary) achievements. I will be honest though I was a bit surprised that she only weighed a little over 10 pounds, we were convinced she was at least 11 1/2 maybe even 12. But when you are carrying her around and nursing her all day I guess 10 pounds will start to feel a little heavier than it actually is. After all of the good news at the doctor's office came the bad news... sure her heart and lungs sound good and she responds when she is supposed to but then came the dreaded shots. Uggggggggggh. Worst ever. Two shots - one in each thigh and one cup of medicine to drink up. I am pretty sure Max held up better than I did. Having to hold your little girls arms down so she can be stabbed (that sounded harsh) poked is torture. I know, I know and I know they are for a very good reason but seriously who enjoys shots?!

This picture was obviously before the attack of the shots!

After the initial scream and a quick mommy cuddle and snuggle (coolest feeling in the world -by the way- knowing that I made her feel better) Max was successfully vaccinated for things I can't pronounce and in her carseat ready to head out - FAST ASLEEP. It is unreal how much two shots will take out of a little one... I am pretty sure it is just a fuel up for the fussiness that follows for the rest of the night after the shots though. WOW - I know we are lucky that Max is calm and relatively quiet her cries are not terrible - well for anyone who is curious- our child has lungs and big ones! I have never heard screams like the ones that followed her waking up from her vaccination deep sleep EVER. Not even a bath calmed her down and she usually gets so relaxed in the tub when she isn't smiling she is sleeping! So I would like to send a big thank you to Baby Bjorn (again) for the hours of exercise (lunges and squats with an extra 10 pounds on you has to be good for losing the baby weight) I got while bouncing her around for two hours until she fell asleep. The good news is we all survived and once she was asleep after lots of cuddles and bouncing we woke up back to normal (as normal as she can be given her parents). Our next check up isn't until September as long as we don't have any major concerns so until then we are just going to keep on doing what we are doing and hopefully continue raising a happy little lady. 

Zzzzzzzz.....

Guess who slept from 9:30 until 6:00 last night? Her name starts with and M and rhymes with Paxsmell! Woot woooooot. I think we are starting a new trend here. I am actually almost scared to say that it happened out loud and tell anyone for fear it may jinx our new sleep cycle. I am not sure if it was all the time spent outside yesterday. The fact that he has been surrounded by family and friends everyday since Wednesday (more on this later). Or if it is the growth spurt I am pretty sure she is having considering the fact she has been eating every 1.5-2 hours (again) all week long. But whatever it is I am 100% ok with it. I still have to wake up at least once in the middle of the night to pump BUT sleeping until 6 which gives me 5-6 hours of sleep straight is AMAZZZZZZZZZZZZING! This little lady is just awesome. Sometimes I just sit here and get lost in how lucky we got and wondering when it is all going to change because I am SURE she has a trick up her sleeve. She is probably already thinking about when to throw us a curve ball...! But even when that day comes I will be more than willing and happy to take it because rolling with the punches and going with the flow seems to be working wonderfully with 2 hours of sleep or 6!

Say Cheese!

I try really hard to not be one of those mom's that posts 800 pictures a day (even though I probably take 799 pictures a day) on Facebook and Instagram and every other social media site there is out there. I haven't changed my profile picture to my baby's face - even though it is much cuter than mine and I try really hard to not force her on everyone that I come into contact with, even though she is my pride and joy and the most precious thing in my world. Doing all of this takes some effort but to me it is pretty important to maintain a bit of pre-baby Heather in all of the new challenges and experiences we have every day. With that said I am not going to write much at all in this post and just share some of Max's 2-month old baby photo shoot shots. I just can't control myself, she is growing so much and these pictures  sort of show case how much she has changed in the last two months. She is literally a mini-Michelin man. Her rolls are adorable even though they need to be meticulously cleaned everyday and normally multiple times a day. Those rolls and her precious smile that means more than just "Hey Mom, I farted" now are heart stopping. I don't want time to go any faster BUT I can't wait to look back in a year and see every month of changes side by side. 

A bit of a scare.

This isn't necessarily baby related but it was quite an experience we all had this week. For starters the last two days have been a huge blur as I lay here I can hardly believe it is Wednesday night already. But I suppose when your Monday ends with a frantic trip to the ER the days begin to blend together. I know this now requires a bit of explaining. After spending a lovely little day with both Ieraci families and their respective kiddos Max and I started to pack and get ready to head home. While doing this we for a text message from Daddy letting us know he was headed out to pedal away and would probably head in the direction we were to say hi. Knowing this we hung out for a bit longer so that we could see the sweaty spandex clad man before he pedaled back. This all happened fine and dandy. We saw each other, hung out for a few extra minutes and then decided to head out at the same time to meet at home for dinner. Obviously Max and I would make it first because we had four wheels and an engine. We were almost home when my phone started ringing off the hook with a number on the screen that I have never seen. After debating on whether to get it (I try and avoid ALL phone related activity while in the car) I decided I needed to answer because this person wasn't giving up. As soon as I heard then ask for me I knew something was wrong. Without even knowing who this person was I could tell by the slight shake in their voice that they weren't just calling about a new credit card or wrong number. The next few words out of his mouth actually made my heart skip a little- "Heather. Ok here with your boyfriend and he ha an accident." David has worn a road id since last summer - he refuses to carry his cell phone - it had my number on it in case of an emergency as well as his name and address. I guess it paid off because I was able to get to him immediately but wow I had absolutely no idea the pit I would have when he had to use it. Max and I tuned around and made our way to the scene as quickly and safely as possible. The entire time I was trying to fight off tears trying not to think about the what ifs and I wonders. Once we got there I wanted to just squeeze David tighter than ever but judging from the looks of him I would not have felt very good. Turns out as he was coming down the hill and preparing to go up the next one his bike chain skipped and head over heels he went. I'd like to send a shout out to Specialized helmets for protecting (and I am pretty sure saving) his head and maybe life. I remember falling off my bike as a kid and it sucked- so the thought of falling at 35MPH just seems unreal to me. He was bruised,bloody a bit confused but standing and talking to me. After profusely thanking the kind gentleman that stopped and helped, called me and then waited with David we took off to the ER. The entire drive was spent just looking over at him so grateful he was in one piece. Even starting to think about what could have happened and throwing Max into that picture was too much. After about 5 hours in the ER, 3 sets of X-rays and lots of bandages later... David came home and we have been on the mend since. My nursing skills are really coming out and just having his smart ass self around even if he is bloody and bruised is just so wonderful. It's hard to think things could have been worse but it's all I could ask for to know they aren't.

Family. Friends. Fireworks.

I am trying to remember if all of my weekends have always been so packed full of stuff or if it has multiplied in the last 8 weeks because of the little one. Either way it was another doozy of a weekend - actually it was more like a weekend +2 because of the holiday thrown in there. On top of it being full of awesomeness with friends and family it was hot. I don't mean wave a paper fan and drink some lemonade hot... I'm talking about seriously considering walking around naked or never leaving the house and air conditioning again. Ever. But as always we pulled through and made the best of it.... which included breaks from sitting on the deck and moving into the living room, a blender (which always comes along with Tequilla and Ice) and of course once we headed up north to NH the swimming pool. All of the above things combined made for an awesome yet exhausting four days. To make it even better we got to spend all four of the days with Daddy and every other member of our family. Maxwell got to see all of her grandparents, aunts, uncles and even some honorary family members and they all got to see (and cuddle) her. It makes me happy to be able to have everyone so involved and included in watching her grow (which she is doing like a weed) so often. We ate drank and were definitely merry. So merry we celebrated birthdays and even exploded a few things (legal things and only in NH...of course). I was even able to dust off the camera and get a few good shots - something I didn't realize I had been missing as much as I apparently did. I may also have had a sip or two of wine Saturday night. Let me tell you those crisp and very cold glasses of Pinot were fantastic. Those glasses also gave me good reason to pull out my alcohol test strips to good use and when I watched then turn colors I was really glad I made the investment in them. They work! And thanks to them baby didn't have her first wine tasting- I think we have to wait a little bit longer for that kind of Mommy/Daughter bonding. Before the wine and the fireworks we spent lots of time in the pool with Max. Getting her in the water and loving it is something very important to David and I. Not just because we want her to play outside and be active and have fun but because we want her to be as safe as possible in every situation and with Meme, Pepe ,Grandpa and Gigi  having a pool she will be spending lots of time around water. I actually think she is starting to like the pool and hanging out in it and I am pretty sure it helped cool her down so she was comfy and worn out when we packed her up for Joe Peanuts on Friday and cuddled during the fireworks on Saturday (which she slept through...Seriously I jumped almost every time those colorful booms exploded and baby just snored on). Wow even as I'm typing I'm getting tired trying to remember everything we did! So with that said... Pics to come. I think it's nap time :)

Recovery.

I had such a great weekend and so many things to write about but I have to be honest these great things have also knocked me on my butt. Holy exhausted. I knew my recovery time over the last few years has increased but now it's on a totally different level! Here I am - laying in bed with Max on Tuesday morning thinking I might finally be back to normal after my little Mommy night out adventure (3 full days later).

Even though I have been beyond exhausted, the whole night was worth it. Friday I did it - had my first real night out. I have gone out shopping or to breakfast but this was the real deal. I'm talking make up done (eyeliner and eyeshadow included) blow dried hair, party dress and cowboy boots out and on!  I packed up a little cooler with the essentials- these now include a breast pump and milk storage bags along with the vodka and red bull and hit the road. Off to see my dream boyfriend Tim McGraw with the girlies. Woohoo. Well that was until I got halfway there and realised in all my excitement to pack the milk machine up I left my ticket on the counter. I thought I had pregnancy brain bad, but, I have discovered baby brain is much worse. After the little detour I made it to CT met up with the girls and we started our night. The day was something I has been looking forward to for months since we bought the tickets. I love music and seeing it live but I also love the tailgating, people watching and party atmosphere. (Side note... the baby brain did not stop at the ticket - when I went to pump the first time I realized I forgot a pretty essential piece of the milk machine. I Macgyvered it but it was not a good time. I guess I really need to start double and maybe triple checking my bags...)

This show didn't lack any of that atmosphere it just had a newly added element pumping every two hours before I went into the show. Yeah this put a slight damper on my first couple hours of drinking but this milk is like gold so having as much as possible is a priority. When all is said and done this was the strangest tailgating experience I have ever had and in the long run this probably was a good thing because after 11 months of not drinking it didn't take much at all to get a little loopy...It certainly has gotten much cheaper to have a good time! The concert itself was wonderful- three great artists and an awesome group of girls to hang out and sing with (my throat is still recovering). It went much past my usual bedtime though... Ok honestly it pretty much just started when I am normally winding down to go to bed.

After the last song was played, my giant bottle of water was guzzled, we walked back through mud and who knows what else, got out of the parking lot zoo, I sat in an hour of traffic on 91
and then a pretty decent line at Taco Bell (I couldn't help it!) I finally made it home at about 1:30. Once I showered, stored the tailgated boob milk and pumped again I was tucked in all cozy around 2:15. I'm pretty sure my eyes were closed at 2:16 and I was snoring at 2:17 which is fantastic... BUT ... That 3:45 feeding for Miss.Max came quite early as did the 7:30 feeding and well pretty much every feeding all day Saturday and Sunday. I guess when you are only running on 4-5 hours of sleep depriving yourself of them all together will throw a body into a tailspin! But even with the exhausted feeling I manned up and spent the day with Daddy and family celebrating his birthday when we went out for wings and beer (I avoided everything but water even only a couple of drinks will leave you hungover when your tolerance is down) and even made a stop at the favorite watering hole on the way home. Looking back at the weekend I can honestly say I haven't been that tired since giving birth but I can also honestly say it felt good to be out and sort of back to normal and enjoy some grow up time. Well normal except for the breast pumping and missing the most beautiful baby in the world part!

Thank goodness for Mommy/Memere. Because this Mommy and little Max were obviously in need of some cuddle time.