We did it!!

We left Mollie with a babysitter....and it was a success on both ends! Matt and I were co-hosting a baby shower for our dear friends, Mike & Kendra, last Saturday night and my parents were not in town. That means we needed outside help. While my parents have been great about watching Mollie here & there for a little bit, this was the first time we'd be leaving her full bedtime routine and putting her down for the night to someone else. Our very sweet intern at work, Sarah, was the perfect girl for the job. I'm thankful we didn't wait any longer than 3.5 months to hire someone for an evening. It really helped me let go of some of that nighttime control and feeling like everything has to go EXACTLY as planned for Mollie to go down for the night correctly AND sleep 10+ hours as she consistently does. Mollie & Sarah both did excellent and Molls didn't make a peep all night! Whew. It was a great learning experience for me & another thing I can check off my list as being nervous about, but accomplishing:)

I'd typed out contact numbers and other important notes/information to keep on our fridge. As many years as I was a babysitter myself, I tried to remember what it was that I liked to know and have ahead of time. We put together a great list of all of our doctors, local emergency people, neighbors, etc. Then another list of Mollie's feeding info, tips for things around the house, nighttime routine all spelled out (haha) and the list goes on. I don't want a sitter or family member to feel they have to follow it to a 'T', but I do want them to know what we do & it seems to work fine:) I also need to be better about leaving planned dinner options for the sitter. That always bothered me when I couldn't find anything to eat at someone's house. Glad we have a fridge full always!!

One confession though..I had told Sarah ahead of time that Mollie spits up a LOT, but forget to mention to bring an extra shirt or change or clothes. And no, I am not exaggerating, we have multiple outfit changes a day & should have prepared Sarah better! Of course throughout the night, she is texting me updates (this is why I adore her) & she did tell me M had a HUGE spit up after her bath. I didn't ask too many questions at that point, as I knew I'd be home soon and she'd tell me what I needed to know. After all, spitting up big time is just Molls' MO. So, we come home and Sarah has her cardigan all the way buttoned-up, proceeds to walk to the laundry room & show me her camisole that's hanging on the door handle drying. She had to wash it in the sink. Then next to that is a pile of clothes/towels that came from earlier in the evening..Mollie spit up on her bunny bath towel, then Sarah had to use it to wipe the floor where some spit up occurred, as well. Welcome to our world. To create a visual, this is a picture from a 24hr wash load (of just Mollie's stuff!) Sat- Sun. Probably about 10 burp cloths, 8 outfits, 10 bibs. Yeah....that seems about right:)

We're grateful to have Sarah as a sitter and also look forward to another night out. Although, I'll also confess that I look forward to having my parents back, as we don't have to pay them nearly as much;) It did Matt & I great to get out of the house for a night, spend some time solo with friends, but really, at the end of everything, we are 100% happy spending our time together at home, sitting on the back porch together after Molls goes to bed and having our alone time then. Much cheaper, comfortable and like they say, there's no place like home.

Hello Fall!

Molls is growing so fast it's almost unbelievable! We are blessed with one very happy baby I will say..She smiles a LOT and always if someone is talking to her and/or smiling at her (guess I can't capture on camera though!) She loooves to be a part of the action!! She is getting even better at holding her head up, loves to sit up & see what's happening. I swear the girl doesn't miss a beat. She will coo and talk so much, sometimes we hardly get a word in. It's just awesome to see that kind of development literally occur before your eyes.
I'm so in love with how she will follow Matt with her eyes and head alll the way around a room or when he's sitting next to us and gets up, she turns and looks like she's really about to talk and say "Dad, where you going?" It's so darn cute and melts him, I know.

Word up, sista

Last weekend we took Molls to the pumpkin sale at a local church, where our friends belong. Granted, I had about 3 cute outfits for her to get different photos in, but we ended up with just this one due to sleepiness...and also got called 'handsome.' Shucks..guess it's back to the pink & purple for this one!! Haha!

Two buds

My little pumpkin!!

Almost 2 weeks ago we also got the first real laugh!! It was everything and more, that I'd been waiting on. Just the sweetest chuckle ever. And of course, once you hear it, you want it all the time--but she only indulges me sometimes, though we're on a pattern of at least once a day! A friend and I were talking the other day about all these baby milestones & how they have so many accomplishments this first year. I'm not really one to take the time to scrapbook, although I do enjoy crafts, and honestly don't even have a baby book for Mollie! I have gathered some pictures and at least will write on the back her age, etc. But I also figured, I'm not doing a baby book because I have this blog! I can't wait to share with her all those old entries of Matt & I first knowing about her existence, her growing in my tummy and even more importantly, how much we LOVE having her with us and how much fun we are having! Each day brings a new smile to our face and we anticipate getting to see her each morning. Even this am, I brought her into our bedroom to say hey to Matt...although he would've seen her in just a few more minutes, I just couldn't wait:)

Matt and I did have our first dinner date sans Mollie last week. Mom & Dad were in town so they watched her for a couple hours.

Mimi, Pops & Mollie

It was lovely, but we were anxious to get back to see her before she went to bed!! I do remember the times before Matt & I had Mollie, there's no lying and saying I don't, haha!, but in all honesty, I'm not sure either of us smiled or laughed on a daily basis as much as we do now. Guess that's what parenting is supposed to be. Building joy upon joy. I'm pretty certain there's more joy now than we ever expected..and I hear it only gets better!

Family pic..complete with spit up!!

Happy 3 months, Mollie!

Oh my, Mollie is already 3 months today!! This age seemed so far away!! She is honestly getting sweeter and more fun by the day- Matt and I cannot get enough of her and that precious face:)

Sweet, sweet girl!!

A few things we've recently realized..

•  I'm not sure if we'll ever have the need for an alarm clock again
• When she gets up in the AM's, we both race each other in the room, as that first daily sight of her all swaddled and smiling is truly priceless. We just stand over her & laugh it's so adorable! (see pic)
• She is a 'happy spitter' - the girl spits up more than we thought possible, but smiles and it doesn't bother her, so no need to worry! I'm keeping burp cloth and bib companies in biz.
• Pretty certain Mollie will love cooking and/or helping dad in the kitchen. She can sit in her bumbo and watch dad cook forever..he tells her about all the tips and ingredients! We cannot WAIT to talk solids with the Pediatrician next month!!!
• When she catches a glimpse of the TV her eyes just get locked in..she seems to prefer Food Network, but maybe that's because it's all we watch:)
• She is getting so good at sitting up and having strength. She loves to look around and is so alert- but really, she was alert from Day 1! We of course have to help her sometimes, but guess rolling over is next on her agenda, so we'll see!
• Her likes and dislikes are becoming a bit more obvious each day. Likes= swing, taking walks, being outside, talking, reading, lovey blankets, babydoll, bathtime and MUCH more. She is a very happy baby. Dislikes= getting hungry is pretty much it. Ha!
• Pretty sure Mollie's a morning person, which is fine by me! Matt and I are by no means night owls..Although this AM I did have to go in and wake her, which I hate doing as she needs her sleep, but the girl had been asleep for 11+ hours!!!
• Somehow each night she moves from one end of her crib to the other IN her swaddle (see pic). Little inchworm we have I guess! What will happen when we don't swaddle her?! Will she learn to crawl?!
•   Matt & I are blessed everyday to have a wonderful and healthy child- we could not ask for more!

All wedged down at the end! Haha

Seriously, makes our day to wake up to this! Wish I awoke this happy:)

I also want to take this opportunity and say THANK YOU to all of our blog readers...I run into people all the time who reference the blog & I also get the most amazing emails or facebook messages from best friends and even long lost friends sharing their highs & lows of parenting, providing support, telling cute or funny stories and I really appreciate it!!! Y'all are awesome:)  xoxo

Reality Hits (& Bites)

My maternity leave is officially over. Well, today is my last weekday at home with lil peanut:(

Our last weekday AM walk..

Beginning July 6 when Mollie was born, fast forward 3 months and now it's time to go back to work. Early on I was overwhelmed with emotion & life and it definitely took me a good while to make sense of our new life and learning all these new ropes. Ha, not like I have it ALL figured it out yet:) But feel I sure could use some more time. I'm staying realistic and thinking, who could NOT use more time?!

I've worked from home throughout my leave and then in September I went into the office 2x a week. It's now October 1. Guess what that means- full time for me in the office starting this month. Ohhh has the day really come?!  Reality hits and tears fill my eyes.

Being home a few days a week with her for sure had it's pro's & con's. I wasn't rushed in the mornings. We got in our regular neighborhood walk & I was able to just snuggle with her for as long as I wanted. On the other hand, it really was non-stop. When she did nap, I could then get things done. I am not the cook of the household, Matt is, thank goodness. While I do clean, I could do a better job:) Between feeding her, pumping, washing things in the sink, laundry, playing with her, straightening the house, I was sometimes lucky to even get myself lunch made on time or close to it. That kind of hecticness I won't miss...but man, I will miss those snuggles:) With her bedtime about 7pm, and we get home around 5pm, that's not much time to spend with her! I think that's been the toughest part on my office days..I feel like I never get to see her. Although, P.S. Mollie, I don't NEED to see you in the middle of the night, so keep up the great sleeping!!

We adore Mollie's caregiver- she is with a wonderful lady (JoJo) and her family who all love kids! We've been transitioning into our routine for September and all seems great. Matt & I are working on the AM routine of feeding, quick nap for Molls, getting us and her dressed, bags packed, milk transported, dropping her off, etc. I am now questioning will I ever get my car and personal space back?? My thought is no. What used to fill my car was trashy mags, sunscreen and beach chairs has now been replaced with a stroller, carseat and an overfilled diaper bag. To be honest, I wouldn't trade that for anything! Even when Mollie isn't riding in the car with me, I glance in my rearview mirror, see her carseat and just smile ear to ear. She warms my heart through & through.

I always knew and assumed I'd be a 'working mom' and never thought I'd consider anything other...until I met my daughter. Don't get me wrong, I love to work and I love my job!! I know for a fact that staying home with a baby full-time would not satisfy me--at least not for very long I don't think. I've loved having best of both worlds this past month, but really, that's not for me either. It was very, very hard to work a whole lot at home and stay focused, so am confident that if I'm to work, I prefer the office. So what IS for me? I'm not sure 100%- but I know what it is for now and for a while.

As Oprah says, 'what I do know for sure' is...I love my daughter more than I ever thought possible and want the best in life for her. Mollie will grow up seeing her mom as an independent, confident woman who took her children and family's interests seriously and appropriately. Nothing less. She will see me laughing with Matt and us spending quality time with each other. SHE will grow up an independent & confident woman, as well.