2013 in Review

I won't post ALL of my 2013 review, because I HAD A BABY! Every day there is a new and amazing thing going on in this household!  Here we go!!

- had a baby
-my sister had a baby 5.5 weeks after I had Adeline
- learning to be a housewife
-starting a new job at the church, learning and adjusting and finding my groove with it all.  I honestly feel like I am JUST- like this week- finding my stride and groove and starting to excel at my position with my church. I have never been happy with myself and my church work, I just knew I could do better with upkeep in the computer, and really putting my all into it.
-watching my niece part time
-watching my niece unexpectedly went to FULL TIME!!
- NOT watching my niece at all ( my sister opened her own daycare!)
- adjusting to being a mother and balancing it all
- I had roughly 60 photography sessions in 2013, that is awesome! Considering I didn't take any clients for a few months with having Adeline!

2013 was amazing. I became a mother! My niece was born! So many amazing things! This year has truly been a blessing! However it was a hard year for me... SO MUCH ADJUSTING.  I have not been the wife I envisioned I would be, or the domestic goddess I thought  I could be. I have been struggling to stay on top of laundry, and keep the floors mopped and swept. I struggle to provide a hot meal when it is needed to all of my family members (daughter, husband, dog, me) I have really just started feeling more on top of things and like I may be able to conquer the world soon! ( I am guessing when I get to that level another baby will happen and make me start all over again! haha)

here are my goals I made in the beginning for 2013

"(so these are probably a given, but I want to write them down)

- be the best Christian I can be

- be the best wife I can be

- be the best mother I can be

- learn to have more patience

-be better at household things

-save our family as much money as possible by doing things myself,learning things, such as gardening, making our own laundry soap, breastfeeding, etc.

-grow my photography business by double. 

-lose 60 lbs "

Honestly I read these.. .and laughed a little bit. I know exactly what I was thinking and expecting of myself... and I can tell you I was definitely expecting too much! But Something I have learned this year is to learn to not be so hard on myself. 

 here is my evaluation of my goals 

patience: I do believe i have made great strides in my patience! 

Household things: I have gotten better at them! But the challenge has been upped with adding a child, so you can't really tell I have improved! :)

Save money gardening, laundry soap, breastfeeding, etc: The saving money I have done pretty well at! 

Growing my photography business: I am actually really happy with my 2013 business! It has been great! 

lose 60 lbs (this is where I laughed): UMM DIDN'T HAPPEN!! AT ALL! haha! This doesn't surprise me. well it does a little because I THOUGHT FOR SURE I would be AT LEAST at pre baby weight.. but I guess losing weight is harder than I thought. :) 

I am no where near where I want to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be - Joyce Meyer.

COMING SOON 2014 GOALS!

To decorate.. or not.. That is the question

It is my daughters first Christmas and I am so not in the mood to decorate or prepare for Christmas- is that bad?!  I just am not feelin' it right now.  I couldn't wait to decorate for halloween, which is usually a holiday I could care less about. I desperately WANT to WANT to decorate!

I haven't bought or made a single present. I scour pinterest and am bored at all the Christmas things going on. What is wrong with me?!

This is my daughter's first Christmas! I should have EVERYTHING decorated in my house, lights galore, presents galore! homemade gifts!  Money is tight this year... maybe that is dampening my inner decorating goddess?  I don't know.. what's my deal!  I keep hoping that my inner decorating goddess will awaken and say "lets DECORATE!!" while throwing glitter everywhere.

 so far... no go.. BUT I did manage to get THE CUTEST picture of Adeline in front of the Christmas tree! (my moms Christmas tree...)

Adeline is 11 months old!

I can't believe we are a four weeks away from Adeline's first birthday! Time has gone by so fast! She is such a joy to be around. Her favorite thing right now is Porkchop. She squeals in delight when she sees him or hears him. In fact, she loves him so much I have to make sure he doesn't come down the hallway when I am putting her to bed, because she will want to chase him. She loves the chasing game. Most mornings while dad gets ready mommy and Adeline chase daddy around the house, she loves it. 

Every day at 8:20 she crawls into our bedroom and wakes up daddy and Porkchop. It is really so cute. 

She cruises around on her stroller and the base of the bassinet, but she doesn't walk unassisted yet, I think she could do it, but she is still unsure. In fact if she realizes she is standing by herself, she sits down. A few times she has stood for a few minutes without realizing she wasn't holding on. 

She says dada, and now mama! Mama is more "MMMMOOma" I love it! she says "dada" for everything, but I know in her world, she is saying all different things. 

She sleeps about 11 hours at night and generally 2-2.5 hours during the day. She keeps me guessing with her naps, sometimes she takes 1 and sometimes she takes 2. 

She loves danger. Anything dangerous, she gravitates for it.  

As I was loading the dishwasher, she climbed onto the dishwasher, and started pulling out the spoons (because of her love for danger, I only put spoons in there until it is ready to be started) 

lame cold... but a super cute photo!

This is the second year in a row that I have been sick for Thanksgiving! Ok, it isn't thanksgiving yet, but I am having thanksgiving at my house with Jordan's (my husband) mom tomorrow. And I have  a nasty cold. I can't breathe. Not just through my nose, but I feel like I am not getting enough oxygen. If I need to move, I am out of breath. ::Insert baby cry from me::.  I have people coming from Alaska staying with me Thursday night, I do not have time to not feel good! Darn you annual cold!

I have been busy taking care of this little terror. I am truly blessed to be this little lady's mama.

One nice thing about not being able to breath out my nose, is I didn't have to smell Adeline's poop today! :) And trust me... they are stinky! :)


You should follow along my journey of taking a photo a day for 365 days!

TGB Photography blog

Adeline is 7 months old! (August 3rd)

July flew by in a blink of an eye! I feel like just yesterday I was tearing up that she was 6 months old.. and now she is over 7 months!

Adeline is so close to crawling! Every day I think "today maybe the day"soon! 

She has officially entered the "I only want my mommy" phase. It is adorable but I do feel bad that others don't get to enjoy her as much as I do! 

She also doesn't like social settings- at least big ones. This isn't all that new.. but it has just intensified as of the lately. In fact she usually gets exhausted and has a huge meltdown about 30 minutes in. It really stresses me out. I feel like I can't socialize, and that I need to leave. And when she cries everything in my body screams at me to do everything in my power to help her.. which obviously is stressful for the body. I know people understand but still I dread social functions. 

Breastfeeding is still going great. Although she is a biter at times. OWWWE!! I am not sure how long I will last once she cuts teeth!! I will continue to pump- but nursing may go out the window if she bites with teeth!

Speaking of teething she is definitely teething- her pediatrician said that she is getting 4 teeth on her bottom teeth! Hopefully soon some will start poking through! But I just can't imagine her with teeth!

Adeline is still hooked on the nuk! I am totally fine with that- from the beginning I knew I wanted to use it.

Adeline 6 month post (July 3rd)

Well you didn't expect me to be on time with this post, did you?! :) I did however take her pictures on time! She turned 6 months on July 3rd! WHICH THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN ON TIME!! :)

I can't believe Adeline is 6 months old!! It makes me so happy and sad! All in the same breath! I feel like time is going by way to fast! I know every parent says that.. but I really mean it!

 Drool- she is a drooling queen! I cannot believe how much my child drools! I mean I don't understand where it all comes from!

Her sleep has greatly improved! She wakes up anywhere from 0-3 times a night! Its funny how quickly I forget what those sleepless nights were like! I feed her once during the night if she wakes up, if she wakes up more she only gets snuggles and pacifier. I still swaddle her, she gets out of if she wants too, but most nights it really helps her to fall asleep.

She is a happy smiley baby. She loves to be tickled, and often times she smiles and laughs at you, even if you aren't even looking at her ( she is unaware the world doesn't revolve around her).

We started baby food and she loves sweat peas, carrots, and mangos, prunes and squash are runner ups. And she HATES peaches and bananas! She literally screams and cries when I try and give her those things! She really picked up eating really quickly! It is what made her sleep through the night! I had never had her sleep through the night until she started baby food! So I love it!

Breastfeeding is still going great. I pump during the day and nurse at night (if it isn't the middle of the night, I nurse and then pump) I don't have an oversupply at all- I wish I did! But I make just the right amount! However my supply dips super easily! If I am stressed out my supply takes a hit, and I will have to supplement her with formula- usually about 4 ounces once.

THINGS SHE LOVES
- car rides
-her mama
-baby wipes- they are the best toy
-walks
-Porkchop (her brother)
-when daddy tickles her
-her pacifier



**please don't steal these photos. I took these, copyright is mine, and this is my child. :)

Adeline 5 months old June 3rd

( i am super late on this post! Lots of things have kept me busy! I will update you all soon! )

My dear sweet Adeline is 5 months old! And on her 5 month birthday she rolled belly to back twice!! Go Adeline! She sits on her own very well for about a minute before she folds in half or topples to one side. 

She still wakes up to nurse 2 times a night and I  am up a few more times putting the pacifier in her mouth. 

Her hair on her side is filling in nicely! Yay!  

I am still nursing and pumping. I don't have an ounce extra of breast milk (I'm even taking the max dosage of fenugreek) but I'm not short anymore! Yay! 

You had your 4 month doctor appointment at 5 months and your pediatrician said you are doing fabulous! He told me you are ready for solids.. But we are still waiting. You are 68% for height and 53% for weight and 35% for head! :) 

Maybe you have noticed?

II am not really loosing weight. It is totally my fault (well ok I am placing a little blame on my PCOS- but just a little.)

This week I made goals

80 oz of water a day 

Walk 9 miles this week.

No buying junk food

These are small goals but I think these will help me achieve weight loss and not overwhelm me! 

I'd secretly like to keep my calories around 1700- but maybe that'll be my goal for next week!

^ our first attempt at the hip.. We are still working on it! :)

Wednesday weigh in

This post was for last week.. May 22nd. Lol. It never published! So looks like I lost .6 lbs from last week. 

Hey look I'm getting more timely with my weigh in posts!! Yay!! :)

I am getting good at drinking water again (hallelujah!) I used to have no problem drinking 70 ounces. But I fell off that wagon and it was a struggle to get back on. It's slowly returning. 

I notice a difference in my weight on weeks I walk. That is always encouraging. I hope to make my walks an every day routine, but I have an almost 5 month old and I watch my niece- a 4 month old. And I'm not smooth transitioning into things! 

Every day I'm learning about how to run my day a little bit smoother! I have the girls morning routine down, unfortunately that pretty much leaves me no time for exercise or housework but the girls are happy and its not chaotic. So I can't complain. 

I am ready to be thin though! Can you just unzip this fat suit! If only right!? 

I am proud I only "gained" 20 lbs during pregnancy. I actually gained 48 but lost 28 within 9 days of post partum- so that doesn't count as true weight in my book. 

I am working on a daily list to give myself to make sure I accomplish what I want each day. I thrive off lists and I love checking things off. I think that will help my gracefulness each day! 

Alright we I'm going back to bed now that Adeline is done nursing 

Wednesday weigh in

Posting my Wednesday weigh in on a Wednesday what's wrong with me! Haha! I'm all organized!

!Down .8! Ill take it!! Now if I can keep this streak up! Which I know I can, it's just doing it. 

 I was going through old photos- and I wanna lose weight I looked great! 40 lbs ago! But baby steps. Today I took a 2.25 mile walk. I'm working on 80 ounces of water for the day. I had pancakes for breakfast and popcorn for lunch.. So that's not the best- but I don't need perfection, improvement is really what I need! I'm working on making sure I'm hungry before I eat. I've always heard losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise. So my main focus will be diet. 

I am really trying hard not to go crazy and be realistic- because going all crazy doesn't work for me. So small baby steps, imperfections and pancakes and popcorn once in a while it is!

Wanna know something crazy?

I cannot wait to be in labor and deliver a child again! Seriously. I think I am insane. I had such a wonderful birth experience I can't wait to do it again. I can't wait to see how different/similar it is.

I am hoping a few things are different. I was on bed rest the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy, I am hoping that won't be the case this time. I hope to labor at home for as long as possible next time. I hope instead of having a 23 hour labor, it will be 13 hours or less. I made it 15 hours naturally with pitocin with Adeline. I hope to not need pitocin and to have it be less than 15 hours! I got to 7 CM dilated and wanted to epidural and was scared they wouldn't give it to me... I was so tired and thought I was ripping into two. I felt everything while pushing, but since I did have the epidural I want to know if I really did feel everything, and if it was toned down at all, because it SURE didn't feel like it. Even though I want a few things to be different with my next delivery, I can't wait! Even if I get an epidural and sleep through the whole thing. I just had an amazing experience. I really bonded with Jordan (my husband) during labor, and delivering a child. WOW. I mean WHAT A GIFT FROM GOD!!!  AMAZING! I don't know when I want to have another, we aren't there yet, I can wait to be pregnant again and I can wait to have those sleepless nights again, but labor and delivery... I am so excited for! haha. yes, I am a nut job. 

Oh and don't get me wrong, pregnancy was amazing and having a child is BEYOND amazing, I just am not ready to do those parts again :) 

Adeline is 4 months old!

I cannot believe my sweet pea is 4 months old already!!

 She scoots around on her back (she pushes her heals down and scoots) and she gets pretty far. She can scoot across the whole room- no steering though.

She is talking up a storm! She has found her screaming voice, she isn't crying, just talking really loudly. We call her a pterodactyl.

 She is such a joy!  My whole body emits happiness when I look at her. When I pick her up from her naps or in the middle of the night, I just want to squeeze her to pieces because I love her so much.

Her laugh and smile is infectious and melts my heart every day.

Right now she is a mommy's girl big time. Often she will smile and laugh at/with people from the comfort of my lap, but if people (daddy included) try and pick her up she doesn't really like it.

she loves her daddy so much! We both think she is going to be a HUGE daddy's girl when she grows out of this "only on mommy's lap" thing. She lights up every time he walks into the room.

I have had some breastfeeding supply issues- I just learned it was because I went on the mini pill!! For some reason it had decreased my supply. So now we are working on building it up. I nurse and pump. There was 1.5 days that I didn't nurse, just pumped, and I missed it terribly.

  I was just looking back at the post about my fears about breastfeeding, I was worried I would hate breastfeeding, so glad that isn't the case!

She is a drooling machine!

Her hair on the sides pretty much fell out and just have regrowth. :) it is adorable! I think she had more hair at birth than she does now, but the top is growing like a weed! :)

I love her feet! I could stare at them all day! Well actually I could just stare at her all day. I have first time mom syndrome bad. :) I think every movement, expression, eye brow wiggle, etc is the cutest thing ever!

She has started sucking on her fingers and it cracks me up.

She is pretty close to rolling over, from back to stomach, but hasn't done it yet.  Same with sitting up, she is getting there, but not yet. She loves to kick and play with her feet, if you lay her on her back, her feet go up!

I started a journal to her.  I hope to have her grandma's write in it, and daddy and auntie. I hope it will be something she will treasure forever and can be passed down forever! :)

Addie & her cousin Bryn- 5.5 weeks apart

Wednesday weigh in

 I'm getting back on track! Drinking lots of water, eating healthier and walking. Starting today :) I need to keep my persistence. And I will do succeed


Losing this!

My life lately in Instagram photos

I am totally loving life. I am blessed to be able to be home with my beautiful daughter every day. She brings me so much joy!

On a side note- I forgot to post Wednesday weigh in but I did lose 1.5 lbs! I'm hoping I didn't gain it all back this weekend! But we will see! :)