I smell like baby food and Fi is cute...duh...

Readers! (Or reader...that is maybe all I have left after my long time away...again)

I am back. Maybe for good, maybe not. Life is busy, what can I say.

There is a LOT to fill you in on.

1. I wish I looked as good in a side pony as Fi does. It starts as just a regular center pony on top of her head but by the end of the day it has almost always danced it's way to the side. I like to think of it as a pony with attitude.

2. I almost always smell like some kind of baby food. It's a miracle Jamie still loves me. Mostly because some of her baby food is meat...so sometimes I smell like pureed chicken. Hot.

Alright, so I'll explain that second one. When I heat up her baby food I like to check in on my wrist to make sure it isn't too hot. I wash this off of course, but still...it's like applying chicken perfume. I also am a very messy feeder. I spill stuff on my pants, socks, shirt, hands....and sometimes it ends up in my hair. I am basically disgusting. I think I hide it well, but you can be the judge next time you see me.

In other news, Fi is quickly approaching her first birthday. Yikes! Who can believe it's almost been a year!? AND THAT MEANS IT'S ALMOST THE HOLIDAYS!! WHATTT!? Psh...I bought my first Christmas present yesterday and I am proud. Too early? I'll laugh in your face when you are shopping online 3 days before Christmas Day. I say that with love.

Ok, so in the last few months, we have done a lot of fun FUN things.

We took Fiona to the zoo! She fell asleep about halfway through and pretty much only enjoyed the fish and the waterfall as far as I can tell, but still...J and I had a freaking blast.

We also did a lot of pool time this summer-we sat in that pee-filled baby pool together and she splashed and giggled and loved it. Oh, and mamma got a bit of a tan...it's a win-win.

This fall she has become our little football fan and she has of course been helping us cheer on our Hawkeyes! Don't you worry, we have documented her in her Hawk gear so you can see her in all her glory.

Alright, well I'm off. You know, to ponder what the theme will be of her big first birthday. More to come!!

Jogging Stroller-1 Nicole-0

Ok so we recently got a jogging stroller so I could get back into my running routine without having to slice out time each evening between putting her to sleep, making dinner and oh yah, sleeping. Of course, when I say recently I mean we got it about 2 months ago. Whatever...

I've been running MAyyyybe once or twice a week for the last few months but mostly the only workout I really get these days is lugging my little lady around and going for long walks with her.

So yesterday I decided to bite the bullet and try to take her (and the stroller) for a little jog. I thought, no biggie...I'll just try to jog for about 20 mins or so and then I'll walk a little bit. Start slow...you know. Keep in mind I've run only slightly over a mile since having Fiona...so yah, I'm a little bit outta shape compared to pre-baby but still....

So I waited until about 4pm when it was a bit cooler (like 87...that's right...that's as good as it gets) and off I went. I felt pretty good for a little while and even kind of enjoyed jamming to my music while I got back into the swing of jogging. But then I started to feel the burn. Ow. Turns out jogging while out of shape plus pushing 18 extra lbs (and a stroller) hurts. I looked at my phone and I had only been running for about 5 mins. FIVE MINUTES. Holey balls.

Long story short, it was hard. I only ran for about 15 min and then called it quits while I walked a tiny bit. Props to those really fit moms that run with twins and have a post baby 6 pack. Also...F you. I say that with love.

You may say that I'm making excuses and that it's not that hard to fit in a workout. Well, trust me-when your seven month old is still getting up several times a night naps usually win out over a workout during the day.

So today I think we will skip the jog (and go to the pool...where lounging is expected)...maybe...now I'm a little determined to conquer this. I will keep you posted. Until then-I have more pictures to share!

Love this.

I'm pretty sure this was father's day. Living it up with daddy!

I smell...

How is it possible that my kid has pooped herself twice today- TWICE AND THE DAY IS NOT OVER- and she still smells of roses and honey? I need her secret. That baby scent is addicting. She was napping in my arms earlier and I'd be lying if I didn't say I had to sniff her a few times. It's weird but necessary.

Also, she is the cutest sleeping child ever. That is all.

Holey moley, rolly polly!

Six months old and a rolling machine. Well, sort of. For the past two days I've come into her room in the morning to find her on her tummy and getting confused because she can't get back over. I'm sure that will come..and hey, it's another milestone!

Ok, so little nugget is half a year old already-wowzers. I really can't believe it's been six months already. She has changed so, so much and is starting to really become such a little person. I also think she is getting cuter and cuter by the day...but I could be biased. She recently started sitting up on her own which makes playtime a whole new experience for her and secretly a bit more fun for me too. I'll be honest, even I find her musical, turning, colorful, talking, sparkling toys somewhat amusing. The things they make for kids to play with are pretty amazing...if not just slightly annoying at times (what? did I say that?).

As she makes the six month mark, I find that my life is a constant comedy. I've been puked on, peed on, pooped on and spit on and every time I've laughed. If you had asked me a few years ago if I thought I'd laugh at being pissed on...I guarantee I'd have said no. Oh how life changes:)

One day at Kohl's I thought I'd get cute and just run in to get her some sleepers. I grabbed her out of her car seat, held her on my hip and didn't even BRING the diaper bag. Because please, she'd been fed, changed, napped...there is no way I'd need it, right? WRONG. I am sure all the other mommies reading this are thinking, "wow, rookie mistake," and they would be right. Of course she loved all the colors and was laughing and smiling and we were just about to take our stuff to the counter to check out when...uh oh...I felt warmth on my hip. Of course, I look down and she somehow squirmed so much that her diaper was out of place and she PEED ON ME.

So what does one do when you are in public and have pee on you? You leave. We put our stuff down and bee lined it for the door. She was still smiling of course and a few older ladies commented on how cute she was on our way out. Little did they know that the little cutie had soiled us both;) So we both had a very wet ride home and I never made that mistake again. Thank goodness Kohls is so close. I will never leave the house without extra clothes for her...and maybe an extra shirt for me again...

Yep, my life is certainly glamorous:)

Ok, so enough about bodily fluids.

FIONA HAD HER FIRST VACAY!!!

We were able to take her to the lake a few weeks ago and I think it was pretty much a full success. Luckily, she likes to lay around and relax just like her mom and daddy:) Here are some pics from her big excursion!

Her first swing!

Chillaxin' by the water.

Who can resist a little playtime?!

My kid tries to eat everything (including BIG KID FOOD!)...and my first mom's day!

Hey dawgs.

I don't want to hear it about how long it's been since my last post. I'm really only writing right now because as Fi and I were playing on her gym mat she just spontaneously fell asleep. It happened so fast it almost scared me. Apparently I have really, really pooped her out today. Play, nap, eat, play, walk, play, eat, eat, nap....man...baby life is HARD.

So, before she wakes up I will try to update you on the world of the Faids.

Our little lady is officially eating "Solids". I say this loosely because while it may not be formula, it is still far from solid. We started with cereal that was pretty much formula with a teeny, tiny bit of oatmeal in it and now she has also had applesauce and sweet potatoes. She digs her sweet potatoes and could take or leave the rest. NOTE TO OTHER MOMS: Sweet potato mush (which is what I will call the pureed baby food I feed her) stains like a Mo Fo. I of course only just realized this when I washed a bunch of her favorite (note: MY favorite) bibs and they came out with giant orange stains. I treated them with some stain stuff today so we will see if that magically gets rid of it. Either way, she loves those sweet potatoes so much that its probably worth the stains. She cried when we were done feeding her the first time. So, I folded and gave her more. That's right I did something NOT by the book. Please...pat me on the back...this is a big step for me.

Ok, so that's a BIG BIG deal in our house and it's so fun to feed her something new. She loves chomping on the spoon and has started reaching for J and I's food when we eat in front of her. I think she's catching on that there is other stuff besides formula in the world.

So not only is she eating solids, but she is trying to eat EVERYTHING. She actually tried to eat a wipe a couple of weeks ago. Well, I turned around and she had it in her mouth...just tasting it (ewwwww). I panicked like a good mom and called the doc (aka my dad...her grandpa) who told me not to worry, but to get that stuff out of her reach from now on. Here's the thing-the wipe was sitting below her feet and I seriously looked away for a SECOND to get butt cream or something. My point is that she is a sneaky monkey and had to have used her toes to flip it up near her face or something. She is clearly just an acrobat or gymnast or contortionist or SOMEthing... I swear I'm a good mom and I never make mistakes...never you hear me?! Never...almost never....hmmm...

Please leave your reassuring comments below:)

My first mom's day rocked my socks off and I was blessed enough to get to spend it with family. I stuffed myself silly with food, wine and desserts I didn't need and loved every minute. Give me any excuse to indulge and I'l take it (no...the diet is currently not going well...oops). I loved finally seeing this holiday from my mom's POV and it was so nice to share my first mom's day with her.

I was lucky enough to hear a testimonial from another young mom at my church on Sunday that actually brought me to tears. She talked about how she has a ten week old and she never realized how hard being a parent would be because no one talks about how hard it is. AMEN sister. She said that the words "I have no idea what to do" are the most common words out of her mouth lately and when she goes to bed she prays for poop and sleep. Again...she nailed it. She said that at the beginning she wished she could go back to work because at least there she knew what to do and that sometimes she resented her husband because he got to go to work and escape the crying, mess and madness. She also said she'd never change it because her baby is one of the greatest, most amazing things in the whole world. I found it so refreshing to hear an honest, and no doubt hard, account of the early days of parenthood. It's true-usually people just tell you the great, non messy parts of parenthood, but sometimes it's really tough. So, while sometimes Fi tries to put wipes in her mouth, keeps us up at night, and pees on us (yep, it's happened), she is still the absolute BEST thing that's happened to J and I. We are the luckiest parents in the whole world and it was great to celebrate being her mom:)

Ok enough sap. Fi just giggled in her sleep. Hilariousness...

I leave you with some pics. Hope they make you smile like they do me!

Snoozing after playtime...ok, mid-playtime.

Just chillin' during a walk we went on recently. 

Big Big Big week

Ahh! I know, I know it's been a long time AGAIN since I posted. I'm beginning to be a slogger (slow blogger). Life is busy and that is really my only excuse. Also, since my last post it doesn't seem like much time has passed.

However, a lot has happened so I suppose it's time to tell you about it.

I wanted to blog last week because it was a BIG week. A year ago last week we found out that I was expecting our little baby. As most of you know, the first test was a bit "iffy" and then a week later-poof! I took four tests in a row and the results were clear: Pregnant, Pregnant, Pregnant, Pregnant! We could not have been more excited. I still cannot believe that just a year ago this whole journey began. We knew our lives were officially changing and now as of this Monday, Fiona is a whopping FOUR MONTHS! Seriously...where has time gone? She is getting so big, getting such a little personality and changing every single day.

Wow...that was big.

Also last week the two year anniversary mark for the hubs and I. That's right, we have made it longer than many Hollywood couples and we're proud. I can only hope that our little girl finds someone who loves her just as much as J loves me. Well, at least I hope he loves me as much as I think he does;)

In honor of our big anniversary, we took our first full night off from our little one. We got massages, sat in the hot tub, drank too much wine, and slept. Oh yah, and almost died in a tornado during our nice dinner. Whatever....

It would figure that the weather would try to actually kill us on our first night away. It was obviously punishment from leaving our parental duties...well at least it seems that way. Seriously though, what are the odds?

On the brighter side, Fiona was in great hands and we lived to tell the tale...and have dessert (yayyy!!). It really was a great anniversary and although we missed our little nugget, we enjoyed our adult time.

Ok, so there is bigger news. As of today FIONA HAS HER FIRST JELLIES! Don't worry, I took a pic so you can all drool and melt at how adorable they are.

So practical in clear, yet so sassy with the flowers.

Yes world, this is a big day.

She is also starting to get the hang of tummy time. Don't get me wrong, sometimes she gives up and we have to flip her over, but here is one of her best attempts. Daddy is even getting in on the fun here...

J thinks he is going bald...will someone please tell him this is not a new thing?

Ok, no more new stuff to tell you about. I'll have more later.

Hopefully it's not as long of a stretch before I'm here again!

Oh my, a long time went by....

That's right...my title is a rhyme. Why? Because lots of children's books are written in rhyme and Fiona and I read lots and LOTS of books. So, if my titles get a little more lame and a little more tame (see what I did there?) blame it on the books.

Alright, so a lot has happened since the last post obviously. Fiona experienced her very first St. Patty's Day and I'm pretty sure she had a BEYOND fabulous time. Here are some pictures of her and I partying...baby style.

I told her to put her excited face on...I think she did a pretty stellar job.

Technically this was the day before...but still...she had to show her holiday spirit!

Don't hold back. Go ahead and squirt happy tears at how cute she is. 

As you can probably see from the pics she is getting bigger and bigger everyday and I sometimes worry that I'll blink and all of a sudden she will be walking and talking and running this joint. Last night the four of us snuggled up to watch Mad Men (yes, I know...babies shouldn't watch TV...she wasn't WATCHING it...she was busy snuggling) and it was just one of those moments I'd like to have frozen in time. 

Anyhow, enough of the sap. Fiona has also been loving the hot summer-like weather we have been having. She seems to be a little outdoorsy girl lately with all her walks and playtime outside. She even seems to be calmed by the fresh air. Fussy baby? We just put her in her stroller and she's as happy as can be. I love this about her. However, hopefully she isn't the kind of kid that wants to go camping all the time...her parents aren't much for that kind of entertainment. Hotel anyone?

Well, it's time for our daily walk around the neighborhood. Momma needs her exercise and baby needs her outdoor time!

Just so everyone can understand how busy/crazy our lives have been lately, it took me THREE days to finish this post. That's right...I'm that dedicated to your entertainment.

More later!