It's what gets me through the day....

Texts from home.

"Hi mom!"

How did working moms survive before cell phone pictures?!

Gray is the new black

I've recently been online window shopping, trying to decide what I want my mommy wardrobe to look like. I definitely don't think I'll be shopping as much at my old go-to American Eagle. The last few times I've window shopped there it's become quite obvious that it's no longer going to make up 90% of my wardrobe. Unless I want to be THAT mom who tries really hard to still dress hip and cool when in reality is a candidate for What Not to Wear. Though that could be a good way to finance my new wardrobe.....and get a trip to NYC out of it, but that's for another day. Anyways....in all my online searches I've come to the conclusion that gray is the new black this fall. It's everywhere. From tops and bottoms to dresses and skirts. Even shoes, bags and nail polish have jumped on the gray bandwagon and I'm loving it! Here's a few things I've found that maybe now that I'm working again can find their way into my closet!

Love the ruffles and the fitted band at the bottom. Keeps my shirts down so the mommy flab doesn't poke out the bottom. The things I have to think about now.....

Again with the ruffles. Very girly, I love it. This will be perfect for those cooler fall days with jeans....if I ever fit into jeans again, at least jeans with a button that is.

Ok, so this isn't gray....but it was too cute to pass up.

I'm thinking this could be the perfect way to camouflage the mommy tummy as it appears to be fitted in all the right places. With leggings and some boots I'm going to have to get the hubs to take me out on a date night!

After 3 seasons, my brown "uggs" (I'm too cheap to buy the real thing) have seen better days. I'm thinking these could be their perfect replacement.

Ambushed at the mailbox

So we live on a small culdesac with only one house one either side of us.

Both our neighbors are older whose kids are closer in age to us than they are.

Of course their adult kids all still live at home, but that's a whole different story.

Anyhoodles....yesterday I was at the mail box when one of these neighbors comes up to me and Jamie. If I had to guess, I'd say this man is in his mid 60s....and a bit of an odd guy as you're about to find out. For the sake of this story we'll call him "C"

C: Oh look at the precious baby, she's so cute.

(He's wearing a very boyish outfit...but I'll let it slide, men are dumb sometimes)

Me: Oh thanks, we sure think so too.

C: Can I write my name on her forehead?

(WTF?! Insert nervous laugh)

Me: No. I don't think HE would like that very much

C: Oh alright. So what's her name.

Me: HIS name is James

C: What a nice name. She's so cute.

(Really? We're still confused on the gender....)

Sure I can't write my name on her forehead?

(Seriously....is he drunk?)

Me: Yeah, no I don't think so.

C: So did you have a vaginal delivery

(Wow. Just when I thought this conversation couldn't get any weirder you ask me about my vagina)

Me: Ummm...yes, yes I did.

C: Well that's just great you were able to do it vaginally (really sir. Please stop saying vagina) Cause you know when you have one of those c-section it messes up your stomach muscles and then you can never lose the baby weight. (Did he just call me fat?) That's what happened to my wife. (Good thing she's not here, cause I'd punch my husband in the man junk if he said that about me....20 years after I'd had my children.)

Me: Yeah, no c-sections here, I did it the old fashioned way.

(Can this conversation be done now....please don't ask about breastfeeding. I don't think I can handle talking about my boobs too)

Well I better get inside....I've got dinner on the stove!

C: Ok. Good chatting with you.

(No. Not really. Please feel free to never chat with me again.)

Me: Uh-huh. Have a nice night.

Wow. That really just happened. Not sure if I should laugh at my "crazy" neighbor or put a for sale sign in my front yard and run for the hills....

I'll sleep when I'm dead

Or so it seems for now.

The whole 6 weeks I was off I never really felt sleep deprived.

I mean I had a few moments where I passed out at 8, leaving the hubs to take over for awhile, but for the most part I survived on limited amounts of sleep.

During the day I wasn't much of a napper...but I didn't do a whole lot.

And now that I look back on it, I probably rested during the day way more than I thought.

Well 4 days into my first week back to work and I feel like a zombie.

Jamie's current night time schedule goes something like this.

Last bottle around 10, asleep by 11.

Up at 12 just for shits and grins.

We don't get changed. We don't get fed. We simply get rocked back to sleep.

Up around 3 for a bottle and a fresh set of pants.

Up again at 5.

By this point I'm pretty wore out so I cave and bring him into bed with us where I get 2 more glorious hours of sleep...plus some snuggle time. Probably not the best of habits, but he sleeps in his crib at all other times so I don't think it's a huge deal.

When you add up all my "naps," I am getting about 7 hours. In reality it feels like 3.

Whoever came up with that phrase "slept like a baby" obviously never had children.

Today

Today someone else gets to spend the day with Jamie.

Someone else gets to snuggle him and dry his tears.

Today someone else gets to see his smiles

and hear his laughs.

Today someone else gets to smell his sweet baby smell.

Today is the day I've been dreading for 6 weeks.

The day I have to go back to work.

The day I have to leave my son at home.

I cried the entire drive...then dried my tears in the parking lot so I could put on my brave face.

They all tell me it will get easier.

I hope they're right.

Cause today was maybe the hardest day of my life.

Murphy's Law of Mommyhood

A few things I've learned in my brief life as a mom.....

No matter how asleep your child seems....as soon as you put them down they will wake up and demand your attention only to immediately pass out again as soon as you pick them up. This is when the moby wrap is a god send.

Anytime you sit down to eat....your child can sense it and will immediately cry, interrupting your attempts at eating. Same goes for showering, brushing teeth, etc. Apparently my child likes me dirty and hungry.

You can have all the best efforts to have a paci and a burp cloth in every room....but will inevitably find yourself in need of one and there will be none as far as the eye can see.

You could drape yourself in a full body sheet and your child will still manage to find the one square inch of uncovered space and spit up on it.

Every time you have night duty your child will be wide awake for hours. Every time your husband has night duty your child will take a bottle and promptly fall back asleep.

When taking your child to any sort of event....don't expect to see them again until you leave. People are drawn to babies like moths to a flame. I like to call it free babysitting!

Your child could care less about the 1,937 toys they have....however the ceiling fan will entertain them for hours.

Within minutes of putting on a clean diaper...your child will poop.

Every night at about 3AM your child will wake up screaming as though he hasn't had food in days. Every night you will make the usual 4 oz bottle and every night he will fall asleep after eating only 1-2 ounces. You decide to get smart and the next night only make a 2 oz bottle. This time your child will suck it down like a champ and be wide awake, ravenous for more forcing you to make another 2 oz bottle with which he will take two drinks of and then pass out cold. So much for trying to save formula.

You will be VERY good at remembering to cover up all man bits when changing diapers....the one time you don't you will get hosed, literally.

Every time your child snuggles on your chest and falls asleep or looks at you with all their many goofy faces your heart will melt and you will immediately forget all the aforementioned, not so glamorous parts of being a mom.

Move over Cindy Crawford...there's a new model in town

At just 10 days old our little man was a superstar.
Here's some of our favorites captured by the wonderful and talented Kami Brady

What can I say....one photo shoot down and the boy is already a natural!

Do you like me? Yes.....no....maybe

I just got a phone call from a boy.

A boy who asked me out on a date Friday night.

A boy who said he'd make all the plans cause he knows how busy my days can be.

That boy is my husband.

We decided long before little James entered our life and made us a family of 3 that we didn't want to become "those" parents. The ones who never go out anymore because heavens forbid they leave their baby for a few hours. Who's lives revolve around their children. The couple that is no longer Mr. & Mrs but simply mom and dad. So in an effort to keep the spark alive a date night it is! Now we just need to find a baby sitter....but with a face like this I don't think it will be too hard!

What will be hard however is finding something to wear that fits, doesn't have an elastic waist and isn't covered in spit up! This is one challenge I'm willing to take on!

Seriously? Now I've seen it all.

So I'm all for women's sports.

Heck I'll even support women who want to play football.

But this is ridiculous.

The Lingerie Football League.

Seriously. I couldn't make this shit up if I tried.

Last time I checked, the butt slap was acceptable...but I don't think I've ever seen football players make out. Guess there's a first time for everything.

Today I shed a small tear for all women kind.

Marriage...it's all about compromise

A conversation between Mr and Mrs Eyecansee:

"Hey Hun, it's your girl"

(Cue Taylor Swift song on the radio)

"She has a crush on me I know it" (Give him the side eye)

"She doesn't even know who you are...."

"Yes she does" (Roll my eyes)

"Ok. You can be with her if I can run away with Zac Efron."

"Deal"

Nothing like some jail bait crushes. At least I'm pretty sure they're both over 18.

I see London, I see France

I see Jamie's underpants!So several of you asked how cloth diapering is going after seeing my little guys adorable fluffy butt yesterday! Well I have just one word....fantastic!

We used disposables in the hospital and off and on that first week until his umbilical cord fell off (not all of the cloth sat low enough not to rub so we had to wait to use some). To say I couldn't stand disposables would be the understatement of the century. One morning we went through 4 outfit changes because of leaks. As much as I like trying on all of Jamie's cute outfits, enough was enough and it's been all cloth all the time ever since. We haven't had a single blowout or poo-splosion and only a few leaks, usually due to user error or WAY too much time between diaper changes. Our son is a super soaker so frequent changes are a must! At least we know his kidney's are in fine working order!

The biggest question I get is how do you wash them? Easy. Every other day I throw the diapers in the washing machine. Do a quick cold wash., one long hot wash with some powdered Tide and oxyclean followed by two rinses. I haven't touched a single poopy diaper other than to take it off and put it in the diaper pail. No toilet dunking or rinsing. Not yet at least. Apparently when they start eating solid foods things get a bit more.....interesting, but we'll worry about that later. Once they're clean I hang them out to dry on my old school clothesline. (My grandma would be proud) The sun works wonders on bleaching out any leftover stains, which honestly are pretty few and far between. I'm gonna be pretty bummed when winter rolls around and I have to use the dryer more. There's nothing cuter than peering out my kitchen window and seeing all those tiny little diapers blowing in the breeze!

I have a pretty varied stash since I heard different brands work better for different babies depending on their build. I'm glad I didn't get all of one kind because the ones I thought I'd love the most ended up being my least favorite. Go figure. Jamie is still wearing all of his itty bitty newborn ones, I tried one of his "big boy" diapers on the other day and it was still pretty big. I think we'll have to hit the 10-12 pound mark before we can graduate to those. Here's a rundown on what we've tried so far.

(Pictured is a Bum Genius One Size Diaper. Tried it on last night with great success! We've officially moved into our big boy diapers!)

Kissaluvs Size 0 Fitted: Love these! The elastic around the back and legs are bullet proof. Not a leak of any kind with these. Didn't think I'd like the snaps but once you know what "size" he's on it's a no brainer, even at 3 AM. They aren't the most absorbent, especially with my heavy wetter, but combined with a Thirsties Duo Wrap cover it keeps it all in. The hubs doesn't like to mess with the snaps or the cover though, so I'm the one who uses these the most.

Bum Genius Bamboo Fitted (size XS and S): Love these too. Unlike the Kissaluvs they have velcro closure making them more daddy friendly. You still need a cover since they aren't waterproof on their own, but pair it with a Thirsties Wrap and you're good to go. These have been discontinued but you can find them pretty reasonably priced on the used diaper market. My biggest complaint with these, like the Kissaluvs is absorbency. It doesn't take much for him to soak these and though we haven't had leaks, I don't always like how damp his skin feels when I change him so I usually try to rotate with a more stay dry diaper. Overall, even though I've liked them and they work well, I don't think we will use fitteds once we move out of the newborn stage.

Rumparooz Lil Joey: 2 thumbs down on this one. Luckily I only had two. I had high hopes for these, they are an all in one (no cover needed) and looked super absorbent....but every time I tried it he leaked out the legs. I just don't think they were the right shape for his skinny little body and since they were snap closure you couldn't get a customized fit like you could with the velcro.

Happy Heiny Mini Pocket: This one was ok. It is a pocket diaper meaning you have to stuff the liner into the cover. Since they're so small it's hard to get the liner in there...I don't know, maybe I just have giant man hands. Otherwise it was pretty decent, but I only have one and that was enough for me. Not my favorite.

Bum Genius All in One (size XS): These are our favorites. Hands down. It's an all in one so there's no liners to stuff and no covers to use. You just velcro it on and go making it a great diaper for daddy! It's also the trimmest of all the ones we have and even with our little super soaker holds a TON. It's become my go to night time diaper and I'm always amazed in the morning how dry he is and how heavy and full the diaper is! I may even buy a few in the next size up to have as less bulky option under some of his clothes.

So that's our cloth diapering experience in a nutshell. At least 1 month in! I'll post again later once we've moved into the long-term, one size option and let you know my thoughts on those. I already have 3 brands to try out! I'm also on a mission to find a good hybrid system with a disposable insert option for travelling. If you couldn't tell, I've become slightly addicted with all things cloth! Who can blame me though....there's nothing cuter than a colorful, fluffy bum!

Wordless Wednesday

A boy and his dog Moose........

Goodbye Summer!

The cooler temps.....

changing leaves....

and football Saturdays let me know summer is officially coming to an end!

As always I'm sad to see it go but welcome fall with open arms!

Jamie may or may not already have his Halloween costume,

I squeel with joy when I see all the fall decor in stores,

I'm already looking for my annual 3 pounds of gum (miss you Nikki! ;)

and I'm chomping at the bit to get the hubs bday gift outta the box!

A fire pit for our patio...eek!

Perfect for roasting mallows and enjoying those crisp fall evenings!

We spent the last official weekend of summer in style.

The hubs went down to good ole Manhattan, KS to watch our Wildcats clinch their first win of the season while Jamie and I lunched and shopped with some of our favorite ladies!

Jordan, D.A.R and Domestic Goddess gushed over my little man till their uterus' hurt while I entertained them with my birth story and the joys of being a mommy. It was the perfect afternoon out and Jamie was an absolute dream. Apparently he loves to shop! We even picked up his first official pair of jeans and a great hoodie for fall! (Just what he needed, more clothes!)

Then bright and early Sunday morning my little family of 5 (don't forget Kasey and Moose) piled into the car and headed to the lake for Jamie's first road trip! Again he was a trooper, sleeping the entire way! Though I must admit packing for an overnight trip isn't the one duffle bag it used to be....I was worried I was forgetting something...if I could have gotten the kitchen sink in the car I would have taken it too!

We spent the day on the boat with Grandma and Grandpa....enjoying the sunshine. Jamie got to put on his wee little swim trunks and first little life jacket. He looked too cute as always! It was a perfect day with a nice breeze to keep us cool...especially since I can't get in the water yet. (Darn those post partum rules!) We thought about dunking Jamie's toes in....but the lake was pretty cold and we figured all we'd get was screams and decided to save it for next summer.

Hope you all enjoyed the holiday weekend!!

And let's not forget who's 4 weeks old today!!