Interesting... thoughts?

I'm trying to come up with new blog topics. I mean, I could continuously write about Clara, or my weight loss, etc. But things aren't really that interesting on a day-to-day basis. Clara does interesting things and all, but probably things you don't want to hear about on a daily basis... such as the consistency and color of her poop... or her teething or sleeping habits.
So, I've been researching, and a few ideas have come up. But if you would like to hear my experience or thoughts on a topic (sure...?), or have any ideas for me, please send them my way. Thanks!

Good Move.

Clara is very happy here. She's been going down for bed within 30 minutes of 10:30, and getting up around 8 or 9 a.m. Yesterday, she rolled over for the first time. (Many tears and frustrated tummy times over the past 4 months to get there.) She has also discovered her feet, which have become her new favorite toys. She tends to grab both feet and roll to her right side, then let go and roll to her back. She's very talented, wouldn't you say.
The random outbursts of tears and limited general fussiness has decreased by 99.9%, which makes us both very happy. Also, she FINISHED her bowl of cereal today. I'm a proud Mama. Needless to say, being home is doing both of us some major good.
I feel like my confident, happy self for the first time in a long time. I love being closer to my family and having Clara get to spend time and get comfortable with the family members she's only met once or twice. We've been taking a walk every day, seeing more friends every day, and being in a state of general happiness.
Clara has adjusted so well (much better than I thought she would) and is loving her new room. Thank you to Auntie Rachel for that. =)

I would love for you to share any big changes that you or your child(ren) have gone through that turned out to be a huge positive.

I need to get my butt in gear.

Let's face it. It's time for me to lose the rest of this baby weight. I used to run. I was very slow, but I loved it. It felt nice to be in good shape and workout all of the time. I have now become a bump on a log. I look in the mirror and don't even recognize myself. I want to look like I did before I was preggers. False. I want to look better than before I was preggers. I've been doing a lot of ab work and yoga, but I need to do some serious cardio if I want anything close to resembling a bikini-ready body by next summer. I have some major work ahead of me.
To achieve this goal, I need a running stroller. I registered for one at first, but then I found the travel system I currently have for super cheap at Meijer, so I gave up on the jogging stroller. I've never used a jogging stroller, so I'm not sure how it compares to mine. The one I have currently is very smooth, and is easy to fold up and store. However, the handling is really crappy. Whenever I go into ANY store, Clara is always being jolted because I'm running into stuff. And forget trying to steer with one hand while holding a fussy baby. It's not happening.
I thought that I would be able to "run" (as I call it... but it's more like jogging in place...) with my current stroller, and that I would just have to pay attention to the terrain, and make sure that Clara was snug as a bug. False. I can't use it. Even if I found the flattest terrain, the stroller would apparently jolt her spine too much, which is harmful to her development. Then I read that she shouldn't be in a jogging stroller at all until 6 months! Preferably a year!
Clara is still too little to be in just the stroller part, so she's still in her car seat on the stroller. So question for everyone, do you think it would be okay if I jogged with Clara in the stroller since she's in her car seat? I'm really curious, and I don't want to have to wait until my Mom or sister are home in order to run. Thanks!

I definitely wouldn't mind this one, which goes for $150 at Babies R' Us... but I can't justify spending that much on a stroller...

I'm back at it :)

Now that I have internet access, I'm going to update my blog much more often. (yay!) In recent news, Clara started cereal about a week ago. It didn't go very well at first, and more was on her than in her. We took a couple of days off and tried again yesterday. I made the cereal much thinner this time, and added a bit of baby food for flavor. Oh. My. Goodness. She loves it! She even opened her mouth when the spoon was coming her direction. AND she ate most of the cereal! She was smiling and giggling throughout the experience.



Not liking the cereal so much...



LOVING IT!!!


I'm sure most people reading this right now are like, 'what a crazy lady! being excited about her kid eating cereal...'. Well, deal with it. I'm sure I'll speak often of her poop, sleeping experiences, and sickness. Stop reading now if you want... except I know that you're addicted to my adorable bebe. :)

So... if you like reading about my daughter's achievements, and my shortcomings, please like us! And follow us, for that matter! Please vote on Topbabyblogs.com by clicking the link below. Only two clicks to put a smile on the piglet's face. :) Thanks!

"We laughed until we had to cry, we loved right down to our last goodbye, but over the years we'll smile and recall for just one moment we had it all"

Hello readers... if you exist. :) I hope you're still there. I'm back living with my Mama at home until I can get back on my feet and the bean and I can get a place of our own.
Things didn't work out with the baby-daddy, so after more effort than I was able to give, things didn't work out. I'm single parent, for now, at least. Until we can make things work.
With BD living an hour away now, along with his AMAZING family, it's just Clara and I. And my Mom. And her whole family. But that's besides the point. :) I hope that Clara will get to see her Daddy often, as well as his family. They have always been wonderful, and she deserves to have them in her life. I wish they were still in my life, too. However, I've been realizing that love isn't always enough. I still love BD very, very much. I hope that someday we can make our relationship work, when he's ready for this kind of life and this kind of commitment. I have nothing bad to say. We tried and failed many times, and finally I decided that enough is enough for now. He is a wonderful person, and he loves Clara very much. I want us to co-parent in harmony, and have the bean grow up being the happiest, healthiest little girl in the world. With two parents who love her very much.
I know that when my parents divorced when I was 10, I was always hoping that they would get back together. It would be so romantic. They would get remarried, and my three sisters and I would have both parents under one roof. Most children dream of this when their parents go separate ways, and I know that Clara will feel this way, too. I just hope that we can make her dreams come true and be a happy family.


"Letting go of someone dear to you is hard, but holding on to someone who doesn't even feel the same is much harder. Giving up doesn't mean you are weak!
It only means that you are strong enough to let go!"

4 months already?

Yep. You heard right. My little bean is 4 months old today. On one hand, it seems like she's grown so fast. It was just yesterday that new was too small for her newborn clothes and I'm about to pack away her 3 month clothes. Crazy.
On the other hand, I can't remember life before Clara. She's doing all sorts of new things. She tried cereal for the first time yesterday. Today was the first full-out giggle I've heard while tickling her belly button (which has finally receded to a normal size). She plays in her exersaucer and is getting pretty good at playing and manipulating her toys.
We're struggling in the breastfeeding department. My supply has decreased drastically since I started the birth control, implanon. I've done everything I can think of to increase it. I'm taking fenugreek capsules, drinking milk maid tea, drinking more water, getting plenty of sleep. Because I'm estimating that she's only getting an ounce (if we're that lucky), I'll breastfeed then give her a 4-6 oz. bottle, then pump on each side for 10 minutes. Nothing. I've been doing this for about a month.
But anyway, life is good. My baby is healthy and sleeping through the night.I'm blessed. :)

Lonely

So, this is kind of random, and has nothing to do with the bean or the bf. It has to do with my sorority sisters. I've been feeling very alone without them recently. I have this... sticky feeling (as in it won't go away) lately that they don't like me anymore. My entire world was Alpha Phi. My relationships, friends, school work, work, and money revolved around the sorority. I put in everything I had... And since I've done that, I feel used up. I understand that a lot of people feel that way after having a baby. That their friends don't have anything in common with them anymore because now they have all of this responsibility. But I think it started before that. My sisters used to be everything to me, and I don't quite understand what happened. I love them with all of my heart, but I don't feel like I'm apart of them anymore. I feel shut out. On the outside. Abandoned. As if the one I love left me for a younger woman. It sucks. I just want my family back. I never went a day without seeing at least one of them, and now I go weeks? Unacceptable. I don't understand. I just want my sisters back. Please, whatever I did, let me just make things right. I'm completely lost without my family. No one is excited to see me anymore. There are no hugs or catching up. It's polite small-talk at best. Where are the women I listened to for hours and who let me cry on their shoulders? I don't feel like I'm apart of a family anymore. I've been disowned and I just want to come back.