"To the whole world you might just be one person, but to one person you might just be the whole world."
~ Joseph Campbell
4.30.2011
4.28.2011
It's Spring!
And that means that the grey cloud is lifted and the earth begins showing her colors! From vivid green grass to soft white cherry blossom buds to deep red tulips, the signs of spring are here. With spring, comes the rain and boy, have we had a TON! I'm already not a fan of taking and picking up Drew in the rain and can't wait for his car seat rain shield to arrive. And here in Cleveland, it seems that 80% of the garages are detached meaning you have to walk in the rain to get inside your house! But the worst part about the rain? Wiping the dogs feet. It's a chore that Derek and I despise and we wish there was a way to train them to do it themselves. The wind has also been crazy lately also and Drew is not a fan. The poor little guy gasps for air when a gust bursts by and his sweet little eyes fill up with water. We have had a couple 70-75 degree days, but normally we're still in the mid to high 50's.
I hope you're enjoying the spring weather wherever you are!
4.24.2011
4.22.2011
Rub a Dub Dub
Bath time is your favorite my sweet boy.
We think you have already figured out that getting undressed on the countertop means the time is near.
We love when your beautiful eyes come to a soft lull as the water rushes over your chest for the first time.
You kick with excitement as each little finger gets some individual attention.
And there is no denying the genuine smiles you give when daddy rubs your belly.
We think you have already figured out that getting undressed on the countertop means the time is near.
We love when your beautiful eyes come to a soft lull as the water rushes over your chest for the first time.
You kick with excitement as each little finger gets some individual attention.
And there is no denying the genuine smiles you give when daddy rubs your belly.
Be assured, little man, that mom and dad love your bath time just as much as you do.
4.20.2011
First Week of Work
I can't lie. It's been tough. The house was very quiet that first day and my arms felt extremely empty. Every time I would walk by his room there was a natural tendency to peak in as I do when he's napping.
My 5 o'clock drive is now the highlight of my day as I know that within 10 minutes I'll get to see his perfectly round face. I race there, going over every speed limit; my stomach filled with butterflies in anticipation. Evenings have officially become the best part of my day.... by far.
(This pic here is from Monday morning shortly before Derek and I took him to school)
(This pic here is from Monday morning shortly before Derek and I took him to school)
Derek also sent me some flowers with this adorable little note on Monday morning. You can't resist smiling when reading those sweet words!
I know it will get easier each day and life will go on. That's the life of a mother, right? We face challenges head on, generally win, and move on!
4.18.2011
New Kitchen Backsplash
It's spring and that means only one thing. House and yard projects. We did a TON last year from bathroom remodels to new flooring to the kitchen ceiling/molding makeover and thus, the cycle begins again this year.
First up - the backsplash in the kitchen. I strongly dislike the countertops and cabinets, but seeing as how we'll only be in this house a couple more years, we just don't want to put the $$ in for granite and new cabinets. The previous owners did update the hardware with nice, nickel pulls and knobs, but didn't change out the hinges. Derek spent some time tediously replacing each of those which definitely helped. It wasn't enough though, so we had to add some backsplash. We hired our handyman to add a small, tumbled stone backsplash to help tie in all the random colors and are very pleased with how it turned out.
Before pics of the ugly, boring grey color -
First up - the backsplash in the kitchen. I strongly dislike the countertops and cabinets, but seeing as how we'll only be in this house a couple more years, we just don't want to put the $$ in for granite and new cabinets. The previous owners did update the hardware with nice, nickel pulls and knobs, but didn't change out the hinges. Derek spent some time tediously replacing each of those which definitely helped. It wasn't enough though, so we had to add some backsplash. We hired our handyman to add a small, tumbled stone backsplash to help tie in all the random colors and are very pleased with how it turned out.
Before pics of the ugly, boring grey color -
During -
And the completed look -
We are very pleased with how it draws attention away from the cabinets and ads some new flavor to the kitchen!
4.17.2011
4.15.2011
Google Analytics
Once and a while I remember to check my Analytics page that I have set on my blog to see where viewers are coming from and their habits. I took a gander yesterday and was quite surprised!
Interesting Stats on my readers;
- In just the past month, I have had viewers from 80 countries!
- The country with the 2nd highest readership to the US: Germany followed by the UK
- I have a decently high loyalty rate from readers, but also have about 2,000+ new visitors each month
- Some of the random countries that have had visitors to my blog: Cyprus, Tobago, Malta, Poland, Malaysia, Turkey and Serbia!
- The average readers spends only about 33 seconds on my blog (I guess I need to make my posts longer!)
- Depending on the month, I generally have anywhere from 3,000-4,000 visits to my blog.
Interesting Stats on my readers;
- In just the past month, I have had viewers from 80 countries!
- The country with the 2nd highest readership to the US: Germany followed by the UK
- I have a decently high loyalty rate from readers, but also have about 2,000+ new visitors each month
- Some of the random countries that have had visitors to my blog: Cyprus, Tobago, Malta, Poland, Malaysia, Turkey and Serbia!
- The average readers spends only about 33 seconds on my blog (I guess I need to make my posts longer!)
- Depending on the month, I generally have anywhere from 3,000-4,000 visits to my blog.
So what's the lesson of the day folks? Be careful about the information you give on your personal blogs! The country world is full of creepers and you never know who might be watching from afar!
Lastly, I realize that a lot of you read my blog and I don't find out until a while later! Feel free to leave comments letting me know that you're stopping by here and there. I'd love to hear from all of you!
4.12.2011
3 Month Stats
We can't believe our little man is already a quarter of a year old!
Stats:
- Weight: 15 lbs, 5 oz (92nd percentile)
- Length: 26 inches (98th percentile)
Changes:
- We definitely had our first giggle last weekend and I've had a few since then!
- He drools all the time. Nonstop. Needless to say we have bibs galore around the house.
- He is sleeping generally 7-8 hours a night (we did get a few 9 & 10 hour nights!), followed by another 2-3 hours after he eats.
- Tummy time is still a nightmare, but we do "airplane time" on our legs in the air so that he can look down at us as well as boppy time. He loves these MUCH better!
- He has fallen in love with the fans around the house. Whenever he can catch one in his sight, he will stare for a long time. Oh, and the dogs too... he loves watching them.
- Although a bit wobbly, I can officially hold him on my hip which is a nice change of pace.
- He likes to stand on his legs if you hold him up above something.
- If you put something in his hand, he will hold it with a death grip. We've also seen him reach a few times for objects near him.
Stats:
- Weight: 15 lbs, 5 oz (92nd percentile)
- Length: 26 inches (98th percentile)
Changes:
- We definitely had our first giggle last weekend and I've had a few since then!
- He drools all the time. Nonstop. Needless to say we have bibs galore around the house.
- He is sleeping generally 7-8 hours a night (we did get a few 9 & 10 hour nights!), followed by another 2-3 hours after he eats.
- Tummy time is still a nightmare, but we do "airplane time" on our legs in the air so that he can look down at us as well as boppy time. He loves these MUCH better!
- He has fallen in love with the fans around the house. Whenever he can catch one in his sight, he will stare for a long time. Oh, and the dogs too... he loves watching them.
- Although a bit wobbly, I can officially hold him on my hip which is a nice change of pace.
- He likes to stand on his legs if you hold him up above something.
- If you put something in his hand, he will hold it with a death grip. We've also seen him reach a few times for objects near him.
4.11.2011
Weekend Pics
It was fairly nice here this weekend so we decided to hang outside for a bit and take a stroll through the Metropark with the dogs. I love seeing the green grass and tiny buds on trees as it means my favorite season of the year is only a few months away!
Hope you all had a great weekend also!
4.09.2011
4.07.2011
Jibber Jabber
I posted this on facebook and then realized some of you don't have an account. I find this video just darling as I love the sweetness of Drew's coos. He really does have a gentle voice and likes to talk quietly, but works very hard to get his words out.
4.05.2011
Cloth Diaper Update
I get asked questions all the time about cloth diapering my son. "Do you have to touch the poop"? "Do they really hold as well as disposables"? "Don't you have to change them more often"?
The answers I give generally surprise people. I've NEVER touched poop, they hold pee/poo JUST as well as disposables and nope, you can actually change exactly the same, or even a bit less with cloth. It's become so easy to use these adorable little diapers every day that I'm sold for life. We had to slowly increase usage in the very beginning, but now I'm happy to say that we use only one single disposable a day and that's IT! (I'm just too scared to try stretching a cloth diaper to last the 7-9 hours he sleeps at night, but I know I need to make that transition so that we get rid of them completely). I do have to do a load of laundry every other day, but how bad is that? Walk to the machine, pour detergent, close lid, push button. How hard can it really be? It's my way of helping the environment out as much as I can.
And if you're next question was about discoloration, they really don't stain either. Sometimes they'll be a few dark spots after being washed, but the sun completely zaps any staining out and preserves their beautiful white inside color! It really is magical. Cloth diapers these days are also NOT what you think when you imagine how your parents and grandparents did it. It's not a piece of material that you snap into place around the baby butt and hope it holds the wetness. In fact, they are high tech, sized diapers made from wonderful material that are extremely easy to use. I prefer the brand Fuzzi Bunz and am an exclusive user of their perfect fit diapers. They help lessen the bulkiness a bit and have snaps which hold up better than velcro.
One of the BEST parts about cloth diapers is the amazing re-sell value they have. I bought my infant size diapers (a variety of brands) for about $130 total and was able to turn around and sell them all on craigslist and eBay for a total of $105. If you keep them nice, people all over the country only buy used and they are super easy to sell for a good price. This is, of course, Derek's favorite part about cloth diapering.
Do I have you convinced yet? I'm a HUGE advocate of cloth and hope you consider doing it too!
Who can resist the adorable colors anyway over those ugly white, plastic diapers? :)
The answers I give generally surprise people. I've NEVER touched poop, they hold pee/poo JUST as well as disposables and nope, you can actually change exactly the same, or even a bit less with cloth. It's become so easy to use these adorable little diapers every day that I'm sold for life. We had to slowly increase usage in the very beginning, but now I'm happy to say that we use only one single disposable a day and that's IT! (I'm just too scared to try stretching a cloth diaper to last the 7-9 hours he sleeps at night, but I know I need to make that transition so that we get rid of them completely). I do have to do a load of laundry every other day, but how bad is that? Walk to the machine, pour detergent, close lid, push button. How hard can it really be? It's my way of helping the environment out as much as I can.
And if you're next question was about discoloration, they really don't stain either. Sometimes they'll be a few dark spots after being washed, but the sun completely zaps any staining out and preserves their beautiful white inside color! It really is magical. Cloth diapers these days are also NOT what you think when you imagine how your parents and grandparents did it. It's not a piece of material that you snap into place around the baby butt and hope it holds the wetness. In fact, they are high tech, sized diapers made from wonderful material that are extremely easy to use. I prefer the brand Fuzzi Bunz and am an exclusive user of their perfect fit diapers. They help lessen the bulkiness a bit and have snaps which hold up better than velcro.
One of the BEST parts about cloth diapers is the amazing re-sell value they have. I bought my infant size diapers (a variety of brands) for about $130 total and was able to turn around and sell them all on craigslist and eBay for a total of $105. If you keep them nice, people all over the country only buy used and they are super easy to sell for a good price. This is, of course, Derek's favorite part about cloth diapering.
Do I have you convinced yet? I'm a HUGE advocate of cloth and hope you consider doing it too!
Who can resist the adorable colors anyway over those ugly white, plastic diapers? :)
4.03.2011
Only 2 Weeks Until I Go Back To Work
I will miss our morning conversations where you tell me about how you dreamt of puppies and clouds while ever-so-gently caressing my cheek. Your smiles and coos melting my heart as I watch how excited you get for the new adventures to come that day.
I will miss our blinking contests where I always won because I didn't want to close my eyes for a second and not see your beautiful, perfect face.
I will miss our daytime snuggles where you looked at me with eyes asking "please just hold me forever mommy" and I would respond with a warm, tight squeeze.
I will miss you during the days my little Turkey. A lot.
4.01.2011
Hallmark Recordable Books
How cool are the inventions of today that Andrew gets to partake in? Skyping/FaceTiming with distant family, having his pictures and videos texted/emailed to friends and family, and now this. Recordable story books.He gets to literally hear his grandparents' voice at nighttime read a book to him while seeing the words on the page. He will grow up listening to their familiar tones often while seeing their faces on a phone or computer at other times. Much different from our childhood where you saw your grandparents on a Holiday or two throughout the year.
I just think these Hallmark books are wonderful for little ones and I'm sure between both sets of grandparents, his shelves will be filled with them!
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