• Bought our first house (1st for me anyway)
• Started re-building our emergency fund (Can we say “house down payment”? LOL!)
• Landscaped the neglected yard (my mom & hubby did this mostly) & had dead tree limbs trimmed around property
• Restored pool from pea-green to crystal clear (this was all hubby & his dad…and not an easy task!)

• Had safety fence installed around pool
• Put-up gazebo (With hubby of course!)

• Completed several projects around the house (but I won’t bore you with details)
• Visited Galveston, TX & New Orleans, LA
• Took the kids to Disney World during Halloween-time

• Visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Started MommyThoughts.com
• Started The Cemetery Project & met each monthly goal

• Went to a play (The Addams Family Musical!)
• Read a few books
• Started preparing for the zombie-apocalypse. (You think I kid…)

I’m sure there’s more, but I don’t want to spend too much time reflecting on 2011 because I’m ready to move on to the new year! But I think we did well, all things considered. I might be over-doing it with my 2012 goals. Isn’t it better to be ambitious than not? You guys won’t hold me accountable, will you? LOL! Some are financial goals, some are personal & some are just for fun. Here goes nothing (in no particular order):

• Pay off student loan
• Finish funding 6 month emergency fund
• Blog more
• Spend more time outdoors
• Plant a small garden
• Visit another country (or two!)
• Take the kids to Animal Kingdom
• Spend some one-on-one time with my stepson
• Visit a museum (either w/ the kids or w/out for “me” time!)
• Visit my godson (who lives out-of-state)
• Forgive a friend, and finally move on
• Replace our dilapidated old fence around backyard
• Get the kids in swim lessons
• Walk 3 times a week & hopefully lose the last 15lbs of baby weight
• Resume Roth IRA contributions
• Open Spousal IRA
• Invest in commodities
• Resume 529 Plan for Iain
• Open 529 Plan for Maia
• Finalize our estate plans
• Finish the painting I’ve been working on for…FOREVER!
• Start a new painting (hopefully a large-scale one)
• Complete The Cemetery Project (I’ll be sad when it ends!)
• Read more books
• Finish prepping…see “zombie-apocalypse” above!
• Get a new ‘do & donate hair if it’s long enough

OK, I think that is enough for one year! I have about a week until the new year so i’m going to spend it with my family NOT accomplishing anything. Here’s to another productive & fun year!

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!

We decided to keep Maia’s 1st Birthday small (just immediate family) for a few reasons: 1) Finances; 2) My stress level was high and I didn’t want to deal with throwing a big bash; 3) She’s 1…did we really need to go all out when she won’t even remember, not even a little bit?  No…so there!

Anyway, I still wanted it to be special, so I chose a sweet butterfly theme with light purple, light green, and pink as the color scheme. I bought a few party favors (hats & blowouts) which I put out on the table but forgot to tell everyone to grab. (Hosting is not my forte’!) Maia had her own toddler sized cake while guests had matching cupcakes & vanilla ice cream (which I also forgot to pull out of the freezer until everyone had already eaten their cupcakes! Better late than never, right? Doh!)

We started with present opening, which I have no photos of her doing because I was helping her open the presents. I’m sure someone took photos! She got some of the cutest things…clothes, her 1st doll house, a tea set, stuffed animals, etc.

Here she is playing with her 1st Doll House (from her Grandma).

We saved the cake for after presents. She dove right in, sticking her hand in the purple rose in the center of the cake.

Here’s the cake before. It got a little messed up around the edges on the drive home.

It was a good idea to put down a plastic table cloth. Easy clean-up!

Maia looking for our approval that it’s okay to keep doing this!

Mmm this is yummy!

Hey, how did my foot get in there?

Once she realized her hands were covered in frosting, she ran to me for rescue.

I knew I’d have to whisk her away to the bathtub once she was thoroughly covered in frosting. And she cried all the way through her bath. Oh well, she had fun for a little while!

The rest of Maia’s Birthday was spent just hanging out with the family and playing with all her new toys. Now that it’s over, I have to let it sink in that my baby is no longer a “baby” but is now a toddler.

How did that happen?!

Things are a little hectic these days. Well, they’ve been hectic for a while, but there doesn’t seem to be an end in site. Such is life, right? So, I am going to attempt to post on a more regular basis from this point forward.

Stay tuned for Maia’s 1st Birthday update. I should get around to it before she turns 2!

Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with pink or designs like flowers & butterflies. I don’t even have any issues with “princess” clothing (gasp!). And I most certainly wouldn’t turn a gift away just because it’s not what I would have chosen for her. But if given the choice between something pink & frou-frou or something with, say, skulls on it…well, do I really need to answer that? I have seen very little alternative clothing in the stores, and what I have seen has been grossly over-priced. I refuse to pay $17 for a onesie because it’s black or leapord print or has a band name on it! Not gonna happen!

So when the children’s resale shop was having a huge sale the other weekend, I headed over with my fingers crossed hoping I could find something less typical than I expected. And much to my surprise, I found tons! I present to you the loot:

How cute is this skull design? Yes this was made specifically as a Halloween tee, but I shall be cheesy and quote Ministry (um, the band..in case you don’t know): Everyday is Halloween. Bwahahaha!

Considering I wasn’t expecting to find a whole lot, I think I did pretty well. I even bought a pink shirt, although that wasn’t what I was on a mission to find.

Maia loves her daddy, and this jacket proves it!

I also picked up 3 pairs of shoes…2 pairs of differently sized black mary janes, and these with black & white polka dots.

A week later I went back (tax-free weekend!) and found a few more things. Yay!

I’m so happy with what I found! I hope that I continue to have luck finding the style of clothing I like. You know….until she’s old enough to protest & choose the clothes she likes. Maybe I’ll get lucky and she’ll have my taste in clothing.

Sigh. I can dream, right?

The Engilis Family

 Iain

Maia

Big Brother & Little Sister

Daddy & Maia

Mommy &  Maia

Are We Done Yet?

That last one is just to show you how the day ended. Yup, those are tears in Iain’s eyes. The look on Maia’s face about sums it up!

I’m surprised we got as many good shots as we did. Thank goodness the photographer tried to make the experience as painless as possible…she worked fast!

We started feeding her ”real” food a couple of weeks ago. Maia was starring longingly at her mommy and daddy’s food, so we knew she was ready. I pulled out the baby rice cereal, mixed a little with her formula, and set her up in her high chair. She was so excited and eager! And of course a little unsure what to do.

Soon she realized she didn’t like this very much!

So we waited a few days to try something new, and with a little more flavor. Bring on the carrots!

We’ve also tried sweet peas, which she liked at first but has since changed her mind. We will try them again for one more day, and then we’re moving on to the good stuff…bananas!

I’ve been stocked up on organic baby food since Maia was born (hey, I found them buy one, get one free!) so it’s exciting to finally start using those. I’m not going to bore everyone with some long list of all the foods she does or doesn’t like, but I wanted to at least document her firsts. Yay for fun with food!

This Mother’s Day started out with a card from Iain. Even though he has no idea what it says, I think it’s cute that he picked it himself. After I opened it, he kept bringing it back to me to look at because he was so proud! There was a special card from Maia as well, which included a promise from Daddy to change all poopie diapers that day. He made good on that promise!

After we dropped Iain off to mommy #1 (even though this was our weekend to have him, it was her holiday) John and I loaded up the baby and headed to the Port Orleans resort. This Disney resort is modeled after New Orleans, one of my favorite places. And no trip to New Orleans is complete without beignets and a café au lait!

John made sure Maia was properly shielded from falling powdered sugar.

We strolled around for a bit so I could see just how this place compared to the real thing. Judge for yourself.

Then we headed to my favorite Indian restaurant for the lunch buffet before returning home, where we spent a relaxing afternoon.

It doesn’t get much better than time with my family, a little food and sweets. Oh, and this…

which contained these little beauties…

Those were a complete surprise, and my husband took a freelance project to pay for them because all of our pennies went towards our house down payment. He spoils me!

What a wonderful First Mother’s Day that I’ll always remember!

The morning started with the arrival of Maia & Iain’s Grandpa, Nana, Memere, Pepere, Mataunte, Uncle Richard and Cousin Angelo. We enjoyed strudel, mini-croissants with French jam, espresso, orange juice and quiche. There were also chocolate eggs… 

jelly beans…

and lots of goodies for the kiddos!

Then we headed out to the front yard for the egg hunt! Because Maia can’t walk yet, the hunt was mostly for Iain.

But we made sure Maia got a few empty eggs to play with! And look at these cute bunny feet on her pants! (Outfit courtesy of Uncle Bryan).

Later in the day, we headed to the park so Iain could run around on the playground. How else was he going to burn off all that sugar? Maia & I enjoyed some time in the shade.

We ended the day with Easter dinner at my father & stepmother’s house, but not before Maia got a chance to play with her new bunny from Grandma.

And by “play”, I mean “try to eat”!

Such a wonderful day! I really enjoy celebrating these special times with my growing family, and look forward to many more to come.

• Grown from 5lbs 3oz, 18.5in at take-home to 14lbs 10oz, 25.5in
• Wears some 6 month clothing & size 3 diapers

• Coos, squeals & gurgles
• Smiles & Giggles (Mommy & Daddy’s favorite thing in the world!)
• Holds up & turns her heavy little head
• Chews her hands & toys
• Smacks her lips
• Grabs things (She likes to grab Mommy’s hair and not let go!)
• Shakes rattle

• Blows spit bubbles
• Kicks her legs
• Scoots around on her play mat
• Bears weight on her legs
• Grabs her feet
• Sits up with support

• Sleeps through the night 5-9 hrs at a time
• Tries to hold her own bottle
• Practices her “words”
• And FINALLY (drumroll please!) rolls over from tummy to back!!!

Every day with her is truly an adventure. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

1.) Aside from having your nursery set up (you probably did that months ago!), make sure to read all of your baby-product owner’s manuals ahead of time. I figured I’d get to this when the time came to use them. But I didn’t anticipate having trouble breast feeding, so I hadn’t yet read how to put bottles together (more complicated than you think when they have 5 or more pieces!) or how to use my breast pump. You do not want to have to read your manuals with a screaming baby in your ear. And when you are sleep deprived, you’ll probably have to read everything over again, maybe a few times, because a tired brain is not an absorbent one.

2.) Discuss with your partner what their role will be. This might change (and probably will once you get a rhythm down) but they need to have an idea what you expect from them. If they haven’t read all of the books you have (and let’s be honest, they probably haven’t!) also expect to teach/explain things to them. Do you expect them to alternate diaper changes and feedings with you? If you are exclusively breast feeding, do you expect them to do most of the diaper changes, or help with the burping after you feed baby? How about once they go back to work, or once you go back to work? I found myself getting frustrated with the hubby (magnified due to sleep deprivation) because he wasn’t doing all I thought he should be doing. Then I realized I hadn’t really discussed it with him…I just presumed that he would know what I needed him to help with. Well guess what? His brain was as sleep deprived as mine…you have to spell things out. There will be no mind reading in Zombie-Mom-Land!

3.) Schedule help ahead of time. Mom or mother-in-law coming to stay for a bit? Discuss with them what they can help with. Dishes, laundry, making dinner, tending to baby for an hour or two so you can take a nap or shower. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and ask anyone who shows any interest at all. They’ll probably be happy to pick up that pack of diapers or pizza on their way over to see that cute little baby! Trust me, even the little things help.

4.) Buy paper plates & bowls, plastic cups & cutlery. I know this is not “green”, and I hate that. But when you are staring up at a mountain of dishes and you can hardly keep your eyes open, much less scrape plates and load a dishwasher, you will find this a sanity-saver. You’ll still have to use some things, like pots and pans, but this will greatly reduce your dish load. Get enough to last a month at least. And while you are at it, stock up on things you know you’ll need for the next couple of months, like toilet paper, paper towels, sanitary napkins, etc. The fewer things for you to remember to buy at the grocery store once baby is here, the better.  

5.) Easy meals, easy snacks. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve stood at the kitchen counter shoving food in my mouth as quickly as possible so I could get back to screaming baby. I didn’t have the opportunity to cook and freeze meals ahead of time (thanks Maia!)…it would have made my life much less stressful if I had. For me it was all about the snacks: a quick sandwich, string cheese, hard boiled eggs (cook a batch at a time & peel all at once), cereal bars, nuts, fruit you don’t have to cut or peel. If you plan ahead, you can make sure to have healthy food on hand.

6.) Set up a care station on your night stand. Lip balm (mine got incredibly chapped in the hospital), eye drops (anything to help keep your poor tired eyes open), hand cream (for your chapped hands if you don’t use gloves while washing those bottles and breast pump pieces), face wipes (who wants to stand at the sink if they don’t have to?), nipple cream & nursing pads (if nursing/pumping), baby books (you’ll have questions), laptop computer (for even more questions), pen and paper (you’ll have questions neither book nor computer can answer). You probably won’t have the energy to do any of these things anywhere but in bed, and you’ll need them desperately.

7.) Have something with pockets (like a nice comfy robe) to wear around the house. Remember, your normal clothes likely won’t fit just yet. This may seem like a silly tip, but I found myself often needing an extra set of hands for carrying bottles, pacifiers, etc. while my actual hands were occupied carrying baby. Actually, now would be a good time to be a Hindu goddess with a few extra sets of arms!

8.) These are the items that helped me keep my sanity. They may not be “necessities” but if they make your life easier during such a stressful time, they’re worth it, right?

• Boppy or other breastfeeding pillow (even if you don’t breastfeed, you’ll need the support while bottle feeding.)
• Bottle cooler/warmer combo (keeps bottles cool at night—keep in room where baby is sleeping for easy access, and warms them when it’s time for baby to eat—you don’t want to have to stand at the sink for 5 mins to warm a bottle that way)
• Swaddlers. Baby kept getting out of normal blanket, and I kept getting frustrated when I couldn’t get the swaddle just right late at night. The swaddlers with velcro make it much easier, and they stay put. And these things help baby sleep much better, which helps you sleep much better!
• The best breast pump you can afford. I’m sorry, but the cheaper ones are just that: cheap!  Save yourself the stress and buy the one with good user reviews.
• Swing. When baby is fussy & tired but just won’t go to sleep, put them in the swing. They will (usually) drift off to sleep in no time.  
• Dr. Brown’s bottles. I haven’t used any of the other colic/gas-reducing bottles, so I can’t attest to those, but I can say that I notice a huge difference in air bubble reduction with these versus normal bottles. One warning though: these bottles have many more parts than normal bottles, which are kind of a pain to wash.

9.) You don’t need one of those expensive diaper genie things, but you do need a trash can that’s larger than the average bathroom waste basket. Those diapers will keep piling up, and you don’t want to have to think about taking out the trash more than you (or your partner!) have to. Just get a larger under-the-sink kitchen trash can and put that wherever you’re going to be changing diapers. And don’t worry about the smell…if you close up the soiled diaper really well, you’ll hardly smell a thing! (Or maybe you just get used to it!)

10.) Get out of the house without baby, even if just to the store.  Give your partner the chance to figure out how to care for baby alone. Yes, it will feel strange the first time you do it. You might even find yourself wanting to run right back. For me, it was refreshing and made me feel human again, if only for an hour or two!

I promise, you will get through those first really tough weeks! Somehow you adjust to the sleep deprivation, you get used to all the crying and the constant demand on your body and mind, and you learn to multi-task (literally juggling baby while putting together a bottle, sweeping the floor or peeing).  Use these tips, and before you know it, you’ll find you’re no longer in Zombie-Mom-Land!