AG; Year 5

Five years ago today, we ...

...got married.

 9.17.11

Four years ago, we ...

A Day in the Life; Round 2

Thursday, May 7, 2015

5:53 AM the dude is awake. I get up and nurse him. It's frustrating this morning because he keeps wanting to stop look up and smile at me and I just want to go back to bed. I feel bad for feeling this way, especially since he's so dang cute.

6:10 AM I put him down awake and crawl back into bed. He groans and talks for a little while and eventually falls back asleep.

7:15 AM after hitting snooze twice on my phone alarm, I get up, wash up, put on my make up, get dressed, and go downstairs for breakfast.

8:05 AM after I make breakfast, get dudes cereal ready and pack his diaper bag. This whole section is kind of a multitasking blur. Last nights laundry gets moved to the dryer, breakfast gets eaten, and dishes get washed.

8:20 AM I wake up the dude, pack him up and we head to work.

A Day In The Life... with a newborn

Ok. This post is a little ambitious for me right now. I'm living a whole different life than I was just over a month ago. Every day is different and in some ways exactly the same...

This was my Friday, January 16th...

3:35 AM - I get up to feed the dude. I usually change him before he eats, but this morning I toy with leaving his diaper until we get up for the day.

4:05 AM - He's asleep, so I put him back down.

4:15 AM - He fooled me. He's grunting up a storm, which usually means he's waking up instead of falling back to sleep. I get up to check him and he's more awake than ever. I unswaddle him, change him, and reswaddle him. For a minute, before I nurse him again, we just smile big smiles at each other and he coos.

5:15 AM - I go back to bed

8:30 AM - We're up. I wash my face and brush my teeth as quickly as possible while he slowly gets fussy. He leaked pee up his back. I still don't understand the physics there. I take him downstairs. Hubs is on the couch, sick and working from home. We need to be as quiet as I can manage while change him. We do okay, and head back upstairs for baby's breakfast. 

9:15 AM - I put Joe down while I get dressed and take my thousands of vitamins, then go back downstairs and one-arm some yogurt with granola and honey for breakfast while sick hubby asks if I can turn Joe to face him because he misses his face.

9:45 AM - Joe and I play on the bed. I find a rash on his neck and upper chest. It looks like an allergic reaction, but I call the pediatrician's office anyway. The nurse says it sounds like his skin was irritated by something, to watch it, keep him clean, and make sure he doesn't start acting lethargic, extra fussy, or develop a fever.

11:10 AM - I feed Joe while updating blog, texting friends and family, and checking social media.

12:00 PM - Change full but fussy baby's diaper, put on the Solly wrap and wear Joe around the house for a while. I eat a cinnamon roll hubby made and call it lunch. Then we (me and Joe) take Panda out to get the mail. Exciting mail day. Lots of fun stuff to open; two wedding invitations, the photo book I ordered, (more) vitamins, and a pumping bra.

1:00 PM - Joe's 2nd lunch.

2:00 PM - I get my yoga mat out of my car and put Joe down in his crib. The first 15-20 minutes he was half sleeping but gassy, which keeps him from totally falling asleep. I kept stopping to give him a pacifier so he didn't fuss. Once he felt better he kept himself pretty well entertained. I moved to floor stretching and brought him down to do it with me. I'm practicing for when I *hopefully* start baby & me yoga up next month.

3:45 PM  - Joe eats. I watch Friday Night Lights on Netflix

4:15 PM - I put Joe in his stroller and we go on a quick one mile walk around the neighborhood.

4:45 PM - I am a human pacifier

5:15 PM - I manage a shower. Joe is in his pack n play in the bedroom. I can hear him but not see him. He is not happy, but hasn't totally lost it. I have a few minutes. No time for lotion. I put him on the bed, talk to him, and keep his pacifier in his mouth while I take care of my skin.

5:45 PM - Diaper change for the dude. Then I wrap him up and wear him around for a while. I eat an Asian chop salad trying not to drop bits of salad on his head, and sterilize the parts for my new pump. (I had to send back my hospital grade rental that day) Hubby and I dance around each other, trying to maintain a 10-foot minimum distance between us so baby doesn't catch his sickness.

Little dude falls asleep in the wrap. I let him stay wrapped up until he starts rooting around looking for food. Its been a while since he's eaten anyway.

7:25 PM - I take him out of the wrap and he starts wailing (even though he was just trying to eat my sternum). He falls asleep in my arms on the way up the stairs and gets right back to wailing the second I put him down to go to the bathroom. I get myself situated, turn on the PS3 and try to watch more Friday Night Lights while he eats, but no luck. The playstation needs updates so I let it run while I update my blog from my phone and send text messages. 

8:00 PM - I draw a bath for the guy. We still wash him in the sink. I think he's outgrown it and it's time to move to the baby tub. This was my first time bathing him by myself since hubs was sick. I decided to dry him off with a full size towel instead of a baby towel. It worked so much better in my opinion. For starters, he didn't soak through the towel when I wrapped him up in it. Once he's dry, I get him in a clean diaper and some pjs and head on upstairs.

9:00 PM - I get washed up and we begin what will hopefully be the last feeding of the day... And it is! I'm trying to get both of us to bed earlier - instead of starting the going to bed process at 10 and hoping he's asleep by 11 (usually closer to 1130 or 12). 

9:50 PM - I rock him a little to make sure he's asleep and put him down. I crawl into bed before 10 for the first time in over a month.

AG; Year Three

Three years ago today, we ...

...got married.

 9.17.11

Two years ago, we ...

And then I turned 30...

Here's where I stand with my 30 goals to accomplish by the time I turned 30. I fell short on a couple, but I think I did really great overall. The thing I didn't get to will just become life goals - who needs a timeline anyway, right?

1.    Clean out and reorganize the garage (5/26-5/27/2013)

2.    Redo the master bedroom & bath (Repainted 11/9-11/10/13), Bathroom scheduled to be done before yoga baby arrives in December. 

3.    Run a 1/2 marathon (registered 3/27/13, run on 9/8/13)

4.    Get paid to teach yoga (completed 2/21/13) 

5.    Meditate (at least once if I can't make it a regular thing) (Began 3/11/13)

6.    Buy a new car (completed 12/29/12)

7.    Try (at least) one new recipe every month (October 2012, November 2012 , December 2012, January 2013, February 2013, March 2013, April 2013, May 2013, June 2013, July 2013, August 2013, September 2013, October 2013, November 2013, December 2013, January 2014, February 2014, March 2014, April 2014, May 2014, June 2014, July 2014) You can probably see I ended up missing a few months, but I like this goal in general. I've loved trying new things in the kitchen at least once a month. Even when I'm busy, I can usually get in at least one new recipe. :)

We're Cancelling TV

Today is the day! I will be calling up our television provider and saying "Thanks, but no thanks. We don't need your services any longer".

Before you run off thinking we're all hippy dippy and won't be watching TV anymore, let me clarify; We're cancelling our satellite, but we will still have internet and some fancy TV-show-watching apps, so... we're not exactly giving it up.
... and we waited a week after our contract was up so we could watch the season finale of Game of Thrones. ;)

Currently; May 2014

Happy Monday and Happy May!

Currently, I'm...

Reading...
A Long Way Down. I am really enjoying it. I found I just really enjoy Nick Hornby's writing style. I don't always like his message, but while I'm reading it, I find the characters and the plot pretty entertaining. I'm excited to see the movie. As I'm writing this, there have been a lot of Toni Collette movies playing on TV, which is a little weird since she'll be one of the leads in the movie version of A Long Way Down.

Livermore Wine Country Festival 2014

Remember we went to the Livermore Wine Country Festival last year? We went back. You're shocked.

There was some drama getting to the airport - I left my phone at my aunt's house. We went back to get it and almost ran out of gas on the way back to my parents, were worried we'd be late for our flight...

... and then the flight was delayed over an hour, so we were fine... and I was glad to have my phone/camera.

We ended up getting into the hotel around midnight. I love so much that they give you warm cookies when you check in.

Just for Fun; A Picnic in January

This past Saturday afternoon, we had a plan. We were going on an afternoon adventure to Venice, where we would explore and have dinner - had a reservation and everything. 

Then my honey proposed an idea. What if we... didn't? We could stay on our side of the hill and have a picnic. There would be wine and cheese and yummy snacks, and we could watch the sunset. 

What can I say, I'm a sucker for a picnic.

Just for Fun; Family Photos

Hubs and I were apart on Thanksgiving this year. I would normally enlist a family member to snap a few quick shots of us with the pup outside before dinner, but this year since we were in two different places, that was not an option.

Happy in Real Life

Soo... I'm back to my normal Thursday shenanigans of not planning my be happy post until the day of!

Truth is, I've been on a little bit of an emotional roller coaster lately - struggling with my own self worth and my choices. I got back from my vacation, was thrown back into the real world, and remembered that life is not a beach blanket and a good book. WHAT? I know, ridiculous. It totally should be.

I haven't even been home for a week, but I have been swamped with all the everyday life stuff and more.

I guess the be happy linkup is just what I needed though. To get me back to being thankful and full of love. Truth is, I've got so many good things going on right now. I just needed to remember.
This is kind of a lame teaser post. I'm really excited about some things that are in the works, but I'm not ready to share them with you yet. So, that's what this post is about.  There are meetings and things that need to happen before sharing.

Tehehe.

Remember this is a linkup! Be sure to follow the links and check out these other amazing ladies' happiness journeys!

Anniversary Getaway; Santa Barbara & Los Olivos

You may or may not have noticed, we celebrated our anniversary a little while ago. We have officially been married for two years. Since our anniversary fell on a Tuesday this year, we decided to take the weekend before to do the celebrating - and just have a nice evening together on the 17th.
Last year we got knocked out by the flu just when we were about to go on our anniversary trip, so we had to cancel. I was crushed, but this year we tried to make up for it.

Recap Summer 2013

I don't know if you caught it, but I totally didn't do a Spring recap. Spring kind of melted into winter and summer and wasn't really it's own thing. I've decided to include some March and April in here for that reason. Just a little bit.

Above: I ran my second 10K. It was harder than the first.

I also did some fun arm balance stuff while I was at work.

A friend and I took the dogs out to Malibu and hike/walked. Then we went to the Country Mart and got them whipped cream.

AG: Year Two

Two years ago today, we ...

...got married.

9.17.11

One year ago, we ...

Currently; September 2013

Currently, I'm...

Reading...
Whelp, I finished the final Sookie Stackhouse book. As I told my girlfriend, everything gets tied up in a neat little bow in the end. I have a couple of paperbacks that I'm trying to get back into. Namely, Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters and To Kill a Mockingbird. Why these two? Well, I've already read all the Percy Jackson books for a fun easy read a thousand summers ago, but they just released the Sea of Monsters movie and I'd like to read it real quick before we go see it. I picked it back up earlier this week. Hopefully I don't get bored rereading... you know, since I already read it. As for To Kill a Mockingbird... well, that's leftover from my days of not doing the "required" reading in high school. I read about half of it last summer, but my husband cringes every time he's reminded I haven't read it. 

Watching...
Dexter is almost over forever. I am so sad about this. True blood is over, and if the gossip mill is correct, next season will be it's final season. I haven't actually looked into this, but I can say it's about time. That show has jumped about 11 sharks. Ray Donovan is getting good... FINALLY! The season is almost over, but now I actually care what happens next. Also, the addition of James Woods is a total win. I loved watching the interaction between his character and Jon Voight's. 
Big sis says I NEED to watch Orange is the New Black. Maybe someday I'll join the cool kids club there. 

Las Vegas; Summer 2013

So, that's it. I got in my two romantic weekends away, but you're kidding yourself if you think I've had enough. I don't turn 30 for another year. I'm gonna get in as many weekends away as I can! :)

We had a great time in Vegas this weekend. Here's a little run down for ya... with pictures, duh.

Currently; August 2013

Currently, I'm...

Reading...
The final book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I think it's #15 or #16 or something. It's a little weird to be reading the last one - like a chapter in my life is closing. Dun dun dunnnnnnn!

Watching...
Everything, it feels like. True Blood is almost done for the season. Dexter too. Ray Donovan, I'm still not sold on. The last episode of True Blood felt like filler. Do you watch? Know what I'm saying. Dexter is so good. I love. 
Breaking Bad is back. I know you know. I saw the pictures from your Breaking Bad parties. 

Listening to... 
Lots and lots of potential yoga music. I'm trying hard to keep my ears open for good songs to play in class. Also, The Civil Wars. How have I missed out on them for so long? Yes, I totally play them in yoga class.

Eat Breakfast

Way back, when I joined this crazy group of ladies to link up and be happy, I wrote this post. It's about getting up early and having a leisurely breakfast in the morning.

It made me happier. It really did. I makes me happier, because, yes, I am still getting up early enough to have a calm, relaxing, rejuvenating, wakeful breakfast at my kitchen table. This morning I had a bagel, if you must know.

I pay bills. I read my daily Skimm emails, which I was reading way before Joy the Baker talked about getting her daily scoop alongside waffles, by the by. I can't help if I'm less popular than she is. Not important. In the mornings, I breathe. I wake up and I sip my coffee as the dog sniffs around. Sometimes I glug my coffee, but it's still down right leisurely.

This whole time I'm thinking it's the leisure that makes my mornings happier. I still think that's true, but I talked to a nurse the other day and she told me that 9 times out of 10 when she asks folks if they had breakfast that morning, they say no, and in general, the 10 percent of people who do actually eat breakfast are in significantly better moods when they see her in the morning than folks that skipped breakfast.

Pretty interesting, huh? The simple act of just eating breakfast may have been making me happier.

Though I certainly think the leisure helped too.

Ventinove; On Being a Big Kid @ Almost 29

30 seconds ago I realized my birthday is the day after tomorrow. Every day its a shock that its a whole day closer.

29 isn't a big deal. There's not a huge difference between 28 and 29, really.
So, my birthday is on Saturday and last night my husband asked me how it feels to be 29.

Ok, first, if we're going to get nitpicky, TECHNICALLY I am not 29 yet, but on a very real level I feel the same as I felt the last 3 or 4 months - like I'm in my late late 20's - and at the same time, I'm still very much a kid.

Earlier this week, I was looking at fancy restaurants trying to pick the one I wanted to go to to celebrate my big day (as a grown up), and I kept getting frustrated. Don't get me wrong, I love me some fancy meals. The lavender goat cheese with honey at Church & State downtown may be one of my favorite foods on the planet ever, but the more restaurants I looked at, the less I felt like celebrating.

Then my husband gave me an ultimatum. I pick one soon and be happy about it, or we were going bowling for my birthday.

and I was so relieved!

I felt like I'm an adult, so I have to have an adult birthday. My response to that is SHUT UP! I want to play!

And that's exactly what I'm going to do. Cocktails, mozzarella sticks, dancing around to loud top 40, and bowling.

Happy birthday to me!

This is a linkup. Make sure to follow the links to some amazing ladies' journeys to everyday happiness.

Currently; July 2013

Currently, I'm...

Reading...
I dove back into the Sookie Stackhouse books that I used to be addicted to 4 years ago. On my trip home from Portland I downloaded the last two books in the series. They are so wonderfully trashy. I love them. Easy to read. Easy to pick sides. Only hate the bad guy. Characters still do stupid things, but in a warm and likable kind of way. 

Watching...
True blood is back, which is a little weird to watch as I read the later books in the series and see just how far the show has diverged from the books. We're also loving the final season of Dexter, and we're a couple episodes into Ray Donovan now and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I like it, but I care about the relationships and not the big drama with his dad being back. Last week, while I was sick and stayed home from work 3 days. I spent those days attached to the couch marathoning old episodes of Buffy and Bones. 

Listening to... 
Podcasts mostly, but I've been using the heck out of our shared data, so I'm trying to cut back and just listen to the radio and my ipod more. 

Struggling with...
Umm...training for a half marathon. Gosh, running is boring. And I can't seem to find a good time of day. I've been so busy

Planning...
Mini trip to Vegas is planned. My mom and I had a collective mini panic attack when we realized that my sister's nursing school graduation is the same weekend hubs and I were planning to get out of town to celebrate our birthdays. Luckily, her graduation is in the afternoon on Friday and we don't leave until late that night. PHEW!

Teaching...
A ton. It's about to calm down like crazy though. I got a lot of requests to sub recently - one teacher going out of town and another with an injury. I am so so SO happy to do it, but its completely exhausting, especially since I don't just go home and relax and build classes afterward - I still have to go to work. 

Inspired by...
Being outdoors. This weekend I got out my easel and did some work on a painting I started ages ago. I've also been trying to ride my bike around more. I love being out on my bike. I love the air and the peacefulness. Maybe I can bike ride my half marathon. HA! (not really)

Confused about...
My birthday. It's in less than 2 weeks, which is all fine and dandy, but people are asking me what I want and what I want to do, but I don't want things. I told T to buy himself a bike so he can ride with me. I'm also turning 29, which is kind of just another year... and I pretty much already tell people I'm 29 - I am actually turning 29, not turning 29 again. ;)


What are you up to lately?