Her 'lovies'

Eloise received 2 homemade taggie blankets a few months ago. They are super cute and perfect for a girl with a new found 'lovey' fixation.

Lovey? That seems to be what everyone calls them. You know, the Linus-like blanket that he drags around and can never live a second without? That's the lovey. So when these were given to her, I was told we had to have 2 and that I'd be thanking her someday. 1 is for the moment and the other is for the moment the 1st is lost. Perfect back-up plan.

Yesterday I gave Miss Eloise her lovies for the first time. Yes, I gave her both of them. And she's not at the age where she can drag them around but I will say, she did immediately take a liking to them.

Sorry, I'm talking about taggies like everyone already knows what they are. In case you don't, taggies are blankets that have a series of tags sewn in around the edges. Perfect for little fingers to rub and for little mouths to chew on. Eloise's taggie blankets (aka 'lovies') are flannel on one side and a fun silky material on the other. Then of course, the edges have tags sewn in.

She plays with the tags, chews on the them, and also rubs both sides of the loveies on her face. They have been such a hit that they have even made there way into her naptime routine. Oh, and today she was holding on to one as I put her in the stroller for a walk (we made it for 25 minutes - and NO meltdown. yesssssss!!), so a lovey even came on the walk with us. Super cute. So without further adieu, here is Miss Eloise and her taggies, I mean lovies...

Oh and a 'big girl update' - Miss Eloise now no longer has her head support in her car seat, see above. She's outgrown it. Ah, my baby is gowing like a weed!

9/29/2000

9 years ago today, on a complete whim, I drove to Charlotte, N.C. to meet up with a guy I kind of knew from high school. I'm really glad I did because his name was Mike Vail.

I often get asked how Mike and I met. People assume we were high school sweethearts but actually, we didn't really know each other in high school. He was 2 years older and played different sports than I did. Each of our graduating classes included maybe 125 people so we really should have known one another or hung out at a party or two. But despite both being from the middle of nowhere WNY, and likely frequenting the same house parties and bonfires, we never spoke.

Fast forward many years later and I was living in Raleigh, NC with Graham and Jen. It was the summer of 2000 and we had planned on going to a Dave Matthews Band concert. Graham invited his brother Chris, who was living near Mike in Charlotte. The two came over, and Mike and I finally struck up a conversation. Since that night, I've been smitten.

We spent the rest of the summer of 2000 emailing back and forth. Yes, believe it or not, I was enamoured by his emails full of fantastic vocabulary and witty comments. He'd email me at the end of his work day and I'd read it and reply at the beginning of mine. Each day was another email exchage between the two of us. And each morning I was excited to get to work to see what Mike had to say next. This banter was basically how we got to know one another and went on for a good 2 months.

Then one weekend in September, Jen was driving to Charlotte to see friends. I decided to hitch a ride and meet up with Mike. Let's see where this email banter is going to go, right? What do I have to lose? So, he met us out for drinks and shortly after his arrival, he and I went a separate direction and spent the evening telling stories from home and laughing over the antics we used to get into as kids.

From that weekend on, Mike and I were officially an "item". And thankfully for that because that weekend I also discovered he wore glasses. Ah, forget it! A witty sense of humor, fantastic vocabularly AND glasses - I was done. My heart was his.

So there you have it. Only 2 kids from a tiny town in WNY could find each other in NC, foster a relationship via the Internet, get hitched and have a baby. Happy anniversary, honey. I love you!

Big girl stroller

There are some things that Miss Eloise just doesn't like. At the moment, those items include naps, walks and car rides. Yes, walks and car rides. (you've read and read and read about my nap plight - I'll spare you today.)

I've heard from many, "Really, she doesn't like car rides? All babies like car rides." "Yeah well, mine doesn't." And... "Huh, she doesn't like walks? My baby always went to sleep when we went on walks." And once again, I say, "Well, not mine."

So I've taken each of these items on as my quest. I will conquer them all. I will! And some day, Eloise will nap like a queen, enjoy every second of her car rides and love nothing more than to go on a walk (and run!) with her mommy and daddy. Phew.

In preparation for her love of walks, I've been trying new things each day. First I'd take her in walks in her car seat. It clicks right into the stroller and off we'd go. She'd cry. Scream, actually. So back to the house we went. I thought maybe she didn't like to sit upright and/or facing me. Next, I tried the pram that also clicks right into the stroller (you've all seen pics of these pieces as I've chronicled). Here she's able to lie down completely and just gaze up at the trees. Get her comfy with a blanket and a few toys....the world couldn't be better, right? Uh, it's no go. Cry, then scream, and completely not happy maybe 1/4 mile from the house.

But, this go-round, I got wise. Rather than turn right around and go back home, I'd whip out the Baby Bjorn (need to post a pic of this), pop her in there and she'd be happy for a good couple of miles. All while I push the empty stroller around the neighborhood. Sigh. The neighbors are used to seeing me go by. Eloise in the Baby Bjorn, me pushing an empty stroller. It's actually quite amusing.

Ok, today I pulled out my last trick from the stroller bag and it was the big girl stroller piece that also clicks in (and it faces her forward - similar to the Baby Bjorn. It has to be a winner!). It's the 3rd and final seat that comes in the set we purchased - so really, it's my last option for the Quinny. She needs to LOVE it. Off we go for our walk today (yes, I brought the Baby Bjorn in case we had a meltdown. I'm a mom now, I know to always have a plan B. And plan C and plan D.) Here she is pre-walk. Plenty of toys, sitting comfy. We're ready!

 

And....we get exactly 3 blocks and she has a meltdown. Out comes the Baby Bjorn and we went for about another 20 minutes. So tonight, I showed Mike how Eloise sits in her big girl stroller. Super cute, right? Then I decided maybe it'd be best if we practiced walking around the kitchen to get her used to it. Yes, Mike pacified me for 5 minutes and pushed the Monkey around the kitchen in her big girl stroller. Thanks honey! Of course I had to snap pics. How hilarious is this? Mike pushing the Monkey for "practice" and I'm in the background trying to rationalize with a 3 1/2 month old...."You love the stroller, Monkey. It's so much fun. Look at you. You're a big girl in your big girl stroller." And....we encounted a meltdown. Even in the kitchen. Lol!

 

And completely off subject but cute none the less, here are some tummy time pics from today. She's getting so strong!

 

One of my favorite pics - 3 months

More to come from the Jen Hunt 3-month shoot. In the mean time, here is one of my favs.

 

Who sold out my baby?

Go ahead, click and make the picture big. Yes, one 3 1/2 month old that I know is now getting her very own Pottery Barn magazine. I guess we have sharing problems around here. But who sold out my baby? The hospital? The Social Security Administration? Hmmm....I'm not sure. But I'll say to whoever did sell her name to a giant marketing list, that was a super idea. She's a big spender, no doubt. She's got great credit too.

Daddy daughter time

Jen Hunt photo shoot - 3 months

Fun sneak peek of Eloise's 3-month photo shoot with Jen Hunt found here. Everyone wants to call her the Monkey. It's infectious. Well, I guess the hat helps a little.

Mike is the man

He did it. He cracked the code. A mystery code we've all been trying to find for 3.25 months. Mike single handedly discovered the way to get the Monkey to sleep in her crib during the day. Unreal. I've been trying. My mom has been trying. The nanny has been trying. All to no avail. Mike steps in and wham-o, it's a done deal. Code in hand.

Here's the secret sauce. Mike cradles the Monkey in his arms and does deep knee bends. Not all the way to the ground kind of knee bends but pretty deep ones, maybe 1/2 way down. You can do them in place, you can add a sway to the bend, or you can pace around the room. Regardless, it's the deep bend motion that somehow does the trick. It's seriously magic. I watched him pull this move out of his bag of tricks yesterday and literally Eloise was asleep in his arms within 3 minutes. One move to the crib, and down she went. No issue. I just did it and within 5 minutes she went from drowsy eyes, to roll back in her head eyes, to completely shut eyes. I placed her in the crib and out the door I went. Crazy!

I don't know if I should be pissed that he figured this out in like 4 seconds or less, and all as a complete fluke. Or if I should be kissing the ground he walks on. I think I'll go for somewhere in between. I'll just make him put her to bed for each of her naps whenever he is home. Lol! Oh yeah and one other perk from Mike's discovery....this deep knee bend action is a pretty sweet mini-workout on my post partum thighs. Perfect! And for that, once again Mike is the man! (btw - I feel as though I should start tagging my posts. If I did, this one would go in the "4,000 ways to try and get a baby to sleep in their crib" category. Sigh.)

The Bob

We pulled out the Bob stroller this morning to see if the Monkey would fit this go round. It's still questionable but she's getting there. We're going to take her for a walk tomorrow to see if she sits in there safely. Fingers crossed! Here she is in her new ride...(in the bedroom on the carpet)

 

The red strap across her chest (which was actually under her chin and somewhat choking her) seemed weird so we undid it...maybe proving she isn't tall enough yet.

 

Love this shot. Helps give you an idea of the Monkey to Bob ratio...

 

The Monkey is psyched to go running! (OK, we need to work on this.)

Lazy Saturday

We've been enjoying a nice and relaxing Saturday. Already napped twice, chilled on the front and back porches, took a stroll around the block, and then laid around in the backyard. Perfect for an overcast 75 degree Saturday. Here we are in our PJs until noon...

 

Then after our bath, we had some fun in the back yard...(i.e. photo shoot opportunity for mom)

 

And then we played on the porch.

 

The mom complex

I've decided to vent. It's healthy to vent every once in awhile, right? Like I've ever had a problem sharing my feelings in the past.

Ok, here we go... I can't stand this new found "complex" that I've developed. I know where it comes from and I know it's not healthy but I'm stuck on it. I'm totally obsessing. This complex is 100% related to being a mom, and being an extremely new mom at that. I've coined it "the mom complex."

It'll sneak up on you when you least expect it. You're say, 3 months into this new gig of being a mom, feeling like you have a pretty good handle on things. You know what sets off the nugget. You know the schedule. You manage the clock like a champ. You know when nap time is approaching, when is a good time to travel, when to feed, play and just plain snuggle. But it doesn't matter how "great" of a job you think you might be doing. The mom complex still creeps in. And what does it do?? It completely changes your once fairly sane thought process from the pre-kid days and all of a sudden you'll become a chronic second guesser. An over analyzer. A crazy person, really.

I mean, who gets up in the middle of the night, realizes the baby is sleeping right through her feeding and instead of rejoicing, decides to obsess over the fact that the photo shoot from the day before was scheduled at the wrong time and that's why the baby was a fuss face? Who hires someone to come watch their child during the day and worries that they will think she's too much work and leave? Who thinks that because they didn't get a good nap routine (i.e. location) in place from the very beginning, worries obessively that it's too late? Agh! Irrational thoughts at their finest, I know. Awesome.

But where are these coming from?? I never used to be so insecure. I never used to do one thing and so quickly wished I had done another. It's such a complete and utter mind game that I'm playing with myself. And I know it's terribly unhealthy. But how do you shut it off? How do you stop the ridiculous thoughts from creeping in? How do you reject theses negative notions and move on to more productive territory? Because honestly, if I spent even 1/2 of this energy on work, on running, on planning fun family events, I'd be a rock star.

But instead, my mind chooses to waste time thinking and rethinking, guessing and second guessing, analyzing and over analyzing, all courtesy of being a mom. Welcome to the world of the mom complex.

Working girl

I'm back in action. I'm a working girl again, returning to the world of public relations. I have to say, I lucked out in this scenario (ask me in a month or so if I'm still feeling lucky:). I contacted a former boss of mine who owns an ad agency here in town and asked if he was interested in me doing some part time PR work from home, say 15-20 hours per week. My thought process was, this allows me to spend the majority of my time with Eloise but also stay somewhat connected to the work world on the side. And then of course, make some extra cash.

He was a gamer and so much so that he immediately filled my schedule with all sorts of work. This is how it went down yesterday....I was at his office and I left with new business cards, a photo shoot, and my head spinning. He says, "You have a photo shoot tomorrow in Uptown. Can you make it? 10am. And what about a trip to PA to see a client in October? Also, as soon as you're ready, I'm going to get 3 more PR clients in the door." I say, "Uh, ok. A photo shoot? For what? Pennsylvania? Not sure about that. And what's with the business cards??" (2 full boxes no less. I'm looking at them like, what is my title?? Part-time PR Gal??)

The back story - My old said boss is a personality plus kind of guy. He's a salesman at heart and is one of those "sell an ice cream cone to an eskimo" types so leaving his office with a full agenda, a photo shoot, and a stack of business cards didn't surprise me. But, I will say, I was hoping my reentry into the working world would be a little less crazy. The good news is, we have a nanny in place now. She's here 13 hours per week so those are the definite hours that I will hide myself upstairs in a bedroom and get work done. And then on top of those hours, I'll work here or there when Eloise is sleeping or when Mike is home. Let's hope this set-up doesn't make me clinical. I have to admit, it's making my heart beat a little faster just typing this post. But hey, I can do it all, right?? Of course I can! I'll be the best mom I can be. I'll continue running. I'll work part time. I'll keep the house going. Oh yeah, and I'll be a great wife. No prob. I'm on it. (phew)

Ok, so here's the good part (thanks for bearing with me). I went to the "photo shoot" earlier today. The point of this is to get my bio and my mug up on this guy's company web site. You know, make it look like I'm a 'real' employee, as he says. I'm like, "But, I'm just this phantom PR gal sitting in a bedroom. Why put me on the web site?" ...."It's all about image, Allison. You know that better than I do." "Um, ok." Did I tell you they gave me an email address and a Blackberry? Yikes. So much for a part time gig, huh??

So it's time to laugh a little. Today's shoot, of course, produced what seems like 1 million pics. You know how photographers are. Take a ton of pics and hope one ends up being ok. Well, let me tell you, I'm not photogenic. It's ok. I'm alright with it. Self awareness is key. And the photographer is directing me saying, "do you use your hands when you talk?" Lord - if he only knew. Not only do I use my hands when I talk, but I never stop talking! 'Paid by the word' as Graham says. Good thing I found myself a gig in public relations. :)

And use my hands I did. "Put your hands out. Put them together. Point at me. Thumbs up, Allison!" Thankfully, these are the pics that will not make it past the editing room floor. I'm mean, really. Take a good gander at these things. Freaking hilarious!

 

Such a big girl

For Mike's birthday I baked delicious home made apple pie. I had to snap a pic. It tasted as good as it looks. Yum! (Fine tuning my domestic skills, you see. Actually, it was really easy. Here's the recipe.)

 

More tummy time...

We're getting better!

 

Happy birthday, Daddy!