spring fashions...love

i wish i was a supermodel sometimes...so i could wear these absolutely beautiful clothes, so people would just hand me things for free even though i make tons of money, so someone else could do my hair and makeup.  yummm.  it would be fun.  but since that is not happening in the foreseeable future, i will just have to appease myself by browsing through fashion magazines and pretend i am wearing the clothes and trying out the latest and greatest free bags and shoes.  want to dream with me???

i love the nudes.  they make me look washed out but i still love them.  

in lust with this George Esquivel handbag.  and at a mere $1200 i am sure to get it NEVER.

i love the fedora.  i wore my friend romanos' all summer long.  i guess i should invest in one.  i bought a floppy straw hat for maximum sun coverage...but this one is just too cute.  when i find it, i will let you know.

i love wedges.  they go with jeans, cut-offs, dresses, skirts...yes, everything!  and these are lela rose at PAYLESS!!!  

blog woes

i couldn't sleep last night, as with many nights these days.  i have become a very light sleeper.  i still check that quinn is breathing multiple times throughout the night or sometimes i just lay there staring at him.  on these nights my mind drifts.  last night i was thinking about this blog.  

i wanted to start the blog after seeing my sister so much enjoy hers.  and hers is really good and funny and i love reading it.  and that emily's blog is just too good, can't stand it.  starting a blog seems like so much fun.  being a new mom and being home a lot, i thought it would be a fabulous outlet for me.  but what do i want the blog to BE about?  a cornucopia i guess...at least that is what it has become thus far.  

i want it to be funny and sweet and give good tips for life and mothering.  i want it to be real.  but here's the catch:  though i am not at all shy in person, i embarrass really easily.  so putting myself out there is difficult for me.  i haven't put the blog on facebook or twitter or told any of my friends.  i am not sure why this is...i think i am funny (more in person than in writing) and i dress well (sometimes) and i have important stuff to say dammit!  but alas, there is the dilemma: continue to be anonymous and safe or let it all hang out.  to be determined...

wish list for the kitchen

  

i find myself trying to channel my inner martha stewart or barefoot contessa in the kitchen these days.  staying home with baby means i have loads more time to try and whip something up in the kitchen.  it just seems as though it would be way more fun if i were wearing this charming apron from anthropologie.  maybe with nothing underneath on special occasions...what?!?!  

i obviously need these adorable measuring cups.  i want them.  even if i never measure anything ever again i want them.

these garden markers would also be perfect in my imaginary herb garden that sits in brightly colored pots on the wooden table under my kitchen windows.  maybe if i buy them it will entice me to actually plant said garden.  or not.  

i love the industrial feel of this sign.  as if one would forget what to do in the kitchen.  but still.  

and i will put all my new things in this very kitchen (OR josh and maria will just let me, mike, and quinn move in with them).  i love the clean lines, white and stainless steel, how sunshiny it is.  LOVE.  LUST.  WANT.

  

heaven and hell

i am worthless the day i come home from working the night before.

completely useless.

i am still in pajamas, glasses on, looking frightful.

so quinn is finally down for the count (wishful thinking) after having what is sure to have been the biggest blow-out in history.

totally jinxed.  quinn just woke up and needed to be rocked to sleep again.  damn.

anyway...mike and i got takeout.  because i am worthless and will not be cooking a thing today.  a little heaven and hell.  a giant cobb salad and sundaes.  i got this one:

i'll let you know how it goes.

yummy.

how does one relate to a breast pump?

since i have been back at work for over 3 months now (i work part-time nights...two 12hr shifts), i have devised a system for getting the most out of my pumping sessions.

it is difficult to relate to a breast pump, as you can imagine.  especially when you have precious little time to pump before you have to run into the operating room to scrub for a case and you barely managed to inhale a sandwich.

the thing that has helped me tremendously is having pictures and videos of quinn on my phone.  everyone has a cell phone these days, so i purposely take a few short videos and snap a couple pics before going to work.  i pump and listen to his coos, watch him giggling of smiling, and picture what he is doing right now.  i try to think of what he smells like and how his body would feel curled up next to mine.  that is how i relate to my pump.  

so this is my pump:

medela pump in style advanced

 and these are the easy containers that i use to catch all that milk because they screw right onto the bottom and because they do not contain BPA, PVC, or DEHP (whatever that is).  i label them and store them in my fridge or freezer.  you can actually screw a nipple right onto them to feed baby, but i transfer them to bottles and reuse the containers. 

snappies containers

these are my favorite glass bottles because glass makes me happier than plastic and because they are supposed to reduce colic:

dr brown's glass bottles

here is the bottle warmer that sits on the nightstand next to mike's side of the bed, pre-set so that he just pops a bottle in when baby starts to fuss for food:

dr brown's bottle warmer

and i store the milk according to these guidelines posted on dr sears' website (he also has TONS of helpful hints for nursing, returning to work, getting your supply up, etc):

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T026900.asp#T026901

for those working moms out there who manage to pump and continue nursing, i give you some serious kudos.  it is no joke so keep it up!

if you had to choose...

my sister and i are a little silly.

when we are away on vacation in the middle of nowhere, we can be even sillier when passing the time.

so as it were we began asking everyone "if you had to choose between so and so and so and so, who would you choose?"

of course, rather than just play the game, people asked all sorts of questions.  so it became, "you are shackled to a raft and it is sinking and you have two other people on the raft and you have to shoot one of them or you will all drown, who would you shoot?"

yes...like i said, silly.

when it came time for bridget to ask mike it went something like this:

bridget:  if you had to choose between kate and quinn, who would you shoot?

mike (without a moment's pause):  kate

pause

mike:  if i had to choose between kate or quinn getting a cold, i'd shoot kate.

and in all seriousness, this is the perfect answer for me.  love that husband of mine because he loves quinn so well.

smitten list

rainbow sandals
cause it just means summer is around the corner and i will be living in a pair of these.  guess i should get these hooves back into flip-flop shape.  in a previous confession, i divulged that i had not painted my toes since before quinn was born.  still true.  6 months later.  as you may have guessed, mike isn't all that into feet (luckily).

theory cordell maxi dress
my new maxi dress because i L.O.V.E maxi dresses and this one is the softest and most comfortable i have found yet.  and it is stretchy enough that i can yank it down and nurse baby boy.  tmi?  i don't think so.  

orgain organic protein shakes from wegman's
perfect for the nursing momma who needs the extra protein and calories.  and it does taste good.  i buy them by the case.

sukan owls pillows
i think i just may be into owls and never really realized it until now.  i bought a stuffed owl for my sister's baby-to-be, i have an owl paper weight and owl salt and pepper shakers.  hmmmm...

heather lins home numbered edition coasters
i think they are super cute and i love numbered things.  is that weird?  i thought about stenciling numbers on the backs of my kitchen chairs but haven't gotten around to it yet.  so maybe these will quiet that need for a bit.

i could add these dresses to my closet...i'm just saying

just about to fall asleep

when...boom, boom, boom.

blowout.

what is it about little baby's bums?

they are the most ridiculously strong and well-tuned part of the baby.

how is it possible that this little guy can barely make a face and poop comes streaming out his diaper defying all gravity and reaches for his neck?

and why does this happen as said cherub is about to fall asleep in my arms?

this is just craziness.

it's a good thing those babies are cute, right?

nursing can be tough

just a little rant...

nursing a baby can be tough.

exclusively nursing a baby for 6 months can be tough.

nursing a baby that has a new tooth can be tough.

but i am hanging in there because i do LOVE it.  
the rewards of breastfeeding are numerous and everyone has heard them.  
we'll save that lecture for another day.

looking down at quinn while he nurses, knowing that i am single-handedly sustaining and nourishing him is very empowering.  
when he reaches his tiny hand up to stroke my neck or pulls away to look up at me and smile, i know that things are as they should be.

and i love seeing celebrities publicly embracing breastfeeding.  

so more power to you nursing moms!
stay tuned...maybe i will post some of myself...right...

miranda kerr

maggie gyllenhaal

angelina jolie

6 months

dear quinn,

you are 6 months old today little man and you are our dream come true.  i sometimes can not believe that i am so lucky that you picked me for your momma.  you are so special and sweet and you melt my heart each and every time i look at you.  you awaken in the morning with smiles and coos.  you pat my face and stroke my hair and curl your little body into mine.  you can not wait to see what the day has in store and what exciting things you will see and learn.  you giggle endlessly at the most ridiculous things.  i spend hours discovering new ways to bring on belly laughs that morph into fits of hiccups and eventually end in shrieks when it has all become too much for you.  you still love nestling in the moby wrap where you can both hear my heart beating and be part of all the action.  you are the nosiest boy, always turning to hear who is talking, who just walked in the room, where we are going, and what we are doing.  your gentleness and patience amaze me.  you are content to just lay on a blanket and watch me move about the room, smiling each time i look over at you.  you are the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to us and we can not wait to show you all the good things in the world.  you are just magical and i love you more than i ever thought it was possible to love someone.  thank you for being the greatest gift to me.

heathen no more!

quinn's baptism was this weekend and it was such a beautiful day.    it was warm and the sun was shining. our immediate families joined us for a small service at our church.  our dear friend father tom celebrated the baptism and made it so fabulously personal and warm.  we chose auntie bridget (my sister and the maid of honor in our wedding) as quinn's godmother and uncle bill (mike's brother and his best man) as his godfather.  bridget will be goofy and fun and teach quinn tolerance and love.  bill will continue to be totally taken with quinn and teach him to be fiscally responsible (seriously...the boy needs this with us for parents).  i could not believe that time was flying so fast, quinn was almost 6 months old already, and here we were at his baptism.  he gave one little revolt in the beginning before drifting off to sleep.  he didn't even awaken with water and oils being poured over his head.  and he looked absolutely adorable (is it okay for me to keep talking about how ridiculously cute he is considering i made him?) in his prepster/non-traditional white attire.  i was overcome with emotion when tom invited all the mothers and mother-to-be to lay hands on me and pray for me.  to have such strong and amazing women surround me with such love was incredibly moving and powerful.  tom asked the fathers to do the same with mike.  what a blessing to have such fabulous role models in our life.  after the service, we partied at our house.  some billy holiday tunes, shots of tequila, delicious food, way too many desserts, and great conversation.  just a magical day.

loving some sweet potatoes

this past saturday was quite the special day for this little man.

after months and months of nothing but breast milk (some seriously tasty breast milk) made especially for him by yours truly, he tried his first solid food.

the pediatrician said to start him on rice cereal (blah, blah, blah...he may just fire me from his practice someday for never listening), but as you can see sweet potatoes were on the menu instead.

i scrubbed one up, poked holes in it with a fork, put it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 60 minutes, scooped out the insides when cooled, added some breast milk to thin it out, put it in our mini cuisinart (found here), and voila!

auntie bridget was visiting for the weekend, so she snapped about 100 pictures of the event.  thought about posting all of them for you 9 followers...but i figured that was overkill.

be warned new moms: changing quinn's diaper was quite interesting the next day.  what went in looked exactly the same coming out.

quinn has since had sweet potatoes three more times and just loves them.  we put him in the highchair and he flaps his arms wildly in anticipation.  mike digs sweet potatoes too...he even polished off quinn's leftovers, breast milk and all.  yummmmmm.