Last Day!

So, I haven't gone into a ton of detail about our big move because the Hubs is all "you gotta be safe!" and stuff.

Explanation- the Hubs actually moved to our new apartment in NW Indiana a few weeks ago and Bailey and I have been solo at our house in South Bend, Indiana since (hence the whole not telling the entire internet that Bailey and I were all alone in our house here). The Hubs had to start his new job, but the health insurance at his new job doesn't kick in til the 1st of the month after you start, so not til May. We're on my insurance now, but it ends the last day of your employment. So, since we're responsible adults with a child and all, we decided we NEEDED to stay on health insurance, so B and I would stay in South Bend and I'd keep working my current job until we were picked up on the Hubs new insurance. Anyway- long story short, we've been living apart for a few weeks. Thankfully, tomorrow is my LAST DAY at my current job which also means it's a few other "lasts"...

-Out last day of being a split up family! So, I know most these points are kinda the same, but they're different enough to merit their own attention. We're a FAMILY and not living together or seeing each other every day is NOT FUN. Over it.

My whole world is in this one picture.

-My last day being without the Hubs! Turns out, I still really love and like him, so I sorta kinda miss that guy. Just a smidge.

An old pic, but look at those dimples! How can I not miss this face??

-My last day being a temporary single parent! To say caring for Bailey alone the past few weeks has been a challenge is an understatement. I have a WHOLE NEW respect for single parents and have NO IDEA how someone does it while working full time. I thought it'd be easy and I'd have SO MUCH TIME to get shit done. Yeaaaah. I haven't done ANYTHING. I get up, get ready, drop B off, work all day, pick her up, play, put her down, go to sleep (often w/o even eating anything because I'm so tired), and repeat. EXHAUSTING. I am SO glad this temporary stage is OVER.

One good thing about the past few weeks? Bailey FINALLY got her feet in her mouth! Lol. Girl has been working on this for WEEKS!

 

 

truth.

-The Hubs last day being a single guy. Ok, ok-- he wasn't single. Obviously. I mean- he had Sadie! :) No, really... he's been solo the past few weeks and I know how much he's missed Bailey and I.

I cannot get enough of this picture. LOOK HOW TEENY SHE IS and OMG he is in love already. I die.

-My last day without Sadie! Not sure if you know this, but I'm pretty obsessed with my dog and while she drives me bonkers, I've missed her like crazy!

THIS FACE. Omg. I miss this face.

-My last day of being employed out-of-the-house-employed. While I JOKE that I'm becoming unemployed, I will still very much have a job. HELLO. Her name is Bailey. And, it is every bit a J-O-B. But, this does mark my very last day of having a paying, out-of-the-house job. Hopefully (for our bank accountant) there's a soon-to-be first day of a new out-of-the-house job not too far in the future. Til then, I'll enjoy every second of "leave 2.0" with my little girl I can get.

Ok, so maybe I won't miss the never ending paperwork, meetings, and constant to-do's of work.

 

 

-My last day having to pump NUMEROUS times a day! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Seriously. SO EXCITED.

Someday, I will go all Office Space on this blasted machine.

So, here I go! So ready to be back with the Hubs and a family again. Lots and lots of changes and super scary, but so, so ready. Wish us luck!

13 Thing Friday

1. I decided to only do 13 things instead of 15 things before I even started this post, not because I couldn't think of 15 things. I have no idea why, but I won't question it. 13 things it is.


2. This happens to me more times per week than I'd like to admit.

What is this exactly? Oh, you know... listening to the Baby Einstein Pandora station for at LEAST 20-30 minutes before realizing it. One day, I got to lunch before I realized it. Yep. That's about right.


3. It's funny because it's true.

(source)

Guilty.


4. I recently saw an article with the title something along the lines of "5 Tips to Fall in Love with Running".... ummm... am I the only one that thinks this is kinda bunk? Like, dude-- you need tips to FALL IN LOVE with something? How much more forced could this possibly be. I've said it once and I'll say it again-- if you don't like running, DON'T RUN. Find something you LIKE to do and do that. Simple.


5. I need this coffee mug.

(source)

6. I didn't eat any deviled eggs for Easter and have been craving them like WOAH since there are pictures of them ALL OVER the internet right now. Anyone wanna come make me some?


7. (aka- #6 part 2) I've never made deviled eggs. In fact, I've never even looked at a recipe. Are they easy to make?


8. (aka- #6 part 3) I had never even boiled an egg til the last year or so. Turns out, it is possible to mess it up. Who knew?!?!?


9. So this happened: Thursday afternoon I'm taking a nap in my car during my lunch hour (obviously). Wednesday was a long night, so a nap was essential. I had juuuuust fallen asleep, been in my car MAYBE 10 minutes, when I hear a BIG crash into my car. I legit though someone hit me. Turns out, a car parked next to me and hit my car with their car door. It was crazy windy that day and- I mean, we've all been there, right? But- OF COURSE, the owner of said car? MY BOSS. Of course. I probably scared her as much as she scared me when I JUMPED up from my reclined drivers seat. LOL. Only me.


10. These cheeks. I die.

11. I went to Target this week (SHOCKER!) and ended up leaving with numerous things that weren't on my list (no shock there... I mean, ALWAYS), but forgetting to get the ONE THING that was on my list. How does that even happen? DOH.

(source)

 

 

 

12. Random fact of the day (though I legit don't know if it's true or not): Elephants are the only mammals that can't jump. Mind = BLOWN. (source)  

 

 

13. Moving sucks. End of story.  

 

Nap Trumps Workout

There was a time when I was so dedicated to working out and running, I'd pretty much do it 6 days a week, no matter what. Even if I was tired. Even if I had long days at work. Even if I didn't feel like it. It was a priority.

Today is not that time.

Life has other priorities right now. Bailey. Hubs. Moving. Job. Life.

Excuse for a cute Bailey pic? Check!

Still, I TRY to make time. I try to do something active 3-4 days a week right now.

But, today is not that time either right now.

Bailey is having some serious sleep regression issues. The last 4 nights I've averaged less than 5 hours of sleep, and even that was having a max stretch of 90 minutes at a time. I haven't been this tired since her newborn stage. I'm that feels-like-I'm-drunk-and-can't-quite-think level of tired. The idea of intentionally expending energy working out is about the least appealing thing in the world to me right now.

I know, I know. Sometimes after giving it energy, working out give you energy. TOO. BAD. I have none to give. I'm tapped out.

So, yesterday I had a free lunch hour. Didn't have extra work to do. Didn't have any errands to run. So, I was faced with a choice: workout or take a nap in my car. Yep, you read right. NAP IN MY CAR. And, you bet your ass the later won. I took a glorious 40 minute nap curled up in my drivers seat. Worth every.single.second. Best decision I've made all week.

Working out just isn't happening this week. Or likely next week or the week after. I just have nothing left to give it. I'll get back to it. I will. But, not today. Or tomorrow. And, that's just gonna have to be ok. Til then, on a good day, you can find me napping in my car.

(source)

WIAW - Moving Edition

    Time for another fun round of WIAW!!   What is WIAW? Check out this blog to learn more.

 

 The last few days have been quite interesting on the food front, as we're mid-move. Our fridge and pantry look like this:

Yes. You see right. We have beer, eggs, brown rice, 1 tortilla, a can of soup, PB2 and lots of condiments. Clearly the ingredients to a great meal right there.

 

So, I've been eating mainly out of the freezer. For one, most of our kitchen is packed up so I have very limited means to actually COOK and for two, it's easier to eat stuff than move stuff. Obviously.

 

So, let's get to it... WIAW - Moving Edition...

 

Breakfast:

 

Cinnamon raisin toast and coffee. Bailey has decided lately that she is WAY TOO COOL for sleep so that means lots and lots and looooots of coffee for me.

 

 

 

Lunch:

 

 Frozen meal FTW. This was actually an impulse buy at Target and turned out pretty good. It was super flavorful, which is usually not the case for frozen meals.    

Dinner:

 

Eaten WAY too late, as Bailey was just NOT having the whole go-to-sleep thing. I was BEYOND famished and scarfed this thing down in about 2 bites. Oh, and that beer-- 2 words: MUCH NEEDED.

 

 

Snack (throughout the day): 

 

Lots and lots and lots of handfuls of this trail mix. Too many handfuls to count. An embaressingly high number of handfuls. We'll just leave it at that. This stuff is DANGEROUS. Dangerous and DELICIOUS.  

 

 

 

Clearly a VERY healthy day... but, hey- it could have been WAY worse. It is what it is the next few weeks. Moving is just so hectic and crazy and life is even crazier right now and I have zero energy to waste worrying about food. Hopefully my body doesn't start to revolt at the lack of fresh, quality food. We'll see!  

 

 

 

Bailey: 5 Month Update

BAILEYBUG!! No way are you FIVE MONTHS old already!!!

 

Age: 5 months. When did this happen? How did this happen? I SWEAR yesterday she was just 5 weeks old.

Weight/Height: Haven't had a doctor's visit since 4 months when she was 11 pounds, 2 ounces. I'd guess she's about 11'9", if not closer to 12 pounds by now. She's definitely filling out. Her checks are chubby and I am obsessed with each and every little chub roll. Love, love, love. She's still a teeny little peanut, though. We JUST moved out of newborn size pants, though we've been in 0-3 month tops/onesies for a while. We're still in size 1 diapers. Told you. Small lil' peanut.

Sleep: Sleep. Glorious, glorious sleep. I don't even remember what you feel like. Naaaah. It's not so bad. I mean, it's the same as last month, but it's not so bad. She's still up sometime between 2:30-3:30am most nights. Not every night.... some nights she's up more, never less... little stinker. But, still-- not so bad. Luckily, she still (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!) goes right back down after nursing. I'm OK with it. Sure, I'd love, love, looooove to get a solid 8 hours of sleep. LOVE. But, it's just not in the cards right now. We're gonna try a bit of sleep training very soon to see if she really NEEDS this middle of the night feeding or if she's just used to it. She is a creature of habit, through and through. She loves consistency and routine (which we very much encouraged and enforced, so it's our own fault!), which is OMG SO GREAT during the day. I know exactly when she's hungry and needs to go down for naps and is gonna be ready to play, etc. But, at night I think the routine has also carried over and she's just used to getting up once. Now, maybe she still needs the meal and nutrition and that is 100% ok. But, I'm going to try a few nights and see if she's just waking out of habit or out of need. Who knows how it will go, but I'll take any advice or prayers I can get! :)

<Note: She actually turned 5 months on Friday, 4/11 and this has already changed and sleep has gone from OK to baaaaad very quickly. Hopefully it'll go to OK and then to good just as quickly!>

Nursing: Same! It's going really well. She's definitely starting to get more inquisitive and wanting to twist and turn and look all around to see what's going on in the world while nurisng which isn't so fun, but overall she's a great nurser. No complaints at all.

We did drop 1 nursing session this month. Until this month her schedule was:
6:30am: Nurse, Diaper, Play, Nap
9:30am: Bottle of BM at daycare, Diaper, Play, Nap
12:30pm: Bottle of BM at daycare, Diaper, Play, Nap
3:30pm: Bottle of BM at daycare, Diaper, Play, Nap
5:30pm: Nurse, Diaper, Play, Nap
7:30pm: Nurse, Diaper, Sleep
11pm-ish: Bottle of BM from Hubs, right back to sleep
2:30-3:30am-ish: Nurse, right back to sleep

We dropped the 5:30pm feeding and moved up the 7:30pm session. She was seeming very, very disinterested in the 5:30 feeding and wouldn't take very much. I felt like I was forcing her to eat, which is just silly. Plus it was a PAIN IN THE ASS each night because right when I walked in the door we had to sit down and nurse and then it felt like the second we got done we turned around and did it again with no time to do anything at night.

So, our new schedule looks like this:

6:30am: Nurse, Diaper, Play, Nap
9:30am: Bottle of BM at daycare, Diaper, Play, Nap
12:30pm: Bottle of BM at daycare, Diaper, Play, Nap
3:30pm: Bottle of BM at daycare, Diaper, Play, Nap
7pm: Nurse, Diaper, Sleep
11pm-ish: Bottle of BM from Hubs, right back to sleep
2:30-3:30am-ish: Nurse, right back to sleep

So far, so good! Sometimes she seems hungry before 7pm. Sometimes she won't make it all the way to 11pm after that feed. We're still working out kinks and getting into a rhythm, but so far it's been pretty good.

 

Likes: Tummy time! She loves lifting her head and being on her belly. She also still love, love, loves her play mat. She loves to look at herself in the mirror that hangs above her and bat at the toys.
She also LOVES to roll over now that she has mastered that skill. If you put
her down on a flat surface on her back, she WILL try to roll over.

And, she looooooves her hands. In her mouth. ALL. THE. TIME. I don't know if she's teething (I don't feel any teeth, but who knows?!), but girl legit has her hands in her mouth like 85% of her waking hours.

Dislikes: The darn carseat still. Girl just hates getting strapped in. It's a battle almost every time. She also dislikes (or rather pretty much refuses) to sleep in the car now. Which is just greaaaaat. If we go for a decent car trip (like to my in-laws which is about 45 minutes away), she'll LIKELY fall asleep. But, even that's not guarenteed and pretty much anything less than that-- nope. She's over car naps apprently.

Special Moments/Milestones: Laughing! We get little, teeny chuckles now. Not huge laughing fits, but a quick little "Ha!". OBSESSED. I will do just about anything to get one little "Ha!" She's also officially mastered rolling from her belly to her back, though she can only do it on one side. Goofball.

She's tried SO HARD to go from back to belly, but her blasted arm just got in her way each time for WEEKS. Then, just like that-- BOOM! Mastered it and did it over and over and over again. Now, she's a pro!

She also recently discovered her feet. She isn't SUPER facinated with them just yet, but I can tell she's getting there.

Babies really are amazing with how fast they figure things out at his age. It's amazing.

"Look, mom! FEET!!"

 
Looking Forward To: Oh you know, sleep. :) But, other than that-- start solids at 6 months! And more babbling. And her starting to really like PLAY with toys. I cannot wait.

Not Looking Forward To: The sleep training. I said it last month, but we didn't end up doing it because she was still just too teeny. She's ready now, I think. But, UGH. Not looking forward to that.    And just like that, she's practically a toddler. I swear, she's going to start crawling tomorrow, walking next week and will be on her way to college the day after. SLOW DOWN, TIME!!

On the Move

Life has been crazy the last few weeks. Isn't everyone's all the time? But, it's been a little extra hectic around these parts lately. Why? Well....

(source)

 

WE'RE MOVING!

A few weeks ago the Hubs was offered a new job in NW Indiana about 90 minutes from where we live right now. It's a great job, a considerable raise for him, and just a great opportunity for him. Too good of an opportunity to pass up.

If only the decision making process were that easy. Ugh. We kinda suck at big life decisions. SO MANY UNKNOWNS! SO MANY WHAT IF'S!

This is what our house looks like right now.  

I am a planner. My wedding had an excel timesheet. I bring printed lists of questions to Bailey's doctor's offices. I like to research things and make logical, well thought out decisions. It's SO HARD for me to make decisions when so much is unknown.

What if the Hubs hates the new job?
What am I going to do?
But, we LOOOOVE our current daycare, what if we never find one we like as much?
Where will we live?
Will our stuff fit in a new apartment?
Or should we buy a house right away?
What if we hate the new city?
What if I never make any friends?

UGH!

It didn't help us make our decision to know that, despite the Hubs raise, I would be going jobless and when you take out my salary, we'd be making less combined than we are now. Even factoring out the cost of daycare (b/c our current daycare is SO affordable... did I mention that I LOVE our daycare?!?!). That was a TOUGH pill to swallow.

Boxes everywhere!!

And, speaking of losing my salary, I was (and STILL AM!) SOOOOO nervous at the idea of being UNEMPLOYED. I've had a job everyday since I was 16. Every. single. day. I work. It's what I do. I'm good at it. I have a strong work ethic. I enjoy work.

At the same time, I MISS Bailey every single moment I'm at work. The idea of getting extra time with her is AMAZING and makes me giddy.

But, it's still scary. We're a 2-income family. What if I can't find a job? What if it takes me a year? What if it makes less than I make now? What if I hate the new job? WHAT IF I CAN'T FIND A NEW JOB???

Turns out, diaper boxes are GREAT for books!

But, after lots of soul searching, budget crunching, mini (ok, maybe not so mini) panic attacks, we decided to take a leap of faith and go for it.

We're taking a chance. We're leaving our comfort zone. It's scary and nerve wracking and exciting. Big rewards come from big risks. You're never going to get anywhere if you don't try new things. So, we're going for it. This job sounds like a GREAT opportunity for the Hubs. When you're married and one partner gets a new job in a different area it's pretty much impossible for the other not to be unemployed for a while. So, I'll be unemployed while I job search. Well, not really unemployed... not employed out of the house is a better way to put it. I'll have Bailey, which is the MOST IMPORTANT job. And, I am beyond excited to get some extra time with her during this "Leave 2.0", as I call it.

I mean... as long as me and the Hubs have these 2 girls with us, what's the worst that can happen? And, how can I NOT be super pumped to get to spend extra time with my 2 favorite girls?? Sign. me. up.

We've found an apartment and the move is in progress. I'll keep you posted as we transition through this crazy process. Moving with a newborn and a dog is going to be anything but smooth, I'm sure. Luckily, I'm kinda a pro at moving, as I've never stayed in the same place longer than 2 years for my entire adult life. Now that the decisions been made, we're in the GET SHIT DONE phase and I pretty much rock at that, if I do say so myself.

So, here we go. It's going to be a bumpy few weeks, but nothing we can't handle. Wish us luck!

Weekly Workout Summary: 4/6-4/12

Weekly Workout Summary:  4/6-4/12

Sunday, 4/6: 5.5 mile run, 2.5 mile & 3 mile walk with the Hubs, Sadie and Bailey in the stroller
Monday, 4/7: None

Tuesday, 4/8: None

Wednesday, 4/9: None

Thursday, 4/10: 5 miles

Friday, 4/11: None
Saturday, 4/12: None

Runch, I love you!

Seriously, though. Does it get any better than 5 miles in the middle of the day over your lunch hour (aka: runch)?

Well, yes. Yes, it can. Yesterday I had one of THOSE runs. How can it get better?

You can have views like this:

(and, for the record-- yes, those are both UP HILL... yes, I did do HILLS. Woah.)


And, you can have a sky that is as clear as this:

 

And weather like this:

 

(and, ok- I get that this might not look great on paper... but, it's a great temp, it was a great combo of overcast and sunny, and ok, the wind wasn't so great, but after the winter we had-- I'LL TAKE WIND OVER SNOW ANYDAY!!!)

 

 

 

Add all this together and I am one happy girl.



Life can be stressful. Mine is definitely pretty nusto at the moment. Taking 50 short minutes out of the day to zone out and just BE is amazingly wonderful. Thank you, runch. We may have our little tiff's... but, you never let me down. Runch, I love you!

Little of this, little of that

I'm in a random mood... go with it....

This weekend I got out for a run Sunday morning. The first mile, I hated it. I just kept telling myself I could turn around at the 1 mile mark. I got out later than I prefer (a whopping 7:30am-- woah, Meagan, that's SO late!) and I was just not feeling it. I was slow and my legs felt heavy. Luckily, by the 1 mile mark my head got in the game and while my legs never did quite follow suit, I still managed 5.5 miles and loved every second (well, every second after the first mile).

After my run, the Hubs and I took Bailey and Sadie for a walk.

The weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. 2.5 miles later and we did some errands and then decided to do it all over again and went on another (different) walk. 5.5 miles total of walking for the day. Add in the 5.5 mile run and it was my first double digit day (albeit not all running, but still!) in MONTHS and MONTHS. Just what my soul needed.

Moving on to other randomness...

I have been surviving on a combination of hummus, pretzel chips and reese's eggs. Excellent life choice. 

My purse is a DISASTER. Seriously. Inside includes, but is not limited to: some paper work for the Hubs, 2 sets of headphones (1 of which only has 1 ear that works), empty zip lock bags (yes, plural), random cash, hair ties, a broken pen, gum, my wallet, and some pictures of Bailey. Disaster.

 

 

 

We had a "Breakfast Top Chef" competition at work last week and I WON! 

I made a new to me recipe based largely off this one. Apparently, it's a winner. Like, for real.

 

And, because no random post is complete without a little Bailey...

Seriously... I want to eat those cheeks.

Weekly Workout Summary: 3/30-4/5

Weekly Workout Summary: 3/30-4/5

Sunday, 3/30: 3 mile walk with the Hubs, Sadie and Bailey in the stroller
Monday, 3/31: 3 mile run & 1.5 mile walk with the Hubs, Sadie and Bailey in the stroller

Tuesday, 4/1: 1 mile walk with the Hubs, Sadie and Bailey in the stroller

Wednesday, 4/2: 1 mile walk with the Hubs, Sadie and Bailey in the stroller

Thursday, 4/3: None

Friday, 4/4: None
Saturday, 4/5: 3 mile walk with the Hubs, Sadie and Bailey in the stroller



So.... yeah. This week didn't have a whole lotta workouts. It was a busy week. Life got in the way. Excuse, excuse, excuse. I'd love to say "I'm fine with it"... but, the truth is, there were a few days when I COULD have worked out and simply didn't. I just didn't FEEL like it. I need to start reminding myself to SUCK IT UP and get out there even when I don't feel like it sometimes. First of all, about 90% of the time I don't feel like it but a few minutes in, I start feeling it and all is fine. Second, sometimes you just gotta deal and do things even when you don't want to. Now that I genuinely do not have times sometimes to work out, I can't miss the times I do have because I don't feel like it. I'm working on it.





(source)