2014 Resolutions

I can't believe it's already 2014… Can you believe it!? Where has the year gone…?

I've thought long and hard about my resolutions for 2014. And I think I've got it down to 3 big ones.

1. Financial Security
It's time for us to not only be stricter with our budget, but to also plan for the future. Our big goal is to buy a house (hopefully in 2015!) so we need to start getting things together for that. Savings needs to increase, spending needs to decrease. We're starting Dave Ramsey so hopefully that'll help a lot. It's time to get all grown-up with our money.

2. Physical Health
Every year I make this resolution and 2014 will be no different. I'm already back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but that's not good enough for me. My doctor gave me a goal and told me I need to be there by the time Elayne is one year old. I have clear goals, and with my worksite wellness program starting in February at work, I'm ready to get this going.

3. Reading
Anyone who knows me at all knows that I am terrible at reading books. I start one and never finish. Then I buy another and the process continues. Besides textbooks, I can't remember the last full book I actually read. So 2014 I am going to change that - adding culture to my life! I will read 12 books in 12 months - and of course blog about them afterward! Some might take me less than a month and some might take me more. But by the end of 2014, I will have read the most for-pleasure books in such a short time span ever. The best part is, I probably won't even have to buy a single book. Remember, I said I buy books and never read them? This will change! I am kind of excited about this challenge.

I love resolutions and can't wait to embark on these - and keep you readers posted on my progress.

2013 In Review

It's time for my annual post - reviewing the past year. The good. The bad. The beautiful.

January
I announced my pregnancy to the entire world - and was met with so much love and support.
Phillip started his new job!
I began my Masters Degree program at Texas Woman's.
We got to see and hear Elayne on the ultrasound for the first time. Words cannot express that moment.
Morning sickness.

February
Not much happened other than morning sickness.

March
We decided to continue renting and to move to Frisco.
We were rear-ended in Phillip's car and had to go to the hospital to make sure Elayne was okay - and she was!
More morning sickness.
Baby bump formed!

April
Signed a lease for our current house.
Packed up our home in Argyle and waved goodbye to our cute (small) home.
Found out we were having a girl!
Named Elayne Ruth Long.
Felt her move for the first time.

May
We moved into Elayne's first home, painted the house, and welcomed ourselves to Frisco life.
Work was crazy busy.
Murphy went to intense training that helped a little but cost a lot.

June
We celebrated 2 years married together.
Linda started a journey that we still daily pray for success in.

July
I decided to resign from my position at Cypress and explore other options that lined up better with my dreams/goals for my life.
We put together the nursery furniture and really started to get things put together.
Lots of painting, crafting, and nesting.

August
Baby shower!
Nesting. Classes. Doctor's appointments. Repeat.
Elayne was born. Enough said.

September
After several days of worrying, we found out Elayne can hear. What a relief!
This month was all about Elayne and nothing else mattered. We didn't do anything else!

October
Elayne's first Halloween - as a strawberry!
I had my first weekend away from Elayne. It was a great girls' weekend with my mom and sisters.
I applied to several positions and interviewed with Parker University. I got the job!

November
I started my new job at Parker University!
Elayne was shuffled between my parents', Phillip's parents' and Aunt Heather's.
Elayne's first Thanksgiving was great - and her first trip to the cabin was a success!

December
Elayne had her first sickness (likely RSV). We stayed home with her.
It was a crazy cold icy weekend that glued us to our house and gave us cabin fever.
Elayne's first Christmas.
She started school at JCPenny and we love them!

Can't wait to see what 2014 has coming! Looking forward to a relatively uneventful year focused on love, growth, family, and friends having eventful years. Cheers!

4 Months Old!

Height: 24 inches

Weight: 12.4 pounds

Consistently sleeping through the night with some exceptions.

She loves smiling, laughing, and "talking" to everyone and is passed around with ease.

She should be rolling over any second now.

Elayne loves school and we enjoy her being able to interact with others her age.

Elayne's First Christmas!

Great Christmas!

Instead of boring you with a lengthy, overdue, wordy post, I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

Toys from mommy, daddy, and Santa!

Elayne's "big" present from Santa.

The school made this for us! The first of many to come in the future.

Exhausted after her school Christmas party.

Christmas Eve dress her Papa picked out.

Charicature from my work Christmas party.

Funny picture from the family photo shoot.

Relatives from Germany!

Daddy and Elayne after an eventful Christmas Eve.

Tabo's three great-grandbabies.

So many gifts for Elayne!

Phillip got an axe!

Santa came!

Hello baby!

Loving the ball.

Aunt Heather snuggles.

Cousin time.

New convertible car jumper.

Murphy dog spent Christmas with us at the Longs' too!

Both of our children.

I regifted Elayne this year. ;)

My dad's parents celebrated 68 years together!

Snugglie baby!

On the Polar Express train ride!

Cousin Meyer with Papa!

Family <3 p="">

Cousin Griffin loves Elayne.

First picture with Santa. Cold red nose and just up from a nap.

How was your Christmas!?

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas?

This has been a weird Christmas season so far. I have wanted so badly to decorate the entire house from top to bottom and inside and out. However, sadly, that has yet to happen. I wanted new decorations and to build upon our already great arsenal of all things Christmas. And yet, here we are a little over a week away from Christmas, and I am disappointed in myself.

We have our indoor Christmas decorations up. We look festive at work too. But outside? Outside we have nothing. And I'm afraid it isn't going to get much better.

Thanksgiving weekend was spent at the cabin. Then it iced. Then we have/had a sick baby. And then work for graduation was exhausting. Add that to the extremely short "season" this year, and I feel so bahumbug. So we have nothing outside. And not much inside either.

Hopefully when I get off work Friday, I'll decide to go on a decorating binge and finally get in the spirit this year.

Snow/Sick Day

Last night it sleeted and frozen rained. And it stuck. 3.5 inches to be exact.

Parker cancelled classes. Bright Horizons closed. Phillip could barely get out of the garage - and couldn't get back in. So we're all at home hanging out. Which is great so we don't have to get out in this terrible weather.

But what isn't so great is the fact that our baby girl is sick. Her first virus - probably resulting from her first week at school and being around so many people last week during Thanksgiving.

I had to pick her up early on Wednesday because she was running a 100.5 fever. That afternoon we were luckily able to secure an afternoon doctor's appointment, where they told me it was pretty much just a virus that has to run its course - with the help of Tylenol and Benadryl if it got bad enough.

Yesterday morning, her fever was gone and she had no other symptoms so she went back to school. She seemed to be feeling better - until Phillip picked her up last night. She was running a 100.4 fever, was coughing like crazy, could hardly breathe out of her nose, and her eyes were watering. Therefore, in the ice and bad weather, Phillip ran to the store to get Benadryl.

This morning she seems to be doing better. No fever yet again, but still has the other symptoms. Since we're all home, she gets some good TLC from mommy and daddy - along with being chalked full of meds all day.

Hopefully she kicks this thing sooner rather than later. She's so sad when she doesn't feel good.

Thanksgiving and The Like

Elayne's first Thanksgiving was such a success!!

She got to meet Aunt Tiffany, Uncle Adrian, and Uncle Nick for the first time - I hope they loved her!

Besides Elayne being held all week, me eating way too much, and enjoying all of the family time, we also headed to the cabin with Elayne and Murphy. It was Elayne's first trip, and she did so well! She loved taking a walk around the huge property and seeing a bunch of things she's never seen before. She's really starting to become quite social, inquisitive, and smiley. I love it!

Monday was also her first day of school! Phillip dropped her off and I picked her up. I love her teachers, the program, and everything about it. Yesterday when I picked her up, she held her arms out for me. That was the first time she's ever reached for anyone - and it was me! To say my heart was happy is the understatement of the year.

Yesterday Phillip dressed Elayne in the funniest outfit ever - I'm still laughing. I told him to grab her dress and the sweater behind it that matches. It's an adorable white and pink dress with a pink cardigan to go over it. When I picked her up yesterday, they handed me a bag of "messed up" clothes and I instantly knew what he did. He grabbed a different sweater - a bright red sweater dress. So essentially, Elayne wore two dresses to school yesterday. Luckily the teachers figured out there was some sort of Daddy dressing mix up and said she needed to take the sweater dress off because it was "dirty" (aka it looked weird and they didn't want us to feel bad). Too funny.

I love our happy baby.

Oh! And in other news!!! She is sleeping through the night pretty consistently now! Hooray!

Now of course, once I brag about this, we'll be going back to midd of the night feedings. Great.

Things THEY Don't Tell You

Who IS this "they" who never tells you anything? (ex. They don't tell you this stuff…) It's the same person who knows everything too. (ex. You know they say…) So someone knows everything but refuses to tell you. Cruel.

I could hunt this person down and kick them.

But that would be entirely too difficult for this busy mama who only seems to have time for laundry, cleaning, and homework these days. Oh. And she's going back to work full time Wednesday. Holy. Crap. How will I find time to do anything!? Much less find time to hunt "they" down...

Now that I've been a mom for two and a half months, I've learned several things. I'm still not even close to knowing enough and I know I will forever grow as a mom. However, there are a few things I have under my belt I'd like to share… This will keep you from having an unhealthy vendetta against "they" like I do.

Here are my parenting tips and/or things that I didn't know that I now know and will pass on these learned experiences to you. Wow that was an awful run on sentence. Oh well, I don't have time to edit it.

Filthy House Filthy Clothes
Laundry never ends. Ever. I am constantly washing clothes and what I need seems to always be dirty. All I do anymore is clean the house. It's always messy. This weekend I was able to do a deep clean but I know it'll start back up within a couple of days.

Feedings
I was prepared to get up every 3-4 hours. Totally prepared for that. But what I wasn't prepared for was the fact that it takes babies like 30-45 minutes to eat their share for that feeding - and I have a good eater and I'm not breastfeeding. Apparently if you have a slow eater and/or are breastfeeding, you could spend over an hour feeding the baby. So that's where the lack of sleep comes from.

SIDS Mattresses
The new SIDS recommendations are great. They really are. The numbers have decreased by leaps and bounds. But for real, my crib mattress is harder to deal with than our Queen mattress in our bedroom. You see, the mattresses have to fit exactly into the crib. And the sheets have to fit exactly onto the mattress. So changing the bedding is seriously the hardest part of parenting. Ok, I kid… it's not the hardest part, but it really is hard! I don't remember who suggested the following tip to me, but I'm pretty sure I owe them my sanity - Put a mattress pad on the mattress, then a fitted sheet, then another mattress pad, then a second sheet. Guys, as painful as that process is, it will save you when the baby decides to explode on the mattress in the middle of the night (sleepily toss the top sheet and pad in the washing machine and you'll be back to dream land) or when you have a lazy laundry day and don't feel like pulling that last load out of the dryer at 10:20pm. Also. When you change the sheets and do all that layering, take the mattress out of the crib. They are relatively small mattresses so don't torture yourself by trying to make them in the crib like when you make bigger beds.

Save The Manuals
Yes, you did your research and purchased the top-of-the-line swing that grows with the child and eventually even converts to a mini fridge for their college dorm room. Kidding. Or maybe I'm not? They really have come up with crazy items these days. And yes, you had the hubs assemble the swing and found the perfect place in your house for it before baby arrived. But once the baby is born, your brain turns to mush and you forget what in the world that swing actually does, much less how to make it do those wonderful things. For instance, two and a half months later, I realize our bouncer has two reclining positions. Thanks, Graco.

Stack Wipes Containers
You never know you're on the last wet wipe until you pull the last one out. So what's a mom to do when that happens mid-diaper change? I had excellent advice to always put a spare wipe container ready to go under the open one. This is a great piece of advice and I recommend it to everyone!

3 Months Old!

Height: 22 inches

Weight: 11 pounds

She sleeps through the night every once in a while - we are working on making it a consistent thing.

She's starting to teethe really early.

She is now in the averages for her size so clothing is fitting exactly as it should.

We are so excited to celebrate her first Thanksgiving this coming week.

We cannot imagine life without her.

She loves rattles and mimicking others' facial expressions.

Her swing is her favorite place to nap and she loves being held to fall asleep.

Winter Delay

It's been too long. I know this. I can't believe I've let it get this out of hand. With work starting, driving all over the metroplex everyday for the saving-money-so-not-starting-child-care-until-December-grandparent-shuffle, and school work, my life has been a blur lately.

Work is great. I love my job! I am with an incredible University (with incredible benefits), and can really see myself potentially growing with them into their vision of the future. It's nice having a bunch of wonderful people to socialize with - I've missed that from working from home.

I'm afraid the rest of this year is also going to fly by and I think the lack of blog entries might continue. I am so sorry in advance. But the holidays are always busy any way.

Today Elayne turned 3 months old. 3 months. Can you believe it? It feels like she's been here forever and just got here all at once. As we put up clothes she can no longer fit into, removed the infant hammock from her bath tub, and packed up the pack 'n play from the living room, we realized she is growing fast. She changes every single day. More on that with her 3 month post, which will be posted soon.

We are under a WINTER STORM WARNING from noon tomorrow until noon Monday. I'm hoping if the roads get too terrible that school closes or delays Monday. I am not a fan of driving in rain, much less sleet - and I drive on some pretty tall bridges in DFW. I did talk with my boss Friday and he told me to go in as late as I need to in order to stay safe. So there's that.

We'll see how it goes tomorrow. It's so cold outside, and the precipitation tomorrow is going to make it even more winter-like. We've had a fire going since this afternoon, I haven't left my cozy clothes, and the crockpot has gotten a workout. Tomorrow will be much of the same.

Stay warm north Texans!

A New Chapter

Wednesday will be my first day back at work. Meaning, I will no longer be staying at home with my beautiful baby. It's going to be harder than I am thinking it will be. I keep saying I'm ready and bored and ready to put my mind back to work. However, coming Wednesday, I will likely be singing a different tune.

I have been blessed to be able to stay home with Elayne for 11 and a half weeks. That's a whole lot more than most moms get. I've gotten to see her grow so much and start coming into her personality.

I've been able to keep up with the house cleaning and laundry. It seems like it all piles up every day. Who knows how I will fare now… I bet our house will be a lot messier. Especially since free time will be spent with our baby girl instead of chores.

Elayne will be shuffled between her Nana K, her meme/gg/grandpa, and her aunt Heather over the next two and a half weeks. Then she starts child care on December 2nd. It worked out better to shuffle her around and save a bunch of money since the thanksgiving holiday falls in the middle of what we'd be paying for.

I'll be just as nervous for December 2nd as I am for Wednesday. Even though I LOVE LOVE LOVE the place we have chosen, it'll still be hard to let her go.

This is just the first of many many many many many times to come where I have to let go and let her grow up.

Weekend Adventures?

This weekend, Phillip will be heading down to Wurst Fest in New Braunfels for some much needed "guy time". It'll be quite lonely around here, but I figure it will give me a weekend to prepare for my new job starting Wednesday.

Therefore, Elayne will be heading to my parents' so I can have uninterrupted time to get stuff done. And by "get stuff done" I mean that I will be rushing around for two days straight.

I have a to-do list a mile long. While I will miss my baby girl, I need to get some rest before starting the 8-5 routine I haven't done in almost two years. Plus, I will be scrubbing our entire house from top to bottom (ceiling fans and baseboards included) and getting as much homework done as possible to prepare myself for the holiday season.

Sounds exhausting, right? Sounds like I definitely need the husband and baby gone for the weekend to prevent distractions, right?



…There is also a slight chance I could forget the whole list and spend the weekend napping, taking lots of bubble baths, and watching Netflix marathons...

EMPLOYED

I start November 13! As in a week from today! I am too excited about this opportunity!

It all happened so quickly, bloggers, and I love it. I applied about two weeks ago, had two interviews, and now I am employed!

I will work for the wonderful Parker University in Dallas. It was once called "Parker College of Chiropractic" but with their University accreditation coming in 2011, they changed their name to reflect a bold and ambitious future they are embarking on. They now offer health degrees from Bachelors to Masters, plus the Doctor of Chiropractic degree and Massage Therapy certificate. Every year from here on out, they are also adding numerous new degrees and programs. It's an exciting time to be a part of this University.

I will be the Administrative Assistant for the Dean of Student Affairs. It's the perfect way to blend my student affairs experience with my passion for health. I get to be the receptionist, first line of communication, and assistant to the Dean for all students in the health field. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Best of all, my new boss (the Dean) is very awesome and appreciates career development. His mission is to help all of his administrative assistants move on to bigger and better things. What a great boss!

I cannot wait to start!

Elayne will be rocking the grandparent/aunt shuffle for the rest of November and then starting childcare December 2! More on that in another post.

Happy (First) Halloween!

Our little strawb-ELLY is adorable. I'm thankful I was able to find inspiration and materials in order to create a costume for Elayne that isn't a pumpkin. Because, after all, unless your baby is 6 months or older, the only costumes available are pumpkins. And that just wouldn't do.

Weekend Getaway

This weekend is going to be a much needed girls weekend with my sisters and mom. We are getting out of our houses and heading to the hill country for a wine tour! Samantha put it together and we are too excited. We need this - all of us. We need to conversation, the relaxation, the experience together. What a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season!

Friday, Heather, my mom, and I head down to Austin to meet Samantha. Once we check into our hotel for the weekend, we will head to one of my favorite places in Austin - Sagra - for happy hour. They have half priced pizzas and discounted quartinos of wine. A relaxing evening on the porch, weather permitting, sounds pretty nice to me.

Saturday we hop on a tour bus with other wine tourers to ride to the Fredericksburg area. We will tour three wineries and do a bit of tasting. We will also get a yummy meal included. Once back to Austin, we'll relax some more. Then, you guessed it, we'll be heading back Sunday afternoon.

Sounds relaxing, doesn't it? Sounds like we need this, right? Sounds like I will miss my baby while I'm gone too, no?

Two Months Old!

Height: 22 inches

Weight: 9 pounds, 3 ounces

Her favorite movie is "The Emperor's New Groove" because of all the bright colors.

She has really started smiling and "talking" in the past week.

Outgrowing some of her newborn clothes now and will soon "catch up" to the average sizes for her age.

So far, she has slept through the night twice.

Starting to recognize people - especially Phillip and me.

8 Weeks Old!

Our not-so chunky monkey is already 8 weeks old - 2 months next week. Time sure has flown and it isn't stopping. Every day her little personality shows through more and more.

I absolutely love her and love life with her.

This weekend we're heading to the pumpkin patch! I will definitely show you pictures soon.

Week in Review

Well this has been a busy week!

I had a great weekend but have been playing catch up every since.

Instead of a lengthy boring post, I/l use pictures to tell you about my week.

My beautiful fire pit and deck! Phillip and Michael worked all day Saturday and got it finished just as the rain came in. It is level, sturdy, and beautiful. We are certainly going to use it a whole lot and I can't wait.

Inaugural fire with glass of [fre] wine.

New hair cut! Do you love it??? Because I do!

Allergies have hit the little Longs like nobody's business. We've all be battling the sniffles, sore throats, and congestion. Little Elayne, though she can't talk and isn't running a fever, is definitely suffering too. So much sneezing and mucus! Poor thing.

I pulled a [near] all-nighter Monday night. My professor mixed up due dates on the syllabus and the assignment was trickier than I thought. So it was a late one to get a first draft in, but I think I did pretty well.

Did I mention allergies? And did I mention that now being a mom means you don't get to lay in bed on a sick day? I had to settle for slippers, the couch, and baby cuddles - not bad come to think of it.

My china cabinet is finally here and set up. I think it looks fantastic and I'm so happy to finally have all of my stuff protected from dust.

More research reading and paper writing Tuesday and yesterday. I've gotta keep that 4.0 strong and steady. ;) This also sums up my life this week - school work and baby work.

Even though she didn't show it very well, I think Elayne loved my finger puppet show I gave her.

Kickstarting mission baby weightloss with make ahead salads and a new exercise ball. Walking was also supposed to start this week but seeing as I haven't even had time to sleep and being outside with allergens sounded miserable, we are starting next week instead.

What have you done this week so far?

October Already!?

Where has the time been going these days? I somehow find myself doing nothing and yet everything at the same time. Time is going by so quickly!

Today I am doing homework and organizing my office/craft room. Ready to turn it into a good study zone and craft area. Definitely need the storage and organization in there. And last night I officially finished tossing/shredding the leftovers from Cypress.

Tomorrow is a well deserved massage with Heather. We are getting the works done! Full body massage, hot towel treatment, foot scrub, etc. And Heather booked us the "couples" room so we can chit chat during the whole treatment. Super excited to relax and get ready for a great weekend.

Speaking of weekend... This one will be great!

Elayne will be staying with my parents Friday night, and Phillip's parents Saturday night. It worked out to celebrate my birthday this weekend so yay! It'll be relaxing and tons of eating. Plus, we've needed to get a few things done around the house. Phillip and Michael are also building a deck structure so we can finally enjoy the fire pit we got for Christmas last year! And the weather Saturday will be PERFECT for it. I am also thinking about getting a hair cut this weekend.

What a way to end the week, right? :)

My Baby Favorites: Part Three (First Post-Baby Edition)

This is the first of what I am sure will be many posts about baby things I absolutely love. And now, I can actually talk about how we use them every day instead of things we think we are going to love.

I absolutely love these products these days and truly can't live without them.

1. Gripe Water
This stuff is made to help relieve colic, fussiness, gas, hiccups, and general stomach upset. Technically, the research doesn't prove it actually works, but I would plead the case that it does! Sometimes when Elayne just seems fussy for no reason, we give her some of this and she gets right to sleep. It's safe, regardless, and we use it every night before bed.

2. Gas Drops
AKA the baby version of Gas-X. These definitely work a little too well. But that's great because a baby that passes gas easily is one that isn't fussy from keeping it inside. We do give this to her quite a bit, but it is recommended for each meal. From what we can tell, it is fantastic stuff and we love that you can use it with the gripe water.

3. Moby Wrap
I will admit I was quite skeptical about this product in the beginning. I mean, $40 for a glorified sheet!? Sounds a bit crazy. And everything I had heard about them said they are wonderful as long as you can master the complicated instructions. Their website is great and has clear instructions with videos. Not nearly as complex as others say and Elayne loves it! I find myself wondering why I hadn't tried this sooner and contemplating buying it in more colors. Love love love this one.

4. Tommee Tippee Bottles
They basically just look and cost like overly priced bottles. But I must say, they are working. I'm not sure how Elayne would really react to other bottles, since she's only had these, but they are great. Supposedly the funky design helps limit the amount of air she takes in, helps develop her mouth like breastfed babies since it is close to mother nature's work, and it is definitely easier to hold than most bottles. I also like that it takes up less space than taller slimmer versions.

5. SwaddleMe Swaddle Sacks
While expensive, these are also great finds. I was also skeptical about these since I had heard that you shouldn't swaddle a baby unless you know exactly what you're doing. Swaddling is hard, y'all! But after my mom bought us a couple, we tried them and they are fantastic. They truly do follow the proper swaddling techniques and make it so much easier. Our little one also has a knack for breaking swaddles to get to her hands, but these keep her hands nice and snug. If you are wanting some, I highly recommend searching on Amazon, checking out stores like Ross, and being open to colors to minimize the cost.

6. Bottle Sterilizer
I know that sterilizers are no longer seen as a necessity for bottle cleaning and sterilizing. I know that dishwashers works just as well and that's all you need. But let me tell you how worth it our sterilizer has already been. We do not dirty enough dishes to run a load on a daily basis - even every two or three days. Therefore, we'd be waiting until the bitter end of our bottle supply to run a barely filled dishwasher. The sterilizer solves that problem and saves on water. It sterilizes 6 bottles at a time, along with pacifiers Elayne throws on the floor. We love it. Money well spent.

7. Graco Stroller
Probably the smartest baby product that has come out in a very long time. They are going to put those carseat travel systems to shame as their popularity grows. Not only is it cheaper to buy a car seat and this stroller separately than buying a travel system, but it is so much easier to use! It flips out with one button, stores easily, and the carseat literally clicks right into position very quickly. We love it and are in awe of how useful it is for looking so bare in the store.