Cut, cut, cut...

This is a video that Jared and I took when Claire was about two months old. This is also a test run for uploading videos to the old blog. I have some others that I hope to add soon. I hope you enjoy

Bike Ride!

I am hesitant to share this story for fear that I will be judged and called a bad mother (probably my guilty conscience...and because someone will be thinking it), but it is exciting news, so here goes:

A little over a year ago (before we knew about little Claire) Jared got me a new bike for our anniversary. I only got to ride it a handful of times before we found out I was pregnant and that I would have to stop riding the bike - I was a big fall risk. Women who are preggo sometimes lose their balance easily. Anyhow, I have not been able to ride my "new" bike for a long while...so, Jared and I took Claire for her first bike ride. No we do not have a bike seat, or a trailer thingy. She rode in a front carrier that Jared was wearing. I think the reason I feel so bad is because Jared and I both had helmets on and poor little Claire did not. I worried about her the entire ride, but I think she really enjoyed it. She was smiling and looking around at everything. I have read a few articles about when and how to take your baby for their first bike ride and the way we did it was not in the suggestions. Oh well...fortunately we all made it home safely. The only casualty is/are my thighs...they were burning by the end of the ride and will probably be very sore tomorrow.

I can't wait to get Claire a little bike seat and take her for many more bike rides. : )

Psh...

Goals, shmoals...

I have been looking after my parents property while they have been out of town visiting my siblings. Keeping up with the pool, pets, and watering is a full time job--especially with Claire tagging along. So, with that said, I have not exactly been keeping up with the goals (or even started them at all) that I set last week/week before? Ooops...

This is something that might have bothered me at a previous point in my life, but just does not seem all that important to me now. Don't get me wrong. I think setting goals and accomplishing them is important, but not at the expense of being flexible, helping others out, and enjoying things as they come along. My parents are back from their trip and none of the plants or pets died and the pool is still running, so I am going to call this past week a success (even if I didn't fulfill any of my original goals).

At least I am blogging more regularly (knock on wood).   : )

Doh! Katie's Wedding

I completely forgot (mommy brain) to mention the big weekend my family just had. Katherine Blume (my very good friend from my MAT year) just got married! (6-18-11) I was a bridesmaid in her wedding which took place in Little Rock. This required me (and eventually Jared and Claire) to travel to Little Rock for the festivities. It was a beautiful wedding and a very fun reception. Katie looked stunning and extremely happy. I am so pleased for her and for Blake (the guy she married). He is the nicest man and I am so glad that they found each other.

This wedding also created a few firsts for Claire:

1) Her first road trip
     I rode down with some friends (Andy and Andrea Blume-Katie's cousin/wife) so that Jared and     
     Claire could drive down later and we wouldn't have two cars in Little Rock.
2) First stay in a hotel (first night anywhere other than home for that matter)
     Also first ride in an elevator (she didn't seem to mind/notice)
3) First Wedding
4) First reception
5) First trip to Feltner's Whata-burger in Russellville, AR

Anyway, a lot of fun firsts to experience with Claire. She did wonderfully the whole trip. She slept well and she smiled a lot. She looked adorable in her party dress and was the bell of the ball (and so was Katie who was the bride of course). We couldn't have asked for a better baby. We had a really good trip and I am excited about taking Claire on many more exciting adventures.

Summer?

Summers for me used to consist of sleeping in, hanging out in my pj's all day, lying around on the couch watching bad television and lifetime movies - basically turning into a big, lazy blob for two months. My summer this year has been nothing like my summers of old. I still take a little while to get showered and get out of my pj's, but that is mostly due to the fact that I have a small baby to feed, change, and care for. Now my summer days consist of diaper changes, playing on the floor, keeping the puppies off the baby, feeding, pumping, washing baby clothes and burp cloths, and other assorted tasks associated with infant care. I have not had much time to think about it, but if I were given the time I think I would choose this summer to all of my previous lazy summers. Sure, babies are a lot of work, but I cannot think of any other task more worthwhile and enjoyable. I am loving motherhood.

Claire is growing and changing so much and I am really enjoying getting to watch her achieve all of the different milestones. She is one amazing baby. I am so proud to be her mother. God has truly blessed mine and Jared's lives with this amazing little creature.

I am taking this next year off of work to stay home and nurture (at least I hope I will be nurturing and not traumatizing Claire) our baby. I also have a laundry list of goals and tasks I would like to start and/or accomplish. I am thinking about listing some of them, but I am a little nervous to do so. Once you write something down and people have the ability of reading it then you have to get serious about accomplishing the task. So here are some of my tentative goals (don't hate me if I don't get them all/any of them finished):

1. Establish a consistent quite time (during a consistent nap time for Claire!?!?!?)
2. Regularly contribute to my blog (weekly/biweekly)
3. Sew (one item per family member)
      - shorts for Jared
      - skirt for myself
      - dress(es) for Claire
4.Write some essays (3) to move towards the goal of creating a book/memoir
5. Clean some part of the house every week.

I think five goals is a good place to start. I don't want to set the bar too high, but I also do not want to set it too low either.

Maybe writing these down will help keep me accountable in keeping them. I am also trying to be more cognizant of what I am eating and how often I am exercising in an effort to be healthier, but I am going to wait to make that one of my "official" goals until after I have started consistently working towards accomplishing the other goals I have set for myself. I need some sort of reminder that goes off every day/week/month to remind me of the things I have said that I will do. I have noticed lately that I have a severe case of "mommy" brain and it is harder and harder to remember things.

I will write again soon - hopefully sometime in the next week or two (according to my goals).

Summa, Summa, Summa time.

It has been a while since I posted. Being back at work and trying to do the whole motherhood thing at the same time is pretty time consuming.

I do not know how women do it. We are an amazing breed of creatures. I guess some people figure out how to make it work. I always seemed to be choosing which things I wanted to get accomplished - there was no way it was all going to get finished. Basically, what I am saying, is that my house was a mess for the whole 7 weeks that I was back at work. I also do not get to eat dinner with my husband anymore. Here is a little scenario of what life is like at the Allen house these days:

Jared arrives home from work around 5:20-ish. I have a baby who is getting close to needing dinner and is fussy because her legs are sore from getting shots. (Granted, shots are not an everyday occurrence, but there is ALWAYS something). So I start fixing dinner and Jared gives the baby a bottle. Then Jared puts the baby in the swing and goes to change. He finds cat poop in the floor of our bedroom and I find Toby (the cat) on the bed lying in some of his own urine. (Again, not a usual occurrence, but there is ALWAYS something.) We kick Toby out of the bedroom and I go tend to the baby (who is refusing to take a desperately needed nap). Jared cleans up after the cat. Dinner is ready, but the baby won't sleep, so I sit next to the swing and hold her pacifier in her mouth (because otherwise she spits it out) and Jared sits on the chair behind me eating his dinner. We finish cramming food into our mouths and Jared and I switch places while I go clean up and wash bottles and pumping equipment.The baby still will not go to sleep. Jared wants everyone to sit on the couch, cuddle, and watch a movie. I remind him that I have to pump and start a load of laundry (the cat did pee on the bed, remember.)Jared and Claire (the baby) sit on the couch and start the movie while I pump. I finish up and Jared goes back to trying to get Claire to fall asleep in the swing (success - two hours later). Jared and I finally sit down together to finish the movie and Toby starts to pee on the carpet in the living room. (This is not usual or typical behavior for Toby) I tell Jared that I think the cat is sick. We get out the crate and put a towel, litter box, and water in it and find Toby. Into the crate he goes (he is not a happy camper). We resign to calling the vet the next day and listening to Toby meow in protest for the remainder of the evening.Jared's parents arrive to leave a pile of junk on our lawn for the supposed "Boys and Girls Club Pick-up service." The stuff is only supposed to junk up our yard for one twenty-four hour period, but I am still embarrassed to have it all sitting out there. Our neighbors probably think we are loony.  Finally sit down and finish the movie, feed Claire, and put her to bed. Then we get ready for bed and it's lights out. Whew. Tomorrow we get to wake up and do some version of it all over again.

I am so very thankful for my happy, healthy family and our crazy, absurd life. Thank you Lord! I know life is busy right now, but I wouldn't change a thing. A lot of my friends have been having trouble conceiving and/or giving birth to babies that are sick, premature, or require a lot of after birth care. They are weighing heavy on my heart and mind these days and I am keeping them in my prayers. I am so, so incredibly thankful that our sweet Claire is healthy and fairly easy as far as babies go (except in the nap department). Speaking of which. It is time for this momma to go try to get the baby to take a nap. Wish me luck.

Back to work...

I have two weeks of maternity leave left. Before I had Claire I never, ever would have thought I was the kind of woman who would yearn for more time to stay at home with a baby. I always considered myself a career oriented woman. I still love my job and am missing my students, but I am so devastated about having to leave my baby girl in two weeks. I am having trouble dealing with these new feelings and figuring out how in the heck I am going to make it all work.

Some days when I have gotten very little sleep I wonder how I am going to get through the day - and all I have to do is take care of myself, the baby, and our pets. How will I cram teaching full time into the mix?

It is definitely going to be an adventure. And I am not sure that I am ready for it.