An important anniversary

This weekend it will have been one year since we found out we were pregnant. It was during halftime of the OSU vs. M*ch*g*n game, which just happens to be tomorrow.

I can't believe it's been a year. So much has changed. So much hasn't. I can't believe I've been through a pregnancy and had my little one here for almost four months now in this short year. Where is the time going? I really hope it doesn't keep going so quickly, but have a feeling that it will. I try to enjoy every single moment because I know that every phase we go through will pass sooner than later.

Wow. It's hard to believe how much life change we've been through in one year.

PS--I've had some great questions already posted and am excited to start answering them. If you haven't submitted a question, please do so for a chance to win a really fantastic prize! :)

Ask me anything...and a giveaway

I'm playing a game that I've seen on other blogs...ask me anything. In the comments for this post, you can ask me anything. I may choose to be a bit vague so I don't reveal *too* much information (mostly names), but I will answer any question that is asked of me.

As enticement to participate, I will be giving a special prize to a random person who asks a question to me. I haven't determined what it is yet, but I promise it'll be something that you'll like :)

Yes, this is bribery. But I'm tired of seeing that there are a bunch of people reading and not knowing who is around! Don't be shy!!! The deadline to ask me questions is next Thursday, Thanksgiving (November 26th). I'll answer the questions in future blog posts.

Posts in my head

I don't have nearly as much time to blog as I would like, which leads to me writing blog posts in my head. You can (hopefully) look forward to posts titled things like:

Beautiful
What I Want
Mommy's Guilt
Developmental Update
My Christmas Wishlist

I'm sure there are more. And I might end up posting something special for my 300th post (which is the next one). We'll see.

But I'm still here. Still trucking along, trying to redefine who I am now without completely losing myself, but while encompassing my new role as a mommy. It's a struggle and has led to some frustration and sadness. But through it all, I still love my little girl more than I ever could have imagined.

Memoirs from Maternity Leave

I wanted to get this post written before those glorious twelve weeks have left my mind forever. I do hope they never do, though, as they were wonderful and I want to remember my first three months with my little girl. Was it all rainbows and flowers? No, of course not. But in retrospect I'm realizing that I was so blessed to be able to spend that time with my little girl.

Every day I watched The Price Is Right, What Not to Wear, and ER. Many days I'd also watch Dr. Oz. When you've got a newborn, all they really do it sleep and eat...there just isn't much interaction there. So while feeding and snuggling, what else is there to do? I'd DVR these shows so I could turn them on and watch without commercials. I also watched some movies and lots of other random shows.

Toward the end of leave (just when it was getting fun and we were falling into a routine), we would wake up around 6 or 7, DD would eat, then she'd go back to sleep. Many days I'd just snuggle her in my bed and we'd sleep together there for a couple of hours. I miss our snuggle time more than words can say. We would start out chest to chest on our sides and end up with both of us on our backs, her head supported on my arm. When she started to squirm, many times I would open my eyes to see her looking over at me, wide-eyed and happy to see Mommy so close. Magic.

We also loved taking walks together. Of course it was getting chilly by the time I came back to work, but when it was warmer (but not too warm!) I'd load her up into her stroller and we'd walk the neighborhood. Some days she'd snooze, some days she'd just look around. One day we even walked down to UDF and Mommy bought some chips and a hot dog, as that seemed to be the only way I could eat since she was sleeping on me if she was sleeping.

We also got to visit with two of my mommy friends who had little ones: Sarah and her baby boy D (born 3 weeks 1 day after our baby girl) and get up eight and her own baby boy D (born 12 days before baby girl). I'd hoped to do it a bit more, but it was wonderful as it was. We got to compare notes, woes, and even shed a few tears. They were a great support system when things were tough emotionally. I even got to witness the elder of the baby D's roll over for the first time!

Sure, I felt trapped by having her sleep on me most days, but looking back, I wish I could have that all over again. I would let her sleep on me all day every day to be able to spend that much time with her again.