Happy New Year

The last sunset of 2008 --- view from my courtyard. Taken on my new Samsung Eternity.

Miss Personality!

So, three months is great because now, I feel like I have always known my baby. It doesn't feel like ONLY three months, it feels like I've known her my entire life. I had always hoped for a very independent spirit, a little person who thinks for herself. I didn't think this would manifest itself so soon, but it has! I remember 1 or 2 hours after she was born the nurse was swaddling her and she did not want her hands swaddled- NO MA'AM! She does not like her sling or her moby wrap because she likes to flail her little hands and feet about. She does like the Snugli though - I have come to realize that she enjoys a more structured carrier. She also prefers a bottle to the breast. It makes life more difficult as she is exclusively breast fed, but I think the benefits outweigh the minor inconvenience for me.

Baby Cheese has red hair, and many people are hoping that she is a red head. I will be happy with whatever haircolor she ends up with. Sometimes I don't realize how red it is until we are in the sunlight. She at times shows us a red heads temper too.

I like thisthree month time! Baby Cheese is a real joker/prankster, laughing and cooing. She tries to take the bottle into her own hands and messes around for a laugh. When I read to her she looks very astute and eager to learn. I can't wait to read her Bible stories! I still have my kid Bible and I spent countless hours paging through it.

I would have to say that of all the things Dr Sears recommends, the one that I enjoy most is bedsharing. I can't think of having it any other way and I get tons of sleep and so does baby. I find wearing her and breastfeeding her to be a real challenge, just because of her independent spirit. But she is not independent enough to want to sleep alone yet, and that is totally fine with me.

Staying at home is still cool with me - I have to thank Rheagan and Alanna for that! It's really great to hang out with other Moms and their kiddos to talk, have coffee and take a break from being at home. I have really experienced massive kindness from so many women before and after having Baby Cheese. I could never have imagined how supportive and helpful other women can be! Such a blessing!

Speaking of blessings, Thank Goodness my father is doing well. He seems to be sick and went to the ER last night. He is now at home, resting and doing better. I love you Daddy!!!!

Bring On 2009!

My new gig is keeping me really busy. I have less time for Dear Internet, less time for updates, but that was what I expected.

Christmas was wonderful! My parents flew down from St Louie to hang with us. IT was great having two extra set of hands to help with the baby, and it's a pleasure to see Maw and Pa's face light up when they speak to Baby Cheese.

Baby Cheese is now 3.5 months old. What a fun age! She is much happier now, certainly recognizes Mom and Dad and can hold her head up on her own. She recently graduated to the Bumbo Baby Seat. I set her in there and read to her, so far, I think her favorite book is "Gossie"

PugCheesy has been fabulous to Baby Cheese ever since her arrival. He is a bit protective and he seems to totally understand that Andrew and I need to attend to her first. He does miss being babied like he was, but he doesn't act out any more than he ever did before. He is a fabulous boy, when BabyCheese gets bigger they are really going to hit it off.

I'm always excited for the new year to begin. I pray this one is a good one.

Progress!

It's been EXACTLY three months since I pushed out Baby Cheese. Today, I tried on my pre-pregnancy chinos. They fit, albeit a bit snugly. I think if I keep up my momentum I can have them fitting a bit loose in 2 weeks or less. This is with little or no exercise, so imagine when the weather gets better and I'm on the move!!!

I feel like I've been in size limbo. You see, I'm so close to fitting back into all of my old stuff, but in the interim I'm wearing sweatpants and starting to feel bad about appearance. It's tempting to buy new clothing in larger sizes, but why spend the money if I'm so close to fitting back into my old stuff. Patience is a virtue I need to get more of.

Todays tidbit of progress helped to motivate me further.

One of my fears was that having a baby would wreak havoc on my body. It wasn't as bad as I thought it could be. I can see myself looking better even, in a way. I'll be back to my old self soon, and from there I need to continue to work hard to maintain.


This is a challenging time of year too, but if I can just steer clear of sweets I'll be fine. I've been told that I run a tight ship (hee hee). It's time for me to get back into that mindset.

I think Hell Just Froze Over

It is so cold right now!!! Thankfully, my feet are warm. People can say what they want about Uggs being UGGly, but they are the warmest shoe out there. For the record, I have a pair of the lesser expensive brand, but the shearling is so warm, and I don't even need to wear socks. You know that you are growing old when comfort is first and foremost.

Last night I made quite possibly my absolute favorite dish. Raw spaghetti. I bought a spiralizer to make zuchinni noodles and created my own raw marinara. The true test: Mr Cheese liked it and will have it again. There is hope for him eating a healthy menu yet! He also likes my signature green smoothie.

Maybe I will become a raw food chef one day-- I sure enjoy it!!! Gives me more energy and enables me to be a better Mom.

xoxox

5 Years

On Saturday Mr Cheese and I celebrated 5 years of marriage. 5 years sounds like a long time to me, but it doesn't really *feel* like a long time. The past 5 years have been a blessing, and I'm so happy to be married to such a great man! Every anniversary I reflect on how lucky we both were to meet, and how many bad guys I went through before I finally found "the one".

I love you Mr Cheese! Happy Anniversary!

December Already!

Seems that not long ago it was September, December sure came quick. I like the cooler weather, but I don't like the lack of sunshine. This time of year is always difficult for me. I'm eager for springtime, and very thankful that I live in a relatively warm part of the country.

Baby Cheese is now smiling frequently and tries to talk to me. She seems to be a morning person. Every morning when I wake up I talk to her and she tries to convey to me how happy she is with little coos and the sweetest sounds that I have ever heard.

I'm in love!!

Also, she found a binky that she really likes and it seems to soothe her. The crying spells have been drastically reduced. I am grateful for this!

Mr Cheese takes his big test this Saturday and I cannot wait for it to be over. I can't wait to tackle an issue that is annoying me.....CLUTTER!!

Holiday Photos

Photos were taken at Sears and they have given us permission to post, which is soo cool. Getting photos with a 2 month old was not an easy task, but I'm glad we did it,, and I'm glad it's over!