First La Leche League Meeting

Tuesday night I went to my first ever La Leche League meeting. I have been meaning to go to one since I was pregnant (whoops!) and nearly 8 months into parenthood I finally took some time out to go and I'm glad I did.

The main reason why I hadn't gone before was timing - the closest meeting to us starts at 6:30pm which is around Alison's bedtime. She isn't keen on bottles still (totally my bad) so I wasn't comfortable leaving her for an extended amount of time. I would have loved to bring her but I feared she would get too fussy and the thought of that made me too anxious to try. Needless to say, we're now comfortable with our routine enough to know that after I feed her (for the night), she won't be up for at least 5 hours, but usually 10 (I know, we're lucky!!) So Tuesday night I fed her, crossed my fingers, and let daddy take care of bedtime. 

I happened to be the only mom there (out of half a dozen) who didn't have a child with them. The rest of the women mentioned that their children have a much later bedtime so this meeting time suited them and they enjoy spending this time with them - made me miss my girl that much more! It was nice, however, to have some "me time" away from the house.

The meeting went great - we talked about how breastfeeding has made us a better mother and then moved on to troubleshoot a variety of issues that had come up. I asked about Alison's distracted nursing, while another mother lamented her low supply, and yet another mom, pregnant with twins, came to start the support early. Each woman had a different experience with breastfeeding and was truly unique. One of my favorite things about nursing has been the "sisterhood" that it brings and being able to help other mothers. I really did enjoy myself and can't wait for the next meeting at the end of June.

Currently

Making me Happy: My sweet family. Alison is currently hugging (and "kissing") us and it just about melts my heart every time. When I rock her to sleep she puts her head on my chest and holds on to me so tight until I put her down. Moments like these are what I live for! Thanks to the long weekend, we got to spend a lot of time as a family. Becoming a mother and seeing my husband as a father has really strengthen our marriage. Hard not to smile all the time! 

Excited For: I know I talked about this in my last "currently" post but its finally arrived: I'm excited for this weekend's trip to see my mom and for a friend's baby shower. Embarrassing confession: The furthest I I have traveled with Alison since she was born has been 40 minutes from the house (for another baby shower) and I was with my husband. This trip is just shy of 2 hours and we'll be at it alone. This will be the first time she has slept somewhere other than here in our house so that gives me a little anxiety. Overall, however, I couldn't be more thrilled. Additionally, I finally will get to visit my father's "grave" (he was cremated so instead of a grave he requested a bench at his parent's grave site, where we scattered his ashes). And I am worked up daily about that. I miss him immensely. 

Thinking About: Our summer plans. We aren't a beach going family but I have a feeling that will change some now that our girl is here. I want to start making plans for us to visit different places as well as sign us up for a class or two. One thing about staying home with our girl that has been a struggle is trying to vary our day some. It has gotten better the older she has gotten but I am so excited to be able to do some fun, interactive things with her. 

Reading: I'm reading Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald and I am waiting for it to pick up. To be honest I put it down about two days ago and need to start reading again. I like it alright (my favorite genre is biographies) but this book hasn't started to interest me quite yet. It has great rating so I am hopeful.

Watching: We just started watching the new season of Arrested Development. I think we're about 5 episodes in and so far I think its alright. Some reviews aren't buying into the new season at all but I don't think its been THAT bad. We're trying not to "binge" watch it - which is easy to do with Netflix - and I think that has helped us from being too cynical.


Another blogger note: I've been having trouble adding photos to posts from my desktop. Not to mention the formatting issues which are SO ANNOYING. I swear its one thing after another with this blog. 

Playing Catch-up

first things first - sorry for the horrible mess that is my last post. I am running into difficulties making posts from my ipad. The fonts have to be tweaked manually and its been tedious and annoying. I've tried using blogger's app as well as updating through the website via my ipad and virtually nothing helps. I am frustrated because I much prefer using my tablet over our desktop but the mess that it churns out makes me not want to post. That being said... Hello! We have been in such a great groove lately and its been difficult to want to sit down to update. Alison is not sleeping so well - down at 6:30pm, up at 5am to eat, sleeping again until 7am. Her naps are also beautiful. Two 1 1/2- 2 hour naps at 9am and 2pm. I can finally cook and clean and READ. If it weren't for my silly ipad issues I would also be updating more frequently. Lately we have been enjoying the park, going to the library, seeing friends, and have even made a few trips to our Children's Museum. I am loving the freedom that scheduled naps gives us, not to mention our girl is so happy and full of curiosity now that she is getting wonderful sleep. My husband and I love that we get grown up time to be with one another now that she sleeps soundly, too. I'm making a list of posts I'd like to make within the coming weeks now that I have time (and will) to do so. Any blogging momma can attest to those times when there is nothing she wants to do less than blog. When our days were erratic I was definitely one of those mommas. Here is to another great week!!

Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day (weekend) was simply wonderful Saturday, my Mother-in-law AND my Brother-in-law graduated from college (different local universities), so we had the family together to celebrate both their great accomplishments as well as Mother's Day. As with other holidays, my mother came down and I was so happy she did. My husbands grandparents were also in town which is always a treat. The weather wasn't the best, but we did get some sun along with the rain. All of us hung out on the porch and marveled over Alison's growth and accomplishments - Shane's grandparents had t seen her since Christmas so it was especially great for them.

Sunday we went with my mom to a local county park to have a picnic. It didn't go without some issues but it was wonderful all in the same. I received some beautiful cards, flowers, and even a cute bunny rack from my momma. Once my mom left, Shane, Alison and I enjoyed our time together as a family.

Family of Three - Mother's Day! 5-14-13

Mom and Me 5-12-13

It was fun to reflect on the day one year before. Mothers Day 2012 was wonderful - we hosted a BBQ for our family and revealed Alison's gender and pre-picked middle name (still hadn't landed on Alison, though :) ). I remember anticipating what Mother's Day would be like once our girl arrived and I can verify its even better than I expected. 

I hope you had a wonderful Mothers Day, too!!!