Here's to me!

So this past Monday was not only the beginning of a new week, but also the beginning of a new month, so I thought what better day than that day to start leading a better life and being more DISCIPLINED. After all that is myoneword for this year. So I decided I would try and go to the gym at least 4 days this week and eat healthier throughout the week and control my binge cookie dough eating at night. I'm proud to say that I made it to the gym 4 days this week and I only had either 2 cookies or 2 cookies worth of cookie dough each night for dessert. I also did really well during the week at work. I denied a co-workers cupcakes, a bosses bread, and multiple urges to stop and get a latte on the way to work! Yay. I'm proud of myself. Finding time to work out is hard when you work full time and have a 9 month old babe. I go to the gym at lunch, but some days I just do not feel like it. A couple of days this week I did not want to go and started making excuses in my head of many other things I could have done instead of going to the gym, however I forced myself to go and told myself just get in there and walk on the treadmill, it's better than doing nothing at all. But once I get in there I am pumped up and I work out hard. I'm feeling great today and my jeans are already loose. Losing weight is not really my goal, just being disciplined and healthy, but hey I'll take it. In other notes Airlie Mae is growing so fast it is crazy. She has two adorable teeth and another coming through on top. She is enjoying all kinds of fruits and veggies and some prunes now due to her stopped up bowels. But she likes prunes, truth is the little girl will eat anything you put in front of her just like her mom and dad. We have yet to give her a food that she doesn't like. I think this weekend we are going to try out some tofu and yogurt! She is also now getting up on all fours so maybe she will crawl this century, although she is quite content just laying and hanging out. This dreary, rainy weather has (literally and figuratively) really put a damper on my spirits lately. I'm really missing Wes at night and longing for longer days and warmer nights. I cannot wait till it is still light out after work and I can take Airlie for walks. I am so looking forward to spring, taking Airlie to the park, feeding the ducks, playing some volleyball, etc. All in all life is full speed ahead and we are all doing fine. Here's some recent pics of course.

TEETH!

NEW HIGH CHAIR!

The most wonderful time of the year has come and gone..

This year was a really special year for Christmas for us because it was Airlie's first! She was a lot more into Christmas than we thought she would be, although really she just wanted to play with the wrapping paper and bows and could have cared less what was actually in the packages! It was nice to be in our own house for Christmas but weird at the same time. This year was the first time ever that Wes, my mom and I were not in Pennsylvania for Christmas. Although each year I complain about having to travel to PA because it is stressful and always too quick of a trip I must admit I missed being in PA for the holidays. I missed pulling up to Wes's parents house and the dogs knowing we were there, I missed seeing the snow, I missed Candy cane lane, I missed seeing my family, but we did enjoy Christmas here also. It was very relaxing. We went to church at 4 o'clock on Christmas Eve and then had my Mom over for a yummy array of appetizers and cookies. I must admit I was super excited to finally be in North Carolina to attend the Port City Christmas Service. It was amazing as to be expected and the music really filled my heart with joy for the Christmas season. On Christmas Day we had a delicious ham dinner at my Mom's house. The following week Wes's parents came down from Pennsylvania and stayed through New Years. We enjoyed having them here and are always sad to see them leave. Airlie got all kinds of fun stuff for Christmas, including an adorable Mermaid doll and light up sea horse (two of my favorites) Her favorite toy seems to be the fake cell phone she got (Daddy's girl already!) I got a super cool smore maker that makes some delicious smores along with many other thoughtful gifts from Wes. Here are some pictures from the holidays.

Christmas Day at my Mom's house

Airlie and me at Mom's

Mom's beautiful house decorated for Christmas

Airlie posing in her Santa hat!

All the goodies we made for friends and family!

Bechtel Family at our house on Christmas Eve

Airlie and me!

Reading before bed with Daddy.

Reading the Night Before Christmas with Gram!

On her way to her first Christmas party!

It's a reindeer, no it's Airlie!

On the way to pick a Christmas Tree

She liked touching the branches!

Airlie and me by our tree

Dear breastpump,

I am so sick of you. You are a pain in my arse, literally. I am sick of carrying you up two flights of steps every morning to my office and back down every afternoon to my car. I'm sick of lugging you in and out of the house morning and night. I'm sick of cleaning you, I'm sick of looking at you because although Medela insists that you are enclosed in a stylish, sleek bag you are enclosed in a ugly pleather bag that couldn't be less stylish. I'm sick of using you. Although, I am still very grateful for you because without you I couldn't provide the insane amount of milk to my sweet little girl at home.

Love, Kristen

I was thinking this morning and my brain actually started working like my husband's for once and I started computing how many ounces of milk I have pumped with this breast pump. It is amazing and exhausting to think about. After computing, I came to realize that I pump four times a day, five days a week and get approximately 6 ounces every time I pump and I have been doing this since I came back to work around the end of July. So that means that in the last 8 months I have pumped approximately 2,900 ounces of milk for Airlie Mae. That is crazy and although I am really sick and tired of this pump and I will be so excited that I don't have to carry it in and out of work everyday I think I will be sad once this season of Airlie's life is over and she no longer needs me to provide for her in this way.

Ugh.

When I have something to say I have no time to write and when I have time to write I have nothing to say. In the New Year I pledge to write more things down so that I don't lose track of all the wonderful milestones we are experiencing with Airlie. Yeah right like that will actually happen!!!

Pumpkin Patch!

Favorite Aunt Cori and Airlie



The fam





Airlie and her sea of pumpkins

Yummy, pumpkins!

Hiya!

Too cute for words!

We went to the pumpkin patch this weekend! Wes's sister Cori is here visiting us this week and we had a fun weekend hanging out with her. We went downtown and walked around, had some yummy cinnamon lattes at PCJ and then headed over to the pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin. It's really nice having Cori here and we wish she lived closer than Pittsburgh! She adores Airlie and it is so sweet to see them together. She brought Airlie some super cute gifts; some personalized onesies, some fat little books, and the most adorable pumpkin hat ever shown in the photos above that she knitted for Airlie! It was definitely fall like weather this weekend here and that little wool hat came in handy. Airlie was a champ at the pumpkin patch and we managed to take a ridiculous amount of photos. We also had a photo shoot with my friend Tiffany who is a photographer. You can see a sample of the photos here, http://tcophotography.blogspot.com/.

A good time was had by all. :) Can't wait to visit Aunt Cori in Pittsburgh when Airlie is big enough to enjoy the museums, etc. and of course go to Fuel and Fuddle!

Changes in latitudes, Changes in attitudes..

"If I wasn't crazy I would go insane."

Jimmy Buffett had it right when he wrote that lyric. Lately I feel as soon as I get my life in order, I get used to something, my life begins to feel routine, then poof, everything changes! That is exactly what recently happened and I'm trying hard not to let it throw me off course! The big change in our life is Wes's schedule at work. The ever dreaded 2nd shift. Yes he did get a promotion and yes I am very grateful for that, but yes I am also very bummed that his schedule is now 230-1130 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, which means I really only see him on Saturday for half a day, Sunday and Monday evening. Boo to this! I mean seriously who needs to talk to someone on a Saturday night at 11 pm about their cell phone? And for that matter why the heck can't it wait till Monday....but I have decided that I will be ok! Airlie and I made it through week one of being home alone all night without Daddy and we'll make it through many more. And actually where Airlie is concerned this is an optimal schedule that gives her much more time with her Mommy and Daddy than anyone else, so that is a great thing, but we sure do miss Daddy at night! I've found that cooking dinner, cleaning up dinner and then attempting to get Airlie a bath and book before she gets cranky is just virtually impossible and totally not worth it. I believe I may resort to just eating Lean Pockets or tuna salad for the rest of this schedule. Besides cooking for one and eating dinner alone is no fun anyway, but it does mean that our grocery bills may go down, which would be nice because as of late we have realized we spend an uncanny amount of money on groceries. Wow, seriously, it's ridiculous. Anyway that is off track. Back to this whole change and scheduling thing. Um, yeah, right when I thought I had it all in order, baby is sleeping through the night, Mama is rested, we had managed a routine at night where I cook and Wes hangs with Airlie and so on, then bam, no more of that, here's a whole new schedule, get used to it! I think this is a good lesson for me because everyone that has children is always telling me not to get used to anything because once you do it will change, afterall children are always growing and changing and we must keep up. This is so true and is Airlie changing fast and it's so fun. A couple blogs back I said I was going to slow down and worry less about cleaning and more about enjoying my baby girl and this schedule forces me to do so even more. This is good! I think God is testing me and helping me grow at the same time. So with that I've decided to look on the positive side of this yucky schedule and see the glass as half full, something my lovely husband is always helping me to do. However I will say yesterday was great, Wes was off all day and it was nice spending the whole day with him; we went to Riverfest, did a little shopping, bought a new DSLR camera to take some real pics of Airlie with and just relaxed at home. I also enjoyed listening to Wes sing to Airlie while bathing her and getting a little time to myself during the day to start Airlie's baby book. Life is still good even with a crappy schedule thrown in the mix. ;)

It's our anniversary and I love our wedding song.

Baby I've been searching like everybody else
Can't say nothing different about myself
Sometimes I'm an angel
And sometimes I'm cruel
And when it comes to love
I'm just another fool
Yes, I'll climb a mountain
I'm gonna swim the sea
There ain't no act of God girl
Could keep you safe from me
My arms are reaching out
Out across this canyon
I'm asking you to be my true companion
True companion True companion

So don't you dare and try to walk away
I've got my heart set on our wedding day
I've got this vision of a girl in white
Made my decision that it's you allright
And when I take your hand
I'll watch my heart set sail
I'll take my trembling fingers
And I'll lift up your veil
Then I'll take you homeA
nd with wild abandon
Make love to you just like a true companion
You are my true companion
I got a true companion
True companion

When the years have done irreparable harm
I can see us walking slowly arm in arm
Just like the couple on the corner do
'Cause girl I will always be in love with you
And when I look in your eyes
I'll still see that spark
Until the shadows fall
Until the room grows dark
Then when I leave this Earth
I'll be with the angels standin'
I'll be out there waiting for my true companion
Just for my true companion
True companion True companion