Farting is my life...

Everyone tells you how much fun and cute babie's are.  And that they grow up SO fast.  And that they'll change your life forever, etc. etc.  The one thing no one warned me about was how much they fart!  Oh yes, I have one impressive farter on my hands.  She farts so much I'm convinced we could hook her up to a generator and she could supply enough gas to run an entire city! 

My Little Farty McFarterson

The great thing about having the ultimate toot machine is anytime I fart I can blame it on her and no one thinks otherwise.  Ha! 

When we're not farting.  We're reading!  Look at my little smarty pants!  As Aunt Lollie would say, "She's so advanced!"  I love, love, love this picture!  She's so into her story, it must be a very exciting book, she can hardly put it down.  

My little Sweet Pea hanging with her Daddy.

I love it when this happens!  So our night time routine consists of keeping her awake  for the last three hours of the day.  We start bath time at about 8 o'clock and then she has her Big Girl bottle (6oz of formula) at about 8:30pm and  is usually asleep by 9pm.  On this particular evening I went to burp her and the little stinker konked out on my shoulder.  She was so exhausted, I could've flown a 737 through her bedroom window and I swear she would not have woken up.  She's just so darn cute when she's out like that.  Mouth wide open and all. 

Sorry no baby in this photo, just Mom and Jessica.  This cracked me up.  It only took 2 weeks of me being back to work for us to get our wardrobes back in sync.  The funny thing is, the last time we wore similar outfits was with our hot pink skirts and white tops!  We love to dress the same when it comes to pink!

14 Weeks! Holy Crap!

I'm such a BIG Girl!!!  14 Weeks and I'm already in my 6 month clothes!

So I thought when I went back to work I'd have more time to blog, boy was I wrong!  We've been so busy!  I sold 4 homes in my first 2 weeks backs.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself. 

My first day back was a little rough.  I backed out the driveway and cried.  Realized I'd ruin my makeup and stopped immediately.  Then went to work, felt pretty miserable, came home and cried to Violet. I told her I did't want to go back and that we needed to figure out some way for me to stay home. I seeked outside advice and Aunt Lindsey told me to go ahead and win the lottery.  

Yeah...I'll get right on that.

  

Since that didn't happen I sucked it up and went back on Sunday and had a great day!  Got my first lot hold and fell back in my groove.  I missed Violet, of course, but boy did it feel good to get back in the saddle again.  I mean, it's been 12 weeks!  So unless I do win the lottery it looks like I'll be staying at my job.  

I have to admit it feels so good dressing in work clothes again.  Wow, never thought I'd be saying that!  Sweats and yoga pants are still the greatest invention ever, but walking in a pair of heels and a pressed suit definitely feels good.  Plus, since I've lost so much weight it's like I have a whole new wardrobe!  I'm wearing my business suits, dress pants and skirts from 7 years ago when I first started at Lennar.  We're talking back when I was still teaching aerobics 7 days a week and rock solid!  I may not be rock solid so to speak, but I am looking good and loving it!  Next time I gain weight I'll just have another baby so I can lose it all again :)  Please Karma don't catch up to me for gloating!   

Violet will always have better style then me so before she gets too old and too cool I'll continue to dress like her and document it on the internet.  

Another great thing about being able to dress your kid.  You can make them wear things that say "I adore Mommy"  and "Daddy Rocks."  If only she'd wear this shirt when she's 17.

This is such a great picture!  So we're having play time and then I see my kid start to bend backwards to see the TV.  Yep, my kid is actually bending her head backwards to watch the Oscar's.  Awesome.  Apparently we already have a TV addict in the house.  I guess I'll have to activate the parental controls.  Bring on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.  No HBO for this little one! 

AHHHhhhhhhhh!!!  A PINK BUTTERFLY!!!

Today at 14 weeks old my little baby has discovered the Bumbo and is sitting all by herself!  Look how proud she is.  It's like she knows she's a Rockstar! 

Violet can never get enough of Nana.  Nana recorded her voice on this toy bunny and when you squeeze it Nana's voice comes out and talks to Violet.  It's super cute because her face lights up and her eyes get really big.  The best part is, when you squeeze it, Roxi comes running, tail wagging and all!  All the ladies in the house love their Nana.  It's so cute. 

I'm only 3 months old and wearing 6 month clothes!

Today is a day full of big accomplishments!  First the bumbo and now Graduation day!  We have graduated out of the sling and into the Big Girl Tub!  Okay so she probably should've been out of the new born bath swing a long time ago but Mommy didn't read the directions and is still figuring out how all this stuff works.  Luckily we have Google and Aunt Lindsey to tell us when and how to do things.

  Violet had so much fun and I've got the water all over the mirror to prove it!  Splish Splash 

She's Taking a Bath!   

Super Baby!  I wish this picture would have turned out better.  She was smiling and having so much fun.  Next time I'm taking video of the whole thing.  I wish I could document everything at all times.  I swear I find myself saying, I wish I had my camera, more than 3 times a day.  She's just so animated. 

This girl LOVES looking at herself in the mirror.  Huge smiles!  Today she was spitting so many spit bubbles at her reflection it was like she was trying to one up herself.  I think she's got a little narcissism in her.  I'm sure she gets that from her Mom.  

We went and surprised Daddy at work today.  Violet was a hit!  Daddy's boss and all his coworkers thought she was just the cutest thing.  She did so good too!  Lots of first for her 14 week birthday!  I can't believe it's been 14 weeks!  

People are talkin....

There's been a lot of talk about who Violet resembles the most.  Being the selfish, self centered person that I am, naturally I want her to look like me.  Of course everyone, but me, thinks she looks like Justin.  I'll admit she definitely has her Daddy's Asian eyes, but based on the fact that I had to have a c-section after 23 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing clearly states, she has my big head!

Violet

Me

As you can see we both have the same "Oh dear Lord she has the camera again!" look.  So our annoyance levels are pretty much the same. 

Violet

Violet:  Damn it Mom!  I'm naked and I'm cold!  Can you PLEASE put away the freakin' camera already!  

Me

Me:  "What she said..."

So as you can see we clearly have similar personalities.  She cries when she's sad, she wines when she wants something.  If she could I'm sure she'd stomp her feet to add to the whining. Not that I've ever done that before!  Even at age 30, I swear!  Yeah...right!

  

Violet

Me

The more I look at the pictures and write this post, the more I'm saddened by the fact that she kinda, sorta, doesn't really look like me :(.  I mean, we both have thin lips and brown hair so that's a start...  She does have 2 eyes, a nose and a mouth, so I guess I have that going for me.  But I refuse to give up!  She's my little girl and she will look similar to me one day.  Maybe not today but as she gets older I'm sure we'll see more of me in her and if not I guess I can be okay with it.  Her Dad is pretty darn good lookin' if I do say so myself!

2 Months

 11.1 lbs (56%) and 23 inches long (82%). 

Violet's 2 months old today!  It's still so hard to believe she's been in our lives for 2 whole months. The time has certainly flown by.  She's growing up so fast!  2 months ago she was 7.5 lbs and only sleeping during the day.  Now she's 11.1 lbs and sleeping through the night!  That's right!  My little Sweet Pea has blessed me with 8 straight hours!  I couldn't believe it.  I must've woken up 7 times to make sure she was still alive.  It was wonderful!  Now if only this will keep happening so I can actually sleep during the 8 hours and not wake up every 5 minutes.  Gotta love the learning process.

The next thing I have to do is put my milk making machines on the same schedule as Violet.  They seem to have a "work all the time" mode which is absolute crap.  If you miss a feeding/pump session they'll explode all over you.  It's quite disgusting actually.  So basically Daddy gets to sleep, Violet gets to sleep and Mommy and her milk-o-matics get to wake up in the middle of the night to pump.  Yippee for me!  The sacrificing begins...

I'm so sad to say that my 12 weeks is almost up.  I'm having a hard time imagining not being with Baby Violet every day.  I'm not quite sure how this is all going to work.  I need to get on the ball and start looking into hiring a Nanny, but the pure thought of handing her over to someone else is just beyond me.  I mean, they're not going to do it right.  She'll cry and they won't know what she needs.  Or they'll hold her wrong, I mean the girl has her favorite ways to be held.  I know I can't be at Violet's side all day everyday, but if I could I would in a heart beat.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am totally jealous of stay at home Moms.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I must admit it will be fun to dress in work attire again and not nursing bras.  I'm definitely looking forward to the joys of NOT having diaper creme lodged in my nails for at least 8 hours a day, that'll be nice!  Let's not forget my ability to blog all day long!  Wait....something's wrong with that sentence?  But seriously, having 10 minutes of uninterrupted time on a keyboard to put my thoughts in writing, I can't even begin to imagine!  Don't worry, I'll work too.  Mama's gotta bring home the bacon!

How stinkin' cute is this!  

Sedona Rae & Violet Rae or "Ultra Violent Rays" as Sedona calls her.  Of course Sedona will immediately tell you, "My Dad calls her that"

I will certainly miss being able to meet Sedona, Aunt Sarah and Gigi for lunch on a random Friday.  Or going on our morning walks.  Having Nana stop over just to say hello, and staring at her video monitor while she takes her naps.  Yep looking at it right now.  I might have to invest in one of those nanny cams.  Do you think it'd freak out the nanny? Hmmm...She'll get over it.

I'm going to do my best not to think about how fast my reality is catching up to me and treasure every moment.  I guess I just didn't think time would fly by so fast.  Here's to enjoying the greatest gift ever, the present.  

6 Weeks!!

My little baby girl is 6 weeks old today! (That's not entirely true, she's actually 7 weeks and 2 days, as of today, however when I started writing this post she was 6 weeks)  As an early birthday present she decided to surprise her Mama with sleeping a full 6 hours straight last night!  She's such a thoughtful little thing! Fingers crossed she's in the mood to keep celebrating and it continues.


I've learned more in the last six weeks than I think I ever have in my entire life.  This little gem of mine is one hell of a teacher.  And you thought baby's only cry, poop, eat, sleep, repeat.  Well, that's true too.  This kid, however, has taught me so much.  


Patience, now there's a word I never quite understood.  As it turns out I still don't understand it when it comes to the rest of the world.  But when it comes to her, if you don't have it, you better figure it out quick.  For  instance, if she doesn't want to go to sleep, well then, you better get comfortable because you're not going to either.  Laundry, dishes, to do lists, well....just throw those out the window!  She's not interested in waiting patiently for you to complete them.  And Blogging, well, that's another one she hasn't quite realized the importance of.  Nope she wants to be held when she wants to be held and there's no negotiating with her either.  She certainly drives a hard bargain.  Of course, once she's in your arms and looking up at you, it's amazing how quickly you forget about all the things you've been neglecting.  Hence the reason our Christmas cards were just sent out this past week.  I may be 4 weeks behind but at least they went out before Valentine's Day!


In the last 6 weeks we've had a lot of firsts.  Like today for instance, she spit up all over me and down my shirt 2 minutes prior to us walking out the door....Awesome.  All you Mom's are like, yep, and it won't be the last time either!   Luckily it was workout clothes and we were going on a walk.  But still!  Ewe!  She managed to spit up in my boot two days ago.  Don't ask how that occurred.  It just did.

A few other firsts:

12/24 First Restaurant.  Of course to a bar that has over 100 beers on tap.  Mama sure can pick them!

First time with Santa on my booty!

 First time Mom dressed me in some goofy holiday outfit.  Man I'm adorable!!

 First time seeing a gigantic gingerbread display.  Yet, another thing I'll never remember but if this is what makes my Mom and Nana happy then so be it! 

As you can see I'm sound asleep and could care less as to what's going on right now.

1/2 First bottle of formula.  Broke Mama's heart but now that I look back on everything I wish I would've introduced it sooner.  You were hungry kiddo and there's nothing wrong with that.

1/4 First trip to Red Lobster to celebrate GG's 90th birthday
(If possible this will be her first and last trip, sorry GG, this Mama is not a fan of that place)  

1/5 First Birthday Party.  GG's 90th's with all her friends and family.

1/5 First time peeing all over someone.  (Sorry Aunt Lindsey)

Violet's probably peeing through her diaper as I took this picture!

1/5 First Big Sleep thru the night, 5 hour stretch than a 3 hour stretch.  Yeah she's sleeping at night time and not during the day!

1/6 First walk around our neighborhood.  Boy is Mama out of shape!!

1/10 First trip to the zoo!  

Ashlyn, Declan and Lindsey invited us and we had so much fun Violet slept the whole time!  Too much excitement for this kid apparently.

 When we got there it was literally freezing.  So I bought this goofy hat to keep me warm.  I also figured Violet would be able to see the black and white but then she slept the whole time which left Mom looking like an idiot.  The things we do...

 Ashlyn was so awesome!  She would yell, "Hi Aunt Kristi and Baby Violet" as she went round and round the carousel.  But seriously, every time she circled.  It was amazing!  It never got old, she was so excited!

Violet wake up!  You're missing the giraffes!!

Mom & Dad's Big Night Out!

 It's Jessica & Eric's Wedding!  I'm so happy for the amazing couple!  I met Jessica about 5 years ago through my company.  It was about 3 years ago that we really became great friends.  Scratch that,  I'd definitely say she's a best friend!  This girl has been my confidant, therapist, and partner in crime.  I don't know what I'd do without such a great partner to help me get through work and life!  Love you Jess!

Anyway, Jess and Eric finally tied the knot and Justin and I got our first big night out on the town because of it!  A huge thanks to the happy couple for throwing one hell of a party!  And an even bigger thanks to my Mom (aka Nana) for having Violet spend the night.  First big sleep over!  Hopefully not the last...hint hint :).

 This Mama & Dad clean up real nice! 

 Yeah Jess & Eric! 

 I'm going to take a moment to pat myself on the back.  By some crazy miracle I managed to lose all 27lbs of my baby weight in 13 days!  I've now lost an additional 6 lbs on top of that!  Loving my new body!  Except now my rings don't fit and I almost walked out the door after my wedding ring fell on the floor!  Eek!  Time to buy the extra insurance!

 The 3 boys had a great time!  I'd call it a bromance.  Us girls tore up the dance floor while these guys hit it off.  Excited to add Steve to the group.  Tena, you picked a good one!

 Love this picture!

And here you thought chugging contests ended in college.  Nope!  I believe this was ruled a tie.  Lindsey Smith may be small but that girl can chug a beer!

It's Violet's First Christmas!

 Our Little Family. 

 She's pissed because Crockett got more presents from Mom and Dad then she did...

 Violet:  "A book called the Dog Whisperer?  WTF?  Another present for the dogs!?!"

 Steelers

My new world, doing everything one handed.  I'm getting pretty darn good at it if I do say so myself!

 Christmas morning at Nana's.  The puppies were so happy to come.  I think they were worried.

 Mom 6 months ago:  "I've never had a Coach purse before..."  

Me:  Subtle Mom, Subtle...

 Tea and her Dad

 My little show stopper, Miss Sedona Rae!  Technically we're 2nd cousins but I'd like to think she's my little niece.  Her Mom calls me Cuz-Aunt Kristi and Sedona just calls me Aunt Kristi.  I think she gets that her Mom's a little off her rocker sometimes :).  

Speaking of her Mom...  I'm just checking if you're reading my blog Sarah :).  Love my Cousin!!

 Violet had a few costume changes throughout the day.  So many cute Christmas outfits to choose from!  

Uncle Josh & Violet.

 Aunt JoAn and Violet.  Technically she's "Great Aunt JoAn."  That just seems so weird to me.  

Great Uncle Dave and Violet.  

Aunt JoAn and Uncle Dave both got Violet the same exact outfit!  What can I say, great minds think alike!  Love them both so very much!  Violet you're one lucky kid to be born into such an amazing family!