Busy Busy

My apologies for lack of posting.  Super super busy.  Here is a week in my life.

Monday: 

Wake up for the day at 4:30 (as long as Abby decides she will sleep then and not wake up at 4).  If Abby is still sleeping I get ready for the day until she wakes up to eat.  This includes washing my face, applying my make-up and brushing my hair.  Then I go to the kitchen and put my lunch together. I go down to the freezer to get Abby's food for the day.  I gather my pump parts and get most of that set to go.  By now its around 5:15.  If Abby still hasn't woken up I will go get her out of bed and feed her. After feeding her I will put her back in her crib.  Sometimes she will fall back asleep, most times she stays awake.  Then I go out to the kitchen to make my oatmeal, same breakfast for the past several months to help my milk supply BORING.  Now its about 5:50, go put my dishes in the dishwasher and let the dog out.  While he is outside go brush my teeth then let him in.  Grab my freezer pack for my milk out of the freezer and pack my pump bag.  Put all my lunch stuff in my lunch box and put that in my bag with my purse.  Grab Abby's food and anything else that is needed for daycare.  At about 6:00 I go back to the bedroom.  Get myself dressed and then grab Abby.  Get her changed and dressed.  At about 6:15 we get our jackets on and into the car seat we go so we can leave by 6:20.  Grab school bag, pump bag, lunch, purse, iced coffee and car seat and off we go.  Drop Abby off at daycare at 6:30, talk with M for a little bit and then off to work.  Usually arrive around 7:15 for work to start at 7:30.  First break is at 10 where I go to the mothers room to pump.  If I remember to bring my homework I try to do that while pumping.  Lunch at 12:30 and again break at 4.  Off work by 5 and head to class that starts at 6.  Class is over at 9 and then head home arriving between 9:30-9:45.  Then I have to put away my milk pumped from the day, dirty dishes from lunch and clean all my pump parts.  Take a shower and try to wind down from the day, hopefully getting to bed before 11.  Abby will usually wake up twice between when she goes to bed at 7:30 and when we are up at 4:30.

Tuesday:

Morning pretty much the same minus grabbing the school bag.  Day at work similar except for second break is at 3 instead of 4.  Off work at 6 then get home around 6:30.  If Abby isn't too tired or hungry we try to Skype with daddy for a few minutes.  Lately she has been both tired and hungry when I get home, so I go to feed her and then lay her down around 7.  Then I have to put away my milk, dirty lunch dishes and clean my pump parts.  Eat dinner at some point and try to finish the homework that is due  at 11pm.  I usually don't get to bed until after 11 because of homework.  Again Abby waking up 2 times during the night.  I hope that the first is before I go to bed.

Wednesday and Thursday:

Repeat Tuesday minus the homework deadline.  I usually try to do homework these nights but am so exhausted I want to get to bed early, meaning before 9 although that never really happens.  

Friday:

Basically my daily routine except everything happens about 20 minutes earlier.  I am volunteering at Armstrong High School for school.  I try to get there at 7:00 since school starts at 7:20.  The one downfall is I don't get to pump during the day.  School gets out at 2:10 so I usually leave around 2:20.  On the odd weeks that means I get to go home.  Since Abby is in daycare I make a stop at Target on my way home so she can finish her nap.  Depending on what time it is, I might try to go do some homework before picking her up.  After picking her up we usually go home to play for a little bit.  Around 530 I feed her dinner of oatmeal.  Then it is bath time around 6.  She loves playing in the water.  Depending on how she is doing, I usually nurse her around 7 and she will fall asleep (I hope).

On the even weeks I have class at 4, so I go out to the parking lot and pump in my car before leaving.  At about 2:45 I leave the parking lot to go get some dinner before class.  Class is over at 7:20 so I get home around 8.  Peanut is USUALLY in bed by then, sometimes she is stubborn.  Again I have to take care of my milk, lunch dishes and clean my pump parts.  In theory it would be nice if I managed to get some homework done.  However, it usually doesn't happen.  I get together my list for grocery shopping the next day, which can take awhile depending on the coupons I find and the deals they have.

Saturday:

Saturdays are grocery shopping day because Rainbow doubles coupons.  Abby is usually up for the day around 6 (on a good day).  We hang out in bed for awhile playing and giggling (highlight of my week).  Around 7:30 or 8 we will emerge to get ready for the day.  She usually naps between 8-10.  While she is napping I use that time to get ready, shower, eat and all that fun. After nap, its breakfast time of some sort of fruit.  Then we leave to grocery shop.  This can take up to 2 hours depending on what we get.  If there are other errands we run those as well.  Then back home.  Second nap is usually around 1.  I try to do a little homework during this time.  Also use the time to clean up and organize the stuff she has laying around.  Laundry usually gets done as well.  After she wakes up from nap time its time for some veggies.  Then play time.  Play time is a lot hard now that she is on the move.  Trying to get the puppy, or get into puppy's food and water dish.  Pulling herself up on the coffee table and trying to chew on that.  Can't really concentrate on homework while corralling a 7 month old.  Between 5:30 and 6 we eat some tasty oatmeal.  Then around 7 I nurse her and hope she goes to sleep. (Hasn't happened this nicely in a while).  If she goes to sleep, AWESOME.  If not then we hang out in the dark room and hope she falls asleep soon.  I then try to tackle a little homework, but I'm so exhausted I don't usually get a lot done.  

Sunday:

We were going to church for awhile, however we haven't made it lately.  Sunday is pretty similar to Saturday minus the grocery shopping.  By Sunday night I need to finish the homework that is due on Monday.  Hopefully get to bed at a decent time for the start of my long week.  

So as you can see, there is not a lot of time in my crazy life.  Abby turns 8 months old in 2 days and I finally looked at her 7 month pictures today.  I will try to get a short update soon.  Thanks all for dealing and reading.  :)

-Mama Lucas-

FOOOOOOOOOODDDD!!!!!

August 17 was the start of tasty nummies.  Peanut has been watching anyone and everyone eat.  So 6 months marked the time.  Decided to start off with sweet potatoes.  She loved them!  Was trying to grab for the spoon even.  Since then we have tried:

Carrots: Not a fan at first (8.25), but day 3 at the daycare Peanut was all for them.

Acorn Squash: Yummy, she kept wanting more (8.30).  Nana was happy, she loves squash too.

Peas: Daddy got to feed these for the first time (9.3).  They are pretty good too.  Day 2 of peas was at the daycare and she was pretty mad that it was all gone.  She was crying, bottle wasn't good enough.  On day 3 of peas I brought double (2 cubes from an ice cube tray) and even that wasn't good enough, she was looking for more.  

Green Beans:  Not a fan at all.  We just started this today (9.7) and she just quit opening her mouth.  At least with the carrots she was still opening her mouth looking for more but giving some strange looks.  Green beans she only had a tiny bit and just quit opening her mouth for them.  

Today also marked the day where we started solids twice a day.  Green beans this morning and sweet potatoes this afternoon.  Those sweet potatoes certainly are tasty.  

We are also starting with a sippy cup, with water of course.  Just so we can get the hang of it.  Its a little hard right now.

And now for your viewing pleasure...

-Mama Lucas-

6 months old

Who gave my Peanut permission to grow so fast????  I demand you come forward :)  

Peanuts 6 month stats were 14 pounds 11 ounces and 27 inches long.  Still long and skinny.  Even though it appears that she has a belly in pictures she can still wear 0-3 month skirts (not pants, her legs are too long) however she is starting to fit a decent amount of her 6 month pants.  Makes it hard to shop for her when I don't really know what size she will be in at what age.  Doesn't stop me from shopping though :) 

 Of course with a milestone of 6 months we also get to do another photo shoot of her.  This time she had so many facial expressions to give.  I think I need to start realizing how many facial expressions I'm using, haha.  We got to work with the very talented Stefany with Tiny Moments Photography and so many great pictures.  Here are few (ok several) of the adorable Peanut.  

You want a piece of me?!?!?!

Wait, do you have food? GIMMEE 

Huh?

Hahaha, I crack myself up!

:P

Oh PUH-LEASE

Ya I'm pretty much adorable

 Daddy picked out the blue dress.  He's got pretty good taste.

We also got to sneak in a few with Nana and Papa.  It was Papas idea for the picture.  I love it, so cute.

As Nana said it, the best catch of the year :)

6 Months old and there are still many days where I look at her and can't believe I got to have such a beautiful, wonderful baby.  These have been some of the greatest, most rewarding, hard, tiresome, exhausting, beautiful, amazing, stressful, loving 6 months of my life.  I don't just love being a mom, I love being Peanuts mommy.  I love walking in the room to get her in the morning and having those two adorable eyes peeking over the top of the crib at me.  When I put my arms out to pick her up and she reaches up at me.  I love my Peanut with ever fiber of my being.

Her name Peanut was meant to be.  So many people that I run across (that don't know her nickname) say, "awe, what a Peanut."  

-Mama Lucas

Great Grandma visits

So I guess I'm a little behind on my posts.  Be prepared for a few I guess.  

Peanut got to meet her last great grandparent on August 5th.  Great Grandma Liekhus and Peanut's Great Aunt Dawn stopped by for a visit on their way up to Fargo.  They agreed with everyone else, she is adorable.  Peanut wasn't sure what to think of Dawn though.  She kept looking at her funny.  Then Dawn would make her chicken clucking noise, and Peanut had no idea what to do with that noise.  It was pretty entertaining.  

I wish Peanut would have been able to meet her Great Grandpa Liekhus.  I'm sure she would have given him many funny looks and he probably would have returned them to her.  :)

We also took a 4 generations picture.

-Mama Lucas

Teething

Teething sucks.  As any parent would know it just sucks.  Peanut cut her 2 bottom teeth this past Wednesday.  I have been wondering for awhile if she was because she has been drooling like crazy and chewing on anything.  Today was the first day I really had to deal with some fussiness from it.  She barely napped.  When she finally laid down, she slept for about 30 minutes.  Then she woke up crying.  I'm thinking her teeth were hurting her.  To get her to take a nap I decided to take her for a walk.  That almost always gets her to sleep. So off we went.  Baby, mommy and puppy.  After about 15-20 minutes she was asleep.  Make my round home (40 minute walk) and she is still sleeping.  So I decide to keep walking and get her some more sleep.  Walked 3.5 miles in a little over an hour and puppy was SOOOO tired.  I actually had to pick him up twice to carry him.  But Peanut got to sleep for an hour so that helped her a little.


Tonight was a little closer to the normal bed routine since going on vacation.  Put her in bed around 7:30 and she cried twice and then went to sleep.  Hopefully she will sleep all night and those teeth won't wake her again.  

And just for fun here is a picture.  She wrapped herself up.  I think she was trying to make a fort :)  


-Mama Lucas

Going to California

Abby got to take her first vacation at just about 5 months old.  We went out to CA so she could meet the rest of her family.  To say the least, she was a hit, but how could she not be.  The most common phrase was a version of "look at those blue eyes."  

We were meeting daddy in Sacramento, he got there about an hour before we did.  She did pretty well on the flight.  Ate at takeoff and fell asleep, I tried to move her and she woke up.  Was up for about another 30 minutes and started to fuss so I fed her again and she fell asleep.  I was not going to move her again.  That resulted me holding a bicep curl with a 12.5  pound weight for 2 hours.  She woke up about 40 minutes before landing and did well at landing.  She slept for 45 minutes of the hour and a half drive down to Modesto where we checked into our hotel and headed over to her Auntie C's house.  Her Auntie was so excited to meet her, and wasn't there when we showed up.  She got to meet her Uncle M, her cousin B, her Grandpa.  A little bit later her Auntie C and her Cousin Z showed up.  They all loved her.  

The next day we got to go to Grammie's house and meet a lot of her family including her Uncle K and her Auntie B.  There were so many people that came to meet her.  Of course they all loved her.  The time adjustment was a little hard on her.  She didn't want to nap and it was harder to get her to go down at night.  The first 2 nights she was also back to middle of the night feedings, which she hasn't done in a very long time.  That was hard on mommy.  We took Monday to just hang around the hotel where Peanut got to go swimming for the first time.  Her Cousins also came over.  

She turned 5 months while we were out in CA.  How is she that old already?

For the rest of the week we just hung out around the house taking it easy, isn't that what vacation is for?  It was great to visit with family again.  We haven't been out there in 2 years.  Auntie C also had to foreign exchange students from Japan staying there.  N and M, to say they loved Abby would be an understatement.  There was one day that we weren't there in the evening because we were off meeting some of our February mama's and babies.  They asked about her and were sad when they were told she wasn't there.  

The last day we drove back to Sacramento where we stayed the night at Uncle K's house.  THen it was time to go home the next day.  The flight back went well just like the flight there.  She is such a good plane baby.  It was very nice having her be so good.  I was so worried I was going to be THAT WOMAN with the screaming baby.  It was good to be home.  I was way more exhausted when we got home than before I left.  A vacation is definitely different when traveling with kids.  


-Mama Lucas

Growing so fast

I am so amazed at how fast my baby girl is growing.  She loves standing, with a little help of course.  Constantly trying to reach and grab for things.  When I go to get her out of her crib she looks and me and gives me the biggest grin.  Melts my heart every time.  I can't believe how in love with this girl I am.  


I am also so happy I chose the daycare that I did.  She smiles all the time when I drop her off and I hear stories of how happy she is when she is there.  She loves hanging with the girls like she is one of them, not a 5 month old baby.  She squeals with excitement when the kids run past her, like its the most exciting thing in the world.  The girls there love when she wears dresses so I like to put her in them.  Apparently she is turning into a monkey now too because she likes to try to use her feet to hold her bottle as well.  I got a text from the daycare lady yesterday that said, "Abby is awesome!!! Thank you so much for letting me take care of her.  Can't help lovin this little sweetheart.  We just had one on one time.  Such an awesome smile!!!  Her mood is contagious!"  Well if that just doesn't warm a mama's heart.  

My little Peanut will be 5 months next week.  Where has this time gone?  How is my baby already almost 5 months?  Its been over a year since I found out I was pregnant with my little peanut and I have no idea what life was like before her.  I can't remember what it felt like to wake up feeling fully refreshed from a full nights sleep.  I can't imagine waking up in the morning and not seeing that smile looking at me making everything all better.  


My skinny little girl is still mostly hanging out in her 0-3 month clothes.  She has switched over in a few things, and I will put her in some that are too big because her dresses are just too darn cute not to wear.  I'm guessing that girls length is coming from her legs because her pants may be too short but she can still fit into her 0-3 month onesies.  Who knew I would be so wrong in figuring out her clothes.  Not wanting to buy newborn because I didn't think she would wear them that long, I think she was in them for over a month.  Now she is still in 0-3 month and it is half way through summer already. 

Peanut is my greatest gift from God and I can't thank him enough for letting me be her mama.  She is the most amazing baby a mama could ask for.  


-Mama Lucas