First shots

Raegan got her first shots on August 19th. She screamed for about 2-3 minutes then I held her and she was automatically calmed. Poor baby :(. I also found out she's quite a bit ahead in her social development. She's trying to talk and the doctor said you usually see that kind of interactive communication around 4-5 months. Everyone thinks their child is awesome do I didn't think anything of get babbling other than it being adorable but I think we may have a social butterfly on our hands. Like her mama ;). 

I budget like its my JOB.

As a new homeowner, new mother and new wife I have a lot on my plate but I am also our family's chief financial officer! As stressful as that can be at times, I have a few strategies that help me stay on budget:

1. We don't charge. My husband and I do not have credit cards because we feel that spending our own money is one good way of increasing fiscal responsibility. What would we do in an emergency? Well, we have the option of taking out a home equity line if it were a BIG emergency but we also save a little bit (sometimes its only 20 dollars) each month for car repairs, air conditioner tune ups, and vet bills because our Doxie has more health problems than a 90 year old. 

2.  We have specific spending/saving accounts. I have set up 3 main accounts for us which are: spending account, bill account and savings account. Our spending account is ONLY used for groceries, gas and extras like a movie or dinner (which are rare) and this money is ONLY what we have left over after we deposit into our bill account. Our bill account has a set amount transferred into it each pay period to cover the bills ( ComEd, Nicore, mortgage, insurance, garbage, water, cable, Internet etc.) all of my bills come out automatically so I never worry about missing a payment. My savings account also has a set amount transferred into it FROM MY BILL ACCOUNT. I treat saving like an obligation or necessity rather than an option. 

3. Perhaps the biggest component of my budgeting is my balance forecasting app. This app allows you to enter all if your bills, the dates they're due and it allows you to see what your balance in your account will be months in the future. I only use the app for my bill account because I don't do any unplanned spending from this account. 

I do have a few golden rules of budgeting:

* I don't EVER transfer out of my bill account into my spending account. I have very little wiggle room in my bill account so doing so would mean missing a payment. 

* I check my bank account at least once a day to make sure all goes as planned. I have been stuck in a situation where my account automatically transfers sooner than I thought it would and who likes having their debit card declined when you KNOW you have money... its just another account? Not me! So I try and check every day to avoid such situations.

* saving is MOST important. It's the most important "bill" I have. If you are constantly in a balancing act between debt and profit, it creates a lot of stress. Believe me, I DO NOT HAVE MONEY TO SAVE but I make sacrifices so that what little money we do have, we put away even if its only 10 or 20 dollars. 

Postpartum weightloss progress

I am 8 pounds away from my pre pregnancy weight and 22 pounds away from my goal weight. I can't credit this to anything but breastfeeding and being too busy to eat sometimes but I will be working in workouts in the near future! 

Raegan's first trip to the fair!!!

We now live in a new county so we decided to check out they're county fair. We had a great time and Rae got to see lots of sheep and bunnies! We got deep fried Oreos (which are the 8th deadly sin) and oh my god. Just now, I remembered we got donuts from the fair!!!! It's like Christmas!!! I'm going to have coffee and a donut and watch my baby sleep :)

Ps 4th night in a row that she has slept through the night!!!!

Things I can't live without right now

There are a few things (motherhood related and not) that I'm obsessed with lately. Here they are:

1. Elf studio baked bronzer. It's $3.00 and it creates a healthy glow that also masks skin imperfections (have to closely match your face to get the best "masking") I use St. Lucia.

2. My Boppy. I use it for breastfeeding & everything else

3. Mrs. Meyer's countertop spray in Basil. I can't get

 enough of this stuff! It smells awesome and it makes your counter shine!

4. Burt's Bee's baby oil. It makes your skin so soft with a soft smell as well. 

5. Special K Pastry Delights in chocolate. They're delicious. They're also great for a quick bite in between breastfeeding and whatever else I'm doing. 

God has tailored current fashion trends to my postpartum body

I just have to give a shout out to today's current fashion trends. It just so happens that as I'm coming to terms with losing my post pregnancy pooch BOOM high-waisted pants come back! As I'm trying to disguise my body yet enjoy the beach, BAM two pieces, circa 1920's reappear and give my midriff a flattering hiding place! Flowing tops? My arms say thank you very much and who can forget the fact that its all if a sudden fashionable to let your roots grow out and call it ombré? Well I'll take it! So thank you fashion gods, for smiling upon my post pregnancy woes. 

First laugh/smile

I can't call it a laugh bc it was more of just a smile but Raegan is beginning to react to things that she likes by smiling! Daddy will look at her and she will smile and he will make noises and faces and she will smile! So sweet and innocent. I wish I could freeze time. 

Go. To. Sleep.

Raegan has been grunting and cooing in her bassinet for about a half hour. While she's pretty darn cute even when she grunts, this mom is at the end of the rope  and rather than tie the knot at the end of the rope, I am about to wrap that rope around my husband. Tightly. Both "children" are particularly noisy and childlike today. 

Cam is in the "everything you say, I'm going to negate it. You're wrong" kind of mood and I am in the "Stop talking or you will be wearing your pasta" kind of mood. Needless to say, we both need to say I love you and go to bed. Praying that raegan sleeps for more than 3 hours tonight!   

Heat rash

Poor baby is suffering from heat rash. I have heard that its common and should go away with some lukewarm baths and corn starch but I may call the doctor of it isn't getting better in a few days. She seems to be herself and no fever so we will see! 

I bought cookie dough with no intention on making cookies...

As I'm thinking about getting back into my pre pregnancy fitness routine (which often consisted of thinking of going to the gym but never really feeling like it) I think I need a kick start. I realized today as I ate cookie dough from the tube that this was no way to get to my goal weight. I have been lucky in that I am less than 10lbs away from my pre pregnancy weight however I would like to lose 30 lbs in total. Tomorrow I'm purging my cabinets! I'm throwing away everything that is processed and cookie tasting! I'm starting to walk everyday and eating a green diet!!!! The end. 

Those times when you can't stop laughing.

1. When your baby sharts LOUDLY in church but especially when it's directly following the priest saying, "let us call to mind our sins."

2. When your baby laughs. I mean come on, what cold hearted, dolphin murdering, seal clubbing, satanic beast doesn't giggle when a baby laughs? 

3. When you are so tired that you call your baby by your beagle's name. 

4. When you crack a joke that you think is funny but soon realize its not funny to anyone who has received over 3 hours if sleep. 

5. When your beagle ears a razor for the second time. You just have to laugh to keep from crying. 

Whistling before we bathe

The other night, my husband started whistling to Raegan before her bath and she loved it. It must have been the frequency or something but she was entranced! Too funny!

Germs

As a child I played in the dirt, ate a worm or two, didn't wash my hands before dinner on multiple occasions and all organic wasn't an option. Neither was hand sanitizer. As a result, not only am I alive but I have to say, I get sick very rarely. There comes a time in a mothers life when I feel like you have to choose whether you're going to be "that mom" who carries around GermX and Lysol wipes or the mom who lets people hold her kid, even if they haven't UV sanitized their hands first. Your child is going to get sick and while its awful and heartbreaking, penicillin and Tylenol do wonders. Let your kid play and be less worried about what they touch and be more concerned about their social skills and developing a non-fearful, fun loving dirt licking kid! 

4-D vs the real deal

I'm not sure I see a resemblance here but the 4-D ultrasound was cool none the less. I would recommend getting one around 25 weeks when the baby still has some room to move. Otherwise it just looks like a smooshed blob. 

Don't google "will my body ever go back to normal."

This is me 2.5 weeks after Raegan was born. What you can see is the small but present pooch that's still there and of course the lovely tiger stripes that plague my tummy and hips. Word to the wise, don't google "will my body ever go back to normal." It's depressing. Because I had so much fluid retention, most of the stretch mark damage isn't even from my belly growing believe it or not. I'm about 10 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight and 20-30 lbs away from where I ideally want to be. I haven't been cleared to exercise yet but I can't wait! 

The name game

Every mom wants their child to say mama first. Raegan's grandfather is set on her saying daddy first however, he is also telling her that our wiener dog's name is daddy. Every time Dolly (the dog) walks by, he points and says "daddy! Raegan say daddy!" I find this funny. My husband, less so. 

My child farts like a grown man

How can such a small butt
host so much destruction? She scares herself awake for goodness sakes!

A FEW THINGS THEY DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT THE FIRST FEW WEEKS

A Few Things They Don't Tell You About The First Few Weeks

I gave birth to my wonderful bundle of joy about three weeks ago. As a first time mom, I was picturing the TLC-Like Baby Story where I have a somewhat strenuous labor but end up going home the next day with my baby in hand. I ended up with a 34 hour labor with intense back pain only to be told I was too small to birth my child naturally so I ended up with a c-section. Not what I pictured but whatever...she's here and perfect and that's all that counts right? So any-who, I have compiled a list of surprises (some pleasant, some not) that have come to light in the past few weeks that any expectant mothers might find helpful:

1. Telling your husband that you think you're having contractions is not a good idea if you are not entirely sure you are in full full blown labor. This may result in your husband asking every mother he knows if, "this is normal?"
2. Once you are in the hospital and have been admitted they don't let you eat. its for the best but its not pleasant. If there is anything worse than a pregnant, contracting wife, it is a hungry, pregnant, contracting wife. 
3. When you have the baby, you wont be able to tell if it looks like you or your husband right away. it will look like smush with white goo and you will love that white gooey smush more than anything in this world.
4. Your family will say it looks like you. His family will say it looks like him. this will be a family debate for years to come.
5. Your first meal will taste like it is from God's oven but it is nothing compared to the feeling of that first shower. Sweet Lord above that first shower is amazing. 
6. They say not to bring makeup. Bring it if you like it. It will make you feel better.
7. You will still look 6 months pregnant when you leave. In fact, you might even have one of your neighbors ask if you're practicing with someone else's infant until yours gets here, assuming that you're still pregnant because obviously all women snap back to their pre-pregnancy shape right after having a child.....-__- get real David...GET.REAL.
8. Some friends will wash their hands before holding the baby. Some wont. Don't panic...your baby will not get SARS because someone didn't use the GermX. 
9. Suddenly everyone who has ever read a holistic article about vaccines is an expert on them. When people start getting accepted into residency programs based on how many WebMD articles they have read, then you can tell me all about your view on anything from vaccines to the Black Plague, until then, shut your mouth and let me inject my child with whatever I want without poo pooing me.
10.  Breastfeeding was once described to me as "A magical bonding moment between you and your child." If by that you mean razor blades through your nipples 8-12 times a day, you are correct...its magical. I am sure it will get better but for now its "Magical."