BABY proof??? Nahhhh more like Gracie proof

So like most parents we went around the new place and peeped out all the potentially dangerous stuff in the house and took the proper steps to protect out kids, mainly the youngest from being hurt. I made sure she couldn't reach the strings on the blinds, but up 3 baby gates to block the stairs, put the door knob things on on,  put the stove knob things on, put the lock on the oven, put outlet covers on and last but not least put cabinet and drawer latches on. Well, leave it to Miss watch everything you do and then go and do it herself, she has figured out how to open the cabinets and the drawers! Everyday multiple times a day I pick up plastic cups and bowls(that's all that we keep in the cabinets she can reach)! It is not even a safety issue any more, but an annoy mommy issue! I can't just let everything stay on the floor until the end of the day either. I go and pick it up each time! Yes, I know this is nuts, but messes really annoy me and I can't help it. So the weekend project in this house is to go to Buy Buy Baby and get some super baby, no super GRACIE proof latches for the cabinets and the drawers. If not I am going to go nuts if I have to pick up one more baby bowl off the floor. Times like these I see what people mean by girls being the smarter sex! Preston never did stuff like this. He is all boy and was too busy trying to climb and jump off the counter to have any concern about what was inside! Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..........As I write I just spotted a cup I missed!

Weaning....the stuff the books, nurses and no one else will tell you. I WILL!

If you are the type that is uncomfortable reading about boobs being used for breast feeding do not read any more of this post. Go do whatever it is you do, I have never been a modest person and once I had kids any ounce of modesty I had when it comes to the body went out the window so here we go!


I knew from the start that breast feeding was one of those things that I would do, and when it came time to get down to business doing it, I honestly enjoyed it. The bond I made with my baby, looking into each other eyes, seeing that breast milk induced coma of sleep they would go into, the fact that I never had to carry bottles or formula, never having to get up in the middle of the night to fix a bottle, the cute little hands resting on me while eating, the fact that breast milk poop doesn't smell, no period for months, all the extra calories it burned, all the money saved, the health benefits...I'm sure I could continue with all good stuff, but we always here the good stuff what about the real stuff???
Yes, I know this is a wonderful natural process, but no one told me how much it would hurt! No one told me that for months I would have to make sure I had in boob pads so milk didn't leak through! No one told me that if I heard a baby crying my milk would start to let down! No one told me that they had a mind of their own and if they were full the milk was coming out! No one told me that my infant would learn exactly how to pull my top down when they were hungry no matter the location! No one told me that the huge full milk filled boobs would go away! Most of all, no one told me that stopping is not easy. You know how you see women still breast feeding a 3 year old and you wonder what the hell??? Well, I can see how that happens! I nursed Preston for 12 months exactly, I stopped on his first birthday, and while weaning him was tough the first few nights, he still had his pacifier which helped to soothe him to sleep. Well, Gracie doesn't play by the rules, EVER! She didn't take a pacifier, she thought my boob was her personal paci, to use at anytime. Most of the times I would give in, because no one likes to hear a baby cry, and it would instantly make her stop! Well, I attempted to wean cold turkey, no luck! The stamina this kid has when it comes to crying is unreal. So slowly I made it down to 2 sessions a day and then one and finally last Friday I cut her off! It has been hellish to say the least. I wanted to give in so many times especially at 2,3,4,5,6 in the morning, but I have stayed strong! Speaking of strong, this process does not go without pain. As soon as I got used to one discomfort another one comes. I have survived the feeling of the milk coming in, the raw nipples, the engorgement, a teething baby and now I am back at engorgement! The only good thing about engorgement if the huge and perky boobs you get! But, like all good things that comes to an end and slowly as the milk starts to go away, so do the big fake looking tatas. For all those women that are reading this saying this is why they will never breast feed or never did, NEWS FLASH, pregnancy is what screws up the twins not breast feeding. Sure it may cause some unevenness, but the super extra 16 year old perked up pre-baby boobs leave as soon as you get that positive test result. As I look in the mirror at my naked body, I know that it is no where near where it was 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago. I may weigh the same, but stuff settled in totally different places. For the most part, I have accepted the changes and I appreciate and respect my body for what it has done. That is not to say that I don't plan on getting the girls done, because I do. But, if I couldn't get them done I wouldn't walk around in a hoodie covering up for the rest of my life! I have loved every bit of this long journey and it is a bittersweet time. As I pack up my breast pump and nursing bras(I can't say I will miss those) and my Lansinoh cream I realize more and more what I already knew, my babies are growing up and my breast feeding days have come to an end. Who knew what a big milestone this would be????!!!!! 


I can't make any promises, but I will attempt to make the next post on something that will not distort your images on boobies, for any of your guys and baby free ladies out there!









  







  









      

Toddler Bed....the making of

Most people that know me know that I am a bit on the crafty side, if it's a way to DIY I am more than likely going to chose that route. Rob on the other hand is the dad that pays ToysRUs to put the bike together or ask if he can buy the floor model so he doesn't have to put it together. Most of the time when I am starting a new project I don't tell him, because he usually responds with,"why don't you just buy it?" Well, we looked and looked at toddler beds for the kids and the one that I did like was a Pottery Barn upholstered bed that ran about $800 a piece on sale. While I am sure Rob would have tried to find a way to swing this purchase, it sounded a bit nuts to me to pay that much. So to google I went and found a perfect DIY guide for making two upholstered toddler beds. I hadn't planned on telling Rob, but I needed his help to get the wood home, so I had no choice. The whole time he asked if I still wanted to do it and that it seemed like a lot of work. Of course it seemed like a ton of work to the guy that asked to buy the floor model of a stroller, but I knew it wasn't that much work. I also had Rob go to the fabric store with me so he could pick out the pattern. Leave it to Rob to find Tommy Bahama fabric that was $26 a yard, lucky for us it was on sale for $8 which is still more than I would have spent, but he loves Tommy Bahama stuff and the kids room is surf/beach theme so it worked. After getting the wood and screws and fabric I went home to tackle my new project. Rob had no interest in the project and went out to shoot pool, he asked again before he left if I just wanted to go buy the other beds. Of course that just made me more determined to get this bed done! It took about 2 hours to complete because kid 1 and kid 2 found a way to play with the bed in every way that was not bed related along the way. Once done I was so happy that everything fit, I had read comments on the instructions I used that some peoples bed did not turn out correct. It worried me a little which is why I did one bed only. I plan on doing the other one in the next week or so. Below are the pics. Preston and Gracie both love it and fight over who gets to sleep in the new bed. Rob came home surprised at how cool it was and couldn't believe I did it without help. I love the fact that with all the pushing and rolling off the bed that happens in our house they have a cushion to bump into and the fall is not far if...no when they fall out! I will do a post of the whole room once I do Gracie's bed and her bedding arrives.

Building the frame

Yup, I let the 1 year old do the drilling

Apparently this is a break dancing stage, ignore the 2 bowls of spilled Goldfish that did not distract them at all

She was not a fan of me adding this

Trying to take it off

Adding the fabric

Thank God the mattress fit perfectly

His new bedding

My Birthday Letter to Preston!

To my precious baby boy Preston! I cannot believe that it has been three years since you came into my life. You are my heart! I remember when I was pregnant with you how excited I was and how good you were. I was able to work up until the day you were born with ease. The labor and delivery were also a lot easier than imagined. I had a natural labor with you and you made this process so easy by getting out of my tummy and making your first appearance very quickly. We immediately bonded and you took to breast feeding so well. I was so scared when it came time to take you home. Although I had been around a lot of babies the thought of being completely responsible for another human life was a bit overwhelming. It didn't help that your daddy was set to deploy 5 days after you were born, but I was so glad he got to see you before he left. The first 4.5 months of your life it was just you and me buddy. I did not let you out of my sight! I even took your bouncer in the bathroom with me when I would take showers! When grandma and grandpa watched you for a few hours I left them a book, yes a book of instructions!  When your daddy came back you quickly warmed up to him! We took you EVERYWHERE with us. You were so well behaved and adjusted to any place we went too. When your first birthday came around I remember being so worried because you still weren't walking, but your doctor told me to give you time. Well, the day before we were set to see a specialist about why you were not walking you decided it was time to walk! You have always done things at your own pace and you can be stubborn at times. You know what you want and have no problem holding out until you get it. When your second birthday came around you did it big boy style in MIAMI! Although we were down there for stuff for mommy and grandma we still had a blast celebrating your big day. Now today, I celebrate your third birthday. I am realizing that the years are going by faster than I want them too at times. You started Montessori school this week and that was a really big step for the both of us. You have always been my little buddy and slowly I am having to let go, a little bit at least. As I reflect over the past 3 years I am a very proud mommy. You can do so much and you are so smart. Yes I know all parents believe their kids are smart, but you really are!!! Already at 3 your have been completely potty trained for almost a year, can sing your ABC's, can count to 30, you know all of your shapes(even the hard ones), know all of your colors, know so many animals and the knowledge you have when it comes to any Apple product still amazes me. People that knew me before you came into my life could not believe that I was going to have a baby, I couldn't believe it either! I know from the bottom of my heart, that God brought you into my life at the perfect time. I never knew what people would mean by unconditional love until you were born. The moment they put you in my arms I knew that whatever it would take to keep you safe, healthy and happy I would do it. Even now if I see you cry a part of my heart aches! At times I wish I could put you back in my tummy and protect you from so much, but I can't. I have to continue to trust that your daddy and I are raising you as best we can so that you turn out successful. Every parent always wants more for their child, and I am no different. I love you so much, I still kiss you a thousand times a day and you still push my buttons to the extreme. But no mater what, I love you so much and with that I say HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY Preston Daniel Marks!

Almost here!

September 9, 2008, He is here!

Sending daddy off

Kisses from mommy

1st Birthday!

And he is walking!

Out at Flavor of New Orleans 

HI!

Baby Boy!!

Handsome at dinner at Ruth's Chris

2nd Birthday in Miami 

Preston goes to school!

Well, that time of me having to let go finally happened. On Tuesday Preston started his first day of montessori school. I cannot even begin to describe all the different emotions that I felt the days before the big milestone. Rob and I both were very excited for him to make this next step, but as a mom that stayed home with him every day of his life it was still hard. 
We have been talking about the school place for a while and although he didn't know what it was, he knew the word. So Tuesday morning I explained to him that we were taking him to school that day and that he would make new friends and play and have a lot of fun. He didn't seem to impressed but I often talk to his as if he really understands everything I say. Well, we dropped him off and said a quick goodbye. As soon as I walked out of the gate I could hear him crying, guess it was my "mommy ear" because Rob couldn't tell over the other kids! I immediately felt guilty and the tears started to form. I rushed to my Jeep and Gracie and I went home and Rob went to work. Once home it was so odd to only have one kid there. I really didn't know what to do, which made me cry a bit more. Although I am not the most emotional person when it comes to my kids it's a different story. I looked at the clock all morning and it seemed like 3 hours took forever to go by. At 11:37 Gracie and I headed to pick him up. Although pick up time isn't until 11:45 and it took 30 seconds to get there i couldn't wait any longer. When I went to the gate they were all outside playing and he ran up to me and I was so excited to see that smiling face. It felt like it had been days! I signed him out and once we got in the car I asked him all about his day. He went on and on and I understood every 3-4 words, but he seemed very excited. He kept telling me about circle time, the class bird(which he is calling Jewel because of Rio, but that's not the birds name), something about the pet snake and counting red apples. We went about of normal afternoon and night time routine and by 8:15 he was asleep. Not sure what they are doing all day but it is wearing him out! Although this is one of the hardest things for me to do and to let someone else have control when it comes to my child, I know that it is the right choice for him.  I can only teach him so much stuff and while when it comes to numbers, letters and simple reading he is amazing, I can't teach him the social skills that he needs and that that he will experience from being around so many other children. The teaching style on montessori is so hands on that I know he will thrive in this type of open classroom environment. He will go Monday-Friday from 8:45-11:45, and get the normal breaks that most schools get during the year. I will do an update next week of his progress and my progress too!

                                                                     The school

                                                               Ready for school

                                             I asked him if he was excited, this is the look I got

                                                Only wanted to drag the backpack, not wear it

                                                            Eating his breakfast

                                                  Running down the stairs to go to the car

Warming up to this place...a little bit

Well, I have now been in the fun state of California for a little over a month. I don't think that it has really hit me that I live here until we go over to the city(San Fran) or I see sigs on the freeway for Sacramento and Oakland and other bigger cities. Although I am not crazy about being out here I have come to like some things. Our house, it's location is perfect. I can walk Preston to school, we can walk to dinner and we are close to some amazing places to shop. Speaking of shopping, there has not been one store out here that I have wanted to go to that is more than 20 minutes away. There is no Waffle House, Moe's or Buca near by, but there are a ton of other places and a Chick-fil-a is set to open soon! I also like the weather. It starts in the 60's most mornings and goes up to maybe 80 during the mid day and by night time you need a sweater. I have learned to dress myself and the kids in layers. I also love having a gas stove, it so much faster to cook on. I am a huge fan of the time change. As far as football and any other shows I watch and would stay up late for there is no longer any need for that. No staying up until 11 to watch Chelsea Lately she comes on at 8 here. That also means no excuse for me not to go to be at a decent hour..... Oh I also like how close we are to San Diego. Although it's not a quick drive, after all of our trips to Miami and Tennessee a 6-7 hours car trip really isn't a big deal for us to do. Overall, this place is growing on me. I have moments when I get super home sick, but I have honestly been too busy getting the house together to have that much down time to really dwell on it. So I guess Pleasant Hill is kind of a pleasant place to live, I am sure there are a lot worst places we could have gotten orders to!