Bittersweet Day

It's a bittersweet day for me today....

It's my first day of not pumping at work.

It starts off as such a chore-I was doing it 3 times a shift when I first went back!  Then it was twice a shift for awhile and probably for the past 2 months it's just been once a shift. That chore sort of became my "break" from everything-just me in an office doing my thing in peace and quiet. It becomes an escape almost.

My half hour lunch break for the past 10 months has consisted of pumping and shoveling my food in my mouth. I'm glad to have that time to actually eat now and I'm looking forward to warmer weather so I can actually go outside and walk a bit. I really missed that all last summer. I have no windows really near me so I never have a clue what's going on outside all day long. So that'll be nice to be able and get out here and there.

Of course part of it saddens me that this chapter in my life is closed. My baby is growing up and soon enough will be fully weaned. This week I'm cutting out her final nap session so she'll be down to nursing just at bedtime and first thing in the morning. Part of me is screaming "Freedom!" and  the other part of me is sad. Such is life.

It definitely was strange going into work and leaving work today with one less bag...I totally felt like I was forgetting something all day long. And since it's freezing out, I didn't go walking and actually found myself sort of bored during lunch! 

I'm sure I'll find something to do with my time.

Seabreeze

Yesterday, Gabe had his company picnic at Seabreeze! Last year the weather wasn't great (and according to that, the year before wasn't either!) so we were hoping for a nice day this time around. Once again, we weren't so lucky. I guess we have a 3 year track record going now!

The park opened at 11am so we got there shortly after. We wanted to get in as much time as we could before the rain came.

We took Avery to the kiddie rides and she really wasn't interested in going on them. I finally said "Avery, do you want to drive a car?" and she said "YES!" So I got her in the car and hoped that when I walked away she didn't freak out....and she didn't!

So, here is Avery on her first ride all by herself:

And yes, I totally had one of those "my baby girl is growing up" moments and had a tear in my eye.

After the cars, she wanted to ride the horses, so off to the carousel we went. I took her on first, then Gabe took her a second time.

None of my pics turned out real great from it though:

After the carousel, our Brother-in-law and our niece and nephew showed up. So we went and met them and Owen really wanted to go on the log ride. Gabe, Mark and Owen went on while I stayed with Avery and Bianca. Here they are coming down the big hill:

And them right after coming down:

After the log ride, we headed to the shelter for lunch and Gabe's parents met us there too. We all got our bellies full then it was off for more rides!

I was hoping with Owen and Bianca there that Avery would go on rides with them. At first she didn't want to, so Owen and Bianca went on the planes together while we watched:

When they got off, Avery really wanted to go on! So we got her on there with Bianca. Here she is waving to us as Gabe buckled her in:

And here they are flying around!

As soon as the ride stopped, Avery cried "more! More!" so she went on again!

Then all 3 of them went on the boats together:

After the boats, Avery wanted to do the cars again....go around #2:

And go around #3 with Bianca this time!

After that, Owen wanted to go on the log ride again, so Avery, Bianca, Gabe Sr. and I stuck around the kiddie rides. We got Avery to go on the turtle ride...it's sort of a mini roller coaster. And look at that smile:

Well, the smile didn't last long. After about 6 times around, she burst into tears. The last 2 times around she was crying. Who knows what set her off, but she wasn't too happy about it!

Once everyone joined us again, Gabe took Avery on the teacups:

Yet another ride she wasn't thrilled with. She didn't cry, but looked terrified the whole time and once they got off, she was pretty whiny about it. Oh well, at least she tried it!

After the teacups and the carousel a few more times, we decided to head to the water park. Well, as soon as we got there, they started kicking everyone out due to a storm that was heading towards us. So we went back to the shelter and timed it perfectly-the rain really came down! We all had another snack (or two) to eat-ice cream, popsicles, candy and lounged around for about an hour. Can you tell that Avery enjoyed a nice blue popsicle?

After an hour, it was still raining pretty good out so we all decided to head out. We watched Owen go on the bumper cars, then we took Avery on the carousel one last time before leaving. The good news? We got a rain check on our way out! So we get to go again before the summer is over! Yay!
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32

I am now 32 years old (gulp)!

Yesterday was my birthday. My day started out by me having to go to work. It was a very busy day and I got stuck there a half hour late (it should have been longer, but since it was my birthday, I cut out of there!). Then I picked up Avery from daycare and raced home to my Mom who was patiently awaiting our arrival (locked out of our house!).

Gabe's Dad came over and my Mom made us all a yummy dinner of pasta with broccoli, salad and bread. Dessert was the cake I made in class Monday night and it was a big hit!!

Avery of course had to be by my side to help blow out the candles! Here we are when everyone was singing:

Blow out the candles!

Yay!

Avery loved the cake! I cut her the smallest piece I could and she ended up eating 3 of them!! Yeah, she has a sweet tooth just like her Mama!

It was a very nice get together and I got some wonderful gifts! My Mom got me a shirt, and some baking supplies and a gift card to Michael's. Gabe got me a one night getaway (Avery is almost 2 and I've never spent the night away from her)-we're going this Saturday night to a nearby nice hotel...having both dinner and breakfast there and I'm having a massage done too! I can't wait!! Of course the best gift was just being able to spend my day with my family. It was so nice that my Mom could come out and just relaxing with her, Gabe and Avery was wonderful!

My Mom stayed overnight so we were up playing this morning. Avery has become a big fan of our dustbuster! She loves using the thing!

My Mom's birthday was about 2 weeks ago and I got her a gift card to the Brow Diva. So today she went for her appointment.

Here's her before shot:

And her after shot:

I think they turned out great! My Mom watched Avery today while I ran to buy Avery a new booster seat and did some Easter shopping. After her nap, we just hung around and played. My Mom left around dinner time.

Avery was all wound up before bed running around and dancing to music. At one point, she stopped and was making this big time poop face and I tried catching it on camera...I wasn't so successful....this is what I got instead:

Love that girl...she's so cute!!

Back in the Groove

For the past 2 months, things at work were slow, so my boss let me be a little more flexible with my schedule. Which means I cut down to 2 days a week instead of 3 days.

Well, this week I'm back to my old schedule...3 days a week.

And to top that? Two girls called in sick today so I got called in to work! So now I'm working 4 days in a row this week. And after being used to 2 days? It's rough. Today was the end of day 3 and I'm beat. And I still have a full day ahead of me tomorrow. I seriously feel like crashing right now-I'm so tired!

But, I'll make it through! I think I can, I think I can....

1 in 10

Today starts a nice stretch for me.

In the next 10 days, I only work once.

My typical schedule is Mon, Tues, Thurs each week. With this being Labor Day weekend, I have Monday off-so there's my 4 day weekend.

I work on Tuesday next week.

Avery has her eye surgery on Wednesday.

It just happened that Thursday next week there are no doctors in our office so we were all able to take a vacation day if we wanted. It worked out perfectly so that I could stay home and keep an eye on Avery to make sure she is doing ok after her surgery Wednesday. The doctor said she should be fine, but we just have to watch that she doesn't rub her eyes, etc. So I took advantage and used a vacation day. Then of course it'll be the weekend again.

It's like a vacation and I only used 1 true vacation day! And the best part is that for most of it I don't have any plans. It'll be great!

Seabreeze

Yesterday I was feeling about 90% back to normal...my fever was definitely gone but my throat was (and is!) still sore.

Good thing I was feeling better because Gabe's work threw their annual family picnic! Just like last year, it was at Seabreeze. Also like last year, the weather wasn't good at all. This year it was very cool out and was raining in the morning. Luckily when we got to the park, the rain stopped and held out the whole time we were there! I wish it had been a little warmer so we could go in the water park, but it was just too chilly out for that. Maybe next year!

When we first got there, we had lunch-hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ chicken, baked beans, pasta salad, potato salad, and ice cream.

Once lunch was over it was time to check out the rides! They have a few kiddie rides that have no height requirement. Technically Avery could have gone on them, but there was just no way-she would never sit still! One of the workers told us that people actually put their kids on them that young which really shocked me! I think if she had an older kid with her, she might be ok, but even then I'd be a little worried she'd try to jump ship in the middle of the ride.

So the only things we could really take her on were the carousel and train. We went to the carousel first and waited in line:

Nice close ups of us in line:

Then it was time to get on! I decided to be brave and put Avery right on a moving horse:

It was cute-as soon as I put her on it I told her, "Avery, hold on!" and she knew exactly what to do-it was so darn cute!

Here she's waving to Daddy:

I'll confess that I got a little teary-eyed through this. As soon as the horse started moving it hit me that my little girl was on her first amusement park ride. She's growing up way too fast. I had to fight back the tears!

As for Avery, let's just say it didn't go over very well. When the horse started moving, she got an excited look on her face, but the more it moved, the more she didn't like it. She ended up crying!

So when we got off, Gabe took her on but decided to go on one of the non-moving benches to see how she'd do:

That went over pretty well-no tears! We came back to the carousel later on and I tried her on a non-moving horse and she did just fine. For the last ride, we tried a moving one again and she cried again!

Then it was off to the train. I took her on first and she enjoyed it! So then Gabe took her on for a second trip:

Love this pic:

There they go!

We walked by the water park area to check things out. Like I said it was a little chilly out but we decided to see what Avery would do. They had a little area that had a 1ft deep pool and she was very interested in it:

She started splashing all around:

She loved it! Her pants got soaked and she had a blast! I wish it had been warmer because I would have taken her in and done some of the kiddie slides with her. I think it would have been fun. Gabe was also meeting some friends for dinner so we were short on time. Maybe if we had stayed longer we would have done the water park. I think if there's a decent weekend day that we have free, we may go back again since we all had a good time!

Three Down, One To Go

My work schedule in August is all over the place! I typically work M, T, Th each week, but pretty much the entire month of August my schedule is different. Last week I worked M-Th then got "rewarded" with a 4 day weekend (I swapped W last week for M this coming week). So, it's Sunday night-I'm usually in bed by now gearing up for work tomorrow, but tonight.....tonight I'm gearing up for another day home with my baby!

We had a very busy weekend this weekend as well.

Friday Avery and I went for a walk in the morning. After lunch we went to the library and she played in the playroom for a little bit, then we went on the playground for awhile. After her second nap, we made a trip to Barnes and Noble. While I was getting dinner ready, she decided to rearrange our shoes (yes, all of those shoes are for 2 of us-and that's not even all of them we have in that area-how crazy is that?!). She liked my flip flops the best!

Yesterday Gabe went running in the morning, then I went to the gym. After we both showered and Avery napped, we went to the public market with Gabe's Dad. Even though we went late, it was still very crowded! But we got a lot of great deals as usual! In the early evening, we went to our cousins' newly built house for a housewarming party. We didn't stay too long because we had Avery and she needed to get to bed. It was nice seeing everyone and their house was very nice!

This morning I met an old coworker of mine for breakfast. We tried a new place called James Brown's. It was very yummy! If you go there, just a warning that there is no AC inside-it was pretty toasty in there! After Avery's nap, we went to the Park Ave fest and walked around for awhile. Just as we got back to the car it started pouring so we timed it just right! From there, we met Gabe's parents and his sister (and family) at Pier 45 for dinner. We have never been there and it was very nice. It's right on the water and we sat outside on their very large (and covered!) patio. We ordered a bunch of different tapas and shared them. They were all very good! We'll have to go back again sometime and try some of their entrees.

So I'm off tomorrow as well and really have no plans besides going grocery shopping. I haven't taken Avery in awhile so that'll be interesting! We'll see how the weather is before planning the rest of our day!

The other day, Gabe's friend brought us some very large zucchinis and today Avery was trying to carry them around! It was pretty funny because they are really big for her to try and pick up!

I tried taking a video of Avery dancing the other day. She is so funny when she dances standing up! She didn't do it very long, but I decided to post it anyway because I haven't posted a good video of her walking yet. So at least you'll get to see that!

The Return of the Lunch Walk

Stepping out into the fresh air...

My lungs being cleansed of stale air conditioned air....

The sun warming my skin....

Birds chirping, the sounds of crickets, the constant "hum" of the thruway traffic in the background....

The feel of the pavement under my feet....

My mind wandering as it pleases...

Can you feel it?!

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh.....it's time to walk!

This week I started walking during lunch again. Before I had Avery I tried walking a few times a week during my lunch break as my schedule allowed. Usually a coworker and I would go and "do a few laps" outside. Back in October, she was let go from our workplace. I was also pumping during my lunch break so my walk time just wasn't there.

I stopped pumping at work a few weeks ago so my lunch time is a little more "free" now. Our schedule doesn't always allow me the time to walk, but when it does, I've been trying to take advantage of it. This week we were slower than usual so I went out and walked every day I worked. It was fabulous. I went for roughly a half hour each day and just cleared my mind and got some exercise at the same time. I loved every second of it! When you're in an office with the flourescent lighting and AC pumping all day, it's refreshing to get outside and breathe fresh air and feel the warmth of the sun. Lord knows we don't get that kind of weather all year around these parts so you really have to take advantage and enjoy it when you can.

I've been taking advantage.

And I've really been enjoying it!

I Think I'm Done!

If all goes according to plan, today was my last day pumping at work!

When I first went back and for a long time, I was pumping three times a day! Probably 2-3 months ago, Avery dropped a late afternoon feeding so I dropped down to pumping twice a day. Last weekend I decided to try something...

She was down to nursing 4 times a day-first thing when she woke up, first nap, second nap, and bedtime. I was getting worried that she was associating nursing with sleep, so I decided to put an end to that. Last weekend I decided to put her down for both naps without nursing...instead she would get a sippy cup of breastmilk at lunch and dinner. This plan would allow me to cut out pumping at work. I wanted to finish pumping so that I could start using up my freezer stash of milk and get her on whole milk relatively soon. Plus, pumping sucks (literally!)!

She did pretty well with the transition. The first day she cried a bit when she didn't get her nursing time and at lunch she wouldn't drink any milk. At dinner she drank maybe an ounce. Sunday, day 2, she drank a little more at lunch and dinner. She's still touch and go with drinking milk in general-she hasn't been taking the bottle well at daycare for awhile now. I'd say in the past week she's gotten used to the new routine and drinks pretty well at meal time now.

So this week at work I pumped once a day at lunch and that was it. The only reason I had to was to let my body adjust to less nursing during the day. So if all goes according to plan, next week I'll be going to work with one less bag and more time to do something else at lunch....like take walks like I used to!

Don't get me wrong, I love nursing and have no problems with it. But pumping gets old really fast. After 9 months of pumping every day that I work, I'm ready to be done with that.

Mommy's Helper

Typically when I have laundry to fold, I either fold it when Avery naps or when she's in bed for the night. There have been many times where the laundry basket is out with clothes in it, but Avery usually doesn't pay attention to it.

Today....she decided to be Mommy's little helper!

She spotted a bright red pair of her socks in the basket and for 40 minutes she took those two socks out of the basket, then put them back into the basket. It was too funny. She would stand up, lean over the basket, grab the socks, throw them out of the basket, then sit down, pick them up off of the floor and put them back in. Repeat that for 40 minutes-it was comical!

I decided to have some fun and put Avery in the laudry basket as well:

You can just see the corner of her red sock in her hand here:



Red sock!

Out of the basket looking for that sock!

Tonight I was folding the laundry and again she came over looking for the red socks and helping me once again! This is her ripping a bib off of her head:


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In other news, our weekend was pretty good.

Friday night Gabe's parents called us up around 6pm to see if we wanted a last minute babysitter so we could go out for dinner or something. We hadn't eaten yet, so we took them up on their offer and went out for some Chinese food...it was a very nice surprise!

Yesterday I met an old coworker of mine for breakfast then ran to Party City and started to buy some things for Avery's birthday party (can you believe it?!). While I was doing that, Gabe took Avery to the public market and met his parents there. Then last night we met our friends Julie, Richie and Carly at the Lilac Festival for dinner. It was a tad chilly, but we had a good time and Avery was very well behaved even though we were out past her bedtime!

Besides folding laundry today, I just did our grocery shopping and then we took Avery swimming at our gym. She wasn't overly thrilled with it, but we managed to keep her in the water a little over a half hour which was good. We'll take her again soon and see how it goes next time!

Tomorrow starts week 2 of me working 4 days each week covering for a coworker who is out for a surgery she had done. I'm not looking forward to it, but hopefully this is the last week that'll happen!