Please follow me at my new blog
After much contemplating and annoyingly asking Scott what I should do about the fact that I have 2 blogs (well, actually 3 if you count my photography blog), I’ve made a decision. This blog is where I blog more expressively, while my other blog is where I have been recording memories of our family. I have decided to just consolidate the two, as I am striving for simplicity in life. So, I would be so grateful if you would follow me over there at Adventures In Happiness.
The breaking point
Oh my goodness. These last 2 weeks have just been too much for me to handle. Let’s rewind to the beginning of last week. The first 3 days of the week were horrible in that the Yankees were in town playing the Mariners, which meant that my commute home was double what it usually is. It took me 2 hours to get home on Wednesday evening, when it usually takes me 45 minutes or so. Of course this meant my time with Decker before he headed off to bed was limited. 
Then my boss and I had a disagreement at work on Thursday, which involved her getting angry and basically yelling. Due to this, I had a hard time sleeping on Thursday night and worked from home on Friday. Friday evening came and I had put Decker down and was just sitting down to a glass of wine when my mother called and decided to partake in one of her normal episodes where she decides to criticize me regarding things that are NONE of her business! On top of the week I had had, this was just too much and I got very upset and started crying.
All I wanted to really do was rest over the weekend, but I had a bridal shower to attend and then had a night out with the girls. This meant that I didn’t get as much done over the weekend as I usually do, so I started this week feeling like I was behind. More work stress continued this week and on Tuesday, I started having symptoms of a urinary tract infection. The next few days, I was sooo tired. I didn’t realize UTIs could make a person so fatigued. I finally went to the doctor yesterday and got antibiotics. Raced home after that to get Decker’s stuff packed as I took him over to my parents’ house to stay for the week (driving 3 hours both ways.)
Today, Scott and I had planned to attend a friend’s wedding in Portland, but this morning came and all I wanted to do was REST! Luckily, Scott didn’t mind going to the wedding alone, so for the first time since Decker was born, I spent today absolutely alone. No baby or husband. Such a strange feeling. The good news is that I am finally feeling back to normal and I’m really looking forward to this week while Decker is visiting my parents’ to get some stuff done around the house. Scott and I also have a fun date night planned.
So, I am now tipping my wine glass and saying “good riddance” to the last two weeks and looking forward to a better week to come!
A boy and his dog
This was just the cutest scene. Decker watching television and Shiloh decided to plop down close to him and take a nap on her toy. I love both my “babies.”
Butter knives aren’t just for butter…
I’ve done some pretty gross and weird things in the first year and a half of being a mom, but this one is right up there.
Decker happened to step in some dog poop and it got stuck all in his shoes. In trying to figure out how to get the dried dog poop out, Scott and I came up with a genius idea…a butter knife. Who knew that I would spend part of my sunny afternoon standing on the porch digging dried dog poop out of the crevices of my toddler’s shoes?
Oh, and if you ever come over for dinner at my house, don’t worry, we’ve disinfected all knives.
No poop here!
A little break
I haven’t blogged in a while and it’s mostly a result of me being extremely busy! Last week, Scott’s mom and grandmother were in town and stayed with us for awhile, which was great, but put my entire routine out of whack. This week, I did not have a single free night between having more family in town to visit, having to run errands after work and working out.
I’ve also been thinking a lot about my current job situation and have been busy contemplating that and deciding if changes need to be made. This has included a couple visits with a career coach.
On top of all this, we’re starting some work on our house and have had a couple painters come in to give quotes for painting all the trim in our house and a couple of rooms. Before they get started, however, we will have to pick out new furniture for our living room, media room, bedroom and some other miscellaneous pieces.
And of course, I am still working and trying to spend as much time as possible with Scott and Decker, especially in this beautiful sunny weather we’ve been having here in Seattle. I am very grateful that Decker has been healthy and happy for awhile now. (Knock on wood!)
So, this is my life for now. It doesn’t leave me much free time lately for blogging or blog-reading. But I’m loving it. I’m planning on getting back on track this weekend. I have so many post ideas jotted down, I just need to sit down and get going. Hope you all are having a fabulous summer!
The more the merrier?
Don’t worry, I won’t go THIS far
Back when I was naive younger, I had visions of having a large family…at least four kids. I’m not exactly sure why I wanted so many kids. Maybe it was because I felt I grew up as an only child since my brothers were seven and nine years older than me and already out of the house by the time I was ten. Or maybe it was because neither of my parents are very close with their families, so holidays were never big, grand events with lots of extended family around. Whatever the reason, in my mind I saw myself with all these cute little kids and a happy husband, living a perfect, happy life.
My life, so far, really is not that much different than the picture I just painted. I have a happy husband, a dog, one cute little kid, and can say that we are living a happy life. However, I also have a career as a lawyer; and a young lawyer at that. Yeah, that piece never really entered into my mind when I was planning out my huge family.
Scott and I have always planned on having at least one more baby (and I have even entertained the idea of three.) The other day on Facebook I saw that a couple who had their first baby one month before us, is now pregnant with their second. Their children will be 25 months apart. And it seems everywhere I look, people are now having their second babies. This has planted the question of when we should try for a second baby in my head.
Shortly after having Decker, I had said that we should start trying for number two once he turned two. However, that doesn’t seem plausible at this point. Besides the fact that I feel like we are just now getting to the point where Decker is a bit easier to take care of, I also have to consider my job situation. In January, I started working at a very small law firm…a firm so small that it is not even bound to the FMLA. And I’m now at a point there where I am starting to get my feet a bit more wet in taking on my own cases and actually somewhat knowing what I am doing. The last thing I want to do is disrupt my career by being pregnant with no job (which already happened once, as I was laid off when I was 6 months pregnant.)
So then I wonder, well when SHOULD we get pregnant? The plus side to having babies close together is that you a) can get all your pregnancies out of the way and know that you have your body back for good (and start planning your tummy tuck 
) and b) because your children are closer in age, they will have more in common and play together. The negative sides to having babies close together is that you a) have to simultaneously care for multiple children at demanding ages, b) because your children are closer in age, they will compete and fight more, and c) the closer in age kids are, the more expense there seems to be…i.e., 2 kids in college at once, going to prom, driving, etc.
And then sometimes, I think about what it would be like to not have another baby. To know that I never have to worry about telling my boss I’m pregnant. To know that I have my body back to myself for good. To know that I never have to deal with breastfeeding or sleepless nights with a newborn.
I admit, these thoughts have crossed my mind lately. I think how attractive it is to know that parenting can only get easier from here on out. I think about how it will be great when Decker starts to go to sleep later because then I will have more flexibility with my time.
But then I think about how I never want Decker to be alone once we are gone. And how I want him to experience the closeness of a sibling and learn the importance of sharing everything with his brother or sister. And of course, part of me would really love to see what our daughter would look like.
For now, we’ve I’ve decided that maybe once Decker is three, we should start trying. I figure about 4 years difference in age is still pretty close and still gives us lots of time for Decker to be totally out of diapers. But really, I never imagined the decision of whether to have a second baby and when, would be so involved.
Those of you that have faced the same questions, I am open to enlightenment.
It doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing
Today was a monumental day in my quest to become healthier and reach my goal weight. This morning, at 8:15 on a Saturday, I made the decision to go bootcamp, even though I’ve had a nasty cough the last few days (inherited from Decker, of course.) This was the fourth time this week I have worked out. I don’t think I have ever worked out that many times in one week. Sad, isn’t it? The exciting part is that even though part of me was thinking how nice it would be to just sit around this morning enjoying my coffee, the bigger part of me thought about how good I would feel once I was done working out.
Officially, I have been doing my workout and nutrition plan for 12 days. As of yesterday, I had lost five pounds, which means I have seven more pounds to reach my goal weight. This time around is different for me and I was able to pinpoint why today.
In the past, I have tried the “quick” ways to lose weight, including Atkins and the HCG diet. Yes, these type of diets produced amazingly fast results, but also caused me to feel deprived and constantly craving the foods I could not have. This time around, I am working out, which I think adds a new dimension to my weight loss efforts. My weight loss is not entirely dependent on what I eat. This means that while I have been very good about sticking to my diet plan, I have allowed myself to cheat and it has not derailed my efforts because I have also been exercising. During previous diets, once I cheated, I felt like all was lost and it was really hard to get back on plan.
Or maybe it is just my overall mindset that has changed. I have always been the all-or-nothing type. I don’t know how many times I’ve considered throwing in the towel on this blog because I felt like I needed to post at least every other day, or else the blog would be a failure. Then I realized, it’s okay to only post once a week! Same things goes for my photography. I’ve realized that enjoying and improving at photography does not mean that I have to take my DSLR with me everywhere and take pictures of everything. I learned to embrace my iPhone camera and use it when it was impractical to haul my big camera along.
Therefore, this time in tackling my health goals, I am taking it slow and steady. I know that allowing myself to eat a few carbs after my workouts and allowing cheat meals is going to result in slower weight loss than if I were to cut out all carbs entirely. However, this is okay with me and I feel like with this mindset, I am finally going to reach my goals!
Speaking of cheat meals, I cheated extra this week by having two. Last night I went out to dinner with my friends and enjoyed some mexican food, a margarita, and some ice cream. The funny thing is, eating this stuff really didn’t give me the euphoric feeling I thought it would. And I think my stomach has shrunk as I wasn’t able to finish my meal or eat most of my ice cream, which normally, I would have scarfed down.
Cheat meal #1
I gave in again this evening when Scott, Decker, and I went out for sushi. Besides sushi, I also had 2 glasses of wine and a bowl of vanilla ice cream with banana and chocolate syrup. But I still feel inspired and motivated about my exercise and diet regimen.
Oh, and here are my three seconds of fame…I was in a couple pictures posted on my trainer’s Facebook page. I know, I’m pretty much famous now.
How to enjoy a meal out
Yep, we’re THOSE parents. The ones who shamelessly pull out the portable DVD player and plop it in front of our 18-month-old at Red Robin. Decker started getting a bit restless during our meal, so I put some Barney on for him and it was almost like Scott and I were out to dinner alone! Heaven. (Hey, don’t knock it ’til you try it.)
Banana splits for dinner
Once in a while I come across a story that makes me pause for a moment and shakes me out of my imaginary world that I find myself in so often. A world where I rush my toddler past the fish tank at daycare in the morning, as he stands there pointing and babbling excitedly about the fish; a world where my husband calls me in the morning to check on me and the first thing I ask him is if he remembered to start the dishwasher; a world where I find myself thinking I am insane to entertain the thought of another child; and above all, a world that really is insignificant.
I’m sure many of you have heard the story of baby Ryan Roberts and his family. Ryan’s parents have been told that their 21-month-old son most likely has only a couple months to live, due to a heart defect. When asked by others what they could do help the family, Ryan’s parents declined toys and other material items. Instead they said, “Go out and create a memory with your kid. Throw a banana split on the table for dinner. Wouldn’t you remember having banana splits for dinner one night when you were a kid?”
I read this and then it hit me. I am extremely blessed to have Decker and Scott. Yet, I do not always live life that way. Ryan’s story is a great reminder to me to slow down and realize there are only a few important things in life, one of which includes my family. Decker is growing up so fast and becoming a little person with an actual personality. He amazes me everyday with something new he has learned. I want to always keep in mind that life is fragile and should not be taken for granted. I need to spend less of my time worrying about the little details that really don’t matter, and more of my time making memories with my family.
With that being said, now please excuse me while I go make some banana splits!
Joy
A shot of Scott and Decker from my brother’s wedding
After taking quite some time away from photography, I’m now rediscovering it. I spent all evening editing photos and remembered once again why I love photography so much. It is my creative outlet and something that I find therapeutic.
Photography brings me joy.
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