Baby E's First Zoo Trip

On Saturday, we ventured out to The Denver Zoo. It was a perfect day, sunny and about 70 degrees out. We had so much fun and were able to see so many animals up close. We were about 15 ft from a huge Elephant and when we were visiting the polar bears they came right up to the window! It was great! Uncle R, Auntie C, Cousin Caleb and Daddy went with us! Here are some pictures from our trip.

Lion

Mommy, Auntie and Caleb

Baby E and C

Mommy and Baby

We were so close to the Elephant! It was neat!

Everyone expect uncle R, by the Giraffe

Mommy and Baby

She couldn't decide if she wanted to nap or see all the animals!

There is always, always something to be thankful about...

Last night, I was in my bath and I thought to myself, after I get out I need to go write my "thankful sunday" post. Then I ended up in bed next to Baby E and I was out! I think I may turn this post into "Thankful Monday" because it seems to be easier for me.

This week I am thankful for...


1) My job. I work at a pediatric opthamologist. Every one I work with is great. The best part about my job, is they care about you and your happiness. After I had baby E, I came back to work after 8 weeks of motherly bliss with her. It was rough. I went straight back into my normal schedule of working five days a week for 8 hours a day. I just was not happy doing that. I did not feel my life had good balance and I missed my baby girl so much. So I asked to work 4/10s. They gracious allowed to do this. I now have Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays will my baby. Which I feel has created much more balance.

2) The weekends. The weekends are filled with family time. I love this. This weekend we went to the zoo with my brother, sister and cousin. It was so fun! It was nice to just be with everyone. On Saturday night, hubby and I went dancing at The Rock Rest Lounge. My brother was there as well. It was nice mommy and daddy time that we felt we needed desperately. On Sunday, we were lazy bums. We all laid in our bed until 11am when we decided to go get some breakfast. After that baby E was ready for a nap so we all laid down with her and took a two hours nap. After that we went to dinner at C's parents. We had kabobs...Mmm.

3) iPhones. This seems crazy because who would love their iPhone so much to be thankful for it. But truly I am. I use the calendar daily, all my passwords to life are stored in it, as well as my form of communication. Yesterday, I discovered how to download a Cat in the Hat, Dr. Suess show for Baby E to watch. She loved it!

4) My husband. I am not sure if I have said that I am thankful for him yet or not. But if I have, he is definitely worthy of a second praise. He is the best father and husband anyone could have. Every weekend he wakes up to fed and change Baby E, and I get to sleep a little longer! He takes such great care of us, and doesn't get nearly the amount of reconition he deserves. He truly is my best friend, he is just great!

5) Our health. It is cliche, but the three of our are very lucky to be as healthy as we are. None of us have any illness (other than mild allergies during the spring and summer months) or diseases. Knock on wood.

We are blessed.

"If I could keep you little.."

I cannot believe how big baby E is getting. She seems to learn something new everyday. I am starting to get a little upset, because it is all happening to fast. We have a book, and its called If I Could Keep You Little By Marianne Richmond. I love reading this book to Baby E. It is short and sweet, but has amazing meaning. I definitely recommend reading it, even if you don't have any little ones.

I am amazed at how this tiny baby....

                             

Turned into this...

and then this..

"If I could keep you little, I'd keep you close to me.

But then I'd miss you growing into who you're meant to be"

-Marianne Richmond



There's always, always something to be thankful for...

Yesterday was Sunday, which is the day I've dedicated to give thanks. However, we were super busy this weekend. Today actually happens to be a wonderful day to give thanks though!

First and foremost, I would like to give thanks to our military. Past, present and future. They (and their families) give up so much so they can protect us. They deserve to be honored daily, but especially today.

Second, I am thankful for the ability and opportunity to go back to school and better myself. I started college right out of high school, but quite frankly it just wasn't my focus in life (unfortunately). I feel as though now is a great time to go back and follow my dreams. My goal is to get my degree in Health Care Management. I feel very confident in this goal, because of my current position. I LOVE what I do right now, but the money isn't there. By going back to school, I will have accomplished one of my dreams, made my family and myself proud, and better our life's.

Third, I am thankful for summer time and the warm weather. I find it so relaxing to be pool side soaking up the summer, or splashing around in the water with my baby girl and hubby. I also love hanging out at the races, eating good food and sippin' on some drinks.

Fourth, I am thankful for my puppies. They don't get nearly as much attention as they used to now that the baby is here. But I sure do love them. Molly and Kinley are so loving and they adore E.

Fifth and final thanks, I am thankful for the amazing families we have. Everyone is so supportive of whatever we may do.

Can't wait for Elliana's 1st Birthday!

It is so hard to believe that my little baby is seven and a half months! 7.5!!!! Ahh... to crazy. Pregnancy did NOT go by this fast, but trust me I am soaking up every ounce of love, cuddles and smiles I can get!

I am a planner, so you can guess that I am already planning her 1st birthday bash! We are going on vacation to the Caribbean a few weeks before, so if I don't plan now then I will be running around the week before trying to plan and I won't get to do nearly as much as I want. They theme I have came up with is: You are my Sunshine!

 I looked on pinterest and esty and saw so many cute things I want to do. Some of my plans are: candy bar, bubble station, and super cute sun decor! I cannot wait! It will be a local park we will have food and games and LOTS of family and friends there. This is going to be a BIG BASH just for my little girl! The theme is absolutely perfect for how we feel about her and she truly does brighten up our lives.

I love this banner for her high chair

This outfit :)



Candy Bar, Colors and Sign

I want to make something like this. Displaying a photo from the last 12 months since her birth!

There is Always, Always something to be Thankful About...

There is always, always something to be thankful about. From here on out, every Sunday I will try and post five things I am thankful about. I feel as though positivity is what keeps us going in our day to day. Recognizing the things we are thankful for is very important!

1) God blessed me with the most rewarding, challenging, most fulfilling job there is... Being a Mom.

2) My husband, who without him, I wouldn't be who I am today.

3) My daughter. She is my entire world. I miss her when I am not around, and love&cherish every moment with her.

4) My career. I have been bless with a wonderful job, with wonderful people, at a wonderful place.

5) The ability and opportunity to go back to school. I have decided that in the fall I will be going back to school to obtain my bachelors in Health Care Management. Wish me luck. I am very nervous.

Back at it...

I gained a whooping 50lbs during my pregnancy. It was crazy to me. I didn't gain a single pound until I was 22 weeks along, and then it all came crashing down on me. 7 months after the birth of baby E, I am 4 pounds heavy then I was when I first got pregnant... Not bad right? Considering I haven't work out until the last Saturday when I finally decided it was time to do something for me. You are all probably thinking that it is great that I easily got down to where I am, but let me assure you... I look nothing like I did before I had a baby. My tummy has loose skin like non-other. I mean, how could it not when I looked like this 3 days before I delivered...

She was pretty big, for me being so petite. In my last post, you can see what I look like now. If you follow the link in the last post to the posts on the very beginning of my pregnancy and compare the two, you will see that pregnancy did not treat me so well. I have stretch marks on my arms, my legs, my belly, even my crotch area. It is horrible. Which also means I have loose skin in all those areas as well. 

Anyways... I am writing this, because I am so proud of myself. I have been yo-yo dieting since I had Baby E but ALWAYS end up quitting within a week. Well, I think I finally beat the threshold and I have not worked out every day for a week, and have been following my diet plan that myfitnesspal helps me keep track of. If you are on myfitnesspal, feel free to add me: Cswainson924. Since I have started, I have lost 3lbs and counting. Not to mention. I feel amazing about myself. We can keep each other motivated. 

Here's to going from this...

To something I am more comfortable with! After all, its not what others think of you, its about how you feel about yourself.