A Day in the Life

The other night, my mom asked me on the phone:  What is a day like?  Tell me from beginning to end.

As we are still adjusting to our new life, the thing that's been MOST helpful to me is other moms talking to me honestly about these newborn days.  It has been such a comfort to me to know that the good and the bad and all of the crazy emotions I feel are normal!  I'll share a typical day in the life of an almost four-week-old here so you can see the good and bad and everything in between!  This is a typical day, though every day is different.  These pics weren't all taken on the same day, but you get the idea :-)

Let's begin our day at 12 am, shall we?  Because that's when the day begins (at least on my Baby Connect app where I track all feedings).

12:00 am:  Sleeping.  Everyone.  (Praise God)

2:00 am:  Ava wakes with her "DEFCON 5" cry.  This is the cry that means - "I need food - NOW!"  I stumble out of bed, pick her up, carry her to the nursery, and change her diaper while half asleep.  She's still screaming,  but luckily I've developed nerves of steel.  I take her back to our bed and nurse her for 30-45 minutes.  I nurse sitting up so I don't fall asleep, and I troll Facebook (no new posts at 2 am... come on people!) and Pinterest (I see recent pins from two people who just had babies... imagine seeing y'all here!)  I drink an entire Gatorade during this feeding to quench my undying thirst.

2:40 am:  Put Ava back in the pack-and-play, turn on the sleep sheep, and tiptoe back into bed, holding my breath.  Listen for about 5 minutes to see if she sleeps or screams.  She sleeps.  I'm out.

4:00 am:  Wake up freaking out that I forgot to put Ava back in her pack and play.  I think she's lost in our bed, and I wake Brent up asking, "Where is Ava?!"  Brent says, "She's in her bed, Katie.  Go to sleep."  Yep, fully rational over here.

5:00 am:  DEFCON 5 scream.  Jump out of bed.  Grab baby.  Change diaper.  Feed.  Still no new Facebook posts.  Don't you working people get up early, and can't you please post something for my entertainment?  K thanks.

5:40 am:  Put Ava down, tiptoe to bed, snuggle under covers.  DEFCON cry.  Give her a second.  Give her a minute.  OK, a few minutes.  Still screaming.  Say pitifully, "Honey, can you please help me?"  Brent stumbles out of bed, takes Ava into the living room, and sleeps on the couch with her in the bouncer, which he has to bounce every 10 minutes while I sleep in the bedroom.  Love him.

7:50 am:  Wake up.  I have 10 minutes before little miss has to eat.  Dash around the house to make coffee, open windows, empty dishwasher, put in a load of laundry, make the bed, put in contacts.  Wake up Ava and feed her.  Even though I'm exhausted and the coffee hasn't kicked in yet, I enjoy her a lot in the mornings.  She's usually pretty darn sweet.  I admire her and read all of my devotionals on my iPhone while feeding.

8:30 am:  Ava is awake, full, and happy!  This is her happy awake time, and she loves to explore the world.  Her eyes are wide open and she's not crying!  She's awake for an hour, so we do a little swing time,  lay on the floor and read books, and make faces on the couch.

Sometimes we praise Jesus.

9:30 am:  Ava starts fussing and yawning.  Time to sleep.  We rock, listen to lullabies, and sing.  She resists valiantly and screams loudly and flails around as if we are torturing her.

Then I remember she isn't swaddled, and she won't sleep if she's not swaddled.  So we swaddle.  Then we repeat all of the above for 45 minutes until little miss finally gives in and goes to sleep.  

While Ava naps, I eat breakfast (finally), shower, put on makeup, and "get dressed" in workout clothes or leggings and a sweater, all while watching the monitor.

11:00 am:  Time to eat again!  Ava's still asleep, so I wake her up and change her diaper.   She's not happy - until she figures out she's about to eat.  Feed Ava for about 30 minutes while watching HGTV.

12:00 pm:  Put Ava in the bouncer to keep her happy for 20 minutes or so while I make and eat a sandwich, chips, and apple at record speed.  Oh, and drink a giant glass of water - the thirst!!

12:20 pm:  The clock is ticking before the next feeding, and I REALLY want to go to Target!  Bundle up Ava in mittens and hat and put her in the carseat.  Rush out to the car with diaper bag and Moby wrap already on me.  Drive to Target.  Ava sleeps when we're moving and cries when we stop at every red light.  No lie.  Little girl wants me to be a criminal and run red lights, I tell ya.

12:30 pm:  Arrive at Target and try to slip Ava into the Moby wrap without waking her.  Success!  Spend one blissful hour walking around Target with Ava fast asleep in the Moby.  Everyone thinks she is so cute.  I think to myself that this is a really fun part about being a mom.  This cute baby?  Yeah, she's mine.  Except one lady said, "Oh, isn't it just a miracle!  Even when they are screaming and crying, they are so sweet and cute and precious and a MIRACLE."  I kind of looked at her like 'lady you have lost your mind' and I said, "Yeah, you're free to come over to my house any time!"  

2:00 pm:  It's feeding time, and Ava lets me know.  Throw the Target bags on the counter and take off my shirt as fast as possible to stop the screaming.  Feed Ava.

2:30 pm:  Ava's full and dry, but she's grumpy.  Try rocking.  Try bouncer.  Try swing.  Try music.  Try all the "happiest baby on the block" techniques.  She's not having it.  Try wearing her in the sling.  She loves it, clearly!!

j/k she totally hates it.  Mom of the year!  However, I'm determined for her to like it, so I keep her in there and bounce around the house for 20 minutes or so.  And suddenly... she stops crying.  She catnaps happily in the sling for the next 20 minutes as I tidy up the house.

3:45 pm:  Daddy gets home from class, and we pop Ava into the stroller for a walk around the neighborhood.  She screams the first block or so, but then succumbs to the movement and the vibration and sleeps the rest of the walk.  Brent and I see this as a "date" time when we can just be together and talk.  It feels soooooo good to get out of the house, breathe fresh air, and exercise.

4:45:  Time to eat again!  This time, Ava is very fussy for no apparent reason and screams while I try to feed her.  No matter how many times I try, she resists and stiffens up and pushes away like I am trying to hurt her.  She refuses to eat and continues to scream.  It's the end of the day, and I'm frustrated.  I start crying because I feel like I can't feed my child and she hates me and she will starve and she will not gain enough weight and I am not making good milk and I'm a terrible mother and.......... 

Blazer hates when I cry and hates when Ava cries.  It stresses him out.  He comes over and tries to snuggle on my lap (even though Ava's there) to make me feel better and licks Ava with a big sloppy kiss on the face, and this all makes me laugh even though I'm sobbing.  Finally, I get Ava to eat a tiny bit, but it was not a good feeding.

5:15 pm:  Bath time.  One time, we gave Ava a bath at bedtime because we thought that's what you were supposed to do??  Rookie mistake.  Ava hated the bath with all her might and screamed at DEFCON 5 level until about midnight.  Now, we bathe her at 5 so that if she freaks out, she has many hours to calm down before bed.  Of course, now, she loves baths.  Go figure.

6:00 pm:  Ava's wide awake and decides to cry for one full hour.  The bath happiness only lasted so long.  It's time to fix dinner, so daddy gets bouncer duty.  He bounces her for a full hour to get her to go to sleep.

7:00 pm:  Ava's finally asleep in the bouncer and dinner is ready.  We eat and watch TV and savor the quiet.  And we have a glass of wine.  Definitely a glass of wine.

7:45 pm:  Time for Ava to eat again!  This time she feeds a little better, and she is tired afterwords.  We change her, put on her pjs, and swaddle her.  After the evening chores are done, we all pile into bed for some family cuddle time and watch TV together.  How sweet is Blazer in this pic?  He loves little Ava - it's really sweet.

10:30 pm:  Wake Ava to feed her one last time before we go to sleep.  Hopefully, she ends up in a milk coma, or, as Brent likes to say, "Drunk as a skunk".  This is the face you want to see at bedtime.  What we don't want to see is eyes so wide open they look as if they are held up by toothpicks!

11:00 pm:  Go to sleep until the next day begins.....

Welcoming Guests

I am so excited because today my friend Jamie from New Jersey is coming to visit!!  Jamie is my dear friend from my Columbia Teachers College cohort.  We've been through a lot together over the last 3 years - dorm rooms, fun classes, not-so-fun classes, living in New York, and writing 100 page thesis papers.  She and I bonded from the very beginning, and she is now one of my good friends. 

 

 

This summer, we talked about her coming to visit North Carolina in the fall when everything is beautiful.  It was one of those things you talk about but never do.  Except... we're actually doing it!  She's flying in today after school, and I'm so excited!  I've planned a "Fall Extravaganza" for us including lots of fun things to do, see, and of course... EAT.  I'll be sure to take pictures and update you early next week, but for now I wanted to post on something I did to get ready for her visit that I've always wanted to do.

 

I love having guests, and I've always wanted to make a little guest welcome basket.  My mother-in-law did that for me once when I stayed at her house, and it was so sweet!  I've just never gotten around to making a welcome basket for anyone else, so this time I decided to do it!  Jamie will have this fun treat waiting for her when she gets in late tonight.  I tried to think about things I would like if I was staying at someone else's house.

 

Here's what I included.  Want to come stay at my house?  Better hurry or you will probably get a task list for baby instead of a welcome basket!!

 

Nomadic

If you haven't noticed, we're a bit nomadic.

I used to dream of a little house with a white picket fence, and I dreamed I'd stay there, oh, approximately... FOREVER. 

Then, I married Brent.

Brent did not dream of a white picket fence. 

And he did not dream of staying in one place forever. 

He moved me once, then again, then again. 

And at some point I realized...  I should maybe get used to moving.

Now, we've been married almost 7 years, and we've moved 4 times.  The 'big move' (to Durham) has been so positive that I have the bug now. 

This year, Brent has been exploring career options, and with those options come discussions of where we will live and what we will do and what our lives will look like when he graduates.  Sometimes, scary stuff.  But I found myself (surprisingly) wanting, even longing to go somewhere else and do it all over again.  Don't get me wrong - I love me some Texas, and we really miss being close to our families - but I have felt what I think is God working on my heart saying we're not done yet.  It's not quite time yet to settle in and build the fence. 

Brent came to business school with a background in finance.  We saw Duke as a chance for a new beginning and perhaps a change.  I'm so proud of Brent for being brave enough to leave what he knew and dare to think that there might be something more, something better, something different that God would have him do.  He felt drawn towards strategic management, and specifically, drawn towards John Deere. 

"John Deere????"  You ask.  Yes, I asked the same thing.

This summer, between MBA year 1 and year 2, there is an internship component.  Brent interviewed for a ton of internships and explored a ton of companies, but there was always a draw towards John Deere from the very beginning.  A draw to the program, the people, the lifestyle, the values, the success of the company. 

As it has been true for us so many times before, Isaiah 30:21 has been true for us this year:

"Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it!" 

Oh, I love that verse.  Don't you?  If we listen and walk faithfully, the sovereign Lord promises to direct our steps.  Not always in the easiest or most comfortable way, but in the way that He wills, which... if you ask me... is the best way.

As it turns out, God may have been calling Brent to this job from a very early age.  Here is a pic his mom found of him driving a John Deere tractor at age 2 on his ranch with his dad and sister.  I mean, how cute is this?!?! 

To make a long story short, there were a lot of obstacles in the path and a lot of uncertainty, and a little bit of fear (on my part), but God was faithful, and Brent got the very internship he wanted.  He's going to be working as an intern in the Strategic Management Program at John Deere for 12 weeks this summer.  Then we'll be back to Durham for one more school year.  Should he be able to work for John Deere full time upon graduation, he would be in a management program that would require us to move often - every year or two at least.  Sound familiar???  haha...I think it's our destiny.

We are thrilled for Brent to be working at Deere, and he is so excited.  He's going to be working on a project involving forestry.  My mom is so cute - she sent us the most adorable John Deere t-shirts when we told her.  Mine is pink and says "real women drive tractors". HA!  (have they met me?)

The internship will take place at the John Deere headquarters in Moline, Illinois.  Praise God that I'll be able to go with Brent since I already work remotely.  Therefore, for the summer, we will be living in Moline, Illinois.

Wait, you don't know where that is?

I had the same problem.  It's OK.  Here's a visual.  Moline is where the red "A" is.  It's in northwestern Illinois on the border of Illinois & Iowa.

I have never been to Moline, and I don't know what our summer will look like. 

All I know is that God wants us there, so nomads we will be, and there we will go. 

Easter Weekend

This weekend, we had Brent's parents in town to celebrate his birthday and visit Durham.  More on Brent's birthday later!  We went to all of our favorite Durham restaurants:  Magnolia Grill, Rue Cler, Foster's Market, Guglhuph, and Bull City Burger!  We walked on the Wa-Duke trail, walked around the neighborhood, and hit up all the antique shops and fun stores.  The weather has been beautiful, so we enjoyed many evenings on the porch with wine and nights around the fire pit in the backyard.    We had a laid back Easter, worshipping at Summit Church and then cooking a Southern spring feast for dinner.  We're so glad Vicky & Terry got to take a quick vacation and join us!

Walking on the Wa-Duke 

Easter Dinner!

Chicken stuffed with spring onions and goat cheese {from Cooking Light recipe here}

Risotto with sauteed asparagus {from my own Nordstrom's inspired recipe here}

Cornbread Madeleines {from Southern Living recipe here}

side note:  These were INCREDIBLE.  So simple, yet so amazing.  Southern Living claims you will say "lawdamercy!" when you eat these, and I'm here to tell you it's true.   This recipe is worth buying a madeleine pan.

Citrus & Avocado Salad {from Everyday Food recipe here}

This was a delicious spring salad, and the citrus dressing (not shown) was light and lovely.

Carrot Cake {from Cooking Light recipe here}

Y'all, this carrot cake was divine.  We've been eating it for three days now (oops), and it keeps getting better somehow.  This is one of Brent's favorite cakes, so I made one in honor of his birthday.  Believe it or not, this was a Cooking Light "recipe makeover" where they took a 1,200 calorie slice of cake and whittled it down to below 300.  I seriously can't imagine it being any tastier.

Hope you had a blessed Easter!



The Nest Has a New Look!!!

When I started blogging, it was mostly becuase all the cool kids were doing it, and I was pretty sure I would keep it up for a few months and then quit.  But here I am... more than three years later... loving it and still going strong.  I'm so thankful for my faithful friends and readers.  That you would want to read my random thoughts or try my recipes or see pictures of my family humbles me.  Although I absolutely ADORED my last blog look and never got tired of it for three years, I felt it was time for an update.  Perhaps a reward for keeping this little blog going waaaaay longer than I ever thought I would.  I've published exactly 200 posts - a nice round number for a new look, don't ya think?  Here's to the next 200!

Many thanks to Lauren over at Designer Blogs who made my vision come to life and added her amazing designer touch.  She's completely awesome if your blog needs a little spicing up! 

So, what do you think?!

House Tour, Part II

Hi friends! Welcome back to part II of the house tour. Today I'm going to show you Blazer's master bedroom, Blazer's study, Blazer's guest bedroom, and Blazer's porch.

Here's the master bedroom... perfectly cozy. We got the new rug at the foot of the bed because we've never had hardwood in our bedroom before, and we discovered that Blazer (bless his little heart) was too afraid to jump on and off the bed from the hardwood because the first time he did it, he slipped and fell. Poor little guy. Now he has a landing pad.

Here's the master bath...tiny! Luckily Brent let me have this bathroom, and he uses the guest bathroom which is actually bigger but doesn't have a tub. And of course I have pics of Blazer up on the wall. Don't judge. I love that little guy.

Here's our study, which is pretty similar to our study in Humble. This is now my office!
Another view of the study
There is a third bathroom attached to the study. Brent said I was big time now because I have a bathroom attached to my office. Usually only CEOs have that, you know. :-)
Here's YOUR bedroom! It looks much better than last time it was on the blog. It's super cozy and you will love it in here.
Here's our lovely porch. We have enjoyed sitting out here with coffee and wine - morning and night! Blazer also LOVES being out here and he is so good... he never leaves the porch. He's just content to watch the neighborhood go by through the railing!
A parting view of our little casa. Love.

Decorating... Done!

Well... everyone has been clamoring for photos, so ask and you shall receive!! We are finally ready to show you our new home. I am completely, 100% in LOVE with this house. We decided that (so far) it is our favorite place to have lived, considering actual house and location.

We had a heck of a time getting painters nailed down, but I had to have colors on the walls, so we didn't give up. We finally found a great and affordable painter, and then we wasted no time getting everything hung up, organized, and ready to go. It's finally a home, and I just love how it turned out. This house is much smaller than our last house, so we had some decor that we didn't use. However, I actually like the smaller house better... super cozy. I used restraint and didn't hang everything I own because it would have looked like a circus.

I hope you enjoy the results! Today you'll get a tour of the entry, dining room, kitchen, and living room. Check back soon for bedrooms, study, and outside!

Hello friends, my name is Blazer and I am in charge of this house. I'd say I love you all, but that would be a lie since I only like mama and daddy. But I will let you see Blazer's house just for today. I'm very nice.

This is the entryway! When you walk in the front door, you see these pictures of the church where Brent & I got married and the lovely doors behind which are the washer and dryer.
This is a view looking back toward the entryway and into the dining room.

Here's our dining room! I'm loving this room. We didn't have a real dining room in the last house, and this is perfection. It's right at the front of the house. I'm seeing some dinner parties in our future.

Another dining room view

View of the kitchen open to the living room. We used the same paint colors from the last house, but a shade lighter on everything. We thought the lighter colors went better with this style of house. I looooove how the paint turned out. Oh, I heart paint.

This kitchen is way smaller than our last, but somehow it feels huge. Everything fits with space to spare. There are these amazing corner cabinets that pull out and have lazy susans inside for all of your appliances. I forgot to take a picture of inside the cabinets, but take my word for it.. they are incredible.

Here's a view from the stove into the living room. We have this cute little breakfast nook that needed furniture. Enter TARGET. I am in love with this white table and polka dot chairs... all from Target. It's my new fave place to sit and work on my laptop. I'm typing here now.

Another view of the breakfast nook where you can see our cutie new bar stools!!! Our old bar stools were too short so we're storing them in the garage. We bought these space saving, yet adorable bar stools at... you guessed it... TARGET! I mean they are so nice and sturdy. You've done it again, Target. I salute you.

And here's the living room. Notice my restraint in not hanging stuff on every wall. We're trying to go for more of a cottage look and determined that simple is best. Oh yeah, and a zebra rug. That doesn't count.

Another living room view

And yet another living room view. Hey, y'all wanted pictures...

Well here you can see the adorable white tufted side chair we ordered from... Target. Y'all I can't help myself.

Blazer hopes you liked this little tour and that you will stop by soon to see the bedrooms and study. Good thing my husband likes to move us around like every two years because I REALLY like decorating and organizing. More than any normal person probably should.

Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you think!