Dear Lily- You are 2 months

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Dear Lily,

Two whole months! In one month, you have already grown and changed so much.

Your sunny personality shines through each and every day. I love that we start our mornings together with smiles, giggles, and very important conversations about our day ahead.

You have been such a blessing by settling into a routine so quickly. Although, you are wearing your mama out in the afternoons by not napping as long as I would like, but you definitely make it up by sleeping through the night.

I can already tell that you are going to have a stubborn streak a mile wide. When you don’t want to do something, you definitely can’t be coaxed into doing it, like clamping your mouth shut and sticking out your lower lip when I try to give you a pacifier. Taking  a bottle has been a bit of a challenge, but, we will keep working on that.

You love to lay on your playmat and “talk” to your friends, Mr. Giraffe and Ms. Butterfly. And sometimes I catch you trying to sneak a peak at the television when it’s on. Shh, don’t tell the doctor!

You are able to entertain yourself for several minutes, but you quickly become bored and need a new activity. Does that sound familiar, Dad? This tells me that I will have to be on top of my game to keep you happy. Luckily, for right now, you are satisfied with a mean game of peek-a-boo.

It was also time for your two month shots. You took them like a champ, but we ended up having to drug you up with baby Tylenol to help ease the pain. And it was so pitiful to see you the next day so not like yourself.

Sadly, we had to send your Por Por back to Atlanta this month. I know you will miss her terribly, especially in the morning when you two had your outside time looking at all the birdies. Thank goodness for modern technology for FaceTime and Skype.

This month has flown by already, but I can’t wait to see what wonderful things you will accomplish next.

Keep growing, little one!

Love you lots and lots,

Mama

Dear Lily- You are 1 month

Dear Lily,

You are already a month old and your dad and I couldn’t be more in love with you! You have been an absolute joy, although we do have to work on your day/night confusion. However, your long naps during the day allow your mama to catch up on her own sleep. Your dad and I also appreciate that you are sleeping longer through the night, but you are such a noisy sleeper that I’ve turned into an even lighter sleeper!

We love to watch your facial expressions. There is nothing sweeter to see and hear you laugh in your sleep. I wish I could just video you for 24 hours so that I can show you off to the world just how cute and wonderful you are! Or have it as leverage for your teenage years. =)

You also like to mess with mama and daddy by going to through diapers like there is no tomorrow. Somehow you’ve got your timing just right that you know you have a new diaper on and go to town before we even have a chance to get you dressed again. That is talent, my darling. I told your dad I knew you were an overachiever when your umbilical cord fell off only after 2 days!

You already super alert to your surroundings, following voices and playing with your Mr. Caterpillar. And oh, how you love to watch the ceiling fans. Daddy says you already know when I come into a room. You are doing so well with your tummy time, especially when tummy time is on mama or daddy.

Thank you, little one, for bearing with us as we navigate this new adventure as your parents and being so good natured to let your mom have a shower everyday.

Love you lots and lots,

Your mama

What's For Dinner Wednesday: Tequila Shrimp

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• White onion, minced
• Garlic
• Salt
• Uncooked shrimp, peeled & de-veined
• 1/2 cup tequila
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

• Heat oil on medium heat, cook onion and garlic until translucent.
• Add shrimp and cook until pink. Remove pan from heat, add tequila. Return to heat and cook until alcohol has evaporated and shrimp are fully cooked.
• Remove from heat and add lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This shrimp is so versatile that it can be paired with a variety of sides. I have usually gone with brown rice or orzo. A few slices of avocado also brightens it up.  The recipe itself is very simple and takes almost no time to prepare. And one more note, if you can, I would recommend buying shrimp already peeled and de-veined, definitely worth the extra dollars to not have to mess with that.
   

*Original recipe courtesy of www.chow.com.

Feel Good Friday: Blessed

There is always some magazine article telling women and men what they are doing wrong in their marriages or relationships and how they should fix it. Basically, a battle of the sexes diatribe.  Ryan and I do read these articles with a huge handful of salt, have a good laughing battle of wills ourselves, and then just chalk it up to nonsense.

In these articles, I see a recurring theme of how women "resent" their man because they can't seem to get him to do any sort of housework without nagging, and it makes me appreciate that I have a man who is not like any husband that these articles are referring to.

So, I wanted to end the week on an upbeat note and focus on the positive instead of the negative. 

I am blessed to have a husband, who:

• not only knows how to do a load of laundry, but will actually do it just because some of his clothes are high maintenance and I shouldn't be responsible for that;
• will willingly load/unload the dishwasher without being asked;
• who knows how to cook and wants to cook to give me a break sometimes;
• in spite of having our own spending money, still wants to spoil me;
• doesn't expect me to do all the housework just because we are now in more traditional marriage roles than we were previously;
• who knows how to say thank you, and does so, often.

What are you blessed to have in your partner?

Monday Mania: Tough Question

I have been getting this question a lot since we've moved out to Arizona: what has been the toughest adjustment?

It's been mainly two things for me.

First and foremost, is having to establish a new group of friends. The first time Ryan went out of town on business, I remember texting my friend in Atlanta, "Okay, NOW I am lonely" because I didn't have anyone to hang out with while he was gone. And since I'm not working full-time, I don't have an automatic potential friend-pool through a job. I have really had to step out of my comfort zone and seek out local women's groups to get out of the house on my own and around some estrogen. It's totally like being the new kid in school half way through the year.

The second is that I just don't know my way around this town like I did Atlanta.  Traffic in Atlanta is the pits, and I could always whip up a backup route or shortcut in the blink of an eye. Here, not so much. I just can't see the layout in my head for a quick alternate way to anywhere if I need to yet. Thankfully, this town is set up on a grid system, so that I can play chance and eventually hit a street that is recognizable to me that will get me to where I need. Which leads me to being very dependent on Google Maps and GPS. Very rare was it that I had to consult Google Maps for directions, but now, I literally have to check before I leave the house and then make sure that I have my GPS with me.

If you've ever had to move to a completely new city after living in one place for quite awhile, what was your toughest adjustment?

IRONMAN 3

This is what my rock star brother did yesterday:

I spent a lot of the afternoon and night tracking him throughout the race and trying to catch him on the live stream feed, but that one didn't work out so well. It is truly amazing how connected we all can be with technology these days.

But, needless to say, I am one PROUD sister!! 

This was his 3rd IRONMAN competition and certainly not his last. According to his previous races, it looks like that he scored some PR times.

He is a total inspiration in dedication to achieving your goals. This is what makes all those practices and early mornings worth it.

Congratulations, Kevin!

My equally awesome parents went with him, as they have been with him for all his full IRONMAN races, to New Zealand to cheer him on.  They will be stopping by for a visit on their way back home. Can't wait to see them!

What's for Dinner Wednesday: Tilapia with Pesto and Roasted Tomatoes

**Main recipe courtesy of www.closetcooking.com**

Shopping/ingredient list:

• 2 tilapia fillets (or however many you want)
• Pesto (2 tablespoons)
• Lemon (peel and juice)
• Garlic (4 cloves)  
• Grape tomatoes (1 container)
• Olive oil (I like to use extra virgin olive oil)
• Salt and pepper  

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Toss tomatoes with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
• Roast tomatoes in oven for 10-15 minutes.
• Mix lemon juice with pesto.
• Cut the rind into slices.
• Season fish with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Set the slices on top of the tomatoes and place the fish on top.
• Spread the pesto onto fish.
• Bake the fish for 10-15 minutes. 

Serve with whatever sides you want, but I usually go for brown rice and steamed broccoli.