Turning 31

This past weekend I celebrated my 31st birthday and I've got to tell you; it was a good one! I took a moment to reflect back on this past year, trying to think of everything I did and accomplished. Well, the list is short - I made a baby and I worked. Not to undermine either task, but those are definitely the two items that come to mind when I think of the last 365 days. I was soooo tired for most of my pregnancy that was about all I could handle. As for 31, we'll see what this year holds.  I imagine it'll be a lot of growing with Shelby and marveling in her development. If I had a gold nugget I'd be jet setting all over the country to share my Shelby Pie with family and friends, but for now - I will have to rely on my blog for that.

To celebrate my birthday I went to one of my favorite restaurant with several girlfriend on Saturday night. I was SO excited for the outing all day long on Saturday. I hadn't been out with the girls like that in who knows when! We had a fabulous time and laughed and chatted it up from 6 to 10. The girls surprised me with the most giant, delicious cake I had ever seen. I was truly spoiled!

Then on Sunday Jack and I had the opportunity to spend some time together - just the two of us! We went to see the Broadway play Wicked! Las Vegas has a new, stunning performing arts center and this was our first visit. The play was phenomenal. Granted we were in a land faaaaaaaaaar faaaaaaaaaaar away from the stage,  but it was still well worth it. My sweet neighbor friend watched Shelby while we were out; she is a gem.

Photos were not allowed inside the actual theater, so we snapped a couple where we could.

In the park, right outside the performing arts center:

A view from the outdoor balcony:

And a snap shot of the foyer area of the venue. It was a very regal place; no detail went nu-noticed:

So, happy birthday to me. I feel like a very fortunate gals. I was showered with all kinds of cards, text, flowers and calorie-dense treats by other to remind me how much I am loved! On with the adventure....

Chuggin' Along

You may have noticed I've been on a little bit of a blogging sabbatical. It really hasn't been by intention, I just haven't had a ton, good or bad, to report on. We have settled into a routine (the best we can), been dealing with some baby sleep issues and pop up illnesses, but mostly just enjoying day-to-day life!

The weather here has finally turned to an acceptable temperature so upon getting home from work, I scoop Shelby up and put her in my fancy dancy Bob stroller (this will be a whole other post!) and cruise around the neighborhood for 20 minutes or so. I had visions of doing that my whole maternity leave, but with the 100+ temps and Shelby's serious contempt for the car seat - it really wasn't a possibility. Now however, we can both enjoy it. I love the fresh air and I love the idea of her getting fresh air....she goes from home to day care to home - not much time for fresh O2!

We have had some hiccups, but already we feel more equipped to deal with them. Shelby had her second round of shots and her 4 month "well check." Again, her stats were goofy (they led with 'Shelby is in the 5o percentile for length' WHAT? "Oh wait, I meant 95 percentile." Much better). Shelby took this round of shots much better too. After her adverse reaction to the first round I was apprehensive, but this round was night and day. She also acquired a new round of germs that left her rashy again for a few days, but that too has seemed to subside. I tell ya, this little pumpkin will have an immune system of steel by the time she is 2 at this rate.

Jack has re-tackled the outdoor table project, so I hope to have photos of that soon. He does very meticulous work, so I really hope it works out -- not only because I am eager to have a table, but because he has worked extremely hard on it. I am sure it'll be marvelous.

My job is in a great place. We've acquired some fun new clients that I get to work on. They'll keep me busy, but the change of pace is welcomed. I am best when working with a full plate, so I will have a fun next few months.

I am stilling holding out with the nursing bit. I have yet to need/use any formula and I am pretty proud of myself for that. BFing is a HUGE commitment, especially with working.  I have to pump four times a day to keep up with Shelby, but it's worth it. It's the best thing for her so I can't imagine knowingly doing anything other than my best for her.

The next couple months will be busy for us, but with wonderful things! We have some weddings to go to, birthdays, some special visitors coming, Dallas Cowboys to root for and several events with our friends.

All in all, things are great in the Schenk house. Chuggin' along as you may say. 

From Day Care

Every so often Shelby's teacher will email me a photo of my peanut at school. It makes my day! Here is a photo of her from Wednesday of her in her crib :)

I swear, each day I am almost giddy once it's time to go pick her up - best part of my day!

A Quick Dip

Since summer is winding down and Shelby has half a drawer full of swimsuits that will not fit her next summer, we thought it was time she take a dip. Dad volunteered to be the co-swimmer, so I took the role of photographer.

As you can see, we weren't overly aggressive with the situation - just enough for her to get her toes wet. She was a little reluctant at first. Jack started in the pool, but apparently the water was a little chilly, so they went to the "hot tub." Don't worry, it was nothing near a hot tub temps, probably just a few more degrees than the pool. She took it all in stride. I can't say that she loved it, but she didn't hate it either. If anything though, it was a cute photo opp and a fun memory. As for me and the pool, I think I am just sitting this season out. Hopefully next summer I can come back with a better tan and some better abs.

Enjoy the cuteness we were able to enjoy today:

And a personal favorite. I am normally behind the camera, so I don't often get a photo of the two of us. True love...

Priceless

Since Shelby is powering down milk these days at an unbridled rate, we decided we would give rice cereal a try. I am pumping like a crazy lady and am barely keeping up with her.  Since she is a big as most 6 month babies and as long as an 8 to 9 month baby, it makes sense that she has an extra large appetite for her age.  Most agree babies are ready to start minimal solids around four months and since she is several weeks past that mark, we gave it a whirl. She is sleeping pretty poorly too, so perhaps this will help.  Once she gets the hang of it, I’d like to try a more nutrient dense food like yams, banana or avocados, but we have to start somewhere.

How did it go you ask? We’ll you’ll have to take a look for yourself and if you don’t have time for a video – a picture is worth a thousand words.

In a nutshell, she really didn’t quite know what to do with herself.  I tried it again with her a day later though and things already went much better. She has been a chow hound since day one, so I have no doubt once she discovers how to shovel this stuff in her mouth, she’ll be all for it!

Fat ones, skinny ones, fair ones, too

My extra lanky sweet pea has outgrown her Puj Tub....and I am very sad about it. I swear, that thing is the most brilliant invention of all time. No slippery baby, no water in the ears, no reaching for stuff  - it was the best ever. Shelby is just getting too long for it now. When she extends her legs, she'll kick the edge of the sink and I can't imagine that is very comfortable.

I asked several of my friends what the next step/transition would be and they suggested this inflatable ducky tub. It's pretty cute. I actually think Shelby needs something in between for a few weeks, but we gave it a go. From the photo below, you can tell she was pretty scared by the whole situation. Of course I still need to keep one hand on her at all times, but the duck itself helps prop her up.

Our theme song for bathe tub was:
Six little ducks 
That I once knew
Fat ones, skinny ones,
Fair ones, too
But the one little duck
With the feather on his back
He led the others
With a quack, quack, quack

Twinkle Toes



All baby parts are adorable - hands, nose, tummies, bums. I have to say though, there is something extra cute about a baby foot. As expected, Shelby has some boats down there. Since her ultrasound days, the feet have been showstoppers. With that, none of her newborn shoes or booties fit her (ever!). So with some lament I had to pack the NB stuff away this weekend and was thumbing through some of her other stuff. I figured it was time to put some pizzazz on those tootsie.

What better way to start with some sparkly gold jelly sandals. I think I owed a pair myself when I was younger!

Adorable, right?

A Little Off the Top Please


Our front yard was a jungle. Those bushes in the foreground were literally as tall, if not taller, than me. I typically make sure the front yard is taken care of, but with being preggo, then the heat, then being beyond broke - it dropped to the bottom of the list. We have a pretty aggressive HOA, so I am actually surprised it was able to get to the below embarrassing state without an intervention.

BEFORE:

I must admit, I have a little guilt hiring out help for the yard. I gew up on 3+ acers in Northern California - property that by Vegas standards would be deemed a forest. In my 18 years of living there, I can't ever recall my parents hiring help....so I feel like a little bit of a diva.

Now that I have that confession off my chest, below is the new look. Admittedly, I'd prefer something in the middle, but since we only do it a couple times a year, I can live with the buzz cut. At least now I don't have to live in fear of a pink slip from the HOA.

AFTER:

Aerial View

The new standard for babies sleeping these days is on their backs, so we have done just that. We really haven't had too many sleep issues (until recently) and since the medical field deems it the safest, we went with it.  That said - my siblings and I all slept on our stomachs...and turned out fine.

At day care, they found that Shelby naps best on her tummy. From what they tell me, she often falls asleep during tummy time and from there - takes her longest naps. This make sense to me though, as it's always her own hands, thrashing around, touching her face, etc. that typically wake her up.

So now, on the weekends, I let her take her mid-morning nap on her tummy. So far, so good. I definitely keep an eye on her, but she seems peaceful and I feel like she would wake or wiggle if she had any issues.

This is the latest aerial view of nap time around here. And PS - I love those little pants with the sparkly stripe!

Zulilly.com

One of my near daily guilty pleasures is checking out featured items on Zulilly.com. The website is on online retailer of children's clothing but the items and brands they feature change on a daily basis. The brands go from fancy, to things I have never heard of (like the below - Duck Duck Goose). To get access to the deals, you must subscribe to their daily emails. As a bonus, most everything is at a very good price. They don't sell exclusively clothing either - they'll feature home goods, maternity fashions, children's toys, etc. For now, I love to check out the clothes.

These are two recent purchases from Zulilly. Each is a 3-piece set and with tax/shipping cost me $34. Not bad.

Oddly, there are not a ton of convenient places to shop for children's clothing in Las Vegas. Going to the big mall-based department stores is a bit of a hassle, the boutiques are far too expensive and if I dress her in strictly Babies R Us - she looks like every other kid. The discount stores such as Ross, Marshalls, etc. have had some good finds though.

Always Something

There is always some sort of project in the works at our house - big or small. We have yet to tackle the tile and painting I mentioned earlier, but instead, Jack is working on some patio furniture. We have a lovely covered patio, but use it rarely because we don't have the proper furniture.

Well, we found some awesome chairs for a wonderful price on Craigslist (brand new!) and Jack built the foundation for the table....now all we needed was the top.

I was leery about it, but Jack really wanted to create a cement table top. Never mind it being messy and we'd have to rent a mixer, the thing was going to weigh hundreds of pounds. I have learned however if he is curious about something, it's in my best interest to just let him do it. With that, he went out on a hot afternoon and got all the materials required to make this cement table top: mixer, cement, frame, re-bar, etc.

And so it began....

And Jack in he official "gettin' work done" red t-shirt

Well, all was fine and dandy until about half way through when he tried to put the re-bar in the middle of the cement. It just wasn't working. The piece he had purchased was bowed just enough that it was popping right out of the cement and wouldn't take form within the table. This is a big problem. Without the infrastructure, it's almost certain the table will crack, in some way, at some point. Jack opted to finish up despite the missing re-bar - he really had no other choice.

The 3 of us immortalized our hand prints and then let it rest/dry for several days. It was still crack free, but we both agreed it is just too dangerous to have something that could potentially could break; especially with Shelby on the scene. So, what's next? Demolition.

Little by little Jack had to chip it apart. It was loud and it was tedious. What do you do with hundreds of pounds of cement? You wait for trash day and put small amount in each of the neighbors cans....that was Jack's dirty work. There was so much that it had to be done over two week,

What's next? Round two. He has plans to try the cement route again, but with a new re-bar plan and with two smaller pieces, rather than one large table top. Wish us luck - I hope to next post a photo of us all enjoying dinner on our patio at our new, fabulous table :)