And This is Why I Should Just Wait for Doctor Appointments...

As you may recall, last month I got a little antsy waiting for Elsa's next appointment because I wanted to know how much she had grown. So I tried weighing and measuring her on my own at home. I was fairly certain my measurements were off but I wasn't really sure until we went to her 9 months appointment today. The results of which showed that she either (a) lost almost a pound over the last month, or (b) our scale is not as accurate as I would like to think. Lesson learned is this mama should just wait for the next doctor appointment for her baby's measurements!

It made me nervous that Elsa hadn't changed much in weight since her 6 month appointment. But the doctor assured me that Miss Elsa is growing and developing beautifully. Here were the accurate measurements from today:

Weight: 18 pounds, 14.6 ounces - 59 percentile
Height: 28.25 inches - 70 percentile
Head: 46.5 centimeters - 88 percentile

And here are some adorable pictures I took last week on her monthly birthday!

Attack of the Elsa Monster

While I was trying to take pictures of the Little Miss to document her 9 month birthday, I was attacked by a very cute and very persistent monster...

I have a feeling that it's going to be difficult to get some good pictures of the wiggly worm for quite some time...

Working Out in Style

I recently received another sample share opportunity from Crowdtap (I'm starting to really dig that site!). This time it was for a free pair of compression pants and an activewear top from Old Navy.

I have been a longtime fan of Old Navy's jeans and casual tops. Their jeans fit me better than most out there, coming in a variety of lengths and actual "tall" sizes, which fit better proportionally. But I had never tried their active wear. So, with the aid of my trusty bestie, Nicole, I was off to the active wear section of Old Navy.

Nicole and I were pleasantly surprised by the variety of styles available to us. We both were able to find comfy, yet cute pants and tops that we can sport on the treadmill. And, of course, we had to test them out before we visited the cashier!

I haven't had the chance to put the clothing to a proper test yet (I messed up my knees earlier this week and aren't quite ready to jump back on the treadmill) but here are some features that I'm excited about:

• Pants are actually long enough!
• Pants hold everything in so I don't feel jiggly when jogging
• Thumbholes in shirt so sleeves don't ride up
• Shirt is lightweight so it wont get too hot when I work up a sweat
• Special fabric that pulls moisture away from the body so I hopefully will stay dry!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go...

In case you didn't notice (and I'm sure none of you have!), I just updated my "About Me" section. As you'll see, it states that I'm now a part-time marketer in addition to being a full-time mama. That's right, we've made the difficult decision for me to return back to work.

This is a decision that Carl and I talked about pretty extensively, and while I'm more than a tad bit sad to miss out on some of Elsa's adventures, I know that this is ultimately the best decision for our family. It will give us the opportunity to build our savings so Elsa can go to the college of her dreams (hopefully one that's close to Mama and Dada!), and if so inclined, eventually have the wedding of her dreams (that's if Carl doesn't scare away all of her suitors). Plus, if I'm going to be honest, it will be nice to have some conversations that don't consist of the following words: peepee, poopy, lovey, oopsie, pat-a-cake, no!, and puppy dog (rinse and repeat and you pretty much have my daily speech pattern).

The good thing is that my employer is being flexible, allowing me to work just 20 hours a week - two full days in the office and a half day from home. This leaves me plenty of time for snuggles, hugs and Elsa adventures. And, I know deep down in my heart, that no matter how many hours a mama has to work, she will always be a full-time mommy!

Future Gamer

Elsa decided she needed to help Dada with his video game this weekend. After Carl got a little frustrated with the Little Miss trying to steal his controller, we got out one of her very own.

Looks like she'll be teaching Carl some new video game tricks in no time!

Bonding over XBOX controllers

"I don't think I have this quite right, Dada..."

"I have this thing down... I'll take care of those thugs for you!"

I Did, I Do, I Will

I'm going to take a slight departure today to talk about what came before the baby carriage - love and marriage.

Today marks our 5 year wedding anniversary, and I don't know if either of us truly knew what we were getting into when we said our vows. But I must admit that saying "I do" was the best decision I have ever made. I not only gained a faithful and understanding husband but also a loving and attentive father (insert cheesy smile here).



 So, here's to 5 years of pure bliss (for me, I really can't talk for Carl!) and here's hoping for many more years of love and laughter!

 

8 Month Beauty

Our wrinkly little baby is growing up fast. Each day, she's getting a little older and a lot more beautiful. And today marks her 8 month birthday!

I've grown accustomed to getting her stats on the even months but her next pedi appointment isn't until next month, so I decided to try weighing and measuring her on my own at home today. With a wiggly little baby, it can be quite entertaining:

According to my (non)accurate measurements, Miss Elsa now weighs in at:

19 pounds, 9 ounces
28 inches
and a ginormous head (18 inches)

According to Dr. Google, this puts her at the 73 percentile for weight, 76 percentile for height and 93 percentile for head circumference (did I mention that her head is ginormous?!). I'm confident I measured her head correctly but we'll see at her appointment next month how accurate her weight and height were!

Of course, I also had to mark the day with a special photo shoot :-)