So… you’ve heard me rave about thebump.com, right? I have loved that website as a resource and have used it since the first day I found out I was pregnant. I frequent the community boards so that I can complain/ask questions to the other moms with babies around Bria’s age. We are all going thru the same things and we are all asking the same questions we’re afraid to ask our real-life references. We also complain about everything mom’s complain about (too much unwanted advice from the peanut gallery, feeling like your toes are being stepped on as a mom, tacky girly clothes, insane/funny/sweet stories about motherhood).

Anyway, I was on there today and I saw a forum topic about losing weight. Now that the New Year is here we are all trying to lose the baby weight. Most of us have stopped breastfeeding so the weight loss isn’t as easy as it was. The holidays are over and the warm weather is a few months away. As moms of the 21^st century we feel the need to be super moms: good parents to our children but fit, sexy, and in shape.

So, as a bump.com group we are losing weight and keeping track of the weight. Below is the Week Zero information sheet I submitted:

Week 0- Getting to know you (reply with as little or as much as you want)

Name: Marie

Age: 25

Location: Memphis TN

Weight Loss Goal (# of pounds you want to lose): 20 lbs (2-3 pant sizes)

Weight Loss Plan: 30 Day Shred & dieting

Info.: Married to a hottie ;), Michael. Our daughter is our first child and she is Bria. Cat = Peyton and dog = Rigby.

Hobbies or Unique facts about yourself: Have traveled all over the world pre-marriage/pregnancy. Italy, Greece, Germany, S. Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sipan, Hawaii, China, as well as 12 states. Michael and I can't wait to travel to the ends of the earth with our family (Bria has already been to 3 states)!

Other information : GOOD LUCK, LADIES!

And while I was filling this information out I realized something.

Brianna was unplanned but I really was ready for her. I had a lot accomplished before getting pregnant and really am not missing out on a lot of anything now, post baby. I don’t need people feeling bad for me or reminding me how different my life has turned out to be because really… it isn’t THAT much different.

Let me clarify.

Having a baby does change EVERYTHING.

But it changes all of the small things and how you think and your priorities. Everything that SHOULD change, DOES change regardless of when you give birth.  

As far as my life experiences… I have experienced all that I wanted to experience. For those moms who have their children early, they might possibly miss out on: stupid, all night partying, traveling, making stupid mistakes with little to no repercussions, etc. They miss out on being selfish and self-centered. And what I realize now is that no, I didn’t miss out on anything. The natural progression of my life led me here and I am exactly where I am meant to be. Because I did things out of order has no effect on where I am and how I got here and what all I may have missed. I traveled, I went to college (and no I didn’t graduate but I don’t think I would have even without baby), I partied ( a lot), I have met a million different types of people and different types of beliefs. My mind has been closed and then opened again. I have gone as far away from God as one could get and I have traveled back to kneel before him. I have learned important life lessons by living on my own, and I have learned the importance of humility and grace. And I have a lot more still to learn. I have been to Asia, Europe, and to many many states. I have seen most of the world and made most mistakes young people make. I have learned to say sorry and how to forgive. I have learned what a family should be, and what a family shouldn't be. I have learned what love really means and now I’m learning how to make a marriage work. It just makes sense that I learn to grow a family, and how to raise a child. My life is flowing exactly as God intended it to. If He’s happy, then I’m happy. J

I’m going to say this and I don’t want anyone to think I value pleasure reading over spending time with my daughter. That is truly not the case. I enjoy every second that passes while we’re together and I wouldn’t trade that for any award winning piece of literature.

BUT.

I do have to say that one thing I miss about pre-child life is the reading. The pleasure reading. Taking an hour (or four) out of your day to relax in bed with a good book. Not to get graphic here but the only time I get to read is in the bathroom and even then it may be a page at most. Last night I stayed up “late”, reading (and by late I mean 11:30pm when I should have gone to bed at 9:00pm) and I’m feeling the burn today. One and a half [small] redbulls later and my heart feels like it’s gonna explode. I’m glad that my current reading obsession (and Michael’s too) is also a TV series, with the new season coming out this spring. But as most you book-lovers know the show/movie is never as good as the book (usually). Watching TV is fun but book reading is just so much more enjoyable. What is it about reading that is so fantastic? It’s more work than watching TV… and it takes longer. Why would anyone like to read?!

I don’t know and I don’t have the time right now to get all psychological and scientific here. But I do know that I want to extend this love for reading onto my daughter. I want to show her how much fun reading can be; so much fun sometimes that it’s sad to close the back cover at the end. We can get so many things from books; things besides entertainment. We can learn about our world and we can learn about ourselves. I’ve picked up a few book-inspired teachings that I want to use in my life, and that I want to impart on Bria.

“You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” –The Help by Kathryn Stockett

“You can’t live your life for other people. You’ve got to do what’s right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.” –The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

“When you’re struggling with something, look at all the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, it’s just as hard as what you’re going through.” –The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

“I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.” –Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs

“Draw a crazy picture,

Write a nutty poem,

Sing a mumble-gumble song,

Whistle through your comb.

Do a loony-goony dance

‘Cross the kitchen floor,

Put something silly in the world

That ain’t been there before.” –Shel Silverstein

"My skin is kind of sort of brownish pinkish yellowish white. My eyes are greyish blueish green, but I'm told they look orange in the night. My hair is reddish blondish brown, but its silver when its wet, and all the colors I am inside have not been invented yet." –Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

“A mind needs books as a sword needs a wetstone, if it is to keep its edge.” –A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

"First of all," he said, "if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around it." –To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

“Believing in God is as much like falling in love as it is making a decision. Love is both something that happens to you and something you decide upon.” –Blue like Jazz by Donald Miller

“I always thought the Bible was more of a salad thing, you know, but it isn’t. It’s a chocolate thing.” –Blue like Jazz by Donald Miller

“Sticks and stones may break our bones, but names will break our spirit.” –The Misfits by James Howe

“It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.” –Holes by Louis Sachar

“You can’t let anybody else tell you what your choices are. Sometimes they won’t give you the right choice.” –Stanley Yelnats survival guide to camp green by Louis Sachar

so i have this bad habit of starting a blog but scraping it because to me its too boring/my personal rants and raves that don't belong online/cheesy/corny/making no sense.

having a baby, being married, working 40+ hours a week (training trainees and being trained myself), cleaning house, preparing for the holidays, and more... = blogging goes onto the back burner. but it's okay; i wouldn't want my life to be any different than what it is. (except it would be wonderful if my car wasn't so crappy; i could totally use a new and improved car)

i've been spending my time lately going into work early, taking short lunches, and trying to absorb as much information as possible regarding my new job as a Portfolio Administration Analyst. lately my company has hosted multiple christmas gatherings and i believe i attended my last two yesterday which included: a trip to the nail salon (i <3 pedis), a beer at Fox & Hound, gift swapping, and inside joke-telling.

beyond the office i have been spending time with family and friends. friends coming over to get crafty with me (i SO have a ton of ideas on the topic of CRAFTING but i have to get to that another time). family coming over to help us with the bumps in our road (did i mention my crappy car???). and then of course there is spending time with michael and brianna. bria is 4 months and 3 weeks old! she is starting to eat solids (oatmeal, primarily. she doesn't like banana or applesauce! craziness!) and loves to bounce. she is all smiles. she is starting to teeth but the teeth are only just starting to cut in. i still love to rock to her to sleep at night but during the day she does great when we put her down for naps (okay so sometimes she does great and other times she fights it tooth and nail). she loves being outside so i try to take her out on the weekends when i have time. and she also likes to help mama cook (i use the "baby backpack", as we call it, and strap her to my person. she will sit there, watching be chop, stew, stir, mince, and season all day). she flips from front to back and from back to front. i love smelling her neck and her hair, i love her cute little baby butt cheeks, i love her wet slobber smiles, and i love when daddy makes her laugh. i love her chubby arms/legs/and belly. i love her slanted toe nails and her sharp-as-heck fingernails. i love how she holds onto my shirt when i hold her, and she hides her face in my shoulder when someone talks to her (she's shy). i love how she rubs her eyes with her fist when she's sleepy. and i  love that on the weekend mornings when i pick her up from her crib she smiles. that is the absolute best present a parent could receive. i wish i could see that morning smile every day of the week. i am cherishing this time with her as she's little because although she won't quite realize what Christmas is about this year, and she won't understand the traditions and the fun -- she will also never be this small again. her little hand won't wrap around my finger. she won't always come to me when she wants to be comforted. she won't always be so small that i can hold her in my arms.

out of all of the amazing things that happened to me this year having Brianna was the zenith. if i had to choose just ONE of the great things i would choose to have her every time.

mommy and daddy love you, baby girl. we love you so much and we hope you feel loved!

(below are some pics taken by my iMac. when holding Bria sometimes using the iMac is the easiest way to take pics. sorry i'm unkempt or the bedroom is messy in some pics. :\ )

daddy and bria!

holding onto my shirt. i love it.

cheesin for the camera!

I’m sorry for the lack of entries, folks. I really wish I had more time to transfer my thoughts to paper/blog. I have so many neurotic, stressed, joyful, excited, worried moments that I would like to share with you but there simply is no time.

Since excitedly accepting my promotion at work life has been a whirlwind. I would walk you thru my normal day but I promise it’s nothing interesting. The highlight of my day is always the drive home, walking in the door and seeing my family. When Brianna sees me she smiles and that makes everything alright.

We have a video of her laughing but we can’t figure out how to get it from Michael’s phone to the computer. Once we figure that out I promise to share it with you all. It’s fantastic!

But let’s get down to brass tacks. It’s December 7^th! That means Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is just days away. I can’t believe it. But I am super stoked to start the gifting process: shopping, making, baking, wrapping. I’ll post pictures as soon as the holidays pass, I promise.

But let’s recap Thanksgiving because that annual meal definitely was something worth talking about. First of all let me say that my favorite dish of Thanksgiving has always been a side item: macaroni and cheese, the veggies, the dinner rolls, and even the desserts. But this year, my friends, my favorite dish was by FAR the turkey!

The turkey was Michael’s project but I helped too. First of all we did our homework: thawing time, cooking time, herbs that blend well with turkey taste, how to keep the bird moist, how to know when it’s done, how to prevent burning, to stuff or not to stuff, to brine or not to brine.

For us we decided on a medium-sized bird which resulted in 4ish hours of cooking time. We injected the meat with Cajun butter (2 tablespoons in each side). We stuffed the bird with (and had him laying on a bed of) chopped celery, potatoes, carrots, and apples.

Stuffed with veggies.

We poured chicken broth in the pan, with the veggies, to add to the bird’s moistness. Finally we made a butter herb spread, stuffed it under the skin, and smeared the rest on top of the skin.

Popped him in the oven at 400 degrees and let him cook for an hour, then I added an aluminum foil tent and brought the temp down a bit for the last 3 hours of cooking.

Let me tell you.



YUM



This turkey was DIVINE! Moist, flavorful, healthy, amazing. I like fried turkeys but honestly nothing compared to THIS turkey. We raved about it for days and now we’re thinking about making it again for Christmas.

But the dinner didn’t stop there. The sides were good too…

Day-Before-Crock-Pot Mashed Potatoes. So good they didn't need gravy.

Cranberry Chutney is so much better than canned cranberry sauce.
This fruity gravy/sauce/dip is good for a multitude of meats.

Twice baked butternut squash was my least favorite.
I think I'll stick with regular yellow squash with butter and onions.

And so were the desserts…

M's favorite: pecan pie. I never liked pecan pie until I made it from scratch.
Talk about easy! Lesson learned: Don't use graham cracker crust.

Applie Pie, from scratch. Served warm with melty vanilla ice cream
or with shredded cheddar cheese.
Lesson learned: use sharp cheddar.

Now we’re excited to start planning our Christmas dinner menu. Mamaw and Papaw might be coming up for Christmas so we’re ready to impress.

Brianna - Thanksgiving Day 2011 (3.5 months old)

2011 has proven to be THE most eventful year of my life. Every single major event occurred in 2011: first it was pregnancy, then engagement, then the birth of my daughter.

Now it is a promotion and getting married!

Yesterday I received the best news of my career, thus far. The job I have been aiming to climb to for the past two and a half years was finally offered to me! As of December 7^th I will be a PAS Analyst (Portfolio Administrative Services) with CB Richard Ellis, the leading commercial real estate company in the world. This promotion is a God-send and in every way I thank Him for this opportunity. Not only will I be able to provide more for my family but we are now moving in the direction we’ve been aiming for, for years. We’re fine in Memphis Tennessee right now but as some of you may know we would love to relocate in a few years, and with this job the thought of relocating is not just a dream, but could possibly lead to a reality.

And to top off an already wonderful day Michael and I decided to get hitched! We’re so happy to be Mr. and Mrs. But let me tell you how weird it is to be a WIFE and to have a HUSBAND and to get rid of the last name I’ve known for 25 years only to welcome a new name. It’s weird. It’s all madness. But it’s Good Madness. I couldn’t ask for anything else.

But I’m getting some interesting feedback from people that kind of makes me realize how materialistic/superficial we are now a days. A lot of people have asked me what I wore and if I’m sad I didn’t get to wear a wedding dress. And I get surprised comments that we didn’t have a ceremony or reception. And to be honest a part of me wants all that; I wish we could have gone all out. But the rest of me realizes how UNIMPORTANT all of that is. The marriage is what matters, not the wedding. So I’m kind offended that some people may think I’m missing out or that my marriage isn’t as exciting as others’. My marriage is just as happy and just as wonderful as any $100,000 wedding would be.

That being said… Michael and I are fun people so we DO plan on marking this major event thru vacations and parties. Because I don’t see the point in spending as much on a wedding as we could on a new car/new house/etc. we won’t be having your traditional wedding, but we plan on taking a long honeymoon and while on that honeymoon we want to exchange our vows (just the two of us). Following that trip we’d like to throw a reception (or by then it may be a One-Year Party), inviting all of our family and friends to celebrate the belated event. But honestly I don’t want to be consumed with this party, and I don’t want it to affect our marriage. If we can’t afford it then we won’t do it and I’ll be perfectly happy that way, I promise.

However, a free wedding would totally be a win (everyone loves spending other people’s money). There is contest out there with a grand prize being a Hawaiian Wedding (plus 30 guests flown in for free). You must submit a picture plus a letter explaining why you deserve said wedding. Here is my list (you know me and my contests; I never win but I hoped Michael would find this list sweet yet funny)…

Dear [_____],

Why should Michael and I win your Hawaiian Dream Wedding giveaway? Let me count the ways:

10) We have fun in the kitchen, whipping up great (and sometimes not so great) food and I’m dying to buy some Mr. & Mrs. Aprons!

9) We have similar birthmarks on our hands and arms = we’re MEANT TO BE! Duh! ;)

8) We both desperately need tans. I’m half Mexican so you’d think it would come naturally; sadly, that is not the case.

7) I love birthdays/Valentine’s Day/Christmas/and practically every holiday so celebrating our wedding on Valentine’s Day is in perfect tune to our personalities (see the attached video I made for Michael last Valentine’s Day).

6) We need a vacation; we have only taken ONE vacation since we’ve been together (to Jasper AR) and we don’t know when we’ll get another one.

5) Our family members deserve a trip to Hawaii as much as we do; taking them along with us for the ride would be our gift back to them for doing so much for us.

4) We don’t have the financial means to throw a big party, being on one income with a newborn, so we’re planning on going to the courthouse to make it official. But having a Hawaiian ceremony would be a cherry on top of the cake (the MARRIAGE is important, not the WEDDING).

3) We support each other, and our dreams. Our hope is that Michael can attend school to become a game warden and I can one day follow my dream of becoming a stay at home mom, and a photographer. Until then Michael is the stay at home dad while I work full time!

2) If I had to choose again, I would always choose him (and he says he’d always choose me too).

1) The most important person in our lives: Brianna Catherine Ryan, our daughter, who was born on July 20^th, 2011. She’s the apple of our eye, the cheese to our macaroni, the icing to our cake, the smile to our faces, the sugar to our kool aid, and she deserves it as much as we do.

Don’t you think we should win? Yeah, I do too.

ohemgee...

This article had me cracking up today at work (I received it via email from a good friend of mine). If you like sarcastic humor and have had any exposure to babies... you'll love this!

Things I Hated (And a Few I Loved) About Parenting a 1-Year-Old

Posted by Linda Sharps

on October 11, 2011 at 7:01 AM

A friend of mine recently celebrated her daughter's first birthday, and when we were talking about how fast the year had gone and the fun of first birthdays, her voice suddenly trailed off a bit and she eventually said, "So ... 12 months seems like a really hard age so far. Did you think it was challenging?"

Ha. Ha ha. HA HA HA DID I THINK IT WAS CHALLENGING.

Does a pope wear a funny hat in the woods while standing in a pile of bear crap? You bet your ass I thought it was challenging.

In fact, I wrote some notes about what life was like with my youngest son, Dylan, when he was 12 months old. I call it, creatively, My Least Favorite Things About 1-Year-Old Babies.

They walk, yet they are babies. This is a horrifying combination and should be forbidden by nature. I feel it is a massive Darwinian fail to design babies to be able to heave themselves up on wobbly legs and stagger around like PEOPLE, when they are clearly INFANTS, as evidenced by their total lack of knees/knuckles and their propensity for ferreting out every single choking hazard in the entire house and cramming it in their cry-holes.

Speaking of, they put everything in their mouths. Here is a partial list of what I once fished out of Dylan’s mouth over a 24-hour period: a Curious George sticker, a Band-Aid, a small rock, fifty thousand pieces of paper, a pen cap, his brother’s shoe, a chunk of what I fervently hoped was dried mud, and one mysteriously non-Duplo-sized Lego that must have manifested itself out of another dimension because I swear to GOD I had already hidden all the chokey-sized bricks what the HELL. This was the same baby, mind you, who routinely gagged on RICE CRACKERS and mostly turned his nose up over chunky foods, probably because I didn’t WIPE THEM ON THE FLOOR FIRST.

They have a hair-trigger gag reflex. I became so reluctantly experienced at dealing with a Surprise Cough-Barf, I had an entire honed, efficient tactical action plan involving paper towels and Mrs. Meyer’s Lavender Spray and baking soda and simultaneous bath-preparation and laundry-starting activities and, frankly, this is not one of those life skills I ever wanted to be good at. Dear child: yes, post-nasal drip is gross, but re-enacting the pea soup scene from The Exorcist is infinitely more disgusting for all involved parties.

They are emotionally unstable. Whine, whine, whine. I can’t reach that ball, someone took the pen cap out of my mouth, I don’t like these shoes, this diaper change is filling me with rage, I’m riddled with invisible demons and I don’t know what my problem is so I guess I’ll just scream for about a goddamned hour straight. God, it’s like their brains are still forming, or something. Like they have limited communication skills and get easily frustrated and are constantly bonking their heads on things. SO IMMATURE OMG.

In other words: yes. It's a very challenging age. My god.

However, in the interest of fairness, I do have a few things I love about 1-year-old babies, such as:

They dance. There is nothing, NOTHING like seeing a 12-month-old bopping along with Eninem’s “Crack a Bottle." Uh-oh uh-oh, bitches hoppin’ in my Tahoe.

They love to laugh. Like when you get down on your hands and knees and pretend to be a bear and crawl after your baby going RRWAAR!, and their eyebrows shoot up and they go shriiiiiiiiiiek with pure insane joy before they laugh so hard, they fall over and hit their head on the entertainment center? That’s pretty rad.

They talk all the time, about GOD KNOWS WHAT. “Ba blah da doe blmphz da DER DER pah gee DOH,” they say, and you go, I know, right?

They're full of love (when they're not full of rage). They are in the perfect sweet spot between actively choosing to be cuddled (vs the passive human-represents-food pleasure of the newborn) and figuring out that almost any other activity is more fun than snuggling with Mom. They run full-tilt into your arms. They press their cheek against yours. They sit back to drink you in, then lean forward to sigh happily against your chest.

Their butts are ridiculous. I defy you to gaze upon a 12-month-old’s naked bottom and not feel certain the world is in fact filled with unicorns and rainbows.

I know everyone always says that you should enjoy whatever age your child is, because you'll miss it so much later—but I can't say I miss my children as 12-month-olds. I mean, okay, maybe I miss their squishy little bodies, but that's what photos and loving memories are for.

So in 44 days B will, unbeknownst to herself, be celebrating her first Christmas! I’m excited but next year I’ll be a little more into it because she’ll be a little more aware (although probably won’t yet understand).

Regardless the first Christmas is always exciting and I hope she gets a kick out of the tree, the stockings, the lights, the music, the pretty wrapping paper, the yummy smells, and other sensual stimuli. One day, when she’s old enough, we’ll include her in family traditions: decorating the tree while sipping hot cocoa and listening to Christmas music (and singing along terribly). Baking Christmas cookies to leave for Santa, and setting carrots out for the reindeer. Opening her present-filled stocking on Christmas Eve.

Oh and don’t get me started on the babies that will come after B. I can’t wait for the Good Madness that fills our home during the holidays. The torn and shredded wrapping paper that litters the floor post-presents. The huge breakfast spread with family members sitting around the table. Video footage to be watched for years after. And silly Christmas photos taken every year in front of the tree. I’m sure mom and dad (Michael and I) will be exhausted and wondering what the heck we got ourselves into, and I may be crazy for wanting all of this… but I have a feeling it will all be worth it.

But as for this year. This very special year when Michael and I spend our first Christmas together as a family, with Brianna. This special year when Brianna’s big eyes looks in wonderment at the lights and the tree. This year will be like no other – it will never be replaced or mimicked. So I’m going to cherish it.

One of my favorite parts about Christmas is the giving. I absolutely love finding presents for people that they actually want and will enjoy for years to come. Unfortunately this year we’re going to be a little tight on cash. I can’t get into the beautiful details of the presents I’m getting for folks (my loved ones read this blog!) but I will tell you that I’m SO EXCITED! (And THANK YOU pinterest)

As for Brianna, this is her wish list for all those interested:

1.       Savings Bonds – These will be devoted to Brianna’s college fund. They will be as good as gold to us.

2.       Cloth Diapers – In an effort to save our family money I would really like to give cloth diapering a true go-round. If it works well then our cloth diapering investment will be outstanding, considering we’ll end up using the cloth diapers for our future children as well. Make and Model of choice = Bum Genius Freetime All-in-One with snaps or Bum Genius 4.0 One Size with snaps (a dozen diapers would be great!). www.bumgenius.com

3.       Highchair – B is quickly approaching solid-food-eating days. We’d like something that can grow with her (aka, safe for little infants yet something she won’t grow out of in a few months).

4.       Baby Bullet – Again on the topic of solid foods. From all of the reviews I’ve read about the Baby Bullet it seems like this is the easiest way to go. www.babybullet.com

5.       Clothes and toys – Educational and age appropriate toys for infants who are attempting to roll over, crawl, and walk.