Noelle's Second Month

Friday, December 28, 2012

It turns out, it's extremely hard to take care of an infant, work full-time from home, manage a dog, and blog all in one day. So, I will apologize for this two month update being almost two weeks late! Before I know it, I'll be here again writing about Noelle's third month.
Making faces, and waiting for daddy to get home.

Noelle grew like a weed in her second month. From 7 lbs 13 oz at her one month check up, she weighed in at 10 lbs just one month later! She also got a few inches taller. Noelle's eyes opened up more, and she really started discovering her hands. We did get a few "what is your son's name?" so I purchased some headbands to make it more obvious that she is a girl. (Apparently the pink clothing isn't enough!)

SO BIG!
Play time!
"Mom, it's kinda cold out here.
Isn't this dog ready to go inside yet?"

Noelle celebrated her first Thanksgiving, and was in a turkey coma almost the whole time. I guess just the smell of the turkey can make you drowsy too!

Taking a Thanksgiving nap.
It was a great month, as you can see, and I can't wait to update everyone on the third month. Noelle changes a little bit every day. The New Year surely has great things in store for us!




Happy New Year to you!



Less Stress in the New Year

Thursday, December 20, 2012

So, I came across this post at the Thought Catalog today, and thought it was perfect as we approach the New Year. I'm not so much for resolutions, and this blog seemed perfect for anyone out there who is like me.

25 Ways To Make Your Life Better Immediately

I can think of a time in my life for almost each of these points, and had I known, or had the courage to just fix it, or change, I certainly would have been "better" immediately!

{Not} Wednesday Wisdom

Monday, December 10, 2012

On this chilly morning, as I prepare to go into the office for the first time in eight weeks (although it is only for two hours), I couldn't have said it better myself!

Mom's Must Haves

Thursday, December 6, 2012

I'll admit it, I've been very bad at making time to write lately. Noelle has stolen my full attention recently as she's been going through a bit of a growth spurt, and our routine is just now getting back on track! She even slept a full 6 consecutive hours last night. Mommy and daddy thank you, baby girl.

Before we had Noelle I talked to a lot of mom friends to get recommendations of must have, and don't waste your time items. Now that I've had almost two full months to really break in and use everything, I thought I'd share my must haves for any other moms and future moms out there.

My (almost) favorite item we have is the Ergobaby carrier. The Ergobaby makes my life so much easier every day, and thank God Noelle loves it. Since I've been home, I'm trying to give the Halas two good walks a day. At first I thought I'd try to use the stroller for walks, but all that gear, plus a dog just would not work! Even if you don't have a dog at home to walk, and are just looking for a good carrier, I highly recommend one from Ergobaby.
Noelle one week old and still using the infant insert. Yes, there is a baby in there.
When working on our registries I found there is an overwhelming variation of swings and bouncers out there. The Graco 2 in 1 Swing/Bouncer was recommended to me and I am so glad that I took that piece of advice. I love it because I can take the chair off of the "swing" and turn it into a bouncy seat. This allows me to cook, do dishes, and most importantly shower, without waiting for a possible long nap or until the hubs gets home. Noelle can come with me in her seat and be perfectly happy. If you're going to be home without help I would definitely tell you to snag yourself one of these. 

Noelle six weeks old napping in her swing in the kitchen while mom does dishes.
Those are the two items that make my life much easier. Other items that I love are pjs that snap, not zip (though dad loves zippers), body suits (instead of pants and a onesie), swaddle blankets, and my Timi & Leslie diaper bag that I won. It's a favorite because it looks like a purse, not a diaper bag, so when I don't need a ton of stuff, it not only holds Noelle's must haves and it looks fashionable!

Noelle will be two months by the end of next week, and I start work (from home thankfully) on Monday. These eight weeks have really flown by. I'm sad that the time has passed so quickly, but happy because the more Noelle grows, the more sleep we get - yay!

With her two month birthday, and Christmas coming up, I'll be sure to post more about these milestones.

Update 3.5.2013
Update 5.1.2013

Thankful

Friday, November 23, 2012

As I sit here, a sleepy puppy by my side, baby in bed, and hot chocolate in hand, I'm reminiscing over our Thanksgiving day. It was Noelle's first, and no doubt will be one we won't forget.

On our way to the Dave's Aunt's house we talked about what we were thankful for this year. Each other, of course, was first and foremost. We always refer to ourselves as a team, and I can't imagine a better teammate than him. Through the ups and downs, and all of the changes that we've been through together we support and encourage each other no matter what. Next, baby Noelle.

She's our little pumpkin pie, munchkin, no-no, darling little girl. We're so lucky to have been blessed with such a perfect daughter. She was such a good girl during our outing, the longest we've had since we brought her home. It's hard to imagine possibly loving her any more, and every day I find myself falling more and more in love with her! Then our families.

We have the best families. In-laws on both sides, Aunts, (funny I just realized that neither Dave or I have Uncles), cousins and extended family, all of you. They are supportive, and always there for us.

Other things that we are most thankful this year for are our great jobs. While so many people are out of work, we are very lucky to have jobs that we love. Our friends. Our pets. The list really could go on, we are very lucky, and have a lot to be thankful for, not just on Thanksgiving, but everyday of the year.
From our family to yours, we hope you had a fantastic holiday!

Noelle's First Month

Saturday, November 17, 2012

As I've mentioned before, since Noelle has joined us, time has really flown by. We've done so much in her short time here, too!

Before we even got home from the hospital Noelle had several visitors who were excited to welcome her. Cammy, Aunt B and Aunt Steph all met her during her first couple days.

When we came home Cammy and Grandpa visited for two weeks. They had to get enough snuggles in to last them until Christmas! And, Aunt Erica flew in from New York to escape (not really, but conveniently) the hurricane. Noelle got to meet her first friend Leena and her mom Aunt Carrie, and Aunt Kristen came over to teach her how to cheer for U of M football. Great Aunt Pam, Mark and Sophia brought a delicious lunch spread, and visited for the afternoon. Finally after the initial dust had settled Noelle's west coast NeNe and Da arrived. Noelle had lots of play time and photo shoots while they were visiting, and mom and dad got to relax a bit more than usual. 

Noelle loves her car seat which makes it very easy to tote her around with us to get out of the house. She's visited Bed, Bath and Beyond, The Container Store, Land of Nod, Costco and a variety of restaurants. She is getting better at seeing the doctor, and hopefully by her two month check-up her little legs will have beefed up a bit for those vaccinations!
I absolutely love being home with Noelle. It's been a big adjustment, not being around people who can effectively communicate, but I know it will be so hard to go back to work. Our daily routine is pretty regular at this point. Thankfully, Noelle enjoys the Ergo Baby carrier as much as mom does, so we're able to go for a few walks with Halas during the day, and we always look forward to when daddy is home from work, and we can hang out as a family :)

We have a lot of firsts coming up in the next months: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. I'm looking forward to sharing these memories with you, as well as everything in between!


Wednesday Wisdom

Slow Cooking Returns

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Well, it might not be on a Sunday, but the slow cooker, cooking, returned to our house this last week. It totally slipped my mind to even take photos while I was putting everything together, but it was delicious, so I wanted to share what I did with all of you.

The fall, and cooler temperatures always make me crave chili, and more hearty meals. I had two cans of shredded chicken (you know, like how tuna comes) in my cupboard and was trying to find a good use for them. In the summer I make a mean chicken salad, but it's certainly not the time of year for that, and chili is a pretty easy meal to throw together without any instruction. I'm usually not that adventurous, but I was confident that I couldn't screw this one up!

So, after deciding I was going to make a chicken chili, I had to run to the store to get the remaining ingredients. At the store I grabbed a can of red kidney beans, a can of corn, a can of stewed, sliced tomatoes, a packet of chili seasoning, and of course a box of Jiffy corn bread mix. The cans of chicken that I had on hand were large cans (from Costco) and I used two. (If you had the "normal" (tuna sized) cans, I'd probably use four cans.)

Everything can go into the slow cooker together. Drain the beans and corn, and use the juice from the tomatoes. I also added about 2/3 a bottle of beer. You can use whatever type of beer that you prefer. I used a brown ale since that's what we had at home. The chicken is already cooked, so it basically will just need to marinate together and warm. I had ours in the cooker for about 6 hours on low. Before we got ready to eat I whipped together the corn bread muffins so they would be warm with our meal. I also added a bit of flour to the chili to thicken it before we dug in. If you like a more soupy chili, don't add the flour, this is purely personal preference.

Next time I make this chili I'll be sure to take some photos and update the post.

In the mean time, now that Noelle and I are into a better routine, I should be able to find some time to write more. I wrote this last week, and am just now finishing it. We have a big milestone coming up though - Noelle's one month birthday!

Wednesday Wisdom: Man's Best Friend

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The addition of our newest family member has been a big change. For dad and me, we had time to prepare, to talk about the adjustment, and how we were going to manage. Less surprises you could say. However, for our creatures, it was a bit shocking I think.

Winnie is her usual self. Does her own thing wandering around our apartment, cuddling when she feels like it. She comes over to sniff Noelle every once in a while, but is not so concerned. Halas on the other hand has had a harder time. For the first two weeks my dad was his buddy, but after my parents left, he was stuck here wondering why I was home all of the time, yet not playing with him. Poor thing.

We're in a good walk routine now, and have made friends with one of our upstairs neighbor dogs, Mia, who Halas loves. We are very thankful for the school parking lot next door that is gated, and unused in the evening. Many nights we can take Halas over for a run, and frequently we bump into Mia. They have a ball running and wrestling. This works out well for all of us, I must say, and both dogs go home ready for bed.

Halas, pal, this post is for you. We still love you just as much as we ever did. You're our favorite dog!

Three (almost) Weeks of Noelle

Saturday, November 3, 2012

The past 14+ days have just flown by, and I'm proving this by the delay in posting an update! I meant for this to be a two week update, and started writing this about four days ago.

We were lucky enough to have my parents here for two weeks to help with the adjustment. It was proven how helpful this was, when after only being gone for one day, we had a full laundry bin! My mom was a tremendous help with watching Noelle so I could do things like shower, and my dad was in charge of Halas. Noelle even got a visit from Aunt Erica who escaped the hurricane madness in New York to spend time with us.
Now we're on our own though, and doing alright I'd say. Noelle's days are filled with feedings, diaper changes, and naps, while my days are busy with trying to manage all of Noelle's "to-dos" as well as taking care of the housework like laundry, and cleaning, making sure I eat, and walking Halas!
We celebrated Noelle's first holiday this week, too! While I am not a huge fan of Halloween, I'm trying to get into it for her. Dad loves Halloween, and is already looking forward to Halloween themed birthday parties.
My intention will be to update at least weekly, but we'll see how that goes!

Happy November, everyone :)

Now We're Three!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Well, just as mommy had hoped, our baby girl came a week early. Noelle Irene Silverman was born on October 15, 2012 at 12:32 pm. She was a petite little lady weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces, and only 18 inches long. She stole our hearts immediately.


It's hard to believe that a week has gone by so quickly. While my parents visit, we're sending photos to Las Vegas until Noelle's west coast grandparents can come for a visit in November. Here's a few of my favorite shots from the past week.



I'll do my best to keep up the blogging as much as I can.  We'll definitely have a firsts to tell you about in the coming weeks. Noelle enjoyed her first Bears game last night, will meet her Aunt Erica this weekend, and celebrate her first Halloween next week. We're staying busy as usual, and trying to catch as much sleep as we can in between!


39 Weeks

Sunday, October 14, 2012


Well, 39 weeks, and we're still here anticipating Noelle's arrival. This weekend I did a lot of cleaning around the house. I've been trying to keep myself busy to help the time pass more quickly. I did a lot this week, and have plans made up until the time when she's supposed to join us. I'm not one to cancel, but this is one instance when I'll be totally ok with canceling plans :) 

How far along? 39 weeks. 
Total weight gain? Enough! Haha. 
Maternity clothes? Absolutely!
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep? I've been tossing and turning more this week. I think I'm just anxious at this point, and wondering when I'll wake up and it will be "the day." 
Best moment this week? This week was really great, and there were several best moments. 1. Dinner with a long lost girlfriend and lots of catching up. 2. A double date dinner at a Lebanese restaurant, Semiramis, in our neighborhood. So delish, we'll definitely be back. 3. Pizza & girls night in. 4. A pedicure. Really, is there a better week than that?
Miss anything? Cold weather jackets that fit! Haha. I think baby girl is just so snuggly and warm she doesn't want to come out. She can probably feel the cold air because my jackets don't close all the way. 
Movement? Mostly when I eat or drink something. Otherwise, she's packed pretty tightly in there. 
Food cravings? Not really. The cold weather is making me want soup more though. One day this week I had grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch - it was perfect!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nah. 
Labor signs? Not really. Some cramping and, probably, mild contractions, but nothing so consistent that it has made me call the doctor.
Symptoms? Swelling, water retention, and soreness now that little miss is getting bigger. (Same as last week. I don't really expect this to change until baby is here.)
Belly Button in or out? In! 
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy. It's been a great week!
Looking forward to? Baby girl's arrival. I'm hoping that my "last" scheduled doctors appointment on Friday is one I won't have to attend :)

Hopefully we have less than one week left for this part of the journey. We are so ready for our little girl to join our family, and go from the four of us, to five (you can't forget the creatures)! 

Wednesday Wisdom

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

I read a great post today about remembering what it's like to be a child. It mostly caught my interest because it was so true! Many of the things they talked about you totally lose as an adult. 

D and I are lucky in that we've both held onto a few of these great characteristics that come so naturally to children. When baby girl arrives, and grows into a little person hopefully all of these qualities will come back to us too!

10 Things We Did Better As Kids - Thought Catalog

http://susanmaywordadventures.blogspot.com/2012/05/throwing-imagination-out-with-bath.html

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Happy Wednesday :)

38 Weeks

Sunday, October 7, 2012

I don't have too much exciting news to share other than the update this week. So, why don't we get right to it? Two more weeks (hopefully) to go!

How far along? 38 weeks. 
Total weight gain? Not quite sure anymore. It fluctuates a bit and I think I'm retaining a lot of water based on the size of my calves and ankles...
Maternity clothes? Absolutely!
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep? This week I slept really well for the most part. Very deep sleeping, and actually feeling quite rested when I wake up in the morning. 
Best moment this week? Lunch with a friend who moved away, and was in town for the weekend. It was so enjoyable and nice to catch up like the old days!
Miss anything? Nothing new this week. I am looking forward to wearing more than about three pair of my shoes. 
Movement? Not as big movements as before, but she's wiggling around as much as she is able to. 
Food cravings? Nothing new that I'm dying to eat. 
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nah. 
Labor signs? No. Hopefully we'll get news from the doctor on Monday that more progress has been made. I'm happy to cook this baby as long as she needs, but as soon as she's ready, so am I!
Symptoms? Swelling, water retention, and soreness now that little miss is getting bigger. 
Belly Button in or out? In - I seriously can't believe it. 
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy, but very ready. 
Looking forward to? Hopefully news that baby girl is making progress on her escape route at the doctor on Monday. 

Have a great week everyone :)

Wednesday Wisdom

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

37 Weeks

Monday, October 1, 2012

Aside from the obvious reasons, I love having a live-in EMT! Why you ask? A stethoscope at home! It's been really fun in the past week listening to Noelle's little heart pump away before going to sleep. She's finally snug enough in her little home that we can hear her heart with our basic stethoscope. It's very cool!

Now that we're at the 37 week mark, our baby girl can join us anytime, and she'd no longer be a preemie. I'll tell ya, while I know it's best for her to cook for the full 40 weeks, the commuting certainly isn't getting any easier, so if she did come a bit early I would not be disappointed.

How far along? 37 weeks. 
Total weight gain? About 32 lbs. 
Maternity clothes? Absolutely!
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep? Mostly sleeping pretty well. If I wake up in the middle of the night uncomfortable though, it's pretty hard to fall back asleep immediately. 
Best moment this week? Lots of time with girlfriends. A sushi dinner (nothing raw for me), and Noelle's final baby shower. 
Miss anything? Wearing all of my cute shoes. My feet are pretty scary most days. 
Movement? She's definitely getting cramped in there, but still slithering around. 
Food cravings? No new cravings this week. I am very hungry in general though. 
Anything making you queasy or sick? I have not been queasy or sick at all - fingers crossed for three more weeks!
Labor signs? Starting to have minor cramping here and there, but nothing indicating actual labor quite yet. 
Symptoms? Definitely have some swelling going on, and probably a good amount of water retention. 
Belly Button in or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or moody most of the time? Mostly happy, though I did have a moment (ok, several) at work today. 
Looking forward to? More time with girlfriends this week. Dinner with a long lost Chicago friend, lunch with a west coast friend, and breakfast with some besties :) 
Hope everyone has a great week! We had a doctor appointment today, and all is well with baby girl. The waiting game is on. When do you think she'll join us? Will she be early, on time or late?