Saturday, January 29, 2011

Day 16 - Your views on mainstream music.

Boring.

No, really, that's my view. "Mainstream" music is BORING, predictable and lame.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Day 15 - 5 people in your life right now who mean the most.

1. John
2. Kaetana
3. Mom & Dad
4. Grandma & Grandpa
5. Anna & Riley

I know it's cheating to lump people together, but these are the people that mean the most to me and there were only 5 spots. :)

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Day 14 – A photo of a cherished memory.


This was taken December of 2008, when one of my very best friends Sydney came to visit from Maine. At the time, we weren't very good friends. In fact, we basically had a Myspace friendship. We had known each other when she still lived in Prescott and had gone to the same school. We had many of the same friends, and sometimes ended up hanging out together in a group setting. Never anything intimately, though, so when I found out she was coming to visit I wasn't too excited. We did, however, make plans to hang out at some point and we left it at that. The first time we hung out was awkward and weird. I drove her back to her Mom's house and she told me we needed to hang out again the next day. I didn't have anything going on so I agreed.

Well, it wasn't awkward the next day and we ended up basically spending every day of her 2 week visit together. We had so many great, great times. This is us at the Dells one day. It was a harrowing experience trying to get this photo taken! & it is absolutely one of my most cherished memories. I love Sydney very, very much.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Baby Wearing

I made a "Moby Wrap" today. It was the easiest process ever. All I had to do was drive to Hobby Lobby, find some Jersey Knit fabric, buy 5 yards of it (I wish I had only gotten 4. All 5 yards is too much for my short stature,) go home and cut it in half so it's approximately 25" wide. That's it! The knit means the cut edges curl not fray, so there's absolutely no sewing involved. Now I have 2 wraps, and I'm so beyond stoked about it.



  
We tried the "cradle hold" and she completely freaked out. She hated it so, so much. So I decided to try this "kangaroo hold" instead and she was perfectly content. She held her head up just fine, and when she got tired she just rested it on my chest. It looks like her little mouth and nose are covered too much in the photos but it was all good. I'm really happy I didn't have to spend all the money on a pre-made wrap when this was just so easy and so, so much cheaper.

So, if you're a new Momma or are about to be one, I highly suggest just doing this! ♥

Day 13 - Somewhere you’d like to move or visit.

This is an easy one for anyone who's known me for more than 5 seconds.
England!

Who wouldn't want to live here?


I've always, always wanted to go there. I've had this hard-on for the British since I was like 10, and then the Harry Potter books came out and my obsession got out of control. I always figured I'd at least visit, but I've talked about it with John (recently, actually) and we both want to move there permanently someday.

I was researching how one would go about doing that a few days ago, and it's the craziest process. I'm not sure when we'll be able to manage even just a work visa but maybe I will apply to a school there in a few years. I'm not sure.

We were also discussing where in Britain we might want to move, and I think we've settled on somewhere in Essex. It's close to the London area without being right smack there and extremely expensive. *shrug* We'll see.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Day 12 - Bullet your whole day.

As today is not over yet, I'm going to do yesterday!

6:45 - Wake up to feed Keaetana
7:30 - Go back to sleep
8:30 - Kaetana gets up and we have "smile time" in which we lay in bed and I talk to her stupid and show her toys while she smiles at me!
10:15 - Kaetana gets bored with smile time, eats, and goes in her swing where she falls asleep.
10:15 to 1 - I fold laundry and eat lunch
1 - Kaetana wakes up and eats
1:40 - Tummy time, then Kaetana hangs out on her playmat for about 20 minutes staring at the toys
2:30 - Kaetana gets bored with her mat, so she hangs out on the couch with me and watches some tv, where she falls asleep for about a half an hour
4 - Kaetana eats, then passes out for her afternoon long nap
4 to 7 - I hang out by myself and dink around on the internet until John gets home
7 - John gets home and has Daddy time with Kaetana while I make dinner
8 - Kaetana eats and hangs out with us for a while
9 - Kaetana goes back to sleep, John and I watch hours and hours of Law & Order: SVU
11 - I go to bed, Sonny & Bria come over to hang out with John
1:30 - Kaetana wakes up to eat, goes back to sleep
4:30 - Kaetana wakes up to eat, goes back to sleep
5:30 - Kaetana wakes up to eat, goes back to sleep

Then we're in to today. (I guess we already got in to today, but oh well.)

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Day 11 - Put your ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.

1. ...Ha, Yeah It Got Pretty Bad - Lydia
2. Mr. Mistake (Bested by the Whisper Chasm) - Busdriver
3. A Moment Suspended in Time - Underoath
4. The Dissentience - Protest the Hero
5. Got Money - Lil Wayne
6. White Horse - Taylor Swift
7. Thanks for the Memories - Fall Out Boy
8. Rosetta Stoned - Tool
9. Thank You For the Venom - My Chemical Romance
10. Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off - Panic! at the Disco

....I have strange music tastes.

Day 10 – Someone who came into your life unexpected and made an impact.

I decided to skip Day 9 because it seemed really redundant and I didn't feel like answering it.

I'd have to say John. When I met him I definitely wasn't looking for any kind of a relationship. In fact, I was resisting finding anything like that because I didn't want to deal with it anymore.

I've written on my blog before about how I met John, so I won't go in to it again, but it was absolutely unexpected and he has, of course, made the biggest impact on my life.

He's my best friend, my soul mate, and the father of my child. He came in to my life at the exact right moment because of my stand-still at the time. He picked me up and led me out of the funk that I had been in. He got me motivated about life again, and everything changed for the better after I met him. I've never been happier in my entire life since that day.

 If that's not impact, I don't know what is!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

She smiles!

Kaetana started responsively smiling about a week ago, and ever since I've been trying to get a photo of it. Today, success! I'm so excited.




Friday, January 21, 2011

Day 08 - A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life.


The moment I became a Mom.

I've always wanted to do something really great with my life but never really gave myself the opportunity. When I had Kaetana, I knew I had finally done it. I'm the greatest thing a woman can be. I created life, grew her inside of me, and when you go through something like that - and finally look in to your child's eyes - it is the most satisfying, amazing feeling on the planet.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Day 07 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.

(Since I skipped Wednesday, I'm making up for it by doing 2 days today!)

Okay, up until this year, I've been a Capricorn. Which has worked out because I'm pretty much textbook. Now, though, the astronomical community has decided that there are actually 13 signs so they added one on to the end of the year called Ophiucus. Which suddenly makes me a Sagittarius instead. 

Which I'm not.

: /

Day 06 - A photo of yourself and write 30 interesting facts about yourself.


1. I just had a baby. (I know, I know but I find it interesting!)
2. I was in my high school marching band all 4 years.
3. I didn't have a real, serious boyfriend until 11th grade. (and even then it wasn't that serious.)
4. I used to always wear skirts, even over my pants.
5. I'm allergic to bees.
6. I tell everyone I'm 5' tall, but really I'm only 4'11".
7. Incidentally, my boyfriend John is 1 foot, 1 inch taller than me.
8. I am learning to crochet, because it's faster than knitting.
9. I'm lactose intolerant.
10. I can't cook to save my life.
11. I have always wanted to move to England, and still do!
12. It's one of my life goals to be in a commercial one day.
13. I've had almost every hair color you can imagine.
14. I really want to do professional photography, and specialize in infant portraiture.
15. If I'm walking and I come up to a house with a dog in the front yard, I'll move to the other side of the street rather than walk in front of it.
16. I've read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 57 times.
17. Though I'd rather not live here for the majority of my life, I want myself and John to retire in Prescott.
18. I was a vegetarian for almost a year, then gave it up for a hot dog.
19. When I was little, I wanted to be a "flying doctor" in Alaska. Then I met a man who used to do just that in a bar with my parents who lost a foot to frostbite and changed my mind.
20. I really want to buy my Grandparent's house, because the thought of anyone else living here when they're gone freaks me out.
21. I fully plan to be mostly covered in tattoos, and hope to get started on that again soon.
22. I met an astronaut when I was little, and he gave me a special pen that's designed to write in space. I still have it.
23. I only knew John for 2 weeks when we started dating, and a little over a month when we started living together. We've been together 2 years this July, and I couldn't love anyone more.
24. It sometimes bothers me how little Kaetana looks like me, but I also love that she looks just like John.
25. I've been wearing glasses since I was 6.
26. I'm the only one out of 3 children that graduated high school.
27. I used to rave, so I have a massive stash of "kandi" and kandi making supplies.
28. My dream car is a black Lexus RX.
29. I craved and smoked cigarettes for about 2 weeks (menthols). Then I found out I was pregnant.
30. I'm one of those people that's always checking their Facebook, even when I know there's nothing new to see.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Day 05 - A time you thought about ending your own life.

I can honestly say I've never thought about killing myself.

Of course I've had depressed feelings and thoughts (I was a teenager once, too) but it never got bad enough for me to even consider that an option.

*shrug* I'm boring.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Vlog - Tummy Time Fail





 Just a little video I made while Kaetana was doing "Tummy Time" the other day. She never does it correctly if she's on the floor, and always ends up really frustrated and pissed off. (Which you will see at the end!) Please excuse the sounds of the television in the background, I just tune it out and forgot about it.

Day 04 - Your views on religion.

I've never really understood the point of organized religion. It has always seemed convoluted and silly. The idea of being a good person is great, yes, but I don't like the idea of only doing it to be able to get in to Heaven one day. Seems pretty self serving to me.

But really, in short, I don't necessarily believe in anything and I've never had any sort of proof that might scoot me along in the direction of belief.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

aaawwh yeah


The poor thing got all worn out from that, so she had snuggle and went to sleep.

 
 Oh, I just noticed she's wearing different clothes in this.
She had a huge spit up explosion after tummy time, so we changed. :)

Saturday, January 15, 2011

A Different View

My entry for The Paper Mama's Photo Challenge: A Different View


The Paper Mama

Day 03 - Your views on drugs and alcohol

I could write a really long stint on this, but I won't.

I will say that I think most things are fine as long as you do them in moderation. I've been there, I've done that and I don't tolerate alcoholics, or drug addicts.

Just do what you're going to do, but do it smart.

Day 02 - Where you’d like to be in 10 years.

In 10 years, I'll be 32.
That alone is ridiculous to think about.
I don't know what I will want at that point in my life, but here is what I'd like to see happen:

I'll be married to John. We will have other children, beautiful little brothers and sisters for 10 year old Kaetana. I can't imagine myself ever having a real career, to be honest, but hopefully I will have a job that I enjoy. John will have a career, and will make enough money for us to be comfortable and happy. Maybe I will be a stay at home Mama!
We'll have a nice house somewhere, maybe not in Prescott. It'll have stairs. (I've always wanted a house with stairs.)
We will always be doing something fun as a family. Going on vacations, outings and just hanging out at home doing stuff together. I want to have a good relationship with my children.

So, there. That's kind of how I picture my life in 10 years.
Just happy. ♥

Friday, January 14, 2011

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Here we go, again.

Day 01 - Your current relationship, if single discuss how single life is.


I am dating John Vallejo, my very best friend and the father of my child. He is so wonderful and I am always thankful that I found him. I have definitely had my fair share of ridiculous "relationships" (mostly due to me and my misinformed, misjudging teenage self) and honestly at the time I met John I was pretty much at the point of giving up. I'd had such a skewed idea of what love was, and how I everything was supposed to happen, that John took me by surprise and frankly freaked me out! I ended up pushing him away for about a month after we met because I didn't want to deal with the feelings I was feeling.

We met on the 4th of July in 2009. I actually never would have met him if it weren't for the insistence of my (then) best friend to go downtown with her. I was perfectly content sitting in her bed watching tv, haha. (And, you know, although we aren't friends anymore and a TON of drama has gone down and it's all bad now, I definitely owe meeting John to her.) ANYWAYS. We were downtown wandering, I ran into a guy I used to hang out with when I was like 17, and he was with John. Turns out they have been best friends for years and years.

I knew there was something I really liked about John from the very beginning, and our relationship moved very quickly. Once I stopped denying my feelings for him, and let him in, we pretty much spent all our time together. He moved in after about a month of us being together, and we got our own place only 4 months after meeting. Now here we are, almost 2 years later, and I've never been happier. He is the love of my life, my very best friend, and we now have this amazing child together.

Live is good, and I'm eternally grateful for that 4th of July, and the pushiness of former friends.

30 Days

Another challenge, this time not photos so I won't get bored with it.

Day 01 - Your current relationship, if single discuss how single life is.
Day 02 - Where you’d like to be in 10 years.
Day 03 - Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 04 - Your views on religion.
Day 05 - A time you thought about ending your own life.
Day 06 - A photo of yourself and write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
Day 07 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.
Day 08 - A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life.
Day 09 - How you hope your future will be like.
Day 10 – Someone who came into your life unexpected and made an impact.
Day 11 - Put your ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
Day 12 - Bullet your whole day.
Day 13 - Somewhere you’d like to move or visit.
Day 14 – A photo of a cherished memory.
Day 15 - 5 people in your life right now who mean the most.
Day 16 - Your views on mainstream music.
Day 17 - Your highs and lows of this past year.
Day 18 – Something that makes you laugh.
Day 19 - Disrespecting your parents.
Day 20 - How important you think education is.
Day 21 - One of your favorite shows.
Day 22 – Something you want to do before you die.
Day 23 - Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous who you find attractive.
Day 24 – Somewhere you would like to travel.
Day 25 – A photo you took.
Day 26 - What kind of person attracts you.
Day 27 - A problem that you have had.
Day 28 - Something that you miss.
Day 29 - Goals for the next 30 days.
Day 30 - Your highs and lows of this month.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Slaaaaaaaacker.

Sorry I've been slacking so bad this past week. Kaetana gave her cold to me, and then I gave it to John, who gave it back to Kaetana who gave it back to me. I've been living in sicky house hell.

But now we are all feeling much, much better so I should be getting back to my regular routine again (including blogging.) Kaetana got her photos done today, as well, and I will be posting all about it tomorrow!!

Much love.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Day Nine

How long was your labor? I was in early labor the entirety of Monday the 6th, then started active labor at 2am on Tuesday the 7th.

Who was in the room? John, and our doula Laura.

Did your water break or were you induced? My water broke when I was at home.

Natural-Epidural: Completely natural all the way up 'til about 2pm on Tuesday, then I got an epidural.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Day Eight

A Family Picture!:

Goals for 2011


I've never been one to make new years resolutions, but this past year has seen so many changes that I feel it an appropriate start to this year. Changes are good! So, here are my goals for 2011:

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Day Seven

What is your baby's birthday?

December 7, 2010!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Sick Baby

Kaetana is sick, and it's so so sad!

She's been feeling pretty crappy the past couple of days (I imagine, from her behavior) and I was starting to feel like she might be getting a wee little cold. Then her eye got super gunky and disgusting. Then she got a cough. And started eating less. And, and, and.

So we took her to the pediatrician (they must hate me by now) to get her checked out and lo and behold, she has a cold. And an eye infection. And thrush.

Poor thing!

So now I am here with this poor, sad, sick little baby and I've got like 3 different medicines to give her 4 times a day for the next week. Here's hoping she's all better by then! Especially since I had to cancel her photo appointment that was scheduled for tomorrow. I'm hoping to be able to get them done next week, because they're supposed to be her 1 Month thing.

Which, by the way, she'll be on THURSDAY. Someone please explain to me where the last month has gone, because I am amazed at how fast it's flown by.

Well, I hope everyone is having a lovely day. I'll leave you with a photo of Kaetana from a little while ago when she passed out. (Thank God.)



I'll be back in a bit for my Mommy thing post. ♥

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Photoshoot!

It was always my big plan to take Kaetana's newborn photos myself, and I was super excited to do them. I researched for months online about techniques that would help me out, the best poses and how to get them, ect. ect. Unfortunately, I didn't bank on having a c-section and not being able to move like a normal person until 3 weeks postpartum. Because I had to wait so long to take her photos, I missed out on the opportunity to do a lot of the really cute newborn poses and standard shots you see. I tried, believe me, but she's past that floppy newborn stage already and resisted everything I tried. Even with her being heavily asleep! (for most of it.)

Day Six

How, Where, When, Who, Reaction, Why - When you found out you were expecting:

Hmm. Okay well I found out I was pregnant in mid-March last year at a doctor's appointment. I had gone to get my birth control switched because I felt off and didn't want to take any changes (so much for that.) They said that because I was there for a birth control evaluation and change, it was routine to give a pregnancy test. I laughed at them and said go ahead.

I was by myself at the doctor, and had left work for a while to go. John worked with me at the time, so after finding out I immediately called him to let him know. He was funny because after I told him, he was very quiet for a few minutes then all he said was, "I love you." It was sweet. I had a pretty bad panic attack at the office, though, and had to have my best friend (at the time) come get dropped off to meet me because I couldn't handle it by myself! I completely freaked out! It definitely was not in my mind at all that I would be pregnant, even though looking back that's pretty dumb because of the symptoms I had. It was probably pretty obvious.

We drove back to my work, and I talked to John and my bosses and John's friend showed up too. It was nice to have all those people there supporting us. We ended up leaving work early and going to tell my family. Then we told his mom, and the rest is kinda history.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Day Five

A picture of you pregnant:


I don't have any full photos of me that far in to my pregnancy, so I figured I'd put this one -- it was taken 5 days before I had Kaetana. ♥
 

Giveaway at Sometimes Sweet

Yet another fantastic, one winner sponsor giveaway over at Sometimes Sweet! I'm sure everyone follows her by now, but if you don't you really should. And go enter. You could win goodies like this: