Presley 4 months old and working mama revelations!

Quite a bit late on this post...as I always say, better late than never and hey it's the holidays...between being a full time worker, a full time mama, on top of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I'm impressed I didn't skip this post all together!
Last time I wrote I was just returning to work and not much has really changed. It's still hard. It's still busy. And I'm still trying to get adjusted to this crazy busy life. I keep thinking ill get a plan pretty soon and have it all figured out but the truth is, I don't think a simple plan exists, hence the reason I have yet to come up with anything! I think the key here is accepting the new norm. Which leads me to this:

Things I have learned about being a working mom:

• Cooking pretty much goes out the window. If it can't be bought, picked up, or prepared and on my table by 6 or 630, it ain't happening. Gone are the days of Pinterest experimenting in the kitchen. Welcome to frozen meals, pre packaged mixes, crock pot cooking, take out, or anything simple Jason can grill or cook quickly : ) Since I don't get home till at least 6 I have very little time to eat, clean up, and spend time with Presley. I choose to sacrifice my love of cooking for playtime in the living room floor.
• Right along with cooking, out the same window goes shopping! Y'all know this is HUGE for me. I'm a self proclaimed shop a holic!!! I mean its the whole title of this blog! However, shopping has a whole new meaning these days. Say goodbye to casually browsing 7 boutiques plus the mall in one day, hello Alcoa shopping center (target, old navy) or really anything I can buy online! I honestly started to believe I would never own another piece of clothing unless it came from Target, Old Navy, or Kohls because that's what's handy to me. I've always been an online shopper but now more so than ever! I used to think well ill go see if I can find it local or maybe do some price checking. No more!!! It's one stop shopping these days. Now if I could just buy groceries online, my life would be complete. I'd even go pick them up and pay more if I could just eliminate the time it takes to hunt and gather!
• I never knew I could be SOOO tired! I know what you're thinking, you have a new baby it's the norm. But let me also mention that Presley sleeps all through the night! It's not like I'm up with her really at all....I'm just tired beyond belief ALL.THE.TIME!! I swear a Saturday night 10 pm feels like 12 or 1!
• To go along with that, exercise seems to be a foreign word to me these days. Something I loved to do so much pre Presley just hasn't found its place back in my life. This does frustrate me. I miss running something terrible. I miss my exercise class and Miss Verna. I miss visiting with Linda and talking while we are supposed to be doing leg lifts, sit ups on the exercise ball, or anything of the sort. But as I said before, I'm still trying to find my balance. This I must fix.
• Missing your baby might be one of the toughest blows to your heart! One thing I will say, being away from her so much makes me treasure each moment with her that much more!

But since this is supposed to be about Presley and not me : ) here's what's going on with our girl:

As you can see from her stats she is growing at a healthy rate! At her two month appointment they recommended we up her calories, not the case at 4 months! Presley was exclusively breast fed for ab 3 and a half months, spent a couple weeks on half breast milk half formula, and is now exclusively on formula! It was definitely hard to stop breast feeding her because I did enjoy it, but I absolutely HATED to pump! And that's what I was spending most of my time doing. With as much as she was eating in a day I just wasn't able to keep up to her demands. I'm definitely ok with it. She seems much more satisfied and all around happy! And mama is happy with the convenience of it all!

Presley is still sleeping through the night. She started when she was about 8 weeks old and has bad a pretty good pattern about it. She usually goes to bed anywhere between 9 and 10 pm and wakes up at 5 or 6 in the morning. Not perfect for the weekends but that's our schedule through the week so it works. Usually on the weekends if she gets up that early she has no problem going right back down until at least 8 am.

Presley is always smiley and happy and grins like crazy. Sometimes I will be talking to her and she will just smile so big like its the funniest thing she's ever heard! Every now and then she will let out a little giggle but we have yet to get a good belly laugh out of her. She is also doing a lot of babbling and cooing. I think she loves to talk just like her mama! She loves to play on her mat on the floor and roll left to right, usually while holding on to both feet. She hasn't rolled over yet but is sooo close! Just needs one little push and she'll be there.

As usual she loves motion, rocking, and singing. Lately we have been reading The Night Before Christmas (since Aunt T bought our first copy for us!!) and she loves to listen and look at the pictures. She is also a big TV watcher, she really loves football, hmmmmmm....could that be from over exposure in our living room?!?! Nah!!

As I mark all these milestones of Presley's growth I'm always so inclined to think, slow down baby girl, stop growing. But I've recently been touched by a situation which makes me stop and think otherwise. While on maternity leave I became aware of a baby born with a fatal disease. The family from right here in Benton, baby born just shortly after Presley and it all just hit too close to home. I think about that family and all the others who have lost babies and children unexpectedly and at young ages. I think of how they would give anything to have the opportunity to watch their child grow. How they get taken too soon before their mommies and daddies get to live the life with them that they planned on. Tomorrow is never promised but we never lose the hope that we will see tomorrow. For some sweet parents, tomorrow could change their whole world. For anyone for that matter, we never know what it will hold. But today I am thankful that tomorrow I plan to wake up to my little girl and her to me. Her cheeks get chubbier and her legs more rolly poly by the day and that makes me so happy because that means that she is healthy! Praise The Lord for her life and her growth. So many may not get to experience that, therefore I know that we are blessed!

On that note, you know I had to post some pictures of our little pork chop Pressy Pie! I can't help but think that it was exactly this month last year that we found out we were pregnant with her. At that time she looked like nothing more than a tiny grain of rice with a flickering heart beating.......life is truly amazing!!!!

Cuddle time with mommy before she went back to work

Me and Brady

Crazy hair at Nettie's!

Mine and mommy's last weekday lunch date : (

I'll hold your hand mommy! We can do it! (night before work)

Mommy and me giving big hugs before I go off to daycare for the first time!

All dressed up!

WHOAH, daycare wore me out!!!

Sleeping sitting up!

Me and Aunt Randi napping

Playing on my play mat!

Holding my bottle like a big girl!

Mommy clipping my nails for the first time

Pardon my crazy looking outfit, we're pretty informal at home!

I got to go to Adler's big first birthday!!

Couldn't wait to wear some of my fabulous hog gear!

The next day I got to go to Kennedy's cowgirl birthday, Yeehaw!!

Milk make me sleepy!

Did I mention daycare wears me out???

Giggling in my sleep, must be having good dreams about mommy, and Thanksgiving!!

My first stuffing at Nettie's

I happen to love mommy's front facing camera!

Woo hoo, off to the daycare I go!

Headed to my 4 month checkup

Sweet smile!

Waiting on my shots, I'm so embarrassed I had to get all naked!

That wasn't so bad, I just cried a little bit!

I hijacked my cousin Aiden's T shirt from his house when mine got wet

Don't I look cute in it?? Maybe I should get one in my size!

That pretty much sums up our November! I can't wait to blog December and all the fun happenings from Presley's first Christmas! She's been a pretty good girl so I would be willing to bet Santa has her on the nice list! Thanks for keepin' up with us, I'll try to be more timely after the holiday rush is over! Merry Christmas everyone!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone