I want you to stay (talking to you, fall)

Today was one of those rare, but glorious, days that start out rough and end beautifully. I started off running dumb errands and arguing with insurance companies, and ended playing in the leaves with a suuuuper excited D.

It was 60 degrees and sunny, the kind of perfect fall day that begs you to be outside. D and I split a turkey sandwich at Jimmy John's (the kid can eat, I tell you), hit up the library for story time and a little book browsing, played at the park and picked out a pumpkin. I swear, it was the sort of day that makes me want to be a stay at home mom forever! All that fun erased all the worries about stupid grown up things (pfft bills- lets play in the leaves!) and totally recharged my batteries.

Fall can go ahead and stay awhile, if you ask me.

Halloweenie

I'm getting pretty excited for D's first Halloween! His costume is adorable, he's going as a baby duck! I plan to be a cow, force my brother into being a pig, and my dad will be Old McDonald! My mom has to work and Hubs will still be in Salt Lake, or they would be (forced into) farm animals too :)

We got into the Halloween spirit today, with skelly jammies, pumpkin sippy cup, and festive cupcakes! I've got plans to do some serious damage to a pumpkin patch tomorrow, then get carving! We've had fabulous fall weather so far, and I'm hoping it holds- no snow during trick or treat for us!

What are your Halloween plans?

Oh hey blog

This past week has been part whirlwind, part laziness! I've been spending extra time with my baby boy (hence the lack of blogging) in case I go back to work soon. He's grown so much in just the past 2 weeks- crawling like a champ, pulling himself up on furniture, saying "mama", "dada", and "kitty", and eating everything in sight! He is absolutely the joy of my world.

This past weekend, my mom and I took the horses for a ride through the Scratch Gravels, and had such a great time! The weather was great and we saw some great views.

My hubby left for a business trip to Salt Lake City yesterday, he'll be gone for 10 days! It's times like this I'm so happy we moved out here, because I have the awesome help of my parents while he's gone. Miss him too much already though!

Now I'm going back to playing cars with my boy...he especially likes it when they crash lol.

Boys.

an update

Oh boy, has this week been a doozy. D is cutting his top two teeth, which is SO. MUCH. WORSE. than the bottom two teeth. He has been waking up screaming 5 or 6 times every night, allll week. It's awesome timing, as my hubby just started his new job, and there's nothing quite like waking up for a new job after being up all night with a screaming baby. Not to mention, my hubs started a project on his car, rendering it un-drivable for the week, so he's been taking my car, which means we've been stranded at the house all week. All in all, not the best week. But, as I'm still waiting to hear from several interviews I went to, I'm trying to soak up what could be the last few days of staying home with my boy. I'm so glad I'm here with him when he's feeling this bad, rather than him being at daycare. 

Since we aren't able to go anywhere this week, I'm having to be creative with our routine. Usually, I try to go out at least once a day, just to get out of the house. Since we aren't able to do that, I am trying to do outside time everyday. Even though it's been pretty chilly, I try to get us out for a few minutes every day. The way my parent's house is set up, there's not a big enough space for D to use his walker, so I took him out into the garage/driveway. He was confused for a few minutes, then totally got the hang of it. It was pretty cute.

In other news, he has totally mastered feeding himself, as well as drinking his juice with no help, this week. He is eating pretty much anything we have for dinner, and doing really well! More than anything, this has made me realize just how fast he's growing up! He doesn't need me to eat anymore! I can't believe he'll be ONE year old in just 2 months.... so crazy.

I am SO GLAD tomorrow is Friday. The Fall Festival is Saturday, and we have plans to go with the whole family. We plan to get D his first pumpkin, and enjoy some good fall festivities. I'm so looking forward to it! It'll be great to get out of the house and spend some time with the family, after this crazy week!!

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday, friends! We have a super busy day ahead of us...Hubs starts his new job, I have an interview, and D is staying with his uncle (my brother) for the first time! The busy day makes me appreciate this past weekend even more. Lots of fun and relaxation!

Saturday, D stayed with his Gammy while hubs and I hiked Mt. Helena! It's about a 2,000 foot hike up, putting us about 6,000 feet above sea level at the top. Despite the imminent threat of mountain lions and a few icy patches, we had a great time!

Sunday was beautiful, 65 degrees and sunny, so we spent a good portion of our afternoon in the backyard! D has been a little fussy the past few days (tooth #3 coming in!) so I think the fresh air really did him some good.  

Overall, a really awesome, relaxing weekend! And a great way to end our 2 months of fantasy-land...it's back to reality tomorrow!

How was your weekend?

fashion crisis

As I've mentioned before, we've decided that it's time for me to return to work! It was definitely a difficult decision, because I do love staying home with D every day. But, as I'm sure many other stay-at-home moms can attest, it can be very isolating. Especially if, like in my case, you are brand new to a city and don't have a network yet. I would never had considered putting D in daycare 6 months ago- I would have gone crazy first- but now that he's almost a year old, we feel like it's time for him to start getting some socialization (mommy needs some socialization, too!). We found a great, Christian based daycare that I think he'll be really happy in. My biggest fear? Every single one of those children was seriously snot nosed! Any tips on keeping him from getting sick when he starts? Blech.

In addition to my daycare fears, I'm also re-entering the workforce for the first time in almost a year. I have a few interviews lined up, but my biggest challenge at this point is that it's been 10 months since I've had to get dressed for work, and for almost a year before that, it was all maternity clothes! So, needless to say, my wardrobe is pretty limited. It's mostly jeans, tees, and sweatshirts these days- if I ever make it out of my pajamas, that is! So, I've been thinking about how to revamp my wardrobe to make it more career-friendly. I'll have to wait until I'm actually offered a job, so I know what the dress code is, but you know I've started scouring Target for ideas! I recently bought these boots, which I loooove, and wanted to create an outfit to go with them! This outfit is great for a job interview, day at work, or church! I'd wear a dress, boots, and a scarf every day if I could!

All items from Target! Duh.

What kinds of things do you have your eye on for your Fall wardrobe this year?

Tuesday snoozeday

The excitement in my life is out of control. I mean, I went grocery shopping today. I bought shampoo. It was intense.

In other (boring) news, I'm re-teaching myself to play piano! I took lessons as a kid, but like 95% of other piano playing tots, I whined and cried and threw fits until my parents let me quit. And boy, do I regret it now! My old lady brain is not nearly as spongey and absorbent as my 9 year old brain was, but I'm definitely enjoying my new hobby!

I'm thinking of doing white chicken chili for dinner, renting a movie, and calling it an early night. Please- don't be jealous. Piano and chili- not everyone can handle such a whirlwind lifestyle. I know you're just unable to contain the thrills this blog post just gave you.

And, in case you were wondering, this is what I'm working with while blogging....

It's really no wonder that I churn out such gripping, exciting posts, with this going on!

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday, everyone! We had an awesome, albeit chilly, weekend here in Montana.

Friday, I had a job interview! It went really well and I'm really excited about it- it seems like a great place to work. We also interviewed a daycare, and found someplace we feel comfortable with. I'm still probably going to bawl like, well, like a baby! But we all agree that it's time for D to get some more socialization, and Momma too!

Sunday, we went to a Scarecrow Festival at Tizer Botanical Gardens, which is about 30 minutes away. They had pumpkin painting, live music, a scarecrow making contest, and a bonfire! Although it was really neat, it was pretty chilly and D was sooo not interested. He had just woken up from a nap and was completely unimpressed. It was such a neat place though, I'd love to go back when it is warmer so we can really explore! We ended up heading home, chilled to the bone and smelling of woodsmoke... all in all, not a bad way to end the weekend! We spent the rest of the night having dinner and spending time with the family. It was a great weekend!

dealing with postpartum hair loss

One of the biggest challenges that I think new moms face (aside from, you know, that brand new tiny human!) is how drastically your body changes after baby. At a time when you are exhausted and don't even have time to change your clothes, and are feeling less than attractive, your body starts turning on you- hair loss, hot flashes, excessive sweating... it's a pretty picture. 9 months later, I am still dealing with the effects of postpartum hair loss. I think a lot of women associate their hair with their beauty or confidence, and I, for one, had a huge problem when my hair started falling out. And we aren't talking a few strands here and there...  it was like a full fledged hair animal on the bathroom floor every morning! Having already thin hair, it was traumatizing to lose even one little strand. Thankfully, the hair loss has stopped, but now I'm dealing with something even more ridiculous- all the hair is growing BACK! Thank goodness for that, buuut.. this also means I've got a halo of 2-inch baby hairs all over my head. I get flashes of Big Bird when I look at my hair every morning. So, I thought I would share some of the tips that I've found to be helpful with dealing with both the hair loss, and the regrowth.

Everyone is different, but most women starting losing their hair about 3 months postpartum. This is when hormone levels start to even out, and your body starts "going back to normal". There is a theory that pregnant women's hair is so full and luscious because the natural fall of their hair stops or slows down during pregnancy, and once the hormones regulate, the hair all starts falling out at once to catch up. There's not much you can do to stop the hair from falling out, but you can do a few things to lessen the sting:

1. Continue taking your prenatal vitamins! This is super important, as your body is already going through lots of changes, you don't want to deplete your vitamins all of a sudden. Also, everyone knows how good prenatal vitamins are for your hair!

2. Brush your hair each night and before you get in the shower. Do this over a trash can, or have a broom handy! This distributes oils, making your hair shinier, but also removes a good portion of the hair before you get in bed or in the shower (the two places I found my hair to be most prominently annoying as it was falling out). 

3. Play with up-dos! Wearing your hair up will keep the hair fall from being super annoying during the day. Just make sure to vary where you place your hair tie each day- if you wear a ponytail at the same height, you can cause breakage to your hair. You definitely don't want that!

4. As I said, everyone is different, but my hair started growing back around 7-8 months postpartum. I noticed a halo of light fuzz growing around my hairline and was so excited... little did I know that I would have to deal with 3 inch baby hairs for months! Since I have fine hair, one of the most important products for me is Argan Oil. Not only is it great for your hair's strength and shine, it weighs it down just a tad, which I find to be helpful for getting those tiny hairs to lay down, rather than stand straight up.

5. Try to avoid rubbing your hair with the towel when it's wet. Squeeze and pat instead. Rubbing will increase frizz, which will cause those tiny hairs to stand out all the more.

6. Also avoid blow-drying your hair upside down. You may have to sacrifice some volume, but drying upside down trains those tiny hairs to stand straight up, and then you end up looking like a Troll doll for the rest of the day.

This is exactly what I look like in the morning. Same PJ's and everything.

7. Utilize a good hairspray. Use a water-free formula that goes on sort of dry to reduce stickiness. I like Tresemme! Spray it on your comb, and then lightly brush down those tiny hairs that are still standing up. I also spray in on my finger and run it along my hairline to combat those little baby hairs that hide until it gets the slightest bit humid!

I hope these tips help you if you are dealing with postpartum hair loss or regrowth! Just remember, it's all worth it for those tiny little bundles of joy :)

Have a great weekend!

Weekend Recap

I had big, idealistic plans for this weekend. I was going to ring in the start of fall with lots of autumnal activities... yet, here I sit, on Sunday night, eating dark chocolate and having accomplished nothing this weekend!

Friday, during our trip to McDonald's Pass, we ran into a big herd of cows, which for some reason was really exciting to me!! Montana is a free range state, meaning that it's legal for cattle to graze anywhere they want, they don't have to be behind a fence. If a cow is in the middle of the road, and you happen to hit it, then it's your fault and you have to pay the rancher for the cow!! So I was pretty excited to finally see the wandering cows in action :)

On Saturday, I had every intention of going to the Farmer's Market. I absolutely love Farmer's Markets; I love to people watch, browse handmade items and simply being outside. I ended up at Walmart instead. Tell me, how does one do that? Walmart, on a Saturday? It's like I was asking for a nervous breakdown. I barely made it out alive with my chili ingredients. As soon as I got home, I got that delicious chili simmering, and that was all she wrote, for the whoooole day. I do so love a good lounge day :)

D discovered Sesame Street, and is quite a fan!

Sunday, we tried a new church! I was impressed, it was D's second time in the nursery and he did great. The service was contemporary, the message was heartfelt, and I felt so welcomed by many people! When I went to get D, he was snuggled up, fast asleep in this nice little old woman's arms. It was the cutest thing... suffice to say he enjoyed church too! I'm excited to get more involved.

And finally, we found D's costume for Halloween! I was having such a hard time decided what I wanted him to be, and I happened to be browsing this little upscale baby consignment store while Hubs and my Dad were obsessing over mountain bikes next door, and I found the cutest little duck costume! We always call D "baby goose" because he makes this hilarious noise that sounds exactly like a goose honk... so I think a duck is pretty fitting! Here's a little sneak peek...

And that was it for the weekend! Not very productive, but it's always fantastic to spend time with my little family. 

How was your weekend??

High Five for Friday

I am waay late with my post today, but that's because I had such a great Friday! Ya-hoo!! My dad, husband, D and I went up to McDonald Pass, which is this great national park/vista/hiking trail system about 20 minutes from our house. We had just planned to go do a little recon for a horseback riding trip my parents are going on tomorrow, but we ended up walking around for a bit. It was absolutely breathtaking! I can't wait to do some serious camping, and to see the mountains covered in snow! And obviously, we had an impromptu photo shoot :)

And of course, D had a great time riding on Pappy's shoulders!!

It went from being about 80 degrees to being about 50 degrees practically overnight, so when I saw this hat at Target, you know it was necessary. This picture has made me smile all week!

He is enjoying living out in the country so much. He loves to watch the horses, dogs and cats, and gets sooo excited. He also is very interested in all the different plants- he loved this flower!

That's about it for this week...not even five things! Epic H54F fail. But, we're having a great time here, and feel like things are falling into place! A couple of great things happened this week (that I can't share here quite yet!) so I feel a little less overwhelmed than I did right after we got here. We are finding our groove, getting to know our way around town, and loving just how friendly everyone is- aside from the road rage, that is. I have a theory that everyone in Montana is so kind because they take all their anger out while driving!

We have some great things planned for this weekend; heading to the Farmer's Market, and trying a new church! I am super excited to find a church family, I think that will make all the difference in us feeling at home here. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Linking up with Lauren from The Lauren Elizabeth for High Five for Friday!