Two Weeks In...

So I am officially two weeks into work. And I am doing it. I am amazed with myself and with Danny. I couldn't do it all without a loving and supportive husband. It has been a crazy two weeks with not very much sleep and a lot of activity. Between going back to teaching and launching my Arbonne business, we have been going, going, going. Even though I am getting it all done (by the grace of God alone), I am still very much looking forward to the day when I don't have pack four bags (diaper, pump, lunch, briefcase, in case you were wondering!) just to head out the door. I am looking forward to mornings spent at home and afternoons at the park with some Arbonne in between. Speaking of Arbonne, I can't voice enough how much Arbonne has been a blessing to our family this year and I would love to share more about it with you if you are interested!

The best part about all of this is that Annabelle seems to be doing really well, which gives my mama heart SO much peace. I was so nervous about how she would do, but the fact that she is with family and cousins who love her and keep her very entertained makes for a happy baby! Other than hating the bottle (the girl loves her mama), she is flourishing!  She is growing so fast and doing so many new things each day. We, and by we I mean Danny, can now get her to laugh non-stop. It is pretty dang adorable!

Well two weeks in...who knows how many more to go! One day at a time.

2014: Let's get going!

Two weeks and 2 days ago, I signed up to be an Arbonne consultant. I already wore and loved their makeup and RE9 set, but I am now in love with much more! The more I read and learn about Arbonne and what sets us apart from the rest, the more excited I get to be a part of it. 

What has me most pumped right now is the 28 day detox! Why am I pumped, you ask? Through all my reading and learning, I have realized how important it is to detox my body once every six months or so. We don't realize how many toxins our body takes in. Anything our body doesn't use to create energy has to be flushed out. That puts a lot of strain on our elimination organs, like the liver. The 28 day detox gives those organs a much needed break from having to do a lot of hard work. 

So why the Arbonne detox? It is a full package deal to getting back to health in the new year. The vegan pea protein is free of any harmful allergens like gluten, dairy, and soy, and it is the most absorbable protein out there! You also get meals planned for you that will help you eat clean and stay full! Those two things, paired with a great 7 day cleanse, herbal detox tea and a few other great pieces (like a metabolism booster-to help your body digest food more effectively- and probiotics to help support your GI (gastrointestinal tract)) make the detox an awesome way to get back to a balanced and healthy lifestyle! You can watch this video to get an even fuller idea of how great the detox is and why it is important to do a detox once every 6 months. 

If one of your goals is to get healthy, whether that's in losing weight or achieving more balance in your lifestyle, this is worth checking out! Let me know if you're interested and I will do my best to help you reach your goal! :)

To Work or Not to Work...

So I am coming up on the close of my maternity leave and the last thing I want to do is leave my sweet girl and go back to work. Don't get me wrong: I love teaching and I love my students. But you see, I love my daughter more...exponentially more. So what's a mama to do?!

Well here's my solution. I decided to sell Arbonne!

If you haven't heard of Arbonne, that's okay! I hadn't either until about 8 months ago when I started wearing their makeup. What's great is that it will allow me the opportunity to stay at home with Annabelle in the near future (I am still going back to work until I grow my business large enough), and it will allow me to still work with people since networking is at the heart of the business.

Arbonne is a great company. They promise that their products are safe. pure. and beneficial. The products are 100% botanically based and they are formulated without all the harmful ingredients you find in mainstream cosmetics. It is the top of the line product, better than anything you can get at any counter at the major department stores. I am super excited about it and I can't wait to grow my business so I can live my dream of staying at home with Annabelle!

If you want to go over and check out the website, www.arbonne.com, let me know if you are interested in anything! I am offering a 50% discount right now until the end of the year! Help me grow my business and live my dream.

Two Months!

How are we already here?! My goodness...

Well here are just a few recaps for our sweet Annabelle.

She loves the song Mr. Sun and it makes her smile huge smiles for mama.
She also knows that the Hail Mary means its time to settle down and get some sleep.
She still hates to sleep. I am learning that this is primarily due to gas pains through watching this amazing video. My friend Cailtin showed it to me and Annabelle makes ALL of the noises!
She is still at odds with her carseat, but we are getting a bit better.
She won't take the pacifier but I am trying to change that!
She loves her bath and always looks up at Daddy as he lovingly pours water over her.
She took her first flight to Santa Cruz for Thanksgiving and met all of her cousins, aunts and uncles, and papa from my side of the family.

Those are some of the main things! :)

The World Promises You Comfort...

...but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness. -Benedict XVI

Well, friends, its been awhile. The last few weeks of motherhood have been particularly difficult. I don't want to spend this writing space by complaining, but just to give you an idea, I got mastitis three times (twice in one week) and my sweet little angel of a baby just doesn't seem to sleep. I am pretty sure this is in response to the antibiotic I have been on.

Anyway, the whole week I have been reflecting on the above quote from Pope Emeritus Benedict the XVI. Motherhood is not comfortable. It stretches you to your furthest limits and then some. And it is hard. But that is okay. I was not made for comfort; I was made for greatness.

One Month!

We made it! A whole month! Wahoo!

Life is starting to look a little more predictable around here, but I am sure that as soon as I publish this, Annabelle will do something wild and crazy.

Annabelle's life still consists of the trifecta: eating, pooping, and sleeping. In other news, she has started to love looking at patterns and I can lay her on our play mat for a solid 5-10 minutes without her getting upset. She has finally started to find some sort of rhythm in her nighttime sleep: she sleeps in spurts of three hours, usually waking at 1 and 4...but then it gets messy. After 4 she usually wakes up once an hour. I am thinking Mommy needs to do a diaper change at 4 and maybe that will be a game changer. She hasn't really started to make any cooing noises, though I feel like they are on their way! She also loves to sleep in the ktan when we go for walks and takes her best naps when on or beside me. I also started cloth diapering our sweet girl this week. We are doing prefolds for now, since she is too tiny for the BumGenius diapers. So far I am really liking it and the laundry is not too bad!

Feed My Sheep

As you mamas out there know, and for all those who aren't mamas or don't know, nursing takes up one's entire life once the baby comes out of your safe little womb. The little baby has gotten all of his or her nutrients up until then just by you eating whatever delicious foods you craved. It's not so easy now that the baby is with you outside of the womb. No one really ever told me how big of a commitment nursing was. It was spoken of so singularly: are you going to breastfeed your baby? OF COURSE! Are you crazy?! That was basically the response that went through my head. Never in the whole wide world would I dream of giving our sweet girl formula (especially after having learned so much about it, not to mention smelling the stuff). But nursing is hard. 

Our sweet Annabelle got off to a bit of a rough start for a few reasons. Number one: she is a little tongue tied which required her to learn how to suck a bit differently. Number two: my milk came in late. I mean...I was worried it wasn't going to come in. I think it finally started to transition from colostrum to milk on Monday (that is 5 days! poor girl must of been starving!). I am not sure but I think my milk may have come in later because her suck wasn't doing the trick...lesson learned. Anyhow, she lost the full 10% at the hospital and by her two week birthday still had not gained back her birth weight. You can imagine how it made this mama feel. I felt totally inadequate and concerned for her little body. She was peeing and pooping enough, but she just wasn't making significant weight gain (this is probably also due to her tongue-tie). After meeting with a lactation consultant, we learned a few good nursing habits and some tools to help Annabelle gain more weight in her third week of life. 

Since I spend all day every day nursing my sweet baby, I realized I have a tendency to fixate on this issue. I also can become upset that I can't get anything done. I literally sit on the couch all day long (with little breaks here and there) and feed Annabelle. This morning, though, I remembered the Lord's command: feed my sheep. I always thought of this as the poor, but I realized this morning, with great joy, that I am living out His command. I am feeding His little lamb, Annabelle, and what a gift it is. No matter how hard and time consuming this task is, I am blessed to be a part of God's plan in Annabelle's sweet little life.