Update

Seeing as how I have not updated my blog for a few months, I thought I would fill you in on how Adele and I are doing (Daddy too).

In two days Adele will be eight months old. She is still not rolling over, but isthisclose to that milestone. She's been sitting up without support for quite some time now and loves to babble make other noises to test her vocal cords and our hearing. Adele is starting to slim down, but I still have body/weight issues for her. I just can't stand it when someone calls my baby fat or constantly comments on her weight. Yes, she is in the 94th percentile in terms of weight, but why do people feel the need to bring it up in casual conversation. How would they like it if I nitpicked their child's appearance?
Speaking of weight, I have regained the pounds I lost after Adele was born. I guess that's what a desk job, cold weather and the holidays will do to a person. Adele and I continue to run into problems with our clothing. Things that used to fit me or were too big are now tight. Things that I assume should fit her (9-12 month clothing) are either skintight or super-baggy. I guess women's clothing is hard to size and buy no matter what age you are.
I started a new job in October and love it. I'm working for the local newspaper. We found a nice, small, in-home daycare for Adele. She's doing well there and will go back to being the youngest (by one month) when a new baby joins the group next month. As with a lot of babies, she tends to nap better at daycare than she does at home. I guess she just wants to spend more time with me and Fred instead of sleep.
On the bright side of things, Adele is a great traveler. She cried and fussed for maybe an hour or two tops during our 28 hour Thanksgiving drive to MN. There she got to meet her uncles and aunties and cousin Sullivan. Cousin Declan was born two weeks after Thanksgiving. It was sad to head back to MT, but we should have family visiting us in April if not sooner.
Fred's family continues to be a blessing. Grandpa Greg gets Adele giggling like only a grandpa can and Grandma Judy dotes on Adele and loves her smile and blue eyes. Big sister Courtney made a great comment one of the last times she was in Absarokee. "Wow! Adele can eat human food now?!" What she meant was that it was pretty cool to see Adele eating baby food and not just drinking a bottle. We've moved on to some other solids as well and she just got introduced to a sippy cup. We will have to see how she does with that, but so far she is enjoying having something new to look at and play with.
I'm lucky enough that Fred gets up with Adele most nights/mornings. Every now and then I have a few nights without him, but Adele does well. I miss him like crazy when he's gone.
Adele's first Christmas is fast approaching and we will spend it with family and I'm sure Fred will enjoy his time off and hopefully catch up on some sleep, although he does plan on staying at home with Adele at least a few days during his break. Maybe he won't be as well rested as he would hope.

Never Grow Up - Taylor Swift

Your little hands wrapped around my finger

And it's so quiet in the world tonight
Your little eyelids flutter cause your dreaming

So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light

To you, everything's funnyYou got nothing to regretI'd give all I have, honeyIf you could stay like that
Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow upJust stay this littleOh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow upIt could stay this simple
I won't let nobody hurt youWon't let no one break your heartNo, no one will desert youJust try to never grow up, never grow up
You're in the car on the way to the moviesAnd you're mortified your mom's dropping you offAt 14, there's just so much you can't doAnd you can't wait to move out someday and call your own shots
But don't make her drop you off around the blockRemember that she's getting older, tooAnd don't lose the way that you dance aroundIn your PJs getting ready for school
Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow upJust stay this littleOh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow upIt could stay this simple
No one's ever burned youNothing's ever left you scarredAnd even though you want toJust try to never grow up
Take pictures in your mind of your childhood roomMemorize what it sounded like when your dad gets homeRemember the footsteps, remember the words saidAnd all your little brother's favorite songs
I just realized everything I haveIs someday gonna be gone
So here I am in my new apartmentIn a big city, they just dropped me offIt's so much colder than I thought it would beSo I tuck myself in and turn my night light on
Wish I'd never grown upI wish I'd never grown up
Oh, I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown upCould still be littleOh, I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown upIt could still be simple
Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow upJust stay this littleOh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow upIt could stay this simple
Won't let nobody hurt youWon't let no one break your heartAnd even through to you want toPlease try to never grow up
Don't you ever grow up(Never grow up)Just never grow up

Baby Steps

I love watching Adele learn, grow and change every day. She seems to have a new skill mastered or at least practiced more all the time.Sweet little coos surprise both me and Adele, and she loves to smile when Mommy is acting goofy. It all reminds me of how awesome life truly is.

Adele waiting patiently at the doctor's office.

Fred and I took Adele to her two-month checkup just the other day. She currently weighs in at 13 lbs. 3 oz. and measured 22.5 inches tall. It's hard to believe she's the same baby who looked like she was drowning in some newborn clothes when we brought her home from the hospital. Adele is happy and healthy.

Besides growing like a weed, Adele is exploring the world of toys more and more. Her bouncy seat is not only relaxing now but also entertaining. I watched her for a bit tonight as she gazed intently at a Winnie the Pooh rattle hanging above her. She kept her eyes focused on it and I could tell the gears were turning in her little head. "How do I get that thing?" she seemed to be asking herself. It was a mere few inches in front of her, but she only got as far as raising her arm before she went back to simply looking at Pooh Bear. Those few inches must be like 100 miles to Adele. She is bound and determined to make that journey and many others. They all begin with one little step.

Artist, Naturalist and Political Humorist | Flathead Beacon

Artist, Naturalist and Political Humorist Flathead Beacon

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Adele and I look a lot alike, but thankfully she also looks like her Daddy and big sisters. So many people have told me that she has my lips. I think she has my eyes and hair too. I am happy she has her Daddy's ears and she might have his nose. It's weird to know that I have a mini-me. The fact that we look so much alike is not surprising though. Years ago some elementary school friends of mine saw a photo of my maternal great grandmother and thought it was my maternal grandmother they looked so much alike. I see my mom, as she gets older, looking more and more like her mom. Some days I look in the mirror and I see my mom's face staring back at me. Heck, I was even called Mini-Sue by some coworkers in high school. I know what I will look like in 30 years and I know what Adele will look like in 20 years. She's so beautiful. I hope she remains a beautiful person both inside and out. I know I will do my best to help her.

The F Word

When I mention "the F word" you probably think of one thing. Shame on you. Your mother should wash your mouth out with soap!

After a discussion with another mom the other day the F word means something new to me. Formula. It can be a dirty and bad word to some moms who are almost militant about breastfeeding and its benefits. Let me say that if I could exclusively breastfeed and/or give Adele pumped breastmilk I would, but it just wasn't in the cards for us. Therefore, I have been feeding her formula after each nursing session since I am not producing enough to satisfy my growing little girl's appetite and have not had time to pump as a temporary single mom. When faced with deciding between eating, napping, showering, doing small chores around the house, or pumping during my "free time" (what's that?!) I tend to try to sleep or eat before anything else.

I heard talk about how some moms can guilt others into feeling bad about certain things, but thought nothing of it until Adele arrived. I did get a taste of this wonderful habit of other parents while I was pregnant. Heck, even some non-parents gave me advice regarding pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. I am trying to ask for advice and help from other parents now, but at the same time ignore the negative and seemingly judgemental advice and comments. Not everyone has the perfect situation where they have help 24-7, can pump at the necessary times, have one parent stay at home fulltime, or actually make dinner and eat something more substantial than crackers and applesauce.

Adele is growing like a weed and changing every day it seems and we are establishing a pretty good routine and schedule so I have a few more F words for you. Faith, Adele and Fred are frickin' fantastic.

Advice for Adele

My friend Mike Richeson (check out his blog here) wrote an amazing series of blogs to his son Caleb. His posts have inspired me to write some words of wisdom for my darling daughter. I have been telling her about the world as we sit and rock, but I better get everything down on virtual paper before "baby brain" (it's not just during pregnancy) takes over and I forget all the wonderful things I want to tell Adele.






Beautiful girl,


First of all, you are my pride and joy. While I was pregnant with you I stumbled upon a quote that sums up how I feel now that you are here.

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”

Elizabeth Stone You are my heart and I love you more than you will ever know. Please know and never forget that I would do anything in the world for you.  Within a few days of your arrival in this world, I noticed how strong you are. Your strength goes beyond just the physical. You are smart, opinionated (you get most of this from your father, although he will tell you I am quite stubborn and opinionated as well) and will go far in life with these traits and the other wonderful characteristics you possess. Continue to be a strong woman. Things are easier for me today than they were for my grandmothers and mother, but there are still some injustices in this world geared toward females. I hope you are never told you can't do something because you are a girl. If you are, stand your ground and do it anyway. You can do anything you put your mind to. Be kind to people no matter where they come from, what they look like or how different they may be from you. Be generous with you time, money and kindness. But do not give of yourself too much that you become a doormat. There are people in this world who will try to take advantage of you. Do not let them, but do not become cynical or hard because there are also plenty of people who need a compassionate soul to help them. Do not be afraid to explore and try new things. If I had not dared to try something new and have an adventure I would not have the life I do now. Moving to Montana, where I didn't know a single person, was scary but I did it and I am so glad. It was the first step in becoming your mommy. My adventures living on my own far away from the familiar and comfortable have been hard, fun and quite the learning experience. I have failed and I have found success. New friends have come into my life and become like family. Most importantly, I took another big chance and put my heart on the line. It is so worth the risk when you find someone with a good soul like your daddy. He is not perfect, but neither am I. We love each other despite our flaws and promise to love you just the same. Your father wants me to add that you should always listen to your parents, especially your father. Father knows best. Daddy likes to brag about how he is always right. He's telling the truth. He is right 99% of the time (see I'm stubborn and won't give in and say he is right 100% of the time). It can get a little annoying, but it's best that you start to figure this out now. There is so much more to tell you, but I hope that we have a long time together as mother and daughter to talk about anything and everything.  Love, Mommy

The Beginning

There's no better place to start than the beginning. It all began last summer when I met Fred. We are both involved in education, Minnesota sports fans, Democrats, and all-around amazing people (we're both really modest too). We had enough in common that I agreed to have dinner with him when he was in the Helena area. I wanted to make sure that he was as charming as I remembered and that our age difference (about 11 years) wasn't going to be a problem). Dinner went well, we got to know each other better over the next couple of months and fell in love. Now here we are less than a year later with a beautiful baby girl - Adele.



Adele arrived in this world April 22, 2011 at 7:07 a.m. Fred arrived at the hospital just in time after a seven hour drive. I arrived at the hospital the night before to get checked after being in some pain. The nurse assured me that I was indeed in labor and gave me two options. I could stay at the hospital or go home with some sleeping pills and return when the contractions were stronger and closer together. I chose the second option and returned to the hospital a little less than three house later. I was lucky to have two good friends in the delivery room with me and good thing too because labor and delivery went quickly.

Just as quickly as she arrived, Adele quickly changed my life, priorities, worries, and joys.  She and I were able to spend around a week with Fred and my parents before they had to return to work. Now it's just us girls (and Mickey the cat) in our little apartment. It hasn't been easy to be a "single mom." Fred returns to Helena in early June. By then I hope I have things figured out more than I currently do. I had no choice as a mom but to change my schedule/abandon my own to meet Adele's needs and wants, which for a tiny baby are a lot. I naively hoped in the first couple of days alone with her that we were getting into a routine. I learned that babies like to switch things up when you least expect it or want it.

Weight fell off of both Adele and I after she was born. That has been one of my main worries. My baby girl wasn't gaining weight as quickly as she should. I felt, of course, like a horrible mom. Why wasn't she gaining weight fast enough? I must be doing something wrong, right? Even after being told many times I was doing a good job I didn't believe it until her most recent doctor's appointment when the numbers on the scale jumped. This visit came the morning after a long night with a very hungry and fussy baby. I had to turn to formula to calm her down and fill her tummy despite my previous hesitancy of introducing it to her this early. I feel better now knowing that even though things aren't going exactly as planned, they had to change to make things better for Adele.

That's all I want in this world. I want things to be better for my daughter. She's going to love me because I feed her, cuddle her, give her kisses and teach her about this crazy world. I think we are off to a good start (I can say that as the "new-mom guilt" fades). We have a lot of friends who are helping Mommy out. Adele is changing every day and I feel so blessed to have her in my life. Let the fun continue!