March 31, 2013

"Happy Easter! I had a great day. I got my first Easter baskets from my Mimi and parents. My Grandma got me a big Easter Bunny with a headband like I always wear! I went to church, took a long nap with mom, and went to dinner at Grandma's house."

March 30, 2013

"I love my Daddy!"

March 29, 2013

"This was the face I made when my Mommy asked me to say Hi to Daddy for a picture. I had a lazy day with Mommy. We took naps and cuddled together all day. We picked up Daddy from work and went up to LTC to see my family. What a great day!"

March 28, 2013

"Today was a good day. I gave my teachers a chocolate bunny and Easter card. They gave me these bunny ears and bib in my first goody bag at school. I am so lucky to have teachers that love me."

March 27, 2013

"Today was a good day. My teachers always have such good things to say about me. My mom and I snuggled and cuddled all evening. I usually take an evening nap and we play. My mom has stuck to a laundry and dinner schedule to spend the most time with me and it works well. Dad was at school and then a kickball game until late. I sure did miss him and was happy when he got home."

Working Mommy

So far, we are all doing well with our new normal. The first morning dropping her off was REALLY hard. I cried - A LOT! As we were leaving, I looked at Daniel and saw a few tears from him. As we were leaving, a sweet lady that works there, Lisa, came out and encouraged us. Her words really were heaven sent and much needed. It was extra hard that day because I had a meeting from 5-7 across town. So, Genevieve had to stay longer than I would like so Daniel could pick her up and I didn't see her until 7:30. BOO!
Today was much better. I picked her up at 4:30. I felt like a VERY accomplished working mommy today. The agenda:
Ran a couple errands
Got a Sonic drink
Went for a walk
Cooked Dinner
Addressed Easter cards
Cuddled with Genevieve
Bath Time/Bottle Time
2 Loads of Laundry
I will not be this productive usually, but it sure felt nice getting everything done:)

March 26, 2013

"It looks like I might end up being a thumb sucker. I take a pacifier to be soothed, but I usually pop it out once I am settled. I have sucked my hand since birth, but it was always when I was hungry. Now, I am doing it more and more and my mommy caught me with my thumb in my mouth."

March 25, 2013

"Today was my first day at school. I did really well. My parents cried and I missed them. I still keep a consistent schedule at school. I take 2 short naps and one really long nap. When I got home, my mom held me and we snuggled the entire night."

 

 

March 24, 2013

"I went to my first Easter egg hunt today at church. No one told me I needed to at least be a crawler to participate in hunting eggs. Luckily, my dad helped me collect eggs and he just enjoyed having a daughter to steal candy from. It was fun and my mommy and daddy were excited to do an activity as part of the parent's group at church. I start school tomorrow and I am looking forward to meeting my new teacher and friends. My mommy keeps getting water in her eyes when she talks about it. I don't know why she does that. I am going to be just fine. There are just going to be more people to love me."

March 23, 2013

"I attended a birthday party for my cousin today. It was a Disney theme so I dressed up as Minnie Mouse. My daddy took me by himself while my mommy had a meeting. That night, I went to Grandma's and my parents went on a date."

March 22, 2013

"Today, I went to meet my new best friend, Juliana. She was so cute and so little. We also ran some errands and then went home. I didn't have good naps all day, so when we got home I slept from 6:00 - 8:00. My mom was afraid I wouldn't have a good night, but I slept from 10:00 - 7:30. My parents hope that I keep up my sleep schedule."

March 21, 2013

"My dad took today off of work and we just spend family time together. We went to eat sushi:) Well, I just watched my parents eat sushi. We went up to my school so my teachers could meet me. They let made a big deal about me. My mom got a little teary eyed, but she is glad I am going to be here. I also visited the Easter Bunny and I actually laughed when he held me."

March 20, 2013

"Today I ran errands with my mom. We went up to dad's work and brought him Chick-Fil-A. I had a great day:)"

March 19, 2013

"My mom's favorite fashion accessory for me right now are leg warmers. She got some for me in several colors/patterns. I went up to my mom's school and took a trip to Sam's. I was really good. I've started having conversations with my parents. I coo and make sounds to them. They think it is really funny!"

 

 

Organizing Genevieve's Nursery

It was important to me for Genevieve's nursery to be SUPER cute, but SUPER functional for us as new parents. We knew her nursery would not be her play area. It would be for sleeping, keeping clothes, changing diapers, and storing all of the baby stuff.
I also knew I would make some changes once she was here. I didn't know what would be easy or what would work for us.

Because we only have 2 bedrooms, I knew we needed to have a bed in her nursery in case we have guests. I DID NOT want to have a bed. I wanted to put her rocker in her room instead. As it turns out, I LOVE her bed. We use it to change her clothes, play with her, and do our bath time routine. It has proven to be extremely functional and I am really glad it is there.

This shelf is next to her crib. It holds her lamp and humidifier. When she actually starts sleeping in her crib during the night, it will hold her noise maker as well. The green baskets hold her changing pads and baby carrier. Two of the green baskets are empty for future items that I know will need to be organized:) I got these at Babies R Us.

These pockets hang over her closet door and they are great to store small items. They hold items we will use in the future such as: training pants, place mats, etc. They also hold stroller and diaper bag parts.

These hanging canvas shelves are being used for her weekly outfits. Every Sunday, I will plan out what she is going to wear - including her headband and socks. This will save me time in the morning trying to decide what I want her to wear.

These boxes are the beginning of her keepsakes. Now, I will not be the mom that keeps everything. In fact, I plan to take pictures/scan in a lot of her keepsakes. The brown box holds all of the cards from her baby shower and the green box will hold anything I want to keep from her 1st year.

These shelves hold her shoes and pants. The green container on the bottom is empty right now. I am sure it will hold something in the future. I also hang special dress item or things that I need to remember from this shelf. You can see her Easter dress hanging there waiting for her to wear it.

Her closet shelves and the bins have been an absolute timesaver and sanity saver. Honestly, every piece of this system were things I bought over the years and used in my classroom to keep it organized. When I left the classroom, I used them in random places in my apartment or kept them in storage. When I started accumalating all the small baby items, I was overwhelmed about how I would keep everything organized. As I was folding her clothes, this idea came to me and I LOVE it. Some people have joked that I would not keep it up, but we absolutely keep it up. The #1 rule to being and staying organized is that everything must have a place. This definitely helps us to keep everything straight.

This is just a picture I have included of one of the containers.

The key to any organized nursery is a diaper changing station. Her changing table/dresser allows us to keep that area neat and convenient when we are changing all those diapers:) We also use the changing station saver which we put on top of her diaper cover. This is great because we don't have to constantly change the cover if she has an accident or one of her blow out diaper leaks. She also spits up on it sometimes. We have 3 of them and just rotate them as needed.

We store extra wipes and diapers in the shelves underneath her diaper changing station.

Her drawers are separated by the 3 things we use the most:

Onesies

Pajamas

Swaddles

Well, that is the story of Genevieve's nursery:) I love it and I hope it is something she enjoys for a while. 

March 18, 2013

"This picture is from a 2 weeks ago, but I forgot about it. It is so crazy to be raising little girls with my sisters. I don't think we could have planned it any better. Cailyn helped teach us all how to be moms/aunts. I know I am a better mom because of my experience and practice with her. Now, all 3 sisters have girls within 3 years of each other. I am so glad my daughter has amazing aunts and cousins that love her so much. Even Maddie wants to always hold baby."
Love, Mommy

Where is Genevieve?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

March 17, 2013

"I am doing really well. This is my last week at home with mom. I am going to enjoy every minute. We drove home from Austin and I slept the whole way. I also went to visit my cousins - Charlie, Julie, and Nate. Charlie is a preacher in Austin. It was a great weekend visiting family."

March 16, 2013

"Today, I traveled to meet Mama D and some of my dad's family. I am lucky to have 3 great grandparents. I was a good traveler and loved all the attention. My cousin, Mattie, loved holding me."

Genevieve's Name

As a girl, I always brainstormed names as I was growing up. Some of the names on the list were: Hannah, Savannah, Noelle, and others. I always wanted a daughter and I wanted her name to be special. My sisters and I also said we would use versions of each others name in our daughter's first or middle name. Michelle and Ashley did not stick to our promise:)

In May 2010, Daniel's Grandma Kogel passed away. We drove up to Minnesota and we were at the viewing. On her obituary program, it said - Marion G. Kogel. One of us asked what her middle name was and some one said, "Genevieve." Daniel and I were across the group from each other and we gave each other that look. The look that we both were thinking the same thing - that name would be our daughter's first name. We didn't just pick that name because it is Daniel's grandma's name. I just loved it. I am so glad our daughter has a name we loved and is special to our families. I also knew I loved it because I never found another name I liked better:)

Her middle name, Ashlynn, is a combination of my sister's names. Ash is from my little sister's first name and Lynn is my older sister's middle name. I love my sisters and I love that name.

MANY, MANY, MANY people have asked us what we are going to call her. What is her nickname going to be? We are not going to give her a nickname. Daniel and I are going to call her Genevieve. We do realize she will more than likely have a nickname and we are okay if other people have one for her. We are just going to call her Genevieve.

March 15, 2013

"Today I went to Grandma's house again. She wants to see me while she is on Spring Break. Mommy had to take her midterm online and she was able to run up to the hospital to drop off something for Juliana's mom, Kayla. Juliana was born today and I can't wait to meet her. My mommy likes this picture because it shows how blue my eyes are. She hopes my eyes stay this blue. I was playing with grandma outside. I like being outside because there is so much to look at."

March 14, 2013

"Today, I went and spent the whole day with Grandma and Uncle Mike. My mom was able to get a few things done and go for a pedicure/facial. I had a great time and they made such a fuss over me. My mom and Grandma picked out my Easter dress and we went to dinner at Outback. It was a great day."

Lunch and Kickball

Today was a fun day. I am starting to feel better about getting out and about with Genevieve. She really is a good baby. We met Haley and Adelaide for shopping and lunch. I picked up some outfits that aren't pink. I love pink, but I am ready to see Genevieve in other colors. It was great to catch up with Haley and she made me feel SO much better about going back to work.

Later, we went to Memorial Park for Daniel's kickball game. He plays on a team with his co-workers and we had a lot of fun. They are so sweet and it was beautiful weather to enjoy.

Amazon Prime - I'm in Love

I was never a big online shopper before Genevieve. Of course, I would order special items online, but that was it. I also HATE to shop. I don't like shopping for groceries, everyday items, or clothes. I would rather be doing anything else: reading, eating, watching a movie, etc. rather than shop.

Having Genevieve forced me to stay inside more than I was used to in January and February. I couldn't just run to Office Depot when I needed labeling tape or run to the store to pick up a quick item. I soon discovered Amazon Prime. We have Amazon Prime for free because Daniel is a student. I think they have an annual fee for around $70.00. They offer GREAT prices and free, 2-Day shipping on most items. WHAT?!?!? I am not trying to advertise for them, but I wish I had known about them sooner!
I also discovered that the labeling tape was $10.00 cheaper on Amazon Prime than Office Depot and I didn't have to leave the house to get it. I LOVE IT! I also look for items online that I need and always go to see if Amazon Prime has it. They usually do and are almost always cheaper. We needed a new Brita and refills so I ordered them from Amazon Prime cheaper than buying it in stores. It was only a couple of dollars cheaper, but $2.00 saved is $2.00 saved. I have also created wish lists and my step mom ordered our Christmas gifts from them. It was so fun to get items I wanted and didn't have to remember exactly what to tell her to get. She ordered directly from the wish lists I have online. I've created wish lists for Genevieve, Books, Kitchen, etc. How fun?

I also love it because it takes the stress of stopping by Target really quick to pick up this one item.  This has made things easier for me. Obviously, it won't work for everyone, but I love it.

March 13, 2013

'"Today was a busy day. I went shopping and had lunch with Haley and Adelaide. It was fun and I am glad I got to meet them. That night, I got to go watch my dad play kickball. He is a good player. He also wanted to show me off. I have started to sleep threw the night consistently. My mom hopes I keep it up."

March 12, 2013

"Today was a good day. I went to Grandma's house while my parents went on date night. It was fun. My parents came home right after dinner because they missed me. They are so funny:)"

New Blog Design:)

I am excited to debut my new blog design! My cousin, Theresa Bluhm, created and designed my new blog. She has SUPER CUTE designs, great prices, is easy to work with, and she is FAST! It has definitely made it more fun for me to blog when I have something custom made and it just makes me happy! I KNOW I am not going to be able to scrapbook, so this is my version of scrapbooking. Go check out her website:

http://www.alwaysinbluhm.com/

I plan on keeping it up by adding Genevieve's Photo of the Day. I am also hoping to add some of my organizing ideas, successes/struggles as a working mom, and our family activites and events. Having an app on my phone is going to make it SO much easier as well because I can blog in the car when we are on trips, running errands, etc.

March 11, 2013

"Today was a relaxing day. My mom is sad because she knows there are only 2 weeks left until she goes back to work. I will miss her, but I am looking forward to meeting my teacher and my new friends."

March 10, 2013

"I went to church at Westbury for the 1st time today. I was a good girl of course. I slept thought the whole service and played quietly through bible class with my parents. I can't wait to go to my own bible class, but I will wait a little bit. I am smiling more and my parents love it. When I met Uncle Calvin at church, I loved his voice. Every time he talked to me, I smiled really big and possibly laughed:)"

March 9, 2013

"I am 2 months old today. I am growing and changing every day. I sure do love being snuggled with my mom and dad. I am a happy baby and only cry when I am hungry, my diaper is wet/dirty, or I am tired. I have a pretty severe case of cradle cap. My mom looked it up online and according to pictures she saw, it could be a lot worse. I am still grunting/cooing and I am very active in my sleep unless I am sleeping hard. My mom will try to get a video soon. More people are starting to say I look like my mom. My mom can't wait to see if I will end up with curly hair like my dad. My mom and dad tell me they love me ALL the time. I would tell them I love them if I could."

March 8, 2013

"I already like sleeping in my mom and dad's bed. While dad was getting ready for bed, I snuck over to his side of the bed. He thought it was funny. I visited mom and dad's work today. I was a good girl except I got a little fussy at dad's work because I was hungry. After they fed me, I did much better. I am so glad my parents work with such great people. They made a big fuss over me and I am so glad I was able to meet them."

March 7, 2013

"Who doesn't love a sleeping baby? I had a normal day. Mommy thinks I am going through a growth spurt because I am sleeping more lately. She tries to entertain me when I am awake. I did well with my feedings today. Tomorrow, I am going to visit the school my mom works at. It will be nice to be out and about. Mommy is getting more confident when she takes me out. She might even take me to dinner with her and daddy:)"

March 6, 2013

"Today was a laid back day. My mom wanted to keep an eye on me because we are transitioning to formula. I did really well. I am still spitting up some, but I did that with breast milk. My Mimi went home today, but I will see her again really soon when they come down to Houston for Easter. My mom ordered my first Easter basket and she is just going to put some fun Bunny animals and books I already have in the basket. I don't know the difference. My mom has started reading to me more and she LOVES the rainbow book Jeanne Vranes gave to me. My mom probably enjoys the books more than I do right now, but I will start to enjoy them more."

 

 

March 5, 2013

"I sure wish my mommy and daddy would stop taking pictures of me and feed me. I love bath time right now. I don't fuss and like to look at myself in the mirror. I stayed with my Mimi yesterday while mom went to work for a while. My school director emailed my mom and said I was just precious and she can't wait to meet me on March 25th. It made my mom feel better about me being in a place that loves me. My mom says she will always call it school and not daycare. She will always call her my teacher and not babysitter. I like that also! I know they will teach me a lot of fun stuff!"