2 Months and Growing

Leah is 2 months!

Weight 9 lbs 4 oz (20%)
Height 22 inches (35%)

My girl is growing! 

Her dad decided last month that we would celebrate the passing of the next 12 months with a baked good.  For her 2 month "birthday" he decided to get mini chocolate muffins to mark the occasion.  She already instinctively knows that chocolate is goooooddddd!

"2"

Happy 2 months Peanut.  We love you always!

Peanut's Post: Don't Let Go

Hi All,
Peanut here.  Since my daddy, BA, gets his own corner, I decided I needed my own forum to communicate my thoughts.  Hence, we have: Peanut's Post.  I'd like to inform you of a recent lapse in judgment on the part of my parents.

It all began Friday afternoon when I was playing peacefully in my bouncer chair.

Then Daddy mentioned something about a baby carrier, I don't know, and he asked if I wanted to take a ride in the Daddy Express.

Naturally, I was excited.

But things began to unravel from there.  Those fools who feed me decided that en route to the Daddy Express, they would take the opportunity to snap some current photos of me.  Well, I was not having it.  A promise is a promise folks, and this bait and switch was unacceptable.  I let them know exactly how I felt about this little detour.

Here's how it went down:



Wait, what are you doing?!?!  You said I was going in the Daddy Express.  This counter top is cold.

Why are you putting me down, and where is the Daddy Express!?!?  This is unacceptable parenting - I will NOT let you go!!!

There's no way I'm letting go - My fist is stronger than you think and I have a death grip on you!!! 

Fat chance I'm smiling for your photos now.  I will NOT let go - no way, no how.  I have got my eye on you, lady, and if you think for a minute I'm letting you go, you've got another thing coming!!!

Wait, did someone say something about milk?

3L

This is my final year of law school.  Whooooo- hoooooo!!!!!!  Of course this year is different than the first two ... having a baby at home makes everything more complicated.  But overall, I am happy.  This semester I'm taking Evidence, Remedies, Employment Law, a Dispute Resolution course, and my Dispute Resolution Law Journal.  I decided to take a reduced course load because I can, and also because I just don't think I could handle one more responsibility.  Even with only 12 credits this semester, I feel like I'm barely hanging on.    

Leaving for school.  Mommy is excited; Peanut is already bored with the law:

I'm a 3L. What does this mean?  It means I've given up on reading cases in my required classes and usually just skim the opinions or read an online brief.  I means I am only really prepared for my one class that I really like, Employment law.  I'm still terrified of exams and I still hate being called on in class.  I know what time of day the parking lot will be full, and I don't bat an eye when I get ripped off at the law school book store; I mean, who doesn't think $450 for 3 books is a deal!  And I know better than to forget my lunch on the first day of classes - 1L's all buy lunch on the first day and the line is insanely long.  Coke has become a regular staple of my diet, instead of an occasional treat, and I'm always exhausted, however, that is more likely due to the tiny human living at my house, than to law school.  

And this is it for me ... no more formal education if I can help it (except for the continuing education I'll have to complete as a lawyer, but I don't count that).  I actually got a little nostalgic during the first  week, which was unexpected.  I guess it's not that surprising that I'll miss Pepperdine; after all, when you spend 3 years in one place, you start to grow attached.  But homework ... that, I won't miss.

Not even a posed shot. 
I was actually attempting to squeeze in some homework while Leah napped.

BA's Corner: The Night Shift

Before I start a "shift," I make sure I've got everything I need for the next few hours within arm's reach. As I type this (1:55 a.m.), here's what I have nearby:

1. 3 pillows
   
2. 2 blankets
3. 1 swaddler
4. 3 remotes (with DVD player and DVR loaded, just in case)
5. clipboard ("Event Log") with pencil...so if she starts rustling, you have a better idea of whether or not she's hungry
6. glasses
7. water (you want this handy, but you don't want too much of it!)
8. hat
9. pacifier
10. burp cloth
11. 1 sleep sheep
12. 1 musical seahorse
13. cell phone
14. laptop (with power cord ready)
15. baby carrier

Because you just never know what's going to work, and you don't want to wake up any 8-pounders while reaching for what you need. (Well, 7 pounds 7.5 ounces, last time we checked).

8 Weeks

My baby is 8 weeks old!  Leah is just so cute to me these days.  She is smiling at us and cooing, and just being the sweetest baby ever.  I keep trying to take mental pictures of Leah as she is sleeping in my arms but I know I will never be able to accurately remember every detail.  There are a couple blogs that I read on a regular basis and the mom's who write them all have kids who are about 3 or 4 years old.  I can't believe that soon, my Leah will be that big, and I just want her to slow down and stay this little forever. 

So, even though I live in a perpetual state of sleep deprivation, when I really stop and realize that my little Peanut is 8 weeks old already, I don't mind the 3 a.m. shift so much - I look at it as my special time with my baby, who is growing like a weed, but still loves to be cuddled and will sleep peacefully in my arms until morning. 

The Express

Have you heard about The Express?

Leah's favorite way to travel these days is in the baby carrier, aka, The Express.  It's kind of the only way we get anything done around here.  The Express has many variations:

There's the Daddy Express ...

Helping daddy with work

There's the Mommy Express ...

Helping mommy do her homework

And don't forget the Nana Express ...

BA's Corner: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Nope, not Christmas. Christmas is great, of course, but way too stressful. I need a vacation after the Christmas holiday every year. And at my company, the first break doesn't come until Memorial Day. Ugh.

No, I'm talking college football. How can you not love it? The colors, the fans, the sounds, the music, the fanfare, the spirit, the pride. It's not about money to these players (unless you're at Ohio State or Miami...yeah, I said it, but we had our turn in the spotlight too). And you never know what's going to happen. Can't say those 2 things about the pros. Every Saturday, the season is on the line for these guys. It's even more exciting this year because there's finally some excitement in the air again about my Seminoles. It's been too long, and I'm loving it. The better we play, the more chance our games will actually be broadcast over, say, UCLA vs. University of Toledo. Seriously?

Now if I lived somewhere other than southern California, I'd also like this time of year because of the fall: crisp air, colorful trees, and eventually piles of leaves on the ground. Maybe a little fireplace smoke in the air, and an excuse to wear corduroy pants again. I guess it's the little things.

Since I don't have any pictures of me in my college football uniform (or corduroys), here were 2 of Leah's favorite sleeping positions when she actually slept in her bassinet every now and then the first couple of weeks.