Blog this!

sorry.


I have been a bad bad blogger. I also have been a bad bad Vlogger as well. I have been taking photos and videos, but I have not uploaded them. I have a new lap top from my new job, but it is not as easy on a PC as it was on a Mac. Yes, I will admit it. I LOVED LOVED my Mac. There were somethings that were backwards. Like how to minimize a screen. It is in the left corner, not the right with a Mac. On the Mac Book Pro lap top you spread your fingers and tap at the same time to "right" click. There are many other things that were different, but nothing a semi technological person couldn't figure out. Sorry, if I just offended anyone, but Macs are easier AND cooler than PCs. There I said it, now we can move on :-)

Aven is growing growing growing. She has had so much development in the past 2 months. It is hard to admit, but it has been 2 months since I posted a blog. *gasp* She goes for her 6 month check up on July 5th, so I will post her stats then. But she is sitting up assisted. Rolling over (both ways). Talking Chinese. Babbling, cooing, lots and lots of "motor boat" spitting. Andy took a video where she did it for almost 3 min straight, then after the camera went off she continued for over 1 hour!!!!


We have graduated to the next size in the prefold diapers. (Thanks again Tim and Anna). At first I was thinking she was too little for them, but with some creative diaper origami -- we got it. Most of the covers she has are lime green so I have been trying to put her into dresses and shirts that match them; but I think I am actually going to go out and buy some cute covers. I haven't purchased 1 diaper nor any accoutrements for our diapering system. I know what you are thinking..."Heather that is crazy! You haven't bought anything in the line of diapers?" Nope. We have been spared the expense because of the kindness of our family. =) But I think it is time. Aven deserves some new covers and darn it, who am I to get in the way of a girl and her shopping desires?


The weather down here is HOT. That is all I am going to say about that. It is summer and we live in the South. Duh. I hate the winter, so I am not going to complain. But because of how hot it is we were able to put up a baby pool and introduce Aven to water beyond her tub. She wasn't too sure of it at first, but then quickly warmed up. The water was sorta high and she kept trying to lean forward to play with her toys and she kept dunking herself. LOL She has her Daddy's skin tone so it was sunscreen and a hat for sure. Then Andy put up our deck furniture umbrella and we were all good. Yes we were in the front yard and yes we are total rednecks.






We have had some visitors as well. First, Courtney came down from CO. We had a great week with her. Very relaxing and did a lot of catching up. The last time she was here I discovered I was pregnant. Amazing how many things can happen in 1 year. Then Heidi came for a visit. I think she was the most spoiled of all of our visitors. Heidi kept Aven for the entire week instead of us putting her in day care. It was SO nice to come home and know 1) Aven was with family 2) she was taken care of as close to how I would take care of her if I were home and 3) I didn't have to pack up ALL of her baby things EVERY STINKING DAY. Seriously, it takes at least 45-1 hour out of my day just packing/unpacking her stuff and organizing things for the next day. I got to sleep in 30 min everyday. So so nice. I wish we could afford a nanny full time, but c'est la vie...


Our next round of visitors are Elaine and Al. They are going to be here over the July 4th weekend and the following week. We still need to see Grandpa Larry and Grandma and Grandpa Johnson this summer. My parents are moving to Kentucky Lakes (2 hours NW of Nashville) so they will only be 4.5 hours away. I see more weekend visits with them soon. And Larry usually makes his annual summer pilgrimage, so I am hoping that does not change this year.

Aven has a NEW cousin! Lorien Dawn Sweet was born on June 3rd. She was almost an 8lb baby! So precious and sweet looking. I can't wait to hold her. I am hoping maybe we can get up to IL soon, so I can. Although with my schedule, I am not so sure I will be able to see her before Christmas. :(




Work has been awesome. I LOVE my job. I am so blessed to be working for a company that I respect and respects me. I get to combine my 2 favorite things: telling people what to do (marketing ;-)) and talking about bikes/triathlon/Ironman. I am heading to Ironman Lake Placid to work the expo for Quintana Roo and then I am heading to Las Vegas for Interbike. So... my only option is going to IL in August. :-P August in Illinois-not so sure about that one. LOL We will see.

I am also wanting to do an Iron distance triathlon this fall. The Great Floridian is what I have my eye on right now. So fitting in training and mommy hood has been a challenge, but now that Andy has started me up on Training Peaks, things have been much easier to schedule. I highly recommend getting an account. You can log training rides/runs/swims. You can also keep a food log and they have menu planning too! If you have a coach you almost NEED to get an account. Riding has been a blast! I really love my new bike. Not just because I work for QR, but the CD0.1 is probably the coolest most responsive bike I have ever ridden. Wicked BA fo sho! I got a new pair of running shoes too. I think after training and running the St. Jude Marathon AND being pregnant in them...in the end they were similar to flip flops, to say the least. New shoes, new bike, now I need to get a new swim suit and I am good to go. I think I am going to head up to Fast Break and pick one up.

***BIG NEWS ALERT***

Heidi did her FIRST 5k when she was visiting!!! I was so lucky to be able to run with her. We did the Riverbend 5/10K and were able to run with Aven in the jogging stroller. We finished with 10:11 pace and we both were in the top 30% of our age groups! Starting in the back b/c of the pack because of the stroller, was less than ideal, but we weaved our way into a good spot and finished with smiles on our faces. I teared up knowing that when I was watching her cross the finish line (yes she beat me :-)) this was going to be her FIRST of many finishes and how freaking lucky I was to be able to be a part of that.

Before:

After!

4 months old!

I knew this day would come, but 4 months ago I thought it would take a long long time to get here. Our baby girl is 4 months old this week! I know to some that still seems pretty young, but to me it is a HUGE milestone. She can do so many things now. She can hold her head up, push herself up (baby push up) when she is on her tummy, recognize me and Andy, smile, bring her hands to her mouth, entertain herself, make cooing noises, laugh, drink 6oz of milk at a time, she is starting to notice her feet, and she has been sleeping through the night for about the past 2 months!

She and I have totally gotten the hang of breast feeding. Now my only worry is about my supply and getting the time at work to pump. I have a lap top now, so that is making it so much easier to work and pump at the same time. I really want to get one of these PumpEase Hands Free Bra I think it looks totally bizarre, but all the reviews say it totally works! It is funny when I complain about pumping to people that have never pumped before. They are so shocked I have to hold the pumping horns in place. No, they do not just "stay" there. I wish they did, but they don't. On second thought, I am happy they don't just stay there because if they did, then that would be A LOT of suction on the girls. yikes.

Everyday she is doing something new. Last night Andy was doing "motor boat" (I have no other way of describing it) and she was totally imitating him! It was so freaking cute.

Today was her 4 month check up. I learned my lesson from last time. A) Don't listen to other people when they say their baby was fine and slept the whole day. B) Be prepared to have a very unhappy baby. I took the afternoon off work and did not plan a darn thing except to hold and baby my baby.

We got to the doctor's office on time (a small miracle in my world if it is a new route). I laid Aven on the table while we were waiting for Dr. Josh. He came in and started asking if she was doing all the things a 4 month old should be doing. I said yes to it all and he started his examination. She was laying at the top of the table so he pulled her down to the end and started talking to her in a sweet voice. She did not like that 1 bit. I think she was a little startled with the sound of the paper or how it felt on her back. She started crying as if she had gotten her shots! Once he picked her upright and was checking out her balance she stopped, just like that. Strange.

Her shots were next and as expected she was very unhappy and cried the most angry cry I have ever heard her have. She did not settle down right away either. Once we got on the highway back home then she finally calmed down. Just like last time, her first nap went well but the second time she woke up things were all kinds of unhappy in Aven's world. I was prepared for it this time. I gave her the correct amount of infant Tylenol, nursed her and did not freak out. The not freaking out part was helpful. Andy walked in the door during her crying jag so he took her and was able to calm her down enough to change her and hand her back to me for another feeding. I think the Tylenol started to kick in and she was able to drift off to sleep. We will see how tonight goes. I am expecting to be woken up by a crying baby about every 4 hours...

All in all, it was a good appointment. She is 14.3 lbs, 25.5 inches long, and has a head circumference of 41 cm. She is in the 70% for weight, 90% for height, and 50% for head size. I find that totally crazy that she is scoring that high for height when Andy and I are well... not the tallest people in the world. LOL

I will say, as the days progress, I find being a Mom more manageable and rewarding. I also am realizing how freaking fast it goes. It really seems like yesterday she was so tiny and new.

With Mother's Day approaching I am reflecting on how other mothers care for their babies. All of my energy goes into Aven. Feeding her, pumping milk for her, bathing her, changing her, washing her diapers, washing her clothes, and all the other things I plan for and do for her take up most of my day. I am not complaining. I am just realizing how much of me goes into her. The effort on my part to give her the best care is overwhelming sometimes. Then I think about how my mom did all that for me. It hits me how probably every mother has done that for their babies. I know I didn't really think about how much my mom sacrificed of herself in my early years until I have done it for my daughter. Thanks Mom. I know that is not nearly enough, especially considering what a total jerk I was at 14. If I could go back and slap the crap out of myself, I would. Seriously.

Happy Mother's Day to all Mommies! Here is to you for the doctor's appointments, dirty diapers, midnight feedings, sleepless nights, extra pounds, and insurmountable other things we do for our babies. I am really looking forward to my first of many Mother's Days. =)