Happy Father's Day

Jason and I had a GREAT weekend. It was Father's Day weekend, obviously, so I had a little surprise planned. I know since we have had Isabella, one thing we miss is just being able to go do whatever, whenever. We are kind of movie nuts so I know he misses just being able to go to the movies whenever. So I asked my awesome friend Jessica to babysit on Friday night, but didn't tell him. She was all over it, so thank you for that Jess! Jason beat her home on Friday and I acted like no big deal. Jason said he really wanted to go out to eat because he had been cooped up all week. I told him we could do whatever he wanted. When Jessica knocked on the door, he answered it and was like 'what are you doing here?'. I told him I was serious about doing whatever he wanted, that we had a night out on our own! He had really been wanting to see The Hangover, so we went to eat at Fireside Pies (YUM!), and then headed over to the movies. The movie was hilarious, I highly recommend it. And Fireside was delicious as always, so it was a lovely evening.

Saturday, we got up and met my parents at Breadwinners for brunch. They are currently on a 10 day trip to the Grand Canyon, driving the whole way. So they were heading out that morning, but couldn't leave the state without seeing their granddaughter. Jason and I don't matter anymore, only Isabella. =) That afternoon Jason's mom came in town. Sunday Jessica was having a surprise party for Chris on a boat at Lake Grapevine, so we wouldn't be able to take Bella. We asked Jason's parents if they might want to babysit and they were super nice to come in town to do that. Jason's dad couldn't come until Sunday, though, because he had to work. So since Saturday night Jason's mom was in town, she offered to watch the munchkin so we could go out, AGAIN! That is two nights out in a row people! So we went to the Bavarian Grill, our favorite German restaurant. We had a couple of delicious German beers and some delicious German schnitzel. I wanted to see The Proposal, so we went to the movies, again. =) It wasn't really that good. Not as bad as Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, but still not great, so I think I am not allowed to pick any more romantic comedies for a while...

Sunday I went and got Jason donuts for his first Father's Day and then went to the gym. I had to get in to a bathing suit that day, so I was feeling pretty motivated to work out. =) The party was at 3, so we headed out around 2 to make sure we got there before the big surprise! Chris was totally surprised and we had a great time. Jessica had rented one of those two story party boats and we grilled out and swam - yes I got in the lake, for those of you who know me, you know that is a huge step. Here are a couple pics from the party...




We got back home around 7 and just got some pizza and went to bed early. It was so hot outside, it zapped me and I was exhausted!

Monday Jason left for Orlando for his new client. **Sigh** He is coming back today, but I am secretly, or not so secretly, hoping that this new client will need him to come out for a few days at some point when my parents are around and can watch Bella while I go play at Disney World! Probably not going to happen, but oh well. I can dream.

Last night I put Isabella down for bed around 7:15, she woke up around 8:30, but fell back asleep after a while. She then slept until 5:30 in the morning!! That means she slept for almost 10 hours in a row! This is very good news. And at 5:30 I fed her and she went right back to sleep until after 7. The goal is for her to sleep from 7 to 7 eventually, so we are getting close! Very exciting.

New Bed for Bella

Well, she has already outgrown her bed...

Hello all

Hi everyone! Sorry I have not been very good about keeping you updated lately. This mom thing keeps you seriously busy! So let's see, what have we been up too...?

I went to Tyler for a few days last week. Jason's project has been hectic so I think he likes it when we are gone sometimes so he doesn't have to feel bad if he needs to work late or whatever. Basically I just hung out with mom and dad. One day mom made a big lunch and my granddad and Aunt Tricia came over to see Isabella. My sister came over too and we were going to have a pool day, but that was the day with the big storms, for those of you who live around here and know what I am talking about. So I didn't get much pool time, but that's ok. I think we may go back around the fourth of July or something.

This weekend was pretty laid back. Jessica and Chris came over Saturday night for dinner and it is always fun to hang out with them. Jason grilled out steaks and we just kind of hung out. Isabella is getting to where she goes to sleep pretty early, then I wake her up to eat sometime between 8 and 9 and then she sleeps for several more hours, usually until about 3 or 4, then eats again. Then she sleeps until about 7 usually. So the sleep is improving. One night I got 8 hours in a row! On Sunday Jason took over in the morning and let me sleep until 10:30. I SOOO needed it and I felt so much better afterward. Thanks honey! I felt bad because it was going to be the first week we tried taking her to church, but I know God understands how tired I have been the last two months. =) We will try again next week.

I have joined two mom's groups now. One is at my church - Highland Park Methodist - where we meet Tuesday nights. I am so glad I joined this group. All the girls seem really nice and the babies are all pretty close to the same age. Next week is the last official week and then we form a play group that will meet every week or two. It will be so nice for Isabella to grow up with some families from our church. I am really excited about it. Next week, being the last week, our husbands are supposed to come and they are going to be asked all kinds of questions and do all the talking instead of us girls. I was looking so forward to it, but Jason just found out he has to go to Orlando next Tuesday for a meeting with his new client. That's right, Orlando. The place where Dreams come true. Don't even get me started on how jealous I am that he is going without me...even if it is for 24 hours. So not only is he going to Orlando without me, he may have to miss the mom's group meeting. I am pretty bummed about it since everyone else's husbands will be there, but I know it isn't his choice. =(

The other mom's group I joined is at Presbyterian Hospital of Plano. My friend Dawn who has about a one year old told me about it and it meets on Friday mornings at the hospital and they have speakers come in and stuff. However, they just went on hiatus for a few weeks so I won't get to go again until the end of July. The moms do get together, though, once a month for dinner while the husbands keep the kids. So that will be fun.

I officially quit my job yesterday, too. That was harder than I thought it would be. I know I really want to try to stay home right now with Bella. I will never get this time back with her and I know in the long run I will be glad that I did it. But it is going to be a strain financially obviously, as well as just missing my job. I wasn't in love with what I was doing there, but I will miss the people I worked with a lot. I think I will also miss that sense of purpose too. Just knowing I had somewhere to go and something to do every day. Something to accomplish. I know I still do, but the results of raising a baby are not quite as immediate as building a new IVR menu or something like that. But when she smiles at me, which she has started doing a lot lately, it is so worth it. She is so dang cute!

Other than that, I haven't been up to much. I have just started working out with a personal trainer...trying to get this weight off! I think I sort of expected it to just melt away somehow, not sure why, but it hasn't and I am sick of being all pudgy. But the child care at the gym doesn't take infants until 3 months so I can't really go that much right now, except when Jason gets home early enough to watch her. I feel like I am finally getting back to the real world so I am trying to get back to things I was doing before she was born. Just like projects around the house and stuff. We started renovating our bathrooms a year ago and they still aren't done. All we have left is staining the cabinets, but I know that is going to be a painful process so I am not looking forward to it.

Hope everyone out there is doing great! Hope to see you all sometime soon.

Buzz Agent: Max Factor

So as many of you read before, I am a Buzz Agent and get sent products from different companies to use and review. They ask that I just be totally honest. My latest products were from Max Factor and here is what I thought...

2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper - As you know I am very picky about mascaras. My lashes are pretty sparse, so I need something that volumizes AND lengthens. I wasn't sure about this one to start with only because it says on the box it is NOT a mascara. Now I don't know if that means I am supposed to put it on after real mascara or before or if I just wear it alone and it really is basically a mascara but they are trying to pit it as something else? Anyway, I even looked on their website to see if they gave an idea of how it was to be used. Nada. So I tried it all ways and I have to say it worked great all ways. It really makes my lashes look awesome. I find myself saving it for special occasions while I am using my old mascara up. I would totally recommend it.

Vivid Impact Lip Color - I got this in two shades. One is a sort of nude called Vegas Baby and one is a bright red called Ms. Right. The nude is great. It goes with everything and I would think it would look good on anyone. The red is way too bright for me personally, but if you like bright lipstick I like the color. The lipstick itself is great. It goes on easy and doesn't bleed. It also stays on pretty well even after eating and such.

I would say I highly recommend both of these products and just like last time, if you are interested I have coupons for them, so email me at kellitrent@gmail.com or post a comment and I will get you some.

Made it to six weeks!

Everyone I talked to said, 'Just wait until six weeks, things get so much easier!'. So since Isabella has been born I have been waiting for that six week mark thinking I will be doing so much better. Well it is here and I can definitely say things have gotten better. I wouldn't say necessarily right at six weeks it happened, but I think it is just by the time you get here you have learned SO much and gotten in to more of a groove, even if you haven't gotten more sleep. =)

So Bella is doing great and I will post pictures below. She already seems like she has grown SO much and I just love her to pieces. We are on a pretty good schedule. She is more alert and awake now so I don't have as much time to myself or to nap, but she is also getting more interactive and has actually smiled a few times! I tell you when that little toothless mouth opens up wide and you know she is actually smiling at you, it is the happiest moment. Still haven't really gotten the nursing down so I have decided to give it two more weeks and after that I may just go to pumping and giving her a bottle full time. It isn't ideal, but the frustration that the nursing causes me is just so taxing. I had these grand designs on the bonding experience of nursing and it just has not been at all what I expected. But I know how good it is for her so I will try as long as I can to not switch to formula.

So in news other than baby news, although there isn't much of it, last weekend we went to Galveston for my cousin David's wedding. He married an adorable girl named Mary and we had a great time just getting out of town. My parents rented a beach house that we all stayed in and we had a great time just relaxing. They had bicycles there and I haven't ridden a bike in, I swear, 15 years or something. It was so fun, I really want to get a bike. What great exercise! And speaking of exercise, I have slowly started ramping up on exercise and trying to eat better. I have about 15 pounds that I would like to lose, although I am only like 6 or 7 away from my pre-pregnancy weight. I just think my pre-pregnancy weight was too high. =)

Last night Jason was a sweetheart and watched Bella while I went out to eat and to a movie with Jessica and Gaby. I haven't had a girls night out in a long time and it was so nice to catch up. We went to eat at Gloria's on Greenville, which I haven't been to since they redid it. It looks great! The bar and patio are way bigger which is nice and we sat out on the patio and the weather was GREAT. Then we went to see Up, which I highly recommend. Pixar always does such a great job with their movies.

Jason's parents are in town this weekend to visit the little one and I think we are going out to eat at our favorite place. Houston's! I love it.

Here are some new pics of Isabella as promised...

I just think this is so cute. I walked in and saw them both sprawled out...

This is my cousin and his new wife. I know it isn't Bella, but just thought I would share. =)

Here is my sister with Isabella at their wedding.

I don't know what it says about me as a mother, but I think this is so cute...

Tried to wake her up by doing some tummy time, which she usually hates. Nope, she just kept snoozing...

Love this pic. Jason said it looks like she should have a tiny Corona in that hand...

Hello out there!

Hello outside world! My little angel is now four weeks old and I cannot believe it. Tomorrow is officially one month. The last month has been kind of a blur. I live in increments of three hours for the most part, some times less during the day, sometimes more at night (if I am lucky), but I pretty much live on a cycle of feed her, play with her, put her down for a nap then figure out what I can accomplish in the next 1-2 hours before she wakes up to eat again. It is hard and the nursing is still a challenge, but I feel like we are both starting to get the hang of it a little more at least.

The bright side of having nursing issue is I had to give her a bottle sooner than I would have planned to, but that means I have more freedom to go do things now if I need to leave a bottle with whoever is watching her. So Jason and I have actually gotten to go out to eat and to a movie twice in the last couple of weeks. If you know me, you know I LOVE movies, so that was a huge treat. First we went to see Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, which was terrible, but still nice to get out. Then last Saturday when Jason's parents were here we went to dinner and a movie for my birthday (which was actually Monday and completely uneventful). We went to this place called Bene Bene. We are always on the look out for good Italian food, but usually are disappointed with the fare we find. This place got good reviews online and was close so we decided to try it. I think this is probably the best meal I have had in a LONG time. It was pretty authentic and had a great atmosphere. We started with this salad with cherry tomatoes, avacado, kalamata olives and mozzarella balls in a champagne vinaigrette, then I had a Chilean Seabass with a lemon caper dressing on it. SO delicious. We also split a bottle of some Chianti which I wish I could remember the name of.

After dinner we went to see Star Trek. Now I have never seen a single Star Trek movie or episode on TV, but I LOVED it. I seriously think everyone should see it and would like it. It is funny, interesting, action packed, well cast, etc. I really enjoyed it and I love Zachary Quinto anyway from Heroes so I was excited to see him.

Tuesday night I got to go meet some of my friends out at Cru, this wine bar in Plano, for my birthday dinner. It has been a while since I have really gotten to spend any quality time with them so it was really nice to get to catch up on my gossip. =)

This has been my first week by myself with Isabella for the whole week. I thought my mom was going to be able to come again for a couple of days, but it turns out she has things to do OTHER than take care of me. I know, not fair. =) It hasn't been too bad, but it is definitely a lot easier when there is someone else around to help. Especially now that she is getting more alert and is awake more, I find myself trying to figure out what to do with her since she can't really play or anything. I spend a lot of time just talking to her and asking her rhetorical questions. Sometimes we dance to this Coldplay lullaby CD that my friend Courtney bought her. Sometimes I just put her in her bouncy seat that she, thankfully, loves. So far she hates her swing, but we are going to work on that.

I have my first doctors appointment tomorrow with my OB since she was born. It is funny how you start to miss your OB when you have been seeing her every week for a month or two before. Next Wednesday I am going to Tyler. I haven't been home in forever it seems like! I am really excited about it and then we will leave Friday from there to go to Galveston for my cousins wedding. My parents rented a beach house for the long weekend so we will stay for a four day weekend. Should be nice and relaxing!

Taking a breather

Good morning everyone. I finally have a few minutes to check email and blog a bit. Isabella is threatening to wake from her nap but I am hoping it will pass. =)

So motherhood is great and Isabella is amazing, but it is HARD. People tell you the first few weeks are hard, but this is seriously the hardest thing I have ever done. Nursing is still not going great so that adds to the frustration for sure, but we are working on it! Jason's mom came for a few days last week to help and my mom is back for a few days now. It is SO much easier when there is someone else around. Just to be able to hand her off to someone so I can shower or whatever is so nice. I had my first taste of being home alone with her for two days last week and it was definitely trying. I think one thing I am doing wrong is just not sleeping during the day like I should. I have never been much of a napper and I don't do well with just sitting around, so when she is sleeping I always feel like I should be doing something. But I am trying to just make myself take long naps, even when I don't feel super tired. I think that has helped in the last couple of days, because today I feel pretty good.

We are working on getting Bella on a better schedule. She is starting to do better about going right to sleep at night, but she usually has a couple of nap times where she really fights going to sleep and sometimes doesn't sleep at all until her next feeding. The hardest thing is trying to find answers or solutions to problems in any book or online. I read so much before she was born about what to do to get them to sleep well and nurse well and all this other stuff, but you find one opinion about how to do things and you will find ten other books saying the exact opposite. Wake her every three hours/never wake a sleeping baby. Let them cry it out/rush to their side the minute they start fussing. Rock them to sleep/put them in bed before they fall asleep. Who knows? I am just trying different things right now to see which works best for us. If any of you moms out there have any advice feel free to pass it along!