Better Late Than Never

I know, it has been way way WAY too long since I have posted. When we started our other blog, I had a hard time keeping up with this blog as well. But I decided I like this blog! :) So I'm back and will hopefully be more diligent about posting.

To catch everyone up, I'll do some updates!

Lydia update: She is almost 1 year old! AHHHHHH! I'm having a hard time with this. I cannot believe how quickly my baby has grown. She walks probably 90% of the time and crawls about 10% of the time. She started walking about a month ago, but has really taken off in the last couple weeks. I'm so proud of her. I am amazed every day with how much she grows and changes and learns. She has no teeth yet. Figures. She just switched to a new daycare center, which she seems to love! She is happy when we drop her off and happy when we pick her up. She doesn't sleep all that great there yet, but this is only the first week she has been there. She has increased her nap time by 15 minutes each day. She has a great first Christmas. She was completely uninterested in gifts, but we tried :)

She has a few word in her vocabulary now. She can say 'hi,' 'buh-bye,' 'mama,' 'dada,' 'papa,' 'uh-oh,' 'woof-woof,' and 'bahhhhh.' That's a new one from today. We worked on what a sheep says ;) I have started planning her first birthday party. I ordered the invites yesterday and I have a friend working on the cake plans! I'm excited for it, but it is sad at the same time.

House update: We have our first house!!! We closed on it at the end of November. We love it! It is nearly completely decorated. I just have the master bathroom left to paint. There are plenty of projects though! DH and BIL are going to build a built-in for the laundry room (my Christmas present from them). The boys tore off the stairs on the deck because they apparently created a water trap. So those will need to be built this sping/summer. We need a new dishwasher, which we will probably buy when we get our stainless appliances for the entire kitchen. We need a fence for the dogs. Yada yada yada. But we love it. A lot. It definitely feels like home.

Me update: I am in my last semester of dental school. Thank goodness!!!!! I am in full-time clinic plus I have two classes I missed when I had Lydia. Boards are coming up next month. This scares me. It is very stressful and very expensive ($1500). I don't have much of a choice but to do well. I have been working out nearly every day at a gym in Edina. I joined at the beginning of December and have since lost nearly 20 lbs. I was sick of not fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes, so I joined the gym and got personal training with a friend. It has been hard though. Not so much the working out a couple hours a day... I can handle that pretty well. But it means I don't get to see Lydia for more than an hour or so a day. That has been the hardest part. It also means I don't get to see DH much either, and when I do see him, I'm pretty tired. I have to remember that this busy time in my life is temporary and I'm doing things that are going to benefit me and my family.

Alright....that is a general update for now. I'm off to the gym :)

Shape Up!

Week number 2 of working out again is underway! I decided this baby weight has hung out a little too long and it has worn out its welcome (not that it was ever really welcome). I've been going to the University of Minnesota Rec Center every morning. This is the only way I will actually do it. Otherwise, by the time I get done with clinic I can find a million + 1 excuses why I can't work out. Monday, Wednesday and Fridays I do weights (15-25 lb weights depending on what I'm doing). Tuesday and Thursdays I am doing burst cardio, where I get my heart rate high for a while and then rest for a while, etc... I forgot how much I actually like working out! I've worked out doing something pretty much my entire life and somehow forgot how much I like it. I feel so much better after working out - I have more energy, I feel better about myself and feel like I have a better balance in my life. Hopefully I won't let life get in the way of my exercise streak...

In other news, I'm thinking we might find out something about the house tomorrow! I am hoping so :) We also have another showing on our townhouse tomorrow. If they like it, they want to move in by October 1st. That's SATURDAY. Ummmm....that could be a problem. Nothing like adding a little stress in my life. But on the positive side, I wouldn't have to worry anymore about whether or not we are going to get a renter in time!

And last, but not least, DH's car decided to not start this morning and is still not running. He is outside trying to fix it with his dad. It's beginning to look like we might be carpooling tomorrow. Yikes.

7 month update!

It was not my intentions to only do an update once per month but that seems to be the trend lately. I guess it's better than nothing, right? I've been a little more diligent about posting on realhousewivesofmn.com. Buuuuuuuuuut, something special for this blog is pictures of little miss Lydia Jill!!! I'll post a few of her 6 month pictures at the end of the post (done by Cheryl June Photography).



Bean is getting pretty close to walking! She pulls herself up on everything she possibly can and reaches for anything she can find. At first she could pull herself up but wouldn't know how to get back down. So she would end up falling and crying. She quickly figured out how to sit back down :) Now she is transferring from different pieces of furniture while standing up. I think he first step is coming sooooon!!! The only sad part is, it is very likely that I will miss it and it will happen at grandma's or at her nanny's. I don't have to be there for the first, right??? It will be just as exciting if it is the first time I see it, right??? Who knows... I do know that I am so amazed at the things Lydia can do at such a young age! She is so amazing (I know, every mom thinks that about their baby!)! Also worth noting, is she just started on meat! Yay!!! I bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner for DH and I the other night and used the left over meat (minus the skin) for Bean's baby food, mixed with peas...Yummmmm! :) OH! And did I mention that she will eat literally ANYTHING??? She at a lemon last weekend. A LEMON!!!! She made the funniest sour face I have ever seen!



In other news, we put in our 2nd offer on a house. The first one was in St. Michael and didn't work out. This one is on the opposite end of our search radius, in Mayer. DH is in love with the house! It really is a beautiful house in great condition for a fantastic deal! I think with a little paint and some personal touches, it can look completely amazing! It is a foreclosure so from what we've been told, we should know sometime next week if we got the house. Eeeeeeek! If we do get the house, our closing date will be November 17th. Hopefully our townhouse will get rented out soon so we aren't stuck paying rent here AND for a mortgage. That would be an issue! 

Our Potential House :)

Annnnnd a peak at Lydia's 6 month photo shoot!

Six Months and Changing Daily!

I cannot believe how much Lydia has changed in the last 2 weeks! Two weeks ago, she couldn't crawl. Now she can get exactly where she wants to go and FAST! Two weeks ago she could barely sit up by herself. Now she can go from a crawl to sitting on her bum, then onto her side, etc... She is at the point now where she just wants to skip the crawling and go straight to the walking. She is working on standing up. She has started to babble mamamamama and dadadadada. Not that I think this is on purpose, but it is pretty cute nonetheless. AND she has started teething. Uh-oh.

So far she has just been chewing on her hands and anything else she can get a hold of. She doesn't seem to be uncomfortable yet. I'm not looking forward to when she does get uncomfortable.

And, what prompted me to post is her 6 month photos are done!!!! I've gone through them all, LOVE them and will post a few sooooooooon! :)

Here are a few to tie you over:

House Hunting and Other New Adventures

DH and I have begun "browsing" for houses. So exciting!!! It seems to be the trend that I am ready for the next stage in life before my life is ready for it. Let me explain...

I got married at 19. The typical plan is to wait until finishing college. I was a sophomore.

I had a baby at 23. The plan was to wait until I was done with dental school.

Now I am antsy to get into a house of our own. The problem is, our finances aren't exactly ready for us to purchase a house. :( Sad face.

I hate having to wait for something, but in this case, it is probably a good idea. First of all, we don't even know which area we want to live in! We have been browsing from St. Michael to Waconia and everywhere in between. That is a huge difference! On one hand, we would like to live close to family and friends from our younger days. That would lead us to looking around the Elk River area. On the other hand, DH works in Chanhassen, our church is in Eden Prairie and our newer friends reside in the area more south and west of the Cities. So where does that leave us? Considering I don't know where I will be working, it will probably be helpful to wait. One thing that (helped?) narrow down the search is the "down-payment assistance" program done by the USDA's Rural Development. There are certain "rural" areas of the state that qualify for 0% down payment with very little impact on overall monthly mortgage payment. So that leaves us west of a vertical line drawn from Albertville to Waconia. At first I thought this would be totally fine and help narrow down our options to a reasonable number of great houses we could consider. As I continue to browse, I am starting to get a little disappointed. I found a lot of places/areas that I like that aren't eligible for the down-payment assistance program. It excludes St. Michael, Elk River, Hanover and more importantly, Chaska, which I fell in love with already. Boooo!

So I don't really know where that leaves us. I went to talk to a lender just so a professional could hash out our finances and give me an idea where we are at and where we need to be. That helped a lot, but made me want to speed up the process and get a house now! I'm not very patient ;)

In other news, Bean is so wonderful and I miss being home with her soooooo much! She is such a happy baby now! She is at such a fun age and doing new things daily. And one of the most amazing things she is doing is sleeping like 12 hours straight! Whoa! She wakes up and fusses a little bit in her crib usually 1-2x/night but goes right back to sleep as soon as we put the pacifier back in her mouth!

And she loves swimming! She splashes and kicks and smiles and splashes some more! I love it! PLUS I got her the cutest Baby Gap swimsuit from Once Upon a Child, brand new, with tags, for $5! Awesome, right???

My 3 week break is coming up - 2 days of clinic left! I can't wait to spend every day with Lydia again! It is going to be different, but in a good way (I think)!

Alright, back to studying... Everyone else is sleeping (including the dogs), but I have a final tomorrow. Ick.

New Adventure in the Form of a Blog

Sooooo...my bestie and I started a new blog adventure last month :) It is pretty fun to write about things I am interested in! Check it out, follow us, let me know what you think! I really value your feedback!

Real Housewives of MN

Some of the things I post on there are things I would post on here. If it seems like I am on here left often, that might be why :)

In other news, I got in a cooking (sort of) mood and decided to whip up some homemade baby food for Miss Lydia! I don't know why this made me so excited, but it did! And I found a great use for the Magic Bullet DH and I got as a wedding gift.

I bought a fresh avocado, mango and butternut squash at the grocery story and waited for them to get ripe enough. DH gave Lydia a little taste of the avocado puree I made - she loved it!!! I also made a green bean puree using the green beans from DH's grandparent's garden.

Most of it is in the freezer waiting to harden enough to put into plastic baggies. I ran out of ice cube trays (see other blog) so some of it is sitting in the refrigerator, waiting to be frozen.

Maybe we will work on some more avocado tomorrow :)

Too Busy - So Here Are Some Pictures

Bean's first 4th of July!

Also, a song that has been inspiring me lately:
"Do Everything" Steven Curtis Chapman

You’re picking up toys on the living room floor
for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost
Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips
and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you

Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do

OOoh ooooh oooooh

Maybe you’re that guy with the suit and tie
Maybe your shirt says your name
You may be hooking up mergers, cooking up burgers
But at the end of the day

http://www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com/

Little stuff big stuff in between stuff
God sees it all the same
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you do

Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you
To do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do

Well maybe you’re sitting in math class
Maybe anekatips on a mission in the Congo
Maybe you’re working at the office
Singing along with the radio
Maybe you’re dining at a five star
Or feeding orphans in Myanmar
Anywhere and everywhere you are
Whatever you do it all matters
So do what you do and don’t ever forget
to do

Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace as you do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do

Ooh oooooh
Every little thing you do