Two years since he looked at me...

Oregon vs Arizona Sate, originally uploaded by pete4ducks.

I know its been two years and more then a month but I haven't had the opportunity to blog since going back to work. Life has been a bit hectic. And what I am talking about about is being married to my best friend. Everyday I am reminded of what a great man he is he truly is wonderful. An amazing father and a truly beautiful person inside and out. I love him more every day. Here is to 50 more years of wedded bliss. No not every day is easy but whose life is? We like to keep it interesting!

My how she has grown!

It is amazing how fast babies grow they go from being completely dependent at 0 days old to almost holding her own bottle and sitting up at three months.  I can not believe that my little NICU baby can do all these things.  She now smiles and laughs all the time and coos and gurgles. It is so cute.  With Evie It seemed like she stayed small a lot longer with Madelyn it seems as if it has sped bye and it makes me very sad.  She is our last baby, not that I can handle anymore, and she will always be very special.  I wish I could spend more time with her and will miss her like crazy when I go back to work.  To all new mothers when you feel like the non stop feeding and the up multiple times a nights will never end cherish them because they grow up way to fast.

Post Pregnancy bliss...

The things people don't tell you about what happens to your body after pregnancy. 

1.  Your hair falls out....I could weave a rug with the amount I am starting to loose.
2.  Your boobs will never be the same....nursing does wonder to them.  Breast augmentations should be fully covered for women who have nursed their babies!
3.  Loosing the baby weight doesn't mean you look the same as you did before.  Things have moved and they may never go back.
4.  Shoes fit differently.....not better....me I may have to invest in a completely new shoe wardrobe.
5.  Those lovely things that you grew a massive food aversion too while pregnant doesn't seem to go away.  Even the though of the smell of Korean beef short ribs makes me nauseous!!

Even after all this I still love my two beautiful babies and would have done it all over again....

Hawaii......love it!!

I just got back from a week in Hawaii and it was amazing.  We had planned this trip about a year ago and it was originally supposed to be in October but due to a little thing called having a baby we had to change the time. 

We went with both of our mothers, Jill and Cynthia, and of course our two girls.  Evie was very excited from the trip on the plane to the ocean and even the sharks.  She has NO fear!! 

We decided to stay in Kihei which is on the south side of Maui for a couple different reasons.  One being we had all been to Lahaina and two it is a lot less expensive.  We had rented a condo in on the bottom floor of a building with the most amazing grass I have ever seen and a enclosed swim area and a secluded beach perfect for Evie.  Later in the week she deemed it Evie's beach!!  The condo had three bedrooms and had a great Lanai and was complete adequate for what we needed.  Each grandma had there own space and Evie could run and play right in front of our lanai and we could keep an eye on her.  The best thing about the place is we could hear the waves from our room and check out whales in action!!

I have to admit we didn't do a ton of touristy stuff.  Pete and his mom tried several different spots for snorkeling and finally found the best place right in front of our room.  I spent a lot of time in the room trying to get the baby to sleep long enough so I could get a tan!  This happened rarely.  The grandmas were nice enough to let Pete and I go check out some fun happy hour spots in Kihei.  We also got to go back to where we got married which was special.  I still thank my lucky stars that I married such a great man.

Leaving Hawaii is never fun but I did meet Drea de Matteo in line of security.  Very nice lady who was complementing me on my mothering skills.  She was way more relaxed then i was.  Got to go baby is crying....go to Hawaii if you have never been its amazing!!

Maui 2010 Vacation

Maui 2010 Vacation, originally uploaded by pete4ducks.

This is at Maui Brewing Company the place Pete and I went every day when we were in Maui to get married. It has been completely remodeled and looks amazing. It was great to be back there enjoying there amazing bears. On a completely random note there was the owner from MT. Emily Brewing company sitting right next to us. Its in Oregon!

Back to reality....

I have four days left of maternity leave.  I can't believe it is over.  Part of me is excited to go back and part of me is scared.  Will I have the same drive I did before or is it completely gone?  I hope I am still able to do my job well. I absolutely love the company I work for and would like to stay there for a long time.

I have really enjoyed my time on maternity leave I got to spend some quality time with my girls and went on an amazing vacation to Hawaii.  I am really looking forward to some structured time with adult interaction where I don't hear the word Mommy 400 times a day.  Now I know that makes it seem like I don't like my kids but I love them I just get tired of the mommy when I know she needs nothing.  Or that everything has to be a battle.  My three year old has discovered a major attitude and it isn't a pleasant one.  She knows how to turn on the cute when needed and then be the exact opposite when she wants to which is more and more often.

Madelyn is my new born and she is growing like a weed!  Already wearing 6 month clothes and cooing and doing tons of smiling and laughing.  She has already rolled over both ways and can grip a few of her toys.  She sits up assisted and is working on some standing.  I think this is all great for a little gal who started in the NICU. 

We have started looking for a Nanny and are interviewing our first one today.  I hope we love her because we are running out of time.  Well that's whats going on with me.

Traveling With Kids..what I have learned so far

I just got back from my first trip with my girls.  We went to Hawaii into a strong head wind extending our already long flight over an hour.  We did get lucky enough to get an extra seat for Madelyn so I we didn't have to hold her in our laps the whole time.  I am an over preparer i always bring extra of everything and I think I definitely can share some of this tips with some other moms or dads. These are not in any order

1. Start gathering stuff together weeks before if you can, the more you plan the easier it will go.
2.  Buy small cheap toys your kids have never seen that you can produce on the plane.
3. Buy a portable DVD player or purchase the one they offer during flight.
4.Always carry extra wipes diapers and changes of clothes.  You never know if or when you will need more.  Expect the unexpected.
5.  Arrive early to the airport, give yourself time to unload and check in.  Try to web check in if you can cuts down on time dealing with lines and we all know how well kids do in lines.
6.  Use the family line while going through security they are more understanding of your needs and will not rush you.  
7. Have all your liquids and stuff ready to get out and bring extra zip-lock bags, they always have a use.
8. Remember there are new rules regarding formula, juice, and breast milk with regards to security so make sure you read the current rules.
9. If you are bringing a car seat to take on board make sure it is OK to be used on an airplane.  Don't assume not all of them are.  Chicco key fit infant seats are and you don't need the base to install it on the airplane or in a possible rental vehicle.
10. If you are staying at a hotel call ahead and see if they offer a porta crib if they don't we have used the pea pod , they work very well and are light weight and very portable.
11. Pack snacks and lots of them.  Cheerios, granola bars, dehydrated fruit, raisins, anything that doesn't contain to much sugar and they like.
12. If all else fails drug them.....I kid I kid :) 

I hope these are helpful, I am in no way an expert just another mom trying to make it to the next day...Good Luck!!

Rose Bowl Watch Party

Rose Bowl Watch Party, originally uploaded by pete4ducks.

We went to the Rice's new fabulous apartment to watch the Rose bowl game. Unfortunately our Ducks lost. We did get some great shots of Carson and Mady checking each other out....Don't you love there bows!!

Whoozits and Whatsits galore.....

This is the year to put down the remote control and pick up a book.  I grew up loving books and not watching TV so why have I become the mom that sits her child in front of the TV to keep her occupied.  This year I want to make a conscious effort to stop the movie watching and to read more with my child.  Not only do I think it help her verbal skills I think it will make her a more introspective child.  So heres to it.  Hopefully if she sees mommy reading she will want to too!!  Wish me luck.

Christmas 2009...

This Christmas we had a lot to be grateful for we had a new daughter and most of our family were able to be near us.  Evie was finally at the age that she was excited for Christmas trees, Santa, and even giving gifts.  We got our tree two weeks before Christmas didn't really put anything under it.  When Christmas Eve came we let Evie open one present ( ok maybe two! )  We read The Night Before Christmas and put out cookies and milk for Santa. Evie was very excited and hated going to bed.

Christmas morning we had a family breakfast planned with good food and lots of presents.  It was a beautiful morning and Evie slept in till about 8:30 am.  I was shocked she didn't bound out of bed and head downstairs to start tearing open presents.  When she did get down she was more interested in passing things out then opening her own, and she had a ton!!

After breakfast and presents we started getting ready for the rest of our day.  We had dinner planned at my moms house about 2pm.  We headed over there and again opened more presents, I was just amazed at how patient Evie was with passing out presents and waiting to open her own.  I hope she stays that way it was very sweet!  After presents we had an amazing dinner and played some Pictionary.  Pete and I kicked some major behind and took out moms down.  All in all a very nice Christmas!  On to New Years....

Let it snow...

I love the snow and we rarely get it here in Oregon.  Last year we had three weeks and eighteen inches.  I didn't even know it was supposed to snow today and now we have three inches!!! I tried taking Ma dy out in it and she wasn't to impressed but hopefully Evie and Pete can make it out to throw a couple snowballs!

Three years and two babies later....

Today's the day I begin again.  I will try to keep up with it more often and try to remain open and honest about my happenings.  A quick catch up on who I am.  I am a reluctant suburban mom of two beautiful little girls Evangeline Rose and Madelyn Grace, or Evie and Mady for short.  I call myself reluctant because I never thought I would be a mom or a wife.  I have achieved both of those in the last five years. 

I met my amazing husband 4.5 years ago over the internet.  The say when you meet the one you just know and that was definetly the way it worked with him.  He is an amazing man, I love him more everyday.  About 9 months later we found out that we were going to be having a baby, with much discussion we decided that getting married also sounded like a good idea. He gave me a beautiful ring on a cold beach and I said yes. 

Since I was pregnant we decided not to get married right away even though my parents really wanted us too.  We had our amazing daughter Evie on New Years Eve 2006 and life was perfect. We started planning our wedding soon after that and decided to get married on another beach just one much warmer, Hawaii!!  It was absolutely amazing and it could not have been any better. 

After getting married and enjoying life has parents and partners we decided it might be a good idea to try and have another baby.   After many failed attempts and a horrible prognosis from my doctor it finally happened in February 2009.  This pregnancy was not an easy one and I was happy for it to be over in October with the birth of our second daughter Madelyn. She was born a bit early and had a rough start but is doing amazing now.

I am currently on maternity leave and enjoying every moment of it.  We are planning a trip to Hawaii in about three weeks, I can not wait to be in the sun again.  I have one more month of leave and I am dreading my return to the working world.  My goal this year is to pay off as much debt as possible so I can work less.  I will continue to look for part time oppotunities so I can spend more time with my kids.  They are what is important to me.....not things. 

It has been so long.....

So many things have happened in the last two years that I don't even know where to start. I started this blog when I first met my husband as a way to write down the crazy things that always went through my head and drove him nuts. I then realized that maybe not very many people wanted to see how muts I am so I moved on to all the good beer I drank and the small breweries I visit. Well life happened and I had a baby, got married, got fired, bought a house, got a different job, and now here I am.



I guess I will start with the amazing birth of my daughter. She is the most amazing thing in my life. She is warm, loving, and has a smile that lights up my day. Just thinking about her brings me to tears. Having her was not so easy. Pregnancy was great labor SUCKS!!! Even worse then labor are the baby blues or if you inlucky like me full on post-partum depression. I never really knew what helplessness felt like until I was going through that

Beer of the week.....

I am a huge lover of IPA and it seems to be the season for new ones. Widmer came out with a new one called Broked Halo IPa which has very little flavor, which tome is expected for a Widmer brew. Descutes also came out with a new one called Inversion IPA , not bad and a hell of a lot better then Cinder Cone. I always seem to revert back to the ones that i have always enjoyed like Lagunitas, Terminal Gravity and my favorite local Old Markets British Bombay IPA. If many of you have not headed out to the west side to check out their brews i do suggest doing it. The service is sometimes lacking and the food is forgettable but the brews never disapoint. Pints are 3.60 ALL the time and guest taps are 4.50. They do have drink special Sundays, Monday's, and Tuesday: unfortunately not on beer. Tom the brewer always try to have three seasonals and is alwasy experiment with different recipies of the standards. I think I might be a little biased whenit comes to the Old Market becaue i have been a regular for so long but i definetly think it is worth trying out.