6 months old!

6 months ago, I was giving birth to my daughter after several scares and complications from the pregnancy. But after a long labor and quick delivery, Melody Rose was born in to the world on October 27, 2009 at 7:01 in the morning. The first thing I remember is seeing them place her on my chest and being completely blown away at how small she was. At 4 lbs, 9 oz, and 17 inches long, she was tinier than any baby I had ever seen in real life. I held her close to me immediately and was shocked at how calm I felt. I didn't cry as I expected but just felt overwhelmed with peaceful joy. I had wanted to be a mother my entire life and having a daughter was a dream come true for me.

We were blessed that Melody was perfectly healthy and though small was able to leave the hospital after only 2 days with no NICU time. The first night she was home, Dustin and I (who are both hot-bodied people) cranked the heat on and sweated it out, constantly checking on our little bundle who was swaddled and had a hat on in the bassinet next to me. Throughout the night I woke up to an alarm every 3 hours and pumped milk, then fed her, then changed her diaper, then went back to sleep. And repeated the cycle until the morning. She was an angel and let me sleep between the feedings. Before she was born I suffered insomnia which went away as soon as she was born. I was tired that nothing could stop me from getting sleep!! The first couple of days, friends and family stopped by to visit. Many people had never seen a baby out of the hospital as small as her and many were afraid to hold her. But she was a content baby and didn't cry very much.

As time went on, we found her personality to be very go-with-the-flow, but at the same time once she really wanted something, you'd better hurry!! :) She is sassy and sweet at the same time. She is the type to watch you walk around and study her environment. She doesn't give her smiles as freely as some babies, unless you are her mama or dad--then she gives them all the time! I have learned to really understand that she is not simply an extension of me, but her own person and with her own particular needs.

Being a mother has taught me sacrifice, selflessness, and love in a way I didn't know was possible. I am forever grateful that I have been blessed to be a mother.

6 months are gone but not forgotten. The next she will be growing much more and moving about more. She will be interacting more. Gone are the days of having such a tiny little girl, but those days will never be forgotten. I love my little Melody.

I love you sweetie and can't wait to see what the future holds! You are so dear to me and I never knew what people talked about when they expressed their love for their children until I had you. Now everything touches me quickly and I cry at the simplest things, because I relate them to you and to being a mom! :) You bless your daddy's life and my life so much.

HAPPY 6 MONTHS!!

-Marshmelody

-Chinchilla

-Mel Mel

-Little mama

-Mel O die

-Baby girl

-"B"

- Etc, etc

Crazy weird...

And so, without further adieu, I present to you the phenomenon which we call the 'weed grass'. This is not lush grass that we had laid down in our yard as it would seem...it is a lush bed of WEEDS...

We purchased our home new and without a back yard, but I was pregnant so we procrastinated. Within a few short weeks of spring, the weed grass grew. Oddly enough, as you will see in pictures, it goes right on our property line only. It is a very strange and creepy thing to witness and will no doubt be horrible to remove.

SOMEBODY SAVE ME

Easter!!

Happy Easter Everyone!! We had a wonderful time this year. I think it's been my favorite holiday so far with the baby. She's old enough to start enjoying the holidays more and dressing her in her multiple easter dresses was admittedly really fun :)

I am excited to celebrate the holidays to come as a family. I never remember Easter being my favorite holiday, but I also think that giving is what made it so fun, and in the past I only received. Making the Easter baskets and setting out the jelly bean trail, just as had been done for me as a kid, was so reminiscent of growing up, but this time seeing it from my parent's perspective!

A tradition I took from my own family was the trail of jelly beans from Melody's room to the baskets! Yes, she is too young to understand it but I wanted to practice and still really get in to the holidays. To be fair, I set her by the trail...she just wanted to grab the jelly beans :) (No one would want to eat those, they were 'spice' jellies)

The reason that we have 4 baskets is because the Easter bunny decided to leave my sister, Chelsey, one too! :) From the left is Melody (complete with springtime binkies, grape juice, a book, and some other fun treats), Lyndsey (a Disney DVD, a cute spring time decoration for the door and some treats), Dustin (A few 'romantic' gifts, a magazine, treats), and Chels (funny samples, gum, treats)... That sneaky Easter bunny set them on the piano in the living room ;)

Dustin was so nice to take the baby in the morning because I was up sick all night, and thought it would be funny to put one of his Peruvian hats on her! I thought it was too funny, so I had to post. "What's up mon?"

He was also so cute and went and got me some beautiful flowers with vibrant colors for Easter time!! :) He is the best husband ever!

For Easter dinner, we were invited to Nana and Papas again. There were a lot of people there so it was fun to visit with everyone. We saw a video that Dustin and Sharina made a very long time ago called "The Stolen Ring" (or something like that!!) and it definitely made us all laugh.

Speaking of laughter, I had to share a picture that Jenny tagged Dustin in... this Easter bunny is super creepy!

HAHAHAHA....

We can't end the blog post on that; it's too freaky! So I will leave you with a cute picture of Melody. For the whole Easter photo shoot, you can go to my facebook or Dustin's. Happy Easter and welcome, spring! We are so excited for the following this spring and summer (stole this idea from Tiffany Crandall, thank you!!!)

• Tyson's wedding in August (in St. George)
• Oliver's wedding in April (here in Boise)
• Mother's and Father's Days (our first official ones!)
• My 24th birthday! (I'm getting old!)
• Family reunions in Bear Lake
• More that I'm sure I'm forgetting...oh well! :) :)

Have a great day and remember to smile!!! :-)

Healthy and Wealthy and Wise

So going to the Farmer's market has inspired me to set off on a new 'healthy eating' quest. Not a weight loss quest, but a stride toward wellness. I want to have more energy and improve my health by my 24th birthday, which is in June.

YES, I most definitely need to lose weight. But I am hoping that if I eat right for the right reasons instead of focusing on weight loss and a number on the scale, I might do better. I feel SO down on myself lately, and I know I need to get my butt in gear. So I have decided that starting today (Monday) I am going to take a journey toward better health.

Every day I fear that my little Melody might follow in my very imperfect footsteps, and I know that she already has a genetic disposition for being overweight, and I need to be her example, as her mother. It's a powerful motivation.

So, here are some thoughts about what I want to do...

* Focus on eating when HUNGRY, eating the right portions, eating slowly, and eating the right foods.

* Foods should be the least processed possible. There is a time and place for these foods, but not on a daily basis. Think of food as fuel...would you put crap in to your gas tank of your car? No. So don't put crap in your body! :)

* Keep it simple!! A piece of fish cooked in lemon and some veggies roasted in a tiny bit of olive oil is a nice, simple meal that is easier to digest. Have you seen what is in some of the commercial fast foods?! BLLEECCHH

* Work at first on being more active. I am not in shape by any means but jumping in to an exercise program would likely not work for me, but working on being more active (walks with Melody, dance with Melody, walks with my husband) would be good for our relationships and for our health!

* Drink enough water!!!

DON'T READ THE NEXT ONE IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH BREASTFEEDING!

* (Personal mommy goal) Relactation... I lost my milk supply a month ago, and I want to build it up again, but it will be difficult when I work. It's also been hard since Melody never wanted to latch on. But hopefully I could at least partially relactate for her sake, and eating all this healthy food will help my breastmilk be as full of nutrients for her as possible!

Okay, so those are some goals for myself. If anyone wants to join me starting now I welcome you!! I will keep you posted on how it goes!!

Got Milk? (And other stuff?)

So, today after we went on a date, Dustin and I went to the farmer's market for fun! We'd never been to one, and I noticed that the prices were really good (plus I had heard that before) so I knew it would be good to go! We got a GREAT DEAL! Fresh farm eggs and milk, local apples, avacados, bananas, potatoes, strawberries...all for 20 bucks! That's a really good deal for us, usually produce is what gets us in groceries. And these all looked so appetizing...

Instead of grocery bags, there is the recyclable cardboard box! We have really upped our recycling efforts so I am totally for this!

This is the wonderful CloverLeaf creamery milk...Mmm...I've never had milk from a local farm but Dustin says it reminds him of his Grandpa Peterson's milk from his farm!

GOT MILK??

Milk does a body good ;)

I will have Easter pics up hopefully tomorrow!!!