Week in the life: Monday

This week I am joining scrapbooker extraordinaire, Ali Edwards, in chronicling a week in my life. This year has brought many changes to my routine, my marriage, my body, my commitments, and the things I value as important. I am hoping this week will help me journal the little everyday moments that are worth remembering 2, 5, or 10 years from now.

Remember This: I want to remember the early morning hours Piper and I share. I get her all to myself during those early morning feedings and she is so smiley, cuddly, and sweet. She coos softly and snuggles into my chest. Her eyes focus solely on mine. She smells of baby shampoo and lavender lotion. I could drink that scent in forever. In these moments I thank God she is here, that she is healthy and that she is mine.

Observations: The family bed. Jeff and I have shared our bed with the pups since we adopted them 5 years ago. This afternoon Piper joined our bed for some tummy time and the pups wanted in on the action. I love how they are all interacting with each other.

Favorite Moments: I am blessed to have a husband who knows I need to workout daily. Today I ran three miles, the best stress reliever in the world. Running is still INCREDIBLY hard for me, my speed and pacing are still off, but I feel I am getting stronger everyday.

Best: I am currently wearing a pair of jean shorts (jorts!) that I once wore pre-marriage and pre-baby. Fitting into old clothes is such a confidence booster.

Worst: Piper would not go down for her afternoon nap without a BIG fight. She is so afraid of missing something that she fights sleep at all costs. This usually results in 10 minutes of pitiful crying on her part, lots of swaddling rocking and walking on my part, and a few prayers and whispers of "please, please please, GO TO SLEEP!"

I want to remember: Sitting on the porch with Piper enjoying the cool air that swept in after our crazy afternoon thunderstorm. She reclined in her stroller while I read a few chapters of my book club book. I love how everything smells after a hard rain.

Love this story: I love my iphone. Facetime allows me to skype my Mom. Facebook keeps me in my social loop. And the camera lets me capture images instantly. Piper and I have a new game called "Who's that baby?" I use the reverse camera function to show Piper her reflection and she loves it. She loves to look at herself!

Recipe: Mango Pineapple Lawnmower: 1 banana, 5 frozen mango chunks, 5 frozen pineapple chunks, 1/4 cup of orange juice, 1 cup of spinach, 1/2 cup of water. Blend well.

Our girl is a fish!

When I was little I LOVED the water. We lived near the shore and my days were spent wave diving and splashing in the salt water. A few years later I discovered competitive swimming and my middle school, high school, and college years were spent in speedo suits, goggles, and a fog of chlorine. I married Mr. R. who is NOT a fan of the water. An entire summer could go by with him only swimming a handful of times. He will go to the beach, but prefers to read in a chair rather than surf, body board, or skin board with me. I hoped and prayed our girl would take after me. That she would be my pool buddy my beach goer. I think my friends had the same hopes seeing as she is the proud owner of SIX swimsuits and three beach hats. 

And luckily for me she is a water bug, a little fish, a beach babe. 

And I think she is way cuter than that Coppertone Baby!

Republican, party of 3!

 At restaurants we used to be Mr. R. party of two. We could easily get seated, fitting perfectly into the booth or table for two. We left home when we wanted, never giving the weather or the time a second thought. With the addition of Miss Pip, we are now a party of three. We travel with a diaper bag, a stroller, my purse, and sometimes an umbrella. We now plan an outing in advance. It takes about ten minutes just  to load the car. But she is worth it! Totally worth it. 

Happy Birthday Gavin!

 Our favorite little Kahuna invited us to celebrate his 1st birthday with him. 

We swam, sang along to the beach boys, and Piper flirted with all the other babies. 

Jen, Gavin's Mama, is an amazing hostess! 

I can guarantee no one went home hungry and that we all will be talking about this party for months to come. 

Happy Birthday G-man you are loved!

A Floridian Birthday!

Danielle turned 31 on July 10th! She is my teaching partner in crime, my running buddy, and my sounding board. We have similar tastes in clothing, cheesecake, and TV shows. She makes my work days fly by and is always up for chats over coffee after school.  Did I mention that she is PREGNANT!?! I am hopping that Piper and Baby J (my nickname for Danielle's bambino) will be awesome friends.

Last night we stepped out to downtown St. Augustine for dinner and had the BEST shrimp and grits OF MY LIFE! (Mom, if you are reading this we are totally going when you come visit). Mr. R. ordered the chicken and dumplings and I kept stealing bites when he wasn't looking. So good! (The dumplings were made from sweet potatoes and the cornbread is honey filled and made from scratch). I also love that all the drinks are served in Mason jars, I am telling you, the place had me at hello!

Piper was also invited to the celebration. It was her first real outing (with people other than family and it was during her dinner time and we were PRAYING she would behave). She was AWESOME! Piper took her bottle like champ, she charmed our friends, fellow patrons, and even fell asleep at the table (she knew it was her bedtime after all). 

I am trying not to get too excited, but I think this breakthrough may give Jeff and I more freedom. 

I see a few family date nights in our future!

Wordless Wednesday

Just checking in to say Hi! Piper has really adjusted to the schedule which means I get more time out of the house and she is a willing participant in errands, pool time, and afternoon walks. I think my girl is definitely a shopper. She loves to look at the lights, different colors, and all the people in stores. She also loves all the attention from fellow shoppers. And the bonus, the outings make her EXHAUSTED! 

A Southern State of Mind

The other day I was homesick for my Northeast. I was about to throw myself a pity party missing the whirl of the metro, the lobster rolls, visiting my favorite boutiques, missing night time walks through the monuments hand in hand with Mr. R. I wanted the Ocean City Boardwalk, a slice on NJ pizza, real custard with rainbow jimmies. 

And then I remembered where I live. 

Where neighbors invite you onto their porch.

Where doors are held.

Where saying thank you isn't an option. 

Where elderly men stop and comment on the cuteness of my baby.

Where tea is always sweet unless you ask for unsweetened.

Where shorts and t-shirt is the uniform.

Where the beach is 5 miles from my doorstep.

Where flip flops are appropriate footwear for date night.

Where people help you load groceries into you car.

Where wrinkles are part of the dress code. 

Where the sweetest peaches are grown.

Where men where seersucker.

Where farmer's markets are Saturday morning staples.

Where coffee is sipped slowly in early morning light.

Where 15 minutes late is right on time. 

Where my husband says I look beautiful make-up free wearing my jeans with hole in one knee.

Where my students say yes Ma'am.

Where hospitality is genuine.

It's like Zach Brown says,

"We like our chicken fried,

cold beer on a Friday night,

a pair of jeans that fit just right.

and the radio on..."