We've Moved!

You can visit our new family blog at-
http://hashfamilyblog.blogspot.com/

We're Back Baby!

I had some techincal difficulties with the blog, but we should be getting back on track very soon:)

Two More Weeks!---

And the Little Boy and I are together again!

Every morning Everett waits patiently in bed (I'm not kidding, he really does). He does a little talking to himself, wiggling and smiling. Grant goes in to get him and brings him in to me as I am getting ready to say good morning. After Grant feeds him his bottle, I get him dressed and we do a little playing by talking to eachother, giving kisses and rattling our toys around. Now comes the bad part. I tell my little boy goodbye and remind him how many days until I can stay with him all day and cry all the way to work.

The crying has subsided a bit. I just get a little teary sometimes instead of a bawling mess. I don't know if this is normal or not, but I tell you what. It is the pits. If anyone is looking to jobshare a 6th grade social studies position, let me know. Grant and I are trying to see if it will work for our family, but I am willing to give up A LOT to be able to stay home with the little guy. Like my neighbor Shiela says, "You only get to do this once". I would be willing to give up an outfit or two to be able to spend time with Evie.

Now, onto our summer plans! Here is what I have been dreaming about doing. Stay tuned to see if I actually have the time to follow through-

-Pool Honeys! Everett is going to be a true water baby! I didn't buy those three swimsuits, matching swim shirts, sunglasses and baby flip flops for nothing!

-Deana Rose. Lead the way to those groundhogs!

- Lunch with firends. I want to get this in before the little man is moving wanting out of his highchair.

- Play dates! My friend Stephanie has talked about getting together weekly with our kids for an afternoon at the park.

- Baby Food! I am really excited to make my own!

- Exercising! Since I pretty much get up at 5:30, get ready, go to work, go to softball practice or games, come home, do laundry, cook dinner, wash dishes, get everything ready for the next day, then go to bed, where the heck am I supposed to fit in going to the gym. That will be changing. Enough is enough.

-Painting the living room. Really nothing to do with Everett. Just a to-do.

As for baby stats, he is getting is 4 month checkup in a couple weeks. For now I can tell you he wears 6-12 or 9 month clothes and is in between a size 2-3 shoe. He eats 7 ounces per feeding which my friend Elizabeth says is a lot because her little Presley only eats 4 and she is three months older. Again, he's a manchild and will be in the NBA in about 20 years.

Here's a look at our growing boy-

Back to School...Back to School...

Since the moment I found out my due date, I have been counting up how many days I would have to be at school until summer break. To be exact it is 6 weeks and 1 day, but who's counting? Did you know that summer break for teachers is about half a maternity leave. So don't get all jealous. That is probably what most people have in vacation days except you can take them whenever you want.
Unfortunately the countdown has begun to go back to work (not good). I go back in three days. I find myself going from thinking, "I'll be okay. I can do it for 6 weeks. It won't be that bad" to "Oh my god. How am I going to do this? I am going to miss so much. My poor baby is going to think he has done something wrong when he doesn't have his mommy with him all day!" It is bad. Really, really bad.

Other mommies out there have given me lots of support letting me know that the days will fly by and I'll be back with my sweet boy before I know it. I'm sure they're right, but to be honest, it doesn't help.

I think the problem is that my baby is seriously the best baby I have ever seen. How did I get so lucky? I don't know because I was definitely not a piece of cake kid. I am telling you. Everyone thinks their kid is the cat's meow, but I'm telling you this kid is great! People compliment how good he is every time we are out. The boy doesn't cry! He just fusses when he is hungry. Other than that, he just hangs with the adults and sits quietly while we hold conversations. I'm serious! He slept through the night at 8 weeks. Not just "slept through the night (12:00-5:00), we are talking 9:00-7:00...Putting himself to sleep! My point is, who would want to leave that? Sure it is a lot of work, but it is the BEST work I have ever done! People say teaching is rewarding, but I really think being a mom is where it's at. Plus, I am trying to cherish the time that he is good since I know once he starts walking and talking, I am pretty sure he will begin to take on some of his mother's traits and become hell on wheels.

Enough venting. Let's get to the pictures. Who would want to leave this stud muffin?

Baby Smiles!

Baby (Not as in Little) Stats

Baby Everett went to his one month appointment last week. Here are his facts and figures-

Weight- 11 pounds 10 ounces 95-97%

Height- 23 inches 75%

Head Circumference (See kids, you will need to know circumference!)- 15 inches 50%

Before my precious boy came along, I would have had no idea what any of this meant. However, now I am blown away by how fast my "little boy" is growing! Basically, if you lined up 100 babies, mine would be one of the heaviest and tallest, yet (THANK GOD) his head is normal size! No matter what my loving husband says, his head was abnormally large when he was a baby. Add in the horns he sported, he made for an oddly-shaped-headed-kid. Luckily, our baby was not this unfortunate.

Moving on. Today after our routine of a morning bottle and bath, I began to look through his clothes and realize that all the outfits he used to "swim" in are now too small! Last night when Daddy put on his PJ's, his poor little legs were scrunched up and the feet on his footies were too small. Yes, our son has the biggest feet in the world. He would be past 100% if they measured those. I am certain.

I digress. I spent the next 30 minutes cleaning out Baby Ev's closet and realizing that he didn't even get to wear some of the outfits I was putting in storage! After organizing (what I do best), I picked out the outfit for the day (my favorite thing!). I chose a 3-6 month romper my mom bought him for his one month birthday. As I buttoned it up I realized that it fit PERFECTLY! Our little 5 1/2 week old baby is wearing 3-6 month old clothes! He isn't even chubby! He is just really long! Don't get me wrong, the boy is working that chin. But he really isn't that big.

My conclusion- Mom and Dad are retiring early due to the fact that Everett will be playing forward for the Jayhawks as he earns his degree. No, he will not be graduating early to join the NBA because he knows how important it is to get an education. After graduation he will be drafted into the NBA and buy his parents a house in Colorado as well as wherever he decides to play basketball. We will be retiring shortly after he signs his contract. We must devote all of our time to watching him dominate. He will also buy his mom the pearl white Escalade she has been talking about since she was 21. (Thanks Son)

I leave you with a couple of my favorite pictures of the little (BIG) one.

Approaching One Month

Baby Everett will be one month old this Sunday...Valentines Day! As a new mommy, I have learned the following things-

• Even when your baby is a living angel and hardly ever cries and is hardly ever fussy, you will still miss your sleep. However, I don't mind getting up to feed him because I love looking at him!
• The days go by SUPER FAST! I have a to-do list every morning and even though I usually get everything done, it is between feedings, diaper changes, cleaning up spit-up, throwing in a load of laundry, nap time, taking out the trash...you get the point. By the time everything is done it is literally time to go to sleep again.
• It is very hard to put your spouse first after you have a baby. I think I can also speak for my husband on this one. However, we are starting to make an effort to eat dinner together (instead of in shifts) and have even gone out on one very short date!
• Everyone tells you that you will never love anything like you love your kids. When I heard this in the past I thought, "I love shopping. I love movies. I love my husband and my family and my friends. I love sleeping and cooking." Really people, love reaches a whole new level when you see your baby. It is unbelievable how much I can love someone that I just met.
• When your parents say, "When you have kids of your own, you will get your payback!" it may or may not come with a newborn. Mine has not come yet. Supposedly I was a really bad baby. My baby is honestly one of the easiest babies I have ever seen. Half the time I can put him down in his crib at night and he can fall asleep by himself. He is extremely easy to settle down when he is crying and he is pretty good about his eating schedule. Every time he cries for more than a minute, Grant is like, "What's wrong with him!" because he never cries for very long. I'm sure when he is a teenager he will give me the payback I so deserve, but for now, he is easy to love.
• You never know how much poop, pee and spit up can come out of such a little thing and get ALL OVER EVERYTHING!
• Eat quickly because you never know when they are going to wake up and need to eat themselves.
• Under normal circumstances I really like going to work. However, April 14th will not be happy day in this house. I already cry.
• Speaking of crying, after you have a baby, you will do A LOT of it. I'm not kidding. The tears will flow. I have cried because I have been happy (I love him!), scared (Don't touch him and get him sick!), sad (I don't want to ever leave you) or tired (I need sleep). There are tissue boxes in almost every room of his house.
• Your stomach doesn't look the same. Everyone that comes over is too nice and tells me I look good (thank you though). However, once that baby comes out, your stomach resembles something of a balloon that was blown up and popped. It is weird. It looks all good when your standing, but hello muffin top when you sit down.
• You can still clean your house! Don't let anyone tell you that you can't. You will just not get a nap that day.
• Make sure to prepare a couple casseroles before the baby comes. They will come in handy.
• You will miss caffeine and adult beverages. Obviously I haven't had an adult beverage in almost a year, but since Everett was born, I have also not drank any caffeine. I miss it so.
• Baby toys will take over your house! Bouncy seats, Boppys, Pack and Plays, Oh My!
• Keep the hand sanitizer handy. You'll need it.
• You can also work on the baby book. Again, you will miss a nap or two for that one.
• Take some time to go to the store or get out of the house. It helps a lot with your sanity! However, don't take the baby. It is flu season after all.
• I wouldn't recommend having a baby in January. It is hard to get out for a walk with snow on the ground. We have only been out on a walk once. It was bliss. I wish it would warm up already!
• You may not be able to make it to the gym. Hence, don't have a baby in January so you can go on walks.
• Snuggle with your baby every day. My 3 1/2 week old is already wearing a size 2 shoe and 3 month clothes. He is huge! I try to hold him as much as I possibly can.
• Enjoy the ride! My miracle has only been here 3 weeks and I already don't know what I did without him. I would tell myself this all the time while I was pregnant and scared to death about the responsibility, but it really is true. This world is a better place because Everett is here. He brings so much joy into our lives.