Fun in the sun

We are very lucky to have family living at the beach! So this Labor Day weekend we gathered some friends and made the drive to the Outer Banks of NC. It was a fantastic weekend considering only 24 hours before we left Earl decided to make an appearance on the East Coast.

Except for some rough surf the first day it was a perfect beach weekend. Olivia had a great time digging in the sand...and not eating it this time! 

 

Daddy was going to build a sandcastle, but we ended up with a giant hole instead. Our beach version of "baby jail". It was exhausting keeping up with Olivia all day.

 

Olivia went straight for the ocean every chance she had. NO FEAR!!!

We loved taking walks on the beach together.

Overall, it was the perfect end to our summer.

Babyproofing or parent-proofing

Each day that Olivia is crawling/cruising/walking around I discover more things I forgot to babyproof or move out of reach. It seems like it's never-ending.


I've learned a few lessons while trying to babyproof my house.
   

• You're never really finished babyproofing.
• Make sure you can close the cabinet door under the sink before you drill the holes for the cabinet latch, important if you have a newer, deep sink.
• The "screw-free" latches are DEFINITELY worth the extra money. They save SO much time.
• Keep extra outlet covers handy.
• If you think you won't need the stove guard or the flat screen TV straps....think again!
• You will most likely find that many things that are "babyproof" are also "parent-proof". I still have difficulty opening the external latch on the cabinet that holds all the cleaning supplies! And for as many times as I open the drawer to the cutlery, I forget to push down the latch almost every time.
• The soft cover on the tub spigot will eventually save you from a few tears.
• Really think about buying toys/products that have a recommended age more than 6 months older than your child. You may think they can do it, but they will figure out quickly the reason for the older age on the label.

Birthday Girl

Well, with all the craziness of life the blog has taken a backseat.
Olivia is now 1! We survived the first year! And it's been wonderful. She's now taking her first steps and getting into absolutely everything. She had a great party. I decided to go with the Olivia the Pig theme. And we simply decorated with balloons and red and white tablecloths, which kept down the cost, but certainly not the time it took to get ready.  It was all worth it.

After several cake decorating classes and some help from a good friend, Olivia's cake turned out great.

But if I had thought past keeping up with the Olivia the Pig theme, I probably would not have baked a red velvet cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY GIRL!

Scissors

I recently returned to work on a very part time basis. My training days required me to work during the week....for 11 hours. So my husband was able to take the time off from work so I could complete my training, which was a HUGE help. Sort of.....
It was my first full day, and I was a little sad I wasn't going to be putting Olivia to bed, but my husband is a master at the bedtime routine, so I really wasn't worried....until he sent me a text that he "trimmed" her hair while she was in the bathtub. Initially I thought he was kidding me. He had been joking for weeks that he was going to cut her hair. I had already made arrangements with my neighbor, a professional hairdresser, to cut her hair the following week.
He just couldn't wait.....

And this is what I found when I went to get her from her crib the following morning...

It's a good thing she's so darn cute!



I just so happened we had a graduation ceremony that night, so off we went to the Hair Cuttery....and THANK GOD for TuTu!!!! It's short, but at least it's even now...

Next time I leave for longer than a few hours, I will be hiding ALL of the scissors in the house.

Visitors

Forget for a moment my intent to tell tales of being a new mom. I must report on recent events in the Fine household.
We have had squirrels nesting in our attic for 2-3 years now. The first year it was unclear if it was birds or squirrels, so my husband did not feel it was necessary to take care of it immediately. Last year it was definitely squirrels, but my husband decided with the impending birth of our daughter, and the decrease in our income, that we wouldn't do anything about it. For some reason, my husband decided this was the time to do something about the "squirrel".

This is the result of his good intentions....

                                                             We haven't named her yet.

And this is the result of my husband playing the role of Wiley E. Coyote and the squirrel playing the rold of the Roadrunner.....

                                                          He's ok, just a bruise on his leg.

So lessons I've learned from this experience.
1. When you think you have something nesting in your house. Don't tell your husband, just call something to take care of it.
2. When you KNOW you have something nesting in your house. (see above advice) and remove all weapons from the house.
3. When that something is a squirrel. DO NOT close up the entry hole when they are still in that attic! They will find another way out!
4. Traps don't work!!
5. Didn't the Roadrunner ALWAYS outsmart Wiley E.?

This has consumed us for the past few weeks. My husband is obssessed. We think there is a mama and at least 2 babies still up there. And every day they spend up there the damages increase, using the above photo as an example!

I will keep you posted on what happens next....

                                                                          Our angel.
Olivia was born June 27, 2009 after 17 hours of labor and 1 hour 10 minutes of pushing. She was so most beautiful thing we had ever seen from the moment we saw her.

Introduction

I've decided to enter this crazy world of blogging after following a good friend for quite some time, and also at the urging of my wonderful Aunt Chrissie, who said I should be blogging about all the wonderful discoveries of being a new mom.
So...here it goes....
I am a 35 year old, first time mom of the absolute love of my life, my 9 1/2 month old daughter, Olivia. I am a nurse and nurse practitioner by profession, and loved my old job, but not as much as I have loved being a stay at home mom. I have had to find the humor in things that have happened over the past 9 months, although I'm not usually laughing as things "happen". My stories may be boring for many people, but they are part of my life, and I have decided to blog about them as a sort of "journal" for my daughter.
So my intent is to share things I've learned the hard way, things I've discovered I can't live without as a mom, and all the wonderful milestones my little one attains.
I hope you can relate to some of the things that have happened in my life as a mom, or can share things that have worked for you and your family as new challenges arise.