As I sit here on a Sunday night, getting myself prepared for the week ahead, I realized that instead of thinking and worrying about what is to come tomorrow or the next day, I needed to focus my energies on being thankful for this weekend brought. This was, after all, a wonderful weekend. And I had many, many favorite moments, things and happenings...
1. My mom being here for me and Noah.
2. Getting to Skype for the first time with Mike while he was in Belgium.
3. Discovering a new restaurant in Dekalb.
4. Watching my mom's creativity in the bead store.
5. Finding the kids' resale shop and finding some great gently worn treasures for Noah.
6. My sister.
7. Looking around our family room on Friday night and living in the moment.
8. Our girls + Noah shopping day.
9. Getting to bed just a bit earlier.
10. Getting our little guy's 6-month photos (and our first family photos) from our new favorite photographer.
11. Doing the big seasonal switch out of my shoes. (A girl loves her shoes)
12. The unseasonal ladybug that showed up in our house.
13. Mike's arrival home. And the look on Noah's face when he saw his dad.
14. Watching Noah work so very hard at trying to crawl.
15. Planning ahead for our Thanksgiving trip to Muncie. (Which means I won't be stressing out on Wednesday afternoon)
16. My new reed diffuser.
17. An at-home Sunday spa night.
18. Having a few extra minutes to actually read my latest "Real Simple"
19. Looking at the ads in December's "Real Simple" and remembering the excitement and joy I used to feel when I saw an ad I really, really liked. Like I did in college, I was once again inspired to tear out my favorites.
20. Peppermint ice cream. It's finally that time of year.
21. Writing this blog and hoping that I can spend more Sunday evenings thinking about the things that I loved about the weekend.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
My Daily Commute
For me, the daily drive into work has always been a time for just me. Me with my thoughts, me with my mental to-do list, me with dealing with my feelings. Ever since college, when I was commuting to Indianapolis 3 days a week for my internship, those hour and 10 minute drives were my time. Back then, I thought a lot about the future – graduating, finally making my dream of working in advertising come true, getting married, worrying about whatever paper or test I needed to study for that was still 2 weeks away. That was my time. Then, when I entered the work force, the daily 30 minute drives to downtown Indy were much of the same – thinking about what I needed to do at work that day, talking with my family on the phone (not the safest I know), and many times worrying about what I needed to do, what I should be doing, or if I was good enough at what I was doing. It almost came to a point where I dreaded those drives. While it was time for me, it was also time where I found me working against myself.
So, what do I think about these days? As a parent, my daily commute has mixed feelings – sadness at leaving my smiling, happy, drooly little boy. There's the familiar feeling of the pre-baby days when I have my regular morning conversation with Mike. And, my thoughts range from what appointments I have that day to how many more loads of laundry that need to be done to how very badly our floors need swept to all of the things I really wish I had time for (making cards, planning ahead for the holidays, knitting, the list could go on and on). I know I need to think about these things when I’m in my car because once I step into the office, it’s all of this fades away. And, that’s been a source of frustration – that I have all of these seemingly incredibly important things that I need to remember to-do (call our builder, call the doctor, make a hair appointment) and once I get to work, I never remember it. It’s a very unique thing being a mom that works outside the home – there’s two lives that I feel don’t intersect much. Sure, I make lists (for work and for home), but those get re-written every day. Or, I forget where they are. :)
For now, I’m going to keep trying to do my best thinking in the car and not let frustration take that away from me. That’s always been my time and I think I’d like to keep it. Because even though I think about way too many things (in both facets of my life - work and home), it’s kind of my time to sort things out, get things in order and some days, clear out the cobwebs.
Here's to the time you set aside to think...
Much love,
Ash
So, what do I think about these days? As a parent, my daily commute has mixed feelings – sadness at leaving my smiling, happy, drooly little boy. There's the familiar feeling of the pre-baby days when I have my regular morning conversation with Mike. And, my thoughts range from what appointments I have that day to how many more loads of laundry that need to be done to how very badly our floors need swept to all of the things I really wish I had time for (making cards, planning ahead for the holidays, knitting, the list could go on and on). I know I need to think about these things when I’m in my car because once I step into the office, it’s all of this fades away. And, that’s been a source of frustration – that I have all of these seemingly incredibly important things that I need to remember to-do (call our builder, call the doctor, make a hair appointment) and once I get to work, I never remember it. It’s a very unique thing being a mom that works outside the home – there’s two lives that I feel don’t intersect much. Sure, I make lists (for work and for home), but those get re-written every day. Or, I forget where they are. :)
For now, I’m going to keep trying to do my best thinking in the car and not let frustration take that away from me. That’s always been my time and I think I’d like to keep it. Because even though I think about way too many things (in both facets of my life - work and home), it’s kind of my time to sort things out, get things in order and some days, clear out the cobwebs.
Here's to the time you set aside to think...
Much love,
Ash
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The Great Pumpkin Day
What a ride it’s been. It’s finally fall – my favorite time of year. Since moving to Illinois, I haven’t been able to enjoy it as much as usual. Here it feels like we go from Indian Summer straight to winter, which doesn’t let me acclimate too well to the incredibly windy, cold and sometimes downright miserable winters we have here. But, for the last week or so, fall as set in, so we decided to reach out and grab the chance to introduce Noah to fall. To pumpkins and pumpkin patches. To hayrides and cooler temps. To sweaters and jackets and hats.
This has always been my favorite time of year. Maybe it’s because I always loved fall nights at high school football games. Or the smell of burning leaves. Or that after months of heat and humidity, I could pull out my jeans and sweaters and be bundled up. And, I wanted to be able to share this with our new family. Check out the pics below!
This has always been my favorite time of year. Maybe it’s because I always loved fall nights at high school football games. Or the smell of burning leaves. Or that after months of heat and humidity, I could pull out my jeans and sweaters and be bundled up. And, I wanted to be able to share this with our new family. Check out the pics below!
Next weekend, we’re headed to Iowa so Noah can meet his great-grandparents for the first time. It will be sure to be another great fall weekend with family!
Much love to all,
Mike, Ash, Noah & E!
Much love to all,
Mike, Ash, Noah & E!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Where We Are And Where We've Been
I’m going to stop apologizing. Life is busy and life is full of wonderful things right now, and blogging comes along when there’s a small opening in the day. Don’t get me wrong, I love using this method of communication and updates on us, but there are many, many other things in the day.
Life is good right now. Noah is a growing and thriving 3-month old. He’s smiling. He’s laughing. He loves when his dad lifts him high above his head and flies him around the room. He’s sleeping through the night (most nights), which makes mom and dad very happy. We continue to look at each other each day and just wonder how we got so lucky.
Parenting opens up this whole new world. We knew it was going to be unlike anything we had ever experienced, and that it would be something that no amount of reading could prepare you for. But I did recently read an article on babycenter.com, that was titled “Top 10 Surprises Of New Parenthood.” The article completely opened my eyes and made me want to create my own list. Because in this crazy world of learning how to become a parent, there are stresses, there are laughs and there are a lot of yawns, but no matter what, this is an amazing journey. So, here’s my list.
Top 10 Things I Never Expected When I Became A Parent
1. Losing The “Morning Person” Label. Pre-pregnancy, weekends were never for sleeping in. There was just too much to do. Now, if I can get up, feed Noah and crawl back into bed, I take it. Even though he sleeps through the night, I’m still exhausted.
2. Nothing Can Disgust Me Anymore. Baby = Dirty diapers. Need I say more?
3. Time Flies. It amazes me how fast 30 minutes can go by now. I can have a plan in place to sweep the floors, and Noah will look at me with his big, gummy grin and before I know it, I’m holding him, talking to him and a half an hour is gone.
4. I Truly, Honestly Don’t Know Where The Energy Comes From. By the time I get to work, I feel like I’ve lived a whole day. And, then there’s 8+ hours to get through before the drive home, dinner, maybe a workout, Noah’s bath, bottle and bed (The BBB combo). And surprisingly, I manage somehow to do all of that without any kind of nap. This is way abnormal for me because as many know, I have a little battery. It must be some sort of new mom thing. Or super doses of adrenaline.
5. I Move Much, Much More Slowly. This is something that I didn’t really notice until Mike mentioned it, but for some reason it takes me longer to do anything. Maybe it’s because of #3, or maybe it’s because leaving the house now requires much more preparation than grabbing the keys and leaving. Maybe it’s the extra pregnancy pounds I still need to shed, but I move more slowly.
6. I’ve Had To Become A Lot More Lenient With Myself. I’m going to say it. Pregnancy packed on 48 pounds. Forty-eight pounds. And, no, nursing didn’t magically make it all fall off. Quite the opposite. So, I’m learning to be more accepting of the fact that the weight didn’t come on overnight, so it’s not going to fall off overnight. I’m accepting that working out usually comes in around last place on the list of things to do each day. So, I know that it might be another 9 months before I fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes, but I’m working at it. I’m accepting each glorious lost pound, one at a time, and I look at Noah and realize that he is worth each and every pound gained.
7. There Really, Truly Is Something About Being A Mom. Other moms smile at you in public. People stop you to ask to see your baby. (This is incredibly strange to me. We’ve had people in parking lots stop their cars and ask to see Noah. Very strange.) It’s an insta-community when you’re out in public.
8. Banana Republic: Out; Babies R Us: In. Yeah, there’s really not much shopping anymore with my favorites. Banana Republic. Ann Taylor. Gone. A real treat now is shopping for Noah. I could shop for him all the live long day. I love the days when the new Babies R Us coupons come in the mail…”Score! There’s a coupon for diapers!” Who knew?
9. The Love Is Instant. And Unconditional. I now understand what my mom meant when she would tell me she would love me no matter what. I understand now what my parents meant when they said all they wanted was for me to be happy. I understand now why my parents did everything and anything in their power to make sure I was okay. I understand why my dad came and moved me out of my first college because I was a wreck and didn’t make me stick it out. I get it. Because once your baby is born, nothing matters but their health and their happiness. And I will fight for that for Noah.
10. Parenthood Opens Up A Whole New Meaning Of Love For Your Spouse. And It Makes You Appreciate The Little Things. Without getting too overly emotional and mushy, becoming a parent has made me see Mike in a whole new light. And, it’s a good light. He’s the best dad, hands down. And it's not because he has been looking for a go-kart for Noah since the day we found out we were having a boy. That’s not what makes him a great dad. It’s all the little things. It’s the willingness to drag himself out of bed in the middle of the night if Noah wakes up, it’s the willingness to change the dirtiest of diapers or the excitement at giving Noah his next bottle. Sure, these are things that you might say every dad should do, but honestly, I know I’m darn lucky. And besides, there is no better moment than when Mike is making Noah laugh and I see both of my boys with the biggest grins and having the time of their lives.
That’s it. That’s my list. I know it will change as Noah grows and goes through new stages. But for now, life is good and I see all of the unexpected as good things.
Much love,
Ash
Life is good right now. Noah is a growing and thriving 3-month old. He’s smiling. He’s laughing. He loves when his dad lifts him high above his head and flies him around the room. He’s sleeping through the night (most nights), which makes mom and dad very happy. We continue to look at each other each day and just wonder how we got so lucky.
Parenting opens up this whole new world. We knew it was going to be unlike anything we had ever experienced, and that it would be something that no amount of reading could prepare you for. But I did recently read an article on babycenter.com, that was titled “Top 10 Surprises Of New Parenthood.” The article completely opened my eyes and made me want to create my own list. Because in this crazy world of learning how to become a parent, there are stresses, there are laughs and there are a lot of yawns, but no matter what, this is an amazing journey. So, here’s my list.
Top 10 Things I Never Expected When I Became A Parent
1. Losing The “Morning Person” Label. Pre-pregnancy, weekends were never for sleeping in. There was just too much to do. Now, if I can get up, feed Noah and crawl back into bed, I take it. Even though he sleeps through the night, I’m still exhausted.
2. Nothing Can Disgust Me Anymore. Baby = Dirty diapers. Need I say more?
3. Time Flies. It amazes me how fast 30 minutes can go by now. I can have a plan in place to sweep the floors, and Noah will look at me with his big, gummy grin and before I know it, I’m holding him, talking to him and a half an hour is gone.
4. I Truly, Honestly Don’t Know Where The Energy Comes From. By the time I get to work, I feel like I’ve lived a whole day. And, then there’s 8+ hours to get through before the drive home, dinner, maybe a workout, Noah’s bath, bottle and bed (The BBB combo). And surprisingly, I manage somehow to do all of that without any kind of nap. This is way abnormal for me because as many know, I have a little battery. It must be some sort of new mom thing. Or super doses of adrenaline.
5. I Move Much, Much More Slowly. This is something that I didn’t really notice until Mike mentioned it, but for some reason it takes me longer to do anything. Maybe it’s because of #3, or maybe it’s because leaving the house now requires much more preparation than grabbing the keys and leaving. Maybe it’s the extra pregnancy pounds I still need to shed, but I move more slowly.
6. I’ve Had To Become A Lot More Lenient With Myself. I’m going to say it. Pregnancy packed on 48 pounds. Forty-eight pounds. And, no, nursing didn’t magically make it all fall off. Quite the opposite. So, I’m learning to be more accepting of the fact that the weight didn’t come on overnight, so it’s not going to fall off overnight. I’m accepting that working out usually comes in around last place on the list of things to do each day. So, I know that it might be another 9 months before I fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes, but I’m working at it. I’m accepting each glorious lost pound, one at a time, and I look at Noah and realize that he is worth each and every pound gained.
7. There Really, Truly Is Something About Being A Mom. Other moms smile at you in public. People stop you to ask to see your baby. (This is incredibly strange to me. We’ve had people in parking lots stop their cars and ask to see Noah. Very strange.) It’s an insta-community when you’re out in public.
8. Banana Republic: Out; Babies R Us: In. Yeah, there’s really not much shopping anymore with my favorites. Banana Republic. Ann Taylor. Gone. A real treat now is shopping for Noah. I could shop for him all the live long day. I love the days when the new Babies R Us coupons come in the mail…”Score! There’s a coupon for diapers!” Who knew?
9. The Love Is Instant. And Unconditional. I now understand what my mom meant when she would tell me she would love me no matter what. I understand now what my parents meant when they said all they wanted was for me to be happy. I understand now why my parents did everything and anything in their power to make sure I was okay. I understand why my dad came and moved me out of my first college because I was a wreck and didn’t make me stick it out. I get it. Because once your baby is born, nothing matters but their health and their happiness. And I will fight for that for Noah.
10. Parenthood Opens Up A Whole New Meaning Of Love For Your Spouse. And It Makes You Appreciate The Little Things. Without getting too overly emotional and mushy, becoming a parent has made me see Mike in a whole new light. And, it’s a good light. He’s the best dad, hands down. And it's not because he has been looking for a go-kart for Noah since the day we found out we were having a boy. That’s not what makes him a great dad. It’s all the little things. It’s the willingness to drag himself out of bed in the middle of the night if Noah wakes up, it’s the willingness to change the dirtiest of diapers or the excitement at giving Noah his next bottle. Sure, these are things that you might say every dad should do, but honestly, I know I’m darn lucky. And besides, there is no better moment than when Mike is making Noah laugh and I see both of my boys with the biggest grins and having the time of their lives.
That’s it. That’s my list. I know it will change as Noah grows and goes through new stages. But for now, life is good and I see all of the unexpected as good things.
Much love,
Ash
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
More Noah, The Month Of May and Other Random Things
Yeah, yeah, it's been a while.
I was fortunate enough to celebrate my first Mother's Day this year with Mike, my mom and my sister. My mom made the trip to Dekalb for the weekend and we had a great time. Noah treated me to a massage that was absolutely wonderful, and Mike treated the three of us to a great lunch on Mother's Day.
Noah is now almost 8 weeks old, which means mommy heads back to work. This coming Monday to be exact. So many people in the last week have been asking me if I'm ready. And, what I tell them is that I feel like I have a healthy balance in attitude about it. I know it's going to be hard. I know when I drop him off at his wonderful day care on Monday morning that I'm going to cry. I know I'll walk into our Monday Morning Production Meeting needing a touch up of make-up. But at the same time, I know this is what is best for me and for Noah. We are completely blessed to have found a home day care with one of our neighbors who lives right behind us. There will only be at most 5 other children there on any given day, and Noah will be the only infant. We went over to Miss Jennifer's yesterday and Noah was able to spend time with Miss Jennifer, and the other children were able to meet Noah and get excited about him joining their clan. I think all in all, this will be a blessing for him. He'll get additional exposure to other children in a wonderful environment. I say this, but it's still going to be hard.
Noah is growing and thriving and just making us smile and laugh each day. Speaking of smiling, our little guy started smiling on Memorial Day. It was just the absolute sweetest thing I have ever seen, and now, we just melt when we get that gummy, wide grin that he has mastered so well.
I was fortunate enough to celebrate my first Mother's Day this year with Mike, my mom and my sister. My mom made the trip to Dekalb for the weekend and we had a great time. Noah treated me to a massage that was absolutely wonderful, and Mike treated the three of us to a great lunch on Mother's Day.Sunday, May 3, 2009
Noah's First Two Weeks
Mom & Noah's First Photo Shoot
Dad & Noah's First Picture
Noah's First Bath
Relaxing With Mom
Tummy Time On The LilypadWelcome To The World, Noah Robert Murcia!
I’ll start by begging for forgiveness. It’s taken me 2 weeks to get anything posted on this blog about the arrival of our son, but I’ll just plead the new mom case. We’ve spent the last 2 weeks learning more about our little boy, and helped him get acclimated to life in the real world. In short, it’s been a wonderful 2 weeks.
To go back to the beginning, I’ll give as short a story as possible about Noah’s arrival. We were induced on Sunday, April 19, arriving at the hospital very, very early in the morning to check in. By 7:20am, I was set up on the Pitosin and trying to get some rest (which wasn’t coming easy…there was just too much to think about!) The next 12 hours went by with little progress, and a lot of frustration and very little rest. By 7pm, my doctor finally came in and gave us two options – stop the Pitosin and re-start it the next morning, or break my water and start the time clock to getting our little boy here. Thankfully enough, the doctor decided to assess where I was and he said the words I was longing to hear – “you’re progressing, let’s break your water!” I think when he said that, I actually yelled out “Rock On!” and from there, he said, “We’re going to have a baby tonight!” So, from here, things started moving and each hour brought more progress until we got to 1:50am on Monday morning. This is when my nurse (her name was Kari and she was the BEST nurse I could have ever asked for) said it was time to push.
Pushing started and lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes. The strangest thing about this night was there were 6 women all in labor at the same time, with 3 of us with my doctor. So, my nurse kept telling me that we were in competition with the woman in room 2. Let’s just say the doctor went to room 2 before my room, but I don’t feel badly about it – it was her 2nd or 3rd baby, so she was able to move things along faster than I could.
Then, finally, at 4:18am on Monday, April 20, 2009, Noah Robert Murcia arrived into the world. He spent 15 minutes with a neonatologist since he had been a little stressed out during the delivery and I had a fever during labor, but he screamed the entire time which was the best sound I had ever heard. Finally, around 4:45am, Mike brought our son over to me so that I could hold him. And, he was the most aware and awake newborn I had ever seen. And, then finally around 5:15am, our family was able to come in and meet Noah – everyone had stayed up all night, waiting for Noah’s arrival. And, then by 6:15am, Mike, Noah and I were settled into our new room on the Mother/Baby Unit, and it was finally time to sleep for Mike and me. Sleep didn’t come so easily though for either of us…we were a family now and there were so many other things to think about.
This is the story of Noah’s birth, a day, night and another morning that we will never forget. It’s amazing to us just how much he’s already changed in just 2 weeks. We are truly, truly blessed and fortunate to have a healthy, thriving little boy that has stolen our hearts and made us understand a completely different and new kind of love.
Love,
Mike, Ash, Noah & E!
To go back to the beginning, I’ll give as short a story as possible about Noah’s arrival. We were induced on Sunday, April 19, arriving at the hospital very, very early in the morning to check in. By 7:20am, I was set up on the Pitosin and trying to get some rest (which wasn’t coming easy…there was just too much to think about!) The next 12 hours went by with little progress, and a lot of frustration and very little rest. By 7pm, my doctor finally came in and gave us two options – stop the Pitosin and re-start it the next morning, or break my water and start the time clock to getting our little boy here. Thankfully enough, the doctor decided to assess where I was and he said the words I was longing to hear – “you’re progressing, let’s break your water!” I think when he said that, I actually yelled out “Rock On!” and from there, he said, “We’re going to have a baby tonight!” So, from here, things started moving and each hour brought more progress until we got to 1:50am on Monday morning. This is when my nurse (her name was Kari and she was the BEST nurse I could have ever asked for) said it was time to push.
Pushing started and lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes. The strangest thing about this night was there were 6 women all in labor at the same time, with 3 of us with my doctor. So, my nurse kept telling me that we were in competition with the woman in room 2. Let’s just say the doctor went to room 2 before my room, but I don’t feel badly about it – it was her 2nd or 3rd baby, so she was able to move things along faster than I could.
Then, finally, at 4:18am on Monday, April 20, 2009, Noah Robert Murcia arrived into the world. He spent 15 minutes with a neonatologist since he had been a little stressed out during the delivery and I had a fever during labor, but he screamed the entire time which was the best sound I had ever heard. Finally, around 4:45am, Mike brought our son over to me so that I could hold him. And, he was the most aware and awake newborn I had ever seen. And, then finally around 5:15am, our family was able to come in and meet Noah – everyone had stayed up all night, waiting for Noah’s arrival. And, then by 6:15am, Mike, Noah and I were settled into our new room on the Mother/Baby Unit, and it was finally time to sleep for Mike and me. Sleep didn’t come so easily though for either of us…we were a family now and there were so many other things to think about.
This is the story of Noah’s birth, a day, night and another morning that we will never forget. It’s amazing to us just how much he’s already changed in just 2 weeks. We are truly, truly blessed and fortunate to have a healthy, thriving little boy that has stolen our hearts and made us understand a completely different and new kind of love.
Love,
Mike, Ash, Noah & E!
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