In which I rediscover the glories of caffination in boosting productivity

Before I was a Mommy, I was a Professional.  I wore eyeliner.  And heels.  And the occasional string of pearls when I needed to appear older and more experienced than I actually was.  And I drank A LOT of coffee.  I started at home before I left for work, continued as I checked my overloaded email inbox, faced the unavoidable afternoon slump, and sat through long, boring  interesting and always relevant meetings.  In fact, there was a time that I thought, "How will I ever be able to be pregnant and not drink coffee?"  Then, lo and behold, doctors started advising that one cup of caffeinated coffee per day was allowable during pregnancy!  Thank you, Lord!  So. We got pregnant.  (Just kidding - we didn't get pregnant just because I found out I could still drink coffee.)

I promise.

Anyway, I continued to drink one cup of coffee every morning until the eighth month of pregnancy when I began to think about the ramifications of caffeine on nursing and realized that I had better just go ahead and give it up, so I switched to decaf.  And really, lets be honest, one measly cup of coffee is no match for fatigue like a freight train during that last trimester anyway.

And so, I have not had caffeine in any measurable amount for an entire year.

And then on Monday ... well, I was feeling groggy ... fatigued ... downright sleepy, as I suppose many of us do on Monday mornings.  And Monday at Casa de Trautman is Laundry Day, and to be honest, I just didn't think I could face it.  Enter the little bit of half-caff coffee grounds lurking in the back of my pantry.  The little Caffeine Angel (or is it a Devil?) started whispering, "Oh, it's just half-caff.  It probably won't even make a difference.  Little Man won't need to nurse for another four hours, so it will be completely out of your system by then anyway.  How are you going to fulfill your wifely duties if you can't stay awake?  Jesus would want you to serve your family!  I can help you with that!"

And so, I made a cup.

And let me TELL you ... I didn't stop moving for another six hours.  I washed, dried, folded and put away three loads of laundry.  I cleaned out and organized Benjamin's closet.  I washed a huge pile of dishes.  I made blueberry muffins for breakfast. I made two batches of baby food.  I did a whole bunch of other stuff that I can't even remember because tasks were getting checked off my list so fast it was just one big blur.

I kid you not.

And then, after dinner, it hit me.  The post-caffeine-high-mack-truck-of-worn-out that i didn't even see coming.  Tuesday morning was painful.  And no caffeine to be had anywhere in the house.  "It's okay," I thought, "I'll be fine. I've done without it for a year."  And then Wednesday morning, more painful still.

And so, yes, that was me leaving our local buy-in-bulk-cuz-its-cheaper-even-though-you-have-nowhere-to-store-it place with a three pound bag of coffee this afternoon.

Hello again, caffeine!  I've missed you!

Change of Scenery

This afternoon, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather, our new backyard, and the beach-ball Benjamin got at this last Kindermusik class. We just needed a little change of scenery during that weird hour before dinner.

It was a gorgeous afternoon!

And I got to enjoy my morning-nap handiwork ... there were plenty of more urgent things to do than give myself a pedicure, but  a girl's gotta pamper herself sometime, right?

Benjamin even got to play with Mommy's sunglasses ... and then, the very best-est thing happened...

Daddy got home!!!

The Kitchen

Well, the cold I had last week has been passed on to Will ... poor man!  In spite of an "under the weather" kind of weekend though, it was really good!  On Saturday, I got to spend most of the day in the kitchen, and Sunday we were able to stop and really rest for the first time since we've moved (Benjamin's three hour morning nap really helped that :)

Speaking of working in the kitchen, have I mentioned how much I love my new kitchen?  Well, let me just say, I do!  First of all, its absolutely palatial in comparison with our former kitchen.  Our former was ... shall we say, convenient (read: so small that everything was within arms reach).  Now, I have to walk 10 steps to get from the counter to the pantry ... imagine the space!  I actually have drawers and cabinets that are [cue fanfare] not full!

Now, honestly, when we moved in, the kitchen was one of my least favorite rooms.  Walking into it was like walking into a really weird lemon icebox pie ... and by that I mean that everything was painted yellow... really lemony yellow ... and by everything, I mean everything - walls, trim, window frames, doors, even hinges!  Now, I'm OK with yellow in more buttery shades or in small doses, but the kitchen was just about more than I could take.  To make matters worse, all my kitchen accessories are red - which looked awesome with my deep blue Jackson kitchen, and fine with my beige kitchen when we first moved to NY.  But red with yellow?  I felt a little McDonalds' coming on...

But Aunt Mattie and a two-hour trip to Hobby Lobby helped me whip it into shape with some well placed black-and-white accents, and now I absolutely love it!  (There's actually a little bit of a "love" theme as well...)

Finally, I just couldn't help but share a shot of what I was working on in the kitchen all day on Saturday ... our loot from our CSA and saturday-morning trip to the farmers market...

a counter full of fresh organic veggies - i wish i had thought to take the picture before I chopped the carrots ... they were so beautiful!  Also not pictured from Saturday's culinary endeavors ... homemade pizza!  yum!

Hooray! Success!

As you can see, we went with the majority opinion, and my gut instinct, on Option 4 for the outfit.  And, I know I might be slightly biased, but I think these are absolutely the CUTEST baby pictures I have ever. seen. period.

Thanks everybody for your feedback and comments!  have a great weekend!

Help!

Benjamin is having pictures made at JC Penney this afternoon, and I can't decide what he should wear!  I'll give you my options, and whoever happens by here by 3:30 this afternoon can vote in the comments on what he should wear!  I can't promise I'll go with the majority, but it will be good to get some feedback! :)

Option 1 - Brown onesie, jeans

Cute, simple, casual, I like this option.  The shirt isn't blue, but the chocolate brown shows up his eyes beautifully.  Concerns?  The little alligator on the front says, "Chomp, Chomp" ... will that be distracting in a portrait?  Other than that, this is probably the easiest option.

Option 2 - Blue and red striped romper

I like to call this outfit "Infant Irony."  It has the outline of a turtle on the bottom, then a patch at the top (you can't see it in the picture) that says "Speedster."  Haha.  Cute, cool, comfy, the navy blue shows off his eyes.  Concerns?  This outfit is still a little big on him, so it might look a little rumpled in a picture?  Are the stripes too much for a portrait?

Option 3 - Frog shorts outift

This precious little shorts outfit I got brand-new at a garage sale (((patting self on back))).  It's super cute, and again, the blue eyes - outstanding!  Concerns?  The little shirt underneath is not a onesie, so it tends to start sticking out of the short-overalls before long.  Also, the little overall straps tend to fall down a little, what with all the wiggling around.

Option 4 - golf shirt and jeans

Honestly, this is probably my top pick at the moment.  Cute, in a little man kind of way, and again with the blue eyes.  Technically, the golf shirt is a romper, so it could be worn alone without the jeans (as he did at Niagara Falls) - we'll call that Option 4A for voting purposes :)  Concerns?  The little golf shirt is another of my garage sale finds, and though precious, is starting to show a little age with fading/pilling.  Will it look too worn in a portrait?

Ok, those are the options - what do you think?

Oh, and in case your curious, I'm planning on him going barefoot in the pictures because a) baby shoes are just way too much trouble b) those little toes-ies are just too cute to cover up!  :)

Thanks for your help!

A Tough Day

So, yesterday was a pretty tough day.  It was Kindermusik day, which is fun, but makes the day busy since we have to drive about 30 minutes to get there.  I woke up with some kindof nasty summer cold - sore throat, stuffy nose, etc.  Then there was a flat tire on Will's car that had to be dealt with (we sure do love AAA).  Thankfully, even though Benjamin's morning nap was thrown off by the flat tire, he had a great time at Kindermusik - laughing at songs and toys and bubbles, and generally being the completely charming little man that he is.

After getting home, I began to realize what a state my house was in - all imaginable counter space covered with dirty dishes, and so much laundry to be done that we didn't have a single clean bib in the house.

Necessity is the mother of invention?

Anyway, to add to an already long day, Benjamin had an allergic reaction to the raspberries in the baby food he had for lunch.  Poor thing broke out in hives all over his neck and face!  After a semi-panicked call to the pediatrician and a dose of Benadryl, both of us needed some "un-plugged" time, but I had to keep him awake to monitor his symptoms.  So, we put in a little baby video and vegged on the floor for a while.   Thankfully, the Benadryl did its thing, the hives subsided, and no other symptoms presented.

I can't decide if my severe allergy issues are going to make me a better, more equipped and relaxed mom when it comes to allergies, or if I'll be just that much more neurotic about it.  On one hand, I'm familiar with symptoms, prevention, treatments, and etc.  Its not like the whole allergic thing is new to me and that level of being equipped makes me feel better.  On the other hand, I know first hand the symptoms, how serious they can be, and how miserable it is to have your body launch itself into complete rebellion over something otherwise harmless.

Anyway, I spent the rest of the afternoon sipping hot tea and trying to find the Claritin pill that I had gotten out of the package, couldn't remember ever taking, but couldn't find anywhere either.

When poor Will got home, he entered a state of domestic destruction I wouldn't wish on any human being ... mountains of dirty dishes about to collapse in the kitchen, used Kleenexes all over the couch, our bedroom floor covered with piles of laundry ... you get the picture.  But sweet man that he is spent the evening washing dishes, fetching laundry and what not, and by the time we went to bed, our house and my soul were much more in order.

So I'll end this recounting of the day's events with a verse I read yesterday morning and that the Holy Spirit brought to my mind throughout the day ...

"For You bless the righteous, O Lord, Your cover them with favor as with a shield" Ps. 5:12

Thank you Lord...
- the flat tire happened at home and not somewhere along the road
- AAA was able to come quickly for a tow
- the tire was still covered under warranty and therefore was replaced at a fraction of the cost
- for Claritin and Benadryl
- Benjamin's reaction was minor in comparison to what it could have been (read: I didn't have to call 911 as the nurse at the doctor's office advised me to if he started wheezing)
- the pediatrician's office is available, understanding, prompt, and thorough
- for a husband who lives out selfess, sacrificial love
- Benjamin was able to sleep well last night
- for comfort from your Word!

I ask you!

Why should I crawl, when I can do this?!?!

(Note: I was planning to edit the beginning of this video where Will is setting up the camera, but the look on Benjamin's face when he sees it was just too funny to cut - such a mixture of fear and wonder!)

Things have been busy around here at the Trautman house ... and not just Benjamin's antics!

On Saturday morning, Will rode in a bike race to support our local ministry to the homeless, the Rescue Mission. He did a great job, and its not too late to support him if you'd like ... just click here.

Then we spent Saturday afternoon hanging stuff on walls around our new place ... yahoo!

Sunday morning was church, then lunch with friends, and finally a pot-luck dinner at "our farm." In case I've neglected to share on here, we are part of a CSA this year - we get a box of fresh veggies from them every week! It's been lots of fun (lots of work too - all the peas to shell! :) but its really encouraged us to branch out in the selection of vegetables we eat and for me to find new recipes of what to do with things like fennel, fava beans, beet greens, and bok choi.

Anyway, so we had a potluck dinner at the farm, which was in an absolutely beautiful area of Central New York ... the nearby town of Skaneateles is now on our "must visit" list for any out-of-town visitors we have.

After such a busy Sunday though, the Little Man was quite exhausted and napped for a total of 5 hours yesterday! whew! Hopefully, we'll be able to slow down a little this week and enjoy just hanging out on our new area rug (featured in above video :)

Could it be?!?!

Benjamin has been jabbering more and more over the past few weeks, and as he randomly throws out vowels and consonants, he will accidentally throw together the right ones to make what sound like words... hi, bye-bye, nana, OK, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious...

ok, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea.

Anyway, I've been trying not to get super-excited and overreact like the typical crazy-for-her-baby-first-time-mom that I am (although I absolutely know that Benjamin is a genius, I try not to spread that around too much).

But, this morning, I do believe we had a breakthrough. See what you think...

Niagara Falls

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our visit to Niagara Falls on Saturday with Aunt Mattie.  Benjamin did so great - happy and content, jabbering as he was being toted along all over creation ... he's even learning to smile when we point the camera at him!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we all had a marvelous time!

Nothing Like a Good Belly Laugh

We are thoroughly enjoying our time with Aunt Mattie and will post pictures of Niagara Falls soon, but first I simply must post this video ... this was on Day 4 of Boxes-boxes-everywhere-and-still-can't-find-a-thing. We were all wearing down, but sweet Benjamin gave us a new dose of energy with this little moment ...

The throwing his head back is just the cutest, funniest thing I have ever seen :)

I couldn't resist

This onesie was on clearance sale and i know it was made just for my cuddly little baby boy!

King of Cuddles

We're Back!

 

It's not pretty, but we're connected to the outside world again!  Thank you Lord!  Will had to rig up a temporary connection until we can get a wireless card for the computer, but being the genius that he is, it's working great!

Too much has gone on in the past two weeks to go back and catch up, so I'll just share a few pictures and let that suffice ...

Moving went great and Benjamin did particularly well ... he's such a trooper!

See, Mom?  I'm being so good!

Picnic with Grandma and Grandpa in the new living room.

Benjamin has even made the transition from baths in the sink to baths in the tub ... a huge, inflatable, rubber ducky tub that is ...

We celebrated my birthday with Red Lobster, roses, and ice cream with sweet friends, welcomed Meah and Evie for a fun Independence Day Weekend, and now are slowly digging out from all the boxes and braving this crazy Northeast heat wave without central air.... and anticipating Aunt Mattie's arrival tomorrow!  whew, I'm tired!  :)