Verity's Shower

Woah! It has been a while! A lot has happened since my last REAL post.  I post over on The Short List but those take me like two seconds and they are all about the sweety sweetums, Evangeline.

In My Hindsight has been neglected for some time. I just haven't had the time to write something really good!  The little kid that I made, takes up a lot of my time.  Anyways, this isn't what I got on here to write.  I got on here to post about the baby shower I threw this morning for my bestie, Pippa and her little bun, Verity.  Who, by the way, will be Evangeline's all time bestie when she gets here in September!!

View from the street.  We had lots of rubber-neckers.

Name Tags

 

Drink Station

These bottles were so cool.  They are washed Starbucks Frappuccino bottles

Seriously annoys me that the table runner is blown up and the end of the table! But, I bet you would not have noticed if I didn't say anything! Oh, and that I left my bakers twine on the table.  All. party. long...

Kiwi bird rhyme I came up with for my Kiwi friend.  Watch this cute little video the Kiwi TV station would play to tell the kiddos it was time for bed.

Tea cup party favors.  Goodwill hunting at its best.

Verity

These were like the best ever! So good!  Her is the recipe

nmmm, nommm.  So good!

Isn't Pip the cutest!  This is a typical Pip face. She is easily excitable and oh so fun!

Pip and Bec showed up in this color so what do you think I did?  Ran inside and changed.  That's right, I mean, I didn't want to be left out!

Pippa and Nicole.  Best belly shot.   I should have taken more of that big ol' belly!

Love you, Pip.  Hope you felt as loved as you make everyone else feel.

Out of my mind

When I became a mom I had no idea that motherhood=worry. It actually started with pregnancy and then increased 10 fold for birth and then when I thought nothing is going to be as bad a birth I have a baby that I am in charge of. All of a sudden my whole goal in life it to keep another human alive!!!! I can't think of more stressful job! I am so thankful for The Lord.

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"-Philippians 4:7

And thank goodness for Google.

It is All I Talk About

Everyone keeps asking me, "how is it being home?"  Well, I thought I would share what the day and the life of Evangeline and Tiffany look like. 

It starts about 3-4am, snack time and again 5-6am-ish.  Oh and we LOVE to sleep in so we get up around 9-10am (although this morning I got up before Evangeline and worked out, it was a great decision). Then our day begins.  We stare at each other for a while and I do everything under the sun to earn a smile.  My next goal is a giggle, I am working on finding those ticklish spots.  We walk about the house and I explain everything to her. What the sun looks like, why I drink water, who certain people are.  We will do some diaper changes where I obsess over the slightest diaper rash or if I have only seen one poop for the day.  And, someone help me if her poop is green, what could that possibly mean, green poop?!! Then I google whatever is "out of the norm" for the day.  I look at the clock and count how many hours until Kev gets home.  We walk about the house some more, bounce on the ball, try out the moby and try the sneak a shower or bathroom break with out her noticing I put her down. The visit from USPS is always exciting and we LOVE to Facetime or Skype with anyone else who is home during the day (Megs, don't forget to write "Read Tiff's blog" to your paper agenda for today!) And we always attempt to have a hot dinner on the table when we hear the front door open, which is the highlight of both of our days!

I now know why mom's only talk about their kids! Well, it is because it is all we do.  All we think about and the only pictures we take are a million shots of the same adorable smile or pose(sorry social media friends!) Us mom's are learning a new career and just when we think we've nailed it down, think again.  But, you know what?  I really like being home and I LOVE being a mom.

My Mom

Kev's Mom

Glad I have amazing moms to learn from!

A Good Godly Man

Yesterday when Kev got home he asked if he could read something to me.  This is what he read:

In June of 1971, just days before his 26-year-old son, Michael, got married, future-U.S. President Ronald Reagan sent him the following letter of advice. It really is quite stunning.

( Source: Reagan: A Life In Letters; Image: Ronald Reagan, via.)

Michael Reagan
Manhattan Beach, California
June 1971

Dear Mike:

Enclosed is the item I mentioned (with which goes a torn up IOU). I could stop here but I won't.

You've heard all the jokes that have been rousted around by all the "unhappy marrieds" and cynics. Now, in case no one has suggested it, there is another viewpoint. You have entered into the most meaningful relationship there is in all human life. It can be whatever you decide to make it.

Some men feel their masculinity can only be proven if they play out in their own life all the locker-room stories, smugly confident that what a wife doesn't know won't hurt her. The truth is, somehow, way down inside, without her ever finding lipstick on the collar or catching a man in the flimsy excuse of where he was till three A.M., a wife does know, and with that knowing, some of the magic of this relationship disappears. There are more men griping about marriage who kicked the whole thing away themselves than there can ever be wives deserving of blame. There is an old law of physics that you can only get out of a thing as much as you put in it. The man who puts into the marriage only half of what he owns will get that out. Sure, there will be moments when you will see someone or think back to an earlier time and you will be challenged to see if you can still make the grade, but let me tell you how really great is the challenge of proving your masculinity and charm with one woman for the rest of your life. Any man can find a twerp here and there who will go along with cheating, and it doesn't take all that much manhood. It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick and washed his dirty underwear. Do that and keep her still feeling a warm glow and you will know some very beautiful music. If you truly love a girl, you shouldn't ever want her to feel, when she sees you greet a secretary or a girl you both know, that humiliation of wondering if she was someone who caused you to be late coming home, nor should you want any other woman to be able to meet your wife and know she was smiling behind her eyes as she looked at her, the woman you love, remembering this was the woman you rejected even momentarily for her favors.

Mike, you know better than many what an unhappy home is and what it can do to others. Now you have a chance to make it come out the way it should. There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.

Love,

Dad

P.S. You'll never get in trouble if you say "I love you" at least once a day.

I was stunned at this letter and actually started to cry.  The reason being is because my husband, read this letter and not only liked this letter but he wanted to share its contents with me. This showed me two things.
1.  He agreed with what Ronald Reagan was saying.
2. My husband is a good man.

There ARE good decent men out there that LOVE their wives.  There are good men out there that are not only satisfied with their wives they only want and desire their wives.  I have one of those men.  Thank you, Lord for my good, Godly, man.

Love you, Kev-0.

Sleeping

When Kevin and I found out I was pregnant we started praying for specific traits in our babe.  One of those traits was to receive a babe that liked to sleep.  Well our prayer has been heard and answered! Our baby does like to sleep!  But, we didn't pray specifically on how and when we wanted her to sleep! Hahahaha but praise the Lord she sleeps at all!

I am sitting her typing one handed while I cuddle little Evangeline as she sleeps. This kid could sleep for days my arms and only minutes in her co-sleeper.  We are rejoicing in her little solo sleep victories. For example yesterday Evangeline slept 20 minutes in her swing! A PR for sure.  Oh and last night she slept 5 hours!! 11pm-4am, I know she is amazing.  She must have sensed I needed the extra sleep last night.  We have tried everything under the wazoo to try and get this little cuddle bug to sleep in her co-sleeper(that is connected to my side of bed, literally NEXT TO ME) but she prefers to sleep on us or nestle up to by body.  She gets her extra large cuddle cup from me. Instead of thinking about all the stuff I can't do while she wants to be in my arms.  I need to think about how she wants to be in my arms, one day this won't be the case. 

Wish us luck as we are trying to show little Evangeline how awesome sleeping in her very own co-sleeper can be!

Don't be fooled..she woke up about a second later.

Sometimes I can get a shower in after we get back from an errand and she's sleeping.

Believe it or not she actually sleeps the best inside her boppy! (Thanks for the suggestion Pip)

A queen bed isn't big enough for three

Curled up and snuggled next to mama seems to work.

Juggling

One thing I am learning as a new mom is how to juggle. Some days I walk out the door  think, "Yes, so far so good.  Baby is changed and fed, I even got a shower in!"  Then I remember, I forgot to put on deodorant... and brush my teeth.

At dinner, after Evangeline has had enough of her swing, Kev throws her over his shoulder and masters the one handed eating.  I am grateful to be eating a meal at all.  Most days I am happy to munch on a few carrots and throw a couple pieces of lunch meat in my mouth while trying to entertain the sweet babe.

Our laundry room in downstairs in the basement.  Evangeline doesn't seem to mind her ride back up the stairs in a basket filled with clean laundry. 

I am so thankful for Moby wrap.  This is the only way I have been able to accomplish a hot dinner every night.

Everyone said being a mom was a tough job, I had no idea.  They also said it was the most rewarding job, I had no idea.

One Month

I am one month old today.  I look at momma and Daddy in the eye.  I am practicing my smiling and sleeping 4 hour stretches at night.  Momma and Daddy call me sweetums because I am so sweet and delicious. 

Momma is hoping I get Daddy's pretty green eyes.

 I like to stare at bright lights and stay awake for more hours during the day.  I am a great flyer, I love getting my hair washed and I only cry some of the time when I get my diaper changed. 

my cute little one month old toes

Winter Wonderland

There is no dreaming of a white Christmas for the Erickson's this Christmas. Tahoe has been blanketed by a beautiful white sheet of snow since our arrival. But, like two idiots Kevin and I arrived with NO snow gear. Good thing Bob and Kathy have us covered so we could play in the snow.

Evangeline was introduced to the snow and we went for a blizzardy walk.

Kev took me up on a dare and ran through the snow barefoot.

We tested out our survival skills and built a snow shelter. Kev and I, of course, had to build it big enough for us both to fit inside. Kathy wouldn't let us bring Evangeline inside our shelter, maybe next year baby.

Kev and I have been enjoying every minute of this winter wonderland!

See Bob in the background blowing the snow?! He did this for hours, literally HOURS!

We had Evangeline well bundled and covered!

Notice the barefeet

doesn't this make you claustrophobic?!

Snuggling inside our cave!

She Won Them All

Yesterday we decided to take Evangeline on her very first adventure. We booked tickets for Tahoe to visit Kev's parents while I was still pregnant in hopes Evangeline would be born just in time to travel for Christmas. As with everything else, Evangeline has been the perfect baby and came just in time to travel (SouthWest won't allow babies under two weeks to travel, she just squeaked by at three weeks).

We packed everything up, including a whole bag of cloth diapers and reusable wipes. We tried to only back the essential things but somehow babies still need a lot of things! Kev and I even managed to pack for ourselves. I asked for prayers from everyone I knew asking for easy traveling. (Big thank you to My parents for helping load everything up and driving us to the airport. We are still too cheap to pay for airport parking)

We made sure she was fed and in a dry diaper and I sent up more prayers as we entered onto the plane. I thought we would be sneered at. People would avoid eye contact not wanting us to sit near them. But instead we were greeted with oohs and awes. We even heard a few, "hi baby" coming from passengers. Lots of questions about her age, name, etc. To top it all off Evangeline slept through the whole flight and a dirty diaper. Once again, perfect baby.

Now we can enjoy our white Christmas with Noni and Papa in Tahoe!

Cloth Diapers

I have not idea why, but I have become very passionate about cloth diapers.  When I am up with Evangeline at night I find myself reading cloth diaper blogs and forums.  I am also very lucky to have a couple mama's on my life who also use cloth diapers and I am constantly picking their brains about what brand, method and style they use.  There is so many different styles it is overwhelming.

 When Evangeline's umbilical stump fell off Kev and I decided to plunge right in.  Of course I was VERY stressed and worried about it.  But, she started to develop a little rash in her disposables so I was hoping the change would clear things up!

Kev and I seemed to catch on pretty quickly and we are becoming very creative on how to get everything, folded, snapped and tucked into place on this wiggly worm.  We are learning.  My good friend, Brie(and cloth diaper mama) told me she makes her own wipes.  So, now I am passionate about making my own wipes!  Who know I would be such an earthy mama.  I apologize in advance to anyone who watches Evangeline in the future.  We will give you cloth diaper 101.

 Current Wipe Recipe we are trying:

Olive n' Tea Tree Oil

Container ( I used an empty wipe container) 1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin not necessary) 1/8 cup gentle baby bath~ (I use Druide baby calming baby soap, for now.) A few drops tea tree oil 4 cups water

Bath Time

Let me be the first to reveal to you, Evangeline's belly button!!

Uncle Dan, I think she got your belly button!

Isn't it cute?  I show this to you because when it finally fell off at 12 days old I was so relieved!  I just stared at that little umbilical stump wondering, "is it getting infected?" "Is it healing right"  "is it staying on too long?" "Should we clean it?" And the worrying goes on.  I was so excited when it happened I made the announcement to Kev at 3am. I couldn't understand why he wasn't jumping for joy with me.

But, as soon as the belly button exposed itself I knew we could now give her a bath...her first bath.  I didn't know how to bath a baby.  What if she doesn't like it?  What it I clean something wrong?  What if she has a reaction to the baby wash...and I found myself worrying about something else. So, the next morning we decided it was bath time.  I was so stressed about bath time I could not even get a picture of anything passed the set up.  Good thing I have Kev, he mastered the bath just like he mastered the swaddle, diapers and fatherhood all together really.

Belly button gone, bath- accomplished, now on to the next worry... the beginning of a diaper rash.  I don't know how I will survive as a mother with all this worrying!  But, one thing I am learning is I don't have to learn it all at once.  Work on one worry at a time.  I am sure I will be looking back in 15 years and wish my biggest worry was a belly button! 

All Alone

After two weeks of constant help Evangeline and I are flying solo today! My parents were here for a week, Pippa was here for 4 days, Kathy(Kev's mom) was here 4 days and Kev-o was home for two weeks and went back to work today.  

Now, we are alone...

Somehow without our village we survived the day. I managed to not only feed Evangeline but also feed myself.  She was also kind enough to let me take a quick shower and even throw on a little make up.  We even had our first outing to go visit Dr. Grant.  I also discovered the Moby to be incredibly helpful.  Not too bad for our first day!

Now, we are anxiously awaiting Kev's home coming.  We missed him terribly all day.  

I mean look at this sad face. I am so glad it is Friday so we get Kev home for two more days! We like it best when the three of us are all together, it is best that way!

We Party Hard

Here in the Erickson household we have been doing a lot of sleeping and mostly during the day.  It is mainly due to how hard we party at night.  There is lots of bouncing, swinging, singing and outfit changes. Evangeline throws one crazy party at night.