CHANGE

I need a change.

New hair. A new outfit. A change of scenery. I don't know what sort of change but I need it. I can feel it in my bones. I can feel it in my scrunched up eyebrows, my tense shoulders, my tossing and turning in bed... my constant cracking of my knuckles.

Luckily we go to NY in a couple of weeks. Maybe the trip out of Lancaster for a few days will help.

I think that's it for my post today. My mind is going, going, going and I don't even know what else to say! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks!

Molasses-Spice cookies

I made some pretty awesome cookies the other day. Dan isn't into chocolate much so I tried something different. I was told they tasted like a chewy ginger snap. Enjoy the recipe below! Let me know if you have any questions!

-2 cups of all purpse flour
-1.5 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-.5 tsp of nutmeg
-pinch of salt
-1.5 cups of sugar
-1.5 sticks of butter
-1 egg
-1/4 cup of molasses

*preheat oven to 350 degrees
*In medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a shallow bowl place 1/2 cup of the sugar.
*With an electric mixer beat butter and remaining cup of sugar. Beat in egg and molasses. Reduce speed to low, gradually mix in dry ingredients, until a dough forms (DOUGH IS VERY STICKY!)
*Pinch off and roll dough into tablespoon size balls and roll the balls in the reserved sugar
*Arrange balls on baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake cookies one sheet at a time until edges are firm (about 10-15 minutes..you can bake the cookies all at once but they might not crack evenly).
*Allow to cool on cookie racks

ENJOY

 



9 months

I am a few days late. Life has been crazy, busy and exciting. We have some things going on with the sale of our house right now that threw us for a loop (no its not anything bad and no its not sold yet). I will save the details of that for another post. Then with Thanksgiving and prepping for Christmas.. it is just nuts.

Victoria is 9 months old. At her 9 month doctor appointment she was 19lbs 8oz, 28in long. I cant believe my little peanut, who was born at 6lbs 11oz(then went down to 5lbs 11oz in a week).... is now almost 4x as big as she was at birth. Crazy. The swing that we use for Tori is a travel swing so its smaller than a normal swing, we have liked it because it is easy to take to different places... but now that Tori is so big, shes too big for the swing, like it literally doesn't swing when shes in it lol. Victoria is so smart and I swear there is something new with this lady going on every day. She is talking even more, trying to repeat words when we say them to her. Apparently she talks a LOT, we have had multiple people tell us they think she will be an early talker... hahaha I cant say that with me as her mother I am at all surprised. Tori is also getting a lot stronger. She now does the "downward dog" pose lol... she will get on her hands and knees then stretch out/lock her legs so shes a little triangle. It is hilarious and she looks right at you when she does it to make sure you are watching. Little lady hates socks and is very good at getting them off. No really, our game anywhere we go is to see how long it takes until Tori only has one sock on lol. Little lady is also taking a LOT more bumps to the head right now. She is getting strong but is still not completely stable so she will do things when she is sitting up like shake her head "no" as hard as she can and then will knock herself over. Or the whole downward dog thing, she tends to land face first on the floor then. Shes had a bruise on her forehead. Stupid hardwood floors. Victoria is also clapping now. I AM OBSESSED. It is soooo cute and the happiness in her face when shes doing it is priceless. 3 months until my baby is 1. I am going to start planning the party after the holidays.

To end the post...the pediatrician said to Dan and I on Monday that his biggest regret in parenting was not always taking time to do the small things with his kids. He said he wished he could go back in time, and the moments his daughter asked him to watch a movie, that he did that instead of mowed the lawn, that when his son asked him to play outside, he went and did that instead of watched the football game. I made a promise to Victoria and to myself to try to always remember that. When she is driving me crazy and wanting to play the same game over and over again and Id much rather read a magazine, that I play the game again. That when its raining outside and I hate the idea of being wet in my clothes.. I grab my daughter and we go outside and run around, playing in the rain.
Her happiness is everything to me. I will always remember that.. raising her to be happy, to always be a friend to others, to always be grateful for what she has..& to give her childhood memories she will cherish forever. Those are my goals as a mother.

Victoria Luna, 9 months until forever, you will always be my baby.

 

 

Holiday season is officially here!

The holiday season is officially underway this week. Thanksgiving is on Thursday. Black Friday shopping on Friday. Christmas cards have been ordered. Ugly Christmas sweater party has been scheduled. Christmas decorations will be up this weekend. Days will be filled with family & friends. Hats and gloves are out and waiting for snow! I love this time of year!

I especially love that I will be sharing this holiday season with my husband and our baby.

Everything is sweeter when you share it with your child.

 

I am so thankful for so many things. I am thankful for these things everyday, even if I don't take the time to say it out loud everyday. Good health, my wonderful husband, my beautiful baby girl, our warm home, my job, my family, my friends.

 

I hope everyone has an awesome Thanksgiving.

 

I plan on eating until I am going to explode and then cuddling and napping with my baby girls.

 

 



Odd shaped room

So as of right now, the sale of our house is at a stand still. The house is PERFECT for a couple or family just starting out, now its a matter of finding those right buyers who are looking for a home in the city.
Until then, I am going crazy trying to think of how to give us more room. Our living room is a really ODD shape. Its long and skinny just like the rest of the house. Right now we sort of have the room broken into two rooms. One half we have the couches and tv... the other half we have the computer and pack n play. See below. Behind the couch there is a pack and play, Tori's jumper and the computer.

This is where I need help.

 

We have decided to put the computer/computer desk upstairs in the guest room. This will save us room down here and honestly we don't really use the desktop computer much so as of right now, it really is just taking up space. That will open up one corner of the room significantly. Im not sure how much this will actually help us with re arranging the room though because it doesnt change the shape of the room lol. So as of right now, our next idea is one couch in front of the window, one couch along the right side (where you currently see the dvd case) and then moving the tv to the left side (by the fireplace).

 

If you see a way you think I can rearrange to make this room more open,

please let me know! I need help!

November is busy, duh

Seriously, I know I say this all the time. But life for the Rera's is busy. Busy and fast.
Last weekend Dan and I went to Scranton for a wedding for his dear friend Ryan and his fiancé(now wife) Erin. It was a freaking blast. When Dan was in college he was in a fraternity. The friends he made there are literally brothers to him. Alan, Harry, Regan, Trevor, Joe... he is so lucky that from his fraternity he has taken more best friends then most people get in their whole life, let alone just from college. Move onto me and Dan and I am very lucky and happy to say they treat me like a bff too. I laugh SO hard when I am with them all and I love seeing them interact. It is so sweet seeing Dan let loose, watching them all do what guys do.. you know, make fun of each other relentlessly. I have gotten to see Erin and Ryan(aka Regan) as they dated, going into engagement and now into a married couple. All of the guys were at this wedding. They had a HUGE bridal party and on top of that they are friends with everyone... literally everyone. I feel like everyone says that same thing about me and Dan but it is especially true with Regan and Erin. They are hilarious and seriously get along with everyone so they had a lot of guests who were  there to support them and ready to party. They had an awesome fireworks display, good food, lots of alcohol and everyone also stayed in the same hotel (which transportation was provided for) so even after the wedding the party continued. Not for me of course lol.. Tori slept at my parents house overnight, so we had a perfectly good sitter, we knew she was completely safe and taken care of... but that did not change that this mom cannot hang like she used to lol. I was one of the first people to go to the room and go to sleep after the wedding. I apparently missed an awesome after party at the pool lol. All I know is that there was pizza and wings there. So yeah, Im upset.
This past weekend Dan had a class because he is taking life insurance/financial advising classes right now. The school districts are so messed up financially lately and him being a gym/health teacher.. he wants a back up plan in case his district makes more teaching cuts. That needs a whole other post itself so that's all Ill say for now.
Since Daddy had class, Tori and I just hung out at the house Friday night and then Madelyn came over to hang.. Saturday Tori and I went to Dream dinners with Courtney and I showed Courtney a house... and then we went to Stauffers for a cheese festival they had. Dan and I have gone to it before and we are obsessed. I LOVE cheese lol and this cheese festival thing is free and you literally walk around to different cheese stands and taste test any cheese you can think of. Tori got to enjoy it this year and we met up with Meg (fellow cheese lover) and Ray. It was actually a lot of fun LOL.. which may sound weird because hello it was just us walking around at a grocery store.. but it was awesome lol. Sunday we did family pictures with my whole family at Rocky ridge park in York. It was me, Dan, Tori, my parents, Banana, Kenny, Sami, Stink, Summer, Izzy and my Mammy. My friend Mallory (who did our engagement, wedding and newborn pictures) and her bf Joe did our pictures and I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THEM. Everyone looked wonderful, they did a lot of fun poses for us and although it was windy it was a pretty day. We got pictures of my Mammy with all 3 great grand babies, each family individually, my parents with us kids,with the grand babies.. and then all 3 girls together for pictures just them. It was ADORABLE. They were sitting on this blanket and Tori was eating leaves, Sami would yell, Izzy would laugh, I cannot wait to see how they turn out. The interaction between the 3 of them is amazing!

Have a wonderful week!

 

8 months

My baby girl is 8 months old! She scoots, talks a lot, loves her daddy, will grab anything within reach and has the best laugh I have ever heard.

 

She seriously cracks up when she laughs, her entire little face scrunches up and she laughs to the point of screaming. Mommy makes her laugh the most and I love that. I love that she associates me with safety, comfort, trust and laughter. Those 4 things have been some of the most important qualities I have wanted to give Victoria as her mother.

 

The sun rises and sets on this child. My child. My perfect girl.