the one where Tori turned 5

I'm late writing this, like usual.

My big girl turned 5 just about two weeks ago and I can hardly wrap my mind around it.
Days are long, years are short, right?

We had our usual ice cream sundae celebration for her at home which was fun. She gets so excited when we sing her happy birthday and girlfriend loves ice cream like no ones business. She is her mothers daughter for sure.

We decided to let Tori have a "friend party" this year and she decided on a swimming pool party at the Lititz Rec center.

We loved it! The price was GREAT.. it was an afternoon party so in between lunch and dinner. We had about 15 kids come. The pool was still open to the public but wasn't too crazy busy, thankfully.
We had pizza from Little Ceasars, pretzels, chips, cheese balls (which of course was the biggest hit with the kids) and then the most beautiful HORSE cake, ever! It was so pretty and delicious! All of the kids had a blast and I had several Mommies tell me their kids wanted to have their birthdays at the pool too. Tori had such a great time and got so many cool gifts. I kept laughing at how all of the gifts related to horses in some way and every time Tori went to open one of the gifts the kids would say "that one is from me! its really special!".. I love watching her little friendships. So special.

Another year has come and gone.
I had her kindergarten info session last night. We have about 5 months together before life as we have known it for the last 5 years together is never the same.

I love you my beautiful, smart, stubborn, sassy Princess Victoria.

the one where Central is closed for two days

My niece has missed two days of school due to a threat against the school she goes to. Someone has been on social media saying they were going to hurt the students. Our children. They cannot go to school because they could be hurt, or even worse.. killed. After what just happened in Florida (17 people killed in a high school) everything has to be taken seriously.

This isn't supposed to be a political debate.

I have seen many different positions on this whole thing...

"The democrats want to take our guns"
"This is about mental health, not guns"
"Guns don't kill people, people kill people"
"Trump should do this..."
"Obama should have done that"
"Guns are my hobby. I shouldn't lose them because of some crazy person"
"Bad guys will always still get their hands on guns if they want"

What I haven't seen enough of which is really hard to wrap my head around is the side that says

"I AM WILLING TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN"

 

 

The moment I became pregnant with Tori my entire life changed. Everything I did, from morning to night was with the thought of what was best for her. Of course that meant sacrificing a lot of things I wanted. I have only been a mother for 5 out of the almost 31 years I have been alive and I can barely remember life before being a Mother because of how much it has consumed me. It makes me SO sad to think there are so many people out there who are not willing to do that same thing for our children. You collecting guns.. owning guns being your "constitutional rights"... we need to be making choices NOT based on what you individually want, but what is in the best interest of life's most precious gems.. our babies.

 

I dont have the answer on what we can change or do to make everyone happy. I'm not creative enough for that haha. I just know that something has got to give. Something needs to change to make our babies safe everywhere, especially in schools. I think a good and fair starting point would be putting our kids first.

 

 



the one where Mila is 3 months old

Mila Soleil

 

Three Months Old

 

Size:

About 14 lbs I believe. Shes wearing size 3 months clothing and size 2 diapers! Time to put away the newborn clothes.

 

Health:

No more cough or runny nose, thankfully! We have a follow up (again) in 2 months for her hearing. If shes still not passing at that point we will need to see a specialist.

 

Feeding:

Exclusively breastfeeding. Shes obsessed with the boobie and not even sort of interested in a bottle. This is making me nervous for New Orleans but we are continuing to work on it!

 

Sleep:

Mila has been going to sleep around 9:30/10 each night and that is when she gives me the longest stretch of sleep so she will typically sleep until 2 or 3am.. she eats, burps, goes back to sleep and as of late, does this every two hours all night long. Mommy is tired.

 

Extras:

 

-She smiles all the time 

-Loves to pull her sisters hair

-likes to nap in her swing

-likes to "beat up" the bird that hands from her playmat

-gives Daddy the best smiles

-has discovered her tongue and likes sticking it out

-blows spit bubbles

-has the best/longest eyelashes ever

the one with a new company

HELLO FRIENDS AND LOYAL FOLLOWERS!

I have been dropping the ball on this little bloggy here but life has been BUSY and well, I simply haven't squeezed in the time for writing lately.
BUT...
I have a big announcement worthy of a post..

I HAVE MOVED MY BUSINESS TO IRON VALLEY REAL ESTATE!

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED about it!

I have been with CB since I got my license 6 years ago. I love the people, the office and the training I got in the beginning of my journey there was awesome. But here we are.. 6 years later, and I am in need of something different for my career that I was no longer able to get at CB. I am usually a total nut about change, I get anxious and I'm a creature of habit.. so truthfully, I have been holding back from this move for awhile and its been over a year in the making. I had a meeting at IV over the weekend and decided right then and there I was signing the papers. The move was happening! I was not going to let my fear or anxiety hold me back.

Will it take some time to adjust to a new place? YES.
Will it take some time to get my admin stuff situated? YES.
Will it take some time to simply get used to saying I work somewhere else? YES.
Will it take some time to organize getting to the office since now it will be 12 min from my house instead of the 5 min drive CB was? YES.
Will it take work to change all of my social media over to IV? YES.

But you know what.. who cares?! This change benefits me AND my family on SO many different levels.

One of the best being that a dear friend who I consider a true mentor in this business (shes a bad ass mom of 3 who ROCKS out, sells a crazy amount of houses, has a beautiful house herself, works out at 5am, makes dinner and fancy cakes for her kids) is managing at the Lancaster office and Ill be with her again!

I am making 2018 my year!

the one where Im trying to find the balance

I've had some thoughts lately that have been weighing heavy on me that I sort of need to just get out. I have found that more often than not, when I do share these sort of feelings- there are a lot more people out there who feel the same as I do than that don't.

I'm at a weird stage right now. A crossroads, if you will.

I have been a Mother for 5 years and yet just a few months ago I have felt like I am more of a Mom than I am anything else.

That's a weird thing to wrap my mind around.

I guess it has come with having a third child. My life right now is managing my three children (ages 4 and under).. working so that I can financially support my children... sneaking in time with my husband when I can (so we can remember what life was like when it was just us sometimes)... keeping my house together.. and then, trying to be a friend.

I cherish my friendships SO much. I cherish relationships in general, so much. I am a people person. I am a people pleaser. I love to help people. I like to make people feel special. I will be the first friend to ask you how your parents are doing.. Ill be the first one to see how your new job is going.. or if I can bring you coffee when I know I'm going to drive past your office.. and it is hard for me that it has become harder for me to do that.

I am still ALWAYS thinking about everyone. It is what makes me a little crazy lol. I am always trying to figure out what I can do to remind people "hey, I'm still here!".. "hey, I'm still your friend!".. even if I cant text you all day long because I get side tracked by two kids who need diaper changes and a 4 year old who wants to practice her letters.. and a client who wants to see a house in an hour. I'm still here. I am still me. I guess its a different me now and that's what is hard to swallow for me and for other people. I'm just not going to be the same friend or person I was 5 years ago and I have to accept that.

I'm now the friend who loves you deeply, thinks of you often.. but needs you to show me patience and grace as I'm figuring out this new, very busy and very demanding life. I will continue to try to find the balance, meet me halfway. I appreciate you and you make me feel like 'me'.

the one where Mila is 2 months old

Mila Soleil

 

Two Months Old

 

Size:

Her weight at her doctor appointment (3 days ago) was 10 lbs 14oz. Grow, grow, grow girl. She is wearing 0-3 months clothing. 

 

Health:

Today is Milas hearing follow up. Keep her in your thoughts as we are hoping for good news and that her hearing is just fine.

 

Feeding:

Exclusively breastfeeding. Little lady has showed no interest in drinking from a bottle yet. Honestly, we need to try harder and more often. Also- we are battling some dietary issues. As of right now, I am tackling a dairy/egg free diet. It is not easy. Dairy is in a LOT of things and greek yogurt/ice cream happen to be two huge staples in my diet. I am hoping to stick it out long enough to make it until she starts to outgrow the issues (which Dr says for most babies is around 12 weeks but you never know).Fingers crossed this helps her because her nightly crying and farts/burps/hiccups are so sad and intense and we just feel so terrible for her. 

 

Sleep:

Mila has been going to sleep around 9:30/10 each night and that is when she gives me the longest stretch of sleep so she will typically sleep until 2 or 3am.. she eats, burps, goes back to sleep and then sleeps until 5 or 6am before waking again to nurse.

 

Extras:

 

-She smiles all the time 

-Not a fan of the cold

-Her eyes are officially blue. Blue eyes and dark hair.

-Handles her sister Avas constant hugging and kissing very well.

-Has been having some fun with her playmat.

 

the one where Mila is one month old

Mila Soleil

 

One Month

 

Size:

Little lady is weighing in at 10.5 lbs, 21.25 inches long, percentiles falling in the 60th for both. She is wearing size 0-3 months with a little room. We are loving footie pajamas.

 

Health:

Mila failed her ear screenings twice at the hospital at birth. Both times in her left ear. Doctor said it was common when you deliver a baby quickly because "not all of their fluids get pushed out". I'm a little anxious because we do have to follow up with an audiologist in a couple of weeks. Send us all of your positives vibes, prayers, etc that everything is ok. Other than that, little beeb is healthy!

 

Feeding:

Breastfeeding. How I love and loathe you. Mila is a very efficient eater with nursing sessions only lasting 10 minutes max. Sometimes she eats from both sides.. sometimes only from one. Doctor says its fine, she's gaining weight and thriving. We also (just today actually) got meds for thrush. I have never had it before. The dr says its mild as of right now, so hopefully starting the meds today will clear it up quickly.

 

Sleep:

Mila is a bit of a night owl (like her sister Ava was) and doesn't typically go to sleep until somewhere between 10 and 11. From there she will give me one good stretch of somewhere between 4-6 hours but that varies. As of late, when she wakes up to nurse at 3 or 4 she likes to stay awake and party for a bit before falling back to sleep (about an hour later) and then sleeps until her big sisters get up and wake her.

 

Extras:

-She has started smiling

-Her favorite person is Mommy

-The bigger she gets, the more she looks like Tori

-Naps in her swing throughout the day

-Sisters fight over who loves her the most

-She is really strong and can hold her head up really well and is even getting up on her side in what looks like an attempt to roll over

-Not a fan of her car seat