My latest online project...

We have Facebook, we have YouTube... then there's blogging, and instagram, and I tried to make Picasa work for photo sharing but it just didn't. I've always loved Shutterfly, for no other reason than their website is pretty easy to navigate. I've had great luck with their prints and pretty good luck with their cards as well (unless I forget to chose glossy print) and they're so fun to make. So my next venture is this website from Shutterfly where you can view, download and purchase photos! I'm trying to help everyone feel as if they're super close. I think I'm doing an okay job :)

Anyway you should check it out... we had Jonah's 3 month photos taken and they are absolutely breathtaking. Just when I think no photo shoot can be any better she amazes me.  I love my Jenni O.

I don't really like blogging.

Is it supposed to take so long to write each entry?  I find I can spend over 30 minutes typing and editing and adding pictures.  Facebook is so much more appealing to me, but I always think about my blog like it's a friend of mine.  Random thoughts pop into my head and I want to record them. Things I don't really want my Facebook "friends" to see. My thoughts on religion. The crazy dreams about guns and snakes and really the end of the world I've been having that I attribute to my new found interest in politics. All the myths you hear about becoming a parent that I would like to debunk. How I'm supposed to be starting the Nurse Practitioner program at Georgetown November 1st and am choosing not to. Random thoughts that I don't take the time to write out.

So here's my happy thought of the day: I feel like I was made to be a Mom. My life really does have a purpose now that didn't exist before. I feel laser focused on every aspect of my life, and am able to accomplish SO much more now than I ever was before Jonah. Have you ever heard of the book "The Strengths Finder"? An old boss of mine (who I really couldn't stand but took this away from his existence) had all of his interviewees find their strengths. It's really a neat concept. You buy the book, take an online quiz and find out what your five top strengths are. Then rather than trying to improve your weaknesses you focus your time and energy using your strengths to accomplish your job or whatever it may be. I would love for my husband to do this quiz. I did get my best friend in Iowa to take it and was surprised at her results... it's like peeking into someones brain :) My strengths are: WOO (winning others over), Focus, Achiever, Communication and something to do with gathering information... Learner I think.

Anyway my point of all that is that I really feel out of balance if my Focus is off. Or sometimes I get focused on the wrong thing... which can be catastrophic to a relationship. My Focus is so on point right now. I'm focused on breastfeeding (I may just make it to his first birthday with my attitude), I'm focused on my job, on my home, on my workout routine... the list goes on. This is where I could go off on a tangent about how breast feeding does NOT make the baby weight fall off but I'll save that for another time.

Let's talk about Mr. Amazing! He has recently started to be interested in what everyone is eating. The babysitter said her mom was eating something today and he looked at her and gave her the sad lip b/c she wouldn't share! Dustin and I don't usually sit at the table for meals together, but we're going to need to start so little man can start to learn about those social skills. Some people start cereal as soon as now. Some say 4 months, some say 6. It's actually really confusing to figure out the "right" thing to do. All this thinking has had a positive affect on my relationship with food. I want to be the best role model possible! I've even thought about crazy things like the Paleo diet. After consulting my favorite nutritionist I agree that it's really not a sustainable way of life but it has made me think about my food choices a little differently. The controversy around feeding a baby cereal is a little confusing... is there a nutritional reason to do so? I'll let you know what I find out.

Well it's 9:25 already and I need to get bottles ready for tomorrow ("pack Jonah's lunch" as I like to say) and shower, etc, so I'm signing off without posting pics. Check out YouTube though; I posted a cute video of him in his new Jumparoo today :) xx

September 11

I remember my Grandfather referring to Pearl Harbor Day by its date: December 7th. It always seemed a little funny to me that he knew the exact day; I just didn't understand. That is until September 11th happened. This year I thought about what I would one day tell Jonah about this date in history; how everyone knows exactly where they were on that fateful day and the feelings around it. How there were lines to get gas, and lines to give blood... 

There's SO much I have to teach him. Having a baby really does change a person. For me it's not a complete 360; I still like my "me" time (happy hour!) and a lot of the time it still feels surreal that I am a mom and he is my baby.

It's the subtle changes, like my new found interest in politics and history. Or how I don't have any desire to get on my motorcycle anymore. There's just too much at stake.

More then ever before I realize every day is truly a gift... it's important not to sweat the small stuff and waste any of the precious time we have together. xx

Labor Day

Tummy time is still a source of frustration...

Wow, I now know exactly what it means when people say this time goes by so quickly.  August was a complete blur and here we are at the end of the summer already. Yesterday our little Jonah was three months old. THREE MONTHS!  He changes so quickly we don't always notice it. I was talking to my mom who heard him coo in the background... she said "oh my, that's new!" and I was like "um, no he's been doing that for a while..." That prompted me to go back and look at the youtube videos I posted and oh. my. goodness. how much he's changed! Just this weekend Jonah gave us the "sad lip" and made a little whimper.  Dustin said "oh great now you have a whine to go with the lip?!"  It's little things like that that change everyday. We're onto size 2 diapers and it won't be too much longer before he's in his 3-6 month outfits. And he likes his toys now! I was about ready to return his little play gym but now he loves it. He "yells" and squeals at the octopus that hangs from the middle, and his little arms and legs flail all over the place.

Dustin and I decided I would go on that 3 night work trip to Chicago at the end of the month. I'm excited and nervous about that. Jonah is a great baby but he definitely likes his mama. Not just anyone can stick a boob in his mouth to calm him down ;) A few days after making our decision it dawned on me I would get to sleep through the night during my time there! Yessssssssss!

GGma holding Gage, Madelyn, and Jonah

Jonah had his first trip to Iowa to visit his new cousin Gage, meet Papa Shaffer, his great grandma Anona, and have a baby shower hosted by his GREAT aunt Lila ;) My cousin Heidi was there from Kansas City with her 6 month old Mazzie, so our grandma got to hold her 3 newest great grandbabies at the same time! My mom even made the trip up from Phoneix to meet baby Gage and see our little Jonah again.

On August 26th Jonah was baptized at Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley, MN. Again we were blessed by SO MANY family members making the journey to be with us on his special day. Jonah saw Gpa Jim, Gma Leslee and Aunt Megan again, met GGma Shipman, Uncle Wade and Aunt Shanne for the first time, and got to see Uncle Nick and family for the second weekend in a row! He was a champ during the baptism, not crying, puking or pooping ;) He also got me all excited by sleeping through the night two nights in a row after his baptism. I was convinced that he must be at peace or something but that was short lived. We still get up twice every night to eat. Someday...

To end the summer Jonah and I traveled to NW Iowa for Gage's baptism all. by. ourselves. We're really going to miss Uncle Nick and family from here on out after seeing them three weekends in a row! We came back north and spent the rest of the weekend with Daddy; going to the MN State Fair and out for brunch with Uncle Todd and Brad. No wonder August went by so quickly! I vow to take it easy and enjoy the beautiful fall weather here at home from here on out. 

Sorry for the long post... I had so much updating to do! I'm not ready for the long holiday weekend to be over just yet... I see a "staycation" day in my very near future...

Hands down

Oysters have become my birthday tradition :) YUMMMM

Don't worry I'm way over my little fit from last weekend. I had a great time on my birthday and ended up waking to (bottle) feed Jonah all night anyway just to spend time with him. I then spent the entire next day feeling sad and guilty for spending the evening without my two favorite boys ;) Yup, I'm officially a mom!  After this birthday I'm officially advanced maternal age too... ug.  I could not imagine the breast feeding/pumping routine with a toddler running around and I wonder how quickly our #2 will join us.  Yes, I'm 11 weeks post partum and already thinking about another baby!!! Bring it.

Jonah continues to be more and more interactive and alert. Lately I've been uber-obsessed with his little hands. Tuesday morning when I was sad and a wee bit hungover he was sleeping so soundly in his swing with his little hands resting on his knees... I so did not want to leave him.  I posted another video to YouTube of the way he moves them around when he's eating.  He's figuring out that he makes them move and when his two hands find each other I think it's just so cute!

He still giggles too. Dang I wish I could get that on tape. One day this week I took him into our bed so I could rest during that last feeding before starting my day. I laid him on my chest afterwards and he was giggling in his sleep like crazy; Dustin and I were laughing so hard. Jonah's so good for our souls.

Today we're headed to NW Iowa to meet our new little nephew Gage. He and Jonah have some pretty cute matching outfits to sport this winter already thanks to yours truly! My mom and grandma will be in town and my aunt is hosting a baby shower for us on Sunday.  My dad will also get to meet Jonah for the very first time :)

this photo was taken at the class we took to prepare for his
baptism... this is how he looked when we walked in-- he is
definitely taking his baptism seriously :D

Next weekend is Jonah's baptism!  We're so honored that both of his God parents are making great efforts to be here... my brother and his family are driving up, and Dustin's sister flying in. We're so fortunate to each have a sibling that fit the role so perfectly.  Jonah's GGma Shipman is flying in from Springfield and his Grandma Leslee from Maryland as well.


Work has gone exceptionally well in the few weeks that I've been back. In my business it's all about selling new products, and I've made great strides in a short period of time which lets my boss know I'm out there doing what I'm supposed to do.  I've been chosen to represent my region at the American College of Surgeons annual meeting in October.  This would require three nights away from home. Here enters my first mommy/career woman dilemma.  I don't even know what it would be like to be without my baby for three whole nights... much less how Dustin would handle me being away.  Thankfully I've been given the choice to accept or decline, but it's one of those things you're so honored to be chosen you hate to decline. I guess we'll have plenty of time to discuss this on the road this weekend.  Stay tuned.

Calgon take me away...!

Disclosure: this is not a happy post.  The first 9 weeks seemed like a complete walk in the park compared to the cumulative lack of sleep from this past week.  I dealt with it phenomenally... up until 3 am last night.  Then I had a meltdown. Literally.  Sitting in the rocking chair sobbing.

Jonah was doing so great with the eating/sleeping thing- back when I had no reason to get up and be productive during the day.  Now that I'm back to work he's eating at midnight and then every 2 hours after that. He'll only eat on one side and be so tired he'll go back to sleep... only to wake up for another snack about the time I fall into a nice comfortable sleep.  Since feeding takes about 30 minutes, I'm sleeping in 1.5 hour intervals.  Not sustainable. Last night I thought I would throw out all the rules about the middle of the night... I turned on the light, I changed him after he ate on the first side rather than before, I talked to him. Despite all my efforts he would not. wake. up.  Diesel hasn't been feeling great the past few days so he was up puking in the dining room, Chopper has allergies (or so says the vet... we need to get a second opinion) so he OBSESSIVELY licks his paws.  Which is super annoying to listen to especially in the middle of the night.  I just couldn't handle it and sat in the rocker with my sleepy baby and cried.  Hard.  Dustin woke up and tried to help.  He put Jonah to bed and cleaned up the puke.  I cried myself to sleep... until 5 am when Jonah woke up for another nibble.

I'll get it figured out.  No one said it was going to be easy.  It's not really that bad it just all came out at this moment in time. And now I'm going to b*tch about my husband.  Which I don't normally do or condone.

You see tomorrow is my birthday, and my girlfriends are taking me out. The kind of out that requires me to thaw out some of that breast milk I've been so diligently pumping and saving, and dump out the milk I produce while we're at said outing. They're picking me up, and Dustin is coming to get me.  We were discussing this plan and the conversation went something like this:

Dustin: "So are you still going to be able to get up with him and feed him after you get home?"

Me: "Well, it is my birthday... maybe we can split the night or something?  Like you get up until 3 am and I do the early morning shift?"

Dustin:  "I'm not sure how that's going to work... I mean, I have to work the next day.  I'll talk to my boss... maybe I can just take half a day or something on Tuesday..."

TAKE HALF A DAY??!  You have to WORK...?!?!  Well guess what, so do I! And I have been!  And I've been getting up!!! Every two hours!!!  You get to sleep and occasionally get out of bed if/when you feel it's necessary.  You are getting sleep and going to the gym just like you did before and I can barely eat healthy due to being so sleepy much less find the time and/or energy to work OUT.  AND it was MY BODY that went through great lengths to have our baby and really needs a good diet and gym time!!!  AND SLEEP!!!!  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I NEED SLEEP.

OK.  That's all I got.  It's not worth fighting over, especially when I'm in this tired, fragile state.  He's being very sweet-- he just doesn't get it.  I tried once to argue my point and he thought since he sits at a desk all day and I get to be "out and about and at least walk around" that made it different. Whatever.  I can handle it.

Sorry it's a ranting, emotion filled post... but it's reality, and it's my life right now.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho....

...it's back to work I go.  I'm happy to say I made it through my first day without completely washing away my eyeliner.  Jonah and I had an amazing last day together getting ready for Dustin's birthday.  We went shopping for his present, got balloons and baked cupcakes and made it look like we'd been eating bon bons all day by the time Dustin got home. Jonah was full of smiles; I swear he knew I needed them to keep my spirits high.

This was taken after his 2 month shots... he weighs
11 lbs 13 ounces already and is over 23 inches tall :)

Dropping him off Wednesday morning was the strangest feeling. I've never been good at goodbyes but my heart has never wrenched quite like it did that day. I was actually thankful my first day was a work meeting with my peers rather than with customers, and my boss (single male with no children) couldn't have been any more considerate. It was nice to be surrounded by friendly faces. The whole pumping deal went without a hitch and I came out ahead by 4 whole ounces! I came home feeling much more balanced and whole, and missing my baby so much I nearly ate him. I feel completely energized at work-- my career has taken on a whole new meaning.

After working Wednesday and Thursday Jonah and I took Friday off to
enjoy the great weather.  I love a 3 day weekend with my boys!

"tummy time for all 3" while I was working :)

Not that it's been easy-- I've been back a week now and it still feels like a limb is missing as I begin my days without him.  Felicia has been awesome though, sending me lots of photos and text messages throughout the day.  I'm also so thankful for the flexibility my job provides-- last night Jonah was especially hungry, so after feeding him at 12, 2, 4, and 6 a.m. I rearranged my schedule and spent the morning snuggling with my baby :) There truly is no better feeling.