My bookshelf

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE to read. It's definitely my favorite pastime and I ALWAYS have a book in my purse...thus why I must carry a ginormous purse with me at all times (lately a ginormous diaper bag).

I must admit I love fiction the most. Don't get me wrong, that's not all I read, but it's what I love the most. There is something about delving into a fictional story with fictional characters. You can disappear from your own life for a little while, i.e. bills, fussy babies and long days. I love my life, but who doesn't need a break once and a while? And while I'm being honest, my baby really isn't fussy very often...so I can't complain on that count. But the bills never end and the days are most certainly long.
So I like to curl up with a good book whenever I can. To give you an idea of how much I read: I have already read 15 books this year and am working on two more. Some are light reads, others are a little more dense which is why I am currently working on two. I started reading My Cousin Rachel a while ago, before Afton was born, and still haven't finished it... I CANNOT not finish a book. It isn't in me... I just have to finish it or it bugs me. But I really liked the authors other, more commonly know book, Rebecca, that I read for my high school English class, so I picked this one up too. So I will finish it sometime... I like it, I do, it has a Jane Eyre/Pride and Prejudice feel with a murder mystery sort of twist but it is a little slower so that's why I keep putting it down and going back to it.

The other book I am currently reading, just started it yesterday, is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I like it so far because of the journalistic background of the book. Makes me remember why I got my degree in journalism. But I am really not very far into so I can't say whether I will be returning it to Costco or not :-) They take anything back...

I also thought I would do a little recommending to those of you out there looking for something to read. I read a lot of what Barnes and Nobles calls Young Adult fiction. They are usually light, easy reads. Some adventure, science fiction maybe. It's what has been interesting me lately. But there are a few other books I have read this year that don't fall in that category to choose from. Oh and I love series if you couldn't already tell. I just love getting to know the characters for longer than a few hundred pages. By the end of it they are more like friends than book characters. Maybe I'm crazy?

1) Harry Potter series(7 books total)
I hadn't read this series all the way through in a long time and I thought it was time again. I loved them as always. Please read them if you haven't. Read them again if you already have.
2) Matched-I would recommend this to anyone. It took me a few days to finish and was a really easy read. It is about a perfect society where arranged marriages are the norm. The main character, Cassia, is given her match but also falls in love with someone else. The second book Crossed comes out November 1st.
3) I am Number Four-
The movie just came out a month ago and while it was good, it has nothing on the books. The book is about aliens, which I know might seem a little too weird and sci-fi to some, but it's really not far-out-there alien. It's more handsome, likable alien. Get it? It is anther light read but very good!The next book in the series is The Power of 6 and it comes out August 23rd. Can't wait.
4) The Road-
Depressing, but powerful. But depressing. Seriously, get ready to cry during this one. The writing is really unique though and beautiful. It's a post-apocalyptic kind of story and does not have a happy ending. I would still recommend it, but it will definitely be a one-time kind of book for me.
5) Fallen & Torment-
These seem at first to be another Twilight series but they are very different. It's a love story but a little darker. It is one of those series that doesn't answer all of your questions, even by the end of the second book, so if that bothers you then you wouldn't like these. I really enjoyed the characters and the character development. The third book in the series, Passion comes out June 14th.
6) The Help-
Hands down the book I would recommend first out of this list. It is very different from anything else I have read lately. It is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the middle of the Civil Rights movement. The book is written from three different points of view. Two black women and one white women. It is refreshingly different and is surprisingly funny, entertaining and a little mysterious. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK. You will not regret it. It is a little slow in the beginning but picks up by the second half.
7) The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials-
I just finished these and my head is spinning. It is such a unique story and there are a lot of new terms and phrases. There is so much information to process that you will not be bored. I promise. This is another post-apocalyptic type of book. I would say it is aimed for a younger crown but I really enjoyed it. It is cleverly written and gives you just enough info and holds back just enough. The third book, The Death Cure, comes out October 11th.

More firsts...

Obviously with a new baby there are a lot of firsts... so here are a few more "firsts" for Afton...
1) First official yogurt trip...get used to those Afton because your mom loves Yogurt Mill ;-)
My friend Kelly was nice enough to grace us with her presence for the outing.

2) First trip to Sushi Garden. Sushi Garden is a Bringhurst family favorite. I'm not really into Sushi but their appetizers and teriyaki is very good. Afton had fun sitting in her carseat and watching everyone else eat!

3) First homemade hairband. Yes, I jumped on the bandwagon and tried my hand at hairbow making. And...confession time... I liked it...and I am pretty good at it so I think I will keep on doing it. Plus Afton looks pretty dang cute in them if I do say so myself.

4) First trip to the cabin and seeing snow. The snow thing she could really care less about, being as she is only 3 months old. But she LOVED the cabin. She loved being held all the time by my dad and she loved snuggling in her jackets and blankets to keep warm.

Below is her on the couch. I just thought she looked even smaller than usual... if that's possible!
Hanging with Grandpa, making silly faces. This is her "Mom, what did you do that for?" face.

Mommy and Afton. Thank goodness for self-timers or I don't think I would ever be in any pictures with Afton.

Daddy and Afton.

This was also the first time Afton got to try out her spiffy boots (another hand-me-down from her cousin brielle. Although I don't think they've ever been worn, so does that count as a hand-me-down? Let's just call them a gift.)

Afton fell asleep while Chad was holding her like this. It was super funny. She was OUT.

Then she fell asleep in a similar position with my dad. And if you notice Oliver is trying to bite my dads hand and play. He feels a little left out sometimes...

Then Afton had a blowout during her nap and got some of the said blowout material on my dads shirt...I'm trying to not put gross images in your head and I am also not trying to talk about my little girls (poop) on my blog for her to later read and get mad at me. So that's my way of saying it without saying it...get my drift?
Outfit #2 for Afton and my dad after the mess is cleaned up. Ha ha It just wouldn't be a day with Afton without cleaning up a diaper mess right?

Family picture outside the cabin...yes Oliver is included. After all he is our first(non-born) child.

We all were a little tired on the car ride home, including Afton... a few minutes after this picture she was asleep.

And Oliver's favorite pastime in the car... getting his nose prints on the glass and accidentally rolling down the window!

What I've learned so far...

I don't pretend to be a pro at the whole motherhood thing after only 3 months. But I do feel I have learned a thing or two about how to be a good mother.
So here goes...
1) Be patient. Even if your baby is screaming in your ear just coo and talk to them. A lot of the time this will calm Afton down very quickly. I know that she likes the sound of my voice and my smile. So even when she is feeling bad, my happy face will most likely make her feel better.
2) Schedule, smchedule...I really don't think it's completely necessary to have a strict schedule for a newborn. I read babywise and while I liked some of the ideas, I wasn't a fan of the whole book. We just could never get on board with the "cry-it-out" method. I don't think its mean or cruel really but it just wasn't working for Afton or Chad and I. And she really doesn't have a set feeding schedule either. Like she doesn't always eat at 7 am for her first feeding. Sometimes, but not always. And sometimes she likes to go 2 hours during the day between feeding and sometimes 3 or 4. So I let her decide when she's hungry and we do our best to fit everything in around that. And I am not putting her down to bed by 8 every night. I would much rather put her to bed at 9:30 or 10 when we go to bed. That way she will sleep 7-9 hours and wake up when we wake up in the morning. Makes sense to me! I have found that if I just trust my instincts, that is the best.
3) Let others help... Sometimes I like to be superwoman and do everything myself, but I've found out, it's ok to let others help. Especially since we moved in with Chad's parents has this been true. I can actually cook dinner because I usually have someone who can hold her if her bouncer just isn't making her happy and I am up to my elbows in raw chicken. We also have amazing parents who watch her so that Chad and I can go out on dates.
4) Dad's are just as important as mom's...Chad is an amazing dad. I know there are a lot of background dads out there. You know...the ones who think babies should be left to the mothers. That's insane. It definitely takes more than one person to raise a baby. That's why I am so lucky to have Chad. He is always willing to rock her to sleep when she is cranks or give her a bath or just dance with her. She loves daddy's beatboxing and silly dance moves...In case you haven't met my husband he is VERY silly. And I have a feeling Afton will take after him in that respect. And I will admit that I have to remember that Chad is a parent too sometimes. I get so used to being with her all day and doing thing's a certain way that sometimes I am not always open to
new ideas. Sorry about that Chad...
5) Relax! I am trying to not be an uptight parent. The instinct to be so kicks in when someone wakes Afton from her nap for being too loud or when someone doesn't hold her the right way or when...etc... Get the picture? It's easy to stress when you have a new baby. It's easy to be more annoyed than happy. I am trying (hopefully successfully) to NOT be like that. I am pretty sure it's working. It's so much better to just enjoy being a mom than to worry about HOW you are being a mom.
6) Take time for yourself...and you will be a much happier parent. While I love being home with Afton everyday it is nice to have some alone time once and a while or go on a date with my husband. I feel that it is sooo important to make time for those things or you just go crazy.
7) Breastfeeding is natural and wonderful... The first few weeks, was rough (maybe even the first 6-8 weeks) but now its better. I look foreword to the time when I get to feed Afton. It's the one thing only I can do. It's our time to just be near each other and enjoy the quiet time. When I away for a feeding and someone is giving her a bottle, I hate it. I miss her and I know that she misses me. She really doesn't care for the whole bottle thing and I like it that way :-)
8) People are very friendly when they know you are carting around a newborn. People in stores love to smile at the stroller and wonder what's under the blanket. Many actually ask to see Afton. I almost always have someone offer to open the door for me when I have her with me. And many people love to tell you that their wife/daughter/sister etc just had a baby. Weirest comment? A lady in khols the other day told us about her grandson that had webbed toes. TMI khols lady, TMI. But despite the oddballs it's refreshing to have people be so friendly. Yesterday while running errand downtown, 2 men opened up two different doors for me at the same time. We all laughed and smiled. It was funny.

There are definitely a lot of other things I have learned but my brain can't recover them right now. Plus I am thinking that Afton has been napping for an hour and might wake up very soon so I better end this while I can.
I love being a mom!

12 weeks down, many more to go!

Dear Afton-

You are 12 weeks old today! I feel like just yesterday you came to us. I can honestly say it has been the happiest 12 weeks of our lives. We love you more everyday.
You are getting so strong. You have a lot of strength in your legs and you like to stand a lot(with mom and dads help of course).
You have also has found your hands this week. You just love to stare at your tiny fists and you also like to suck on them too.
You have started sleeping through the night pretty consistently. Last night you broke your own goal and slept 9 1/2 hours! Mom and dad are definitely happy about this accomplishment. I must say that it is nice to sleep so long and be refreshed in the morning. So thank you for that!
You are such a happy baby and you are really starting to get your own personality. You smile all the time and talk to us often.
You love your bouncer and looking at the animals move. You also love when daddy dances with you. That's your favorite.
We can't tell you enough Afton how much we love and adore you. Thank you for being our daughter and being so wonderful! We love you.

Mom & Dad

A month of Afton

It's been a month since I blogged and I just have too much to post about, so here is a recap of February. Yes, it is all Afton. Our life doesn't really consist of much else lately... or at least not much that matters as much as her!

Showing off her outfit for a wedding reception...she is a very stylish baby if I do say so myself! (8 weeks)Ha!

I just loved this picture of my two favorite people.

Sitting with Aunt Kate watching the Superbowl...actually I am secretly going to teach her to hate the Superbowl like I do. So much for the secret part. See she is so bored she is yawning.

Mom, I just woke up, please get the camera out of my face...
(9 weeks old)

Visiting Grandma Tracy and showing her how she can hold herself up.

Getting tired of holding her head up...it's getting very heavy!

Taking a nap with daddy and Oliver...

Playing while Oliver naps.

I have started helping my dad with some office work and Afton goes with me. Here she is helping me work...ok, so maybe she doesn't really help, but she sure looks cute anyways!

Smile!

Here she is trying out her pack n play for the first time. It will be her crib for the next 6 months. We moved in with Chad's parents to save some money for when Chad goes back to school in the fall.
Mid binkie spit...her favorite past time.
(10 Weeks)
Getting a bath in the kitchen sink.

(11 weeks)

Conehead...this might only mean something to me. When we were little my mom and dad would put soap on our heads in the shape of a cone and call us "coneheads" after the characters on the T.V. show "Coneheads."

"I'm ready for my closeup mom!"

And lastly I got her to model two new outfits from Costco...
(12 weeks)

I want to eat her she is so cute! Look at that double chin...

She has recently discovered her hands and loves to chew on them all day long...

She also likes to kick her socks off all day long! Boy will I be glad when summer hits and I can let her go barefoot all the time...

Hopefully now that we are settled in the posts will be much for frequent and much smaller. Although I can never seem to narrow down the pictures I want to post of Afton. So they will definitely be more frequent and we will work on smaller :-)