Seven

7 years ago I married my best friend

In front of our bestest friends:


It's been an amazing 7 years....
A lot has happened.
Honeymooned in Mexico.
Lived in a pretty great apartment for a few years.
Moved to Erie, PA from Murrieta, CA.
Bought a house.
Had a baby.
My heart is full.

4th of July weekend

It was yet another glorious 4th of July weekend here in Erie. The weather was perfect both Sunday and Monday. Which was good because we had plans.
Saturday we just wanted out of the house, so we packed up the little munchkin and headed to the mall. It was waaay too humid out to really do anything else, and since thunderstorm like clouds were threatening, we went for the "indoor" activity. I really wanted to go to Presque Isle and walk for miles, but I was too nervous we would get rained on. Anyways. To the mall we went. Who was the absolute perfect 3 month old? And who was getting gawked at the entire time? Josephine. We attached her giraffe that makes 4 different types of noises, to the stroller and people were just drooling over the cutenss. I mean really, how can ya not? Seriously. Neil & I each got ourselves a pair of sunglasses and just walked every inch of the mall, minus going in the actual stores. Too dangerous. I have a tendancy to want to buy everything. By chance though, we walked into the Shoe Dept., and I came across super cute Converse:

Cute, right? I got such a good deal on these, even Neil said: "You can't pass that up." That never happens!Sunday we went to church, then eventually headed over to Neil's uncle's house. It was such a good time! They have a gigantic backyard, and there's always lots to do. When it came time to feed little Miss Josie, she wasn't havin' it. Too distracted. So Neil took over. He has more patience then I do with her dramatic temper tantrums. If you just fight through it, she'll eventually eat... Which is true. I just hate dealing w/it in front of others. Sure enough, she drank the entire bottle. Which then leads to a happy baby. Some pictures:

I would have a love/hate relationship with such a big backyard. They do such a good job maintaining it too. I just love spending time back there. And of course, there's always this type of picture to post....he's ridiculous...

Monday I spent the entire morning doing laundry...then we headed over to the Atzert house. Did I take any photos? Nope. Not happy about it either. It was such a great time, I'm beyond upset I didn't capture of it in photos. Oh well. I always feel at home at their parties. Especially in the summer, when everyone's skin is bare and tattoos are visible for all to see. I tend to feel like a freak everywhere else I go here in Erie. It's becoming more and more common for people to be tattooed up - but not so much for the ladies. Autumn made a comment like "I wonder what the neighbors must think looking over here". Now, this is Autumn's house & she's married to Ryan who is covered in tattoos...and she really doesn't care what the neighbors think. We had a good laugh about it, as we surveyed the yard. Not only do these guys have tattoos, they are covered. Neil calls Sean "the painted man" - it's hilarious. Josephine was sooo good too! I love it. She was smiling at everyone. It was precious.

Happy 1st Father's Day

Happy 1st Father's Day to Neil!!!
He is truly the best father.
His father would be proud.
His grandfather would be extremely proud.
I am so blessed, Josephine is blessed.
I have to be honest, when I was pregnant with Josephine, I was a bit nervous. Neil didn't seem to understand the pregnant-lady struggles. He definitely didn't know how to handle my emotional breakdowns. And those happened quite often. I just really didn't know what to expect once she came into the world. Especially not having an ounce of experience with babies... He really impressed me. He just jumped right into fatherhood. I don't even think I made a bottle in the 1st month of her existence. And with our washer & dryer down in the basement - Neil was on laundry duty for about 3 weeks. He hated it, but didn't complain.
As Josephine is getting older, and her personality is starting to come through - Neil is really enjoying this whole parenting thing. He loves making her laugh, and reading to her...it melts my heart to see them together.
What is so amazing? That I can leave for hours at a time and don't have to worry - at all! Since he's off for the summer, it's daddy-daughter time 3 days a week. This last week was his first week doing this...he looked a bit drained at the end of each day...and made a comment like: I really need to thank my mom...those are long days...Uh. Thanks babe...I took that as a compliment to me as well....
Happy Father's Day babe!!!!!! I love you.
This video is from day 2 of him being a daddy: Neil 03-20-11

She's 3 months old...

Josephine Jimza Hartman
3 months old

We don't have any pictures of us as a family - how is that? I need to get on that....and pronto!

DownInTheDumps

I took my usual Tuesday night weights class last night. I've been back at the gym, taking this class, along with one other for about 6 weeks now. I don't feel like I'm getting stronger. I didn't realize what great shape I was in before pregnancy - until now. I knew it would be hard, and continue to be hard - but man. I didn't think it'd be this hard. During the ab section of the class, I was having a heck of a time pulling off the moves. I eventually gave up, and just went back to the basic sit-up. My instructor made it a point to make a comment at the end of class that it takes a really long time to get back to doing such hard moves after a long break from doing it...especially after surgery. She had a c-section herself about 8 years ago, so she must feel my pain. Guaranteed she bounced back a lot faster - she's in incredible shape, and has been at it for like 15 years. But annnnywaaays.
I guess I thought it would easier to jump right back into it. Not to mention I'd like to get back to jogging. Pre-pregnancy, I was doing 3 miles and getting good at it. And it took me a long time to get to that point. I have to start all over again...Ugh.
I'm going to try things a little different this time around. I found this article online, and it provided a guide to follow. For example: Walk 5 mins., jog/run 1 minute - do this for 30 minutes. Once I can do that, walk 4 mins., jog/run 2 mins....and so forth... Seems pretty simple. Eventually I should be able to run the entire 30 minutes, and then progressively get faster. My ultimate goal is 3 miles in 30 minutes. I wonder if I can do this by the end of the year?
Another thing that has me downinthedumps: My mother hasn't met Josephine yet.
No comment on that really.
But you know, at the end of the day - God has blessed me with this amazing little family.
Look...I'm already feeling better. :) Josephine is SOOO fun these days. Talking and smiling. Neil sent me this picture at work today:

Seriously. I died. She looks so cute. And if someone can find me a hat that's infant size, and white - I would greatly appreciate it because this navy blue one isn't going to cut it. It doesn't match anything in her wardrobe! Goodness I love her!!! Wow. Feeling a lot better now.

phew!

I made it through yet another cold winter here in Erie. Why am I blogging about this fact in June you ask? Well, it was literally cold a month ago. I was waiting for the consistency of warm days, and it's finally happened! Yippy! Of course now that the heat is here, I have something to complain about - the humidity. You have no idea what this does to my hair. Thankfully I have found a wonderful product that controls this frizz-chaos: Pureology Super Straight serum. It's amazing! The price? Not so much. I was hunting around on ebay looking for shoes, and I thought to hunt for this stuff...and look! There it was. After great communication with the seller, I found out she had only used it twice, and it didn't work for her - what?! I put a bid in, and WON!!! Yay. I got it for only $10. Okay, and another thing - unlike my husband, mr. i don't sweat, I sweat. With this humid/thick air, it's like no mercy. I have no escape. At least in CA, you can hide under a tree, and there's usually always a breeze.


Okay. Why am I complaining? This is stupid. There's no snow on the ground, and it's above 50 degrees. Shut.Up.

Jos is giggling. Good grief it's the cutest thing! And talking. When I read books to her, she talks back - I'm like, pay attention missy...she just comes back at me with a smile. Adorable.
And she's growing out of her clothes!!! Ahhhh, I need to do more shopping! She's fitting perfectly in 3 month sizes, and I'm pretty sure next week they won't fit. Well...3 month onesies & sleepers. Her 0-3 month pants still don't fit around her waist. It's hot, she doesn't need to be in pants - I know. She does have some adorable dresses that are so close to fitting her! Yay!
She's almost rolling over. She's kind of been at this stage for awhile, mainly because she likes to sleep on her side. It's so cute watching her get comfortable. When it's nap time, she always prefers her crib where she can talk to her friends that float above her in the mobile. Love her!

Tomorrow is Neil's last day of work for the summer. I'm bringing Josie in to show her off to his co-workers. Of course, Neil doesn't understand the chaos/infatuation of a new baby. When I brought this up to him, he was like "why?" I said, just inform the ladies in the office that I'm thinking about it, and you see their reaction. Of course, I was right. They are so excited. Us women and babies. Don't men understand?

Don't have any new pictures of Jos. I'll post them when I take more.
Next week the Q's are coming into town. I can't explain just how excited we are! Having good friends meet Jos is so fun. I can't wait.

Recap

This is a recap of the last couple of weeks....
Our flower tree in the backyard had created quite a mess, but it looked awesome. Neil suggested we take some pictures with Josephine. Since I don't like to have my picture taken, he was the chosen one to sit w/her under the tree. Take a look:

Josephine also turned 2 months old this week. It has been sort of weird actually...like...she's our daughter. Ours. Whoa. I've dreamt of this moment, having a family. And it's here. Now. I'm living in my dream life NOW. I could not feel more blessed. Well...I guess, it could be better. For example. If I were living back in California where my closest friends live, and where my mother is. It makes me sad that some of the most important people in my life haven't even met her yet. Thankfully my sister Eva was able to come out...she is the only family member from my side that has met her. It's quite sad. Now, don't get me wrong...I have super close friends here in Erie. One in particular? My girl Autumn. I'd be lost without her. And Neil's family is undeniably the best family anyone could be married in to. We are beyond spoiled. You all know this. But my mom. My mom hasn't even held her first granddaughter yet. Ugh. I'm getting sad. Moving on...

At about 9am this morning I heard the mail being dropped in our mailbox. As I opened the door, expecting a chill to hit me, a warm breeze smacked me right in the face. Aaaaah. Warmth. I immediately started to calculate when I would be feeding Jos next, because right after that - in the stroller she will go and outside we will be. What else did I decide? To attach Cali to the stroller and have her join us. It was a challenge because she's a puller - but I did it! Our friend Joel down the street was out mowing his lawn, so we got to visit with him. I hated having to come back home! I wanted to walk for the rest of the day....

And look at this tree in our neighborhood....soooo pretty:

Oh and this is funny. I was trying to get Josephine to smile for the camera and this is picture one...then picture two....

haaaaahhaaa. Love her. She is so dramatic.
(That isn't genetic, is it?)

First Mother's Day

My very first Mother's Day. It started early last week when I was presented with an unexpected gift from Neil. An Amazon Kindle. I've wanted one for a very long time. For the past few years, I've found a new love of reading so I was very, VERY excited to receive such an amazing gift such as this. I'm not a fast reader, and tend to go for the more obvious choices. Such as books-turned-into-movies...Nicolas Sparks...the Twilight Series...Little Women...Catcher in the Rye (which was a new read for me as of last year. I can't believe I had never read it before then) ...basically, easy reads. I like to mentally escape every once in awhile. And w/summer quickly approaching, I will invest most of my spare time to my favorite activity - sun bathing & reading.
Leading up to the weekend, Neil and I, with great relief have finally figured out the perfect combo that pleases our daughter when it comes to feeding time. She is one picky eater. Shocked? We're not. It has been extremely frustrating up until this point. I wonder if I was like this as a baby? We all know how ridiculous I am now. Well. Enfamil instant, ready-to-go formula + latex nipple + ventaire bottle = a happy, satisfied baby. Phew!
So, the weekend. We had weather in the 60s, sun was shining - so awesome. I would've like it more towards the 80s, but I refuse to complain. We spent as much time as we could outside. Erin and Leroy came over at one point on Saturday which was fun. It's always so nice to spend time with them. Some cute photos...

Neil and Josephine:

Do you notice the flowers blooming on the tree? Amazing. I love this tree. And Neil was showing Jos this random tulip that is growing in the middle of the yard. I keep trying to tell him to dig it up and move it, but he won't. He likes how random it is. He is so strange.

Now Mother's Day: Woke up and got my day started with coffee. Cindy was coming over and since the weather was so nice, we decided to grill. Neil got some last minute items at the store as I got the house cleaned and Josie fed, napped and dressed. It was such a great day, spending time with family. I really missed my mom of course, but I was able to talk to her a couple of times. (The 2nd time was after the Laker's game was over, and they were officially done for the season - she was actually in a good mood if you can believe it. Saying things like "...they deserved to lose..." and "I'm glad it's over with..." Ugh. What a frustrating & embarrassing series that was.) Annnyways...it was a very good day. It ended with Jacqui (Sean's g/f) coming over & watching the newest episode of Grey's Anatomy. And then a very cute moment that I caught of Josephine and her daddy:

How precious is that? Here are a couple other photos from the day:

Look how huge my head is compared to hers! haha
Oh, and take a look at this....

My sweet, wonderful, best-in-the-world mother in law - Cindy...with Cali. A pit bull. This woman was in tears when she heard we were even considering getting one. I love that she loves her. I feel truly blessed to have such a great family. Beyond blessed to have such amazing friends, near and far.

3 Years.

3 years ago today I left my home state of CA. I still miss you California. My heart belongs there. I still don't feel at "home" here in Erie, PA. In the back of my mind, plans of moving back are still lingering. Who knows, God may lead us back. But for right now, I know this is where we belong. So much has happened since our arrival. House. New car. Baby.
Here are some "I'm sure you've seen these already" photos:

Last dinner w/some friends (gosh I'm tan here).

Packing up crew - minus the WOA guys...where are they?

The apt we called home

the car piled high w/misc. items

including my traveling companion for many years...Joe

Okay...so I'm missing the photos of us actually traveling the US, and then us arriving in Erie. Uh. Oh. Where could they be?! Frick. I'll post another blog about our arrival. Hopefully I didn't lose those! Being in Erie has been quite awesome actually...the 4 seasons, the friendships, the good eats, the easy living (financially)... I'm real happy to be here. Sometimes. Some days. But all in all, I love it here.

1 month

My daughter is a month old.
I can't believe it.
It's been rough at times.
Calm at times.
But that's what comes with the territory, right?
We're still trying to figure her out.
Will we ever figure her out?
I'm thinking - no.
After 8 years together, my husband still can't figure me out...
We love her more than anything! <3
We were recently introduced to the book "Baby Wise".
I've only read half of it, but it seems quite simple.
Whether Josie will participate or not?
No idea.
But I'm looking forward to the sleep that comes along w/following the rules of this book.
Not that she's not a good sleeper, because she is, in 2-3 (sometimes 4-5) hour increments...
What have we discovered about our oh-so-sweet daughter?
Loves to eat.
Loves to eat so much that if we don't get her a bottle right away, a temper flares.
(We've determined she gets that from me)
Likes to sleep on her side...and is particularly picky about the softness of the blanket she is sleeping upon.... watching her snug herself into it, is quite precious.
Doesn't like a bath.
After the bath though, she smells so good...She is super squishy & I just want to squeeeeze her!
The first couple weeks of her life, she unfortunately got a real bad case of baby acne - oh and also....Thrush. Ugh. That threw a wrench into things.
Acne has disappeared, thank God. I can take pictures of her again...don't judge me.
Thrush is still there, but we got another type of antibiotics to hopefully fix it...

So. I started this post yesterday, in the middle of the day - in the middle of my 1st day of Baby Wise rules. Guess what? My daughter slept a solid sleep from 10:30pm until 5:15am. I did wake up at 4am to check to make sure the monitor was working... And Neil admitted to waking up every hour, on the hour to listen... Why I have just now been introduced to this method, is beyond me. However, I still need to finish reading the book.

Now, here are a couple of recent photos - I do need to take more, I know...but she is looking less like me, and more like Neil these days.
Daddy and Jos:

Cali and Jos:

I now need to wake my girl up for her scheduled feeding....