As 2009 comes to an end

As I'm sitting her at work (no worries, I'm on my lunch break), I'm reflecting on 2009 and what a year of change this has been. We welcomed the new addition to our family, Ms. Sophie Elizabeth, but we've also had to adapt to being parents. Let me tell you, this has NOT been easy for me. I fear change :) Working and being a mommy is VERY difficult! I know it will get easier as she gets older (I've seen how my sister is with my nephew and she's been a great role model for me), but that was the hardest thing to have to adapt to. I hate sending her there everyday and missing out on all the cute things she does. Even though I get her at home, it's usually eat, bath, and then bedtime. I don't feel like I get enough time. It's not even the fact that I have to work, it's the fact that I have a long and stressful commute to and from work. An hour in the morning, sometimes longer in the evening because of rush hour traffic. PLUS I have to worry, is there going to be a wreck? What if I don't pick her up on time? Who wants their child at daycare 9, 10 hours a day? That's hard!

I've been pretty stressed out this year. Financially it's been the most difficult year we've encountered. You throw daycare dues on top of that and I feel like we should be driving a Mercedes because of how much we pay a month. Juggling being a mom, a wife, and an employee is very difficult. This has been the most difficult part for me. I'm working on it. I can't say that I've been the happiest person at times, but I've always put on a smiley face for my daughter. I don't want her to see her mommy unhappy.

With that being said, I'm turning over a new leaf for 2010. No more being stressed (well a little stress is ok and I can't help that I get road rage). I'm going to try to take things in stride. I can't change the traffic situation so I'm going to have to learn how to grin and bear it. Ideally I would love to move closer to my job (would L-O-V-E to move from Summerville) but I'm not optimistic that we will be able to sell our house. We can try, you can always try, I'm just saying with 2 dogs and a baby, how the heck are we (1) going to keep in clean and (2) show it with the dogs around? I'm just being realistic here. We probably should have moved before we had a baby but why think about that now? Oh yeah, plus the housing market was crap before I got pregnant.

So de-stress my life. I can't keep getting upset over every little thing. It'll be hard but I'm going to give it a whirl. The other part of my New Years Resolution is to stay positive. Things don't always work out like we plan (if you're a Miller then things NEVER work out as planned). One day we will be able to sell our house, it may just not be this year. BUT we can start fixing it up, right Ricky??? Instead of always talking about doing things... LET'S DO IT!!

2010 is going to be the year of the upswing. We're going to get back on track, be happy, and stay healthy.

2010 is also the year of the half marathon. I'm still doing it, no backing down for me!! Training is going well, I drag my butt out of bed at 4:15 in the morning about 3 days a week to run and workout. I'm up to 5 miles and need to be at 6.2 in 2 weeks. Riverfront Race Festival, 10k, January 16th!!

I'm happy that 2009 brought me Sophie, but I'm looking forward to watching her grow in 2010! Ricky and I will be celebrating our 6 year wedding anniversary, and I'll be turning 30! We have lots of things to look forward to. I can't wait to get Sophie on the boat or to the beach. She's going to be such a little beach baby.

Happy New Year's to all friends and family. I hope 2010 brings everyone health and happiness!

Sophie's 1st Christmas

Finally home and we've celebrated Christmas with all the families. Sophie's 1st Christmas was so much fun and very special. She got a ton of presents, lots of clothes and some really cool toys! Christmas Eve we drove to Stanley, NC and spent the day and night with my family. Then on Christmas Day we spent the day with my parents in Charlotte. Today we drove home and had Christmas with Ricky's family at Maegan and Doug's house. Needless to say we are all super tired but had a wonderful time. I can't wait till next year. I mean she loved the presents but was very intrigued with the wrapping paper. 2010 is going to be a great year with her getting older and learing so much everyday!

Braved the Bridge

Yesterday I ran the Cooper River Bridge with my friends Pam and Nikki. It was about 40 degrees and windy as hell but we braved the elements and kicked butt! Ran for 5 miles total (2.5 up and down and then another 2.5 back). Time was about 58 minutes or so and I only stopped once to walk for about a minute.

So proud that I did this. Makes me much more confidant to run the 10k in a few weeks. Needless to say I have a blister the size of Texas on my right foot (the instep). So before I can venture out I need to let this heal and then figure out how to prevent blisters while running. I seem to get them often, first on my heels, and now that the skin is all toughed up I'm getting them on my toes and other areas. I think it's the socks..... Good thing Ricky's not a foot guy because I'm going to need a heavy duty pedicure before it's time to wear flops again.

More Mommy and Sophie

Just a few more pictures of Sophie and me from Thanksgiving Day (credit goes to Maegan Bell, thanks Maegan!).

Mommy and Sophie

Just wanted to share this picture of me and Sophie on Thanksgiving Day (taken by my sister-in-law, Maegan).

6 Months Old!

Tomorrow, December 12th, Sophie will be 6 months old! I know I say this every time but I still can't believe how fast time goes. Today Sophie had her 6 month well baby check up and she's doing awesome. 14 lbs 13 oz (30th percentile for weight) and 26 inches long (75th percentile for height).

She's sitting up all by herself (only wobbles a little bit) and she's getting better at it everyday. Actually when I lie her down to play she'd rather be sitting and tried to pull herself up into sitting position. She's grabbing things left and right, loves to touch different textures. Food. Let's see, she's eating veggies, fruit, and cereal now. She usually has cereal in the morning and evening and then fruit and veggies for lunch and dinner. Fruits, loves them all. Not too fond of squash and HATES peas, although we're going to work with her on that and see if we can change her mind.

So we're still waiting for a tooth to pop up. You can see the teeth in her gums, they're right there top and bottom! Just can't seem to get one to cut. She's been a tad on the fussy side that last week or so but luckily it hasn't affected her sleeping.....yet. At the doctor today, he predicts that the bottom right tooth will be the one to come up first (that's just a guess, but he says it looks close). Maybe she'll get her two (or four) front teeth for Christmas :)

I have been very slack about pictures lately. Ricky was out of town three days this week so I was doing the single mom thing. It's tough!! Anyway, I'll be sure to post some pictures this weekend. Oh and Saturday night is the first night without Sophie. We're going to Ricky's company Holiday Party and she's staying with her Aunt Amy. So nervous but I know she's in good hands. Big step for the mommy!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ready to roll

After the race

A little late but Happy Thanksgiving nonetheless! Although Sophie did not get to enjoy Turkey and all the sides this year, she enjoyed her carrots and being with family (not to mention not having to go to daycare for 2 days). Thanksgiving morning we woke up and participated in the Turkey Day Wobble Gobble in Downtown Charleston (5k race). This was my first year running it and it was a good race, big turn out for being Thanksgiving morning. My time was 31:15, almost a minute and a half down from my Race for the Cure time. Whew! Now the big one is coming up in January, the 10k, Riverfront Race Festival.

Here are some pictures from the race. I have more from Thanksgiving to post, just trying to find time to do it. Sophie caught a little bit of a cold Friday so she's been a bit under the weather. Poor thing, coughing but she doesn't really have a runny nose. Hopefully she's on the mend, we have a busy 2 weeks coming up, out of town this weekend and next weekend.

The "Ruff" Life of Wylie

So we just put Sophie to bed and walked into this bonus room to see this:

Pathetic isn't it?

5 Month Update

Wow, can't believe that my little baby girl is 5 months old!! I'll probably keep saying that every month but it boggles my mind how fast they grow. We've mastered eating! So far we've introduced cereal, sweet potatoes, green beans and squash. She loves them all! Even the Oatmeal! Next up is peas, then carrots, then we're moving onto the fruit. Let's see, Sophie can sit up by herself, for the most part. I can take my hands off of her for about a minute before she starts to wobble around. Give another week or two and she'll be sitting all on her own, although her favorite thing to do still is to lay on her back and kick her feet. Teething. The teething has really picked up within the last couple of weeks. I have a feeling she'll be cutting a tooth really soon. Sleeping. She's sleeping about 9 hours a night. With the teething she gets a little restless but then again she may just take after me. I have a hard time staying asleep throughout the night. Usually all we have to do is put her pacifier back in and she goes right back out. Might have to come up with a new solution once it's time to wean her from the pacifier......

Next week is her first Thanksgiving and her Aunt Maegan is going to take some photos of her. Christmas is coming and I have barely shopped. Yikes! I need to get on it big time!

Balsamic-Rosemary Marinade

I found this marinade recipe on Williams Sonoma website. I used this marinade with chicken breasts and broiled them in the oven (we were supposed to grill but ran out of propane...right Ricky?). Nevertheless, they turned out very juicy and yummy. I served with mashed potatoes (yukon gold potatoes are the only way to go), a salad and whole wheat yeast rolls. Pretty darn good meal!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. soy sauce
4 1/2 tsp. firmly packed golden brown sugar
3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary
5 garlic cloves, chopped

Directions:
In a food processor, combine the vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and pepper and pulse until blended. With the motor running, drop the rosemary and garlic through the feed tube and continue to process until fairly smooth.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I just realized that I haven't posted anything since November 1st! I'm such a slacker! It's been a very busy month so far and with the Holiday's approaching, it's going to be even busier. Lots of traveling coming up.


So let's start off with news on Ms. Sophie. We've made some major progress in the solid food department. She's gone from hating oatmeal to tolerating it well. Last weekend we started her on cereal twice a day (for about a month she only got it in the evenings). I was a little nervous with daycare feeding her cereal because she put up such a fight. Lord and behold that girl ate every bit of cereal! So this week we started her on sweet potatoes and she LOVES them. Eats those bad boys up! So we've made some real progress with solid foods this week. I'm so proud of her, she even opens her mouth for the spoon instead of us kind of "forcing" the spoon in her mouth. Now tonight we start.....Green Beans!! Oh and just this morning I was "waving" bye bye to Sophie and she was mimicking my hand motion. I thought that was the coolest thing yet!

I'm still very serious about doing a half marathon next year. I've been running a lot since the Race for the Cure. Well a lot may not be defined as others would define it, but for working and taking care of a 5 month old, I've been running a lot. About 3 times a week right now. I am starting to force myself up during the week, at 4:30, to hit the gym. It's hard but once I get out of bed and get to the gym, I feel great. I have a "training" schedule set up for myself. It's based on 12 weeks but since I have a year, I'm going at my own pace until the beginning of next year. Then I'm really going to kick it into high gear. I'm running a 10k in January so I basically have to double what I currently run, which is 3.5 miles. Sounds hard but I'm up for the challenge. The biggest challenge is not the running, but organizing my week to make time to run. Luckily Sophie has been sleeping so good these last few weeks.

So my running schedule is as follows:

Thanksgiving Day - Turkey Day Gobble Wobble (5k)
January 17th - Riverfront Race Festival (10k) Yikes!
Febuary 6th - Save the Light (5k)
March 13th - Flowertown Festival Run (5k)
March 27th - Cooper River Bridge Run (10k)
April 10th - Fun Sun Run in Murrell's Inlet (5k)

The goal is to try to run a race a month to keep myself in check. Not so sure about the summer months. If there's one thing I despise is running in the heat. I've had heat exhaustion before and it was not fun. So we'll have to see how I'm doing at that point. I've got my running partner, Pam, to keep me motivated! Very excited.

Ricky is working hard and trying to get deals. With the whole economy downfall, having a baby, paying for daycare, it's been tough. We want to try to sell our house next year and move to where I'll have a better commute to work. I'm trying to stay positive but it's difficult to do so. I don't like where we live in relation to where I work. It's an awful drive and I get home so late. Staying home is not an option so I have to make due, which is fine, but I would love to move from Summerville.

Overall we're all doing great! I will take some pictures of Sophie really soon, I promise!

Halloween Stanley Style

Happy Halloween! We spent Sophie's first Halloween in Stanley. NC with my family. We got into town Saturday morning and went to the pumpkin patch, went on a hayride and took a bunch of pictures with the pumpkins. Went home and relaxed for a while. Amy made a wonderful dinner and then it was off to get ready for trick-or-treating! Garrett was a ghost and Sophie was a bumble bee. They were so stinking cute! Amy's neighborhood was INSANE!! There were kids everywhere and they had trick-or-treaters till about 9:00. Whew! Overall Sophie did fantastic while we were out. She even got a few pieces of candy :) Little girl was so tired after her big day. We can't wait till next year when she'll be older and walking.

A Visit from Uncle Mike and Aunt Sarah

This past weekend we had a visit from Mike and Sarah as they were traveling down to Savannah. They drove in on Saturday and then were heading to Savannah Monday. They got tons of Aunt and Uncle time with Sophie and we had a pretty low key weekend.

Sunday they watched Sophie while Ricky and I went to the gym (which we rarely get to do anymore, so nice!) and then we watched the Panther's lose and steamed Oysters! I haven't had Oysters in a gosh, maybe 2 years since I was pregnant last fall. Yum!! Missed them. Ricky went to pick them up from Crosby's Seafood on Folly Beach Sunday morning. He took Wylie with him and got a few pictures of Wylie loving the car ride. Ears flapping in the wind, he was in heaven.

And of course pictures of Miss Sophie. This is a big week for her. At daycare they are doing Holiday pictures tomorrow, she gets to dress in her Bumble Bee costume on Friday, and then it's off to Charlotte on Saturday to go Trick-or-Treating with Garrett! We are going to a pumpkin patch too. So exciting!

Save the Ta-Ta's

Ricky and Sophie came to cheer us on

Nikki, Pam, Me

This morning I participated in the Lowcountry Race for the Cure. This is my 4th year running it. Overall I think I did very well, seeing as that I haven't ran in really almost a year (just a little here and there since my ta-ta's have finally gone down in size). I ran the entire race and finished somewhere around 32 minutes. Not too shabby for a lady that just had a baby 4 months ago. This really gets me pumped up to start training for my 1/2 marathon, 13.1 miles, next December. I plan on signing up for the Kiawah Island 1/2 Marathon 2010 with my friend Pam. I must be crazy but this is exactly the motivation I need to get on track. Should be interesting but I know I can do it!! Next race is the Turkey Day Wobble Gobble on Thanksgiving morning. This will be my first time running it (we're usually out of town or I cook).

4 Months Old!

Sophie had her 4 month checkup today (which means she got more shots). She did so good and was pretty happy for the doctor. He said her thrush was gone and that keep doing what we're doing for her diaper rash. Eventually her system will balance out. Stats: 13 lbs. 2 oz. and 24 1/2 inches long. This puts her in the 50th percentile for height and weight.

So good news, she's ready for cereal!!! I think we're going to give oatmeal a try (Dr. Clifford said that rice cereal has a tendency to constipate). So excited to see how she does. I bet she's going to be like "what the heck." Now we need to find a highchair. They grow up so fast.

Shrimp and Grits

Last night I made Shrimp and Grits for dinner. I found this recipe on www.foodnetwork.com. As much as I tried to "lighten" it up, I realized that sometimes you just have to do it the bad way. It turned out so yummy!

Ingredients:
4 cups water
Salt and pepper
1 cup stone-ground grits
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 large clove garlic, minced


Directions:
Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.
Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned. In grease, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.
Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well. Serve immediately.

* For an extra kick, add Tabasco Sauce on top of grits and shrimp mixture.

Anatomy of a Roll Over

Step 1: Play on tummy

Step 2: Roll to the side

Step 3: Make sure arm is extended out and lay on side

Step 4: Ta-Da! Land on back and look completely surprised

Baby At The Beach

Just celebrated my 29th birthday on Wednesday. Yikes! I'm in the last year of my 20's! I don't feel like I'm 29. I did about 3 months ago :) So, today Ricky, Sophie and I decided to go to Folly Beach and take a walk since the weather was so nice. Not too hot and not too cold, perfect! Sophie seemed to enjoy it, she got to ride in her baby carrier for the first time with Daddy. After our walk we went to Taco Boy and had some fish tacos. Yum!

Overall this week has been extremely stressful. As I mentioned in a previous post, Sophie has been battling thrush for about 2 weeks now. The mouth part hasn't been very bad at all, it was that darn yeast diaper rash that was the worst. And by worst I mean it looked like we had poured scalding hot water on her bottom. It blistered and bled, and she screamed at every diaper change! Poor baby!! I swear I have never been so upset in my life as I have this week. I hated seeing her in so much pain. So to rid her of that yeast, she was on diflucan by mouth and had a special anti-fungal cream (Nyastatin) for her tooshie. After doing just about everything I could think of and that I had read online, she received a baking soda bath everyday, she was rinsed in the sink after every poopy diaper along with being air-dried, and then we slathered her with her special cream and Flanders diaper rash cream (this was recommended and it is AWESOME!!!). The Flanders we just started using Friday and already the redness is down and looks like it's in the healing process. No more screams at diaper changing time and our happy baby is back. As far as her mouth, I no longer see any white patches indicating that she still has thrush (keeping fingers crossed).

So today was the perfect ending to a stressful week. We're looking forward to next year when Sophie is older and will totally enjoy the beach!

Spinach and Shrimp Penne Pasta

I made this recipe Saturday night for dinner. It was yummy!!

• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 large plum tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 6 cups baby spinach leaves, packed
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Ladle 1 cup pasta cooking liquid into small bowl and reserve. Drain pasta. Return pasta to pot; cover to keep hot.Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp and garlic to skillet and saute 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, 4 tablespoons basil, lemon juice and lemon peel and saute until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add white wine and simmer until sauce is reduced.Add spinach leaves to hot pasta; toss until spinach wilts. Add shrimp mixture and toss to blend. Add enough of reserved pasta cooking liquid to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl. Garnish with red pepper flakes for those that like a little zip and fresh grated Parmesan cheese (optional).

Per Serving: 278 Calories; 5g Fat (16.4% calories from fat); 1g Saturated Fat; 9g Protein; 46g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 30mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain (Starch); 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat.

Getting So Big!

Update, let's see: Sophie has been battling a cash of thrush this past week. I'm no longer breastfeeding so I'm not sure how in the world she got it. From what I've read and from what the nurse said, it's common and it just happens. Well, we thought it was cleared up later last week and then we think it returned with a vengeance. Not so much in the mouth, but she has a HORRIBLE yeast diaper rash. She goes back to the doctor tomorrow for another look. Poor thing, it looks as bad as it feels. On a good note, she's been in pretty decent spirits, until it's time for a diaper change. She got to meet her Great Granny and Great Papa on Friday. I think everyone enjoyed the visit.

I witnessed Sophie roll over today (from front to back). She's starting to be able to lift herself in a sitting position and is completely aware of toys. Everything goes into the mouth and she's grabbing for things left and right. So proud of her!

Weekend in Charlotte

This past weekend Sophie and I were in Charlotte/Stanley to visit my family and celebrate my birthday. Sophie is such a good little traveler and she's going to be a future shopper. We (the girls: Amy, Sarah, Mom, Me, and Sophie) went to South Park Mall Saturday (I miss a good mall! Charleston DOES NOT have good malls) and Sophie was in the best mood! I think she liked the hustle and bustle of the mall, so much to look at.
Mom made dinner while we watched Huskers vs. Hookies. Then we spent the night at Amy's house up in Stanley. Sophie slept pretty good in the pack and play but woke up kind of early. We played a little bit, Garrett let Sophie be Thomas the Train (he never lets anyone be Thomas, so he must really like his cousin).

So where are the pictures? Well, my camera was in the car the whole time. I know, bad Jennifer. We will be back in Charlotte for Halloween. Sophie is going trick-or-treating with Garrett (she's going to be a Bumble Bee, can't wait!!). I think we're going to go to a pumpkin patch and maybe a hayride too. I will make sure I take some pictures this week. She's growing and getting cuter and cuter every day!

More Sophie

This little girl was happier than a pig in poop, sitting up in her boppy playing.

PS - To hear the video, scroll down and pause the mini ipod under "Jen's Favorite Tunes."

3 Months old!

As of yesterday Sophie is 3 months old! We found out from daycare Friday that she rolled over for the first time. I have yet to see this for myself, but I have seen her try really, really hard. Here are some pictures!