Photo Shoot

A few weeks ago, we went and had our pictures taken so we would have a half-way decent one for our Christmas card. It is the first time since we were married that we had something like that done. V wasn't real cooperative, but we got some nice pictures. Maybe by the time Felicity is here she will be more into it. Here are a few of them:

As far as life goes, things have been pretty good. Joe moves to second shift tomorrow, which will be a nice change as that is what we have been used to. I am also glad he will be around to help more during V's awake time. I have been unable to pick her up this weekend without being in extreme pain so the less I have to do it, the better at this point. We are fairly settled in to the cabin now and with our Christmas decorations up, it feels more like our own home. V is learning more and more words every day and has also picked up new skills, such as putting her garbage in the trash can and helping me unload the dishwasher. I really have been enjoying the time I have with her at home and am excited to be able to do more activities with her as she grows.

Well, Joe just brought me some applecrisp so I am going to go enjoy that now. Until next time.

Just in case

...you were wondering what we've been up to recently.

That's all for now. Enjoy. :)

An update of sorts

So it's week two of life up north. Besides the vast amounts of rain we've had, making it difficult to spend much time outdoors, things have been going really well. Verity has mostly settled back into a normal sleep schedule, which makes everyone happy, and is starting to eat more table food here and there again. In fact, she is taking her second nap of the day right now, which is the reason I am on here right now.

Actually, I feel like I spend more time online now than I did pre-Michigan; however, I have been a LOT more productive than I ever was in Louisville...well, post-V anyway. It's amazing how enjoyable cooking/housework is when you can do a little every day so it doesn't pile up like crazy. I have been able to actually stick to the meal plans I've made so far, keep up with the laundry fairly well, AND enjoy time with V. It's nice to sit down after she's gone to bed and not feel guilty since I have accomplished something with my day. We will see what happens once Felicity makes her appearance, but for now, things are going smoothly.

Joe is enjoying the pace of his job, as well as knowing he will be done at the same time every day. He still works up cases for the company he was working for in Louisville here and there, but he can choose when he wants to do it so it works out nicely. He is looking forward this weekend to be able to relax. After driving back and forth to KY for the last three, he is ready for a break.

Well, I probably should do something with my time; it's a lot easier to get stuff done when V is sleeping! Hopefully now that I have more time at home I will be better about updating this thing.

The end of an era...

Well, the time has come. After a few whirlwind months (thus the lack of posts), it's finally moving day. Everything...well, almost everything we own will be in Michigan by the end of the day. It's crazy to think that we're moving from this:

...to this:

Part of me still doesn't believe it's really happening. I've told several people that it just feels like we're going on a long vacation. I remember saying the same thing when we moved down here.

A lot of major changes happened in my life here in Louisville; the city holds a lot of dear memories. I got my first "real" job, had my first adultish apartment, bought new cars, lost a baby, had a baby, and lost my pets here. I also grew much deeper in my faith and made some lifelong friends in the 4.5 years we've lived here. As big of a blessing as this move will be for our family, I really will miss this place. Everything seems bittersweet, but I suppose that's how life is. Anyway, more updates on life back in the frozen tundra to come soon. Sorry for the corny nostalgia. :)

whirlwind

The past month and a half have been pretty crazy around here. Between V and Joe's birthdays, our anniversary, traveling, a new pregnancy, and the normal stuff of life, I feel like I can hardly think straight sometimes.

We found out at the end of May that Verity is going to have a new little sibling. This pregnancy has been quite a bit different from V's. I am a lot more nauseated this time, and my sense of smell is VERY sensitive. The only real similarity is the migraines, which hopefully will subside in a week or two; they did last time. We had an ultrasound on Tuesday and were very thankful and relieved to see Baby Martin moving around with a healthy heartbeat. (S)he is due January 31, but we'll see what happens as far as that goes.

Verity's birthday was a lot of fun; we had a big party at the park with her friends and opened presents on her actual birthday. She also had a party with Grandma and Grandpa Thiel and was able to open her gift from Grandma and Grandpa Hill when she went up to visit for Grandma Brown's 80th birthday. She really learned to enjoy cake.

Some friends came and watched Verity for the day while Joe and I went to Cincinnati to have an anniversary date. We went to the aquarium, the Harry Potter movie, and a Reds game. We had to leave early because I got really sick, but it was fun to be able to spend some kid-free time together for a day. Hopefully we'll be able to do that again soon.

Well, I suppose that's long enough for now. I really need to update this blog more often so posts like this don't occur frequently. Sorry for the weird format. I was trying something new and it just didn't look right. I ended up deleting a bunch of pictures to make it fit. Grr...

Sunday

This is the second Sunday I have worked in a row. While I enjoy working weekends to an extent, as it's just less stressful, I am a little tired of missing church, my afternoon nap, and time with Joe and V. Today is Joe's birthday so it makes me feel a little worse to be working. We did have an anniversary date yesterday so we were able to spend some fun time together, but it would've been nice to celebrate his birthday as a little family today.

Anyway, the last several weeks I have been following Women's World Cup, the final game of which is played today. The US will be playing Japan and I really hope to be able to watch most of it. I was able to catch the semifinals last Sunday as I wasn't terribly busy except between games, but this game is much more important so hopefully I won't have to miss much.

I guess this post is pretty pointless, but since my posts have been lacking lately, I figured I would post something. Off to test more pee.

A little bit of this...

I realized today that it's been over a month since I last posted! I guess that's because we've been so busy over the last few weeks. Anyway, here is a brief update.

*Verity turned one last weekend! I can't believe my baby isn't a baby anymore! She's had a pretty good birth-month if you ask me. She's more or less had three parties over the last three weeks. That's more than I've had in the last four years. Anyway, it's been fun watching her eat her first sweets, opening gifts with her, and celebrating with friends and family.

*Pita breathed her last breath this past Wednesday. She was beginning to get more aggressive with visitors and with me, so we decided to put her down. We were afraid she would get that way with Verity and didn't want to risk any problems. It was a hard thing to do; it's been a difficult few days since she died for Joe and I.

I guess those are the two biggest things that have been happening. I'll post more pictures from trips/parties when I get them on the computer.

A Pantry Full of...

Yes, that's right. Baby food. For the first three months of V eating solids, we mostly made our own, but as our schedules got more hectic and her palate diversified, it got more difficult and convenience won out. That's where this picture comes in.

Babies R Us had a huge sale on Earth's Best Organic baby food last week. 20 for $10. The cheapest I have ever seen it anywhere else is 69 cents a jar so I was ecstatic. It helped that I had several coupons making several of the jars free. I left the store with 78 jars of baby food. The bottom shelf of our cupboard now looks like the baby food section of Target, but that's okay. From left to right, we have breakfast, grains and fruits, fruits, veggie/fruit combos, veggies, entrees (meaning things such as rice and lentils, green bean casserole, etc.), and soups. Yes, I am a little OCD about how my cabinets are arranged. Part of this comes from working at Kmart during my high school years and having to straighten shelves for hours on end. Part of this comes from working in a lab now. If you looked at the rest of my house you would never guess how organized I can be. Anyway, we are hoping this is the last of the baby food we will be buying, since V has been eating more of what we are eating now.

She also has really enjoyed the teething biscuits that Earth's Best makes. (I know, I sound like a commercial for the company, but they really do make great products.) Here she is enjoying one now:

In fact, she loves them so much that she is only allowed to eat them in the highchair because otherwise she gives the dog a bite between bites of her own. Speak of the devil, it's nap time. Teething biscuits can't take care of all her tears. :) (Although sharing a popsicle with daddy seems to. )

Tandem

It has taken me WAY too long to get this book review out, but here it finally is. It seems that whenever I have thought about writing it, I've been at work or someplace that hasn't allowed me to post to my blog. So here it is...

I've sort of been on a fiction kick lately, and after reading the synopsis for the book Tandem, by Tracey Bateman, I thought I would send away for it. When I received the book in the mail, however, I was a little disappointed. I could tell from the cover it was going to be about vampires, which had not been mentioned at all in the blurb on the Blogging for Books website. I wasn't in the mood for another Twilight knockoff, especially some poorly done Christian one, but I decided to give it a chance anyway.

The main storyline was semi-interesting; there are ritual killings going on in a small town and no one knows who the killer is. I thought it would be fairly difficult to deal with vampires in a Christian novel without it coming off as stupid or cheesy, but Bateman does a fair job of it. There are a few minor storylines that need more development. Apparently there is a prequel, Thirsty, and if you didn't read that there are parts that aren't detailed enough to make much sense. Toward the end there is a section that seems like it was just kind of thrown in to wrap up some loose ends with a few characters; it wasn't really satisfying to me. The part that bothered me the most though was the relationship between the main character, Lauryn, who is an unbeliever, and Billy, a preacher's kid who has just returned from the mission field. Bateman seems to not have a problem with a believer pursuing a romantic relationship with an unbeliever at all. I am not comfortable with this being promoted by a Christian author when I have seen it cause so many problems in real life amongst people I know.

One thing I really appreciated about this book was the attention it gives to Alzheimer patients and what their families go through. Lauryn has to take care of her dad all by herself (she has no other family to help) and the author paints a good picture of the physical, mental, and emotional toll it takes on her as her dad's Alzheimers gets worse . This wasn't enough to redeem the book for me, however.

If you're interested in previewing this book, you can download chapter one for free.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

And the winner is...

ME! Last week, I entered several giveaways on the BabyBuys blog. This isn't unusual for me; I enter giveaways on Moneysaving Mom, Bakerella, and other blogs I follow. However, this is the first time I've won something...and what did I win??

Okay, so BK isn't the greatest restaurant to win a giftcard to; the point is, I won something! If nothing else, I won ten dollars worth of sodas. :) The card came in the mail today.

It encourages me to continue entering these giveaways. Who knows, maybe next time I'll win the iPad or the $500 giftcard to Target!

Grabbag

Be careful; you never know what you might read about in today's post...

*We have a future dancing queen on our hands, as we found out after church Easter Sunday while visiting the Myers in Virginia:

V also met a potential suitor on the visit:

Apparently she hasn't made her mind up about little boys yet. Her daddy is okay with that.

*Moving on to another random topic, I thought I was in fairly good shape after 2.75 months of Turbo Jam. Then I did a 15-minute Turbo Fire workout on Tuesday. I was wrong. I don't think I've ever had that much sweat dripping off of me in my life. I have been sore ever since. What was I thinking?

*Work has been a bit of a bear lately. It really is tempting to gag when a patient hands me a specimen in the waiting area of the ER and says, "By the way, there's a worm in this. But don't worry, it's not alive or anything." Really?? Somehow I don't feel like I signed up for this part of the job. (By the way, there really was a worm in it.)

Turbo what?

Beginning Monday, I'm going to be starting a new workout program. Turbo Jam has been fun, but I am ready to up my intensity level...I think. Here is a sample of what I've been doing:

I know the video is a little long, but that's YouTube for you. They don't even have a great video for Turbo Fire (what I start Monday) yet that isn't basically an infomercial, so I didn't bother to post it, but just think Turbo Jam on crack. I'm slightly nervous after watching a few of the videos, and will probably die next week, but I think it will help speed up my weight loss and I also think it will be a good challenge for my body, although there are definitely ways I could make Turbo Jam more intense. I have about 20 more lbs. to go to reach my final goal weight, which is exciting, and about 10 until I reach my pre-Verity weight. I also have biceps now, although I don't think you will be able to actually see them until my arm fat goes away. For a girl who's never been able to do a pull-up though, that's saying something!

Wait for daylight...

I guess it's been a little bit since I last posted. It seems like we're in the midst of a fairly stressful, trying season here in the Martin household and I just plain haven't had time to get on here lately. I keep waiting for things to slow down, which they don't, or for some sort of reprieve and it never comes. I shared with the girls in our community group tonight that I know I need to have a bigger perspective and look at this time in light of Romans 8:28-30, which is what we studied tonight, but quite frankly, I'm tired. I guess a step in that direction would be to focus on the blessings that God has given us during this time though, so here are a few of them:

*Joe and I both have jobs, and they provide decent health coverage. A lot of people don't have either of those things.

*One of us is able to be home with Verity for all but a few hours every week. We have been able to witness all of her, "firsts," and we haven't gone completely broke paying for daycare.

*We have great family and friends all over the country, and a very special spiritual family here in Louisville. We are so blessed to have so many people who love us both at Sojourn and from our previous church. They have been so supportive over the past two years as we've gone through an intense season of mourning into a season of joy and now a season of trial and struggles.

*God chose us, for some reason way beyond me, to be His children and to save us from our sin and the punishment we deserve for that sin. We have found mercy, grace, hope, and healing in the gospel and are becoming more like Christ every day, even though we don't always see it.

There is also the hope that we won't always live in this world that has been marred by sin but will one day be united fully with Christ in heaven, where there will be no suffering or sin or pain. The more trials and suffering I go through and the older I get, the more I look forward to this. I guess I didn't mean for this post to turn into a sermon or anything, but the more I reflect on the blessings in my life, the more I am pointed to Christ and what He has done for us on the cross. I guess that's appropriate seeing as it's Good Friday and Easter this week...and it would be appropriate even if it weren't. :)

On forgetfulness...

In an effort to distract myself from the screaming 9-month-old in the other room, here is another mini-post on a minor issue in my life. Wow, two days in a row!

Anyway, about 30 seconds after the drugs wore off post-partum, I realized that my memory would never be the same. I couldn't remember silly things, like how long ago Verity had nursed, or how long ago it had been since she had had a dirty diaper without writing it down. Since I've gone back to work, it's gotten about 100 times worse. I will put something down or someone will tell me something and 10 seconds later it's already forgotten. I will make plans with someone and forget that I've made them until they show up at my door later that week. I used to have a mind, "like a steel trap," but no more.

Today, I decided to finally do something about it. I bought a little notebook to carry around in my purse with me so that when someone tells me something I need to remember, or I make plans to do something with someone, I can write it down. Now I just need to remember that I actually have said notebook...and to look at it to check if anything is written down in it!

Hopefully memory doesn't get worse with each pregnancy, because I honestly fear I won't have any left if we have any more kids!

Catch Up

It seems my once-a-week posting has started to fall by the wayside, so here is a short post to tide the few who read this blog over until I can make a more substantial one. An update of sorts:

*Verity has started doing a plethora of new things over the last few weeks. They include, but are not limited to:

-crawling on her hands and knees

-pulling up to stand, and even trying to walk alongside the couch

-clapping

-giving high-five

-getting her two bottom teeth in

-trying some new foods such as chicken, Grandma Hill's blueberry muffins, baby yogurt, and other yummy things

*Joe and I continue to follow our Beachbody workouts. Thus far, he has lost about 10 lbs, and I have lost 11. The annoying part is that he has been doing his for 4 weeks and I have been doing mine for 8. Why do men seem to have an edge when it comes to weight loss?

*We installed a gate to keep the dog away from Verity, and to keep Verity out of the dog food, litter box, etc. It seems to be doing the job so far.

*I started doing powerpoint again for the worship services at Sojourn. I really am enjoying it and am glad I was able to start serving in this way again.

Anyway, this is turning longer than I planned on. Hopefully more later. There are more than a few book reviews coming in the future. One because of the blogging for books program I am in, but the others because of some controversy going on amongst people I love. More thoughts on those later.

I love the mountains; I love the rolling hills...

This weekend we went on our first real family vacation. By that, I mean our first vacation where we didn't go visit family in Michigan. On Friday, the Martin family left Louisville and headed south for Asheville, North Carolina. We got there mid-afternoon.

We didn't really do much as we wanted to keep Verity on her schedule as much as we could that day, so we checked out the mall, ordered pizza, and put her to bed. Lucky for us our room was right across the hall from the pool so Joe and I were able to take the baby monitor and go relax in the hot tub while Verity slept. It was almost like a date!

The next day V woke up at 5:30, which wasn't real fun, but Joe and I both worked out and then we spent the majority of the morning driving around in the mountains. We stopped at a few places along the way:

We ate lunch at the Moose Cafe, which has been featured in Southern Living for their amazing biscuits and apple butter. It was well worth going there, if only for that! After that we walked downtown for a few hours and visited some of the shops down there. It was about 70 degrees so it was the perfect day for it. Verity even got a new Cat in the Hat bag.

Downtown Asheville was a little bit overwhelming in places for a sheltered yooper like me. It almost felt like culture shock in some areas; I felt like I had been transported back to the sixties...and I am NOT exaggerating. There were hippies playing instruments everywhere and sometimes they had dancers accompanying them. There were people that looked like they had stepped out of Little House on the Prairie competing with the hippies for spare change. The downtown area was also very dog-friendly. We even saw a golden retriever just hanging out in a storefront. And it wasn't a pet shop. There were dogs sitting with their owners on the patios of restaurants just hoping for a scrap of table food to drop their way. It seemed to be a place without rules.

After we had had our fill of the downtown district, we had dinner at Nona Mia Italian Kitchen, where Joe tempted V with some of their delicious garlic bread. She would have preferred that to her dinner of green beans and bananas.

After dinner it was back to the hotel so V could go to bed. This vacation was a little weird for us in that we were back to the hotel so early every evening, but really it was nice to spend some more time in the hot tub, catch up on reading, and even watch a little tv (we don't have cable at home, so it seems like a luxury).

Thanks to day-light savings, Verity slept in till 8:30 this morning. When she woke up, we got her all suited up for her first dip in the pool.

It took her a little bit to get used to it, but she loved splashing around. She even took a dip in the (lukewarm) hot tub.

We had to leave too soon and are already looking forward to visiting again. I love the convenience of all that the city has to offer mixed with the raw beauty and activity options (skiing!) of the mountains. Too bad the responsibilities of life must be dealt with. Back to reality.

On procrastination

Or maybe just a short note to put off the review that I really should be writing after reading the last book I received for review. It's hard for me to want to write a review about a book that I may end up ripping to shreds. On second thought that might be fun. Moving on though...

This week was an interesting one of sorts. I would show you the week in pictures, but I can't find my camera cord, so some day soon, a huge album titled something like, "Winter 2011," will appear on Facebook and maybe then you will have an idea of what the last several weeks have looked like around the Martin household. To give you a general idea of our week, here are a few of the highlights (or possible lowlights, depending on how you look at it):

*Joe completed a whole week of P90, the precursor to the P90x workouts. He has been really disciplined about working out every day and about his diet, so hopefully the diet part will rub off on me! Usually once he gets going on something he is really able to stick with it.

*Verity rolled off the bed and hit her head while I was changing her socks. I know, what kind of mom lets her child do that while she is standing right there holding on to her? Apparently, I do. After many tears shed on her part and mine, we took her to the pediatrician, and she is doing just fine. Apparently, she hit the hardest part of her head, so that was a good thing. I have learned my lesson and will be changing clothes on the floor from now on. Verity is just too squirmy for her own good at this point.

*I got two bottles of Dawn dishsoap and a tube of Crest toothpaste for free plus ECBs at CVS this week. It's been a while since I've been able to really do the coupon thing well so I was semi-excited about that.

*We both enjoyed hanging out with various people from around Louisville, which doesn't happen as often as it used to due to V's schedule.

Anyway, it was a fairly uneventful week. This weekend we are going on our first family getaway to Asheville, NC. If I ever find my camera cord, there will be pictures from that, too. Until next time.

Random

Things you may or may not care to know about my week...

*I told my co-workers that every Friday I work (which is every three weeks) is Treat Day. Today my boss brought in two pans of brownies. I think I may have eaten 1/4 of one of them. This is what happens when I have next to no baked goods for 25 days. So much for self-control.

*Verity said, "daddy," last night while I was getting ready to give her her antibiotics. Joe wasn't home. She has no idea what she said. I still thought it was sweet.

*I found out that I have some of the best friends ever here in Louisville. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful spiritual family, especially when my biological family and in-laws live at least 8 hours away.

*Not only is one of my spiritual gifts administration, but one of my greatest weaknesses is my need to be in control. It has taken me training several people at work and 5.5 years of marriage to figure this out. Apparently it did not take my husband quite that long to put it together.

*I miss exercise on the days I don't do it. The last time I felt this way was my sophomore year of college when I would play basketball at the gym for several hours every day. Who knew I could get that feeling back when I started doing workout videos...in front of a television...in a cramped space...after a 12-hour day at work...at the beginning of February?

*My husband is a lot happier and more productive when he gets at least 7 hours of good sleep. Yes, I know this is true for most people, but because it has been so long since he has had this for more than one day a week, I almost forgot it was possible.

That's all for the randomness tonight. Maybe I will make this a weekly thing. At least that way there would be one post a week. I have another book review coming up, this time on a fiction book titled, Tandem, by Tracey Bateman. I sort of enjoy writing reviews. It lets me discuss my feelings about a book with "someone," and if a reader happens to be completely bored with my feelings, they don't have to read it. It's nice. So anyway, for the few that actually read this, that is an upcoming post to look forward to, or dread, whichever you prefer.

A plain morning...

This morning my siblings left after a fun but slightly stressful weekend. The stressful part is due to having a baby around that we had to keep happy all the time. I'm still not used to that yet when we have company in town. Here are a few snapshots my sister-in-law Abbey took of V while they were here:

Anyway, it's always depressing for me when family or friends from out-of-town leave and the weather today seems to reflect my mood. Even though it's 60 degrees, it's fairly windy and overcast and seems like it could rain at any moment. I am really hoping that my workout routine tonight will help lift my spirits.

Speaking of exercise, as a sort of update on my resolution for the year, I am doing fairly well in the self-control area. God has really changed my heart and given me the grace to say no to food and soda when I am not hungry or when I am full and don't really need to eat more. This isn't to say that I don't screw up in this area still, because I do, but I am really seeing true change in this area of my life and it has been so encouraging. It also gives me hope that God can work in other areas of my life if I am willing to get serious about it, repent, and let Him.

On a related note, I am now working on taking better care of my body, as I realize that haven't been honoring God in this area of my life either. February 1st, I started doing Turbo Jam, a Beachbody program, and it has been great. I haven't missed a workout yet and it is actually becoming one of my favorite parts of the day. I purchased a new pair of workout shorts this weekend and can't wait till tonight to be able to use them. I know this may sound a little dorky, but it's true. Between the exercise and eating less/better, I have lost 6 lbs., which is a good start on the way back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Hopefully I will update some on V's new skills and developments later this week but she is getting into some stuff she shouldn't right now so more later. :)

Radical

I just finished a very uncomfortable read. I don't think I've ever read a book that made me so defensive, aware of my defensiveness, and grieved over it all at the same time. Radical, by David Platt, is the book I fault for this unnerving experience.

This book had been recommended to me by several trusted friends and family, and more than once I had thought about picking it up in the bookstore. When I signed up for the Blogging for Books program through WaterBrook Multnomah and saw that it was one of the books available for review, I didn't even look at what else was available; I selected it on the spot.

I admit that it has taken me several weeks to get through this book. This wasn't because the book was poorly written or difficult to understand; the material is just heavy. The basic premise is that as American christians, we have no idea what it means to live like Jesus, a life of mission. We chase after a life of comfort and security, and care way more about living the American Dream than we do about people's souls. This has trickled into the culture of the church in our country, and we are disobeying God's command to go to the nations with the good news of the gospel, mainly because we don't want to sacrifice these idols. The author goes into a lot more detail on these topics and issues a radical challenge to change at the end of the book. The whole thing is biblically based and very convicting. Needless to say, God has used this book to expose some idols I didn't realize had such a hold in my own life.

The only things I wish the author would have touched a little more on would be the attitude of the heart in these matters. It is easy to tell everyone to quit being selfish and move overseas to share the gospel with the lost; in reality, however, there are a lot of people who just aren't in a position to be able to do this. That doesn't mean that God is less pleased with them, as long as their heart is willing and, should God provide an opportunity, obedient. Sometimes the opportunities that God provides us with are right in our neighborhood, and I don't feel like that was emphasized enough.

Overall, this was a worthwhile read and God has really been using it in my life to change my heart over the last few weeks. If you're interested in previewing this book, you can go here and download chapter 1:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/2010/04/20/sneak-peek-radical-by-david-platt/

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Snowed in.

Or at least that's what those from the Louisville area would say we are. It has been snowing pretty steadily since around 1 with no end in sight. All that to say, I think we've maybe gotten one inch so far. They called schools off for half the day and there was a run on milk and bread. The joys of winter in the south.

Anyway, Joe, V, and I have had some time together the past couple of days after not seeing one another for almost a week! (Well, Joe and I hadn't; he and V saw each other and V and I saw each other.) It has been really nice to just hang out together with no real schedule. V figured out how to jump a little in her jumperoo and she is sitting unsupported now. It has been fun to watch her progress over the past couple of days.

On a sad note, I am officially done nursing tomorrow. Since Verity has started solids, she has been less and less interested in nursing during the day. It has gotten to the point where she cries after about 30 seconds and refuses to nurse. She has been nursing right before bed and before I go to work, but it's mainly for comfort. Last Thursday I decided enough was enough; I was not going to pump every three hours on what was already going to be a long drive to Michigan by myself. A full day of pumping does not even give her a full feeding, so it seemed kind of pointless to continue doing it. Anyway, tomorrow I will be starting a new migraine medication so I will not be allowed to nurse her. We will see how she does without her comfort nursing. It's sort of bittersweet; I will enjoy my freedom and fewer migraines, but I will miss being the one she depends on in this way and the bond there was because of it.

Well, the jumping queen is ready for a break so this marks the end of this emotional pity party. Until next time.