finally

maya finally has grown an attachment to something other than me! i've been trying basically her whole life to have a lovey (like k has his teddy and blanket). when maya was born and we learned she was a girl...the one thing i wanted was a pink version of the blanket kellen LOVES. i figured since kellen LOVES his blanket so much, maya would love it too. wrong. not that she dislikes that blanket...she could just care less about it. one of many things to remind me that she is a different baby/person than her brother!



in preparation for her to someday (it really will happen!) sleep in her own bed, i really have wanted her to have a blanket and/or object that she is attached to and finds comfort in. i had heard great things about this blanket called the dream blanket, so when i stumbled upon a great sale i figured it wouldn't hurt to try. amazingly, she took a liking to it! she calls it "b" and every night when it's time to get ready for bed, she looks around the house for her b. the moment i knew she was really attached was when it was dirty in the laundry basket and she tried to pull it out crying, "beeeeeee, beeeeee!" at around the same time she took a liking to a stuffed bear that was given to her at birth. she calls him teddy, just like kellen's teddy and she needs both b and teddy to settle in for bed. i'm so thankful she now has these two to love and snuggle her and i really believe that soon they will help her to make the transition out of my arms at night!

ps. she does have a space of her own, really a corner in the office. i realize if we want to get serious about her sleeping, we should probably put more effort into giving her a room and a bed that she could actually sleep in. but we have been unwilling to give up the office or too lazy to make the change. we really just need a bigger house, but that also takes effort! here's a couple pics of her corner.

mama, i hate this crib!


the walls of her corner


ok - i guess i don't have the greatest pics of her space! i actually took these a few months ago, hoping to document something for her baby book, but never finished the photo session because she was hating it! here you get a glimps of the rug. it's pink, orange, green and cream striped and there is also a little white floor lamp and a chair to sit in...but no pics of the entire space. sorry! my sister loaned us the crib - it's a mini crib that folds up and is actually sort of cute. but as you can see...she hates it!

paycheck

as i mentioned below, i have recently started a little side contract that really just came out of the blue. today marks the start of my fourth week and so far so good. i'm working 15-20 hours a week, from home and on a temporary/contract basis. i'm actually still a little shocked to find myself working (for a paycheck...cause really, i've been working my butt off the last 8 months!), but it's kind of a perfect situation. i get to use my mind a bit, make a little money to restock my dwindling savings account, keep my resume fresh and current, but still have my focus here with my family. it's also make it easy knowing that i have an end date and the whole summer to look forward to with my babies!

so here's the scoop...a couple of months ago a former nike co-worker of mine reached out randomly to see if i was enjoying staying home and oh by the way would i be interested in a full time position (not at nike, at a company called knowledge universe). i replied that i was loving it and not looking for a full time role, but if he ever needed some part time help, i'd be happy to do it from home (thinking there wasn't a chance and really not looking for something!). Lo and behold, he replied right back that he might indeed have a need for that and that we should talk. a few weeks later, i found myself with a laptop, blackberry and back earning a paycheck!

side note: it does feel good to earn money. i don't think it's hugely important, because i do believe i'm doing my fair share contributing to our family, but money and the value we place on it is a weird thing. i recently applied for a credit card and had to put $0 income for my own and to my surprise (although i'm not sure why) i wasn't instantly approved. i've never had that happen and i won't lie, it felt a little odd/sad. i then applied under aaron's name and indeed, instant approval. i also am realizing that i've made virtually spent no money on myself since i quit my job (ie. i haven't had a haircut in 8 months) and now that i'm making a little money, i suddenly feel ok scheduling a hair appt for myself.

i feel really fortunate to have the type of career/experience that allows me the flexiblity to do this kind of work. when i quit i thought that i could always consult/contract if i wanted/needed and it sure feels good to know that it's possible. i remember back when i graduated from uo and was offered the job as a recruiter. at the time i knew nothing about recruiting as as career choice (i think it was still fairly new to specialize in recruitment) and can't tell you how many times i had to explain to friends and family what i do (to do this day, some of my family still just think i'm a headhunter!). i've definitely had my highs and lows and moments where i questioned my career choice, but it does pay to be a recruiter if/when you are looking for a job and to have a bunch of recruiter colleagues and friends!!!

seven

yesterday was our seven year anniversary. we ate a bunch of great food (toro bravo for dinner, papa haydn for dessert, then simpatico for breakfast the next day), had the house to ourselves for an entire night and then marveled at the last seven years. the day was beautiful, warm and sunny - just like the day we were married. i remember it like it was yesterday - it was perfect (except for the 300 missing candles that still haunt me to this day!!!!).



this was the first year we stayed home for our anniversary. for our first we went to cannon beach for a long weekend - there happened to be an art festival going on that we didn't know about and all the galleries had receptions with free wine, food and music. we enjoyed it all and then went back to our room and dug our forks into two cakes made by the baker who did our wedding cakes (who is sadly now out of business). our second we spent at skamania lodge. it was nice for sure, but skamania felt a little like an older crowd and just wasn't for us. for our third i was fairly early in my pregnancy with kellen and we spent a long weekend in victoria. we almost missed the ferry cause aa was parking the car and taking his sweet time. we rented a condo right off the harbor and had a great weekend walking and exploring a new city. for our fourth, kellen was five months old so we decided to stay closer to home and went back to cannon beach. we stayed in the same place, hit up all of our favorite spots and enjoyed our first anniversary as parents. for our fifth we wanted to do something a little more special and decided to have our first night (really three) away from kellen and headed down to san francisco to explore. i was also just finishing my first trimester with maya. we stayed right downtown and despite the rain and not so great weather, we walked and ate our way all over that city! so much fun and while we missed our boy, it was so nice to have that time as a couple. finally last year, for number six we again decided to go back to the place that never fails us - cannon beach. this time with our six month old baby girl. k stayed in salem with grandma and papa. what fun it was to celebrate and also have a little weekend with just our girl - a real rarity for #2!


i love this picture of my nephew when we were cutting the cake! he's now a teenager...ah! where does the time go?

we would have loved to have a little weekend away this year, but with a hawaii vacation right around the corner and a baby girl who still really hasn't slept through the night without a little comfort from me it just didn't feel right. but, we did have a night to ourselves because auntie molly was kind enough to take both kids for the night (knowing full well that maya might be a challenge!). we were actually going to play it by ear and possibly pick maya up after dinner and then drop her off the next morning again so we could go out to breakfast...but my sis texted at 10 to say they were all going to bed and that was that. maya was a dream - woke up once at 1:30 and rocked back to sleep until 8am. sure, she was with my sister the whole time, but boy did it feel good to know that she could sleep without me! {and somehow this post about our anniverary has turned into a post about maya!}



a close up of the angie and aaron bobblehead dolls that aaron's parents had made for us!

back to our wedding/anniversary...it was everything i hoped it to be - short and sweet ceremony, surrounded by our most loved friends and family and then a big party to celebrate where everyone enjoyed delish food, good drinks and danced their booties off! not to mention the fact that i married my best friend...truly. lots has changed these last seven years and it hasn't always been easy, but i'm so so so fortunate to have aa as my #1 teammate, partner and love.