But I Just Turned 21?!

I guess I will warn all of you that this post is a selfish one. Many of you will laugh but I am having a VERY hard time with my birthday, which is less than a month away. This isn’t a regular birthday either. I, Katie Moore, am going to be 30.

At this point in my life, I am staying home with Lily and enjoying it more than I ever imagined. BUT (there’s always a but) I guess when I was younger, I thought by 30 I would be running an empire of a company. Staying home with my daughter was never in the forefront of my mind and my career was always the priority.

Source: flickr Aih

I suppose I shouldn’t complain. I have the love and support of my wonderful husband who works so hard to provide for us, and never complains. He really is the rock of the family and I think especially since having Lily I appreciate him more and more everyday. He has already passed the big 3-0 with few nerves and a sense of confidence I don’t know if I could pull off.

I guess in the end, I am running an empire. The Moore Empire. Although we are small, I am in charge of the way our house operates. I can’t take sick days and I can’t ask for a substitute. Managing our house may not be what I had expected, but I have been blessed with this family that I love so very much.

Getting back to 30. I once read an article about the “30 Things Every Woman Should Know by 30.” There are some items on the list I can agree with but I wanted to put together my own list of what I THINK women approaching 30 should know. It’s not as long, and maybe not as good but nevertheless important to me.

5. It’s okay if not everyone likes you. That’s it. Appreciate the people in life who LOVE you.

4. Get your bra size re-checked every year. Trust me.

3. Learn to compromise and don’t feel defeated. It’s okay.

2. Red lipstick is always in style.

Source: flickr emma.buckley

1. Nothing beats a night in with a bowl of popcorn, an old movie and some quality family time.

I guess this post wasn’t as scary as I thought. Thanks for letting me vent blog friends!

Following Up...

I know I had posted earlier about what I would change during my second pregnancy and left it pretty open-ended. I think I’ve nailed it down to the top things I would do differently if I were to get pregnant again.

Take more pregnancy pictures
I’ve seen women who take a picture of their stomach progression every single day of their pregnancy. At first I thought “Too much work!” but after seeing a few clever photomontages, I think I’d want to try something similar. Maybe not everyday, but at least once a week! Take a peek at a few that I found here at My Life in Transition and Backwards In Heels.

Prepare with a better hospital bag
When Lily was born I brought my pajamas to the hospital. I didn’t even think to pack some of the essentials and my DH had to run out and buy stuff on the fly. He literally made 4 trips to Target and I’m sure wasn’t thrilled about it. I found the ultimate hospital bag checklist at Pregnant Chicken and she includes items I never would have imaged (trashy magazines…why not!)

Bank our babies’ umbilical cord blood
I mentioned this before and I did quite a bit of research surrounding umbilical cord blood banking. I talked to many moms (and dads!) about their decision to bank and store their child’s cord blood. I even called Viacord (my friend Meghan banked with them) to learn more and hear it “straight from the horses mouth.” A few things struck me that I thought were worth mentioning. For starters, they don’t just store the blood, they actually have to extract the stem cells from it, and if they aren’t able to obtain enough from the blood, some private banks will refund your money. One less worry! Also, when wondering what set them apart, I was encouraged to find banks like ViaCord partner with non-profits and universities to research how they can help children with diseases like cerebral palsy, diabetes, and leukemia. It’s nice to know they’re not just storage facilities.

Not eat so much
During my first pregnancy I ate 2 bagels every morning. When I think about it now, that it outrageous. I used my pregnancy as an excuse to eat double the dessert or dive into the snack bowl. I did a lot of research afterwards and found that organic foods, fruits and vegetables are much better options for pregnant women. I learned the hard way that pregnancy weight doesn’t just melt away like I had thought. Lesson learned!

With those thoughts in mind, my husband and I have talked more seriously about trying for another child and it may be sooner than we planned. I’ll make sure to keep you all posted!

...Goodbye Sandy....Hello Halloween!

I really hope the worst of Sandy is over and we can all work on repairing what she left. It’s crazy to think of such natural disaster can shake an entire coastline! We didn’t get hit nearly as badly as we had anticipated, but boy was I nervous!

If this storm had taken place before Lily was born, I probably wouldn’t have given it two thoughts. I am always skeptical about the weather and never really completely buy into what the weatherman says (sorry!)

But not this time! We stocked up on canned goods, water, candles, EVERYTHING! We have a generator that my parents gave us a while ago and I had lanterns all over the house. It’s funny how you really can’t keep the house baby-proofed in preparation for a hurricane.

Luckily, we weren’t hit with anything too major. We have a few branches down but we really faired well against Sandy. It’s heartbreaking for me to see the images coming out of New York and New Jersey. Throughout the storm, I followed Bethenny Frankel’s (from the Bravo network) tweets. She and her family were evacuated from their NYC apartment and I can’t even imagine. I would be a wreck!

I’ve been sending thoughts and prayers all week long to everyone that has been hit. I hope for a safe rebuild for everyone and you can enjoy your Halloween tonight.
Take a peek at our pumpkins:

We're going to wait to let Lily have a pumpkin of her own. She just enjoyed watching us carve. Enjoy your Halloween everyone- stay safe!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

There are many reasons why I love October. The leaves begin to change color, the air gets a tad bit cooler, the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks comes out, and most of all everyone wears the color PINK. Not only do people wear pink, we basically live pink. Every where we look, theres pink.  The NFL (and other sports) all wear various pink items. Our local grocery store workers have all worn pink shirts this month. I have seen pink hair, pink lips, pink food even! This year, I chose to 'go all out'- well for me anyway- and honor those I know personally and all those I have never met who have been affected by breast cancer. I had a pink strand of hair put in!!! I know, crazy huh!? Breast cancer is something that has affected my life in many ways. Not to get into a lot of detail, but I know many women who have fought and survived breast cancer, and some who have lost their life to breast cancer. So I thought, why not get pink hair?! I took a photo so y'all could see (and got a little fancy with my instagram)!!! Let me know what you think- and think PINK!!

The Decision to Try Again…

Happy October!

I love my job. I wake up every morning and get to spend the day with my daughter. How much luckier can I be?

We won’t talk about the time she put my keys in the toilet, or how I don’t wear a whole lot of make-up anymore, and sometimes I miss the daily interactions with other adults ☺ I do miss all of those things (well except the keys), but this is a really special time in my life, and Lily’s!

After my husband got home last night we started talking about the idea of expanding our family. Getting pregnant with Lily was AMAZING, but it took some time and we really don’t want too large of an age gap between our children.

I have a lot of emotions about this and I’ll name a few: anxious, excited, nervous…I think these are normal and I look forward to bringing another little life into the world.

Before bringing this bit of news to the blog, I was talking about it with my mother, who always has her own piece of advice ☺ She started questioning what I will do differently this time around as a mom (in a nice way, I swear.)

One thing that I’ve become more aware of is cord blood banking. I really didn't know much about banking your umbilical cord blood when Lily was born and had NO idea how many uses it had. I like the idea that it would be there if we ever needed it. I still need to do more research, and I’ve spoken to a lot of mom’s including family friends who have banked their cord blood. I still need more information, but it is definitely something I am looking into.

Another thing that hit me is I need to learn not to sweat the small stuff. I still panic when Lily cries and assume she’s in real trouble. Half of the time she’s just hungry, or tired or just wants to cry! I’ve learned this lesson the hard way.

I wish I could leave this post open because these thoughts pop into my head and I never write them down. I suppose I’ll leave it open and forgive me if you see random “...what I will do differently...” thoughts in later posts. ☺

Liebster Blog Award

"A comment? On my blog? WHAT?!" Thats usually what I say when I open my mail and find out someone has left a comment on my blog. Its sort of like that christmas morning feeling when you are opening a present, 'what is it, what is it!?' 

To my surprise, Jovell, from "A Women's Story" left me the kindest comment I have probably ever received. I would first like to thank you, Jovell, for taking the time to look at my blog AND for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award! I feel so honored. 

Wait so what is it I was nominated for?

Well, the Liebster Blog Award is an award that is passed around through the blogging community as one blogger nominates other for the award. To quote Jovell, 

"Liebster is a German word meaning "dearest" or "beloved." As Joan puts it, it may also mean favorite, sweetest, kindest, nicest, lovely, kinda, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.  Blogs given these awards are those considered as one of the favorites of the nominator."

The award actually is pretty fun- I get to share some info about myself, create my own questions and nominate other blogs for the award!  Here are the rules: 

1. Each person must list 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the 11 questions that the tagger has set for you PLUS you MUST create 11 questions of your own for the 11 people you will nominate with this award.
3. Choose up to 11 bloggers linking them to your post. (Though I've seen other blogs nominate less than 11)
4. Go to their page and inform them of the nomination.
5. Absolutely NO tags back. Remember to ONLY tag bloggers with less than 200 followers.

1. Dog or Cat? Why?

Dog! They play fetch :) And as cute as cats can be, I enjoyed running around and playing outside with my dog growing up!

2. What's the best lesson you've learned in school?

The golden rule of course! "Treat others the way you want to be treated!"

3.What quote do you hold dear to your heart?

"Live the life you have imagined." - you only live once!

4. Who's your favorite "hunk" actor?

So this is going to sound so cliche of me, but George Clooney. The hunkiest of hunks.

5. Fiction or non-fiction?

Hmm, this is a tough one, I really like them both! Fiction allows you to fantasize, leave reality for a bit, but a good non-fiction book always intrigues me though?

6. What do you deeply wish for in your life?

I wish good health for my family and I. So many people close to me have had tragedies in their life. There is nothing I want more than to live a long, healthy life with my family.

7. What is the most favorite dish of your family that you've cooked for them?

Buffalo Chicken wing dip. Every family event I bring this dish to pass... per request of, EVERYONE.

8. What is love?

What a deep question. Love. Love is the feeling I get looking at my daughter. Love is planting a big smooch on my husbands lips because I can. Love is calling my mom just to chat. Love is different for everyone, but to me- "love is felt, not heard."

9. What's your favorite cartoon?

I like to play Barney for my daughter!

10. What's the thing that you dread most?

Drowning. 

 I hope you enjoyed my answers! Here are the questions I pose for my nominees:

1. Would you rather be a bird or a fish?

2. Lake or Ocean?

3. If you could have one super power what would it be?

4. Why did you start blogging?

5. What do you do for fun?

6. What does "go green" mean to you?

7. Favorite food.

8. Secret obsession.

9. Favorite time of year.

10. What did you want to be when you grew up?

11. Name one thing on your bucket list.

(in my best announcing voice): AND THE NOMINEES AREEE...

1. Kat from Mom Kat's Notes

2. Jennifer from Diary of a Working Mom

3. The Diva from Diary of a Diva Mom

4. Nicole from Domesticated Momma

5. Claire from The Secret Notebook

6. Kristy from Vintage Romance- With a Heart for Christ 

I everyone takes a click on over to see the nominees, their answers and who they nominated! This is a great award, it sure brightened my day!

Thanks, Jovell!

Happy Birthday, Lily!

One year ago today, I gave birth to the most precious little girl in the whole world; she has changed my life in ways I didn't know possible. As cliche as that may sound, its how I really feel. To see her happiness, her joy and her youth I have been given another look at what life is all about. I cherish every moment her and I spend together. Although I have yet to unveil pictures of her adorable little self online, I dedicate this post to her. Here's to you, beautiful girl.

We celebrated Lily's birthday over the weekend with family and close friends. It turned out to be better than I ever could have expected. I baked. My mom baked. Friends brought a few dishes to pass. And everyone, I mean EVERYONE, brought presents. As if this little child doesn't have enough toys, clothes accessories and everything else in the world, right? (Guess I am going to have to do some closet cleaning this week!)

As much time as I spend looking at Pinterest, other blogs and magazines (and did I say Pinterest?) you would think Lily's birthday party would have been decked out to the nine's right? Something like this:

From: The Party Wagon

or maybe like this?

From: Ellen Bessett Event's

Due to the lack of time, money... and well let's face it, the lack of my creative abilities, Lily's birthday was much more casual than these beautiful parties. We had balloons, cake, cupcakes, PIZZA, and most importantly, guests! For me I would say thats a success right there; we threw a party and people actually came! HA! (Just kidding, of course they attended!) Anyway, here a few pictures I managed to scrounge up from family and friends since I always forget to take them!

Pizza delivery   

the cake my mom brought 

cupcakes made by: yours truly

Ok, ok... I did manage to put some decorations on a few tables, but nothing too fancy! Overall we had a wonderful time with the people we love. The adults shared stories and watched as the older kids ran around playing, and the younger kids as they crawled, drooled and made a mess with their cupcakes.  

After all was said and done, (but not all picked up), and Lily was in bed, my husband and I shared a favorite of ours to cap off the night- chocolate milkshakes!!! As if we didn't have enough sweets throughout the day, but hey, your daughter only turns one, once!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILY! 

We look forward to celebrating many more, 

Love Mom & Dad