We love California.

*A fun and picture-filled blog update to come!*

New Chapter.

I have made one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.  I'm leaving my job to be a full-time mother.

Now I know you can say, that's a no-brainer, your child is the most important thing, it's not a hard decision.  Or you may say, don't be old-fashioned, be a working woman, day care isn't a big deal.

I've thought about each side of the spectrum.  Thought about each side for hours.  Talked to Joseph for hours.  Talked to my mom.  It was a really hard decision for me.

Now before I go on, let me say that I love my daughter more than I thought I could ever love anything.

Having said that, my job has become a part of me.  The people I work with, the things I do every day.  It's become who I am.  It doesn't define me, but I take great pride in the fact that I do what I do SO WELL.

I have been very fortunate to have a generous boss who has become much more than that.  He's a great friend.  He really cares about Joseph, Ayla, and I.  I look forward to our daily conversations about furniture, jack in the box, shoes, people, you name it, we talk about it.

And then my co-workers... they're my FRIENDS!  I care so much about them.  I hate getting up in the morning, but I've never once been upset about going to work.  I look forward to it.

The work that I do!  I eat, sleep, drink, and breathe these accounts!  I can't sleep at night because I'm wondering if a specific install went in.  I wake up and check my emails in the middle of the night to see if I missed anything.  I can't wait to get into work and check that days installs that are scheduled to be going in.  It's like I get high on solving problems and having things go exactly the way they are supposed to.

I feel like I am losing a part of me and it's going to be so hard.  I couldn't even talk to Mark. I handed him my letter and burst into tears.  He was so good.  He gave me a hug and he told me that there was nothing wrong with the choice that I was making.  He said that being a mother is the most amazing job that one could do.  He told me that society today makes it seem like a negative thing to stay home with your children, but there is no shame in being a mother.  He said the team will miss me, but that he supports my decision.  After I stopped crying I was relieved.

It's official.  I get to spend my time - all my time - with her!

My beautiful Tiny girl.

She is perfect.

She is my world and I can't wait to giver her everything I have every day!

Here goes motherhood...

Let's See How Far We've Come...

My baby girl is 4 months old!  I can hardly believe it.  Time really does fly.  These past four months have been the most amazing, challenging, eventful months of my life!  I've watched my Tiny grow from a squishy little shrimp to a long and lean little angel!  Every day is something new and better than the day before.  I am so thankful for my sweet little girl and the way she loves me unconditionally, even when I can't seem to get things right.

Ayla Marie- 20 minutes old

Ayla Marie- 2 months old

Ayla Marie- 4 months old

She gets more beautiful every time I look at her!  Today at the doctor she had her 4 month shots (ow!) and she weighed in at 11.15 pounds.  She is 24 1/2" long.  She is still tall and VERY skinny!  The doctor said we need to thicken up her formula a bit because he's a little concerned about how skinny she is.  If the silly girl would just eat her food in the first place this wouldn't be an issue!

Fun Stats

At Birth:

Weight- 6.14 lbs

Height- 19 1/2"

2 Months:

Weight- 9.3 lbs

Height- 22"

4 Months:

Weight- 11.15 lbs

Height- 24 1/2"

*In her 2 month picture she is wearing her cute jungle jammies, she wore the exact same jammies today at her 4 month appointment.  She is still SO TINY!!*

Boy, have I been slacking!

I have been terrible at updating my blog!  I'm sure people aren't noticing/missing this, but I am angry at myself for not doing a better job of keeping this online journal.  (I know it's a blog, but since I do not write in a paper journal, sadly, this is my journal.)

Things of late that are noteworthy:

1.  Ayla ooo-ing and ahhh-ing and trying her hardest to sing along with any song she hears
2.  Ayla laughing at just about anything these days.
3.  Brandon being our full-time Manny, and excelling at this incredible task.  (Ayla LOVES her uncle)
4.  Malky having her babies- 5 of them!  (at least 3 are still up for grabs!)
5.  Joseph and I getting a new car!  (Used and still in WA, but coming soon!)  A 98 Subaru Forester.
6.  Joseph and I getting a gym membership that includes free childcare (YAY!!!)
7.  Me losing 15 lbs since January 8th but having a hard time lately keeping up with my diet/exercise :/
8.  Me getting a promotion and pay raise at work.  But as always, with more responsibility comes harder work...
9.  Ayla trying baby food and hating it the first time, but the second time she did just a little bit better.
10.  Being a healthy and happy family with not enough sleep but LOTS of love :)

 

Baby Ayla and Uncle Brandon

Malky and her babies

Mama!

Babies!

  

My baby in her warm gear!

Pretty girl HATING her food :)

I love my little grumpy gills!

She is my dolly!

Today Ayla spent time with her stuffed animals.

She loves Pooh Bear and wouldn't stop eating his ear.

She's my sweet baby doll :)

***Update on my Shape Ups***

They are working!  Or at least they seem to be.  After a few hours of wearing them my legs feel like they are on FIRE!  It's intense!  It makes walking around feel so much more productive!

I am happy to report that since January 8th I have lost 11.4 pounds!  It's a slow road, but if I keep working at it I will get there eventually!  I'm on pace to be at my goal weight (42 pounds lighter than I am now) on June 26th!  I can do it!

Oh and I traded my tan Shape Ups in for this pair:  (They just look better with my jeans and all my black workout clothes.)

Shape Up!

Last night I broke down and bought Sketcher's Shape Ups.  They are the ugliest shoe in the world but they claim to do the following things:

•  Promote weight loss
• Tone muscles
• Improve Posture
• Reduce stress on knees and ankles.

Designed to improve your life by changing the way you walk, Shape-ups feature a unique soft kinetic wedge insert and dynamic rolling bottom to simulate walking on soft sand. With the comfort of Shape-ups, you will feel your heel sink to the ground as you step, roll forward as your weight shifts to its center, and push off with your toes. This movement will result in stronger leg, buttock, back and abdominal muscles as you stabilize your steps. 

I thought about getting the all white pair, but decided to go with this one:  (to match my northface fleece in this color)

Hideous, I know.  I have read a lot of great reviews and I'm excited to give them a shot. 

You are supposed to wear them for at least half an hour a day.  (While walking of course.)  This should be easy because I generally try to walk at least an hour a day.  From everything that I've read- and what I have felt so far- wearing them for half an hour feels like an intense hour-long leg workout.

As of today I have 44 lbs to lose in order to reach my ideal weight.  I will post my progress on here in hopes of keeping myself motivated!  If these shoes give me an extra little boost that would be fantastic!  But I also need to cut out the sweets, ease up on the carbs, cut out the sugary coffees and sodas, and really really exercise!

I will let you know how they work out and what kind of progress I make!  (If they don't work out I will be utilizing Nordstrom's awesome return policy!)

Talking Already!

Ayla is 10 weeks old and talking already!

Ok, so she's not really talking, but she is making a heck of a lot of cute sounds!



I love her tiny voice and her ever-going expressions!

Like mother like daughter...

I am starting to realize that my baby DOES actually look like me!  She definitely looks like her daddy, but comparing some of my baby pictures with hers I am seeing the similarities!

What do you think?

Me at 2 months.  Ayla at 2 months.

Me as a happy baby.  Ayla as a happy baby.

 

My mom, me and our kitty 1985 and Ayla, I, and our kitty 2010.

Me on my dad's shoulders and Ayla sitting with me.

I think we have the same eyes, lips, and facial structure.  Her nose is all from her daddy!  :)

Getting so big, so fast!

Ayla is just over two months and getting bigger every day!  She's still tiny, but growing so quickly!  I'll be going back to work soon and I'm going to miss our time together during the days!

Happy to be getting out of her car seat! (which she hates)

My little sweetheart!

Mommy and Ayla - Best friends!

Salazar/Keene Family meets the Farley Family!

My new friend Tasha, along with my old friend Logan, and their beautiful new daughter Kylee, came to visit Utah from Sparks, Nevada!

We got to spend a decent amount of time with them... Dinner at Red Robin, chatting at our house, Tasha and I got coffee and pedicures, hanging out in the ER (Poor Nic!), and good-bye coffee at Starbucks!

It's been so fun for me getting to know and be friends with Tasha, she's a really sweet girl and we seem to have a lot in common. (the most fun thing being our baby girls who are only 8 weeks apart!)  Back in high school we were not fond of each other- at all!  It's funny how things change when you grow up and you can see past petty little things.  Spending time with her in person was really great, and it was nice to see Logan and his mama again as well.  What a great family!  Kylee is so adorable and such a happy little girl.  I hope that we get to see them again soon!

Here are some pictures from our visits!

Kylee and Ayla!

Kylee liked to touch Ayla and Ayla loved to stare at Kylee

Kylee Kay!

 

Ayla Marie!

First Best Friends!

Tasha and I with our girls

Just Tasha and I