A Day in the Life of a 3 Month Old

For starters.... I know I know. It has been a long LONG while since I've had a post.

A lot has changed in my life. For a quick update (will maybe go into details later) I am married to a great guy (Mike) and we have a beautiful 3 1/2 month old boy (Dash).

Being a first time mom, I have found that it is very...VERY hard, and I found myself constantly looking for help, opinions, or the routines of other moms online. I found that the "day in a life" blogs always interested me and made me feel better about my off the wall-no routines type of schedule. 

Things have finally *barely* started to slow down and become not so spur of the moment around here, so I decided to do a little Day in a Life blog of my own.....so here it is..

A little knowledge ahead of time:

*we are restaurant industry people, so our schedules are a little weird. we get up late and stay up late (at least for now, that may change a little soon)

*I breast fed exclusively until he turned 3 months, then had to introduce some formula as I wasn't producing enough for little big eater Dash. At the time that I made this post we were about 1/2 breast milk (pumped only) and 1/2 formula. 

*We are slowly increasing how much he eats at each feeding because the doctor said he needs to eat a little more

*this is a slightly more busy day than normal

*every single day is different and Dash runs the show but this is our life in a nut shell

*I am not a complete stay at home mom, I work 2-3 days a week. My husband and I do opposite shifts, and our cousin watches him one night. 

A Day in a Life of a 3 Month old

starring

Dash Mason Aparis

2 am

D goes to sleep. He decides to show off on this particular day and sleep in till 10am!! He has seriously never done this before, and sleep has been our biggest battle so far. He just recently started to not wake up every 3 hours so this blew my mind a little bit.

10am

D wakes up, eats 3oz of formula and nurses for a little while. Try to burp him, but doesn't work (typical for this feeding)

10:30-11:30 

back to sleep, or a little nap...whatever you wanna call it

11:30-12

Daddy time. Mike usually gets up with him a little earlier than me, and lets me sleep a little bit more. I could use this time to shower and get ready...etc. etc. but Im still exhausted, so sleep it is!

12 Noon

Time to eat! 4 1/2 oz

12:20

Diaper change and ready to get dressed (some days we spend the whole day in our diaper, but we have places to be today)

(Thank you Grami for my outfit)

12:30-1:30

Mike and I take this time to have coffee and a banana.

and also take turns playing and dancing with D, while listening to music and burning a cd

(us dancing)

1:30-3:30

We have a big day tomorrow, so we need to go shopping for a new outfit for Dash, a shirt for Daddy and shoes for Mommy.

He falls asleep in the car and is asleep most of the time

(he almost always falls asleep in the car, and will stay asleep in the stroller)

I also found this little gem too, woo!

3:40

We are back home and hungry! Dash eats a 4 1/2 oz bottle 

and we have a grilled cheese!

yummmm

We all eat together-ish and then Coo/play with little Dash

4:30 

Diaper change and Daddy leaves for work

4:35

Dash plays on his activity mat while I sort laundry and change into work out clothes

4:50 

he gets bored/fussy so we do some tummy time

5:00

He is for sure over it and screaming. I put my Moby wrap on and put him in it. He is immediately content

(Daddy's new shirt in the back)

We then head on over to start the laundry. 

Laundry is a little more difficult for us because we do it all in one day, and we have to go to a laundry room to do it, but its all good :)

After starting laundry, D was quite content in the Moby, so we just walked around the house for a little bit.

5:30

We are approaching nap time so we hop in the stroller to go change the laundry and then walk around.

He is taking a while to fall asleep so we keep walking.

So lucky to live in the finest city around, sunny San Diego.

As he falls asleep, we walk past the complex workout room and there are a few people in there, so I decide to go back and pump for a bit. 

6:15

Baby is still asleep, so I check the workout room again. It has cleared out so I start to jog on the treadmill. D lets me get one mile in before he is awake and super hungry.

6:30

Home and feeding baby 4 1/2 ounces

7

Watch MTV's Catfish while Dash plays and is happy baby

oh Max and Nev, silly boys

7:05

Diaper change and I snack on some crackers and have a mini coke :)

Dash decides to chew on my hand

cHubs

7:10-7:55

We keep playing, I paint my toe nails and we have one more diaper change....a poopy one

8:10 

Dash gets very sleepy so I rock him to sleep before gently placing him in the stroller to go pick up the laundry

8:11

He wakes up and chews his blanket 

we go get the laundry anyway, you should see me push the stroller and pull the laundry basket behind me at the same time....good times.

8:35

D is back to sleep so I put him in his swing to nap, while I finish painting my toes and fold the laundry.

(I haven't changed his outfit all day because he never spit up or pooped on himself)

9:05

Dash wakes up and entertains himself by looking at the monkeys on his swing

9:15

He is ready to eat 41/2 ounces

9:45

Dash is grumpy and just wants to be held.

I of course jinxed it and he spits up.

10

Change his diaper and take off his outfit 

its just diaper only time, or nakie time as we call it. He loves wearing just a diaper.

(he sleeps in a swaddle with just a diaper underneath, its too hot for an outfit, he wakes up sweaty as it is)

10:50

Dash falls asleep. I use this time to call my mom, make a frozen pizza, eat and put away the laundry

(I'm speedy fast)

11:50 

Dash wakes up and eats 3 ounces

He is fussy and wants to be held again....so we watch some recorded shows.

1am

Daddy is home and its time for a bath!

1:15-2

Catch up on each others day, eat some cookies and feed dash a few more ounces.

2am

BEDTIME

and then we do it all over again....

he wakes up at 8:30am for a feeding again too 

There are plenty more burp and diaper sessions in there but I lost track.

Hopefully you enjoyed the day in our exciting new life!! and I hope this helps ease the mind of some of you new moms out there. Keep posting your "day in a life" blogs because I will keep reading them!!

Dash Mason

4.2.14

Currently #1

 

Loving: Modern Warfare III, Staycations, and Iced Carmel Macchiatos. I can't get enough of them. Seriously.  Also my new hip hop class. It’s so invigorating.

 

Reading: Self and Shape magazines every month. I have yet to fall into a book recently (sadly) and have resorted to reading magazines with pictures of inspiring workouts and recipes that I never try. Oh and occasionally one of those cheap-o news line celebrities buzz magazines.

 

Watching: That 70's show in the afternoons, Friends at night, and an occasional teen mom and SYTYCD now and then. I sneak a Reba or two in every now and then as well. I need a new and exciting show to swoop me up.

 

Thinking About: Life in general, and how it can stand still yet fly by all at the same time. It’s interesting how things will never be just perfect, and it’s hard to try to let things go. Each day has something new to bring, yet sometimes it feels like every day is the same.

 

Surprised by: How far I have come, and how drastically things have changed in this year.

 

Making me sad: Thinking about what my family is going through right now. It's never easy. Also how insanely hot it is lately.

 

Making me Happy: Thoughts and hope for the future, and being stable (financially and emotionally (somewhat)) right now.

 

Inspired by: http://lovethefreeworld.blogspot.com/2012/09/hello-aimless-currently-3.html

MIA

That has been me.

MIA

 

Between my life changing so drastically that I can hardly keep up,

And dealing with anxiety/depression issues I always thought people just made up,

Moving

and shifting

And working working working.

Surprise visits,

Lost of loved ones,

Heartbreak,

Hope,

And Relapse

I have had a lack of inspiration.

A lack of motivation.

My world is spinning so fast that I feel like I'm constantly dizzy.

Constantly fighting a battle.

And I apologize.

But I'm back to say a proper Goodbye

 NO No no, not to the blog. I will be back on here soon I hope....

 But Goodbye to one of the most beautiful women I have ever met.

Goodbye to an artist

A lover

A traveler

A painter

A woman who knew the meaning of doing what you have to do to support your family

A mother with too much family to even fathom keeping track of

An opinionated lady who spoke her mind

 and now...

 An angel.

Rest in Peace Grandma

Carlotta Jeanne Matta

9/3/42-2/9/12

You're impression on us was huge.

Forever with love.

I know you are swimming with the dolphins now.

The big 5-0h for the daddyo

I just want to give a shout out to the best dad in the world.....

Don Kleifgen.

Because it is his 50th birthday today! 

Finally (he has been saying he's 50 for the last 5 or so years now)

So happy birthday dad!!

My dad (and mom and I) back in the day

My dad (and his mom) more recently

Bathroom Poetry

I used to write poems a lot....

Just in my free time, scribbled on a napkin and shoved in my sock drawer, or on a random blank page in the middle of a notbook sitting in history class.

See everynow and then my brain goes into "rhyming mode" where I can't think of anything without making it ryme and flow together with a little rhythm. For a breif moment I feel all inspired and artistic, so I would try to write it down....with hopes to put it in a song somewhere someday or something...

I havent written a poem in a long long time, but recently my brain went into "rhyming mode" again and I came up with a little bathroom poetry.

Maybe some girls can relate...

I live in my bathroom, there's clothes on the floor.
The trash can overfloweth with tissues galore.
I live in my bathroom, I unplugged the fan.
The hum was so loud, I couldn't hear my favorite band.
I live in my bathroom, there's spots on the mirror.
When the shower heats up, you can hardly see clear.
I live in my bathroom, makeup is spewed around.
But with a quick swipe of mascara, I'm beach bound.
I live in my bathroom, landing pad for the purse.
Backdrop for cellphone photos, not sure what's worse.
I live in my bathroom, my own little space,
And to live anywhere else would be just a waste.


So ladies, do you have a spot like this? That (or seems to be) all yours?

Where is the landing spot for your purse??

How Did This Happen?

How did this happen to me?

How could I have possibly come down with....

BIEBER FEVER!?!?

It just swept me out of nowhere.

I swore I wouldn't.

But I did.

I blame this song....

It's a cold rainy day here in sunnyville CA,

perfect for a grilled cheese, soup, and a pepermint mocha.

Holiday season's around the corner.

You getting excited yet!?

I am.

Sorry for the lack of posts, its due to lack of inspiration. 

I plan to be back with raging ideas soon....



Year One

No, not the movie.....

But the first year that I have been living the dream (my dream at least).

The first year I could go to the beach whenever I wanted.

The first year I could wear shorts and a tank on christmas.

The first year I actually felt like I was where I belong.

Growing up, I had all these dreams of how amazing it would be to live in SoCal. I dreamed of walking the beach on foggy mornings, meeting people who were one with the ocean, and so comfortable in their surroundings. I dreamed of rolling green hills, warm sunny days, light jackets in the crisp evenings, swaying palm trees, and much much more.

I was surprised, though, that every single one of those dreams came true.

SoCal and surpassed my expectations, which has led me to believe that I can never leave this place.

The people here are so friendly, and I feel like they really get me.


There are of course a few things I miss about Northern AZ, like monsoon season, low rent rates, and curling up by the fire.

But nothing beats waking up in the morning, and going outside to the freshest scent in the world, and dew drops all over everything. Spiderwebs glisten, and you honestly feel like you can do anything if you put your mind to it.

It has been an amazing Year One here in San Diego.

I have a great job.
Great friends.
Amazing apartment.

(off our porch)

This year flew by like you couldn't imagine.

And I can't wait for many more years here in Paradise.

When the Lights Go Out in the City....

You have FREE REIGN to raid the freezer....including ice cream. (or else it will all melt!)

The candles are lit and the windows open up, allowing you to hear the world without the hum of computers, fans, ac's, etc. etc.

The streets go haywire. No traffic lights-no rules.

No food places are open, no means to cook your own food (unless you have a grill)..and you can forget about an ice cold beer....

Dogs communicate out the window, 101 Dalmatians style.

The world becomes a dark dark place, waiting for those delayed flights.

And once your cell phone dies, you are communication-less with the world. 

And unable to listen to music. 

Last night, from about 3pm to 1am, San Diego was still in its silent, dark self. 

1.4 million people without power.

dun dun dun.

We will just blame it on AZ. :) And now i'm going to turn off the computer to "save power". ciao for now.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Massive-Power-Outage-Hits-San-Diego-OC-129498468.html

Fall Cleaning

Well, we are soaking up the last few days of summer, and Fall is among us. 

Fall has become one of my favorite seasons, leaving me dreaming of pumpkins, colorful leaves, and cool crisp air. 

(even though, living in San Diego now means the temperature only drops from the high 80's to the mid 70's, but still)

And I have always despised "Spring Cleaning"....

Maybe its because I hate spring with its wind, and bugs, and pollen floating around. 

And does it really make sense to deep clean everything RIGHT before the season of being outside. The season where there are sure to be masses of sand, dirt, and chlorine covered bodies tracing in and out of the house?? 

Not to mention monsoon season which leaves everything muddy...

Turning our homes right back into the mess it was before the inevitable "Spring Cleaning". 

Well I wont do it. (not that I ever really did...)

AND, I'm going on a limb and trying my own thing: Fall Cleaning. 

I will wipe away the mess from that sweet, sweet, sweaty, sticky summer. Leaving the house crisp and clean for the Fall/Winter seasons, where I can curl up with some cocoa by the fire and watch the.....trees.? 

A girl can dream right?

Here, let me try to set the mood

(borrowed images)

Eh...I tried

Anyhoo, this is my Fall Cleaning List:

Scrub (and I mean SCRUB) the grill

Clean off the porch

Go through all the stacks of papers from the last year and get rid of them or file them

Clean out/stock the fridge

Get rid of the 'ol text books

Gather all the clothes that I don't wear or don't fit me, and give them to Good-Will

Wash out the iced chest

Dust

Decorate

Scrub the Bathrooms

Rearrange

etc., etc.

My biggest goal lately is to get rid of things that are not of importance. I am so tired of having so much "stuff". 

My pack rat days are over.

Do you have any cleaning/chores you need to get done?

Maybe a haul of boxes before the snow?

So long summer. You were bitter-sweet, as always.

Until next time.

Pause for the little things....

....like love.

She says it best.....

Amazing performance

it almost makes me cry...

The Hunger Games

I recently read a book, for the very first time,

              The Hunger Games

                (The first book)
And during those two in a half days it took me to read it (I never read books that fast), it consumed my soul.

WARNING- If you have not read this book, and you plan to I will be talking about some character traits and struggles that may be best discovered by reading the book yourself. There will be no story line plot spoilers.

The book was all I could think about during those days, and a few days after. The characters and scenery that  the author portrayed were so rich (in characteristics, not money) and real. Although the book is set in a sort of alternate reality, you can't help but feel that the situations are realistic and heart wrenching.

In the moments I wasn't reading the pages of the book, I was constantly watching and noting my surroundings. When outdoors I felt as though I was going out to hunt my game, and I was constantly watching my back; survival mode. I started questioning my peers, and my trust with them. I wondered how different those people would be if our world was like the world in the book. I was confident I could take on any battle at any point and time.

(I have a very large imagination)

I absolutely loved the main character, Katniss. Not only was her name unique and symbolical, but she was realistic and raw, yet hopeful.
It was hard to earn her trust or catch her smile.
She was honest and upfront.
I couldn't help thinking that I would be similar to her if I was in her situation.
I also couldn't help thinking how thrilling and real being in her situation would be. I would never be bored, and life would feel so important and edgy.

I also know that it would be very painful, physically and emotionally. And if I was ever put in a position like hers, I would regret thinking that in an instant.

This book is an easy reading level, and if you have not read it yet (and you are still reading this post...) you should defiantly check it out.

It was absolutely wonderful, and I can't wait to read the other books.

   Good luck in  your journey through the Hunger Games,

          And may the odds ever be in your favor.

Photography: Trial and Error and Error....

I LOVE photography.

I love to look at it, I love to practice it, and I love following blogs with good photographers. 

But I have yet to take a class, and I feel my skills are lacking. I really want to get good at it!

You see, I love to practice on my dog (because he is so cute), but whenever we take him out to good photography spots, he gets a little too excited, and most my pictures end up like this:

or like this

(he loved chasing the birds)

Every now and then I catch an okay one

Or a goofy one

By they are few and far between

Now I have read hundreds of tips online and such, but I want to know what really works for you!
What quick and successful tips do you have for taking pictures?
(It doesn't have to be just action/dog shots, I like taking still shots too)

We did have a lot of fun at the park though :D

Also.......

I celebrated my birthday not too long ago, and look at my amazing cake!

Yes, its a Mrs. Pac Man

And yes, that is an upside down stuffed Mario mushroom in the background.

It was a great 22nd birthday!

Anyhoo, have a great week and leave me your photography secrets!
 ( please ;D )

P.S. These are a couple of my favorite photography bloggers. Their blogs are not focused around photography, but they always include multiple excellent photos in each blog post all taken by them!

http://manditremayne.blogspot.com/

http://tracys-trinkets-treasures.blogspot.com/

http://russandselena.blogspot.com/