15 pieces of advice for friends and family

After eating TONS of watermelon on Memorial Day
Playing in the backyard with Kona.
Exploring Grams and PopPop's backyard.
Heidi's $1 garage sale find. Fun!
Love the crazy hair!

What to do for new parents:

This blog post was inspired by the fact that I know of a lot of women that are pregnant right now and it brings me back to what it was like, adjusting to a new life with an infant. I thought I would write down all of the wonderful things people did for us or other new parents as well as the things I wish family and friends would have done. That way, as my close friends and siblings have kids in the future, I will have this to look back on so that I know how to be a good support for other new parents. If you have other things to add, leave me a comment so that I have extra opinions.

1. If it’s not horribly inconvenient, bring some flowers by the hospital. My mom just did this for a friend of ours from HS who was in labor and I thought it was so sweet of her!
2. Bring dinner by for the new parents. Bring something healthy and enough for leftovers. It’s hard as a new mom to make time to prepare good food for lunches with a crying, nursing baby. We had a few friends do this as well as parents and it was wonderful!
3. Call before you show up and check to see if it’s an okay time. As wonderful and thoughtful it is that you are stopping by, the new parents may be trying to nap, nurse or spend some time with the new baby.
4. Set up a time to go over and clean or help out. Rearrange YOUR schedule to do this- especially if you don’t have napping kids. Heidi did this last summer when she wasn’t working and it was wonderful to have someone to walk with, and someone to hold a screaming child while I went to the store, to get a hair cut, or to take a nap.
5. Ask the new mom how SHE is doing. Ask her if being a mom was what she expected. Let her be honest about how hard it is. I remember when Kelly (another mom) called me up about 2 months into being a mom and just let me vent to her about how frustrating it was that my child cried all day. I also remember receiving an e-mail from my friend Jessica, asking me how my heart was. It was so wonderful to be asked how I was adjusting. Every time Bruce saw me, he asked how things were going for me. I really appreciated those questions.
6. If you think about it, send a card to the new mom. My friend Lauren sent me a really sweet note of encouragement during a rough patch and it sat out on my table for months and looking at it made me feel like someone was thinking about us.
7. Send random gifts for the baby. My friend, Kaitlyn did this and it was so sweet to put my daughter in the new shoes from my HS best friend. My mom and Heidi also always brought over little gifts and seeing Coranelle playing with their toys, wearing the outfits, and reading the books made me realize the system of support Coranelle, Ryan and I had.
8. If you can tolerate it, hold the screaming baby so the new parents can go out, eat dinner at a get together or just take a break. Mom, Steve, Bruce and Heidi all did this for us and it was great to be able to finish a meal or let my ears stop ringing for a moment- while knowing that my baby was safe in their arms.
9. NEVER, ever tell a mom that her child is disgusting or gross in any way- even if they have blowouts or spit-up or whatever. When you criticize a baby, the mom takes it very personally. (Really, when you criticize a baby, you criticize the mom)
10. Don’t say rude things about a child’s birthmark or size. It will hurt the parents’ feelings. If you know the parents well, ask them kindly. Don’t ask when it will go away or if you’ll have it removed. Don’t tell them they’re feeding the baby too much or too little. You don’t need to point these things out to parents. They are clearly aware of them. Coranelle has a noticeable red stork bite/angel kiss down the center of her forehead. When she’s frustrated, sad, or excited, it gets really dark purple. It will probably fade by the time she is 2, but I am tired of the questions. Especially when people say, “What’s wrong with her head? When will it go away? Can you have it removed?” and so on. Fortunately, Vann has lovingly dubbed it her “Super Stripe”. His title for it has made me love that little mark, but I am tired of all of the insensitive remarks about it.
11. When new parents get a babysitter and go out with you, make a big deal about how grateful you are that they came. Let them call home and be worried about their newborn without making fun of them. Someday, you’ll understand.
12. Send a present or a little note on the baby’s birthdays. Just something little so they know you care. Coranelle got lots of thoughtful gifts and cards.
13. If the wee one has a party, make a big deal out of it. Help out, bring something, rearrange your schedule to be there. We had lots of great help with Coranelle’s party and it was so special to us!
14. Don’t just offer to babysit- Do it! Set up a date. Our parents have been awesome about this and it has allowed us to do all sorts of fun things. Thanks guys!
15. Make an effort to get to know the baby. It will mean a lot to the parents and to the child as they grow up.
16. If you can, give mom a chance to work out or get a pedicure.
17. If the family already has a child, send the older child a present when the new baby comes.

There, 15 things for me to keep in mind when other people have kids. Hopefully I can be as thoughtful as some of the wonderful people in our lives have been for us!

On a completely different note, Coranelle went to her first year appointment today. She now weighs a whopping 18lbs 5oz. It actually puts her in the 10th percentile, which is up from the 4th percentile. Yay! She's 29 1/2 inches tall (65th percentile) and her head is 18 inches in circumference (70th percentile). She is healthy and doing well. I told the pediatrician all about our struggle with getting her to drink milk. He told me to give up the fight and stop worrying. She will be fine with all the cheese, yogurt, and other dairy she eats. I might have to give her a vitamin for the Vitamin D she is lacking, but other than that, she should be fine. He said to stop trying with the milk and try again in 6 months. Whew! That is a weight lifted off my shoulders that I don't have to battle with Coranelle daily about her milk intake (or lack thereof). I also spoke with him about her high pitched screaming and her throwing of unwanted food. After watching her for a half hour, he told me that Coranelle was going to be a really hard child and we had our work cut out for us. Then, he kindly asked how we were doing with all of it. I just laughed. I told him we have known for 10 + months that she was not going to be an easy child. She hasn't been easy going about anything thus far, so we have come to expect it. Regardless, I told him she's a really fun little peanut and we love her. I'm actually quite happy that my girl will be strong willed and independent as she gets older.

Watching her get shots, was NOT fun. I totally hate watching them load their 4 needles and pierce her perfect little thighs. I loathe watching Coranelle's face turn purple as she stops breathing. Poor thing. She looked so pale and tired when I loaded her up into the car. She's upstairs sleeping it off now. Hopefully she wakes up the strong willed child we've come to love!

Par-tay

Post- party hike with friends on a beautiful morning.
The dads carrying the babies up Gregory trail.
Sharing the unwanted cupcake with dad.
Mom showing off Coranelle's new ugly doll after all the guests are gone and clean-up is done.
playing with GPS and the retro rocket.
Eating celery and ranch dressing with Grams. Look at her festive monkey shirt!
The finished cupcakes. Not perfect, but so fun!
My birthday girl!
Coranelle checking out my "new" road bike.
Steps three and four of the cupcakes.

Yesterday, we threw a party for Coranelle. It was a bit crazy, but I loved the chance to see so many wonderful people. Let me give you a recap of events. Ryan took the day off on Friday, which was great. I got to take Coranelle to her swim class again. Then, we found a wonderful, vintage road bike that was my size, being sold on Craigslist. So, my mom came out and hung out with Coranelle, busily cleaning up from my first two rounds of cupcakes and making a third one. Meanwhile, Ryan and I went in for a little date and to check out this bike. We got a yummy iced coffee at Ozo, our favorite coffee shop in Boulder and went to get the bike. Turns out, the bike is about 20 years old, but has never been ridden. It has great components and fit me perfectly. It was a very exciting find for me! The hot pink paint splashes on the bike makes it even more fun! I took it for a few rides and am thrilled about how fast it is. When all you've ever ridden is a mountain bike, a road bike is a whole new deal! I think it will really make the triathlon easier and motivate me to do more in the future.

Anyhow, back to party preparations. When we returned from Boulder, mom helped entertain Coranelle while we made frosting and began the process of making monkeys. We dipped each cupcake top in chocolate jimmies to make the hair and added chocolate cheerios for ears. Then, we frosted eyes and muzzles on each cupcakes, added mini m&m's for eyes, sliced craisins for nostrils and then frosted the mouths and bows. It was quite the process, but a blast. Ryan and I just laughed as some monkeys turned out with real... well, personality. They were not picture perfect, but fun and it was my first experience making cupcakes from scratch- all three kinds: banana, banana chocolate and vanilla. Next, we mowed, and began cleaning the house.

Saturday, after bikerides, preparations continued. We cleaned the house, bought alcohol, and began setting up the chips, sides, drinks, lawn chairs, etc. Ryan decorated the whole house with streamers and balloons. Right before the party began, I broke down into tears when I heard that my brother was not coming to the party. But, Mom and Steve showed up and got me calmed down before the guests arrived. (Why is preparing for parties so stressful?) Regardless, I was amazed and so thankful for all the kind people who made an effort to come to the party. We had family drive from Co Springs, Boulder, Longmont, Louisville and Ft. Collins to celebrate! In all, we had 32 adults and 9 kids- so it was wonderful.

Keep in mind, when I pictured the party, I imagined everyone chatting outside in our backyard, enjoying their beers, brats and the sunshine. I had parents bring lawn chairs and was so excited to have the kids use the slide. Much to my dismay, that was not how things turned out. Despite the forecast of 82 degrees, the skies were turning black and the wind was picking up. At 6:30, the skies opened up and hail started smashing against the house. Marble sized hail was not in the pictures that my head conjured up for this party. So, many many people were squeezed into our not so large house. People were eating on the floor and constantly trying to get up and down the stairs with our three baby gates. The babies were crawling on top of one another and fighting for toys, while the guests crossed their fingers that their cars weren't outside receiving hail damage. I think the cars fared alright, and everyone coped well with the tight quarters.

Coranelle did not really want to have anything to do with her highchair or her banana chocolate cupcake and 2 dozen spectators. Overall, she was pretty happy being entertained by grandparents and friends. She, of course, had no idea what the hoopla was all about, but the chaos turned out to be fun.

Once again, I am so thankful for all the people who were here to celebrate with us and who made a big deal out of a silly one year old birthday party. We had lots of fantastic people bringing delicious sides and doing everything they could to help us out. She's got a great network of people supporting her and that makes me so so happy.

Happy Birthday to you!

One year old today. Notice the cure monkey shirt from her Grams! I thought we'd try out coloring. She used the crayons properly for a bit, then decided that she wanted to eat them.
Her new favorite food!
One year ago! Look at that angel!
One of the first pictures taken!

One year ago today, I was recovering from giving birth to Coranelle at 2:30 in the morning. Yup, today is her birthday! I think she's had a pretty good day so far. This morning I took her for a run and she was very content. No pacifier needed, just chattering away to the gzillion bunnies out. Then, we went out to get some groceries for her upcoming party. Coranelle was a huge fan of the foil cupcake tins. After her nap, I let her eat all the strawberries and guac she could handle. Then we went for a bikeride over to a nice park to meet a friend and her son. Without her helmet, and with a snack, she seemed to really enjoy the ride. Our used In-Step trailer has turned out to be quite fun. It rides really smoothly and it's wonderful to get out and ride to the park. It will also help me train a little bit for our triathlon in June.

After our rendezvous at the park, we came home and I mowed the lawn in preparation for this Saturday's celebration. It was a pretty hot, sunny day today and I am thrilled to have some summer upon us!

It's a bit hard to believe that a whole year has passed since we had Coranelle. I really cannot imagine our lives without her. I just checked on her while she was sleeping and watched her adorable little sleeping face and smiled at the fact that she had a pacifier hanging out of her mouth and one in each hand. Love her! When I reflect on the past year, I have to admit, I LOVE my life. I feel so blessed and happy. Do I miss teaching... sure. But, I know I would miss Coranelle every day a whole lot more. Was it hard to be left out by some old friends once we had a child, yes. Yet, we have made some amazing new friends and they are the wonderful type of friends that you could call at 2am and they would be there to help in a heartbeat. Do I wish Coranelle's first months weren't so hard with so much crying- of course. Although, I hope that going through that will help me to know how to be there for other moms who have to go through similar situations. Do I wish that my daughter would stop screeching at the top of her lungs. Definitely! But, I know that with any job or relationships- there are many challenges to face and overcome and this is just one that we're in the middle of. Ask me if I still feel that positive about the situation when Coranelle is awake and my ears are ringing, and I might say something different- but that's besides the point!

All in all, I have loved getting to know our spirited little girl this past year. It brings me such joy to see Ryan taking care of her, playing with her and making her giggle. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching her make bonds with her grandparents and family. I love seeing her standing there, hanging on the crib with a little smile on her face when I go in to get her in the mornings. I treasure the chances to give her baths and see her splash an squeal. I love seeing her laugh and smile and play with her toys and cuddle her stuffed animals. I get so excited when she gives me a wet, slobbery kiss and waves good-bye. She's a pretty special little girl. I am excited to share many more birthdays with her!

There's a first time for everything

First time playing with the slide. Here's Charlie's debut ride!
So happy to climb all around it.
The girls fighting for a chance to climb up
Jenny, Coranelle, Adelaide and Charlie cheering the Pibbers on at our softball game. Next time, cheer harder girls!
oCoranelle watching the other kiddos at the game.
First time in the bike trailer.
Checking out the HUGE tires on Josh's truck
"Driving" with daddy and shouting for joy!
Hating the helmet
One year ago today!


Coranelle has been experiencing some things lately for her very first time- it's fun to be a part of these new stages. Friday night, she got to come to our first softball game. Though we lost pretty badly, it was fun to be hanging out at the ball fields with a team. Jenny and Amy came with Adelaide and Charlie to cheer us on. Coranelle liked being outside, but would not relax on the blanket, but preferred crawling on the concrete, on bare knees. Yesterday, she went with us to her first bike shop, while we perused a sale searching for some used road bikes for our upcoming triathlon. We were not successful and actually got a bit annoyed at some rather rude bike salesmen. Luckily, Ryan found a great buy on Craigslist yesterday afternoon and went a picked up his "new" single speed road bike. It will be great for commuting and for our triathlon. We are still looking for a cheap, used one for me though- so if you know of any "vertically challenged" women looking to sell a road bike, keep me in mind!

Last night, Coranelle, Adelaide and Charlie tried out the little slide that our neighbors gave us. They had a great time crawling up, walking around, and sliding down it. I am so happy that the weather is allowing us to play outside more now!

Today, we decided to try out the new bike trailer we got for Coranelle from another mom in my MOM's club. She HATED the helmet. She was so mad at me for putting on her cute new gear that she was gagging and choking. And like a terrible mother, I caved and took it off her. In my defense, I did not want her to hate this trailer forever because she started off with a bad taste in her mouth from the helmet. And, how can you reason with or explain to a 1 yr. old that helmets protect your heads. After we took the helmet off, she seemed to like the ride a bit better. What she really loved was when we arrived at her uncle and aunt's house and she got to get out of her "prison" and play in Josh's huge truck. She had a blast steering and playing on Ryan's lap and I haven't seen her that excited or happy in a long time. Maybe (hopefully) we won't have a super girly girl on our hands. We'll see- but that lifted, decked out 4-runner sure was wonderful to her. And, after all that excitement, she did much better on the ride home- plus I caved further and gave her the pacifier. But, I enjoyed being able to go on a little afternoon bikeride again, so hopefully she'll allow us to do it again. Maybe even with the helmet on.

One of the things I love most right now is the smell of sunscreen on my daughter. She is just so sweet, soft, warm and smiley after a trip to the park or playing out in the backyard. I look forward to upcoming vacations, trips to outdoor pools, and toddling around parks this summer.

Tonight, we will celebrate Mom's birthday. It's fun to remember celebrating it a year ago today, and having contractions coming on strong by the end of our lunch. What a year!

sweet husband

After the Title 9 Mother's Day, 10K race. What a beautiful day!
Three generations! So fun!
Happy Mother's Day! Look at how cute my peanut is... even when she's not feeling awesome!
The new walker. It was the only one I could find, and I wasn't thrilled about how pink it was. So, we fixed it by adding the Ugly Doll to it.


I just have to take a few minutes to brag about my husband and how incredibly thoughtful he was in making preparations for Mother's Day. Ryan contacted two of my closest girlfriends' husbands and they made a plan for the three of us to spend the day together, sans babies- being pampered and having fun. Meanwhile, the dads will watch our little girls and let us have a break. Ryan designed a little card for all of us, telling of our "Mothers' Day of Fun!" We will be treated to fine cuisine, entertainment, and relaxation. I got the gift card for the "fine cuisine"- enough money at Which wich for sandwiches, chips, and shakes. Jenny got the card for manicures, pedicures, or messages, and Amy got the movie tickets. I am really looking forward to our day together and was so appreciative of my husband for making the cards and going out to all the places to pick up gift cards and plan with other husbands. He will admit, he really doesn't like planning stuff, so this was huge for him. I am a very lucky lady! On top of that, he brought me flowers Friday night! Spoiled, I know! I love that man SO much!

Our day of fun sounded so appealing this weekend with a sick and very fussy baby. Coranelle had a fever Thurs-Sat and wasn't sleeping well and couldn't be put down on her own to play. She was actually kind of cuddly, which was fun... but it's never great to see your baby sick. I thought maybe she was cutting a tooth, but we don't even have tooth to show for all these days of clinging and fussing. I think now that she just has a cold. Poor girl.

In other news, we're about to embark upon the weekend of birthday celebrations. We have 5 birthday parties this weekend, a softball game, company coming over tonight, and a end of school year celebration tomorrow night with some friends. Yikes! Busy!

I hope you are all doing well and staying warm in this nice, winter weather that has graced us with its whiteness in May!

Mom's day

Coranelle's Cinco De Mayo meal. Loving the mangos here.
How old are you going to be? That's right... One!
Look at that tongue and the intense concentration!
Beautiful eyes!


I remember asking when I was a kid, "Why do we celebrate Mother's day? Why is there no such thing as kid's day?" I think about that now, and I want to slap my young self. I think Steve might have responded once saying, " we don't have a kid's day, because every day is kid's day". I didn't get that then. It didn't seem fair that there was a Mother's day and a Father's day, but no day especially set aside for kids. Now, I get it. Steve was right, every other day of the year really is kid's day.

So, to all you moms out there who have spent years vacuuming, cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning, doing laundry, reading, singing, playing, picking up toys, helping with homework, changing diapers, packing and unpacking bags, worrying, worrying some more, balancing work with everything else, volunteering, coaching, hauling kids around, and tirelessly taking care of your families without appreciation and without complaining- Thank you! Thank you so much. I don't think I ever realized how much moms did on a daily basis until I became one. Moms are really superstars in this hidden, humble way. So, much love and hugs to all you moms out there. I hope that you feel special and appreciated on Sunday. I apologize for being so selfish as a kid.

As far as it being "Kid's day" every day of the year... I have to say, I really don't mind. I love my daughter and it means so much that I get to spend my days with her. I am really excited to spend my first Mother's day with her. Sometimes, it still seems surreal to me that I am actually a mom! Hopefully, I can be a fraction of the mom that my mom and Heidi have been to us!

May Madness

The monkey halloween costume that inspired her monkey birthday party. She's kind of a little monkey all of the time... but a cute one!
A sunny day at the zoo!
The new barnyard toy!
And the learning table
But, we don't really need new toys. Metal bowls and spoons are great fun!


Anyone else feel like May is always a crazy month? I remember growing up, that the end of May always held graduations, birthdays, and all sorts of "end of the year" celebrations and parties. With a baby's birthday in May, I feel like this year is as crazy as ever. We also started our softball league this month, and we have games every Friday. Rachael's bachelorette party is this weekend and we have been invited to 4 baby birthday parties this month, plus a bridal and baby shower. Whew!

Speaking of baby birthday parties, Coranelle's is coming up. I never would have imagined that her first birthday would be important to me, but, turns out- it is! I have invited at least 50 people over for a dinner/ BBQ and cupcakes. I so want all of our family and friends to be there and celebrate with us (though I have to remind myself that a one year old's birthday doesn't matter as much to anyone else). Anyhow, I have picked out the perfect cupcakes to make her. They have adorable monkey faces on them and I will need to practice them before the big day. I got her an adorable outfit with a monkey on it, and even matched the invites to the monkey theme. Ridiculous, I know! But, she's my girl and I am excited to have a party in her honor and celebrate with lots of friends and family. We actually bought her some birthday presents this past weekend. She got a new play table that has all sorts of songs and learning activities in Spanish and in English. We also got her a little barnyard set that makes the noises of all of the toy animals. I remember having a similar one as a kid, so I was thrilled to find a little piece of my memory at Target. Coranelle loves the animals as she is really into animal sounds right now. We also purchased some great pop-up books for her that she is super excited about. It's crazy how fast this year has flown by (well, the last 4 months. The first 6 or 8 were a bit rough with all the crying and seemed to drag on, but it's still hard to believe that almost a year has gone by).

In other news, I have a new appreciate for baseball and softball players. We had a practice on Sunday and I was incredibly humbled at my lack of ability. I am afraid of the ball, so catching is rather difficult. I can bat once in a while, but usually I hit the ball right into someone's mitt (in the infield). They had me run bases for a while, while people were practicing batting. Ironically enough, now my quads and shins are super sore from the sprinting and stopping that I am not at all used to. Regardless, I am excited to play and think this will be a fun experience.

Another event in May is Mother's Day. This year, I'll officially be a mom! Every year for the past 3 years, we've done the Title 9 mothers day walk. This year, I'll be walking with Mom, Heido, Claire, Molly, and this year- my daughter. Afterwards, we'll have a BBQ at my Mom and Steve's house. It should be a really fun day and I am looking forward to it. Hopefully Coranelle can handle the 9K in the stroller- maybe she'll take a good nap!

Not much else to report. I hope you're all enjoying this crazy month!