Tuesday, May 24, 2011

ROUND 2: Wish Us Luck...It's Vaccination Day


Here was the result...




So sad, right???

And guess what today is?

You guessed it...ROUND 2...

The good thing is that we'll also get to find out how much she's grown over the last two months - stay tuned!

The Panda Report: 4 Months

At 4 months, Abigail is sporting one extremely sharp tooth, she's "talking" and laughing up a storm, she's sleeping through the night consistently, and she's drinking out of adult glasses...

 
Well, the last part is just a joke but let's just say our little newborn is growing up and enriching our lives like we never thought possible.  

Here are a few pictures from her 4 Month photo shoot.





And this little one had quite the day...she attended her very first Giants game (well, unless the ones she attended in my belly count).  The game went into extra innings (ended in the bottom of the 11th), the Giants won, Abby was awake for almost the entire event, and we're pretty sure she had a great time with Mommy and Daddy...
 






I'm sure it'll be a day she will always remember (well, I actually doubt it, but at least we have pictures to remind her!).
 
Take a look back at previous Panda Reports:

(UPDATE) Bye Bye, Blogger!

Well, I'm sad to say that the transition to WordPress is going to take MUCH longer than I originally thought.  

Silly me for thinking it was going to be easy...

Silly me for thinking Abigail was going to assist me throughout the process (by taking long naps and maybe even formatting a few of my posts)...something like this...


Silly me for failing to remember that I only have so many "free" minutes in a day and that blogging is rarely priority #1...

Man oh man.  It could take YEARS!!!  (haha, that may be a bit of an exaggeration)

Oh well...as I continue to navigate my way around WordPress, I still have some updates for you.

Stay tuned!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Bye Bye, Blogger!

Borrowing a few famous words from Mr. LeBron James himself, I wanted you all to know that I will be "taking my talents" to WordPress...


Blogger has disappointed me time and time again.  

From going down regularly enough for it to be annoying, to losing a few of my posts, to making it difficult for my friends, family and followers to comment...I've officially had it!

As I make the transition, please be patient with me...I'm not totally sure how long it will take (especially considering the fact that I have about 2 hours in an entire day of 'Mommy Time'), but I'm hoping the transition will be completed before Abigail can crawl...

How's that for a deadline? Wish me luck!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Teething and Breastfeeding (OUCH!)

Abigail's new nickname?

Sharkie.

And guess what?  Sharkie just BIT me!  


This is her laughing at Mommy after taking her first bite...what a sweetheart...

You see, Abby cut her first tooth at the EXTREMELY young age of 3.5 months.  And while I thought it was pretty cool at first ("She's SO advanced!!!"), now I'm not so sure.  After experiencing Sharkie's first CHOMP I think it's safe to say that I'm officially frightened...

These are not teeth.  These are mini serrated knives.  


Doesn't she know she's supposed to save the teething for Sophie?   Oh, right...she's a baby and doesn't know the difference.

And while a few nibbles won't stop me from breastfeeding (as my goal is to continue for 6 months to a year), a few more severe chomps from Sharkie might have me covered in band-aids and tears...

But I can do it...if I could survive the first few weeks of breastfeeding which were by far the most difficult, I can most definitely survive Sharkie.  

Let's just hope the next teeth take a little longer to cut through...

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

MAQs: Where Did You Buy Maternity Clothes?

Last week, I tackled a soon-to-be/new-Mommy question {Read HERE}.

This week I'm going to tackle a question frequently asked by pregnant friends.  It's a question I think all newly pregnant women ask their  previously pregnant friends, so I'm hoping my answer will be at least somewhat helpful!  

Where did you buy maternity clothes?


7x7xMommy
Ohhhh, maternity clothes...I feel like women are either super excited about shopping for them or they're absolutely dreading the experience.  For me personally, I was excited (I wouldn't say super, but I was definitely not dreading it)...I just saw it as an opportunity to expand my relatively pathetic wardrobe.  

Let me put it this way...to this day, Travis still tells me my maternity wardrobe was better than my "normal" wardrobe (think: black yoga pants and a black North Face 90% of the time).  

That being said, I must have done something right when I purchased my maternity clothes.  

Here are my thoughts on the experience:

1. WAIT
Yes, even those of you who fall into the category of "super excited."  I highly recommend waiting to go shopping for maternity clothes until you're at least 5 months along...either that, or wait until you're showing (which for some could be before or after the 5 month mark).  You won't really know how your body will change until it actually changes...avoid the return line by being patient...and while you're working on your patience, invest in some Belly Bands...which brings me to my next tip...

2. Buy a Belly Band
What's a Belly Band?  Well, it's a life (and a money) saver. 


Back when I was about 27 weeks along, I wrote my Top 10 Tips for Pregnancy & (Impending) Parenthood and #1 on my list was a Belly Band.  I said it before and I'll say it again, You’ll never know how amazing an elastic tube around your belly feels until you’ve purchased a Belly Band.  I’d buy one or two of these right away because you never know when that magical day will arrive…that magical day being the one where you can no longer button your pants (or zip your zipper for that matter).

I found my Belly Band at Target, but I've seen them pretty much anywhere you can purchase Maternity clothes.

3. Plan Ahead
When the magical day I mentioned above actually arrives, I think it's about time to find some maternity clothes.  And before you head out, I recommend taking some time to evaluate your day-to-day life.  What will you really need?  What's your dress code at work?  What can you "make work" in your current wardrobe?  

The reason I think this step is so crucial is because you're only pregnant for 40 weeks (give or take a few)...in the grand scheme of things, that's not a long time.  You don't want to go spending a ton of money on items you're not going to use regularly (unless you have an unlimited budget, of course...but something tells me the majority of new moms don't have unlimited budgets!).

Another good question to ask yourself is: Are we planning on having more than one baby?  I know not everyone knows the answer to this question, but for me personally, knowing that we plan on  having more than one baby means my maternity clothes will resurface someday (they're currently in a bag in my closet waiting patiently for bump #2).  Knowing that, I was able to justify purchasing a few "nicer" items for special occasions.

Planning ahead allowed me to go shopping without feeling overwhelmed and without making ridiculous purchases.

4. Save on Staples
Two stores where I found some essential wardrobe staples were Motherhood Maternity and Gap (mainly online for the latter).  Motherhood Maternity was the first place I went shopping and it's where I purchased the majority of my layering tops, my skinny jeans (Heidi Klum's brand), my black leggings (comfiest things EVER when you're pregnant), and a few other staples.  Their prices were right, their clothes fit me well, and they lasted throughout my entire pregnancy (oh, and I still wear them from time to time even though I no longer have a bump).  

One of my Motherhood Maternity Outfits

In my opinion, if you're looking to buy a variety of items without spending a lot, these are two great places to check out!

5. Spend on Special Occasions
Every once in a while, it's nice to treat yourself to something special.

Toward the end of my pregnancy, I got a little antsy...I was ready for Abigail to arrive, I was sick of wearing the same outfits over and over again, and I knew we had a Maternity Photo Shoot coming up.  I HAD to find something new...

When I finally reached my breaking point (which you know isn't hard to do when you're pregnant), Travis basically forced me to go to Mom's The Word in San Francisco and I'm SO glad he did.  We had the best experience...the sales associates were super nice and helpful, the clothes were comfy and fashionable, and we walked out of there with a few new outfits and an amazing dress for our photo shoot.  The result?



And while the clothes at Mom's the Word were definitely more expensive than at the other stores, they were worth every single penny.  They're high quality, they're classics, and they'll be ready to come out and play next time!

Bottom Line
When it's time to go shopping for maternity clothes, try to make it an enjoyable and memorable experience...it's definitely not your average shopping trip.  

Find items that make you feel sexy, comfortable, and confident because that's how pregnant women should feel.  Take your best friend, your Mom, your Husband, or just your bump...but be sure to take your patience because clothes will be fitting you in a way that they never have before.  :)  Happy shopping!!!

What Else?!?
Friends, Family & Followers...where did you find your favorite maternity clothes?  Any tips or tricks you'd like to add or share?


Read more MAQs {HERE}

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 29: a Person I Love

This guy.


And as much as I want to insert hundreds of hilarious pictures and stories of him and how he enriches my life, I'll keep this short...

I simply love him.  

He's the best (and in case I ever forget, he'll be sure to remind me).  :)