Freebies

So on Sunday morning I checked my email and received about a dozen different messages with coupons for free goodies for my birthday.  I get so excited now when I find deals for free stuff that I wanted to share so you can have an even happier birthday!  And if you know of ones that I've missed, comment please.

Pie Five

 This is our lunch last weekend that cost us $5 and the receipt had one of those survey requests to get 20% off next time.  For your birthday you get a free personal pizza with as many toppings as you want.  The pizzas are big enough that you can share. They were having a special that day and drinks were a $1 and we split a salad and dessert.

Baskin Robbins
You get a free scoop of ice cream the week of your birthday and you get a coupon for another one when you sign up for emails.  They send out BOGO coupons for their featured flavor for the month.

Jersey Mike's
Free Regular sub and drink, has to be used on your birthday with ID.  They send out other coupons pretty regularly.

Benihana
$30 off, has to be used Monday-Thursday.

Panera Bread
There's a surprise on my rewards card that I haven't redeemed yet, I've got 60 days to do it.

Chili's
Free brownie sundae with entree purchase.  They send these and free app coupons out a lot, and kids eat free coupons.

Sweet Tomatoes
My favorite restaurant, and they just opened one close by our house.  BOGO with the purchase of 2 drinks.  If you get on their email list you'll get coupons weekly and I get print coupons with the newspaper often.

Godiva
10% off your purchase and a free piece of chocolate.  Also you can go in once a month and get a free truffle, just give them your rewards card or email address.  I'll take Little L for a walk around the mall and get my treat so we have something to do in the afternoon.

Jason's Deli
$5 off.  I always fill out their surveys on the receipts to get a free cookie.

La Madeleine
Free pastry.  You get a free cup of soup when you sign up I think.

Fuddruckers
Free 1/3 lb burger with entree purchase.

Marble Slab
Free small cone on your birthday. They do free samples of new products every once in awhile.

Boston Market
Free dessert with meal purchase.  They send coupons frequently.

On the Border
Free queso or brownie sundae with entree purchase.  I get coupons often.

TCBY
$3 off purchase and $3 off pie or cake.  They also gave me free yogurt on Mother's Day.

Taco Bueno
Free cheesecake chimichangas with combo purchase.  I always use their free taco coupons from Stars and Rangers games.

Which wich
Free regular sandwich.  I think I got a free sandwich when I signed up.

Starbucks
Register a gift card and get a free drink.  They have a star system where you can earn free syrups and drinks. You can register multiple cards to the same account.

Yumilicious
Free yogurt on your birthday, just show your ID.  They've started a rewards program.

Bucca di Beppo
Free brownie sundae.  They have print coupons too.

Blue Mesa and El Fenix
A friend just told me about these places last night so it may be too late to cash in this year but I signed up my hubby whose birthday is August...

DSW
$5 coupon

Victoria's Secret
$10 coupon

Anthropologie
15% off your purchase & they include a cute trinket with the coupon.

I'm probably not going to use all of these, particularly the ones where you have to purchase something, but lots of variety out there.  I'm not bothered by lots of promotional emails; most of the time I check my email on my phone so it's easily to scan and delete them.  And then periodically I check it on the computer and clean out old messages I didn't use.  Hope you can enjoy some of these too!

Update on more goodies 6/12
Dunkin Donuts
Free drink coupon is coming in the mail.

Sonic
Free creamslush, drink, or tots.  You get to pick.

Dairy Queen
Blizzard BOGO

Blue Mesa
Free Sunday Brunch

Latest Adventures

Last weekend was our first time away from home since bringing L home from the hospital.  We spent two nights out at her grandparents' ranch a couple hours away.  She had a great time being loved on by Grandpa and Grandma.  It was a nice break for all of us, to be away from the bustle and noise of the city and sit outside looking at the stars.  Little L loves being outside; if she's fussy it's one of our go-to options to calm her down.  I think she likes to hear the birds and the rustle of the leaves and feel the breeze.  Maybe she'll be a hiker like her dad!  She slept great out there, went down earlier and stayed asleep for longer stretches than she typically does at home, I guess the different setting tired her out.

What else have we been up to?
Went to a minor league baseball game with her God-family
Walked around an arts festival with our cousins
Spent an afternoon at the zoo as a family
Gone to Mass and listened to Mom and Dad serve as lectors
Hosted a Memorial Day cookout and got to see her 2 "sisters"

It's been a busy month!

Moving On

A departure from my usual posts, not pregnancy or baby related, there are occasionally other things on my mind that I want to share!

I realized over the last week how important this month is for a lot of people in my life who are graduating.  Here's a breakdown:

Pre-school-a old friend's little girl
Elementary school-my husband's cousin
Middle school-a friend's daughter and my students from last year
High school-3 of my cousins and my first class of students that I taught in Texas
Associate's degree-2 of my husband's cousins
Bachelor's degree-a cousin of mine and one of my husband's

Some of these milestones have been more significant to me, particularly the high school grads.  To see their senior pictures and remembering them as babies, toddlers, 4th graders...

It really doesn't feel like I was in school that long ago myself, but when you do the math-
14 years since high school
9 years since college
3 years (in August) since graduate school  

Time really does pass so quickly.  So many people when they meet Little L tell me to cherish every moment, that it goes by fast.  If I feel nostalgic and sentimental now about my loved ones, I can't imagine how it's going to be when our daughter reaches all these milestones.  I marvel already at how much she's changed in 2 and a half months.  Ok, so this post ended up being about her just a little.

Congratulations to all graduates, at whatever stage!  Praying that God will guide you as you move to this next step in life.

More milestones

Little L had her two month check up this week.  She's gained about 3 pounds and almost 2 inches she was born.  She took the shots like a champ and they didn't seem to bother her after the initial pain.  She's definitely starting to show more of her personality and we get more interaction with her.  She's like her dad in that once she's up for the day, she's real smile-ly, making all sorts of cute little noises while I'm getting her dressed and plays on her mat while I pump.  A morning person!  She's like me in that she has a late bedtime.  It's not consistent but more often than not it's close to midnight before she goes down for the night. A night owl!  It'll be interesting to see as she gets older if she becomes more like one of us.

Speaking of sleep, we've graduated to the pack n'play at night.  Only took us two months from the initial plan.  L has been good about sleeping in the swing but one morning this week I heard her stirring but not crying so I let her be.  When I got out of bed awhile later, the child had wiggled herself about halfway out of the swing, which was at about a 45 degree angle.  So, no more swing at night!  She's getting used to sleeping in a bigger space although sometimes it takes a couple of times before she doesn't startle herself awake.  We're not using the swaddles as much anymore, they're getting too small and some evenings it's been too warm for them.

The cloth diapering is going well.  I do laundry every other day and have been taking advantage of the warmer weather to hang them outside most times.  She hasn't had any blowouts, a couple of little leaks but it's been my fault for not changing her sooner.  It has prevented her from rolling over, I think her center of gravity is off now, though this morning she ended up sleeping on her side so she may figure it out pretty quickly.

Speaking of movement, L is not a big fan of tummy time.  I don't blame her, I don't like exercise either.  The doctor said she needed three ten minute sessions a day. We're lucky to get her to last three minutes, but we're working on it. I do think it tires her out faster.  She does like going on walks with her dad in the carrier and with me in the stroller.  She & I are venturing out more during the day.  Most of the time she's asleep, from the motion of the car and the shopping cart.

I've started back to work a little.  Last night was a daddy daughter night while I was at the zoo and next week she'll be with grandma while I sub.  Thank God for camera phones so I can stay connected to her.  I've been working on building up a milk supply and it's a good thing, she went through about 14 ounces in 7 hours.

Feeling so blessed to celebrate our first Mother's Day together.  She is truly a miracle.

Growing Girl

Little L is about 7 and a half weeks old now.  We've graduated to a couple new things this week-cloth diapers, and partially because they give her a big ol' butt, size 0-3 clothes.  She is definitely growing; it was getting hard to snap her onesies even when she had on the regular diapers.  We think she's about 10 pounds now.  Almost every morning when I pick her up I think she's looks bigger.

So far the cloth diapers are going fine.  Of course our washer isn't working at the moment, waiting on someone to come out this afternoon to look at it.  Thank God for community, particularly those living on our block that are letting us use their washing machine.  Another way having a baby has changed my life-I do A LOT of laundry, not just her's but my own, since I can't manage to keep an outfit clean all day on me anymore.  But now laundry isn't as quick of a chore as it used to be, even when the machines are working at the house.  Like everything else I have to time it around feedings and non-fussy times. So far I've been able to keep up with it.

We've ventured out more, just the two of us.  I had to take her to the zoo this week a couple times, so one morning we walked around after I got my work obligations taken care of.  It happened that those days there were a whole bunch of school groups out on field trips (state testing this week so littler kiddos are "kicked out" of the building so it's quieter).  It was a day I was grateful to be staying home instead of teaching.  Otherwise I would've been spending my day either proctoring a test, keeping poor kids silent or constantly doing a headcount in the midst of big crowds.  Keeping track of 1 is enough for me right now. And lifting that heavy stroller and carseat in and out is a workout!

I also got to show Little L off to her dad's co-workers, walked around the mall one evening as a family, and visited her godmother.  Tonight is our first baseball game (my dad will be proud!) and tomorrow the Arboretum.  This kid gets to go to way more places than I did as a baby.

Changes

So how have I spent my day so far?

Folding and hanging laundry on the clothesline. Seeing little onesies flapping in the breeze is one of the cutest things ever.

Made my own granola bars using a recipe on Pinterest. They're cooling right now, so I'm not sure if they were worth the effort or not.

Doing dishes from the cooking.

I did all these things while Little L was in her carrier. Fabulous to be able to use two hands again!

So it got me thinking about how much has changed in the last three years. In April of 2009 I was single, not talking to any guys. I had made a commitment to God a few weeks earlier that I wasn't going to compromise what I really wanted (a strong Catholic man) anymore and if that meant not dating, then so be it. Little did I know that I'd be set up with one two months later, we'd be engaged in less than a year, and pregnant six months after getting married.

Being a stay at home mom was not a goal of mine in college. My mom was one only for my first year, so my role model was a working student who eventually earned her PhD and I wanted to be the same. It wasn't until I started teaching that my mind changed. I loved my job because of the influence I had on children everyday and when the day came for me to have my own, I wanted to devote my energy to my kids instead of someone else's. I'm not judging working moms; many are forced to work to make ends meet and I'm still hoping to do a little of it part-time. But I can't imagine being away from Little L for 10 hours a day and having to work while getting only broken sleep. Do I miss adult interaction and my freedom during the day? A little. But this where God is calling me right now and I have a lot to learn about doing it well.

A few firsts

Little L is already four weeks old today! Last week was Dad's first week back to work so at this point we've settled into a bit of a routine. It was tough for me to get used to being at home with her by myself all day. I will never again take for granted the ability to use both of my hands at the same time. She likes to be held when she's awake so I've had to figure out how to feed myself, go to the bathroom, get dressed, and attempt some chores while lifting an 8 pound person who can't completely support her head.

She also likes to eat. All the time.

So much of our time is spent doing that. I've been working through giving myself grace about my "lack of productivity". I know that I'm being productive, you know, keeping another person alive, but it's not how I'm used to spending my time, filled with activity. My husband has encouraged me trying a couple of things to help make it a little easier.

I started pumping about once a day so that way someone else can feed her. I figured given her appetite she wouldn't have any problems taking a bottle, food is food, and I was right. It's kind of depressing how quick she sucks it down though, when it took me half an hour to fill the thing, and sometimes she's still hungry after that. I'm working on building up a supply so I might be able to be away from her for a couple hours starting next month.

Right now L is asleep inside her sling. One of the things I've been paranoid about is dropping her so I was nervous about using it, afraid she'd fall out. Dad actually used it the first time and showed me how to use it. It does give me a little relief and it is really nice to be able to look down at her while I'm doing stuff; when I hold her she's facing forward.

I've been laying her down on her playmat for a few minutes at a time, that's all she has the patience for. Dad does tummy time with her and on Sunday night she rolled over onto her back three different times! Of course when I tried to record it she wouldn't do it. But it was no fluke, she did it again once last night. Her neck is definitely getting stronger and she does these cute little frog kicks. Such a big girl!

She hasn't slept with us at all for over a week, staying in her swing. We've had two nights in a row where she's stayed asleep for a five hour stretch, a big blessing for Dad when he has to get up for work. Her naps aren't consistent during the day but I'm sleeping enough at night, probably around 7 hours, that I have enough energy during the day. I'd rather use her naptime to get stuff done rather than sleep myself.

I took her out for the first time last week, to a work meeting. Unfortunately I had to drive during rush hour on a Friday evening, lots of stoplights that she was not a fan of. I thought I was going to have to turn around and go home, she was so upset, but eventually she calmed down and was great at the meeting and slept on the way home. Still keeping our outings to a minimum and not taking her anywhere myself unless I have to. Her first restaurant trip was over the weekend and I don't think we'll be doing that again for awhile. She eats really often in the evenings, which makes it difficult for me to eat anyway, let alone in a public place.

I could go on and on about other things we've noticed, how her hair's getting longer, all the funny facial expressions, distinguishing her cries, but that's enough for now. Going to try and lay her down and see if she keeps sleeping.