Finally!

I think I have finally managed to come up with the right web address for my blog! I have have gone from making it about Baby Kiernan to more of blog about me and my life as a mom! So here is it "lifeofanimperfectmama".

I am so happy today is Friday! It has been a long week and I am looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. Wednesday I brought Emory to work with me since it was "Bring Your Child to Work Day" for my office. It was a lot of fun and Emory was great. He let everyone hold him and was on his best behavior. He even napped! The only bad part is that we had a fire drill (suspected gas leak) which forced everyone out in the pouring rain! We did get back into the building but that left me exhausted! We left a little early and within a few mins Emory was fast asleep.

I was able to work from home 2 days this week...hooray! Unfortunately, Nick was not feeling well and needed some help with E but it was nice to be home. I got to see my MIL off as well. I love the flexiblity of this new job. It is awesome having a boss who understands what it is like to be a new mom since she is one herself. Her son is just 1 week younger than E!

Sleep Methods

As a new mom, I am always scouring for new information on baby techiniques. My latest focus has been on getting Emory to sleep through the night. We don't really have an issues getting him to go to bed though we went through a tough phase about a month ago. I have sought recommendations for some of my close friends and family. I have learned that everyone definitely has a strong opinion about this topic! I have purchased the book by Dr. Richard Feber , "Solving you childs sleep problems." I tried applying some of the techniques without reading all of the chapters and it did not go so well. So I have decided to keep reading and figure out a method that will work for us. More to follow...

A productive weekend!

I am really enjoying my long weekend. For those of you who don't know, I worked a compressed schedule which allows me to work 8-9hr days, 1 8hr day, and have off every other Friday. It is so nice having and extra day at home. Also, with my new job I am able to work from home every Tuesday which I I love!

My MIL is visiting for a week so NK and I have really been able to get some things done while E is bonding with Nana. Yesterday was weeding, cleaning, and mulching our large flowerbed. It looks great! Now we get to do the fun part....picking out what to plant. Definitely exhausting but time well spent.

Today I tackled E's room/closet. We have been blessed with tons of hand me down clothes but I hadn't had the time to go through them all. That coupled with tons of clothes he had outgrown was leaving his room out of sorts. I had vowed that no matter the condition of the rest of the house, his room will be neat and organized! I purchased plastic separators that you label with the size on them in order. Now E's closet is completely organized with clothes from 6mths (barely fitting) to 18 months. Another effort that was time well spent because now I know what he has and there is no need to go buy anything!

Finally on Sunday, I tackled out basement. Our basement is fully finished but has been mostly unutilized since we moved in. Recently Nick set up air mattresses .end tables in the a guest room on one of the rooms for guests staying over for my birthday weekend. I liked it so much, I asked him to keep it that way. I need to get in there and do some fine tuning (aka decorating) but he was off to a great start. With the help of my MIL we set up the rec room. Cleaned, organized and decorated using some of Nick's Red Sox memorabilia. We have a futon and tv on one side and a card table ready for poker on the other. We also allow the dogs to play with their toys in that area. I am really pleased with how it has turned out. It was a NO COST makeover. The basement still needs to be painted but until then we still have a usuable space. Nick has done so much to help me feel comfortable in the new house, especially while I was pregnant, that I really wanted to do something nice for him in return.

All in all, I had a great weekend which was super productive. Nick and I even managed a date night on Saturday. We had a few drinks...alone! It was like old times.

Memories

Stirring....

I know this sounds strange but I feel like there is a stirring going on in my life in many areas. Like, change is is coming....positive change.

In the past year my life has changed more than I could have imagined. We moved into a new house, sold our beloved first home (our townhouse), lost my "Big Dog", had a baby and started a new job. Many of those things were wonderful but some were extremely painful and hard to go through. This has left me not knowing, at times, which was is up and which is down. Despite all the challenges, I feel incredibly blessed. God has put me right where I need to be at this time. I refuse to focus on the negative aspects of my life. I honestly believe you can speak truth into life. Not that I haven't done that in the past, I know I have. I have been guilty of not only being negative about my life but those of others as well. I have learned how hurtful this can be when the shoe is on the other foot. So the best I can tell is we are all here trying to do the best we can each day so rather than judging we should be supporting one another!

So what is the point? The point for me is that I will take all of the lessons learned from this past year and start new. I am trusting in the Lord to help me change where changes needs to be. I am working hard to be a better wife, mother, friend, and employee.

"What happen yesterday has disappeared...the dirt has washed away and now it's clear. There's only grace..."

Good Friday

I am so happy that I decided to take an extended weekend to give myself time away from work. I am loving my new job but felt the need to get away for a few days, be with the family and regroup. The past year has been a whirlwind for me and at times I am still trying to catch my breath!

Yesterday, Emory (E) and I ventured to WV to have a photo session with SNL Photography (http://www.snlprophoto.com/). And while we weere there we visiting our cousins, the Troxells. This was the furthest E and I had traveled unaccompanied! The ride up was great. Sunshining, music playing, and E snoozing. The photo session was great and we had a lot of fun playing, dying eggs, and hanging out with the cousins. E was great and took it all in stride. We didn't leave until after 9 and it is about 1.5 hours away from home. E slept again on the ride home and I enjoyed some me time, listening to my music with the sunroof cracked. It was amazingly peaceful and a trip I would definitely go again.

Today has been a lazy day. Taking naps and hanging at the house. As I am writing this everyone else in my house is napping. The plan for the day is to not have a plan and just enjoy my time at home. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I am posting a picture from our session yesterday!

Easter Weekend

I can't believe it is April already! The weather here in the DC area is gorgeous and we are enjoying every minute. Of course I have fallen "behind" in my attempt to maintain a blog and you know what? WHO CARES! I refuse to make having a blog one more thing I set up for myself to haev to do and feel guilty if I fall short.

I turned 30 back in February and at the time I did not have any major life revelations. I was happy that I had achieved what I had planned to...married, a new baby, a new house, and a great job. But since the end of February things have been stirring with me and I have come to the conclusion...drumroll please....that my life is NOT perfect and IT'S OK!! I really do love my life and am thankful everyday for the people who are in...yes all of them! So here is my blog which like me is not perfect!