10 Things...

Wow. Has it really been since March that I last posted!?! Babies just soak up time. For this 10 things list, I'd like to express why I never am on the computer anymore...

 10 Reasons Why My Life Is Great...

 1. Baby Girl

She is so amazing and I am loving every second I get to spend with her right now. I never imagined that I could be so passionate about anything all day every day. There are moments where I still get overwhelmed with emotion and can't believe I made her and am just waiting for her mommy to come pick her up and pay me for babysitting. She is an extremely happy baby and I know I am lucky with how good a little girl she is. I never wanted to be "one of those mommies" whose life revolved around her child and had no other role. But I have enjoyed playing that role this summer and will be sad to head back to work in a week.

2. The Addition

While I do not recommend having a baby and then starting any construction, I am so excited that we had a vision, saved up for years and are now seeing it happen before our eyes. I know it is going to be worth moving everything to the living room and other bedroom and the in-laws house and feeling cramped and claustrophobic. It has also made us very good purgers.

 3. It's Summer
 It's my first summer in awhile that I didn't teacher summer school. While I missed teaching summer school, I have loved having all this time off. Only wish others weren't so busy so I could see more people. It's really just been baby girl and I all summer.

 4. Cookies
I'm breastfeeding and I had some supply issues. I found these cookies that are supposed to help with that. How great is it that I have a perfectly valid reason to eat cookies all. day. long. And I do eat them all day long.

 5. Not Gaining Weight
 My last post talked about cookies. I also frequently eat ice cream and anything else I want to eat. I have a voracious appetite. I love that I can eat so much and not gain weight. Now, I'm not losing weight and most of my pre-pregnancy bottoms don't fit, but I'm growing a little girl!

6. A day out that didn't involve a store

It's hard to get out with a baby by yourself, but staying home all day gets tiresome. I usually put her in the stroller and walk around the neighborhood or go to a store. We were actually able to make it to Lake Lagunitas for her first hike. It's beautiful there and Baby Girl really enjoyed looking at the trees.

7. Friends with Babies
 I'm lucky to have friends that just had babies too. You can get together and realize that you are not going through anything different than anyone else. I've also grown closer to some friends that I wasn't really close with through our babies. It really helps because some of my single friends have been pretty stinky lately.

 8. World's Best Daddy and Husband

Russ has been amazing through the pregnancy, the birth and after. He loves his little baby bear. I do not do well on little sleep and he often cooks, cleans and let's me take care of our little girl. He has no problem changing diapers, giving bottles and putting together all the stuff that she needs. He is also a World Champion swaddler. I am just not good at it. But he has it down.

 9. Work
 I get to go back to work part time and I couldn't be happier. I get to take responsibility for my child yet, feed my desire to fix the world just a bit.

10. Baby Girl

Oh come on, she gets at least two slots on this list!!

Check out some more 10 things...

10 Things on the 10th (or 11th)

It's never too late. I should be working on reports for work right now, but I told myself I was going to do a 10 things post this month!! I'm a day late, but that's ok!

I've been thinking about traveling a lot lately because I can't really travel right now. My ten things list is 10 places that I've been that I have enjoyed. I took my first plane ride when I was 20 and at that time had only been to 4 states. Since then I have seen 11 countries and added five states to my list and that's still just a small part of the world! There's so much more I want to see!

1. Ireland: Green grass, sheep and cows, drizzly rain, old churches - it is just simply beautiful. Dublin was ok, but I loved the countryside!

2. Alaska: I went during the perfect time (for a California girl) it was unseasonably warm and I got to enjoy and explore a good deal of it on my own. I think my favorite town was Skagway - I experienced rock climbing for the first time, took a long hike around a beautiful mountain lake and enjoyed some beer made with pine needles.

3. Costa Rica: This was my first trip with friends. Costa Rica is absolutely beautiful. I want to go back some day and see the parts I wasn't able to see. That means I'll have to go back a lot!

4. Nicaragua: I went here the same trip I went to Costa Rica. The border crossing was quite the experience, especially for two girls alone that spoke little Spanish. We met up with friends in a very touristy town before heading to the volcano island called Ometepe. I LOVED this place. I could have stayed there for a lot longer than we did.

5. Yosemite: I have lived in California for almost my entire life (I moved from Washington when I was about 3), but I had only been to Yosemite one other time. How awesome is it to have such a beautiful place with so much to offer in my backyard? I'll go back and experience rock climbing for a third time!

6. Arizona: I love my rain, but I love the dry heat as well and I find dust storms really intriguing. Arizona is quite a different beauty than I'm used to, but I really enjoyed getting out of California and going to another state.

7. Switzerland: I love mountains and this place has plenty. The pace of life is just different here and one day was not enough time to really get to know this place. I was most impressed when I went to a bar that night and watched the waitress go from table to table speaking a different language at each. I am insanely jealous of people that can speak multiple languages.

8. Germany: I especially enjoyed the Rhine valley. How can you not - Sloping hills along a river with castles at the top.

9. Dachau, Germany: This opened my eyes to world I knew of but had never experienced. You can literally feel the pain that went on here and it was a very somber place, but one I'm glad I didn't miss.

10. Hawaii: Beaches with different colored sand, lots of seafood, pineapple, volcanoes, geckos - It's a great place to explore and relax.

There's more I could add, but these ten are my favorite! I hope that having a child will not stop me from adding more to my list in the future. She will definitely experience a plane ride before she's 20!!

Want to see more 10 things? Visit Shimelle's blog.

And, for those that have asked, here's my baby belly as of February 24th. It's blurry, but I like it. Not too much longer and that big, baby belly will be no more. I'll have to watch her outside my womb instead of watching her move inside.