WHOA

Ok it's been wayyy too long since I last updated this blog and this post will be a list of randoms:

-I do not want to go to work in the AM
-I feel guilty that I have abandoned my blog
-I am not ready to feed my child solid food
-I would really like to open a hairbow store on Etsy but I'm scared
-I just got another side job doing consulting work for a website and do not know how I'm gonna have time to do it all
-I've been researching baby food and am determined to make my own (way excited)
-Emmie is a large baby and I love it
-My husband is awesome
-I want more time off

I am really gonna try to keep it up better this time.  Things have been unbelievably crazy lately and we here at the Rushing household are just trying to survive.  Keep us in your prayers!

Long Week

I have sat down to try to write this post several times over the past week and for some reason I just couldn't. This was my first full week back to work and I have just been exhausted. Not to mention the fact that I came across a blog that just brought me to tears several times this weekend (ask my husband) and I have spent the entire weekend giving my little girl extra love because of it. I was so overcome with her story and her faith in God and for some reason I just couldn't stop reading. If you would like to read her story, go here

We have been busy this past week adjusting to our new schedule. I have so much respect for working mothers and I honestly don't know how I will be able to continue to work if/when we have another child. It is so hard. You have to think about 12 steps ahead of yourself in order for everything to run smoothly and if you forget one little thing, it can throw the whole day off. I get up at 5:15-5:30AM, pump, shower/get ready, get Emmie and all her stuff loaded in the car, drop her off at the babysitter and make it to work by 7:30AM. It is rough and I spend my entire day thinking about her and longing to hold her again. I have been extra clingy to her lately and I'm not really sure why. I keep having these feelings the way I did when they took her to Presby and she was in the NICU for 2 weeks without me. I just keep feeling like I'm leaving her and something is going to happen to her and I won't be there. Please pray that these awful feelings subside...I just want to enjoy my little girl!

We had Emmie's 2 month well check on Thursday and she also had to get her first round of shots, which I was so scared of! She did great, only cried for a second and then slept most of the night. Here we are wating on the doctor...

She weighed 12 pounds 1 ounce and was 22 1/4 inches long! She is growing so fast.

Emmie went to church for the first time last Sunday, however, we did NOT make it to church yesterday.  It is so hard to get up and everything ready for her and all of us out the door and to church on time!  Plus she was up a little more than usual Saturday night so I didn't hear the alarm go off.  We are trying really hard to make it on Sundays and also to get quicker at getting out the door...it is an adjustment.    Here she is in her little dress for church.  She slept in her carseat the whole time.

I've been slow to post these last several days (obviously).  I'm going to try my best to update this blog at least twice a week.  I was also nominated for a little blog award ("Your blog is fabulous") by sweet Jackie at lymib which makes me so happy but sad that it was almost 2 weeks ago and I haven't had  a chance to play along yet!  Thanks Jackie!  Hope to post a catch up post with some recipes shortly.

Long Time No Blog

Back to work for Mommy + sick baby = lack of blogging

Hope to post an update tomorrow!

2 months!

My baby is 2 months old today!  Actually her 2 month birthday was yesterday and we sure did celebrate!  We had a lot of little fun activities planned.  Emmie has been such a little ham lately.  She was so smiley on her 2 month birthday.

This is the first smile I've been able to catch with the camera.  I think she looks so mischievous here.

Yesterday after we had our 2 month photo session in the nursery:

 

Shan's parents, Shan and I took Emmie, Bentley and Bentley's brothers to the park.  We had a mini photo session with Emmie there in a summer dress that she will never be able to wear again.  It has been getting colder so I just wanted to get a few pictures of her in that little dress.  Here are some of my favorites from yesterday.

Emmie at 2 months:

-sure has been smiling a lot more lately
-wearing 0-3 months clothes, but mostly 3 months and they are starting to get snug
-wears size 1 diapers
-"talks" to us, sometimes it sounds like she is fussing at us
-loves to spend about 30 minutes in her play mat talking to her "friends" the bees
-taking 4.5-5 ounces about every 4-5 hours
-by my scales, weighs about 13 pounds!    
-has been sleeping during the night for 4-5 hour stretches at a time
-really loves to be held
-still will NOT take a paci, she spits it back out
-has been doing this really funny squeal whenever we are feeding her and stop to burp her (she wants the bottle back in her mouth ASAP)

Emmie's great grandparents are in town (Shan's grandparents) so we took her over for a visit last night before the Panthers game.  It is always great to see them and I know they love doting on a new grandbaby (great-grandbaby).

Change of plans:  I will be returning to work this Thursday and Friday so there may not be a lot of blogging until we all get settled and into our routine.  I know I've already spoke on here about how unexcited I am about returning to work, so please pray for me that this will be a smooth transition and I will actually be able to survive being a working mom!

HAPPY 2 MONTHS EMMIE!  We love you baby!

Weekend Recap

On Friday Emmie went and hung out at her Nana and Poppi's so Shan and I could get some things done around the house. This was her first trip staying with them alone for any extended amount of time. Here she is getting ready to go. She doesn't look excited, but I think she did pretty good.  I know her grandparents were very happy to babysit for the first time!

Shan loading her in for a grandparent visit

Friday night we ordered pizza and had our friends Matt and Natalie over for dinner. They just had a baby boy, Logan, 3 weeks before Emmie so we figured it would be nice to have a little get together and introduce the two! I could kick myself for not getting any pictures of them together...two babies at once! 

Saturday I went consignment shopping at this place Once Upon A Child at the advice of Natalie and I found so much cute stuff for Emmie to wear this fall/winter!  I love a good sale.  I also did a little fall decorating around the house.

These are my glitter pumpkins from last year and they could really use a touch up.  I can't really see having time for that in the near future so they will have to do.

Here's my "mantle".  We don't have a real mantle so this little shelf kinda acts like one.  I'm not completely satisfied with it yet. It needs something else and I need to fix the ribbon hanging the wreath.  Suggestions?

Little something on the TV Stand.  Excuse the Bud commercial.  Haha.  I've got the fall scented candles going full blast too.  I really do love decorating for fall and the fall candles and warm fall recipes.

 

Today I made chicken casserole for Sunday dinner.   I've had a few people tell me that they are actually trying some of the recipes that I post so I'll keep doing it!  FYI:  I  always use fat free, light, reduced fat, low sodium, etc products in my recipes when I can unless I specify otherwise.  This is a VERY easy and QUICK recipe and it's good.

Chicken Casserole

2 Cups cooked chicken ( I normally cook my chicken overnight in the crockpot..makes this step sooo easy)

1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 Cup chicken broth

2 cans cream of mushroom soup ( You could probably use only 1)

1/2 Cup sour cream

2 1/2 Cups pepperidge farm stuffing mix

2 Tbsp melted butter/margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook chicken and shred.  Lay in bottom of 13x9 cooking dish.  In separate bowl, mix ingredients.  Reserve 1/2 Cup pepperidge farm stuffing mix and melted butter.  Top chicken with mixture.  Sprinkle remaining stuffing mix on top and pour on melted butter.  Cook for 45 minutes or until it "sets".  Pair with some vegetables and you've got yourself a meal!

My baby is 2 months old tomorrow.  Look for her photo session!

How bout them DAWGS?!

I went out to run a few errands on Saturday and left Emmie with her dad and this is what I came home to!  Can you believe he had his very own fashion show complete with extra large hairbow?  He is a Georgia football fan and I guess he just couldn't resist.  I, however am a wolfpack girl and hoping and praying she will be a wolfpack girl too!  I guess it could be worse-Carolina!

I'm busy cooking chicken casserole, I'll post the recipe and a run down of the weekend later.

This and That

Not too much going on around here, just enjoying my last few days with my precious daughter before I have to go back to work.  Yesterday Shan, Emmie and I went to dinner with Shan's parents at Ruby Tuesday.  We all got the same thing, the peppercorn sirloin and it was pretty good!  I'll be honest Emmie and I haven't really gotten out too much lately.  It is just really hard sometimes to get her and myself ready and all of her stuff and get out the door, not to mention the fact that I can't really leave for longer than 3-4 hours because I have to pump.  Yes I am still breastfeeding.  Well, exclusively pumping andt it is really hard but I am determined to keep it up at least until Emmie is 6 months old.  I have seriously considered quitting several times, just ask my husband, but everytime I do I somehow get the motivation to keep doing it.  My supply dropped the last time Emmie was in the hospital, probably because I wasn't pumping as much as I do at home and also because I wasn't drinking enough.  Anyway when that happened, it really scared me that I might not be able to do this much longer and give her what she needs.  I think since that happened I've been a lot better about staying on a pumping schedule and have actually been making more than she is eating, which is awesome!  Plus I know with Emmie's surgery the best thing for her right now is my milk!  (I know this is all TMI, but just keeping it REAL here).

So this is my best friend for now and hopefully for the next 5 months!  

These are my two babies!  We tried Emmie's bumbo seat out and she did pretty good with it!  My poor Bentley is so interested in her everytime he sees us so I thought I would prop her down there and let him have a good look at her.  He was trying to sniff her through the glass!  She was pretty interested in him as well.  I can't wait until she gets a little bigger and they can become best of friends.  Bentley is such a sweet boy, I know he will love her as much as I do!

Another shot of her bumbo!  Pretty good head control!

I took some pictures of Emmie yesterday and today in her crib and I'm gonna try to keep doing this.  Our stupid camera flashes a bazillion times and she blinks, but I think these are a few good ones of our little girl.

 

Little Miss Blue Eyes

We've got a busy but fun weekend planned!  Hopefully Emmie will let me get this house cleaned tomorrow morning while Shan is at work.  We are probably gonna go out with another couple tomorrow night who just had a baby 2 weeks before Emmie and we are expecting a few visitors on Saturday.  I might hit up another consignment sale or two.  What can I say, I'm hooked.  I'm off to bake some cookies for my hubby!  Emmie will be 2 months old on Monday and I can't wait to post about all the things she's been up to!