Tax Season

Tax season officially started on Monday, January 20th. 

I have a big love/hate relationship with it.

I love my job and I love that the time consuming months are when it's cold and sloppy out. I love helping my clients and I really enjoy my co workers. I love that I feel like I am finally at a job that 'I belong' and that I feel appreciated and needed. I love the family/life balance they allow me to have.

I hate the long days and I hate that it's 4:50 am on Friday morning and I've been up already for over an hour working. I hate that I miss out on so much time with my husband and son.

But that's exactly who I do it for. I do it to provide a good home and life for my son. I do it so he can grow up and learn the importance of work/career, but not lose sight about family. 

I'm working my butt off this tax season not only because the work is there...but I want to show myself and my employer, that even with being a new mom, I can still do the hours and still provide outstanding work all while maintaining a life outside of work that involves spending time with my lil' family and my friends.

Not only am I working 70 hour weeks, I am still making time for the gym 3-4 days a week (over my lunch hour), still pumping/breastfeeding Turner, going to Mexico for a 4 day vacation/friend wedding and making time for friends where time allows.

I have goals...one major goal is I want to be promoted to Manager and I hope by proving myself this tax season that motherhood has not slowed or affected my work, a promotion will result. 

So here is to 81 more days of living in my office (kind of..I'm actually working from home right now) and to a great tax season full of laughter, tears (because I miss my son and husband) and to achieving what I am working so hard for.

Turner - 7 months

January 2, 2014

7 months...Hi, my name is Bridget and I have a 7 month old, what?!!



Baby Stats:
 

Weight

19 lbs 2 oz

Length
28" (92nd percentile) @ his 6 month check up

Sleep
Turner is sleeping in later and later and it is very  much appreciated. We hit a few rough patches when traveling with him since he was teething and sleeping in his pack n play, but back home he sleeps through night and has been waking up later and later.

Daily Routine
His daily routine has not changed at all from 5 months... 
I get up with him every morning to feed him. I get him ready for the day then. Then it's time to wake Daddy up so I can finish getting ready for work. Tate takes Turner to daycare every day. It's on his way to work so it's a good 30 minute drive. Turner naps on they way there. He has a super fun day at daycare which usually consist of a nap around 10 and 2...lasting anywhere from 30-90 minutes each. Some days I go get him, but for the most part, Tate brings him home and Turner usually takes a lil' cat nap on the way home. Once home we play and have family fun. After dinner feeding it's either bath time or play time including reading. Tate gives him his bed time bottle and puts him to bed around 8-8:30.

Feeding
Turner is still getting 6 feedings a day with 2 of them with solids. His noon and dinner feeding have a solid feeding with it.

Diaper Size
Still going strong in the cloth diaper department. We did use disposables when we traveled over the holidays. Turner wears a size 3 diapers in those. He was teething pretty bad during this time which resulted in quite a few explosive diapers...not fun!

Clothes Size
Turner wears 6 month and 9 month sleepers. He is growing out of many of his 6 month clothes, so we is currently wearing the remaining ones that fit and 9 month clothing.

Hair Color
His hair seems to getting darker.

Eye Color
By the looks of it, he will be a blue eye handsome boy!!!

Milestones/Likes/Dislikes
Turner celebrated his first Christmas. He was so spoiled. His favorite this was to open all his presents and stuff the paper in his mouth as fast as possible.



Our first family Christmas!!!

Turner went swimming for the first time also. He had a blast. He wasn't sure what to think @ first, but warmed up to it and even started kicking and screaming in excitement.




Turner has been crawling backwards like it's nobody business!! It's hilarious. Still doesn't understand or know how to go forward yet. He'll be getting before we know it!

Turner dislikes sitting in his high chair if he is not being fed. Seriously...we have to try to wait to put him in it until the food is ready otherwise he sits there and screams. Demanding lil' fella we got!

this diaper is stuff for overnight...hence the extra puffiness :)

And for good comparison in the last few months...

Turner,

The love I have for you is beyond words. I still can't get over that I am so lucky to be your mom. You are seriously the happiest baby and make me laugh so much. I just know it's going to get better and better! Your growing stronger and stronger every day. Mama is going to start tax season here very soon so I want you to remember I work hard to give you the best life possible. I know you and your dad will have the best time while I am at work on those long days! Love you so much...more than you will ever know!

 

xoxo,

Mommy

  

Sharing Turner's birth story

Today I am sharing Turner's birth story over on one of my favorite mama blogs, Mama & Mou!

Not only was it one of the BEST days of my life, it was also one of the scariest! I'm happy to share our story as I love reading other birth stories. There is no 2 birth stories alike, that is what makes them so unique!

Go ahead and enjoy :)

2014 Goals

I'm not a new year resolution type of girl..I'm all about goals! I really really just love setting them and achieving them :)

As I look back at my 2013 goals I feel so great because I met EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM :)

wooohoooo....pat on the back for this girl!!!

It you look back at my 2013 goals, I met them by:

-having NO TIME to really watch TV...a little human took over that time which I am TOTALLY OK with!

-we did fund our emergency fund and we feel great about it!

-we did start paying off our mortgage early! Our finances are in check, we agree and don't fight over money and it's all thanks to a guy named Dave Ramsey!

-making work lunches the night before is so much better than doing morning of. Now that Tate helps since we started our 100 day challenge, life got so much easier :)

-I did meet my pregnancy goal with a few weeks to spare!

-I did become more organized but I still feel like I could become even more organized!

-we did have a healthy baby boy and feel so BEYOND blessed!!!

And now I sit here at the start of 2014 and think what goals I can make to help this year go smoothly and stress free!!! 

ORGANIZATION

-Seriously...since having Turner I feel like I have lost my marbles! I feel so un-organized! I can't wait to spend the first few weekends of this month to organize my office @ home and work so I can have a good start to tax season

HOUSE MONTHLY GOALS

Tate and I decided to take one thing a month with our house and make it a goal for that month. For instance, January is going to be clothes/closet month. Meaning, time to pack up clothes we have not worn in a few years and donate. Pack up Turners clothes that he has outgrown. Organize the closets in our house and get rid of 'junk'. I CAN'T WAIT!!! We are going to take it one month at a time. We will decide February's monthly house goal when it nears.

I decided to go the monthly route vs making a 'house list' because when I see a big long list of items, I get very overwhelmed and sometimes don't know where to start. By having on area to concentrate on for that month, I feel like it will help with me staying anxiety free :)

COMPETE IN ANOTHER SPRINT TRIATHLON

I took a break from my yearly triathlon due to having a baby...but would love to do one this year. I love the feel I get when training for them and when I cross that finish line. I really hope to do one this summer/fall.

 CONTINUE TO LEAD A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

Tate and I feel great about our 100 day challenge and can see this becoming a lifestyle for us. We would love to continue with it. Along with eating healthy would be working out on a regular basis and being an active family. We are excited for Turner to do things with us!

BLOG MORE

I'm really bummed that I have put blogging on the back burner since Turner's birth. I have so many memories to record from the last 1/2 of 2013 and look forward to finally getting them on here and back dating them all so they fall in the right time frame since I love to look back and read them.

MONTHLY DATE NIGHT

It has been decided that we need to make date night a priority and so we've decided that once a month, we will set a night aside for just us. I'm excited for this 'goal' as it's been categorized per this post!

Did you set goals or resolutions for 2014?