happy easter

well, it looks like we will be celebrating our easter indoors this year

due to some spring showers that have come our way

hope you enjoy this day, however you find fitting

we will be making brunch at my grandma's

having an easter egg hunt with some very grown children, and a baby

and we will soak up the last moments of spring break

oakland temple

if you have been reading this blog long, 

you have probably figured out that, no, I'm not a mormon blogger 

no "we believe" link, and no, I have not converted

 even so, when your sister lives in Oakland

and growing up the majority of your friends were in fact LDS

 it clearly makes the Oakland Temple the perfect destination 

[at least it does for the Macri sisters]

 so we took a little trip  upthe hill to what can only be described as a beautiful location

 the grounds were pristine and seemed to have been given a few extra blooms 

for the Easter holiday

 the temple was extremely quiet

 no weddings were taking place 

[I was hoping to see a bridal party or two] 

and we walked around snapping an insane amount of pictures

I loved getting to finally see the place where many of my friends have been sealed [married] 

over the years, and hey, 

even though the husband really wasn't sure why we were there

he went along for the  ride

 love that.

 loved the day, didn't love the crazy clouds and sudden rays of sun

that made taking photos a true challenge

but I think we did ok

speaking of mormon bloggers - naomi is my favorite, fyi

oh hey, I'm 20 weeks old

this week I've gotten to spend lots of time

with some of my favorite people

over the weekend I spent practically all day lounging on the grass in the shade

the weather was perfect

I also got to see my auntie in Oakland yesterday

where something big happened

I sat in a high chair at dinner for the very first time

it was a pretty big deal, at least mom thought so

mom also decided to take me down to the lake by auntie's house

to take some Easter-ish photos yesterday

in other updates, I'm still fitting into newborn and three month outfits

I tried my first bites of "real food" this week

but I think that deserves it's own post, so more on that later

I'm still rockin size one diapers, but now I can fit in both huggies & pampers

[huggies used to big way too big for my little legs]

Sophie and I are officially best friends

and I am now talking in so many different voices and pitches

my feet have also gotten centimeters from my mouth, I'm determined

and occasionally, my grown ups tell me I'm panting like a little puppy

not sure what that's all about, but hey, I'm having fun

-Everly Mae

raising a daughter

I know when I began telling people we were expecting a little girl, it was amazing how many people responded by saying "good luck".  Many women seem to have fears of raising girls, and I guess I get it.  I always say that boys are probably hardest when little, and girls really give it to you when they are older.  For me, I was very lucky to have the best relationship with my mom, and I could not have been happier to have a daughter to share this type of bond with too.  Lately, I have been really noticing comments that women make about themselves, to their friends, and to young girls about appearance, weight, etcetera.  And here's where I stand - I am so thankful that growing up I was blessed with having a strong dose of self-confidence, and I really do thank my mom for this.  No matter my weight [it fluctuated ALOT while growing up] or how horribly broken out my face got, I never remember having low self-esteem.  Not saying I walked around necessarily loving these imperfections, but they were just that, imperfections, not the end all be all.  We were not a family that outside appearances were the main focus.  I'm glad that I was a tom boy, never wore makeup until my senior year of high school, and then I think we were talking strictly mascara, and I never wanted to wear clothing that showed off too much.  Sure, some of this was probably just me, but much of it came from the best kind of role model.

So even though she may be little, I will work to make sure I raise Everly just the same.  She will not hear me talk negatively about myself, especially when it comes to appearances.  And I am thankful to surround her with women who are also confident with themselves, and not make what's on the outside the main event.  So here's to raising a daughter, the best way I can.  Hopefully I will get some good daughter karma since I kept my "tough teen years" down to a minimum for my mom.  At least a girl can hope.

oh hey, I'm 19 weeks old!

I'm going to have to say

that turning nineteen weeks could also be called

"oh hey, I found just about everything this week"

for so many weeks now things have just been hanging out around me

and I have only half noticed them

now, I am all over them with my hands

for example, there is this fun little dangly toy on the handle of my car seat

sure, I've seen it for weeks now

but this last week it was mine

while my big people are busy getting me in and out of the car

I can now just grab onto this little guy and really have fun

making him bounce up and down and make that jingle noise I love so much

other new discoveries this week include my feet

yes, I have two of them, not just one like I had thought previously

and whenever I'm laying down, they are in both hands

my thinking is it is only a matter of days before I figure out how to get them 

to my mouth

and one of my favorite discoveries this past week...

mom's face

yup, I really found it 

sure, I've been looking at it since the minute I was born

but now I like getting super close, and grabbing onto it with both hands

smooshing around her cheeks

and grabbing her nose

this is my new way that I hang out with her in the afternoons after she gets home

from teaching some really big kids

a couple times I was really getting into her face, and figured I would see

if she tasted like Sophie

well, she did not, but it was still fun to try

in other news, I get to hang out with dad a lot more these days

and he takes me to this really colorful place twice a day

that mom calls "work"

and all this coming and going has really made my days fly by

and finally, I am officially scooting backwards

like almost crawling, but backwards

put me on the ground and watch me travel almost the whole distance of a room

yup, it is pretty fun

one day I'll figure out how to go the other way
-Everly Mae

it's official, I'm a working mom

Yesterday was the day I may have dreaded since the day Everly was born.  My life has been dedicated to nothing but teaching since I was 21, and I continue to work towards my masters to help me become even better at my craft.  Even so, I really battled with the idea of being a working mom, because let's face it, since she was born, she has been my world.  I was lucky enough to have my mom at home with me growing up, and I knew that having a stay at home parent was a priority when I had my own family.  As I got into teaching I really did not think that I had the desire to stay at home.  I worried I would become stir crazy, be bored, and feel the need to be back in the classroom.  Well, I cannot say that this ended up being the situation.  Turns out, stay at home mama fit me pretty well.  And as I worked ever so hard to stay at home as long as possible, the date was finally set that I would return to my classroom exactly five months after leaving it.

Now first off, I am thankful that I was home with Everly for the first four and a half months of her life.  Many moms do not get more than six weeks off, and that would have put me back in the classroom before Christmas break!  Seriously, you must be kidding me!!!

So I have now been a working mom for two whole days.  And I can proudly say that I have gotten through each work day without crying, something I was pretty sure wasn't going to be possible.  However, I'm spoiled.  A few things have caused me to get to have my Everly come and visit me twice while I'm at work: once during my prep in the morning, and once during my lunch.  Thankfully we just moved about four minutes from where I work, which makes this crazy schedule possible, not to mention, Everly is already a very petite eater, and refuses the bottle.  If I did what the dr. suggested of "she will eat when she is starving", my daughter would just not eat.  She barely nurses as is, so take away the one source of food she loves, well, let's just say I think she would be below the 10th percentile at her next checkup!  Not to mention, I cherish these times when she comes to see me, and it has been an amazing way to get my Everly fix, while still teaching.

As an extra bonus, my kids were very ready for me to be back.  I have never left my students with another teacher for longer than a few days, so coming back after five months was a little scary.  Had this teacher won them over with all sorts of awesomeness?  I knew that I wasn't on my "A game" at the beginning of the year after having to move schools again, especially at 6 months pregnant, so how would they receive me?  Well, it continues to be true, start a class, and they are forever yours.  Come in mid-year, and be prepared to work your butt off and never really get anywhere.

I can now add one more thing to my badge of accomplishments, working mom.  Going back to work didn't mean that the world was ending [but if you talked to me last week you would have thought differently].  I still see Everly a lot, and she is really getting to bond with her daddy now that I am out of the picture for more than a few minutes at a time!  So now it is all about being creative with time.  For example, I may have finished my lesson plan for my 7th graders yesterday while typing in the bathroom, sitting on a folding chair, while Everly was in her Bumbo being entertained by the mirror.  I'm going to call that a working mom success.

happy st. patrick's day

Everly and I have been dressed in head to toe green this entire weekend

to celebrate our first st. patty's day with our little lady

and since this was my last weekend before I go back to work

I am thankful that I stayed extra busy with family and friends

and all things green

wish me luck tomorrow

I'll let you know how it goes

and no, I don't want to talk about it right now

denial is key I think

oh hey, I'm 18 weeks old

my, I clearly have been busy in the last two weeks

because I'm 18 weeks old, actually closer to 19, and yeah, 

I missed week 17 altogether

but let's look back

at what I've been doing lately

first off, I have a new home

man oh man, I could really get lost in this place

if I could only figure out how to get moving without the help of others

which I am working on

but I'm noticing that whenever I try

I go backwards, whether I am on my tummy or walking with some assistance

[yes, they still have to help me do everything, but not for long]

other news includes my four month checkup

where I was told I now weigh 11 pounds 15 ounces

and just as mom predicted, I've dropped down into the 10th percentile

for weight, but the doctor doesn't seem too concerned yet

but I'm up to the 50th percentile for height, so there you go

[which also explains why my pants are almost all capris]

and then there's Sophie

 have I mentioned my love for her?

don't mind the fact that it looks like I'm trying to eat her leg off

we really are friends

[and yes, that may be drool causing my face to glisten in these photos]

lately I have been too busy sitting up

and grabbing my feet, that may or may not be making their way

 to my mouth very soon

to worry about rolling over, so I guess that will be my next thing

for now, I think I'll enjoy my new nursery

that thanks to grammie and auntie meg, is looking just about done

maybe I can even get that mom of mine to take a few pictures of it

to show off here real soon

but for now, it's time for bed

[I think all my exciting company has got me thrown all off, but that's ok]

 -Everly Mae

three months [part II]

thank you again to Sarah of Sarah Maren Photographers

for capturing our little family 

and making sure we have these images of our little Everly

at three months old

see the rest of her 3 month photos here

and newborn photos here