She is ONE!

Last Sunday, on Mother's Day, my baby girl turned ONE. Don't even ask me how that's possible. I'm still trying to figure that out. All I know is that it's been the most different year of my life, yet the fullest and most rewarding. Being her mommy is the biggest honor and I still can't believe she belongs to me. Dirty diapers and all...

Here are a few shots from the best party ever... and one she'll never remember:)

 

time bandit

before i begin blabbering again, let's just talk about this crazy spring. one day it's this

and the next it's madness... beautiful, but madness nonetheless. 

ok, let's not talk about this. it's too sad.

oh days... why do you only have 24 hours?

you know that movie "i don't know how she does it" with sarah jessica-parker? it's about a mom who works a lot, travel, and still is the best mom out there. i'm not like her. sniff:( i barely cook or clean, let alone diy or bring those wonderful pinterest ideas to life. 

i do want another baby though.

i may be crazy.

anywho... there are some things that i'm doing to help me waist less precious time that i can be spending with my loves. 

first of, television. we don't have it and we don't miss it. we have netflix and free hulu, so we watch movies sometimes, and a couple of shows here and there. 

another time saver is multitasking. i'm pretty good at that if i say so myself. i always try to do something else while watching one of my shows (knitting, answering emails, uploading pictures, or even doing exercises.). and you should see how much i accomplish while brushing my teeth.

also, i've significantly lowered the amount of time i spend on instagram. you might chuckle at this one. but listen. that thing sucked the life out of me. now i try to make sure my daughter and my husband don't see me on instagram. i'm with them all the time at home, so that doesn't leave me much time. so next time i like or comment on your picture on instagram you should know what there is a good chance i'm in the loo. 

it's amazing what saying no to instagram has done to my productivity:)

take the other day for example. after work, i not only played and read with baby girl, but also worked out (jillian michael's yoga meltdown on dvd at home... it's great.). i also rearranged furniture in our living room and kitchen (yet again). since then i have sewn a pillow case, almost done knitting  another pillow case, and i've finished reading "safe heaven". i even made made kale chips. if i keep this up, i might build a house, who knows. 

without instagram, everything is possible. that's my new motto. maybe.

a high and a low... a smile and and a blow...

baby girl started going to a different "daycare" on mondays and tuesdays. my friend Sarah, who is also a mother of 2 adorable little red-heads, watches her on those days. after one day only, baby girl like being there more than with me:(I was dancing around her after we got home and instead of her usual giggles about my silliness, she gave me a look that said: "mom. no. just stop.i went to the library today. do you really think dancing like a fool will impress me?". 
you should have seen the look will she give me today... today Sarah took the babies to a music class. so now little A is like, too school for cool ;)
in all seriousness, i love how much action she is getting with her new babysitters:) 
on another, very random, note... i spilled my whole.entire.cup. of coffee today. i stopped by starbucks, got my usual latte, sealed it with a stopper and rushed to work. i was carrying 3 bags, a huge bottle of water under my armpit, a vente cup of iced water, and a latte. to unlock the door, i had to free up one hand. so i put my latte on top of the iced water and held it in place with my chin. don't ever do that, it doesn't work. 
down my coffee went. 
is there a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g in this world more tragic than spilling your coffee in the morning?
/day was saved by a teacher who went to starbucks and explained what happened. i got another cup for free.oh, the famous customer service in america, i love you/

what's next?

You may know that the area we live in is a little paradise on earth. Need I even continue beyond saying that we are located on a big beautiful lake? Charming little village of about 4, 000 people, quaint independent shops (one of which is a pottery painting place), cozy bakery with amazing coffee and freshly-baked goods... A green trail runs through the town's park and woods. We even have a little island. It's picture perfect, I tell ya. Numerous summer vacationers will second me. The town multiplies in population during nice weather. Since our house is located on the trail's path, we see a lot of action: intense bikers, committed runners, precious families strolling with their children, sunset-gazers, occasional couples on their first date... 

It's wonderful...

Unless it's in February...

February (or whenever the end of winter falls) is cold, gray, dead... Everyone is so over winter at this point. Including Greg and me. 

On one of those cold winter nights, we started talking about how wonderful it would be to live somewhere else, more exciting.

(Let me just interject here by saying that we don't have any plans for moving, all of this is just contemplating.)

We did came up with a list of places where we both would love to end up and here it is.

(We've been to these places before, so some old pictures are included)

INDIANAPOLIS

  + proximity to grandparents 

  + friends and family that we already have there

  -- not the most exciting city

downtown Indianapolis

CHARLESTON, SC

  + well, it's only our favorite city in the world, partly because

  + we fell in love there (#cheesebomb)

  + southern charm with lots of history

  

 -- too far from grandparents

 -- too hot in the summer

 -- big bugs (that's my minus, Greg doesn't care)

King Street in Charleston

BOSTON, MA

  + so many smart people from all over the world

  + Greg's brother is there --> automatic friend connections:)

 -- too far north; winters are too brutal

Harvard in Boston

somewhere in SoCAL

  + DUH!

 

 -- too expensive. 

Dana Point, California

Oh God, I wonder where we will end up!

the other day

So just the other day I was pregnant. And suddenly baby girl is 9 months old. 

Just the other day she was a newborn and slept only on my chest. Now she falls asleep in her crib, by herself, without any rocking.

Just the other day she didn't know how to grab things, and suddenly, she knows how to feed herself, wave goodbye, and open/close books.

Just the other day the only sound out of her mouth was crying, and now she knows so many syllables. I swear she says "mama" like she really knows what it means. 

Just the other day the only way to entertain her was dangling bright objects in front of her, and now she knows how to pass the ball, throw it, bang things together, turn on music on toys, and more. 

Just the other day she didn't know where to look when there was a sounds, and suddenly she mimics many of our sounds. 

Just the other day she was a little alien, unknown to us, yet so incredibly close.

And now she is everything to us, we know every little inch of her, and she knows us. 

Just the other day, I was fit and healthy, now my back hurts like I'm 90 and those extra pounds... AGH! But we won't let the elephant in the room (could even be literally), diminish the joy that is children!

 

Dos lenguajes en la casa

That was " 2 languages at home"... Just cuz I wanted to show off my Espanol... Which is not that great.

I had high hopes of raising our children bilingual. And then I realized just how much of a struggle it is. I literally have to force myself to speak Russian with baby girl. When I do, sentences come out very awkward. Most of the time, I would start speaking in Russian and before I realize it, I've been speaking English the whole time. I try to read to her in Russian, and the only cartoon she ever watches is Russian "Masha i Medved'".
Although every morning on the way to daycare we say a prayer in Russian. That's our special tradition:) And I'm kind of proud of that moment. There aren't many things I'm proud of, so just give me this one, ok?

Husband is also trying to learn mama's tongue. He's got body parts down (first thing he learned... priorities, baby), words like "golii" (naked) and "zatkniss" ( shut up). 
Yes, we are sophisticated that way.

So, at this point I'm not sure how much Russian baby girl will speak. A little frustrating to even think about this, since I know how good it is for her.

I read an article recently, where 7 month old babies were tested on their brain function. The experiment consisted of showing a picture of a puppy on a side of the screen. All babies learned that the puppy would appear on that one side, and they looked at that side in anticipation. Once they switched sides where puppies would appear, only babies from bilingual homes learned to switch to both sides in anticipation. It is kind of awesome. 
It's also kind of dorky that I just retold you a scientific article. Can I be proud of that one too, pof favor?

Love day

I truly think Valentine's day should be an official holiday and we shouldn't have to go to work or school. As corny as it sounds, this world needs a LOVE day...

I need a love day...

* a day to snuggle in bed with my loves

* a day to eat breakfast with husband while baby girl chews on puffs and squeals in delight in her high chair

*a day to give numerous kisses

* a day to sip coffee out of husband's mug while he is busy tickling baby girl

* a day to let baby girl chew on my face without worrying about make-up

* a day to dance like nobody's watching and hear baby girl giggle

* a day to laugh hysterically while changing a dirty diaper and at the same time trying to cover our noses and hold our wiggly worm in place

* a day to watch husband read one of his business magazines and occasionally glance at me or baby girl and smile

* a day to cuddle on the couch and talk quietly during baby girl's nap

And then a night for my exploding heart to rest.

Happy Valentine's Day, all.

Love,

Your Cheese ball.

***instead I got a sick day by myself with tissues and all... but that's another story***

where i share mama's simple pleasures and a little secret

It's amazing what 30 extra minutes in the evening can do. Baby girl has been clingy and whiny all night (the all so dreaded teething, I think), which landed her in bed at 7, and not 7:30 like usual. Don't judge!

So far I've cleaned up the house, washed some dishes, uploaded dozens of pictures from my camera, and now about to make a cup of chamomile tea. Taking into account that I got an hour-long work-out before work in the morning, this day can officially be considered "owned"! 

* side note on working out: so far so good, my friends. i've actually been getting up about 4 times a week to go to the gym at 5am. i keep saying i hate it, because that's what people expect to hear, but i secretly enjoy it. shh, tell no one.*

Husband and I are about to indulge in a rare pleasure of movie-watching. This used to be one of our favorite activities, but we much prefer extra sleep these days. I want to say it's baby's fault, but how can I blame her if she sleeps 12-hour nights??? Must be old bones...

If only this predicted freezing rain would just grant us a school delay... 

Mama doesn't need much for happiness, clearly :) 

Time for a change...

You wouldn't be surprised if I told you that life has drastically changed in the last 8 months, would you? I have accomplished exactly 0 projects, have done my hair properly roughly 3 times, and have worked out 1 (ONE!) time. Oh, and have I mentioned I've got a baby who takes up 25 hours of my day? That, my friend, is as low as I'm willing to fall. Little chubs is already 8 months old and IT IS TIME!

It's time to make some changes.

Last time I said that, I ended up chopping 7 inches of my hair off. At Walmart. It took about 4 and a half minutes and it was best money ever spent. My deer husband was looking for his jaw on the floor when I told him that:) 

• Stay active and work-out.

I'm not very good at keeping up my work-out routine, that is why I'm going to be needing this blog,  and you, my friend, as my accountability partner. I'm in the worst shape I've ever been all my life (even worse than when I lived in my university dorm and consumed a bar of chocolate for dinner about every other night!). You little fibbers who told me breastfeeding helps you shed weight!

Last week I signed up for a membership at the YMCA and now I get up at 5am and go work out. This is huge because I hate early mornings more than anything else in this world.

I'm going to fit into my favorite jeans this summer. Period. 

• Eat healthier

I say healthier, because that is the one thing that hubby and I are pretty good at. We don't cook too much at home, but when we do it's always something relatively healthy. We also order something nutritious to go. I would like to cook more at home and eat at least 1 piece of fruit (I've been doing that already) and 1 vegetable a day (not doing so well!).

• Invest in relationships

I'd like to go out on dates with Greg more often. Doesn't have to be anything super special every time. A walk in the woods, even if it's with the chubs, is great too. I want to get together with friends more often as well.

I also am ITCHING to cut my hair again and do something crazy with it, but what else is new?!

what else is new?

Oh hey... Hello... Remember me?

I have missed this bloggy thing of mine and would like to come back, if you will take me. 

I honestly want to blame everything, including my poor exercise habits and dirty laundry, on Instagram (@elena_winn). It's where I post most pictures, everything about my life and some... I way overshare.  And when I say "way overshare" I way understate.

I'm a still a working mom. I probably could stop right there. 

But I'll blabber a little more. 

Work is going well, but ask me again on a day when we don't have a 2-hour delay.

My little family is where my world is centered and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Meanwhile, baby girl is 8 months old and has just outgrown her 9 month-old pajamas. She loves to sit and play with her toys, say wonderful things like "mama", "dada", "nana", "tata", click with her tongue, clap her hands, smile, and chew on human flesh with her 2 bottom teeth. My heart comes dangerously close to exploding of love every day. The reason it doesn't is because I sleep and recuperate at night. Yes, I'm serious. 

Currently we are planning our summer vacation. June can't come soon enough, so we can pack ourselves (including baby girl) and spend a week in Russia and a week in Europe.

July will take us to a beach vacation somewhere east-coast ish, and beginning of August will bring Seattle's best. There is also Spring Break before then, but I'm yet to make plans for it.

These thoughts keep me warm on this freezing night. 

Cheers. 

be still my heart

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween. My little cotton candy and I had a mellow night with a little bit of dressing up. 

I've been feeling extremely blessed lately (always, actually, but just thinking about it more lately). I feel so happy about my place in life and my little family. I feel lucky to be married to my wonderful husband, and I feel so fortunate that God chose us to be Annika's parents. Blogging has been put on the back burner. After work, I want to give all my focus and attention to my 2 biggest loves on this Earth.

I'm just happy. Plain happy. And I hope you do too. If not, just look at the last picture. It sure will make you smile:)

Thank you God for all the blessings you've poured on us! 

recharging

               

                

                  

It's Friday, Friday...

Yes, it is time to par-tay! Tomorrow is Saturday and the possibilities to go wild are endless.

And that is exactly what I'm doing. With a computer. A baby monitor from which I hear baby snores. Banana + peanut butter. Cup of tea. 

I mean... How wild am I???

Hubby is doing boring things like hanging out at a beer garden.  Pff... kids' playground.

But seriously, I would much rather just have a quite night by myself, than be out partying... I've been having a lot of "partying" of my own...

It loos like this:

• Should I do my hair this morning??? How do I even curl my hair any more? Nah! Ponytail, baby.
• Coffee! Sturbucks. What budget? Me.wake.up.
• Workworkworkworkworkworkwork bitetoeat workwork. b u s y and a bit stressful this year. All Indiana teachers are having so much hair-pulling-wrinkle-forming-nerve-cell-destroying-breast-milk-supply-reducing fun with our new evaluation system. Puke.
• 4pm. Time to get my sweet chubby delicious little angel from daycare. Best feeling in the world, that moment!
• Baby time. Some happy, some unhappy, some clean, some not so clean, some joyful, some patient-testing, but nonetheless the most beautiful and fulfilling time.
• Baby walk.
• Baby bath.
• Baby bedtime.
• Baby
• Baby
• Baby
• SLEEEP! 
• Ooops. Forgot to eat dinner. Didn't work out again. That makes it almost 10 months.
• Wake up and repeat.

Welcome to my life. 

Wondering when I will get used to this. Not complaining, promise! 

I love my life, because nights like tonight help me recharge my batteries and I'm ready to go and enjoy my wonderful little family, my world full of love!

i had to post... you don't have to watch ;)

I know, I know... I only appear once in a blue moon to write a random post these days... Forgive me, I'm a little busy teaching over 150 students, being a good wife (who actually is starting to cook a bit... whoa!), being a new mom, which more often than not entails changing poopy diapers and most definitely cleaning up spit-up... from myself.
I'll get a hang of it one of these days and will be posting more regularly. But then it might be time to have another baby. Well, time will tell, but for now I wanted to share a little video from last night. It's full of smiley baby cuteness, one hot daddy, and a bit of Russian.

Glimpse into our loving family, where "being nice" means saying "beautiful" right after "shut up". Hehe:)

* zatknis=shut up
krasotka = beautiful

Awesomeness alert!

Oh, Amy-Amy! You are going to love me for this post. Because I'm just gonna make you blush!

So, I have this talented friend named Amy. Her only bad feature is that she lives in New Mexico. Not that there is anything wrong with New Mexico, it's just that it's so darn FAR. Amy is probably one of my most creative friends, and I just want to hang out with her so it rubs off on me. It happens, right? She is a landscape architect who designed practically the whole of Albuquerque, a mother of two cutest kids, and a wife to a funny dorky Nate, who happens to be Greg's close friend. 

She was the one behind the idea for this sunburst mirror in Annika's nursery.

She made one with wooden skewer sticks. Just saying'.

Very recently this mother of TWO, has started her own Etsy shop, where she sells the most adorable graphic prints. It's called Delineate and you NEED to check it out. I want to get like... everything in her store! Check this out.

Girl after my own heart, I tell ya.

And what do you think about the header on my blog?

She designed it exactly the way I wanted, right away! Love it. 

If you want a very affordable, wonderful design for anything, I'm telling you, Delineate is the place.

Man, I'm so happy Amy is practically family. Truly, there is a marriage arranged between Annika and her son Parker. They were born 5 days apart and both landed in a NICU for a bit. It was meant to be!