The camera debate of 2010

J gifted me with an awesome camera this past Christmas. Being that I'm such a picky person it didn't pass my test so it went back to Best Buy. There are a couple of a reason why it was returned: 1) I want(ed) a dslr camera and it wasn't, 2) the camera was too expensive for a point and shoot & 3) I won a $200 Best Buy card that I wanted to add on to the money he spent on the camera to begin with.

Fast forward to nearly 4 months later and I still don't have a new camera. I'm sure you are wondering why. Well you see I'm not very easy to please and I'm very indecisive on top of that. Do I really want a dslr that's a bit on the bulky side or do I want a very portable p&s? Am I really going to lug around a dslr when we go out with Kayla so I can be all mamarazzi and whatnot? Will I end up sucking it up and spend twice the money 'cause I want a trusty p&s and still want the dslr?

I have several options here:

1) forget about the dslr and just buy a p&s

2) buy a p&s and scour Craigslist for a used dslr

3) buy a dslr and don't spend too much on a p&s

4) buy a nice p&s for now and save up for a dslr later

I really want to buy a new camera this weekend just 'cause. I've had my p&s for years and it doesn't take the best pictures in the world. I don't need best but I want great. Having Kayla made me realize that the only thing I can really look back on are pictures. This child grows so fast I can hardly remember what it was like having her the first couple of weeks when she was born.

Here is the p&s camera I'm considering and here's the dslr. I'll take this one if I could!

What would you do if you were in my shoes? Would you get a dslr, both, or just a point and shoot? Oh, can I also add into the mix that I don't want a separate video camera and the p&s I want has HD video.

Lasagna eating fun!

Kayla stopped liking baby food since she got sick. Eversince then it's been very hard to get her to eat anything. We have tried to get her back into the swing of eating solids again and have had very little luck. She used to snack on puffs and yogurt melts in the afternoon but that has stopped, too. Little did we know that our baby girl likes real people food. I can't really blame her. Baby food is just bland mush and who would really want to eat that stuff, right?!

Fast forward to this past couple of weeks...Kayla has been a fan of pancakes, eggs, Yo Baby, bread, spaghetti and my mom's awesome lasagna. This girl can go on for days on lasagna. I scrape the meat sauce off and she just loves every single bite of it! Here's a little video of her devouring lasagna. She loves it so much she even dances a little bit of joy! It's true when they say the apple does not fall far from the tree - J & I can eat Italian food everyday!

What is wrong with me?

I can't seem to stop myself when it comes to buying clothes for Kayla. I don't know what's wrong with me. It makes it even worse when there's a good sale going on. I don't like the fact that I check my Google Reader all day and I pretty much know when there's a sale going on. It doesn't help that I also have a Gmail notifier on my task bar that tells me when I have a new email. Again, another dangerous thing that helps me with this shopping issue. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that I'm in front of a computer all day.

Oh well. I guess this is what happens when you have a little girl who looks mighty adorable in cute clothes!
I've been a huge fun of diapers.com since the car seat purchase. Their shipping is so fast it makes you want to shop on their website even more! I've been using ebates and bing to give me more discount and I always search the 'net for coupon codes if I don't have one already. I should receive my package from them tomorrow afternoon with some new spring outfits. I also bought a new diaper bag. The Coach one I originally purchased is not the most practical thing in the world. I can't wait to get the SkipHop duo!

Three quarters of a year

9months! That is approximately 270 days old that Kayla's been on this earth. 9 beautiful, eventful, and wonderful months that I will not trade for anything. In 3 shorts months, my baby girl will be 1 and will no longer be considered a baby. She'll be a toddler then. Where does the time go? I used to hold this 7 pound tiny little girl wondering what she would look like and be like when she's older.

Now that she is 9 months old she is definitely showing more of her personality. She has a sassyness about her that makes me wonder where she got it from. Ha! She is still her sweet and shy little self around strangers but she can be loud and opinionated around me and J. It's amazing to see her change and develop right in front of our eyes.

I used to be able to leave her in one spot and come back and she would still be there. She is now rolling all over the place and trying to crawl. Yup, still no crawling here not unless crawling backwards really counts. She is one quick thing! I turn around and next thing you know her tiny feet are up against a wall from her reverse crawling. She's very observant but we like to call her nosey. She likes to people watch - at the Romp n' Roll class, at restaurants, the mall...anywhere, really! I think this contributes to why she loves being outside so much. She enjoys being on the go and going places. I think she'll be a great traveller one day. J and I are already planning on taking her places and we can't wait!

To my baby girl: please try to make these next 3 months go really slow. I don't think mommy is ready for you to turn 1 just yet.

Family Fun Day

We had a great day today! We took Kayla to the zoo this afternoon. It was my first time at this zoo and it was J's also. The zoo wasn't bad at all considering we are talking about Richmond here. Ha! She saw a real-life ginormous Sophie. It was pretty funny when she saw the giraffes for the first time - she started making these noises and she was just staring at them. It was too cute! We did a lot of walking and saw a lot of different animals. The new stroller definitely came at a perfect time.

After the zoo, we went home for a bit so we can all take a nap and rest for a little bit. We went back out to have an early dinner at Cheesecake Factory. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful spring weather, maybe not J so much. His allergies were awful today. Kayla munched on bread and had a taste of real mashed potatoes.

We are all pretty tired from all the activities today. My mom is coming to visit us tomorrow and then we are going to have an early dinner with J's dad side of the family. I hope y'all have a wonderful Easter weekend and are enjoying this awesome weather!

I love it when I can get a good deal

I am batting 2 for 2 today :)

Every morning when I'm drying my hair, to pass the really long time this takes, I check my Google Reader. I came across Tisha Mccuiston's March Madness post and knew I had to get in on the deal! I've been admiring her awesome work with children since I found her website. I called her a lil bit after 8am and was able to schedule a session for April 18 and I can't wait. Soooo excited about this! We haven't done pro pictures for Kayla so this is a first.

I then proceed to check my email (thank you iPhone for entertaining me while I get ready in the morning, and thank you J for gifting me with this awesome thing!) and saw that Amazon is having a sale on Britax car seats. I've been trying to find a good deal on this and can't seem to find them lower than $200. Well, I had diapers.com price match the sale and stacked a couple of codes and I should receive the Marathon car seat tomorrow for a whopping $179!!! That's $100 less than the original price and super-fast shipping for free!

Now, if I can just find the Baby Jogger Elite for really cheap, I'll be done spending money on the big things!

Breastfeeding goals

I was breastfed. I want to say until at least 10 months of age. I can't remember. My mom told me once. After we found out that I was pregnant with Kayla, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed. It was very important to me and I wanted to provide her the best thing I had to offer. Aside from my unconditional love and care, of course!

It was hard for me when Kayla was born and wouldn't latch at the hospital. It seemed so easy this whole breastfeeding process - you put your boob out, baby latches, and then bam! you're done. Boy was I wrong! We tried everyday while we were at the hospital. The lactation consultant saw me several times while we were there. I kept trying and trying but it just wouldn't happen. I wasn't ready to give up yet. I had every intention that I will try again.

We came home from the hospital, my milk came in, and I pumped everyday, several times a day. It was a lot of work but I was willing to do it for Kayla. I was waking up several times in the middle of the night so I could pump and keep up with her milk needs.

And then one day it happened - she latched out of nowhere! This was 6 or so weeks after she was born. The funny thing about the timing is that the following day we were supposed to see the pediatrician so she can give me some tips and show me some tricks to help Kayla latch. I was very quick to call her and cancel the appointment and to deliver the good news that we were really breastfeeding. Eversince then during every appointment, she would tell me how proud she was that I stuck to my guns and kept on trying to breastfeed. Who knew that almost 9 months later she would still be bf-ing.

I truly am proud that we are still going. I am happy that I am able to give her this. It's great bonding time for us when she feeds. I wouldn't have been able to do all of this if it weren't for my husband, my mom, and Kayla's pediatrician. They supported me and cheered me on through the weeks when it was difficult for us. I want to keep going until Kayla is at least 1. What's even better is that I've lost 20-something pounds because of this!