We finally have a Nordstrom in MA!!!!!

All of you on the West Coast will understand how exciting this is. For those who have never been to a Nordstrom, I assure you, it is fabulous!!! Yesterday, Nordstrom opened at the Natick Mall (about 30 minutes from our house) and Alli, Adele and I were there for the festivities (Garrett decided to skip it and go to work!).  We got there about 9 a.m. (store opened at 10) and enjoyed the hoopla.

There was coffee and tea in silver serving containers, as well as Nordstrom bottled water and donuts.

There was also a cosmetics "tailgate" party so we got lots of fun samples :) They had an orchestra playing music as well as a radio station. It was quite exciting. Right before the doors opened, the Nordstrom family made some remarks and confetti streamed down!

As the doors opened and we walked in, employees lined the store clapping and cheering for the shoppers - we felt like we were on the "red carpet" :) The media was there filming and snapping loads of pictures. Alli was given a Nordstrom balloon and many photographers hurried to take a picture of one of the "littlest Nordstrom shoppers." 

We headed straight for the Children's section, where Alli got some new headbands and another Bunny lovey.  We tried out the women's lounge so Alli could have something to eat before we went to the Cafe for lunch. 

What a great meal, and we were sitting right by the Nordstrom family, who could not get enough of Alli. 

We did not know who they were at the time, but Adele was sure that they were important folks as they looked like dignitaries.  Turns out she was right.  After lunch, we headed back to the lounge so Miss Alli could have a diaper change; we were sitting in the lounge when in walks Mrs. Nordstrom.  She was so excited to see Alli again and leaned down to play with her.  Adele commented that she looked like a dignitary and she said "my last name is Nordstrom."  She introduced herself as Jeanne Nordstrom and shook our hands.  I took a picture of her with Alli and Adele. 

Talk about a classy lady, so kind and down to earth.  She loved Alli; apparently her youngest grandbaby is already 11 years old! 

What a fun day, I highly recommend attending a Nordstrom opening should you ever get the chance . . .

Dr. Seuss for Nursing Mommies . . .

Since we're still nursing and both Alli and I love Dr. Seuss, I thought I would share . . .


Would you nurse him in the park?
Would you nurse him in the dark?
Would you nurse him with a Boppy?
And when your boobs are feeling floppy?

I would nurse him in the park
I would nurse him in the dark.
I'd nurse without or with a boppy.
Floppy boobs will never stop me.

Can you nurse with a seatbelt on?
Can you nurse from dusk till dawn?
Though he may pinch me, bite me, pull,
I will nurse him till he's full!

Can you nurse and make some soup?
Can you nurse and join the group?
It makes him healthy, strong and smart,
Mommy's milk is the best start!

Would you nurse him at the game?
Would you nurse him in the rain?
In front of those who dare complain?
I would nurse him at the game.
I would nurse him in the rain.

As for those who ban lactation,
I have the perfect explanation:
Mommy's milk is tailor-made;
It's the perfect food, you need no aid.


Some may scoff and some may wiggle,
avert their eyes or even giggle.
To those who can be cruel and rude,
remind them, "Breast's the perfect food!"


I would never scoff or giggle,
roll my eyes or even wiggle.
I would not be crass or rude,
I know breast milk's the perfect food.


We make as much milk as we need.
The perfect temp for every feed.
There's no compare to milk from breast-
the perfect food, above the rest.


Those nursing smiles are oh so sweet.
Mommy's milk is such a treat.
Human milk just can't be beat.

I will nurse, in any case,
on the street or in your face.
I will not let my baby cry,
I'll meet her needs, I'll always try.

It's not about what's good for you,
it's best for babies, through and through.

I will nurse him in my home,
I will nurse him when I roam,
leave me be, lads and ma'am.
I will nurse him, Mom I am.

Garrett Wins Another Award!!!

My fabulous hubby has done it again . . . On Friday, Garrett was recognized as the Professional Employee of the Year - Administrator by the Connecticut Federal Executive Association for Excellence in Government Awards. Alli and I are so proud!!!

Before I Was A Mom . . .

Since Alli's birth, a couple people have sent me the following and I now know how true it is so I thought I would share . . .


Before I was a Mom

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to

Put them down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I

Couldn't stop the hurt.


I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so

Important and happy.


Before I was a Mom -

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every

10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,

The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Mastitis - A Blessing in Disguise

Anyone who has talked to me since Alli's birth has no doubt had to listen to me complain about breastfeeding and has heard me threaten to quit more than once. In fact, just over a week ago, I told Garrett I couldn't take it much longer and if Alli didn't get better at it I was going to quit and switch to formula. Well, the day after my little temper tantrum, I started to feel really sick - in a lot of pain and had a fever around 103. Turns out that I had Mastitis. My OB put me on antibiotics that night. Unfortunately, the antibiotics did not work. They did, however, diminish my milk supply and upset Alli's tummy so we were both miserable. Now, many of you know that I have actually had a rather unique problem of having an overabundent supply of milk and have been trying to diminish the supply so that I am not producing for twins or triplets. I did not however expect to go from having way too much to not having enough in just a matter of a couple of days. My OB switched my antibiotic but my supply still seemed very low. I was terrified! Suddenly I realized how much I really want to be able to breastfeed. All this time I have been resenting this part of motherhood. Now I realize what a gift I have been given that I am able to nurse my daughter. Fortunately, my supply has come back full force, the antibiotics have begun to work, and Alli is much happier again. Best of all, I now look forward to our feeding sessions. I am even excited to get up at 3 a.m. to feed Alli! What a blessing to be able to feed and bond with my daughter like this. While I would never wish Mastitis on anyone, for us I think it was a gift from God. I like to think that God was giving me a swift kick in the pants to remind me how blessed I am to be able to breastfeed Alli. I guess blessings come in all shapes and sizes - even painful ones! I do not know how long I will be able to nurse Alli, but I will appreciate it for as long as I can!

Renewed Faith in the System

As many of you may recall, I was in a car accident last April when I hit a semi-wheel well that was in the middle of the highway. Although my only other option was to hit another car, my insurance company reported that I was more than 50% at fault and raised our insurance rates. I appealed this with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles and we heard nothing until the end of February. We received notice that a hearing was scheduled for March 5th in Plymouth (nearly 2 hours from our home!) Obviously I could not drag Alli down there so I submitted an affidavit in lieu of attending. I assumed I would lose. You know what they say about assuming :) I won!!! The MA RMV agreed with me that there was no way I was at fault and has ordered the insurance company to remove any penalty and fees. I have a renewed sense of faith in the system. YEAH!!!

Thank you Mom!

We have been so lucky to have my mom out here to help us for the past month. I am not sure how we would have adjusted to life as parents without her help! She has been amazing by taking care of the house (cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, etc.) without asking us what she should do - she just does it. What a huge help this has been! Her help around the house allowed us to focus on Alli. Of course, her pearls of wisdom with regard to Alli have also been very helpful. We will certainly miss having that extra help at 5 a.m. when we would like to catch another hour or so of sleep and the little one wants to play. Gram was always more than happy to take a turn entertaining Alli

Thank you so much Mom!!! We appreciate everything you have done for us and will miss you very much. We cannot wait for August!
 

Gram meeting Alli for the first time.

Alli found a very snuggly spot to sleep :)

Checking out each other.

Three generations.

Garrett's Award

My handsome husband has once again shown what an amazing person he is. On top of being an amazing husband and father, he is also a fabulous Air Force Captain. In fact, his office has named him employee of the year!!! Alli and I are so proud of him :) He has been off work since Alli was born and will return to the office next Tuesday. It will be sad to not have him around all day but I'm sure we will manage and he needs to return to serving our country! Congratulations Garrett - it's wonderful to know that others recognize how great you are!!!!!!!!

Adjusting to life at home with Alli

We got home Thursday afternoon and are getting settled into life with Alli. Forgive us if we are tardy in our updates, Alli is keeping us quite busy!!! We have been having a fabulous time getting to know our little girl. Other than spending lots of time with Alli, we don't have much to report but I promise we will soon :) In the meantime, we have set up a website solely dedicated to Alli if you would like to visit that for more pics and updates on our beautiful little girl http://www.babysites.com/sites/allinicole/

Allison Nicole Fisher

. . .is a Superbowl baby!!! She made her unexpected appearance at 11:36 a.m. by c-section because she remained breech like the adorable, stubborn little lady that she is.

She weighs 6 lbs, 11 oz. and is 20 inches in length.

Mommy, Daddy and Alli are doing great and getting to know each other.