Intentions.

Do you ever have good intentions to do something but never get around to doing it? Yeah, that was my problem today. I am rearranging the bonus room for "pre-school" with Bailey. I am trying to set up everything in stations. In order to do this, I need to purchase more shelving. Until I purchase more shelving it is quite difficult to get her toys organized the way that I have designed. Needless to say I tried to go thru everything in the family room and then started weeding thru toys in her bedroom. Please understand I am doing this and trying to play with Bailey. She certainly was going in behind everything I did and pulling out treasures. Somehow ALL of the toys downstairs ended up in the hallway and scattered about the family room. When all was said and done the only thing accomplished was that I actually moved her room around and it looks really cute! However these were NOT my INTENTIONS!!! Ha! Tomorrow is another day!! :)

Hey.

Every morning Bailey wakes up around 5:45am and Bobby will get her out of her crib and bring her to me to breastfeed her and then Bobby puts her back down after she is done before he leaves for work. She never wakes up entirely and always falls asleep before Bobby can get her to her crib. However, this morning was different. Bobby needed to go into work early so I was responsible for putting her back in her crib after her feeding. When I went to lay her down she must have realized that it wasn't Daddy laying her down and lifted her head up, looked at me and said "Heyyyyyyyy ma" and then blew me a kiss and laid her head back down and went to sleep. Melted my heart. It's moments like those that makes me realize how much I enjoy being a mother!!!

Trees.

Christmas decorations are finally put away. Bailey and I took a trip to Walmart today to actually by special ornament bins and some Christmas bins for all of our decorations. I was able to store everything neatly away in the bins. This is so much better than the old fan boxes we had been using to store Christmas swag. Then comes the trees. We have two Christmas trees in our home. One in the family room and one in the bonus room upstairs.  I actually was able to get everything off of the trees in a timely fashion this year. This makes me think back to last year. Bailey was only one month old and I had no drive to take down Christmas decorations. Just the thought of it was a drag. I remember whining to Bobby everyday after Christmas about getting them down. We actually kept the decorations up until right before the inauguration and snow.

I have highly motivated this year. I don't know if it is the excitement of a new year and great things to come or maybe I am just ready for the season to be over. Don't get me wrong, this is my favorite holiday season. I am just ready for change.

Bailey is especially talkative lately. I love listening to her try and say words. She is truly understanding and putting words together and it excites me about teaching her this coming year. She is such a little lady. More to come on her personality.....

Goals.

As 2010 quickly approaches I am always reminded of the previous New Years and what goals I had in mind for this past year. Of course everyone sets goals and resolutions for the new and upcoming year but how many of us actually live up to or accomplish those goals. If you are like me the excitement of following thru fades away after January. I might even make it to February but then the new year is quickly forgotten and I am back into my old habits.

I am hoping for a different outlook for 2010. My sister, Ashley and I have planned an all night event for New Year's Eve which includes wings, roasted vegetables and all sorts of fun items to help us make a list of our goals and resolutions for 2010 and stick to them!! It's really good to have someone to keep you accountable. (This does not neccessarily have to be your significant other as in my case).

I know God has great things in store for 2010 for our family. I am trusting Him.

Balloon!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting up with my lifelong friend, Trinady, at Southpoint. We have grown up together and been a part of each other's life since Trin was born three months after me! She finally got to meet Bailey! It was so exciting and good to see her. She just recently found out she was pregnant!!! After watching her with Bailey it made me even more excited for the birth of her child.

So Bailey was in major need of some shoes. Since we were at Southpoint we thought maybe we would be able to find some. Well, we did. Actually, Trin spotted some cute shoes at Nordstrom. After measuring her foot size (2) we found some really cute Lacoste shoes. I never thought I would pay $40 for a pair of shoes the size of my thumb. Now it was time to get her to walk in them. The lady grabbed a balloon and walked down the aisle and called for Bailey to come and get the balloon. Bailey let go of me so quickly and, in her new shoes, walked right over and grabbed the balloon. That balloon became the only "toy" she was interested in the rest of the afternoon into the night. And she never gave a second thought to the shoes on her feet!!! I will try to get pictures posted soo.

I want that couch.....

Oh yeah!!! My sissy is moving into her own apartment. I am so excited. She signed her papers on Friday and moves in this Friday. Since she will be needing to furnish this awesome apartment it was time to do some much needed furniture shopping. Yesterday she was able to get everything she was looking for, especially the COUCH and CHAIR for her living room. I am so jealous!!! That couch is so incredibly comfortable. She wasn't even going to get the chair, but she couldn't pass it up. I sat in it and she asked what I thought about. When she sat in it she got the biggest grin on her face. DONE DEAL!!! I hope I stay motivated helping her move in. I don't know how I am going to stay focussed with that couch mocking me as I slave away at decorating and organizing. Bahaha! At least we will have a comfy piece of furniture to relax on after the work is done!!! YAY!!

Hip Hop Hooray....

So Friday I was feeding Bailey lunch and for some reason decided to put my hands in the air and start singing "Hip hop hooray...heyyyyyyyy ohhhhhhh" or however it goes. I was swinging my hands back and forth and kept singing/chanting it. Bailey got the BIGGEST kick out of this and started mocking me. She kept humming the same tune and waving her hands back and forth. CRACKIN' me up. So our friend Nathan came in town and stayed with us this weekend and we showed him. So the rest of the weekend Bailey had her hands up in the air "wavin' 'em like she just don't care" with our guest. It is too precious!!!! What a little personality.

Pizza or Sushi?

So I just got finished getting ready while Bailey is napping. Today I am going to look at apartments with Ashley. I am soooooo excited (to find out how excited I am read Ashley's blog). This is a new chapter for my sissy!!! She is ready for this. Actually, I am more ready than she is. I think it is exciting to know that I have another family member to visit instead of always going to Mom and Dad's. It's nice to disperse (I don't know if I spelled that right!).

Our plan is to look at this apartment and if it is the one then hopefully a decision will be made today. I hope so! I love moving and arranging furniture. If the big decision is made then we are going to either get Little Ceasar's Pizza (holy crap, give me some crazy bread cuz Atkins is killing me) or Sushi (yummy tempura crunch)! Maybe we should do both. No, just kidding. That's gross.

What a beautiful day to be out and about. Yeah, Bailey has 2 diapers left so I have to get diapers anyways. I mean, she has cloth diapers but I love the Earth's Best Organic diapers and that is all she wears. So maybe it would be a good idea to get some since I forgot to order them online a couple of days ago! OOPS!

One more thing for all of you who don't care. Tomorrow is hunting season. That means that my husband will either not be here tonight or will get up at 3:00am to sit in a tree stand and stalk buck with his bow. He will be doing this with my brothers. Maybe tomorrow I will have some amazing story about how they all got 8 pt. bucks (trophies) and a couple of doe (for some good eating). Probably not!!! Deer know what season it is. They are packing their bags right now!!!

Good Morning World!

So today is a BIG DAY!!! I am speaking college football of course. Clemson is at Georgia Tech tonight. Oh my word. This is suppose to be one of the biggest games of the season for the Tigers. GRRRRREEEAT! Yeah, I am not thinking we needed this to be our second game, but what do I know. I really think this is going to shape the rest of the season for the Tigers. I can only be positive and optimistic (which hasn't done any good in the past aka the 'bama game). Anyways, the grill will be in full affect tonight!!! Bailey will only get a sneak preview of the game because of bedtime. I guess this means I have to be a QUIET cheerleader tonight. QUIET? Are you kidding me? It's the CLEMSON TIGERS. When have I even zipped it when they are playing? Oh well. Enough of my soapbox on my team. Let's talk more football......The Steelers play tonight also. Opening night of regular season NFL. It's going to be a busy one!!! I guess BIG BROTHER is not on the menu tonight....

GO TIGERS!!!

Tiger girls are the best in the world!!!

Trying to play catch up!!!

Whew....three months have gone by quickly!!! Alot has happened in those three months. Did I mention that my 9 month old is walking. She actually started walking two days after she turned 9 months. Just took off!!! Now she has become a pro. It is amazing how much of a change has happened in her walking in just 3 weeks. However, she still hasn't realized that if something is on the floor in front of her she cannot just plow thru it. Ha! Lots of falling down. This brings a new meaning to "A WHOLE NEW WORLD"!

So last Thursday kicked off the beginning of my favorite season/sport!!! Fall and college football. And the weather has been something special!!! We are now into the full swing of grilling, wiping the dust off of our football jerseys and training Bailey to be a true Tiger fan!!! If it could only cool down 20 to 30 degrees!!!

Oh the insanity.....

I need to vent! Is there ever a time where you just can't get motivated to save your life? I have piles of laundry to fold, bathrooms to clean and a bedroom that looks like a tornado went thru it. I want sooooo badly to clean but find it hard to clean and play and play and clean. It's like I need a weekend of nothing but cleaning. Hmmmmmm?! That would be great. The sad thing is even if Bobby volunteered to watch Bailey upstairs while I cleaned I would feel obligated to go and play and entertain. I think it is about time to bite the bullet and just do it. No excuses, no questions....just get the work done. I think I would feel alot better. I also need a food plan. I tried this with dinners after Bailey was born. It worked for two weeks and then I ran out of groceries and didn't feel like going to the grocery store to load the cart. Does it sound like I am lazy? I am not a very productive person. And right now while Bailey is napping I could be cleaning a bathroom. Oh...then I have to stop when she wakes up and the job is only half done and I am suppose to get motivated when I have another minute. Give me a break. Once I get this mess of a house clean IT WILL STAY CLEAN. It's just getting there! Fiddledeedee!

Not feeling to well....

Well today is challenging! I feel like junk. Last night when we got home from church fellowship my throat started hurting. Bailey has already had the sniffles and she also sounded congested. Yeah, that turned into a long night for both of us. We ended up in the guest bedroom together trying to make it thru the night. I think our bodies are just run down. We have been very busy this week with very long days out in the heat and late nights. And it seems to be getting busier. Tomorrow we have the alumni games at NRCA. Depending on how well we are feeling we might not attend. It really stinks because I was so excited about everyone meeting my little bundle of joy. I figure it's time to take it easy for a couple of days and get some rest!!!

Even though it has been a battle of trying to recoup, yesterday was Will's (my nephew) 4th birthday. I can't believe he is four years old. We had a blast though! I forgot what it was like to be kid and care nothing in the world about anything but presents. He kept saying "Can I have another present?".....cracked me up!!! I love my family!!!

Adam is back!!

Words cannot describe......

"Move it or lose it! I am here to pick up my UNCLE!!"

This weekend we went to Jacksonville to welcome Adam home from Afghanistan. This was also the very first time Bailey was able to meet her Big Uncle Adam!!! Talk about emotions running rampant!! I couldn't hold back the tears when he came over and squeezed me and then asked to take Bailey with him. He grabbed her and started walking. For a moment I didn't even know what to do. It seemed so surreal (I am crying right now just thinking about it). I know that over a span of seven months we have talked on Facebook and even on the phone, but nothing is more real than him seeing Bailey and wanting to hold her and kiss her. He even cried!!! I am so very lucky to have a brother who is so brave. He is my HERO!!! Thank you, God for keeping him safe.

Pool Time

She had way too much fun in the pool!

Our neighbor, Chris, hangin out with Bailey while Daddy is out of town!

Bailey getting on the to kids because they wouldn't look at the camera....ha!

Hanging out after spending time in the pool with Mommy!

Bath time...in the new shower....

Crawling!

My little Bailey is everywhere! She is up on all fours, on her toes and trying to be involved in everything that is going on. She thinks she is older than she really is. The only thing she needs to do now is hold her head up when she crawls!!! She loves playing with her cousins.

Cousins

We were finally able to get a picture of the kids!!! Luckily it was raining outside and Mimi was not around. If Mimi is around she has them hanging off of each leg and not wanting to take pictures....together at least!!! This picture is for Mimi!!!

Memorial Day Weekend

I love my baby girl!!!!

Bailey had a busy Memorial Day weekend! We went to three different cook-outs and had to sport different bows at each!!! Now she not only has bows for her headbands....she has FLOWERS!!! Twelve of them to be exact!!! I can't wait for her to wear them all. What an obsession I have!!

Remodel Update....

Still trying to get things in place....not taking pictures until everything is back up on the walls and rugs are put down!!!

Yummy.....

Mmmmmmmm......

I think I might be sick now!!!

Nothing like fresh rice and flax meal!!!

6 Month Stats/New Food

Yesterday was Bailey's six month Dr. appt. She is a "little bit"! She weighed in at 16 lbs. 8 oz. and was 24 1/2" long. Her head circumference was 43cm. Dr. Mike said it was time to start introducing her to food. I thought oh how fun, but it is alot of work to a mom who can whip out her breast to feed (I know that's blunt) and never have to prepare anything. So we got everything together last night.

So today I introduced rice cereal to Bailey! At breakfast it was new and she didn't really know what to think, but during lunch she ate almost all of the bowl. This was after I had just breastfed her. She kept smiling and opening her mouth wide. What a good girl!!!! I can't wait to see if this effects her poop! Ha! It will be interesting. Maybe now she will start getting fatter. Ha...she is going to be a short, little chunker! I love it!!!!

Pictures will follow! I haven't had time lately to do anything on the computer!! Busy with remodel and going to the pool. Speaking of the pool....that is another blog for later! I officially have a water bug!!

Busy Weekend....

This weekend was quite an event! Saturday we took Bailey to the NC Zoo with the family. So much fun. We arrived at 8:30am (about an hour and a half drive) and left at 3:00pm. Bailey was a total angel. She never fussed, cried....nothing. She was taking in everything around her! It was a blast!!! The family time was great and we got to see lots of animals. The family favorite was definitely the polar bear. He really put on a show for us. He would swim up and kiss the glass where the kids faces were and shoot out of the water!!

Sunday was Mother's Day and also the same day of baby dedication. What a special day! Bobby was trying to watch Bailey so I could have some "me" time getting ready for church. Bailey wanted Mommy though. I ended up putting her in the bathroom sink while I was getting ready. She loved it. She got to play with my brush and hair ties. Her favorite was talking to herself in the mirror. Too precious!!!! Then I opened my first Mother's Day gifts. I got several charms from Bobby and Bailey for my Pandora bracelet. I was so excited!!! I love my bracelet.

What a great weekend with family and a great time to reflect on being a Mommy. I love it! I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world!!!

Bailey's New Scrunchie Smile....

Personality Shots

5 months....

Bailey loves drinking her water from a straw.....it's the only other food/drink she gets other than breastmilk!!

It's not over....

I haven’t blogged in a week in hopes that the next time I would be blogging I would have wonderful pictures to show you of my remodel. Haha! Not so much. We still have three to four days of flooring and baseboard to be completed. Not to mention the cleaning that will need to be done after the remodel is complete. Did I mention that I don’t know what I have gotten myself into? I am done after this! Except for the natural areas outside.


I am sure all of you mommy’s realize that Sunday is Mother’s Day. This is my first official Mother’s Day. I am super excited. Bailey is also being dedicated at church. So in preparation for her dedication I had to buy her a new dress. Sooooo much fun. My purchase was made at Strasburg Children. Her dress is sky blue and matches her eyes. Don’t play…I purchased a HUGE matching blue bow for her hairband also!!!! I am very excited. What a special Mother’s Day this will be! I will post pictures Sunday of my adorable little Boobear.


I need to get out and hang out with other mommies. I have had a really hard time with this. So many of my friends have children and I don’t know why I have made it so dang difficult. Maybe the warm weather will get me out of the house. I know the pool will be lots of fun. And as soon as the remodel is done we are making plans. HOLD ME TO THIS!!!

Ok…I am done blogging today…I have laundry to do. YAY!!!

Remodeling

Staying at home might not be such a good idea for someone who loves doing new things! About a month ago my wheels started turning about certain things in the house. Particularly our floors/carpet. Our carpet is 5 1/2 years old and in bad condition. I had new carpet put in in the living room 3 weeks ago. Now I am having the old hardwoods (ugly) pulled up in the dining room and foyer and the carpet pulled up in the halls and having new hardwoods put down. I figured this would be better for children and wear and tear!! Easier to clean also!!! So we started on that and I figured I really wanted a shower instead of a tub/shower combo in the master bath. I know I want another child and being pregnant and stepping over a garden tub didn't really work out (I am really short, also). I also wanted a handheld shower head so i could wash the shower easier. These days it's all about what is easier to clean. HA! If I change the shower then I need a new top. Where does it end? Oops! No, I am really excited. I will be more excited when it is complete though. But then it got me thinking. I really need to get new carpet in our bedroom. Actually, I would like hardwoods, but we are waiting for that. Maybe after everything settles down and we make it thru the summer I might put that on the "honey do" list! I will post before and after pictures once everything is done. I have asked for it to be finished by Mother's Day! My husband and Daddy can do anything! I know they will have it done....wink, wink. Too bad they don't read this blog. Ha!

Oh yeah....My brother has been coming out to cut my yard (GrassMasters rocks) and told me I need to add a couple of natural areas to my yard. So that is another project. POOR BOBBY! I think we are waiting until the fall because I don't want to plant trees in this heat! So he gets a summer break. Come on somebody!!!

Spending time with Mimi!!!

I can't believe the warm weather that is about to engulf us. I am talking about the summer weather!! Mid to upper 80's.....HOT!!! I love warm weather but not a big fan of hot weather unless the pool is a decent temperature (meaning not toooo cold). Yesterday we took advantage of the beautiful weather outside. Bailey and I packed up and went to Mimi's (my Mommy) for the day. It started out with a trip to K-Mart before we got to Mimi's. We were looking for a walker that Bailey could use in Mimi and Pop's driveway. The problem is that my child is so short no walker works. I thought I had found the perfect walker. They didn't have a display but I just knew it would work because it said 4 months and older. It was an old school walker!! So when we got to my Mom's we put it together. Low and behold she is too short for it!!! Go figure. We decided to put her in her stroller and get some much needed exercise. We walked and walked and walked. Bailey napped. Must be nice to be a baby. I wish I could remember those days where my Mom would stroll me and all I would have to do is sit there. Ahhhhhhh!!! The life. After we walked and ate we laid a big quilt down in some shade and played. It was a fun and special time. Mimi got to spend some quality time with Bailey and me. What a great day!!!

Cortizone Shot

Yesterday I finally made it to the orthapedic about my thumb and wrist. Ever since my break back in 2001 i thought everything was ok until I had Bailey. Everything got worse, tight, and painful. So the verdict is......I have alot of scar tissue from where the break and re-break is. It is very common in pregnant women to develope tendonitis in their wrists. Mine is a little worse due to the scar tissue. The quick fix was a cortizone shot. NO...it did not feel good and needles don't even bother me. When your doctor is about to stick the needle in and says "You are going to feel a pop and crunch as the needle makes its way thru the scar tissue", you feel a little uneasy. My wrist hurt like the dickens yesterday but some of the pain is subsiding as of this morning. I have heard you have to give it a good 2 to 3 days. Whatever!!! If this doesn't work then they will do surgery and cut the tendon to relieve the pressure. Pray God's will for my hand. I don't mind the surgery if it prevents me from having to go in every other month to get a shot. However, I would have to be out of commission for 3 days (at least). That just doesn't sound feasible for a breastfeeding mom!!!! So we will pray God's will. The only reason I would opt to go ahead and have the surgery and not wait is the fact that I have already met my deductible on our insurance and it would be nice to not have to pay for the surgery....haha! We will see!!!

Happy Birthday Memaw and Bailey

Today would have been Memaw's 90th birthday!!! She is having a way better celebration in heaven than she would have here!!! I can only imagine her sitting with PawPaw at Jesus' feet having a good ol' time!!!

Bailey is also 5 months old today. My how time flies!!! I am constantly looking back at her newborn photo shoot and feeling like it has been ages ago since she was that tiny. She has been a piece of work today! I think she knows she is getting bigger so she has to show more of that dominate personality!!! She is still adjusting to her routine after a busy day Saturday with Memaw's funeral and lots of fun with our extended family. She was in her element with all of the children. I guess you know what that means.....she wants some siblings. Hahahaha...I wonder if Bobby reads this blog :)

So lately I have been having some serious problems with my wrist I broke 7 years ago playing field hockey. I actually broke it in three places and now it has a knot and I can't extend three of my fingers without being in a substantial amount of pain. I am going to the Hand Center tomorrow to have them take a look at it. My prayer is that it can be fixed. The good thing is that Mimi gets to watch Bailey and keep her all to herself with no one trying to steal her (that includes me also....I can't get enough of my boobear)!

Hope you enjoy the few pictures I posted of this weekend with the family. What a precious time!!!

Special times!

Yesterday my memaw (great-grandmother) passed away. Memaw lived to be a wonderful 89 years old. She was ready to be with Jesus. Bailey and I decided to go and be with the family. At first I was skeptical about taking Bailey. With her constant spit up and a house full of friends and family, I worried that she would be exhausted and fussy. I called Bobby at work and asked him to pray fervently for a good visit and for Bailey to be relaxed and happy. WOW! God is sooo amazing. Everyday I see how he answers our prayers.

Our visit was amazing. Bailey got to play with her cousins all day long. She didn't spit up much and took a wonderful nap on her mommy for about 45 minutes. Just enough to get her refueled and ready to play with the kids again. The visit was so refreshing and much needed. We were able to spend time in sweet fellowship with our family. I left there so excited about Memaw's celebration of her life on Saturday. Excited because I get to bring my daughter around well-behaved, Godly children who absolutely love all over her. What a joy!

This truly is a SPECIAL time in our lives. God is showing me how important it is to "let go and let God". He is constantly saying "It's ok, Amber. I am never going to give you anything you can't handle". It's been hard to let go being a new Mommy. I have a hard time wondering what people will think of my child. But God has showed me that if I put my faith and trust in Him, that he will bless my family beyond belief.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!!!