Happy EIGHT Months, Bug!

Just seems like yesterday we were writing your name and the number seven in the sand. With the blink of an eye, here we are, and you are eight months old. It has gone by entirely too fast for all of us and it really needs to slow down already...I'd do anything to make it go a little bit slower. Can I just be honest for a second and say I didn't even want to make the 8? There I said it, and that's why it is not all fancy. I'm in denial, let me be there this month....I'll come back strong on the 9.

Your typical day...you wake up at around 7-8 and give me the biggest smile imaginable when I open that bedroom door. I have to catch that smile on camera tomorrow morning because it is a heart melting type smile. A smile like you haven't seen me in a few days or that I was the most beautiful woman in the world. I definitely have to catch it because there will be a day when I go to wake you up and you will dread it...but not now...now you love when I open that door. Back to your day...I bring you in our bed to nurse and talk about your sleep and the day we have ahead. Then it is downstairs for Cheerios and fruit. I vacuum while you are eating (which you are completely intrigued by) because once I put you down anything you find is fair game to put in your mouth. After that, you are an on the go player! You love your toys, but you also love anything you can't have, which includes but is not limited to fuzz balls, wires, shoes. Then, you usually end up wearing yourself out after 2 hours and are ready for a nap. And it all starts over from there....a cycle that I would love to repeat every day of my life.
It is amazing how such a little girl can have such a BIG personality! But, you do and you keep us laughing daily. You have started to imitate things, noises, laughs, movements and it is hilarious. You are still going strong on the fake sneezes because well, we still get a kick out of it. You even add in a fake cough here and there to keep us interested, like a little actress. You have learned how to click your tongue by watching me, which I was very impressed by, but I am your Mom, so it's kind of my job.

It looks as though you have become quite the Daddy's girl. You are so happy to see him when he walks in that door. You light up and smile all over yourself when he comes home and if you're not the first person that he talks to, well let's just say you get your feelings hurt.

I am the only person you will laugh for, though and this makes us wonder because I'm really not that funny.

You started feeding yourself like a big girl! It is so cute to watch the adorable process. I can't even help the giggle fit that I have as you try to get something off of your lip. The way that you pick certain things out of what is on your tray also amuses me. You seem to love stinky things like cheese...even sharp or provolone... broccoli and eggs...peppers and eggs happens to be one of your favorites and you make the "om nom nom" noises the entire time. I love it. I'm going to introduce you to a lot of onions and fish so you are not like me!

So, Happy EIGHT Months, Bug!
Bug. I'm proud to say I gave you that nickname, even though Daddy is the king of nicknames! You have always been our lovebug, cuddlebug, snugglebug and one night I said, "Come on, bug, time for bed". Daddy said "I love it" and there you have it. Daddy even got you a bug stuffed animal that you LOVE!...and chew on the antennas!

Picture time....

$6 couch makeover...

I decided that we needed some color on our drab couch. So, I removed the stuffing from the old ones, bought 4 pieces of fabric and here is my $6 couch makeover...

Before:

Mom, these are just awful.

After:

Now this is more like it!

I can really kick back and relax on these.

If weekends were 4 days

The end of another weekend. They never last long enough. Sometimes I wonder...if weekends were 4 days would everyone still say they are too short?
This weekend had big plans...big, baseball tournament plans...until Friday, when it rained all day, then our tournament was cancelled. I did get my AMAZING camera on Friday though, so that was kind of my highlight...well, until I saw Madeline on the park swing for the first time today. I'm going to attach some unedited photos to this post, just so you can witness the Canon awesomeness.woot!
We had a visitor on Saturday..I love visitors. My Father-in-law, Pop Tony, came over for a mini cookout. We both like to pretend we are professional photographers, so being in the same
room with both of us could be hazardous to your eye sight with all the flashing. Always a fun time though.

New neighbors have been moving in for the past couple weeks and I think today the task has been completed. No exaggeration, this is the slowest move in process I have ever witnessed. This is the only rental community I have ever lived in, but I have witnessed quite a few while being here and I have to say, I've never seen anything like it. I think my husband has a mini neighbor crush on them already. The guy said he has a Westie (instant connection) and a baby girl (sold), so Anthony is quite excited. We haven't met the wife, baby or westie yet...but hopefully they are as great as he hopes they are.

Today was Madeline's first time at the park. It is a very small park in the middle of our neighborhood and to my surprise they have an infant swing. She absolutely loved the swing, which you will see in the photos, and loved to look around at the other kids.
There was a little girl at the park that I felt sorry for though. She was there with her very unenthusiastic Grandmother. I was shocked at how not nice she was toto her grandchild, perhaps because I was blessed, but this just made me sad. I could tell that her mind was on other things and that she looked like her road of life hadn't been easy, but you would think this beautiful little girl would have lit up her life. That didn't seem to be the case. She made it known she did not want to be there, at the park with the little girl. She was dressed like it was a cool Autumn day and it felt like summer out, so I couldn't help but think she was irritable from being hot? (I try to think the best of people). A simple request to be given a push on the swing was shot down, so I volunteered, only to be given 'a look' and told she was fine. She was very cold every time the adorable little girl asked a question or made a comment, so I tried to engage her in a conversation. I have a very hard time minding my business, you see, my husband gives me grief over that often. Needless to say, the Grandmother (if you want to call her that) got annoyed with my happiness toward Madeline and willingness to share our bubbles with the little girl that she told her she was tired (from sitting on the bench and only for 10 minutes?) and they had to go back home. Mean.just mean. I wish I could change some people. She would be one of those people. But, I had some hope so it wouldn't ruin my day...maybe her parents are wonderful to her? Although, I couldn't help but think, this woman raised one of her parents, so chances are..... Ugh, I'll just live in my own happy thoughts. The same way when I watched a movie with Anthony last night and the woman died in the end I said, "I'll just add my own ending, say she lived, and that it was a great movie". He got a kick out of it and knew that's exactly what I did too....you couldn't tell me the ending was any different from what I thought it should be.
Anyway, I've rambled long enough. This is what we spent a fortune on....
(remember they are completely unedited...edited I'm pretty sure they would blown your mind)

I could have posted 100 photos. You cannot tell me these (most) are not professional quality without even being edited!! Happy with our purchase, for sure!

I'm on a roll...

I cry over television shows. It's really quite pathetic. But, I watch and relate it to my own life and it just happens. I was just watching a show, Grey's Anatomy, and it ended with social services taking an adopted baby away from one of the girls and another is having an abortion. How sad are those two things? If you're a Mother, they are the two saddest things imaginable....having a life being taken away from you and ending a life that is inside of you. I hate when I cry over a stupid show, though. I definitely am an emotional sap, but that's going a little too far.

I'm waiting on the UPS man...AGAIN. I'm so impatient, probably the most impatient person you will ever meet. I cannot stand waiting for things. Hell, I've had my share of waiting for things though, so maybe that is why I'm so extreme now.
I'm awaiting the Canon EOS...my husband and uncle seemed to be in cahoots over this when it came on QVC with all the bells and whistles! Anthony was even on the air. It was memorable. I am so extremely excited to get it in my hands, though. It is going to take a few days to learn the ropes, but once I do I plan to take AMAZING photographs. Poor Madeline and Joshua...they are my models....and they.will.like.it.

Guess I'm kind of being hard on myself tonight...talking about my emotion, impatience and need for the newest technology. So, since I'm on a roll...
I wish I could be that witty type person. My husband, Anthony, is very witty. So witty that he makes up for my lack of wit sometimes most of the time. I feel like I always walk away from situations saying, "I should have said this.and this.and that.and this too." or "Why couldn't Anthony have been with me? He would have known what to say!".
 I also put everything out there, even though some things should be private You know why? I believe in the power of thought and prayer. I believe if people are thinking about and praying for you that something good will come of the situation. It could happen.
I could be rambling, so...That is all.

A day in the life of a SAHM

I want to bring you into my life for a minute. I want to bring you into a day in the life of a stay at home Mom or SAHM. Are you a SAHM? Do you know a lot of Moms that are? Do you want to be?
Many women don't know what it involves, some have even asked, "how do you do it? I could never just stay in the house with a baby all day", so I'm here to show you what it is like. It is hard to believe how much I have to do in one day...I should get an award or something.

Well, it starts off with a messiest hair contest....

pssh, show-off, she always wins.

She pees enough for 5 babies at night, so is usually soaked straight through. That means she has to be undressed, washed off and I HAVE to kiss THAT belly...hard work, I tell ya.

Our next task, getting a centered picture with both of our heads to send to Daddy. This can be a difficult project and has taken months to master.

After that tedious task, it is on to pirate faces...

I'm sure you're wondering how I deal with this by now...I told you she is a show off.

After all that hard work kissing baby belly and taking a self (+ one) portrait, losing at both the messiest hair AND pirate face contest, I bust my hump in the kitchen making a banana, peach and Cheerios breakfast, only to have my breakfast date shove food in her mouth.kind of like this....

After that mess, she has the nerve to follow me around with a big, goofy grin.

Obviously, I'm annoyed at this point, so I turn her away and she moves on to using every bit of her energy to get to the dog

...only to have the dog walk away the second she gets there. So, she moves on to playing hide and seek...

You wouldn't believe how many times I have lost her.

Then I have to listen as she plays DJ at what she likes to call Club Bebe...

and the second I walk away, she waves for me to come back...

AND begs me to dress her up like a lady bug...

Just so she can do her bug dance...

Oh, the work of a SAHM is never done.

At this point, as you can imagine, I am pretty much exhausted, but she wants to try on hats..

I know what you're thinking, it's a rough job, but somebody has to do it.
I mean, there are some days where I don't even get to put shoes on and we just stay in our bear feet....

All of this.All day long.
To top it off...I can't even get a break from looking at her at night...

And THAT my friends, is a day in the life of a SAHM.

Hopefully you added your own sarcastic tone to this entire post.

Honestly, I am having the time of my life. THIS is what life is about. THIS is what having a baby is about. Enjoying every possible second. Waking up to a smiling face. Playing all day. Some days I am so consumed in this little life that hardly anything gets done. But, you know what? It will be there tomorrow and the next day and the next. Madeline's baby days will not. And the best part? My husband gets that too and also spends his entire night, from the time he gets home until she goes to bed, playing and enjoying her too. Spoiled? Nah. Loved.
And as most people would say about a job...
I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity I have been given.
That comes from the heart though.