Mommy Musings

Today I will be carting around an adorable little girl who resembles this today: Actual pictures to follow tonight!

My dad sent me this picture a few days ago. Me posing down the beach!

Skip: { rummaging through the side table that contains all our DVD and CD cases} I'm looking for all our X Box games. I want to play a new one and I can't find it. Me: Ummm , is it the one sitting on the X Box labeled games?? Skip :You're awesome

Yesterday at lunchtime I was running around my house like crazy. I was feeding Little M mac and cheese and vegetables, which required me to run back and forth between the kitchen and family room where she was eating. I also had to let the puppies in and out, make sure they got treats and water and weren't attacking each other. I was trying to tidy up the kitchen and family room since my friend J was coming over in a little while. I was attempting to watch the Fox Pre -Game Show to make sure none of my fantasy players were taken out last minute. All the while I was trying to keep everyone in the house quiet because Skip was sleeping after working a sixteen hour shift. And then for a moment I stopped, a smile spread across my face and I thought, "I just love this. I love being a wife. I love being a mom." I am very blessed in my life right now!

*Put ice in a mesh food feeder {I think that's what they're called} and give to your child when they are teething. It is an absolute LIFESAVER and also keeps their hands from getting too cold, unlike regular teethers you put in the freezer.*

Lola over at ' Not All Who Wander Are Lost ' posted a very important story on her blog today. She says ' I'm trying to raise $2500 for the education of SSG Jackson's four children that were left behind when he was killed in action by an improvised explosive device in Ramadi , Iraq in 2006." She is asking each of us to donate some money, no matter how small or large a donation, to help out this family. I know that there are countless children and families who are left behind when a serviceman or woman is killed in combat, and they all need help. But this is one we can help. I know these are tough economic times for everyone, but if you can help please go to this website and donate. Thanks!

As I said, the celebrating for this birthday was definitely different than past years since I have Little M now. It was fabulous though, and there is no greater present than her smiling face! Skip let me sleep in that day until 10:00 am {!!!!!} and I was awoken by him and Meredith and a tray of breakfast. There was a buttered bagel, cookies, and a Diet Coke...three of my most favorite foods! I got two beautiful cards and TICKETS TO THIS WEEKEND'S GIANT'S GAME!! So not only do I get to go see my Giants {for the last time in this stadium, tear} but it will also be a date night out with the husband! I think it will be the longest we will be out together sans baby! Anyways, we then went out to lunch with my parents to Friendlys ... yumm ! {no more fancy Italian restaurants for my birthday...only kid-friendly places for this girl!} After lunch we decided to go have some family fun at the park. Skip, Little M, Mr. B and I headed out to a park about 5 minutes from our house. ...

On one of Skip's days off last week we took Little M up to a local farm to pick out her very first pumpkin. It was a perfectly sunny, cool, crisp, October day. She LOVED the whole experience, and Skip and I thoroughly enjoyed taking her. We weren't sure how she would handle the hay ride, so we'll save that for next year. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy! Attempting to take some pictures in the wooden cutouts Definitely made for bigger kids

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes! I will post all about my fabulous birthday tomorrow once I upload my pictures. But for today I will tell you about the first of one of many scary Mommy Moments. It involved this little cutie and this evil evil creature. Skip and I took Little M to Buy Buy Baby to pick up a few {or many} things today. On our way home we opened the windows in the car because after a week of freezing rain it was finally warm and sunny. As we were getting off the highway, about 5 minutes or so from home, Little M started screaming. I looked back and saw her grabbing at her little hand. Thankfully we pulled up to a red light and I hopped in the back with her. I was just getting situated when I noticed A BEE SITTING ON MY DAUGHTER'S T-SHIRT!!!!! I stayed calm {okay, there was a little bit of freaking out} and told Skip to open the window. I tried to flick the bee off of Little M and out the window. Of course all I managed to do was flick it so pit...

Today is a *very* important day in our little household. It is my 27 th BIRTHDAY!!! I love my birthday...I mean LOVE it! I partied for a week every year in college. My celebrations may be a little more toned down now that I'm a Mommy, but I still plan on enjoying this day to the fullest {even though I'm not really excited about being 27, and officially being considered in my 'late twenties'. Can I go back to being 23?? Pretty please??} I will post tomorrow all about our birthday celebrations today. Happy Birthday to ME!!!

May 2005 Me and Skip at my college graduation. I haven't been back there in over FOUR years. I cannot WAIT to go back to my Alumni Weekend in only three weeks!!!

October 15th is the day set aside to remember all who have lost a child through miscarriage or infant death. My heart goes out to each and every person who suffers, today and every day.

Here are some before and afters of our dining room. I only have one before picture for some reason, but took a whole bunch of afters. It is a dark brown color...it looks like milk chocolate spread all over the walls...yummy! I also made the valances above the windows. They are an even darker brown silky material. Enjoy! Before After { Skip's Wall of Accomplishments...he's one ambitious boy!}

Our half-bath downstairs is located off of the kitchen. After living in a tiny one-bedroom condo for three years whose only bathroom could only be accessed by walking through the master bedroom, this tiny little room is a heaven sent! I painted it a deep orangey color, same as our upstairs bathroom. I am still working on the window treatments for this bathroom, so I'll update whenever I get those done. For now, here are the pictures! Before After

Nothing cuter than a Little M with her very first pumpkin!

I am very excited to announce that I have received my third blogging award! A HUGE thank you to Jess over at Waiting on Baby Paramore for this fabulous award: Head over and check out her blog right now! It is so honest and open...it is one of my very favorites to read! Okay, now down to business.... Here are the rules: 1-Thank the person who nominated you for this award. 2-Copy the logo and place it on your blog. 3-Link to the person who nominated you for this award. 4-Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know. 5-Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers . 6-Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate. 7-Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they’ ve been nominated. Here are the seven things you may not know about me: 1. Diet Coke is practically my drug of choice. I could drink it all day every day! {I don't though Mom...don't worry!} 2. I am allergic to alcohol. As soon as I drink it I throw up immediately. This was Skip's favorite thing about me when he...

*If your children hate the confining feeling of being swaddled, try swaddling them under their armpits so their arms can be free.* Little M just screamed everytime we tried swaddling her in the beginning. Then we swaddled her under her arms and she was completely content. Wrapping her arms down by her side was just too confining for her.

In the napping war of Little M vs. her parents, we FINALLY won a battle this afternoon!!! After 5 long days of crying through naptime {both her and I} Little M is finally sleeping her in crib right now. It took her crying through her morning nap, whisking her upstairs during lunch because she kept passing out, and another long hour of crying. Now she is quiet and sound asleep. Please let this be the turning point! A huge thank you to my mom and all my blogging friends for your advice, and for my husband keeping me strong when I wanted to give in. Love you guys!

Most of my focus on this blog is about Little M. However, as much as I love being a stay-at-home mom, I also love being a stay-at-home wife! I keep myself busy with laundry, cleaning, cooking, and home-improvement type things. I LOVE decorating our house! We lived in a teeny tiny one-bedroom condo for the first three years we were married. In that time I painted the entire thing twice! {I developed a serious love of painting my homes} Then in the spring of 2008 {two weeks after we found out I was pregnant} we moved into our very first house. It was sooo exciting. I absolutely loved this house from the moment I walked into it. The best thing was that it was a flip and so there was NO paint on the walls! {only I would be excited about this, haha } I spent the entire summer of my pregnancy painting all nine rooms and one hallway....all.by.myself!!! Since I am so proud of my work, I will slowly be showing you all my before and afters. Here is the kitchen! Before And after! You can't t...

I am completely and totally at my wits end with this whole napping thing. And it's all my fault. Napping was never really something I got down as a mom {Little M napping that is, I am a napping CHAMPION} Around 8 weeks Little M finally got into a bedtime routine and started sleeping through the night. From months two to four she slept from 7 pm until 7 am. The only drawback was she didn't really nap at all during the day. But it really didn't bother me because she was such a good sleeper at night. Starting around month four or five, she started to wake up sometimes at night for a bottle, she was gassy, or just wanted a snuggle. She then also started taking some naps during the day. They were never at the same time or for the same length. And they were never in her crib. She would scream whenever we tried to have her nap in there, so she would nap in the car, stroller, our bed, or the couch downstairs. At the time I just felt it was most important for her to be s...

If anyone knows how to get a 10 month old to take her naps in her crib could you fill me in...because I have no idea what I'm doing. Thanks

BUSTED!

So after 7 loooooooong months, Skip and I finally got to go out and buy some of this last week..... ....because Little M has teeth!! Early last week we rejoiced when we saw not one, but two flashes of white on her bottom gum. I will miss her gummy smile, but with all the new foods she has been eating, M really needs some chompers! We were also surprised that TWO were coming in at a time; I thought they only came in one at a time. Well apparently Little M picked up on my anxiety over her lack of teeth, because yesterday morning I noticed a flash of white on her top gums! Four teeth have made an appearance and are working their way up. Little M is a little fussy, but really not that bad considering. Let's hope the rest of her teeth come in painlessly! {I will try and snag some pictures of her new smile in the next few days!}

My Little M has said her first word!!!! 'Dada' she today, loud and clear. And then she said it again, and again, and again! In fact she has been babbling it all day today. Every time you ask her where Daddy is now she says, 'Dada'. It is the cutest little thing ever! I was slightly bummed that her first word wasn't Mama {especially considering I have been practicing that with her pretty much since birth, haha } but I have always heard that Dada is just easier for babies to pronounce. I think that means ladies, that we need an easier name for our babies to call us! But today was full of surprises since Little M has decided that Dada is not enough. She also decided to start saying 'uh oh' today! The best was at my sister-in-law's baby shower today. Little M was sitting in my lap playing with one of her toys. All of a sudden, she threw the toy and exclaimed, 'Uh oh!' It was just the funniest thing. I wonder what she will say next?

I know I'm biased, but seriously...how cute is this face?? And this face There is nothing I love more in this world than being her mom. Thanks for being the best baby ever Little M!