Living might mean taking chances

first day of preschool!

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:32:32 GMT

Well, our first day of preschool was, I assume, a big hit! She was pretty tired not too long after her lunch, so she went down for a semi-early nap.

I have to buy her some lace-up shoes, though. Her adorable polka dot shoes are a bit too big, or the socks are too slippery (hard to explain), because they kept coming off. :( Added to my to-do list for tomorrow!

I didn't know what to do with all my "free" time. I say "free" because I still had Chloe, but compared to Reagan she's a piece of cake. I remember thinking it was SO HARD taking Reagan out by myself when she was Chloe's age. Uh, yeah. It was like a vacation today. A baby in a stroller? NO BIG DEAL. Now, a baby AND a 2 year old? No thanks. Chloe was even a little fussy, and it was still a breeze. I was high on freedom. Am I weird that I didn't get the least bit sad? I think I will when her first day of real school comes around. Right now, it's just a nice break.

Then maybe I'll have a third child, and taking 2 out will be a piece of cake compared to 3. The circle of life continues.

I finally joined the YMCA! I am actually quite excited about this. Even better, nothing really opens around here until 10 AM. Therefore, I am practically forced to go work out, or just go home until 10 AM (which is a waste of gas all around). I will be working out 3 mornings a week, for an hour! I just know this is going to be so good for me. Setting aside the inevitable weight loss, which is awesome just by itself, just getting out of the house and doing something good for me for a full hour sounds wonderful. Not that I love working out, quite the opposite actually. However, this place has personal TVs on the treadmills (which I've never had at a gym). I just bring some headphones and enjoy. I know that will help me a lot with that boring treadmill part.

Oh, Reagan said "Chloe" this morning. She kept trying so hard, it was so cute. She kept making the "kuh" sound over and over, very emphatically. It went something like, "KUH - KUH- KHOEE!" It was a very clear Chloe, minus the L, right at Chloe's face. I got ridiculously excited, because she hardly EVER really tries to say something the right way. She just says whatever is easiest, or nothing at all. Which reminds me, her second speech therapy session is tomorrow morning. It's a busy week for us, obviously. Then again, so is every week.

Another small thing: I handed her a stuffed dog on the way home from preschool, and she immediately started going "ruff ruff!" and moving it around on her lap. She has never done that before either, from what I can remember. She will say "dog" or "kittie" to a stuffed animal every once in a blue moon, but not make the sounds for them. It's amazing how such small things can make me happy now.

She looks like such a little GIRL!
These are all kind of out of order, but they're all from August.

(First day of preschool)

A couple of days ago...I was deliriously excited that she had kept her diaper and shorts on throughout her entire nap.

After her horrifying trip to get foam pulled out of her nose this past week. Yes, my child stuffed mattress foam up her nose (it has had a zipper cover on it for almost 2 weeks now, so yeah). I do not understand 2 year old logic. It stank to high heaven, hence the doctor trip, hence the second trip to remove the "foreign body". I still get chills thinking about it. She loved her sucker, though!

Not posed. :) I looked over and saw them like this, so I grabbed my camera quick!

I love this, she totally looks like she is telling him off/smacking him on purpose

"Helping" me cook eggs!

John watched the girls for a WHOLE HALF HOUR while I ran to get pullups and a late supper for me and him. I came home to this. Sweet, huh? As you can see, Reagan desperately needed pullups!

Reagan playing in the sink this afternoon. She loves water.

And a rare picture including me, at my grandma's house! I've been hiding from the camera these days, but not for much longer!

Really, Reagan loves "playing" with Chloe. It's so cute, she just lays next to her all the time and talks to her and brings toys to her. She's been more careful lately though, because Chloe doesn't play around when it comes to hair-pulling. I've had to rescue Reagan from her clutches more than a few times. I can't help but giggle secretly, though. Bad, bad.

Professional photos will finally be taken this week, when I can get a good appointment in the MORNINGS. Who are all these people scheduling photo sessions with JCPenney's? It isn't holiday season!

Good night. :)
♥

catching up

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:21:03 GMT

Chloe is growing like crazy! She is way bigger than Reagan was at this age, which isn't hard to do since Reagan was wayy tiny. Chloe is normal, lol. She's already rolling around like a mad woman, laughing out loud quite a lot, and semi-interacting with Reagan. She grabs for toys, grabs for Reagan, etc. She'll be 4 months old next week, but it feels like she's almost 5 months old really.

I have quite a few cute pictures to share!

We were playing a game!

Chloe is not impressed

I see a lot of myself in this picture

First time in the Bumbo! I need to find the pictures of Reagan's first time. HILARIOUS.

But then her head started lolling at bit and she just gave up, so oh well. Soon!

Reagan sharing "her" sunglasses

Very confused

Reagan with the sparklers. She also kept trying to grab the fire part. Better luck next year!

Chloe is a big fan of Mr. Rattles

Playing with Chloe!

She then got up and ran to me, and Chloe was like, "WAAIITT!" Or she would have been, had she been able to speak.

She then saw me pull out some chapstick. I love these pictures, LOL.

Yummy chapstick!

And last, but not least....

I'm re-organizing and re-decorating our office/desk area. It's more practical than the kitchen right now, and more budget-conscious. I'm pleased with the results so far, but I have so much more I want to do. It's basically just a bunch of decluttering right now, but I also picked up some color-coordinated 3 ring binders, post-it notes, and notepads. The key is, and always will be, KEEPING it neat.

I guess that's all for now....

adorable :)

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:37:57 GMT

All ready to go swimming!

John took her today, and said she couldn't get underwater even if she wanted to. She floated and "swam" all by herself! My fearless little girl.

swimming!

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:25:54 GMT

Reagan got in the pool for the first time ever today! She LOVED it!

OMG THE CUTE. Why did I never put hats on Reagan? Probably because we never went outside in the sun when she was a baby, lol

She would let us just hold her feet, which kind of impressed me. I just remember my sister being terrified of water until she was nearly 8 years old, so my expectations weren't high. lol. Which is crazy, because Reagan always loves the water.

I really can't believe how round my face is. No more plateaus and excuses, I am back on track starting tomorrow morning (I'm already done eating for today, as well)! I do like this picture though, with us both looking at the camera.

I also like this picture. My hand is like that because I'm trying to get her to wave, lol. Freckles galore!

She had a blast. We are definitely making that a regular thing until the pool closes, and I don't know why I put it off so long. Oh, wait, yes I do! Swimsuit shopping! THAT was fun. Only, not really.

I need to find the regular arm-floaties for Reagan, also. I couldn't find any at Target and settled on the thing she has on the in pictures, but I don't like it. If she leans forward at all without any help, she could very well tip completely upside down. Not cool. Of course we'd never let go of her at this age, but I like the arm floats better anyway.

She loved the pool and cried like crazy when it was time to leave. She was fine once they were out of the gate, though. Silly girl.

It was fun. :) I might try to do it again sometime this week, as a matter of fact.
♥

picture time, finally!

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:06:53 GMT

John put together Reagan's Sand and Water Table yesterday! She LOOVES it. We had to carry her in kicking and screaming once it started getting dark, and she hadn't even had supper yet. Crazy!

Hanging out at my Dad's on Saturday, moving day!

Playing outside w/ John...they holed up in the gazebo because all the geese kept running after Reagan, LOL.

I love this

The table! :D

Some Chloe goodness!

life is hectic

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:58:07 GMT

We went brain dead for about half an hour earlier and thought it would be a good idea to go out to eat for lunch with the girls! Yeah. After about 10 minutes at the restaurant, we were asking for to-go boxes and packing it up. lol. It wasn't horrible, but Chloe was fussy and Reagan is never really an angel while we eat out, so it just wasn't fun and relaxing or anything.
Before that, we went to the library (also a bit of a nightmare). I snagged 2 Nicholas Sparks books while walking around with Reagan and waiting on John to pick out some audio books to listen to. He's all excited now that he's realized he can listen to books while driving and working.

I bought some 100-cal pack "Candy Bites" from Walmart yesterday. YUM YUM YUM. They are little chocolate chip cookie balls, coated in some other kind of chocolate candy. Anyway, they are so good and actually satisfy my chocolate/junk food cravings better than the regular 100-cal pack of Chips Ahoy (they taste too much like diet cookies, even though they aren't). I know it's a total waste of money to buy this stuff when I could just bake my own "healthier" sweets and ration myself, but sometimes it's nice to have just a 100 calorie bag and not be tempted to eat more afterwards. Whoever came up with this idea was a genius who understands women like me.

Pictures!

At a fish fry with my dad and the single's group from his church. She looks so old to me, sitting all by herself with food in her lap, and actually being able to do that without throwing it all over the place. She's growing up.

She really liked being in the middle of the guitars.

She was acting uncharacteristically clingy after being there just half an hour or so. I guess it was just a bit much for her. Chloe was in the baby carrier with me pretty much the whole time, so no pictures of her from the event.

She wanted to dress up

A picture of them together! Sort of.

First captured smile! 4.18.08

4.23.08

All of Chloe's pictures are pretty much identical. I have tons, but they are all the same pose and facial expression so I'm not posting them. :)

♥

1 month old <3

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:33:06 GMT

Happy "Birthday", Chloe baby. :)
You are officially one month old today. So far I'm not noticing huge milestones or anything, and that's normal. Well, except you smile every now and then, right at us! I've made all sorts of funny faces and noises while you watch me for as long as I have time to, and I've been rewarded with a quirky smile from time to time. So, thank you so much for that. It helps me more than you will know for a long time. I don't want you to grow up too fast, but

I also admit that I am anxious for you to be able to interact with us a little more. Smiles and giggles are rewards for a job well done, and I can't wait to get those. It won't be long.
You sleep well with me at night until about 4 AM, then you start waking up more often and just get generally fussy. Probably because I don't burp you much throughout the night, I don't know.

Speaking of burping, I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for not being a "spitter". I hope I'm not jinxing anything by even writing about this, but you almost never spit up and that is a blessing I can't even describe. Your sister was. Oh boy, was she. Do you know, I had to stop drinking milk for 6 months after she was born? So far you don't seem to have any food sensitivities, and I thank you a million times over for that. I could use the break.

You're such a little joy, and Reagan loves kissing your head and petting you over and over again. I can't get her to stop, and is a bit of a pain when you're trying to sleep in your bouncy seat. That's ok, though. I'm excited to watch your relationship with your sister grow! I love you, baby. So, so much.

♥

2 week checkup, misc

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:32:44 GMT

A week late, but better late than never!

Chloe weighed in at 8lbs 13oz, so she has more than gained back her birth weight (8lb3oz). Woo! Everything went well, no concerns or issues at all really. I did bring up her persistent yellowish tint, but our doctor didn't seem concerned since she is having regular bowel movements and it already peaked over a week ago (the bilirubim levels or whatever).

Good grief, I look exhausted

Scale picture!

She's doing pretty well. I haven't really gotten her used to the crib yet, and I'm kind of worrying about it now. I know she's only 3 weeks old, but Reagan napped in her crib as much as I could manage it and I think that was part of why she started sleeping in it so well so soon. I'm kind of nervous that since Chloe's main sleep areas are my arms or a swing/bouncy seat, it might take more work. Also we co-sleep, and I'll keep doing that a little longer as it is easier right now, but in a few weeks I am going to start focusing more work on getting her accustomed (sp) to the crib at night. Even if it's just an hour a night, it's more than she is getting now and hopefully it will help. She sleeps with me fine on the bed. Last night I was even able to scoot over and turn on my stomach with her nearby but not RIGHT against me, and sleep like that for half an hour or so. It's progress. :P

I also have a small hunch that she may be one of those kids who does not tolerate a wet or dirty diaper at ALL. Reagan was never phased at all by it - still isn't, really - but Chloe seems instantly calm and content as soon as I change her, even if she was screaming a minute beforehand. It's not always like that, but it happens enough to make me think the diaper itself is what is irritating her sometimes, and that's a new thing for me.

So I guess that's all for now! :)
♥

fun outside!

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:17:49 GMT

Long time no post, but here are some cute pictures from today!!

John picked out this outfit. He did good, didn't he?

She let me put her hair in a ponytail! Monsters Inc helped, haha

All ready for church!

First haircut!

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 19:07:58 GMT

Yes, at 18.5 months, we finally gave the child a haircut. Woohoo!

Smiley girl!

We decided to continue trying to let her hair grow to the side, instead of trying to change up the whole way it's set (for the life of me, I cannot make it part down the middle). Otherwise it might be a huge mess, and I'm not in the mood for that right before Christmas pictures! So I don't have any major after pictures, but her hair still looks the same, just maybe not as shaggy. I'll still need to pull it to the side with a barrette (which I've been doing daily). I'll get some gel to help with that as well.

She has really cool hair, though, especially in the back. It has a layered look, and kind of curls out. It's really cute, I'm glad she didn't cut all that off.

That lady (Kim) used to cut John's hair when he was a kid, and John insisted that she cut Reagan's. It was a 45 minute drive (from our house to her shop), but hey, first haircuts don't happen every day!

♥

Halloween!

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:12:13 GMT

John carved a pumpkin last night, and we got some pretty cute pictures of Reagan during that experience:

My favorite

I bought some Reeses Peanut Butter Cups to hand out, but they're all mine now because we didn't have any takers (yay for me!). I didn't even make Reagan a costume, but it worked out because John had to work late last night and her whole routine for the day was messed up so I wouldn't have wanted to take her anywhere, anyway.
It was a pretty uneventful Halloween, basically. We just stayed in (except for poor John, who had work to do).

OH and I forgot to make the "announcement post", but everyone reading this probably already knows anyway: we're having a girl!

Click to zoom:

I don't remember if I posted my last semi-decent belly pic. Here's me at 18ish weeks (last week):

My new due date is March 19 (it was originally March 28th). Her name is still pending. John and I can't seem to come to an agreement - he wants the more traditional names, and I lean more towards the unconventional (but not too crazy) ones. We'll figure something out soon, hopefully!

Reagan has been having more tantrums lately, but it seems to be a kind of growth spurt. She slept until noon yesterday, I had to actually go wake her up. Crazy! She went to bed at her regular time, too. She did fuss some at 7 AM, but she usually does just for a minute or two and then goes back to sleep until 8 or 8:30, so I left her. I woke up at 10 (also crazy), showered, and still not a peep. I decided to leave her in there because I had a lot of work to catch up on due to sleeping in so late. I finally went to get her at 12, because she was making me nervous!
It's like she just doesn't know how to communicate and it is frustrating her. She has these times where she will just throw herself down on the floor and cry and cry, and I ignore it for awhile until it kind of dies down, if she's upset about something I'm doing or not doing right by her. Then I pick her up and let her just wail into my shoulder. I don't know if that's the "right" thing to do, but it's pretty cute. She'll just grip my neck and and cry her eyes out, then kind of stand up like "Ok, I just needed to get that out." haha.

She's 18 months old today. I'm too lazy to do a full "aw look how she's grown" post, so I hope this will do. A year and a half old already!

This time last year:

I guess that's all for now!
♥

kodak moment

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 03:31:07 GMT

I have GOT to go to bed, and I'm going to, but I cannot go another second without posting these awesome pictures. At least, I think they are awesome.

In order! You can see her eyes starting to open (ok, I'm a dork).

Love it

Turned the flash off to stop blinding the poor thing

And the next one is the one outside the cut.

Yes, I know it's a little creepy. Hahahaha

Don't act like you didn't just melt. Come on.
Ok, goodnight now!

pictures and musings on health/pregnancy

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 02:49:59 GMT

From the last couple of days -

She has been the world's biggest snuggler lately. John's jealous, but I told him that it's probably a "reaction" to the weaning. She never EVER snuggled with me before I weaned her, my only purpose was for milk. lol. Now she just runs up to me at least 4 times an hour to lay her head on my shoulder for as long as I'll let her. I'll enjoy it while it lasts. :D

With me in Logan's today - she kept leaning over on me

LOL

I'm kind of hiding behind her here (I have no makeup on), but I have to share because her face is too cute:

In her cloth diaper (called "FuzziBunz") I bought the other day. So cute!!

John did the "Where's your nose?" trick...her face is hilarious after he "took" her nose

"Wait...what? Is it ok?"

Blurry..but I like.

Better!

That's all for now!
I used to complain that she never let me put anything in her hair. All of a sudden, it's like she's decided that it won't burn her hair off after all. She brings me barrettes and ponytails and leans in while I put them in. LOL. Sometimes she does try to take it back out again (as a game of some sort), but she's been better about stopping when I do "patty cake" with her or something to distract her.

So that makes me SO happy. She looks human again! lol!

I've been feeling a little more kicking this week - at least a little more defined, when I lay still and wait for it. I felt 3 in a row this morning. It was a good feeling. :) 16 weeks or so? 17? Ah anyway. We'll get an exact date when I have my ultrasound done Oct. 30th.

I've also done pretty good these past 2 days on eating healthy. It's only 2 days, but I don't feel deprived AT ALL. I'm not dieting obviously, so I don't have to feel restricted, but I am just trying to substitute healthier snacks. I'm trying to convince my mind that I don't need as much sugar and junk as I have been "needing" lately - a fun size Snickers will do the same trick as a king size, and strawberries over ice cream is just as yummy as chocolate syrup. Tonight we had broiled porkchops with rice (white rice, I didn't realize how long you had to cook the brown and I didn't have that kind of time), whole wheat rolls, ANDDD... ::drum roll:: BROCCOLI. In cheese sauce, but STILL. And I ATE SOME. Well, maybe just one stalk, but it's something, right?
I chopped that one stalk into smaller pieces and mixed it in with my rice and porkchops. That still counts, right? I got the same amount and everything. I'm working on it, ok!?

Even better, though? REAGAN ATE SOME BROCCOLI. And she said "mmmm!" (even though she only ate 2 small pieces, IT COUNTS). I was so happy! She has been refusing all things green lately, so I was really surprised that she ate that even when it was on the same plate with rice and porkchops. Woohoo.

Anyway, I've also been doing my exercises from BabyFit.com. I didn't walk today, I regret that (especially since we had Logan's for lunch). I did walk a short time yesterday. I will walk tomorrow. It feels really good outside, finally! I just really want to be in better shape this time around, so I can be better prepared for the demands of pregnancy and birth. Now that I have a toddler to chase after, I can't really afford to slack off my nutrition and fitness. Especially during pregnancy. I know in the end, I'll be tired and exhausted no matter what I do, but I'd like to control as much as I can at least.

I don't really care how much weight I gain (well, I say that now), as long as I know I'm eating properly and getting proper exercise. I think I'll be ok!

Ok, enough rambling!
♥

Hi again!

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 16:06:59 GMT

So sorry for not posting anything. I've been without a camera at home for awhile, at least one with flash, so I've gotten lax about the pictures.
There are a bunch behind the link here! Enjoy!

Chasing bubbles the other day

All of these are from yesterday and today...

Pulled out her barrett! :(

She was trying to pull another barrett out (John put one out of reach just to frustrate her. sigh. lol)

Getting ticked off...

She got it! :/

We try to distract her, tell her "no", hold her hands, everything. Sometimes it works (mostly distracting), but eventually she realizes it's there and grabs it. I think a haircut is in order.

I guess she was tired, she kept laying down and reading

Watching Finding Nemo this morning

My haircut! :D I also got my eyebrows waxed yesterday (FINALLY).

This is the closest I have to a before picture, but it doesn't show the full length...

Dry - right after getting home

This morning! Still wet. Weird lighting, so I took the flash off for one pic too (I still like both, haha).

I LOVE it. It's so much easier to handle! Whew.

Annnd...belly pic! Not much of a change, but it FEELS like it's bigger. My pants are getting harder to button. :P Sorry about the angry stretch marks. They aren't really that bad, the flash does that I think.
13 weeks!

So yes, yesterday I got my eyebrows waxed and a much needed haircut. I looove it. I had never gotten my hair cut there before, but I really liked it. My hairdresser was very sweet and easy-going. I think she was probably 24 or 25, and very easy to talk to. She has a 4 month old daughter, so that's basically what we talked about the whole time (children, my fears of having two children, basics of milestones/eating, etc). It was nice, because she wasn't a "chatter", but neither did it feel like we had to search for things to talk about. It was like I'd known her forever by the time I left, lol! Pretty nice. I'm actually considering stopping in more often, and maybe inviting she and her daughter to have lunch with Reagan and I someday. Maybe?

John and I watched "Stir of Echoes" last night. Yeah, creepy. I had nightmares all night, but it wasn't HORRIBLE. It more of a mystery than a scary movie, but as I have the scare-tolerance of a 2 year old, it was pretty bad for me most of the time. I did enjoy it, though.

I was going to do a little "garage-saling" this morning while John stayed with Reagan, but by the time we dragged out of bed and had breakfast at 9 AM, I just wasn't as motivated. Maybe next weekend.

Time to pay some bills. Ciao!

♥

been awhile, but it was worth the wait

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 03:56:47 GMT

I was so excited to have a camera all to myself for a short period of time, I took almost 100 pictures in 30 minutes or so. ha. I can't post them all now though, I know you're disappointed. ;)

That's my girl

Play ball!

This is after I wouldn't allow her to pull my shirt up

Yes, she nurses like this 40% of the time. I shouldn't allow it, I know (if you can't tell, she's standing up and nursing). I feel like a literal cow, with my "udders" hanging out. rofl

"WHAT?! I can't carry the boob around the room in my teeth!? WHAT KIND OF WORLD IS THIS!?"

Oh yeah. She's my daughter.

You can dance...for inspiration

Can I help you?

Why yes, I did take pictures under my shirt.

Love.

Talking into her "mic"

Blowing kisses!

LOVE this one. New desktop pic.

Ick to me, but she looks beautiful here. No makeup on me today.

My brother drew this picture for her before she was born. Isn't it sweet? I think he traced some of it, but I don't remember for sure.

OH MY GOSH!

Sweet kisses

The view from our upstairs window. The grass is so green!

She was doing the "hmmm" face (with her finger on her face), but I kind of missed it

"YAY!"

John and I bought this when in Gatlinburg to get married (I was only about 2 months pregnant or so). The plan is to have it engraved with our wedding date, and Reagan's birth date, or something like that.

I got bored.
And...I was not a cute baby. hahahahahah

Look at this pic of Kelsi as a toddler. I think Reagan resembles her a lot.

I really like this picture of us (my grandma gave me this scrapbook not too long ago - THANK YOU GRANDMA!!). I think I was 17 or 18.

Look at that smile!

Well, I had some thoughts on life but now I'm too tired to even really type so I'll save it for later. I know, you're all hanging off the edge of your seats. Well, IT WILL BE WORTH IT. Ok, not really. hehe

Hope you all are doing well!

♥

Harry Potter and being a parent

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:29:01 GMT

I talk too fast when I get nervous. I WILL STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY.

It is horrible. I'm not scared of the phone, but I do get uncomfortable when talking to specific people and I talk sooo fast. I called a lady today to update her on some work, and she literally had to say, "ASHLEY. SLOW DOWN." :x I was so embarrassed. I think she was joking with me, but it made me realize how fast I go when I'm nervous (and she makes me nervous). I think it's because I know they're busy and I'm trying to not take up their time, but it just takes longer because I seriously have to repeat myself at least twice, sometimes three times. Ugh.

I think I'm going to join the "dark side" and start reading Harry Potter. I know, right? I'm a little interested in it. I've only read one book..I think the Chamber of Secrets, and I've seen one movie but I don't remember which one. It's been years. I want to try and catch up before the last film comes out though, because I don't want the ending to be spoiled for me (although it may be spoiled since the last book is coming out soon, anyway).

I feel things are looking up for us lately. Well, I don't just FEEL it. They are. We'll be working our butts off for awhile, but it will pay off. It is already starting to pay off some, which is fabulous.

Dear LORD my daughter is adorable. 14 months already.
Some new things of hers:

- shaking her head "no"
- nodding her head "yes" (really only when I nod at her first, so far)
- blowing kisses constantly
- eating bigger pieces of food: last night I made beef tips and rice (with some peas and carrots mixed in), and I made her a bowl of it with smaller pieces of beef. She mostly just picked out the beef and rice and ate it, leaving the veggies. Sigh. I'll keep trying. She eats veggies fine when they're pureed and fed in a spoon, but lately has been refusing to eat the regular version.
- saying "daddy" more clearly. She used to say "dadadada" around John, and starting yesterday she began directing it at John only and saying "Da-yee". Small thing, but worth noting in my book.
- blowing rasberries with her tongue
- not new, but cute: dancing! anytime any music is put on, she stops whatever she's doing and grins real big while bopping up and down with the music. Freaking adorable.

I wish I could post new pics, but I've been without a camera as ours broke. John is having to use extra of ours for his work, so I've empty-handed lately. :( I'll try and remember to take some pictures in the morning before John leaves for work.

Elizabeth came over last night for a couple hours...we watched "Because I Said So". CUTE movie. I hate that it bombed, because it was really fun to watch. Although some of the acting was way over the top, COME ON, it's a chick flick! We really enjoyed it, I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of that genre. I told Elizabeth, "PLEEEAASE do not let me be that way with any of my kids. PLEASE." She solemnly swore she wouldn't allow it.

In other good news, we managed to squeeze in grocery shopping and I only spent $45. It got us food for a week, isn't that awesome? Possibly even longer with leftovers, but I don't like to eat until the shelves are bare if I can help it. I know it sounds like a small feat, but I budgeted for $50 (and brought cash!), and so I have a little extra to work with next time. We're doing the Dave Ramsey envelope thing, if that explains anything. I'm too tired to go into it, but it's extremely helpful so google it if you're interested. haha

I'm also going to start being way more consistent on signing with Reagan. She doesn't really use any words at all other than Mama, Daddy, and cracker, so we need to figure some way out to communicate at least a little bit. The meltdowns and whining are getting to be too much for me. I know part of it is her diet, I'm going to focus more energy on being sure she eats enough. Since we switched to mostly table food, I think she's not getting as much as she used to because she throws off whatever she doesn't like (she likes peas, but hates carrots, so she picks out the carrots and throws them off the chair. sigh). She also tends to play with her food more when she gets bored. Anyway, that's one thing I'm going to focus more on because I think good nutrition will make a big difference. I hope. Don't get me wrong, she's not going hungry, but she may not be ready to go 100% table food yet like I thought.

Ok I think that's enough rambling for tonight.

I promise to bring pictures soon!

♥

long awaited update (haha)

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:13:31 GMT

I'm in a bit of a grouchy mood today for some reason. I have work up to my eyeballs. I'm drowning in phone calls and paperwork and to-do lists.

We missed the good fireworks last night. We got outside as soon as they ended. It would have been spectacular to watch. :(

Reagan is such a doll. I haven't really posted much about her, but she's 14 months old now (!!!). I have got to get a video of her "running", it is the most adorable thing to watch. Also, she says "cracker", "mama", "daddy", and she shakes her head at me and puts her hands out in the "all done!" position when she doesn't want anymore food (that's if I get to her before she starts throwing it all off her high chair).

She will NOT sit down in the tub. I have a hilarious video I am going to post of this night. It deserves to go to America's Funniest Home Videos, although it probably won't say much about me as a mother...lol.

I love this one...I just walked in really fast and snapped a picture before she had a chance to get up!

I'll try to come back and post more substance tonight or tomorrow. It's been so busy around here with our business, but busy in a good way, finally!

♥

there goes my life...

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 03:27:50 GMT

Man, my little baby is a little girl now. Well, she's still mostly baby, but the personality. Wow.

She has finally started saying more than just "Mama" and "Dada". She doesn't say a ton, but "cracker" is a new favorite. Everytime I go and get her a cracker, I emphasize it over and over again. Now, I hear it all day from her. Everytime she gets grouchy, "CACKA! CACKER! CACKACAKA!" It's pretty cute. She fell down and hit her head the other day, and in the middle of her wailing I could distinguish "CAAACCCKKAAAA". LOL!

She has gotten really fast. She tries to run a lot, and it is seriously hilarious to watch. She picks her little feet up really high and goes really fast, and oh my god. I love it. I will really miss these toddling days.

She also blows kisses! Also, she gestures more. She does the open-palm thing when she's done eating, and says "Dah! Dah!" (maybe "done"? maybe just babbling? who knows). She puts anything resembling a cellphone straight to her ear, and the other day she actually said "E-yo?" (hello?) Just once, but how funny is that?

I'm trying to wean her from the jarred baby food. It was costing us nearly $20 a week some weeks. Can't do that. So far, canned/frozen veggies seem to be a good substitute (not to mention a little healthier in most instances). I'm lazy. Seriously though, she seems to be adjusting well. Before, when I would take away a jarred meal and substitute with table foods, I would have a very cranky baby. Now, I don't notice a big difference. I definitely need to work on expanding her food choices, though.

She hardly ever breastfeeds anymore. Well, most days anyway. Once when she wakes up, maybe twice during the day (sometimes only once), and once at night. I'm not counting the times I do offer and she snacks for maybe 30 seconds. It feels like hardly ever, seriously. I don't think she's self-weaning, she's just an active baby and hates to be still for any long period of time. heh

Pictures? Of course!

We let her carry an apple around for fun. Well, she would RUN AWAY from me and hold it closer to her if I came near (I watched her closely, she wasn't able to get much)! I managed to wrestle it away finally!

We took her to the park the other day, for a few minutes. She wasn't too sure about the slide, she wanted me to go down it with her. lol

She's so beautiful.

It's been awhile since we've had bath pics!

Awwww (notice the hair? Or lack of? hehehe)

I guess that's it for now.
I hope you guys are doing well! I need to catch up with some of you, send out my new number, etc. I'll do that in the morning, John is hovering and waiting for me to go to bed at the moment.

♥

I'm a free woman

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:39:47 GMT

Last night, I had a huge DUH moment. Our desk has been somewhat of an issue with me. I'm the one who uses it the most, but it just hasn't been used to its fullest potential. We had shelves full of things we hadn't used in over a year, and then we had a seperate wooden rolling shelf thing that we used for the fax machine and things we DID actually use.

In short - we had a bunch of useless stuff filling up our desk, and a bunch of useful stuff cluttered into a tiny little rolling shelf. That incidentally, Reagan was attracted to like a moth is to a light, and she loves pulling everything off of it. It has no doors, so yeah.

Anyway, last night, I had a great idea on how to rearrange all the stuff in the desk. IT LOOKS FANTASTIC. We got rid of the rolling thing and put all the stuff we actually use IN our desk (I know, duh, right?). We put the fax machine on top of the desk. I dusted. I put some (fake) flowers on top, along with a photo and scented candle. I put some business books on one of the open shelves, and labelled some of the plastic black ones so I can actually use them properly.

All this is probably making no sense, but now I have tons of space to work with, and an actually USEFUL desk. I feel like a new woman!

John also buzzed his head last night, and we even shaved it to the skin. Amazing. Cheaper than going to get a haircut, though! It was way more fun that I expected, buzzing all that hair off. It'll grow back.

I'll have pics of John and the desk later, but for now you get my beautiful daughter (a better deal than the desk anyway, right?)!

"Hello? Anyone there?"

what's the point...?

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 23:59:49 GMT

I vacuumed and straightened up the living room earlier. About, oh, 10 minutes later it was TRASHED. Clothes thrown everywhere, toys covering the floor. I give up. ;)

I put The Little Mermaid in to entertain Reagan so I could take care of some crucial work. That lasted a little longer than I expected. I don't plan on letting the TV baby sit her, but it's helpful once a month or so. Seriously, we have no cable and during the day we might as well not even have a TV. I never turn it on, except to watch movies with John once a week or so.

I love The Little Mermaid so much. Probably more than is healthy, really. I sing the song daily to Reagan. It's weird, I know. I don't know what it is. Maybe because she's a redhead? I always like the redheaded princesses the best (Anastasia is another one I loved). I also remember that line, "I'm 16 years old! I'm not a child!" so clearly. I remember watching that when I was about 10 years old and thinking that when I was 16, that's when I wouldn't be a child anymore either. Sadly, that's not exactly how it works.

I'm 21 years old and most days I just feel like I'm just playing an extended game of house, and at some point my mom is going to call me to come home because it's dark, and it's time for dinner.

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:37:19 GMT

It's been a pretty good weekend.

Reagan is toddling around like crazy! It is so funny watching her. I know I'll miss that when she starts walking more steadily. Right now she walks very well, she practically never crawls anymore, but she's still walking with that really cute "toddler walk". Hopefully she'll be doing that for awhile longer, because it is the cutest thing in the world.

It's kind of strange, that I guess I am technically a "work at home mom" now. I do a lot of work here for our business, plus taking care of Reagan. I do still work for Chris 1-2 times a week, but not enough to consider it a part time job even. I kind of like it.
There are downsides, of course. I don't really ever feel like my job is done. There's always Reagan, and when Reagan is napping, that's when I tackle the bulk of my work. When Reagan's up, then I have work AND her. After Reagan goes to sleep, there's usually more work in the form of John's stuff and housework.

I'm not complaining, it's just something I'm working on transitioning into better.

Yesterday, Reagan kept trying to put socks on by herself. Very cute. Also, she understands the concept of headbands, sunglasses, and hats.

As always, I have pictures!

(don't worry, I took that plastic thing away from her!)

"Get this thing off me!"

So proud of herself running around!

This is my favorite set of pictures so far...

Waking up..

"I don't wanna get up!"

My favorite picture.

I'm going to be working on the layout of this place, along with a few other little things to make it "nifty". haha.

I'm also working on expanding this blog to include more than just photos and "this is what we did today" things. I really want it to be more involved, not just for relatives but for friends and other people who are interested.

I guess that's all for now. Bye now! :)

♥

new pictures!

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 23:38:53 GMT

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't posted pics in awhile. Very true. Part of this is that I'm lazy, the other part is John has had the camera with him while working, so I haven't taken enough to warrant a picture post.
Or so I thought, until I went looking. Tons.

I have plenty now, though! Feast your eyes!

With my dad and sister, at my grandparents' house

Grandpa wanted to help feed her

Dad trying to get a kiss (she kisses now! sort of. It's CUTE)

"No thanks, Grandpa!"

Camera phone pic

"LOOK MOMMY!"

Say what?!

Sunset last night

Jet skiing yesterday! Yeah, her shoes don't match. They were my sister's when she was a toddler.

Just checkin' it all out. She didn't leave the shade after that first walk down to the water. She was freaking out!

Mmmm

John said that some kid said, "Look how white she is!" when I was walking into the water. hahahahha. He was all ticked off for me, but seriously I get it all the time. I am vampire-ish. I plan to get out more this summer, that's for sure.

Aww (sorry if this offends somehow...you can't see anything! I just think they're sweet).

As you can see in the pictures, I went jet-skiing yesterday. That was a LOT of fun. I wish John went in the water, but oh well. I plan on somehow buying a swimsuit this week, and some shorts, and getting out on the reservoir more often. I mean, we LIVE on it and this is the first time I've been on it in years. The place we were at is just across the street from where we live, walking distance really. I could go there and go swimming anytime.
Also, my dad's birthday is this coming weekend and they are going back out on the water I think (his friend owns 3 jet skis). I definitely want a swimsuit by then, because they are doing tubing and all sorts of stuff. I want John to enjoy it as well, and since his work has slowed down some, he should be able to.

Reagan is 13 months old. Wow. I think I'm going to stop the monthly letters and just do one every 3 months until I decide to drop it back a little more than that.

We bought a new computer! This is SUCH a relief. Our computer has been turning itself off all the time (as in, about once an hour) and going VERY slow. We could have made it work if it was just personal use, but I use the computer a lot for work, and we have to have one running properly. We didn't get a monitor or anything, but that will come in time. It was on sale, we took what we could.

OH and we saw the third Pirates on Saturday. We spent too much money on movies this weekend, for sure. It was really good, though. I enjoyed it much more than I did the second one. Yes, it was WAY busy with plot, and I didn't follow it well, but I plan on watching it a few times once it comes out on DVD and "catching" all of it. It was FANTASTICALLY entertaining. The action scenes weren't as gritty and dark as the second, they were serious but more fun to watch. The comedy was better, Jack Sparrow wasn't as big a jerk as he was in the second (that really killed it for me about that movie), Elizabeth was shown as an even stronger presence than she had previously.
I loved it, yes I did.

Not to mention, they played the Transformers trailer and I have a new crush on Shia Labeouf. Poor John, I got all giggly when he came on the screen. LOL.

I think that's all for now. I'm off to clean/work!

♥

(belated) Happy Birthday, Sugarbun

Sat, 26 May 2007 15:56:13 GMT

(This is copied from my personal online journal to Reagan)

Dear Reagan,

What can I say about you? I don't know where to start, but then I never do. I feel like this is the "big" post, this is your one-year letter, this should be insightful and funny and say everything I haven't been able to say up until now. I'm afraid I won't live up to that, but you'll forgive me, right?
I'm actually a day late writing this just because I wanted to really be mentally able to focus on it, and I haven't been able to up until now. These letters are important to me.

Words seriously cannot express the love I have for you. I'm sitting here, looking at this keyboard, and I just...don't know how to say it. You're wonderful. You snuggle with us now, which is absolutely the best feeling in the world I have to say. We have a little game where I hold you close to my chest and your Daddy gives us both a bear hug and we sway back and forth and hum for a few seconds(don't laugh! It's sweet!). You seem to enjoy it. When he pulls away, you snuggle in and hum again even if he hasn't bear-hugged us yet. It's beautiful.

You started saying Mama the day before your birthday party. I can't even explain to you how that makes me feel. I know you know "Mama" is me, because you pretty much only say it towards me. Sometimes I can't tell if you're saying "Mama" or just humming or saying "yum yum", but when I hear it clearly it's the best sound in the world. I came in today and you shouted "Mama!". I love it. I love you.

We have entered toddlerhood for the most part, and I'm not sure how to transition. It's alot of fun, but I still see you as my little baby. I probably will for the rest of your life, so get used to it now. You're a good baby, though. Some days you are clingier than others, but those are the days when I try and play with you more. That's good for me too, because it relaxes me to just sit on the floor and let you play with my hair, or hand me toys and take them back, or whatever else you do. You also enjoy taking everything out of any bag you find, and putting it all back as fast as you can. It's adorable.

Life has been very busy for us lately, and I feel like I'm missing you growing up in all this chaos. Even though I'm mostly working from home, I don't feel mentally "here" alot. I wish I could explain to you that we're doing all this for you, to provide you with the things you need (and some that you want). We're doing this so that we can be financially stable enough to really enjoy life. It may be stressful now, but we're transitioning. I want to raise you with the right work ethic, a "go-getter" attitude, not an attitude or one that expects everything to be handed to you. I do want to give you things of course, but I want you to learn the value of a dollar, how to take care of your money, and how to go after your dreams no matter what they are.
I think your father is such a great example of this. He is one of the most ambitious persons I know, and he always has been. I'm excited to raise you with him, because I know he will be such a great example for you.

I love you, sugarbun.

♥
Mama

My first look at you. You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life, cliche or not. Even if you were screaming your head off.

Waking up and stretching. I love this picture of you.

<3

This is probably one of the best pictures we've ever taken of you

Your first zoo trip - 5 months old

This is also up there with one of the best pictures ever

"Hmmm...how to get this, over there...?"

Chubby cheeks <3 <3

Your blue eyes are a-maz-ing.

Your personality is just too funny

You fell asleep on the way to the zoo (lol, obviously we took her out of the carseat for this pic - and of course the car is stopped, but I feel the need to reassure everyone. hahahaha)

She wasn't crying here, she was just all excited. lol!

Random off-topc: it makes me sad to see such a magnificent animal caged in such a tiny space. WTF, monkeys and birds have bigger cages than this. Hell, some SNAKES have bigger cages than this. I'm no rabid animal-rights activist, but this does make something in me twitch a little. At least a bigger cage, somewhere he/she can MOVE AROUND. Something like the elephants have, only with a cage over the top.

She really wanted out

At the petting zoo (she didn't touch any animals, just John), a sheep "baaaa'd" VERY loudly and suddenly at John, and Reagan jumped out of her skin with a terrified yell. It was so sad!

Playing at the little playground (yeah. we have kind of a crap zoo)

My little monkey <3

More updates to come soon! Keep checking back. You shouldn't be disappointed! :)

♥

1 year old!

Sat, 26 May 2007 15:47:36 GMT

I've been bad and haven't updated this in awhile. It's going to be put on my regular to-do list as something to do at least once a week, because that's how fast things are changing around here!
I am going to break this down into a couple of posts so that my friends and family with dial-up won't be overwhelmed with photos.

Here are some highlights from her 1-year birthday party:

1) Reagan ate all her carrot cake (my mom made it for her)! It took her awhile, but she did it. Well, not counting the few pieces that fell off the highchair, and the ones she fed to random people passing by. haha. She likes to share. Hopefully she'll keep that trait.

2) LOTS and LOTS of clothing. I just yesterday finally got it all sorted and hung up/folded and put away! I'm excited because she's a small baby and 12 month size clothing will probably fit her for a little while longer. I hope!

3) Everyone loved the posterboard I made. I had everyone sign in, instead of doing the "milestones" like I had planned. I just didn't have the energy. I like it better this way, too.

5) We played a playlist of different songs for her. Songs like "Let Them Be Little", "I Hope You Dance", "Isn't She Lovely", "Close To You", etc. etc. It made me pretty emotional at random times.

6) I forgot to mention..she says "Mama" now!! She started saying it yesterday when my mom and sister were here, and she definitely knows what it means. When I leave a room, it's "Mama! Mama!" as she comes after me. :)

7) She also says "Yum yum" (or rather "Num num!") when eating. Cuute.

They get bigger if you click!

Posterboard! I was up until almost midnight doing this.

She was really excited about all the people showing up (she woke up about 10 minutes before everyone showed up)!

She chowed down on pizza crust

Notice the wand and tutu behind her!

Wings!

She would take the clothes out of the bag and then hand them to me. hah!

My mom got her a Build-A-Bear (in background)

The cake for everyone else!

Having fun with Ty

Family picture

She doesn't like her pic taken

I look so gooby...look at cute Reagan! haha

Continued!

♥

Easter!

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 03:07:45 GMT

REAGAN IS DRINKING OUT OF A SIPPY CUP!

THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME.

I mean really drinking, not a few sucks and then pushing it away, or biting, or anything. She has had almost half a cup of apple juice (very much diluted with water), throughout the day.

This is SUCH a relief to me. Now I don't have to stress about her not getting enough fluids while I work, or having to solely rely on me for that, period. I don't want to wean her yet, but it's nice having an alternative to me (it will mostly be helpful when we introduce cow's milk in a month or so). I'm not going to be giving her tons of juice though, of course.

Anyway. I'm really excited. Also, John and I worked together and cleaned up alot in this condo. What a relief.

I have some hilarious pics of Reagan trying to drink out of the sippy while laying sideways on the floor (like she does with me, nursing). Funny stuff.

With my sister, Kelsi

John picked out her dress a year ago (I was still pregnant)...

I love the way he's looking at her

She really liked the card my mom got her!

She cuddled up against me while staring at something on the floor, lol.

Sippy cup pictures! Woo!

Happy Easter, everyone!