Pieces of Me

Moving Day

2007-09-12T11:18:00.000-04:00

Alrighty then, I guess it's time to say goodbye to this place. Let's go!

Time to vote!

2007-09-11T16:06:00.000-04:00

Remember when I asked for your help with creating a tagline for my new website? Well, Alicia was the only one who stepped up to the plate and suggested one. I have two ideas of my own, and I really want your help deciding which one to go with. Leave a comment with your choice, or if you have any last minute ideas, let me know them too and we will do another voting process tomorrow.

Choice one, from Alicia: Life and times of a clinically insane twenty something.
Choice two: Blogging to avoid housework since 2006.
Choice three: 367 consecutive sleepless nights and counting...

Okay, now get to voting so I can move to my new website already!

Tatertot Tuesday #51: Barefoot on a summer afternoon

2007-09-11T09:58:00.000-04:00

These pictures are from the week before her birthday, but I really like them so I wanted to share them with you. If you've been on my myspace, then you've already seen them, but I'm sure you won't mind seeing them again. And if you do mind, too bad.

Ch-ch-chaannggesss!

2007-09-10T09:48:00.000-04:00

I'm moving sometime in the near future. Well, I'm not moving, but this blog is pretty soon. And when I say pretty soon, I mean either this week or 6 months from now. You know, because I'm me. But you love me, right? I thought so. Don't worry, y'all will be the first to know as soon as I'm ready to move this thing. I wouldn't want y'all to miss one single moment of our thrilling adventurous lives.

I've been a little fed up with Blogger for quite a while now. I desperately want my own domain name and a fabulous design, but I just cannot bring myself to pay for blogging, considering I don't have all that much time anymore to actually blog. And I'm not quite that important. So, I'm switching to WordPress, which I am extremely excited about. I wish I would have found them in the first place because they are soooooooo much easier to use. They cater to the stupid and I am the stupid when it comes to HTML and other computer stuff. I heart them very much.

I've pretty much got it all taken care of. Actually, I could switch over there rightthisminute if I want to, but I'm not quite ready for all of you to see it yet. I want it perfect, and it's not quite there yet. I want my own custom header, and this is where you come in. Do any of you know how I can get one of those? Without paying craploads of money? Or possibly for free? Point me in ther right direction.

Also, I want you're help for a new tagline. The blog name will still be Pieces of Me, but that tagline up there about the crazy cat and lazy dog blah blah blah ain't making the move with me. Mostly because I no longer have the crazy cat, and also because I'm tired of it. So, come up with some witty taglines for me. Something cute, funny, silly, whatever. I've got 2 in my head, but I'll wait to tell them to you until I've heard all of yours. And then I'll list them all and we can vote on them. So, get to work!

Who the heck do I think I am?

2007-09-05T16:37:00.000-04:00

I just Googled "Homemade Halloween Yard Decor".

Somebody please stop me.

This is what having a child does to you. Actually, I can't blame it all on the baby. I LOVE Halloween. L-O-V-E. And I think that Aeralyn has inherited that love from me. On Monday, we went shopping. And oh my goodness, there are two brand spanking new Halloween shops in my area. Yes, TWO stores with nothing but Halloween items in them.

Ohmygoodness!!

In both of the stores, they had scary displays of ghosts, goblins, hideous witches, skeletons with flashing red eyes, HUGE spiders, the works. Aeralyn was fascinated with them all. And y'all, I might have had to hold in a tear because my little girl likes Halloween too!! Just like her mama!

Like I said before, somebody stop me. Or better yet, any ideas on homemade yard decor for Halloween? Or am I the only freak that would actually decorate their yard for the occasion?

Tatertot Tuesday #50: First Birthday

2007-09-04T20:32:00.001-04:00

Month Twelve

2007-09-04T09:35:00.000-04:00

Dear Aeralyn,

Saturday was your first birthday, and what a day it was. I got through the entire day without crying, so I hope you will be proud of me for that in the future. It wasn't easy. We had such a great time at your party. You were the perfect birthday princess.

I can still remember exactly how I felt the moment you were born. It is a feeling I will never forget. My heart was yours from the first moment I laid eyes on you. It seems like it was just yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital. Your daddy and I had no idea what to do with you, but it looks like we managed because you've turned out pretty good so far.

You finally got your first two teeth this month. We were beginning to wonder if you would ever get any. You weren't too happy about them, but I hate to tell you that there are quite a few more where those came from.

It is amazing how much you have changed over this past year. You have such a fun personality, and I can't wait to see it blossom even more over the years. You are curious, adventurous, loving, and spunky, and so much more. You are one of the busiest babies I have ever seen. You are constantly moving and playing, and you absolutely hate to be strapped down into any contraption. Especially your highchair. This has made for some fun times at dinner, but I'm sure you will get the hang of the idea before long. Atleast I hope so.

This past year with you has been by far the best year of my life. I will never be able to express how special you are to me, and you will never understand until you have children of your own someday. I love you more than anything in this world. Happy Birthday punkin'!

Love,
Mama

Tatertot Tuesday #49: A little trip back in time...

2007-08-28T17:15:00.001-04:00

Here is Aeralyn at 2 weeks old:

And here she is today, just shy of 1 year old.

What a difference a year makes.

Random Bits

2007-08-26T11:55:00.000-04:00

CJ! Send your address to my email Momtotatertot[at]gmail[dot]com.

I have been trying to get a post up since Wednesday, but I have failed miserably. Aeralyn came down with a bad cold on Thursday, so we have been the house of snot and gumpiness for the past few days. And now I have the cold too, so it's time for extra snot and grumbles. YAY!

Last Monday and Tuesday, Aeralyn stayed in the gym daycare for the first time without screaming her head off. She didn't even cry a little bit. This is a serious accomplishment, y'all, considering all the other times I've taken her, she has screamed so much that the daycare provider is running to get me after about 15 minutes. She must have been so busy bullying the older children that she didn't even notice I was gone. Yes, the older children. She took a 3 year old little boy's craft project and took all of the glitter off of it. Which explains why she was covered in glitter from head to toe when I came to pick her up. Lord help me.

A year ago yesterday was my due date with Aeralyn. I was a little more emotional about it than I thought I would be. Just think of the mess I'm going to be on her actual birthday. I swear, every time I even think about her party or have visions of everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to her, I cry. I keep looking back through all the pictures I've taken of her over this past year, and, I cry. It seems like it was just the other day when she could barely even hold her head up, and now she is walking all over the place. They grow up way too fast.

Mission Sleep Through the Night has temporarily been aborted due to teething and sickies. We weren't really getting anywhere with it anyway, so I'm glad we get to make a fresh start in a couple of weeks.

I think that's all I have for now. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Tatertot Tuesday #48: Bed Head

2007-08-21T12:46:00.000-04:00

Houston, we have a TOOTH!

2007-08-18T18:50:00.000-04:00

Finally, at eleven and a half months old, Aeralyn has gotten her first tooth. That explains the week of clinginess/fussiness that has plagued our household. Thank goodness the little booger finally popped through. Now we can hopefully get back to normal. Also, any tips on how to go about this weaning stuff? Because, SHE IS GETTING TEETH, Oh my GOD!

I'm busily planning Aeralyn's first birthday party. I can't believe it is only two weeks from this Saturday. And I've still got alot to do. So far I have the supplies and all of the decorations, minus balloons. I've got the invitations made out and addressed, but not stamped and sent yet. I"ve got her dress, and an appointment for the birthday pictures. I've picked out the cake and given my ideas to the cake baker (because I sure as heck can't bake a cake).

But there is still so much to do.

I've got to decide on the menu for the party. Do I want to do finger foods like cheese and fruit and veggie trays or should we just grill hamburgers and hot dogs and have chips? Or pizzas? Any thoughts? I'm leaning more towards the finger food idea just because I think that would be what Aeralyn would like most, and so would I. But I'm thinking it may end up being more expensive and harder to put together.

I"ve got to find a bow to match the birthday dress, or if I can't find one to match I'll have to make it. I've still got to finish shopping for the last present that we will be getting her, and wrap them all. I've got to make or find a cute notebook to have at the party for everyone to write something special to Aeralyn in. And in the mean time, I need to find a crap load of money to do all of this with. Holy moly, looks like I better get busy people.

What Matters Most

2007-08-16T13:02:00.001-04:00

Around here today, there are many things that need to be done. There are clothes to be washed, and towels to be folded and put away. There are dishes to be loaded in the dishwasher, sinks to be scrubbed, and floors to be mopped. There are carpets that need to be vacuumed, and trash that needs to be taken out. There are errands to run, checks to write, and phone calls to make.

But none of that matters right now. All of that can wait until tomorrow, or even the next day. The only thing that is important right now is that my little girl wants her mama. She needs me to hold her and rock her and kiss her sweet cheeks. The rest of the world can wait because someday, she won't need me anymore. But right now, she does, and that's all that matters.

Well, I don't love it...

2007-08-15T12:16:00.000-04:00

My hair that is. But, I don't hate it either. Actually, I like it considerably more today than I did the day that I got it done. I guess you could say that it's growing on me. I'll let you decide for yourselves if you like it or not.

Before:

Don't you love how I blow dried it and straightened it just for you? Hahahaha! No, I didn't do that at all. That is what my hair looks like when it's half blow dried and half air dried. And boy did it look dead on the ends!

And after:

So, what do you think?

Tatertot Tuesday #47: Baby in the mirror

2007-08-14T19:35:00.000-04:00

I'll get to the regular stuff in a minute.

2007-08-14T08:46:00.000-04:00

Two Fridays ago, Coal came in for a visit. For those of you who are new here or don't remember who I'm talking about, go read this,and the end of this.

Anyway, he came in for a little visit. He doesn't come in often because since he's been outside, he loves it. And usually if he does come in, he doesn't stay long because he's not too fond of Aeralyn trying to get to him. But this night was different. He came in and went right over to Aeralyn. Needless to say, she was thrilled. She chased him all over the living room smiling and laughing, grabbig his tail and even trying to pick him up. It was so cute that we got out the video camera and taped them together for a few minutes.

I had a glimmer of hope when I saw him act like that. I thought maybe, just maybe, he can start coming in again for short periods of time. I pictured him and Aeralyn becoming great friends, and Lola finally getting her playmate back.

That dream was short lived though. Aaron finally got up the nerve to tell me last night that Coal was found last Thursday by our UPS man. I wasn't home, and the UPS man wasn't sure if he was my cat or the neighbor's, so he took him next door since he didn't want to bring him to me if he was mine.

I knew something was wrong because I hadn't seen him in a few days. I talked about him on Saturday because we had a bad storm. I said that I hoped he had gotten under the shelter away from the storm. And then on Sunday, I asked Aaron if he had seen Coal lately. He responded with a short "Mmm hmm." I knew that was unusual because when I've asked that question in the past, he always responded with something along the lines of "Yes dear, he's fiiiinnnnee." So last night, he finally told me, and I did not take it well. I kept waking up during the night, crying and thinking about him. He died just shy of his 4 year anniversary with us.

I'm still so sad about it today. I keep listening fo his meow at the door. Most of all, I keep thinking about how Aeralyn won't get to know him and enjoy him like we did. I'm just so glad that he came in the other night and we got to spend that time with him. If I had only known it would be the last time...

I'm going to post a few of my favorite pictures of him. I'll be back sometime later today with Tatertot Tuesday.

Coal October (AKA "Boog") April 2003-August 2007

Pop Quiz

2007-08-09T01:19:00.000-04:00

Why is it that I can't sleep on the night that my child has slept for four consecutive hours without a peep?

a.) I've stayed up too late watching Mystery Diagnosis and I've now convinced myself that I or someone I love has an array of strange diseases.

b.) My husband is out of town and I have a hard time sleeping without him.

c.) I'm worried about getting my hair cut tomorrow.

d.) Lola is snoring and driving me absolutely crazy.

e.) All of the above.

If you guessed All of the above, you were right. Send me your address so I can send you some cookies.

First, let me update you and say that Aeralyn is perfectly fine. Her fever broke on Tuesday and she has been back to her normal, happy self. Thank goodness. She is quite the pitiful little girl when she is not feeling well.

I'm going to get my hair cut tomorrow for the first time in a long time. I mean really cut, not just trimmed. I've been growing my hair out for a while now, and I am so over it that I could puke. It's dry and dull and boring. And there is just way too much of it, so off it goes tomorrow. In my perfect world, I would get it all cut off in a cute little bob or some other easy to manage short hairstyle, but of course, this is not my perfect world. You see, I have enough hair on my head for three people, maybe four. It is also indecisive about whether or not it wants to be straight or wavy, so it usually resides in a state of constant frizziness. Not ideal hair for short styles. Which means I have to stick with medium to long hairstyles with a lot of layers to thin out my hair.

I have a history of never being satisfied with my hair. I've never once gotten a haircut and said "I LOVE it!". Never. There is always something wrong with it. A little too short here, a little too poofy there, you name it. I think that is mostly because I never go in with something specific in mind to tell the stylist. But this time, I'm going to try and do it differently. I've got it pretty narrowed down to what I want, but not too specific to where the stylist doesn't have any creative leeway. Although, I don't want her to be too creative and end up giving me a mullett or something worse. Wait, is there anything worse than a mullett? I don't know, ask me tomorrow and I'll probably say that the current hair on my head is worse than a mullett.

No, NO! I'm going to think positive. It's just hair for God sakes. It will grow back. It's just, for once, would it be too much to ask to get a haircut that I love? One that puts a smile on my face and makes me feel super confident instead of bringing me close to tears because "LOOK AT MY BANGS! They're AWFUL!"

Now, since I know all of you have all the time in the world and would love to help me on such short notice, I'm going to ask you a favor. Does anyone have a picture of any hairstyles that they think would look cute on me? Anyone out there? Remember, I have a round face with chubby (ok, fat) cheeks, and my hair is super thick so I don't think I can go much shorter than collar bone length. I know I want side bangs, but other than that I'm not too sure. I'm going to be Googling hairstyle ideas to see what I can find, but if you find anything for me, please share!

Now, who wants to bet that Aaron won't notice my new hair when he gets home tomorrow evening?

I've Been Tagged

2007-08-06T22:55:00.000-04:00

Alicia tagged me for a meme quite a while ago. I've been dealing with a sick baby, so I'm just now getting around to it. Aeralyn has been running a fever since Thursday, and we've been to two doctors so far with no real answers as to why. Keep us in your thoughts because if the fever doesn't subside by Wednesday morning, I will have to take her in to see if she has a urinary tract infection. I really don't want my little punkin' to have to go through that, so please have us in your thoughts and prayers.

So, about this meme...

The rules in this game of tag are simple -- once you have been tagged, you must write a blog with ten weird, random things, little known facts or habits about yourself. At the end choose at least 10 people to be tagged, list their names and why you chose them. Don't forget to leave a comment that says 'you've been tagged' and tell them to read your latest blog.

Oh, aren't you excited? This is going to be hard since I've already done the 100 things about me and the five weird things about me before. Let me see...

One
I have never lived out of the state of Georgia. I really don't have a desire to either. I know, boooorrrriiiinnngg.

Two
I have lost 4 pounds in the past 2 weeks. YAY! I've been back on Weight Watchers. Well, not really considering I cheated for my birthday, and I pretty much cheated all last week, but apparently I did something right. I know, what happened to the Healthy Living? I'm still working on it.

Three
I love scrapbooking. No, really, I love to scrapbook. I've been itching to get to work on Aeralyn's scrapbook, but it turns out that having a mobile and extremely curious child does not leave much time for scrapbooking. Hmm, go figure. I have gotten a few pages done though, and I must say that I am very proud of them. I could happily spend $1,000 dollars and countless hours in A.C. Moore or Michaels on scrapbooking supplies. I have to control the urge to shove my scrapbook creations in the face of people that come to my house all the time. Most people really don't care, but I show them anyway. You want to see my scrapbook? No? Really? Okay then.

Oh, that reminds me! In my speech class in college, I had to give a demonstrative speech on any topic that I chose. Of course, I chose scrapbooking as my topic. I demonstrated to the class how to make simple scrapbook pages, store supplies, etc. I brought in a few of my finished scrapbook pages to show as examples and pass around the room. One of the examples was a page I did with a picture of Aaron trying on his new scuba gear in the living room of his parents house. He had just bought all of his gear and equipment, so he tried it all on to make sure it fit. Wet suit, mask, snorkel and all. Aaron had always hated that picture, and I teased him with it by calling him "Scuba Steve" and making that scrapbook page. Did I mention that he was in my speech class? And he turned about 20 different shades of red when I brought out that scrapbook page and everyone realized it was him. Sweet victory!

Four
I'm afraid of the dark. I always have been, and I'm assuming I always will be. I don't have to sleep with a night light on or anything, but I like to atleast have access to a light that I can turn on quickly if need be. Being in a completely dark room really freaks me out. My heart starts to race and I feel like I can't breathe. Of course, one of Aaron's favorite things to do to me is turn off the light while I'm taking a shower and I can't get to the light switch. Oh, were you feeling a little sorry for him since I showed an embarrassing picture of him in our college class? Well, don't because he obviously deserved it, don't you think?

Five
I hate Kool-Aid. Absolutely positively loathe it. It doesn't matter what flavor it is, I just can't get it past my lips. I think the reason I hate it so much is because I drank it constantly for the first 8 years or so of my life, so I pretty much got my fill of it during those years.

Six
I don't like anything grape flavored except for grape jam. Grape soda, grape candy, grape poscicles, grape lip balm...I won't have any of it. And I can't stand the smell of anything grape either. Coincedentally, purple is also my least favorite color. When I was a kid, I would use every crayon in my crayon box except for the purple one. Sometimes, I would even throw that crayon away so I wouldn't have to look at it. One of my biggest fears is that Aeralyn will want to paint her room a hideous shade of purple when she gets older. *shudders*

Seven
Any time I look at a digital clock, I have to add the numbers that display the time together in my head. I've done this for as long as I can remember, and I'm a little obsessive about it.

Eight
I love flip flops, and I have atleast 25 pair. I wear them pretty much year round, except for the days that it is just entirely too cold to wear them. Luckily we don't have too many of those days down here.

Nine
My favorite smell is coconut, but I will only use coconut scented products in the summer time. My scents have to match the seasons. I wouldn't dream of burning an apple cinnamon candle during the spring because, in my mind, that is a winter scent.

Ten
It has taken me 3 days to complete this meme. I can barely find the time to get on the computer anymore, especially since Aeralyn has been sick. I hate that she has been feeling so bad, but I have to admit that I've enjoyed the extra snuggle time. I do hope she is feeling better tomorrow. I'll go ahead and say that there probably will not be a Tatertot Tuesday post tomorrow, but I will update you all as soon as I can.

Now that you are all blown away by how weird I am, I'm supposed to tag ten people. I hate tagging people for these things because then I feel like they feel obligated to do it, even if they don't want to. So, if you read this and you feel like doing it, please do. Just let me know so I can come and see it. Good night!

Month Eleven

2007-08-01T17:28:00.000-04:00

Dear Aeralyn,

Wow. That is really all I can say about this month. Just wow. I am amazed by how much you've changed and by how much you have accomplished these past four weeks.

On the first of this month, you took one little wobbly step, and then you promptly fell down and looked shocked. Then, five days later, you let go of the couch and took about twelve steps. Every day after that was spent with you practicing your walking. You fell down alot, and you got plenty of bumps and bruises, but you never stopped trying. Last week, you decided that you are all about this walking stuff. Your crawling days are in the past, and I have to say that I'm a little sad. You are quickly leaving your baby days behind and becoming a toddler.

Along with learning how to walk, you also learned a few new skills. You can now blow kisses and wave "bye bye", and these are probably two of the cutest things I've ever seen in my life. I can't get enough of it, and you love to show off. You also will choose a book that you want to read and bring it to someone to read it to you. You have your favorite books, and you don't want to have anything to do with the other ones that you have. When you are given a tissue or a baby wipe, you will pretend to blow your nose, and then shove the tissue in someones face. Which everyone thinks is hilarious.

You are so curious about any and everything. You learn something new every day, and I'm constantly amazed. You have such a big personality for such a little girl. And very strong opinions too. I love everything about you.

Love you punkin',

Mama

Tatertot Tuesday #46: Cranky Pants

2007-07-31T11:34:00.000-04:00

These pictures were taken this morning right after she slapped the bowl of oatmeal I was feeding her out of my hand. It is going to be a long day.

On my Birthday...

2007-07-28T11:45:00.000-04:00

8 things my 23 years old self would tell my 13 year old self if I had the chance.

1. You are NOT fat. You're not even close to being fat, so stop worrying about your weight. You will be fat one day, and you will hate it and wish that you would have enjoyed wearing cute clothes when you had the chance.

2. Don't worry about not making the cheerleading squad next year. You will get pulled in for the JV squad during the middle of the season because one girl got kicked off for bad behavior. Then, much later, you will be the co-captain of your college cheereleading squad. You will have one of the best times of your life.

3. Those bangs you're sportin'? Are not cute. At all. Grow them out for christ sakes!

4. That boy in your eighth grade gym class? Yeah, the one with the blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. No, not that one, the other one. The one that gives you butterflies in your stomach and makes your heart flutter. Yeah, he's a little nerdy sometimes, but guess what? You fall in love with him. He's going to break your heart one time, and you're going to go through quite a few rough patches, but he's going to be your husband one day. And the father of your child(ren). And he's going to make you happier than you could ever imagine. But whatever you do, don't kiss him in the hallway outside the band room because Mr. V will walk out and catch you and give you in school suspension for the next day. But it will be worth it, so just go for it.

5. Don't worry about your best friend moving away. You will stay in touch and she will even be in your wedding. Stop being so dramatic over the whole situation.

6. You're going to move away from home and go to college. Well, I use the words "Go to College" very loosely considering you spend most of your time not going to college. You will make a lot of mistakes and grow up so much over those 3 years. You will make life-long friends, and a couple of life-long enemies too, but it will all be worth it. Your relationship with Aaron will be tested to the max, and you will realize that he is definitely the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Oh yeah, you may want to re-think that big party you throw the night before your Biology final. Not really a good idea.

7. You're going to be a mom a little sooner than you think you will. But don't worry, it will be fine. It will actually be the best thing that has ever happened to you.

8. Slow down and enjoy being a kid, please! You are going to be grown before you know it and wishing that you were a kid again. Being an adult isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Tatertot Tuesday #45: Wow, Look at her GO!

2007-07-24T16:12:00.000-04:00

I am in disbelief that she is doing this. She just took her first un-sure, wobbly step on July 1st, and look at her now. My little girl is growing up way too fast *wipes a tear*.

Ants in my Pants

2007-07-22T14:03:00.000-04:00

You know it's going to be a great day when you get out of the shower, get dressed, and realize that you have ants in your pants. Literally, ants. In my pants. And roaming around my closet. Awesome!

Mission Sleep Through The Night: Night Two

2007-07-20T07:27:00.000-04:00

*sigh* Last night was not great. I put her to bed at 7:45pm, and she was up at 8:20pm. It took Aaron and I right at an hour to get her back to sleep. When I first went in her room, I layed her back down and tried patting her back, but she was NOT having that. So I picked her up and rocked her without offering to nurse. I got her to the relaxed state and layed her down, and she started fussing so I stayed there with her and patted her back, rubbed her head, etc. This went on for about 30 minutes until I couldn't lean over the crib anymore, and as soon as I walked away she started screaming. So Aaron went in and did the same thing (except he didn't pick her up at all), and she fell asleep after about 15 minutes, but only slept for about 3 minutes. Then I went back in and she was so worked up, so I picked her up and nursed her for less than five minutes, and put her in her crib and patted her back for only a couple of minutes, then she was asleep. That was at 9:25pm, and she slept until 12:15pm.

Then, I remember looking at the clock when she woke up, but I have no recollectuion of actually going and getting her and bringing her to my room. That happens all the time. So I think what I'm going to have to do is set an alarm for a few minutes before she usually gets up so I will be up and ready when she wakes up. Then I will try to get her to sleep in her crib. We will see.

My ultimate goal is getting her weaned completely at night. I would like to have her fully weaned by October, November at the latest, but I can't start weaning during the day until she is weaned at night. I have a feeling this is not going to be an easy process...

Thank y'all for helping me out and encouraging me during this time. It really is hard, especially when I know that I've created this situation. I have found myself constantly questioning and anlayzing my parenting lately, and I'm starting to drive myself a little crazy. I was so focused on breastfeeding in the beginning with Aeralyn, even though it did not come easy for me. She was a very fussy/colicky baby, and the one and only way to get her to calm down was to nurse her. So I did that, for hours and hours on end, day and night. I was obsessed with the fact that I didn't know whether or not she was getting enough, and if she was crying, my first thought was that she might be hungry. Even if she had just nursed 20 minutes earlier, I thought maybe she didn't get enough because I had no way of knowing. It was exhausting and frustrating, but she eventually grew out of the stage where she wanted to be attatched to my breast every second of the day. But, I still kept up with the "on-demand" feeding. I never fed her on a schedule. I never looked at a clock to see what time and for how long she was nursing. And I always nursed her to sleep. So this is how all this got started. It was all me. And I get alot of criticism from people over this situation too. I constantly hear about how Aeralyn is so spoiled, or how they can't believe I don't have her on a routine. Or, "She's not sleeping through the night YET?!", or "Are you STILL breastfeeding? When are you planning on stopping that?" as if it is the worst thing in the world. So, thank you all for not criticizing me here because all I am is a first time mom with no clue what to do. I'm just trying to be a good mom. And poor Aeralyn gets to be the guinea pig.

I'm going to respond to your comments in this post because I hate actually responding in the comments since I never know if anyone checks back to see.

Jessica: Thanks for posting Dylan's schedule. It actually looks fairly similar to Aeralyn's day, excet that she doesn't take a nap that is anywhere close to that long. I think that has alot to do with why she's not sleeping at night too, so I'm working on that. I wish that I would have started putting Aeralyn to bed awake at a really young age. I wish I would have thought to do that because, honestly? That never even crossed my mind. But now, it's impossible to even let her try to cry it out because she doesn't just lay there and cry anymore. As soon as you step away from her, she is standing up at the side of the crib and trying to climb out, all the while screaming her head off. So I just don't see her going to sleep that way, you know? And I have mentioned it to her pediatrician, but I keep my mouth shut now when he asks me if she is sleeping through the night because I didn't like his advice. He told me, get ready for this now....to give her Benadryl to help her sleep through the night. Yeah. And the only reason I haven't changed pediatricians is because I LOVE everything else about him, and Aeralyn absolutely adores him, so I think I'll just live with that. And the other pediatrician in the practice is an AP (attatchment parenting) mom to the EXTREME. I consider myself AP, but not in the ways that she is. She told me not to worry about her not sleeping through the night until she was atleast 2 years old, and by the way, aren't you planning on breastfeeding her until she's in preschool? And no, I'm not exaggerating. So, unfortunately I have no good advice on the pediatrician end.
I am going to do a combination of what you did with Dylan and what the book said to do. I'm not going to pick her up unless she is majorly freaking out. I'm hoping this doesn't take too long. Thanks again for your help and encouragement.

Erica: Good to hear from you! I've missed your blogs lately. Thanks for your comment. Night nursing is definitely a habit for Aeralyn. I know she's not really hungry, she just wants the comfort of it. I have tried giving her formula before bed with a little bit of cereal in it (several months ago), but it didn't help at all. That is how I found out that the night nursing was for comfort and not hunger because I knew she was full from that bottle. She is trained to wake up and nurse. I'm like a human pacifier. And consequently, she absolutely will not take a pacifier. I try to give her one on a daily basis. Or nightly that is. Also, the last time I tried to give her a bottle, she would not take it. I had waited too long since the last time I had given her one, so she would not have it. And when I leave her for a few hours with my in-laws, she would rather just wait for me to come home than take a bottle. She will eat solid food and drink water or juice from a sippy while I'm gone, but she won't take a bottle. I've actually thought about giving her water or formula in a sippy cup when she wakes up instead of nursing her. I wonder if maybe she would realize that she's not going to get to nurse, so she'll stop waking up. What do you think? Thanks again for your comment and thoughts!

The Day is Falling Apart

2007-07-19T11:10:00.000-04:00

Well, so much for the schedule! We were doing great until around 10:00am, Aeralyn fell off my bed and landed right on her head. I know, what was she doing on the bed? I know! I feel awful. I was less than 6 inches away from her when she fell, but I just couldn't catch her in time. It was like it happened so fast, but in slow motion too. I called the pediatician and they said to monitor her and to keep her up for the next 30 minutes. She only cried for about 5 minutes after it happened, and then she acted fine. She doesn't even have a knot on her head (yet) and it's only a little red. I'm so glad she missed the corner of my cedar chest because then we would have had a much bigger problem on our hands. The pediatrician called back about 45 minutes later to check on her and said it would be fine to put her down for a nap. That is what she is doing now, so I guess the schedule isn't completely thrown off. Never a dull moment.

Mission Sleep Through the Night: Night One

2007-07-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

Well, last night didn't go so smoothly. I knew that it wouldn't though, so no big suprise there. We started our new bedtime routine at about 7:15pm. I gave her a bath, rubbed her down with lotion, put on jammies, read 4 books, turned on her Baby Einstein: Mozart CD ad started the rocking/nursing process. One of the key concepts of the book is to comfort baby until very relaxed and almost asleep, and then lay her in the crib and stay there with her until she falls asleep. If she starts to cry, pick her up and start all over again. Well, she was not tired at all when I tried all this. She was laughing and babbling and trying to wiggle out of my lap. So I decided to let her play for a little bit until I saw her tired signs.

I started getting her to sleep again about 8:45pm, and I had her in bed by 9:00pm. She went down on the first try, but she usually does this anyway. Her normal routine is to go to bed for 45 mins to and hour, and then she's up and refuses to get back in her bed, so I take her to bed with me. But, let me clarify that co-sleeping is not the problem here for me. If she would sleep through the night, she could sleep in my bed all night for all I care. But she doesn't, and I think she wakes up even more because she is in my bed and has easy access to the milk. So that is why I'm trying to get her to sleep in her own bed.

10:00pm rolled around and I heard her start to stir in her bedroom. The book says to go to her before she fully wakes up so it will be easier to get her back to sleep. I did that, and to make a long story short, after an hour and a half of picking her up, rocking her until she was almost asleep, putting her down and her screaming her head off, I lost my patience and took her to bed with me. I seriously went through the picking up/putting down routine about 12 times. I still went through with the plan for the rest of the night though, which is not letting her nurse until she is completely asleep, but only until she is relaxed enough to fall asleep on her own. It worked really well. She was up at 3:30am and 6:00am, and then slept until 8:00am. That is an improvement already considering the hell that we went through on Sunday night. Sunday night she went to bed at 8:30pm, up at 9:30pm, up at 12:00am, up at 2:00am, up from 3:00am until 6:30am, up at 7:30am, up for the day at 9:00am. Oh yes, that was loads and loads of fun. There was one point where I took her to her crib and I went back to my bed and just cried for about 20 minutes. All the while she was screaming bloody murder. It was hell.

Today we are starting with our daytime routine as well, so tonight will be the real test to see if she responds any differently. The book suggests that you try to plan your days around your baby's sleep schedule for a while until she gets the hang of it, and then it won't be such a big deal if the schedule gets a little thrown off later. That is going to be the hard part because every day is so unpredictable, but I'm going to try as hard as I can to keep things consistent.

Does anyone have any suggestions? What do your routines look like, or do you even have one? HELP!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Sleep

2007-07-18T16:07:00.000-04:00

Today, Aeralyn and I took a little trip. To the mall that is. All by ourselves. And everyone in the land applauded because this was the very first trip to the mall that we made together all by ourselves. And it only took ten short months! Oh sure, I've been to the mall in the past ten months, and so has Aeralyn. We've both also been there at the same time as one another, but with reinforcements known as either Gammie or Daddy.

But, today called for something a little different considering that Gammie had surgery on Monday and isn't quite up for mall shopping. And daddy has this annoying habit of working on the weekdays, so we had to go alone. Surprisingly, everything went perfect. No major catastrophes, and I actually got what I went for without spending 10 trillion extra dollars on cute clothes, etc. Astonishing.

We took that trip this morning because I was on a mission. A mission to finally get some sleep, that is. And what could I possibly buy at the mall to help me get some sleep? A lovely book called ~~The way to get your spoiled rotten child who wakes up every two hours at night to sleep through the night without screaming her head off~~ The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley.

I've been doing some research, and I've found alot of great reviews on this book. And I'm desperate. I was so excited about getting this book that I had to keep it in the trunk on the way home to keep myself from reading it while I was driving. You're welcome.

I know some of you are really surprised that my ten month old child is not even close to sleeping through the night. Then again, some of you may be reading this and saying "Thank GOD I'm not the only one." Aeralyn has never slept through the night. Not one time in her little ten month life. Consequently, this means that I haven't slept through the night in even longer than that considering I didn't sleep hardly at all through the entire last trimester of my pregnancy. I've tried to remedy this situation. Oh, have I tried! But nothing has helped yet. I've tried the "cry it out" method, and that did not work for us. At. All. And I will never try it again. If it's worked for you, I am so happy, but it is definitely not for me. That is why the title of this book really drew me in. So far, I am excited about everything I've read, except for the part where she says I need to be on a schedule.

Crap.

I'm not a schedule person. I never do anything at the same time every day, so that means Aeralyn doesn't either. And now I totally see that that may be her problem. So I'm going to give it all a try. I'm going to start tonight with her suggestions and I will see how it goes. She recommends keeping a log of Aeralyn's night wakings, so I may post them here with the risk of boring you all completely to death. But atleast I'll have them saved so I can look back at them.

Wish me luck!

Tatertot Tuesday #44: Blueberries!

2007-07-17T13:02:00.000-04:00

These pictures are from a few weeks ago, but trust me you wouldn't want to see any recent pictures. Aeralyn has had a serious case of the crankies. I'm pretty sure she's teething, so pray that this is over with soon. What's that you say? It's only the beginning? Thanks for that reassurance.

Search Strings Revealed

2007-07-13T23:50:00.000-04:00

July 1st was my one year blogiversary. I've been saving up the funniest search strings throughout the year just for this event. So sit back and relax while I take you through the crazy things that people have actually typed in to Google that led them to this website, and my answers to their questions.

1. "How to get husband to unload the dishwasher": I suggest promise him a special prize later on wink wink ,or you could try a different approach. Such as collapsing into a ball of tears, hiccupping through sobs about how you just can't do it ALL! Or threaten his life. Whatever works for you.

2. "Will OB induce early because you cry?": Nope, I tried that one.

3. "Tatertot casserole": sorry, wrong tatertot.

4. "Show me video of nipples over 1.5 inches long": Um, no. And why would you want to see that? Never mind, don't tell me.

5. "I keep getting bigger and bigger": I know the feeling...

6. "T.R. Knight gay in the bathtub": Yes, I believe he is gay in the bathtub, and also in the kitchen, and the front yard. Pretty much everywhere I would assume.

7. "Mad at clumsy wife": Aaron? Is that you?

8. "Pink mold in fridge": I know! Pretty!

9. "We were so happy and perfect then I got pregnant": the shock will wear off, I promise.

10. "Spanking bare hairbrushes teenagers mothers": Uh, what?!

11. "Stinks McGee": Also known as Lola-Belle

That's all of the funny ones I have for now. But wait! There's more! If you can guess the number one search string that has led people to this website over the past year, I will give you, yes YOU, 10 million dollars! Well, not really, but I'll announce you as the winner or something sweet like that. So, get to guessing and leave your answers in the comments. I'll give you a hint: It's not Pieces of Me.

A small update.

2007-07-13T13:28:00.000-04:00

I've had so much that I've wanted to post about and tell you guys, but I just haven't had the time to post. Well, it's not that I haven't had the time, I just haven't made the time. I've been enjoying my summer. How about you?

Okay, since I know all of you have been sitting on pins and needles wondering what is going on with my heel, I'll go ahead and tell you. Nothing. Nothing at all is going on with it because I'm too chicken to go and get the x-ray that the podiatrist ordered. You see, when it comes to things that I don't want to deal with, I use the practice of avoidance. I pretend like there is no problem at all and just go about my merry way. Picture me with my fingers in my ears, eyes closed yelling "LALALALALALALALA!" I'm avoiding the problem, and just so you know, this tactic is not really working out for me. Wednesday night, I closed the back door on my heel, again. Yes, on the same heel. And this time? It hurt so bad that I said a bad word in front of my father-in-law. And I came thisclose to laying on the floor and crying like a little baby. Yes, I'm going to get the x-ray.....eventually. And I'll let you all know what happens when I do.

Moving on.

Do y'all know Beverly? If you don't, I want to encourage you to go read her blog. I dare you to read it and not be inspired by the story of her amazing son, Steven. Beverly is having a fundraiser soon to help find a cure for Von Hipple-Lindau, the disease that Steven has. Von Hipple-Lindau is also the disease that my mother had, so this is very near and dear to my heart. Please go and read her blog and see if there is any way you can help find a cure for this disease.

And that's all I have time for since Aeralyn just decided to wake up from one of her infamous 15 minute naps.

Tatertot Tuesday #43: Yum!

2007-07-10T20:15:00.000-04:00

I'm having video problems again, of course. And this time it's a really good video too. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have it up and running, but until then you can enjoy these pictures of Aeralyn eating her first piece of home grown sweet corn.

I'm alive

2007-07-06T15:11:00.000-04:00

Am tired. And a little burnt. I have so much catching up to do with you all that I don't even know where to start. Today is the first time I've gotten on the computer since Tuesday, and I think that deserves some applause. We've been having a blast and enjoying Aaron's time off since we've barely seen him in over two weeks. I hope all my American readers had a happy 4th, and the rest of you had a happy Wednesday. I'll be back soon with some updates.

Tatertot Tuesday #42: Aeralyn tells you how it is.

2007-07-03T12:25:00.000-04:00

The place: Gammie and Papa's kitchen
The Cast: Lola-Belle as Beggar of Food, Gammie as Stunt Assistant, and of course, Aeralyn as Cutest Baby Ever

Click and Enjoy

Month Ten

2007-07-02T22:27:00.000-04:00

Dear Aeralyn,

Yesterday you turned ten months old. Your tenth month has been such a fun and exciting one. I can't believe that in just two more months we will be celebrating your first birthday. You are growing up so very fast.

Your major accomplishment this month has been learning to stand yourself up in the middle of the floor without the help of anyone or anything. You did it for the first time on Father's Day, and you haven't stopped since. I have been told that this is a little backwards and that most children learn to walk before they learn to stand themselves up. I guess you decided that this was the way for you instead, and that is fine with me. You can stand on your own for a very long time, you can kneel and squat, and then stand yourself back up again. And, yesterday afternoon, you took your very first wobbly step. You were just as suprised as I was, and you almost immediately fell down on your bottom as if to say, "I'm not quite ready for that". I'm not quite ready yet either, so take your time.

Another skill you have learned this month is pointing. It is so hard to resist when you point to something that you want. More often than not though, you will point to something you can't have. I'm sorry, but no matter how adorable you look when you are pointing, you may not have the butcher knife. I know you don't understand why now, but trust me, you will thank me for not giving it to you later.

You talk non-stop from the time you get up until the time you go to bed. It is all mostly jibber-jabber, but still incredibly cute. You will repeat a few words very inconsistently, like: mama, dada, baby, book, uh-oh, and dog. I know you are going to be a little chatterbox once you learn to talk, and I can't wait!

I can't wait to see what this eleventh month is going to bring.

I love you, punkin',
Mama

Tatertot Tuesday #41: Here kitty kitty...

2007-06-26T13:22:00.001-04:00

Happy Summer!

2007-06-21T12:54:00.000-04:00

Today is the first day of summer, so...HAPPY SUMMER! I can't say that I really love summer anymore. Summer used to hold a special kind of magic while I was in school. It always meant the end of one school year and time to have fun. Aaron and I would go to the beach, go out tubing on the boat, go fishing in the river, and go swimming. Now it's just a big pain in the butt if you ask me. I live in Georgia, so I probably don't even have to tell you about how hot it gets here. But, for those of you who don't know, in the middle of July you can walk out of the front door and immediately burst into flames. It's that freaking hot.

So anyway, it's summer. I don't know how many of you remember, but I said I was going to do something before the start of summer. Does this ring a bell for any of you? Well, I have been working on it, and I have to say I am pretty proud of the result.

Here are the before pictures:

And here are the after pictures:

Not too shabby, huh? It is now a scrabooking/storage room. The recliner is only in there until we can get rid of it. And, did you notice my child in the second picture? That is her just moments before she stood up, ON HER OWN, without pulling up on anything. Of course, my camera was too slow to get the picture of her standing up because she only did it for a few seconds, but still, SHE DID IT! And I? Am terrified of what this means.

Tatertot Tuesday #40: On the Boat

2007-06-19T09:16:00.000-04:00

On Father's Day, we took Aeralyn out on the boat for the first time. We had a great time.

Trying on her life jacket the night before:

Daddy caught a baby shark:

On the way back to the dock, she started to fall asleep:

And she slept the whole way home:

I got hit on today...

2007-06-18T12:05:00.000-04:00

by a state prisoner who was doing road work detail in my neighborhood. Wow, I feel so hot today.

Hammer Time

2007-06-16T15:10:00.000-04:00

This is probably one of my favorite commercials of all time. Don't you love it?!

While we're on the subject of dogs...

2007-06-15T19:59:00.000-04:00

I've got some big news that I've been wanting to share with you all. I am an aunt to two new baby daschund girls. That's right y'all, sweet, adorable, squishy puppies!! Aaron's little sister just got them, and everyone is in love.

How could you not love these faces?

Aeralyn thought they were the best things she had ever seen. She learned that puppies are soft...

and stretchy!

Disclaimer: No puppies were injured in the making of this blog post.

And if you think you can handle the extreme cuteness overload of a baby and puppies together, then you should take a look at this video.

Guilty

2007-06-14T20:53:00.000-04:00

On June 8th, Lola turned 2 years old. I didn't even remember that it was her birthday this year, and is it weird that I feel guilty about that?

If you are not a pet lover, you probably won't understand this post, so I'll continue at the risk of you thinking that I'm a complete freak.

On July 4th, 2005, Aaron and I got our first dog. She was a teacup Chihuahua that we saw at the flea market, and we instantly fell in love. She was so tiny, only about a pound, and she had redish-brown fur. I named her Bailey Elizabeth (yes, all of our animals have first and middle names) and decided that she would be the most loved and spoiled dog on the planet. She was so tiny and fragile and had the sweetest demeanor about her. But, a few days after we brought her home, we noticed she had a cough. We took her to the vet where she was diagnosed with Kennel-cough. We were told to give her a small dose of Robitussin and that should clear it up in a few days.

It didn't work, and she slowly got worse. The Friday before my birthday, we had to take her in to the emergency vet clinic because she stopped eating and was having boughts with hypoglocemia. They admitted her immediately and started an IV in her tiny neck. It was the most pitiful sight I had ever seen. They said that she had a bad case of pnuemonia, and the prognosis was not good. They kept her all weekend, and I would call 4-5 times each night to check on her like a worried mother, and visit her several times during the day. On Monday morning, my mother in law and I went in before I headed for work to pick her up so I could transfer her to our regular vet clinic. When the nurse put her in my arms, Bailey looked up at me and took her last breath. The vet worked on her feversishly to get her breathing again, but she was just too sick. I was beyond devastated.

Aaron felt terrible because she was my 21st birthday present. I knew that was going to be the worst birthday I'd ever had.

Until the day of my birthday, when Aaron came home with this:

That is Lola-Belle. I'll admit, I was a little wary of her at first because I was still upset over Bailey, but she ended up being just what I needed. From the first day we got her, we knew she was made for us. She was the perfect addition to our little family, and we were head over heels about her.

We spoiled her rotten, constantly snuggling with her and giving her treats, and of course, taking her picture:

She sleeps in our bed, goes with us wherever we go, and has always been a real part of the family.

And then, I got pregnant with Aeralyn. The whole pregnancy, Aaron and I discussed and fretted over how Lola would react when we brought Aeralyn home. Would she be jealous? Would she act out with anger or biting? Or would she be terrified?

Luckily, we haven't had any problems out of her at all. I can tell that sometimes she is jealous and needs a little bit of extra attention, and I try really hard to give that to her whenever I get a chance. Aaron does the same every time he has a free moment, so she still knows she is loved and important. I still feel bad for forgetting her birthday though, even though she obviously doesn't know the difference.

So, Happy Belated Birthday Lola-Belle (AKA "Stinks McGee"). Mommy still loves you, even though she may not get to show it as often as she used to. Thanks for being a great big sister to Aeralyn, and the sweetest doggy in the whole wide world.

Clumsy

2007-06-13T14:25:00.000-04:00

A little over a month ago, I had an accident. I know, you're shocked that I didn't tell you, but I didn't think it was a big deal. I really didn't, I promise.

Let me start at the beginning.

I am extremely clutzy. I know you're probably sitting there thinking "Me too!", but I can guarantee you that I am about three thousand times more clumsy than you are. I've gotten so bad that when I yell "OUCH!" from whatever part of the house I'm in, Aaron doesn't even blink an eye or come running or anything. His usual response is to say in an exasperated tone "What happened now?"

I know, he is super awesome. And all mine. YAY!

Ahem. So, like I was saying, a little over a month ago I had an accident. I was aggravated with Aaron over something that I can't even remember now, and I was arguing with him at the back door. I turned to walk back in the house, and my plan was to slam the door. You know, so he would know how mad I was. (I know, childish, but it gets the point across and makes me feel better). Anyway, as I was walking in, my foot somehow got hung up on the rug, and I ended up slamming the door on my heel. And it hurt. Really bad. I iced it, washed it off and put a bandaid on it and really didn't think much more about it.

Then, about four days later, I put my tennis shoe on to go to the gym. My heel was so swollen that it was too uncomfortable to wear my shoe, so I decided I would give it more time before I tried to wear a shoe with a back on it. And now, here I am with a heel that is still swollen and I have no idea why.

I went to the doctor over a week ago, and she made me a referal to a podiatrist. I will be going to that appointment next week. Oh boy! I can't wait to see what the foot fetish doctor has to say. Yes, that's right, the foot fetish doctor. Why else would you want to work with feet all day? That's what I thought.

Thank goodness it's warm and I've been able to wear flip flops. But this also means that I haven't been able to go to the gym in over a month because I can't get my workout shoes on. I'm actually missing it too. So, hopefully this foot thing will be resolved soon. Anyone have any advice?

Tatertot Tuesday #39: At last...She Dances!!

2007-06-12T09:39:00.000-04:00

I STILL cannot get the video of Aeralyn dancing to upload to my site and I'm about to throw the computer out the window over it. So, instead you can click here to see it. If you hear a loud scream, don't worry, it was just my head exploding because this thing didn't work.

Beach

2007-06-08T15:07:00.000-04:00

I know I'm getting slack with this blog, but I'm hoping to have more time for this once Aeralyn grows out of this stage that she is in right now. She is into everything, and I'm constantly chasing along behind her making sure that she doesn't hurt herself. I still haven't had any luck uploading the video of her dancing, and it's starting to make me mad because I really want to show it to y'all. Hopefully by Tuesday I will have it up and running. Until then, I have more pictures. I know, this blog is turning into nothing but pictures, but I don't hear anyone complaining so I will just go with it.

Yesterday, we took Aeralyn to the beach for the first time and we took some family photos. ALOT of photos. Here are a few:

Tatertot Tuesday #38: Yes, I know it's Wednesday...

2007-06-06T08:03:00.000-04:00

I know, I'm late with the Tatertot Tuesday post this week. I have a very good reason though. I took the cutest video yesterday morning of Aeralyn dancing, so that is obviously what I wanted to post for Tatertot Tuesday. But, I spent all day yesterday trying to get the video to upload, and for some reason it's just not working for me. So, until I can get the video to work, here are some spaghetti pictures from a few weeks ago. I made spaghetti for dinner and let her play with the leftover noodles.

Month Nine

2007-06-01T08:44:00.000-04:00

Dear Aeralyn,

Today you are nine months old. You have officially been out of my body as long as you were in it, and I must say that I am enjoying you much more now than I was this time last year.

You are on the go non-stop now little miss, and sometimes it is hard to keep up with you. My days are spent mostly chasing you around the house to keep you away from things you are not supposed to get in to. You are learning what the word "No" means, and you've decided you really don't like it. We usually only have to tell you "No" when you are trying to get into the dog dishes. Then, when you hear us say that dreaded word, you will either completely ignore us, going about your merry way to pick up a handful of dog food or splash in the water dish. Or, you will turn around and grin the cutest little crooked grin at us, and we have to turn away so you don't see us laugh at you.

You are an expert crawler now, and you have also started cruising the furniture. Everyone keeps saying that it won't be long before you take off walking, and I'm hoping that you give it another month or so. I don't know if I'm ready for the adventures that walking will bring, but I guess that will be up to you.

You love to have books read to you. Your favorite books are ones that have peek-a-boo flaps and/or textures that you can feel. You will sometimes sit through ten or more books, and you will even get upset when we have to stop reading to go do something else. Reading to you is one of my favorite parts of the day because it's one of the few times that you will sit still and let me hold you close. Sometimes I will read to you several times throughout the day just to get that special time. You are growing up so fast.

You have discovered music this month, and you love to dance. When you hear a song that you like, you will rock back and forth on the floor, or if you are standing, you will bend you knees and bounce to the rythym. All the while you will have a big smile on your face.

You are such a happy baby. Your daddy and I are enjoying you so much. You are by far the best thing that has ever happened to us, and we love you more than you can imagine.

Love you punkin',

Mama

Tatertot Tuesday #37: Every Girl...

2007-05-29T08:58:00.000-04:00

...needs a sweet pair of shades.

To Publish, or Not to Publish....

2007-05-27T04:32:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had a blog entry come to you at 4am on a Sunday morning? And you knew that if you didn't get up right thatveryminute and get it all down that you would a.) forget most of it by morning and b.) be too busy pulling your child away from the dog food for the eleventy-millionth time to put down what you wanted to say. So, I think that sufficiently explains why I am up at 4:30am writing a blog post.

I'm here because I want to ask all of you lovely people a question. How many drafts do you have saved in your drafts folder that you wouldn't dare of ever publishing? Or is it just me that has about 976 of them?

Sometimes, the publish button can be a scary thing. Other times, that button is completely out of the question all together. I know there are alot of anonymous bloggers out there that keep themselves anonymous so they can say anything they want about anybody without worrying if they will find their blog. There are others who don't keep themselves anonymous, but they don't tell their friends and family about their blog. I can only imagine that they hope and pray every single day that their family and friends don't find their blog so they won't find out what is being said about them.

I am neither of those types of bloggers. My whole family knows about this blog, as well as all of my friends. Not all of them visit or comment, but they all know about it nonetheless. I like that because I obviously started this blog to keep track of things that are going on with our family, and I like to be able to share these things with famiy members that we don't get to see very often.

Ultimately, this blog has replaced my paper journals that I have always kept. This is a faster, more efficient way of getting my thoughts out, except for one little problem: the publish button.

I know it may sound bad, but I can't publish half of what I write here without worrying about who will read it. Because, you guessed it, I've probably written about you a time or two. When I get mad, I write. When someone hurts my feelings, I write. When I feel sorry for you, I write. When I wish I could tell you to go to hell, I write. When I want to say something to you but I know I could never say it to your face, I write.

I think you get the picture.

I never post these entries because they could really hurt some feelings or embarrass the people that I'm writing about. But sometimes, it's a really good entry. You know the ones that show alot about who I am, or the ones that I laugh about the whole time I'm writing them. But I just can't publish it.

Even though Aaron doesn't come to this website, and probably never will, I try to be careful about what I post on here. Especially when it comes to our marriage. I wouldn't want him writing things about me for the world to see, so I don't do that to him either. Even when we have an arguement (which we don't because we're perfect) (relax, I'm kidding) (but seriously, we are pretty perfect) (I know, enough with the parentheses), even when we are going through financial troubles, even when I know I could post something about us that y'all could totally relate to or could give me advice about, I don't do it.

So, is it just me? Maybe I should go back to keeping my thoughts on paper so I wouldn't have this overwhelming urge to push the publish button. Then I have this reacurring nightmare that someone hacks into my blogger account and publishes everything in my drafts folder for the world to see. No, I'm not kidding, I really have had that nightmare before. I guess it's kind of like a new age spin on the going to school/work naked dream. Or something like that.

Anyway, I think it's about time that I get back to bed. Everyone have a happy Sunday!

More Birthday Talk

2007-05-24T15:17:00.000-04:00

I'm so glad that y'all don't think I'm too crazy about this whole birthday thing. I was kinda worried about that for a minute. Aaron thinks I'm crazy, of course, but he just doesn't understand.

Okay, so here's what I have planned so far:

*The luau theme I had planned to go with for so long was thrown out the window when I visited this website. I'm in love with this theme and this theme. I can't decide, so maybe y'all can help me with that. The cake will match whichever theme I choose because I'm going to get the same person that did our wedding cake to do her birthday cake. She is a friend of the family and she makes awesome cakes. And of course, I'll get her to make a smaller version of the cake for Aeralyn to tear into. I wish I could make the cake and be all sentimental about it and proud of myself for making it, but that's just not me. I don't know if I've ever told you this or not, but I can't cook. At all. So yeah, no cake making for me.

*I think we are going to do grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for the food with chips, soft drinks and sweet tea. That seems like the easiest option, unless someone else wants to throw some ideas out there that I may not have thought of. Oh yeah, and ice cream! Of course we have to have ice cream.

*I've picked out her party dress. Isn't it just the cutest thing you've ever seen?! I can't wait to get it. And luckily we also have a great photographer in the family, so pictures in the dress are already taken care of.

*I doubt we will do any games just because there won't be a whole lot of kids coming, and obviously Aeralyn won't really be able to participate.

*I'm going to buy a cute book (or possibly decorate one myself, depending on time) to use for passing around the party for everyone to write a message to Aeralyn. I'll also keep track of her gifts and who they came from in the book. I figured that will be something that she can keep forever.

*And I'll be taking an obscene amount of pictures I'm sure. You can never have too many pictures.

Is there anything I've forgotten? Anybody want to give me some ideas? I'm open for suggestions. And don't forget to let me know which theme you like best!

Tatertot Tuesday #36: More Fun in the Pool

2007-05-22T09:47:00.000-04:00

Somebody Stop Me

2007-05-21T22:16:00.000-04:00

Alright y'all, I have somewhat of an embarrassing confession to make. I know, you're probably not the least bit surprised considering this entire blog is pretty much one big display of embarrassing things for me (with a few pictures of my kid mixed in for variety, of course). But trust me, you're going to think of me a little differently after this one. And I'm sure there will be some dramatic eye rolling on your part.

Are you ready for the confession now? Okay, here it goes:

I am becoming all consumed with planning Aeralyn's first birthday party. Yes, I realize that her birthday isn't until the first of September, but do you realize that that is only a mere 102 days away!!

Do you see what I mean?

When I was my former, childless self, I remember thinking how ridiculous it was for parents to throw huge first birthday parties. The child isn't going to remember the party anyway right? Of course not, but now I see it from a completely different perspective. She won't remember the party, but she will see the pictures and hear the stories for the rest of her life. Granted, she may not inherit my sentimental genes, and she may grow up not giving one flying flip whether or not I gave her a first birthday party. But, there's always that chance that she will care, so I'm going to do it right. And really? I care, so that's all that matters.

Now, don't be too scared over there. I'm not planning on renting a circus to come to our house complete with pony rides and balloon animal making clowns. Even I'm not that crazy and out of control. But just to give you a hint of how crazy I might be, I'll tell you this: I saw a preview of the Martha Stewart show a couple of weeks ago, and it mentioned something about making party decorations for your child's birthday party in your own home, and I got a little overly excited. I actually contemplated making the party hats for the party, and even making a special one for Aeralyn. Then I immediately reminded myself of how much I hate Martha Stewart and that the party hats that I would spend hours making would get demolished after only a few seconds. Atleast I still have a small shred of my sanity.

I've been searching the internet for party ideas non-stop, and I've even found a dress for her to wear for the big day. I've been to the local party store to scope out what they have to offer, and I've set the date. I'm overly excited about it, until I actually sit down and think about my baby turning one. It is so hard to believe that she will be a year old soon. A toddler, not a baby.

I think all this party planning is a sub-concious way of keeping my mind off of my little girl growing up so fast.

So, who has party ideas?

Tatertot Tuesday #35: My little Bookworm

2007-05-15T11:50:00.000-04:00

Meme!!

2007-05-11T09:25:00.000-04:00

INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.

Eve
Sarah
Elizasmom
a lifetime
Pieces of Me

Next select five people to tag: (if you haven’t done it already)
Alicia
Lindsey
CJ
Jessica
And I'm only tagging four people because I'm a rebel like that.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Let's see...I was 12 years old, and I was getting ready to end the school year for the summer. I was ending 7th grade, and I hadn't met Aaron yet. I'm sure I was doing the normal pre-teen girl things: worrying about boys, talking on the phone, spending the night with friends and being dramatic.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was pregnant with Aeralyn, and I was still in the stage where I was enjoying it.

Five snacks you enjoy: (Just Five?!)
One: Doritos
Two: Roasted Garilc Rye Chips (OMG I can eat a whole bag at one time. These things are like crack, seriously!)
Three: Land o Lakes individual cheese slices.
Four: Cheez Its
Five S'mores Pop-Tarts

Five songs that you know all the lyrics:
One: What hurts the most by Rascal Flatts
Two: Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N Roses
Three: I hope you Dance by Leann Womack
Four: Red Strokes by Garth Brooks
Five: In the End by Linkin Park

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
Of course I would invest wisely, but after that I would:
One: Donate a big chunk of money to research for Von Hipple-Lindau.
Two: Buy new cars and new furnished houses for all the people who are important to me.
Three: I would take a trip to Australia, and depeding on how much I like it out there, I might by a house there. Aaron and I have always wanted to go to Australia, and it's just a big bonus that I actually "know" someone there now!
Four I would build a new house with a HUGE craft room that is furnished with all the latest scrapbooking supplies.
Five: I would build Aeralyn a custom made playhouse that is fully furnished. I always wanted one of those when I was little.

Five bad habits:
One: Biting my nails.
Two: Speaking before I think.
Three: Getting defensive too quickly.
Four: Grinding my teeth.
Five: Eating too much junk food.

Five things you like doing:
One: Reading to Aeralyn.
Two: Scrapbooking
Three: Taking pictures.
Four: SHOPPING!
Five: Driving in the car by myself with the windows down and the music up really loud.

Five things you would never wear again:
One: From the looks of the way things are going, a bikini.
Two: Jelly shoes
Three: a pony tail on the side of my head
Four: Frosty pink lipstick
Five: body glitter

Five favorite toys:
One: the laptop
Two: my camera
Three: my new phone I got for mother's day! Motorolla Razr!
Four: Photoshop
Five: all my scrapbooking stuff

Let me know when you're done with yours!!

Tatertot Tuesday #34: Mama's Little Helper

2007-05-08T11:23:00.000-04:00

Dirty Little Secrets

2007-05-02T13:34:00.000-04:00

I have a new gulty pleasure. I know, as if I needed yet another one. Are you just dying to know what it is?

This website. I'm addicted to reading everyone else's confessions and clicking that little "Me Too" button.

Who knows....maybe I've even left a confession or two.

Month Eight

2007-05-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Aeralyn,

Yesterday you turned eight months old, and I know I say this every single month, but I can hardly believe it. This month seemed to go faster than ever, and I know that was just a preview of how fast the rest of your childhood will go. I'm enjoying every single minute with you.

You have accomplished some major milestones this month. Just last month I could put you on the floor to play with your toys while I went into the kitchen to do dishes or to the laundry room to put on a load of clothes. Now, you follow me everywhere I go. You are constantly moving while you're awake, and you are curious about everything in your new world. Especially electrical cords and the dog food. And anything that is on the floor. I'm vacuuming several times a week now, but you still manage to find the smallest pieces of fuzz or paper on the floor. And then you promptly put your discoveries in your mouth. Yum!

All in one day two weeks ago, you learned to pull yourself to a sitting position from lying down, and you learned how to pull up on the furniture. You are so proud of yourself. I'm quickly learning that you are fearless because more often than not when you pull yourself up on the couch or chair, you will let go like you are big enough to stand up on your own. You have yet to protest when you fall hard on your bottom. Instead, you just try it again. I'm hoping you will keep that attitude.

You love to go shopping. Whether it be a quick trip to the grocery store, or an all day trip to town, you are always an angel. The only protest you have is getting in the carseat, but you are much happier since we moved you into a "big girl" seat and out of the infant carrier.

I'm not going to mention your sleeping habits this month except to say that they pretty much stink. I just want you to know this so that if you decide to have children one day, you can go back and read this letter and say "Hmm, I wasn't sleeping through the night either at 8 months old. This little devil must have got it from me!" And then I will laugh and say how I remember those days and I will reassure you that those days will pass. And you will roll your eyes and let out an exasperated sigh I'm sure because that is what I do now every time I hear that these days will pass because MY BABY IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD WHO DOESN"T SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT! WAHHHH!!

I'm hoping you start sleeping better soon. But, if you don't, that will be fine too. I still love you, even when you wake me up six times a night. Even when you refuse to take a nap all day and you scream at me because you're so incredibly tired. Even when you get mad at me while I'm feeding you and you slap the spoon out of my hand, causing peas to splatter all over the kitchen. I will love you no matter what, forever. This unconditional love stuff is pretty great.

Love,
Mama

Tatertot Tuesday #33: Swimming with Kyra

2007-05-01T08:58:00.000-04:00

I am warning you now that you may not be able to withstand the cutness of these two together. Last week, Alicia and Kyra came over to go swimming in Aeralyn's little pool. They had a great time.

Spring Fever

2007-04-30T11:21:00.000-04:00

I've got spring fever bad this year. Worse than ever before.

I want to stay outside all day long. I want to lay in the sun with a book, lounge in the pool, and ride around in my car with the windows down, sun roof open, and music blaring.

I also want to throw everything in my house away and start over. This might even be worse than the nesting period I had when I was pregnant with Aeralyn. You all remember that, right? When I cleaned and organized the entire house in one weekend? Yeah, it needs to be done again. Desperately!

We have this room in the back of the house that is the designanted junk room. We put things there that don't have a place anywhere else in the house. Holiday decorations, scrapbooking and craft supplies, baby gadgets that are no longer needed, things that we are saving for a garage sale that will never happen, and bags of clothes to take to Goodwill. It has gotten so out of control that I can barely walk in there now. So, I think that is going to be my new project. I want to organize it and ultimately use it as my "craft room". I'm dreaming of a day when I can actually do crafts again. I also want to let Aeralyn use it as a craft room too since it had linoleum floors. That way, she can have fun with paints and Play-doh and markers without me having to worry about her ruining the carpet or the couch.

I'm going to say it right here that I'm going to have this room organized to my liking by the end of spring. So, that gives me until June 21st, right? I think that's the first day of summer. I have from now until then to get this done. You may think that sounds like a really long time, but trust me, it's not.

See what I mean? Wish me luck.

Tatertot Tuesday #32: Swinging!

2007-04-24T19:46:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's so late. Little miss refused to take a nap today, so this is the first chance I've had to get on the computer. Enjoy!

I should have kept my mouth shut.

2007-04-20T21:13:00.000-04:00

So, remember in my last post where I told you how my hair is the most awesome it has ever been?

Yeah. Um, I shouldn't have said anything. It totally looked like crap today. If and when I ever get the time to use my straightener properly, I will most definitely take a picture to show all of you. I don't know when that will be considering my baby has decided she must be entertained every single waking second of her day. I swear, that kid. Doesn't she know I have way more important things to do other than play with her all day? Like, straighten my hair and update this blog.

Relax people, I am kidding.

And yes, it is true that some people are of the opinion that I must have more children. Actually, most people have that opinion I'm finding out. Aeralyn simply cannot go through life as an only child. It seems that I would be commiting a terrible crime to only have one child "this day and age". How dare I be so selfish! *gasp*

I may change my mind one day. I have a right to do that if I so choose, but as it stands right now, I see nothing wrong with having one child. Especially since Aaron agrees with me 100%, and honestly? His opinion is the only one that does or should matter to me. If people think that my decision is selfish, then I guess that's just what they will have to think. Although maybe it is a little selfish considering how cute Aeralyn turned out. The world can always use more attractive people.

Ha ha. Kidding again. Although she is pretty darn cute, you have to admit.

I apologize for the lack of photographic evidence from the hot pink mold on my turkey. I've been scolded for telling the internet such disgusting things. Aaron was horrified when he saw the pictures I posted of the rotten food in our refrigerator last year, and we all know how freaked out he got when I wanted to show you a picture of the biggest shower drain clog of all time. Little does he know, we could have actually won a world record for that thing. Too bad he wouldn't let me take a picture. I tried to Google an image of molded Turkey, but apparently no one has ever thought to take a picture of that before. Now I feel bad because I could have done a great service to all of mankind.

I've got some turkey in the fridge right now actually. Can you say, science experiment? Let's see how long it takes to grow pink mold again.

And this time, I am so taking a picture.

Some Things I've Learned Lately

2007-04-19T08:32:00.000-04:00

♦ I've learned that when deli cut turkey goes bad, it grows pink mold. Hot pink as a matter of fact. Yes people, it is time to clean the refrigerator again. Don't ever say I didn't teach you anything.

♦ I've learned that I should have cherished those days not so long ago when I could put Aeralyn on the floor to play with her toys. Quietly. In one spot. Now, she is all over the place chewing on power cords and pulling up on the entertainment center trying to pull the DVD player on her head. Over, and over, and over again. Oh dear GOD, it has begun. Please send help. And sleeping pills.

♦ I've learned that I can make a detailed list to take with me to Wal-Mart, and once I get there? Still manange to forget the most important things on that list. Such as toilet paper. And bread. And diapers. What can I say? I'm easily distracted.

♦ I've learned that mine and Aaron's tentative decision to maybe have only one child is most assuredly the worst idea we've ever had. By deciding to keep Aeralyn an only child we are damning her to a life of boredom and dismay. She will never learn to share, and she will think the world revolves around her, only to be terribly dissappointed when she gets thrown into the "real world". Also, we won't be real parents until we have more than one child. *rolls eyes*

♦ I've learned that tonights episode of Grey's Anatomy is a new one. Can I get an Amen?

♦ I've learned that this shampoo and conditioner combined with the use of this straightener equals the most awesome hair ever to grace my head, thankyouverymuch.

Now, that's all the useless knowledge I have for you today. I have to get ready to take the truck in to the dealership to be serviced. YAY! Actually, that is a totally real and non-sarcastic exclamation of pure joy because I get to go on this particular outing sans baby. And, I'm going to take my very own magazine from home that I've been dying to flip through. I'll actually get to read it without anyone ripping the pages out, crying because I'm not singing the ABC's again for the millionth time, or distracting me by trying to eat the curtains. Hallelujah!

Tatertot Tuesday #31: It's official, she loves Da-Da most.

2007-04-17T12:06:00.000-04:00

Of course, she wouldn't say anything I wanted her to except for Da-da. Imagine that! And this is her version of crawling. Hey, it works for her. She's in to everything now and following me all over the house.

Please send the sleep fairies.

2007-04-13T11:36:00.000-04:00

I'm not doing so well with my reslolution to blog more this year. Oh? You've noticed? Sorry about that.

I'm going to take a moment and be real and completely honest with you here. Things have not been easy around our household lately. Aeralyn has decided that sleep is her enemy, and she fights it with every fiber of her being day and night. Now, most of you know that she's never been a good sleeper, even from day one. I read so many books about how newborns sleep up to 18 hours per day and how you, the new mother, should sleep when the baby sleeps to get your rest.

Well, guess what? Aeralyn must have heard that they were saying that nonsense about babies, and she decided that she was sent here to this world for the sole purpose of proving them wrong. And oh boy, is she doing a great job of proving those jerks wrong.

She's always been a big fan of the "cat-nap". After fighting sleep for 20 mins to a half hour, she will finally give in and crash. Then, she wakes up 15 to 30 minutes later refreshed and ready to go for a few more hours. I rarely get the luxury of her taking an hour long or longer nap so that I can relax for a few minutes and get things done around the house. And when I say rarely, I mean maybe once a month if I'm lucky. Instead, I have learned to do things at lightening fast speed. During a 15 minute cat-nap, I can empty the dryer, put the clothes from the washer into the dryer and start another load, unload and re-load the dishwasher, take a potty break, fold the clothes from the dryer, eat lunch, sweep the kitchen, and put up a Tatertot Tuesday post.

I've just accepted this as our way of life, and it's really not that big of a deal. She has always slept pretty good at night, in my opinion anyway. I know I've gotten many a weird look when I get the question "Is she sleeping through the night?" and I say "no". I hear stories of babies that slept through the night at a month old, never to make a peep until 8am. That sounds fantastic, but that's not Aeralyn. She is 7 months old and has never, not once, slept through the night.

Her pediatrician told me at her 4 month check up that she should be sleeping through the night by now. When I met his statement with silence, he said "She is sleeping through the night, isn't she?".

"No, not yet. But it's not that big of a deal."

And it's not that big of a deal. It's not like I'm walking the hallway of my house at 2am with a screaming baby for hours on end every night. That's actually only happened one time since she has been born, so I think I'm getting pretty lucky on that deal. But she does wake up several times a night, and the only way to get her back to sleep is to nurse her.

On a normal night, she will go to bed between 8:30pm and 9:30pm in her crib, she will sleep until 12:30am - 1:30am, and I will go get her and bring her to bed with us. I'll nurse her back to sleep, and then she will usually wake up 1-2 more times to eat, and that's it. I was thinking that was pretty good, even though I know she really should be sleeping through the night by now.

But this past 3 weeks has been a comepletely different story. She has went to bed in her crib at her usual time, only to wake up 30 minutes to an hour later. Then for the rest of the night, she is up atleast every hour, sometimes every half hour.

Every. Single. Night.

I'm more exhausted now than I was when we first brought her home from the hospital. And the worst part is, I think I've created this monster. She's not hungry in the middle of the night, she is only nursing for comfort. And I've let her do it. And now? I don't know how to stop it.

I am seriously at my wits end. I'm so tired, and so incredibly grouchy. I'm pretty sure no one wants to be around me right now because I have bitten the heads clean off of every one I know. My house is a wreck and I have had almost no "me" time. I think that last part is what is really getting to me. I have blogs piled up in my Google Reader from these past weeks that I haven't had any time to read. And obviously, I haven't commented much either. I'm sorry about that, and I promise I still love you. I just really don't have the time right now.

And I'm sure you can guess how the Healthy Living is going....

So, if you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know why. We've got to make some major changes around here. And if you're sitting there with some advice, I'd love to hear it. Especially if it's something other than putting cereal in her bottle (tried it a long time ago, didn't work, and now she will NOT take a bottle), or letting her cry for hours on end (I'm physically unable to ignore her crys). Or, if you don't have any advice, that's okay too. I just need to know that we're going to get through this. Please tell me there's a light at the end of this tunnel.

Tatertot Tuesday #30: Crazy Easter Weekend

2007-04-10T09:48:00.000-04:00

Wow, what a weekend. We had a five, yes FIVE, day weekend starting on Thursday when my sister and her two kids came in for a visit. We had a great Easter weekend with family, fun, and ALOT of food. I hope your holiday was as great as ours. Brace yourself for the amount of pictures you're about to view!

On Saturday, we were in our neighborhood parade.

Aeralyn and I on our family float:

The whole gang on the float:

It was cold!

Sunday morning, the Easter bunny stopped by and left some goodies:

And on Sunday afternoon, we went to the river to spend time with family:

The best thing to do after a long Easter weekend:

Don't you wish you were visiting me tonight?

2007-04-04T22:54:00.000-04:00

Conversation #1: Because it's been way too long since I've reminded you how disgusting I am.

Scene: My house, early evening. Aaron is in the shower and Aeralyn and I are singing yet another round of "The Wheels on the Bus".

Him: *shouting from the shower* HHHHHHHEEEYYYYY!!!
Me: WHAT?!
Him: COME HERE!
Me: *opens the door to the bathroom* What?
Him: come look at this.
Me: is it really important right now because I'm kinda busy with Aeralyn?
Him: yes, come here!
Me: I swear Aaron, if you're going to do the Spongebob no pants thing I'll kill you.
Him: No, this is serious. I need a Wal-Mart bag.
Me: Um...okay. In the shower?
Him: Yes. LOOK!!
Me: *opens shower curtain* OH MY GOD!!! What the hell is that?!
Him: It came from the drain!
Me: GROSS!
Him: I know! It's like, a small dog or something.
Me: I think I'm going to be sick.
Him: Me too if you don't go get me a Wal-Mart bag so I can get rid of it!
Me: *leaves to get bag*
Me: *comes back with a ziploc bag and hands it to him*
Him: Why did you bring me a ziploc bag?
Me: Um...I couldn't find any Wal-Mart bags. Just put it in there and we'll throw it away.
Him: I just saw a ton of Wal-Mart bags in the kitchen. There is no sense in wasting a ziploc bag.
Me: Just put it in there!!
Him: What are you up to?
Me: Nothing...
Him: No! We are not saving this thing so you can take a picture of it and show it to the internet!!
Me: But WHY? Wouldn't it be so gross?! It would be even better than the time I showed them all the stuff in our refrigerator!
Him: NO! That is absolutely disgusting you freak!
Me: I know...*leaves to get a Wal-Mart bag*

Y'all, I am not even kidding or making this up. I think you all need to personally thank Aaron for saving you from the most disgusting thing you might have ever seen. Seriously though, if you would have rolled that clog into a ball? It would have been the size of a softball. A SOFTBALL sized clog came out of my shower drain! And I wanted to show it to the INTERNET! You see? Do you see how much I LOVE you? *bats eyelashes*

Conversation #2: Because you need to be informed of yet another one of my terribly bad habits.

Scene: My kitchen, right after Aaron got out of the shower. I had just put Aeralyn to bed and I was working on painting some big Easter eggs I had just cut out of poster board.

Me: Ahhhhhhhhhhh!
Him: What?
Me: UGHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Him: WHAT?! *turns to look at me* What is all over your mouth?!
Me: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Heyuhp muh!
Him: *laughing* What?
Me: *gesturing wildly towards the sink* Heyup MUH!! Cuh hah mah hair!
Him: Help you come hold your hair?
Me: YYYYEEEHHHH!
Him: *dieing laughing and coming to hold my hair* What did you do?
Me: *laughing as I'm rinsing mouth out under the faucet*
Him: Did you lick the paintbrush?
Me: No!
Him: What the heck did you do?
Me: I was opening the paint....
Him: *cuts me off before I can finish explaining* ...with your MOUTH! Geez Heather, how many times have I told you not to open things with your mouth? You're going to break a tooth one day.
Me: Thanks DAD!
Him: Well, now that you got a mouth full of yellow paint do you think you've learned your lesson?
Me: *glares at him*
Him: I have got to call everybody and tell them what you just did! *laughing hysterically*
Me: I hate you!

Yes, I open everything with my mouth. Soda cans, nail polish bottles, things wrapped in plastic, paint bottles. And no, I have not learned my lesson.

Coversation #3: Because Aaron and I need to go back to kindergarten.

Scene: Still in the kitchen, I'm still painting.

Me: What color should I use next?
Him: Hmmm....do you have blue?
Me: No, Wal-Mart was out of blue today.
Him: What? No BLUE?!
Me: Nope, no blue. Hey wait! I can make blue!
Him: How?
Me: Yellow and green make blue dummy. *rolls eyes*
Him: Are you sure?
Me: uh, yeah!
Me: *mixes yellow and green*
Him: hmmm...that doesn't look blue to me.
Me: I just need to add some purple.
Me: *adds purple* *thinks to self this looks like crap*
Him: Let me call mom, she knows. *on the phone "What two colors make blue? Uh huh. Uh huh. Yeah. Okay, thanks."*
Him: You can't make blue.
Me: What do you mean you can't make blue?
Him: Blue is a primary color. You can't make it.
Me: Oh yeah. I knew that.
Him: Right, I'm sure you did.
Me: I really did. I just forgot.
Him: What was that thing about ROYGBIV?
Me: Uh...that has nothing to do with what we're talking about.
Him: I know, I just thought of it. What was that again?
Me: The rainbow thing.
Him: Oh yeah, the guy that invented the rainbow.
Me: *crickets*
Me: You mean like Roy G. Biv?
Him: yeah....*smiles*
Me: you're kidding right?
Him: of course
Me: oh thank God!

Yes, I really tried to make blue. Unsuccesfully. Somebody really needs to work on that. Maybe I'll call up 'ol Roy G. Biv and ask him for help. Surely he knows since he invented the rainbow and all...

Tatertot Tuesday #29: Riding with Daddy

2007-04-03T09:32:00.000-04:00

Aaron took Aeralyn for a ride on the 4-wheeler this weekend. Top speed was about half a mile per hour, but she still had a blast.

I heart Australians!

2007-04-02T09:18:00.000-04:00

These questions are fromErica. I am quickly learning that I will do anything that she asks just because I'm pretty sure she has an Australian accent, even though I have never actually heard her speak. But I'm a sucker for Australian accents. This is why I love Curtis Stone - The Take Home Chef. I want him to come talk to me and teach me a few things. You know, about cooking.

Ahem.

Anyway, I told her "Ask me anything!", and well, she did. I think she came up with some pretty dang good questions.

1. Is there anything you would do differently (if you could) with the birth of your daughter?
Absolutely. I would have gotten the epidural right away instead of waiting for 13 hours. Also, I would have said no to the dose of Stadol the nurse gave me. Apparently it turned me into a clone of the devil himself for about 4 hours during my labor. I have no recollection of snatching off my oxygen mask (and breaking it), yelling at my husband, or snapping the head clear off of my mother in law.

2. You are a world famous rockstar - how do you deal with the paparazzi who never seem to leave you alone?
The paparazzi are the reason that I never want to become famous (as if there were some possibility HA!). I understand that they come with the territory of being a celebrity, but I think some go way overboard sometimes just to get a picture. If I were a famous rockstar, I think I would just handle myself with poise and I would do my best not to give them anything to talk about. I know they would still find things to say and pictures to take, but atleast I wouldn't be going around shaving my head or making sex tapes, you know? I definitely wouldn't take any tips from Britney Spears.

3. Because you are this world famous rockstar, at one of your after-parties and everyone has gone home, you find someone has left their blackberry wedged in one of your numerous couches. Who does it belong to and how do you react?
Since I'm playing with the fantasy of being a rockstar, I'm going to also say that I'm single and childless. Now, with that being said:
The blackberry belongs to Curtis Stone. He was the caterer for this particular after-party, and I invited him to stay and enjoy himself once the food was served. Since he is one of my dearest friends, I call him up (speed dial #2), and let him know that he has left his blackberry behind. He agrees to come right over and pick it up. Lots of cooking ensues. And listening to his amazing voice. LOTS. Um, yeah....cooking.

4. What is your least favourite food?
My least favorite food is a weird one, so get ready. Chicken with bones in it. If I'm eating chicken, it has to be boneless. Just thinking about the slimy bones in chicken makes me gag. Blehck

5. Who is your favourite person, and why?
Curtis Stone. Just kidding!! Well, obviously I could do a total cop out here and say Aeralyn. Yes, she is my favorite person, but I think you would all expect that. So I guess that would be a boring answer. Tied with Aeralyn in first place of my most favoritest people on Earth is Aaron. Maybe that's a boring answer too, but oh well. He is my favorite person because he is the only one that I can be raging mad at one second, and then the next be rolling on the floor laughing with. I may complain about him, but really? I don't think it gets much better than him. He's pretty awesome.

So, there you go. If you want to play along, leave me a comment and let me know. I'll think of 5 questions to ask you. Just make sure to leave me your email address.

Month Seven

2007-04-01T21:52:00.000-04:00

Dear Aeralyn,

I'm having a hard time with you turning seven months today. For some reason, that just sounds too old to me. Is it all just an April Fools joke? I wish. I think you need to work on slowing down this growing up process, okay?

Your seventh month has been one of many new accomplishments. First, and most importantly according to your daddy, you started saying "Da-da" this month. You started out saying it in a whisper, like it was the best secret you ever had, but shortly after that you learned to shout it at the top of your lungs. At first I was sure that you were just babbling and trying out your voice, but now I'm almost certain you know what you are saying. We had a hard day one day last week, and I'm positive that you were just as tired of me as I was of you by the time daddy got home. As soon as he walked through the door, you started yelling "Da-da!!!!" at him, and you had not said it all day until then. Frankly, I think you also need to learn to yell it at 3am when you're crying from your crib. Work on that for me.

Another accomplishment this month was learning to pull yourself up in your crib from a sitting position. This one suprised the heck out of both your daddy and I, and I know it is just the begining of pulling up on everything you can get your hands on. I'm not looking forward to all the bumps and bruises that I'm sure will follow.

Just this weekend, you have learned to crawl. You've been trying your hardest for a long time now, but you finally figured it out on Saturday. You still look quite awkward doing it, and it takes you a little bit to get where you want to go, but you can do it nonetheless. The first person you crawled to wasn't me or daddy. Not even Gammie or Papa. Heck, it wasn't even Lola. You crawled right into the arms of daddy's best friend, Alan, while he was visiting. You've already learned to flirt.

A year ago yesterday, we found out that you were going to be a girl. I'm going to be honest with you and tell you that I was a little taken aback when I found out. You see, I always pictured myself as a mom to boys. I don't know why, but that's what I always saw when I daydreamed of being a mom. I was so sure that you were a boy, and when the ultrasound technician exlaimed excitedly that you were infact a girl, I didn't quite know what to think. It took a little while for the news to sink in, but once it did, I was elated. Now I couldn't imagine you being anything other than what you are. You are the light of my life, and I love you more than anything in the world.

Love,
Mama

Is this thing on?

2007-03-30T13:36:00.001-04:00

Hello! I'm not dead! It's not that I haven't tried to post this week, becaus OH, I have tried! But I haven't been able to because I've had a little person clinging to my body every waking moment of the day every single day this week. It's hard to think with a little person attached to you, just so you know.

Last week wasn't a great one either. Aeralyn started with the crankies early last week because her nose decided to turn on her. She had that runny, crusty, icky nose that was also stopped up at the same time. She wasn't happy about it, and rightfully so. I had the same problem along with a sinus headache from hell, so you can imagine the good times we were having. I took her to the pediatrician on Monday, and she was diagnosed with allergies. Big surprise considering the terrible allergies that both Aaron and I suffer from. The prescription of Claritin seems to be working wonders, so I'm hoping things will be back to normal next week.

Please let her be back to her happy self next week!!!!

The highlight of our week was when Alicia and Kyra came to visit yesterday. It was great to catch up with Alicia after all this time of not seeing eachother. And Kyra is even more adorable in person, if you can imagine that. Now you are all jealous because you didn't get to see them too.

Well, Aeralyn just woke up from her cat nap, so I have to go rescue her. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Tatertot Tuesday #28: The time has come...

2007-03-27T11:53:00.000-04:00

to lower the crib mattress.

And yes, that big red thing you see on the side of her head is a goose egg. She fell over while playing on the floor on Sunday, and she hit a wooden foot stool. It looks much worse today than it did yesterday, but she doesn't seem to mind it. She's a tough little girl. I cried more than she did, as usual.

A Music Meme

2007-03-21T09:42:00.000-04:00

Erica tagged me for a meme, and I am embarrassed to admit that I was extrememly excited because I haven't done one of these in a while. Here are the rules:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what they are. They must be songs you are presently enjoying. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

If you click on each song, it will send you to a link so you can listen to them and watch the video. You're welcome.

1.Into the Ocean by Blue October - I love this song. I don't really have a profound reason, I just love it.

2.Better than Me by Hinder - They are my current obsession. Check that: his voice is my current obsession. It is sexy. 'Nuff said.

3.My Love by Justin Timberlake ft. T.I. - this is my ringtone for when Aaron calls me. It has been one of my favorite songs for a while now. And I love the video.

4. Sweet Child O Mine by Guns N' Roses - long time favorite, but I've recently just started listening to it again. Alot.

5.Wasted by Carrie Underwood - the newest by her and my favorite of hers so far.

6. Waterfall by Griffin House - you all know this song, you just may not know that you do. You know that Rembrandt commercial with the kissing couple? That's this song.

7. Tell me Bout it by Joss Stone- It's really catchy and I like it.

I'm supposed to tag 7 people, but everybody is pretty much already tagged. So, if you read this and you haven't done it yet? Consider yourself tagged. Let me know if you do it so I can come and see!

Tatertot Tuesday #27: "You can call me flower if you want to." *

2007-03-20T11:31:00.000-04:00

In honor of today, the first day of spring, I present to you a little photoshoot.

Please excuse my crazy flash....my lovely husband used my camera last night and changed my settings. I didn't realize it until halfway through the photoshoot, but the pictures still turned out pretty good.

And lastly, please get this stupid thing off of my head!

Happy Spring everyone!

*Bambi

Da-da-da-da-da-da-daaaaaddddyyyyyy!!

2007-03-19T18:12:00.000-04:00

I forgot that I actually do have something to tell you all today. Aeralyn has just started babbling a little more lately. She's been very vocal for months now, but she was mostly just yelling "ahhhhhhh" all the time, in different pitches. She is also very fond of growling and clenching her gums together to make different sounds. We've been talking to her ever since she was born and telling her things like "bye bye", "mama", "dada" or "daddy", "Lola", "doggie", "night night", "uh oh", "Gammie", "Papa"....etc. in hopes that one day soon she will pick up on the words that we use repeatedly. I think all our hard work may be starting to show.

Last weekend, she woke up and immediately started saying "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba" over and over. Aaron and I were so suprised because it was literally an over night change from her usual "ahhhhhhhh" that she had been yelling for months. She repeated it all day long, and she even threw a few "pa-pa-pa-pa"s in there too. We had somewhere to go that day, so while I was getting her dressed I asked her if she was ready to go "bye bye".

She looked up at me and said "ba-ba".

I was so excited. Now, I do realize that she has no idea what she is saying and she is just repeating what I say, but it is still the first step in learning.

She stuck with "ba-ba" all week, saying it almost constantly. This weekend she woke up with a new "word".

"Da-da". She said it Saturday morning for the first time while all three of us were laying on the bed playing. Aaron was so excited. It was the cutest thing ever because she was whispering it. She continued whispering it all through the weekend, never once yelling it with such force as her beloved "ba-ba".

Until today. I have heard nothing but "da-da" all day long. Loudly. One time she even yelled "Da-da-da-da-da-daaaaaddddyyyyy!" It is very cute, but I can't help but wish that it was "ma-ma" that she was yelling so excitedly, even though she doesn't know what she's saying.

Here's hoping that this weekend will bring a new "word" again. And maybe, just maybe, it will be "ma-ma"

Avoidance

2007-03-19T11:30:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed that I didn't give you an update on Healthy Living on Friday. Well, that's because I did terribly last week, and on Friday when I weighed in I hadn't lost any weight. I weighed in again this morning, and I gained back two pounds.

It's my fault totally, so I can't be mad at anyone other than myself. But, once again, it's a new week. I'm getting ready to take Aeralyn for a walk now to the post office since it is so nice outside. Sorry I don't have anything for you right now. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Healthy Conversation

2007-03-15T20:12:00.000-04:00

This is what you would have heard if you would have been in my kitchen yesterday afternoon:

Him: What the heck is this crap?

Me: What crap?

Him: This health crap! *gestures wildly towards the counter where the bread is*

Me: uh, I'm assuming you're talking about the wheat bread?

Him: Yeah! And the sliced cheese made from skim milk, and the fat free mayonnaise, and the fat free BUTTER!! Who ever heard of fat. Free. BUTTER??!!

Me: :::::crickets::::::

Him: Whatever happened to just buying normal food from the grocery store? Since when are we health freaks?

Me: Since we have both gained about 100lbs between us since we graduated high school 5 years ago.

Him: :::::crickets::::::

Me: God forbid we try to be healthy. *rolls eyes*

Him: I just want to be fat and happy. Why can't you just let me be fat and happy? *pouty face*

I'm too tired to think of a title.

2007-03-15T11:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Aeralyn had her six month well check. She weighed 16lbs 1.5oz and was 25 inches long. She is still in the 50th percentile for everything, so about as average as it gets. She had her last round of shots until she is a year old, thank goodness. Istead of her ususal reaction of crying hysterically when the nurse sticks her with the needle, she decided to hold her breath. And then she turned blue and almost passed out, scaring the heck out of both me and the nurse. Then when I picked her up, she was having a hard time catching her breath. Talk about freaking me out! I wouldn't have been as worried if the nurse wasn't having a mini panic attack about the situation. She kept exclaiming that she had never seen a baby act like that before, and asking me if that was normal for her. Well, no, it was not anything close to her normal reaction. So the nurse ran out to get the doctor, and they decided to give her some Benadryl just incase it was a reaction to the shots. She calmed down pretty quickly, and all was well. She slept off her Benadryl hangover for 3 hours when we got home and was back to her cheerful self when she got up.

But last night was a different story. I put her to bed around 9pm, as usual. She was due for another dose of Tylenol at 12am, so I knew that she would be up around that time anyway. I planned on giving her the dose when she woke up so we could hopefully keep the fever that she always gets after shots away.

I'm assuming she woke up at her normal time, between 12am and 2am, but I have absolutely no recollection of getting out of bed, turning off the monitor, walking down the hall to get her and bringing her back to bed with me. I know I did becuase she woke up again at 5:30am, in bed with me. I touched her arm to bring her closer to me so she could nurse, and I noticed that she was burning up. I looked at the clock and noticed it was 5:30am and I was so confused for the few minutes it took me to come out of my sleepy fog. How in the heck did she get in bed with me?

I took her temperature and it was 102.3. Poor baby! After I dosed her with Tylenol, it only took a little over an hour for the fever to break. We went back to sleep around 7:30 this morning, and slept until almost 10am. Now my day is completely thrown out of whack because we slept 2 hours later than usual.

Thankfully she seems to be fine today. Right now she is on the floor in front of me, up on all fours, rocking back and forth. She is trying so hard to figure out this crawling thing, and I am terrified. I keep looking around the house at all the things I need to get rid of before she gets mobile. I need some baby proofing tips. I know the obvious....outlet covers, cabinet and toilet locks, and putting the chemicals out of reach. Is there anything else I need to know about baby proofing? What did your little ones get into costantly when they first got mobile? Help a sleep deprived first time mom out!

Tatertot Tueday #26: Messy Dinner

2007-03-13T10:09:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it's fun to play with your dinner...

Clean House

2007-03-12T10:33:00.000-04:00

**Updated 11:30am**
**Updated again at 12:44pm**
**Updated again at 2:51pm**
**Updated again at 7:00pm** Holy poop is it really 7pm already??!! I hate this time change! I guess this will be the last update for the evening because it's time to get Aeralyn ready for bed.

Hi my name is Heather. I have an aversion to cleaning my house.

*Hi Heather.*

It all started when I was just a wee little girl and my dad would make me clean up my room, and the problem just continued to grow from there. Now, I have an excuse not to have an immaculate house because I have a baby that keeps me too busy so I can't clean. Somtimes this is completely true because we either have one of those days where she will not let me put her down long enough to even go to the bathroom fortheloveofGOD! Or sometimes we have days where we just get so into playing and reading books and taking pictures that the housework is forgotten. But then there are other days, like today, where I just flat out don't want to do it, so I spend Aeralyn's nap time writing a blog entry and surfing the internet.

But soon, the aforementioned baby will be on the move. And that means that I will be forced to clean my house all the time because I have a feeling that spare change, dryer lint, and cat hair (yes we still have cat hair even though the cat has been outside for months now), would be lovely little treasures for her to find and promptly put in her mouth. I'm pretty sure if I let that happen, I would be the worst mother that ever walked planet Earth, and I'm not ready for that title just yet. Maybe when she's a teenager, but I've still got a long ways to go before that happens.

The best way for me to get things accomplished around here is to put it on paper and mark it off as I go along. Although, I have been known to just say to hell with everything and throw out the list and forget about it until another day, so this is where you come in. I'm going to post my to do list right here, right now, and as I complete my tasks today, I'm going to come back here and update the list. This will work out much better because then all of you will know whether or not I did what I said I was going to do today, and I don't want to run the risk of disappointing the entire internet by failing. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

List of the competely disgusting and/or daunting variety:

1.) ~~Take a shower. (yes, this has to actually be put on a list because it may or may not get done today) (don't you want to come over for a visit?)~~ Yay! Now you can all come over for a visit and you won't have to smell me!
2.) ~~Unload and re-load the dishwasher.~~
3.) ~~Gather up trash from all rooms.~~
4.) ~~Fold laundry that has piled up for two days.~~
5.)Wash and fold laundry that has piled up for God knows how long. 2 Loads down, 70,000 to go!
6.) ~~Go to the grocery store.~~ A three hour trip to 2 groceries stores. Ugh that totally threw off my day.
7.) Vacuum.
8.) Straighten up living room.

I think that souds like a good list for today. Check back for updates!

Stats

2007-03-09T12:14:00.000-05:00

Hello! It's been a busy week around here, and I'm thanking my lucky stars because being busy has kept me from thinking about HOW MUCH I'M STARVING!!

Actually, the official diet of 2007 hasn't been too bad. Since I'm a nursing mother, I get to eat 12 extra "points" than most people so HAHAHA!! I get 12 more points than YOU do! And when I say "you", I really don't mean you because clearly, you do not need Weight Watchers. And I hate you.

Not really. I LOVE YOU! And your hair smells good. Have you been working out? I thought so.

Here are my stats as of this morning's weigh in:

Pounds lost since last weigh in: 5
Pounds lost since having Aeralyn: 43
Pounds lost since the start of Healthy Living: 13
Pounds left to lose until I'm back to pre-pregnancy weight: 7
Pounds to go until I reach my ultimate weight goal: 65 (holy heck!)

I weighed in on Monday of this week when I started weight watchers, so a total loss of 5lbs in 5 days is pretty dang good. I'm proud of myself.

Also? Those pre-pregnancy jeans that I have? I can get them on now! AND!!! Zip them! AND??!! BUTTON THEM!! Ohmygoodnessgracious! But actually wearing them for any length of time is out of the question. You know, because I might die from the lack of oxygen all that squeezing would cause. Also, me in those jeans is not a sexy sight, so I'll just leave it at that. But not much longer!!

Y'all should be proud of me. Actually, I'm demanding that you be proud of me. And in honor of my success, I suggest that you all go out and get yourself something deep fried and greasy, and then when you're done with that you can finish off with a delicious dessert. Preferably something of the chocolate variety. Just for me.

And while you're eating it, remember that I hate you and your chocolate smeared chinned self.

ENJOY!

Willpower

2007-03-07T13:36:00.000-05:00

On Monday, I started an official diet. I really didn't want to do a structured diet, but as it turns out I really need some guide lines when it comes to food and portions. Who knew? HA! So I started Weight Watchers.

So far I have done really well, but it has been hard. On Monday, Aeralyn and I went to have lunch with Aaron's granny. She like's hamburgers from McDonald's, so that's what I went to get. Instead of getting my usual Big Mac, fries and a HUGE sweet tea, I got a grilled chicken caesar salad (without croutons....and y'all just don't know how much I LOVE croutons!!!) with a bottle of water. Once I got the food, I headed to granny's house which is about 10 minutes from McDonald's. The whole way there I was smelling the greasy goodness of those fries, and I'll be completely honest and say that the thought crossed my mind severaly times to eat JUST ONE...but I didn't! I was so proud of myself.

In the past two and a half days I have really learned how much food I eat. And it's not even because I'm hungry, it's because I'm bored. I've been trying to keep myself extra busy so that I won't eat mindlessly, and so far it's been working out great. I've just got to keep it up.

I'll see what the scale says on Friday.

Tatertot Tuesday #25: My little jumping bean.

2007-03-06T10:07:00.000-05:00

This Tatertot Tuesday I decided to take a video of Aeralyn enjoying her new favorite toy. Beware, the video is not of great quality because I STILL have not figured out how to get videos from my camcorder onto the computer. This is a video from my still camera, but you get the picture. Enjoy!

Month Six

2007-03-01T10:15:00.000-05:00

Dear Aeralyn,

Today, you turn six months old. It's hard to believe that we have already spent half a year with you. I can still remember being pregnant with you like it was yesterday.

Your personality has really blossomed this month, and we have learned so much about you. For instance, we have learned that you do not like to be strapped into things, such as your high chair, carseat, or swing. Also, you don't particularly like to have your face wiped. I have had to turn away from you several times lately while you are pitching a fit so that you won't see me laughing. It is already apparent that you will be quite a handful, little miss.

You love to laugh, especially at your daddy. You also like to imitate the faces that we make at you. Your favorite funny face is scrunching up your nose and snorting in and out. It is one of the funniest things we have ever seen, and you will pretty much do it on command.

Jumping has become your favorite past-time this month. We moved the swing out of the living room a while ago to make room for your jumperoo. The first night you had it, you jumped and jumped and laughed and jumped some more until you were so tired you could barely hold your head up. Then I picked you up to rock you and nurse you to sleep, and you kept turning your head and looking at it longingly until you finally gave up and went to sleep.

You can sit up by yourself now for a long time, and you are trying your hardest to crawl. You can get one knee under you, and then you'll push yourself towards whatever it is that you want. If that doesn't work fast enough, then you will just roll until you get close enough to grab the object you desire. When you do manage to get up on both knees, you can only go backwards. I'm sure it won't be long before you get going, and then? There will be no stopping you. There are major changes that need to take place around here before you get moving, so hold off just a little bit longer for me, okay?

You have doubled your birth weight now at 16lbs, and I'm sure I will be moving you into 6-9 months clothes any day now. So far you have been in the 50th percentile on the charts, which means that you are about as average as they come. Not big, not small, nothing extraordinary, just normal and average. I'm here to tell you right now that you are nothing short of amazing in mine and your daddy's eyes. We are in awe of you every single day, and we are amazed at how much more joyful and complete you have made our lives. Even when we feel bad or grumpy or just want to stay in bed all day, all it takes is one little smile from you and the world is alright again. Thank you for being so much more than average.

I love you sweet pea,

Mama

Discovery!

2007-02-28T11:18:00.000-05:00

This morning we went for a walk. I put Aeralyn in a short-sleeved/shorts outfit because it is absolutely BEAUTFIUL outside. The high today is 76 degrees and we have a nice light breeze...perfect outdoor weather. Are you jealous? Don't be for long because tomorrow we have an 80% chance of rain/severe thunderstorms. Oh joy!

Anyway, while we were getting ready for our walk, I remembered that I bought Lola a new harness a while back, and I've never used it. I started looking for it, and you will never guess what I found. Not the harness..oh no, not that. It has gone into the black hole I'm sure. NOT even the keys to the truck that we have been looking for.

Are you done guessing now?

I found the present that I bought Alicia OVER A MONTH AND A HALF AGO!!! I never sent it to her and I completely forgot about it! It's a good thing it isn't anything super important, or I'd feel like an even bigger jack-ass.

I PROMISE that I will get it out THIS WEEK! I swear.

I'm terrible at forgetting things. Aaron's birthday is on Christmas day, so I bought him a Christmas card from me, a birthday card from me and Aeralyn, and a Christmas card from Aeralyn. I completely forgot to give them to him, and I didn't even remember until I was giving him his cards for Valentine's day. So, I gave him his Christmas cards on Valentine's day. Almost 2 months later. I am awesome.

About a week ago I also found the cards I bought for my sister and nephew's birthdays back in January. I think I'll just save those for next year!

Is it just me, or are any of you like this too? Please tell me you are to some degree, even if it's just to make me feel better.

Tatertot Tuesday #24: Picture Overload

2007-02-27T11:38:00.000-05:00

These first pictures were taken last Friday. They are some of my favorite so far.

I took these pictures this morning after I got her dressed to go to the doctor. She is showing you her new trick: snorting. I love it! And in the last picture she was laughing at herself, so I decided just to throw that one in.

The pediatrician said that she has a little cold and gave us some cough medicine with a decongestant. Hopefully that will help her get a little bit of sleep. Also, she weighs 16lbs. My little baby is getting so big!

Update

2007-02-26T16:03:00.000-05:00

We are back from the eye doctor, and Aaron survived the poking and prodding. He has had an allergic reaction to something that he got in his eye (possibly sawdust), and now it has become infected. We are home now with 2 bottles of eye drops that would have cost us over $160, but thankfully the Optometrist was kind enough to give him sample bottles. He has to go back on Thursday just to make sure everything is cleared up.

We also have the key to the truck. It is currently attatched to an enormous keychain with the hopes that it won't get lost. I have my doubts because this house seems to have a black hole where keys, socks*, flashlights, and screwdrivers all go.

Aeralyn will be going to the doctor in the morning because the Tylenol Cold and Cough is no longer helping much with the cough, and I think I may have heard a faint rumble of congestion in her chest. Better safe than sorry, or something like that.

Now, you should all go roll in some cuteness that goes by the names of Lilly and Suki.

*Thank goodness I proofread this because instead of socks, it would have read socks with the first "s" replaced with a "c", and then you all would have thought I was a little strange.

Sickness

2007-02-26T11:45:00.000-05:00

Right now you should be thanking your lucky little stars that germs don't transfer through the computer. Because, I can assure you, if they could they would be jumping right off of the screen, into your eyes, and stuffing up your little heads and noses. That's how germs roll. Right now I've got a set of them in my throat going to town with sandpaper on my tonsils, and another group in my sinuses pounding them with jack-hammers. I shared those two groups with Aaron, and he managed to pick up an entirely different set on his own that have promptly socked him in the right eye and made it all red and swollen shut.

Oh, the joy.

Aeralyn has a little bit of a stuffy nose and some drainage that is making her cough occasionally when she's laying down. Thankfully she seems to be doing better than Aaron and I. In fact, she was doing pretty darn great this morning at 2:15am when she decided that it was playtime. Her and I were up until 5am this morning, her laughing and babbling, me on the verge of tears because "It's sleepy time! Come on sweet pea, let's go to sleepy town...please. Mommy's head hurts and she can't breathe."

I finally took her to bed with me at 5am and she went to sleep. But not without a fight.

On top of being sick all weekend, Aaron decided that it would be a good idea to lock the keys in the truck yesterday afternoon. No big deal right? Except, we couldn't find the spare key...anywhere! So now we have to go to the dealership today to get a new one. We are going there right after Aaron goes to the eye doctor to figure out exactly what the heck is wrong with his eye.

Monday, you better watch out because I am so going to get you back.

Blah.

2007-02-23T11:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a much better day for Aeralyn. I'm still not quite sure if she is teething or not, but she was definitely in a much better mood. Today, however, I think we have had a relapse. Also, I have to admit that last night she sounded a little congested (nasal, not chest), so I gave her some Tylenol Cold and Cough. I do believe that the nurse at the pediatrician's office jinxed us. And now I am feeling congested and my throat is scratchy. Grrrrrrr.

I did my Friday weigh in this morning, and I have lost another 2lbs. That puts me at a total of 38lbs lost since I had Aeralyn, 8lbs of that lost since the start of Healthy Living, 12lbs to go before I'm back to pre-pregnancy weight, and about 40lbs more to lose after that before I'm considered in my height's healthy weight range. Now that I put that in writing (or...type), it looks much further away than I thought.

I have to say that I'm glad I am still breastfeeding right now. It is one of the only things that is helping me to keep it together over here. You see, if I wasn't breastfeeding, I can almost guarantee you that I would be skipping meals, taking diet pills, and just eating terribly in general. But I can't do any of those things because it would end up hurting Aeralyn more than it would me. So thankfully, I still have another few months of breastfeeding ahead of me to keep me on track. That is, as long as the teeth don't interfere whenever they decide to show up.

Now, to keep up with the all over the place random theme of this post, I need to talk about last night's Grey's Anatomy. Of course, it was fantastic. I knew that Meredith was not going to die, and really? That made me a little angry at the writers. I think they could have used a different character, like Izzy, and it would have made it much more believable. And then we all would have really been on the edge of our seats to see whether or not she lived or died. And, she would have got to see Denny again, which would have been awesome. I don't think anyone that tuned in to last night's show thought, even for a second, that Meredith was going to die. But it was still a great show. Now they will be airing re-runs for the next few weeks, I'm sure, so you will no longer have to endure the Friday re-cap from me.

I'm off to find some sinus medicine. Have a great weekend everyone!!

Couldn't we all just wear dentures instead?

2007-02-21T13:51:00.000-05:00

Once again I am being bothered by teeth. Except this time, it's not my teeth, it's Aeralyn's. Or atleast that is what I'm assuming considering my usually happy, giggly baby has turned into a screaming devil of a baby.

Last night we were up crying every hour on the hour. Yes, I meant both of us incase you were wondering. And it's almost 2pm, and she is just now taking her first nap of the day. I checked her temperature earlier and it was 100.1. Well, that is pretty much a fever as far as I'm concerned, so I called the pediatrician's office.

Me: "Yes, my 5 month old daughter is running a low grade fever and she has been really fussy all day. I gave her a dose of Tylenol, but I wanted to call and see if there is anything else I need to do."

Nurse: "What is the baby's fever?"

Me: "It's 100.1"

Nurse: "M'am, we don't consider that a fever."

::::::::crickets:::::::::

Me: "Well, could you please tell me what you consider a fever so that I will know when to be worried? I'm a first time mom, so I'm not really sure about all this stuff."

Nurse: "Ummm, give us a call back if it gets above 101. You can give her some Tylenol cold and cough if you want to."

Me: "She's doesn't have any cold symptoms, just a fever and crakiness..."

Nurse: "She's probably teething."

Did I mention anything about cold symptoms in that conversation anywhere? No? I didn't think so.

I'm not sure if she's actually teething, but it sounds like a pretty good explanation for the fever, crankiness, and biting that has been going on lately. I'm really not looking forward to the teeth at all. She already bites me on a daily basis, and it hurts bad enough now that I don't even want to think about adding teeth to this issue.

Word to the wise: Don't bite the boob that feeds you.

So, y'all please be thinking about us over here. And pray that the teeth come in quickly so that my poor baby will feel better soon. Also, please pray for my nipples. I'm pretty attached to them, so I'd like to keep them pain free and intact.

Tatertot Tuesday #23: Look at my big girl!

2007-02-20T08:34:00.000-05:00

I HEART CAPS LOCK!

2007-02-19T09:31:00.000-05:00

When I go to the gym this afternoon, it will be my fourth, yes FOURTH, day. In a row! I am beyond proud of myself, and did you know that working out can actually be fun? I didn't. I used to hate those people that said they get a rush from having a good workout, or they say "Working out gives you so much more energy!" Psshhhhh! Whateva! That's what I used to think, but now I know they weren't just being jerks. They really meant it!

I will be honest with you though and tell you that yesterday? WAS REALLY HARD! I went to bed Saturday night and I could not get comfortable because MY LEGS! They were screaming at me "Why! WHY did you get on the stair stepper?! What were you thinking? It's only day 2 woman, please give me a break!" I told Aaron "There is no way I'm going to make it to the gym tomorrow. No. Way. Mister." And then I woke up yesterday morning, and the pain wasn't as bad. So I went, and I'm so glad I did. I even ran on the treadmill.

Do what? I ran, and nothing was actually chasing me?

That's right people. I ran. For one. Entire. Minute.

That was quite possibly the longest minute of my life. And I thought I was going to pass out. But I didn't! And that is what counts.

Today I'm going to start this running program.

Who do I think I am anyway? I don't know, but if I don't post Tatertot Tuesday tomorrow? It's probably because I died while running.

Success!!

2007-02-17T15:04:00.000-05:00

I finally have something good to tell you about my Healthy Living. I have gone to the gym for the past two days, and I have to admit that I have never been more proud of myself. It has felt really good to go and do something for me. I worked out for an hour each time, and I can already tell I have more energy. If I keep it up at this rate, I might actually be able to put on a pair of shorts this summer without being extremely self concious!

I really needed this pick-me-up because I was feeling pretty bad about myself. I finally caved in and took my wedding rings to the jewelers to get them re-sized last weekend. I haven't been able to wear them since the second trimester of my pregnancy, and my plan was to use them as my motivation to lose weight so I could get them back on. That lasted for five months, and I got tired of not being able to wear them. But I still haven't bought any new pants, and I'm not going to. I have about 15 pairs of pants that I wore right before I got pregnant with Aeralyn, and I am bound and determined to get back in them. I only bought two pairs of jeans in my new size, and let me tell you, it has been frustrating. I know it won't be too much longer before I get back in my other jeans. The day that happens, I promise to post a picture of myself on here wearing them.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go spend the rest of Aeralyn's nap time relaxing my sore and aching body.

Another example of how I am learning Self Control.

2007-02-15T14:27:00.000-05:00

Lola got her wish.

Who needs a title?

2007-02-15T08:31:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is over, so you know what that means, right?

Time to go to Target and get all the Valentine's candy for 1/2 price!!

Except this year, I'm holding back. I'm not going to do it, as bad as I want to. I'm practicing something called self control. Have you heard of it? I'm not too fond of it so far, but I'm hoping the concept will grow on me.

We had a great Valentine's Day over here. Aeralyn personally didn't know what all the hype was about, but she enjoyed her daddy being home for most of the day. And she likes her wiggly eared hippo. My flowers arrived at five minutes until 5pm yesterday afternoon. I was not expecting flowers, considering that I have never once gotten flowers delivered to me, ever. So I had plans to go shopping yesterday. Aaron did everything in his power to get me to stay home so I wouldn't miss the flower guy. It wasn't easy, but he managed.

Aren't they pretty?

They are two of my most favoritest flowers mixed together...Gerber Daisies and Sunflowers.

And he gave me a new, smaller MP3 player and a band to wear it around my arm for the gym. This guy, he's pretty good. And I'm going to wear it tonight! At the GYM! And I'm going to listen to my awesome playlist!! WOOT!

Lastly, Lola has a question for you all. She asks:
Won't you take me to...FUNKYTOWN?

Aeralyn has a question for you...

2007-02-14T13:34:00.000-05:00

Will you be my Valentine?

I had some other options for this post, so instead of just choosing one, I'll show you the rejects too.

Post Title: Be My Valentine or...

The Hippo gets hurt!

Or:
Post Title: Be My Valentine or...
I'll cry for the rest of the day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I'll be spending the day with my husband who came home early from work today so he could spend the day with his girls. *All together now...* AWWWWWWW!!!

Tatertot Tuesday #22: Look at what I can do!

2007-02-13T09:13:00.000-05:00

That thing you see in her hand is her new favorite toy. It is a RazBaby Teether ,and sometimes she actually chews on the part that she is supposed to. Lola is just wishing she would go ahead and drop that thing already so she can eat it.

Tunes to make you sweat...or some other catchy title that I can't think of right now.

2007-02-12T14:19:00.000-05:00

I've been getting the MP3 player ready for my voyage to the gym, because I actually do plan to go to that place where I send my husband's hard earned money each month. I have to listen to music when I work out. I don't like watching the TV's because they usually don't have anything good on, and if I don't have something to keep my mind off of what I'm doing, the whole time I will be checking the clock thinking "OHMYGOD it's only been TEN minutes?! I think I'm going to pass out! I'll just stop at fifteen, nobody will know." But when I have music, I usually end up exercising for longer than I intended because "Ooohh, I like this song! I'll just keep going until it's over. But wait, I like this one too!" and the next thing I know, I've been on the stairstepper for 45 minutes. So here are some of the songs I have on my MP3 player (which no, is not an IPOD because apparently software made by Apple is the devil according to Aaron).

"Twist and Shout" - The Beatles
"Highway to Hell" - ACDC
"Old Time Rock and Roll" - Bob Seger
"The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani ft. Akon
"I'm so Excited" - The Pointer Sisters
"Wait a Minute" - Pussy Cat Dolls (who I HATE with every bone in my body, but I actually like this song I have to admit)
"Life is a Highway" - Rascal Flatts (I love their version of this song!)
"Pour Some Sugar on Me" - Def Leppard
"It's Raining Men" - The Weather Girls
"My Love" - Justin Timberlake ft. T.I.
"Here it Goes Again" - Ok Go
"Pump It" - Black Eyed Peas
"Aint No Other Man" - Christina Aguillera
"Boogie Shoes" - KC and the Sunshine Band
"Promiscuous Girl" - Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland
"Hey Mickey" - I have no idea who it is
"We Can Work It Out" - Stevie Wonder
"Hips Don't Lie" - Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean
"Belly Dancer" - Akon
"Golddigger" - Kanye West ft Jamie Foxx ( the night Aaron and I got married, we went downtown with a bunch of friends, and this was the first song we danced to. HA!)
"My Humps" Black Eyed Peas
"My Perogotive" - Britney Spears
"The Boys of Summer" - DJ Sammy
"From the Window to the Wall" - Lil Jon and the Eastside Boys
"Let's Go" - Lil Jon
"Beat It" - Michael Jackson
"Pon De Replay" - Rhianna
"Here I go Again on my Own" - Whitesnake
"She Shook Me All Night Long" - ACDC
"Let's Get it Started" - Black Eyed Peas
"I Want you Back" - Jackson Five
"Footloose" - Kenny Loggins
"Hot in Here" - Nelly
"Never Gonna Stop" - Rob Zombie
"She's a Bad Mamma Jamma" - Stevie Wonder
"Yeah"- Usher

Do any of you have any suggestions on some other songs I can put on there? What do you listen to when you work out?

This Guy is Awesome!

2007-02-11T20:42:00.000-05:00

Of course I have to mention last nights Grey's Anatomy...

2007-02-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

Alright y'all...is it Thursday yet? Last night's Grey's Anatomy was so good. Of course, they are all good, but this one was extra special. Here are my thoughts:

♦ The cheif was looking good with the new hair! I can't wait until they find a love interest for him.

♦ I love love LOVE the character that Alex is turning into. The last 2 seasons I could't stand him, but now he is becoming one of my favorites. I hope the story line blossoms between him and Addison.

♦ Of course we are all worried about Meredith, but come on. Of course she's not going to die or anything like that because she's the main character of the show. They can't just kill her off like that. I think that Derek is going to think that she tried to drown herself on purpose, just like he thought she was trying to drown herself in the bathtub. He's going to freak out, ad Christina is going to feel bad for not telling her about her engagement to Burke already.

♦ Okay, now here is where I might start to sound a little out there, but I think this would make for an awesome plot twist: The little girl that was hanging around Meredith...do you think that she is just a random character? I don't. I think she is Izzie's daughter that she put up for adoption a long time ago. Now, unless you have been a Grey's fan since the first season, you might not know about that. But that's who I think she is because I don't think that they would have mentioned her without ever bringing her into the picture. How awesome would that be?!

♦ I have no idea what is going to happen between Callie and George. They are two of my favorite characters, and I love the story line between them, but I just don't see this whole marriage between them lasting. I could be wrong, and I hope I am, but I don't know.

Now that you are all amazed at my dorkiness and obsession with this show, do you have anything to add?

I promise there is a point at the end of all the rambling.

2007-02-09T09:56:00.000-05:00

Today is Friday, which means that it is time for my Friday weigh in. I'm still at a 6lb loss, but let me assure you that that is nothing short of a miracle considering the enormous amounts of food I've been consuming here lately. And also, I may as well be flushing fourty dollars a month down the toilet instead of sending it to my local YMCA.

This is much harder than I expected. I've tried diets before, and they've never worked. But the reason for that was because I would finally decide that I wasn't all that unhappy with my body, so I would just stop worrying about it. But this time, I am definitely not happy with my body. I am uncomfortable in my own skin, I despise shopping for clothes, I can't keep my jeans from falling down because my waistline is just as wide as my hips, and I avoid mirrors because I can't stand to look at my double chin. I also avoid cameras, so there are probably a total of 5 pictures of Aeralyn and I together since she has been born. And summer is right around the corner, which means I will be forced to wear short sleeved shirts that display my flabby, un-toned arms. And once again, I will be sweating to death because I refuse to wear shorts. I haven't put a pair of shorts on my body to wear out in public since the summer before I started college. That has been five years ago. And I don't think I need to remind you that it is HOT around here people. But I'm doing it for you, all of you, so you won't have to look at my flabby thighs. So really, you should be grateful to me for that.

Last night I actually had a nightmare about shopping for a swim suit. I have come to the conclusion that I will not be able to wear a bikini this year. In fact, I might never be able to wear one again, but I am okay with that. The only problem is that I'm not even looking forward to wearing a swim suit period. It wouldn't be so bad if I could just wear one in the comfort of my own backyard while taking Aeralyn swimming in the pool. I can handle that. What I cannot handle is wearing one in front of all of my in laws when we go out in the boat several times over the summer. I could just not go, but that's not fair to Aeralyn because I know she will enjoy it.

And I'm becoming a little bitter about the whole issue too. I had to stop myself from screaming at someone (who will remain nameless because it's not fair to call her out on here): "WELL I WILL TRY NOT TO CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP TONIGHT FOR ALL YOUR TERRIBLE PROBLEMS!!" all because she told me of her dillemma of buying the smallest pair of shorts that a certain store had, and they were still too big. The poor poor thing. I'm sure that is a real problem, but I'm sure it would still be much easier to solve than mine. I should have offered her some Oreo's. I'll bet that would have fixed her problem right there.

See what I mean about the bitterness? It is taking me over.

I know I should stop acting like a total brat and pretending that being fat is the end of the world. I know that much worse things could be happening to me right now. I really do know that. But what I also know is this: if I don't do something about it now, then I will be faced with much worse problems later down the road. My father had high cholesterol, numerous hear attacks and high blood pressure. My grandmother also had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and a few strokes. So I don't exactly come from a genetic gold mine here people. And I know that I would like to be around for a long LONG time for Aeralyn's sake.

So, since obviously doing all this for my sake isn't working, I'm going to have to change my reasoning. I'm now doing all this for Aeralyn's sake. All so she can have a healthy mommy that will be here for years to come, and so her children can have a grandmother. Also, I want to teach her much better eating habits than what I learned growing up. I will definitely not let her sit down in front of the TV with a tube of Pringles and let her eat the whole thing. Yes, my dad let me do that. No, I'm not blamig him for all my weight issues, though, wouldn't that be so much easier now that I think of it?

Now if I don't go to the gym regularly, I will be letting Aeralyn down. If that's not motivation, I don't know what is. I hope this works.

Thursday Thirteen #5

2007-02-08T10:16:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Signs You May Be a Grey's Anatomy Fanatic(not that any of these pertain to me...obviously)

1. Thursday is your favorite day of the week.

2. You own seasons 1 and 2 on DVD.

3. You have watched the season 1 and 2 DVD's more than 3 times.

4. Your world stops at 9pm on Thursday nights.

5. You can't lisen to the songs "Streetcorner Symphony" by Rob Thomas , "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol, or "How to Save a Life" by The Fray without thinking about Grey's Anatomy.

6. You make sure you have a box of tissues right beside you before the show starts.

7. You find it hard to watch the scenes with T.R. Knight (George) and Isaiah Washington (Burke) since you know what went on between them.

8. You dream about the characters.

9. You get overly excited when you find someone else who is just as obsessed as you are so you can talk about the show with them.

10. You lay in bed for a half hour after the show and talk with your husband about what you think is going to happen on next week's episode.

11. It ruins your whole week when you realize that this week's episode is a re-run.

12. You know every character by name.

13. Your GA DVD's are one of the first things that you will grab if the house is burning down, right after the family and the dog.

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My Busy Weekend...REVEALED!

2007-02-07T11:12:00.000-05:00

Alicia called me out on not giving the details of my weekend to you all. I should have known I wouldn't be able to hide anything from y'all. Actually, I could still hide it and just make up something random and still not tell you what we really did this weekend, but I won't do that.

We went to visit my sister this weekend so that she could finally get the tatertot fix that she has been longing for. We went shopping, ate tons of good food, and had alot of fun visiting.

Now, I know you all are wondering why I didn't just go ahead and tell you that in the first place, so I'll go ahead and tell you my reasons.

I was trying to hide the fact that I went to visit my sister because I didn't go visit any of my other family that lives near her. I always feel bad because I don't get a chance to see everyone, and I don't want to hurt anbody's feelings. But, I'm not going to let it bother me so much anymore. I have a small baby who still has to be breastfed every 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours, so anytime I go anywhere, I have to plan it around her feeding schedule. It may not sound like a big challenge, but it is. It's not that I have a problem with nursing her in public or around other people. I have learned to cover myself so that nothing shows and a passerby probably has no idea that I'm nursing my child. But, she doesn't do so well when I have to cover up because she thinks it's playtime when I put a blanket over her, and then she won't eat because she's too busy laughing her head off and trying to play peek-a-boo. You see my dillemma?

And honestly, I don't get to see my sister and my neice and nephew very often. When I do get a chance to visit them, which is only once every couple of months, I like to spend the short time that I have to visit with them. I feel like I barely have enough time to spend with them, much less have any time to rush around trying to see everyone else in one short weekend. Actually, only one day because we don't get there until late Friday evening, and we have to leave to come home early Sunday morning. I've done all the running around before, and it's too stressful.

So, don't get your feelings hurt if I didn't come to see you this weekend. I'm hoping to have a longer visit in the summer, so I promise to visit then.

That was my weekend story. I think I'm finally recovered, although my house is still littered with suitcases and other junk. I'm working on getting it back together slowly but surely. I hope you all had a weekend that was as fun as mine.