10 weeks to go

Hi Everyone,

We have 10 weeks left and have finally "pretty much" decided on a name. We picked...drum roll please....

Ashlyn Kristin Brodie

We picked "Ashlyn" from a list of 1,100 names. It came down to that and Payton, after Walter Payton, B's favorite football player and a Mississippi native. So, of course this was a great option. Ashlyn just seemed more unique and a little prettier.

I wanted her middle name to be after my sister, Kristin. Taylor's middle name "Renee" is after B's sister Kristen. I wanted to remember my sister in my children's name because she has made me so proud of her and I wanted to let her know it.

So, there you have it. Miss Ashlyn Kristin Brodie. Due 2-2-11, also Groundhog Day but most importantly my dad's birthday!!!

Love ya!

The Brodies

17 months - Still Hard

Taylor was 17 months yesterday (11-2-10). She had a very bad soar throat for Halloween and couldn't even put her costume on. It is still hanging in the closet with the tags on it. That started 4 days ago. Her throat is much better now. She is back to eating and drinking fine after going for two days without much of anything and a 103 degree fever.

All 4 of her canine teeth are coming in. That can't be easy either.

She still wakes up in the middle of the night, almost every night, and climbs out of bed crying for Momma & Dada. She wants us to sit beside her until she falls completely asleep. She'll even realize she's dozing off and pop her head up just to see if we are still there. THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY. At 1:30 in the morning I am in no mood to be playing a waiting game with my child who should be sleeping. I am 7 months pregnant now, utterly exhausted, and just can't do this.

I know this is my fault. I have been inconsistent with her sleeping habits and how I respond to her midnight wake-ups. I have to start reacting the same every time because my inconsistency is teaching her that she can win. The only problem is that I am so very tired and just don't have the energy to stay outside her door and put her back in bed every time she climbs out. I don't have the patience to listen to the crying/screaming because I am so fatigued. Most times it just seems easier (for me) to sit with her until she falls asleep and creep out of her room like a burglar or something! Naps are okay. I can do this at nap time. It's just bedtime, when I have nothing left, that things fall apart.

I have to find out why I am so tired. Why I don't have the energy to function an hour after I wake up in the mornings. My family needs me. My dogs need me. I need me!!! My mind yearns to get up and clean my kitchen, go grocery shopping, play outside with my child...my body just won't let me. I feel imprisoned. I feel like that if only my head were on a different body I'd be unstoppable!

The new baby (for lack of a name) will be here in 13 weeks and counting. I am scared to death. How can I take care of a newborn, Taylor, Brodie, Sandie, Charlie, the housekeeping, the laundry, the groceries, the meals, and me, in the state that I am in? I have no idea how I am functioning now but for utter determination to try to hold my home together in some sort of organized chaos. My only saving grace is an amazing husband and a few great neighbors that I know will help me with anything. I wish my family lived closer....

I went for the baby's 27 week checkup yesterday. I explained to my doctor what I have been going through and reminded her about the Fibromyalgia (FMS). She said my symptoms sounded more like Lupus than FMS and ordered some tests. But whether I have Lupus or not, I don't care at this time, they still can't cure the fatigue. Will I get better or worse after the baby arrives and my hormones stable out? I dunno. No one knows.

(I laugh at myself, this was supposed to be a post about Taylor!)

NEXT MORNING SIDE NOTE: Taylor went down beautifully, slept through the night, woke up at 7:40, and stayed in bed until Mom went in to get her at 8 a.m., just like she is supposed too. I got a full nights sleep and feel GREAT this morning! THANK YOU GOD!!!

Bedtime Seperation Anxiety - 16 months

I am writing this more for me, as a record for the next baby, than any other reason. But it'll let you also know what we are going through.

For a while now Taylor has been letting me rock her until she is very sleepy and then I will lay her down in her bed with no tears or protest. On a few occasions she would even tell me night-night as I was walking out of the room.

The last two night have been horrible. When we would start walking to her room she starts crying, "NO, NO! NO, NO! NO, NO!" She's literally scared out of her mind. Last night I couldn't even calm her down enough to rock her. I had to lay her down with me in my bed until she fell asleep. Tonight it took Brodie and me and an hour and forty-five minutes to get her to go to sleep. She's usually asleep by 7:45-8pm. Last night she finally fell asleep at 9pm and tonight at 9:45.

For the last two days she has been very agitated during the day. She's been very grouchy and argumentative. She has had a very bad tummy ache for the last two days but her tummy is much better tonight. We can't tell if all of this is due to her tummy ache or if she is going through some sort of behaviorial phase/growth spurt/anxiety seperation thing.

I am curious to see how long this last or what is causing it. We thought about letting her sleep with us for a few nights to help calm her fears of bedtime but have concluded that will probably only make it worse when it's time to get back in her bed. We have no idea what to do!!!

Taylor's First Photoshoot - 15 months

On September 15, 2010, Taylor had her one year pictures made. Technically, she was 15 months.

Below is a link to her pics. Please use the word September15 to log in. If you are interested, you can purchase any of these pictures or turn them into a mug/mouse pad/etc. You can do all of this from this site and the item(s) will be printed on professional quality paper (not sure if it is acid free) and mailed directly to your door. The prices are VERY reasonable.

Let me know if you have any problems viewing these pictures and I will do my best to assist you.

We hope you enjoy your slideshow. And now, without further ado, Miss Taylor Brodie.

http://mjthompsonphotos.smugmug.com/Children/Taylor-Brodie-2/13852108_EQJUD#P-1-20

Bottling Memories

I wish that I could bottle the feeling that a parent gets when they are rocking their child to sleep, and then they pop their head up as if they are getting comfy but you realize as they press their lips to yours that they just wanted a kiss. That little person, that little baby, wanted in their mind and in their heart, a kiss from you.

At such a tiny age, how can they even comprehend the desire for a kiss, for the warmth and love that a kiss possesses. It literally blows my mind.

And then, just when you think they are raising their head for one more sweet night-night kiss, they bury their nose into your shoulder and RUB RUB RUB the itchies out of their nose onto your shoulder.

Thanks kid...for everything!

We're Having A...

Our Big Ultrasound is in 3hrs and 20 minutes. I can't sit still. I just wanna know so badly!!! Can't wait to update this blog!!!

It's a GIRL!!! Check out our pic's of the ultrasound on dropshots. We've got great pic's of her, video too! She weighs about 7oz and her heartbeat is 145bpm.

I had a lot of braxton-hicks contractions tonight, which is normal about now. They are just so uncomfortable. I tried to change positions and my back started hurting. Go figure...LOL.

I am really excited. B said he doesn't even want to try for another one cuz he knows it'll be a girl. He thinks God doesn't want him to have a boy. Bless his heart, he wanted it to be a boy so badly, but he is happy that the baby is healthy.

17 weeks

Hi,

Everything is going fine. I'm 17 weeks today. Our next appointment is scheduled for Sept. 7th at 3pm. This is the BIG ONE! We'll find out if we're having a boy or girl. I can hardly wait!!! We haven't discussed names yet so I'm sure this will get the ball rolling.

The baby is very active and hopefully Dad will be able to feel some movements before long.

Love you,
Riann

15 weeks

I'm almost to the end of my 15th week. I'll be 16 weeks in 2 days. I felt the baby move for the first time at 14 weeks.

Yesterday was CRAZY!!! It was mid-day and I was lying on the couch watching TV while Taylor was playing around me. She was crawling up and down on the couch and me. All of a sudden I felt the baby move again. It felt like a tiny little thump. Then, a few minutes later, I felt it again. Then again, then again, then again. It felt that there was a circus going on inside my tummy and it was so cute because it was just tiny little bumps. I felt like even though the baby was still so tiny that he/she was having so much fun in there just playin' around. I called B and he tried to feel it. I'm not really sure if he was able to or not but it won't be long now.

My 16 week appointment is tomorrow. It will be just a routine heartbeat check for the baby and some bloodwork. But, the really exciting thing is that we will find out the sex of the baby at the next appointment after that, one month later. So, we'll find out NEXT MONTH!!! (20ish weeks) That means I'll be HALF WAY DONE BAKING THIS BISCUIT!!!! Time has really flown with this pregnancy. I can't believe that it's going to be February before we know it.

Love you guys,
The Brodies

Felt the Baby - 14weeks

I felt the baby move yesterday! Taylor and I had gone to see daddy at work for Coast Guard Day. We were getting ready to leave and had followed him back to his office. I was standing there and felt something weird. All of a sudden it hit me....IT'S THE BABY!!! I couldn't believe it. I almost cried.

This pregnancy hasn't been in the forefront of our lives because we have had so much going on this summer. I often forget that I am pregnant! LOL! But, yesterday certainly made it much more real. I am so excited and can't hardly stand to wait the 6 more weeks needed to find out if it is a boy or a girl. It just seems like forever.

I have another appointment in 2 weeks for a heartbeat check and some blood work, just routine stuff.

As for the family, we are all doing fine. B is settling into his new job and finds it very engaging and dynamic which he loves. Taylor has started daycare on a spotty, part-time basis. Basically when the care-giver has a child that calls in sick she can go. She loves it and it gives me some time to go to appointments and get things done around the house. I am doing a little better. Daycare has helped. Also, in the last week Taylor has really become more independent allowing me to let her do more things on her own. She now pretty much refuses to let us feed her anything. There is a huge mess to clean up later but she eats fine so we let her. Plus, it's just part of growing up. Also, two nights ago she actually told me she was ready to go to bed. She was playing and came over to me and said, "Night, Night." I asked her if she was ready to go night, night and she ran to her room. 10 minutes later she was asleep! I can't tell you how shocked I was. She did the same thing last night and for her nap. I can't believe that she is such a big girl.

Well, I hope all of our friends and family are doing well. We love you and miss you all! Thanks for checking in.

12 weeks

We had our 12 week appointment today to listen to the baby's heartbeat. Everything sounded fine and the hb was in the 160's which is perfect. I have not had any symptoms except for being unbearablY tired. I have had to literally drag myself all over the house today trying to get things picked up in conjunction with entertaining and taking care of Taylor. After the dr. appt. we had to run to the grocery store to pick up a few things and I didn't know if I could make it out of there or not. It really was that bad. Sometimes I am so exhausted that I can barely breathe.

To top things off I have a Staph infection under my left arm and I have to take antibiotics to try to shrink the infection. My left arm is tingly and hot, and the infection hurts so bad that I can't put my arm down by my side.

Taylor is now 13 months and let me tell you, this little girl has developed a terrible temper. She hates to have her diaper changed. She screams and kicks. She throws her food on the floor when I let her feed herself because she won't let us feed her anymore. She loves to see the dogs eating her food off the floor. She goes 100mph and is always in something she's not supposed to be into. I honestly don't know how I am keeping up with her. Well, I'm just worn out. I called around to see if someone had a morning daycare for a few hours that I could put her into in order give us both a break. Also, she needs to spend time with other kids her age. However, she wasn't old enough for any of them yet and they were very expensive.

I am hormonal, emotional, and exhausted beyond comprehension. I need help. I need prayers. I need a maid and a babysitter. I have no idea how I can deal with another baby. I know that God doesn't give us more than we can handle but sometimes I seriously think he over estimates me!!!

If anyone would like to come out for a week or two you are MORE THAN WELCOME!!!!

Update on the pregnancy

Hi Everyone!

(Pardon my blog. I am in the process of trying some new templates.)

I'll be 8 weeks on Wed., June 23, and I DON'T FEEL A THING!!! I have no pregnancy symptoms what-so-ever!!! It's crazy. At least with Taylor I was a little nauseous. If I had to reach for symptoms, I'd have to say I was a little tired. But wouldn't you be tired after chasing after a 12mo old all day? Yep! Also, I don't know what is going on with my wrist. I don't know if it's joint swelling b/c of hormone levels or if it's completely unrelated, but my left wrist pops every time I rotate it. I MEAN EVERY SINGLE TIME. It's a little sore and a tiny bit swollen. I have no idea what's going on with that. Anyway, I feel fine.

We have our first ultrasound tomorrow, June 22nd. Given our past, we are of course a little scared but we both feel like this pregnancy is gonna stick. I just can't believe that we have to wait 10 more weeks to find out if it is a boy or girl. We wanna know NOW! LOL!!! We both want a boy really bad, but a healthy baby is always most important.

So, I have started doing something pretty unconventional. I have suffered from chronic lower back pain for 3 years. During my last pregnancy it flared up so badly that I was in tears for 3 straight days. I have no desire to relive that pain again so I started going to physical therapy but that didn't help. As a last resort, I looked into acupuncture. My first session was last week and it is so awesome that I can't wait to go back. The needles hurt for the first minute or two. It kinda feels like ant bites. After that I was so absolutely relaxed that I laid right there and feel asleep for 45 minutes. I have never been so peacefully relaxed in my life. It was crazy!!! It hasn't helped my back yet but I've only been once. I have 4 more sessions and then we'll see how things are going. The awesome thing about acupuncture (AP for short) is that it "treats" the entire body and it's energy, not just one symptom at a time. So, I am hoping that this helps my wrist also. AP is also great during pregnancy b/c it helps de-stress and relax, something essential during pregnancy.

Now, for Taylor. She took a scary fall off of our front steps yesterday. She's not afraid of anything and I have to watch her b/c she'll always go for the steps. She loves to climb. Well, as it always goes...I turned my back for one second and when I turned around she was climbing the first step. I tried to get to her but she lost her balance and fell face first on the cement walkway. THANKFULLY, she only scratched her nose. She started crying and we ran inside to make sure she had all of her teeth. After I cleaned her up, daddy took her and tried to get her to stop crying. He opened the refrigerator and "BAM!" she was fine!!! She is so tough, but I guess if you are going to have Brodie as a dad you gotta be tough! LOL!!!!

And speaking of Dad. This is his last week at his current station. He gets a 2 week break (hopefully) and then goes to work and a station a little closer to home. This is a very busy week for him as he is also taking two online courses which have mid-terms due this weekend. I just can't tell you how hard he is working for his family. We are so proud of him. I am so proud of him. I couldn't have married a better man. (I love you honey!)

WE'RE PREGNANT AGAIN!

So, it's happened a little earlier than expected. We were going to starting trying next month (june) but I took a test on Saturday, May 29th, at 6 a.m. and it was POSITIVE! OMG!!!! I got up to let the dogs out and figured I would take the test. I walked into the bedroom where Brodie was half asleep and said, "We're pregnant!" He giggled and said, "Ya know, I was just thinking that too." We are both super happy and Brodie is PRAYING for a boy this time! But, in the end, of course all that we hope for is a happy, health baby. I haven't even scheduled my first doctor's appointment yet since it is Memorial Day weekend, so it's very early, and as we know first-hand, this is a very delicate time, especially for us. But the good news is that I have already been taking my prenatals and other stuff necessary to create an optimum environment for the baby. The unofficial due date is around the first week in February.

Brodie will be commissioned as a Warrent Officer next week in the USCG. His mother and I will pin on his anchors. I am so very proud of my husband and all that he does for his family and for himself.

Taylor will be one year old on June 2nd, 3 days from today. I cannot believe how much our little girl is grown. But, I guess she's not a little baby anymore. We switched her bedroom with the spare bedroom. I took the crib rail down and put on her toddler bed rails. I turned her room in to a real big girl's room. I put her toys and books on the floor where she could play with them at her desire. She hated her other room but really seems to be enjoying her new big girl room.

I am doing okay. I've been a little off kilter lately. So, I have joined the gym which means I've got 2 hours of baby sitting a day while Taylor is in the nursery. The workout and break have been good for us both. The play time and interaction with other children is also helping her nap better which is a life saver in itself. Hopefully the next baby will sleep better than she does. We're still having problems with her fighting her sleep. The good news is that she's now on reflux medicine and not puking 2-4 times a week. But, she still has an underdeveloped gag reflex so she is still pretty dependant on baby food and not "big people" food. But, I'm back on Taylor again.

I am still in a little bit of shock about the new baby. I don't feel pregnant. I don't really feel anything. I'm a little dizzy, a little tired, and have had one very brief wave of nausea. But if the test wouldn't have been positive, I wouldn't believe I was pregnant. I am a little scared that this baby will be just as challenging as Taylor has been. But I just have to remember that this is a blessing and no two babies are ever alike. It'll be fine!!!

Thanks for keeping up with us and please keep us and the new baby in your prayers that we all stay safe and healthy.

10 Months

Hi Everyone, sorry it has been a while since I have written. A lot has happened so bare with me because I know I'll get carried away.

We were able to drive to Mississippi for Easter. Yes, I said drive. We loaded up the new dog, the old dog, the little baby, the momma and the dad in the new ride. We filled the back of the ride with everything imaginable that one would need for life on a deserted island and pulled away from the house at 7:30 A.M. An hour into the drive she puked all over her car seat, both dogs needed water and a potty break, I needed a Xanax, and Dad needed outta there!!! An hour later everyone's needs had been met (don't ask me how) and we were on the road again. Yes, we asked ourselves if we should just go home but onward to Mississippi we headed. We spent the night in a nice dog-friendly hotel. Charlied had to bark at everything and somehow Taylor finally fell asleep. This was the worst part of the trip for me. I left out a lot of details to save time.

So we get to Nanny's house and waiting in the drive are my Nanny and Mom. You can imagine how excited they were to see their grandbaby. While we were there Brodie completely ripped up nanny's 48' long deck and replaced it. It took the entire time that we were there but he is so proud of his work and Nanny is proud to have a new deck. Taylor was also blessed to meet her Nanny Hickman and lots of other family on my side. She even got to spend the night with her Papaw P.G. and Nanny Diane! She had so much fun everywhere she went. At the end of our trip she got to stay with her Aunt Chay and play with her friends Macy, Lily, and Tripp.

The biggest news of all is that while we were in MS Taylor learned to walk and clap. I am so happy. We got her a little car to ride in while we push her up and down the street but she can push it too. Yesterday we were in the yard planting annuals and she pushed it onto the asphault and fell down. She got her first scraped knee. I have to take a pic! LOL!

Some yucky news...I took Taylor to the doctor for her eyes. She has a weepy eye and what appeared to be a lazy eye as well. The lazy eye is only an appearance due to how her eyelid covers up more of the white part of her eye than the other. The weepy eye is another story. Her tear duct is blocked so the tears that keep her eye wet can't drain. If it doesn't unclog itself by the time she is a year, she will have to see an opthamologist. The only way to unclog it is to sedate her in outpatient surgery and probe her duct to open it. Please pray that this procedure is not necessary.

By the way, she'll be a year in couple of weeks...can you believe it!!! We can't.

She Crawled Today!!!

March 16, 2010 - Taylor figured out how to crawl today. She crawled for the first time a few weeks ago but didn't realize what she had done and she hasn't done it since.

But today she saw a tennis ball on the floor and she wanted it. Instead of screaming because it was out of her reach or rolling to it she crawled...very slowly...she crawled. We put it in front of her a few more times and she crawled to it every time. We were so proud! You should have seen me, it was all I could do not to scream to the world..."My Baby Just Crawled!!!" Check out the video on dropshots.

She's 9 months old.

The funny thing is that she is doing a great job walking. She still needs our help but she has taken 4 steps without us. She can stand on her own for long periods of time and even turn her head and focus on many things without falling. She is down to just using one mommy finger to walk and still falls occasionally but she is doing so great and we are so proud of her!

We are so, so very blessed!!!

9 Months Old

I cannot believe that in 3 very short months our little girl is going to be a year old. The first 6 months flew by, which I am more than grateful for. But now we are all having fun and time can start to slow down now.

Taylor goes for her 9 month checkup on the 19th, but by our scales she weighs 22 pounds. She's very tall, has 8 teeth. The 8th one broke through on 2-28-10. She is walking all over the house holding on to our fingers. She is trying so hard to pull herself up but she's not quiet there yet.

She also crawled for the first time today. She was sitting on the floor playing by herself and saw my slippers sitting by me just needing to be chewed on, so she took off. She crawled 4 little baby crawls and fell onto her tummy. Then she screamed because she wasn't close enough to the yummy slippers!!! I almost screamed out loud. The next hour was spent on the floor with me torturing her by putting things just outside of her reach and begging her to crawl to them. Poor Baby!!! But, our baby crawled on her 9th month birthday. Hooray!

Everything is going so absolutely wonderful for our family now. We are so truly blessed and so truly thankful for our blessings.

Well, I have started gathering ideas for her birthday party. Everyone is invited!!! It's on June 5th, the first Saturday in June, here at the house. (Even though her birth date is the 2nd, that falls on a Wednesday this year, bummer.)

I hope everyone is enjoying our blog and dropshots. I hate that we can't be closer to all of our family and friends, but I maybe this makes you feel a little closer to us. We certainly miss you all.

DaDa!!

I know I'm bias but my baby is SO SMART! LOL!!!!

For a few days now I have been telling her, "DaDa." It didn't take her long and she started trying to say it. At first it was coming out "YaYa" which was so sweet and funny that I couldn't hardly stand it! Now she has gotten it down pat. "DaDa, DaDa, YaYa." Her daddy is so proud. Now we are working on "Pawpaw!"

She is also loving her big girl baths now. At first she was pretty scared in that big tub all alone so we moved her to the spare bathroom bathtub which is smaller. She felt much more comfy in that one. But, now that she is used to it we moved her bath back to the big tub in the master bath. I use the spare bathroom for myself and it was a pain digging out all of her bath toys every morning.

And if my child gets one more tooth...I just don't know what I'll do! I found two more teeth last night. That's 7 teeth at 8 months old and one more is just under the skin!!! 4 on the top and 3.5 on the bottom. 2 haven't completely broken through but you can see them just under the skin.

She is also pushing herself up into a sitting position. She doesn't do it all the time but the other night I put her down in her crib on her tummy and she got up on her hands and knees, got into a sitting position and then proceeded to pull herself up on the slats of her crib. She still isn't crawling forward but she can go backwards like a champ. Sometimes she'll get so excited that she's actually on her hands and knees that she'll start rocking back and forth and get a little too much momentum and throw herself forward. Then she's like, "Wait, I just went forward! Cool!!!"

My little baby is getting so big right before my eyes. She can really start slowing down now. I am so glad that the first 6 months are over. It was so hard for us. Things are so much easier now, it's almost like night and day. I love being a mom now and I hope she likes being my daughter.

Momma???

Call me crazy...but...

Taylor has been saying "momma" for a while now. "M's" are usually very difficult for most kids and the pediatrician was pretty impressed when I told him that she was saying her vowels and the letters "M" and "K" very well. He asked if she was saying her "D's" or "G's" and I told him no, not yet. He said that was interesting, that these letters usually come much later.

I never thought she knew what momma meant. I just assumed it was baby babble. But today, I was feeding Taylor her breakfast and she reached out for me and said, "Momma."

Granted, this could just be coincidence (and it probably is). But, as far as I am concerned my baby knows I am "Momma!"

Like I said, call me crazy! LOL!

Oh, she is also feeding her self for the first time about 2 weeks ago. I have been giving her Gerber Puffs (aka. Stars) by putting them in her mouth. But, I thought it was time she learned how to do it herself so I started putting them in her hand. After a while she finally figured out that she needs to grab the star with her index finger and thumb and put it in her mouth. When she first started this she thought they were a toy, and still sometimes do. Stars are really awesome, they are a little treat that just melts in their mouth. They remind me of a melting cheerio's.

And, she is developing a little temper too. Which in turn means she is also learning the word, "NO!" LOL!

She is doing so good.

4 Teeth, 7 months

Taylor's second top tooth came all the way through today. She now has 4, two top and two bottom. We have been so blessed that she has not had any problems with them.

I am sleep training her now. She started sleeping through the night at 4months when we got her on the formula but putting her down is now becoming a problem. About 2 weeks before Christmas she started fighting her sleep. She would starting getting sleepy and realize that she was going to sleep. So, to fight it she would start flailing her arms, opening/closing her hands, pulling her hair, babbling, moving her head from side to side, etc.

Since this was only getting worse, I decided it was time she learned how to go to sleep on her own, without falling asleep in mom's arms. It took 5 painful nights but for the last two nights she has gone down with no tears and fallen asleep within a minute of me laying her in her crib. She is doing so good with her nights.

However, days are still a problem. I learned that she wasn't taking longer naps because she was overtired and was unable to transition in to a deeper sleep. I am now trying to get her on a sleep schedule. She is fighting her sleep during the day and sometimes it takes 30 minutes to an hour for me to get her to go to sleep. I have started putting her in our bed for naps and laying with her. I have no idea if I am going to keep this up. I have very fond memories of taking naps with my mom and I kind of want Taylor to have that memory too. However, just being able to put her down in her own crib and have her go to sleep painlessly would be ideal for both of us. I think I am going to give her night training a little longer to see if she has any kind of regression. If that goes well, I'll start on naps.

I cannot begin to tell you how stressful it is having a child with sleep issues. However, I am just so thankful that so far, this is her only issue. She is getting so big and can almost sit on her own for an extended period of time. She is learning so much so fast. You can almost see her soaking everything up like a sponge and it is such a fun and exciting time for us both.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Tomorrow (1-2-10) our baby will be 7 months old. Today I felt her first top tooth. That makes three teeth.

We had a great trip to Chicago for Christmas. We were all sick but Taylor recovered while we were there. I was never really THAT bad, relatively speaking. Dad actually mentioned the ER! We flew home, all feeling much better. However, we are now getting sick AGAIN. I went to Walmart and bought a gallon of bleach, Lysol wipes, a gallon of OJ, a 4pack of Puffs, 2 kinds of NyQuil, and Sudafed pills. I am going to bleach everything in my house. Hopefully that will kill the coodies and we'll get better.

As for our Christmas, Taylor spent her first Christmas with her Great Grandmother, her Granny, and all of her Aunt's, Uncle's, and cousin's on her Dad's maternal side. It snowed while we were there and we got some pics of her touching the snow. I shoveled snow off of the sidewalk for the first time! LOL! We all received lots of a great presents and want to thank everyone for everything.

We are now trying to get back into our routines and get well. Taylor has had a hard time adjusting to the quiet life again. She enjoyed playing so much that she wants to stay up until 10:30 playing! Hopefully her schedule will get back to normal soon. (Please pray for me!!!)

Thanks again for everything everyone.

p.s. And don't worry Mississippians, we'll be headed down south in February.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (Happy 7th month birthday Taylor.)

No-Nap Taylor

Does anyone have ANY IDEA why our child will only take 2, 30-45 minute naps a day? It is driving me crazy. She is sleeping GREAT at night. Maybe only waking once to eat, maybe. Most of the time she goes down at 7pm, sleeps till about 5am when she wakes to eat. She'll go back to sleep and wake up somewhere around 7 or 8am. This, I am most certainly NOT complaining about. I am VERY lucky she lets me sleep in.

However, when it comes to nap time, FOOOOOORGET IT! Most kids at 6.5 months are taking 2 or 3, 1 or 2 hour naps a day! I can't figure it out. Why won't she take longer naps.

The reason this is important to me is because she is pretty needed, as most 1st children are. I devote 100% of my waking moments to her. She doesn't have to share me with another sibling. So, she loves to be held and play games with mom...all the time. She is also aware now when I am not in a room and she screams her head off. Oh, and don't let her watch me leave a room. You would think someone is strangling her!

To get some time to do chores I put her in her bouncer, her swing, on the floor, and other stuff. But, she will only be content with that for so long, then she wants mom time. Yes, I could let her cry, and sometimes I do - for a little while...but mostly I am just not that kind of mom. Why make your kid cry if they don't have too? Perhaps I am making my own bed, but that isn't the point. WHY WON'T SHE NAP LONGER???

My house is a mess. I am dirty, tired and hungry...welcome to motherhood!