Our little Bushling

I Did it My Way

2011-11-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

So, as the overplayed song says, "I Did It My Way." Of course my way isn't always what is considered "best" these days and frankly, I'm tired of hearing about why it's not.

I'm talking about my parenting skills. Yep. I'm going there.

Let me start off by saying I did not read Babywise. As soon as the other mommies my age stop gasping we'll get back to other things I did wrong. I know that some moms think this trendy book is the end all for parenting and the fact that I didn't read it is shocking and appalling to you. For that I'm sorry....

Wait...I'm actually not sorry, but I'll get to that later.

So if I were to think about all the things I've done "wrong" as a mom these days I could go on and on. But here's the shortened version if you will:

1. I had a c-section. I know that lots of women have this drawn out birth plan and think that having a baby with no drugs will be a spiritual and moving experience....that's awesome for them. But when the doctor says, "Hey Heather we have to get her out now or she's probably not going to make it," there's no question in my mind of what I'm going to do. But even if her birth wasn't an emergency I still would have opted for the drugs.

2. I didn't nurse. I tried. I took supplement after supplement and tried home remedy after home remedy. Nothing ever happened. I've actually been told by people that I should have tried harder. I've read all the benefits of nursing and I'm sure it's a wonderful thing. It's just not one of the things that I got to experience.

3. I didn't teach my baby sign language. Nope - not even one single sign.

4. I didn't make my own baby food. I bought and tried pretty much every baby food flavor that Gerber makes. Now Kaitlyn is way past the baby food and I give her processed food. I give her frozen chicken nuggets and pancakes. Sure I throw fresh fruit and veggies into the mix, but she does eat frozen and packaged food. She also eats at Taco Bueno and McDonalds - even though I think McDonalds is beyond gross.

5. I work full time and when you're a teacher full time means that you don't leave at 3:30. It also means that maybe you don't see your kid until later that night or that your kid might be up at school with you late hours for PTA meetings or what not. I also take my kid to school twice a week in the summer when I'm not teaching - for the whole school day.

I know, I know...I'm a horrible mom right? At least that's what "they" make me feel like sometimes. But here's the deal - I don't believe I'm a horrible mom. I think I'm actually pretty good at it and I'm not afraid to say that.

As I said...

I had a c-section. I didn't feel one single thing from my chest down and I still feel like I had an amazing spiritual journey as I had Kaitlyn.

I didn't nurse, but somehow my daughter still knew how to bond with me and she has been healthy.

I didn't teach K sign language, yet she still learned how to communicate her needs to me.

So why do I feel the need to justify myself as a mom? I thought about this a lot today. It consumed me more than I would like to let on, but the fact is it did. I think it stems from a combination of things, but mainly because of what I hear and read about from my other mom friends. I'm not trying to start things and I'm not trying to be "snippy," but I feel I should be able to voice my opinion on things too.

You see, moms love to help other moms out. I know for one I loved getting to see my sister-in-law with my niece right before Kaitlyn was born. She was amazing with her daughter and I learned so much from her in just a few days and I think it better prepared me to be a mom. That was my first real time around a brand new baby and I was amazed at my sis-in-law's strength. She is, by the way, an amazing mom to my now TWO nieces. :)

I'm so thankful that she was there for me if I needed to ask someone what I thought was a silly question or if I needed to just vent about the stresses a new mama feels. All moms need people like that.

But with that said, I also want it known that my sis-in-law never once told me anything I was doing was wrong. Never once. Even if she thought it she never let on. I love and respect her so much for that.

I'm going to go a bit off topic here, but we have a team at our school. It's called the Restart team. The purpose of the Restart team is to help teachers with students that they are struggling with, be it academic or behaviorally. I'm on this team and have been what we call a case manager. Case managers are not allowed to give their opinion on a child and are not allowed to tell a teacher what to do with a child. Case managers are to guide another teacher's thinking and help that teacher think deeper about their own student. The ownership is with the student's teacher - not the case manager. The case manager is there for support. So yes, even when I've been supporting another teacher I've wanted to say, "You should do it this way" But I don't - I can't. And eventually the teacher is better because of it. Does that mean I don't bounce ideas back and forth with other teachers? No - not at all! But I would never dare tell a teacher why I think what they are doing is all wrong.

Hmmm....I'm thinking I like this methods for other mothers. We all need to be so careful to tell mothers that there is only one right way to do things. If you as a mother want to share your successes, by all means - share them!! Let me celebrate with you. But don't in turn tell me what I'm doing is wrong and list a bunch of facts and figures about why I am wrong.

I've been teaching kids for seven years now, and I've learned that children are amazing blessings capable of so, so many things, but kids are different. They learn differently and will develop differently. If you want to argue with me come teach my class for one day using the same level book for each kid. I dare you.

Kids are different. Parents are different. Family situations are different. Those differences are what make life interesting. Do I judge those moms that have at a home water birth? Not for one single second. I think they are amazing people and I love that that is their journey. Do I think moms that stay at home are not fulfilled? Nope - not at all. That's their calling and I will pray for them and support them in any way I can. Just please be respectful of my choices and realize that I'm doing what's best for MY child and MY family.

I love Kaitlyn Grace will all my heart. Am I the perfect mother to her? No. I could always be better, but I'm not sorry for one single thing I've done or am currently doing concerning her. I haven't done what is trendy in motherhood these days, but somehow she has turned out to be this incredible, polite, spunky little girl that brings such joy to my life. Is every day with her perfect? Not even close, but do I feel it's my fault and the result of me not doing some "mama method" that someone told me I should?

Nah - it's just our real life and I'm loving every single second of it.

"Young lady!"

2011-06-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

It happens to me all the time as a teacher. I hate it more and more each time someone does it. I have even sent group emails out about it and stood up at a faculty meeting and expressed my opinion on the matter. Yet it still happens. Every teacher knows what it feels like. You finally get "that kid" to get in line and walk quietly in the hallway which is a miracle in itself. You continue to walk down the hall feeling quite proud of the fact that "that kid" isn't screaming, tearing something down off the wall, hitting, etc. and then it happens. Out of nowhere you hear another teacher's voice, "(Insert "that kid's" name here), your hands need to be behind your back!" or "Tuck that shirt in!" You cringe and know it's going to set "that kid" off in 3...2...1....boom. There it is. You give that other teacher a slight smile that has the "please next time mind your own business look" behind it as you try to calm "that kid" back down. But it will happen again because there are just those teachers who feel the need to correct every child in the school. They do not always know or think about all the work it took just for the baby steps to occur. It is my biggest pet peeve regarding a faculty. DON'T DISCIPLINE MY STUDENTS!!! I'm right there and believe it or not, this is not my first pony ride and I can control my class. Thanks. :)

But now with my own kid it's a whole other ballgame. There are lots of people who can "discipline" my kid. Meaning, if you're my child's teacher at preschool, Sunday school, dance, or any other similar setting - by all means, ask/tell her to do whatever you want. As far as I'm concerned, you're the boss. If she is over at either set of grandparents' houses she'd better listen to whatever they say as well. I have also told certain friends that they are allowed to correct my kid if they see her actin' a fool. My wonderful sis-in-law, Candace, and amazing friend, Jamie, that's you in case you both forgot. :) This came after I saw a few kids at a softball game taking toys away from my kid as their mother watched and did nothing. As a mother, I didn't want to correct this woman's kids when she was right there, but it finally got to the point where K was very bothered by it so I just removed her from the situation. Was I a Mama wimp? If that's what you want to call it so be it, but I am not going to discipline someone else's kids when they are standing less than two feet away from me. Not my job.

But on Sunday something happened that hasn't happened before (which really surprises me once I stop and think about it) but it rubbed me the wrong way and I just wasn't expecting it.

Cody wanted to go to Colter's...not my favorite, but it was Father's Day and he called the shots....but I digress.

So there the three of us were after church at Colter's. I was in the front with my tray because my husband is one of those awesome guys who still believes in ladies first. He was behind me with his tray and K was a little bit between us. K was not being bad at all in my eyes. She was walking when we were walking, not screaming, not running. She was however, touching the floor with her hands. Gross I know. No telling what was on that floor, but that's also why we wash hands right? Unless someone has made some kind of magic force field I'm unaware of I'm still under the impression that kids get dirty. But last time I checked, kids are also washable. So the mother in me said, "Let it go, I'm not going to fight that battle right now because she's not bothering anybody and we'll simply wash her hands before she eats." No biggie right? But then it happened - I hear, "Young lady, get your hands off that dirty floor - especially when you're in that pretty dress." HOLD UP! I turned around to see an older lady who was a total stranger with her face in my daughter's face and she was scolding her. Simmer down Mama, simmer down. I took a deep breath and went to grab K's hand and walked her up to stand by me. My heart was pumping. Who did this lady think she was? I was shocked that she felt the need to get on to my child. I know, I know, it takes a village - blah, blah, blah. But it's not like she was touching this lady's food, hurting anyone, or anything along those lines. And both of her parents were right there. I was furious and wasn't quite sure why. But I did notice that I flashed my new friend one of those teacher smiles that had the "please next time mind your own business look" behind it. Luckily the whole thing didn't set K off into a screaming, crying fit or anything like that. But it did embarrass her and she was visibly sad for a small bit. Do I think she'll be scarred for life? Absolutely not, but the fact that this lady felt the need to say anything to her about it irritates me. Cody and I are trying so very hard to do the Love and Logic approach when it comes to discipline and so far it's worked wonders. I want to stick to that, but scolding her for touching the floor isn't part of it.

Am I making a mountain out of a molehill - probably. But like I said, it rubbed me the wrong way and I hope it doesn't happen again anytime soon. What do you other mamas think???

Youth Camp Mini Lesson

2011-06-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

Cody and I went to our church's youth camp this past week. We've been sitting in with high school seniors since January so we can be prepared to work with the group next year. To say they are awesome would be an understatement. But in order for us to go to camp we had to bring Miss K with us. :) That wasn't always an easy task - the rec time was during her nap time (which was also the hottest part of the day) so Mama and K didn't get to participate in that...too bad those kids didn't see my mad skills huh? ;) And a lot of the fun stuff at night was WAY after her bedtime so I would have to leave early. The messages were of course way over her head, but when I would take her back for nap time or bedtime I would try to read some of the same scripture to her or talk about the same thing, but on a more basic-I'm-two-years-old-level. :P I was so excited when the guest pastor referenced Zacchaeus because I knew Kaitlyn knew a song about him. That's where the below video is from. :) My favorite thing from camp though was when we were walking to breakfast one day and Kaitlyn saw all the youth walking and she threw up her hands and said, "All these people praying to God." Love it! :)

So Lucky!

2011-03-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

What a great St. Patrick's Day I had this year! I'm on Spring Break and have been with K all week. Being a teacher is the perfect mom job! Each day K begged me to go to school, which I guess it's a good thing that she loves it so very much, but I wanted her to myself this week. But I did need to make a major grocery store run and those are sometimes better solo, so I took K to school for a little bit - long enough to see her friends and discover that a pesky leprechaun had been there. :) (Have I mentioned I LOVE her school?)

So I ran some errands - which also consisted of hitting up the grand opening of Nordstrom's Rack in Arlington that just happens to be two doors down from DSW...dangerous territory I tell you, dangerous. I walked away with not one pair, not two pairs, but FIVE pairs of shoes.

I may have a slight problem.

After my errand running I picked up K and we headed for Ulta. Ever since she figured out Mama has painted toenails she's wanted her's painted. I wanted her to pick out the color she wanted. All day long she told me she wanted red and she stayed true to herself and picked out a classic red color that I loved painting on her toes later that night. We turned on Mickey Mouse so that she was still while they dried and it worked like a charm. Before the nail painting occurred K and I went to walk around the park. The weather was beautiful and just called for it. :)

Daddy took us both out to dinner later and then we did a little more shopping. At the end of the day I was beat, but in such a blessed and thankful way. After K was in bed Cody and I put in a movie and I decided to go through some more of K's clothes that are too small to give away. I always get a little weepy when I do that because I can remember certain things we did when she was wearing certain things and I know that she is growing up way too fast. It's hard to believe that she'll be three this year. Three - no way.

Call it luck if you want, but I'm going to call it a blessing. I am so very thankful for my sweet family and my heart is so very full of love!

Christmas Time

2010-12-19T12:44:00.001-08:00

Being a teacher is the best job ever. I cannot even go into all the benefits it has to my heart, but one of the things I love most about it is that it's perfect for moms. I get to have summers off, spring break, and two weeks at Christmas time. Of course I've enjoyed the last two Christmas breaks with Kaitlyn, but this year it's so very different. She's beginning to know more of what is going on now. I'm not quite sure she understands the whole Santa thing, but she can recognize him and we keep telling her he's bringing her presents on Christmas. I love how when we drive by houses at night she'll scream for joy and say, "Oh! Look Mama! Lights!" Or how she'll point out a snowman or reindeer in someone's yard. She loves the song "Jingle Bells" and will sing it to you over and over. She's still a bit mixed up with parts of Christmas though. In nativity scenes she can name baby Jesus and Mary, but as of now Jonah is with Mary - not Joseph. And she doesn't call Christmas trees, Christmas trees - instead they are "trick or trees." :)
Christmas is always such a fun and exciting time, but there is nothing like experiencing it as a parent. I am always counting my blessings, and this year more so than ever. I can only imagine the joy that will come next year as K is even more aware of what Christmas means, and then one day the joy of knowing she has learned the true meaning of what God did for us all and why we celebrate Christmas each year.

Sewing Attempt

2010-10-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm not the most patient person in the world. I 110% blame this on my job. I have to be more than patient when dealing with young children all day, so I always feel like I deserve not to be patient in other aspects of my life...trust me, I already know how ridiculous that sounds. And trust me, God is always working on me and my patience.

All that to say, sewing takes patience. A lot of patience when you sew the way I do, which for the record is not very well. And if you know my mother you know how heart breaking this fact is for her. She is an amazing seamstress and has always wanted me to sew. I've sat down a few times and tried to learn, but honestly it's just all kind of technical boring to me and I have lost interest.

Then came Kaitlyn.

And my love for craft fairs and things like Holiday Magic at the Arlington Convention Center grew. I used to pass over all the baby booths without a care. Now I gawk and stare...and maybe sometimes drool. But then I'm slapped back into reality by the price tags on some of the things. Now, I'm not too proud to say that I've mentally copied a few things down in my brain and then asked my more than willing mother to make them. But I got to the point where I thought to myself, "It can't be that hard."

Shows what I know.

So I must have talked a good talk because Cody ended up buying me a sewing machine last Christmas. And it's taken me until now to actually do something for Kaitlyn that I haven't thrown away. So here you go. Don't expect much. All I've done is a beanbag K and a Christmas applique sweatshirt. Hey - we all have to start somewhere don't we??

Just don't look too close....

Etiquette

2010-10-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

So one of the things I really want to teach Kaitlyn is etiquette.

What? She's two Heather - get a grip. I know that's what you're saying.

Trust me, I'm not pushing anything too hard right now, but I am going to start her young so that it's more of a habit than a chore. There is just something sad about the loss of it in today's culture.

Now, if you're a friend of mine and I have wronged you in the etiquette department I'm sorry. I try my hardest, but I know I'm not perfect.

But I am going to try harder with my daughter. I want her to be a proper lady. A proper classy lady. Laugh if you must, but I don't care. :) Emily Post would want to be my friend. So there.

So one of the things my mom instilled in me was writing thank you notes. So I decided to let K help me out a little with her thank you notes for her birthday party - to make them extra personal. I would tell her exactly who each card was for and she would "draw" on it and repeat the name...over and over...and then probably a few more times than you're thinking as well. As you can see she took her job very seriously.

Emily Post would love my daughter too.

Except for the fact that her party was more than a week ago and I won't get them in the mail until probably tomorrow. But that's my fault not K's. :)

My little family!

2010-10-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

Cody took this picture with his phone as we were walking into Best Buy back in July. I just love it. I found it on my computer and just had to post it.

Clean Up, Clean Up!

2010-09-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

So my little Miss Independent loves cleaning up by herself now. We've pretty much established where all her toys go (that was until her birthday and now we're going to have to revamp that) Most of the time cleaning up is easy and is usually accompanied by the clean up song Nonnie taught her that starts out, "Clean up! Clean up! Everybody do your part!" But every now and then...

...it's just a little bit harder to put our favorite toys away. These are the moments I love so much and I know I'll be telling her when she's older about having to tell each Yo Gabba Gabba character that she loves them before putting them back up. Have I mentioned I love being a mom?

School

2010-09-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

So I've been beyond bad at updating this blog since school started back up, but in my defense I switched grade levels and am learning all new curriculum....so there. Don't judge me.

Kaitlyn has been loving her "school" and I'm loving all the benefits!!! She is coming home with so much more vocabulary now and talks about her friends (that's my favorite part!) She is having a blast and the teachers there are just beyond amazing! My sweet little girl is even picking up a little bit of Spanish which I'm thrilled about!

The other bit of assurance I needed came last week. I've been so worried I'm not doing enough for Kaitlyn at home. I know how to teach five and six year olds, but I wasn't sure I was teaching Kaitlyn enough when it came to the basics. Well, one of her teachers said that she has to teach Kaitlyn things other than the normal curriculum for the class because she is ahead of the other kids. (Insert sigh of relief here please) I know, I know, I'm the crazy teacher mom. But somewhere deep inside me is the fear of moms saying, "Well, she should know more - her mom IS a teacher and all." Well, no worries. I'm feeling pretty darn proud of my little goober right about now. Now if we could just get her to not dump dirt on her head each day at the playground.... :)

Her "gear" for school the first day. I LOVE shopping for Kaitlyn!!!

Getting ready to leave on the first day of school.

She walked right in and was ready to play - and that's my girl going straight for the books! :)

I think every single mom out there should buy these dishwasher safe name labels. They are awesome! I've already washed them SO MANY times and they are showing no signs of coming off. Love them!

(A More Real) Love Story

2010-08-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

Love to all my mama friends out there! :)

Where Does The Time Go???

2010-08-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Today my daughter is 23 months old.

23 months.

That means she's only not two for a month. Um...how did this happen so quickly?? There is no way that it's almost been two years since we had her. Seriously - time must slow down.

But time won't slow down, and I'm actually afraid it's only going to keep getting faster from here. K will be starting a real preschool in two weeks as well. My baby - at a school. She will be having a set curriculum and even a chapel time - which I know will just be beyond cuteness.

But there's a part of my heart that hurts so much. My baby is no longer a baby. She's turning into a little girl. Gone are the days of being able to rock her (not that she was ever really big on that anyway...but just go with me on this) Gone are the days of cooing and those cute little baby giggles. My baby is almost two.

Now, don't get me wrong - this time has been so much fun. Seeing her discover the world is like nothing else. But man, going out is so much harder. I thought it was hard with a baby. Nope - I'd take baby any day over toddler. Just today at lunch she is screaming out, "Hi purple!" "Hi green!" "Hi red!" over and over. Yeah - you probably just smiled at the thought of that right? So cute right? Maybe the first ten times. Then it gets old - oh and usually a bit louder. And let's not even talk about what happens when she's not happy. I try to block those times out of my mind.

While it is heartbreaking to think of my baby as no longer a baby, I know what lies ahead will be so much fun. I can't wait until we can truly talk about her day together. I can't wait until she can tell me exactly what is making her so upset. I can't wait for her to ask me to go shopping. :) I know this is just the beginning of lots of mommy/daughter days ahead, but I sure am going to miss my baby days.

And here's a little preview for her upcoming birthday. We decided to do a fish/ocean theme since K loves fish right now. I already made her bow because I know my free time will get pretty scarce once I start teaching again. Plus, I'm really on a bow making kick right now - not like she doesn't have enough already. But big girls need bigger bows right? ;)

Bow Helper

2010-08-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn has been on this helping kick lately and I must say - it's adorable. Just yesterday I brought home some things from school that were laminated and I was cutting them out in the living room. K picked up a piece that I had cut off and said, "Trash?" I told her that it was and she preceded to take that piece into the kitchen and throw it away for me. We have one of those trash cans that opens when it senses motion, which is part of the reason why I think she likes to throw trash away so much, but it makes me feel better about her doing so because I know she's not getting her hands all dirty. :)

So today I got out my bow making "stuff" (for lack of a better term) and she literally sat down on the mat and said, "Kaitlyn help." Oh I love her little heart right now. Makes me proud. :) So, she "helped" me as much as she could. I can't wait until she's a little older and we can start doing more craft projects together. Hmmm....maybe she needs some basic craft supplies that are just right for her age. Santa better get on that.

So here are some pictures of our progress.Helping measure.

She saw me put a pin in my mouth while I was working with ribbon, so when she did it I couldn't really tell her no. Way to go mom. Do as I say not as I do right? ;) But it sure makes for a cute picture. (And for all the gasping mothers out there - relax. I took it away and all of the clips, pins, etc. are oh so out of reach)

She was pretty much disinterested towards the end. Her tiger was much more entertaining. And please know that the tiger in NO WAY means she will like LSU. If she does she can hang out at Grandma and Granddaddy's house during college football season and not ours.

The finished product!

Twinkle

2010-08-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is by far Kaitlyn's favorite song right now. She sings it probably 300 times a day.

I'm. Not. Kidding.

It's to the point now where I found myself humming it when I'm not around her. But then a big smile creeps up on me because I remember just how darn cute my daughter is. I love her and her excessive singing. :)

The other night Cody and I went to a movie and Cody's mother kept Kaitlyn. Caleb was back in town and was there too. When we went to pick her up K was already in her pjs, but not tired so we hung around for a little while and Caleb got out his guitar to play.

When he played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star K was in love and was just singing away. I asked Caleb to play it one more time so I could video it and below is the result.

To say I love this video seems like an understatement. It just makes me tear up every time I see it. It's nothing too special just looking at it, but I know it's one that in a few years I will look back on and wonder how in the world she was ever this small.

SIDE NOTES: Yes, my daughter looks like a little girl version of Alfalfa in this video. Welcome to my hair nightmare that I go through with her each day. Now you know why she always has her hair pulled back in some way. Thanks Bush genes. Thanks.

Cody also moved at the beginning of the video which threw K for a loop. She thinks her Daddy hung the moon - and what little girl doesn't? But she had to make sure he wasn't leaving her before singing and jamming to the rest of the song. :)

Morning Park Visit

2010-07-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

This morning when K got up it was very overcast. I had already made plans to go to the grocery store, but I told myself that if they weather would hold out I would take K to the park right before lunch. Lately it's just been too hot to do it during the day and by the time it cools off it's just about her bedtime. So around 10:00 we headed out to the park that is literally a minute from our house and it was perfect. There were only three other kids there so it made it so very nice. We went to check out the ducks first. Kaitlyn was waving and saying hi to them, but of course not while I was trying to film her. :P And for some reason I can't get that video not to crash when I try to upload it (I'm still learning this new iphone 4 thing) but hopefully I can get that one put up later!Well, it's halfway there - just no sound, but I'm not going to mess with it now. I'll try later.

Then we headed to the playground area. Kaitlyn has just recently found her love of sliding independently and probably climbed up the stairs and went down the slide at least 20 times by herself before I asked her if she was ready to go. And to my surprise she actually said, "Yes" and came right to me. I was worried she wouldn't want to leave, but poor baby must have worn herself out! She got her water and headed to the car.

Here's a video of her doing the slide all by herself. She scared me a few times, but she was just fine.

I know mornings like this morning are few in the Texas summers, but I'm so glad we squeezed one in there before school starts back up!

Word Explosion!

2010-07-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

I was getting really worried about Kaitlyn's lack of words a few months ago. She was always gabbering and making up her own words. She had lots of inflection and could copy our's, but the real words weren't coming as much as I thought they should be. I even asked our school's speech teacher if I should be worried. She said at that point her receptive language was more important - did she understand me and do simple tasks that I asked her to and could she point to pictures when I asked her what they were. Kaitlyn was fine in that department so I was a little less worried, but I still thought she needed more words. Our speech teacher told me not to worry about it until she was two. She told me that's when there is supposed to be a "word explosion." Well, a few weeks into the summer I noticed a small boom of sorts. :) Now it seems as if every day Kaitlyn picks up several new words and I am no longer a nervous mama! Now, she still has her fair share of "Kaitlynese" words as we call it, but as I said, I'm not worried anymore. I thought it might be a good idea to try and make a list of some of the words that she is using right now. I'm sure I'll forget some, but it will be nice to look back at this a few months from now and see how far she's come. :)

Kaitlyn's current words: Mama, Daddy, Darcy, Nonnie, Papaw, Memaw (which should be Grandma...we're working on that one!), Granddaddy, yum-yum, cheese, milk, pizza, pancake, fruit, nana (for banana), apple, fish, turtle, puppy, elephant, monkey, cow, pig, horse, sheep, cat, octopus, crab, zebra, up, down, off, no, yes, poop, pee-pee, bye-bye, Casey, baby, book, bug-a-bug, purple, green, pink, Foofa, Toodie, Brobie, Plex, Muno, Elmo, Minnie Mouse, frog, clock, outside, shoes, cracker, phone, potty, hi, you okay, what's that, funny, oh no, bird, where "daddy" go (insert ANYTHING she wants to know where is for "daddy"), let's go, nose, eyes, tummy, feet, ears, head, teeth, mouth, hat, ball, tree, bus, spoon, fork, cup, this, please, bite, thank you, pretty, church, shake, stop

I'm sure I've left off some and I might add more later as it comes to me or I hear it! :) I just know that the list will be more than doubled in a few months!

Dancing with Jaq and Gus

2010-06-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking now I might have to do some sort of blog merge...I don't know. A part of me loves having one blog that is just devoted to Kaitlyn and then one for my thoughts and such, but now there is starting to be a lot of crossover. I guess that's okay - it just bothers someone as OCD as me. But for now I guess I'll just leave it. But this video goes with an entry from my other blog about my new washer and dryer, but it's actually K, so I'm putting it here. So there. :)

A Day of Firsts

2010-06-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

Wow - today was a really big day for Kaitlyn. At least in Mama's eyes it was. She had three first today...although she really only got to experience two of them.

1. She got her first potty
2. She (and by she I mean me) signed up for her first dance class
3. She got her first golf club (Very big deal for Daddy)

Now, with the first one - Don't think I'm a crazy mom pushing my kid that's not ready. She is showing signs of being ready, and well, honestly I had a coupon for the potty so I wanted to use it. :) She is able to say the "potty words" and knows what they are and can tell me after she has gone, which "they" say is a start. She also hides when she wants to go which apparently is also a sign she's almost ready. So Ms. Pam (K's sitter while I'm at work) let me borrow an Elmo Potty Training dvd. I put the potty in the living room while she watched it. I didn't expect her to use it there (I'm not that gross!) but I wanted her to feel comfortable with it and not be scared of it later. She watched the dvd and even put her Elmo doll on the potty. I guess I'll take that as a good sign??? But she only sat down on it for about two seconds and that was enough for her. I know I have plenty of time, so I'm not going to rush anything. But today was still a big day for her in regards to the potty! :) Wow...I just realized I'm blogging about a potty...when did I become a person like that....oh my!
Secondly was her dance class. I guess it's not really dance yet. That starts in the Fall. The class she will be taking this summer is tumbling. There is a really great studio here in Arlington that is actually based on Christian values. So as she gets older I won't have to worry about her dance group ending up on YouTube for their version of Single Ladies. (If you don't know what I'm talking about just google it...and know that WILL NEVER BE my daughter!) The assistant director goes to church with us and was really excited about K being there. She knows her from Sunday School and said she would fit right in! :) Trust me - my girl loves to dance! I know it won't be anything too spectacular for a few years, but man it's going to make for some cute pictures and videos! She even has to wear a leotard! I love that!!! Her first class was supposed to be this Thursday, but Cody is taking me to Wicked for my birthday so she will actually start next week. I can't wait!!!

Then third - her golf club. Cody went to Target to buy a few things we needed and ended up coming home with a golf club and ball. I've seen plenty of golf sets while I'm out shopping, but I told Cody I would let him pick out her first one. Golf is his thing. And we've both said we want K to play when she's older (if she wants), but trust me - I will be doing zero of the teaching. I've played once and gone to the driving range with Cody a few times. It's not a pretty sight people. Putt-putt is about as far as my golfing skills go and that's pushing it. But Cody gave her a few pointers and K was in love! She wanted to keep playing with the club inside, so it's now a toy that will be kept in the garage until outside time. :)

When did my baby get so big? A potty? Dance lessons?? Golfing??? Someone help me find the pause button on her growing up! I cannot believe she is almost two!!!

Kindermusik and My Mama Bear Moment

2010-06-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love to do with Kaitlyn is sing. I'm convinced she loved music even when she was inside my womb. I used to hold the speakers up to my belly in hopes she would hear it. She loved her some Taylor Swift. :) As she has become older she has really started to show off with her ability to match pitch, sing tunes, and keep a steady beat. So I thought I would sign her up for a kindermusik class this summer. I've heard great things about the program and thought it would be perfect for her. And I must say I was right!

Today was her first class. Kaitlyn walked in like she owned the joint and there were already shakers on the floor for them to use as we were waiting for the rest of the class to come. K was in Heaven! She was shaking and singing and the teacher told me she was a natural. She might have been just making small talk, but I had a proud mama moment right there. :) Shortly after, the rest of the class came and we got started. Kaitlyn loved it all at first. Her teacher looked at me with amazement and said she had great rhythm - especially for her age. I was beaming...oh but I beamed too soon. Then it was time to play Put the Instruments Up. Kaitlyn was having none of that. She flat out told me no and proceeded to scream as I took the instruments away from her. Same thing happened when it was time to play Put the Seashells Up, oh and Put the Scarves Up...notice a pattern here? And don't think I wasn't the mama that put her daughter in time out in front of the other kids and mamas - I so was. She needed time out, so that's what she got. Only a minute - I'm not horrible! But then I got the ultimate slap in the face (verbally, not physically) The words I didn't want to hear, although I didn't know I didn't want to hear them until now....are you ready for this???

"She must be an only child right?"

At first I didn't even know what to say. I think I tried to smile and muttered yes, but something inside me started churning. What do you mean by that? My inner Mama Bear was about to come out. I wanted to scream, "At least she's not the boy kicking everyone" or "Well at least she's actually singing the songs and not crying and screaming 'Bye bye' to the teacher." But I didn't. I somehow kept my cool and finished the rest of the class. I know it's not a big deal, but it made me so mad! Yes, my daughter was having some issues giving the instruments back. I know it's a matter of following directions. I get that. I'm a teacher. But she's also 20 months old and still learning. Don't make rude comments. At least she was being told no by her mom and even got a time out. Can't say the same about the other kids in the class.

But with that said, K had an awesome time. She loved every single song and instrument (as I'm sure you can imagine). So we will be going back. We'll just see if mama is able to hold her tongue as well as she did today! :P

Okra!

2010-06-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

In my never ending quest to get my daughter to eat green veggies I have finally come across one she loves and eats without hesitation! Okra! I should have known with her being Cody's daughter she would have loved okra! Cody was recently telling me that his grandmother makes this really good okra and tomato dish, so I found a recipe for it and made it. Cody and I were eating it with our dinner and I must say that I wasn't too sure about it, but I ended up loving it as well. Kaitlyn was at the table with us and she kept looking at it and saying, "Yum, yum?" So I let her try one piece and she LOVED it! So I went to the stove and put more on her plate and she ate it quicker than any veggie I've ever seen her eat. Finally!!! :)

And yes, I am a big dork because I took a picture of it. I knew it was going to be in my blog and that's the only reason why I did!

2010-05-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

This is a picture for the Families Are Us photo shoot that our church put on. It's my new favorite picture of me and K - which really there aren't too many out there. I need to be better at getting out from behind the camera and getting people to take pictures of us together.

The photographer is such a sweet friend of ours. Her name is Jennifer Smith and I just adore her! You can check out her website at www.unearthedphotography.com

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe!

2010-04-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

When Kaitlyn was just born shoes were just a cute thing to add to an outfit here and there. She never really wore shoes during the day, but she would wear them to church and any holiday function. Then as she started to walk I started buying all kinds of shoes. I wanted to get the cutest ones I could find, but I also didn't want to spend a lot of money. I bought from the clearance rack at Target and Babies-R-Us, and really I was quite proud of myself for being such a bargain shopper. Then I started watching Kaitlyn's feet. Her big toes were the first to somewhat blister. Then one night we were out with Cody's parents. I looked down at her poor little feet and the sandals she had on had cut into her heel and it was actually bleeding. I felt like the worst mother on the planet. I took her shoes off right there in the restaurant and vowed to get her better shoes. That was on a Sunday night. On Wednesday I ended up having jury duty that got out at 10:00 so I had the rest of the day to myself. I took Kaitlyn to the mall and we ended up at Stride Rite. Oh. My. Gosh. I LOVED it! The lady there was so nice and Kaitlyn was just putty in her hands. She measured Kaitlyn's foot with that weird silvery thing which cracked Kaitlyn up. Turns out I had Kaitlyn in a half size too small. Again, just hand me the mom of the year award anytime. :P I didn't even know baby shoes had half sizes!!! (I still have so much to learn!) Anyway, I walked out of there with a new pair of sandals for Kaitlyn and a new pair of sneakers. Needless to say Kaitlyn's feet are in much better shape now. Did I spend more on baby shoes than I thought I ever would? Oh yeah. But I don't regret a single penny of it. Trust me - Stride Rite will have my business for many years to come!

2010-03-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

2010-03-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

Please someone tell me how Kaitlyn has grown up to look like a "big girl" so quickly!!

Undercover Veggies

2010-02-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

Kaitlyn did so great with veggies in the beginning. She didn't really take to green beans, but I could always get her to eat carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes. Now that she's eating all solids she has turned up her nose at several of the veggies she used to eat. She will eat broccoli and cauliflower, but she gets burned out on them very easily. I give her the veggie chips too, but I feel like a bad mom if I don't do something more. So now I've resorted to hiding veggies in her meals. At first I tried to just sneak them in, but she would pick around them. So now I mush them up and create a puree of sorts. But hey, it works and I feel better about her eating. Doesn't everyone like carrot and cheese quesadillas??? :P

Sonic Cup

2009-12-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

I got a movie editing program for Christmas which makes me oh so excited!!! I have so many videos of Kaitlyn that I wanted to edit, but couldn't with what I had. So here is my first attempt at just playing around with it. I made the lighting a bit better, cut some of the video out, and added a snazzy (and very unoriginal) title. I was pretty proud of myself! :) I can't wait to actually know what I'm doing and make more movies!!!

And if you're wondering....this video was on May 16, 2009. It amazes me how small Kaitlyn looks to me now!!!

Yikes!

2009-12-23T08:19:00.001-08:00

So I'm thinking that one of my New Year's resolutions should be to update this blog more!!! Geez! Christmas is just a few days away, which means I'm off work and getting to spend all day with K which I am loving!!! But the Christmas shopping really stressed me out yesterday...

Usually Kaitlyn has no problem shopping. She points to everything and yells, "Light!" (lately that has turned to "Bight" but oh well!) :P So yesterday we were at Old Navy and waiting in the checkout line. Kaitlyn was getting a bit restless, but was not crying. She was in her stroller and was getting kind of loud. She wasn't screaming out of anger or anything, but she was loud - sort of singing and sort of doing the over and over sound that she does when she is tired. So the lady behind keeps sighing a whole lot - and very loudly. I know that if I take K out she will just want me to hold her the whole time or put her down so she can explore - neither of which was a great option for me at the moment. So I just leave her in the stroller and she just keeps singing. Well then this lady says to her little boy (who mind you has to be like four), "I'm so glad I can take you shopping and you don't act like that." At this point I really almost turned around and said something, but I literally bit my tongue. But it didn't stop there. She kept saying things like, "Are you tired of shopping?" to which the little boy said no and the lady says, "Good, I'm so glad you can shop." I know what she was doing and she just kept at it. An older lady in front of me turned around and smiled at me and then talked to Kaitlyn a bit which made Kaitlyn happy so she babbled some more. Of course this made lady behind me sigh even more and I started to tear up out of frustration. But I never did turn around and say anything. As I got to the car after I had checked out I was still flustered. I was so upset that someone could be that rude to my child and me. Kaitlyn wasn't crying or screaming out - she was just making noise. It truly hurt my heart. I just hope that lady finds something that can make her heart lighter - especially at Christmas.

Anyway...I didn't want this post to be that negative....I promise the next ones will be happier! :) After all - it's Christmas time!!!

The Waiting Game

2009-10-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

So Kaitlyn ended up sicker than I thought so I ended up taking two days off of work to take care of her. Her fever would not go away and I realized that where I may be the calm collected kindergarten teacher when emergency arise at school, I am not the calm collected mother by any means. I was freaking out! When K's temp got all the way to 104 I almost called 911, but managed to call the doctor's office instead. I was bawling on the phone asking them if I need to take her to the hospital. They told me I could come in at 4:45, which was not what I wanted to hear considering it was only 2:00. I was asking them if it was safe for her fever to be that high and they were saying, "Oh, it's fine. Just give her some motrin and fluid." Well no duh - I had been doing that for two days now. Of course I know they were just doing their job, but I wanted my baby to be okay. So I did what they said and then put her back to bed. All she wanted to do was sleep. So then I had to wait. I felt helpless. Here I was - her mother - and I couldn't fix it for her. I felt like I should be in the kitchen making something that would make this all go away. I could not sit still for anything. So I cleaned....and cleaned...and cleaned some more. There was some rearranging too - and some laundry. I was a machine I'm telling you. I had been doing the same thing each time she napped the past two days. I just felt guilty sitting still. Needless to say our house would be spotless if I worried all the time. :)

I just cannot wait until she gets a little older and can tell me what hurts her or tell her she must drink whether she likes it or not. This age and sickness scares me so much. I know I'm just another crazy mom being - well, a crazy mom, but I can't help it. It does make me understand my kinder parents a bit more when they are so worried!

But good news so far today - she has been fever free and drank two sippy cups of milk without a problem. I've also been chopping up some popsicles and she is loving that! I'm going to keep her hydrated one way or another! Thanks to everyone that has been praying!! Looks like she's well on her way to recovery!

Not so fun weekend

2009-10-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

I cleared my camera of lots of pictures this past week because I knew I was going to take a zillion this weekend. We had planned on taking Kaitlyn to a pumpkin patch in Grapevine Saturday with some friends and then our church has a HUGE carnival called First Fest that was this Sunday. I love the fall and Halloween so I was just so excited to get Kaitlyn out in all of it. We couldn't last year because she was so little and on "lock-down" orders from her doctor.

Then Saturday morning came....

Cody woke her up and I was in the kitchen baking some muffins. Cody said when he woke her up her body felt really hot so he took her temperature. It was 101.6. Not good I'm thinking, but I fed her breakfast anyway because she was laughing and carrying on like nothing was bothering her. Then after breakfast I took her temp again - it was now over 102, so Cody called the doctor and off we went. Of course now I'm just about crying and thinking she has H1N1 or something worse. But the doctor tested for it and the test came back negative. He checked her ears, nose, and throat and they all looked good. So he said it was probably something viral in which case there was nothing we could do but wait it out.

So, no pumpkin patch or carnival for Kaitlyn. Number one she needed to get better and number two I don't want her to give this little bug to anyone else. She's been in the best mood all weekend though. Her appetite has been great, but she hasn't been drinking much which freaked me out because I don't want her getting dehydrated. We tried gatoraide, pedialyte, and even sprite. She didn't want any of it. So when she wouldn't even drink her normal water that she loves I started forcing it down with a syringe. Needless to say that didn't make her too happy, but it kept her hydrated! Today her temp spiked back up to 103.5, but after some Motrin again it went back down and has stayed down since. I'm still keeping her home tomorrow because I want to make sure she's better.

This just goes to show you have to roll with the punches. I can plan and plan all I want, but there is always going to be something that can kink it up. As for the pictures...I'm going to get some somehow. She will only be this small this year and I can't pass that up. There are several pumpkin patches that stay open until dusk so maybe one day this week she'll be better and the weather will be nice. I can't get the carnival ones, but she'll be in her costume on Halloween night. It does bum me out that we couldn't get all the cute pictures with our friends, but I am just so very thankful that she is going to be okay and it wasn't something worse than it is.

In her highchair as her costume waits for next weekend...at least I can say I finished it on time!

Even sick, droopy eyed, and in her pjs I think she's adorable!

Cadie's Birthday Party

2009-10-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

August 29th was Kaitlyn's cousin's first birthday party. Cadie and Kaitlyn are only 13 days apart which will be fun for them growing up. Cadie's party was so much fun! It was good practice for Kaitlyn's which wasn't too far off! Aunt Heather also had fun making a cupcake bow to go with Cadie's cupcake themed party! :)Cadie had the bag opening thing down! :)"I got this mama!"Digging in!

Can you tell she missed her afternoon nap?Cadie's turn to get upset
Trying to get the bow back in

Such a funny picture!
She was loving that balloon!

Uncle Caleb

2009-10-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Uncle Caleb was going back for his sophomore year of college at East Texas Baptist University on August 27th. He came by the house to tell us all goodbye, so of course I brought out the camera to snap a picture (okay, two) of Kaitlyn with her uncle. We are so proud of him!!!

Photo Shoot....sort of

2009-10-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

I have no knowledge of taking pictures whatsoever, but I still have fun playing around with my camera and photoshop. Here are a few that I took back on August 2nd. I really do want to take a class someday soon so I can actually know what I'm doing!

Her daddy made a face like this when he was a baby too. His parents called it his piggy face. :)

1st Birthday Invitation

2009-10-01T12:27:00.001-07:00

I didn't really like the invitations that went along with the paper goods I bought for Kaitlyn's party, so I decided to try and make my own using photoshop. I used some digital scrapbooking software that I had also and these was the final result.

Dancing Outside

2009-10-01T12:23:00.001-07:00

I was trying to take pictures of Kaitlyn outside for her birthday invitation(yes, it was the end of July and her birthday is in September, but I'm a crazy planner like that), but I never did get just the right shot. She was in such a good mood though and kept dancing her little sway dance the entire time. I just LOVE this picture because it is so her!

2009-10-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

So Kaitlyn's doctor said we should be giving her all types of food and letting her "play" a little bit so she can feel the different textures and what not. This is oh so very hard for me because I want to clean up every little bit as soon as she gets even the slightest bit messy. But I am getting better and I think this day was a big step. This was on July 28th and I let her have ravioli for the first time - well, the real kind anyway. She never really liked the toddler kind - it's just too bland. Cody said she looked like a cannibal in these pictures. Don't worry though - I took her right to the bath tub after lunch! And just in case you're wondering, the other little pieces on her tray are apples. :)

Play Date

2009-10-01T11:58:00.001-07:00

Kaitlyn had her first real play date with kids that belong to two of my favorite people in the world. This was back on July 27th (I know, I'm horrible for just now posting these) Kelly and Melanie both used to teach with me when I first got my job. They were so wonderful and welcoming and even though they both moved to other districts now we still keep in touch. Mel has moved to Tyler so we wanted to get the kids together before she officially left. Her daughter, Hunter, is the other girl that was staying with Kaitlyn during the day at her sitter. So Hunter was really Kaitlyn's first friend. It makes me sad that they are leaving, but I know we'll keep in touch and have visits every now and then!This is Kaitlyn with Jacob - he belong to my friend KellyJacob and his mama Kelly

Hunter with her mama Melanie

Whoa!

2009-10-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

Has it really been since July that I posted?? Wow. I'm officially a horrible blogger. But today I'm home sick and bored out of my mind so hopefully I can get some posts up. I love reading everyone else's too - I've been behind on that as well. I have such incredible friends and I love reading about all their adventures! Hopefully as school gets into more of a routine I can stay up to date on Kaitlyn's blog! We'll see.... :)

A Little Chit Chat with her Snack!

2009-07-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

This video is from June 14th. Kaitlyn was eating some watermelon and puffs. She was talking and talking and of course I had to grab the video camera. I have no idea what she was trying to say, but she knew! :) I have a feeling we'll soon be saying things like, "Kaitlyn, stop talking for a minute so you can eat!" Poor thing didn't quite have the feeding herself thing down yet either at that point, but boy you should see her go now! Yeah, someone can tell her to slow down with the growing up thing any time now!!

My Little Who

2009-07-13T18:11:00.001-07:00

Last night as I was washing Little Bit's hair I made it stick straight up in the air. I had my phone in the bathroom with me and I just couldn't resist snapping a picture of this. I know she'll just LOVE it when she's older...haha! Some people on facebook decided she looked like Cindy Lou Who, and one said she looked like a Hershey kiss. Either way I think she's just adorable!

Kaitlyn Jammin'

2009-07-12T22:16:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn loves to hit anything she can together, and sometimes she can get a pretty funky beat going. :) She got a sort of piano type thing for Easter, but it has too many other bells and whistles that interest her, so I bought her just a plain xylophone. The video is actually two videos together, so if you want to see her "singing" and you don't want to watch the whole thing move the time to 3:15. It cracks me up how when she's hitting it with her play mirror she changes her hands after each little bit!

4th of July

2009-07-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun for the 4th!!! Kaitlyn did AWESOME in the car. Let me just tell you - that new toy trick was so great!! I bought a pack that had two things in it - a phone and a key ring with an alarm fob. Both had buttons and sounds so I knew she would love them. And I spent just six dollars for the both of them - very much worth it!!! I'm going to get her a little something like that the next time we travel since it worked so well the first time.

It was so good to see Cody's extended family. We played games, made ice cream, talked, the girls swam, and we even napped. (Which might have been my favorite part!) It was fun to have Kaitlyn there with everyone again. Most of Cody's extended family hadn't seen her since Easter and boy has she changed since then!! She loved Cody's Uncle Randy and his mustache! The only bad thing was the weather - it was so stinking hot!!! But thank goodness for the air conditioner!! When it was too hot to sit outside we just moved in. And really I could have hacked it out on the porch with all the fans, but the babies were getting too flushed. We didn't do fireworks or anything this year - they started around 9:00 and both girls were out before 8:00. But I can just imagine what next year will be like! They'll be running around and hopefully we'll get them to stay up to see the fireworks. But it's truly amazing to have family so close. I know it will be so good for Kaitlyn as she grows up.

Big Day!!

2009-07-02T17:39:00.001-07:00

Well tomorrow is a big day for us as a family. We will be leaving on our first official trip with Kaitlyn. We're going to Paris...Texas - not France. We're not that crazy to make that her first trip! :) And we don't have a money tree in our back yard yet. It's a little under a two hour drive from our house, so it shouldn't be too bad. But then again Kaitlyn's never been in the car for that long. (It was pretty darn close last week though when my mom and I had her and we got stuck on I-20 for almost an hour!) I bought her two new toys - one for when we head there and one for when we come home. Hopefully it will keep her interest!!

It also feels like we're packing the entire house to go with us! We're only going for the weekend, but we have to pack her pack and play, high chair, diapers, toys, bottles, clothes....ahh!!! I'm getting stressed just thinking about it! Of course Cody and I will need a few things too! Gracious! But once we get down there I know it will be great! I remember going to Paris last July as a prego and thinking, "Wow, next year is going to be so different." Ha! And Cody thought I took a lot of pictures then...he'd better get ready!!! :)

WISH US LUCK!!!

All Worth It

2009-06-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to take Kaitlyn back to the zoo (yes, we've been before - no I haven't posted it on here yet, but I will and backdate it) :) June was members month and since I bought a season pass back in March I could get in an hour early on Mondays. I decided to take advantage of that today and it was so great! There were not that many people there and the zoo treated us so nicely! There were demonstrations being done, prizes, and they even gave out free water bottles and snacks. The lack of the crowd was my favorite thing though, well, that and it being early so it wasn't hot yet.

I still get a little stressed though taking Kaitlyn out by myself, especially somewhere like the zoo. I feel like all the other moms are pros and I'm still learning. Even the ones with babies, I feel know more than me. They move their strollers with such ease and I feel like I struggle. They take their babies out with no problem and I'm fighting with the straps. I know I'm crazy, but that's just what it seems like to me sometimes. So as I struggled to open the door to the penguin part of course there are lots of the "pro moms" in there. They all have their kids close to the glass taking pictures and what not and here I am with my little nine month old wanting her just to look in the right direction. There were two parts of the glass and I quickly took Kaitlyn to the one where nobody was that was a bit off to the side. Then something happened that made everything worth it. One little penguin came right up to the glass and looked right at Kaitlyn. She caught sight of him and laughed and smiled. Then the penguin open his beak and acted like he was talking to her. Kaitlyn was in love. And so was her mommy. I really almost cried right there. All the struggles with the stroller, all the "what do I get out/put it the car first" questions, all the "what in the world am I doing?" were all worth it for that one moment where my daughter was eye to eye with a penguin and loving every single second. I was only sad I couldn't get a picture. That's the bad thing about going with her by myself. Nobody is there to take pictures of the two of us. But I'll always have that memory in my mind.

And I'm not gonna lie. I also loved being able to leave right before 10:00 when the general public got to come in. There were so many people at the gate and I just strolled on by them to the exit. Maybe then I looked like a mom that knew what she was doing. :)

Here she is in front of the gorillas. I caught her at the very beginning of a cough, but we'll just say she was trying to do her gorilla impression. :)

Her favorite thing still seems to be the flamingos. She could stay just like she is in this picture all day and be happy I think. Maybe it's because they are more on her eye level. Who knows? But I did have to buy here a little stuffed one that "barks" at the zoo shop. :)

2009-06-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today Kaitlyn was in our living room having fun playing with some of her toys. Darcy was very jealous and came over to me with one of her squeaky toys. I made it make it's squeaky sound and Kaitlyn just laughed and laughed. There is just something about a baby's laugh - especially when it's my baby's - that just makes my heart melt. And yes, at the end I did accidentally throw it to where it hit Kaitlyn in the head - oops! But no fear! She just laughed harder! I just pray she will always have joy in her heart as she does now!!

I hope the video works. I couldn't load it normally up here because it was bigger than the allowed file size.

Swimming!!

2009-06-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

I was so excited about Kaitlyn's first "swim." I bought her a little baby pool that looks like a turtle and after shopping EVERYWHERE for a swimming suit (I waited too long and couldn't find her size) I finally found one I liked at Old Navy. So got the pool, the suit, the swim diapers, and the sun screen and we were ready to go! The pool I got had a place where you could hook the hose up and the water would spray up over it...yeah, not such a good idea - Kaitlyn HATED it. So after we turned it off she was fine. I brought out some of her favorite bath toys and she had a blast splashing! :)

Kaitlyn's Must Haves

2009-06-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

I went to two baby showers last weekend - one for my friend Lauren and one for my friend Anna. I've realized that now that I am a mom I buy presents differently. I used to get anyone having a baby the cutest little dress up clothes I could find, but now I'm a little more on the practical side. I got to thinking of all the things I could not have done without when it came to Kaitlyn, so I thought I would blog them. :)

The boppy pillow has by far been used the most. I used it in the
hospital, at home for feedings, Kaitlyn would lay down in it, and we
used it when she was learning to sit up as a "buffer." Darcy even
loved curling up in it, which is fine because the covers easily zip off
and can be thrown in the wash.

We tried different types of bottles, but the Dr. Brown ones are the ones she really took to. She can drink a whole bottle without stopping once for a burp! They are amazing!!

When we first had Kaitlyn I said I would hand wash every
bottle...yeah....I don't know what I was thinking. The
dishwasher basket works great and is such a time saver!

I know it's funny looking, but this chair is awesome! It really helped Kaitlyn learn how to sit up, and was great when she was just about to, but couldn't on her own. It also has an optional play tray that is good for toys or when she was just learning how to eat.

Seriously, probably the cheapest "toy" she has. Kaitlyn
would be happy playing with these all day long if we let
her. Plus they make it easy to hook on other toys to
other things.

The jumperoo is well worth the money (even though we got it
from Cody's parents. It is so much fun to see her bounce and
giggle in it. Plus it makes it easy to have her in the room playing
while I'm cleaning or doing something else.

Kaitlyn has spoiled us with sleeping through the night almost as soon as we brought her home. I think this little guy might have something to do with it. We turned it on each night and she was mesmerized. It even got to the point where we would lay her down and she would turn her head to look at the turtle and just wait patiently for us to turn it on.

This toy is great!!! It lights up and talks (shapes, numbers, color, etc.) And it's not that loud. It makes it perfect for occupying her in public places. (Sometimes jingle stuffed animals just aren't enough!)
Kaitlyn loves pushing the buttons and has dropped it several times and the thing hasn't skipped a beat! I honestly don't know what we would do without this toy!

Life Adjustments

2009-04-25T08:36:00.001-07:00

That picture right there pretty much sums up my life right now as I know it. I took it last weekend as I was cleaning. Kaitlyn's new cup had floated to the top and exposed her name. I literally just stopped and stared at it for a while. (And then of course I grabbed my camera) :) It made me think of how different my life was from a year ago. Yes, we were pregnant and getting ready to start our new family, but things had not really changed yet. We were staying up late, leaving the house whenever we wanted, having friends over until the wee hours of the morning. And now that is all different. But I 110% love my life now. I have to clean more, do laundry more, and strategically grocery shop so I don't run out of the baby essentials, but it is all worth it. Just one little smile from my daughter can make my whole day. Has the adjustment been easy? At first - honestly it was. Everything just came naturally. But after I went back to work it got a bit harder and I was exhausted each night. But now we've sort of got ourselves into a grove and have a set schedule that is working. Wednesdays are still really hard with all the church stuff Cody and I are involved in, but that's something we're going to have to evaluate together. I think some changes are in order there. Other than that, things are wonderful. Busy - yes. Hard - yeah, a little bit. Amazing - always. And like the cup in the picture represents - it's all for little Miss Kaitlyn!!!

The New Do :)

2009-04-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

The night of our church's Easter musical I was taking Kaitlyn over to my parents' house for the rehearsal and they were bringing her up for the performance. As I was getting her ready I was trying to put her bow in a place where it would keep the hair out from her eyes since her hair is growing very fast and we are constantly wiping it away from her eyes. As I was doing so I gathered her hair up and thought, "Hey - I could actually put a rubber band in it." So that's what I did. And I LOVED it!! Of course she does look a little like Pebbles from The Flintstones, but I still love it. Plus it's just another excuse for me to make more bows! Here are a few pictures to show off her new do! :)

Just Like Her Daddy

2009-04-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

I put Kaitlyn down yesterday in the living room with her boppy and some toys while I was folding some laundry. I also popped in a Veggie Tales movie so that we could have some fun music going on too. At first she was sitting up and playing just fine. I looked up at one point and just laughed out loud. Kaitlyn had scooted herself down and was looking oh so relaxed and watching the tv. She had her little arm propped up just like her Daddy does when he lays down in the floor to play with her. I love it!! Like father, like daughter!!

SNOT!

2009-04-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

This is my fourth year teaching kindergarten so I have seen my fair share of snotty nosed kids. Each time I have seen a great deal of snot I am 110% grossed out. My first year of teaching I was even brought to the gagging level because of one little girl. Runny noses have always just made me sick to my stomach.

But now my sweet little daughter has some major allergies going...

...and everything has changed. Instead of looking at her with disgust, I look at her with a broken heart wishing I could make it all go away. I wipe, I suck it out with the bulb looking thing, I vaporize, I give warm vapor baths, and I am not even the least bit grossed out with any of it. I love her - and her snot.

Will this change how I feel about my students' snotty noses? Probably not. It's amazing what being a mom can do to you.

Bubbles

2009-04-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn's sitter was telling us how much Kaitlyn loved her bubble machine that she had out on her porch. She had tried so many of the "cuter" ones, but this little $8.00 one at Target worked the best. So of course I went out and got one for our house too . We had so much fun watching the wonder on her face, and it just makes me so ready for all the wonderful things Kaitlyn will be discovering and experiencing for the first time in the future!!

P.S. Thanks to Cody's shirt one of the pictures look like our daughter now has antlers! :P

Angel's Lullaby

2009-03-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

As I was cooking dinner one night during my maternity leave I had Reba on the t.v. I had seen this particular episode before - it was the one where Reba's daughter has her baby. At the end Reba sings a lullaby to her new granddaughter. The song had me crying even before I was even pregnant and this time I almost lost it. I remember texting Candy (my sister-in-law) who was also on maternity leave because she had talked about this song before too, and then grabbing the video camera. I know it's cheesy, but I just wanted to tape her sleeping while the song was playing, so I paused the DVR and cued it up when I had the camera ready. I honestly forgot about this video, but came across it as I uploaded pictures tonight. I started crying again watching it. I cannot believe how much time has already passed and how big she is already!! Time needs to slow down!!!

**And please excuse the goofy sound at the end - I didn't get the camera turned off in time to miss the commercial. Kinda ruins the mood! ** :)

Here are the lyrics as well:

Angel's Lullaby

Midnight moonlight shining through the curtain lace
Paints a perfect picture on your perfect face
One sweet angel sleeping in my arms
You are the promise I knew God would keep
You are the gift that makes my world complete

And you'll never know how much I love you
But I'll keep on telling you my whole life through
Now I believe in miracles, and you're the reason why
So dream on while I sing you my angel's lullaby.

That's What You Sound Like!

2009-02-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

So Cody was very impressed with Kaitlyn's...well...um...ability to pass gas last night. So he made a funny sound and told her that she sounded like it. Kaitlyn started laughing so hard, so he did it again and she laughed even harder. So luckily the video camera was close by and I got it taped. It's a little repetitive, but it's so cute to see her laugh!!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Kaitlyn that we took out in the backyard on Valentine's Day. She's the sweetest Valentine ever!!!

Solids!!

2009-01-19T13:10:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that our doctor told us to go ahead and start Kaitlyn on solid foods! My little baby is growing up too fast already!! She passed her four month check up with flying colors and is a whopping 12 pounds 10 ounces. Doesn't sound like a lot for a four month old, but we're excited considering how little she was at birth and technically being a "preemie." I knew that solids would be coming soon because we just couldn't keep her full! She was downing 6 ounces of formula every two and half hours! So we started with the rice cereal. The box said to make it really soupy the first time and Kaitlyn was a bit confused, but seemed to like it. (I have a video that I'll upload on here later of the experience.) The next day I made it less soupy and she really liked it. We did that for a week and now we've tried oatmeal. I wish I would have taped that! I couldn't feed her fast enough! She loved the stuff! I can't wait to see what types of foods she will like and won't like. And I love seeing her new expressions as she discovers new tastes. Mommyhood is just so fun!!!

HUGE responsibility!

2008-12-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

I've been working on cleaning out our house, which is different from cleaning up the house. We just have too much stuff! Anyway, while I clean I like to listen to music, because well, without music it's just boring. :) So Kaitlyn and I were in the back room (office/guest room) and I had on 94.9 which is the Christian station here. The Casting Crowns song, "Slow Fade" came on. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this group. All their songs are just amazing! The kid singing at the end always gets me, but today it was a different line in the song that stopped me in my tracks. There is a line that says, "Be careful little feet where you go, for it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow." Wow. That says it all right there. Kaitlyn will be watching Cody and I to learn about life. How we interact with each other, family, and friends, how we eat, how we keep house, how we worship, how we talk, - everything. What an amazing responsibility! I've been "looked at" before being a teacher and I've seen kids imitate me. (You find out real quick what phrases you use a lot when you teach kindergarten!) :) But now I'm not Mrs. Bush, the teacher. I am Mom. That word hasn't even sunk in yet. Maybe it's because Kaitlyn isn't using it yet, but somehow it hadn't hit me yet. But Mom - that's me now. And Cody is no longer just Cody - he's Dad. We have such a job ahead of us! I am thankful I have a wonderful, loving, and Godly husband that is here to help me with this job. This is the most important job either one of us has ever held! It scares me and thrills me all at the same time. I know the years ahead will be full of laughter, tears, and prayers as we figure it all out. And we will be watching what we do because Kaitlyn will be watching us.

Too many toys!!! (And she's not even 4 months old!)

2008-12-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

Well, it's finally happened. It didn't take long for Kaitlyn's toys to overflow the storage we had in her room. And because Christmas was just here, we now have way more toys than we have storage for. So instead of buying more small baskets that match the ones we already have, we decided to buy her a toy bench. I looked and looked and had so much fun doing so. There are some really cute stores online that I never knew about! But most of the pink and brown ones were either way more than we wanted to spend, or just not the style we were going for. I finally picked one out that sort of matched her room. It's not pink and brown, but we have some of the Love Bug collection from Babies R Us in her room, so it sort of matches that too. The colors are a bit different, but not everything she has is going to be matchy matchy. :) Cody liked it too, well, honestly I don't think he cared all too much. ;) So we ordered it and it should be here in about a week! I can't wait! I know she won't be using it for a good long while, but me, being the organizational freak that I am, will be so happy that the toys will have a good place to be!

Updates

2008-12-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

I am FINALLY posting some updates, but I'm changing the dates on them. Even though I didn't actually write the posts on those days, I'm putting some closer to when the events happened because...well, I'm OCD and don't like things out of order. So look for the updates in the "older" parts too. :) Oh, and just for grins, here's another picture of my oh so cute daughter! :)

We thought she looked like Lady Liberty here. :)

Away in a Manger

2008-12-21T11:15:00.000-08:00

Today Cody, Kaitlyn, and I got to light the advent candles at church. It was a pretty exciting time for us as a family. I was really nervous that Kaitlyn would be crying or fussy, and she was right before. We ended up having to feed her in the pew right before we went down to the candles. But we got her fed in time and she did wonderful! The song right before we came down was amazing!! It was called, "Here With Us" and there was a part when it talked about Mary rocking her savior to sleep. I looked down at Kaitlyn and how small she was and how much she needed me - for pretty much everything. It's hard to believe Jesus was ever like that, but that's part of what makes Him so amazing. I am so thankful that God decided to send his Son and I cannot wait until I get to teach that to Kaitlyn!

We went down to light the candles during Away in a Manger and I almost lost it. Being caught up in the amazement of God and then thinking of my sweet family just choked me up. I thought of how Kaitlyn's coming into this world was not easy - right from the beginning. Then I looked around and saw so many faces from my loving church family smiling down and us and I realized how very blessed we are. We've had so many people praying and loving us and I cannot express how thankful I am for that. This Christmas will be the best one I've ever had. I have so many blessings including my precious little daughter. And I think back to that manger that had the biggest blessing that this world will ever receive. Praise God for his Son!

Stroller Struggles

2008-12-20T19:35:00.001-08:00

Well, here's my first attempt and catching up with the blog! Hopefully I'll get to do a lot of that over the Christmas break, but there are a million other things I need to catch up on too, so I'm not making any promises! :)

One of the things I wanted to write about when it happened, but never got around to was the very first time I used the stroller with Kaitlyn. I was on maternity leave at the time and decided to go get envelopes for Kaitlyn's birth announcements. I was going to go to Office Depot and it was right by my house so we wouldn't be gone long. It was a weekday morning so I knew not a lot of people were going to be out, and her doctor had said I could take her on short little shopping trips as long as nobody touched her. So I thought this first experience would be perfect. So I get everything ready and packed the car. I get to Office Depot and pull the stroller out of the trunk. I had managed to fold it up and get it in there just fine at home, but stupid me forgot to look at how to get it unfolded. I started pulling and tugging on anything I could think of and the dumb thing wouldn't budge. This seriously went on for about five minutes, and one lady even stopped and asked me if I needed help. "No thanks - it's just stuck," was my answer. Like I was really going to tell her I was a stupid mom that didn't know how to work the darn thing. Then I finally got it opened and got Kaitlyn out in her carrier and went to put the carrier on the stroller. Somehow before it had "snapped" in, but of course this time it wouldn't. I tried and tried...I had to put Kaitlyn back in the car several times until I FINALLY figured out how to push the bottom down. At this point I had tears in my eyes and was so embarrassed. I wondered who in the store was watching (I doubt anyone, but that's how my mind works) and I really almost didn't go in because I felt so dumb. But I did go in - went right to the envelopes and then the check out. Literally I was in the store for all of two minutes. That's it. Two minutes. I fought with my stroller for about fifteen minutes in the parking lot so I could be in a store for TWO MINUTES!!! I could have just carried the dad gum carrier in the store and not had any problems. What was I thinking???

I went home feeling like one of the dumbest moms ever, but I sure did practice with that stroller so it wouldn't happen again!! And it hasn't...but I'm sure there will be plenty of dumb mom moments in my future!

Short and very sweet! :)

2008-12-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since I've "blogged." Hmmm...wonder what could be taking up my time! :) I'll try to post over the break (and maybe some this week, but who knows!) because Kaitlyn has had so many firsts and what nots that I need to put on here. But for now, I'm beyond exhausted, almost finished with laundry, and the pillow is calling my name. So I'll just post one of my newest favorite pictures of my little angel! :)

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

Wow - did Cody and I have a lot to be thankful for this year!!! What an amazing time it was to reflect on our blessings over this past year...especially little Miss Kaitlyn Grace!! This year we spent Thanksgiving with Cody's family (per a rotation we were already on) in Arlington. Cody's grandparents were able to come in and meet Kaitlyn for the first time, as were some cousins. It was such a fun time. Cadie, Kaitlyn's cousin that was born 13 days before her, was there too. It was so fun to see the girls together and to think of all the moments they will have in the years to come!

Kaitlyn meeting great grandparents for the first time

Kaitlyn with her Aunt Candy

Cousin Cadie was tired of all the noise!

So very thankful for her!

With Daddy

With Cody's parents and grandparents

Kaitlyn ADORES her Uncle Caleb!

Her bow was not cooperating...

Uncle Caleb is so great with both girls!

Sip and See

2008-11-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

Because Kaitlyn came so early I didn't get to have my scheduled work shower. So my wonderful team planned a "Sip and See" where I could bring Kaitlyn. We waited a little while so that she could have her shots - newborns in an elementary school without shots...now that's a scary idea. Kaitlyn was great and didn't cry at all. Kelly, who used to teach next door to me, got to come too! I was so excited. I taught next to her for three years, but this year she's teaching in Burleson so she can be closer to home. It was so great to see her!! My team was so great and Kaitlyn got so many precious things from them and the rest of the school. I am so blessed to work with such great people!

Kaitlyn and me in front of the yummy cake with her nursery colors

My wonderful team!
With Kelly and her son Jacob
Grandma was there to hold Kaitlyn during the gift opening
One of Kaitlyn's many precious presents

Kaitlyn's First Halloween

2008-11-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'll admit it - I'm a big dork when it comes to holidays. And I especially love Fall holidays...well, actually just Fall in general. When September 1st rolls around I get out all our Fall decorations. I'm fully aware that's not the official start of Fall, but I just love it so much that I get in the mood early. October 1st hits I put up all the Halloween decorations. November 1st hits and here come the Thanksgiving decorations. By the way, Thanksgiving is sooo under appreciated, but I'll blog about that later. :)

So this year Kaitlyn had two little "outfits" that both were pumpkins. One was bought for her by one of my friends at work, and the other I bought just in case I couldn't find another costume. She wore the first one the day before Halloween when she went to Pam's house. (Pam is our babysitter for those who don't know) Then on Halloween day she wore the other pumpkin outfit to Pam's. Later that night, we changed her into her little ladybug costume. There really wasn't much I could find that was newborn size - small newborn anyway. She was almost a really cute butterfly, but the only costume in her size left at the store was missing the head part and it just would not have been as cute. So ladybug it was. Luckily, Darcy had a costume to match! I'm already so excited thinking about what her costume will be next year! (Told you I was a dork!)

My little love bugs! :)

Back to Work

2008-10-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the day. I finally had to go back to work. It was something I was both looking forward to and dreading for some time now. But it came today whether I liked it or not.

This morning was actually easier than I thought. I had guessed that I would start the water works at Pam's house (the wonderful lady that is keeping Kaitlyn). But I was totally fine there. Maybe it was because I was going over some last minute things...who knows. But I was really okay there. I got in the car to drive to work after that though and was okay for the first few minutes. I called Cody to let him know I had dropped her off and everything was okay, but while I was talking to him I got all choked up. Then, stupid me decides to play the sappy song about a daughter (I'll post the lyrics at the end of this post) over and over until I got to work. So of course my makeup was pretty much running down my face when I walked into my classroom. I composed myself pretty quickly though trying to get everything ready for the day, but lost it again once I went to pick up my students. Other teachers were stopping me asking me how I was holding up and I couldn't even complete a sentence. (I'm still blaming some of my crying on hormones...just because I can!) :)

The day itself went pretty well - much better than I thought it would. I have such great kids this year (just a few little attitudes I'll have to get in check, but nothing I can't handle!) I really forgot just how much I love my job. It just felt...natural to be back, and I get this almost charge from teaching. I was so happy seeing the progress that had already been made and my mind is already working on what I can do for each kid. I know that I am right where I need to be professionally and I am truly thankful for that. Of course there is a lot of work ahead of me. Six weeks of not doing things "my way" in my room has got me a bit stressed, and I'll have to do a lot of reteaching of routines and such. But I'll get there - slowly but surely...well, not too slowly since it's almost November! But I'm ready for the challenge!

And Kaitlyn was just fine, and I knew she would be. God has truly blessed me with our situation. Kaitlyn is in a great home where she will be care for each day I'm working. My mind is so at ease and I am beyond thankful!!!

Speaking of thankful - I have AMAZING friends and family that loved on me so much. Starting last night I got text messages, emails, voicemails, and even an ecard saying they were thinking of me today. Everyone knew today would be hard on me and they just poured out their support. And then there's Cody. I honestly don't know what I would do without him. He left a little later today for work so he could help me out at the house. He helped me relax (as much as he could) while I was driving to work. There was already an email on my school account when I got to work from him telling me to have a great first day back, AND he sent a wonderful edible arrangement to my classroom. (I have a weird thing about getting flowers...I think it's very silly so the fruit was perfect for me!) I thank God each day for having such a wonderful husband. Having him, my awesome family, and amazing friends...does it get any better??

I know I'm going to get sad here and there knowing that Kaitlyn is spending so much time with someone else, but I know in my heart it's the right thing to do. I truly feel like I'm called to my job and I know that some of my kids need me. I'm not trying to say I'm a wonderful teacher or anything along those lines, although that's what I strive for. But some of my kids don't have the greatest of home lives, and if I could only teach them one thing this year it would be that they are loved and that I believe in each and every single one of them!

Here's that song that I just think is great. Cody's really good friend Aaron told him about it first and Cody and I both fell in love with the song as soon as we heard it. If you have a daughter you need to go get it from I-tunes. Even if you have a son - get it. It's great!

It Won't Be Like This For Long By: Darius Rucker

He didn't have to wake up
He'd been up all night
Lay'n there in bed listen'n
To his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee
He splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says
It gonna be OK

It wont be like this for long
One day soon we'll look back laugh'n
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on
It wont be like this for long

Four years later bout four thirty
She's crawling in their bed
And when he drops her off at preschool
She's clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him
He says what can I do
She says now don't you worry
This will only last a week or two

It wont be like this for long
One day soon we'll drop her off
And she wont even know your gone
This phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on
It wont be like this for long

One day soon she'll be a teenager
And at times you'll think she hates him
Then he'll walk her down the isle
And he'll raise her vale
But right now she up and cry'n
And the truth is that he don't mind
As he kisses her good night
And she says her prayers
He lays down there beside her
Till her eyes are finally closed
And just watch'n her it breaks his heart
Cause he already knows
It wont be like this for long
One day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone
Yeah this phase is gonna fly by
He's try'n to hold on
It wont be like this for long
It wont be like this for long

YAY!!

2008-10-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

Today is a huge day for me!!! (I know this is going to be silly to some people) I am oh so very excited because I pulled a pair of my non maternity jeans out and decided to give them a whirl again and they fit! Now, they were what I considered my "fat jeans" and they are for sure not those anymore, but still - THEY ARE NOT MATERNITY!!! WOOHOO!!!

Now for those of you lucky moms that fit back into your jeans right away...yeah...just don't write any comment please. I'm happy for you but don't want to hear it. :P

I was able to wear some of my other pants and capris for a while now, but the jeans just didn't work - until today. Now, I still have sooo far to go when it comes to baby weight and all. I'm gonna hold on to my oh so favorite jeans and make for darn sure I fit in them eventually. It might not happen soon, but I'll get there...just gotta take baby steps...haha - get it? Okay - I need some sleep. :)

Bow Head

2008-10-15T18:19:00.001-07:00

So I saw these oh so cute bows in all the boutique stores, but I never could quite make myself pay what they cost. So I ventured out, bought some ribbon, and tried to make my own. I've made several, but this is the first one she has actually worn. I'm sure I'll add some more pictures later of my other creations...it's actually really fun to make them!

Big Girl Bed...er...crib :)

2008-10-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

Because Kaitlyn was in the NICU and hooked up to so many machines that told us everything was okay, Cody and I were very nervous the first night she was home. We had her sleep in the bassinet right by our bed. I don't think either of us slept too much that night. I was constantly getting up to make sure she was still breathing. The second night was a little better, but we still had her by our bed. On September 23rd we tried the crib and it worked great - actually, I think she slept better in there than the bassinet. We have a sleep positioner that is just wonderful and sets me at ease. Plus we have an awesome monitor that picks up every single sound. She's been in there ever since, but I did take pictures the first night. She looks so tiny in the big crib! :)

One Month Old!

2008-10-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

Wow - Kaitlyn is already one month old today. It's crazy - time has gone by so quickly!!! She's already a whole other baby since we brought her home. She is starting to eat more, stay awake more, and she's developing this wonderful little personality. :) I cannot even begin to express just how much I love this little girl - it's beyond any kind of happiness I could have ever imagined. So often you hear that, "You never know true love until you have a child." Well, I don't think it's quite that, because I have felt love from my family, friends, and oh so much love from Cody, but this is just a different type of love. And really, no words I put on this screen right now would do it justice.

We took Kaitlyn to the doctor yesterday for another check up and she's doing great. Actually the doctor called her perfect! :) She now weighs 7 pounds and 5 ounces, so she reversed her birth weight of 5 pounds 7 ounces. She's also 20 inches long. It's amazing to see her grow that much after so little time. I am just so very thankful to God that she is healthy and growing the way she is. And we still have 8 more days until her official due date! :)

There's No Place Like Home!!

2008-09-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

Dorothy hit the nail on the head - There IS no place like home!! We were so happy the day we got to take Kaitlyn home. It was one week and one day after she was born. I was so very happy, yet scared all at once. Before she had been hooked up to machines that told us the second anything was wrong. Now it was all our judgment. The first night was so nerve racking and I don't think Cody or I had any sleep. Rooming in at the hospital was scary too, but at least nurses and doctors were just a call away there. Not so at our house. But everything went great and we are just so very blessed to have her home!

The dress that she came home in is very special to my family. My dad actually bought it over 30 years ago for my cousin Michelle to go home in. Then each of the girl cousins wore it home from the hospital - including me. Kaitlyn is the first girl in the next generation so she was able to keep the tradition alive. The pictures right from the hospital she doesn't have socks on because she just had her PKU test done and the nurses told us to leave them off. (Just in case you were going to scold me like the random lady did in the lobby of the hospital.) I swear when you have a baby everyone feels the need to put their two cents in! ;)

Legacy

2008-09-24T14:12:00.001-07:00

What exactly does the word legacy mean? It's hard to really say. If you look it up on dictionary.com this is what comes up:

"anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor"

Kaitlyn is my legacy. And that's what I am for my grandmother - her legacy. Kaitlyn is part of that too.

I lost my grandmother the day we roomed in with Kaitlyn at the hospital. She never got to meet Kaitlyn. She saw pictures, but never got to meet her - she missed it by one day.

I knew it was going to happen, and I knew it was going to be soon, so it really was no surprise when I got the phone call from my dad...but it didn't hurt any less. My grandmother went home from the hospital with a hospice nurse the day that I had Kaitlyn. My family tried to keep it from me because of the stress I was already under, but I guess they didn't think that their whispers carried the way they did. My family had all come in from everywhere to say goodbye to my grandmother - something I didn't get to do because I was at the hospital with my daughter. I know I shouldn't feel guilty and there's really no controlling what happened, but I would have loved to been able to say one last goodbye.

I was able to go to her funeral though. It was the day after we came home with Kaitlyn, and Cody's mother was so gracious to come watch her for about two hours. The pastor that did the ceremony talked about how my grandmother always had a sense of family and home no matter what. If you knew how many times my dad and his family had to move because of my grandfather's time in the army you would understand just how special that really was. My dad and his two sisters each graduated high school in a different country - yes, country. But no matter where they went my grandmother made it feel like home.

I didn't get to say goodbye and honestly it was so hard for me to really comprehend that it really happened because I had been so focused on Kaitlyn and her getting better. But now I've had some time to reflect and think back to how amazing my grandmother truly was. She always lived closed to us so I was lucky enough to have her in my life while I was growing up. She came to birthday parties, Christmas mornings, graduations - everything. She was the one who picked Tony or I up at school when we were sick because mom and dad were working in Dallas. When it came to grandmas it just didn't get much better than mine. That's why I want to create that same sense of home that my dad and his sisters had growing up. That's what I want for Kaitlyn and that's what I'm going to make sure I do for her. My grandma would have wanted me to.

Here are some memories I have of her:

-Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments - every year in July she would get us a Wish Book from hallmark and each of the grandkids would pick out the ornament we wanted. (I wrote a blog earlier on this) The one I got this year is for Kaitlyn - Baby's 1st Christmas. I love that it's the last one that is truly from my grandmother. It wasn't just ornaments either with Grandma. She sent a card for every occasion. If you went into the Hallmark store with her you would smile because all the clerks knew her by name. I swear she helped to keep that store in business.

-Her having two televisions in her living room. She had to do this she said because the sports seasons overlapped. She'd watch the rangers and the cowboys or mavericks or whoever was on. If two televisions were on it was because there were two games on at the same time and she couldn't miss them. :) My favorite thing that she would say when she got mad at a team was, "Awh, come on!"

-Her dollhouse. She made the most amazing dollhouse in the side of the wall in her sunroom. It had pictures on the wall of all of us grandkids when we were babies. She made food and plants out of a special kind of dough and then would paint it. It looked amazing. When I was younger she let me go in and "check" to make sure everything was in the right place. Occasionally a fork or something would be a little out of place (in my eyes) and she would let me carefully move the glass back and take tweezers and move it back into place. She also came to my 4th grade class to speak about the dollhouse hobby to my whole class. I was so proud and I don't think I stopped smiling the whole time she was there.

-The "cookie drawer." It was the bottom drawer in her cabinets right by the fridge. She always had it stocked with cookies and no matter when we asked we could always get one.

-She never missed an episode of The Price is Right or Wheel of Fortune.

-She had sooo many clocks in the house and it seemed like all of them "tocked" at different speeds, but that was the sound of Grandma's house.

-When Tony and I would spend the night sometimes on a Friday we would wake up to the smell of bacon. She always made us bacon with our breakfast.

-She always had peppermints in the living room and in the car. You always had to be prepared for fresh breathe.

-She taught me to write the names, locations, and dates on the back of pictures. I never thought I would forgot people's names and where we were until recently when I came across some old pictures from junior high. Wish I would have followed this advice more.

-When she IMed me while I was away at college she signed each IM screen "Love, Grandma"

-She knew real love when it hit her - my grandfather and her eloped. They drove from Shreveport to Waskom, TX when she still lived with her parents. They married in Waskom and she was home by curfew. They kept it a secret for almost a month and a half! I always loved listening to that story. Once I asked her if it made her sad to talk about my grandfather (he did when I was four) and she told me of course not. She loved to celebrate his life.

I could go on forever. I know that I was truly blessed to have a grandmother like the one I had. She was beyond amazing. She was a role model, a teacher, and just an extrodinary woman. I want to help live out her legacy in my life and my daughter's - and I intend to follow through with that.

NICU

2008-09-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

My daughter is in the NICU - that's all that was going through my mind the next morning and for almost a week after. I had known of other people that have had babies in the NICU and I had seen it on countless movies and tv shows, but never in my mind did I think I would have a baby in the NICU.

At first I couldn't go see her. I was still recovering from surgery and they wouldn't let me go down to see her with all my i.v.s and what not hooked up to me. Cody could go down and he took pictures for me, but it still killed me that I couldn't see her. I hated the pictures too - not that I didn't instantly fall in love with her and think she was the most beautiful thing ever, but there was my precious baby with tubes and cords all over her and I couldn't even be there to tell her it was okay and that I loved her.

Eventually I was "unhooked" and was able to be taken in a wheel chair to go see her. It was the best and worst thing ever. She just looked so helpless to me and I couldn't as a mother do anything for her. The nurses told me all I could do was put my hand on her back because her skin was too sensitive for me to hold her or even rub her back. I wanted more than anything to just hold her in my arms.

The next few days were full of ups and downs. Cody and I went to see her periodically throughout each day and she continued to have progress and setbacks. She would be breathing great, but not eating...then she would be eating more, but not maintaining her body temperature. It was so stressful, but each minute that I got to spend with her was a minute I was thankful for.

Friends and family came up to visit while were in the hospital, which I am so thankful for, but it was also so sad to me. I had gone plenty of times up to the hosptial when someone I knew I had a baby - even two weeks before for Casey and Candy's daughter Cadie. Each time everyone would take turns passing the baby around talking about how cute he or she was. But when I had visitors all I could do was update them on Kaitlyn's status. I wanted to be the proud mom and show her off to everyone, but she was still hooked up to machines in the NICU. Not that I didn't love having everyone come see us - it meant so much to both Cody and me. But it just wasn't what I wanted it to be.

Then Saturday came and it was horrible. I was discharged from the hospital but Kaitlyn was not. Cody and I had to go sit through a discharge class and everyone there brought their baby but me. I had to fight back the tears the entire time. At the end of the class the nurse started to pass out the discharge forms for the babies. When I told her that my daughter was in NICU and wasn't being discharged she said really loudly, "Oh well then you can go ahead and go. You don't need to be here for this part." That's when I felt the tears really coming and there was nothing I could do to stop them. Cody and I had to walk all the way across the room to the door and it seemed like everyone's eyes were just glued to us. By the time I got to the hallway I just about lost it and broke into the horrible "ugly cry" as Oprah calls it. It just wasn't fair. All these parents got to take their babies home with them that day and we couldn't. I know that she was right where she needed to be and was getting the help she needed, but I just wanted to have her in my arms and at home. When we left the hospital it was by far the worst car ride of my life - and I cried the entire way home.

The next few days I was again running on autopilot. My body was sore and I was exhausted, but I made it up to the NICU for all the feedings that I could. I even went to church that Sunday - everyone there thought I was crazy for going, but they were doing Kaitlyn's rose presentation and I wasn't going to miss it. Plus I would just go crazy sitting at home.

Kaitlyn kept making progress and eventually we got the "rooming in" orders. That meant Cody and I would have to stay a night in a hospital room with Kaitlyn and she wouldn't be hooked up to any machines. We would have to chart her body temp, dirty diapers, and amount of food she was taking every three hours and report them to the nurse. If she did okay all night and morning we would get to go home with her. I don't think Cody or I slept for more than 10 mintues that night but Kaitlyn made it through the night like a champ and we were more than excited to get the discharge orders the next morning from the NICU doctor!!

C-section?? Tonight??

2008-09-21T19:27:00.001-07:00

Wow - I cannot even begin to explain the last two weeks. I put a quick update on here, but I'll go into more detail now - now that I'm able to. I'll have to do it in parts though because there is so much to cover. Before I swear I was running on straight adrenaline. I honestly don't know how I got through some of what I did...my God is an awesome God let me tell you!

Cody and I had a scheduled sonogram last Wednesday. Actually, it was one we were going to have earlier, but I had to reschedule it because I needed to go to my "normal" doctor. Let me back up for a bit...some of you may not know this because, well, it just doesn't always come up into conversation. (And my mother is going to kill me for putting it up on my blog...she's still coming to terms with the whole sharing of information on the internet) :) I have what is called a bicornis uterus which means basically I have a heart shaped uterus instead of a normal one. Mine has two "horns" as the doctors say. This is something we didn't find out about until our first sonogram and the technician went, "Oh." I knew that wasn't the best thing for her to say and then I got the news. Basically I was told that the biggest problem with someone with my condition is getting pregnant. That explains why it took Cody and I so long after we started trying to get pregnant. I was also told that my uterus might not be able to stretch enough for full term baby and that I would most likely have a c-section. Naturally I was scared to death thinking I was going to lose my baby. My doctor referred me to a specialist to monitor Kaitlyn's growth (which is why I have so many sonogram pictures). Everything was normal the entire time and I thanked God after each sonogram that our little girl was doing great. The one we had done prior to this last one even showed that she was head down which meant I might be able to deliver her naturally and avoid the c-section. Then Wednesday, September 10th came...

I left school just a little bit early to make it to the appointment. I thought it would be no big deal and I was going to head up to church right after for the first night of children's choir. Cody met me up at the doctor's office and in no time we were in the sonogram room ready to see our little girl again. The technician was so very nice, but soon into the sonogram she got very quiet. She quickly printed out two pictures for us and then left to get the doctor. She was gone for quite a while and Cody and I were just talking about all the things left in the nursery we needed to do. I honestly just thought the technician was shy or just straight to the point...I didn't think anything was wrong right then. Then the doctor came in and without a hello or how are you he quickly told me, "Heather, your amniotic fluids are dangerously low and I need to get you to labor and delivery now. We need to have this baby today." I felt like someone had just punched me in the stomach. I didn't even have words to say. Cody quickly grabbed my hand and the doctor was explaining something to him about the cord possibly being wrapped around her if we didn't get her out soon, but at the point my ears were basically ringing and I was crying. I went numb all over and basically felt like I was in a bad dream. I was only one day shy of 35 weeks and I had just read that her lungs were not fully developed yet. How can they be telling me it was time to get her out?

They took us to some kind of stress test room and told us we could wait there until they got a hold of my regular doctor. By this time I was shaking all over. Cody and I both got on our phones and called our parents. I remember trying to act so calm and asking my mother to come get Darcy and bring my bag (that was not yet packed completely) up to the hospital. After that I called Beth from church and let her know that I would be able to come to children's choir that night...and I was suppose to bring cookies. Then I called my team and let them know I wouldn't be at work the next day. Cody and I continued to call friends and family to let them know what was going on...I felt as though I was on autopilot the whole time.

Soon after we were told that my doctor would not be able to come in that night, but to go ahead and go to labor and delivery. Since the specialist's office is at the hospital it wasn't too far, but it was raining so Cody went to get his truck and take me to the other side of the hospital. I sat down outside waiting for him and I just felt numb all over - I was going to have my baby today and she was going to be five weeks early. It still hadn't really hit me. Again, I felt as though I knew what was going on, but I hadn't really come to terms with it yet and my body was just going through the motions.

We got to labor and delivery and had to wait on registration which took what seemed like forever. By the time we checked in my mom was there with my bag and we were ready to go up to my room. In the room they told me to dress in the hospital gown and that they would come hook me up to monitors soon. As soon as they did I found out that I was actually having contractions...silly me thought Kaitlyn was just moving funny. I had even told Cody that she was making me feel tight in my stomach - yeah, shows how much I know! Then the doctor on call came in to talk to me. He told me I had two options. One, we could do a c-section that night, or two, we could wait until the morning and have me induced. I asked what each meant as a risk and he told me that neither one would be a risk for me, but that natural labor might cause Kaitlyn some stress because of the low amount of fluid, but there was no way to tell. That did it for me - c-section it was. As terrified as that made me there was no way I was going to risk anything happening to Kaitlyn. After Cody and I talked about it and agreed on having it we told the doctor and it was scheduled for 8:00 that night. By now it had to have been after 6:00, so I had some waiting ahead of me. Cody's mother was there by then and my dad came soon after. Cody's dad has a new job in Sherman so he was driving in, but made it before I went in for the surgery.

I ended up going back around 8:20. I remember being so scared that my legs were literally shaking the bed. They were going to do something called a spinal block instead of an epidural and Cody couldn't be in there with me for that. They opened the doors to the operating room and I felt like I was in a movie. The lights were so bright and the room seemed just huge to me. As soon as I sat down to get the spinal that Leona Lewis song came on the radio - the one that goes, "You cut me open." and "I keep bleeding." All I could do was laugh and I could hear Cody out in the hall saying, "You have to be kidding me." I told you I felt like I was in a movie and the soundtrack was just right! :) Almost instantly I couldn't feel anything from my chest down. They had to help me to the table and then Cody could come in. The nurses strapped my arms down and that's really when I think I started to panic, but I couldn't do anything about it. I could hear the doctor talking to me and I understood everything that was being said, but I couldn't talk at all. I was trying so hard to say something, but nothing would come out of my mouth. In my mind I thought I was going to be one of those cases where they gave the wrong amount of medicine and now I was going to be a vegetable for the rest of my life. But when they realized I wasn't answering they gave me some oxygen and then I could finally speak - although it was barely anything that made sense from what Cody told me.

The c-section was the weirdest experience of my entire life. I didn't feel one ounce of pain - no cutting or anything. But I did feel pressure and it was so very strange. I knew they were literally taking my insides out and I felt nothing but pressure. Then they told me they were going to push down on my to slide her down a bit more and that's when I felt the entire table move. It was beyond crazy. Soon after I heard the best sound ever - Kaitlyn was crying - and loudly! That meant she could breathe and I was overjoyed! I could sort of see them cleaning her up out of the corner of my eye, but as I tried to turn my head I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I caught a glimpse of Cody holding her in front of me, but again I was fighting harder than I ever fought before to stay awake. Then the NICU nurses took her back to the NICU and the nurse told me I could go to sleep...and I really don't remember too much until the next morning. I do remember saying something to my parents and Cody's parents when I got back to the room after a while and also when our music minister from church came up to check on me - I would know that voice anywhere! :) But the rest is all a blur. I think it was the combo of the medicine and the relief of all the stress I had balled up since that afternoon.

I am so thankful for all the doctors and nurses that helped with the c-section that night. Because of them I have the best thing that has ever happened to me!!

Here she is!

2008-09-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Quick Update

2008-09-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know Kaitlyn came a little earlier than expected. We went in for a sonogram on Wednesday and found our amniotic fluids were very low and we needed to have her that night. So we decided to have a c-section and get her out as soon as we could. She was born at 8:46 p.m. and weighed 5 pounds 7 ounces. She was 17 and a 1/2 inches long. She's just beautiful.

Kaitlyn is in the NICU now. She is breathing on her own which is such a blessing. She does have a feeding tube and an I.V., but is slowly but surely beginning to keep food down. We are going to try to feed her today at 2:00 with some milk I have pumped in the hospital room. Hopefully she'll keep up all the progress and get to come home soon. Cody and I are going home sometime today...well, being discharged anyway. We're going to take everything home and then come back up to be with our sweet little angel.

Thank you for all the support and prayers we have already received. Please continue to pray for all of Kaitlyn's doctors and nurses and their knowledge and help. Keep praying for Kaitlyn's recovery as well - she's a tough one!

I'll update more later. Just know that she's perfect!

As shown

2008-09-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

My parents bought us Kaitlyn's travel system - yay! We can now legally leave the hospital when the time comes! :) So Cody and my dad decided to put it together. The instructions kept saying do this..."as shown" and had some silly drawing to look at. Needless to say it took a little longer than everyone anticipated, but I sure got a kick out of it! :)

I love the last picture because you can see my mom trying to read the instructions, but my dad is still eyeing the stoller trying to figure it out. Classic.

The Power of Shoes

2008-09-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

I remember having do to a speech in college on my beliefs. I still have it written somewhere around here... But that's not where I'm going with this. In that speech I had sappy parts and strong parts, but of course I tried to have some light hearted parts as well. I remember writing something along the lines of, "I believe in the power of shoes - whether they be glass slippers, ruby red slippers, or just a great pair of Old Navy flip flops." Now, I FIRMLY believe in the power of great tenny shoes. No doubt about it.

We were told this year that we could not wear flip flops to work anymore - and really, they aren't too professional, so I do see the point. But then again I teach kindergarten and get dirty and spend most of my day on the floor anyway (at least I did before I was almost nine months pregnant!) Well, my "dressy" sandals don't exactly fit right now, so I went out and bought some of the croc sandals - not the ugly garden looking shoes (sorry if that offends anyone) but the the ones that are two toned and have a little silver buckle type thing. Man, they were comfortable and I actually got some compliments on them. Only problem was by the end of the teaching day my ankles and feet looked like they belonged to an elephant. So much for that plan. The cute crocs will have to wait. I took some advice from a first grade teacher and wore a pair of tenny shoes the next day to work. My feet did not swell one bit! I was in heaven! So now, whatever I wear is topped off (or I guess technically bottomed off) with my snazzy tenny shoes. Nope, I don't look cute, and frankly sometimes it's a bit embarrassing, but you know what - at the end of the day I'm not swollen and that's really all that matters to me right now. :) And for anyone out there saying, "You can wear cute shoes, just stay off your feet and make the kids come to you." or anything along those line. I laugh at you - and in right in your face too. You come into a room full of 18 five year olds and teach effectively while not getting up and down all day. I dare you...

She wore an itsy bitsy teeny weeny...

2008-07-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

I just have to tell this story - it was just way too cute not to share!

My sweet husband and I were at Target the other day to update our registry and we walked past the swimsuits...not the baby swimsuits, but the normal women's swimsuits. Cody kinda stopped and looked a little sick. I asked him what was wrong and he told me he had a horrible flash into the future. I looked at him thinking he'd better not be thinking about the baby weight! But when he explained I nearly died laughing in the store. He said one day Kaitlyn is going to want to wear a bathing suit. I told him, yeah, she probably would. He informed me that he would be going with her to pick it out once she got older. I asked him what made him think she would want him there. His answer was if she wants to be able to wear one he was going with her and making sure it was "appropriate." He was so dead serious and already very worried. It was beyond sweet!! She's not even here yet and he's already got the protective daddy bit down! I love him more than I can say! :)

Oh, and we go to our birthing class this Saturday...I'm sure there will be a post after that!

7 months down!

2008-07-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

Geez - where is the time going? I cannot believe I'm really seven months pregnant! I keep watching the count down and today it says 83 days to go. In my mind I think, "Oh, that's so far off," but when I really stop to think about it, it's not! I went to Garden Ridge last weekend and was shocked to see all their Halloween decorations already out. I froze and thought - Kaitlyn will be here in October. Garden Ridge is more prepared for October than I am right now!

We have the office all moved to downstairs and her nursery is on it's way to being complete! Her crib is up complete with bedding. That day was pretty amazing to me - just looking at the crib knowing that in a few months my little Katiebug will be there! (Okay, so I won't be able to call her Katiebug anymore, but that's what I had been calling her since we picked a name...but that's a whole other issue that just isn't "appropriate" for blogging...I'm getting past it....really I am....I just had to use it one last time.) :(

Darcy knows something is going on, but she can't quite figure it out. Cody and I keep using Kaitlyn's name and saying, "This is for baby Kaitlyn" but all Darcy does is turn her head to the side in confusion. It will be very interesting to see how she reacts when she really is here. Her world is about to change...as is ours!

As far as I'm concerned I'm feeling great, except for the massive heartburn I get almost every day (and night) now! I think it's more of acid reflux than heartburn, and I've read it's normal, but man, it is killer! I was out of Tums last night and near tears and Cody was so sweet to run to the store for me. You have never seen someone down those things as fast as I did last night. And I've heard it only gets worse from here. Great. Just great. But you know, when my back is hurting, or the reflux is really bad all she has to do is kick once and then I think it's all worth it. Soon I'll be holding her and all the aches and pains of pregnancy will be a distant memory.

Oh, and my grandmother has already passed down a sweet tradition to Kaitlyn. My grandmother has always bought a hallmark keepsake ornament each year for each of her six grandchildren. This year she got Kaitlyn's very first one so that the tradition can start for her. Trust me, it's great once you get married because you actually have ornaments for the tree. And each one brings back memories of Christmas in the past. My grandmother gets them in July and she already sent over Kaitlyn's. Here it is!

Working Mother

2008-07-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

I swear...if I get asked this question one more time I'm going to scream! "Are you going to teach next year?"

YES!!! Now, if you're one of the ones that has asked me it's okay - not a big deal. It kind of goes with that whole pregnancy politeness of, "How are you feeling?" I know it's a normal question that I'm sure every working pregnant woman gets asked, but the thing that bugs me is that when I'm quick to say that I am going to work I get this I feel sorry for you look from some people. That's the part that drives me nuts!

The truth is I 110% LOVE my job. I truly feel it is a calling...trust me, if money were a deciding factor for me I wouldn't be teaching. I've never heard of someone thinking of going into teaching for the money - it just doesn't add up. Sure, the extra money does help, and we probably could afford for me not to work if we made some adjustments here and there, but I don't want to quit. I love what I do too much to stop, and I'm not getting my masters degree just because I'm bored or so I can stick some piece of paper on the wall and say, "Look what I did." I want to learn all I can about teaching and being the best teacher I can be. There is nothing better than hearing or reading about a new method and then seeing it actually work with a struggling student. Talk about rewarding! And honestly, I just don't see myself as the stay-at-home mom type. It's just not my personality - and I don't think that will make me less of a mom. Sure, I am going to love spending time with Kaitlyn and I will for sure enjoy the breaks and days off here and there, but I think I would go insane if I couldn't go back to work.

Now, at the same time I don't think any less of the moms who do stay at home. That works for them. Some people are just wired differently. And I've been told (mostly by moms who have ended up staying home) that I'll change my mind once she's here, but I don't think I will. I have such a desire for my job that I can't explain...it sounds silly, but again, I just love it. But yes, I do get upset when I think about how I'm going to have to leave Kaitlyn already when I do go back to work. And I know I'll cry when I do, and I'll be one of those crazy moms calling all the time at first just to make sure things are okay. But I'm not going to feel guilty for going back to work and I'm not going to let anyone else make me feel that way either. I strongly believe you can still be one amazing mother and work - trust me - I grew up with one! :)

A Mother's Prayer

2008-07-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this song so much!!! I play it on iTunes and hold the computer speaker up to my belly so Kaitlyn can hear it. The words just mean so much so I thought I would post them on here.

A Mother's Prayer (Celine Dion)

I pray you'll be my eyes
And watch her where she goes
And help her to be wise
Help me to let go

Every mother's prayer
Every child knows
Lead her to a place
Guide her with your grace
To a place where she'll be safe

I pray she finds your light
And holds it in her heart
As darkness falls each night
Remind her where you are

Every mother's prayer
Every child knows
Need to find a place
Guide her with your grace
Give her faith so she'll be safe

Lead her to a place
Guide her with your grace
To a place where she'll be safe

Love and pillows :)

2008-07-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have one amazing husband. I already knew it, but sometimes he blows my mind.

I've been having a horrible time sleeping lately - I never knew how much of a stomach and back sleeper I was until I couldn't do it. The whole sleeping on my side thing was good in theory, but my arms would go to sleep and I just couldn't get comfortable. I was telling about all my aches and pains to one of my friends, Melanie, and she told me about this pregnancy pillow. It's in the shape of a c and she was swearing by it. So I went home (well, to my parents' house...read the other blog for that one) and searched to see what it was all about. I read reviews from other preggos saying it was amazing as well, so I told Cody I was going to give it a shot. Trust me, at the point I was at I would have tried just about anything.

Well, that Saturday I had a wedding to work at church. I had to be there at 11:00 and I wasn't finished until after 4:00. I got back to my parents' house and Cody was out helping some of our friends pick up a lawn mower - the perks of having a truck! :) I went upstairs to change my clothes and there on the bed was the pillow I had been talking about. He had said nothing at all to me about going out and getting it, and I had just got off the phone with him and he didn't even so much as mention it. Maybe it was the hormones or exhaustion, or the combo of the two, but I started to cry. I am so very thankful to have a loving husband that cares so much for me. It wasn't even the "purchasing" of the pillow. It was that he had listened to me, knew I was miserable, and went out of his way to do something to help me. How very blessed I am!

Oh, and for anyone wondering - it actually does work! It's a funny looking thing, but I love it and can actually sleep now! :)

Kaitlyn, I hope you will hold out for a man just like your daddy. I want you to find someone who listens to you and who cares for you. I want you to find someone that loves you and wants to see you happy and that still surprises you after years of marriage. I can't wait for you to meet the man that does that for me! He loves you so much already!!!

New pictures

2008-06-18T13:27:00.001-07:00

We have three more pictures of our daughter today!!! Boy was she moving around! It was actually really funny and it was fun to know she's growing just the way she is suppose to. She's about 1 pound and 7 ounces as of now. We also got to see her legs and they seemed so long! The technician also loved her feet again so we got another picture of her feet...well, one foot anyway. I wish we had one of her legs so people could see what we saw! Her face is getting a little bit more humanlike too.

Also, Candy, my sister-in-law, told me about this book called, Oh, Baby, the Places You'll Go! It's a Dr. Seuss book sort of like the Oh, the Places You'll Go! and it's meant to be read "in utero." There something about the rhyme and rhythm of it that babies are suppose to be able to remember after birth, so of course I went out and got it and I've read it to her everyday since then. I love the last two pages:

You'll find that this world's
a great place to begin,
but it could use some help-
which is where you come in.

So now, as my voice
burble-urps in your ear -
with a bump-thumpy sound
that is not very clear -
the words I am saying
you hear in your heart,
and know that I wish you
the very best start.

It's a scrumptulous world
and it's ready to greet you.
And as for myself...

well...
I can't wait to meet you!

20 Weeks?!?!

2008-05-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

Gosh - are we really there? Yesterday was officially the 20 week mark. I have been reading my prenancy book week by week - well, sometimes I peek into the next week, but for the most part I stay on track. Yesterday when I read the 20 week chapter it started out, "You have officially reached the halfway point!" I can't believe that's already here! Of course if you had talked to me about two months ago I thought the first trimester would never be over! Now I'm past all the morning sickness and yucky feelings. I have a TON of energy during the day which had been missing there for a while. The only big problem now is sleeping - I just cannot get comfortable! I'll lay on one side for a few minutes and then I start to hurt. So then I'll flip to the other side and the vicious cycle just keeps going!! I wake up each morning to find the sheets almost pulled off the bed from all my tossing and turning. Thank goodness Cody is a heavy sleeper or he'd never get sleep! And of course I have had to cut my wardrobe choices down because over half my stuff won't fit over the baby bump...oh the joys! :)

But 20 weeks just doesn't seem possible. I just keep thinking, "Wow, that's only 20 more weeks left until she's here!" We're not even close to being ready! We had said we wanted to move before she got here - the two story thing isn't working for us. We have two bedrooms upstairs and one downstairs. We would like to go ahead and move into a one story house with more bedrooms, but now that it's almost June and we only have 20 weeks to go until she gets here (and that's assuming she doesn't come early!) I just don't see that happening. So if anyone knows anyone that really wants to buy a house....let me know! :)

Oh, and we went ahead and started our registries - we've already had someone say they wanted to throw us a shower in July so we thought it would be fun to go ahead and get that going. Talk about overwhelming! Sure, I was the typical me and researched consumer reports on the strollers, car seats, etc. but when we got to the bottle section I just stared and stared. Who knew there were so many types of bottles? Not me for sure! I literally almost cried right there in the store. My loving husband just put his hand on my back and led me away saying we could read up on all that and come back later. So the next day I started asking everyone at work which bottles they used and I got about four different answers...solved nothing. I guess Kaitlyn will just have to let us know what she likes and doesn't like! All I know is that my first objective for the summer is to read and read about babies, but something tells me I still won't feel as prepared as I want to be - and I've only got about 20 more weeks to get myself ready!

Nursery

2008-05-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

We have decided on the nursery colors and bedding. I'm not too big into "themes" such as frogs, butterflies, etc. I've seen precious baby rooms done in themes and if that works for them then great - but that's just not me. Cody and I decided on pink and brown. I searched at a few places before I found a bedding set that I loved. I finally came across this one. (This is from the website...we don't have her room ready yet!) I hope Kaitlyn likes it! :)

Her name

2008-05-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

We decided on a name!!! We had a few that we were playing around with, and then we decided on one and thought it best to sleep on it before we started telling people. So, we slept on it and still loved it so we are going to name her...

Kaitlyn Grace

There is no particular reason for Kaitlyn - we just really like the name. It's an Irish form of Katherine which means "pure." Grace was always our middle name we had picked out - just to remind us of God's grace. So basically the name we picked means pure grace and I don't think it can get much better than that! :)

Right after we found she was a she we told our parents and then Cody had to go back to work. I had taken the entire day off (I knew I didn't want to go back to school after such exciting news) so I did what any crazy new mom would do and went to BabiesRUs. I knew Cody had been hoping for a boy - and really, what guy doesn't want one? So I found a pink Rangers set complete with booties, hat, onesie, bib, and blanket. I also found Kaitlyn a little camo outfit so she can match her daddy during hunting season. And I just couldn't resist the Daddy's Little Cupcake outfit. I had to make myself stop though...I could have stayed in there forever! I was excited before, but knowing what she is and now having a name it makes it just that much more real to me and I cannot wait to meet her!!

Kaitlyn also got her first present from someone else. Linda Denson, my junior high principal, bought her a dress that is just too precious! I promise I won't keep taking pictures of everything, but since it's her first I just had too! :) (If you think the pictures are bad now just wait until she actually gets here!)

Kaitlyn's first official present :)

We're having a girl!!!

2008-05-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

Finally we know! Today the sonogram told us that our little one is a girl! It was so incredible - as we were in the waiting room, "Isn't She Lovely" came on the radio and I thought - we are so having a girl. It was like God trying to tell us one last time before we found out for sure. :)

It's strange too because so many people have stopped us lately and told us they thought we were having a girl. One of my teammates just stopped me in the middle of lunch this week and said, "You're having a girl. I just know it." Yesterday when I told my class I was going to be gone because I was going to the doctor to find out if the baby was a boy or girl one of my little ESL kiddos came up to me and said, "My mom say you have a girl baby." I guess both of them knew what they were talking about!

Now, we just need to agree on a name.... :)

Everything else is going great too. We got to see the heartbeat and saw the four chambers. All the major organs were right where they needed to be, and all the fluids and such were good. That part is so relieving! The pictures weren't as great this time, but I know soon we'll have a little one to stare at in person - and she'll be perfect to us!

Not so modest this time!

The head is looking a little less like Batman...I was told she has my chin already. We'll see!

Still waiting

2008-05-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we went in for our sonogram on the 23rd...and no luck. We still do not know the gender. Our stubborn little baby kept his/her legs crossed the entire time. S/he was pretty much doing flips and waving his/her arms around like crazy, but those legs were not coming apart! So we go in again on May 21st - keep your fingers crossed...or maybe not crossed...that just seems to encourage the wrong thing. Just hope really hard for us! :)

We did get some really neat pictures - the face ones do look a little creepy though. My dad is now calling our baby batman because of them.

This one is my favorite - I love him/her so much already!!!

Look at those perfect little toes!

BATMAN!

It's a.....????

2008-03-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

Boy or girl?? That's a huge question in our minds right now. Sure, we say it really doesn't matter and that all we want is a healthy baby and that is 110% true, but not knowing the gender is hard! Of course we have been looking at all the old wives tales and what not - just for fun. Here's what we've found out so far.

Heartbeat test: The old wives tale is that if the heartbeat is over 140 beats per minute it's a girl, and if it's under 140 beats per minute it's a boy. Our's was 161, so that one says GIRL

Chinese Lunar Calendar: Checking your "chinese age" with conception time on a chart GIRL

Ring test: This is the one when you take your hubby's wedding ring and swing it above your belly. If it swings in a circular movement it's a girl. If it swings back and forth like a pendulum it's a boy. This one was performed by a family friend, Barbara Glover, at a wedding shower and she concluded it was a BOY

Cravings: The old wives tale on this one is if you crave meat you're having a boy and if you crave fruit you're having a girl. Since I physically have to force myself to eat meat nowadays and I can't stop buying fruit I'm going to conclude GIRL

I know this is all pretty silly, but at the same time it's fun to try and guess. The truth is we'll know April 23rd what we're having and the days are going to drag so slowly until then!!!

Here's a picture of the ring test being performed...not the most flattering of pictures, but oh well. :)

First Sonogram

2008-03-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

Our first sonogram was this past Thursday, March 13th - which also happened to be Open House at my school, but there was no way I was going to pass this up. I left a little early from school and headed to my doctor in Mansfield. It took me almost 45 minutes to get there (I work in North Arlington) and I had not been nervous at all until I was in the car by myself thinking about what was about to happen. I kept thinking crazy things like what if there was no heart beat, or what if there was something else wrong and I had already told all these people we were pregnant. I tried so hard to get these thoughts out of my head, but I was so nervous about the whole thing that I was literally shaking. Cody had been working out of town all week, but was going to meet me at the doctor's office so he could be a part of this too. I guess I was more nervous than I thought and completely missed the turn to the doctor's office and Cody was already there so he was watching me and laughing the whole time as I was making my u-turn to get back to the doctor.

Anyway - to make a long story short (or shorter) everything was fine. We could see our baby right away - especially the head and the little arm buds. It was beyond anything I have experienced before. One arm was moving - I said it was waving and Cody says it was practicing it's curve ball. :) I cried. I just couldn't help it. There is a life inside of me and I was finally seeing it. Then the technician asked if we wanted to hear the heartbeat - of course! She turned up the volume on the machine and man did we hear it! So, being me, I cried again. Cody was squeezing my hand and he was just as amazed as I was. It was one of the best times in my life and I am so thankful to have such a wonderful and loving husband to share it with! I am still blown away that our love can actually create a little life. We got two pictures that are great, but they don't show exactly what we saw. When the frame was frozen the bottom of our baby got a little bunched up or something, but you can still see the head and little arm buds. Cody was so cute too when we were leaving. He told the receptionist that they really should have made a copy of the pictures for me since he would be taking the ones we had then. :)

I hated that I had to go to Open House right after the appointment - all I wanted to do was go home and stare at the pictures of our baby! But it was great to be able to show my teammates the pictures, and I finally told my principal that I was pregnant.

That sonogram was so relieving and amazing to me!!! I am so thankful everything so far is okay and that our baby seems healthy - I just pray it stays that way! I can't wait to see more pictures of our little one and to find out whether we're having a girl or boy!

We're Pregnant!!!

2008-03-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

Wow - even writing the title of this blog makes me smile! I can't believe I'm actually writing the words, "We're pregnant!" Is there anything greater to write?? It's just down right amazing to me!

February 9th was the day we found out. Cody had been golfing (shocking I know) and I just had this crazy feeling that I was pregnant. Without getting into too much detail, it was still a little early to be sure in other ways, but I thought I'll go get a test and see what happens. I wanted to do it before Cody was home, but he pulled up in the driveway right after I did. I hid the bag in my purse and waited a while. He was checking his email at the computer, so I hurried into the bathroom to take the test. Within seconds it came up "Pregnant." I must have stared at that thing forever before really comprehending it. Then a HUGE smile came across my face and I ran into the computer room. Now, in my plans I had always thought I would have some kind of #1 dad hat or card or something cheesey like that to give to Cody when I found out I was pregnant, but when the actual moment came I completely ruined all those plans. I ran into the office and put my arms around his neck and had the test less than a foot from his eyes. All he could do was say, "What? What?" and then, "Are you serious?"

We hugged and I cried and then we hugged some more. I told him I just had to go to Barnes and Noble so off we went in search of a pregnancy book. I must have read the back covers and part of every pregnancy book in the store until I finally decided on the one I wanted. We got back in the car and said that we weren't going to tell anyone until we knew everything was alright. So of course I kept that for all of 10 more mintues and I called Kelly (my best friend at work) and told her. I justified it by saying someone at work had to know in case anything happened, but of course I was just too excited to keep it to myself. The next morning we went to church and Cody's praise team was singing. He came up to me right before the first service and told me he had slipped and told his friend Kris. All I could do was smile because I knew he was just as excited as I was. I ended up calling my best friends from college later that night and Cody called a few friends as well. We were going to wait on family though, which seems a bit backwards, but we had our reasons. My mom's birthday was coming up and I thought that would be a great time to do it. Cody's brother and sister-in-law are pregnant too and we wanted to give them a little time to celebrate before we shared our news as well.

How We Told His Parents
We went up to his mother's office where his parents and brother were. Earlier in the day Cody had made this shirt (and when I say made, I mean white t-shirt with magic marker) that said #1 Dad (soon). We had been talking normally the entire time and then Cody told them we had some news - he lifted up his shirt and revealed the white #1 Dad (soon) shirt and his parents were literally in shock. It was so funny! Then there was lots of hugging and excitement and even more shock. Cody then went in the hallway and called his little brother and told him the news.

How We Told My Parents
Like I said earlier, my mother's birthday was coming up - February 16th. Now, let me tell you, it was beyond hard to talk to her on the phone and even plan a shower with her and some of her friends and keep it a secret! But I knew her birthday would be a perfect time so I did my best and I actually kept the secret! For her present I bought her a Grandma's brag book, a book called Grandma and Me, and two bibs - one that said, "What Happens At Grandma's Stays and Grandma's" and I honestly can't remember the other one right now - but it was grandmaish too. :) So on her birthday Cody and I went over there and we talked for a while and then handed her the present. As she was opening it she got this really confused look on her face and then started saying, "What? What is this?" My dad looked over and then looked at me and said, "Are you pregnant?" Even before I could answer yes he was already picking up the phone to call my grandmother. It was so my dad! :)

Needless to say, both of our families were shocked, but very excited. Our little baby is going to have two amazing sets of grandparents!!!