Holy Cow! She's almost 1!!! =(

I have been having a hard time lately thinking of the upcoming birthday. Today I almost cried when I came across the clock I used when I was nursing her. When I was rocking her today and playing with her hands I almost couldn't take it. How did this happen so quickly?

She has been having SO much fun with family and her sister Zeah! David's mom and grandmother came to help! I only have 2 more weeks of working full time!! I'm so blessed to have the work schedule I have! God really does know what he's doing! Hopefully the next year will go ALOT SLOWER!

Lindsay

I almost have a 1 year old!!!!

So I can't believe I just ordered my daughter's first birthday card invitations!!! ?How did that happen? This past year has gone by so fast, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!! I've said it many times that I would gladly start from day one and do it all over again!! The one thing I would try to remember is that everything is just a phase!! Even the sleepless nights and feedings every hour! =) I long for those days to do over again to experience it all over again, taking it in! Rylee has 10 teeth now!! We found to top molars yesterday!! She is crawling and cruising furniture! Sometimes she is brave enough to stand on her own just for a second letting go of the furniture. Zeah is here for the summer and Rylee LOVES her big sister!! She just looks at her with such awe!! I love it! David's mom is here to help us for 1 1/2 weeks since I'm working full-time this summer. It's been hard being away so much from Rylee but I know she is in GREAT hands and loving being spoiled by grandparents. =) I started letting Rylee "fuss" herself back to sleep about 3 weeks ago and it has been great! She sleeps until 7am or later!! I was making the mistake of going in there and trying to put her pacifier back in and would end up rocking her most of the night. Now I just put 2-3 pacifiers in her crib and when I go in to get her in the morning she will have 1 in her mouth and she will be holding the others in her hand. It's too cute!! I can't believe she's almost 1!!!
Life truely is GREAT!!

Lindsay

Stationery card

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So...I'm not very good at this... =)

So aparently I'm not very good at this blogging thing. Rylee has grown so much! She has 8 teeth now!!!! That's crazy! And she is RUNNING in her walker! She can get around so fast in that thing! She army crawls all over the place. She also will "follow" me when I leave the room. She is too cute.....EXCEPT.....when she pulls my hair! It is to the point that I want to shave my head! She thinks it's HILARIOUS and mom is left a little less amused! I just read some posts on babycenter.com and realized I'm definatly not alone. I need to redirect better.

On a lighter note, we had a great mother's day yesterday. David made me such a great steak and I will be getting new counter tops and back splash. I'm excited!

Lindsay

Making room....and finding balance!

With the addition of a child comes the shift in balance. After the wonderful joy of this new life comes the great balancing act! Figuring out everyones new role in the family and what is expected of them should be a priority. However it gets put on the back burner. I'm trying to vent and be vaque at the same time. Let me just put it out there.

David stays home with Rylee more than I do. I know that it's hard for him being outside the more masculin role and being Daddy ALL day (I think it's the LONG days that are more difficult). I need to work on being more understanding and less vocal. Everything is a work in progress. It's hard to keep in mind that your relationship, your marriage, is the most improtant thing. Anyone who has been in my shoes knows that that relationship is the hardest to work on. Getting two people to speak the same language and solve problems at the same time is like getting a dog not to chase a cat. It's hard, but possible. At least we have the same goal in mind. That is something to look on the bright side about.

Enjoy these picture of Rylee and me. I'm so proud of the sweet, funny, happy girl she is!! I had a dream that she crawled last night. But everytime she is on her tummy she just gets so mad. I know it's because she KNOWS there is something she could do and it makes her mad that she can't (JUST like her mommy) =)   Lindsay

I want him to feel what I feel!!!

I was hanging Rylee's clothes for Dittos For Kiddos (a huge consignment sale) and looking at her small onesies that don't fit I lost it! I called David and told him that he should have to help me go thru some of these so he could feel the way I do and his response was "They're not my daughter, all they are are some clothes she wore once and spit up on." The silly thing is that's how he REALLY feels. So why when I look at them do I see my tiny baby that used to fit in them? Why does a piece of clothing evoke such sad feelings? Are women really wired that much differently than men?
On another big-girl note, Rylee slept thru the night last night. That makes a whole week. I miss those feedings more and more every day! She has also begun rolling all over the place. Last night she just kept rolling to the right until she hit a chair. And instead of rolling the other way, she just kept trying to roll right. It was too funny! Guess it's time to really BABYPROOF things!! =)

Lindsay

A walk and a duck!!

So last night was interesting. David and I made it about 35 minutes before we couldn't take it anymore. David just kept saying "I think she's hungry" =) Code for I can't take it anymore. So we got her up and she ate 8oz and I layed her in her crib while she was still awake and she went right to sleep on her own. This only adds to the cufusion on if I'm doing the right thing for my baby. We will just take it one day at a time. On a lighter note Rylee and I went for a walk today. She LOVES being outside! Here is a picture of her ready for her walk:

 She loved her walk and I thought she looked so cute in her hat! The other pictures are of her new favorite thing. We had been giving her a bath in the sink in a rubbermade tub and she was clearly outgrowing it. So I found this at Target and it is FABULOUS!! I don't have to bend over the tub to keep her from falling from side to side and she can kick and spash all she wants!! It is the cutest thing ever! She is either going to be a swimmer or a bicycle champ =). Enjoy!

Belated Six Month Shots...

Well, Rylee got her 6 month shots plus the first part of the flu shot on Tuesday. She did well with them. She cried a little longer this time, but all was well. The doctor gave her a book and she loved it! She thought it tasted yummy. She also thought his stethascope was good. She can fit the whole thing in her mouth. =) She weighs 18lbs 3oz! No wonder my back has been hurting. The only thing the doctor said that is breaking my heart is that she is waking up in the middle of the night to eat out of habbit. He strongly suggests that we let her cry/sooth herself back to sleep. I haven't minded the feedings at all. She wakes up anywhere between 1am and 4am and eats and goes right back down (most of the time). It's a time I enjoy. It's just her and me and it's quiet and our time that we have always shared. It's sad to be loosing that time. I don't want her to grow up yet. She is only 6 months and I'm having a hard time letting go of these stages. I can't imagin how I will be when she's older!?!

On a lighter note he said that we could start introducing finger foods (ie. peas, cereal puffs, stage 2 baby foods) so last night when David was home we tried the cereaf puffs and that was a great face!!! She wasn't so sure about the texture! But once it softened she was good. She would NOT put them in her mouth, which is shocking to me because EVERYTHING goes in her mouth (including mommy's chin).  She would hold them in her hand though. Say a prayer for this weekend as we try and let her cry thru the night. I plan on leaning on the grace of God and resting my sad heart in His hands.

Lindsay

Rylee's First Snow!!!!

We have snow!! I had a snow day with the family (and of course Rylee woke up at 5:45am)! I really wanted to make a snowman for Rylee, but the snow was too powdery (sure it's a word). It was really bright outside so we put Zeah's sunglasses on Rylee and I tried not to wet myself. She was soooo funny! She just kept looking around at everything! I'm sure she was trying to figure out what happened to everything and why it looked so different! It was hilarious! Next, we bundled her up like the little brother from A Christmas Story and out we went. She seemed to enjoy it. I hope next year she's able to run in the snow and we can make a snowman. BUT I'M NOT IN ANY HURRY!! Do you hear that Rylee? Don't get any ideas. Grow SLOWLY my lovey baby!

 

Lindsay

Sooooo....my workout video came in....

So my workout video came in. In a way I'm motivated to lose a few pounds. But on the other hand I am the MOST comfortable in my skin than I have EVER been. I've had a baby and I know that my body is this way because of the miracle that is my baby. So I will work out...right? =) Yes I will. The battle rages on.

On another note, I will have to work a full week in March and I'm already dreading it. Just the thought of a 5 day work week makes me really sad. I'm going to try and focus on the fact that I have many days ahead with my darling baby and that it's just for that one week. I'm going to try not to think about this summer. I will have to work a few more 5 day weeks. So lots of pray on finding someone to watch Rylee a couple of days a week for this summer.

Lindsay

Here we go again!...sort-of

Well, Rylee's teeth are hurting her and she is fussy. I think she's continuing to teeth, but she wasn't this fussy with the bottom two. She has been very clingy and doesn't want me to leave the room. Some people say I hold her too much. I didn't believe them until now. I'm wondering if her teeth are just bothering her or if I've spoiled her. Just another thing to make me wonder if I'm doing things right. =) Here is a belated picture of the day we found Rylees teeth!

I'm also adding a picture David took one day when she was sleeping. She has this thing where when she's tired she pulls things over her head. It's too cute. She was sleeping but woke up when David took the picture.

How far we've come!

Today is a big day for me. Six years ago today my life turned around for the better! Someone once asked me where I thought I would be 5 years from that point in my life and I could never have hoped for so many blessings! I have a wonderful husband who I am learning to love new and differently every day ;) and two wonderful daughters. Rylee is growing and learning so much everyday. And Zeah is growing into such a sweet young lady! There is no way I could have imagined my lfe any better than it is today! Thank you Lord for sweet blessings and second chances!
Lindsay

And now we have TEETH!!!

I need to put a rock on my baby's head!! She is growing up way too fast! Yesterday David was holding her at the table and she was going to town chewing on his finger. And all of a sudden he let out a loud "OWW". She has teeth!!!!! Two teeth on the bottom are poking thru! She is such a big girl. I will post a picture later of her. We couldn't get a picture of the tooth because she keeps sticking her tongue out. She needs to stop growing up!

There's no one like me....

So David has decided that he doesn't want us to do daycare come February, which is great. But now I have to find someone to watch the little on a few days a week. I don't want to go full-time, but one of the ladies I work with takes spring break and the summer off. So I know that they will need me at work. David said that I'm needed at home too. It's hard I don't feel like I'm putting work first, but I know that I have a responsibility at work. I enjoy my job and I know that they want me to be there a little more because they think I'm a good employee. It's just a rock and a hard place. =)

My baby LOVES me!!!

This morning my little angel woke up around 6am and I went and got her and she went straight to sleep in my arms so I laid her in bed with me and she let me sleep until 8:40am!!! Thank you so much little angel!!! =) Happy Thursday to everyone!

Sleeping like a baby?!?

Let me start by saying I LOVE my baby girl and I am one of the lucky moms whose baby has slept thru the night waking up once to eat around 3-4am. However, for the past few weeks she has been "waking" up several times fussing and crying, but her eyes are closed. I try to put her pacifier back in and she still fusses a little bit. So I will pick her up and rock her for a few minutes and then lay her back down and she's back to sleep. Last night she did this at 10pm and then 12:30am. I'm not sure if I'm doing anything wrong. I don't let her cry herself to sleep, and don't plan on it because what we have works. I'm soaking it up because the constant reminder of how fast she is growing up is at the fore front of my mind.
I just wonder who came up with this saying and was there a note of sarcasim in the original statement that hasn't kept up with it thru the years