Random Ramblings

Here they are again.  The random thoughts that creep in and out of my head on a daily basis. 

*I love watching the Olympics and tear up multiple times a day just watching.
*I am more aware of the date at this point in the summer though I am still always a little unsure of the day of the week!
*Back to work is quickly approaching, 17 days to be exact, and I am trying with all my might to ignore it.  I've worked in my room a little but I might not do any more until I really HAVE to.  UGG!  It's soooooo much harder now that I'm a mommy.
*Our 4 year anniversary is Thursday!  YAY!  We are going to spend the first night away from Austin on Saturday as we celebrate with a mini (24 hour) vacay in downtown Dallas.  (I have mixed emotions....I really need the time with Tayt but I'm still struggling with leaving Austin.  I really hope this gets easier.)
*The countdown is officially on to hear about Tayt's acceptance to nursing school.  I pray the time flies and we get a YES!
*It's after 10pm and my baby has been sleeping in his crib for 2 1/2 hours but all I want to do is go in there and pick him up and hold him.
*At this time last year I was in California with my mom.  She is there right now and I wish I could be there too.
*I'm so proud of Trent, Grant and Caroline who all got new jobs within the last two weeks!
*I'm still on my "Facebook vacation", though I did cheat and log on once this weekend.  I didn't find anything exciting, so I am still good with my decision.
*I can't wait to teach with one of my dear friends again this year, but I can't even think about her moving to another state at the semester or end of the year.  I love her dearly and never imagined having such a strong bond/friendship with someone 20 years older than me.  I love you Jeanie!!!!
*Tomorrow I am getting my hair cut and colored!  I have not had it done in 4 months, yikes!
*Tayt got me a massage/manicure/facial for Mother's Day and I've been saving them up until the end of the summer.  I need to make those appointments soon. :)  :)

Liebster Blog Award

My good friend has taken pity on me nominated my blog for a Liebster Blog Award!  A What???  Yep, that's what I was thinking too.  When she commented to tell me she nominated me I kind of thought someone had hacked into her account and spammed me!  So I moseyed on over to her blog, Isla Cunningham Books, to see what this was all about.  Her explanation was perfect so I am going to quote her....(hope you don't mind A!)

""Liebster" means favorite or beloved in German and the award is given to recognize up-and-coming blogs with fewer than 200 subscribers."

I immediately started to laugh out loud...really, LOL!  Fewer than 200 subscribers...I HAVE 5.  Okay, to be very honest I know I have more than 5 people who read my blog but many of them are family and I'm sure they have no idea how to follow me.  I'm lucky they even figured out how to find my blog.  Sorry guys, but you know that is true for a few of you.  ;)  I'm sure there are some out there that are blog stalkers like I was for so long.  I trolled around blogs for months before actually "following" anyone.  I just didn't understand the whole blog world and I didn't want some stranger to question who I was or why I wanted to read their story.  So, what I am saying is...If you are a reader and not a follower, feel free to follow along!  I know my life is not incredibly exciting and I probably just look like a mommy obsessed with my baby (that's true), but I hope to branch out and blog about other things soon! ;)

Back to the Liebster Award...Thank You A for nominating me!  Did you feel obligated after 25 years of friendship or was I one of the few blogs you read with less than 200 followers?  Just kidding!  Love you!!  So now for the fun part!

Here are the rules:

• Post 5 random facts about yourself
• Choose 5 other deserving blogs with less than 200 subscribers to nominate and link their blogs in your post.
• Tell your nominees you have chosen them for this award by leaving a comment on their blogs.
• Answer the 5 questions the tagger has asked you and ask your own 5 questions to the people you nominate.
• No tag backs.

Are you still with me??!!  Here we go!

Random Facts:

1.  I had my Gall Bladder removed a week after my 17th birthday in emergency surgery.
2.  I wanted to be an elementary school teacher since before I started elementary school.  I never wavered in that career choice except for a short period of time when I said I wanted to be a pediatrician.  That was probably before I started high school science classes.
3.  I met my husband on what was technically a blind date to the Homecoming football game my freshman year in college.  He was wearing a backwards baseball cap and bought me a corny dog at the game.  I was hooked!
4.  I love TV!  I watch way too much TV especially in the summer when I am off work.  I love HGTV, BRAVO, TLC, Food Network, any reality TV, sitcoms, talk shows, you name it!
5.  I am a terrible singer but every morning on my way to work I turn the radio up really loud and sing as loud as I can.  This is how I wake myself up.  When I was pregnant, this would be the first time of day I would feel Austin move.  But after the 15 minute drive, he would be still for hours after that.  I think I wore him out!  And, I ignored my husband's requests to not sing too loud while pregnant.  He didn't want Austin to come out tone deaf like his mother! HAHA...time will tell!

My 5 4 Nominations: (I realized that most of the blogs I follow are big time and have tons of followers, so I only picked 4.  I hope that isn't too against the rules!!)

This Years Love

The Meek Moose

Chet & Sarah Erwin

The Muir Family Blog

My Questions to Answer:

1. Why did you start your blog?  Easy!  I wanted to document the memories of our little family once our first son was born.  I am NOT a scrapbooker and I didn't want to do a traditional baby book because I knew I would never take the time to print pictures, cut out things, save trinkets, etc.  It is an easy way to share the events of our every day lives with friends and family that do not live close. 

2.  What do you enjoy most about being a mom?  Easy again...EVERYTHING!!  Everyone told me how great it was going to be but you really have no idea until it happens to you.  I love how my heart just bursts with love for him all day long.  I love his sweet smiles and laughs.  I love the way he looks at me and knows I am his mommy.  I love his smell, his soft skin, his lips, his hands, his feet, his eyes!  I love watching him with his daddy and seeing their relationship.  It is like no other.  Sorry, there was no way to narrow that one down...I could go on and on.  IT IS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE!

3.  What do you see other parents struggle with that is a breeze for you?  Sleep!  Austin has always been a really good sleeper.  He slept in a pack and play in our room until three months.  He would wake up a few times a night to breast feed but when he was done I could put him right back down and he was out.  The first night we put him in his own crib he slept through the night and he has been doing it ever since.  When he is tired he starts to fuss and suck his thumb.  We put him right in his crib and he goes to sleep.  Right now he is taking a morning nap for about an hour, a two to three hour afternoon nap and he goes to bed between seven and eight and sleeps until seven or eight.

4. What do you miss most about your life before kids?  Being able to just go and do what I wanted to do whenever.  Now it takes some planning and packing to go anywhere.  I feel like we are late a lot of places now too.

5.  If you could offer one piece of parenting advice to your readers, what would it be?  I have only been a parent for 6 months but I've been a teacher for 6 years now so some of my knowledge/advice comes from "parenting" my other babies!  Always keep in mind that "they are JUST BABIES/KIDS".  They are going to cry, fuss, break the rules, wear you out, and make a mess.  But when it comes down to it, they are just kids and they deserve to do those things.  That is how they learn.  Step back and take a deep breath, life could always be harder.  Relax and don't stress out.  No one is perfect and kids are no exception.  Embrace their little personalities and enjoy every moment.  All of this is a gift from God and I am grateful for every bit of it, even the fussy days or messy classrooms.

My Questions for YOU:

1.  If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
2.  What is your perfect meal?
3.  What is your biggest pet peeve?
4.  Would you consider yourself messy or clean? Why?
5.  What is something you couldn't live without?

Have Fun!!

Mini Blog Makeover

So, as you can see our blog got a mini makeover.  I was tired of the old design and was looking for a change.  Now I would LOVE to have a fancy, custom design with pictures of my sweet family and all the bells and whistles but after looking into it a little, it just didn't quite fit into our budget!  So I went on a hunt for a cute, FREE new look and I'm pleased, for now.  The only thing I don't love is that it won't let me rearrange the list of gadgets on the right side.  I wanted the "About Me" first but Blogger just isn't cooperating.  I'm giving up for now, who really cares anyway! 

I hope you enjoy the new look!

6 Months Old

I have been a mommy for a half a year...wow!  Austin is 6 months old and we are loving every minute of it.  This is such a fun age.  Friday Austin had his 6 month check up with Dr. N and we got another great report!  Here are his stats...

Weight: 16lbs 10oz (50%), Height: 26in (50%), Head: 16.3in (10%)

Physical Exam: A+, Normal

Development: Excellent, Very Social :)

Our little man is BUSY BUSY BUSY this month and learning so much.  Here is a list of all the fun things he is getting into.

1.  Getting up on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth.  He is trying hard to crawl but hasn't quite figured it out yet.  At first I was encouraging him and then I came to me senses and I am fine with him staying put for a little bit longer, because I know when he starts crawling our house will be turned upside down!

2.  Sitting!  He is sitting on his own now and we think it is precious.  He still wobbles and falls but his strength and balance are getting better each day.

3.  Trying to go from being on all fours to sitting.  He will lean to one side and get up on the one arm but can't push all his 16lbs 10oz up into the sitting position.

4.  Reaching and grabbing everything.  Everything still goes in his mouth!

5.  He loves to grab his feet and put them in his mouth.

6.  He found his ears and pulls on them and rubs them, especially when he is drinking his bottle.

7.  This may be TMI but he also found his "pee-pee" during bath time.  hehe!

8.  He is drinking five 5-6oz bottles per day.

9.  Eating solids!  Twice a day he eats rice cereal and a fruit or vegetable.  We have tried bananas, peaches, applesauce and green beans so far.  Peaches are the favorite!

10.  Sleeping 12 hours a night! YAY!!  From 7-8pm to 7-8am!

11.  Two naps a day.  Morning nap (about 1 hour) Afternoon nap (2-3 hours)

12.  No teeth yet but he constantly has things in his mouth and drools a lot.

13.  Such a happy baby.  He laughs and smiles and babbles all day.  He started "yelling/screeching" this month.  He doesn't do it because he is upset but simply to hear himself we think.

14.  Recognizes his name!

15.  Recognizes mommy and daddy and familiar faces.  He is not too sure about strangers or people he doesn't see often.  He will stick out that bottom lip and makes such a sad face.  It doesn't take him long to warm up and start showing off though.

16.  Loves dogs.  He watches Tanner and laughs at him a lot.  Stella has been here for a week while my parents are on vacation and I'm pretty sure she has licked him a thousand times and he just laughs at her and grabs her fur.  They are friends!!

17.  Loves bath time and swimming in the pool.

18.  His favorite thing to do is jump in his jumper!  It is so funny to watch.  (Videos coming soon!)

19.  He watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Baby Einstein (Yep, I'm one of those moms who lets my child watch TV.)  Mickey is his favorite and he gets so excited to do "The Hot Dog Dance" at the end.  (Again, videos coming soon!)
20. Still a thumb sucker. Since I have 15+ pacifiers I give them to him to play with and he chews on them but does not want to suck on one.

Now for the good stuff!  Here are some pictures from the month....

Trying a lot of new foods this month.

Daddy's teaching him to LOVE guitar.

His very own pool!

We have a sitter!  And yes, that is a paci but he does not suck on it, he just plays with it! ;)

Funny faces at dinner!

Happy Baby

He loves books!  This makes Mommy happy!

Sweet snuggle time before bed!

I just couldn't put him down this night!

The doctor said he could try the sippy cup.

Ummm... not too sure about this thing.

Watching cartoons before bed...See the sleepy eyes.

Sleepy Baby

Relaxing!

Happy 6 Months Austin!  You are loved more and more every day!

From The Phone #3 (Favorites 0-6months)

In honor of Austin's 1/2 birthday tomorrow, here are some of my favorite phone pictures from the last 6 months.  I will do my best to narrow down these pictures but get ready for an overload of cuteness.  I'm also almost finished with his 6 month post and hopefully I'll have that up on time tomorrow!



I LOVE MY SWEET BABY BOY!!!!!!!!!