Lil' Syd Grows Up!

Caroline (Sydney is her first name in case you didn't get the title) is growing up so fast. I was just telling Dan the other day how they're only little babies for such a short period of time.
 She says a few words now including uh-oh, bah-bah for bye bye, of course mama and dada, daaaah for dog, and her most recent addition is shiii for outside. It's so cute to hear her learning to say these words!

She points to her belly button now (in addition to her head, ear, and foot). She loves Harry the Bunny on babyTV. She smiles so big every time he comes on and wears those big sunglasses. I actually find myself loving Harry the bunny, too. :)

If you sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" she will point to her head and toes and will clap to "If You're Happy and You Know it!" She is so much fun!

Here are some pictures from a few weeks ago on Easter morning. I was really surprised at how well she did with finding the eggs and putting them in her basket (and eating jelly beans that got all over her dress!)

My smart girl

Video 37 a video by jhenry418 on Flickr.

Mama is loud and country sounding. Ignore that.

Superhero Birthday Party!

My nephew's 4th birthday party was today and it was so much fun! My sister in law is always so creative and does a great job with her kids' parties and this was no exception! Here are some pics from the day.

Such a handsome birthday boy!

To go with the superhero theme, the kids decorated felt capes & masks. Such a fun, cute idea!

Superhero Caroline!

cupcake face!

Happy birthday, sweet Bryce! We love you!

The Will of a Toddler

A couple of weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I'm going to be the recipient of a scholarship at USM. Today, I gave a short speech to the Business Advisory Counsel. I'm not an especially great or terrible speaker, but I think you can tell mid-speech that I'm nervous. Anyway, I was so relieved to get my little speech over with this afternoon and I think I did a pretty good job! I sat next to a director of their MBA program and it really got me thinking about the possibility of going to school online or maybe one night a week to get my masters. Definitely something to think about!

We went to eat at Chili's tonight and it was delicious! I was so surprised at how well Caroline acted during dinner. She has gotten to be quite a handful lately because she wants to eat from the minute we sit down to the minute we get up! I usually can't even take a bite of my food without her yelling. Well tonight this was not the case! She played with the kids menu and didn't yell for food once! I kind of struggle with whether or not I should let her get away with things right now. Part of me thinks she's too young to understand patience but the other part of me thinks that I need to teach her things now so she doesn't get used to being bad or demanding. Our other problem is standing up in chairs or the grocery cart. I guess we're getting to that age where you just have to not eat out as much & not take her shopping. : /    Thoughts? Should I be firm with her and let her pitch a fit in public or should I give in?

Speaking of shopping, look at these adorable sandals I got for Caroline! Yay for summer!

When I put the flower sandals on her feet to try out the size and took them off again she started crying. The girl likes her some shoes, ok!?

Photo Shoot!

My sister-in-law, Amy, took some beautiful pictures of Caroline last weekend while we were in town! I am in love!!! I think this calls for an updated header... HA!

We're babysitting my niece and nephew this weekend... I am so excited! They are almost 4 and 6. Any arts/crafts ideas y'all have for me to keep us all happy and entertained?

Lookie lookie!

I'm like a kid on Christmas morning! I messed up my blog a while back playing with the design and my header was off center forever. Anyway I was kind of stuck on fixing it because I also wanted an updated header (which I was clueless on how to do). I went to work yesterday googling how to make your own header and I actually did it! It isn't perfect but I'm so happy with my first attempt! I used these instructions. So helpful! Now maybe I can find some motivation to start blogging again!

This semester is already half way over. Last week was spring break and Caroline and I spent a few days in Jackson with my mom, Gommy, and a day with my sis-in-law, Amy. We went to the zoo and I loved it! Caroline watched the animals but still isn't quite old enough to be excited about them. I think my favorite part was seeing the giraffes. There was a daddy, momma, and a baby giraffe! Of course my animal-loving family had to feel bad for them and my Gommy was picking grass and throwing it to them behind the bars. I can totally see us getting kicked out of the zoo.

This week it's back to school and a new change for Caroline. She is headed back to daycare and I'm worried about how she will adjust. I know she will be fine and they will take good care of her, but it's a big change in her environment. She is getting to be such a big girl now. She started walking in her 12th month and has been running ever since. We love to take her outside to play now that it's warming up. It would be so nice to sit down while she plays, but she doesn't stay in one area and has no care for property lines so I have to chase her everywhere she goes.

She has become very "lovey" in the last couple of months! It absolutely melts my heart when she lays her head on my shoulder (and gives me the 'friend-pat'). She never used to do that! She is also a social butterfly! At a friend's birthday party a week or so ago she walked up to stranger after stranger wanting to be held. 

That's all for now. I'm going to take advantage of this quiet house and work on a paper for school. Let me know what you think of my header (only if you love it)!

A dog, a 1 year old, and a book

I am the worst when it comes to picking a title for each post... so, I give up and leave them blank sometimes. It's just that my posts are never really about one thing... just a mish mash of random things happening in my life at the moment. So here goes another titleless post!

Today we became the proud new parents of a beagle/hound mix. She will be an outside dog (which is very against my nature... I feel so bad for animals outside!) We picked her up from a shelter sitting outside of petsmart kind of spontaneously this afternoon. She is timid and so very sweet... we love her already. Her name is Retta (short for Loretta).

I finished reading The Help today and I LOVED it! Seriously, such a good book! I almost cried at the end. It was really interesting reading about Jackson, Mississippi in the 60's too. The author said at the end of the book, "Mississippi is like my mother. I am allowed to complain about her all I want, but God help the person who raises an ill word about her around me, unless she is their mother too." I cannot wait for the movie to come out... I think I read that it will come to theaters in August.

Caroline turned one last week and she is turning into a toddler before my eyes. We had a very small party at Aunt Amy's house.

Here's a pic of Caroline on her first day in the world

She still isn't walking yet but she will take a few steps here and there. The most she has taken at one time is about 6 or 7. I was certain she would walk while I was on break before I go back to school but she has proven me wrong, yet again. I've really gotten used to staying at home with her during this break. At first I thought, "man I'm not cut out for this stay at home mom business" but now I'm loving it and wishing I could stretch this time out. Maybe one day this will be a possibility for us. I've been cooking a lot more too! Nothing fancy though... things like chicken spaghetti, red beans and rice, and poppy seed chicken. Let me know if you have something easy that you love! I'm thinking next will be some kind of ranch chicken recipe. That sounds delicious!

Caroline's got muscles!!

Or tickets to the gun show, as her daddy would like to say!



Man, I love this baby!

Christmas

I can't believe Christmas is over, 2011 is almost here and we are a couple of weeks away from having a 1 year old! We had a very busy, happy Christmas this year with 4 family gatherings.

We spent Christmas Eve & Christmas morning at my Gommy's house. Every year she has a party... I can remember running around as a child between all the grown-ups. Her tree was pretty big this year and was as beautiful as always!

We even got to sing Christmas carols with two of the guests- my Gommy's cousin Stacy who is an singer/pianist on a cruise ship and another friend who sings opera. It was beautiful and so much fun! (And I really liked how the tree looks in this picture so I had to include it.)

Christmas morning we were up early after Caroline kept us up much of the night. She is usually such a good sleeper... but not Christmas Eve. She must have been waiting on Santa!

Santa definitely came! At Gommy's house and again at Nonnie's house that evening! Caroline didn't pay much attention to unwrapping her toys this year but we will definitely get lots of play time in now that we're home. I hope your Christmas was as blessed as our was.

I can't stop thinking about all the dogs outside with it being so cold tonight.

I'm a weirdo... I know. By the way, my dog Shelby (who is a sheltie) is having a terrible, awful, horrific time with allergies. We don't know what she is allergic to, but I've recently changed her to a allergy pet food and it hasn't helped. So far all the vet has done is give us steroids and we know this is not good for her long term. She itches like crazy and her skin gets so red and raw if I take her off the steroids. Have you had any experience with this? I feel so bad for her and I have a feeling we are going to end up spending lots of money before this is over with. It has been going on for about 6 months now. I think the next step is to take her to the coast to see a dog dermatologist.

Schoooools... out... for... the summah!!

Or winter... whatever...         

I made 5 A's and 2 B's! MUCH better than I expected! I had pretty much convinced myself a B is as good as its going to get with me being a mommy and a student at the same time. The semester really did go by quickly... I cannot wait to get next semester over with so I can start earning some moo-lah again!! I can't believe I'm actually going to graduate in 5 months!

I've been home with Caroline now for about a week and I really have been enjoying all this extra time with her and having a taste of stay-at-home-mommyhood. I have been getting a little bored/lonely/stir crazy from not leaving the house so I've started cleaning out our guest room (REALLY needs it) and I pretty much make it a point to leave the house every day even if its just to go to the dollar store. I haven't had a hard time coming up with errands to run. I finished Redeeming Love and I LOVED it! Now I'm looking for other good books to read and enjoy on my break! Pretty please leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite books are. I've already read the Twilight series (soooooooo good). I'll like pretty much any kind of book except westerns! Ha!

Here's a pic of what I caught Caroline doing yesterday

(I know... not the safest thing... I took them away right after I snapped a picture.)
She also screams bloody murder if I buckle her in her stroller or shopping cart while I'm in a store but stands up like a stunt devil if I don't buckle her in. Any tips there?

We saw Santa at the library a week or so ago... she hated him.

That's all for now! Let me know about some good book recommendations and if you have any advice on my little stunt devil!

1st tooth!

This was the last week of the regular semester and next week is finals! YIPPIE! I only have 2 exams and a presentation to give so I really feel like its almost over! My group turned in our business plan for Entrepreneurship Thursday and I felt the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders that afternoon when we turned it in. What a relief.

Today I had no school so I got to stay home and play with my sweet girl all day! I took advantage of the perfect weather and snapped some shots of her. I was trying to get a picture or two of her gracious may shoes but she wouldn't cooperate and I was lacking the talent and patience.

We enjoyed our day together. :) She has been a little bit cranky lately because she finally has a tooth! And I think another one is quickly coming in right beside it!

Can you see it!?

On a side note, does anyone know how to remove the template from my blog? It isn't an html code it's from the 'template designer' from blogger thing and I can't figure out how to remove it. Let me know if you have some advice!

I rented "Redeeming Love" from the library today so I think I'm going to start it tonight! I've heard from several people that it is really good! I have a terrible habit of starting books and not finishing them... hopefully that won't be the case this time. Goodnight!

This & That

Only about 3 1/2 more weeks left of the semester and it cannot come fast enough!! The stress I have gone through in the last few weeks is unlike anything I've ever been through... definitely not fun. Life is too short to be stressed like I have been. It makes me feel guilty because I know I haven't been enjoying my family like I should be. It really boils down to this entrepreneurship class that I loathe- I guess everyone has to go through one or two classes like this that really shouldn't be this difficult, but that are nonetheless. I know worrying about something does no good, but I can't flip that worry switch off for some reason. Our professor has required us to come up with a unique product (something that has not been done before) and "pretend" we're business owners and write a business plan around this company. She wants it to be as realistic as possible and she prefers it to be very science/technology oriented. This is not my forte. Anyway, I just can't wait for it to be over with. A celebration will definitely be in store December 9th!!

So what is little Caroline up to these days? I am realizing she is very strong willed and very independent! Most of the time she wants nothing to do with cuddling Momma... she wants to be down on the ground exploring the world! Then there are nights like tonight where she really doesn't want me to put her down. It's rare that she acts like that, so I eat it up! Lately I have only had a couple of hours a day with her and it doesn't feel like enough. This upcoming Christmas break is going to be FANTASTIC... I'll have like 5 weeks off with no work, no school... just me and Caroline doing whatever we please! I plan on organizing Caroline's closet and our guest room closet.

Have y'all started your Christmas shopping? What is on your wish list this year? I'm trying to think of things we need for the house... maybe some guest bedroom furniture? It is in need of some adult furniture... it looks like a college kid's room... it only has a couple of filing cabinets... a bed with no headboard/foot board and a cheap desk that I'm going to get rid of b/c it's huge and takes up too much space in that little room. I just can't decide if I should ask for a bedside table or a small desk for the room. The other thing that I would really love to get is a dresser for our bedroom. We need some drawer space desperately!

And because it's no fun to write a post with no pictures or video, here is a fun video Dan took of Caroline a couple weeks ago. For some reason she thinks its funny when I put my ponytail in her face... weird I know.

The cutest little fishy-face!

Here goes a not fun post.... we found out Tuesday that baby Henry had no heartbeat. I ordered a doppler and got it a little over a week ago. I knew it would be a little early to hear the heartbeat, but I heard Caroline's around 10 weeks (if I'm remembering correctly) so I hoped I would be able to do the same with this baby. I searched several times for the heartbeat over the last week and wasn't able to find anything. I really wasn't that worried but I made an appointment anyway just to be safe. Dan went with me and the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat with his doppler (no surprise there). He said since the baby is still so small, this is normal. He sent us to the sonogram lady and when she did the ultrasound I knew pretty quickly. The sad part was that you could see baby... but no flickering or beating heart. Baby measured about 8 weeks so I guess his or her heart stopped beating about 2 weeks ago.

Dan and I are handling it well, as we did with our first miscarriage... but it is still very sad. I've wondered a few times if we will see this baby and our first in heaven one day. It makes you wonder what the purpose is behind it all, but I know we just can't understand everything here on earth.

Caroline's New Tricks & A Big Surprise!

Caroline's babysitter, Brooke has been telling us that once she hit 9 months old she would start performing tricks... and she definitely has! In the last few weeks she will do "arms up!" and she'll wave bye bye. She'll also shake her head no whenever we tell her no.... but that definitely doesn't stop her from doing whatever it is we're telling her no to. I would love for her next "trick" to be blowing kisses or giving me sugar. She also can push a walker around... I'm sure walking alone is in the near future. She is so precious to us and keeps us busy, busy!

In other news, we found out several weeks ago that we're PREGNANT! AGAIN! It was a big surprise and I can't believe how easily I've come to accept the idea. I'm glad that our babies will be close in age (about 17 months apart), but I'm worried about how in the world we're going to be able to pay two daycare bills! We'll be paying over $1,000 a month in daycare alone. I will graduate in early May and I'm due May 29th. It's actually good timing because I'll be able to take a couple of months break in between graduation and starting a job. Maybe I will find an amazing dream job that will pay me bookoodles of money and only make me work like 25 hours a week. Wouldn't that be perfect!? ( ;

A Tour of Caroline's Nursery

I feel like I've seriously neglected my blog lately and I won't have any readers now... not that I had a ton of readers before, but at least I'll still have a little journal of our first born and what life was like in 2010!

I shared a picture of Caroline in her crib a while back & got comments about her nursery. I realized that I never gave an official tour of her nursery! The reason behind this is because I'm the ULTIMATE procrastinator... her room still is not complete. Really, the only big thing I'm lacking are her curtains. I have the fabric but I just have to get it sewn.

I'm not much of a decorator and my SIL helped me a lot... I'm really happy with how it turned out! Anyway, enough rambling! Here is the room I'm most proud of!

Birth announcement my grandmother cross-stitched. This hangs in the hall right outside Caroline's room

This canvas hung on our room in the hospital when Caroline was born. My sister in law did it for us.

This is what you see as you enter Caroline's room

I got the dresser from Walmart and I'm pleased with it for as affordable as it was. I really want/need a chest of drawers for more storage. The mirror above her changing pad was my great grandmothers. It was a goldish color and my husband spray painted it white. The branch with birds is a wall decal I bought off etsy! It was very easy to do!

My SIL also did these adorable appliques for us! LOVE them!

My mother in law bought the bedding and I love it!

My grandmother bought us the heart wreath and my mom bought Caroline the little shelf. I think they're precious! On the shelf are two of the remaining pieces of my Beatrix Potter collection.

(I had almost all of the figurines and books as a child but I broke them by climbing up on my shelves.

I was a good child, I promise.)

My mom painted these and applied the flower details. She did a great job!

 Of course I couldn't snap all these pictures without a few of my sweet girl! She turned 8 months old yesterday... so crazy!!!!

1st time in the rocker by herself! She thought it was so fun to rock!

This is her new favorite face. She does it all the time. We call it her old lady face.

Love this pic!

Alright, enough procrastinating, I'm off to write a mini-paper!

A Quick Trip to Nashville

For the last month or so I've been trying to find a few days when I could go up to Nashville to visit Nick, Julie and Baby Graham and to see all my old Lampo coworkers. I left Thursday afternoon and finally got there at about 10 that night. I would have made it a little earlier but there was a really bad accident on the interstate so I had to take a detour that added an hour and a half to my 7 hour trip.... not exactly the most fun with a 7 month old! I'm just thankful we weren't involved in any accidents and I really hope everyone involved was okay.

It was totally worth it because I had the best time! Baby Graham is so teeny tiny, sweet and cuddly!  I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking:

I could just eat him up! It's hard to believe that Caroline was ever that little!!

Friday when I met some of my friends for lunch I had to hold back the tears a few times...

I miss them all SO much.

Most of my D.R. Girls!

That evening we played on Nick & Julie's swing set! So much fun!

Saturday I had lunch with a few friends in Franklin. I LOVE it when you can get together with a few girls and laugh and really be yourself. We had a great time.

That afternoon we went to the Sweet Tea Festival. Even though it was pretty warm, we had fun visiting, looking at the booths the vendors had set up and listening to music. I don't think Caroline and Graham thought it was all that interesting though....

It was sad to leave and be reminded that I don't have that amazing job anymore (with all those amazing people), but I was glad to be home and with my sweet hubby. I had a wonderful weekend and I can't wait to go visit again!

Last week I completed a 5 day mini-session in Anthropology. It was SO worth it to get one class over with in such a short period of time! The normal semester started Wednesday and I think I'm going to have a really good semester. It will definitely be tough but it beats the heck out of sitting at a desk watching the clock!

Caroline has been at my neighbor's instead of daycare for almost two weeks now and it is going so well. I was just thinking today that it really is a huge blessing.... Brooke and I get along so well and I think Caroline is going to be happier in the long run. Brooke's son Nathan is about 2 months older than Caroline and he has started signing some words. The other day we were talking and she said the word more to me in a sentence (not asking him to do it) and he signed it. I know plenty of babies do this but it was amazing for me to see with my own eyes... and especially from a 9 month old!

I took this video of Caroline & Shelby this afternoon. It is such a joy to hear her laughter and see her sweet smile!

I think it's pretty obvious Shelby has some serious energy! Word to the wise: don't buy an energetic dog if you aren't going to walk them frequently.

Crawling & Squaling!

Caroline started crawling about a month ago but she has really mastered it in the last week or so. 



Ever since she has mastered crawling she seems to want me to hold her more. I'll put her down and she'll cry and crawl right up back to me into my lap. It feels good to know she wants me! She will even follow me from the living room into the kitchen now. Now the fun starts!

I had a little photo shoot with her last week. It was the first time for her to sit in the grass. I love this little outfit... I got it at a consignment shop and paid probably 3 bucks for it! I love love love yellow.

Last Sunday Dan's parents came to visit us (read: Caroline). We had a great time visiting.

Mr. Maxie wasn't very interested in taking pictures. :)

Tomorrow is my last day of work and Caroline's last day at daycare. This weekend and next we'll be visiting family in Jackson. Can't wait!