Thankful!!!

I havent written in a while!! Seems I have had my hands full and have been very busy working! Hayley hasnt been sleeping well...at least her naps havent been longer than 30 min at time and I havent had a lot of free time to log on! I have a feeling she is just taking time to get used to her food!! Also, my experiment with weening her off Prilosec has back fired and I have determined that she still needs it.

The title of my blog today is Thankful!! I am thankful that I have such a wonderful husband, beautiful daughter and such a supportive family!! I am thankful that we are all happy and healthy! I say this..because today I read a blog about a little boy who was taken from this earth too soon! I believe he was only a couple months old, and spent all his time in the hospital! The family put together a beautiful video tribute of Luke's life. I dont usually read their blog... but I was thinking of them today and decided to see how they were doing. I dont know this family personally, but have prayed for them often. The video was amazing! I sat hear and cried as my heart ached for them!! I cant imagine my life without Hayley. I waTched that video and immediately thanked God for Hayley and her health. This family has amazing strength. After all they have been through, their faith and trust in God is unwavering! They are truly an amazing family.

I think the humanity in us all often lets us take things for granted. After reading about this family and watching the video of Luke I am going to make more of a daily effort to count my blessings!!

GENE SIMMONS!!!

OK..I know that this is my second post for the day..but this picture is equally entertaining and I had to share!! As you all have heard before, Hayley loves her walker!! She wants to be in it all the time!! I am under the impression that she is in the beginning stages of teething, as everything that enters her mouth is knawled on!! She especially loves to chew on the bar that goes across her walker. Mark has nicknamed her either "chewy" or Gene Simmons...as sometimes that tongue sticks out pretty far underneath!! She is so funny!!

ALL SMILES...and TONGUE!!!

I must share with you my favorite part of the day! It is when Hayley wakes up from her nap...either by talking to herself or screaming! Either way, the result is still the same as soon as she sees a familiar face to rescue her from slumber....

JINX, JINX, YOU OWE ME A COKE!!

Well...boy did I shoot myself in the foot!! Hayley didnt sleep very well last night or the night before!! I think she has had a tummy ache! She is eating more food these days and I think her little tummy has a hard time dealing with it! She may have been mad at me for sneaking in sweet potatoes with her peas! For some reason the girl doesnt like sweet potatoes!! I thought all kids liked them! Anyway, I am walking around like a zombie today!! It is hard to get about four hours of sleep..take care of Hayley all day, try and keep the house up and then go to work till around 10 at night three days a week! However, I shouldnt complain as I feel blessed that I am able to stay at home and raise her! She is always full of surprises! Each day is something new...and that is what keeps me going!

We have busy weekend ahead of us. Friday night I am helping my sister with a bridal shower for her friend Jessica. Saturday...I have to work all day. Should be fun though. I think we are going to get a break in the weather so maybe the store will be busy and the time will fly! Maybe we will have a chance for some family time on Sunday! Happy Hump Day to everyone!!

RIP VAN WINKLE!!!!

YEAH FOR HAYLEY!! We are so proud of her! She slept from 10:15 PM to 8:15 PM!!! This is truly a milestone and we couldnt be more excited!! Hopefully, we will all be a lot happier now that we are getting plenty of rest!! Ofcourse, I shouldnt brag too much...as I have come to learn with parenthood...nothing is ever consistent and things are ever changing!!! I would like to share that Hayley has inherited her sleeping habits from her Daddy! You never know where you will find her in the morning or where her hands and arms will end up!! Here is a quick snapshot of her the other morning!! Looks like such an angel!!!

Father's Day

Sorry I am a little behind! Sunday was Mark's first Father's Day. I hope Hayley and I made it special! Mark LOVES coffee, so Hayley and I ordered him a mug with Hayley's picture on it! I also made a picture frame for him, with his favorite pic of Hayley (GO DAWGS), and then a Nike Dryfit Golf Shirt (Red & Black) ofcourse! After we opened presents, we all got ready for church! It was a great sermon! We left Hayley in the nursery for the first time by herself and she did well!! However, she was exhausted when we picked up her! Guess she isnt used to sleeping with all the commotion! After church we headed down to my parents house for a cookout. Marks parents, Kenneth, Lisa, the kids, Myra, Avery, The Howards and Heather and Chris were there. It is so wonderful that all of our families can get together and have such a good time. It wouldnt be a family get together without a game of whiffle ball. I got to sit it out this time, b/c I had to tend to Hayley!! I think we were all exhausted by the end of the night. I know I came home, bathed Hayley and crashed!

THE JOYS OF PARENTING

WE ARE TRYING OUT SOLIDS!! Hayley had her first taste of real food (well pureed)! She had peas! Mark and I both hate them and cant stand the smell, but I was confident that Hayley would hate them too so I gave them to her first knowing full well she would spit them out and we would never have to deal with them again. Well...to my surprise she loved them!! Even asked for more!! She is so funny! Mark said he didnt know how he was going to be able to stomach feeding her peas, but he pushed through last night while I was at work. He did a great job!

On another note...who would have thought this parenting thing would be so difficult. Hayley has preferred being swaddled in order to sleep. However, my pediatrician told me that it was necessary that I break her of this habit since she is starting to wiggle free and the blanket could be a possible SIDS risk. I agreed and we set the date to start. Well yesterday nap time at 4PM was our starting point. I decided to try and let her get her crying out of the way and that maybe by night time she would be better. She screamed for two hours non-stop! My heart was aching and I finally gave in and picked her up to calm her down after about 45 min. The Dr. told me not to go in her room, that she would eventually cry herself to sleep;however after 45 min I thought enough was enough!! I left for work and it was Mark's turn. He said that she did the same and cried so hard that she spit up on herself. He couldnt take anymore so he called the PA at home and she said to put her down and check her every 10 min. Just let her know that you are there. He decided to hold her till I came home. Last night was rough! She woke up every hour screaming and I had to go in and reassure her that everything was okay and that we were still there. I am beyond exhausted..and I know she is too! I feel like a horrible parent for putting her through that and I pray that I havent emotionally damaged her for life. I know we have to get her through this and that the sleepless nights and the crying is better than taking the risk of something terrible happining while she is sleeping. My heartstrings have been stretched, but we will keep perserveering until we accomoplish this!! To think...this is just he beginning.

A NEW CHAPTER...

Today was bittersweet.....it was officially my last day as a Delta Air Lines' employee. While I havent been working for some time now...it was still very strange to walk away from a company that has been my life for almost 12 years. It started with a fabulous party thrown by the department in honor of the 29 people that are leaving the department and Delta. Most of them are retiring and a few of us are just moving on to ournext career. As you all know..my career is now motherhood and I wouldnt trade it for the world. We had lunch catered by Shanes BBQ (Mark was in heaven. It was so nice that he could be there with Hayley and I) and then they presented us with plaques, certificates, and Carol (the german baker) made each of us our own butter pound cake. I guess she was worried we would go hungry with her!! Ha ha! It was a wonderful afternoon and a great way to spend our last time there! After that I turned in my coveted Delta ID and parking sticker. I was fine until I drove through the gates for the last time. It really didnt hit me until then. I must say that Delta has provided well for me. I am very thankful for the many fun trips I have taken, the wonderful lifelong friendships that I have and of course for my husband. It has truly been an experience and a blessing. I will be forever grateful.

Ms. Independent!

Yesterday was such a fun day with Hayley. She had many firsts!!! She rolled from her back to her stomach for the first time. This is quite an amazing feat. She tried for days to accomplish it and with a little bit of hard work and grunting..she made it past the one arm that kept getting in the way! We are so very proud of her. She also decided that she could hold her bottle on her own. She actually picked it up with two hands while it was sitting in front of her and she put it to her mouth and tried to suck. When she realized she wasnt getting anything she tried tilting her head back..but she just wasnt quite strong enough to lift the bottle up far enough to get anything out!! She is such a smart girl...and we like to think of her as advanced!! :)

I too had a big change....I cut off a lot of my hair (about 5 inches). I will post pics later. It feels fantastic and will be great for summer! It is also a bit more Hayley proof (meaning she cant really get much of it in her hands). When you are a mom...this becomes a really big deal! I now know why so many cut their hair after having a baby. When you finally have the chance to shower and wash your hair..the last thing you want is baby sit-up in it b/c you have to wait till the next day to get another shot at showering.

I have also picked up a part time job! I am working for my sister at Lizard Thicket! It is a great store with awesome clothes and has been a lot of fun. The girls are great that work there and are very patient with this"old" girl! My mom lectured me on the fact that I had to listen to my sister...I admit it will be weird at first but I respect her and her career and I think it will actually be a great thing for us to bond over. I will keep you all posted!!

Well today is going to be low key! Gonna let Hayley get plenty of rest as she has a big day tomorrow. She has her 4 mth check up and another round of shots!! Poor thing. It just breaks my heart to hear her cry in pain!

BEST FRIENDS!!!

Not sure if you guys know it or not....but almost sixteen years ago I met a girl named Stephanie! She was two years younger than I but so much fun to be with and we just clicked from the start! We have definelty gone is a million different directions since that day, but one thing has remained the same..we still click! No matter how much time has passed we can always pick up where we left off!! There are no akward moments of silence (when we are together..we dont even know what silence means). She has always been there for me and I know she always will. She is such an amazing person and I am so blessed to have her in my life. She has three kids...AJ, Aleigh and Ansley. Ansley and Hayley are 3 weeks apart and they had a play date today. Well..actually Steph and I did most of the playing...(we could talk for hours). However, in between naps and feedings we managed to get a few cute pics! They were so sweet. Unfortunatley, we didnt have a camera available when they first laid eyes on each other....They both just had these huge grins. I just know that they will be good friends. I look forward to watching them grow up together. I hope that they too will know what it means to have such a special friend.

Anniversary!!!

Yesterday was our anniversary. I cannot believe that we have been married for five years. It seems like yesterday I was walking down the aisle with so much anticipation of a the wonderful life and home that Mark and I would create and I can tell you that we are exactly where I thought we would be at this point in our lives. We have a nice home, a beautiful daughter and all the love in the world for each other. We also have two very supportive and loving families. We wouldnt be the people we are today without them. They have each shown us what family and love is all about and for that we are so very grateful.

Mark..being the most wonderful husband ever...took me to see Sex in the City The Movie. It wasnt as good as I had built it up in my mind..but entertaining. Then we went to dinner in LaGrange on the square at a place called Basil Leaf. The owner also has Tulla's and Venucci's as well. I can tell you that it was one of the most amazing meals Mark and I have ever had. We both had the Surf and Turf. We each had steak and then a fish. Mark chose Salmon and I Tuna. EXCELLENT. They make their own salad dressings from secret recipes and I told Mark that I would drive down there just to eat a salad they were so good. They bottle and sell them and we forgot to pick some up before we left. I have to go back! It was a nice romantic atmosphere.. and just as good..if not better than going downtown. The traffic was so much less going south and we were able to get there in 30 min. My parents kept Hayley overnight and Mark and I were able to get much needed rest! We were able to wake up and enjoy breakfast together, the paper and coffee. Funny how the little things mean the most. It was a wonderful way to end our anniversary celebration. So here is to many more years together. I hope that the next five are as blessed as the first five.