I’m a bad blog owner… June 24, 2008

It has been over a month since my last blog…please forgive me!!  Life has been crazy busy with the onset of nicer weather.  We’ve been spending time with family and friends, grilling, playing softball, taking long walks, swimming and lying under the trees with our princess.  Also…I’ve been working hard to get Sweet Sentiments off the ground.  I just got my first big order yesterday…150 candy bars!!  I’m so excited!  I’ve done about 5-6 small orders and things are going well.  On to less boring topics…

In a few short weeks our little princess will be turning 1!  I’m excited and sad all at the same time.  I just can’t believe how fast she has grown and what a little person she is!  Jaelynn is a very spirited little girl…read…ornery….but we wouldn’t have it any other way.  Saturday marked her first attempt at pulling up and it was successful.  Now she enjoys pulling up on most anything and standing and clapping.  Another new development….attempts at crawling!  She has been scooting on her bottom for about a month.  I really need to get that on tape because she is just so funny.  Sunday she got on all fours and started rocking back and forth and was able to move…just a little!  And of course she is still chattering up a storm.  New favorite phrases…No and what sounds like Mine.  Also momma and dadda.  It has been about 3 weeks now since we made the switch to whole milk and no bottle.  She actually gave up the bottle without a fight.  Just one more step to becoming a big girl!

I count my blessing every day for our little girl.  Jaelynn is truly the light of my life.  I tip toe into her room at night and stand by her crib and just watch her sleep.  She is untouched by this world and I wish I could keep her this safe forever.  As we begin thinking about expanding our family I look back and hope that I have remembered everything from Jaelynn’s first year.  I look at her now and can still feel her kicking me just days before giving birth.  I watch her climb on her swing and remember how tiny she was when we first put her in there.  When she falls asleep on Kevin I can still see the newborn that fit so nicely on his chest…now she sprawls halfway across his body.  I remember waking up in the middle of the night to nurse and realize I didn’t mind it that much.  As she gets older I start to forget about the hours of crying and the sleepless nights.  I forget how big I was the last few weeks I carried her.  She is becoming my big girl…..she is almost officially a toddler……God help us all…….

The First of Many May 15, 2008

When you become a mommy you get the joy of experiencing all of your child’s “firsts”.  Most of these are a joyous and will bring a tear to your eye because your baby is growing up.  As a mommy, I have realized that my days of being selfish are over and that everything I do now revolves around Jaelynn.  However…one day a year….mom’s can be selfish and not feel guilty.  That wonderful day is Mother’s Day!

My first Mother’s Day was perfect!  It actually started Saturday when Kevin, who is terrible about holding onto gifts, handed me a card from Jaelynn.  Inside was the best gift…a 1 hour full body massage.  This momma needs that! 

Mother’s Day dawned bright and early….6:30 am to be exact!  But instead of dragging myself out of bed to change a diaper and fix a bottle, Kevin got up!  He took care of Jaelynn and brought her back to bed and we all fell back asleep for a couple more hours.  I got the pleasure of waking up to my daughter touching my face and smiling at me.  After a quick bath, Jaelynn and I were sitting in her room chatting and Kevin came back upstairs…armed with coffee and toast for me!  He told me to get back in bed and have my breakfast.  Let me tell you…this man makes a mean cup of coffee!

So, our original plan was to go to the zoo.  However, Iowa weather threw us another curve ball and it was too cool to go to the zoo.  I was bummed out but not for long.  My mom came up from Chariton to spend the day with us and that always makes me happy.  Mom, Jaelynn and I decided to head to Des Moines for lunch and a little light shopping.  Another highlight of the day was purchasing a much needed new grill and having Kevin’s family over for dinner.

All in all my first Mother’s Day was perfect.  I can’t wait until Jaelynn is old enough to make me cards herself and bring me burnt toast in bed.  I know that she didn’t fully understand why Sunday was so special to me or why I kept tearing up but one day she will.  However, Kevin did a wonderful job of filling in for her until she is older.  He made me feel special all day!  I’m already starting to plan Father’s Day!

I have a big secret!! May 8, 2008

But I’m going to tell all of you anyway!!  It is official.  I have started a business.  It is called Sweet Sentiments and I will be doing custom wrappers and lables for all sorts of things.  Mainly candy bars but I have the capability to design almost anything.  I’m very excited and ready for the orders to start rolling in!  So….if you or someone you know is having an event and they would like a custom product….shoot me at email at fauxkt@aol.com.  I’m hoping to have my price list and everything done by next week and have started working on some samples already.  I’m really excited about this and really hope it takes off so I can stay home with Jaelynn.  Any word of mouth advertising would be great!!!

Isn’t it fitting?? May 5, 2008

I didn’t post last week because I just wasn’t in a very good frame of mind.  I was having a really hard time working last week and having to leave my baby at daycare.  I just really wanted to stay home with her last week and it is no surprise that I feel the same way this week.  I’m pursuing some avenues right now that will hopefully allow me to stay home by the end of the year.  More about those things later.

What I really want to write about is how amazing God is!  How He knows when there is something weighing heavy on my heart and sends me right where I need to be.  Today it was in the form of scripture and devotion.  Other days it is a kind word or a song. 

I was reading my daily devotion (finally got my bible back!!) on my lunch break.  Today was about the Impossible Dream.  I read Mathew 1:14-25.  In a nutshell this passage talks about the dream Joseph had where the Angle of God came to him and told him the child Mary was carrying was to be the child of God.  Not to shame her but to marry her and raise the child as his own and to call him Jesus.  The devotion talked about the turmoil Joseph must have felt about this.  What would it be like to raise Jesus and would he always be faced with the whispers about Mary.  Anyway….at one point the Angel said “Do not be afraid”.  You know what…I am afraid.  That is one of the reasons I have just talked about starting a business and not doing it.  I’m afraid that my desire to stay home is just that…my desire…not God’s plan for me.  I pray about it and ask God to open up doors for me but then I look away when a door opens because I don’t know if God opened it or if I opened it.  The bible also says with God all things are possible.  If I’m really meant to do this and I believe then I will succeed.  I do believe that God wants me to stay home.  I believe that if He wanted me in the work place then He would take this desire away from me.  So I just need to believe and pray that all of this will work out in the end.

Isn’t it neat how sometimes the answers are right there?

Princess Jaelynn…. April 23, 2008

Yesterday afternoon we had Jaelynn’s 9 month check up and pre-op appointment.  I am happy to report that all is well!!  She weighed in at a hefty 19.4 pounds and is 28 inches long.  Yikes!!  2 more inches before she out grows the bucket seat!!  She is still in the 50th percentile but has followed her growth curve wonderfully.  She got the all clear to have her tubes done Friday and we are ready!  We have 2 more teeth working their way through…that would explain the runny nose and crankiness!  Dr. Amy told me that whenever we wanted to ditch the bottle to go ahead.  Last night we started taking the steps to do that and Jaelynn didn’t mind one bit.

I had been concerned because Peanut Pie isn’t crawling or scooting that much yet.  I’m not so worried anymore!  Dr. Amy said that she could be a little behind because of being sick so much this winter and she was just under 3 weeks early.  If she doesn’t start getting more mobile after the tubes we are going to have an Early Assessor come and observe her to see if she needs PT….but I don’t think we will need that.

I also got some really good information on some vaccinations that are coming up and extended rear facing.  Kevin and I decided that we are for sure going to do extended rear facing with Jaelynn.  In Iowa you can front face your child after 20 pounds and 1 year.  We have decided to get a car seat that will allow us to rear face until Jaelynn is 35 pounds.  We have also considered switching her to front facing around 18 months but at this time I just don’t feel that she is ready.

I also got some work done on the scrapbook last night.  Two full pages and I have layout ideas for another 4.  I just need to print some pictures off now!  So for today I’ll leave you with this….Jaelynn Nicole on her 9 month birthday showing off her two teeth!!

 

Scrap Happy April 22, 2008

Last night after the little one went to sleep and my shows were over I tackled more cleaning.  I was picking up the room and got a little distracted…big surprise.  My scrapbook tote was sitting in the corner…neglected and sad.  So I carried it over to the bed and started sorting through everything.  Oh what memories…..

When I was pregnant my wonderful friends threw me a scrapbook baby shower.  It was a wonderful idea.  All of my guest made scrapbook pages that were ready for pictures.  In theory…..this makes things easy.  I take a picture, print it and attach to appropriate page.  However, I haven’t touched my scrapbook since I was pregnant.  The last entry was at 27 weeks.  I need to get this caught up because Jaelynn is now 9.5 months old. 

I’m working on making a life style change right now and am going to lean on my scrapbooking.  I am going to commit to one page a night.  I know that once I get going again I’ll be able to do more and be caught up by the time princess turns 1.  This will also help keep my mind distracted so I don’t turn to food and I can hole myself up in our room when I start to feel bitchy.  It will be a very good thing.

On another quick note…Jaelynn has her 9 month check-up this afternoon and pre-op appointment.  I’ll update her stats tomorrow.  Have a peaceful day!

Spring Cleaning April 21, 2008

I have been doing a lot of spring cleaning and baby proofing the last couple of weeks.  Today I decided to not only spring clean my home but also my mind…on a regular basis.  So I have decided to join the ranks and become a blogger.  What I write about may not interest you but I’m okay with that.  It won’t always be a wonderful tale but it is my life and let’s face it…my life isn’t that interesting.  I’m sure I will write about my husband and daughter too much and I’ll mention people that don’t mean anything to you at all but oh well.  I want to put my life in writing and this is the best way I know how.  So go grab something cold to drink and sit down and enjoy the crazy life of me!