30 day recap

It's almost been one month since I last blogged and actually the last holiday. You know you've gotten slack when your husband asked if you could update your 'family site.' So here I am, we'll see how far I get.

The last month has been filled with tons of family get togethers. We've had some occasion to celebrate every single weekend in December - birthdays and Christmas get togethers with every side of each family. I can honestly we enjoyed each one but am glad it's over so our weekends can calm back down.

Unfortuanately, for the last month (actually longer but we'll stick with past 30 days) Taylor has been sick. This has been a rough season and I"m starting to wonder how mothers of multiple children stay employed. Better yet, how do single mothers do it. T has been battling ear infections since October and had her third one in December. The doctors put her on a stronger antibiotic and told us we were on our path to tubes. At this point, I am all for tubes for Taylor. If she was one of those children who we didn't know had a EI, then it would be different. But with every infection, she runs a HIGH fever and gets really ill. She screams, doesn't sleep, and refuses to eat. So tubes here we come.

Our latest ill battle has been some fever virus from h***. She woke christmas eve screaming for 3 hours, which made Christmas Day that much more exhausting. But she did okay then. HOwever, Christmas night (Thursday), she began running a 104.4 fever that would not come down. Friday and Saturday her temp stayed near 103 and today luckily she's been better but still around 102 -103, but meds are working much better. I took her to the doctor Friday, destined for a EI diagnosis and hoping for an antibiotic. But no luck there, after a horrible visit with lots of tests, we left with a viral illness that we have to wait out. She is going back to the doctor tomorrow (unless her fever breaks overnight). I am still concerned about her ears as since her visit on Friday she's developed the cold crud and is still running fever 4 days later. So we'll see what he has to say. It's been a VERY rough weekend. Taylor is usually okay to deal with when sick but she's has really felt rotten with this and again has not slept at night or during the day and it's lasting so long. Before this, I believe the longest she's ever ran a fever is 24 hours. But this too shall pass...

Baby #2 is doing well. I had my 4 month check up last week and all was well. I did begin my 17p injections last week, which came right in time for some contractions. A few weeks ago, I came down with the cold crud, and apparently it was enough to dehydrate me. So shortly after I started having contractions. Doctor wasn't too concerened and the 17p helped put me back in place. I now am making sure I drink plenty of water, however, I haven't given up my caffeine yet. (sorry, hun)

We had a good Christmas. Taylor was able to see Santa the Thursday before. The picture is priceless. She's already wary of strangers, and men strangers. So add a big Santa to the picture and it was devastation waiting to happen. I'll post pics. She really didn't have any thoughts on Christmas, she loved the trea and cried when we took it down today. She liked her presents - after they were unwrapped- but before then just enjoyed the wrapped boxes. Some toys that she got and her favorites are her animal farm, bristle blocks, and a rocking horse (her favorite). THe rocking horse was a present from my sister and her kids. Taylor wasn't sure what to think about it at first - was scared. But we took baby steps and she got use to it. Now she gets on and off it and rides it like she's a cowgirl. It's too precious.

Adam's favorite toy was his Garmin GPS system. He's such a gadget guy. He has no need for a GPS system and he doesn't travel anywhere he doesn't know where he's going. But he's loving it anyways. "how many ways can we get to one place"

Well I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and is battling the cold and flu season better than my family (extended family too- they've been quite sick as well). Enjoy the last few days of 2008 and we'll do it all again in 2009.
Blogging off.....

Blogging is for the Holiday's

My family is on the ball with this blogging... I couldn't be left out. So what did our holiday festivals entail this year. We thought we were going to join Melissa on the 'sick train' for Thanksgiving as Taylor came home from Daycare on Wednesday with a fever. She was sick that night and by 7:00 the next morning was better. We had intended on not taking her to Nana's but she was doing so well and we all wanted to go so bad that we decided to suck it up. She was pretty 'outzy' - heck still is. But we had a good time. I ate SOOO much and it was SOOO good. Baby #2 was very appreciative. Kristin - I hope AG didn't get her germs from Taylor but it's possible. It did cross my mind that T had a stomach virus but she only had 2 'so - so' diapers. I apologize anyways even if it didn't come from us.

Adam and I started the shopping frenzy early. For the first year, we hadn't bought a single present and decided to go out on Black Friday. In fact, when we left Nana's on Thanksiving we ran to K-mart. They were having a sale and there was one thing I had to get.

Friday morning, we had intended on Taylor staying with CiCi and Popsey. But she got up early and so did we. We decided to hit Walmart and take her with us. We must have missed the ambush crowd because it was really a pleasant shopping experience. We really only wanted to visit Target afterwards so we toted Taylor there as well. So the three of us survivived our Black Friday outing and were home in bed by 10:00 am. That night CiCI kept Taylor so Adam and I could rest up - and rest we did. I was in bed by 8:00 - not exactly an ideal 'date' night and slept until the next morning.

Saturday - Bj came by to visit and helped us get Christmas out of the attic. And then that afternoon we decorated our house. It's quite festive but nothing like my momma's, which could come out of a Better Home and Garden's magazine. But I suppose it takes time.

Well I hope all is well... including us. As I type this and got my finances done my household is still asleep. Taylor has officially been sleeping for 14.5 hours straight.... which is not usually a good thing. I think I'll go check on her..... Love the blogs... keep them coming.

Lisa - LOVE the music addition to yours. I'm listening to your playlist as I type my blog. How'd you do it??

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Blogging In...

I've gotten several 'complaints' of my lack of blogging, so I thought I better atleast check in. As you might can tell blogging has become one of my last priorities, among other things as well. So much time has gone by I'm not even sure what to blog about. But I'll try...

Halloween was a success. We didn't decorate our house... not a bit. Shockingly, we didn't even buy a pumpkin this year. We spent trick or treating at Melissa's house and had a blast. It was so much fun... good food, good company and alot of good trick or treating. My camera battery was dead so I don't have pics but mom and Melissa do. The kids had a great time and Taylor even got to enjoy some chocolate.

Adam was in a 'truck accident' a few weeks ago. He was fine, though the people he hit had some cuts and bruises. "Luckily" he was driving the big green truck, which belongs to his sister, and is an 'extra' vehicle. Unluckily, the truck was totaled and several people were quite upset about it. The final outcome has yet to be resolved since it wasn't our truck to wreck in the first place.

Thanksgiving is approaching. I've already had two Thanksgiving festivities so far and more to come. This past Wednesday was my work lunch - covered dish of course. We had so much food. Today we enjoyed lunch with Adam's family and again had lots of good food. Taylor got to play with her cousins. She really hit it off with Chandler who seems to have a knack for kids.

Baby #2 is growing and doing well. I went for a check up on Friday and everything was fine. Heartbeat 146 and that is the only statistic. I've only gained one pound which is a miracle if you've seen how much I've been eating. Doctor gave me no hope on my complaints (fatigue, headaches and can't sleep). It's part of the duty. I go back in another four weeks (12/18) and he says we will start my other shot (pre-term labor preventative). This will be the castor oil in the butt shot. Lovely!

I've been a big baby about this pregnancy. With Taylor I was able to find some kind of inner strength and seemed to be able to conquer every hurdle that came my way. With baby #2, I can't even give myself my own shots. If Adam didn't do them, I probably wouldn't be doing them. I whine alot more and just am not being a good sport. I would like to contribute most of it to the relentless tiredness and not being 'ready' to be pregnant again. Hopefully it will get better with time.

Taylor is growing every day. She's such a little girl. Just in the last week, she's gone from trouble to so cute. We've started teaching her some sign language and it's been so fun watching her learn - more, eat, sit. She also can do the motions to 'If your happy and you know it" through three verses (clap your hands, pat your head, and hoorah) Just this weekend, we've established that she can say 'sit down' (which she hears alot in the tub) and "get it." She is on her second ear infection within a 6 week period. Luckily, we caught this one much earlier than the first.

I just updated some stuff on my blog to the top right, so check out my 'favorite' links and follower section. Sign up if your a fan, I'd love to see who checks in.

We look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday for Thanksgiving. If I am not back to blog before then (which I probably won't be) I hope all who read my blog (whoever you may be) have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving.

This week's highlights

We had a good week this week. But I'll try to capture what I can.

1. Adam started his real job on Monday. Last Friday, they had a graduation ceremony and lunch for him and his 'classmates.' This was the end of an extensive 12 week training course. I was able to attend and meet his teacher and his new supervisor. His supervisor seems really cool and good to work for. Adam enjoyed his first week so far. He comes home with stories every day of what he's doing and the people. His co-workers seem to be real laid back so I'm sure Adam will fit in well. In fact, his boss was found playing goff in the halls praticing for a fundraiser. His boss also takes him for 'walks down 'the mile' (which apparantly is this extremely long hall way to get to the common area) to make sure he's getting settled. I am so grateful that Adam has been blessed with BCBS. It seems now that all the other jobs and hurdles were just 'stepping stones' and that this is where he is meant to be.


2. I had a pre-natal doctor visit this week and got another good report. I was nervous about it considering I was one for one with good/bad reports. He didn't do a ultrasound but did do a 'scan' to verify that there was a heartbeat.... and there was. I'll be 10 weeks on Monday. This pregnancy has been alot better than the first. (knock on wood). I have minimal morning sickness though there have been some moments that were close calls. Mostly I've been hungry all the time and tired. The fatigue is pretty profound but I also blame being out of shape. I loss a lot of muscle mass being on bedrest a year ago with Taylor and I'm 10 lbs heavier at the start of this pregnancy that with her. So my weak body is starting to feel everything.


3. Taylor is growing daily. She is such a toddler now. She is soo... bad but so cute. She's really not bad ... but is developing some nasty habits. Such as impatience. The child will scream a shrill scream if she wants something and doesn't get it IMMEDIATELY. She's also started testing her limits. She kind of funny because we'll tell her no to someting and she'll just watch us with a smirk and do it again. The funniest thing is at the dinner table she likes to throw her food on the floor. Adam has really started to get on to her about that and it has started to hurt her feelings drastically. When he yells at her for it, she looks at him and bursts in to tears. These big croccodile tears start falling and she goes into a full fit crying tantrum like you just stole her heart. It always sets me into giggles. But then again... she is a daddy's girl. She walks around all day 'dada' 'dada.' Every morning she wakes up screaming for him from his crib. He's the one that gets her up and ready since I"m usually gone. So she just screams his name over and over until he comes and gets her. It's so cute but sometime I'm envious.



She's also walking away. She's done really well with it. A week ago she was still crawling most of the time. Now she rarely crawls. Our little girl is growing up.

I've updated my blog so make sure you continue to scroll down to see my latest posts and pictures.

Pumpkin Patch and Halloween carnival

Last Saturday, we went to a local pumpkin patch. I had heard good things about the patch but never been myself. We got there late in the afternoon and didn't dress warmly enough. As we arrived, it seemed a cold front approached and it got cold and windy. Therefore we didn't stay long but we were able to get some cute pictures.

Where we went also had a petting farm. My favorite were the goats. They had a huge play area with towers and walkways. It was too cool and the goats were so cute. This one in particular wouldn't stop staring at me..... halarious.

On Sunday we went to a church carnival. Taylor was a giraffe. It was what I would have loved to pick for her to be. But I bought it several months ago at a consignment sale and thought it was cute... and it was a good deal. Plus she's only one and won't remember it. But she ended up being a cute zoo animal anyways. She had her first hayride, played on the swings and got all kinds of treats at trunk or treat. I think she enjoyed playing with Eli the most.

More 12 month Milestones

1. First ear infection. Friday we found out she has her first ear infection. I call it alittle bittersweet because of course I don't wish an ear infection on my child. But I was so proud that she waited until after a year to have her first one. Most of the children in my family have had problems with ear infections/ tubes prior to their first birthday party. So it was nice to be able to escape that problem.... for now.


2. First Fair experience and merry go ride. We went to the fair for alittle while today. She got to see the horses and seemed to enjoy them. But when we started approaching the merry go round, she about jumped out of Adam's arms. So Adam took her for her first ride. She rode one of the horses and just laughed the entire time. It was precious.

3. Taylor is going to be a BIG SISTER! Yea, yea. The rumor is true. As of today, I'm 8 weeks pregnant. It's already been an up and down emotional roller coaster. I went to the doctor several weeks ago, but when they did an ultrasound to determine how far along I was, the doctor didn't see a baby - just an empty sac. He said it was most likely a pending miscarriage but for me to come back in a week. That was the longest week ever. However, the following week an ultrasound confirmed I was 6 1/2 weeks pregnant with a baby and a strong heart beat. The only explanation they can give me is I was too early to be seen the previous week.

I feel pretty good about this pregnancy as since then I've developed morning sickness and the hormones are definintly there. During that week I prayed for answers, miscarriage (I didn't want a DNC)... anything. And I feel I got my answer. We are excited... of course nervous... as we weren't expecting this at all. But please keep us in your prayers as we go through this pregnancy. Hopefully we will have far less complications.


Blogging off for now.. Make sure you read all my recent blogs. I added several below.

Fall Fun

Fall is such a wonderful time of year. I'm so excited about the cooler weather, leaves falling and fun activities. I have such a to-do list this month.

1. Go to the fair and eat a corn dog. yum

2. Go to the local corn maze with my family - I've never been but have always wanted to go. It looks like so much fun.

3. Take a hayride with Taylor and Adam

4. Go to the fair and eat a corn dog. yum

5. Attend a halloween carnvial and go around the neighborhood looking for chocolate.

Taylor has already gotten started on her fall activities when we visited Popsey and CiCi. Check out her pictures on the hay.

Well Check Up

Well Monday, September 29, Taylor had her one year old well visit. She has started to realize what the doctor is. As we walk in the door, she clenches to me tightly. She loosens up in the waiting room and clinical room but as soon as Dr. Cope walks in she starts crying. She screams through the entire exam. As soon as he leaves, she hushes. It's kind of funny because he doesn't even give her the shots, but she doesn't cry with those girls.

So since Taylor is finally 12 months, I thought I would highlight some of her accomplishments ...

1. She finally has hit the 20 lb mark... which means she can be forward facing in the car... though we haven't done yet. She has remained in the 25% percentile in weight and 75% in height since birth.

2. She has 10 teeth - including two molars working their way in. She can eat almost anything... and does.

3. She has started taking her first steps and CiCi bought her first pair of shoes. Taylor isn't thrilled about wearing them but the velcro distracts her.

4. She has a pretty good vocab and better yet will mock almost anything you say. Her new words include: balloon, bella, Adyson (didi) and taylor.

5. She is completely weaned off the bottle. Yea! We are so proud of this accomplishment. She had been down to one but was really holding on to her nightly bottle. But she has done great without it.

6. She is now only taking one nap a day. Again, has done great with this. We thank Lisa tremendously for taking this leap. Taylor sleeps like a log at night now.

7. Taylor is starting to feed herself with her own utensils. It's so cute to watch the learning process.

Hmmm... Well I was aiming for 12 milestones but I can't think of anymore......

The Big 1 !!!

Well Taylor is officially a toddler and she knows it. Her first birthday party was at daycare on Friday the 26th, which was her acutal birthday. That's when she had her first taste of a cupcake. She actually didn't know what to do with it. It was really messy and she tried to eat the cake without picking it up. (see below)

Saturday was her big party at the house. We had a hotdog cookout, cake and icecream. Yum. She seemed to have a good time but had no clue that the whole shin-dig was all for her. The best part was opening presents, she just wanted to sit in her wagon. She has really enjoyed her gifts. She loves her new baby doll and 'kisses' on it constantly. She was thrilled about her toy phone for the first couple days until she finally realized it was a hoax... can't fool her.

She loved her cake and ice cream and made a much bigger mess. The pic below is one of my favorities... so devious looking.

Believe it or not, after all the excitement and sugar, she slept great that night. Thank goodness. I slept good as well.

Pure Exhaustion

Exhaustion (n):
1. the total consumption of something
2. weariness


Hello blogging world. I apologize for being negletful for so long but blogging just hasn't been a top priority lately. I've been running ragged lately.

Taylor's birthday party is next week and I'm going to throw a party to celebrate after it's through. It's not that I want it to come and go. It's that since we decided to throw it at our house, I had certain things I wanted to get done around here before hand. Therefore, for the last 3 weekends and the upcoming one as well, Adam and I have been doing projects. Adam's done most of the work. He built Taylor a swing set and did a great job. He and Danny built me a landscaping box for my beds in the front yard. So really... I guess I can't complain because they did the work. But it's like he wasn't home at all and so I never got a break from being a Mommy, which is an exhausting job. Also, inside my head I have a neverending to do list to get ready for the party. Go to Sams, Walmart, make ice cream, get decorations, cake, clean house (which should take up two slots) and on and on and on. Please make it stop!!!!

On top of all that... Taylor was sick this week. Sunday night she woke with a 104* fever. It was quite scary. We ended up stripping her down and putting her in the tub, which she screamed through. It was pitiful. She ended up running a fever for about 3 days, but it didn't get that high again. Doctor said it was just a virus - of course. The worst part of a sick child is lack of sleep. Sunday through Tuesday night, she didn't sleep a bit. Sunday and Monday night I literally was up for 20-30 minutes every single hour. It was worse than when she was a newborn. You can imagine I was pretty much useless at work. Last night she did a little better.

On top of that.... Now that Taylor is feeling better... I should mention she is teething again. Does every child go through teething this much. ha! It feels like she gets one tooth after another. It almost looks like she's getting multiple teeth this time and it's really taking a toll on her. She's been so cranky and irritable. I hope she is done with it by next week for her BIG PARTY!.

On top of that.... I found out Monday, that a co-worker's husband died over the weekend. He was 29 and they have a 6 year old son. Apparently he was an epileptic and had stopped taking his medicines and died of a seizure. It's a very unfortunate event that has taken the breath of our office. But on top of all that, the wife (co-worker) doesn't have any family support and is getting harrassed and bullied by the husbands family. It's a real bad situation and I feel for her. Please keep her in your prayers.

On top of that.... Gas has really killed my budget. How ridiculous! I won't complain about this one since everyone is feeling the pain.

On top of that.... I have my first lab quiz tomorrow. Have I studied... nope. I have a lecture test next week that I have to fit in at some point. I believe it'll be the hardest one yet. It's alot of material and the most difficult to learn. Wish me luck.

On top of that.... Adam has pointed out to me that I have HORRIBLE grammer on here. So I have to apologize. I type as fast as my head thinks and I don't proofread. I actually do have proper grammer when I need to. :-)

On the positive side: Taylor has mastered some new words:
1. mama
2. dada
3. nonononno
4.uh-oh
5. Amen - this is a new one.
6.hey there - when she feels like it.

She has such a cute, beautiful voice. It's the best sound in the world. I'm sure most moms say that though.

Okay well, I'm blogging off.

Proud Mama Moments

There are two new things that Taylor has started this weekend. One is just adorable and the other would make any first mother proud.

1. We were playing in T's room this morning and she went over to her rocking chair, pulled up on it and started rocking it. While rocking it, she was humming 'rock rock, rock rock'. I can remember of only one time that I did that, but she must have picked up on it. She also did it to the rocking ottoman. Then at dinner time she started rocking back and forth in her highchair and humming it again. It was too cute.

2. The proud moment came again at dinner where my little baby is now becoming an independent toddler... officially. She hasn't liked being fed since July, she prefers finger foods. But we've been slowly letting her experiment with silverware but this evening was the first time she fed herself her entire meal. We use a baby fork to put food on and give it to her. When she's finished, she gives it to us to refill. I have a video of it , so you'll have to tune in- as long as I can get it to post.

Busy Weekend

I had an extra long weekend this time and it went by so fast. Friday was my 'off ' day and then today (Monday) was a holiday. It'll be nice to have two short weeks in a row.

Friday - Lab went okay. Really there isn't much to say about it. Nothing spectacular happened. I wasn't real impressed with anyone in there... yet. No one was extremely friendly. My instructor is actually the instructor I had 7 years ago. She' pretty good and has a wierd sense of humor. We covered alot of material but I made a 100 on the pop quiz at the end of the class. GO ME!

Saturday - Adam and I went shopping and bought a bigger car seat for Taylor. She dislikes her infant seat with me. Adam didn't want one yet so we only got one.. so that'll be interesting to see how that will go. Hopefully he won't leave the seat somewhere.

Sunday--we went to church and Lisa, Danny and the kids went with us. Lisa has joined a small group at the church on Sundays so I plan on joining next week. I'm actually looking forward to it, and am so glad they are visiting Mt. Horeb. We went to lunch after church and then to Adam's parents house for his mom's birthday. Busy day.

Monday- We went to chickfa li for lunch. Yummy. Then came home and worked in the yard. Taylor's party is coming up and we are trying to get our yard fixed up. We still have/had remnants of the storm that came through earlier this month and dumped trees on our land. It looks nice now.

So on top of it being a busy weekend I also learned something this weekend:

1 - I can't get mad at my husband for overreating when I do it on a regular basis. Had a touche moment. Which brings me to my question again: how do you get a personality makeover when you need one?

2- It is time for Taylor to start eating off a plate, which can be a messy venture. Sitting in a nice resturant Friday night, I was embarrassed for the first time because I was feeding her everything off the table - bread, carrots, beans, potatoe. It hit me that she was too old for this. Which leads me to point three...

3. Heavy, big plates are better than small plates. They allow you as the parent a faster reaction time, which is needed. Also, ticky tack doesn't work.

4. Facebook to most people, is probably another useless hobby. However, it has been a real blessing to me. I think I told you about my friend Kathryn that I found and hadn't seen in 8 years. In case, I haven't updated, Kathryn is in China studying Mandarin. She has a blog which I've posted to the right where she journels her trip. It's really interesting and she's real good and catching the culture there.

Anyways, just last week was re-connected to another friend that I was penpals with for years until she moved to the area. Still again I haven't seen her since 1998 or so. It's been so nice catching up with these people. Both have done great things with their life and makes me want to better with mine. Who knew technology would be such a blessing.

Well hope everyone had a good holiday. Blogging off.

First day of 'skool'

Well today is the first day of 'skool' in the words of my neice, Caedyn. I'm actually kind of nervous, which isn't surprising since I always did get the jitters the first day of school. Despite that, I'm looking forward to meeting the people in my class. Since it's an online class (besides our weekly lab) we had to introduce ourselves on a discussion board. It seems most of the students are on the nursing program track. And many are returning back to school and have families, like me. There's one girl getting married in a month and another having a baby in October. So this gives me encouragement that we'll all be in the same boat... overwhelmed with our busy lives and school. It seems like for most of us school won't be top priority which is a change for me this time. Well I'll have to let you know how it goes... only 55 minutes to go. Wish me luck!

Highlights

1. We had Taylor baptized this past Sunday. It went really well and it was a big milestone for us. She did excellent during the service. I was concerned that she wouldn't go to the Pastor or would fuss but she did neither. We had a good turnout so thank you for the support. After church we went to Fuddruckers and it was soooo yummy. Check out our pics from Sunday below.

Pastor Jeff

Popsey, Cici, mommy, Taylor, Daddy, Grammy, Grandpapa

"Let's Go, Mom"

2. I have a feeling we are going to have a handful with Taylor. She is exhausting - never slows down. She has never been a real cuddly baby. She's always wanting to play and goof off. She is so close to walking right now. She's standing with no support and will actually squat and stand back up. Her new temper tantrum behavior (remember the hitting) is that she screams a high pitch scream as loud as she can. The human ear can't tolerate it but once or twice before long term ringing occurs. I can't imagine that she is already like this and isn't even one. What are her terrible two's going to be like? On the other hand, she is so cute.

Taylor "walking" her toy on her knees across the room.

3. One more Taylor tidbit. She is getting her 8th tooth and who would have guessed it would be a molar. Yup, I'm not kidding. Her mouth is alittle crooked right now with four on top, three on bottom and now getting an upper molar. Her teething toy for the week (thanks to her dad only) was a chicken bone. I wasn't very supportive but she seemed to enjoy.

4. I start school this week. Please wish me luck for the semester. I'm taking Anatomy and Physiology on line. I will have to attend a lab on campus once weekly (Friday's). So I'm hoping the class won't be too overwhelming, especially since I did take it 7 years ago. Wow hard to believe it's been that long. Actually, I was in this lab class on September 11 when the world trade center fell. Where were you on September 11, 2001?

5. I've discovered a new outlook. Facebook. I've heard several people mention it and my sister mentioned it in her blog. So last night, I wanted to check it out. I believe I might be hooked. I have no clue how I'm going to keep up with both this blog and facebook but I was surprised at how many people I knew on Facebook. In fact, the most exciting thing is a girl I went to highschool with and was one of my best friends, I found ... in China. We lost touch when we graduatated. Her family moved out of state so we just lost touch. Well I was searching everyone I knew on Facebook and she was one and found her in China, apparently studying abroad. It was so cool. I haven't seen or talked to her in 8+ years and she was someone that made a huge impact in my life then.

Well It's 8:00 and time for Taylor's bed. Gotta go

Needed: More time!

I've discovered I don't have enough time in my days. Here is a day in the life of Amy.

5:40- alarm goes off - snooze
5:45 - second alarm goes off
5:50 - get out of bed and shower, dress
6:15- pick up house from night before, make sure Taylor's bag is ready (husband and child still in bed)
6:30- leave for work
6:50 - arrive for work and bust my butt until time to go
3:30- leave for work (I leave at different time daily so this varies)
4:00 - pick Taylor up from daycare - she screams the whole way home. Is it the car seat or because she misses her best bud, Adyson?
4:30- unwind for alittle and get settled
5:00 start getting dinner ready and chase Taylor around house
5:30 husband comes home= yea! Finally some relief
6:00 dinner time and then clean up
7:00 Taylors bath and bottle
8:00 Taylor's bed time
8:30: Me time - this includes what ever I need to do: cross stitch, work out, study, house chores, blog, etc.
Bedtime .

As you can see there isn't much time for extra curricular activites. Why I just blogged this, I have no idea. Maybe I thought some one might have pity on me... ha ha.



I wake up at 5:45. Shower/dress/ready for work. I leave for work anywhere between 6:20 to get

This week's highlights

I know it's been a week or so since I've blogged. But it's been a real busy week. I'll try and recap what I can.

1. Taylor is getting so big. I can't believe it. I looked at her today and saw a toddler instead of a baby. She is really cruising now and standing on her own. I am pretty sure she will be walking before her first birthday which believe it or not is only 6 weeks away. I can't believe she is almost one. Where does the year go.

2. It's been a real "poopy" week. Taylor pooped in the bath tub for the first time. I'm sure it won't be the last. But it was gross! We haven't gotten her ...regulated. Last week she was going all the time and I thought it was the milk base formula I was trying. This week she's struggling every time she goes. Also... I discovered little mice friend droppings at my work place this week. In fact they indulged in some of my snacks. I spent most my week disinfecting my work station. Again.. how gross.

3. Adam and I have started a hard core intense workout program called P90X. It's insane. The first night Adam did it, he couldn't even lift his arms. It was quite funny watching him scratch his head or put his glasses on. I am doing the same program but a different route and think it's quite fun. I actually am looking forward to the next workout. It calls for these workouts daily but as you can imagine it's hard to do that daily. So we do what we can and it's better than what we were doing before... nothing.

4. I finally got registerd for Midlands Tech. So I guess I am going back to school. Amazingly, the exact class and session I needed (which has been full) came open with one slot on Friday. So I was able to get into the class I need. I'm actuallly kind of looking forward to it.. alittle nervous but excited. It's an internet lecture and then lab once a week on site. We had to introduce ourselves on the discussion board and so far the others are in similar situations as me - going back to school and retaking the class.

5. Adam and I bought a new car today. YEA. We had been contemplating it but after getting word from an auto shop that the Nissan Sentra needed alot of work, we decided we would be better off trading it in. So we spent ALL day car looking while mom and dad watched Taylor. We ended up getting a 2008 Ford Edge which I've liked since I saw one last summer. We got an INCREDIBLE deal and are real excited about our purchase. I can't wait to show it off!

6. Taylor is teething...again. I swear she is going to have a mouth full of teeth before she turns one. She already has7 teeth and working on the 8th. Her new favorite teething toy is a corn cob. I eat the corn off of it and then hand it to her. She has a ball with it. Her other new teething toys include her crib and an icecube rag.

7. Taylor's Baptism is next Sunday. We are so excited to have this day finally get here. The date has been changed soo much and it's hard to believe that it's almost here.

8. I saw my doctor this week for a check up. My anemia and low iron (which I've been since pregnancy) is improving...slowly but nothing to be concerned about. Which is a relief. However, he is sending me to a GI doctor for some stomach troubles I've been having. How fun can that be. I'll keep you posted but hopefully nothing big will come of that.

9. Taylor had her first swing ride, that I know about. She acted like a pro so maybe she's done it at daycare. We were at my cousins graduation party at a church and we took the kids to the playground. She had so much fun and started screaming and kicking her feet. Adam and I have been wanting to get her a swing set for the house but they are so expensive and we don't have anywhere to put just a toddler swing. We will have to work on that. My mom says she's going to be like Adam with the adrenaline rush craze and maybe she will. She loves to be thrown in the air and all kinds of crazy things like that.

Well I'm exhausted and heading to bed. Blogging off -

A Messy Night!

They say lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place... but they dont' say that about wind. Do they? Adam and I had quite an interesting evening last night. We had two really big storms. The first one was around 7:30 and I was in Taylor's room putting her down when the dogs start going nuts. Adam then tells me we had a tree fall through our wooden privacy fence. This was hard to believe since I didn't hear anything and didn't really think the wind was THAT bad. But sure enough, the biggest pine tree was laying completely flat through our fence and to the road. Luckily, it missed our house. Unlucky in the fact that it happened and it messed up our dogs area. So we had to get out there at 8:00pm and start cutting the tree and put up a makeshift fence in place so the dogs wouldn't get out. We discovered this was a great way to meet neighbors on the street. A guy down the street came over with his chainsaw. The neighbors across the street came over to watch and the mysterious guy next door finally made an appearance as well. So we had 5 guys and 4 wives standing out side while fixing our fence. It was quite a scene. Meanwhile, it's lightning and another storm is approaching. I am getting kind of nervous because I could see it in my head appearing in The State "guys struck by lightning while clearing fallen tree." But we were able to finish up, get the dogs a confined place to stay and get inside literally as the sky fell out and mini tornado II came through. Well the second storm was worse than the first. I told Adam that I felt a really dark cloud hanging over our head. But I didn't know until this morning that during the second storm, the wind knocked down ANOTHER pine tree! Can you believe it? Two trees in two storms! NO WAY! WAY! This one stayed within our privacy fence but is going through the dogs wire fence and laying in our hammack. So to say the least, Adam has his work "cut out" for him this weekend - literally. The good side of this is Adam was going to cut down the second tree anyways this weekend (after the first fell) because it was too close to the house and we had concerns about it. But mother nature took care of it for us. The dogs are also enjoying a 6 foot 'window' to the outside world now. I hope we still have dogs by this weekend. I also hope this doesn't violate our new LH community association regulations - which are a complete joke. But that's another blog. Well I'll post pics later from last night. Hopefully our unlucky streak has passed. Until then I'm b'logging' off!

Tree No. 1 from storm No. 1

Tree. No. 1

Tree No. 2 from storm No. 2

WHAT A MESS!!!!

Lucky Blog

I have some exciting news to blog about... exciting for me. I just won my first ... sweepstake prize. Not really a sweepstake. I saw this blog in one of my parent magazines where you can register for free stuff. So I thought I would check it out. Well one of the things on there was for a cool notebook stationary set. So I thought I would enter. Well lo and behold, I got an email today saying I won and I got to pick out what color and design. How cool. Not only that but I noticed when going to the site they have my name "Amy M' on there congratulating me. heh heh. I just might have to follow my mother in law's footsteps... maybe I'll have her luck as well. Just thought I'd share my winnings. :-) If anyone is interested, the blog is http://www.prizey.blogspot.com/ I'll post under my other blogs to check out. And to see what I won and my name... go to www.coolmompicks.com/2008/08/thank_you_notes_togo.php. You'll also have to check out www.coolmompicks.com which is the company that I entered the drawing for. They have all kind so products to win and all you do is send an email to enter.

Happy winning!

Second thoughts

Well I'm kind of having second thoughts about the PTA program. It's kind of overwhelming and I don't know where to start. I did find out that I have two 'basic' classes to take over- Anatomy and Physiology I and II. They have to be current by 3 years before entering clinical courses. But from the paperwork I got, I can't even apply for an interview for the program until both of those couses are done 20 observation hours and submit a written paper. Considering that fall starts... now and classes are full then it's possible I won't have these courses done until after summer semester and that's if they offer the second one during the summer. Who knows what the waiting list is.. I think it's a year or two, so I'm looking at starting the actual program in like 3-4 years. That alone is frustrating.

So I've thought about just going ahead and starting anyways and not lettig this get me down but it costs to apply to MTC and to take classes. I would hate to take one class if not two then to find out that the waiting list is too long and I'll be ancient. I don't know what to do but I'll keep you you posted.

What a week?

This has been quite an interesting week and it's not even over with yet.

So Tuesday I had a freak accident at work. I haven't told anyone but my husband this so I'm sure I'll be getting calls from my immediate family tonight - or when they read my blog. I work with IV's (starting and removing) and had my first blood exposure. When I was putting the patient's IV in the sharp's container somehow it splashed back and a drop of radioactive blood landed in my eye. It was freaky because I was wearing my eye glasses and I have no clue what it made it splash... as I was literally carrying it from point a to point b when it did it. But it happened. So I got to use our eye wash station for the first time - not fun. And then undergo some lab testing. I was lucky because I knew who the "source patient" was and she came in today to get 'exposure labs' done as well. She was understanding and compliant which makes the whole process alot easier.

Wednesday, we had a halarious day. Part of what I do at work, is carry out exercise stress testing. So I hook up patients to EKG's while they are on the treadmill which requires either shirts off (men) or to pull blouses up (women). Well we had this..... eccentric... female patient yesterday and she comes dressed in a floor length gray/blackish dress, thick, purple cotton socks and brown hiking boots. So when I get her back to do the treadmill, she had to pull her dress all the way up to her head so I go do my electrode placement. That's not too bad.... what was halarious is that when she got on the treadmill, I realized that if her dress was down then the wire would hang all the way to the floor and she would trip. So I'm thinking a mile a minute of a solution ( I should also mention that the physician is in the room - who is also my supervisor). My solution ended up being to tuck her dress into the belt around her waist (which was better than the patients solution which was to tuck it into the very top of her dress/bra). Either way, she had to walk/hike up the treadmill bearing her black panties. Meanwhile, Dr. Supervisor is having to stand behind her the entire time watching her panties ride up her behind. It was absolutely halarious!!! Infact, what's funny is that Dr. Supervisor and me are known for these crazy occurences. She told me afterwards, that she thinks that was the most halarious situation of all. It even beat the time she (barely 100 lbs) had to hug a 350lb guy's crack to keep his pants from falling off or the time that the lady peed on the treamill. Oh, how funny.

My friend, Natalie, just started a blog. I'll post a link to her blog under my sisters. I'm so glad she started. Natalie and I went to high school together but lives out of state with her son, Graham, whose 6 months old. So it's nice to see how they are doing and how big Graham is getting.

Today was a very busy day but nothing dramatic happened. Adam is still giddy about his job. He comes home excited nightly with different stories about his day.

Our neighbors came over and we hung out for a while. This was only the third time we've talked with the second being yesterday. She came over to let us know about the apparent crime happening in our neighborhood. Great, right? Apparantly, some guy was trying to get into a house with young girl babysitting. The cops were called and they got a description on the guy and actually I passed the guy pulling into my driveway. Also one of our close neighbors had their car broken into a few weeks ago. So we've decided to start a 'crime watch' with the three of our houses. We're also going to join up and do neighborhood supper club. The two houses across the street already are doing it and they asked if we wanted to join.

Taylor has had a good week so far. She's has developed this hitting things that she apparently does to only to me. At first, I wasn't sure if she knew what she was doing so I ignored it. But now it's clear that she does it when she's frustrated with me. (ex: I take something from her or talk to her when she doesn't want to be talked to, etc) It's gotten really frustrating because I don't know what to do about it considering she's only 10 months old. I think spanking can be appropriate in certain situations but not at this age. So I just tell her "no" really firmly and then she usually starts crying b/c I hurt her feelings. She might catch herself the next time but she does it again eventually. I think it's almost a reaction to her frustration... she just does it almost out of habit. I hope we can correct this and that it isn't a hint of the temper to come.

Taylor also has really started talking/babbling this week. She's got dada down pat, which really makes Adam happy. We think she knows who dada is as well. I think she's saying uh-oh and it sounded like she said "kiki' when petting patches today. So we are excited about this.

Well dinner just arrived... (Chili's) and I'm starved. Until next time...

Minutes from Monday

It's been a while since I've blogged so here are the highlights from today:

1. I HATE COMPUTERS. This is my second blog. I just spent a 1/2 hour blogging and when I went to post... I got some error and it completely ERASED my entire BLOG. AAAAGGHHH. I'm so upset. I don't even know what I was writing about.

2. Adam started his new job today. He came home all excited and nervous. Apparently there were hundreds of applicants and they only chose 12. Four of the 12 were already employees of BCBS out of state and moved/transfered to take this job. His training starts tomorrow and will last 12 weeks and they will be pampered - lunches, juice, snacks, etc. He came home with a BCBS leather bag filled with all kind of goodies. When he has homework, they pay them time and a half for the study time and gas mileage home. It's incredible. We are so excited about this opportunity.

3. RAIN - We got more rain today than we've seen all year. It poured for a good hour. It was a mother load of a storm with 'cloud-to ground' lightning as Brandon at WIS would call it. In fact, atleast one house (if not two) were struck in our neighborhood. We've had firetrucks running up and down our street for the last 1 1/2 hours. But I think they went to the same house. I'll check it out tomorrow... it' was too late to get in the car and go chase firetrucks... plus the last time I did that in our neighborhood I got cornered by the firetrucks and couldn't turn around. hahah..
Our neighborhood had a track record for lightning.... they should post that when people buy houses.

4. Taylor is doing better... we think. She put her self on a diet last week and refused to eat. By Thursday she wasn't eating any solids hardly. We tried everything but she would just cringe and gag even at the sight/smell of food. We did forcefeed a bottle down but she threw it all up. We aren't sure what her deal was. Saturday she started eating and she's like the bottomless pit. I've though at times if I fed her anymore she would explode. Today she's been extremely fussy and clingy (atleast this afternoon), she slept for 3 1/2 hours at daycare and she's had 5 poopy diapers (you can imagine her hiney). So I'm hoping it's either her teeth or the 3 applesauces in 2 days (I know I know bad Mommy.

5. I'm considering going back to school for physical therapy assistant. Physical therapy is something I've wanted to do since I was 16. If I was smart, I would have stayed on that track and saved alot of time... but who knows what else would be different in my life. But this idea has come and gone many times over the years and I feel a calling to do it. I only have 3 semesters to get this degree but they will be all clinical and time consuming courses. I'm really nervous, excited am not sure how it will work out being a mother/wife and trying to work when I can. But I think that it's its the right thing to do then the plans will be laid out for me.

Gotta go ... Taylor's up and crying. Until next time... B'logging' off (Adam hates that phrase... is it corney?)

Happy Friday!

I love Fridays! I now have a whole new reason to love them. My workplace has now gone to letting the staff have every other Friday off. Our office is still open on Fridays, we just rotate who works. So today was my Friday off. How exciting. It was hard to decide what to do with this time off. Do I send Taylor to daycare and get some things done or do I spend time with her? Well... I actually did both and had a really good day.

I spent the morning at home..... alone, which I know most mothers don't get a chance to do. But I accomplished so much. Not to mention, I really needed some very alone time. Even the cat knew to leave me alone! :-) I did end up answering the phone about 25 times but that is what it took to plan my afternoon.

I picked Taylor up from daycare in time for the book mobile. This was our first time and it was pretty fun. I was surprised but Taylor seemed interested in the whole idea. We picked out a couple of books and she held on to her library card the entire time. I had to pry it away from her to check out. It was a kodak moment. After the book mobile, we went swimming with some of my cousins and my sister and all their kids. This was her second time swimming but didn't seem real thrilled about it. I think she was just hungry and tired. She usually loves the water (bath and swimming) but just wasn't into it today.

The biggest accomplishment today was Taylor's rescheduled baptism...again. This is the third time we've scheduled this. Once due to illness and second due to family conflict. Who knew it would be such an ordeal to have the child baptized. But it's all worked out now and the date is set for August 24.

I also found out today the culprit for Taylor's Hand Foot Mouth Disease. It's been baffling because its such a contagious disease and I was puzzled where she got it from. But apparently, a friend of the family's child was in town the week before Taylor got it and he had it the week before. They had seen each other at the library. So the mystery is solved. I've also heard (rumor, which I won't name names) that this friend who lives out of town might be moving back to town. I am excited about this. I hardly get to see her and now that we both have kids close in age it will be nice to get together.

Well I'm b'logging' off for now. It's been a busy day and I'm tired. Until next time....

"Guiding Light"

Well I know it's been a week since I've blogged. I seem to either have choose sleep or blogging and these past days... sleep is just more important. But I figure I would let everyone know all that has gone on this week because wow... what a week! Adam calls it "Guiding Light." Let's see, we finished battling the Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease last week and Taylor actually got to spend 2 days at daycare. She was so happy to be back. Last Monday (a week ago) we got word that my uncle had died. He had been sick and just recently had surgery but it was still a complete shock. In fact, I believe our family is still in shock. It's hard to believe he's gone when he was here just here and improving. That was Monday and his funeral was Wednesday, which I thought was pretty quick but I guess it's better to get it over with. During all this I should mention there was alot of drama going on at work but I will save the details. Then Saturday, we woke up and Taylor had pictures taken at Portrait Innovations. She was suppose to have these done last weekend... but she was sick. Well this Saturday, she woke with a horrible runny nose. and cough. But I was determined to have these pics taken. She actually did really well - smiled alot. We just had to chase her nose between shots. However, by that afternoon she was really ill. So... we drove around trying to decide if we should take her to doctor's care (closed) or urgent care (2 hour wait) and decided on home. Sunday morning we got up first thing and visited the doctor... again. Of course, the verdict is viral and there's nothing we can do for her. So once again, Taylor is sick. She has been so miserable. In fact, last night she didn't sleep a wink and cried for 5 hours straight. Tonight she is already doing better since it's 9:00 and she's asleep.. we'll see if that lasts. I've used up all my time at work and employees patience, so Adam is playing 'house wife.' We've been blessed that he is 'able' to take the time off to stay at home. Oh- I don't think I've officially annouced this but Adam has accepted a job with BlueCross BlueShield starting July 28. He will be an Applications Developer I (I think). We are REALLY excited about this switch and should offer a promising career for Adam. Well I'm going to post some pics from Saturday and head to bed. 'B'logging off for now!

Minutes from Monday

Monday hightlights and realizations....

1. Taylor almost slept through the night last night... only woke twice instead of her 5-7 times from the past few days. YEA!!

2. Adam would make a great stay at home dad but then that would mean I would have to work full-time forever and make alot of money.

3. My 9 month old already has quite a HOT temper... where did she get that from?

4. She also has the funniest "Clarence" laugh.

5. Sometimes going to work is good medicine.... sometimes it's not.

6. God will never give you more than you can handle.... but sometimes he will push it really close.

7. Treasure each day you have with your loved ones, you never know when it might be your last.

Would the real Taylor please come forward!!

So the new verdict is in... Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. After several days of fever and sore throat, she broke out in a tiny rash all over her body. Apprarently, this rash will turn to blisters and cause alot of pain. Luckily her rash is very fine, so the blisters will be very fine as well. Some of them have already started turning... but who knows how long this progression will be. She seems to be feeling better. Though at times, she is quite irritable. But her fever seems to be gone and the rash hasn't really stopped her from getting around. I think she must feel something on her hands, because she'll stop and look at them like something's on them.

So over the last few days, Adam and I have seen a new side of Taylor. One that we don't particulary care for. Last night for the first time in a few days, we were able to see our real Taylor, when Popsey and Cici came to see her. So I thought I would hightlight my perfect angels new characteristcs.

1. There is the I'm not sleepy *yawn*, I'm not going to sleep, *rub eyes* You can't make me, *scream* See I'm not tired, * climb up you* This goes on for hours.

2. She also has developed this 'fake' cry. Now this cry sounds fake, but I have yet to figure out if it is or not. Sometimes I think she's just miserable or doesn't feel well... other times it seems like she's having a temper tantrum. And it's hard to 'discipline' a child that could be crying out of sickness.

3. Let's not forget Taylor as the "human vaccum." The child has a litter sensor. She picks up the smallest and most disguised pieces of trash and eats them. I can't tell you how many times we've gone digging in her mouth.

4. Taylor the "Spoiled." "Hold me" ** climb up you** "Wait, don't leave me in the room alone" *cry* "Rock me to sleep"

5. Then lastly, there is the Taylor that doesn' t know what she wants. She wants up, she wants down. She is sleepy but wants to climb and play games. She's got no appetite but wants her bottle. She wants mommy but also wants daddy. geez...

All Adam and I are asking is where is our Taylor... you know.. the one who is real smiley and laughing all the time. How long will this irritable Taylor last?

Happy July 4th!!

What do you do on July 4th with a sick child? Nada. It's just another day. However, it is a day for husbands to be motivated to grill out and cook dinner. For that alone, I wish every day could be July 4th.

Well so Taylor is sick for the 4th. She woke up yesterday with a fever. By the time we got to the doctor in the afternoon, her temp was over 103 and she could barely hold her head up. She was pitiful. She's doing much better today, though still has a slight fever and still doesn't have her appetite. It's no fun with a sick child. We just sat in the rocking chair all day together. She sure picked a bad time to be sick. We didn't have any big plans for the 4th in the first place, but we are suppose to have her pictures taken tomorrow and her baptism is Sunday. Why did we wait so long to have her Baptized? Well, Adam and I have been church hopping for the past year. We finally joined Mt. Horeb Methodist last month and have really enjoyed it. We are still planning on Sunday... sick child or not. Maybe if she's not better by then, the healing waters of Christ can do it because I can't take another day off from work. :-)

Well I hope everyone has a safe and fun July 4th. It's actually storming right now.. so hopefully everyone's plans were inside.

Welcome to the Blogging world

This is a test blog. I can't believe I've gotten sucked into the blogging world. But I've enjoyed reading people's blogs (people I don't even know) so I thought I would give it a try. You know you are ready to start a blog when you walk around telling yourself "if I had a blog, I could write about this or that that happened today." So.... now that I have a blog.... what do I say. I think I might have "blog fright" or would it be more appropriate to call it "blog block."

Well I'm going to play around with this for a while and I'll get back to yall. Check back later.