Oh, nooooooo

What happened? My blog has gone funky.... (the stripes are gone?)

I didn't touch anything....

Hang in there, I don't know what happened and I sure don't know how to fix it...

Ah, its me again

After a much needed trip to the salon to see my hairdresser, I finally feel like myself again. Its amazing what a nice cut and color can do for a girl. Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!

It feels so good to have no roots, pretty color, and no dead ends. I actually had her cut quite a bit of length off. When the baby girl hit 3 months, my hair started falling out in handfuls. No exaggeration, handfuls. So you can imagine what 3 months of that would do to my normally thick hair. Just by chance you didn't guess, it makes it very, very thin. It makes you want to cry. But she fixed me up and at least for today my hair looks a little bit like it used to, before I started to go bald.

Want to see???? Too bad - you don't have a choice!




A trip to the salon was just what I needed!

Ta-da! The girl has jewels!

So today was a big day for the baby girl. It was earring day. It was originally supposed to be tomorrow when I have my trip to the salon, but I needed support to go through with it. So, when I heard Nana was going to be having her hair done this morning, earring day quickly turned into today.

I was really about to freak out and had my hairdresser not gone about the whole process so fast I would have chickened out for sure.



I hid my head quite a few times.



The tears did not come until about half a minute after the earring went in.



She was calm as soon as I walked her outside a minute.



Aren't they just cute. Her daddy is going to love it. This was mostly all his idea, by the way!!

The roots of my Target addiction

They are Wal-Mart. It all became clear yesterday when I went with my mom and sister.

I'm stuck to the bullseye because I hate Wal-Mart. I really do.

Reasons why:

1. I can never find a price on half the stuff I might be interested in buying.
2. Then, when you try to find out you get a looked at like your from Mars.
3. The people behind the photo counter at my Wal-Mart are just stupid.
4. There are never enough cash registers open and lines wrapping around everywhere.
5. And you can't get an ICEE.

Have I ever mentioned I love Target?

Is she sweet, or what?

What not to say to the hubby..

If you are a collection agency, calling regarding a bill for his wife's gallbladder surgery at 3 weeks post partum, I suggest you not tell him he needs to get out his Visa. Because, they did last night and his reply was, well - not friendly, we'll just put it that way.

Now let me explain. First, we pay our bills. Second, we've been paying that bill. Apparently, not as fast as the freaking, rude billing department would have liked. I knew it was coming, they (the hospital) had called being nasty because the bill wasn't being paid in full, we were sending partial payments. I told them they could get over it, take what I send and that their bill would be paid. Get the picture? Well, now they reported it to collections and the collection agency rep decided she would get nasty with me on the phone. After ending that call, I was so frustrated and angry with that woman, I ended up in tears. The hubby came home to me in tears and that pisses him off.

Long story short, I previously worked for a lawyer. Hubby's mother just so happens to be that lawyer's paralegal. So we simply had them send a letter regarding the situation. Well, apparently that nasty representative that thought she was going to scare me into putting that balance on my Visa didn't like that so she called last night and the hubby answered and dealt with her. Needless to say, the call didn't last long, and she is no longer harassing me or the hubby. The balance of that bill is not on my Visa either, thank you very much.

Did I mention I hate the hospital where my gallbladder operation took place, and would have been much better off at the hospital I delivered the baby girl at?

Half a year old!

6 months. Did you hear that? Where does the time go and why does it have to pass so fast?

It hardly seems like its been half a year. This is the part where I could get all sappy and emotional about how much life has changed, how much I love her and all that stuff that comes with being a mommy, but, I'll save that until she turns one. Plus, everyone already knows how much I love her!

She is working on sitting up. She is this close. She is also scooting - so you know what comes next. She has her first tooth. She eats great, the girl loves peas! She smiles and laughs and it makes my heart melt!

I'm up a little extra early this morning so that I can get us out the door and to the ped's office on time for her 6 month check up. Bring on the coffee, the girl did not sleep that well last night. (I don't know what's up with that lately, by the way...)

Also - Happy 6 months to Misti's T! (The baby girl's first boyfriend arranged by mommy!)

Way Back Wednesday

Its that time again! Way Back Wednesday brought to us by Mama Duck. This weeks theme is drunken college photos. I couldn't find the ones I really wanted, but oh well! I'm playing anyway.

They aren't that bad...

This first one is from one of B's trips to see me on the weekends. We were at a party at someone's house out in the woods. Way out in the woods. Here we are, really toasty! Pina coladas for me and the famous beer for him. Like I said I really wanted the one where we had fallen backwards out of a chair and the one of us girls posing cute standing on top of their AC unit.....(those must be in the attic!).....


This next one is me, my roomate, and her sister. I'm in the middle and my roomate is the one in pink. I think the drink this night was hunch punch! Well on our way.... this night we later put on a concert for the whole apartment complex to hear I'm sure...


Fun times!

Bugs = gross!

Yes, I hate bugs of any kind. They give me the creeps and yes I scream like a small child whenever I see one in my house! Especially a spider. Good reason to have your house protected from them, right? Thats the reason I set up and paid a company on the 1st of June to come and take care of it. Well, their 3 point protection plan or what ever they want to call it must not be working. I've seen a spider and a roach the past 2 days. EWWWW! Yes, I screamed but managed to kill them both somehow. Ruining a magazine, by the way. So the hubby called and let them have it, and they are coming back today between 2 and 4 to do something about it.

Needless to say, they have ruined my day. I'm stuck here to meet them when I could be shopping at a fabulous outdoor mall with my mom and the baby girl on a very beautiful day...

Busy, Busy!

First things first - I think I finally got the new look complete! Thanks to Jamie I figured out the post title issue and later figured out that I was the one who was causing the centering issue, but now thats fixed too. Whew.

************
It was a very busy weekend. It seems like we were hardly home at all! Here is where we've been since Friday...

Friday - I had my annual check up with my OB. Call me weird, but I was actually excited about it. My OB and his office staff were with me through some very hard times and I've become very close to all of them. So, its been weird to me to not see them every month, few weeks etc. like I did during my pregnancy. Come to find out the pain in my butt I get when sitting for long periods of time is from fracturing my tailbone during delivery. Lovely - kind of what I expected. Just something you have to let heal (he did give me some Celebrex to help when I have the pain). We had take out for dinner and rented a movie - Ladder 49. Thank goodness I'd already seen it because the baby girl was in a mood I tell you. Crying and pitching a fit (she rarely ever does that). I think she finally calmed down about midnight, about the time I was about to cry with her. B enjoyed the movie though!

Saturday - B had to work so the baby girl and I went to my mom's house. She lives a block from the beach so we spent a good 3 hours on the beach. I was able to get some sun and the baby girl got a nice long nap along with some playtime under the umbrella with her 7 month old cousin. It was fun. Nice and hot, but fun. B met us there after work and we grilled steak for dinner. A really great day. I think we all 3 got to bed sometime around 11:00. TIRED!

Sunday - B had to work again. This job was a side job - cash money so he was all for that even though he would be out in one of FL's very hot, hot days. So the baby girl and I went to church, lunch at Granny's, then to a movie with my mom. Yes, I took the baby girl to a movie. Willy Wonka and she did great. I was just a little nervous about it but she actually slept almost the whole time and just played in Nana's lap staring at the screen for the last 20 minutes. It was fun. The movie was actually better than I had expected. I thought it was going to be really stupid, but turns out it was pretty cute. So the baby girl can say she went to her first movie when she was nearly 6 months old!

************

ALMOST there...

Okay, I almost have it...

Thank you to Melissa for the help - and to everyone else that offered their help!

There are just a few things I'm hoping someone can tell me...

1. How do I get my post titles to show up? They show up on the side bar but not above the post??
2. How do I get the text of my post to align to the left? I played around with the date, comments etc. and I got them to move left, right, center but the post body stays center no matter what I try...

Maybe one day...

I'll have a different blogskin....

I'm really horrible at this kind of stuff. I don't know what made me think I would actually be able to FIGURE IT OUT...

Way Back Wednesday

Brought to us by Mama Duck. This weeks theme is: PROM.

Not too embarrassing, but I wanted to be a part of Way Back Wednesday. So, here it is - a fabulous picture of a picture (hence the glared and blurry faces). Its the best I can do - you can get the idea though. I went 3 of 4 years but the last one is all I can get to - the rest are in boxes somewhere in the garage.

This is my Senior prom in April of 2000. And the lovely date is the now hubby!

Please send your support

I just read some very sad news. Kari needs our support. She is experiencing that very deep and saddening pain of losing a baby that so many of us have sadly come to experience. She could really use our support and encouragement right now.

Reading her news, I re-lived the days I found out my babies were no longer with me. As Kether posted so beautifully, I'm very blessed to be in a much happier place today and my prayer is that one day Kari will be too.

What to do?

Okay... there is this photography portrait that I want so badly to do with Delaney. It is close up shots of body parts such as her ear, feet, eye, hands, face etc. I first saw one when I was pregnant with her. I fell in love with it! You can see an example here. I just have to have one.

However, the catch is - its $395 plus a $100 sitting fee. It comes matted and framed beautifully, but that is just a lot of money. My future Aunt just got my 7 month old cousins done and it is beyond beautiful.

B thinks I could do it myself. But, I'm doubtful I have that ability to do one of that quality. Misti probably could but I'm not sure about me. Sears has one similar that they call a portrait study. It is not as close up shots as I would like, but there is a lot of difference in price! I wonder if the photographer at Sears would work with us to get closer shots? I guess I should call and see.

I just don't know what to do... all I know is I want it so, so, so badly!

Lesson of the Day

Don't get liposuction - Just ask my hair stylist.

You see, my hair stylist got liposuction last week - she didn't need it in my opinion, but you know how it goes. Then lands herself a visit in the intensive care unit, yes, the ICU. It seems she got home and was recovering and started having trouble breathing. She was taken (quickly) to the hospital where they found a blood clot in her lung. I'm sure most of you know that blood clots in your lungs = bad, very BAD. I'm a licensed Respiratory Therapist, I know how bad. (Remember David Blume, the NBC reporter, passing away from a pulmonary embolisim while reporting for the war?) It could have been that bad. When they got her to the hospital she was given a 40% chance. Thank God they got her there in time and she was put on blood thinners to take care of the clots and is just now getting home to finish recovering. I'm so thankful she is okay. God was taking care of her, that is for sure!

101 things about me

1. I love God.
2. I was due on Christmas day, but came 3 days early.
3. I'm the oldest of 3 girls.
4. I had curly hair as a child, it still will curl if I make it.
5. I grew up in a very small town - I just moved out of that small town to another small town just 10 minutes away.
6. I was a cheerleader in high school.
7. I was a Beta club and National Honor Society member.
8. I graduated 10th in my class of almost 200.
9. I love the outdoors.
10. I hate laundry.
11. I'm addicted to Kenny Chesney, very addicted to Kenny Chesney.
12. I went away to college for a year.
13. B and I were engaged while I was away.
14. We were married May 4, 2002.
15. We got pregnant in August - a suprise.
16. We lost that baby - missed miscarriage. Devestated us.
17. I had a D&C.
18. I love diet coke.
19. I hate tomatoes.
20. I finished school despite everyone thinking I would quit after I was married.
21. I worked really hard in school.
22. I was top student of my Respiratory program.
23. I had an ectopic pregnancy in December 2003.
24. I almost died.
25. I had a blood transfusion.
26. I only have one fallopian tube.
27. I developed anxiety after that loss. It was traumatic for me.
28. I've never flown on a plane.
29. I'm 5' 8".
30. I hate a mess.
31. I can never keep up with the laundry.
32. I'm spoiled.
33. I like talk shows (Oprah, Dr. Phil).
34. I got pregnant with the baby girl quickly, the month before we were going to try actually.
35. I loved being pregnant. LOVED being pregnant.
36. I had gestational diabeties.
37. I didn't eat cake at my baby shower.
38. I loved my labor and delivery.
39. I was 4lbs below pre-pregnancy weight the day I delivered.
40. I'm now 42lbs below pre-pregnancy weight.
41. I was pregnant on my last 2 birthdays.
42. I no longer have a gallbladder.
43. My medical past makes no sense.
44. I've had some issues with high blood pressure.
45. I failed my driving test the first time.
46. I'm addicted to Vera Bradley bags.
47. My MIL gets on my nerves.
48. I didnt get stretch marks on my stomach, only one or two on my hip.
49. I like Nascar.
50. I love the beach.
51. I like to cook.
52. I've broken my nose.
53. Had surgery to fix that.
54. I love to take pictures.
55. My wedding ring never comes off.
56. My first car was a red cavalier.
57. I married my best friend.
58. I nurse my daughter.
59. I hate to be late, but I am usually late.
60. I love a hot bath!
61. I hardly remember my bachlorette party.
62. I rarely answer the home phone at all.
63. My ring tone is "I'm here for the party."
64. I had braces as a teenager.
65. I had my belly button pierced when I was 17.
66. I took it out a year ago.
67. I love ice cream.
68. Margarita is my drink of choice.
69. I hate to snow ski, I really stink at it.
70. I love to go barefoot.
71. I've danced on a bar - coyote style.
72. I've never had a professional pedicure but really want one! (need to make time for that)
73. I love to shop, love to shop.
74. Totally addicted to Target.
75. I've killed a deer, with a gun.
76. I'm 23 years old.
77. Once I fell out of hubby's truck on my head - yes, I was drunk.
78. I hate large crowds where people are all in your space.
79. I hate standing in line at the grocery store.
80. Snickers is my candy bar of choice.
81. I live off of ICEE's in the summertime.
82. I want to paint some rooms in the house.
83. I color my hair.
84. I get lost very easy.
85. I like to scrapbook, I need to find time to do more of that.
86. I want to have another baby one day, but I'm scared about it. Afraid it won't go as great as my last pregnancy. (See #'s 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 25 and 26).
87. I have over 50 pairs of shoes.
88. My drawers are a mess, no matter how many times I clean them out.
89. I wear glasses for computer and reading.
90. I like to read.
91. Me and an old lady backed into each other in the grocery store parking lot when the baby girl was only a few months old.
92. I cry easily when I'm angry, stressed, etc.
93. I can never get the checkbook to balance out perfect no matter how hard I try. Its always just a *little* off.
94. I just bought my first item off of ebay last week.
95. I never set the alarm.
96. I'm a very, very, very picky eater.
97. I wore fancy slippers for my wedding.
98. I have a 7 month old cousin - 7 weeks older than my baby.
99. I order the same foods everytime we go out.
100. I'm in love with my husband.
101. My family is my pride and joy.

Told you I was boring!

Hurricane Season

The storms are brewing already and we are just in the beginning of hurricane season. Great, just great. Hurricane season is the only downfall of living in Florida. I'm sure you all remember last hurricane season, the one I spent anxious and pregnant and the one that nearly every storm that formed came after Florida. Yeah, not fun.

Thankfully, the part of Florida I'm in (north) has not been directly hit in years and years. I'm afraid our luck with that is running out. We'll see. We still saw very bad effects of every hurricane and tropical storm that came ashore on Florida's coasts last year. It's not fun, it gets downright scary. Just ask the hubby. He lived through Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The storm that wiped out his hometown of Homestead, FL.

His stories terrify the crap out of me. Really - they are awful. Ones of hiding in the closets and half of the roof being blown off, ones of losing a classmate, ones of a horse running around with a 2x4 stuck through it - you get the picture. SCARY.

Needless to say if we're in direct line of a hit, we don't stick around. He won't do it again.

Its likely we'll see effects of Hurricane Dennis that is off the coast of Jamaica at the moment.

Welcome to Florida!

Houston, we have a tooth!

The first tooth is just breaking through the gum, you can hardly see it but you can feel it. I had just finished nursing her earlier today and we were playing when she grabbed my finger and bit down. I felt it and said "Laney, do you have a tooth?!?" She grinned ear to ear, so cute!

I knew it was coming. The sleeplessness, lack of appetite, biting everything, chewing, drooling and fussing. She also ran a little fever Sunday and Monday with it. The tylenol and orajel have been a life saver!

So, who is the tooth fairy going to visit next? I see Tristyn got a visit, too!

Happy 4th of July!

Well, the day is almost over but I couldn't forget to say Happy 4th! (and show you our firecracker!)

It was a long, ugly, rainy day. B was able to enjoy his 4-wheeler a bit while Delaney and I spent a nice lazy day at Nana's house - eating way too much of course! We just ended the night with icecream and fireworks that the girl slept through...bummer. I was really wanting to see how she reacted to them. Of course, being we watched from the car because the weather was bad allowed for that sleeping! Oh well, she's bound to love them next year.

So...here she is on her first 4th of July!

Thank you

To everyone who gave me support on yesterday's post. Today is much better. I still feel really bad of course, but all of your comments made me feel a little less horrible. Thank you. And, Delaney is just fine - like you all said she would be. Even though I'm still really new at all of this I can already see this blogging thing is a good thing!

Horrible mother

I thought I was on my way to a better day. Boy was I wrong.

I'm officially the worst mother ever. I'm ashamed to even type this. I feel so horrible and guilty. Delaney fell off the bed this morning. Broke my heart. We both cried a lot.

So, there you have it. Worst Mother of the Year award goes to me.

A better night...

...will hopefully make for a better day.

I had no more than hit publish post last night before she was up again. Yes, she woke up again. She proceeded to spit up all over me, her and the carpet. Poor baby girl. Then she wanted to nurse. It was then I woke B up to come wipe throw up out of the carpet while I nursed the girl. After that she seemed to be in a great mood - at 10pm, mind you. B sat with her on the couch for a little while hoping she would fall asleep and so I could try to pay the bills. Nope, no sleep. At 11pm she was still awake. At that point I realized - in order for either one of us to do any sleeping she was coming to bed with us.

We slept from 11pm until 8:45am! So we're doing ok this morning. Hopefully, today we'll get back to some normality in the nap department as well.

Off to give her some 'breakfast' and get a cup of coffee...

VERY. LONG. DAY.

Oh my goodness!

Is this day ever going to end and is my baby ever going to go to sleep again? It started at 4am, well actually 2am - but she went right back to sleep after a diaper change that time. It was 4:30 a.m. when B got home from working all night to find a very crusty eye mommy and a very wide eye baby. Lucky for me he took her being that he had to leave again at 5:30 - so I was able to get a few minutes sleep. She did not go back to sleep until 6:15. Yes, she was up over 2 hours. Not crying, not upset - awake, content and LAUGHING. What in the world? My normal sleep all nighter was playing games.

I should have known from that the kind of day I was going to have. She has not fallen asleep long enough to even say she got a nap. Longest time she closed her eyes was 15 minutes when I took a very fast shower. She was pretty much miserable all day long and throwing several fits - the kind that make you want to cry, the kind that almost make you feel like your going crazy. I'm exhausted. She's exhausted. I just put her down 10 minutes ago. She is snoozing away now along with her father and here I am. Still needing to balance the check book, pay bills, make a phone call regarding a bill (that's going to have to wait til morning now), staring at the mess I made while trying to shove something called supper in my mouth.

Anyway, I'm attributing all of her actions above to a very stubborn tooth that is taking its precious time to come through.

I could use a glass of wine or something! Here is to hoping she sleeps tonight and that tomorrow is much better, it has to be! (Right?)