a walk through, since only one of you has been here

So, my camera battery is charging. After it's done, I'll do the post for today about Lil Miss.

However, I realized a few days ago that only one of you (Grandma Barbara) has actually seen the new apartment. Well, I guess it's not new since we've been here almost a month, but you know what I mean. So I was cleaning on Thursday, trying to forget I was sick since Lil Miss wouldn't let me sleep, and I decided to take pictures and give y'all a walk through! So be prepared -- picture heavy!

This is, obviously, not actually in the apartment. This is our little car, out front. It's old, but it runs well. I want to get the transmission checked out before we take it on a long road trip, but it's a good little car and perfect for what we need down here.

This is our little front yard. She's too young to play in it right now, but if we stay here longer than we are currently planning, it will be a good place for Lil Miss to run around and be a kid. Also, it's nice to have since she likes to be outside so much and likes to walk -- gives me a different place to walk in circles where I'm not walking by our neighbors smoking on their porches. I don't want her around smoke.

Our little porch and our front door. You can't see it, but we have chairs on the front porch. We're right at the front of our little horseshoe of apartments.

What you see right when you open the door -- our couch (with the awesome slip cover we inherited from Lori), the rug the coffee table -- our living room. The entire apartment is floored in that beige tile you see.

Directly to the left when you walk in -- Jimmy's Miami Heat stuff. He got the Heat light from a bar in Key West that was shutting down. The poster? One of our neighbors went to the Miami Heat game where they retired Alonzo Morning's number and they gave out those posters -- it's signed by Alonzo Morning. Jimmy loves it. I think I'm going to get it framed for his birthday.

Directly to the right of our front door -- Jimmy's hats. These aren't even all of them, these are just the ones he actually wears a decent amount. I figured it was easier to hang them on the wall -- they have a place, they're easy to get to, ect. I like them.

Our living room. Pretty standard. The bean bag chair that both Zeus and Lil Miss love. I think they use it more than they allow Daddy to. They've commandeered it from him. The blue thing in the top right corner? That's Zeus' blanket that I made for him (cause he tried to steal Lil Miss' blanket) that's sitting on top of my computer chair.

Our living room standing on the other side of the room. I think it looks pretty good. It's larger than the living room in our other apartment. And much easier to set up. The other apartment's living room was rather strangely laid out. I love that carpet, btw (another inherited one) -- free -- can't do better than that!

Our kitchen, from the living room. Yes, we have a bar counter. Good place to eat since there isn't much room for a table in the apartment. And yes, that is a Swiss flag on the back door ("I am Switzerland -- I am neutral." Anyone that gets that reference........................is as much of a dork as me.). There were no blinds or anything over the window in the back door, we needed something, Jimmy had that flag. (Why? I dunno. He has some odd things. Then again, so do I). We put it up as a "jury rig" for that moment. And now we just like it.

Our kitchen. Not huge, not much, but it works for us. The fridge is much bigger than the old one we had. I like it lots.

The hallway to the bedrooms. Lil Miss loves that poster of Paris. I think it's the black and white she loves. The frame on the wall is all pictures of Lil Miss. She likes looking at that too.

Our little hallway. Not much to say about it. (c:

The restroom, directly to the left from the picture above. I put this in here for one reason and one reason only -- see the tub? Yes. We have a bathtub. I love it.

The smaller of the two bedrooms, the one on the left. This is Lil Miss' bedroom. I'm still working on her walls. They will have lots of different stuff on them -- it's a mish mash of both Jimmy and me. So Georgia, Florida, Dolphins, Yankees, Disney, fairies, Harry Potter, Heat and...well...all kinds of randomness. And I love it. And yes, her floor is already full of toys.

The other side of her room, with her bassinet (the second one. The one we salvaged) and the dresser she commandeered from Mommy to hold all her clothes. I think she has more clothes than Mommy!! (and that's hard!)

And finally, our bedroom, with her bassinet in the corner, because she still sleeps in our room for the moment (and, which is where she was during this entire photo shoot).

So yeah -- that's our little apartment. Hope you like it! Pictures and update in the morning since, like I said, camera battery is charging cause I let it die (yeah, I know, Bad Mommy! No Sprite for you!)

yes, a morning update! (cause mommy was sleepy last night)

May 15, 2009

Smiling and giggling and laughing -- Lil Miss was feeling much better yesterday! Mommy not so much, but Lil Miss is better and I'm hoping I'll be better soon. She was such a happy and cuddly baby yesterday and it was a nice change from the fussy sick baby I'd had for the past few days. We changed her formula (to soy) and it seems to be sitting a bit better. She hasn't really been spitting up at all and her tummy seems to be settling down. Her Daddy has problems with digesting milk, so I wonder if Lil Miss is lactose intolerant. I'll have to talk to her doctor about it.

Being a sweet little observant thing on the bus.

We went to work yesterday. Charles wasn't there (on his way out of town) but there were a number of things we could get done -- including starting a bill that we'll be working on this weekend because Charles won his case that was in trial this week! Yay! And our client was awarded attorney's fees, which means that I get to create a second bill that covers everything that has been done in this case (this case has been around for seven years -- if we hadn't won, we weren't going to bill the client for EVERYTHING. With this? Yep. You do. Everything. Every little moment. And guess who gets to recreate it? So much fun. Really).

So we went to work and Lil Miss was, of course, so very very good. But Mommy did I bad thing -- I left Moo Cow on my desk. Lil Miss hasn't screamed at me for it, but she was not very happy on the bus. She would reach for him (and last night when she was going to bed) and he wouldn't be there and she's fuss for a minute. So we're going to go down and get it this morning (after I get my hairs cut. Yup. Getting them cut). If it's not too yucky, we may walk around for awhile.

Daddy's feeling lots better and worked again yesterday and today. It makes him tired, cause, well, he ride on rough water and lifts jet skis all day, but he says he's not letting it stress him out too much and that since he's not working as many days, it's okay.

I'm trying to get him to go see Wolverine with one of his friends cause I know he would like that. And they're (he and some of his friends) going jet skiing one day this week, which he'll love. Doing it for fun, not just work. So we'll see.

Oh, and when I feel like sitting here and uploading all the pictures (cause it takes a bit -- so probably this afternoon when Lil Miss is napping), I've taken pictures of the apt. So I'll give y'all a walk through.

Love you all!

Being a cutie -- like always. I think she was looking at Zeus.

could it be a birthmark?

May 2, 2009

I know, I know, I missed a day. I'm sorry! It's been a very long weekend.

Daddy called about noon yesterday to tell me he needed me to start a bath running because he was sick. )c: So Jimmy's been sick all weekend and Lil Miss was wide awake and fussy last night, so I just didn't get a chance to post. By the time she went to sleep, I was so exhausted, I just crashed.

So I spent yesterday during the day taking care of Jimmy, Lil Miss and finishing all the unpacking and getting the house all set up. Everything has a place and it's probably as "done" as it's going to be with a baby in the house. (c: Zeus is still investigating (I think he thinks that Lil Miss' room is actually his, though that's not surprising, considering that she doesn't really sleep in there yet) and I think he's decided that this house is acceptable. Jimmy and I love it and Lil Miss, well, she doesn't know what's going on. As long as she's fed and loved, she's happy.

May 3, 2009

So yeah, Mommy didn't sleep much last night. Between Lil Miss waking up to be fed and Jimmy getting up through the night, I don't think I got more than twenty minutes of straight sleep all night. I finally gave up trying to sleep this morning about 9:30 and Lil Miss and I got ready to go to work and then, of course, went to work. Because she was so fussy Friday, I had things I needed to get done before tomorrow morning. But she was pretty good this afternoon and let me get everything done (she mainly watched Mommy work and cuddled with Moo Cow. Yes, she is trying to eat his ear in that picture above).

Lil Miss is a rather talkative baby. I wouldn't call her a fussy baby, because most days she doesn't really cry that much unless I'm not making her bottle quick enough or she's telling me she's wet or pooping, but she does grumble and "talk" a lot. She grumbles in her sleep a good bit -- I think when she's dreaming but, of course, I don't know for sure. It's pretty cute though.

She also does this thing when I'm holding her that I call "petting". Quite often when being held, she'll end up in with one are behind me. And usually, when she's eating or being cuddled, she'll pull that arm to me so her hand is at my lower back and then she'll "pet" me. It's very cute and sweet and, though I'm sure she doesn't do it on purpose, I love it. She also tends to hold my hand or finger when she's eating and, when we're riding home on the bus, she tends to hold my hand the whole way (usually while sleeping -- the bus has a tendency to knock her out cold very quickly).

Sleeping at the office today.

So, do me a favor and look very very close at her forehead -- do you see that "V" right above the bridge of her nose? Because I can't seem to *not* notice it. It's not there all the time -- mainly when she is or has just been being fussy, when she's mad or (I'm assuming on this one) when she's sick.

Mommy has one just like it. Momma said it was how she could tell if I was really sick because it wasn't always visible -- only when I was angry, stressed, or sick. Are birthmarks hereditary? So I know that doesn't make any sense and they can't possibly, but seriously -- that looks just like my birthmark.

When will we know whether or not it's going to stay? Is it possible that there is something in my genes that I could pass on that would make it more likely that she would get a birthmark? I don't want her to have to deal with it all her life, so I'm hoping it doesn't stay -- but when will I know? Momma -- when did you realize mine was going to be permanent? Was it obvious when I was a baby?

let's go heat!

May 1, 2009

It was another long day. Lil Miss has apparently decided that naps (other than ten minute cat naps) are for other people and that being awake is what all the cool kids do!

Cause she does NOT want to sleep during the day. Not that big a deal, I knew it would come at some point, I just thought it would be a little longer before the "Sleep? I don't need no sleep!" phase. Oh well!

She was a major grumpy butt today though. I don't know what was wrong. She was fussy and crying all afternoon at work -- I couldn't put her down at all because she would scream and even holding her, she was still fussy. I would have come home and just gone in Sunday (I'm still going to have to go in Sunday) but I had to wait for another attorney to come pick up a file. So we still ended up being at work for a good bit of the afternoon.

She was fussy enough that I took her temperature to see if she was sick, but she doesn't seem to be. She seems to just be fussy today.

But she's better now. She's out cold at the moment.

One of the few non-fussy moments at work today -- that position canNOT be comfortable for her little neck! But every time I fix it, she goes right back to this.

The apartment is coming along well. I'm almost completely through with the putting away and putting things up on the walls and stuff. I need a bookcase and a dresser (because Lil Miss, with all her new clothes, commandeered mine), but those can wait. You'd be shocked what people will throw away down here -- I'm sure I'll be able to find some. Maybe I'll hit a yard sale or two tomorrow if there are some close by.

I went through the clothes we inherited yesterday this afternoon and decided what we're keeping and such. Most of it has been put away now. I'll post pictures of the new apartment once everything finds its place.

Watching the Heat game with Daddy. He swears she's a good luck charm for them -- they won!

So, once we got home and then once Daddy got home, we ate dinner and then watch the Miami Heat beat the Hawks by like 30 points. It was a fun game and Jimmy insisted on putting Lil Miss in his Miami jersey for awhile. I think it's the funniest site I've ever seen.

But I still maintain that she's cute no matter what she wears.

Oh, and Anj, you know how I told you she had inherited some organic onesies? That pink striped one in the top picture and the picture below is one of them. It's really cute. And it snaps all the way down so you don't have to pull it over her head!! (Daddy HATES that part of dressing her because sometimes it makes her cry.

Daddy doesn't like it at ALL when Lil Miss cries.)

Getting kisses from Daddy in her organic onesie. She sure does love her Daddy!

moving on up in the world

April 23, 2009

Yep, we're moving up in the world -- well, not in the world, per sae, but we are moving. I know, I know, but don't worry -- it's not far. Not even fifty yards from our front door! The address is going to be the exact same, it's just going to be "Apartment 1" instead of "Apartment 5".

So I leave yesterday to go to work and notice there's a moving truck in the yard and it looks like the people in apartment one are moving their stuff. So when we get home, cause Daddy came and picked us up, we're talking to one of our neighbors and she confirms that, yes, our neighbors moved out yesterday. So we call one of the landlords right away and say that we want the apartment if possible. He talked to the other landlord this morning and it's official -- the apartment is ours.

It's got two bedrooms, so we'll have a guest room / nursery. It also has a bathtub (YAY!!!) and a little yard and washer/dryer hook ups out back (so we're going to watch for a good used set -- two of our neighbors are probably actually going to split them with us and then we'll all have them to use). It's also right up at the front and the porch is larger. There's more room for storage and, in general, the apartment is bigger. It's great. We have the keys (actually changed the locks today, because they had broken the key off in the front door dead bolt and it couldn't be locked from the outside) and I'm getting the electric turned on tomorrow and the water switched to our name. (so that we can move some stuff this weekend and so they'll definitely be one when the other thigns are switch Monday). The internet and cable are being switchedmoved over on Monday. Jimmy has Tuesday and Wednesday off, so we can move in completely on Tuesday and still have a few days to give the old apartment a good cleaning and scrub down before the 1st (when we've told the landlords it will be ready for move in). I'm going to have the electric and water over there turned off on the 30th.

So we're excited. Well, Daddy and I are. Lil Miss and Zeus have no idea what's happening (though Lil Miss should be excited -- she's about to get her own room! (even if she doesn't sleep in it for a few more months!)) I'll go over and take pictures tomorrow when I have some light so you all can see it. Or maybe I'll wait til our stuff is in it. We'll see.

"Don't I look all snuggly and comfy?"

So the picture above is more for Grandma Lynn than anyone else. THANK YOU!!!!!!! for the sling we got for Christmas -- Mommy and Lil Miss are LOVING that. Now that she's awake more in the mornings, we're using the sling so she can be close to Mommy when she doesn't want to sleep or play but Mommy can still get things done (like cleaning the kitchen or putting away laundry). Also, it's great at work when she wants to be held but Mommy needs to type or when we need to run a quick errand (the bank, the post office, the drugstore) but Mommy doesn't want to drag out the stroller (there are a lot of businesses downtown (like the law office and the bank and the courthouse) that do not have easy ways up -- no ramps (if they have to have someting, they have lifts -- not easy), just stairs. Not always easy to navigate with a stroller. So I just put her in her sling and run the less than a block to the bank or whatever. It's great -- she's happy cause she's close to Mommy, Mommy's happy because she has both hands and doesn't have to worry about dropping the baby.

I love the sling. Every Mommy should have one.

So yeah, we went to work today (looks like I'll probably be working most afternoons, since she does so well -- YAY 20 hours a week!) and, as always, Lil Miss did pretty good. She slept most of it, since she'd been awake most of the morning. She did get to meet Sarah Belle (Charles' dog) today though. She hadn't met a big dog before -- our neighbor just has little dogs and Chip's client's dog that she met last week was a miniature poodle -- Sarah Belle is a full grown poodle. Charles was trying to lock Sarah Belle up but I told him not to. We don't walk on eggshells around Lil Miss.

Sarah Belle sniffed her foot and then pretty much ignored her. I think she figured Lil Miss was too small to pet her and therefore not worth her time when there was a full grown Mommy there to pet and play with her (Sarah Belle knows I love her! (c: ) Lil Miss didn't even flinch or wake up at all. Even when Charles was getting ready to leave and Sarah Belle, therefore, started barking (she always barks when she wants to go), Lil Miss just slept.

She's such a good baby. She's spoiling me!

She smiles! Really -- she does!!