it's a birthday week!

Just wanted to say Happy Birthday from us to two very special people in Lil Miss' world -- her Uncle Camron (whose birthday was Tuesday) and her Aunt Anjie (whose birthday is today). We love you both very very much!

happy mommy day!

May 9, 2009

Yeah, yeah, I know that Mother's Day isn't until tomorrow, but most of you won't read this until the morning anyway, so I still maintain it's Happy Mother's Day to all my favorite mother's out there. And Lil Miss agrees -- see her little shirt? (c:

Yeah, I thought the Grandmas might appreciate that. Sorry she isn't smiling, but she was a bit of a grumpy butt at that moment.

Looking either contemplative, confused or just plain grumpy at work -- she has some of the CUTEST faces and poses!

Gramma and Laurie left today. )c: They came by this morning to see us before they headed back up the Keys. They had a lot of fun going out downtown last night, so that's good. They were showing me pictures this morning and they had some hilarious ones. Jimmy was feeling a little better. He's not really nauseous anymore, he just feels like crap. Probably because he hasn't really eaten much of, well, anything in like a week. I got him some chicken broth on my way home from work today, so hopefully he'll be able to eat that tomorrow. Right now, he took a Sominex to help him sleep and he's doing just that -- sleeping. Hopefully he'll be able to sleep well tonight -- he really didn't sleep all that well last night.

Lil Miss and I had an okay day. We got up pretty early and, after Gramma and Laurie headed out, went to work for awhile since I hadn't gone Thursday or Friday. We worked for about six hours (and I still have more I have to do tomorrow) before Lil Miss finally decided she was sick of work and wanted to go home already. So we did.

But when we got to work, there was a hand me down from Rae, the other woman that works in the office. A neighbor of hers had a little bouncy chair they were getting rid of and she took it and brought it to me. It's the chair Lil Miss is sitting in in that picture above. It's got a vibrating mode and also plays music if you want it to. Lil Miss seems to like it, so it's a good thing to have.

She gets some awesome hand-me-downs. We have the best family and friends in the world.

My little wiggle worm!

She is!! She is a complete wiggle worm. No matter how careful I am to put her directly in the center of her bassinet, straight, when I go in to pick her up cause she's awake or needs to be fed or changed, she's wiggled herself into some skewed and crazy position. At least she has better control of her head now and I'm not really worried about her getting stuck against the edge or suffocating herself, but seriously -- I've never seen someone move as much in their sleep as she does -- not even her Daddy, and he tosses and turns like crazy.

However, she doesn't do this when she's in bed with Mommy. Sometimes when she's restless and won't go back to sleep, I'll just lay her in bed next to me and curl around her. She either doesn't move or turns on her side and cuddles with me. It's very very sweet and I love it. But seriously, that's the ONLY time she doesn't move like a crazy little monkey when she's sleeping.

So yeah, tomorrow (well, technically today) is my "first" Mother's Day. Jimmy said the other day that he needed to get me something for Mother's Day. I told him not to, because I already have the only Mother's Day present I could want or need.

I have my Lil Miss.

i officially have the best baby ever

May 8, 2009

And another long day. Long couple of days. Heck, it's been a long long week.

Long story short: Gramma and Laurie have been here since Tuesday night and Jimmy has been sick most of it. He'll start to feel better, but then it all comes back and starts again and he's sick. He feels really bad right now because he feels like he's destroyed Gramma and Laurie's vacation, but they're still doing things because we're making them. No one is upset with him, obviously, but he's upset with himself and I don't know how to fix that. I also don't know how to make him not sick, which I HATE.

I do NOT like being helpless.

Lil Miss and Gramma -- all dressed up!

Lil Miss is officially the best baby ever. She spent most of the day in her car seat (I feel SO bad about that -- we were going to Theater of the Sea (hour and a half to two hour drive), Daddy got sick so we turned around when we got there and headed back, dropping him at the hospital in Marathon (hour and a half to two hours back), Mommy had to go pick up documents from work so I could work on them tonight (about thirty minutes in the car total) and then she and I went to pick him up when they released him (an hour each way). So all in all be spent eight to nine hours in her car seat in the car today. I feel like a horrible Mommy for that. )c: ) and she was so good the whole time! At one point, Gramma actually said she almost forgot the baby was even in the backseat because she was so quiet.

She is the best baby ever and we are incredibly spoiled. I joked today that I think she just wants a sibling, so she's being good so we won't swear off babies. (c: (But no -- no siblings any time soon).

Sleeping in her carseat during the long road trip.

I realized something last night that I hadn't really realized. It makes me incredibly anxious to be away from her. I don't like it. Even if I'm in our room and she's out in the living room with Daddy instead of in her bassinet next to me, I don't like it. It makes me anxious and upset. I want her with ME. I don't like leaving her or putting her down and I'm uncomfortable letting or asking other people to take care of her or help. Yes, it's making me tired. Yes, it's somewhat stressing me out. But I can't help it. It makes me so anxious I want to cry.

Seriously -- last night I was tired and stressed out to the point that I was about to cry and Jimmy wanted me to give her to Gramma and Laurie to hold for awhile while I tried to sleep and all I could think was "don't take my baby -- just don't take her. I want her here". She makes me feel better and not having her makes me feel worse.

Is this normal? It makes me feel slightly crazy!

(Sorry this is kinda short -- it's late, been a long week, I'm tired. I think I'm going to bed now.)

and she's finally here!!

May 5, 2009

Notice the blankets -- see how they aren't over her? There's a reason for that -- she kicks them. Lil Miss does not seem to really like blankets -- I think they make her mad. The only time she doesn't kick them off is late at night when she's zonked out cold.

It was a long day. A very very long day. We got up at six am to because Jimmy was still sick and needed his medicines, so Lil Miss and I loaded ourselves in the car and went to Walgreens. Only to find out that Walgreens pharmacy is no longer twenty fours hours. So we went home and got ready for work and waited until 7:15 am and went down and were the first to get there and put the prescriptions in.

Then we came home to give them to Jimmy. And turned right around and went down to work and got there before 8:30 am. And worked from the moment we got there straight through until 2:30 without much of a moment break. And then we still had to run errands -- grocery store, Ross for a couple of extra towels, KMart for an air mattress. And, of course, every where was busy and took forever.

We finally got home about 4:30. Lil Miss was hungry and fussy, Mommy was tired and exhausted and Daddy was sick.

LONG day.

Gramma's here!!!

And then, right about five o'clock, Gramma Barbara and Laurie pull in and, of course, cooing over the baby ensues. (c: No one can help but just love her and want to cuddle her. She's too cute for her own good. (c:

We were all so excited to see her! Jimmy hasn't seen his mother in over a year and, let me tell you, he has been ecstatic and looking forward to this since he found out it was even a possibility that she would be coming down. Even sick he was so happy when she called and said she was close by. I don't think I've seen him this excited about anything but the baby ever.

We went for a little drive to just show them some of the water and such and get a few things (margaritas, mainly). We were going to go get dinner, but Lil Miss got a little fussy (she was hungry -- I told you, she's a porker! Ask her Gramma -- she'll confirm it), so we came home and ordered good pizza instead. Then Jimmy went to get some sleep, Lil Miss zonked out and Gramma, Laurie and I watched American Idol cause we're dorks like that.

It was a good Key West evening.

And now, since it's been a long day for all of us, we're off to sleep early. Wow, early turn in -- it's amazing (though I'll be up in just a few hours to feed her. And a few more hours after that. *sigh* Mommys get no sleep). And as to what we'll do tomorrow? Who knows. I just know that Gramma wants some sun -- and Mommy would not at ALL be against it.

look at me! look at me! (and mommy makes a mistake)

May 4, 2009

Look at her! She did that all on her own with no help from Mommy and held that pose for a good two minutes. I'm so proud of her -- she's getting really good control of her neck.

And she rolled over! She rolled from her tummy to her back all on her own with no help and no prodding! I tried to get her to do it again so I could get it on film (cause of COURSE I didn't have the video part of the camera on and I wasn't taking pictures at that moment) but Lil Miss decided it was not rolling over time. It was, instead, cuddle and love on Lil Miss time. So we cuddled and loved on Lil Miss.

When you hold her up at your shoulder (like when you're burping her), she holds her head up and looks around. She likes mirrors and likes things that move (like, you know, the flashing lights on the television). Basically, she likes to stare at and watch things. When we're on the bus (and she's not asleep) she picks a spot and stares at it very very intently. There was actually a debate today on our way home from work (the bus was very full) amongst the other bus riders about what she was or was not staring at.

They were also all exclaiming over how cute she is. Everyone tells me that. And I just say "I know!"

Sleeping on Daddy's bean bag chair. And no, that's not a blankie. That's a burp cloth. When she's half asleep when being burped, she grabs on. And Lil Miss has a death grip when she wants to.

She sleeps well when she's out, but she's also good at fooling Mommy -- being asleep when I'm holding her but, as soon as I put her down, waking up. So I've stopped putting her down unless I KNOW she's out. Like when the arms go loose, the legs bounce when I'm rocking her and, well, the head would flop back if I would let it. You know -- OUT out. And then, and only then, Mommy puts her down to sleep. And like I said, she sleeps pretty well.

Oh, so yeah, Mommy made a mistake today. I've actually made it a time or two and I need to stop with it!

So Jimmy and I haven't exactly decided on what we're going to call Lil Miss from day to day. Her name is kind of long and, my guess is, it will get shortened at some point. There are a number of possible nicknames from her name, but right now, we tend to call her Munchkin, Honey, Sweetie or (in my case) Bunny. But today, at work, she was being a little fussy and I was walking her (cause Charles was on the phone on my desk and I didn't want her talking to get in the way) and talking to her. And know what I said? "Hush, little Angie, it's okay."

Angie. That is the one nickname I swore I wasn't going to use on her because, well, Anj is Anjie. It would be confusing if there were two of them. Thinking about it, I think I've made the mistake a few times. It just comes out, you know? I guess cause part of me is so used to saying it (you know, considering the fact that I've been calling my sister that for what, twenty five years? (Good gosh that makes me feel old. I was actually walking and talking over twenty five years ago!)) so it just comes out without me thinking about it.

But I do not want to make Anj share her name, or make Lil Miss share her name. I would prefer not to have any of the "Big Anjie" / "Little Angie" kind of deals that I've seen in some families. It gets confusing after awhile.

So yeah, no calling her Angie. Bad, Mommy. No cookie for you! (but I don't eat cookies........so why do I care about that?)

Okay then -- no Sprite for you! (okay. That's a threat!)

Watching big brother Zeus watching her. They had a staring contest.
Was mondo cute.

So Grandma Barbara and her friend Laurie (or is it Lori? -- Uncle Camron's girlfriend's mother) are coming into town tomorrow night and we can't wait. We're very excited. Though it also makes me miss my mommy (but then again, I pretty much always miss Maminka). We've so got to try to make a road trip to Georgia and Carolina this summer!

Jimmy's still kind of sick. He's been asleep all day, so I think he's doing a little better, but he's still sick and feels horrible and there's nothing I can do about it and I HATE that. Oh, and I tripped on an XBox cord tonight and, being that I was holding Lil Miss at the time, I wasn't exactly able to catch myself well. Luckily, I didn't fall and I didn't drop (or even wake up) the baby, but I stepped really wrong and hurt my foot and ankle. )c: Not fun. It hurts.

But hey -- I've been there before, done that before. I'll deal and be fine.

I'm just glad Lil Miss didn't get hurt. I would never ever forgive myself.

i don't think lil miss has enough clothes...

April 30, 2009

My little bunny rabbit and I had a long day. (For some reason that pose above reminds me of a rabbit -- she does it a lot, which is one of the reasons I call her bunny)

Lil Miss decided to wake up at nine am this morning (not a problem -- Mommy's up at that time anyway) and then decided, specifically, that she was going to be so not tired! all day long. As in, from nine am until about fifteen minutes ago she didn't sleep for more than ten minutes at a time and those were few and far between -- she was awake all day.

She hasn't done that yet. And she wanted to be held most of the day too. Not bad, but makes things interesting. I learned to use the copier one handed today and I did a good bit of one handed typing. She was still a very good girl at work, I just had to hold her.

So yeah. Long day. Mommy is glad tomorrow is Friday, if only because it means the next day is Saturday. While I don't specifically get "a day off", I'll at least be able to be home all day and maybe get some more stuff done here.

She tried to pet a dog today. At least I think she was trying to pet her. Sarah Belle (Charles' dog) was at the office today like she is most days and Charles was in with a client, so Sarah Belle was sitting behind me. She decided to say hi to Lil Miss, so she started sniffing Lil Miss' foot and gave it a lick. Lil Miss immediately reached out for her. I think she was trying to pet Sarah Belle, which I found extremely cute.

Hey, Lil Miss pets Mommy, why shouldn't she pet the dog?

No, she doesn't have enough clothes at all!!!

Can't you just see the sarcasm dripping off the words? And that's not even all her clothes -- that's just the newborn / 0-3 month clothes that haven't been put away yet!!

Last night, when I was coming home from work, I ran into one of our old neighbors while she was visiting a friend across the street. Of course she had to see Lil Miss (she saw me walking by and came running out). Well, she has a little girl who is about a year and a half. She had kept all of her daughter's clothes because her cousins was pregnant, but her cousin ended up having a little boy. So she asked if I could use a few things and I said sure it couldn't hurt.

Well, "a few things" ended up being about four garbage bags FULL of baby clothes -- most of it under three month size, which is exactly where Lil Miss is. There are also some cute bigger things (oh yeah -- and none of the stuff Grandmas Lynn or Barbara have sent us are in the above picture -- that's ALL new stuff from today) which are in the pile (not folded) that's like half on the right of the picture. And there are so many cute things! I swear there are enough sleepers for her to wear a different one each night for a month!

We aren't going to keep all of it. There's just too many and we don't have room for all of it. I didn't realize just how much it was until I was unpacking. So I haven't put it away yet. I'm going to go through everything tomorrow and pick out the stuff I like the best to keep (and some of the sleepers are really probably too heavy for her anyway) and then put the rest aside to go to Second Hand Sams, or maybe home with Grandma Barbara when she's here next week to go to the flea market. But we definitely have enough clothes to last us for quite awhile.

It's amazing.

Watching Daddy adoringly. I think it's one of her favorite things to do!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand it's chocolate pie and then bath time for this Mommy -- then sleep. Love you all!

and now back to our regularly scheduled programming!

April 27, 2009

I apologize that we missed a day yesterday. Yesterday was the day everything was getting transferred over to the new apartment -- cable, internet, all that good stuff -- and we were moving the rest of the stuff. Jimmy was working, but I took the day off so I could be here when the techs showed up and so I could move things and we could hopefully have just the big stuff remaining when Jimmy got home.

Didn't work exactly that way, but I had a lot of it. However, our internet company switched the service over, but they conveniently forgot to check their records and see if our new apartment was wired for internet and they just had it switch over instead of sending out a tech. Well, guess what?

Our new apartment wasn't wired for internet so it didn't work. I called last night to see why we still didn't have a signal and they couldn't figure it out so they sent out a tech this morning. He knew what the problem was in five minutes and was done in less than thirty. Really -- was that so hard? Why couldn't they have done that yesterday so I could have posted last night and I wouldn't have had a grumpy Daddy who couldn't play online with his boys? (c:

April 28, 2009

But all is good now. We have electric, water, cable and internet at the new apartment. All our stuff has been moved (almost all of it put away) and everything is out of the old apartment (including the kitty, who decided to get out and go MIA for about six hours yesterday. Not fun for a worried Mommy). We've cleaned the old apartment and we're going to clean it again tomorrow. We'll be out a day and a half early, since we're doing that in the morning (cause Lil Miss and I are going to work tomorrow afternoon). The new apartment is pretty much set up. Lil Miss has her own room (even if she's not sleeping in it yet) and there's plenty of room for all our stuff -- we can spread out some. And things are actually *arranged*. It's amazing -- it looks like a real home.

It's great. I love it.

"Look at me! I'm trying to stand up!" (You might not be able to tell, but she's pushing down with her feet, trying to push herself up)

Lil Miss has been as good as she can be through this whole moving process and I'm grateful for that. She was really good at work today -- she did some absolutely *adorable* cuddling with Moo Cow, but I forgot to take the camera with me, so I didn't get pictures of it, sadly. Oh well, I'm sure she'll do something just as cute tomorrow. She always does. She makes some of the cutest faces and noises. I really should try and get them on video to show her off.

I have, I think, the cutest baby in the universe.

Sitting up (almost) on her own

I think Lil Miss is doing really good developmentally. She holds her head up really well and for a long time. Her neck muscles are getting really strong. She's eating more at each feeding and she's being awake for longer and waking up for reasons other than just "I'm wet" or "I'm hungry". There are times now she really wants to play. She's trying to turn over too, though she can't exactly figure it out.

And she gives head butts. She doesn't do it on purpose and she has no *clue* what they are, but she does it anyway and I love it. Considering that Mommy head butts people (well, mainly, Daddy and Zeus) she fits right into the family that way.

Thumbs up! I think she likes her new apartment

So yeah, it's been a LONG week of little to no sleep trying to get everything moved and watch Lil Miss, but it's worth it. We have the new apartment and we love it. Oh and Mommy got to take a bath -- a real bath -- tonight. Daddy listened for the little one for awhile (she was (and still is) asleep) and Mommy got to sit in the nice hot bath I've been craving since last fall.

It was great. Definitely going to have to do that more often. I think Lil Miss is going to get her first bath in there tomorrow night after we get home from work.

All I have left to do is reorganize and put away all the clothes (we sent out a lot of laundry today -- though hopefully there will be a washer and dryer in our near future so *I* can do our laundry easily), hang the posters / prints / pictures that are going in our room, the nursery and the living room and unpack two boxes of "the leftovers" -- just little stuff that wasn't worth carrying over one by one. After that, everything will have a home in the new apartment and we'll be ready for Grandma Barbara to come visit next week. We can't wait. Daddy is ecstatic. And I know Lil Miss will be very happy.

I'm pretty excited too. (c:

Big Brother decided that Lil Miss needed to share her crib. Until we get a mat for it, he can sit there. Once we get a mat? No more.

i've grown!!!

April 20, 2009

It's official -- Lil Miss Priss is already growing up. *tear*

I measured her this evening because her newborn sleepers are getting a little snug (in the feet -- it felt like she was getting a little long for them). Miss Priss is officially 20 inches long! I tried to take a picture, but she wasn't cooperating. She wants to wiggle and squirm and kick and such. I'll try to get a proof picture tomorrow or some point when she's sleeping. But she's definitely getting taller and she's definitely gaining weight (we don't have a scale in the house, so I don't know how much she weighs, but she's definitely growing. My guess is eight pounds).

We got the last of the things we ordered from Target (thanks to her great-aunt -- thanks Anne!) today. Some more onesies and sleepers that are 0-3 months instead of newborn. They're a little big, but she'll grow into them. She still fits in her newborn onesies, so I'm holding off on the new ones (they're in her dresser for in a month or so), but she's already wearing one of the sleepers, because the other three all need to be washed and are getting slightly small. I rolled up the sleeves (just so they weren't hanging over her hands) and they're a little long, but they fit and are cute and she'll grow into them and be able to wear them for a couple of months at least.

She's such a cute little well dressed baby. (c:

We're on day three of cow attachment. I checked the card from the flowers -- they came from a local shop that's only a few blocks from work (heck -- anything in Old Town is only a few blocks from work!) so I think I may walk down there before or after one day next week and see if they can tell me how to get ahold of an extra cow or two -- maybe they'd be able to sell me just the cow. Especially if I showed them Miss Priss, asleep, with her death grip on Moo Cow. I told Rae (the assistant to the other attorney at work) this afternoon that the cow better be glad it's a stuffed animal -- when Miss Priss gets a hold of it, she is LOCKED on. The only time she lets go is when she's eating and gets so excited about the food (see? Porker!) that she forgets to hold onto Moo Cow.

My little one is funny.

She did good at work today. She was actually in a fussy mood today and awake most of the afternoon, but she never squalled and she let Mommy work while she was fussing. I've learned to feed or burp her one handed (I'm pretty proud of myself on that one) and type or go through filing or papers with the other hand. She whimpered some, but she never cried when I was on the phone and was really good when I tried to calm her.

I think this might work.

Apparently, though, bringing babies into work isn't all that uncommon, at least in most of the law offices down here in Key West. Rae and I were talking about it today. The law offices, like everything else down here, are a little more laid back than every where else, and with the whole cost of living thing, day care being expensive, apparently a lot of people have to work but can't afford day care (we could if we needed to, but I'm just not willing to leave Miss Priss with strangers, even well recommended ones). Rae says she took Jen into work with her until Jen was about three.

Guess I'm lucky.

for grandma barbara and grandpa charlie

"Hey, look! I'm awake! And kinda smiling!"

So I got "fussed at" this week for two reasons -- 1) because I wouldn't open the box Grandma Barbara sent (hey -- it had Daddy's name on it -- and he doesn't get many boxes. I let HIM open it!) and 2) because Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Charlie were getting plenty of pictures of Lil Miss and of Lil Miss and Daddy, but none of Lil Miss and Mommy. So I explained that I was the camera person in the house.

But Daddy is home from work and Lil Miss was very cute eating a little bit ago, so I had him get out the camera and take pictures. So here, Grandma and Grandpa -- pictures of Mommy and Lil Miss. I'll try and be a good girl and get some more at regular intervals! (And also -- a picture of her awake, so I DID make good on my promise today!)

"Mommy calls me 'porker' cause I love my bottle so much. Should I be offended?"

cuteness overload!!!

Lil Miss is sleeping right now, so I'll post her daily picture a little later. I want some of her pictures to be awake! (c:

We had a long morning. We had an appointment at the WIC office to get recertified and it took a long time. But, as expected, the nutritionist declared that Lil Miss is perfectly healthy and "thriving". That makes me happy. I worry sometimes because there are days that it seems she just cannot get enough food. I worry about her. But everyone promises me she's okay. Guess I should trust the professionals, huh? Yeah, I thought so.

Well, because the appointment took so long, I decided to go into the office to do filing and subpoenas and such tomorrow instead of today. Charles is fine with it. Besides, when I called Rae to tell her not to expect me, she said Chip had some people coming in this afternoon anyway, so it's a good thing. She's a good baby, but sometimes she is, well, a baby and she just needs to cry. It happens.

So when we got home today, there were two boxes from our mailman. And let me tell you -- CUTENESS OVERLOAD!!! One was a box of some of the clothes we had ordered from Target with a giftcard sent to us. They aren't "brand new baby" clothes, but they're the size between "newborn" and "3 months". We don't have much of that size and that's where Lil Miss is about to be. They're very cute clothes -- some onsies and sleepers, but also a couple of cute little outfits and a dress. My little one is a well dressed little girl. Also, there was a box from one of the ladies in the church I grew up in. It was very sweet of her -- a couple of sleepers, some bibs (including an "I love Mommy" bib that I love -- and let me tell you, Lil Miss is a MESSY eater, so bibs are GOOD things) and a book and a toy. All very cute.

So I'm going through and putting away all the baby clothes we've gotten in the past few weeks (thank you Grandma Lynn and Grandma Barbara (we need to figure out what your names are going to be so we can start differentiating!)) and I swear I'm going to go into sugar shock soon from the cuteness overload! (c:

I love baby clothes. Too bad they grow out of them so quickly!