Couple Things

Just a couple of quick updates on precious Alaina...

Her 3 month birthday is tomorrow!!! (gasp) In preparation for this milestone, I went through her closet and pulled out & washed all the little (or bigger) 3 month outfits. She has grown out of several of her newborn outfits, some are barely fitting, and others will get a few weeks worth of wear out of them. In a way, this makes me so sad. I briefly glanced at the 6 & 9 month outfits and they look SO incredibly big. But then again, that's what I thought about the 3 month outfits a few months ago.

We bought the Bumbo chair! Alaina is trying to get used to it. She has a bobble head when we sit her in it, and she gets the perfect view of "hand" which seems to distract her. But it's fun to try new things out...at least for mommy & daddy.


See what I mean about the bobble head :)

Last but not least, Alaina did a brand new thing this morning. She grabbed a toy hanging from her play gym and she held it for a minute or two! It caught me off guard, but I quickly grabbed by camera and snapped a shot before her release.


Still waiting on the laugh...

"Not Me!" Monday

Lucky for you, this week has been full of "Not Me's!"

In this very moment, I'm reflecting on my highly anticipated dentist appointment that occurred bright & early this morning. I DO NOT currently have 4 cavities, 3 of which need fillings, with 1 needing a crown. I WAS NOT thinking, "hey, that's pretty good" considering the fact that last year I totaled approximately 9 cavities (too many I've lost an exact count). Adam NEVER EVER gives me an extra hard time about my dental mishaps, and I would NEVER even think of lying to him about my dental health. He DID NOT seriously ask me if I would even have any teeth left later in life, and I DID NOT act like he was being super dramatic while secretly wondering the same thing about what the future holds for my "decay prone" teeth.


Backtracking to the weekend, we DID NOT blame Moonshine '09 for all our troubles on Saturday as we drove to Dahlonega. This Dawsonville festival would NEVER attract one of the roughest crowds ever, and we would NEVER EVER make fun of the 'locals' who attended this festival. Adam DID NOT lose his temper EVEN ONCE as we sat in hellacious traffic trying to make our way to Amicalola Falls with our infant in the backseat who was on a countdown to eat.

We DID NOT aimlessly search for a vacant spot so I could nurse Alaina in the car. I would NEVER choose a vacant church parking lot to nurse my baby, and I definitely WOULD NOT stare at the stained glass windows just hoping not to see someone staring back at me. I DID NOT have to pee so bad after drinking my mocha coffee that I was wondering if I would make it to a bathroom. Realizing this, I absolutely positively DID NOT consider peeing outside around the bushes or the trees in the church lot. But I refrained and held my pee until we reached Amicalola Falls, our first destination.


Upon arrival, I DID NOT forget about little Alaina for a split second in an attempt to locate a bathroom. Once the bathroom was spotted, I DID NOT feel the need to sprint to this location in my high heel boots through gravel and wood debris. While lightly sprinting, I DID NOT get held up by a crew filming a documentary about a group hiking up the Appalachian trail. This group would NEVER fail to notice that other people exist, blocking the tiny bridge leading to the bathroom. I DID NOT hop through a ditch just to avoid this blasted crew. Once I finally reached an available stall, I DID NOT get super nervous when I noticed that the toilet seat was down AND when a wretched smell hit my nose. After opening the lid, the toilet was NOT NOT NOT clogged with toilet paper AND DIARRHEA!!!!!!!! I WOULD NEVER even think of staying in this filthy stall considering the sight and stench to continue my business. This was NOT the longest pee of my life and I DID NOT have to cover my mouth and nose with my hand the entire length of my pee! Whew!

Once my bladder was emptied, I returned to my Alaina who was with her daddy & grandparents. Adam's parents were there having a Sunday School social/lunch and we joined in the fun. However, what's NOT fun is forgetting your jacket on a breezy, cloudy, cold day in the mountains. What's also NOT fun is not dressing your baby appropriately for this weather. The only hat we had on hand was one that she had outgrown probably weeks ago. She DID NOT look like this in her hat with her poor little ears exposed to the cold mountain air...


We DID NOT drive 3 hours (with traffic) just to get somewhere and then pretty much turn around and come home. We DID NOT shun Burt's Pumpkin Patch, our annual tradition, because we were uncomfortably cold. But at the end of the day, our family was safe, healthy and warm. And Alaina got to spend time with her Nana (formerly Rah-Rah) & Poppy while mommy & daddy had an elegant dinner date at The Oar House.
(My view of Burt's this year) :(


Speaking of Alaina, she absoluetly DID NOT fart - excuse me, "toot" - incredibly loud just now in her swing. She would NEVER feel the need to wake herself up just to perform this task, and then fall right back asleep as if it never happened. Ha, ha!

HAPPY MONDAY, FOLKS!

Trip to Blairsville

Ok, it's taken me a couple of weeks to put together this post, but give me a break. After all, I have a grueling job which totally stresses me out and at the end of the day, all I want to do is crawl into bed and dismiss the world (COMPLETELY KIDDING-I ABSOLUTELY ADORE MY JOB AS MOMMY!!!).

A couple weeks ago, Adam, Alaina & I loaded up in the car and traveled to Blairsville in North GA. Blairsville is home to Babelle & Pa, my grandparents, as well as countless other family members who I will refuse to mention. Kidding...kind of :) Blairsville is also the home of the best fried chicken in the whole wide world, thanks to Babelle. Not to mention, it's a beautiful piece of country with a much slower pace of life.

Babelle had all her girls (grandgirls, that is) gather together to celebrate the fall birthdays in the family. The grandgirls include me, Haley, Hannah & Hadrian. As my "guests," I brought Adam & Alaina. Yeah right...you can imagine that Alaina was anything but a guest...she was the star of the show! Haley brought her boyfriend Austin & their dog Carley Jean. Aunt Becky (mother of H1, H2 & H3) was also there and Uncle Bryan popped in too.

We ate way too much and sat and talked and visited with one another. Alaina met Pa & Haley for the first time ever. Pa is bedridden and has been for a couple of years, so he did not get to come visit after she was born. And Haley lives so far, far away! Haley, what can we do about this???

I must brag on Alaina for a brief minute. She was as quiet as a mouse on the 1.5 hour car ride to & from Blairsville. Of course we timed it right with her feedings so she was not due for a feeding in the middle of our drive. Nonetheless, she was very well behaved. Thank you for this, sweet baby girl. Anyway...

~ Rockin' with "The Great Babe"

~ Chillin' with Pa

Let it be known that Alaina LOVE LOVE LOVED hanging with her Pa. I think we figured out why. The two of them have a lot in common. Let's see...they both wear diapers. I'm sure they both love having their diapers changed as well. They both spend most of their time napping. They both rely on other people to take care of them. Oh yeah, and neither of them have any teeth. Talk about the two ends of the spectrum! And don't think I'm mean for saying this about Pa. He can certainly dish it, so I think he can take it as well!

And let me also say that Pa was "hyper" about meeting Alaina for the entire week prior to her visit. He had been dreaming of her, dreaming of what she looked like and what she'd be like. He said his dreams were right! So sweet :) I think Alaina got hyped up as well because at one point she started flailing her arms and nearly pulled Pa's oxygen tubes out of his nose! These two need to be supervised!


~ With Hadrian & Haley

~ Looks like Hannah pinched her again ;)

~ I wasn't held the WHOLE time. I also had fun playing on the floor!


P.S. Alaina is pictured in two different outfits (and a bib) because of MAJOR spit up issues resulting from a dumb formula change the night before. Let's just say the Good Start formula did not put us off to a good start. Back to Similac. I'm still nursing her 90% of the time, by the way. We just use formula if we're out & about for convenience, and before bedtime.

"Not Me!" Monday

I'm jumping on the bandwagon with "Not Me!" Monday's. I've done a lot over the past week. Wanna know what I definitely DID NOT do though?

First of all, I DID NOT steal this idea from a sister blogger. Surely I'm clever enough to think of this stuff all on my own.

I absolutely am NOT obsessed with the aspirator. I NEVER torture my precious baby with aspirator episodes on a daily basis. I DO NOT get suck happy and fish around for even the tiniest hint of a booger. Alaina DOES NOT hate the aspirator and gasp for air each time it's used on her cute little nose. And I have NEVER EVER tested the aspirator on my nose in a desperate attempt to get a stubborn boogie!
I am NOT even more obsessed with a trainwreck reality TV show on Bravo known as "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." I DO NOT look through my TV guide every day looking for episodes, even re-runs. I DO NOT ever want to run into anyone from the show in real life, since they are in Atlanta after all. I HAVE NEVER thought about camping out at one of the featured restaurants on the show in an attempt to meet one of the housewives in person, or stare at them from afar. I DO NOT have the terrible "Don't be tardy for the party" song stuck in my head EVERY DAY! Alaina NEVER watches this trashy show with me. Nuh-uh. And Adam NEVER EVER makes fun of me for watching the show.


I DID NOT pretend NOT to notice Alaina peeing in the bathtub. My OCD self would NEVER let her continue soaking in her bubbly pee bath because it was just a little bit of pee. Adam did NOT learn of this and agree that it would be ok to continue on.


I DO NOT secretly love when Alaina toots. I DO NOT think it's one of the cutest things ever. I would NEVER tell how many times per day she does it (roughly 20). I have NOT nicknamed my precious little girly girl, "Pootie Tootie."


On a personal note, I DO NOT have raunchy breath right now. I NEVER wait until 4pm to brush my teeth, or to take a shower for that matter. That would be gross! I have NOT breathed this nasty breath all over innocent Alaina. She does NOT think I'm gross.

What is something you positively DID NOT do this week? I'd love to know!

Happy Monday =)

DCB's

I have some new posts coming. Promise. I've had a bit of technical difficulty lately with my "DCB's" (DARN CAMERA BATTERIES)!

I have experienced DCB issues this entire year. My camera runs off of batteries, not a charger, and it seems like as soon as I pop in new batteries, the darn thing sends the dreadful warning: "WARNING. BATTERY EXHAUSTED." Ugh. I am going through AA batteries like nobody's business.

It happens all the time, often at the most frustrating times. Like my family baby shower. Like my work baby shower. Like our family get-together this past Saturday in Blairsville. Oh yeah, and also when I'm trying to capture precious time with Alaina, often when she is doing the cutest things.

So this leaves me in the annoying position of saying, "Will you please send me copies of your pics?" Pretty please! Right now I'm waiting on special, sweet people to send some pics my way from different occasions. Then the posting will begin!

Stay tuned...

Did I mention - UGH!!!

We Have Names!

Grandma Joy & Pops it is!!!

No poll necessary. See, I knew this would work =)

Dear Laina (2 months)

Dear Laina,

You are now two months old! I love you more and more each day. You spend your time eating and playing and sleeping, and of course stealing people's hearts. You are growing about half a pound per week, or two pounds each month. You are about 10 pounds right now, and about 21 inches long. You still fit in all of your newborn clothes, with the exception of one footie pajama because there's not enough room for your little long legs. You have upgraded from newborn diapers to size 1 diapers within the last week. You do not like hats and bows seem to fall off of your head VERY easily. I'm not sure you like bows, so mommy does not put them on you very often even though you have the perfect amount of hair for them. You are ok with socks, but you love to kick them off and send mommy on a wild goose chase for them.

You are a happy baby and a cuddle bug! You have daddy's temperament and mommy is glad for this! You prefer to be held or cuddled, but your new favorite thing is laying on the floor on a blanket while people play with you. You look up and smile and coo! You flap your arms and kick your legs so fast and hard. I cannot believe how strong your legs are, and neither can your doctor. Some family members are hoping that maybe you will be a soccer player!

You love car rides, but only if the car is going fast! No one likes a slow poke. You are as quiet as a mouse when the car is going, but as soon as the car slows down or heaven forbid stops at a light or stop sign, you vocally remind us that you don't like this. You also love your swing and vibrating papason chair. Anything with movement. Anything with variety.

You have been sleeping through the night since you were 6 weeks old. You would average about 7 hours in between feedings. Now you are 10 weeks old, and last night you lasted 9 hours in between feedings! I am so proud of you. One thing that helps you get to sleep is loud white noise. I am the same way. Your sleep sheep is your best friend, and he sings ocean wave lullibies to you so you can sleep. You make noises when the sleep sheep automatically cuts off, and this makes mommy and daddy nervous! I think you may be thanking sleep sheep for helping you get to sleep, and then you return to sleep on your own, usually. You also like bathroom & kitchen fan noises.

What don't you like? You do not like tummy time (shhh...don't tell the doctor). You fuss for about five minutes and then fall asleep. We are working on this though. You now enjoy bath time in your tub, but you do not like getting out of the bath. You cry every time you hit the towel because you are cold. I'm trying out extra thick towels to help keep you warm. And sometimes you do not like diaper changes, but there is no budging on this. A pretty girl like you cannot have a messy diaper.

Oh, and you like to blow bubbles and suck on "hand." Your right hand, the whole hand, is your preference. You don't limit yourself to a thumb or certain finger, you go for the entire fist! And you haven't quite learned how to be a quiet hand-sucker. We are on the edge of our seat waiting for you to laugh. Any day now.

You are perfect in every way.

Love,
Mommy

No Names

We have a dilemma. My parents have yet to choose their grandparent names. I think they may be waiting for Alaina to name them, but if this is the case, they will be waiting a LONG time. After all, she is only 2 months old. And I, for one, simply cannot go on like this. I talk to Alaina A LOT, but when I start to tell her about my parents, I always stumble through my words because I do not know what to refer to them as. Sometimes I try different names out to see if something sticks, but this is getting pathetic. Alaina is probably quite confused. And she is probably starting to wonder why mommy cannot smoothly complete a sentence.

.............................................SO.............................................

I/we need your help! Maybe if we chime in and suggest some names, they will choose one!

Now we all know that once Alaina learns to speak, she may trump the name with her own version of "grandma" or "grandpa." This is one of the many benefits of being the first grandchild. But for goodness sake, we at least need a temporary name!

I am going to suggest a few names for each. Then please chime in BY LEAVING A COMMENT if you have any alternate name(s) so I can then add a poll to my blog where my readers can VOTE! Maybe this will get the ball rolling.

If you're a visual person, here is a photo that may help you in your voting decision...

My mom & dad, Joy & Gary

A few suggestions for my mom:
~Grandma
~Grandma Joy
~GJ
~Nana

A few suggestions for my dad:
~Grandpa Gary
~GG
~Grandaddy
~Pops (Adam's favorite)

Remember - WE NEED YOUR HELP! Think about it, leave a comment if you feel strongly about any name above OR if you have other suggestions, then look out for my poll tbp (to be posted) and VOTE. Thanks!

P.S. Mom - this is a threat. If you don't pick a name, you will be known as "Doc." Family joke, but I'm serious :)

Sleeping Beauty

Adam has a few new nicknames for Alaina. One is "Mini-me." One is "My Little Beauty." Another is "Sleeping Beauty." Wonder where he got the nickname, Sleeping Beauty? Take a look...

During bath time...




At the pediatrician's office...(I'm with her on this one)




During tummy time...




During play time on the floor...


During the tailgate...

But what a cute little Sleeping Beauty she is :)

What a Week!

WOW! What a busy week we've had! Adam was off work all last week, so we were able to enjoy a LOT of extra time with each other. Here's a daily recap...

MONDAY
Alaina's 2-month pediatrician appointment. We were at the office entirely too long, an excrutiating 2 hours. I think Monday appointments, especially directly after lunch, are a bad idea. Alaina weighed in at 9.5 lbs and measured 20.5 inches! We have some things to work on, namely more tummy time and exercises to help un-flatten her precious little head. Apparently it's getting flat on her right side. We are trying to round it out on our own over the next month. Then if it's not any better, we will start physical therapy, and if that doesn't help, A HELMET! AHHH! Needless to say, we've got a lot of work to do. She also was TORTURED by 3 shots. Mommy got the pleasant task of holding her little arms down and burying my head in hers to distract her from the pain. Daddy almost cried. The nurse hit a blood vessel on her leg, so she BLED. Oh my. Once we got her home, her leg bruised and knotted up. Poor baby :(

Don't let them do it to me, mommy...

Hey! Where are you going? I'm watching you...

You didn't!

TUESDAY
I think we lounged around the house this day. It's really a blur. Adam finally hung the letters in her room over her crib.


WEDNESDAY
OUR 3-YEAR ANNIVERSARY! This year was different than any other year. We honeymooned in Hawaii in 2006. We went to Nashville in 2007. We went to The Dillard House & Highlands, NC last year. Yet 2009 upped the ante. (Although Hawaii was a close 2nd :) We had the best day with the most precious gift ever, Alaina. Everything was perfect. We slept in a little bit and Adam made coffee. Alaina & I played on the floor in our PJ's while Adam ran out to get Chick-fil-A biscuits. YUM! I got to test out my space heater for the first time this fall. We got ready and got out in the sunshine, running errands & such. The fall-like weather was so refreshing! Then it was back to the home front to freshen up before our date. We dropped Alaina off at the Emmett's. Poppy bought a pink & white bouquet of flowers just for Alaina. Awww! Adam & I left kid-free to enjoy a Japanese steakhouse dinner and each other's company. After dinner, we almost did not know what to do with ourselves. No child. No where to rush back to. We had a cup of java at our favorite coffee spot, It's a Grind. We rented "Twilight" with the intention of watching it that night. Well, that didn't happen until Saturday. We shopped a little bit, avoided 3 major speed traps (it was, after all, the last day of the month!), and were back at the Emmett's to pick up our sleeping beauty. She was sound asleep when we arrived.

At first there were 2...

And now there are 3!

THURSDAY
I got the priviledge to experience Joyce Meyer's conference at the Gwinnett Arena. I cannot explain my love and admiration for Joyce and her messages, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see her in person. Adam, Alaina & I loaded up in the car and drove to my parents house in Snellville, kind of on a whim. We decided to do this just hours before. Adam & Alaina hung out with my parents while Aunt B & I went to the conference. It was incredible! Joyce spoke about the strategies of Satan and worship was lead by Israel Houghton. Oh yeah, and Danny Gokey from American Idol made a surprise visit. He briefly spoke about how influential Joyce has been in his life & his late wife's life, and of course he sang. Wonderful!


It was a late night for us as we did not get back home until after midnight! It was not too late, however, for a late-night run to Waffle House! MMMM. That place was packed for midnight on a Thursday. Or would that make it midnight on a Friday??? Anyway, we ordered the food to go, and 20 minutes later, we left with our ridiculously greasy food. Of course as soon as the car stopped and Adam went in to order, our sleepy head awoke. Her little beady eyes popped right open, and she was ready to eat too. So this was the longest 20 minutes of my life as I watched Adam sitting inside at the bar with apparently no progress with the food. I was frantically popping in passy, but Alaina was smart enough to know that passy was NOT what she was looking for. Anyway, we made it home. Alaina got to eat first, then 45 minutes later, mommy ate. So worth the wait :)


FRIDAY
Another late night, getting us totally off schedule, but SO worth it! I loved the Joyce Meyer conference so much that I decdied to go back Friday night, but this time with friends Kari & Kristen. Our husbands & kids all got together while the ladies were out. They ordered pizza & played I guess. Sometimes it's better not to ask questions :)

SATURDAY
Laaaaazzzzyyyy start to the day. I went grocery shopping & picked up around the house while Alaina & Adam had a football day. Alaina loves watching football with her daddy! We have been let down by our Dawgs, but we are getting over it. Saturday night, after the day was said & done, we popped in Twilight at 10pm. I am surprised I lasted through the entire 2-hour movie, and I attribute this feat to the fact that the movie was soooooo awesome! In fact, I watched it twice this weekend, and I rarely watch a movie more than once.


SUNDAY
Due to the fact that we had been completely off schedule the past few days, and that Alaina is going through a growth spurt, we did not make it to the church service. But thank goodness we made it to the Tailgate party after church. What an amazing day at BridgePointe Church! Each small group set up it's own tailgate and specialized in a tailgate-type food (BBQ, chili, ribs, wings, etc). Our group specialized in ribs & wings. It was a day filled with fabulous food & fantastic friends.


Kristen & her daughter Ava, Kari & I...

That's a wrap!