The best Christmas present ever!

I love Six Flags. I don't recall ever being afraid of roller coasters. Brad, on the other hand, hates them. He's never been on one, and when he was little, his family went to Six Flags and his mom came off the Judge Roy Scream white as a ghost...thus began his fear. He is afraid of heights and gets the occasional bout of motion sickness. So, you can imagine my surprise when I opened one of my Christmas gifts and found a bottle of Dramamine and 2 tickets to Holiday in the Park! It's my favorite time to go to Six Flags. The lights, cold weather, hot chocolate, and the best part...no lines! I have been bugging Brad for forever just to"try" Six Flags. I kept telling him that he may actually like it, you never know!

Well, try it, he did. We left Mallory with my parents the day after Christmas. Off we went to Six Flags. We ate lunch with enough time to let it settle, Brad had 2 Dramamine tablets and we were set. It was a perfect day for Six Flags. Blue skies, cool weather and it wasn't too crowded. Brad decided he wanted to start off with the scariest ride first (that way he wouldn't chicken out later). We were lucky enough to walk right up to the Titan...boy was Brad glad!! Then the nerves started. Our turn came and we got in the car. Brad had a death grip on the lap harness thingy. Click, click, click up the first incline. I kept telling him to hold my hand if he wanted. He looked straight ahead and said no as he was starting to breathe heavy. I started to get nervous that he was going to have a nervous breakdown right there on the Titan. There wasn't any more time to be nervous, down the first hill we went. I screamed and Brad grunted the whole way (see above picture). I looked over several times to make sure he wasn't crying or had stopped breathing. After it was over, he wouldn't talk about it until we got off the car and were walking (he didn't want to look like a sissy). Since there was no throw up invovled, I thought he was a go for all other rides (maybe even another go on the Titan). Not so much. We rode the Mine Train and then the Judge Roy Scream. He was done. No Shockwave, Batman, Mr. Freeze, Texas Giant or any other rides. We left the park. I was okay with that. Of course, I wished he had liked the rides better (I guess I'll have to ride with Mallory when she gets older and Brad will hold our bags!). He said he didn't enjoy any part of them. What is wrong with this man??

So, we will probably never go to Six Flags again. But, I was proud of Brad. He tried something that I love. He conquered a fear of his. He has inspired me. All because of a trip to Six Flags...

I saw this on a blog and thought it was too funny....so I stole the idea! Enjoy!

Santa's little helper

"The symbol of the Christmas spirit" (said with a lisp)

I cannot believe it is December 15. There is a LONG list of things that I still have to get done before next Friday and I am dreading it. I've been telling Brad that it just doesn't feel like Christmas time. I guess it's the 78 degree weather we've been having! Crazy. I love this weather...in September and April! Well, finally this week it is "beginning to feel a lot like Christmas". We have our tree up and Mallory met Santa Clause.

We get a real tree every year (a family tradition on my side) and usually wait until a couple of weeks into December since they tend to get on the dry and "fire hazard" side if you get it too early. Well, this year we found a tree farm near us and decided to go check it out. They have pre cut trees and then also have trees that the owners grow so you can have a "Griswold moment" and cut it down yourself. Apparently, these trees will last from the end of November to the beginning of January. Unfortunately, when we got there, all they had left were 5-6 foot skinny trees. I guess they had a really good selling season. So, we were off to Home Depot where we purchased this beauty. It wasn't much cheaper than the farm and seems a lot drier. Oh well. You live and learn. We will be going back to the tree farm next year. It will be fun when Mallory is older and can help cut down her own little tree.

And here is the little girl with Santa. I was kind of worried about starting this tradition because I don't want her to be super disappointed when she finds out he isn't real. But for now, she is only 6 months old and doesn't know any different. She did pretty well, I think. We were thinking that she would either scream or just stare. She didn't really cry until we talked to her while he was holding her (or maybe she was crying because the "elf" only had 2 teeth and was scary-looking??). We caught the crying on video. All in all, it was pretty anti-climactic.

Now I need to get a move on and finish up shopping, baking, Christmas cards (they might end up being New Year's cards!) and everything else on my list...yikes!

Veggie Tales: Act One

Today was a first. Green beans! I went ahead and stripped Mallory down to her diaper (smart thinking as you will see below...she went right into a bath-the picture doesn't really capture how much she had everywhere). She really wasn't in to them at first. I pictured her just opening up wide and digging right in. Not my girl. She was more interested in the bowl than the spoon with the good stuff in it. Toward the end, I think she figured it out and opened up. We will try again tomorrow and see how she does. She didn't finish the jar, so this might be a long process. I read somewhere that it takes some babies up to 10 tries before they really like something. That would have to be my child. She resists change.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Happy half birthday sweet girl!

Technically it was on Tuesday, but that was Tate's birthday, so I wanted him to feel special. So, instead we are celebrating it after a morning of yucky shots in chubby little thighs. The running total is around 13 shots so far I think. Ouch! Luckily, Mallory is a trooper and is asleep already in bed. Poor thing. Here are her stats from her 6 month checkup:

Weight: 16 pounds 9 ounces (60th percentile)
Height: 27 inches (95th percentile)

Head circumference: I'm a bad mommy and didn't write it down. But, Dr. K said that it was smaller in percentile, but that it was okay since she is so tall (I guess it is proportioned well?)

We will be starting "real" food next week. I still can't believe it is already that time. It has flown by! I sound like my parents saying this, but it really does feel like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. Wow. So, stayed tuned for the "Veggie Tales" of Mallory! Should be some funny pictures coming up.

Tater Tot is here!

I'm excited to introduce the newest member of our family....Tate! He came into the world at 8:10 pm last night weighing 7 pounds 8 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long. I am so proud of Kelly and Wade. They both did great! It was a long day for everyone, but well worth it to meet the sweet little guy. He is a cutie!

Here is Mallory and Tate. She really wanted to hold him:) They are exactly 6 months apart. It will be interesting to see who gets who in trouble later in life!

And the proud Aunt! He's so little. I still can't believe Mallory was that small...amazing how fast it all goes by (Wade, you will be hearing that now, instead of how much it will change your life...just get ready!)

And last but not least, the little guy himself. He has a full head of black hair, long fingers and big feet! We love him and are so thrilled for the new mom and dad!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

We are decorated at the Bankhead house! Brad was a trooper and put lights up on the house this year. This was the first time for him to take on the task. He ran out of daylight on Wednesday, so he had to finish up in the FREEZING cold and wind (which makes it scary for a 6 foot 4 guy on a ladder!) on Thursday. I took a picture, but it didn’t do them justice, so instead, you get a picture of my front door with the pretty fresh wreath my parents sent us. Thanks mom and dad! And thanks to Brad for putting the lights up, they look great!

( I have difficulty uploading the pictures to go with the text, so read below the next pictures to figure out what they are about!)

Brad was "recruiting" in Plano this weekend. So that left me and Mallory at home for some girl time. We went to Salado on Friday night with a couple of girls from church and did a little shopping. We ate dinner at a tea room that served yummy Tomato Basil soup. All of the shops were decorated for Christmas with lights and decor. There was a horse drawn carriage and all sorts of other fun things. Salado is a cute and quaint little town. I need to go back when, #1 I can concentrate on things other than trying to maneuver a stroller in an expensive store and not break anything, and #2 when it is light outside and I can see what Salado really looks like. We got our picture taken with a "Rein-dog", I think that's what the owners called them. They were Great Danes with antlers and wreaths. I thought they were pretty funny.

I also rearranged the furniture to make room for the tree (coming soon...we get a real one every year), made chocolate covered pretzels for Brad, bought Mallory a stocking and survived church solo this morning. It was a busy weekend that went by fast, which was a good thing. I tend to make myself hear things around the house and turn into a scaredy-cat when Brad is out of town.

It will be another busy week with my nephew coming into the world on Tuesday. We can't wait to meet Tate. It seems like so long ago that we were in Kelly and Wade's shoes anticipating Mallory's arrival. There were so many emotions. I am really excited for Kelly and Wade to experience it all. What an amazing opportunity!

Eeewwww!

I just had the strangest thing in my eye that I have ever had in my entire life. I wear contacts, and occasionally there will be an eyelash that gets in. So, this morning when I got that familiar pain, that is what I though it was. Although, this time it hurt a little more and I couldn't see anything in my eye. Until I took out my contact and from the side I saw the culprit. A piece of my own hair! I have never had a strand of my own hair in my eye before. Talk about a weird feeling pulling out the hair from my eyeball. Nasty! I guess that is what happens from post partum hormones...your hair falls out and gets in your eyeballs! So strange.

Gobble, gobble!

Happy belated Turkey Day!

We had a long, but very fun Thanksgiving holiday. Our first meal was at LaShay's in-laws. They were nice enough to have the fam over at their house. It was a yummy meal and entertaining with both of the babies. Julia is crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything. Here they are at Ted and Sherry's house. This is the best picture I have of the two of them. It's quite hard to get them both to look at the camera and smile at the same time. Christmas should be interesting:)

The second part of the holiday was spent at the UT/A&M game in Austin. Yes, we are asking ourselves the same question. "You took Mallory to the game?" We love Mallory with everything, but that will be her first and last "big" sporting event to attend until she can sit in her own seat and eat her own food. I have now topped my "weirdest place to breastfeed". We brought a bottle, but it was cold and there wasn't any hot water to warm it up, so she wouldn't take it. So, that only meant one thing. Off to the restroom we went. I proceeded to feed Mallory standing in the bathroom stall with one leg propped up on the toilet paper holder. Yes, quite a sight. Although there were some challenges, I had a great time at the game. We sat underneath the new HUGE jumbo-tron in the end zone. And I got to use a gift that my Aunt Barbara gave me (see picture below). Although it doesn't look like it, the Moby wrap was comfortable. Mallory had a good ole time being able to look around everywhere and let her legs flop around everywhere. She slept in it good, too. Brad didn't enjoy the game as much, for obvious reasons. No need to rub it in Aggie fans:)

Our final destination and meal was at my parent's house. My sister decided a while back that she would buy Mallory "holiday attire". Fine by me! I like taking the goofy pictures so I have something to put in her "senior" videos later in life. Anyway. Here is the turkey headdress Mallory wore for dinner. She didn't mind it a bit. It was pretty funny. We were hoping Kelly would go into labor this weekend, but it didn't happen. It could be any day now...

I have had my fill of pumpkin pie, fruit salad, stuffing and turkey to last until next year. It was a great Thanksgiving and I am thankful to have been surrounded by my family and good friends. Now, bring on the non stop Christmas music, lights and everything red and green!

'Tis the season!

It is my favorite time of the year! The weather is cool and crisp. The leaves are falling. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It is just about time to get up in the attic and get all the Christmas decorations down. That all means one thing....it's turtleneck season!!! Woo hoo!

Brad really dislikes that I like turtlenecks so much. I used to be really obsessive. I think I owned 10, which he thought was a lot (a good mix of sweater turtlenecks, sleeveless turtlenecks and regular turtlenecks). He banned me from asking for any sweaters or turtlenecks for Christmas one year. I obeyed like a good wife. But, I think it is time for some new turtlenecks. Out with the old, in with the new!

I'm not sure why turtlenecks appeal to me so much. I guess because they are functional. They serve a purpose of keeping your neck warm and they can be very stylish. I guess it also makes choosing clothing a lot easier. All you have to do is choose the bottoms to go with the turtleneck. And, they aren't very fussy (I wouldn't classify myself as fussy when it comes to clothing). I am the type of person that gets stressed when it comes to clothing. I never really feel trendy and if I do get in the mood to be trendy, it's usually after the trend has come and gone. I don't really accessorize much and I guess I'd rather spend my money on a cute outfit for Mallory than myself...I am a true mommy now!!

Here's another "grilled cheese" poll. What article of clothing best describes you? I'll start. My name is Shannon, I am a turtleneck!

Somebody's ready for some football!

GO BEARS!!

Mallory is super excited for the Cal/USC game today. She really hopes that Cal wins so Grandpa will be in a great mood at Thanksgiving! And it would be really cool for Cal to make it to the Rose bowl. She heard that they haven't been since the 1950's. Plus, it's getting boring watching the same team (Texas...fight!) win it, year after year. Mallory told me just this morning, "My favorite player is DeSean Jackson. I hope he has a breakout game today!" Wow, that is impressive for 5 1/2 months, huh? She really knows her football. Or she just got brainwashed when Grandpa was here to visit.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

No funny signs for this birthday. This time it's a real picture with the birthday boy! Dad came through town and stayed the night with us last night. And then we had a birthday breakfast this morning at IHOP before he drove to Austin. It was great to see him, and Mallory was really happy to tell him Happy Birthday in person (so mom wouldn't put a silly hat or sign on her again!).

Here is Mallory and Grandpa at his favorite restaurant, Chili's! Happy birthday dad! We love you!

Sisters have ESP

If you would have told me 10 years ago, that Kelly and I would be best buddies right now, I probably would have done everything in my power for that not to happen. We didn't really get along so well. Of course, being family, we loved each other. But, we were very different growing up and I was a mean little sister. That is the official job title I think we are given. I'm surprised Kelly still talks to me! I won't hash up the details, but I wasn't very nice. Surprising, huh?? :)

The thing that really brought us closer was going to ACU. Kelly and Wade were both there during my first semester. She would have me over to her "off campus" apartment for dinner, introduce me to her friends (who were so much older and cooler!), talk to me on campus and take me to the mall. It was a really important time for us since she was about to get married the following April. I'm very thankful that I copied Kelly and went to ACU.

Which brings me to the real topic of this blog. Copying Kelly. It's kind of funny to me that our tastes are so similar now. I mean, we really didn't get along well people. She gave me a bloody nose when I was 5 years old! Anyway. Just had to throw that one in. Yesterday she called and before we got off the phone she said she had ordered a Christmas present for me and Mallory. I love to find out surprises, so I asked if I could guess. I had just ordered this corduroy bag with Mallory's monogram to use as a diaper bag. So, that is what I guessed (it's from a catalog that we both get and we both like all the stuff in it). She responded and interrupted my guess by yelling "Shut up!!" (which we are not allowed to say...I'm telling mom). She had just ordered the same exact bag (color and all) the night before. I ordered mine the night before she did. So funny. I wonder if she knows anyone else with the initials MKB???

Recycling and Old Navy

Just wanted to let everyone know that our family recycles. This is Mallory in her "traveling bed". I stole the idea from my sister in law Jen. She had one for our niece Julia. It is a doggy bed, but it works really well for infants when you travel out of town. The bottom is padded with an egg crate, and as you can see, it is pretty comfy! Well, it used to be comfy. Mallory is a giant and outgrew her bed pretty quick (notice the legs hanging off the side).So, naturally, we handed down her bed to our dog Connor! Makes sense, doesn't it? We thought so. I don't think there is any worry that Connor will outgrow it anytime soon. I was surprised he liked it though. This dog is usually very skiddish about new things. He barked forever at the stroller box and the vacuum.

And lastly, Old Navy. Right now they are having a really good sale. All of their clearance stuff is marked off an additional 50% (at least in Waco). So, mommy got some new pants and Mallory got a new hat! This is her at the UMHB/Howard Payne game this afternoon. Cute, huh?
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I was almost a bad mommy and forgot to include the biggest news of all...Mallory officially rolled over by herself tonight! I don't have pictures because #1 that is a hard thing to take a picture of and #2 we were using my digital camera as bait for her to look at and make the big roll. Anyway. She rolled from tummy to back twice and then she rolled from back to tummy once. Her face was pretty humorous. Like, "Hey, how did I do that?" I can't believe she's getting so big and doing so many things...so fun!

Home sweet home...just about

Kiersten passed the test. All of you ladies (and Wade) that read this, know that the key to making a new town feel more like home is to find a good hairstylist. After several recommendations, I took the plunge and got my haircut. She did a great job. I played it safe and just got a trim (also because Brad teases me that I always want to grow my hair out, then I end up chopping it off again). I will be going back to Kiersten and am glad to have a "girl to cut my hair". And the crazy thing is that she used to live in Abilene! She went to school with Kara. Small world.

What a guy!

Since Brad would never do it himself, it's time for me to brag on him. He just completed his first season as the head men's soccer coach. The season flew by really fast and I still can't believe it's over. And let me just tell you how much better it is watching soccer in 100 degree weather than 32 degree weather (and I'm not being sarcastic)! Brad brought the team to the ASC tournament for the first time since 1998. And they didn't do too bad considering the team they lost to, won the tournament. I think that is pretty impressive. I could go on about the stats, but I probably wouldn't word it right or get them right, so I'll let you all look at the website for specifics!

I am so proud of Brad. He came into a program that was not successful in the past, with players that he didn't recruit (or even know from Adam). He was able to earn their respect early on and really have an impact on the guys. I always loved hearing how much the Abilene High parents liked Brad and what he was doing for the boys-it made me feel proud to be Mrs. Coach Bankhead! Well, it is the same here. So many parents have told me how glad they are that Brad is here and what he is doing for their sons. It really just makes the move and all the stress 7 months ago worth it.

I couldn't be happier for Brad and his success this year. Love you dear!

The day after

I would like to have lots of cute pictures of Mallory in an adorable Halloween costume, but I don't. In fact, I didn't even buy her a costume! Am I a bad mommy? I didn't want to spend the $30 for her to sleep through Halloween-even though I knew she would look super cute in any costume we bought:) Instead, she wore some pumpkin slippers her Mimi bought her and the "daddy's little pumpkin" onesie Aunt Kelly bought for her. And, yes, she slept through the majority of trick or treaters. Next year, there will be pictures...I promise!

It was an exciting night of trick or treating here at the house. I think it's the first Halloween we have actually gone through most of our candy! In Abilene, we lived on a street with a bunch of older people, so we only had about 5 kids come by. More candy for us to eat though! So, this year, I knew we would have a lot...there are kids everywhere in our neighborhood. We still have some left over, but we did go through a lot. And I don't think I was stingy with the goods either.

The funniest trick or treater was a little boy (about 6) that came to the door and almost walked into our house. Mallory was crying and before he even said trick or treat, he asked, "What's wrong with your baby, why's it crying?" He must have a younger brother or sister! Then he got to business and got the candy. Too cute.

On the road again...

I got back last night from a fun and exciting trip to Abilene! I got to see lots of old friends, go to church at South Side, watch some good soccer, shop a little and eat a lot (Taco Bueno...mmm!)! Thank you Tim and Kara for letting us crash at your house all weekend, Mallory and I had a lot of fun!

Here's Brad with Mallory after they beat McMurry 3-2 in overtime Friday. They went on to tie HSU 2-2 in 2 overtimes on Saturday. That allowed them a spot in the Conference Tournament this coming weekend. Go Coach!

Here is my friend Patrice with Noelle, Mallory and Brooke. She led a Bible study that Kara, Sarah and I were in. We started the Bible study in August last year, and by November, we were all pregnant. Crazy, huh?

And here's the slumber party buddies. Mallory and Brooke are 11 days apart. They look like it, huh? Not really, my kid is just a giant!


This is random, but I wanted to share some observations from my drive on Highway 36. Did you know that there is a Nimrod, Texas? And did you know that nimrod means hunter? And did you know that Noah's great grandson was named Nimrod? Hmmm. And all this time I thought it meant idiot. There is also a Fairy, Texas. Interesting. And I saw a town named after Mallory...Moody. Ha! And my last thought. What is the proper etiquette for turning your brights on while driving behind someone at night? Do you wait until you can't see the tail lights anymore, or wait until you think you are far enough away? Just curious. Mallory slept for the whole trip, so I had a lot of time to think.

Bottles and a birthday

It's time for an update on Mallory and bottles... She is finally taking a bottle! There are no more screaming fits for 30 minutes folks! She only fusses when Brad gets her in position (she does that with me too) and then she chows down! It's great! Such a relief for us. And for Brad. I think his hearing was damaged in the process:)

I'm off to Abilene tomorrow for a visit. I can't wait! I have really missed my friends. I'll be staying with the Richardson family and hopefully Mallory will sleep well, or else we will all be grumpy! Brad has his last two games and then hopefully they will go to the conference tournament. Pretty exciting for his first year!

Someday Mallory won't let me do this, but since she can't object, I will do it for now...enjoy!

*Plus, it is getting her ready for Thanksgiving. Her Aunt Kelly bought her a turkey head dress that she has to wear!

Pudding Pops, Naked Neighbors and Project Runway

A couple of things today that I have been meaning to post about:

#1 Jell-o Pudding Pops. They are just not the same. I LOVED these when I was a little girl. I mean, loved them! Especially the chocolate/vanilla swirl (I would eat those first, then chocolate, then vanilla). So, naturally I was pumped when I saw the box at Wal-Mart. I snatched them up and put them in my cart. Boy, was I excited to have dessert that night! I opened the box and pulled out a swirl pudding pop. My first clue that things were going to be different should have been #1 the box/different brand, #2 the size of the pop-not the same rectangle one I remember...more like a fudgesickle. But I tried it anyway. Very disappointing. Just not the same as I remember. Not even close actually. Nice try "Pop-sickle". I won't be buying any more.

#2 N squared. I know you all have been on the edge of your seats waiting for this post:) About 2 weeks ago, Brad's sister and husband came in town to watch a soccer game. It stormed pretty bad, so we had to wait for the rain delay at our house. While we were looking out our living room window at the rain coming down, we noticed our backyard neighbor's light on in their frosted window. Yes, you know where this is going. I told LaShay and Steve, "Oh, look, our neighbor is in their bathroom. I don't think they know that you can see through the glass...but we have never seen any skin, so we haven't said anything before." Literally, right when I said that, the neighbor came out of her bedroom naked!! You couldn't see any details (the frosted glass helped to make her silhouette a little blurry), but you could definitely tell that she was either wearing a peach colored dress, or it was bare skin! It took us a while to figure it out and then she helped us out. She leaned forward and you could see crack!! We knew for sure what she was wearing at that point in time. Then, the funniest and most awkward part..the man of the house came into the bathroom (fully dressed), stood behind her and started swaying with her!! At that time, we were all grossed out and laughing hysterically! We have "naked neighbors"-hence the N squared-creative, I know. So, this is the hard part. Do I leave a note on their front door anonymously saying, "Just wanted you to know that your frosted glass in the bathroom isn't so frosted"? Or just let it go and leave all of our blinds closed to the backyard?
I think we should probably say something.

#3 My sister is hooked on Project Runway (the gist is that a bunch of designers compete in challenges every week to win $100,000-and other things-to start up their own line of clothing). So, the other day, there were re-runs of the season on Bravo, and now I'm hooked! Throughout the day today, I caught up on the first of the season so that I could feel complete watching the finale tonight. I want Laura to win, she is the classiest of the four. It's actually a really good reality show. Brad won't admit it, but he kind of likes it too!

Below is a picture I took this morning while I was getting ready. Mallory enjoyed watching herself in the mirror. Pretty amusing for me, too!

I think she's a fan folks!

I guess I finally gave in. I really didn't want to start Mallory on solids until she was 6 months old. I had heard about a higher incidence of food allergies from starting them out too early and that was my biggest reason for not wanting to do it. But, Brad is convinced it will help her sleep better at night. And, after the last week of not getting much sleep at night, I am ready for anything to work! Tonight was the first night of rice cereal. It was basically the consistency of thick milk. She still needs to work on her swallowing and tongue movement. She kept pushing it out with her tongue. But, there was no screaming, so that means she might have enjoyed her first entree of rice cereal!

Here she is a little scared about the green spoon coming toward her:

Then she realized, "Hey, this isn't so bad!"

Although a lot of it was on her face, she did "eat" most of it.

It's true

Everyone has said the 4 month shots are worse than the 2 month shots. Boy, is it true. You all pretty much know that Mallory is a screamer when she cries, but this time was different. She got 4 shots again. The first one was the "Ouch, what was that for?". The second one made her mad and then of course, the ones to follow as well. She had a very pitiful scream. It was sad and I got teary watching her in the mirror hold her breath and turn red. Last time she quieted down as soon as I picked her up. This time, not so much. She was hurting! Good thing for the paci though. That helped a lot. She fell asleep while we were waiting to check out and she is still out in her crib now. Poor girl. We did have a really sweet nurse that gave her the shots. She kept asking Mallory for a "mile". Brad and I thought it was funny she left the "s" off of smile. She also gave Mallory a bright orange fish...that is in a fish bowl right now....not really, it's a stuffed animal. Anywhoo.

Now for the 4 month update:
Weight: 15 pounds (75th percentile)
Height: 26 1/2 inches (above the 95th percentile! The nurse might have stretched her a little too much on the table:) )

Dr. Kastner gave us the okay to start rice cereal. He even said we could start jar baby food, but I don't think I'm ready for that! I think we'll try cereal next week. I told him about her sleep issues (not sleeping for more than 4 hours at a time and waking up after 2 hours usually-but going back to sleep after her paci is back in). He told us to cut back on her naps. We'll see how that one goes. If she is anything like her mommy (which we all know she is, since she is moody!), cutting back on naptime won't be beneficial. But, we will try and see how it goes. It jsut dawned on me that the reason she sleeps so well when we are with family, is because she doesn't take long naps like at home. Maybe that will be the trick. He said she is very pretty and healthy. We agree!

A new friend for Mallory

I just got a message on my cell phone that my good friend Lori had her baby girl this morning! Faith Elisabeth was born around 10am and weighed 7 lbs, 15 oz. Mom and baby are doing well. Hopefully I will be able to meet miss Faith this weekend! Mallory is going to have so many friends to play with, it is exciting!

On a different note...my husband thinks he is funny. He keeps switching the way the toilet paper roll is hanging in our bathroom! I thought I was losing my mind and then I asked him about it and he owned up. Very funny.

I don't want to jinx myself (like I have done before), but the last 4 nights, Mallory has taken a bottle. Each night is less and less crying. Kelly was in town last night and she gave Mallory the first half without a whole lot of screaming. Then, tonight, there was only about 2 minutes of crying and she took the bottle like a pro! Next up, formula! I won't get my hopes up for that yet, I'm just pleased she is taking the bottle. Brad and I might actually get to stay out longer than 1 1/2 hours at a time on a date! Woo hoo!

To keep all of you readers coming back for more...stay tuned for a blog about N squared! I can't divulge anymore, but I promise you will not be disappointed!

Is "exersauce" a word?

I just got back from our friend's house. He had knee surgery yesterday, and his wife is a little squeamish and asked me to come over and change out his bandage. It was fun "playing nurse". It made me miss my job...just a little.

I've decided to start a new blogging topic: the level of difficulty required for each of Mallory's toys that we have to put together. It really is ridiculous. I mean, why can't they box up toys that are already assembled? It would make parent's lives so much easier.

Yesterday I got out the exersaucer. The box says 4 months and up, so it's time to "exersauce". It took approximately 2 hours to complete (that is including putting Mallory down for a nap and entertaining her after she woke up from her nap). The instructions were a little overwhelming at first, but not too bad after you started. The hardest part was getting one of the spinning toys onto the top of it. Brad had to help me this morning with a flat head screw driver and both of us pushing and pulling on it. I also broke a nail putting this together. There should be a warning for that: "Warning: file all nails down before trying to assemble product." After all was said and done and after Mallory tried it out, I give this toy a 2 1/2 out of 5 for it's difficulty. I'm sure there will be more difficult toys in the future.

Before:

After:

It appears that someone is ready for the soccer game today. Let's just hope the Crusaders are too! They lost yesterday to UT Tyler 2-1. It was a good game and they played really well (I thought-Brad might have other ideas!). Today it's Concordia University, another good team. Hopefully I'll have a good report for you all later.

UPDATE: We beat Concordia 3-1. I thought it was a great game, but Brad didn't think they played as well as they could have. So, he has a practice scheduled for tomorrow for whoever (read: everyone) that wants to come. Tough coach, huh? UMHB is tied right now with 3 other schools (I think) for a spot in the conference tournament. Pretty impressive for Brad's first year. Keep it up!

She'll be getting married before we know it...

Mallory is 4 months old today. We are falling in love with her more and more each day.

At 4 months old, these are the tricks Mallory can do:
*Hold her head steady when carrying her
*Reach for toys when you hold them out in front of her
*Take her paci out of her mouth and hold it (she tries to put it back in, but hasn't been successful yet)
*Raise her head up and reach for her feet (or whatever she can grab) when she is lying on her back
*Make a really cute sound with the spit in her mouth
*Hold her head up and look side to side when she is on her tummy
*Almost fit her whole fist in her mouth (who does she get that trait from??)
*Turn her head in the direction of mommy's or daddy's voices
*She can turn onto her side, but not all the way over quite yet

We all go to the doctor next Thursday, so I'll have her "stats" then. I'm most curious about how long she is:)


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On a different note, today is my sister in law's birthday! Happy Birthday Jennifer! We love you and hope you have a great day!

Thank you Sharon!

Yesterday my sweet mother in law (Sharon) came to our house. She hadn't seen Mallory in 6 weeks, so she was going through withdrawals. I got to go grocery shopping, to the bank and return stuff at WalMart all within one hour! She kept Mallory for me so I could get it all done quick. Then, even better. She babysat so Brad and I could go on a date. We went to Killeen for dinner, walked around the new Kohl's and then came home to feed Mallory (because she still won't take a flippin bottle! We are getting closer with the Playtex nurser...at least she doesn't scream with that one). After her tummy was full and she fell asleep in Sharon's arms, out we went, to a movie! We saw Invincible. And we were the only ones in the theater! How fun is that? It was a real date. And much needed. We haven't been out alone since she was born I think.

It was interesting to be at dinner and realize that Mallory is definitely part of our family now (not that we didn't think so...you know what I mean). Strange how we feel like we have always had her and "what did we do before she came along". She's grown on us a lot since her first loooonggg (and loud) week at home:)

Grilled cheese and....

This is a recurrent debate that Brad and I have had a lot over the 7 years we've known each other.

Growing up, I always ate grilled cheese with soup (either chicken noodle or tomato). When I met Brad and made a grilled cheese sandwich for him the first time, he looked at me like I was crazy for offering soup with it. This is what our conversation was like:

"Soup?", he said. "You don't eat a grilled cheese with soup, you eat a grilled cheese with chips."

"Chips, with a grilled cheese?", I asked back. "No way, you have soup with a grilled cheese (unless you are at Sonic, and then you have tater tots)."

Tonight we ate cheap and had grilled cheese sandwiches. I had chicken noodle soup with it and Brad had BBQ chips. He made a gross face when I dipped the sandwich into the soup...mmmm! It got me thinking about what other people have with their grilled cheese sandwich. Is Brad the only weirdo out there?? Let me know!

Dang it.

I "spoke" too soon. Mallory woke up at 1:15am! We let her cry for 40 minutes. 40 minutes people! That is a long time! She is stubborn with a capital S. So, I put her paci back in and re-swaddled her. Now it was 1:55 and she falls asleep...for 20 minutes. She's up again at 2:18am. This time she cries for 30 minutes and her little cry is getting hoarser (is that a word?) by the minute. I give in and swaddle her/give her the paci. She is out until 6:30am that time. What is the deal? I knew I should have waited a full week before blogging about her sleeping habits...bummer.

Weekend update

Soccer: We lost Friday (in the last 53 seconds-big bummer) and won Saturday. Brad was pleased. It was HOT and muggy on Friday, but Mallory was a trooper and stuck it out the whole game. Dad came down to see Mallory, I mean, watch the game on Friday. It was good to see him. He was a trooper too. Did I mention that it was hot at the game? Saturday was much better. We had a thunderstorm and then a "cold" front blew in. Much more pleasant. LaShay, Steve and Briley (their golden doodle) came to visit us and watch soccer. We got a free lunch because of bad service at a good restaurant (then we met our waitress from the restaurant at church the next morning-oops!)

Sleep: This is the best part. Most of you know that Mallory has been having sleep issues lately. I won't go on and on about it here, just know that it was getting annoying. Anywhoo. We had to initiate some "tough love" on Thursday night. We let her cry for 37 minutes and then she finally fell asleep. She woke up again, and after another 35 minutes of crying, she was out until 6:45am. Friday night was better. She didn't cry at all, and slept from 10:00pm until 6:20am! Saturday night only had 8 minutes of crying and then sleeping from 10:30pm until 5:20am! We're crossing our fingers tonight. I put her down at 8:40 and haven't heard a peep. Now, I can handle 7-8 hours of sleep. What I do feel bad about is how hoarse she has been. She sounds so different. Except when she gets mad. It's amazing how she can still muster up this demon scream that comes out of nowhere. She is talented.

Church nursery: We put Mallory in the church nursery for the first time this morning for service and sunday school. I was a little nervous since we haven't been going to this church for very long, but she did great. She slept during the service and then I fed her and dropped her back off without a hitch. It was nice to be in "Brad and Shannon mode" instead of "mommy and daddy mode" for a morning. We could concentrate a lot better and not be on edge making sure she doesn't cry or interrupt anything.

Nephew news: Kelly and Wade decided on a name for our nephew. His name will be Robert Tate, but he will go by Tate. You can read all about his name here or here. We are excited this little guy has a name now. We can't wait for Tater Tot to get here!

That was our weekend in a nutshell. It was good to win a soccer game, see some family and get some much needed sleep!

6 hours and counting...

The season premier of The Office is on tonight and we can't wait! Brad and I started watching this show when it first came out and got hooked pretty quickly. Michael is a dork. I always feel uncomfortable for him anytime he talks. Dwight is odd. The Jim/Pam saga is good. Although since they kissed, I'll be interested to see what happens.

I've always wanted to work in an office setting. I guess it was back when I would get paid $3/hour to help my dad at his office inputting data all day long. I would think that I was so cool when I would get a drink out of the break room fridge...or take a donut off the table (like they were for me). I mean, I was only 13 or 14 at the time. And dad would buy me a snack from the snack machine. Good times. I also like all of the office supplies. You can have all the highlighters, post its, pens, finger wax for sifting through papers fast, staple removers, staplers, copy machines with staplers in them you want. I was the same way with school supplies. And the smell of warm copy paper...brings back lots of memories.

I wonder what type of "office employee" I would be....

She already has a complex

Dear makers of Infantino toys:

I am concerned that you might be giving children bad self esteems. Giving your toys real names may not be a good idea in the long run.

Take, for instance, Mallory the Monkey. Yes, I know it is a cute name. Unfortunately, my daughter, Mallory, has abnormally long arms/legs and is a bit hairy on her back, ears, and arms. How would you like it if your aunt came to visit and gave you a toy that is named after you and happens to be a monkey?? Wouldn't you be offended?

Now, we love our dangle toys for her car seat. But, I didn't notice those toys having real names like Emma the Elephant, or Lauren the Lion. What is it? Do you think that all Mallorys are hairy and long limbed?

We are going to let Mallory play with the monkey, but we just wanted to make you aware of what you might be doing to children if you continue naming your toys after them. Thank you for taking the time.

Sincerely,
Concerned parent




****We really do love Mallory the Monkey and appreciate Aunt Kelly and Uncle Wade giving Mallory such a fun toy!

Update below....

It's my Bumbo and I'm sitting up...sort of!

"Look at me! I'm a big girl and can hold my head up all by myself!" We just have to work on getting her head in the center instead of always leaning over.

This is a cute one. And I will also give a little shout out to my friend Meredith who made this very cute blanket for Mallory (notice the M).

And here is our little poser. Check out her big girl outfit! Those are denim capris! Too cute. This outfit is from Mallory's friend Brooke. Brooke gave it to Mallory since she is so much older and can fit into it.

I felt like an "official" mommy yesterday. I went to my first play group. I got there a little late, but I got to meet several other moms. I am slowly meeting more people. It feels good. Brad has a big game this afternoon. They play Howard Payne University. It's their first conference game. Wish him luck! I'll update after the game...check back!

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Update! UMHB beat the Howard Payne Yellowjackets 2-1! Woo hoo! They were tied up until the last 2 minutes and then we scored! It was a hot, but good game. Mallory wore purple to support the Crusaders. She behaved until a fan with an airhorn came by to say hello...she didn't like that too much and let everyone around her know! Anyway, it was a good game and we got to see some Abilene High parents (5 of Brad's AHS boys went to HPU).

In honor of Mallory:

Thirteen thoughts I have had in the middle of the night while feeding her:

1. "Already?" That is after I stayed up too late when she had already gone to bed and had to wake up an hour (or 20 minutes) later.

2. "Ouch, that hurt!" I have run into many doors, walls, beds etc. while walking around our house in the dark.

3. "Do men have mammary glands?" My memory of anatomy class is a little fuzzy at 3:00 am. They don't have them, but it sure would be helpful!

4. "How can such a sweet, little baby make such a smelly, big shooey?" I'm talking out the back of the diaper here people. It's bad!

5. "I really need to finish her nursery." I mean, what, she's only 3 1/2 months old already! Geez.

6. "What kind of mommy am I and will I be when you get older?" Am I doing everything I can right now for you to grow and learn new things? Will you like to hang out with me? Will you talk to me? Will we get along, or both be really stubborn when you are a teenager?

7. "Thank you Lord for the pacifier." It really is nice that it soothes her (most of the time) and helps her fall asleep a little faster.

8. "When is it that babies sleep 12 hours at night?" And can it happen sooner? :)

9. "How can I leave your room and make you go to sleep, when you look up at me and smile, making your paci fall out of your mouth?" I absolutely love when Mallory smiles. It is the best feeling in the world. Especially when I am really tired and grumpy and rethinking this whole breastfeeding thing. It makes it all worth it.

10. "It would be really nice if you would take a bottle." I know I kind of sound like I'm complaining about the breastfeeding thing. I really do enjoy it and I'm happy to do it for her sake. It's just that some nights (or days) I wish I could have a break. But no, Mallory really likes me and screams when we try a bottle. Fun times.

11. "That takes talent-sleeping and eating at the same time." I guess she isn't really sleeping, but it sure looks like it with her eyes closed and peaceful.

12. "How do you wiggle out of your swaddle so easy when I put it around you so tight?" She is a little Houdini sometimes!

13. "What a blessing." It still amazes me that she grew inside of me. Crazy. Thank you Lord for this long, loud (when screaming), chubby cheeked, fuzzy headed, long eyelashed, big footed, stubborn, beautiful baby girl. We can't imagine our life without her now.

*A side note: UMHB beat Texas Weslyan yesterday afternoon 6-0!! Gooooo Brad! It was a great game and we got to stay for the whole thing!

You just gotta roll with it

I never thought I had any quirks about the way toilet paper hangs on the roll. Apparently I recently acquired one. I have found myself changing the direction of it after Brad puts a new roll on! I prefer for the paper to hang behind the roll. I don't know why. Maybe it looks more attractive hanging that way? Maybe it is easier to tear off that way? The world may never know.

So, which way do you put your roll on?

It's raining, it's pouring...

...and Mallory is snoring...finally! That girl is stubborn. I don't know where she gets it from! She normall takes 3-4 naps during the day. Today? Only 1 early this morning. That makes for a very grumpy girl. But now she is sleeping peacefully and it is raining outside. Who wouldn't want to take a nap while it's raining? Below is a picture of her feet with rain drops on them. I contemplated setting her on our sidewalk in her bouncy chair to feel the drops, but then thought this would be nicer:) She wasn't very interested, so we came back inside.


Well, I guess I better update on the games from Saturday. Everyone knows how UT did...booo! UMHB didn't do much better. They lost in overtime 3-2. Brad was actually pleased with the way they came back in the second half to tie up the game. But unfortunately, it didn't lead to a win. We've got a busy week though. Games on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Oh boy! Hopefully we'll come away happy campers.

Today is September 11th. I always thought it was so interesting how vividly my parents could remember where they were/what they were doing when JFK got shot. Now I have my own "JFK" to tell Mallory about. I was leaving my apartment in Abilene to go to clinicals. I turned on the radio and the first plane had hit. I thought "How in the world can a pilot not see the World Trade Center right in front of him?" It wasn't until I got to clinicals and saw the TV that I realized what really happened. I was stunned. Our instructors let us go early. That was nice of them, but we were all glued to the TV all day and had a test the next day. Nice. It still doesn't seem real to me even after 5 years and all the video that has captured it. I guess I just can't believe people are that cruel and messed up. Recently, after watching all of the specials on TV, I've been thinking more about the firefighters. They had to have known they weren't going to survive after they started the trek up the stairs. Amazing sacrifice. I just can't fathom it. Thank you Lord for the people that choose those professions.

On a lighter note, Kelly is staying with us tonight. That will be fun to see her growing belly. For those that don't know, she and Wade are having a boy! We have to wait until the end of September for Kelly to decide on the name. It's driving Wade crazy! Us too!

This one's for Brad

Today's entry is for Brad. He is a huge UT fan and "supposedly" it is a big game against Ohio State today. So, we all donned out burnt orange to support the longhorns. Mallory really enjoyed the ESPN college game day as you can see below. She talked quite a bit, more than usual. Hopefully after tonight, I will have a very happy husband. UMHB plays this afternoon at 5:00. So, go Crusaders and Longhorns!







Continuing with Brad. We ate at this hamburger place in Temple yesterday. It was pretty good. After we were done, Brad asked for a quarter to play Ms. Pacman (no, he didn't have to ask, he just didn't have any change on him). I gave him one and off he went. After about 10 minutes of playing, we left and got in the car. While he was bragging about how he doubled the top score, he turned the AC up and lifted his arms up toward the vents. He broke a sweat playing Ms. Pacman!! His excuse was that it was hot in there. I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and had no complaints. Guess it was his mean Ms. Pacman playing skills getting him all worked up! I love it and him. Go longhorns and Crusaders!

Good times for everyone!

Today was a fun day! I got to see my really good friend (I'd call her my best friend, but it might sound junior high-ish), Kara. She lives in Abilene with her hubbie Tim, their almost 18 month old Kaylee and almost 3 month old Brooke (she was born 11 days after Mallory and they will be friends!). They have been our "really good friends" for almost 4 years now. We were very sad to move away from them. Before I get teary, I'll change the subject back to my day. Kara and I met in Comanche and got to eat lunch together! Her mom (who is wonderful) offered to drive Kara and the girls to come see me. What a woman! So, we ate at Miguel's (a mexican restaurant with a big tepee in front) and then went to the courthouse and took some pictures while Kaylee got worn out from running around in the leaves and down the ramp. It was well worth the crying fits that Mallory had about half way into both trips, the 18 wheeler that almost collided with a truck and school bus on the way home, and breast feeding in odd places. I had a great day! Thank you Kara and Lisa!

Moving on, some other good news! UMHB won their soccer game on Wednesday 6-0! A sure blessing for Brad. He said he was going to start delivering pizzas if they lost. Hmmm, would we get a discount on the pizza?? Just kidding. It was really nice weather also for the 45 minutes we were out there.

Mallory can now hold her head up at almost a 90 degree angle when she is on her tummy. And she can look all the way to the right and then the left when she is doing it. Very impressive. And if you catch her before she gets too mad, she actually looks like she is enjoying it.

Weekend recap

We had a good Labor Day weekend. I didn't have to work today (ha!).

I'm sure Brad wouldn't want me to rehash the details of the soccer games. So, all I will say is they will hopefully do better on Wednesday! He didn't have a very good Friday or Saturday.

Jason, Jenn and Julia came for a short visit on their way to Austin/Bryan Friday night. Brady and Cooper (their labs) stayed 3 days with us. Beasley and Connor had a lot of fun with their cousins:)

I feel like I got a lot done. I organized our closet (finally). It looks pretty good if I do say so myself. It brought back memories of when I would clean my room and rearrange my furniture, then make this huge presentation for my parents. I was type A back then too! Mallory's room is still in the works, but coming together nicely. Jenn gave me some burlap fabric, so I used that for a bedskirt on the crib. I framed her footprints to hang on the wall. And I have frames for the alphabet flower cards I want to put up. Hopefully I'll have pictures of it all done soon and will post them.

I missed church yesterday. Brad was in Austin recruiting and I just couldn't do it by myself with Mallory. We'll wait a little longer until I try that one.

The most exciting part was tonight. We actually had friends over for dinner! I laughed when I told Jenn about it. She said "You have friends?" I knew what she meant. Yes, we have made some friends finally. Their names are Oscar and Laura. We grilled out chicken and had a very good time visiting with them. Mallory behaved herself too. We set her in her bouncy seat looking out the door at the dogs. She just talked and smiled.

I had to include a new picture of Mallory. Here she is "enjoying" tummy time on her Boppy. She is actually craning her neck over to watch TV. Bad habits start early!

Manly hands

I've always had slightly manly hands. They are large and I have really long fingers. I crack my knuckles so they are kind of bony too. And I have different shaped fingernails. I really do! The right hand is the shape of my dad's nails and my left hand has my mom's shaped nails. Weird, I know. My sister used to call my hands "rough" growing up. Being a nurse hasn't helped matters any. (Side note: Did you know that you are supposed to wash your hands for as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday? That is a long handwashing session!) I should have counted how many times I washed my hands during one shift. Winter was especially hard on the hands. There wasn't ever a day that they weren't cracked, red or painful. Lotions, creams, medicated creams...nothing ever worked for more than one night to help my poor hands. Until now!

Today I found "Manicure in a jar" that my mom gave me in my stocking over Christmas. It's basically a sugar rub that you put in your hands and rub together then rinse off. Normally this stuff would kill my hands, but today, heaven! It really does look like I got a manicure. My hands still feel soft and it's been 7 hours. Not that rough hands would keep me from going back to being a nurse, but it is nice to have soft hands again. I can actually run my hands over silky material without it getting snagged! My hands may never be referred to as feminine, but they sure won't be manly for at least a little longer with this little jar around!

Mallory the minnow

I survived my first out of town trip by myself with Miss Mallory. I thought that she would sleep the whole way to my parent's house if I left right after I fed her. Well, we got about 30 minutes out of Temple and the screaming began! And for those of you who have been around Mallory for any length of time know that when she screams, you can here it 100 miles away! Which is more annoying? A screaming baby while you are driving on I 35 in the rain, or a baby sucking on a pacifier that keeps popping out of her mouth and landing where you can't reach it??? Hmmm. It's a toss up. Let's just say that we bought a paci clip right away at Target (ah, Target. I have missed it so.)! She did much better on the ride home and so did mommy:) Brad missed her a lot and is glad that she is home. When Brad went to get her out of the car, she just looked at him and had a huge gummy smile for him...too sweet!


Mallory had her first swimming lesson with Grandpa yesterday. We got through it without shooey or spit up in the pool! She really liked the water. I took her in first and she didn't cry until I put her on her back. But it was just for a minute, and then she was fine. I think she stayed in for almost 25 minutes-long enough for pruney toes! No smiles from her, but she seemed really relaxed like she was enjoying herself.

I know she looks like a boy in the pictures. I'm a bad mommy and didn't have a bathing suit or a hat for her...terrible I know. She's wearing one of those lil' swimmers. I did put tons of sunscreen on her and we tried to keep her shaded. Grandpa can't wait for her to come swimming again. I made him promise not to dunk her, and he restrained himself this time, but I don't know if he'll be able to next time!

Update on the cutie patootie

Well, Mallory is officially 12 weeks old today! Crazy how fast the time goes. And how fast you forget what you were feeling like 12 weeks ago:) We are loving our little girl! She changes almost everyday it seems. Here is the latest of what she is/can do now: Mallory loves her hands! She sucks, clasps them together, chews and stares at them like she has never seen them before. She is becoming quite the conversationalist lately. No words yet, but lots of funny noises and expressions to go with them. I love watching her with Brad when he has her in his lap. They just talk and talk. Too cute. She isn't quite as much of a bobble head anymore. I was taking some pictures of her sitting up in a chair and she can actually hold her head upright and still all by herself...for about 30 seconds and then face plant! I weighed her this morning with me (not very accurate) and she is about 14 pounds. Chunker. That is the developmental update on our end. Hopefully we'll have some pictures of her first swim and soccer game coming soon!

Family portrait!

Daddy thinks he is sooo funny!