Thoughts at 1:55 in the morning

I am up late getting stuff ready for the big party on Saturday...silly I know. She won't even stinking remember it!

I had a moment tonight. We bought Mallory's "big girl" car seat and I installed it in our car. She is no longer in her infant carrier (not that we still carried her around!). I didn't cry, but it did make me realize just how big she is getting. I still can't believe she will be a year old on Tuesday. Seriously...where has the time gone?

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Chapter 2 in the "Chaos". This is a short one. We have closed on our house in Abilene and now we are "living it up" in a hotel for the week. Lots of relaxing, trips to Target and eating out...some of my favorite things to do! Only 5 short days until we meet the little girl and still no place to live permanently...we are nervous and excited all at the same time. Fun!

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Here's proof that Mallory is getting old. Our barricades in the living room do not work anymore, and after succeeded to crawl over the floor pillows, I had to think of something else. I didn't get my camera quick enough, but she had a grip on the opposite side of the baskets with her whole leg flung into the basket ready to crawl over the whole thing...turkey! She then got mad at me (probably for taking a picture of her and not helping her!) and promptly took a bath and went to bed. I'm afraid the "terrible 2's" won't wait for her second birthday...

Chapter one in the "Chaos of 2006"

Our story. I really should be a better journal-er. I'm sure our kids would love to read about all of the drama in our life someday. In our short (almost) 5 years of marriage, Brad and I have been through some pretty stressful situations. So far, nothing tops the months of April-July of 2006.

The following is me, the night before I got induced with Mallory. Sorry about the goofy look. I usually make that face when my dad is taking my picture. Not sure why, but I do. Anyway. Check out the gargantuan belly!! I included the picture to go along with the post just so you can have a clear picture in your head.


This day last year, I was 39 weeks pregnant, had HUGE cankles, and was crying like a baby, saying my goodbyes to fellow employees. It was my last day of my first "real" job. I really loved my job. I worked as an RN in the emergency room for almost 3 1/2 years. It kept me on my toes (literally with 12 hour shifts!), was different everyday and I truly enjoyed the people I worked with. Unless I was working crazy overtime, I never dreaded going to work. I would say that is pretty unique. Occasionally, I still miss working as a nurse. I think I miss interacting with the patients the most. I have some pretty crazy and sweet stories stored away in my brain somewhere about the patients I took care of.

Now that work was over, and Brad was done commuting back and forth (which he had been doing since April), it was time to pack up our house, and get ready to close in the next 4 days. Not only did we have to pack up our house, but we were also putting all of our belongings into a storage unit for a month. We also didn't really know where we were going to be living after we had Mallory. We were staying in a hotel the whole week of the closing, and had 2 nights at the hospital covered. But that left about 4 weeks of homelessness (is that a word?). We just prayed that something would come up.

I remember sitting on the floor of what would have been Mallory's nursery, packing up all of her stuff. Brad came in and said that Mark and Anissa (a couple in our Life group at church) were needing someone to house sit for them while Mark was deployed and Anissa went to Nebraska to be with family. She had heard about our situation through other people at church and wondered if we'd be interested. It was perfect. We had an actual home to come home to after Mallory was born. We could feel normal and eat real meals and I could "nest". Mark and Anissa let us stay at their house until our new house was ready to be moved into. It was a total answer to what we had been praying for the whole time. And it was an answer to what they had been praying for as well. Isn't God funny? Every now and then I still feel jipped that Mallory didn't get a "proper" nursery to come home to and that I didn't get the complete pregnancy experience (like decorating the nursery, nesting etc.), but that thought ends really quickly when I realize all of the details that the Lord worked out. It may not have been my ideal, but it was His plan in the end. I am so thankful!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:27-29

Too much progesterone

I will blame it on the first trimester sleepiness for the lack of blogging. I seem to take naps whenever Mallory takes naps...I thought I was supposed to only do that when she was a newborn??? Oh well. It keeps mommy in a good mood when she has her nap! Anyway. 10 weeks along and still feel yucky at least one part of the day. I'm thinking it's a boy. I really don't remember feeling like this when I was pregnant with Mallory. But you never know...

Let's see. Not a whole lot going on around here since the last blog. Brad is "done" with school. At least, classes are done and now it's officially summer. He'll still have some office hours during the days, but it's definitely more relaxed. He's been helping one of our friends paint their duplexes and that has been fun for him (read very sarcastically!). The countdown to our "Mexico 5th anniversary" vacation has begun. I won't put the amount of days because it kind of creeps me out to put that on my blog. Just know that we are VERY excited and ready for a vacation with just the two of us!!

Mallory has officially gotten her first two "boo-boos" as of yesterday. And they both happened within an hour of each other. She was playing at her ABCs table, lost her balance and fell hitting her head on the window sill. She had a good little mini goose egg that popped up over her left eye in her eyebrow. Poor girl. I'm just glad she didn't split her head open. I was at Wal Mart and Brad was watching her...let's just say someone is a little squeamish when it comes to blood and crying:) The second ouchie happened when I got home. Brad has created a monster with this pillow wrestling thing. She took the pillows off the couch and was wrestling them between the coffee table and couch. Next thing I know, she is screaming and grabbing her foot. Turns out, there is some metal decorations on the side of the coffee table and apparently one of them was bent. She scraped the heck out of her leg and was bleeding from the cut. We got it all cleaned up, but managed to get blood on mommy's shirt, a pillow and her sheet in her bed. Good thing for Shout! She took a 2 hour nap after that! I was thinking she'd have a black eye after the fall, but it's already back to normal.

I've been thinking a lot about what we were doing this time last year (selling a house, finding a house to buy, my last day of work, having a baby, moving and Brad starting his new job). I'm sure that will be my blogging content in the next couple of weeks. We'll relive the "Chaos of 2006". Stay tuned...

Table for four please...

That's right. We will become a family of four around December 17! We are thrilled about the news and interested to see what Mallory does when this baby comes into the world. They will be 18 months apart...should be fun!

I am very proud of my self control though. We have known since April 13 and I have held the news in until yesterday when all of our family was in town for Mother's Day and Mallory's baby dedication at church. That might be a record for me in the "secret keeping" category.

Anyway. I am about 9 weeks along and dealing with a little more "sickness" than I did with Mallory and the tired-ness is kicking in. Brad came home the other afternoon while I was taking a nap. I said, "Hey, I'm sleeping for two here. Don't give me a hard time!" Good thing Mallory takes 2 long naps everyday!!

And onto his/her first picture. We think he/she looks like a little frog, so I've nicknamed him/her "Froggie":

It's right around the corner!

Mallory turned the big 1-1 on the 5th. That's right, 11 months...holy toledo, where has the time gone? Soon my baby girl will be one year old. I have a feeling it will take some getting used to when I say "she's one". Wow.

Anyway. She is a hoot lately. Quite the big personality coming out more and more. She actually smiles at strangers now, that is a first. It takes a little bit, but she'll do it. She used to just stare them down. I felt kind of bad (especially for the little old ladies that would try forever to get a smile). And she lets us know when she doesn't like something, or wants more of something. She starts saying "mamamamama...MA!!!!"

She talks all the time. She is starting to form some more words. She says mama, dada, dog (without the "g"), still barks at Connor, and asks lots of questions (at least that's what it sounds like...everything has an inflection on the end of her babbling).

By our scale, she is almost 21 pounds...that is a lot of girl to be toting around!

She is a speedy crawler and pulls up on anything that is slightly steady! She "cruised" for the first time last week. All the way down the couch. That was it though, just one time. The barricades that we have set up in front of the TV and around the house are no longer safe. She is getting inquisitive about what happens when she pushes certain buttons or opens certain doors...not fun for mom and dad! The "No's" have begun!

She is an all table food gal now, and has been for about a month now. That is nice for me, but not for Brad. He isn't too keen on sharing food:) She loves waffles, cheddar cheese, oatmeal, bananas, corn, carrots, sweet potatoes....I'll stop or I'd name every food. This girl likes to eat!

Her most favorite thing now is to wrestle with pillows. Brad taught her this trick. She LOVES it! She is usually sweating and slobbering everywhere after they are done playing. Now it makes it tricky to get her ready on her bed, she just wants to throw herself on the pillows. It's quite cute though. I have a good video, but can't seem to get it uploaded yet.

And probably the best milestone she has passed ever...and has been doing so for over a month now...sleeping through the night. I mean 12 hours people. That is heaven! We have been waiting for the day since she was born (that might be an exaggeration...no, maybe not). We put her down about 8:00 every night and she doesn't wake up until 8:00am or later! I meant to blog about that a while back, but didn't want to jinx myself. I think it is safe to blog about now.

Here are her 11 month pictures in her chair. I have tried to do this every month, but I think the time is over. She will barely sit still long enough to get the first picture. As you can see, there is something very interesting behind the chair, and oooooh...she can wrestle with the cushion. It's time to find a new "picture place".

BUMMER!

I stand corrected...and sad! My sister says she has a "6th" sense and can tell what buildings will be before they are advertised (she needs to blog about that one!) and didn't think that building was going to be a Taco Bueno. That got me questioning myself. I started looking at Taco Bueno buildings online. Brad piped in, "Maybe it's a Jack in the Box!" Very funny.

Well folks, he is correct. Take a look at the similar shaped buildings. I am so sad tonight. I hate Jack in the Box!

Could it be???

A Taco Bueno in Belton, Texas??? Seriously. It can't get any better than that! A brand spanking new Target (opening on Brad's birthday...lucky him!) and a Taco Bueno less than 10 minutes from my house. I'm in awe.

I guess I can't get too excited yet. There isn't a sign in front of the building, but I am 99% positive that the picture below is of a Taco Bueno building. Brad says it is sad that I can recognize the structure...I say I'm just a loyal fan:)