Learning to Sleep

I'll admit, sometimes Laci does smile.  How's this for a cheesy grin?  You can even see all six teeth.

She slept for eight straight hours last night for the first time in her entire tiny life.  She went down at 8 and I didn't hear a peep from her until almost four this morning.  Of course, I didn't know this would happen and I didn't take advantage of it one single bit.  No, I stayed up until midnight last night sucked into the computer, then I waited up for Ryan to get home, then we chatted, and before I knew it, half the night was gone.  I kept telling myself that I might as well wait until she woke up once before going to bed myself, because she always wakes up around 11 or 12.  I am kicking myself now, although I was kicking myself much harder this morning at six when she decided it was time to play.  Goodness, I was tired.

This girl is NOT a sleeper.  I felt lucky when she started sleeping in four hour intervals about a month ago.  I can only imagine how my body, and mind, would LOVE eight consecutive hours of sleep.  CONSECUTIVE.  I'm not sure I remember how to do that.  I know I'm not lucky enough for her to repeat again tonight, but I am sincerely hoping this new trend catches on.  And stays.

I should, in fact, be heading to bed right now, but sometimes it takes a while for me to learn my lesson.  Plus, I have cute pictures to share that I took last week.  And if I went to sleep everytime she did, I'd never get a moments peace to myself.

Yesterday was my birthday...again

Yesterday was my birthday...again...as in, I can't believe it has already been a year and it is my birthday again.  Last year at this time, I will still basking in the afterglow of a newborn baby.  No basking this year, no afterglow.  Just another day.  Not that I can complain.  I have so much in my life to be thankful for.  I even remembered to get a picture of my girl and me.  Ryan would have been there too, except he had to go to work.  For the 35th day in a row.  Seven days a week seriously stinks, not only for the person going to work, but for the people who miss him while he's away.  every.  single.  night.

My birthday started with flowers from Ryan and the funniest card ever.  I seriously laughed out loud.  Not like LOL where you just write LOL because it is the cool thing to do.  No, I really laughed out loud.  It was great - the card and the laughing.

In the afternoon, I went to Barnes & Noble with my mom and sister, Beth.  And Laci, of course.  We were the loudest people in the store.  I'm really glad it isn't a library, as we probably would have been asked to leave, or at least received one of those disapproving librarian glares.  We just happen to have a giant book addiction, and like to look at them endlessly, and talk really loud about them.  We took turns carrying Laci around because I was afraid of the destruction that might result if she were able to roam free.

In the children's section, we made the mistake of going to the Sesame Street shelf.  She nearly leaped out of my mom's arms when she saw the Elmo doll.

I'm really not exaggerating.  The noises of excitement that were coming out of her mouth were hilarious. Of course, her grammy gave her the doll, and she proceeded to love on him, and carry him the rest of the trip, and come home with him.

He was later abandoned in the driveway.  I had to rescue him from car oil and dirt.  He is now "sleeping" with Laci in her crib.

I spent the rest of the evening at my mom's house, taking a bajillion pictures of Laci, hoping that if she wouldn't smile for me, she would at least look at me for a few pictures.  I was mildly successful.

Here she is trying to push the wheelbarrow.  No really, she tries every time we visit.  And no, she's not even close.

She's so busy these days, adventurous and fearless.  She knows no boundaries.  She'll even walk through the stickers barefoot if she thinks she's getting somewhere.  I can't tell you how many times she has gotten stuck in the stickers and just freezes until I rescue her.

Mary, the cat, got some love too.  Mary is one of those cats that slobbers profusely when you pet her, starts purring loudly, then bites you.  Yeah, bites you.  Crazy cat.

Then, just for kicks, and because it was my birthday, and because my mom told me to, I plopped Laci in the middle of a flower bed to take her picture.  She still wouldn't look at me, but I think she's pretty cute anyway.

We helped feed the horses.  My little country girl loves them horses.

Ooooo, sneaking a peek at me!

She ended the day by picking up pieces of poop and throwing them inside the pen.  She went straight to the bathtub after this.

And so, another year begins.  I'm a little bit older and hopefully a little wiser, and I'm anxious to see what this year will bring.  No doubt it will include a ton of pictures, especially since my parents bought me a new lens that arrived this morning.  Once I figure out how to take a good picture with the thing, I'll share.  And I'm sure it will include more blogging because I'm really starting to like this blogging thing.  And also, a lot more sentences improperly beginning with the word "and" because that's how I roll.

She hates nail polish, but loves kitties

I painted Laci's toenails tonight, with her brand new bright pink birthday polish.  I painted mine to match.  I think they look cute.  I thought she'd be excited, happy, or at least interested.  No.  She freaked out.  Literally had a completely meltdown.  Giant alligator tears, snot trails, the works.  I wasn't aware that nail polish would have the same effect on her as frosting.  She wasn't aware that nail polish can't be just wiped off with a washcloth.  I refused to take the polish remover to it, so I had to distract her for the next hour and keep her from looking at her toes.  It appears she is OK with it now, although not completely thrilled.  Hopefully she doesn't have a relapse when she wakes up in the morning and realizes her toenails are still pink.

***

A cat strayed into my mom's yard a few months ago and then proceeded to have a litter of kittens underneath the wood pile.  There were three kittens, but as is common in country life, only two survived.  They are adorable, and crazy, and getting wilder by the day.  We have captured them many times in an effort to tame them, but they are getting wise to our ways.  They now know how and where to hide most effectively, which makes catching them nearly impossible.  The funny thing is, once you catch them, they are completely calm - no scratching or biting.  They have even endured the "love" of Laci.  I have tried to express her love of animals in previous posts, but I think the following series of pictures sum it up best.  I'll narrate for you.

Baby love on the kitty.  Soft baby cheeks, soft kitty fur, a match made in heaven.

Hugging the kitty.

Cradling the kitty.

Having a heart to heart with the kitty.

If only the kitty would just hold still.

Kitty, you need to SIT DOWN NOW.

Really, just stay here.

No really, STAY.

Obviously, the kitty is not behaving and is getting a stern talking to.

The poor kitty was grabbed around the neck several times as Laci tried to hug it and hold it and love it and keep it for her very own forever and ever and ever.

I told her to "be soft" about a hundred times.

I asked her to "pet the kitty nice" about two hundred times.

I had to intervene and remove her hands from the kitty's neck about three hundred times.

And once, I even had to say "Laci, you're going to kill the cat."

The kitty survived and didn't leave a single scratch on my baby.

I, however, am still recovering from laughing until my sides ached.

Laci & Elmo

Notice the glazed over expression on my baby's face.  I hate to admit it, but she's become quite fond of Elmo, and all of the other fuzzy creatures on Sesame Street.  I'm not naive enough to believe that my child would grow up without ever watching TV, but I also didn't realize how quickly she'd learn to love it.  She even knows about remote controls and knows that they have to be pointed at the TV in order to work properly.  What can I say?  Sometimes I need to do things without her attached to my hip and, thankfully, Elmo buys me some time to do just those things.  At least she might be learning things like letters and numbers.  Of course, if she starts talking in third person, a la Elmo, I might have to rethink my strategy.

I knew Elmo was becoming very important to Laci the first time I sang the Elmo's World song to her.  It was just a random singing moment (which tends to happen frequently around here) and she immediately looked at the TV expecting Elmo to appear.  He didn't.  Today, I realized that yes, indeed, she really does understand, and remember, who Elmo is, and it is quite possible she loves him.  We went to Costco this morning and wandered through the aisles for over an hour.  She spotted Elmo on a DVD box from ten feet away.  Her eyes lit up and she made all kinds of excited noises, one of which might have been "Elmo" in her strange baby language.  I handed her the DVD.  She smiled huge and proceeded to jibber jabber at the Elmo on the box for a good five minutes.  Then she held the DVD for most of the trip through Costco.  He held her interest for quite a while.  He was finally cast aside when I put a package of underwear in the cart.  Unbeknownst to me, underwear can be very interesting.  When we got to the checkout I handed the DVD to the checker and said, "We decided not to get this."  We got our use out of it, no need to spend $15 for what is currently filling up our DVR for free.  Sometimes I wonder how my mom survived parenting without a DVR.  Did I really just say that?

Most days, lately, I'm thankful for a little Elmo time here and there.  Even though I can now sing every single ridiculous song from Sesame Street.  It's a small price to pay for a little break now and then.

Laci's First Birthday Party

We had a little party for Laci's birthday on Saturday.  Just a few family members and close friends, some good food, cake, and presents - it was very nice.  The weather was an amazing 80-something degrees, it couldn't have been nicer.  We were missing Poppa E and Uncle Tyler, but we made do.  Ryan was able to go in to work a few hours late, which was a special treat for Laci and me.  It just wouldn't have been the same without him.  In all 300ish pictures we have of the day, very few have her smiling, and there isn't a single one of just me and my baby.  I can't believe I keep letting this happen.  We did get a quick family picture though, and it didn't turn out completely terrible, but we really do need to work on getting a proper, frame-worthy family photo one of these days.

Me:  "Are you excited for your birthday Laci?  "

Laci:  "No, I'm excited because I see a dog and she is running this way."

(Or at least that is how I interpreted the following picture.)

She got tons of presents including a new swing for the front yard, which she thoroughly enjoyed for a total of five minutes before she demanded we take her out.  Oh well, five minutes of entertainment is better than zero.

It took her a little while to figure out that opening presents is fun.  Cousin Sydney had to show her how it's done.  Once she got the hang of pulling out the tissue paper, she wouldn't stop.  Since Saturday, she has decided that pulling anything out of its container is a great game to play, such as clothes from a laundry basket (strewn all over the bedroom floor), wipes from their case (also strewn all over the floor), and the entire contents of the diaper bag (yes, also strewn all over the floor).  So far, putting those things back where they belong is not nearly as fun.

This little girl is seriously so spoiled.  She is now the proud owner of several new baby dolls with accessories, including a baby stroller, tons of expensive clothes I would never dream of buying for her (but that I really look forward to dressing her up in), books books and more books, and her very first bottle of pink nail polish courtesy of honorary Aunty Desi.  Books and babies are her favorite things these days.  The babies have all been loved on and the books have been read at least a half dozen times each.  She has moved on from just eating books to actually wanting to be read to, over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.  Seems she takes after me in that realm.

Laci was very generous with her hugs on Saturday.  She hugged little Isabella, her baby dolls, Sydney (it was more like a tackle), Evan, and even Layla the dog - all on her own.  However, she did not hug a single adult, or her parents.  Guess I need to be either under four feet or covered in hair to earn a hug around here.

Cousin Deena made this adorable cake, because, as a pastry chef, that's what she does, and I just didn't want the pressure of making a cake too.  She also made the cutest ladybug cake for Laci.

Isn't that the cutest little cake ever?

Well, the following picture pretty much sums up Laci's opinion of cake.

It's her party and she'll cry if she wants to.

Which she did.

Cry.

A Lot.

She didn't even eat any cake.  It was far too long past nap time and once the frosting got on her skin and she couldn't get it off, she completely melted down.  I was so looking forward to her just digging in and making a royal mess.  Oh well, her loss.  Cousins Sydney and Evan were more than willing to eat it for her.  Laci, on the other hand, got wiped down with a washcloth and sent on her merry way.

.

She spent the rest of the afternoon in her diaper and dress shoes reopening all of her presents, which I suppose is what a baby should do at her birthday party.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Just Another Sunday Evening

So, technically, it isn't evening.  It is 10:30 at night and I should be in bed by now.  But I'm telling myself it is still evening so as to try to trick myself into thinking I won't be tired in the morning.  I've been sifting through at least 300 pictures taken on Saturday of Laci's First Birthday Party and I can't seem to stop.  Before you go thinking I'm all crazy and took 300 pictures by myself, let me just say that I was assisted by my mom and my husband, who are equally insane about taking pictures of Laci.  Anyhow, those will be shared at a later time when I can narrow them down to an acceptable number of blog-worthy pictures.  I'm sure you're not ready for 300 pictures taken within a 3 hour time span - even I couldn't handle that many.

In the meantime, I wanted to share these randoms of Laci, mostly for Aunty Jenny.

Aunty Jenny?  Are you reading today?  We hope so.  See Laci wearing the awesome Belle sunglasses you got for her?  She loved them.  For about three seconds.  Then she figured out you can take them off.

So she did.

Repeatedly. 

Here we have the official first ponytail.  I waited a long time to do this because I'm not a huge fan of the little bug antenna ponytails.  I mean, I understand they are a necessary part of being a baby girl.  And sometimes, they are cute.  And most women go crazy over them.  Guess I'm just weird, but nothing new there. 

I gave in the other day and created a cute little ponytail sticking straight out of the top of her head.  Then attempted to capture it forever in a picture so that I wouldn't feel obligated to do it again for a while.  Except she would not hold still.  Nothing new there either.  I'm getting sick of blurry photos.  The solution most likely lies in my ability to learn to take better pictures of moving subjects, since the possibility of her sitting still enough for a picture in the near future is pretty much nil.

Here it is again, except I was so focused on getting her little body in the frame that I failed to realize you can't see her ponytail against the trees in the background.  But I think you get the idea.  And I'll admit, it might have been a little cute.

Can you see the determination on her face?  She was walking toward the ponds, something that gives Ryan's mother, my father, my mother, and my mother's mother heart attacks.  As with most things that are supposed to be off limits, the ponds are very intriguing and can draw her in like a magnet.  Far behind her is a nice shady, green, grassy area complete with a baby pool, toys, and now a swing.  However, she would much prefer to tromp through the star thistle and weeds than to play in the "front yard."  I spend a lot of time following her these days.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, cages are not meant just for animals.  I'm thinking some fence building may be in our future.

...one year...

Dear Laci,

Today you turned one year old.  We had pancakes for breakfast with Daddy, complete with a candle, but I didn't light it because I was afraid you might burn yourself.  The picture above sums up your little personality these days so well.  You're just a busy little bee buzzing from one disaster to the next.  You are so eager to explore this crazy world we all live in, and so very proud of yourself whenever you figure something out.  Even if that something is removing every single wipe from the dispenser one at a time...

...while watching Sesame Street.  Ahh, my little multi-tasker.  I'm so proud of you. 

You are fearless - far too brave for your own good sometimes.  You are starting to voice your opinions more dramatically, including throwing yourself down on the floor crying and stomping your feet.  I try my best not to laugh at you, but you are so darn cute I can't help it.  Someday you'll understand why you're not supposed to eat dog food and flowers, why you shouldn't climb up things when you can't get down, and why I say "no" to you so many times everyday.

You still like to be carried around sometimes, which I love, except you are getting heavier every day.  Your little chubby legs are leaning out with all the walking, and now running, that you do.  You are rarely still these days.  You have six teeth now and you like to use them on anything and everything, from food to toys to toes.  You are a true animal lover even though the animals haven't exactly learned to love you back.  You get that from me.  You like to wake up very, very, slooooooooooooowly, you get that from your dad.

You have brightened our home with your smiles and giggles.  I'd rather watch your crazy antics than any show on TV.  You have taught me that I need to work on my patience, and that I can survive on very minimal amounts of sleep.  You have also taught me that all the sacrifices of being a parent are rewarded tenfold when I see your sweet face.  This first year has been a whirlwind of emotions and learning for me, I can't believe how quickly it has passed.  I'm so looking forward to watching you grow up, just please try not to grow up too fast.

I love you with all my heart,
Mommy
xoxoxo

The Day Laci Was Born

I wanted to write this days ago, but as it turns out, time has gotten away from me.  Things like a baby, a home, a dog, and a skunk have been taking priority over writing - not all at the same time and not necessarily in that order.  Anyhow, I'm finally finding a few minutes to write, and I realized this is a very difficult story to tell.  In case you haven't noticed, I tend to be a little long winded, and I know that the few minutes I have here won't be enough to share all I had intended.  A story this personal and important to me deserves more than a rushed telling. 

So, the very, very, very short version of the story is...
I started having very mild contractions at 4 a.m.
I denied I was in labor for a good six hours.
I finally gave in and left for the hospital at 10:15 a.m.
We arrived and checked in at 11:15 a.m.
My amazing little girl was born at 2:15 p.m.
At 2:16 p.m. I declared that it "wasn't that bad" and I'd do it again tomorrow. 
Yes I really said that.
No I was not drugged at the time.

I had spent the good part of nine months denying the fact that I would have to experience labor and delivery, and finally gave in during the last three hours.  Looking back, I think that is exactly how it should have been.  Three hours of complete discomfort for one amazing little baby, not a bad trade in my book.  I'm sure Ryan would have much preferred if we left for the hospital at least an hour or two earlier, but he wasn't the one in charge.  It wasn't until I watched the episode of The Office when Pam and Jim have their baby that I really understood how Ryan must have been feeling that morning.  I don't usually relate to TV shows like that, but seriously, I was Pam.  "See...(teeth clenched, eyes closed)...I can still talk throooooooough my contractions."  (If you don't watch The Office you probably don't get this, but I'm not going to apologize, you should just watch it).

Someday, I hope to give this story the attention it deserves.  In the meantime, let this be enough:
I'm much tougher than I thought I was, my baby girl was absolutely perfect from the very beginning, and the second I laid eyes on that baby I forgot every bit of pain I had just experienced.  Babies really are little miracles and I'm so thankful to have had the honor of bringing her into this world.

A Year Ago Today

A year ago today, this is where I was.  Posing for a silly picture with my mom's friend (and my friend) Sandi, who, in case you can't tell, has a watermelon in her overalls.

Usually, I hate pictures of myself, but for some reason, I didn't mind having my picture taken when I was pregnant and I don't really mind looking at those pictures now.  It certainly is NOT because I was looking fabulous...hadn't done my hair in a while, my shirt was obviously too small but just stretchy enough to fit around me (I refused to buy any more maternity clothes), and my feet were swollen around the straps of my sandals.  I don't remember worrying about those things when I was having my picture taken.  Must have been the pregnancy hormones to make me feel so confident, and completely oblivious to the excessive hair growth and back acne I was experiencing.  Pregnancy hormones are awesome.  Sometimes.  Not the times when they make you cry, or be angry, or exhausted, but definitely at the times when they make you feel amazing just for being an incubator.

I remember this particular day very vividly.  It was a Thursday and it was more than two weeks before my due date.  Having personally been delivered into this world a full two weeks AFTER the date my mother expected me, I fully intended to "hold her in" until the end of August, possibly even longer.  That, combined with the fact that I really wasn't too sure about getting the baby OUT of me, convinced me to believe that I had plenty of time before this baby was coming.  My mother thought otherwise.  She thought we should run a marathon that day getting all the "last minute" things I still needed.

Marathon is an understatement because frankly, running 26.2 miles might have taken less energy than the amount we expended on that Thursday.  We were in and out of the car at least a dozen times that day.  It started with a trip to the doctor where I tried not to look at the scale, but had to peek anyway, and then wished I didn't.  I was 2cm/80% and was assured by the doctor that I'd be seeing him again in a week.  The rest of the day is a blur, but I do remember it included a trip to Walmart to stock up on things I'd need after the baby arrived, a trip to buy nursing bras, a visit to Sandi's new house (obviously a very important visit as you can tell from the photo), a visit to another friend's house (more pictures), lunch (definitely a must), and some other things that the last year of sleeplessness has allowed me to forget.  Not to mention, it was the middle of August and was at least 100*, and I weighed...HA!! like I would tell you that.  Suffice it say, I was very heavy and I was reminded of it everytime I moved.

At the end of this very long day, I collapsed on the couch to watch TV until bedtime.  Ryan was working his usual swing shift so I was alone with the dogs, my shows, and a huge belly that would not allow me to be comfortable in one position for very long.  Then I started having contractions.  Nothing painful, nothing more than the usual Braxton-Hicks I'd been having for a week or so, but this time, there were like a billion of them.  OK, not a billion, but a lot, and it was irritating, and a little unnerving.  Then they stopped, and I went to bed, and went on with my life - thankful that there were a few more things I could check off my "to do" list, but still in denial about how this baby was actually going to come out of me.

To be continued...

***

I didn't share Laci's birth story when she was born because I thought that might be more information than some people want to read.  Then I got too busy with life.  Then it didn't seem important.  Personally, I love reading other people's birth stories.  They are all so different and amazing to me.  As we are getting closer to her first birthday, I decided I want to share it now.  If it gets too graphic, come back after her birthday.  What can I do?  Life is graphic. 

Baby Play

People always talk about slowing down and enjoying the little moments that make life special.

When all you have are little moments, and absolutely NOTHING else going on, it really isn't that hard.

We haven't gone camping, gone on any trips, or done anything exciting...all...summer...long.

To say I've been living life slowly is an understatement,

but I've definitely captured plenty of the "little" moments of our lives.

I'm sure once I awaken from this boredom coma,

I'll be more than thankful that I was able to spend a leisurely summer with my little girl.

As I've said many times before, Laci and I spend a lot of time at my parent's house in the evenings.

I'm so thankful they live close enough to us that we see them almost everyday.

When we aren't in the garden picking things, you might find us spread out on a blanket on the back lawn.

Possibly playing with dolls.

I have two things to say about this doll.

One:  Laci loves her and looks for her as soon as she arrives.

Two:  She is kind of scary looking.  I don't like her.

When I was little, I loved playing with dolls.

Maybe it was genetic because Laci loves playing with them too.

The fact that the doll is nearly bigger than her

and she can hardly carry it is of no concern to little Laci.

Most of the times she "loves" on her - hugging, kissing, and even humming to her "baby."

Sometimes she talks very loudly to her baby.

Sometimes I have no idea what she is doing to her baby.

On this particular day, she realized the baby doll has fingers,

AND, get this, SHE has fingers too!

Oh my!! What a discovery!

I believe at this point, the baby was hungry.

The obvious solution is to shove a plastic cupcake up her nose.

And then she needed more love.

Scary or not, we all need a little love sometimes.

What a little sweetie I have!