Sugar and Spice

One year ago today we found out that "it" was a she and here we are one year later... (If she naps in that stroller everyday while I walk, well then hats of to you Craigslist for making my life an easier place to live for a negotiable price.) (And if she takes a nap without a fight then it was worth every penny plus some.) Before we found out the sex I always thought it was funny how people assumed that Adam wanted a boy and I wanted a girl. He finally admitted one day that he just wanted a healthy baby but he "51% wanted it to be a girl." (He has always had a way with the words.) He said he liked the idea of a daddy's girl, but if it was a boy then he would have a fishing buddy. I always knew that if called to raise a child he would be best with a little girl. He has those kind and gentle characteristics that would lead you to believe that a little girl would make his world complete. And God bless him, he is surrounded by women, you know, with me, Reese, and both the dogs being girls he doesn't stand a chance. That may be why God gave him the patience of Job. When we saw that "it" was a she all I could think about was oh my goodness teenage girls are a nightmare and oh my we'll have to pay for a wedding one day and blah blah blah... But in true form, Adam was the cool head of reason in the mist of all my turmoil. And you know what? He was right. (Adam are you reading this? I just admitted that you were right. Don't get used to it, but enjoy this moment.) I wouldn't have it any other way. IF we ever were to have another baby I would be delighted to raise another little girl because she is all I ever dreamed of and more. And she didn't just complete her daddy's world. She completed mine too.

It was a lovely weekend filled with 2 naps and a jogging stroller

The following is a short story of how our weekend got started: It was Friday night around 9:10 P.M. and I had just laid the wee little one down for the night. Hubby and I were locking down the fort and preparing for bed ourselves when the telephone rang. I heard myself say in a slightly annoyed voice, "who in the world is calling here this late?" Reese has been going through some kind of mid-infancy crisis and hasn't slept very good for the last week and if the telephone ringing woke her up somebody better be hurt or dying. And you know who is was? No, not our parents. No, not any of our friends calling to see what we had planned for the weekend. It was Christy from so and so telemarketing company wanting to conduct some sort of survey. I can't remember all the specifics because when I realized it was a telemarketer my blood pressure rose to an unsafe level and almost caused me to black out. After I informed her that it was, "9:00 on a Friday night and don't you think that is a little too late to call peoples houses" and then I pressed the off button while wishing I could slam it down for emphasis A-master said, "I bet she thinks she just called a 90 year old granny." 9:00 might not seem late to most of you but to me it is the middle of the night. (And for the record if you need to call us at 9:00 it would be totally fine, I swear. But a telemarketer is going to hear about it.) My rage at the telemarketer could have had something to do with me having to be in Bessemer on Saturday from 9:00-1:00 for a class that is now known as the biggest waste of a Saturday there ever has been. And, for the record, Mr. Professor didn't let us go until 1:45. The only thing that annoyed me more was that he kept referring to himself in 3rd person. It got so bad that I had to step out into the lobby and buy myself a Diet Dr. Pepper which I gave up cold turkey over a month ago. Until Saturday. But there is a sliver lining to every cloud and this cloud had 2 silver linings: 1. My life cycle with Craigslist came full circle because I bought a jogging stroller I found listed last week (we have sold several things on Craiglist including a vehicle but didn't take our chances on making a purchase until last week when hubby and I both bought ourselves a little something) 2. Hubby and his family met me Saturday afternoon at PF Changs to eat for Uncle G's birthday. Okay, maybe it had 3 silver linings. 3. I got to do a little shopping. Here's Reese and the birthday boy. She glanced over at the fortune cookies leading Adam to think she needed to play with one. Like everything else it went straight into her mouth. I assure you she DID NOT eat the cookie. I took it away ASAP, but she loved licking it. On our way home we stopped at Publix also known as the store where I bought the 10 essential items that we had to have and spent more than our mortgage payment.But it was worth it because unlike a trip to WalMart it was the first time I have been grocery shopping and didn't see someone in a tank top with no bra. There are just some things you can't put a price on. In a tragic turn of events while we were walking the aisles Reese projectile spit up on her daddy who has the weakest stomach ever placed inside a human body. But fatherhood has changed him for the better. He can now look at spit up and baby poop and not even flinch. (Altough he does still gag on occasion.) Sunday on the way to church I remembered that I had Children's Church. Needless to say we were late after I ran in Dollar General to pick up a few snacks (and wait in line behind a patron wearing a tank top and no bra). Reese went with me to Children's Church because I knew she would love watching the kids play. She did not disappoint me.

We came home and she took 2, count em' 2 naps. I thought it was a joke because a nap? What's a nap? Like I said she has been going through a growth spurt or something and her sleep habits have been less than stellar. Just to let you know the depth of our sleep deprivation Adam dreamed one night last week that he beat up Big Bird. And then last night at church one of our friends came in and told us that he had shut the door to our car because clearly we can't get our lives together and we now leave our car door standing wide open. People who get a full 8 hours of sleep each night don't do things like this.

Adam thought she might be getting cold so he covered her up in his shirt because lets face it, he already had one eye closed himself and there was no way he could go searching for a blanket.

She woke up 2 hours later fresh as a daisy.

Since we were all rested and full of energy we took mommas new wheels out for a test spin. At one point I would have given her $10 to let me ride.

Considering that we aren't going to be running any marathons or anything it was a good purchase. Reese got to watch the dogs running in front of her while feeling the breeze in her hair. Actually she only felt a breeze in her hair when Adam pushed her. He clearly got a hold of some bad information when he heard that a jogging stroller was only for jogging. Hellooooo?? I wasn't built for jogging. Only walking fast which is just what we did when I was behind the wheel. After all that exercise she took nap #2. There is one dead give away as to when she is really sleeping. It's the binky...

When it falls out, that's when you know.

And those little feet crossed make my heart weep with tears of joy.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I have been on our Pastor Search Committee since August and I am so happy to say that we have a new pastor who will be starting this Wednesday night. We are really excited about him and if you live in our area and don't already have a church we would love to have you with us at First Baptist of Ashland. If you are interested this is his blog.

Last night we said goodbye to our interim pastor, Brother Courtney. As an interim he went above and beyond for us. He came to the hospital the day we had Reese and he also performed our baby dedication. Such a sweet man and he will be greatly missed!

P.S. If ya'll need to call me at 9 P.M. one night please do not let my previous story deter you.

The (almost) Final Product

I have been putting off posting pictures of our spring break front yard project because I was lead to believe that someone was eventually going to come and create a lovely concrete sidewalk to our front steps. I was mislead. I will go ahead and say that I don't think the pictures do it justice. We had two objectives: a. low maintenance b. shrubs that could sustain 2 dogs trampling over them on a regular basis. Since the dogs have been locked in a pen for the past 3 weeks I have no idea how the shrubs will hold up IF they are ever released back into our yard (before you call PETA on me for animal cruelty I would like for you to know that even in a pen they have a very nice life. It consist of a walk every afternoon to the creek where Dixie plays her little heart out and Autie rolls around in the grass. They get one square meal every day, a barrel to sleep in, plenty of shade trees, and an endless supply of water. There are dogs at the pound who could only wish for such luxuries. The beauty of this set up is that they are not tempted to eat my outdoor pillows and cushions. AND we actually have some flowers blooming, but we'll talk about that in a minute.) I am ashamed to put this out there for all the world to see, but here is the before picture. All the dirt and weeds left a lot to be desired. All I know is that back in late February somebody must have slipped something in my Diet Dr. Pepper because one night I heard myself say, "Let's stain the porch!" I don't know what I was thinking. Actually, I wasn't thinking because staining a porch is where fun goes to die. But we went ahead with the plan and took full advantage of cheap child labor by letting Clay help out. You know the thing about kids? Bless their hearts, they have no concept of money. He put in a full days work and was so excited when I gave him $10. Best $10 we spent that week. I have no doubt that his momma said dirty things about me when he came home with stained socks and pants, but he had the time of his little life. All the complaining let me know that A-master had slightly less than the time of his life. I can't tell you all of the things I sacrificed during my spring break to get this finished. There were a lot of naps that went untaken during those 9 days. SACRIFICE! So here we are. Drum roll please...... With the dogs incarcerated hopefully the grass will grow back. (Note to self: spotlight is not working on the left side. Have A-master handle it this weekend.) Three weeks of no dogs trampling our yard and look what happens. It's a miracle in the form of azaleas and roses. In other news I hate to keep talking about Couch 2 5K and all that jazz because I fear that y'all are going to expect some type of physical results from me, but I feel the need to share with the group what a complete idiot I am. (Before I mistakenly get the reputation of being someone who enjoys physical activity let me set the record straight. I try to do some sort of physical activity everyday to convince myself that it's okay to eat cinnamon raisin biscuits for breakfast and pizza with ranch dressing for dinner while munching on M&Ms during the day. I have to have at least one unhealthy meal a day or my stomach will get nervous and go into withdrawals.) Along with Couch 2 5K I have also had a few dates this week with P90X. Tony and I would not be friends in real life with all of his, "do your best, forget the rest." Just hearing his voice annoys me to no end. Yesterday after a grueling leg workout I laid on the couch and said, "I'm coming Elizabeth. This is the big one!" (Do you know how excited my daddy is going to be when my mother tells him that I referenced Fred Sanford on the blog? The only way I could make him prouder would be to quote Andy Griffith and/or Barney Fife.) Anyway, I am going to be breaking up with one of these programs once I decide which one I hate the most. Considering that my thighs feel like they are on fire I am thinking that P90X might be dead to me. On a completely unrelated note there is a little girl at daycare that makes me and A-master laugh out loud. One morning she pulled up to him on her tricycle and said, "Excuse me. Do y'all watch Handy Manny?" I am still laughing about her pulling up on her tricycle. A couple of weeks ago she ask Adam, "Excuse me. Did you know you have a hole in your pants?" Clearly she has been raised like all good southern girls should be. She knows to say excuse me before bluntly pointing out ones faults. I am just waiting for her to follow up with, "Bless his heart."

Wanted: Jogging Stroller & Toned Legs

The weekend started off just the way I like it- eating out. It's a hobby of mine. Adam and Reese picked me up at school on Friday and we went to Birmingham to see our friends Rusty and Candice who had just welcomed Reese's future husband into the world earlier that morning. As soon as we pulled off from C'burg the debate started as to where we would dine that evening. The new parents recommended that we eat at Dreamland BBQ and I am fairly certain that was where we were headed until Adam got into the wrong lane on HWY 280 at 5:00. So we decided not to tempt fate by trying to cross three lanes of traffic and we ended up at the Cheesecake Factory. And, let me tell you, their heated patio, oh their heated patio. Kudos to you Mr. Cheesecake Factory. That heated patio was a brilliant marketing move for your corporation. Our waitress went on and on about how beautiful she thought Reese was and then proceeded to take Adam's order. When he started to order he was interrupted by, "Lawd, she look just like him. Oh my goodness. They look just alike!" And for that he left her a $6 tip instead of his standard $5. Of course, we had a piece of cheesecake and all I'll say is that A-master is still talking about it 4 days later.

On Saturday we did a little shopping and Reese rode in the big girl stroller for the first time. Does she look a little scared to y'all?

She also drank out of an 8oz bottle for the first time this weekend. 4oz has been plenty for her until now. The last few days she seems to need 5-6 oz. And when she gets her hands on those bottles she shows them who is the boss!

She has also started sitting up by herself for a few seconds at a time. She does really good until something gets her attention and she reaches for it which leads to a crash.

We wrapped up our weekend with a visit from MeeMaw and PeePaw. They hadn't seen the girl in over 24 hours so they were getting desperate.

We also did another day of the Couch 2 5k while MeeMaw watched Reese. Which leads to my wanted ad:

WANTED: JOGGING STROLLER & TONED LEGS! I prefer to buy those as a package deal and I am hoping to pay slightly less than my first born.

Brandon (aka Red) stopped by last night to show us his loose tooth and bring us some of Andi's dresses she had outgrown. (Look at A-master slaving over the sink washing bottles. He knows my love language is a clean house and this display of affection moved me to tears.)

Reese thought he was so fuuny!

I don't know if you can tell by looking at him or not, but he is a ladies man. He currently has 3 girlfriends. It must be the red hair. He works it, let me tell ya.

Green Peas & Ticklish Piggies

After we got home from a long and exciting day at daycare on Tuesday Reese ate some bananas. She was still hungry so I decided to try something different. Green peas. She was not happy. Even when I gave her other foods to get the taste out of her mouth she continued to gag.

(I would be willing to bet my pay check that when my daddy sees that she hates peas he will discuss at length with my mother how concerned he is about Reese's eating habits and that all she's going to want to eat is junk food.)

That night I got a refreashing 15 miuntes of sleep because the only way she was going to close her eyes was if she was directly on top of me. But, you know, it's fine because that's the way I prefer to get my beauty rest. With 14 pounds laying on my chest. Thankfully our normal sleeping arrangements resumed the next night.

Santa Clause brought this toy that straps onto her carseat and it gives her much entertainment while driving down the road. Now when she falls asleep in the car she holds one of the toys.

Adam proudly announced that yesterday morning she was saying "da da." Well, sure she did. How convenient. No one heard it but him. But then last night she was saying it again. However, everyone knows that is the easiest sound to make that's why it comes first. But we'll let him have his moment.

She thinks it is so funny when her daddy rubs his face on the bottom of her feet. She is also really ticklish under her arms.

The day he's been waiting for...

I hope you all had as lovely of a weekend as we did. It was filled to the brim with nothingness. Unless you count the highly anticipated event also known as my biannual cleaning out of the closet. Which took me a sweet forever on Saturday. On Sunday Adam took Reese over to the lake to do a little fishing while Momma trailed behind on foot because there is this nagging beach trip lurking in our future. I completed Week 1 Day 1 of the Couch to 5K program. Yeah, don't expect me to ever bring that up again because I have a sneaking suspicion Day 2 and me- we will never meet. I spent the first 15 minutes thinking I might die and the last 10 minutes wishing I would. But thankfully I got a lot of moral support from hubby. The last 10 minutes of the run of death he was kind enough to ride beside me in the truck while giving me words of encouragement like, "keep it up I still see some jiggling." If he would have married a sensitive woman I assure you they would already be divorced. I did take a break to capture a few Kodak moments.

It's just the scene I imagined as I folded all those pink dresses and dreamed of all the baby girl sweetness that life with a daughter would bring. Look at her face. That is sheer joy you are seeing. She thought it was so funny! And her daddy- it was his proudest moment. She has a pink Barbie fishing pole he is just itching to teach her to use.

(Note: Her hands were thoroughly cleaned after this.)

On Thursday Adam took Reese to get her 6 month shots. She weighed 14lbs and 3 ounces and was 26 inches long. Dr. Cabellaro says she is going to be tall and thin. I will be interested in seeing how accurate he is.

Here's to wishing every week was Spring Break

Did y'all know last week was my spring break? Since I am still talking about it 5 days later I clearly can't get over it. Me and the girl, we had a blast. When I was home with her on maternity leave she used me for nothing more than nourishment. But last week was different. She has changed so much and is so interested in everything. I cannot tell you how sad I was when Sunday rolled around and I knew it was all over. (I sense some of you 12 month out of the year workers wanting to reach through the computer screen and slap me for complaining after having a week off. I give you full permission.)

You want to know what we did all week? No? Well let me tell you anyway. We landscaped. And then we landscaped. And then because we couldn't get enough we landscaped some more. I had to be reminded throughout the weeks that it was a marathon not a sprint. You will be fascinated to know that I spent 7 of my 9 day vacation in the yard. I hesitate to continue talking it up because you might expect greater results than were actually achieved. I'll just say this- a bomb could have gone off in our front yard and it would have been an improvement. I plan to post a picture when I remember to take one.

Saturday 2 major tasks were marked off the list: staining the porch and hanging the swing. Mainly the swing took precedent because Big Momma needed somewhere to sit while holding the princess and watching hubby work. (Oh, I'm kidding. I dug at least 2 holes so don't go thinking hubby gets credit for all of this)

On Sunday after church Adam decided to finish staining the porch before we had our pictures made. And thus a bad idea was born. Stain splotched skin/fingernails and up close and personals aren't friends.

Monday we loaded up, took out a second mortgage on our house, and proceeded to invest in shrubbery that will inevitably meet its demise at the paws of Dixie and Autie. That night we left Reese with MeeMaw and PeePaw went to a movie and out to eat. We kept conversation about her to a minimum. I feel certain her name was mentioned no more than thirty-two times while we were gone.

A-master is a quiet and reserved man except where projects are concerned. He becomes a beast barking orders at me. While he walked around talking cabinet business with a customer on the phone (yeah, sure) me and the shovel dug a hole for a shrub. When he got off the phone he told me that "Ray Charles could see that hole isn't in line with the others." I told him he better show some respect for the woman who has been his constant landscaping companion during my SPRING BREAK!

Without boring you to tears let me sum the week up- Wednesday through Saturday we dug no less than 24 holes for plants, put out pine straw and landscape lights, made a second trip to the nursery, and unfortunately A-master received a sun burn of epic proportions.

But I'll tell you, Reese hung in there with the best of em'. She took no more than a 15 minute nap everyday. And would wake up fresh as a daisy.

All in all- we completed everything on our list except the concrete sidewalk. It appears that concrete people are recession proof. We have contacted 3 different people that claimed that they would come give us an estimate. Three weeks later still no concrete estimate.

We went out to eat with a couple of our friends on Thursday night and accidentally ran across a petting zoo of sorts in Talladega. Reese was pretty impressed with the tigers, camel, monkeys etc. I sense a trip to the zoo in our future.

We were notified that camel rides were taking place at 3:00 on Friday. Yeah, we'll pass, but thanks.

(Please notice the red sign above the tigers cage...CAUTION BIG CAT SPRAYS...Maybe its because we don't get out much, but we did not know that. And at that moment we all were wondering which end it sprays from????? You know what? I'd rather not know.)

Yep, thats a goat and a calf. Exotic animals I tell ya.