To cut or not to cut....

So, I have been thinking. About Charlotte's hair. I have not a CLUE as to what to do with it. I am grossly lacking when it comes to figuring out toddler hair (omg, I have a toddler? when did that happen?) I'm not sure if I want her to have bangs, or if I want to put up with scraggly hair for a while in the front in order for her hair to grow out to one length.

Hmmmmm.

Not sure.

I like and then I don't like bangs. First of all, bangs are just a lot of upkeep! You have to cut them every few weeks, and if you're like me and clumsy as a duck, you want a professional to do it. I don't want my kid to have a mullet in any way, form, or fashion! So that would cost $$$. Plus, I just personally don't like the look of bangs on her.

On the other hand, if I grew them out, she will look like a schlop for about... Well, I dont know. 6 months? Her hair is growing like wildfire so I'm not entirely sure when it would all grow out. For the time being I just clip her "bang" hair to the side. It works for awhile, until she discovers my scheme and rips that bow out from her hear. Its funny though, because right after she takes it out, she tries to put it back in her hair (see above picture). Haha, she's a smarty, she is. Sometimes I'll put her hair in a cute pebbles'ish doo and that works out alright, plus, she looks cute as a button!

Anyways, what do you think? Bangs, no bangs? Which do you think she'll hate me for less when she's older?

Ha.

I miss her.

I miss my sweet girl on the days that I work. I only get to see her for about an hour on "those" days.

Being a working mom sucks.

Recap 2009

For the last week I've been off from work, and it has been GREAT! I've actually been able to sleep and I've spent a lot of time with my sweet girl. We've gone shopping, gone to the park, went walking a lot outside, ate our first Chik-fil-a kids meal (well, she did, not me :) , took lots of pictures, and just... hung out at home.Tonight, though, I go back to work and since I have been off all week, I sent Charlotte over to Sara's house for the day. I just need a day to breathe and do what I want to do without worrying about her nap schedule. Soooo while I am hear sipping on some coffee and watching Fox News, I realized I never really did a review of the year 2009. It was a HUGE year, so I think I should do it now! Never too late for that, right? :)

So, let's see. 2009 was a big year for us. On December 15, 2008, one day before our second anniversary (which was also her due date), we welcomed our sweet baby into our lives. The next two months that follow are pretty much a blur to me and if it weren't for the hundreds of pictures I took, I don't think I would have remembered any of it! Honestly, we weren't very sleep deprived because Charlotte slept in the bed with us so it made feeding and sleeping so much easier. We moved her to the crib when she was 10 weeks old and she has been there ever since! Now, she won't even take a nap with me, little stinker. :) I was also very stressed about nursing and making it work, although it never really panned out because she had an undiagnosed tongue tie (google it.) Honestly, I still regret not nursing for long, even though I truly know I did EVERYTHING I knew how to do for 10 weeks. I was probably obsessed with it, but it just wasn't meant to be. I ended up pumping until April and that helped to save us a lot of money and I felt better about her only having mommy's milk for that time (ya know, winter, RSV, cold season, etc).

January 2009

January 2010

Another big issue was me trying to get her on a "schedule." I found a book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth, and it happened to be my saving grace when it comes to baby sleep. Of course, it did make me extremely paranoid and I started to think to myself, "If she doesn't get the 14-18 hours of sleep a day she needs, is she going to have ADD? or be stupid? or be overtired?" Blah blah blah. So that definitely fed into my PPD that I struggled with until I got put on an antidepressant in April. Ever since I got put on Celexa, things have been smooth sailing! It's just amazing how much hormones affect you.

In March, I started back to work. It was an easy transition because during the day when I slept, Sara, a good friend from church, watched Charlotte. She lives in our neighborhood so it has been very convenient and easy for us. Plus, Charlotte just loves going over there and I know Sara loves Char, too.

During the summer time, not much had happened. We didn't go to the beach or anything, but it was mostly filled with Thomas and I working. Charlotte started eating baby food in June (yes, I waited until 6 months because I'm lazy). Charlotte FINALLY rolled over at 7.5 months and has been on the prowl ever since! She started crawling in September at 9 months, and then started walking at 11 months! No talking as of yet, but we're working on it!

During the fall semester, Thomas had a career fair at Auburn that led to a job lead at a company called Eaton Corp. This particular plant is located in Jackson, MS and he was invited for an interview, and then for a second interview. For his second interview he had to give a presentation of his work experience, interview with lots of different people... Lots more than I've ever had to do for a job interview! For a month after the interview, we were on pins and needles wondering if he had got the job or not. A couple days before Thanksgiving, we learned that he indeed DID get the job and got a very good offer along with it. So that means we will be moving to Jackson in May after he graduates, and I'm excited but very nervous about it!

In December, Charlotte turned 1 year old. And I still can't believe how fast this past year has gone. It totally blows my mind that the little curled up ball of babyness has turned into a little toddler with 8 teeth and smiles galore.

So yeah, if I could sum up 2009 in one word, it would be BABY. Baby has made a total overhaul on my life. Baby has made me change the way I think about myself, about others, about Thomas, and probably most of all, about God. Baby has driven me CRAZY (literally... you think I'm kidding!) but has also made me most proud.

This next year is sure to be a full one, too. With a new move coming up, new jobs for both of us, and Biggun's second year in progress, it's going to be fun and I wouldn't have it any other way.

God is so good.

Balmex queen and Target runs

Ma! Look what I found!

So today Little Stinker and I decided to go to Target. I had heard they were having some great sales, and I guess I missed out because most of the 75% off stuff was cleared out. Oh well! I did happen to find some cute jeans for Charlotte and a few tops. I have lately discovered that it is becoming more and more difficult to go to stores with her. I guess she is at that stage where she just wants to walkwalkwalkwalk EVERYWHERE. She does NOT want to sit in the cart and will throw a screaming fit if I try to restrict her movement. So today I put her down on the ground just to see what she'd do. She was surprisingly good, although a few times she did want to dart in the complete opposite direction of my shopping excursion. One of those child leashes would come in handy about right now! Ha. But overall she stayed by my side and listened when I told her to come back when she began to wander. I can only imagine how a huge, bright, and colorful place like Target would look to a Little Person!

But I do have a question.

What do you do when this Little Person decides to throw a fit in a store where you know everyone is watching you and waiting to see how you lay hold of your dear child? I have my own thoughts but I'd like to know what you do, too! So, any thoughts?

Oh, and I leave you with.... Said Little Person. :)

Wide awake.

Why do I do this to myself? Ugh. Charlotte wakes up at about 7-7:30ish every morning. Sometimes I take a nap during the day (only if she decides to take a long 2 hour nap, of course) and sometimes I don't (like yesterday). Either way, it makes for a long day after watching a sweet one year old toddle and play around the house. By the time she goes to bed, I'm spent! I usually fight sleep while sitting on the couch for about an hour. Last night I decided to go to bed at about 9:45pm. Well, of course, I can't ever sleep past 7 hours without taking some kind of sleeping aid (that's what working nights will do for ya) so I wake up at 4:30am. Wide awake. *yawn* After laying in the bed for an hour, having a revelation about where I left my wallet (it had been missing for a week), and being annoyed by the smoke detector beep letting us know that the battery was low... Well, I decided to hop on the net. I need to get back to my Bible reading...

chuga bear

Oh Charlotte, how much do I love thee?

Before I became a mom I never realized how I could feel about a child. I have never really been a "kids" person. I just was never around them, my family never had itty bitties running around. Well, we did, but I wouldn't consider my family to be very close so we just never got together very often. I think I babysat once growing up, and that's it! And I won't lie, in the beginning it was very hard adjusting to having a baby in the house. But lately she has just been SO much fun! She is walking like a pro now, working on running, imitating practically everything we do (except sign language, grrrr, little stinker!), and trying to learn how to climb on the couch. If I am on the couch, she wants to be on the couch. If I am sitting on the floor, she is content to sit or be on the floor. I taught her this new trick yesterday. I was turning around in circles like a crazy person and singing for her to turn around with me. And she started turning around! And cracking up at me, of course. She laughs at just about everything I do. Sometimes I feel like I'M the goofy and playful parent. Aren't dads supposed to have that role? HAHA. But I do love her so much and I'm so excited to watch this little person develop into God has her planned to be. Smooches, little Char!!! :)

Mommy loves me this I know,

because she loves to tell me so!

Baby Shoes

I have an obsession. And it is quite the obsession. I just LOVE baby shoes. Or toddler shoes, walking shoes, whatever you want to call them. There is nothing more adorable than cute little shoes on cute little feet! I just love 'em! These shoes are the ones Charlotte currently wears and they are just so adorable. The only thing about baby shoes, though, is the price. You can find some on sale, but seriously, some of them are more expensive than I would be willing to pay for a pair for myself!

And right now there is a sale going on at Pediped.com that also benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Check them out!

13 month doc's visit

Charlotte got to have her 1 year doctor's appointment today! Yeah, she is 13 months instead of 12, but that's ok, right? She did well, as she always does, except she always hollers when the pediatrician sticks that thing in her ears. Oh, and of course she SCREAMS when she gets shots. Of course, I do, too!! :) Here are her 13 month stats:

Height: 32.5 inches (100+ percentile!)
Weight: 21 lbs 1 ounce (50 percentile)
Head: 17 3/4 inches (er... dont know, dont care percentile)

Doctor said she looks perfect! She is still on a little formula because we are trying to use up the leftover cans we have. No use in putting good formula nutrition to waste! :) But she is on all "adult people food" and no more baby food! Well, she still gets some infant oatmeal in the morning because of the iron. I started giving her juice (well, VERY watered down juice) but I think I am going to cut that out because it's a habit I really don't want to have to break later on. I would really like her to want water instead of sugar, NOT saying that juice isn't ok for your child, if you're cool with it! :) She is walking ALL OVER the place now, she even has this new thing where she likes to stomp her feet. I am still working on sign language with her but it seems like she just refuses to sign back! The only one she'll use pretty consistently is "all done" after she is finished eating. Oh well, maybe she'll catch on soon.

I get my tallness from my parentals

Finished with day 6!

In six days, I have read through the 28th chapter of Exodus. I have NEVER done that before. Reading the Word of God in huge chunks like this (anywhere from 12-16 chapters a day) has been so rewarding, even just in the 6 days that I have been doing it. You see how the story of the Bible comes together and you pick up things you never noticed before. I have tried to read the Bible cover to cover in a year. I have only done it once before (and actually, it ended up being about 1.5 years), but honestly, it's just such a LONG goal in sight! I guess that's why I like the 90 day set up so much. I'll have read the whole Bible read by March 31, right before Easter. This is just so inspiring to me, as someone who alway desires to read the whole Bible but just doesnt know how to do it. Praise God for His wonderful and PERFECT Word.

The hubby's new blog!

We decided to create a new blog about our student debt payoff. Thomas will be the main contributor to the blog. It will chronicle our challenges that will come up over the next few years as we struggle to pay off Thomas' 6 figure student debt. Yeah, it's hard for me to type that.

Check it out.

http://www.thesixfigurediplomapayoff.com/

part-time.

The hubs and I have been talking it over and we have come to the conclusion that it would be ABSOLUTELY AMAZING possible for me to only work part-time after we move! Thomas is very budget-minded. He updates and studies our budget and knows it like the back of his hand. He is constantly checking the online bank statements for updates so he can add it to the "budget." It has not been unknown for him to call me 5 mins after leaving Target asking me, "So, what did you just buy?"

Annoying? Yes. But I am very grateful for it because Lord knows that I am NOT very budget-minded and dont even know how to balance the checkbook. He basically pushes me out the door the work and I work. He tells me how and when to spend money. It works for us!

Anyways. So according to his "budget" for paying off his student loans after he graduates, it may work out for me to only have to work part-time in a nursing job. How amazing would that be? It would be on Friday and Saturday nights. This way I could be with my sweet angel for 5 days out of the week, and on the weekends she could spend them with her daddy. So that way we wouldn't have to pay for daycare or a sitter AND she would be at home more and I'd ALMOST be a SAHM... But not quite. I gotta settle for something! Mommy's guilt eats me alive some days!

Please pray for us in this decision and in the next few months as we make very important relocation decisions...

Bible in 90 Days

I found this idea on a Facebook status and I just love it! For the new year, I am going to commit myself to reading through the Bible in 90 days. Seems like a daunting task to me right now, but I know I REALLY need it. I'll be following along MomsToolbox.com and Biblein90days.org. I have read through the Bible before, but it has been a few years and I know that I need to get in His Word more. Anyone want to join with me? I need accountability here, people! :)

Happy New Year!

Happy new year, everyone! Of course, for my new year, I am holding down the renal unit. It's a small price to pay considering I got Christmas off. What are your goals for the new year? Maybe I'll post mine later!! :)