ZOO fun!

Last weekend, we found ourselves with a beautiful Saturday, temperatures in the 70's, and a beautiful little girl who had just turned six months old.  After I went to a fun baby shower, we had a gorgeous afternoon to kill and decided we should celebrate sweet Bailey's half birthday with her very first trip to the zoo!

Scott and I LOVE the zoo and were definitely one of those semi-creepy couples - or at least it seemed that way at the time - who would spend way too much money pretty Saturdays at the zoo just the 2 of us amid the waves of screaming children and exhausted parents, sitting through the seal shows and trying to catch a glimpse of the polar bear swimming past the window pawing at his big red ball.  

For the first time, we were the exhausted parents (the random couples aren't so weird, by the way), and the zoo was even more amazing!  Bailey is still too young to really appreciate the animals, but we had so much fun picking her up and showing her everything and (of course) taking fun pictures.  

First, we checked out the tigers: 

Then we checked out the giraffes - aka real-life Sophies 

Bailey was so excited after this that she threw her actual Sophie out of her stroller at some point, leading me into a slight panic that resulted in a new Sophie being purchased the next day - which was, of course, the day before the zoo called to tell us someone had turned in Bailey's Sophie (they called it "the giraffe that squeaks") to the lost and found.  Oh, the many, MANY unnecessary expenses joys of parenting.

Then we checked out the bears:

And answered the age-old question of "Does a bear poop in the zoo?": 

 (Answer....yes!)

Bailey got a little sleepy during our stroll past some monkeys:

We thought she was going to keep napping through the pandas....

But then she got a second wind: 

She and her dad had fun watching the orangutans (as fellow gingers, I think they share a subconscious bond):

She told her dad who was #1, while wearing her adorable sunglasses (thanks Mimi and Pops):

On our way out, we got to hear the coolest thing ever - this lion was roaring so loudly, it sounded fake at first:

Then Bailey left the zoo on her dad's shoulders, the happy place of all little girls: 

"Mom, are you coming too?"  

[Random, off-topic sidenote confession...these are the first pictures since Bailey was born (not that I've taken that many) that have really made me feel like I look like a MOM.  Not a fun, young, cute-dressed mom, but the real, kinda sleepy, knit-dress-wearing kind of mom that still needs to lose those last 15 lbs of baby weight (that's a whole 'nother blog post, already in the works).  Kind of bittersweet, but this little girl is worth any and every gray hair and spare ounce.  Look at that smile!]

The 'ville

As anticipated, we had an amazing weekend in Louisville.  

Bailey and her cousin Mary Preston had so much fun!  

Preston had a great time swinging with Bailey: 

Preston even shared her pretty mama (and their little min-pin Willis) with sweet Bailey:

(Does anyone else think Bailey's head looks a little, ahem, large-ish in this picture?  She's in the 90th percentile in everything as of her last checkup, so she's proportional, but this picture just cracks me up, head-size wise!)

She even let Bailey hang out with her dad: 

Preston also tried to suffocate Bailey shared her bath (and her bath toys) with Bailey: 

(really really trying to get this video to work - it said it did earlier so hopefully it will again?  Sorry if not - it's really cute!)

I can't believe how big Mary Preston (now mostly known as "Preston") has gotten.  

Preston was so sweet and such a good entertainer/sharer with Bailey, it was so fun to watch.  She has definitely gotten much more comfortable with Bailey since the awestruck/gentle baby poke stage.

It was a beautiful weekend and we had a great time hanging out with Tracy, Omar, and Mary Preston.  Scott and I even had kind of a randomly awesome "mini-date" where, instead of heading to Preston's best friend's birthday party on time as planned, we drove around Louisville together in order let Bailey take a much-needed nap in her car seat.  It was wonderful to get some semi-alone time together and see some of the amazing houses of Louisville and a cool park.  

I *promise* to get my schmidt together this week and get a zoo post up and try to get to more of my mental blog posts.  Hope everyone enjoyed this amazing weekend!

Catching Up and Required Reading

Somehow it's Friday already and I haven't gotten a chance to put together a post on our super fun trip to the zoo last weekend.  And now we're off to Louisville to see Scott's sister this weekend and I know I'll have to do a post about that, since nothing is cuter than 2 little red-headed cousins. I also have some other ideas for posts on my "mental blog list" in my head that I want to get to next week.  But then it will probably be next weekend already.  Blogging is hard. 

We've had a pretty good week, but can't seem to shake what I call the "daycare curse" of almost constant sickness.  Bailey's actually been sleeping well (yes I am crossing my fingers behind my back to hopefully avoid jinxing this sweet, sweet blessing we have so very much enjoyed please please don't take it away).  But she's also been coughing, and snotting (pretty sure that's not a word, but you get the point), and yesterday she decided to refuse to drink her bottles at daycare.   Then she came home and scared the bejeeze out of me by falling asleep while jumperooing and taking a nap in her crib before having her last feeding, which she never does unless she's really sick. 

BUT then she drank two great bottles for me last night, slept well (or at least well enough not to wake me in the next room - our outrageously expensive video monitor crapped out on us the other night, so we've been trusting my mommy ears until the company sends us a new one, which is pretty safe considering the size of our cardboard box tiny apartment - which is a whole other post in and of itself, I need to write these down) and there was less snottage this morning, so I'm hoping we are on the upside of this mess. 

At this point, I don't remember what it's like to have a non-sick/congested baby, but I'm pretty sure it was kind of awesome. 

Anyway - if you're even still reading this -  that was not where was I going with this post, I don't know where that ramble came from. Here we go, back to the point - I'm obviously completely out of it today pretty new to this whole blogging thing (I only really started looking at blogs when my sweet friend from high school who has a great blog which you should check out told me about hers).  I'm really enjoying it, and I'm also having a great time finding fun new blogs to read, as you can tell from my ever growing list of blog links. 

So here are some links to blogs I have recently discovered and really like - for obvious reasons, most of them are mom-related, but I'm fairly confident even those without babies will find these blogs very entertaining.

Check them out and have a great weekend, y'all!

Rants from Mommyland: This is my current every day must read, and I usually end up reading several posts.  "Kate" and "Lydia" are have a great perspective on mommyhood.  They also almost make me pee my pants spew whatever I am drinking (hint: usually wine) all over my computer screen because they are THAT funny.

Spilled Milk:  A full-time lawyer and  mom (wow that sounds familiar) with an honest and funny blog.  She gets super extra bonus points for the Steel Magnolia's quote from Annelle as her blog tagline (I really want to match her with the "If you don't have anything nice to say, come sit by me" quote, but I can't bring myself to be that big of a blog copycat. Yet.)

Elefantitas Alegres: Lawyer Kate married a lawyer and loves wine (hmmm that also sounds familiar).  She's basically that cool, well-traveled, organized, great at design, super-cute-dressing, menu-planning girl that I kind of want to be, but just am not. 

Ashley Quite Frankly:  Funny mama to two hilarious boys that really seem to be the boy versions of my two sweet nieces (older one is rule-following sweetheart, younger is, well, NOT).   I commented on one of her posts the other day that she should teach a class of "How to be an awesome mom and raise cool kids" or something like that and I firmly stand by that.

Her friends are sluts: I think when I first discovered this blog I ended up reading, like, a year's worth of her posts in one sitting.  Great writing.

Fun Etsy Finds

Ok, so I am definitely NOT pregnant, but I somehow just now discovered the absolutely adorable nursery wall art on Etsy.  When I was pregnant, Scott and I spent hours and hours searching the internet for cute wall art for Bailey's nursery.  Not only could we not agree on what we liked, but we pretty much only found the cartoon-ish, mass produced stuff like that found at babiesrus.  

I finally ended up finding some generic cute shape-prints at Babytime here in Memphis (and I think Scott about had a heart attack when he heard the price I we paid for it.)  We also got a beautiful cross painting from my sweet friend Julie at our Knoxville shower that we love, and I tried to get creative with some white trivets from Williams Sonoma Outlet by hanging them up as wall art.  But still, Bailey's room has A LOT of free wall space.  We just never found stuff we really liked at a reasonable price. 

For some reason, I never even considered looking at Etsy.  Apparently, this was a HUGE mistake!  While I was randomly (and very optimistically) searching for furniture on Etsy the other night (all the furniture we have, except for Bailey's nursery stuff, tvs, and a beautiful tv stand that we are not currently using as a tv stand, has been generously handed down to us from our parents/sisters.  And it shows.) for some reason this cute little elephant popped up: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59946627/my-elle-cute-elephant-nursery-art-print?

He totally piqued my curiosity, so I looked around and then found his two sweet friends:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60051844/my-giraffe-cute-giraffe-nursery-wall-art?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61832413/my-monkey-cute-monkey-nursery-art-print?

So then while spending hours dreaming about our next baby's nursery I found lots of really cute nursery art!  Then, I went to a baby shower for my friend Laurie who is having her second little girl in just a few short weeks last weekend, and one of the hostesses had gotten her a super cute print from Etsy with a personalized message on it (I am not 100% sure, but I think it was from the same Etsy vendor who makes most of the amazing prints below - GalerieAnais).  LOVE IT!!

In an effort to prevent my favorite pregnant mamas from ending up with the same empty nursery walls, I am posting a few more of my fun finds - I wasn't super thorough, and I can't post everything I found, so I totally think all of you should go to Etsy and spend a few fun hours of your own!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71617750/tell-me-nursery-wall-art-print?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/57186197/twin-brothers-blue-background-nursery?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64149730/bob-the-elephant-nursery-wall-art-print?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66121325/la-baleine-nursery-wall-art-print?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65046696/gigi-nursery-wall-art-print?ref=v1_other_2

Enjoy ladies (and babies)!

We love you Reilly!

[Sorry for the two "birthday" posts in a row, but I have to honor our sweet puppy dog Reilly's fifth birthday, which was on April 2.]

When we got Reilly, she was 5 weeks old, about 5 pounds, and would fit in one hand.  We drove all the way to Iowa after law school exams our second year to pick up this little ball of fur, and by the time we got home, we were smitten:

Reilly was quickly part of the family, enjoying all the fun activities we did as a new "family," including: 

Hanging out at the lake:

Partaking in some delicious beverages:

Seeing her cousin Maddie:

Hanging out in the yard (added benefit of me including this picture: motivation to lose. the. baby. weight.  I think I can, I think I can): 

Studying for law school: 

Cheering on the Vols and hating the Florida Gators (but then again, who doesn't?): 

Going on camping/canoe trips:

 

Loving being a daddy's girl (and she is NOTHING if not a daddy's girl, I don't think I've ever seen such a pair): 

And, finally, celebrating the news of our pregnancy: 

Ok, maybe she wasn't exactly celebrating, and those first few months, which are hard on everyone, may have been hardest on Reilly.  

Whenever Bailey cries, we all feel a sense of helplessness and stress, but Reilly's little heart just seems to melt.  You can literally see her stress level go up (and feel it as she walks all over your face if it happens while you're sleeping - she makes SURE we know when sweet Bailey is upset).  

I know it's hard on her that I just simply don't always have the energy to love on her the way I used to after a long day of taking care of our (human) baby, and it's also tough for her to no longer have a yard to sunbathe in and get away from that insanely loud crying baby. But, thankfully, Scott is still amazing with her and somehow finds the energy to make her feel loved and important every single day (this is making me sound awful, but I promise I try!).  Also, we are very very lucky to have the river park and, as often as we can, we take her down there, let her off leash (shhh don't tell), and get her (almost) enough exercise.  

I hope we'll soon have a new yard for Reilly (in East TN - please pray for us on that if you get a chance, thanks in advance!) and that, as I get more and more used to this "mommy" thing, my energy for loving on her the way she deserves will return.  

But what gives me the most comfort is my trust that, pretty soon, Reilly is going to realize that she's got a new best friend who will be a whole different kind of fun than we ever were: 

Here's to many many more years, sweet Reilly dog!

SIX MONTHS!!

Our sweet little girl turned six months old on Friday and I still can't believe it!  

  At six months, Bailey:

 - Is becoming quite the expert at sitting on her own:

 - Looks like she wants to crawl, but settles for rolling and rolling and rolling to get where she wants to go

- Looks adorable in bows:

- Loves to swing:

- Is in a stage where she loves to blow raspberries, which is really cute and funny until she does it with a mouthful of cereal

- Has eaten rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, apples, and bananas.  She liked everything except the peas and bananas (I'm thinking that the banana aversion has to be a texture/consistency thing, because, really, who doesn't like bananas?)

- Loves to belly laugh and "talk" but hasn't yet picked a discernible syllable (despite my convenient attempts to use the term "mama" as much as possible), although she does occasionally use the terms "hiii" and "heyyy" very appropriately and hilariously

- Is still the only person in the world who loves the sound of me singing, bless her sweet little heart

- Loves to pull my hair and/or earrings, and has quite a grip 

- Gives sweet little "kisses" and "hugs," sometimes on request (although we really need to teach her the art of closed-mouth kissing, as she's in that awkward frenchy-baby kiss stage, and we don't need her doing that to strangers)

- Still loves her jumperoo and exersaucer 

- Tries to get into everything - she wants to touch and feel and pick up everything, and most of it still goes straight into her mouth

- Has TWO sharp little teeth, and it seems like more are on the way (but really, who am I kidding, Scott and I have yet to see a tooth before it's pretty much full grown)

- Can fit into most 6 month clothing, but fits better in 9 month stuff 

- Has been to the ZOO!

- Is still great at hanging out with strangers and going to anyone that wants to hold her and smile at her (as long as she's not hungry - she gets a little grumpy then, I have no idea where she gets that from)

I'm probably forgetting some important things, as she's still doing so many new things all the time, but all in all, I just can't put into words how blessed we are to have this sweet girl.  She's just so beautiful and sweet and FUN, and there are really just no words to describe this experience.  It is so funny how even the most mundane things can seem completely miraculous when it's YOUR baby doing them for the first time.  We're having an absolute blast seeing these little miracles all the time.  

We had an incredible weekend celebrating Bailey's half birthday (and Reilly's fifth birthday - craziness), so I'll post more about that this week (I will definitely be posting about Bailey's super fun FIRST trip to the zoo!)  So much fun!

Earning your mommy juice

1.  I'm fairly certain I am, or at least should be, on the suspected meth makers/users list because of all the generic Sudafed I have bought this year to treat my unending sinus problems.  Seriously, is it really necessary to make me feel all super illegal methhead-ish by making me give you my license and electronically sign some statement promising I'll never ever make meth ever, or something like that (I wouldn't know because I've never read it - what do you think I am, a lawyer)?  Does this process actually prevent the determined methheads of the world, who don't really seem like the type of super honest people who would shrink from lying on an electronical form, from purchasing their ingredients?  And am I the only one who finds themselves exaggerating their very real sinus problems when purchasing their "Walphed" simply because they don't want to be mistaken for a methhead or methhead enabler?

Anyway, I had a sinus/ear infection in February, so I took antibiotics for about 12 days, which apparently only ticked off my sinuses, because they are taking revenge big time.  While I have no real snot (just clear liquid leaking - aren't you glad I shared that?) for the first time in months, my face feels like it may explode, and as along as it takes my constantly aching right temple with it, I won't miss it.  Just for fun, my chest now hurts when I take even a semi-deep breath.  Plus, I've been so lethargic that I haven't been able to get in a decent workout for the last week or so and have been stuffing my face instead.   

Just in case you're wondering, I'm finally going to the doctor (getting on the scale, yay!) tomorrow.

2.  [Note: This happened last week, but because I have an unhealthy habit of mulling over unpleasant things that happen to me until its too late and I have no one to take it out on except my husband, I'm just sharing it now.]

Last week after the pediatrician diagnosed Bailey's ear infection and a half, we went to the Walgreens drive through (thru?  I don't even know, and I don't have the energy to look it up, blame the sinuses) to get her prescription filled.  The seemingly non-sadistic lady at the window knew the prescription was for antibiotics and knew it was for an individual born on 10/1/10, as I told her both of these things.  Presumably, she could also see the car seat right in front of her which held a very pathetic-looking sick baby.  So, when she asked me when I wanted to pick the prescription up and I said "as soon as possible" and she told me 45 minutes, I gritted my teeth, gave her the benefit of the doubt, and drove around town for 45 minutes wasting expensive gas and trying to calm a halfway sleeping Bailey down every time we drove over potholes and/or speed bumps (which happens a lot in Memphis) because they made her ear hurt worse and she would cry. 

Well, my patience began to crumble slightly when we promptly returned to Walgreens 45 minutes later, only to sit in the drive through for approximately 11 minutes and 37 seconds before anyone even acknowledged us (even though I could SEE a pharmacist in the window who politely ignored me while I used all of my strength to refrain from laying on the horn, NYC style, until someone brought my child her medicine).  When the lady who had previously told me it would take 45 minutes for them to prepare my prescription finally bothered to show her face at the window, she then proceeded to have the pharmacist make Bailey's prescription in 45 seconds.  Right in front of me.  Where I could see her.

Now, maybe they were busy, I get that, but why in the world was it so much better to make a poor sick baby wait almost an hour before preparing her prescription in 45 seconds?  Was this 45 seconds THAT much more convenient to them than the 45 seconds an hour ago?  

Who knows, maybe that lady was on crystal meth.  Lucky for Walgreens, I'll settle for wine. 

Oh, did I forget to mention....

Bailey also showed off a BRAND NEW TOOTH this past weekend!!!!

Ok, so maybe we are just miserable at finding new teeth, or maybe Bailey is just great at hiding them (she keeps that tongue stuck out pretty well when we try to look) because it is pretty big already, but Scott and I just noticed this past Saturday that Bailey's first tooth has a new (and sharp!) little buddy in there.   

Here is a picture of Bailey's cute little bottom front teeth with the settings intentionally altered to make them more obvious (it is tough to capture these little suckers on film - or memory card, or whatever you're supposed to call it these days): 

Also, praise heaven and pass the ammunition, we are down to just one waking a night.  Unfortunately, it's at 5 a.m. and she will not go back to sleep without being fed, which doesn't really make sense because we don't give her a full bottle and all it does is reduce the amount she will drink at her first feeding of the day, which she used to consistently finish when she slept through the night.  To me, this indicates that she should just start sleeping through the night and just eating her breakfast.   Can someone tell her that?  Please and thank you. 

New tricks!

So . . . even after she was diagnosed with having one pretty bad ear infection and another one on the way (poor sweet baby!), Bailey decided to show off some pretty fun new tricks for us this weekend (in between doses of amoxicillin).  

Namely - Bailey started sitting up on her own, both with and without support, and even managed to not fall down when Scott leaned her up against her walker stand up for a little while on her walker toy!  

Here is a video of her sitting up and playing - if you get motion sickness, you may not want to watch, as my videotaping has a distinct Blair Witch Project-ish feel to it.  I'm going to have to work on that, but this is still pretty cute: 

She also bonded with Reilly a little bit from her new sitting position: 

Of course, I had to take full advantage of the new excuse for pictures in order to capture her wearing one of my favorite sweaters, as we hopefully won't have any more cold weather for her to wear it in before she is way too big for it :( 

And, last but not least, here is a picture of her not falling down while leaning on her walker showing off her walking skills: 

Also, start getting excited, we have a HUGE milestone next week, as Bailey will be SIX MONTHS OLD!  I am already getting super excited about the 6 month photo shoot.  Yes, I realize how nerdy it is that these are the things you get excited about as a mom, and I love it.