No make up?!?!

I NEVER go anywhere without make up. Not to the grocery store, the gas station, rarely even the drive through unless I HAVE to. I will take it off here though, since everyone else is doing it ;)

1. I have a love hate relationship with the military life. I LOVE the fact that Jason 'earns' 30 days off a year, even if he doesn't use them all and they get antsy if you even try (am I allowed to say that?). I HATE that he is gone all the time. I hate that I have spent 3 weeks with him this year so far. I hate that he has to leave me and Paislee all the time, even if its for 6 hours on work days during the weeks he is home. I know I 'signed up' for this lifestyle, but I had to. If I had a choice we would get all of the benefits of being in the military, but we would be able to live at HOME,  he would be able to be home EVERY SINGLE night, and we would never have to move. Can't I just have my cake and eat it too??

2. I do enjoy getting to see different places, but after I see them I want to go back home and be close to my family. I also enjoy meeting new people. That is the good thing about the military life. BUT meeting people isn't coming easy for me. I used to be SO outgoing and crazy and never had trouble talking to strangers. The older I get the harder it is though. I feel like I am still immature, especially when it comes to other moms, and I can't be myself around new people. If I could just act like my stupid, immature self--everything would be easier. So for now, I will sit in my house alone with my sweet baby girl and she will be my best friend, because she doesn't care how silly I act :) Or how immature I am :)

3. Paislee still wakes up to eat at night (don't feel alone, Paige. I will be thinking of you when I am also up for that 2 am feeding ;)). In fact, she wants to eat ALL NIGHT. Just lately, she still sleeps with me so it isn't too big of a deal but she wants to nurse ALL NIGHT LONG. Maybe it's a growth spurt.

4. I feel like my child is one of a kind. Doesn't every one feel that way about their kids though? I think Paislee was a diva the day she was born. And she hasn't given me a break ever since. She is needy, she wants me to hold her for her naps (and I do, a lot.), she doesn't want to eat food, she wants milk and only mine. She doesn't want a bottle. She will NOT fall asleep unless you are rocking her. She has never once laid down and fallen asleep on her own. And a lot of times I think to myself "WHAT am I going to do with this child? I will never have time for myself, EVER again" But then I think about how SMART she is, and how BEAUTIFUL she is, and how HEALTHY she is and how LUCKY I am.....and it can't be THAT bad. She isn't sick, she grows and she learns and that's all I care about. Even if I have to rock her to sleep for the rest of her life, and even if she wants to sleep with me and Jason forever--it could be so much worse. In fact, it isn't even bad, it's wonderful and I love her and life couldn't be better :)

4. But a night out with a few strong drinks would be great ;)

5. Even a weekend, but I can't even think about leaving her for that long yet :)

6. I LOVE to sing, but I can't sing good. I love to sing at the top of my lungs like I am performing at the Grammy's. But only when the neighbors aren't home :)

7. I can't wait to be pregnant again. I don't know when we will start trying for another one because there are a lot of things to think about before having another one but I feel like I will never have enough kids. I think I will always want another one. I'm sure I will change my mind after the next one though :)

8. I am a paranoid psycho too, Andrea. I am scared at night when Jason is gone and that is part of the reason Paislee still sleeps with us. I'm scared someone is going to break in and try to steal her or try to kill us. I do sleep with a gun beside the bed and yes it will be put somewhere safer when Paislee gets a little taller. So if you are a psycho killer and you're reading this--don't even think about coming in my house. Just kidding. Not really. I will aim for the head :) I think I have watched too many Lifetime movies. I was never like this before, I felt totally safe at home and my mom kept our doors unlocked all the time, even at night, even when we were not there. I think I'm a protective mama bear.

9. I LOVE to cook and I LOVE to eat! This is becoming a problem and I need to slow down :)

10. After reading this I think I need a therapist and you probably do too, ha!!!

XOXO,

Funny things Paislee says....

Now that Paislee is talking quite a bit and doing and saying funny things, I thought it would be fun to write them down here so 

1. I can remember them.

2. You can laugh.

These may be things that aren't funny to you. These may be things that are a little embarrassing to me. That's why I am not putting them on Facebook, and here instead. If you read my blog, you love me for who I am--right? HeHe :) I just have one for today, and it's short and sweet but totally woke me up and cracked me up first thing this morning....

As you know, Paislee sleeps with us still. I just sleep in a sports bra because it's comfortable and let's face it: I don't like clothes all that much. Paislee always wakes up talking in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning. I like it because it tells me what she dreamt about ;) She has sat up dead asleep, eyes closed and said "Mow!" (Meow!). She woke up once saying and signing "Bath!". This morning, she rolled over, pointed to my boobies and said "What's that? Ball?!". 

Not that my boobs are perfectly shaped "balls". I gave up on that dream mid-pregnancy. EVERYTHING is a ball. Balls are balls, balloons are balls, cameras on the ceilings at Sam's Club are balls--they are, peas are balls--that's how I get her to eat them. You get the idea. Anything shaped like a ball IS a ball. We have a BALL (haha) in the produce section at the grocery store. Cantaloupes, oranges, lemons, limes, avocados, tomatoes, onions, apples, etc. Ball! Ball! Ball! Needless to say, Paislee loves grocery shopping! 

So with that said, what do I tell her my boobies are? Balls? Boobies? The dreaded word "Breasts"? That word is way too mature for me. Boobies are fine with me, I just worry she will say it in the middle of church or somewhere else important. She is still breast feeding (Yes, I realize she is almost one, yes we are trying to wean her, no it is not easy taking what she loves away from her. Please don't judge me.) So I'm not sure if I want her saying "Boobies" when she wants to eat.......have I mentioned lately that this parenting thing is SUPER hard? 

Any advice is welcome! Happy Hump Day! Paislee's birthday invitations are here and they are super cute, I am waiting to send them out and then I will post a picture here :)

XOXO,

11 Months

You are 11 months old today, Paislee. That means in one short month I will be the owner of a TODDLER!  I can't believe how fast this year has gone by, sweet baby girl. It makes me so sad that you are getting so big, but so glad that you are healthy and beautiful and sweet as can be!

You are on your last box of size 3 diapers, they are not fitting so well anymore :( You are growing much faster than I anticipated and I am worried that all of the summer clothes I have bought you are not going to fit you by the time summer rolls around. If we lived in NC where summer comes sooner--they would. Maybe we should spend the summer in NC? :) You are wearing size 12m and 18m clothes right now, and your shoe size is a 4.

Since my last monthly update you have gone from taking zero steps to WALKING ALL OVER THE PLACE! You took your first steps on January 28th, 3 days after you turned 10 months old, and you were walking all over the place by Valentine's Day. Crawling will soon be a memory, as your primary way of getting around is walking, you only crawl when you can't fit into tight spaces ;)

You are such a talker! Let's see if I can remember all of the words you are saying: Hey, Bye Bye, MaMa, DaDa, MeMe, Kitty, Meow, Baby, Ball, Banana (Nana), Mooooooooo! (Cow), Wow!, Bubbles, Dog, Duck, Bath.....I think that's it? You are getting to the point where you can repeat almost anything we say--you little Parrot! My mom says this is payback because I was a big talker and told everything to everyone when I was little, but I like it :)

You still aren't a great eater, but you are getting better! We discovered that you LOVE macaroni and cheese and for a few days you ate it up, then you realized how to suck the cheese off the noodles and spit the noodles out. Ugh! You still eat your vegetables pretty good, but not great.

In the beginning of February you went to the grocery store with me and daddy and daddy showed you the bananas. By the time we left all you could say was "Nana! Nana!". You kept saying it after we got home so the next time I went to the store I got you some Nana's to see if you would eat them. Of course you wouldn't but you did carry it around with you alllll day long until it was brown and mushy! Finally I threw it away when you weren't looking, but I felt terrible because every time we walked through the kitchen you looked for it and ask for it. So, I went to Walmart and bought you a plastic Nana. You were SO happy and carried it around for days. You don't carry it around with you as much now, but you still ask for it and point it out when you see it.

Your fake banana....

Your real banana :)

Your sleep schedule is pretty dependable, but you aren't sleeping as well as I would like. You nap 2 times a day, morning and late afternoon, and you are usually ready for bed by 10, which is fine with me. You aren't sleeping well at night though. And I know this because, YES, you are still sleeping with us. Well me, because daddy has been away a lot this month with work. You wake up all through the night and sit up and start talking then you fall back down because you are SO tired. HA! It is pretty funny but not when I am trying to sleep :) You are usually awake by 7:30 most mornings, but SOMETIMES you let me sleep till' 8 or so ;) I am being told by numerous people that I HAVE to get you into your crib. Daddy really isn't pushing it much, although I know he wants to have his space at night, but he knows it is hard for me. You keep me company when he is gone, and I like having you in my bed because I know you are safe. Hopefully soon though I can get tough and get you in your crib :( :).

You are into EVERYTHING and you get SO mad when I pull you away from something you are not supposed to be into. You're goal every day is to get into the laundry room, where the cat food and litter box is. I close the door when I see you head that way and you throw a FIT! You also love to go into cabinets and have recently started gaining interest in the toilet. Daddy caught you about a second before you stuck your hands in the toilet a few weeks ago :) You like to play with electrical outlets that are being used and you like to push your luck and see how far we will let you stick your hands in the trash can, too. While you are doing these things you are saying "No no!". It's so hard to get on someone SO cute but tough love is best, baby!

We love you so much and are savoring these last moments with you as our 'baby' girl! Although you will soon be 'Miss Independent' you will always be my baby girl--no matter how old you get! Happy 11 Month Birthday, sweet baby girl!

XOXO,

Pretty Girl

Here are a few photos I snapped for Paislee's birthday invitations. I have a few more that I like but I don't know which ones I want to use yet, so some of you might be seeing these again ;)

XOXO,

Paislee's 1st Valentine's Day

I know, I haven't done this for any other holiday and I pick the most important (not) to post a blog like this. Oh well, this is the first V-day I have spent with Jason since....oh I dunno....ever? So I'm feeling a little mushy even though I normally hate this holiday. Plus, he got me an edible arrangement--something I have wanted for oh....forever!!

Happy Valentine's / Single's Awareness Day!

Absolutely LOVE this face. Isn't it the cutest?

Really getting into photo editing....kinda want to start my own photography business....I know, big dreams :)

Yummmmmy!

XOXO--especially today!

10 Months

I can't believe you are already 10 months old! You weigh ~21 pounds and are 29 inches long. You are wearing size 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. Can we stop time for a while? I'm not ready for my baby girl to be 1!!!

You are into EVERYTHING! Everything you are not supposed to be into at least. You go into any cabinet that you see and pull everything out of it. We have baby proofed most of the cabinets in the house but sometimes I will open them and let you play with pots and pans. I can't resist that perfect face :) You also love to play in the blinds at the sliding glass door, and will sit there for a good 10-20 minutes just playing. Your favorite place of all though, is the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs. You want me to leave it open for you and you swing on it! Little monkey!

You are just the smartest thing, I can't believe you are MINE! I am wondering if it is a normal thing for you to be talking so much at your age. You say: ma ma, da da, kitty, bye bye, heyyyyyyy, baby, ball, duck, dog, more and meow (MOW!!!!). And you know what they all mean, if I ask you to get your duck or baby or ball--you will find it and get it! And anytime you see a baby, whether its a cartoon, a real baby, a picture or a doll you say "Baby!!!!". I love it and I just can't get enough!!!  

You are THIS close to taking your first step. You have started standing up with no help, and are really thinking about taking a step. Your Grandma Jan (Me Me) is coming up this week for your Dedication at church, and she swears she will have you walking before you leave....yeah yeah Me Me, we'll see!

Your sleeping is pretty regular and dependable now. You go to bed between 9:30-11:00 and wake up around 9:00 am either way. You take 1-2 naps a day, usually an hour or so a piece. 

You are getting a little better at eating solid foods. We pretty much just give you some of what we are having every night unless it's something you can't have or I can't adapt to fit your needs--then I boil some potatoes and you eat them pretty well. :) You love cheerios too! 

You have the brightest personality! Also the strongest, most stubborn. You are my little 'mini me' that's for sure! You are so happy as long as you are getting your way, and you squeal a LOT! I was talking to your Aunt Heather earlier and she said you sounded like one of those tropical birds squawking! haha :) 

Well, we are down to the last couple of months of your first year. It has flown by and it can slow down, anytime! I am still preparing for your royal birthday party, it's going to be extra extravagant ;)

I love you little Princess! 

XOXO,

Oh, I forgot I had a blog....

Hello Everyone :)

If there is anyone still out there?

Man, life can get busy. Not that that is my excuse for not blogging. I have a lot of time on my hands since I stay at home all day, every day. I just don't have any time for myself.  And when I do have time for myself, I eat, do laundry, use the bathroom, shower, and occasionally get ready. And all usually with a baby hanging on my legs. And since that is all I ever do, I don't have anything exciting to blog about! Hence my absence from the blogging world. I guess I could blog about Christmas, but everyone already knows what we did for Christmas, so that might be boring :)

I am in the beginning stages of planning Paislee's very first birthday party, and I am so excited. I am going to go ALL out. At least as much as possible. We are having her party at my mom's house, so I can't invite 5,000 people like I would like to. And we are not rolling and the dough so I can't buy everything that I want to, but I sure am going to come as close as possible :) This is a big occasion, not just for Paislee but for Jason and I as well. We made it through the first year without any major happenings!

We had a baby in Alaska--I know, you people are wondering "HOW did she have a baby in Alaska? They don't have hospitals, all the have are igloos, etc, etc." After that, Paislee and I flew from Alaska to NC when she was 3 months old, Jason drove from Alaska to NC--all with no major happenings, which I am very thankful for! THEN, we moved to Maine. Again, with no major happenings. We moved into a new house, visited NC, joined a fabulous new church and met some wonderful friends that we can call family while we are here in Maine. We survived a long 4 month separation from Jason, and went home for Christmas-which we didn't get to do last year. We have made 3, 13 hour trips from NC to ME with Paislee, and no meltdowns. Now that, is a miracle. Paislee cut her first tooth and is now working on another. She is crawling everywhere, and pulling up and standing by herself and trying her hardest to figure out the next big thing--walking. Lord help us. All of this with no trips to the hospital, and no therapy. AND we all still love each other :).

I would definitely say that this is cause for a celebration. And a big one. Paislee has (almost) made it through her first year, and so have Jason and I. It has definitely been a tough year, but I am so thankful for everything that I have. The military life isn't always easy, I don't see my husband as often as I would like and he isn't around for Paislee has often as I would like. BUT, he is a wonderful husband and I wouldn't trade what we have for anything. Not even a house on the beach in NC. Yeah. I love him a lot :) We are lucky to be able to see the country and meet new, wonderful friends every time we move.

So here is to a new year. I hope it is just as good as last year, but much less busy so we can enjoy Maine, and each other before 2012, when it all happens again-a big move. I will post little things here and there (or at least I say that now, it probably won't happen and you will probably just hear from me every month on the 25th, Paislee's b-day, ha!) about Paislee's birthday planning. I have already done quite a bit of planning but I don't want to post it all because I want some surprises for the big day and Paislee likes to read my blog so. I guess those of you who will be there will just have to wait until the big day, and those who won't will have to wait until I have time to post after her 1st birthday. You will probably be waiting a while. Happy New Year!

XOXO,