14 Months Looks Like This

Today my little darling is 14 months old

And just like every other day gone by

I marvel at how fast the time has flown

and I marvel at how big my little girl is
I could not be more thankful for her presence in my life

Her simple words these days are:

Upee - for pick me up but, also for all done....interesting but true 

Nums - food and snacks

Bye and Hi as often as she can and if you don't say hi back it hurts her feelings (MR. at Target lol)

oof oof - her way of barking like a dog

mahmeh - for mommy 

mehmeh - for daddy....poor daddy (lol)

She understands a TON of what we say now such as...

Do you want a snack, breakfast, lunch, or num num (all food and the answer is NUMS)

Where is your ball, car, book, toys, bucket, blankie, poppy (pacifier), belly

I'm going to get you (when we play chase...her favorite right now!)

Is Daddy home (she can hear his truck pull up in the driveway now)

Is that a doggie (her response oof oof)

Daisy you cannot touch that (her response, deathly silence and she freezes with a look of horror on her face...it is hilarious)

Do you want to go bye bye (she loves to leave the house)

Lets go for a walk

Give me kisses (she gives THE BEST kisses) slobbery of course

She is ALWAYS walking now accept when she falls 

at which point she has to crawl to the nearest thing that she can pull up on 

She knows how to stand without relying on anything but, she hasn't quite figured out how 

to do this with ease yet. 

She hates crawling and thus gets upset when she falls

because she doesn't want to have to crawl to something to stand. 

She calls for me mahmeh mahmeh while sitting there on the ground

I walk over to her and stand by her 

Then she uses my leg to stand up and is happy again.

Silly girl! lol

She still has separation anxiety though she has gotten a little better

WHEW! Big sigh of relief for this progress

She still clings to me in new places or around people she feels shy around.

If people give her time she almost always warms up

and will eventually go to them without being forced 

Give her time people. lol

In fact just this weekend at two separate get togethers

She reached for two different women that she doesn't know that well

and wanted them to hold her a lot. Men...not so much.

I was baffled as she has never done that before.

It was really cute actually to see my little gal being content with someone else.

Also, it blesses me when other people take the time to enjoy my daughter.  

I think when my friends love on my little girl that they are loving me.

Can any of you relate to this?

Random things for record keeping:
Has 12 teeth and is currently cutting the four incisors very slowly

*Wears size 4 diapers

*Wears size 12 month shorts and dresses, 18 month pants, leggings and shirts

 *Wears size 4 shoes just this week actually

*Just when I thought we were making progress she got super picky about food

She doesn't want to eat anything really

Just crackers, bread, sandwiches, canned pears, peaches or applesauce, yogurt, rice, fries and chicken nuggets...pizza, junk food.  Dear goodness what did I do wrong here???

*Sleeps from around 7:45-6:15 (if I am lucky as she never has been a big sleeper)

*Naps from 9 or 9:30 until around 10:45 (if I am lucky)

*Loves bath time and makes a big wet mess...why I bother showering I will never know

*loves water.  IF she finds a puddle, a dog bowl, or a sink...or toilet she will find a way to splash in it

*Enjoys walks but, we have to keep them shorter these days or she does get bored and noisy

*Is bored of all of her toys and doesn't enjoy being in the house much anymore...makes my day more challenging for sure

*Walks 24/7

*Sits forward facing in her carseat as of yesterday.  We did this to help keep her cooler and because we felt it was time...no judging people.  We have no air vents in the back of our car and with this 98 degree heat she was drenched in sweat by the time we drive anywhere because the air wasn't getting to her.  NO bueno.  This is much better and we love being able to see her!

*The biggest news - I stopped nursing as of last week.  It's been four days now with no nursing at all.  She has been fussy in the early morning especially because she wants to nurse but, with extra cuddles and a sippy cup she gets through it.  It has been WONDERFUL to have my freedom to come and go back again. I am really loving it and am not sad that nursing is gone.  I had a great run and feel very blessed! 

*She LOVES playing with other kids and loves when people engage with her.  She loves attention and being acknowledged.  She is a genuine sweetheart and really wants to connect with people.  My little sensitive gal. 

*Loves eating crackers and otter pops...bad mommy I know

*Enjoys cartoons that have songs.  The rest bores her right now

*Hates having her diaper changed or getting dressed so we do those things minimally

*If she is tired she will go find her blanket and pacifier and lay on the ground and burrow her face in. Adorable!
*LOVES reading books about dogs.  The more animated I get the more she enjoys the books!
*Climbs on everything.  Scares me to death.
*Gets in to EVERYTHING!! Our dresser drawers, bathroom drawers, kitchen cabinets..MESSES are endless.  I know you all know what I'm talking about. lol
*Is afraid of loud things: vacuums, dishwashers, garage doors etc.  She hangs tightly on my leg and cries until the noise stops.

*Walking outside is her absolute favorite thing to do if she doesn't have a baby buddy to play with.  I do not like her on our uber rough concrete though as she skins her knees every single time she falls which is often so we don't go out enough to play.  I really need a big outdoor mat or rug!

*Loves flipping the light switches up and down and seeing the lights or fan go on and off.
*Loves picking heavy things up.  She bends her knees and squats down low and then lifts and grunts.  It's like watching a baby she woman when she lifts her entire sand/water activity center over her head...kinda crazy.
*Still loves our cell phones and will now chat with people on the phone..babble but, very cute!
*likes to put her feet out for me to put her shoes on and likes to stick her feet into my shoes or carry my shoes around the house

Above: She is flirting with her Daddy.  She loves him SO much! and below: clapping for us.  A good sign that she is VERY happy.

My little explorer.  Happiest when she is walking around and soaking up new sights

I love the below picture.  It looks like she is reaching for something in the Heavens that only she can see.  Hmmmm...Or perhaps she is praising Jesus! That would be awesome:)

Daisy is a joy.  She is a little love bug a sensitive little soul, a lively personality, a buddy, a tease, a flirt, a friend, silly, shy, expressive, daring, animal loving, book fan baby girl.  Happy 14 months angel of our lives!

14 Month Old Love Bug

More of this cuteness coming your way tomorrow! 

Happy Happy Memorial Day to everyone! I hope you are all having a blessed day with family and friends.  Thank you so much to all who have served and died in service to this country.  I am so grateful for my freedom and the equal rights that this country offers.  What a beautiful thing to live in the USA! We are having a good ol' BBQ with some friends later.  Yummy Steak!

Master Bedroom Inspiration

Our master bedroom is blah blah blah. I have a nice black furniture set that my hubby and I got when we got married. It's a queen and we would both like to get a King sized set someday...and our room would work better with a larger bed buuutttt, we are thankful for what we have regardless. We have painted a really nice soft sage color on the walls and I am content with it. I need to find bedding, curtains and and decorative accessories. I don't have the $$ to carry out this redo at this time but, I have the time to dream about it! I looked at a log of google images online and realized that I am definitely drawn more towards cottage, chic and even a little bit vintage style bedrooms. I like comfort, cozy and warm. Here are some random images from Google that caught my eye for some quality or another.

SO what would your dream master bedroom look like?

Momma In Focus

Hi Moms! Another week of Momma In Focus and this week's them is LOVE.  What theme could be more fun and relevant for a mom and child snapshot.  I seriously had a million ideas of what I wanted to do for this theme but, decided to keep it simple and made this scrapbook heart instead.  This heart is so cute to look at...I would hang it on a wall if I could make it work (I won't haha). 

With every passing day I think I love my little gal more if that is even possible.  As she gets older, learns how to communicate with me, to express herself more and to show me that she loves me it melts my heart.  I adore her and I know each of you feel the same way about your little ones.  Just yesterday when I was swaying with Daisy in my arms and about to put her down for a nap, I felt my heart ache with that feeling of "oh my, this is going too fast.  I can't keep her little forever and it almost makes me sad how quickly these moments go."  I took in a deep breath of the smell of her hair and rested my cheek on her head.  I think I could have cried if I let myself.  Yes, a mother's love runs deep.  Very, very deep. 
I look forward to seeing your captures of LOVE for this past week! I hope you are all doing well and have a great 3 day weekend!!

Did I mention that I am so happy that Scotty won American Idol!! Woohoo!!

Next week's prompt:  BLUE/TURQUOISE ( I know turquoise isn't an easy color for everyone to come by so blue is just fine too!) Again, the sky is the limit with this promt! Have fun!

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Being Encouraged By Discouragement

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4

I haven't checked my photography e-mail account in about a week now so I decided to hop on there really quick and see if I have had any responses to my Craigslist adds for family photography sessions.  I had a lot of junk e-mail, (the usual spam from Craigslist) and one that looked promising like a possible response to my add.  I felt a little flutter of excitement and opened the e-mail only to feel quite crushed after reading it.

In short the e-mail was from someone (albeit another professional photographer better than me), who took a little extra time out of their day (thank you so much...) to critique my photography.  They pointed out the flaws in my work and told me what I should do to get better shots.  Basically, what I read was that what I have put my heart and soul into is not good enough for this particular person.  I stood at my counter looking at the e-mail and unfortunately felt my heart sink with discouragement.  I know my photography is far from perfect.  I know I still have a lot to learn about manual exposures and post processing.  I know that sometimes my lighting is off.  I know that I am not a Photoshop Wizard.  I know that there are a million other photographers out there better than me.  Every day I feel the urge to give up.  I feel the voices of doubt telling me that I am not good enough and that they are so much better....the voices that say that I will never get that good and that I shouldn't post my pictures because they are an embarrassment.  I feel inadequate in so many things but, photography brings me joy regardless of whether or not my pictures are perfect.  It is one of the only hobbies I have ever stuck with in my life and that I have cracked away at despite the enemies constant efforts to rob me of this love and passion. 

I have come so far over the past 3 years since I started aggressively pursuing photography.  I am so proud of how much I have learned and I am fully aware that I will always need to keep growing and learning.  I will never arrive because I always want to keep learning.  I will never be perfect because there is no such thing.  I will never turn my nose up at another aspiring photographer and crush their dreams because dreams are wind beneath our wings.

All this to say that in spite of the fact that the e-mail was discouraging on many levels, I am also encouraged because in some respects the critiques that this person gave me are valid points (though I was already aware of these flaws).  I do need to work on the things mentioned.  I want to prove to this random stranger that I can get better and will! I want to prove to myself that I am not as weak as I once was.  I am not going to let an obstacle like this, in my path hold me back anymore.  The old me would have thrown the towel in a long time ago but, I am not that person anymore. I will fight for this dream!  Dreams don't come easily right.  We have to really chase them down sometimes.  We have to overcome many hurdles, set backs, failures and discouragements.  This is one dream I'm not willing to let go of.  I see my future and I see photography in it all the days of my life.  I see the people I will be able to bless with memories capture through photographs.  I see that even if my name is never written in a fancy book that sits on someones table that I will still love what I do.  I do this for me and to bless others and that is all.  No fame needed, no star, no magazine publications, though all that would be flattering, that is not why I am doing this.  Just being me.  A mom and a wife with a camera and a little dream. 

I shared this today simply to encourage all of you!  Whatever your dream is, great or small, don't let it go.  Don't let the enemy who comes to steal, kill and destroy, steal your dreams.  Now don't get me wrong, being realistic is something to consider, but nonetheless, GO FOR IT!  You will hear LOTS of voices in your head telling you to give up (not the crazy voices hopefully! haha), obstacles, people who mean well but, say the wrong thing and you may have to TRY TRY TRY to get there.   Don't ever give up.  If you know in your heart that God has promised this to you then don't stop till you get there.  Sometimes there will be forks in the road and we will learn to go a different direction and we need to be okay with that too.  Keep your heart open so that you can receive what God wants you to receive and not just what you think you should receive.

Carpe Diem my friends

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand. Psalm 37:23-24

All About Daisy

I have not been posting nearly as many Daisy pictures as I used to...well, I haven't been blogging nearly as much as I used to for that matter.  The only reason for the changes is that I have been busy, busy, busy.  Most nights I am so busy trying to stay on top of my photo session editing that I don't have time to blog or edit my own personal pictures.  This is just a season though.  There will be more slow seasons in the future and I will actually welcome them when they come.  Then you will see a lot more of Daisy again.  This post is for family primarily because I know they all LOVE their daily dose of Daisy.  She is such a SILLY girl.  So sweet, so sensitive to tone and stern voices, social when mommy and daddy are around and rather shy when we are not.  She is quite a little personality.  

These pictures below crack me up.  Daisy got a hold of this decorative black chair and decided that she liked sitting on it and playing with her mirror.  She gets us laughing until we are doubled over!  The rest of the pics are self explanitory.  Daisy loves to help us with the dishwasher, loves playing with my phone, loves being outside on our back patio (though I don't love the rough concrete....not good for her knees!), loves smiling and giving kisses.  I will be posting her 14 month post soon! 

American Idol finale tonight....Scotty or Lauren...we voted for Scotty a lot last night.  Both are talented and sweet kids but, I live in NC so Scotty has my vote!

Monday Mash Up

I always get to the point where I have a bunch of random pictures and updates and there simply is no way to do a single post for each silly little thing so today is my mash up day again! haha First in the mash up is a step out picture.  I haven't done one in ages and as I looked through my past step out pics I was ALWAYS in pants so I realized it was time to dress up a bit.  This was what I wore to church two Sundays ago.  I love how comfortable and chic this dress is (got it at Nordstroms on their clearance wrack) and because my legs are still deathly white, I love that comfy leggings are a perfect solution for that! I don't like wearing dresses because I have a one year old and need to be able to bend over and run around without yah know....flashing anyone but, every now and then it feels good to dress girly!!

                                                  Dress: Nordstroms
                                                 Leggings: Christmas gift from Express (thanks sissy)
                                                 Shoes: I think Target
                                                 Jewelry: Rue 21
                                                 Fake smile: 100% ah naturallll

 Second in the mash up are two sneak peaks from my engagement session last weekend.  I have SO many pictures that I love and in fact am waiting to post my favorites until the end when they are all done.  Don't want to give away the best till last but, these were adorable too! I know Christina from my church and she also asked me to shoot her bridals and her wedding in August.  It'll be my first wedding so it's a big deal and I am so thankful that she his taking a chance on me!  This couple is seriously the sweetest bunch of love ever.
They did whatever I asked and giggled and laughed the whole time. Love them!

  And last but, certainly not least we got a special visit from my Great Aunt Jane and my cousin Lindsey last weekend.  Jane is my mom's Dad's sister.  Did you follow that?  She lives in Georgia but, I haven't seen her in years and years.  My Grandpa (her brother) passed away several years ago now and it was so special to see Jane because I see so much of my Grandpa in her eyes and face.  Miss him.  Lindsey actually lives locally and yet we have never met up before so it was a treat to see her after all these years as well.  Daisy LOVED Jane's cell phone and loved the lights and beeps.  I think she turned it on and off a few times to.  I am thankful that Jane didn't mind as phones are D's favorite thing right now...especially if they are real! Thanks for stopping by you two!  Love Daisy's pretty dark eyes in the second pic.  She is growing up SO fast!!

Momma In Focus

This week's prompt (though I forgot to post it initially..whoops!) was fun!! It's so easy to have fun with a child.  In fact, I feel like since having a child that I have learned to enjoy the simple pleasures in life so much more.  I love going to toys r us now (hated it for years), going to parks, long walks, playing with the neighborhood cats and dogs, sitting outside on a pile of rocks so Daisy can play, splashing in the hose, waving at every person and car that drives by, stacking blocks, tearing open the mail, dancing and getting slobbery kisses..  My little Daisy bug is FUN!I get endless laughs everyday just for being her momma.  

She is a joy in every way.  Love you Daisy girl!

Next week's prompt: LOVE (could be kisses, hugs, doing an activity that you all love to do together, or using the word love as a prop!)  And no pressure ever to link up k.  This is something I would do with or without a link up.  I'm okay if no one links ups;0.  I do this for my own enjoyment and memory keeping and I hope you do too!

I hope you are all having a fantastic week!! Much love! xo

 And in American Idol News....

I have to say that I was so happy to see that Scotty and Lauren are in the top two.  They both have great voices and great attitudes and I would be happy to see either one win though to be honest Scotty has our vote simply because he is from our state!! NC pride baby!! GO SCOTTY!!  hehe Who are you rooting for in the final two?

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