Wednesday, June 9, 2010

10 Weeks Old Today

Love my girl's yawns, giggles, squeals, smiles, toots and sneezes. All of her noises and facial expressions are such a crack up!
She's always sucking on that bottom lip:)
love Daisy's sort of serious expression in this picture with me. Wish I knew what goes on in that head of hers sometimes:0 What I do know is that she is so beautiful and precious to me!
Being a Silly Baby
I'll try to keep this post brief since I ramble on far to often in each of Daisy's weekly updates:-). I have no idea how much Daisy weighs or how long she is because she hasn't had an appointment since she was 3 weeks old which seems like a long time to go without a checkup! We have a 3 month check up in two weeks so I'll find those things out then and she will be getting several shots which I am dreading. We'll see how that all goes. I absolutely love Daisy's healthy chub and I have even come up with several endearing nick names for her; Chubby Bunny, Pork Chop, Chunky Monkey, love muffin, teddy bear, Cuddle Bug and Grandma Abby likes to call her fluffy because it sounds the nicest:). I could kiss her round, soft cheeks all day long and love those chunky legs!!

I'm beginning to realize that Daisy has separation anxiety quite a bit these days. It isn't usually a problem with babies this young but, the more I have read up on it it appears that really observant babies can become aware of a parent leaving them as early as two months. Daisy is 10 weeks old so she fits the bill. With separation anxiety babies get very nervous around foreign smells, faces and sounds and they can cry continuously for hours on end if exhaustion doesn't kick in first. My next child could be completely different as it is simply a personality thing but, fortunately they do outgrow it. It's just a matter of when. Daisy does really well with others for a little while but, then she hits this point where she just melts down and that is when I am the only one who can reason with her and calm her back down. She has been crying a ton with the nanny this week and it breaks my heart into itty bitty pieces because, I know it's not because she's hungry or tired, or gassy but, simply because she doesn't understand why I left and doesn't know if I'll come back and it stresses her out. The nanny really does try her best to calm Daisy and make her feel comfortable but, it doesn't work for some reason. In time, Lord willing! Oye, the life of a mommy:(

I came up with an idea for a cute photo shoot for Daisy finally. It might only be cute in my head but, I won't know unless I try so stay tuned for those fun pictures sometime soon.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Visitors Welcome

I have been meaning to post this for ages. Better late than never right:). Anyhoo, I keep our blog open intentionally because I am happy to share our story, pictures etc. with family, friends and even visitors that might just be stopping by. Granted, I might change my mind about that someday and make this blog private, but for now please know that I welcome comments even if I don't personally know you. A few ladies have left comments on our blog lately and it was a treat to get their feedback so thank you for stopping by:). I have a handful of blogs that I love to follow but, I don' t personally know the people so I have refrained from commenting on their posts because I don't want to freak them out. I have been so blessed, encouraged, inspired and stirred by reading about other people's ups/downs and life stories on their blogs! I will not be freaked out if you leave a comment so please feel free to do so now or anytime in the future:-)
Sunday, June 6, 2010

Slacking - In My Opinion

Joey was kind enough to get a couple of pics of mama and baby girl during bath time since I hand't gotten any yet. Daisy LOVES bath time and now splashes water (with her feet) all over the counter. I think the tub might be getting a tad too small for her already!
Would you believe that I haven't hardly taken a single picture of Daisy since I started working...well, I've taken a few but, that's it and that is SO unlike me. I guess I've gotten kind of bored of putting her in all of the same places for pictures and I've been trying to think of new things to try but, evidently my creativity has taken a leave of absence cuz I got nothin'! lol.

I read in the news that Coach John Wooden passed away a couple of days ago. The company I work for published a couple of books for Coach Wooden and I had the honor of meeting him at a book signing and even got a picture with him, which I hoped to find and scan for a post on the blog but, I've yet to locate it. Anyways, coach Wooden led the UCLA Bruins basketball team to more victories than any other coach in history...if I'm getting the facts right here. He was an extraordinary coach and has left an incredible legacy behind but, far more important than his athletic accolades was his consistent, steady faith all the days of his life. Guys like Coach Wooden are a rarity these days and I'm sure he will be missed by so many! I'm just so happy that after all his years of faithful service to the King of Kings, he is now dancing with the angels and sitting at the feet of Jesus free from any ache or pain and he is with his wife again:). Just wanted to give a shout out because he was an awesome man!

Joey had an uber productive day today. He pulled everything (literally everything) out of our garage, power washed the floor and then slowly went through everything. He threw lots of stuff away and reorganized everything and it looks amazing and tidy now. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to organization and keeping things neat so I couldn't be more proud of my guy! :-)

I promise I will get some new and wonderful pictures of Daisy this week for her 10 week photo shoot:). Yikes, 10 weeks!! Eek.

Wish me luck...or better yet thanks for those prayers. Tomorrow is another long work week so let's hope it's a smoother road this time.
Friday, June 4, 2010

Long Week


It has been a super duper long and exhausting week. Let's just say that it tested my endurance and then some and it really had nothing to do with Daisy, though she is a lot of work:). I was just juggling one to many things and as it turns out, I'm not an energizer bunny after all. lol I won't bore you with the details (so unlike me I know:), but if you think to, say a prayer for me that I sleep better so that I have the energy for these brutal long week days and that the Lord would continue to teach me how to balance my life to the best of my ability but, in His strength, not mine. I'm pooped, beat, deader than a door nail:). lol

In other less negative news: Daisy is over 9 weeks old now! Holy moly my kid is growing way too fast!! Daisy is now much more strategic about sticking her fist in her mouth and sucking on her hands and she does it quite a bit. We went for a walk last night and she preferred her fist to her pacifier during the entire walk. It's funny because she slobbers all over the place and it's quite messy (hilarious though) and she makes such loud smacking noises the entire time. Cracks me up! I just have to make sure she doesn't throw her fist into her eye instead of her mouth which has unpleasant results for both of us! hahahha.

We have lots of diaper blow outs now. That is fun lemme tell yah! I'm sure it only gets better as they get older and their diapers get even fuller!! :) Daisy is sort of in between diaper sizes 1 and 2. 1 is very snug on her but, 2 is still too big so neither is a great fit. We have been putting her in size 2 because it's what we have but, I think that might be the cause of these blowouts. I had her in a super cute outfit this morning and was so excited for her to wear it today and then BAM, Daisy must have disagreed because she soiled the heck out of it!

Daisy has started to squeal in excitement when I am chatting with her. I LOVE hearing that squeal of delight! She still doesn't talk nearly as much as I would like to listen to her but, I suppose that just makes it that much more priceless when she does. I probably only get a long happy chatter out of Daisy maybe 3-4 times a day for about 5 minutes each. Tiki, her play mat Octopus (like the name we came up with for him?) gets more smiles than I do some days. I'm jealous! :). lol.

Laying on a blanket on the floor, talking to Tiki on her play mat, watching her mobile spin around in her crib, short walks around the block in her stroller and over the shoulder holding times are still Daisy's favorite things to do. Just this week I noticed that Daisy seemed to want to be held more than to be left alone which is new but, I have to hold her in an upright position so she can look out over my shoulder, suck on her fist which is propped up on my shoulder and scope out the world around her. Is my kid particular or what?? Ah well, I love her to pieces regardless.

Daisy is definitely a mama's girl at this point and is so chill and wonderful with me and I'm not bragging as it can actually make things more of a challenge (more for me and my tender mama heart) when I want to hand Daisy off to anyone else. At this point I am the only one that can console Daisy when she is fussy and boy can she get fussy with other people. I do love that she loves me so much but, I am glad that these things are just phases that she will out grow. At this point it has been hard for me to even want to leave her with anyone because I know she tends to get really histarical due to different handling styles etc. and it kills me to think of her screaming endlessly and me not being there to comfort her and calm her down. I know this is all first time mother protectiveness and blah blah blah but, I can't help it. Hmmm, maybe you should pray about that for me too:). Everyday is a learning experience for me in this whole new world of mommydom. I'm trying my best to balance my sensitive love for my daughter and my need to keep living in other ways too. Can anyone relate??

Nanny Nikki is still a great fit for Daisy. I really couldn't have found a more attentive, patient and calm young woman for the job on such short notice. I give God all the glory for that!

Nighttime routine is pretty solid with Daisy at the moment. We put her to sleep between 9:30 and 10, she wakes up 2-3 times a night briefly so we give her the pacifier really quick and generally she makes it like clock work to about 5 or 6 AM before she is ready to get the heck out of her crib. Then I roll out of bed like a zombie, nurse her and then she will usually tolerate me putting her in the swing for a little bit so I can take a nap before starting my day. We've got a pretty good system down these days and I am so thankful for that. It's still super tiring to get so little uninterrupted sleep but, it's soooooo much better than life with a super duper newborn so I'm not complaining.

And now ladies and gentlemen, you are officially caught up on the life and times of Daisy, Casey and Joey...well, not really Joey I suppose. Ummm, let me think...Joey made the most killer salsa last night! He combined two recipes and used lots of fresh cilantro (yummy!!), garlic, spices, toamtoes etc. and it was bomb diggity!! It was so cute seeing Joey all excited about his "cooking" experiment and I also have to give Joey kuddos for again doing a fabulous job of grocery shopping for us last night. He has been trying so hard to pick up as much slack as he can around the house for me since I am also juggling a full time job and I am really thankful to him for that! Love you baby!

California Bound

The awesome Auntie and the cutie pie niece:) Thanks for curling my hair Jess!!
Jess and the big bro:) See, Daisy gets her smirk from her Daddy:)
Jess and her guy, Noah. It was a pleasure meeting you Noah!

Joey's sister, Jessica got a great job opportunity back in California, so early yesterday morning she and a friend who flew in to drive with her, packed up the car and started out across the country from NC to CA. I loved having Jess here in NC with us and I know Daisy enjoyed seeing her Auntie too but, we are happy for Jess and wish her the best in the new job!! Hope to see you out here again soon Jessie!! xoxo
Thursday, June 3, 2010

Swagger Wagon - Funny!

Most people that know me know that I am not a personal fan of driving a minivan however; I will never deny that they are so much better suited for a family than my irritating, non door sliding SUV. I know that someday I will cave and get a van because they are all around more practical and comfortable for a growing family...but, I'm not there yet:). You have probably already seen this video but, I couldn't help but post it in case a few of you missed it. It cracks me and Joey up! Who wouldn't want a Swagger Wagon???
Tuesday, June 1, 2010

4 Pack Memorial Day Fun

The three girls of the four pack, Daisy, Lila (not enjoying being smashed in the middle) and Raelyn. I love how different the babies all look and act. They are all so beautiful and unique. It's such a blast to get together with the other families and their children:). Can you tell Daisy's face is saying, "mom, why are you doing this to me? My ears hurt:)." lol
Raelyn has the most striking blue eyes and they really pop against her amazing thick brown hair:). Lila is so dainty and also has gorgeous blue eyes and porcelain skin. Daisy has a slight olive tint to her skin and has the darkest eyes of the 4 pack. I'm guessing she got those things from her daddy:).
This is the start of the couch photo shoot with the 4 pack and you will see that things went as well as could be expected with 4 very small babies:). These pictures crack me up because so much happened in such a short period of time and each baby had their own expression and mood going on. So awesome!! These kids are already best buds and they don't even know it! Love Sam's smile in this picture up top! Enjoy the series....lol



Beautiful little Lila bean
Lila is already rolling over and it looks like that is what she is wanting to do in this picture below:)
Sam and his lovely mama Lindsey - the host of our memorial day BBQ - Thank you!
Sam and his Daddy Todd - also the host and helped get a great smile out of Sam:)
These pictures did not turn out like I envisioned. It'll be a better idea when they are older and can sit up on their own though:).
4 little babies sitting in a wheelbarrow - just hanging out:)
Sam rocking his million dollar smile!
We all had a great time hanging out together on Memorial Day. We BBQ'd hamburgers and ate lots of yummy food and had cheesecake for dessert (thank you Todd and Lindsey!). It's amazing how much the babies have all changed over the past few months. It is such a treat to be a part of their lives from day one on! Stay tuned for many, many more 4 pack photo shoots in the future:).