Call me crazy...

I have a knack for making extra work for myself. There's often a super easy way of doing things but instead I spend hours figuring out a way to make it more complex before I attempt to do it. Liara's birthday party is no exception.

I've decided that I want to have a birthday party for her in the US so that at least SOME family can come and some of her US friends too... they miss out on all the fun over here. I'm really looking forward to it now that I've committed myself into doing it, but my goodness who knew there could be so much planning involved. When are we going to have it? Where? Who is going to come? What should the theme be (picture Nic rolling his eyes here, he hates themed parties)? What should we do for her first party? Oh, there's so much to decide!

Well, I think I've figured most of it out (key word most, not all). I think we'll have it on the 2nd of January (that's a Sunday) mid morning sometime. I haven't picked a time yet, as I haven't made invitations. I think we'll have it at my Mother-in-law's house, just for simplicity (I've yet to actually ask her, but knowing her I'm sure it'll be fine lol). I'm planning on inviting about 5-8 of her little friends and quite a few family members (adults mostly). I'm thinking about having a star theme (I know... boring). However, I'd like to have a box of "wishes" for Liara that the family can make for her at the party and that works (wishing on a star... blah blah blah). That way, she has something to look back on later that means something. I'm sure we'll play some games (I'm a sucker for cheesy party games, so sue me). I was thinking baby bingo (I'll make cards with pictures of Liara over the year instead of numbers... we did the same thing at our engagement party except with pictures of Nic and I). We may even do baby bowling (baby bottle bowling pins...). Who knows what we'll actually do, but I want it to be fun for the kiddos too, some of her friends are already 2! Time flies.

What I've been focusing on however, is the cake. Go figure, me... thinking of food! And here's where I'm crazy- I am going to make it myself. I'm going to make it vegan, in case there are any allergies present (I know a couple of the kids are allergic to dairy for the time being), from the buttercream to the fondant to the cake itself. Yeah. Scary- I've never done that before! Want to know what else is scary? The idea for the cake I want to make:

Ok... it will be a little different color wise, but very similar. Hopefully... that is if I don't fail miserably. We'll see.

She'll have her own smash cake too, I'll sort something out for that. Fun! I can't wait for the party, I've just got to figure out a few more things first! I need to start planning faster though, I need to get those invitations out!

Snowsick

I'm so sick of snow I could scream. I love snow, don't get me wrong, but when it snows NON STOP for two weeks, it gets a little cold, er, I mean old. It makes it hard to go outside to the dryer to get the laundry done (yes, I have to physically leave my house, walk down the walkway and into the little storage room to get to the dryer... talk about inconvenience. But hey, at least we have one I guess). It makes it even harder to take the trash out. Not to mention the fact that Nic gets stuck in the snow every morning on his way to work and doesn't even bother trying to come home for lunch. Well, that is, until today.

The one day in the past two weeks that Nic has tried to come home for lunch time (yay!), it had snowed so much since this morning that his tracks were completely covered and he couldn't get into the driveway (we have a LONG driveway, as we live on a farm). He tried to turn into the freakin thing and kept going straight... I don't think you're supposed to do that. So he just turned around at a bigger road and headed back to work hungry. Poor thing. It makes for such a long day in this house. While we're normally fine staying home all day because of the visit from the mail man, and Daddy coming home for lunch... the snow has made both Liara and I a little cabin crazy. We're on our own all day (even the mailman won't attempt to come to our house in this weather, we haven't had mail in a week and a half) and that's an awful long time for no other human interaction besides the "what shall we do today" people on the Disney Channel.

We're supposed to leave in 10 days for our holiday vacation to the US and I cannot wait! I think Liara is just as excited... every day when we look at the pictures on the wall (Grandma, Grandpa, Mamo, Papa, Aunt Raime, Uncle Joey, Cousins Raisa, Taylor and Dax, Tia Karin and Tio Jonathan) she squeals a little and then kicks me like I'm a horse so I'll move on to the next one.

I'm a wee bit grumpy and I apologize for that. Perhaps it's because I can't manage to keep this little house clean since I have a champion mess maker following me around everywhere. I swear, as soon as I put my clothes in my drawers and turn around to put Nic's away, she's pulled all mine back out again. Or perhaps it's because after I finish sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor she decides that she'd prefer to pour her drink on the floor and smear the pieces of cheese and grapes around as well. What am I doing you ask? Oh, just trying to do the mountain of dishes with no hot water from the tap (I have to boil it in the kettle first instead since it takes an hour to warm up the water and even then it isn't hot enough).

I love love love having my daughter around all the time, and I am super thankful for every single second that I get with her. Hell, I end up laughing most of the time (on the inside...) when I see that she's destroyed my newly folded pile of clothes or decided that she needs to pull out every single wipe from her wipes container. She's just curious about her world and is trying to figure things out, and I'm all about letting her experiment and discover things. I just wish she'd learn to clean things back up as fast as she makes messes. I pick up the living room about 40 times on average per day... no joke (that's roughly every 15 minutes except for during nap times) just so it's not a complete disaster zone. My guess is that is probably the reason for the weight loss... constant activity.

My favorite part of her mess making is when she pauses whatever she's doing because she's heard a noise (either from one of her toys, or the tv, or the radio or even me singing) and then she just busts out dancing. She loves to dance, and I love to watch her (and dance along most of the time). She reminds me of myself at her age, and I adore that. She can't help but move around and dance if there's music playing.

Ok, I'm off to ignore the mess that has taken my living room captive to enjoy a nice little nap with my baby. Who knows, maybe there'll be a heat wave and all the snow will be gone by the time we wake up (who am I kidding... not even Texas heat could get rid of three feet in like an hour and a half). We'll have to try and shovel a bit when we wake up... wish me luck.

Thankful... so thankful.

I'm very thankful for this sweet baby right here. My life has been enhanced so much this year and I can't tell you how in love I am still. You'd think we had just brought her home yesterday or something. Every day is a new experience for her and I'm so thankful that I get to share that with her and Nic. My family is my world and I am so humbled that they are here with me. I don't deserve them, they are way too special. I'm thankful for those beaming eyes and sweet little cheeks... don't even get me started on that smile.
I'm thankful for my mobile little girl, who I get to hug and kiss every day.
Liara is thankful that Ella let her borrow her butterfly rocker and those cute Minnie Mouse pj's...
Here's Liara and I on Guy Fawkes day... note the fireworks behind us.

I'm so thankful for my little family this year. For my husband, who supports me and is my best friend. For my daughter, who fills my days with laughter and melts my heart with every smile. I may complain a lot about our current living situation, but I'm thankful that we are together and healthy and for the most part, happy. I am so very thankful that we've been blessed with an intelligent, healthy, beautiful, and spirited little girl. I may not be spending Thanksgiving with the majority of my family this year, but I'm spending it with the people who matter most to me, and that's good enough!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We love you and hope you are celebrating this day with a thankful heart too!

I'm so behind

Look who is now trying to open the doors... eek!Here's Liara watching the older kids bob for apples on Halloween :) She refused to wear her hat the whole night... I can't say I blame her though, it had a chin strap to help keep it on and didn't look very comfortable.
Daddy and Liara... I love these two!
Liara and I... it's not the best picture of me, but I'll take it!
Li decided she wanted some Rice Krispies... then proceeded to dump half the box on the floor.

You'd think that as a stay at home mom, I'd have some time to get some stuff done. However, between Liara teething, deciding she only needs one nap a day, and working on Charity stuff this last few weeks... I've had no time to do anything (including the massive pile of dishes on my counter, woe is me). I figured I'd try to be productive today since it's nasty outside (super cold and raining) and we won't be heading out to play. Liara isn't a huge fan of spending a lot of time in the kitchen, but maybe I can convince her to at least stay in there for an hour or so, just so I can get the dishes done- they're doing my head in. I might even throw in a load of laundry or two, that might keep her a little longer since she likes to watch it spin in the washing machine. That's yet another perk of having a front loader- forget that it is more environmentally friendly, it keeps kids occupied for a little bit!

We've had a bit of fun though these past couple of weeks. Liara dressed up as a witch for Halloween and we went to a Halloween party at a friends house to celebrate. It was a lot of fun and Liara had a blast playing with the other kids there. I also got to check out my progress on the wii fit (I had played over there right before our trip to the US in August) and I've lost another stone and 4 pounds (18 pounds). Not bad. Have I mentioned how much I love breastfeeding?! Last night, we went to another friend's house to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day (actually the 5th of November, but they saved the celebration for Sunday night as the weather wasn't cooperating earlier). Liara loved all the fireworks, she ooh'd and bababa'd at them and watched them all, despite the freezing cold wind hitting her smack in the face. We then went inside for some nice hot tea and Fran's Fruitcake (the only fruitcake I've actually enjoyed...). Fiona's dad was laid off last year (or as they say here, made redundant) and had started his own photography studio in a spare room in the house to supplement his income while he went back to school. We didn't plan on having any photos taken (obviously, since Nick had crazy hair and a hoodie on, and I had my jeans rolled up (they got muddy watching the fireworks) and my snowboarding socks on.... stylish), but they insisted that we take some photos. Well, some turned into a thirty minute photoshoot that produced some really adorable pictures. We got to look at them on the camera and they said they'd make some for us (at no cost, thank you!), although I plan to order some anyway. I think we may just go back to him on Liara's birthday for her first year photos, she seemed to like him a lot and it was easy to get some great pictures. If I can, I'll see if I can get them from him to post here... I can't wait to see them again myself!

Anyway- I need to get started on those horrible dishes (I HATE not having a dishwasher in this house, especially since it takes a freaking hour to get the water hot). I just thought I'd give a wee update since it'd been ages.

Whew...

Lately, Liara has decided that she only requires one nap during the day. She hasn't quite picked which one she wants (sometimes it is in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon) but she's pretty sure she only wants to take one. Unless it's a day like yesterday and there are other babies around... then she doesn't want to take one period. While this is all fine and dandy (as long as she's not cranky, it's ok with me), I have yet to get used to this idea as far as chores and things are concerned. It makes it a little difficult to keep things picked up when I don't have any time to re-group and put anything away. We cleaned for a few hours today (yes... Nic helped too!) and were able to get the house the way I like it (spic and span!), we'll see how long it stays that way.

She's been sleeping wonderfully at night still and that makes such a huge difference. It is also the reason that I'm not as concerned with her skipping a nap. She's been sleeping around 10-11 hours at night, then taking a two hour nap, so she's still getting her 12-13 hours that she's used to. It's quite nice for me too, since I usually stay up a few hours after she goes to bed to chill with Nic for a while alone, and I'm still getting like 7 hours sleep straight. It makes a huge difference.

I figured out why Liara's mouth has been hurting her so much (she's requiring her teething tablets and Ibuprofen this week). It's not just the top left eye tooth like I thought, it is the top two front teeth as well. The top right front poked through today and the top left front is just about to do the same. Poor baby has three teeth coming in all at once. I now understand why she's biting EVERYTHING she can get her little mouth on.

Laura and Duncan let us take home a bunch of Ella's old toys that she's outgrown (like a little play table, a giraffe that has a spiral ball thing around it, some electronic books, a box of blocks... etc.) and we've had a blast playing with them today. It's always nice to have new toys around, as you get bored trying to pretend the same ones are fascinating again and again. I'm pretty good at acting enthusiastic about pretty much everything, but it's nice when it is genuine every now and then!

We had dinner guests over tonight. Bob and Matt (one of his programmers from Canada) came over and we had yummy Mexican Lasagna. I had run out of Rotel and cans of chopped green chilies, so I improvised a little and put in some serano peppers instead. It made it a little more spicy than usual (I try to make it pretty mild when there's new people I'm cooking for in case they don't do spicy food), but it went over well. I love having company over, it's so nice to relax in your own house and not have to worry about getting home.

Speaking of home... We're going to go look at a different house to rent this week hopefully. It's in Ellon (a little north of where we are now), but it'd be about the same price as the one we are in and it's bigger. Hopefully the landlords there aren't completely crazy too. We'll see if we like it... if we do we might just be moving again before our trip home in December. Oh joy. That'd be the third house that Liara has lived in... she might just be competing for my record (I've lived in 25 houses and I'm about to be 27).

Ok... I'm off to bed, I've had a headache for the last two hours or so. I think I'm just going to sleep it off and hope it's gone by the morning.

It's been a while

I could just scream, I love this girl so much... she's such a happy baby!

I love this one... she really looks like my side of the family here. :)
While the flash is too bright, I love that she's laughing. I can't get enough!
Here's Liara in the high chair at the restaurant when we went out for my friend Paul's birthday.
And here's my devious little girl climbing in her little toy box for the living room. She's so stinking cute!

Sorry to you all for the lack of posts recently. I've been pretty busy lately and have severely neglected the blog... my apologies.

We've been gearing up for our trip home at Christmas time (yes, I know it isn't even Halloween yet) and trying to get everything planned. Because our trips home are usually pretty quick, I try to plan them all out so I know who I'm supposed to see when, and what we are going to be doing. I've tried super hard to figure out a way to stop by Amarillo, Plainview, and Lubbock, but I'm stumped. While there are a few days available, it would mean more traveling (there's only so many plane rides that a 11 month old can take without losing it) and it would mean trying to cram in three different families in two days. Plus, that's an extra 450 dollars or so that we just don't have at the moment. Hopefully we'll move home sometime soon and it will be easier to make a few trips to visit everyone we'd like to.

On top of trip planning, I've had one teething baby on my hands. While she's still a good girl and is so sweet, her poor gums are giving her a run for her money. She tries to eat everything she can get her little hands on and then screams because she's bit too hard and it gets sore. Bless her heart, she's a little trooper though and will smile for you as soon as it stops hurting. I've tried giving her ibuprofen, teething tablets, teething gel, teething rings, soft things to chew on, etc, and while most of those work temporarily, she's just in pain and it doesn't go away. Hopefully after this tooth comes through (the top left eye tooth) she'll catch a break for a little while. As for sleeping, she's been doing MUCH better. She'll go to sleep at about 9, then wake up again at 11, then sleep through until about 6:30 or so. I can easily deal with that.

Nic's been busy at work as usual. He has his annual review today that I'm excited about. This is his first "annual" review in three years, so it better be a good one. Considering that his programmers haven't done what they had promised so long ago and he has an incomplete product yet has still managed to sell it and make a profit for the company... I'd say he's doing great. The simulator is coming along and will be superb once the guys get their butt in gear and do their thing. It's a shame everyone doesn't have the same work ethic that he does...it's hard to get good help.

I've been doing the usual... cleaning, picking up toys, following Liara around as she explores, cooking, working on charity stuff, working on the stockings and have managed to have a few lunches with some friends. I'm not exactly sure what I did before I had Liara... man, I must of had some serious time on my hands!

Ok, I need to go, as Liara has found a pen and has written on the couch. Joy. I'll try to update more often again!

3...3...3...

I don't know if you've ever looked at the ticker counter at the top of the page. It tells how many months, weeks and days are left until Liara turns one year old. I only look at it every now and then myself, but today was one of those days. Today the ticker counter says there are three months, three weeks, and three days left. What?!

How is that possible? Where have the last eight months gone? I'm missing a large chunk of time, because you see, there is no way my baby could be that big. As far as I know, I just brought my beautiful baby girl home a few days ago. Is this how fast it always goes by?! If so, I'm going to need to start working on a time machine of some sort to slow down time as much as possible... I'm enjoying it way too much for it to be flying by so quickly.

I can tell you this- we are going to enjoy the heck out of the next 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days. They had better cooperate though and SLOW DOWN!

Need vs. Want

http://www.etsy.com/listing/56797395/1989-smiley-face-reshaped-t-shirt-dress

Do I need this? No... not necessarily. But do I want it? YES. This shirt (the original one, not this particular modified one) is the shirt that my father gave me when I was six years old. I slept in this shirt every night until it would no longer stay on my body (probably around 15 or so). My inner child is loving this shirt/dress, simply because it's like the one that my Dad gave me. Inside, I'm screaming I MUST HAVE THIS... but I'm trying to be a good girl and resist. I don't even think it'd fit me anyway. I just want it.

So, if you're going to buy me something for my birthday (in November...) or Christmas- this is high on my wish list. Nudge nudge, wink wink.

If only all dreams came true...

When I was little, my Daddy wrote me letters. They were almost always on yellow note paper and included a doodle of himself. He always called me Sweetheart and told me how much he loved me. He told me about what he was up to and mentioned how much he missed me and looked forward to seeing me at the next holiday. The letters always ended with "see you in my dreams sweetheart".

I cherish those letters. They are kept in a box beside my bed, along with other "Dad" memorabilia... his baseball glove, pictures, the 50 cent piece that he exchanged over and over again with Dado (my grandfather) right before he passed away, his death certificate, etc.

Lately, I've been the one seeing him in MY dreams though. It is so wonderful to be able to see and spend time with my father. I can't tell you how much I miss him on a daily basis. I am constantly thinking about him and wishing that he was here to see Liara. I always am a little sad to wake up and realize that it won't ever happen. Not in this lifetime anyway.

Today's nap time dream was about Liara's first birthday. It was such a fantastic time, and Dad was there, smiling away as usual. He told some of his same stories, and then shared some about when I was a kid... some I remembered, some I didn't. He had bought Liara a smiley face t-shirt to wear to bed, just like the one he had given me as a child. That is also in the box beside the bed... although it's a bit worse for wear. It no longer has a neck and falls off your shoulders, has holes all over it and is torn to almost shreds. I loved that thing though, and wore it every night. I'm going to have to see if I can find Liara one and tell her all about why it's special.

I miss my father. Every day. Here's hoping I continue to see him in my dreams.

What I live for...

This little girl right here. Liara can absolutely make my day, just by flashing this smile right here. Look at her sweet little teeth, and those adorable cheeks! I adore everything about her, and she makes my heart melt.

Here she is with her very own washcloth, getting ready to help Mommy dust. My least favorite chore has now become one of my favorites, simply because she does it with me. How can you not like dusting when you have a super helper like her?!

And, these two, my sweet little monkeys... are my life. They can make me happy, even when I've had the worst day ever. They can make me smile, when no one else can. They are who I want to see every second of every day, and who I couldn't live without.

I'm so in love with my family. It's funny, because people say that I'm a little over the top sometimes when it comes to my daughter, because I talk about her NON STOP and am constantly raving about how wonderful every little thing about her is... but here's the thing- it's honest. I know some people crave space and time to themselves. I'm not like that. I would rather spend every second of every day with these two people. Do you know what I do in my "spare time" (that phrase is almost laughable by the way... I have none!)? I look through the pictures of Liara, write in her journal or her baby book, or call someone to talk about her... I'm obsessed. But, who can tell me that it's wrong to do that, when it's what makes me happy? Is it wrong to adore your child and cherish every second with them? Does everyone not say to love every bit of it because it flies by? Then why tell me I'm crazy for doing just that? I don't get it.

I think another reason I try to live so in the moment is my crazy fear of dying young. I don't know why I tend to think this way, maybe because of Dad... I dunno. Nic and I were talking about it on the way home from the grocery store last night, and I couldn't help but bust out crying... that's how scared of it I am. I am properly terrified that I'll die before Liara will remember me. I'm afraid that I won't get to do the things that I so long to do with her (like take her to the park and watch her slide down the slide by herself, or swing super high... or have her first boyfriend (EEK!) or get married and have babies of her very own to love). Is that normal? I stay awake panic stricken about it sometimes. I think that's why I keep a journal for her actually... so that at least she'll be able to see in my own handwriting how much I loved her, and how I adored every second I got with her. How morbid is that?! I'm just so in love and I don't want it to ever stop. Ever. I live for every second with my husband and daughter.

Thankful

I'm normally a pretty positive person. I like to look at the brighter side of things and remember all the things that are going RIGHT as opposed to all the things that have gone horribly wrong. Lately, I feel like I haven't been doing this and have been dwelling on the things that haven't gone according to plan. I'd like to make an effort to stop this, and remember all the things that I have been blessed with... I'm so very thankful for so many things.

I'm thankful for my husband and sweet little girl. My little family means so very much to me and my life would be miserable without them. I'm so thankful to be able to stay at home with Liara and watch her grow... I know that most mothers don't get this opportunity. Sure, things are awfully tight and I may not get to stay home much longer due to finances, but hey, I've had nearly 8 months so far with my beautiful girl and I'm thankful for every second of them! We'll do our best to figure out a way to cut some more corners so that we can continue on the way we're going, as I really do know that no one loves her like I do and can care for her the same way. I need to look at it as an opportunity to be even thriftier and see how low we can get our bills to go! My husband works hard... and I mean that. He goes to work early and comes home late every day, and I'm so appreciative of that. He does his best to provide for our family and he makes sure we have enough to eat, a shelter over our head, and that we have everything that we need. I can't ask for more than that. Well, except that he loves me, and that means so much. We may not have all the money in the world, but we have love love love. That alone is enough to be thankful and happy for.

I'm thankful for our health. There are so many out there with sick children or parents who are unable to play and celebrate their children. I am so very thankful that we are all healthy and thriving. Yeah, we may have some creaky bones or aches and pains every now and then... but we're healthy overall and that's what matters. I hope that we are able to continue to stay that way and be able to fully appreciate all that life has to offer.

I'm thankful for our extended families. Whether it be my in-laws (who are AWESOME and are buying us tickets so that we can come home for Christmas!!!), my family (who have always been supportive of us), or family friends that may as well be considered family. We have an amazing extended family who cares for us and supports us in all of our crazy endeavors. I'm very appreciative of such a great support system and for all the ears lent our way!

I'm thankful for opportunities. How often do you see a couple get married at 21 (or 20 in Nic's case...lol), buy their first house at 23, and then move internationally that same year? We've lived here in the UK for almost three years now, and overall, it's been a good experience. We've made some amazing friends, helped to start a charity that is amazing and helping some people who really need it, and have experienced a whole different culture than what we're used to. We've got to see all of the UK (with the exception of Ireland) and have really been in awe of the beauty. We're ready to come home, but it's been one hell of an experience and I'm thankful for it. It's something I can tell my grandkids about.

There's a lot to be thankful for and plenty to be happy about... I need to focus on that and push those negative thoughts out the door! Happy Hump Day everyone! :)

Sleep is for Sissies.

Lately, my little love bug has decided that she doesn't need to sleep... at least, not in solid chunks of time. She's only been taking about a 45 minute morning nap, and a hour long afternoon nap (as opposed to two full hours for each), then going to bed at 8:30 only to wake up every hour (sometimes more frequently...) until about midnight. Then, she'll go to sleep for a little longer (perhaps two or three hours at a time) but will stay awake for a hour or so between going back to sleep. Then, at 5:30 or so, she's up and ready to play. Ugh. What happened to my great sleeper?! Was it because I bragged about how good she sleeps? Why did she spoil me so? She had been sleeping a minimum of 8 hours per night since she was 6 weeks old until we got back from our trip to the US. I don't know if it's because of her teeth (which have been bothering her quite a bit lately) or if it's due to the fact that while we were on holiday she slept in the same room (and often the same bed) with us the whole time. I've been bringing her into bed with us after midnight or so (sometimes I can hold off until the 2am waking), but that's only due to the fact that I'm a zombie and keep falling asleep in the rocking chair with her when I'm in there. Then, when I wake up, I'm in a slight panic, as when she wakes up she likes to try to climb things (like her bed rails or my headboard) and I worry about her climbing out of my arms and falling.

I hate to admit it, but I'm a grumpy gus when I don't get enough sleep. I mean, I'm properly grumpy. I think what's helping me to be even grumpier is the fact that I can't get anything done during nap times now because I'm either a) napping with her to try to catch up on some sleep, or b) in a rush since they are much shorter than previously. I don't understand where her energy is coming from... I wish she'd share some of it! We're going on three weeks now of this same cycle, and I'm looking a little worse for wear. Liara, on the other hand, is just a busy little bee climbing and trying to walk with EVERYTHING. She's a champ on pulling herself up to a standing position and staying that way, and now walks herself around all her standing toys/the couch/anyone sitting on the floor while holding onto whatever it is with one hand. She's so big it's scary.

Ok, it's almost time for morning nap (and man, am I going to take it today!) so I'm going to head off of here! G'night... er, I mean Good Morning!

Working Mom?

Some people say that I don't work.

I beg to differ.

My job begins at 6 am every day. No, I don't get dressed up (hell, most of the time I don't get out of my pj's), but I show up every single day bright eyed and bushy tailed. I don't get an hour to get ready, take a shower and have breakfast before I go to work. I sometimes even am required to show up early. I then proceed to feed my daughter breakfast (and occasionally eat some of my own) and keep her occupied while I iron my husband's work clothes so that he may go to his office looking semi professional. We play and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse until 9:30, when Liara goes down for her first nap. Occasionally, if the night before has been rough (meaning she got up more than 3 times...) I'll take her nap with her, but most of the time I put her down, and then continue to do some housework. This may include the dishes, laundry, or picking up the house. Her morning nap lasts from 9:30-10:30 ish. We then read for about 30 minutes, and then play some more until about 11:30 (every other day I bathe Liara since her skin can't do every day... so our bath time is this time as well), when I make lunch before Nic comes home from work. I'll also finish off the dishes if there were any left over (usually there are...). While Nic is home for lunch, Liara has her lunch as well. I'll eat my lunch once she's finished eating. After Nic leaves for lunch, I clean up from lunch time and play with Liara for another 20 minutes or so. At 2, it is Liara's afternoon naptime. I usually take this nap with her, and it lasts from 2-4. If I don't take it with her, it's only an hour like the morning nap... she doesn't sleep as well. At 4, I do some more housework (usually laundry and picking up the house again and vacuuming the floor so that Li doesn't eat anything). We then play some more, and if it's nice, go for a walk outside and visit the horses. We start getting ready for dinner time at 6 or so... right about the time that Nic gets home from work. Nic usually watches Li for the 15 minutes or so that it takes to finish up dinner, and then we eat. Liara eats as well. After dinner, we play some more until 8. At 8, we put on Liara's pj's and she and I go upstairs. We read books, she breastfeeds one more time (she still breastfeeds every 2 or so hours throughout the day), and rock and sing in the rocking chair. Then I put her to sleep at about 9. Lately (since we've been back from our trip to the US actually) she hasn't been sleeping well at night. She used to sleep through the night like a champ, but now wakes up usually around 9:30, then again at 10, then again at 11. She normally is pretty easy to get back down to sleep those times, but she'll wake up again at like 12:30 and fight it like crazy, so when she wakes up again at like 2- I'll bring her in to bed with me. Anyway, at 9, I go downstairs, pick up the living room and put all her toys away and spend some time with Nic. I've been working on our stockings recently though, so I work on those until about 11:30 or 12, then go to bed.

That's what I do every day. I don't get Saturdays or Sundays off... I don't get public holidays either. I've done that same thing pretty much every day (with the exception of days we have doctor's appointments or whatever) since Liara was born. It may not bring in a paycheck, but it is tiring. VERY rewarding, but tiring. I'm sick of people telling me that I don't do anything. I do a ton... I keep my house going and I educate my daughter. I am teaching her how to play and what the different colors are. We talk about shapes and read together. We learn about the area around us and we talk about the weather. We interact and learn what to do in different social situations. If I didn't "work", there would be no clean clothes, no clean dishes, the house would be a mess and there would be no food on the table.

So, for those of you who disagree that what I do IS work (though it may be the best job in the world!)... pbthththth. I didn't ask for your opinion!

Thanks for letting me vent.

Mama's Girl :)

Liara said her first word... and it was MAMA! I absolutely love that, and hearing it just makes my heart melt every time! She is saying it a lot now, I'll have to catch it on video... it's so sweet! It amazes me how fast she's growing, and breaks my heart all at the same time. I'm cherishing every second I get with her, but it is all flying by so fast! She's started eating cheerios and it's so fun to watch her use her pincer grasp skills to pick them up and feed herself. She's had some chunks of pear too that she's thoroughly enjoyed. I think I'll try some apricot chunks tonight instead of pureeing them. Geez, she's so big.

I'm working on our family heirloom stockings for Christmas now, we bought all the materials on Saturday and I've cut out the batting and am laying out the materials how I want them before I start sowing. Hopefully, they'll look similar to this: http://www.channel4.com/4homes/design-style/how-to-guides/how-to-make-a-quilted-christmas-stocking-steps-09-12-07_p_7.html when I'm done. I'm using different fabrics of course, mine are green, red, gold and cream. I've decided to go ahead and make four, in case we have another baby (who am I kidding... for when we have another baby!) that way they'll still all match. I have a heirloom stocking already (one my Mom made for me) but it's different and I can't find the materials to make one similar to it for the rest of my little family, so I'll just use that one when I'm at her house. I still love it, and it's still special to me, but I think I want to make all of ours the same (well... the same fabrics and general design, but a little different from each other so they are each special). Wish me luck... I'm starting early in hopes of getting them done in time! I always tend to be really into projects when they first start but then lose interest/dedication, so hopefully because these are for Li and Nic (and future baby A and myself) I'll get them done and stick it through. To be fair though, I started to make Nic one to match the one my mom made me like 6 years ago and it's sitting somewhere in a box in Houston. Lol. I'm going to do these.... they WILL get done! Nag me until they are please! I'll post pictures as I go along... or at least try to remember to!

Pictures from our trip home!

My sweet girl, trying to offer up one of her stacking cup/block things she got from Aunt Jams :)She was really looking them over and running her fingers over the patterns on them... she's so curious about everything!
She wanted me to stop taking pictures and play with her! She's so super sweet!
Here she is sound asleep after church (and lunch), still in her pretty dress. Thanks Aunt Marsha!
Here's my pretty girl in her pj's before her party... I think her hair may be my color instead of Nic's!
Here's Liara playing with her reflection. It was so cute to watch her wave and smile at herself!Here's Li walking around in the pool... she LOVED the water and was so happy whenever she was in it!
Here's Daddy, Grandpa Tony, Liara and I in the pool at the condo with the alligator.
Here's Liara with her grandparents... We had a great time in Galveston with them.
Here's Liara and her grandad... she was telling how big the fish he caught was. ;)
Here's Liara, Nic and I at the beach in Galveston... post seagull. :/Here's Nic and I with Liara, showing her how to get all sandy!
Liara and her sweet Daddy... She's so silly sometimes!
Liara with her Grandpa Tony... he just LOVED her!
Liara with her Grandma Cris... she was awfully smitten too :)

Here's my beautiful little girl... I can't tell you how much I love her. She loves to play with her feet, it's one of her favorite things to do.Here's my mom, Taylor, Liara and I, Raisa and my sister, Raime.
Here's our newest family portrait that Nic's cousin took for us... I adore this picture.
Here's Nic, Liara and I with the Pikes Place Market pig... I miss Seattle!
Here's the troll under the bridge. It'd been ages since I've seen him!

Here's my Mom and Liara at Volunteer Park in front of one of the pretty flower gardens.

Here's Li with her Daddy in the pool at Volunteer park... she had a great time!
Here's the pool that is at Volunteer Park for the kids to play in. It's about 2 feet in the middle, and like 6 inches at the edges... perfect for kids! It was a great place to have a picnic!
Here's my mom and Liara... she really wanted some of those chips!
Here's my sweet family! From the left, Nic, Liara, Me, Mom, Raisa, Grandaddy, Great, Dax, Raime, Joey and Taylor... Oh, and we can't forget about sweet Sam at the bottom!

Here's (from the left) Dax, Raime, Nic, Taylor, and Joey (plus their loyal dog Sam) enjoying the lovely day at the beach. Raisa is in there too... I think's she's standing behind Nic.

Here's Uncle Joey holding an exhausted Liara... she was OUT!
Here's my Mom (Mamo) and Liara reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Liara loves that book.
Here's Liara giving my grandmother (Great) some sugars... they were so cute! They even matched each other, not on purpose of course :) This was Great's 62nd anniversary!
Here's Liara and my beautiful nieces Taylor and Raisa. They really loved playing with her :)