mommy2aprincess

Elizabeth is Two!!

2009-10-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

I know I have not posted in awhile but I thought I would post some pics of Elizabeth now that she is two.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-19T07:03:00.000-08:00

I am almost a week late...but it's better late than never right? Happy Valentine's Day...hope everyone had a good one :)

We had a good day. I spent all day playing with Elizabeth while John was at work. When he got home John and I went to dinner at the Keg (a steakhouse and grill) then to our hotel room. Elizabeth stayed home with her Granddad and Nana. So I think we all had a good time.

Elizabeth is very into turning the lights off and on....I caught her in her room turning off and on her light, here are some pics.

Fort Worth Stock Show

2009-01-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth and Aubrey

2009-01-14T11:49:00.000-08:00

We went to St. Louis this weekend to visit family for Christmas. It was a lot of fun. Elizabeth has a cousin 4 months older than her, named Aubrey and they were SO cute together. They liked giving each other kisses and hugs, but they also pushed each other down and sole toys from one another. Oh and they also shared food :) They would try feeding each other, it was so funny. One night at dinner Aubrey kept putting all of her food on Elizabeth's plate, then she clapped her hands because she had "cleared" her plate :)

They are too cute for words so I will share some pictures with you.

15 Month Appt

2009-01-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

Today we had Elizabeth's 15 month appt. I think it went pretty well. She did scream a lot while the doctor was examining her but she calmed down just fine...only had one shot today so that is not too bad. She is now 21 lbs. 12 oz. and 31 inches long. Everything seems to be on track, she has several teeth and the doctor said that some babies only have one at this point...Elizabeth has 11 so I think we are on track!!

She has been talking a bit more...she now says "hot", "who's here", "again", "doggy" and of course "mama" dada" "baba"...she is also understanding everything we say to her so the doctor said that was great.

She can point to most of her body parts for you if you ask as well as stomp her feet, twist, jump, play peek-a-boo and tons more stuff, I think she is one smart little girl. Oh and she loves the song "If your happy and you know it" she does all of the moves, she even gets a cute grin on her face and brings up her hands when you say "your face will surely show it". I will try to post a video of her doing it soon.

Hope everyone is having a great day :)

Texas Weather

2009-01-03T12:10:00.000-08:00

I am in complete shock...I knew it would be warmer in the winter here in Texas than in Missouri; it was one of the things I was looking forward to the most moving here. But I did not expect 80 degree weather in January! Don't get me wrong, I am so happy that we are having great weather, but I didn't think it would be this way in Jan.

I especially love this weather because Elizabeth LOVES to play outside, and we go out any chance we get. Today we went to the park for a picnic and had lots of fun...something you would never do in Missouri in January.

Elizabeth had a great playing in the leaves and watching all of the squirrels play. She also loved eating on the blanket outside and running around as she ate. I think she eats better when she is not confined to her high chair.

Here is a picture of her eating some chicken and pointing at the squirrels playing...silly girl :)

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful day yesterday! On New Years Eve John and I went out with some friends, while Elizabeth stayed at home with Grandma and Grandpa. It was a good night. Then on New Years day we spent the whole day together playing with Elizabeth...it was great!

We took her swimming for the first time in months! She loves to swim, but it is now winter so we do not go that often. We went to the YMCA and played in the water for about an hour before she was ready to go. She just splashed and kicked her feet the whole time, she was so excited.
So we are having a great start to our new year! For our new years resolution we vowed to spend more time together as a family...I am looking forward to a great year!! :)

I'm Back

2008-12-30T10:09:00.000-08:00

I'm back to running and it feels great!! I am so excited to be back doing what I love. I ran Cross Country and Track through out High School and College. I have had 3 surgeries on my calves because I have a condition called compartment syndrome.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chronic-exertional-compartment-syndrome/DS00789

Anyway, after having that many surgeries I decided after my last season in college to call it quits for a while. I started training again this September and so far things are going great!! I ran my first race in November called the Turkey Trot, it was a 5K (3.1 miles) I ran it in 22:32 and was very pleased with my time, since it was my first race in 4 years!!

My next race was 1 week later, I ran in the Jingle Bell run, which was another 5k (3.1 miles), I was very surprised when I ran that race in 21:29!! It was an awesome feeling knowing that I was close to my times in college and with a little work I could possibly be better!

So I have been running a lot lately and training with some guys at the YMCA...one of the guys I like to run with when I can did a Marathon a few weeks after my race, so I went out to see him run and I joined the race at mile 20 and helped him run the last 6.2 miles...it was a lot of fun!!
This past weekend I went on a long run of 9 miles, which is the most I have run in a LONG time and then today I did another 5 miles with Coach H. (the guy on the left) He is a coach at a near by high school, we work together at the YMCA and run together when we can. It is so much easier to have a running partner than to do it all on your own. So all this running is getting me somewhere...I am training for the Cowtown 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles), my official race is not until the end of Feb. but I am going to run the Benbrook half at the end of Jan. just to prepare myself.

I am also hoping that it will feel so good to have done that, so I will continue on and run a full marathon (26.2 miles) in April (Oklahoma City Marathon)....we shall see how the first 2 half marathons go first though :)

Happy 15 Months Princess

2008-12-27T10:41:00.001-08:00

I can't believe my little princess turned 15 months on Christmas day! She is getting so big, so fast, and she is SO SMART!!

We took her to the doctor the other day, because the poor little girl has another sinus infection. This is number 4 for her and she is only 15 months old!! But I guess I should be happy that she has not had an ear infection. I feel so bad for her when she is sick :( But the news you were waiting for during my long story....she is now 21 lbs.!!! See I told you she was a big girl :)

Elizabeth now has 11 teeth and is talking a little. She of course says mama and dada, but now she also says: hot, doggy, that, movie (which really sounds like "ovie") and she will sometimes say up, if she wants you to hold her.

She loves watching a movie from the Baby Einstein collection called "Baby's First Moves" it is a GREAT movie. She has learned so much from watching that. She can now: kick, twist, spin, touch her nose, stomp, and shake...I also think there is more, but I can't think of them right now. But she loves to watch that movie and move, it is the cutest thing to watch!! :)

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T17:24:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas yesterday. Elizabeth woke at 7am and we opened up the presents that Santa brought. She was into getting stuff out of her stocking but she was not to interested in much else. She does love her new toys, but she also loved the boxes they came in. Maybe next year she will enjoy it more.

Here are some pictures and a video of our day:

Ok I Admit...

2008-12-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

I am horrible!! I have been so busy, I have not had time to keep up with this blog. Elizabeth is walking...actually running everywhere and it is so hard to keep things up. Especially with the holidays coming, but I will do better, I promise. Here are a few new pics of Elizabeth to tie you over for a few days...then after Christmas, it is back to blogging!! :)

13 Months

2008-10-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

Happy 13 Months Miss Elizabeth!! You are growing so big so fast!

Today my little girl is 13 months old. She loves walking and playing outside, but you have to watch her or she will eat dirt. Not sure why she likes to eat dirt but she at least has one handful of dirt while we are outside playing daily.

She is just growing up so fast...she seems to understand pretty much everything you say to her, but can't speak that many words herself, but I know by this time next year I probably will be begging her to be quite for just 5 minutes, so I will not complain right now. Elizabeth still has blue eyes just like her momma (I really hope those stay) and blondish red hair that as it is getting longer has little curls in the back...it is so cute!

Oh and we took her to the doctor yesterday...the poor little girl has a sinus infection :( but anyway on to the point...she now weighs in at 20 lbs. 3 oz!! What a big girl!!

A New Beginning

2008-10-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

Today is a day to celebrate!!! Miss Elizabeth has been completely off the bottle for 4 days now!!! She is such a big girl and has done so well with the transition to sippy cups!! I am so proud of her!!

Also today is the day I said goodbye to my breast pump!! WOO HOO!! I packed p my breast pump and put it in the closet today!! I am excited, but sad all at the same time!

Halloween Fun

2008-10-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took Elizabeth to the pumpkin patch and had so much fun!! She loved walking around trying to pick up all of the big pumpkins. She seriously tried to pick them up...I guess she thinks she is stronger than she really is. Then when we got to the little pumpkins that she could pick up...she tried to pick up more than one at a time...so she obviously thinks she can carry around as many as she wants, silly girl. Here are some pictures of us at the pumpkin patch for you to enjoy!

Later on that day we decided to get out the Halloween costume and try it on for fun...a little Halloween preview. So here she is in her Halloween costume looking oh so cute as a little flower fairy :)

Happy Birthday Princess Elizabeth

2008-09-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast this first year flew by. It seems like yesterday we were bringing a tiny helpless sleeping baby into the world and now 1 year later she is talking, walking, and full of energy. I woke this morning at 6:30 to the sound of Elizabeth talking to herself in her crib...she never gets up that early anymore , so I guess she knew it was her special day and she was excited!!

Anyway I got up to use the restroom and got to thinking...at the exact time that I am peeing this year...my water was breaking 1 year ago, I thought that was very funny :) That one thought brought back so many wonderful memories from that day, I still remember it like it was yesterday and I am sure I always will.

The real labor started at 10 pm on Monday the 24th...I thought to myself here we go again...more false labor. The contractions were coming every 5 minutes and I was trying to get some sleep because I was to be induced in the morning, but I could not get comfy...no matter what I tired they were still coming on strong so I got up and sat on my stability ball and watched t.v. My sister was on her way to my house so she could help me through the induction because she was induced just 4 months before and knew the pain I would be in, so I decided to try and wait up for her. At midnight she called to say she was an hour away...I was still having contractions but they were every 4 minutes in stead of every 5 now so I woke John up and started to cry to him...I was so upset I told him I was still having contractions one after another and that some of them felt like they were 2 minutes long. I wanted to go to the hospital and get DRUGS!! I wanted them to give me sleeping pills so that I could get some rest before the induction, because this fake labor was tough I needed my rest for the real thing. I begged him and begged him and he finally agreed to let me call the hospital to see what they wanted me to do.

They of course said to come in right away after I told them that I have been having contractions for hours. My sister arrived at my house at 1 am and we loaded up the car and took off for the hospital that was 45 minutes away. I thought the ride there was going to be horrible because right before we left the contractions started coming every 3 minutes (why I still thought it was false labor...is beyond me, who knows what I was thinking) anyway we got in the car and started driving and my contractions slowed to every 6 minutes and I was pissed...I thought I was still in false labor. We arrive at the hospital and get weighted in a all that good stuff. they come and check me and the nurse ask:

Nurse:" have you bee checked before?"
Me: "Yes"
Nurse: "what were you then?"
Me: "ONLY 1 CM"
Nurse: "when were you last checked"
Me: "YESTERDAY"
Nurse: "Oh well congrats honey your in labor...you are now 4cm"
Me: "whoo, whoo"

I was so loud when I screamed that my sister heard me from in the hallway :)

The nurses then asked me if I wanted any drugs and I turned them down...my sister and husband laughed at me because that was the reason I wanted to come...to get drugs. We decided to walk the hallways and a few hours later I decided to let them check me again...I was now 7.5 cm dilated and my water bag was budging...they told me it was about to break any minute and said now would be the perfect time to get my epi. I declined at first but went ahead and got it, because I wanted to enjoy the rest of my labor and the actual birthing part. It was HEAVEN

once I got it but it slowed down my labor because when my doctor came back at 6:30am to check me I was still 7.5cm and my water broke when she tried to check me, so she said to speed it up I will be given some pitocin...which was fine, I didn't feel a thing because my epi was so great!! At 9 am I was dilated 9 cm so they said they would call my doctor back in we got everything set up and at 9:40 I started to push...at 10:08 my little princess was born 7 lbs 3.2 oz and 19 3/4 inches. She was perfect!!
And here we are 1 year later...she is still perfect. She is also so smart!! I will tell her "do you want to take a bath" and she starts heading for the bath tub saying "bah, bah" or I will say "go get mommy a book" and she will head off to find her favorite book saying "bou, bou". She also knows now when I ask "do you want to go outside" that she needs to find her shoes and head for the door...it is way to cute :)

Happy Birthday Miss Elizabeth Ashley...my precious princess!!

Our Trip To St. Louis

2008-09-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a short trip to St. Louis. We arrived Friday morning and had a really hard time with the car rental company but eventually got everything straightened out. Then we went to Tami's house where we meet up with her and Aubrey and my mom who also flew into town for Elizabeth's b-day party. We spent the day with them playing and decorating Elizabeth's cake. Then we went to a Balloon glow and saw fireworks :)

The next day was my birthday and we had a small party for Elizabeth, she had so much fun playing with cousin Aubrey. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy:

Her party was a princess party:

Here she is eating:
Elizabeth with cousin Aubrey:
Cake time: she never really dug into the cake...but she enjoyed the icing
Opening gifts...she was not very interested in them...she would rather play with the ribbon:
Her favorite new toy:
cousin Aubrey running away with Elizabeth's new toys :)

The next day we took Elizabeth to the butterfly house to see the butterfly's and she loved it...and we also went to see her Aunts Natalie and Nicole play soccer. Then we flew back Monday morning so as you can see it was a busy busy weekend. Now it's time to get ready for her other party set for this weekend :)

Elizabeth's 1st Year Video

2008-09-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

1 Year Photo's

2008-09-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

We took Elizabeth today to get her 1 year pictures and she did great (and so did the people taking the pictures). It was wonderful...we took her in to get pictures, they were so good with her and we got to leave the store with all of the pictures!! We did not have to wait weeks for our photos we only had to wait an extra 20 minutes for them to print...I was completely amazed!! Here are a few of my favorites...if you would like to see more please visit her web site at: http://standerferbaby.aboutmybaby.com/

Video of Elizabeth Walking

2008-09-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth took her first steps almost 2 months ago...then did not take another step until a few days ago and now she is walking everywhere!! I hope you enjoy the video!! :)

And There She Goes...

2008-09-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth is walking everywhere now...she still crawls here and there but she always starts out walking, after she falls she will crawl for a little while and then stand back up and try again. This all started last night! She took her first steps weeks ago and then didn't take another step until last night. I was seriously starting to think that she would not walk til about 13 months because she seemed to be no where close...she took those first few steps and then gave up...then last night out of no where she was trying to walk everywhere!!

Today she did not try to walk again until about 4pm and then from then on that is all she did tonight....just walked everywhere she would take about 10 steps in a row before she would fall then she would just get back up and try again. But of course I did not get a good video of it because she would not do it for me if I got the camera out....hopefully I will get that shot soon.

I can't believe my baby is walking!!! :)

Elizabeth Update

2008-09-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

I thought that tonight I would update everyone on Elizabeth since I have been a slacker!! She is still crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything but she will not walk yet on her own. She cruses around and holds on to our fingers or just holds one hand and walks with us but she is to scared to venture on her own.

She is sleeping beautifully and I can not believe it...she has been going to bed at 8pm and sleeping til 9-9:30, but I think I need to start waking her up earlier because soon she will be going to work with me and the days she sleeps till 9-9:30 she only takes 1 naps and I need her to take 2!! LOL

She is in the process of getting two more teeth both on the bottom, so that has been a little hard, but not too bad.

Other than those things I can't think of anything else that is new, but I will say that she is a very active baby that loves to be outside!

So I have been bad...

2008-09-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not been keeping up to date with this little blogg....I was doing so well and then I got very busy with work and stuff that I never found time to get online and post. I have been working alot lately and when I am not at work I am spending time with Elizabeth, who by the way is growing up way to fast. Anyway, there is not really to much to report but I promise that I will try to update more often than I have been. :)

11 Months

2008-08-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

I can not believe that my little Princess is 11 months old today. Time has gone by so fast. She is still crawling everywhere. She has taken a few steps here and there but for the most part she just crawls everywhere she wants to go. I have no idea how much she weighs or her length but I am guessing around 17 lbs. or so. She does not go to the doctor again until 12 months. She is doing some new things, she clicks her tongue, whistles, claps when you say "Elizabeth do you want to play pat-a-cake" and she also "moooo's" when she sees a picture of a cow...it is so cute!!

Elizabeth is now the light of my life and I can not imagine life without her. It is amazing how life can change directions in a blink of an eye, then you are left wondering why did I not do this before...it is great having a little one. I am so excited to watch her grow and learn new things. One more month and she will be 1!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy

2008-08-13T20:51:00.001-07:00

Today is John's b-day, and I believe he had a pretty good day. He got to sleep in this morning then he went out to breakfast with his mom and out to lunch with the whole family. We spent sometime together alone this afternoon and then I had to go to a meeting at work, then work for an hour and I finished off the day studying hard core for my test tomorrow. So we really did not get to much time alone today so I believe we will be going out by ourselves this weekend and that will be nice!!

Anyway....Happy Birthday John!!

Competing For Gold

2008-08-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

I am a huge Olympic fan and I am very much enjoying the Olympics this year. The opening ceremony on 08.08.08 was absolutely amazing! The Chinese believe that the number 8 is very lucky and that is why it started on that day. My favorite events of the Olympics are swimming, gymnastics and tack and field and I am so excited that the US is doing so well so far. Last night was an awesome night in swimming, I was a little upset when Katie Hoff was out touched at the end and had to settle for the silver medal, but the guys made up for it in the relay when they beat the French, giving Micheal Phelps his second gold medal.

Tonight was also great when Natalie Coughlin, Micheal Phelps, and Aaron Peirsol all took the gold one right after another...AMAZING!!

I can't wait for the ladies gymnastics finals tomorrow night, they had a rough time last night with a couple of them being hurt an several mistakes, but they still made it into the finals in 2nd place so that still gives me hope that they will take the gold.

The Ducky Park

2008-08-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

Texas is so hot we hardly ever go out unless it is early morning. Elizabeth is in love with duckies right now so this morning we took Elizabeth to the ducky pond and had a lot of fun. This was at 9 in the morning when it was only 89 degrees, it has been around 105 for the past two weeks!!
Elizabeth had a really good time looking at all of the ducks, and playing at the park...she even brought her own rubber ducky with her. Here are some pictures of our morning at the park.

Elizabeth with Mommy and Daddy:

Mommy feeding the duckies:

Daddy feeding the duckies:

Elizabeth and Mommy playing peek-a-boo:
Elizabeth and Grandma:

Elizabeth and Papa

08.08.08

2008-08-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

I am so excited because the summer Olympics started today!! I love watching the summer Olympics...track and field, swimming and gymnastics are my favorite and I can not wait for them to start competing.

GO USA

Size 4

2008-08-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

OMG I went out shopping for pants today because I have none that fit me, because I have lost so much weight after having Elizabeth. I tried on a size 6 thinking that would be the right size for me and they were way to big. So I then tried on the size 4 and they fit perfectly...I was so amazed and supper excited. I never expected to see that size on me again!! What a great day.

I also stopped by The Children's Place and got a bunch of cute winter outfits for Elizabeth on sale...I can't wait to see her dressed in them, she will look so cute :)

Fun Day With Elizabeth

2008-08-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth and I had a lot of fun together today! She was a bit crabby because she wanted me to hold her all day but it was not to bad once I got her interested into something else. She had a really good night sleep last night so I am not to sure why she was so crabby but oh well...maybe she is getting some more teeth?

This morning was sort of rough for her, she got hurt alot and Mommy was partly at fault...it all started out a few minutes after she woke...she wanted me to walk her around, well she didn't get a very good start, her little foot got twisted behind her and stupid Mommy stepped on her foot on accident, which I truly felt horrible about all day long. I seriously thought I broke her foot...good thing she is still so flexible, it didn't do any damage and she seems fine now.

After her first nap she was all smiles and giggles it was so cute!! We played peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake...all of her favorites...lol

Then tonight it was a little rough after she woke from her second nap of the day because she was so crabby...of she was not being held she was not happy!! But it did change...after she had some dinner and took a bath everything was better again and we had some more fun!!

Here are a few pictures of our fun day!!

Playing Peek-a-boo:
Playing in the Mirror:
Reading her book:

Playing with her activity table:
Eating dinner, she was a mess:

I Am Exhausted

2008-08-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

Why am I so tired you ask? I have been running around like crazy going to different workshops so I can learn to teach different classes. Last night I went to a class to finish up my certification in Personal Training, so now I can get my own clients, which is good. And then today I spent all day at a workshop for Silver Snickers...so now I am qualified to teach a class for active older adults, which is good because I will now pick up more hours at the YMCA, which eventually means more money for the family...always a plus. I just wish I didn't have to spend an entire Saturday away from Elizabeth :(

My Little Baker

2008-07-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth loves hanging out in the kitchen, getting into all of the cabinets, playing with the salad spinner and of course the pots and pans. Normally she goes in there and only gets into 2 cabinets but today she had to explore. I think she had a lot of fun dragging everything out and playing with them.

Here is the salad spinner and the pots and pans she loves so much:
Here she is exploring all of the cabinets:Oh and you will notice in the last picture that there is a towel and a bib on the floor...I hang those on the stove handle and every time Elizabeth goes in the kitchen she thinks she must take them down :)

First Steps

2008-07-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth took her first steps today!! I am so proud of her :) We were playing together and she stood up holding on to my fingers and I let go and she stood by herself and was holding her key chains she likes to play with and I stepped back to see how long she would stand on her own and all of a sudden she took 3 steps towards me!! I was so excited to see that for the first time!! But that was also the last time, she has not repeated those steps but I am sure in no time and she will be running everywhere!

Busy Day

2008-07-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

My day today was so busy!! I had to work at 9:30 teaching water aerobics and then I rushed home and practiced for my interview. My interview started at 12 and lasted until 2:30. I think it went pretty good, I did not mess up on step and I actually taught them a move they did not know about so that was awesome. Then I had to rush home and eat and go to work from 4-8.

I got good news at work, they want me to teach more classes which means more money!! So I basically have a fall back plan in case I do not get that job.

I need that job though, I went to the interview and it sounded so good. The pay is amazing! Please keep your figures crossed that I get it. He said that I am the only one so far that is qualified that has applied so he is not in a hurry to hire right now, he wants to get a few more people and then bring me in for a final interview. I so hope I get this job, it is def. something I could see me doing for the rest of my career.

I did mess up at the interview I could not remember how many calories you need to burn to lose 1 pound, it was in the back of my head and I just could not remember so I said 300 because the 3 stuck out at me and it was 3500!! Then they asked about the ACSM guidelines and I could tell them for aerobic training but I could only remember two of them for weight training! I really hope that does not cause me the job.

I hope to update soon saying I got the job...I will be so bummed if I don't get it. Wish me luck!!

Before I was a Mom

2008-07-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

I read this poem today and I think it describe how I feel perfectly. Before I was a mom I knew I would love my child but I did not know I could love her this much. I also figured that I would do anything for my child but I never realized how much I would do for her, I would seriously give up my life so that she could live...she is the best thing that ever happened to me. This poem expresses my feelings perfectly...hope you enjoy!

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toy

or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not

my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind

and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child

so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night

watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because

I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces

when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small

could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of

having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel

to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond

between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small

could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night

every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,

the joy,

the love,

the heartache,
the wonderment

or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,

before I was a Mom.

Step Aerobics

2008-07-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

I am currently trying to learn step aerobics. I have a very important job interview on Tuesday that will be very impressed if I learn how to teach this class. I have expressed to the manger how much I suck at step aerobics, so he said he would be very impressed if I can some what learn it in a weekend. So I am trying my best, but I seriously do suck at it. I bought a step and have been practicing all weekend so now my calves are so sore!!

On Tuesday I also have to give a 5 minute class on strictly abs and a 5 minute class on Legs, Shoulders and arms...which I do not think will be a problem, my weakness is definitely step aerobics.

I really hope I can learn it well enough to get this job...it will be a great job that I may be able to stay at for the rest of my career!! So wish me luck!!

10 Months

2008-07-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

My little princess turned 10 months yesterday. She is such a busy baby, I figured she would be walking by now because she started pulling herself up so early but she is not, she can get anywhere she wants to go by crawling or walking while holding mommy's fingers so I guess that is fine with her. She does cruse the couches and will let go and stand on her own but not for very long. She really is not saying anything new, but she did learn to play pat-a-cake, wave bye-bye, and she is tiring so hard to learn how to whistle...oh and mommy also taught her how to click her tongue, it is so cute :)

Here is a cute video of her playing with her teddy...she is so funny:

My Brother Needs Your Prayers

2008-07-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

My brother graduated from high school a year ago, got married and then he and his wife joined the army. Then a month ago in June my brother was sent over seas to Iraq. We were informed this weekend that he fell and hit his head. We do not know how far he fell but we do know he fell from a tower and it must have been pretty high because he has lost all of his memory. He will be flown to Washington D.C. sometime this week where my mom will meet him and stay with him during his recovery. He has no idea what our mom even looks like but he has talked to her on the phone where he asked her...how many sisters and brothers do I have?

So please keep my brother in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks!

10 Month Milestone

2008-07-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

On Friday Elizabeth will be 10 months old and I am very proud of myself because I am still pumping enough breast milk everyday to feed her. I always knew that when I had a baby someday that I would breastfeed him or her but I had no idea how hard it would be until I had Elizabeth. Don't get me wrong, I love that I am giving her liquid gold but some days it is very overwhelming, and very hard to get in as many sessions as I need. Elizabeth was great at latching on and nursing until she was 6 weeks old and I had to go back to work, then she realized that the bottle was easier and faster to get what she wanted, so from then on she refused to take anything but the bottle.

So from that point on I have been a full time pumping mom and it is a lot harder than most would think. I am very proud of myself for getting this far, when I got pregnant with Elizabeth my goal was to breastfeed until she was 6 months old, then by the time I had her I said well maybe I can make it to 9 months...there were a few times when I thought about stopping but then I made it to 9 months and I just love giving it to her so much that I have now decided to go for the whole 12 months. I am also thinking crazy thoughts of going on further than that...trust me I have no idea why these crazy thoughts are entering my head, but I am considering it right now. Today when I was glancing at the calendar and realized that she would be 10 months on Friday and that if I was only going to keep pumping until 12 months then I only have 2 months left,so that is when the crazy thought popped in my head and said to me...you can do a few more months than that!!

So I guess we will just wait and see, but for now I am still going strong and what keeps me going strong is the thought that I am giving my daughter the best thing in the world...pure liquid gold!!

Wonderful Surprise

2008-07-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Some of you may hate me after this post but I am so excited, so I have to blog about it. Anyway, before I found out I was pregnant with Elizabeth I had decided to go on a diet because I had been gaining weight and was the highest weight I have ever been which was 140lbs. Most of it was put on because I was not exercising like I should and was going through a period in my life where every weekend I would go out with John and some friends and we would drink a lot of beer.

Anyway, as soon as I found out I was pregnant my diet got put on hold and I gained even more weight...40 lbs to be exact, so when I went into the hospital to give birth to Elizabeth I weighed a scary amount of 180 lbs. I was so upset when I left the hospital only 7 lbs 3 oz lighter, I thought to myself that I would never be able to get back to my previous weight of 140 lbs.
I had set a goal to get back to my previous weight of 140lbs and once I reached that, I decided to try to loose 5 more pounds witch would make me weight 135lbs. It took forever to get to that weight and I figured I would stay that weight until I stopped breastfeeding and then it would go back up to 140. Well I was amazingly surprised when I stepped on the scale last night and saw a number that I never thought I would possibly see again....I now weigh 128 pounds!!! I am so excited!! I have been watching what I eat and exercising more and it has paid off big time. Now let's just hope that it stays the same after I stop breastfeeding in a few months :)

Almost There

2008-07-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth has been pulling up on things since about two weeks after she learned to crawl at 6 1/2 months, but she still will not let go and stand on her own!! She is getting better now at cruising the furniture, and I bought her a little push toy and as you can see she is doing a very good job with it. I don't exactly want her to walk but I am at the point where I am tired of walking her around everywhere. She has gotten to the point where she really does not want to crawl anymore...she wants you to hold her little fingers and walk her everywhere around the house and my back is getting so sore because of it, so I would like her to walk because I am tired of walking her around, but I don't want her to walk because that means my little princess is growing up.

Not on Vacation Anymore

2008-07-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well I guess my little vacation is over now, although it sucks, I guess I had to get back to the real world sometime. I started my new job today at the YMCA...it was a great day and I think I am really going to like it. After this week I will be working most evenings from 4-8 which is not bad at all! That means I will get to spend my days with Elizabeth!! The only thing that sucks is she normally goes to bed at 8 so I won't be able to tuck her in like I normally do...but maybe since I will be getting home by 8:30 she can stay up and wait for me...but I am not sure because as soon as it turns 8 pm it is like a switch goes off and she turns from a very happy active baby to a very unhappy baby!! LOL
John still does not have a job so he is watching her now while I go to work but when he does get a job he will get one during the day so hopefully we will not have to put Elizabeth in daycare, and that will be great!! One more stress lifted off of my shoulders :)

They are Finally Here!!

2008-07-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth has been working on her two top front teeth for what seems like forever and they are finally here!! I am so excited because she has been pretty cranky lately, so maybe now she will go back to her old happy self! Now with the two new top teeth, that makes a total of four teeth :)

Mirrors...and Elizabeth

2008-07-12T19:38:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth loves looking and playing with herself in the mirrors...she is so funny. In her new bedroom she has full length mirrors as her closet doors and she loves them. She just looks at herself and gets so excited! She loves to kiss the baby and play peek-a-boo with the baby...it is so amazing to watch! She just cracks me up all the time. I got some cute pictures of her playing with herself the other night so I just thought I would share them.

Not a Baby Any More

2008-07-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my precious little girl will not be considered a toddler
in just 3 1/2 months!! She is proving herself to be a big girl everyday by doing many new things. She has begun to eat regular food and does not like the baby food anymore. Last night she had Gerber graduate pasta and asparagus, then when everyone else ate she had baked ziti and bread! She is doing so well with regular food, it is amazing. If you do try to give her baby food she just spits it at you! I try not to laugh but she is just so darn cute, that it is very hard not to:)

Now for a sweet note...Elizabeth just makes me melt, she is the sweetest little girl, she just learned to give kisses and she just loves giving them to her Mommy and I love receiving them! Here is a cute little video.

p.s.- I know there were alot of videos today...I really hope you enjoyed them all and they were not boring! :)

I am so sick :(

2008-07-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

I am sick again with another ear infection!! This sucks! Ear infections hurt so bad, I seriously feel so sorry for babies that get them all the time..I have no idea how they can deal with them. I am in so much pain that I wake at night and my ear and jaw are throbbing, I also can't eat very much because the movement of my jaw makes my whole left side of my face hurt. Anyway, I hope I feel better soon and this medicine works fast. I am on Amoxcillin and I was thinking this afternoon while taking one of my pills that I should have lied and said I did not know how to swallow pills because then they would have given me the liquid that taste like bubble gum...that would have been the highlight of me being sick, but I didn't think about it until it was too late and now I am stuck with the yucky pills!!

So Many New Things

2008-07-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth is doing so many new things, I just had to write about them...I am so proud of my little girl!! She is now playing "Pat-a-cake", putting her blocks in the small hole of her little giraffe, walking behind her little car walker, knocking over blocks that mommy stacks for her, nd talking up a storm. I really can not understand what she is saying but sometimes some of them sound like "up", "this", "that", "num, num" when eating something good, oh and she loves to say "ooo"

Anyway, I tried to upload videos but for some reason it kept crashing on me...so if you would like to see the videos of all her new tricks then you can visit her website: http://standerferbaby.aboutmybaby.com

Hope you like the new videos!! :)

Our 4th of July

2008-07-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Elizabeth's 1st 4th of July, and it turned out to be a great day. She got up at her normal time and we played for awhile until Mommy had to go to work for an hour. While Mommy went to work Elizabeth took a nap so it worked out perfect! When mommy returned Elizabeth woke from her nap and we played some more and ate lunch, then went down for another nap. After her afternoon nap we went to a party! There were a lot of new people for Elizabeth to meet so she was scared at first but then she saw a doggy and wanted to play with her, then we got in the pool and everything was much better. After we went to the party Elizabeth conked out at about 7:45pm and Mommy was not far behind...it was a busy, busy day!

Job Hunting

2008-07-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that we just made a big move without jobs, we have been here for about 2 weeks now so it is about time to go out and find a job. Let me tell you that job hunting is no fun at all, so if you don't have to do it then don't!

Well I am pleased to announce that I got not just one job but two!! I am so excited! Well I don't have the official word on the second yet but she said all she needed to do was check my criminal background...which I have none and talk to my references and then I could start after that...so it is pretty much a done deal! The first job I got is at a fitness center called Fitness For Her, there I will be teaching Water Aerobics one Wednesday and possibly Thursday nights at 6pm. The other job is at the local YMCA, there I will start out just working the floor and making my own hours which is great, and when people need a sub for their class I will fill in. Also I am going to work on my Personal Training certification so after that is done then I will also be doing Personal Training for them. I am just so excited!!!

So as for right now the job hunting is DONE!!

Toys, Toys and More Toys

2008-06-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

I swear this kid has way to many toys and she is only 9 months old. The toys in the picture are not even half of what she has...they are the toys that are in the living room...she also has toys apon toys in her bedroom and the bathroom. When we moved we even left a few toys in storage. How many toys does a young girl need?

When I was little I remember my mom complaining about the same thing...she always thought I had too many toys and I didn't understand why, because I didn't think I had too many toys, I always wanted more toys, so I am sure that is how Elizabeth is as well. And I am sure it is just going to get worse over the years. Especially is her Mama keeps buying everything that she sees and likes. LOL

Here are a few pictures of her with her favorite toys:

Oh and don't even get me started on clothes...this girl also has way to many clothes, she has a huge dresser and a closet filled with clothes...most of the clothes she either wears once or twice or does no wear at all. All of this has to do with the fact that her Mother goes over board when she sees cute things to dress her daughter in.

Happy 9 Months Elizabeth

2008-06-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my precious little girl is 9 months old...time is flying by so fast!! She is really doing wonderful..she is crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything. She is not standing by herself yet but it looks like she wants to. She now says "mama", "dada", "baba" and "num, num" and something that sounds like "nono" every so often. She has two teeth on the bottom and she is working on her top right tooth right now and it is giving her a bit of trouble. She is also doing very well in the sleep department...She goes to be every night around 7:30 - 8:00 and wakes around 7 in the morning...a few nights a week she may wake at 4 or 5 and eat a bottle but then goes back to sleep until 8. This is not vey often though, most of the time she sleeps wonderfuly! This little girl is seriously the best thing that ever happened to me and I would never trade her for anything else in the world.

Today was a fun day, we went to my friend Kira's house and played with her boys. The 3 of them played together so well. Her boys are so cute...Elizabeth kept trying to talk to them and touch them...and Matthew was so sweet and would try to give Elizabeth toys to play with! I can't wait till we all get together again.

Where's Elizabeth?

2008-06-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

This is the game Elizabeth and I like to play together. She is such a cute little baby.

Goodnight Moon

2008-06-23T17:55:00.001-07:00

This is the title of the book that I love to read to Elizabeth everynight before bed. It is a very simple story that has been loved for over 50 years! The words are very catchy and the pictures are wonderful. I have read this book to her so many times that I am starting to memorize it and I am sure there are mom's that already have ot memorized. There are a few lines from the book that are my favorite and I would like to share them with you:

"Goodnight comb and goodnight brush, goodnight nobody, goodnight mush" "and goodnight to the old lady whispering hush" "good night stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere"

I believe this book is awesome and I would seriously recomend it to anyone. It is not just the simple story and rhymes that get me...I also love the fact that their is a little mouse that appears in different places in each page and the moon is at a different level in the sky. There is also so much for her to learn from the book as she gets older that is just amazing...here is something I found about the different activities you can do with this book:

Activities to do with Goodnight Moon:

Use this book to talk about things that happen at night: look at the moon everynight and talk about its shape and where it is in the sky.
Use the book to tal about shadows: On a moonlit night walk outside and look at the moon and take a moonlit walk, while looking at and taking about shadows.
Use this book to talk about nighttime routines and goodbyes: say goodnight to object and friends in your child's room. Carry your child around the room, nameing different objects as you go. Also when you are getting ready to leave a place have your child say goodbye to their favorite things.
Use this book to talk about rhyme: Pause before you get to the second line of a rhyming pair. Point to it with your finger, and then start to say the first sound. This will give your child the chance to say the word. You can also do this with rhyming woods in the book such as: house, mouse; balloon, moon; bears, chairs; kittens, mittens; hush, brush, mush; clocks, socks.

I hope everyone enjoys this book and the fun things to do with it as much as I do!

The Joys And The Not So Much Joys Of Motherhood

2008-06-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

Today Elizabeth was playing with my hair while I layed on the floor which is something she loves to do...when she spit-up in my hair!!! So that got me thinking of all the things I love about being a mother and all the things I could do without.

The Joys Of Motherhood

Being able to see her discover new things
Seeing that cute little smile
Being her everything
Watching her play and laugh
Getting those sweet little kisses and hugs
Tucking her into bed at night
Being able to read stories to her at bedtime

The Not So Much Joys Of Motherhood

The sleepless nights
The constant worrying
Not being able to pee by myslef anymore
The new Mother smell (I use to constantly smell like spit-up!)
Elizabeth gets a bath everynight but I barely have time for one myslef everyother day at best

We made it

2008-06-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

Well we made it to our new home in Fort Worth. We arrived late Tuesday night and have been unpacking and getting things organized since the big move. The trip here was very long but Elizabeth did wonderful, she slept and played the whole time and was not very fussy. Since being here she is trying to adjust to her new surroundings so she is a bit crabby but I also believe it is due to her teething. We still do not have internet but hopefully it will be up by Monday night and I can get back to sharing my life and pictures of my beautiful baby girl.

Today we had a fun day at the Trinity Walking trails, Elizabeth had fun in the stroller walking around and looking at things.

Happy Daddy's Day

2008-06-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today is Father's Day and it was the first Father's Day for John with Elizabeth here and it was a wonderful day!! He is such a great daddy to Elizabeth, she just loves him to death. Just the other day she started saying "dada" so John was so excited to hear "dadadada" all day long! I am sure it was the best Father's Day present Elizabeth could have ever given him.

Our day was filled with stuff we had to do with the move coming we spent most of the day packing. I woke up with Elizabeth and let daddy sleep in a little and we went to get him breakfast and let him eat in bed. Then I went and got my hair cut to look nice for John. I am actually for the first time in years happy with my new look!Anyway back to our day...my sister is just starting high school this year and she joined the pomies team so she was in town today for a camp so John and I went to go see her dance, she did such a great job, it was wonderful to see her one more time before the move. We probably will not see each other again until Elizabeth's b-day so I am so glad we got to see her dance! (She is the one in the black and gold...the one in the back)

After that we spent more time at home packing and spending time as a family witch was great, we are always so busy, it was nice to sit and have a day together even if it was full of things to do. We went out to eat for dinner at a nice restaurant and then came home and put Elizabeth to bed.

After we put her to bed we had a few hours out with a couple that we love to hang out with that made our day complete!

Saying Goodbye...

2008-06-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my last day of work, so I had to say goodbye to all of my wonderful co-workers. It was a very sad day, because I am truely going to miss them! I have had many jobs in the past and with those jobs I did not have a problem letting them go, the last day of work at those jobs were happy days but not for this job. This was a great job with great co-workers and great patients that I am going to miss very much.

Alot of them have helped me so much, in the 2 years that I have been with them. They were there for me when I found out I was pregnant with Elizabeth and came to see us in the hospital after she was born. And now today they always so nicely put up with a crazy mamma that always has new pictures to share because she is so unbelievably proud of her baby girl. So I wanted to take the time to thank them and let them know how much I will miss them.

We're off to see the Doctor

2008-06-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth had her 9 months appt today. It was a little early but since we are moving I figured I better get her into see the doctor one more time. I love this doctor, she is was my OB and delivered Elizabeth and now she is Elizabeth's ped. She is wonderful and I am going to miss her so much.

Anyway back to the appt. Elizabeth weighed in a 16 lbs. 2 oz which is the 14% for her age group and she is 28 1/4 inches long witch is the 85% for her age. The doctor says she is doing great and is right on target. She told me to start introducing her to more table foods and to set her up for a 1 year appt after we move to Texas!! I can't belive my baby is almost a year old!!

While we were there I had the doctor check her out for a sinus infection because she has had a runny nose for what seems like forever and it has been very green lately and the other night she had a bloody nose...and it turns out that she does have a sinus infection so she is on meds. The doctor told me to wait on the allergy meds for now because with the move she may have a easier time in Texas and not need them, so I am to watch her and see if she gets better before giving her anything.

So all in all the appt was great, my daughter is perfect!! :)

Girls and their purses

2008-06-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth got her first purse yesterday and she is having a blast with it. The purse is pink with Sesame Street characters on it, included in the purse are keys, a coin purse, lipstick, comb, and a cell phone... so now she is ready for a night out on the town.

I think it is really amazing how much babies learn and so quickly too. Today she was putting on her lipstick and talking on her cellphone it was so adorable.

Craft Time

2008-06-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today I went out and bought some paint for Elizabeth to do a craft project because I got a great idea from my friends at SK and it looked like all of the babies had so much fun doing this. Well it did not go so well for us. I am not sure if it was just because Elizabeth was tired or not but she was not really into it! She fussed a little and kept trying to eat the paint!! She was more interested in the bottles of paint than sticking her hands in the paint itself.

I did get a few decent shots and the finished project looks good. Maybe we will try it again tomorrow when she is not so tired!

Happy Girl

2008-06-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth was such a happy little girl today, which was great because she played very well and let Mommy and Daddy pack with just a few interuptions. Then we went out to eat tonight because we had worked so hard today packing neither one of us wanted to cook dinner, anyway Elizabeth was just so excited to be out she talked away at the table, at one point she was talking so loud everyone was looking at her!! She even made a friend with another little girl, it was so cute!

Moving

2008-06-07T04:35:00.001-07:00

Alright, so I have been lazy at this but I have a good reason. We are moving next week and I am not done packing!! After working 8 hours a day and then taking care of Elizabeth, I really don't feel like doing much packing at night. Then comes the weekend and after working a 40 hours week, all you really want to do is relax. Packing sucks, but it will be worth it because after we move we will be close to Elizabeth's grandparents who I am sure will spoil her to death, which she really doesn't need because her mama does enough of that already!! :) So June 13th is my last day at work and then June 16th is moving day!!

Cousins

2008-05-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth saw her cousin Aubrey this weekend and the two girls had so much fun. Aubrey will be 1 year old tomorrow May 30th and we had a little party for her in Michigan. They played very good together, talked to eachother and gave eachother lots of kisses. They did fight some over toys but it was not to bad. Aubrey would take toys away from Elizabeth and then Elizabeth would just take them right back, she didn't care. I am so glad Elizabeth has a cousin so close in age and they can play together so nicely.

Peas and Carrots

2008-05-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth is just loving her solid foods, right now she prefers them to a bottle of breast milk. She still loves her bottles but she is loving her new foods. Carrots and peas are her favorite as well as corn, sweet potatoes and squash as far as veggies go. Her favorite fruits are peaches, bananas, applesauce, berries, and mango. She also can not get enough yogurt. This child love yogurt and if you do not get it into her mouth fast enough then she yells at you...like "hurry up mom, what are you thinking"!

My Princess

2008-05-19T16:35:00.001-07:00

My precious little princess, Elizabeth Ashley was born on 9.25.07, and I can still remember the day like it was yesterday. I arrived at the hospital at 2 a.m. not thinking I was really in labor. I was to be induced that morning at 7 a.m., I had been having contractions for days without any progress. When I got there at 2 I was 4 cm dialated about 2 hours later I was 7 almost 8 cm dialated and my waterbag was about to break so I went ahead and got my epidural and it was like being in heaven!! Since it was 4 in the morning and I had been up all night I tried to get some sleep but I was way to excited. My doctor came in at 6 just as my water finally broke I was still almost 8 cm so I had to have some medicine to help things along. By 9:30 a.m. I was 10 cm dialted and ready to push. I was so excited and ready to meet my little girl. I pushed for about 30 minutes and then there she was. This beautiful little girl, was finally here after waiting 9 long months! She was 7 lbs. 3.2 oz and 19 3/4 inches long.

My precious little girl is now almost 8 months old. She has changed so much doing new things all the time. She is now crawling and pulling up on things, eating solid foods, saying "mama", "baba" and "baby". She is just the most amazing little girl ever!!

The love of my life

2008-05-18T19:48:00.001-07:00

My husband John and I meet 6 years ago. We will be married for two years in just a few days. He is a wonerful husband and a great father to Elizabeth!
We meet in college when I was a sophmore at Drury University. We ended up both transfering in and having all of the same classes because we were both going for the same major. I did not realize that we had all of the same classes utill he broke it foot. :) We starte talking more and studying together and then one night he walked me back to my dorm and after he left a girl I had never meet before said "he must really love you since he walke you home on crutches" from that moment on I knew I loed him and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, and here we are 6 years later married with a 7 1/2 month baby! He is truly the love of my life :)

About Me

2008-05-17T12:51:00.001-07:00

My name is Kari, I am 25 years old. I am a wife to a wonderful husband John and I have the most beautiful daughter named Elizabeth. I work at a local hospital as an Exercise Physiologist in Cardiac and Pulmonary rehab and I love it, besides the fact that I have to send my preciuos girl to daycare but that is another story! I feel that I am an easy person to get along with and have many friends who I love to be around. I like traveling and being out doors, running is my favorite activity to do when I am stressed or to just stay in shape. I love to scrapbook but for some reason I have not been able to find much time in the past 7 1/2 months! :)

So I am going to try this...

2008-05-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

blog thing but it may not be any good and who knows if I will keep up with it or not, but at least I can say I tried! But it is late so I shall start tomorrow! :)