Hadley Grace at 16 months!

Hadley Grace is 16 months old! I have been so busy with school and just life that I almost completely forgot. This has been a super busy month for us, but a good one nonetheless. Here are the highlights of this month:

• We are way into animal sounds, she knows the sounds of dog/puppy, cat, cow, sheep, and duck
• She loves to dance and quite frankly is really good at it
• She also loves to climb- on everything. It can be pretty dangerous and she is fast! As soon as she is 18 months she is going to gymnastics, she is a natural!
• Hadley had her second Easter. This year she really got into the egg hunt. I also didn’t spend the entire Easter service with a crying baby in the hall; she was happily playing in the nursery!
• She got to meet the Easter bunny as well as some real bunnies.
• Hadley learned the word bunny; she is talking more and more every day. I am always impressed at how much she picks up in one day.
• She is good at pointing out my nose, eyes, and mouth, but I am not sure she knows that she too has those features. As she will never point to them on herself. She also likes to point at pictures of herself and say baby.
• Baby is the word of the month; she says it all the time. She loves her “babies” and has grown partial to carrying them both around at the same time!
• She still LOVES books, and has gotten a lot better at actually listening and not just hurriedly turning pages
• We have found some new favorite foods: goldfish, gogurt, blueberries, apple cinnamon cheerios, cheese of any kind, crackers, strawberries, mac and cheese, salad, ranch dressing, bleu cheese dressing, waffles, and pancakes. She also has some old favorites green beans, broccoli, and wagon wheels.
• She is starting to get pretty good at using silverware…we are getting closer at least.
• I am afraid to even type this, because I know it will jinx it, but she has been a great sleeper this month. She goes down easily, stays asleep, and wakes up in a good mood!
• She is loving her rocking horse
• Hadley has gotten better at puzzles, she at least now attempts to put the pieces in their spots; we have moved past simply banging the pieces together.
• The “Itsy, bitsy spider” has easily replaced “patty cake,” as her favorite interactive song.
• Her favorite thing to do every morning is put on her shoes and find my keys and then take them to the front door to try to unlock it…it’s pretty darn cute.
We have had a pretty fun month together! She is such a happy little girl, I am extremely lucky. Sure she has her days, she is a feisty one with a mind of her own, but at the end of the day, she is the sweetest child. I can’t wait to see what next month brings!

Weekend update...

I had an awesome weekend. There were several events that were strange "head scratcher" moments, but in this life of mine I have grown to expect that, and simply laugh! It was just a great weekend...here are some pictures of Hadley!

Thursday

Usually on the Thursdays before Hadley is supposed to be with her grandparents, I like to get some extra quality time in; today was no different. After spending 8 hours involved in testing, I was ready to head home and have some fun with my baby- truth with all that's been going on this week, we haven't had much play time. She seemed to really enjoy it, as she kept kissing and hugging me!

Testing...

Another day of testing has come and gone. Hadley and I both were up at 515 this morning, that's pretty early! Today was just a little busy, but luckily I still had time to go to the gym, that makes 3 days in a row- which is pretty good for me! I have been working with Hadley on using silverware and dishes without throwing them on the floor. We are making some progress. My mom bought her a small set, like a toddler sized set, but she much prefers to use my fork... She has gotten pretty good at picking food up with the fork and actually getting it to her mouth!
Here's hoping for a restful night, in which Hadley goes to sleep easily! These early mornings are for the birds ;)!

On a side note, every night when I'm rocking Hadley to sleep ( yes, I still do that, it's one of my favorite things to do, it is wonderful just to watch my sweet baby!) anyway, as I do this I can't help but think how perfect she is! I feel beyond blessed to have her in my life, she truly gives new meaning to my life. I love that she and I have so much together time, just the two of us. Even though she isn't really talking yet, I just feel like we have such a special/ close bond. It make my heart smile :)

Whitney Glee!

Last week I wrote about lyrics to a song, that were meaningful to me...I might make this a weekly occurrence. Tonight's episode of Glee was all Whitney Houston songs. I knew all the songs, I like her and all, but wasn't a mega fan and actually have mixed feelings about celebrating her life rather than focusing on how she died (rather the slow death she lead as a rest of drug use); nonetheless, tonight one song specifically hit a note with mw. I remember when this song first came out, like so many songs from my youth, it was one I liked, but now in my "adult life" holds a little more meaning, so without further ado...

It's not right,but it's okay Lyrics Performed by Whitney Houston

Verse 1
Friday night you and your boys went out to eat
Then they hung out, but you came home around three (yes you did)
If six of ya'll went out
then four of you were really cheap
Cause only two of you had dinner
I found your credit card receipt

CHORUS
It's not right ,but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Pack your bags up and leave
don't you dare come
Running back to me
It's not right, but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Close the door behind you
Leave your key
I'd rather be alone than unhappy

Verse 2
I pack bags so you can leave town for a week (yes I am)
The phone rings and then you look at me
said it was one of your friends
down on 54th street boy
So why did 213 show up on your caller ID?



I've been through all this before
Don’t think about it, don’t think about it
Head on out that door(aint gon get yours)
Things have got to change baby(Things have got to change baby)
You dont stand no chance boy
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Don’t you turn around
There's no more tears
Left here for you to see

Now is it really worth you going out like that tell me oh
See I'm moving on and I refuse to turn back back back yeah
See all of this time I thought I had somebody
down for Whitney
It turns out, you were making a fool of me OH!!!!!!!

REPEAT CHORUS

Good day

Today was a good day. It wasn't remarkable or anything, but everything just went smoothly. Hadley and I have to leave a little early this week because of testing (ie I have to be to work earlier/ on time), which surprisingly was easy. We both hopped out of bed ready to go and were on the road by 635! I was relieving teachers today, which was a pretty great gig! Tomorrow through Friday I'll be testing my home bound student that just had her baby.
Between relieving teachers, I helped with checking tests in, had a good meeting with a senior parent, had a good conversation with my principal, two of my favorite students came by just to chat, and I had a good day at the gym. The ellipticals were all taken, so I had to settle on the treadmill- or was a nice change!
Once we got home Hadley and I had some delicious artichoke chicken, one of my new favorite and super easy recipes, she had a bath, we read, and within 20 minutes she was asleep! She is so adorable as I was singing to her, she tried to sing along; I tried not to laugh, but couldn't help it- which made her start to giggle...these are the moments that I love! Today I even go to read two chapters in my current read "Chasing Harry Winston!" I am hoping the remainder of the week goes as well as today!

Thoughts on a Tuesday!

-I have a weakness for children's clothes, I want to buy Hadley everything, this is especially true of pajamas- how cute are those??

- As of last Saturday, the 21st, I have been divorced a whole year. In a lot of ways it seems like yesterday, but it also seems like years ago. It is crazy to think how the past year has unfolded. The ups and downs that have come along; it's all so surreal, sometimes I just have to laugh; I couldn't make some of this stuff up if I tried!

- I am getting pretty excited about my upcoming 10 year high school reunion. I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished in 10 years. Evident it will be a BFF weekend, as the following day Tara and I will be attending a concert at the Woodlands Pavilion...something about a boy band?!?! Should be fun!

- I finally made an appointment to see a GI next month, hopefully they can fix me up with some meds, to make the flares happen less often.

-Hadley has trying to talk a lot lately. Her favorite words are mommy, baby, hi, bye bye, and bubbles. She also really likes to sing the itsy bitsy spider

- I am ready for summer, and I am even more ready for all the summer berries and peaches!

-I will never be one of those people that love working out, it's just not going to happen- sorry...

-I'm really proud of one of my juniors that had a baby last week, but will be at school this week to take her exit level TAKS, now that's a real trooper!

-senioritis really sucks on my end, trying to convince seniors to come to school and actually pass their classes can be a pretty rough job; I personally do not understand this type of thinking!!

-I am super excited about all the new shows coming to Bravo, there appears to be a few cooking/top chef type shows...

-Have I mentioned I'm ready for summer?!?!

Weekend recap

This weekend was pretty low key, which was nice. My mom came into town, which worked out pretty well, because my crohns disease was acting up again and I was in some pain. I need to go to a gastroenterologist soon, it's been a few years...

Anyway with my mom here we played around the house, had two successful dining out experiences, went to Saturday night church, played with bubbles, ate blueberries, fish, and macaroni and cheese, and just hung out at the house. It was a pretty nice, it'll be a while until we see anyone in my family again, in fact the next time will be Mothers' Day when we travel to Humble.
It is hard for me to believe that we are about a month out from graduation, there is a lot that needs to be done between now and then. Luckily the counseling office has been super productive lately, it's been awesome!!!

Weekend recap

This weekend was pretty low key, which was nice. My mom came into town, which worked out pretty well, because my crohns disease was acting up again and I was in some pain. I need to go to a gastroenterologist soon, it's been a few years...

Anyway with my mom here we played around the house, had two successful dining out experiences, went to Saturday night church, played with bubbles, ate blueberries, fish, and macaroni and cheese, and just hung out at the house. It was a pretty nice, it'll be a while until we see anyone in my family again, in fact the next time will be Mothers' Day when we travel to Humble.
It is hard for me to believe that we are about a month out from graduation, there is a lot that needs to be done between now and then. Luckily the counseling office has been super productive lately, it's been awesome!!!

Friendship

A blog I read wrote about girlfriends yesterday, an it got me thinking. As I have mentioned several times, I have been blessed with some amazing friends; some I've know nearly 15 years a, others just a few. Locationwise they are all over the place. Some I see more often than others, some I text/email more often than actually see. At the end of the day those details aren't so important. What I love most about my friends is that we can maybe not see each other for a while and maybe not even talk, but in those important moments- moments of difficulty or triumph I know they are there for support and they know the same. With just a phone call or email, it is like no time ha passed at all. I think that is the true test. Life is busy and complicated, but people in your life that understand that and don't hold it against you are the keepers. Because if you can't count on someone for the hard times, then how good of a friend are they really, you know?!? Sometimes we just need to vent and have someone validate our feelings, and I have been blessed with some great girls that patiently listen to all my drama, and also know that in a time of need I will call and I will dutifully listen and support them, that's just what we do. I hope as Hadley gets older she finds great friends along the way, and never has to worry about mean girls, or worse- that she isn't a mean girl!

...

We had a long night. It started off just fine, Hadley fell asleep quickly and I thought we were good. Two hours later she woke up screaming. Turns out she had an upset tummy. Finally by nearly 10 I got her back to sleep. One would think after a night like that she'd sleep in, nope she was up at at em at 5 and would not go back to sleep!
Evidently the daycare worker that was the "lead teacher" in the baby room no longer works at the daycare and one of our favorites, Ms. Claire was moved to another room. Lots of changes, I had to ask another mom because no one told me. Evidently the director told every other mom, but me. I just wish I would have known- I would have liked to thank her for all she did...oh well...

Morning madness...

Most mornings, Hadley and I get some playtime in before heading out the door. We aren't usually rushing around, which I like. I guess we are both morning people so it works! This morning however, we were all over the place. I hit snooze am extra time and had a bit of a time waking Hadley up. We got our playtime in and headed out the door. Once I got Hadley in her seat she started choking on a goldfish cracker ( yes at 645 am, she was hungry and insisted upon them). She ultimately spit up all over the placed so back up the stairs we went to change. So of course we were running behind schedule, but what could we do about it?
On our morning drive we are driving east, so right into the sun. This morning Hadley noticed that it cast a shadow. She really entertained her self waving her hand around, it was adorable and melted away any stress I had about running late!

Busy day!

I don't know what it was about today, but I was on super overdrive mode. I guess it was the realization that graduation is merely 5 weeks away! I got a lot done on scholarship night, finished next year's senior course request, entered 1/4 of the juniors, and saw a few students. It was a super productive day; I love days like that! I am fairly certain the rest of the week will go the same way, so the blog may be a little quiet the next few days. Here are some pictures from yesterday and this morning; hope everyone had a great Monday!

Somebody I Used To Know

Several months ago, my friend Mary Jean sent me a YouTube video of Gotye and the "Somebody That I Used To Know." I instantly loved it! I had to laugh when months later I heard it on the radio...I guess Mary Jean is just really ahead of the curve!! I just wanted to share the lyrics of the song today. I just watched them perform on SNL, and still just love the song...

Somebody That I Used To Know lyrics

Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
I told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember

You can get addicted to a certain kinda sadness
Like resignation to the end, always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over

But you didn't have to cut me off
Make it like it never happened and that we were nothing
I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger
And that feels so rough

No, you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records
And then change your number
Guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believin it was always something that I'd done

But I don't wanna live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know-oh-oh

But you didn't have cut me off
Make it like it never happened and that we were nothing (oh)
I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger
and that feels so rough

(oh)

No, you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect you records
And then change your number (oh)
Guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

Somebody that I used to know
Somebody (now your just somebody that I used to know)
That I used to know
Somebody that I used to know
Somebody (somebody) (now your just somebody that I used to know)
That I used to know

I used to know
That I used to know
I used to know
Somebody

Another weekend has come and gone!

I had a pretty low key weekend as it turned out, and I was perfect!

I had ACT early Saturday, came home watched some tv, packed an overnight bag and headed to my friend Farrah's apartment. Farrah, Jill, and I had a girls' night in. We had all kinda of dips, I finally made the funfetti cake duo I've been wanting to try, it was good- not nearly as sweet as you would expect! We did what we do best, chatted, told stories, and laughed A LOT!!! It was different than our usual GNO, but it was as fun! Sunday morning I woke up and headed to church. Todd started a great series about the bible called "Totally Reliable." It was good, and in true Todd fashion it was chocked full of scripture to support his point ( I love that). It was a nice change that they actually gave us several ahead of time in the bulletin so I wasn't frantically flipping as much. I am a big proponent of writing in my bible; making notes, underlining, circling, etc..
After church, I finally found a pair of khaki capris at Kohl's ( i was shocked Old Navy had NOTHING, they have always been my go to for all khakis) I ran to the gym, ate lunch, and took a short nap before getting Hadley.
Hadley and I played for a bit, she had a full dinner of chicken, rice, broccoli, and apple sauce, bathed, and passed out by 5:15. She had a busy weekend playing! Now it's time to relax and get mentally prepared for the week ahead. It's gonna be a busy one!

Enjoy these pictures I threw together in red stamp!

Confessions, part 2

Usher had part 2 of his confessions, so I think it is okay if I do the same…I mean and Usher are so much alike!


Well maybe not, but I am going to continue my confessions, so here we go…

• I've been through some drama this weekend because of this little blog, it all started during a quick run to the Gap (really cool side note here, they have named their fits of jeans HADLEY, Harper ( my next daughter’s would be name), and Audrey- how cool is that), anyway I was having a good afternoon of much needed ME TIME, and wouldn’t you know it just like that it is ruined! After some thought I am not going to make this blog private I am allowed to speak my mind. I didn't say anything untrue, so whatever!

•  I am sorry, but we get up at 5:30, Hadley  is 16 months old and needs sleep. So it is not true to say no good parent puts their child to sleep "that early"  when they could be playing with their child. Ironically enough on my birth board for December 2010 babies, there was a thread about when babies are going to sleep and at least 30 other moms said 6-6:30 and nearly 50 said 7. It doesn’t matter, I am with Hadley all the time, I know what is best for her, I know that at 5:30 every week night it is clear she is pretty tired and often she throws fits about this time to drive that point home. 
• Life would be much easier if people were more concerned with that are actually doing, rather than what other people think they are doing, or not doing... Do right and nothing else matters!
•  On a much different note, I am a person that goes to a gas station every morning for a drink and snack, this has been part of my routine at all three of my schools, in three different towns, over the past seven years. I don’t know what it is, but I always develop a relationship with the attendant at my choice of station. I just love the familiarity with those people, it is almost comforting, they are like “friends,” heck I see them 5 times a week- that’s more often than I see most of my friends!
• While I miss Hadley like mad when she is gone, I love the simplicity of doing simple task while she isn’t there. Perfect example, taking at the trash- there is actually nothing simple about that. I have a total of 7 trash cans in my apartment. I have to consolidate all of those trash cans into the big trash bag and take that down a flight of stairs and across the parking lot. I always have a hard time doing that, because it means I have to leave Hadley alone in the apartment, so I often have to do it while she is asleep (which makes noise and wakes her up), and when she isn’t there. I miss my neighbors across the way, I could leave my trash outside my door and they would take it down for me, they were AWESOME!! They took care me in lots of ways like that. I can empty the dishwasher, vacuum, change the sheets, and do laundry much faster without my little helper, but I do appreciate that she is trying to help!
• I went to bed last night at 7. I passed up on an opportunity to be social and hangout with friends to sleep. I had a migraine and had a VERY BUSY/STRESSFUL week and I just needed to sleep; especially since I had ACT early this morning. It’s amazing how much sleep can change things. It is very rare that I get to sleep for 11 straight hours, but I did last night and it was AWESOME!!
• I love Justin Bieber’s new song- it reminds me of that sexier and older Justin (as in Timberlake), but I will never love the Biebs nearly as much as I love JT!
• I could live off of crackers and dr. pepper I love them both oh so much!
• One of my students told me a story about how his goats on his property were getting attacked by wild dogs at night. Evidently the dogs just gnaw on the goats and leave them to die, it was just sad and I can’t stop thinking about it (yes, this means we are really in the country)

Mothers and daughters

I watch several shows that depict mothers and daughters, Joan Knows Best, Dance Moms, and most recently Shannen Says. I think any mother/ daughter pair would agrees there is something special about that relationship. I like to see how other mothers and daughter interact, and of the above shows I mentioned I think my mom and are a lot like Joan and Melissa Rivers. They are incredibly close. I think I am very fortunate to have a very good relationship with my mom. We are super close, which most of the time is a good thing! Sure there are times that this closeness cause arguments and disagreements that baffle my stepfather. Regardless of what happens in life, my mom is the first person I call in an emergency or when something good/awful/shocking happens.
Before I was pregnant I always thought I wanted boys. However, early in my pregnancy I was certain I was having a girl. I got pretty excited thinking about how awesome it was going to have a little girl that one day would be my shopping buddy, lunch partner, and hopefully as an adult my best friend! As Hadley grows into a little person it is very clear she and I have a very special relationship. We have a special way of communicating, and oddly enough share a similar sense of humor ( what does say about me?!?).
I can't speak for all moms, as a counselor I know not all kids have great relationships with their moms, but I have never once felt a shortage or love, attention, pride, concern, or involvement from my mom. I am excited to see how my relationship with my daughter grows an evolves over time. I know there will be days she "hates me." There will be days I "ruined" her life, but there will hopefully be days she calls me for advice, cries on my shoulder, asks my opinion, or picks up the phone to tell me good news. I have already experienced the joy and fulfillment of the mother/daughter relationship as a daughter, which was wonderful enough, but being a girl mom is proving to be quite fun; I'm just eternally thankful that I have such a strong role model to look towards, I have been blessed with THE BEST mom, there is no doubt about that!

Easter Eggstravagaza!!

After a blog hiatus, we are back with tons of pictures! We had a wonderful Easter weekend! I had early release from school on Thursday, which was awesome. I met my mom at my house and we went to get Hadley from school, with the intention to do some bluebonnet pictures; however every spot we found seemed dangerous in 5 o'clock traffic- Hadley is fast and unpredictable. Instead we headed home and had dinner and relaxed. Friday was the busiest day.

We did all our grocery shopping for our Easter feast, grabbed lunch, greeted Papa James who drove in that day, all before making it to a 1:30 appointment to get Hadley's picture taken with real bunnies. I thought she would LOVE IT, but I was way wrong. Despite her two naps that day, she was a grouch. Luckily we got a few good ones, but it took a while! That poor bunny fell off her lap several times and had to endure Hadley picking it up by the ear! I am not sure if she realized it was real. After pictures we did some last minute Easter shopping and headed home.
My church encouraged regular attenders to come to the Saturday services this Easter to make room for the Easter visitors, so we knew we had that to prepare for that afternoon. That morning we got up, made breakfast, dyed Easter eggs, put together a few casseroles for Easter, and eventually got on our Easter best, took a few pictures and headed to church. We went to the first of two Saturday services, thinking it would be the least crowded; we were wrong. The church was more full than I had ever seen it, there were thousands of people there- it was crazy. I LOVED the service amd the music, it was amazing. It actually was nice to do church on Saturday. There was so much to do Sunday, and it was nice to not have to rush around to get out the door in time.
Sunday morning Hadley slept in until almost 7:30, it was an Easter miracle!! She saw what the Easter bunny brought her: 7 books, a Veggie Takes DVD, a bathing suit, a few stuffed lambs, an Easter rubber ducky, and a riding bouncer. She seemed really excited about it all! Then we headed outside to hunt eggs. We had practiced egg hunting the day before using Resurrection Eggs, which was a great way to also tell Hadley about Jesus and why we celebrate Easter. I'm sure she didn't quite understand, but it is a tradition I wanted to start! She did a great job hunting eggs, but much preferred just to run around outside. We spent the rest of the morning playing, in her new swimsuit of course, eating strawberry shortcake, and loving on Maggie. We had ham, broccoli rice casserole, bake fruit, and Parmesan asparagus for lunch, and rice crispy treats for dessert( that was something random I decided to make last minute). It was all yummy! It was just a perfect day! It was easy and stress free which is always a good thing!
Monday morning, Hadley had her 15 month check up. She was 24 pounds, the 75th percentile!! She is on track developmentally, and of course she has an ear infection! Good thing we've already started seeing an ENT! We also are going to start adding flax seed to get diet, to keep her more, ahem, regular! I tried it in her apple sauce and you couldn't even taste it!
It was a great weekend with family and a great time to reflect upon how truly amazing Jesus is. God sent his only son to die for US and our sins, it is just so remarkable when you think about it!