It All Started with a Little Skittle...

Anyone who knows us well, knows that we had "difficulty" becoming pregnant with Gabby.  After a year of trying (and praying) we were really disappointed, so we decided we would try anything at this point (besides fertility drugs).  My doctor tested both of our fertility (by the way our insurance didn't cover this so find out before you get tested so you don't have $1000s of dollars of surprises).  The procedure I had done, called an HSG test, was very painful, like more painful than labor pains! Also, my doctor did not tell me this, but when I was researching online a lot of people stated that the HSG test cleans out your fallopian tubes and a lot of people get pregnant quickly after the test.  I also started taking cough syrup twice a day that had guaifenesin in it because my mom had mentioned once that it helped her get pregnant with me (I told you we were desperate). Finally, we more mockingly than anything made a vision board (my mom was always trying to get us t...

A friend's infant's chiropractor recommended this video. Apparently we've all been changing babies ages 0-6 months incorrectly.  Rather than lifting their legs we should roll them from side to side because 80% of their learning (I am assuming he means neurologically) is through their "gut."  He says that this technique reduces colic significantly. It' amazing that such a simple change (once you get used to it) can change you from having an extremely fussy baby to a happy baby. I will definitely try this with my next little skittle! If you have a baby that's not yet crawling pleas take a moment to watch this video and you will make your life a lot easier!

My sister, Lacey, has been telling me for months, maybe even a year that I need to start writing about all aspects of my life, not just Gabby.  It’s difficult to expose all parts of your life on the internet for the world to see so I have resisted this suggestion.  Finally I think I have convinced myself that I am going to attempt to talk about various aspects of my crazy, beautiful life.  Hopefully I can do this in a way that you can relate to and is still entertaining.  I know Gabby is fun and interesting ALL of the time, but me…not so much.     I figure I will start with a simple background, because the point of blogging is for you to feel like you are here to experience my life and relate to my “adventures.”  Obviously my world revolves around Michael and Gabby.  They are my world and are always in my thoughts no matter where I am or what I am doing (which I believe sometimes drives my friends crazy).  Apparently once y...

I woke up at 4:10 this morning thanks to a small bladder and I have been awake ever since.  My mind was wondering thinking about all of my “big plans” in life and I was annoyed with myself that I could not fall back to sleep knowing that I had to be up and at ‘em by 6:30 on my day off.  Then I faintly heard Gabby scream, not cry….faintly?  I have a baby monitor in my room so I should have heard her screeches clearly, but apparently managed to turn it off somehow for the one time Gabby woke up shrieking in the middle of the night.  When I entered her room I was guessing her diaper leaked and that was why she was upset.  I picked her up and consoled her for a moment and realized her diaper was contained so that wasn’t the reason for the shrieking.  So while looking around her room (and changing her diaper) she started whining “get get” which is what she calls her blanket.  I saw the blanket I covered her with laying outside the crib.  She is very ...

 My favorite picture. She's really enjoying that cone! So nothing really exciting to report.  Gabby and I are watching a tiny baby named Kit on my days off for a month and so I am trying to take advantage of every moment Gabby and I are alone so she has fun and doesn't feel neglected.  Today we had to run a few errands before the baby came over and Gabby some how decided she needed ice cream and for some reason I caved.  I guess because it's rainy and I didn't have any other great fun ideas.  We sat on the porch and watched the rain and ate ice cream.  Apparently this made for an awesome morning for Gabrielle. A mini ice cream cone was the best investment I've made in a long time! I will never forget watching the rain and giggling with Gabby for an hour on the front porch.  I love this sweet girl!  Praise the ice cream!  It's not good unless the proof is on your face.  Gabby thinks the self timer on our came...

I was required to go to San Antonio from a Wednesday night until mid-Saturday.  I honestly didn't think I could survive that long without Gabby. I worried more about leaving Gabby and how she would behave for my mom and Michael than I did about the fact that I was presenting at the conference I was attending.  I am proud to report that Gabby, Michael, Grandma, and I all survived! I actually learned a lot and my friend Kelli, who I rode with, helped me really have a good time while I was away. She was sweet and patient with my constant conversation about Gabby.  We had fun going to this really cool restaurant that had 2100 vintage plates all over the walls with her grandpa.  We also went to the movies at this really cool place where you could have a drink, gelato, or even sushi while you waited for your movie to start.  It was nice to be me and not mommy me for  a few days and it was nice to come home.  I will not say absence makes the heart grow fond...

Two weeks ago Daddy was out supposed to be out of town for a week and a half.  I had promised Lacey that I would come and visit her and Patrick some time in February and it just so happened that Michael would be working in Shreveport during part of his trip.  Gabby and I packed up when I got of work on Thursday and bravely drove the 4 1/2 hours to Nanny's house with the help of a portable DVD player and my new navigation system.  Maybe you don't know this, but Gabby HATES the car. She despises the car so much that before the 20 minute drive to my parents house is done she is usually crying or pitching some sort of tantrum.  So, needless to say I was very nervous about the drive by myself.  Gabby was an angel on the entire trip. I left at night thinking that she would sleep during the drive, but not with the DVD player on. Instead I had to stop every 90 minutes or so to put on a new "show" for Gabby.  I would allow her to choose the movie and then pop it in....

For about a month Gabby and I would take a friend's daughter to school (Jade).  I think Friday mornings were Gabby's favorite during this month because she would get to see at least 5 buses during the 5 minute drive to Jade's school.  Gabby points and squeals, "round and round" every time we pass a bus.  Once the bus is passing her window of the car she says, "bye-bye" and then signs "more."  It is adorable and really reminds you that it's the little things in life that should excite you.  The little thing in my life excites me and makes my day every day....Gabby!  So the drive to and from Jade's school in the morning was a special treat that Gabby and I would express excitement each time we saw a "round and round". However, I haven't been taking Jade to school in about a month and even when Gabby is not in the car and I see a bus I catch myself becoming excited and looking for Gabby. Is that normal?  Maybe not, but who ...

Gabby has a very special bedtime routine and we seem to have finally gotten back into the groove after a month or two of wanting to stay up and having a tantrum at bedtime each night.  After Gabby's dinner and bath we go into the living room, lay her down with a specific pillow, blanket, and of course Meow.  She chooses a show and then we play the show while we all sit in the living room and watch it.  Then she drinks milk and watches her show for about 20 minutes.  Some nights we read books when we arrive in her room and other nights we do not (it depends on what time it is).  When she walks into her room she yells moon.  Aunt Lisa gave her this really cool frog that projects blue stars and a moon on the walls and ceiling. First Gabby touches the moon and the she chooses various stars she would like to touch.  Her favorite time is when Michael lifts her up high and lets her touch the stars on the ceiling.  Then while she is laughing we both give ...

Last night Gabby began getting even sicker than she had been and she was kind enough to pass the germs to Mommy.  About an hour after we laid her down she woke up crying hysterically.  Since I wasn't feeling well either she and I laid in bed and watched "Peppa Pig" (per her request) while Daddy was kind enough to make her milk, go the garage search for the humidifier, clean it, fill it, fix it because it wasn't working and set it up in her room.  We watched Peppa for about an hour and then I put her back in bed because Michael and I were falling asleep but Gabby was not.  When I laid her down she told me "night night, bye!" and blew me a kiss.  About 3:30 in the morning she woke up again (I was already awake feeling terrible so I was anticipating this occurrence) because her pain medicine wore off.  I went and got her, laid her in our bed, gave her medicine and decided to let her stay in our bed until she fell back to sleep, which usually takes until the ...

The other day Gabby grabbed my finger and pulled me toward the light switch. She made me push each switch, but each time I flipped the switch she would say no and complain until I turn the switch back off.  After about five minutes of her dragging me to each switch in the house I finally turned off the living room light and Gabby cheered and clapped her hands.  I had turned out the light she was looking for!  After the light was off Gabby hopped out of my arms, hastily went to her baby, said "shhh" and "night night,"and then repeatedly came back to cover her baby.  After a few minutes of the light being out she wanted stars.  Apparently she expects her baby to have the same routine as she does.  What a good mommy!

Gabby started cutting TWO teeth at one time; however, on this particular day I was not aware that her reason for being a pain was because she was in pain. She was an extremely unhappy baby all day long. She required me to hold her or listen to her whine every moment she was awake, but since the world doesn't stop when you have a cranky baby, I decided to attempt a few quick errands, in which we would be home in an hour or less. I simply wanted to exchange an outfit she was given that wasn't the correct size and pick up Daddy's Father's Day gift (because we were at Lacey's wedding the weekend of Father's Day). We went to the store to exchange the outfit, but of course they didn't have her size. They did however have a 70% off sale so Gabby was allowed to choose one toy which only cost $2 and put her in a magnificient mood. Then she began getting fussy in the car so I gave her a Goldfish cracker, but she kept yelling for the entire bag so I opened the ba...

So, I try to follow the doctor's orders because I know that there is a lot of research for the recommendations they give me.  However, I felt like taking the bottle from Gabby at 12 months just wasn't right for her. I still don't think she was ready to get rid of her bottle, but I promised she would be off of it by 15 months. So we have gradually taken a bottle away one every other day.  Aunt Lacey fed Gabby her last ever bottle Friday night.  The next two days she refused to drink from the sippy cups we got her (which look exactly like a bottle but with a sippy cup nipple), but I am proud to say that today she has given up her hunger strike and has drunk two cups of milk! She has been such a trooper and never even fussed about the loss of her bottle. I guess in her case out of sight, out of mind was true. During one of her naps I boxed up all of her bottles so that there would not be a tantrum for the forbidden bottle....I am dreading being around a baby with a bott...

29 hours and 30 minutes, the longest I have ever gone without my baby girl through her entire existence.  Michael was sick yesterday and we had to take him to the hospital for a CAT scan (don't worry nothing was wrong) so Grandma took Gabby while we waited endlessly.  Graciously Grandma agreed to watch Gabby over night since Michael and now I were both sick.  This morning I went to work because I was feeling better and I day dreamed about my sweet baby girl half of the day.  Luckily 5:00 finally arrived and my giggly, smiling baby girl was back in my arms.  She makes my world better in so many ways it is indescribable!  Oh how I missed you my Gabby girl!

Gabby had a wonderful first birthday party.  There were tons of friends and family there to celebrate her first year of life. It truly amazes me how many people adore my little girl. I don't think she has any clue how blessed she is to have such a huge group of such wonderful people who love her!  Seriously, people traveled HOURS to come to a one year old's birthday party! Gabby should feel very special and loved.  I think everyone's love contributes to the sweet loving little toddler she has become. Nanny and Mommy stayed up until midnight preparing and decorating for the party.  Then we continued working from 9:00 in the morning until moments before the party started at 2:00 (I will plan better next time)! Grandma made pretty signs for the party.  Gabby received a plethora of gifts which included toys, precious clothes, and even money which we put directly in her savings account.  Thank you everyone for such lovely gifts. The party was great because...

Gabby had a great adventure her first time traveling by plane.  Gabby and Mommy got to the airport two hours early (as recommended by the TSA).  We went through the checkpoints with Gabby's stroller and our two carry on items. Then we had an early dinner and waited for our plane.  The flight to Amarillo was only 1 hour and 38 minutes (not including the time we waited to take off and to unload from the plane).  Since I was super nervous about how Gabby would behave on the airplane, I strategically dressed Gabby in an adorable outfit.  When we arrived in the area to wait for our plane you could feel the stares and resentment from all of the people around.  It was an area where about 16 planes have the same waiting area and it was like the lottery...Everyone was hoping to win a plane without the baby.  Luckily the plane we boarded was only half full; therefore, we had one man in the seats directly in front of us and no one behind us or next to us....

It is only 9:30 and I am laying in bed with both of my loves sound asleep! At 9:00 when I realized they were both asleep I ran a very deep, very hot bath and relaxed, contemplating what I should do with the first "me" time it seems I have had in 10 months. First I thought about working on the chores needing to be accomplished around the house, but I quickly vetoed that thought. Then I thought about finishing one of my books, but then I realized they are like Pringles, "once you pop you just can't stop." I would be highly disappointed when I remembered how much I love reading and how much I miss having time to curl up with a good book.( I still haven't figured out how to be an awesome mom, wife, sleep, and an avid reader). Then I thought about giving myself a pedicure, but I am too tired to put in that kind of effort for something so trivial. So here I am laying in bed writing to you on my husband's I phone. It is nice to have a moment to myself to do as...

On Saturday Mommy and Daddy celebrated their 5th anniversary (although Friday was officially 5 years).  Michael has always promised me an eternity band for our 5th anniversary; however, I got something much better, although early...Gabby!! Michael also had a plaque made for the brick from our wedding it said: "The Brick" The Brick represent our first 5 years of marriage. It symbolizes the foundation on which we build our life. As long as we can keep our foundation strong, We will have a long and prosperous life together. This was a very sweet and romantic gift, the first thing Michael has ever written for me! At about 4:00 we dropped Gabby off for her first slumber party ever! We went home, got ready and went to Pappasitos to celebrate our anniversary, while I am sure Gabby entertained Grandma with her newest discovery...her feet; although she doesn't realize they are her feet!  She stares intently at them, waits for them to come within arms reach, and th...

This morning at 4:30 I woke up because I heard a noise and thought the power went off.  At 4:45 I realized it was my little girl I was hearing not anything else.  Since she was starting to fuss I walked in the room to give her her pacifier to hold her off for another hour before breakfast; however, when I walked into her room and peek in the crib Gabby gets a huge smile across her face and flaps her arms and glees in excitement.  Obviously we are not going back to sleep.  So I scoop her up and carry her into our room.  I precede to feed her (thinking she will go to sleep as soon as her tummy is full) and her eye lids get heavy.  I sigh with relief and figure I can probably sneak in a 45 minute nap before the alarm goes off at 6:00, but yet again Gabby realizes Mommy is falling to sleep and starts kicking me and talking to me.  We go into the guest bedroom as to not wake up Daddy and we lay down in the dark.  I kept my eyes closed, but never went...

Being back at work really isn't that bad because I am being broken in slowly.  Luckily I have gotten to take long lunches to go see Gabby to feed her and love on her.  It makes the days bearable.  I am even more LUCKY because Grandma (Montie) gets to watch her so I know she is being loved, spoiled, and taken care of very well.  I do not worry about her at Grandma's and honestly it's sort of nice being back at work.  I feel like I awakened a part of me that has been sleeping since Gabby was born.  I guess I feel like "me" again because work is the same as it was before Gabby, when nothing else in my life is.  I love my new life of being a Mommy, but it's nice to still feel like the old me too. Don't get me wrong, if I was rich enough I would stay home with Gabby full time until she was in school.