A momma's sentiments

While many mothers I know went out and got the day's local, state or national newspaper to commerate the day their child was brought into this world, I choose to go a more picturesque, less political and much more "now" route. To really mark what was going on in our culture the year that HAH was born, I chose to get her The Best (and Worst) of 2005 Special Double Issue of People.

Today marked the day in my daughter's life that she first tasted food. Gerber's baby peaches (which I must say aren't too shabby in the taste department) were her first meal, along w/ massively watered down apple juice and some formula for desert.

Yesterday I also bought her high chair from Target ~ not only is it stinkin' cute and matches her stroller and car seat (b/c that's the rule now a days), but it was half off!

Now, my little pooter dooter is asking for attention. The monkey hanging from her jungle gym just isnt' talking back...

Our precious baby is growing and changing at the speed of light ~ scary, exciting and full of the unkno... caution ~ Tu Tu Chew can be a choking hazard.

Ahh...

Isn't she THE cutest thing you've ever seen??? (Thanks for the cool stuff Aunt Net!!!)

'Twas a wonderful holiday filled w/ laughter, love, great gifts (esp. for the baby!) and more food than one can imagine. Such blessings! Earlier today Jenni, TL, DJG, HAH and I all enjoyed a fantastic meal in Huntsville. It was great to see you all again ladies!

Brandon and I held off on small gifts for each other for our birthdays and Christmas. Instead we are planning on getting each other this. We're MEGA excited and are getting blessings from the financial gods later this week and then meeting w/ the builder and our realtor to go over the tiny, yet oh-so-important details. We should be in our new home by mid to late March!!! Woo~hoo!!!!

Recent dicsovery in Hadleeville

Baby Orajel rubbed on the gums = long nap time = mommy getting to shower & shave both legs!!!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good nap.

Tell me what you notice about this...

Our own trauma in the ER...

See the boo-boo on my nose? (I sat up on my own 12/15/05.)

(I held my bottle all by myself! 12/15/05)


So, last Wednesday Brandon, Hadlee and I went to visit Abuelita at Vanderbilt Hospital b/c she was recovering from surgery. All went well; Hadlee performed and smiled on command for everyone we saw. It was a great visit. On the way out I was carrying the baby (b/c that carrier is so heavy and we didn't have the stroller w/ us). We were walking along and going in and out of elevators and switching buildings to get back to the parking garage when I stepped in a small drainage hole, twisted my ankle and fell. Hadlee's head hit the (incredibly nasty) concrete and I PANICKED!!!! I immediately began screaming at Bran to get a doctor. He said he didn't know where they were (Remember we were AT VANDERBILT HOSPITAL!!) and some women were asking if we were ok and trying to check out our very injured, screaming, and crying baby. Bran took HAH from my arms, I grabbed the bags and we flew at mock 90 to the ER... The adult ER which is incredibly smelly, nasty and very full of thuggish looking people ~ YUCK!!! We smelled like we'd been smoked in about 2 seconds flat. Anyway, they took the baby back immediately while Brandon tried to give them our info... Did any of you have your child's social security number memorized at 4 months? Cuz we flunked that part. Two nurses attempted to get Hadlee's stats... She was so upset that they basically just made sure she wasn't' leaking brain fluid and had a heartbeat (check, check). Then they sent us back out to wait until someone from the Children's Hospital could come to transport us back (roughly a mile and a half treck from one ER to the other). It took about 30 minutes of waiting in "if you want lung cancer in the near future just hang out here and you can get it via the second hand smoke from these oh so frightening people" central to get a transporter to wheel HAH and I up to Children's.
We finally get to Children's (after I call my sister and let here know what's going on ~ we both broke down, again), which is a much happier looking, nicer smelling, non-future-lung-cancer-inducing-from-second-hand-smoke-filled area and are asked to wait. While we are there Hadlee turns back into here old smiling, laughing, chewing on everything in site self... In comes a tiny two week old who is vomiting non-stop from her nose, a two year old who had cut off one of his own toes, a 12 year old w/ a concussion and an 8 year old w/ fluid on his heart. They took us back in front of all the others (HELLO, GUILT CITY!!!). The doctor who came to see us was very nice, gentle, and thorough... Though to my sister's disgust didn't do a brain scan to make sure Hadlee was still a genius. She examined HAH, pressed on her face (and told us if there were any broken bones we'd hear a crunching sound ~ I almost buicked on her) and had HAH laughing. (Note that when I tried to clean the dirt off her nose Hadlee almost bit my hand off and here this stranger was pressing on the injury and she LAUGHED!!!) We were given a clean bill of health and told to give HAH tylenol of she acted fussy and "Merry Christmas" from the cool doctor who had a Christmas tree light necklace.
Thus ended our first (and hopefully LAST) ER trip.
I took a sick day on Thursday (more for my emotional health than Hadlee's physical) and she held her bottle by herself and sat up on her own... Much more than I really needed to see at one time! But I did get it all on camera!!!
Thursday Hadlee had her 4 month immunizations. So once again I felt like the worst mother in the world. I did promise to pay for all the therapy needed and then some due to the 24 hours of trauma. Now I'm on a two week break and enjoying spending precious time w/ my girl. I officially hate Christmas decorations or anything associated w/ them and wish that I had a magic wand to get this all done... Where is that fairy god-mother when she's really needed???

I think you need to introduce nap time today. Let them manipulate a pillow.

i got the above e-mail today from my roommate at work... he teaches the alternative school students. we are all ready for a B-R-E-A-K!!! long story to tell later about the baby's first er trip. til then, nighty night.

I haven't...

*put up any seasonal decor.
*wrapped a singal gift.
*finished shopping.
*thought about what I'm doing beyond Saturday.
*stopped laughing at Hadlee ~ her personality is really beginning to show, the little comedianne.
*had a good day at work in a l-o-n-g t-i-m-e.
*stopped wishing, hoping, and praying for a snow day.
*been more excited to see a vacation come (just 4 days and one hour... and possibly a personal day tucked in as well!).
*organized anything
*sent out a single card
*had a lot of sleep


So, how 'bout you???

We've got one Christmas dinner down and 7 more to go ~ somehow I think there should be a rule against that. Did anyone see Gray's Anatomy tonight? I'm definitely NOT an Izzy!

Happy Monday... only 12 shopping days left.