Alex, "What is Satisfaction"

A good hair day AND make up day (really, when does the EVER happen??). AND a happy/giggly moment with your baby. Simultaneously running into and old crush/flame who ditched you for the popular cheerleader type. Who tells you that he, at 28 years, is still figuring out what he wants to be. Really it's a tie between physical therapy, teaching, possibly becoming an EMT, but there is a fire fighter program that he just heard about from a friend. Also he is bald (yes, I know my husband is bald... but totally different.) Oh, but don't worry he proudly told me he finished ALL of his generals.

Yeah, I can get satisfaction. :)

Really?

I receive my weekly emails about the development of my baby. This week the newsletter was on how to ease your baby's allergies or colds. This picture was in it:

Ummm, yeah. I don't know about your babies, but the Apple certainly does not look like this when I put an aspirator up her nose. She is flailing, she is angry, she is pushing me away, she is crying. If only Parent's Magazine it was that easy to clear out my baby's stuffy snotty nose. Lucky, for us the runny noses only lasted a few days. I am crossing my fingers that is how it stays.

It Takes Effort to be this lazy

It is 10:32 pm (MST) I had to go downstairs for over a half hour now, I am terribly tired and would love to just go to sleep, but it is cold and I am cozy so I am putting it off. So instead of actually taking the one minute it will take, I have wasted 30 minutes perusing pinterest hoping my milk will make it to the fridge on its own (sorry TMI, but really that is the only reason why I have to go downstairs, and now you know that HAVE I to go down stairs and put it in the fridge or else I just wasted liquid gold which took FOREVER to pump). Please tell me I am not alone on this? Who else procrastinates on such things?

Found this gem...

In my photo booth hearts and all. It made me smile.

Really there should be a bajillion posts dedicated to her...

The smoke alarms went off to warn us the batteries need replaced. This is where she went. Gosh, I love this dog.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

From the only kitten I am not allergic to.

By the way, after 40 photos and 15 minutes of me going at every angle making every funny sound I can think of, this was the only photo she looked at me.


I have 39 photos of her like this:

The Harvest Continues

Nola, is a nurse I work with. She is the kindest woman you will ever meet, she also has an apple orchard. She lets me come down every year and pick apples. I cannot believe how delicious an apple picked off the tree is compared to the grocery store. Nola told me it is when they get boxed up and packaged where they add all the chemicals. I thought I had tasted a crisp apple before, no, no I never did until I took a bite of an apple I just picked. That my friends is a crisp fresh apple and the taste is divine.

Speaking of apples, here is our Apple with Nola.

All the apples I picked. Nola helped me pick them; it only took a half an hour (and all from one tree with PLENTY of fruit left - I want an apple tree). Most of the food the baby eats I make (the exception is prunes, I don't make prunes) but I blend it up and stick them in ice cube trays (holds about 2 TBL) pop one out and stick in the microwave when it's time to eat. It is not as time consuming as one would think it would be AND it saves money, you know what you are putting into your baby, and reduces waste (no plastic or glass containers).

Speaking of produce...

Here is my pumpkin at the start:
And now: I really don't have the heart to carve it up (is that weird?) I think I will actually make pumpkin pie from it.

And here we are on an evening stroll in the crisp, cool, autumn air.

A Peculiar Love Affair

I love the idea of traditions. Since the babe was born I have begun a love affair with them. I have a list of traditions I would like to have with my children. Will I do all of them? Probably not, but I do have my favorites. One of those traditions is in the autumn go to a local farm and enjoy the festivities. We have had beautiful weather this month, BEAU-TI-FUL. Last night we did our first annual pumpkin festival (and hopefully many more to come).

I believe I have mentioned before Brad has a thing for horses (okay, honestly the man has a thing for ALL animals, but especially horses.) If we are traveling and there is a field of horses off the road, guess what? We stop. Well, this horse wanted to eat our pumpkin.

And this cow. Adorable. This cow wanted Brad's pumpkin too, and she gave the cutest look. It was actually the same look Sydney gives you when she wants your food.

I love her face. i wish the photo came out clearer.

The tongue. Gets me every time.

**These last photos I was experimenting on in photo shop. And silly me did a silly thing, I never created a "save as" I only saved, so the only copies I have are the ones I experimented with. Oh, well.

First wagon/hay ride

Her Halloween outfit.

My little family.

Growing

grow
   \ˈgrō\, grew, grown, grow·ing.
verb (used without object)
1. to increase by natural development, as any living organism or part by assimilation of nutriment; increase in size or substance.
2. to form and increase in size by a process of inorganic accretion, as by crystallization.
3. to arise or issue as a natural development from an original happening, circumstance, or source: Our friendship grew from common interests.
4. to increase gradually in size, amount, etc.; become greater or larger; expand: His influence has grown.
5. to become gradually attached or united by or as if by growth: The branches of the trees grew together, forming a natural arch.

The outfit on the left was the outfit we brought her home in 6 months ago (it was even big on her). The outfit on the right is the one she wore yesterday (size 6 months).

So much has changed. She smiles throughout the day, she laughs, she squeals, she talks... a lot (wonder where she got that from?), she loves to eat books, she rolls over (tummy to back), she scoots backwards, she can't sit up on her own but oh, does she try (it makes my abs hurt watching her try to sit up), she seems to be a good eater (has yet to not like anything she has tried, the peas and beans took a little bit but now she seems to like them), she loves to look at herself in the mirror, she sleeps from 7:30 pm - 7:00 am, she takes 2 naps a day, she loves to chew on everything, when a new toy is presented it promptly goes into her mouth, after her nap (Sydney usually greets her first) she squeals when Sydney walks into the room (my heart melts every time).

I will never get over how fast time goes. My life has never gone so quickly since she came into it, I wish it would slow down a bit, but it can't so the only thing I can do is cherish every day.

I once had a teacher greet us one Monday morning and he asked, "How many of you wish it were Friday?" I am fairly certain we all raised our hands. He then said "Look at what you are wishing away." I have never forgotten that (obviously), and it means more to me now than ever before.

Survival Mode

We have been in survival mode this past week. We have been in pajamas all day every day, with the exception of Wednesday, when I had to go into the office. What we have dealt with: colds, the flu, coughing, sinus infections, ear infections, and pink eye. None of which were suffered by the babe. That's right folks, somehow the babe got through this with very sick parents unscathed. I called the pediatrician and told him how sick we were and how to keep the baby from getting it his response, "Wash your hands and nurse like crazy." Well, apparently it worked, because while Brad and I were in bed suffering she remained happy as a lark.

However, I believe we are on the mend (crossing fingers).