SUYL: Halloween Costumes

I love dressing up for Halloween. It's so fun and goofy.

I promise I don't trick-or-treat anymore, though. (The parents look at your weird and may call CPS if you do that without a child of your own ... just any fyi.)

Anyhoo, I can't actually put my hands on any pictures of my costumes from Halloween Past, but I can remember being:

... a doggie (that was my 1st - I know there's a picture somewhere)

... an angel

... a belly dancer (that was when I was 16 and had a much better body ... my post-baby belly dances all on its own now, thankyouverymuch, no costume needed)

... a Roman. I know. Sounds odd, but we went as a family. My parents were Caesar and Wife, I was a Roman noble-woman, my brother was a centurian, and Hubby ... well ... Hubby isn't into dressing up. At all. Thought we were all nuts and refused to dress like a Roman. He said he would only wear his brown tunic (he was Peter for our Good Friday Passion reading), so we dubbed him the Christian martyr to our Roman pagans. We had fun :)

What I am really looking forward now is Halloween with Maggie. I have to admit, with all the scary-scaries out there, I would much rather do a fall festival at church or a party with friends than trick-or-treat at random houses like we used to do all those years ago.

But the costumes ... I'm so excited about Maggie's first costume!

Can y'all guess what she's going to be?

If you consider my passion for college football, and one team in particular, it's not to hard to figure out.

'Cause Maggie is going to be an Auburn Tiger ... and ya just can't top that in my book :)

I'll post pictures of our little cutie as soon as possible!

Josie News

I wanted to share an update on Josie, since so many of you have prayed for her and asked about her. For those of you new to her story, you can read a couple of posts listed under Josie's Journey.

Below is a letter from her parents letting everyone know what's what in the world of Josie, so I'm just going to copy it verbatim. And include her picture because, well, she's just stinkin' cute!

Happy Halloween 2009!

Rather than our scheduled vacation to the Outer Banks for Josie's 1st trip to the beach - we spent the majority of September with Josie in Akron Children's Hospital. After almost 2 months full of appointments & tests to get answers as to why Josie was experiencing violent gagging & choking episodes every day, Josie endured a complex surgery which lasted 4-1/2 hours & involved 5 procedures to her esophagus & stomach.

Post-surgery, Josie's feeding routine changed which caused Josie much discomfort & mommy to "go over the edge"! However, now, her feedings are going well and she has significantly less gagging & choking. Josie is still not taking anything by mouth, but is making great progress with putting solid food to her lips and sticking out her tongue to taste things.

Late September, we met with the kidney transplant team at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and began donor testing for daddy or mommy to give Josie a kidney. To everyone's surprise, mommy was not a match for Josie. Daddy & Josie had further testing on October 8th. We should have those test results at the end of October - thus the reason for our delay of this note to you! I was hoping to have more specific information to report to you on this.

Developmentally, Josie continues to amaze us every day! She is just about 24 pounds and sitting on her own. She is standing on her own while holding onto the couch and will take steps while holding onto someone's fingers. Just today, she pulled herself from sitting on her Dora chair to standing at her activity center - all by herself!

Our continued thanks for your love, prayers & support - we will update you again soon.

All Our Best,
Louie, Jean Marie & Josie

Yeah, Josie! As you can tell from the picture, she's growing like a little weed, and has met her weight requirement for the transplant surgery. I know her parents are grateful for your prayers for this sweet gift from God. Please continue to keep her kidney transplant needs in the forefront of petitions on her behalf.

As I am updated, so will you be also.

PS: While I've got your attention, would you also pray for Stellan, if you're not already? He's been in the hospital for the past couple of days or so with his heart condition (SVT) and is not out of the woods. Unknown as to what actions will be taken once he's stablized and his meds are levelled out again, whether he'll be allowed to go back home, or will need another ablation even though they are trying to put it off until he's grown more, or what. Check out MckMama for updates.

Thanks for being the awesome, supportive, bloggy friends y'all are - God Bless.

In Praise Of Bananas

Just thought I'd let y'all know that Maggie tried bananas for the first time on Monday.

And now, 3 times a day when we sit down to eat, Maggie must vocalize her love of bananas whilst consuming them.

Seriously. She has a spoonful in her mouth and is "hyumm-hyumm-mmmm, mmm-mm, mm-mm-hyumm-mm-mm, hyum-hyum-hmm, mmm" the whole time she's chewing (and I use that word in the loosest sense, but can't think of another descriptive. Gumming, maybe? Anyhoo ...).

Once she swallows, of course, the 'hyumming' stops. Until the next spoonful of heavenly goodness is placed in her mouth, and she starts up again, like a wind-up toy.

And we're definitely less messy when it's something we like, which is fine with me, because fyi: if you let baby cereal concoctions sit for longer than .03 seconds withouth stirring, it hardens like cement. (I'm convinced you can mortar a house with this stuff!)

If I can get Hubby to help, I'm going to record Maggie's banana-loving sounds, because it cracks me up.

Babies are so stinkin' cute :)

Fall In The Home

And no, I don't mean ka-boom. Fall as in Autumn. I could have put "Autumn in the Home" for my title, but where's the confusing fun in that? :)

So, now that we've had that weird little intro ... Friday's Show Us Your Life theme over at Kelly's Korner was Fall Decorations. And I missed it. So, I figured I'd catch up now.

Plus, I haven't downloaded my pictures from this weekend and have nothing else to share at the moment :)

(Don't y'all just feel great about this post, now?)

I love the fall. I would love it even more if it would visit this stupidly hot state I live in. The Phoenix, Arizona area does not believe in autumn weather. It hit 100 degrees last weekend. In October. Mid October. And it's still in the high 80s to 90. Seriously, why do I live here?

Oh, yeah. Hubby. I suppose that's a pretty good reason.

(That's sarcasm, by the way. Hubby's is a great reason to live in H-E-double-hockey-sticks. He never reads my blog but will choose this one moment to read that and I'll get the "what did I do" face when I get home tonight, so I'm making it very clear that that was sarcasm. What can I say, I'm eat up with it.)

(And Hubby knows it and loves me anyway).

(I got so far off track there that I may be in a state that observes autumn bliss.)

(Alas, no.)

Anyhu ... I don't do a lot of seasonal decorating in my home. I don't really know why. My mom is totally into holiday/seasonal decorating, so you'd think some of that would have rubbed off on me, but ... not so much.

I did splurge this year and get a brown linen table cloth on clearance at Target for $7. It fabulous because, not only is far too long for our table, but it collects cat hair better than our vacuum.

So, here's the one autumn decoration in our home:

Ain't it purty?

Now, if money were no object and I had the 'want to', here are the types of things I would like to do ...

How about you? What's your favorite time of year to decorate (besides Christmas ... even I decorate at Christmas!!)

And Who Are You?

As I'm sure you have probably figured out by now, I love reading. Books are the 'thing' I can most easily spend money on ... which is why I usually advoid bookstores like the plague. I cannot walk out of there without something! My ability to resist that particular temptation is just not that strong.

One of my favorite authors is Jane Austen. I always say Pride and Prejudice is one of  my favorite books - and it is, but I think I really need to be honest and say it's Sense and Sensibility. Visiting the Dashwoods is like sitting on the couch with old friends for me, I've read the book so often. I just enjoy their story so much.

And the movie! I love the movie!

All of this is interesting because I came across a quiz the other day entitled "Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You?" And funnily enough, here's what it came up with for me ...

Take the Quiz here!

Ka-winkie dink? Those who know me best can decide :)

Just click the image above and it will take you to the quiz - if you do it, please come back and comment and let us know who you were. I'd love to know!

Wild Things - For The Child In Us All

I admit it. I thought the book was scary when I was a little girl, thumbing through books in the library during free time at school. There were MONSTERS in it, and I just didn't do monsters. I was pretty young.

I don't actually remember reading it. I just know that, all these years later, it is imprinted in the pages of memories of my childhood. Like Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends. Classic. Enduring. Beloved.

Though I may save it for when I think she's old enough to enjoy it, I can't imagine not sharing this book with my daughter. It's been a fun journey for me, going back through the books I loved as a child, rereading them and imagining the look on Maggie's face when she first reads them herself.

And I have been waiting waiting waiting for this movie to come out ever since I saw the preview while waiting to view HP6. Because, y'all ... It.Is.Beautiful. Plus, I'm interested to see how a book that I remember as one long run-on sentence (though I sure it's not that exactly) is transcribed into a full-length movie.

If you haven't seen the trailer, here it is:








This means I'll have to leave my baby girl with a grandparent or friend to babysit. I don't like that. Not that grandparents or friends don't do a good job - of course they do! I just hate leaving my Maggie. I'm addicted, what can I say. Hubby and I need a date night - it's good for us, and I know that. I just don't like going places without our girl. It's bad enough being away from her because I have to work, but to leave her for pleasure seems ... selfish? It's silly and I will have to get over it ... work in progress and all that :)

I have to say, as a young child, my super-favoritest book was The Berenstein Bears B Book. I think my mom still has nightmares about reading that book over and over and over and ... well, you get my drift. As an older kid, I remember liking The Black Pearl and The Velveteen Rabbit. I also loved the Amelia Bedelia books! And as I got even older, Little Women. And James Thurber's The Catbird Seat - I just love that story! And now, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff has got to be my favorite - I have read this thing at least 10 times already, and I'm not exaggerating. It has become my go-to book when I have nothing else to read.

I could go on and on about this subject, so I'll stop now. Reading and books are passions of mine, in case you haven't noticed, and I can ramble on into infinity about all the books I love. I do hope to instill the same love of books and reading in Maggie.

You can also check out my page at GoodReads, if you're interested.

Do y'all have any favorite books from childhood? As an adult? Feel free to share ... I'm always looking for more books to read :)

Wordless Wednesday

We Like Oatmeal

... much better than rice cereal.

I couldn't shovel the stuff in fast enough!! By the end I had tired of trying to wrest the spoon away from Maggie and just let her have it - because, of course, she's only wants to help. She has no idea how she is actually thwarting the operation!

We never had this much mess with the rice cereal.

Hubby made the comment that "there's something wrong when it looks the same coming out as it does going in."

He's sheer poetry, isn't he?

Harvest of Friends

Lynnette over at Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground is hosting blog party. Nothin' fancy. Just a casual opportunity to meet new folks out there in Blog-Land .. and the party lasts from October 19-24, giving everyone plenty of time to participate!

So grab a cup of tea and a comfy chair and let the visiting commence!

Just for fun, and as a way of facilitating this virtual meet-n-greet, Lynette has a list of questions for each of us to answer, so here I go:

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while you're blogging? I actually don't snack much when at the computer - I don't like an icky keyboard. If I do snack, it's usually something eaten with an utensil, like ice cream (especially French Silk - oh, yummy!)


2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without? Indoor plumbing. 'Nuff said.

3. Beach, Mountains or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice? Probably a farm, if I didn't have to rely on it for my livelihood. I would love to have a place with horse property, and all kinds of animals around. And I'd like it to be located in either Tennessee or Georgia.

4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty? Cleaning the bathroom. Boys don't aim well.

5. Who do people say you remind them of? My mom. Or Kira from The Dark Crystal (that was in 6th grade ... and I still remember it all these years later. Hm.)

6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying at home with the fam? I like both, but right now I'd probably say staying at home with the fam because Hubby's and my schedules seem to be heading in different directions these days. I do like a good reason to get gussied up, though!

7. What's your all time favorite movie? I don't know if I can pick just one. The ones that I can watch over and over again are The Philadelphia Story, Romeo and Juliet (Zefferelli's version), Shakespeare in Love, and The Lord of the Rings (extended versions, of course!).

8. Do you sleep in your make up or remove it like a good girl every night? Um. It depends. If all I'm wearing is my mineral powder foundation, I will totally go to bed without washing my face. If I'm wearing the whole shebang, I can't stand feeling all that stuff on my face so by the evening, I've washed it all off. For years I was very good about washing my face every single night ... then I had a baby and I just don't always remember now :)

9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it? I would love to learn to speak Russian. No idea why. And I've always wanted to know how to play the piano.

10. What's one strange thing you're really good at? Being a messy cook. Hubby loves that about me - ha! Is that strange? Um ... I don't know. I'm pretty run-of-the-mill on the strange-talent scale.

11. What first attracted you to your spouse? Honestly, I don't really know. We were friends for a couple of years before we ever "saw" each other as dating material, so it wasn't just one thing about him, it was him as a whole by the time the light bulb went off. I love his laugh, his every-ready smile, his kindness.

12. What is something you love to smell? Rain. And fresh-cut grass.

13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people. You're assuming that I'm irritating? Pu-lease!

14. When you have extra money (HA!) what's the first thing you think to do with it? Pay bills. I know, nothing fun. But when you have babies, everybody and the janitor sends you a bill, so that's where we are right now.

15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest? Mostly I laugh out loud, so it's sure not silent! I nearly shot Coke through my nose once when reading an email about *ahem* intimate hair removal. (Let me know if you want me send it to you - and consider this a warning that it's a choking hazard!)

16. Where is your favorite place to shop? Italy. Oh, sorry. You mean stores? Umm ... Gap for jeans, JCPenney for dresses, Gymboree for baby clothes, and Pottery Barn for home stuff (though that's mostly window shopping)

17. What's one thing you'd do more often if you had more time? Cook. I've been woefully absent in the kitchen since Maggie came along. Lucky for me, Hubby loves to cook :)

18. Are you a big spender or frugal? Frugal because I need to be, though I have no problem dropping big bucks on an item I feel will enhance our lives or home in some way, as long as we can afford it.

19. Who is your favorite character of all time (from a movie or book)? (Can't be real) Seriously?!? Do you know how much I read? Or how many movies I've seen? Birdee, Scout, Demetrius, Elizabeth, Jeff.

20. Would you want to be famous? The perks seem awfully nice, but I like my privacy too much to give it up to the paparazzi.

Spreadin' The Love

A fellow Auburn Tiger gifted me this award - thanks, Beth!

Part of the deal in getting this award is that I have to share 10 honest things about myself.

10 randomly made-up things would probably be much more entertaining, but since this is an 'honesty' thing, here ya go:

1. I'm proud to be a Southern girl, and was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama ...

2. ... except for 3 years in Texas in early elementary school. I love Texas ... and horses.

3. I now live in Arizona, which surprises the heck out of me because I really dislike summer heat. One positive thing about living in AZ (ya know, besides Hubby) is all the Mexican food - I have turned into a major connoisseur of Mexican food - and sour cream!! I can eat that stuff every day. Well, that and pulled-pork bbq ... am I drooling? I think I'm drooling.

4. I played flute my junior high band.

5. My all-time favorite band is Bon Jovi. I get picked on about that but I don't care! And I drag my loving Hubby to their shows every chance I get :)

6. I went to college at AUM (Auburn University/Montgomery) and graduated with a BA in Sociology ... but I don't work in my field because I'd need at least one more degree and I was burned out on school ... plus, I'd rather just be a stay-at-home mommy.

7. I think I should feel more *grown up* at 35, but usually I still feel like a dorky 20-something.

8. I've been told by quite a few people that I sing well, but I'm too chicken to sing in the choir - probably doesn't help that Hubby is a professional singer/musician and is amazing! :)

9. I love blogging because it allows me to fancy myself a writer of sorts (when I have the time! After working all day and going home to my sweet 6 month old, sometimes all y'all get is snippets and pictures!)

10. I L.O.V.E. to travel and if I were independently wealthy I would do it all the time. I've been blessed enough so far to have been to Turkey (loved it!), Italy (loved it!) and Ireland (loved it!). My passport has also been stamped in England and Germany, but only because of layover flights. (All I saw there was a bus and a hotel.)

So, here's what happens next (we've already covered 1 and 2):

1.Say thanks and give a link to the one who gave you the award.
2.Share 10 honest things about yourself.
3.Present this award to 3 other fantastically brilliant blogs of content or design, or peeps that have encouraged you.
4.Tell those 3 people they've been awarded and make sure they're informed of these guidelines

To finish up, I'd like to bestow this award to the following (and I'm spreading the love, so there aren't any repeats from the Lovely Blog Award, so be sure you visit them!):

Sarah at Mundane to Miraculous

Michele at Love and Maple Syrup

Rebecca at A Southern Boy and A City Girl

Day of Remembrance

Today is a day close to my heart ... it is the National Day of Miscarriage and Infant Loss. As some of you may know, Hubby and I had 2 losses prior to our Maggie.

Our first baby was an early loss at 9 weeks, on January 26, 2007.

Our second was a precious little girl, Samantha Michelle, on April 11, 2008. She was born at 19 weeks gestation and was just too tiny to stay with us here on Earth. Samantha lived for about 4 hours, and we spent that time holding her and touching her and just looking at her, trying to imprint our minds with her beautiful image. Our priest came to the hospital to baptize her, and even though I was in recovery and could not be a part of it, I am so grateful for Fr. John's time and support for us that day. His words that day and at her funeral Mass were so comforting to me, and I know she is alive and well and loved and cared for in Heaven.

That doesn't stop me from missing her, though.

Samantha's due date was September 4, 2008, and I remember we were on a mini-retreat with the RCIA group the Saturday of that week. We had a Lord's Day dinner at the end of the day where we each share our burdens and blessings and lay them before Jesus, and I remember just crying and crying because I felt Samantha's loss so much. It was a physical pain in my heart and I had a hard time catching my breath. The thing I didn't know was that at that very moment I was pregnant with Maggie.

Blessings and burdens. And Jesus is present in them all.

Many of you probably already know Angie at Bring the Rain, and the story of her daughter, Audrey Caroline. She is opening her blog comments today for everyone who has suffered an infant loss, and has committed to spending the day in prayer for all of us who have grieving hearts. Visit her if you can, and glance through the stories of lost babies, and lift those parents up in prayer. There is a lot of hurt, but a lot more God, and we know he hears us.

PS: I'm also using this as a time to 'retire' the poem on my sidebar, Remembering. No reason beyond I just feel it is time. It's personal, and taking it down is symbolic for me of where I am in my journey now.

Remembering
Go ahead and mention my child,
The one that died, you know.
Don't worry about hurting me further.
The depth of my pain doesn't show.

Don't worry about making me cry.
I'm already crying inside.
Help me to heal by releasing
the tears that I try to hide.

I'm hurt when you just keep silent,
Pretending she didn't exist.
I'd rather you mention my child,
Knowing that she has been missed.

You asked me how I was doing.
I say "pretty good" or "fine".
But healing is something ongoing
I feel it will take a lifetime.
~ Elizabeth Dent

The Girl Likes Groceries

Updated: Okay. So apparently we've had some "technical difficulty". The difficulty being that, technically, YouTube and I are new friends and haven't quite figured each other out yet. But I think maybe we have the "not able to view video" problem fixed. Sorry about that. Carry on.

Original Post:

We had a new 'first' on Monday.

My mom watches Maggie for us while we are at work, so I took her there on Monday after her doctor's appointment. Hubby and I wanted to wait until Maggie was 6 months old before starting her on solids, so after her check-up, we had the 'all clear' to move ahead.

First up: Rice Cereal

In hindsight, starting this new thing right after all those shots probably wasn't a stroke of genius on our parts. She ate really well that morning, but for lunch and dinner Maggie just wanted her bottle and to snuggle. But, onward and upward as they say, so we'll just keep plugging along. She was back to her normal happy little self by yesterday afternoon, so I think today we should start making better progress in the solid foods department :)

And just because messy babies are cute, here is the video Nana shot while feeding Maggie her first solids ... pretty impressive multi-tasking, don't ya think? :)

6 Months Old and All Is Well

Praise God for a healthy baby girl!

Maggie-Doodle had her 6 month check-up this morning. That little bugger is growing like a weed! She now weighs 14 lbs 5 oz and is 25 inches long, and is now in the 25th percentile! She has gained exactly 10 pounds since we brought her home (she was 4-11 when born, but 4-5 when she left the hospital). She still hasn't rolled over yet but the PA is fine with her development. (Personally, I'm starting to think that Maggie is just a complacent baby ... we have yet to find anything she wants enough to roll to get to. She just looks at you and grins like 'eh, whatever, not interested'. Silliness!)

Maggie was smiling at the doctor and just being her generally happy little self. The nurse she wasn't too thrilled with though. Doodle got 5 shots. 5! Does that just seem an unreasonable amount to you? Oh my, how she screamed and cried. It was awful, and of course, I was bawling, too. Thankfully, we don't have to go back for 3 whole months, which is good because it'll take that long for me to work myself back up to taking her in for shots again! Seriously, it's just a terrible feeling, knowing you okayed them to stick her and stick her and stick her (and stick her and stick her!). I know it's for her own good but that doesn't make me like it any better.

On to better things ...

I took Maggie to get her portrait taken on Saturday. Below is a little slideshow of the shots they took. This was night and day a better experience from the first (and only!) pictures we had taken of her when she was just a month old. I think we have found a photographer for Maggie to grow up with!

Football Depressions Are Deep, My Friends

Sorry, y'all. I've got nothing today. Totally empty. That Auburn loss has sapped me. Of course, living with a Razorbacks fan hasn't helped much :)

and ... LSU lost to Alabama. I was counting on them to snap that AL winning streak. Sigh.

In other news, Maggie has her 6 month check-up this morning, so there will be a report on that either later today or tomorrow. I'm anticipating more shots, which make me cry, too.

Is it Monday? Good grief ... I'm just full of happiness and love this morning, aren't I?

This video pretty much sums it up ... :)

WAR EAGLE: Show Us Your Life 10.09.09

This week's Kelly's Korner carnival theme is "Favorite Team", and really people, is there any question as to who my choice will be?

Um, no. No there is not :)




And in honor of my beloved Auburn Tigers, I give you our fight song:





I am woefully behind on replacing my Auburn gear. Maggie has more than I do! I don't even have a t-shirt or sweatshirt anymore that is acceptable to wear in public. I know. It's just so hard when I have to order things instead of popping into a collegiate store. I have 2 jackets but let's face it, I live in Arizona. Jackets aren't always necessary during football season. I do plan to stock up the next time I go home, though. And you can find EVERYTHING in your team colors now ... seriously, check out ...

... this purse:




... iPhone case:




... plastic cultery:




... baby toy (that, um, yeah, we may have to get):




... light-up spirit badge:




And my personal favorite ...




... because who doesn't look good in blue and orange eyeshadow?

It's interesting. With the exception of about 3 years in Texas when I was in early elementary school, I lived in Alabama my whole life until moving to Arizona when I was 24. So I was completely indoctrinated in the 'Auburn/Alabama' issue. The issue being, of course, that you MUST CHOOSE. Period. There shall be no in-betweens. And everyone in Alabama gets that. Parents have missed their own children's weddings that were *gasp* scheduled during football season (I purposefully scheduled our wedding for after the AU/AL game ... really). A mixed marriage in AL is when one spouse is an Auburn fan and the other roots for Alabama (poor thing). I'm not even exaggerating! I can speculate that most other SEC states experience something along those lines with regards to their college football arch-rivals. And y'all, it is part of what makes SEC football so dadgummed fun!!

Which is why living in Arizona is kind of ho-hum for me when football season rolls around. Folks here just aren't as 'into' it as a state as they are in the South.

There are no tricked-out, team-colored-custom-paint-jobbed conversion vans rolling around town. There is no Friday driving home from work listening to the fight songs on the radio. No "Favorite Calls of the Game" replays on the radio. No "Wear Your College Colors To Work Fridays". No Monday morning recaps with your friends or co-workers. No general air of anticipation, of fun and excitement.

It kinda sucks.

But, I'm doing what I can to make the best of it. The networks could help out by showing every SEC game played but they don't seem to want to help out much there since I live in Pac-10 world. Heck, I would settle for seeing every Auburn game played but beggars can't be choosers, so every Saturday morning, while Maggie and I snuggle up while she drinks her bottle, I scan the tv schedule for that day to determine which games are on when, so as to be as prepared as possible.

It's an addiction. But's it's so much fun :)

You can check out everyone else's obsession at Kelly's Korner, so head on over!

Miss Maggie's Social Calendar Is Now Full

Good morning. Miss Maggie's Social Secretary here.

At least, that's who I was this past weekend. My baby girl has more social engagements than I do ... but luckily she is not yet driving and needs me for transportation, otherwise she might just take off in her stroller and I wouldn't see her 'til sundown.

We had another busy weekend. This one was also productive, though - it always feels good to get a big job accomplished doesn't it? My mom came over Saturday morning and we squared away Maggie's nursery. Packed up tons of blankets, baby clothes that don't fit anymore (I can't believe how small those preemies are!) and generally put everything in working order for her. It's amazing the floor space you have when you put things away. And thankfully, my mom is Super Packer Extraordinaire. It comes in handy, don't ya know :)

After tidying up the nursery (insert Mary Poppins reference here) we got all cleaned up and out the door for a day of social fun.

 First was a baby shower for one of Hubby's cousins. Kate did such a sweet job of giving the shower, and it looks like Sandra received a lot of things to help her get ready for the Imminent Arrival. We couldn't stay the whole time though, because our engagements overlapped ... so our next destination was:

Jack's 1st Birthday Party!

We have been looking forward to celebrating this little guy's birthday. His parents, Alison and Johnny, gave him a wonderful party full of loving people, fun gifts and Chocolate Cupcakes. Jack was excited to see that cupcake and proceeded to eat with a gusto rarely seen outside of the toddler age bracket. Needless to say, he got a tad messy :)

It was an all-around enjoyable afternoon, as you can tell by the big ole grin on Maggie's face ...

By the time we got home, the lack of enough sleep for Maggie that day was showing. Oh my. Hubby was away on doing music for a youth retreat, so once we got home, Maggie and I ate supper and off to bed we went ... at 8:30 pm!! That felt so good, I can't even tell ya :)

We have even more things going on this month, including Maggie's first college football game (we're going to the ASU game on Halloween ... Maggie will be dressed as an Auburn Tiger!) AND a visit from Ashli, which we are all looking forward to! We'll keep the pictures coming ... if I can remember to pack extra batteries (we had all of 1 photo of Jack at his party and then the batteries died ... brilliant move, eh?)

(btw ... these pictures were taken by our friend, Lisa - aren't they fabulous?!)

Wordless Wednesday

Look How Far We've Come

From 4 lbs 11 oz to over 12 lbs ... how big our girl is getting!

Baby Gear: Show Us Your Life 10.02.09

Baby gear.

Two words that can overwhelm any momma-to-be.

There is just so much to choose from nowadays, you get stimulus overload just browsing through Babys'R'Us. At least, I did. Really. I had to leave. So, a lot of my shopping was done by watching the other moms in my life and talking to them about their favorite items, or the items they would never buy again as well as the stuff the didn't use even once.

And now, having been a mommy myself for 5 whole months (almost 6!), here are the items I would buy again, and recommend without reservation:

Round Bed

I L.O.V.E. this round baby bed. We found it at JC Penney online. My parents bought this for us when we were pregnant with Samantha, and then stored it for us after we lost her, until Maggie came along. She is still in a cradle in our room, but very soon we will be moving her to her own room and into this awesome crib. We're starting to take naps there now, just to get used to the place. It's funky and fun, and a big space-saver, which is good for us as we live in a condo.

 

Peanut Shell Organic Cotton Baby Sling

This is one of the items I saw on a fellow momma and asked about. Our friend, Alison, has this one and I really like it. We have totally gotten use out of this thing. I had looked at the ones in a couple of stores and even a baby boutique, but I never liked that the material seemed so stiff, or non-stretchy, or whatever. This sling is made of jersey and has some 'give' to it without feeling like you're carrying your baby around your knees, or either squeezing the air out of her like those other ones I looked at. Love it! (We actually only have 2 pictures of me and Maggie with the sling but they are both on the beach and involve me in a swimsuit and you don't get to see 'em! ... so here's a generic pic)

 

BumGenius 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diaper

This, too, is an Alison find. Hubby and I had talked about cloth diapering, especially after seeing how far they had come since we were both cloth diapered, plus, honestly, the whole saving-money thing was a big motivator. Alison and Johnny's son, Jack, is a cloth diaper baby, so I totally picked her brain on the ones she uses, how she liked them, were they easy to deal with, did the laundry drive her nuts, etc :) She gave them a glowing review, and since the opinion of one friend is better than 20 stranger-reviews online, we trusted and went with her choice, and have not regretted it once. (Well, maybe once. Or twice. When Hubby doesn't put said wet diaper in the bag and leaves it out for me to find later. That's always fun.) Plus, they grow with your baby so we don't have to buy a bunch of diapers in different sizes. The ones we have now we'll still be using in a year.

 Jeep Liberty Limited Stroller

We totally heart this stroller! It's compatible with our Graco infant car seat so we didn't have to get a travel system, but were able to get both the car seat we wanted AND the stroller we wanted without feeling we'd had to 'settle' for anything. The height works for both of us - I'm 5'3" and Hubby is about 6'1" - so that's nice, too. Hubby's parents bought this for Maggie before our vacation in July and we took it all over California and had not one problem with it. Plus, their customer service is very nice. I called to have a wheel replaced because when we used it the first time one of them was totally wobbly and I thought it was warped. They sent out a new wheel the next day, no cost to us. Of course, I then found out the wobbly problem was because Hubby didn't put air in the tires. Seriously. He let me order a new wheel, then remembered he hadn't pumped up the tires. Sigh. I have no words.

The Miracle Blanket

Accept no substitutes, folks. This little gem will be responsible for full nights of sleep for you, allowing you to retain your ability to function during daylight hours. I'm not even kidding! We still use ours. I sure am going to miss this blanket when Maggie starts rolling over and we have to stop swaddling. That will be a sad sad day for Mommy ... or maybe night.

So, there you have it. My favorite baby gear items. Oh, and it's worth mentioning that, if you are expecting a baby, I found great deals at our church consignment sale ($3 changing table; $75 Medela breast pump; very inexpensive clothes), so don't rule out gently used items, so long as you can check them out first.

Check out Kelly's Korner for her fave items, and hop around some of the other blogs for inspiration, too :)