happy 1 year birthday

oh fatty mcnatty. where has the time gone. i cannot believe that you have already been a part of our lives for a whole year. 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 amazing days. seriously. didn't you like just get here?

birthday girl sleeping on her daddy during her birthday lunch. which reminds me of our first night home. rob took her to change her in the middle of the night while i prepped for breastfeeding her. he came back and said "i swear i haven't been cheating on you - but fatty mcnatty just gave me a hickey" and sure enough, she had latched on with vigor to his neck and there was a tiny eraser sized hickey. oh daddy's little girl.

you are amazing. you make us laugh so hard, you are such a daring little rebel and you and your sister couldn't be better friends. i hope that lasts for ever and ever. you are walking all over now and you can get up the stairs faster than it takes me to put away clothes. (not that i know from experience or anything)

you tackled your birthday cupcake like a pro. you just picked it up and looked at us like "yeah, it's a cupcake, what's the big deal?" as you chomped through it. then about 30 seconds later when the sugar hit your system you started going nuts. it was so adorable!

daddy and i can't wait to hear you start talking for real, of course that means that sister will have to be quiet long enough for you to get the chance. but we'll get there. today you just moved into a "big girl" car seat and you seemed to really like it. forward facing. wow. you can actually SEE where we are going now. i can't imagine what that is like for you.

baby girl, you and your sister are my entire world and you make us so happy and proud. we love you so much and thank you for being a part of our lives!

santa monica steps

so rob and i went to california to celebrate our anniversary, and to celebrate rob's dads birthday. i will do a post later with pictures and everything, but this post is about how i tried to kill myself with running. seriously. it was only 4 miles. i can run a marathon. (or at least could at one point and will again soon)


4. little. miles.



on last friday.



and i am still sore today.



this is why.





oh yeah, it looks innocent enough. until you realize that there are something like 157 of those innocent wooden steps. and i didn't even see anyone famous. i don't think. i don't really know. because me, the genius that i am, thought "hey, i can run up these" and i made it 75% of the way and then i died. right there. i think someone even took out their iphone to take a picture of the "tourist girl who thought she was the shit and tried to run the santa monica stairs"

but then i got to the top and the view was amazing. and so i ran down them. and then caught my breath and jogged up them again. and then down. and then ran the mile back to the hotel.

and the next day i couldn't get out of bed. and the next day. and possibly every day for the rest of my life.

though today i went for a run at lunch (5k) and i didn't die. but i did miss the view....

running circles around us

well, not exactly running, but fatty mcnatty was actually up and walking last night. but she was reaching a little farther with one leg than the other, so she was walking in circles in the kitchen. just about the cutest thing i have seen in a long time. and then she gets so excited and proud of herself that she starts getting this big smile. then she looses her balance... it's awesome.

motherload, mothership. whatever just beam me up

how do i make a migraine hangover exciting? well, let me rephrase. i did not have a hang over, just a migraine. you know i always believed that those were made up. like "oh my head hurts i have to miss 3 days of school/work/insert something here"

boy was i wrong. so so so wrong. i am so very sorry that i ever doubted the power of the mighty migraine and hope to god that i never have to experience that ever again. seriously.

anyway, i was home sick tuesday. the shot of imitrex i received in urgent care monday night, and the darvocet i took to sleep tuesday night did little to nothing for the machete that had been lodged into the side of my head. oh well.

today i can move without fireworks going off in my brain, so i think maybe perhaps i might be coming around.

for my sister

and everyone else i know who knows spanish. this is one of the things that babyhead is learning.

walk this way

ok, well, that earlier post... i spoke too soon.

fatty mcnatty walked today for the first time!

as a comparison, her big sister wasn't even crawling at 11 months... so WOW...

3rd year of record

i need to post a picture, but we had our first ripe tomato a few days ago. but i don't know that i could count it because it was a tiny tiny tiny tomato. anyway, rob brought in tomatoes (yes, plural, as in more than 1!!) last night that are almost ripe. so we are right on schedule.

happy 11 months fatty mcnatty!

ok, so maybe it was a few days ago, but still, 5 days late isn't too bad, right? i can't believe that you are almost a year old. that is the craziest thing! you make me so proud everyday, and make me laugh and smile. both you and your sister.

what have you been up to? well, i think you have decided that you will never walk. you crawl faster then i ever knew a baby could crawl, and you will cruise along furniture, and you will stand on your own, but you just don't see the need to walk. especially since your sister will bring you whatever you want.

you are babbling a lot, but no real clear words. you do say the mama and dada sometimes, and you say bye, and wave and blow kisses, but most of your sounds are just awesome baby sounds. awesome happy fat baby sounds. your voice might just be the cutest thing i have heard in a long time.

our biggest thing is that you are fully weaned. i started a few weeks ago by cutting out the bottles at school; you were just getting a sippy cup. then i stopped nursing you at lunch. then i cut the morning. then one day last week, i just tried to put you down without nursing you and you did alright. then next night, and pretty much every night since then, you have protested, but i think that is due to just not wanting to go to bed, and not to the nursing. (at least that is what i am telling myself). i didn't set a date, i just knew that within a week or two i would stop, and that night it just happened. i knew if i set a date, i would be so sad the night before knowing that it was our last session. so i decided to wing it. i think you are ok with it. i miss the closeness, and i think you might too, but i also know that you were getting only that closeness from it at this point. and honestly, as much as i love you and your sister, i needed to CUT THE CORD...

you are drinking whole milk now as well. you were a little leery at first but now chug it like a pro. much better then babyhead did, so that makes me happy. your poop sure did change, but i think you are ok. no reaction.

we are leaving for our anniversary trip/rob's dads birthday trip in a few weeks and you will be with your sister at rob's aunts house. without me. for 4 WHOLE DAYS. wonder who will cry first....

ok, well, here is to 1 more month of babyhood. i love you fatty mcnatty!

Bluebonnets

our friend who is a professional photographer took these photos of the girls. and of course i am completely biased, but i cannot believe just how great babyhead does with the camera. she just knows how to pose and hold herself. none of these photos were staged/posed!

who me? yeah, i'm pretty....

peek-a-boo

this girl attracts ladybugs like you wouldn't believe. it's good luck you know. and instead of a scarecrow in the garden, we're just going to hang her up there this summer.

seriously serious with a smile

cutie patootie

"i'm not gonna pick them....."

"oops..."

sister love

a rare smile caught on film (or on pixels?)

this is my favorite one. and i bet my mom wants a copy to continue her collection of "family photos taken from the back"

as my brother said "git off my lawn, punk!"

this just makes me smile, because i hear her laugh every time i look at it

i will admit again that i know i am biased, but that is the most beautiful girl in the world.

a day in the life of unemployment

when i am not running, or looking for a job, i like to take the dogs to the park behind our house. it is like 500 acres, and the dogs love it. i also like to run in to. but this was a dog day.

easter dresses and diamond rings

first the diamonds...

so the saturday before easter, (yes i am aware it has been that long since i updated) we went to gruene, tx. rob's brother derrik, had planned a surprise proposal to his long time girlfriend leigh. he staged this show at gruene hall, with a band he knows and pulled it off without a hitch. or i suppose with a hitch, since she said yes and they are getting hitched.

funny enough, the whole thing was captured on youtube. and by someone they didn't know. just by someone who happened to be there that day. you can see it here. (turn your sound down, it's kind of loud!) it is a long video, the jam session is good and worth watching, but the proposal (all 15 seconds or less that it took) is in the middle of the video. still make me get goose bumps! :) CONGRATS y'all!!

derrik before the proposal. i love this picture because it captures his emotion perfectly

it makes me so mad that it is blurry, but it is still the idea of the picture...

leigh, afterward

the newly engaged couple. notice all the women checking out the rock!

ANYWAY

on to the easter dresses. as you know, our sitter and my friend brooke, makes the girls clothes, as does her mom. (example here) well, brooke went above and beyond, making the girls their dresses. and since we had no plans for easter, we had them wear the dresses for saturday's festivities instead.

daddy, babyhead and fatty mcnatty. fatty mcnatty loved the live music. she was rocking out.

fatty mcnatty standing in her dress.

babyhead "picking" the flowers - yes she did rip the whole thing out

a view from the other side

i think that this guest article does an amazing job of summing up the grief felt by women who've had a c-section - even those whose life depended on it. i agree with the entire thing and moreover am amazed and delighted that she had both experiences to fully understand the impact.

easter egg hunt at school

babyhead had an egg hunt at school for easter. she got the most eggs, not that i was counting or anything ;)

her egg bag that she decorated for the hunt

waiting on the wall to start. look at that serious face.

putting the eggs in the bag

showing off her loot

and of course the "thank you for coming mom it meant a lot to me".

fowler visit for rob's birthday

our friends the fowlers (joseph, lauren, forrest and baby#2 whose name is escaping me right now) came to visit the weekend of rob's birthday. we went for a walk sunday morning and here are some of the pictures.

joseph and forrest

joseph and forrest

(somehow i didn't get any of lauren!)

babyhead and rob

lady bug that babyhead found.

the sound of little feet

fatty mcnatty took a tiny step towards me today! in fact, i might have said it was only an accident, however two of her teachers at school and another mom saw it happen and all said that it counted. yeah!

why we own a pool you can heat

yes, it is ridiculous in a lot of ways to pay for and use gas to heat up the water just to be able to swim in march. though i think it was at least 75 out. HOWEVER, it was for rob's birthday, and really, who is gonna tell them no?

i wanna go out and swim!!

waterfall

waterbaby - rob and i know that fatty mcnatty is the reason we have a pool fence. she loves the water and probably if rob had let go, she would have just swam away!

babyhead getting the courage to trust her floaties!

and everyone swimming. i mean, come on, are YOU gonna tell them no?

it was awesome

in case anyone wanted to know, the cake was out of this world. and we ate all of it.

happy birthday rob!

i made a german chocolate cake for rob for his birthday, since it is his favorite. i used this recipe. yes, it is long but i am certain that it is gonna be awesome.

the only changes i made to the recipe, were i did not use any corn syrup, and i whipped the ganache and frosted the cake sides with it instead. and i used the coconut frosting on the top as well, just by putting less in the other layers.

i don't think i am going to serve this with the coconut whipped cream either, not because i don't want to make it, but because the cake is already so rich, i can't imagine adding more to it.

mothers little helper

ha ha, no not like that....

babyhead insisted on doing the dishes for me the other night. it was only a cookie sheet and a really cheap one we got at the grocery store so it's not like she would be able to mess it up... she shocked me. she actually WASHED THE BACK. huh, that never occurred to me.

"how did you learn how to do that?"

"cuz i do."

babyhead is getting so big too, she can reach the water dispensed on the fridge, so if i give her an empty cup, she can now get her own water...

happy 10 months fatty mcnatty!

yeah, as in DOUBLE digits... dang time has gone by fast.

what have you been up to since our last month check in? well, you are getting really good at cruising, and i swear will be walking any day now, but who really knows. you are completely fearless, and have mastered the you're-not-really-talking-to-me-with-that-tone-are-you-look, which i totally expected from a house full of girls but maybe in like 10 years from now. you also have no problem pulling out the big old fat crocodile tears when daddy says no and it's all we can do not to laugh at you. really. this ain't our first rodeo sweetie, and we are not falling for it. sorry...

you and i have begun the weaning process. it is actually a little harder on me then i would like to admit, but we will make it through. you now only nurse or get a bottle 4 times a day. and you are starting to "get" not just get the sippy cup. in fact you can pick it up and drink from it ALL BY YOURSELF THANKYOUVERYMUCH...

you like goldfish and cherrios. in fact yesterday, daddy had some goldfish in a bowl on the coffee table and you just stood yourself up and reached in there and took some like it was the most natural thing in the world. it was adorable. daddy laughed pretty hard at that. you also like to eat whatever we are having, and get pretty upset when you aren't eating breakfast with babyhead. a few more months, and you will be.

you have 4 teeth on top and still the 2 on the bottom, but i am pretty sure that you will be getting the other 2 on the bottom soon. i can't actually look in your mouth because you always think it is a game and try to bite me.

yesterday you had school pictures taken and when we get them back i will post that as your 10 month picture. i still can't believe that you have been here {only} 10 months. you have grown so much and i have a first birthday to plan. wow....

a few of my favorite things

ok, before someone throws something at their computer screen and starts mumbling profanities at me, i am only doing this because i thought someone out there might care...

over the past 2 weeks, i have had numerous comments both about how young i look, (i believe it was meant in a good way) and how nice my skin was. and while any woman out there knows, we as women are our worst critic, i still do not believe the "nice skin" comments, but i digress. so if you have ever wondered just how i work my magic, let me tell you, it is no easy feat...

to begin with, anyone who knows me or has ever worked with me can testify to the gallons and gallons of water i drink. seriously. i drink an average of about 140 oz a day. not including anything except water, and not including the water i drink while or after working out. which brings me to the second comment. i have probably spent more weeks of my life, over all, very actively than not actively. and not just my crazy ADHD spazzing always moving or bouncing kind of activity. as in i ran on a city track team from about 4th grade on, ran numerous races before that, grew up running around (literally) to my friends houses, to the grocery store, to school, and riding my bike where ever my feet wouldn't take me. i played basketball in middle school and freshman year. i rode horses for years, and i ran cross country and track in high school. i kept active in college too and have become much more of a runner in the past few years. all this to say that i firmly believe that activity helps cleanse your soul and your system, and i think it has help me stay "young".

i went to undergraduate in arizona, at arizona state, which brings me to my third point. i wear sunscreen and lotion RELIGIOUSLY. not just like "oh i don't want to burn i will put on sun screen" but as in when i get out of the shower, i put lotion on my face THAT HAS SUNSCREEN IN IT. EVERY DAY. i still get a tan with it, and i use spf 30. in fact here is where i start the plugs... i use aveeno daily sunscreen . i have also been using clinique all about eyes for as long as i can remember - like since high school at least. i don't know if it has made a difference in fine line and such for me but i can say that i don't have a lot of them, so it might just be working. i occasionally (as in maybe 1 time a month, maybe 2 depending on how my skin feels) will also use a night cream, either clinique or aveeno. the clinique is technically not a night cream but i have always used it like that. they make a night version as well but i have never used that one. the aveeno does tingle a bit, especially if you get it on chapped lips, but i really like the results. speaking of chapped lips, i use this from kiehl's. i slather it on at night and by morning even the most parched lips are soft again. and i use a stick moisturizer during the day, WITH SPF... (gee, your shocked, right?) one other thing i realize that is great, since i have a lot left over, is the lanolin i have from breast feeding. put that on your lips and it works wonders as well. and if you have a chapped nose from blowing it too much, slather that on your nose (or the kheils works well too!) and it will stop the peeling in its tracks! (which if you look at the ingredients for the kiehl's lip balm, it is basically petroleum jelly and lanolin...)

i do use mostly clinique makeup as well, however all my most recently received comments, i was wearing no makeup at all so that doesn't really matter...

the greatest thing i think i have noticed a difference with recently are two similar products from clean and clear. they have a facial scrub that i use every other day and the "off days" i use their daily facial wash. if i were totally honest i might admit that if you really wanted to try any of this stuff, that you ignore every other paragraph on here except this one and go try this. except that i think there is something to be said for all these products. and the water is a big deal too i think.

as long as we are talking about me being in the shower, let me give you the whole picture. i also have one of those puffy exfoliating things, you know exactly what i am talking about, and have recently found this body wash from kiehl's to be the best. but once again, i also put lotion on after i shower, so that helps my skin a lot too.

the last thing i would say that makes a difference is sleep, and that is what i am off to do now!

one small step for mom,

one giant leap for fatty mcnatty....

since next week she will be 10 months, we have begun the weaning process. she started getting a little goat milk mixed into her bottles that have breast milk, and she has stopped getting a morning bottle (at daycare)/nursing (at home) and is now getting just a sippy cup. while i am so so so so so ready to end the nursing, particularly because i have a cold AGAIN, and would give nearly anything to take some theraflu, or sudafed, or what have you, i know that i will miss it somewhat. babyhead just weaned herself at 11 months and never took a bottle, so it was a pretty easy transition. this i think will be much harder because there is the bottle switch to the sippy cup AND the stopping of nursing....

we'll see next week how she is doing.

i bet rob used to do this

so last weekend, babyhead decided that she wanted to play her v-tech video game that santa/daddy got her. so i got her all set up and surprisingly she did pretty well. it was hillarous watching her play though, because i bet rob used to do exactly the same thing. i never had a video game system growing up, so i can't compare her to me.

no really mom- it totally works like this. (it's a wireless system, so no really, it DOESN'T work like that)

maybe if i lean into it, it will work better

oh - so - tired - must - lay - down - while - i - exert - this - game - playing - energy