January 21, 2010

It has been awhile since I last blogged.   Abigail is growing fast and gaining more of a personality every day.  She is awake more often now and loves to lay in her mom’s lap and play.   Tonight we had an open house for her at Mom Cindy’s and it was a blast! Some women from the ward came and they were all more than delightful!  She got plenty of cute clothes, a cute toy and a kick and crawl play mat.  We also got a New Parent Survival Kit! I registered for one ages ago and it’s nice to finally have it on our shelf.  She’s sleeping right now and should be waking up any minute to eat. 

I have had some very interesting experiences lately.   As you may know I am in the process of writing a book. Its title I am unsure of, but it’s an autobiography about my life.  So far I have 3 ½ chapters finished and will work on as much as I possibly can after this post.  I have to work on it at night when I am up with Abigail otherwise I never find time to get it done.  Anyway, since I’ve started writing it I have pondered upon many things, mainly my family.  I keep thinking how blessed I am! My mother and father are two amazing people who have taught me many things.  Looking back, it may not seem like I ever listened to their advice or lectures they gave, but if they were to look at my life now, they’d see that I was very much so listening to every word. 

I have brothers and sisters who are some of my bestest friends! I also have grandparents, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews and in-laws that I love dearly and whom I know love me just as much.  This is a short post because all I wanted to do was tell everyone how much I love them!!!!

                                                                            

I LOVE YOU!!!!

Well it's been a few days since my last post. I was going to express why I love my hubby everyday but then he picked on me... no, I'm only kidding. Abigail's just kept us very busy. Her Papa Lee and Great Grand dad Lee both have told her numerous times to always keep us alert...well she is finally taking their advice seriously.  Abi loves to sleep all wee hours of the day and spend the evening and am being cute and cuddly.  I am so grateful that she is not a crying or screaming new born. 

On Sunday was the first time I was in relief society since the pregnancy. We had four newborns in the room and all but ONE were extremely fussy. Mother's were getting up left and right to leave and I...I stayed comfortable in my little chair holding my oh so good baby girl. 

I know this probably not very nice but whenever a baby would start to cry I'd whisper in Abigail's ear..."Mommy's proud of you...my good little baby."

I should probably take a moment to knock on wood...I bragged so much the first month of how she sleeps through the night and the last two weeks I've been up all night with her. I do however, manage to catch a few day naps with her and sleep with her from 8 am-10 am also. 

I am surprised at how much she's grown too. When we brought her home she was in pri-mi clothes and it seemed that it would take her months and months to fit into anything else. Well yesterday Jon pulled out an outfit for her that said 0-3 months, and I told him that it wouldn't fit to go put it away. I went to get one of her newborn outfits that she began to fit into a few weeks ago, but Jonathan insisted that the one he had would fit. Apparently he'd tried it the night before. So, I put the outfit on her and it fit so snug and tight!!! I was amazed at how much she'd grown in just a few weeks!! 

 Not only do her clothes seem to fit ten times better but she is also becoming so alert!!! When she's awake she insists on sitting up and looking around. We try holding her close to us or cradling her and she just get's upset, She'd much rather be sitting up on our knee and looking around until her head gets so tired, it falls forward. 

After pregnancy and childbirth I swore up and down that this was never going to happen again to me...ever... My mother kept telling me that I would get passed that and eventually say I want another one. Well I'm eating my own words right now mother dearest... I'm not saying I want another baby right away...heavens that would be hard. But in a couple years I'd do it all over again! 

I can't even begin to explain how wonderful I feel today. All I have to say is that I have the best husband any woman could ask for. Today it's going to be the start of 100 Reasons My Husband is the World's Greatest! Every day I'll post ten new reasons!!!

World’s Greatest Husband!!!

#1) He is always anxious to help even when I refuse to ask for it!

#2) He stops whatever he’s doing to just hug me and tell me I’m beautiful.

#3) All my imperfections are what he sincerely believes is “cute”.

#4) He respects my thoughts and opinions.

#5) He Always asks about my day.

#6) He gives me countless back and foot massages even when he gets nothing in return.

#7) When I’m too tired and exhausted to go on, he stays up all night with Abigail.

#8) Every time I say it’s too hard he reassures me I can do it.

#9) He loves my littlest freckles.

#10) He’s a wonderful daddy!

To My Daughter

From the first time I felt you stir within me

I knew what I was feeling was more than butterflies.

You were a creation so pure and lovely.

I was emotional; I asked myself one thing;

How was I going to fill this challenging divine roll?

Oh but what sweet blessings you would bring!

I was awed at the miracle growing within;

Another evidence of the existence of Heavenly Father.

What awesome adventures were soon to begin!

With every waking moment I felt a love

And it grew for you with every passing day.

Only love like this is created up above.

The long awaited day you would arrive

Finally arose and before long you entered this world.

Hearing your cries my spirit came alive.

I love God and your father so dear and sweet.

But never have I felt a love so strong and pure

As I did seeing your oh so tiny hands and feet.

Now watching you sleep so still and peaceful

In the warm, assuring security of my arms,

I marvel how you make my life feel so full.

And it has become clear to me there is no other

The Lord would give charge to protect thee

Then I, your eternal friend, guardian, and mother.

Baby Abigail and Nana Cindy with Mama Heidi

Obdience Brings Blessings

So, upon reading my blog entries lately I've decided that maybe I shouldn't discuss my monthly visitor. I promise from here on out to leave out that unpleasant detail.

Today was a very inspiring day for me. I kept thinking about all the wonderful blessings I have in my life and how even the smallest of gifts have made me a better person.

For instance; my anniversary was on December 30th. My husband and I had reached the limit on our budget and couldn't afford to do anything for our anniversary. We said that it didn't bother us and that we would do just fine creating our own night out, right at home.

We had received a used grill from Mom Cindy's best friend during their move. Jon's dad gave us steaks and gas for it on Christmas and Jon was going to cook the steaks for our dinner. Well he couldn't get the grill to light up for the life of him!!!! And he became a little disgruntled. That was the start of a very frustrating day.

It seemed every little thing bothered us!!!! We were constantly at each other's throats all day. We couldn't think of what to do for our one year anniversary and it was driving us crazy. Jon was more disappointed that he couldn't afford to get me anything nice or take me out to a fancy dinner. I could tell he was really bothered by it because of his mood.

I am not one to stay angry for long and I especially hate to fight. So by 6:00 pm I had put all ill feelings out of my mind and tried to focus on the positive of the day. After I seemed to relax so did Jonathan. Well around 6:30 we were going to go walk around the Mall for our anniversary date. I said something that Jon didn't like and we got into a little argument again. I ignored his comments and went to check the mail. Inside was a letter from Verizon Wireless (our carrier). It was a check for our security deposit refund. With it we decided to go to Golden Corral.

When we got there I had Jon go get his food first so I could watch Abigail. He came back with a salad and some fruit. SALAD AND FRUIT?!!!! I couldn't believe it. We come to a buffet and the first thing he gets is salad. This isn't England Honey!!!! It's America we head for the beef first!!!

After giving Jon a hard time I went and got a nice thick juicy steak that was cooked to perfection!!!! Biting into it I tasted a small piece of heaven!!!! I made Jon taste it. After his salad he chose to go get a steak. :D

As he cut into his meaty treat I could tell something was wrong. He pulled his fork up and wrapped around the steak was a long, gross black hair!!!! At this point we also realized that we had been there about twenty minutes and our waitress never came to refill our drinks and remove any unwanted plates. We waited for her return to complain about the hair but she never showed up. We had been there for thirty-five minutes without being waited on. We had old plates and a hair steak. Finally after what seemed a decade our waitress came...but not to help us. She just walked around wiping down tables.

She came behind our table and Jon turned and asked for the manager. I surprised at how chipper her voice was. The manager arrived shortly after and Jon started to tell her but before he could she said, "Don't worry, I see the problem." She took our card and refunded us the WHOLE meal!!!! And on top of that she gave us free meal tickets for another time!!!! Talk about an awesome anniversary gift!!!!

I couldn't help but thank Heavenly Father for that wonderful night!!!! Some people would say that it was Karma or just plain luck. But I think that the Lord loves his children and when we follow his plan he tries to bless us even in the smallest of ways.

Late Nights

January 5th, 2010

Abigail started her day at 1:00 am today. I was already awake because I had just fed her an hour before hand and was watching Seinfeld. I sent my hubby to bed around 1:00 am too. He had work this morning from 6:00 am-2:00 pm. Abigail ate her food but insisted on staying awake for another four hours!!!!!!!!!! As I said before she is not a crying or fussy baby. She's very pleasant to have around. But I was EXHAUSTED!!!!!!! In between feedings I'd hold her close and she start to whimper so I laid her in her boppy and she would just relax and look around the room. The only light in the room was coming from the laptop. I had it on listening to soft music on Pandora.

I started to get really hungry and couldn't find anything I could easily make and that was quiet to prepare. So I got out the cheesecake platter from my refrigerator and took prey on the delicious chocolate dish. I forgot I was on my period. I get very sick when my little visitor comes along. I cannot eat sweets, drink pop or even stomach popcorn!!!! It make my stomach churn and gives me unpleasant gas. So from 2:00 am until 5:00 am I kept making false runs to the bathroom and spent what time I wasn't feeding Abby curled on my little love seat. Around 4:00 I finally got her to go to sleep!!!! I went to stand up and she her eyes shot open and she began to fuss a little. So I made her yet another bottle with that nasty, obnoxious formula (obviously always out to get me), and cried.

I cried through the whole feeding!!!! I begged her to fall asleep after she finished. When she was done she just stared at me, with a still look on her face. I couldn't help but notice that she seemed genuinely concerned her mom was crying. I sat her up and burped her and held her close to my chest as I cried. Oh how I wanted to go upstairs and sleep!!!! I kept wondering what happened to that sweet baby who slept through night?!!!! It wasn't long before I heard a soft tender sigh come from her little mouth. I looked down and alas!!! She was asleep!!!!

I waited a minute before I carried her to her bassinet. I cried the whole way up the stairs, except these were tears of Joy!!!!! As I laid down to sleep she woke up. My tears turned to tears of desperation!!! I tried several times to wake up my husband to take over but all attempts failed. He was out like a light!!!!! She finally fell asleep at 4:30 am. I laid her down and woke up my husband. He actually woke up this time. I think he was alarmed to see me crying so hard and I asked him to hold me. His arms pulled me close and then instantly went limp almost on cue with his loud snoring. I finally fell asleep too, after smacking him a couple times to temporarily stop his nose from growling at me.

At 5:00 am I was awaken by Abigail once again. This time Jon tried to feed her but she wouldn't take the bottle. So I ended up feeding her and found myself crying once again as my dear hubby snored away and little Abby ate.

When she finished I burped her and decided that she could sleep with me. I wrapped her tight and cradled her in my arms and sang "Mary's Lullaby" to her. With tears of exhaustion still streaming down my face I looked down at her and was greeted by the radiance of her smile. All at once I didn't feel so tired and my tears once again became tears of joy and love. She closed her eyes drifted off to sleep as another smile seemed to light up the whole room. Oh how I love these late nights! <3>

Formula and Wetting the bed

Well, I have decided to give this whole blogging thing a try. I figure I'm a writer so it shouldn't be too difficult...right? Being a stay at home mom full time and job seeker part time I am really busy and don't have time for a journal. This should be a fun way to journal my day to day life. I guess I'll start with my day today.

January 4th, 2010

My day started at midnight...as most my days do now, since the birth of my daughter Abigail. She is not a crying baby. She's actually quite pleasant (a trait many other new mothers and fathers are jealous of) and is the sunshine in our lives. This morning when she first woke up I couldn't help but laugh at her. She had one hand on her mouth, which was opened wide in a yawn and the other punching herself in the cheek as she sneezed mid yawn. So I picked her up and handed her to my husband as I ventured into the kitchen to make her bottle. I am amazed at how MESSY formula is!!! That stuff gets everywhere! I have spent several minutes carefully planning how to put the powder in the bottle without getting on the counter, bottle and myself. Last night I believed to have successfully done so BUT.... don't ask me how, it must have been a little fairy, but I had powder in my hair and down on my pants. I will not lie a few tears escaped my eyes and made it down my cheek...I decided then that I hate formula powder.

Not only does it manage to take over your kitchen it inks it's way on your clothes, dishes and carpet!! It's like dust but sticky and dry! I was putting on my eyeshadow this afternoon and formula powder was in my eyeshadow!!!!!! That was the final straw I ran down stairs and yelled at my formula containers and stuffed them in the cupboard. I know I'm a real mature adult.... anyway....I was talking about my day...

So I fed her and laid back down to sleep. I didn't wake up until 5:45am when my husband was just waking up for work.....work starts at 6:00am for him on Mondays and Tuesdays. I fed Abby and she ate fast and quickly went back to sleep. I fell asleep again and woke up at 8:30 to feed her the next bottle. I made four ounces and she only drank two. I fell asleep holding her close to my chest (always a sweet and tender moment to wake with her next to me!) and the bottle resting between my legs. I woke up to this incredible wet sensation beneath me and on me. Instantly I realized I had wet the bed.....panicking I laid Abigail in her bassinet and took off my pj's. I noticed right away that they did not smell like urine...but another familiar scent that recently just entered my life. Upon further investigation and intense sniffing and the finding of an EMPTY bottle, I realized Abby's bottle had leaked out right onto our sheets and onto me. This was a very unfortunate event for formula; my frustration with it only grew more.

Since my bed was now wet and my sheets "formulated" I had no choice but to get up for the day. I played with Abigail for an hour or so and held her hands as she tried with all she had, to fill her diaper with a wonderfully, gross present for me to change. I always know when she's done because a huge smile radiates her face as to say "mommy I made something for you!".

Jon came home from work shortly after and climbed into bed with us. After feeding Abigail we took a nap. Actually it was more like Jonathan taking a nap. I was sick to my stomach. The night before I had a very unpleasant phone conversation with me mother and it really took a toll on me. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Well this afternoon Jon went to his mother's to throw our sheets and blanket in the wash (our little washer would only fit a corner of each). While he was gone my mom stopped by, completely unannounced. I was just getting into the shower when the door bell rang and planned to ignore it since I had no idea who it was. It rang three or four times and finally my phone rang. I stepped out of the shower and saw that it was my mom calling. I returned her call to find out she was at my door. I hurried and got dressed and let her in. I was SO HAPPY that she came to see me!!!! It made me feel so important that she went out of her way to visit me. We both talked for awhile and without speaking it knew we were both forgiven and had moved on. Things are rough right now for her.

Her and my dad adopted my four younger siblings and me about six years ago. They have done so much for us. He was a very successful as a pharmaceutical rep and farmer. Well now he's jobless and without going into detail about their personal trials, all I have to say it: When it rains it pours!

It hurts me to see people who have done such wonderful great things struggling so much. They have done a great work for this world and I wish so badly something would happen for them. My dad is 62 and no one wants to hire him. He still has three children at home and in high school and a wife and his and their well being to support.

After my mother left, Jon and I visited and worked on our house and watched some Seinfeld. A show I vowed to never like....only because of Newman. I can't stand his character. I do however love Elaine and Kramer (don't tell my husband, but I like Seinfeld now). He left for the BSU-TCU bowl game around 5:45 and began blogging. After stopping several times to feed and burp and play with my daughter, only to type in between naps, I found myself famished....

Half time came and my husband brought me home the oh so delectable Sirloin Burger from Jack in the Box....he truly loves me (said with sincerity and no sarcasm)!!! I am now waiting for my prince to come driving home in our white mule of a car....the closet thing we have to a white horse! I am glad BSU won! 17-10!!!! Which means he'll be in a good mood!!! I'm really moody right now and need him to be in a good mood. I started my cycle today, just 5 weeks after my baby was born...now I know ONE reason why I liked pregnancy!!! No periods!!!! Maybe I'll get pregnant again.........*quick and sudden shudders just over took my body* On second thought I'll deal with my monthly visitor for a few more years!

Well I'm off now!! Good Night!!!! And Go BSU!!!