I have been slacking horribly in keeping up with my blog. I just realized my last blog was over 2 months ago. Not acceptable & I will try to be better.
Christmas was great, Miss E really enjoyed it this year. She loved all of her gifts and Santa was really good to her. Brandon was home with us so that just made it even better. Her birthday was a success too. We had a Minnie theme(of course) and she is still talking about her Minnie cake. I guess it doesn't help that I just threw the cake away yesterday(bad momma), but it was so pretty and I hated throwing so much away because we had a good bit left over. She really had a blast though and she loved being with her little cousins and friends.
I have already started planning her third birthday(way early, I know) but it's going to be really fun. I'm going to invite more of her age kids and we are going to have an art party! Thanks to Pinterest, I've gotten some great ideas=)
Right before her birthday, my cousin called me and told me that there had been a fire and that his home had completely burned down. My uncle was able to get out & he was too, but they were not able to get my aunt out. She was only 52, but she had Huntington's and was really beginning to go down hill. I'm thinking this was God's way of letting her pass at home instead of having to go to a home. She passed of smoke inhalation and probably never knew what was going on. My cousin had to spend a few weeks in Grady, he got burned badly & sliced an artery in his arm trying to break a window to get out. He is home now and doing much better. In fact, he will get cleared to go back to work in a week.
You see these things on the news but you never think of it happening to you or someone close to you. It was a real eye opener. Brandon & I spent a whole evening mapping out a fire escape route. Since Miss E and I are here alone most of the time, it was imperative to me that I have a plan. I pray that nothing like that ever happens, but I feel confident now that I'm prepared.
My aunts memorial service was a couple weeks ago and luckily Brandon was able to come. It was very weird having people that I didn't know come up to me and know me and I had no idea who they were. People who were 2nd cousins and related to my grandaddy. He was there, but he didn't speak to me. I will admit that it hurt, but I just let it go. There is nothing else I can do. It just hurts that he won't even give me a chance. But that's one of the consequences of being Angie's daughter. People who know her think that since I'm her offspring that I'm like her. Luckily most people know better, but there are still those few that are that ignorant.
Switching back to a happier topic, I was terrified of Miss E turning 2. Everyone told me horror stories about the 2's. But I must say that she is such a great kid. She is still such an easy toddler(I say this knocking on wood). She is easy going and pretty much just goes with the flow. She is such a happy little kid too. She is constantly making me smile. I seriously couldn't ask for a better kid. She has her moments, but that is to be expected and they pass easy. Her dr says since she is pretty advanced that maybe she just went through them early (she was a handful at about 18 months). I guess we will see, but for right now, I am truly enjoying my sweet, happy toddler.
I'm really going to try to update this more, at least once a week. I should be able to since I've deactivated my Facebook. I just had a realization that I was spending too much time and energy focusing on what was going on on Facebook and with other people, when I could be putting that time & energy into my own life. I decided to be a SAHM so I could be with Miss E and since she is growing so fast, I just don't want to miss anything. After I would put her to bed, I would camp out on the lap top while Brandon would watch tv and I decided that's not what I want to do every night. This way at night, we can spend time together and connect at the end of the day instead of vegging out doing our own things. It won't be forever, but for now, it's just for the best.
Tonight Miss E asked me to move her toddler bed into her room. I asked her if she was absolutely sure & she said yep. So her bed is now in her room on the other side of the house. She will still sleep with me at night I'm sure, but she will nap in her room now. I've been wanting to move some furniture around anyway so I took the opportunity.
2 hours later, I am exhausted & Miss E is sound asleep. We are turning the office into a playroom since we are out of room for her toys and she is getting a couple big things for Christmas (a big 2 sided art easel & a rocking horse & a chair) and there is no telling what all she is getting for her bday, so we decided to make it her playroom. I'm going to try to have it done by Christmas so we won't be rushed & we will have room to put all of her stuff.
I just can't believe how fast she is growing up. It is really bittersweet. I hope she still wants to snuggle with me at night.
I realized today that I haven't done a blog post in over a month. I'm going to try to get back in the habit of writing at least weekly again.
Today is the last day of November. I just can't believe how fast this year has gone by. December is all about Christmas and then of course Miss E's 2nd birthday! I just can't believe she is about to be 2!
Thanksgiving was bittersweet this year. This was the first year without Helen & Wynnelle. I will always cherish last year, that was the last time I saw them & I love that Miss E got to meet them and we got pictures of them together. This was also the first year that we didn't go see my aunt, uncle & cousin. We haven't spoken since our falling out in Aug. We had a wonderful time & amazing food, but like I said, it was bittersweet. It sucks to not have family around the holidays, but this is something that they were in the wrong about & I honestly feel like I have nothing to apologize for. The great thing was that Brandon actually got so spend Thanksgiving with us. He was out of town last year. He actually got to spend 4 days straight with us, it was so nice to have him around so much.
The day after Thanksgiving we put the tree up. Miss E loved helping putting the ornaments on, and just like last year, her and Brandon put the star on the top together. I love moments like that, it was an awesome memory made. Miss E has done very well with the tree, she loves pointing at it and saying "doodle's tree"! I am so glad that we bought all of her Christmas gifts early, we are tight on money so that is one less thing to be stressed about. I think Brandon & I have decided to not do gifts for each other. There is nothing that either of us particularly need, so it's just not a big deal to me. The older I've gotten, the less I care about getting gifts. I just really cherish the time together & seeing Miss E's eyes light up on Christmas morning. That to me is better than anything material. Last Sunday we took her(a long with Brandon's cousin, wife and their daughter who is 8 months old) to Bass Pro Shops to see Santa. She didn't like him very much, we got some great crying pics. After we walked around some, we went back and this time I held her and we got a family pic with Santa, it was much better, no tears=)
Miss E is going to be 2 in less than 2 months. We are doing a Minnie Mouse birthday party since that is her obsession. I think we are going to do the party at our house since last year was stressful doing it at my in laws. But after making the guest list, I don't know how we are going to fit that many people in our house and Brandon thinks that we are too far out for people to come. I think that the people that want to come will make the drive. But I'm tossing around the idea of having it back at their house. We aren't going all out like we did last year, but it will still be special and she will still have fun.
She has grown up so much lately. She goes in her potty regularly, which is awesome to not have to buy as many diapers=) Her vocabulary is quite impressive. She talks in full sentences and is very vocal. She can count to 12 and spell her name. When you ask her what her name is, she will tell you first and last name. People are always surprised when they hear that she isn't even 2! It makes me very proud to be her mom and makes me feel great knowing that she is learning from me. I am so blessed be able to stay home and see all this stuff as it happens. Today she shocked me when she went to the bathroom, took off her pants and diaper, sat on her potty & did her business, got a wipe and wiped herself and threw it in the big potty, then came to me & said "mommy I went potty by myself"! I almost cried. She just can't be that big already.
I was cleaning out Miss E's closet tonight getting all of her clothes that are too small out when I came across her Big Sister shirt. It brought some tears to my eyes. I'd be lying if I didn't say that it doesn't cross my mind every once in a while. But it made me realize that we should be getting ready for a new baby right now, instead of making the office a playroom, we should be turning it into a nursery. I know that God has a reason for it, but I still don't understand it. I know SO many pregnant people right now(seriously the last time we counted, we know of 20!) and when I hear them complain it tugs at my heart a little and I want to tell them to just be thankful, but instead I ignore it and change the subject. Losing 2 pregnancies makes it hard to listen to people who complain about morning sickness and being huge and things like that. I just want to grab them and tell them how lucky they are and to shut up with the complaining. I have people "ignored" on FB just so I don't have to look at their statuses about it.
The other day Brandon and I were talking and I told him that I haven't realized how much I have changed since becoming a mom until we are around other people that we used to be close with and we aren't anymore. I never realized how much it would change me, but I am glad it did. I am proud of the fact that we do research on things and we are very involved. We don't let her get vaccinations "just because it's time and that's what the dr says" We research every single vaccination ahead of time and there have been some that she hasn't gotten bc to us, the risks outweigh the benefits. I am glad that we choose safety and we didn't turn Elyse around in her car seat when she turned 1 bc "it was the thing to do". I have to be honest, it breaks my heart when parents don't put in the time and effort to research things before they just do them. I don't understand why parents wouldn't choose to keep their kids as safe as possible. I didn't realize how much of an attachment parenting person I would be, but I am proud of the fact that I am. I am not going to apologize for doing the absolute best for my child and any future children we have. And I will never stop trying to inform others either.
Another thing I have noticed recently is my patience for others has gone away...almost completely. I am really considering getting rid of FB because of it. We know a couple who just got on GA(govt assistance) yet they brag about the expensive things they buy. They have nicer stuff than we have every had, yet they have to have assistance?? Things like that piss me off to no extent. Do not come show me your new gadget that you got that costs hundreds of dollars and then in the next breath talk about how broke you are and how thankful you are to be on GA. We could have qualified for GA when Elyse was born, but we didn't apply bc we felt there were people out there worse off than us who needed it more. Now I was on Medicaid when I was pregnant & got laid off, but as soon as Brandon got a job and his insurance benefits kicked in, I was off of it. Something else I have gotten big on is respect & friendship. I feel like to be a true friend and to be respectful that if you have a problem with the other one, you need to go to them, tell them, and work it out and move on. This is something I have experienced recently. I had an issue with someone, I told her, we talked about it and I thought it was over. We talked after that and I thought everything was fine. Until I saw her friend post something on her FB wall and I noticed a few other things and was told others. Talking behind my back is something I don't tolerate. If I respect you enough to come to you and talk to you, then you should have the same respect for me. Don't send me a text out of the blue acting like you are my friend when clearly you are not. I am too old for crap like that & I don't have the time nor the energy to deal with it.
I think I have been long winded enough for the night. But I really will try to keep my blog more up to date=)
We got back from Daytona Beach last Friday. The vacation went by too quickly & I miss it dearly. We left Saturday morning and it took us about 10 hours to get there. We had to stop by the Tanger Outlets and do some shopping and we stopped every couple of hours so Miss E could stretch her legs. She did surprisingly well on the way down and on the way back, which was a pleasant surprise. Thank goodness for DVD players and Mickey Mouse! Miss E had such a blast down there, she loved the ocean and the sand and the pool. We went to one or the other every morning and then came back and got showers, lunch, and naps. Then we would go out and shop and find kid friendly places to eat. Daytona is not a kid friendly place so that was a challenge to find somewhere that is not a bar or pub to eat. It was so nice to not have to worry about Brandon's phone ringing and him having to leave. We really needed that time together to bond as a family again.
Of course, the morning after we get home Brandon got called to work. Miss E had gone to her Grammie's to the Cotton Picking Fair and to spend the night. Brandon did get to come home long enough for us to go eat and then he got called again. He was gone til Mon night and left this morning, so he is gone again. It's hard getting back in the swing of him being gone so much. Miss E loved spending so much time with her daddy, she was a daddy's girl the whole time, it was so cute!
On another note, Miss E hit a huge milestone yesterday..she pooped in her potty for the first time! She was in the bathtub and she said "momma potty" so I asked her if she needed to sit on the potty and she said yes, so I got her out, dried her off, and put her on there. She said "momma GO"! I thought she was telling me she had to go, but she was telling me to GO! She didn't want me to watch, so I turned around and sure enough she went! I am so proud of my big girl!
She has also went through a growth spurt so we went shopping today(her favorite thing to do) and it makes me so sad to walk by the 0-24 mo section to go to the toddler section. It's so bittersweet watching her grow up, it's just going by way too quickly!
In a few days we will be beach bound. To say this vacation is much needed is an understatement. I am getting a bit stressed though, Brandon has been gone for a week(with the exception of one night) and it's looking like he will be gone up until time to leave. He has to be back by Friday at 5 since that is when he goes off call, but we leave very early Saturday morning. So that is leaving me to get everything packed, the house cleaned, the errands ran, and the dogs groomed, by myself. It's a bit overwhelming, but slowly I'm getting it done. The past 2 days have been really productive, but tomorrow I have a date with my best friend, so I won't be doing much tomorrow. I have to squeeze in the bank and getting my oil changed, but I'm going to try to do those before I meet her. The biggest thing is getting the pups groomed. I'm going to shave them myself and I've been putting it off because I dread doing it. Especially with Miss E there too, it's not going to be an easy task.
I'm dreading the car ride already. Sunday Miss E and I took a road trip to Chattanooga to see Brandon and the last 30 minutes of the car ride there and back, she screamed. I'm talking full blown loud wailing almost drive off the road screaming. Hopefully this time it will be easier because with Brandon driving I can hop in the back if she starts whining. He installed her TV/DVD player so I'm hoping Mickey Mouse will keep her entertained.
She's been whiny the past few days and as much as I hate to say it, it is really working on my nerves. It doesn't help that Brandon has been gone so I have no help. As I type this, she is in bed whining. Not crying, but just whining. She has had a runny nose the past 2 days and I am praying to God that she is not getting sick. She is going to see her Grammie for a while tomorrow so I'm hoping she is good for her.
I'm glad that Brandon got to come home last night, even though it was just one night. Our kitchen sink got clogged up and I couldn't get it to drain. I got some liquid plumber and poured it in there Sunday night before I went to bed. I am extremely allergic to chemicals so I was nervous, but it had to be done. I was really careful and didn't get a drop on me, but somehow I still had a reaction. I started getting hives and my face and throat started swelling. I finally found a Zyrtec and that helped tremendously. After all that, it still didn't break the dang clog. Brandon had to take apart and clean the trap last night and thankfully it is now fixed. Even thought the liquid plumber didn't work, it left my sink and drain extremely clean!
That's about all I have for now, off to start getting our luggage down=)
So Brandon has been gone for 2 weeks, with the exception of 2 nights. Luckily one of those was my birthday. I didn't plan anything, but all in all it was a good day. Miss E and I went to lunch with Tammy and Michelle then went to feed the ducks. That is her favorite thing to do now and we go at least 2 times a week. That night Brandon took us to Longhorn to get my favorite meal, the crab stuffed filet. It's amazing! I had lunch with Erin and Logan Saturday afternoon and dinner with Angela Saturday night. Then we went and got some material to make Miss E a tutu. It turned out really great!
I was thinking about making and selling them just as something to do, but instead of people asking me to make them they are asking me how I made it. I've told 2 people because they live far away and are not in my target area, but I don't think I'm going to tell anyone else.
September is literally a few days away and I'm so excited! It marks the beginning of football season, our wedding anniversary, beginning of fall, and our vacation(in that order). Our vacation has been so stressful to plan, but we finally have everything nailed down and finalized. We had to learn a hard lesson along the way(don't assume "family" won't screw you over), but in the end, we wound up with something better.
I'm hoping that Brandon gets to come home tonight and I'm hoping that he will be home Saturday night so we can go out for our anniversary. I already arranged a baby sitter for Miss E so fingers crossed!
It is 8:15pm which means Miss E is in bed and I finally have some quiet time. I love this time of day. Brandon is out of town for work so it is just me and I am enjoying it. She has been really good and then the past 2 days she has been extremely moody. She has her canines coming in, 2 of the 4 have popped through. I'm hoping we get a break from teething until her 2 year molars come in.
I've been staying off the computer more to focus on Elyse during the day and to have time with Brandon at night. I realized I was spending way too much time on Facebook and that's time that I could be focused on doing things with Elyse. I did peek on there today and after reading maybe 3 status updates I shut it off. People post ridiculous things and it really gets on my nerves. I need to go through and clean out my friends list so I can get on there without getting annoyed.
My birthday is in a few weeks and I've decided that I'm not going to do anything for it. The past few years has been a pain to try to get everyone together. Last year we had 14 people say they would come and when the night came, only 4 people showed up to dinner. So I'm over trying to plan things. It really hurt my feelings last year and put a damper on the night, so I'm sparing my feelings this year. Our anniversary is 2 weeks to the day after my birthday. Brandon is not good with the romance stuff so we will probably try to get a sitter and go to dinner or something. I want to go to Strip, I absolutely love that restaurant! Then our vacation is just a few weeks after that, so there is a lot to look forward to. I am so ready for the cooler weather. Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year.
August marks 10 years of Brandon and I being together. A whole decade. That makes me feel old saying it that way. We have come to a break-thru in our marriage and it's really great. We have always had a good relationship, but there is always room for improvement. Communication was where we needed our improvement and this past week we have really turned that around and it has made things so much better.
Now I am getting off of here and going to get some much needed relaxing time in!
