Little Baby Friends

My friend surprised us tonight and stopped over for a bit with her little girl, Lily (4 months old).

Mallory loved the baby.  She had to touch.  Pull her socks off.  Squeal.  Giggle. 

Lily is loving every minute by the look on her face!

Point to her nose.

Oh yeah and push her head into the carpet. 

That look on her face!!  Cracks me up!!

Lily has an older brother and sister at home – so she knows all about this rough-housing and will get them all back one day.

And She’s Off…

… or make that kind of.  : )

This isn’t the best series of pictures, but it gets the point across.  last night we finally got her moving… forward.  (She’s been going backwards for awhile.)

I stacked a few blocks up and she grunted and wiggled until she got to them and knocked them over.

I tried it again this morning and tried to take some pictures. 

She leans way over on her side and stretches with everything she has.  Leans the other way and stretches, kicks and grunts.  Believe it or not she actually moves.

Well, g`ues`s who just wiggled her way over here and is trying to help me type!

Surprise Weekend!

Jesse had a surprise weekend planned for me.  On the drive there he finally told me where we were going.  Rhapsody Resort & Spa in Wisconsin Dells.  Whoop!  Whoop!  Am I going to get a massage??  Yeeessss!!  Wait.  Are children allowed?  I ask this as Mallory is in the backseat reading eating her book.  A small moment of panic and a quick call to have them say “Sir, everyone is welcome at the resort.”  Whew.   

He tells me that our room is suppose to have a view of Lake Delton and they have theme rooms.  Las Vegas, Beach, Asian, etc.  He didn’t know which theme we had and he didn’t have any pictures for me to see.  I could only imagine and couldn’t wait to get there.  He said it was very modern and that I would really like it.

As we are walking down the hallway to our room we can see the theme’s of the other room.  Moroccan Paradise… Hog Wild… and then our room… Asian Flare!!  We were both so excited for Asian Flare.  That would be the one we would have picked if we had a choice. 

We got there at night so here are a few pictures from the night of our room.

Hot tub in the room.

Big huge bed! 

 

Jesse has been talking in his sleep A LOT the last couple of nights and the night before… he turned on the light which blinded me and I grunted to which he said, Sorry and turned the light back off.  Then turned it on.  Off.  Then on again and left the room mumbling something about a horse and locked me and Maggie in the bedroom with the light on.  A moment later he comes back to the room giggling and says “I’m probably still sleeping”.  We laughed and I asked him what he was looking for… there was a horse in the basement and he couldn’t take Maggie with because it would scare Maggie. He also needed the light on so he could see the horse.

Then a few hours later I’m 1/2 asleep 1/2 awake and I’m scratching my arm and he leans close to me and yells “deer skin”!  I was very ready for a big bed and a good nights sleep.

Mally slept in the jungle.  : )

 

Here is our view!

Check out this shower!  I was in heaven!  Except for that window.  You see that window?  At first we thought it was an only one way window – no one could see in.  (It was looking into the living area of the room.)  Then I was going to the bathroom and Jesse and Mallory are walking around checking everything out and they turn around and I hear Jesse say “Why can I see you?”  WHAT?!  You can see me!!?  I’m a private bathroom kind of person.  I’m not one to leave the door open!  I’m also a private shower kind of person!  : )  So that night I dream of trying to take a shower and every shower I find has tons of people around and they will all see me take a shower.  It was an extremely stressful dream!

But with four shower heads – I couldn’t pass this up!!!  I just showered in the dark!

I also didn’t realize I forgot my comb!!  If you have snarly gross hair like me, you have to have a comb – no matter how much conditioner you use.  I fretted and Jesse says “I don’t need a comb.”  Well that’s wonderful, but I do!  And whipped my towel off my head and showed him.  He said no more.  : )  What’s a snarly haired girl to do… I busted out my inner little mermaid and used a plastic fork!  It worked. 

Gloomy day. 

We spent the day wondering around all the shops and looking at all the water parks/hotels in Wisconsin Dells.  There are tons!!  We dreamed about what it will be like to come back when Mallory is bigger and can get excited seeing all the attractions and funness!  : )  We also reminisced about when we were kids and when our parents took us here.

Then we came back and took Mally swimming.  The pool was cold and the hot tub was warm.  : )  So Mally played in the hot tub.  Trust me it wasn’t hot!!

A quick couple of pictures before we headed back home.

Books & Swings

I moved Mallory’s books to a shelf we have in our living room.  Do you have any idea how much fun it is to throw books around?

 

Have you noticed how her tongue is sticking out…in… EVERY picture?  It is constantly sticking out or she is flipping it over.  Especially when she is playing really hard.

___________

It was our first day at the park today.  Mallory was not so sure about the swing (her first swing ride)… she cried.

Then she liked it!

Daddy-Daughter Date

I’m just not getting better (if anything getting worse) and finally broke down and made an appointment to the Dr. and to the Chiropractor.  I emailed Jesse at work and told him and he said he would leave work at 11 and come home for the afternoon.

Jesse took Mallory for the afternoon and they went… and… bought a street legal dirt bike!!  Hey, I got to take a nap and go to these appointments by myself – I didn’t care what they did or where they went.  : )

Jesse has always said when he graduates he wants a street bike.  Last week he passed his last test and became fully licensed!  Happy Graduation-No-More-Tests-Fully-Licensed!!  : )

As for me… I have a sinus infection.  Want to hear the best news the Dr. told me… It will take 10 to 20 days before I could see relief with the medicine he prescribed.  Ugh.  I think that is when I busted into tears and screamed ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Alright, off to rest and see who got kicked off American Idol.  Lee is my favorite!!  I want him to win!

Sick Days

The last 10 days (yes I’m counting) I have been sick.  It has been a huge reality check for me!  I can call in sick to work, but I can not call in sick to mommyhood.  I’ve only called in sick twice in the past 10 days, today being one of them.  I really need to let my body rest and take a nap, if i can, during Mally’s naps.

I’m just battling a head cold, but it is a mega head cold.  The one where it feels like my head might explode at any moment and I can’t take anything because I am nursing.  (Another mommyhood reality check.)  Except I finally broke down and started taking Ibuprofen because literally my head is going to explode.

To top it off – I’ve now passed it onto Mallory… so now we are both sick.  Kids are such troopers though so she doesn’t want to sit still and snuggle all day like I do.

It was a beautiful day today so I took my pounding head and stuffed my aches and pains to the side and took my baby girl outside to soak up the sunshine.  Sunshine always makes one feel better, right!

Hey Mom, look!  The neighbor girls are outside!!

   This is my pink car.  This is my water can.  I’m going to help my mommy keep her plants alive this summer.

Mallory, this is my little sister Lily.  She’s shy.  That’s why I picked her up and carried her over here to meet you.  I know my Grandma yelled at me and told me to put her down and not to carry her… but Grandma doesn’t know that is what big sisters are suppose to do.

Come back Lily!  I won’t carry you!  I can’t even walk yet!

Oh Mallory you don’t look so good.  You feel warm.  You should have your mom take you inside and give you a popsicle.

Guess what else we discovered today?  Mallory has a tooth!!!!  I hate to say this, but it looks like it has been there awhile!  hahahaa!  I know!!  It is her bottom left tooth and we never see her bottom gums.  And when I would try to look she would always put her tongue there and not let me see.  But today she was babbling and chewing on a toy and then all of sudden looked at me and started pouting and then the tears came and for some reason I thought… did you just bite your tongue?  Sure enough!  A tooth!

Alright, I need to go force myself to relax and get some good rest!  Night!

9 Months!

This is going to be a double duty post… I’ll be giving Mallory’s nine month stats and you’ll also be able to see my new spare room that I worked on this weekend.

Mallory at 9 months.  Where do I begin?  Mallory is a little spitfire.  She is full of sass and energy.  Loves to stand!  Does not like to lay down unless she is in her crib.  So that whole crawling thing… not happening yet.  Not even attempting to crawl!  Doesn’t even get up on her hands or knees!  One night Jesse and I tried to teach her and she just flopped on her belly and cried until we stood her up.  I’m starting to come to terms that she is 9 months and not crawling!  This way I can still leave her sitting in the living room and run around the house and not worry what she is getting in to.

Teething?  Hahahaha!  No!  I’m changing a bazillion (I’m not lying on this… a bazillion!) dirty diapers a day.  This is not normal for her – so I thought, “ah, there coming!”  Then for a few days I actually saw some white peeking and now I see nothing.  BUT I am still changing a bazillion dirty diapers!  To top it off… they were out of my normal wipes that I use, that I had to buy a different kind and I went with the “soothing cucumber” kind.  *gag*  Don’t buy them!  Poop and cucumber!!  *gag*  Thank goodness I’m flying threw them.

She does a lot with her left hand.  I’m sure it is too early to really tell, but we have noticed she tends to use that hand more then the right.

Mastered the sippy cup.  We don’t give it to every time… we use it as a special treat and we put juice in it for her.  She wastes no time when she gets that special treat either – she chugs it right down.

Self feeding.  I just started giving her little puffs, yogurt melts, and cheese bits for her to pick up and eat.  At first she would pick it up with her left hand and then transfer it to her right hand and then put it in her mouth.  By the time it got to her mouth she had dropped it a few times.  Now, she has it down and they get right to her mouth.  Watching her “chew” is hilarious!  She chews with her tongue… and her tongue sticks out of her mouth.

Mama!  She says mama!!  I know she doesn’t know what she is saying but I squealed and cheered the first time she said it.  Now she says it all the time.  My Mom tells me that the next child will be a girl.  If your baby says mama first the next baby is a girl… if your baby says dada first the next baby will be a boy.  I was talking to a friend on Sunday (who has 4 boys) and they all said dada first!!

Mallory is taking two naps a day.  An hour in the morning and then about two hours in the afternoon.  We had to bump up her bedtime because she was trying to make a nest at night… so we put her to bed between 7:30 and 8.

She is not a morning person.  She wants to go back to bed after breakfast… and she would if I let her, but I try to keep her awake for a couple hours.

I started painting my spare room on Saturday and I love it.  I’m fighting everything in me to NOT move into it.  It is so pretty and inviting and that bed looks so snuggly.  That pillow there… was $50!!  Who would pay $50 for that pillow?  I got it for $9… plus I got another 30% off of that!  Gotta love Kohls for deals like that!  I still have more painting to do and then a dresser and make-up table to refinish… but I had to put the bed together!  Not that we ever have visitors… but this might give some of you the itch to come to Wisconsin!!  No?  Oh come on!  Wisconsin is lots of fun!  : )

1st Attempt at Manual Mode

It’s 3:50pm on Tuesday night and I have photography class at 6:30.  (Plus I have an hour drive to class.)  I hadn’t done my homework yet!!  I attempted on Monday, but the neighbor saw me outside and she came over to chat and well… a little margarita we had.

My assignment was to use my camera on manual mode and take pictures of action.  I tried to make Maggie run around the yard but that was a flop.  She wanted me to chase her, and I can’t chase and take pictures.  So I gave up and decided to just try shooting in manual first.  I have to set everything when in manual mode! 

 I set my ISO… fstop… and then I set my shutter speed.  That was all I did.  I completely forgot about my white balance!  I am outside in the snow and forgot my white balance!!!  See… I have blue snow!!  I’m kicking myself over this!  I really like this above picture… but not with blue snow.  I guess I will never forget that again, I hope!

I also didn’t straighten out my horizon line!  I hold my camera at a slant and it drives me crazy!  I like to blame it on my twisted spine because I feel straight.   

Oh and I also have spotted sun spots on Mally’s face!  Those are bad!

Apparently I don’t listen in class, but I actually do.  I just need to learn to slow down and apply all that I learn.  I get so excited about one thing (or a couple of things) and completely forget about the rest.  This is my first attempt at 100% manual mode… and I think I learned from my mistakes.  I’ll try again real soon!!