Monday, March 15, 2010

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!!

IMG_7901   This is my pink car.  This is my water can.  I’m going to help my mommy keep her plants alive this summer.

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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.

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

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

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IMG_7905IMG_7908 IMG_7909Guess 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!

Monday, March 08, 2010

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.

IMG_7883 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.

IMG_7884Teething?  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.

IMG_7889She 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!!

IMG_7893Mallory 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.

IMG_7897 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!  : )

Friday, March 05, 2010

1st Attempt at Manual Mode

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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! 

 IMG_7876I 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!

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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.   

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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!!