Lately

Life lately has been relatively uneventful.

Well, perhaps not totally uneventful. The Hubs and I had a last minute vacation to Universal Studios to check out Harry Potter and to Disney. It's a long story, but the short version is we were all set to go on a cruise to Mexico, but decided the Zika virus was a little to scary for us and bailed on that plan. The night before we were supposed to leave. Yup. It was a hectic 24 hours of replanning and changing plans and calling everyone under the sun, but I'm happy with out decision. We had a great time, even if now whenever I tell people that was our vacation and they ask "Aw! Bet Bailey had a blast!" and I have to reply "Errrr.... she didn't go." It was great to get some time together just us, especially in the happiest place on earth. I won't bombard you with pics, just one.

Beyond our Mickey Mouse and Harry Potter fueled vacation, it's been business as usual.

Bailey naps are a thing of the past.

Rascal. Girl is killing me. I'm still hoping it's a phase but I'm not optimistic.

I've been running. Not a ton... 15ish miles a week. I'm training for a 10-mile run. Very slow, but running.

The best news is my gym just started letting me leave B in the child care while I run outside. I am beyond excited! I've only taken advantage of it once so far, but plan to do at least 1 outdoor run, in addition to my long run which is also outside, per week. OUTDOOR RUNNING! WITHOUT A JOGGING STROLLER! Wahooooooo!!!!!!

Other than that, we're just chugging along. Little girl is obsessed with egg hunts and swinging right now. We're loving the slightly warmer weather, even if we are still in hats and gloves most the time we're outside. I'll take it!

That's that for now.

 

Weekend in the Lou

The Hubs and his BFF decided it was time for them to have a man-staycation so they could catch a Purdue basketball game together. I could have stayed and cheered against them, but decided I'd take Bugs and get out of there hair-- really, any excuse to take a mini-trip down to St. Louis to visit my sister and nephew.

The 5 hour car drive wasn't too bad. B read books for 2 hours and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse the rest of the way. Yep- 3 straight hours of OH TOODLES. Thank God for the new child headphones I bought her. B and I got in right around dinner time on Friday. We stayed in and had dinner at my sisters and watched Gilmore Girls. Because we ALWAYS watch Gilmore Girls. Because it's THE best. Obviously.

Saturday we went for a long walk in the morning and then went to my nephews basketball game where I decided I should never put B in sports because I am going to be the worst sports parent ever.

His team lost by ONE POINT and I almost had a heart attack. I just can't take it. After the devastating loss (yes, he was over it in about 2 minutes and yes, it took me closer to 2 hours-- who's counting?!?!), we went to the dog park, library, for pizza for lunch, and then to the zoo.

The St. Louis Zoo is the BEST.

B was SO MUCH fun too! She's at the perfect zoo age. She couldn't get enough animals.

Monkeys! Bears! Tigers! Penguins! It was such a great time. Seriously- if you're ever in the StL area, go. We go almost every time we're in the area and love it each time more and more.

Girl was SPENT by the end of the zoo.

So, we grabbed dinner on the way back and ate take out at home over more Gilmore Girls.

The weekend ended with a great breakfast Sunday before we took off for the drive back.

It was a GREAT weekend.

Unexplained Secondary Infertility

You know the drill.

When you're single, you're asked about a gazillion times a day if you're dating anyone.

I wasn't ready for these questions.

When you start dating someone, you're asked when you're getting married.

I wasn't ready for these questions.

No sooner than you say I do and you're being flooded with questions about when you're gonna get knocked up. And yes, I do mean the way I phrased that as it's ALWAYS the woman who's asked those questions, never the man.

I wasn't ready for these questions.

The day baby one blows the candles out on her first birthday smash cake the questions about baby two start pouring in.

I was ready for them.

Good thing too because the number of times I got asked when Matt and I are having more kids was astronomical. The day I gave birth to my beautiful, perfect little girl I knew I wanted more kid(s). I knew my heart wasn't full with and our family wasn't complete. I just knew. I can't explain it any better than that. Of COURSE I loved Bailey with my entire heart. Of course. And of course I didn't want another child that minute. Or the next 98447839 minutes. I needed time. Of course I needed some time. But, still. I knew from day 1.

Like the stereotypical suburban family, the Hubs and I started trying to have more kids after Bailey turned one.

That was over 14 months ago and the Hubs and I are still there. Trying.

I'm no longer ready or open to those questions. Those questions make my heart bleed and make me want to punch the person in the face.

After trying for baby two for a year, the Hubs and I went to a Reproductive Specialist to get poked and prodded and hand over way too much money to see WTF was going on. And what did we learn? Pretty much nothing. Hubs and I were diagnosed with Unexplained Secondary Infertility.

I can't even handle that phrase. UNEXPLAINED SECONDARY INFERTILITY.

INFERTILITY.

That word. It HAUNTS me. I never imagined one single word could occupy so much of my time and thoughts.

After going through all the tests and blood draws and more tests and more blood draws, the Hubs and I check out a-ok. More than ok. Perfect even. Nothing is "wrong" with either of us. There is NO reason we haven't been able to conceive another child. No known reason at least.

Not knowing how to fix something so important kills me. How do I fight a problem that I can't identify? How do I fix something when I don't know what's broken? It's so unbelievably frustrating.

I wish I had some elegant way to explain how I was and still am feeling. I don't. I'm mad. I'm sad. I'm scared. I'm a bitch. I'm really, really sad. I'm guilt-filled. I'm a thousand things in between and I go back and forth between these feelings at an alarming rate.  

So, that's about where I am. The Hubs and I are still trying. My emotions, thoughts and feelings are still ALL OVER the place, ALL the time.

I have a lot more to say on the topic, but I don't really know how. I'm sure, in the least elegant way, it'll spew out over time.

Hi there!

I know. It's been FOREVER. Just over a year, actually. Which is essentially forever, right?

Why the break? Who knows. Life. I suppose since I wasn't running as much I felt like I had nothing to say. Which is crazy, I know. So, why am I back? Must be since I'm running again, if you follow my non-logical logic, right? Yeah, no. I'm not running much. Still. I don't really know why I'm back, except that it feels right. I have a lot some things going on in my mind and this seems like as good a place as any to try to make sense of it all. So, that's that. I'm back. For how long or how often? Who knows. I make no promises.

So, what have I been up to? Hmm... life!


The Hubs and I are still great.

He's working and I'm still staying home with Bailey, though I am now teaching one class at a local college, as well. I LOVE staying home with B. Like, LOVE. I can't believe I do, but I do. I really like teaching, too. It's a perfect mix.

Bailey is getting bigger everyday. I can't believe she's over 2 already. Where did time go?!?!

She's an amazing little girl who is so curious and smart and kind. I am amazed by her every, single day.

And, her and her big sister are still BFF's.

I'm not running much these days, though I try to do at least some running every week. I ran 2 short races in October and 1 in November. Nothing serious and my speed is quite possibly gone forever. I'm cool with it. I'm still getting to the gym most days the week, just enjoying other things-- weights, elliptical, rower, classes.  

Wow. Is that really it? Exciting life I lead, eh? Consider yourself updated. :)

I have plenty more to say and just wanna start recording life a little better so I have something to selfishly look back on, but that's it for now.

Thanksgiving, The Plague, Turkey Trot, and More!

Well hello there 2+ week hiatus. Whoops. What can I say-- life happens. And time just keeps flying by faster and faster. I mean, how is it already DECEMBER?? Whaaaaat?? No. Freaking. Way. It was just summer like yesterday, wasn't it? I swear, fall did not exist.

Anyway-- I'm back. Or at least back-ish. Back for today. :)

Life's been crazy as usual. Bailey caught a bad stomach bug (aka the plague) the week of Thanksgiving. SO MUCH VOMIT. Like, real, grown up vomit. All of me. Over and over. And it was BRIGHT RED because she ate cherries for breakfast. FUUUUUN.

Poor bugs!! And, your welcome for sparing you from the pic of ALL THE VOMIT. Yes, I took a pic. Duh.

Fun, fun times. I swear I can still smell vomit on me. Shudder. Poor girl just did not feel good and was just all sortsa out of sorts. Tired and clingy and crabby and couldn't get comfortable and didn't wanna nap. It was SO MUCH FUN, let me tell ya.

Yes, she did lay this way for numerous minutes and Sadie just sat there and took it. Such a good doggie!

Then, of course, she gave it to me. FUN! We were both feeling OK by Wednesday so we decided to do the trek down to the St. Louis area for Thanksgiving with my fam. After a not-very fun drive where I still felt like I was gonna vomit and Bailey was still a little outta sorts (aka- cried and screamed for half the drive), we made it in 1 piece Wednesday night.

I woke up early Thursday and ran a cold and icy 5k Turkey Trot.

I wasn't wearing my Garmin... ok, I was but it didn't find satellite at all during the entire run. LAME. Anyway- I think I finished in about 31 minutes. Given the icy roads and the fact that this was my first outdoor run in months, I was pretty happy with it.

Of course, the Hubs woke up Thursday sicker than sick and puked IN THE SICK. True love is your wife cleaning your vomit out of the sink while you sleep the day away. No wonder I still swear I can smell vomit in the air. Poor guy had to miss Thanksgiving dinner. Don't worry-- we saved him lots of yummy leftovers and he woke up Friday feeling much, much better.

Friday morning we all woke up and walked in a local parade to help some family friends hand out candy. SO MUCH FUN! But, OMG! So hard to not hand ALL THE CANDY out in the first 2 seconds. Too many cute kids watching the parade BEGGING for candy.

Of course, Saturday my older sister woke up sick. Then Sunday my other sister felt crummy. WHOOPS!!!! Next time, we'll just stay home instead of spreading a tummy virus across state lines. Whoops. Sorry all!!!! At least it only seemed to last 24-ish hours.

Sunday morning after my little sister took off (and later got sick-- sorry again!), we went to breakfast with my older sister and nephew and Bailey saw Santa for the first time!!

The restaurant was having a Breakfast with Santa thing that we did NOT go to (because we already have tickets to do a b-fast with Santa this coming weekend), but Santa and Mrs. Claus just happened to walk right by our table on their way to the big breakfast and they stopped and said hello. So fun!!! Bailey was SO interested in Santa. She couldn't stop staring at him. It was SO cute! YAY for the holidays!!!!

We made it home Sunday night and are slowly getting back in the swing of things. Our fridge is emptier than empty so Bugs and I are off to re-load. Happy Tuesday!

My Love

 

 

Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand
And I came here to talk
I hope you understand 

 The green eyes

yeah the spotlight

shines upon you

 And how could anybody

deny you?
 

I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter

now I met you
 

And honey you should know
That I could never go on

without you
 

Green eyes

Honey you are the sea
Upon which I float
And I came here to talk
I think you should know

That green eyes

You're the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who tried to deny you

Must be out of their mind

 Because I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter since I met you
 

Honey you should know
That I could never go on without you
 

Green eyes

Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary, my love.

 

 

Weekend!

HAPPY MONDAY! Did you have a good weekend? I did! 

Friday night I took Bailey to a Trick or Treat event in our downtown area. It was her first Trick or Treat!!! 

Seriously, though. Tell me she's not the cutest monkey ever in life, ever. 

Even the Hubs got off a little early from work so he could make it out to the event. It was actually not the world's most fun event... lots of just standing in 1 giant line waiting to go from shop to shop to get 1 piece of candy. But, we went with my Mom's Club, so we had friends to keep each other company and chit chat. Win, win. 

After Trick or Treat-ing we met a friend who was in from out of town for dinner. First pumpkin beer of the season AND amazing conversation with a great friend? Another win, win.

Saturday we were supposed to take our family pictures and Bailey's 1 year pictures, but it was raining so they were postponed. BOO! But, we had a good day anyway. We went shopping to get the Hubs a new coat, lunch at Chipotle, and picked up a *FREE!!* new toy for Bailey from one of the other mom's in my Mom's Club (love the use and reuse philosophy of the moms in my group... I've gotten SO MUCH free hand me downs and plan to give them to someone else after we're done... SO SMART! And, FREE!!). 

We spend the rest of the day playing with her new toy. She's OBSESSED and looooves it. It's amazing how quickly she got the hang of it and figured out how to get up and down successfully. Smart little peanut. 

Sunday I went for a RUN! Yep!! Me! RUN! 5 miles!! It felt AMAZING and I loved every, single step. I finished in 49:30, so not the fastest, but I did get progressively faster each mile, with the last mile sub 9:00. WOAH! ME! It felt really nice to be out there and I hope to continue this Sunday morning tradition for a while. Famous last words, right?

After cleaning up, I went to hear a friend give a sermon at a local church and she rocked it. It was about bacon. Yep. Bacon. How could it not have been amazing? Then, the Hubs and I took Bailey and Sadie for a long walk. Love our Sunday walks. 

After the walk, we took Bailey downtown for a Chili Cook Off event.

Girl LOVED every bite! People looked at us like we were crazy for giving her chili, but she looooved it. It was a lot of fun, even if the Hubs and I couldn't agree on which chili we liked the best. 

 

And, that was that. Perfect, low-key, family-filled weekend. Love, love, love.  

Two Thing Thursday

Two Thing Thursday....


Two Songs on Repeat
1. Taylor Swift - Shake It Off.

 

Judge away. I love it and I love Taylor and have no shame. Guilty pleasure and proud of it. And I'd way rather have Bailey listen to something like Taylor Swift than songs about smoking pot or abusive relationships.

 

 

2. Megan Trainor - All About That Bass 



Again. Some people hate this song. I love it. Get off me. It's catchy and fun. Why listen to music that isn't FUN? Life's too short. And again, I'd rather Bailey listen to something with a message about loving your body than glamorize stick thin models who just. don't. eat. And, ps- I listened to a few of her other songs and they're pretty good too.



Two Shows I'm Watching:
1. Scandal.

 (source)

Duh. Is anyone not watching this show? So good.

2. House of Cards.

(source)

I wasn't really sure if I would get into this show. I didn't watch West Wing and I'm not into politics. But, hot damn! This show is pretty good. It was slow to start and took like 3 or 4 episodes for me to get into it, but now I'm hooked. I'm watching it on Netflix (duh-- it's a Netflix show) and am about half way through season 2.

 
Two Things I'm Looking Forward to This Weekend:
1. Seeing Gone Girl Friday night!! WAHOO!! I read this book on the way back from our cruise on a whim (aka- I read all the books I brought on the actual cruise and ended up buying this one for WAY too much money in the airport so I wouldn't drive the Hubs crazy on the loooong, lay-over-filled way back). I wasn't thrilled with at first, but quickly couldn't put it down. Twisty and turns like WOAH! Loved it. I'm pumped to see the movie. Can't wait!

(Obviously it wouldn't be possible for the Hubs and I to have a date night to see Gone Girl without my wonderful and amazing in-laws and their bomb babysitting skills! THANK YOU!!)

2. Pretending to be a Purdue fan this weekend and going to the game on Saturday.

At a Purdue game, 2012

 

 

We try to go to one game a year and this will be Bailey's first game... sure, it's the wrong teams (GO ILLINI!!!), but it'll still be SO fun to go with the in-laws and have Bailey get to see all the college football hoopla.

 

 

Two Articles I Recently Read:

1. Ask Polly: Why Don't the Men I Date Ever Truly Love Me?

Very good read for women, whether dating or happily (or unhappily) married. My favorite part??

 

Fuck wondering if you're lovable. Fuck asking someone else, "Am I there yet?" Fuck listening for the answer. Fuck waiting, alone, for a verdict that never comes. Don't grow up to be one of those women with a perpetual question mark etched in her brow: Am I good? Am I lovable? Am I enough? You are here. Sit down. Feel your potential in this moment. You have accepted too little for too long. That is changing today. Breathe in. Draw a picture of yourself. Tape it to the wall, with the words: YOU ARE HERE. You are here. Cherish yourself.

 

Too many WONDERFUL women I know look to someone else to answer their questions. Look to someone else to tell them what to question, even. Look to someone else for everything. Fuck that. YOU ARE HERE. Be your own question and be your own answer.

 



 

2. How American Parenting Is Killing the American Marriage

Great read for married parents. My favorite parts??

 

"Sometime between when we were children and when we had children of our own, parenthood became a religion in America. As with many religions, complete unthinking devotion is required... Nothing in life is allowed to be more important than our children... Children always come first. In the 21st century, most Americans marry for love. We choose partners who we hope will be our soulmates for life. When children come along, we believe that we can press pause on the soulmate narrative, because parenthood has become our new priority and religion. Once our Gods have left us, we try to pick up the pieces of our long neglected marriages and find new purpose. Is it surprising that divorce rates are rising fastest for new empty nesters? Perhaps it is time that we gave the parenthood religion a second thought."

 

We all know-- I am OBSESSED with my child. I love her with every inch of me. She is me. She is the best parts of me. I made her. I genuinely LIKE my kid and love spending time with her. I MISS her when she sleeps. I'm excited to greet her each morning. I feel genuinely LUCKY and BLESSED to get her as a daughter and to get to spend as much time with her as I do. I feel proud to have the privilege of raising her.

 

But.

 

Matt comes first. Our marriage comes first. Maybe not every, single day. I'm a grown up and understand that things eb and flow and different things take different positions on the priority ladder on different days. Being a Mom is the most important job in my life. But- our marriage is the most important thing in my life. Yes, I just said that out loud. I'm prepared for the backlash. Bring it.

 

 

 

Hand, Foot, Mouth (Not to be Confused with Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes)

Yesterday, Bailey and I spent a whoooooole lot of time (like, HOURS and HOURS) like this...

While this may not look like anything abnormal, if you knew Bailey, you'd know this is craaaazy for her. Girl is ALWAYS on the go. She is simply NOT a cuddly baby. So, when she kept wanting to lay on me and fell asleep on me over and over and wouldn't let me put her down without crying the saddest cry, I knew something was up.

I gave her some Tylenol, as she was burning up and continued on. After several more hours trapped to a chair with a sleeping baby on my chest, I took her temp and it clocked in at 99.7. Not the highest, but she did have drugs already, so a little high. I assumed teething. Girl has been drool central lately, wasn't eating great, and had her hands in her mouth constantly.

She went down for the night pretty well last night, though then we had a 4am wake up, which is not like her. I nursed her and she went back down, so it wasn't too bad. Still, I thought teething.

Then, this morning when I went to get her, in the light of day, I saw this...

 

Red bumps all over her mouth. And a few on her feet and a couple scattered elsewhere on her body.

I knew immediately it was Hand, Foot, Mouth (HFM). According to the CDC:

"Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious viral illness. It commonly affects infants and young children."

 

"Symptoms usually begin with a fever, reduced appetite, sore throat, and a feeling of being unwell. A day or two after the fever starts, painful sores can develop in the mouth. A skin rash with flat red spots may also develop on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Sometimes a rash also occurs on the knees, elbows, and buttocks. This rash may blister but won't itch."

(source)

 

 

Fever? Check. Reduced appetite? Check. General feeding of unwell? Check. Skin rash with flat red spots? Check.

 

I knew right when I saw her that it was HFM. I worked at a daycare for a summer and kids there got it semi-frequently, so I've seen it before. Just to be sure, I did a google search and B met most the criteria and looked just like the pics. Awesooooome. I called her Doc just to be sure and they said it sounds just like it. Plus, the doc said it's going around like WILDFIRE right now. Greaaaat.

 

There's no treatment or drugs, as it's a viral illness. I can help her feel better with Tylenol, but that's it. Nothing a doc can do. It's just gotta run it's course. B's in better spirits today and has no temp, so that's great. You have to be fever free (w/o drugs) for 24-hours before you're not contagious anymore, so B and I are apartment-bound all day today. FUN.

What's one to do when stuck inside all day with a sick baby?

 

Clean ALL THE THINGS and make a big batch of homemade pasta sauce, obviously.

 

So, that's my life today. Fingers crossed the Hubs and I don't catch it because as crabby as B was, I feel like he or I would be a whooooole lot crabbier if we get it and adults most definitely can catch it. FINGERS CROSSED.

 

Hope your day's going better than ours! Happy Wednesday!!

Unplanned Leave of Absence

I interrupt your day to briefly explain my unplanned leave of absence.

Hot tea. Tissues. And a baby playing alone. Yep, I've been sick. And, the baby got sick (of course). And, the Hubs got sick. It's been one fun time around these parts.  We're all starting to feel a bit better, but between the plague hitting our house and a trip to St. Louis and, well, life-- blogging has taken a back seat. Don't worry-- I'll be back soon. :)

Bailey - 9 Month Update

Age: I say it every month and I'll say it again. NO WAY!! It is just not possible that little girl is NINE months. NO WAY. How? How is time moving this fast? She's growing up so fast!! SLOW DOWN!! 

 

 

 

Size: We have her 9-month check up tomorrow. I really have no idea where she'll clock in... though I do know girl feels SOLID to me. We'll see! She's still in 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.

Sleep: I'm calling it! We're officially sleeping through the night! YAAAAY! I think after a month of almost no MOTN wake-ups, we can call it official, right? WAHOO! Bailey goes down for the night at about 7:15pm (we nurse at 7 & she does down right after that), I do a nursing dream feed at about 9:45pm (used to be the Hubs giving her a bottle, but now that we cut the MOTN feed, I do this one), and then she's up for the day at about 6:30am. She's doing really well!! Of course, we have our bad nights, but those are definitely the exception, not the norm. I'm going to work on cutting the dream feed soon, but I'm not in a big rush. I don't think she NEEDS it, as she only nurses for about 3 minutes per side during this feed, but I don't want to F-up the STTN, so I'm going to give it another month-ish, I think.

We're still on a solid 3-ish hour schedule and she also still takes 2 solid naps each day-- 8-9:30am and 2-4pm. The last week she's been napping pretty poorly-- fighting going down and waking early. Ugh. But, before that, it was like clockwork. I think she's ready to move to a 4-hour schedule so she gets more wake-time between feeds and naps. Hopefully switching to this will get her back to good naps. We'll see. Wish me luck! 

Nursing & Solids: Life is good here. 9 months and going strong! I have to say-- I'm pretty proud of that! Nursing is hard and time consuming. I'm really happy with how things have gone in this area and am pretty confident we'll make it to a year minimum pretty easily from here.

We're still doing 3 meals of solids a day. She's a pretty good eater. She loves bananas, guacamole (though hates plan avocado... weirdo), puffs, yogurt melts, ground beef, blueberries, cantaloupe, green/red/yellow peppers, broccoli, and more. She'll try just about anything and the only food she pretty much refuses to eat and will just spit back out are eggs and avocado, weirdo. Some days she eats better than others, but overall she does well with meals and eating.

Likes: Sadie. A thousand times over. SADIE, SADIE, SADIE. Girl is OBSESSED with the dog lately. It's the most adorable thing ever. Now that she can pull herself up to standing, poor Sadie isn't even safe on the couch. They're BFFs for life.

This is the a normal scene around these parts... aka, Bailey refusing to let go of a toy (or a sock in this place) and trying to accost Sadie at the same time and then Sadie bolting. Love, love, love.

She's also all about Mommy lately. I am her favorite toy, jungle gym, cuddler, and everything in between. She tries to hang on me anytime I am anywhere near her. I kinda love it, though I'm sure it won't last. I'll be old news any day now.

 

She also loves her kitchen, blankets and pillows, shoes, throwing her food on the floor, and pulling herself up & crawling (or really anyway she can be moving).

 

 

Dislikes: Same. Still. Ugh. The stinking car seat. I do not know what it is. Girl HATES it. She's gotten a bit better with the stroller, so that's good. Progress, perhaps? I just keep hoping and hoping the car seat thing is a phase and we're going to be over it any day now. Fingers crossed.

 

 

Weirdly, towards the end of this month, she also started hating dinner. This sounds nutso, I know. It's the same food. Same seat. Same bib. Same pretty much everything (except that the Hubs is there.... which I guess could be it, but whhhhy??), but she gets SO fussy at dinner. I really hope this is a phase because it's a pain in the ass and just plain annoying. We don't get her out of her seat because we know nothing is wrong and we don't want her to learn "scream at dinner and get what you want!". We don't make her eat, but we don't get her out of her seat til we're done with the meal. Makes for some reallllly fun family dinner time. Ugh.

 

 

New This Month/Special Moments/Milestones:

-2 teeth! Both bottom and right next to each other. They came in one right after the other, too. That was a fun week in this household. Ugh. Teething BLOWS. But, omg-- the teeth! They are SO cute!! And sharp. OMG. She's accidently bitten me a few times either just playing around or while nursing... omg-- oooooouch. NOT fun. I can't even imagine when the top teeth start coming in.

 

-Lots and lots of squaks and squeals. Perhaps this isn't new, but the quanity and crazy loud volume is at new levels this month.

 

-Again, maybe it's not new-- but, girl is on the move and has some serious speed! She's got this crawling and pulling herself up thing DOWN. I'm still calling it-- girl will be walking by 10 months. She's constantly on the move. Constantly.

 

Looking forward to: Is saying everything too cheesy to stomach? Because OMG-- everything. Don't get me wrong - I'm enjoying each and every moment today and living in the present, but I am so excited for everything coming up. Walking! OMG!! I can't wait. First words! The little clumsy baby run! Hearing her say "Mama"! Just everything. EVERYTHING.