Merry Christmas Y'all

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas.  I know I have.  Earlier this week, no...  Everything seemed to be happening at once.  I was working longer hours because of the holidays and between making sure Ky had everything she needed to go to the sitters, trying to remember to put the containers of frozen breast milk in the fridge the night BEFORE to thaw, wrapping presents, paying bills, making a last minute order for Charlotte and Louise, and dealing with a very sick and cranky husband.  It was overwhelming y'all.  I admit that I broke down in tears several times. 

I kinda just wanted this Christmas to be perfect.  It's our first one as a family of three and I wanted it to be special.  Which is kind of silly because Kylie won't remember it, but I knew I would.  And here I am, not enjoying this whole week because I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  Bedtime just came too quickly every night, and it seemed like I never had a moment to spare.  Plus, two days before Christmas I remembered I had not bought Rex his stein.  See, every year I get him the Budweiser holiday beer stein.  So, HOLY CRAP!!!  Nobody has them left just two days before Christmas.  And then I finally find one at a gas station on my way home from work, it was the last one, so I scooped it up and when I get home I realize it's from frigging 2009!!!!  I was so frustrated.  So yesterday I'm calling every single liquor store in a fifty mile radius from my house and I finally find one.  And it was a 2010.  I practically begged the guy to hold it for me, I was going to be there in like 10 minutes tops.    And luckily he took pity on me, the crazy lady practically in tears over a damn stein.  But I got it. 

So by last night I was a total zombie.  Kylie had been up late the night before, since she got the same cold Rex had.  I had to get up at 4 am to get Ky ready for the sitters and me ready for work.  Work was exhausting.  We were short handed and had way too much stuff to do.  I finally get off, fight traffic to get home, pick up Ky, locate the stein, pick up the stein, buy the turkey and the stuffing mix, go home, take a shower, put on make up, feed Ky, load up the diaper bag.  Why you ask? Because Christmas Eve is also Rex's frigging birthday.  Yeah, my hubby always got royally screwed every year as a kid because he got combined birthday and Christmas presents.  So any who, we were going out for a couple of drinks with friends.

It turned out really nicely though.  I finally got a chance to relax and bullshit with buddies.  I didn't drink, but I hardly ever do, so I enjoyed a huge strawberry lemonade and watched Rex and his friends get a good buzz going.  We ate Texas egg rolls and hot wings, and cracked open about a million peanuts.  Kylie watched the football game on tv, and was fascinated by the guy making balloon animals for other kids.  All in all, it was just what I needed.  Some time to unwind and relax and catch up with friends.

This morning dawned bright and early with Ky Bug waking up at seven.  She had woken up several times during the night with a cough, but managed to fall back asleep easily every time thank God.  I fed her and then Rex and I opened up our stockings and gifts to each other.  Then Ky and I went out and opened gifts with the grandparents and great grandparents and had tons of fun crinkling wrapping paper.    We hopped in the shower and then got some lunch at Jack in the Box.  We went back home and played some Call of Duty zombie levels and then picked up Rex's little brother.  Uneventful, but so nice.  I'll probably get in trouble with my grandma for not going to the big family dinner, but that's ok.  Rex, Kylie, and I just needed some time to be by ourselves.  So now the turkey is stuffed and in the oven, Kylie's happily playing with a toy next to me on the floor, and the boys are playing Xbox.  It truly is a wonderful world tonight.

Four Months Old!!!

Ok, I can't believe it y'all. My Ky Bug is 4 1/2 months old! It doesn't seem quite real. It feels like just yesterday we were coming home from the hospital with her, scared to death, with absolutely no idea what we had gotten ourselves into.  It amazes me that I could love someone so much that I have known for such a little time.  Each day I love her even more than the day before.

She has grown so much in the past month and a half.  Kylie now weighs in at a whopping 12 pounds and 10 ounces (25th percentile), is 25 1/2 inches long (50th percentile), and her little noggin is 16 1/2 inches around (50th percentile). 

Kylie now fits perfectly in all of her 0-3 clothes except her sleepers. Her little legs are too long for those so in sleepers she wears 3-6 months.  She just moved up to size 2 Pampers diapers, though Santa might bring her some cloth diapers this Saturday.  She still has tiny little feet and size 1 baby shoes are still a bit too big. And don't even get me started on keeping socks or shoes on her, it's damn near impossible. I keep her her in her jammies a lot these days just because there is no way she can kick those off!

Kylie is liking tummy time more and more. It helps that she is getting better at it too. Now she can lift her head and chest up 90 degrees and is starting to push up on her arms. She tries to pull herself along with her hands now as well. And last week she rolled from her back to her belly.  Kylie loves standing, she can hold herself up with just us balancing her.  She grabs stuff with her hands and brings it to her mouth. She has discovered Rex's beard (well really just his scruff from not shaving for a week and a half) and loves touching his face now, and also my ears.  Whenever she is on her back she just kicks and kicks and kicks. She loves sitting propped up against my Boppy pillow but hates the Bumbo seat Rex and I got her. She just braces her back and pops herself out of it.  And if she can't pop herself out then she just cries.

Kylie still loves being outside, though it is getting harder as the weather is getting colder.  But on the non windy days I just bundle her up and we go on walks.  She still loves looking trees up and down and has discovered the windmill in my parents' backyard.  Kylie loves watching the chihuahuas wrestle and growl and be crazy. We are teaching her to pet them too :) Now she opens up her hands when we move her fingers over their fur.

Kylie is super vocal now. In the morning when she wakes up she will talk to herself for about 20 minutes before actually wanting to get up.  She laughs and giggles and chuckles and squeaks and squeals. She also makes this siren sound, getting louder and quieter and then louder again.  Kylie still smiles with her whole mouth open.

The bug sleeps about 11 hours a night now, from 8 pm to 7 am.  This is much appreciated by Rex and me.  For a while we were having trouble getting her her to fall asleep without a whole lot of crying.  But we finally found a routine that works for us.  Every other night she gets a bath and a massage while I put lotion on her. Then every night she gets her last feeding, is burped and put into one of her sleep sacks, we read Goodnight Moon with her in my lap, and then I rock her and sing Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) by the Dixie Chicks. I set her in her crib, kiss her four times, and sing the song one more time and then turn on her ocean sounds and sights.  Most of the time she will be asleep within fifteen minutes with minimal fussing.  Naps are a different story though.  She will NOT sleep in her crib and very rarely she will sleep in her swing.  Ky will fuss and cry for a whole hour without falling asleep even for a minute.  She will fall asleep in two seconds flat if she is in someones' arms though. So for now I have given up and both of us will take a nap together on our bed. The other day we both slept for an hour and a half.  It was pure bliss.

Her eyes are still blue, but a gray-blue now I think.  Her hair is finally filling in on the sides of her head, but not quite because she still has the Mohawk look going on sometimes.
She is still completely on breast milk and formula.  We're not going to start her on any solids till she is six months old.  We decided this with her pedi since she doesn't NEED solids yet and it also reduces the risk of her having food allergies too.  Ky is sure interested in food though, and she now assumes any kind of drink is for her and opens her mouth wide and gets all excited!

So my Ky Bug is growing with leaps and bounds.  It is wonderful to see her grow and discover the world around her everyday. How beautiful it must be to look at the world with brand new eyes everyday.  Even when I don't want to get up in the morning, I love looking down into her crib and seeing her smile up at me, it makes my day every time.  I love her so much that I feel think my heart might burst out of my chest.  I seriously can't imagine life without her, and she has definitely made me into a better person.

My Morning So Far

Kylie woke up about an hour ago, which is pretty darn decent.  She has been sleeping about 11 hours a night now and is only 4 1/2 months!  This is much appreciated by Rex and me.  I can even start to forgive her for not wanting to take naps. 

Now Kylie's new thing is to totally not pay attention when she is eating.  At first I thought it was just because she is getting the bottle a lot more since I went back to work, but Rex says it happens with him too.  It's like she just discovered the world around her and can't be bothered with eating.  Yeah, she'll get hungry, but after about five minutes she'll just pop off the boob/bottle to look at something that caught her eye.  She has finally discovered all the animals in our house.  And she will do her darnedest to keep them in eyesight.  This morning it was my cat Pork Chop that caught her fancy.

See, this is a baby that's supposed to be eating, but can't concentrate long enough on the boob to get the job done.  My boobs are hurt, they used to be Kylie's favorite things.

So we gave up and went out to the living room for some tummy time for Ky and some blogging time for mama.

Meanwhile, Rex is still snoozing away, with all the chihuahuas and my cat, cuddled around him, snug as a bug.  So jealous.  And I didn't go to bed till midnight last night because my stupid work decided they needed to extend their hours for the holidays.  Who goes into a pet store at 10 o'clock at night?  Yeah, you got it, no one.  We did not have a single customer in the store from nine to ten.  Though earlier we had these crackhead girls come in with their baby who were caught letting their baby nap on a dog bed.  Poor baby.  He was right around Ky's age too.  Some people are just not meant to be parents.

So that's been my morning thus far.  It looks like it's shaping up to be a fairly decent day.  Outside I see clouds building up by the mountains, so hopefully it will rain.  I absolutely adore rain.  It makes the desert smell so so good.  Today I hope to accomplish: wrapping Christmas presents, sending out pictures of Kylie to relatives, and finishing up a custom order for my Etsy store.  Have a great day y'all!



Almost Wordless Wednesday

This is Kylie's idea of nap time. Not mine.  She has decided that screaming her head off is much more enjoyable then peacefully sleeping for a half an hour to forty-five minutes.  Yesterday, she only took a twenty minute nap.  Last week I kept track of when she gets sleepy and wants to nap, so this week I'm attempting to put her on a schedule.  Which is not easy between her spending days with me, and nights with either Rex or her sitter.  Both who like to spoil her and let her nap in their arms.  And this bugs me more than Debra Messing's nose does.

So Tired

Well, I've been back at work for two weeks now, and it's kicking my butt big time.  I'm only working about twenty-five hours a week, but seriously, it feels like fifty.  I never realized how out of shape I've gotten over the past five months, and now my flabby butt is laughing in my face.  So I'm hoping running around work like a woman possessed will help me lose these fifteen pounds of leftover baby fat that I just haven't been able to kick. 

Work itself is going pretty good.  I feel kinda guilty for saying this, but it feels nice to get out of the house sans baby even if it is to help crazy people decide on which fish/hamster/lizard/bird to buy.  I do still have an extra appendage though.  My breast pump.  That's who I share my breaks with now.  Every single one.  I feel like a darn moo cow.  Rex isn't helping any because he is starting to call me Bessie.  If only looks could kill, then he would have dropped dead the first time he said that to me.  But any who, I got a killer deal on the breast pump, and I am super excited about that.  During Kylie's first month, I was able to rent one through my insurance because of all our breastfeeding issues.  After that, I was left without one.  When we were up visiting my grandparents up north, my mom and I stopped in a children's second hand store to look around.  And low and behold, on one shelf there were three used breast pumps.  And one was a Medela Pump in Style with the black messenger bag.  For $38.  How could I say no to that?  It even had the car adapter.  Now, I didn't feel too weird about buying an used one because when I rented the Medela pump, they let me keep all the tubing and breast shields.  So I just threw away the ones that came with my purchase and am using the rental ones.  Score for me!

And sorry for still not having Kylie's Four Month post up yet.  Remember a month or so ago when our doctor's office scheduled Kylie's four month appointment when she was only three months?  Well, they marked it down that she had her four month appointment even though she didn't get her shots or anything.  Yeah.  So I had to call them and they were able to squeeze her into time next Monday.  The lady on the phone was not the most helpful.  I asked if it would be with Kylie's pediatrician, and the lady was like, "Yes, who else would I schedule her well baby check up with?"  Grrr.

And big news on the baby front!  Yesterday Kylie rolled all the way over for the first time!!! She was on her back playing with a toy and I look over and hear her grunting.  She was trying as hard as she could, so I grabbed my phone and started snapping pictures, and before I knew it, she was on her tummy, looking around, like, "How in the world did I end up like this?"

Wordless Wednesday

Attack of the Fur Babies

So, I've just realized that I have forgotten to introduce my first children.  I don't see how I forgot because they make themselves known to the world at all times.  They are my chihuahuas.  Dakota, Nova, Daisy, and Midget.  Some of the most psychotic dogs you will ever meet.  But God help me, I love 'em. 

Meet Daisy. Also known as "Fat Back" or "Pink Belly." We acquired her two and a half years ago from my friend Marie who works at the city's animal control office.  Very dangerous to have your friend work here because they inform you of all the cute chihuahuas that come in.  Well, she texted me a picture one day of an itty bitty chihuahua puppy and asked me if we wanted her.  I texted Rex (which I should earn a gold star for I think because most of the time when it comes to animals I tend to just take them home.  Surprise honey!!!) and he instantly fell in love and said yes we had to have her.  And since that day she has been 100% Rex's dog.  No ifs ands or buts about it.  I am her mortal enemy and she will do anything to come in between us.  Seriously, we will be cuddling and watching tv and she will push her way in between us grunting and growling.  She is the diva of the bunch.  In winter she always needs her sweaters and hates going out in the cold.  She has a funny habit of burping right in Rex's face after she eats.

Meet Dakota.  Also know as "Coco."  He is the most psychotic one of the bunch and the only one we paid good money for.  Oh, around the tune of $1200.  Yeah, this was still when Rex and I were dating and he still liked me :)  Now Coco is a sweetheart, but he has lots of issues.  Take eating his food for example.  Now, he can't just sit at his bowl and eat, noooo.  He needs to take a single piece of food out at a time, take it about 3 feet away from the bowl, set it down, roll on it, bark at it, and then eat it.  Yes, this is a daily occurrence.  He falls asleep at night by going in and out of the covers about 10 times before he will settle down.  He looooovvvves car rides though, especially in our truck.  He loves to sit on the center console and smell the air conditioning vents.  Coco's mortal enemy is my brother's pug.  They love to get into growling matches.

Meet Midget.  Also known as "Mimi" or "The Fox."  She is the fluffy red dog on the left.  We aren't quite sure what kind of dog she is, and basically she just looks like a little fox.  She is the cuddle bug of all the dogs, and she loves giving kisses.  She can howl like there is no tomorrow and has a high pitched whine that can shatter glass (well, maybe not, but it sure seems like it sometimes).  Mimi was running around in the parking lot at my work one day and one of the customer service guys caught her and brought her in.  I first saw her in a crate in the cat room.  This poor little dog had about 20 cats staring her down.  Then I did a bad thing.  I brought her home and didn't tell Rex.  This was when he was working 2nd shift so he got home about 3:30 in the morning.  Him coming home consisted of him stumbling into the bedroom, stripping down to his boxers, and falling into bed.  So he fell into bed that night, and was petting the dogs when he first discovered Mimi.  All I heard was, "What the hell?" and then he flipped on the light.  Yeah, he was surprised to say the least.  He kept saying I would have to get rid of her, but ending up liking her and let me keep her.  Mimi's mortal enemies are birds.  And rats.

Meet Nova.  Also known as "Nova Nove."  She is my little darling and is a pound puppy.  She came from the same shelter as Daisy.  Rex and I got her about a month before we got married.  Nova is the most sane out of all of our dogs.  And the friendliest.  We always take her on road trips with us and she has been to Texas twice with us in the past year.  She gets excited every time she sees us packing up our bags.  She loves people and is super patient.  We take her to visit Rex's grandma in the nursing home and soaks up all the attention from the elderly people there.   Nova loves walks as well, and she will stick her head down any gopher hole she spots.  She will eat anything.  I mean, literally anything.  When I'm cooking she hovers around like it's life or death if she doesn't eat something.  Onions, garlic, apples, frozen vegetables, potato peels, you name it.  If it falls on the floor it's fair game.  Now, Nova's mortal enemy is my dad's cat Tucker.  She's fine with my cat Pork Chop, but if she sees Tucker she's after him like a bat out of hell.

So there you have it.  My fur babies.  I want to strangle them most of the time, but then they do something so incredibly cute and I can't help but laugh.  Though Kylie is probably going to grow up thinking she's a chihuahua and start growling and barking at people.  Oh well, what can you do? 

Etsy Shop

 I just opened my Etsy store Charlotte and Louise!!!!!  I'm so excited!!!!  I'm selling handmade felt headbands and clips.  I'm trying to make some extra money to help pay off bills so we can get the heck out of Cali and move to Texas!!!  If any of you would like to do a giveaway on your blog just let me know, I would be more than happy to provide a headband or clip!!!  Here are some peeks at what I'm selling right now!

My Daughter is at War with Sleep

And Kylie is winning.  Mornings start out wonderfully.  She wakes up about 7 and gives me about 20 minutes of lounging in my bed half awake before she actually wants up.  I then go over to her crib where she greets me with a huge toothless grin.  I scoop her up into my arms and she buries her face into the side of my neck, and then promptly pulls away and smiles at me again.  I put her down on her changing table and she starts kicking her little legs happily and tells me about her night.  I change her diaper and she continues to talk and blow raspberries at me, happy as a clam.  I scoop her up again and we have time to put the chihuahuas out for their morning constitutionals, get me a drink of OJ, and then give grandma and grandpa huge, beaming smiles. 

We then go back to our room and she gets to eat as I check my favorite blogs on my phone.  Kylie will occasionally pull away from the boob and smile up at me and then tuck back in to her breakfast.  Like she's not really hungry, but if mommy wants her to eat, she will.  And she will be incredibly cute while doing so.  Then comes the time in the morning where I can get the most stuff done because Kylie will behave if she is not on my person.  I can set her in her swing with one of her toys and she will talk and kick and be merry basically.  I'll blog, work on schoolwork, or work on making headbands for my new Etsy business (which I will soon make a post about, squeee!).  Though I do admit, some mornings I will just stay in bed and cuddle with her and the chihuahuas, enjoying the quiet moments with her.

The morning never lasts though.  Usually after her third feeding of the day, she starts to get tired and I'll put her down for her first nap.  For this one she gets a little fussy, but not too bad.  She will usually sleep for about 30-40 minutes, so this is when I'll take a shower, get dressed, and put on some make up if I feel really froggy.  She wakes up and then we'll play some and eat some and so forth.  Then comes the afternoon nap, which is a much crankier nap.  It'll take her about 15-20 minutes of fussing before she will actually sleep.  Sometimes there is crying involved with this one. 

And then comes nighttime.  The smiles start becoming frowns and giggles start turning into fussing and crying.  I'll usually try to take her for a walk outside at dusk because no matter what, she does not cry outside and I'll get about 20 minutes of morning Kylie again.  I'll make dinner and usually have her in the Moby Wrap, so I can dance and sing to keep her occupied.  And I'll explain how to make food in hopes that she will turn out to be a better cook than me.  Then Rex and I will eat dinner and watch some tv as I feed Kylie.  I seriously think that I have only eaten one dinner without breastfeeding during it since she was born.  Then comes the really enjoyable part of the night.  She starts getting super cranky and fussy.  But it's only 6 or so, so I can't put her to bed unless I want to wake up a 3.  She tends to cluster feed right before bedtime, or topping off her tanks as I like to call it.  Every other night she has a bath, which she absolutely loves, especially since she has learned that splashing water in mama's face is the most fun in the world.  Then she gets her little baby massage as I put her lotion on, and then gets her last feeding of the night.  By the end of the feeding she is pretty drowsy, so I burp her and then we read Good Night Moon together. 

Then comes the battle with sleep.  I'll set her in her crib and turn on her little Baby Einstein ocean sounds thing-a-ma-bob with the little moving fishies and kiss her good night.  It takes her about 15 seconds to realize what's going on and then the screaming commences.  Yeah, she goes straight for the jugular.  Just screws up her face and lets 'er rip.  And stomps one foot, which makes this thumping sound on the mattress.  And will cry so hard she's gasping for air between each wail.  And this is no matter where she is.  In the crib or in our arms when we just can't take it anymore.  Every once in a while she'll stop, but then remember she doesn't want to go to bed and starts all over again.  Last night she did this for an hour. 

I know she's about old enough that we can just let her cry it out and soothe herself, but we just can't quite bring ourselves to do it.  And I make sure to keep her routine the same too like everyone says but its just not cutting it right now.  Luckily once she's out she is out.  That I am super thankful for.  So please God have mercy on me at bedtime.

So don't let these big ol' blue eyes fool you.  Remember Kylie 1 Sleep 0.

Hi, We're Rex and Brooke

I saw this questionnaire and had to fill it out.  Call me a sucker.

1. What are your middle names?
My middle name is Brooke and Rex's middle name is Judson.
2. How long have you been together?
On September 22 it has been FIVE years, wow.
3. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
A couple of months.  I met him the summer after I graduated high school.  Some of our mutual friends introduced us and...
4. Who asked who out?
He asked me out.  And he was so frigging cute when he did it too.  He was all nervous and was telling me how he thought I was pretty and fun to talk to and did I want to go out with him?
5. How old are each of you?
I am 23 and he is just about to turn 25.
6. Did you go to the same school?
Yes, I never talked to him while we were in school, but I watched him play football every Friday night.  I always knew I was going to date a football player...
7. Are you from the same home town?
Yes siree.  It's funny that we didn't meet each other sooner since our home town is so small and both of us have lived here our whole lives.  Though he was quite the wild child and I was a book worm.
8. Who is the smartest?
I don't really know.  I guess I would be more book smart and he is more street smart.  I am known for my lack of common sense sometimes so he keeps me in line :)
9. Who majored in what?
Right now I'm majoring in Medical Billing, and eventually would like to either become a RN or a teacher.  He is a diesel mechanic and was taught by his grandpa, uncles, and himself. 
10. Who is the most sensitive?
I am by far.  Especially since I had Kylie.  You know that Pampers commercial that plays "Silent Night" and shows sleeping babies?  Makes me tear up every time.  But Rex totally surprises me sometimes,  he just likes to hide behind his tough guy exterior.
11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
So far it's been San Antonio, Texas to visit family.  But we really want to go to Cozumel, Mexico for one our anniversaries.
12. Who has the worst temper?
Rex does.  I'm a more go with the flow time of person, and Rex makes sure I don't get walked over all the time.  He is completely open and honest with how he feels about things.  You always know where you stand with him.  His bosses call him a "terrorist" because he lets them know when he doesn't think somethings fair or right.
13. How many children do you want?
Well, definitely one!!! We are undecided.  I've always wanted three, but we are just seeing how things play out in our lives.  But it will be a while before we have anymore.
14. Who does the cooking?
It's about 50/50.  I never learned how to cook till I met him, and I am not the best.  He was taught by his grandma and cooks the best Southern comfort food ever!  His cornflake chicken is to die for!  I'm good at baking though.  Four layer dark chocolate cake with orange cream filling and chocolate ganache anyone?
15. Who is more social?
He is.  I'm a hermit.  I could go for days with not talking to anyone and be fine. I find that after being around people a lot for a while is tiring, and I have to keep to myself for a little while to regroup.  Rex is the social butterfly.  He loves to talk and for some reason while we are out and about, old people always talk to him.  Tattoos and all.  It's weird.
16. Who is the neat freak?
It used to be neither of us, but the nesting instinct took hold and never left with me.  Rex is more of the "toss the clothes in the general direction of the hamper kind of guy."  Unless it's the garage or his tool box.  Then he is totally anal about it.
17. Who is the most stubborn?
Both of us.  He might be slightly more.  But I can hold out for a pretty long time.
18. Who wakes up earlier?
Me!  I've always been a morning person and he is a night owl.
19. Where was your first date?
Seeing the monster truck rally at the LA County Fair.  Yes, totally redneck.  That's how we roll.
20. Who has the bigger family?
I think he does, mainly because of remarriages and such.  Both of our families are super spread out though.  California, Texas, Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Nebraska... I even have a lot of family living in Australia and Russia.
21. Do you get flowers often?
Nope.  I think I got them once on our first Valentine's Day together.  He says they are just going to die in a couple days so what's the point.  Oh wait, he did get me a pot of pink tulips once too (because they would stay alive longer).
22.How do you spend the holidays?
Usually with my family and then sometimes we will go to his dad's.
23. Who is more jealous?
Neither of us are really.  We have our moment's, but we're pretty trusting of each other, which is good :)
24. How long did it take to get serious?
Pretty soon.  I think earlier for him than me, it was my first real relationship and I had no clue how to go about things.  After a couple months of dating he told me he loved me.
25. Who eats more?
Him!  Well, he likes big meals and I am more of a grazer. 

26. What do you do for a living?
I'm a SAHM at the moment, on hiatus from a pet store, working on starting my own Etsy store, and a student.  He is a diesel mechanic.
27. Who does the laundry?
Me.  He did it once and put bleach in a load of darks.  Yeah.  And that load of darks including a Juicy Couture sweatshirt that I had received as a gift and can never afford to replace.  It's a sore subject.
28. Who’s better with the computer?

I am usually.
29. Who drives when you’re together?
He usually does because according to him, I drive like an old lady.
30. What is your song?
It's not official, but we danced to "Swing Life Away" by Rise Against at our wedding.

Back in Town...Again

So for the last couple days Kylie and I have been absent from the blogsphere we sometimes call home, but I swear, we had a good reason!  We went to my grandparents' home up north with my parents and my other grandma.  We had a wonderful time.  Kylie got to spend a lot of time with her great grandmas and grandpa.  Luckily I'm breastfeeding her or otherwise I would have never been able to hold her!  We went to a little mining town, this ridiculously good bbq joint, and on several hikes.  Oh, and we found this little bakery that had the most delicious lemon meringue pie ever!

At the courthouse in Mariposa that is the oldest courthouse still in use in California.

Kylie and I at a nursery my dad always visits when we are up there.

The Ky Bug just being frigging adorable.

The dogwoods still had fall color on one of our hikes.

And at Red Rock Falls on our Lewis Creek hike.  I cannot say how many times the Moby saved my sanity on this trip.  Ky absolutely loves facing out in it so she can see the world.

My New Love

Is Etsy.  We just discovered each other about 2 months ago.  I can't believe it took me so long to find this site, I feel like I have finally seen the light!  Now I'm a woman possessed!  My hubby just rolled his eyes as he saw me type this.  Here are some of the items on my Christmas list, well, on Kylie's too, that way we get more!!!

This print from Marisol Spoon.  I love the whimsical feel of her art.  I'm going to definitely have to get several prints for Kylie's nursery!  And with prints starting at $18, they are very affordable.

These felt flower clips from Bloomz.  She has them in tons and tons of colors and will also do custom orders.

This camisole from sandmaidensleepwear.  She completely custimizes it for you, so you choose the color and she gets all your measurements as well to make it fit like a glove.  I love this red color, though.  Swoooooon.

The Holy Cow Collar by jenniebgoode.  It is so frigging adorable and one of my little girl chihuahuas would so want to rock this.  I love the pink buckle.  It is a must for my little mutts.

And Mandy from from Harper's Happenings just opened her vintage store Opal today!  Lots of cute stuff!  And super great prices as well.  Now I just need to get paid and it'll all be good.

Happy Monday!

Three Months!!!

It's hard to believe that my darling little Ky Bug is already three months old!!!  I loved her as a newborn, but now her little personality is growing by leaps and bounds now.  She is becoming more and more her own person, and I love watching this transformation.

-Kylie now weighs 10 lbs 3.7 oz, is 23 1/2 inches long, and has a head circumference of 15 1/2 inches.
-She is expanding her vocabulary (if you could call it that) everyday.  She can now string vowels and consonants together i.e. ah-goo, and is learning to blow raspberries.
-Kylie can lift her head 90 degrees while on her belly and will sometimes push up off her arms.  From her belly she can also roll onto her side.
-Is completely out of newborn clothes and fully into 0-3.  I've had to do some shopping for her since most of the clothes we received at her shower were for summer, and fall has fully established itself where we live.
-Is still in size one diapers.  And she is a super heavy wetter at night and soaks through whatever disposable we put on her.  I still only have the FuzziBunz cloth diapers and the legs holes are still too big on her.  Anyone know some good cloth diapers for skinny babies?
-She is sleeping through the night as well.  Thank God.  She will fall asleep usually around 10 pm and wake up between 7:30 and 8 am.  During the day her naps are still very erratic.  Some days she will take two one hour naps, others one big three hour nap, and some she will just take a few little twenty minute cat naps.  Any tips on getting her to nap more consistently anyone?
-Kylie absolutely loves being outside.  She can be screaming her head off and as soon as I walk out the door with her it's instant silence.  And silence never sounded so good, lemme tell you.  She has developed quite the set of lungs. 
-She will actually pay attention to me when I read to her.  She will look at the pictures as I turn the pages, and occasionally look up and smile at me.  And then my heart just melts into a big ole puddle.  We read Goodnight Moon every night before bed.
-Her new thing is to smile with her mouth wide open.  Seriously, as wide as she can get it.  And it's the cutest thing ever.  And she is started to laugh and squeal.  I had never heard a baby squeal before and it is so frigging adorable.

So there you have it.  My daughter. Who is growing up so fast.  Who I love so much sometimes I think my heart will burst.  Who is definitely the bee's knees and then some.

I Believe...

in raw apple cider.  It is so deliciously lovely.  I wish I could get it year around, instead of just in the fall.

in the power of a good book to make me forget all my worries for a while, and to put me into a better mood.

in pregnancy making me into a neat freak.  Nesting never left me for some reason, Kylie is three months old and I'm still trying to clean all the time.  Which is weird, because I was kinda a slob before.  Rex appreciates this though.

in chihuahuas and their great cuddling skills.  In the morning after Rex leaves for work, I go back to bed with my four little doggies snuggled around me.

And later I will post Kylie's Three Month Post!!!

I Heart Target

Seriously.  It is my favorite store ever.  Even if it is kinda sacrilegious because Wally World pays our bills.  I don't care.  Wal-Mart does not even come close to the adorable things Target carries.  It does get me in trouble sometimes, especially since they put in a Super Target that's only about 15 minutes away from my house (and a Golden Corral, yum).  But as I age, I am finding more and more satisfaction in bargain shopping, which my wallet thanks me for.  And the hubs too.  Here are some of my finds from this past week...

These gold shoes.  Guess how much I paid for them.  $3.  Oh yeah, I am awesome. Thank you.

Kylie's rainbow pants.  $2.80.  Yay, me!  Rex even likes these pants, and he is usually uninterested in the world of baby fashion.  Score.

Have y'all ever been to BevMo?  I just went with the hubs yesterday and it's amazing.  I'm not much of a drinker myself, I might have a beer or a drink here and there, but that's it.  The store makes me wish I was an alcoholic.  Rows upon rows of every imaginable liquor.  Rums, tequilas, vodkas, 30 year old whiskys, you name it.  I wanted most of the alcohol just for the bottles.  There were bottles dipped in wax, with tooled leather bands, pretty colors, weird shapes (a tiki statue anyone?), and even Georgia moonshine in a mason jar.  We could have made a serious dent in our pocketbook, but we were good and just got a mini bottle of Absinthe (Rex chose it, 138 proof black licorice smelling liquor is not my cup of tea).

Next week Rex is going to get a vacation from the Ky Bug and me.  We are heading up north to my grandparents' house with my parents for a long weekend.  Kylie gets to visit with her great grandparents and I get to eat at one of the best bbq places in Cali.  Their Southwest Brisket sandwich is to die for!!!  Super tender, juicy brisket (which is next to impossible to find on the west coast), garlic mayo, Monterrey jack cheese, and Ortega chiles.  My mouth is watering as I type.  Nom nom nom.

Now I'm off to do some chores before Kylie wakes up from her nap...have a good Wednesday y'all!!!

Catching Up

Sorry, I've been a bad blogger lately.  I have been a little under the weather, and I blame this cold weather we have been having in So Cal.  I know it's not a good excuse, but hey, it works for me! 

So on Tuesday Rex and I took our little Ky Bug to the doctor's.  We hadn't received a card in the mail saying that she had an appointment, but the office left a voicemail saying Kylie had an appointment, so I'm like, "Ok...didn't think she had one until four months but maybe they changed it or something."  Wrong.  They accidently scheduled us for it, but didn't realize that till we had already given them our copay and were waiting for the doctor.  We still had our pedi look at her because she had been pulling on one of her ears and were worried about infection.  Ky had a clean bill of health though, so no infection, yay!!! She currently weighs 10 lbs 3.7 oz and is 23 1/2 inches tall.

At the doctor's...isn't she the most frigging adorable thing you have ever seen?!  I think so.  Her grandma got her the pink hat this week at a local craft fair, it came with a detachable flower clip.

Later that night Rex was working on his bike so Ky decided she would help him :)

Though for the life of me I could not get her to look at the camera!!!  Kylie is so good at that, purposely looking away when you want her to look at you.  Rex is hoping she will be a tomboy and ride dirtbikes with him, though he will have awhile till he finds out.

And then I got in touch with my crafty side (or more likely my cheap side, ha ha).

See those bad ass leg warmers?  I made them. Yup. So proud of myself.  I really wanted to get some warmers for her but could not bring myself to spend $10 on a pair of BabyLegs.  So enter Google, a $2 pair of knee socks from Target, my Hello Kitty sewing machine (yes, I have a Hello Kitty sewing machine and it totally rocks) and wa la! Leg Warmers!!!  I'll do a post soon showing how I made them!!!

And I absolutely adore the onesie Ky is wearing in the photo above.  It was a gift from one of her aunts in Texas! Thanks Steph!

Kylie is Famous

Well, not really, but it pretty close in my opinion.  My birth story is being featured on the website The Bump right now!!! I was contacted several weeks ago by one of the website's editors after I had posted my story in one of their forums.  I didn't want to tell y'all until it was a sure thing, and then yesterday when I was putting around my favorite sites I see the link to my birth story on their front page!!!!  So if you guys want to check it out click here and look for Kylie's little mug under the birth stories section about half way down the page!!!  Or click here to go directly to my birth story!

Rex laughed at me cuz I was so excited when I found out!  I even printed out the main page and the story for Kylie's baby book (which I haven't even started yet, yikes!).  But I don't care because I think this is just the bee's knees!!!  Yay!!!

Back in Town

Sorry it's been such a long time y'all!!! Rex, Kylie, and I just got back from a week in Texas!  We went out for Rex's mom's wedding and so Kylie could meet Rex's side of the family.  Our week there was chaotic at best, but we had a wonderful time with Rex's sisters and grandma. 




Kylie and her Aunt Julie


Kylie was spoiled rotten by her Aunts Stephanie and Julie the whole time.  Everytime Stephanie came home she had a new outfit for Ky Bug.  Rex tried to keep us out of any store with baby clothes because together we could do some damage.  We did talk him into buying a cute little Halloween onsie that says "Daddy's Little Monster," cuz come on, it was only $3 at Wally World.  How could you say no? We couldn't.  Julie was great with Kylie because she would take Kylie on walks outside, which are Kylie's favorite thing at the moment.  She can be screaming her head off, but you walk out the door and she immediately stops and just stares at everything, especially trees.

The wedding was super chaotic.  Rex's mom and now husband are definitely not into planning.  Basically she had her dress and they had the church reserved for the wedding.  Oh, and she had ordered the cake.  That was it.  Yeah.  So, during the week Stephanie and I were running around like crazy women trying to get everything done.  I've decided that I should become a wedding planner/coordinator.  Cuz I kicked ass at getting everything done, and I did it all with a 2 month old baby in tow.  Stephanie and I picked out the tuxs the groom and best man wore (which they didn't go to get fitted for till the day before!), did all the shopping for decorations, flowers, and food.  And on the day of, I did all the flowers (bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres) which I think turned out pretty darn good, and even Rex agrees with me on that! I made sure everything got loaded up, got dressed, did my make up, got Kylie ready, then drove Rex's mom, Stephanie, and Kylie to the church, talked to the pastor about the service, decorated real quick, did Rex's grandma's hair and nails, made sure everyone had their appropriate flowers and where they were supposed to be, ran the music for the ceremony, and took all the pictures after the service.  Luckily Kylie slept through the preparation at the church and the service.  Pulling out my hair craziness.  But we got through it and ended up at Whataburger at 9 o'clock at night with Rex's sisters and one of their good friends.  Rex's sisters are going to send us some pics so I'll post them as soon as I get them.

So now we are home and settling back into our normal routine.  I'm just about caught up with the laundry and unpacking.  I never realized how much crap a little baby needed.  And lemme tell you, a 24 hour drive is hard enough with only two adults, but try throwing a baby into it!  The way out went pretty smoothly except when Rex met the sheriff of Crockett County, but the way home we were not so lucky.  We got caught in tons of traffic in San Antonio, and then in Palm Springs we got caught in a huge storm complete with pouring rain, hail, and flooding.  But we made it back in one piece!!!

Some parting shots of my Ky, she is growing so fast!!!

 

Two Whole Months!!!

Kylie is two months old today! Yikes! Where has time gone?  It seems like we just brought her home from the hospital, scared out of our minds about taking care of this little, tiny baby. 

The Stats:

-22 1/2 inches long
-9 pounds 1.9 ounces
-15" head circumference
-still has blue eyes though Rex swears he can see some green in them (but he's been saying that since she was born so we'll see)
-her hair is starting to grow in a light shade of brown or perhaps a dark blonde, the opposite of my roots ha! And it never lays flat, it is always sticking up every which way, it doesn't help that there is a huge cowlick in the back :)
-smiles all the time now, especially if you make a pigeon sound (how they coo)
-follows people, animals, anything moving with her eyes
-copies faces you make at her (sticking tongue out, opening mouth wide, scrunching nose, etc.)
-makes all kinds of sounds now, ee, ooo, oh, goo, ah, i, and it was funny the other day she sounded like she said hello (i know she didn't know she was saying it, but it was too cute!)
-has discovered how to suck on her thumb and currently likes that better than her paci
-also has discovered her feet, so now she kicks all the time.  The only time her little legs are not moving is if she is in a deep sleep or she is eating.
-is stuck in between sizes right now in clothes.  Lots of the newborn stuff still fits her body but is too short for her.  If I try to put a newborn sleeper on her right now, her poor little legs are bent in half :(  But 0-3 is still huge on her body, lots of times you could practically fit two of her in some of the stuff. 
-same thing with diapers, the newborns she was having lots of blow outs, but the size ones are all saggy on her tiny little butt.  I'm slowly starting to build up my cloth diaper stash, but the small fuzzibunz are too big for her thighs.  I won a one size FuzziBunz in a giveaway so maybe I'll try that since it has the adjustable elastic in the legs.  Anyone have recommendations for a cloth diaper for a skinny baby?
-is still not thrilled with tummy time, especially if she is flat on the floor.  She can lift her head up, but is not happy about it.  Sometimes we'll use our Boppy for tummy time and all she does is push herself over it with her legs.
-has much more of a personality now.  She will make all kinds of goofy faces at us now, is starting to laugh, loves to be held, only sleeps in her crib at night not during the day, loves trees, and loves big screen tvs and laying on her changing table to look out the window.  She likes baths, getting her diaper changed, putting on clothes but not taking them off, going for walks outside, and when the chihuahuas growl and bark at each other.
-As you can see by her stats, Kylie has caught up with her weight gain, and Rex and I are so relieved.  The other week Ky had the growth spurt of the century, she gained THREE pounds are grew ONE inch in only ONE week.  Of course, in order to accomplish this she was eating every hour, but it was so worth it!!!

Every day I fall more and more in love with my little Ky Bug.  She wasn't exactly planned, but now I can't imagine life without her. She is the center of our whole world and we wouldn't change a damn thing!