washing washer

oh happy day, our new washer arrives this afternoon! we have so much laundry piled up - i just didn't want to haul nuggie and our stinky clothes off to the laundromat again. i'll be up all night doing laundry just because i can!

i'm getting a hair cut tonight. i just had one about six weeks ago, BUT i didn't get the cut i had hoped for last time. not because sara beth at salon ya ya in green hills isn't totally amazing! but because i chickened out. i told her to cut it off and she said, really? and i said, uh, well, maybe not??? but i do, i do want a change. i'd like my hair to be short. i've always preferred my hair short and everyone always says (bub especially) oh, we love your hair long. well my lovelies, you never see it long. it's ALWAYS pulled into a ponytail these days. i would love to have a short cute 'do that's easy to take care of and always looks cute.

i'm getting sick of tv. i'm thinking of putting myself on a tv diet. i still have my favs - modern family and the office. but i'm home alot during the day and it's always on, it's nice to have some noise. right now i'm watching kathie lee and hoda jam out to some icky country song. this is NOT helping me be a better momma, wife or friend and honestly it isn't that entertaining. i still have my favs, like i said, but do i need to have the tv on for hours and hours a day? nugg and i could listen to music or NPR. what do you think? what are your favorite non-tv ways to have some entertainment around the home?

i know how this sounds...

ok, so given my post yesterday, i know how this post is going to sound. but i'll explain... i LOVE to bake. like, love love it. cookies aren't really my thing, our oven seems to have a hate relationship with them and they ALWAYS, no matter what i do, come out flat as pancakes. i have had success with snickerdoodles though - they always seem to turn out well, but that is it. i know it's our oven b/c i never had a problem at our apartment when i made cookies. anyhow, i love to bake. so i've moved on to cupcakes. our oven gets along just fine with them. i have a super fun little cookbook that is full of cupcake recipes and i decided i would cook every single recipe in it. but, i have to do this carefully. if i make them just for us, then i become even more of a fatty. so i make them and then share them. i made this week for our church community group.

so the first recipe in the book is - lime cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting. oooh yum yum!! i'm typically a boxed cake mix sort of girl. never again friends! this recipe is really easy and so much better than a boxed mix. these are perfect for spring and so pretty. a couple of things i would change in the future though. the cupcake was not overly limey. i'd probably add a little extra lime juice. and the frosting - oh dear! it was so yummy - but i'd probably halve the recipe. it makes a TON! and i'd for sure chill it a little before i frost the cupcakes. it was runny and went over the edges of the cupcakes. i used fat free cream cheese just to try to cut back on some of the calories too.

so so perfect for spring! give them a whirl :-)

weighn' in - week 5

it's time to get real... wasn't that some dr. phil slogan for a while or something?? well, it's my slogan for today. first of all though - i'm writing this entry sunday night rather than monday morning b/c we have a CRAZY day tomorrow. i know you all totally LOVE my fatty confessionals each week and i'm not one to disappoint :-)

ok, so back to gettin' real. last week was a flop. this week was not. i did however discover that i have gained back 2 of the 4 pounds i lost... sad, sad day. i got three good workouts in and walked with nuggie every day. i ate pretty well - no oreo cookie binges or giant bag of m&m's stuffed in my mouth b/c nuggie won't nap EVER and i needed a little sanity in my life, so why NOT look for it in candy, right?!? NO - there was none of that this week. but like i said, i did hop back on that scale and found i had gained back 2 pounds. ugh. that's when i asked myself - how much am i really committed to losing this baby weight? how important is it to me? is that moment of weakness and stuffing junk food in my body really worth the sadness i feel when i still don't fit into any of my old jeans? being self conscious about my extra tummy chub? worrying about my fat face in pictures? and if i'm really gettin' real - feeling totally uncomfortable letting my hubby see me, well you know - sans apparel? no, the food isn't worth it.

all i can do is take it one day at a time though. i've said that before. and i'll say it again. i can't set myself up on some rigid diet or crazy workout plan - it doesn't work for me. but for today i'll try to get my workout done, eat healthy foods and drink lots of water. but i want to remember - what's really important? and is it worth it?

on a happier note - though the scale didn't bring happy news - i can now where MY belt again - rather than bub's. i can also get all my old jeans - except for my one pair of lucky brand most fav fav skinny jeans :-(   - up over my fat booty - just can't button them yet. but that's huge! a tiny bit of movement in the right direction helps... makes me feel like i will indeed lose this last 18 pounds someday.

ok - busy, busy day tomorrow... i'm watching a sweet friend's two little girls and my own screamy monkey all day tomorrow. her girls will be angels i have no doubt. mine will probably pitch a fit the whole day. someone remind me how many calories are in vodka?? mama is gonna need a cocktail late tomorrow night!

friday fun

it's the last day of my spring break. we didn't really do anything super exciting, but it was really nice to have a week off from class and to spend lots of time with my sweet nugget.

monday we hit up the laundry mat b/c our washing machine is broken. this was an adventure! i couldn't put her in the ErgoBaby and still pick up the laundry baskets, but i also couldn't pick up the baskets with her in my arms - so i made about fifty gajillion trips back and forth with her in one arm and whatever i could carry in the other. she was such a trooper - no fussing AT ALL! here's hoping bub can fix the washer this weekend and we won't have a repeat trip to the laundry mat.

wednesday we took nuggie's first walk in the park and then went to have popsicles at las paletas. she LOVED it! i think it felt good on her sore gums. after we left if started to pour down rain on us :-( but sweet nuggie was safe and dry in her stroller and i think she thought it was funny.

yesterday it was so chilly! gotta love spring in nashville... 80 degrees one day and 45 the next! we went for a little walk anyhow and she loved it!

today bub took a day off so we could all spend some time together... so i gotta run. we're going to le peep for breakfast and then taking nuggie for a chilly walk in the park!

ideas please

as the weather begins to turn warm and sweet nuggie is growing bigger, i'm finding that i want to get out of the house more and more. sweet pea is becoming a better travel companion and she seems to really enjoy our little trips here and there... but i'm having a dilemma. what do we do that's fun but cheap. and by cheap, i really mean free.

we went to the park yesterday and then walked to las paletas for nuggie's first popsicle. she loved it by the way! but on our way out of the popsicle shop it started pouring on us :-(

so i need to some ideas of things to do with a little bitty baby that might be indoors or hot weather friendly. baby girl is pretty tickled just being pushed in her stroller right now, so i could use some ideas of places we can go and walk around. i thought about target, but i find it impossible to go in there and NOT to spend money. maybe we could walk at the mall? you can do lots of walking and not go into any actual stores i guess. i could really use some non-store related destinations. can you help??? any ideas???

seems to be a trend

wednesdays i just can't seem to get my brain in gear to write anything super awesome... i seem to resort to lists. oh well!

- we are probably going to have to buy a new used car this summer. did i mention this already? maybe??? anyhow, we're on the hunt. we'd love to get a ford escape. but now with gas prices the way they are i'm freaking a little bit. our little corolla gets pretty good gas milage. but with a kiddo and a dog and more kiddos someday down the road, it would be helpful to have a bigger vehicle. my little black sunfire is just about toast. she has served me well, but she needs more repairs that i think the poor little car is even worth at this point. ugh - not looking forward to having a car payment again every month...

- i'm already plotting nuggie's 1st b-day party. we have to be out of town on her actual birthday, but are planning a fabulous party the saturday after. she'll only be one, she won't know the difference. ok, so - it has to be so much fun! so far all i know is it'll probably be chilly, since it's late october. maybe we should have it somewhere besides our home? our house is so tiny... though bub has been talking about having a bon fire - fun idea, not so child friendly... haven't really thought of a theme yet. she doesn't seem to have anything favorite or anything right now. the girl just loves to chew on bibs... that's not such a great birthday theme. her nickname is nugget, that's not a great theme either...  i know i've got lots of time - it's just so much fun to think about!

- has anyone else heard about chris brown's freakout on good morning america yesterday... what a spazz. that guy is out of his mind. it's funny to me that people are ticked off b/c chris brown gets called a thug, but not charlie sheen and how that's not fair. um, hello - charlie sheen is out of his mind, but to the best of my knowledge, he hasn't beat the snot out of his girlfriend or thrown a chair out a window.

- well i think sproutlet and i are gonna hit up the park today, hopefully it won't rain. gotta do something fun on this spring break of mine...hasta la pasta!

our little house - tour #1

well i showed you all how icky messy our house was. i thought now i would show you some of my favorite aspects of our little home. bub and i have had a love/hate relationship with this small dwelling of ours. as in we hated it the first year and have loved it the second. there are some things that drive me totally nuts about it still - living right behind a major freeway = LOTS of noise, all the time. there is very little closet or storage space. the kitchen has almost zero counter space even though the room itself is oddly large. and our next door neighbors - as in side to side - pretty much stink. things we LOVE about our little home - we love our across the street neighbors! we have awesome hardwood floors. there are lots of windows which let in tons of lovely natural light. bub redid the bathroom last year and now i LOVE it. it's tiny, but lovely.

ok - so here we go. i thought i'd start with nuggie's room. welcome to our home!

ultra girly switch plate cover

i found this sweet switch plate cover at Babies R Us. i saw it and i HAD to have it for her room. when i was first envisioning her nursery, i was thinking lavender and white, white birdies and shabby chic. it's still a work in progress. but this is sort of what started the whole theme.

birdies above the changing table

 

 

 

 

 i found one of these birdies at a cute little bookstore out in portland, oregon while visiting sisterkins last may. and she then sent me TWO more! they used to hold nugg's attention like none other... these days she's too cool for them :-)

sweet birdie mobile

we received the birdie mobile at our family baby shower from my awesome aunties... so cute!

pics of mommy and daddy

that's me on the left and bub on the right. we're both about 8 months old there. i'd love to add to our collection and gather pictures of all our family at about the same age. 

nuggie's friend board

 here i have a little collection of nuggie's friends. birth announcements and pictures. she's so lucky to have so many wonderful baby friends already!

   my fav!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sweet shannon gave us this piggy as a shower gift. it is one of my most favorite things in all of nuggie's room. it was also one of the most thoughtful gifts we received. she asked what my room theme was and came up with this all on her own. it is EXACTLY what i was trying to accomplish - like i said, it's still a work in progress! it also sparked nuggie's collection of ceramic piggy banks.

the end of nugg's name

this was an end of the pregnancy-i'm-too-big-to-do-ANYTHING project. i painted little wooden letters i found at a craft store and the white flowers are actually meant for scrapbooking. i LOVE this little project. i'm not overly crafty, so this was big for me :-)

there you have it - sweet nuggie's room!

weighn' in - week 4

this will be short and sweet... last week was a bust - again. i walked several times with nuggie and worked out one day, but that was it. i also went to a sweet friend's bday party and ate this...

it was a girl's eatin' meat and drinkin' beer party - i had no choice, i had to take part!!! ooh, it was yummy. but i'm afraid of what it did to my number on the scale - SO - i haven't weighed in for the week yet. i'm too scared!

i started this week off right though - worked out, ate a good breakfast and had a lean cuisine for lunch - this week will be better!

i have the feeling nuggie isn't going to let me do much this week though. she's teething and as if we'd expect anything different - she is of course screechy, screamy and grumpy. poor little thing :-(

special bulletin

i'm interrupting my normal weekend blogging break to bring you a little dose of my reality. there seem to be a few among you that have the idea in your heads that i'm some sort of freakish neat nazi. oh dear ones, that is so not true. yes, i'm a bit of neat freak. we live in a small space - a few things out of order and it looks a lot worse than it is. and i'm sure i'm going to get the comments that say oh, blah blah - these pictures are nothing. i'm not saying that... i'm just saying, look, i'm not as crazy as some of you think that i am. maybe, writing this blog in the first place makes me even crazier... i just felt the need to set the record strait. as a side note, which i won't get in to right now, there are real reasons for my cleaning crazies, i'm not just neurotic. events from my past and current events have led to my love of all things clorox, lysol and swiffer. i just wanted to provide a little proof that my even my tidy traits take off a few days now and then.

example #1

here's our kitchen. let's see what we've got... boxes from our new dishes full of our old dishes waiting to be dealt with. plastic cups on their side. text books, nugg's blankies, empty grocery bags, bread pan... other various items that make it impossible for us to use this table as an eating space.

example #2

OLD reciepts from my purse, DEAD flowers in that vase, cereal boxes, bottles to put away...

example #3

laundery laundry everywhere...

example #4

bed unmade, more laundry sitting on the dresser, more dirty laundry in the corner that you can't see waiting to be washed.

again, [please don't comment and tell me how this is nothing... for me it's a disaster - but i'm ok with that. weekends are for rest and spending time with my sweet little family. i just wanted to put it out there that i'm not as out of control as some of you seem to think that i am :-)

now back to enjoying this delightful little sunday with my hubby and the nugg

friday friends

sweet nuggie has had a busy week! she's quite the social butterfly...

nuggie and her friend joseph

 

 

tuesday a sweet friend of mine that i used to work with at vandy came by. her sweet little man is 7 weeks old. nuggie is 22 weeks old! he was just about her size :-) good healthy boy! she's got so many little boyfriends.

nuggie and maggie

wednesday my sweet cousins L & C came by with L's little daughter maggie. is she not the cutest thing EVER! i know that in a year or so when they're both running around they'll be the best of little friends. we'll have to plan nice long summer vacations up to indiana so they can get to know each other and be buddies as they grow up.

nuggie and buggie

and TODAY nuggie and i went to visit my very dearest little buggie. i nannied for her when she was 3 months old until she was almost 2. oh how i miss that little face!!! it breaks my heart that she doesn't remember me - but her momma and i are good friends and i know i can see that sweet little bug bug grow up over the years. someday i'll tell her how i walked around and around her house with her when she was a tiny baby and about our LONG walks all around her neighborhood... thank you miss C for letting me spend time with you guys today! it's always a sweet blessing to see you and the kiddos.

oh what a happy day. it's so pretty. the windows are open. nuggie has had two GOOD days - no screaming, just happy baby days. and tonight i get to go to a friend's b-day party. it's a girl's eatin' meat and drinkin' beer party - woot!!! don't expect a very exciting weighn' in post on monday - i've got good southern food to partake of!

funny things

one last class to go till spring break starts - ole! i've got a sociology exam this evening, guess i should be studying and i will get back to it shortly. just had to get my bloggity blog on.

it. is. gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was a long snowy winter down here and it is such a blessing to have the windows open and the fresh air blowing in. nuggie and i will for sure be taking a walk soon. she's currently napping - in her swing... sigh... just seems to be the only place she's happy these days. whatever. i'm off all next week so we'll work on getting her back in her crib for naps then. i do believe we've figured out the issue with her lately though - her first little tooth peaked through yesterday. it's just the tiniest little bit of white, but it's there. i stocked up on baby tylenol, baby advil, baby orajel and cold things for her gnaw on today. poor little thing - i KNEW something was up with her the last two weeks, guess it was that darn tooth trying to get out.

so some funny thoughts for you today...
1. does anyone remember that episode of friends where joey thinks that the elton john song - tiny dancer - is really saying, "hold me closer tony danza". i heard that song on my way to class this morning. LOVE that song, but i always have a moment where i think of joey.

2. i had my first advising as a regular student yesterday. someone please help me out here. i know really nothing of catholicism. i'm learning more about the faith every day and truly enjoying it. but some of the finer points are escaping me. for instance, my advisor is a nun. but i also have nuns in my classes as my peers. my classmates are called "sister" would my advisor also be sister? or would it be mrs. sister? ok, not really, i know you wouldn't call her that, but for real, what should i call her? sister higher up? big sister? what?

3. did i eat 6 oreo cookies just a little bit ago? maybe... have i worked out much this week? probably not... am i gonna stress about it on this glorious sunny day? NO :-)

alright, i really should use this nuggie nap time wisely... back to studying i go. high ho, high ho.

what will we call her?

ok, so a couple weeks ago i mentioned we were getting a doggie? well, the foster mommy fell in love with the little guy and couldn't part with him. bub was really sad, he had already picked out a name. a few days later i saw that a friend of a friend on FB has a dog who JUST had puppies and they needed homes. long story short, we've got ourselves another potential pup.

the brown one has been claimed by bub and should be ready to come home in about six weeks. isn't she sweet???? i KNOW, how on earth can we handle a dog right now? but i'm just about done with classes for the semester, i'll have just a week or two left when she comes home. i am taking summer classes, but only one. so nugg and i will be home all the time to take care of the little lady. my only concern is that she'll be yippy and wake up nuggie, but we'll work on that. it'll be so sweet for the pup and baby girl to grow up together and we'll be able to take her for long walks when nugg and i go out this spring. now bub - think of a super cool name :-)

and total, complete subject change... as i type i've got the news on. this stuff coming out of japan is absolutely heartbreaking. the people of japan are amazing. in the midst of all this chaos and tragedy, they remain calm and peaceful. no stealing, no riots, nothing like what would probably happen here in the U.S. we could all take a lesson from the japanese. i hope all this sadness comes to an end very soon for them.

drawing a blank

i've got blogging writer's block... let's do a list!

- our sweet pea is 5 months old today!! i can't even believe it's been that long already. she's doing great. she's learned to buzz her lips and it is probably the most precious thing. she does it when she's happy and sad. i find it hard not to giggle a little when she's fussing and buzzing her lips at the same time. she's still incredible picky and sensitive to everything, but she's also so funny and very determined. she is trying really hard to sit up and is enjoying tummy time more. she's back to napping in her swing after she had a little tummy bug this weekend. she felt so icky and the only place she was happy was in her swing, so guess we'll have to do some reteaching about where we take naps. i'm not worried though - just glad she's feeling better. poor pitiful baby. i hate seeing her uncomfy.

- we tried a new recipe last night and it was amazing! i've looked for the recipe online, but can't seem to find it. but i found it originally in a cooking light magazine. it was SOOOOO easy and healthy and yummy. it's simply - toss a pork roast in your crockpot; slice up 2 large yellow bell peppers, 1 med onion, 1 can diced tomatoes in juice, 1 TBS canned jalapenos; garlic, cinnamon and cumin. toss all that in the crockpot. cook all day, shred pork, serve over white rice... amazing! the cinnamon and cumin combo was a new one for me and it was great. i thought it was a little spicy, but then again i think mild salsa is spicy... i just put a dollop of low fat sour cream on top.

- watch portlandia - do it - it's crazy and funny and really pokes some fun at people from portland. i feel like i can giggle at that though since we've got fam out there. it was originally on the IFC channel, which we don't have. we did find it On Demand though for free... oh dear. warning - it has some adult content if you're trying to stay away from that sort of stuff.

- i really, REALLY want to make a chocolate raspberry cheesecake but everyone i know is eating healthy these days. i just want to make it and eat a tiny bit and share with others... will anyone help me with this?? it's amazing and yummy and i've been itching to bake one for weeks now.

- nuggie and i have a dear friend i used to work with coming by so our babies can meet each other for the first time. her little man is 2 months old - can't wait to see him! i better run, they'll be here soon.

weighn' in - week 3

um, so i have a confession. this last week stunk. i hardly worked out - only 3 times - and i ate a ton of crap. we had a really weird week. nuggie and i both had early morning doctor's appointments two days and thursday our normal routine was all out of whack when nugg had to go spend some time with bub at work while i went to class.

so i did work out 3 times, right? but here's the thing. i'm thinking - and i HATE to admit this - that p90x might not be the thing for me right now. see, you only do cardio a couple times a week, the other days are strictly weight lifting. it's tough and i know it's still a workout, but right now all i'm really trying to do is drop weight. also, it's LONG - each workout takes about 1 1/2 hours. it also is requiring a lot of "stuff" - i've got to get out several different sets of weights, the pull up bar, a chair, a yoga mat, clear out the living room so i have space to do the work out. it wasn't a big deal in the past (before baby) - but now, ugh, i need simplicity. i think if i know all i've got to do is put on some tennis shoes and maybe grab one set of hand weights i'll be a lot more likely to stick with it. so bub - if you're reading this - don't hate me. i'm setting aside the p90 for now in favor of good old fashioned cardio.

weight loss wise - eh, maybe i lost 1/2 pound this week? we don't have the best scale. it was showing a little bit of loss though. i'll take it :-)

diet wise - again, it was a tough week. i was stressed about some things and felt like i was running around like a crazy lady all week so easy foods dominated my diet, as well as comfort snacks (i.e. SUGAR!).

it's a struggle. i'm human. i need to be gentle with myself. i've only been a stay at home momma and back to school college student for 5 months - it's an adjustment. i'm tired ALL the time, our sweet nugg really doesn't like to sleep much. i'm just trying to take everything one day at a time. so far today is successful. i've worked out, showered, cleaned house, put dinner in the crockpot, fed and dressed nuggie, did several loads of laundry and got her to take a small 30 minute nap! and it's only 10:30am. like i said - one day at a time!

time keeps ticking...

so long sweet little alarm clock. you've served me well, but now it's time to say goodbye. you deserve a little remembrance though.

this trusty little clock was purchased 10 years ago at the staples in auburn, indiana. i was working there that summer and getting ready to head off to college. i of course needed all my dorm room things to match. since i had a purple bedspread, i HAD to have a purple alarm clock, right??? this little guy traveled with me to two dorm rooms, one campus apartment, two off campus apartments, back to campus when we moved into married student housing, another apartment and then to our first home. it's been knocked off its little side table many a time, thus the missing face plate. it woke me up for my first college classes and first "real" job. but sadly, it's time to retire the little guy, in favor of this...

see that little white thing? it's a docking station for my iphone. bub downloaded an alarm clock app so i've got the phone and alarm clock and everything else under the sun in one compact little package. can't believe how attached i am to one little phone!

i bought a book!

oh happy day! i bought a book! not a text book - but a book, book. one i really want to read. and it's hardback. i'm too cheap to normally spring for a hardback book - but it was on sale on amazon sooo i ordered it, got free shipping and here it is - ONE day later! here's the deal... i was giving nuggie her breakfast yesterday morning when they were interviewing the author - david brooks, on good morning america. he was offering an alternative to the "tiger mom" - you know, the super strict mama who doesn't allow her kids to have slumber parties and holds her kids to the highest of standards when it comes to grades and behavior. NOW, i think she has alot of great ideas and kudos to her for choosing a parenting style and sticking with it... but it's just not the style for me. before we had nuggie i probably would have thought that's the style i would go with, but now that our sweet angel is here i just want to nurture her and help her develop into the little person she was meant to be. anyhow - i'll get off my parenting soapbox! i bought a book, remember??? and it was this book... david brooks said that the three keys to raising "good" kids, ones that are kind, compassionate, intelligent members of the world are three things. 1) help your kids develop self-control 2) talk to them! kids exposed to more words at a young age go on to be smarter 3) teach your kids empathy. i thought these were great ideas. not that whole - teach your baby to read by 8 months infomercial or get your kids involved in fifty gajillion after school activities. just three simple principles. anyhow, it may end up being a bunch of crap, but i'm gonna read it and see what it has to say. i think right now i'm more excited that i bought a book! i will never give in to the e-reader - NEVER!!!!

taggie a no-go

well nuggie's taggie removal was a no go this morning. we arrived at the doctor's office and waited and waited AND waited. i have to brag on my sweet baby for a moment. she was such a trooper - no crying at all. she just quietly took everything in even though she missed her morning nap. and even though the doctor kept us waiting for over 30 minutes too - she was such a good baby this morning! anyhow - when he arrived he determined that she would need general anesthesia for the procedure. that requires 4-6 weeks to get insurance approval and scheduling surgery at the children's hospital. i'm really not ok with having my 5 month old put under general anesthesia for something that is totally cosmetic. she's so young. i just want her to have it removed before she goes off to school so kids won't tease her about it. we're in search of a second opinion. i've also emailed her pediatrician. he implied when we spoke about this whole thing a month ago that it would be a simple procedure involving just a local anesthesia... i want to see if that could still be done? otherwise we're waiting for a while. i'm not putting my little love through something that traumatic at this age.

sweet nuggie passed out waiting for dr. snippity snip

 

 

this weirdo statue was outside the doctor's office... bub's response was - i'd like a shot of baby with a twist of DNA on the rocks. see, b/c the babies are dancing above rocks... ha ha ha - i love my hubby!

look closely - babies playing on DNA?? weird!

thank you everyone for your words of love and prayer. we felt them today. i'd just ask everyone to keep us in your thoughts as we try to be wise about our next steps and where we go from here.

nuggie's taggie

well tomorrow is the day - sweet nuggie is getting her skin tag removed. for those of you who haven't seen her yet - she was born with a rather large skin tag on the side of her face by her right ear. it can often be a sign of hearing loss, so while she was still in the hospital she had two hearing tests and failed them both. at two weeks we had to take her back in for a third hearing test, which she thankfully passed! at six months she'll have to have another one though since we know for sure she isn't deaf, but there could still be some hearing loss. i know this sounds so awful, but the moment i laid eyes on her i thought - she's not totally perfect. and before you freak out and call me a bad mom - please let me explain. i felt like she wasn't perfect in that i had done something wrong. just a few inches away from the skin tag she also has a small reddish bump that she was also born with. so her little right side is less than perfect and i worry that it's all my fault. did i eat something or do something when i was pregnant with her that i shouldn't have? did i pass along some sort of gimpy gene? who knows...

nuggie - one day old

so if you think of it - please say a prayer for her tomorrow. it'll be a quick little procedure, but i hope for her that she's not scared and feels little pain. i'll be staying home from class to give her lots of extra cuddles and loves.

weighn' in - week 2

ok - here i am, the start of week three of operation fit back into my old jeans. i am happy to report i have lost 3 pounds - woot! it's not alot, but enough to keep me motivated... every pound lost adds up!

this past week i again only worked out 4 times... it is so hard to make time, to get up so early - especially if nuggie has had a rough night or i was up late studying. but it WAS 4 times - better than nothing.

a word of warning! i was on my way to class wednesday and found myself VERY early, so i thought - hey, why not stop at starbucks for a little morning pick me up. i was starving, so i got a caramel light frap (only 140 calories) and a slice of banana bread. i thought, how bad can banana bread be? it was delicious! i gobbled it up and went to class. while waiting for our prof to arrive i wanted to put my snack into this super amazing app that has been helping me keep track of calories - my fitness pal - sort of a lame name, but SO helpful! it helps you track your diet and fitness progress. you can search for specific items so i looked for my starbucks banana bread - hold on to your skinny jeans everyone... that ONE slice of bread cost me 500 calories! say what??? it's banana bread!! guess i'll stick to coffee from now on!

sorry brit - but this is how i felt after eating my starbucks banana bread

 

 

FYI - this pic was the first to pop up when i searched "starbucks" - not trying to hate on miss spears!

my cup runneth over

wednesday morning i was sitting in lab. i happen to sit by 3 young women - ages 19 to 20 or 21. they were discussing girls in their other classes that drive them nuts. and while it wasn't a very nice conversation, i did find myself agreeing with them. that is so NOT the point of this post though, so i'll move on! one of the girls that bug them is a mother. one of the blondies starts ranting along these line: i DON'T care about your kid! what's the deal, you become a parent and you lose your identity? you lose all your interests? ALL you can talk about is your kid? i DON'T care! don't tell me about your kid. if i want to know - I'LL ASK!

whew - she was fired up. i get it. when i was 19 i thought the same thoughts. heck, at that age i didn't think i'd EVER want kids. but now, oh how differently i feel!

it isn't at all that i've lost my identity. i feel like i've taken on a whole new one! one i am privileged to have. i'm someone's mommy! i'm in charge of a little human being. to raise her, to love her, to teach her all about the world - what a blessing! i adore my new role. i'm happier now than i have ever been and yes, i want to talk about it. i can't help but talk about her. she's amazing! i understand these girls, i was one of them a few years back - but now life is so much bigger. it's bigger than me and my little wants and needs. the love you have for a child is so hard to describe. i LOVE bub - he's my best friend, my hubby, the love of my life. but the love i have for nuggie is hugely different. i can honestly say i would jump in front of a train for her and not even think twice about it if i had to do it to protect her. when i see her smile my heart feels like it might literally explode with all the love i have for her. life now is about giving mine away. and a funny little side effect of becoming a parent - i have a whole new understanding of God's love for us. WE are his kids. when he looks at us His heart fills with love. He only wants the very best for us, just like we want for nuggie. i'm starting to realize for the first time in my life that God isn't some meanie in the sky - someone out to punish us if we step one inch out of line - oh no, he wants to shower us with everything good. and that's how i feel about my little love. life is so sweet these days. i'm so lucky and blessed to be able to stay home with my little angel. i'm so lucky to create a little home for bub. my new role of stay at home lady and momma makes me so so happy.

i know those girls in my lab will probably someday have babies of their own and then they'll understand. it's a love that can only be understood when you have babies of your own. i do sorta envy their skinny little frames and awesome spring break plans though :-) being 19 did have its perks!

sweet nuggie says - hello blogland!

this is important

the next couple of days (march 3-5) a radio station here in nashville - 107.5 The River is doing a pledge drive to raise money for the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. this is really important to me and i'd ask you to consider becoming a River Kid's Club Memeber. it's only $15 a month and it helps this AMAZING hospital. they're a non-profit organization that never turns away a child. EVER. even if the parents can't afford to pay a penny, they will get the best care possible. i worked for a very short time on the mylosuppression floor as a receptionist a few years back and it was amazing to me to see the care the doctors and nurses have for their patients. and the kids - they kick adult's butts when it comes to dealing with illness! they're tough and courageous and keep the best attitudes in the midst of awful sickness. please, PLEASE do this. you can go HERE to donate or call - 1-800-883-4244. look if we can afford to do this - YOU can afford to do this. we live on one small income and things can be really tight for us financially - BUT, i think we're all called to give and give generously in this life... besides, what's $15 a month? do this, for me. it's especially important now that i can imagine being in another parent's shoes. i can't even imagine what i would do if nuggie got sick. it break's my heart. but to know she'd have the very best care possible eases my mind a little. you can do this - so do it!

attack of the wild chihuahua

nuggie and i went for a walk this afternoon - it's just too pretty of a day to stay inside! while we were out walking there is a house we passed that has like 3 or 4 chihuahuas and 2 big fat english bulldogs. we pass this house often and the pack of doggies will run up and down their fence and bark their faces off trying to get us. TODAY though, one of those crazed chihuahuas broke free and tried to attack. YES - attack. i wasn't scared really - i could punt the dog if i had to (not that i'd want to!) but the little beast was persistent and followed, nipping at my heals, for quite some time. nuggie's eyes just got huge as saucers hearing this little nippy pup carry on...

i'll get you my pretty and your little nuggie too!

we learned - sorta - how to take blood pressure in lab today. we didn't have the very best instruments, but we got the basic concept. thanks to a wonderfully generous friend i have a blood pressure cuff of my own - AKA - sphygmomanometer... say that three times fast - ugh, try saying it all!

what the frap is the deal with charlie sheen??? i mean for real. "i'm on a drug, and it's... charlie sheen" - really? REALLY? why do celebrities get to carry on like this? if i acted like this fool you can be sure it wouldn't last long - i know i'd be confronted by many a caring people who thankfully would knock some sense into my head. also - why is this news? WHY? no joke the news on good morning america today consisted of charlie sheen, the new cast of dancing with the stars (is that show STILL on??), christina aguilera being arrested for public intoxication and then, oh yeah, there's some boring blah blah blah going on in libya... um hello?!? wouldn't libya be the top news in your mind? i thought it would be... sorry to rant. it just makes me a little fearful of nuggie's future. let's all hope this celebrity obsession is just a phase and the news will get back to reporting news in the near future.

on a lighter note...
it's wednesday - woot - modern family night!

sunny days and laughing babies

i know i said i'd blog about school on tuesdays - but eh, it's been a pretty uneventful week. i doubt you lovelies care to hear about my super huge excitement because our a/p prof moved our exam from this thursday to next tuesday. this is awesome to me, but let's face it - you probably could care less :-)

so - let's talk about some other fun things...

the sun is out! after a very gloomy couple of days, i'm so glad it's pretty today. our sweet neighbors across the street have THE MOST beautiful pink magnolia (i think that's what it is anyhow) that blooms so perfectly every spring and i noticed it had buds on it today... can't wait for those pretty flowers to show themselves.

i think we're getting a puppy... we're still working out some things, but pretty sure we'll have a new family member by this weekend. i'll let you know how it goes. i'm totally freaked out about having yet another little creature fighting for my attention - but LOVE the thought of having a dog to bark at creeps (see post from yesterday!) and to chase away the neighbors cats. plus bub has wanted one FOREVER, so i know it'll make him happy.

finally - sweet nuggie laughed yesterday. like for real laughed. it was THE sweetest sound i have ever heard. you think you couldn't possibly love another human being so much and then she goes and does a simple little thing like laugh and you're heart about explodes with all the love you have.