You're Not the (D)oss of Me: Adventures of a Midwest Mama

32 Weeks

2012-01-28T13:58:00.000-06:00

32 Weeks

Technically I was 33 weeks yesterday but finding the energy to do more than roll off the couch to run to the bathroom about 19 times a day has been challenging. So I figured I better get this done before I find myself in the car on the way to the hospital trying to update my blog. So here is the lowdown on week 32...aka feels like week 320!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 32 Weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a large jicama (no earthly idea what that is) so about 3.75 lbs. and 16.75 inches

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 10 lbs. gained.

Maternity Clothes: Try to wear maternity pants or leggings but it doesn't last too long as waistbands are my nemesis. This little girl sits so low and the minute she feels constricted she squirms and kicks and throws a fit until I change into sweats.

Sex of the baby: It's a GIRL!!! Maesyn Sidney Doss.

Movement: I think it must be getting pretty crowded in there as she is not moving as much, but still lots of movement...especially late evening, and it is starting to be less cute and more ouch!!! :)

Sleep: Very interrupted flipping from side to side trying to get comfortable. Can't wait to be able to sleep on my stomach again.

What I miss: Being able to walk up the stairs/get off the couch/walk through the grocery store aisles without feeling like I just ran the Boston marathon. I don't remember being this physically wiped at the end of the day with Sayler. I think chasing a 2 year old around has a little something to do with it.

Cravings: Anything sweet. Not sure what this is about but I left the house at 8:30pm the other night just to get a root beer float from Wendy's. Out of control sweet tooth.

Symptoms: A few Braxton Hicks episodes and a lot of pulling and stretching. She's making lots of room for herself in there.

Best Moment this week: Asking Sayler if she was going to be a good big sister to baby Maesyn and her definitively exclaiming, "No Mine Isn't!!!" Ha! She keeps it real for sure. She's got 6 weeks to relish in her queen bee status.

Christmas 2011...The year of "Ho Ho!"

2011-12-27T11:33:00.000-06:00

We had a great Christmas this year. Sayler really started to get into Santa (aka "Ho Ho") this year and I know next year it will be ON up in the Doss house as far as Ho Ho is concerned. She loved opening presents for herself and anyone else that would let her tear into their gift. She did really well all day long on Christmas Day and didn't have to many, "Oh my word I'm overwhelmed by all of this stuff and sugar and attention and more stuff and attention meltdowns." And for that we all said, "thank you baby Jesus." Here are a few highlights of the days leading up to the big day and our big Ho Ho Christmas too.

WHAT??? Christmas is over??? Say it ain't so!!!

Sayler was quality control during Mama's Christmas candy making. Employee of the month material.

We had lots of Christmas inspired outfits to wear the week of Christmas. I tried to get a picture each day.

Not really excited about the early photo shoot this particular morning.

This was more her speed. Popcicles, Papa and iPad books!

One might start to think she likes being the center of attention.

We have a Griswold house near us and she loved showing Nana and Papa all of the Christmas wonderment.

Yay for tacky Christmas decor and candy canes!!!

Daddy and his little elf soaking in all of the Christmas.

There's a major love affair going on here folks. She can't get enough of them.

I think the feeling is mutual.

We let Say open presents from her Aunts and Uncles on Christmas Eve. Not sure what was going on with my hair here...but I promise I did not sport a Princess Lea hairdo for the holiday. Saving that for New Years.

She had her eye on this Dora present for at least a week. Thanks Aunt Michelle!

She got a big ol' Princess book and wanted to see all of the princesses that had their "hair down." She's obsessed.

Not a gender neutral environment here by any stretch of the imagination. We are all girl...all the time.

Puzzles...yippee!!!

She LOVED her Peyown ("Penguin") pillow pet.

But let me tell you...for the $$$ nothing packs a punch like Elefun. It was some serious Ele-FUN!!!

And it has some longevity people. I bought this same gift for the two little girls I nannied for *gulp* 14 years ago. They loved it in 1997 and my little sweetie loved it over a decade later. I highly recommend it...for about 5 minutes. And then you will want to throw it off the deck. But anything for the kids right?

Does it get more fun than this...

As Sayler would say, "No ma'am!"

Getting Ho Ho's cookies ready. Apparently, she needed to have her Carmex at the ready. Moisturized lips are key for a successful Christmas.

Again...quality control.

I mean seriously...this is one cute Christmas Baby Girl.

We tried to get a good shot right before bed. She was a bit focused on the cookies.

This was the best we could get.

I sure hope I'm on the nice list!

Santa ate all the cookies, drank the milk and left a nice note.

Apparently, she was good. Here was her haul Christmas morning.

Santa left a trail of candy canes from her bedroom to her presents. She loved this and I thought it was such a cute idea. I stole it from a former co-worker...and will do it every year. I mean, I will tell Santa to do this every year.

She is a big time mother hen and loves to take care of her babies. Changing their diapers was how we spent the majority of the day.

She was on the Elf diet on Christmas, "Candy, candy corn, candy canes, and syrup."

She was "rock rocking" her baby.

Patting her back and "sushing" her. Such a good little Mommy.

She got a Dr.'s kit and loved giving everyone their "meh-sun."

Nana and Papa got her the coolest doll house with all of the bells and whistles. She LOVES it!

Our neighbors came over and Sayler decided to let them in on the Elf diet as well.

The next morning we celebrated Nana's birthday with a birthday brunch and Sayler sang her "Happy To You," no less than 7 times. Happy To You Nana!!!

We are so blessed to have had such a special Christmas and can't imagine what it will be like next year with a 3 year old and a 9 month old! Looking forward to all of the memories we will be creating.

28 Weeks

2011-12-26T20:26:00.001-06:00

So overdue for this post. Missed the 24 week post and I still haven't gotten anything up about my first baby turning 2. I haven't gotten the thank you notes mailed from her party which was over a month ago and the fact that they are written and sitting on my counter is a small Christmas miracle. I got through Christmas by the skin of my teeth...and well friends, today is a tough day as far as days go. So I could use a little grace right now. If you think about it...add me to your prayer list tonight. God will know what I need...so no pressure to be specific. So here is an update on baby Mae. She is putting me through the paces right now...but thank Jesus I know she is going to be worth it!!!

28 Weeks...3rd trimester time

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a cabbage. 2.5 lbs and 14.5 inches.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 7 lbs. gained.

Maternity Clothes: In maternity jeans full time. Leggings and long t-shirts/tunics.

Sex of the baby: It's a GIRL!!! Maesyn Sidney Doss.

Movement: Lots of movement...especially late evening. She especially loves to kick my bladder and make me run to the bathroom 20+ times a day!!!

Sleep: Back to no sleep. Up 5 to 6 times a night...used to it at this point. I consider it training for March.

What I miss: My body not falling apart...we'll just leave it at that.

Cravings: Not anything specific...I've been eating everything not nailed down thanks to all of the yummy Christmas goodies that have been lying around our house for weeks.

Symptoms: Not going to subject you to all the gory details. Let's just say it's been a rough couple of weeks people.

Best Moment this week: Watching the magic of Christmas through the eyes of my 2 year old and anticipating my "girls" getting to share the magic together every Christmas from here on out.

Happy Birthday "2" You!!! - Sayler's Carnival Party

2011-11-20T14:40:00.000-06:00

We had us a good ole' time yesterday but I for one am drop dead exhausted! But oh was it worth it to see the look on my 2 year old's (gulp) face when she saw all the birthday regalia after waking up from her nap. I am going to do a separate posting on my baby turning 2 but ya'll I am just tired (have I mentioned the tired?)...and getting this party post up may be all I have in my 23 weeks pregnant, raging heartburn having, no caffeine allowed bones. So here are the highlights of Sayler's Carnival Party..."Happy To You" baby girl!!!

Channing and I were one awesome team and we put this Big Top made of streamers a few night before the party. I thought it turned out so cute and was happy we added this extra touch.

We had a sweet and salty snacks table filled with all kinds of carnival type treats (yes I know it is pretty obvious that the contents of that bowl are cheese popcorn and that the labeling of it seems a little well...crazy. All I can say is I love me a party label...on everything...it's a sickness. And if it is wrong...I don't want to be right. You will continue to see these labels throughout the post...avert your eyes if you can't handle the crazy).

I hand dipped caramel apples for party favors. Really not that hard at all...I used this recipe.

The birthday girl got her own special cake with her favorite celebrity!

Yummy cupcakes for the guests.

I loved these little cupcake toppers.

Big top party table

I love using mason jars for party drinks. I think it just adds a little something special for guests to drink out of real glasses. I found these carnival themed straws at hobby lobby which worked perfect.

Beverage station and kid's party favors

The BEST cherry lime-aid ever. People could not get enough of it and I had several people ask me for the recipe so here it is...so easy.

Cherry Lime-aid:

1 - 2 Liter bottle of Sprite/7Up

1 - can of frozen lime-aid concentrate

1 - jar of maraschino cherries with juice

Several small limes cut into small wedges

Add all 4 ingredients into a punch bowl or drink dispenser and BOOM...you have cherry lime-aid as close to Sonic as you can get.

*You can double or triple this recipe as needed for the size of your group. I tripled it for the picture above.

Kid's party favors.

Decorated drink station.

Happy Birthday banner

More decorations

Personalized water bottles...so cute!

Mama, Nana and the birthday girl!!!

Happy Birthday family ready to party!!!

Blow out your candles 2 year old.

She had to blow it out a couple times...I think this was her favorite part of the party.

Stripped down and ready to dive into her cake...she never did. She actually asked for a "Happy to You" (cupcake) about 30 seconds after this picture was taken.

Pinata Fun!!!

Pryor went to town on the pinata. He kept looking at the adults to make sure it was OK to be hitting this thing :)

Say wanted Mama to help

Marissa was channeling Barry Bonds. She put some work in on that pinata. It was awesome!

Finally....CANDY!!! I'm sure the Mom's were thrilled that I sent their kids home with bags full of suckers, tootsie rolls and pixie stix!

Miss Josephine wanted to take a spin in the cozy coupe for a bit. She was super cute.

Pin the nose on the clown time.

Again...in true form, Say wanted Mama to do it...I was not the winner by a long shot.

Regretting asking Mama to do it :)

Miss Madalyn came too...and was the cutest little doll baby.

Getting down to business...opening presents.

ELMO!!! Loved it.

Princess dress that she wore all morning the next day over her footie pajamas. Adorbs!

The Miller girls made it...and we were so glad they did!

Woke up the next morning and wanted Nana to read her the new special Christmas book. Perfect birthday weekend.

Happy To You my most precious 2 year old!!! I can't wait to celebrate the next 52 more with you.

Love you more,

Mama

***For all of the printed decorations/labels/stickers I used an Etsy vendor that can be found here. And the invitations can be found here. I highly recommend getting one of these collections. It adds such a personal and custom touch to your party.

20 Weeks and October Recap!!!

2011-10-30T20:48:00.000-05:00

I'm 20 weeks...half way there!!!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 Weeks

Size of baby: Head to heel the length of a banana.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Zero lbs. gained...but I have gained all of the weight back I lost in the 1st trimester.

Maternity Clothes: In maternity jeans full time. Leggings and long t-shirts/tunics. Need to get some more clothes to wear but not motivated at all to spend the $$.

Sex of the baby: We found out on October 18th...It's a GIRL!!! Maesyn Sidney Doss.

Movement: Lots of movement...especially late evening. Channing felt the baby kick for the first time this week. Love this part b/c the kicks don't hurt yet...but I am prepared for the karate kicks in my future!

Sleep: Sleeping much better lately. My OB gave me a prescription sleep aid and I have used it a couple of times when I just can't go another day without sleep. It has been a lifesaver.

What I miss: Been craving Panera's IC Caramel frappuccino lately...so I guess I miss that.

Cravings: Nothing lately besides the frappuccino.

Symptoms: Lots of ligament stretching which can be painful. Starting to do the pregnancy "waddle" when I walk!

Best Moment this week: Feeling all of the kicks and squirming around in there!

***Everyone always tells me they can't tell I am pregnant at all, so I did a little collage to show that the belly is indeed getting bigger!!!

We have had a fun October and are looking forward to Halloween tomorrow. Here are a few pictures of Say this month. Can't believe she will be 2 in 3 weeks...how did that happen?

She LOVES baking with Mommy and is a great little sous chef!

She is also a great quality control inspector:)

Playing with our neighbor girls Marissa and Alisa

There's trouble if I ever saw it!

She is SO in love with babies and loved "holding" our neighbor's baby Michael. We hope she feels the same way about her sister...especially when she figures out she is staying with us...permanently!

"Happy To You Daddy!!!" Celebrating Daddy's 32nd birthday.

She has started saying cheese and smiling for the camera and I take every opportunity I get to see that smile!

Pumpkin Patch in Omaha with Nana and Papa (she wasn't a huge fan, and I felt terrible that my Mom spent like $35 for us all to get in and we were there for like 25 minutes! Oh well, what are you gonna do right?).

She did like going down the big slide "by herself."

She kept telling me, "no take a picture Mama!!!"

Running away from me b/c I kept trying to sneak pictures

Posing with the "big bir-bee."

Carving a pumpkin with Papa.

She loved "stirring it all yup!"

I LOVE Nana and Papa's house!!!

Finished product out on the deck.

Halloween 2011...Elephant. I may never get that hood back on her so I was glad to get at least one picture with her entire costume on.

Carving pumpkins with Daddy. *About 15 minutes after this picture was taken she fell into the longest, loudest meltdown of all time. Weekends at Nana and Papa's are exhausting!!!

Not gonna lie...pretty impressed with my Elmo pumpkin.

We had our family pictures and Sayler's 2 year pictures taken last weekend and our photographer sent us a few "teaser" shots. I'm excited to see the whole disk as I think these turned out really great.

Happy Halloween and Happy Fall Ya'll!!!

Support the Diaper Act

2011-10-25T14:59:00.000-05:00

Do you want to help the families who cannot access childcare due to lack of diapers? Of course you do. Here are two quick (5-7 minutes each) ways to help! DIAPER stands for “Diaper Investment and Aid to Promote Economic Recovery.”

Be counted as a supporter.
Please sign this online petition to Members of Congress to Please sign this petition to Members of Congress (House of Representatives and Senators) and ask them to co-sponsor the “Diaper Investment and Aid to Promote Economic Recovery (“DIAPER”) Act.”

Spread the word.
Print out this sign and take a photo of you, friends, and family holding the sign. Email your photo to HAMO (info@helpamotherout.org) to be posted on their Flickr page of support. Also put it on your own Facebook page to let your circle of friends know what you think. Got it? Print, snap, email, upload, done!

It's A.......

2011-10-18T18:48:00.000-05:00

Please pray for this Daddy ya'll...

Because this March he is going to be surrounded by women...again

(he has 3 older sisters)!!!

We're having a GIRL!!!!

Maesyn Sidney Doss

(Channing's Mom's middle name was Mae and my Mom's middle name is Sidney)

I never had a sister and I am thrilled Sayler will get to experience the bond only sister's can share. I am also pretty excited about raising 2 girls :)

She is perfect and healthy and we are beyond blessed!!!

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him."

1 Samuel 1:27

16 Weeks and some Saylerisms

2011-10-05T22:22:00.000-05:00

I'm 16 weeks!!!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 16 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby D is the size of an avacado

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Lost 3 lbs - Still trying to get the weight back that I lost during the 1st trimester while I was so sick.

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing my normal clothes but have broken out a few pairs of maternity pants.

Gender: Can't wait to find out in 2 weeks!

Movement: Don't feel movement every day. Some days I will feel the baby several times a day and other days nothing. I know it will be getting more and more consistent in the next few weeks.

Sleep: Not sleeping well at all. Maybe 3 hours a night. Not sure what the deal is but my OB says this is very normal even in this early stage. May be normal but no fun!!! Maybe God is just getting me trained for the first 6 months of sleepless nights :)

What I miss: Sleep!

Cravings: Root Beer (random) and cupcakes (I blame my friend Holly for this one as she had the most AMAZING black cherry cupcakes at her baby shower last weekend. Yummo!).

Symptoms: But for the rubberband I have to use to button my jeans I sometimes forget I am pregnant. Feeling great!

Best Moment this week: Sayler kissing my belly and telling the baby "I yuv you baby!"

(She's already mastered multi-tasking)

Saylerisms

The real motivation for this blog has always been to record my life's moments so I can go back and read these posts when my kids are grown and in college and won't return my texts except when they need more money and I can reminisce about the days when they really loved me :)

So here are a few things my sweet girl has been saying lately that crack.me.up!!!

"NO ATH A-NIGH!!! Juss jammies." (No bath tonight. Just jammies.)

This is the consequence for leaving your very strong willed almost 2 year old with your mother for 5 days unsupervised. Nana thought it would be a good idea to teach her to say "no bath tonight," when it is bath time. She is a quick study and now screams it at the top of her lungs from the minute she hears the water turn on until she is zipped up in her jammies. Thanks Mom for guaranteeing my kid is going to be the stinky kid in class. Hope you can live with yourself :)

"Oh my dosh!" (Oh my gosh!)
"Mama...hair down!"

No translation needed here. For some reason she is obsessed with me having my hair down at all times. She is so insistent about it that I am starting to get a complex? Is wearing my hair up not a flattering look for Mama?

"Mama...Dada say shhhhhhh to SaySay!!!"

This girl is not a fan of being shushed. Who is right? The other night she was wigging out after one of her "No Ath A-Night" episodes and Daddy was trying to get her to calm down while getting her diaper on and lotioned up etc. and he said "Sayler...shush." Well she didn't like it one bit and the minute I walked back into the room she said, "Mama...Dada say shhhhhh to Say Say!!!" She was indignant about it and letting it be known..."DO NOT SHUSH ME PEOPLE!!!"

"Dada...no dink Mama dink!!!" (Daddy...don't drink Mama's drink!")

She is destined to be a hall monitor or a probation officer I swear. I poured a drink for myself the other day and I guess she was watching while she pretended to eat her dinner. I left the room for a minute and Channing took a sip of my drink. The minute I came back she tattled on her Dad. I foresee a little girl that all the parents/teachers adore...but that doesn't get invited to a lot of birthday parties if you catch my drift. She gets this from her Dad...just ask his cousins!

"He mow!!!"

She is obsessed with people mowing. If she sees anyone doing anything remotely resembling mowing she yells out, "He mow!!!." She even said this LOUD at the grocery store when an older gentleman was shopping in one of those rascal scooters.

"Say Say Dosh" (Sayler Doss)

This is how she says her name...it is the most adorable thing ever.

There are many more things to list but those are just a few that give me the giggles. She is fully in the "terrible 2's" right now and we are all just white knuckling through the 15-20 fits she is throwing a day. But it's hard to stay mad at her becasue the girl cracks me up. I know I will look back on these days with rose colored glasses someday and long for the time when she screamed at me "Mama...NO TOUCH SAY SAY!!!" ;)

Johnny Appleseed has nothing on us!!!

2011-09-24T15:52:00.000-05:00

We spent this beautiful September morning at the apple orchard with our sweet girl. I had never been to an orchard before and was just tickled to be able to pick some apples right off of the tree. Sayler and Daddy had fun too! Here are a few pictures from our little adventure.

Daddy and Say checking out the chickens

Looking very legit with my apple picker

That's a keeper

Sayler was in charge of the apple basket

Making our way down the orchard

She was serious about her basket

My two favorite apple pickers ever

She found a good one

Family Pic!

Checking out her inventory

Cutest little apple in the orchard

Here's another good one Daddy

Love this shot of her

Heading back to the barn to pay for our haul

She thought she might like to take one of these home too...we just stuck with the apples

Such a fun day!!!

Leavin' On A Jet Plane!!!

2011-09-22T20:36:00.001-05:00

Channing and I took a vacation last week to Riviera Maya, MX. It was the first vacation we had taken together since Sayler has been born and we needed it like a fat kid needs cake!!! I almost had a full on panic attack pulling out of the driveway leaving my sleeping baby...but her Nana took good care spoiling her and allowing her to break all of the rules while we were gone so my worrying was wasted energy as they both had a blast together while we were gone. Warning...very picture heavy post to follow. Sorry for that but I will never remember if I don't get it logged in the trusty blog. We stayed at the El Dorado Royale and I cannot say enough good things about it. A good friend of mine from law school recommended it and it was 5 star all the way. The food, the service, the accommodations, the property...AMAZING!!!

So here we go...

We had private transportation to and from the resort and we felt like rock stars!

Here are a few shots of the room...we got upgraded to the

Casitas portion of the resort and the rooms were so beautiful

Hot tub...we didn't use it once

Private outdoor shower

Covered patio

View from the back of our room and our private patio

Standing on our patio looking at the pool and swim-up bar we shared with 6 or 7 other Casitas

Beach about 30 yards from our room...paradise

We had been at the resort for about 30 minutes at this point...I got down to business (virgin daiquiri for all questioning why the preggo was throwing them back :)

We met these cute honeymooners in the lobby and hit it off! She just graduated law school and is awaiting her bar results...fingers crossed for you Mrs. C :)

1st night dinner at the Italian restaurant...yummo.

The following 2 pictures will pretty much sum up what we did on our vacation...back and forth, back and forth.

Fun night out at the theater where they had shows and a band.

There were golf cart shuttles all over the resort that would take you wherever you wanted to go...I usually told them to take me to the place I could get nacho's :)

Lobby

He loves Mexico

We spent most of our vacation here....

Or here. It was brutal I tell you. We often had to take

naps in the middle of the day to maintain our taxing schedule.

Channing was convinced after seeing the "Cirque De Soleil"

type show that he could climb this poll no problem. I made him put his money where his mouth was...

This was as far as he got.

More fruity drinks.

Soaking up every drop of Mexico.

Our Casita's private pool and swim-up bar.

The beautiful grounds of the resort.

Last night out with our new friends.

On our way to the airport...

Bye Bye Mexico...see you in a few years.

The Worst Thing Is Never The Last Thing

2011-09-11T14:54:00.000-05:00

A sweet friend of mine had a Facebook status today that stopped me in my tracks..."The worst thing is never the last thing." I think that's right. Such a complex mess of emotions I have had as we have embarked on this anniversary of 9.11.01. At first I rebelled against this huge production everyone was making out of this arbitrary number...10. Why is 10 more significant than 3 or 8 or 6 and 1/2? Isn't the pain the same? Isn't the loss just as great? Don't our wounds still need to heal? I'm not sure why 10 is different...but I must admit, it is.

I remember exactly where I was physically 10 years ago today. I also remember where I was emotionally. I was going through a very difficult time personally and was staying with my 2nd family the Johnson's while I tried to piece my life back together. I woke up that morning and started to get ready for class. I was staying in their guest room in the basement and I had the whole basement to myself. I sat down on a futon they had in the living room and turned on the Today show while I put on my makeup. I immediately saw the World Trade center and it was on fire...the caption on the screen said a plane had hit one of the towers. My mind immediately assumed a small 2 seater plane had crashed into the building. Sad I thought. Random too. When have you ever heard of a plane crashing into a building? Especially in the middle of Manhattan.

Then I watched the 2nd plane hit tower 2.

"That plane sped up." I thought. "It was trying to hit that tower. Oh my God. What just happened?"

We all know what happened next. The towers fell to the earth like a house of cards. The Pentagon. The field in Pennsylvania. The news. The grieving widows. The heartbreak. The motherless children. The worst thing.

I remember watching my dearest friend Steph Johnson trying to explain to her girls who were 5 and 6 at the time what had happened. How do you explain the worst thing to a child? After that conversation I remember walking up to her room and finding her in her closet. We just grabbed each other and sobbed and held on.

I can remember what an amazingly beautiful September day it was that day. I walked on campus at the University of Nebraska that day and I remember looking up at the bluest sky and realizing that for the first time in my entire life...I did not feel safe. In my own backyard...I was scared. I changed that day 10 years ago. Everything did.

10 years. Doesn't really seem like a long time when you think about it in the grand scheme of things. It's not like 50 years or a hundred years. I mean most marriages don't last 10 years these days. And when I think about that day...that Tuesday morning 10 years ago it seems like it was just moments ago. Weeks, months at the most. But then I think about the life that I have lived in those 10 years. It's my whole life. I got divorced, went to law school, graduated, passed the bar, struggled, overcame, traveled, fell in love, got married, started a career, had my first child, bought my first house, opened a law practice, and am expecting baby number 2. 10 years. In the aftermath of the worst thing you just have to hold on because you must know...it's not the last thing. 10 years can change everything.

And it has hasn't it?

This...

Is now this...

This...

Is now this.

This...

Now looks like this.

He's gone

And he's gone.

But so are they...

I'm not sure where I'm going with all of this. Not really sure how I feel today. I'm still shocked when I see that plane hit tower 2. I still say to myself, "That plane sped up." Unimaginable to me...even today 10 years later. But I also feel such pride stemming from what I saw that day. I have never been more proud to be an American than I did that day. Because even on the worst day...

We did this...

They ran in when everyone else was running out...

Our streets looked like this...

And we did this with no questions asked.

And that's what I choose to remember from this day. That beautiful, sunny, perfect Tuesday 10 years ago when we experienced the worst thing...I remember that it was not the last thing.

Because no matter what the intent...what was meant for evil, God will use for good.

Love wins. Every time.

God Bless America.

12 Weeks

2011-09-06T20:32:00.000-05:00

I promised myself I was going to be better about posting pregnancy progression pictures with a second baby. Not for anyone else, but for me and said second baby to look back on when (s)he is feeding me tapioca pudding in "The Home." I'm going to keep it really real right now and be honest about the reason I was so unenthusiastic about documenting my pregnancy with Sayler...I was fat. Let me rephrase...I was FAT. I have struggled with my weight since I was young and when I got pregnant with Sayler I was the heaviest I had been in my adult life. Don't get me wrong, I was overjoyed to be pregnant and didn't really spend a ton of energy worrying about getting even fatter...but I was most definitely not happy with myself or my body.

So fast forward to September 2011. I haven't really talked about this with very many people because 1) it's kind of embarrassing to talk about and 2) sometimes when people go on weight loss kicks it is all they can talk about and they fail to realize that no one really cares. I mean good for you that you are losing weight but I don't really want to hear about how many grams of protein you are getting in on a daily basis, nor do I care about your triglycerides. Don't.Care. So anyway, to just give a very, very limited amount of attention to this issue I got serious about losing weight around the new year and I have lost 70 lbs. since January 12th. Yay me! So feeling much much better about myself at the outset of this pregnancy...I will be documenting me regaining that 70 lbs. on a regular basis :) (Please Lord do not let me gain 70 lbs. with this pregnancy. Jesus take the wheel!!!).

So...now that we have that out of the way here is the first of what will seem like never ending pregnancy posts:

I'm 12 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 12 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby D is the size of a plum

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Lost 5 lbs - It's called the "Everything I eat causes me to be sick so I just stopped eating" plan. I was VERY sick for the first 10 weeks of this pregnancy but feeling much better now...so I know the lbs. will start packing on soon. I gained all of my weight with Sayler in the last 8 weeks so I know it's coming. Ha!

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing my normal clothes.

Gender: Can't wait to find out!

Movement: Started feeling random little twitches at about 10 weeks and definitely feel the baby move once or twice a day. With a 2nd pregnancy you feel the movement a lot earlier as you recognize the feeling for what it is...not gas, but rather the baby!

Sleep: Sleep soundly for 3 or 4 hours and then toss and turn for the next 4...no change from my normal awful sleeping habits.

What I miss: Pop and the occasional cup of jacked up coffee with lots of cream and Splenda.

Cravings: Pizza and 1/2 and 1/2 iced tea and lemonade from Quik Trip.

Symptoms: I'm starting to feel a lot better. I'm still EXHAUSTED. All I want to do is lay down!

Best Moment this week: Telling my parents and all of our friends and family.

Sayler's Big News

2011-09-05T10:42:00.001-05:00

Sayler has some news to share with everyone!!!

This March she will be a...

I thought "Labor" Day would be an appropriate day to announce that this Spring

our family will be growing by "two feet."

We are thrilled and beyond blessed!!!

I demand a refund

2011-08-21T20:33:00.000-05:00

Shortly after Sayler was born we bought the "Your Baby Can Read" dvd's off of Craigslist as a part of our ~~plan to create a genius child who can read Shakespere at 3 and allow us a very early retirement~~ desire to have educational programming for Sayler to watch.

She used to watch them all the time but we haven't for about a year now. So today while we were playing in the toy room I decided to put in the starter dvd and she actually really liked watching all of the pictures and words. So then I whipped out the flash cards and started ~~going all Tiger Mom on her~~ letting her play with them.

Then I came upon the following flashcards that have me doubting the success of this program:

Wait for it...

We're waiting to submit her MENSA application until we can fully assess the damage.

21 Months

2011-08-19T16:24:00.000-05:00

Sayler you are 21 months old today!

I can't get my head around the fact that you will soon be 2!!! We have had a fun Summer together and I feel like you are officially my little girl and no longer my baby :( Though I miss your babyness I love watching you grow and change and learn new things every day. You are my little sponge and amaze your Daddy and I with all of the new things you do and say. At least once a day one of us will say, "How does she know that?" You weigh about 27-28 lbs. and I am not sure how tall you are but I know you are tall for your age. I think probably 35 inches or so. You still wear a size 4 diaper but will transition into a size 5 by the end of this month as we are almost out of size 4's. You wear a size 6 shoe and 18 mo. and 2T clothes. You still love your "bee-bee's" (blankies) and are getting more and more into your baby dolls. Mostly you like to hug them and pat them and then put them in "Eye out!" (time out)! You are such a mother hen at home and at daycare. You love taking care of everyone and making sure you are in everyone's business all the time!

What Makes You, You: You are still a careful little girl and are not one to jump into any new situation without some warming up. But you have started becoming more confident and are spreading your wings more and more which makes me so proud of you. No matter your personality or temperament you are my precious gift and I only want you to be true to who you are. I always remind myself when you are nervous about a new environment or not sure about a new person that you are not a carbon copy of me or your Dad and that you don't need to do anything you are not comfortable with to try and please us. You are uniquely Sayler and I just admire you and the confidence you have to be you and no one else!

You Didn't Come With An Instruction Manual: Being a Mommy is such a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Before I had you I was the perfect Mom. Ha!!! There are a million things I swore I would never do or allow you to do that guess what...we do!!! I vowed to have you weaned off of the bottle at 1 year. 9 months later you still take a morning and night time bottle. I guess I'll worry about it when you still want a bottle as you move into your college dorm...but until then I am just going to go with the flow. You weren't going to have any juice whatsoever. You have 1 or 2 juice boxes a day. You wouldn't be allowed to play with Mommy's things. You have my cell phone in hand more than I do!!! We are just walking this path together my sweet girl and learning as we go. I really try to just go with the flow and not get to caught up in what I think I should be doing or what other people say. There are definitely some non-negotiable rules (i.e. you threw a fork at me the other night from your high chair...do not pass go, do not collect $200, proceed directly to time out!). But other than those types of blatant no-no's...we are pretty laid back.

Curly Q: Can we talk about this hair? Miss Lady...this whole head of hair you have sprouted has become the bane of my existence. You don't want Mommy to wash it, brush it, style it or even touch it. If you see me coming with a comb and the de-tangle spray you run and tell me, "NOOOOOOOOO!" We have gone from washing your hair every night to only washing it every 3rd day because the screaming...oh the screaming. We can only imagine what the neighbors think we are doing to you! I'm sure you can imagine my joy when I went to pick you up from daycare one day and Dana had your hair braided and told me that you "loved" playing beauty salon and just sat like a perfect angel and let her braid it all up. Ugh!!!! We told her we may be sending you with your comb and spray in the morning and let her deal with it :)

Daddy's Girl: You have become quite the fan of this guy. You are truly a Daddy's girl lately and have let me know in no uncertain terms that I am a distant 2nd. From the minute you wake up (literally) until you lay your sweet head down to sleep you are asking for your Dada. At first I felt like I had been voted off the island, but I know that this is a normal part of your development and it is so precious to see you snuggle up in your Daddy's lap like there is no other place in the world you would rather be.

Things You Say: In previous milestone posts I have written out all of the words you say. Let me tell you I would be typing a list 10 feet long if I tried to do that now. I have no idea how many words you have at this point but is well in excess of 50 for sure. So I will just type up some of the funny things you have said lately. You keep your Daddy and I in stitches with all of your Sayler speak:

"Air go???" (Where go? You always want to know where everyone is and where they are going. If we say someone's name you always say "Air go?").
"Dat Say Say mope." (That's Sayler's remote. You can really replace remote with any and everything in the house. If it is in your hand or you are even thinking about it...it is yours without question."
"No. Dat my Say Say's!" (Again...everything belongs to you. I love it when you say this and try to get you to say it all the time).
"Eh pie-yo." (My pillow. You love to drag all of the pillows from Mommy and Daddy's room out into the living room and jump on your "Pie-yos.").
"Hi-woah?" (Hello? You always say this when you are playing with my phone. You will hold it to your ear and say "Hi-woah?" Love it!).
"Air twuck go?" (Where did the truck go? No even sure how you know what a truck is...but you spot them when we are out driving and are very curious about where the trucks are going.).
"Rye dere!" (Right there! We always ask you where things are in your books like, "Where is the kitty? or Where is the sun?" And you always point to it and say in this sing-song voice, "Ryeee dere!!!).
"Eh awe fwy." (I want a french fry! You are a lover of the french fry. You would pick it over anything including a popcicle or ice cream. Last Sunday we were taking an afternoon drive and we pulled into Sonic for happy hour...what what!!! And the minute we pulled up you said, "Eh awe fwy!" We have no idea how you associated french fries with Sonic as we had never been there with you before...but you knew exactly what you wanted).
"I poop!" (Every morning when we go to get you up this is the first thing you say. No matter if it is accurate or not...you want to make sure we know...I poop!!!").

This is a picture of you in August of 2010. I can't ever remember you being that little. Though I remember taking these pictures of you swinging for the first time...I just can't believe you were that tiny! I can only imagine how much you will have changed by August 2012. I am just head over heels in love with you and can't believe my luck that God chose me to be your Mama. You keep us on our toes baby girl...and we love every minute of it! Happy 1 3/4 Birthday!!!

Love you to the moon and back,
Mama

Summer lovin'...had me a blast! - June 2011

2011-08-05T14:44:00.001-05:00

We have had a busy summer and I am just now getting around to blogging about it! Pitiful. My whole life I have been told I talk too much...but apparently that doesn't translate into blogging. I need to find a way to have this blog read my mind an just automatically post. Wait...that probably would not be a great idea. Lots of crazy talk goes through this noggin all day long. Best to keep that under wraps. So while I can still remember what we did this summer I will give a quick recap:

Say and Daddy took advantage of the beautiful weather and flew a kite in the backyard (Daddy continued to fly the Princess kite all by himself LONG after Say lost interest! Ha!)

Oh how I love those chubber legs running all around!

Nana and Papa bought Sayler a cool new sandbox and she was way into "mess" as she called it. She could not believe we were letting her dig in the "mess" with no repercussions.

My Midwest girl in all her corn-on-the-cob eatin' glory.

We took our first family vacation to visit the Beckman's in Indianapolis and Sayler had so much fun with her cousins. She still walks around the house talking about Ayba (Ava), Nick, and Nenny (Jenny).

Sayler and Ava playing in the sand table. 2 diva's for sure!

Is this not the most precious picture ever? The 3 Musketeers!!! Sayler loved riding on the boat!

Like mother like daughter...we both LOVE going fast. Sayler kept saying "mo ayah" (more air) she loved the wind in her face!

This is what happens when Uncle Jim let's us take the boat out by ourselves, Captain Ava!!!

Sayler loved standing at the very front of the boat...until, she figured out that gate could open. Then she wanted to sit on the seat with Mommy.

All the girl cousins enjoying the boat ride.

Daddy caught lots of fish and was pretty proud of himself.

We went to the Indianapolis Children's Museum which is the largest children's museum in the world and Sayler had so much fun. She just jumped right in and loved all of the cool activities.

Looking at Daddy through the tunnel debating whether or not to crawl through.

Sayler and Ava playing in the garden.

Sayler refused to put on the rain coat that was required for the water table area...so we didn't last long at this station :)

We took our first trip to Deanna Rosa Children's Farm one afternoon and it was so much fun. It is this awesome place in Overland Park that is designed to depict a turn of the century farmstead. Sayler loved all of the animals and was very interested in a cow that was mooing very loudly out in her pen. She kept mooing right back at her!

Feeding the hungry goat some grass.

Sayler liked the goats as long as they were stationary. The minute one of them started moving she was not a fan.

Say sneaking into the fridge and taste testing the strawberry cream pie I made.

Yummy pie mommy!

June was so fun and the Summer just got busier after that. Will update with our July tomorrow!

18 months

2011-05-19T23:39:00.000-05:00

My sweet Say Say...it kind of hurts to write this tonight. A good hurt. A hurt because you are mine and you are growing up right before my eyes and it is wonderful and painful and exhilarating and scary and hilarious and miraculous and humbling and frustrating and blessed all at once like a beautiful tornado that is you.

You my sweet, sassy, careful, curious, smart, shy, kind, stubborn, precious baby girl. The one who God chose to make me a Mama. You blow my mind girl. You teach me something new every day. You have changed me. And I cannot express to you how much you mean to me. Your life is the miracle of mine. And if someday when you're 14 and hating me because I won't let you have a boyfriend for 2 more years and you feel like I just don't understand you or care about your feelings I want you to read this and know that I love you with a love that can handle the fact that you will hate me sometimes...and that's ok. Because I love you enough to get us through the times when you feel like I don't.

Oh, and 14 year old Sayler?

Don't even think about wearing that skirt you have hidden in the back of your closet.

I found it.

And burnt it.

Mama loves you baby! Mwah!!!

Now let's get back to the present so Mama doesn't have to start drinking her special "medicine" thinking about you dating.

Here are some things about you at 18 months old...

You LOVE:

Playing outside "ow wide"

Birdies "bir-bees"
Your new slide "side"

Swinging "wing-wing" (you would swing in the middle of a blizzard if we let you...you can't get enough)

Elmo...major love affair going on here. You ask to watch Elmo 10 times a day and if you are watching it on t.v. you also ask to watch it on our phones. You will bring Mama or Daddy the phone and say "Ay, dee, cees" or "La, la, la" as you love the Elmo video's where he sings ABC's and Elmo's Song.
Going to Ms. Dana's. For this I am so grateful and you will never understand how grateful until you are a Mama and you have to trust someone to love on your baby when you can't. You run to the door in the morning and say "Nay-Na?" Even on the weekends you will ask to go see "Nay-Na" and I think you are bummed when we tell you that you aren't going that day :)
Cookies - Oreo's are your new favorite. You are no fool...you pull the 2 halves apart and give me the side with no icing! Ha!

Books...you LOVE to read books and it is amazing to me how much you can identify when we play the "what's this?" game. You learn and grow every single day and it blows.my.mind!

Cheese - you love you some shredded cheese girl! You would eat it all day every day if I let you. You make a HUGE mess whenever you eat it and I find myself finding pieces of cheese all over the house for days...but I give it to you whenever you ask for it cuz you're my baby!
Your blankie/beek/bee bee. It is the wind beneath your wings. You go nowhere without it and it comforts you like no one else can. I am a huge fan of the beek...and eternally indebted to it for stopping a fit in it's tracks on many occasions.

Things you DON'T love:

Getting dressed/undressed/diaper changed/hair brushed/teeth brushed/face wiped...basically anything related in any way to grooming. You are not a fan and avoid me like the plague when you see me coming with a diaper and wipes!
Getting strapped in your car seat.
Bath - at least you are consistent. You have hated it since the day you were born. Now you are petrified of getting water or soap in your eyes as I think one night a few months back you did get some soap bubbles in your eyes that stung a little bit (just bubbles mind you...not acutal soap) but no matter...you are not having any of it and the minute your toes hit the water you start trying to find a way out of the tub yelling "eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes!" the entire time. At first I felt awful about you getting ~~soap~~ bubbles in your eyes. Not so much anymore :) We just try to get through it any way we can with a smile on our face...but I may start wearing ear plugs at bath time because baby girlllll...you've got a set of lungs on you!!! I'm hoping someday soon you will start to like your bath...but if not no biggie!

(notice the fudgecicle in your hands in the tub...the only reason you have a half grin on your sweet face)

Coming inside...(disaster). I know people thing we must be poking you with hot pokers as we drag you in the door kicking and screaming every night. We never have to wonder what you are feeling that is for sure!

Your STAT's

You weigh about 25 lbs
You are about 33 inches tall
You wear 18 month clothes and a size 6 shoe
You wear a size 4 diaper
You have a mouth full of teeth and are currently cutting all 4 of your "I" teeth...ouch :(
Your hair is getting so long. When it is wet it goes way past your shoulder blades. From the top of your head it is probably 6-7 inches long root to end.

Funny things you do:

You are so polite and say thank-you "dat doo" about 100 times a day. You will always find anything that is lying around and will bring it to me and say "dat doo Mama." I love it so much. You are also saying please "peeees." I love me some manners and it makes me so proud when you use them.
You are curious about Mama's "boobies" and will pull open my shirt and look down it and say, "boobies?" and I will respond, "yes those are Mommy's boobies." You will then look up at me and say, "ooooohhhhhhhhh." Hilarious. The other night when I was rocking you at bedtime you looked down my shirt and said, "Nigh, nigh boobies." I almost fell out of the chair laughing!
Whenever we get the camera out and point it at you you will automatically say "chhheeeeeessssseeee!"

You love to give Mama and Daddy a pound and whenever Daddy says "pound clown" you throw up your fist.

Sayler Jaye...I am just smitten with you. I always find myself watching you and listening to you and thinking what an individual you are. You are not a "mini me" you are not your Daddy either...you are you 100%. I love that about you and I hope that I honor your spirit and your unique personality every day of your life and make sure you feel safe, secure and proud to be just you all of the time.

Every minute of every day...loving you and proud to be your Mama.

Love you,

Mama

AMEN!!!

2011-04-29T21:56:00.000-05:00

Jesus would be proud.

Untitled from Stephanie Doss on Vimeo.

Single White Female

2011-04-27T21:52:00.000-05:00

Have you ever come across someone and thought, "I could so go all SWF on this girl." No? It's just me? Now I've made it awkward.

Anywhooo....

It happened to me tonight when I was referred to this blog. More specifically this post. STOP.TRAFFIC.RIGHT? How fabulous is she??? And now I have to sign off so I can go move Sayler's crib into our storage space in the basement so I can convert her room into this. I kid, I kid...the storage space is way to big, a closet will suit her just fine.

She is listening...

2011-04-18T20:16:00.000-05:00

Just a short post today mostly for me so I don't forget these sweet moments with my tiny. I have been noticing lately that Say has been saying things and doing things that I don't recognize as things we have shown or taught her. Initially it is frustrating because I don't know what she is saying or doing so I can't respond appropriately. But now when these "light bulb moments" happen I have learned that it must be something she has learned at daycare.

Ya'll I can't tell you how much this little girl LOVES her daycare. In the morning when she is being a total stinker and running from me as I try to get her diaper and clothes on all I have to say is, "Say do you want to go see Ms. Dana?" She immediately shapes up and starts saying, "NayNa, NayNa, NayNa!!!" She loves her some Ms. Dana.

So I kept noticing her doing the same thing over and over the other day when I would tell her no, or tell her to be nice, etc., etc. (she has become a fan of hitting and throwing things when she doesn't get her way...I'll be honest here, I too would love to be able to hit or throw something at someone in frustration...so I get it...I don't allow it...but I get it :). When I was disciplining her she kept rubbing her head and saying "waw wee Mama. Waw wee Mama." I had absolutely no idea what she was doing so the next day when I picket her up at daycare I asked Dana if she had the kids do something if they were in trouble to acting rowdy. She said, "Oh yeah, if the kids accidentally hurt one another or are not sharing or acting naughty I make them walk over to the other child and rub their head or pat them on the back and say sorry." So I told her what Sayler had been doing and she said, "I have never made Sayler do that...she has never been disciplined here."

Well the girl is paying attention. Isn't that amazing? Her mind is just working all the time. She also came home the other day singing "Ashes, ashes, ashes." They had been singing "Ring Around the Rosie," all day. The other day Daddy was watching TV and something happened on the screen causing him to say, "Wow!" Sayler immediately looked at the TV and said, "Wow!" Now whenever she looks up at the screen she says, "Wow!" or "Elmo?" (Channing responded to this by saying..."I really need to start watching my language." Ya think?)

I just all happens so fast. I feel like not even 3 or 4 months ago she could only say a few things. Now I feel like we can really communicate with one another. It is awesome and scary at the same time. We are responsible for shaping her, molding her little brain that is doing big things right now. I am just so proud of her and proud to be her Mom. Remember that Aerosmith song, "Don't Want To Miss A Thing." That's how I feel about her. I don't want to fall asleep at night sometimes because I miss her. Cheesy and a little obsessive/stalker status? Yes. I own it...but I'll be a billy goat if I don't love the stuffing out of that girl.

Getting to know you...getting to know all about you

2011-03-25T20:46:00.001-05:00

Mornings are not my favorite time of day...never have been. Just ask my poor mother. So I am getting a big ol' honkin' dose of my own medicine with my little bundle of joy. Sayler is the queen of the morning stink eye. She gets out of bed pretty sweet...but it is all down hill from there. If she sees me coming with her clothes and diaper she maintains a perimeter of at least 6 feet so I can't reach out and grab her to get her little booty dressed. She kills me this one.

One morning a few weeks ago I had finally captured her long enough to get her changed and dressed and she was tooling around the house doing her morning rounds. Pull all Tupperware out of the drawer. Check. Pull all clean folded laundry out of the laundry basket that has been sitting on our bedroom floor for 2 weeks waiting for Daddy to put it away. Check. Find Goldfish Cracker remnant on the kitchen floor and promptly shoves it in her mouth. Check. SO this particular morning she was in monitoring her Dad's shower when I hear him yell "BABE COME HERE!!!"

I felt my heart jump into my throat and ran into our bathroom. I thought Say had slipped on the tile and split her head open or knocked her teeth out. So I run into the bathroom and Sayler is standing there perfectly fine. I looked at Channing and he is standing there dripping wet and he looks like he has just seen a ghost. The following conversation follows:

Me: "What? What happened? Is Say OK?"

Channing: "Ummmm....she's fine. I'm not."

Me: "What? What's wrong?"

Channing: "I was drying off and had the towel over my face and your daughter..."

Me: "What????"

Channing: "She....she flicked my junk!"

Me: "Oh my God what? What does she flicked my junk mean...specifically."

Channing: "I was drying my face and she just walked right up to me and flicked my junk and says "Bell Butt???" (she is obsessed with people's belly buttons right now and demands to see them upon command) And then. And then... she started laughing!!!"

Me: "(Dying laughing) I have no words. Let's just act like this never happened. Denial is our friend right now OK?"

Channing: "(Not dying laughing) Perfect. I'm totally on board with that. Except for the fact that I am totally scarred for life."

What can I say? We put the "fun" back in dysfunctional.

I think I'll leave this story out of the baby book.

15 Months

2011-02-21T20:20:00.001-06:00

15 Months Old

Sayler -
It has really hit me over the last few weeks how much you have grown and changed. I was looking back at pictures of you from just a few short months ago and you are a different baby. In fact you don't seem much like a baby anymore (though you will ALWAYS be my baby) you really do seem like a toddler. I miss your babyness...but I am just smitten with the little girl you are becoming. Here are some things about you at 15 months old:

Your Stats

You weigh about 23 pounds...you haven't gained a lot of weight in the last few months but it is not for lack of eating. Ha! I think it is because you go, go, go...all day long.
I'm not sure how tall you are as you will not stand still long enough for us to measure you, but when you got vaccinated in January you were 30 3/4". You no longer fit under the dining room table and that has caused you to bonk your little noggin more than once!
You got your one year molars in (all 4) over the last month or so. You seem to be cutting 2 more teeth on the bottom now too. So in total you have 12 teeth with 2 more on the way.

Your Day

You wake up between 7:30-7:45am every day. You are always happy when Mommy or Daddy open your door and the first thing you do is make sure we get your "beeks" (blankies) out of your crib.
You usually have oatmeal, yogurt, banana, or a cereal bar for breakfast. You also have your "wawa" (water). You sit with Mommy on the couch and snuggle while you have your breakfast. I love starting my morning with you every day.
Getting you dresses/undressed is like wrestling a greased piglet. You HATE it...always have. Whenever you see me coming with your clothes you run in the other direction. I am always so relieved to have you dressed/face washed/hair brushed and still in one piece!
Mommy loads you in the car and Daddy drives you to daycare. You usually get there about 9:00am and go right to Ms. Dana...you love her. You then have to go check on "your babies" Gavin and Jack. You love the baby boys at daycare and always "pet" their little heads and say "niiiicccceee." You are so good and gentle with them. Ms. Dana says that means you want a sibling ASAP. Ha!
You always get a good report from daycare, good eater, good sleeper, and Ms. Dana's shadow. You don't let her get very far out of your sight and make sure the other kids know that you are her main priority :)
Mommy picks you up from daycare at about 4:30pm. You squeal at the top of your lungs and then run all over the place. At some point in your excitement you find your way over to me and give me a kiss and hug.
We come home and the minute you hit the door you start saying "bah bah bah???" Which is Sayler speak for popcicle. It's like toddler happy hour up in here. You LOVE your popcicles. Thank the Lord for sugar free popcicles!!! You and Daddy always share a popcicle and then we play and hang out until dinner time.
You are usually pretty tired in the evening time so we start getting your dinner ready at about 5:45pm. Lately you have been eating a few bites of dinner and then say "all done" and do the sign language for all done too. I try and get you to eat a few more bites and it usually works.
Then I strip you down and let you run around naked all over the house for 5-10 minutes. You can't get enough of it! You love running into Mommy and Daddy's room and throw yourself on the pillows from our bed that are normally on the floor...whoops! When naked time is over you usually throw a huge fit with tears and the whole 9 which makes bath time not so much fun.
You STILL do not like to take a bath. You usually whine/cry through the whole thing and I try and have it wrapped up in 5 minutes. We have tried all different kinds of toys and fun things for you to play with in the bath...but no luck. But from the day you were born you have not liked taking a bath and 15 months later, you feel the same way.
Daddy wraps you up in a towel and takes you in to Mommy and Daddy's bed to get your jammies on, lotion, diaper, hair brushed, medicine etc. Most nights we give you a bedtime bottle with milk (which you will only drink from a bottle and not a sippy cup...don't ask me why) to try and get through jammy time without to much resistance. You can be crying and fussing up a storm but as soon as you see your Dad walk in with your bottle you exclaim "Ba Baa?!?"
Bedtime is usually between 6:30-7:00pm. We carry you into your room and you give kisses to your 2 special music boxes. One for Aunt Johna and one for Nana Doss. Then we have our family prayer time during which you interrupt about 15 times to show Mommy or Daddy where our eyes, nose, ears are, or give us kisses etc. We try to be patient with you and know that Jesus understands :) Then Daddy kisses you good night and Mommy rocks with you in the chair while you finish your bottle. I used to rock you and pat you to sleep but now we just sit and sing and talk. It is my most absolute favorite time of the day. You are so sweet and snuggly and you smell so good from your bath. You love to give me a million kisses and my heart just melts every night. Then I lay you down in bed and cover you up and blow you a kiss. Lately you have been saying "bye bye mama," as I walk out of the room...sweetest thing ever. You usually lay and talk to your self for 15-20 minutes and then fall asleep for the next 13 hours. You are the best.sleeper.EVER!!!

Things you LOVE

POPCICLES!!! The one word that will pull you off of the floor mid-tantrum...popcicle. We give you at least 2 a day (sugar free of course) and sometimes 3-4 on the weekends. Ha! You would eat them all day if you could. When Mommy or Daddy say, "Say...do you want a popcicle?" You stop whatever it is you are doing...grin from ear to ear, and make a b-line for the freezer. All the while saying, "bah-bah-bah?" Which is Sayler speak for popcicle. It is our go-to bribe to get you to do what we want!!
Singing Baa Baa Black Sheep when we rock and cuddle at night. If we try to sing any other song you pull your thumb out of your mouth and say, "Baa baa baa." until we start singing Baa Baa again.
Your "Beeks" (aka blankies). You have 2 of them, one with strawberries all over it and one with polka dots all over it. Daddy and I call the polka dot beek the step-beek. It is definitely not in the same category as the strawberry beek, but you will ask for it to be included in most cuddling sessions if you see it lying around. At daycare today Ms. Dana told me that she could not believe how smart you were. I asked why and she said that a little boy Tyson, who is 3, took your strawberry beek and was holding it above his head and twirling it around. You saw him and didn't start crying or getting upset. Nope...instead you walked yourself right over and found his favorite car sitting at his place at the table. You picked it up and held it over your head and walked around with it like that. Tyson of course freaked out and started crying. Ms. Dana told him he needed to give you your beek back and say he was sorry. He did and you tossed his car on the floor. Ha! You knew how to play that game and play it well!!! Nana said she is worried about your husband! You do not mess around when it comes to your beeks.
Playing with Mommy's cell phone. You have "toddler dialed" several people so far. It is just not a battle I am willing to fight...so I let you have at it.
Running around the house naked right before bath. You have peed on our floors several times...thankfully they are hardwood!
Bananas
Oatmeal
Yogurt
M&M's
Any food that Mommy and Daddy might be eating
Ice
Water
Milk (finally)
Dancing to any song you hear. You also have been known to say "uh, uh, uh, uh" while bouncing your little booty up and down!
Playing outside and walking up and down the sidewalk chasing your shadow
Waiting for Daddy to meet you in the garage when you and Mommy pull in from daycare.
Kissing all of the pictures of you when you are a baby and saying "deh deh" which is how you say baby.
Loving on the babies at daycare.
Sharking the floors (yes you love to vacuum the floors with our Shark and I am going to document it and remind you of that fact when you are 14)!!!
Pointing out Mommy and Daddy's nose, eyes, ears and belly buttons.

Things you DON'T love

Taking a bath (it's day to day)
Getting dressed/undressed/having your diaper changed
Getting strapped into your car seat
Mommy or Daddy to stop doing something you are having fun doing (horsey ride, airplane, peek-a-boo) etc.
Cottage cheese
Mandarin oranges (I think you OD'd on them for the prior 6 months and are now officially over it).
Coming inside after playing outside.
Being told no (but come on...who likes this?)
Time out (you've been in time out maybe 4 times in your life)

Words you are saying

Mama
Dada
Nana
Papa
Dana (Nay-na)
Hi
Bye-bye
Nice (niiiiccccceeee)
Baby (deh deh)
What?
Open (ah-buh)
All done (aahhh duh) (sign language too)
More (mo) (sign language too)
Beek (dzzzzzzzzzz - not sure why you say it like that but it's cute)
Elmo (Meh-mo)
Nose (Nuhs) (can identify on faces)
Eyes (ahyes) (can identify on faces)
Ears (ehhhs) (can identify on faces)
Belly button (Beh-butt) (can identify on yourself and others...and demand that people expose their's to you so you can see it!)
Popcicle (buh-buh-buh?)
Ashes (as in Ashes Ashes we all fall down)
This (dis)
Ice
Water (wah-wah)
Bottle (bah-bah)
Baa (when asked what does a sheep say?)
No (nuh-nuh-nuh) (sign language too...unfortunately :)
Stop (dop)
Uh Oh (Ahhh Ohhhh)
Night-night (Nigh Nigh)

Sayler Jaye, you keep us in stitches all day long. Many times when we are trying to discipline you we can't get through it with a straight face because you are so stinkin' hilarious. We are amazed at how smart and creative and curious you are. You have started wanting to be Mommy's helper and I love it so much. You are the sweetest little girl and the light of our lives. I get so excited every morning when I go into your room to start our day together. I can never write enough words to tell you what a miracle you are to us! Can't wait to see what the next few months have in store!

Love you baby girl,

Mommy

Straight Up Weirdy

2011-01-04T21:49:00.000-06:00

Want to know a deep, dark secret about yours truly? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. I refuse to use lol. Refuse. Me just typing it back there, 8 words ago, is the first time I have ever typed that acronym in my life. I have said and typed "laugh out loud" several times, maybe hundreds...but I refuse to use the acronym (see, I'm refusing right now. Referring to it as "the acronym"...apparently I'm more comfortable referring to "the acronym" in the 3rd person).

Wonder why that is? I use other acronyms freely. I enjoy the acronym immensely (the acronym as opposed to "the acronym"...as to not confuse). I even use the new wave acronyms all the kids are using like, OMG, IKR, NP, WTF (sorry Mom), and a plethora of other hip acronyms are all a part of my vernacular.

What did "the acronym" ever do to me? Nothing. Not one thing. Other than to make it easier to express my current state of hilarity. Poor wittle guy.

And here's the point in the post where I once again realize, "I'm so weird..."

The Middle

2011-01-03T22:20:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year Sweet Things!!! I feel like I should apologize for not blogging in an age...but then I had to ask who I would be apologizing to as it is my blog and I highly doubt there are people that have been refreshing for months on end to see if I have graced this blog with my pearls of wisdom or another milestone update about my kid (if you have...stop it now and go get some kind of life).

But I think I need to give myself a break. I have begun to dread blogging because I put this stupid pressure on myself to always live up to what other people think of me. I have created about 100 new posts...only to delete them because they were boring, or not funny enough, or who cares about you or what you are doing Steph? So, I refuse to give in to that negative Nancy voice who has lived in my head as a permanent squatter since like 1985 so I am just going to write what I want, how I want, and if the 3 of you that read this blog get bored I totally understand and give you permission to click the X in the top right corner ;)

2011 is shaping up to be a big year for this gal. I know...it's only 3 days in, but let me tell you I am en fuego right now. I have 2 major things in the works right now and I will share them when it is appropriate to do so (no I am not pregnant...not even a little bit) but I am so excited about what I hope this year will bring both personally and professionally.

*I'm interrupting here to ask if anyone reading this watched the Bachelor premiere? Fangs got a rose? Really? I miss Trista and Ryan. If you don't watch it I get it but you may want to reconsider for this season as one of the girls apparently took Twilight a little to seriously.

So back to 2011...big things friends. Big things.

But 2011 is going to have some tough spots too. I am going to have to close the door on a friendship that I have had for many, many years. How's that for getting to the point? Have you ever had to do that? Not after a fight, or some big drama fest, but after a sustained period of time where you come to realize that this person is not a good friend. They just aren't...no matter how many excuses you try to make for them. It's sad when it happens and I am sad that this has happened more than once in my adult life. But I just asked myself the other day what I'm getting out of this friendship that has basically been non-existent for over a year now? Nothing but sadness and anger and frustration. And you know what? Maybe they feel the same way about me. Maybe I have not been meeting their needs as a friend either. As cliche as it sounds...maybe we really did just grow apart. Makes me sad. But there is a line I like to remind myself of that rings true over and over again in my life, "Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up. And it will..."
Name that movie people....my favorite, Hope Floats. What you expected Schindler's List? Nah...I'll get my life lessons from Birdee Pruitt thank you very much.

So I guess I will be sad at then end but be so forever grateful for the middle. It really was a spectacular middle. Blessed to have had that you know?

OK, thanks for sticking with me...all 3 of you.

Mwah!

You Say It's Your Birthday!?!?

2010-12-14T21:34:00.000-06:00

Sayler Jayler...YOU.ARE.1!!!! What a year it has been my sweet pea. You are turning into such a big girl and entertain your Daddy and I every minute of the day. You had a big birthday party and Mommy will post an entire blog on it and the fun day we had celebrating YOU!!!

November 19, 2009

November 19, 2010

Baby Girl...you have some serious sassafrass...and I love it!!! You are such an independent, curious, sweet, smart little girl and being your Mom is the best thing I have ever done in my life. Here are a few things you have been up to this month:

Well the number one milestone on the list is you are officially a full time walker. You had been taking a few steps here and there, walking from one piece of furniture to the next, but to get anywhere you would always settle on crawling. I don't know what happened on November 9th...but you made the decision that day that you were going to walk...EVERYWHERE!!! Now even when you fall down you will not crawl. You pick yourself up and dust yourself off and get right back up and take off again.
You have added several words to your vocabulary you are saying:

Mama
Dada
Nana
Papa
Thank you (dat doo)
This (dis, dis, dis, dis...you say it over and over again and point at things hoping we will give you something...anything. Most recently...M&M's :)
Hot (signing too)
More (signing too)
Nice

You are still a very good eater and love your fruit. You will eat most anything we put in front of you. You still take a bottle but we will wean you off of it and transition you yo whole milk after the holidays. You drink water from a sippy cup all the time so I am not too worried about the change.
You have started holding a baby doll and rocking them back and forth and singing the "Baby Signing Time" song. It is the sweetest thing in the world.
You love to wander aroung the house and get into your favorite places. You are WAY into the pantry and Mommy and Daddy's shower. You climb in and out of the shower over and over again and pull our sponges down off of the faucet. You get so excited and run around in the shower shouting (you like to hear your voice echo).
You are OBSESSED with babies...OBSESSED!!! There are two 7 month old babies at daycare and you love to go up to them and stroke their little heads and say "niiiiccccceeee" or "ah dah dah dah dah." Whenever you see someone you think is a baby (even if they are older than you...ha!) you squeal with delight and make a b-line over to them to to give them some love.
You love to dance and whenever you hear the Apple iPad commercial, or the Samsung commercial with the song "Hey ey, hey ey ey ey, hey ey ey ey...tonight." You run to the ottoman and hold onto put your hands on it and bounce your little booty up and down to the beat. Sometimes Daddy and I will start singing, "go Sayler, go Sayler, go Sayler, go Sayler...go. go. go. go. go. go. go!!!" And you smile and start doing your little dance. It is ADORABLE!!!
You have totally regressed when it comes to your sleeping...but I still think you are a fabulous sleeper. You go to bed awake and I give you your blankies ("beeks" of which you say "dzzzzz, dzzzz, dzzzz, dzzzz" when you want them) tell you I love you and walk out the door. You don't even make a peep and fall asleep all by yourself. You do usually wake up once in the night and scream at the top of your lungs until your Dad or I come and rescue you. But start to finish it is about 20 minutes until you are back asleep and you sleep until about 7:45 every morning. So I am just going to relax about it and know that you will eventually sleep through the night. I actually like snuggling with you in the middle of the night for a little while longer.

You have grown and changed so much in your first year. You are such a sweet, smart, curious, serious, intense, silly, sassy little girl and I am so proud to be your Mommy. I say to you every night, "How did Mommy get so lucky that God gave me the best baby He ever created?" And I truly feel like I won the lottery with you my love.

Can't wait to see what year number 2 has in store for you little Miss!!!

Love you to the moon and back,

Mommy