SMILES!!!

I got 2 huge [non-gas related] smiles today from my little sweet potato!! She just melts my heart =)

Gabrielle is 1 month old!

My little sweet potato is already one month old.. how is that possible?!  I continue to fall in love with her each time I see her beautiful face.  She has forever changed me and our family and we are so blessed to have her! Here is a snippet of your past month Miss Gabby!

• You now weigh 9 lbs 8 oz and are 22 inches long!
• You had your first visit with Santa and enjoyed your very first Christmas!
• You helped Daddy celebrate his 32nd birthday and helped us ring in 2010!
• You have taken trips to Target, Babies.R.Us and the mall - Mommy's little shopper!
• Your eyelashes have grown a bunch the past month.
• You're one of the only babies I know that doesn't hate tummy time.
• You have a very loud cry when you are hungry.
• You may hate me for this one.. but you are a very gassy girl!
• You seem to enjoy baths.
• You like to hear the water running when we are getting your bottles ready (just like your big brother when he was a baby!)
• You have been amazing on car rides!
• I cannot believe how strong your neck is already.
• You have the most adorable dimples when you smile (which you still only seem to do when you have gas!)
• You have really long fingers and finger nails.
• The "It's Good" position has become your favorite way to lay. (this too was your big brother's favorite way to lay!)
• You are still in newborn size clothing and are wearing size 1 diapers!
• When you were about 2 1/2 weeks old you decided you did not like being wrapped up like a little burrito!
• You are drinking anywhere from 2 to 5 ounces every 3ish hours.
• You sleep a little longer at night.. there were 2 nights when you slept for 5 hours straight and 1 night when you slept for 7 hours straight!
• You love to check out your surroundings and are definitely starting to respond to voices and faces.
• You have the most adorable nose!
  

 

 

 

 

 

Gabby did see the doctor today for her one month well baby check up!  Dr. Scott said she looks wonderful and he even commented on her very petite little girly features =)  He said sometimes it's hard with newborns to determine their gender just by their facial features and joked that without the pink and blue blankets in the hospital he would have no idea 95% of the time but not with our little chick-a-dee!  Gabby got the second round of her hepB shot.. not fun!  My poor peanut cried good for about a minute but then we snuggled and she was fine.  We go back in a month for her 2 month well baby check!

 

 

 

the first photo is right before we left for the doctor - and check out her little boo-boo lip in the 3rd photo.. poor little girl!

After her doctor visit we went to Bethany so I could get my annual self-evaluation complete and so we could visit with all my awesome coworkers!  I caught the tail end of our staff meeting and decided it would be really neat to take a photo of my daughter with all my coworkers - these people are like family to me and are all so supportive and caring and inspiring Christians.  I miss these gals (and Mark, I guess!) and it looks like I will be putting on my "pregnancy counselor" hat again at the beginning of February.

My first "not me" Monday.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I love reading these on other blogs so I thought I would try to start doing it myself - hopefully I will stick to it and my "Not Me" Monday posts will be enjoyable and most likely embarrassing!!

There is no way I would have let Gabrielle sleep in my bed with me for 3 hours so I could get some rest, nope, not me!

My 3 year old son would not be allowed to watch Cops just so my husband and I could laugh at him singing Bad Boys Bad Boys.. 3 is just too young to watch such a show!

I'm definitely not obsessed with my daughter's nose, I do not poke it every chance I get.

I did not make Gavin get me a glass of water today because I was too lazy to move, that would be too pitiful.

I do not try on my "fat" jeans after almost every shower and practically cry because they still don't fit.. [which I guess goes hand in hand with - I did not gain 4 pounds over the Christmas holiday because I totally let myself go.. no way, not this momma.]

No way does my son tell me every day that he wants a dirt bike when he gets older - and no way do I pray after each time he tells me that he will change his mind when he's older.

The total number of photos taken during Gabrielle's birth/hospital time did not total over 375.. and I have not taken at least 20 or more of her and her big brother since she came home. 

1 month.. seriously?!

My water broke one month ago tonight.. that's insane! 

 

I can't believe it's already been a month since my labor began.  Where has the time gone?!  The past month has been wonderful, stressful, sleepless, and life changing!  Our little lady is doing great.. I will post more about her tomorrow after her 1 month well baby check with Dr. Scott. 

Over the past month Gavin has certainly changed a lot too.  He did go through some jealousy issues the first few days Gabby was home but has been great since.  Gav loves to take care of his baby sister - he sings to her, he helps with diapers, he helps with bottles, he is always asking to hold her and he is always the first one to her crib when she makes any little peep.  The title of proud big brother fits him well - anywhere we go he is introducing people to his baby sister - it's simply adorable!

More to come tomorrow after Gabby's doctor visit!

7 hours.

Gabrielle slept for 7 hours last night!  She fell asleep around 2:15 a.m. and woke up at 9:15 a.m.  There were a few fussy spots throughout the morning but nothing when I even had to get out of bed to console her, she just fell back asleep.  I don't expect this to happen again any time soon but if this is a sign of how 2010 will be in regards to her sleep then I will be one happy momma =)

2010 Resolutions/Goals.

I, like several others, have developed some resolutions for the New Year.  While thinking about resolutions I found my mind wandering in several directions.  I just decided to form a list in no particular order of the resolutions/goals that are important to me at this time.  Some are major, some are minor, but they would all aid in making 2010 a great year! 

• Lose these last 15 pounds of Gummy Bear weight
• Try new foods as often as possible
• Be more patient with everyone and everything
• Strengthen my relationship with Christ and display His love in all I do
• Be a better wife, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, niece, sister, sister-in-law, friend, counselor and witness
• Run at least 4 races - distance not yet determined =)
• Save $ and make wiser financial decisions
• Get a tattoo in honor of my children
• Somehow develop a love for cooking
• Paint a few rooms in our house

[I have so many more, and could go on and on, but for now I will stop here.]

I pray everyone has a very blessed and memorable 2010!

Decade in review!

As the year comes to a close, and we all reflect on 2009, I also find myself reflecting on the past decade as it too comes to a close.  I cannot believe how much my life has changed over the past 10 years.. take a look!

2000 – Actually slept through the ball drop, I didn’t understand all the Y2K fear. Helped welcome my nephew Lucas into the world. Planned and successfully pulled off an awesome Junior/Senior prom, with the help of many other people. Started looking at and touring colleges. Began my senior year in high school. Lost a dear friend in a tragic car accident, our school was different after that. Decided to attend Methodist College – now Methodist University.

2001 – Don’t remember where I rang in the New Year. Marched with our high school marching band in a parade in Magic Kingdom, Disney World. Graduated high school. Had a super lame senior year (completely my fault.) Began my freshman year in college. Worked as a campus tour guide. Broke up with my boyfriend of 3+ years. September 11, 2001. Had a blast being out on my own. Began gaining the freshman 15.

2002 – Rang in the New Year with my friend Abby and some of her guy friends.  Met  boy, who would end up being my boyfriend for 3 years. Decided to transfer schools to be closer to family and boy. Applied to and got accepted at WVU. Left all my friends at Methodist College and headed to WVU. (still don’t know if this was the right decision or not..) Began working at the WalMart photo lab over the summer and during school breaks. Worked in the basement of a library at WVU. Changed my major from psychology to elementary education.

2003 – Rang in the New Year with boy and a bunch of his friends. Finished my sophomore year and began my junior year. Went back to Methodist College to help my best friend celebrate her 21^st birthday and to visit friends. Moved into my first apartment. Changed my major back to psychology. Began working at Sbarro.

2004 – Rang in the New Year with boy and a bunch of his friends, again. Completed my junior year and began my senior year. Decided that it was time to get serious about losing weight and getting into shape. Got a Mitsubishi Eclipse (I miss that car!) Turned 21! Traveled to Traverse City, Michigan with my Grammie, my Mom and my Aunt. Began looking into graduate schools. Watched the Red Sox win the World Series! Took the GRE’s in preparation for graduate school.

2005 – Rang in the New Year at WVU with friends. Broke things off with boy after 3+ years. Began my almost daily trips to the gym. Completed an internship as a “junior” guidance counselor at Cass Elementary School. Decided that I really was not ready for graduate school. Took part in my first Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk in honor of my Grammie. Learned a lot about myself in a few short months. Graduated college! A co-worker set me up on a blind date on June 11^th. Fell head over heals in love with Steven, very quickly! Began working at Devereux as a residential counselor (very very tough job!) Got engaged on July 31^st. Started reconnecting with old friends and planning my wedding. Bought a puppy I named Lucy.

2006 – Rang in the New Year with Steven (New Years Eve is also his birthday!) Got a surprise positive pregnancy test on January 27^th. Decided to cancel our “big” wedding and travel to Hawaii and get married there. Got married in Honolulu on March 28^th in the rain. Steven got a new job. Watched my tummy grow. Gave birth to Gavin Arthur on October 2^nd and my whole world changed! Became a full time stay-at-home mommy.

2007 – Rang in the New Year with my hubby and son. Began jogging to lose the baby weight. Started working full time as a pregnancy counselor with Bethany Christian Services. Took Gavin on his first beach vacation. Participated in my 2^nd Memory Walk in honor of my Grammie. Gavin turned 1 year old! Earned the Best Mother of the Year award when I let Gav burn his hand on his birthday cake candle.

2008 – Rang in the New Year with my hubby and my son. Continued my work as a pregnancy counselor. Participated in my 3^rd Memory Walk in honor of my Grammie. Got my first tattoo in honor of my Grammie. Started blogging. Ran my first 5K. Started trying for baby #2 in June. Celebrated Gavin’s 2^nd birthday! Watched my best friend get married!

2009 – Rang in the New Year with my hubby, my son, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend and my mother-in-law. Continued to be inspired by my clients. Steven and I enjoyed a special trip to Washington DC for our 3^rd wedding anniversary. Peed on a stick on April 6^th and saw 2 lines! Stopped jogging. Found out on August 11^th that we would be having a baby GIRL!  Watched my belly grow and grow and grow. Steven got moved to 3^rd shift. Went to Creation for the first time and slept in a tent for the first time. Participated in my 4^th Memory Walk in honor of my Grammie.  Helped raise almost $2,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association since 2007. Gavin turned 3 years old! Gave birth to Gabrielle Louise on December 5^th and fell madly in love instantly!

My oh my how my life has changed over the past 10 years!!  I am so incredibly blessed to have all that I have and so very thankful.  I look forward to the next 10 years – continuing on this amazing journey of motherhood and growing with my family.  I do have tons of photos from the years where none are posted but don't have them on my computer.  Maybe I will load some eventually and update this post.. maybe! I, like many others, have resolutions and goals for 2010 - maybe I will post them tomorrow.  It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of 2009.. AND it's also my hubby's 32nd birthday =) Love you babe!