Friday, February 3, 2012

Friday Funny: Denial or Dumb

First off, thanks for all the hair feedback! 
I will have to tally the votes and see which style was the winner! 
And then get the courage to make it happen....

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Now, I realize that Roxie's first year of life she was treated like a human. There are currently many situations where she still is, but trust me she is quickly turning into "just a dog". 
 I am proud to say that through all the misconstrued actions as a doggie parent...Roxie doesn't think she is a human. 
By name anyway. 

She is convinced she is a puppy. 
Not a dog. 
Not a doggie. 
A puppy.

We have always called her "pup" or "puppy" so it obviously makes sense.
I just didn't realize the amount of therapy she would later need down the road in order to understand that a puppy is a dog. 
Puppy=Dog.
It's really not that complicated.

But, apparently it's confusing to grasp.


{She was walking away to get some water until I said "Hi Doggie"}

I didn't realize her attatchment to this identity until we had Adalyn.
When Roxie comes over to Adalyn I say "Hi, puppy! Hi, doggie! You see the doggie?"
{Although Adalyn is a genius she has yet to answer that question btw}
and I noticed Roxie either stares at me like "Where is the doggie?!?!?"
::Roxie loves other dogs. Has no regard for personal space or I-don't-like-you-I-will-bite-you cues- any kind of attention will get the little nub going. {And by little nub I am talking about her tail, she is a girl so get your head out of the gutter} Other dogs truly light up her world::

So if she isn't staring at me, she is jumping up on the couch to look out the window for said doggie. 
It's become quite comical. 
We try to tell her that she is a doggie. 
She is technically no longer a puppy.
We go over flashcards with her.
We have her look at herself in the mirror and repeat after us.

Just kidding we don't really do that. 
But I know you wouldn't be surprised. 

She just can't seem to get it in her head. So I am thinking she is either in denial about her age..or she's dumb. 

I'm thinking we are going to go with the latter ;) 


Ps. When I played this video to make sure it worked, she heard it and jumped to the window. That pup dog! 

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Hair we go again....again

Almost two years ago {I can't believe it's been that long!} I posted about my hair saga.
Surprise, surprise I am back to where I started. 
Both with the highlighting and length situation.
It's basically a never ending battle. 
And I do realize that my life is going pretty darn well if this is my battle. 
Thinking about it, I realize this is a completely vain post, but it's a girl problem and I could use some advice.

The status of my hair typically revolves around two things:
1. Money

2. My age

I understand the suspense of my current hair situation might kill you, but instead of posting the same story/pictures head on over to that post first.

Then {if the suspense didn't kill you} come back here so you can hear my drawn out complaints this time around. 

I really do like having long hair. 
My pregnancy really helped speed up the long dreaded grow out process. 
The problem I always have with long hair is looking younger than I am. 
Especially now that I have a baby, I really don't like going out and having people think I am a teen mom. 
People can be really rude with their looks and it's not appreciated.
I feel like I want to wear a shirt that says "I am 24 and married. Stop with the looks!!!"

Also, my sister is 14- TEN YEARS YOUNGER than me- when we go out people think we are the same age! 
This is a problem. 

We went to a Zumba class the other night and the older ladies kept making comments about how young we were and how we wouldn't understand what it's like to have a small bladder and make it through the jumping songs without the need to pee etc because they've all had kids etc etc
Ummmmmm I had 8 weeks ago!!!! 
I am flattered that they couldn't tell and I was too shy to say anything, so I just let it be.
And by "let it be" I mean make snarky remarks in my head.

Then last night put me over the edge when my Grammie told me that her friend was looking at a picture of our family and thought that I was Ali's YOUNGER sister. 

So the time has come. 
I was waiting until I lost some more weight because I know I am not going to look how I did before with short hair. 
You know, the whole best-shape-of-your-life-for-your-wedding-then-get-married-eat-like-your-husband-and-gain-twenty-pounds thing. 
Oh, you don't know about that? 
Yeah, I don't either....ahem.

So I've had a few styles and colors and body shapes {both hair and actual body}. 
I'm not 100% sure what look I will go for.
I'm kind of scared.
Do I realllly want it short again?
I think I do. 

I don't want to go as drastic as last time, 
{Look how different A looks in 3 years!}

but really, the shoulder length hair makes me look the youngest. 
I wish I could do this style
But my hair is too thick and I think I will still look young. 
So I think I will have to go a little past my chin. 

Now the decision is what style??
I know this is really awkward to have so many pictures of just me...but I need some advice and as I'm sure you all know- you go into the salon expecting to look like Jennifer Aniston and come out looking like...yourself. GASP. Disappointment every single time. So this is my hair, this is the different styles I've had {ignore the color} 



What do you think??

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

1 Month Recap

Adalyn,
   I can not believe how quickly you are growing. The phrase"don't blink" is no joke!! I will probably say that every month and I will probably be in denial every month. Watching you grow up is so very bittersweet. I try not to focus on the bitter though- there are so many fun milestones that you have reached, and that you are going to reach, that make it so exciting to watch you grow.
 {Although I wouldn't mind if it went by just a tiny bit slower!}

This month you had your first trip away from home. 
We went up to the mountains and stayed in a big house to celebrate Grammie and Grampa's 50th anniversary and Christmas.

When we arrived you were hungry and decided you were big enough to feed yourself. 
You don't always hold your bottle, but sometimes you like to. 
Your hands just kind of hold onto it- I don't think you really know what you're doing, but we can pretend.
You are still on Similac Sensitive and doing really well on that. 
You eat 4-5oz every 3-4 hours. 

Each family had themed Christmas PJs and ours was reindeer- you looked so cute!
The house that we stayed in was older and our room was freezing so I was sure to bundle you up nice and good to make sure my little reindeer stayed warm!

We were so excited to wake up with you on Christmas morning, although, to us, every morning is like Christmas with you!

On December 27th you had to have your hearing re-evaluated. You didn't pass your hearing test at the hospital on one of your ears when you were first born. Typically that is due to extra fluid in the ear and it goes away- we were praying that was the case for you!
You were such a trooper with all the monitors stuck to your head and your ears and buds put in your ears!
You needed to be sleeping for them to perform the testing-which I thought would be tricky-but you did a great job. You woke a few times because it was uncomfortable, but quickly fell back to sleep. The testing lasted about 2.5 hrs and you passed!

After all the Christmas traveling and festivities I decided it was time to get more serious with our cloth diapering.
 You've made it really easy on us- you are really consistent with your poop schedule{every three days} so when it's a "poop day" I usually put you in disposables. You are in a size 1 and you wear them through the night also.

I also decided it was time to move you to your crib. I knew you were going to enjoy it because you really like sleeping flat rather than at an incline.  So on December 31st we swaddled you up and said goodnight.
I am so thankful for the Angelcare Monitor or I would not be as comfortable doing this! An alarm goes off if you stop breathing and I get to check on you through the video monitor. You did a great job and you've been sleeping through the night ever since we moved you there!

And usually between 5-6am I bring you into bed with us for some extra sleep after your bottle.

For a while I would have you wake up around 10pm and feed you  with hopes that it would fill you up and you'd sleep through the night. I was starting to notice that if I did that you were then overtired and would be up until 1/1:30am. That was not gonna fly with me-so I decided to try a new schedule. You have your long day/afternoon naps and then you usually wake around 6:30/7. Daddy comes home from work and plays with you until 8:15/8:30 and then I give you a bath.

You love tubby time! After your bath, I lotion and swaddle you, feed you your bottle and you go right to sleep in your crib around 9:15/9:30 and wake between 5-6. So far it's been a great schedule that seems to work week for us all!




You love to cuddle and sleep with Ellie the Elephant.
It's so sweet.


You crack us up with all your funny faces! You are so expressive and I think it will be even more funny the older you get.
[PS- that mark on your forehead is because daddy accidentally made me drop my phone on your head. That was our very first accident with you-thankfully you whimpered and fell right back to sleep and the mark quickly disappeared}


You are a very laid back, easy going baby.

You got some new toys for Christmas that you've really enjoyed playing with

I saw another baby girl in church that had a bow in her hair and I thought that since you have hair in the back and not really in the front that it would work.
You weren't very impressed with that.

We were happy that Tim Tebow got a touchdown and they would be going to the playoffs.
You weren't overly excited, but we appreciate you going along with the celebration. 

Your neck has gotten a long stronger and we decided to give the bumbo a try.
I'm pretty sure you were counting how many seconds you could stay up. 
You did a great job but you weren't quite ready yet.
Your neck is strong, but your torso isn't quite strong enough to hold you up. 

Thankfully, you love your carseat.
I can always count on a smile when I buckle you in. 

On January 12th you had your first snow day at home. 
I don't think you got what the big deal was. 

 You've recently started to get spitty.
And you don't really know what to do about it. 

You get the hiccups all the time- just like when you were in my belly. 
You get them at all times of day- usually 5-6 times/day.
Gripe water has become our life saver. 
This stuff is magic and we don't go anywhere without it. 

You're great during church.
You're usually awake during worship and asleep during the message. 

The difference in one month...

At your 2 month appointment you were in both the 75th percentile for your weight and your head circumference and you were in the 80th percentile for your height.
 It looks like you're taking after your daddy in the height department- meaning when you're 5 we will probably be the same height.


Your eyes are still blue like your daddy's.

You weigh 12 lbs

You're 23.5 inches
You have the most kissable squeezable cheeks.
We love you so much, baby girl.
We are beyond blessed every single day. 
You truly make our days brighter. 
And our love for you is so overwhelming.

Your smile is contagious and melts our hearts every time. 
As sad as I am to see you grow, I can't wait to see the milestones you reach next month! 

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Winter Hat

The temps have been fairly mild this winter, 
but there have been a few times we've had to pull out the cute little winter hat

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Smelly Student

No, I'm not posting about that smelly student in class that everyone talks about- the one who smells like the clothes have been sitting in the washer too long, the one that smells like B.O or the one that smells like they got sprayed by a skunk. 

::True story- our dog got sprayed and came in the house and my brother and I went to school smelling like skunk. So embarrassing::

Mr. B is a student again.

Although, it is possible that he could also be that smelly student. 

I've gotten a whiff of those pits on a rough day and my oh my...it's nasty. 

Anyways, yesterday marked a new chapter in our little Smelly Life- Mr. B started Grad school. 

It's a 2.5 yr program, he will be taking 2 classes a semester mostly one night a week, but it could happen to be 2 nights or Saturdays depending on the class. 

We are so thankful for this opportunity and for the wonderful company that he works for.

Mr. B is really excited about it and looking forward the classes and learning again

Which btw is so weird to me! I am so opposite. I went to college for 2 years and got nothing but debt and friends- I was a good student but I just felt I was wasting my money when I knew I wanted to be a nanny/SAHM. But ummmm... I still have nightmares that I am taking a test and can't finish in time and don't know the answers!

That's a legit nightmare, right?

There is nothing I love more {okay, there's actually lots of things I love more}, than waking up and knowing I'm not in school nor do I plan to be in school ever again. 

So anyways, I am a little nervous that it will be difficult for him to find the proper balance of work, school and family. I do know this will be a lot of work for him, there will be a lot on his plate and I am so proud of him for taking that on in order to provide better for our family. 

I also know it's going to be hard for me- I really don't want to be a nagging wife and complaining that he is always doing work/school. I don't want him to miss out on these special moments with Adalyn because clearly she is already growing so fast! So I am going to try really hard to be nothing but encouraging and supporting.

So maybe there will be some trial and error in the beginning. We will probably have to try and work out some sort of schedule so that he doesn't get overwhelmed with everything. 

But we are ready to take it on and we know that in the end the reward will be worth it! 

Any advice for those of you who have been through this would be great-what worked, what didn't, did it go by fast, was it not as bad as you thought, was it? 

Friday, January 20, 2012

Friday Funny: First Bow

 I thought it was a stretch too. 
I guess she can sense the ridiculousness. 

I think we need just a little more hair in the front to wear some hair clips.


Happy Weekend! 

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Family Christmas

I'm almost caught up with all my posts and then I am going to try really hard to stay up to date! 

This year we celebrated Christmas with my family a few days early because we were going away for the weekend with my mom's side of the family. 

Because we weren't going to be home for Christmas we didn't set up a Christmas tree and neither did my mom. Through this we learned the illusion that small tree=more presents, ha! 
Good trick, huh? The kids were pretty excited!

The wonderful aunties are always so funny- they basically set a timer for when it's their "turn" to hold Adalyn.
She's a very loved little girl!

A group shot of the awesome aunts and uncles. 
Did you know that my brother is Coach from Survivor? 
No?? 
I didn't either...
Thankfully the whole greasy pony tail thing was a phase and is no longer existent!

A mini nap session took place 
Naptime with Jesus Uncle Ryan! 

Then it was gift time! Papa G is sporting his new Elmer Fudd winter hat and he is, of course, the #1 Grandpa :) 
The girls worked hard on making me a sister scrapbook. It was very sweet! 

Roux got to open her Christmas presents early, but since Roxie would be joining us on the weekend away I was saving her stocking for later. 
She wasn't a big fan of this plan and seemed rather sad/jealous of Roux's 16 squeaker animal.

First Christmas as parents & grand-parents! 


Somebody happened to be everyone's favorite gift this year :) 


On Christmas day (after the weekend away) we went to spend a few days with Mr. B's parents. 
They live in TX, but have a lake house up north here in NH so it was nice to celebrate and relax with them too!
Couldn't ask for a more perfect gift!

Trying to remember who this lady is...
She remembered! Smiles for Nana! 

Some snuggles with Papa 
We relaxed, watched movies and played some Chicken Foot. 

The following weekend was the Bills vs the Patriots.
Mr B and his family are big time Bills fans {you are welcome to have pity on both me for being married into this and for them for willingly supporting this team- it's really no fun when your team is notorious for losing!}
Why they can't just be Patriot fans I have no idea- but I know it will never.ever.happen. 

For Christmas Adalyn bought Daddy a cute little Bills bow to support his team. 
Mostly because we feel bad for him ;) 

And of course I couldn't resist a little photo shoot in the new bow
She's aware this is silly because at heart she's a Pats fan :)