Anna- 1 year!

So it feels like everytime I take her in for shots she's got some sort of illness. The last two months have been a nightmare. She got the stomach flu..then I got the stomach flu, now she's got a cold...and Jim is getting it too. Poor thing had to get 5 shots yesterday. Needless to say it was a long, hard day yesterday! lol. I've been sleeping on the living room floor with her because she can't breath very well right now and is waking up every hour or so. I can't wait until she feels better, I feel so bad for her. She is walking really well, and her little vocabulary is growing. She's an amazing little person. And she's finally getting some hair!! YAY!!!! :)

Anna's First B-day!!!

It went really well! She turned one on October 28th, but on Sunday the 26th I threw a party here at the house for her. She had a blast--well, the other kids did, she was mostly interested in the cake. lol. She loves all of her new toys, but didn't care for unwrapping them.




MMMMM!! Cake!!!

Hurrican Ike---and our new house...

Well, as most of you probably noticed, I have been absolutely horrible at updating this thing these days. We moved into our New house at the end of August. It's been a lot of work getting the place painted and uppacked, but fun also, becuase it's ours!! We lived here all of two weeks when that damned hurricane hit and we had NO ELECTRICITY for 17 days!! Obviously we had to move out to Katy to stay with a few friends because we were under a "boil water notice" and with all electric ameneties and no power anywhere in the area, getting gas, or power to cook and actually boil the water to drink was all but impossible. Plus, Anna wasn't doing well with the whole thing- I think she was feeding off of my stress. So we finally got power back on Sunday evening and we moved back home. I'm so glad to be back, but now we have to finish unpakcing and get settled in. It's a little overwhelming getting all of the debris out of the yard-- which already was full of debris from me trimming the hedges the day before-- there is A LOT of work to be done and not enough hours in the day right now. My goal is to get it all squared away and be able to throw a housewarming party sometime this month so everyone can come see our place. So far I've painted the kitchen, Anna's Room, and the hallway. I really love this house. The longer I'm here-- the more I love it!

Update!!

Soo, it has been brought to my attention that I haven't updated this thing in a month. Things have been super busy around here!! We bought a house!! We close on the 22 of this month. I can't wait! It's a gorgeous place! I will post pictures ASAP!!

Here's the latest picture of Miss Anna!!! She is AMAZING!!! 9 months old now! She's pulling herself up and trying to walk! 3 teeth and counting!!


Work: My business is kicking butt! I've been SUPER busy with weddings and makeup. LOL. I'm doing the makeup for Channel 13 evening news now and also working for that Talent Agency...and MAC....and myself. Busy busy! But it's a good thing- especially when you are about to buy a house. :)

Best Idea EVER!

Jim and I went to Jones Hall last night to listen to the Houston Symphony do a tribute to Pink Floyd. It was freaking AMAZING! Probably one of the coolest most soulful things I've done in this city. They are playing again tonight. If you can spare a few hours tonight, I promise, you will NOT be dissappointed!

Long time....

I know, I know, I've been slacking in this blog lately. I will use the "been busy" excuse. Miss Anna is fully mobile, crawling ALLLLL over the place and getting into everything, and I've been working like a mad woman. ANd we've been house hunting. AND I've been feeling a little lazy these days, lol. Anna is growing so fast. She's got two teeth now. They're adorable. And we've got bite marks all over everything in our house. She's pulling herself up on furniture and most likely going to walk any day now! She says mama and dada to no one in particular. I can't figure out if she knows what she's saying or not. But who cares, her little voice is amazing! :) She does this thing we call "grape cheeks." She sucks on her bottom teeth and all of the fat in her cheeks squeezes into little balls. It looks like she's got a mouth full of grapes. It's my favorite face in the whole world. Jim and I are doing well. House hunting. It's tedious. It's hard to find a neighborhood that I like enough to want to live in for the next ten years. Eek. BUT, I hate renting. I hate white walls. :) That about sums up our month!

Minnesota vacation!!!!

Well, we're back from our week long get away!! Anna handled her first plane ride amazingly well! I was almost SHOCKED!! She slept pretty much the whole flight and then played the "I'll-throw-my-toys-on-the-ground-and-you-keep-getting-them" game.
The trip itself was fun. It usually takes four days to get settled in and then you have to leave.lol. It rained a lot and I pretty much had the worst bad luck streak of my life. Lost my wallet and had to pass through a bunch of extra security to get on the plane, the airport lost my luggage, Anna broke my cell phone...the list goes on. Oh, and the teenagers are out for summer vacation so when we got home our whole street had their houses wrapped in toilet paper. I really expected the house to burn down just to top it all off. lol. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip!!!

Our Vegetable Garden!!!

So I planted some basil, red and green bell pepper and Squash this spring and guess what?! I have a little bell pepper hanging off of my plant! Wahoo!! I noticed it last week, but today it is taking the shape of a real bell pepper. :) I'm so excited!


I also planted some elephant ears and a lily in the fron yard and they seem to be growing fine. Not nearly as exciting as the veggies. :)

Look what my baby can do!!!!!!!

Anna's Baptism Pics

God working his magic with my pastor and Debbie!!

Anna and her godmother


it was a windy day!

Kidney Infection :(

Just wanted to keep everyone in the loop with Miss Anna. We spent the afternoon at the hospital yesterday because she was running fever of 103 degrees for a few days and we couldn't seem to get it under control. We got there and they couldn't figure out the source of the fever so they gave her a catheter and checked her urine for bacteria. Unfortunately she does have bacteria and white blood cells in her urine- which means that she had a bladder infection that has now become a kidney infection. Apparently this can be a very serious condition for a baby, so keep her in your prayers. They had to give her a shoot yesterday to try to battle the bacteria that is causing this, and she has to go in today for another shoot and to check the cultures from the lab. She will have to go in Monday or Tuesday for an ultrasound to check the damage that this has done to her little kidneys.

Last night her fever peaked at almost 106 degrees, but it finally broke and even though she is weak right now she is acting more like herself than she has in a week, so I'm hoping that the shot is doing it's thing!

My sweet sweet Anna!!

She's getting baptized tomorrow! I'm so excited for her! I just know that God has amazing things in store for my sweet little girl!

Allergies

So it looks like Miss Anna is allergic to Pears. She has the worst rash I have ever seen in my life on her little tush. Poor thing is absolutely miserable. And so are we! We've been having to give her oatmeal baths and put her in cloth diapers. I feel so bad for her. :( But, she's a trooper. Still her smiling self-- we let her hang out in her play pen while we cleared out some of the brush in the yard today. She loves being outdoors. Definitely takes after us! :) It was such a beautiful day today-- and one of the first that Jim and I have had off together in a really long time!!

Who doesn't love pictures!!!

Oh, and if you get a chance, please please check out my website, www.makemeuphouston.com

CRUISE!!!

Jim and I just got back from a 5 day cruise to Cozumel and Progresso, Mexico. It was a BLAST!! I missed Anna so much though, that was the worst part. It was so hard to go to sleep at night without taking care of her first. BUT---we got to relax, and lounge by the beach and consume ridiculous amounts of alcohol. lol. I still feel like I'm on a boat though....vertigo or something. We went snorkeling in cozumel...it was by far one of the coolest things I've ever done. Looking at all of those corals and tropical fish was amazing!! Here are a few pics...

That's our ship behind me

Pics!

This is my favorite picture from Jim's Birthday..it's hilarious;

Here's Erin and I! Both a few months postpartum...Finally taking some downtime without the new additions!

Oh Yeah...

I have another blog for my company also---feel free to check it out. it's
http://makemeuphouston.blogspot.com/

Here's what's been going on lately!!
Anna had her first Easter. We went over to Kim and David's house and pigged out on fajitas and spent some down time with the family. It was a blast! Anna got to wear her adorable dress that she got from Aunt Jackie-- She also got a beautiful one from her sister Lizzie, she wore that one on Saturday to Erin and Jamison's house where we colored some eggs...(okay,okay, I colored them..Anna just sat there.)
I will post the pics when Aunt Kim emails them to me!

I've been working a lot on my website...and doing a TON of photoshoots recently. Which has been a blast...exhausting! But a blast!

Jim just celebrated his...brace yourself--28th birthday. We threw him a big party here at the house. It was great to get to see all of our friends and eat way too much...and probably drink way too much too. I have some pics from that as well- but a friend of ours was the photographer, and most of the pictures are pretty random. haha.

Other than that we're just working. Anna is rolling over now, and trying to sit up. She is the most amazing little person. I love her so much!

We're leaving for our cruise April 5-10. I'm super excited for the vacation, but completely dreading leaving Anna for 5 days with my sister! I'm going to be a mess, I know it. I haven't spent the night without her. Ever. We're going to Cozumel, so I'm sure the relaxation--and the chance to sleep through the night- will distract us enough to get through it.
Sorry I've been slacking on this thing- I've just been crazy lately. Fortunately all of that is worked itself out. I had to design and launch the site myself, which was a lot of tedious work, but I figured it out. So now I have more time to keep you all updated! More to come!

My WEBSITE!!!

It's officially launched!! That's probably why I haven't been on here posting as often! It's a lot of work to build a webpage. :) Check it out!! and let me know what you think!!!

www.makemeuphouston.com

She's GROWING too fast!

Look at my little girl. She's going to be crawling soon.

The latest and greatest!

So, Anna went to the doctor on monday the 25th and got 6 shots in the legs! Of course, mommy 'couldn't make it' for the shots, so Daddy had to man up and hold the little tike down while the nurse stabbed her 6 times!! (it wasn't THAT bad). Some good news came from the doctor visit too! At just under 4 months old she was ALMOST 27 inches long, and 16.9 lbs. She is height / weight proportionate, and literaly OFF the charts for her length at her age. We started Vitamins A, D, and C and Iron liquid supplement because of how big she is. We don't want any liver problems in her future because she grew so fast!! Anyway, here are some recent pictures of our monster girl! Enjoy!

Look at my precious little girl laughing!!!!

I loove my daddy....

Anna did the cutest thing the other day! Jim was laying with her, and she grabbed his cheeks, pulled his face to hers and tried to suck on his lips! It was the cutest thing. She loves us!!!

Updates...

Look at the cute shoes my Aunt Candi sent me!!


I haven't posted in a few days...I've been sleep deprived. hahaha. Anna's been really gassy and fussy at night the past week or so. Yuck. Poor thing...it's my fault. Whatever I'm eating is just NOT agreeing with her. :( She's so freaking cute during the day though! She laughs so hard now...and she smiles all the time! Here are some recent pics

Rollin...Rollin...Rollin.,......

Anna rolled Yesterday!!!!! From her back to her stomach... I am the epitome of a proud mother right now :)

WHEN DOES IT END?????

I'm watching the news...and in Houston....AGAIN....THIS WEEK..... they found a little boy starved to death and thrown in a dumpster. In an effing dumpster?! How do people just throw away people??? Just throw them away like they're nothing? there are no words.

The News....

I've been following the story of little Elijah and his SICK BASTARD father, and it's just breaking my heart. If you're not aware of what story I'm referring to then you're lucky-- because I can't get the image out of my head. This 21 year old father stomped his 3 month old son to death with his foot. His FOOT?! It literally sickens me to think about it. But ever since I heard it, it's all I can think about. And to add insult to injury he just tossed his little boy into the street..like he was nothing. Anna is 3 months old. She brings me so much joy, I can't imagine her ever doing anything that would make me want to hurt her...she's the picture of innocence right now. All I keep thinking is that I wish they didn't do away with the electric chair.
Well, now that I've completely depressed you....

Jim took Anna with him to Katy so my sister could babysit her and he could help Brian fix his fence (and I could go to work).... I just realized that this is the first time I have been home without Anna since she was born!!! HOLY COW!! I've been tip toeing around trying not to wake the baby when it dawned on me!! I'm going to take a RIDICULOUSLY LOOOOONNNNG shower, and shave BOTH legs :) And take way to long to do my hair and makeup....I can't wait. I might even paint my toenails. :) I don't have to be at work until 12:30, so I've got a few hours to lounge!! YAY. :)

Anna!!

She's so pretty. :)

Being a mom makes you cheesy...But I just love this...

A Newborn's Conversation With God

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said,"Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

God said, "You will simply call her, "Mom."

My child is adorable

New Pictures...

First of all...remember that picture way back when of Mister Pickles sleeping in Anna's Bassinet before she was born?? Well...This is what I found the other day in her stroller.....

Look at my little eater!!!

Soooo... after extensive research, we thought we'd try a little rice cereal today..here's what she thought..




It was a success!! She kept going "um num num num" after every bite. It was hysterical!!

I cut my hair!

Anna always either pulls it out or throws up in it...so I chopped it off. I forgot how much $ you save on shampoo with short hair! It's great! :)

Stupid Half Asleep Mommy!!

This morning I grabbed Anna to change her diaper...on my bed of all places. Well, the second I took her diaper off SPLASH. She peed all over my bed. I guess I should be grateful it wasn't poop!!! :) Parenthood never gets boring.

What Motherhood has taught me...

I have learned...

...babies are the true meaning of love. I can be peed on pooped on, spit up on, vomitted on, woken up every 2 hours, have sore boobs, hold her until my arms feel like they're going to break off, and still melt everytime I see a toothless grin.


... that it is ok to get frustrated with feeling like I can not do anything but take care of Anna...this time will pass soon enough, and I will miss it when she is running out the door to play with her friends and I have all the time in the world to myself.

I have learned that I will never be the perfect mom...i will be learning what that means for the rest of my life.

...that even though I can not wait for the next milestone--holding toys, crawling,etc--it means giving up to some extent what I have now, like her being perfectly content in my arms.

...that nap time is a sacred time.

...that you never, EVER, wake a sleeping baby.

...a little dog hair, or dirt will not kill a child

...don't bounce the baby around immediately after they've eaten.

...it's ok to use formula.

...don't believe everything people tell you about when they raised their kids.

...trust your mother instinct, it's almost always right.

...your pediatrician will not be mad at you if you call for something in the middle of the night.

...it's OK to let them cry for a bit so you can go to the bathroom, make your coffee, take a breath, etc...(as long as they're safe of course)

...how lucky I am to have such a great husband...he is so hands on, and so helpful, he is a great father, and great husband, and a great man, and I try to remember that everyday.

...how much I love my mom, how much i am like my mom....and for once, that's a good thing, and how much I need and cherish her advice.

...motherhood has made me prioritize, and has made me more organized...you HAVE to be organized to get out of the house on time for anything.

...it is the least selfish thing I have everdone...


...that THIS is what "IT" is all about. Motherhood is my purpose, it is my day and night, it is my breath, and my every thought. I don't want to remember what life was like before her...it was lonely and boring. Now I laugh everyday, I smile more, I hug more, I love more, I live more.

Update!!

I'm starting to fit into most of my materity clothes- which is AWESOME!! My goal is to ba back down to my pre pregnancy weight by Valentine's Day. But who really knows anyway because I don't have a scale. Haha. Ali, Luke (the bestman from our wedding), Chris (a groomsman) and Kory are coming to stay with us this weekend! They finally get to meet Miss Anna!! I can't wait. The semester started back on Monday. I'm taking online classes. What the heck was I thinking? I signed up for an online Spanish Class. Holy cow. It's going to be WORK. I'm also taking a history class that I'm really excited about. I love History. :) I am planning to get my certification to teach Aerobic Classes on March 15th. I can't WAIT! Gyms have childcare so I can bring Anna to work with me- and get a nice workout!! Valentine's Day is coming up and Jim and I are getting PROFESSIONAL MASSAGES!! Wahoo! He's never had one before and I really want to take him. :) I suck at giving massages, so this gets me off the hook for awhile. Haha. Anna is growing so fast!! She's started laughing now!! She's only done it a few times, but it's adorable!!

Every Woman....

My Aunt sent me this..and I jsut love the rawness and total truth about it!

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
...one old love she can imagine going back to... and one who reminds
her how far she has come...
...enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her
own... even if she never wants to or needs to...
...something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams
wants
to see her in an hour...
...a youth she's content to leave behind...
...a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in
her
old age...
...the realization that she is actually going to have an old age and
some money set aside to fund it...
...a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...
...one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...
...a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her
family...
...eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a
meal that will make her guests feel honored...
...a resume that is not even slightest bit padded...
...a feeling of control over her destiny...
... a skin care regimen, an exercise routine, and a plan for dealing
with those few other facets of life that don't get better after 30...
... a solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying, relationship,
and all those other facets of life that do get better after 30...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
...how to fall in love without losing herself...
...how she feels about having kids...
...how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend
without ruining the friendship...
...when to try harder... and when to walk away...
...how to have a good time at a party she'd never choose to attend...
...how to ask for what she wants in a way that makes it most likely
she'll get it...
...that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her
hips, or the nature of her parents...
...that her childhood may not have been perfect... but its over...
...what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...
...how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...
...whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it
personally...
...where to go... be it to her best friend's kitchen table... or a
charming inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing...
...what she can and can't accomplish in a day... a month... and a
year...

Work Work Work

Well, I'm full on back to work, and school starts on the 14th. I'm loving and hating it all at once. I feel like Anna is sort of adjusting, but her schedule is all jacked up now. We're working on getting it back to normal. I'm hoping to move her into her own room in the next month....IF (and it's a big IF) she decides to sleep through the night. She's only waking up at about 5am or so, but it's not consistent and I just don't have the energy to run across the house right now. She's doing great though. I love love love being a parent. We have the coolest little girl. She smiles ALL the time now. It's great.

New Year.....

I'm hoping that this will have the same effect as writing down a to-do list..maybe the likelihood that I'll stick to these goals will improve :)

1. Be more open minded with food (ie, stop eating with my eyes) I always go off of the way something looks as to whether or not I'll eat it. I've realized that this is stupid, because fish with the skin on it tastes EXACTLY the same as fish with the skin off of it.

2. Lose this last 10 lbs of baby weight, get back into shape. I loved working out before I got pregnant. I miss it. I miss my cute clothes.

3. Be a great mom. You only get the chance to impact a life this much once. Noone will ever need me like my child does. I want to be knowledgable of her needs, but not over spoiling.

4. TAKE THIS ADVICE-----"If God delivers you from a messy relationship, friend or situation, why do you keep PULLING THEM BACK? Let it go!"
I don't think this needs explanation.

5. Be more "warm." The chicks at work said that I'm not "warm and inviting." Apparently people are afraid to hug me because I'm unapproachable and not necessarily a "huggie" type person. I think I got ruined in highschool when everyone would hug after every class. It's kind of creapy. But, nonetheless, I want people to feel comforted by my presence and not intimidated by it.

6. Be a better wife. Jim's a great guy. I forget that sometimes. I need to cut him more slack.

7. This should be the first one up there.. Get intuned with God. I know that "you only live once" BS is a contagious theory, but what about the bigger picture? I don't want to just believe in God, I want a growing relationship with him.

8. Forgive myself. I suck at this, have always sucked at this, and need to just do it all ready.

9. Get some investments going. Short term and long term. Because if
"you only live once" ---it might as well be in a nice place that you OWN.

10. Finish my degree! Seriously Janet...how long does it take to graduate college? I'm not going for a world record here!

I'm pretty sure I could fill up this page with a bunch of junk that I plan to change come 2008, because I do it every year...and unfortunately, they're usually the same resolutions. ***hangs head in shame***

New Year!!

Lizzie and LInda went home yesterday. It was so nice to see them! I miss them all ready. I forget how much I love it when Linda is in town. She has this relaxing vibe about her. I like it. And Lizzie LOVED her new baby sister! She wanted to help all the time and fed her and hold her. I think Anna liked it too. She would just stare at Lizzie and smile. I got some adorable pictures. We rung in the New Year like old folks :) We all were in bed by 10:30. Hahaha. I watched the ball drop on the news the next morning. And I don't feel the least bit bothered by it either! I needed the sleep. My Aunt Jackie, Uncle Ismael, and cousins Gabby and Annie came into town also and got to meet Anna for the first time. I had a great week.