thoughts of a worried mom

worried doesn't seem to sum it up :

fear?  maybe.  scared? could be.

for now, let's stick to... just unsure.

no pics for this post, sorry.  this is about me : my never ending, mind wandering worries about our little girl.  we are 10.5 months old.  we are a very, very happy baby : aside from those darn teeth!  we have two full bottoms, half of one on top and there seems to be two more trying to break through... poor baby girl but we're making it through.

I know my worry comes from comparing... as much as I tell myself I need to stop, it's just not working.  especially since we now belong to the Little Gym.  we do love it!  we are in the 10-19 month group - otherwise known as little birdies.  here's my hang-up... we are the youngest in the class : by at least 3 months.  so... all other little ones are crawling like champs, walking around like there's no tomorrow... and here we are doing everything we can to get her to put one foot in front of the other.  I know joining is the best thing we can do - it gets her around other little ones and allows her to see how the 'big' kids play and act.  

we started crawling about a month ago... I use that term loosely cause crawling to us is army crawling!  I mean, she gets down and goes for it.  she will stop herself, arch her back to get up on all fours but can't quite seem to figure out that if she stays on her hands an knees and just puts one hand in front of the other she would get there a lot faster :)  so of course, I'm happy she's getting around other than rolling everywhere (although she got pretty darn fast at rolling!) but it begs the question of... am I doing everything I need to for her development?

being a stahm is a dream come true - i enjoy seeing her grow each and every day.  her hand coordination is beyond perfect - she feeds herself, drinks from her sippy cup by herself (she still won't hold her bottle unless I make her... guess that's mommy and me time and our cuddle time so I'll take that!)  so worried about that stuff, not at all.  she talks in her own language - she does say dadada (not sure if she knows what that means) and I'm always saying 'mama' and she just looks at me and gives me that cute little smile.  

standing:  she's gotten good at it.  she can't pull herself up to a standing position, she's not holding on to furniture and moving around it... I want so badly to hold her hands and try to get her to walk but I can't : she's got nurses elbow and if you pull her arms up by her hands, the muscle moves over her bone and it's extremely painful... we've been to the docs 3x for it and they finally taught me how to put the muscle back in place.  

so here I am - worried about my little ones development.  I'm sure all moms get worried.  we've seen a lot of 10.5 month old that are walking (with support) and I ask myself 'what am I doing wrong?'  then, of course, they say their little one goes to daycare and a light bulb went off... do babies learn quicker when going to daycare due to they are around other babies and learn from each other?  we can all answer that question.  should i put her in daycare...  should i be doing more for her... when i already know that the correct answer is to STOP dwelling and enjoy each and every day with her!  dray tells me to stop stressing over it and the doc isn't worried at all and tells me that a) crawling isn't a milestone even though parents expect their children to crawl and b) she'll walk when she's good and ready.  even with the support of the doc and my wonderful hubby - i still can't help but worry.

as I'm writing this i think... i should be writing about all the wonderful things and how much joy she's brought to my life... she has and i am very blessed to have a wonderful, happy baby.

like all moms i just want the best for her... am i overreacting?  with all this going through my mind... i am now going to go get my little one up and enjoy each and every second with her... dear worries, please go away.

DOC Band journey ends... Easter... and...

I am happy to say that our DOC Band journey has come to an end.

it's been a long (almost) three months - she's been a trouper and

actually - she sometimes will touch the top of her head like she's missing something!

we are ecstatic with the results!  I tried to post the before and after pics from our

consult but it's not letting me... so... you'll just have to take my word for it :)

just one journey of many more to come I'm sure!!!

Easter...

we had a great day full of family and friends.

I have fond memories of going to my grandparents house in OK

for Easter when I was little.  I truly wanted to take her to OK for her first

Easter but we just couldn't make it this year - but next year she'll be old enough

to actually go on an Easter Egg hunt so... we can't wait!!!

here are a few of my memories... please hold your laughter :)

and can't forget the year my grandmother got us chicks for Easter...

(just so you know - I also have memories of my grandmother ringing their

necks when they got bigger and... having fried chicken one night for dinner!)

with our sweet Dorothy!  it's pretty scary - looking at me in this pic and looking

at Bryn from the side... wow!!

and these are well - just pics... don't think they were for Easter but c'mon,

who doesn't love an Olan Mills pic!!

enough of memory lane :)

now on to Easter 2012...

we missed nana and grandpa but we get to see them in a few weeks - YEA!!!

and... in just a few short months our little munchkin will be... ONE!!!

where does the time go????

  

9 months

feels like it was just yesterday we had these pics taken

can't believe our baby girl is 9 months old!

the past 9 months have been the greatest 9 months of our lives.

believe me when I say it hasn't been all roses... i'm not gonna lie, motherhood is

absolutely the hardest job out there... most rewarding... but hard!  over the past months

i've done what every new mom does - worry, laugh, pray, compare, cry, scream... 

but most of all... love.

we had our 9 month well checkup today.

weight - 20lbs 5.5oz - 76 percentile

height - 27.75" - 57 percentile

head - 17.6" - 71 percentile

we weren't scheduled for any shots today - but - we had to get our third

hep B immunization.  she's cried before while getting the shots but now that she's

older - the crying was much worse - brief - but worse!  those big crocodile tears running

down her face made my heart break!  maybe daddy can take her next time - please!!?!!

we are still on our 4 hour schedule:
7am - wake, 7oz bottle
9am - nap
11am - wake, fruits, cheerios and 5 oz bottle
1pm - nap
3pm - wake, 7oz bottle
4:30-5pm - nap
5:30-6pm - wake, meats, veggies and fruit juice
bath time - 6:30ish
7-7:15ish - 7oz bottle and bedtime
there are days when we don't get that last evening nap - she's starting to stay up longer and longer and am thinking about changing the schedule soon.
as for food - I plan on starting adding some 'real' food in at meal times.  so far it's only been baby food.  we have tried bananas and frozen peas... I'm not sure why i'm so hesitant to start real solids... maybe because she's still on her hypo-allergenic formula and I'm just scared she may have a reaction to something.. but... guess we gotta go for it and see!


she loves her jumper and play time.
she's not crawling yet... I asked the doc about that because yes, I was a little worried - but she said that's fine and she's got her own way of getting around right now (rolling).  she did let me know that crawling isn't a milestone for a baby - even though we all expect them to do it - but she'll either do it when she's ready and feels the need or... she'll just start getting up and walking.
in all honesty... even though i was a little worried about the lack of crawling at 9 months... i'm selfishly ok with it for now cause I know that once she starts crawling she'll be everywhere and into everything!!


she's a healthy, well-rounded, happy baby and that's all we could ask for!!
I can't believe it will be one year in just 3 months... wow... for all those people who told us to cherish every moment cause it goes by so fast - you weren't lying!

my dear brynleigh...
you love to laugh.
you love to talk/scream... dadadada (we're working on mama :) ).
you love to hug and cuddle and it melts mommies heart everytime you do!
you can clap now and love to do so after you get that cheerio in your mouth.
you can waive hi and bye.
you love, love, love to roll!!  you roll around on the floor to get to where you want to go
and giggle all the way through.
you have started cracking up at peek-a-boo.
you giggle when you see yourself in the mirror.
you love your bath time.
you have 2 full bottom teeth and we expect your top teeth any day now.
you love your fruits and veggies... but cheerios are by far your fav.
you love mickey mouse playhouse and dance when it comes on.
your starting to really enjoy reading time... you like to turn the pages.
you love to make mommy and daddy laugh and yes, you still light up when 
daddy enters the room.
you love your nana and grandpa
you love your pooh bear daddy bought you
you keep my heart full each and every day and I love you with all my heart.

so much...

long overdue - we are now residents of spring, tx.
so far, it's everything we thought it would be.  I will say...
it's going to take me some time to get use to the weather... again!
growing up in louisiana... hot, humid, mosquitos... living in spring...
hot, humid, mosquitos.  i'm sure i'll adapt quickly!


whew - packing, moving, unpacking... getting this house into a home.
we still have quite a bit of work to do... but it's coming along.  funny thing - 
the one thing that's taking me a while to get use to is the tile!!  we put in new
carpet and are expecting to put in wood floors...eventually... so until then - tile
it is!  thanks mom for the house shoes for xmas... they are coming in VERY handy!!


baby girl is adapting.  she has a newfound love of the outdoors!  in the evenings,
we go sit on the patio... her in her jumper, me relaxing and daddy trimming the trees.
she loves watching the fish eat... daddy work... mommy relax... and all the squirrels 
and birds running around.  of course, living in the 'country' comes with new experiences.
like walking out on the patio in the morning to feed the fish and run into a snake!!  of course,
it was a baby snake... but, wouldn't that mean a 'mommy' snake is not too far behind?
I did what any wife would do - ran into the bedroom to get hubby out of bed (wasn't
too happy!) but go figure... by the time he got out there it was gone.  so of course,
every time I walk outside I tip toe and look around like a hawk to make sure there
are no slithery little creatures!  good times!

let me start with saying we LOVED our visit from aunt mandy!!  she was so helpful!
I, on the other hand, wasn't so much!  I was so exhausted and took a nap and missed
spending some time with her... but, I have promised that next time she comes I will
have a fun day played for us!

we are also excited about Easter and going to get our pic taking in

the blue bonnets with our cousin caleb!!  can't wait to share those pics!

now for the house... as mentioned, lots of work to still do... here are a few

'unfinished' pics... :)

update... the office is now the playroom with the ABC flooring.  here's the issue

with that... momma made the mistake of playing with her on the carpet and now

she loves rolling around on the carpet!!

and there ya have it.  nothing too exciting but we're doing well!  I can't believe I'm

saying this... 2 days... 9 months old!!!  post coming soon all about Miss B!!!!!

moving, painting and... B12

what a week!

to start... went to the doc a few weeks ago for major joint pain in my arms... they took blood, ran some tests and come to find out... I have arthritis and am in dire need of B12.

learned something new - B12 range is 200-1200 and doctors don't like to see anything below 400.  well, mine was at 228 so B12 shots for the next 6 months.  oh, and did I mention, you get the option to give them to yourself?!?  first shot, no thank you!  today was my second shot and as I sat there with needle in hand and the nurse giving me words of encouragement... hesitation and then wham - I stuck myself in the arm!  since I don't have a doc in Houston yet we thought it was best for me to give them to myself - I'm sure I'll be a pro in no time!!!

arthritis is another story - gotta go see a rheumatologist before I leave town... wow, so much to do!!

moving and painting... we loaded up the largest uhaul truck we could get last thursday with the help of Dray's dad and my mom and dad... and we were off to Houston late thursday to sign on the new house Friday morning.  we are officially new home owners in spring, tx!  friday was spent unloading the uhaul and making multiple trips to home depot for paint.  saturday morning began our painting journey.  after painting 3 bedrooms that was enough for me!!  

master bedroom before and after paint...

nursery before and after paint...

yea - we decided to change everything and go w/ purple/lavender color!!

the other bedroom we painted a deep tan(ish) color and the last bedroom we left as is due to we already loved the paint and... it's a suede faux finish which we thought would be too hard to paint over!!!

I've already instructed the hubby that when it comes to painting the rest of the house... oh, we WILL hire painters!!!  :)

here are just a few pics I took right after closing...

kitchen, family room and study

outdoor patio w/ coy pond

and now... the infamous 'shop'...

and there ya have it!  can't wait to get everything in order and make this a home!!!  we got a long ways to go!!

now my little girl...

this past weekend was the FIRST time I've been away from her for more than a few hours.  not gonna lie - it was hard - but I knew she was in great hands!!  thank you nana and g'pa for taking care of miss B over the weekend!!  I know she had a great time!!

I tried to download a few of the pics nana sent me while we were away... but for whatever reason it wouldn't let me save and share :(  so here's a pic of grandpa taking a pic of bryn the night before we started packing up...

she is getting so big!!  her bottom teeth are almost fully in and I think she's starting to get her top teeth!  nope, not crawling yet... she's got the skills but just no desire right now.  she's starting to wave - we'll wave hi and bye and she moves her little hand... it's so cute!  we are about 5 weeks into the band and the changes are wonderful!!  she's just a growing every day... we're thinking about getting her a 'walker' so she can 'run' all over the house but haven't really found one we like!  I have a feeling she'll start doing everything all at once... guess we better invest in some baby proofing soon!!!

here's to moving, painting and YEA for B12!!!!

I'll be sure to post updated pics once we get everything settled... I just hope it's before her first birthday!!!!!  I'll leave you with one of my fav pics...