11 Months

11*15*11

Where oh where has this year gone? It is so hard to believe that in about 2 weeks I will have a one year old. How did that happen? It seems like just yesterday I was carrying you and feeling you kick around in my belly. I feel so blessed for being given this wonderful gift. I love you so much, I never understood how much I could love someone until I had you. I am going to cherish these next couple weeks where you are still my little baby. 

This month:

*You weigh between 20-21lbs.

*You have four bottles a day and eat three meals.

*You are in a size 2 disposable diaper.

*You wear size 6 month or 9 month clothes.

*You go to bed around 8:00 and sleep until 8:30 or 9:00.

*You take 2 naps a day that range from 1-2 hours.

You are quite the talker. You don't really say many words, but that doesn't keep you from trying!

You make this crazy noise where you move your tongue really fast. I'm jealous because both you and daddy can do it and I can't.

We celebrated your first Thanksgiving and you loved all the food. You've always been quite the foodie. You love mac and cheese. I think it's your favorite!

There was a toy airplane flying around and you weren't so sure about it. You stayed close to dad but kept your eye on it.

We decorated cookies and spent some time with your cousins. You three girls are going to BFF. I can't wait to watch you grow and play together.

You are full on WALKING!!!! I can't believe it! Sometimes you try to run when you get really excited.

I love it. I thought I would have a few more months before I had to worry about this but you are so busy and always on the go. You get into everything! I can't turn my back for one second!

I am so excited to see the changes this next month brings. You are such a sweet little girl and we love you more than we could have ever imagined. I am so grateful that I get to spend every day with you and wouldn't trade it for the world.

Better Than A Flu Shot

Miss Beatrice, the church organist, was in her eighties and had never been married. She was admired for her sweetness and kindness to all.

One afternoon the pastor came to call on her and she showed him into her quaint sitting room. She invited him to have a seat while she prepared tea.

As he sat facing her old Hammond organ, the young minister noticed a cut glass bowl sitting on top of it. The bowl was filled with water, and in the water floated, of all things, a condom!

When she returned with tea and scones, they began to chat. The pastor tried to stifle his curiosity about the bowl of water and its strange floater, but soon it got the better of him and he could no longer resist.

'Miss Beatrice', he said, 'I wonder if you would tell me about this,’ pointing to the bowl.

'Oh, yes,' she replied, 'Isn't it wonderful? I was walking through the park a few months ago and I found this little package on the ground. The directions said to place it on the organ, keep it wet and that it would prevent the spread of disease.
Do you know I haven't had the flu all winter!’
************************************************************************************

It's funny, but this is probably just as effective as actually getting the flu shot.

I had to share!

I Will Carry You

Today has been a hard day.

Fall has been really hard this year.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days when I didn't have real worries, and nothing bad ever happened.

There are so many things that I seriously don't understand.

I know that it's not for me to understand, but that doesn't make it any easier.

I especially don't understand why bad things happen to good people.

I know that everything happens for a reason.

Sometimes to teach us a lesson

Or to help us to remember how blessed we are

But why does it have to happen to people I know.

I remember when I was younger thinking how awesome it was going to be when I was pregnant.

And how amazing pregnancy is and how beautiful pregnant women are.

And then I got pregnant and was so terrified that something bad would happen.

And then I had Ellie and was still terrified something would happen.

I've realized that she is God's child and He will take care of her.

I can't spend my life paralyzed by fear that something is going to happen.

I have to trust Him.

I feel like so much has happened this year that really makes me realizes how blessed I am.

I am so grateful for what God has trusted me with.

But I am also heartbroken for those that have experienced loss.

Heart

Broken.

I just wish that there was something that I could do to take all the hurt away.

My heart hurts.

Matthew 11:25-30Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Isaiah 40:18-31Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Please continue to pray for Abbey and her husband.

Say Yes To The Dress

I feel like my posts for the next month will be littered with my emotional self talking about how Ellie is going to be a year next month. Be prepared for my sappiness.

Saturday I went wedding dress shopping with my soul sister.

I am so frickin excited to say she found THE dress.

Not the dress.

THE dress.

It is amazing. It's perfect!

She is gonna look gorgeous on her wedding day!

I am so excited!

Now I have to find something else to do on Saturdays.

Her and her man came over later that night for some honey crisp apple crisp and play some games.

Per the usual we had so much fun!

Mad Gab can get pretty intense!

Ok here is the sap

I really can't believe that in ONE month my baby will be ONE.

How did that happen?

Really, how?

Didn't I just bring a sweet squishy baby home from the hospital?

In just 11 short months

how can this

grow into this?

It's amazing.

When I say I miss my little baby everyone just says it's time to have another one. But it won't be the same. It won't be Ellie. I won't be able to spend the one on one time with them like I did with Ellie. And it won't be just Ellie and I. I would have another baby to focus on..and a toddler to chase around. I just know that I will never get these moments back. She will never again be as little as she was today. You just never know when the "last time" of something will be. The last time they fall asleep on your chest. The last time you get to snuggle up next to them and take a nap. The last time you will nurse them. The last time they they will have that newborn smell. It blows my mind how fast time goes. I feel like I'm going to blink and she will be in high school. And that terrifies me!

But I am SO looking forward to everything that is to come.

It amazes me just how much I love this little girl.

All you mommas out there:

Did you have a hard time when your little one turned 1?

What I'm Thinking Wednesday

Or Thursday?? Seeing as how I got kicked off the computer so someone could play Call Of Duty last night.

So many people are freaking out about the Duggars announcement that they are expecting another child.

Get over it.

How many kids someone does or doesn't have isn't anyone's business.

They obviously know the risks of another pregnancy and it's their decision to have another.

I am so glad that there is a family on TV glorifying God and being a good example.

My prayer is that I can be a soft-spoken, tender-hearted, God fearing woman just like Michelle Duggar.

She is so sweet.

So back off and go back to worrying about Occupy Wall Street.

I can't believe that there is a little over a month until my little Elliebelle is 1. I have so much to do for her party and I can't stop procrastinating. I think it is because I don't want to believe how big she's getting.

If we don't celebrate her birthday she will stay my little baby forever right?

I can't wait for Black Friday. Target opens at midnight and my and my sisters are going to run that place.

I just need the dang ADs to come out so that I can map out my attack.

I am shocked that we haven't had any snow yet, but that's all supposed to change with today's forecast. Thank God for garages and automatic car starters. I hate driving in the snow. Gives me an anxiety attack. I almost had to sleep in my car one night because I had a panic attack and couldn't make it up this hill...I was less than a mile from my house. I will bail on plans with you in a millisecond if I see flakes of that white crap. Don't take it personal.

Where Did The Weekend Go?

 

It's Monday?
Again?
Already?
What the crap.

I went to a Bridal Show with my BFF Andrea yesterday, and the first thing we saw as we rolled into town was a lady squatting against a building taking a shat on the sidewalk right on the main street.

Welcome to Dearborn.

It's always an adventure.

We got our family pictures this weekend. Thankfully there were no tears from Elliebelle, and no hysterics over having to wear shoes.
WIN
My brother and my niece and nephew were in town this weekend so Saturday we went to my mom's house to hang out with him and my other brother and his fam.

As soon as we got there my mom took off for the grocery store, the boys went to play in the garage and left me with the little munchkins.

It all happened so fast. There were tons of people and then suddenly I was standing alone in the kitchen with a 2 year old and a 4 year old and was responsible for their entertainment and keeping them in one piece.

But that's ok because I love those little squirts so much.

I did get worried that my mom actually followed thru with her threat of running away when she was gone for over an hour. The store is 3 miles away and she went for apples, I thought for sure she wasn't coming back. She did spend 1.5 hours at Phineas and Ferb's magic show that afternoon so I guess she deserved some alone time!

She made up for it by making apple dumplings.

We were there until almost midnight playing Phase 10.

I hate Phase 10.

The game took over 3 hours.

Shoot me.

And because it was daylight savings everyone kept saying "Oh it's still early."

Midnight is not early!

At least we got an extra hour of sleep that night. Cause this momma is CRAN-KAY when I don't get ma sleep.

Now E is in bed and it's time to catch up on some Gossip Girl.

Yes, that's right. I said Gossip Girl.

I love me some Blake Lively and Penn Badgley.

Check out this post by Raven.

Super good and informational.

But be warned: It will change the way you think about food and what you eat.

And she is hilarious.

 

Sometimes I'm An Idiot

I went grocery shopping today.

And I'm pretty sure I left my brain at home.

I went to Aldi's, Kroger, then Meijer.

While I was checking out at Meijer I looked in my purse for my wallet and it wasn't there.

I peed my pants.

And had a heart attack.

On top of it all I was mortified because I was trying to buy a 6 pack and it looked like I was underage saying

"Oh, I can't find my wallet..."

I'm pretty sure the cashier didn't believe me.

via

Thank God I had put my debit card in my pocket at Aldi's so I could at least pay for my cart full of groceries.

That would have been embarrassing if I had to say "ha, never mind...can you put all this back?!"

I knew the last time I had my wallet was at Kroger because I looked in it for my Kroger card.

Which the hubs was hoarding at home.

So as I am frantically calmly walking out of the store I am praying to God that it just fell out onto my passenger seat.

Until I got outside and realized I had left my window down the entire hour I was in Meijer.

I really started panicking.

Thankfully nothing was missing from my car...unless I actually had left my wallet in there.

I threw my groceries in the back and called Kroger and of course no one had turned in a wallet.

I left my info with Meijer in case I left it there, called Mike and told him how dumb I am and then headed to Kroger PRAYING I would find it.

I had my birthday money in my wallet.

All $20 of it!!!

So of course I was panicking.

Actually I just wanted my license because I don't want to have to retake my picture for a new one.

BLECH.

I squealed in to the Kroger parking lot checking under cars and avoiding awkward glances,

checked the toothpaste aisle where I had spent my time hunting for free toothpaste, checked with customer service one more time and then decided I was screwed and headed out to leave.

On a whim I checked the stack of baskets on the way out the door.

Lo' and behold

there was my trusty burgundy wallet sitting in the top basket

all alone.

And everything was still inside.

Jesus loves me.

There's no other explanation as to how I found my wallet and NOTHING was missing.

This isn't the first time I've done something like that.

I've left my entire purse in a dressing room

Left my purse in the grocery store parking lot

Folded my wallet up in the stroller and had a panic attack the next day

clearly I have a problem

But I'm blonde so I get a pass right??

via

....

I've decided I don't want to do the grocery shopping anymore.

Our little fairy

Trick or Treating only goes from 6:00-7:00 in our town.

I remember going for HOURS when I was a kid.

I would come home with enough candy to last until Easter.

Last night we sat outside for about 45 minutes and passed out candy to the few little kids that came by.

And the not so little teens and adults that were trick or treating.

It was pretty frickin cold so we didn't last the whole hour.

I got Ellie's costume like 2 weeks ago. I wasn't even sure if I was going to get her anything since Mike was going to be at work and it was just going to be me and her home alone. But since it was her first Halloween I couldn't not dress her up in something adorable. Since I waited until the last minute there wasn't much of a selection left but I did save $30 off the asking price!!!

So she is a little fairy princess (???)

And I think she looked adorable anyways.

Maybe next year we will go all out and I will come up with an awesome original idea.

We came inside to warm up our little fairy before a bath and bedtime.

No she didn't eat any of the candy.

Yes I am that mean mom that doesn't let my 10.5 month old eat sweets.

I have some crazy idea that I want her to develop good eating habits from the get go and I don't want to feed her a ton of sweets and sugar.

Insane right?

After we put the little munchkin to bed we watched Captain America and munched on our leftover candy.

It was actually a pretty good movie.

I wanted to watch a scary movie-not TOO scary- but the stupid movie store didn't have The Uninvited.

But I will still be renting it as soon as the slackers that have had it for over a week turn it in.

Happy Halloween!!!