Going to have to change my blog name!

Looks like confessions of a stay at home mom will now have to be changed to a working mom ( well at least outside the home). I had applied for a lead teaching position at my college back in may, mainly bc it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I got the call this week that I had gotten the job, and I could not be more excited. It really just shows that God really is in control and knows what is best. I had been trying for awhile to get in a teaching program and it seemed like there was always something that ended up getting in my way and that it just wasn't in the cards, but now I realize that this was God's plan. I'm going to a job that shares in my philosophy on how children should be taught and it offers great benefits. If I could just bring my own kids to the center than it would be just perfect. So now I am in the process of just finding the perfect place to take my own little darlings. So keep us in your thoughts and prayers that we will find the best place, and then I can check off one more thing on my to-do list before I start my job in a few weeks!

Mother bear!

I have not always been a person that stood up for myself, some might even have called me a doormat. It amazes me how having children can bring out the mother bear in someone who use to not want to upset anyone. Why, may you ask such a change in my personality just because of my darling babies? Well, it is simple, I want my children to speak their mind, not be afraid to question society, and grow up strong and independent, and I knew I needed to be this model for them. I also realized that not only do I need to be their model, but also their advocate. My children are little, and need someone to stick up for them when they are being mistreated, so if you directly or indirectly mistreat or say something to upset this momma bear be prepared for the attack. For all you non parents out there who think you have all the answers about raising children, I'm here to inform you that you don't, not even close, and once you think you have stuff figured out your child throws a curve ball, and you were waiting for a fast pitch, catching you totally off guard and having to rethink your play book once again. So next time you are at a restaurant and you see a child not acting suitable in your eyes, stop and think before you open your big fat judgmental mouth. Maybe that child is hungry or tired and doesn't have good coping skills yet to deal with hhis emotions because he is little, and thrown out of his normal routine. You don't know what's going on, so don't assume that you do. Keep your mouth shut, or momma bear will get you, and she doesn't play nice, and will do whatever needs to be done to protect her young. News flash to for you non parents, if you choose one day to take the parenthood adventure, your children will not always behave perfectly. They will be loud, throw fits, and embarrass you, but hopefully someone will understand that sometimes kids act this way and don't judge you as a parent, or make you feel like your kid is a problem. When that day comes I hope you wise up and realize what a judgemental jerk you were, and apologize for trying to act like a child rearing know it all, but until then know that this momma bear will always protect her young, and I will come for you if you ever try to mess with my family again.

It has been awhile

It has been awhile since I have made a blog entry so I figured now was the time to catch everyone up on what's been going on. Well, after much thought we have decided to postpone our trip to Disney world and instead go to gulf shores. After thinking long and hard, Jeff and I decided Blake would probably be scared of most of the rides since he doesn't like the dark or loud noises. However, we are super excited about our trip to the beach. We are staying in a condo, which has many resort features. So there will be something for everyone. Next adalynn will be 9 months soon. My how the time has flown by. She is rolling everywhere and trying desperately to crawl. She has gotten 2 teeth and has let it be known that she is not happy about it. The last few weeks have been hard on everyone. She still wakes up at least twice a night which is starting to really get old. All in all though she is doing wonderful. Blake just finished up his therapy sessions for the summer! I'm really ready for the break because most weeks it was a battle to get him to go. He has made good progress with potty training, so maybe by kindergarden he won't be wearing a pull up,,haha. He is definitely my challenge, but he keeps me on my toes:) Well once we decided to go to gulf shores and I would be in a bathing suit, I got my butt into workout mode. I have my alarm set for 5:30 in the morning to work out but it usually ends up happening at 4:30 or 5 since this is usually the time adalynn gets me up. I am doing a 12 week postnatal boot camp, and I am on week 3 and have seen some progress. I'm thinking by week 12 I will look awesome:)I have also been trying to eat a little healthier and have made small changes here and there, but seem to really be adding up:) Well, that seems to sum up pretty much what has been going on since my last blog. Adalynn has her 9 month appointment at the end of the month so I will try to do a 9 month update on her:) everyone have a wonderful week.

Maybe Im meant to be a stay at home mom

I graduated college in December 2006 with a human environment and family science degree with a concentration in child development, it was always my plan from this I would get my teaching license for p-4,and teach little kids. Well the first time I attempted to do this I found out I was pregnant so I put it off and took classes that needed to be taken to enter the teaching program. So in 2010 I applied again and found out I was 3 hours short so I worked and took a class at night 4x a wk, and just as I finish my class I found out I was pregnant again and due in august. Well what school is going to hire someone who has to take off maternity leave right at the start of school, so I put it off again. So I finally got everything taken care of and was getting ready to apply again. I knew this time evrything was in order and taken care of to get in, well or so I thought. Today I got a letter saying I was missing 3 hrs of reading 2. I had taken 6 hrs of reading 1 and didn't have anything for reading two. Which got me thinking maybe I am just meant to be a stay at home mom! I mean it really is the best possible job around. I'm lucky I even have the option to work or stay at home. So I think this has been gods way of saying that he has something better for me in mind and i am just going to continue to pray that his plan is revealed to me in time.

My spirited child

Well as many of y'all know I have had some major challenges with my son. I have been stressed and feeling pretty hopeless on what to do with him, but thankfully that has all started to change. I have been reading a book called raising the spirited child, which I personally think it should be titled raising Blake because everything I read sounds just like him.

So basically this book teaches you how to deal with a spirited child and understand what is really going on inside their brain. I was so stressed thinking I was doing something wrong, but I now realize that this is Blakes temperament and instead of fighting it I need to learn to work with it.

So I'm trying some new skills with him and our power struggles have decreased and I'm not even done with the book yet. I have learned that my sweet child is overly sensitive to his surroundings and gets over stimulated easily so by helping him cope with stimulation before it overwhelms him has become my new mission. Eventually I hope he learns to recognize his own stimulation triggers and will be able to remove himself from the situation, but right now I am trying to help him handle his intensity.

I have to admit just knowing exactly what causes Blakes behavior has really taken a load off my shoulders because now that the issue is identified I can help him deal with it in a acceptable manner. I hope we continue to have success and that my relationship will continue to grow strong with him.

Have a wonderful night! :)

Making progress

Well I ripped the band aid off and made adalynn sleep in her crib, and she did great! She slept for 6 hours straight, which she hasn't done since I stopped using the miracle blanket. I fed her and she slept for another 2 hours. Around 3:30 am she was beginning to jabber and I knew it was only a matter of time before it turned into full blown screams so I took her to the living room to finish out the night in her swing. This is a huge step for her because usually I can only get her to sleep in her crib for a hour tops. So I am one proud momma right now.

So I am going to stick to the plan and really work on adalynn having a set routine with naps and bedtime, and I predict her sleeping issues will just get better and better.

Last night I had adalynn in her crib and asleep around 7:15, and this gave me some time to spend with Blake. I miss our one on one time so I am going to really enjoy when adalynn gets on a regular routine. Blake and I read stories and picked up his toys and snuggled before it was his bedtime at 8. So from 8 I had both kids in bed and I had some much needed me time! I am slowly starting to feel a little less overwhelmed, and just have to realize that my struggles I have with my kids will get better and I just need to be patient with them! So yea for progress!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Adalynn is 6 months old

Time has just flown by and my precious angel is six months old. I can't believe in only 6 short months she will be one!

Milestones reached

Rolling over
Babbling
Transferring object from one hand to another.

Emerging skills
Pushing up on arms
Sitting up without support

Things adalynn loves

Playmat
Exersaucer
Rice cereal
Chewing on her feet
Talking
Playing with her bubba (Blake)

Things adalynn doesn't like

Crib
Swing
Being without mommy
Sleeping
Shots

Adalynn had her 6 month check up on Friday she was nearly 14 lbs and was in the 10% for weight. She was still in the 50% for height and 75% for head circumference. So I have a small,average, big headed baby! :)

We have started to incorporate solids into her diet and she has taken to it like a champ. She grabs the spoon and shoves the food into her mouth. It is the cutest thing. I plan on feeding her baby foods twice a day and work up to 3x a day. Right now all we have tried is the rice cereal, but we will be starting vegetables next week I think.

We are still having sleep issues. She barely naps during the day and still wakes up every 3 or4 hours at night. I am trying a sleep method I used with Blake, and had a lot of success, but so far adalynn has proved to be more stubborn. I'm thinking this week I'm just going to rip off the band aid and force her into her crib. This was actually how I finally got Blake into his crib and out of his hammock. So wish me luck!

I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Disney world

Well if you are friends with me on Facebook then you already know that we are taking the kids to Disney world in June. I am so excited because this was something Jeff and I really wanted to do last year with Blake, but I was fat and pregnant and really just wasnt logical at the time. So my whole family is planning on going too so it will really be a fun experience. My parents took us kids to Disney world a lot growing up and I am hoping to share the same experience with my kids.
Now my concerns, I have never traveled in a plane with either one of my babies. I'm hoping if I can just keep a portable DVD player going on the flight Blake will probably be ok. Adalynn will be considered a lap baby so I'm hoping she will just nurse and fall asleep(wishful thinking). Blake doesnt sit still for very long, so I figure he will probably be more of my challenge than adalynn will. Anyone have any tips for making air travel go smoother with little ones?
I have read several helpful tips about saving money in the theme parks so I do think we are going to bring our own stroller, but now I need to find a good lightweight one that would be easy to travel with. I would like to find one that will recline so adalynn can sleep in it when she gets tired. Also did you know that all 4 Disney parks have baby care centers? You can buy baby necessities,nurse, rest, spoon feed, pretty much whatever you need to do for your little one can be done here. I can't tell you how excited I was when I found this out. Not a big fan of nursing in public and at least now I have a nice baby friendly spot to do it in. If anyone out there has any insight to make traveling with the little ones easier in the park too please feel free to share! :)

Some things I want Blake to get to do at the parks.

1 journey into imagination starring figment the dragon, one of my favorite rides as a child
2 anything toy story or cars since these are his favorite Disney movies.
3 the dumbo ride and anything with Mickey mouse
4 Peter pan and it's a small world because they are classic rides every kid needs to go on.
5 pirates of the carribean because again it is a classic must see.
6 just about everything in animal kingdom since he loves animals
7 I'm on the fence about the haunted mansion, but I liked it when I was his age so it is still up in the air.
Anyway there is so much I want to do with him, but probably wont get to do it all in this trip.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Transition

As many of you know adalynn has been sleeping in her carseat since the day we brought her home. Well I figured she is now old enough to sleep in her own crib and decided to start working with her to move from the carseat to the crib. Well let me tell you how well that is going (sarcastic tone).

Last night I started the crib process at 8pm, and I would rock her and get her to sleep and slowly and quietly move her to her crib. Then as soon as her back hit those sheets it was like an alarm went off with screaming, crying, and limbs flailing. So I would pick her up and start the whole process over again. This went on for about two hours when I finally gave up for the night and decided we would sleep in the living room, me on the couch and miss priss in the swing. This of course could not be easy either, and it took about an hour before she went to sleep in her swing.

So I finally get her to sleep and I finally got to sleep and then no less than a hour later she wakes up crying once again, so the whole process begins again and it continues to go on like this every hour until about six in the morning. Finally at six my husband gets ready for work and we move back to the bed where adalynn sleeps from 6 to 9:30. However, Blake doesn't sleep that long so I got to sleep until 8:30 and then Blake let's me know he is ready to get up.

So now on to today I decided to make adalynn sleep in the crib for naps, and it didn't go any better today, so she slept a totally of 30 mins in her crib and that was it for the entire day, so my only hope is that she will be so tired that she won't have the energy to be up all night tonight. I am going to try to be strong though and keep insisting that she sleep iher crib during the day and hopefully that will lead to sleeping in the crib at night. Anyone have any suggestions to get a baby to sleep in a crib or sleeping through the night? I'm afraid if I don't get more sleep soon I might just lose my mind :)

Have a peaceful night everyone!

Websites I love

Hello everyone I wanted to do a post over a few websites that I have done business with lately and absolutely love.

The first website is shelby's sassy bows www.shelbyssassybows.com
I have bought several bows from Shelby and they are absolutely adorable. Each bow is custom made just the way you like it. So go check out shelby's sassy bows, you will be glad that you did.

The next website is eggo in the oven www.eggointheoven.com
I have recently purchase a cute valentine's day onesie for adalynn. It is also custom made and I believe Kim (owner) can do just about anything you want. She features shirts, dresses, onesies, blankets, pants, and vests. She does other products too this is just to name a few. Right now she is making adalynn a new York Yankee romper to match adalynn's ny Yankee bow from shelby's sassy bows. So if you want some super cute clothes for your kids, take a stroll over to eggo in the oven.

The next website some of y'all might o f heard of but it is the honest company www.honest.com
This is an Eco friendly website designed to produced healthy products for your little ones. They have super cute diapers that are free of harmful chemicals, and are affordable. You can sign up for a membership and have diapers and products delivered straight to your home. The best options if you just can't bring yourself to do cloth diapers. So go check them out and give them a try.

These 3 websites are great and based on my opinion only no company has given me money to endorse them, happy shopping!

It's time for tag

So I was reading my friend whitney's blog and she and some of her fellow bloggers were involved in a game of tag to get to know each other a little better, so the rules are I tell you 11 interesting facts about myself and then I answer questions Whitney has given me to answer so here it goes.

1. I am totally addicted to my iPad, I got it for Christmas and I literally can't put it down. I love how I can surf the Internet while I'm feeding adalynn or whatever other mommy job I am doing.

2. I love to dance, and that is probably one of the only things I miss about high school since I was on the drill team then. I do occasionally do zumba on my wii and that is pretty fun.

3. I tell Jeff to go get Blake all these kid movies (lion king, cars2,ect) not just because I think Blake will enjoy them, but because I really want to see them too, I'm just a big kid at heart :)

4. I get lost while using a gps and I even screw up place and bake cookies, but hey that is just me and I have learned to just laugh at myself.

5. I have learned to function on very little sleep. Since miss priss still does not sleep through the night I have learned that 3 hours of sleep can get me through my day.

6. I miss being able to go to dinner without having to worry about bringing my whole house with me ( toys, diapers, wipes, ect).

7. I hate being so far away from my family. I miss them and don't get to see them nearly enough.

8. I am a saver, and hate spending money on myself, but when it comes to my family I have no problem spending money on them (especially adalynn there is just too many cute girl things out there)

9. I eat chocolate on a daily basis, I know I shouldn't, but I just can't help myself :)

10. Listening to Blake tell me stories about dragons, trains, cars, ect makes me smile. He is so creative and it just amazes me what he comes up with.

11. I have discovered that early in the morning is the best time for my "me" time, explains why I'm writing a blog at 2:30 am

Now to answer whitney's questions

1.why did I start my personal blog?

I started my blog basically to give me time to do something just for me. Even though I blog mostly about my kids, it allows me to vent,seek advice, share accomplishments, and hopefully make other moms know they aren't alone.

2. What is one thing my blog followers would be surprised to know about me?

That's a good question, hmm I guess it would be that no matter how hard I try to be a good mom I still feel like I fall short. I can get very impatient with my kids and I find myself yelling more, and I don't like that. I know no one is perfect, but I wish I wouldn't lose my patience so easily. Something I definitely need to work on.

3. If my life was a sitcom which one would it be and why?

I would have to say modern family because I feel like my family life is very chaotic at times, but in the end we all love each other and usually get a big laugh at whatever crazy situation we are in.

4. If I won the lottery, what would I do with the winnings?

Jeff and I actually talk about this quite often, if we won we would pay off our house, put our kids through college, and then probably travel a lot, we both have places overseas we would like to visit some day.

5. If I was a superhero what would my superpower be?

The ability to clone myself that way I could sleep, play with my kids, and get house chores done...that would be a sweet set up there :)

6. If I could sit down with anyone alive or dead for dinner who would it be?

I would say being able to sit one on one with Jesus would be pretty sweet. It would be nice just to be able to talk with him and hear what he has to say about everything.

7. What do I like most about myself?

I would have to say my generous nature, even when I was little I never liked to see people hurting and was always willing to give what I could to people.

8. What is my biggest weakness?

My biggest weakness I would say is being a procrastinator. I put things off all the time, and if I would just do it then things wouldnt pile up causing a big chore to be done.

9. What is my favorite quote?

I know it is a simple quote, but I try to live by treat people the way you want to be treated. I am constantly asking Blake " would you like it, if I did such and such to you?". If you wouldn't want it done to you, then you shouldn't do it to others simple as that.

10. In ten years where do I see myself?
In ten years I will be 37, so hopefully by then I will be working as an elementary teacher, and maybe being able to purchase a bigger house.

Well I hope everyone had fun getting to learn a little bit more about me and have a great week.

Updates

Well, it has been awhile since I did a blog post so I figured I would try to do some updates.

Adalynn,

Adalynn is doing very well. We had her four month appointment on the fourth of this month and she was 13lbs and 24.5 in. She is rolling over from back to belly, but screams and cries when she gets on her belly since she hates tummy time. She is still sleeping in her carseat in the pack n play, but I plan on really working with her on this in the next month. She is in the happy squealing right now, and sometimes squeals so much she makes herself cough. She is only sleeping about three hours in between feedings at night, so I'm hoping maybe next month when we start some solids she will sleep longer,,,fingers crossed.

Blake

Blake has made a lot of progress with his potty training, I can say for the most part he is pee pee trained, but having some issues with number two. Blake is doing really well with his therapy sessions. I think(hope) by the time he enters school he will be where he needs to be.
He has made so much progress in the short amount of time he has been with his therapist so I feel like another year he will be just fine.

On a different note of complete randomness I am losing my hair like crazy, it happened after I gave birth to Blake too, so it isn't too surprising, but it is a good thing my hair is thick or I might be bold. Well anyway adalynn is screaming so I better cut this blog short,

Have a nice night

Christmas celebration

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Adalynn got some leap frog toys from us and a moby wrap from my parents and some clothes and a few toys from Jeff's parents Blake got a lot of cars gear and a new bike from us, a play tent with tunnel from my parents and toys from Jeff's parents. I believe Blake had a really nice Christmas and adalynn didn't even know it was any different day.

Now for the sad news, shortly after Christmas we loss my grandma. She was 91 years old and lived a wonderful life. She went rather quickly, and was united once again with my papaw who died in august of 2010. They had such a strong loving bond that I know there was joyous a reunion up in heaven when my mamaw arrived. I model their loving marriage for my own and I hope that Jeff and I could share just as many wonderful years together as my grandparents got too. We will be laying her body to rest tomorrow. Good bye mamaw I hope you and papaw are having a wonderful time up in heaven. We will all miss you.

I hope everyone has a good year in 2012!