oh summertime how I want thee to be here....NOW

WHY WHY WHY....did I have to have a girl? I guess so Jeremiah and I can go more into debt! ha ha! I can't wait for summer to be here. I love the warm weather. And the cute clothes....for Presley of course! I think I might go a little crazy with her summer wardrobe. It's kinda bad that I'm already looking! But we don't have many hand me down clothes from Kole in the size that Presley's going to be in in summer. So, that is good for my clothes obsession, and bad for my wallet! For now, I'll just look online and get the warm fuzzies knowing that in a short while Presley will be wearing these cute things!

Happy Valentine's Day!

from a beautiful girl!

So as you can see Presley got a sucker for Valentine's Day! Ha ha! Not really, we just took some pictures with it, then threw it away. And although I knew it would go into her mouth, I underestimated just how quick! I had to keep taking it away then giving it back in order to take a decent picture with the thing! She would lick it, then pull it out and smack her lips!!! She loved it!

Notice all of the sucker juice still left on her mouth?! And this was only letting
her have it for a minute! Imagine what the little vulture
would have done if she'd had it longer!

And last but not least...here is a video of Presley opening her gift from my parents.

playing catch up

So since I haven't blogged in almost a month (sorry!) I figured I better post at least once before it's time for Presley's 8 month old post!! Nothing special has been going on....just life in general. The days just seem to fly by, one right after another! I get so caught up with working, cleaning, cooking, laundry, Presley's schedule....I stop and think sometimes "Did I read her a book today/ play with her enough today/ does she know how much I love her even if I don't do those things perfectly each day?" I'm sure I put too much pressure on myself. BUT I know that time is flying by and I don't want to miss a second of her precious life. Especially not to monotonous doings. Anyway didn't mean to make that depressing turn! On to some cute pictures!

Presley blowing bubbles!!

Looking down at her shirt! (inherited from Kole!)

And this is my attempt to make her laugh!

Presley at Seven Months!

Only 5 more months before the big day....the day that Mommy cries and cries because her little baby becomes a toddler! Oh my goodness, Presley just gets more precious by the day, if that's even possible! She honestly astounds me day in and day out. =)

Presley is eating solid food twice a day now. She eats oatmeal and a fruit in the morning, usually around 10 am. Then eats oatmeal and a veggie for dinner around 6 pm. Sometimes I'll throw in a fruit then too, because Presley's not too keen on the greens and normally won't finish them! Of course Miss Priss has a sweet tooth like her Mommy and loves bananas, applesauce, pears, sweet potatoes and carrots. She'll tolerate green beans, but despises peas! Next up to try are mangoes, avocados, and peaches.

We are not crawling yet....but I'm ok with that! She stays in the general vicinity where I put her and I'm still liking that! Ha ha! She rolls over like a champ from her belly to her back and she will try to roll over from her back to her belly to reach a toy. But if it's too far, she says "forget that" and is quite content with whatever toy is closer to reach!! She got up on her knees once, for just a split second and I yelled "oh my gosh" to Jeremiah, and that scared her and she wouldn't do it again. And hasn't done it since! That's ok...I've learned to live life in Presley time and that she'll do everything when SHE wants too!

She navigates everything directly to her mouth. She has been pretty much doing that for a while, but now she can pick up her pacifier and plug up that mouth! Presley can blow great raspberries at you and she does the cutest thing where she scrunches up her face and blows through her nose! I'm sure you're thinking "that's cute?"! But I promise it is the funniest thing! I'm trying to catch it on camera, but she's like a deer in headlights when that thing comes out! She's also starting to blow out of her mouth like she's talking, so I'm sure babbling is next!

Presley has the greatest sense of humor and her laughter is just contagious. She and her Daddy laugh at each other constantly! It's so amazing to watch them together! I have the feeling that I'll be the disciplinarian!!

Being a goofy girl!

Here is a video I shot right after we took these pictures. It's from my camera and it's not that horrible of quality. So I think I'll shoot more from it!! ENJOY!

shots, speech and soap suds

Presley had her 6 month checkup, although really she was 6 months and 3 weeks! She weighed 15 lbs and 3 oz on their scales (which I think are a little different than the normal scale I have her weighed on). Anyway Dr. P said she looked great. She is doing all of the things that "normal" 6 mo olds are doing (rolling over, sitting up, putting everything in her mouth) AND some things that "normal" 6 mo olds are NOT doing (recognizing her name, having stranger anxiety)! Poor Presley had to get her regular 3 shots and the flu shot...bringing her total to being poked FOUR times! She did ok with them though.

We also had our last speech therapy appointment! Yay! We were discharged today! Presley is doing so much better than when we started. She completely cups her tongue around the bottle nipple and sucks properly! The therapist also watched me feed Presley some cereal and she ate like a pro. The therapist asked was I comfortable where we were at now with Presley's eating and I told her I couldn't be happier (well, except if she would nurse better, but that's a whole other set of issues!). So, I'm glad to be done with going there. I know Presley is too!

And on our way home we stopped by the car wash because my car looked like we live in a desert. Every time I brushed past it getting Presley in and out, black junk would rub off on my coat! Gross! Presley had fallen asleep on the way there and I was afraid she would wake up scared of all the strange noises going on. NOPE! She slept through the entire thing! I find it quite humorous....she sleeps through what sounds like the apocalypse at the car wash, but yet as soon as I put the garage up and very quietly open the door to get her out, her little eyes bounce open and she gives me a huge smile!

8 years ago today

my mommy and daddy met! Little did they know then that they would fall madly in love with each other, get married and then have ME! Here are some vintage pictures of them together.

2003

2005

2006 on the day Mommy & Daddy got married

2006 on their honeymoon

2007 on their one year anniversary trip to St. Lucia

Oatmeal is soooooo good! Even if it doesn't have butter and sugar in it! ;)

Presley started eating solid foods one day shy of her six month birthday. Here is her first bite of oatmeal!

Not sure what to really think about it!

Hmmm...I don't know about this stuff.

Let me see that blue thing you are holding.

Daddy's turn to feed me!

Yummy! I think I like it!

Happy New Year!

Can you believe that it is the year 2010 already? I thought we when we hit this year, we'd be living like the Jetson's with flying cars and such! :) I really wanted to do a year in review of pictures from 2009 for this post, but I can't find my flash drive that has all of my old photos on it. So, instead you get a cute picture of Presley and the promise that within the next few weeks I'll look for my drive and post them then!

We extended Christmas!

I was going to title this post "Santa came a day late". But I'm trying to be optimistic here, so it was changed. It just really hasn't felt like the joyous time of year it's supposed to be. Don't get me wrong...I know that Christmas is NOT about gifts, decorations and food. But it is about family and loving and togetherness. Not to mention the REAL reason for CHRISTmas....the birth of our Savior!

But even with me knowing all of that I can't help but be somewhat sad. My dad and brother were not able to be with us this Christmas and it felt like a huge empty void was there all day. Christmas Eve was my third night working, so I was exhausted on Christmas day and slept WAY too long....until 5 pm. I had wanted to get up earlier so I could help cook and get ready for everything. So since I slept too much, that pushed back eating and opening presents at my parents' house, THUS making it too late to come back home and do presents at our house and see what Santa left for Presley. Oh, not to mention that Presley was getting sick. She had a fever, was really fussy and wouldn't eat. I just felt like crying on Christmas night...so I did! I know that Presley won't remember any of this or even care....but I do and I just wanted it to be special.

So, Santa DID come a day late and drop of presents for Presley. We stayed dressed in PJ's to open our gifts, because that's what we would have done on Christmas. She loved all of her gifts, but the seahorse was her favorite. And she had a blast at bath time tonight with her new things!

Here is what Santa left for Presley

In case you can't see what it all is:
exersaucer, duck bath tub, bath toys, musical seahorse,
books, flower pacifier clip, and clothes.

Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone has had a great day! Here are a few pictures from my parent's house! The one of us all together is from a few weeks earlier when my dad was home and we opened presents with him. The last one makes me laugh because Presley got a bow stuck on her hand and she was waving it around! It was so cute! ;) I'll post more later!

Christmas Cutie!

Nothing like some cute Christmas pictures of Miss Presley! Enjoy! =)

Presley at Six Months!

Half a year old! Can you believe it? Before we know it, June will be here and Presley will be turning one. I'll admit it makes me a little sad, but we have had such a great time watching her grow. She has definitely got her own little personality now! A funny, warm, loving personality! I can't wait to see her as an adult....I know she's going to be a phenomenal woman!

It seems like so much has changed in the past month.....except for Presley rolling over. She just won't do it! At first I thought that maybe she wasn't spending enough time on her belly. So we changed that and still nothing. I took away the wedge that she slept on, thinking maybe that made her stay in one position too much and still nothing! We even try to roll her ourselves on a blanket and you guessed it.....STILL nothing! I think that she just has no interest in it yet! But, Presley does sit up great by herself, except when she gets excited and pushes back and topples over!

We started solid foods yesterday! Yay! (I'll make a whole separate post on this later!) And I'm looking for a good sippy cup to start giving her.

We also moved Presley to the crib for the first time TONIGHT! (Again, I'll post more later!) Keep your fingers crossed that it will go well and she'll last the whole night in her big bed! She was a really good sleeper at night in her bassinette and I hope that doesn't change now. She normally goes to sleep between 9 and 10 pm and sleeps until 8 am. But, don't get too jealous yet...Presley is a cat napper during the day. Which means that she only sleeps about 20 min at a time a few times a day. This equals Mommy not being able to get anything done during the day! Not fun! But that's the trade off - good sleeper at night OR good napper during the day!

Presley has started doing these new precious things in the past month. She will reach out for you when you try to pick her up. And she buries her head in your chest/neck when you do pick her up...it's like she is hugging you! It is so sweet! I will miss these sweet moments when they are gone.

And finally, here are some adorable pictures for your enjoyment!

Santa was just so exciting!

Presley was so excited to meet Santa Claus...can't you tell? Ha ha! She fell asleep right before we went up to see him and I was really surprised that she didn't wake up when I put her down. Maybe she felt like she was being laid down in some soft pillows! Who knows!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

WOW! There are less than 3 weeks left until Christmas! Yay! Presley is going to have such a great time...she already is! She helped me decorate the tree last night. She sat in awe in her bumbo seat at the multi-colored lights! She loved looking at the ornaments too. She slobbered ALL over the mitten one that she's holding! She was such a good little helper!

We went to the Christmas Parade tonight and boy was it FREEZING outside! Florida is not supposed to be this cold! I felt like we were out on an arctic tundra! (I don't even know what that is, but it sounds cold enough!) We got bundled up and tried to enjoy it despite the cold. Presley was the cutest little eskimo ever!

Gobble Gobble!

Poor Presley...her first Thanksgiving and she wasn't even allowed to join in the festivities. Although she got a taste of turkey and all the fixins in the womb last year, it's just not the same experiencing it first hand! ;) Next year, she'll be 17 months old and will definitely chow down on some of Daddy's fried turkey and Mommy's desserts!

We had a great day! Presley got to see her Granny and Grandaddy again...and boy did she enjoy that! She just smiled and smiled at them. Their isn't anything like great-grandparent lovin!!

I am so thankful to have a beautiful, healthy daughter and a sweet, loving husband. Not to mention the best parents anyone could ask for! And such an awesome extended family! I am so blessed! =)

Presley at Five Months!

No matter what we do, Miss just keeps growing and growing! Five months old....goodness where did the time go? Here's what Presley's been up to-

Presley is such a nosy rosy! When she's eating a bottle, you pretty much have to follow her around with the bottle because she is too busy looking around and checking out what everyone else is doing to eat. And if I'm trying to nurse her...forget about it! She's not even interested in eating whatsoever. Oh, she's such a mess! I have never, ever seen a child that is so social this early on. Just take a look at the other picture below of her in her chair....she's trying to see what's on the paper that is laying beside her!

She's still "talking" up a storm. She will pretty much have a conversation with you! You can start talking to her, then she'll talk, then you can say something else to her and she waits for you to finish then she starts up again. It is the cutest thing!

Presley has rolled over only a few times, since I made the big post about it. I know she can do it, she just doesn't want too! I think that she will be "tripoding" soon. That's where a baby is basically sitting up on their own, but they have their arms out in front to help support them. She can pretty much do it now...she's just still really wobbly! Presley also found her feet about 2 weeks ago! She LOVES sticking them to her mouth! There is a picture below of her eating her feet! LOL!

Little Miss has also started to be VERY unhappy with strangers. She cries and cries if someone she isn't around regularly tries to hold her. I thought that "stranger anxiety" didn't occur with babies until around 8 months, but boy was I wrong!

Her weight today was 13 lbs and 14 oz. She seems much heavier than that though! She normally drinks (if she's taking a bottle) 5 oz roughly every 3 hours. And at bedtime she takes her big bottle of 7-8 oz. All this food is starting to pay off...because Presley is not lacking in the fat rolls department!!

you know you have a wonderful child when...

even though they are sick with snot pouring out of their nose, they still give you a big smile!

That's right, Presley got her first cold. She woke up yesterday coughing and it progressed to sneezing and a runny nose. Her temp had been just like a low grade fever, but last night she was 101. Poor baby! She looks like she doesn't feel good at all, but she is pretty much still her happy self. She's only been slightly fussier than normal. We gave her some tylenol last night and propped her up in the bed to help her breathe better. She slept great! I hate seeing her like this, but hey, we went FIVE months without getting sick and that's pretty darn good!

I knew I wasn't crazy...

Forever ago, at our last Mommy & Me playgroup, I asked the lactation consultant if she thought Presley's frenulum was short. That's the little thing that attaches your tongue to the base of your mouth. You are considered tongue-tied if it's too short. Well, she looked at it and didn't think so, but she suggested asking Dr. P, our pediatrician for a consultation for a feeding evaluation from speech therapy at a local hospital. I really felt that something wasn't right about the way Presley STILL didn't latch well while nursing and you could just literally pull the bottle right out of her mouth. She had no grip on it whatsoever.

So me being the good mother that I am, I procrastinated and waited until Presley's 4 mo checkup to ask Dr. P about it. Instead of just calling her oh so long ago and asking for the consult. Anyway, Dr. P took a look at Presley's mouth and agreed that something was off about her sucking. She said Presley had good control of her tongue in the back, but didn't have any suction in the front of her tongue. So she decided to do the consult to see if there was anything they could do to help her get it together.

So, fast forward to Friday and we had our visit with the speech therapist. She watched Presley eat a bottle and suck on her paci. The therapist right off the bat said, "Yeah her sucking is really disorganized." THANK YOU PEOPLE! I've been telling you that something wasn't right with Presley's eating!! The therapist is going to be seeing Presley twice a week for therapy in order to help her sucking. We didn't set up a definite time because she needs to get a game plan together of what exercises she could do with Presley. I asked her if she thought that this would help Presley nurse better and she said "hopefully"!

I'll take hopefully! :)

I fell really bad that I didn't call Dr. P sooner to get the ball rolling. But, Presley's a HEALTHY girl, so it's not like she suffered from it!! And it's just the beginning of a long list of regrets I'll have as a parent...because I won't do everything right. You just do the best you can and hope for the best! Oh, and PRAY... a lot!