Meet Santa

Carly is a lot like me when it comes to strangers - she doesn't know one.

Don't get me wrong, "stranger anxiety" is full blown - for about 5 seconds - then she's over it and happy as can be.

Last week we got to meet Santa, it was less than stellar but no tears were shed so that is pretty good by me.

Also, we let  Maggie in for a little while, she and Carly played nicely. First they shared some breakfast.

Then Carly decided Maggie was a jungle gym.

Then Maggie decided Carly should rub her tummy. ***No babies were injured in the making of these memories***

Now to prepare for the birthday party. Joy - I hope!

Baby T's been a sick-o

Carly was really sick the beginning of November. It stared the 4th.

Aundi had her at school doing some PTO stuff and said she was running a fever in the afternoon but it was low. A bunch of students were gone and I had 2 hours at the end of the day with nothing so I was going to take her to my room to play while I graded papers.  Mr. Principal saw me coming down the hall with her. He said "Hi" to her and brushed her hair out of her face. Her fever must have gone up because even he noticed. HE SENT ME HOME. I am blessed to have an administrator that cares.

Saturday Carly had a runny nose and a low fever - snot was clear and fever remained low so I figured it was just her teeth.

Sunday we went to my grandma's for Dad and Kim's birthday lunch and Carly started to  get really snotty and cough a little but her fever was still low  like 99 low. I ended up not feeling well and my sister took Carly to my mom's.

I stayed home from school sick Monday. My mother did not tell me Carly ran a fever all day because seh wanted me to rest - thanks Mommy!

Tuesday I went to school but mom called and I left to take Carly to the Dr because her fever spiked to 103.4
Dr. gave her meds which gave her a horrid diaper rash and told me to keep alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen because she was feverish, getting 2 teeth and had a mild ear infection.

Wednesday and Thursday I layed around with a sleepy baby. Wednesday she was only awake for 6 hours the whole day- it really worried me. We went each day so the Dr. could listen to her lungs because he was worried about it turning to pneumonia or RSV. I was so worried about it being RSV again.

Friday I went to work and Cody kept her. I have an amazing hubby.

Saturday and Sunday Carly wanted to be held a lot but her fever broke Saturday night thankfully.

However- since she had been held or slept with us so much it was a total pain to get her back in her own bed....*sigh* I do love my wiggle baby though.

Life of chaos

I have a life of chaos...I would not change it for anything. I would like to blog more and am going to make that my goal. Every Day For A Year is going to make it's return in December. I am making a personal goal to re-start ED4AY when the fall semester ends. Posts will be as frequently as I can manage. Hope you will stick with me until then....when the chaos gets better and worse at the same time.

Enjoy!

ED4AY: Falling off a horse and other adventures

Day 39 - Sept 24
Got the baby girl up early and we went to Papa Ron's. We met up there with Kel and April, later Tara and her new roomate Julie came out. We went to see Kel's grandma and grandpa Solomon and played Rummikube with them while Carly played on the floor and subsequently had a blow out.....I thought maybe someone had farted until I realized Carly didn't want to sit. YIKES!

We also rode horses and yes I fell off. Jack tried to brush April and I off with a branch and we both leaned the same direction. I was behind so I tried to jump off but my food got caught in the cinch and down I went. Just glad he stepped to the side and not on me.

Day 40 - Sept 25
Seems like there have been a lot of people passing away lately.
While I understand that death is a part of life I don't always understand why it has to be cruel.

A good friend Chuck passed away after his long and enduring battle with cancer. He was only 45. He had a wife that loved and laughed with everyone. Three children that each have their own endearing qualities that make people draw to them.

His son Ethan and The Hubs were very good friends in high school and just after. Ethan is building the new family home (a story for another day) and The Hubs - being the supa awesome mad skilled electrician and HVAC technician that he is has been helping Ethan with the electrical and furnace/air conditioning set up.

More every day for a year

Mirror mirror on the wall....who is the lamest blogger of them all?
SURPRISE.....ITS THIS GAL!

Day 32 - Sept 17
Today was the Testicle Festival in KC at Lynne and Gery's but Carly was icky sicky, our flying trip turned into icky diarrhea so that was NO FUN!

Day 33 - Sept 18
PAR-TAY Ellie turned 1!! It was a beautiful day, sun shinny, light breeze, spitty baby. Like spitty all over Ellie's grandma's purse and the floor of the fire station meeting room (it has a room you can rent out - super nice and great set up) and on my piece of cupcake and the front of me and Wyatt and Andrea and EVERYWHERE - sigh...so goes it.

Day 34 - Sept 19
Went to Burl to get some medicine for the icky sicky blister butt. Thankfully it wasn't $180 like the medicine but anyhoo...it helped.

Day 35 - Sept 20
Went to Iola after school to watch our Cross Country kids run. They did really well - Carly spent most of the time laughing and clapping and getting passed around. Which is good- she is getting heavy. Her blister but is completely cleared up.

Day 36 - Sept 21
According to my calendar it is peace day. Who knew peace was given it's own day, shouldn't it be everyday? No peace here- Carly is pulling up on things which also means she is falling off of things.

Day 37 - Sept 22
Rediscovered how much I Looooovvvvveeee Thursdays. Cody is home. Wine is out in full force. Baby is tuckered out and snuggly by the time Grey's is far enough to start the DVR so I can skip the commercials. I just lay in the recliner, watching my shows, sipping on my wine, holding the baby and listening to Cody snore away happily. Life is good.

Day 38 - Sept 23
Football against Madison. We got beat which really stinks because we are good but get down on ourselves and get siked out.

Hear me internets....

I really need you to hear me today internets. I need to tell you things that shouldn't be told to the internets. I need you to hear me with an open heart and mind and not judge. I need you to not think I am a bad person or a terrible friend because I think that of myself.

9 months ago I had a baby.

9 months ago I did (or rather didn't) do something I should have.

9 months ago I made it very clear to my family and the family of my husband to NOT put anything about our daughter's birth on the internet until we had a chance to tell close family and friends. It happened anyways.

9 months ago I relied on a text message to reach someone very important and it didn't happen.

9 months ago my best friend in the whole wide world found out after a few million people that our beautiful baby girl had arrived and she was devastated - and so was I.

9 months ago my best friend and I got in a ginormous fight... in the hospital...and she compared me to someone who has done very little good in her life...someone who hurts her over and over again.

9 months ago I cried holding our beautiful baby and I felt like having her ripped my deepest friendship apart.

9 months ago the doctors thought I had a severe case of post-partum depression because I couldn't look at my baby with out crying (and not the happy kind of tears)

9 months ago I told my husband that I wasn't sure how I could be a good mother if I couldn't even be a good friend.

9 months ago I sat in a bathroom and cried and yelled and screamed and cursed at my husband because my nutso hormones made me irrational and my fear got the best of me.

9 months ago I told my husband that I didn't want to be a mother and I didn't want to have a baby and even though I loved her and him I didn't like how my life had changed.

9 months ago I cried in public and begged my husband to take me home because I felt like everyone around me knew the horrible thing I had done and could see my shame.

Yesterday my best friend in the whole wide world and I talked about the "elephant in the room".

Yesterday we said good bye to another good friend and I think it prompted our conversation.

Yesterday I told her all these things that I had never told anyone before.

Yesterday I held my baby and told her that I didn't like being pregnant but I liked being her mommy.

Yesterday I tried to explain myself to my husband and he just hugged me and gave me a kiss.

Yesterday I found peace.

Day 30-31

Day 30 - Sept 15
Usually Thursdays are for "Bitchin' Thursdays" with the girls but lately we have all been lame - not only are we all moms but we are also all 'students', some are actually in college, one got a promotion and is doing a bunch of training and a couple are teachers.

My Thursday consisted of thanking the dear sweet lord that Cody was home for the weekend. He fed, bathed and tried to put Carly to sleep but the little stinker just wanted her mama. So I put her to bed and then wrote a test for Resource Managemnet, graded a stack of papers and was snuggled up by the hubs at 11:30. Whew! Of course Carly woke up and was really crabby but Cody got up with her and ended up sleeping in the chair for quite a while. Poor baby is conjested.

Day 31- Sept 16 Made a flying trip at 3:25 to the Dr. Carly is conjested and on some meds for asthma. She doesn't have asthma but the meds open her air way. She had a better night.

Guilt

I've never been one for guilt - unless it's guilty pleasures. I am SOOO into guilty pleasures. Some of mine include - not doing laundry, drinking wine on a Wednesday BY MY SELF (it was 1 1/2 glasses, put the phone down, SRS won't come over 1 1/2 glasses of wine), blogging at 11 o'clock when I should be putting the laundry away and finishing dishes, playing with my daughter instead of grading papers...and I've come full circle.

I knew getting into this "mom thing" would be stressful and I would feel guilty all the time because you feel guilty when you are pregnant...you feel guilty that you aren't eating anything when all you can do is puke because you feel like your baby is suffering, you feel guilty when you complain about your back hurting because you asked for the baby (or in our case we asked for a 5 Beer Burrito at the Half Step and then went parkin' - sorry about the overshare).

The most guilt I feel is about work. I LOVE my job, I LOVE my co-workers, I LOVE the subject(s), and I LOVE my students. But I also LOVELOVE my husband and LOVELOVE my daughter. Where is the happy medium?

HINT: THERE ISNT ONE!! Which majorly sucks.

No matter what I do - even if I divide my time after skoo 1/2 n 1/2 I am still shorting one or the other. If I give Carly all my time, then do my skoo stuff, and go to bed ONLY when it is all done then I am a total biz-watch the next day and stumble over words and what not by 3rd hr.

I thank God every day for making educational movies. Praise Jesus. Amen.

Super Slacker

I am a super slacker, actually I haven't been slacking at all (just with this)

I greatly under estimated how much time this baby AND work AND Hubs in skoo AND spending 4 days a week would take.

So here is a one sentence run down of the last few weeks - in reverse order.

Sept 14 - Volleyball games VS Burlington and The YC. Crest lost both :(

Sept 13 - Carly took off crawling at Aundi's. Right over to Koi's big pile of cows and totally belly flopped on them and started chewing the heck outta that big ole pile of bovine.

Sept 12 - Monday...uhhhh. But Carly started crawling so that is nice - for now.

Sept 11 - Heading back from OK. Stopped to see Dad and also stopped at Mom's.

Sept 10 - In OK. Cody did good and bought a very tasty and very cheap bottle of wine. I don't buy wine that is more than $10 unless it is a special occassion - or a box.

Sept 9 - Homecoming - I didn't go but I did help prepare for it. Carly and I went to see Cody in OK.

Sept 8 - Stayed for the middle school game. The did great - I am not ashamed to say that Abby is SUCH A BETTER COACH! Those girls are lucky to have her.

Sept 7 -

Sept 6 - Dislike the Tuesday after a holiday. Always makes the week all wonky.

Sept 5 - Decorated for fall - my favorite season.

Sept 4 - Cody helped with Seth and Andrea's house some more and we went to Mom's for supper.

Sept 3 - Didn't do a whole lot - went to Seth and Andreas. Their house is coming along.

Sept 2 - Football game at SCC - we lost :( But Carly REALLY liked watching.

Sept 1 - I have no clue what happened to day or the day before - too long ago.

August 31 - I don't remember. Surely something good and something lame happened.

August 30 - My friend Andrea is 26 today!!

August 29 - Still doing the Take AIM thing - best one I have been too.

August 28 - Take AIM with students. Go FCCLA!

August 27 - Sicky baby. 102 fever - runny nose, coughing. I think it is teeth.

August 26 - Thank goodness for Friday. I don't remember much about this day but the week before but it was LONG!

Been a long long long week

Day 5 - August 21

Went to Turbo Diva's day with Connie and Nicole. Had a great time, go to see a fashion show and then get free spa services! Carly stayed with Andrea and she had a good time, also took a really good nap for her.

Day 6 - August 22
After school Carly and I went to a meeting then she took a nap and I graded papers! Supper was a twist on pasta carbonara - 1 cup of homemade white sauce, 3 strips of bacon and 1/2 an onion with 1/4 lg zucchini and 2 cups of cavatappi cooked.

Cut up bacon, onion and zucchini - cook until zucchini and onion are transparent.

Begin boiling water when veggies/bacon go in the pan. When boiling add pasta.

When bacon, onion and zucchini are done and pasta is done and drained combine in a large bowl - bacon drippings will coat past and keep it from sticking.

In bacon pan melt 3 T butter on med-high then add 3T flour, whisk for 3-5 minutes then add 1 c. whole milk. Cook until thick and add to bacon/pasta mix. Eat immediately.

Day 7 - August 23
Carly and I visited one of my former students and her new baby. He is adorable - baby Joziah is so tiny. Carly kept rolling over trying to play with him and was hollering at him trying to get his attention and clapping her hands when he finished his bottle....hmmmm.

Day 8 - August 24
MTSS meeting after school. Student Chels watched her for te 40 minutes we are in the meeting. It went well - she only spit up on her twice!

Day 9 - August 25
Playing alumni volleyball tonight - will let you know how it goes.

He Returns!

Day 3: August 19 - First Friday of the year down! Wheww...couldn't have been better timing :)

That first week is always a killer, maybe it is the emotions and the preparation that wear you out. I was worn out by a baby that didn't want to sleep, not at home, not with grandma, not with the binky, not on her tummy, not even at daycare....insert exasperated sigh and a yawn. Thank goodness Cody was home Thursday night. She fell asleep in the chair with him and if my #R@#RWR#T^Y&*()09876 battery wasn't dead I would have taken a gazillion pictures of the cuteness.

We also got in a mega huge fight. Stress and lack of monnies can really put a damper on marital relations. So we fought it out, I am not proud that I yelled at him in the car, in front of our daughter, in the drive way, in the yard, in front of my dad and stepmother. He is not proud that he did the same. But we got it all off of our chests, felt like asses after and then went to the birthday party. Big 'ole thank you to my Dad and Stepmom for not judging us and for still agreeing to keep Carly for a couple of hours while we attended a grown up birthday party with grown up beverages and grown up talk.

Day 4: August 20 - Saturday, how I missed you. Made a trip down the the Gordorosa to watch the boys pour the floor for the shop/house. Went to The Farm to water the garden and continue the War On Squash Bugs. Then went to Seth and Andrea's, the house is looking AMAZING! Came home for nap time...nothing like snuggle time with the baby. Then on to a friends so Cody could look at an electrical job and home to watch a movie and fold laundry. Saturday was super productive!

Promises Promises....pictures will accompany posts when my camera battery is better....curses!

Best fourth, second day ever.

Day 2: August 18

Kel and I talked this morning....like we do most mornings (Mr. Highway Patrolman, thank you for not pulling me over when you saw me talking on my phone. I "promise" to put it on speaker phone next time.)

She said her cousin asked her if her first day of school was the best fourth first day ever....couldn't help but laugh, how many first trys does a person get? One each year if you are a teacher!!

Today has been a good day, best fourth, second day ever(Read: taught for 4 yrs, so I have had 4 second days of school ...one each year. Confused yet?)

Hope all the teachery friends are having the best first or second days also!

What could make this better? A couple of cute pic of my baby, that's what!

I can change it if I want to!

RE-DO!! After much careful consideration I have decided to change the start date of my "Every day for a year"...why? Because nothing really changed until yesterday so it seemed weird to have started so early and had nothing to blog about.

Day 1: August 17 (For reals)
First day of school went well for all of us.

Cody likes his classes - said he wasn't the oldest or the most out of shape so he is feeling good about it.

Carly REALLY likes her daycare lady. She is a local mom, I take Carly to her in the morning and her oldest boys (1st and 3rd grade) come to my room at the end of the day. When she brings Carly in she gather's her sons. Her youngest is 16months and says "Hi" to Carly all day long. I feel bad for her :)

School was good for me also. I have lost and gained a few students which is to be expected. The only class I am not liking is 3rd hour and that is great...get it over and done with early. Not necessarily the material, the personality clashes that will occur will not be enjoyable for any of us.

In-service can be used as a form of torture

Day 1 and 2
In-service....both days. I think that many teachers will agree that professional development or in-service can be used as a form of torture.

While my administration would beg to differ (and I can agree that most of the presentations are very productive) I think that they sometimes take what they can get and do not think about the teacher's needs....or if the information could be delivered in a more succinct way.

Is it just me or do most of the presenters see to be newly retired and VERY bland...monotone...biding their time...overly chatty about nothing...beat around the bush...indirect...unsure...etc???

On a positive note: I will have 8th graders for my Intro class...SOOOO EXCITED!!

Every day for a year

My cousin Becki is doing a picture-a-day for a year on facebook and it is so much fun...SOOO I am going to do my own little "re-mix" of that here.

No guarantees that I will post or even have a picture for each day but there will be something stated about each day for one year.

Why now?? Why this year?? Why not last year or next year?? Because this year is going to be unique, Cody is going to lineman school and will be there for 4 days a week so Carly and I will be juggling life alone for 4 days a week...don't worry Cody is leaving me the dog and a shot gun :) for those who have never seen me wield a gun HEY INTERNETS, I AM A HUNTER AND A HECKUVA GOOD SHOT,GO AHEAD...MAKE MY DAY! Don't believe me?? Ask my husband or my dad about the last time we shot clays. They had a small issue with the wind...I had no issue with the wind thankyouverymuch!

This is all until next week when "Every day for a year" begins...

7 months

Carly is just over 7 months and.....she has a tooth! It appeared some point in the last 24ish hours and I found it this morning. She wasn't overly fussy the last few days and she has had a bump there for a month or so. I hope all hre teeth come in that way.

Other new things...green beans from the garden are now baby food.


Learning to share with Wyatt.


Enjoying a wedding with good friends.




Enjoying lunch with Great Grandpa Cope.


Carly is learning to roll to get where she wants or what she wants...the coffee table is a new favorite.


The pacifier is a new favorite toy...it only stays in for a few seconds unless she is sleeping.


It will be exciting to see what the 7th month brings!

Like fireworks on the 4th of July

There are little things in life we take for granted and don't even know...a mid afternoon nap, being able to pee when you choose, sleeping through a whole night because you chose too and some other things...like fireworks on the 4th of July. Being a mommy means missing some of the little things....like fireworks on the 4th of July. (Yes I realize that this time stamp says there are 2 hours until the "actual" 4th, I don't plan on being awake then)

Carly likes the fire works as long as they aren't too loud. She watched about 5 of the big ones until she got cranky. She smiled and kicked every time one of the big ones went off and just like her mommy she got the most excited about the 'crackle' ones.

I should not be telling the internets this but my family likes to shoot off fireworks when there is snow on the ground....why? Because it's FREAKING GORGEOUS!!!

Think about it....gazillions of tiny reflecting particles covering everything, absolute silence, a light chill in the air and then all of the sudden the silence is broken by an enormous eruption of sound and color, you don't even have to be looking at the deep black sky to see what color was created because the gazillions of tiny reflecting particles have put you INSIDE a January disco ball. You instantly feel warm because your mind is tricked into thinking it is July. Soon the phone is ringing and the neighbors are calling saying they have some fireworks left over in the garage and want to know if you are going to be out for a while....within 15 minutes 20 more eskimos are sitting on the porch with a hot toddie waiting for another piece of ply wood to be found in the barn so the arsenal can be assembled for a midnight show.

Is that safe you ask? Why of course....adult drinks, snowy conditions, fireworks....sounds like a typical christmas/new years eve to me!

Sometimes in winter when the radiant sunset casts a glitter of pink, orange and yellow I close my eyes and let my face be warmed by the sun and it feels like fireworks on the 4th of July.

Hello far away friends!

To two of my far away friends....this one's for you!

WAYYYY BEHIND!

So this "new mommy" business is getting to me. I am going to make a point to post more...anyone else having desa vu?

Okay...what everyone wants - pictures.


Here she is "laughing" it is more of a silent smiley smirk.



WHOA! Who's kids are those? MINE and I will miss them terribly next year when they are off to college discovering themselves. *sigh*

2 months!!

So I am super late on this considering she is 1.5 weeks away from being 3 months, but for the friends who aren't close enough to see her all the time I bring you the onslaught of pictures.

Tummy Time is a favorite, especially when Jeopardy is on!


I love to lay on my boppy!


What are you looking at?




Hey what is that over there


So wiggly.


...and I have been really bad at posting so I will make up for lost time.