Where does the time go

Ok...I get it...I have to get more structured and just FORCE myself to Blog. This is ridiculous that I have not posted since July...sad! However, in my defense, I did go back to work at TravelNow.com in August and it was a huge adjustment with the girls and I getting ready and getting me to work by 7:30am. So with that said....I took the bold, excited and much anticipated move and resigned after 8 years to be closer to my babies. So with that said.....here goes....

The end of July we took Sydney and Maddy to the Ozark Empire Fair and Sydney was a so much fun! Mark took her on several rides that we were VERY shocked that she wanted to ride. In one year she has turned into quite the dare devil! LOL She was so cute and SO excited! That made me so happy to see how much fun she had! Maddy just slept the entire time....it was a very hot day and we spent like 4-5 hours there just walking and riding and eating...LOL. It was such a fun family day for us. I went to guest services at one time and nursed and changed Maddy and she went right back to sleep. She LOVES the outdoors. I think that will be good for Daddy since he is quite the outdoors men. :-)

August was quite the change as I went back to work at TravelNow.com. Sydney went 3 full time days at Small Wonders and Maddy went to an in home daycare on my way to work. Her name was Brenda and she was GREAT! She was referred to me by by friend Julie and I loved her. It was a lot cheaper for me to take Maddy there then to Small Wonders. So that was nice! Maddy had a GREAT time with her 14 year old son Brock...he was so cute to see him with Maddy. He loves babies. Maddy had not taken too many bottles before leaving her at Brenda's...she did GREAT! Brock loved giving her bottles! And with the gripe water that I got at the health food store....(LOVE it)...she did so well! Brenda loved the gripe water and was so impressed at how it worked. She said that she wished she had had that with her boys. Dad watched Sydney on Tuesday and Thursdays through Aug. That is always fun for Pa Pa...he loves his grand babies. So with August so busy that is why blogging was so delayed. Our computer is in our bedroom and Mark's work schedule is CRAZY, so that just delayed me so much in blogging in Aug.

After much anticipation, praying, and just timing, I chose to resign from TravelNow.com and start working in my field...Child and Family Development. It was a hard choice to make...but seemed right on every level. I applied at Small Wonders and was offered a position as a Pre-K teacher working with another teacher. I will start this job in Sept. Since Mark made his career change and he is now doing better and has better benefits, it only seemed right to go to work where my children can go with me. So August proved to be the busiest month for me since Maddy's birth.

My great Aunt Jessie (my grandpa's twin) turned 89 and our family (dad's side) had a big birthday celebration for her at the end of August at my cousin Tim's restaurant in Republic. It was fun as her family from CA came out to celebrate too. If anyone is looking for a new place to eat...go try Bairs All American Sports Cafe in Republic....it is great!

So that sums up August in a nutshell. Maddy is doing GREAT! She was sleeping though the night at about 9-10 weeks from 9pm to 5-6am. I feel so blessed! I nurse the heck out of her before bed and she is just doing great. She did not see a Dr. for her 2 month as we were between insurance, so I took her to the health dept. in Ozark and they gave her her immunizations. Maddy is going to be bigger then Sydney which is of course not saying much. LOL She does not have hip dysplasia like Sydney did and is much stronger then her big sis was at that age. Sydney of course was delayed in some physical milestones b/c of wearing the hip brace for the first 12 weeks of her little life. Maddy is VERY strong and very active. She of course does not like belly time...but is getting better. Maddy's only real concern is her skin issue...she has eczema I think and it really is frustrating for her and mom. I will discuss that with Dr. Steele when I take Sydney to her 5 year well visit in Sept.

My weight loss is doing ok...I have made a little progress in toning...I will update more about that in my Sept. blog.

So that sums up August briefly...Mark is loving his job at AG and is really getting GREAT runs. That has been great!!!! He is also getting ready for hunting. We had to make a trip to Bass Pro in Aug. during the Hunting Classic and he bought an outdoor camera for the land, some clothes, a hat, and a new target. Needless to say.....he splurged! LOL

Well, I have officially caught you up into Aug. and will continue with Sept. later tonight. It is early AM and I want to go lay back down for a bit before I get up to shower and get to work. Mark is out of town so that is why I am up blogging now. Mel and Holly...I will post pictures later tonight.

Have a GREAT Wed. :-)

I have to make a change

Oh I forgot...I have to be in a wedding in October and I have officially decided that it is time to start back on Weight Watcher's again and to start my exercise routine. I have started walking 2 miles a day and jumping on the trampoline when Mark is home to watch Maddy. That is a GREAT workout. I also have started doing lunges with weight's 3 days a weeks to help my muscle tone and burn the fat! This has to be done...b/c if you look at my blog there are NO pictures of Mommy. My self-image stinks and I refuse to have any pictures of me taken below the chin....yes the chin. So I am trying to work out and eat better but not mess up my milk supply. It has been said that a breastfeeding mother is hungry all of the time...yes so true. So this is a challenge! Wish me luck. I went back to Dr. Franklin Tuesday and she released me. Of course they had to weigh me and that was the first time I have stepped on a scale since Maddy was born...yes...I wanted to cry! Needless to say that I ALWAYS weigh more at the Dr. but it still SUCKED! I have lost 22 pounds of the 35 I gained...but I still feel like a royal blimp! They say this too shall pass...that I just had a baby and my hormones are still raging. HA. Well, I am here to say that this 36 year old mommy is ready to conquer and get back down to what I use to look like. This is NO WAY to live. FAT be GONE! Ready, Set, GO................

Where does the time go?

OK, wow...I cannot believe how time just flies when you have a newborn...and to juggle two kids now...oh man. I sure get told by Mel if I am behind in my blogging...lol. I love ya Mel. Thanks for keeping me on my toes.

I certainly have been busy with all of the insurance changes and paperwork. Man...what a process. I truly am exhausted! But I will say it is WORTH it!!!

Sydney had her first basketball game tonight at the Nixa Community Center. Too funny really. They do not even keep score. She had no idea what to do...but it was cute anyway. I am going to have my friend Traci help her as she is a basketball coach and will really help her skills. All in all it was fun! Her friend Nate is on her team. He goes to pre-school with her and his dad Scott is the coach. They had their team pictures taken tonight too. So cute! She smiled really cute! I am GLAD that she is doing this though...at least for the "team sports" aspect.

Mark and I decided to re-discuss how we spelled Madalyn's name. We had spelled it "Madelyn" and we just like "Madalyn" and "Maddy" better...so I called Jefferson City and they are sending me an amendment form at no charge to make the change. I am very happy now. She is doing just great. She is 8 weeks today and growing like a weed! She is so much more demanding with food then Sydney was. She lets me know when she is ready to eat. LOL And the spitting up is still going on...but it is normal...just annoying. I was telling Mel that I was concerned about her stool's being loose and not real frequent...I called the nurse just to check. She called me back and all was fine. She told me that if Maddy is not fussy and is still having wet diapers and seems content and not straining that she is fine. She told me that breastmilk is easily digested and that it sounds like she is absorbing everything she needs and thriving. So we are good there and her stool's have been more consistent the last couple of days. (not to gross you non-mothers out...LOL) I sure hope the 2 am feeding starts to diminish soon. LOL Sydney was sleeping through the night at 8-9 weeks....not too sure about Maddy yet??

Sydney had a play date with her friend Lillian today from preschool. Her mom Debbie came and got her (so nice) and they went and played on her scooter and bike and had art time too. Debbie told me that Sydney wanted to stop playing on the scooter b/c her knee was hurting, but Debbie kept telling her to keep trying. Sydney's muscle tone is not the greatest in her legs and we are definitely working on that with the trampoline. I think it is from her having hip displaisia as an infant. Memaw and Papa are getting her a Dora Scooter for her b-day in Sept. and we are getting her a new bike....and she is wanting to get her ears pierced too. Oh my...I guess she is going to be 5...what...5...where did that go? Man....next year I will be sending my baby to kindergarten. Holy crackers as Sydney would say.

Sydney says some of the cutest things. We were in the car going to a play date and she had to take her purse. On the way up as serious as could be she said to me "Oh Darn it, I forgot my cell phone..I left it on the charger." I could barely keep a straight face. And now she pretends to put me in "time out" and she will say that I will need to stay there for "81 minutes". Cracks me up! She really is quite dramatic. She got into some make-up today and looked hysterical! She has really adjusted well with Maddy and if she accidentally bumps her, she gets really upset that she has hurt her baby sister. She helps me a ton too which is wonderful! Sydney sure is a talker and singer. She remembers everything too. I could say something and she will bring it up weeks later. Blows me away! And she is in this faze now where she is asking about boy and girl body parts and what are they called. Oh my...should she be asking this at 4 1/2? I am honest with her and tell her and let her know that she must only talk about this to mommy and daddy. I feel like this is a bit soon for her to be asking..but what do you do?

Well, I am getting tired and must fold some clothes before going to bed. Mark is at work tonight and the girls are down...so I must get some other stuff done too. I will leave with a cute picture of Maddy in her bath. This is something I think she enjoys.

Good night!

Sisters

I thought this was a really cute picture of the girls.

Big Sister and Little Sister...my darling daughter's.

Basketball Practice

Sydney is on a basketball team here in Nixa. We had the first practice this past Sat. and will have another on this Sat. and then next Thursday is the first game. Oh how CUTE it was to see all of those kids play. It is funny really as they are not really playing a game. Sydney enjoyed shooting hoops and tossing back and forth but does not quite understand the "game" yet. It was funny! She was really brave and she is one of three girls on the team. Her friend Nate from pre-school is on the team and his dad Scott is the coach. What a small world.

I am going to TRY and get some stuff done today here at the house and then this evening Sydney is going to have a playdate with her friend Ashlyn from preschool. We are taking them to Chic-Fil-A. They have a play place so that will be so fun for them.

Mark is at work...he had to go in at midnight and I expect him home soon. Maddie is sleeping right now and Sydney is watching Sesame Street. I think I may try and get a QUICK shower in before I have to feed Maddie again. I have to go grocery shopping too some time today. ARGH. After working in a grocery store for almost 9 years...I DO NOT like going to the store.

Have a Great Thursday.

It is all in a picture...

I just LOVE to take pictures of Mark and the girl's. It is so SWEET. What a lucky man and such a wonderful father too.


Today was not too exciting. Mark started a new job at the end of April and we will be changing to his insurance here pretty quick. I have been trying to find doctor's for our new insurance as we will have to change to St. John's (very excited about). What a process this is to set up appointment's and make sure that I have a good pediatrician for the girl's. I am going with a referral from my current Dr. and my friend Cristina...Dr. Steele's office. They have been very nice so far on the phone. I will be dropping Mark off my insurance this week after his dentist appt. and then I will drop me and the girl's once I know that all has been settled with my maternity bills, Sydney's 5 year check is completed, and Maddie's two month check is completed as well. This will save me money on my check...I can hardly wait. Mark's new insurance is supposed to be very good....we will soon see.

Sydney played outside with Daddy once he returned home from work and they both jumped on the trampoline. She enjoys for him to jump with her. Cute. I will take a picture of that soon too. Maddie is a bit more "spoiled" then I think Sydney was...she wants to be held more and fights going to sleep. She is a good baby...I am loving how she has started interacting with us more.

As you can see...she has started to SMILE! :-)

Sunshine Farm and Maddie's weight check

Yesterday, July 11th was a fun day. I started the day by taking Sydney to preschool at Small Wonders at Campbell UMC. She LOVES it there. She is going part-time in the summer but will resume back to full time in the fall for Pre-K. I then spent all afternoon at Holly's to see Tanner and have her help me with my blog and my myspace account. She invited me to go with her and her aunt and her cousin Amanda to Sunshine Farms for lunch and to buy some blueberries. It was so much fun! Thanks again Holly for the fun day. I wish Mel could have joined us. Maddie and Tanner were so GOOD.

When I left Holly's I went to the Women's Center at Cox to check and see how much Maddie has gained and she weighed in at 10 pounds 2 ounces. I was very pleased! They said she was doing great. I had been concerned about a "rash" that developed on her face, neck, and upper chest, but after looking on the Internet and calling the Dr. I have discovered that it is just "baby acne" that will go away within 3-6 months. They told me that it is my hormones that she is releasing from her system. That makes sense! It looks bad when she is hot or if we are out in the heat. She is not bothered by it...but mom and dad are. I have noticed this morning that it is not as red. I hope it goes away soon.

After I went to get Sydney from preschool, I came home and pumped and then fed Maddie. My friend Kelli and her daughter Kalli came by and we went to eat at El Punte Mexican Restaurant for dinner. Mark had to go to bed early as he left for work just a bit ago.

Thanks again Holly for helping me format my blog and play list. I am enjoying this. I will post more pictures later today.