Raising Josiah and Layla

2012-01-20T06:51:00.000-08:00

When picturing my family's future, I cannot imagine it without a bunch of children running around. However, 4 months of being sleep deprived is finally getting to me. Why can't all my babies be as good as Josiah was and start sleeping 12 hours a night at 10 weeks old? Oh uninterrupted sleep, I miss you so.

The Paleo diet

2012-01-19T13:05:00.000-08:00

I have successfully cut cheese, coffee (mainly the french vanilla creamer), soda, and all other sugary drinks out of my diet. Working on eliminating sugar for a while. I hear that once you do that, you will start to feel amazing... and not just because you're losing weight, but because your body is living off of healthy foods and nutrients. I'm thinking it will take a week or 2 more until I can completely eliminate sugar. I'm dreading it. If I seem angry for the first few weeks of February, you will know why. Btw... I just ate a twix bar, and while it tasted good going down, I feel pretty lousy now. Lesson learned.

We're MOVING HOME!!!!

2012-01-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

I mentioned it on Facebook and have emailed a few people, but it's official, we're moving back to Dallas on the 28th of THIS month! We are beyond excited! Chris starts his new job on Feb. 1 and I start mine (temporary for 3 months) on the 8th. My work has childcare on site, so that is PRETTY STINKING AWESOME! As you can tell, I'm very happy about all the above! We have missed Dallas so much. Our family, our friends, our community, our church, the greatnessof living in a big city... I could go on and on.
These next 2 1/2 weeks are going to be CRAZY busy for us. We have so much to do to the house before we leave to put it on the market. Chris is working hard and fast to get the baseboards in the entire downstairs (he's doing amazing), and I am trying my fastest to pack everything. Until we sell our house, Chris's parents have graciously opened their home to us. All our furniture is staying in our house for staging purposes, so all we're taking to Dallas are our clothes, the kids toys, and a couple of miscellaneous items. You think packing would be easy, but it's really not. I want the house to look perfect so it sells fast, which means making sure everything we're leaving behind has a purpose and a space that is worth keeping to look beautiful. Mske sense? All that being said, my blogging will be taking a back seat until we're in Dallas. I have TONS of fantastic pictures from Christmas and many great stories about our wonderful children. We look forward to seeing everyone IN PERSON soon!!

2012 Resolutions

2012-01-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

1. Lose the rest of the baby weight (shouldn't be too hard... only 4 more lbs to go)
2. Play racquetball weekly, if not, bi-weekly
3. Spend a lot of time outdoors with the babies (weather permitting)
4. Go to NYC for 5 year anniversary in October
5. Eat healthier (starting the Paleo recipes and Insanity workout recipes)
6. Start/complete Insanity in 60 days starting Feb. 1
7. Don't get pregnant this year.

Beautiful noise!

2011-12-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

Isn't this just the sweetest singing voice ever??

Things we do

2011-12-11T07:44:00.000-08:00

Josiah like to brush his teeth if mommy is brushing her teeth. He also thinks he can use his toothbrush to brush his hair.

Layla is really good at looking cute!

No big deal. Josiah can eat a hamburger one handed. Why is he growing up so fast??

2011-12-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

I know I've been playing Angry Birds too much when I tell Chris to check on Layla (after I hear her whining in her sleep) and when he comes back I tell him that she was just upset she couldn't get passed one of the levels. All of this said while groggy, but totally believing it's true. I wonder if Josiah has Angry Birds dreams, because I usually play with him.

Look how cute I am after I eat pizza

2011-11-30T18:49:00.000-08:00

Batman

2011-11-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

2011-11-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

Last night I fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans. Who cares that I had to lay on the bed and pull them up with pliers... they fit. That's all I care about.

Sibling Love

2011-11-07T19:38:00.000-08:00

Like I mentioned before... Josiah loves to hold Layla. He thinks he can pick her up and hold her like we do. He gets mad when we help. And just FYI, Josiah started using a pacifier 2 weeks after Layla arrived. Before that he didn't want anything to do with pacifiers for nearly 8 months (other than bedtime). It's not so cute when he's almost 2.

Oatmeal

2011-11-07T19:34:00.000-08:00

Josiah finds it hilarious to put things on his head. Cars, blocks, etc. He especially finds it funny to put pineapples on his head when he's eating lunch. He likes to balance them and then shake them off. Today he was eating oatmeal for breakfast and put the bowl upside down on his head. He maybe had taken one or two bites prior to this, so it was full. I was not paying attention to him at this particular moment, so I couldn't stop it. I also couldn't get mad because it was so hilarious. And besides, when I scold Josiah he laughs at me. He responds to me taking him aside and making him look me in the eyes so I can gently scold him. However, he responds to Chris's "scolding" voice. Anyways, this picture captures how much oatmeal (with blueberries) he got in his hair. Even this gross he is adorable.

I'm losing my mind

2011-11-04T18:33:00.001-07:00

The other day I grabbed a paper towel to put Josiah's hot dog on to heat up in the microwave. 15 seconds later it beeps. I open the microwave door and saw that I did not put the hot dog in the microwave. So I just heated up a paper towel. Awesome. These types of things have been happening a lot lately. The tiredness is making me a little loopy, which I find hilarious and so does Chris.

I will also admit to falling asleep on the couch at 10 this morning. Last night was a LONG night for me, totaling about 5 hours of sleep, which might sound like enough sleep for some people, but it was 5 hours of interrupted sleep preceded by 6 weeks of the same. Layla was asleep in her swing, but Josiah was awake. I woke up after about 10 minutes of sound sleep because my phone rang. Luckily Josiah was glued to the t.v. watching Toy Story. Oops. I will not do that again, I will not do that again.

My sweet babies

2011-11-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

Josiah has really fallen in love with Layla. He does such a good job of taking care of her. He wants to hold her all the time, which, of course, always ends in tears because he can't hold her by himself, which he thinks he can. If she cries he is next to her immediately to calm her down and give her pacifier to her. I am very happy that he likes her so much.

Aunt Judi stayed with us for a week. She was such a huge help and we miss her already!

She does this a lot of the day

Unlike her brother, she likes tummy time

Josiah likes to be on the floor with her during tummy time. Look how sweet they are looking each other in the eyes!

These next 2 pics are as good as we could get of him in his Lightning McQueen Halloween costume.

Halloween night was so much fun! Josiah was scared the first house we walked up to, but once someone put chocolate in his basket he was in heaven. He turned and looked at Chris like this was the coolest thing that ever happened. From then on Josiah was happy to knock on stranger's doors. As soon as we got home he took 4 steps in the door and dumped all his candy on the floor and looked on with delight. We probably let him eat a little too much candy that night because he was up until 10pm just talking away in his crib.

In other news, Layla doesn't like it when I drink coffee... so bye bye bold roast with french vanilla creamer. I will miss you. See you again in a year.

For Momma G and Grandpa

2011-10-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Josiah loves the book "Thank You God for Everything". He loves it because it's his Momma G and Grandpa reading to him (well done hallmark). Every time he opens it he smiles real big and then smiles again when he hears their voices. He thinks that if he pushes the button he'll keep hearing their voices, so that's what he's doing here. I had to open and close it again and again because the first page is his favorite. He LOVES his grandparents! And look at how adorable that smile is!! He uses his whole face!

This is how Josiah eats

2011-10-26T18:18:00.001-07:00

What Josiah did today

2011-10-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

And here's what he did with the seeds

2011-10-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch today. It was Layla's first outing (other than the doctor, but that's no fun). We had a really good time. Josiah and Chris went on a little train ride, they pet goats, and we tried to take a family picture unsuccessfully. Here are some pictures from our adventure. Note: Josiah does not like to pose for pictures and when he sees you taking a picture of him he usually frowns or makes an angry face, so these are the best ones we got.

My little 12th Man

Yes, he did lick the horse apple. Gross.

This is what Layla did the entire time. Notice her Aggie onesie, compliments of Aunt Elyse and Uncle Carter.

Daddy and Josiah

Mommy and Josiah. I am wearing maroon in support of my winning Ags!

This pumpkin took 1st place. It weighed over 1,000 pounds.

A pumpkin for Josiah

Looking at a flying witch

Yes, I am jealous of my son's eyelashes.

My babies

2011-10-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

First, let me just say how awesome Layla is. She is such an easy baby. She still only cries when she's hungry or wants her paci, and only sometimes when she's getting her diaper changed. I am very thankful for all of this. I was so afraid she was going to be colic because so many of my friends have dealt with that recently. I'm so grateful she's not. She is very aware of what's going on around her. She has a lot of awake time with her beautiful blue eyes wide open. She is happy anywhere we put her. We try and put her in her crib before she falls asleep (per our docs orders) to let her get used to putting herself down instead of one of us rocking her to sleep. We rocked Josiah to sleep or let him fall asleep on us for the first 4 months of his life and that was a hard habit to break, so I'm glad from day one (more like five) we've done the opposite with Layla.
The girl can eat! She eats for a good 35-45 minutes just under every 3 hours. I feel like all I do is feed her. I feel sorry for Josiah sometimes because I spend so much time with Layla, but he doesn't seem to mind. He just plops down on the ground in front of us and plays with his cars while watching Cars. Only sometimes does he get his feelings hurt that I'm not paying attention to him as much as I used to. He really is adjusting well to having a sister. He wants to kiss her, tickle her, rub her head and hold her whenever he remembers she is around. It's really sweet. And when she's in her nap nanny (BEST invention ever!) and loses her paci, he looks at me, says "oh no", finds it and gently puts it back in her mouth. And when she's upstairs sleeping then wakes up crying to eat, he runs to the bottom of the stairs, says "oh no" and continues to say that until I've brought her downstairs. He is such a good big brother! I can't wait to see how else he takes care of her.

Alone...

2011-10-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

My mom leaves to go back to Dallas today. I am very sad by this. She has been such an amazing help since she got here on the 24th. I literally don't know what I'm going to do without her. She's taken care of Josiah while I've slept and fed Layla. She's held Layla while I've played with Josiah. She's cooked us dinner every night, cleaned the house, did the laundry, distracted Josiah from being too aggressive with Layla, etc, etc, etc. I know I will figure things out when she's gone (I don't have a choice), but it's been so nice having her here.
Our support system in Nashville is very lacking. No family, few friends and even fewer friends who are willing to drive to La Vergne to hang out with us (for those of you that do, we thank you). Chris and I did everything we could the first 2 years to find community and a strong support system, but fell very short. Nothing to compares to the relationships we have in Dallas and the friends that treat us like family and the family that drops everything to come out here when we need them. We're coming to Dallas for Christmas and I can't wait to get my kids together with some of the best people I know.
I wish there were more hours in the day. I wish Chris could get home from work and spent lots of time with both babies. I am very thankful he works so hard for us all the time so I can stay home with my kids for 12 weeks, then only work 2 days a week. I can't imagine being away from these adorable babies five days a week. I don't know how he does it... or any dad does it for that matter. We love you, Chris, and don't know what we would do without you.

My beauty

2011-10-01T16:43:00.001-07:00

One week

2011-09-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful, perfect daughter is one week old today. Time really has gone by fast. I honestly feel like yesterday I was at the hospital giving birth to her. She is so darn special! A quick summary of the birthing story:

Layla was a very active baby in the womb. She probably kicked or punched me 15-20 times an hour. Most babies do about half of that. On Sunday the 18th I didn't feel her move at all for almost 4 hours. That really worried me, so I called my doctor. She said to come in to get put on the monitor to make sure everything was okay. So I went to the hospital at 1145am. Around 1pm two nurses and the doctor came running into my room which freaked me out. Layla's heart rate had significantly dropped, so they moved me and put oxygen on me. Ten minutes later my doc comes back into my room and asks "how do you feel about having a baby today?" I said good. Because her heart rate dropped so low and something else to do with my placenta, they wanted to get her out (I know, I hate that word too). Since I had eaten breakfast at 9 (yes, it was my second breakfast; my first breakfast was at 630) they couldn't induce me until 4pm. So I called Chris, told him to get Josiah to our friend's house and come on up to the hospital to labor with me.
4pm comes, I get induced... blah blah blah, I give birth to Layla at 920am on the 19th. Everything went really well. Chris was an awesome support and coach. I was very aware of everything that was going on, unlike with Josiah when I was basically in a tired stupor. We were released from Baptist on Wednesday morning. My recovery has been great. No problems this time around. I am feeling great and am looking forward to next Monday when I can finally pick Josiah up. Layla was a little jaundice so we've had to go to our doctor's office 3 times since Wednesday. We had to put her in a bili blanket for 24 hours to help reduce it and feed her more than normal to flush out all the bad stuff. She is getting better and not looking as yellow, so we don't have to go back until next Monday for her 2 week check up.
Layla is such a good baby. She cries when she's hungry or naked. Other than that she's happy. She has lots of awake time. Last night she slept great. She ate at 930 and went right to sleep. She woke up at 145am, ate and then fell right back to sleep, then woke up at 6am ate and stayed awake for about an hour. It was awesome. I'm not tired at all, which is weird because I've been tired for about 3 months. She has been great at breast feeding too! Josiah never took to it which made me feel like a failure as a mother because EVERYONE asks you if you are breast feeding and if you say no they either ask why not or give you this look as though you are letting your child down. I hated that. Anyways, here are a few pics from the week...

Going home!

Big brother waiting for his sister

Getting her nap on

This is the best shot we could get with Josiah

Josiah, meet Layla!

2011-09-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm mixed

2011-09-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

I got a pedicure today. The first one in over 2 months. I need my feet to look pretty so that all the doctors and nurses will think I put some effort into taking care of myself while pregnant. The lady that gave me my pedicure was very nice. Seeing as how I'm due in 11 days I had a hard time getting in the chair, so she gladly helped me. I was probably 6 inches taller than her and outweighed her by 70 or 80 lbs. Poor lady. Anyways, in the middle of my pedicure she looks at me and asks, "are you mixed?" I have never been asked that question before. At least not since I got married. With Reyes as a maiden name people assumed that I was mixed. Not here and not since then. I told her I was and that no one has asked me that before. She said that since she was mixed Korean and Chinese she could tell I was mixed. She said that she could just feel it. How adorable! That made my day.

2 things

2011-09-15T18:54:00.000-07:00

1. I really hope that Layla is born with hair. Hairless babies freak me out just a little.
2. I wish I had written down some things to remember from when Josiah was a newborn. I really don't remember what babies do all day besides sleep, eat and poop. This time around I am keeping a journal for me for our next baby. But seeing as how I will have a toddler keeping me busy, I might just use a Talk Boy instead and transpose at a later date.

Guilty Pleasure

2011-09-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

Before anyone can judge me, I would like to say first and foremost, I don't watch reality t.v. Except Biggest Loser, but I don't really count that since I mainly watch it to get workout and diet tips... and I like watching overweight people lose weight. That being said, my one and only t.v. guilty pleasure for the past 3 years has been 90210. Not the reruns, the new ones. I know the acting is horrible and the story lines are bad, and teenagers don't really act that way, but I have enjoyed it. Until Tuesday. The season premier was SO horrible that I have thrown in the towel on that show. I actually caught myself saying that I couldn't believe I was watching this and what a waste of 45 minutes. Now I have to find another guilty pleasure show that I can record so that I have something to watch when I'm up at 1 and 4a.m. feeding Layla.

D.O.M.

2011-09-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

This morning on my way to work I drove thru McDonalds to get a healthy snack... wait, no, it was hashbrowns. Anyways, I had my window rolled down on the way out and this dirty old man (D.O.M), probably in his late late forties or early fifties, had his window rolled down and looked me in the eyes and said, "well good morning beautiful". Normally I would have made some off the cuff remark to him and rolled my eyes, but seeing as how I'm due in less than 2 weeks and feel so unattractive and fat I was flattered and smiled at him. And then for a good 10 minutes felt really good about myself. Chris tells me all the time how beautiful I am, but hearing it from a D.O.M was nice. That's how I know I am READY to have this little girl.

My athlete

2011-09-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

I think Josiah is just the greatest thing on earth. Obviously. If I didn't, I wouldn't be a good mother. He's good at everything he tries. He's been throwing things since he was about 10 months old. And I say things because from what I've experienced thus far, he believes everything is throwable. Several times recently he has thrown a perfect spiral to Chris. And, for the most part, the balls go wherever he is aiming. Pretty impressive for an 18 month old. If it were up to me I would want Josiah to play baseball. He can play other sports too, but I have been hoping he likes baseball. I love going to games and eating hot dogs and nachos. I can't remember a summer growing up that wasn't spent at the field. I bought Josiah a baseball toy a few months back but he hasn't been too interested in it until the other day. Here's him playing baseball with himself. Pretty good, right? My dad, Papu, will be very proud.

Sushi

2011-09-12T04:59:00.000-07:00

I have been dreaming about sushi for 8 months. I could literally eat sushi 3 nights a week if given the choice and chance. Back in Dallas Chris and I would eat at Sushi Loco 2 nights a week and more if we could come up with a good excuse. In 2 weeks from tomorrow I will be able to eat sushi again. I am beyond thrilled about this. I am going to have my parents bring it to me in my hospital room. I mean, it's going to be a staple in my diet, so Layla might as well get her first taste of sushi her first days of life, right? Oh 2 weeks, come quickly.

Cloth Diapering

2011-09-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

After much research and advice from friends who use cloth diapers, we have decided we're going to cloth diaper Layla.. and use cloth wipes as well. I'm actually very excited about this decision! We've spent roughly $1,000 on diapers and another $200 on wipes for Josiah. And we still have about $200 more to spend before he's fully potty trained. It is literally money down the drain. Money I would much rather spend on clothes or toys for him... or put toward his college fund.
Cloth diapering is not what it was when I was a baby, which is what most people my age think it is because of what their mothers told them. It has been completely revolutionized. We're going with the Bum Genius Elemental One Size Cloth Diapers. NO pre-folds necessary! For those of you who don't know what that means, it means that we won't have to put an insert in the diaper. When she needs a new one we will just put the old one in the laundry and put a new diaper on... exactly what I would do with a disposable diaper. And they have snaps instead of velcro, so they will last WAY longer. And, I've been told, that I will more than likely not have to purchase new ones for any future children we have because these will last that long. Crazy! So for $264.95 I will have all my diaper needs for our children. The cloth wipes are about $1 each, but you only need about 24 because they clean a larger surface area and can hold more than disposable wipes.
Layla will be in daycare part-time, but these cloth diapers are so easy that Gloria (our daycare lady) will happily make the switch for her. All I have to do is purchase a reusable wet bag for $16.50 so she can store the dirty diapers and give the bag to me at the end of the day to wash along with the wipes. And if you have a trash can like I have for Josiah, the trash bags cost $16 for a pack of 2 which last about one month... so again, WAY cheaper.
There you have it... Again, we are excited to cloth diaper Layla and know that it is going to be easy for everyone who has to diaper her.

Lazy Americans

2011-09-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know who decided that the word at was too much to write. I don't understand why writing @ is easier than at. Doesn't it make MUCH MORE SENSE for @ to stand for around. I mean, there is a circle around the letter A. Lazy Americans.

35 weeks

2011-08-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

September 27

2011-08-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

My actual due date is October 4, but since Layla has been head down and fully effaced for 4 weeks, my doc said it's okay to induce a week early. This makes me very happy. Sept 27 would be an awesome day for her to arrive. Chris, Elyse and Naomi were all born on the 27th. I am, however, not opposed to her arriving earlier than that. I want her to cook until I'm technically full term, 37 weeks (2.6 weeks away), because walking with a head between my legs is getting almost too hard to bear. And you're welcome for the mental image. So if she decides not to come early on her own, I will be a mommy to 2 in 33 days!!

This picture is all you're getting for a "belly shot". Standing and posing isn't my thing at 34 weeks and 105 degrees. Yes, I know I look tired. Layla sucks the life out of me. But that, I, of course, don't mind :)

Pork Chops Marsala

2011-08-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

We haven't had pork in I can't remember how long, but when I came across this recipe, I had to make it. It was also delicious. The pork chops are hidden under the mushrooms, but I promise they are there. This recipe was relatively easy. The only part that took long was marinating the mushrooms in the Marsala wine. I thought that I could have marinated the chops overnight, but the recipe didn't call for that. And since I'm still very new to cooking, I do not want to deviate from the instructions. Along with the mushrooms are shallots. I have never had a shallot before, or at least I don't think I have, but they taste just like a sweet onion to me. But then again, my taste buds are off due to this pregnancy.

Arroz Con Pollo

2011-08-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

This is my mom's recipe... it is so freaking delicious. I was afraid I would mess it up, but, lo and behold, it tasted almost like hers! Huge success!! I made it to serve 4 so Chris could take left overs to work. He said that the next day it tasted even better, because it was more tender (which I didn't know was possible). Happy Drooling!

My little comforter

2011-08-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

I realize that me fake crying to son is not very nice, but he's just so sweet when he thinks I am hurt that I had to capture it on video. I know I've said it before, but he is going to be such a GREAT big brother!

Our little boy!

2011-08-21T10:08:00.001-07:00

Nose picking

2011-08-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Josiah loves to make me laugh. Half of the time I laugh at things I should not, because they are bad habits that will get him in trouble in school, or with other parents. Yesterday we were driving to meet a friend for dinner. It was a 30 minute car ride, so I gave him a snack to munch on so he would be pleasant in the car (yes, I'm that mother). I have my rear view mirror angled so I can see him, and the road, don't worry mother. After he was finished with his snack he stuck his finger up his nose and made an awesome face. He's done this once or twice, but it caught me off guard, so I started laughing hysterically. So, naturally, he continued to do this the rest of the car ride. And I laughed each and every time. He started digging around more and changing nostrils. And he did this all because he knew it made me laugh. What a sweetheart! This morning, on the way to daycare, he did it again. I had to make myself not laugh because I don't want him to be the gross kid at school who shows his boogers to his friends then gets in trouble from his teacher. I'm guessing from who his parents and grandparents are, he will get in enough trouble as is.

Mexican Fiesta Salad

2011-08-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

This was by far the BEST salad we've eaten in a long freaking time... This was really easy and not too many ingredients. I wouldn't say it was healthy, but I wouldn't say it wasn't.

Nashville Zoo

2011-08-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

We went to the zoo for the first time today. It was really fun! We spent about 3 hours there. I was proud of myself for spending 3 hours outside, walking around at 8 months pregnant. Josiah did great too. He ran from exhibit to exhibit without too much whining. There was this awesome play area for little ones that Josiah just went crazy in. He did so many belly flops he was entertaining everyone there. It was pretty awesome. We only took 3 pictures because we are awesome parents like that...

Grilled Salmon and Pineapple Salsa

2011-08-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

YUMMY!!! This was good! And easy!

Kitchen Cabinets

2011-08-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Since we're putting our house on the market in January, we have been getting the house ready to sell. Today we finished a huge project... painting the kitchen cabinets. We started on it last weekend and finished it this morning. We are very proud of ourselves!! Surprisingly, it wasn't that difficult, just time consuming. Here are the pics... tell me what you think:

Before

Primed

Painted!!!

2011-08-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

It's been 110 degrees in Nashville, so Josiah and I have not been playing outside much. And I'm 7.5 months pregnant which means my body temperature feels like 145 degrees. Today I made a pathetic attempt at creating a fort for Josiah. It was sub par to say the least. But he seemed to like it. Here is a picture of my lame fort... and my adorable son.

part 4... Black Bean Avacado Wrap

2011-08-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Like I said in my last post, no meat, which is rare for our household. There were a whole lot of ingredients in this recipe so even though there was no meat to cook, it took a good 30 minutes to chop and slice everything. But well worth it. This was friggin delicious too... and healthy (other than the tortilla, next time I'm getting whole wheat tortillas). Chris has said that everything I have made has been incredible, which makes me want to cook for him even more!!

part 3... Boston Blue Chicken Apple Salad

2011-08-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

This was yummy yummy yummy!! And very healthy. It didn't require too much work or ingredients either. I've never grilled chicken before so I thought it was going to be hard, but it wasn't. I impressed myself! Tomorrow I'm making a non-meat meal with lots of ingredients, but again, healthy.

Heavy stuff

2011-08-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have been really torn up about what is happening in Somalia. For those of you who don't know, there is a drought and famine in southern Somalia that has caused the death of over 29,000 children under the age of 5 in 90 days. If you are looking for a good cry you can read about it here, http://news.yahoo.com/us-29-000-somali-children-under-5-dead-104757443.html. Although I will advise you not to because it is just so freaking sad.

There are many things about God I do not understand. And even more things that I know I will never understand, so I try not to think about. This is one of those instances. I do not understand why God will not provide rain to this country. They need water for their crops. And to drink. Why can't he give that to them?? I was talking to Chris about this and he said something that made me feel better. Many times in the Bible Jesus talks about his love for children. All that He says about children leads me to believe that those children who die before they can understand that Jesus died for our sins, go to heaven since they cannot begin to comprehend what that means. Really, how is a one year old supposed to grasp that when they can't go potty on their own? So... Chris said that he believes that those 29,000 children are with Jesus in heaven and that God rescued them from a life on earth where there would be continual famine. They are with Him, laughing, playing and not feeling anymore pain. While it still makes me utterly depressed about Somalia, it is encouraging to know that God does and will take care of His children.

I know I deviated from my "adventures in cooking" and Josiah blogging, but I had to get that off my chest. I will, however, still pray for rain.

part 2... Tin Foil Baked Fish Taco

2011-08-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight I followed the instructions to the T. They call it tin foil baked fish taco because you bake the fish in tin foil with onions and bell peppers, for 10 minutes. So after 10 minutes I took it out of the oven and the fish was still raw. So Chris advised me to bake it for another 10 minutes... still raw. So we took it out of the foil and baked it in the baking dish on top of the veggies for 10 minutes. Finally it was cooked through and looked delicious... and tasted great too! The presentation isn't great, but that will come with time.

Adventures in Cooking... part 1

2011-08-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

2 weeks ago I decided I am going to start cooking dinner for Chris 3 or 4 nights a week. He has been the cook in the family for the last 3.75 years, so I figure it's my turn. And I want Chris to be able to come home, relax and spend quality time with Josiah, instead of figuring out what to cook.
I have been tearing out recipes from magazines, borrowing them from yahoo.com, and stealing them from my mother. Since Chris is lactose intolerant I have to really look at the ingredients to make sure he won't get sick from it, and that I can actually cook it. Tonight I started with Chicken Parmesan. Even though he's lactose intolerant, there was only 1 tbsp of Parmesan, so I figured it would be okay for him to eat. Here's how it turned out :) I am very proud of myself. And it tasted just as yummy!! Tomorrow night, Talapia!

10 years...

2011-08-01T06:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I forgot to mention that when we were in Denver 3 weeks ago, I hung out with one of my very best friends from high school, Sarah (Protzman) Howlett. And I got to meet her Irish husband! Sarah and I have been writing actual letters (for those of you who don't know what that is, it's when a real pen meets a piece of paper) since we graduated HS. She went to college in Missouri and I stayed in Texas. Then she moved to Colorado after college, lived in New York for 3 years, then back to Colorado. Her parents moved to Colorado soon after we graduated HS, so she didn't have a reason to visit Dallas anymore. She is very special to me and I am so glad I got to see her beautiful face for 2 days.

2011-07-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

I was watching A Baby Story this morning, and the woman didn't gain one pound while pregnant. In fact, she lost weight. At 9.5 months, she weighed 112 pounds. That is ridiculous. It made me very jealous. In my dreams I will weigh 112 pounds after Layla gets here.

I don't think I can watch that show again. All the mothers-to-be they follow have family all around them. I hate that we won't be in the same state as our families when I go into labor. If we're lucky, one of our parents will be here when she arrives. I miss my family. This past year has been really difficult on me not having family anywhere near us. I want my kids to have the kind of relationship with their "extended" family as I have with my Aunt Judi. I cannot imagine life without her. I hate that our parents, brothers and sisters have to go months without seeing Josiah. And that we have to go months without seeing them. It really sucks. I don't know how people who live this far away from their family for their entire lives do it. I am so glad we will be moving (hopefully) at the end of next year. This year and next will go by fast, right?

Getting Low!

2011-07-18T17:28:00.000-07:00

Josiah LOVES dancing! And I mean loves! He will listen to music all day if I let him. I know I shouldn't play him half the music I do, but dance music is so much more fun to listen to. I bought this monkey at Target when we were buying decorations for his birthday. He still hasn't tired of it. I don't know where he learns half of the moves he got, but they are so dang cute! Check it out for yourself...

Quick questions for pregnant women

2011-07-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

I have 2 1/2 more months left in my pregnancy. I am starting to get uncomfortable with this huge mass protruding from my stomach. And my back is starting to hurt a lot after I've been on my feet for too long. I want to continue working out (I have been kickboxing, taking step class, swimming and walking 2 miles) these last 2 months, but can't continue what I'm doing... other than swimming of course. Any suggestions? I'll take them all!

Josiah's sweetness

2011-07-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

I asked Josiah to kiss Layla today (he knows she resides in my belly), so he did. Several times. Then he hugged my belly for a good 5 minutes. Not an hour passes and he comes up to my belly and kisses it 10 times, hugging it in between. 30 more minutes go by and he does it again. I really hope he is this sweet to her when she actually arrives. He just has such a loving heart. We are truly blessed. Thank you Jesus for our precious gift!

Colorado

2011-07-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

July 7-11 I was in Colorado with my mom, my BFF Laura, and her mom Gayla for Allison's wedding. We had such an amazing time. The weather was un-freaking-believable. 70 degrees every day with light rainfall each day. The 4 of us stayed at a friend's parents' house in Evergreen. Talk about breathtaking! They live in the highest house on the mountain, which means this was our view:

I got to spend Thursday with Allison and her family. I hadn't seen her since last June so I enjoyed every second of it! Friday and Saturday were filled with wedding stuff. Being pregnant, in high altitude, driving up a VERY curvy mountain 2 times a day made for a very uncomfortable, vomity (yes, that's a word) time, but it was worth it getting to watch my oldest friend get married. I also got to spend lots of time Laura, my mom and Gayla too! I miss them so much! I needed girl time like you wouldn't believe. I have a couple of close friends in Nashville, but nothing compares to the history and relationships I have back home.

Chris took very good care of Josiah while I was gone. I missed them like CRAZY!!! It will be a long time before I leave them again for that long.

One for the road

2011-07-07T04:05:00.000-07:00

Who wouldn't miss this guy??

2011-07-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

Already a Rough Riders fan! We look forward to attending MANY games when we move home.

Yes, sometimes we give him chocolate for dinner...

He likes to eat mommy and daddy's feet. I don't know where he gets it.

I sure am going to miss my boys while I'm in Colorado for Allison's wedding for the next 5 days. I haven't been apart from Josiah for more than 24 hours, so this will be interesting. I am prepared for crying and the longing sensation of wanting to be with my family... and I'm only going away for 5 days!! Pray for me.

Soap.com

2011-07-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm shamelessly plugging soap.com. It's a website that sells various household essentials, health and beauty products. I found it because I was sent a 30% off coupon with a diapers.com purchase. I never pass up a coupon! Especially when it's for something that I need. I'm promoting it because if you spend $39 or more you get free shipping (usually ships in 1-2 business days), their products are about 10-15% cheaper than if you were to purchase the exact same product at a grocery store or CVS/Walgreens type store, and there is NO tax! The Tennessee tax rate is almost 10%, so I figure I am saving at least 20% just by buying their items. What I plan on doing from here on out is purchasing all my household needs (paper towels, kleenex, soap, etc) at the first of the month, for the entire month. That way I won't run out of toilet paper, and more than likely shipping will always be free. The only way I won't do this on a household item is if there is a store coupon and store sale on something I need that will beat the soap.com price.
I just wanted to share this information with you. I have been trying hard to figure out couponing, and sites like these make it a little easier and cheaper :)

Josiah and Layla

2011-07-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

We are trying to prepare Josiah for Layla's arrival in September. How one prepares a 16 month old for something like that is... interesting. Chris and I will ask Josiah "where's Layla?" and Josiah will point to my belly. Chris will also talk to my belly very loudly with Josiah standing next to me and Josiah will just laugh. We try and emphasize that Layla is his sister, just like Scott, Mindy, Matthew, Naomi, Carter and Elyse are ours. I'm going to assume he has no idea what we're talking about, but that's okay. Yesterday J and I were hanging out on the couch and I asked him "where's Layla?". He pointed to my belly, like he usually does, but this time said "Yaya". It melted my heart! Of couse I immediately applaused him, sang his praises and kissed him over and over again. With that kind of reaction I expect him to say her name all the time now :) He LOVES being praised (who doesn't, really?). Just thought I'd share that cute story. My son's a GENIUS!

4th of July weekend

2011-07-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

I love holiday weekends. I love that Chris gets an extra day with us. And I believe Josiah loves that even more than I do. Like I've said many times before, Josiah is a daddy's boy. Friday after work we went and grabbed dinner at Captain D's (the company that I work for... I'm in the HR department). Josiah had the mac and cheese. Chris took some awesome photos of him eating it, so I'll have to post those later.
Saturday morning Josiah slept in until 915am!! That hasn't happened but 2 or 3 times in the past 10 months. It was awesome sleeping in! We spent the rest of the afternoon at my bosses house swimming and eating hamburgers. Josiah loved every minute of it, and so did we. Now I finally have some color and people might actually believe I'm Cuban.
Sunday we met an old high school friend, Lindsay Roberts, for brunch. It was great catching up with her! I love seeing old friends here in Nashville. It makes me feel like I'm not so disconnected with my Dallas life. Sunday night we went to Logan's Roadhouse. We had 2 filet mignons, an appetizer, and beer for $25! I sure do love coupons and BOGOs. Josiah loved the restaurant! He made several friends with other kids his age. He's quite popular with the ladies :)
Yesterday we just hung out at the house, did some yard work and enjoyed each others company. It doesn't get dark here until around 845pm, so we knew that the fireworks would keep Josiah up, so we tried to put him down at 7. However, we misjudged our redneck neighbors. They started shooting off fireworks at 5pm. Needless to say, Josiah didn't fall asleep until after 1030pm. We went outside to look at them, but they started to scare Josiah, so that was that.
It was a great holiday weekend, but we really missed our friends and family in Dallas. We are ready to come home!! I've come to realize that good friends are hard to find, and nothing beats family. We love and miss you all dearly.

:::A few of Josiah's favorite things:::

2011-07-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

My turtle

Playing music

Dancing with my monkey

Starbucks

Kisses

Hugs (specifically with Papu)

Vacuuming

Shoulder rides

Bath time at the Munselle house

2011-07-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

Another Lesson

2011-07-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

Although Josiah has done great at non-kid friendly restaurants, he does MUCH better at kid friendly ones. The atmosphere is loud and there are plenty of things to keep him stimulated and entertained. This makes for a happier child and mommy. "Fancy" restaurants are now reserved for date night with the hubs. Those type of places tend to care if your child has explosive diarrhea.

Dear Humans,

2011-07-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Please don't tell me I look tired. I know I do. I don't sleep very well anymore due to the large bulge in my stomach waking me up needing to either go to the restroom or kicking me. If you don't have anything nice to say to a pregnant woman, don't say anything at all!

Sincerely,
Kristine (and the rest of us out there)

Another awesome Josiah story

2011-06-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were running errands at an "outside mall". The door to New York and Co was open and was playing loud music. Naturally Josiah walked in the middle of the store and started dancing. I let him do it for a couple of minutes (just so everyone could see how adorable he is!) then we headed down the walkway some more. The next store we went into there were TONS of full length mirrors and loud music. Josiah stood 3 feet in away from one, turned his back to the mirror, then turned his head around and started watching himself dance from behind. This went on for a very long time! It was like no one else was in the store and he was seeing himself for the first time. I am not doing ANY justice to how awesome this was to watch, but let me tell you... I'm going to make it a habit of going into stores with music and full length mirrors in hopes he does this again! Maybe I'll have my camera on me and can capture it.

A few more goodies

2011-06-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

Cute quick little story

2011-06-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to a playdate with some of my friends from my Mom's Group. There were lots of kids, most of them Josiah's age. My friend, Rachel, had her 6 month old with her. Josiah fell in LOVE with him! Rachel held him most of the time, and when we were sitting next to them, Josiah reached for Aeden's face and kissed him over and over again. Then he gently patted his arms. He got a little frustrated when I wouldn't let him hold Aeden. When Rachel was changing Aeden's diaper, Josiah laid on the floor next to him and rubbed his head and kissed him some more. Josiah is going to be the BEST big brother ever! Layla is so lucky!! And so are we to have such an amazing child.

:::Just a few to start:::

2011-06-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

I really love to vacuum

And help my daddy put in our new floor

I really like to lay by my mommy's feet

Have I mentioned how much I love my Uncle Carter??

Pictures to come

2011-06-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

We've been busy around the Munselle household, but as usual, I have been horrible at taking pictures. Luckily, when Chris's family was here, Elyse took TONS of pictures. So as soon as I figure out how to transfer them successfully (I've attempted twice but with no luck) I will post them.

We had so much fun over Memorial weekend. Chris's parents came in Friday night and Elyse and Carter, our new brother-in-law, came in Saturday afternoon. Josiah had SO much fun with them. He literally wanted to be everywhere Carter was. On Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market and got amazing fresh fruit and veggies. I absolutely love going to the Market. We try and go every Saturday. For some reason the fruit there tastes ten times as delicious as the grocery store. And we're supporting local farmers, so that adds to the taste. Saturday night Chris's dad took us out for a very lovely steak dinner. It was so freaking good. And surprisingly, Josiah did really well at the restaurant. I'm always really nervous to take him to a nice restaurant because you get a lot of stares from either non-parents or parents who are trying to enjoy a night without their kids. Sunday we grilled out at home, strolled down to the lake and went to Arrington Vineyards to listen to some live jazz music. Everyone left on Monday, so like I said, short, but very fun!

I was really happy that Josiah got attached to his family so fast. I absolutely hate that we live so far away from our families. It is so nice when we get to be around them, even if it's only for 2 days. I am really looking forward to moving back to Dallas in 2 years so he can grow up with grandparents, aunts and uncles close by. Layla won't go too long without having her family around, so that makes me happy too.

I have been working 4 or 5 days a week for the last month because we have had meeting, conferences and both my bosses went on vacation, so I had to work the whole week they were gone. I really don't like working full time. I honestly don't know how full time working moms do it. You all are superheroes. I have felt like I haven't had anytime with Josiah. And he's growing up so fast I feel like I am missing out on so much... and it's only been a month!! After June my schedule will go back to 2 days a week, which I am very thankful for, so I just have these next 3 weeks to push through. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

A little awesomeness to brighten your day

2011-05-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

Lately

2011-05-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

We have been busy at the Munselle household. Chris is still hard at work at St. Thomas and I have picked up an extra day at Captain D's. Josiah starts his permanent daycare June 6th, which I am pumped about because I have been pawning him off on my friends for almost 2 months.

Josiah gets cuter and cuter day by day. He still loves to dance to anything, he almost has the hang of running without falling and his vocabulary is growing. He is going to be the BEST big brother EVER!

Josiah loves to watch Baby Einstein in his Cars chair... if he's not dancing to the music

I am this cute all the time

I like to eat paper

My mommy thinks I look too cute for words in this outfit.

I LOVE holding stuffed animals... 2 at a time (he's very familiar with Genesis, naturally)

The beginning of our Easter Egg Hunt in our front yard

My friend, Clara. Her parents taught her to cry whenever naked with a boy... very smart!

My little lover!

2011-04-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

I have the sweetest little boy a mother could ask for... I love that I get to stay home with him more than not. He likes to give kisses, hugs and I caught this little snuggle session on video. I just love him to

pieces!!

And he WALKS!!

2011-03-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Josiah decided to walk. He had only taken a few steps a couple of times before that. Chris and I knew he knew how to walk, he just didn't want to. Then when he finally did he was a pro at it! Most babies start off very slowly, but not Josiah. He trips every now and then because he gets going so fast (almost a jog), so we're assuming he'll figure that out soon... Our lives have changed once again :)

Josiah's First Words

2011-03-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Josiah said his first word (other than mama and dada)... and the winner is PLEASE! He says it when he wants food. I caught some of it on video. Yesterday we had pizza for dinner (Josiah had just had his pasta and green bean dinner), but when he saw us eating pizza he started going crazy, so we made him say please first. Then, for a few times, he would hug me after each bite I gave him. He is just so freaking adorable. Then this morning he said his second word... JUICE! He LOVES juice. If he could, he would drink it all day long. Orange juice is his favorite so far (who can blame him?). He learns more and more each day and is becoming so much fun! I mean, he's always been fun, but now he plays with you back. He's so special!

Trip to Austin, Dallas and Norman

2011-03-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

Elyse (Chris's only sibling) got married in Austin on the 26th, so the 3 of us fly down on the 25th for the Big Event. We had so much fun! All of Chris's family was there and my parents, Aunt and sister came too. They spent time with Josiah while Chris and I participated in all the pre-wedding events. The ceremony was beautiful, the reception was a blast, and seeing family was so refreshing and much needed (pictures of the wedding to come later).

On Sunday we headed to Dallas for 2 days to see friends and spend more time with family. We also go to go to Sushi Loco twice! For those of you who don't know, Sushi Loco is my FAVORITE sushi place anywhere! Since Ping and Bing, the owners, love my family so much they treat us so well and know exactly what to make for pregnant women, which was awesome, because I had been dreaming about Sushi Loco for almost 6 months. We miss our family and friends so much and we were so glad to be home in Dallas, if only for 36 hours. The video below is one of Josiah's new hilarious things he does... I know you will enjoy this as much as I do :)

Tuesday afternoon we headed to Norman, OK to visit my older brother, Matthew, and his family. We had never met our newest nephew, Robby, who was born December 29, so we were so excited to be able to spend a couple of days with them. Again, we had so much fun!! I love my family so much and wish we all lived in the same city.

Great news!!!

2011-03-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

I am 11 weeks pregnant... Our newest addition will arrive on September 25 (my little brother's birhtday)!!! Josiah is going to be the best big brother anyone could ask for :)

A few posts to catch you up on life

2011-03-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

February 19 Josiah turned 1! We had a Superman themed birthday party (is there any other kind?) with several of our friends and watched as Josiah had his first taste of cake. He had so much fun! He loved all the attention he received and had no problem being the life of the party. He truly is a joy in our life and one of the best blessing we will ever get.

A few things Josiah is up to at one:

He's a mover and a shaker. Anytime music is on, he's dancing... whether it be with his head, hands or body, he's always moving.
He LOVES his daddy!! He is quickly becoming a daddy's boy. When Chris walks in the door from work, it's forget about mommy, daddy's here!! And I promise, it doesn't bother me. I think it's really special and important for Chris and Josiah to bond so early.
You're eating that? Can I try some... NOW?! Josiah has to have what mommy and daddy are eating, no matter what it is. And if we don't give him some, he has a little bit of a freak out.
Trucks, trucks and more trucks! Enough said.
He HAS to have something in his mouth at all times... toys, blocks, sippy cups... you name it.
If your face is within touching distance, he's going to squeeze it and possibly poke your eyes out. On accident of course, but he has to touch it, and we're working on the word gentle.
And my favorite of all, he hugs!!! Whatever he's doing, he'll stop, find mommy or daddy and hug us, for just a second, then return to what he was doing.

Josiah loves Stinky

2011-02-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

I didn't capture it that well, but Josiah laughs ALL THE TIME at Stinky!!

19 more days

2011-01-31T10:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that in less than 3 weeks Josiah will be 1 year old! Where has the last year gone?? He has been such an incredible blessing in our life and I am so thankful that God gave him to us. Anyone that meets him falls in love with him, and who could blame him... you've seen how cute he is!! I love watching him play with other babies. He will chase them around, try and bite their feet (my bad influence) and love on them. He can't walk yet, but he sure does love to walk around anything he can. We are starting to give him real food instead of baby food and he has been okay with most of it so far. I'm looking forward to letting him devour his birthday cake! I'll make sure to take lots of pictures of that.

I sure do miss spending every waking hour with him. It has been a really difficult transition for me, but I'm doing it for him. Soon I'll only be working 3 days a week, so I'll have much more time with him. Until then I cherish the weekends we have as a family and am really looking forward to having a week vacation in Austin, Dallas, and Norman at the end of the month.

More pictures and videos to come...

Mama's Favorite Sound

2011-01-22T09:17:00.000-08:00

:::Pushing the Walker:::

2011-01-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

2011-01-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

Like the amazing mother I am, I forgot to take pictures of Josiah on Christmas. Not a single one. Not even a video. His grandparents/aunts/uncles are not going to be happy about that.

In better news, one of my best friends is engaged, which means a trip to Denver this summer. I forgot that my little brother moved to Chicago this summer, from Colorado, which means that I am getting old. Oh, my older brother is now a father of 3! My newest nephew, Robert (Robby) Andrew Reyes was born on December 29. He is absolutely perfect. We will meet him March 1st when we take a trip to Norman, OK after going to my sister-in-laws wedding in Austin. We are super pumped about meeting our nephew and watching our sister get married... and Allison!

:::Josiah and Daddy's playtime:::

2010-12-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

:::A small note about Kristine:::

2010-12-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

On December 13 I will start my new career at Vanderbilt Hospital. I am so excited!!! I will be working on the floor with postpartum moms. After 3 months of working at Vanderbilt I will be eligible to to start working on my nursing degree, again, something I am super excited about! I have never really had a career goal. I just wanted to be a mother. However, children are not cheap; and since we want a baseball team we are both going to need to work. When I was in the hospital with Josiah my experience was so great. I was treated like family and I never felt stressed or overwhelmed. When I got home and really thought about it, I realized that I wanted to work as a nurse with recovering mothers. I have been applying for jobs at Vanderbilt for about 3 months and finally got a connection to one of the hiring managers on the floor I want to work. After being very persistent I got an interview and was hired on the spot. Monday is the beginning of great things for me!!!

A little side note: When Chris and I moved here we didn't think this would be a permanent move. We thought maybe 5 years. However, now we are not planning on leaving Nashville. This is our home, where we had our first child, and where, hopefully, Chris will become a paid songwriter. We do miss being so far away from our parents and siblings, but this is what is best for us and where we want to spend our lives.

My name is Josiah and I love to laugh:::

2010-12-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

Josiah's favorite things...

2010-12-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

If he could do one thing all day, every day for the rest of his life it would be to open and close cabinets and drawers. I have never seen anyone get so excited about anything as excited as Josiah gets when he has his tiny hands on cabinet and drawer knobs.

Laugh when I laugh. If I am laughing, no matter what Josiah is doing, he will stop and look at me and laugh as long as I am laughing. It's pretty awesome.

Be with other kids his age or a little older. He gets so amazed watching other babies play and wants to join as soon as he can get away from being held by mommy. He is getting really good at sharing.

Spending time with daddy. Enough said. If Josiah and I are playing and daddy walks into the room he completely forgets about me and beelines it to daddy. How can I get jealous about that?

Josiah's reaction to Spaghetti...

2010-11-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

I can THROW!!!

2010-11-20T11:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Chris taught Josiah the word "throw". We spent the better part of an hour watching him play catch with his daddy. It was so cute! After every time Josiah threw the ball, he would look at his daddy to get approval. This morning Josiah picked up the ball and started biting it. When Chris asked Josiah to throw the ball to him, he did exactly that. We are so proud of him!! Here's to hoping he likes left field and playing quarterback.

Josiah's new lion::::

2010-11-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

Josiah has been trying SO hard to stand up, but just can't yet. I guess he figures why try so hard and not accomplish it, when I know my mom is going to do it for me eventually. So I know it's partially my fault. The past 2 days he has fallen really hard, on his head. He fell straight back on the tile and once on the carpet... but our carpet is so old and worn down it was like hitting concrete. Needless to say, I felt like a horrible mother for not catching him. So Chris and I decided to get him 2 presents, one for each fall. His first one is a vacuum because he loves watching me vacuum and the second one is an inflatable lion. Chris chose the latter because has fond memories of punching his inflatable clown... go figure. That is how Josiah responded to his lion. Pretty darn cute, right?

HAPPY BOY!

2010-11-10T05:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, Josiah is always this happy. He has started posing for pictures. He was playing with his truck, but when I called his name and he saw the camera he put his truck down and smiled. I had no idea he liked trucks until my friend Jamie's son, Oliver, let him play with his. So much fun!! He's such a boy :)

I have such great friends here. I have had several occasions where I needed to be somewhere that I couldn't bring Josiah, and my friends have volunteered to watch him and play with him for as long as I need. So wonderful!

BABABABABABA

2010-11-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

::::ME::::

2010-10-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

Since giving birth I have lost 45 pounds. I have worked VERY hard at those 45 pounds. However, I am not done; but that's OK because I have actually enjoyed losing weight. At first, not so much. Going to the gym was hard. And with 60 extra pounds I could feel how challenging it was going to be. I was nowhere near in shape and I knew that it was going to take a lot of effort and will power on my part. But once I forced myself to be in the gym 5 days a week I started liking it, even missing it when I wasn't there. I go to 3 or 4 exercise classes a week... the hard ones. Kickboxing, ultimate cardio and ultimate circuit. I'm guaranteed to lose at least 400 calories per class. And I don't miss class unless it's unavoidable. That means saying no to doing things with friends on those eveings I have class, which sometimes is hard to do, but totally worth it. I also lift weights 2-3 times a week. I really do feel great after every time I work out and that motivates me to stay healthy.

Which leads me to my next weight loss must... eating right. There were somethings that I had to give up altogether, like soda, juice, chocolate (I do allow myself one chocolately thing a week) and candy. I don't have any of that stuff in our pantry. If Chris wants a sweet I make him take it to work with him because I know that if it's in my house I am going to eat it, even if I don't like it. I snack out of boredom and if unhealthy snacks aren't an option, I obviously won't eat them. That has had a tremendous positive effect on my eating habits. I also started looking at the nutrition facts. Some things I thought weren't bad for me turned out to be and some things I thought had to be bad weren't. That has helped the most. Realizing how many calories, fat grams and saturated fat grams I should be eating a day vs. how many I actually was (without realizing it). And now that I know what's really good for me, what's in the middle and what's bad for me I have stuck very firmly to my diet.

I'm very proud of myself. I never thought I could do it, but I am! I want to be at my goal weight (a little below what I was before I got pregnant) when Josiah celebrates his one year birthday. I know I can do it. AND... next time I get pregnant I will be much smarter and healthier on my eating decisions. I just assumed that I could eat whatever I wanted because I was "eating for 2". Not true. So here's to 20 more pounds!!

If I can do it, you can do it!

Lately

2010-10-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

Josiah is getting so big... and SMART! He hates taking naps. I think he knows there is cooler stuff going on downstairs, and he would rather be where the party is (who can blame him, his mama is REALLY fun). He has figured out how to get out of napping... he poops. I will let him cry for up to 45 minutes before I take him out of his crib and bring him downstairs, but recently he started pooping about 15 minutes into his nap, which I can't let him roll around in, so I take him out, change his diaper then bring him down with me. I probably should put him back in his crib, but I don't. By the time I'm done changing him he's wide awake and too cute to not play with. Little bugger.

He LOVES walking (with our help, of course). Sometimes when we try and sit him on the floor he straight legs it so we can't, and he winds up getting way and we let him walk around the house. It's actually really cute. He is so proud of himself. His mouth is wide open, eyes excited, and squealing. I could be wrong, but I believe as soon as he figures out how to pull himself up, he will go straight to walking.

Yes, I am always this happy!

::::::Tiny Feet::::::

2010-10-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

I am not obsessed with feet. I believe they serve their purpose. Most feet are ugly... they have been walked on, danced on, run on, etc. However, Josiah's feet are the cutest things I have EVER seen. They are so fat! I stare at them all the time and talk about his feet all the time (something I didn't realize I did until Chris pointed it out to me). So here they are... you will thank me, I promise.

Here's how cute they are from the back

These are my jumping feet

He's growing up so fast!!

2010-10-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

I know I posted a video of him crawling on facebook, but this one is much cuter (which is pretty hard to do when you're already the cutest baby ever).

I just can't believe that he's crawling already. I look at pictures from when he was a newborn and it seems like yesterday. Pretty soon he's gonna be married with four of his own children!

2010-09-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

Sleeperstar stayed with us for 2 days last week and we had so much fun. I LOVED getting to host 5 very talented, very genuinely sweet men at my house. Shaun Menary of shaunmenary.com took some candid shots of Josiah playing, so here they are. You don't have to tell me, I know how cute he is...

2010-09-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've lost 40 POUNDS!!!!! I still have a little more to go, but I know I can do it

Typical Saturday:::

2010-09-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

Josiah and Clara

2010-09-04T08:37:00.001-07:00

Josiah's girlfriend Clara came over yesterday. Her mommy and I are very good friends so we are OK with them flirting with each other. Here is a progression of what happens when they play together...

Aren't they just adorable? They also like to watch Baby Einstein together and play in the pack 'n' play. They are very good at sharing their toys and teething rings with one another. If he cries, she gets worried and vice versa. I'm so glad they have each other. As well as I am glad I have Clara's mommy, Jenn.

Our sweet baby boy

2010-08-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! Lots has happened since my last post. Josiah and I visited Dallas for 2 weeks and had a blast spending time with our family. I got to see the Rangers and Yankees play with my dad and then saw a Rough Riders game a few days later. I so wish we had a major league team in Nashville...

My mom and I drove up to Nashville (with Josiah of course) on Tuesday. We left at 3pm so he could take a nap as soon as we got on the road, then would only be awake for maybe 3 hours of the car ride total. However, that is not what Josiah had planned. He decided to sleep for maybe 3 of the 12 hour car ride... crying for about 6 of them. It was a nightmare! But also hilarious at the same time. We finally arrived home at 3am, just in time for him to fall asleep as we pulled into the driveway. Isn't that special?

Josiah had surgery on Thursday morning (his 6 month bday) to fix a body part that didn't fully develop in the womb. He was such a champ! His surgery was at 8am and we had to be at the hospital at 6. He wasn't allowed to eat anything after midnight, and I thought to myself "this will be fun". If he goes 3 hours without food (he does sleep 11 hours without food though) he is a mad man... I hope the waiting room is empty. And it was. Of course as soon as he was called back he started screaming his head off, but obviously the nurses were used to it because they talked to us in their normal voices and didn't seem bothered by it at all. After about 30 of crying he finally stopped when we started doing squats with him. The took him back to surgery and 90 minutes later the doctor came out and told us everything went perfect! Praise Jesus! I knew it was a routine surgery, but was nonethelss nervous the entire time! The nurse took us back to see him and told us that everyone feel in love with him and thought his pacifier was the best one they've ever seen (would you expect less from us?). We took him home around noon and he is back to his normal self, with a few crying from pain spats. We go back to the doctor on Wednesday so they can remove his stint. Continue to pray for quick healing.

Here are some pictures from our time in Dallas and in the hospital:

His bubba teeth

After surgery... happy as a clam!