My how times change.....

I was just thinking about it this morning when I was getting super frustrated that my iPhone was locking up during "Words with Friends" (yes, I told you that I'm addicted). Times have changed so much. It really wasn't that long ago that we didn't have cell phones at all, and now we get frustrated when they don't work for 5 minutes. I remember my freshman year of college, I was sent to school with my 1996 Olympics "Emergency-only" cell phone. I was told to not use it unless there was an absolute emergency because it cost like $1 a minute. One time, I made a quick call with it to my boyfriend at Georgia Southern because I ran out of minutes on my calling card. I freaked out for a month anticipating dad's reaction to his AT&T bill and the fact that I used the phone for something other than an emergency. I never got that freak-out reaction. I'm thinking he probably had some free minutes but just told me otherwise! Nowadays, 8 year olds have cell phones. It's crazy.

Yet, everything seems to come back around. New Kids on the Block and Prince made a comeback. I see college girls walking around with stirrup pants and flats and, yes, the other day I saw a few with their shirts tied in a knot on the side. Then, it hit me, they had not experienced the 80's wear before. So, this was like new fashion to them. Yikes. If banana clips come back, just gag me with a spoon! :-) Although, I had one pretty thick and pretty pony tail with those things!

Times change though. I remember just last year saying that we would wait a while until we had a baby, and now we have this beautiful little girl, and I can't imagine our lives without her. I also set all of these standards for the man I would marry. He had to have this, that, and the other. And now, I'm married to a man who won't eat oysters, has less-than attractive feet (for better words than "ugly"), is not a morning person, and is not a curly-headed Dierks Bentley look-alike. Oh yeah, and we aren't millionaires, not by a long shot. But, he's a cutie, has the best heart, and is the best daddy....oh yeah, and loves George Strait (that one I was not backing down from!).

It's funny how things change. Your opinions change and your priorities change. But you gotta love it, because it makes thoughts of your future that much more exciting!

Bored to tears....

Yesterday I had a tax Continuing Ed class in Gwinnett. It was good to see friends I haven't seen in a while at it, but that's about all. Getting a bunch of accountants in a room to talk about taxes is BORING! I think honestly some people like to talk about it though, well, I guess SOMEONE needs to enjoy the stuff. Accounting is a good career choice, don't get me wrong, but good grief, I often wonder how I ended up choosing that career path!

So, I thought that I could just follow the birth of my friend Katie's baby all day long and that would keep me entertained.....but she popped that baby out fast (3 pushes, good grief)! Congratulations Katie and Chris - she's a beauty, oh and Katie looked sickening beautiful throughout the day! Meanwhile, I was swollen and shaking throughout my "Labor day"!!

So, I played "Words with Friends" on my iPhone until my battery died during the class. This game is absolutely 100% addictive. It's basically Scrabble, but you play against other random people and can have tons of games open at once. It's crazy addictive. Don't start playing it unless you plan to check on it every hour, or ummm, every 20 minutes.

Abbey C. stayed with mom and dad while I was in class. Unfortunately, she was fussy and didn't seem to feel well. Nothing makes you feel more guilty than leaving a fussy baby with someone else! Hopefully she will have a better day today!

Pictures of Miss Abbey Claire, because I know that's all you care about:

Sitting up and chilling out with daddy:

"Did you want something?"


Her hand must be made of sugar, because it's ALWAYS in her mouth!

Happy Girl

It was so nice being greeted with this smiley little face this morning. Typically when I leave, she's sleeping, but I left a little later this morning. I don't think I've had someone greet me with a smile in the mornings, since, well....before I got married! Derrick sure isn't a morning person! haha.

And Derrick sent this to me....she's halfway to rolling over, hopefully soon! Her head is starting to look a little flat to me, I want her rolling over and stuff so that will get better, and so her hair will start to grow back in the back - she has a complete bald spot now (sad!).

Beautiful weather equals happy mommy and baby!

I love this beautiful weather. Love it, love it, love it! I love being able to put Abbey Claire in the stroller, strap Otis onto my arm and head out in the neighborhood. We have the best neighborhood for walking. The absolute best. There are so many options and different ways you can go so that the walk is never boring. I tell you what, pushing a 13 lb baby and pulling a 35 lb dog up and down hills is hard work! I can never make it more than 30 minutes hardly, which is probably why I haven't lost a pound! (Oh, and my occasional sneaking of Halloween candy - that doesn't help either!).

What I don't love though is the time change. It majorly stinks. I have to hurry up and put on my walking clothes after work and get us out the door by 4 or 4:30 at the latest, or we will be walking in the dark. It's depressing looking outside at 6:30 pm and it being dark. Feels like I can't get anything done that I want to in the evenings. And, I'm tired by like 8:00. Ok, so I was that way before the time change.

Update on AC: her skin is A LOT better. Her arms are still dry, but the redness is a lot better. Her legs and stomach are almost completely smooth. She has been super happy lately, and really funny. However, her hands are CONSTANTLY in her mouth. It is driving us crazy! And boy, she gets mad when you take them out! During tummy time, I figured out that was how to get her to practice moving her neck around. When I took her hand out of her mouth, she pitched a fit, lifted her head and chest and turned her head to get to the other hand. We did this for about 15 minutes. She was not happy with me at all, but it worked!

Poor baby....

For the past few weeks, Abbey Claire has been getting dry patches on her skin that have progressively gotten worse. It all started when the weather started getting cooler, so I just thought it was dry skin. Well in the past week or so, it turned into a rash. It got better for a day or two when I didn't give her a bath everyday, but yesterday it was back to being really bad, so I called the doctor. They had us come in when the place was about to close (best thing ever because NO WAITING!).

Anyways, the doctor diagnosed her with signifant Eczema all over her body. He prescribed Hydrocortisone for us to apply liberally for a week. He said that it should signifantly improve. Then, we are supposed to oil her down really well before and after baths after that week. Poor little thing, you know she's been so itchy!

Funny part....when mom called to see what the diagnosis was, Derrick told her "Emphysema". Yep, we've been giving her cigarettes. haha.

Not the best quality pictures, but so cute:

All decked out to go to the doctor:

Finally an upclose shot of her super dark eyes....she definitely has my eyes and not Derrick's!

Laughing....

So, for a while now, Abbey Claire has been laughing, but a quiet laugh, and she usually covers and turns her face when she does it. Well, last night while Derrick was holding her, she was looking at me and started laughing hysterically. It was this real deep chuckle and was the cutest thing ever! Derrick and I were beside ourselves laughing at it. Of course, then we spent the rest of the night trying to get her to do it again, and she wouldn't. Just her normal shy laugh. Hopefully she will do it again soon and we can get it on video!

Smiley and happy little girl:

Otis is like, "When is she going to play with me?!"

Ok, so I can dream that's what he is thinking. He has been getting on our last nerve lately. We've had some total Marley and Me moments....it seems like every time we get her to sleep, he barks at something. And playing on the floor with her is hard because he thinks we are down there to play with him. I know it's confusing for him. He used to get all of the attention, and now he plays #2. I have been running him every chance I get, as it is good for both of us! He may be annoying sometimes, but he sure is cute and sweet!

Why? Wednesday

Why did I forget to post that on Sunday, Abigail, Abbey Claire, Abbey (Aka: the little girl of many names) turned 3 months old?! It's hard to believe that she is that old, but then again, it seems like forever ago that I was about to topple over with a big belly and then in the hospital a week.

About Abigail these days.....

- She's sleeping better at night. She will have some nights that aren't as good, but they are usually because we couldn't keep her up during the day. I am embarassed to say she still sits in a seat in her crib, but it's the only way. With her reflux, you aren't supposed to put her down flat for like 30 minutes after eating, and if you do that, she's wide awake, so it's not worth it right now trying it any other way. Maybe soon.....

- While the hair in the front has come back, she now has a bald spot in the back....I think from rubbing her head back and forth - I call it her Stevie Wonder moments - she gets that neck a'going!

- She now reaches for and hits the things in her playgym. Last night, she held on to one of them. She likes using one dangly thing (don't you love that technical term?)to hit another....

- She drinks almost 30 oz. of formula a day (which is hurting our pocketbook big time).

- Her reflux is much better now that on Similac Sensitive A.R., the Ready to Feed kind - note: the pocketbook comment!

- She is outgrowing some of her 3 month clothes. I'm not sure what to do, because the next size is SO long.

- She loves smiling and is a happy baby almost all of the time, when not, it is usually because her tummy is hurting.

- She is starting to really check out Otis, Otis is warming up a little, though will still not make eye contact.

- When you hold her under her arms while in your lap, she can hold her head up for a few minutes. It really doesn't even wabble much at all, and usually only after a few minutes.

- The girl LOVES TV. You can turn her back to it, and she will almost turn her head completely around to see it. Especially when sports are on. She is her daddy's child.

- Her absolute favorite spot is the changing table. She coos and "talks" and smiles like crazy up there.

- If she could, she would sleep all day and stay up all night....like I said, she is her daddy's child!

- I wish that the whole sleeping on their back thing wasn't the rule, because she loves sleeping on her stomach....but HATES tummy time.

It's tough being a 3 month old:

Is it possible we have a night sleeper??

Has the time finally come? I think so! Gosh, I better not be jinxing us. While the hours aren't ideal, I will take her sleeping for more than 3 hours at a time anyday! She's been going to sleep at 12:30 or 1:00, sleeping until 6:30 for a feeding, and then asleep again until we wake her, preferably 8:00 or 8:30. If we could push the hours back some, it would be great, but hey, baby steps! (no pun intended).

Maybe it's because she's been playing harder during the day, or maybe because I'm finally using the colic medicine the doctor prescribed?? We are only giving her 1/2 of one dosage at night...the prescription calls for every 6 hours. I don't want to give her that all the time if she doesn't need it, but I do think it's helping with her sleep!

Playing on the playmat mom bought her - she really loves it now!


The ladybug and snail are super funny!

Worn out after playing hard! I love how she sleeps with her arms spread apart.

Why Wednesday???

Really too tired to post a lot of why's, but here's some:

- Why does having a baby instantly change your world (and body) completely? I mean my body has changed from top to bottom: from the easily breakable hair to my larger feet (just 1/2 size now) to larger places in between that are a lot harder to get rid of than they used to be!

It also has changed my priorities and outlook on life. You come to truly appreciate those that are close to you and who have lent a hand or been so supportive and caring during this time. And, you learn who is a loving and caring person and who is not. I have had so many friends offer us guidance, offer to come take care of her in order for us to have a break, or just simply ask how we are doing. Then, there are people that have shown no concern whatsoever, and it blows me away. It makes you realize the people that truly care about you.

- Why does Otis wait until we're feeding Abbey or in the middle of eating to want to go outside?

- Why won't Otis make eye contact with Abbey? (It's so weird - she loves looking at him now, but the dog will NOT look at her. He is getting more and more jealous of her everyday.)

- Why did I forget to post about the weekend? To sum it up: Derrick went to GA/FL. He kept saying he would stay home, but I was like "NO! Go!" I wanted one of us to get to go! Mom and dad offered to watch Abbey during the weekend so I could go, but I didn't want them to have to do that because of her terrible sleep habits. So, mom came and helped me out. We had a fun time watching her. And, I got her to sleep really well those 2 nights!! Too bad it hasn't continued!

-And, again, why is Little Miss Abbey Claire so darn cute??

Loving J Mommy feeding her while sporting the super cute outfit:


Worn out from being a cute pumpkin all day on Halloween:

The Dawgs

I am very troubled by the Dawgs, and more importantly Mark Richt.

I used to think that Mark Richt was a very good thing for Georgia football. Now, I’m really not sure. And, no, it’s not because we are losing. Richt is very much like my husband in that he is a laid back, nice guy, but sometimes you just want to light a fire under his butt and give him some energy and enthusiasm. I’m sure Richt is passionate about Georgia football, but he isn’t showing it. He shows no expression whatsoever (perhaps he needs an airplane bottle or two of Jim Beam - works for Derrick!). I actually wish that this football season would hurry up and come to an end just so I don’t start to dislike him more. Something deep inside me makes me feel guilty for disliking him as a coach, because he is a super nice guy. But, it’s almost like when you say someone is unattractive and a person’s response is “but he’s so sweet”. Well, he may be sweet, but he’s still unattractive!

The fact that Richt feels the need to change the uniforms in order to get the team pumped up for Georgia/Florida is troubling. I mean its GEORGIA/FLORIDA! The thought of even playing in the game should have the team pumped. Fans look forward to it all year – not just for the partying, but for the sheer rivalry. The team should too! When the team stepped out in those uniforms on Saturday, I thought, well here we go again. Using uniforms as a way to try to pump up the crowd and the team is SO ridiculous. These are football players, not cheerleaders. Guys shouldn’t care about what color uniform they are wearing, and if they do, maybe they shouldn’t be playing football, but should be trying out to be fashion designers. I think Derrick told me that Oregon has 80-something combinations of their uniform (all ugly by the way). I’m not sure the reasoning behind this, but do you honestly think that one combination makes the team more pumped up than another combination? I would think not.

Coach Richt, get with it. You need to spend more time creating a disciplined football team that concentrates more on football, and less on dancing to rap music and changing uniform or helmet colors. Yank the guys out of the game that are costing us 15 yards. Heck, what does it hurt? We can be like the other teams, and when we lose, blame it on the fact that our starters were pulled out. Teach these guys to love and respect the game of football, not to love and respect Nike’s new uniform for us or love and respect the newest rap song that the student section (and a few alum sadly) will go download after the game after seeing the team dance to it.

I will get off my soapbox now, though I could go on for days, but I honestly hope to see some sort of improvement from top to bottom. The days of blaming it all on Martinez and Bobo have passed. We now need to look to Richt to do his job as leader of this team. He gets paid millions to do so. With those millions, he needs to concentrate on changes that need to be made in the general mentality of the coaching staff and players.

UGA fans are passionate about UGA football. UGA players and coaches need to be too.

Photo Session...

Ok, so I completely forgot to post about this, but it's a funny story, so I must tell it. At around 6 weeks old, we had Sherrie Pruitt, a woman I used to work with, come and take pictures of Abigail. I knew it would be a bad day, as Abigail was fussy due to some major constipation stuff. Sherrie got to our house, put down a blanket for Abbey to lay on, and all she did was bite the blanket (when she normally LOVES to be on her belly!).

Then, I wanted to do a picture of the "Gift from God" thing on her belly - well that didn't work....once again, bit the blanket.

So, we decided to go ahead and dress her, and right about then, she started pooping....and I mean majorly pooping, like everywhere. I was trying to hold it in with one diaper, she filled that up, Sherrie was helping me grab diapers and wipes as we filled up like 3 diapers. The child had not used the bathroom in days, and decided to right then and there while we are trying to do pictures.....

Next, Sherrie tried to take her picture with a cute Halloween bib...she bit it.

Then, we took off the bib, and tried to take pictures with the pretty dress on...she bit the collar and wouldn't take her hands out of her mouth:

Finally, finally, finally she fell asleep, and we got a family picture in.

We did get a few good ones, but saving those for her birth announcement! I can't believe how much she has changed since these pictures were taken! Her hair grew back!

Why? Wednesday

Ok, so if you have followed our blog for a while, you know that I have random thoughts going through my head a lot...so, from now on, I'm going to try to get these crazy questions out on Wednesdays....a new part of our blog called "Why? Wednesdays". I have a feeling nobody will read our blogs on Wednesdays from now on! haha.

So here we go....

- I posed this question on Facebook, but why do we call babies things like Sugar Pie, Sweet Pea, Pumpkin, etc? Where did that come from? Why are nicknames for babies typically food related?

- Why does conditioner sometimes make my hair feel more dry? It's bizarre. It usually feels better with no conditioner or anything other than shampoo.

- Why am I an accountant of all things when there are so many other things I think I would enjoy more? A designer, vet, doggie daycare owner, cute shop owner, hair stylist..........????

- Why are the banks allowed to treat customers so poorly? They are quick to receive handouts from the government, but aren't quick to help their customers. The way they are sky-rocketing credit card rates is ridiculous and should not be allowed, even before the legislation takes affect. Why is the government allowed to put caps on executive salaries at these banks, but they can't control things like that?

- Why are 99% of drivers with Obama stickers poor drivers? (I think I know the answer to this!)

- And last, why is Abigail so stinkin' cute?! Sure am glad she is!