2 Week Update - 10 months pics, Birthday Party, Memorial Day weekend, and more!

This is going to be a long one... 

The last two weeks have been crazy busy at work.  I worked till 11:00 last Sunday night and then till 10:30 and 11:00 all last week.  I didn't even get to pick up V from school all week b/c I was so busy.  I love picking her up from school, so this made me very sad.  This week is shaping up to be pretty busy too, but I'm hoping I'll at least get to pick my girl up and hang out with her in the evenings.  I really could be/need to be finishing up some work stuff right now, but I did work earlier, and I so want to document my little girl's last two weeks, b/c man does it go by fast.  I already don't remember so many things and need the pics to refresh my memory.  When I started this blog, I wanted it to be more about me and less about V.  I was so afraid of motherhood "robbing" me of me.  But it has proven to be so the contrary.  My little girl is the best thing invented since sliced bread and I feel like I've not only not lost myself in becoming her mother, but discovered the real me.  It is the best job privilege I have ever had. I have experienced love that is not comparable to anything else.  For the first time in my life, it's unconditional.  I really do LOVE my husband.  He's my world and I can't imagine being without him, but this is so different.  This is mother bear type love. I will kill anyone who messes with her and I will sacrifice whatever I need to for her well being.  So, enough mushiness..

So, lots of things happen in a little girl's life in a two week time period.  We'll go in chronological order.

* V turned 10 months old

It is getting nearly impossible to get this child to sit still for pictures.  What happened to my little photogenic girl?? V celebrated her 10 month birthday mid month May and here are the pics to prove it.

Happy 10 month Birthday to Me!

Good stretch

I'm done Mommy.

*I'm NOT a boy! V's first pig-tails (sort of).

* V's friend's Z's 3rd B-day Party

V's friend Z turned 3 in May and we went to her super fun birthday party.  Z's party had real life trains and V had a grand ole time riding around the neighborhood.  Happy 3rd Birthday Z!

V and Daddy in one of the trains.

V, Daddy in a train + random dude in background.

My sweet face.

Classic V look.

One of V's favorite things to do with Daddy.  Hi Daddy!!! I love you! Let me poke your eye out.

Working the "Russian"

V and Mommy on the train.  Not the best, but the only pic of us two from the party on my camera. 

* Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend was big in lots of ways.  First and most monumental thing was V started walking holding on with just one hand.  She has been walking and practically running around the house with her push walker and over the weekend she just took off.  She's loving her new found skills and is doing the Frankenstein hobbling around holding our hand.  So proud of her.

Memorial Day weekend was a nice break to an otherwise really bad week.  On Saturday morning we packed up V and Mattie, and took off to Oklahoma to visit a good friend from college and her family.  It was about a two hour drive and we timed it with V's naps.  She did pretty well for the first leg of the trip, but then Daddy had a hankering for a Dr. Pepper, and when we stopped, Mattie caused all sorts of comotion and woke V up, so the second leg of the trip wasn't ideal.  V did keep herself entertained with her book. The book didn't fare so well by the end of the trip, but I'll sacrifice a book for a non-crying baby any day.  I unfortunately didn't take ANY pictures from our trip, but my friend A did, so I'm hoping to get them from her.  A lives out in the country and V got to swim in a creek, play in a chicken coup, ride in a buggy, and see real life horses.  Mattie sort of tore into one of the chickens, but we're hoping the chicken didn't suffer any irreparable damage.  We may owe my friend A a chicken.. Thanks A and family.  We had a wonderful time!! 

Here's the only picture I have from the trip.  It's hard to decipher, but it's Mattie resting her head on V's car seat in the car while V napped.  Such a sweet girl.

When we came back, we were very low key and just hung out at the house.  We bought a wading elephant pool for V.  It's  a pretty fun little pool and you hook up a hose to the trunk and it spits out water in a fountain like fashion.  We decided to invite our friends D&D&D over for some pool time.  D is V's friend from a previous post. D & V had a great time in the pool.  I'm so excited about our purchase and V loves to be in the water and has been pointing at it every time we walk by the courtyard.  Here's V getting ready for the pool in her new little swim suit.

I'm ready Mama!

And here are the pics of V & D enjoying the water.

Get in my belly!

It's not a party until someone sticks their head in the fountain.

* And finally... V making a mess of her food.

I love you V!

Teeth - why grow one when you can grow two!

On Thursday morning when V woke up, she was cranky and upset.  She is typically in a very good mood in the mornings (quite the morning person), so this was unusual for her.  The mystery of the Thursday morning crankiness was solved on Saturday, however, as I was feeding her some pasta and saw what I originally thought was remnants of half- chewed gummed food.  But quite the contrary.  It was TWO TEETH!  YAY!!!  She cut two teeth on Saturday morning (official first tooth teeth date is May 15, 2010).  I was so excited.  It was such a weird sensation for me b/c I was actually feeling proud for her.  I realize that this isn't something she really "accomplished" but I was such a proud mama that she finally grew some teeth.  I hope she starts growing some hair now...  I have to remember to brush them b/c that has not been part of our routine to date.  Oops.  I haven't brushed them yet. 

I tried to take a pic, but she wasn't cooperating, so here she is just rocking out her leg warmers and booty ruffles.

In other news.. We're dog sitting for a friend of mine.  Her dog is a little black Pekingese fur ball and probably the coolest little dog I've ever met.  We took her and Mattie for a walk on Saturday and as she's black in color and has to practically run the whole time while Mattie leisurely strolls, she was feeling really tuckered out and overall pooped.  So, she did the only reasonable, although somewhat degrading (in most dog circles) thing to do.  She hitched a ride with V in her stroller, specifically in the storage bin underneath V.  It was pretty dang funny and cute.  Against her wishes, I snuck a picture of her and am holding it in a secure location for a rainy day, you know, if I ever need a favor or something.   I promised her I wouldn't post, but as she can't use the keyboard and thus can't really check this here blog, I'm going to share it.  I personally think she has nothing to be ashamed of.  I told her it shows her ingenuity and resourcefulness.  Why not make life a little easier I say.  

 

What's up peeps!

Happy Mother's Day and a Girl on the Move

This Sunday was my first official mother's day.  It was a busy busy day however, as my father in law was getting married the next day and we were throwing a "rehearsal dinner" of sorts on Sunday night, I did not get to revel in the glory of being pampered on Mother's day.  I got a rain check for next weekend though.   My husband's mother sadly passed away in 2008.  My father in law moved in with us after her passing and has lived with us since.   He got to know one of my really great girlfriend's mother around the time V was born, and they got married this past Monday.  Hence why I'm late posting - quite an eventful weekend. 

So - mother's day, I did wake up early to nurse, but then went right back to sleep while E was on V duty.  When I woke up, I found the bottom card from V.

The top part is from school - it's what V came home with on Friday.  Not the greatest shot of her, but hey - a mother isn't partial.   The scribble on the bottom is V's signature.  She dictated the rest to Daddy.

As I noted earlier, V's been really walking with her walker.  It's her favorite thing to do and she bee-lines for the walker anytime she sees it.  Here's V making her walking debut for all the world Mommy to see.

I have to gush a bit. I just love this little girl of mine!  I don't care how bad of a day I'm having, seeing her and hanging out with her brightens my day and brings perspective every time.  She is truly the best thing to ever happen to me and I cannot - absolutely cannot imagine my life without her.  I love that I'm still nursing and even though it's been exhausting - both physically and mentally, and I am starting to wean, nursing is our special time together and it's irreplaceable.  She's so fun these days and shows her personality and has quite the rep at school.  She's known as an occasionally frequently strong willed, diva-like, but at all times loving little girl.  She's a woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to let it be known.   I LOVE YOU V!

Us and my father in law and now mother in law.  Welcome to the family K! 

On the cusp

This week was relatively big in V's development.  She started standing by herself (no hands) in short bursts and started walking using a push along stroller.  It's so funny to see this tiny little person who is barely 17 pounds "walking" around.  (I use the term walking very loosely).

Sometimes I get so sad that I don't get to stay home with her full time.  The day care teachers didn't want to tell me she was standing by herself b/c they didn't want to ruin it for me.  So sweet of them.  I have a sneaking feeling I may actually miss her first official step, but thanks to the teachers, I'll never know about it and will get to experience it on my own at home. 

V is so funny these days.  She has a mountain of toys but the things that really strike her fancy are all the things she's not allowed to play with - remotes, cell phones, table eating, tissue boxes - your standard no no's.  Here is a pic of V left to her own accords and the resulting mess.

Wha?  It wasn't me.