6 months

Wow lot's of things have happened in the last month! We have been so busy lately! I can't believe that it's almost July. Which also means it's almost my birthday!!! I'm like a little kid about my b-day. I get so excited and giddy as it gets closer! It doesn't help that every year we have a huge bash to celebrate. But that's because my mother-in-law and brother-in-law also share my birthday. Yeah we all have the same birthday! Big John always remembers it though...

Eli has had a big month also. He is six months old now. I can't believe it. It's gone by so fast! He is a little man!



He has two little razors teeth in his mouth. He gnaws on anything he can get in his mouth. And I do mean anything. But he has been pretty good through the whole teething process. He hasn't been too fussy or anything. I would post a picture of his little razors but he hates it when we try to look at them. He will clamp his lips shut and make a really mean face when we try to pry his mouth open to get a good look. So really he could have a whole mouth full of teeth by now and I would never know...

He is about 5 seconds away from crawling. He gets up on all fours and lunges forward and then does it again. He's like a little caterpillar. Last night he almost got his arms into the mix but then he face planted into the carpet. I think he will be crawling by this time next week. And then we get to baby proof our house.

Our town has a little festival every year called Heritage Days. This year we entered Eli in the Little Prince contest. It was for baby boys 4 months to a year old. The categories were prettiest eyes, best smile, most photogenic, and overall cutest baby. Which one do you think he won??



Oh yeah!! He's the overall cutest baby!! He is the Little Prince of Heritage Days!! He got his picture on the front page of the paper and everything. He even got a trophy! He hasn't let it go to his head though. He's only demanded that we bow before him a few times.

Last weekend was a busy one for us. It was Big John's first Father's Day. We celebrated by spending the whole weekend with our family. On Saturday we went to a State Park nearby and went for a picnic. The guys got to do a little fishing and we all had a really nice day. Eli loves anything that involves being outside so he had a great time also. Sunday we spent the day with my family. We went to a car show that my dad loves to go to every year. After that we went to my parents house for dinner and swimming. Eli got to go swimming for the first time. I was kind of worried that he wouldn't like it. I don't know why I was though. He loves his bath and this was just like a really big bathtub. When we put him in and at first he didn't know what to think.


But then he realized that he really liked it! He splashed and kicked and had a great time. He even put his face in the water and looked at me and smiled real big! I have a feeling that he is going to be like a little fish!

Eating

Eli loves to eat. I'm not kidding when I say that we can't shovel the food into his mouth fast enough to satisfy this kid. We have been holding him on our laps to feed him and it wasn't really working very well. He is to squirmy. (Is that a word??) So then we started putting him in his car seat which worked but it made a mess of the seat. So we finally broke down and got him a high chair.



He loves it!! He was a little scared at first but now he loves to sit in it. And just the other day he discovered that he's not alone in the chair. There's a monkey that sits in it with him. He will just sit and stare the monkey down waiting on him to steal some food or something. He talks to him too. I'll try to get some video of the baby/monkey exchange and post it soon...

Big John and I alternate who feeds him so that one of us (me) isn't doing it all the time. So one night I will give Eli supper and Big John does cereal before bed and the next night we switch. Big John hasn't been feeding Eli as long as I have so he hasn't really mastered it yet. If you notice the picture above, we strip Eli down to his diaper to feed him anything not in a bottle. The reason for this is things can get rather messy at times... Especially when daddy is feeding him cereal!



I don't know if you can see it or not but he has cereal up by his eye!! We almost have to give him a bath after daddy feeds him!!!

On another note, I have been going through some pictures and found some that made me almost cry at how big Eli is getting! Here are just a few to let you see how big he has gotten in almost 6 months!!

The year of the Bible

I read a news article that appalled me this morning. It seems that the Georgia Representative Paul Broun has introduced a bill that, if passed, would deem the year 2010 as the Year of the Bible. He says the bill seeks to recognize that the Bible played an integral role in the building of the United States, including providing the basis for our freedom of religion that allows Muslims, Hindus and even atheists to vocalize their own beliefs.

But wouldn't you know said atheists and others are protesting the bill saying that it’s an endorsement of religion by the federal government, and we shouldn’t be doing that.

Ok so here's where I get on my soap box...

If you look at our country today you will see suffering, despair, and sin everywhere you look. I happen to think that maybe if people weren't so afraid to "endorse" religion, our country wouldn't be in the shape that it's in. It hurts me to read the news everyday and to listen to reports of joblessness, homelessness, and the lack of morals that seems to affect everyone.

This is a direct quote from the article on Yahoo. When I read it, I was absolutely devastated.

Atheists, who might feel themselves a particular target with the declaration of a biblical year, aren’t even worried about Broun’s effort.

“Right now, we’re seeing atheism on such a rise,” said David Silverman, vice president and national spokesman of American Atheists, a group dedicated to fighting for the civil rights of atheists.

“We are seeing Christianity on such a dramatic decline that we’re not particularly worried about it. We’re thinking that this kind of old-style George W. Bush Republicanism is about to go away,” Silverman said, referring to the latest Pew Forum survey of American religious life, which showed nonreligious Americans as the fastest-growing group.

That is the saddest statement I have ever heard.

I grew up going to church every Sunday. But once I got to the age that I could decide for myself, I decided that I didn't need church and that I would rather sleep in on Sunday mornings. I did this for quite a few years. I never considered myself an atheist. I always have and always will believe that there is a God in heaven.

A few years ago, Big John and I were struggling with infertility and I was about at rock bottom. I thought about it and decided to try going back to church. In my mind, it couldn't hurt anything. We found a church that we love and look forward to going to each and every Sunday. After a few Sunday's, we decided that we wanted to get serious about this and dedicate ourselves back to the Lord. Almost immediately, my life changed. And so did my outlook on my life and my problems. We have had the most wonderful few years and I don't hesitate to credit it to the fact that we joined our church and gave our lives to God.

I know that there is a lot of turmoil in the world today. I happen to think that maybe this is God's wake up call to us all. Maybe this is His way of saying- Hey I'm still here even if you did forget about me. Stop denying my existence and things won't be so bad. I am not saying that God is vengeful. I think he is just reminding us Christians that we need to stand up and be heard. We, as a society, are so concerned about everyone's civil rights. What about Christians civil rights? Don't we have the right to say a prayer in school? Don't we have a right to have In God We Trust on our money? Don't we have a right to practice our religious beliefs without being looked down on?

I understand that we need to respect everyone's opinions and choices. But don't tell me that I can teach my child to pray and then have to tell him that he can't pray in public. Don't tell me that the phrase one nation under God is offensive. I find your lack of faith offensive. But I don't try to tell you that you have to honor my beliefs.

Think back to the 1950's. Crime wasn't nearly as bad as it is now. Our country was in a lot better shape than it is now. People weren't afraid to let their children walk down the streets. You didn't worry if your child’s teacher, or neighbor, or bus driver, or Scout leader was a child molester. People had morals. People were Christians. People had religion. Our country as a whole had religion. And we weren't afraid to stand up and say so.

I for one am not going to be afraid to stand up for what I believe in. No one is going to tell me that I don't have the right to display my religion. If you don't like it, don't listen, or look, or read. If you don't understand why I do it, ask me and I would be glad to talk to you about it. If you agree, STAND UP WITH ME AND BE PROUD!! Don't be afraid to tell people that you are a Christian and you believe in God. If everyone could do that, maybe Christianity wouldn't be on such a dramatic decline in our country.

The Evolution of Dance

Part 1



Part 2

Skin Free Winner!!!

Here is the winning comment!

janetfaye said...
3. I blogged:
http://grammyjanetsplace.blogspot.com/2009/05/may-giveaways.html

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

May 6, 2009 12:26 AM

Congrats!! Email me at bigjohnsgirl@sbcglobal.net with your contact info and claim your prize!!!!

For everyone else that didn't win, stay tuned! I will have another great giveaway soon!! It's awesome! I promise.

I had a really awesome post all planned out for Mother's Day and then I got so busy I didn't get it posted. So I guess I have to save it for next year. I hope you all had a great Mother's Day!!! I know I did!

25 Hours in a Day

Who hasn't wished for more time in the day? I have a lot recently. There just doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything I want accomplished. The wonerful people over at Frigidaire realize how much work we moms do every day so they decided to have a contest just for us. Head on over to their website and enter for your chance to win some really great appliances. All you have to do is tell them what 5 things you would do if you had an hour to yourself for a day. I know it's really hard to narrow down your list to just five things. Also you can take their Daily Dare for another chance to win a brand new Frigidaire Affinity washer and dryer. Log on every day for another chance to win.

ShopWiki

If you haven't entered my awesome giveaway, click here to do so!!

I stumbled upon a really awesome website the other day. It's ShopWiki's health and beauty site. Click here to check it out.

For those of you that may know me, you know I am addicted to all things health and beauty. I love lotions, hair care stuff, and don't even get me started on make-up! I am always on the look out for new cosmetics to try. As a result, I have an overload of things I don't use very often. But, every once in a while I do break them out and I am so glad I have them!

I browsed around on this site for over an hour. It is a great place for one stop shopping. I like it because they have a bigger variety of stores available than other search engines.

I started searching in the Cosmetics and Beauty Tools section. The thing I like the best about it is it gives you buying guides and helps you choose the product that would be the best for your skin type. I found out that I am using the wrong foundation for my skin type! All this time I didn't know anything about it. I also learned a really cool technique of how to do smokey eyes. I love that look and have never been able to reproduce it.

I also looked at the Hair Care section. I found out that I don't condition my hair right. I always apply the conditioner all over my head. But according to the Wimpy Locks No More section, I am only supposed to put it on the ends of my hair. That would explain why my hair looks so weighed down all the time. I also found a flat iron that I am currently coveting!!!

So needless to say, this website is a great source for tips, tricks and products for all of your Health and Beauty needs!! Check out these other sections they offer:
Mineral Cosmetics
Personal Care
Mens Products
Bath and Body
Skin Care
And for those of you that use Organic products,
Organic products

You also might be interested to know that they have a great baby and toddler section that includes a ton of buying guides for things like car seats, strollers, health and hygiene, and more. Check it out here.

Skin Free Review and Giveaway!!!

Ok so a few days ago I told you about the wonderful people over at Skin Free. I contacted them about their Exzema Relief Kit. Eli has some really dry skin on his face and head. We thought it was just cradle cap at first. But it wouldn't go away. And then it was also on his face.

We have always used free and clear laundry detergent so we knew that wasn't what was causing it. We started using Aveeno Baby body wash and it still didn't help. At Eli's 4 month doctor check up, his doctor confirmed that he has exzema. She said to just keep doing what we were doing. But I wasn't satisfied with that.

When I got the exzema reflief kit from Skin Free, I was kind of skeptical. But it works wondrful!! I used the soap the first night we got it. It has no scent to it at all. It lathers up real nicely. Most bar soaps don't lather enough for me but this one does. It lathers just as much as a body wash.

The After ShowerMoisture Spritz feels a lot like baby oil. I don't use this as much because it makes his hair and scalp very oily and greasy looking. I think if his dry skin was all over his body or other places than just his head I would use it. But I think I am going to use it this weekend. When I shave my legs, my skin is really dry afterwards. So I think I will use it to make my legs more healthy.

I would highly recommend the Exzema Relief Kit to anyone that has a baby with dry skin or even an adult with dry skin.

Here is what Skin Free has to say about Skin Free Extra Moisturizing Soap and Shampoo Bar:

Our soap is like no others. It’s rich, creamy lather makes your skin feel rejuvenated and fresh. Most commercially available “soaps” are actually detergents. They remove skin oils and break down the protective barrier that helps skin healthy. Removing skin oils causes itching and can contribute to cracking and infection of delicate skin.

We “superfat” our soap with extra virgin olive oil, which contains natural anti-inflammatory agents, anti-oxidants, and natural vitamins that aid in healing and soothing your skin. Naturally moisturizing shea and cocoa butters are added to reduce the tight, dry feeling normally experienced when using typical commercial soaps. The lack of chemical preservatives, fragrance, or colorants in this soap makes it ideal for individuals of any age, especially the very old and the very young, those with allergies, dermatitis, sensitive, or very dry skin.

Awarded the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance August, 2008, our soap is like no others. It's rich, creamy lather will sooth and moisturize. Perfect for delicate, sensitive, or very dry skin. Helps with eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, and acne.

And now for the good stuff; the giveaway!!




Up for grabs today is a Skin Free Exzema Relief Kit. It contains 1 After Shower Spritz and 4 Extra Moisturizing Soaps.

All you have to do to enter is head over to Skin Free and take a look around at their wonderful products. Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me what product you would buy and why. You MUST leave me a valid email address. That's how I will contact the winner.

For additional entries:
-Follow my blog publicly (2 extra entries)
-Fave me on Technorati (1 extra entry)
-blog about my contest and link back to this post (5 extra entries)
-tweet about this contest on twitter (3 extra entries)
Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry that you earn.

Contest will run until Friday May 8th. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified within 2 days. You will have 3 days to claim your prize or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

My kind of Mother's Day gift!

There's really no need to say anything about this picture. I think it speaks for itself!!

Awesome contest for Moms

For those of you that have kids, you know that once the little ones come along you take a back burner. That's why I love the website 5 Minutes for Mom. They know how important it is to spoil Mom every now and then. In honor of Mother's Day, they are having some WONDERFUL giveaways. Check it out!!

OH MY GOODNESS!!

HAHA!! Fooled you!! This is from one year ago! Scared you didn't I?


One year ago today Big John and I got the news that would change our lives forever! We found out that Eli was coming. I can't describe that moment to you in words. We had been trying to get pregnant for 20 months. And FINALLY it had happened. We kept it a secret between us for a few days. It was a lot of fun knowing that we had this big news and we were the only ones that knew it. Afterward, a lot of people couldn't believe that we kept it to ourselves for 4 days. I talked to my mom everyday on the phone and never once hinted around about it.

The last year has been a whirlwind of emotions for us. We were extremely happy, scared, loving, scared, excited, scared, and did I mention that we were scared?

But it was all worth it. The long months of trying, the long nine months of being pregnant and preparing for everything. The 3 extremely long days of labor. (yes I said 3 days!) Every moment of waking up through the night. Every moment of not knowing what we are doing and trying everything until we get it right. Every tear shed, every frustration, every angry moment. I thank God for every one of them. Because it means at the end of the day I get to come home to this!!

Oh yeah! I'm addicted!

Hello. My name is Big John’s Girl and I am addicted to Ebay.

I can’t believe how addicting it is to sell things on Ebay. A few weeks ago, we went to a charity auction and bought a few things that we don’t need. (Imagine that!) So I decided to try my hand at selling on Ebay. I set up a sellers account and took all the pictures of the golf bag that Big John bought last year at the same auction. I listed it with the buy it now option thinking no one would buy it at that price. The next morning when I came into work and checked my email there was one waiting on me saying that I need to ship it out because someone bought it. I couldn’t believe it!! Someone paid full price for this golf bag overnight!! So then I went home and listed an autographed seat cushion. It was signed by Celine Dion. Again, I listed it as an auction with the buy it now option. I put on there $50 thinking that would be a nice amount to make on it considering I paid about $5 for it. Before the night was over someone had bought it! So now I’m looking around my house trying to find more things that we can sell. Who knows. Maybe I can even quit my job and sell full time!! Yeah right!

Life Happened

Oh my goodness!! I can’t believe how hard it is to find time to blog now. I have no good explanation for my absence except life. Life has been happening all around me. I have been enjoying my wonderful husband and my amazing son.

Eli is 4 months old already!! He had his 4 month check up at the doctor’s office last Friday. He weighs 15 pounds 10 ounces and is 26 ¼ inches long. He’s a BIG boy! We started him on baby food. He had green beans first and didn’t really like them. After 3 days of trying to get him to eat them, we switched to peas last night and he loved them! He gobbled down every bite I gave him! He has also started sleeping all night long. That’s right. I said all.night.long!! HALLELUIA!!! I can’t believe how good I’m sleeping now! It’s wonderful. He loves to turn over onto his tummy. But then after a few minutes he gets mad that he’s on his tummy and he can’t quite figure out how to get back to his back. The last couple of mornings when I go in to get him up he is sleeping on his tummy. He just looks so cute with his little butt sticking up in the air!

Big John’s birthday was yesterday! Happy birthday, Big John. He’s 31 years old now. We had a party for him over the weekend. Nothing big. Just family and friends over for a cookout. There were babies galore at our house! It was a lot of fun!

I have been using a new product for Eli. He has eczema on his face and head. We can’t use any scented lotion or soap on it or he gets a really bad breakout and dry patchy skin. I hate it for him! I know it itches and he doesn’t know to scratch it yet. I contacted the wonderful people at Skin Free Skincare Products and they sent me a sample of their Eczema Relief Kit to try. I have used it a few times and LOVE.IT! I will be doing a full product review in a few days along with another giveaway!! So keep checking back to enter for a chance to win a skin care kit for you or your little one.

I also have been in contact with a few more companies and have gotten some really cool products to give to my wonderful readers. So be sure to bookmark my blog and become a follower to get in on the contests. I will have some baby stuff but also some stuff for mommy and daddy!! Because you all know that once the baby comes, mommy and daddy get put on the back burner.

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." Matthew 28:1-10

Happy Easter Everyone!! He is risen!!!!

Winners!!

Ok so here are the winners of the SInupret for Kids giveaway!

Here are your random numbers:

1 5 8 Timestamp: 2009-04-12 04:29:56 UTC


So the winners are:

tatertot374

Tj and Amy

Mommy Kerrie

I will contact you and you have 3 days to claim your prize! Congrats!!!!!

Stay tuned for more wonderful giveaways!! I currently have 3 lined up!! I can't wait for you to see what I have to give you!!!

Good news!!

I got special permission from the makers of Sinupret for Kids to extend my giveaway for another week!! So for all of you that didn't get in to enter in time, click here to enter. The new deadline will be Friday April 10th at 7pm.

On another note, I just won my first ever prize from a blogger giveaway!! Woo Hoo!!! Kerrie over at the Kerrie Show picked me as a winner for Space Bags. I can't wait to get it and try it out!!!

GIVEAWAY!!!

So I teased about a future giveaway and the time has come!! The wonderful people at Sinupret for Kids has agreed to sponsor this giveaway.




Sinupret for Kids is a safe, natural remedy that supports healthy sinus, respiratory and immune function. No other clinically tested natural remedies are available today in the US that support all three functions.

Sinupret and Sinupret for Kids are one of the world’s leading herbal remedies for upper respiratory health for children and adults ages 2 and up. Sinupret for Kids is available in a cherry-flavored syrup.

The 3 winners of this giveaway will receive the following package of great stuff!!!

*A copy of Dr. Bob Sears bestselling book The Healthiest Kids in the Neighborhood
*A sample of Sinupret
*Yellow children's binoculars
*Sinupret for Kids Activity Books
*Sinupret for Kids Stickers
*Mini Plush Bear

To enter this giveaway, go to Sinupret and take a look around. Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me something you learned that is not in my description above. You MUST have a valid email address or you will be disqualified.

For extra entries:
-Follow my blog publicly (1 extra entry)
-Fave me on Technorati (1 extra entry)
-blog about my contest and link back to this post (5 extra entries)
-tweet about this contest on twitter (3 extra entries)
Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry that you earn.

The contest will run until Saturday April 4th at 7:00 pm. Three winners will be chosen by Random.org and notified within 2 days. You will have 3 days to claim your prize or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

Lots of things

So I know that it has been a while since I wrote anything. Life has happened. We have been busy. It's getting nice outside now so we try to spend as much time outside as possible. We have been taking walks in the evenings in hopes that I lose some more of this baby weight that I've been carrying around. (Actually, I weigh less now than I did when I got pregnant!! I guess being pregnancy really agrees with me.) But I guess I'm just trying to say that we have been enjoying the evenings and I haven't taken time to sit down and write anything.

Eli is getting big! He thinks he's a lot bigger than he really is sometimes. He loves to stand up and look all around. We ordered him an exersaucer this week. I can't wait to see him when we put him in it for the first time.

We got his 3 month portraits done at Olan Mills. They just came in and we are picking them up tomorrow. So I will be sure to post some of them soon.

And now for my big announcement.....

I am gearing up to host a really cool giveaway. The makers of Sinupret have generously agreed to supply prize packages for up to 5 winners. I am just trying to decide what I want to do for the giveaway. Any cool ideas??

3 months

Eli is 3 months old today! My, how time flies!! Here are some recent pictures that we have taken. We got some portraits done at Olan Mills over the weekend. I will post those as soon as we get them.

How do they do that?

I've come across some new blogs lately. A few of them get to review new products. The company sends them the product to review and they can do whatever they want with it. Most of them review it on their blog and then have a contest to give it away.

How do they do that? How would I go about getting some free products to review? I love free stuff and I'm not afraid to give my opinion. I would love to get some baby products, cleaning and household items, and cooking items. If anyone knows how I would do this, please let me know!

Out with the old and in with the new

This week has been great week for us. We got our tax check about a month ago and decided that we really needed to get some new furniture for our living room. We have never had new furniture. The stuff we had was originally my parents and then my brothers and then ours. So we were overdue for some new stuff. About three weeks ago we went and ordered all new furniture. It FINALLY got here last night. I LOVE it!!! It makes our living room look so nice! I will take some pictures tonight and post them soon, I promise!

We also got a new dishwasher. When we bought our house, the realtor that owned it replaced the dishwasher because the old one didn't work. Well, they bought the cheapest one money could get. It didn't work hardly at all. We had to wash our dishes after they came out of the dishwasher. I guess it was better than not having one at all but I was tired of it and so was Big John. So we got a new one. It's really nice. It's a Whirlpool and it's really spacious on the inside. The best feature is that the silverware basket is on the door so it doesn't take up all the room on the bottom rack.

Our refrigerator is stainless on the front and black on the sides. Now with our new dishwasher, which is black, the white stove we had didn't match anymore. So I got a new stove also. It's a 5 burner cook top. It's so nice! It all makes our kitchen look so modern and cool!!

I also got a new Kitchenaid stand mixer. I have wanted one since they came out and I finally got one. I love to make and decorate cakes so this will come in handy!! I would really like to start baking more. Maybe I will post recipes and pictures of what I am baking. What do you think?

Awesome giveaway!

Check out this blog for an awesome giveaway! It is a must have product for any mom with a little one that needs covered up! I wish I would've thought of the idea!

Eli's baptism

Here are some picture of Eli's baptism:

He didn't like the goofy hat that came with the outfit so we didn't make him wear it.


Big John and I standing with the other families getting ready to baptize their kids.


Pastor Tim praying over Eli.


Pastor Tim baptizing Eli.


Big John, me, Eli, and Pastor Tim


The whole family.

Big shoes to fill

I call Big John that for a reason. He's a big guy! He's about 6'6" and he wears a size 15 shoe. The other day, we had a family get together after Eli's baptism (pictures to follow shortly). This is a picture of my best friend's baby (who is 5 months older than Eli) and Eli standing in Big John's snow boots. Yes they are really his shoes! And yes they really fit his big ol' feet. I told Eli he has some big shoes to fill!!



We think Eli and Ethan will be good friends when they grow up. Just look... They are already holding hands.

Thank you Daycare!

Eli is sick. AGAIN! He has a cold again. Thank you Daycare for spreading around your germs to my little guy. What are these parents thinking sending their kids to daycare when they are sick? Why can't they just keep their germy kids home like I do? Eli is clingy and pitiful when he is sick. Just like any guy, Big John included. Just how pitiful is he when he's sick?



Enough said.

Things change

A lot of things change when you have a baby. Here is a list of the major things that change that you don't hear about usually!

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.

2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.

3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.

4. You respect your body ... finally.

5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.

6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.

7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.

8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.

9. Your heart breaks much more easily.

10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.

11. Every day is a surprise.

12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)

13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

14. You become a morning person. (I'm not quite there yet!)

15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

16. You finally realize that true joy doesn't come from material wealth.

17. You now know where the sun comes from.

18. You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night.

19. Silence? What's that?

20. You realize that the 15 pounds you can't seem to get rid of are totally worth having.

21. You discover an inner strength you never thought you had.

22. You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule.

23. You give parents with a screaming child an 'I-know-the-feeling' look instead of a 'Can't-they-shut-him-up?' one.

24. Your dog — who used to be your 'baby' — becomes just a dog.

25. You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late.

26. You learn that taking a shower is a luxury.

27. You realize that you can love a complete stranger.

28. You find yourself wanting to make this world a better place.

29. If you didn’t believe in love at first sight before, now you do!

It's Bumbo not Dumbo

We got Eli a Bumbo seat the other day. He absolutely loves it and so do we! He can sit in it unassisted and loves to just look all around. I feed him his cereal in it sometimes. It is really nice because it helps develop the neck and back muscles so he can sit up on his own sooner.






We were really hoping that once he started eating cereal he would start sleeping better (translate: longer) at night. Before cereal, we would lay him down at 10 pm and he would sleep solid until 4 am. Now we lay him down at 10 and he is up at 12:30 but he's not hungry. He just wakes up crying. Then he's up again at 2:30 to eat and again at 5:30. So to say that we are tired is a HUGE understatement! I talked to his doctor this morning and she said that we just have to let him cry at 12:30 and he will start to realize that he doesn't need to wake up. I am able to do this ok but I don't know about Big John. We'll see...

Time flies!!

I can't believe it's already been a week since I posted last. I don't know how time gets away from me so much!

Eli had his 2 month check up last week. Again, where has the time gone? He weighs 12lbs 15 oz. and is 24 1/4 inches long. He is in the 75 percentile for his age. Which means he's a big boy which we already knew. We started him on cereal at night. I feed it to him with a spoon. At first he didn't know what to think about it. Now, I can't shovel it in fast enough for him!




I am really hoping that he will start sleeping better now. Maybe even sleep through the night! He got 3 shots in his little legs. He did really good with them though. He only cried for a few minutes after they were done and then he was all smiles again. Such a trooper!

Saturday night Big John and I left Eli with his Mamaw and went out on a date. It's the first time we have left him like this. We had such a good time. We went to dinner, Lowes, Walmart, and the mall. It was nice to be able to take our time and shop.

Next Sunday, Eli is getting baptized. I can't wait!! I will be sure to post pictures of it!

Sick baby and rude people

Eli caught Big John's cold this week. We started noticing it on Thursday and by Sunday morning he sounded pretty bad. When he tried to cry it came out as mostly squeaks. So we decided to take him to the doctor to make sure it wasn't anything serious. When we got there I had to sign in at the front desk and fill out some paperwork. The girl working was extremely rude. She didn't say a word to me until I was finished with the paperwork. I sat the clip board down on the counter so I could get out Eli's insurance card. She looked up and said in a mean voice- "Where's his insurance card?" If you know me, you know that I don't deal with rude people very well. Add to this the anxiety I was feeling over Eli being sick and it could have been a deadly combination. But since I work within the health system in question, I just smiled and handed her the card. She said that she was busy with everyone else's registration and she would get his card back to me when she could. So we went and sat down in the waiting room. About 25 minutes later, a nurse calls our name. She said that we should've been put into a room immediately since Eli was so little and hasn't had his shots yet and they don't want him to catch anything sitting in the waiting room. Nice of them to let us know right away! So we went into the room and saw the doctor, who was very nice. We got all done and went to check out. And wouldn't you know that girl was rude also. I asked her why our copay was higher there then at a regular doctor's office and she barked at me that they were considered urgent care and we have a higher copay for urgent care. I was relieved that Eli wasn't too sick so again I didn't say anything. But thinking about it now I think I will send a letter to the manager of the office. As an employee, I understand that it can get very overwhelming in a busy doctor's office. But the general public doesn't understand that. I can't imagine how many unhappy parents there are out there if this is how they are all the time.

On a good note, Eli is doing a lot better now. We got a vaporizer for his bedroom and it worked wonders. He doesn't sound nearly as hoarse today.

Big John and I found some furniture that we LOVE!! It is very different and includes a huge chair that spins around 360 degrees!! How much fun will it be for us to put Eli in it when he is a little bigger and spin him around and around! Here is a picture of it. We are thinking about getting the couch and the chair and the ottoman which isn't pictured.



The chair is so big that when I sit with my back against the back of it,my feet barely reach the edge of the cushions. It is so comfy!! And it's unique which is a big reason that we like it. They had a sectional couch on display and I like it a lot better but we don't think that it would work in our living room. Well, it would but we would have to buy one of those very expensive TVs that you can hang on the wall. So I don't think that's going to be an option! Hopefully we will be able to get all the furniture soon so we can start on the other rooms I want to redo. I can almost hear Big John groaning at me right now...

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!! My mommy decided to put me in this outfit and then embarrass me by taking a million pictures of me in it. Luckily I decided to not cooperate and either cry or move a lot so most of them didn't turn out. HAHA Mommy!!! You think she would learn that I don't like my picture taken but nooooo! Anyway, happy Valentines Day. And to all the ladies out there, yes I am single.

Survivor's back!!!

Let me tell you how sad our lives have become. The highlight of my week is that fact that Survivor premiers tonight. We are Survivor junkies!! Let me explain just how addicted we are. A few years ago I was in a car wreck. My car was totalled and I needed to go to the ER to be checked out. I didn't want to go by ambulance so Big John just drove me there. It was on the night that Survivor premiered and we knew we would never make it home in time. So I suggested that on the way from the wreck to the hospital we make a little detour and stop at home to make sure the DVR was set to record it. How sad are we!!!! Everyone knows not to call us on Thursday nights between 8 and 9 unless someone is dying. And even then, it's iffy on getting us to answer the phone. I am just so psyched that it is finally back on!!! We are also American Idol junkies. Really, there are a lot of reality shows that we watch. We have our tv schedule set. Are you like that too? We have certain shows that we watch every night through the week. We now have our DVR set up to record all of them just in case something happens and we aren't able to watch them. I know... we need help. :standing up: Hello, I'm Big John's Girl and I am addicted to my TV shows!

Big John is sick today. We both started feeling like we were getting colds the other day. Mine hasn't gotten much worse but Big John is feeling pretty crummy today. He is running a fever and has a sore throat. So instead of him picking Eli up from daycare like normal he is going to go home and sleep all day. I will be picking Eli up this afternoon after I get off of work. I am really looking forward to it. I just want to see for myself what all is going on while he is there.

I am getting back in to the routine of working a lot easier than I thought I would. I can't wait until 4:30 everyday so I can rush home and see Eli. That is the highlight of my day now. Walking through the front door and seeing Eli smile at me! It melts my heart! He has his first Valentines day this week and I know for a fact that he is getting a Valentine from at least one little girl at his daycare. How cute is that!!!

Whew!!

Where has the time gone? I can't believe that I am back to work already! Eli will be 2 months old next week. Hard to believe huh? I apologize for falling off the face of the earth. I have just been spending every spare minute with my little man.

Yesterday was my first day back to work. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do when I left Eli at the daycare. It was the first time I have left him with someone other than family and for more than just an hour or two. I was a crying mess all morning. But I made it and Eli make it also. Today was a little easier for me. I didn't cry! It just makes me look forward to spending the evenings at home now.

We got our tax check the other day and I have a HUGE list of projects I would like to accomplish. We redid our kitchen this past weekend. We are going to get new furniture in our living room, redo our master bathroom, paint the dining room, and rip out a wall in the laundry room. Big John is dreading all the work I'm going to make him do. But I can't wait to get it all done! It will be like a whole new house!

Eli is smiling now. It just melts my heart every time he looks at me and smiles really big! Last week we had to take him to Riley Children's Hospital for a few tests (everything is just fine) and he weighed 12 pounds 1.5 ounces. He is a BIG boy!! I can't wait until his 2 month check up next week to see how long he is.

Thanks for all the emails making sure I was ok since I haven't posted anything for a while. I hope to be able to get back to regular posts again now that I am getting into a better routine.

Here are a few pictures to tide you all over until next time!