Sweet Baby.

We slept in this morning.  Until 9 o'clock!! Teagan came and snuggled with us in bed and we all had quite a peaceful slumber.  After we got up and fed Teagan, she played for a little while and then helped me finish laundry and put hers away.  She also helped me take stuff out of her drawers because she didn't like the way I had it folded.  Then I gave Teagan a bath and she splashed all over the place and had a blast like she usually does.  Now, she is asleep on my chest and I can't stop kissing her cheeks and smelling her head.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

Last night Josh brought home two movies.  The first one was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.  I had never heard of this movie but I was slightly intrigued.  Sometimes we pick out random movies and we don't even finish them or we vow never to pick out a random move again.  This time Josh struck gold. 

This is what the summary on IMDB says about the movie:

"Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences."

That summary does not do the movie justice.  I had a flood of different emotions during the movie. I cried. A lot.  I don't want to give too much away though so I'll just tell you what I thought it was about generally. 
This movie shows the consequences that can follow pinpointing one group of people for being a specific way and torturing and terrorizing them.  This movie shows the turmoil of living with somebody you thought you knew and then find out they have an entirely different side.  This is a movie about what happens when you come to conclusions without hearing both sides.  This is a movie about believing something and then having something rock your world to the point of clarity.  This is a movie about what can happen when people wear blinders and believe their way is the best way and there can be no other way.  This is a movie about a family who is ripped apart and punished in a way you'd never expect.  This is a movie about the innocence of a child and shows us how we need to sometimes dig down and remember our own childhood innocence.
I do hope that you will rent it (or read it).  Please let me know what you thought of the movie if you do watch it or have watched it.

Humble Pie.

Sometimes when you become a mommy, you get a "mommy head" (at least I do).  This is the mommy version of a big head.  Where you pretty much know what is best for your baby and when somebody else comes in and does something that works better your big head deflates and your feelings are slightly hurt.  This morning my head deflated faster then a stomped on balloon, my heart hurt a little and I gobbled down an entire humble pie. Not just a piece.
(CAUTION: a little whining and complaining coming)Yesterday, I stayed at home with Teagan all day long.  I loved on her and I took care of her like any mommy would.  We basically didn't move from the couch except to feed her and change her diaper.  I even set the alarm so I could get up every three hours to give her the meds through the night (end of whining).  If she hadn't been feeling yucky it would have been a perfect day because I love when she cuddles up close to me, nuzzles in my neck and goes to sleep.  
I sent Josh a text message that we needed baby Tylenol because they told me we could alternate between Tylenol and Motrin and since the recall we haven't had Tylenol in the house.  When he got home he had gotten all he could find but it was the wrong thing.  He lovingly went back out and got the right stuff.  He fixed dinner and got me anything I needed so I could care for Teagan.  My husband is an amazing daddy, what can I say?
Here comes the part where I eat that humble pie.  This morning around 5:35 Teagan woke up and since it was still kind of early I brought her to bed.  At least I tried to bring her to bed.  She wasn't having it.  She did not want to lay down. So she and I got back up.  I took her into her bedroom and did everything I could think of doing.  She continued to scream.  I don't mean whine and yell.  I mean SCREAM at the top of her lungs, arch her back like she was skydiving and cry real tears.  I put her on her back and started bicycling her legs and massaging her tummy.  She usually reacts like this when she gets gassy or constipated.  I thought this might have happened because of all the meds so I gave her some gas drops and continued trying to bicycle her legs and massage her tummy.  She continued to scream in what seemed like pain.  Then I saw a shadow at the door.  Superdad was in the doorway.  He scooped Teagan up and instantly she stopped crying.  I selfishly felt like she had just kicked me in my stomach. I had those "how dare he come in here and pick up HIS daughter and she instatnly be okay" feelings.  I just sat there. Stunned.  He asked what was wrong and I told him (shortly) that I was bicycling her legs because I thought she was constipated and that typically helps.  He asked if I wanted her back and I told him no, she was happier with him and then got up.  She kind of put one hand out at me and then took it back and I told her I wasn't going to take her from Daddy.  I was going back to bed.  (Even typing this I'm shaking my head, really?)  I went to bed and they came too, when he laid her in the bed she istantly reached out to me and of course I pulled her close and told her I was sorry and that it was okay.  She cuddled into her usual place on me and we all fell back asleep for a little while.
I thought a lot about why Teagan stops crying when Josh picks her up.  She feels his calm.  She feels his protection.  It's two things I feel when I'm upset and he wraps his arms around me.  I am the nuturer, the cuddler and the soft mushy/emotional one.  She feels that I am trying to fix whatever is wrong but sometimes I get a little flustered and she senses that.  He is the strong tower of protection and love.  He is the calm in the storm no matter how big the storm is.  He loves Teagan in a different way then I do but his love is no less important or not as strong as mine.  Words can't really express the gratitude I have for my husband in times like these....I just hope it doesn't take and entire humble pie next time to remember it.  I love you My Love.

First fever.

Yesterday started out pretty normal and then by the start of the evening Josh and I started getting a little worried.  Luckily we've both learned not to freak (too much) and we remained calm.  Teagan has only been sick one time in her 9 months as an outside baby and that was with an ear infection we didn't even know she had.  Last night she ran a fever of 101.7.  I got worried.  She was burning up from her middle back up.  She felt like a little ball of fire.  She was acting a little fussy but not too bad.  She had gotten a flu shot that morning and we figured that was what it was (that was our choice that we made with Teagan's doctor.  If it's not for you then that is fine.  Remember. Your child. Your decision.).  So, I gave her some Motrin and we just loved on her the whole night.  We put her down around 7:15 (45 minutes earlier then her usual bedtime).  It was almost like she was having feverish dreams for the first 2 hours or so.  She would wake up and either yell or talk but by the time I got upstairs she was already back asleep (and I move like the wind when I hear her at night, lol).  It was really strange.  She slept well and the fever broke and came back twice.
This morning after nursing twice (3:30 when she woke up and then at 5:30...I figured she didn't feel well and hopefully nursing would help at least a little) she came to bed with Josh and I for another few hours.  We finally got up a little after 8.  Teagan decided she wanted bananacado for breakfast but the avacado had gone bad so I cooked her some apples so she could have apple-banana for breakfast.  She sweetly gummed on a frozen waffle while I made her breakfast and mine.  After breakfast I checked her temp again and it was 99.7...much less scary to me then 101.7. So far this morning she has been acting okay.  Right now she is takin a nap on my chest.  I love that she still sleeps so well on my chest.
I had complained earlier in the week that I would have loved a day off...I didn't mean I wanted Teagan to be sick to get it.  Luckily she's a sweet and not too grumpy sick.

I'd also like to thank the mommy's and ladies that work with kids that sent fever advice our way last night.  It's so nice to know such helpful people! 

Wordless Wednesday

Hoot Hoot.

Have you ever seen a real live owl? Not in a cage. Not at the zoo. Not in captivity. Not on tv. But in REAL LIFE.

Well, we were lucky enough to have this experience on Sunday evening. We were leaving our community group meeting and as we were coming up on the exit to the development I thought I saw a cat in the middle of the road. As Josh slowed to a stop we saw it was not a cat but an owl. It was beautiful. It was eeriely still though. I sat there for a moment very still and then realized, I have to take a picture! I struggled to quickly get my "everyday" camera out of my pocketbook, zoomed in and took a picture. The picture turned out to be crap. Then somebody pulled up behind us and the owl looked at us one more time and then flew away. It was one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen. I've seen birds take off before but the grace of this mysterious creature was nothing like I'd ever seen before. As Josh drove off he told me I should call Joe and Lauren and tell them Harry Potter was in their neighborhood (only some people will find that funny).

The picture didn't take very well because I got a little flustered when Josh told me there was a car behind us. I did find a picture on the internet that resembles our owl even though I haven't found a picture that actually does the beauty of this bird justice. I also found by researching that it was a "barred owl" or a "hoot owl". Teagan and I decided to call the owl "Owly" after her new favorite book from her baby pen pal Eva.

Picture via.

Appalled.

My first reaction was to tilt my head to the left, raise my eyebrown and kind of crinkle up the right side of my face. All in confusion. Then my confusion turned to disgust. Then my disgust turned to out right anger and I couldn't hold it in any longer so I had to let it out. I'm probably a month or so behind on hearing about this but I chose to still comment on it. The store Urban Outfitters (I'm not even linking them) put out a shirt that says "EAT LESS". I had to see it for myself so I googled it and found a few articles and a few pictures. I cannot tell you exactly what I felt when I saw the picture of the shirt. I began to cry. I began to shake. My stomach turned into knots. And I just sat there, quietly crying, with a tsunami of memories taking over my being.
Not a lot of you know my story. To be truthful nobody knows all of it. Some know bits and pieces but my husband is the only one who comes close to knowing the entirety of it. I suffered with an eating disorder for 6 years. It went undetected or at least unconfronted for almost 5 1/2. I was nowhere near the scary skin and bones pictures that are on the billboards and discovery channel documentaries but I was sick. I was incredibly sick. My mind and my body were taken over by the disease. I use to draw the word "FAT" on myself with markers and stare at myself in the mirror for hours. I used to take freezing cold showers when I head eaten too much. I used pinch my "fat" to the point of bruising my skin. The eating disorder almost took my life. I will share that story some other time. With the eating disorder came severe clinical depression, insomnia and OCD tendencies. For a lot of sufferers these all go hand in hand so those things are not abnormal. There are still days, fewer and farther between, that I think "I just ate ____, I'm too full and I need to throw it up" or "I feel so full. I hate feeling full."
In all honesty, I was scared to get pregnant because I was worried about what the weight gain would do to my well being but pregnant actually changed my entire mindset and helped me get completely healthy. Having another human be completely dependent on you quickly changes your mindset. I think breast feeding Teagan has been extremely helpful in preventing a relapse because I know if I don't eat and get the nutrients I need then neither does she. I have imagined how easy it would be to slip back into that dark place to lose the baby weight but I refused to because Teagan's needs are greater then my want to be the skinny girl.
Thankfully, pregnancy has shown me that I am no longer a girl. I am a woman. I have curves. I have girl parts that have come in quite handy providing nutrition to my sweet girl for 9 months now. I will never be flat chested. I will never be able to shrink my hips. I'll admit there are days when I want to be flat chested and shaped like my husband (a stick) and then other days I like to figure out how to rock my curves in an appropriate manner.
When I saw the t-shirt in question my heart ached for Teagan. She already has a history of eating disorders and depression to fight. I ache at the thought she will have to go up against the same billboards, same messages, same pictures that her mom did. Possibly even worse. I vowed to get healthy not only for me but for her. I want her to grow up in a home where HEALTH is the focus. Not weight. Not inches. Not looks. I want her to be a kid. She will not be in makeup before she is in high school ( a little nail polish and playing dress up is fine). She will not wear shorts and skirts up to her rear end (no matter how long her Reid legs might be) with the excuse that everything is too short because Grandma can fix that little problem. Once she gets old enough to step on a scale ours will be thrown out. Weight and inches will not be something that is focused on. I'm not going to ban magazines and fashion because she will have to learn to deal with those things but she will learn in an open and structured and ask anything kind of environment. I know I can't protect her from it but I can make sure she focuses on being healthy and not just being skinny.
Even though it was the darkest time in my life I learned a lot from it. In reading and trying to find hints for myself at the time I learned also what to look for. I learned the early signs. I learned different tricks on how to hide it. At this point I look back and I'm thankful for that aspect of it because I know what to look for. I know the numerous amount of tricks and excuses. I also know that early intervention is key.
If you get anything from this entry I want it to be the idea of education and being proactive. Parents, teachers, friends & family. Educate yourselves. This has been a problem for YEARS and it's not going away anytime soon. Know the signs. The signs are starting as early as 5 YEARS OLD. Talk healthy body image to your kids (girls AND boys).

I've included some resources if you're curious.

NEDA
Eating disorder treatment
Kids Health



If you want to see/read about the shirt go here & here.

From Embracing the Curves

This is a post that I wrote on my other blog. I feel as if it is relevant here too...

"Have you ever had one of those moments in your life where you wish you had a do-over button? I'm in the middle of one right now. I've come to a point in my life where I'm regretful of things I didn't do an should have done before now. Don't get me wrong. I'm madly in love with my handsome husband and my beautiful blue eyed girl. They would not be a part of this do-over. The stuff I would re-do would still include them being the conclusion of it all. I've always been of of those "what if" kinds. A few times it got my in trouble but the last one got my a husband and it's the best "what if" I've given into.
There is nothing to really give in to at this point. I'm simply envious of those who lived it up, whether individually or as a couple, before babies came. I'm envious of those who traveled abroad in their college years or after. I'm envious of my friends who just up and moved, bravely, across the states or world and have made it. I'm envious of those who actually learned something in college. I'm envious of my friends, my husband included, who know those randomly cool things about any and everything. I'm envious of my best friend who knows the name (s) of this plant because she's cool like that. I'm envious of my college friends who have already gone back to school and earned their MSW. I'm envious of my fashionable friends. I'm envious of my friends who aren't afraid to wear red lipstick. I'm envious of the people who I met and come in contact with who seem to have it all together and then some. I'm envious of the pages I read being something I want to have instead of writing the pages myself.
On the other hand...I wouldn't trade my incredibly handsome husband for any other man out there. He is a provider. He loves me unconditionally. He even lets me pout for a few minutes before asking if I'm finished pouting because he knows I just need to have a good pout sometimes. He is a hard worker. He loves Teagan and I to his bones. He loves the idea of family and helping out whenever he can. Somedays I feel like he towers over me but he is a tower of protection and not one that I cower before. Then there is our amazingly beautiful baby girl. She is the joy of my soul and I didn't realize I could love another human like I love her. She is a piece of me and Josh combined. She is the two of us melded together for eternity. How incredible is that? How thankful am I for her? More thankful as each day passes. Even when times are frustrating all I need is a sweet smile or a "lovin'" from Teagan and the world is good again.
So yeah, I get frustrated with my job and my house and where we live (kind of ). I get frustrated that I have to work or that I'm not using my degree properly. I get frustrated that I'm not fashoinable (despite what some of my Exodus girls think). I get frustrated we can't take Teagan and travel the world. Then, I come home to my untidy house, my handsome husband and my beautiful baby girl and all is well again."

Dance.

I want to be here. Dancing down the corridor with Josh and Teagan. Oh the adventures we would have finding where this leads...

Painting by Jeremy Lipking

*I came upon this doing a random search of people with names I know. How cool is that?!*

Tommy the Teddy Bear.

At Teagan's "school" they have a class stuffed animal vs. a class pet. The idea is to take Tommy home and with you everywhere you go over the weekend and have story time with him and then write about it to share with the class. This weekend Teagan was lucky enough to get to take Tommy home with her this weekend. Here are some of their adventures:



Teagan & Tommy the Bear
October 15-17, 2010
Teagan met a new friend on Friday. His name is Tommy the Bear. Tommy asked Ms. Haley, Ms. Alice and Ms. Judy if he could home with Teagan for the weekend and they said yes!
After Teagan and Tommy got strapped into the car Teagan told Tommy all about the weekend they were going to have. First, the hockey game (her first too) and then the pumpkin patch in the mountains, church on Sunday and then a visit with the Grandparents!
That evening Teagan’s mom changed her clothes into something warm and then gave Tommy a pair of pants to put on because it would be cold in the hockey arena. Teagan and Tommy ate a little dinner before the family got on the road. Teagan was so excited to go to her first hockey game that night and equally excited to share it with her new friend. Teagan had watched hockey on the TV with her daddy but had never seen a real. Live. Game!
Teagan and Tommy watched the game and yelled and clapped and even did the chicken dance!

During the third period Teagan and Tommy both got tired and took a little nap.

When the hockey game was over Teagan and Tommy settled into bed to get rested up for the next day when they would go to the pumpkin patch in Asheville!



Saturday

Teagan and Tommy had to get up kind of early to meet up with Teagan’s boyfriend, Miles David and his parents. On the ride to Asheville, Teagan and Tommy both took a nap. When they woke up they were at Hickory Nut Farm! They got out of the car and into Miles David’s little red wagon! They bundled all up and Miles’s dad pulled them!

They looked at chickens, pigs, horses and cows!

After they looked at the animals Teagan, Tommy and Miles stopped to play a little before they went to the corn maze.

Then they all got in their carriers and decided to walk around the corn maze and pick out a pumpkin!

After they walked the corn maze and picked out their pumpkins Teagan, Tommy and Miles buckled up in their car seats and took a nap on the way to downtown Asheville. When they got to Asheville, the kids got out and walked around downtown Asheville, they played in the leaves and got some yummy food to eat. After a fun day in the mountains it was time to go home.


Teagan and Tommy snuggled in the car seat all the way home.
*this is AFTER she was taken out of the car. She was strapped in properly while riding in the car*


Sunday
Teagan, Tommy and her family went to check on Grandma and Grandpa’s farm. Teagan played with her grandparents and introduced them to Tommy. Teagan showed off her daddy’s hat & they had such fun!


That night after Teagan, Tommy and Teagan’s mommy and daddy had all took a nap and had baths and had eaten dinner it was time for story time! Teagan loves to read and was super excited that Tommy had brought books with him from school!

After Teagan’s mommy read them two stories it was time to tuck Teagan and Tommy into bed. They each got kisses & hugs night night and were sent to bed with prayers of sweet dreams.
Teagan had such a good weekend with her new friend Tommy! She can’t wait to hear about the adventures her friends have with him soon!

Top Baby Blogs

Hello all!
They reset the numbers over at the Top Baby Blog website...we were inching closer to the top spot page but now we're back on the lower end of the numbers. If you like reading Teagan Tales and would like to help us move back up the ranks could you please just give us 5 seconds of your time and vote for us (just two clicks!) on Top Baby Blogs!
Just click the link below and then click one more time and you've voted!
Thanks in advance!

Hello, visitors!

Recently I took a look at the stats part on my blog. I saw that I had visitors from all sorts of places! Not just the United States! I had visitors from Poland, France, Italy, Vietnam, Spain, China, Germany, France, Canada, UK, Hungary, Slovenia, Argentina and Brazil! We are currently trying to figure out where to go next summer and if anybody has any suggestions I'd love to hear them! We are pretty much up for anything!! Also, please leave me a comment and tell me where you're from (US or not)! I'd love to hear from you!
I just wanted to say a big thanks to my US readers and my readers from all the other countries too!!

Hello, Ohio!!

About a month ago I was reading one of the blogs I read on a daily basis and they were talking about baby pen pals. I thought that was such a good idea and so I consulted Teagan. She told me she would like to learn about another baby who lived in a different place and was close in age. I told her I had the perfect baby. Little Miss Eva over from Moments & Impressions . Her mom Nessa is a sweetheart and we've been talking on each others blogs for a while. Teagan and Eva are very close in age and Eva seems to be as adventurous as Teagan. So, I shot Nessa an e-mail, she talked to Eva and they loved the idea too!
Teagan got her very first pen pal package the other day and had such a good time opening it! She loved everything in it...right down to the box!







Teagan went to her first hockey game on Friday (more on that later) and she got the finishing touches to her Eva box!! She is so excited and can't wait for me to mail it for her this week!

Things that made me happy on a slumpy hump day.

Today was one of those Wednesdays. I decided to focus on the good instead of lousy that happened today! Here are a few things that made me happy today.

1) Little Bear is CRAWLING now!! I cannot believe we have a crawler now!

2) Barley & Birch (more on this later!)

3)My Bojangles biscuit this morning...clearly made by "Betty"

4) Little Bear's eye looks like it's going to take care of itself!

5) Japanese Cloth Lucky Owl

6) Chilean miners have all been rescued!!

7) Hoot owl beanie

8) Owl blocks

9) Cowboy Boots

10) Pastel dress

11) Baby baby doll dress

12) Cherry Blossom plate

13) Nesting Birds

14) Relaxing on the couch with my hubby watching Hells Kitchen.

15) Possibly going to Teagan's first Checkers game Friday!!

16) Heading towards Asheville and pumpkin patches on Saturday with the Heavners!!

Crawling?!?!

Well, folks. Our baby girl has done it! Teagan is officially crawling. She crawled in a complete circle around the house (for those of you who have been in our house she basically crawled from the living room, around the tv wall/bathroom/pantry partition thing and back to the living room. All she needed was a little incentive. My computer. haha. I wasn't able to get pictures because I was "crawling" beside of her and pushing the computer away every time she would get to it and Josh wasn't home to see it (super sad). I called him as soon as she had made it around though! We are so excited! I can't even imagine what could be in store for us next! We are always amazed at the difference between one day and the next!

The funeral of a Saint.

Today I went to the funeral of one of the most God loving women I know. Frances Martin. She was such an amazing lady. Sitting at the funeral I refused to be sad. Sure, there was that slight pain in the left side of my heart while the people around me shed tears for her but other then that my heart did not ache. I take that back. My heart did ache. It ached for her family and closest friends who are going to have a void in their lives that she filled on a regular basis. Even knowing where Frances went after she died does not take away the everyday numbness that those closest to her are going to feel. They are going to miss eating dinner with her. They are going to miss the phone calls. They are going to miss sitting next to her at church. They are going to miss her. I knew where Frances was at that moment. I knew and I was jealous. Frances went home to be with the Lord. The Lord she's loved since she was 42 years old. I have no doubt in my mind that she is whole and she is dancing in Heaven. No wheelchair scooter thing needed.
Frances was selfless and humble and caring and genuinely kind. She gave of herself without ever asking "what about me".
Pastor Mike told us during the funeral today that Frances wanted to leave two things when she left. She wanted people to remember to 1) Preach the Gospel and 2) Give yourself away.
I can only hope that in my lifetime I will be able to leave such a legacy. To be remembered as selfless, humble, caring, and genuinely kind. I selfishly want to be missed, if even for a short time. I want people to know where I am going when I die. I want people to be comforted by that fact. I want my life to make a difference here on earth.
So, I am thankful for the time I had with Frances Martin. I wish I had gotten to know her better. Her funeral today led me to hug my Mamaw even tighter.

Tomorrow is another day. What will your legacy be?

Cherry on Top award.

My high school and bloggy mom friend, Makia, over at Teaka's Truths was kind enough to pass on the Cherry on Top award! This is my second bloggy award and I always appreciate when I receive them because they are from other bloggers. In this case a blogger I've known since middle school!
Anyway, here are the rules/directions. It's another one of those pass it on awards! All you have to do for the Cherry on Top award is:

1. Answer the question "If I had the chance to go back and change one thing in my life, would I, and what would it be?
2. Pick up to 6 people and give them this award.
3. Thank the person who gave the award.

My answer: If I had to go back and change one thing in my life it would be to live life in college. I feel like I didn't take advantage of my college years. There is so much I wish I would have done and been involved in and places I would have gone. I can count on 2 fingers the number of people I met in college that I actually talk to on a regular basis. That's so sad. I just ran through my college years in a fog. I think it's because I had so many mental health things going on during that time that I was just trying to get through it. I feel like I was robbed of my college experience. My sister-in-law is currently at UNC Chapel Hill and the things she is doing and planning to do make me envy her. I get excited for her when she talks about going places and doing things that I wish I would have done. I would have loved to study abroad. I never did. I would have loved to gone to a single football game. I never did. I would have loved to have made the Dean's list. I never did. I do blame this on my mental state at the time but it doesn't change the longing to pull that time back down from the shelf and do it over again. On the other hand, if I had done all those things where would I be now? Maybe I wouldn't be where I'm at now. Married. With an amazing baby. Settled. Part of me doesn't want to be settled yet. The other part of me, the mommy part of me, knows that no matter what I want Teagan & Josh are the most important right now and so I will put those thoughts back on the shelf and just occasionally take a peek. But knowing that with each peek there will be heartache and then a reality check and then I will look back at my baby girl and know it was all worth it.

I nominate:

Moment & Impressions

Noble Nuggets

Tie a Little Ribbon

So, thanks again, Makia and to everybody else, have a happy Tuesday!!

Learning website

My close friend Kristin (amazing Mommy to Bryson & Sydney) sent me this link. It's a website with different learning activities for your children. It's called Productive Parenting. You can sign up to receive activities everyday via e-mail. You can put in your child's age and search activities that way or you can search by specific skills.

Here was Teagan's for today:

Target Age: Late Infant

Materials You Will Need:

5 objects that are all same size and color: mixing bowls, etc.What To Do:
Stacking is a wonderful activity that will help your child begin to understand math concepts. Enjoy showing your child how to stack mixing bowls and other containers in order of size. Try to keep these objects in a low drawer in your kitchen for your child to stack!

Variations:
Use only 3 or 4 at first. Add more as your child continues to show interest. Count as you stack.

Pimples.

Remember when you were 13 and you cried to your Mom and begged her to let you stay home from school because of that huge pimple on your face ? The one that just appeared when you woke up. Well, I didn't think I would have to deal with Teagan's pimples until she reached at least 12. I was wrong. We are dealing with one giant volcanic pimple right now. It's on her EYE LID. The head of the pimple is on the UNDERSIDE of her eye lid. She had a bump come up on her eye about 3 weeks ago. At first we thought she had just hit herself in the eye (she gets a little spastic sometimes) with a toy so we watched and waited because it didn't seem to bother her and it hadn't effected her actual eyeball. After about a week it hadn't gone away so I started putting a warm compress on it (when she'd let me) thinking it might be a stye. After the third week Josh and I decided to call the doctor. We went to the doc on Monday and come to find out it's a pimple on her eye lid and the head of the pimple is on the underside of her lid. Apparently this is more common then people think. The doc gave us drops to put in her eye 3 times a day and she has been such a trooper with them. He told us to continue trying to put the warm compress on her eye and I have. He said if it doesn't pop in a few days then we have to take her to an eye doctor so they can pop it because sometimes it gets hard and won't allow itself to pop. I think we might have reached that point because she has started to rub it a lot more. The doc is supposed to call tomorrow with a referral to an eye doc. I'm kind of nervous about how this is all going to go down. How do you pop a pimple on the underside of a 8 1/2 month old's eye lid? Oh the trials of parenthood....

Cleveland County Fair!

We were so excited to take Teagan to the fair this year. She couldn't ride the rides or play the games but she was so excited to see the animals and just people watch! We tried out our Seven sling and loved it for the most part! I also ran into another random mommy (getting BBQ) that had the exact same sling as us and she loved hers too! The only issue we had with it was we had to readjust a lot but I think that was mostly because Teagan kept squirming around trying to see everything. I liked it more in this case then our Baby Bjorn because she was to my side and not my front and I feel like I have more control over other people's access to her on my side. We had some great BBQ at the fair and I had the best lemonade I've ever had in my life there. It was fresh squeezed and a cup full of goodness.

Before we went to the fair we stopped of at Josh's parents house so Josh could help vaccinate the cows (yes, Teagan's grandparents live on a farm) and Teagan could spend some time with them. Teagan had a blast playing with her grandparents & Nick (the dog)!
*a lot of pictures to follow*

On my lunch break I am posting the winner.

I am sitting at my desk on my lunch break and posting the winner of the Urban Munchkin give away. I used Random Name/Word Picker and it chose.....

Makia

Her "kid friendly" help the planet idea was to: Teach Jordan [now that he really understands] how to recycle. He loves it and fusses when we don't do it. He is also learning that, other than being illegal, it is really bad to litter. He has even taught Alana to be careful where to put her trash. She has taken this information and ran with it...more than I wish sometimes. She LOVES picking up trash at the ballfield when we go which really makes me cringe because some of it is DISGUSTING. I'm in the process of looking for some tiny disposable gloves for them :-).

Please send me your information so I get your prize to you!

Thank you to all who entered the contest! Look for more to come!

Urban Munchkin Give away CLOSED.

The Urban Munchkin tee give away is now closed. I will announce the winner this evening! Thanks to every one who entered and thanks to Urban Munchkin for the oppurtunity!

Mom, Moma, Mommy.

My mom sent me a card in the mail (she will forever reign as the card queen) and I read it while Teagan was sweetly nursing. Have you ever read something that made you so happy and honored that it would be a sin not to shed tears? Well, this was one of those things. Even more beautiful was the connection made at that very moment between my mom, Teagan and I. In that moment all was still as I loved on my daughter, reading the card/letter from my mom, and wishing with all my might that I would be as good of a mommy to Teagan as my mom was to me. I love my mom so much and appreciate her love for me. She cared for me through the baby years, the terrible twos, all the moves we made and the high school drama. For years it was me, her and my daddy. We were inseparable for years and we pretty much still are. We are two peas in a pod. I would say we are best friends but we are so much more. We are a mom and a daughter.

I love you mom.

Always,

Your little girl.

An excerpt from the card:

"I've been so proud of you throughout the years. With exquisite joy and deligh, I have watched you grow and marveled at the mysteries and curiosities of each stage unraveling before my eyes. You've made me so happy; your love has kept me solid through my own journey in life."