Party Hard-y!

Bailey's birthday party was this past Saturday and we had a blast!  She got lots of presents, got to spend time with all of her friends and family, ate (and made a HUGE mess with) cake, and had a great time.  It was wonderful to see all of the people who love her in one place together to celebrate her first birthday.  I got a bunch of pictures (see below), but didn't get any of her eating her smash cake!  She loved it and made a mess and I have nothing to show for it, so if any of you have a picture of it please let me know...I'll be eternally grateful!

I will admit that I got teary-eyed as we brought out her birthday cake.  We had a big sheet cake for everyone and then Bailey had her very own "smash cake" that she could dig into.  When we brought out the cake and everyone started singing "Happy Birthday", I just kept thinking of the last year and everything we've done and been through that's brought us to where we are today, and I couldn't help but be happy and sad at the same time.  Someone referred to Bailey as my "toddler" at the party and kept thinking, "No!  She's my baby, she can't be a toddler yet!".  But the more I look at her, the more I see that she IS becoming a toddler and is moving further away from the baby stage.  She's doing more, thinning out a bit (although anyone who's picked her up recently would disagree), she's developed a unique and funny personality, and she does something new every day.  She's amazing...

As we finished singing "Happy Birthday" to her, everyone started clapping.  Bailey waited a beat, then clapped and yelled "Yay!" loudly.  It was like she just knew this was all for her.  Happy girl!  I could go on and on about her birthday and her first year, but instead of keeping you all reading for the next few hours, I'll just post a few pictures from her party.  Enjoy!

Bailey and Grandpop reading a book

Uncle Drew and Maddy

She LOVED playing in the buckets of ice

BFFs

Love her little tutu-ed tush!

Checking out her presents

Opening presents with a little help from Daddy

This blanket was her favorite gift!

Bailey and aunt Diana

All in all, it was a great party.  Scott and I were touched and happy that so many people came to celebrate with us and with Bailey.  She may not remember this birthday, but mommy and daddy always will!

One Year Well-Visit

Just a quick post today!

Bailey had her 12-month well visit today and it went well, as usual!  She's tipping the scales at 22 lbs. and is 29 (and some change) inches long.  She's hitting every developmental milestone just fine and is growing healthy!

The only "advice" we got from her doctor was to start weaning Bailey off the bottle.  She drinks wonderfully from a sippy cup (remember the days when I was freaking out because we couldn't get her to drink from a sippy?) but she still takes her formula in a bottle.  He said to start getting her used to drinking formula in a sippy cup, but that we could continue with a bottle at bedtime because it's part of her soothing and comfort routine.  So, here we go.  Day one of formula in a sippy cup has been a fail!  But we'll keep working at it and I'm sure that, just like everything else, she'll do it when she's ready.

Bailey got two shots at her appointment (poor thing cried like she was being tortured and quartered).  The nurse who gave her the shots wasn't her regular nurse (although she was in the room with us), but a student who had graduated nursing school and needed to do a certain number of vaccinations for the office.  They asked if I'd be okay with her doing the shots and I was...but, of course, it didn't go quite as smoothly as it does with our regular nurse, Michelle.  The first needle went in with no problem.  It definitely hurt Bailey, and she tensed up just before she started crying.  But the second needle was difficult to get in and left an ugly red spot where the nurse just tried to push it in...not much finesse was used and I was upset that it hurt so badly for Bailey.  She screamed for a good 2 minutes and then calmed down, but still made sure to make all her "sad" faces, complete with a pitiful squeal or two) at anyone who looked at her on our way out.  My daughter the drama queen.

We were also told that she's need to be tested for anemia and to have a lead test before she can start on cow's milk.  I can totally understand the need for both tests and will be getting them both done.  Unfortunately, though, they normally are blood tests and we'll need to go to a lab and get her blood drawn.  I can't stomach the thought of her having a needle stuck in her arm for however long it will take to fill one (maybe two) vials of blood, especially given the fact that she's a mess when it comes to getting a needle in her leg...I can't imagine how she'll handle a blood draw and I'm not willing to put her through it.  So come Tuesday (since all labs are closed Monday for the holiday) I'll be calling every blood draw lab I can think of until I find a place that can just do a simple finger prick.  Cross your fingers that I'm able to find one!

Tomorrow is Bailey's birthday party and we're so looking forward to it...I can't believe we're celebrating her first birthday already!  Lots to do to get ready for it, and I'll be posting about it later on.  Until next time!

My Newest Obsession

My birthday (the big 2-7...not sure how I feel about being that much closer to 30) is coming up in the next few weeks, and Scott took Bailey out yesterday to get a present (not at all required, but always appreciated!).  He came home with 4 boxes that he'd wrapped himself and a big smile on his face.  Being the four-year-old-trapped-in-a-man's-body that he is, he all but insisted that I open it right away...right NOW.  So, I did...and, boy am I glad I did!  Here's what he got me:

Happy birthday to me!!

 This lovely contraption is the B60 Keurig one-cup coffeemaker, and I'm absolutely in love with it.  Those of you who know me even a little bit know that I'm a coffee fiend.  I love the taste of coffee.  I love the smell of coffee.  Just seeing the word "coffee" in print makes me happy.

I set it up first thing this morning, and have enjoyed 3 cups of coffee so far.  All made in under a minute, no muss no fuss.  The machine also came with a box of assorted k-cups (the individual coffees) and Scott bought a box of Kahlua k-cups to go with it.  The machine is fast, quiet and makes virtually no mess.  Have I mentioned that I love this thing?  Quite possibly one of the best gifts he's ever gotten me.  And when I thanked him (often and profusely) Scott simply replied, "Well, you never spend any money on yourself, so you deserve it."

Lucky me, right?!

OBX 2011

In all the hub bub over Bailey's birthday, I completely forgot to update our vacation in the Outer Banks.  We had a wonderful week, and it was SO nice to be able to spend it with all of our friends!

There were 10 of us total and Bailey.  Scott and I are the only couple in our group who have a baby, so she got lots and lots of attention all week from all of her "aunts" and "uncles".  She had a blast at the beach and in the pool, and I can say with definite certainty that my little girl is a fish!  As soon as she gets in the pool she starts kicking her feet, and she didn't seem the least bit scared of the ocean when we hit the beach (except for the second day when Scott put her down and a wave came crashing into her face).  We ate ice cream almost every night, and Bailey got lots of one-on-one time with mommy and daddy...and everyone else.  I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but our friends are absolutely FANTASTIC with Bailey.  They're like naturals when it comes to spending time with her, and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people in her life.  It's quite clear that they'll all be great parents when the time comes.

Thanks to teeth #s 7 and 8, Bailey did not sleep so well at night the whole week.  She napped just fine (stuck to her 2 naps a day, just like at home), but nighttime was a whole different issue.  She went down with no problems, but was up again by 2am crying.  Scott and I ended up just bringing her into bed with us whenever she woke up and hoping for a few more hours of sleep.  It didn't help, either, that she knew we were RIGHT THERE in the room with her (she slept in a pack-n-play at the foot of our bed), so as soon as she stood up and started crying we didn't really have a choice but to bring her in bed with us...unless we wanted to listen to her cry all night.  I can't complain too much, though.  She was perfectly pleasant all week, and if the worst thing I had to deal with was interrupted sleep then I consider the week a success.

The car ride down and back was, at times, horrific.  It was an 8-hour drive and, for the most part, Bailey did great.  She slept for a few hours, played in her car seat for a few hours...and screamed bloody murder for awhile.  We stopped as often as we could to take her out of the car, eat and just stretch our legs, but by the end of the ride (which took us just over 10 hours, thanks to all our stops) Bailey was having none of it.  For the last 25 minutes on the way down, she screamed like we were torturing her back there.  It didn't help that we got caught in massive traffic trying to get onto the island...it took us almost an hour to go less than 20 miles...I'm shuddering just remembering the screeching and bellowing coming from the back seat...she was like a baby possessed.  BUT, we survived and we had an amazing week.  And the best part is that, even though we were sad to come back, we leave for another vacation (family this time) in just 2 weeks.  Can't complain about that!

Here are a few pictures (of Bailey, of course) from our trip to OBX 2011...

Happy 1st Birthday, Bailey!

Today is Bailey's very first birthday, and it was bittersweet.  On the one hand, I'm so happy for her and so incredibly proud of the little girl she is and who I know she'll become.  But on the other hand, I'm so sad that my baby isn't going to be "my baby" for much longer.

After we put Bailey to bed last night, Scott and I were talking about the past year and how wonderful (and crazy, hectic, emotional) it's been.  Scott said to me, "You know what's weird?  On this night last year, we were up doing laundry until 2 in the morning and we had no idea that Bailey would be here the next day".  He's right.  Even though she was almost a week past her due date, I STILL wasn't expecting her this time last year.  Crazy, isn't it?  There I was, big as a house, folding laundry and sucking on ice chunks because I was so hot and so thirsty.  Little did I know, when I finally crawled into bed just before 2am, that less than four hours later we'd be heading to the hospital to welcome our baby girl.

I've said it here before and I'll reiterate it again.  The first few months were HARD.  All my years in childcare did not in any way, shape or form prepare me for having my own little one.  Between the post-partum depression, exhaustion, and sheer cluelessness about how to raise a baby, I was a bundle of nerves and an absolute mess.  It had become quite clear to me (and very quickly, at that) that being a mother in real life was not the same as the "pretend" mommy I was when I played house with my sister as a child.  It was much more work than I'd expected, and I was not prepared for the flood of emotion that came, not only with becoming a mother, but with being the sole proprietor of this little being.  It was up to me (and Scott) to make sure that this tiny person survived, that she was fed and taken care of and that her basic and emotional needs were met.  It was daunting.  We weathered hormones and sickness, screaming fits (from Bailey AND from me), belly aches and teething pains, scrapes and falls, doctor's visits and an emergency room visit.

Scott and I have questioned ourselves on many occasions; we've argued and we've made up.  We've worried together and we've celebrated her milestones together.  We've taken turns sitting up with her in the middle of the night, snuggling her close when she was sick, and rocking her when she was restless.  We've been through a lot in the last year, and I've found a new appreciation for my husband since we became parents.  He is, by far, the best person to be "in this" with, and I'm grateful for him more often than I mention.  The last year has been more difficult than I had anticipated, more challenging than I'd expected, and much more rewarding than I had ever hoped it would be.  If I could go back and do it all over again, I would.  In a heart beat.  If I've failed at every thing else I've attempted in my lifetime, I can honestly say, without a doubt, that Bailey is the single greatest thing I've ever done.  She is my biggest accomplishment, my best success, and my "favorite thing".  I can't believe that I waited so long for her.

We went out tonight to celebrate Bailey's birthday, and had dinner at Bertucci's.  Her party isn't until Saturday, but Scott and I wanted to make the day a little special for her, even though she has no clue it's her birthday.  She shared some pasta with me, and then had her very own birthday tiramisu (which I paid for later when it came time to change her diaper).  She dug right into her "cake", made a mess and seemingly loved every minute of it.  We took a ton of pictures, and I'm sure we'll have tons more after her party this weekend.  Until then, here are a few to tide you all over...

You can't see it, but her shirt has a big 1 on it

Checking out her birthday balloons...

Daddy, Mommy and the Birthday Girl!

One more with Mommy and Daddy

Bailey and Great-Grandmom Storti

Grandpop, Mimom and Bailey

With Aunt Meg and Uncle Drew

With Great-Grandmom Kuehn

Mom Mom, Pop Pop and Bailey

With Uncle Kevin

Great-Grandpop Storti

With Aunt Meg, Uncle Drew, and her cousin/best friend Madison

Dig in, Birthday Girl!!

So happy

Love her

Quick Recap

Hey, long time no post!  Nothing too interesting has happened in the last few weeks, unless you count the fact that Bailey got a BEAUTIFUL rug burn under her right eye the other day.  Long story short, I'm SUCH an attentive mom that I watched her climbing the stairs for a full 10 seconds before I remembered that she's not totally good at it yet.  As I'm pondering the ramifications of my not-quite-one-year-old single handedly climbing a flight of stairs when she can't even stand alone or walk yet, my little one is ever-so-slowly barrelling down said flight of stairs.  She fell from the fourth step up, so not a major fall, but she landed directly on her face and slid an inch or two along the carpet.  Poor thing...but she didn't cry!  Just rolled over, crawled back to the stairs and started climbing them again like if she acted like falling on her face was no big deal then it didn't really happen, you know?

We're going away to the Outer Banks in a few weeks, and the more Bailey starts moving the more I need to add to my list.  Baby gates and outlets covers and corner guards, oh my!  It's a wonder I'm not thinner by now, the way I've been chasing her around.  I'm at a loss as to what I should be packing for her.  The "resort" (I guess you'd call it?) rents out baby stuff like gates and strollers and whatnot, but we're on our own as far as baby-proofing items, food, etc.  We'll have to pack lots of clothes for her, sunscreen, her bathing suits, toys, pool float, pack-n-play...the list is endless.  I've already resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to forget at least a quarter of whatever's on the list.  But I'm sure that whatever I forget we'll be able to get (or improvise) while we're down there.  I'm so excited to be going...we NEED a vacation desperately.  And I can't wait to get Bailey to the beach!  Now if only I could find a bathing suit for myself that covers the problem areas but doesn't scream "I've packed on the pounds and am now paying for it in this bathing suit".  Anybody have an idea where I can find something like that? All suggestions are welcome!  Seriously.  All suggestions.  I'm getting desperate.

At least Bailey is back to sleeping through the night for us.  Hopefully, she'll keep it up while we're away...did I mention that I can't wait?  :-)

Also, here's just a little something to wet your whistle.  Enjoy!

Sweetheart

That would be my beautiful little girl in the foreground.  And my studly husband in the background.