Long Time...

I should be ashamed of myself for going so long without updating here.  But, strangely enough, there just hasn't been too much going on here these days now that the hoopla of Bailey's birthday is over.  Miss Bailey IS making leaps and bounds, though!

She's graduated to a sippy cup with a straw, although she still isn't drinking milk yet.  Doc says we can't start her on it until she has bloodwork done to make sure she's not anemic...and I just haven't been able to bring myself to strap her down and plunge a needle in her arm.  Luckily, though, my mom and Scott are going to take her on Friday (I just can't do it to her).

Bailey is THIS CLOSE to walking.  She's taken a few steps here and there, but hasn't quite made the connection that she can stand up and walk to where she wants to go.  At this point, crawling is much faster and comfortable for her...but she's close!

We've got a little chatterbox on our hands!  In addition to "mama" and "dada", Bailey has learned something new, thanks to her Mimom and Grandpop.  She now wags her finger and says, "No, no no".  It's actually really cute, with the exception of "no, no, no" when it's time to change her diaper.  She's saying "nice" (like when we make her "be nice" to someone instead of hitting them), and she's working on "hi" and "bye" and "night night".  This, in addition to all the babbling she does throughout the day.

For all her cuteness, I must admit that Bailey is becoming quite a drama queen.  If things don't go her way even the slightest bit she completely loses her cool and all bets are off.  In a matter of seconds, she can go from my little sweetheart, smiling and playing peek-a-boo to a raging lunatic, screaming like a psycho and throwing herself on the floor.  Seriously...seconds.  She's like a baby version of Jekyll and Hyde.

We just got back from our vacation in Ocean City this weekend, and we had such a great time while we were down there.  It's not easy sharing a house with your entire family (especially after you've lived on your own for awhile), but we made it work and everyone had a blast.  We hit the beach most days and the boardwalk every night...and we all made more trips than we should have to the ice cream shop on the corner.  I'm still kicking myself for forgetting to pack my camera.  Thanks to the rest of the family, I've got some pictures from our vacation (and am still waiting to see if there are more).

Being on vacation this year made me think about what vacation was like last summer, as a brand new mother.  Bailey was barely 3 weeks old  when we went and Scott and I were clueless as to what the heck we were supposed to do with a newborn at the beach.  Do we put sunscreen on her or leave it off her brand new and sensitive skin?  Should we put a bathing suit on her even though she won't be going in the ocean?  Do we pack her stroller?  How many diapers will we need?  Where is she going to sleep?  What if she wakes everyone up in the middle of the night?  The planning and packing was endless last year.  This year, however, I think we did a pretty good job.  We slathered on the baby sunblock, packed her 4 bathing suits and a few cover-ups, brought a box of diapers, put her in a pack-n-play to sleep, and weren't really worried about her waking anyone up in the middle of the night.  And we all survived and had a great week.

I thought that, to wrap things up, I'd share some pictures from vacation...both this year's and last years.  Check out how big our girl has gotten!

This time last year, she was a tiny little thing:

She was a peanut last year!

Three weeks old and so teeny

Who could forget the angry hat face?  Sassy

Tiny, tiny swimsuit

And this year...such a big girl!

Riding in Maddy's wagon on the boardwalk

Walking on the beach

Mommy and Bailey in the sand

She loved the ocean!

Beach babe

Fun with Uncle TJ

And, for your viewing pleasure, I'm tossing this picture in, too.  It's not from vacation, but it's one of my new favorite pictures of Bailey...love the big, toothy grin!

Daddy's so funny!

Until next time!

Just Had To Share...

...these pictures!  They crack me up, so this is what you get in lieu of a long post today.  Enjoy!

Who, me?

Bailey with the Stride-To-Ride Dino she got for her birthday

She somehow managed to climb on top of this...while watching tv.

Strike a (yoga) pose!

Goofy Girl

And here's one of my favorites....check out THIS face!

They don't call her "Brutus Beefcake" for nothing!

I also wanted to share this gem of a bib that I found at Target yesterday...quite fitting, isn't it?

'Til next time!

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...