Elisabeth A.

365 Days...

2012-01-12T13:00:00.006-05:00

So much can happen in one year.

ONE YEAR.

I can't believe I even typed that. Bailey was born at 1:17am on December 2nd. You can read all about that experience here :).

We stayed up until 1:17 the night of her birthday and snuck into her room to sing a very quiet Happy Birthday. Matt's version of quiet isn't the same as mine so she woke up. But I didn't complain about that one bit. I rocked and sung her back to sleep, and sobbed my eyes out.

365 Days. Day 1 felt like it would never get here. And it was blissful. She was the sweetest little newborn, and remains an incredibly sweet baby. Or I suppose I should say toddler since she's running full speed all over creation now. Day 4 I snapped her little foot inside of her onesie. **Facepalm** And around Day 217 I thought I would drop dead from sleep deprivation. But we made it! The three of us survived our first year of parenthood without more than a scratch :)

Matt worked late the night before Bailey's birthday. So poor Bean had to wait a few hours for Daddy to wake up before she could open her presents.

So she stared at them. And pulled the bows off :)

Touched every package...

And carried the smallest one around for a good half an hour :)

FINALLY!! Daddy was up and it was time for presents!!

At this point she needed help haha. So Mommy put the camera down and we played with toys :)
We then went to see SANTA at Bass Pro Shop.

Here we are getting ready to go see Santa. See my sweet happy Birthday Girl?

And this is how her first Santa experience went.

Not so great. She was NOT a fan. We decided to use her free kids meal coupon at Islamorada for a yummy grilled cheese. She LOOOOVES grilled cheese sandwiches :) Apparently on her birthday, she decided she hated grilled cheese. She even threw a piece of it at the back of some poor man's head! Her applesauce was dumped on the floor. She spit her milk out all over me, herself, and my sandwich. Then she decided it was a good idea to scream on the top of her lungs until we took her out of the restaurant.

Lesson Learned: Bailey HATES Santa.

All in all, restaurant melt down or not... Bailey had a wonderful first birthday. And her party was even better!! :)

Remeber.. November :)

2012-01-06T11:24:00.002-05:00

Since I've been battling morning sickness since the end of October, Matt and I made a deal. If I got all of the wet ones- he would get the stinky diapers!! It only lasted for a week and we went back to our old "you get one, I get one" deal. But I had to document the present she gave Matt for his first turn!

Impressive huh? She truly is her Daddy's daughter :)

We enjoyed some nice snuggles with Daddy.

And Bailey got her first Birthday presents in the mail! She loved ripping the wrapping paper off and had so much fun opening her presents from Aunt Jennie and Uncle Jake :)

*THANKSGIVING*

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Both sides of our family got together at my dad's house and we had an awesome meal. Catie and Matt and a Turkey cook-off and each made a divine turkey :) I have never liked turkey one bit, and I thought both were awesome. It was the first Thanksgiving I've actually eaten turkey. I'm not sure if my sleepiness was from cooking the rest of the meal, washing the dishes, a tryptophan coma, or first trimester exhaustion. I'm attributing it too all of it. But all in all the food was great, the company was pretty enjoyable and Bailey's first Thanksgiving turned out perfectly!

Bailey got her first Ritz Cracker. They were a hit!

She was the first one ready to eat :)

Trying my pumpkin bread while I set the table and finished baking some of the goodies.

Turns out, she LOVES pumpkin bread!

Happy Thanksgiving love! <3 This makes 2 Halloweens and 2 Thanksgivings in a row that I have been pregnant. :) 37 weeks last Thanksgiving and 9 weeks this Thanksgiving :)

Daddy and his munchkin :)

"Look at all of my teef Mommy! Can I have some Turkey?"

Puppy kisses from Lipton. I'm sure he was licking some kind of food out of her hair.

Daddy on Stinky Duty!!!!

Little Monkey learned how to play the piano while we were at Papas :)
Looks like we may have a big purchase to make in a few years!

I have so many things to be Thankful for this year.
First and foremost my Savior. My amazing family and friends. My wonderful husband Matt Alt, my sweet little Bailey, and our Little Sprout!

SURPRISE!!!!

2012-01-06T11:13:00.002-05:00

We got a big surprise in October- we are expecting again! :) We are so thrilled to be making Bailey a big sister. We were planning to wait another year or two, but Bailey and her little sibling will be 18 months apart :) We are so excited to be bringing another baby into our family. I am almost 16 weeks and we should find out whether Bailey will have a little brother or sister at the end of January.

Here is little Sprout at 8 weeks :)

October Catch Up

2012-01-06T10:38:00.004-05:00

I am failing miserable at keeping up with the blog. Bear with me, there is a LOT going on in the Alt household :) Update BEGIN!!

We went to visit Daddy in West Virginia while he was working there for six weeks :) He worked at night, and slept during the day- so we tried to keep Bean quiet while Daddy slept. That ended up with us spending lots of time at the pool! :)

I did everything I could to tire her out so she would be nice and quiet in the hotel room. Looks like it worked :)

At home we did lots of fun things to keep ourselves busy while Daddy was away! (Including trying to get Bailey used to the grass!) We went out to eat with Papa and Catie, spent lots of time with friends and went to Storytime at the Library :)

I did some crafty projects :) This is Bailey's re-vamped bow drawers. I finally got on the board with ModPodge! I see many more crafty projects to come!

I finally got Bailey to eat noodles!!! I have tried everything, tomato sauce, pesto, butter and parmesan, macaroni and cheese- finally homemade fettuccine alfredo with broccoli and chicken was a hit!

We had dinner at Papa's house :)

Daddy got home just in time for HALLOWEEN!!! I spent LOTS of time making Bailey's costume and I'm so glad it turned out as cute as it did. She looked precious and everyone got a kick out of our costume. Unless she was by herself- then they thought she was a bunny. Oh well. :)

It was freezing and Bailey was KNOCKED OUT after the ward Halloween Party :) But she had a blast and Mommy & Daddy ate all of her candy. Whoops!

Pumpkin I carved all by myself :)

Oh actual Halloween night it was rainy and cold outside! We went trick-or-treating with our good friends the Ramseys since Daddy was still at work. We lasted down one cul de sac and then took the babies inside!

October was a fun month of Mommy-Daughter bonding time, but we were so happy when Daddy came home!!

Punkin Chunkin :)

2011-11-25T21:11:00.002-05:00

While Matt was gone in West Virginia we decided to keep ourselves busy! I had lots of fall memories to make with Bailey so where did we go? Ashland Berry Farm!! Of course, going to a berry farm the second weekend in October on a beautiful 70* day was going to be BUSY. We stood in line for about an hour and a half... but we finally got on the hayride! :)

This is what happens when I try to take self-portraits. Oops :)

Bailey was not sure what she thought about the pumpkins. We're still working on her walking anywhere that's not flat. She hates grass, and the dirt was definitely not her favorite :)

This is how Bailey saw most of the pumpkins :) Since the walking (more like falling ever 2 steps) wasn't working... we went for this. She looooved it! Giggled the whole time.

Ashland Berry Farm has a $20 "All You Can Carry" deal. You only had to take 3 steps!! So Grampa Bruce gave it his best shot!

How Tall This Fall?
One of my new favorite pictures of the Bean.

Chilling with Uncle Jake :)

And we finished the day off with a box of homemade doughnuts!! Don't mind if I do :)

There are so many things I love about the Fall. I love feeling the change of seasons and the promise of fun things to come. I love the smell of anything pumpkin, the falling leaves and Halloween! I can never pick a favorite season, but currently- this is it!

September Catch Up, Pt. ONE

2011-11-13T22:28:00.001-05:00

We got to spend the first half of September enjoying spending time with Matt before he had to go out of town for 6 weeks. Labor day weekend we went down to Virginia Beach to spend time with friends and took Bailey to her first baseball game.

She wasn't too sure about the Fireworks after the game :)

This is such a rare occurrence now I had to document it. Little Miss never sits still for more than 30 seconds!

Now that Bailey is getting older, it's harder and harder to find ways to entertain her for more than 3o seconds. I've started getting creative :) So we built a FORT!

She played in the fort for over an HOUR! I consider that a success!! :)

This is why I don't blog as often :)
Whenever Bailey is awake this is what happens when I am on the computer. I'm lucky my screen doesn't have teeth marks yet!

Food is becoming such a big part of our day! I spend hours trying to figure out what to feed Bailey. I was determined that she would not be a picky eater. I failed miserably lol. She refuses to eat anything green. I can't get her to eat a noodle to save my life! (Is she my child?!) She actually turned up her nose at mac n cheese. I take that back... she sucked the cheese sauce off and then spit out the noodle. Goober. Some things she WILL eat (since that list is much shorter lol) Chicken, toast, yogurt, cheese, pears, peaches, bananas, goldfish, sweet potatoes, cheerios, puffs, grilled cheese, occasionally a green bean or two, we found out tonight she loves Saltines, she loves juice, and she still nurses a few times a day. At this point I try to get her to at least try what we're eating and then go from there. I'm trying to expand her palate so we'll see what we can get her to eat next! Sometimes it takes me so long to get my dinner, her dinner and Betty's dinner ready... this is what we end up with:

Or when she's really just OVER IT... I get this :)

Matt had a whole week off from work before he had to leave for West Virginia, so we decided to have a week of fun! We took Bailey to Maymont :)I didn't realize until we'd taken a bunch of pictures that Bean had left drool on the lens of my camera when she was chewing on it =/ So there are some blurry pics, but they're too cute not to include!

I almost forgot- Bailey loooves Graham Crackers. Her first experience with them didn't go so well (video here) but now she would eat a whole package in a day if I let her.

I have never seen anybody sleep as silly as little Miss Bean does :)

Anyone who has ever been around kids for any amount of time knows what it means when the baby gets quiet. Find out what they're doing QUICKLY!!! This is what I found :)

Apparently tissues are AWESOME. She does the same thing with toilet paper and every now and then I'll find a little trail of it around the house.

Grammie and Grampa got Bailey a toy to ride on. Of course I said, "Oh no way she's big enough for something like that"... boy was I wrong! She LOVES it! Not as much to sit on it... but to push it around and play with it. I can't believe she's big enough for a toy like this!!

We went out to celebrate a friend's birthday and got all dressed up as a family :) The weather finally got a little cool and it is so fun to dress my mini-me :)

Oh how much we missed Daddy when he had to leave after all of the fun we had when he was off for a week!

August...

2011-11-04T21:30:00.002-04:00

I've been reminded of what a horrible blogger I am. I know, I know... it has something to do with the highly energetic ELEVEN MONTH OLD I have running around my house. So here goes- the rest of August went a little something like this:

Milk Coma
Dog Crate Adventures
Target Shopping
Silly Sleeper
First Olive Garden Breadstick
Midnight Cookie Dough Mmmm :)
Veggie Puffs
Bailey hates grass
New High Chair
Happy 3rd Birthday Isabelle!

And in photos: ENJOY!

Corn, State Fair & Alts Alts Alts!

2011-09-11T10:12:00.004-04:00

That's what Indiana has!

Matt's Grandma Bocek passed away the day after his birthday :( She had Alzheimer's Disease and had recently been placed in a nursing home. We went to Indiana to be with family and celebrate her life.

We spent 7 days there (Bailey's first big trip out of state!) and Bailey got to meet her Great Grandma Alt (Mayme), her Great Uncle Joe, Aunt Pat, Aunt Abby, Uncle Barry, Aunt Jacque, and second cousins Anna, Maggie and Katherine. Needless to say she got LOTS of attention! She also got to visit with her Aunt Jenny who loves her to pieces! Although the reason for the trip was a sad one, it was very nice to get to be with family.

Bailey with Mayme (and her Bingo Buddies)

Mayme with three of her grandchildren (Jake, Matt & Jen) and her second Great Grandbaby!

Bailey with her Aunt Jenny (who ADORES her!)

You hear all about it- but until you taste it... you really have no idea. Indiana has the MOST AMAZING corn!!! It is delicious, even Bailey loved it. Although she loves just about everything.

Bailey had so much fun playing with her second cousins all week long. Their favorite thing to do was to put her in the middle of their air-bed and jump up and down to make her fly in the air. I had a mini-heart attack... but she loved it so much I couldn't make them stop! Luckily nobody got hurt... and Bailey smiled and laughed for hours at a time! And anything that can entertain my 8 month old for more than 5 minutes is worth it.

We even checked out the State Fair while we were there (yes the same fair that had the stage collapse at a Sugarland Concert 3 days after we were there.) It was just like every other fair- with lots and lots of roasted corn!

Believe it or not, the two girls on the outside are TWINS!!! Anna and Maggie :) Their younger sister Katherine is holding Bailey.

All in all Bailey did fairly well on the long drive to and from Indiana. On the way there- we drove overnight. I didn't sleep, but Bailey slept most of the way, only waking up a few times.

The way home was a little different. We bought a new car! (We actually bought Mayme's car since she can't drive it anymore.) So we had 2 cars to drive home... we decided to caravan with Matt's parents so we could all get home safe! 12 hours in the car alone with an 8 month old was NOT going to be possible for me!

Here's Bailey being goofy at one of the many stops on our way home.

Gimme that camera- I'm bored in the back!

It was a hard trip. Lots of running around and working with other people's schedules. But in the end, I'm very happy we went and got to spend lots of time with the Alts!

Park Play Date!

2011-09-11T09:57:00.004-04:00

This summer has been SO HOT! It was reaching 105* during the afternoon- so a friend and I decided to have a Park Playdate at 9am! It was only about 95* so we managed!

I put her in a swing for the first time and she LOVED it!!

No idea who the random dude is... but the picture is too cute to leave out!

Once she started chewing on the swing it was time to be done :) Haha.
Staying home gave me lots more opportunities to take Bailey to do fun things, hopefully we'll be able to do more things when it cools down some. Thank goodness fall is on the way!

July

2011-09-08T12:25:00.003-04:00

CRAWLING!!!!

Yes, you read that right. In July, Bailey started crawling. Happy 7 months Bean and Happy BabyProofing to Mommy!

Now that she is mobile- she and Betty are interacting more- this was the first crawl-by licking and we caught it on camera!

There were lots of other firsts in July: Bailey's first experience with the mesh teether (watermelon!).

Bailey's first pancake.

Not a first- but cute nap pictures are a must :)

This is the only shot we got on Bailey's first 4th of July! She wouldn't stop playing or sit still for long enough to get any cute pictures, imagine that!

Bailey's first bubble bath was a hit!

Bean talks to her froggie during each bath :)

There is nothing more precious than watching a baby sleep. She is such a funny sleeper!

Playing with her new piano...

First jog with Mommy )

Zillionth time in the pool :) But first ridiculous face made at the pool!

As you can tell- since becoming parents, all of our pictures revolve around Bailey. It just can't be helped. She so darn cute!! In July I started staying home. It has been absolutely wonderful. I love watching every first, every new thing she does... Matt is so happy to have a great job. We don't like his schedule (he's working nights- 9pm-5am), but we are counting our blessings!!

Another first in July- Matt and I went on our first DATE since Bailey was born!! We got a babysitter and went to dinner and a movie. It was wonderful to spend time with just Matt. :) And I only called the sitter ONCE! Be proud!

A JOB A JOB A JOB!!

2011-08-29T12:58:00.002-04:00

As of July 08, 2011...

I, Elisabeth Lobel Alt will get to be a stay at home Mommy to this darling Princess:

Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I put her down at one end of her crib with the blanket on her back and Miss Snuggle Bug did this herself.

I love her so much, and I am so excited to be able to start spending all of my time with her! What a blessing it is, and I am so proud of my amazing hubby for persevering and making this happen for our family. We love you Daddy!

We knew the blessings would come :)

One Virus, A Double Ear Infection & No Sleep!

2011-08-29T12:56:00.003-04:00

The night we brought Bailey home from the hospital was interesting. No matter how much you read, you are never quite prepared for the first night home alone. No magic nurse button... I missed the button. Matt is one of the lucky individuals who can sleep through almost anything. (The only thing I've seen wake him up is an earthquake, lol.) So around 2am when I am hormonal, sleep deprived and freaking out because the nurse at the hospital made us keep the lights on at night so we could 'make sure your baby didn't stop breathing' (how's THAT for freaking out a brand new mom?!)I decided to try what always worked for my mom, to sing Bailey to sleep. The exhausted and sore Mommy that I was could only think of one song- Silent Night. How's that for ironic, eh? So I sang it... about 800x until Bailey finally fell asleep around 3:30am. Why am I bringing up this story? Bailey's Christmas onesie finally fits... and it's all I can think of when I saw put her in it!!

Being a mom is scary. There I said it. It's not all rainbows and unicorns, and "Oh look at my cute baby!" All of the sudden there is a little person depending on you for everything. Food, love, diapers, etc. It is a daunting task. One that I love- but it is definitely intimidating.

One thing that made it a bit easier on us, was having a routine. After the first few days we managed to get her on an awesome schedule. Eating every three hours on the dot, then playing then sleeping. It was consistent. We were the lucky parents that brought home a newborn that slept through the night after about six days. Unheard of right? It was wonderful. Four month sleep regression hit, and we pushed through it. It stunk, but didn't last for long. Maybe 2 weeks. Then six months rolled around. Another sleep regression that lasted for about three weeks. I'm not gonna lie- it was rough. Especially with me working full time and getting up all night. 8 times a night Bailey? Was that really necessary?

We finally pushed through that sleep nightmare and made it to the other side! I had a wonderful sleeper again! THEN came the GERMS!!! Oh germs how I hate you. A mommy knows when something is wrong- Bailey stopped sleeping, was off of her schedule, she fussed a lot and, of all things, wouldn't eat. Bean has always been a champ when it comes to eating, especially solids- so that worried me. She would barely take two bites. Matt thought I was ridiculous- but off to the doctor we went. Nothing- not one problem the doctor could find.

That night, Bailey started running a 103 degree fever! We went in the next morning- who could look at this picture and not know that my poor girl was not feeling good?

A blood test, 8 catheter attempts (and one outraged Mommy) later, it was determined she had a virus. So we went home and waited it out. My poor girl was so sick. But we made it through- three days later her fever finally broke and my happy girl was back again. :)

Two weeks later, we had a double ear infection and no sleep again. I really hope Miss Bailey doesn't get her Mommy's immune system and catch everything out there. Only time will tell!

Father's Day

2011-08-29T12:50:00.002-04:00

Somehow these are the only pictures we managed to take on Father's Day. And they're fuzzy... oh well. What can you do?

Bailey's grandparent's favorite thing to do is give her weird things to eat. Like rib bones to chew on, corn cobs to gnaw on, etc. It makes for an interesting mealtime.

Lack of photos or not- we had a fun Father's Day and enjoyed celebrating Matt's first year as a Daddy! We framed his diploma for him- just to tell him how PROUD of him we are!

Sleepy Girl

2011-08-29T12:36:00.003-04:00

There is a moment in every mommy's life when you realize your baby really isn't a BABY anymore. It might be when they roll over for the first time, or when they say 'Mama' or 'Dada' for the first time. For me, it was this...

When it was truly time to move Bailey from her Bassinet into her crib, permanently. It was then that I realized that my sweet, squishy newborn was gone and I had an amazing little baby in her place. It took me a while to really realize that I needed to move her, I mean- look at this face!

And is there a cuter sleeper in the whole world?

I'm thinking 'no' on that one. :) She usually doesn't have that much stuff in her crib, just her seahorse and now a blankie. But she fell asleep with her lambie in her arms, so it went to bed with her that night!

Now, instead of rolling over to check on my sweet Bean, I have to get up and go into her room and check on her sleeping in her big girl crib. Wherever she sleeps, I am one lucky Mama!

Six Months!

2011-08-28T14:15:00.001-04:00

A month off from blogging and I was already behind! Yikes... It seems like since the moment Bailey was born I feel like I've been playing catch-up. Oh well- I have a super cute reason for being distracted!

Six months rolled around and Bailey was sitting up like a champ!

She is always happy and smiling like her little life depends on it. She smiles with her whole face and I love seeing her so happy!

Whoa Mommy!! Look what I can do! She is so close to crawling it's scaring me! She can rock back and forth on all fours!

Her six month appointment went great! She was 15lbs 4oz and out of nowhere gained 4 whole pounds in 2 months! She'd been gaining so slowly so we were super happy to see that she had finally put on some weight! (Even though she is still wearing 3 month clothing).

At six months Bailey:

-Gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth.
-Is eating tons of purees (I STILL can't get her to eat peas or green beans!)
-Banana's are her favorite food.
-She sits up so well! Rarely falling over.
-Her feet can finally reach the floor in her Jumparoo (on the lowest setting).
-Adores her Daddy. The moment he walks in the room she lights up.
-She loves to go with me everywhere I go. We can go shopping, out to dinner, to play, and she is happy as a clam!

You Have Stolen My Heart

2011-07-27T22:32:00.003-04:00

If anyone had told me a few years ago where I would be sitting on June 4, 2010 I wouldn't have believed a word of it. It was such a journey to get to where we are today. There have been many tears shed, and prayers prayed... but it has been an experience I will always treasure. It all started with a choice.

I made the choice to watch General Conference. Not a big choice- or something out of the ordinary. But it changed our lives. It led us to read the Book of Mormon together and for Matt to come to church, and the rest is explained here.

I don't think I will ever forget the memories from that day- especially the way that I felt.

Sweet Bailey slept through the entire Sealing. She looked like a little angel all in white. After the ceremony- she woke up and looked up at the Sealer. I've never seen her smile so big! She knew she was in the right place, and she knew she was close to Heaven and looking at a man of God.

We are so blessed to be an eternal family!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-07-27T21:54:00.002-04:00

Yes I realize I'm 2 months late. Sorry... I'm working on that. :)

For starters, we spent the weekend marveling at how awesome Bailey was doing sitting up on her own! She was just shy of 6 months old and looking so grown up.

Hey Mommy- look what I can do!

Apparently Memorial Day Weekend was a weekend of firsts for us, Bailey got in the pool for the first time. I think she was unsure. But she looked oh so cute!!

Yum Mommy!! My fingers taste so yummy! :)

After a while she decided she was done with the pool and just hung out in the pack n play. I think there's nothing cuter than a baby in her diaper in the summer!

I decided that Bailey's first summer kickoff wouldn't be complete without a trip to the beach! Oh boy- I had no idea what I was in for. Babies and the beach do NOT mix well! I prefer the pool 100%. We still had a fun time, but a baby covered in sand is hard to wrangle!

Little Miss scoping the beach for some eye candy :)

All the playing wore her out!

But WHY won't you let me eat sand?!?! Waaaaah!

No trip to the beach is complete without sticking your feet in the Atlantic!

We had an awesome time!
After the beach itself, we had lots of fun playing with the Sanson family! They are always such great hosts :)

We Have A Sitter!

2011-06-24T09:35:00.004-04:00

It's funny watching your child grow up. One moment they weigh six pounds, wear diapers the size of a playing card, and sleep 23 hours a day...

Blink your eyes and they're smiling at you, giggling, reaching for things and rolling around!

Take a deep breath and then all of the sudden:

THEY'RE SITTING UP ON THEIR OWN!

Yeah Mom- I can sit up. Pretty awesome huh?

As we were packing for our beach trip (more on that later) I decided to set Bean on the floor and see how she did sitting without her boppy. As you can see- it was a success! I had to sit her up and she just hung out for about 10 minutes before toppling over! It really is so amazing to watch your babies do new things. Of course I ran for the camera.

Would you like to share my shoe?

No? Ok... I'll just eat it myself.
Notice the little bruise on the right side of her forehead- someone took a nose-dive off the bed.)

Since she could sit up, we decided to see how she did in a high chair at dinner:
She looked CUTE as can be- but not sure she's quite ready for that yet. We'll get there! I'm okay with her not growing up too fast!!

Mommy: Get me out!!!!

Wherever we go- Bailey is a hit. She had about 5 servers at Cracker Barrell fawning over her and telling us just how cute she is! All we can say is, "I know!" Although I do freak out a little bit when strangers touch her... ick.

A Little Bit of Little Bit

2011-06-24T09:20:00.003-04:00

It's funny how becoming a parent completely consumes your life. I sit down so excited to upload pictures from my camera and realize- there isn't a single picture of ANYTHING but BAILEY. Which is great! But I'm afraid I might be neglecting everything else. Matt and I have decided we're finally going to go on a date! It's only been about 7 months since our last outing together without Bailey, so it's about time. Now to just manage to coordinate with a sitter :).

Summer is in full swing around these parts! Around the end of May Bailey finally started wearing 3-6 month clothing! Yay progress :) She is such a happy baby all the time- it really is impossible not to take pictures of her constantly.
I promise when wefinally go on our date we'll document it!

See...

"Grammy please, It's my time in the spotlight"

We also have a new development in the eating department- she used to be so dainty and cute. She would get a teeny bit of food on her face, maybe a bit running down her chin. Not anymore...

Eating has become a full fledged war zone! She blows raspberries, sticks her hands in her mouth, spits it out, and then rubs it everywhere! Her pretty white bib- not so pretty or white anymore. Most days I either stand to the side, or put on grubby clothes to feed her now! Can't have carrots staining my work pants :) lol.

I swear this little girl has the life...

Naptime...

2011-06-09T10:18:00.001-04:00

We take naps seriously around these parts :)

On Motherhood...

2011-06-09T10:15:00.000-04:00

Some days being a mom is all unicorns and rainbows. Your baby is smiley and perfect, you get to shower, your hair is done, makeup on, and you get to smile and watch your precious little one learn something new (like pushing the buttons on her new favorite toy). Bathtime is full of songs and splashing and the snuggles are perfect.

Other days... it's a little different. You walk out the door with wet hair, walk back in to a couch full of clean laundry that's been there for almost 2 weeks, trip over baby toys, dirty diaper 'sausage' by the door, dinner is a box of mac n cheese or cold cereal, your baby has pooped out of their diaper and clothes three times that day, running on zero sleep, have bags under your eyes the size of Texas, and no matter what you do... nothing will calm your poor teething baby.

Motherhood has its ups and downs. If every moment was as euphoric as gazing into my daughter's eyes for the first time... I might just explode. And if every moment involved being covered in spit-up and baby poop... I might just explode. But every moment is perfect. There are more than enough smiles and giggles to get you through the screaming and nights with no sleep.

I look into her little eyes and all I can do is tear up and say, "Thank you, thank you for making me a Mother."

Mother's Day this year was a little different. The last few years have been hard. I have spent Mother's Day mourning the loss of my own mother and focusing on the "maybe's" and "what if's". What if I stayed home from school? What if I just agreed with her when I was a teenager? What if I hadn't forgotten her last birthday? Maybe we could have had a better relationship. Maybe I would have stayed home with her the last few months and we could have mended the few arguments we did have. Maybe... maybe... maybe.

Unfortunatley, nobody has invented a time machine... and we must live with the decisions we make. Finally... this year on Mother's Day, instead of worrying about dids or didn'ts- I got to really focus on the true meaning of the day. What it meant to BE a mother.

Giving birth doesn't make you a mother. Although in most instances, it's one step in many to becoming a parent. Women become mothers in all different ways. I had the priviledge of being able to carry and deliver a beautiful baby girl. I may not have called it a priviledge when I was 37 weeks pregnant, on bedrest, and miserable from head to toe. But in hindsight... it is the biggest blessing I have ever received. There isn't another moment in life when the veil between this world and the next is so thin- I truly felt my Heavenly Father's presense the moment I held my little Bailey in my arms.

"Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones. Husbands—especially husbands—as well as Church leaders and friends in every direction, be helpful and sensitive and wise. Remember, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

Mothers, we acknowledge and esteem your faith in every footstep. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever...

...It is clear that some of those Rhode Island–sized shadows come not just from diapers and carpooling but from at least a few sleepless nights spent searching the soul, seeking earnestly for the capacity to raise these children to be what God wants them to be. Moved by that kind of devotion and determination, may I say to mothers collectively, in the name of the Lord, you are magnificent. You are doing terrifically well. The very fact that you have been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your Father in Heaven has in you."
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "Because She Is A Mother"

There will always be good days and bad days, no matter what we try to do in life. Motherhood is full of ups and downs, but the reward is so phenomenal. I am so grateful for my princess and the wonderful opportunity she gave me to be a Mommy.

I pray I can live up to my own mothers amazing example and make lots of wonderful memories for Bailey to have as she gets bigger. I can't wait for the decades of mothers days to come!

Ok... Who's Sprinking My Kid With Miracle Grow?

2011-06-01T09:59:00.002-04:00

I swear when I'm at work Matt is sprinkling Bailey with Miracle Grow!

Who is this girl who can hold her own bottle? My baby is way too little to do that!

It's really ironic how quicly Bailey has started growing into a little person. Pregnancy goes by SO SLOW and all you can do is just wait and wait for your little baby to get here. Now all I want is for time to SLLOOOOOOOW down!!! I want to enjoy her being a baby for as long as possible.

The Bean loves her Jumparoo! :) She's still too little to reach the ground, so we have to put a pillo under her, but she loves to jump and play. She can finally reach some of the toys to her mouth- so she is happy as can be *for a little while*. She still loves to be held and played with most of the time- which is a-ok with Mommy & Daddy!

And the newest development *drum roll please*

SITTING UP! She can't do it on her own yet, she needs a boppy or something to prop her up, but can we say BIG GIRL!? Oh my gosh Mommy is not ready for this. But doesn't she look so stinking cute sitting up like that?

Poor girl was so so tired. What she really needed was to go to bed. But bedtime seems to be on her terms lately- so she was awake.

Sitting! See what I mean about Miracle Grow? My Bean isn't a helpless little blob of cuteness anymore. Instead she's a toy eating, drooling, teething, smiling, laughing ray of sunshine that is getting huge right before my eyes! (Well, at 12 pounds 'huge' is a relative term, but it feels like it!)

Nom nom nom... muching on toys!

And crash. She can sit for about 1-2 minutes- maybe, with help. So it's not long before she topples right over. This is her, "Umm... Mom, can you help me up please. The pictures are getting a bit ridiculous" Face.

I love this little booger so much it's amazing! I am loving each new stage and trying to savor all the little moments and 'firsts' I get to experience with my sweet girlie. I LOVE being a Mommy!

5 Months!

2011-06-01T09:22:00.001-04:00

I have a 5 month old?! Are you kidding me?When did this happen and how do we make time slow down??Has anyone figured this out yet?

Bailey is such a happy sweet little girl!
See!

She is almost always happy and has started having laughing fits! They are my favorite times of the day. Her Daddy can get her laughing like nobody's business. He laughs, makes funny faces, blows raspberries... anything he can think of to get her to laugh... it's ADORABLE.

Bailey is in such a fun stage! She is exploring everything- mostly by putting it into her mouth. This has been really cute, and borderline dangerous at the same time! Her hands, my hands, my clothes, her clothes, toys, books, flip-flops, Betty, anything and everything within her reach. (Including a dirty diaper once... ew ew ew.)

Look how much she's changed!!! Raising a child is truly an amazing experience and I am so grateful and blessed to be able to have such a precious little girl! She is such a blessing!

Bailey's First Easter!

2011-05-20T11:35:00.004-04:00

For Christmas Bailey was so new and little that I didn't do too much for the holiday, we let the family do it all! Easter was the first holiday since Bailey was born that I stayed up late at night cooking and preparing for the big day! I LOVE LOVE LOVE holidays. They are the best bits of life. I dream about the perfect holiday where the family all gathers, eats an awesome meal, hugs, laughs and it's the amazing stuff memories are made of. One day I'll get there!! Haha. For now I do my best to make holidays memorable and special. Sometimes it's the little things that don't go right that make it the most memorable! I probably won't ever forget the year Betty ate all of the Christmas cookies and broke my platter. Or they year Isabelle screamed her head off because she was terrified of the fireworks on the 4th of July. Or the six Hallmark's it took me to find the "Baby's First Christmas" Ornament I had my heart set on last year. But... I digress.

Bailey's first Easter was a hit! I stayed up Saturday night making Key Lime Cupcakes with coconut frosting! Oh my goodness they were divine! I think next time I'm going to actually hunt down key lime juice (or maybe some fresh key limes)... but they were the perfect after dinner treat!

I also made my mom's specialty- the "Hopping Bunny Bread". Holy toledo this stuff is difficult. I swear it is much more difficult to be an adult on a holiday than a child. As a kid- I came downstairs in my pj's, chowed down on festive yummies, then ate myself sick on Easter candy, went to church and bounced off the pews, then came home, ate more candy and fell asleep with a tummy-ache. What a hard life.

As an adult- i stay up for hours and let bread dough rise 3 times so that I can braid it into little bunnies. Grate my thumb while preparing orange peel for the dough, knead the dough for 15 minutes, etc. etc. etc. THEN get to dinner and have everyone tell you they look like ducks. Sigh. I tried. Do you see ducks??? I see bunny butts!

Hopefully Bailey will look back on the pictures of the amazing meal (that I forgot to take, durn... I can only do so much!) at least the awesome pictures of her bunny not duck bread and know that her Mommy did tons of fun things out of love.

Next up: Easter Baskets!!!! I finally appreciate the thought and effort it takes to get one of these ready. And holy cow, when did candy get so expensive!! Bailey is the proud owner of a Build A Bear Lambie! :) We named her Bean just for our Bean. A lambie for BAA :) Get it? Yes- we are those parents. The cheesy corny ones that are starting a sheep collection for our BAA. Trust me- there's a little bit of it in all of us.

Mommy also made a homeade bow for the princess to wear with her Easter Dress! I thought it was so darn cute, and the perfect colors. Oh what fun it is to dress a little girl!

Doesn't she look soooo freaking cute in this picture? This is the picture she'll look at when she's 20-something with her own little on the way and say, 'Oh my gosh Mom- look how awesome you were!' Well... a mom can hope right?

Yummmmmmmmmm- DRESS!!!! Yes we're in the mouth stage. For the most part, I don't try to stop her. I like to let her explore. If the dog's ears or the dirty diaper end up in her hands though- you better believe they're getting taken away!

Dude... Mom- where's all the candy???

You got me a BATHING SUIT!??!? YIPEE!!!

Nom nom nom... sooo yummy!

And of course a little Easter mess had to be on the agenda. :)

I love my lambie! Isn't that the cutest thing you've ever seen? No. Well you're wrong. Because it is. :) Even if I am a little biased.

I, trying to be the over-acheiving Mommy that I strive to be- decided to take super cute Easter pictures of Bailey. So after church I set her down and ran to get lambie....

I came back to this. Fail Mom. I should know better than to interfere with naptime. I couldn't resist a few shots though... there really isn't anything more precious in the world than a sleeping baby. :)

Much cuter than a screaming, crying, spitting up, red-faced, poopie-explosion baby. Although that is just as adorable... in it's own ear-splitting, messy way.

I also conveniently missed out on snapping any pictures at our family dinner. Which went surprisingly well. The Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes were aaaaaaaaaamazing! (yes I roasted the garlic myself! see- more slaving away), the ham was delicious, the Corn Casserole was divine and lots of other yummies were simply- yummy! Elisabeth: 1 - Holiday Impossible: 0!!

Happenings...

2011-04-28T11:37:00.008-04:00

Three weeks without blogging!? I stink. But I'm not sure if anyone is seriously interested in the ins and outs of our everyday life. We have established a pretty good routine around our house.

In the morning I get up and get ready for the day, nurse Bailey and head out the door! Work work work all day long, then come home and hang out with my little family. Then I start the day all over again!

Most days I come home to something like this:

She heard her mommy and was ready to get some snuggles!

I love seeing Little B's face after a long day of work. It's just what I need to brighten my day and make things all better!

Being a first time mommy is definitely hard! I am trying VERY hard to not freak out at every little 'different' thing she does and not rush Bailey to the doctor's office the second anything happens. So far I've done pretty well. Other than her regular montly check-ups
*like this one at 4 months*

(So happy before her shots! She's quite the champ!)

We have only made 2 trips to the doctor over "Mommy Panic" as I like to call it. The first one was when Bailey was about 3 weeks old. She woke up with her eyes all gunky and 'glued' together (ew)! We had been at a friend's house who's little boy had just gotten pink eye- so I freaked. Naturally right?

Our latest Mommy Panic was on Monday. Bailey hasn't been sleeping well and I assumed it was 4 month sleep regression. But since it kept getting worse and worse and she didn't want to eat, be held, rocked, etc. I decided it was time to go see the doc! I NEVER in a million years expected the answer we got...

TEETHING!!!! That's right, my four month old is teething. I suppose she'll be 5 months on Monday, but holy toledo. I did not expect that. Her gums are slightly swollen, I'm guessing it will probably take a few weeks for the little chompers to actually break through but at least we finally know what is causing our little punkin so much discomfort! A little baby orajel and a cold teether seems to make her happy as a clam. Along with an extra few ounces to eat before bed and we have our happy, smiley baby back! Wahoo!

After her doctor's appointment we grabbed an early dinner and Miss Thang was pouting because I asked her to hold my fruit. :) Silly girl does not like pears.

All in all we are absolutely loving being parents. There are some opportunities that may open up to us in the next few months, so we're trying to decide what the future holds and what is best for our family.

As of right now, Matt is being an awesome 'mannie' and loves getting to spend special time with his little girl. I'm chugging on through and working had in hopes that one day soon I will get to be home with my little love.

I just can't resist this face... after I got ready for bed the other night I came in to this!

What a cute little thing she is! I am so lucky to be her mommy!

4 Months

2011-04-05T12:31:00.006-04:00

I've been so worried for Bailey to grow up too fast. Everyone says "cherish each stage" and I try to! As much as I loved her being a teeny and snuggly newborn, I am LOVING this stage! It's is so fun to watch her learn new things and interact with us more! At four months Bailey:

-smiles

-giggles

-does "crunches" trying to sit up!

-chews on her hands constantly

-drools like a fountain

-'talks' I love baby talk and she will talk back and forth with you!

-Sleeps like a champ

-naps 3-5x a day

-is eating solids

-she can bring toys to her mouth, but they fall right out

-she grabbed her foot for the first time last night

Some of the little milestones may seem silly- but it's so amazing to watch her grow and learn new things! She is such a precious little girl and an amazing blessing in my life!

PS. I'm having second thoughts about getting her ears pierced as an infant. I think I may wait until she wants them done. Any suggestions from mommies?

One Year

2011-04-05T11:23:00.005-04:00

Whew knew that one year could change a life so much?

One year ago yesterday I woke up on Easter Sunday feeling funny. A little sore, didn't sleep well, and generally feeling 'not good'. I decided to take a pregnancy test. It couldn't hurt right? Matt slept soundly as I waited the agonizing three minutes. I picked up the test, low and behold... a line.

That's it- a tiny pink line. That's all it took for me to know that my life was changed forever. I bounded into the bedroom, threw on the lights at 7am, jumped on the bed and stuck the stick in Matt's face. "Do you see it?! Do you see the line!? There is a line right? Do you see it!?" He saw it. We were both so excited. The feelings that hit you are innumerable.

Will we be good parents, will we be able to afford it, what will we need, how do I take care of myself, I need to call the doctor, etc. etc. We were spinning. We went about the day with our family holding onto our little secret. And she was so tiny. I went the next morning and took a blood test, and continued to take home tests as well. I watched the little line get darker and darker. It turns out we found out we were pregnant at 3weeks 2 days!

One year ago marks the beginning of an amazing adventure. I got to watch my belly grow, and feel our sweet girl moving. On our second anniversary we got to find out that it was a girl! Nothing prepared me for the overwhelming feelings of love that occur the moment you see your sweet baby for the first time. It changed my life. One year later, I have a beautiful baby girl who is the light of my life. She is stunning and smart and growing so fast! I can't wait to see what the next year brings, and I cherish the special time I got to have her just with me.

Motherhood is a challenge, there's no doubt. There have been lots of sleepless nights and prayers said, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I adore my daughter and I love how special our relationship is. Watching Matt with her has made me fall deeper and deeper in love with him. I love my family.

"It is clear that some of those [under eye] shadows come not just from diapers and carpooling but from at least a few sleepless nights spent searching the soul, seeking earnestly for the capacity to raise these children to be what God wants them to be. Moved by that kind of devotion and determination, may I say to mothers collectively, in the name of the Lord, you are magnificent. You are doing terrifically well. The very fact that you have been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your Father in Heaven has in you." (“Because She Is a Mother” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles)

Solids!

2011-04-04T11:03:00.004-04:00

Miss Bailey is soo itty bitty that our pediatrician suggested we start solids at four months!

I love trying new things with the princess so we gave it a shot. So far she's had rice cereal, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, green beans, bananas, peaches and pears. She LOVES cereal and bananas together and she loves her sweet potatoes! She hated the peas, peaches and pears lol. But they say it takes a few tries for them to really develop a taste, so we'll try again!

Seriously... is anything allowed to be that cute?

All that munching wore her out!

That brings us almost up to date! Wahoo I did it!

A Break...

2011-03-25T09:52:00.005-04:00

A LOT has been going on in the Alt family lately. Lots of changes and opportunities have come our way. Job changes and losses, learning to be new parents, and just coping with the every day bits of life. It can get overwhelming very quickly. When it got to be too much, (at the suggestion of a smart friend!) I said to Matt...

"We need to go to the Temple."

Although we're a few short weeks from actually going through the Temple and being sealed, I decided that we needed a getaway. We needed a few hours away from the world where we could go and think about our family, decisions, and the things coming our way.

So we packed up Bailey and hit the road on a Saturday morning. It was her first road trip, and she did pretty well!

Mommy where are we going? How far is it?

Over two hours?!?!

What will we do when we get there?

It was a beautiful day. Not too cold, but a little cloudy and breezy. We walked around the grounds, went to the visitors center and the bookstore.

It was the perfect escape. The message of the Cristus is so amazing, Matt calls it "the most powerful 90 seconds you'll ever experience." We took some time to get away from the world and just feel the Spirit. I am so grateful that we have a Temple close enough to go to, and that we get to go through this sacred building so very soon.

While there a passerby said to Matt, "Now there's a man who is proud to be a Daddy." It was so special to hear! :)

I am also pleased to announce that we are getting a new camera!! We turned in the one I got for Christmas and cashed in on the warrenty. It was ROUGH! So hopefully I can start taking some 'not blurry' pictures!

Unsure...

2011-03-25T09:48:00.002-04:00

Our lives revolve around this little girl. Sorry if none of my posts have anything else exciting to say! We are just going on with life, and loving every minute that we get to love on Miss Bailey.

At the end of February (Bailey was almost 3 months old) someone gave us a spare activity center. We thought it would be fun to put B in and see what she thought of it.

This was her initial reaction:

Once we propped her up, this is what we got!

1- I guess I can handle this...
2- Waaaaaaaaaah, Where's my BINKY?! :(
3- Do I even fit in this thing?!
4- Me: Bailey SMILE for Mommy!! B: Why are you making that face?!

She still isn't a big fan of the activity center... but LOVES her swing and jumperoo! :)

Sunshine!!!

2011-03-23T09:31:00.003-04:00

The season changes in Virginia are just plain weird. Some days it's 30* and snowing... the next day it's 76* and sunny. We had an awesome warm day in the middle of February, so I took advantage of it. I took a vacation day and spent it at the park with the munchkin!

Can't forget about our first baby girl!

She came to the park to play too :)

Mommy... what is this outside business? And is that a BUG?!

Happy Girl

2011-03-23T09:23:00.003-04:00

We are so lucky to have such a happy baby!

I just though this picture was too cute not to share. :)

Funny Faces

2011-03-23T09:09:00.003-04:00

Bailey is so expressive!!! I love seeing the little faces she makes.

My awesome hubby got me a Flip for Valentine's Day and I love it! The quality of video is awesome for such a tiny little thing. And my favorite part, I can take snapshots out of the video! Typically you miss the cute faces they make as soon as you pull out the camera, but with a Flip I catch all of the funny ones.

On a side note- he also got me these for Valentine's Day!

I haven't taken them off since! Good job baby. :)

Valentine's Day

2011-03-23T08:53:00.004-04:00

This Valentine's Day was quite interesting. Since we're both busy and tired, and Valentine's Day was a Monday, we decided to celebrate on Saturday! We took Bailey to Short Pump and walked around for a few hours (also going to the new Hobby Lobby!) and then went to Mama Cuchinas for dinner.

The food was absolutely divine. UNTIL... two hours later, when we both got food poisoning.
Quite the unpleasant end to our Valentine's Celebration.

But at least we have this cutie patootie to put a smile on our faces even when we're sick!

I don't think Bailey was too sure about her knew hat... or Grammy.

I call that her what the heck face! :)

Bailey's Blessing

2011-03-23T08:39:00.004-04:00

We blessed Bailey on February 6th.

It was so wonderful to have my sweet husband bless our baby girl. I've never been more proud of him! It was an amazing day with awesome food and great company! I am so grateful for the way my life has gone and the support we have!

Levi Walsh got blessed the same day!

He is four days younger than Bailey and almost twice her size!

She needed a nap after all of the commotion.

Ew Mom and Dad- GROSS!!

We love our Baby B! :)

Bailey Is Growing!

2011-03-15T11:32:00.004-04:00

Believe it or not... our tiny little girl is actually growing. (I know, hard to tell right!?)

It's a proven fact that the fat content is different for every mommy's milk. So I have decided that I just produce skim! She is anywhere from the 5th to the 10th percentile. But I'm sure she'll catch up eventually. Or just be a small girl! We're okay either way, as long as she's healthy.

I found these awesome stickers on Etsy. I could spent buckets of money there... :)

We Love To Shop!

2011-03-15T11:05:00.005-04:00

My little punkin is just like her mama... she LOVES to shop! We've never had a shopping trip where she's not happy as a clam- just chilling in her stroller. I think we are in for trouble!

I decided I wanted to get a cute floppy hat for her for when we go outside or to the pool this summer. I don't know if I'll be able to find one that fits! (0-3mo)

Think it will fit by summer!? :)

I hope she grows into it soon!

King Sized

2011-03-15T09:33:00.007-04:00

I will get caught up. I will get caught up. I will get caught up!

Having a new baby makes blogging fairly low on my list of priorities.

Usually I'd rather snuggle my munchkin when I can rather than play on the computer.

But I WILL GET CAUGHT UP! Eventually.

Before I came back to work, I wanted to have Bailey's nursery done.

I didn't quite get it finished but I did get a lot of it done.

Here is my cutie pie in her crib!

It's like a King Sized bed for baby!

Isn't that just he cutest little bottom shot?!?! Oh my I love my girlie!

I love FREEEE!

2011-03-03T22:05:00.002-05:00

Coupons + Gift Card = $6.13!!
Well, almost free!

Snow

2011-03-03T16:25:00.005-05:00

On Christmas it SNOWED!!! :)

It was so awesome to have a white Christmas for Bailey's first! :)

This picture totally reminds me of Ralphie from A Christmas Story!

Happy Snow Day from the Alts!

A Smattering...

2011-03-03T16:07:00.005-05:00

Of mobile uploads. Not the best quality, but you'll get the general idea.

Here's Miss Bailey on our way to Church!

In her cute dress from Jen H.! :)

And the munchkin helping Mommy shop!
She has a BOW!! Annoyed that people asked me if she was a boy. Grr.

Rooting for Daddy's team!!!! Da Bears.

I'll make a book-lover out of her!! Just you watch! :)

No To The Bumbo

2011-02-07T10:00:00.002-05:00

This is what happened the first time I put Bailey in her Bumbo Seat (5 weeks). I don't think she's a fan. Maybe next time.

And yes... I am that mean mommy who grabs the camera to take a picture of the cute 'mad' face before comforting her. But she got LOTS of snuggles afterwards. :)

Tummy Time

2011-01-31T15:56:00.004-05:00

Oh tummy time. We are trying our best to have you in our lives!

We even bought this awesome playmat so you could hang out with us.

She's not happy.

I can just hear the scream she's working on...

So I move the pillow... and Tummy Time becomes Nap Time.

Maybe she'll want to look at some of the toys?

I'll take that as a NO! Mommy pick me up NOW!

Boots with the Furrrrrr...

We'll just keep doing Tummy Time on Mommy & Daddy's chest for now!

Our Holly Jolly Christmas

2011-01-31T13:28:00.003-05:00

I suppose it's okay that I'm finally blogging about Christmas? I mean... it is still January, and our Christmas cards are JUST going in the mail today.

Don't judge... it's hard to have a newborn!

The weeks following Bailey's 'homecoming' were filled with lots of Christmas shopping:

(in her holiday coordinating outfits of course)

Present wrapping:

A little bit of fussing:
On BOTH of our parts!

And LOTS of snuggles!!

My baby can defy gravity... can yours?

Christmas Eve has taken on some new traditions in our new family. In my family we used to wrap the final presents, watch every Christmas movie we owned, decorate cookies for Santa, read Luke 2 & 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (awesome pop-up edition!), then we'd snuggle in bed in our new jammies.

Now that I've married into a family with a Christmas Eve birthday things are a little different. The last few years, I haven't minded... but it's a little harder scrapping your favorite traditions for new ones when you want to start your own with your new baby! This year, she didn't know... but next year I think we'll have to re-vamp our Christmas Eve schedule.

After tons of hurried shopping, a bit of baking, and lots of dirty diapers in between- Christmas Eve was finally here. We slept in a bit and snuggled with our sweet baby girl. Then we packed her on up and headed to Matt's parents house.

Matt's sister, Bailey and I went shopping just like every year! The funny part is, we never buy anything for anyone else, until this year! Usually it's just to treat ourselves :) but we picked out a few last minute gifts as well.

After shopping... it was more girl-time. I left Bailey for the FIRST time!! (Other than a 5 minute run to the ATM.) We went for a mani-pedi and Matt watched Miss B.

This is what I came home to:

Apparently neither one of them liked me being gone for so long!

Or it was the projectile poopie that made quite a mess while mid-diaper change. Haha.

Daddy decided to have a little chat about the poo explosion.

I don't think she gets it yet.

We got home to our tree that I LOVE filled with presents.

We read Luke 2 and went to bed ready for Christmas morning!!

And coffee cake... mmmm.

Before we knew it- it was time to wake up!!

BABY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS!!!!

I tell Matt she will love these pictures when she's older...

Or maybe they're just to make Mommy happy.

Isabelle loved her Mommy's new gloves!

And wanted to be just like Bailey.

Matt got some awesome cubbies gear.

And I took a gazillion pictures with my new camera!

It's hard to tell- but the cute cousins have matching Christmas dresses!

Our new family of three!!

Merry (late) Christmas from the Alt family to yours!

Bath Time!!

2011-01-31T13:12:00.004-05:00

Miss Bailey's cord fell off before she was a week old!

I was not expecting that. Truth be told- I bawled like a baby!

Maybe it was the hormones... but I felt like my little baby was growing up already :(

We waited a few more days, and then gave her a real bath! She looooves her baths!

Isabelle loves her cousin Bailey, so when it was bathtime and Isabelle was visiting- we decided to toss them in together!

Isabelle hates having water poured over her head. She REALLY freaks out about it. So we decided to make a deal... if she would allow us to rinse her hair- we would let her help wash Bailey. See her rubbing her hands together- full of soap!

It went great- until she decided it was time to rinse her off and poured a HUGE cup of water right in her face! Whoops.

Luckily she didn't mind too much,

But I don't think poor Bailey liked sharing her bath!

Hi Mommy!

Are you going to show this to all of my boyfriends?

My favorite part of bathtime is the snuggle afterward!!

To The Doctor We Go!

2011-01-31T13:10:00.001-05:00

We took Little Miss Bailey to the doctor a week after she came home.

We bundled her all up in and headed out the door!

Daddy and our little Pirate :)

She was back up to her birthweight!!! YAY!

6lbs 13oz.

Time for snuggles!

Newborn Photoshoot!

2011-01-31T12:27:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Bailey's one week birthday by having her pictures taken!!

Maddy Egbert did an AMAZING job on the pictures, just like she did with out maternity ones!

We couldn't be any happier!

Sorry for the photo overload- I just can't get enough of our little angel!

(Or possibly pick a favorite!)

I Stink

2011-01-26T20:43:00.004-05:00

I am a bad blogger.

It has something to do with this darling little girl.

She gives me this look- I call it the "why are you not playing with me" face.

And I just can't say no.

So hopefully one day soon I will have some time (haha) to catch up on what is going on in the Alt household. Extra time? I can't tell you how much I LOOOOVE this little girl!

First Day Home!

2011-01-12T01:22:00.003-05:00

Pregnancy is quite an interesting thing. You spend 10 months preparing for this little baby that is going to be coming into your life. You enjoy feeling the little kicks and try to look past all of the nasty symptoms that sneak up on you.

Then you go into the hospital and deliver. (Not an easy task mind you.)

All of the sudden- you are handed a squirming, wiggling tiny purple human.

And the world stops. Everything changes in an instant. Where my world revolved around myself, my hubby, my job... I am now completely anchored to this planet by my little girl. I have a new reason for living, all 6lbs 13oz of her.

Bringing her home was absolutely terrifying! It is so scary to have this tiny infant who completely relies on you! There is no more 'nurse' button to press when you have no idea what you're doing! But all in all... as first time parents I think we managed just fine!

Our first day at home was a success!! Our first night was a little rough, but that's to be expected! Haha. (Notice the three different outfits?) Apparently new babies make lots of messes. Lots of spit up here, a piddle accident there... She is my daughter! At least we have tons of cute things to put her in!

More to come tomorrow (including Christmas!!) it's time to try to get some sleep!

Bad Blogger...

2011-01-01T10:05:00.003-05:00

Apologies for the lack of posting, I'm a bad blogger I know. I think it has something to do with the gorgeous baby girl that is taking up ALL of my time. Partially because I can't stop staring at her. Also partially because the second I do stop staring at her and put her down- a screaming fit ensues. I am trying to take the time to play catch up before I have to go back to work on Monday (WAAAAHHHH!!!). Sorry for the multiple posts that are going to show up on your dashboard. I promise most of them will have cute pictures of Bailey. ENJOY!

The Arrival of Miss Bailey

2010-12-06T21:24:00.013-05:00

I don't know if there really is any way to put into words the birth of your child. It was an absolutely amazing experience. (One that I don't plan to repeat for at least a few years.)

I don't want to skip any details, as this is pretty much my journal also- so for those with queasy tummies, or anyone who doesn't want to hear about needles, blood, or the word cervix... move to the cute pictures at the bottom!

I suppose I'll start at the beginning. I decided to go in and see a different doctor. She is one that I had seen in the process of being in the hospital the week before, and she's also my good friend's doctor. I totally credit Jenny for Miss Bailey getting here when she did. It was her idea to get the second opinion with Dr. G! THANKS! So at the opinion I gave her the run down of all of my concerns, appointments, etc. They took my blood pressure twice, she met with the maternal fetal medicine doctor to see what he thought about how Miss Bailey would do outside my oven... 10 minutes later I was on my way to labor and delivery!!

I got there around 3:30 on Tuesday afternoon. Matt had to head home and get the bags, then by 5pm I was hooked up to the monitors and the doctor came in and inserted the cervadil. (A medicine that softens the cervix.) I got my last meal for the next 36 hours or so, and we were on our way. We 'slept' all night, basically tried to rest since we knew we were in for the long haul.

They woke me up bright and early (5am!) so I could take a shower before we got the show on the road. At 7am they started the pitocin to make me contract. BRING IT ON!

The contractions started off nice and easy and then got increasingly more and more intense. At 8:30am the doctor came in to break my water and check my progress. I was only a fingertip dialated (yay cervadil for doing nothing! haha) and about 50% effaced. She was basically only able to sweep my membranes as I wasn't dialated much and she had to actually use an instrument to break the amniotic sac. (Ow!) She said it would probably slowly trickle with each contraction. That's exactly what happened, at first... for three contractions I felt the water trickling out. I called the nurse and let her know I may need another "puppy pad" as I liked to call them... a BIG contraction started as soon as she walked in and GUUUSH! My water completely broke! I had no idea there was that much water in there! They had to completely change the bed- AND clean some of it up off of the floor! Whoops... lol.

Breaking my water got things going. The contractions picked up and started coming closer together. They weren't super uncomfortable at this point and I could breathe through them. We just hung out, watched some TV and I played a bit on Facebook. Then the real contractions started.

Around 11 I asked for the epidural. I was nervous about getting it since you have to get a big shot in the back before they insert a tube into the epidural cavity in your spine. The nurse held my shoulders and Matt held my hand. Of course I got a massive contraction right in the middle that I had to sit still through. Youch. Five minutes later I was in HEAVEN! Although I must say- not being able to feel anything below your chest is a weird feeling! I couldn't lift my legs and the nurses had to roll me over haha. But it was sweet relief! I couldn't feel my contractions at all after that. I had no idea I was even having them unless I looked at the monitor.

Flash forward a few hours and the doc came in to check me, only dilated to a 1 and 60% effaced. Poo. It kept going this way for HOURS and HOURS. My labor progressed very slowly.

IN the early evening, Bailey's heart rate started going down with each contraction and I wasn't going potty, so they started worrying about my kidneys. :( Plus, they had me on oxygen to keep Bailey happy.

At this point I started to worry. By 11pm I was still only dilated to a 3 and 80% effaced. I'd been feeling my contractions through the epidural for an hour or two so I was really hoping for more progress. The doctor came in to check on me and let me know that we were nearing the possibility of having a c-section. If I wasn't dilated to at least a 7 or 8 by 8:30am (24 hours from when they broke my water), they would have to take Miss B by emergency C. I was FREAKING out!!

But I knew we had hours and hopefully I'd make some progress. Matt lay down with me in the hospital bed and we read our scriptures and prayed our hearts out. Then we both tried to get some sleep. About a half hour later I started to really feel my contractions. And when I say feel my contractions... SWEET SEA MONKEYS could I feel the contractions. They started to HURT. I called the nurse and she gave me the "boost" button for the epidural. If I was in pain- I could hit the button and it would send an extra boost through the IV. Too bad it didn't really do anything.

I whimpered through the contractions and tried to focus on anything else. I remember the TV being on- but I couldn't tell you what on earth I was watching lol. Now's when the gross/funny part comes in. I swear I felt like I had to poop. Each contraction made it worse and I was really worried that I was going to poop on the bed since I knew there was no way I'd be able to control it. I am a "bit" emotional, so naturally I started to cry at one point. I worried about a c-section, and the pain was pretty horrible, even with the epidural. I cried, I prayed, Matt slept, and I even talked to my mom a bit. Crazy? Maybe... but when you're in that much pain, anything distracting is a good idea.

Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and called the nurse again. (Oh the magic nurse button!) She came in and I told her how bad the contractions were and explained that I was worried she may have to clean up a mess. She promised me that I didn't and said I was probably starting to dilate more and I must be making progress. Then came my favorite question... "What's your pain level? 1-10?" I gave it an eight. I was trying not to sound like a wimp haha. She tried to roll me over in between contractions and I almost cried again. So freaking painful. She asked what my pain level was between contractions and I gave it a 4. She said I shouldn't be feeling any pain in between contractions and finally decided to check me.

Her exact words... "Holy cow! There's no cervix!!" Me... "Um excuse me?" She ran into the hallway and got another nurse to come check. She was right... I was TOTALLY DILATED! I went from a 3 to a 10 in an hour and half!!! No wonder I was in so much freaking pain! Typically once you hit 4 or 5 cm, it starts to go a little faster- about a cm an hour. NOT 7 in 90 minutes!! I couldn't believe it... but it was 12:45 and time to push already! So I woke up Matt, he called the family and we got the show on the road!

I pushed through 2 contractions and the nurse had to go wake up the doctor! A few more contractions and they started to break down the bed. One more contraction and the nurse put the bed back together! She was worried Miss Bailey would just slide out and she didn't want to deliver a baby!! Haha. Doc made it in, (and was amazed since he just checked me barely 2 hours ago) scrubbed up, and got the show on the road! It took all of 2 contractions and she was here!!!

We couldn't believe it!!! They placed her right on my chest and she started to cry. So did Matt and I. He was just staring at her when I noticed the doctor getting ready to cut the cord- I kinda yelled at him haha. Matt wanted to do it! Matt turned towards him really quickly right as he cut it :( :(. We were kinda sad that he didn't get to do it, but things went so fast the doctor didn't ask. On the funny side... blood from the cord shot Matt in the face/neck. So that was kinda funny. (And a little gross.)

And there you have it. Miss Bailey Ann was here. She weighed 6lbs 13oz. From the time I called the nurse at 12:30, it was barely 45 minutes until she was born at 1:17am. It took pushing through only 10 contractions and she was here!

At the risk of sounding predictable... I have to say it was the most amazing thing I have every experienced in my life. I have never felt closer to Heavenly Father than that moment. Holding our sweet baby girl that we created and knowing that 5 minutes before she was with Him, and now she was ours.

She is so beautiful and every time I look at her it's hard not to tear up. Its amazing how much I love her and how well she fits into our family. It feels like she has always been a part of our family. Right now she's snuggled up on my chest while I type and she is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

I can't wait to watch her grow up... but I hope it goes by slowly. I am soaking up every minute of her being little and teeny.

Here are some pictures of our beautiful new miracle!

And this is what happens when you are sleep deprived and try to change a diaper!!!
Missing baby feet!!!
Whoops.

Change of Plans...

2010-11-30T18:36:00.002-05:00

Apparently the second opinion was a good idea...

In the hospital being induced!

We'll be meeting Miss Bailey sometime tomorrow!! :) :)

Doctor's Office Meltdown

2010-11-29T23:33:00.002-05:00

Today was ROUGH!!! I woke up this morning thinking "Yaaay the end is in sight!"

I went into my appointment today- fully prepared to schedule my induction (according to what the doctor I saw last Monday said). The house is ready- Matt has been going nuts doing it himself since we're expecting to be induced at 38 weeks... 2 weeks early and I am on bed rest and can't do anything. They do an Non Stress Test while I wait for my doc. He comes in and flat out refuses to schedule the induction!!! Says he doesn't see a medical need for it. Seriously?? I've been hospitalized twice, am on strict bed rest, had to do FOUR 24 hour urine tests (ew), and we've already checked to make sure our LO is fully developed. And oh yeah- I have pre-eclampsia!! Don't get me wrong- I want Miss Bailey to be healthy and bake as long as possible, BUT if we've established that she is full term and fine, why are we dragging this out??

He then tells me he can schedule an induction for the 10th, 39w1d... but it won't be with him. It will be with ANOTHER doctor that I've never seen and never even heard of. If we're freaking scheduling my baby's birth- why can't I do it with a doctor I'm comfortable with?!?! I'm bawling my eyes out at this point- he pats my leg and says "I know it's hard. I need you to do another 24 hour urine and I'll see you on Monday," and walks out of the room while I sob. Lovely.

I get to the lab to pick up my stupid jug again and the nurse is AMAZED to see me still pregnant. Comments on how she's surprised my doc hasn't induced me yet based on my lab work and of course I burst into tears again. Poor woman was handing me tissues and hugging me since I couldn't control myself. Then she has to draw blood once I can stop sobbing long enough for her to get the needle in. Of course this is the one appointment Matt hasn't been able to go to with me. :(

THEN I get to the front desk to schedule my appointment for NEXT Monday... and guess who's not in?? MY FREAKING DOCTOR. He's not in Tuesday either. His next available appointment is the 9th. If I'm scheduled for an induction on the 10th- why on earth would I come in on the 9th?! Stupid stupid stupid. So I ask if I can see any of the other 5 doctors I've seen in the past three weeks being in and out of the hospital. Nope- not a single one is available. So they schedule me with ANOTHER DOCTOR!!!! That will make seven doctors total and not a SINGLE one of them being the one I'm scheduled to be induced by.

This is absolutely freaking ridiculous. And to top it all off- once I get to the parking lot (at 4:30 and the office is now closed) I realize that he didn't even bother checking my cervix!!!! I'm 37w4d!!! How do you not check my cervix!!! It's been done at my last 4 appointments and daily in the hospital! So I could be dilated and nobody would have a freaking clue.

Sorry for the rant... I'm just seriously about to lose it. I've had an end date in sight and I feel like my little girl was just torn away from me. A little dramatic? Maybe. But bed rest will do that to you. At least take me off of bed rest and see if I'll go into labor naturally. :( I'm going to call tomorrow and beg one of the other doctors (that I've seen) to see me and give me a second opinion. If they have the same answer- that's fine... I can deal with that. But if one doctor thinks an emergency induction is necessary and one wants to keep waiting and waiting (one who hasn't bothered to see me since I've gotten pre-eclampsia) who am I supposed to believe?! Baaaaah.

I hate Mondays.

Update Time!

2010-11-27T14:05:00.004-05:00

Things have been rather interesting in the Alt household the last two weeks. It's been quite an adventure! I've been watched closely by my doctor since about 30 weeks for "Pregnancy Induced Hypertension". Basically, my blood pressure has been very high so they have been worried about pre-eclampsia. I had a list of symptoms to watch out for and was supposed to call the doctor right away if I noticed any of them.

Last Wednesday I was at work and noticed two of the scary symptoms... hand trembling and facial swelling. So I called the doctor, went into an emergency appointment, and 2o minutes later was wheeled over to Labor & Delivery. They admitted me and I was stuck there until Saturday afternoon.

They did LOTS of tests on me and Miss Bailey, ultrasounds, non-stress tests, etc. If anyone has been in the hospital for more than a day or two- especially without any answers- you know how agonizing it is. So I sat there, I lay there, and I took 500 showers since that was the only thing they would let me do!

Finally on Friday evening the doctor came to see me and gave me the official diagnosis... I have "mild pre-eclampsia". So they sent me home on strict bedrest.

Perhaps a little better than being stuck in the hospital on bedrest- at least I have my own pillow, clothes, couch, bed, etc. But still not the most fun. But I am willing to do anything to get this little girl here safely.

My labwork on Monday was "normal" for someone with mild pre-eclamsia, so I have another weekly appointment this coming Monday, and hopefully we'll be able to schedule an induction!

I was given permission to go to Matt's parent's house for Thanksgiving. :) Unfortunately my camera batteries died right after I had Matt take this picture of me! *Up and about, it's amazing!* So I didn't get to take any pics of the amazing food or fun. But it was wonderful to not be stuck in the house.

As of Monday Little Miss Bailey weighed in at 5lbs 14oz, and is in the 25th percentile. She's a little tiny- but scores a 10 out of 10 on all of her tests! She's moving great, practicing breathing beautifully, and is developing just right! We can't wait to meet her! Hopefully we'll get to meet her next week! :)

Owwwwie!!

2010-11-15T22:18:00.002-05:00

I’ve been having Braxton Hicks since around 20 weeks. They’re mostly annoying and just started getting painful in the last week or so. Last week I even ended up in labor and delivery because they were getting closer and closer together and I was having trouble talking through them. They were just hefty Braxton Hicks.

Last night I was sitting in bed reading with the hubbs and had a REAL CONTRACTION.

Oh my gosh- I had no idea what I was in for. I thought the Braxton Hicks were painful. I seriously thought I was going to cry… and I only had ONE!!! It was HORRIBLE!! I know I know, labor is going to hurt, but with all the BH I’ve had- I thought I’d be more prepared for what contractions would feel like.

Turns out- I was clueless. I can’t imagine what it will feel like when they’re coming close together. Bring on the epidural.

On a happier note- I am super ready and excited for Miss Bailey to get here!!! Bring on the crazy painful contractions! LOL.

Maternity Pictures!

2010-11-08T22:03:00.005-05:00

If I was forced to pick a favorite... I think it's this one.

I know: my favorite pictures are always kissy pictures. Sorry.

Holy cow my hubby is a HOTTIE!

We had such a fun time on Halloween taking our Maternity Pictures.

Our photographer, Maddy, did an AMAZING job! I am so pleased with how they turned out and I can't wait to blow them up, frame them, and put them on Miss Bailey's wall! :)

Check out Maddy's work at http://photosbymaddy.blogspot.com/

And go ahead- schedule a session for Christmas cards. Trust me, you'll be SO HAPPY you did! :)

O Christmas Cards, O Christmas Cards...

2010-11-05T08:48:00.012-04:00

As a Mommy-to-be I am learning the art of timesaving and practicality. I love to craft and scrapbook. So ideally I would create my own homemade “cutesy” Christmas cards. Right… like I have time like that on my hands. Haha.

So I do the next best thing… I’ve been using Shutterfly for a few years now and I am always happy with the results. I was given an amazing photo book for a wedding present (thanks Jen!) with tons of gorgeous pictures from our wedding day. Since then I’ve been hooked!

Last year I did our cards through them and I loved the way they turned out!

There are soooo many cute new styles of cards out this year that it’s so hard to choose.

Don't be surprised if you get one like this for 2011! A year of Miss Bailey?! Yes Please!

Hmmm do you like this one in blue or green??

LOVE this one. I think it's my second favorite.

Bailey should be here by Christmas, (don’t anyone worry if your cards don’t quite get to you by then- they’re coming!) so I'm thinking I’ll combine our cards with her Birth Announcement. Which means…

It must be pink. But how to combine pink and a Christmas card??

Leave it to Shutterfly to have the PERFECT card!

What do you think?

Obviously we’ll add pictures of Miss Bailey when she gets here. But I LOVE the layout and design!

And I have to add: my all time favorite thing about ordering my Christmas cards from Shutterfly… you can print them at Target!!!!

No extra charge, and they’re ready within the hour. You just go pick them up from their photo center! So convenient.

If anyone is interested- Shutterfly is running a promotion for 50 FREE Holiday Cards just for bloggers! Follow this LINK and check it out!

Does anyone else have their Christmas cards done yet? I still have to get a jump start on shopping. I can't believe we only have 48 Days, 12 Hours & 58 Minutes. But who's counting?

Why A Man Needs A Woman...

2010-11-02T16:00:00.002-04:00

Life is crazy.

Sometimes you are turned upside down on your head without a moment’s notice.

Welcome to the Alt Family.

This last week or so has been CRAZY. Absolutely insane. A bazillion things have happened. Yet somehow, someone has to keep it together and make sure the family keeps on going.

I’ve heard that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. I COMPLETELY disagree. I need my man. I need him like I need air. Like a fish needs water! But it turns out that he needs me too.

Why does a man need a woman?

- To hold everyone together when you feel like everything is falling apart.
- To talk to someone when you feel like you’ve exhausted every way of explaining yourself and the person just isn’t getting it. Let them deal with me. They’ll get it.
- To bounce back and forth between two insurance companies and four doctor’s offices to get the answers we need, when you feel like flinging the phone across the room after talking to two people.
- To make sure that he doesn’t walk out of the house in shorts, dress shoes, and knee high dress socks.
- To make a yummy dinner on a small budget.
- To snuggle with when everything comes crashing down.
- To say, “You’re amazing” when you don’t feel like it.
- To be good to him, when it feels like the whole world has taken a poo on his shoulders.
- To carry his child.
- To be encouraging.
- To lift and support.
- To help heal.
- To have someone to vent to when nobody else will listen.
- To have someone to TAKE CARE OF.
- To just love.
- To make sure the sheets on the bed actually get changed every now and then.
- To make sure there’s coke in the pantry and milk in the fridge.
- To have someone you can count on for a smile when you feel like you’re going to explode.
- To clean you up and put you to bed when you’re sick or have just had surgery.
- To just hold your hand when things are overwhelming and you won’t admit it.
- To do the sweet little things- like hiding your favorite candy from the kids on Halloween so all of your favorites are what’s leftover.
- To force you to enjoy the holidays, even when you feel like a Scrooge-Grinch love child.
- To be your family.

I need my husband, and sometimes it's nice to know that he needs me too. We work pretty darn well together and I would certainly be completely lost without him.

Even when things feel hard, or darn near impossible- at least we have each other.

Ok- sappiness over.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2010-10-30T13:12:00.002-04:00

We Have A Melon!

2010-10-29T13:14:00.002-04:00

I've been feeling like I had a melon under my shirt for the last few months- but at 33 weeks, Miss Bailey is officially the size of one BY HERSELF!

What a BIG GIRL! According to my doctor yesterday- she's weighing in around 4 1/2 pounds now and almost as long as she'll be when she's born. Now it's time for her (and me!) to just put on some bulk! Haha.

According to TheBump.com:
Your Baby: Month 8
Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.

Believe it or not- she's already dropping. I'm not sure if we'll make it all the way to December 16th. I've had fairly high blood pressure and with one trip to labor & delivery under our belt, Matt and I are both feeling a slightly earlier delivery. We actually have a date in mind! Both of us were thinking it without mentioning it to the other- so we'll have to see if we're right!

No belly picture for 33 weeks since we're having our MATERNITY PICTURES taken by Maddy Egbert this weekend! I CAN'T WAIT!!! :) :)

Carter Mountain!

2010-10-29T09:12:00.006-04:00

I remember picking fruit each season as a little girl. We would go pick peaches, strawberries, blueberries... Mmmm, you name it, we picked it! I have been wanting to go pick apples for the last few years but something has always come up (last year we moved in October!) and kept us from going. This year- even being 32 weeks pregnant with a hubby on crutches didn't keep us from going to Charlottesville and picking apples!

Of course we didn't get there until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, so most of the apples within arms reach were gone. But we ran into some really nice people who were done with their picking and offered us a hand! Well an arm-thing. I have no idea what you call the darn thing- but it sure helped us get the apples at the tops of the trees.

Oh my goodness... they were soooo yummy! Leave it to the prego to have any kind of food in her hand for a picture. :) At least it was FRUIT! Haha.

Speaking of prego- here's me at 32 weeks!

Getting nice and BIIIIIG!

Charlottesville was GORGEOUS just like always and it was a beautiful day. We had so much fun and got to try so much yummy stuff!! Tons of apples of course, apple pie, apple cider, apple cider donuts, caramel apple cookies. Mmmm it's making my mouth water just thinking about it. It's a good thing we have about 8 pounds of apples in our fridge or we may just have to drive to Charlottesville again soon!

I LOVE FALL!

CRAZY!!!

2010-10-29T09:12:00.001-04:00

Life has been one crazy whirlwind lately. Between trying to get ready for baby, Matt healing, work drama... I have been a bit absent from the blogging world.

I'll try to do better. Promise.

Words of Wisdom

2010-10-18T08:56:00.002-04:00

A VERY VERY VERY brilliant friend of mine made the following comment to me today:

"In the last few years I have really learned two things.
1. God lives.
2. I'm not Him."

The closer we get to Miss Bailey getting here, and the more crazy things that happen with Matt's knee and work... I realize how true this is.

Thanks for the boost today!

Love love love,
-E

Couldn't Resist...

2010-10-16T10:24:00.003-04:00

The last time I took a 'bare belly' picture was just three weeks ago. I HAD to do a side by side comparison. It's CRAZY the change in the last few weeks.

The bigger and bigger I get- the more REAL it becomes that Miss Bailey is going to be here in two months! I have no idea how I'm going to fit at least 2-5 more pounds of baby in there, but women have been doing it since the beginning of time- so we'll see how big this sucker gets within the next few weeks!!

Whoops!

2010-10-15T14:32:00.002-04:00

Big pregnant belly + White shirt + Chinese food for lunch =

A BIG orange spot that gets to hang out with me for the rest of the day!

I suppose that was destined to happen at some point.

I'm surprised it managed to land so low on the belly. :)

Maybe Bailey's telling me it's time to get in the Halloween Spirit!!!

Caught on Camera!

2010-10-15T09:12:00.002-04:00

I know I whine about the swollen feet and chipmunk cheeks...
But then I have a moment like this and I am soooo amazingly grateful for the little girl that we are going to meet in just 9 weeks.

I was taking my 31 week pictures and you'll never believe what I caught on the camera!!

Do you see it?? (Upper left corner of the belly...)

IT'S A TINY BABY FOOT!!!!

Amazing huh?? She just happened to push/kick hard enough with that little foot the second I snapped the picture. What a miracle. There is a ton of expanding, movement, heartburn, swelling, and TONS of other lovely indicators of pregnancy. But there's nothing like the little moments when you really realize there's a tiny person that you just can't wait to meet.

I want to kiss those little toes on that tiny little foot!!!

Inflating...

2010-10-13T21:21:00.004-04:00

There are lots of things about pregnancy that you hear about, but don't really understand until you experience it. Like...

SWELLING

Yikes. There have been very few times in my life where I have felt "dainty". When you're a naturally curvy girl like me, tiny and little aren't exactly the main adjectives used to describe you. BUT I've always had my feet. Even when I had fat days, I could put on a cute pair of heels that always fit and feel like a million bucks.

See??

A great pair of shoes can make all the difference!

Here's the problem... my feet used to look like this:
6 Weeks pregnant on our way to Ohio for Jenna's & Dusty's Wedding. :)

31 Weeks Pregnant- after a long day at work- propped up on the bed.
I feel like my toes have turned into puffed up sausages.
Not to mention how uncomfortable it is. Meh.

Anyway... that's my whine for the evening. It's okay if you go throw up now. I know the sight of my cankles makes me want to. Blech.

Latest Picture of Moi!

2010-10-10T22:23:00.002-04:00

Who knew that my face would swell & fluff up and I'd look like this by the end of pregnancy?!

My poor face!

Oh well. Here I am at 30 weeks!
My face isn't the only body part that is swelling beyond control! Haha.

So Grateful!!

2010-10-10T21:17:00.002-04:00

I just have to say how grateful I am for missionaries and worthy priesthood holders who are willing to serve! While two hours from home in Virginia Beach this weekend- we had a scare and had to go to labor and delivery. We even missed the cake cutting at our good friend's wedding reception!

Miss Bailey and I are 100% fine. Just a little irritation to my cervix that caused some bleeding and cramping. Enough to scare anyone who is 30 weeks pregnant! The first thing we did on our way to the hospital we called the missionaries in our ward. They called their mission president, who called the District Leader in Virginia Beach. They lived 10 minutes from the hospital we were headed to. We had barely gotten to our room when we got a call that the missionaries had gotten to the hospital. I can't explain how comforting it was to have those three servants of our Heavenly Father there to give me a blessing.

I am so excited for my husband to get the Melchizedek Priesthood in November. Hopefully next time we got to Labor & Delivery- it can be my hubby giving me the blessing.

I am so grateful for righteous priesthood holders who are willing to serve and be there for those that need them.

AND I'm super grateful and Miss Bailey is still kicking me and didn't make her debut early!

HAPPY OCTOBER!!

2010-10-01T11:33:00.005-04:00

My Fall mornings have a very simple recipe for happiness.

Take a little of this:

Add a little of this:

And oh my goodness... it's pure HEAVEN. Although my cup isn't nearly as pretty, it's typically a Wawa brown paper cup (no coffee... PROMISE!). But oh my heavens it is amazing.

Years ago while visiting Las Vegas with friends for New Year's Eve, a friend of a friend of a friend got a plain old 7-11 Hot Chocolate and added French Vanilla creamer. (Can't remember her name to save my life- but I will be forever indebted to her and her amazing creation.) It was delish. Since us silly non-coffee drinkers aren't typically familiar with the creamer section in a 7-11... let me tell you: it is like being a kid in a candy shop!

Hmm... do I want my hot chocolate to taste like:

Amaretto, Belgian White Chocolate Macadamia, Caribbean Cinnamon Crème, Dulce de Leche, English Almond Toffee, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Hershey's® Chocolate Caramel, Irish Crème, Southern Butter Pecan, Caramel Macchiato, White Chocolate Mocha, Vanilla Latte, Skinny Caramel Macchiato, Skinny Vanilla Latte, Breve Crème, Dark Chocolate Cream, Vanilla Caramel Cream, Hazelnut Cream, Chocolate Chip Crème Brulée, Sweet Buttercream, Marshmallow Mocha, White Chocolate Mudslide, Chocolate Mint Truffle, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Vanilla Spiced Rum, OR White Chocolate Raspberry...

You get the picture- there are a bazillion options. All of which make an already perfect drink 'that little bit better'. It really is enough to put a smile on my face.

Especially when my morning starts out like it did yesterday:

Rain + Traffic + 15 minutes late to work = One grumpy pregnant lady!
AND an inspection sticker that expires next month... dang.

But if all else fails... any grumpy mood can be solved by a little Hazelnut Hot Chocolate, and a nice snack of this:

Yep, can't complain too much. My taste buds are enjoying October already!!!!!

I Caved

2010-09-29T15:47:00.003-04:00

I finally gave in and bought a pair of these:

Secret Fit Belly...

Yup, I know I said I would never wear you. I was wrong. I am in

***HEAVEN***

Holy cow they're soooo comfy! They make my belly look great- they don't give me a funky 'cut-off' look around my hips. And nooooooo elastic!!! Oh yeah- whoever came up with this idea is a genius. I actually feel stylish again, and not like I'm wearing my hubby's oversized clothes. I highly doubt I'll be puting on a pair of heels any time soon, but I am in looooove.

Secret Fit Belly... You're my new best friend.

And the Great Dress Dilema- SOLVED!!

(The pretty black one on the right.) I don't think I could fit my huuuuuge body into my wedding dress any time soon! LOL. I couldn't breathe that day, it it was quite a few pounds ago. Haha.

It's gorgeous and simple (minus the red sash) add a cardigan and TADA!!!!! Free dress!! Yay for hand-me-downs! :)

28 Weeks- Third Trimester!!

2010-09-27T20:09:00.005-04:00

Hello Third Trimester!!!!

Hello swollen feet and hands, bladder soccer games, ribs for punching bags, and welcome back nausea.

HURRY UP DECEMBER 16TH!!! I can't wait to hold our little girl. And I can't believe I'm seven months pregnant! It feels like yesterday that we saw this:

And I looked like this! (The day we found out- 3 weeks 2 days.)

Was this ever really me?!?! It seems like a dream...

I have lots of work to do when Miss Bailey gets here to get my body back. But she is SOOOO worth it! I can't wait to meet her!

Poopy Days Get Better When I Think About Holding Miss Bailey on Chrismas...

2010-09-27T18:56:00.006-04:00

I couldn't think of a title for this post: so the title is courtesy of Matt. :)

It has been one of those days. You know the ones. I woke up this morning and couldn’t find a single attractive thing that fit. (And everything is clean!) I got stuck behind an accident on 195 and was 10 minutes late to work. I ran out of change and had to get an IOU from the toll booth. I forgot my umbrella and got caught in the rain. I had a 30-minute heart attack when we thought Matt might have an infection at his surgery site. I didn’t have time to toast my toast this morning. I couldn’t find my keys. I got to work- had 65 files waiting for me and a lovely email: “Here are 15 more files you’ll get tomorrow- can you please get them off of my books by Thursday?” Thursday... right. AND to top it all off... I think I may have found a stretch mark. You get the picture... it was one of those Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Days.

Then I got to talk to my sweet husband.
He listened to me moan and whine about how cranky I was and how horrible my day had gone. Then he simply said, "Well sweetheart... just think, in a few months, you'll have our sweet little bundle of joy in your arms and will forget about all the yucky stuff. That makes you smile, Right?"

He's right. It did put a smile on my face. Then, because it was that kind of day, I started to worry. I have so much to do before Christmas. What are we going to do for Thanksgiving? Will I even be able to fit anything in my shrunken tummy by then? What do you get a newborn for Christmas? Will I be home from the hospital by then? Will I be able to go Black Friday Shopping?

Yep... you get the picture. Worry worry worry. Natural for a first time Mommy, right?

Three deep breaths... it will all be okay. I think part of why I worry about the holidays so much is because of all the amazing memories I have from my childhood.

My mother made the Holidays magical. I'll give my dad some credit too. He helped (LOTS). I'll never forget the story about both of them staying up until 5am on Christmas Eve to put together my Barbie Dream House. (Naturally I woke up at 5:45!)

The list of things I'll never forget is as long as Santa's Naughty & Nice list!

-Feeling so proud when Mommy let me hang the homemade Toy Soldier ornaments on the tree for the first time.
-Staying up on Christmas Eve to help make "Christmas Morning Coffee Cake".
-Dad holding his hand up the chimney to ring Jingle Bells early in the morning so we thought it was reindeer.
-The little apple-shaped dish of pickles that was always on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
-Cornbread Sausage Stuffing- Yummm!
-Standing on a kitchen chair with Mom in our matching aprons while she taught me how to flute a pie crust.
-Decorating cookies on Christmas Eve, and giggling with Catie over the note Santa left.
-Reindeer tracks in the snow (the years we had snow).
-Mom and Aunt Wanda using my talking Barbie to prank call their brothers.
-Bundling up tight to go pick out the tree with Daddy. And Mommy staying home to make Hot Chocolate with candy canes in it to warm us up when we got home with red noses.
-Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in our PJ's.

The list goes on and on and on. Every holiday was magical.
I can't wait to make these memories with our Little Bailey. I hope that her Holiday Memories will be everything mine are- and more.

There's nothing like seeing a child's happy smile on Christmas morning.

See- priceless!

Dad liked to hide and snap our picture as we came in the room to see the tree and the presents underneath. He even did it when I was 17!

I just have to take deep breaths and start gearing up for the Holidays. Truthfully... I'm so excited. I just have to not let the stress get to me.

Impossible Task

2010-09-23T16:36:00.004-04:00

Finding a cute, affordable, MODEST maternity dress is IMPOSSIBLE!!
We're going to a wedding in 2 weeks and I have no idea what on earth I'm going to wear. I really don't like ordering things online unless I've tried on the brand before and know how it fits, if it even does. **Sigh** I was supposed to be IN the wedding, but due to the bride and groom having a bit of family drama and budget cuts, I didn't have to order a maternity bridesmaids dress. It almost would have been a relief to have someone say, "Here wear this!" Geesh.

So far I'm thinking this is the best option I've got.
It's semi-cute-ish. Would look cute with silver sandals and clutch.
And the price tag isn't too bad, $39.98. Yeesh. Still not what I want to spend.

But when my other options end up being these:
$98 & $106

OR
$119 & $195 (OH MY GOSH!!!! $195 ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!)

Somehow I suppose I'll have to manage to spring the $40 and buy the dress. Ugh. $40 would buy a lot of diapers.

Maybe a miracle will happen and I can scrounge something up in my closet to wear. Who doesn't have 'normal' clothing hiding somewhere that can comfortably fit a watermelon underneath?

Always An Adventure

2010-09-15T08:55:00.004-04:00

Who would have thought that it was possible to marry someone more accident prone than myself? Nope? Me either. I suppose I should have known, since Matt got stitches removed from his hand the day before we met. But I was blissfully unaware.

Flash forward a few years, and I can't even begin to count the number of doctor's appointments, Patient First and ER trips we've logged between the two of us. We are a mess. Remember this? Or this? Or how about this one?

Yep... it's always something!

So apparently when Matt tore cartilage in his knee back in May, it didn't heal completely. So I get a phone call on Monday morning from Matt at work (Everything always seems to happen on a Monday.) that he had hurt his knee again and it felt about 100x worse than the last injury. Oh boy. His dad came and picked him up and his brother took him to the same orthopedic office he went to last time.

Luckily he got to see a different doctor. This one said he should have had the original tear replaced months ago and he wouldn't have had this happen again. -Good to know now!- So big surprise... around 4pm Monday after seeing his MRI results, they schedule him for surgery at 10:30am the NEXT MORNING!!!

At least I didn't have too much time to freak out. I'm such a worry wart. So bright and early Tuesday morning we headed down to the surgery center in Colonial Heights. Poor Matt couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight! And let me tell you, he gets grumpy!!! I would too if I couldn't eat for that long. We had to be there at 8:30 am.

By 9am they took him back and by 9:30 he looked like this!

Ready to get this show on the road! They were pumping him full of IV fluids so as we proceeded to wait forever. I got to follow him as he hobbled to the bathroom about four times. It was pretty cute actually to see his bum flapping in the wind haha. Give it a few months and I probably won't care if my butt is hanging out either. Gotta love the combination of pain and pain meds!

The surgery was supposed to start at 10:30. This was somewhere around noon.

We waited and waited and waited. Lots of time for me to worry and be anxious!

Gotta make sure they opperate on the right leg!!

Finally they took him back around 1:20. At that point we were all starving and grumpy and just ready to get it over with!

And post-surgery! This was after they doped him up. Poor thing had a rough time coming out from under the anesthetic. He teared up a couple of times, and asked out three of the nurses. :) -While I was standing there!- I was really glad I could be back there when he woke up.

It was quite the ordeal. I have to say, it made me pretty happy that the first thing he said (before asking the 60-year-old nurse what she was doing at 5 o'clock), was "I love you and Bailey" to me. What a cutie.

Aaand the end result:

I must say, I'd like to avoid any kind of surgery in the near future. He's recovering great. And the doctor was wonderful and called last night to check on him! Of course our ice-maker breaks right when he's supposed to be icing his knee for 72 hours. So our freezer is full of ice trays! Yay for the Dollar Store. :)

Whew, that's all I can think of right now. I'll spare you the grisly details of the surgery and aftermath. But let me tell you, this mama is exhausted. Lets pray he heals quickly!!!

26 Weeks!

2010-09-10T08:55:00.003-04:00

Whoa. I can hardly believe it! I think pregnancy is definitely one of those times were life crawls by yet flies at the same time. It feels like I've been big and huge FOREVER, but it feels like yesterday when we saw that second little pink line.

Miss Bailey Bean is the size of an eggplant! She is growing so big and is so active! Last night she got one of her little feet stuck in between two of my ribs. OH MY GOSH OWWWW!!!! I'll take her playing tetherball with my bladder any day over that. Quite painful.

Her nursery is slowly coming together. I think nesting is FINALLY starting to kick in! Haha. I've been waiting for it so I can have the motivation to clean lol. I've washed all of Miss B's clothes and am getting them put away. She is going to be one fabulously dressed little girl! :)

I'm feeling alright myself. All of the not-so-fun end of pregnancy symptoms are starting to show up. Swelling, achiness, trouble bending over haha. But it is OH SO WORTH IT!

Matt and I are getting so excited for fall and winter! We were even listening to Christmas music the other night. :) We can't wait to meet our little girl!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

NO STRETCH MARKS!!!!!!

(Yet- knock on wood.)

My belly button is quickly disappearing. I'm wondering if it will 'pop', we'll see! Don't mind the gnarly scar. That's what happens when you have cute piercings and then your skin expands out of control lol.

I decided to try my hand at making another hat last night. Quite the improvement over the first one (in my opinion). Ready for our little Christmas present!

And simply because it's nice to remind myself that I haven't always resembled Shamu...

This was last summer.

Hmm, maybe I shouldn't eat those Oreo's for breakfast! :)

I'm a Granny...

2010-09-09T09:10:00.002-04:00

I can now knit. Did you hear that??

Me... knit!!!

I've always enjoyed crafting, it's something my mother planted a love for deep down in my heart. There's nothing quite like spending time creating something and then loving the results and knowing that your hard work went into it. Occasionally (ha) I have the bad habit of picking up a project -or buying all of the materials for said project- and not actually finishing (or even starting) it. Thus, the lovely sense of accomplishment doesn't happen. But that was not the case today my friends.

I marched into Ben Franklin on a mission. **To get the letters to spell Bailey's name on her wall, but that's beside the point- that mission was also accomplished.** I ran into an old friend in the yarn aisle and kept thinking about how much I want to get this in red for Miss B's newborn pictures. So guess what I did?! I decided to just do it myself! Yep, that's right. I wondered around the aisle for about a half hour, until a very sweet woman saw the clueless look on my face and decided to take pity on me. She helped me pick out the right yarn, pattern, etc.

Two hours, one episode of Vampire Diaries and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich later...

TAAA-DAAAAH!!!!

That's right. I can knit. One darling baby hat down, goodness knows what else to go. Hmm, do I dare chance a pair of booties? Or a diaper cover? I got the cheapie yarn, so it's 'fuzzier' than I'd prefer. But that can be easily fixed. If you're looking for me, you can probably find me in the yarn aisle at a craft store, more than likely getting patterns and opinions about afghans from your granny! :) :)

24 Weeks!

2010-08-31T09:39:00.002-04:00

I know, I know... it's Tuesday, and on Thursday I'll be 25 weeks. Cut a girl some slack! I'm trying to stay up to date.

Your Pregnancy: Week 24

At about this time the reality of having a baby is definitely setting in (maybe it's the fact that you can't see your toes). Be sure to talk about how you're feeling with your significant other, girlfriends, siblings, parents, doctor, hairdresser, the person sitting next to you on the bus ... whomever! It's totally natural to be freaking out. Voicing your concerns about mommyhood will help you actually get used to the idea.

Wondering what's up with your body, your baby and your life this week? Read on ...

What You're Thinking:
"OK, seriously, where are my toes?"

Your Body
Hair growth during pregnancy is another one of those wacky symptoms you didn't expect. And though you may be wondering who's slipping Rogaine into your shampoo bottle, if you're among the lucky ones, you're relishing your new, flowing locks. It's the hair everywhere else that's a little troublesome.

You can thank your pregnancy hormones for your suddenly thick crowning glory. During pregnancy your hair's natural grow-shed cycle slows, leaving you with more hairs on your head at any given time. Now might be a good time to try out for one of those orgasm-in-the-shower shampoo commercials.

Unfortunately, all that hair growth isn't limited to your head. You may start to notice a random hair (or 47) anywhere from your cheeks, back, and belly to your upper lip and chin. If anyone dares to call you Black Beard, they'll totally deserve whatever's coming to them.

The good news is, tweezing, waxing and electrolysis are all generally accepted as safe during pregnancy. The bad news? All of them can hurt like, um ... like waxing. So feel free to skip the Brazilian right now. We promise, your OB isn't going to judge you.

Your Baby
Your baby isn't just sitting around (on your bladder) doing nothing, he's working hard preparing for life outside the womb—perfecting his lungs and packing on the pounds. He'll gain ½ pound this week alone. So that's where the extra poundage is coming from! Other highlights this week:

Things are starting to get a little crowded inside the old womb as baby grows bigger and bigger. Your ribs are probably pining away for the good old days when they didn't have a foot permanently lodged between them. Hate to break it to you, but it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Your baby's ears are fully functional now. And since they are, you may notice that loud noises and sudden movements can startle the little bugger. He's getting used to the everyday sounds inside the womb: the sound of your heart beating, your lungs inhaling and exhaling air, the growling of your stomach because your partner promised he'd be right back with that double cheeseburger (or blueberry pie) and he's taking forever! He'll even be able to hear your voice when your partner finally arrives and you ask him where the bleep he's been! So talk nice!

Baby's got a fully developed inner ear now. This means his sense of balance is working and he can tell whether he's hanging upside down or right side up. He can also feel you moving, so go ahead, pop in your favorite tunes and boogie.

Your little Wiener schnitzel is about the length of a foot-long Chicago hot dog and weighs about 1 1/3 pounds.

Your Life
It's time to find and sign up for a child-birthing class. You'll discover the wonders of labor, C-sections, cradle cap, breastfeeding, umbilical care, and all sorts of breathing and pushing techniques. (It's a good thing that your bio and sex-ed classes didn't go into this much detail, or you might never have gotten pregnant in the first place.) Basically, you find out the answers to all your questions and more (yeah, there are some you might not have wanted to know about just yet).
(Thanks babycenter.com!)

**PS. This is my 100th blog post!!!! Yipee!!!!**

Bella Bug Is TWO!!!

2010-08-31T09:06:00.005-04:00

I can't believe it! Was it really a year ago that we watched this princess celebrate her first birthday?!

She has gotten so big and grown up in the last year! She is talking (and babbling) up a storm! She is in nursery now and loves playing with the other kids. She is great a sharing, coloring, puzzles and loves snacktime! I love spending time with this sweet little girl.

We had so much fun celebrating her birthday! I spent hours on the decorations (all homade) and totally forgot to take pictures of all of them. I may have to steal them from Jen.

Yummmm! Funfetti & Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Icing.

The yummy spread.

She didn't know what on earth to do with the candles, but she figured it out!

Yumm, CHOCOLATE!

I think she likes it!

Presents...

And more PRESENTS!!!! This girl is going to be one fabulously dressed toddler!!!

I must say... I am looking forward to these hand-me-downs for Bailey!

Thanks to everyone who is a part of Miss Isabelle's life and who shared her special day with us.

Lots of love for Bella Bug!!! xo

Come What May, And Love It

2010-08-27T16:03:00.003-04:00

I think each and every one of us has a few moments in life where we glance around, take in everything that is going on or has gone on in our lives and just has to say,

"WHAT THE HECK??!!"

It's been one of those days. I have moments where I say to myself, "Heavenly Father, I'm glad you have this figured out, because I'm so confused. Is this really what you wanted for our family?" I can't imagine that right here right now is the end result of everything Heavenly Father has prepared us for. Thank goodness His sight is eternal. Even when mine simply looks to the end of this day, week, month, year... I know He has something so much better in store.

It's so easy to start feeling sorry for ourselves, even when we have so much! I have a wonderful husband, and a sweet baby girl that I can't wait to meet. Yet family and money issues easily get me down. It's times like this when I'm so grateful for the gospel and wonderful talks like this one from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin.

What better advice is there? "Come what may, and love it!"

"Every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result."

What a different world it would be if we could all apply that principle into our lives.

"[One] thing we can do is understand the principle of compensation. The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude."

Learn To Laugh

"I remember when one of our daughters went on a blind date. She was all dressed up and waiting for her date to arrive when the doorbell rang. In walked a man who seemed a little old, but she tried to be polite. She introduced him to me and my wife and the other children; then she put on her coat and went out the door. We watched as she got into the car, but the car didn’t move. Eventually our daughter got out of the car and, red faced, ran back into the house. The man that she thought was her blind date had actually come to pick up another of our daughters who had agreed to be a babysitter for him and his wife.

We all had a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn’t stop laughing. Later, when our daughter’s real blind date showed up, I couldn’t come out to meet him because I was still in the kitchen laughing. Now, I realize that our daughter could have felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we still laugh about it today."

That one certainly made me laugh pretty loud. :)

-Next time my family members act nutty, I just need to laugh.

-Next time I worry about the bills, I need to forget the here and now and focus on the eternal.

-Next time I am sad and missing those I've lost, I need to trust in our Father in Heaven and remember the Principle of Compensation. (I really like this one... I should have some MAJOR blessings waiting!!)

It's just one of those days.

I have to tell myself, I CAN DO HARD THINGS.

Come what may and LOVE IT!

23 Weeks!

2010-08-24T09:16:00.003-04:00

Whoops, I am so behind on blogging. We haven't been doing anything too exciting in the Alt family the past few weeks. We've spent a few weekends with friends and we finally got to relax last weekend! :) It was a miracle.

We've been doing lots to get ready for Miss Bailey to arrive. We finally registered on Saturday at Babies R Us. We'll hit up Target this weekend and finish up our want/need list. All of the baby product reviews are making my head spin!

This week I've been spending most of my time getting ready for Isabelle's second birthday. It's a ladybug theme, so I think I'll be seeing black and red for weeks to come! Lots of cute homeade decorations and fun things. :) **Anyone else notice that the homeade stuff ends up costing just as much as bought decorations- and take about 50 times more effort? Hmm....**

Miss Bailey is getting big! She's weighing around a pound and a half now, and about the size of a Harry Potter Book. :) She's moving around and kicking like crazy. It's so fun to feel , and now we can see it! I am so excited to be a mommy. I am trying to get used to all of these extra pounds and remind myself that it's all for her. I am sooo going to have to join a gym in January lol.

Lesson Learned

2010-08-17T15:43:00.000-04:00

When a craving kicks in... (example: peppermint patties) stay close to the front of the store. Get one or two, then go home! And enjoy them there.

DO NOT wander through the store... you will end up with strawberry fig newtons, chocolate teddy grahams, bananas (thank goodness), blueberry muffins and the "Big Bag" of peppermint patties.

Most likely, you will eat at least half in one sitting, then almost burst into tears when you see the sad pile of empty wrappers. Oh well... at least they were "mini's" right? :)

21 Weeks!

2010-08-09T14:43:00.003-04:00

Chances are good you're feeling someone performing a round-off back handspring in your uterus by now. Is there any other feeling this cool? Other highlights this week:

By now your baby looks like a mini-version of what she'll look like when she's born. All her facial features are formed and hair is growing on her head. She's even acting like a baby and will occasionally suck her thumb or yawn. Aww ...

Baby's heartbeat is getting stronger and can be heard using a good old-fashioned stethoscope. Ask for a listen at your next prenatal visit! By 21 weeks, fetal bone marrow starts making blood cells—previously done by the liver and spleen. This may not sound that exciting, but it's good news.

The amniotic fluid that has been cushioning your little bean now serves another purpose: Your baby uses it to "practice" chowing down. Yes, it sounds gross (as many aspects of pregnancy do), but it's an important step for your baby toward being able to chow down in the real world. Your baby has been swallowing amniotic fluid for a while now, but now the intestines are finally developed enough that she's absorbing small amounts of sugars from it. And let's face it, being able to effectively digest sugar is important at every stage of life.

Your baby now weighs between 10 and 11 ounces and is approximately 7 inches long—the size of a delicious, cold, frothy bottle of root beer. Float anyone?
(http://www.babycenter.com/)

At 21 weeks, I am LOVING pregnancy! There is SO MUCH to do! And as fall approaches quickly my 'to-do' list is getting increasingly LONGER and LONGER.

21 Weeks!

2010-08-05T09:49:00.005-04:00

What To Expect, Baby Center & The Bump

Can't seem to agree on how big Baby Girl is this week!

She is somewhere in the vicinity of a bottle of Root Beer, a Carrot, & a Banana :)

She is moving up a storm and I just have to say... I LOVE LOVE LOVE the little baby kicks! The 'quickening' or 'flutters' lasted for all of a week or two, next came the full-blown kicks! Miss B* is quite an active little girl and likes making herself known to Mommy and Daddy!

Matt got to feel her move for the first time last week :) :) It was so special. Now each night he kisses her goodnight and she kicks him in the face. They already have a special bond. :)

We love our little girl!!! If I didn't have SO MUCH to do, I'd say "December can't get here fast enough!" Maybe once we're 'ready'. Are you ever really ready? I'll settle for having a crib mattress. :)

Holy Water!

2010-08-02T15:28:00.004-04:00

No, not the song. (Although it's a good one!)

This is how much water I've had to drink today...

In case you can't read that, it says 3L.

Yep, that's right... THREE LITRES!!!

HOLY WATER!
I have a feeling there are quite a few potty dances in my near future.

Story Time...

2010-08-02T11:35:00.005-04:00

Just like every good story, this one starts with:

Once upon a time...

there was an ADORABLE boy. He was a bit rough around the edges. But there was something about him that made her head spin and gave her butterflies.

She's still trying to figure out what it was. :)

They met just 2 days after her 21st birthday and one week before his 24th. They have been inseperable ever since.

Before anyone knew it they were engaged.

Cute, sappy, ridiculously in love and engaged.

The day they got married was the best day of their lives (thus far). Just 2 days after her 22nd birthday, and one week before his 25th.

They honeymooned at the Beach.

And began their happily ever after.

They welcomed a darling new niece into their family, and dreamed of the day they'd have one of their own.

They Honeymooned again!!! Hello Florida!

Another fall came and went with their sweet puppy.

Life has a funny way of changing when you least expect it.

One of the biggest blessings anyone could imagine...

The crazy, sweet and wonderful boy got baptized.

Then his sweet new family got to prepare to go to the temple.

Little did they imagine that they would be having a sweet baby girl to bring with them to the temple!

Before they knew it, they were celebrating their second anniversary, preparing to be sealed in the temple... just 2 days after her 24th birthday, and one week before his 27th.

Pretty good story, eh?

I'm so happy to be celebrating another year with my fabulous hubby.

Today is his 27th birthday.

I am so blessed. He is a wonderful man and is already a wonderful Daddy.

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. It's a day to think about him.

Reflect on how much of a blessing he is in my life.

I sure do love you Matty.

Introducing...

2010-07-27T21:59:00.002-04:00

BAILEY ANN ALT!

She's definitely a baby GIRL!!!

Pretty little baby foot :)

Our cute little Princess.

She has her Daddy's personality... sticking her little tongue out at us already!
What a cutie pie.

She is absolutely perfect and we love our little girl SO SO SO MUCH.

$10.43

2010-07-26T14:29:00.002-04:00

Yep, that's how much ALL of these cute things were for our little girl!

The giraffe plays a cute song that I am sure will annoy the poo out of me within a week.

But it's for our little girl.

Our LITTLE GIRL.

I can't stop saying that.

AAAAAND I got everything here for $10.43.

Life is good.

If You Wear White Pants On Your Birthday...

2010-07-26T14:13:00.003-04:00

You will inevitably sit on something while getting ready.

You will get in the car, and drive far away to your yummy dinner location.

It will be 107* outside, so you will make your hubby check for sweat marks.
*Heck, you are pregnant after all.*

When he checks out your bum he will then say, "It's fine, wait... what is that?? Did you poo yourself?!"

You will be mega embarassed in the Short Pump parking lot.

You will jump in the car and insist that you have not lost control over that bodily funtion. That you must have sat in something.

You will comb the car, looking for the culprit.

Eventually, your hubby will say, "Oh!! Weren't you sitting on that towel while you did your makeup?"

You will realize that you used that towel to wipe makup off of the counter the day before.

Whoops. Hmm... I guess I need to do laundry more often.

You will then spend 10 minutes in the 107* car debating on what to do next.

Eventually you decide to run to Target.
*Oh Target, thank you for never failing me.*

You will sit in the car while your hubby goes inside and attempts to pick out a pair of maternity shorts that are modest, fit, match your outfit and aren't super expensive. All just by looking!

When he comes outside, you will be thrilled that he was successful. And although the shorts are a bit shorter than you'd normally wear... now that you've changed your clothes in the car, under a quilt, on a 107* day, on your birthday... you just want to go to dinner and don't care!

Lesson learned, NEVER NEVER NEVER wear white shorts on your birthday.
And ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have your hubby check out your butt before you leave the house!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

2010-07-26T11:06:00.002-04:00

That's right... we're TEAM PINK.

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

Little Bean looked FABULOUS and is growing right on track! :)
She is breech, which just means I'll get extra ultrasounds to check on her until she moves! :) -And the doctor defintiely thinks she'll move with no problems.
Yaaay!!! We've got lots of pictures to come of our little PRINCESS!! :)