Catching up

I know it's been a while since I have posted a blog. I will post an update on everything later this week, like how I have called about 50 daycare providers since Mattie no longer has a babysitter as of yesterday! Yah, lets not go there. It sucks! So, until I can catch everyone up...enjoy some pictures.

Look at my future son-in-law

Here is cutie pie Parker! Mattie's future husband! :)
He has big feet just like Mattie. It's a match made in heaven!

Mattie and her cousin Joey

Here are some pictures of Mattie and Joey at Thanksgiving. She didn't know what to think of Joey, but he sure did like her. He's a big flirt if you can't tell by the pictures.

What a weekend!

This weekend started out with the best news. I am an Aunt again...and Mattie has another cousin! Nellie and Jeremy are proud parents of Parker Ira Lucas. He was born a little early, but he is healthy, and is lucky to have such great parents! He was born on Friday, at 4:55 pm, and weighs 4 lbs, 8 oz and is 18 inches long. Boy, what a cutie he is. Nellie did a great job hanging in there this past month, it has been a long haul. I was there to witness Jeremy changing his first diaper. That guy is a natural. They make the cutest little family. I am so proud of them, and can't wait for Mattie to meet Parker, her future husband. ha ha ha
We had another great Thanksgiving up north, with all of my family. It's always nice to sit down and converse with them. Being up there for our little visits only makes me long to get up there even faster! Please pray for us that Scott gets a job up there, and soon!
We ended our weekend by dropping of Bree and heading to the mall to pick up our pictures at the Picture People, then we headed over to get Mattie's ears pierced. She was a trooper, and only cried for a second, and no tears! She looks cute...and no more mistaking her for a boy! Poor Tooch!

Happy Thanksgiving from our little turkey!

I hope everyone has as much to be thankful for as I do this year. Enjoy the time with your loved ones, and like my mom says, Don't gobble till you wobble (don't eat too much).
Here are some pictures of Mattie on her first Thanksgiving. As you can tell, she loves to watch the parade, a tradition my parents started with me. Every year, as my mom washed the turkey, I would have a poptart (cause you don't want to eat too much so you can eat a lot later) and watch the parade. This year Mattie is just a wee bit too small for poptarts, but we will start next year. Then after my mom would wash the turkey, I would help do the stuffing. That was one thing I always looked forward to, and I hope that Mattie will want to help me with the stuffing too.
We went to Grandma Sheila's and we also went to Aunt Kathy's house. We had a busy day. At Aunt Kathy's, Mattie got to hang out with her cousin Joe. The pictures show her reaction to him. She was scared of him at first, and he just loved her. They are too cute when they get together. We can't wait until Julia is included in the baby bunch! :)

Mattie and her new gizmo

Ok, anyone hear of a BUMBO? Not many of you old timmers have...ha ha ha. I hadn't either until recently. I ordered one off from EBAY (I know, I am eBay obsessed). The darn things cost an arm and a leg, but boy are they worth it. That's why I went on EBAY, because I got it for 1/2 price. You put the baby in it, its a soft foam, and it helps support her. Mattie loves it because she is at the stage where she has to sit up all the time. I put her in it and got to do some chores, cause she was just as happy as a clam, and babbling the whole time. Check it out...here are some photo's (of course!)

I have some of the bravest friends

I don't stop to think about in nearly enough, but I have some of the greatest, bravest friends.
Let me introduce you to a couple of them.

Nellie- She has been my best friend since I can remember, and she has put up with me for many years. This girl is amazing. Not only is she the greatest friend, she is the best "Aunt", and will be the best mom. She is on bedrest until my little nephew Parker arrives in December. She was so brave to have gone through a couple scares, getting sent to Burlington, VT to make sure that Parker didn't come way early. I tease her on a daily basis because every time I call and ask what she did that day, its always the same answer. "I watched TV". She is keeping a great sense of humor throughout it all. I love her a lot!

Marcy- We used to be coworkers, now we are great friends. She has been there for a me a lot, and is my family down here in Rochester. When I lived on my own, her family took me in, and made sure I had company on Holidays and such. I have gotten to see her children grow up, and every Tuesday she opens her house up to me for our weekly girls night. Its a fun time to do a little male bashing and complain about our jobs and how we wish we never had to work again. She is a great mom, putting up with 2 teenagers, and one toddler. She is the kind of mom that won't ever give up on her kids, as much as they want her to sometimes.

Jenn- I never realized how strong of a woman she was until I sat down and read her blog for over 2 hours tonight. This little spitfire went through infertility, and a premature birth of her daughter Avery, and came out ontop! She kept her head, and her faith throughout it all. I remember when I found out I was pregnant, I was so excited to spread the news, but I was so afraid to tell Jenn. I knew how her and Keith were trying so hard, so how could I tell her how successful I was on the first try. But she was happy for me, even though she must have been thinking, "Why can't this be me?". I used to work with her at ParkRidge, and she is one of the few that I miss from there. I miss talking with her on my way out at night, sharing goofy little stories or getting words of encouragement from her. I hope her little bundle of joy Avery Grace, and Mattie get to be great friends. Please check out her blog to see just how great of a woman she is. www.thompson1220.blogspot.com

My Mom- God, I was so rotten to her for a while. I don't know why, and I can't take all of the crap I did to her back, but I would if I could. I really realized how much she loved throughout my pregnancy with Mattie. She was there for me every second. And when I needed her there for the labor, once again...There every second. I almost fell apart when Mattie, Scott and I had to leave my mom after being with her for Mattie's first week on this earth. I remember thinking, how am I going to do this without my mom? It's impossible! She reassured me, laughed away my tears, and called me at least once a day since her birth to check on things. Needless to say, I have survived without her here with us, but I must admit...I like it a lot better when she is around.

So...those are just a few of the strong women in my life. I thought tonight would be a good night to reflect on how much they mean to me.

Mattie is a ham!

Look at my little Ham Pie! Isn't she cute?

Pictures from this weekend

For some reason, this blog isn't letting me post pictures on my previous post about this weekend....so here they are.

Not for the faint of heart....

Ok...fair warning. The following pictures are gross...but funny at the same time.
Mattie went a day with out a BM...then the flood gates opened up and crap really almost hit the fan. Darn that Squash. :)

Formula plus squash = crappy mess

Our weekend up in Canton

Mattie, Bree and I had fun up at my moms for the weekend. We bought some christmas presents at the craft show for Teresa and for Sheila. The shopping season has officially begun.
Mattie experienced her first food on her 4 month birthday. It was squash, and she loved it. The photos show that for sure.
We also got a chance to go visit Nellie and Jeremy. Mattie has a little fit for the first couple of minutes while she was there, but after a couple burps, she was as good as gold. I hope we didn't scare Nell and Jeremy because they are due to be first time parents any day now. Nell looked great, has the perfect little baby belly, and is excited to bring Parker into this world. Mattie can't wait to meet her future husband.
Poor Bree had to deal with Mattie's terrible temper tantrums she throws in the car once the sun goes down. For over an hour straight, she screamed and carried on. She hates not being able to see outside. There comes a downfall with being so observant, and that is one of them. If she can't see her surroundings, watch the hell out! :)
One thing I was bumed out about is that we didn't get our traditional tuna noodle casserole. I will excuse my mom this one time. She went to dinner with her friend Cindy. Cindy just lost her son in October, and my mom, being the great friend she is, has helped her and her husband George out a lot, so they treated her to dinner.
On a funny note, Mattie and I had no suitcases to unload when we got up there. Why you ask? Well, me being the worry wart I am, was worried about getting her carseat adjusted correctly for the trip, and got so caught up in it, that I forgot to throw the suitcases into the car. I realized this 1/2 way to Canton. Aunt Shanelle got Tooch a couple cute outfits, and mom had some clothes that we store up there. I just had to raid my dads size large sweats, so you all can imagine how sexy I looked. Yes, I am bringing sexy back! I just washed my day clothes at night when I went to bed. Thank god for washing machines.
Crazy neighbor is still in her apartment. Our "no balls" landlord gave her another week cause she gave him a song and dance how she had family coming over for the holiday. Well excuse me, I would have too if I didn't have a crazy living next door. I can't wait until she is gone, and if she isn't gone by the end of the month, we are looking for a new place!
Mattie had her first go-round with the Johnny Jump Up, but basically just hung there, chewed on the seat, and swung back and forth.

Mattie is turning 1/3 a year old tomorrow!

I just got back from Mattie's 4 month check up. She is coming along great according to the doc. She is 25 inches (90th percentile) and 13 lbs 4 oz (75th percentile) and her head is in the 25th percentile. She can start having some foods (goody, the fun begins, this is my favorite stage). She isn't worried about her not using her arms, she said that she will in time, that she is grabbing light things so that's good. And she felt a bump on her gums, so the teeth will be here before you know it. Poor Tooch got 4 shots today, her little thunder-thighs are all covered in band-aids. Hey, its nothing that a little shopping trip won't help. :)
Time is flying by. I wish they could give her a shot that would freeze her in this stage forever.

This picture is one of her jibber jabbering right before she got the big needles from the doctor. She loves that doll she is holding. Great Grandma Kathy got it for her for Christmas. She talks to it all the time.

Girls weekend...

Mattie, my cousin Bree and I are heading up to my mom's house for a girls weekend. It is so needed! It will be nothing but a weekend of craft fairing, girl talk, tuna noodle casserole (its a tradition whenever my dad goes on his annual hunting trip to Albany that my mom makes Tuna Noodle because my dad couldn't stand it. It was the only weekend out of the year we could eat it, so we would pig out on it until we were sick) and oooohing and aaaahing over Mattie. I am glad she will join our little traditions. It's bound to be so much fun, even if we dont' find anything at the craft fair.
Scott is staying home to help move new furniture into our house. It will be a nice treat to come home to. But I must say, I will miss our old furniture. I say its old, which its not, less than 5 years old, and the most comfortable couches you will plant your seat on. It is just one of the ugliest prints that you will see. It would look nice in an old lady's house I guess. Scott's mom is giving us her furniture, which is like new. That's very nice of her. Our crazy neighbor is getting evicted on Saturday, so maybe Mattie and I will miss all of the drama that will go along with her leaving. And I hope that the next people to move in are from this planet and aren't pill pushers, snorters or stealers.
I will take lots of pictures and be sure to share with everyone.

Christmas is on the way....

It's so close you can feel it. Or is that the cold that you feel? Anywho...its coming whether you are prepared or not. Here comes Christmas!!!! Arghhhhhhhhhhhh... so much shopping, so little time and money. :) Tis the season to get stressed out.
Scott pulled out all of the boxes of decorations, yet I can't make myself open them and start putting up the decorations just yet. This weekend I am going up home to a craft show, so I am thinking that will put me in the mood, so Sunday I will start decorating. Mattie will love the lights, so that is my main reason for putting them up. She loves them when we see trees all lit up in the malls, just wait till she has one in her own house. Two words...BUG EYES!
Tonight I put one of Mattie's Christmas dresses on. She looked so cute. I have 3 dresses to put her in, plus I have to pick up the tree costume at babies~r~us. It will be worth the $20 just to get some pictures of her. he he he. So I took some pictures of her in her little dress. We will call this dress #1. I will be sure to add more of the other ones later. I just love her facial expressions.

It's dangerous to have an outlet mall so close!

Jill and I were having a pitty party for ourselves today, not liking men much, and wanted a girls day with the babies. So it was off to the outlet malls where we braved out the icky weather. The only thing I bought myself was a couple pairs of undies, but I got Mattie a bunch of clothes, and some Christmas presents for Scott and my dad. I came to the conclusion that I am not going overboard on Mattie this year. I have a couple toys tucked away, and I have been buying her clothes left and right for the upcoming new year, so I think she is all set. I am not going overboard with anyone this year for two reasons. The first being that I always do go overboard on people, and go into debt doing it and the second is that this year I plan on doing a lot of homemade gifts. AKA pictures in nice frames of Miss Mattie. Every year I hear "It's not how much you spend, but the quality of the gift, and gifts aren't the meaning of Christmas. Yet every year I feel this overbearing pressure to buy more and more. And spend more time in the stores with grumpy ba-humbugs that make me want to bash them over the head with my $30 roll of wrapping paper.
Jill, Shelby, Mattie and I had lots of fun spending not so much money. It was so nice just to hang out with another mommy and daughter duo, just chitchatting and laughing about how cute the kids are. Shelby was so into Mattie, wanting to touch Mattie all the time, even if it was just her shoes. :) She was too cute! And who can't laugh when you would hear "Oh Reneeeeeeeeeeee" from across the store. I swear she is one of the smartest two year olds I know. Jill and I will be hanging out a lot more now that Jill will be our secretary at work. It will be so nice to have another girl in our office for a change. She might even talk me into joining Weight Watchers again. We'll see on that. Me Likes Me Cookies!!!!! ha ha ha

Who's got a crazy neighbor????????

Ok, most of you know about my crazy neighbor. She is a crazy crackpot I tell ya! Well, last night Scott and I got a knock on our back door by the cops, saying someone in Apartment 13 got robbed. The person broke in through a window, which is scary. Come to find out, they only stole ridalin (I know I can't spell :) ) because Scott heard the cops question our neighbor about it. Now just 5 minutes before he heard that, Amanda called to say she had heard that our neighbor had stole those drugs before. Coincidence? I think not. The cops were questioning why one of my crazy neighbors shoes was in the apartment that was broken into. She told them that someone was trying to set her up. ha ha ha ha... OMG, this lady is a freaking nutjob! She knew one of the cops, so nothing was done. It scares the crap out of me that she lives next to me. The landlord said he is working on getting her out. Yah right! It really looks like it, now doesn't it?

The worst phone call you could get!

Today I got that one phone call you dread getting....
Scott called me at work to tell me him and Mattie had gotten into an accident. My stomach just about dropped out of me instanly. But I am glad to say, they both are alright.
Scott and Mattie were on their way to see me at work, stopped at the bottom of the Winton Rd. ramp, when some asshole (Pardon my french) rearended them! Luckily, a cop was right behind them. Actually, the cop saw the guy and clocked him going 86 in a 65. So when he pulled out to pull him over, the guy saw him, and then tried to weave in and out of traffic to get away from the cop. So he tried to get off the interstate real quick, and hit Scott and Mattie. Scott's car doesn't look like anything happend to it besides some scrapes. The losers car got smashed up though. Good, serves him right. Mattie has a little bruise from the safety belt on her carseat, her pediatrician said she looked fine. Scott went to the ER to get checked out, he was fine too. The jerk that hit them got 3 tickets for endangering the welfare of a child, driving with a suspended license, and for speeding. What a creep.
So hopefully I will never get a phonecall like that again! How scary, and it made me see how life could seriously change in a blink of an eye, so cherish everything and everyone you have.

On a lighter note... enjoy some new pictures of my little survivor!