First Day

Today was the first day of school for so many kids across the state of Texas. Last year, I was too busy trying to survive the trials of being a newborn mommy to realize that one day (very soon... too soon!!), Adelay will have her first day of school. I'll cook a special breakfast for her, dress her up as much as possible, make sure she has all of her supplies tucked away in her backpack, write her a note in her lunch, and send her off to a stranger. So it hit me today that as a teacher, I really do have quite THE job! I'm in charge of people's kids - their pride and joy, their little miracle, their special somebody. Those parents are trusting me to make their kid feel just as good in my classroom as they do at home. They're hoping that I don't see their little Jose pick his nose, and if I do, that I overlook it and still see him as a cool kid. They're wondering if I know little Lupita is shy and has trouble making friends, and if I do, how will I help her. They just want their kid to have a good experience and be successful, and I'm the adult in charge of that. I think that in previous years, I've always been sensitive to my students and have tried to create a positive learning environment, but this year, I feel especially empathetic towards the parents. They've created this little person who they love and take care of. They give this little person to me, the teacher, for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. I see their child awake longer than they do! I get it now. I get why moms cry and linger at the door (not for 3rd grade, thankfully, but the lower grades). I get the earnest look they give me as they leave. And I'm glad that I can reassure them that I will love their child and treat him or her right. I love it when I see that flash of relief cross their faces when they realize that I'm safe. I'm worthy to watch their child. Yeah, I have TAKS and TEKS to worry about, but I can't ever lose sight of the fact that I have somebody's somebody in front of me. So as I teach this year, I'm going to be asking myself more often, "Is that how I'd want Adelay's teacher to act?"

The first day went great. I really love my class so far. I had 22 on my roster, but only 17 came. I guess we'll see if the other 5 remember to come back to school! This group is very sweet, and I have a really good feeling about this year. As they were leaving, I heard a bunch of them say, "I like 3rd grade!" And that's what I want to hear.

I promise I'll post about Adelay next and include pictures. I know that she's the star of this blog! She's doing great, though. She's been back to her "old" self, and by that I mean bedtime is no longer a problem! Thank the Lord! She's going down, awake, with out crying. That's all I was asking for! Is that so hard? OK, maybe it is, but she's doing it again, so whew! If you're wondering, "How?" My response is "cry it out". When we were at my dad's, I felt awkward doing that. Plus, I don't trust the crib at his house. When we got back to our house, I was like, "See ya, kid!" during bedtime. I know she's fed, has a clean diaper, and is safe. She'd cry because she wanted to play, but it was time to sleep. So, even though it's hard, we let her cry it out. And it really did work for us. If she was still crying after 10 minutes, I'd lay her down, pat her back for a while, and leave. And after a few days, she got the hint. Again, I'm sooo glad she is sleeping "right" since school is back in session. It makes life a bit easier.

Don't make me poke you in the eye...

Weeeell, first of all, I can't find the camera cable to connect to the laptop, so there will be no new pictures of Addy in this post. I know, I know - why even read this if there are no pictures? I felt I needed to check in though.

For my last weekend before I went back to work, Rick was going to whisk Adelay away for me so I could have a weekend to myself, child and husband free, like back in the good old days (j/k!). He was originally going to take her down to Missouri to his family reunion, but he couldn't get his brother or sister to go with him, and he didn't want to brave a 7 hour car trip with a one-year old on his own. So they both stayed here, which was fine until 10AM on Saturday. While attempting to put Adelay down for her nap, Rick was poked in the eye by our precious daughter. Not just a little poke - this was a straight-fingered, 3 Stoogesesque, hard jab that hit him square on. His whole face shut down for a little while (aren't reflexes grand?) leaving me with the darling for a little bit while he tried to pry open his eyes again. I have to say, I was deeply impressed by how Rick handled the whole thing. If it was me, I'm just gonna be honest and say that I would probably have lost it. Now, this is only because I was already on the verge, but, anyways, Rick was so good natured about it and was still trying to comfort her, and he was just being great. And his eye SWELLED up, so I know it hurt! The lesson of this story is beware Adelay's fingers or your eye could be next.

The training for the marathon is going well. I know we've only been doing it for a week and a half now, so this may be a premature statement, but I think... I think I might be starting to like jogging!!! GASP! You have to understand that before this, I H-A-T-E-D it. I was that person who would awkwardly jog for like 5 steps before quitting if I was in a hurry to get somewhere. I didn't do the Saturday 6AM jog this time because Rick and I decided that he would go (but he didn't), and I would stay home with Addy. I really meant to get my jog in that day, but I was a bit busy doing some things, and didn't manage to squeeze it in. And I missed it! I felt a longing to go jog, and I even thought about doing it Sunday (but didn't). So when I went for the jog on Monday, it felt great! And I was sooo surprised! I hope this keeps up, especially now that work has started again for me.

Work is work. I feel blessed to have a job and that I actually love my job. It feels a little strange going back this year, though. It's just different than it has been in the past. No "new year tingles". Meh. I do love teaching, though, and I think this year will be great. Addy will be bouncing around between Rick, my dad, and Mamiyagi. Her schedule depends on if and when Rick finds a contract job and his hours and location. Until he finds one, though, he'll be shuttling her around or taking care of her at home.

Well, that is really pretty much it! I gotta go to bed! I have to actually get up by alarm clock again tomorrow! On Monday, I swear I snoozed it at least 5 times. The first 3 times, I didn't understand that it was an alarm clock that was going off. I might need to invest in a caffeine drip.

Last week!

This is the last week of "summer" for me. I say "summer" because we Texans know that summer temperatures could last til, well, December. But summer break ends this week. Sniff. Back to work next week! So I started the week trying to make it count with Addy. We went to the splash park again, this time with Henry. We had a great time!

Henry is the sweetest!

After that, it was off to Grandpa's. I walked/ jogged on his treadmill because this whole triple digit heat makes doing that outside a no-go. Then, it was time to try PEANUT BUTTER!! I thought about 2 bites into it, "Maybe I should have some medicine on hand just in case... eh, she's ok." And she was! Whew!

Peanut butter... nam nam...

And THEN, after that, well, much later, we went to the mall with Daddy! She had fun feeding him and playing on the play stuff.

Feeding each other!

Yeah, my one year old drinks from the straw from juice boxes.

She's also unconventional (and STRONG) and climbs UP the slide (and, yes, she made it to the top and slid down!).

Home, Sweet Home!

Yay!! Our AC is finally repaired, and we're back home! I was ready to get back to our sumptous, heavenly, king-sized BED that we bought last year. When we first got married, we just used the bed Rick had had for FOREVER that somebody before him had had for FOREVER. Needless to say, it was a craptastic bed - oh, and it was a full. So when my pregnant body took over the bed for good, the idea was planted that maybe getting a bigger bed would be better. When my back injury flared up, the idea was planted that maybe getting a BETTER bed would be... better... obviously... SO, we went during a labor day special after Addy was born and bought the best. Bed. EVER!! Clearly it rocks since I just devoted a paragraph to it. I used to be a tosser and a turner, but now I just lay down, melt into the bed, and let the bed do its magic. Anyways... So we're back in our house! We've actually been back since Tuesday, and the bed is every bit of fabulousness as I remembered it to be.

Today was a full day for us all. Rick and I got up at 5:10 AM - yes, that's right - to go jogging - yep, that's right again. Let me start this out by saying I hate jogging, running, and walking. I don't mind walking long distances for, like, parking purposes, but as exercise... no thanks. Jogging and running I loathe. It's just always been excruciatingly boring to me. *step, step, breathe, step, step, breathe, breathe, pant, step, step, pant, pant, stop* So dull. Even with music, it's hard for me to get into it. But our church is doing this thing for World Vision, and even though I've always disliked running, a secret part of me has always wanted to do one of these benefit run. Enter oppurtunity. Our church has a support group/ training plan/ purpose, so put all those together, and you've got Rick and I up at 5:10 in the morning. A group of us met at White Rock Lake at 6. Us newbies jogged/ walked for 35 minutes while the pros did 5 miles. The end goal is to run the White Rock Lake Marathon - Ha! Just kidding! We're doing a half marathon. Ha! Just wish I was kidding that time! But I'm not. So Rick and I are training to do a half marathon. It's not till December, so hopefully we'll get our butts in gear and be prepared.

After that, Addy had her birthday pictures taken at JC Penneys. I get these coupons for free sittings, so that's why I go there. Coupons work! It was funny because for her previous sessions, she'd be so good and cooperative. She'd lie down, look at the camera/ mommy, and smile (more or less). Today, as a walker, she was everywhere! She was twirling around in circles, running out of the area, not staying on the mark... it was funny. She was extremely happy for the whole thing, just not doing what she was supposed to! We have this gorilla we use, and she was kicking it, body slamming it... she used to hug it. Despite her rambunctioness, we did get a few cute ones. She is such a social little thing, though! As soon as we got in the studio, she was all about the other kids that were there. She'd point at them, "chat" with them, "chat" at them, walk up to them and smile - she even walked up to one guy and smacked him on the cheek. Not hard, just, a "Hey! Wake up" kind of smack. He laughed, so I don't really feel bad about it. But maybe he only laughed so she wouldn't hit him again... hmm... Anyways, I'm still always amazed at how friendly she is and how willing she is to just go up and be a friend. If this trend continues, I think she's going to be a lot like my mom. Nice and friendly, but a go-getter at the same time. I hope I can keep up!

Around 2, Rylin came over so his parents could celebrate his mommy's birthday. He was a great baby, and they had fun playing together. Probably the most... hmm... what would be the right adjective... I'll go with plain old interesting.... Start over. Probably the most interesting part of the afternoon was when they were on the couch together and Rylin made HIS move. Addy was sitting on the couch next to Rick, so I sat on the couch next to her, put Rylin in between us, and before I knew it, a slobber fest was going on right in front of us! These boys sure are bold! I think I see karate classes in Adelay's future.

Such a sweet baby boy!

Rick called her pants "60s pants". For obvious reasons. Flower power, all the way.

Splashtastic and More!

Well, it's been a busy time for Adelay! Let's go back to the day after her birthday party when our AC decided it was done. During her party, it was trying to hold out, but it blew it's last cold breath on Sunday. Rick and I grabbed some things and went to Grandpa's with Adelay which is when the "fun" began. I dunno if it was her being one or if it was the change of environment, but my easy-going, independent, "I don't need you, Mom" little baby has turned into a demanding, at times needy, "You better hold me NOW, Mom" toddler!! The change has been a bit startling. Plus, I'm actually here with her all week, every hour, every day... it's a tad overwhelming! My respect for stay at home moms (which was already very high) has quadrupled. Especially moms with multiple children.

Anyways, to keep this little toddler busy, we've been visiting splash parks, indoor mall playgrounds, and baby bounce. The Galleria and Collin Creek both have these foam-like play structures for kids to run around on. The one at the Galleria is a jungle theme, and the one at Collin Creek is more like an urban theme. While the one at the Galleria is cleaner looking, I actually like the one at Collin Creek better because the play structures are lower to the ground and easier for her to climb (which she LOVES to do). North Park mall has free baby bounce sessions which we go to sometimes on Mondays with some friends from church. I took her once during spring break when she wasn't walking, and it's a completely different experience with a walker! She'll stay in my lap for maybe the first 2 songs, and then she's off, getting in other baby's faces, taking their shakers and rattles, running away from me. But it's still a lot of fun.

The splash parks have definitely been the hit of the summer. We first went to one with Nikolas, her older "boyfriend". He's older, he walks, and he lit up when he saw Adelay. He's got potential. It was pretty much just the two of them there, so they roamed around somewhat together. She had so much fun, though. She didn't quite get in the water, but she waved her hand around in some of the splashes. Then we went to another one with two of her younger "boyfriends", Atticus and Rylin. Atticus has the same nickname - "Atty" and "Addy" - they sound pretty much the same. Rylin definitely tries to impress me by constantly catching my eye and smiling. Definitely some more potential in both of them, but Atticus really made his move. Adelay had been skirting the splash area, trying to get some cake from a birthday party that was being held under the pavilion, so she was standing at the outside of the play area when Atticus comes crawling up to her, reaches up his hand, and grabs her butt. It was very funny. The final time we went to a splash park was with Madalyn in Temple. This time, Adelay really got the point of these things, and she was in the water, walking through splashers, having a BLAST. Until she saw a bouncy ball, and then she was totally distracted.

Adelay, sporting the baby bikini, with Nikolas.

Feeling brave, and she went for it!!

A bit more modest, ready to play with the boys!

Atticus, the butt perpetrator. :) Unfortunately, I didn't get any good shots of Rylin. :(

Really feeling brave at the park with Madalyn!!

Adelay shows how a tankini is done right.

Another year older...

Yesterday was my birthday. I'm 27 now. I'm 3 years from being 30. That's crazy. I know 27 is young, but I feel so old. Maybe that's because I'm so adultish. I'm married, have a kid, a house, a job... My Friday evenings usually consist of going to bed at 10 after cleaning up. Laaaaame. The older I get, the more responsibilities. It's like that's God's birthday present to me. I wonder what the refund policy is...
Well, I didn't care for it to be my birthday. I'm still dealing with the loss of my mom, so I pretty much just woke up and hoped for it to be a quick day. Even though I was hustling through it, the day was nice, I can't deny that. Mamiyagi took my dad, Rick, Adelay, and I to lunch at El Fenix. Lunch was nice until Adelay decided she wanted to have a tortilla chip. Yeah, she's teething, so whatever happened when that chip got in her mouth was multiplied ten times with her sore gums. Poor girl. Rick handled her most of the day, freeing me to do important things like nap and play Zuma.
In the evening Dad watched Adelay so Rick and I could go downtown to see "It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman!" A friend from church works for the Wyly Theatre, and they needed to fill up the theatre, so they had free tickets! I like free! We really liked the show too. The theatre is smallish, and we had great seats (second row behind the orchestra pit), so the feeling was nice and intimate. The show was upbeat and funny - just what I needed. Everything was great until we got to the car. Rick was pressing the unlock button from afar, but nothing was happening. I knew what that meant. I'd been there, done that. He had left the lights on, and the battery was dead. Did I mention we were downtown? And this was around 11:00. We had stayed after the show for a behind the scenes chat with the main stage hand, so pretty much all the audience had left. We couldn't call my dad because he was home with Adelay with out a car seat. What to do, what to do... We decided to take the DART to Richardson, I called up a friend to get us back to my dad's house, and we took his car downtown to jump our car. It was grrrreat! Not a big deal, though, just an interesting end to the evening.
So that was my birthday. I really am glad it's over. Oh, and Madalyn called and sung me "Happy Birthday" on my voicemail. It was very cute.

Party Animal

Last Saturday we had Adelay's first birthday party! The theme was "Come have a ball" so we made a ball pit in our living room. Our fireplace area is this pit area with 3 stairs going down and carpeted seats all around. I put the futon cushion on the bottom and got some pit balls, and voila! A ball pit! We had a great turn out, and Adelay looked super cute. There were meat balls, a cheese ball, melon balls, and, best of all, cake balls!! The cake balls were delicious. I have a feeling I'll be making those again sometime. Most of the guests had never seen or had cake balls, and I think everybody liked them. Adelay made a royal mess out of her cake! She kinda swiped it at first, not sure what to do with it until I gave her a taste. Then, she knew exactly what to do with it. After that, we opened up presents. Adelay watched for a little while until she started to rub frosting in her eyes. Aunt Keek whisked her off to be cleaned up, and Rick and I finished up opening her gifts. She got some great books, toys, and lots of cute outfits. It was a great party for her.
I'd been having mixed feelings about having the party, but I'm glad I did it. It was hard not having Mom there, and I definitely missed her being there, but this was a celebration for Adelay. It definitely would not have happened as well as it did with out the friends that helped me prepare for it. Friday afternoon, Joanna, her mom, and Bethany came and cleaned up my house. Everything was pretty much picked up, but they did the polishing, and the house looked great. Saturday, Kirsten came over and helped watch Adelay pre-party. So those 4 + Vikki and Tim really really really blessed me.
It's weird, this past month, I've probably accepted more help than I have in 5 years! I'm such a, "No, no, no, don't trouble yourself over me, I'll do it" type of person. Asking for and receiving help is a struggle for me. I don't know why, that's so silly. I just don't want to inconvenience people, I guess. But this past month, I've really been concious of allowing people in to help, and it's been wonderful. I knew I needed it, and it wasn't just for me, it was for Adelay too. I guess also part of it is that if I needed help, I could always go to my mom. But now that that's not possible, I'm so thankful that there are people in my life who can help me. And that's completely a God thing, so I owe it to Him for putting them there. I truly am in awe of all the blessings He's given me in spite of the tragedy. It's amazing.
Today we went for her one year check up, and she's doing great. 22 lbs 6 oz, 32 in. She's off the charts in height and in the 70 - 95% for weight. She's right where she needs to be, and the doctor said she's real smart and a talker. Everything looked good! Praise God for good health for my baby. I love love love her.

She looooved her mini cake!!

Nikolas playing in the "ball pit"

Our gift to her was a Sesame Street scooter thing. Not really sure what they're called...

Can you really blame him for trying to plant one on her? I mean, she's adorable!