Day 57 - In Memory of Joshua

For the past 3 years, I've worn a band around my wrist that has our son Joshua's name on it. I picked it up in Florida at Universal. A few months later, I had my BFF Katie (who I was with at the time) pick me up a spare just in case. Well, the just in case day came this past Wednesday. I hadn't even known it had ripped off until I saw it on the living room floor. The old one was pretty ragged; I've hardly taken it off since I put it on. You can hardly see Joshua's name on it anymore. Obviously, I busted out the spare. Time to pick up another one Kate!!!

Day 56 - It Figures

You've seen the nice cushy shopping cart cover I have for Abby, right? Well, we had just left Walmart and walked over to Babies'R'Us (so I wouldn't have to put Abby in the car seat, re-park, and drag her out). I didn't feel like taking the cover with me and setting back up again. I'm always tired and a little frustrated after grocery shopping, so the less I have to deal with, the better. Anyway, I put Abby in a cart and went in to check out baby gate prices. After a few moments, I looked at Abby and found her gnawing on the metal bar to the cart! She NEVER does this... she can't with the cover. When I saw this, I sighed and thought to myself how much I wish I had the cover, or at least had wiped the bars down with a sanitizing wipe. Oh well, it's not going to hurt her.

Day 55 - Old Pro

Abby has been on 16 different plan flights since 2 months of age. It's crazy the looks you get when you bring a baby onto a plane. You also have the other people who just coo over your baby, which I always love. People I sit next to always ask if Abby flies well, and she does. I get a lot of compliments on how good of a baby I have. The hardest part is when she is ready for a nap. She starts to get a little fussy then, but after 5 min or so, I can get her to sleep. Luckily, I've sat next to a lot of nice, helpful people! There might be complainers out there, but there are a lot more that are sympathetic when you're having a hard time!

Day 54 - Second Cousins

Tonight, Abby and I hung out at my cousin John's house on post. Jenn fixed an amazing spaghetti dinner... very yummy! I especially loved the garlic bread (I always do). Earlier I looked up on wikipedia to find out what the relationship between Abby and John and Jenn's daughter Kennedi would be; they are 2nd cousins. Kennedi is my first cousin once removed. Interesting.

Day 53 - A Soldier and His Little Bit

Today I took a snapshot of Steve and Abby right before he headed off to work. Don't you think there is something absolutely wonderful about a man in uniform? I do! It's even better when he's holding his little girl. Being near a military installation again has been a bit nostalgic. I feel proud to be a part of this type of life again.

Day 52 - Out For A Walk

Today was absolutley perfect light jacket weather. Such a gorgeous day! Here in Fayetteville are some gorgeous houses that I've passed a half a dozen times in the last week and a half. Today we drove over to this nice part of town and took a family walk. As we started out, I saw a sign that said Dogwood Trail. As we continued to walk, we discovered another one and decided to follow it. The signs lead us in what seemed like a random path through neighborhoods. We saw some beautiful homes and I took some nice pictures of a few.

Day 51 - Heritage Makers Regionals

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend our Heritage Makers Regionals in Raleigh, NC. None of the people on my team were there, (they attend in AZ which is where I normally go), so I was missing my friends a little. It turned out to be not that big of a deal. I made some new friends and had a great time. Something I love about Heritage Makers Consultants is that no matter what team you are on or where you come from, you are always amongst friends. I was very excited to be at the same Regionals as Hallie Redd. One of our Executive Consultants. She is the top consultant in Sponsoring. She was happy to help me with my photo for the day!

Day 50 - 82nd Patch On My Shoulder

Fort Bragg, NC is home to the 82nd Airborne Division. I never thought I would see the area where this unit resides. In the Army, we sing a cadence with this unit's name as we march down the road... as well as other units. "82nd, patch on my shoulder, pick up your weapon and follow me, Airborne Infantry" So many Army flashbacks have been going through my mind the past several days. There are things I miss about my Army days, but so much more that I'm glad is far behind me.

Day 49 - Dining Experience

We decided to postpone our Valentines Dinner at Carraba's, one of fav Italian resturants, until after Valentine's Day in order to miss the holiday crowds. Our seater gave Abby a toy to play with that kept her fascinated for quite a long time. Of course, she was standing at the table right next to daddy. Steve had a good meal, but mine was not so great. The waiter heard me wrong and brought me a seafood cannelloni instead of chicken and spinich. When I finally got what I ordered, it really wasn't that great. As an apology, he brought us his favorite dessert no charge. Dessert was delicous!

Day 48 - Little Girl Standing

Since she was 3 months old, our little girl has loved to stand. Now that she can crawl any where she wants, she is constantly crawling to something where she can pull herself up to her prefered standing position. Abby has many nicknames, and many months ago I made up her indian nickname (Steve gave me mine: Falls In The Water). So, Abby's is Little Girl Standing.

Day 47 - Abby n Momma

I havn't really taken many Abby and Momma pics lately, but they are my favorite. Tonight I just took a couple of quick shots. They didn't really turn out too great, but that's ok. I've got a plan in my head to get some pics of the two of us taken together as a Mothers Day gift for myself. I plan on hiring Eden Thome of Photography by Eden.

Day 46 - Up Down Up

Abby is our jumpy bouncy girl. Sometimes when she stands, she just goes up and down and up and down and up and down. She really loves to bounce off her daddy's belly. How is it that she knows that daddy is good for horseplaying?! Abby has been having so much fun with her daddy. I think we worry a little that she doesn't know her daddy because he's gone a lot, but she never has a problem recognizing him and his importance in her life whenever we are together.

Day 45 - My Valentine

Hello my dear husband. I love your blue eyes, your sense of humor, the way you make me laugh, the way you walk, your amazing ability to conquer the difficult goals you set, your tenderness, your affection! I love you! Will you be my Valentine?
Happy Valentines Day Steve

Day 43 - Airborne and Special Operations Museum

We had planned on going out to the coast this weekend, but the weather was inclement... so our plans for a bed n breakfast got scratched. We took advantage of the time to check out a local museum dedicated to our military elite. If you're ever in Fayetteville, NC, I recommend a visit to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum. It was so incredible to walk through. It started with WWII going through to our current War On Terror. There were photo's, old posters, weapons, uniforms, depicted scenes... and lots of big military machinery (tanks, planes, helicopter!) As we approached this helicopter with soldiers hanging on the side, Steve told me that he has done this! Crazy! The end of the exhibit was focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was cool seeing things in a museum that my husband was a part of.

Day 42 - Abbigator and the Alligator Pear

Daddy took a turn feeding the abbigator this evening. Not really something he ever does... even when he is home. What was on the menu tonight? An Alligator Pear a.k.a. Avocado. One of my favorites. It was funny watching Steve feed Abby... I'm pretty sure he was making more of a mess than her! I'm glad that I got some cute snap shots of this family moment.

Day 41 - Cracker Barrell

This photo marks the first with Steve in this blog and the first with Steve and Abby. We got to have dinner at one of my favorite resturants tonight. Steve knows I love Cracker Barrell, so he suggested that's where we stop for dinner after picking us up from the Raleigh Airport. Abby now sits in a high chair when we go out to eat. It makes things a lot more fun! This evening I ordered something different. I tried a sampler meal which had their chicken and dumplings... which were actually pretty tasty. My Mom's are better though!

Day 40 - Growing Up

My Tulips are doing well. I am surprised to see how fast they are sprouting up. It's funny how I don't notice them for a few days and they seem to have grown more that I think possible. I've counted 15 stalks altogether. I wonder if all of them will sprout a flower?

Day 39 - Messages To Nanny

Yesterday, I had walked out of the room while I was talking with my mom on Facebook Chat and Abby had scooted over to the laptop and was playing happily. Apparently she hit a few letters and sent it on the Chat before managing to hit enough buttons to shutdown the computer. So crazy! I know if I tried, I could not manage to randomly shut down the computer... I can't figure out how the baby and the cat for that matter, do that?

Day 38 - Garbage Bowl

I love to cook big meals. I especially love to have fresh stuff... instead of garlic powder or onion powder, I would rather just chop it up fresh. Tastes so much better. Problem is, I'm always walking back and forth from the trash to my work station throwing away the excess. I've seen Rachel Ray use her Garbage Bowl and I have thought that it's such a great idea, but I always forget about it. Tonight, I remembered! Can you spot my garbage bowl?

Day 37 - Hello Friend

Today, our friend Hayden came to play for a little while. He was so helpful... he enjoyed picking out toys to share with Abby. Abby really enjoys watching and interacting with other small children. The funny things they do often make her laugh.

Day 36 - My Little 8 Month Old

This month's pictures were not as good as last months. I didn't want to use the blue blanket like I did last time. To celebrate Valentine's Day, I put Abby in the outfit that she got for Christmas from her Aunt Katie. Today was a lousy day for both of us, Abby has a cold and we are both in cranky moods. I think the pictures of this day reflect that. I'm am glad though that I took pictures of her today.

Day 35 - Savings

Yesterday I ordered diapers, wipes, and some really cool Arm & Hammer Nursery Fresheners from diapers.com. They arrived today! I had an opportunity to get 500 free Gifts to Grow points from Pampers and take an additional $10 off my order. The wipes were a little bit more than I normally pay, but the diapers were a good deal less. I was really surprised by how fast the box got here!

Day 34 - Vodka Shots

Ever heard of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)? I went to my first MOPS meeting today with my friend Jenn. Pretty cool! It was the first time I have ever left Abby with strangers. It was nice to be baby free for a few hours, though I was a little stressed about being away from her. I kept wanting to go check on her to see how she was doing. Everyone in the group got to make their own vanilla extract. Did you know that you use alcohol to do that?! I didn't... till today. So, here is a pic of my little vodka bottle with some fresh vanilla bean... should be ready in about 8 weeks!

Day 33 - Abby's Sweet Ride

Abby has this awesome cover for the seat in the grocery cart. It's has these huge comfy pillows that protect her and doubles as a great place for her to sleep. She always looks so cute sitting there. This isn't the cutest photo of her sitting in a cart... I will have to do this again. We were at Bed Bath and Beyond picking up some blinds I saw on clearance the day I bought her curtain rod. They were 50% off. Did you know, that if you forget your 20% off coupon, you can take in your receipt and coupon after purchasing and get money back! Awesome eh! I'll be able to get $12 back on the $60 I spent on the two packages of blinds. Total savings will be $72.

Day 32 - After

We have officially started into the days not corresponding with the date... makes me a little nervous. It's funny that Abby is in the same outfit as yesterdays photo. Sometimes I'm lazy about when I change her. I'm excited to have the Canvas up on the wall. I've been working on some posters for her room, but I've had so little time to work on projects, that they aren't really getting done. At least her room is clean now!