Hold the Cheese Please

I love my little Say Say...Lord knows I do.  But my girl is killing me when it comes time for a photo shoot.  She will not smile for a picture to save her pea pickin' life!!!  Let me take you through a few painful photo montages that illustrate her unwillingness to cooperate with her mama:

Photo montage #1:  Husker Game Day Photo Op Disaster

"Say-Say...can mama take your picture in your cute Husker outfit?  Smile for mama baby..."

 Thanks but no thanks Mom...I'll just give my thumb a little lovin' here for an extra minute or two.

 Well look at that...all 5 fingers, still here.

 Throw your hands up....hollllaaaaa!!!

 I'm pretty sure she is throwing up some kind of gang sign here.

 Avert your eyes from the crazy squealing lady with the camera...just pretend to be interested in your hand.

 A girl sure could use a snack or sumpin...

 Shoot.  There aren't even any left over food remnants from last night's dinner for me to nibble on.

 Hey lady...make yourself useful and get your girl a snack.

It's so hard to get good service at this joint.

Photo Montage #2:  10 month picture debacle

"OK baby girl...it's time to take your 10 month picture.  Can you sit here for a quick second and look at mama and smile?"

 Daddy...this chic is not serious about me sitting down is she?

 Uggghhhhh...ya'll are driving me crazy!!!

 I think I'll gnaw on my crib for a spell.

 Hmmm...I wonder what's for dinner?

 Will the paparazzi ever leave me alone???

You guys do whatever you want...

I'm over it.

10 Months Old

Oh Sayler my Sayler...you are 10 months old my tiny.  And you have totally come into your own.  You most certainly have your own personality and I must say I am totally smitten with you!!!  Here is what you have been up to this month:

• You are still in a size 3 diaper and wear 9 month and 12 month clothes.
• You sleep from 7pm to 7:30am every night.  You are a great sleeper for sure.  We took a trip to Little Rock last week and you didn't skip a beat even sleeping in your pack n' play at the hotel.  You slept the whole night and I was amazed.  When you wake up in the mornings you don't cry or yell for Mommy to get you at all  You just lay there and suck your thumb (your BFF) and wait for someone to come get you. Opening your bedroom door in the morning and seeing your HUGE smile when you see me is the best part of my day.
• You eat table food almost exclusively.  You love:
• carrots
• green beans
• mandarin oranges
• grilled chicken
• chicken nuggets
• toast
• grilled cheese
• puffs
• yogurt bites
• yogurt
• hot dogs
• waffles
• pancakes
• You drink water from a sippy cup and are doing great with it.  You will have no problem transitioning off of your bottle to a sippy cup.
• You are standing on your own for 3-5 seconds at a time.  You could stand longer, but once you realize you are standing on your own you sit right down.  I know you will be walking sooner rather than later.
• You can wave hi and bye, do arms up, clap when someone says yay, play peek-a-boo, give kisses when asked to, and blow kisses.
• You are starting to throw little tantrums when you don't get what you want or when Mommy or Daddy tells you no.  You will sit back on your buns and look at us and then do this fake cry to see if any one will pay attention to you or give in and let you do what you want.  We try our hardest not to laugh but it is hard.
• You smile and laugh all the time.  Whenever Mommy or Daddy walk into the room you give the biggest smile and it melts our hearts.
• You love to play on Mommy and Daddy's bed and jump and go crazy in all of the pillows.
• You are starting to get attached to your strawberry blankie.  We take it with you to Ms. Dana's for your nap time, and whenever you see it lying on the floor you go over to it and lay down on it and suck your thumb.  It is so sweet.
• You love playing with blocks and knocking them all down when Mommy stacks them up.  But you love nothing more than Mommy and Daddy's cell phones or computers.  You are on a mission to get to them whenever you see them.  Mommy usually gives in and lets you gnaw on her phone.  Daddy tries to take his case off and give that to you...but it doesn't usually work and he will give in and give up his phone too.  You kind of have us wrapped around your finger.
• You have discovered the baby in the mirror looking back at you and you give her kisses and smile at her.  It is so cute to see you so curious about your own reflection.
• We still can't get a decent picture of you to save our lives.  Every time the camera comes out...you get all serious and focused on what we are doing and the smile goes away.

We fall deeper and deeper in love with you every day my sweet pea.  Every day with you is my favorite day no matter what else has happened.

I love you so much it hurts baby doll...

Love,

Mommy

No extra credit awarded...

This one is going to be quick and dirty friends...kind of like a drive by blog.  But I just need to put this out into the universe.  People...please stop demanding credit for things you're supposed to do.  Let me give you some examples of things people say to justify their behavior that make me want to flip a table Real Housewives NJ style on them:

1. "I pay my child support."  Well whoop de doo!!!  Let's call the mayor and schedule a ticker tape parade for you STAT!!!  You're supposed to pay your child support guy/gal...and I would guess you're legally mandated to do so.  So don't go getting a stress injury while patting yourself on the back for this one. YOU.ARE.SUPPOSED.TO.PAY.YOUR.CHILD.SUPPORT!!!
2. "I've never been in jail." Well hot sauce...let's cancel Christmas!!!  And make sure you call ABC as I am positive they are going to want to get you signed up as the next Bachelor.  Guys like you are tough to find.  Ridiculous. You get no gold star for not going to jail.  YOU.ARE.SUPPOSED.TO.STAY.OUT.OF.JAIL!!!
3. "At least I'm not out there cheating."  Heh???  Well at least she didn't punch you in the face for just saying that. YOU.ARE.SUPPOSED.TO.BE.FAITHFUL.IN.YOUR.MARRIAGE!!! 
4. "I get up and go to work every day."  Yeah, see this is actually a pre-requisite for hiring you.  They actually assumed upon hire that you would be there to do your job...every day.  Isn't that something?  You're an adult...that means YOU.ARE.SUPPOSED.TO.GO.TO.WORK...EVERY.DAY!!!

Sorry for the rant...I'm a little unruly today.  The public annoys me on occasion.  Here's a picture of my peanut to ease the hostility of this post ;)

 Sure wish those thigh creases were as cute on her mama as they are on her!!!

Love ya'll!!!

Unanswered Prayers

I love when I can incorporate Garth Brooks lyrics into my posts.  It's like a precursor to awesomeness.  For those of you that are not aware...I have a slight case of "The Garth."  It is a highly contagious condition that may or may not cause you to attend 3 Garth Brooks concerts in 10 days and/or contemplate wearing a Garth Brooks t-shirt to work, where you are employed as a law clerk, to a judge, who has a serious job (i.e. judging). (*no Garth t-shirts were worn during the creating of this post or at anytime previous to the creation of this post.  However, the lure of sporting the Honky Tonk Bar Association concert T nearly got the best of me).

Wow...I have taken a serious left turn here.

OK.  So back to the actual point of this post.  This time of year I always thank God for all of his unanswered prayers.  I know that sounds silly and maybe a bit crazy, but the prayers that went unanswered nearly 9 years ago have proven to be the biggest blessings of my life.  For those of you that do not know me personally, or maybe do not know me well I will give you a bit of back ground. My marriage to Channing is my 2nd marriage.  I was married before, and that marriage ended in divorce in 2003.  I got married very young (23) and was completely unprepared for marriage.  I also picked the wrong man to be my husband.  Shocking that it didn't work out right???  Without rehashing all of the ugly details my first husband was unfaithful during our marriage.  But he had been unfaithful prior to our marriage and I married him anyway.  So I was not a victim...I knew full well what I was getting into.  But I was going to be the one to change him.  I was also planning to win the lottery.  I'm 0 for 2.

During the fall of 2001 we separated and I made it my goal in life to fix our marriage.  I was completely fixated and obsessed with us reconciling as I was not going to fail.  Did you catch that? "I" was not going to fail.  Meanwhile, he had several girlfriends and even got one pregnant (unbeknownst to me at the time), but by golly I was going to win this battle and I prayed fervently for our reconciliation day in and day out.  Eventually, in the Spring of 2002 he decided that he wanted to try and work things out and we reconciled.  Coincidentally, his epiphany happened after I had been accepted to law school.  I know people...I know.  I am shaking my head too.  The stupidity was at a level red (i.e. severe).

So that summer/fall we moved so that I could attend law school and he could work to put me through, just like I worked to put him through undergrad.  Two weeks into my first year of law school he came to me to tell me that he couldn't do it and wanted to move out.  His timing was impeccable.  I was devastated...but not shocked.  Mostly I was embarrassed that I had put myself and my family and loved ones through all of this when I had always known that he was not a good man.  I knew this time it was over...and I filed for divorce within days.  The divorce was final in January of 2003...and then, my real life began.

I have no idea what my life would be like had God answered my prayers in the way I wanted 9 years ago.  But I do know that because those prayers were unanswered I got to have this:

Law School trip to Ireland for 5 weeks

The most amazing lifetime friendships with my "lunch bunch" girls.

The opportunity to be the President of my law school class.

Graduated from law school and passed the bar exam.

Work for the federal government in New Orleans providing disaster relief after Katrina and meeting one of my besties Steph (they called us Thelma and Louise).

Meeting this guy...

Falling in love with above mentioned guy

Getting engaged

Getting married (I still can't believe he picked me to be his wife)

Getting this little message...

Experience this miracle

Meet the one who changed it all...

Experience a love I never knew existed.

Get to smile like this.

And this...

I get to be her mom.

And wake up to this every single morning.

Dear Lord,  Your path is better than my path.  You direction is better than my own.  The life you have for me is more than anything I could have ever dreamed of or asked for.  Thank you for loving me enough to leave some prayers unanswered. 

Your adoring child,

Steph

P.S.  Thank you for Garth Brooks too!!!

A very merry "un" birthday

Last year on this day at this time I was on the verge of a full on panic attack.  You see...I thought it would be a good idea to throw my husband a surprise party for his 30th birthday.  Before I knew it I was in the throws of dirty thirty party planning.  One day driving home from work I was having a serious discussion with myself in the car. It went a little something like this, "Ummm...I'm going to be 30 weeks pregnant on September 12th, that should be really attractive. NOT!!!"  (I've decided I'm bringing NOT back.  I'm also going to try and revive schwing...join me won't you?).  "Ummm...the party is being held in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Little Rock, Arkansas is 350 miles away from where we live. So how are you going to be able to do anything at all that involves planning said party?"  "Ummm...Channing's birthday is on October 16th for all that is good and holy why are you throwing him a 30th birthday on September 12th???"  "Ummm...can you please stop talking to yourself? As I am concerned that your short layover in Anxietyville is going to land you permanently in Crazytown."  I don't talk to myself anymore.  Myself is to sarcastic for my taste.

Anywho...all of the anxiety was for not as the party was planned and executed without a hitch.  It was one of the best nights of both of our lives and we will remember it for many years to come.  We had some good clean fun that night folks.  It was a casino night theme and the event planner I hired Heather Pile...was IN.CRED.I.BLE!!!  Like I said, I was in Dallas planning a party in Little Rock.  I never did anything but write the check and walk into the party.  She did everything...every i was dotted, every t was crossed.  I got Channing to the party that night by telling him it was a wedding reception for a friend of mine from law school that had gotten married in Mexico and Little Rock was her hometown.  Heather went so far as to create a fake invitation to the reception and mailed it to us in TX just to give the story that much more legitimacy!!!  How awesome is that?  Pretty flippin awesome is the answer.  If you are ever throwing an event in Little Rock, AR contact Heather Pile ...you will not regret it.

Join me on this stroll down memory lane on this the anniversary of my cute hubby's surprise "un"birthday party (the reason I planned the party for September 12th was because it was Arkansas' bye week and I knew more people would be able to come.  Why not throw it on his actual birthday you ask?  Well my husband thought he had a loser wife and friends that were not planning anything for his 30th birthday so he planned a Vegas trip with a few friends on the weekend of is real birthday...whoopsie daisies!!!)

Fake wedding invitation Heather made and sent to our home

Table cards

Center pieces

Grub table

Amazing poker table birthday cake

Need a closer look at that bad boy?  Here ya go...

Everyone waiting for the guest of honor

SURPRISE!!!  (It was pouring out...hence the wet shirt)

I could not believe everyone kept the secret a secret...especially this guy.  Channing's best friend Donovan ;)

Our friend Steph flew all the way in from Connecticut...she's special.  In an awesome kind of way, not a short bus kind of way.

Dale decided it would be a good idea to do his version of Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby."

Channing and John were his background dancers.  I was so embarrassed for them entertained by them.

Wow...

Good times ya'll...

Make a wish "un"birthday boy!!!

Everyone was getting their soul train on.

And then this happened.  It was awkward amazing!!!

I laughed until I thought I would go into premature labor that night.

And it was worth every penny to see this guy smile...

Happy anniversary of your "un" birthday babe. Love you...mean it!!!

Toodles...