We're back!!!!

Oh gosh...it's been so long!!! I don't even know where to start b/c I really do have so much to say (imagine that). So, I guess I'll start where we left off and try to get everything else in this week.

Where did we leave off???? Oh yes...GO TECH!!! Wowsers!!! They have really impressed the last couple weeks. We're ecstatic. This weekend (Tech vs. Texas) will be the biggest game in Texas Tech's history. AND...College Gameday is making their way to Lubbock, TX. Woohoo!!! Here's the sad news...we had plans to go to Lubbock for the game but yesterday made an executive decision that it will be too hard to make it all work. Bummer!!! BUT...we'll be watching from home with our rally hats on.

Now, the past two weeks, I'm happy to say I've done a good job with my old football "rituals" which is waking up, start College Gameday at 9:00 a.m. and watch football all day and all night. It has really exhausted me though. Attached are some pics from last weekend. We went to watch the game at a friends house and had a great time. Lola loves it b/c she is able to play with the kids of our friends. It's a blast!

As mentioned, I have so much to say but will save for future blogs. Life has been crazy lately and Lola is really starting to come into her own. I'm sad b/c I feel like she is almost a toddler now which leads me to one of my subjects of discussion....is it baby #2 time!?!? Other things that I can't wait to discuss are Lo's precious teeth, NO sleep...back to the basics (babywise), diaper rash...what to do, a sick baby...off to the doctor, our new favorite toys, my new job, How to manage it all? (btw...I don't have the answer to this), cousin Magill is almost here, marathon is almost here, Are we leaving Dallas? I'm telling you...I really do have a lot to say so stay tuned.

GO TECH!!!

One of my great loves is college football. Now, I'll admit since Lola has entered our lives I have a harder time watching football the way I used to i.e. spend ALL day Saturday - 10:00 a.m. when College Gameday coverage begins until around 11:00 p.m. when the last game ends. Seriously, I love it!!! It gives me this adrenaline rush like no other. In addition to Lola, Clay doesn't want to dedicate all day on Saturday to football anymore. I'm very dissappointed in him. A couple weekends ago he said "I'm footballed out" and I responded by saying "I don't understand how you can say that. This has always been something we love. I don't feel like I even know you anymore". Now, I realize this is a bit extreme but I am a little dissappointed that Clay has grown out of our obsession for college football.

With all of that said, our team the Texas Tech Red Raiders are ranked #7. Um yes...#7!!! I almost have to laugh when I type this out b/c it really is a little much. Yes, I know...they are suppose to be good but we haven't really played anyone yet and we continue to move up in the polls. Secondly, anyone that knows Tech football well, knows they always find a way to mess up a good thing. I certainly do hope this is not the case this year but lets just say I'm not going to get our hopes up yet.

We went to Lubbock last weekend to watch the Tech vs. Nebraska game. We had a blast!!! It's always fun to run into people from the "old days" and catch up. We bought Lola a precious Raiders cheerleading outfit and I can't wait to put it on her.

So, tomorrow is a big game. Here are the headlines:

No. 7/5 Red Raiders Face Rival Texas A&M At Kyle Field

We're heading to a friends house tomorrow to begin the festivities at 10:30 a.m. Time to put our rally caps on!!!! Oh good lord...this should be interesting. I'm excited but nervous...although A&M is not so good this year, it's always a good game. Oh, I also have a fabulous Texas Tech papazon chair that I'm busting out for Tech games. I'm hoping it brings luck.

I Love NY

I'm in New York...YEA!!!! However, I already miss my baby girl. I put Lo in her I love NY onsie this morning and we spent the morning together. As usual, it broke my heart to leave her. This trip is very bitter sweet....I'm so excited about being back in NY and seeing friends but I'm very sad to be away from Lo for three days.


I have a meeting tomorrow and then I plan to hit the City. Tomorrow night I'm meeting up with some friends for dinner and drinks. Thursday I plan to have lunch with a girlfriend and shop it up (even though I have NO money to spend...especially since I'm about to have to go buy a new breastpump....I'll get back to that). But, you have to shop when you're in NYC...it's a sin not to....right!?! I plan to hit up all my old hot spots and little secret places....oh how I miss my little secret stores. Then, I'll head to Hoboken to visit my girlfriend Trish who just had a baby. I'm so excited to finally meet baby Harry.


Back to the pump debacle...as you know, I'm still breastfeeding. I traveled here with all my equipment (there is lots of it when you travel) which includes pump, bottles, milk bags, portable cooler, ice packs, etc. Goodness...I need one whole suit case for the breastfeeding gear alone. Anyway, I get to the hotel and immediately get everything out so I can pump as it has been 9 hours since I last pumped. WELL...MY PUMP IS NOT WORKING!!! I panicked and thought WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO DO???? I'm stuck out in New Jersey and have no car and don't know where the heck to go even if I had one. I did the only thing I could do which was call my boss, tell her I have an emergency and that I need her help (thank goodness it's a "her"). She laughed as she has had quite a day too. She should be arriving to the hotel shortly and I plan to run down so we can run to Wal-Mart and I can buy an emergency pump. HUH!!! Nothing like getting to know your boss very well. Why does this stuff only happen when you're traveling!?!?!

I'll keep yall posted on trip....it should be a blast!

What happens when you don't babyproof...

I can't keep up with the child....She goes straight for plugs and cords and dog food and cabinets and anything else she can get her hands on!!!! Wowsers....she's a handful!!!!

Vacuum cord going in mouth.... I was able to snap the picture and catch her before it actually got in mouth....pretty talented...huh!?!

In the dog bowl and attempting to eat dog food...this is a daily routine.
















Why do they always go straight to outlets?????

Are all 7 month olds this hyper????

The much dreaded topic

Oh, this is a dreaded topic but it's such a major part of the first year of a babies life so I have to mention it. Breastfeeding definitely has it's ups and downs and you go through many challenges along the way. At times, it's almost been more than I can handle but I'm glad I continue to stick with it.

Unfortunately, I was never able to build up a good supply of milk. This makes breastfeeding that much more challenging. Basically, I was only able to build up enough to keep Lola fed. She's always been a big eater. I continue to struggle with supply issues. Once I went back to work and was pumping the majority of the time, it became merely impossible for me to feed Lo breastmilk 100% of the time. I finally decided that it's ok to supplement some formula (organic). We keep it to a minimum but once I made this decision, this made life a lot easier.

Now, I mentioned work and pumping. This is a challenge in it's own self. First of all, it's VERY hard to set aside 30 minutes two times a day. Well, it really ends up being more than that once you factor in cleaning all the bottles, etc. I had initially tried 3X a day to keep my supply up but that just wasn't going to work...I felt like I was pumping all day and getting no work done. Oh to make matters worse...Um...well...my employer sticks me in a supply closet to pump. Seriously, A SUPPLY CLOSET! So, I've now made it my little home away from home or I guess I should say office away from office. I have my book I'm reading in there, some Time magazines, People magazines, paper towels, water supply, etc. It's kind of cozy now. Here's a lovely pick of my room.

I bet you thought I was joking when I said supply room...nope...it's literally a little closet. So, this is where I spend a hour of my day every day. Pretty pitiful...huh!!!

I have my reasons for posting this blog today. I've been very stressed and depressed about breastfeeding this week as my supply has drastically gone down. I woke up this morning and discovered I had started my period (first one in 18 months). For those of you who don't know...you don't have a period while breastfeeding. I forget how much I HATE the menstrual cycle. The great news is it explains my supply issues this week. I thought I was drying up but that's not the case. Here's what I found:

"The return of menstruation does not mean the end of breastfeeding. The milk does not sour or "go bad" when you are having a period. The milk is no less nutritious when you are menstruating than when you are not. Some women do notice a temporary drop in milk supply in the days just prior to a period and for a few days into one. This is due to hormonal fluctuations. Once the period begins and hormone levels begin to return to normal, the milk supply will boost back up again. Most babies can compensate well for this temporary drop in supply with more frequent nursing".

What a relief!!!!!

My words of encouragement: Get past 6 weeks and it gets a little easier...get past 3 months and it gets even more easy (supply has steadied, no more leaking, can actually sleep without a bra on at night, etc)....if you can get past 6 months, it's all smooth sailing from there. Always tell yourself "You can do it!!! I know this sounds cheesy but it has helped me get through. Here are my tips:

• Read "Baby Wise" and any other material on breast-feeding.
• Medela pump (http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/)- I love it! They are expensive so I recommend borrowing or buying one from a friend. You just have to replace the tubing which you can get at a lactation center. If you decide to buy a new one, go with the new version Freestyle pump (http://www.medelafreestyle.com/).
• Talk to other mothers and ask for advice. This is one of the reasons why I loved Itsy Bitsy yoga and post-natal yoga. It was a great opportunities to talk to other mothers.
• Drink lots of water. I've never felt so desperate for water until I started breastfeeding...it's very strange the extreme craving you have.
• Vitamins to take - pre-natal, Fishoil/DHA, fenugreek (helps build your supply). There are also great herbal teas out there that can help with supply that you can get at Whole Foods. You can also take Blessed Thistle and Alfalfa.
• Don't be afraid to supplement formula. If you're stressing over your supply, that will only make matters worse and you won't be able to produce. If needed, take pressure off of yourself. You only can do what you can do.
• Great website to use when you have questions: http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/supply.html.

Lo and her pigtails

It's official, Lola has moved to the "big girl" class at school. She was suppose to be in her original class until 9 months but they can't keep up with her anymore so they started easing her into the next class up. Last week she started full time in the new class. She LOVES it!!!

Lo misses Miss Yolanda & Miss Martha but still gets to visit during the day. Her new teachers are Miss Olga, Miss Candace & Miss Ann. She's also back with her BFFs Jackson & Victoria (they were moved up about a month ago). They say she is always playing and having a blast. You have never seen anything like it. The first day she was in there, they said she played so hard that she finally gave up and just fell asleep on the mat. Then, when we would arrive to pick her up, she would be real happy and giggle but then crawl back to play with the kids longer. When I picked her up on Tuesday, they had her hair in pigtails. I thought it was adorable and she felt like she was "Miss Thing"....she was prancing all around the house with those pigtails and loving every minute.

Lo had her first zoo experience yesterday. My mom said she loved it. I'm so excited she is at an age when she can finally enjoy it b/c I love the zoo and can't wait to spend a lot of time there with Lo. Yesterday she saw all the animals, rode a pony, got a little stuffed peacock from the gift shop....it was all fun and games. After my mom dropped her off at my house, I asked her if she put plenty of sunblock on her. She said "oh yea...we put it on several times throughout the day". I answered that I need to buy some more b/c I can't find ours and my mom said "there was some in her baby bag". Well, that wasn't sunblock in the bag....it was butt paste. So, Lo was covered in butt paste all day....oops!!! For any of you that are interested, it keeps a baby from being sunburned. Pretty funny.

My crazy friend

I have this crazy friend named Angie. I feel like I could write a children's book about Angie and her adventures. I can't get into all the "ins and outs" and why Angie is crazy but I do want to tell one little story.

Ok. So last year Angie saw an advertisement in our office elevator that to open the State Fair of Texas Dodge would be hosting a dance marathon which they called Durango Tango and the winner of the dance marathon would win a brand new Dodge Durango. Angie was goofing around and decided to write an essay and submit to the fair. She figured she's a marathon runner so surely she could get through and win a dance marathon no problem. I think now Angie would say this was easier said than done. To make a long story short, Angie was one of 25 chosen to dance in the Durango Tango. She danced for 27.16 hours (with limited restroom and water breaks) and WON!!! It was hilarious. So now Angie is cruising around Big D in her custom Dodge Durango. Of course, with rising gas prices, it's become more of a burden b/c she would like to sell it but can't (If anyone is interested in buying, let me know and I'll hook you up with Angie). Here's one of the articles written on Angie after the dance-off:

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-28-2007/0004672332&EDATE=

After the big marathon, Angie said it was one of the hardest things she had ever done and she wasn't quite sure it was all worth it. But, here's the deal with Angie, she obviously has a thing for torture b/c she decided to once again write an essay and try to get into another contest at the State Fair. But this time it isn't a dance marathon but rather a corny dog eating contest. Yes my friends....I said a CORNY DOG EATING CONTEST. And, once again, she was one of 15 chosen to participate in the 6th Annual World Corny Dog Eating Contest (no they didn't throw "world" in there). Here are the details of the Corny Dog Eating Contest:

http://www.bigtex.com/cornydogcontest.asp

If you're in town, go out to support Angie on Sunday as she tackles and plans to conquer another competition. Here is the essay Angie wrote to get herself into the contest. They felt out of the numerous entries submitted that she was the "perfect" candidate.

My name is Angela Vanhoose, winner of the Durango Tango at the State Fair last year. My competitive side, coupled with my love for food, would make me a perfect candidate for a Corn Dog Eating Contest! I had a blast out there last year, being a contestant at the Durango Tango. The experience is something that I'll never forget, and I was very grateful to win! It was tough, dancing in the heat for 27 hours and 16 minutes, but somehow I survived! When they interviewed me after the dance competition, I do recall telling the newspaper folks that I was 'going to go grab a corn dog, before I head home.'

I feel that you should pick me as a contestant for this show down! I would love an opportunity to continue my reign, of contest winning, at the State Fair! I have a tendency to go back for seconds, or sometimes thirds, at dinner. Buffets get scared, when they know I'm coming!
The bottom line is, I love me some Fletcher's Corny Dogs!

P.S. Will there be mustard?

Mad Scientist

Dinner last night....

Not quite sure how we do it but by the time Lola is done eating it seems the food is everywhere....on face, in hair, up nose, in belly button...you name it and it's there. In these photos, she is covered in squash. Amazing!!!

We've been trying out the finger food thing and it hasn't gone so well yet. Last week I went to whole foods and bought several organic veggies/fruits (so freakin' expensive BTW)....avocados, bananas, mangoes...stuff that Lola could chomp on no problemo. I was pumped about starting a new feeding regimen. It's always fun to move to the next big thing. Well, didn't go so well. If you put the food in her mouth, she'll eat it. As I've mentioned before, the child will eat any and everything. But, when I sit it on her tray to eat, she plays with it, looks at it, smashes it, bangs it on the table, drops it on the carpet, puts it in her hair, etc. Goes no where near her mouth!!!

So, here's why I'm so perplexed over this....it seems like if there is any little/tiny thing (could be as small as lint) on the table or floor, Lo is racing to get to it, pick it up and put it in her mouth. But, when I put little food things in front of her, thinking she'll pick it up and put in her mouth like she does everything else, she puts it in her hair instead. Go figure! What's up with that??? I guess like everything else it will take a few times before she figures it out. For now, we'll keep trying.

I wanted to post this video last week but forgot. Watch it...it is hilarious!!! A serious riot. You may have already seen it on CNN but I got a good laugh out of it. Of course, that's hard to do right now...I'm so irate by everything going down in the financial market. I'm going to keep the details to a minimum but the greed that got us into the mess sends me overboard. I watched the Congressional hearings yesterday regarding the $750M bail out (I recommend that EVERYONE watch them)....it is scary! In addition to this (and the fact that the top dogs of these companies are walking away with MILLIONS), it makes me so mad that those of us that work everyday, pay our bills and mortgages on time every month will also be affected by this debacle. I'm going to leave at that but it has had me in a sore, sore, sore mood over the past several days. I was already concerned about the environment and how much Lola and other babies will get the raw deal there but now to make matters worse 30 years from now she'll still be paying for this too. Lola has gotten a lesson on greed this week. The next lesson will be to teach her to hold herself accountable for her own mistakes and not push them off on others. Sorry about the out lash!!! Watch the video:

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/3510366/9745199

Oh no...she figured it out

Oh good Lord...we're in trouble!!! Lola has figured out how to pull herself up. Now, this is great b/c she's tackled yet another milestone. Go Lo!!! However, it's also bad b/c she can pretty much get to any and everything. Oh No!!!

How it all went down: Last Thursday is when it happened. I put Lo in her bed to play with some toys while I was hanging clothes and cleaning up. All of the sudden I heard her breathing heavily and giggling out of excitement. I turned around and she was standing up!!! She was so proud of herself that she could barely breathe. It was adorable! I, of course, started saying "Yea Lola!" and yelled for clay to come quick. I called my mom to tell her the big news. She said she had been working with Lola on pulling up earlier that day. It didn't take long for her to figure it out on her own. I also think she sees other babies in her class tackle a milestone and then she starts trying to figure out how to do it herself. Babies are pretty smart little things.

I've posted some pics of the first day Lola pulled up on her own. Umm...yes...she was trying to figure out how to climb out of the crib. In addition, at one point, she let go with one hand, looked across the crib and was considering taken a step to the other side. She quickly figured out she was not quite ready for that. I've since taken some other cute ones that I'll get uploaded and posted another day. There was one where she pulled up on her toy box trying to get in...OMG...it was the cutest thing!!!

We're proud of her but (once again) it's changed the dynamics around our house. She is pulling up on EVERYTHING!!! Of course, that doesn't come with out some big falls. It's all fun.

In other big news, last Friday Lola's two front bottom teeth popped through. They've been threatening to come through for a while but now their finally here. This has made breastfeeding quite a challenge for reasons that I'm sure are obvious. With the new teeth, we've been trying finger foods and moving up to "big girl" foods. I'll blog about that later this week b/c any advice other parents out there have is always helpful.

Saturday is a BIG day!!!

Saturday is a BIG day for me. I'm running a 10K. I'm a nervous wreck...my stomach actually has butterflies in it right now. I'm especially nervous since I missed my run this morning....I was EXHAUSTED!!! I'll make sure and squeeze it in tonight though.

Training for the half marathon has been a HUGE challenge for me. Every weekend when we increase our miles and I complete it, I really feel proud of myself. I know it doesn't seem like much but when you haven't run since your last soccer game in 1994, it's a big deal. Of course, even then I never ran more than a mile. We're up to 6.2 miles...woohoo!!! Craziness!!! Before you know it we'll be doing 13 miles...still sounds pretty scary to me. My goal is to complete the half marathon in December and then start training for a full marathon. I would love to run the NYC marathon in November 2009. This goal seems far off right now but I'll keep truckin' in hopes that I'll get there.

Now, this routine hasn't come easy. I've had a calf pull that I'm trying to nurse back, I have major back pains and now I'm having knee pains. Clay says my knee pain is like tennis elbow and just comes with the territory. I'm not sure about this but I do know it hurts. Huh...I think I may be too old for this!

Thanks to Miss Lola I continue to conquer the miles every week....she gives me so much inspiration!!!

Too cute for words

Ok. So, have you ever seen something that was so cute that it brought tears to your eyes? Well, the first time I saw all the babies in the buggy I literally couldn't hold back the tears. It was one of the sweetest things I had ever seen.

My first sight of Lola in the buggy will never leave my mind. It was really too cute for words. Like I always do, I walked into the day-care to pick up Lo. As I signed Lola out, I greeted all the ladies in the front. They had mentioned that they thought Lola was in the buggy. I didn't know what that meant until I saw it. I almost died...It was so adorable!!!! At the time, there were 5 kids in the buggy. Poor baby Lo was on the back seat by herself. Of course she didn't know any different but it still just broke my heart in a really sweet way (not sure if that makes sense). Anyway, Clay said the next day when he picked her up, they were in the buggy again and Lo was front row joe. Oh....too cute.

Apparently, when the weather is nice, they load the babies up a couple times a day and stroll them around the day-care and they get to go outside for some fresh air. They said they love it!!! I can imagine they do...I would love to be strolled around in one of these things. My mom was able to capture a picture and I was thrilled. That's Miss Yolanda (one of Lola's fav teachers) pushing them around. Seriously....it doesn't get much cuter....love it!!!

www.jorycordy.com

See attached gallery of our photo shoot.

http://www.jorycordy.com/odomfamily/

Poisoned Profits

Did you know that dryer clothes are one of the worst things you can bring into your house??? Crazy right??? The other day I was listening to one of my favorite talk shows "Think" on NPR and these two authors, Philip & Alice Shabecoff, were on talking about their new book "Poisoned Profits: The Toxic Assault on our Children". The things they were saying was absolutely terrifying to me. I ordered the book but I'm scared to read it.

I don't want to get into too much detail but I highly recommend anyone who has kids or is thinking about having kids buy/read this book. If for anything, they have a chapter in the book that lists "helpful tips" on how we can help avoid the exposure of toxins to our kids. Get it...this is a MUST HAVE!!! Here is a quick description of the book:

In this shocking and sobering book, two fearless journalists directly and definitively link industrial toxins to the current rise in childhood disease and death. In the tradition of Silent Spring, Poisoned Profits is a landmark investigation, an eye-opening account of a country that prizes money over children’s health.

With indisputable data, Philip Shabecoff and Alice Shabecoff reveal that the children of baby boomers–the first to be raised in a truly “toxified” world–have higher rates of birth defects, asthma, cancer, autism, and other serious illnesses than previous generations. In piercing case histories, the authors identify the culprit as corporate pollution. Here are the stories of such places as Dickson, Tennessee, where babies were born with cleft lips and palates after landfill chemicals seeped into the water, and Port Neches, Texas, where so many graduates of a high school near synthetic rubber and chemical plants contracted cancer that the school was nicknamed “Leukemia High.”

The danger to our children isn’t just in the outside world, though. The Shabecoffs provide evidence that our homes are now infested with everything from dangerous flame retardants in crib mattresses to harmful plastic softeners in teething rings to antibiotics and arsenic in chicken–additives that are absorbed by growing and physically vulnerable kids as well as by pregnant women. Compounding the problem are chemical corporations that sabotage investigations and regulations, a government that refuses to police these companies, and corporate-hired scientists who keep pertinent secrets massaged with skewed data of their own.

Poisoned Profits also demonstrates how people are fighting back, whether through grassroots parents’ groups putting pressure on politicians, the rise of “ecotheology” in the pulpits of formerly indifferent churches, or the new “green chemistry” being practiced in labs to replace bad elements with good. The Shabecoffs also include helpful tips on reducing risks to children in how they eat and play, and in how parents clean and maintain their homes.

Powerful, unflinching, and eminently readable, Poisoned Profits is a wake-up call that is bound to inspire talk and force change.

Off to Atlanta

Hello all. I'm off to Atlanta and haven't had time to post any fun blogs this week. I have some good stuff so I hope to have time toward the end of the week.

We had pictures taken this past weekend. It was a blast! I also hope to get the link to the gallery up on the blog this week so everyone can see. The photographer was fabulous!!! In the meantime, you can go to the following blog to get a quick preview.

http://blog.jorycordy.com/

Be back in a couple of days!!!

Junction Trip

Over Labor Day weekend we went to Junction with my family to enjoy being out in the country. It was very relaxing and a ton of fun. The ride down with Adam and Brana was great. We were able to catch up on conversation and luckily due to the fab Orbit toddler seat, we enjoyed the ride. We stopped in Brady at the famous Hard Eight BBQ joint...it was good but not as good as Coopers (we stopped there on the way to Fredericksburg with Molly & Ben). Then it was time to stock up on brewskies and start the weekend off right. We loaded up in the Bronco with Lo in tow and drove around checking out the beautiful land. WOW...it is amazing out there. Here are some pics of our adventures in the Bronco.

We also spent a lot of time on the back porch enjoying the views. We talked, ate, drank, ate, enjoyed the views, ate, went kayaking on the Llano river and ate some more. Do you see a trend here? There was lots of eating going on. I've determined that not only have I gained back the 6 lbs I lost when I was sick but I've probably gained another 3 lbs on top of that. It was worth it but it's now time to buckle down.

There was one downfall to the trip....it appears Lola and cedar trees do not mix well. She had horrible allergies the entire weekend. This meant no sleep. When I say "no sleep", I mean NONE. She was up at least every hour if not more. It was miserable for all of us. I think she would wake up scared b/c she felt like she couldn't breathe. Poor baby girl. She's doing fine now...all cleared up and sleeping 10 -12 hours at nights.

Oh, I also forgot to tell yall that Brana found a horny toad. How cool is that! These little suckers are going extinct but randomly she found one. Look how cute he is. Clay has great childhood memories of catching horny toads so he was loving it.

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!!

I must confess

As I was driving to work this morning several things crossed my mind and I decided I would not post the blog that I prepared last night rather I would confess some things to my fellow blog readers.

Firstly, I'm obsessed with the Kidd Kraddick morning talk show. Even those who know me best may not know this. When I found myself sending a text message to my sister-in-law, Brana, at 7:45 a.m. this morning to find out if Kidd and his wife Carolyn split I thought first of all I'm 32 and trying to get gossip about Kidd Kraddick of all people and second of all this may be considered major obsession. Of course, Brana quickly responded back with the answer and I was very upset to hear the sad news that Kidd and Carolyn are getting a divorce. It's funny b/c we talk about them like we know them. Like Diet Coke (DC), this morning show is something I absolutely HAVE to have to get me going in the mornings. Good Lord...if they are on vacation and playing re-runs, I know it will be a bad week.

Then, you throw a Chris Brown (my new fav artist) in there and I know it will be a fabulous day despite the deadlines I have at work. Now, I mention Chris Brown as this is another confession...I love Chris Brown!!! It's been since 1999 when Usher came out with his first album that I've had a R&B artist that I like this much. Back in the day I loved all of it but lately not so much. Chris Brown has officially brought me back.

Now as yall have probably figured out, I typically steer clear from TV watching as there is usually nothing on that is worth watching but Wednesday nights are different. I must confess that I LOVE ANTM. For those amateurs out there, that's Americas Next Top Model. Last night was a dream night for me. The premiere of ANTM then the premiere of Top Design and you top that off with Project Runway and that makes for some fun. I loved every minute of it. Although Clay wouldn't ever admit it, I think he may have enjoyed it too.

Another confession...right now I'm eaten up with chigger bites. My entire back is covered with them. Well, I've always been very proud about the fact that I can be sitting outside and everyone around me can be eaten up by mosquitoes or chiggers and they don't touch me....I walk away with not one bite. I had a tendency to brag about this in the past by saying things like "Nah...I don't need Off" or while everyone was getting attacked around me I would joyfully say "Bugs don't eat me!". I never knew why but I loved it as it was just one less thing I had to worry about. Now, it is obviously a different story b/c I'm in pain. And, the bites keep popping up....it's crazy. Anyway, I don't know if this, like so many other things, is a post-baby thing but all I know is something has changed.

My final confession is a big one. I'm getting baby fever. Eeeek!!! CRAZY right!!! Clay will probably come close to having a heart attack when he reads this but I seriously think I'm ready to be pregnant again. Now that I've thrown that out there...please don't get too excited b/c I'm ABSOLUTELY NOT going to act on this for a number of reasons but I can say with confidence that I'm ready (so I think). Due to my lack of love for pregnancy, I didn't know if I would ever be ready again. Maybe since I feel this way I'll enjoy the next pregnancy more. Of course, it will be a while before we know the answer to this.

I've attached some pics of Lo working diligently to get the sippy cut in her mouth...it was really cute.

Fredericksburg Trip

Fredericksburg House - home away from home for the weekend.

Hanging out in the trees for a photo shoot.
BTW...I hate the way I look in the dress.

Look how smiley our little chunky monkey is in this pic.

Ok...seriously...I had to attach this pic to show Ben's righteous 80s hair-do he had kickin this day...nothing like a little party in the front and business in the back action. He, He!

As mentioned a week or so ago, we went down to Fredericksburg, Tx for a quick family getaway. At that time it was much needed and very refreshing.

We stayed at a precious little house on several acres of land right outside of Fredericksburg and enjoyed being out in nature. The house also had a pool which was fabulous. Nothing better than to kick back, have a drink and catch some rays. It was very enjoyable!

On Saturday, we headed to town. The boys tore off to the horse races while the girls went to shop. Most of the shopping was very disappointing but we did stumble upon three little stores that made it all worth the while. Thank goodness b/c we had money burning in our pockets (not really but we acted like we did at least). Despite the heat and long day, Lo did great on the shopping journey. It looks like she may be taking after her mom there. At the end of the day we all met up for some great food, drinks and music and headed back to the house.

Ben and Clay are always looking for an excuse to pick up the guitars and play some music. This particular weekend was no different. In the evenings, everyone kicked back and listened to some of The Post Folk tunes. When you get a chance, check out their my space page at www.myspace.com/thepostfolk to hear some of their stuff. To quote Ben, they are a "slave to the groove".

It worked!!!

I'm happy to say that the Orbit toddler seat made our road trip seamless. Yea!!! Well, I assume it was the seat but all I know is we went 5 hours with no screams, cries or any other problems. She had tons of room to move around in her little seat....I think she felt like she was in hog heaven. I also took some of the other advice given and bought some Gerber puffs and a new toy and we were off...

Lo didn't take to the Gerber puffs too well. She seemed to like the Tupperware bowl I put them in better than the actual puffs. That's ok...I guess she just isn't ready for finger foods yet. We'll keep trying. She loved the new blabla I bought her though. Attached is a pic with Lo in the fabulous new roomy car seat with her new blabla. I also took all of her favorite toys and books along with us so we had all basis covered. Here are two of her favorite toys. They are simple but she absolutely loves them. This is all she needs to keep her happy for long (in baby terms) periods of time. This little rosette toy was a gift. How cute is this rattle!!! Lola has always loved this one. I think it's the bright colors. She takes it in her hand and shakes it VERY aggressively. You better steer clear when she has this toy in hand b/c she is likely to bop you in the head with it and it doesn't feel good. She's also bopped her own head a couple times but still just kept going like it didn't phase her.

Lo also loves the Sassy wood toys. I think she likes the fact that she can get a good grip of it and she also LOVES the tags. She touches them, plays around with them, puts them in her mouth....she really has a fascination with tags. I need to get her a few more of the Sassy toys.

What I love best about both of these toys is that they are so simple. Nothing talking and/or flashing just pure simplicity....back to the basics. It's amazing how the most simple toys can keep a baby/child entertained....no need for TVs, video games, etc. A baby can learn to entertain themselves with the simplest objects if we just let them. I know it can be easy to sit a baby in front of a TV with a DVD that will entertain them for hours but the key is not to do this. If they aren't taught to watch TV then they won't know what they are missing....right??? Clay and I feel strongly about avoiding TV watching as much as possible. I know this is easier said than done but I remember as a kid playing with dolls and legos and other things like this that teach a child to have an imagination. I don't remember watching TV at all. So, for now, it's our plan to use the same parenting techniques with Lo that our parents used with us.

Anyway, I would love to update everyone on the trip and post some pics but don' t have time today. Hopefully later this week I'll be able to get some pics up on the blog from the Junction and Fredericksburg trips.

Our Saving Grace

Well, we're off on another road trip today. Good news though....we (when I say "we", I mean "my dad") bought the Orbit toddler carseat in hopes that this will be our saving grace on this road trip. Oh I so hope this will help b/c I'm not up for another trip where Lo is screaming the whole way.

So, since we've been on a roll with the road trips, I've been asking around and trying to get advice. So far no one has been able to offer advice that knocked me out of the park. Probably b/c there is no "real" solution to the problem. The fact is that babies don't like to be caged up for long periods of time. You can't blame them...I hate it too.

The best advice I received was from a friend, Meredith, who said she usually waits to leave when it's time for her daughter to go to sleep for the night. She said she feeds her, bathes her and does everything she would do on a normal night but instead of putting her in bed she puts her in the carseat. I thought this was a great idea but unfortunately not feasible for us on this trip. Other advice was buy some new toys or give the baby teething crackers and/or Gerber puffs. So I went to Target yesterday to get some of the fun finger foods that were recommended. We'll see how it all works out for us this round.

We're heading down to Junction, TX with my family. It usually takes approximately 5 hrs to get down there. I pre-warned my brother and sister-in-law that it could very well take us 8 hrs. I'm not sure he was too happy about that. I recommended to him that instead of leaving at the worst time which is around 3:00 p.m. that we should take the advice of Meredith and wait until about 8:00 p.m. when it's Lola's bedtime. He wasn't to hip on that idea. To be honest, we would probably get there at the same time either way.

Maybe I'm just being a pessimist and it won't be that bad. We'll see. But, I certainly do hope the Orbit toddler seat ends up being our saving grace on this trip.

Can't wait to update everyone on the fun. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!!!