2 Month Pic

I wish that I'd had something holding the chalkboard frame up more, but then it would have had a glare from the flash. 

Time Change Randomness

1) Time change = stupid. The only positive for me is that it will be darker a bit longer in the mornings, which means I can hopefully sleep a bit longer after the 4:30ish bottle. 

2) Unless I'll have to go in early for my hopefully new job at Cracker Barrel. Will find out Monday at 2pm if I definitely have the job and when I'll start. I am excited! 

3) And I'm sad. Why? I got rid of my truck. I absolutely hated to do it, I loved it so much, but it made more sense. Less money on gas, air conditioning that works, and best of all no car payment. The car is totally not what I wanted, but it will do for now. It is paid for. 

4) I needed a good laugh, and this did it. It says it's not a laughing matter, but yeah it is! At least the way they've written it it is.

http://fox17.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/clown-shortage-no-laughing-matter-20084.shtml

5) My baby girl was two months old yesterday. Yet again, she was fussy when I pulled out the camera, so the pictures didn't turn out as good as I wanted them to, but beings she was fussy, they aren't too bad. I have to look them over and edit them. 

6) Yet again, it is cold in the house this morning. 

7) Time change, yet my phone still says it's midnight. Um.....it's 1am, right? Spring forward. Hello, "smart" phone, get it right! 

8) Evenflo Advanced and Advanced + are LO's favorite bottles. Lord bless Kmart for carrying them! But....

9) LO is picky about her bottle. It has to be warm, or she'll spit and/or drool it all out while drinking. Which brings me to.....

10) Went to a children's consignment shop. Found a cigarette lighter plug operated portable bottle warmer. Granted I only paid $1.99 for it, but the dang thing doesn't work! Why would you put something on your sales floor without testing it, even if you put a cheap price on it? That is just bad business. Won't be going back there unless I'm looking for something that they may have that no other place in this non-shopping town has. 

11) LO woke me up to drink maybe one full oz of her bottle, then refuse more and is wide awake. Seriously? I am tired, and we lost an hour of sleep. Ugh! 

12) Still cold..... 

13) My kitchen is a mess! LO has been fussy and wanting constant bouncing, so I haven't had much time for dishes. 

14) My mom's BFF finally got to see and hold LO for the first time yesterday. It was beautiful. She is pretty sick, cancer has gotten the best of her, and this is the first time she's been well enough to be able to be around her and hold her. 

15) Seeing momma Glinda holding LO made me miss my mom that much more. I know she's looking out for LO and is always here with us, but I still miss her. 

Totally Randoms

1) I am addicted to roasted red pepper hummus and jelly beans (but not together).

2) My LO will be two months old tomorrow. Boy how time flies! 

3) I had a dream that an actor from the Brady Bunch died....who it was, I have no idea. 

4) It is cold in my house. 

5) This is both sad and awesome at the same time. I would SO do something like this. 

http://fox17.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/2500-newspaper-ad-sweetest-revenge-ever-20055.shtml

6) I had another dream last night that I had gone to Mtek, whether to visit it work I don't know, but went in the bathroom and came back out in an elementary school. What?? 

7) I will find out Monday for sure if I have a new job. I am so excited! It may not be enough money to pay the bills, so I may have to figure some things out, but it's still great! 

8) I do not like that friends come before family. I understand that friends can be family, but when you are leaving your house for hours on end, or at your house but ignoring your family to spend time with your friend(s), it's very hurtful. Family deserves more than just a couple of hours a day.

9) Praying for my friend Brandy and her family. They have all been sick, and her oldest LO is scheduled to have surgery to remove her tonsils next month at Vandy. Hoping the surgery goes well and they all get better soon. 

10) Maalox, even cherry flavored, doesn't taste all that great. I've had worse, but it's just too chalky. Works good tho. Fixed chicken curry for supper and it was to die for, but got a touch of heartburn from it. 

11) LO is wide awake after her bottle. Not cool. Mommy is tired. She is not crying tho, so hoping she'll fall asleep after a bit. 

12) When I feel strongly about a subject, no amount of persuasion is going to change my mind. You believe what you want to, and I'll believe what I want to. 

13) I need a pedicure badly. Since being in the hospital having LO, my feet have been so rough and no amount of soaking or scrubbing on my part have done any good. I just hate people touching my feet! 

14) It's still cold in my house. 

15) I fell asleep earlier with my glasses on, and about to do it again. Good night! 

8 Weeks or a Month?

I am so confused! In infants, do you say they are two months old on the "anniversary" of their birthday (the actual date), or do you go by the actual weeks, which would be 8 weeks? 

Technically, not every month has the same amount of days. That being said, the actual date could be off by a few days, depending on the month. 8 weeks is exactly a month, yet today is the 5th. Layna was born on the 8th. So is she two months old today, or just 8 weeks? 

The doctor's office says she can't get her two month shots till after the 8th. An app that I have that tracks the days and weeks tells me 2 months today. 

Soooooo......which is it? Does it really matter? 

In lieu of not really knowing, I took a picture or two today, just with my cell phone, for the two month. On Saturday, the 8th, I'll take more, with my camera. That way I'll have both. 

Here is tonight's, as well as a collage of the ones I took trying to get her settled down. Yet again, she was grumpy. Go fig! 

What Will You Give Up for Lent?

Ash Wednesday is this coming Wednesday. As tradition with some religions (including Methodist, if they choose to participate), you are to give up doing/eating something that you really like. In doing so, you are honoring the great sacrifice that Jesus gave for us. What we give up is nothing compared to Him giving up His life for us, so it shouldn't be that hard for us to do. 

The Lenten season lasts from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. That is 40 days. For 40 days you have to give something up. And no, you will not go to Hell if you can't make it all 40 days. Trying is just as good. 

So what can you give up? Lots of things. Some people give up red meat, some people give up fast food. Some give up drinking any kind of soda, where some give up smoking. For kids, it could be their video games or cartoons. My pastor is giving up watching TV on Monday nights because that is when all her favorite shows come on. 

Yes, you can give up something for just one day a week for 40 days. You can give up those Friday nights you go out to dinner, or decide that on Tuesdays you won't smoke a cigarette at all. Or for kids, no cartoons on Saturday mornings. For sports fans, no watching games/races on Sundays (that would be hard!). 

As you give something up, you can take that void and fill it with positive. If you give up something that takes time (tv, cigarettes, video games) why not fill that time by bettering your spiritual life? Instead of games on Sundays or The Bachelor (whatever night that is), why not read the Bible or start a devotional? Think about areas of your life that need improvement and use that time to work on them. Do you have problems, addictions, that you need to work through, shake off? Use this time to reflect and come closer to God and He will help you with your problems. 

For me, what I am going to give up was almost instant. I seriously wanted to give up changing dirty diapers, but no one else will change them! So I am going to give up most all the Internet. I am only going to use it for my blog, checking the news and weather (beings I have no tv), and looking at the pattern I'm using for Layna's christening gown. That means no Facebook, no Pinterest, no eBay or Etsy. I will only use the Internet for things other than what's listed above only if I have to. Giving up the latter two will also mean giving up spending money I don't need to spend. 

This is going to be very hard for me, but I am going to do it. I am going to start reading during the bottle times (except for writing my blog entries). I am going to spend time with the people around me instead of having my nose in my phone (like most people these days....using their phones in church, at funerals, at the dinner table, etc). 

So, I challenge you to participate in the Lenten season and give up something for 40 days. What will you give up? Let me know and 40 days from Wednesday we'll follow up and see how well we all did. Good luck, and God bless you! 

Some People!

For those of you looking for baby-related stuff....this entry isn't the one. I have strayed from the norm tonight to vent some of my frustrations. Sorry. 

It amazes me the gall of some people. There are so many things that amaze me to no end when it comes to the character of people.

Where should I start? 

Now that I have my LO, I can't imagine anyone wanting to give their children away. I love her so much, I would even have a hard time if God asked me to give her up and follow Him, something as a Christian you are supposed to do (follow his instruction). I understand some people have to, if they are financially burdened and just can't make it work. But to give up your kids just because you don't want them anymore, or someone you are dating doesn't want them? That is ridiculous! That person should have never been a mother to begin with, and she should have to be sterilized so she can never have kids again. 

The next thing that upsets me is family that turns their back on other family members. When you are putting people you don't even know before your own flesh and blood, that's pretty sorry. Who on earth would want to not be around their own child/grandchild, their parents, grandparents? Who doesn't call to check on them, see if they are ok, if they need anything, or not answer when they call/txt? (The only exception being if the person you are turning your back on is one of these horrible people I am referring to. If so, then pray for them to change their ways.)

It also irks me when people think they are better than others. Just because you have more money doesn't mean you are any better than the person that works hard yet has little to show for it. It's not the fancy things you own, it's what is in your heart. Some people have it all, yet they have a heart of stone. Some people have nothing but have hearts of gold. Your social status, your job, your money, does not make you better than anyone. Your cold heart, manipulative ways, lying tongue, and holier-than-thou attitude makes you a horrible person, and you really need to think about how you live your life. 

Speaking of lying, people who intentionally lie to hurt others, for whatever reason, are also horrible people. To accuse people of doing something there is no way that they did, to come outright and say you are going to blame someone for doing something that you plan on doing, to go behind people's backs and manipulate things to hurt someone, is a sin that you will have to answer to God for. Are you prepared to stand before God and answer the question "Why did you lie about ____ and what they supposedly did? Why did you lie to ____ and hurt them so bad? Why did you lie about ____ to get what you wanted?" How will you answer? What will your answer be? 

Do not judge lest you be judged. I know that I don't have a right to judge others. I too have skeletons in my closet that I have to answer for. I have just vented my frustrations here tonight/this morning. I have stated facts that I hope someone will read and maybe realize how awful they have been and change their ways. No one has to answer to me, but to God. He is the ultimate judge of us all, and I hope that bringing some of this to light makes others realize they need to think about how they live their lives, conduct their business, treat their families, and change their ways.

 

Did You See the Price Tag on Those Shoes?

In the adventures of being a new mommy, I am learning things every day. For instance, after a 2am bottle, if I want to get any sleep, I have to change her diaper BEFORE the bottle. That way when she falls asleep drinking, I don't have to worry about waking her up to change her. I have also learned I don't like onesies that have to go over the head and button at the crotch. They are great for a quick diaper change, but getting on and off is a pain! Same goes for two piece outfits with pants she can wiggle out of. 

I have also learned that my LO (little one) can kick off socks faster than a cheeta can run! Her feet and hands stay cold constantly, yet she hates to have any kind of blanket or covering on her. Now, with the zipper or buttoned footed onesie outfits she has no choice, they are not coming off her feet, but anything else is off in a flash. She even wiggles out of being swaddled! 

So, because of that reason, I decided to buy her some shoes. If you are like me, your first thought is "Why does a two month old need shoes? She's not going for a walk!" As I said, beings she can't keep socks on, I thought maybe she couldn't kick shoes off. 

I had shoes given to me at the baby shower, but none in newborn size, which is what she is still in. We were shopping in Burkes Outlet last night and I came across one pair (seriously, only one?) of newborn shoes. They were adorable, and only $4.99, so I got them. Brown canvas, pink laces and accents, and a white sole, with a little pink elephant on them. We put them on as soon as we got home and they are SO cute! 

Me being a woman, tho, I have to match everything. She has a lot of black, yellow, and green/blue flower outfits, and brown and pink shoes just won't match! Cue some eBay shopping! I hop on the eBay app, type in "newborn shoes" and go at it. 

Holy crap! All I wanted was a simple pair of white shoes, reasonably priced. I came across crocheted shoes and booties, which both I can make and they wouldn't stay on her feet anyway. The rest? Totally outrageously priced! I mean, come on! She's only gonna wear them maybe a couple of months, and she's not gonna go for a stroll in them. Why so expensive for a two month old?!?

I found Converse for $25, Adidis for $35, even Nike socks for two pair at $15. Socks for $15???? Even the simple pairs were $15 or more. 

This one, tho, takes the cake. Anyone who would drop this kind of money for a pair of INFANT shoes is out of their mind. 

Polo Ralph Lauren Tavin Boy Girl Boots Baby Size 0 EUC Newborn Leather Shoes  

http://bit.ly/1hsJ5z0

I understand they are leather, and name brand (and cute!), but seriously, that much money for only a month or two? No freaking way. 

I am even leary of paying $10 for a pair. The $4.99 shoes I bought last night are about as much as I'd want to pay. I can understand paying big bucks for an adult shoe, they should last quite a few years. I have no problem dropping $50-$100 on a good pair of Ariat boots that will last me at least 6-7 years. But to pay big bucks for a baby shoe that will only be worn a few months? As Uncle Si says....Naw. The only exception will be that she will have to have a pair of cowboy boots at some point, for the wedding. For that I will pay a little more. 

So it is now my mission to find an inexpensive pair of white shoes. I may be out of luck, considering eBay is usually the place for bargains, but I'm gonna try. 

BTW, she slept for three hours in her shoes and threw a kick fit when she woke up wanting a bottle....the shoes were still on. 😊