Playing House

Wake up and have breakfast, then play with the baby, make lunch, do some laundry, do dishes, go to work, come home, go to bed, wake up and do it all over again.

I can remember playing house as a girl and immitating all of the daily activities I saw Momma doing. I can remember thinking how wonderful it would be to have my own little home and make cookies all day long. Well I suppose that I finally have that all, ofcoarse it's not quite as simple as it seemed. I am enjoying having my own space. Bella and I are getting along quite well in our cozy little home. There are still a few boxes hiding in corners, and pictures get moved around all the time, but it's coming together nicely. We are getting into a routine and getting organized; both of which make me extremely happy. I think that I work much more efficiently with my own little system and organization. I still visit mom's house every day (well in fact I am here right now getting ready to eat dinner with them) I can't believe how much life has changed. Some days I still feel like a little girl just playing house. But now I have an actual little baby that I am responsible for raising...what an amazing gift and responsibility. Although most days I don't really feel as though I know what I am doing, I think that things are going pretty well for us.

Each day I think Bella and I both grow in our new life. She learns and experiences something new, and so do I. I've always loved being a student and constantly learning. My friend Jennifer and I used to joke that we would be content being lifelong students and always experiencing new things. I think I've stumbled into the most natural and advanced method of achieving that, being a mommy!

I'm the Mascot!

At one of Laura's baby showers, Bella got to dress up like a little duck and be the mascot! Doesn't she look cute!

Bella and Bradon

Bradon just loves Bella. He is always wanting her to play with him and sit with him. He brings her candy when he sees her. What fun it will be when Dawson gets here and there are two babies for Bradon to love on.

I'm a Happy Girl!

Playtime...Bella loves to play by herself every morning. She talks to herself in the mirror. Stares at the colorful wall hangings in her room. Tells all her secrets to Best Friend. It's so fun to peek in and to see her enjoying her world. Each new discovery is truly amazing.

Brandon and Bella

Bradon and Bella like to hang out together. This particular evening they were having a heart to heart discussion about life.

My Butterfly Outfit

Momma and Laura surprised me by dressing Bella up in her wonderful butterfly outfit and bringing her to Chilis to see me. I was so excited to see her! Everyone at Chilis was naturally impressed with her (I mean who wouldn't be)

Look, It's Me In The Mirror!

The Froggy Song

Bella has a favorite song. We sing her a little tune I learned at church camp when I was younger. It involves sticking your tongue out and making silly noises. Bella loves it! When we first started singing it, she smiled and laughed. She now joins with us by sticking out her own tongue and attempting to make the same silly noises. It is an amazing site to see this little bitty girl sticking her tongue out. My smart beautiful daughter never fails to impress me. I thought I was supposed to be teaching her, but really I think she is the one teaching us. She makes my life easier by being such a self content and smart baby.

The frog song is complimented by one of Bella's stuff animals. After my good friend Amber's shower gift of frog items, we purchased several more. One of which we named Best Friend. Best Friend is an adorable little frog that goes everywhere with us. Bella likes to chew on him. Best friend, Bella and I sing the frog song over and over again each day.

It's You Again!

I think my favorite time of day would have to be mornings. This is a strange sentence to be typing considering I have spent the past four years of college hating morning classes. I have changed my mind because of the wonderful greeting I have each and every morning. It is amazing to watch Bella wake up and see this sense of wonder and excitement on her face. She looks confused at first but then starts looking around at things with a huge grin on her face. It is almost as if she forgot about everything overnight and is seeing everything for the first time. She looks around at everything and then focuses in on me. Her face lights up and she gives me the most wonderful smile. Her arms tighten up and she kicks faster than I would have ever thought possible. She and I lay together and talk for the first 10 minutes of every day. I can't imagine a better spent morning. Bella stares at me as if she spent all night wondering where I went and then suddenly I appear and everything is all better. Bella is now cooing and immitating my movements. We lay there and as I talk to her, she opens and closes her mouth, talking back to me. What a reason to get up!

Mommy's Day Out

Well after three months of officially being a mom, I decided that it was time for a day out. I never leave Bella except when I go to work, so a little break has been sounding pretty good to me. The Chilis training team in Bartlesville had their annual float trip planned and invited me to go along. I was thrilled to go and had a fabulous time. I felt pretty anxious leaving Bella all day, but Laura is amazing with her so that put me at ease (atleast as much as possible for my first full day away). The trip was just what I needed. It was a strange experience for me. I was kicked back having a good time, but I still felt this partial feeling of anxiousness and responsibility. I guess that is a feeling I should get used to. My carefree playtime days have been replaced with a new type of playtime. I wouldn't trade it for anything though. I am now home, red-faced, rested, and content. What an amazing trip!

Pickles Please

We have discovered that Bella absolutely loves to lick and suck on pickles. She gets very intent and serious and just goes to town. What a joy it is to see her discover new things and decide what she likes and does not like. We let her try a little bit of lemon..... She didn't care too much for that. Her first taste was sauces from our Chinese meal. She likes sweet and sour as well as the sauce on sesame chicken.

She is changing everyday it seems like. Mornings are her favorite time of day, so it would seem. She is always full of smiles and excitement. It is almost as if she forgot everything overnight and suddenly sees her surroundings and is thrilled to be there. She looks at Laura and I as if she hasn't seen us in forever and has missed us bunches. I wish I could feel the same way in the mornings!

I"m a big kid now!

Well, I may be slow in my adjustment to mommyhood, but Bella sure isn't slow in adjusting to her new environment. At the last doctor's appointment she was up to nearly 9 pounds!!!! She is doing just wonderful. The doctor was very impressed with her physical and social development. She is doing better than even full term two month olds.

I couldn't be prouder. I watched in wonder and amazement as Belly rolled over for the first time. It's emotionally overwhelming experiencing these new changes. I felt proud and excited for Bella, but also nervous and anxious for her safety at the same time. She is growing up quicker than I could have ever imagined. It's only been 11 weeks and already I feel as though I have a lifetime of memories. Sometimes I forget that I once had a life without her in it. That seems nearly impossible now. I have a wonderful daughter who smiles, laughs and even squeels (thats right, she squeeled over memorial weekend). How could I possible love anything more?!?!

I have been working at Chilis and moving stuff slowly into our new little house. We should be able to move in very soon. I am anxious to have my own space again. I am begnning to adjust to my new schedule, but I know that I could not do any of this without my family. They have all been so helpful to me. I am very thankful and appreciative of all the people in my life. I thought moving back to Caney would be horrible because I would be losing everything, but I suppose I just couldn't see all that I was gaining until now. I guess there is more to life than having Target, 24 hour everything and lots of traffic. I have a porch with a quiet nature, a living room full of people, and a gas station where I know most of the people in it. Maybe I can adjust and find that there is more here for me than I thought.