First Birthday Party!

(Edit: For visitors from Kelly's Korner, we did a very low-key birthday party. So, you probably won't get any great ideas here. I did make her little birthday onesie, though! : ) I thought you all might appreciate seeing some of the "oops" that happened. Maybe you will feel better if something went wrong at yours!! ; )

Who's celebrating her birthday?

"It's me!"

This weekend, Cora celebrated her birthday with her grandparents. We all enjoyed a big lunch, and then tucked into some birthday cake.

The cake had a bit of an issue. I prefer to think of it as a very scientific metaphor for California what with the giant fault down the middle and the mud icing slides. You would think that after watching 10,000 hours of Food Network shows that I would not have this issue. I just have a big problem with slicing off perfectly good cake just to make a cake level. Besides, after shoving more icing into the giant crack, you couldn't even tell!

Now for the good stuff! Here is Cora covered in cake.

And, enjoying her new toys.
"These presents are mine; ALL MINE!"

And, finally, I'd like to give a shout-out to Hawaii - the only state in the union in which sweet baby girl wears 12 months clothes!

Mema and P-pa brought back this onesie for Cora from Hawaii. It's 12 months size and says "Does this diaper make me look fat?"

No, baby girl, it's that belly full of cake!!

All I Can Say is Oh My!!

Well, last night Cora hit the terrible twos. But, I thought she just turned one, you say. Very accurate observation, my friend. However, Cora has always been a bit ahead of the curve as far as attitude is concerned. Witness a conversation that took place when Cora was about 5 months old.

(Cora fusses and shows her displeasure.)
Friend: (studies Cora intently) Babies don't get opinions about things until about 9 months.
Cora's momma: Oh, she has opinions. . .
Friend: I know!

That was my first clue. Or perhaps, my first clue should have been when the nurses IN MY DELIVERY ROOM during the 3 1/2 HOURS I had to push asked us from whom Cora gets her stubborn streak. Yeesh!

So, anyway, last night we got the invite from some friends to come over for dinner and Rock Band. You know we can't resist the Rock Band! After jamming for a while (gosh, that sounds lame coming out of my mouth!!), we took a break for cake, and apparently for all hell to break loose. 'Cuz that's what happened!! I fully intended to give Cora some cake - it was her birthday cake after all! (More on her birthday to come. . .) But, little missy decided she would not, could not wait for us to slice the cake. She threw a fit. . .no, let me rephrase that, she threw a crying, screaming, throwing herself on the floor, growling, bouncing, using her face as a carpet plow, coughing, sputtering, snot-bubbling, head shaking, parent mortifying fit. This lasted a completely horrifying half an hour. Oy! Needless to say, little missy did not get cake after all! (However, after her energetic display, she did sleep extra hard and long today.) Hopefully, we will not have to endure too many more of these displays before she gets the message because, oh my! I'm not sure my dignity can take another big hit!!

Happy Birthday!

For the 9 months that I insisted my due date as June 24th and not July 5th, I had no idea how special that day would become. Happy 1st birthday, Cora!June 24, 2008

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I Believe in Marriage!

This blog is very clearly about sweet baby girl. Admittedly, every once in a while, I throw in a post about my precious pup - she is my first child, after all. However, I have purposefully chosen to only focus on Cora and her day to day happenings. Tonight, I feel the urgent need to diverge from my usual and favorite topic.

In light of the very much talked about public break-up (dissolution of marriage was the phrase used) of a somewhat outspoken Christian couple, I feel very heavy-hearted. I am disheartened that the attitude these days is that "it happens." I even read somewhere about how wonderful it was that this couple (at ten years of marriage) made it longer than most. And, my heart grew heavier.

So, in light of the fact that most marriages these days will end in divorce, I want to spend a few minutes expressing how wonderful John is.

• John loves sweet baby girl. (You just need to watch her when she hears his keys in the door when he comes home - priceless!)
• He works very, very hard to support us financially, but he also never fails to support us emotionally.
• Whenever I feel sad or depressed, he points me to God. (Then, he makes sure I have a Dr. Pepper.)
• John never gets angry that I don't empty the kitchen trash.
• 9 times out of 10, he lets me have control of the remote. (Then, he doesn't get angry when I break the remote by dropping it on the wood floor.)
• He carries the pink diaper bag without complaining.
• He doesn't complain if the laundry isn't done or dinner isn't ready.
• He always buys me more than one card on special occasions.
• He's quirky enough to wear an electric blue suit, but down to earth enough to think about our practical needs.
• He remodeled our house and made it beautiful because, despite his lack of experience, he felt like he could do it and do a good job.
• He lets me decorate the house how I want it. (I know toile was not in his vocabulary before me!)
• He is selfless and mature enough to put our family's needs ahead of his own vehicular wants not once, but twice!
• He can be silly and hilarious.
• He let me have the big closet.
• The "telly in the loo" - what more can I say?!
• He tells me with a most natural sincerity that I'm beautiful even when I feel fat and ugly.
• He has complete trust in me when I shop - even when I go to Target.
• He calls me from work every day to tell me he loves me.
• (There are thousands of other things that I want to list, but it is already almost midnight.)

I know a lot of the things I just listed seem really trivial, but I want John (and everyone else) to know that I haven't just noticed the big, fancy gestures. I believe that a marriage is not simply built on big happenings, but also on all the day to day "nothings." John, I notice the nothings that you do for us. And, if I haven't said it enough, I love you and appreciate you! I know that your are my soulmate, and I am 100% committed to honoring our covenant made in front of God and our families.

Whew! I feel better. Thank you for indulging me in this departure from my usual. Now I can get back to birthday plans for baby girl!

Another Thrilling Hobby

Cora has many exciting hobbies. Hiding my USB cable, playing with car keys and cell phones, throwing books in the toilet, and playing in Penny's water bowl are a few of the really fun things that Cora likes to do when she's not eating or sleeping. Another favorite hobby is taking everything out of her diaper bag and placing it all around the living room.Caught!!But too proud to care!

Her Birthday Suit

Haha! Couldn't help the pun!

Last week was VBS at our church. I got to help out in the PreK arts and crafts room. I think that we cycled through about 700 crafts after all was said and done! Needless to say, on Friday, I was pretty beat. I decided that I deserved to do something fun for me while Cora napped. Instead of doing laundry, I made Cora a birthday onesie and a cute little dress. The onesie is adorable if I do say so myself. I do love the dress, but it is the same pattern that I used for her bluebonnet picture dress. Until I can borrow someone's machine for the button holes, it is not quite done. But, here are the (almost) finished products.

She Calls it Abstract Expressionism

This weekend we attended our first birthday party of one of Cora's peers. Tyler is one of Cora's best friends and is 2 days older than little missy. In fact, our hospital stays during delivery overlapped slightly. Tyler's mom, Katherine, had the really lovely idea to have the kids paint a picture. She even had canvases for them to create the masterpieces on. I LOVE this idea and hope to continue it every year.

Here is Cora working on her canvas.

She was actually a bit prissy about the whole thing. She mostly had a sour little expression on her face especially when we pulled her paint covered hands out of her mouth! However, we did manage to get a precious piece of art from her. Here is the finished product.

Naturally, interpretation is in the eye of the beholder!

For the Record. . .

. . .Cora does have a push toy. Remember the beloved giraffe scooter? It just really doesn't seem to matter to her if the toy/object is designed to be pushed or not. If it moves, she will move it. Just recently she has discovered that she can use the scooter/pushable object as a means to move all kinds of objects. Here she is pushing one of her toys around.The mystery of the book in the toilet may have just been solved!

(Yes, she does push the scooter sideways. Her daddy's gonna hafta teach her some physics!)

It's the Big One. . .Literally!

Here are some of the things that came home with us on our last grocery shopping trip.
Goldfish (toddler food) and whole milk (toddler drink)

Not to mention:

Cake, frosting, and a candle shaped like the number one.

I have such mixed emotions about Cora's birthday. It's not that I feel like I haven't savored these last 12 months. I certainly feel like I have relished in even the not so sweet moments of motherhood. I just can't believe how fast this has all gone by. Nevertheless, may the next 17 years bring just as much joy as the first!

So Close!

Here is Cora standing on her own. She even got into this position by herself. We are so close to walking, and considering the book/toilet incident, I am very scared. She, however, seems pretty well pleased with herself!

Couldn't resist posting this pic, too. You just wanna kiss that sweet face, huh?!

And, The Winner for Parent of the Year. . .

(For the record: I found where Little Missy hid the USB cable - Yea! But, no this is decidedly not the cute picture I intended to post.)

Seriously, y'all, mobility - so overrated!!

I can honestly say that I don't know how the book got in the toilet other than that Tiny-Might did it. I don't know when she did it. I thought I was watching her. I do know that she did it at least two HOURS before I found it. And, yes, I did stick my hand in there and fish it out. Ahh, the hidden joys of motherhood!

I'm just glad she doesn't know how to flush!

This Mobility Thing is Becoming Problematic

I would like to write a new post. I have pictures, adorable pictures for the grandparents to see. But, Little Missy has taken my camera's USB cord, and I have no idea where it is. She's kind of like that squirrel who was taking the flags off of the graves in that cemetary somewhere (geez, vague!) and using them to make a nest. I'll probably find it with her stash of pacifiers and teething rings. Until it can be located, please enjoy this little adorable nugget.

We like donuts in our family!

A Summary of Life So Far

Cora has grown and changed so much. I thought I would recap our new favorite things. As she is quite the complex creature, I have broken it down into sections.

Things Cora loves to eat:

• saltine crackers
• puffs
• peas
• macaroni and cheese
• mandarin oranges
• peaches
• bananas
• yogurt
• ice cream (Ice cream?! Who would give a baby ice cream??!!)

Favorite pastimes

• pushing things around the living room ("things" being toys, chairs, laundry baskets, and her giraffe scooter)
• playing with Penny's toys
• taking things off the coffee table
• throwing things out of her crib
• taking a bath
• squeeling with joy at Penny
• squeeling with joy when someone "chases" her
• playing with every door stop spring in the house

Musical preferences

• bad 80s metal music (yeesh!)
• bluegrass
• Chris Tomlin (she ALWAYS sings when "I Will Rise" comes on the radio)

Television preferences

• Tasty Time with ZeFronk (Okay, okay, maybe that is my preference. But, c'mon, a talking dachshund that cooks? What's not to like?)
• Baby DaVinci

Words

• mama
• uh-oh (though neither word is purposeful)

Size

• 16lbs 3 oz
• 9 months clothes (yea! we're getting closer!)
• size 3 diapers!!

I think that sums it up pretty well.

Victory in the Small Things

This is the first weekend in a few weeks that Cora has not been sick. She's been a champ about taking her amoxicillan. (Actually, I think she kind of likes it!) We were actually able to drop her off in the church nursery this morning. Yea, Cora!This picture has nothing to do with the post, but it's mean to the grandparents to have too many posts with no pictures! This picture was taken a few months ago when we had family pictures taken. I thought she would like to have sunglasses to protect her sweet little eyes. Really she just wants to have sunglasses so she can play with them! The sunglasses last about 6 1/2 seconds on her face before she takes them off and shoves them in her mouth. So, we get our sun protection from hats now!

Motherhood. . .It's so Complicated!

Witness an actual conversation that happened between a Dear Husband (DH) and a Hormonally Challenged Stay-at-Home-Mom (HCSAHM).

HCSAHM nurses her sweet baby while quietly sniffling and crying
DH: What's wrong?
HCSAHM: It's not fair! (sniffling and crying audibly) You can do whatever you want whenever you want, and I can't!
DH: What can I do to help?
HCSAHM: (Turns to DH with a straight face.) I need you to start lactating.
DH: (chuckles) What is something I can actually do to help you?
HCSAHM: What part of my statement made you think I was kidding?!

Obviously, this was not my most rational moment, but I can't count the times that I felt that way! Imagine how surprised I was to be a little upset when Cora started weaning on her own. This whole time I was worried about how I was going to wean her, and she decided to take care of it by herself. (I think she gets the need for control from her father! ; ) I just wasn't mentally prepared for it to be over. It kind of feels like I could be replaced now. The one thing that ONLY I could do is over. When preschool let out, she was down to basically one feeding. Then, yesterday morning, she flat out refused that feeding. Believe you me, I tried to force her. So, today, I didn't even try. And, sadly, she didn't even care. Don't get me wrong, I really do feel a good measure of freedom now. My schedule is no longer dicatated by feedings every three hours. . .well, except for, you know, my snacks!! I just don't think I'm ready for all this growing up she's doing. Any other moms out there feel this way?

I Only Had to Apologize Like 34 Times!

When John got home this afternoon, we could hear Cora awake and chit-chatting in her room. She was busy throwing all of her things out of the crib as usual. So, when we walked in to her nursery together, she was standing at the end of her crib with all of her things on the floor in front of her. I LOVE how her eyes light up when we come in to get her. She always gets this really huge smile on her face and does a little happy dance. (Let me tell you, that is an amazing cure for the blahs!) I walked in and turned off her fan. Then, as a little joke, I said, "Okay, bye bye Cora!" as I acted like I was going to walk out of the room without her. I really had no idea she would understand me. Apparently, she understands more language than I understand child development because little missy burst into tears. I think I broke her heart a little. Thankfully, she has forgiven me, but it did take many hugs and kisses and a few saltine crackers! Rest assured, I will NOT make that mistake again!

I Have Something to Say!

Cora has a message for everyone. . .


Lately, Cora likes to comment on everything. She especially likes to offer her opinion at the top of her lungs. Nice.

Last night, we confirmed that Cora also likes to talk in her sleep. Awesome.

Another Dubious Milestone

Cora likes to get sick on Friday night. This is the second week in a row that she has started running fever when even the after hours clinics are closed. She's a clever little minx! She must know that a late illness will keep her from getting poked and prodded. Unfortunately for her, she was not able to get over her fever before Monday rolled around. So, she was poked and prodded anyway at the pediatrician's office. The diagnosis: ear infection. Are ya kiddin' me? After being in preschool for 9 months and having a grand total of 2 illnesses, we are out for two weeks and have a stomach virus and an ear infection?! According to the doctor, it is not a very severe ear infection, but sweet mercy, poor baby is suffering! Last night was miserable for us all. . .except Penny. . .she's the only one who managed a good night sleep. She seems to be much improved today. Hopefully tonight after having 3 doses of meds in her system, she will be able to rest and relax. . .and the rest of us, too!!

We Could Possibly Be the Cheapest People Alive

Apparently, Cora would like a push toy.


Since we have not bought her one, she is forced to improvise!
Heaven help her!