At Home with the Hataways

2007-09-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Beauty

I know, I know, here I go again right. But I am telling you, Allie is just the sweetest thing when she sleeps. She is such a little angel. I took these pictures of her this morning. She has been in the habit of waking up at about 6:30 even when she goes to bed late. So I have gotten in the habit of going to get her and curling up next to her to sleep a little extra while. I LOVE IT!! Of course, she usually outsleeps me because I like to rise early, so I get to just go in and look at her in this angelic state. I can't believe how long she is getting. Sometimes I think, "ok, who are you little miss prisspot and what have you done with my little tiny baby?" She is mommy's little girl now, and I love every little ounce of her, even when she gets sassy. I have to, because she got that from me (didn't she Ninny!) When she huffs and puffs and turns red because she can't get what she wants, I just have to turn around and smile because I know EXACTLY where she got that from. Thank God she also has her Daddy's sweet and compassionate nature!!!

Now for the pictures. Look at the last one. Her baby and her even sleep alike!!!

2007-09-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Pigtails

Yesterday, on one of my many adventures at Wal-Mart where Allie and I spent way too much of Michael's money, (which is not my fault, how dare Wal-Mart entice me with so many adorable little girl things when I only needed toilet paper!) I decided to mosey on over to the little girl section and just look at the hair accessories. Allie absolutely refuses to keep a bow in her hair and I just couldn't keep on popping her little leg for something that I wanted her to do. So, I bought something that she can't take out of her hair. Tiny little rubber bands that when wrapped around a few strands of Allie's hair, makes the cutest darn pigtails this side of Florida!! I also bought headbands which she will actually leave in for a little while too.

Then we had to mosey on over to the baby section, just to look right? Well, I came accross the potties and I thought, what the heck, even though Allie isn't showing any signs of being ready to potty train it can't hurt to let her get used to it right? We put it together yesterday and she does actually love to sit on it and pretend to potty, which is a start. This morning she had the bowl around her head and I tried to get a picture but ofcourse she took it off right before my camera was ready. The following pictures are proof that it is just impossible to take a good picture of a toddler anymore (that is unless you are Amber Ferrell and to that all I can say is there is no sense for the talent you have!!)

This morning Allie was ready to go at 7:00 and ofcourse I wasn't. She woke up, put her sunglasses on, went to the door and started barking like a dog. She loves our black lab to pieces and wanted to go see him. Needless to say, the sunglasses were not needed at 7:00 a.m., nor had I had my cup of coffee, so Allie settled for listening to her Toddler Bible Tunes instead while I sucked down my coffee!

2007-09-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

Allie and her Friends

Meet Allie's friends. Baby # 1, Baby # 2, and Winnie the Pooh. Today, these three individuals have had to eat with Allie, sleep with Allie, play with Allie, and ride around on a red wagon with Allie. The only reason Elmo isn't in the croud is because there just wasn't enough room. While she was eating breakfast all three had to be in her lap, and I found her sitting on her red wagon with all three of them while I was folding clothes. You can tell by the pile of laundry behind you that it is indeed laundry day, and when you have a "little helper" for some reason it takes you twice as long to get clothes folded and put up!!!

Bye Bye Summer, Hello Fall!

One of the perks of living in Georgia, We actually have a fall!!! It has been wonderful here the last couple of days. We have enjoyed lows in the 50's and highs in the low 80's. We actually slept with our windows opened last night! I woke up and fully intended on getting my day started before Alliebug woke up, but I just layed on the couch and felt the cool breeze coming in from the open window and listened to the birds singing, and closed my eyes and thought about how awesome our God that we serve is!!! How He gives us such simple pleasures, and yet when we consider them we realize how magnificent they actually are!!

2007-09-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

TGIF

I love Friday's because that means Michael has the weekend off! He has been through the ringer lately trying to stay caught up at school so my poor little hubby needs a break. Allie loves her Daddy too. Every night before I put her in her bed I rock her and sing to her for a few minutes. Well, for the past several nights she has been asking for Daddy. Last night Michael was eating when I put her down so I told her no when she asked for him and she just cried, little lip quivering, saying Daaadddyyy. Of course Michael put his food down right away and came to the rescue. I told him one day that she would be a Daddy's girl (because I was and am one myself) but he really didn't believe me. I think he is starting to believe in this strange phenomenon though, and I get a break every once in a while which is AWESOME!!!

Allie has been luvin her some apples lately. I will leave you with some pictures of her chompin down on her new favorite treat. Apples make up for the chocolate milk right?

2007-09-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

Got Chocolate Milk?

Allie has been flat our refusing to drink milk. Enter in my constant state of worry when she is not drinking the 16 oz a day recommended by the AAP. I thought it was just a phase. She would refuse to drink milk, and ask for jee (juice.) But it has been going on for weeks now and I don't want my child's brain to stop growing and her eyes to stop developing!!!! So, I added a little Ovultine and waa laa. The child is like her mother, she LOVES chocolate. Who cares if she is probably getting way too much sugar and possibly caffeine, she is drinking milk right? Now she asks for dodo (chocolate) instead of juice. Now I have to worry about her going over the 32 oz recommended by the AAP. Geez louise, I can't win for losing! Anywho, we are doing great and so far are just having a lazy day. I love those kinds of days. We watch way too much PBS and Elmo and Winnie the Pooh, but we need that every once in a while right? Anywho, I will leave you with pictures of Alliebug. If you look really close at the second picture, you will see a chocolate milk ring around the bottom of her mouth.

2007-09-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

My Little Bedhead!

Who would have thought that Allie would ever have enough hair to have a bedhead!!! I didn't think that I could actually get excited about something so silly, but if you had a precious beautiful little girl constantly being called a boy you would be excited about longer hair too!!! I can have a dress on Allie with flowers and butterflies and some very gender confused person will still say, "that's a fine lookin boy you have there." I mean really folks, pink is girl, blue is boy!! So anywho, I had to capture my little bedheaded critter yesterday morning on camera.

My poor little buger is getting four (that would be 1-2-3-4) teeth all at the same time. She has been a little fussier than usual, but also more clingy which I tend to enjoy since half the time she is like, "mommy, mommy who?" these days. She is starting to talk so good and she is just changing every day.

Allie's Grandpa is doing great. The doctors did find some lymph nodes to be cancerous, but his cancer doctor feels strongly that she can treat them with kemo. He was not looking forward to any treatments because his body tends to react pretty violently to medication, so please pray for this precious man that the kemo will be as painless as possible! I know that at his age, he is going through surgery and treatment for us so that we will have him a little longer, and I am so greatful that he has decided to do so!

Well, as usual, I will leave you with pictures of my little precious! You will notice that she is holding "da da dee" translated as Winnie the Pooh in every picture. Our new precious members at church, Elder Roger Pinkston and Sister Kay Pinkston knew how much she loved him so they bought Pooh Bear for her. She absolutely adores him!

2007-09-07T07:27:00.001-07:00

Please Pray

Allie's Grandpa (Michael's Daddy) had surgery yesterday for lung cancer. He is doing well and the doctor feels that he removed all of the cancer from his body. I would like for anyone that reads this blog to lift this precious man up in your prayers. He is so wonderful to this family, and to our little church. We want him to be with us for many years to come. I ask that you would pray for a speedy recovery and a body that is completely free of cancer! Allie loves him to pieces and it would mean so much to me for her to have him in her life for a good while to come.

And ofcourse, I will leave you with pictures of Alliebug. She has not been very photogenic lately. She just doesn't sit still anymore!!!! I know I put a lot of pictures on here of her sleeping, but she looks like a little angel when she is asleep. I could just eat her cheeks off!

2007-08-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

All Tuckered Out!

Naptimes haven't exactly been going so smoothly over here at the Hataway household. Alliebug has decided that she no longer needs naps. I have had to rock her to sleep, or lay beside her to get her to go to sleep. If I put her in her bed she would scream her head off until I came to get her. I thought I was being extremely smart by letting Allie play in her bed during the day after she started protesting naps so vehemently. I thought that she would fall in love with her bed and love naptime once again. Well, she did fall in love with her bed. She asks to get in there all of the time with her two babies. However, she started doing even worse with naptime. So, I have a new approach that seems to be working!

1.Skip morning nap

2. Let her get so exhausted that she can't do anything but fall over and go to sleep

3. Walk in her room and turn on fan at about 1:00

4. Put Allie in bed with two babies (those are now an absolute must) and a juice cup

5. Walk out

So far so good!! This results in a 2 1/2 hour nap and gives me a nice little break! She cries for about two minutes and then I find her conked out. She still does fabulous at night, it is just the stinkin naptime that gives me a problem. Once I get naptimes straight again, it is on t0 the potty training phase, so please feel free to pray for me anytime you would like!

2007-08-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

We are Alive and Well
To all of you who have wondered wether we have been swept away by a tidal wave, or perhaps carried off by a huge tornado, you will be happy to know that we are still here in our little home, very happy and very much ok! Sorry it has taken me so long to blog. I wish I could say that my life is now slowing down and so I will be able to blog more, but I am afraid things come up all of the time to hinder my blogging habits. I will solemnly swear to TRY to do better from now on! Allie is truly a toddler and no longer a baby anymore. Now when I ask her something, I am met with a definite shake of the head no or yes. Yesterday I asked her if she wanted chicken, and she shook her head no and said cookie. She loves her babies, and she is still obsessed with Winnie the Pooh and Elmo. If you haven't seen her in a few months, she has certainly changed a lot. She makes just about any animal noise that you can think of. She know where pretty much all of her body parts are. She says at least a dozen words very well, and she says things like, "All done, down" when she is done with eating. She is my little precious and she changes every day!!! Here is a video for you enjoyment. Sorry for the very amatuer style, but it was early and I was still very tired! I will try to catch you up on our everyday lives around here more often.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2007-07-08T16:06:00.001-07:00

Me Again

I know, you are all increcibly shocked that I am actually blogging within days of the last blog. Wow what a weekend. I LOVE the weekends. I have been working full time at the bank to cover for a girl who just had a baby. Last week was my first full week and I am already so ready to be back home with my little buger. I love you guys at Piedmont, but I just happen to love being a stay at home mommy better :) So I only have a few more weeks and we will be back on schedule! I didn't realize what a toll it would take on Alliebug. She does fine while I am gone, but she has been doing terrible at bedtime, and she wakes up at about 5:30 in the morning. I have always heard that getting them out of their routine would mess their sleep schedule up but geez louise, 5:30!!! I really think she just misses me, and when she wakes up, she wants me. I can't wait to get back with her so she won't have to miss me!!! Totally chaninging track, but I just enjoyed some delicious fresh veggies from our garden. I had purple hulls, baked squash and a fresh tomato. I also cooked some green beans, but they weren't ready yet and I was starvin! I am really enjoying our garden even more than I thought. It is rather fulfilling to know that you actually grew the food that you are eating. Thank you Lord for blessing our little garden. Speaking of the Lord, we had an AWESOME church service this morning. The Spirit was just there, that is all I can say. He blessed Brother Pinkston mightily, and I am so thankful. Well, I will leave you with some pics of my little girl. She is growing up so fast!!

Allie loves to be "pretty." She plays with these beads, puts on my makeup and wears my headbands all the time.

This would be Allie wearing her snack bucket as a hat. The girl is crazy!

And this is my little baby leaning against her chair watching Clifford. It just doesn't get any better than this!

2007-07-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Don't fall out of your chairs!

Despite popular belief, Allie Michael and myself are alive and well. I am so sorry that I haven't blogged lately, but well, life just keeps happening and I just seem to get busier and busier!!! Wow, a lot has happened since May 09th. Allie is just growing up every day. Her newest thing that she does as of late is says a prayer. She will bow her head, jibber jabber for a few seconds, and then lift her head and say, "nah nah" aka amen. Wow, and we don't think they pick up on things that we do. I am just thankful she is picking up on the good things!!! She also thinks NELNO, aka ELMO must be on the TV at all times. I am not kidding when I say she wakes up saying NELNO and she goes to sleep saying NELNO. She walks up the the TV if it is not on and wimpers at it saying NELNO all day. It was cute at first, but now I am like, how in the heck am I going to get her over this television addiction. She loves books so I am hoping that if I get a few NELNO books and a NELNO doll, that will be my ticket out. She also walks around all day talking on the phone. She will jibber jabber, laugh, jibber jabber some more, laugh all to this imaginary person on the other end. Yet another thing that she sees me do; she don't know I am talking to someone, she just thinks I am talking to the phone! So, she does what any other reasonable toddler would do, she walks around carrying on a pretty humerous conversation with the phone. I tell you, this age is absolutely priceless!!!!! So anywho, I will leave you with some pics of my little baby. I will include some that my wonderful ever to be adored friend Amber took of her for her one year shots. Prepare to be amazed, Amber you are so talented girl!

2007-05-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

Allie just loves her new sandbox. She got it for her birthday with her money from Ninny and Pa, and she has had a ball with it so far. Of course, she does eat the sand and she does try to pick up the bugs that make their way in there and eat them too, but other than that I love it. She will stay in there for a long time. We put it right by the garden so that she can play in there while we do garden stuff, (however we have no idea what we are doing so that is why I do not elaborate, I just say garden stuff.) I just got her a pool yesterday so I am so excited to put her in that. I think she will love it. She met a new little friend from the neighborhood name Jaylin and we are going to get together on Tuesday for their first little playdate. I am so excited. I just hope Allie will share her sandbox. She is the sweetest baby ever though, so I think she will!

...and after a hard day of play, Allie and Daddy take a little rest.

2007-05-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

Got to love Saturdays!

I absolutely love Saturdays! On Saturday, I refuse to clean toilets, mop, vacuum, do any major cooking, or do anything major for that matter. I just kind of do the absolute necessities (can't stand unmaid beds, a dirty kitchen, and unswept floors,) but other than that I can pretty much deal with it. So, I actually have time to blog. I know it has been a while, but this week has been different for me. I actually started working part time at the bank I used to work at two days a week. I am really enjoying it so far, and it keeps Michael from having to have a second job on Saturdays so that makes it SO WORTH IT! It kind of gives me a little relaxation time too, and Allie stays with her Mimi and they just have a ball together. In fact, I go to pick her up and she just looks at me like, oh it's you, hey mom, so I don't feel bad about leaving her at all. As long as it works out where I only have to work a couple of days a week, I still feel like a stay at home mom and I feel like I am being a help meet to my sweetie pie, so it all works out! I am working on borrowed time here because Allie is sleeping and I am sure it won't last much longer so I will not bore you anymore with the details of my life and get on to what you really want to see...pictures of Allie!

2007-04-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

Just a little update from the Hataway bunch. Alliebug is walking better than ever. She no longer wants to be held. OH NO!! She has to be down and walking at all times. She is the cutest thing ever. She just walks around carrying on conversation with herself. She usually has a buddy with her. I will have to upload a video for you all to see her with her friend Uniquea. She now makes a fish face which she learned today. I swear she learns something new everyday. She loves the outside with her whole heart. I think she would live out there if she could. She is constantly taking my finger and bringing me to the door, where she sits down and attempts to put her shoes on while saying, "side, side." She surprisingly is not afraid of our lab Bear, who she just refers to as doggie. She LOVES him. We have her a little sandbox right by our garden and she enjoys playing in that so much. I think her favorite part of the day though is still when Daddy comes home. She is definitely a daddy's girl! Well anywho, that is my little update. Enjoy the pictures of Alliebug playing outside!

2007-04-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

Allie's First Year

I started this montage about four months ago, and have just now finished it. I cannot believe I am posting my baby's first year of photos. I hope you will all enjoy this little video, and think about our awesome God's amazing grace as you see this little one grow before your very eyes. Isn't He so good!!

Alice Kaytlin, Her First Year

2007-04-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Smarty Pants

Just wanted to show off Allie's newest talent. You have to really listen to the first sound because she always wispers it. I wish I would have asked her where her ears and hands are, because she knows where those are too. Maybe on the next video. I know these aren't the perfect animal sounds, but for a one year old, I think she is doing pretty darn good!

What Does the Sheep Say...

2007-04-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

12 mos checkup stats

I just cannot believe that we have passed the infant stage and entered the toddler stage, just like that! I remember reading my friend Amber's blog (love you Amber) about her little Emma who is three months older than Allie and how she was toddling around. I was thinking, gosh, that will be a while for us. Well, now Alliebug is toddling around, and it is the cutest thing. We had her outside lastnight with her little pushwalker, and I could kick myself for not having the camera. She walked around the yard acting like she knew exactly where she was going, but she didn't have a clue. She especially liked to one-hand it, looking back and smiling to make sure we were watching. It is just so weird to see her walk to what she wants instead of crawl, even though she does still do that most of the time. I swear, before we know it she will be in kindergarten, then graduating, then getting married, and I will be holding her little babies. ENOUGH of this. Let's just get back to her 12 mos stats:

Alliebug weighs 20 pnds 4 oz, putting her right under the 50th percentile mark. She is 29 inches long, putting her right under the 50th percentile mark. She is just growing perfectly. I am afraid her head is outgrowing her body though! Her head circumferance is around the 80th percentile. That just means she is going to be so smart. Michael and I have been calling her bighead the last few days. I tell you, I just couldn't love being her mother more! She is my little precious and I dread the day that she doesn't think I make the world go round anymore!

2007-04-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here You Go Mom!!

My sweet precious mother called me yesterday to kindly remind me that I have not posted for a while. Wow a lot has happened since I have blogged. Allie has turned the big number 1 and has not had one, but two birthday parties!! One with our family in Ga and one with our family in Fl! So obviously, we have been to Fl where Alliebug had a blast. We stayed for almost two weeks. We went to the beach, and Allie absolutely loved the water, even though it was freezing! She got to see her Mema and Granny Jenny, and play with all of her cousins. My parents kept on calling her a ham, and they both couldn't believe what a personality she has after being, well, let's just say she wasn't a social butterfly as a baby!! She really came out of her shell down there, and has stayed out since we have been back home. She gives everybody in the grocery store that fake, I know I am cute smile when they talk to her. She is walking around big time, which still isn't real to me. Where did my little baby go? I look at her walking around the kitchen pointing at things she wants and I just can't believe that is Allie! So anywho, she has turned one, she walks, she likes people now and she is getting her 7th tooth! Bunch of new things, awesome things!! I will leave you with some pictures of the Fl trip! Am I out of the doghouse now mom?

2007-04-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

For all of you who have thought that we fell off the face of the earth, we have been in Florida! We are having an awesome time. Infact, Allie and I just weren't ready to come back yet so we sent Michael back empty handed so we could stay a few more days. It has been a wonderful visit. I promise a bunch of pictures when I get back to my computer!!

2007-03-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

Allie on the Tractor

We are planning on having a little garden this year. I am so excited. We are going to have tomatoes, squash, green beans, and purple hulls! To all of you who are thinking, "What? They have absolutely no idea how to take care of a garden!" Well, you are right my friends, but we are going to try anyway and I am going to be Marth Stewart before you know it!Michael's daddy came over yesterday to till us up a little spot with his tractor and Allie just thought she needed to hop right up there with him. She had such a good time with Grampa!

She also had "a ball" playing with her ball. He He, get it, had a ball playing with her ball. Well anywho, yes I have had too much coffee this morning and am definitely using my time unwisely right now by blogging, but hey, who cares right! Here is my little buger playing with her ball.

2007-03-08T04:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday with Alliebug

Yesterday was a sweet day. Allie didn't feel all that well. I thought once her tooth came through (number 6 just a few days ago) she would feel better, but she is drooling like crazy like she is trying to cut another one! Man I can't wait till teething is over with!! Anywho, I just gave her a bath early and let her laze around yesterday. She actually took two naps which was great!! I have some sweet pictures of her bath.

Afterwards she was so sleepy. I put her in her jammies and got her ready for her nap.

Yesterday evening it was so beautiful here, so we had the doors and windows open. Don't you just love the lower seventies with plenty of sunshine!! Alliebug absolutely loves the outside!

2007-03-06T10:15:00.000-08:00

Another Video

Ok, this video does three things that I absolutely love!

1. Allie does not do what I intend for her to do. She has started (calling out) for what she is looking for and it is absolutely precious. If Michael walks out of the room she says" Daaaaa." If I walk out of the room she says "Maaaaaa," and so on for anything she is looking for. I wanted her to call out for the doggie I had behind my back, but it just didn't happen, and you will see why.

2. She does her "famous face," the one Allie is known for around here. She squinches up her nose and shows all of her teeth. It is so ugly, it is cute!

3. You get to see how smart she is, and you will see why I say that too!!

My Montage

2007-03-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

Allie Bug kept on fussing for her doggie, and this is her after she finally got him:

And this is my little buger eating her lunch. I have learned much about Allie's eating habits in the last few days.

1. She likes a little bit of everything. I can't just fix her a grilled cheese and think she will be happy. Oh No. She eats a quarter of a grilled cheese, a tablespoon of diced carrots, about ten gerber crackers, and then she's happy. This morning she ate a scrambled egg, three grapes, and a handfull of cheerios.

2. She eats best in front of the TV. Something I said she would never do! I have learned to never say never when it comes to children. Sometimes, you just do what works!!

3. The "Nuby" cup with the rubber spout is absolutely wonderful through teething and weaning them from a bottle. I couldn't get the child to drink very much from a cup and I have been trying to get her off of the bottle completely. Well, since the purchase of the Nuby cups she is back to drinking her usual twenty oz or so.

2007-02-23T04:31:00.000-08:00

I Love Being at Home with Allie!

I feel like I would miss out on all of this fun stuff if I wasn't. Don't get me wrong, I respect working moms and most of them that I know don't have a choice, and love their children just as much as I do, and are just as good of moms! I am just so thankful that I have the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. So anywho,I just didn't have the heart to tell little Allie that she doesn't have enough hair to brush. She was so cute trying to brush what little bit of hair she has. She even brushed mine. That was a little scary. I could just see that brush getting stuck in my hair and me having to cut it out. So, I only let her brush my hair for a few strokes, but it was so sweet feeling my little darling brushing my hair. She is just growing up every day and doing new stuff constantly. She actually took TWO STEPS at church on Wednesday night. They were perfect little steps too. She was so proud of herself, just a cheezin when she reached me! I usually don't like it when I see baby's with a sprout sticking up from the top of their head, but now I know why mother's do it. When it is your child, the sprout turns into something absolutely precious. Especially when you are so proud that they finally have enough hair in one little spot to make the sprout!!Now if I don't have the most precious baby in the world, I just don't know who does. Allie Bug was so sleepy yesterday morning, that she slept through me cleaning, fixing coffee and getting ready (to go clean another house!) right on the sofa in the midst of it all. I just couldn't resist the cuteness of this little baby. I had to snap a few pictures! Don't worry, I had it to where she couldn't roll off of the couch, and I was right there with her checking on her every two seconds so if she stood up I would get her before she found her way to the ground.

2007-02-21T09:54:00.000-08:00

Eleven Months Ago Today

Eleven months ago today we welcomed our precious angel into this world. You know, the whole time I was expecting Allie I heard things like, you can never prepare yourself for lack of sleep, and you can never prepare yourself for how hard being a mom is. While all of that is true, the thing I was totally unprepared for was how much I would love this little bundle. I could have never prepared myself for the love that would fill my heart the instant I heard her cry, the moment I laid my eyes on her, and the very first time that I held her to me and realized that she was mine. As I look back over the past eleven months, I cannot believe how much Allie has grown and how much has changed, and how much I love her more and more every day. Thank you God for our precious little Allie Bug!

2007-02-18T15:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Ninny!

"What, I'm not going to get to see Ninny on her birthday?" We love you Ninny and hope you have the best birthday ever. We wish we could be there to share it with you!

2007-02-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

So Big, in So Many Ways

I have been trying to teach Allie "So Big" for a while now. She started with one arming it, and then becoming totally disinterested in it. Well, we finally have it down pat. I captured it on a little video, along with her saying some of her little words. She kind of loses track for a little while looking for her baby, but I just thought it was too cute to edit out. She is getting so big. I feel like a terrible mama today. I fed my child a hotdog for lunch. A HOTDOG. She is just getting so darn picky though. She did have some peaches and little goldfishes though!! Well, I will keep you waiting no longer. Here is my little precious showing off her stuff!

Make an online slide show at onetruemedia.com

2007-02-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

Holy Crapola it is cold up here!!!

It is absolutely freezing here in the good ole state of Georgia right now. I cannot remember when it has been this cold. I am one of the lucky few who have the luxury of having her laundry room OUTSIDE, and every time I walk out there I think my tush is going to freeze off. You can hear the wind blowing the trees, and it just looks like it could snow any minute, even though it isn't. Spring needs to get here fast!! I am so tired of cold weather!!! So, we have been having to play inside all day every day except for on a few days when it got pretty warm. Allie has learned to love Mr. Zebra. He keeps her busy!

2007-02-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

Allie's Growing Vocabulary

Allie Bug has been saying Mama and Dadda, but her vocabulary has grown so much from this that I though I would share. She now says:
Baba for baby

Dada for doggie and duckie

something like pampa for Grampa

Da for Pa

Nana for Ninny

Mama for Mimi

Ba for Ball,

and de for there

And she tries to mimic everything that we say to her which is absolutely precious. I have got to catch this on film and put a little movie of her saying these things. She just grows more and more everyday!!

2007-02-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

Here we go AGAIN!!

Well, just when Allie was getting over her teething woes, I noticed three new bulges this morning and the same ole symptoms as before. Refusing her bottle, which she has grown to love again in the past few days, not letting me out of her sight, and not wanting to take naps no matter how tired she is. I just hope that the fever and diarrhea stays at bay this time. I hope once she gets her other tooth beside her front teeth (she got her other one last week and it is oh so precious) she will be free of the pain and suffering that goes along with it. I have always heard that those two teeth are the worst. I am so glad that babies cannot remember what they go through, because I can tell that Allie is really suffering through this. She has been sleeping through the night though (knock on wood) so I hope that continues. I kind of like how cuddly she is through teething though, and she never stops wanting to play. The pictures I am posting were taken while she was not feeling well at all, but she still had the heart to play with Mommy and Daddy!!

2007-02-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

Allie is Finally getting some hair to play with!!

As you have seen on Pa's Blog Card, Allie has a little bit of hair now!!!! She had some when she was born, then lost every darn bit of it. I have waited for months and months for my little girl to have hair to play with. I mean, doesn't every mother dream of putting bows and ponytails in their little girls hair? Well, these pictures were taken after Allie's bath. Me and her Daddy love to make her hair stick up because we are just so darn proud that we can now! And yesterday, get this, I had a BOW in her hair at church. So what if I had to put it way in the back of her head where her hair is, it was in there!!! This is the beginning of some fun times for me and some torturous times for Allie!

2007-02-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

HAPPY B*I*R*T*H*D*A*Y PA!!

(We're Crazy Over You!!!)

We miss you and hope you have an absolutely wonderful 35th (hehehe) birthday!!!

Love,

Michael, Dana and Allie Bug

2007-02-02T04:40:00.000-08:00

I HATE Diaper Rashes!!!!

Both times that Allie Bug has had diarrhea, she has ended up with a terrible yeast diaper rash. Poor little thing, I know every time she pee-pees and poopies because she goes from happy as a lark to crying in seconds. I wish we as parents could take the things from our children that they have to go through. I think I would take these old things ten times worse if it meant that Allie didn't have to get them. Thank God for medication!!! Hopefully it will be cleared up in a few days. The other thing we are working on around here today is Allie going to sleep on her own. Since she has been sick, I have rocked her to sleep, and even slept with her because she would scream the minute I would put her down. While she is sick, rest and comfort comes first, not her being able to put herself to sleep. Well, now that she is not longer sick I have to deal with her "crying it out" for a few days and nights. I just hope it only takes a couple of times, because I can't stand to hear her crying for me. Mommy needs more than four hours of sleep a night though, especially having to keep up with a ten month old, and Allie sleeps so much better by herself!!! I got my hair chopped off yesterday. I couldn't stand the half brown, half blonde getup I was sporting around. I feel so much better now that I am pretty much all brown now. The Lord gave me brown hair, and I may not like it all that much, but I am going to learn to love what He gave me!! It is just too darn expensive to change the color of your hair these days!! Well, I will leave you with some precious pictures of my little darling!! Oh yeah, before I go. I just tell you about this wonderful book I am reading by Elizabeth George, "I love that woman!" God has truly blessed her with a gift to inspire women to be HIS women. The book is called A Woman's High Calling. It is a must read for any of you out there who are looking for a good book to sink into.

Allie tackling and loving on "Uniqua," a Backyardigan charachter given to her by Granny Jenny.

Daddy getting some luvin, and Allie just looking precious!

And these are for you Pa. It was freezing on Nat'l Champ day, but by George Allie was going to wear her Gator Onezie. So what else to do but crank up the heat and dress her in summer attire!! GO GATORS!!

2007-01-30T17:03:00.000-08:00

Poor baby!

I have had a sick, teething baby on my hands lately. Just when teething was about to get the better of her, she started running a fever and today she had a little bit of diarrhea. I know that doctors say that teething doesn't cause those two things, but I still think it does. They said her blood count was normal so it had to be a virus. Well, Michael and I, and all that have been around Allie are well, so mom says it is her teething. Anywho, this has equalled sleepless nights for you know who. Thank God for the two hour nap I was able to get today!!! I just hope Allie sleeps a little better tonight! I will leave you with some pics of when our niece Emma came to stay with us last for a couple of weeks. This kid is absolutely precious. I would ask her, "Emma, are you going to eat your sanwich or what?" She would reply, "Just what." I learned to quit saying or what! Another one of my favorites was how she would come up to me and say, "So....Dana" just like a little adult. I miss that little buger!!

Um, can anyone say Tracy Inez?

Michael is like one of the children. I think he had the most fun of all!

I never could get these two still enough to get a really good picture. They had a blast playing together!

2007-01-26T11:33:00.000-08:00

I'm Back!

Okay, so I could give all kinds of excuses as to why I have not been blogging, but none of them would be good enough for all of you who come to my page, anxiously awaiting a new post, to find the same old stuff that has been on there for ages. So, sorry! I will start by telling you that we had a wonderful Christmas! (Christmas, what's that, wasn't that like forever ago!) We went to Florida to be with our family down there and had a blast. Allie really opened up, FINALLY, to all of the people down there and fit right in to the chaos! I don't know how to spell that word so sorry again! We let Allie open her presents down there being that this was her first Christmas and all. She had such a good time!!!

Allie absolutely loved her Pa too. She just took to him so quickly. Pa was very eager to show off his status with Allie to my mom too.

Ofcourse, Allie warmed up to my mom too. She actually got her to sleep, which is not a feat that very many people can conquer. Ninny is not nearly as eager to pose for pictures, hence I only have one picture of Ninny and Allie to share with you.

We were able to see Luke, Allie's older cousin by a few weeks, open his presents too. He is just so precious I could eat him!

And now blogger has decided to not let my upload any more picture so I will have to save the rest of my holiday pictures for later. So to all of you who were wondering, we are still alive and well!!

2007-01-26T09:05:00.000-08:00

So back to the holidays....I also finally got to spend some time with the newest addition to the family, Nolan. He has already won my heart, and I am sure you can see why!!

The absolute highlight of my trip though was "the gingerbread house!" Layne and Bayli, two of my nieces, decided to build a gingerbread house. Let's just say it didn't go all that well. Layne found it rather humerous, and well, let's just say Bayli wasn't very happy about the whole thing.

Ready to build the best gingerbread house in the world.....So far so good and all is well........Somebody huffed and puffed and blew their house down. Layne took it rather well, but I will leave you with a quote from Bayli, "This is my first gingerbread house ever and it's a disaster!" Got to love that kid!

2006-12-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas Time, I LOVE IT!

I think that most normal people would have gone crazy by now if they had listened to as much Christmas music as I have! I love it, I can't get enough of it. I have to watch every Christmas special that comes on, and I am trying to indoctrinate my eight month old with Rudolph and Frosty and all of this holiday cheer. The only movie that Michael really likes is the Grinch, because he can relate to him so well, but hey, I'll take it. Last night the original Grinch came on and he was actually excited about watching it. Usually he drags in the living room with a book when a Christmas program comes on because I force him to watch it with me. He does love the Christmas cookies and candy that go along with Christmas though, and unfortunately so do I. I have probably already gained three pounds already, and I am not finished yet!!!

It is really a good thing that Allie's memory span only lasts for about ten seconds, because she has already seen most, and even played with some of her Christmas presents. Atleast I know she will like them right. I cannot wait to let her "open" her presents. She is going to look at all of us like we are crazy, but it will be fun anyway!

2006-12-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

Allie and her Cousins

These boys love their little cousin. We always have "visitors" in church who creep next to us on the bench not to sit by Uncle Michael and Aunt Dana, but by little Allie. I put my hand over Allie's mouth in church when she was talking and told her to be quiet and Adam, the youngest said "Dana, don't do that." I can already see that when Allie gets in trouble she is going to have her little defenders running to her defense.

2006-12-08T07:01:00.000-08:00

Allie and Grandpa

We spent the weekend with Michael's parents so that Michael could go hunting on their property, "yes he killed him a deer!" These pictures were taken at about 10:00 p.m. because Allie wasn't going to miss out on any of the fun. I just thought this was too cute because if you know Allie, she doesn't cuddle up with anybody but Mommy and Daddy very often!

2006-11-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

Crawling Away

A littlle video of Allie Bug Crawling!

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2006-11-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

Allie's Number One Goal in Life: Pulling Up!!

Every chance that Allie gets, she is pulling up. I put her in the middle of the floor, and immediately she starts scoping the room, trying her darndest to find something to pull up on. She is getting really good at it too. This morning she pulled up on my bed, me, on her old bassinet (yes, I still have that thing up in my room), and me, the end tables in the living room, me, the couch, the rocker, me, and did I mention me? I am so excited that she is learning how to do all of these things, but it is sad too to see my little baby growing up so fast. We went to Wal-Mart today, which would NOT have happened just three months ago because she would have pitched a holy terror fit. She sat in the buggy and just smiled and played with me. She is just getting so big and I am loving her more and more every day.

2006-11-27T17:26:00.000-08:00

What a Weekend

We were blessed to spend our Thanksgiving in Florida this year. This year was the first time in seven that Michael and I have ventured down south for the Thanksgiving holidays. We usually do Thanksgiving with Michael's family and Christmas with mine, but we just had to take advantage of the four days that Michael had off of school and visit my family that we haven't seen in a while. We met our new little nephew Nolan, who we already love and adore. He is just precious! We got to see all of our other hoodlums down there (Bayli, Layne, Emma, Jake and Luke), but we missed Makayla this weekend. It is always so good to see Ninny and Pa and all of their offspring, also known as my brothers and sisters, and their significant others. Man we just had such a good time. Allie still isn't sure about all of the people down there who just want to hold her and love on her. She just gives them the look that says, you can look, but you can't touch! I am hoping that during our Christmas break when we have a little longer to stay she will finally let everyone hold her. She had a ball playing with her cousins though. She was thrown on the floor with the rest of them, and just acted like she belonged! She was so cute. She is FINALLY crawling!! I didn't think I would ever see the day! She does it like she has been doing it all along.

I am ashamed to say that I do not have any pictures of this weekend, hence the absolutely precious picture of little butt during her six month photo opt!

2006-11-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

Cruisin for a Bruisin'

Oh boy. My little buger is cruising. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen. She just amazes me more and more every day. Today, she actually let go of the couch and stood alone for a couple of seconds before diving for me! She is just learning so much so fast, and I am losing a little bit more of my baby and gaining a little bit more of my little girl every day. She is finally getting her top two teeth, and they have been torturing her for the past few days. She has been crying, or more like moaning, at around 3:00 am the past two nights. I go in her room and lay with her in the bed in there, and she just moans herself back to sleep. It truly is pitiful. Tylenol helps some, but it just don't do the whole job. I knew I would see a little "hole" in her gums for a tooth to come in, and sure enough it was there yesterday morning when I checked. I can't wait for them to come all the way through so that she can be relieved for atleast a few days from her teething woes. Another big change this week, I completely switched her to formula, and let me tell you, the child LOVES her bottle. I feel kind of bad because I just don't think I have been satisfying her with breastfeeding for a while now. I could tell my supply was going bye bye, and since I have weaned she seems so much more happy! And on a final note, she now waves bye bye! She is just so smart. I look at my little what to expect in the first year book and she is doing everything she is supposed to be doing up until about 10 mos! Now, if I can just get her to crawl! I may have to just be satisfied with my little scooter though. I was a scooter, hence the nickname "Bug" given to me because he said I looked like a little bug moving around on the floor since I never did get up on all fours. Allie seems to be getting closer and closer though, so maybe she will be a crawler before it is all over with!

Allie's starting point....

and around she goes...

until she made it all the way around...

and Lord knows she needs the exercise, just look at them legs!!

2006-11-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

Cheater

Michael is such a cheater! I work so hard for Allie's kisses. I sweet talk her. Give her a kiss and act like it was just the greatest thing in the world. And then, I beg. I beg her to give me some sugar and every once in a while I get lucky and she leans in and gives me such a sweet little kiss. But Michael, well let's just say he has found an easier way. That turkey puts a piece of candy in his mouth and then sticks it out half way so she will lean in and taste it. I say that is cheating, and I will not resort to such trickery! (Now where is the candy bowl)

2006-11-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

Allie Bug

I have been calling my little Darling "Allie Bug." It is only fitting, seeing that I have been "Dana Bug" for about twenty four years and six months. It is funny though, the only people that call me bug are people from my early childhood. It is always so comforting to hear my sisters or my parents call me Bug. It makes me feel special, like I am still somebodies little Dana Bug. So, I have passed this on to my little Allie. It just sounds so sweet too, "Allie Bug." Well, my little Allie Bug has met some new feats this week. She is "dancing" to music, which is the cutest thing I have ever seen. She gets up on all fours and just rocks back and forth. If she is standing, she just bounces like nobody's business. She is also able to sit up from a crawling position, which has caused some recent trouble in the nap department. I go in to check on her, and well, let's just say she isn't laying down in the least! MUST LOWER ALLIE"S MATTRESS! I am so afraid I am going to hear a thud coming from her room really really soon. She is also practicing her sitting down, then standing back up again skills. She has only seemed brave enough to do this in her crib because she has something to grab onto all of the way down, but it is so cute. She just stands up, sits down, stands up, sits down, all while waiting for mommy to clap and say yeah Allie! She also claps for our preacher when he preaches. It actually tickled him last night because she was just a clapping away at him when he looked at her! She is such a mess!!

ROTTEN....

ROTTEN.....

ROTTEN!!!

2006-11-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

Give me Peas, Please

I have done it now. I have officially ruined the chances of me ever getting Allie to eat plain ole baby food ever again. I made the mistake of giving her spaghetti and peas the other night, much to her delight. She loved it. I would put a pea on her tray and she thought she was big stuff picking it up and eating it herself. Well, now she turns her nose up at bland tasting baby food, and eyeballs what I am eating the entire time. I had to mix mashed potatoes in with her food the other night, and had to share my biscuit with her too. She will eat some baby foods that are seasoned with onion powder, and she still likes fruit, but I can forget the plain green beans and peas and all the other baby foods that, well lets face it, taste like crapola! I guess I will have to just start fixing things that Allie can eat too and say bye bye to hamburgers and french fries night (which is every Friday by the way). Man my little girl is growing up!

2006-11-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

Allie and her boyfriend

Well, he used to be my boyfriend, but Allie stole him right from under my nose! I used to be the light of this man's life, but it seems to be that his affection has turned to another, and I just don't know how I will ever compete with the other girl in his life. I mean she is cuter than me, gives way better kisses, and squeels in delight every time she sees him. I guess I am going to have to just get used to the fact that I am no longer the only one in Michael's life! It doesn't bother me a bit, I love every minute of watching these two bond and how much their love for one another seems to grow everyday.

2006-11-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

Pulling up here and there and everywhere!

Allie has become a champion at pulling up on everything. Me, furniture, her crib, and even the bathtub. I was brushing my teeth this morning and in order to save myself from the torturous screams of my seven month old, I brought her in the bathroom with me! She was sitting right behind me and I felt her pulling on my legs. Next thing I knew, she was standing up and holding onto the bathtub. I am going to have to watch her like a hawk now. Gone are the days of my immobile little Allie that I could just put anywhere and walk away for a minute to return and find her in the same exact place that I left her. The days of getting into everything, grabbing onto everything trying to give mommy a heartattack days are finally here. And just think, I used to couldn't wait until these days would come.

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2006-10-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

Cheerios

Allie has conquered the art of eating Cheerios, a milestone in every young child's life. I mean, who can't remember eating Cheerios when they were little. I catch myself eating Cheerios while Allie is and thinking I am a kid again. There is just something about Cheerios that brings out the inner child in you. !

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2006-10-26T04:22:00.000-07:00

Allie's Easy Chair

I tell you what, this is the life isn't it. The child is literally catered to. She eats, and then kicks back and relaxes while I clean up the kitchen. Man how nice would that be. Cry when your hungry, have someone say "okay honey, I know your hungry, let me get you something yummy to eat.", have our faces stuffed, then kick back and relax while watching someone else do all of the work. Hey that sounds alot like husbands, I think we got the bad of the deal here ladies!! Just Kidding! I guess I should let Allie enjoy it while she can because the good Lord willing she will be doing the very same thing one day!

2006-10-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Oh, how they change!

Seven months ago, I brought a tiny little helpless baby home, scared to death of how resonsible I was for her complete well being!! I never knew how much love a mother has for her children until I set eyes on my little precious in the hospital. I didn't get to hold her until she was about 3 hours old due to my c-section, and that moment is forever etched in my memory. She just looked at me like, "well, here I am." I was nervous about her first feeding, but she nursed like she had been doing it for years. She has gone from a terrible baby, "sorry Allie, but you were" to the most precious, enjoyable baby on the planet. She has learned to smile, talk, push up on her arms, roll over, push up on all fours, put herself to sleep, scoot, feed herself (she took the spoon out of my hand this morning and showed me that she don't need my help anymore, so I put the food on the spoon and let her feed herself, almost crying the whole time) pull up from sitting, and she is so close to sitting up from her tummy and pulling up that I just don't know how she isn't doing it yet. She copies me with noises and claps when I clap. She went from not liking Daddy too much to thinking he is her boyfriend, man that girl can flirt! She laughs, cries, smiles, frowns, and has everything that makes up a little person. I just don't know how much more growing up I can take! She is my little precious, and I wouldn't change anything about her. Thank you God for my precious little gift. I give You all of the praise and glory for her, because I sure didn't have anything to do with how perfect she is!!

2006-10-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

Two Videos for your Enjoyment

To all of you who haven't seen Allie in a while, look at what Allie is doing now. My goodness how they change from day to day. I hope that soon I will get Allie "giving kisses." She started that last night and it is the absolute most precious thing ever! She also "copies" me with some noises, so maybe I can get that on video too. It just makes it so much more real to see her in action than just in pictures!!

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2006-10-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

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2006-10-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

Her first little Tooth

Allie brought tears to my eyes when she scooted for the first time, and she did it again when I felt her first tooth. I can't believe it, she is just growing up so fast. I knew it was coming because she has been a little extra clingier, if you can believe that. She was wanting me all of the time. I could see a little tiny hole in her gum on Saturday, and low and behold on Monday I felt her first little tooth. You can't see it really good yet, but you can feel it, and the one right next to it is not far behind. In fact, I don't see how it is still under her gum. It looks like it should just pop out any time. Her top gums are really swollen now too. Poor little thing, she is just going to get all of them at once. She is also doing something else. She says mama. Everytime she wants me I hear "mamamamamama, or nananananana." I noticed it a few days ago but ofcourse thought that there was no way she knew what she was saying. But after several days of her "calling" me just about every time she needs me, I think she does know what she is saying. When I lay her down I hear, "mamamamama." When I hand her off to someone else I hear, "mamamamama." When I put her down and walk off I hear, "mamamamama." Geez, six months old and already complaining at me. I am sorry mom for ever complaining at you!! Even though it is complaining, it melts my heart every time she does it!!

2006-10-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

Where's Allie

Ok, so I have to learn how to get Allie doing this from my camera to the blog (little help Amber?), but I just had to share what she is doing. I give her a blanket, and I say, "Where's Allie", she pulls the blanket over her head with a big ole smile on her face and then pulls it down so I can say "There she is." I just can't believe she is already doing this, and the kicker is I only had to show her one time! At first I thought, there is no way she really knows what she is doing. But I tried it again the next day, and the next day, and I think she knows what she is doing! This child is just going to be too smart for her britches. I taught her to find Michael about a month ago. I would say "Allie, Where's Daddy" and she would smile and look at him. Now all I have to say is "Allie" inquisitively and she smiles and looks for Michael. He will even move all around the room and she finds him darn near every time! She is just too darn cute. I love that child. So, until I get this on camera, (I want to do it in video form) I will grace you all with some more beautiful pictures of my precious at Indian Springs!

2006-10-12T05:14:00.000-07:00

6 Mos Pictures

My precious husband has had the week off for Fall Break (one of the few joys of being a teacher, hehe) so we took advantage of it and brought Allie to Indian Springs to do her 6 mos pictures. We decided we could get way better pictures of her than a proffessional because, well let's just say there are very few strangers that she will smile at. We had such a good time and I can't believe all of the good pictures that we got of her. She was such a little champ. She even had her first injury while there, (she tumbled forward while sitting on some cobble steps) but only cried for a minute and did so good for the rest of the day. We just enjoyed taking these pictures so much!!!

2006-10-12T05:07:00.000-07:00

2006-10-12T04:55:00.000-07:00

2006-10-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Look at what Allie is Doing

My little buger is getting up on all fours. I put things out in front of her, and it takes her a little while, but she finally gets to it. I have been told that once they start getting up on all fours they will be crawling in no time, so it looks like my world is about to change! I teared up with excitement when she lunged forward the first time, and in a few weeks I will be tearing up because she is going to be getting into everything! She is so precious!

2006-10-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

Just a little bit further....
Almost there....

Aha, I got you little fishy!!!

2006-10-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

Can anyone find my sanity, because I lost it again!

Thank goodness I haven't lost it because of sleep issues, my little buger is still sleeping through the night. She wakes about once still, but cries for about ten minutes and goes right back to sleep. Hey, compared to her previous nighttime routine, I can deal with that!! No, this time I have lost it because I cannot be more than five feet away from her or she will start screaming her head off. I'm not talking fussing a little here and there, I am talking screaming bloody murder, turning red from her head to her toes, mad at the whole world, pitching a bonified one hundred percent fit! She panics, flat out panics. I rarely can put her in the grocery cart because she is so freaked out from the ride to the grocery store where she didn't see her mommy for a whole five minutes. I roll her around in the grocery cart trying to calm her down, but it only makes it worse. I have started today by leaving the room for a few minutes, letting her cry, and then reappearing with a reassuring voice saying " Mommy's right here, see, Mommy didn't go far." I don't pick her up, and eventually she will calm down. As of late, I can't even take a pee pee in peace, and I sure can't take a nice relaxing shower unless little butt is asleep. Lord I hope this stage passes soon, or I may never find my friend sanity again!!! Any advice from you mothers out there! I will take anything you can give me. I love my little pumkin but everyone needs a little break here and there!

One look at this little precious though, and I easily regain my sanity!

2006-10-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

Here we go!

Well, I thought I was safe to put Allie down on the floor and not look at her every two seconds because she can't crawl. Well, I forgot one little detail, she can roll. I put her on the floor in her room while I was cleaning in there, again, and when I looked down I saw that the little buger was getting into her towels and rags that I have in little baskets. I never thought that her making a mess would be so darn cute!!

2006-10-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Look who can stand up

I was in Allie's room cleaning so I put her in her crib to let her play. It didn't take long for her to figure out what the bars on her crib are really for. I guess we need to add lowering the mattress to Daddy's to do list. She is just growing up way too fast!!!

2006-10-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

My precious Allie this morning. All we have to do is look at her and we get the biggest smiles. I have so been enjoying her more since I am getting some sleep, and I think she is enjoying life more too. Before she started sleeping through the night, both of us woke up, well, sad. We looked like our best friend just died. But now, my smiles are as big as hers in the morning, but believe me, you don't want to see pictures of me in the morning time!!!

2006-10-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

2006-09-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Pretty as a Picture

2006-09-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

2006-09-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

My old friend, Sanity

Ok, so once again it has been a while since I have blogged. My reason being again that I went to Florida for a week. It was a spur of the moment trip that Allie and I enjoyed to the Max. Sorry, no pictures this time. My camera case made it out of the car, but my camera didn't. Why my camera was not in my case you ask, well, it's me, Dana, the most unorgonized human on the planet, so my things are never where they are supposed to be. We spent the week with my sister Tracy who is taking a little time off of work, and it was great. Allie ACTUALLY liked Tracy, giving her kisses and hugs and everything. This is unusual 1., because she likes Tracy and who likes Tracy right? HEHE, You know I love you Trace, and 2., Allie doesn't like anyone but me until she really gets to know you so for her to like Tracy right off the bat was amazing. My other sister Kelly almost went into labor for like the fifth time, (j/k Kelly) with Nolan who is finally considered full term so come on down Nolan!! Layne was CITIZEN OF THE MONTH at her school! Hello, in a five year old's world, that is like being the President or something! And Bayli, well let's just say she rocks the softball world. My girl pitched this week and struck three people out in one inning, and incase you haven't figured it out by now, that is ALL the outs in an inning! So anywho, everyone is doing great and I loved seeing everyone and it was extra hard for me to come back this time. Now you may be wondering why I titled this blog My old friend, Sanity. I will tell you why, because I haven't slept since I have gone to Florida until last night. Allie got ALL out of wack in Florida, so we have had to work on sleeping again. Last night my girl went eight hours in her own bed before I had to get her up to feed her. That means I got six hours of straight sleep. A year ago that would have stunk, but to any new mother six hours is absolutely incredible. I woke up this morning at 5:00 and was so excited about my sleep I couldn't go back to sleep. So here I sit, at 7:00 still extremely excited, so excited I want to tell the world about it! So, hello sanity for now, I am sure I will lose it again soon though. When I do, I will be sure to let you know!

2006-09-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

Battle of the Wills

Little miss Allie has been so much more playful lately. She is banging things and shaking things and learning that her hands can do so much more than just be pretty to look at. So, lately my little one has not liked going to sleep. She has learned that life goes on after she goes to sleep, and she pitches a fit every time I put her in her bed. The last couple of times she has screamed bloody murder to where I think something must be wrong. I go in there to pick her up, only to find that she stops crying the minute I do and looks at me with a big smile. I learned something too, she thinks she won. She got me, I did exactly what she wanted me to do. So, now comes the battle of the wills. Who will win, Allie or Mommy. I hope Mommy does, but it is going to be tough. I won this time though, she is in there sound asleep, much to her dismay.

2006-09-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

My Precious Family

Note to self : Never mention one or two family members specifically in a blog without expecting phone calls from other family members. Yes, I recieved another call informing me that I never mentioned them specifically, I won't mention any names but it starts with a T and ends in and i and the two letters inbetween are on. So anyway, I have decided to mention all of my brothers and sisters, inlaws, nieces and nephews all at one time so that I won't recieve any more phonecalls. If I forget you, tough! hehe!

Toni: I love you most for your big sister qualities. I will never forget how when I was growing up you picked me up from school, softball practice, friends houses all without any complaints. You let me spend the night at your house and eat goodies, and you never ever made me feel like a nuisance. I love you too for your preparedness. You plan things two months in advance and even that is getting a late start! I always know we can count on you for cookie day, Christmas meals, mom and dads present ideas, and many other things!!

Randy: I love you because you make every word count. You are a man of few words, but you can gaurantee that you will either laugh, or say yeah that's right at everything Randy says. You are truely an added blessing to this family.

Bayli: I love you the most for your maturity. You have always been one a little bit ahead of the game, and you are the most responsible eight year old that I know. Being my first niece, you hold an extra special place in my heart.

Kelly: I love you most for your sweet nature. I don't know of anyone that is sweeter, and you have always been that way towards me. I know I had to get on your nerves bad as your little tagalong, but you never showed it. You are very optimistic, and always wonderful to be around even if things are not going so great.

Chris: I love you the most for being my sisters night in shining armor. You have loved her and Layne as they should be loved, and for that I will be eternally grateful to you. You also always seem genuinely happy to see Michael and I when we are down, and your laught absolutely cracks me up!

Layne: I love you the most for just being so darn cute. I could literally eat your cheeks off, and I often think of your little smile as I fall to sleep because it eases my mind. I will always treasure our memories of your visits to Georgia!

Nolan: You aren't here yet but I already love you for all of the memories you will give us. You are a cute little thing from the pictures I have seen of you, and I can't wait for the opportunity to hold you in my arms.

Tracy: I love you the most for your love that you have for me. You have always been my protector, and I never feared because I had you for a sister. You call me the most out of everyone down there just to tell me you love me and miss me, and you don't know how much that means to me. Being close in age, we grew up more like bestfriends, and I will never forget the bond that we share that will forever be woven through eternity.

Jason: I love you most for your laugh and smile. I smile when you smile, and you work hard for your family even when it seems it is too much. You don't complain alot even though sometimes I know you want to, making me want to have a more positive attitude.

McKayla: I love you the most for making our family complete. It is as if we have had you all along in our family, and I really don't know what we would do without you. You are the sweetest young lady that I know!

Emma: I love you most for your precious little personality. You are so sweet, but you can also be a little fireball which reminds me of the bigger version of you. I love your hugs and kisses, and I could just hold you for hours.

Jake: I love you the most for being all boy. You are definitely a Sumner as you remind me a lot of my little brothers growing up. You have just enough sweetness in you to make me want to eat you up.

Adam: I love you most for your well roundedness. You are just an all around great guy. Sweet, funny, attractive, and you never gave up on what you wanted, (Kendall) even when others were telling you you should. I will always respect you for that because I am so thankful to have her as a sister.

Kendall: I love you the most for your genuiness. You love my brother and nephew with your whole heart, and treat us as if we were your own blood. I love you like a sister.

Luke: Well, you are just precious. I could look at you all day. When you smile, your whole face smiles, and you have the most precious little nature about you!

Forrest: Being the baby of all of us, I could go on and on. You are daddy made over, and I think that is what I love most about you. You are so sweet and so much fun to be around. You aren't afraid to show your emotions with a hug and a kiss, and you tell me you love me. I love that about you.

2006-09-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Return of the Missing Squash

The other night I fed Allie squash, which she liked as she has liked everything I have given her so far. Good thing she isn't picky because I am only really good at cooking a few things so she won't have much of a variety to choose from! Well, I returned to the kitchen with the squash that she didn't eat, fully intending to put it in the refrigerator. I also had my plate from supper, so I put my plate next to the sink after dumping my leftovers in the trashcan. Well, a few seconds later I thought, "what did I do with the squash?" Michael assured me that I had it with me when I went to the kitchen. I looked in the fridge, wasn't there, I looked in the trashcan, wasn't there. I looked on the table, in the cabinets, in the pantry, wasn't there. I searched high and low, here and there and everywhere. So I just wrote off that half of a jar of squash and knew it would turn up some day in the place where I least expected it to. Well, it did. The next morning I went to the microwave to warm my coffee, and when I opened the door, there was that half jar of squash that I intended to put in the fridge. Why I put it in the microwave, I will never know, and how I didn't remember that I put it in the microwave after just a few seconds of doing so is even more scary!!!

2006-09-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

Number 1 Ninny

Well, after my post of Pa I was again kindly reminded by my mother that she has never had a post specially for her. I would like to remind you mom that I thank you for staying home with us on my profile and that you are such a good example to me, but nonetheless I will tell the world why I think you are by far the Number 1 Ninny in my book:

#1. When you call, Ninny answers. No matter what, if Ninny is needed, Ninny is there. I don't know what me, Allie and Michael would do without her selflessness. She was here for me when I had Allie, a week after I had her, a week when I went back to work, and always comes when she gets the call from me that says "mom, I need you bad, please come," which you will be getting soon so get ready. She is the most dependable person I know.

# 2. She has great songs. She has made up so many songs while raising us, which she now enjoys singing to her grandchildren. I find myself singing them a lot, and always let Allie know where I got them from.

#3. Ninny loves her grandkids as much as her own children. If there is a need, she fills it, and everyone can see the love that she has for all eight of new additions to the family. It doesn't matter how they made it in the family either by one of her own children or by marraige, she loves them all the same!

# 4. "Ninny talks." When one the grandchildren are acting up, they are faced with a Ninny talk. She sits down with them and has a talk about their recent behavior, and it never fails that both Ninny and the one being talked to get up smiling. She knows just what to say.

#5. Last but not least, she is the best mother in the world so it only makes sense that she is the best Ninny in the world. I don't know of anyone who is so passionate about their family, and who loves with a more genuine love!

2006-09-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

The Greatest Pa in the World

I was talking to my dad this morning, and it was kindly brought to my attention that in the post that I did of my family in Florida, Pa was neither pictured, or given an "honarable mention" as he called it like the other people who were not pictured did. So, in light of this new information, I thought I would "honor" him by telling you why he is the greatest Pa in the world. Pa has several talents.

# 1.His first and most noticable one is he is great at earning the affection of even his tiniest new grandchildren by drawing their attention to his hat. They gaze in awe as he raises their tiny little faces to this wonderful object that sits atop his head.

# 2. Pa has an uncanny ability to smell out a stinky diaper. There could be four babies in the room, no one else being bothered by this smell that Pa swears exists. As each parent checks the diapers of their little one, sure enough one of them has gone poo poo.

# 3. Pa is absolutely unable to let a baby just cry even if that is the intention of the well meaning parent. If Pa is anywhere in the vacinity of a crying baby, he rescues them from the mean parents that are just sitting there watching the baby cry. Hence, a bunch of spoiled rotten grandchildren who will eventually always reach for the Pa!

# 4. Pa never holds a crying baby who wants its mama. He does not believe in making a baby upset, therefore doing anything in his power to stop the crying, especially if he is holding Allie because we all know that when the girl wants her mama, the girl wants her mama!

# 5. Pa has the greatest ability to let each grandchild know they are loved in a very unique special way. He connects with each child differently through different interest of theirs, and is always there with words of love, encouragement and understanding as he always was with us!

2006-09-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

Sweet Moments

You know those moments. Every mother has them. You are doing the same routine things you do everyday, and then you look down at your precious little one and think, I have to capture this on camera. The other day I was getting Allie ready for church, hurrying after her bath to get her dressed, and I looked down at my little darling and thought, now if that isn't the cutest baby in the world I don't know who is! She immediately eats her toes now everytime I put her on the changing table. I have to fight with her to get them out of her mouth so I can put her diaper on her. I tried to eat one of them to see what was so great about it, but it just didn't do it for me:). To each girl her own!!

2006-08-31T06:27:00.000-07:00

See Mommy, I can sit up

I never thought I could be so happy, and so sad when Allie meets her little milestones. I get so excited when she does something new, and then the sad realization that she is going from my tiny little baby to my precious little girl hits me. People have told me from the beginning, this is going to fly by so enjoy every minute with her. I knew that was true, but now I am living the reality of that and sometimes I wish I could just freeze time and keep her my little baby for just a little while longer. What a wonderful, rewarding, and fullfilling experience being a mother is. Sometimes I feel like I give all of myself for her and nothing is left over for me, but you know what, that's perfectly ok with me! Seeing this precious jewel right before I go to bed, two times in the middle of the night, first thing in the morning, and all day inbetween is exactly what I want to be doing. And before I know it, she will be gone living her own life. I will try to cherish every moment and thank God for the precious times that He has blessed me to spend with Allie!

2006-08-31T06:21:00.000-07:00

Our Little Ganster!

Oh if Allie has ever been fussy, this was the time. It was about 6:30 and we were getting ready to go to church. Well, she is used to getting ready to go to bed at about this time, so she was giving her daddy a hard time. He finally decided to harass her by putting her bow in the middle of her forehead. I am telling you, she is the cutest baby ever even when she is fussy. By the way, she ended up being great at church and didn't give us any trouble at bed time, even though it came about two hours late!

2006-08-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

A Tribute to my Precious Husband

Every once in a while, a girl lucks out and marries a man that she has always dreamed about. A handsome, caring, loving, nurturing, understanding, precious and did I mention handsome man. Michael is not the man I thought I married, he is SOOO much more. First of all, he supports Allie and me without a second thought. He came home after a tough day at work and said, "It makes me feel so much better to come home and know that you and Allie had such a great day together." Not, "well I am glad you had a good day cause mine stunk!" Just when I need it, I find a letter of encouragement on the kitchen table that he left when I wake in the morning. Everyday he comes home and says, "the house looks great baby. You just do too much around here." When I am really tired after a few nights of sleeplessness, he comes home after a hard days work and cooks supper while telling me to sit down and take it easy. There is not a day that goes by that I don't feel like the most loved woman on the face of the earth, and I still get butterflies when I hear the car pull up in the carport after not seeing him all day! And just when I thought I couldn't love him anymore, I had his little girl and the love that he has for her intensifies my love for him even more. So, not only am I thankful for my precious little girl, but I have been blessed with the best husband of all times. I love you Michael, for all eternity!!

2006-08-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

My Little Precious

Everday, our little Allie grows a little, changes a little, and reveals to us a little bit more of who she really is. The girl has personality, she is infatuated with her mommy, and loves her daddy just a little bit too :) . She is determinted to get what she is reaching for, even if you try to hide it, and she has a smile and laugh that will absolutely melt even the hardest of hearts. She can sit up by herself, and can pull herself up when holding on to my fingers. She still loves to be cuddled, and sings right along when I sing Amazing Grace. I love my Alice Kaytlin Hataway, and wouldn't have her any other way. Thank you Lord for our precious gift!

2006-08-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

Allie's Last Ditch Effort to Fight Sleep

This was hilarious! In the beginning of our "crying it out" adventure, Allie would flip onto her back and scream thinking that I would come to her rescue. Well, I usually did, but just to flip her back to her tummy. Well, this time I decided to let her stay on her back for a little while, and she fell asleep!! She didn't sleep like this for long, but I could't resist the photo shoot opportunity! Michael and I both just cracked up at her. Our little turkey, you just have to love her!

2006-08-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

Finally

Finally, the pictures I promised from our trip to Florida! We had such a good time. I am missing several people though because stupid me didn't make sure to have my camera with me half the time. Allie has another cousin Layne, who we had lunch with at her school and has such a good time. Layne was the line leader, oh yeah, you read that right, the bigshot line leader! We love you Layne! All of the uncles, Adam, Forrest, Randy, Jason and Chris are not in the pictures. Kelly, Layne's mama is probably ready to kill me because she thinks she looks fat in the picture I posted of her. Kelly, you are almost eight months pregnant and you and Nolan look FABULOUS! Now that you see how HUGE my family is, you can better understand the look of awe that is on Allie's face in most of these pictures. Lets just say she was a little overwhelmed, but she had a great time for the most part! I love you guys and miss you terribly! Can't wait for our next visit!

My Mom (Ninny,) Kelly, Tracy, Me and Toni

Ninny and Kendall

2006-08-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

Mommy & Allie

2006-08-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

Kelly ( and Nolan, she's 7 mos pregnant!) & Allie
Toni & Allie

2006-08-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

McKayla and Allie

2006-08-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

Allie and Bayli

2006-08-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Bayli, Jake and Allie

2006-08-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

Toni, Allie,
Luke and Emma

2006-08-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

TGFS

Gone are the days of TGIF (Thank God its Friday!) Now are the days of Thank God for SLEEP!! I do not remember the last time I got more than about 5 hours of broken up sleep because my little darlin wasn't sleeping too good. About every hour I would have to get the poor little thing back to sleep, and then get me back to sleep! I tried sleeping with her, didn't work. I tried patting her back to sleep, didn't work. She still didn't sleep good. So, I have reverted back to letting her cry it out. We got out of the habit because we went to Florida and Allie slept with me. It wasn't nearly as painful this time, probably because I was so darn tired! I walked around here huffing and puffing at the littlest things that needed to be done, and playtime with Allie was much less cheerful. I realized I needed to do something though when I looked at her and saw the same tired eyes that I saw when I looked in the mirror. She was pitifully tired, and I had to do something about it. Well, last night was WONDERFUL!! I put her down at 8:30, and she slept until 7:30. There were two feedings inbetween, but spaced out 4 hours apart. I loved the sleep so much, I really could have cried!! And little Allie had a little bit more pep about her too! She has been talking and smiling like her normal self, and that makes Mommy extra happy!!!

2006-08-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

So Sorry for the lack of Posts

I know it has been over a week since I have posted, but there is good reason! Allie and I went to Florida to visit my family for 9 whole days, and we had a blast! My sweet ever to be adored mother came to get us, and my precious, loving, understanding husband (he let me go with relatively no pouting) came to get us. Allie is so used to peace and quiet around here, but that is a rarety when my family gets together. I mean with all five of my brothers and sisters, throw in their kids, and a few cousins to pop in and out and we have a HOUSE FULL!! Allie is always a little taken back by all of the action, but by the end of the week she was just one of us! I have some great pictures to post of our trip, but ofcourse the camera is in the car which is in the parking lot of the school that Michael teaches at, so I will have to wait til he gets home. In the meantime, I have some cute pictures that I have not posted yet to keep you entertained!!

Poor Baby! I wish I could just get her teeth for her!

Allie on our bed. She absolutely loves our pillows!

2006-08-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

Four Month Check-Up

Well, Allie's four month check up, which actually occured at four and a half months, confirmed what I already knew. I HAVE A BIG GIRL!! She weighs 16 pounds, and is 25 1/2 inches long, putting her above the 90th percentile in both length and weight! She got my thunder thighs, but her weight and height didn't come from me. At the rate she is going, she will be bigger than me when she is four! J/K. The pediatrician said she will probably taper off within the next couple of months. She said that I can start her on solids on a regular routine and maybe that will cut out our nighttime feedings. She said Allie is right on track and is doing great! Poor baby got four shots, but only cried during the shots and calmed right down when I picked her up. She was a champ!!!

2006-08-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

There is just nothing cuter than a baby in just her diaper! It has been so hot even with the air conditioner running all day so I decided to let Allie lounge in just her diaper. She is such a joy to play with. I think her dimples get a little bigger every day!

2006-08-04T06:10:00.000-07:00

2006-08-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

Baby in Red

Ok, so I know the song goes "lady in red" but I just can't bring myself to call Allie a lady. She is just my little baby Pumkindoodle. I tell you I have so many nicknames for her she is going to think her name is sugarbear, pumkindoole, pumkinhead, little butt, dollbaby, and the list goes on and on. I don't think she hears Allie except for from other people. Well anyway, this was the most precious outfit so I had to capture it on camera. I am finding that she just looks beautiful in every color!!

2006-08-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

Finally, no Red Eye

I was so tired of contending with red eye in all of Allie's pictures. Those beautiful big blue eyes of hers almost always produced red eyes in pictures, so I tried my hand at some black and white pictures of her. And do you know, she is just as beautiful in black and white as she is in color. These pictures are sweet because they are right after a nap so she is still a little sleepy. I was vacuuming while she was playing in her exersaucer, and she kept a close eye on the big red thing coming towards her. She was spinning in that exersaucer like you wouldn't believe!!

2006-08-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

Some Things Never Change

When I was expecting Allie, my doctor and his nurses always got tickled because little Allie always had her booty poking up in the air. There was always a spot in my tummy that was as hard as a rock when I was being examined, and my doctor told me that it was her little hiny. Every time I would see my doctor he would just laugh because it was like she was sticking her hiny up at him. Well, she still sleeps with her little booty in the air. I know this is probably exactly like she was laying in my tummy. This is just her comfy position.

2006-08-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

Mr. Hataway

Well, it is finally official. My sweet, precious husband who worked so hard to become a teacher now is one. This morning was his first day as a teacher at Clifton Ridge Middle School. He is teaching 7th grade Geography. Allie and I went with him yesterday to help set up his classroom and that is when it hit me that my sweetie is actually MR. HATAWAY. I am so proud of him for what he has accomplished through the Lord's help, and am so thankful that he is willing to work hard for his family. I can't wait for him to come home so I can hear all about his day!

2006-07-29T06:44:00.000-07:00

This is a picutre of a picture, so the quality isn't all that great, but it is me when I was a baby. Ofcourse, the bottom picture is Allie Kay. When I saw my baby pictures I could not believe how much they looked like Allie. I had always thought that she looked a lot more like Michael than me, but when I look at my baby pictures it is like I am looking at my little dollbaby..

2006-07-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

One Potato, Two Potato, Sweet Potato, Four

Allie's first food besides cereal was yummy sweet potatoes! She liked them, especially when I warmed them up a little bit. She is just the cutest thing ever! We were getting ready for bed last night and were playing with Allie on our bed. I went to the laundry room to get a load out of the dryer, and when I came back in I heard these little high pitched squeels. When I got back to the bedroom Michael was singing "You are my Sunshine" to Allie and every other word she would just squeel at him. I loved it, and I know Michael did!

2006-07-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

This Morning

I went in to check on Allie this morning and I could tell she was about to wake up because she was on her side, her beginning efforts to flip to her back before she wakes up. Well, I had to capture our morning routine on camera. I got a picture of her asleep, and I got a picture of her little face when she first saw me. She is my little dollbaby!

2006-07-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

New Mom Alert!!

I mean I should come with a disclaimer, "yes, I am a new mom, and I do freak out every time my daughter does something different, or not exactly how I think she should!" I hope I am not alone here, but anytime Allie doesn't eat as much as I think she should, eats more than I think she should, cries a little more than I think she should, and the list goes on and on, I start going into panic mode and think of all of the things that could be wrong with her. For instance, just earlier this week she was eating every two to two and a half hours and waking up constantly at night, hence I thought she was eating too much. Today, she has gone three and a half and sometimes four hours, and I am trying to force milk down the poor thing's throat because I think she needs to eat. Poor little Allie, I know that my second child will be much easier!! She is catching the brunt of "mommy has no idea what she is doing or what you are supposed to be doing!" I guess this is all part of it! I love every bit of this learning experience, and she should have me all trained up before the next child comes along!!

2006-07-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

Well last night we went back to waking up three times despite all of my best efforts. But who cares. I have a beautiful, healthy little girl that lights up every time I walk in the room. I got her out of her bed this morning and put her by me, and when she looked up the biggest smile you have ever seen came accross her face and I just melted. Michael came in to join in on playtime, and just as soon as she saw him that same big smile came over her face. We are blessed beyond measure. Thank you God for our precious gift!