We Are Never Going Close...........

Well, it is our scheduled closing day again & here I sit at work because it is once again NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!! I am so frustrated & tired of people telling us everything is "good to go" when apparently it isn't & they haven't done their job! We are now rescheduled again for this Friday morning & all I can say is it better happen or instead of Lance talking to them I will get involved & tell them exactly what their incompetence is causing & costing us. We are going to (hopefully) end up moving this weekend which means that we will be moving on Saturday which is B's 8 month birthday & then getting settled all day Sunday which is B's 1st Easter & he only gets one FIRST Easter!! I just feel like we are stuck in this holding pattern & stuck in a house of boxes & are never going to get out...........

Here is my little man making a face at mommy; I might add that this is him last night after he projectile vomited all over me!! I guess something just didn't sit right in there because he was just fine after he got it ALL out!

What a Weekend & Week To Come........

Everyone was right even though I couldn't see it last week I saw it Friday night when I was feeding B dinner; he has his first tooth coming in on the bottom & it is making my usually happy go lucky boy pretty fussy & have the worst poops ever. He would go from this (you can't tell from the picture but he is gnawing away on this paci)........

to this.......in a second flat! He would whine & cry for a few minutes & then he would get distracted by a toy & be fine again; I have to admit that I love that his teething has made him want to cuddle with his momma!!

B really was in a good mood even though I could tell that he was in pain & all in all we had a great weekend. We actually got to go for a walk outside both Saturday & Sunday & all I can say is B loves to be outside; he seemed to be taking it all in while we walked.


We sat in the backyard & play with the pups for a good while both days too!! The dogs loved that we came outside with them to play & Brayden loved to watch Bella run after the ball when I would throw it; he would giggle every time :)

In house news we are closing on the 31st at noon & I couldn't be more ready for it; I thought the house was a mess last week but this weekend we pulled everything out of the attic & put in in the garage & packed up almost everything that was left! There are boxes & decorations everywhere & I can't wait to start moving stuff over after we sign on Wednesday. I am going to start moving over what I can on Wednesday evening & all day Thursday while Lance is working & then the movers come on Friday for the big stuff........B's 8 month birthday is this Saturday & he will be waking up in our new house for the 1st time!!!



Song of the Day: Beth Hart - LA Song

Out of All the Toys.........

Brayden has a ton of toys but out of all of them he likes the TV remote & an empty water bottle the most.........go figure!!



Our poor little boy though; he just doesn't seem himself lately & I am not sure what is going on. Last night he kept crying in his sleep; he never really woke up but it was so pitiful!! He has a slight runny nose but no fever, he is pulling at his ear here & there but has been since I took him to the doctor the last time to get it checked out & they said probably teeth but I don't see any sign of teeth coming up yet so I don't think it is that; but than again I could be wrong & one pop up today! He hasn't had any belly issues in quite a while (Thank God & please don't let me be jinxing myself) so it shouldn't be that. He might be going through a painful growth spurt but my goodness he just did a few weeks ago (& if it is a growth spurt how tall in my son going to be??) but it wasn't like this so I am at a total & complete lose........anyone have any suggestions or advise??

On the house issue we might be closing Monday but we won't know for sure until the end of today so I have decided to let it go & whenever we close we close (as long as we make the April 30th deadline for the $8000 new home tax credit) & whenever we get to move we move!! I will leave it all in God's hands & it will all work out when it is supposed to!!!!

Hope everyone has a Happy Friday :)

I Have No Words........

to describe the emotions that I am feeling right now!! Our closing has been pushed back because we STILL do not have the appraisal back on the house so everything that we had planned for this weekend is shot to s**t & there is no way to say for sure if it will even happen Monday; plus because of the crazy ass weather & temperature changes here in GA I am coming fighting off a cold. I literally burst into tears last night because of frustration & I hate to cry; our house is a mess (there are boxes EVERYWHERE), I don't feel well, I don't know when we can move, I just got all the utilities set up for the new house & had to redo all that, our renters have to be in by the 1st......GGGGRRRRRRRR!!!!

But here is the light & joy of my life.........

I Would Like to Introduce........

my first ever guest blogger; Jenn from Blonde Ambition!!! I was so honored when she accepted my invite to be a guest blogger; not only do I think she is beautiful & amazing but her twin boys are the cutest ever. So with out further a due.....here she is!!

I am honored to be guest-blogging for my friend, Mitzi!

Sweet Mitzi left the topic up to me which was pretty cool, but then I began to think about what I wanted to share. I decided to blog about something that has been on my mind a LOT lately...

It's rapidly approaching. It has been the reason for my many hours of internet-browsing. It's the source of cupcake-baking trial and errors and careful menu planning. What am I talking about? My boys' first birthday party (in JUNE!). Apparently, I am more neurotic than I ever thought possible to be planning their party so far in advance.

I never thought I would make such a big deal over invitations and hunting for party favors suitable for one-year-olds. What has parenthood driven me to?! I have to admit: before I had my boys, I swore up and down that I'd never make a big deal over their first birthday, simply because they won't remember it. But, as time went on, I quickly realized that I would miss having a big celebration. The boys deserve it and, if I’m being completely honest, so do we! After all, it's the parents who have spent the past year doing middle-of-the-night feedings, countless diaper changes and more laundry than I could have ever imagined (seriously, it's insane).

First up was picking a theme. People automatically think of the twin 'pea in a pod' theme, so naturally, I wanted to avoid that like the plague. I wanted the boys to have something a little different, so we are with Ocean ONEderland. Clever, no? This is about when my lack of control started spiraling out of control, much to my husband's dismay. Do you have any idea how many adorable fish-themed party stuff is out there? After buying $85 worth of party favors, I decided that I need to calm down a bit. This was literally just for some party favors for our little guests. That's a bit crazy!

Invitations were next and thankfully, there are loads of Etsy sellers who are far more crafty than I at designing an invitation. It's just one less thing that I need to worry about. Speaking of invitations, I haven't mentioned the guest list. Just counting immediate family & close friends, there's 60 people. I live in a row home in Philadelphia -- it isn't like I live on a huge estate with acres of land suitable for party tents & ample space for the children to run free. Space is tight in the city!

Honestly, I could go on and on about this. I don't know when I turned into this wannabe party-planner on speed, but I'm in full swing, ladies & gentlemen. I know that I’m not the only one out there in blog-land who has gone to great lengths to make their child's first birthday celebration one to remember (for you, obviously!), so I'd love to hear what you did to make it special for your little one(s). If you kept it low-key, I would love to hear about that too!

Moving....

We will be closing on our new house this Friday & I couldn't be more excited about it!! I now have more on my plate than I thought I would ever have but it is all worth it & since I am not sleeping when Brayden is crying at night anyway I will just use that time to get some packing done! We are closing Friday at 1 so we will be getting the keys....WOO HOO.....& then we are having the house cleaned on Saturday morning & then movers will be at our house bright & early Sunday morning to get the big stuff moved!

We are having the house professional cleaned because it has been sitting since the builder went bankrupt & just needs a deep cleaning & I had to admit to myself & to hubbs that I just did not have time to do it before Sunday.....no way was it even possible!! So the house will be cleaned by Saturday afternoon & my mother in law is going to come watch B while I start taking stuff over (& she is taking him for the night as well & I am not looking forward to that AT ALL); some stuff we just feel more comfortable moving ourselves BUT more over we don't want to have to pay anymore than we have too for the movers time on Sunday!!

I am taking off Monday & Tuesday of next week as well as Friday this week to hopefully get everything pretty much where it goes. I can't believe we are moving into our dream home this weekend; I just want to scream I am so excited!!

Here is our non-sleeping little man!! I love him so much & he is going to love growing up in our new house!!

He has learned that he loves the camera too........loves to grab & reach for it ALL THE TIME!!


Song of the Day: Josh Turner - Why Don't We Just Dance (this is so funny)

Gonna Be A Long Monday...........

See this cute & adorable kid; can someone please tell him that he wouldn't be so grumpy if he slept through the night?? I really don't think that I have never been as tired as I am right this moment; B is having the hardest time STTN & between the sleep training & packing I am EXHAUSTED!! He woke up for some reason this morning at 2 & didn't fall back to sleep until 3:30 & then was ready to get up & eat breakfast at 5 like normal so we did but at 6 I could tell that he was tired & then the grumpy side of my son reared it's ugly head. I would love to have been able to let him nap this morning since I know he needs it but I have to start getting everything in the car so that we can get to daycare......I don't know what else to do for him when it come to sleep training & I feel like I am some how failing him.

I let him cry for a good while at night & some times he puts himself back to sleep & other times I get up & go in there to give him is binky & then he is back out. He will sleep great one night & then crappy the next & I am sure that on the good nights he sleeps so well because he is tired from the night before but how do I get him to STTN every night??? I can deal with not getting sleep myself but when he doesn't sleep well he isn't himself & doesn't want to do as much (like play). I am at a loss & just don't know what to do to help him...........anyone, anyone??

Don't forget to go here for my Q&A.......you have the opportunity to ask either myself or my hubbs anything you would like & we will answer!

Song of the Day: Chantal Kreviazuk - Feels like home

Ask Away...

I have decided to do a Q&A blog, you ask & I will answer!! You can ask any question you would like & hubbs even agreed to answer a few himself if asked.......so ask away!!!

The "Butt Scoot"

So it seems that my son has absolutely no interest in crawling; he just wants to bend himself in half to get things, like so.......

& if he can't reach it he will do what I call the "butt scoot". He will sit up straight & bounce his butt to move himself forward; it is the funniest thing to watch but he will do it until he can reach whatever it is he wants to get. I am going to have to try to get it on video this weekend so you too can enjoy watching it!!

In other transportation news he has started to love his walker & is getting really good at going forward in it; there for a while he could only throw it in reverse. It is so neat to watch him in it; one minute he will be sitting in it chilling or scooting around & then he will just stand straight up in the darn thing.


He is ever growing & changing & breaking his mommas heart!! I hope that everyone has a great weekend & enjoys the beginning of SPRING tomorrow!!

Song of the Day: Nelly Furtado - I'm Like A Bird

Our Fur Babies Apparently Hate Moving More Than I Do..............

Our 2 wonderful dogs are so sweet; Georgia is the calm & lazy one & Bella is the hyper spaz BUT they have both become leechy spazs since the packing has begun. I am not sure of they think we are going to leave them at this house or if they are both just confused but they are underfoot & following us around every where & it is driving me crazy. Does anyone have any ideas to help make our pups feel more secure while we go through this process??

This is what Georgia loves to do ALL the time..........

This is what Bella does when Georgia won't play & I am too busy too........

This is them late night & we are all in the family room (yes my hubby had to have beds for them in our bedroom & in the living room!!)

And I finally got a picture of Bella with Brayden; she actually laid down for more than a second!!


Any suggestions would really be appreciated; I love them to death but can't keep tripping over them since.........wait for it.........we actually might be closing on the house NEXT WEEK so we could move in a week earlier than expected. God I have a lot to do in a short period of time.

Awesome Giveaway.......

Head over to The Undomestic Momma & follow her ways to win this beautiful soiree pave bracelet in turquoise from Stella & Dot.

Good Luck!!

New House Photos

We went over to our new house this past weekend to show it to Lance's dad & I took a few pictures so you guys can see what it looks like. I am not a photographer & these pictures don't do it any justice but trust that this house is beautiful & I can't wait to move in. We will be closing no later than March 31st so we are in the mist of packing everything & honestly as excited as I am to be moving it is bittersweet to leave the house that we have made into our home for the past 3 years.

We are renting the house out & not selling it so it's not like we won't be able to ever go inside & reminisce again but so much has happened in this house & I am going to miss it. I know that we will make the new house a home in no time at all but I am sure that the day we move some tears of both joy & sorrow will be shed by Lance & I!

View Up at Front Door (Foyer)

Stairs (located in foyer)

Formal Dining Room

My beautiful NEW KITCHEN

Kitchen

Eat In Kitchen Area & View into Family Room

Family Room

Coffered Ceilings in Family Room

Fireplace in Family Dining Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Master Bathroom

Spare Bathroom


And here is one of Brayden......just bacause!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Yes, I actually made my son wear this stupid headband BUT in my defense I couldn't find a hat :)






Song of the Day: Lifehouse - Everything

My Weekend, My Weekend

I just said that in my head like Julia Roberts says "my reception, my reception" in Steel Magnolias.....I love that movie & watch it every time I see it on!!

Anyway, my weekend started on Friday since I was off from work to spend the day with little man & to try to start packing this house up; it is going to be a very long process to say the least!! We got up, got Lance off to work & then we were off to run to the dry cleaners, grocery store & to get B some more 9 month pants (did I post that he weighed in at 18 lbs. 13 oz. when I took him to the doctor last week??). We got home just in time for B's bottle & nap; while he napped I packed!! Everything was great for a while & then the day turned into this.........
I am not sure what happened (maybe teeth) but he fell apart for the rest of the afternoon. Unless I was up walking he was crying & fussing; thankfully Lance's mom & dad came over for a while that evening to play & help!!

Saturday Lance had to work so Brayden & I only ran out once throughout the day & then the rest of the day we just stayed home playing & having a good time. I wanted to be home just in case the day turned out like the one before & it did but not as bad. I know that fussing is normal for a 7.5 month old child but not him; he is generally so happy all the time. I mean even when he had that horrible cold he was smiling & laughing so this is just different for him. I think it might be his teeth coming in but he won't let me in his mouth to look so I really can't say for sure. He is pulling his ears & has been for about 2 weeks now which is why I took him to the doctor but he had no ear infection so the doctor said that some kids pull on their ears when their teeth come in; all I know is my baby boy is unhappy so momma is unhappy :)

Sunday we took Lance's mom & dad over to see the new house (his mom had already seen it but his dad hadn't) then did lunch & went to look at living room furniture again. It was a great day & even with the time change Brayden stayed on schedule & was a happy boy all day......he even STTN Sunday night. I would give that a woo hoo but it was a fluke last night was awful & he was up on & off from 11:30 on; I wish at that late/early hour he could tell me what hurts so that I could help him & make whatever the issue is go away! My poor baby was so grumpy this morning & he yelled at me from the time he got up until the time I dropped him off at school!!


Song of the Day: Breaking Benjamin - I Will Not Bow

How You Doin???

This is Brayden's Joey Tribbiani face!!

I Swore I Would NEVER.....

Let my baby boy sleep with bumpers in his crib & with a blanket; are you kidding me he will suffocate & die if I do........well I do both!! He HAS to be completely covered up to fall asleep & he HAS to have his cow beside him too so that he can bury/rub his face on it. I will have you know that I do go in & uncover his face when he is finally out!




Song of the Day: Matchbox Twenty- Back 2 Good (Live at Philip's Arena)

A Big Thank You.

Thank you to all the ladies that read my last post & reassured me that I am not a bad mommy; I know in my heart that I am not but it is nice to know that I am not the only that is going thorough or has been through this. I find great comfort in knowing that I am not the only one that feels like a failure some days, I like to know that I am not the only who has a baby that isn't STTN yet, I AM NOT saying that I find comfort in other women's pain but as a first time mom I need a little reassurance every once & a while & it is not the kind I can get from my best friend/husband. As much as I love him I think that a mother takes on the "burden" of the child when he or she is born; not that he loves Brayden any less (& not that Brayden is a burden) than I do....I just think a mothers emotional connection to their child is different & because of that we feel things differently than our husbands or boyfriends do.

I guess in some way it makes me somehow feel like less of a failure as a mother & actually NORMAL when I read that other women that are going through what I am going through. I do wish that all I ever read was blogs about rainbows & butterflies but children are about poop issues, belly issues, skin issues, sleeping issues, colds, mucous, PPD, poor self image & then occasionally you can through in a hour sometimes a day where you feel like you finally have the hang of it all.......but then tomorrow comes & you realize you don't BUT it is alright because you're not alone!!

Anyway, thank you ladies for letting me into your worlds & sharing your children, your happiness, sadness, pain, joy, photos & more!!

Here are a few photos of the happiness & joys of my life & I hope everyone has a wonderful day!!





Song of the Day: Nickelback - How You Remind Me