greener grass.

I kind of despise the phrase "the grass is always greener on the other side". I feel like it's one of those cliched quotes that gets thrown out at random times, usually after you just poured your heart out to someone who responds with that quote.

Green grass?!? After a heartfelt admission. Shank.

I've had very, very few serious relationships in my life. Three in fact, maybe four if I'm being generous. Don't get me wrong, I dated (a lot), but very few were actually worth hanging out with for more than a minute week or so.

I genuinely loved being single in college. I spent all of high school in a relationship and when that ended decided that it was time to just have fun and figure out me. Then a friend would get into a relationship and our time would be cut in half and I would kinda sorta want what she had.

Then there were the times when I was in a relationship and all my friends were going out and having a blast while I was stuck at home watching a lame-o movie with a guy and I totally wanted what they had...

Grass, greener, much?

Last night I was stalking looking at pictures on Facebook of a friend's wedding back home, and I felt it; that pang. The pang of wanting what someone else had.

All of a sudden, I missed that early stage. I missed the showers, the total attention of being the bride, the newness of a brand new marriage. I missed the giggles of figuring out how to live with someone new, the excitement of finally being called a "Mrs.", the joy of writing your new last name for the first time. I missed the first home, the new puppy your hubs brought home, the not being able to keep your hands off each other newlywed stage.

Sigh...

I sat there last night and ached with missing that stage of life. The new home is long since gone, the puppy is a six year old dog, and the newlywed stage has been replaced by the toddler stage.

I looked around and saw the Heartguard on the counter, the monitor buzzing at my elbow, the dogs asleep on the floor, and then... I smiled.

The newlywed stage is awesome, don't get me wrong. But this? Sitting in a house with six years of acquired "stuff", two dogs and a cat who've joined the journey, a new baby, and a man who I now know like the back of my hand; this is better.

True, the nights we can't keep our hands off each other are few and far between, replaced by nights where we both fall exhausted on the couch at bedtime. And sometimes I miss the newness of it all, but we had that. It was great, but right now, there is no greener grass than what I'm currently walking through life on.

first hike.

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to take BG out for a small photo-shoot. We picked a place not too far away that was supposed to be a really awesome park and headed out.

After a picnic lunch, we decided to try and find the waterfall that was supposed to be around where we were. However, we got about 2.5 seconds down the hill when we realized the BOB, my linen pants and sandals, and the Mister's long pants were not going to bode well on the already steep decline. So we turned around.



As we were climbing back up the hill, we saw a couple of cool looking buildings in the distance that we decided to go check out. Of course as soon as we got over there, a group showed up from a local nursing home and BG wanted nothing to do with us anymore. She had an audience to entertain.



Once I dragged her back over to hang out with her lame-o parents, we walked around and checked out the buildings. Turns out we were at some buildings that have been around since before the Revolutionary War. I should know more than that since I found the guard and let him talk my ear off, but I didn't pay close enough attention. Oops.




Then, because we weren't sweating enough, we decided to drive down the road a bit to see if we could find the "easier" path to get to the waterfall that we attempted to get to in the beginning.

Can I just say that stroller's aren't meant for hiking? Well, I probably don't have to tell y'all that. Y'all are probably thinking "duh".

So was Baby Girl.

But we made it to the falls. We only had to carry her a few times. Good times.

And this face at her first sight of the falls, made it ALL worth it.

Love.


The falls!!






Somehow I took two kids back home with me...

We had such a good time. I'm so glad that we're in an area where we're surrounded by all sorts of parks and areas like that where we can get out of the house for a bit and do something.

Of course we're going to need to find a better way to transport the little before we head out again.

Saturday Morning Scene

I'm linking up with Kate for her Saturday Morning Scene again today. It's been a super quiet morning here. BG slept til almost 10 (thank you Hudson and Mac for tiring her out at the park yesterday!), Mr. P slept til 11:30, and it's raining. Pretty much our morning has consisted of breakfast and now me drinking coffee while she watches some Sesame Street.


Pretty sure this is as productive as we're getting this morning...


And could someone come teach this child how to properly sit in her chair??

what they never told me..

Well it looks like it's going to happen.

It looks like I just may survive my first year of motherhood.

Unless BG decides to pull some crazy tricks in the next couple of weeks, which she totally could do.

I'm not getting into the whole "she's almost one" post tonight or the post on how my eyes are swollen because I've been bawling looking at her baby photos all day. Nope. Not today.

What hits me today as I look back over this past year is how completely life changing, emotional, and just plain hard it has been.

I heard this year was going to fly by. Fly by? Doesn't even begin to describe it. I swear I was just sitting on the couch bawling my eyes out at the fact that my child wouldn't quit crying.

Now? She almost rarely cries. Just laughs, squeals, and whines. Good times.

People told me it would go fast, but this is what they didn't tell me that I quickly learned for myself.

No one told me that I would literally cry for days and days weeks and weeks after bringing her home. I've heard post-partum emotions before, but good grief. I had NO idea what I was in store for. No one told me that many, many, many nights I would look down at her screaming face and wonder what the heck did I do to my life?? That I would be so frustrated that I would just look at my weeks old child and beg her to tell me what she wanted. That I would have to set her in her crib screaming and walk away for a few minutes just to get my bearings. That some nights I would just sit and cry with her because I was clueless at how to make it stop.

True story. That all happened.

I wasn't warned that b*reastfeeding does not work for everyone. I just assumed that's what we would do. No one told me that if it didn't work, that it would send me back into an emotional tailspin as I dealt with my guilt on not being able to take care of my child. No one told me we'd spend hours switching from side to side squeezing every last drop out as we both sobbed because it just. was. not. working.

No one told me that there would be times in this year that I would loathe my husband. Don't get me wrong, I adore him, don't worry about us, but there have been times where I wanted to slaughter him. When he went back to work and got to start sleeping again leaving me up all night to deal with the banshee baby. Or when she would wake up crying at 3 am and somehow, miraculously, he just could not hear her (right...). Or when he complained of being tired when I'd been up for 27 hours and hadn't showered in three days.

Shank, shank, shank.

Of course on the flip side, I wasn't prepared for how much more I would love him and in so many different ways.

I heard that when you see your spouse with your child, it's a whole different kind of love, but y'all, it is so, so much more.

I adore him. I adore the father he's become. It makes my world sprout little rays of sunshine when I see her light up and reach for her Daddy when he comes home. It's awesome. I love 5 o' clock (or 6:15 or whenever he graces us with his presence) because it makes her day. He was made to be this girl's Daddy. And I love him so much more for that.

No one told me that it would take, oh, nothing to make my patience snap. The dogs barking tends to make me want to cut their throat out just to keep it from waking her up. A Diet Coke can left out when I JUST got the living room cleaned up makes snakes climb out of my head. I'm going to blame this on how daggum tired I stay.

No one told me about the "mom guilt". It started when I couldn't b*reastfeed. It's only escalated since then. I feel guilty when I leave her. I feel guilty when she pulls something down on top of her. I feel guilty when she falls. Pretty much I have to deal with feeling guilty about something at least once a week. It's gotten better now. I'm finally getting that junk under control but it took a very, very long time.

Then there's the worry. I worry about her constantly. Is she getting enough Tummy time? Too much? Am I playing with her enough? Too much? What's she doing while I'm at work? Is she okay in the church nursery? Is she too hot? too cold? Is she sick? Is she sleeping? Is she breathing? ::blah, blah, blah:: I could go for days.

Gone are the days of sleeping well because I'm constantly tuned to her. I listen for cries, for toys being thrown out of the crib, for breaths; it's ridiculous.

It's crazy folks. In just under a year, my entire world has been flipped turned upside down (sing that...) and I absolutely love it. I've had my highest highs and my absolute lowest lows since bringing BG home. I've heard there's nothing like a mother's love, and it's true times about a trillion. I never, ever thought I could love someone like this. It's crazy.

So yeah, this year has been hard. It's been more than I could ever imagine and while I honestly had zero clue what I was in for, I've absolutely loved every minute of it.

Okay, that's not true. I could have dealt with a little less screaming but other than that, every single minute.

pasture vs. palace

This morning, Baby Girl and I managed to make it to our second service at one of the churches we've tried here in town. When we were there a couple of weeks ago, both Mr. Perfect and I both were very impressed with the praise and worship as well as the preaching. That Sunday, they were working through a study on David and this morning, I got to hear the final sermon of the study.

Something the preacher said this morning really stuck with me. He was talking about how if we can't praise God while we're in the "pasture" then we'll never get to the "palace". Let me see if I can break it down.

David spent many, many years as a young boy tending sheep before he ever became king. The whole entire time, he praised God. He wasn't dreaming of better things, he was praising in the time and circumstance he was currently in.

How many of us are guilty of always looking forward? We think, if we work this job we hate now, it will bring us riches in the future. Or we look at our neighbor who drives a better car, lives in a better house, or has better clothes and we long for our days when that will be us.

I personally know I am guilty of all of the above.

I've talked in depth with close friends about how I feel like right now, my little family has taken a step backwards. Meaning this; we got knocked out of our comfort zone when Mr. P lost his job last year. Big time. Fortunately he found a job very quickly, but now? We're in a new place, I left a great job (and currently don't have one at all), and sometimes it feels like we're sinking.

But is this our pasture?

Things worked out very, very quickly to get us to where we are right now. Doors not only opened, they flew open. I find it no coincidence that we are here right now. Maybe this is our time to just sit and be and try to figure out what God has in store for us next. This is our pasture. Our time of just praising God and doing what we need to to get by.

Let me break it down even more. Let's take them out of the picture and just talk about me.

Like I said, I left a great job to come up here. It made me crazy, but I was doing what I loved. Now I'm at home with Baby Girl everyday. It wears on me. Not going to lie. I have looked for work up here. I don't want to work all the time because my time with her is too precious, but I would like something just a couple of days a week.

But that hasn't happened. I literally have had not one lead. And it's hard. I've never looked this long for a job in my life. But something hit me while I was listening this morning.

This time that I currently have with my little girl is precious. I will never ever get this back.

Maybe the reason I haven't found something is that this is what I'm supposed to be doing right now. Figuring out how to live smaller and relishing every single second with my adorable little angel.

Things aren't as easy as they once were. It's hard being in a tiny apartment when we're used to our own house. However, these are some amazing days we're having. We laugh so, so much. BG is becoming a little girl in these walls.

This might be our pasture. But as long as we stay strong in our faith, as long as we do all this with each other, well, our palace will be amazing. In due time. Right now? I am loving where we are.

these days.

I meant to write a post about BG's schedule back when she was oh, five months old so that I could look back and see what we did all day.

But I didn't. Boo.

Now that I'm home with her all day, we've managed to nail down a pretty tight schedule of how our day should go.

And by nail down, I mean, it's in my head, but BG is the boss here and we kind of do what she says.

Somehow my days fly by now. Half the time I literally cannot figure out how it's already lunch time, and then how Mr. Perfect is getting home for the day. It's crazy. Most of the time, I have zero clue as to what day it is. It's busy which is odd to me because I thought I would have tons of time when I stayed home.

Ha.

However, I will say that we've fallen into quite a nice little routine. Things get done. Most of the time the house is not atrocious. Most of the time dinner is served at a reasonable hour. Most of the time I get to work out. I always get to shower. It's good.

So what do we do all day you ask. Well here goes..

On rare, rare occasions, I get up and hit the gym at 5.30. I get back at 6.15 and Mr. P leaves for work and then I shower and get dressed. But that's rare. Usually this is how it goes:

7:30-8:00 am: BG wakes up. Once she wakes up, I wake up. I go to the kitchen and maker her a bottle, get her meds ready, and get a cup of coffee (which my amazing husband makes before he leaves for the day). I get her out of bed (always greeted with a smile!), change her diaper, and then we go to the living room where she has her morning bottle and watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I inhale enjoy my coffee and catch up on Twitter and email.

8:00-9: we play in the living room. We work on stacking blocks (no interest), playing with her toys (no interest), and crawling into every single thing in the house (tons of interest).

9: breakfast. Usually oatmeal and fruit for her, bagel or cereal for me. After breakfast, we clean up our mess and head back to the living room for more play time.

(Honestly, her play time right now is climbing on tables, chasing the pets, and pulling stuff off of tables. Why do we buy kids toys?!?)

10:00-10:30: About 10, BG shows signs she's ready for a nap. As soon as I see that first sign, I pick her up and we attempt "quiet play". I try to read (usually she's not interested) or we'll walk around the house and work on vocabulary. Then we change her diaper and she goes down for a nap. Usually with absolutely no fighting.

Once she's down, I run the dogs outside real quick, and then jump in the shower. I have an hour in the am to get stuff done. After I shower, I do my quiet time, clean up the kitchen, and then knock out my *daily chore (yes, I have a chore list). I also get her toys picked up from the am.

11:30: She's up. If I'm lucky, I got everything done I wanted to get done. Usually not, but she's up anyway. I get her up and get her dressed for the day. If we have a quick errand to run, we go now. If not, we hang out and play til lunch time.

12:00-12:30: lunchtime. We eat when Mr. P can come home and eat with us. I love that we eat two meals a day together. After lunch, I take the dogs on a longer walk while Mr. P plays with BG.

1:00: Mr. P goes back to work and BG and I head to the park, or the apartment playground, or a store, just somewhere to get out for a bit.

2:00: we get home and wind down for nap time.

2:30-4:30: Nap time. If I didn't get what I needed to get done this morning, I do it now. Then I try to use this for "me" time. I read, I blog, I read blogs, I play on Twitter, I hop on g-chat, I write in her baby book, I watch tv. This is my recharge time. I also get dinner started, do our budget, plan our menus, pay bills, and do whatever projects need to be done during this time. I get to spend about 30 minutes doing "me" time, the rest goes to running this house. But I do not mind.

(Also, nap time varies. Some days it's an hour, some days two. You literally have to race to get anything done because you don't know when she'll wake up. Fun little game...)

4:30: BG gets up and has a snack while I work on dinner. Then she gets some solo play in her pack-n-play or her room. If her room needs to be cleaned, its done now while she plays and I can watch her.

5:00: Mr. Perfect gets home and it's his time with her. Usually I'm finishing up dinner while they play or watch tv.

5:30: Dinner

6:00: bath time. Mr. P bathes BG while I feed the dogs and cat and get the kitchen cleaned up. If I don't get the kitchen done, he does it while I get her to bed. After bath time, we pick up her room and her toys from the day. Never too early to teach them to clean their room!

Ha.

6:45: She gets her medicine and last bottle. I clean her teeth and then we rock and read a story (if she'll let you. Currently, she has zero interest in this step and I usually just sing to her and then put her to bed).

7:30: BG is in bed and I usually hit the gym. I get back about 8:30, shower, and then it's couch and tv time for the hubs and I.

10:00: bed. Well for him. I usually surf the internet or watch tv til about midnight. Insomnia is a blast...

So that's our days. They fly by.

Quick question: What are some activities that you'd recommend for a babe BG's age? She shows little interest in toys and would prefer to be moving. She likes the park but it's so cold right now that we haven't been going and if we do, we don't stay long. What are some good indoor activities?

did i get too cocky?

Just when I thought I had this motherhood thing down, fate (or Satan or whatever) decides to step in and go oh I've got this and knock me right off my high horse.

I've been working out, cooking dinner, cleaning house. BG's been napping and we had us a good little schedule going.

Then there's today.

The house is a disaster. I do not know how since I literally cleaned all day Tuesday (what day is it?!?) but it is. There is dog hair, clothes, dishes, and toys everywhere. I can't deal.

I finally got my living room cleaned up during BG's twenty minute nap time (yes, twenty minutes even after getting up before six since she wet the bed, and we had to change the sheets at o' dark thirty), when my dog threw up.

Twice.

As I cleaned the second pile up, BG threw Sophie in the mess and then lost it when I had to take her away to clean her.

Is this day serious???

We got to the grocery store and made it out alive only to have my bag break when I got to the car, almost shattering my jar of salsa. Then I dropped my keys trying to open the door and as I bent down to pick them up, BG picked that moment to throw herself backwards causing her to hit me in the teeth and ending with both of us in tears.

Currently, she is in her crib "napping". Meaning, she's been hollering, laughing, and crying for about two hours. I'm fixing to give up and just go get her.

I still need to fix dinner, but am seriously afraid something might blow up as it just seems like it might be that kind of day.

Ay yi yi.

It's seriously almost comical. And it's almost five which is awesome, because I can tag out to Mr. Perfect. Stick a fork in me. I am done son.

a high note.

This is why I deal with days like today.

This little doll has been an angel today. She's laughed, she's chatted with Mama, she's taken three hours worth of naps including a two hour one this afternoon.

She's amazing.

This whole motherhood thing is tough. Sometimes it literally kicks my butt and makes me think I have no clue what I'm doing.



But she adores me. The rest will figure itself out.


Thanks for the comments and thoughts ladies. I am so thankful for this community and the friends I've made through it.

2011: My Goals

I can't even remember the last time I made a resolution and kept to it. Last year I didn't make a single resolution, but instead listed five things I wanted to work on. Basically, I accomplished about half that list.

Ay yi yi.

But I did accomplish half. So this year, I'm giving myself a few more goals that I want to work on and am going to use this blog to keep me accountable.

1. Work on my relationship with God.
When this takes a back seat, my world shows it. It feels like chaos. Right now? Feeling like chaos. I plan on using BG's morning nap time as my personal time. That will include quiet time. Just time to make sure that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. To go along with this, I plan on finding a church and getting us involved in that church. I miss church. I miss my Sunday School and small group class.

2. Set a schedule.
Ever since I quit my job and moved up here, I've been staying at home with BG. I'm not sure how long that will last (though I pray it's for good), but while this is the way it is, we've got to figure out some sort of schedule. I currently get up when she gets up which leaves me stumbling for a bottle and coffee and trying to wake up while trying to take care of her. That's not working. I want to get up early each day and hit the gym before Mr. P leaves for work. Then when she gets up, I'll be ready to face the day. I also want to work more activities into the day with her. We're both getting a bit stir crazy in this tiny apartment. I just need a schedule to make me feel normal.

3. Work on my relationship with Mr. Perfect.
2011 has started off rough for us. We're both under a lot of stress and haven't been communicating well and that's not good. We need to talk. We need to date. Currently we don't have a sitter for BG so we haven't had a date in months, but we need to change that. I need to remember that he still comes first, as hard as that may be, it's how it's supposed to be. I have to work on my communication skills. I get so mad at him for not "getting it", but I don't tell him. He's not a mind reader silly girl... Marriage takes work. I need to refocus on ours.

4. I'll be working on my fitness.
I still have not lost all of the baby weight. I'm only holding onto about 6 pounds but it is a hella ugly 6 pounds. This body needs some tightening and toning stat. I want to start getting up early again to hit the gym. So far there have been two days in 2011 and I've worked out both of them. Yea girl. I'm not setting any fitness goals, just basically to do some kind of workout each day (this could include a lengthy walk with BG and the pups). Basically just getting moving and clear my head daily.

5. Continue to become a better housewife.
I'm back in charge of our finances. I've been trying to menu plan. I've been doing the cleaning and grocery shopping. I'm not trying to be wife of the year, but I really want to get organized. I want our budget to work. I want things to work so that I can continue to stay home. So I have to be smart about the shopping and such. It's time to knuckle down.

6. Get back in to reading.
I miss my times curled up with a good book. Now anytime I have to myself is spent at the computer, but that's not really relaxing is it? I joined Goodreads and borrowed a ton of book ideas from Rachel, Erin, and Sarah and I'm super excited to get back into the swing of things with my books.

7. And lastly... now this one will be hard, but I'm limiting my computer time.
Big time. BG is growing up so, so fast and I feel like I really need to sit down and watch her. And night time needs to be about Mr. Perfect. I don't have to read and comment on every blog I follow. I don't have to see every tweet. It will be fine if an email doesn't get answered right away (which I'm actually already really bad at.. oops). I put a lot of pressure on myself to blog daily, read blogs daily, keep up with Twitter and Facebook, and what all of y'all are doing all the time. But truthfully? While I love you all, I'm more interested in my family. They need to come first. I don't want BG to see my back as I type away. I'm tired of not getting to watch tv with Mr. P. I'm not strapping myself with a certain amount of time, just saying it will be less. Doesn't mean I love you guys any less though. :)

So that's it. Nothing crazy. Nothing I can't accomplish. 2011 is going to be a blast. My baby is going to turn 1. My other baby is going to turn 34. Hopefully we'll take our first "family vacation" as a family of three. I get to hang out with BG every day. Life is awesome.

Bring it on 2011. I'm ready.

2010: a look back.

Wow. 2010 is over.

By far the fastest year ever. Which I'm sure I say every year, but seriously.

When I was in school, the years did not go by this fast. Someone is clearly pushing a fast forward button up in the sky somewhere.

Last year I did a post just like this and it is so fun to look back and see how much has changed in a year.

So here's my 2010 recap. It's been an amazing year.

January:
The year started off with us at home, watching our Baby Girl dance around in my belly. My Aunt and Grandma threw us a baby shower for family and close family friends. It was my first shower and was so much fun.

Mr. Perfect had surgery to "fix" his sleep apnea. I spent the next week waking up every two hours to take care of him. Good practice for the little one.

Turstal and I threw a baby shower for our friend Jess. Our friend KT gave birth to her precious little boy.

February:
It snowed in Savannah for the first time in YEARS. I had two baby showers; one thrown by some of my friends at work and one by my best friends, KW and KP.


Mr. Perfect and I celebrated Valentine's Day with a quiet dinner at Red Lobster which is all this pregnant girl wanted. We started having non-stress tests and ultrasounds done every week on the little one.

March:
This month was filled with a lot of doctor's appointments as it was my last month of pregnancy. My Mom and Dad brought down BG's custom made changing table.

Mr. Perfect and I both battled horrible allergies and sickness and still managed to take some decent maternity pictures with beat red noses. We also enjoyed our last date night before the big day.

I washed Baby Girl's first load of laundry and we finally got her room ready for her arrival.

And on the very last day of the month, we got some big news and headed to meet our baby girl.

April:
We started the month in the hospital in what would be four of the longest days of my life. But she was worth it.

We celebrated Easter, her first holiday, still in the hospital. We dealt with jaundice and all the fun repercussions of labor. And finally got to take her home at two days old.

We had a really tough month trying to figure out what the little one needed. B*reastfeeding was difficult for us from the start and I beat myself up big time. But I learned some things that will definitely help with any future children. We took our first family walk. We took her newborn pictures and sent out birth announcements to family and friends.
We made our first road trip as a family of three and took BG to see her grandparents and uncle in SC. She also got to meet her great-grandfather for the first time.

May:
Baby Girl turned 1 month old. We finally got her on a schedule and the sheer exhaustion chilled out a bit. I celebrated my first Mother's Day with the greatest gift ever.

Mr. Perfect and I celebrated our five year anniversary. We stayed home and had cake and sparkling grape juice- times sure have changed.

BG went to her first playdate with her bff Kathryn. Then she smiled for the first time.

Mr. Perfect turned thirty-three. Baby Girl moved out of the cradle in our room to the crib in her room. We took a road trip up to North Carolina to welcome Uncle Marine home from Afghanistan and to let him meet BG for the first time. While there, BG laughed for the first time. She also went to the beach for the first time.

BG celebrated her first Memorial Day. We took BG and Kathryn down to River Street for their first big night out.


June:
I went back to work. Baby Girl turned two months old. She learned how to hold her head up completely on her own. She also decided she was no longer a "baby" and didn't want to be held like one. Mr. Perfect celebrated his first Father's Day.

My friend KT got married.

My goddaughter and my daughter finally got to meet. We had a welcome home party for Uncle Marine and the guest list looked quite different from years past..

BG made Daddy her first craft at daycare. She learned how to sit up in the Bumbo. She also held a rattle and shook it for the first time. She rolled over for the first time.


July:

BG turned 3 months old. She celebrated her first Fourth of July.

She went on her first boat ride. She became a rolling over machine. Her Granny and Pa-Pa came down to visit. I took her to the pool for the first time, but we didn't get in.
I tried really hard to get back in shape and back into running, even getting up at five some mornings. It didn't last long. My friend Turstal moved to Ohio. My aunt from Texas came to visit and meet BG.


August:
BG turned four months old. I attempted another pool day with minimal success. At least we got in the water.

My friend KP's house got broken into, shaking up my world and forcing me to send the Mister right our for a huge safe. My little girl was in a fashion show with her Daddy.
Baby Girl started rice cereal. We dedicated her to the Lord.
My friend Ashley came to town with her little one. While she was here, we had a monster playdate.

My parents came down to visit and took BG on her first outing without me. They also bought her her walker which she still loves. She learned how to completely roll over.

September:
BG turned five months old. I turned twenty eight. Mr. Perfect and I finally got a date night thanks to KP and her husband. BG began scooting. We introduced her to college football.

I celebrated my birthday night with my three closest friends, my baby girl, and her bff. It was perfect. BG attended her first birthday party for her friend Gabby.
She started sitting up on her own. I took her shoe shopping for the first time. Mr. Perfect lost his job and spent two weeks at home being a "stay at home" Dad.

October:
Baby Girl turned six months old. She went to her second birthday party for her friend Brantley. We road tripped it up to Greenville where the Mister got a new job! We spent most of the month living in separate states and it was hard. We took her to the pumpkin patch for the first time.

We started introducing more foods into her diet. Her and I took a 10 hour road trip to spend a week with my parents in Maryland. She celebrated her first Halloween and we took her and Kathryn trick-or-treating for the first time.

November:
Baby Girl turned seven months old. She and I finally finished packing up the house and moved to SC to be with Mr. Perfect. We said good-bye to her first sitters and her first Sunday School teachers.


BG got her first two teeth. And started army crawling followed quickly by regular crawling. AP and I took BG on a modeling call (post still in the works) and she got picked.

AP and I took BG to her first fair. She had her first "date". I had a last girls' night out with my best friends before leaving Savannah. We celebrated BG's first Thanksgiving in SC with Mr. P's family.


December:
Baby Girl is eight months old. We took her to her first Christmas tree farm. We went to our town's tree lighting and to see Santa for the first time.
BG is pulling up on everything. She threw her first real fit. We decorated for her first Christmas. We celebrated her first Christmas and it was perfect. Tonight, I kissed her good night and told her when I woke her up, it would be a new year.

2010 has been amazing. And horrible. I have had some of my highest highs and my lowest lows this year. I've seen the effects of prayer. I've felt them too. I've been blessed beyond what I could ever deserve.

Tonight my plans didn't quite go as planned, but I'm going to go climb in bed and usher in the New Year with Mr. Perfect. And tomorrow?

Well bring it on 2011. I can't wait to see what's in store for us next.